Lao Yu Sheng with family

Yu Sheng

By Tan, Bonny written on 1999-02-13
National Library Board Singapore

Comments on article: InfopediaTalk

Yusheng (also spelt Yu Sheng) meaning "raw fish" is a Chinese New Year dish, served traditionally on the seventh day of Chinese New Year or Ren Ri ("Everyman's Birthday"). It is a salad dish made of thin slices of raw fish and various spices, mixed with tossing actions by diners. A play on Chinese homonyms links the ingredients and tossing actions to prosperity and longevity, all adding to the good wishes for the new year.

OriginsIt is believed that Yusheng has its origins in southern China. Legend has it that a young man and his girlfriend found themselves stranded by bad weather at a temple with nothing to eat but a carp they had caught. Chancing upon a bottle of vinegar, they added this to the stripped carp and found it quite appetising. Today's colourful version of Yusheng and the practice of eating it on the seventh day of Chinese New Year appear to be unique to Malaysia and Singapore. Four local chefs are credited for developing Yusheng as we know it today. They named the dish "Lucky Raw Fish" and popularised it as a New Year delicacy. The chefs are Lau Yeok Pui and Tham Yui Kai, master chefs at Lai Wah Restaurant along Jalan Besar, and their good friends Sin Leong and Hooi Kok Wai. They had previously been colleagues at the Cathay Restaurant at Cathay Building.


Ingredients
Arranged on a large serving plate, the colourful array of ingredients include raw fish, which is traditionally ikan parang or "mackerel", shredded green and white radish drained of liquid, shredded carrots adding a bright orange tinge to the dish, pickled ginger, crushed nuts and pomelo. The ingredients are topped with various condiments including deep-fried flour crisps, crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, cinnamon, pepper and other spices. All at the table would then jointly toss the salad with a generous portion of plum sauce and cooking oil to add sweetness and taste.


Rituals and Meanings
Yusheng is deemed auspicious because of its homonymic quality - yu means "fish" but enunciated appropriately, it also means "abundance", while sheng literally means "raw" but enunciated appropriately, it means "life". Thus Yusheng implies "abundance of wealth and long life". In Cantonese, it is known as lo sheng with loalso meaning "tossing up good fortune". The tossing action is called lo hei, which means to "rise" (hei), again a reference to a thriving business and thus its popularity with businessmen during the New Year.


Step 1: All at the table offer New Year greetings.
Words: Gong xi fa cai meaning "congratulations for your wealth" or wan shi ru yi meaning "may all your wishes be fulfilled".


Step 2: Fish, symbolising abundance or excess through the year, is added.
Words: Nian nian you yu and you yu you sheng.


Step 3: The pomelo is added over the fish, adding both luck and auspicious value.
Words: Da ji da li.
Pepper is then dashed over the ingredients in the hope of attracting more money and valuables.
Words: Zhao cai jin bao.
Then oil is poured, circling the ingredients to increase all profits 10,000 times and to encourage money to flow in from all directions.
Words: Yi ben wan li and cai yuan guang jin.


Step 4: Carrots are added to the fish, indicating blessings of good luck.
Words: Hong yun dang tou.
Then the shredded green radish is placed on the fish, symbolising eternal youth.
Words: Qing chun chang zhu.
Next, the shredded white radish is added for prosperity in business and promotion at work.
Words: Feng sheng shui qi and bu bu gao sheng.


Step 5: The condiments are finally added. First, peanut crumbs are dusted on the dish, symbolising a household filled with gold and silver. As an icon of longevity, peanuts also symbolise eternal youth.
Words: Jin yin man wu.
Sesame seeds quickly follow symbolising a flourishing business.
Words: Sheng yi xing long.
Deep-fried flour crisps in the shape of golden pillows are then added with wishes that literally translate to mean the whole floor would be filled with gold.
Words: Pian di huang jin.


Step 6: All toss the salad an auspicious seven times with loud shouts of lo hei and other auspicious New Year wishes.
Words: Lo hei which is Cantonese for "tossing luck".
The ingredients are mixed by pushing them toward the centre, an encouragement to push on the good luck of all at the table.

