SNAPPLE "REAL FACT" #123

BEAVERS WERE ONCE THE SIZE OF BEARS.

so after much thought. i've done it.

i got myself a Sony vaio for travel and school. because a huge laptop takes up too much space and is too heavy to lug around.  plus the sony keyboard is way quieter than the ibm.  so now have an ibm for downloading, home web browsing, occasional hw, entertainment, and games at home, basically a home pc. and a sleek lil 2.87 pounder ultraportable laptop is definitely the way to go.  especially in our world of faster and better portable solutions for technology. 

i compared every single tiny laptop possible with scott and still the Sony TX series came out above the competition in functionality, features and size.  this little baby is incredible.  although it does take a lil getting used to typing on such a lil keyboard. i tend to overshoot my keys a bit.  hahaha. WOAH missed it, but otherwise especially for someone with small hands and fingers like me and a small physique this baby is a blessing. no more heavy laptop for me!

so if you want a tiny laptop and aren't sure which to get, i would definitely get a VAIO it really gets all the jobs done.  This baby has basically all the same components of my IBM T42 in a much more compact unit. AWESOME!

Here are specs in case you're interested:

VAIO® TX650P/B NotebookVGN-TX650P/B

	Sony Recommends Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional

More Images Enlarge Compact and durable, every inch of the TX was designed with the mobile user in mind. The VGN-TX650P/B offers an integrated DVD+R Double Layer/DVD+-RW25 drive, SmartWi™ technology, 512MB RAM and an XBRITE™ display. Intel® Pentium® M Processor Ultra Low Voltage 753 (1.20GHz, 2MB L2 Cache) 1 Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional with Service Pack 2 Integrated Wireless Wide Area Network (WAN)132 accessing Cingular Wireless National EDGE Network with SmartWi™ technology Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection (802.11b/g)4 DVD+R Double Layer/DVD±RW optical drive3 512MB RAM and 60GB hard drive5 Charcoal exterior Explore the new TX-Series

The ultra-portable VAIO® TX650P/B Notebook is an incredible 2.76 lbs
with standard battery and has a standard battery life of 4 to 7.5 hours¹⁷². The integrated DVD+R Double-Layer/DVD±RW drive² puts the power to create high-quality, customized DVDs at your fingertips. A stunning 11.1" widescreen display⁵ makes this notebook easy to use for work or play. The integrated 802.11 b/g wireless LAN⁴ and wireless Wide Area Network (WAN)¹³² technologies keep you connected in any location. With wireless WAN¹³², you can access the Cingular Wireless national EDGE network to extend your wireless coverage beyond LAN access⁴
networks and hotspots, giving you the freedom to go farther, do more,
and stay connected. And, with Sony’s original SmartWi™ technology which
seamlessly integrates wireless WAN¹³², wireless LAN⁴, and Bluetooth®¹⁴ technologies, you can quickly and easily toggle between your connectivity options.

price: about $2400 with tax and no warranty from the Sony Style store, this happened to be the only model they actually have in stock at the stores.
it's the middle priced one of the TX series with all the features you need, including a DVD-R.
lucky for me, i only had to save for about half the cost, since scotty helped with the other half as a vday/bday gift, plus he had helped me try to earn some money in stocks which didn't do so well, so he gave me back my moolah and we put that towards this purchase too.  So all in all i won. haha. and now i have functionality for school as well as functionally at home provided by my two laptops. 

now i just need to get used to using the touch pad again. hahaha.
i'm in computer heaven.

  i find myself increasingly agreeing 100% to  lichunsah's sentiments on commitment.  A lot of her material can at times be very controversial, it's probably why i resort to not commenting in reply, i try to allow people to have their own opinions. She is a very good online writer though BECAUSE she isn't afraid to be controversial and put it all out there and say what she feels.  I admire her for her being fearless and gutsy-for not caring what anyone will say or think.  BUT on commitment I've caught myself sharing the exact same sentiments at least in every conversation I have about relationships now.  Wierd, cause when I was 20 I probably had a different perspective on commitment, I firmly thought husbands are optional, kids are important, no need to worry about the future and having a sustainable relationship, I can wait till i'm 27 to start lookin'.  I miscalculated, nowadays 26 to start lookin is ideal, so you can know the person at least a year before marriage and be just the two of you for a while before kids come along, as young, happy, ambitious newly weds.

