A message to my grand nephews feeling a bit down during the lockdown

A message to my grand nephews feeling a bit down during the lockdown

When I was young, I never knew my uncles, let alone grand uncles. The society was different then. It is indeed very regrettable. I am not going to let this happen to you, and your brother.

My life experience can be of great value to you. I never had the right Mr Chan, or older / wiser person to advise and guide me. I never had any financial support from anyone, too.

So be wise, study hard and get the best possible result. The degree is yours to keep. It does not belong to anyone, not me, and not your parents.

Your success is an obligation to those who support you financially and morally. As I have said to you, motivation comes from within. You are the decider and master of your own destiny.

I went through more difficult time than both of you, and yet I survived. Lockdown is only a restriction of movement. Having to work to keep myself fed, paid for daily expenses and education was no easy task.

Keep you chin up, strive to excel.

I am just a phone call away if you need to talk.

Thank you for reading.

Do not let anyone divide all of us religiously and politically

Do not let anyone divide all of us religiously and politically

No one should just raise a white flag, raise his hands in the air in despair , and surrender just because the Bible says so.

The world is not going to end. If so who or what species will inherit this planet? Will Mother Earth be like the Moon or Mars?

If you read my recent blogs, I write about Peace, and not War. We must educate and influence other people especially the younger generations to realise the ugliness of wars. There are enough ruins of bombed buildings, bullet shells still stuck in walld, and shrines of remembrance to remind us not go for another war.

There were many predictions about the end of the world, but none came true. We cannot and must fear the end of the world, or else life is meaningless and everyone should pack up and say goodbye.

Yes end of the “world“ is a reality for those who have passed, and therefore the prediction is fulfilled and realised.

We have a life to live. Stay positive and influence others the benefits of Peace, which can only be achieved by sharing and practising love of peace, be more understanding and accommodating, and not to let anyone to divide all of us, religiously or politically.

Thank you for reading.

Good memories can always be made, but not money

I come across this photo, and I do not agree with the caption.

Money cannot be made as easily as many believe; just ask those who are genuine unemployed or underemployed people. As for good memories, they can be made all the time even without money. Most people can achieve that with present friends and foes everyday only they are more forgiving, accommodating, understanding, keeping calm, etc.

Some people think that by going away on vacations, stress level can be lowered. I believe that it is a myth; if we are stressed, it is unlikely that going away to wind down is feasible, because the stress will haunt us. Can we leave our brain behind when we go on vacations?

It is important to look at the world and the surrounds from different angles and with different mindset. Stressing over a problem, if it seems to be, does not solve it. After all, we can do only a damn good job, but we can't perform miracles.

Indian students

Some colleges and TAFEs with foresight reengineer themselves offering degree courses, or as an alternative term higher education, now reap the reward.

It was not due to the fear of racial attack that deter the Indian students to come here to study, but the sudden change of Australian government policies and increase bond that took them by surprise.

According to the India High Commission to Australia data, the YTD March enrolments in 2009 was 73,717, and dropped to 36,326 same time in 2012, almost by 50%. Many students, not only the Indians, came to Australia with different motives. They really came for permanent residence, not for "that" piece of paper, either in the form of certificate or degree. They took up the supposedly approved courses, but only found themselves landed in gaining casual employments that were irrelevant to their study. As a consolation, a week's earning was equivalent to one year of pay in a some companies back home.

It was rather disappointing to say that even some of the better colleges including TAFEs, or the non-bogus ones, did not really follow guidelines in assessing the students. There are inconsistencies in passing students studying competency based courses, up to Advanced Diploma level. Some colleges would receive additional fees gladly from not-yet-competent (NYC) students to allow them to resit/reassess, which might be just an oral interview.

The current recovery is not unexpected, because many wanted to come earlier but lack of fund for their bond would have saved up by now. The new policy allowing the graduates to stay for two years after their study is not as bad as first seemed. It is in fact fairly attractive for them because our minimum wage is well above that of India.

It is unlikely that Indian graduates will be able to find an organisation to sponsor them after their two-year stay in Australia because the employment opportunity of local graduates is not that optimistic neither.

Has the quality of quantification decline in recent years? My answer is undeniably YES! How do I know? I was in the system as a very unhappy educator!

Lesson on Chinese Culture - Chinese Zodiac animals and time

Posted to Facebook - Chinese Custom & Festivities by Sin Fong Chan

Title: Lesson on Chinese Culture - Chinese Zodiac animals and time

Since the Han Dynasty, the 12 Terrestrial Branches Di Zhi (地支) have been used to record the time of day. Each Chinese zodiac animal represents a Di Zhi is also used to label times of day, with each sign corresponding to a Shi Chen (時辰), and is of a two-hour period.

The following is a list of Di Zhi and corresponding zodiac animal.

