I bought a bunch of Chinese pussy willow a few days ago at RM19.98 and KNN the price drops to RM15.98 today. Selling at Tesco. Go get a bunch for your home lah!
I don’t know why I love these pussy willows so much. It is but a twig with little cotton-like flowers. However, it is one of those things that you get once a year and it is very much like a Christmas tree for Christmas.
My son (I forgot which one) broke the large, tall vase and I don’t have a vase to put them. The pussy willow is six feet high so I need a huge vase for it. If you immerse the end in water, the flower will continue to bloom and sometimes, if you are lucky, the twigs will grow roots and leaves. If you see the little white flowers aren’t able to burst out of their brown shells, just take a needle and ‘cut’ through those brown shells. *oh you notice a picture of Jesus waving at you, issit?’
On Christmas, Auntie Suzanne gave me this baby dragon for good luck. She said this is the pei yao and I like the Oriental feel of it. Whee! I got PR4 after that so it must be the good chi of the baby dragon hor? Just joking. I am a dragon too so double dragon, don’t play-play.
This is the tneeh kueh or nien kao. Long time ago (before I was a Catholic Christian), I used to send the kitchen god home to heavens. It is done two weeks before Chinese New Year (I think it is the 24th of the lunar 12th month). I offered this and also burn some ‘passport’ for him. He will go up and report to the heavenly god (some highest authority) about what happened to the family. So, this is like a bribe for him. On the second day of Chinese New Year, he will return ‘home’ to reside in my kitchen again. Then, I will receive him with another ‘passport’ (some green and yellow papers).
On the day I sent the kitchen god, I also send Kuan Yin off for her annual holidays. Then, I would clean her statue with Florida water (some nice smelling cologne water), flower petals from seven colours flowers and change all those red ribbons at my altar.
So, it was always a busy period for me during Chinese New Year because there are the god of prosperity welcome, the prayers for the thnee kong (the heavenly god) on the 9th day yadda yadda yadda. Not forgetting the mandatory big feast meals I had to cook for my (deceased) parents-in-laws and other ancestors of my husband on the eve of Chinese New Year.
Phew….now I can afford to shake legs a bit because though I still stick to many of the Chinese customs like getting new clothes, making some Chinese New Year cookies, prepare some special meals for the New Year’s Eve, the rest aren’t part of my rituals anymore.
I am not sure if this post will puzzled *some* people because I suppose they get all confused with heavenly god, kitchen god, Kuan Yin stories and the appearance of Jesus’s photos in the same breath. My point is, one does not have to be so uptight with their respective religion and claim theirs as the only true one. We have to have the faith in what we believe in and just let others do what they want. As long as what they do is good for humanity and doesn’t maim or kill others. Anything done with sincerity and love cannot be very wrong. (I don’t mean the lust kind of love.)
I have made the transition from a very ritualistic religious background to a Christian and I have no problems with it. And in my opinion, the only people who are so protective of their respective religion is when they are so paranoid of their faith being shaken by others different methods of worshipping. God often remind us to have faith in Him. He is the Big Boss so let Him take care of things.
BTW, how many rats out there? I got two rats at home. The husband and the #3 son.