Gong Xi Fa Chai
May this year a blessed year for everyone
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The Year of the Ox begins…
- Chinese calendar has been in continuous use for centuries. It predates the International Calendar (based on the Gregorian Calendar) in use at the present, which goes back only some 430 years. Basically, a calendar is a system we use to measure the passage of time, from short durations of minutes and hours, to intervals of time measured in days, months, years and centuries. These are fundamentally based on the astronomical observations of the movement of the Sun, Moon and stars.
Days are measured by the duration of time of one self rotation of the earth. Months are measured by the duration of time of rotation of the moon around the earth. Years are measured by the duration of time it takes for the earth to rotate around the Sun.
- Shopping in the city
- Something prompted me to write this little note, coincides with the eve of Chinese New Year, which I consider applicable to any other celebrations in the country.
You see today if one were driving into the city area, one would find most of the main roads are deserted. One goes to shopping lots only a couple of souls visible, with exception these days are the main shopping malls in the city.
My twelve-year-old son asked, if there is a way in which whatever celebrations take place and whoever celebrate, life can still be normal? I responded if what he meant was like Seven Eleven store. He said yes.
My view is, if we all agree that we are heading to that kind of understanding, I wouldn’t say that arrangement couldn’t be made. This is basically how shopping malls in big city organized themselves. A part from that, nowadays the shareholders aren’t just come from the same race or same religion, and their interest really is to make sure life of their business goes on as usual.
About 90% of businesses in cities in Malaysia owned by Chinese, that cannot be disputed and neither can it be destroyed. Robert Mugabe didn’t succeed turning Zimbabwie into black only owned land.
Businesses are for Chinese, just as religious booksellers are for Pakistanis. If Malays try to emulate Pakistanis most of the time it wouldn’t last. That I think involved not just an art and knowledge but genetically born with flair in that field.
Of course it isn’t an absolute truth, environment surely plays a big role that made them as they are.
If you ask me what are Bumiputra good at, I’m afraid I’ve to continue this section in a later date.
In the olden days whenever there were Chinese New Year celebrations most shopping places couldn’t operate as usual because of their sheer control in the industry.
But it doesn’t happen during Hari Raya, Christmas, and Deepavali or Harvest Festival celebrations, except that this time around shoppers aren’t shopping. They go home to their kampongs and streets too turn as empty and deserted as during Chinese New Year.
What I’m saying is, the role of their relationship, that is, between the owners of shopping malls and the shoppers has an equal importance. No point of having grandiose shopping malls when no one patronizes it, and visa verse.
The massage that I wanted to convey is, if there is a trust among all races life can be much easier, apart from more meaningful (if that is one looking for), for instance, in occasion like this a group who are not taking part in the celebration help manning the shops or business, next time around the other group will do it for another, and another.
Actually this trend has already happening in many industries, for example in petrol station industry, I am just highlighting the way I want to say it. Gong Xi Fa Chai