K-Gunners On A Rampage

By Wadud Yussop.

On Saturday, 28th January 2012, there was a match between K-Gunners and Rojak Nizam. The match got to a start a 3:15PM. 

The start of the match looked tight as both teams were trying to see who could score first. When the match hit 25 minutes, Izwan Roslan scored the first goal, for K-Gunners. It was a powerful shoot, past the keeper after an excellent through ball by Shalfira Tamimi. K-Gunners gained confidence and dominated the match after that first goal. Right before the first half came to an end, Hadi Abdullah scored the second goal for K-Gunners with a simple tap in, with credits to Afif Ali who delivered an excellent cross for Hadi to finish. The first half ended with a score of 2-0, with K-Gunners taking the lead. 

As the second half began, K-Gunners got control of the game quickly. 60 mintues into the game, Shalfira Tamimi scored from a penalty, leaving a score of 3-0 after Nasir Hassan was bought down by Khalis. After Nasir missed his chance to score when he got a foul in the penalty box earlier, he didn't miss his second chance as he scored the fourth goal of the match and fourth goal for K-Gunners. It was a pretty one-sided match as K-Gunners had control of it almost the whole time. They almost made it to 5-0 but Muin Hamsyairi didn't let that happen when he blocked it excellently. Just as Rojak Nizam seemed to not be scoring, Ron Junior Philip, Rojak Nizam's goalkeeper, scored a 30-40 yards goal after he saw that K-Gunner's goalkeeper was out of position. Not long after their first goal, Adiib Syazwi scored a one-on-one with K-Gunner's keeper after a fantastic through ball by Khairul Nizam Bubin.

Even though they had got to two goals, it was a little too late as the game came to an end. The score came down to 4-2. This game was refereed by Alif Zakaria.

Revised by Joanne Lim

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PTEK Students Participates In BGIC Workshop

By Pauline Cheong Siew Yin.

Pulse would first like to congratulate the students listed below for having made it into BGIC to represent Pusat Tingkatan Enam Katok:

1. Pauline Cheong Siew Yin
2. Hedwig Mui Soon Wee
3. Nur Haidatul Fatinah Haji Marzuki
4. Chok Siong Wee
5. Halimatul Atikah Musa
6. Azilla Liyana Binti Mohammad Azam Zaki
7. Nur Farzana Haziqah Muhammad Rudian
8. Dayangku Rusydina Nurul Ri'fah Binti Pengiran Idris
9. Goh Jia Yih
10. Samuel Cho Lik Heng

These participants have already started their journey onto the conference by getting themselves involved into various workshops which are to be held at International School Brunei. They will also be guided by the teachers of Pusat Tingkatan Enam Katok. BGIC Club will soon be introduced to PTEK where the students can train themselves for the conference or support their friends.

The club welcomes supporters to witness the event this march but will also have to help the students involved with their research. To know more about BGIC, E-mail us at PulsePTEK@live.com

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Tips To Wake Up And Get Out Of Bed Fast

By Yap Chun Wee.

Always late for school? Can’t seem to make it there on time? Had enough of taking late slips all the time? Well, it’s probably due to the fact that you couldn’t get out of bed. It’s always tough to drag yourself out of bed, so here are some tips to help you wake up alert and get you out of bed quickly: 

Access your health

Your drowsiness in the morning might be health-related. A better diet and some exercise should might the problem. If you still feel the same, then I suggest you seek a doctor for professional help. 

Coffee on your bedside table

For most imbibers, caffeinated drinks have a stimulant effect leading to enhanced alertness and wakefulness, among others. Leaving some coffee (use a thermal flask) or any other caffeinated drink beside your table might be a good way to get yourself out of bed. 

Place your alarm clock strategically

Try putting your alarm clock where it is loud enough to wake you up yet far enough to force you to get up and walk over to shut it off. This should help you get out of bed. 

Don’t take in caffeine the night before 

It takes a while for caffeine to get out of your system. So, don’t drink anything caffeinated the night before or else you’d be having a hard time sleeping which leads to lack of sleep which then leads to drowsiness or grogginess in the morning. 

