New Year Tradition from the World

The new year has arrived! Do you have a family ritual or traditional way to celebrate the new year’s day? Here are some fun facts about new year traditions of many different countries.

 

    1.   In the early American colonies, the sounds of ___________ shots rang through the air, and black-eyed ______________ and pork foretell good fortune in southern United States.

 

    2.   The Irish enjoy pastries called _______________.

 

    3.   In India and Pakistan, rice promises _________________.

 

    4.   _____________ dipped in honey are a Rosh Hashanah tradition.

 

    5.   In Swiss homes, dollops of __________________ cream, symbolizing the richness of the year to come, are dropped on the floors and allowed to remain there.

 

    6.   “Wassail”, the Gaelic term for “good ______________”, is served in some parts of England. Spiced “hot pint” is the Scottish version of wassail. Traditionally, the Scots drank to each other’s prosperity and also offered this warm drink to neighbors along with a small gift.

 

    7.   In Rome, gifts of gilded nuts or ______________  marked the start of the new year.

 

    8.   ___________, the symbol of fertility, were exchanged by the Persians.

 

    9.   Early ___________________ traded earthenware flasks.

 

    10. In Scotland, coal, shortbread and silverware were traditionally exchanged for ____________________________.

 

 

*Source from The Old Farmer’s Almanac

 

 

Answer Keys

1.  gun/ pistol, peas

2.  bannocks

3.  prosperity

4.  apples

5.  whipped

6.  health

7.  coins

8.  Eggs

9.  Egyptians

10.              Good luck

Episode #50 of Dr. Jedidiah's Diary: Marina, My First Love

 Dr. Jedidiah’s Diary

Dr. Jedidiah is a psychiatrist who loves traveling, meeting new people, and exploring different cultures. As a single father who lost his wife to drug overdose 10 years ago, he has not been his old perky self for the last decade. During those hard years, he has met hundreds of, thousands of people from various walks of life around all over the world. Meeting new people and listening to their stories outside his office have given him different feelings from the ones through the formal encounter groups or support groups for therapy. These people he has accidentally come across were the paths through which Dr. Jedidiah could look back on his own life, being truly honest with himself. Here is Dr. Jedidiah’s monologue that has left him with some food for thoughts in life….or a fodder to justify his own mistakes in the past.

 

Episode 50. Marina, My First Love

When I happened to take a cursory glance at Marina’s wrist, I doubted my eyes and pretended that I saw nothing. A few quiet seconds filled with awkward silence was finally broken when she said “Ugh! Can’t we just stop this staring game? I know you saw my slit wrist. Don’t worry, I’m not emo. It’s just mulage.” I was lost for words, but had to say anything to make sure that I loved her no matter what. “Yes, I saw your wrist, hon, but…it is not mulage. It’s real. I’m a doctor, Marina… You can be honest with me all the time.” Marina looked upset and not convinced by my words. I felt miserable, not only because my girlfriend must have been suffering but also that I was so unaware of her sadness behind the glittering façade of her smile.

 

Marina and I met at the annual end-of-the-year party held in the backyard garden of my clinic. She was brought to the party by one of my patients who had seen me for a year. My patient Winona, who was Marina’s aunt, said “Dr. J, I thought you might need someone you spend your time with outside this clinic. This is my niece Marina that I’d really love you to see.” I was a bit embarrassed by this kind of unplanned arrangement for meeting a woman, especially by someone that I counselled and treated in my own office. Nonetheless, Marina was such an attractive lady who shouldn’t get turned down by a two-bit widower like me. As Winona was leaving for a nice spread of charcuterie and champaigns on the table, she winked at me and whispered “Dr. J, you look like me on the first day I met you in your office. Don’t be in such a swivet. I bet Marina is gonna be a wonderful friend of yours.” Marina held out her hand cordially, and I felt giddy and excited inside as if it had been my very first time to meet a girl. She gave me a big smile and said “Hi, Doc J. I’m Marina. Auntie Winona has told me a lot about you. Guess I’d never need to see you as my shrink although I have an addiction…but I don’t think this addiction would require any treatment from your office. I’m so in love with running.”