• Zi (子): Rat (Shu, 鼠)
• Chou (丑): Ox (Niu, 牛)
• Yin (寅): Tiger (Hu, 虎)
• Mao (卯): Rabbit (Tu, 兔)
• Chen (辰): Long (Long, 龙)
• Si (巳): Snake (Se, 蛇)
• Wu (午): Horse (Ma, 馬)
• Wei (未): Sheep (Yang, 羊)
• Shen (申): Monkey (Ho, 猴)
• You (酉): Rooster (Ji, 鸡)
• Xu (戌): Dog (Gou, 狗)
• Hai (亥): Pig (Zu, 猪)

• Rat (Zi Shi): 23:00 to 00:59. This is the time when Rats are most active in seeking food. Rats also have a different number of digits on front and hind legs, thus earning Rats the symbol of "turn over" or "new start".
• Ox (Chou Shi): 01:00 to 02:59. This is the time when Oxen begin to chew the cud slowly and comfortably.
• Tiger (Yin Shi): 03:00 to 04:59. This is the time when Tigers hunt their prey more and show their ferocity. 
• Rabbit (Mao Shi): 05:00 to 06:59. This is the time when the Jade Rabbit is busy pounding herbal medicine on the Moon according to the tale.
• Long (Chen Shi): 07:00 to 08:59. This is the time when Dragons are hovering in the sky to give rain.
• Snake (Si Shi): 09:00 to 10:59. This is the time when Snakes are leaving their caves.
• Horse (Wu Shi): 11:00 to 12:59. This is the time when the sun is high overhead and while other animals are lying down for a rest, Horses are still standing.
• Goat (Wei Shi): 13:00 to 14:59. This is the time when Goats eat grass and urinate frequently.
• Monkey (Shen Shi): 15:00 to 16:59. This is the time when Monkeys are lively.
• Rooster (You Shi): 17:00 to 18:59. This is the time when Roosters begin to get back to their coops.
• Dog (Xu Shi): 19:00 to 20:59. This is the time when Dogs carry out their duty of guarding the houses.
• Pig (Hai Shi): 21:00 to 22:59. This is the time when Pigs are sleeping sweetly.

Lesson on Chinese Culture - When does the Year of the Horse begin in 2014?

Posted to Facebook - Chinese Custom & Festivities by Sin Fong Chan
Title: Lesson on Chinese Culture - When does the Year of the Horse begin in 2014?

Friday, 31st January is an important day for Chinese around the world, because this is the Chinese New Year's Day. Strictly speaking, this is the Chinese Lunar New Year's Day, Yin Li Xin Nian (阴历新年). However, this is NOT the beginning of the year of the Horse (马年).

Horse is one of the 12 zodiac animals or Sen Xiao (生肖), namely, Rat (Shu, 鼠), Ox (Niu, 牛), Tiger (Hu, 虎), Rabbit (Tu, 兔), Long (Long, 龙), Snake (Se, 蛇), Horse (Ma, 馬), Goat (Yang, 羊), Monkey (Ho, 猴), Rooster (Ji, 鸡), Dog (Gou, 狗), Pig (Zu, 猪).

2014 celebrates the year of the Horse. The New Year's Day represented by the Horse or any of the Zodiac animals in other years always falls on 4th February of the Gregorian calendar (格里高利历), or the day when spring begins in China. This day is the first day of the seasonal marker or solar term, Jie Qi (节气) known as Li Chun (立春), and marks the start of another year.

There are 24 solar terms which mark the various periods to assist farmers to decide when to plant or harvest crops. Therefore, the calendar is also known as the Agriculture calendar or Nong Li (农历). The New Year's day based on Nong Li is called the Nong Li Xin Nian (农历新年).

In short, the Year of the Horse for 2014 does NOT begin on 31st January but on Friday, 4th February, 2014.

Lesson on Chinese Culture - Four Divinities (四靈|四灵)

Posted to Facebook - Chinese Custom & Festivities by Sin Fong ChanTitle: Lesson on Chinese Culture - Four Divinities (四靈|四灵)

In Chinese mythology, there are four divine creatures, namely Long 龍|龙, Feng 鳳|凤, Qi Lin 麒麟, Gui 龜|龟. Collectively, they are known as the four divinities Si Lin (四靈|四灵) and are symbolic of propitiousness, prosperity and longevity,

The turtle is the only earthly animal while the other three are mythical creatures which have no equivalence in other cultures. For the benefit of non-Chinese, the names of the creatures have been translated as phoenix for Feng, dragon for Long and Chinese unicorn for Qi Lin.

The so called legendary creatures are no more than creation of human's imagination.

Long is the largest and the most auspicious creature; it signifies propitiousness. While the image of Long is known for centuries by people from all walks of life, including emperors, no one has ever seen one. A Long has the anatomical features of nine Earthly animals. Its mouth resembles that of a horse, its eyes and antennae those of a prawn, its beard that of a goat, its antelopes those of a deer, ears those of an ox, mane that of a lion, scales those of a carp, body that of a snake and claws those of an eagle. There are other variant lists of nine animal resemblances.

A Long can walk on land, cruise in water and fly in the clouds. It has super power. For thousands of years, feudal emperors treat it as a symbol of power and dignity, while ordinary people believe that it is the embodiment of virtue and strength.

Historically, the dragon was the symbol of the Emperor of China. The 5-clawed dragon was assigned to the Son of Heaven, the 4-clawed dragon to the nobles, and the 3-clawed dragon to the ministers. Therefore, images of Long can be seen everywhere in China - the palace, temple roof, the royal utensils, carved sculpture.

To be continued ....

Visiting places of worship with an open mind

Posted to Facebook - Life Teaching by Sin Fong Chan

Visiting places of worship with an open mind

https://www.facebook.com/notes/life-teaching-by-sin-fong-chan/visiting-places-of-worship-with-an-open-mind/538029069628424

I treat religion as a subject of knowledge.

