Woman in Red

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

American rapper Doja Cat wowed onlookers on Monday as she arrived at a Schiaparelli (just so you know, it's SKAP-eh-REL-EE) runway show in a dramatic head-to-toe look – British makeup artist Pat McGrath had described the look as “Doja’s Inferno” – adorned with red body paint and 30,000 Swarovski crystals. 

 

The eye-catching all-red outfit, which was custom-designed by the fashion house's creative director Daniel Roseberry, was brought to life by McGrath (right), whose team spent “4 hours and 58 minutes” completing the look. 

 

The singer's grand entrance at the Petit Palais in Paris, France marked a dramatic start to Schiaparelli's Couture Spring-Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 23. Dubbed "Inferno Couture," the label's latest collection was inspired by Dante's "Inferno" and the nine circles of hell, according to Roseberry's show notes. 

 

Doja Cat's fittingly devilish outfit featured a silk bustier, a skirt covered in lacquered wooden beads, and a pair of matching red boots. 

 

And in time for the Lunar New Year too! 😀– red being an auspicious color for the Chinese!

 

The Internet stood divided over the show-stopping moment. While there were social media users who called it an “iconic” fashion moment and lauded the “creative fashion art”, others were of the opinion that it triggered trypophobia (fear of clusters of small holes or bumps). And Doja Cat’s photos in this Schiaparelli ensemble, of course, triggered a meme fest on social media.

Douglas Lim’s CNY Song

Douglas Lim’s CNY song:

 

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are just 3 days away and China is all ready to be an amazing host!

Check out the autonomous high-speed train – with a 5G live broadcast studio on board – that links Beijing and co-host Zhangjiakou City:

 

And doctors who will be on duty as members of the Beijing Olympics emergency response team, showing off their ski slope skills:

 

And robot chefs busy preparing meals and a robot bartender serving cocktails at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics:

Expect a spectacular show! 

Year of the Tiger and Chopsticks

Xīn nián kuài lè! A very happy and prosperous Lunar New Year to everyone who’s celebrating! 

This year, I didn’t find any nice CNY videos that I really liked to feature – and so I have a video about chopsticks instead. 

It’s not just about a pair of equal-length tapered sticks used for eating Asian food. Chopsticks play an important role in Chinese food culture – and this clip is really insightful:

 

There’s a lot of symbolism and meaning behind the chopsticks. 

FYI, the front end of the chopstick which picks up food is round while the rear end is square. The round front represents the heavens and the square end, land. It's a reminder that food is a blessing from heaven. The square back end represents paddy fields (land). 

Chopsticks are 7.6 inches long. Seven represent the 7 human emotions of happiness, anger, love, desire, sadness, pain, and worry. Six represent our 6 senses of taste, smell, vision, hearing, touch and proprioception. 

Chopsticks come in pairs representing balance/harmony of yin and yang. When in use, one stick is stationary (yin) while the second stick moves (yang) in a pinching movement. 

The five fingers of the hand represent the five elements that make up the world – metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The three fingers that operate the chopsticks represent the harmony of heaven, earth and humans. 

Hǔ hǔ shēng wēi! Wishing you fullness of the vigor and vitality of the tiger! (虎虎生威)

Qing Ming Comes Early

Lunar New Year or Qing Ming Festival? 

That was the question on Malaysians' minds when they saw photos of the festive display outside the Suria KLCC – a three-storey high pagoda embellished with Chinese lanterns. 

The images (above) shared on Facebook on January 14 created quite a bit of buzz among netizens who didn't seem to be charmed by the mall's choice of Lunar New Year decor. 

Many pointed out that the display resembled paper offerings that the Chinese would burn for their ancestors during Qing Ming (“tomb-sweeping day” or Cheng Beng). 

They took issue with the lack of research on the mall's part. They said that the pagoda's resemblance to a paper offering carries an association with death which is considered inauspicious during Lunar New Year. They chided the management for the “definite fail”, urging them to pay greater respect to Chinese culture. 

And then on Tuesday, the mall quietly repainted it. The roof of the ‘pagoda’ is now yellow instead of its original green color.

Maybe, after the celebrations, Suria KLCC can always recycle it for the actual Qing Ming in April and after that, the Hungry Ghost Month in August.

