Ang Pow

As the Chinese New Year is being celebrated, Kevin has mentioned the happy tradition of receiving Ang Pow, little red envelopes with money. These envelopes are also given during other celebrations, such as weddings. The color red symbolizes good luck; a white envelope would be used for a funeral. There is also meaning attached to numbers--8 is a lucky number, while 4 is very unlucky because the pronunciation sounds like death. Usually the amount in Ang Pow is an even number, while the amount given at a funeral is an odd number.

The Malay Muslims have adapted the tradition except they use the color green, which is associated with Islam.

Happy Chinese New Year, everyone!

Thaipusam

After Kevin talked about the Thaipusam festival that occurred earlier this month in Malaysia, I had to look this up on google. It is a Hindu festival that is celebrated in elaborate fashion and is a public holiday in Malaysia and Singapore. Devotees fast and cleanse themselves in preparation, then shave their heads, carry "burdens" and pierce themselves while undertaking a pilgrimage.

From Kevin's letter last week: I guess the whole idea of the festival is to show the gods that you really want a particular blessing by sort of torturing yourself in their honor. The most common ways are by putting about a dozen nasty looking hooks in your back, and having someone pull them while you walk a few kilometers, or else carrying a nine foot tall mini-temple with an idol in it on your shoulders from the river to his temple. I guess that one often gets combined with some good ol' fashioned hooking as well.

I'm amazed at the diversity in the world.

Another New Trick!

Johnny learned another new trick. About a week ago, I tried to teach him "Pat-a-Cake." No luck. He really wasn't interested at all. So, days and days went by and we did other exciting things, like playing endless games of peek-a-boo. Saturday night, we went to a restaurant and he was in his carseat at the table. I looked over at him, and he very deliberately started patting his hands together. It was so, so cute! Of course we had a fit over him, clapping and cheering. He realized he could get a lot of attention that way. Fast forward to today. I went into the bedroom and he was up to his worst trick...tearing up a book. As soon as he hears me coming when he knows he is doing something wrong, he drops it and crawls away as fast as he can. This time, he dropped the book and started racing across the room, then he suddenly stopped, got up on his knees and started patting his hands together. It was priceless. Doesn't he look innocent in his picture? (Still drooling down the front of his shirt!)

Boo!

Johnny is obsessed with playing peek-a-boo. It begins when I walk into his room in the morning. He squats behind the ledge of his crib and jumps up to scare me when I get close. It's peek-a-boo all day long!

Sometimes, he doesn't quite get his eyes covered...

Big BOO!

Where's Johnny???

There he is!!!

He never gets tired of it...never!