Smelling salts

For centuries, smelling salts have been reviving people, but you don’t have to smell something distasteful. Put a bottle of a pleasant-smelling essential oil like orange, grapefruit, or mint next to your bed to sniff in order to shake yourself out of a groggy state. 

Train yourself 

Instead of forcing yourself to wake up all the time, train yourself to react to your alarm clock instantly by practicing the motions of waking up. While in a darkened room, practice jumping out of bed as soon as your alarm goes off. Do this repeatedly twice a day for about 10 times until it feels automatic. It would seem silly if someone walks in on you doing it but it helps. 

Extra info: It is imperative for students who drive themselves to school need to get a sufficient amount of sleep each night. It is dangerous to drive while you’re still feeling drowsy.

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Ways To Prevent From Falling Sick

By Joanne Lim.

It seems to me that a lot of people are getting either the cough or the cold these days and there are many ways you can prevent that. The first and most important step to take is to make sure that you take really good care of yourself and make sure you are in a healthy state. 

Here are ways on how you can avoid and overcome the sickness:-

• Wash your hands regularly - You get sick for one reason and one reason only: germs. Bacteria and Viruses make you ill by finding ways into your body through physical contact. Since most of your contact with the world happens through your hands, washing them can stop germs from making the leap from contaminated surfaces to inside your body. Bacteria especially grow and proliferate very easily, so simply touching a lot of different things can spread them all over the stuff you work with daily. Hand washing is especially important when you move from one environment to the other, after visiting the restroom and before eating or preparing food.  
• Refrain from touching your face - Even if your hands are relatively clean, chances are that some germs will find a way to survive there but these parasites will only compromise your health if they can get into your body. The easiest place to transmit illness is through mucous membranes such as your eyes, mouth and nose. Keep your hands away from your face (and food) and make it difficult for germs to find you. 
• Avoid people who are ill - Germs are everywhere, but they are particularly concentrated in people who are sick. Keep far away from these people and try to disinfect the things that they use. 
• Don't eat group food - Avoid large party dips that involve dipping directly into the bowl rather than scooping with a clean spoon onto individual plates. Also, avoid from sharing food with other people as the germs may spread from them to you.
• Get enough sleep - If you feel that you might be falling ill, you should get a good rest and have enough sleep. Getting enough sleep strengthens your immune system and thus, protect your body form the germs.
• Hydrate - When your body is fighting an illness, your immune system is working overtime. Make sure it has everything it needs to function at its best, including plenty of water
• Skip a workout - If you feel like you might be getting sick but aren't sure, don't go to the gym. Your body needs all its extra resources to fend off whatever virus or bacteria you've been exposed to, so save all the energy you've got.
• Eat well - You may be disinclined to eat if you aren't feeling well, but be sure that whatever you do manage to get down is nutritious and healthy. It's not a good idea to eat foods that induce inflammation when your body is already weakened.
• Take your vitamins - Take some multi-vitamins, or some vitamin C and vitamin D as most of us are lacking of it.

Make sure to follow these steps to keep yourself at the best of health. 

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How To Avoid Falling Asleep In Class

By Joanne Lim. 

Students tend to fall asleep in classes. It doesn't matter whether the lesson is interesting or boring, whether the classroom is cold or hot or whether the teacher is looking or not, students still end up dozing off halfway through the lesson. Even if you go into a class with your energy at its highest, you can come out of a class feeling sleepy and drowsy. 

The thing is that: 1) You're sleep deprived even though you think you had gotten enough sleep 2) You get a long nights sleep but not a good nights sleep 3) You include a lot of unhealthy food in your daily diet 4) You spend a lot of time on the computer, playing video games and watching television. Doing so would make your eyes feel more tired. 

There are many ways you can avoid falling asleep in classes. One of them is to get at least 8 hours of sleep a day. Ways that would help you get to sleep better are: 1) Exercise regularly, but finish up at least three hours before you plan to hit the sack 2) Don't use caffeine close to your bedtime 3) Avoid eating before you go to bed 4) Keep a regular bedtime schedule, even on weekends 5) Read, listen to music, take a bath or do any other relaxing activity that gets your mind off the day's stresses and excitements.