Joss Paper and Funeral Envelope

Death and dying is highly taboo in Chinese culture – more so around the Lunar New Year, when even uttering words that sound similar to “death” could get your Chinese kindred and even friends staring daggers in your direction. 

So when UK newspaper The Observer used joss paper – an offering traditionally burned for deities as well as the dearly departed – as a prop in a piece about dishes for the Lunar New Year, many were aghast, shocked and stunned. 

The article, published on the website shared with its sister publication The Guardian on January 16, shares recipes such as buckwheat noodles and char siu pork. 

In the photo (left) accompanying the recipe for pork and crab dumplings, the plate of pan-fried dumplings with spicy sour sauce is accompanied by a few Chinese feng shui coins which symbolize wealth and good luck as well as a single piece of joss paper. 

FYI, along with other paper offerings, heaps of flaming joss paper are a common sight at Chinese funerals and during the annual hungry ghost festival – but certainly never on festive occasions like the Lunar New Year. 

Culture journalist Vivienne Chow took to Twitter on the same day to point out the faux pas while explaining the significance of joss paper as “hell money” that’s meant for the deceased in Chinese culture. 

Joss paper (right) comes in a variety of designs for different purposes – including worshiping specific deities and paying respects to ancestors. 

It’s unclear whether the type of joss paper featured by The Observer was meant for deity worship or an offering to the deceased. 

Nonetheless, many were appalled at the blooper. This flub drew thousands of retweets and online reactions – and the boo-boo kickstarted intense discourse surrounding yet another instance of cultural ignorance on the part of Westerners. 

In particular, many Twitter users are highlighting how Chinese cultural elements are too often repackaged for Western consumption and “aesthetics”, without paying due attention to their cultural context. 

Anyway, I read that the offending image has since been amended to remove joss paper from the dumpling shot. 

Still, on the same topic, BBC Food's website features a recipe for "Lo mein with scallops and Tenderstem broccoli" offered by chef and founder of School of Wok Jeremy Pang, detailing how to make the dish in just seven steps. The finished dish, however, was accompanied by a red packet and an envelope given out at funerals, which even contains the name "吉儀" on the front of the envelope!

Traditionally, in Chinese custom, attendees of a funeral will receive the envelope after the ceremony. 

In Hong Kong, the host of the funeral normally uses a white envelope containing a piece of tissue and candy, as well as a coin. Attendees are told to spend the money and eat the candy as soon as possible after receiving the envelope, while the tissue is used to wipe away tears.

[Note: The website has since issued an apology statement on Twitter and removed the offending image from its article].

The Year of the Critically Endangered Tiger

The Lunar New Year is fast approaching and we’ll be welcoming the Year of the Tiger. 

And yet, sadly, the tiger finds itself to be in a dire situation in Malaysia. To be blunt, the Malayan tiger (Scientific name: Panthera tigris jacksoni) is on the verge of extinction. 

On January 07, there is one tiger less because one was shot dead by officers of the Kelantan Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan). That’s right. 

Fifty-nine-year-old Orang Asli, Anek Along was mauled to death by a tiger at Kampung Sau, near Pos Bihai in Gua Musang, Kelantan. Police said when Anek left his house momentarily and did not return, his daughter went out to check and found bloodstains nearby. She raised the alarm and villagers joined her in searching for Anek, according to media reports. Upon finding a tiger near Anek’s body, some of them threw spears at it and the animal fled. 

A Perhilitan team were dispatched to pursue the tiger some three hours later. According to their Kelantan director Mohamad Hafid Rohani, his men subsequently shot and killed the male tiger, which weighed about 120kg, because it ran towards them. The decision to open fire, he said officiously, was in line with Section 52 of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 as the animal was a danger to human life. 

I’m not intending to pass judgment on the decision of the Perhilitan officers who killed the tiger as I don’t really know how bad the situation was when they confronted the tiger or how pressured they were to resolve the matter. 

However, there has been criticism of the way they handled the tiger, chiefly from the Orang Asli themselves. 

The Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Kelantan even submitted a memorandum to the prime minister on January 12 urging him to, among other things, check deforestation and encroachment into the natural habitats of wild animals. 

