GONG XI FA CAI!

I think it is still not too late for me to wish all those who are celebrating to have a wonderful Chinese New Year. This year is the year of the Water Dragon; supposedly a very auspicious year to get married and have children. Neither one of them will be happening to me, I can assure you that. I was at the bank today when I saw a Lion Dance troupe getting ready for a performance. I have seen a few Lion Dances before but I've never had any opportunities to take any pictures. This time, I had my old but reliable camera along. I am not a photographer (I never will be) and my camera is not one of those sophisticated DSLR types (it never will be either). Still, I kept on snapping pictures like there was no tomorrow. The banging of the drum and cymbals added to the merriment of the occasion and I stayed until the whole performance was over. The lions moved animatedly from one part of the bank to another much to the excitement of the bank customers. They would stop and eat the mandarin oranges that were placed all over the bank before spitting out the rinds to people who were in front of them. At the end of the performance, one of the lions plucked the lettuce which was hanging at the entrance of the bank and spat the lettuce all over the bank manager who then rewarded the lion with a red envelope. For those who are not familiar with the ritual, it can be a truly ROTFLOL moment when you see lettuce flying out of the lion's mouth before landing on whatever that is nearby (including people!). FYI, I have a long Chinese New Year holiday this year and will only start work next week. Let's hope that the Water Dragon will bring us a lot of 'ong' this year. To all, Gong Xi Fa Cai!