Another way of staying awake in class is to keep yourself in a healthy state. Stay both mentally and physically active. Do morning exercise and take a shower in the morning before you go off for school. Have proper eating hours. Include healthy food in your daily diet such as yogurt, melons and eggs and also add a bit of sugary items for breakfast such as buttered toast, sugar cereal, apples, fruit juices and so on. Take some coffee or if you prefer, green tea, which is healthier, before you start off with your first class. A glass of cold water would do too. Also, if you can, pop a candy or two in your mouth. 

Other ways to avoid falling asleep in classes is to get yourself busy in class, have a good sitting posture and try to have more interest in the lesson. Sitting in front does a bit of help too as you have your teacher concentrating more on you. Learn to take down notes when your teacher is explaining. Play around with your pen but focus on the lesson. Doddle on your notes when you're reading them. Look around your classroom and find things to count, to keep your mind occupied. Also, sitting up straight helps too as it provides more oxygen flow throughout your body and brain which helps keep you awake. Look up on things about your lessons. Have more interest in them. 

I have to admit that I, myself tend to fall asleep in class regularly as most of my classes have air-conditioning and I sit where it blows right at my eyes. This makes my eyes really dry and thus, make me sleepy. If the same thing goes to you, try informing your teacher about it and have he/she adjust it so it would not be a problem in staying awake! 

Hope this helps! 

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Japanese Club Second Ice Breaking Session

By Izyan Amin.

On Wednesday afternoon, 25th of January, the Japanese club held their second ice breaking session with an activity that had the members running all over PTEK. "The purpose of the activity was for the junior and senior members to get to know and interact with one another", said the president of the club, Khariul Ariff.

At the start of the activity, members divided themselves into groups of four. First they had to search for the tiny Japanese flags hidden all over the school and collect them as much as they could for every flag they found, points were awarded. One team managed to find a total of 9 flags! After finding a minimum of 5 flags, the four teams must race against each other to complete all the instructed 'missions'. One of the missions was a game held in the canteen area where one person is blindfolded and placed among some objects and the other team mates must lead the person on with their voices to retrieve the objects.

Another one of the games was a blind taste test where one person from each team had to guess the name of the drinks! There were a total of four missions and after each team had completed all the missions, the final instruction was given to them by the president which was to find the missing person. A picture of the back of the person's head was shown and another clue was given to each team to search for this person. Turns out, the missing person was none other than our very own Pulse photographer, Zulfadhli Rosli! The team who founded him was awarded major points and that puts the race to an end.

Well, there was one quite tricky game that was planned out. It was where at each check point, the person in charge had to say a certain phrase in Japanese and the participants had to actually understand them to know what it meant. Unfortunately, many ignored the phrase and just went on. The phrase were clues for the  participants in finding three certain stars, different stars with different points. It was good enough that a group managed to find one although they did not win first place but it was still a tricky one.

Here are some pictures to share.

 The tiny Japanese flags that participants had to look for

Places where the flags were 'hidden'

The three stars that the participants had to find

 The president of Pulse, who is also part of the Japanese Club noting down where the flags are hidden

 The president and other members of the Japanese Club busy at work

A smile from the president of Pulse to show how much fun she had while preparing for the session

Stay updated as we might release a video presentation regarding the activity soon.

Revised by Joanne Lim

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Mama's Boy vs MIC + Bebatik XI

By Wadud Yussop.

On Tuesday, 24th January 2012, 'MIC' and 'Bebatik XI' made up their mind to merge up and go against 'Mama's Boy'. It was overall a warm up for the upcoming K-League and a game to tighten the bond between players from each side. 

The game kicked off to a start at 2:45PM. It started off well for MIC + Bebatik XI as they had control of the game quickly, making it hard for Mama's Boy's players to keep a smooth rhythm flowing. Khairul Nizam Bubin from MIC + Bebatik XI, made a quick impact with a brilliant headed goal, crossed from Aisam, setting the score to 1-0. The game soon became more intense as players from Mama's Boy tried to equalize the score. Wadud Yussop from Mama's Boy, gave it a shot but missed as his volley was too high and went over the goal post. Not long after that, he gave it another try and scored a top corner shot, making the score even for both teams. The score stayed as 1-1 right until the time when the referee was about to blow the whistle to end the first half of the game. Just then, Afiq Amsyar scored a beautifully curled goal for MIC + Bebatik XI, leaving Mama's Boy's keeper wrong footed. The score was then 2-1 with MIC + Bebatik XI leading. 

