Happy New Year
I returned to my room after a morning - sorry, afternoon - swim, to find that the Chinese tooth fairy had paid me a visit:
Two satsumas! Two little chocolate rats! And an envelope with cold, hard cash in it!!
Coinage, admittedly. But still.
I’m now down in the restaurant, which I’ve never seen so busy on a lunchtime. It’s full of Chinese Malaysian families having their new year’s day lunch (the Chinese making up the majority of the populace in Penang, though not in the rest of Malaysia). After spending yesterday evening at home with their families - their equivalent of Christmas Eve - it seems that today is rather like their Christmas Day.
Unlike our Christmas, however, Chinese New Year goes on for 15 (count ‘em!) days. On the last day, I learned, girls traditionally throw oranges (or teeny tiny Malaysian oranges, aka satsumas) into the sea, in the hope that they will find love - the idea being that a man will find your orange and contact you. I think you’re supposed to write your email address on it or something.
Not sure why they left me two.
Anyway - a very happy new year to you all. Here’s to the year of the rat! As Al Stewart said.
February 7th, 2008 at 4.39pm
You’ll need this then: http://www.mcphee.com/items/M5455.html
February 7th, 2008 at 4.40pm
Although personally I prefer the idea of these:
http://www.mcphee.com/items/10891.html
February 7th, 2008 at 6.24pm
That site rocks bells!!
February 7th, 2008 at 6.34pm
it certainly does. but then, so would any website with sections called ‘Unicorns & Ninjas’, ‘Bacon/Meat’ and then, strangely, ‘Our Weirdest Products’. I daren’t click on that one.
I love “WWASD?” - http://www.mcphee.com/items/11744.html
February 7th, 2008 at 6.59pm
Bring on the Sigmund Freud Head Watermelon flavoured lollipops !
http://www.mcphee.com/items/11771.html
February 7th, 2008 at 7.14pm
but how do they *know* that Sigmund Freud tasted of watermelon?
February 7th, 2008 at 8.13pm
he doesn’t, it’s only his super-ego that does.
February 7th, 2008 at 8.17pm
I like the Christianity section, mainly because I knwo a song which goes:
I don’t care if it rains or freezes,
long as I got my plastic Jesus
riding on the dashboard of my car
That plastic jesus gotta
he’s fuckin up my radio,
ridin on the dashboard of my car
I note, however, that they don’t offer a dashboard Mohammed. Cowards!
February 7th, 2008 at 8.18pm
all sung to a hilly-billy banjo riff of course
February 7th, 2008 at 8.18pm
hilly-billy? silly-billy!
February 7th, 2008 at 8.21pm
Peter, are you OK?
Concerned of Penang.
February 7th, 2008 at 8.27pm
yeah, I’m getting there
February 7th, 2008 at 8.38pm
Pete, I can put a pink plastic ‘call to prayer’ singing alarm clock in the post this afternoon if you like. Or you could choose the Koran option.
February 7th, 2008 at 9.58pm
nah, rach, you’re ok. I have a pink 4 year old daughter to wake me every morning.