Tanjung Golden Village Cineplex

Thursday, 28 February 2007

I have written about watching movies on the big screen on the 9 January 2007. And here I go rambling again!

My daughter has been wanting to see '"Dreamgirls" for the past week and we finally saw it tonight at the TGV (Tanjung Golden Village) Cineplex.

I am so glad that Lian's friend got us tickets to watch the movie at TGV (Tanjung Golden Village) Cineplex because this would be my first time watching movie at TGV Cineplex. And interestingly, the cinema is the largest TGV cineplex in Malaysia. It is located on the 3rd floor of the Suria KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Centre) shopping complex.

I have watched 3 movies at the Golden Screen Cinemas (in Kota Kinabalu - Sabah, Leisure Mall - Cheras, Kuala Lumpur and Berjaya Times Square - Kuala Lumpur). And interestingly, the GSC in Kota Kinabalu is the first GSC to operate in Malaysia. It was opened on the 14 July 1981.

'Dreamgirls" is a Broadway musical film, released on the 22 February 2007 on the GSC. I enjoyed it. Thanks to Lian. "Sound of Music" - my favourite musical film happened to be from Broadway too!

Ang Pow

Saturday, 24 February 2007

*Ang* in the Hokkien dialect means "Red colour". *Pow* in the Hokkien dialect means "Wrap". The world knows that *Ang Pow* means "Red Packets". It means $$$.

If it is a white coloured envelope with donation inside it, it is not called *Ang Pow*. it is called *Pek Kim*. *Pek* in the Hokkien dialect means "White" and *Kim* in the Hokkien dialect means "gold". That is only given to bereaved families, who have lost a loved one to death.

For the Chinese, the colour Red is associated with happiness, power and triumph, while the colour white is associated with saddness, defeat. That is why we don't use red (and yellow) during a funeral ceremony.

Anyway, talking about *Ang Pow*. In my last visit to Kota Kinabalu last month, Chee Yun casually told me that she collects Ang Pows. I asked her why? Isn't that a stupid question? Just because I don't have the interest to collect doesn't mean nobody else collects!! She also casually told me that if I get back to Miri, bring whatever I can spare to her.

I search through and kept 1 of each design. I did the same here in Kuala Lumpur, with what the children already have and what they were given during this festive season. I am going to give them all to her in less than 2 weeks' time! I know she would be very pleased.

I know what I have done and give will definitely bring a glow to her face because it is her interest and it makes her happy.

Valentine's Day - 2007

Wednesday, 14 February 2007

A good friend sent this to me last week. I asked whether I could copy this interesting story to my blog. What other day is more appropriate than posting it today, since it is Valentine's Day here in Malaysia.

February 14 is Valentine's Day. Although it is celebrated as a lovers' holiday today, with the giving of candy, flowers, or other gifts between couples in love, it originated in 5th Century Rome as a tribute to St. Valentine, a Catholic bishop.

For eight hundred years prior to the establishment of Valentine's Day, the Romans had practiced a pagan celebration in mid-February commemorating young men's rite of passage to the god Lupercus. The celebration featured a lottery in which young men would draw the names of teenage girls from a box. The girl assigned to each young man in that manner would be his sexual companion during the remaining year.

In an effort to do away with the pagan festival, Pope Gelasius ordered a slight change in the lottery. Instead of the names of young women, the box would contain the names of saints. Both men and women were allowed to draw from the box, and the game was to emulate the ways of the saint they drew during the rest of the year. Needless to say, many of the young Roman men were not too pleased with the rule changes.

Instead of the pagan god Lupercus, the Church looked for a suitable patron saint of love to take his place. They found an appropriate choice in Valentine, who, in AD 270 had been beheaded by Emperor Claudius.

Claudius had determined that married men made poor soldiers. So he banned marriage from his empire. But Valentine would secretly marry young men that came to him. When Claudius found out about Valentine, he first tried to convert him to paganism. But Valentine reversed the strategy, trying instead to convert Claudius. When he failed, he was stoned and beheaded.

During the days that Valentine was imprisoned, he fell in love with the blind daughter of his jailer. His love for her, and his great faith, managed to miraculously heal her from her blindness before his death. Before he was taken to his death, he signed a farewell message to her, "From your Valentine." The phrase has been used on his day ever since.

Although the lottery for women had been banned by the church, the mid-February holiday in commemoration of St. Valentine was still used by Roman men to seek the affection of women. It became a tradition for the men to give the ones they admired handwritten messages of affection, containing Valentine's name.

The first Valentine card grew out of this practice. The first true Valentine card was sent in 1415 by Charles, duke of Orleans, to his wife. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London at the time.

Cupid, another symbol of the holiday, became associated with it because he was the son of Venus, the Roman god of love and beauty. Cupid often appears on Valentine cards.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Gosh! I am 250 years old!

Finally I switched to the New Blogger, using the Google account. Didn't dare to switch before because I was scare that it would affect the postings that were already in place. It wasn't a choice because I don't know what I did yesterday and I was prompted to switch before I could continue. And I did!

I like the New Blogger!! I am glad it didn't affect the template, layouts, etc. The only thing that caught my eyes was I have an age in my profile. I didn't reveal my year of birth. I don't want my age to be shown. But it said: Age: 250

Gosh! You might think that I did that on purpose! I didn't! It must be the switching bug - In the year box was the number 1757!! Hey! I don't remember anyone in this dispensation of time to live that long. I would be 6 feet underground.

Car Hopping

This is a once-off incident, that I have not gotten out of my system, and I thought I better write it down before my aging mind forgets. It is nothing near to a fear factor but it is one of the most daring things that I have done, on the spur of a moment!

Saturday, 14 September 2002

Time to treat ourselves after a week’s of physical and mental work. Physical because we danced practically from morning to night to master the steps and mentally because we had to remember the sequence and the steps to the extent that we could dance on our own, before the teacher leaves.

From Monday to Friday, we have been busy learning 9 dances. Teacher Maria had flown in from Miri to teach us how to use fans, scarfs & umbrella to dance and it was time for us to let our hair down and relax.

We were going to a High Tea at the Promenade Hotel, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

There were 5 of us in one car and driving slowly towards the traffic lights. We were excited when we realised that the car that drove up alongside was driven by one of our friends, who we knew was also heading for the High Tea. She was alone in the car.

The traffic lights was not red but traffic at that section of the multiple-lane road was slow moving. I exclaimed to Teacher Maria "Let's hop to Adeline's car". Luckily Adeline didn't lock her car. Teacher Maria went into her car without hesitation and I followed suit!!

I can't imagine myself doing that ever again!!