rabbit

Happy Chinese New Year! Year of the Rabbit. That's me.

They say be careful. Good things can happen, and bad things can happen.

I see my old self in the description but not my new self. Can you morph into another animal?

Oh, and apparently I'm classy.

Here's what I found.

Occupying the 4th position in the Chinese Zodiac, the Rabbit symbolizes such character traits as creativity, compassion, and sensitivity. Rabbits are friendly, outgoing and prefer the company of others. They also prefer to avoid conflict. In confrontational situations, Rabbits approach calmly and with consideration for the other party. Rabbits believe strongly in friends and family and lacking such bonds can lead to emotional issues.

Their serene nature keeps Rabbits from becoming visibly upset. Because they’re serene animals, Rabbits are easily taken advantage of. Their sensitive nature makes them shy away from aggressive or competitive situations. They’re overall conservative and not interested in taking risks.

Classy, sophisticated, expressive, well-mannered and stylish, those born under the Sign of the Rabbit enjoy leaning about cultural issues and learning about people from other countries. Rabbits are most comfortable being home, and their homes are always neat and organized. Home is also where Rabbits prefer to entertain. Rabbits are conservative in their decorating tastes.

Rabbits should work at building more self-confidence and self-worth so they can feel more secure. The desire for remaining in safe, comfortable environments keeps Rabbits from taking risks which sometimes causes them to miss out on good opportunities.

Health

Even though Rabbits don’t usually get visibly upset or stressed, they do tend to keep these feelings inside. When they don’t express these feelings, such feeling can cause Rabbits to become ill. Rabbits could benefit from more everyday activity which would reduce their stress levels and better their health.

Relationships

Rabbits are very sexual, but tend to give more of themselves than they should. This can lead to unrealistic expectations and unhealthy situations. Rabbits need partners who won’t take advantage of their giving nature. Such pairings will be strong.

Career

Rabbits are articulate and good communicators which is why friends and acquaintances seek out their advice. It’s also why Rabbits make excellent diplomats and politicians. Other good careers for Rabbits include: writer, publisher, actor, fashion designer, therapist, doctor, administrator, public relations, and teacher.

tupperware consultant

Ha. Tupperware Consultant. How can you say that with a straight face? She (I'm going to go ahead and assume it's a she) could have been bolder - Tupperware Scientist, Tupperware Specialist, Tupperware Guru.

winter highs

I'm loving this winter. I love that the routine is broken up by the weather, that the world may have to stand still if it ices. That people move out of your way so you can pass down the narrow path that's been cleared in the snow banks. I love that you wonder each day what tomorrow's weather will be and above freezing is celebrated as a gift. I feel awake and alive. And knowing that spring is coming keeps the outlook towards the future, hopeful and at the same time certain.

union square

snow

ice storm

surreal new york

validation

The feeling of validation, of people out there hearing and seeing the truth, of having even those not directly effected willing to speak up - that is what brought me to tears this morning.

savage detectives

If anyone has read The Savage Detectives by Bolaño and understands the point, speak up now.

Although I must say that without the last 10 pages of the 500+ page book it really would have seemed aimless. I enjoyed the first 100 and last 100 pages. It was the 300 in between that I didn't think took you anywhere but round and round in circles.

happy new year

Sometimes you just don't have any words.

Here's to a fresh new start! HNY!

video deluge-ation

To explain, I have recently embraced all things iProducts and so have figured out how to make video clips of an upload-able size with little effort. As a result, I've added a number of videos for your viewing pleasure.

Many more to come.

India - Tibetan monestary

India - bull temple

India - the village

upper west side sidewalk

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* not staged

closeted

A friend of mine yesterday said -

Arab women live their lives like closeted gay men.

That about sums it up.

India - the city

super tall

I go on auto pilot sometimes and end up responding in weird ways. On the telecon to introduce us when we dialed in, I said - Hi, it's Jennifer and Heather. Only it was Jennifer and Rana.

Once someone asked me my height, and I said six ten with a completely serious expression. Demographics wires got crossed. It cracks me up still.

India - the country

name change

An Indian colleague just came from getting married. He mentioned his wife needs to go through the process of changing her name on official documents, ie passport, before she gets her visa, etc. What's interesting here is that she is not only changing her surname, but also her given name. He mentioned that there was even a name changing ceremony.

So, of course, I googled it. And found confirmation on wikipedia (what better confirmation than someone I know telling me they had experienced it, but still - if it can't be googled it doesn't exist):

In some more traditional families, a new bride might change her full name to one her in-laws prefer.

I'm not talking about an -ova being changed to an -iva either - these were 2 completely unrelated names (legal note - character's names have not been disclosed to protect the parties involved).