Pos Ber village chief Nasir Dollah was quoted as saying that rather than killing the tiger, Perhilitan officers should have consulted the local community to seek a better solution. 

He said the officers initially hurled firecrackers towards the tiger but that this was not the best option available. He discounted the theory put forward by the authorities that the tiger could have become aggressive because it had been infected with rabies or canine distemper virus which causes confusion and a change in behavior. 

Nasir didn’t mince his words when he said the real reason the tiger had come into the village was because of encroachment into its natural habitat. 

Replying in the media, Perhilitan’s Hafid asked how else were they to scare off the animal if not by letting off firecrackers or firing warning shots. He said his men had no option but to open fire when the tiger advanced. 

Why not fire tranquilisers, he was asked. Hafid, noting the tranquiliser would have taken time to be effective, said it was too late to use them as the tiger was already heading towards his men. 

Unfortunately, his explanation won’t stop people from seeing it as another example of the abject failure of a protector to protect – and this killing is a tragic outcome. 

In fact, Perhilitan deputy director-general (conservation) Fakhrul Hatta Musa said in an interview with RTM1 on Friday that if no drastic action was taken, the Malayan tiger would be extinct in five to 10 years. He said there were only about 150 tigers left in the country. 

Perhilitan must urgently re-examine their management of the critically endangered tiger – even holding dialogues with the Orang Asli who live nearest to wildlife and who would better know their ways, as well as to fully consult animal experts and conservationists – if they haven’t yet. 

And for the government to put in place better checks against encroachment into the natural habitats of wild animals such as the tiger. This would be a good time to prevent indiscriminate logging and to review policies that allow the clearing of forests for planting oil palm, or for whatever other purpose. 

The establishment of the National Tiger Conservation Task Force (MyTTF), whose first meeting the prime minister himself chaired on January 10, is a welcome move. 

However, getting menteris besar and/or state executive councillors responsible for land matters to sit on the MyTTF is not enough. State governments must be really serious about fauna protection and ecosystem; otherwise, conservation efforts will fail because land matters fall under their purview. If they put money above everything, all will be lost.

PM Ismail Sabri Yaakob (left) said the government were serious about the 10-year Strategic Actions for Conservation of Harimau Malaya plan. That’s good.

[I wonder if it will go the way of the 2009 National Tiger Conservation Action Plan which had the goal of doubling the tiger population from about 500 then to 1,000 by the year 2020]. 

Certainly, the intention is there! Malaysia’s new tiger conservation plan envisages strengthening and maintaining animal habitats through “sustainable land use management” and stopping any encroachment and poaching activities. 

I can't help being skeptical. Where have we heard all this before? 

Please, no more talking – let’s do it! LET'S SAVE THE TIGER!

The Beijing Winter Games Are 21 Days Away

The day is approaching when Beijing 2022 will host the XXIV Olympic Winter Games, February 04-20. Also, the Winter Paralympics which run from March 04-13. 

China is going to great lengths to keep Covid-19 at bay. Already, it has begun operating its “closed loop” that will isolate athletes and delegates at the forthcoming Games from the rest of the country. 

It has said that foreign spectators will be barred, with only residents of mainland China allowed in to events – they must also quarantine when they leave the venues to return home. 

It has already created an Olympic bubble by keeping the media, athletes and observers in three distinct bubbles, with the rules saying anyone entering these bubbles must be fully vaccinated or spend 21 days in quarantine. Covid testing is carried out on a daily basis, and face masks are required at all times. 

No-one can leave the bubbles. Overseas participants will enter them upon arrival in China, and remain in a bubble until they leave the country. 

Local support workers, including the nearly 19,000 volunteers, are also part of a sealed bubble. They'll have no physical contact with the outside world. And they will forego their Lunar New Year (which begins February 01) with their families. 

This system applies not just to housing, hospitals and locations meant to serve the Olympics, but also transport links. There are closed-loop airports and high-speed rail systems (given that most major venues are outside of Beijing). 

It's all systems go!

3D Golden Bull Show

Malaysia's Pavilion KL has debuted a unique 3D animation show of a golden bull charging into the Year of the Ox.

The first of its kind in Malaysia, the video aired on a giant LED screen at Pavilion Elite has already gone viral on social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook. One Twitter post that shared a video taken by a pedestrian even racked up more than 86,200 likes and 52,600 retweets.

