``Pick up your future''

mingshey · Post by **mingshey** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 6:39 am

In the first birthday party, we often arrange a couple of items in front of the baby and let him/her select one to foretell his/her future.

The traditional items are a skein of thread, a pencil(or a writing brush), and a bank note. The skein of thread sybolizes a long life, pencil studiousness, and the bank note wealth. These days we add a computer mouse and a microphone, each represents IT expertise and entertainer's talent.

Coming saturday is my daughter's first birthday. But we held the party for it this saturday, because we have the traditional New Year's Day in a fortnight and people are going to their home coming saturday.

And in this ceremony Nausikaa, in spite of our vague hope that she pick up the bank note, had picked up the pencil.

It's just a snapshot of the life in Korea. Thanks.

http://blogfile.paran.com/BLOG_17207/20 ... G_0817.JPG

classicalclarinet · Post by **classicalclarinet** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 8:59 am

These days we add a computer mouse and a microphone, each represents IT expertise and entertainer's talent.

Intersting...... she seems so indifferent about the pencil.. those academic types!

Happy Bday to Nausikaa.

Post by **klewlis** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 12:38 pm

what an interesting tradition! I've never heard of that. :)

what happens if the baby grabs something in each hand? lol

mingshey · Post by **mingshey** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 1:37 pm

klewlis wrote:what happens if the baby grabs something in each hand? lol

I've never thought of that. But some people are born with several talents.

I didn't tell the whole thing about the ceremony. There's lottery about the baby's pick for the guests. The prize is prepared by the parents.

Emma_85 · Post by **Emma_85** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 3:21 pm

hehehe, notice how she's tapping the back note with the pencil though...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NAUSIKAA!

lovely birthday decorations too...

annis · Post by **annis** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 4:11 pm

There is a book(?) next to the watermelon. What does it say on the cover?

Turpissimus · Post by **Turpissimus** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 4:23 pm

There is a book(?) next to the watermelon. What does it say on the cover?

Cake, isn't it?

Congratulations on your child's birthday mingshey. Pencil, eh? Should begin studying ancient greek any time soon.

annis · Post by **annis** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 5:21 pm

Turpissimus wrote:Cake, isn't it?

D'oh! That makes more sense.

Aurelia · Post by **Aurelia** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 3:58 am

Minshey, Nausikaa is such a cutie! I hope she had a great birthday.

Was the computer next to you on? If it wasn't, may I submit it to a certain site?

mingshey · Post by **mingshey** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 4:00 am

annis wrote:
Turpissimus wrote:Cake, isn't it?
D'oh! That makes more sense.

Yes, it is a rice cake. And there is wrtten "축 첫 돌", or "Congratulations, First Birthday" on it.

mingshey · Post by **mingshey** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 4:02 am

Emma_85 wrote:hehehe, notice how she's tapping the back note with the pencil though...

Yeah, there's our last resort.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NAUSIKAA!

lovely birthday decorations too...

Thanks!

mingshey · Post by **mingshey** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 4:07 am

Aurelia wrote:Minshey, Nausikaa is such a cutie! I hope she had a great birthday.

Was the computer next to you on? If it wasn't, may I submit it to a certain site?

Thanks.
It's a karaoke machine. but nobody was singing on it. Just for the background fanfare.

Does it matter for something if it was a computer?

Kopio · Post by **Kopio** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 6:42 am

I tell ya....that little gir1 just keeps getting more and more cute! You have a lovely family.

eris · Post by **eris** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 3:12 pm

Thank you for sharing your daughter's 1st birthday photo! You have a beautiful family!

As a side note, I remember my brother's first birthday...he picked the skein of thread. My mother told me that I picked the pencil. So far, the fortunes have been correct as my brother made it back safely after a 1 year in Iraq and I _still_ take courses at the university.

Post by **klewlis** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 4:25 pm

eris wrote:Thank you for sharing your daughter's 1st birthday photo! You have a beautiful family!

As a side note, I remember my brother's first birthday...he picked the skein of thread. My mother told me that I picked the pencil. So far, the fortunes have been correct as my brother made it back safely after a 1 year in Iraq and I _still_ take courses at the university. :D

I wonder whether part of the effect is caused by the parents telling a child from a young age what they picked. If your mom reminded you every so often that you picked the pencil, perhaps that would influence you towards scholarship...?

eris · Post by **eris** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 4:38 pm

That's an interesting point, klewlis. My mother told me about my "future" when I was in high school, either as a freshman or sophomore. I was already quite studious, but I do not know if I unconsciously increased my efforts after that bit of news. I wish I had tapped the money with my pencil...perhaps my fortunes would be a bit different now, eh?

Happy birthday & blessed fortunes to Nausikaa!

ThomasGR · Post by **ThomasGR** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 5:14 pm

Congratulation from me to your lovely girl, too!

Only one objection I would like to express.
Is it not too far fetch to call her a Greek name? Such name like Nausikaa is even for a Greek girl sounding a lot too weird and one of the things a (Greek) parent tries to avoid! Now I’m thinking about the Korean culture, and find it even more absurd to give her such a name. How will her friends call her? Does “Nausikaa” fit well to the Korean language?

mariek · Post by **mariek** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 9:20 pm

Happy Birthday Nausikaa!!!

What a beautiful picture of your family! Thanks for sharing.

I went to a part Korean 1st bday party for a little girl and they had the same ceremony where the baby picked an object in front of her. She (and the mom & grandma) wore traditional Korean dresses. I remember there was a very thick cake where a little bit of it seemed to go a long way... reminded me of elven bread.

mingshey · Post by **mingshey** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 12:42 am

Thanks everybody!

