January - Year of the ox
Posted by stanley on January 26th, 2009
As I listen to a bit of Jimi Hendrix (thanks to an urge that has been brought on by the last episode of season three of Battle Star Galactica - riviting stuff!) I finally decide to make the time to write a few notes on the highlights of this past month.
Well, yesterday evening 12 o’clock was the climax (and in reality only the beginning of the year) of a night of celebrations.
As I always say when I witness the fireworks around this time of the year: ” China is the absolute champion of fireworks!”.
At 12 o’clock last night the city bursted into a symphony of colorful explosions that lasted for 15 minutes at “full blast” before it started to die down, but sporadic explosions and burst of color was still evident (from far of and near)when my wife and I krept into the sack at 2.
This was the fourth time I had experienced this brilliant and absolutely amazing way of greeting the new year. Like always it left me astonished and with warm-hearted wonder at the brilliant display of jubalation and celebration that these fireworks represent. Every burst of color and loud “boom!” seemed to me to say “We welcome the new year with great joy!”
In a year that had it’s fair share of up and downs (for this country), you have to admire the great spirit of this nation.
In May there was the terrible agony that was brought along by the earthquake in Sichuan Province. People from everywhere shared (and in some ways still do) emotionally, through various donations, endless rescue attempts (not to mention countless acts of selfless individual heroism) and that is just to mention a few points of how the human spirit has triumphed. To have been able to follow the events as they unfolded was, to say the least a very, humbling experience.
And one of the great highlights of the yearwas the Olympic Games, for sure. My wife and I also happened to go and register as a married couple on this day.
We missed a lot of the sporting action through work (I was pro-occupied with teaching English during our summer course), but it was amazing to follow the news as the Chinese team raked in one gold medal after another. Even more importantly though China did the Olympic spirit proud with their brilliant hosting of the event.
And on the day of the closing ceremony of the Games I went out with a group of teachers and students for a day trip at the end of the Summer Course, but before this on the way to school, my wife phoned me to say that she is pregnant! Undoubtly it has been one of the best moments of my life - I still remember how exulted I was by the great news.
Today is the third day of our winter holiday - what a fantastic break this is! I had been very busy these past few months, especially with the extra teaching I have been doing. It had been a very productive period for me. Something I hope to repeat in the new year.
Of course my wife and I are eagerly awaiting our child’s arrival. We are preparing ourselves for this occassion in every way.
The child is now in it’s mom’s womb, frequently kicking about, causing regular outcries of greatful annoyance and smiles from my wife. We’ll have to wait about another 3 months before the little one will make it’s appearance.
The year of the ox has arrived and a lot of new challenges lie in the wait.
In the meantime I have switched the music over from Jimmy to the more soothing sounds of Andreas Vollenweider’s harp play. I hope that this year will bring us all some magical journeys.
I want to finish this month’s entry with a quote from the Philosopher’s Notes newsletter’s Big Ideas that get emailed to me on a regular basis:
“People talk about the reality of their life as if it is important. And we want you to understand, it’s only the temporary indicator. Do you go to the gas station—your gas gauge is on empty—do you go to the gas station and look at your gas gauge in horror? “How did this happen? [Fun] Why, why, why did this happen to me?” Do you lay your head on the steering wheel and just sob? “Oh, look what it’s come to. [Fun] I’m finished. I’ve lived all of this life, and look where I am.” Or do you just fill up.” ~ Esther and Jerry Hicks from Money, and the Law of Attraction.”
“Meditate, dance, exercise, eat well, laugh, play, create, journal, read, smile, love, breathe deeply, pet your dog, think positive thoughts, imagine your ideal future with such intensity that you can FEEL it, do whatever you need to do to FILL UP. But don’t (pretty, please) look at your “gas” gauge in horror. No need to sob. Just fill up. :)”
That’s it for now.
牛年快乐！