Midterms done! Tax sale done! NOW…a much needed break from school and taking a week’s vacation from work at Queen’s Municipality before tax season is in full swing. Where to go? That was James’ question when he was planning a vacation.
Tonight David & I saw him off at the airport!
Where is he going?
This is his itinerary! I am so jealous. I know he will have a wonderful time and take some awesome pics!!
James spent the last month deciding where he wanted to travel for a little break away…He LOVES adventure and has been to some pretty great places. He’s going by himself, but that’s James…he started traveling by himself at 15. He’ll fly to London and then take some flights, and buses and trains, stay in hotels and hostels and visit some interesting countries, cities and towns.
Have a wonderful time James, take lots of pictures and remember to check in with your Mama once and while…BUT then I don’t have to tell you that! 😀
I’m not the only one that NEEDS their Vitamin Sea C. Someone else likes soaking up the sun.
This winter hadn’t been too bad…then…FEBRUARY! It’s the Snow month!!
Snowstorm on Thursday and NOW another BIGGER one again tonight… Yes, I live in the red area…60 cm. Yikes!!!
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE living in a place where we can enjoy all the seasons. But I do crave sunshine and blue skies. That’s why I take a few vitamins and eat lots of tropical fruit in the winter.
And usually plan a little getaway…
Ahh…
What helps get you through the “COLD & SNOW” months? Or is Winter your favourite season?
Today is the last day of Spring Festival. The fifteenth day in the lunar calendar, This special day is Lantern Festival.
It is the first full moon night in the Chinese lunar year and full-moon symbolizes reunion in China.
People eat yuanxiao ( a rice ball stuffed with different fillings) or rice dumplings on this day, so it is also called the “Yuanxiao Festival.” Yuanxiao 元宵 also has another name, tangyuan 汤圆.
For its rich and colorful activities, Lantern Festival is regarded as the most recreational among all the Chinese festivals and a day for appreciating the bright full moon, and family reunion.
It’s so much fun to be able to attend a Lantern Festival.
Today to celebrate this last day of Spring Festival and the special Lantern Festival, we will eat yuanxiao, and watch another special production similar to the Gala on CCTV, and take a peak at the “snow” full moon.
I like the sesame paste and red bean yuanxiao and was so happy to be able to find them here.
We also had some meatball soup ( everything round symbolizing the shape of the moon)
Speaking of reunion…
It was nice to stay in touch with some of my Chinese friends over their holiday, it made me feel close to them. Technology is so wonderful when you are so far away… Here are a few pics they shared
Happy Lantern Festival!
Wishing all my Chinese friends and family a wonderful year ahead!!!
PS. My sweet husband picked up a few things he knew I would appreciate.
In honour of the Year of the Rooster… rooster stamps from Canada Post.
Today is the first day of the 2017 Lunar New Year aka Spring Festival aka Chinese New Year in China and while I am not Chinese I celebrate Chinese New Year. My husband and I were expats in China for 3 years and I love many of the traditions and culture of the Chinese people. So much so that I brought much of that back to Canada with me. ( My youngest son teases that my home ( upstairs) is the China Museum and downstairs is the Brazil Museum ( we lived there too) But that’s ok. I know he’s teasing, but it helps me. It helps to be surrounded by things that remind you of a special place, great people and food and memories of a place that is otherwise so far away. It also helps me not miss China too much, and gets me through until I can visit again ( I have been back twice since we’ve moved home, and plan to go again hopefully in 2018)
Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival in China, is China’s most important traditional festival. It is also the most important celebration for families, and a week of official public holiday.
Although there are many stories about the start of the Chinese New Year festival, the main two reasons for the festival are:
To celebrate a year of hard work, have a good rest, and relax with family
To wish for a lucky and prosperous coming year
Chinese people believe that a good start to the year will lead to a lucky year. Chinese traditionally celebrated the start of a new year of farm work, and wished for a good harvest (when most were farmers). This has now evolved to celebrating the start of a new business year and wishing for profits and success in various vocations.
