On the eve of Chinese New Year, I went to Charms & Crystals to purchase charm bracelets for my mom and sister. A relative was going to the US and I asked my uncle to bring pasalubong for them. They’re into this sort of thing. They actually believe in Feng Shui but they’re not fanatics like someone I know who can’t move and do things without consulting her feng shui master.

Anyway, the place was filled with ‘believers’. Joy Lim was there to give advice and tips on what rituals to do on new year’s eve. To make the long story short, I left the place with my own charm bracelet, a wishing paper, incense and cleansing soap to wash away bad luck or bad chi. I became a convert. Is that bad?

we arrived at 2pm with 5 or 7 people ahead of me. an hour after, it was finally my turn.

i bought this wishing paper. this serves as the envelope to wrap all your wishes inside.

which i did on a whole sheet of white bond paper. it has to be white and the other side should be left blank. i had 9 specific wishes total. by the way, your wishes should be specific. good health, new business etcetera are not specifics.

i took a bath first before i started writing. an incense should be lit while writing down your wishes. and all these steps should be done before 12 midnight because

at midnight or even just minutes after midnight, you have to burn the paper with your wishes inside. it has to be done outside where the ashes could fly freely. not in your garage, not inside the house nor inside your room.

Now, I’ll let you know next year if my wishes were actually granted. Haha…