MIC + Bebatik XI once again got ahead of Mama's Boy in the second half with a fantastic goal coming from Aisam, setting the score to 3-1. Mama's Boy was unable to control the tempo of the quick passing skills from MIC + Bebatik XI. Not long after the fourth goal of the game, Khairul Nizam Bubin took a shot which shook the opposing team's keeper but unfortunately for him, the goal was saved by a puddle. He was disappointed as he had confidence that he was going to score his second goal for that day. MIC + Bebatik XI players made it more difficult for Mama's Boy as Aisam scored a brilliant left footed shot after Mama's Boy's defenders failed to defend their team. It was quite a controversial goal as Mama's Boy's defenders claimed that it was a hand ball. Just then, Aisam took another shot and nearly scored a goal with a hat trick but the goal was brilliantly saved by Sallehin Rosli from Mama's Boy. 

The game came down to an end with MIC + Bebatik XI leading with the score of 4-1 against Mama's Boy. The game was refereed by Matin Qusyairi.

Revised by Joanne Lim

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Japanese Club Session

A friendly reminder to all AEs and BEs of the Japanese Club that there will be a session tomorrow afternoon, 25th January 2012 from 2:30PM to 4:30PM. Please be reminded that you would have to be in your PE attire. 

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Pulse PTEK's Twitter

By Joanne Lim.

We are here to inform you that Pulse PTEK now has a twitter account! @PulsePTEK Be sure to follow us for more news and updates and don't hesitate to tweet us if you have any questions! 

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Safety On The Road

by Ayeen Jafery

Let's talk about safety on the roads, after all there are more than a few PTEK students who are driving to school and thus, expose themselves to all kind of dangers while driving. Although majority of us are still sent by our fathers, mothers and other family members to school, I still think that it's about time that we look into what safety on road is all about.

Everyone knows there are a lot of accidents in Brunei. We hear and read about it all the time. By recent statistics, there were about 2,000 accidents in one year. By my calculations, that is about five accidents per day! This shows just how poor safety awareness are in Brunei, and that observing road safety is not taken very seriously. Some drivers do not even bother to wear the safety belt. They drive at high speed without paying attention to the speed limits and they also do not follow the road rules and regulations. Another thing is that most drivers still do not know how to use the roundabout although information and guidance have been made available.

This article is to promote safety awareness on the road and this awareness should be practiced at this college. One of the basic safety rules is never forget to wear the safety belt at all times when in the car, regardless of whether you are the driver or the passenger. It's there in the car for a reason! By wearing the safety belt, there's a higher chance that you can stay safe when there is a car accident. Just think of the consequences, not only is your life at risk, your car is as well! Your car might get wrecked badly and you'd have to pull out a couple of hundreds or even thousands of dollars to pay for repairs and the damage may be so serious that your car can't even be repaired.   

Apart from wearing the safety belt, it is also important to follow other safety rules. Practices such as controlling your speed and avoiding tailgating the cars in front of you are also very crucial while driving. Most importantly, do not use your mobile phone while on the wheel i.e texting, facebook-ing, whatsapp-ing, receiving/making a phone call or tweeting. If it is that important, please do pull over to the side of the road and turn on the double signal.

For students who have just had their license, it is important for you not to be disturbed by your friends (if you bring them along) while driving. This goes out to the parents as well, keep your eyes on the road and don't mind the children or at least check up on them on few seconds intervals via the rearview mirror. Do not lose your concentration and stay alert at all times. Last but not least, I would like to advise all students to convey this message to all your family members in order to reduce the number of road accidents in Brunei.

 So everyone, you know it, I know it, lets all do it!

Revised by Joanne Lim

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Chinese New Year!

By Joanne Lim.