The bull is seen getting spray painted a glimmering gold before it charges and “jumps” through the screen, a symbolic gesture of chasing away the Covid-19 blues and bringing wealth and health to the nation. 

One cool show or as somebody remarked "smart giler"!

 

Shoppers and pedestrians can catch the best view from Pavilion KL’s Crystal Fountain from now until March. 

The 3D animation marks yet another first in Malaysia under Pavilion KL’s Chinese New Year celebrations this year, themed “Blessings of Prosperity”.

Lunar New Year 2021 Greetings From the Heart

Happy Lunar New Year, everybody!

My CNY video choice this year: 

The CNY Story of Nian

Since the Lunar New Year is almost upon us, I think it's good to share a little about this special holiday. 

It signals the beginning of spring, and the start of a new year according to the Chinese lunar calendar. And of course, it is the most important holiday in China. And celebrated by the Chinese diaspora everywhere.

In China, you’ll hear it being called chunjie (春节), or the Spring Festival. It’s still very wintry, but the holiday marks the end of the coldest days. People welcome spring and what it brings along: planting and harvests, new beginnings and fresh starts.

The Spring Festival is technically 15 days. But celebrations start on New Year’s Eve (making it 16 days). Note that the most important part of Lunar New Year is the family reunion. Everyone should come back home for the New Year’s Eve dinner. 

There's no set date for Lunar New Year. The date of the Lunar New Year (or Chinese New Year) changes every year as it is based on the lunar calendar. While the western Gregorian calendar is based on the earth’s orbit around the sun, China and most Asian countries use the lunar calendar that is based on the moon’s orbit around the earth. 

The Lunar New Year always falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. In Malaysia, we have a 2-day public holiday, i.e. February 12-13, 2021 which is the first and second day of CNY as it is more commonly called here.

Chinese mythology tells us that the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called Nian (年). 

Check out the paper-cut animation "Chinese New Year" – released on Thursday in Beijing, China in eight languages – presenting the cultural background of China's Spring Festival to the world.

 

The New Year greeting in Chinese is “xin nian kuai le”. The phrase literally means “Happy New Year”. 

But in Hong Kong and other Cantonese-speaking regions, it’s more common to say “gong hei fat choy”. In Mandarin Chinese, it’s “gong xi fa cai” (恭喜发财). It means “congratulations on the fortune”. 

Luis Suarez (right) scored twice in the Spanish La Liga match against Celta Vigo on Monday – but it was not enough to earn victory for leaders Atletico Madrid as they were held to a 2-2 draw. 

The draw means Atletico, who have lost only one league game this season, are eight points clear of second-placed Barcelona with a game in hand over Ronald Koeman's side. 

Suarez, who left Barcelona for Atletico last summer, is the top scorer in La Liga with 16 goals.

I'm sure every time he scores, Barcelona feels a lot of hurt!

2019-nCoV: A High Chance of Recovery

Most people affected by the novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV or Wuhan coronavirus are expected to get well. 

Universiti Malaya Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre (TIDREC) director Professor Dr Sazaly Abu Bakar (right) said unlike SARS, the 2019-nCoV had a case fatality ratio (CFR) of only about three percent, thus giving patients a high chance of recovery. 

WHO estimated that SARS’ CFR ranged from zero to 50 percent, depending on the age group affected, with an overall estimate case fatality ratio of 14 to 15 percent, while the MERS-CoV CFR stood at 35 percent. 

Sazaly, a virologist, biosafety and biosecurity expert, said the 2019-nCoV appeared to be less virulent at present, with the exception of the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. 

He said while it could be true that the virus could spread before the symptoms show, making it harder for the disease to be contained, precautionary measures should be in place. This includes thermal screening at entry points and the issuance of travel advisories. 

Surely, the above is encouraging news. 

Yesterday, I was at the Shah Alam Toastmasters meeting – where I was a speech evaluator as well as an assignment speaker. 

I presented a CC#4 speech titled Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. This was for my Competent Communication manual #66. Two more speeches remain before I complete the said workbook.

I was voted Best Speaker:

We had five project speakers and this is a good omen because it means we have members who are enthusiastic about giving speeches. 

And we had “yee sang” too!