Happy Chinese New Year to one & all... Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Find out what your Chinese horoscope has to say for the Year of the Tiger - 2010

The Rat

The Rat

For those born in the Year of the Rat, year 2010 promises to be an average year for you, while you may suffer from melancholy from time to time, the positioning of the planets in 2010 will benefit the rats and they will most definitely be more self-confident, and be more innovative than before. Excellent news for the lonely rats, year 2010 promises a great love life for you. You will definitely find a lover within the year, and for the ones that are blissfully married, the year will be filled with romantic joy. Time to rejoice in the warmth of love, rats!

The Ox

The Ox

You should be aware of some conflicts that might happen in the coming year, particularly with the dragons and horses. To avoid these conflicts, remember to keep an open mind and to not judge others without any basis. This year is a good year for you to learn a new language, so, if you have always wanted to pick up a new language before traveling, 2010 would definitely be the best year. Career-wise, those born in the year of the Ox should be aware that in 2010, your working attitude will be slightly lackadaisical and without much buoyed enthusiasm, put in effort to change the attitude.

The Tiger

The Tiger

For their own year, the Tigers will face a surprisingly average year with little ups and downs. While everything will be at your advantage this year, you will find it terribly difficult to find the encouragement and willpower to perform at your very best. Find the encouragement within yourself or you might be faced with plenty of disappointments. 2010 will provide a healthy backdrop for you, for those suffering digestive problems; you will most likely find that situations for you will improve.

The Rabbit

The Rabbit

Unfortunately for the Rabbits, 2010 will possibly be a bad year for those who were born in the year of the Rabbit. You will have to work hard to achieve some good in terms of your career, health and love life. Rabbits should look towards philosophy and religion to find some good in the upcoming year. Be prudent, thrifty and stay on the lookout for signs of a business scam, your finances could prove to be a problem this upcoming year.

The Dragon

The Dragon

For those born in the year of the Dragon, it is time for you to apply into some form of school or undertake some courses! Studying in the upcoming year will bring you a considerable amount of success. While you might find yourself getting into some minor conflicts, it is essential for you to stay positive. Your ability to stay positive will lead to a happier and more successful year ahead. It might also be a rocky year ahead for you if you are in a relationship, remember, stay positive and lend a listening ear and you will stay happy.

The Snake

The Snake

Those born in the year of the Snake are known to be very stubborn. Keep your stubbornness in check; learn to control it and you will find many successes coming towards you in the upcoming year. While it is important to have dreams, try to keep a level-headed mind for the upcoming year or you might end up straying away from reality. Once you’ve kept a level-headed mind, you will find yourself in favorable opportunities in your career, make sure you grab them!

The Horse

The Horse

Good news for the horses! Year 2010 might be one of the smoothest years for you. You will find bonds between your friends and relatives being built fairly easily. Keep a clear head when making decisions for you will find that plenty of decisions may sound familiar to one another but with very different outcomes. You may also tend to overfeed yourself in the upcoming year so be sure to keep on a healthy diet and exercise regularly.

The Goat

The Goat

Those born in the year of the Goatwill find plenty of wealth opportunities coming their way in 2010. You may end up passing up on a lot of them and making several bad decisions early on in the trimester but it is crucial for you to stay positive and not be disheartened by your losses for more opportunities will be coming for you later in the year. Stay on your feet, be in the company of your loved ones and develop more personal relationships and you will find that the upcoming year might just be your best year yet.

The Monkey

The Monkey

It is essential for the monkey to not be overly emotional in 2010. You will find that not everything will go your way initially. While you might lose some close friends, you have to maintain mental stability to save the broken pieces of the relationship. However, 2010 will provide business opportunities for you. It is the year for you to take risks. Take the risks and you will be rewarded tremendously. Do not rest on your laurels and expect things to happen!

The Rooster

The Rooster

2010 will be a year of competition for those born in the year of the Rooster. In your career, you will face plenty of competition to get up onto a higher rung of the ladder in your company. If you are unattached, you will find competition for someone that you are interested in. Make well-thought out decisions and do not make rash decision. Adopt a positive and hardworking attitude and 2010 might just be a good year for you.