CHINESE NEW YEAR

Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. In China, it is known as "Spring Festival," the literal translation of the Chinese name 春節 (Pinyin: Chūn Jié), since the spring season in Chinese calendar starts with lichun, the first solar term in a Chinese calendar year. It marks the end og the winter season, analogous to the Western carnival. The festival begins on the first day of the first month (Chinese: 正月; pinyin: Zhēng Yuè) in the traditional Chinese calendar and ends with Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day. Chinese New Year Eve, a day where Chinese families gather for their annual reunion dinner, is known as Chú Xī (除夕) of "Eve of the Passing Year." Because the Chinese calendar is lunisolar, the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the "Lunar New Year".

Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese calendar. The origin of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Chinese populations, such as Mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and also in Chinatowns elsewhere. Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had influence on the lunar new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors. These include Korean (Seollal), Bhutanese (Losar), and Vietnamese cultures.

Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese new year vary widely. People will pour out their money to buy presents, decoration, material, food, and clothing. It is also the tradition that every family thoroughly cleans the house to sweep away any ill-fortune in hopes to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red colour paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of "good fortune" or "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity". On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with families. Food will include such items as pigs, ducks, chicken and sweet delicacies. The family will end the night with firecrackers. Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes. The Chinese New Year tradition is to reconcile, forget all grudges and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone.

Although the Chinese calendar traditionally does not use continuously numbered years, outside China its years are often numbered from the reign of the Yellow Emperor. But at least three different years numbered 1 are now used by various scholars, making the year beginning in 2012 AD the "Chinese Year" 4710, 4709, or 4649.

MYTHOLOGY

According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian (Chinese: 年; pinyin: nián). Nian would come on the first day of New Year to eat livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after the Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. One time, people saw that the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the colour red. Hence, every time when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. From then on, Nian never came to the village again. The Nian was eventually captured by Hongjun Laozu, an ancient Taoist monk. The Nian became Hongjun Laozu's mount.

PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Chinese New Year is observed as a public holiday in a number of countries and territories where a sizable Chinese population resides. Since Chinese New Year falls on different dates on the Gregorian calendar every year on different days of the week, some of these governments opt to shift working days in order to accommodate a longer public holiday. Also like many other countries in the world, a statutory holiday is added on the following work day when the New Year falls on a weekend.


CUISINE

A reunion dinner is held on New Year's Eve where members of the family gather for the celebration. The venue will usually be in or near the home of the most senior member of the family. The New Year's Eve dinner is very sumptuous and traditionally includes chicken and fish. In some areas, fish (simplified Chinese: 鱼; traditional Chinese: 魚; pinyin: yú) is included, but not eaten completely (and the remainder is stored overnight), as the Chinese phrase "may there be surpluses every year" (simplified Chinese: 年年有余; traditional Chinese: 年年有餘; pinyin:nián nián yǒu yú) sounds the same as "may there be fish every year."

In mainland China, many families will banter whilst watching the CCTV New Year's Gala in the hours before midnight.

Red packets for the immediate family are sometimes distributed during the reunion dinner. These packets often contain money in certain numbers that reflect good luck and honorability. Several foods are consumed to usher in wealth, happiness, and good fortune. Several of theChinese food names are homophones for words that also mean good things.

Buddha's delight (simplified Chinese: 罗汉斋;traditional Chinese: 羅漢齋;pinyin: luó hàn zhāi)

An elaborate vegetarian dish served by Chinese families on the eve and the first day of the New Year. A type of black hair-like algae, pronounced "fat choy" in Cantonese, is also featured in the dish for its name, which sounds like "prosperity". Hakkas usually serve kiu nyuk (Chinese: 扣肉; pinyin: kòu ròu) and ngiong teu fu

Fish

Is usually eaten or merely displayed on the eve of Chinese New Year. The pronunciation of fish (魚yú) makes it a homophone for "surpluses"(餘yú)

Jau gok (Chinese: 油角;pinyin: yóu jiăo)

The main Chinese new year dumpling. It is believed to resemble ancient Chinese gold ingots (simplified Chinese: 金元宝; traditional Chinese: 金元寶;pinyin: jīn yuán bǎo)

Jiao zi (dumplings) (Chinese:餃子)

Eaten traditionally in northern China because the preparation is similar to packaging luck inside the dumpling, which is later eaten

Mandarin Oranges

Mandarin oranges are the most popular and most abundant fruit during Chinese New Year – jin ju (Chinese: 金橘子; pinyin: jīn júzi) translation: golden tangerine/orange or kam (Chinese: 柑; pinyin: gān) in Cantonese. Also, the name gik (橘 jú) in Teochew dialect is a homophone of "luck" or "fortune" (吉 jí).

