Precious gifts this CNY

How's your first 2 days of CNY?  I've quite a few stuff to blog but no time. I'll be busy almost everyday for the next 2 weeks at least. This weekend will be 2 days (marathon) of receiving the grand initiation of the Medicine Buddha. Here's a short post on the precious gifts I received this CNY. 

My precious guru, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche has finally arrived in Singapore! The most precious gift is of course having the presence of my guru during CNY, being able to see him up close and personal, to receive his teachings and empowerments, as well as to receive immense blessings from him.

On the first day of CNY, I met Lama Zopa Rinpoche and offering him karta and flowers, and he in turn, blessed me with a blessed string, loads of blessings and a number of gifts. Rinpoche said the string has been blessed by him, having chanted thousands of mantras. With the power of the blessed string, he told us that if we wear it, it can protect us from harm and instructed we were to bless any dying person/animal with the string if we see them. I will try to blog more on his visit in another entry.

Received these precious Dharma gifts and well wishes from Amitabha Buddhist Centre and Gaden Shartse Dro-Phen Ling and friends on CNY day. 

Perhaps another precious gift is this mantra card given by Rinpoche during the blessings. This is Lama Atisha Protection Mantra card, which has been personally blessed and consecrated by Rinpoche. The mantra was originally printed on cloth and worn by the reknown Lama Atisha as protection from harm. This has been brought from Tibet and presented to Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Hence this printed first edition of Lama Atisha Mantra was printed in accordance to Lama Zopa Rinpoche's holy wish to "benefit sentient beings, especially people dying". 

Another gift I received from my friends, a lovely couple - The Precious Elephant. It is a 24k-gold prosperity  medallion which they sponsored from the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.  It is said that Chakravatin obtained this treasure through avoidance of anger and bad karma. The "Precious Elephant" symbolizes strength, courage and valor. As the "Precious Elephant" exhibits extraordinary strength, speed and noble gentleness and the ability to run without restriction on air, water and land, thus it is regarded better than any throughbred stallion. The "Precious Elephant" can also be as of one mind with the Chakravatin and time, the "Precious Elephant" safeguard beings and protect them from ills but during war, it will show its wrathful prowess to overcome enemies and disasters. The "Precious Elephant" Prosperity Gold Medallion has an image of a wheel-carrying elephant cruising the four seas symbolizes prosperity and auspiciousness for all. On the reverse side is the main design of the "12 zodiac sanskrit character" symbolizing lasting happiness. Thank you, OB and CBL!!! :D

Every year, one of my aunts who is a devout Buddhist will visit the temple and pray for a divination lot for each and every one of us in the family (maybe about 20+ of us in Singapore!). This year, my divination lot is a very good one.  And it is very apt for me, given my present situation. I was a little surprised the message is so relevant.  I know I receive a lot of protection from the Gurus, the Buddhas, the Bodhisattvas and the Protectors, as well as my benefactors, so it is as unbelievable as a miracle. There are always many who are ready to come to my rescue in times of trouble. I must strive to be even more tender and kind towards people.

Thank you to everyone who made my CNY a very happy and auspicious start to the Rabbit year.

My house during CNY to welcome an abundance of good luck & prosperity!

Once a year, I will "dress up" my house in bright red auspicious colours to welcome the Chinese Lunar New Year. I try not to go OTT about it, but some little details are necessary, I feel.

My living room all ready for the CNY. I snapped these photos at 1am last night, when it was finally more or less ready!

On my coffee table, my favourite big fern plant on top of a bright red cloth, as well as 福 tissue box, my bowl of golden coins, ingots, and abacus, and also the 3-legged frog with coin in its mouth. 

A close up of my bowl of wealth! Signify loads of money on the way and in the bag!

Sweets and chocolate, during the CNY, we must speak with grace and a nice word for everyone.

Lots of 福福福福福福福福福福 and lantern....

..... the other side is lots of 旺旺旺旺旺旺旺旺旺旺旺旺旺旺......

My plants are also "dressed up" with a mock plant of mandarin oranges and auspicious characters.

Mandarin oranges in a big tray with the Namgyalma plaque and the Laughing Buddha behind. Mandarin oranges signify gold.

Gong Xi Fa Cai next to a small window in the living room facing Northwest, one of the luckiest feng shui sectors in 2011 with the annual wealth star 8.

Finally my main door outside is ready, with a red banner with auspicious couplets. The red mantra plaque was blessed by my guru Lama Zopa Rinpoche last year. Notice my semi round blue floor mat which is supposed to attract wealth into the house.

Inside my main door, a 大吉 and 6 coins on door knob to welcome wealth (my main door is at the wealth area of the house), as well as more mantras above the door, all blessed and consecrated. Anyone who walks past the door, the mantras have the power to purify many eons of negative karma.

A big 春 at my kitchen door, where part of the wealth area of the house lies. 