Chinese New Year is a time for families to be together. Wherever they are, people come home to celebrate the festival with their families. So many people travel during Spring Festival. Other than National days in October, it is the busiest travel time of the year!
The New Year’s Eve dinner is called “Reunion Dinner”, and is believed to be the most important meal of the year. Big families of several generations sit around round tables and enjoy the food and time together. The Reunion Dinner is celebrated on the “eve” of Chinese New Year.
The main traditional celebrations of the festival include eating reunion dinner with family, giving red envelopes, firecrackers, new clothes, and decorations. More modern celebrations include watching the CCTV Gala, instant message greetings, and cyber money gifts. Every year I watch the CCTV Gala, a habit I got used to in China. I usually chat with a few of my Chinese friends and family. ( I have even gotten red envelope money from a few of them) ***Check out the post from yesterday. https://justaneastcoastgirl.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=8624&action=edit
Every street, building, and house where Chinese New Year is celebrated is decorated with red. Red is the main color for the festival, as it is believed to be an auspicious color. Red lanterns hang in streets, red couplets are pasted on doors, banks and official buildings are decorated with red New Year pictures depicting images of prosperity. 2017 is the Year of the Rooster so much of this year’s decorations are related to roosters!
2017 is a year of the Rooster according to the Chinese 12 year animal zodiac. Other Rooster years include: …1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017… If you were born in one of those years… then you’re a Rooster. ( I am a Goat) What zodiac animal are you? Check the chart below.
It’s interesting that the Chinese believe if it’s your zodiac year, for example 2017 is Year of the Rooster. It is considered a bad year for “Roosters”: people born in a Rooster year. According to Chinese tradition, there are some things that people can do to fend off bad luck in a zodiac year.
Red is one of the luckiest colors in Chinese culture, standing for prosperity, loyalty, success, and happiness. Red can drive away bad luck and evil spirits.Therefore wearing red during your zodiac year will bring you good luck and give you a good year. You can wear a red belt, red socks, red shoes, or red clothes, and red underwear is highly recommended during your zodiac year. However, there is a rule that you need to pay attention to, or the red won’t ward off bad luck. You cannot buy the red underwear yourself. It should be bought by a spouse, family member, or friend. lol
Besides wearing red, you can also wear jade accessories during your zodiac year to ward off bad luck, like pendants, earrings, rings, and bracelets.
People are often told by fortune-tellers that Tai Sui will bring bad luck. Actually in theory you can make use of Tai Sui to bring good luck, by facing in the opposite direction. So if it is your zodiac year , may people will rearrange their furniture.
There is so much superstition I find “interesting”. I’d rather look at it and see my zodiac year as a lucky year! A blessed year!
Each Chinese zodiac year begins on Chinese New Year’s Day. The date of Chinese New Year is not on January 1st and varies year to year. The Chinese calendar is lunisolar: influenced by the moon and the sun. It is used for the dates of traditional activities in China, East Asia, and many Chinese and East Asian communities around the world. Although China uses the Gregorian calendar for most official and business purposes, the Chinese calendar is still used to determine the days of traditional festivals such as Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn.
The standard public holiday for (Mainland) Chinese is the 7 days from Chinese New Year’s Eve to day 6 of the lunar calendar new year (this year January 27 – February 2, 2017). Most of my Chinese friends will go back to work for a few days starting back on February 5th but then be off again for the Lantern Festival. Traditionally the end of the Spring Festival is The lantern Festival ( Chinese month 1 day 15) (February 11, 2017). Beautiful red lanterns are displayed and sweet rice dumplings are eaten.
This post was long, I’m sorry. And much of what I have written may mean nothing to you. HOWEVER, All these things are very special, and one small part of the Chinese culture I love, and don’t want to forget… so I write!
Every year I will celebrate Chinese New Year and Spring Festival with wonderful memories and send greetings and wish my dear friends and family a Happy New year with blessings of prosperity and health in the year ahead!
Today is another day to celebrate and because it is Chinese New Year, the first meal MUST be Jiaozi!
