Phantom Reborn

Chinese New Year is just around the corner! Expect people visiting your house like a herd of bees if you are a Chinese, anticipate in receiving the reds from the elderly if you are still not married, prepare to punch some holes in your wallet if you are a married Chinese. And get ready to spread the New Year messages around! Whenever you see a Chinese, be sure to spill out prosperous messages with the likes of the famous "Gong Xi Fa Cai".

There are tons of New Year Messages which we used as an indication of traditional blessings for Chinese, but things will never be the same again for this year of Ox. The year 2009, is the year of massive downsizing.

Thus, I reckon some New Year messages should be essentially prohibited in this year:

裁员广进 (Unstoppable downsizing!)

裁员滚滚来 (Welcome! Poor downsized fellas!)

恭喜发裁 (Congratulations on being downsized!)

裁神到！ 裁神照着你！(The God of Downsizing is here! He's looking after you!) --> Oh boy.. this one is so eerie...

Therefore, please watch your mouth before saying messages which you thought are the greatest greetings in the world, because not only you jeopardize your precious chance of receiving some cash, you could also potentially bring yourself unpredictable disasters and ill omens in this year of Ox, like a massacre event in Spain, you know.

But in spite of all that, enjoy a good and harmonious gathering with your family members. I gotta spend my 7 days of holiday happily too... ^^

I hereby wishing you an early Happy Chinese New Year!!