Rain or shine

Come rain or shine, the parasol/umbrella proves to be a 'must-have' in every household.  It has evolved to be a corporate gift to customers bearing the company's name.  You can never get too many-they always ended up being left behind in a friend's home or the restaurants.  One friend always put it between the car driver's door and  seat - yes, you guessed it - it will end up being whacked to a horrible state when one slams the door.  And it goes to the dustbin.  And she needs another one again.  And it will end up in the horrible state.  

I came across the above umbrella and it stirs up a memory of yesteryears when father had one umbrella of the same design.  It was made of waxed paper and held up by an intricate arrangements of bamboo/wooden parts. Needless to say, the waxed paper tears easily.  Totally biodegrable - hey, they go GREEN then before  we need to be reminded/cautioned about global warming.

Nowadays, the umbrella comes in various designs and colors - at one time, I really wanted to have a newsprint design and then my mind was changed when I fell in love with a transparent one.  For weddings, Malay and Chinese do require the umbrella in the ceremony.  It does prove useful to cover oneself when pee/poo in the open - I tried once on a long journey in midst of nowhere!

In the sun, I prefer to use an umbrella than a hat as your whole body will be in the shade. Some old folks use it as a walking stick and when rain comes, they are well prepared!  

The most iconic person with an umbrella goes to Mary Poppins!