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Happy Chinese New Year!

Gong hey faut choi! (sp?). This is actually quite the year according to Chinese (and some asian) culture. Not only is this the year of the pig, it is the year of the “Golden Pig,” which only happens every 600 years. The meaning behind this significance is that any child born on this year will live a prosperous and wealthy life. Whether you believe in this or not, some individuals have taken this seriously and have done something about it. Korea is expecting a 10% boost in birthrate this year. Shanghai hospitals is also reporting increases in women giving birth or planning to give birth to a “golden pig” child for good luck.

I can imagine how incredulous this all sounds, but this type of faith is common and actually quite influencial. From my experience, the coincidence is striking. When I was in China three years ago, my sister and I had our fortunes told at a temple. My sister has the best luck of all. They use the analogy of a sail boat to describe the life one will lead in the coming year. So for Connie (my sister), her boat will move strongly and push her towards her destination in all instances of life. She would move up in her career and do very well. Two years later, my sister is kicking ass in San Francisco working at a job she enjoys and living happily. As for myself, I was not so fortunate. My luck is mediocre at best. Then and now it doesn’t look so wonderful compared to my sister. My mom says I need to work harder and when traveling, I should be more cautious. It looks like I’ll be doing more rowing than sailing in my boat.

The good news though is that my other sister is having a boy! So that means he will be living a great life. Very exciting indeed.

Go now and drink lots of tea, eat chicken and your vegetables. You will be rewarded with greater luck, more money and longer life!