In the spirit of Gong Xi Fa Cai 2008

Do you wanna know which animal represents which year you are born in? Click here for more information at Uncle Lee's blog.


What I found from an application in my Facebook on some analysis of my Fire Dragon element with some combination of the Cancer zodiac:

Horoscopes provided courtesy of Suzanne White and Master Rao.
Chinese Symbols	Animal Symbol	Ancient Symbol	Element Symbol
	The Dragon	The Morning	Fire
Brief Description	Dragons are witty, enthusiastic, popular, intelligent and gifted yet are also perfectionists.
Positive Traits	vibrant, magnanimous, charismatic, principled, self-sufficient, discriminating, compelling, sentimental, accomplished, noble-hearted, healthy and prodigiously shrewd
Negative Traits	bombastic, dissatisfied, ruthless, demanding, opinionated, mawkish, egocentric, defensive, power-mad, foolhardy, willful and pompous
General Description of All Dragons	The key to the Dragon personality is that Dragons are the free spirits of the Zodiac. Conformation is a Dragon's curse. Rules and regulations are made for other people. Restrictions blow out the creative spark that is ready to flame into life. Dragons must be free and uninhibited. The Dragon is a beautiful creature, colorful and flamboyant. An extroverted bundle of energy, gifted and utterly irrepressible, everything Dragons do is on a grand scale - big ideas, ornate gestures, extreme ambitions. However, this behavior is natural and isn't meant for show. Because they are confident, fearless in the face of challenge, they are almost inevitably successful. Dragons usually make it to the top. However, Dragon people be aware of their natures. Too much enthusiasm can leave them tired and unfulfilled. Even though they are willing to aid when necessary, their pride can often impede them from accepting the same kind of help from others. Dragons' generous personalities give them the ability to attract friends, but they can be rather solitary people at heart. A Dragon's self-sufficiency can mean that he or she has no need for close bonds with other people.
Detailed Description of The Fire Dragon	The Fire Dragon is a powerful force to be reckoned with. This is a Dragon doubled! The Fire Dragon can move from calm and collected to combustible in a matter of seconds. In some ways the Fire Dragon is his or her own worst enemy. These Dragons cannot help feeling they are valuable and all-knowing. When they are right their vehemence and vigor is an asset to the cause, and though they value objectivity, they do not always employ the best decision-making measures, and sometimes jump to the wrong conclusion. They also suffer from recklessness and quick tempers. Yet, when they do keep their temper, emotions, and rivaling spirit under control, they emanate a commanding influence on other people.

Eastern Gem Stone		Eastern Ruling Planet
	Amethyst		Mars
Western Zodiac Sign Try the New Cute Horoscopes A Western Zodiac companion app for Chinese Zodiac		Yin or Yang
	Cancer		Yang (Light / Masculin)
Combined Zodiac (East meets West)	The Cancerian Dragon
	Cancer Dragons have polished tastes and are generally an artist of some sort. Their homes act as show- cases of these artistic talents. These are less self-indulged characters and are caring, tender, individuals. For them a tight-knit relationship and established home are necessary for happiness.
Month of the Dragon	April	Direction	East-SouthEast (ESE)
Lucky Colors	Black, Gold, Green	Hours	7:00am - 9:00am
Zodiac Position	Fifth	Lucky Numbers	3, 4, 5, 6, 15, 21, 34, 35, 36 and 45.

The Dragon Lover	People love Dragons so much because they are generous, charismatic, irresistible, and so brave that standing beside them banishes fear. They generate excitement and turn heads anywhere they go. They are free-spirited and impulsive and can help others achieve their dreams. Others love to be around Dragons because they have a way of making people feel better. Dragons are quick to fall in love, but do not surrender their independence easily leaving most of them to live life by themselves. Yet, an smart, witty, and funny companion may intrigue the Dragon long enough to make him want to get married. And once the Dragon becomes committed, he is unlikely to ever leave.
Compatibility	EXCELLENT	Rat, Monkey, Rooster
	GOOD	Horse, Tiger, Sheep, Pig, Snake
	FAIR	Rabbit
	DIFFICULT	Dragon, Dog, Ox

