a hint of prosperity

Today is the last day of the chinese new year and finally the prosperity gods shown on me. I am now the proud owner of one ang pau red packet - the first and only one of the season. This has ofcourse reaffirmed my faith in the whole CNY drama and I was even convinced to eat jelly fish and tofu at lunch..man this trying new things phase is getting out of hand.Right about now I could do with lots of prosperity. Local airline came up with unbelievably cheap deals to almost everywhere and I plan to expose my passport to the grabbing and rubbing of many an immigration thumbs so yuh I surely hope I prosper!
It causes me to ask, why is it that we have a moneyplant that doesnt actually grow money? A waste of a name really or was it to calm dillusioned souls like yours truly?
Oh yuh, for the record Im not going to be throwing any oranges in any river.I shall instead make a nice smoothie.
- On a random note, the former president of my country's ex-lover (breathe now) has surfaced and with her ...worms everywhere....
- A 73 year old woman(non kenyan) is seeking a divorce from her 28(Kenyan) year old hubby...there is lots drama in the village at the moment

Now you see why I have more than one reason to love my nation.....all in a day's news...

protocols

In honor of the Kyoto protocol, Ive selected the green template for a while. Im also wearing purple trousers today which I would never pick out of store voluntarily. Im having a 'try new things phase' heck im even blogging from a cyber rather than using office resources...but back to the matter of protocols.
While the UN bodies and whoever else backs the signing of the protocol documents Id like to add in my moment of sceptism. I looked up protocol and most of the definitions turned out to have stiffling/red tape attached to them. So ok this one barres the usage of harmful stuff onto our poor green world, somthing we have been doing since dog ears ago and now we celebrate that a doc has been signed by many documents hmmmmm....I remember the UN formation and promise of several nations to uphold and safeguard its citizens dignity and looky look, we have had more war and conflict since.
I remain highly sceptical. I do not need a signed paper to remind me to keep my trash in my backyard and not on my neighbours front porch. Millions of taxpayers funds have gone down flying ministers/presidents to smile for the camera and appear in unison with such accords...for now I stand unimpressed.....
hmmm may be I should just go back to my black template....no?

randoms

Today I had to write an invitation letter to my brother for him to apply for his passport.
PASSPORT= birthrite of every citizen of the world but noooo I have to send an invite. Still, for the bigger cause which is to get him here for Easter, I will resist all attempts to vent at the innefficiencies of the governments of my continent.

My thought for the day; Rhythm is in the bones, heart and soul not in the melanin....

things that public holidays are good for

When you have half a week of continous public holidays, you could easily get used to it. Some of the highlights include;
-Not having that shrilly clock wake you up to another day of nation building
-Not having to deal with your sweaty self after running through the humidity to catch the train
-Spending endless hours floating in the pool and catching up on a much-not-needed-tan
-Being almost run over by the masses in the mall eager to spend their ang paus
-Hoping onto a bus to cross the border for a good time with Paris and the SG gang
-Watching seasons 5&6 of 'Friends' all in an afternoon and then watching earlier editions at night..ill be there for you ...
-Being part of a global mix of booty shakers (Nacho, Tee, Paris, Sonia,Lars,Krisha et al) on the 70th flr in New Asia bar; its probably the most entertainment and insanity that they have had in that bar since it opened
-Saturday morning pancakes (sweet & savoury) at El palacio with Nacho & Tee
-Sleeping on Devrim's mat....NOT!!!!!
-Discovering that a scoop of icecream can also be a spade or shovel of ice-cream...Go Singapore!
-Conversations on world peace which quickly degenerate into the intricacies of conjugals
-Hearing that China was the source of lots and lotsa ideas...pizza,football...the list goes on.....
-Excellent cocktails and tunes courtesy of Lars! yum! hic!

Gong Xi! Gong Xi!

Allow me to enlighten you on some of the intricacies of the Chinese New Year from my end of the timezone....

*Ang paus (red little packets of money given to the single and kids by the married and elderly. As single person/child gives an elderly/married person a tangerine and wishes Gong Xi Fa Cai! and in return they get the red packet with money inside: ), *steam boats(cooking device mostly circular with lots of boiling water set at the table and everyone sits around the table and dips in whatever food they would like steamed usually put onto a stake) and traffic mayhem in Asia!a busy Tuesday it is in the cultural/religious sector of things.

Today the Chinese community ushers in the new year with gongs, lion dances, mandarins(tangarines), ang paus, food galore. For the non-chinese the best thing is getting 3 days off from work YES!!, getting invited to lots of dinners and enjoying peace and calm in the city as most people have left for their hometowns for the celebration.Red is the color of the season because the Chinese are very very keen on 'prosperity'. Whatever you do, DO NOT WEAR BLACKon the first day of chinese new year! you are reducing your prosperity!This is the 'year of the rooster' so anyone born in 1969,1981,1993,2005 (calculate +/- 12) should celebrate with double vigour for its your year.
According to one website: 'The sign of the Rooster indicates a person who is hard-working and definite about their decisions. Roosters are not afraid to speak their minds and can therefore sometimes come across as boastful. They make good restaurant owners and world travellers.Famous people born in the Year Of The Rooster:Michael Aspel, Yoko Ono,Rod Stewart, Mia Farrow, Eric Clapton

