Just a line.............

The lunar new year festival is only about a month away. I was doing my usual Saturday afternoon grocery shopping with Ruth at Bintulu's newest supermarket when I saw the workers hanging up chinese "tanglungs" or lanterns, banners and new year music blaring from the loudspeakers. All the colours were conspiciously red. Red is considered an auspicious and lucky colour for Asians, particularly the Chinese. A symbol of wealth, happiness, prosperity and it is believed to ward off evil spirits.

Ruth, like most teenagers is looking forward to the festive occasion as it means new clothes, "ang pows" and fun. We visited the departmental store upstairs and she bought two new blouses to add to her wardrobe of jeans, T-shirts, blouses, etc, etc. She has her own taste of fashion and styles and insisted on selecting her own clothes, unlike before when she did not mind wearing anything that I selected for her. So much for growing up.

For most adults, the new year is also a busy time, with the annual spring or house cleaning, preparation of cakes and biscuits and ensuring that there is sufficient budget for new clothes, angpows, etc. I must say that my culinary and baking skills are somewhat lacking, so most of the cakes and biscuits will have to be ordered from the bakery.