Commitment

 

As
you get older, people don�t really want to commit anymore. The
girlfriend-boyfriend term has more significance. Girls in their
mid-twenties won�t want to be tied down to a guy unless she sees the
guy as marriage potential.

 

I
met my fianc� when I was 24 yrs old. After dating for a short while, he
wanted to be my boyfriend. My answer was, the next boyfriend I have I
will probably marry. Why don't we just date instead?� A few months
later, I granted him bf status.

 

True or False. Guys who have exclusive relationships with girls (25+) with no intentions of marrying them are jerks.

 

I
think if a guy truly cared about a girl he would not waste her �prime�
yrs away and leave her old and desperate. I commend one male friend I
have who cut things off with his gf who was 26. He knew he probably
wasn�t gonna marry her and didn�t want to be responsible for wasting
her years of being able to find a suitable mate. At the same time, I
thought this other guy was such a jerk when he dated his gf for YEARS
taking her for granted well knowing she probably wasn't the one. He
ended up dumping her when she was 34. I thought he was a bastard.

I'm going to be 25 on the 14th, the midtwenty has caught up to me.  And here I thought I'd be a Toys R Us kid forever. 
But honestly I am starting to want different things, in a very dramatic way.  I am seeing that men and women are definitely seeing their lives in different ways from now on.  And you know, the marriage obsession isn't really condemmable.  Women have a glass ceiling in life as well as at work. 

After a certain point, no matter how attractive the lady might be physically or internally, she will have a very hard time finding a real relationship.  Not very many women want to get married after 30.  28 and 29 is pushing it.  And that has to do with our male dominated society's viewpoints that the young, fertile female is desirable and the old, tired maid is more a threat and less a treat.  Nobody really wants a woman older than 30, unless they are OLD.  Although in my opinion, women are in the peak of sophistication, glamour and beauty at 30 because they are no longer struggling to find themselves.  I myself do look forward to being 30, I just wouldn't wanto to be getting married at 30.  But that is also because I've always wanted to have a child.  Which brings up yet another glass ceiling.  Sure technology is amazing, one CAN get pregnant at 40 now.  BUT WHAT PERSON IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD REALLY WANT TO?  As much as most women would love to get to push back their child rearing days in order to live a life full of possibility and try it all before having to settle for some joe who will only neglect her in 5 years, it's really dangerous and not very healthy to do so.  Having children later has more complications, you don't heal as quickly, you risk your health, you won't have the energy and time to be with your children and watch them grow up, and the entire process of having a child and raising one is stressful enough without exasperating the experience by putting off to an unnatural age.  Granted if one didn't want children then it's about finding that ever elusive lasting relationship with someone who one can grow old with and cherish.

I think men and women alike agree it's cute and pulls at their heart when they see a very old couple holding each other up and being happy together.  That kind of commitment is rare.  And everyone wants to be loved. By that same token, no one wants to be alone.  And for a woman when she is in her twenties, she could find all sorts of men who want to be by her side, mostly for the wrong reasons, but at least she will have people knocking on her door, but unlike a man, the knocks become less and less frequent as she ages.  The simple ugly truth is that men want younger ass.  So we're in a bind, we women on one hand begin to get very realistic, maybe even cold and desperate to find that soulmate who knows he wants to be with her and only her for the rest of his life in a jiffy.  But desperate as it may be, if you were left knowing that after a certain point, your value in the romance department and in the not be alone forever world can decline steadily after a certain age, you too would be scrambling.  Especially if kids are something you care about too. 

Alas, I suppose it's not all a wash, old single women are such fun, so in the larger larger picture if i didn't care at all about the notion of love and having a happy, healthy family of my own, i wouldn't mind being a crazy mischievous old maid free to do whatever she wanted, but the trouble is that i am a very big romantic and the only thing i've ever wanted was a chance to have a happy, healthy family of my own to replace the memories of the confusing, complex, cold one of my childhood.  To take happiness into my own hands and break the cycle of sadness in my family's history.  And so...I now feel the icy hands of time as well. DARN IT! and i thought i'd be immune. well..i suppose if all else fails it might be fun to be a cooky old maid.

i just hope that when it's my turn to look back at the younger days of possibility as an old woman, i will be happy with the life i led and knew i reached for the stars and made happiness happen.

to be alone or not be alone? Oh the possibilities!

maybe marriage and one person forever doesn't work out for obvious reasons? maybe humans are guaranteed to not like being tied to another person.

or maybe we do like it and it does work. who knows? is it worth trying and seeing or better off left alone and flying free?

lol. wat about you? how old are you and where are you on the whole
relationship and marriage scheme of things in your life?  would you
feel differently if you were at your age and a member of the opposite
sex?