Like the 12 days of christmas, there are 15days of chinese new year;
Chinese New Year Eve(today) - on this night all families gather together and have the re-union dinner
Day 1- On this day there is visiting of friends and families and on this day the meals are mostly vegeterian
Day 2 -The Chinese New Year Officially starts
Day 3 to 6 - Nothing special occurs here
Day 7 - Everyone celebrates their birthday
Day 8 - The eve of the *Hokkien New Year(Hokkien is one of the many chinese dialects) . Lots of celebration by the Hokkien community and on this night you hear lots of crackers go off (in areas where the government hasnt stopped it yet)
Day 9 - The Hokkien New Year
Day 10 to 14 - Nothing special happening
Day 15 - Chap Go Meh. This is a good one, The chinese belive that on this day, any woman who is looking for a husband should head for the river and carry some oranges. She then throws them into the river and ideally the man of her dreams is the one who retrives her oranges from the river. If she throws in smooth skinned oranged then she gets a smooth skinned husband. If not, well dont say you havent been educated:) So girls, perhaps you should be stocking up on those oranges and start scouting for a suitable river;) Good Luck!

Prior to all this, make sure you go for some 'Yee Sang' : raw fish and an assortment of vegetables all in one bowl. All present at the meal then help to mix the ingredients with their chopsticks all at one go and tossing the mixture up and back into the bowl. As you toss you should loudly state what your wishing for in the new year and wish each other prosperity. Quite a colorful, noisy but warm occassion. Everyone then sits down to round after round of food, food and more food.

....and so this festive season, I wish one and all, Gong Xi Fa Cai!(pron. Gong-Si-Fa-Chai) i.e Wishing you prosperity

psss: The Chinese New Year is not a religious festival but a cultural one...In China they get one week off from work!

Other stuff this Tueday:
- The Catholic community worldover prepares for the lenten season.To this group of people I wish a blessed Lenten season.
- Many a pancake shall be consumed by the English in honor of 'Shroue(*sp) Tuesday' a day before the start of lent.You can imagine Im scrolling through my address book checking for any English folks that may be in town:)

Gong Xi Fa Chai!

Piss on target

This 'guide' hangs proud in one of the toilets at a HUGE training station in KL.
Now I know what they mean by 'the writing is on the wall'...

Rainforest music festival

In July, you SHOULD make a trip to Malaysia 'truly Asia' for a fantastic music festival. Check out the details on http://www.rainforestmusic-borneo.com

See you there!

STUNG!

Last night I went to a Sting concert with some colleagues and I would like to confess that I am now a convert-Ive been 'Stung by Sting'. I dunno whether its watching him strum the 'Fields of barley' or jammin to 'Englishman in New York' but whatever it was, it was great.
'Desert Rose' always causes de'javu...dealing with the heat and traffic in Cairo, horseriding in the desert in Giza in the moonlight, being caught in a sandstorm in Aswan, Dahab and the ascent to Mt Sinai with Assem, Steve and Waleed (miss you boys like crazy!) for a sunrise that wasnt so hot after all, trips to Sharm-er-sheikh, @ Egypt conference with no booze or monkey business, foul/tameya/koshari/shawarmas, Medan takhrir,AUC.....yalili yalili.

I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in pain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand
I dream of fire
Those dreams are tied to a horse that will never tire
And in the flames
Her shadows play in the shape of a man's desire
This desert rose
Each of her veils, a secret promise
This desert flower
No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this
And as she turns
This way she moves in the logic of all my dreams
This fire burns
I realize that nothing's as it seems......

One for DUDE:)

Exactly 20 years ago, a very black being squiggled out of the mother's system howling and screaming and on arrival pronounced to be a boy. Bells rang in heaven, the angels sang,the ox and lamb kept time .....oh sorry that was the nativity...BUT im certain that on the day Francis a.k.a DUDE (pronounced D-U-D-E) was born they put a check mark in heaven.
My grandma did a jig, finally a boy ..he came 2 years after me and my sister who might I add, is and remains quite a package. This boy completed the Ndonga family.
Fast forward to 05 and I would like to introduce you all to my lil bro' dude, the last born in the family. A towering 5 '12', shoe size = 10++, trouser size = very long, chest = wide ......an AMAZING child indeed.
Recently he made the Nondies (Kenyan rugby team) in the under 21team, star in his Engineering class, mum's designated chaffeur (like most mums, when he drives the most common words are 'young man, why are you driving in such a hurry?' It makes quite the soundtrack) A very hugable fellow with charm and lotsa style..... plays a mean rendition of 'Breakfast at Tiffany's, dances like there is no tommorow, a splitting image of the original Ndonga (Bless his soul), has a beautiful middle name...ay need I say more...
Today he has 20candles on his cake and Im not there to watch him blow them BUT I'm wishing him tonnes of love and best wishes as he starts his 20th year......as I will always tell you kid, LIFE ROCKS!!! so live all of it...your the only man we've got!