Monday, January 26, 2009

Happy New Year!
Today marks the beginning of the Chinese (Lunar) New Year. Welcome to the year of the Ox!. I was born in an Ox Year which means I am supposed to have the following characteristics:

Leader, dependable, calm, modest, patient, tireless in work, capable of enduring hardship, set in their ways, determined, logical, pragmatic, caring, strong-minded, stubborn, individualistic, highly intelligent, independent, self-reliant, sincere, wary of new trends, sociable and relaxed when secure.

The calm, modest and patient you can throw out when describing my traits- I think my Italian heritage has more to do with who I am here with terms closer to- high strung, assertive, and restless!

Making me even more rigid is that I am a metal ox. So add- this according to that ubiquitous Internet source Wikipedia-

The qualities associated with metal are unyieldingness, rigidity, persistence, strength and determination. The metal person is controlling, ambitious, forceful and set in their ways as metal is very strong; and they are self-reliant and prefer to handle their problems alone. The metal person is also materialistic, business oriented and good at organization and stability. However the metal person can also appreciate luxury and enjoy the good things in life. Just as metal can conduct electricity, the Metal person has strong impulses and generative powers and can bring about changes and transformations for those who come into contact with them. Metal is believed to govern the lungs, nose and skin. The negative emotion associated with metal is grief, while the positive emotion is courage.

And what kind of year will 2009 the year of the Earth Ox be? Hopefully a hell of lot better than last year, a Rat indeed! Happy New Year Everyone!

(Photo- Richmond, BC, one of my favorite Chinese cities)

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