BTW....in case you missed it.  The Republicans have taken Court. 
Don't say I never warned anyone that this could spell disaster.

(Supreme
Court Justice nominee Judge Samuel Alito is pictured as he meets with
U.S. Senator John Cornyn (Republican / Texas) at the U.S. Capitol in
Washington, DC Thursday, 03 November 2005. President Bush named Alito
for the court on 31 October after his first choice, White House counsel
Harriet Miers, withdrew her nomination in the face of intense
opposition from Bush's most conservative Republican backers.)

My thanks to Harriet Miers for standing her ground and not being a "yes" person in the face of staunch opposition.

Alito finally confirmed as 110th justice of US Supreme Court

JESSE HOLLAND
IN WASHINGTON

ventage: my birthday is on valentine's day.

(since everyone on xanga seems to be discussing V-Day angst i thought i would vent too)

i've never been fond of it.
honestly. it's a royal pain in the tush. 
the only good that comes out of my bday being on the day of great hallmark marketing genius is that it makes me a major romantic.
and i mean major.  i can think up any thoughtful, extravagant and grand idea and put it into fruition.
i've set up amazing romantic rendezvous and fantastically out of this world experiences, such as a suprise limo tour of napa valley and seaplane sunset cruise over the bay area while sipping champagne. i like cooking for my love, buying suprise gifts, writing notes, anything to show affection, appreciation and love. 
but i dunno. i think that all this amazing creativity to come up with such amazingly wonderful romantic adventures and spoilings doesn't really help me.
i'm a girl.  and as much as i believe in equality and the fact that i will just forgoe precedent, say screw it and plan, pay for, and deliver suprises galore, my efforts inevitably have done nothing but bite me in the ass.

see, i'm no princess. 
i don't expect a guy to go as crazy as i do. 
i have fun planning and executing amazing suprises.
it's my specialty, i'm a people pleaser, who likes to share gift-wise and really explore life and have fun together.
i don't really mind doing all the work, because it means i get to share in the splendors.

the thing that kills me tho is that the men in my life are usually absolutely devoid of romance.
or they almost always claim that they just don't know how to be romantic and sweet.
geesus all i am asking for, is dinner and then take me ice skating, BOWLING, to paint pots!!!
i'm that easy to please.
but it's wierd...i've noticed that the easier a girl is to please the more impossible for a guy to actually wanna try.
i'm serious...my friends who are more high maintenance are always so spoiled with attention, care and affection from their significant others.
i always find it amusing that when i finally give up, because i'm sick of spending so much on two when i could be enjoying activities on myself and split the cost with friends who will actually be enthusiastic and excited that i invited them on such adventures, the guys in my life who had said they don't know how to be romantic, will alas quel suprise!! pull out all kinds of stops.

hilarious really, cause by then...i'm done with them and i could care less if they pulled an elephant ride out from under them...
it's care, delivered just way too late. no actually it's desperation cause they realize they lost someone who was relentlessly devoted. hahaha.
for example:
my ex was an incredible asshole, he stood me up on my 18th birthday and was out flirting on chicks at the pool hall, on my 20th and 21st he finally said we can hang out together but we ended up just watching tv...my optimistic self was just happy he would spend the day with me.  (it is so bad to have such low expectations!!!) and at the end of the 21st he actually told me he spent the money i had given him to buy me a bday present, cause he was always broke...on some other chick a month before.  HE WAS SUCH AN ASS. but he wouldn't let me break up with him and when i finally did....alas...quel suprise!! he showed up in the middle of class with flowers, candy, balloons and embarrassed me so everyone could go OMG what a sweet bf. making me look like a B**** for not appreciating it and telling them that he actually isn't and for wanting to tell him to take it all and shove it. HAHA. life is very ironic. he was very sweet after i finally got the courage to leave. but not before or anytime during when i would have killed for even a lil teeny bit of extra effort. why love has to be unrequited for most people...i will never know. i think it's just sadistic. seriously PEOPLE...stop wanting what you can't have and chasing the unreachable and appreciate the people who will even put up with your hard to put up with self,  we are all honestly really LUCKY if ANYONE ever wants to spend time with us for who we really are. we should appreciate them, love them, spoil them, cherish them, everyday as much as we can.