	Family Life Home and Abroad
The Dragon as a Parent	Because people born in the year of the Dragon are so working on furthering their careers, they usually Put off having and raising children until later than many of the other Chinese horoscope signs. Parenting doesn't come very naturally easily to the Dragon. However, when Dragons do become parents, they approach it with the same enthusiasm as other endeavors. They are proud parents and tend to boast about the accomplishments and good looks of their children. Dragons, noted for their benevolence, tend to shower their children with toys and spending money. It has been remarked that they substitute material things for quality time with their children. Even so, Dragons take parenting seriously and are quite protective of their children's welfare. Should anything upset them, or should anyone wrong them, the Dragon will prepare to fight and avenge the people who have hurt or belittled their offspring.
The Dragon as a Child	Like their adult counterparts, children born in the Year of the Dragon have vivid personalities and are independent from birth. Noisy and active, parents should stimulate their imaginations as soon as possible. Their imagination and inquisitive natures can be troublesome for the Dragon child and can often land them in a heap of trouble at school which can cause teachers and other parents to deem them troublemakers or naughty. Sometimes Dragon children are loners who daydream and drift to into their own world of make-believe. Either way, Dragon children demand careful attention and special handling in order to bring out the best in them. Their creativity and talents must be encouraged, even if it means spending extra time in certain school subjects in order to help them master the subject.
The Dragon as a Friend	Dragons are usually popular people, but because of their personalities, they seem to gather as much criticism as they do esteem. Due to their tumultuous temperaments, Dragons are not the most sensitive friends to those in need of a shoulder to cry on. Those who truly know the Dragon know he is a loving soul who will become your best ally in times of need. Once the dynamic Dragon has given his friendship, he will not let his friends down and will never falter in his allegiance to his companions. To a Dragon, a friend is a friend for a lifetime. Incredibly honest, Dragons are known for sincerity and are trusting souls. Because of this honesty, Dragons don't realize others may not demonstrate or uphold the same codes of ethics. Making the discovery that they placed their trust in someone who is dishonest makes the Dragon person quite sad, yet much more perceptive for future encounters.
The Dragon at Home	Not the most domesticated of the Animal signs, Dragons and may be more content out and about rather than at home. Nevertheless, with their imagination and artistic sense, they can enjoy decorating their home or anywhere else where their extravagance can be expressed.. A Dragon's home should be as large and majestic as his personality, providing space for the fiery temperament or emotional eruptions that accompany their character.
The Dragon on Vacation	Dragons are attracted by the bizarre. No self-respecting Dragon desires to walk in a tourist's footsteps. Instead, they take a lot of gratification in finding hidden destinations, or, closer to home, locations off the beaten track. But Dragons also need thrills, which they might find by taking an unplanned winter break to go skiing or a spontaneous rock climbing trip in the spring. They may even test their bravery by daring to ride the highest roller coaster in the world. Dragons are also sentimental at heart, so conquering their childhood haunts, or taking a second honeymoon would bring immense pleasure too.

	Career Outlook for 2008
First Trimester	Work as far as possible in the still and without haste. Indeed, during the greater part of this period you'll be inclined by precipitation to make mistakes the consequences of which may be serious for your future. You'll have to make sustained efforts in your work. This will be the only means for you to fare as well as possible. Do not tackle all problems at the same time, solve them one after another, without precipitation, and then you'll achieve success.
Second Trimester	The astral influxes of the first two months of this period will help you have easier contacts in your various moves. However, beware of the bad influence of certain stars who will incline you to heedlessness and lack of precision. During the last month, you'll refuse to accept not to be recognized at your true value and will try to put things right. You'll also have an occasion to show your will and express your personal opinions very crudely. Unexpectedly however, this will earn you the consideration and approval of others.
Third Trimester	Everything will be well for you in the professional field. Well supported by the stars, you'll have many an occasion to show that you always remain among the most competent ones. You'll be more creative than ever, and your know-how will place you under the floodlights. If you want to change career or company, this period will favorably allow you to take the necessary steps, to undergo tests, to get interviews. More particularly, everything will go well if you're an actor or artist; you'll work feverishly and successfully. But if you're a civil servant or an obscure worker, then the period will hardly be agreeable to you. The same thing will hold true if you work in an import-export company.
Fourth Trimester	Restrained by the stars, you'll be less prone to pugnacity during these months than during the last ones. You now prefer to play for time and do what is necessary to preserve your tranquility. But this will not prevent you from taking steps to consolidate your acquired advantages and even to refuse to compromise in certain respects. Nonetheless, you'll have some problems to cope with in your work - disagreement with an associate, hostile attitude of a superior, worsening of working conditions, etc. Prudence will be necessary: remain vigilant by refraining from any thoughtless decision and by seeking counsel and aid in case of important difficulty.
The Dragon At Work	The Dragon's originality is the most impressive and outstanding of all his characteristics. The Dragon is quite imaginative and always able to see new paths where others may run into brick walls. Dragons are very adaptable and are fit for various occupations, especially if those occupations allow him to take the limelight. In any of these occupational situations, the Dragons will take a radical approach. Dragons work hard, but would rather give orders than receive them. They should avoid jobs that encompass too much routine, and should move toward jobs in which their self-reliance can be an asset.
Well Suited Dragon Occupations	Computer analysts, Inventors, Engineers, Architects, Lawyers, Philosophers, Psychoanalysts, Brokers, Managers, Salespeople, PR People, Advertising agents, Armed forces members, Campaigners, Politicians

