MY FAVORITE PART OF LIFE IS...

When someone first meets you, they want to know all of your favorites. Of all the symbols and traditional signs of good luck, my favorite things in life tend to make me feel lucky. I don’t mean lucky in terms of wealth. I mean lucky to be alive and to be happy. My favorite things make me optimistic and enrich my life with flavor and energy. They make me who I am and generally define me. My favorite thing to do is smile. My favorites or “my likes” are widely ranged; from a favorite number or color to the favorite things to do and people to do them with in my life. Most people have a low, usual number as their favorite. Not me! My favorite number is 85! Isn’t that strange? It was even my volleyball number when I started on the volleyball team at my high school. When the number 85 comes up, I am so excited. I would love to reach the 85; a healthy 85 year old of course. I would prefer 85 shirts, 85 pens, 85 CDs; 85 anything and I am all set and ready to go. My favorite food is mashed potatoes and chicken cutlets, though I love all foods. My favorite sport to watch is baseball and my favorite team is the New York Yankees. I am so happy when I am at a live baseball game. Although he is not on the team anymore, I love Tino Martinez. Derek Jeter is my second favorite! I love to shop for clothes and shoes. When it’s pouring rain out, I love dancing in it. My favorite flower is the lily. I like to sing as loud as possible and dance as if no one is watching. I love snow left untouched, when seasons first change and waking up without an alarm clock. My birthday and holiday seasons are my favorite time of year. I love candy, sunshine, foreign languages, sad and funny movies. My favorite place in the world, other than being surrounded by loved ones and at home, is Walt Disney World. I love feeling like a kid. And I absolutely love my friends and family! MY FAVORITE PART OF LIFE IS LIVING IT =)

My name is Janine Josephine Cavallo. I am 19 years old and I was born on February 5th. I am writing this blog for my English course and my semester of my freshman year is coming to an end. In an effort to have 22 blogs for the course requirement, I was searching high and low as to what my last two entries would consist of. In terms of luck and researching facts, these next two blogs will be slightly different. I decided my perspective of luck runs hand in hand with my likes and dislikes in life. To end my blog on a happy note, I decided to write my dislikes first. Ever have something you hate more than anything in the entire world; something that disgusts you beyond belief? I hate FEET among anything else and I hate when people do not wear socks. I wear a lot of open toed shoes so in that case, my feet must be done with a pedicure. I hate when people look at my feet and I especially hate if anyone touches my feet or me with theirs. I hate coffee and most vegetables. I hate being lied to! I hate fighting over unnecessary things and nightmares. I hate cloudy days and the drizzling rain. I hate pain, needles and doctors. I hate feeling too tall the losing people I care about. I don’t like to fly; even though I often am forced to or heights. I rarely like to use the elevator. I hate being afraid and having nightmares. The thought of dying alone or god forbid losing my child before me are two fears of mine as well. On a lighter note, my next entry will be more optimistic and uplifting.

Two Halves of a Whole

How do yo know he or she is your true love? How do you know it is meant to be? Is the second half to make your heart whole? I believe in true love...Those who believe in Astrology tend to believe in all its aspects. They like to read their horoscopes, their general traits of their sign and even the compatibilities between his or her sign and the sign of their loved one. Compatibility relies on the sun signs. What is a sun sign? According to astrology.com… “Originally referred to as your star sign, your Sun sign represents the sign of the Zodiac that the Sun was in at the time of your birth. The Sun rules willpower and ego. It is the core of your potential and uniqueness as an individual; who you are and what you are about. Your Sun sign represents the main direction and focus you want your life to take and your determination to accomplish what you set out to do. It represents your personal honesty and integrity, your ability to command respect and authority and your capacity to impress and influence others.” In that instance, the sun signs of you and the person you love may have a large dependence on how the relationship works out. My sign is Aquarius. I have a few love interests or crushes if you will, so I decided to choose one of the signs and post the compatibility score I got. His birthday is on April 20th and he falls under the sign of the Pisces. “When Aquarius and Pisces join together in a love match, there is much compassion and creation. These partners are idealistic as individuals as well as they are together. Pisces flows with their dream-like surroundings, and Aquarius is constantly coming up with new inventions and ways of doing things. This relationship digs deep for the truth of the matter at hand, and both partners are always looking for solutions to problems. They both tend to be introspective. Aquarius can often be quick to judge those who don't share their vision, while Pisces is often too compassionate, even for those who don't necessarily deserve it. Aquarius and Pisces make very good friends as well as excellent lovers. Problems are rare, but sometimes Aquarius can be too intellectual and aloof for Pisces, and Pisces may at times be too self-sacrificing and gullible for the Aquarian taste. Whenever Aquarius comes up with a new idea -- as they so often do -- Pisces is eager to understand it on an intuitive level. This duo creates a complementary relationship deep in intellectual and emotional resources....” To read more, go to astrology.com and check out your own compatibility tests.

