Gung Hay Gung Hay

It's the first day
of Chinese Lunar New Year 4707
Year of the Ox ~
GUNG HAY FOT CHOY!

My ancestors came to California during the mid-1800's. They sojourned here from Canton to participate in the Gold Rush. Having Cantonese ancestry makes me an American-of-Southern- Chinese-descent (hyphenation-nation!).

Considering the relative newishness of NorthAmerica's west, my family is Long-time Californ'.
I think that'sa pretty darn special.

So it's Chinese New Year.
Time to reflect.
Time to renew.

It's also time to party.

An important part of the Chinese New Year partying celebration (besides eating) is lion dancing. For this southern gal, you can bet I've a decided preference for the southern Chinese version of the Lion Dance.

For a lesson in the basic elements of Chinese Lion Dancing, click here.

(once you get past the damn toothpaste ad in every video, there's some valuable basics to learn about
the lion dance)

P.S. True confession: in my adult life, I've been working to overcome my irrational childhood freak-out about being close-up to a dancing lion. I took the above photo during a face-to-face encounter with a dancing lion at the 2008 Bok Kai parade in Marysville, California. Definitely an EGADS! moment for me. DollinkDaughter JrS thought for sure that I was going to pass out, with camera in hand. Instead - I passed the freak-out muster...and snapped a decent pic, to boot.

oooooooooooooh baby baby!

SnowBun

~ Photo of DollinkGranddaughterLB taken by DollinkDaughterJrS ~
(for supercuteview, click on pic to enlarge)

wednesday go to meetin'

Those of you who know me -
may or may not be surprised to hear that I went to church yesterday.

Via C-Span.
From the warmth of my bed and still attired in my PJs, I attended the National Prayer Service at the Washington Cathedral.
With President Obama and Mrs. Obama.

It was a wonderful service: Diversity. Music. Prayer. Diversity (ooh, I already stated that - isn't it terrific to note the emphasis on diversity, though?!?).

I was particularly taken with the sermon given by Reverend Dr. Sharon E. Watkins.
[the first woman to deliver the sermon at an Inaugural Service].

So taken by the sermon am I - that here is a link to the text for your perusal.

The text is beautifully written and was delivered with much aplomb by Rev. Dr. Watkins. Evident therein is intense power and sweet grace. There's even a moment or two of raise-the-corners-of-your-mouth-humour. Humour + spirituality = why not?

Moreover, the words of the sermon seem to clearly reflect the philosophy of our new Mr. President. It really does seem to be the mindset by which he hopes to lead this country.

I say. You say. We all say.
Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!

Link here for a video of the entire service (dang, Windows only).
Fast forward to approx. 38:40 for the sermon.

a brand new day

(this gif isn't doesn't seem to be doing its animated thing, but that's ok because i like the image anyway)

The I haven't blogged blogpost

I often read blog posts written by other bloggers where the blogger talks about not having posted to the blog.
(that sentence was a bit how much wood would a wood chuck chuck if a woodchuck
could chuck wood, innit?)

Not to have posted to one's blog.
Empty chair syndrome.

For the record, here's my blog post about not having blogged for awhile.
It's been alomost 2 weeks since my last post. Dang! Don't give me up
for lost in blogland, for I shall be back in a few days.
In earnest.

I've got a backlog of blog post ideas on the back burner (and in draft form).

Will get back to 'em and to you - in 'due course'.

I beg your continued patience.

In the meantime, let's get this 2009 thing in gear.
Already good and bad things have
been happening to me and mine.
But we go on.

With a hey nonny nonny.

Wild China

This BBC production first aired middle of last year 2008.
I finally saw it last month, via good ol' Netflix rental.
Better late than never.

Buy it, rent it, borrow it, steal it, view it.
Whichever way you can get hold of this documentary post haste, do.

Television worth watching. You owe it to yourself.

One word movie review: Remarkable

2009

New Year's Resolution:

To tolerate fools more gladly,
provided this does not encourage them
to take up more of my time.

James Agate