The Year of the Dragon!

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!! Or as is said in Indonesia:

Kionghee...... Kiongkee...... Xin Nian Kuai Le.... (This year will be better) Wishing You and Your Family Happiness, Good Fortune and Prosperity in the Lunar New Year....... God Bless You. It is the year of the Water Dragon!  How wonderful.  Yesterday was the Spring Equinox and the beginning of the Chinese New Year.    In Indonesia, women are trying to have a baby because of the luck that is found in the year of the dragon.  C-razy!  Right?  Well, perhaps not.  There may be some credibility to this idea of bringing forth a wee soul this year. water dragon ©StudioDeeba The Chinese consider themselves descendants of the dragon.  China has influence and affluence in Indonesia.  A lot of my friends are of both Indonesian and Chinese heritage.  A beautiful people.  The Water Dragon carries the serenity of water with it, making it a more tempered dragon.  It is said that the strongest yang appears in its calmest form.  What does this mean to the average American?  It means we are ready for a good year.  Strength without aggressiveness.  It will be an exciting and energetic year and is always a good time to make change and take bold risks.  Be brave but thoughtful. Intentional but break out and do something new and fresh...be bold.  The dragon's body twists and turns, opportunities and challenges, so be prepared for a great ride! Some say it will be a good year for turning our world's economic crisis around. I sure hope so.  We could all use the luck found with this Dragon.  The Chinese Dragon is a called a "Long."  It is considered a force of good and the mythology behind this mystical creature goes back several thousand years.   There are more than 100 classic references in Chinese to "The Long."  I have been advised not to use the word dragon with the word "long" as that would not be correct, even though The Long is a Dragon.  :) It is more a snake-like body than the kind of dragon depicted in the European references.  The Chinese take great pride in their Longs and so this year has been celebrated with great anticipation and excitement.     Oh! And, I found my own little dragon crawling up the glass door to my shower!  This is the second one I have found...:)  I captured my fierce little dragon and released him in the stairwell of the 43rd floor of my hotel. What a fun experience on New Year's Day.   After I released my dragon, fireworks began.  And what a show!  I could see the flares reflected on the glass of surrounding buildings.  It was cool to see them from the top down instead of the bottom up.    I think the shutter opened after the flares but it is still a beautiful picture of New Year's Night.   Overlooking Surdiman (road) My mother is a Fire Dragon and my friend Amanda is a Dragon, as well.  They are strong, independent women who have always lived what I believe to be charmed lives.  Always ready to smile, and have a fun time. Oh how I love my dragons!   Once again, Happy New Year, my friends! ©StudioDeeba

Happy Times with Friends and Family

Me and my sisters Michele and Brenda having fun in the snow.

I went home for the Christmas Holiday and New Year's.  It was wonderful.  I had a chance to see my friend Karen and meet her three sons.  What a nice time.  Another friend I hadn't seen in over 25 years, met with me for lunch.  Wow!  My friend John and I worked in Radio after college and really had a great friendship.  Alas life happens, he got married, I moved to Chicago and we lost touch.  However, we seemed to pick up just where we left off and what a great time we had catching up.

Seeing my family (over a year had passed since we had hugged and laughed together) seemed to lighten my spirit and lift my heart.  I even had a chance to eat breakfast with my Aunt Orpah and Uncle Dick.  How nice is that?  I kept pegging off my dad's hands in cribbage, winning quite a few games (I'm lucky that way) and talked about everything under the sun, and snow, with my mom.  About the third day into my vacation I picked up a cold - so did my mom and sister, Brenda and her daughter, Lauren.  ugh.  Only we made the best of it.  :)  Took long naps by the Christmas lights, snuggled in at Brenda's house and had a movie day which turned into a pajama party and donuts the next day.  Christmas brought in my sister Cheryl and her family, a few nephews and their children (yes!  I'm a great auntie!) and boy was it fun to see them playing with Lauren - she gave them rides on her back through the living room - poor thing!  I made phone calls to family in Chicago and friends in San Diego whom I miss so very much.  All in all, I recharged my batteries.  I have to say it was just what I needed.  Landing back in Jakarta, I hit the ground running and have been working very hard.

Yesterday was my birthday.  I always take time to reflect and take note of just how I am so blessed.   My friend Fi Fang took me to lunch (Fun!) and the GM at my Hotel and his house-keeping crew surprised me with a birthday song (sung quite well) and a chocolate cake!  It was fantastic!  I told them that the Harris FX Surdiman is my home away from home.  It was nice.

My friend John wrote about our getting together on his blog.  Here is a link to what he wrote.  I couldn't have said it any better.  What a great writer he is.  Read and enjoy:  http://johnbolduan.blogspot.com/2012/01/meeting-old-friend-and-marking-time.html