HAPPY NEW YEAR - CHUC MUNG NAM MOI

Happy New Year to all my adoring fans and visitors/readers.  The above photo was taken during our visit to Toronto, Canada in 2007.  The display was part of the Chinese Festival and it is appropriate for this Lunar New Year as it is the Year of the Horse.
Wishing you good health, physical and mental strength in reaching your finish line and achieving your goals in life.

PEACE AND JOY - HAPPY NEW YEAR (2014)

Happy New Year - Peace and Joy to you (or Joy and Peace if you are reading from left to right).

Disclaimer:  Just in case a reader might ask for patterns/instructions on how to make these angel ornaments, I did not make them.  Someone gave them to me and they were store bought (made in China)!

HAPPY NEW YEAR (I AM LAUGHING WITH YOU, NOT AT YOU)

I am not laughing at you, I am laughing with you.  As the old saying, “Laughter is the best medicine”, let’s celebrate the new year with the best medicine of belly-shaking laughs. 

Let’s also remember to “laugh something off” when someone acting like an idiot or making stupid comments.  My wishes to you in the coming years that you will have the mental and physical strength to overcome all the difficulties come your way and that you will have the love and support of families and friends to help you reach your goals/hopes/dreams.

I never care for the expression, “Laugh and the world laughs with you; weep (cry) and you weep (cry) alone”.  Here is my version (and it is a better version), “Laugh and the world (or those around you) might wonder what you are up to; go ahead and cry if you must, only those who really care about you and those who really matter to you, would cry with you”.

Thank you for laughing with me (through my little boring blog) and thank you for allowing me to laugh with you (reading your stories).

Happy New Year and Best Wishes in the coming years!

FIRST THURSDAY RAMBLING (2013)

One more time - Happy New Year!  I thought these images from the Butterfly House would be a good start - positive, beautiful thoughts and acceptance that life goes on (the lifespan of a butterfly, dependent on the breed, could be only a few days or up to a year - no 100 years old butterfly). Spread your wings, fly high and enjoy each moment in the sun.  I found an article in the Grand Haven Tribune (at www.grandhaventribune.com) about a professional cyclist currently living on a sailboat.  You could read her blog at www.alwaysgoblog.wordpress.com.  I have thought of her comment, "Tickets are issued.  Only a few check-in for the journey of their dreams", where is your ticket? 

We missed the Times Square New Year ball-drop ceremony again!  Ralphie was already in bed and I continued watching the Twilight Zone Marathon.  I was supposed to keep watch but I fell asleep on the sofa and did not hear the clock striked at midnight.  2012 quietly left and 2013 casually came without bothering to wake us up for the celebration.

We had a few flurries on the last day of 2012, not enough for accumulation.  After putting in a couple of volunteer hours at the Butterfly House, I went to the store to return two sweaters and a necklace Ralphie had given me.  Next year I will remember to actually go to the store, look and touch before putting the items on my wish list.  The sweaters only looked good in the catalog and the necklace was actually a tiny, wimpy piece.  After the store, I visited a parishioner who had hip and knee surgery.  I brought her Holy Communion since she could not drive to attend Mass.   

I completed the 50 hours of volunteer in 2012 to qualify for an honorary membership with the Garden.  The regular membership is $65, that comes out to be $1.30 per volunteer hour.  I know you don't calculate wages when you volunteer.  I would rather get a good paying job so I could afford the $65 annual membership than putting in volunteer hours (at $1.30 per hour) while being unemployed.  OK, let's put a stop to this negative thinking! 

Ralphie was off the whole week of Christmas and finally went back to work on the 2nd.  The Director of Quality quit last month and moved to Nashville for a better job.  Ralphie told the company that he is happy with being Quality Engineer, doing the work without the pressure of being a manager.  The company already found a replacement and the new Director will start on Jan. 14th.  He and his family will be moving to St. Louis from Charlotte, North Carolina. Come to think of it, we have been in St. Louis 18+ years.  Ralphie said that pretty soon I will be more St. Louisian than being Vietnamese since I left Viet Nam when I was 19 years old.  I might have to make up stories about going to John F. Kennedy High School in Manchester! 