A small Laughing Buddha with a kirin and a Nian Gao (sticky cake) in the shape of the gold ingot in the kitchen.

All 发糕 are turning mouldy means 'fa mei', which are supposed to mean "prosperity". 

The kitchen stove is very important in terms of feng shui, as it signifies your career. I pasted a 福 here.

My money plants decorated and rice urn filled to the brim, which signifies never having to go hungry. 

My happy Laughing Buddha and notice the golden gourd (hu lu)?  This year the Sickness Star, a misfortune star has arrived in the South sector. It is a dangerous star that indicates accidents, illness and lost of wealth. That is why the hu lu is placed here, to absorb all the ill energy.

Prune Kueh Lapis in an auspicious box, which I bought as my mom likes kueh lapis.

My living room from another angle. My house furniture is in Zen dark wood colour and white and green theme, as it is a East house, which means wood element.

This year I bought pussy willows which are sprayed red, which saved me the trouble of decorating it. It was so cheap at $1 per bunch!  All my CNY goodies are well hidden from the camera.

In a corner of the living room, a framed up abacus and 6 coins, a golden rooster (no, I am not a rooster), and a golden bowl filled with real rice inside. This signifies the iron rice bowl which means a career with guaranteed job security, as well as steady income and benefits.

My mom bought this bright red radish or something, and planted it in water. The leaves have started sprouting, and the red is gradually replaced by black spots (my uncle claimed that they look like the character 福). Hmm....

My dining area, a round marble table which sits 8-9 people. Notice the auspicious couplets?

My mom's floral arrangement which brightens up the house. My big round lamp in the living room, signifies the Dragon's pearl, which attracts yang energy into the house.

My cosy sofa corner. 

Red red red, everything must be red! 

Not forgetting my simple altar, with fruits, longevity buns, flower and light offerings  to Kuan Yin (the Buddha of Compassion) and Lama Tsongkhapa and the buddha relics.

五福临门 is a chinese idiom which means the five blessings have descended upon the house.

The wealth god is coming, not on the first day of the CNY but on 立春, Li Chun, the second day of CNY this year. Remember to invite him into the house on this day! 

Hope you enjoyed this blockbuster post of my house during CNY. Here's wishing all my readers of LOL8 blog a very prosperous rabbit year ahead!!!  Gong Xi Fa Cai !!!

CNY reunion steamboat dinner & lo hei

It is the CNY Eve today, and most families will be having their reunion dinner tonight. In my family, we usually have our reunion dinner on the eve of the CNY Eve, as all of us are busy on the eve itself.

We invited my Grandma and 2 dearest aunts to join us this year at our home. We started with Lo Hei. BIL got ready the Yu Sheng with auspicious chinese idioms when he laid each Lo Hei ingredient.

Time to lo hei! The takeaway tub which we packed from the restaurant looked small but it was actually quite a lot in portion. Look at the mess we made! 

My portion of Yu Sheng, generous helpings. We each had at least 2 helpings.

A nice shot before the steamboat reunion dinner. I was the photographer.

 

I must highlight my mom's Ngo Hiang which she made every year. This year I did not have time to help her as I was too busy (guilty). It was so yummy with our homemade spicy chilli.

Here was just part of the entire items for steamboat! There were almost 20 types of different items!

We made delicious soup stock beforehand, boiled from pork ribs, scallops, intestines and abalone soup. And during the steamboat, we load prawns, pork, liver, fish balls, chicken balls, prawn sticks, lobster balls, sotong, fish slices, sausages, veggies, and even an egg and noodles into the soup.

Another family shot. My grandma was telling us during dinner that she bumped into someone from her old neighbourhood almost 20 years ago, but she just could not remember the lady. I am a little sad, as grandma is losing part of her memory gradually.

After dinner, the whole family went to the supermarket to stock up some more stuff.  Here we were fooling around with the surveillance mirror. Haha!!  

Watch out for my next post on CNY and my house.

So, what are you having for your reunion dinner tonight?

Say NO to Sharks Fin soup during this reunion! 庆祝新年, 拒吃鱼翅!

Chanced upon these at the supermarket - pre-packed sharksfin. During the Chinese New Year, most people buy these to make Sharksfin soup for their reunion dinner or eat these at the Chinese restaurants, or during wedding dinners.  

Also, I saw this poster reminder in www.GreenKampong.com. 

When we tuck into our reunion dinner feast this lunar new year's eve, may we remind ourselves not to order Sharksfin Soup from the menu. 

The fact of the matter is this – sharks’ fins do not add any flavour to your soup – it’s the other ingredients that make the soup taste what it tastes like. Stay away from it, and the whole marine eco-system will thank you for it, and you might be creating your own good luck by doing just that.

Need to be further convinced? Read my earlier entry on Stop Shark Finning. May you enjoy your reunion dinner by doing a good deed.