It Chinese New Year’s Eve! Time for the Reunion Dinner.
The reunion dinner, also known as Tuan Nian or Wei Lu, marks a family gathering on the Lunar New Year’s Eve and the Chinese consider it to be the most important part of the celebration.
Tuan Nian: Traditional Chinese: 團年, Pinyin: tuán nián, translated: (re)unite or grouping year; describing the tradition of family gathering at the reunion dinner
Wei Lu: Traditional Chinese: 圍爐, Pinyin: wéilú, literally: to circle around the stove
Normally, the family reunion dinner is especially for those with family members away from home. During the dinner, fish will be served. Dumplings are the most important dish in Northern China. These two dishes signify prosperity. Other dishes are dependent on personal preference. The majority of Chinese will have New Year’s Eve dinner at home instead of a restaurant. Here are a few of the things that will be served during Spring Festival and Reunion Dinners.
I love this special time and had opportunity to attend two Reunion Dinners in China with our China Family.
One in 2012- Year of the Dragon with Our Driver and his family-
One in 2014- Year of the Horse with my friend Wei Quan and his family
I love this picture with “Mama”. I was the first foreigner she met and talked to. She held my hand a lot that day! She was very sick and passed a way just a few months later…
It is an honour and privilege to be invited to a Chinese home for the Reunion Dinner. Both of these families, dear friends have become our China family! Such wonderful memories. So the reunion dinner is very special to me.
Today… all morning… I watched the CCTV Gala on TV as well as spent time sending messages, pictures and greetings backhand forth to China.
The CCTV New Year’s Gala, commonly abbreviated in Chinese as Chunwan, is a Chinese New Year’s special produced by China Central Televison. Shown on the eve of Chinese New Year on its flagship CCTV-1 among other stations, the broadcast has a yearly viewership of over 700 million viewers, making it one of the premier television events of China.
The Gala has the largest audience for any entertainment show in the world, ( even greater than Super Bowl, and it has often been described as among “the most watched television program in the world. The special is a variety show, featuring musical, dance, comedy, and drama performances. It has become a ritual for many Chinese families, including overseas Chinese, to tune in to the show on Chinese New Year’s Eve. Many Chunwan performers have emerged as household names in China solely as a result of their recurring appearances on the program. I LOVE it! I am so thankful that it is available here LIVE for the few hours and then when it is finished…CCTV is not available…haha Oh China!
Here are a couple videos:
All afternoon I spent cooking and making food.
Tonight ( even though now it is officially Chinese New Year and not New Year’s Eve in China… BUT still the Eve here, gotta love the time difference lol)…and even though it is just David & I and James, tonight we had a Reunion Dinner. I love any excuse to eat jiaozi!!
I often hear people comment about EVERYTHING made in China and sometimes even hear “that crap” comes from China.
I guess I am a little sensitive to comments like that after having lived there. I love China and the culture and people and appreciate so much the labor and skill that goes in to much of what comes from China. There is so much we don’t know or understand.
I regularly get posts and news of artisans making, creating or perfecting their handiwork. There are so many unique things made in China. The Chinese people are VERY talented and highly skilled at what they do!
Here are just a few examples that I’ve enjoyed lately.
Spring Festival is right around the corner and 2017 is the YEAR of the Rooster so many things are rooster themed…
A rooster carving from butter!
Rooster art made with colourful grains
Roosters handprinted on eggs
Rooster from palm
Clay roosters
A rooster in the snow on a football field at a University in Northern China
And then there’s the light festivals that are so elaborate
And the snow and ice carvings that take weeks to do ( I have seen these in person and it’s amazing)
How about this art work done with a ball point pen? I LOVE these.
This is just a small taste…
I am missing China so much these days as I talk to my friends and see these pictures. Spring Festival aka Chinese New Year was one of my MOST favourite times to be there.
It’s the beginning of a brand new world whether you were watching or not.