The Dog

The Dog

There will be ups and downs for the dog in the year 2010. In your career, your lack of respect towards authority might prove to be a downfall for you. Your quest for independence will lead to you having some problems in your love life as well. It is ultimately crucial for you to tone down your brash attitude to find some good in the upcoming year or 2010 will prove to be a year of loneliness for you. Stay friendly!

The Pig

The Pig

Known to be sentimental creatures, you have to learn to put off your sentimental ways to find some unexpected successes in your line of work and your love life for 2010. The alignment of the stars will bring you utmost luck for the coming year so expect some monetary windfall coming your way. It is important for you to stay away from carbonated drinks in the upcoming year for you will be vulnerable and open to intestinal and digestive problems. However, besides that, 2010 might prove to be a healthy year ahead for you.

Just had such a fabulous week.

We invited Rasika over to Singapore for his birthday.

I am sure he will remember this experience for a long long time.

Missing him already... :(

We celebrated Mum's 60th early, mainly because Alan would not be able to take leave till Feb/Mar 2010 due to his project opening in Dec 2009.

We have a group from Sunshine Coast, and another group from Newcastle. It was really nice to catch up with our families & friends.

That day was also Ita's birthday... so we had a double celebration too.
Happy Birthday Ita! :)

We celebrated Mom's birthday at our place, the first party with our family. We did not have a housewarming, so this was the first time we all got together at our place.

I prepared most of the food, well... at least 80 percent of the food. Some of the items we had were:

Vietnamese Rice Roll (Pork)

Vietnamese Pho (Chicken or Pork)

Chicken kebab

Grilled Prawns

Grilled Mushrooms

Sausages

Satays (Mutton & Chicken)

BBQ Chicken Thai-style (Gai Yang)

BBQ Crabs

Otah Otah

Thai Mango Salad

Lemongrass Drink

And of course, the Mandarin & Passionfruit Cake topped with fresh fruits that Alan made specially for Mom.

Yup, my best friend from Melbourne visited me this whole week and I have been extremely happy. I have not seen Matthew for almost 8 years, and having him here in Singapore was very special to me.
Matt's been a very special friend to me, I would forever be grateful that he took me in so unconditionally for 2 weeks when I was 'homeless' in Adelaide. I moved out of Keswick & had not found another place to stay & my term had already started. Not only did he put me up, he also had to put up with my nonsense of telling him off for spending his money on the TONS of CDs that he just kept buying; the amount of fizzy drinks (Coke) that he consumed daily; the food that he ate (lack of); etc. Yes, he put up with my nonsense. He truly deserves the BFF title (Best Friends Forever).

(Below) Here's an old picture of us - 8 years ago, when I visited him in Melbourne. I stayed with him for a week. (YES, he put up with my nonsense again!!)

Matt: Thank you for being there for me, accepting me for who I am, & for treasuring this friendship. ==> This picture specially for you. Miss you heaps. :(

(Picture above, courtesy of Alvin from his Facebook Album)

Full of surprises here...

I made a rather surprised trip to Kuala Lumpur for Shan's birthday. Shan & On, Yvonne (Shan's sister) & Tao Tao & Fung Fung flew in from Hong Kong for vacation in Kuala Lumpur; Alvin & Joey have also made their way from Johor Bahru to see them. Mine was only a 45 minutes flight from SIN-KUL, but Alvin & Joey drove for a few hours. They definitely deserved the ultra-Friendship award. :)

Jia Jia & CK & Baby Tao Tao also joined us for the dinner at Cititel MidValley, they drove all the way from Nilai for the gathering. They have put in great effort to make it too, considering CK had to wake up at 2am for work (we left the restaurant at 11.30pm). Jia Jia is also helping out now with CK's business, and thus would have to be up by 5am... still not factoring in the fact that she had to wake up to check on Tao Tao's needs at night.

And another surprise came, Yee Hsia & KC also made it for the party. They arrived at 9.15pm, straight after Yee Hsia finished work. It was good to see them both again too. :)

As usual, Siew Leng planned the dinner & the itineraries for Shan & her family. Siew Leng is such a Champion, she always managed everything & doing a really great job. Our group is lucky to have her, and there's no doubt that Shan's family are enjoying the hospitality from Siew Leng & Teng.