I go to a church or cathedral but often for the wrong reason - funeral service. There are occasions when I carry my camera as a "tourist", I would enter one and even say a prayer, not for my own wellbeing, but for the many who are less fortunate than I am. Then there are Easter and Christmas concerts that I attended.

I also enter places of other faiths - and "do what the Romans do".

At a temple, Taoist or Buddhist temple, I burn joss sticks, kneel or bow depending on the circumstances. There are always statues or paintings made / drawn to the images of the Shen 神 I pay respect to. Oh yes, I say my prayers, too. When I was a child, I prayed to pass my exams, but now I pray for peace and health.

I take off my shoes, put a robe, rinse my feet when I enter a mosque. I have visited some "badly ventilated" mosques overseas near deserts with very high temperature, where the smell of the air was rather unbearable despite the fact that visitors did rinse their feet before entry. I do not how to pray in the Muslim way, so I give it a miss.

From my recollection, I believe I had visited an Hindu temple several times when I was a child, feeding the pigeons. There were statues of goddess with many arms, and god with an elephant head. The past visits help me to open a channel of dialogue with my students from India.

Visiting places of worship is definitely an experience, especially when entering it with an open mind. It is a choice to have a strong faith in one over the others or even rejecting all except one. Isn't this similar to other forms of discrimination and bias?

Lesson on Chinese Calendar

Posted to Facebook - Sin Fong Chan - Chinese Culture and Festivities
Title: Lesson on Chinese Culture - Chinese Calendar

The revolutionary government of China announced the abolition of the traditional Chinese calendar and using the Gregorian calendar as standard or official calendar since 1/1/1912.

Gregorian calendar (格里高利历) is based on the length of time the Earth rotating around the sun and is therefore known as a solar calendar or Yang Li (阳历). Gregorian calendar is also called Xi LI (西历) (Western Calendar), Gong Li (公历)(reckoning by Christian era), or Xin Li (新历) (New-style calendar).

Traditional Chinese calendar is still widely used in China and many Chinese communities outside China. It is also called Yin Li (阴历)(In opposite to Yang Li mentioned earlier), Jiu Li (旧历) (Old-style calendar), Nong Li (农历) (Farmer calendar)or Xia Li (夏历)(Xia-dynasty-style calendar). History of early calendar can be traced back to Xia Dynasty (夏朝),the first dynasty. For that reason, Chinese calendar was also known as Xia calendar (夏历).

Technically speaking, Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar (阴阳历). A lunisolar calendar is a calendar is based on the exact astronomical observations of the longitude of the sun and the phases of the moon.Gregorian calendar is numbered sequentially. An ordinary year has 365 days, and a leap year has an extra day added to February, making it 365 days.

Leap year happens every 4 years, except the century year, 100th year. Leap year also happens every 400th years. In short, the Gregorian calendar’s cycles repeat every 400 years or 146,097 days. The calendar mean year is 365.2425 days. This number can also be calculated as using the formula 365 + 1/4- 1/100+ 1/400 = 365.2425

In the traditional Chinese calendar,an ordinary year has 12 months and a leap year has 13 months. A leap year occurs about once every three years. An ordinary year has 353-355 days while a leap year has 383-385 days.

To work out whether a year is a leap year, one must calculate the number of new moons between the 11th month in one year, which is the month with the winter solstice (in northern hemisphere) and the 11th month in the following year. If there are 13 new moons from the start of the 11th month in the first year to the start of the 11th month in the second year, a leap month is added. The name of the leap month is the same as the previous lunar month.

In ancient China, seasonal markers or solar terms or Jie Qi (节气) mark the various periods to assist farmers to decide when to plant or harvest crops. During the Shang Dynasty (商朝)they only used four; the Zhou Dynasty (周朝) (11th century BC -221 BC), used eight; but it was Emperor Han Wu Di (汉武帝) of the Western Han Dynasty (西汉朝) introduced reforms to use 24 terms that were decided upon. Consequently, the Chinese calendar has been known as the Han calendar (汉历).

The solar terms are based on the solar calendar, determined by the ecliptic longitude of the sun. Spring Equinox or Chun Fen (春分)is when the sun is at an ecliptic longitude of 0° exactly. This day has equal lengths of day and night. However, this is NOT the first of the solar term. The first solar term is Li Chun (立春) when spring begins.

Each solar term varies by 15˚. In each month there are often two solar terms; the first one is major solar term named Jie Qi (节气) same as the collective term used, and the other is the minor solar term Zhong Qi (中气).

The following are the solar terms:

