Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Or Happy New Year! Chinese New Year is bigger than Christmas here. Everywhere is decorated and lit up...like Christmas! But instead of presents, young people receive HongBao (red packets with money inside) from their elders and present them with 2 oranges in return. Doesn't seem like a fair swap to me! This year is the Year of the Tiger, which is the year that I was born in. It's supposed to bode badly when your birth year swings around again and you should wear protective amulets to stop the bad luck. What it actually means is that you must be getting older - perhaps I can find one sponsored by Oil of Olay?

Sisters are doing it for themselves

I recently had the great honour of being asked to be a bridesmaid or 'sister' to one of my friends here in Singapore. Whilst a lot of the wedding ceremony was similar to that in the UK there were a few differences. The Sisters arrive early (7.30am!) at the bride's house ready to put the groom through various trials before he is allowed into the house to collect his prize. This poor lad had to brush his teeth with wasabi toothpaste and have his legs waxed amongst other things! The evening do consisted of a 10 course dinner with the bride and groom changing their outfits 3 times during the night and each time re-entering along a raised catwalk. There were speeches, songs and even a few brave folk performing Bollywood dancing ;) I've never been to the Oscars but I think that now I could guess what it must feel like!

Youch

 Click here for pictures of Thaipusam

The best thing about living in another country is getting to experience customs and traditions you wouldn't usually see. Take the festival of Thaipusam. This is a Hindu festival involving much pain in return for getting a wish granted by the gods. Praying for a new TV? Why not walk a few kms with limes hanging off hooks from your chest. A new car? That'll be a huge needle through the lip. Something bigger? You're looking at a whole world of pain...

You definitely wouldn't see this in Bishops Stortford.

Land of the Long White Cloud

It seems like AGES since we've had  a proper holiday (all those that think that living here is like one big holiday can just pipe down!) and what better place for one than New Zealand? Having booked the flights many weeks ago, the actual departure date seemed to creep up on us, meaning we had to pack in about 2 hours! Good for focusing the mind...bad for trying to remember what you wanted to take. It was just amazing and too much to describe here...it would be a blog in itself!

Rough itinerary:

Christchurch > Mount Cook > Queenstown > Doubtful Sound > Milford Sound > Wanaka > Franz Joseph > Punakaiki > Nelson > Marlborough Sound > Kaikoura > Christchurch