CNY 2012 Petronas short video ads...

Meaningful short videos to usher in the Chinese New Year 2012....For centuries, mankind have migrated from one place to another, in hopes of finding better opportunities. But no matter where they are, or how far they have come in life, they will always come home. This Chinese New Year, let's celebrate the virtues that bind us all together - the spirit of resilience, determination and adaptability in turning challenges into opportunities and seeing the positive in the negative.

Petronas stays true to its common tradition and values that bind all Malaysians through its television commercial to usher in the Year of the Dragon. The commercial titled “Coming Home”, was shot in Malaysia, England, Belgium, China and India.

The commercial that’s in English and Mandarin illustrates what it takes to make life better through a progressive attitude, opening the mind to new ideas and learn new things, ultimately making one a better human being.

-Petronas n thestar-

Counting down to Chinese New Year!

With Chinese New Year...Year of the Dragon (Chinese Year 4710) around the corner, days are getting busier with all the last minute cleaning, decorating, shopping and cooking. Getting time to off to write on my blog only in the wee hours when it is peaceful and quiet. A short drive to Tesco Hypermarket nearby earlier in the evening after dinner was super jam in both directions! Well it seems everyone is rushing in for the last minute thing too. Nothing much can be done with the crowd and queue in there. Gonna leave it for Friday and weekends which I presumed there will be less 'human traffic' when all folks are leaving and rushing back to their hometown. As for myself...considered lucky that I am local.

This year Chinese New Year Eve's dinner will be a simple one. With all the routine cooking daily...we are eating out for a change and also let me have my "kitchen holiday". No shark fin soup in the menu this year! Shark fin soup has been a traditional staple at dinners during the eve. It is a soup or broth made with shark fin and flavoured with chicken or some other stock. The fin itself has very little flavour and used primarily to add texture to the dish. It is seen as a delicacy, often served to guests at important events such as weddings and business banquets. 

Shark fin soup is not cheap and a bowl can cost up to US $100, making the fins easily the most lucrative part of the shark. This fact has helped ensure a steady supply of fins as fishermen and middlemen slaughter sharks wherever they can find them in order to satisfy the market. With the sudden increase in during Chinese New Year, shark fin soup is being consumed in vast quantities, placing a threat on shark populations.

Shark fin can be bought either frozen or dried, with the dried variety being available either shredded or as whole fins. The fins are often treated with hydrogen peroxide in order to make their color more appealing to consumers. The soup is often claimed to have health benefits, such as increasing your appetite, improving your kidneys, lungs and bones. However there is no evidence to support these claims! Let's do our part to help protect the sharks! If your urge tells you to have it...get the imitation or mock ones!

Like many others Chinese family, the popular activities after the reunion dinner is to visit night markets and temples. Many Chinese families like to do their prayers on the eve or just after midnight to give thanks for the past year and to pray for a successfully, happy and peaceful year ahead. Shall make a visit to the temple nearby instead of having to go all the way to join the crowd at the popular and grand Thean Hou Temple. 

To all MyDiaryMyBlog blog readers who are ushering in the Year of Dragon..."May the Water Dragon brings you lots of luck, wealth in abundance, never ending happiness and plenty of smiles to last forever!" GONG XI FA CAI! HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR! SELAMAT TAHUN BARU CINA! KONG HEI FATT CHOY! Many thanks to you all! To my dearest mum and her family who is half the world away...have a great and happy Chinese New Year! n May the Dragon brings you a smooth year! Here ending off my countdown post with "The Tiger Chinese New Year Shuffle" video...a rather new approach to the traditional lion dance...enjoy viewing! 

Dragon made of 3,000 lanterns in Beijing, China

China's largest dragon lantern composed of 3,000 lanterns posted with photos of healthy babies made its debut on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at Yongdingmen Square Park in Beijing, where it stands a landmark for a campaign that promotes healthy growth of babies in the Chinese capital.

Visitors take pictures in front of a dragon-shaped lantern which has been set up for the upcoming Lunar New Year 2012 in Beijing.

Largest dragon lantern composed of 3,000 lanterns has broken the Guinness World Record as the largest lantern display.

The yellow giant dragon stands 13 meters tall and has broken the Guinness World Record as the "largest lantern display". Measuring 39.6 meters long, 11.61 meters wide and 13.25 meters high, the size of the lantern formation has surpassed the record set in Hong Kong on September 3, 2011. The dragon in the previous record measures 36.5 meters in length, 9.63 meters in width and 13.2 meters in height.

During a test run on January 9, 2012, the lanterns were tested to ensure that they light up for the beginning of the Lunar New Year celebrations which start on January 23, 2012.

200,000 chubby faces smile, awake or asleep, from each of the constituent lanterns. The photos were collected from the Internet and most of the babies on the photos age from zero to two years old.

