not very chinese new year?

phew... just finished typing a philosophy paper. Have been on it the past few days, and that perhaps explains my previous post. Anyway, I'm going to try to submit it to a couple of undergraduate journals. Though the chance of publication is scant, just thought i'd give it a try. I have a small problem at hand though... For whatever reason, i can't come up with a title that sounds nice and is relevant. Right now, the working title is rather dubious:

"From Logical to Epistemic Circularity: The Cartesian Circle Remains"

Hmmm. Ok. I'm sorry if that didnt make too much sense to you. It does make sense to me, but it just doesnt sound nice. Sounds a bit clunky (is there even such a word?) to me at the moment. Hopefully a good night's sleep will provide some inspiration.

Ok, on a totally different note, seems like Chinese New Year isn't really very chinese. But it seems to me that there are 2 things which are guaranteed each year. One which we are desperate for and the other which we just have to put up with. Make a guess?

Too late - the answer is here: Hong Bao and Very HOT weather.

Now I'm sure that we dont uphold the giving (or rather, the taking) of those little red packets because of some proud Chinese culture/tradition/spirit. You don't see other traditions being upheld as so sacrosanct.

Hot weather, on the other hand, seems to always go hand in hand with a picture of anything Chinese. Try it. Just imagine Chinatown in the afternoon in your head. Is it raining, snowing, cloudy, or scorching hot? I'd bet on the last one. Imagine those period dramas which are shown on television - e.g. those with justice Bao or some Emperor or some pugilistic kung fu show. 99% of those scenes give you the impression that it's really hot.

So, true to the above observations, this Chinese New Year has ushered in the merciless, searing, scorching, burning hot sun and chased away the rainy days. I wonder if there are statistics done on the number of people down with heat stroke. And as if it were not bad enough, every house is stocked up with those pseudo goodies like bak kwa and lots and lots of other heaty stuff. Eat at your own risk!

Even so, the visit to my grandma's place was lightened up today by Xiao Bai - Jing Yang's very own cute dog. Finally, the funny action it does - standing up on it's hind legs and waving it's front feet up and down - finds an appropriate time. This year, our entrance was greeted by this "gong xi, gong xi" action which made it such a darling to everyone. Xin En had a ball of a time throwing balls for it to fetch. Just highlights the difference between cats and dogs. Cats are so self-absorbed, nonchalant, indifferent, and well, boring because they're bored. They survive (as pets) just based on looking pretty. Dogs, on the other hand, are inquisitive, hyperactive, excited, ready to please, and interested in what's around them. As the book "Cat and Dog Theology" exhorts, let's be dogs and not cats. Maybe I should learn something from Xiao Bai, take a reminder from God's creation, and try to be less self-centred this year. :)