Preparation for TET 2006

As I age (gracefully - hehe), learning about my culture is a lot of fun. TET is the most important holiday for the Vietnamese and has a lot of meaning. Now that I have a home, I'm planning a large TET celebration this year. A lot of this is cultural, a lot of it is superstition, but there's nothing wrong with supersition in my book if it doesn't harm anyone. It's funny to have gone through all the motions of TET growing up with my parents, and not knowing the actual meaning behind all the activities. Here's a site I found which provides some background information on TET http://www.nonsong.org/archive/dsx96/meangtet.html.

Interesting things I've learned and will incorporate this year:

Taboos: http://www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/taboos.html
In summary don't clean your house for 3 days. I consulted with my friends and I can't even throw out the garbage from my house party until the 4th day.
Wear something new and Red... to symbolize good luck and prosperity. Pay all debts and forgive.

Set up an alter to include the following items:
1. Mango - to symbolize the ability to spend (of which I'd like to do more of)
2. Papaya - to symbolize plentiness/bountiful
3. Coconut - to symbolize perfection
4. Oranges/tangerines - to symbolize good luck
5. Pineapple - to symbolize goodness
6. Cookies/sweets - to entice your ancestors and good spirits to stay
7. Banh Tet - to symbolize longevity
8. 3 cups of water/wine/alcohol - again to keep the good spirits and your ancestors happily drunk and at your house
9. Burn 3 incense in a rice cup on the alter for your house (I've just learned that by lighting incense you are opening the doorway to the spirit world.. hrm, how intriguing...and here I've been lighting them to mask bad house odors!)
10. 1 incense at the front door to light the way for the good spirits/ancestors
11. 1 incense at your car (????) so the good spirits will keep your travel activities safe

I must burn the same amount of incense every day for at least 3 days... but better for 7... and the food that have been on the alter, will be considered eaten by your ancestors and spirits - and technically blessed...

The Vietnamese celebrate TET technically for 7 days (but 3 is fine too):
1. New Year's Eve - the devout (which is not me usually, but I am heading to the temple in the afternoon) to be blessed, give money to the monks who will pray for my family, and get my fortune read. At midnight, firecrackers and banging of pots and pans to scare away all the evil wicked spirits (I think there are some at my house :)...)

The first person to enter your house is very important - and are usually either prominent family members with good luck (I think they mean your wealthy in-laws) or someone prestigious...

2. Day 1 (New Year's Day) - for immediate family (however, I'm having a huge party - oh well)

3. Day 2 - for close friends

4. Day 3 - for business associates and so on and so forth....

I'm not planning on doing everything they tell me to.. Maybe someday, but heck a lot of this is all new to me.

Reuniting with an old friend

JC and I reconnected yesterday after 8 years. He was the first person I knew in SF. It was interesting to listen to him tell me his "Saturn Return" stories (here's a link i found for some fundamental overview http://www.newage-directory.com/saturn.html) . Since we are the same age, we went through this event at the same time. I was a little sad thinking that our falling out was caused by something that could have been so easily remedied had I the communication skills and understanding that I have gained now. We were really good friends then. I was also sad to think that he almost didn't email me when he found me online, because I was so obnoxious and rude, and full of myself back then and he wasn't sure whether I would have responded nicely. Ugh, I am coming to terms with my past - it isn't fun but it's healing and I'm happy to know that I've changed so much, hopefully for the better.

It'll take some time to get reacquainted since both of us have changed so much. But I like what I heard, how he dealt with the blows he was given. He's also a top notch trainer - if anyone is interested at www.twistedtwilight.com.

MadHatter's Crew

Brian gets an A for some originality. Having the ability to eat your hat is a rocking idea. He included lots of late night, 7-eleven snacks... you know, snacks that are ransacked at convenient stores when you've been partying all night and nothing-else-is- open-and-you're-starving. What he was missing though were Sno-Balls. 