• Xiao Han (小寒) - Small Chill,Moderate cold or Cold period begins (285˚), Jie Qi (节气)
• Da Han (大寒) - Big Chill, Severe cold or Coldest period (300˚), Zhong Qi (中气)
• Li Chun (立春) - Spring begins(315˚), Jie Qi (节气)
• Yu Shui (雨水) - Rain begins or Spring showers (330˚), Zhong Qi (中气)
• Jing Zhe (惊蛰) - Insects awake from hibernation (345˚), Jie Qi (节气)
• Chun Fen (春分) - Vernal Equinox or Spring Equinox (0˚), Zhong Qi (中气)
• Qing Ming (清明) - Clear and bright (15˚), Jie Qi (节气)
• Gu Yu (谷雨) - Grain Rain or Rainfall for grain (30˚), Zhong Qi (中气)
• Li Xia (立夏) - Summer begins (45˚), Jie Qi (节气)
• Xiao Man (小满) - Grain mature to the point of producing ears (60˚), Zhong Qi (中气)
• Mang Zhong (芒种) - Grain in Ear or Corn ripens (75˚)
• Xia Zhi (夏至) - Summer Solstice (90˚), Zhong Qi (中气)
• Xiao Shu (小暑) - Moderate Heat or Hot period begins (105˚), Jie Qi (节气)
• Da Shu (大暑) - Great Heat or Hottest period (120˚), Zhong Qi (中气)
• Li Qiu (立秋) - Autumn begins (135˚), Jie Qi (节气)
• Chu Shu (处暑) - End of heat (150˚), Zhong Qi (中气)
• Bai Lu (白露) - Dew forms (165˚), Jie Qi (节气)
• Qiu Fen (秋风) - Autumn Equinox (180˚), Zhong Qi (中气)
• Han Lu (寒露) - Cold Dew (195˚), Jie Qi (节气)
• Shuang Jiang (霜降) - Frost descends (210˚)
• Li Dong (立冬) - Winter begins (225˚)
• Xiao Xue (小雪) - Light Snow or Snow begins to fall (240˚), Zhong Qi (中气)
• Da Xue (大雪) - Heavy Snow or Snows heavily (255˚), Jie Qi (节气)
• Dong Zhi (冬至) - Winter solstice (270˚), Zhong Qi (中气)

The traditional Chinese calendar does not count years in an infinite sequence. Each year is assigned a name consisting of two components within each 60-year cycle. The first component is a celestial stem called Tian Gan (天干), and the second component is a terrestrial branch called Di Zhi (地支). There are ten Tian Gan and twelve Di Zhi, and each Di Zhi is represented by a zodiac animal or Sheng Xiao (生肖).

The Tian Gan are associated with five elements, five phases or Wu Xing (五行) in their Yin (阴) and Yang (阳) forms. For those believing in Feng Shui (风水), each element / phase is associated to a colour.

• Wood (Mu, 木) - Green
• Fire (Huo, 火) - Red
• Earth (Tu, 土) - Yellow
• Metal (Jin, 金) - White
• Water (shui, 水) - Black

The elements interact with each other in the following ways:

• Wood feeds Fire
• Fire creates Earth(ash)
• Earth bears Metal
• Metal enriches Water(minerals in water)
• Water nourishes Wood

The following is a list of Tian Gan and corresponding Wu Xing:

• Jia (甲): Yang Wood
• Yi (乙): Yin Wood
• Bing (丙): Yang Fire
• Ding (丁): Yin Fire
• Wu (午): Yang Earth
• Ji (己): Yin Earth
• Geng (庚): Yang Metal
• Xin (辛): Yin Metal
• Ren (壬): Yang Water
• Gui (癸): Yin Water

The following is a list of Di Zhi and corresponding zodiac animal.

• Zi (子): Rat (Shu, 鼠)
• Chou (丑): Ox (Niu, 牛)
• Yin (寅): Tiger (Hu, 虎)
• Mao (卯): Rabbit (Tu, 兔)
• Chen (辰): Long (Long, 龙)
• Si (巳): Snake (Se, 蛇)
• Wu (午): Horse (Ma, 馬)
• Wei (未): Sheep (Yang, 羊)
• Shen (申): Monkey (Ho, 猴)
• You (酉): Rooster (Ji, 鸡)
• Xu (戌): Dog (Gou, 狗)
• Hai (亥): Pig (Zu, 猪)

Each of the two components is used sequentially. Therefore, the first year of the 60-year cycle becomes Jia Zi (甲子),the second year is Yi Chou (乙丑),and so on. When the end of a component is reached, it repeats from the start of the list. Finally, the 60th year is Gui Hai (癸亥).

A traditional new year usually begins on the second new moon after the northern hemisphere winter solstice but occasionally on the third. In short, New Year should fall on the new moon closest to the beginning of spring (in the northern hemisphere), known as Li Chun (立春).

Year 2014 is the year of green wood(en) horse, Jia Ma (甲马).

Lesson on Chinese Culture - Duanwu Jie 端午节

Posted to Facebook - Sin Fong Chan - The Teacher on 28/6/2012 at 2:37 AM
Title: Lesson on Chinese Culture - Duanwu Jie (端午节)

Duanwu Jie (端午节), originally known as (端五节), is the festival (节) celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar. 端五(Duanwu) is phonetically identical to端午. Duan (端) means beginning of or starting from (初始), and wu (五) means five; therefore 端五 is synonymous to初五 or fifth day (from the start of a month). According to the rules of the lunar calendar consisting of 12 branches (十二支), fifth month (五月) is the fifth branch / month 午月 (Wu Yue). It was unclear how 端午 became the accepted name instead of 端五.

While many historians attributed this festival as a commemoration of the death of Qu Yuan (屈原), some supported the theory that festival had its beginnings over 5,000 years ago in the ancient kingdoms of Wu (吳国) and Yue (越国), located in present day Jiangsu (江苏) and Zhejiang (浙江) Provinces. The celebration of this festival was likely inspired as ceremonies, sacrifices and offerings to the Long King of the Eastern Sea (东海龙王) to prevent the floods, drought, and plagues of insects and disease that often occurred around this time of year.