SERENE

Happy New Year to you - may 2013 be a year of SERENE, good health, joyful moments, and a highest sense of fulfillment in life (in whatever you are trying to accomplish or hope for).

HAPPY NEW YEAR - TET - CHUC MUNG NAM MOI

I thought the above ice scuplture of the dragon is fitting for this post celebrating the Lunar New Year being the Year of the Dragon.

This ice sculpture is on display in front of a business that sell baby stuff. I selected it for this post because the new year is like a baby. Hopefully this baby (looking good for being over 4,000 years old) will grow up strong, healthy and enjoy a bright future.

The business that sponsored the above sculpture was a sushi eatery. A whole fish is a popular dish on the Chinese New Year dinner menu. Fish, in Chinese pronunciation sounding like the word of abundance. Keep in mind if you are at such dinner, be careful not to flip the fish over because of an old superstition of equating flipping a fish with flipping a boat or fortune being turned upside down. Also, the head and tail of the fish must remain in tact to ensure good luck throughout the year.

Just a few more fish (from the Wildlights at the Zoo) for extra luck in 2012. (BTW, I am not really late with this post about the Lunar New Year or TET which is the Vietnamese New Year, since it is a 7 to14 days celebration - haa haa). Happy New Year to all and may the new year bring you good health, happiness, love, peace, blessings, liberty and justice!

BELIEVE - HAPPY NEW YEAR (2012)

Believe in yourself even when no one does.
Believe in your ability to create a bright future even when someone told you that, "You don't have any skills. You don't have an education. You don't even speak the language. No one will give you a job."
Believe in your mind that you would be able to obtain a college degree even when someone said, "Let's see how long you will last working full time and attending school at night."
Believe in your strength as a proud American, in your rights to defend your liberty and freedom, especially when someone wanted you to "move to the back of the bus".
Believe in your courage defending your dignity and honor when someone humiliated you because of the color of your skin.
Believe in your fight when someone disciminated against you because they thought as an Asian woman you were supposed to be quiet and submissive. They thought you were "confrontational and demanding" and how dare you asked to be treated with respect.
Believe in your ability to overcome setbacks. Remember that setbacks are not failure, only if you allow yourself to be defeated.
You have survived and rose above many tribulations - you have experienced tremendous hardships, more than an average person could even image.
Believe in the kindness of others. Believe that there are more good-hearted people in the world than those individuals who cowardly looked the other way even when they knew a morally wrong act was committed.
Surround yourself with those who lift you up. Avoid those who tear you down or those who allowed evil to triumph by doing nothing.
Remember to return kindness to those who needed a helping hand and to let them know that they matter.
Give thanks to God for His blessings. He will provide what you need. You might not know what His plans are but they will come according to His schedule, not yours.
Today is the 32nd Anniversary of my family coming to America and I celebrate this special occassion with these self-affirmations, believe in myself even when no one did.
And to YOU - Happy New Year - Believe in yourself and make 2012 your year!

PEACE AND JOY TO YOU

Peace and Joy or Joy and Peace, from whichever side you are reading (left to right or right to left), I do wish you will have both, not just for the New Year but all the coming years.
I went to a holiday craft show and "won" the above ornaments as attendance prize when my raffle ticket was drawn - yippee! I did not make any purchase nor was looking for any particular item. I like going to craft shows to see all the creative items "crafty" people make using various resources, especially recycled materials.
Personally, I pray for a peaceful heart, less anxious and worries about things that might never happen. I try to be at peace with what happened. Being at peace does not mean you gave up or stop fighting. Having a peaceful heart gives me the strength to leave "the ugliness" behind, to move forward and to make better decisions.
I pray for joy in whatever I will be doing on the new journey.
Here is to joy and peace in whatever your new year resolutions will be or your future plans in your career and in personal goals.

HAPPY NEW YEAR - 2012

Happy New Year - may all your hopes and dreams come true and may all your days filled with good health, peace and happiness.