SHE-LAINE

Now aren't they a cute couple? For Sion's birthday, Elaine bought him leather gold pants. I wished now that I had captured that on film. Sion in leather gold pants!

Anyone who knows Sion knows that he is a "Coral Life" t-shirt and shorts type of guy. If he could, he'd wear that outfit all the time. He owns hundreds of these t-shirts. But fortunately for all of us, Elaine has a killer fashion sense and an even stronger will. Not that Sion can't hold his own when he wants something, but he knows who butters his bread - now that is a smart man! 

MadHatters #7

These aren't the craziest hats, but we weren't as prepared this year for Madhats so I grabbed one of the few hats lying around and not in the BM bin. It's a neat event and I rant into a bunch of old friends whom I hadn't seen in years - genearally the jew crew. 

Natural Bonzai?

I was working on the garden a couple of weeks ago and repotted this plant which I bought two years ago with Smessica. She suggested I purchase succulants because I'm terrible at keeping plants alive. She said there would be no way I could kill them.

She was right. I left this poor guy outside on the deck of my De Haro household for 2 years without watering it at all. At one point I thought it died since it was so brown. When I repotted it, I realized you were supposed to take the brown dried parts off the plant.

It's like a snake, shedding it's greens and then growing and extending itself out longer. Now I think it's so unique and gorgeous, I love this plant. Looks like I tried to bonzai it ;). 

Nap time

Ok, one more... they were being too cute. 

Tuesday lounging session

working at home with the girls....Sienna has a new favorite spot on top the window ledge watching mission traffic.... 

Brimeeza's birthday

Then we headed to Brimeeza's place to celebrate with the Numinosum girls. AG and I are getting old... we tried to sneak out before midnight but got caught and ended up lounging on brimeeza's bed with 4 beautiful girls and habib.... 

Leland Tea House

Saturday KC and Noi invited a few of us to her friend's monthly Puerto Rican dinner at the Leland Tea House located on Bush between Van Ness and Polk. 

Aliya and Ants and how they reflect on my happiness

It's Friday and I didn't have much sleep last night but I'm still deliriously happy. AG and I went to our first 2006 Warriors game. We started off eating well, I packed us a home cooked meal so we wouldn't gorge on jambalaya and nasty/overpriced burgers/hot dogs. But we decided to splurge on garlic fries smothered with jalapenos peppers chased down with 2 large sierra nevada's. Paying for it this morning since my ulcer can't take a basket of jalapenos as easily as it used to.

But I'm super happy you know? I'm sitting here in my cubicle and I'm deliriously happy.

Hey, it ain't just any cube, it's next to a window that allows an amazing amount of sunshine in, and today the sun is shining brightly. And the ants that are swarming all over my cube, a reaction to the heavy torrential rains we've had, hasn't doused that joy. And then, I get an awesome email and picture from Helsley, of Aliya... Life is good. Work is easy, boss loves me, I work from home twice a week, I'm healthy and so are my family and all those I love... man, everything else I want is just gravy on top.

WEDDINGS: I'm also pleased to announce that we'll be attending 3 weddings this year - all very good friends of ours: (1) KT and Merhdad - in June; (2) AG's best friend - Ven/Jen in July (in Jersey); (3) ilya/sasha (who just got engaged on New Year's).

BABIES: And not to mention friends who are expecting... (1) Ann/Dale (April), (2) Dav/Mie (July), and (3) Katia/Pete (April).

Goddamn! Joyous news to announce....... 

New Year's Eve 2005-2006

And the grand finale - dinner at our place before everyone went their merry way to celebrate however they chose. 

Seattlelites unite

From left to right: Ashley, Noy, Me, Krissy and Donna.

Dinner at Krissy and Chen's house in South Seattle with a spectactular view. 

Lila and Sienna reunite with their siblings

George and Daisy performing for treats as Ganema, Lila, Sienna and Gabriel watch on. 

Xmas morning

 

Lila's ruby red diaper