Melon seed/Kwatji (Chinese: 瓜子; pinyin: guāzi)

Other variations include sunflower, pumpkin and other seeds

Nian gao (Chinese: 年糕)

Most popular in eastern China (Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai) because its pronunciation is a homophone for "a more prosperous year (年高 lit. year high)". Nian gao is also popular in the Philippines because of its large Chinese population and is known as "tikoy" (Chinese: 甜粿, from Min Nan) there. Known as Chinese New Year pudding, nian gao is made up of glutinous rice flour, wheat starch, salt, water, and sugar. The colour of the sugar used determines the colour of the pudding (white or brown)

Noodles

Families may serve uncut noodles, which represent longevity and long life, though this practice is not limited to the new year

Sweets

Sweets and similar dried fruit goods are stored in a red or black Chinese candy box

Bakkwa (Chinese: 肉干; pinyin: ròu gān)

Chinese salty-sweet dried meat, akin to jerky, which is trimmed of the fat, sliced, marinated and then smoked for later consumption or as a gift

Taro cakes (Chinese: 芋頭糕)

Made from the vegetable taro, the cakes are cut into squares and often fried

Turnip cakes (Chinese: 蘿蔔糕)

A dish made of shredded radish and rice flour, usually fried and cut into small squares

Yusheng or Yee sang (simplified Chinese: 鱼生;traditional Chinese: 魚生;pinyin: yú shēng)

Raw fish salad. Eating this salad is said to bring good luck. This dish is usually eaten on the seventh day of the New Year, but may also be eaten throughout the period

RED ENVELOPES

Traditionally, Red envelopes or red packets (Cantonese: lai sze or lai see) (利是, 利市 or 利事); (Mandarin: 'hóng bāo' (红包); Hokkien: 'ang pow' (POJ: âng-pau); Hakka: 'fung bao'; are passed out during the Chinese New Year's celebrations, from married couples or the elderly to unmarried juniors. It is also common for adults or young couples to give red packets to children. Red packets are also known as 壓歲錢/压岁钱 (Ya Sui Qian, which was evolved from 壓祟錢/压祟钱, literally, the money used to suppress or put down the evil spirit ) during this period.

Red packets almost always contain money, usually varying from a couple of dollars to several hundred. Per custom, the amount of money in the red packets should be of even numbers, as odd numbers are associated with cash given during funerals (帛金: Bai Jin). The number 8 is considered lucky (for its homophone for "wealth"), and $8 is commonly found in the red envelopes in the US. The number six (六, liù) is also very lucky as it sounds like 'smooth' (流, liú), in the sense of having a smooth year. Sometimes chocolate coins are found in the red packets.

Odd and even numbers are determined by the first digit, rather than the last. Thirty and fifty, for example, are odd numbers, and are thus appropriate as funeral cash gifts. However, it is common and quite acceptable to have cash gifts in a red packet using a single bank note – with ten or fifty yuan bills used frequently.

The act of requesting for red packets is normally called (Mandarin): 讨紅包, 要利是. (Cantonese): 逗利是. A married person would not turn down such a request as it would mean that he or she would be "out of luck" in the new year.

The Japanese has a similar tradition of giving money during the New Year called Otoshidama.

GIFT EXCHANGE

In addition to red envelopes, which are usually given from elder to younger, small gifts (usually of food or sweets) are also exchanged between friends or relatives (of different households) during Chinese New Year. Gifts are usually brought when visiting friends or relatives at their homes. Common gifts include fruits (typically oranges, and never pears), cakes, biscuits, chocolates, candies, or some other small gift.