Dragon Health

Dragons take thrilling risks and burn the candle at both ends so they are fortunate to be blessed with good health. Among the most hearty of the Animal signs, they can suffer bad health as a result of stress. Symptoms of their personalities often stem from emotional outbursts and can range from tension headaches to depression to hypertension. Dragons can remedy these problems by maintaining their cool, implementing a routine in their daily lives, and utilizing exercises such as yoga or tai kwon do that soothe the mind and spirit as well as tone the body.

Money and The Dragon

Dragons like to spend money and are charitable themselves as well as with others. They do not know the meaning of the word "accumulate," and making money does not intrigue them as it may others. Many Dragons will take big chances with their finances, sometimes betting on their shirt and losing it right off of their backs. Yet, they were born with the Midas Touch, and it very rare that a Dragon remains poor for long. Dragons will always be straightforward in financial dealings and can always be trusted.

YEAR OF THE RAT BEGINS FEB. 7, 2008!

GONG XI FA CAI!

We have 2 dragons in my family , that are my mother (dragon with water element) and myself (the fire dragon), 2 rats (eldest sister:water element and 3rd brother:wood element), 2 monkeys (father:wood element and 1st brother:metal), 1 snake (3rd sis:fire element), 2 goats ( 4th sister:earth element and 1 nephew:water element, son of the 3rd sis), 2 dogs (2nd bro:water element and 1st sis inlaw), 3 tigers (3rd bro-inlaw, 5th sis:fire element and 1st niece:earth element, daughter of eldest sis)), 2 roosters (1st bro inlaw and 6th sis:water element), 1 ox (2nd bro inlaw).

Element reference (click here for source):

Those of you born under the influence of the Chinese Astrology Element of Water act with the assured fluidity of a river, affecting your environment with your strength and quiet charm. Creative and captivating, diplomatic and intuitive, Water individuals are the masters of subtle persuasion. Without even appearing to try, you can gain someone's trust and affection, and once you've got them they'll follow you anywhere. You make everyone feel special, noting and praising each person's unique talents. Your inherent pliability, the fluid calm that makes you so appealing, can also make you sometimes too passive, too willing to be what someone wants you to be. You tend to take the shape of whatever container you're poured into.Rather than letting others dam up your energies, let yourself flow freely!

Like the rings of a tree circle out and expand through the years, so too do those born under the Chinese Astrology Element of Wood. You Wood personalities seek chances for growth and for renewal in all you do, 'branching out' (excuse the pun!) whenever possible. Your open, expansive mind makes you a compassionate and generous friend, colleague and ally. You understand the inherent value of what you and those around you possess, and your confidence allows you to act upon your beliefs. While your strength forms the backbone of any social group or partnership you're a part of, you could have a tendency to be a bit too systematic in your thinking, and sometimes your passivity allows others to overwhelm and inhibit you. Don't let yourself be lost in a vast forest, an anonymous tree among millions of others. Make your mark on the world -- you're especially adept at business ventures.

Those of you born under the influence of the Chinese Element Fire burn through life with your fierce charm, your impulsive enthusiasm and your restless emotions. A natural leader, you inspire with your decisive action and dramatic expression; people can't help but be magnetically drawn to you. Where will you lead your followers? Likely into an exciting adventure of some sort. You're instinctual, but your mind sparks with new ideas and clever solutions. In love, you're highly-charged -- even combustible at times! Hot tamales to the core, these dynamic individuals can see straight to the heart of an issue and make it work for them. You may seem single-minded, but you just refuse to be swayed from a cause they believe to be important.