Luck Symbols

"Health I bring you, Happiness too, Wealth herein, And all for you." Everyone knows of the signs of bad luck and the differences among countries. However, few know the symbols and signs of luck. A rabbit's foot is one symbol of luck. R. E. Shay said "Depend on the rabbit's foot if you will, but remember it didn't work for the rabbit." In terms of symbols and signs of good fortune and luck, it depends on an individual's personal beliefs. In a few words, to each his own. Perhaps the most universally recognized and well known of the symbols is the horseshoe. An upright used horseshoe placed at the top right corner of the door frame is said to bring good luck into the home. The nut of the Rudraksh tree can be found in parts of Indonesia, the Himalayas and Malaysia. The beads represent one part of the divine Hindu trinity, Lord Shiva. While being worn close to an individual, lucky charm lockets take the form of many luck symbols. Three keys worn together on a key ring are said to unlock the doors to wealth, health and love. The nut of an oak tree carried the gift of youth to the individual who carries it. The journey of the soul to the other realm is represented in the form of feathers and feathers is the ancient charm for good luck. The renewal of life is symbolized by the jewerly worn of an ancient Egyptian amulet. A bat is a symbol of good fortune in the east. Four leaf and three leaf clovers also are widely recognized symbols of good luck.

Fortune Cookie

After eating Wonton soup and crackers or whatever you prefer in your Chinese food meal, you look around for the FORTUNE COOKIE. Everyone knows that the pick of the cookie is at random and any of the fortunes you receive are by luck of the draw. In spite of this, that’s not to say that we don’t look into the fortune and try and find its meaning. We try and put its significance to our own recent life experiences or our hopes for the near future. But… did you ever wonder who came up with the ideas of a fortune cookie? Who decided that they should put a tiny fortune telling inside the “crispy, bow-shaped sugar cookies served in restaurants as the finale of a Chinese meal?” Americans would automatically give credit to the Chinese. That is not the case however. One legend of the fortune cookie was introduced in the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park and the idea pirated by a local Chinese restauranteur. A Japanese American heritage is said that the cookie is a descendent of the sembet; a flat, round, rice cracker. The Chinese believe the fortune cookie is a modern Chinese American interpretation of the moon cake. Legends proclaim that moon cakes were used in the fourteenth century as a means of critical communication. Soldiers communicated strategies by stuffing messages into moon cakes. The concept of message-stuffed pastry has supposedly endured through ages and now uses fortunes within. Perhaps the most plausible and conceivable story dates back to 1918 when David Jung, founder of the Hong Kong Noodle Co., invented the fortune cookie as a sweet treat and encouraging word for unemployed men who gathered on the streets. Today, fortune cookies are mass produced and widely distributed; the fortune cookie is exported to China and Hong Kong with fortunes written in English. Most popular in the United States, the cookies continue to lift spirits with promises of great success, hope, love and harmony, and of course; good fortune.