 

Since Marina had come to my world, I had become a matutinal person who eagerly anticipated the daybreak to see her beautiful smile and join her for joyful running. Our relationship seemed to be coming up roses. We had shared laughter, heartfelt letters, phone calls all night long, and sometimes heated discussions about poverty, marginalized people, painfully divided minds in cultural crosscurrents, and morbid parts of our society. Because Marina was born to poor Native American parents in the Indian reservation, her life in Pueblo had never felt ideal or comfortable. Her father died when she was only an elementary schooler, and her jobless mother became alcoholic. That was why Marina was raised by her aunt when her mother wasn’t able to take care of her only daughter anymore. Marina helped her auntie Winona sell cheap goods at swap meet after school. She told me I’d never imagine how busy she was as a young student during the daytime and as a hard-working sales assistant at her auntie’s swap meet until she goes to college. Marina thought she was lucky to be brought up by her kind auntie Winona whose life looked much better than the one in reservation since she got married to a rich Caucasian man. However, Marina’s childhood was teetering on the brink of downfall and indelible trauma. Auntie Winona’s husband was a dangerously violent man who had beaten his wife and tried a ton of times to molest little Marina. She had been scared and terrified, being abused by that evil man next to auntie Winona for all those years. When Marina felt she was at the end of the road, she decided to square up to her hardship and tell her school teachers and counselors about her devastating situation at home. With the help of school authority, Marina was able to stay with foster family who later adopted her as their own daughter.

 

After graduation from college, Marina started to work as a social worker and an avid human rights activist for the justice and equality of BIPOC. She was so proud of her work to help the less privileged and people in poverty-stricken areas. She also ran more than 10 marathons with her friends and coworkers for the good cause of reaching out to BIPOC and those abused by family members in our society.

 

When I happened to see her wrist that had so many slit wounds, I was lost for words. She gave me a sad but proud smile that seemed to say she was a survivor, not a loser.

 

Expressions

    1.   cursory glance: hasty/ superficial

 

    2.   emo: an emotional person. They are not depressed all the time and some are acually very happy at times.

 

    3.   mulage: Acronym for "Made Up Like A Genuine Emergency”

 

4.   two-bit: cheap, of bad quality

 

    5.   charcuterie: cold cuts of meats and cheeses

 

6.   swivet: a state of extreme agitation/ a fluster or panic

 

7.   Indian Reservation:the Native American and First Nation peoples were moved to reservations as a deliberate policy of "ethnic cleansing" in the 19th century. ... The Indian nations currently living on reservations want to preserve such rights as they have.

 

8.   Pueblo: a North American Indian settlement of the southwestern US, especially one consisting of multistoried adobe houses built by the Pueblo people.

 

    9.   to teeter on the brink of something: To be very close to doing something or of having some imminent event happen, especially that which is bad or disastrous.

 

10.  indelible: not able to be forgotten or removed

 

 11. BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, People of Color

A Piece of Poem dedicated to All the Cooks at Home in the Quarantined Year of 2020 by Jean Lee

 The 12 Days of Christmas Ode to All the Cooks at Home in 2020

by Jean Lee

 

On the 1^st day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

A spare fridge instead of a tree

 

On the 2^nd day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree

 

On the 3^rd day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree

 

On the 4^th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Four tubs of curds, three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree

 

On the 5^th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Five muffin rings, four tubs of curds, three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree

 

On the 6^th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Six cheese I’m saving, five muffin rings, four tubs of curds, three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree.

On the 7^th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Seven naans a burning, six cheese I’m saving, five muffin rings, four tubs of curds, three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree

 

On the 8^th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Eight drinks for sipping, seven naans a burning, six cheese I’m saving, five muffin rings, four tubs of curds, three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree

 

On the 9^th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Nine licorice for licking, eight drinks for sipping, seven naans a burning, six cheese I’m saving, five muffin rings, four tubs of curds, three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree

 

On the 10^th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Ten gourds of pumpkins, nine licorice for licking, eight drinks for sipping, seven naans a burning, six cheese I’m saving, five muffin rings, four tubs of curds, three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree

 

On the 11^th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Eleven griddles for frying, ten gourds of pumpkins, nine licorice for licking, eight drinks for sipping, seven naans a burning, six cheese I’m saving, five muffin rings, four tubs of curds, three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree

 

On the 12^th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Twelve cutters for cookies, eleven griddles for frying, ten gourds of pumpkins, nine licorice for licking, eight drinks for sipping, seven naans a burning, six cheese I’m saving, five muffin rings, four tubs of curds, three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree

Time to Play the Puzzle with Christmas related sentences!

This is the latest Sunday Word Puzzle from NPR! Here are some sentences about Christmas. For each one, change one letter in one of the words to reveal a state capital.