I was watching…
An important day in history for our neighbours to the south of Canada. The Inauguration of the 45th President of the United States, Donald J Trump. The World is watching…🇺🇸 🏛
In the words of the new American Leader President Trump, “January 20, 2017…Will be remembered as The day the people became the rulers of this nation once again. ”
I rest in the fact that No matter who is President ( or Prime Minister for that matter) there is ONE greater in control…
In God we Trust!
Here are a few pics I took as I watched…
Vice President Oath of Office. Mike Pence
Presidential Oath of Office. Donald J Trump
Inaugural Speech by President Trump
Reverend Franklin Graham praying for the new president.
Whether you were watching or not, whether he is your choice for President or not, he is your new President dear American friends…it’s time to get behind him, pray for and support him.
It’s been almost a month since Christmas. January is going quickly! David’s parents spend their winter’s in the south, in Florida. I guess the older you get the appeal of snow and cold isn’t there.
I can see us doing something similar when David retires. I don’t mind the cold if I am wearing the right clothes. I remember before we went to live in Northern China not having the right winter clothes. I used to think our winters didn’t get cold enough. I had mitts, and a warm coat and boots for the days it snowed a lot and I needed to shovel BUT I never wore a hat, and most days I would wear shoes. Since living in China ( and also because I am older I guess) I have warm winter gear…and LOTS of it, for whatever occasion. I learned from the Chinese ladies that you can look great…even if you are wearing 3 layers of long underwear!!! haha. So I don’t mind the cold, I actually love it! It’s a chance to wear all my fun clothes!
But I also like the warmth and as we get older, so David & I will have to figure out what will work best for our family. David’s parents are in Florida from November to April, normally. That’s a along time and they miss celebrating Christmas with the family.( I’m not sure I would like that)
Sometimes it’s hard to think what might be a nice, useful gift to give his parents for Christmas since they are not right here with us. So for the last few years we have gone online and searched out interesting restaurants in the Bradenton/Cortez area. We call the restaurant that looks interesting and purchase a Gift Card and arrange to have the restaurant send it to his parents. It has worked out quite well!
We got an email yesterday saying they enjoyed their Christmas Gift! Brunch at a great little Crepe place ( with money left to go again) and walk on the beach…
NOW that sounds like a lovely Sunday and perfect way to enjoy the Winter! Ahh…
Yes, that’s right! I’m dreaming of white sands. I got an email today!
My, the folks at NCL are prompt! It’s still a few weeks away… 55 days to be exact.
Just after we got back from our 3 week Across Canada Trip in July we booked a cruise for March. David’s older brother and wife have never cruised and have been wanting to go on a cruise with us for awhile… We have done this exact cruise before BUT we love this particular ship and the ports.
And after this snow ( although VERY beautiful and wintery) I can’t wait to be on the ship cruising the beautiful Caribbean seas and relaxing on white sandy beaches!
So while we are digging out today ( ok David is digging out. He loves to use his snow blower the first few snowstorms, after that it gets OLD very fast), I’m checking in, and doing research on excursions.
The trip from Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada to Shenyang, Laioning in China and return is a long one. It usually is about 29 hours from start to finish one way with wait times and long airport lays in Beijing and if there is weather like today’s flights, it’s even longer!!
Today is the return flight. I was up at 4 am Monday December 12 China time ( 4 am seems to be “my” wake time in China) It was that way when we lived there and last year when I visited, and same this year. I’m up and ready…and sad to be going…
We left the hotel at 8:30, arrived at Shenyang Taoxian Airport at 9:30.
Our flight was supposed to leave at 11:15 am but snow and ice conditions in Shenyang meant de icing before we could take off. It was almost 12 before we left and arrived in Beijing at Beijing Capital Airport at 1:30 ish.
Beijing is always a long lay on this trip anyway but when we landed we found out our flight was delayed because of snow in Toronto. An even longer lay over! So we wandered around browsing the shops, enjoyed the quaint spots to have a coffee, had a bowl of wonton soup and a Portuguese egg tart and coffee and had a massage. I opted for a 30 minute foot massage followed by a 15 minute shoulders and neck massage. I curled up under a cozy blanket and had a little nap , it was wonderful!! The guys had a body massage and while they enjoyed it, I don’t think they napped like I did.
