Bird, Flowers, and Fish

The usual bird and flower combination finds a new friend today, fish, joining the two contiguous realms of terrestrial and aquatic life, presented on rice paper. The second one bears a special significance. Read on.

This is a gift to our friend, Amanda. In addition to being Hubby's colleague, she is a Notary Public, the equivalent of an Oath Commissioner back home. And she has notarized all of our documents that require such an endorsement. As a token of our appreciation for her invaluable service in this regard, this is our way of saying a big Thank You. The greeting words, in Chinese, read as follows in English translation:

To Amanda, May you realize all your aspirations, May everything go your way, and May there always be a surplus of blessings for years to come.

[Note that the word, surplus, is the phonetic equivalent of fish when pronounced in Chinese. Hence, the Chinese people have always used fish to denote a surplus of blessings and fortune, especially on Chinese New Year greeting cards].

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