honestly love is a lucky accident. and when it happens to u...forget pride, forget your self, enjoy, embrace, and live it.  humiliate yourself, do the impossible, explore the world together...it's the one thing in life that can make life seem exhilerating and amazing if only we gave ourselves up to it and remember to be appreciative, enthusiastic, thoughtful, selfless, and take a chance on doing something you would never do for happiness and feelings we never thought possible. otherwise u'll be 60 kicking yourself for being such a stubborn idiot who lived a life with mediocrity afraid to think and live outside the box of normality and routine.

not a good thing. men are strange, you gotta be aloof and then they like ya. if you're sweet, they get lazy, uninterested..WAY too comfy. and they say women are complicated.  alas...i think both sexes can be. and it gets down to compatibility and compromise. you find someone who will be interested in you even when you are and will put in effort and meet you in the middle with it all and vice versa. otherwise it's just another power struggle where one person does all the work and the other takes and takes. STUPID GAMES> i hate games.

lol. love child is what people used to call me when my mother told people my bday is on vday.
PSH. what good is being a love child when no one loves u?
not when it really matters, oh well.
at least it means i give really good birthday presents to deserving friends. haha. so it's not all a lost.

i just wish i wasn't born on valentine's day. 
it jinxes romance for me even tho i'm an expert in it. hahaha.
which i guess is fine, but man! Life would be so much fun if two people simultaneously tried to think of fun things to do together and put in the hard work and effort it takes to be happy and in love.

AND NO contrary to popular belief, i'm just like christmas birthday people...we get one gift...not two. haha. WHATEVERS holiday birthdays all suck.
my poor sister is born at the end of may, she hated it. her birthday is always landing on memorial day and everyone's outta town on a three day holiday and didn't show up for parties.  poor thing.

blah blah blah..bottom line...EVERYONE wants to be special to someone. and EVERYONE should try and make the people in their lives that they care about feel special.  never ever take full advantage of that opportunity.   and if u honestly don't care that much about somoene, let them go, let yourself go....so you can both be with people who truly is a gem to them.  alright i'm getting off the soapbox and i'm done venting.

Happy Wednesday!

my mom tried to throw me a suprise bday party.  it is VERY sweet of her. but alas, she and i are REALLY bad at keeping secrets and she spilled the beans.  CUTE.

now...the double team psychic team at the SF Guardian brings your horoscope for the week, tell me how it works out!

double team psychic dream

JAN. 25-31

ARIES

March 21-April 19

Aries, we won't tell anybody that you still sleep with your
woobie. Or that your woobie is little more than a shred of lint that
keeps almost being mistaken for a dryer sheet and thrown away by your
loved one. You have a need for security. We respect that. While
initiating new endeavors this week, stay creative and stay checked in
with your woobie.

TAURUS

April 20-May 20

Taurus, you can take off your gloves this week. You can even
bust a bottle on the curb and brandish it menacingly. Yep, you are
encouraged to be aggressive, even relentless, in your approach to
getting what you want. Oh my god, we're totally speaking in metaphor,
so don't hurt anyone.

GEMINI

May 21-June 21

Have you gotten a bad rap, Gemini? Is your reputation in
tatters? Do various Web sites have threads where strangers anonymously
discuss how much you suck? If so, this would be an excellent week to
have some crucial conversations, clear up some miscommunications, and
otherwise represent yourself in a way that feels true.

CANCER

June 22-July 22

You're not blindly trusting this week, Cancer. There are good,
solid reasons for you to trust, and we hope that makes it easier to
engage in some hot trust action and take it from there. Take a good
look at what you've been putting your time into and you'll see for
yourself how solid it is.

LEO

July 23-Aug. 22

Leo, all your relationships are changing. You need to assert
some new boundaries and bust out a whole new book of rules. This might
sound scary or tedious, but it's not. It's great. You've been waiting
your whole life to get treated right, and now you've got the tools to
make it happen.

VIRGO

Aug. 23-Sept. 22

It looks like everything is in a state of flux right now, Virgo.
Or maybe it's you that's in the state of flux. Or both. It's hard to
see with everything fluxing all over the place. One thing is certain:
It would behoove you to connect with the process this week. Staring
down the road into the future will only trip you out.