Our flight revised time for take off was 19:50 Beijing time but it was 20:50 before we got away. A long 12 hour flight! I learn to pace the time by enjoying the hot meal, watching a movie and sleeping, getting up and down a bit and stretching. This time was great! David and I tried a new strategy seeing it was a Monday flight. We booked a window and an aisle with an empty seat in the middle. It worked this time!!! No body filled the seat and we had more space to stretch and take turns curling up on the seats. This was the best!!! It wasn’t a full flight either so it was a bit quieter.
Mid flight there is a snack of noodles, sandwich and cookies. I used to enjoy the noodles because the hot broth feels great when your throat is so dry. These last few times though I don’t get the noodles because of the salt content. I just carry my thermos bottle filled with hot water. Yep, I’m like the Chinese people. I love my hot water. It really works for so many things.
The flight pattern is generally “up and over “the Arctic and down in to Canada. I remember only one trip we flew over Europe and Russia. It made me nervous that trip because we never did that flight plan before, but I guess occasionally that flight plan is taken depending on air current.
About an hour and a half before landing breakfast is served. Who wants eggs on an airplane? Sorry, not me so I choose the Chinese congee which is like rice porridge with mushrooms. The fresh congee you get in a Chinese home or restaurant is so much better than this, but I prefer it over the eggs and little white sausage.
Then every thing happens quickly. Breakfast cleaned up, paperwork for customs and arrival passed out and needs to be filled out, a quick trip to the WC to wash up and apply a clean face and it’s time to land. The BRUTAL flight is over.
The short flight from Toronto to Halifax is usually a piece of cake, especially if you arrive in time or there’s no weather . Today is Monday December 12th still ( from the future…China time back to Canada time) we arrived at 19:50 lol and were delayed getting to the gate. With only about 20 minutes to make our flight we fast tracked through customs and security running fast all the way!!! Thankfully we had some pretty great Airport Security people.
We arrived at the gate sweaty and out of breath just in time to board. The flight to Halifax was smooth. So happy and thankful to be in Halifax after all the delays, I had to give this bear a quick hug!
The drive home was brutal. The 103 was a mess of ice and snow and very very slippery. Thankfully the guys weren’t driving and we had a chauffeur.
We’re HOME after a VERY long day and My clean fresh bed looks so inviting …Now sleep!!!!
Where is he going?
It is the first full moon night in the Chinese lunar year and full-moon symbolizes reunion in China. 
I like the sesame paste and red bean yuanxiao and was so happy to be able to find them here.
We also had some meatball soup ( everything round symbolizing the shape of the moon)
Speaking of reunion…
The New Year’s Eve dinner is called “Reunion Dinner”, and is believed to be the most important meal of the year. Big families of several generations sit around round tables and enjoy the food and time together. The Reunion Dinner is celebrated on the “eve” of Chinese New Year.
2017 is a year of the Rooster according to the Chinese 12 year animal zodiac. Other Rooster years include: …1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017… If you were born in one of those years… then you’re a Rooster. ( I am a Goat) What zodiac animal are you? Check the chart below.
Tonight ( even though now it is officially Chinese New Year and not New Year’s Eve in China… BUT still the Eve here, gotta love the time difference lol)…and even though it is just David & I and James, tonight we had a Reunion Dinner. I love any excuse to eat jiaozi!!
Clay roosters
A rooster in the snow on a football field at a University in Northern China
So while we are digging out today ( ok David is digging out. He loves to use his snow blower the first few snowstorms, after that it gets OLD very fast), I’m checking in, and doing research on excursions.
Have a great Sunday! I LOVE planning vacations…
Our flight was supposed to leave at 11:15 am but snow and ice conditions in Shenyang meant de icing before we could take off. It was almost 12 before we left and arrived in Beijing at Beijing Capital Airport at 1:30 ish.
Just An East Coast Girl 