Monday, January 30, 2006

Day 2...

Today is day 2 of Chinese New Year and i am at home with the google box accompanying me for the night. Expected la, you guys may say since my last post said about me slacking at home to watch the sky.

BUT! The "staying at home to watch the sky" plan didn't materialise. In fact, i only reach home at around 5 plus today and managed to take a nap and watch some tv shows before doing some blogging. Been sleeping very little lately. Let see, i think i only slept for around 14 hours since Chinese New Year eve. Why? Read on. (Note: This is a long post. Please prepare some snacks and drinks and make yourself very comfortable.)

The first day of CNY, we had steamboat for lunch. Oh my, one word, excellent. I especially like the sotong balls with cheese in it. Wow! After lunch, we popped by my father's side first aunt's house to 拜年. It was kind of great to catch up with relatives and renew the bonds cause it is not as if you get to see them everyday. I am also amazed at how time spare no one. You just can't believe how that cousin you saw just last year has aged quite a lot and how kids grow nowadays. One year ago, they are just little kids and now, they look so different. Oh well...

I was quite happy this year as being the last in line among the cousins, the focus would always be on me. Not that i am complaining but it do get kind of sianz year after year. This year, i am saved by my nephew and niece. Woopi! For the first CNY, i wasn't the fcous of attention. All my cousins' attention shifted to my nephew and niece. I am so happy to get away from the limelight and i would not do anything to return back to the limelight.

After my father's side, only my mum and i went over to my mother's second sister-in-law house to 拜年. Being Chinese, we(yes, if you are a Chinese, you are included)have a weak spot for a vice. That vice is none other than gambling. I shall not elaborate here as i am sure you have your fair share of it. Don't tell me you are not tempted to open your hongbaos when you see your cousins playing Blackjack or manjong. That is pure bullshit. But let keep it to the minimum ya? I don't wish to enter any centre that specialise in helping people get rid of gambling addictions and neither do i want to see you there.

I remember i slept at 3 plus in the morning on 初一 and woke up 6 hours laters. Crap. CNY is a period to catch up on some sleep yet i had the shortest duration of sleep ever since the start of 2006. Nevermind, shall compensate tonight. For today, i went over to my mum fourth sister house for lunch. That lunch is the most expensive meal i ever had in my life. Some dishes include

1) Sea cucumber
2) A big fish(From the conversation over lunch, i gathered the fish cost some hundred bucks)
3) Abalone
4) Chicken

and some other stuff. Oh my goodness!

My sixth aunt(my mum youngest sister. My mum is 5th among 6 sisters) joined us for lunch with her family. Um, she has 2 sons and 1 daughter. Compared to other cousins, my siblings are more close to them because of the small age gap. Note i didn't use "I" in the previous sentence as they are around the same age as my siblings, not me. The age gap between me and my siblings range from 11 to 17 years. So ya, got the picture? Oh, another side note is that the oldest cousin we have is now a grandfather. It is a very complicated affair in my mother's side family. Let not talk about it.

As i was saying, they joined us for lunch. Other than the daughter, my sixth aunt's sons are married and each have a child. Oh, you should really meet them. They are young, successful in their career and have a family. But the most important thing is that they each have a very(x100) beautiful wife. My goodness. I can't describe their beauty as i don't have the words. They are simply too beautiful to describe. If only i can take a picture with them...

Anyway this bring me to another point is that i can't help but feel the similarities they have with my brother. The 3 of them are into their prime age, have a beautiful wife(my sister-in-law is also very(x100) beautiful ya?), have a kid, have a car, a stable job and even their sense of dressing is the same. I don't is it them or what but the similarites are too big to be missed. Oh no, if my mum realise all these similarities, the pressure will be on me to match up to them. Shit.

Oh, before i forget, i watched a movie on 初一 . Yes i know i contradict myself again. But hey, i am watching 霍元甲. The ticket price is definitely worth it. Oh, did i tell you that is the first movie i watched in the year of the dog as i watched it at 1.05am? So it kind of means that there isn't a big crowd and i am glad that i kickstart the new year doing one of my favourite activities and i am further glad that the movie is one of the best this year.



As i said before, i am not a movie reviewer. So just my two cents' worth. The movie is excellent not because Jet Li acts very well, the actions in the movie are great(it was kindly of bloody and cruel if you ask me) but rather the spirits it is trying to bring across. The spirit of pride and the spirit of 武术.

When we talk about the spirit of 武术, who would on first thought think that 武术 is for 强身建体 and not for fighting? Martial arts, no matter which country it originated from, is a very mystical thing. It is viewed as a short-cut way to some people to gain power and fame. If you can fight well and be undefeated, you will sure gain the fame and respect and in some way, power. Who dares to challenge you? However, you definitely do not have the spirit of 武术. When a person practising martial arts and have the spirit of 武术 in him, he do not view martial arts as a way to gain fame or power. He view it as a way to help people to live healthier and when engaged in combat, he treat the opponent with respect and not with a 'you must die' attitude. He lead his life with dignity and will not do anything to give the name 武术 a bad name. 霍元甲 is respected throughout the centuries because he lead his life in line with the true spirit of 武术.

About the spirit of pride, it is something that we Chinese should not forget. Look at how China was insulted in the late 1800s and early 1900s. China is so big, yet no one can stand up to face the 八国联军 . Furthermore, the foreign nations were so 横行霸道 and the way they insulted the Chinese, can you imagine the insult to the pride? I can't, cause it is too great to be imagined. Just when all hopes was lost, the foreign nations went one step further by challenging the Chinese to a martial arts contest. They know the Chinese martial arts are great but being too diverse and with the different schools at loggerheads with each other, they know they could win this easily and deal that one big blow. But 霍元甲 stood up to the challenge and show why Chinese martial arts is so great. He not only return the blow meant for the Chinese but salvage back some pride for the Chinese. The movie is trying to say that every country has its own national pride and when it is being insulted, the people should unite together and stand up to defend its national pride. If a country has no national pride, how do you expect other countries to respect it and its citizens?

In short, this is a wonderful movie and i strongly advise all to see it. A fitting end for Jet Li. Um, but if he don't do action movies anymore, he do what huh?

Rating: 4.5/5

That concludes my first two days of the year of the dog. Am resting a sore throat after consuming so much New Year's goodies. But whenever i think of my two 表嫂 and my sister-in-law, WOW!