My Favorite Book

Off on another tangent to luck, I wanted to write about my favorite book. The books I have enjoyed have greatly impacted my outlooks on life. This in a metaphorical sense has "brought me luck." I always enjoyed reading but it had to be of my personal interests. There were many books in school that seemed to take an eternity to get through because of the dull topics or lack of descriptions and details. I would read and reread sentences and pages over and over again because I could not get into the books. There was one book that I was required to read in my senior year of high school that I remember enjoying the most. Khaled Hosseini, the author of the Kite Runner, strives to help Americans and those in forty-two other countries by using language that is understood to describe the feelings of men and women, poor and wealthy, and weak and strong in Afghanistan across three periods in history. His details throughout the book allowed my interest to be caught and kept. The tale is vividly descriptive and, although it is a fictitious novel, the authentic political events paint almost reality-based stories. I could not put the book down. The narrator of The Kite Runner is Amir. He starts off the novel with a foreshadowing of what is to come yet he is speaking of the past. “I looked up at those twin kites. I thought about Hassan. I thought about Baba. Ali. Kabul. I thought of the life I had lived until the winter of 1975 came along and changed everything. And made me what I am today.” We are taken on an adventurous journey full of twists and turns through his life from the time he is twelve years old and then twenty-six years later when he “has a chance to be good again.” The Kite Runner is set in Kabul, Afghanistan and holds the story in the peaceful days of the monarchy before General Khan was overthrown in 1973 and in America after Baba and Amir fled the country. The Kite Runner surrounds the tales of two boys, Amir and Hassan, and the friendship, brotherhood and family evolved between two class systems and worlds. “…Then he would remind us that there is a brotherhood between people who had fed from the same breast, a kinship that not even time could break. Hassan and I fed from the same breasts. We took our first steps on the same lawn in the same yard. And, under the same roof, we spoke our first words. Mine was Baba. His was Amir. My name. Looking back on it now, I think the foundation for what happened in the winter of 1975-and all the followed-was already laid in those first words…” One is the son of a wealthy merchant in Kabul and the other, his servant. The rape of Hassan and Amir’s sin to not save his friend becomes the focal point to all the sequences that follow. Afghanistan is changed internally and externally. In The Kite Runner, Amir says after returning back to his home twenty six years later “I stood outside the gates of my father’s house, feeling like a stranger. I remembered things that mattered not at all now and yet had seemed so important then. Most of the poplar trees had been chopped down-the trees Hassan and I used to climb to shine our mirrors into the neighbor’s homes. The Wall of Ailing Corn was still there, though I saw no corn, ailing or otherwise. The lawn was dotted by patches of dirt where nothing grew at all…The house itself is far from the sprawling white mansion I remembered from my childhood. It looked smaller. The roof sagged and the plaster cracked. The windows were broken and the paint, once sparkling white, had faded to ghostly gray and eroded in parts. Like so much else in Kabul, my father’s house was the picture of fallen splendor.” Afghanistan was changed and destroyed in every way possible by the Taliban control, even in a physical approach. Aristotle would name how we feel when reading The Kite Runner as catharses. USA Today says “…Hosseini’s writings make our hearts ache, our stomachs clench and our emotions reel…” Through his bewitching narrative, the struggle of life is captured and we feel one with each of the characters. Our sense of empathy, sympathy and love goes out to them all. Both books are intimate accounts of love and friendship and we are shown the reality of a culture unlike our own. To read about another culture's sufferings and substantial differences with my own, it was an eye-opener and greatly influenced my acceptances and opinions on other religions, cultures and countries.