Here is to 2012 and to all my "blogsphere" friends, thank you for visiting my silly boring blog, for your kind comments and for sharing your stories. Here is to many more years of happy blogging!

CHUC MUNG NAM MOI

Here is to all my adoring fans, faithful and regular readers and all visitors - Chuc Mung Nam Moi or Kung Hey Fat Choi. Wishing you and your family many years of love, good health, happiness, peace and prosperity (or whatever you would rather have on your bucket list.)

According to a website, www.chiff.com, "The Lunar New Year dates from 2600 BC, when the Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the Chinese zodiac. Because of cyclical lunar dating, the first day of the year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February. On the Chinese calendar, 2011 is Lunar Year 4709. (No wonder I feel so old because in the year of 2011 I turned 50 = Lunar Year of 4709, then I must be about 117 years old.)
On the Western calendar, the start of the New Year falls on Thursday, February 3, 2011 — The Year of the Rabbit."

FIRST POST OF 2011

"Lord, please hold all servicemen and women, law enforcement, emergency personnel and fire-fighters in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need."

Happy New Year to all my adoring fans, regular readers and all visitors.
I started this post a week ago but could not bring myself to publish. So I am sort-of cheating by leaving the title of this post as the 1st entry in 2011. It was as if I could not let go of 2010. Or it could be that the thoughts of starting over sort-of overwhelming. So, here it goes, another year of rambling about interesting topics to me but meaningless and boring to everyone else!
Saturday, January 1st – We started 2011 the right way by attending 9:00 a.m. Mass. We were pleased to find that the church parking lot was full and also there were a few cars in the secondary lot.
After church, we drove to the golf course because my husband was concern that the storm had done major damage to his “playground”. I am sure you already knew about the tornadoes touched down in the St. Louis area. It is near where we live, approximately 3.5 miles. We saw large trees with all the roots exposed laying on the ground as if they were pulled up by a giant! At least six houses in the subdivision next to the golf course with the roofs completely blown off.
The rest of the day was spent on watching the Rose Parade, the Rose Bowl football game and in the evening, the NHL Winter Classic – the Pittsburgh Penguins v. the Washington Capitals.
It was a nice relaxing day and ready or not, I welcome the challenges of 2011!

FRIDAY "NYC" SKY - HAPPY NEW YEAR - GOODBYE 2010, HELLO 2011

Wishing you and your family a Happy New Year. May 2011 and the coming years be filled with peace, love and happiness.

Since I am not there with millions of (crazy and drunken-mostly tourists) people standing around for hours at Times Square waiting for the New Year’s Eve tradition of “dropping” the ball, I am posting these photos taken from our trip to NYC last month at Thanksgiving.These photos were taken at Times Square Visitors Center, the city’s first comprehensive one-stop shop for general information, box offices for sightseeing and theater tickets, MetroCards, a small gift shop selling memorabilia and souvenirs. There were restrooms open to the public which is a rare thing to find in NYC, especially in this area. I don’t know whether because it was the holidays so no one took care of the restrooms but it sure could use a good cleaning.

Here is Times Square and its famous huge billboards, bright digital displays of world news and stock quotes and of course, the network studios in sky-high buildings. The area is hardly less crowded any time of the year, but of course, at this moment, there would not be any tiny spots without a body standing on it. Times Square on New Year's Eve looks like a big can of sardine tightly packed with human bodies (drunken fools).

The words according to Qaptain Qwerty, since I won't be able to lose weight or change job (I never smoke so quit smoking does not count) by the stroke of midnight, writing the last blog spot of 2010 seems to be logical and easy. Thanks Qap for a great suggestion. You are always the smart one in the family - haa haa.