On the day of my departure, I almost missed my flight as I went to the wrong terminal. JetstarAsia use the KLIA terminal, not the LCCT terminal. I wouldn't have been able to board the aircraft if not for CK's help in coming back and taking me to the right airport. Thanks Jia Jia & CK! :)

Zoe's 42nd Birthday...

and we were at Heng Kee Restaurant @ 151 Joo Chiat Road for dinner.

Was glad that Caline could join us, and she was brave enough to also select the cake for Zoe. I like her character & personality: confident, very real, down to earth, not pampered, sociable and blend in with the family well.

That's Elesia & Jan with her 'new look' after the LASIK.

Happy Birthday, my dearest sister :)

See... nothing beats the feeling of having 2 of my best friends together...

Connie & Sarah are meeting for the first time, & it was simply fabulous.

So glad to catch up with Sarah again... like Connie, we hardly get to meet up as she is living in Hong Kong now.

Thanks for the pictures, Sarah! :)

This would have to be one of my happiest weeks...

While in Hong Kong, I met up with:

1) Certie (Shan) & her family, who always make time to meet me. Shan & On always remind me of what happiness is all about, even with simple pleasures. And this trip, I found out what a fantastic father On has been, being so tolerant and patient with his kids. And Shan telling me how much she has embraced motherhood, & how loving & supportive On has been as a father & a husband.

2) Siew Leng & family also visited Hong Kong the week Alan & I were there. I could never ask for a better friend than Siew Leng. She always makes time for friends, family, parents, and her kids NO MATTER how busy she is. And having a supportive husband like Teng standing alongside Siew Leng is so important. Teng would 'automatically' take Yao Xuan out with him to play while Shan, Connie, Siew Leng & I were having some quality time together. Those few short minutes we chatted together meant a lot to me.

3) Connie's friendship is so precious to me that I have entered her as 'Dearie' in my phone addressbook, and only she gets away with sending me 1 or 2 emails each year. She's special to me, & a real precious gem in my life.

Alan found time out of his super-busy schedule to have Dim Sum with us, it was a great start to my last day in Hong Kong. Here's a picture of me & Connie:

And of course, the dishes we ordered for Dim Sum.

The day only got better when Sarah called saying that she would be free to meet up. I have been meaning for Connie & Shan to catch up with Sarah. I will have to post the pictures of us together a little later. It was beyond words to describe having Sarah & Connie together. For me, it was yet again another special moment for me.

Together with Sarah & Connie, we had club sandwich, tea and coffee.... and then we went on to eat wanton noodle, and then went on to drink Vietnamese coffee. I will remember this for a long time... :)

Sarah/Connie/Siew Leng/Shan:
Thank you so much for making this Hong Kong trip a truly special one for me.
I love you all... :)

1 April 2009

It was this time last year that Bodhi gave birth, it was really heartbreaking for us to see her through her pregnancy. She went from a healthy 48kg to a very pregnant 60 kg. Not only was the 64 days seemed somewhat endless, the hormonal change in her, the personality, the mood, the appetite. Not trying to compare human & dog, but all mothers have my utmost respect for going through pregnancy.

Bodhi & one of her puppies, Frieda now lives together, with Brigitte & her family.

Alan & I wanted to keep Frieda, as Bodhi's companion. But we were only afraid that we might have to leave Sri Lanka one day, and I knew I could not handle having 2 beloved ones being adopted, & especially not knowing the new owner. But Brigitte came along, & we knew Frieda would be loved dearly.

I was thankful that Brigitte mentioned that she was happy to adopt Bodhi if we were unable to take her with us when we leave the country. That gesture from Brigitte was the most precious & most generous one I could ever ask for. So, when Alan & I had to return to TINY Singapore, Brigitte was the first person on my mind I could safely leave Bodhi with... & because Frieda & Bodhi spent most time together, before Frieda was adopted.

FYI: Frieda was nicknamed Lang Mui (Cantonese for Pretty Girl) by Alan.