Literature Genre

On a slight tangent, we were allowed to post our definitions of creative nonfiction. This has nothing to do with my topic on luck but I want to post it anyways. My favorite genre to read is fiction. I would rather read a fictional tale that incorporates nonfictional events than to read an autobiography or a mystery book. Here is my definition . . .
A genre is a type of literature or writing style. Some of the genres we have been most exposed to include Fiction, Nonfiction, Mystery, and Tragedy. When we are trying to understand a work in literature, it is easier retained in our memories when we have a better comprehension of the writing style it is written in. Every genre has a unique and individual flare. The components and literary elements included allow for a further success of a novel in its particular genre. One genre that many have attempted to term a general consensus of what it is composed of is Creative Nonfiction.
Within this genre, literary elements and techniques are combined with legitimate truths and are given to the readers in a different approach. Facts, based on prior knowledge and research, are merged with literary elements in this style of writing in order to let the pages come alive. Some literary elements that are featured in creative nonfiction and are used to add essence to straightforward facts include plot, setting, mood, irony, characterization as well as others. This genre is a more interesting way of providing real facts without seeming to allow the book to drag on. It also seems to be giving an appeal that lures the readers in and forces them to be urged to continue to the following page. Creative nonfiction gives a sense of suspense and anticipation to a nonfiction piece of literature. The critical point of creative nonfiction is to establish a clear, vivid differentiation between it and both fiction and nonfiction. Creative Nonfiction writers present the information with the tools used in fictional stories while upholding their loyalty to the actual facts.
Creative Nonfiction was not the original title to this writing technique. In fact, this term was not established until 1983 by Lee Gutkind at a meeting established by the National Endowment of the Arts in an effort to name it. Gutkind was “a motorcyclist, a medical insider, a sailor, a college professor, a mid-life father and a literary whipping boy” and what 1997 Vanity Fair magazine declared as the “the Godfather” behind the creative nonfiction movement—an indisputable force whose efforts have helped make the genre the fastest growing in the publishing industry.” According to the Creative Nonfiction website, the definition of creative nonfiction lies right within its title. This is perhaps why a title like essay, journalism or literary journalism could not credit this approach in literature any justice. The site established primarily to the genre itself describes it as “‘creative nonfiction’ precisely describes what the form is all about. The word “creative” refers simply to the use of literary craft in presenting nonfiction—that is, factually accurate prose about real people and events—in a compelling, vivid manner. To put it another way, creative nonfiction writers do not make things up; they make ideas and information that already exist more interesting and, often, more accessible.”
Two of the works in literature that we covered in this semester fall under the genre of creative nonfiction. Both The Curve of Binding Energy, written by John McPhee, and All Around the Town, written by Herbert Asbury, portray a narrative rather than a timeline or retelling of the events in history. McPhee writes about the life and career of theoretical physicist and scientist, Theodore B. Taylor, who was responsible for scientific inventions regarding nuclear energy. Asbury writes about the riots, murder, scandal and pandemonium in Manhattan, New York City. Both novels combine research with experience in an effort to add flavor to the events.
What makes the genre stand out among the rest and gives it originality is the lacking of limitations to a single specific structure or writing form in literature. Well written creative nonfiction takes information, facts, events and ideas that might seem uninteresting when first looked at and crafts them into a fascinating and riveting tale. A genre can have a plethora or surplus of definitions in an effort to better understand the novels that fall under its category. From Writing Creative Nonfiction, by Carolyn Forche and Philip Gerard, Creative Nonfiction can only be described with “"It's very literariness distinguishes this writing from deadline reportage, daily journalism, academic criticism, and critical biography. It is storytelling of a very high order through the revelation of character and the suspense of plot, the subtle braiding of themes, rhythms and resonance, memory and imaginative research, precise and original language.”

Acrophobia & Aviaphobia

Everyone fears something... whether it be small spaces, spiders, heights or any of the others which make it t0 the list classified as a "phobia." Some phobias are taken to the extreme and the individual in fear will make changes to their lifestyle in order to avoid coming face-to-face with it. And then there are the other people who tend to make the best of it and deal with their phobia while still being afraid. I am that kind of person. I have a few phobias but thankfully nothing serious enough that I am limited from them. I have a fear of heights and a slight fear of flying because of it. Fear of heights is called acrophobia and fear of flying is called aviaphobia. Despite my fears, I still go on roller coasts and amusement park ride of any height. I would prefer to not take an elevator or even a high escalator if it was my choice. When I went on my cruise, I walked up and down the stairs of a 9 floor cruise ship as often as I could to avoid the elevators. My fear of flying can be directly related to my fear of how high I am in the sky when you go on an airplane. The new media on plane crashed and the horrifying events of terrorist attacks like September 11th, 2001 definitely add to my fear that was less prominent when I was younger. This however has not affected me to not travel or to ride in airplanes. I have traveled to many places and I have taken many planes to get there. This is the basis on why I say that although I have these phobias, I refuse to put limitations and restrictions in my life as a result of them.

