Today is the beginning of the lunar new year celebration for billions of Asians around the world and others who harness an Asian spirit!
The Year of the Dragon is roaring in! This is to be a extraordinary auspicious year! (or for some an auspicuous year). The Dragon is said to have the ability to fly in the heavens and swim in the seas. The dragon is the most favourable and revered sign in the 12-year
Chinese zodiac — a symbol of royalty, fortune and power that is also
used in other cultures that mark the Lunar New Year.
Migration of Asians travel home for the holidays is just like the salmon returning home to spawn! To new beginnings!Kung Hei Fat Choy 恭喜發財 for all! May all of you and your family have good health 身體健康, good wealth 財源廣進, and all your wishes come true 心想事成 for coming New Year!
May your year be like the Dragon, powerful strong and invincible!
I
had a wonderful reunion with family and great friends in the last
couple of weeks! My friend's Grandfather used to say 'You need to keep
your friends in repair.' It's so important to reconnect, revisit and
renew your relationships.
I am reminded of Little Corn
Island in Honduras where we visited last year. It truly was a magical
place. The best parts of travels have included meeting the locals and
the food. Yummers!
We ate at Radcliffe's restaurant was
was run by a local fellow. He had left the island for a number of years
to work the cruise ships and travel the world, only to return to where
he called home and paradise. His restaurant wasn't the most expensive on
the island or even the fancy by any means. His grilled lobster with
rice and red beans served with deep fried plantains was delish!
He
told us the story about the land that was sold for 4000 tens years ago
and recently sold for 200,000 it's the place that will be built up as a
resort and have a landing pad. It's sad to think that money will change
this little island.
I asked Radcliffe about the heart
shaped purple seeds and what they were. We found them on the first day
of beach combing.The purple color seeds are called from the mainland and
get washed ashore sometimes after traveling for miles across the ocean.
I blogged about these wonderful pods last March fondly referred to as
the 'heart of the jungle,' (corazón de la selva)! Radcliffe said they used to call them hot rocks and rub them on the sidewalks to warm them up and burn each other with them. Ouch!
There are lots of fishes under
the pier in the evening the guy from Oregon who fly fishes said he even
saw a sting ray and eagle rays. One evening we saw 9 nurse sharks, one
was 3.5 feet! Ten barracudas and so many other fish. he hammerhead shark is known to be in these waters too! There are no poisonous snakes on the island but there was a boa that eats chickens and once a goat! So the locals tell us.
Big Corn Island
We
spent most of our time on Little Corn but spend a day on Big Corn on
the way back. It was the walk around the island that was the best part.
Some
places we saw reminded me of the deep south, one room shacks with
hammocks in the front yard. Family members and extended family about.
Simple wooden one room houses with tin roof tops. Grandmothers sitting
in rocking chairs in the front porches. Through the window I could see a
simple kitchen with tub and worn wooden table. The green paint on the
house wad weathered and faded in places but you could see that the place
was solid and weathered a few hurricanes and storms.
It felt like Jamaica with a Carribean flair...man!
I joke with my friends all the time about our
levels of intelligence or lack of and how smart we are or our undeniable lifetime memberships in Mensa! Yup, that's me, the practicable joker.
In fact, I don't believe that every level of intelligence is measurable nor do I believe that the smartest people in the world will have the most success or happiness.
In the last few weeks, I've discovered the joys of audio books. Wow...where have they been all this time? I can 'read' a book and do things around the house! Bonus!
I first 'read' the "4-Hour Body"by Tim Ferris. http://www.fourhourbody.com/
Interesting information about fitness, science and health. There are some good points in there for those of you looking at the slow carb diet. A lot of the information I knew about before, but it's always good to get a refresher course.
Now I've been 'reading,' 'Outliers: The Story of Success' by Malcolm Gladwell. I've been meaning to get around to this book for a few years now. It's captivating! I like the analogies and historical research intertwined with personal stories.
We may not be outliers, but we could always strive for 'outlier' status and there is no time like the present to start on those 10,000 hours!!
It's a new year a great way to start fresh! Last year, I spent some time down sizing. I will do the same in the new few weeks.
"Out of cluster, find simplicity." -Albert Einstein
A friend of mine used to play classical music on piano. My Mom also plays classical piano. Lately, I've been back listening to classical music which I really enjoyed in university.
I always knew it was good for you but then I found this website that compared other music tastes to SAT scores.
