Chinese New Year's dinner and prayers for a prosperous 2009

On Friday evening I had Chinese New Year's dinner with my Hong Kong office. Above and below:
Suckling pig (complete with flashing lights for eyes)
Shark fin soup
Abalone and goose foot
Unidentified red fishEarlier in the day I'd been with the team to a Temple in the New Territories. To my enduring shame I can't remember its Chinese name, but the English translation means "Engine Temple".
All things business are prayed for at the shrine inside and it is a tradition for office staff to decamp there on Chinese New Year to pray for good fortune for the business in the coming year.Whether you've just bought a taxi and want to pray for the good fortune of the business or a CEO employing 1000's, you head to the temple, burn Joss sticks and get a "professional" prayer maker to recite an plea on behalf of your venture.
This is not a place for asthmatics.
The smoke is thick and a bit oppressive even for a smoker like myself. That's it for today.
After the dinner I had a few drinks and went home for a night of tossing and turning trying to sleep.
Bleary eyed, I was up at the crack of dawn to fly to the UK.
Sixteen hours later I set down here in the UK.
I hit the sack at 7 pm last night and slept 12 hours.
I was supposed to see my daughter this morning, but like countless times before, it is not to be.
Tomorrow, I'm catching a flight to Rio via Madrid and catch my flight at 6 am from the hell hole that is Heathrow.
I've got a grey Sunday to kill in London first.Stay well everyone.
T