Chinese New Year - 14th February 2010

YEAR OF THE TIGER 2010
(In the Chinese calendar it's 4708)

This is definitely an explosive year. It usually begins with a bang and ends with a whimper. It will be a big, bold year. Nothing will be done on a small, timid scale. Everything, good and bad, can and will be carried to extremes. Fortunes can be made and lost. If you take a chance, gamble for high stakes, but understand that the odds are stacked against you. People will do drastic and dramatic things on the spur of the moment. It is not surprising that Watergate and the drama of Nixon's resignation culminated in the hot-headed year of the Tiger. Tempers will flare all around and it will be a trying time for diplomacy. Like the Tiger, we will tend to charge without thinking and end up regretting our rashness. Friendships, joint ventures and deals requiring mutual trust and cooperation made at this time are brittle and will be easily broken. However, the forceful and vigorous Tiger year can also be used to inject new life and vitality into lost causes, sinking ventures and drab or failing industries. It will likewise be a time for massive change, for the introduction of new and bold, especially highly controversial, ideas. The fiery heat of the Tiger's year will no doubt touch everyone's life. In spite of its negative aspects, we must realize that it could have a cleansing effect. Just as intense heat is necessary to extract precious metals from their ores, so the Tiger year can bring out the best in us. Just one brief word of advice for this unpredictable year. "Hang on to your sense of humour and let things sizzle out!”
Theodora Lau

Beijing, April 2002 As part of the RDTC China trip we had practice sessions in Pruple Bamboo Park.