Workers have erected a massive dragon installation comprised of over 3,000 lanterns at Yongdingmen Square Park in Beijing, China.

Visitors look at a giant dragon sculpture made out of more than 3,000 lanterns as they test the lights in the Yongdingmen Square Park in Beijing.

-cctv-

Chinese New Year Celebration

The origin of Chinese New Year backdates to centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Chinese New Year marks the end of the winter season and it is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Chinese populations. The festival begins on the first day of the first month in the traditional Chinese calendar and ends with Chap Goh Mei which is on the 15th day of the first month.

Families will pour out their money to buy presents, decoration, material, food, and clothing. It is also a tradition that every family thoroughly cleans the house. It is believed the cleaning sweeps away the bad luck of the preceding year and makes their homes ready for good luck...welcoming for a better new year.  Homes are often decorated with paper cut-outs of Chinese auspicious phrases and couplets. Windows and doors will be decorated with red colour paper-cuts with popular themes of "good fortune", "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity". People will also put up other red decorations such as the word "Fu" (luck) on the wall or the main door. Some may like to place it upside down, reason being..."upside down" in Chinese shares the same sound with "arriving". So it in a way, signifies the arriving of a lucky year.

Purchasing new clothing, shoes and receiving a hair-cut also symbolize a fresh start and many households where Buddhism or Taoism is prevalent, home altars and statues are cleaned thoroughly, and altars that were adorned with decorations from the previous year are taken down and burned a week before the new year starts, to be replaced with new decorations.

The biggest and most important event of any Chinese New Year's Eve is the reunion dinner. On the eve, family members from far away will come home and gather together for this important dinner with the good intentions to reconcile, forget all grudges and sincerely wish peace and happiness to each other. Most families would prepare a feast for the night. The food dishes will also have names that signify good fortune or good life. For example, fish in Chinese "Yu" shares the same sound with the word 'extra' or 'leftover'. There is a New Year phrase that says "Nian Nian You Yu" which means "there is some (fish) leftover from the previous year, every year". Therefore the lucky fish is a lucky dish, and paintings of fish are also loved by many. Another common lucky dish is "Fatt Choy Hao Shi" which means "prosperity and good fortune". "Fatt Choy" is a type of fungi that looks a lot like shiny black hair and its Chinese name sounds just like "prosperity" in Chinese whilst "Hao Shi" is preserved oyster, which sounds like "good things". 

Mandarin Oranges...What does it signify during Chinese New Year?

Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. In China, it is known as "Spring Festival. It is the longest and most important festival in the Lunar Calendar. The preparatory agenda is long and detailed, especially if you are receiving guests into your home. When it comes to Mandarin oranges for the Chinese New Year, size does matter. Nowdays the oranges comes in a large range of sizes and prices. Mandarin oranges or the orange tree that represents gold and money are great as gifts. Known as “kam” in Chinese and the pronunciation sounds similar to the word “gold”. Therefore giving mandarin oranges as gifts is as good as giving gold! Have plenty of Mandarin oranges for exchanging luck and fortune with each other, though the timing on when to purchase them is a key factor. Too early, and the fruit may spoil. The day before the New Year, and you may not have the best ones available left. But amidst all the hustle and bustle, the end result is well worth it and a delightful Lunar New Year is set to come! Well, here’s a wonderful Chinese New Year to all of you! Enjoy the 'kam' and have fun...

Yee Sang

"Yee Sang" is basically a Chinese raw fish salad which is also known as Prosperity Toss. Eating "Yee Sang" is a tradition for the Chinese in Malaysia and it is served as a must-have appetizer during Chinese New Year for its symbolic meaning. It is originally consumed on "Yan Yat" which falls the seventh day of the first month in the Chinese calendar. This is the day when humans were created according to Chinese legends.

The name "Yee Sang" sounds like growing abundance and Chinese love to eat anything with an auspicious sounding name. It is characterized by it’s colorfulness and it is served in a large flat plate with vegetables arranged around a small serving of raw fish in the middle.

The most important thing in eating "Yee Sang" is the tossing of the salad with chopsticks together with everyone around the table. The action of tossing is known as "Lo Hei" which symbolizes increasing prosperity, abundance and vigor. "Toss it high! Toss it for good luck!! The higher the better!" It is believed the higher you toss, the more luck and prosperity will come to you. This explains why this dish is very popular among businessmen.

So where does the yee sang we know today come from? Southern China’s Guangdong province is the place but only a handful knows it. I still remember my childhood days where my grandma used to prepare this for Chinese New Year reunion dinner, on the 7th and also the 15th day of the Chinese New Year. Back then life wasn't easy. Raddish, carrots and turnips were the only main ingredients used...mixed along with some sesame oil, vinegar, plum sauce, honey and not forgetting the nuts and crispy chips...Simple and yet Tasty! Yee Sang + Reunion = Happiness !!!