FIREWORKS

Bamboo stems filled with gunpowder that were burnt to create small explosions were once used in ancient China to drive away evil spirits. In modern times, this method has eventually evolved into the use of firecrackers during the festive season. Firecrackers are usually strung on a long fused string so it can be hung down. Each firecracker is rolled up in red papers, as red is auspicious, with gunpowder in its core. Once ignited, the firecracker lets out a loud popping noise and, as they are usually strung together by the hundreds, the firecrackers are known for their deafening explosions that are thought to scare away evil spirits. See also Myths above. The burning of firecrackers also signifies a joyful time of year and has become an integral aspect of Chinese New Year celebrations.

CLOTHING

Clothing mainly featuring the colour red or bright colours is commonly worn throughout the Chinese New Year because it was once believed that red could scare away evil spirits and bad fortune. In addition, people typically wear new clothes from head to toe to symbolize a new beginning in the new year. Wearing new clothes also symbolizes having more than enough things to use and wear in the new year.

SYMBOLISM

As with all cultures, Chinese New Year traditions incorporate elements that are symbolic of deeper meaning. One common example of Chinese New Year symbolism is the red diamond-shaped fú characters (Chinese: 福, Cantonese and Hakka: Fook, literally "blessings, happiness"), which are displayed on the entrances of Chinese homes. This sign is usually seen hanging upside down, since the Chinese word 倒 "upside down", is homophonous or nearly homophonous with 到 "arrive" in all varieties of Chinese. Therefore, it symbolizes the arrival of luck, happiness, and prosperity.

Red is the predominant colour used in New Year celebrations. Red is the emblem of joy, and this colour also symbolizes virtue, truth and sincerity. On the Chinese opera stage, a painted red face usually denotes a sacred or loyal personage and sometimes a great emperor. Candies, cakes, decorations and many things associated with the New Year and its ceremonies are coloured red. The sound of the Chinese word for “red” ( 紅) is “hong” in Mandarin (Hakka: Fung; Cantonese: Hoong) which also means “prosperous.” Therefore, red is an auspicious colour and has an auspicious sound.

FLOWERS

The following are popular floral decorations for the New Year and are available at new year markets.

Plum Blossom - symbolizes luck

Kumquat - symbolizes prosperity

Narcissus - symbolizes prosperity

Bamboo - a plant used for any time of year

Sunflower - means to have a good year

Eggplant - a plant to heal all of your sickness

ICONS AND ORNAMENTS

Fish 

The Koi fish is usually seen in paintings. Decorated food depicting the fish can also be found. It symbolizes surplus or success.

Lanterns 

These lanterns differ from those of Mid Autumn Festival in general. They will be red in colour and tend to be oval in shape. These are the traditional Chinese paper lanterns. Those lanterns, used on the fifteenth day of the Chinese New Year for the Lantern Festival, are bright, colourful, and in many different sizes and shapes.

Decorations

Decorations generally convey a New Year greeting. They are not advertisements. Chinese calligraphy posters show Chinese idioms. Other decorations include a New year picture, Chinese knots, and papercutting and couplets.

Dragon dance and Lion dance 

Dragon and lion dances are common during Chinese New Year. It is believed that the loud beats of the drum and the deafening sounds of the cymbals together with the face of the dragon or lion dancing aggressively can evict bad or evil spirits. Lion dances are also popular for opening of businesses in Hong Kong and Macau.

Fortune gods

Cai Shen Ye, Che Kung,etc.

GREETINGS

The Chinese New Year is often accompanied by loud, enthusiastic greetings, often referred to as 吉祥話 (jíxiánghùa) , loosely translated as auspicious words or phrases. New Year couplets, printed in gold letters on bright red paper, are another way of expressing auspicious new year wishes. They probably predate the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), but didn't become widespread until then. Today, they are ubiquitous with Chinese New Year.