Long should never be regarded and translated as Dragon. They are totally different creatures. Long is a divine composite creature having the characteristics of nine different earthly animals, while dragon is a winged creature that blows fire and generally regarded evil.

In the region of Hubei (湖北), Hunan (湖南), Guizhou (貴州), Shichuan (四川), Duanwu is celebrated twice annually - the Small Duanwu 小端午and Big Duanwu 大端午. Small Duanwu is celebrated on the fifth day of fifth lunar month, while Big Duanwu on the fifteenth day of the fifth lunar month.

Even up till today, Duanwu is still a very popular festival for the Chinese. China attached great importance to the protection of intangible cultural heritage. Beginning in 2005, the Chinese government commenced planning for the re-recognition of traditional holidays, including Duanwu. On 20 April 2006, the government approved the inclusion of Duanwu in the first National Intangible Cultural Heritage List (非物质文化遗产), On 1 January 2008, Duanwu was declared as an annual public holiday in the People's Republic of China for the first time.

In 2005, United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation UNESCO (联合国教科文组织) approved Korean Gangneung Danoje (江陵端午祭) in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List (人类非物质文化遗产代表作名录), which outraged many Chinese media, resulting in strong protests and public outcry, and refuting that Duanwu Jie was originated in Korea. They argued that the tradition was brought to Korea about 1500 years ago. On 30 September 2009, at the capital of The United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, the committee of UNESCO recognised and enlisted Duanwu Jie as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

As a traditional festival, Duanwu Jie holds the record of having the most number of alternative names in China - more than twenty in total. The following is a list of better known alternative names for Duanwu Jie:

Duanyang Jie 端阳节
The fifth lunar month is midsummer month when summer solstice (夏至) occurs. The sun is high up in the sky at noon, brighter than normal, thus giving rise to the term Duanyang Jie端阳节, where the word 阳 means the sun.

Chongwu Jie 重五节
Chong 重means repeat; the name literally means Double Five / Fifth Festival

Chongwu Jie重午节
午and 五 are phonetically identical; the name means Double Wu Festival

Wuyue Jie 五月节
This simply means the Month Five Festival

Xia Jie 夏节
This simply means Summer Festival

Quyuan Jie 屈原日
Legend has it that Duanwu Jie commemorates the death of the Han (汉) poet Qu Yuan (屈原) about 300 BC. He was a scholar, a minister and a patriotic statesman in the kingdom of Chu (楚国) during the Warring Kingdoms Period (战国时代) (403-221 BC) in the Zhou Dynasty (周朝).

Due to the imminent threat from the Kingdom of Qin (秦国), Qu Yuan proposed reforms and alliance with the Kingdom of Qi (齐国) to ensure the safety of the kingdom. Having accepted bribes from the envoy of Qin, the corrupt King Huai of Chu accused Qu Yuan was accused of treason and banished.

Twenty-eight years later, Qin captured the capital of Chu. In despair, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River (汨羅河) in Hunan (湖南) on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month 278 BC.

Zong Jie 粽节
When the villagers heard of Qu Yuan’s death, they sent out search boats on an rescue mission. They reached Dongting Lake (洞庭湖), but his body was nowhere to be found. More and more people joined in and rowed to Dongting Lake to search for Qu Yuan.

The villagers were afraid of Qu Yuan’s body being eaten by fish, so they threw sticky rice triangles wrapped in bamboo leaves into the river to distract them . Later this became the custom of eating zongzi (粽子), and the festival is known as Zong Jie.

Jiezong Jie 解粽节
Comparing the lengths of the bamboo leaves used after unwrapping the zongzi soon became a competition. The longest leaf would win the completion. Jiezong Jie literally means the Unwrapping the Zong Festival.

Longzhou Jie 龙舟节
As more and more people rowed their boats to search for Qu Yuan, the event turned into a rowing competition. According to legend, rivers were ruled by Long of the Eastern Sea, and accordingly, the boats were designed and made to resemble the Long called Longzhou (龙舟). The festival gained another name known as Longzhou Jie.

Longzhou Jie has been known in the West as Dragon Boat Festival.

Shiren Jie 诗人节
On 10 June 1940, an anti-Japanese gathering was organised by the Chinese National Association of Literary and Art held in Chongqing in commemoration of patriotic poet Qu Yuan and his works, at which it was proposed that the annual Duanwu Jie was be known as Shiren Jie or Poets Festival.

Yulan Jie 浴兰节
During ancient time, many people suffered from skin diseases during summer, and bathed (浴) in Lanchao (Bluegrass) solution (兰草汤), thus gave rise to the name Yulan Jie.

Chinese readers must note that (兰草) belongs to the Chrysanthemum family and not the Orchid family.

Nuer Jie 女儿节
In China, pomegranate flowers bloom in summer. During the Ming (明) Dynasty, between the first and fifth days of fifth month, young unmarried virgin girls wore a pomegranate flower on their hair as a symbol of their marital status, while newly married daughters returned home to visit their parents to avoid the fuss of celebrating Duanwu. This festival was dedicated to the ladies and appropriately named the Ladies’ Festival.

It was also during Ming and Qing (清) Dynasties that the role of female gained prominence, and Duanwu Jie soon became recognised as a day for the ladies.

Long Ri 龙日
In the ancient kingdoms of Wu (吳国) and Yue (越国), people wanted to appease the Long Wang of Eastern Sea by throwing in foods including zongzi into the water, and the males tattooed Long on their arms and bodies. This festive day was named after this divine creature known as Long Ri or Day of the Long.

