2015 ... The Year of the RAM?

My red envelope I received on
Chinese New Year's eve at the temple

Every year when I go to the Chinese temple to celebrate Chinese New Year I'm given a red envelope at the end of the blessing ceremony, which usually contains some trinket along with a thank-you message from the temple community.

The trinket that was inside my red envelope

This year it was a hanging ornament containing a gold coin on a card with the words auspicious blessing written on it.

Then I see a news story about the Royal Australian Mint (RAM) minting a coin to celebrate the mint's 50 anniversary this year ... in the Year of the RAM/Sheep/Goat of all years.
Bit of a coin-cidence I thought;-)
Royal Australian Mint celebrates 50 years spent producing Australia's currency

The Royal Australian Mint (RAM) will celebrate its 50th birthday this weekend by throwing open its factory doors to the public and releasing a golden commemorative coin.

Since the RAM first opened its doors in Canberra in 1965, it has churned out about 15 billion coins for circulation.
Fifty years ago, the mint was officially opened by

His Royal Highness Prince Philip, along with prime minister

Sir Robert Menzies and federal treasurer Harold Holt.
At the time, a postage stamp cost 4 cents, newspapers 5 cents and the average weekly wage was $63.
RAM chief executive officer Ross MacDiarmid said the anniversary marked a monumental occasion for Australia.
"The Royal Australian Mint was purposefully built to make Australia's new coinage in time for the introduction of decimal currency the following year," he said.
"Over one billion coins had to be made and they unveiled not only a new system of currency, but also six new coin designs - one, two, five, 10, 20 and 50 cent coins showcasing Australian wildlife."
Canberra resident Patricia Hammond made a special visit back to the Mint for the open day.

Patricia Hammond and friends from
Bega made a special trip to see the Mint 

Ms Hammond was at the Mint opening in 1965 and remembered hearing sheep from a nearby paddock during the official ceremony with Prince Phillip.
"I was 33 years old in 1965 and was living in Hughes," she said.
"We all had seats sitting in front of the Mint, and there was a large paddock in the background with a lot of noisy sheep.
"And Prince Phillip turned around and said: 'Well, I've got an audience in the front and back, and I've never opened a Mint before in a great big country field, so good luck' - and that was it."
To mark the mint's golden anniversary, a limited edition, gold-plated collectible coin has been produced.
Appropriately, it will only be available for 50 days - and the total number made, 22,265, matches the anniversary date of

22 February, 1965.
The coin and can be purchased at the mint and online from February 21.

17th Prime Minister of Australia

On a side note, to the story above, I notice that Harold Holt, who would later become an Australian Prime-minister later on in his career, was the federal treasurer when the RAM was opened.
Harold Holt when acting Prime minister of Australia would go out for a swim in the ocean ... so the story goes ... and never be seen again.
He just vanished.
"On the morning of Sunday 17 December 1967, Holt together with friends Christopher Anderson, Jan Lee and George Illson and his two bodyguards, drove down from Melbourne to see the British yachtsman Alec Rose sail through Port Phillip Heads in his boat Lively Lady to complete a leg of his solo circumnavigation of the globe, which started and ended in England. Around noon, the party drove to one of Holt's favourite swimming and snorkelling spots, Cheviot Beach on Point Nepean near Portsea, on the eastern arm of Port Phillip Bay. Holt decided to go swimming, although the surf was heavy and Cheviot Beach was notorious for its strong currents and dangerous rip tides.
Ignoring his friends' pleas not to go in, Holt began swimming, but soon disappeared from view. Fearing the worst, his friends raised the alert. 
Within a short time, the beach and the water off shore were being searched by a large contingent of police, Royal Australian Navy divers,
 Royal Australian Air Force helicopters, Army personnel from nearby Point Nepean and local volunteers. 
This quickly escalated into one of the largest search operations in Australian history, but no trace of Holt could be found.
Two days later, on 19 December 1967, the government made an official announcement that Holt was thought to be dead. The Governor-General Lord Casey sent for the Country Party leader and Coalition Deputy Prime Minister John McEwen, and he was sworn in as caretaker Prime Minister until such time as the Liberals elected a new leader."
Harold Edward Holt, (5 August 1908 – 17 December 1967)

Also, on the subject of the RAM and money, when I was grocery shopping yesterday, I was craving an iced coffee, so I went to the dairy cabinet in the supermarket and found this brand of iced coffee, which I had not heard of before and thought was rather unusually named considering the milk came from a cow and not a RAM.

How do you get milk from a RAM?!

What other event was held on the 22nd of February this year featuring gold?

"Lady Gaga has described meeting Julie Andrews after she performed her Sound of Music medley at the Oscars as a "magical" surprise.

Dame Julie joined the singer on stage at the 87th Academy Awards to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the film classic about nun-turned-governess Maria Von Trapp who falls in love with her widower boss, a retired naval Captain played by

Christopher Plummer.

After a clip of the movie, Lady Gaga appeared in a floaty white dress to perform a medley featuring The Sound Of Music,

My Favourite Things, Edelweiss and Climb Every Mountain - to an overwhelmingly positive reaction on social media." 
Lady Gaga on Julie Andrews' surprise Oscars appearance

 On a personal note, I was born in the Year of the Dragon and am 50 years old at the moment.

I wasn't going to add this part to the post, but I find it personally synchy 

and funny at the same time.

I couldn't take my eye off Lady Gaga's trumpet tattoo when she was singing the Sound of Music songs at the Oscars.

All I kept thinking when seeing that tattoo was I don't like it and I wish it wasn't there, not that it's got anything to do with me what LG puts on her arm, but that was the thought I just couldn't help thinking while watching her performance.

Then later on that night I go back to watching the TV series Lost and the episode I'm watching has a road sign in it that I've never seen before and I couldn't help thinking about LG's tattoo.

The scene from Lost with the no horns sign;-)