Some of the most common greetings include:

• simplified Chinese: 新年快乐; traditional Chinese: 新年快樂; Mandarin Pinyin: xīn nián kuài lè; Jyutping: san1 nin4 faai3 lok6; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Sin-nî khòai-lo̍k; Hakka: Sin Ngen Kai Lok; Taishanese: Slin Nen Fai Lok. A more contemporary greeting reflective of Western influences, it literally translates from the greeting "Happy new year" more common in the west. But in northern parts of China, traditionally people say simplified Chinese: 过年好; traditional Chinese: 過年好; pinyin: guò nián hǎo instead of simplified Chinese: 新年快乐; traditional Chinese: 新年快樂, to differentiate it from the international new year. And 過年好 can be used from the first day to the fifth day of Chinese New Year. However, 過年好 is considered very short and therefore somewhat discourteous.
• simplified Chinese: 恭喜发财; traditional Chinese: 恭喜發財; pinyin: gōng xǐ fā cái; Hokkien: Keong hee huat chye (POJ: Kiong-hí hoat-châi); Cantonese: Gung1 hei2 faat3 coi4; Hakka: Kung Hii Fatt Choi, which loosely translates to "Congratulations and be prosperous". Often mistakenly assumed to be synonymous with "Happy New Year", its usage dates back several centuries. While the first two words of this phrase had a much longer historical significance (legend has it that the congratulatory messages were traded for surviving the ravaging beast of Nian, in practical terms it may also have meant surviving the harsh winter conditions), the last two words were added later as ideas of capitalism and consumerism became more significant in Chinese societies around the world. The saying is now commonly heard in English speaking communities for greetings during Chinese New Year in parts of the world where there is a sizable Chinese-speaking community, including overseas Chinese communities that have been resident for several generations, relatively recent immigrants from Greater China, and those who are transit migrants (particularly students).

Numerous other greetings exist, some of which may be exclaimed out loud to no one in particular in specific situations. For example, as breaking objects during the new year is considered inauspicious, one may then say 歲歲平安 (suì suì píng ān) immediately, which means "everlasting peace year after year". Suì (歲), meaning "age" is homophonous with 碎 (meaning "shatter"), in demonstration of the Chinese love for wordplay in auspicious phrases. Similarly, 年年有餘 (nián nián yǒu yú), a wish for surpluses and bountiful harvests every year, plays on the word yú that can also refer to 魚 (meaning fish), making it a catch phrase for fish-based Chinese new year dishes and for paintings or graphics of fish that are hung on walls or presented as gifts. 

The most common auspicious greetings and sayings consist of four characters, such as the following:

• 金玉滿堂Jinyu mantang - "May your wealth [gold and jade] come to fill a hall"
• 大展鴻圖Dazhan hongtu - "May you realize your ambitions"
• 迎春接福Yingchun jiefu - "Greet the New Year and encounter happiness"
• 萬事如意Wanshi ruyi - "May all your wishes be fulfilled"
• 吉慶有餘Jiqing youyu - "May your happiness be without limit"
• 竹報平安Zhubao pingan - "May you hear [in a letter] that all is well"
• 一本萬利Yiban wanli = "May a small investment bring ten-thousandfold profits"
• 福壽雙全Fushou shuangquan - "May your happiness and longevity be complete"
• 招財進寶Zhaocai jinbao - "When wealth is acquired, precious objects follow"

These greetings or phrases may also be used just before children receive their red packets, when gifts are exchanged, when visiting temples, or even when tossing the shredded ingredients of yusheng particularly popular in Malaysia and Singapore.

Children and teenagers sometimes jokingly use the phrase (Traditional Chinese:恭喜發財,紅包拿來, Simplified Chinese: 恭喜发财，红包拿来) (Mandarin PinYin: gōng xǐ fā cái, hóng bāo ná lái) (Cantonese: 恭喜發財,利是逗來) roughly translated as "Congratulations and be prosperous, now give me a red envelope!". In the Hakka dialect the saying is more commonly said as 'Gung hee fatt choi, fung bao diu loi' which would be written as 恭喜發財,紅包逗來 – a mixture of the Cantonese and Mandarin variants of the saying.

Back in the 1970s, children in Hong Kong used the saying: 恭喜發財,利是逗來,伍毫嫌少,壹蚊唔愛 (Cantonese), roughly translated as, "Congratulations and be prosperous, now give me a red envelope, fifty cents is too little, don't want a dollar either." It basically meant that they disliked small change – coins which were called "hard substance" (Cantonese: 硬嘢). Instead, they wanted "soft substance" (Cantonese: 軟嘢), which was either a ten dollar or a twenty dollar bill.

Reference: Wikipedia

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