There is another version for this origin. The sun is considered to be at its strongest around the time of summer solstice, and like the Chinese Long 龙, traditionally represents masculine energy. The festival is thus known as Long Ri.

Changpu Jie 菖蒲节
Summer time was normally plagued by the five poisonous vermin (五毒) - scorpions (蝎子), snakes (蛇), geckos (壁虎) / spider (蜘蛛), centipedes (蜈蚣) and toads (蟾蜍). It was believed that by hanging calamus (菖蒲), kobresia (蒿草), Folium artemisiae argyi (艾叶), oil of atractylodes lancea (薰苍术) and Radix angelicae dahuricae(白芷) bundled together with red paper had the effect to expel such vermin and evil spirits. The festival was named after one of the ingredients calamus (菖蒲).

Other Duanwu Jie activities include:

Drinking Xiong Huang wine (雄黄酒) (a combination of the Chinese herb Xiong Huang with rice wine) believed to ward off evil spirits.

Painting and/or hanging pictures of Zhong Kui (鍾馗) – a Chinese mythological guardian spirit – on ones front door, to protect the household from ghosts and evil beings. It's common also to hang Herbs such as moxa (mugwort) (艾蒿) alongside the images of Zhong Kui.

Making the attempt to stand an egg of its end, at noontime on the day of the Duanwu Jie. If successful, good luck will prevail for the following year.

Your Paradise, Malaysia, awaits you!

Posted to Facebook on 2/3/2012 at 9:45 AM
Title: Your Paradise, Malaysia, awaits you!

There is one and only place where one can get whatever freedom back - the Parliament.

Far too many people do not treasure one freedom available to them - the freedom to stand as a candidate in an election. One can jump up and down, scream and shout until they lose their voice, and yet things cannot get changed unless they do so inside the Parliament.

One can write million blogs, published umteen articles in local, national and international newspapers, comments on worldwide social networks media, but then these are just words, and unfortunately they worth as much as the piece of paper / screen that is written on!

Parliament is the place where laws are made; the place where laws can be changed or voided. A lone voice may not have much effect, but then with a thousand or more stand up to be counted at the ballot box and win, Malaysia will soon become the paradise you have been waiting for!

The vocal people that go on the streets demonstrating should put their money where their mouth is. It is easier to criticise the Parliamentarians.

People want things done or changed, and yet they don't want to dirty their hands. They are like backseat drivers, or arm-chair Generals.

The opportunity was there just before 1957. Until now, people are still whinging, and I can foresee in the next 55 years, the next two generations will still be in the streets demonstrating.

Laws are NOT written on banners and placards. If laws cannot be changed within one generation, then give it two generations. Nelson Mandela went to prisons for 27 years, and Aung San Suu Kyi was under house arrest for 15 years.

It was fortunate that Malaya gained its independence from the British without any incident, but life is not always an easy journey. One must not rely on other people to do the hard work. It has to start from the person who wants things done or changed.

Channel the energy from the streets to the Parliament. Turn demonstrators into Parliamentarians. Turn demand slogans written on placard into laws enshrined in the law books and Constitution! Be organised and set distinctive goals – become members of parliament where one’s voice can carry certain weight and may even change the course towards true equality and democracy!

Good luck, Malaysians!

Lesson on Chinese Culture - Ren Ri (人日), Seven Jewel Soup (七宝羹) and Yu Sang (鱼生)

Posted to Facebook - Sin Fong Chan - The Teacher on 28/1/2012 at 11:44 AM
Title: Lesson on Chinese Culture - Ren Ri (人日), Seven Jewel Soup (七宝羹) and Yu Sang (鱼生)

According to Chinese mythology, Nuwa (女娲) was the goddess of creation who created all the living things in seven days. The major creations include the roaster, dog, goat, pig, ox, horse and human beings.

She created the Roaster on day one, and therefore, the first day of the year is known as the Roaster day. The second day is the Dog day, third the Goat day, fourth the Pig day, fifth the Ox day, sixth the Horse day, and last but not least, she created human beings on the seventh day. This special day is called the People day or Ren Ri (人日).

Nuwa used earth to create the human beings to her own image. She did not expect her creation to live forever, so she decided to create separate batches of men and women. She established the institution of marriage; young women and men mated with each other, produced offspring to populate the planet. Nuwa is also known as the Goddess of Marriage.

Ren Ri is commonly refer to as the "birthday of all people" by Guangzhou people (Cantonese). On this day, a special thick soup known as the Seven Jewel Soup (七宝羹) consisting of seven vegetables is consumed. The types of vegetables may vary from region to region; however, the choice of vegetables is important so that the names of the vegetables are contextually auspicious. Typical vegetables are celery (芹菜Kan Choy) a symbol of hardworking, mustard green (芥菜Kai Choy) a symbol of longevity, leek spinach (韭菜Gau Choy) a symbol of vitality, spinach (菠菜Bo Choy) a symbol of robustness, spring onion (葱Choong) a symbol of intelligence, garlic (蒜Shun) a symbol of being good in mathematics and Chinese parsley (more for flavour). Consuming this soup could help dispel evils and cure all sorts of diseases.

