Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Boss Goss & A Tea Tale

Nearing midnight and here I sat with my Thinking Cap, pondering, thinking of what to sing tonight... Actually, there are lotsa song in the head but I can't possibly sing All-At-Once, rite??

Last night, the Boss texted yours truly asking moi to attend today's management meeting. NOW, why does the Boss always seem to conveniently, have 'problems' on the day(s) when there are 'situations'? I'm still unable to figure out (so does my partner-in-crime) after working with the Boss for... let's see... errmm... close to 11 months?

Darn... does this sound like a rant, a complaint?? Noooo... must refrain from ranting... and it's only the second day of serious blogging!

I must start going to the gym! Already second day of May and I've not yet stepped into the gym which I enrolled in recently! And to make things worse, I've got two days of full training at work, tomorrow and Thursday! Can't wait till the weekend.


Cute-cute baby :D


Okay, I have something to ask here. Can anyone tell me, is it a MUST to do the cham char (in Canto) or the phang teh (in Hokkien) or what we generally call it "the tea ceremony" in a Chinese wedding?



LOL! Curi from someone's wedding pic.


You see, the Sister is gonna get hitched in two weeks time, no banquet dinner whatsover, just a simple marriage registration at some Chinese Association place, to be followed by a luncheon @ the hotel/restaurant. Then, maybe a month or two later, off to some honeymooning in the continent of Bangchai.

The Sister and the hubby-to-be probably couldn't be bothered with all the wedding traditions because things could get very ma fan if they were to have the proper banquet and all, plus the fact that both sides of the family hail from different states with a distance of more than 300km apart, didn't make things easier. Since both families don't mind not having the banquet, so, both of them happy lar, u know. But the thing is, I've been asking around and was told that at least the tea ceremony should be done. One friend said that it's a gesture to thank the family for raising us blah blah blah... and also a mark of respect to the elders.

So, I told the Sister months ago, hey look, at least do a simple tea ceremony after the registration at the hotel/restaurant. At first, she said that she might try to work out something but as the days go by, me thinks this couple might not do it. Just a while ago, again I sounded like a broken record and I think now, the Sister isn't quite receptive of the idea...

So, what's your take on this? Non-married/single people are also welcomed to sing some tunes to the angel, okay?

*Currently on-air, Meet Me Halfway, Kenny Loggins*


Do-You-Know that I still have not installed my USB Bluetooth Adapter after I got it from LAST YEAR's PC Fair?!

41 comments:

Cocka Doodle said...

Got angpow to collect also dun wan? Siao ah your sis?
Can I take her place ah?

rainbow angeles said...

*reads and reread cocka's comment...something is not right there...

Dear Mr. Cocka,

YOU wanna take HER place??

But but...

Hey, you do know that a cock can't pass as a pussy, rite?? :P

You mean ppl do the tea ceremony just for the angpow? No rite...?

Anonymous said...

Yea, I agree it should be done as a mark of respect for the elders.. to show that they acknowledge or 'bless' the married couples something like that.. of coz, angpows wud be a bonus *hehe*

But then again, it's always up to the folks to decide whether they're ok with or without it.

Just my two cents. :)

moz monster said...

Waiseh ... your sister get married and don't want to let the family tumpang happy ah? Killjoy lah, if no ceremony.

Let the family in on something lah. For the older Chinese generation, tea ceremony and dinner is like a must.

Anonymous said...

I guess a good yum cha session is too groovy to turn down! It's nice to take a bit of time off for a simple gesture that means a lot to family.. what? Yes? No? Choi...

rainbow angeles said...

Dear anonymous,

...keeps the 2 cents in a safe place...

Yes, I suppose since it's their wedding, they should decide what to do, aye? :)

Do I know u?

* * * * *

Dear mozzie,

...sigh...

If ppl donwanna do then how? Takkan I go stomp around and tunjuk perasaan meh? Next time, when it comes to your time, u lemme know yr experience, ok?

* * * * *

Dear bangchai,

...scratches head at the 'choi'...

Why everything also got 'choi' wan?

Prolly I should look up some writeups on the importance of ceremony, huh? Just like you know, when we were kids, we refused to believe everything the family tell us but die-die confident with the school teacher when she said 1+1=3.

inevitable said...

errr... well u know me and therefore know my answer

Anonymous said...

"chum char" is one cool ceremony leh. have it, even if it's a small one for the immediate family. yay!

ducky said...

phang teh = money
whatever tradition there is, is a by product.
phang teh = money
if phang teh is not about money, then your aunt & uncle should give you congrat cards & a good firm hand shake or a kiss on the cheek or on the lips, whichever your preference.

Cocka Doodle said...

No ,what i meant was both of us take their place and collect all the angpows.

Seriously, i tink it's a cultural/tradition thing that shud be observed. The goodwill it generates amongst the elders would be tremendous.

k.t.x said...

i think the tea drinking session is a very unique chinese tradition which sud be maintained.

u gotta do it too, ok? maybe u can 'suap' a chunk of tiramisu into the elders mouth...'hoe yi tau' sweet sweet for life!

rainbow angeles said...

