a penguin of very little brain ([info]stephiepenguin) wrote,
@ 2008-02-06 23:29:00
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Entry tags:asian nation, cny, lists of things, on being chinese

on new year's eve
新年快乐！

Chinese New Year is never quite so colourful in my life as it is in my head, mostly because I never get to celebrate it in an area that is predominately Chinese. But it is still bright and colourful and fun, and overflowing with delicious food and loud noises and bright colours.



mosaic by me, photos by others (links below)



photo key

:: lanterns :: more lanterns :: lion heads :: shopping centre lanterns :: new year peacock :: taunting the lion :: mcdonald's and its regional advertising :: hanging mice :: kamran in chinatown :: cupcakes :: earth rat :: coin :: firecracker cupcakes :: an upside-down sort of luck :: wandering through the lanterns :: feeling ratty ::


these are the things that make up my fifteen days:

♥ pineapple tarts

♥ love letters (a rice flour treat)

♥ red packets

♥ hunting down the drumbeat in the air

♥ watching the grown-ups in my life fighting over whose turn it is to do the dishes

♥ shades of red

♥ a whole lot of food

♥ the smell of oranges

♥ scrubbing down and sweeping the house

♥ new decorations, covered in glitter


I am looking forward to a bazaar at Burswood, and a small art exhibition, and inviting my friends over (or out) as much as possible.

(Post a new comment)


[info]miss_kittylix
2008-02-06 02:38 pm UTC (link)
The bazaar at Burswood looks great. I might go take a look at it.

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[info]stephiepenguin
2008-02-07 09:28 am UTC (link)
I hope it's good, I am looking forward to it :o)

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[info]glvalentine
2008-02-06 03:22 pm UTC (link)
Gorgeous pictures. Happy New Year. :)

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[info]stephiepenguin
2008-02-07 09:29 am UTC (link)
And happy new year to you. Did you end up giving those dance guys a present?

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[info]thanners
2008-02-06 04:04 pm UTC (link)
恭喜发财！

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[info]stephiepenguin
2008-02-07 09:31 am UTC (link)
恭喜发财！

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[info]leahcim
2008-02-06 09:53 pm UTC (link)
(Psst. Your ♥'s turn out as &hearts in some browsers because you've forgotten the semicolon at the end. :P)

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[info]stephiepenguin
2008-02-07 09:32 am UTC (link)
Huh. Isn't that interesting. Thank you for letting me know!

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[info]mandysbitch
2008-02-06 10:18 pm UTC (link)
Gong xi fai choi! (sorry - I don't have Chinese characters!).

And it's raining! What is that about?

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[info]stephiepenguin
2008-02-07 09:33 am UTC (link)
I KNOW. I got rained on, and I'm cold!

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[info]sajee
2008-02-06 11:08 pm UTC (link)
Kung Hei Fat Choi!

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[info]stephiepenguin
2008-02-07 09:33 am UTC (link)
Look at you and your correct romanisation of Cantonese! 恭喜发财！

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[info]sajee
2008-02-07 09:36 am UTC (link)
I was all torn between what I used and Gong Xi Fai Choi so I trusted wikipedia. *shifty eyes*

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[info]linstar
2008-02-07 12:42 am UTC (link)
Awesome pictures! I love them.

Hope the year ahead is full of much fantabulous and wonderful things, though I am sure they will be :)

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[info]stephiepenguin
2008-02-07 09:34 am UTC (link)
I hope that your year is prosperous and enjoyable.

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[info]cupiscent
2008-02-07 12:58 am UTC (link)
I always love those lanterns.

Has the river lady been suitably decorated?

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[info]stephiepenguin
2008-02-07 09:36 am UTC (link)
She is wearing a dress, though I did not dress her.

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[info]alias_sqbr
2008-02-07 03:59 am UTC (link)
Happy chinese new year! After reading you and [info]nico_wolfwood's posts I realised why [info]thanners is wearing such an uncharacteristically vibrant shirt today :)

So...was it wrong for me to get a red packet at [info]nico_wolfwood's wedding, since I was already married by then? (I realise wedding /= new year) Because I'm not giving it back :)

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[info]stephiepenguin
2008-02-07 11:13 am UTC (link)
It was totally wrong for you to get a red packet, unless it was a special gift for being a bridesmaid or something. But remember you have to keep it for a whole year.

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[info]alias_sqbr
2008-02-08 03:18 am UTC (link)
Yes, it was a bridesmaid gift. And I intend on keeping it for always, I'm unlikely to get any more :)

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[info]vegetus
2008-02-07 09:21 am UTC (link)
mmmm... love letters and pineapple tarts...

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[info]stephiepenguin
2008-02-07 11:14 am UTC (link)
I love that most of the CNY treats (love letters and such) are things that I can eat! And then I stuff my face with them, because they are delicious.

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[info]vegetus
2008-02-07 07:39 pm UTC (link)
I love all the the different moon cake flavours at mid autumn festival- and that alot of them don't have the traditional egg in them!

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[info]jayabear
2008-02-07 11:29 am UTC (link)
watching the grown-ups in my life fighting over whose turn it is to do the dishes

You forgot to mention that they all want to do the dishes.


Have you seen this shirt?

I love all of that too! :D :D

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[info]stephiepenguin
2008-02-07 12:32 pm UTC (link)
I have seen that shirt, I covet it most unattractively.

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[info]dear_prudence
2008-02-08 12:15 pm UTC (link)
how did you make tiled photos like that? is it a flickr feature?

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[info]stephiepenguin
2008-02-08 12:44 pm UTC (link)
No, I did it using the Gimp. It's actually really easy. You make a blank image, the size you want the mosaic to be. Then View-->show grid, which displays grid lines. Then Images-->configure grid, where you specify how big each of your internal images is. Then select View-->snap to grid. Then you drag your images into the grid, then drag them to each spot in the grid where you want them to be. They will then snap into place on the grid. It was a really fast process, I was so pleased to learn the trick!

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