Bodhi has adapted well, & here she is with Hendrik, Brigitte's son.

She was always there for me & I know she'll be there to protect & respect Hendrik & his family. Missing you Bodhi :(

My blood brother Gayan has Leesa, she is thoroughly pampered & has the luxury of wandering around, even inside the house. Yes, that's how much Gayan loves her. No, that's not just how much Gayan loved his daughter, Leesa. He has taken Leesa on a holiday, because it is her birthday!! Now, who wants to be adopted into Gayan's family?

I noticed that Leesa has the shiniest, most silky fur of all Bodhi's pups. Perhaps she has been so well-loved & well taken care of by Gayan.

In fact, truth be told... Before Leesa was adopted by Gayan, she spent a lot of time with me in my office, sleeping in a wired basket full of towels. And truth be told again, Bodhi was allowed in my office too... I know I said NO. But she was hard to say NO to, she knew I wanted her company. LoL

OK... now... everyone says Hello to Bravo (above).

Bravo is the only male puppy from Bodhi that I have managed to keep in contact with the owner, Mr Wickrama & his family.
(below) another adorable picture of Bravo. He's grown big & strong... In fact, he is bigger than his daddy. He was the biggest of the litter, & naturally was picked & adopted first.

Ok now... let me please introduce you to Ümi (below)

Ümi was special for us too, her nickname was Commando. She was highly intelligent & the first to break away from the pack. She cleared all obstacles before any of the puppies, and in fact, a true leader.

I was happy when my dear friend, Shiwantha expressed interest in adopting her.

Sorry, I made it very clear right from the beginning that I would not give away Bodhi's puppies for nothing even for good friends... so it was hard to accept the money from Shiwantha, but I did...as with all Bodhi's puppies.

Look! Revon (Shiwantha & Dilshani's son) playing with Ümi.

Ümi, just like Shiwantha & his family, will always be special to us & we are glad that they have Ümi to remember us by...

From these pictures above, you have to agree with me that Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs are huge, intelligent, loving, non-agressive, & safe to have around with children.

I have never regretted having Bodhi in my life. :)

Alan's in Orlando at the moment, and he was pleasantly surprised when his USS colleagues brought him to watch the Discovery Launched to ISS. How cool was that? 

Unfortunately, he didn't have his camera with him. But I found this video from YouTube, what's life without YouTube these days.

Enjoy the video below...


PS: Orlando is exactly 12 hours behind Singapore (+8 GMT)

Yup, we've found a place we can finally call 'HOME'.

Townerville is unique and I will share more on the history a little later 

And, I will only show you the exterior for now... 

Look at the tons of stuff we have brought back from Sri Lanka, two truck loads of personal effects -  from a 20ft container... Lots of unpacking and stuff to do for now. Will update a little later.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Jan's 21st Birthday

click on the picture below for the album

Jan's 21st Birthday

Back home in time to celebrate:

Ken's & Julie's Birthdays

Ken's & Julie's Birthdays

Happy Chinese New Year... Gong Xi Fa Cai!!!

It is our first time in many years that we were away from our family in Singapore. We always return to Singapore for CNY, but as Alan and I will be back this weekend, and with Alan starting his new job in less than 48 hours after arriving Singapore, we (actually HE) so deserve this short break.

(Above) A picture of Alan taken just outside Siam Paragon, while he was chatting with Ross on the phone.

G'day Australia...

Alan & I have been wanting to catch the movie: Australia but it wasn't showing (yet) when we were in Australia in November 2008 visiting families.

And of course, in Sri Lanka, you can almost never expect the latest blockbuster to be showing in the cinema. And the hassle of travelling into Colombo was simply not worth it.

So, we decided to watch this movie while in Bangkok. And being a special day as it is, we decided to splurge and be treated like VIPs. Instead of the regular THB100 per ticket, we bought the tickets for the Nokia Ultra Screen cinema (THB 500), the whole cinema seats up to 32 patrons with seats that reclined 180 degrees, similar to Business Class seats on most airlines.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and Alan liked it too.

Happy Australia Day!!!

Wishing one and all a Happy & Propserous Chinese New Year!