The tradition of eating Yu Sang 鱼生or raw sliced fish dates back to Qin Dynasty. The practice reached its peak during Tang Dynasty. Yu Sang is a dish consists of raw fish slices, complemented with julienne vegetables of a various colours – green vegetables, orange carrot, yellow ginger, and white Chinese carrot. When mixed with sesame oil, flavoursome sauces, crushed peanuts, the dish has a colour combination resembles that of a rainbow (七彩鱼生) and the taste is divine.

In Malaysia and Singapore, Ren Ri is celebrated with the tradition of Lo Yu Sang (撈鱼生). The Yu Sang base ingredients are arranged separately in a large circular plate, and sauces held in separate bowls. During the process of Lo Yu Sang, diners are in a standing position, mix the Yi Sang ingredients thoroughly with their chopsticks and lift them as high as possible in the air. It is important to ensure that fish slices are mixed well with the rest of the ingredients. The diners will yell out loud simultaneously, “Lo Hay, Lo Hay, Fatt Ah, Fatt Ah”. Lo Hay撈起is synonymous to job promotion, and Fatt 发means prosperity.

Eating Yu Sang has now replaced the consumption of Seven Jewel Soup in Malaysia and Singapore.

Lesson on Chinese New Year and the year of Dragon

Posted to Facebook - Sin Fong Chan - The Teacher on 22/1/2012 at 1:34 AM
Title: Lesson on Chinese New Year and the year of Dragon

Most people know that 2012 is the year of the Dragon, and the first day of the Chinese (lunar) year begins on 23rd January 2012. However, almost all do not know that the Dragon does not arrive on that day; it will arrive on 4th February 2012, according to the Astrological calendar.

The Chinese calendar is based on five elements, namely Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth and 12 Earthly Branches represented by 12 animals, namely, the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. The total number of combinations using an element and an animal is sixty; which means one’s life cycle is repeated after sixty years.

The Dragon for 2012 is a Water Dragon, and water is represented by black colour. In short, 2012 is a black dragon or black water dragon.

A Chinese dragon is a divine creature, and has the anatomical features of nine Earthly animals. Its mouth resembles that of a horse, its eyes and antennae those of a prawn, its beard that of a goat, its antelopes those of a deer, ears those of an ox, mane that of a lion, scales those of a carp, body that of a snake and claws those of an eagle. There are other variant lists of nine animal resemblances.

In contrast to European dragons, which are considered evil, Chinese dragons traditionally symbolize power, strenth, and good luck. With that, the dragon was the symbol of the Emperor of China. The 5-clawed dragon was assigned to represent the Emperor while the 4-clawed and 3-clawed dragons were assigned to the commoners.

3000 more uni places

Posted to The Age (17/1/2012) on 17/1/2012 at 12:17 PM
Commenting on "3000 more uni places"
http://www.theage.com.au/national/tertiary-places/3000-more-uni-places-20120116-1q3a5.html

Having a degree from a university or college that offers higher qualification does not guarantee that graduate actually earns his/her mark.

Many universities of today are no better than a college with a facelift. TAFE and private colleges that offer Advanced Diploma as the highest qualification can no longer survive. Some have transformed into high-ed institutions offering degree courses, even though they are NOT universities.

The numbers game does not necessarily produce academics or achievers, but on the contrary it makes top students average, and unjustifiably lifts the non-deserving ones at par with the top graduates.

It is disgraceful that university standards have been lowered to improve pass rate. Plagiarism is so prevalent and close to epidemic proportion. Students pay professionals or past year’s students to complete their assignments. Hardworking and top performing students are frustrated by lazy and good for nothing team members in team project work; and unfortunately the genuine students’ outcome is affected negatively.

Australia needs more tradies, NOT university graduates who cannot fix plumbing, electrical works, or build houses. There are not enough upcoming tradies to replace the retiring ones. Whether it is about fixing a leaking toilet cistern, building a house, laying out NBN cable, etc, tradies’ charges will continue to soar unless more qualified tradies enter the workforce.

We MUST lift the educational standards from primary level onwards. A smart nation needs smart people. Unfortunately with our country is run by not so smart politicians, things will never work out!

Am I cynical? Yes I am.

Differences between women and men

Men behave and work in different ways. Women keep putting men down by criticising how lazy they are or how sloppy they do the housework, not just in private, but also at parties in the presence of other people's wives and husbands. If men were to criticise the women or just say a wrong word about their women in the public, all hell breaks loose.

It is not that men don't want to help in laundry - women want the clothing sorted before they are put in the washing machine, but men do it after; women want dishes washed immediately after a dinner, men want to finish off the current affairs program on the television before they get off their bums.

Men don't just wash dishes; they shine the kitchen and the range hood. Men don't just wash toilet bowls; they sanitise the complete bathroom and toilet, lock stock and barrel.

Women throw away the men's precious "junks" without giving any respect and consideration to the men's feeling. If the men were to do likewise, the women will be the only item put out in the street during the next garbage collection!

Most men can do very complex science experiments during their school or university days with great precision; it is naive to think that men cannot cook a dinner. If men can be responsible at the office, some even deal with million-dollar budgets, how can men change their spots at home and become irresponsible beings?

Men tend to be more compromising and forgiving, because they tend to forget the past bad experience and try not to hold grudges indefinitely. Just imagine those suffering from dementia who cannot remember the present but able to recall the long term past memory - those poor souls who can’t let go those grudges will go to the graves full of sadness and hatred.