A HAPPY WEEKEND

Here is a very late Happy Valentine's Day to my adoring fans. (I have always considered Valentine's Day a conspiracy among the greeting card companies, florists, chocolate candy shops and restaurants. I am not against the day as a celebration of love but I thought some people make such a big fuss over getting/sending flowers, expensive gifts/dinners and true love being measured by the words in the mass-produced greeting cards.) Well, my husband sent me the above Snoopy and Woodstock card. It is cute, so I post it here.
This year Lunar or Chinese New Year/Tet (Vietnamese New Year) is on the same day as Valentine's Day. Good thing red is the color for both holidays, so there is no need for Asian-Americans (women) to change their outfits in the middle of the dinner for the celebrations. My husband practiced all day so he could say Happy New Year in Mandarin to my family. We have been married for almost 21 years and CP only learned to say "How are you? Thank You. I Love You" in Mandarin Chinese and once a year "Happy New Year". I tried teaching CP Vietnamese but he gave up because he got confused between two languages. He definitely did not wish to learn the difference between Mandarin and Cantonese.

My beloved Detroit Red Wings were in town on Tuesday, Feb. 9th. It felt good wearing my Red Wings jersey even though the Wings lost 3-4 in shootout, again! (I don't feel like blogging since Friday. It must be the weather that got me down and I have been thinking about my Dad's passing nine years ago. Last night, I dreamed of my Dad and when I woke up, I felt as if we were never apart.)

On Saturday, Feb. 13th, Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals made their rare visit to St. Louis. There was a large crowd waiting to see #8 during the warm-up before the game. I don't care much for Ovechkin but he sure lives up to expection of being not only a skilled hockey player but also a flashy player who puts on a good show for the fans. The Blues won 4-3 in shootout, again! After the game, we waited in line for another hockey stick with autographs from Chris Mason and Ty Conklin. I even managed to put my chubby face between the two goalies for a nice 49th birthday pose!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I always thought these photos taken at Rockefeller Center in NYC of the giant toy soldiers playing the trumpet, tapping the drum, and smashing the cymbals, looking as if they were announcing the arrival of the New Year.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and may 2010 be a year of good health, good jobs, good relationships with family and friends, good neighbors, peace in your homes, your community, our country and the world. Here is to 2010 and to all my adoring fans, faithful readers and fellow bloggers - happy blogging everyone!

DAYS BEFORE THE NEW YEAR

10 . 9 . 8 . 7 . 6 . 5 . 4 . 3 . 2 . 1. Happy New Year!

Thursday, December 31st - My husband still wished we were among the hundred of thousand of people (drunken fools) standing around in Times Square, for 10+ hours, being confined in tight space, waiting to watch the ball drop while counting down for the arrival of the New Year. The top and below photos were taken around 5:09 p.m. on December 30, 2007 in Times Square, yet the area was packed with people going in all directions. I could not image what it would be like to be in that area on New Year Eve! I am sure one of the many surveillance cameras (above photo) will be there, and NYC finest men and women in uniforms will be working hard keeping everyone safe. If I am able to stay up late, I will be watching the celebration from the comfort of my sofa. I will be thinking about ideas for the next posts, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of 2009", New Year Resolutions, and "What the next Decade will bring".

Wednesday, December 30th - It snowed in the morning but no accumulation and by the afternoon the temperature was in the upper 40s. At lunch time, I started to plan for our next Route 66 trip, making notes of attractions/towns we missed last October, charting the course of the next adventure, over nine days rotating between the interstates and Old 66 from El Reno, Oklahoma, crossing into Shamrock, Texas, continue on to Tucumcari, New Mexico and Rio Rancho, Arizona. Just thinking about our road trip helps lessen my sadness that 2009 will be over in less than 30 hours!
Tuesday, December 29th - Two more full days of work and then another 4-day weekend before the long stretch of having any holidays until Memorial Day. Where I work, Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday and Presidents' Day are not considered paid holidays. Maybe I should demand a day off for Lunar/Chinese New Year or Tet-Vietnamese New Year. (I need to join the crowd using the race card or cry "racism" to get special treatment.) I wonder if I changed my name to Patricia O'Mara, would I get a day off on St. Patrick's Day? Not much going on at work due to the holidays. Besides I have made a promise not to talk/write about work or even mentioned the name of the head clown and his minions at the circus!