LIBRA

Sept. 23-Oct. 22

Libra, this week you are a ship. You are the SS PrettySmile.
You have a long chain growing out of your side with a big-ass anchor at
the end of it. Whenever you start tripping out, imagine hip-chucking
that anchor and letting it sink to the ocean floor. You're totally
safe.

SCORPIO

Oct. 23-Nov. 21

Scorpio, you're excited about the future this week. Awesome! You
feel really capable in the present too. Even better. Now all you need
is a realistic understanding of your needs and you're perfect.
Everything looks excellent as long as you don't take on too much. You
need extra time to investigate those needs.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 22-Dec. 21

Sag, it was like you heard it was going to rain, so you went and
bought an umbrella. And you felt all good and responsible, like, "Look
at me, I'm taking care of myself, I bought an umbrella." And then that
rain turned out to be a bona fide shitstorm. You might want to change
your mind about how to prepare for the weather.

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22-Jan.19

Capricorn, you little capitalist, we're just brimming with money
and banking metaphors for you. And lemonade metaphors. This week it's
banking: solid yields on your investments. Good news, right? You're
feeling a deep sense of connection to what you value, plus your mind is
open to new possibilities. Right on.

AQUARIUS

Jan. 20-Feb. 18

Deep inside, Aquarius, you are all hippies. Don't lie. Let your
flower child out this week. The conditions are good for saying a
blissful yes to everything. Say "Yes, me. Yes, opportunity. Yes, being
alive on this weird-ass planet so rife with injustice yet somehow still
a good time." Only good will come of it.

PISCES

Feb. 19-March 20)

Pisces, you've got to stretch before you play. Especially given
the kind of games you're gearing up for – you've got big, big plans, so
make sure you take the time to prepare for the work you're about to
engage in. You've created a stable, healthy base to jump from.

In honor of the first day of the chinese lunar calendar, I was a vegetarian for the day.  I don't know if it's just a mental thing but I feel so alive and fresh.  As though my body is cleansed.   I'm a huge meat eater, this was no easy task. I'm proud of myself for sticking it out.

tina so healthy oh my!
lol.  no salads for me tho. i dunno a salad has got to be exquisite and special for me to enjoy.  mostly the magic for me is in a heavy dressing. haha otherwise it's just rabbit food. and i'm not cute so therefore i am not a rabbit. HAHAHA. all kidding aside, i really do feel healthier today. haha. oh well...doesn't matter...

now i yearn for a big fat juicy steak.

 MMMMMMMMM.

what can i say?  I am a steak and potatoe girl any day. toss the salad to someone else please!

now as a side note. tomorrow morning i have to get up early and go figure out a jury duty summons mix up.
i'm the only person that gets summoned during the last week of an intense intersession course, and thus is too busy to delve deeply into the darn thing
and then i only happened to remember yesterday, and then realized the damn summons date is MONDAY!
i wouldn't mind jury duty, truth be told i'd actually like to experience that process and so i can witness law in action and be a part of that process....it's always been very fascinating, thus my obsession with "Judging Amy" so I was actually excited about it.  That was until Scott woke me up from the idealistic world I exist in with a rude reality check that jury duty is usually at least a week long commitment, a commitment i cannot live up to b/c my life is hectic and busy as it is.  Which is why tomorrow I will bring my tush down to the city hall area to try and find the jury duty summons court office and beg to have my duty as a citizen be postponed to a later date, preferably when I am done with school.  Kinda worried they're gonna be mad at me for not having filed this postponement via mail earlier tho.  I hope they'll be understanding tho. Wish me luck!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR EVERYONE.

TODAY IS DAY ONE of the Chinese New Year. Now here are the explanations about the 15-day celebration of Chinese New Year:

The 15-Day Celebration of
Chinese New Year

The first day of the Lunar New Year is "the welcoming of the gods of the heavens and earth."Many people abstain from meat on the first day of the new year because it is believed that this will ensure long and happy lives for them. On the second day, the Chinese pray to their ancestors as well as to all the gods. They are extra kind to dogs and feed them well as it is believed that the second day is the birthday of all dogs.

The third and fourth days are for the sons-in-laws to pay respect to their parents-in-law. The fifth day is called Po Woo. On that day people stay home to welcome the God of Wealth. No one visits families and friends on the fifth day because it will bring both parties bad luck.