Those of you born under the influence of the Chinese Astrology element of Metal are determined, self-reliant and forceful. You enjoy the good life and all it has to offer -- luxury, comfort and freedom, especially. You're like a reclusive film star: You want the acclaim, but you also want to be left alone. You create your own success, building your desired destiny with single-minded focus. Others look up to you in awe of your commanding, confident presence. While you Metal individuals are strong and virtuous, you can be a bit set in your ways. No arm-wrestling with the metallic ones, either; they might break that appendage in two! You can be a stern taskmasters as well, demanding the most from yourself and those you love.

Those of you born under the influence of the Chinese Astrology Element of Earth are wise, serene and prudent, firmly rooted in your morals, ethics and responsibilities. Led by logic rather than emotion, you seek to plan your life as far out in advance as possible, to expect the unexpected and control your destiny down to the last detail. Your disciplined reserve -- which can come across as true grace if you work it right -- garners you respect and admiration. You're so bound by logic and dependent upon controlling your situation that you have a fear of the unknown. Consequently, you question your instincts, distrusting even your most cherished dreams and seeing your whims as frivolous distractions. Don't be a stick in the mud, Earth Signs; share your wisdom and your peace of mind with a needy world.



N.B: It is not that I rely wholly on the above analysis, what fascinated me was how they managed to describe more than 75% accuracy of my personal traits among other things. In Islam, fortune telling is considered haram (forbidden) and only Allah knows what lies in our future. Having said that, I am more interested to find out what the chinese and the star zodiac horoscopes say about what I am rather than religiously (and God forbid, blindly) follow whatever prediction they have on me.

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Defending champion Egypt will play Cameroon for the Final African Nations Cup 2008 held in Accra, Ghana. The Pharaohs team (Egypt) beat Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire) in the semi-final by 4-1, a real stunning winning much better when they defeated the Didier Drogba team on penalty shoots during the previous final match in 2006. Meanwhile Cameroon had a dramatic win 1-0 against the host team, Ghana.

The main man of the match had to be Essam El-hadari (pic left), the Egyptian goalkeeper who has done a superb job only to let one goal amiss during the whole match.

2 of the 4 goals were scored by Amr Zaky (pic below).

Not only are they brilliant team on the field, those Pharaoh lads are blessed with good looks and physiques too. I think Malaysia football should think of sending their boys to middle east countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iran to polish up their footie skills and not pining for some attentions from the English football scenes only. They could also learn some dribbling skills from those African lads like the Cameroonians and Ivory Coastians knowing that there are many of them plays for the English Premier League as well as in the World Cup.

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I will write something on the Australian Open in the next entry. Most of the pictures I saved are in my office PC.

But just a brief report: Serbian Novak Djokovic won the first Grand Slam match for this year against the French newcomer with a Muhammad Ali's look, Jo Wilfred-Tsonga. The former beat the favourite, Roger Federer with a straight set and the latter stunned Rafael Nadal also in a straight set duel in the semifinal.

In the Ladies single, Russian Maria Sharapova made a comeback win, beating Serbian Ana Ivanovic on a straight set. This was her third Grand Slam win to date.



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I was in Bangkok last December and 2 weeks ago in Jakarta, attending conferences. It was also my first ever visit to both ASEAN cities and more on that in the next entry.

Double rainbows en route to Rod Laver Arena

Somewhere.................. over the rainbows.......

I love Eva Cassidy's "Over the Rainbow" rendition, kinda classic, melodious, soulful....

So before I continue my little photoblog on double rainbows that I get to witness in the heart of Melbourne last year's September (on the 26th September 2007, Wednesday to be exact), one fine spring evening, I'd like to invite you to click on the youtube videoclip of Eva Cassidy live performance as the musical background.

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I just finished the Chemeca2007 conference at Sofitel Melbourne, packed all my stuff, and still had some few hours to kill before I got into the shuttlebus all the way to Tullamarine Airport. I called the concierge and the porter came and collected my luggage and kept them all tagged at the concierge counter as soon as I checked out.

The weather was fine, not too cold, not too warm, little bit sunny and dry. There I was, making my way downtown, walking fast, faces passed into St.Kilda Street heading towards Rod Laver Arena, the Australian Open tennis grand slam stadium. It is like my second favourite grand slam arena next to Wimbledon ( London SW19). The New York's Flushing Meadows falls third follows by Paris' Roland Garros in the fourth place. Anyways, as I was walking down the street, I saw rainbows....ok that is so Mariah Carey's looney talk (pre-emancipation of mimi album), but yeah there it was, two beautiful rainbows, one to the left and another one stretched out its arch to the right of my path. I was mesmerized by this awesome phenomena, something I have never seen in my life before. Two rainbows side by side! That must be like another quirky australian thingy i thought. It's like seeing a kid's drawing or some funny abstract canvass painting but it was real. Never would i ever thought that rainbows can exist in double at the same time (technically speaking would be: simultaneous visualization).

