By Chester Francis-Jackson, Gleaner WriterHAVE YOU ever noticed the proclivity by the would-be black intelligentsia and the ignoramus that when they speak of Jamaica, they tend to claim it almost exclusively and to the omission of all others?
It's a funny thing indeed, as the history of this here island clearly indicates that the blacks were a transplanted race! That they, through revisionism would seek to deny all others but themselves legitimate claim to being Jamaicans, seems somewhat and particularly odd. Indeed, this posture not only flies in the face of their own ethnic diversity and racial mix-up, that made us a unique people, it would also deny us that unique niche we have carved in the world that has set us apart from people divided along ethnic and or racial boundaries; and any such posture would seek to irrevocably harm our national psyche and is deleterious to the essence and spirit of our motto - Out of Many One.
And so it is, my dears, that this year, the Chinese celebrate their 100th and 150th anniversary of their arrival here, and as they celebrate, we not only celebrate with them, but we embrace their culture of discipline, thrift and industry that have made them beacons of inspiration to a battle-weary polloi, ever striving for self fulfillment!
SOMETHING WORTH EMULATING
After all, there must be something worth emulating from a 5,000-year-old culture!
Anyways, last Thursday, was the beginning of the Chinese New Year, the Chinese New Year being determined by a Lunar (as opposed to a Gregorian one) calendar, and so dependent on the cycle of the moon may well fall anywhere between late January to early February. To celebrate its arrival, Capt. Michael Lyn and his wife, the absolutely fabulous Thalia Lyn, she being one of Kingston's high-society leading social arbiters and mavens, on Sunday last, threw the Chinese New Year's reception, to welcome the Year of the Monkey, and how!
Dovecakes, it was simply and oh so remarkably fabulous, it was to-die-for!
Now, to be sure, the celebrations were two-fold as indeed, last Sunday, was the Lyns business partner's Capt. David McRae's birthday. And so the reception was indeed a double whammy - taking on the overt flavour of a fanciful New Year celebration, and the more restraint air of an adult birthday party.
My Dears, the affair began at 1:00 p.m. at the Lyns trés fab Old Stony Hill residence. By mid-afternoon, however, the Lyns' home was awash in the triumphant red of the Chinese culture, as guests, came all a-sporting a commemorative red ensemble to embrace the arriving New Year. It made for an absolutely fabulous fashionably red affair and then some. This was an affair that was a gathering of the very acme of haute-society - all out sharing felicitations and breaking bread in the spirit of goodwill and fellowship that is the hallmark of the Chinese New Year celebrations.
BODY OF DIGNITARIES
And among the august body of dignitaries spotted, at the Lyns fabulous Old Stony Hill residence celebrating the impending arrival of the Chinese Year of the Monkey, as well as Capt. Dave McRae's birthday, included: Security Minister Dr. Peter and Sandra Phillips; Tourism and Industry Minister Aloun Assamba; Chinese Ambassador Zhenyu Zhao and Madam Zhao Zhenyu; Iceland's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Hjalmar Hannesson and his charming wife Anna; Head of the EU Delegation Ambassador Gerd Jarchow; French Ambassador Pierre-Antoine Berniard; Indian High Commissioner Inder and Nanita Choper: Deputy British High Commissioner Phil Sinkerson and wife Claire; Chris and Michelle Bovell; Kenny Benjamin and the lovely Aloima Suarez, her parents; Lascelles Chin and his lovely daughter Lisa Chin; Donald Panton and Sandra LynShue; Kevin and Jackie Hendrickson; Ian Levy; Paul and Oriente Issa; Donovan and Andrea Lewis; Peter and Beverly Rousseau; Adrian and Darilyn Foreman; Joe Matalon and Bernadette McKinley-Morin; Patrick and Marguerite Lynch; Herman McLarty and wife Dorothy Pine McLarty and their lovely daughter Rachel McLarty; Ambassador Madge Barrett and hubby Tunty; Drs. Dhiru and Laura Tanna; Mrs. Lorna Golding; Gerry Neisen and fashion's grand diva Lorna Myers; Howard Hamilton; Prakash and Anita Vaswani; Dr. Randolph and Andrea Cheeks; Trevor Lyn and his oh sooo fabulously hot-looking wife Sandra Kennedy; George Fatta; Hayden and Joyce Singh; Geoffery and Jennifer Messado; Dave Banmiller and companion Michelle Hussey; Derek and Maureen Jones; Capt. Mike and Anne Marie Feanny: Aubyn Hill and his fabulous wife Tamara; Drs. Richard and Carolyn Gomes; Mark Prichett; Anthony and Jeanne Bell; Herbie Phillips; Norman and Mignon 'Jean' Wright; and Richard Capleton and Yasmin Chong; the elegant Judith Douglas; Hubie Chin and wife Jean Lowrie-Chin; Seamus Lynch; Robert and Donna Stephens; Carl O'Brien; Bob and Angie Fowler; Alva Anderson; Andrew Bogle and the lovely Charmaine Chin-Loy; Mark and Karen Myers; Wayne and Janet Kirkpatrick; the lovely Claudette Chong; Dr. Robert Chen; Mr. and Mrs. Donovan Perkins; Capt. Marco Miret; Peter Bovell and fiancee Donnia Gomez; Donna Parchment; R. Christene King; sisters Virginia and Nancy Burke; Duncan and Christene Messado; the ageless Dawn Eckval; Mark and Julie Riettie; the lovely Louise Finnegan; Novia McDonald-Whyte; Annette McDonnough; plus several scores others.
And as the Chinese say Kung Hee Fatt Choy! Meaning a happy New Year to y'all!
