Gung Hay Fat Choi

Happy Chinese New Year! It's the year of the rat. I'm not exactly sure what that means. According to the Chinese zodiac I'm a monkey. I'm not exactly sure what that means either. However, I much prefer to be associated with a monkey than with a rat. So I'm a happy monkey. Fortitude Valley's Chinatown is looking lovely with all the decorations for the new year celebrations. I took many photos of the bright red swinging lanterns & other colourful & festive eye candy, but my favourite photo turned out to be this bleakly coloured & simple image. It's of one of the zodiac tiles set amongst the pavers in the ground circling the water fountain feature in the Chinatown mall. I can't begin to imagine how many people have walked across this little tile over the years. It's looking rather scuffed, scratched & dirty. Yet, it's an appropriate look for a rat somehow...


"You can't be friends with a squirrel. A squirrel is just a rat with a cuter outfit" - Sarah Jessica Parker

Some famous rat people: Charlotte Bronte, Toni Collette, Cameron Diaz, Mata Hari, Monet, Doris Day, Sean Penn, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mozart & Shakespeare. Hmm...quite a fine & clever collection of rats here. I'm now thinking that being a rat isn't such a bad thing to be at all.

Oooh must now dash...I've a box of divine little Chinese egg tarts calling out to me. & a good monkey must never neglect their sweet beloved baby egg tarts.

Comments

SEWphisticate said…
hey! i'm a monkey too! i have no clue what that means other than being intelligent and clever (according to the placemat at my favorite chinese restaurant). my ex- is a snake, now tell me that's not too funny!

my hubby is a rat and according to that little placemat thingy, rats are industrious, hard working, loving and loyal...which describes my hubby to a T.
I think I'm a goat of all things...not that I know what it all means either!
Love the SJP quote!
jewelstreet said…
Great post on the Chinese New Year!

I'm a Ram. In fact, I'm a Ram no matter what you look at. lol. I wish we had a Chinatown around here. I would love to participate in the festivities.
Agent M. said…
I'm a rat. Cleaner than the typical city rat, but a rodent nonetheless. I've some good company tho'. =^.^=
Anonymous said…
I think I'm a rabbit, which is kind of cool. But I rather be a monkey, they're fun. :)
Hobocamp Crafts said…
lovely post! I just found your blog- much fun!
XUE said…
Hey Harriet! Thank you for commenting on Annika's drawing. She's thrilled to have a critic & now wants to sell on Etsy too! How nice to also read about CNY on yr blog. Is this a favourite festival for you, like it is for us?

Hi everyone, an interesting note for you (or perhaps you already know this?), anyone can work out yr age when you state the year of the animal ( Chinese zodiac) as it's in cycles of 12 :) It's ok as we're all young at heart.
Hey Harriet said…
xue - I'm looking forward to seeing more of little Annika's art! Especially the Candy House series :)
& yes CNY has always been one of my fave festivals. Oh the fooood ;)
XUE said…
Harriet, we love egg tarts too! Hv you tried pineapple tarts & jiaozi? In our culture, everything revolves around food. My mom, when she misses me, would cook my fave dish whenever I go back. Now, because we live in Tokyo, she makes Martin ( my husband) brings back food goodies (approved by Customs!) for our kids. Luckily he goes there for biz trips. There, as in Singapore, not far from you!
Anonymous said…
I LOVE your blog, and I'm glad to know that you are a Monkey too...I think we're the SUPERIOR sign (at least I know we can peel a banana the fastest). Thank you for your help with saying "Happy New Year" in Chinese....Ming Na is Mandarin-challenged. Thought you should know Ming Na went to Wing Wa yesterday and thought of you saying it with me as I walked in the store. Maybe the goofy smile on my face is why the other shoppers stared.... :D
Karen from A`Musements
Chris Stone said…
Love that SJP quote!
Janice said…
Happy CNY! I'm a rooster. My trip to China was 2 years ago and pretty cool. Testing out my so-so language skills trying to buy food and book trains. Egg tarts, yum!
Angela said…
Hehe! I love that quote from SJP. There are a lot of squirrels and rats in Boston, and I find myself saying that all the time.