...stretches the bod...so tired...

Dear inevitable boy,

So, are you gonna cham char for me? Oh wait, or shud I cham for u?? :P

rainbow angeles said...

...just testing of the 'prettiest' way to answer to your comments...

Dear lil'missmay,

Chum char is cool? U got chum before?? :P

...actually hor, spoil my plan only now that there's no dinner banquet bcos now i can't wear my fiery red number... LOL!

*sigh* to chum or not to chum, not up to me...

rainbow angeles said...

...like this looks nice, huh?

Dear lucky ducky,

Tis is not about me lar... if me, me thinks me will do lar...

...pssst pssst, ei ei, so, how much did u get the last time? untung ka? rugi ka?

rainbow angeles said...

...yeah, i think i like it this way...

Dear cocka doodle,

Ha??? U asking me to 'marry' an ayam?? LOL! Reminds me of the Chinese olden day dramas whereby the bride will 'marry' an ayam first because the bridegroom tak cukup umur (or was it becos the groom not around?? or he died oredi?? dang, i can't remember what's the reason!)

Thanks for the goodwill 'talk'! I shalt convey the message...

...ei ei, u leh? last time yr time, untung or rugi??

Fantasy "Sticky" Flier said...

awwww there's a baby bawling....

awwww there's a sister who has no clue.... actually hor, coming over here to angmohland has made me VERY appreciative of all things chinese and asian (over here I unique, in SG, just a drop in the ocena). But i think hor, traditions should be preserved, even the angmoh here have their own trads and they follow them to the T ....... :P

rainbow angeles said...

no more dripping i hope?

*brings a box of tissues, just in case*

Dear keatix,

LOL!! Tiramisu?? Now, that's food-for-thought! Okay, set! I shalt serve tea+ramisu!!! Great idea!

Hey, why don't YOU try it first?? ;)

...peels some orange for the drip drip boy...

rainbow angeles said...

...oooh, someone just flew in...whee!

Dear fantasyflier,

The sister has no clue becos the family is not so traditional... *sigh*

I suppose you are right that traditions should be preserved but but...ei, i not the bride lar... can't decide for her, rite? :P

Angmoh traditions? Like?

...so, u gonna do yours here or there? :P

c a r c a r said...

i think chum cha is a good culture and it should pass it on... but sometimes other than yum cha, they are thousand of others things to do on the wedding day itself, so one may find it too troublesome to do that, indirectly, they feel like not doing it.

Anonymous said...

Looks like your readers are all very conservative at heart! (hahaha..you also, right?) I'm also no different.
My take is this, we are already losing a lot of customs and tradition. Whatever we can do, do-lor. Despite all these customs being mah-fan, they are what makes us Chinese. I cannot imagine what will happen the day we no longer practise our culture. What would be our identity then?
Are we talking about just chum char or the whole wedding customs works with roast pig, hantaran, tai-kam-che and all??
This tea ceremony is commemorate the coming together of a couple (in a way, like registration. In the olden days, the tea ceremony is recognised as a binding marriage agreement) and to the elders, this recognition is important, I guess. My dead uncle's last wish was for his youngest son's girlfriend serve him tea before he died.
Whatever it is they don't want to do, at the very least, IMHO, have the tea ceremony for parents and immediate uncles and aunties.

rainbow angeles said...

...yam seng...

Dear carcar,

*makes a mental note that carcar is a very understanding girl*

Yeah, I think that's the main reason they are trying to avoid it... *sigh* I'd probably speak to Mama about this... have yet to 'discuss' with her... apalah, like as though it's MY wedding liddat...

rainbow angeles said...

...looks into ka..t's blue eyes... (errr, it's blue, rite?? lol)

Dear dear ka..t,

You know what, I just knew that you'll give me the bestest answer! I knew it! *mwah mwah* I should probably C&P your comment for her!

Nah, I was just referring to the tea ceremony... all the roast piggies in the world will not have a chance to partake in their wedding!

Yeah, I know what you meant by the elders deem this ceremony as important, but the funny thing is, the Mama didn't seem to mind...or maybe I didn't ask her...like what I mentioned to carcar, I should prolly speak to her on this, huh? Darn, how come I'm gettin' stressed/worried when it's NOT my wedding?? LOL!

...psst psst, actually I'm not that quite conservative, u know...but maybe deep inside...deep deep deeeep inside...*shrug*

rainbow angeles said...

...oops forgot...

Domo arigato gozaimasu ka..t-san for the humble opinion ;)

...jots down in grocery list - stock up on Friskies...

Anonymous said...

Aiseh...paiseh-lor...*muah muah* back at ya!