#1. Sofitel Melbourne, the brownish tower, interlinked with the Telstra tower right behind the Herald Sun greyish silver tower from Exhibition Street view

I stood there, marvelling God's natural phenomenon that took place right before my eyes. I so much wished that I had a better digicam or a more sophisticated digicamcorder model that would let me shoot those scenes for as long as i was standing there. But nope, i was still using (and still am) my old faithful fuji FinePix E550 , 6 Megapixel digicam.

#2. Left view . The bottom stadium is the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) not far from Rod Laver Arena

#3. left view

#4. Still on the left view

#5. Fading rainbow on the left view

#6. Double rainbow : one to the left view and another one goes to the right view



#7. I'm still trying to capture the other twin/mirror image rainbow on the right view but the direct sunlight coming from my right side was so glaring

The last 2 pictures were not that sharp enough but if you look carefully, you will see the end points of each rainbow. The right one had to "penetrate" through the blanket of woolly looking cloud before it appeared in a more defined shape. However, what you have seen in the #6 and #7 pictures were just a small portion of what i saw as the sun shone brightly from the right view. Consequently, my camera could not get a good shot of the right rainbow. I probably did exclaim " what a beauoooody" in Steve Irwin's style, but I was glad I didnt say it out loud (on the pretext of displaying some aussie accent mockery)....and followed by "Subhanallah" (All glory to Allah), praise the lord!



It was almost dusk, the twilight zone that was. And i was there on the bridge, watching as the rainbows slowly ebbed away, fading into the sky as the night fell.



And not very long after that, I quickened my path towards the Rod Laver Arena. During that time, the grand slam tour has faced the final curtain as the final of the tour legs ended in early September 2007 in Flushing Meadows. Roger Federer won three grand slams and lost one to Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros (and so does Pete Sampras, who has never had the opportunity of lifting the Roland Garros cup throughout his professional career).



As I wrote this, the Australian Open 2008 is now in day 5 which saw big names and former champions Amelie Mauresmo, Marat Safin and Andy Roddick threw in the towels as their battle have come to an end.


(Someday, I wish that I will be able to get my chance to watch the games L.I.V.E at Rod Laver Arena and especially Wimbledon. Angan-angan yang akan menjadi kenyataan inshallah)

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A little but totally ROTFLMAO videoclip: White and Nerdy by Weird Al Yankovic.

Enjoy!

Yeay for Serena Williams!!!

The great relief:



The celebration has just begun:



Saturday, 27 January 2007, Australian Open, Melbourne.

Many congratulations to the resurgence tennis player, Serena Williams on winning her third Australian Open Single Women title beating Maria Sharapova, the world top seed woman on a straight set 6-1, 6-2.Serena entered as an unseeded player, ranking at 83 due to her serious knee injury that had restricted her tournament back in 2006. This victory would place her in the 15th rank.

Overall, this is her 8th Grand Slam single title. She has also won 6 Women Double titles, playing as the one half of her elder sister, Venus Williams. On a Wimbledon record, these two Williams sisters have dominated the single title from 2000-2001 for Venus, 2002-2003 for Serena and then Venus won her title again in 2005.

Serena dedicated this Australian Open win to her half sister, Yetunde Price who was shot dead in LA in 2003.

Here are some of the photos of Serena: the first top 2 pictures were taken just after she just won against Maria during the second set, and the 2 bottom pictures during the trophy-giving ceremony.

The big smile that says it all:

Ladies, this baby is mine for the 3rd time and it looks awesome next to my ample bosom:




Tomorrow is another very important match: Single Men Final between the reigning champion Roger Federer versus the surprisingly hot Chilean Fernando Gonzalez. Having seen Speedy Gonzalez trashing Rafael Nadal in the QF and continuing his masterpiece winning streaks by another straight set win against Tommy Haas has made him another superpower in the tennis world. He has never even made it to any SF in any Grand Slam championship before and only won a trophy in a double match. And for that, I can assure u that tomorrow's match is gonna be an epic battle of the less-expected against a winning favourite.