恭喜发财 Gong Xi Fa Cai

Chinese New Year is a very special time. Christmas is magical, with pretty decorations and presents, it is a meaningful and happy time at the end of the year. But Chinese New Year is important. The year never really start until Chinese New Year. It has a significant place in the hearts of Chinese around the world. It is above all about Chinese customs and traditions. Known as the Spring Festival in China, it kicks off with the reunion dinner for families. So it is also about the family unit. And the extended family of relatives, and in business, partners and associates.

Chinese New Year, to me, is really a celebration of being Chinese. About who I am and where I am from. Which is why with each passing year, I celebrate it with more attention to its customs. Yet the Chinese New Year customs are complex and they have evolved with the times. While there are common threads among Chinese celebrating the Chinese New Year around the world, each Chinese society has its specialties and peculiarities. Yusheng, for example, is quite unique to Singapore. Red and more red are accepted as the common norm. There is a period of ‘spring cleaning’ leading up to the actual day when ‘out with the old and in with the new’ is the adage.

Preparing To Welcome The Dragon

I have an interesting relationship with the Dragon. When I was a child, I used to draw the Dragon and Phoenix. They were the two creatures I could draw by heart. Even in my teens when I was active in art, Dragons and Phoenixes were the subjects for my copper tooling and aluminum work. I even sold some of these artworks. Then sometime in my 20s, I was told the Dragon and the Dog were not compatible. In the year of the Dragon, those born in the year of the Dog like me would have a tough time. At some point, I started to distance myself from the Dragon. It seemed strangely dangerous. Because it is mythical, its perceived powers appeared even more threatening. I would remove a vase with a Dragon on it. I went to great lengths to ensure there were no sign or symbol of the Dragon within my household or place of work.

Yes, I am borderline superstitious about these things. Ok, maybe more than borderline. And it is going to be the year of the Dragon very soon. The last Dragon years were 1976, 1988 and 2000. I am trying to remember if those were really difficult years. Yet as the Dragon year nears, I find myself looking forward to it. This year of the metal Rabbit is supposed to be very good for the Dog but it has been one of the toughest years in my adult life. I am rekindling my childhood memories of the Dragon. I feel I have somehow been ‘separated’ from the Dragon and have been deprived of its mystic. I don’t want to fear the Dragon anymore. I want to embrace it. But in order to do so, I need to re-acquaint myself with the Dragon.

The Morning Glory

I am fascinated with the Morning Glory. I cannot remember when my fascination started. I noticed them growing wildly on the fences of my secondary school. I had a vague idea the Morning Glory bloomed in the morning, then closed and shriveled up by noon. That the colour of its flower is purple was not something I took particular notice of. Or its bell shape. Like many around me, because it grows wildly in public places, I took it for a common flower.

When I started my first job in an advertising agency, for a short while, I stayed away from home in a friend’s flat. My friend grew Morning Glory. They were not doing well. I helped out by creating a wire fencing for them to crawl up. They started to do better, then before long, we were greeted each morning with bell-shaped flowers. I remember having breakfast by the balcony and looking out at a view framed by purple flowers. I think it was the start of my special relationship with the Morning Glory and the colour purple.

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012!

We have all been doing it. I am doing it now. Reflecting on this year which will be history in a few hours. Remembering both our triumphs and missteps, our promises made and broken. The times we opened ourselves up to great adventures or closed ourselves down for fear of getting hurt. The New Year is about getting another chance. A chance to do better, to do more, to give more. To stop worrying about what if and start embracing what can be. So at midnight, I want to remember to be kinder, more gracious and more loving. To do the right thing. Not just tonight but all year long.

This is my last post for the year. I am going to write candidly, capturing my thoughts and feelings. This year marks the beginning of a new decade. The year Singapore held two watershed elections, with a year-end MRT debacle. The year of Arab Spring, Osama, Gaddafi, Occupy Wall Street, Euro crisis, royal wedding, floods in Thailand, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan. The year social media dramatically democratized societies and redefined politics. The year Steve Jobs, Liz Taylor and Kim Jong Il passed on. The year my mother was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. The year I arrived at a personal crossroads.

It Is The Best Time Of The Year!

This is the e-card we sent out to our business partners, associates and friends. Indeed, a new year is on the horizon. This is the time of the year when we all take a break from our routines and celebrate with our friends and families. A time to decorate. A time to buy and wrap presents for loved ones. A time to sit back, relax and enjoy. But it has been a most difficult year. What is there to celebrate? I was thinking if I should have a Christmas tree this year. If I had the energy to go through the whole celebration.

A voice in me said I should celebrate. That I should count my blessings. And celebrate them while looking forward to a new year. I got into my usual swift action plan. I decided on a blue and well lit Christmas tree. I worked on the concept of this e-card – that sometimes what you wish for can appear on your doorstep. Out of the blue. The look is inspired by the house by the sea in ‘Something’s Gotta Give’. I organised a series of dinners at home for friends and a lunch party at the office for business associates.