So when you get married, make sure you get the roast pig, red cloth, loads of chee-mui, red potty, red bedspread with phoenix and dragon, and don't forget tai-kam-che too!! Oh, ya and have a little virgin boy ready to roll on the matrimonial bed!! LOL

Like you, I also make do with a few hours sleep every night!! Every morning when I fly over the flyover near the Naza showroom from Bkt Jalil on the way to Sunway toll, I look across towards Puchong and wonder what might the angel be doing...

rainbow angeles said...

Dear ka...t again...

No paiseh, no hak-hei, ok :)

LOL! When I get married?? *sigh* ...no one loves me...

OMG OMG!! You fly over this way??? You know what, this means you pass by me EVERY DAY!! Don't tell me you are @ BK area??

k.t.x said...

only KAT's answer good meh? mine no good meh??? i hate u!

rainbow angeles said...

...cools down keatix with some tiramisu favourites...

Dear keatix...

*sigh*

...i hate myself for loving u...

:P

Anonymous said...

Hi there.. nope, u duno me..

just bloghoppin'.. nice blog.. ^^

rainbow angeles said...

...smiles sweetly @ the anonymous & hops together...

Dear anonymous...

Ahhh...thanks for replying...hey, next time leave a name, can? Rather than just anonymous...

If u don't mind, can i ask another question? Do you like the pics better or my words better? Just wanna know what makes this blog 'nice' :) and thank you for the nice words...

...sings: believe it or not, i'm walking on air...[joey scarbury]...

Anonymous said...

Can, can.. haha, hi there.. it's me again.. hmm, I like your words better.. the spontaneous, straight to the point kind and funny oso sumtimes.. along with your pics. Cool.

And I think the part that adds a personal touch to your blog is the song you put in the end.. I liked some of them. Do-You-Know fast fact oso works.

Cheers! :)

(Psst.. don't mind, actualli I put Anon because tt time I lazy to log in to blogger.. haha)

rainbow angeles said...

...gets excited seeing the _butt...

Dear _butt...

Hey there! LOL! I understand what u mean by 'lazy to log in to Blogger' :)

*blush blush*

Again, thank you for answering my 'survey' question :) We aim to please...

You've got a cool black blog yourself! Black is beautiful, ain't it? LOL! Oh, and your baby pic...love it! So cute! Wanna cubittt! LOL!

...do u drink coffee? or maybe a cup of tea?...

Anonymous said...

Hehe.. thanks! ^^

Eh? Had more coffee than tea lately..

Why leh?

rainbow angeles said...

Dear _butt_butt...

Ahhh...coffee drinker...I prefer coffee to tea too...

No la...I thought I'd offer u a cuppa or tea since we are doing some chin wag here ma...

...cappuchino? cafe latte? mocha? nescafe? or coffee of the day?...

;)

_butt said...

Hehe.. thanks! wud love to have mocha anytime.. heheh.. btw, hope u dun mind me link yr blog in mine..

:)

rainbow angeles said...

...one Mocha coming up...

Dear _butt_butt...

U like CoffeeBean better or Starbucks or SanFranciscoCoffee or BlackCanyon or Dome or GloriaJeans' mocha betta?? LOL!

Link me? *blush blush* Paiseh... but yeah, i dont mind :) thank q you...

Anonymous said...

Hey, hundreds thousands of couples who went thru gala dinners and intricate western/eastern/ mars/pluto ceremonies still got divorced in the end! Thousands of chinese couple who did the tea ceremony as a "sign of respect for the elders" treat their parents/in laws like crap before/after the wedding! Your behaviour during the real life is far, far, far more important than any ceremonies in the world.

But as you said it's your sis marriage and it's solely up to the couple how they wish to have it. When my wife and i got married last time, we opted for a simple registration ceremony only. It can get quite annoying to have anyone other than the parents "teaching" what you should/should not do.

rainbow angeles said...

Dear jason...

Yes, I agree totally with what you said in the first paragraph, but a lot of us feel that traditional ceremonies should at least be kept alive at least within the family.

I understand where you are coming from and am grateful for your 2 cents' song here :) plus, I'm quite surprised that there are other ppl who stalk here. Danke! I wish you (& your wife) all the best!

ps: Hey, lighten up a bit, yeah?

Anonymous said...

What you feel (as in "keeping traditions alive") might not be shared by your sister and her husband. There are thousands of other traditions within the family which is no longer observed today and your sis might feel that tea ceremony is just another of such.

If the couple and old folks from both sides are honestly comfortable w/out the ceremony, the thing should be left to rest. I would advice you not to pester your sis and risk straining the relationship (mind you, it would!). Getting married even with just a simple registration can be very stressful, esp for the lady - you will know when you get married next time.

rainbow angeles said...

Dear jason...

I wonder why u keep coming back for more...

Okay, you are entitled to your opinions and so does everyone else. I am beginning to wonder if u know me...or my sister... but that's not important...I'm just curious why you are so concerned about this matter... yes, curiousity does kill me, sometimes.

Again, I have to thank you for your insights and to let you know that everything has been taken care of... I'd probably write about it later on..

Me? Getting married? Says who???
O_o

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