The first thing is always the hardest and most mind bending thing that I do. It always is for me.
[quote/] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year
"In the Gregorian calendar, Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year, a date between January 21 and February 20. In the Chinese calendar, winter solstice must occur in the 11th month, which means that Chinese New Year usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice (rarely the third if an intercalary month intervenes). In traditional Chinese Culture, lichun is a solar term marking the start of spring, which occurs about February 4.[end-quote/]
This Year marks the coming of the Water Dragon. I myself was born under the Dragon sign of the fire element (which i am still confused, some litterateurs Ive read before points to year 1976 as the year of the "Wood Dragon"... oh well).
Contrary to western mthos, the Asian Dragons symbolizes the positive side of things. A Middle-Ages Dragon of the common fairy tale and modern western dragon depictions are stereotypical. To them dragons are fierce, fire/ice/saliva/whatever breathing monsters, whose blood can make someone invincible, they are a race to be feared because they are natural predators, runs and flies on instinct and will "eat" you up without a second notice. To this portrayal, dragons are monsters that are "game" for noble knights or anyone with sword and guns to kill. Even the looks between the Asian and Western dragons are not same.
The Asian Dragon is the exact opposite of the Western version, in looks and in qualities... to quote the feng-sui expert that is not me..."the Asian Yin - the Western Yang" - (just don't ask me if I get this Tao thing right...). Asian dragons are majestic mythical beings, symbols of power and greatness, all that is noble and wisdom. They are more serpentine in looks, scales is mostly regal in pattern and shape. The Western one is easily characterized by its broad bat-like and sinewy wings AND its "pot-belly" :D. The Asian version flies through the air not with wings but by "magic!" O_o (yes.. i dont know how to describe it either ).
If an Asian dragon appears before you, its a sign that fortune favors you, If a Western dragon appears before you... well... you can try to tame it... or your a 70lb or more of meat snack....
The Eastern Dragon
The Western Dragon
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P.S.-
As a means to fill up the empty cabinet that's my life, I finally had the time and urge to write down something. Hoping for a better start this period of my life and to coincide with the Lunar New Year.
I currently reside in Hanoi Vietnam for work, suffice to say its been both frustrating and refreshing. Frustrating in a way that the life here is eerily familiar yet different at the same time. As a Pinoy in a strange land, i look around and see faces I thought would be my countrymen but once the first sylable comes out, you definitely feel your on foreign lands. Later if i can further talk about it, I'll give my two cents of thought about what my experiences so far has been here.
For now I'll just have to end it here, Its 10am and I still have half a liter of vodka and lime to go about... just feel like it... the drinking stuff... Its cold here.... 11°C @ 60% humidity, so that means wet-cold.... the kind that you feel like you have a wet hand and then you put your hands inside the fridge... that kind of feeling :D
"chúc mừng năm mới" (Happy New Year) and "cung chúc tân xuân" (gracious wishes of the new spring)
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