ThomasGR wrote:Congratulation from me to your lovely girl, too!

Only one objection I would like to express.
Is it not too far fetch to call her a Greek name? Such name like Nausikaa is even for a Greek girl sounding a lot too weird and one of the things a (Greek) parent tries to avoid! Now I’m thinking about the Korean culture, and find it even more absurd to give her such a name. How will her friends call her? Does “Nausikaa” fit well to the Korean language?

And thank you for your concern. I didn't know it would be weird for a Greek girl, too. Anyway, there was a lot of debate about this name and we(me and my wife) finally had shortened it to just "Nau(a bit like Nah-woo in Korean pronunciation)" for her official name. And I have attached Chinese characters for it, as many Korean names are in Chinese characters. "나(nah)우(woo)(娜優: beauty and excellence)". But Nausikaa is going to be her unofficial name. And my father prefers "Nausikaa", and he keeps protesting our having cut off her name. He IS weird, isn't he?

Anyway this name is quite well known as the character of a Miyazaki's animation "Kaze-no Tani-no Naushika", or "Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind" and her cousins like to call her Nausikaa(nah-woo-shi-kah).

Aurelia · Post by **Aurelia** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 4:32 am

Aurelia wrote:
Minshey, Nausikaa is such a cutie! I hope she had a great birthday.

Was the computer next to you on? If it wasn't, may I submit it to a certain site?
Thanks.
It's a karaoke machine. but nobody was singing on it. Just for the background fanfare. Does it matter for something if it was a computer?

well I go to this one website called Ghost Study and people send in pics of what they think might be ghosts. There seems to be a lot of faces that happen to appear on screens that have been turned off.

I noticed the screen in your pic and it looked kind of like the ones I've seen at the ghost site. But if the screen was turned on or something it's perfectly logical for there to be a face on it.

annis · Post by **annis** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 1:25 pm

mingshey wrote:And my father prefers "Nausikaa", and he keeps protesting our having cut off her name. He IS weird, isn't he?
Anyway this name is quite well known as the character of a Miyazaki's animation "Kaze-no Tani-no Naushika", or "Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind" and her cousins like to call her Nausikaa(nah-woo-shi-kah).

Will there be a special party for her first viewing of "Tonari no Totoro"?

mingshey · Post by **mingshey** » Wed Feb 02, 2005 12:18 am

Aurelia - I see. Sorry, but to your disapointment, the karaoke was on.

William - Well, I don't know if it's a good reason for a party. But I'll make it sure I'll hold a party for her first finishing Illiad A. In ancient Greek of course.

annis · Post by **annis** » Wed Feb 02, 2005 5:07 am

mingshey wrote:William - Well, I don't know if it's a good reason for a party.

Really? It was the first Miyazaki film I ever saw, so I suppose I have a special reverence for it.

mingshey · Post by **mingshey** » Sun Feb 06, 2005 7:18 am

Sorry, I didn't meant to hurt you, if I did.

I love Totoro, too. (And there's no war in Totoro animation

). But my first Miyazaki anime was Mirai Shonen Konan(or Future Boy Conan).
Even more I wouldn't want to celebrate my daughter's first watching of the anime "Nausicaä", for it is not telling the full stoty in the manga and the story is twisted a lot, to shorten the show time.

meta · Post by **meta** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 6:04 am

To Mingshey:

I love Nausicca

Homer's, Miyazaki's and yours.
You should be pride of the choice of your darling daughter.

Happy Spring Festival!! Are u wearing traditional dress now? Recently I watched several episodes of a Korean TV Series:澡堂老闆傢的男人們 the men of a public bath-owner's family(?), do you konw that? Very interesting, it brought my family a lot of fun

hahaha. They just hold a big big 100th-day anniversary banquet for their baby. I feel Korea maintained more traditional culture, some parts warm and elegant really.

classicalclarinet · Post by **classicalclarinet** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 6:22 am

Wow, I remember that show from a long time ago!
It really was one of the best comedy shows I've seen.

PS what is the animation?

meta · Post by **meta** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 2:34 pm

u should not miss it. ^^

http://www.waldau.com/griffin.html

http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/films/

mingshey · Post by **mingshey** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 5:26 pm

meta wrote:To Mingshey:

I love Nausicca Homer's, Miyazaki's and yours.
You should be pride of the choice of your darling daughter.

Happy Spring Festival!! Are u wearing traditional dress now? Recently I watched several episodes of a Korean TV Series:澡堂老闆傢的男人們 the men of a public bath-owner's family(?), do you konw that? Very interesting, it brought my family a lot of fun hahaha. They just hold a big big 100th-day anniversary banquet for their baby. I feel Korea maintained more traditional culture, some parts warm and elegant really.

I'm familiar with the title of the series(목욕탕집 남자들) but I did not watch a lot of episodes of it. And I don't remember a single episode from it. I think I was busy with my homeworks or stuff like that by the time it was on the show. 100th day is roughly about a year since the baby is conceived and it also has the meaning that the baby has overcome major survaival crises. It is from the days when infant death toll was very high in the past. There are also celebrations for 60th and 70th birthdays. Almost the similar reason: survival from the hard times of life. But now with all the medical cares it has almost become only a traditional day of celebration. Some hold a large banquet and some hold only a small party, or maybe nothing. Anyway such a celebration is a great chance for family reunion.

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``Pick up your future''

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