Many men have high pain tolerance, and when they complain about pain not just in the arse, they really mean pain. Women think that the men behave like pussies and seek attention; they'll regret if they find out that their men may be suffering from some form of terminal illness when they actually reveal their pain openly!

Do men know how to care or love their women? Yes they do, but sometimes not in the same wavelengths expected by the women. Women want to be spoilt, so do men. Women like to be praised, so do men.

Behind a successful man, it is not just a woman. It is a supportive woman who provides encouragement instead of constant nagging!

Gender numbers in VCE maths just don't add up

Posted to The Age (14/12/2011) on 18/12/2011 at 1:20 PM
Commenting on "Gender numbers in VCE maths just don't add up"
http://www.theage.com.au/national/education/gender-numbers-in-vce-maths-just-dont-add-up-20111213-1otdc.html

Was there any study done to find out why less male students take up humanity subjects? Brain experts have researched and found out that male and female brains do not develop in the same manner.

The biological and physiological make up of male and female are different, and therefore will definitely influence the behavioural and mental processes, which in turn determine their choice career one intends to pursue.

The world will be such a boring place if male and female are identical in every aspect. Just look at the time when Mao made every citizen "equal".

Stress

Posted to Facebook on 18/11/2011
Title: Stress

Stress is self-induced. When faced with a difficult situation, do you think stress is going to make the situation better? I stress, as a natural biological response but only for very short time, because I know consciously stress does not make any difference whatsoever to get over any hurdle. Next time when stress knocks on your door, open the door and let it in. Why? When you open the door, fresh air comes in, and that will enable you to clear your mind.

Navy Seals reveal truth about raid against Osama Bin Laden

Posted to Perth Now (6/11/2011) on 8/11/2011 at 4:33 AM
Commenting on "Navy Seals reveal truth about raid against Osama Bin Laden"
http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/top-stories/navy-seals-speak-out-how-we-killed-bert-laden/comments-e6frg12l-1226186932206

Is this an act of an eye for an eye? So what's going to happen to the US Navy Seals who killed Bin Laden? When is the killing cycle going to end? Is the world going to be a better and safer place after the three "evils" are killed (I intentionally not to use the word gone)? As long as hatred and suspicion continue to propagate, the human world is no different from the one roamed by animals which kill their prey by instinct.

Who are Australian soldiers dying for?

Posted to Herald Sun (31/10/2011) on 31/10/2011 at 3:06 AM
Commenting on "Who are Australian soldiers dying for?"
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/what-are-australian-soldiers-dying-for/story-e6frfhqf-1226180901325

"We are in Afghanistan to rid them of the Taliban” – how, to capture them and brainwash them in captivity or kill them? If it is alright to kill them, then why can't they exercise “their right” to kill the intruders or foreign soldiers, no matter what their intension is?

In the Western's eyes, democracy is the go and they want to "introduce locals to the idea of democracy." Do Afghanis and Taliban want or choose democracy? China chooses Communism instead of Democracy. Is Communism far less superior to Democracy, and who is the judge? Is instilling the idea of democracy a form of indoctrination? If so, this is very wrong; because believers of democracy suppose to understand human rights.

End Part 1 of 2


Posted to Herald Sun (31/10/2011) on 31/10/2011 at 3:10 AM

Are the Western countries including Australia too hasty and impulsive to change Afghanistan? It took decades to change British Australia to become Australia the nation with the Queen of England as the constitutional monarch, and another few more to get rid of the post war White Australian policies. Australia then tossed between Socialistic Labor and Capitalistic Coalition, and now the direction Australia takes is in the hands of a few independents. Australians are still unsure of turning this country into a republic.

Democracy can be a pain in the rear – multiculturalism is divisive to say the least. Soon, in the name of multiculturalism, a Tower of Babel will be founded. Conflicts emerge as differences in religious beliefs, cultural practices, social behaviour, power struggle, etc divide Australia into "tribes"; no difference from Afghanistan.

US and its allies are not gods, and should not play gods. They must not "modify" other nations to their own image. If the do-gooders go to Afghanistan with the intention to kill the Taliban or terrorists, they will return fire because as far as they are concerned, the foreigners are the enemies.

End of Part of 2

Older mums are selfish and self-centred

Posted to Adelaide Now (4/10/2011) to 4/10/2011 at 1:39 PM
Commenting on “Older mums are 'selfish and self-centred'”
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/national/older-mums-are-selfish-and-self-centred/comments-e6frea8c-1226157838279

Many middle-age and younger people today have too much expectation and insufficient sacrifice. They started off with expensive wedding celebration, honeymoon follow by carefree life-style - dining out, expensive alcohol, merry-making parties, more than budget-permit rental apartments, branded goods, multiple home-entertaining systems, etc. They want a career, new car, credit card, holidays and new home! They spoilt their health, not because of genetic reason, but due to their indifferent attitude towards what real life is about.

Life is about sharing and compromise. Me-ism preachers have been giving the wrong messages, and forgetting the duty and responsibility as humans on this planet are not just to live for themselves but also leave behind offspring to ensure a continual existence of human race - healthy humans to be precise.

How are the kids with older parents going to tell their friends - parents or grandparents? Will this damage their mental development? Generation gap, I argue very often is created by older generation. Another 10 or more years’ gap can mean greater difficulty in relating to them and guide them. There are always exceptions to the rules – good luck!