Example: I'm a lover of the whole Christmas season. --> DOVER (Delaware)

 

1. The kids made a lot of noise unwrapping their presents.

 

2. Did you hear Santa Claus landing on the roof?

 

3. Christmas is a season of traditional sacraments.

 

4. The little sock hanging by the fireplace is my baby brother's.

 

5. You'll have to pierce the packaging to get out the Christmas ornament.

 

6. Julys and Augusts are when stores place their Christmas orders.

 

7. Is this the same Santa we ran into at the other mall?

 

8. I can't wait for the after-Christmas sales.

 

Answer Keys

    1.  Boise (Idaho)

    2.  Lansing (Michigan)

    3.  Sacramento (California)

    4.  Little Rock (Arkansas)

    5.  Pierre (South Dakota)

    6.  Augusta (Maine)

    7.  Santa Fe (New Mexico)

    8.  Salem (Oregon)

Finding Phrases with First 2 Letters of Each Given Word (from NPR Sunday Puzzle)

Time to play the puzzle! This is the latest NPR Sunday Puzzle (created by Will Shortz) aired on December 13^th, 2020.

Every answer today is a familiar phrase in the form "___ & ___," in which the first two letters of the first word plus the first two letters of the last word themselves spell a word. I'll give you that word as well as a definition of the phrase. You tell me the phrase.

 

Example: SODA — combination performance --> Song & dance

 

1. BOAR — Native American weapon

 

2. CAMO — cunning game that a feline and rodent might play

 

3. EVAN — old-fashioned phrase meaning "occasionally"

 

4. ABBE — more than could possibly be expected

 

5. LASE — amphibious

 

6. SHAW — overwhelm through a show of force

 

7. BACH — heavy restraint to keep a prisoner from escaping

 

8. HOVE — like the positions of the x and y axes on a graph

 

 

 

 

Answer Keys

    1.  Bow and Arrow

    2.  Cat and Mouse

    3.  Ever and Anon

    4.  Above Beyond

    5.  Land and Sea

    6.  Shock and Awe

    7.  Ball and Chain

    8.  Horizontal and Vertical

Dr. Jedidiah's Diary Episode #49. Are You With Me, My Friend?

Dr. Jedidiah’s Diary

Dr. Jedidiah is a psychiatrist who loves traveling, meeting new people, and exploring different cultures. As a single father who lost his wife to drug overdose 10 years ago, he has not been his old perky self for the last decade. During those hard years, he has met hundreds of, thousands of people from various walks of life around all over the world. Meeting new people and listening to their stories outside his office have given him different feelings from the ones through the formal encounter groups or support groups for therapy. These people he has accidentally come across were the paths through which Dr. Jedidiah could look back on his own life, being truly honest with himself. Here is Dr. Jedidiah’s monologue that has left him with some food for thoughts in life….or a fodder to justify his own mistakes in the past.

 

Episode 49. Are You With Me, My Friend?

The day when my close buddy, Tim passed still brings me a lot of thoughts. To me, he seemed to be the very last person to leave this world for good. He was the most gentle, kind-hearted, and soft-spoken man that people who lost their loved ones could ever imagine and count on in their deepest sorrow of grieving. I found myself smirking at the thought of ‘Where’s Tim now? He should be right here, consoling the bereaved family and friends at the viewing. Oh,…I must be crazy. He’s the one right there in the open casket. What are you doing there, buddy?’ Even while I was looking down on his lifeless, but peaceful face and body in his casket, I could not believe that he was gone. Frankly, I was too selfish to admit that Tim would not be there for me when I’d need someone to wrap up my life. Who else could do the mitzvah for me on my final day?

 

Tim and I grew up in the same town, going to the same schools from K through 12, sharing silly jokes, speaking ill of mean streak teachers, hanging out together every day after school, and even sharing bitter feelings of having no prom dates. We even knew each other’s secret dark sides an often finished each other’s sentences, giggling as if we meant to say “Verbum sap!”. Although he was born to the parents of Scottish origin, I had often felt like Tim and I were related. He accepted me just the way I was either on good or gloomy days. Even my cranky mood would not push him away from me. He’d say “Where’s all your jollification? But I forgive even your tirrivee, man, just like my Scottish mama says!” Yes, we were so tight that nobody could be in the way of our friendship. However, he was growing more and more silent and withdrawn in our senior year of high school. Tim was no longer that cheerful friend of mine who used to joke around all the time and dance with gusto at the annual talent show at school. He was often caught with a faraway look, while I was talking to him. When I asked Tim what he would do after graduation, he seemed very hesitant about letting me know what was on his mind. One day, I was at the lowest threshold of my patience and yelled at him. “Hey, Tim, can’t you just stop prevaricating? What’s the matter with you? Just tell me what you’re up to, dude Your silence just sticks in my craw!!”