On the sixth to the 10th day, the Chinese visit their relatives and friends freely. They also visit the temples to pray for good fortune and health.

The seventh day of the New Year is the day for farmers to display their produce. These farmers make a drink from seven types of vegetables to celebrate the occasion. The seventh day is also considered the birthday of human beings. Noodles are eaten to promote longevity and raw fish for success. On the eighth day the Fujian people have another family reunion dinner, and at midnight they pray to Tian Gong, the God of Heaven.

The ninth day is to make offerings to the Jade Emperor. The 10th through the 12th are days that friends and relatives should be invited for dinner. After so much rich food, on the 13th day you should have simple rice congee and mustard greens (choi sum) to cleanse the system.

The 14th day should be for preparations
to celebrate the Lantern Festival which is to be held on the
15th night.

in case you're chinese and gonna be with the family, don't forget the do's and dont's, you might get yelled at for messing up fortunes.  and this is also useful for viistors to chinese new year celebrations..i know i definitely needed the refreshing.  And remember, DURING CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS, EVERYONE IS SUPPOSED TO BE ON VERY GOOD TERMS, BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER, ATTENTIVE, COURTEOUS, HELPFUL AND HAPPY OR ELSE YOU WILL BRING NEGATIVITY AND BAD LUCK TO THE REST OF THE YEAR.

sigh. my mother and grandmother's nagging about superstitions has paid off, i am totallly worried that anything i do willl reflect badly throughout the year.

Taboos and Superstitions
of Chinese New Year

House Cleaning The entire house should be cleaned before New Year's Day. On New Year's Eve, all brooms, brushes, dusters, dust pans and other cleaning equipment are put away. Sweeping or dusting should not be done on New Year's Day for fear that good fortune will be swept away. After New Year's Day, the floors may be swept. Beginning at the door, the dust and rubbish are swept to the middle of the parlor, then placed in the corners and not taken or thrown out until the fifth day. At no time should the rubbish in the corners be trampled upon. In sweeping, there is a superstition that if you sweep the dirt out over the threshold, you will sweep one of the family away. Also, to sweep the dust and dirt out of your house by the front entrance is to sweep away the good fortune of the family; it must always be swept inwards and then carried out, then no harm will follow. All dirt and rubbish must be taken out the back door.

Bringing In the New Year and Expelling the Old Shooting off firecrackers on New Year's Eve is the Chinese way of sending out the old year and welcoming in the New Year. On the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, every door in the house, and even windows, have to be open to allow the old year to go out.

New Year Activities Set Precendent All debts had to paid by this time. Nothing should be lent on this day, as anyone who does so will be lending all the year. Back when tinder and flint were used, no one would lend them on this day or give a light to others. Everyone should refrain from using foul language and bad or unlucky words. Negative terms and the word "four" (Ssu), which sounds like the word for death, are not to be uttered. Death and dying are never mentioned and ghost stories are totally taboo. References to the past year are also avoided as everything should be turned toward the New Year and a new beginning. If you cry on New Year's day, you will cry all through the year. Therefore, children are tolerated and are not spanked, even though they are mischievous.

Personal Appearance and Cleanliness On New Year's Day, we are not suppose to wash our hair because it would mean we would have washed away good luck for the New Year. Red clothing is preferred during this festive occasion. Red is considered a bright, happy color, sure to bring the wearer a sunny and bright future. It is believed that appearance and attitude during New Year's sets the tone for the rest of the year. Children and unmarried friends, as well as close relatives are given lai see, little red envelopes with crisp one dollar bills inserted, for good fortune.

More New Year
Superstitions

For those most superstitious, before
leaving the house to call on others, the Almanac should be
consulted to find the best time to leave the home and the
direction which is most auspicious to head out.

The first person one meets and the first
words heard are significant as to what the fortunes would be
for the entire year. It is a lucky sign to see or hear
songbirds or red-colored birds or swallows.

It is considered unlucky to greet anyone
in their bedroom so that is why everyone, even the sick,
should get dressed and sit in the living room.

Do not use knives or scissors on New
Year's Day as this may cut off fortune.

While many Chinese people today may not
believe in these do's and don'ts, these traditions and
customs are still practiced. These traditions and customs
are kept because most families realize that it is these very
traditions, whether believed or not, that provide continuity
with the past and provide the family with an
identity.