Tag Archives: NYC

Gung Hei Fat Choy

Chinese New Year – January 31

Chinese New Year typically falls during late January or early February.

The Chinese calendar is partially based on the phases of the moon and is also referred to as the Lunar New Year. It’s celebrated in countries where there is a large population of Chinese. Having been raised in a large, extended Chinese family, we’ve always known the celebration as Chinese New Year.

In China, the full celebration lasts a full 15 days. However growing up in New York we didn’t have the luxury of sitting it out for the full holiday.

Our’s was an acknowledgement of our Chinese heritage. We would drive from our home in the suburbs to Chinatown in the heart of New York City to experience the colorful dragon dance and ear-shattering fire crackers. We hosted a gathering with as many relatives that were able to travel to my Grandmother’s (Paw Paw) house. Paw Paw would prepare two or three special dishes unique to the holiday. We trekked in a small procession from the house to the cemetery carrying a boiled chicken, oolong tea and burning incense to honor our deceased ancestors. The chicken and the tea came back to the house and were served with a dozen other traditional home-cooked dishes at an elaborate family meal. Afterwards, the elders passed red envelopes containing dollar bills or silver dollars as gifts to all of the unmarried children. As children we were elated.

Delicious dishes like this one would grace our kitchen table as dozens of relatives surrounded us younger kids. These dishes were only for special occasions.
The adults gifted the children these little red envelopes filled with dollar bills and/or silver dollars.

This was a time to visit with uncles, aunts and cousins. This was a time for hugs and kisses. This was a time to leave the bad fortune behind. And this was especially a time to wish good fortune to everyone.

For us, January 31, 2014 is no different from other years. We continue to celebrate Chinese New Year as we have since I can remember. And while Paw Paw passed long ago, the food aromas from her kitchen of fifty or more years past remain familiar to me today.

It’s our sincere hope that good fortune will continue to bless our grateful family and all of our friends during this new year.

So to all of our relatives and friends in the year of the horse – “Gung Hei Fat Choy.”

PhotoPlus Expo – what’s new?

Last month while I was in New York I was invited to cover the PhotoPlus Expo at Javits Convention Center. I’ve been a regular visitor at the show for the past five years or so and it’s always exciting for me to wander the aisles to see what’s new and interesting.

I have written a series of articles describing some of the neat stuff that I saw. Rather than repeat them here, I’ll send you over to our Stay Focused site.

Fuji Instant Camera – the Instax Mini 90 is a throwback to the “Polaroid era”.

Nikon 1 AW1 – an incredible interchangeable lens camera that’s waterproof to 50 ft and more.

Sony A7 – an exciting full-frame mirrorless with high powered features.

Joby accessories – a hand grip/shoulder strap combo to lessen the load.

Tamron Zipshot – one of the lightest and easy to set up tripods that you can carry anywhere.

Leica X2 – a new, high-end and fashionable APS-C sized mirrorless camera that carries carries a great cachet.

Hufa holder – avoid losing your lens cap with this ingenious accessory

Triggertrap Redsnap – a versatile high speed trigger with interchangeable sensors for most cameras and flashes.

Please feel free to wander over to my Stay Focused site, if you’re inclined.

MakerBot’s 3D Printer

At this year’s Consumer Electronic Show I became quite interested in 3D printing technology. A couple of months later, I visited MakerBot’s store in New York City for a one-on-one demonstration. When I left, my wallet was lighter (to the tune of $2500).

Since then I’ve become a fan of this relatively new technology. Having used it for a few months, I think these amazing devices will be commonplace in a few years.

If you’d like a little background information on the model which I bought – Replicator 2, I’m going to send you over to our other Stay Focused site for some quick reading.

Read about MakerBot’s Replicator 2