Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Happy New Year everyone! Yesterday was Chinese New Year -- the time of year where everyone pigs out with Chinese food, exchanges red envelopes full of money and just parties on down.

We marked the new year last night by having take-out from the always-excellent Asia Express (They seriously rock. The best Chinese take-out in Madison, hands down). Mom and Grandma also came to visit Benevolent Dictator and shove red envelopes full of money in her hands -- which she promptly dropped or tried to eat.

It's official -- I'm an adult. No red envelopes for me.

Anyways, this is the year of the Rat and hopefully things won't be as chaotic as last year. Not that last year was bad for me, mind you. I got a golden piglet. Even though she's been an easy-going, sweet and good-natured kid, she's still a baby. Babies = chaos. Don't forget that.

According to Raymond Lo -- the guy I've referenced in the past for predictions, while this year will have its turmoil, it's not going to be as insane as previous years:

In general, the yang Earth Rat year, with earth on top failing to control water below, is symbol of apparent calmness on the outside but such calmness lacks a solid foundation and the mountain can tumble and devoured by the ocean of fierce water. Some kind of new world order began to emerge but it will take time to consolidate into stability. . Still there will be international conflicts and uprisings and unrest but such events may be less turbulent than 2007. The new beginning of the 12 animal cycle led by the Rat will be first step to cool down or slow down the acceleration of Global warming problem.

Election year? War still in Iraq? Potential conflict with Iran? Canada invading the United States with socialized medicine? Could be all of these things and more. At least it's the Year of the Rat, which is more favorable to a fire-breathing Dragon like me. Maybe it's safe for me to come out from under my bed now.