On Praying in the Rain

It has been the tradition that we went to the temple on the 4th day of CNY. And this year was no exemption. Woke up at 5, reached the temple at 6 and finished praying at 7. Just before the auspicious time expired. That's if only you know what I mean. Mum has the habit of checking out the auspicious time for praying in the calendar, it's just a belief, but ah well, what harm could it bring believing right?

So we stormed through the rain getting up the slippery steps to the temple. And we thought we were early. What's more with the rain and everything, we didn't know there would be SO MUCH people who had the same habit of checking out the calendar before praying.

It was a horrible experience really. It must've been a gazillion times that I remarked "Shit my shoes!" in the temple in front of all those peoples to my family members. "I didn't know it'd still be raining here!" "Of course I wished I'd wear the slipper!" But then again, the shoes' literally wet through and through. Lucky me I wasn't wearing the Adidas, or else I'd be crushed... But having this one wet through, I was still crushed. It's made of the kind of material where it's best not to get them wet.

We stayed on top of the hill inside the temple waiting for the rain to stop. Traditionally the temple serves vegetarian noodle on the first and fifteenth day of the Lunar Calendar, but CNY was an exception. But it was really nice so to speak, vegetarian or not. We eat them noodles every year during the CNY as well. But this year round, we saw some really really ugly scenes. I mean, it's okay that worshippers go take the noodle and all.

And I still can accept them taking a huge loads of noodle. After all, they tasted really nice. But when it comes to worshippers taking packs and packs to bring back home for their grandparents' siblings' spouses' cousins, in a big plastic bag... That's a bit too greedy ain't it? The funny encounter I came across when I was queuing for the noodle, this guy told another girl off that the way she was taking the noodle could barely make her a living, and by that he demonstrated how to take the noodle. So imagine the worse of how a begger who hasn't been eating for days grabs for food. Yeap, that was how it was. And I feel so ashamed being a Chinese then.

We left shortly after bearing through the shame of being a Chinese, seeing how they went for the noodles as if they haven't been eating for a week. A nice place that it was, somehow we noticed there's LOTS of lalas coming to the temple this year. Not to say they're not allowed to pray there. But personally, I thought, going to a worshipping place, might as well dress properly right? But what we saw in the temple, guys and girls of colourful hairstyles in singlets and shorts barely covering the vagina and lavish high-heel boots. Like, uh, what the??

So when we finally walked through the village to reach our car, and me grumbling my shoes and my shoes again, we left the place with a feeling of... disgust. In some way. Not to say we're superior or whatsoever. But we still think anyone going to a temple, should at least behave, and show some respect, be more 'civilised' that is.

Therefore, it was a whole new feeling when we were over at Tze-yin temple after that...