Marketing, food, food and more food!!!!!

Our class ended early today so Lingtze, Meisian, Yanhan, Bibiana, Boonchin, David, Nicholas and I went marketing in Tyoply stan market...Talking about Tyoply Stan market, I can't recall when was the last time I went there...1 year ago? 6 months ago? Shrug...really no idea.

Well, in winter when the weather is so freaky cold, we will normally buy our provisions from ASHAN, the well-known hypermarket in Russia. Okay, so back to the reason we went thru the cold today...It's because we are having a chinese new year reunion dinner tomorrow!!!!! The 10 of us!!!!! It's so sad that I can't celebrate CNY with my family this time.. =( Hmm, guess I'll have to take it as an experience celebrating it with my friends and being far far away from home on this important occasion...I guess it'll be just as fun, right?

So, given the importance of food in the Chinese culture, it is not surprising that food plays a major role in the Chinese New Year celebration...I guess that explains why whenever one chinese meets another, their greeting will be "Hey, chiak pa boay?" (taken your meal yet in hokkien)... I learnt from my "pak kua" friends the symbolic significance of certain food that we bought for CNY...
1) Chicken =>serving a whole chicken during the Chinese New Year season symbolizes family togetherness
2) Fish => nian nian you yu (wish for prosperity in the coming year, for added symbolism, it's served whole, with the head and tail attached-meaning having a good beginning and ending for the coming year)
3) Pork => chu rong lu sui
4) Noodles => symbol of longevity
5) Oranges => wealth and luck
6) Eggs => fertility
7) Tofu => happiness
8) Prawn => ha ha siu ( in cantonese)

These are the few that I know, so do add on to my list if you know any extra food with much significance!!! And for those who need more or lack any of the above mentioned "elements", "sek chou la, sek tor tit!" hahaha.. of course that is not everything that will be for our dinner...I will post more details plus photos tomorrow, I hope...All right, time to collect my laundry..Chao!

Chinese New Year Commercial

Watch this..
It is funny at the beginning but touching towards the end...
Really worth a watch...
GONG XI FA CAI!!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

To My Friends Who Are...........SINGLE Love is like a butterfly. The more you chase it, the more it eludes you. But if you just let it fly, it will come to you when you least expect it. Love can make you happy but often it hurts, but love's only special when you give it to someone who is really worth it. So take your time and choose the best.


To My Friends Who Are............NOT SO SINGLE Love isn't about becoming somebody else's 'perfect person.' It's about finding someone who helps you become the best person you can be.
To My Friends Who Are............PLAYBOY/GIRL TYPE Never say 'I love you' if you don't care. Never talk about feelings if theyaren't there. Never touch a life if you mean to break a heart. Never look in the eye when all you do is lie. The cruelest thing a guy can do to a girl is to let her fall in love when he doesn't intend to catch her fall and it works both ways...

To My Friends Who Are............MARRIED Love is not about 'it's your fault', but 'I'm sorry.' Not 'where are you', but 'I'm right here.' Not 'how could you', but 'I understand.' Not 'I wish you were', but 'I'm thankful you are.'
To My Friends Who Are............ENGAGED The true measure of compatibility is not the years spent together but how good you are for each other.

To My Friends Who Are............HEARTBROKEN Heartbreaks last as long as you want and cut as deep as you allow them to go. The challenge is not how to survive heartbreaks but to learn from them.
To My Friends Who Are............NAIVE How to be in love: Fall but don't stumble, be consistent but not too persistent, share and never be unfair, understand and try not to demand, and get hurt but never keep the pain.
To My Friends Who Are............POSSESSIVE It breaks your heart to see the one you love happy with someone else but
it's more painful to know that the one you love is unhappy with you.

To My Friends Who Are............AFRAID TO CONFESS Love hurts when you break up with someone. It hurts even more when someone breaks up with you. But love hurts the most when the person you love has no idea how you feel.


To My Friends Who Are............STILL HOLDING ON A sad thing about life is when you meet someone and fall in love, only to
find out in the end that it was never meant to be and that you have wasted years on someone who wasn't worth it. If he isn't worth it now he's not
'going to be worth it a year or 10 years from now Let go.....
TO ALL MY FRIENDS.......
My wish for you is a man/women whose love is honest, strong, mature,
never-changing, uplifting, protective, encouraging, rewarding and unselfish