unfortunately i got a cold on my last day in China (fingers crossed it's not blimmin avian flu...) but i dragged my sorry self into the office today only to find out that about 90% of the staff here have taken the day off and won't be back until monday... oh well. if only my boss was here to see how "dedicated" i am (ok, maybe not quite. i am writing this post at work!). my boss is away too so i'm gonna take it slowly today.
arriving back to Hong Kong i felt exhausted, tired and dirty (China does that to you, at least the China i go to), but after a long hot bath i started preparing my "lai see" ready to hand-out.
in Hong Kong anyone who is married needs to give a "lai see" or "red pocket" to anyone who is not married, even if they are your senior! (why are there so many unmarried women in my company!?!?!?)
in each little golden embossed pocket i need to add a crisp new bill (usually HK$20) and i need to say "kung hei fat choi" which loosely translates to "Congratulations and be prosperous".
it's also customary to give such "lai see" to people who you deal with on a daily bases like the security guard at my apartment, the lady who hands out the morning newspaper at the subway station or the old lady who always serves me at my local "cha-chaan-teng". by doing this i'm basically guaranteed to continue the "service with a smile" attitude for the rest of the year.
oh what money can buy!
after sealing all my red pockets i then sat down to read my new magazines hand-carried all the way from Japan by my lovely parents-in-law.
having lived in Japan before coming to Hong Kong i still need my Japanese fashion-fix. i'm torturing myself by purchasing these magazine each month when i know i can't buy the trendy clothes and accessories im looking at....
along with all the yummy Japanese food they bought over they also gave me a traditional Japanese hot water bottle or "yuu-tanpo 湯たんぽ".
i remembered using one of these in Japan a long time ago which was wrapped-up in a towel. i must have been restless that night as the towel came off and i woke up in the night with excruciating pain and huge blisters on my feet! believe me, no footsie in bed with these metal yuu-tanpo!!
thankfully this one came with its own thick red cover so i will be warm and blister-free.
4 comments:
(why are there so many unmarried women in my company!?!?!?)
HAHAHA!!! DEI B!!!
Will I have a special "Red Pocket" from u???
I hope so~~~~~~
i used to get new year's money in a red envelope from my parents, but now they tell me i'm too old for it!
ps- too bad about all those single women at your place of work. must have been expensive. lol
* mandy
i know the answer and i think you do too right?!
did you like my "special" red pocket? just looking at it made you hungry right! hehe
* Luuworld
wow really? where are your parents from? or what culture did they follow?
i loved getting "otoshidama" in Japan!! talk about $$!
yeah, it's hard passing money over to some lady who's 10 years older than me and still not married. much more satisfying giving it to younger kids.
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