 

The air surrounding me and Tim felt too unfamiliarly cold that day. Tim said “Listen, I don’t want you to be a fussbudget when I confide in you now. I’ll be working for my father’s funeral home. Yes….I’ll become a funeral director like my dad.” Dumbfounded and lost for words. All I could say was “Oh, will ya? Yeah, why not? It is a necessary business that everybody needs some day.” Tim looked me in the eye for a moment and said “It is not just business. It’s more about the ultimate respect that a human presents to other humans. Like my dad has always told me, death is part of life. It is only the door to the eternal life elsewhere, and funeral directors help wrap up the passers’ body and soul with dignity at the door. I’d like to be part of that calling. Are you with me?”

 

After 20 years of living apart from each other, I heard a sad news from our mutual friend that Tim died of cancer. When I visited the viewing, all our good old memories as a child and teenaged boys came crashing through my mind. Tim looked as if he’d suddenly get up and say “Got ya!”. I came closer to Tim’s sleeping face and tried to whisper some good words in his ear, but felt no need to do so. Tim must have been looking down on me up there in Heaven and saying “Verbum sap, my friend.”

 

 

 

Expressions

   1.  to smirk: smile in an irritatingly smug, conceited, or silly way

 

   2.  viewing: an unstructured gathering of friends and family where visitors can pay their respects to either the deceased after having been prepared by a mortician, or to a cremation urn or series of memorial photos   

   3.  mitzvah: a good deed done from religious duty

 

   4.  mean streak: an inclination, tendency, or propensity for cruelty, spite, malice, or violence

   

   5.  verbum sap: a word to the wise is sufficient/ no more need to be said

 

   6.  tirrivee: tantrum

  

   7.  with gusto: a lot of eagerness/ passion

 

   8.  a faraway look: a facial expression or gaze that suggests that one is preoccupied by or contemplating something and not paying attention to one's current surroundings

 

   9.  to prevaricate: to speak or write or behave evasively/ to delay or procrastinate

 

   10.  something sticks in one’s craw: to rankle or irritate one

 

   11.  fussbudget: one who tends to be fussy or particular, usually to an excessive or unnecessary degree

 

   12.  calling: a strong inner impulse toward a particular course of action especially when accompanied by conviction of divine influence

 

Finding Proverbs

 It’s time for this last Sunday’s (December 6^th, 2020) ‘on-air challenge of Word Puzzle by Will Shortz’ on NPR!!

Three consecutive words somewhere in each sentence to be read are the first three words of a familiar proverb or saying. Tell me what it is.

 

Example: Put out a saucer of milk when the cat's hungry. --> When the cat's away the mice will play.

 

    1.   As meteorologists know, every cloud has water droplets.

 

    2.   Variety is the daily publication of show business.

 

    3.   The surgeon put a stitch in the gaping wound.

  

    4.   Through the mountains the road to the next town is very twisty.

 

    5.   On average the proof of most whiskey is 80.

 

    6.   In this motel a picture is hanging over every bed.

 

    7.   The joke starts: a priest, a fool, and a lawyer walk into a bar.

 

Answer Keys

   1.  Every cloud has a silver lining.  

   2.  Variety is the spice of life.   

   3.  A stitch in time saves nine.

   4.  The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

   5.  The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

   6.  A picture is worth a thousand word.

   7.  A fool and his money are easily parted.

Finding Compound Words - NPR on-air challenge of Sunday Puzzle!

Here’s another batch of NPR Sunday Puzzle created by Will Shortz. Ready to solve the puzzle? With given three words starting with "F", you give me another word that could follow each of the three words, and in each case it has to form a compound word OR a familiar two-word phrase.

 

Example: Full, Flex, Father (four letters starting with T) --> TIME (full-time, flextime, Father Time) 

 

1. Fly, Fifth, Ferris (5, W)

 

2. Fresh, Flood, Fire (5, W)

 

3. Fun, Full, Fraternity (5, H)

 

4. Flash, Focal, Freezing (5, P)

 

5. Fuel, Firing, Finish (4, L)

 

6. Feed, Flight, Flea (3, B)

 

7. Foul, Foot, Fur (4, B)

 

8. Fig, Fir, Family (4, T)

 

9. Fat, Fair, Fighting (6, C)

 

10. Fish, Funnel, Fruit (4, C)

 

11. First, Free, Farm (4, H)

 

Answer Keys

    1.  wheel

    2.  water

    3.  house

    4.  point

    5.  line

    6.  bag

    7.  ball

    8.  tree  

    9.  chance

   10. cake

   11. hand