Pure Bad Luck

Hmm... have you ever seen the comic skit, Delirious, by Eddie Murphy? It was released in 1983 and was one his earlier performances. He does a standup about icecream and I could remember the skit perfectly the other night. Everyone acts like a little child when the ice cream man is coming. You can hear the music from blocks away and you wish on anything it will come up your block as soon as possible. Your ear perk up like that a little puppy dog and your eyes brighten with excitement. Well the other night, I heard it. My back door was opened and it sounded like it was coming around the block. I ran to the front window two minutes later and realized he was already passing the h0use. I was thinking "oh my god!!" and I ran down the stairs as fast as my legs could carry me. I ran out the door with no money, no orders for what anyone in the house wanted from the truck and no shoes on my feet, just socks. He stopped for me halfway down the block but when I ran back for the money, he was starting to pull away. I tried so hard to run after him but he was driving too fast. I then did something I never had done before. I got into my car and started to follow the icecream man. With my sister in the passenger seat, I could not stop from laughing. Everytime he had stopped, I threw the car into park and started running down the block. Unfortunately, he never stopped. I couldn't tell if he hadn't seen me or if he was ignoring my persistence and was laughing at my expense. I looked like such a heffer running after this truck. It was as if I had never was going to have ice cream again. My sister and I were hysterica laughing the entire time. Thank god for my self esteem because anyone else would be mortified to admit the possibility of someone else watching this juvenile and insane act. I looked like a crazy person but I was determined. All i wanted was a screwball ice. My mouth was watering everytime I got out of the car to run. My last attempt while completely out of breath was when the truck was stopped at a red light. Even with my running abilities and screaming for the ice cream man, I was shit down. The light turned green and he did not hesistate. I will always wonder whether or not he had seen me. I basically ran around my entire development and what a disappointment I was left with; no icecream screwball. Now that is what I call bad luck!!!

Sweeter Side of Superstition Spectrum

On the opposite side of “superstition spectrum,” there tends to be a sweeter side. Those who are superstitious believe in tales to bring bad luck as much as they bring good luck. The most widespread symbols of good luck are clovers. Four leaf clovers and shamrocks are believed to bring good luck. If you see a coin with the heads side up, you are supposed to pick it up to have good luck for the day. You should wear a new outfit on Easter to have good luck for the following year. When you spill the salt, you will regain your good luck if you throw a pinch over your left shoulder. If the palm of your right hand itches, you will soon be coming into money. Some ways to bring good luck are said to be spilling wine while proposing a toast, finding 9 individual peas in a pea pod, picking up a pencil in the street, looking at the new moon over your right shoulder, finding a ladybug on yourself, dolphins swimming near a ship or a spider spinning in the morning. A horseshoe should be hung above the doorway to bring good luck in the house and hung in the bedroom to keep the nightmares away. Knocking on wood tends to protect us against misfortune. Symbols of good luck that is even carried around on a day to day basis include a rabbit’s foot, a clover and a horseshoe. With all of the superstitions and bad luck in the world, it is nice to see that some beliefs end in a better fortune of the day, month or even year. It gives an easier perspective to those in the “glass half full” mind set.

Old Wives Tale

As if some of us don’t have enough bad luck as it, there are those who believe that some of our own actions cause ever worse luck. Superstitions or "old wives tales" go from one extreme to the next. They are beliefs or notions that are not based upon reason or knowledge. The most widely spread superstition in America and in other parts of the world are of Friday the 13th. It is said to be bad luck when the 13th of the month lands on a Friday. Bad luck is also believed to be brought when you put a hat on a bed. If a black cat walks away from you, it takes the luck with it. If you say goodbye to a friend on a bridge, it is believed you will never see each other again. If someone sweeps across your feet, you will never get married. It is a belief that you shouldn’t walk on the crack of a sidewalk, walk under a ladder or to open an umbrella inside. A picture falling or getting out of bed with the left foot first is said to be bad luck. It is also bad luck when a bat flies into the house, an owl hoots 3 times, three butterflies together or hearing a rooster crowing at night. When you break a mirror, it will bring 7 years of bad luck. Bad luck will follow the spilling of salt or placing shoes on the table. There are also many old wives tales and superstitions within dreams, regarding weddings and many more other than the ones I’ve mentioned above. The only thing I wonder is where they started from. Where did the origin of a broken mirror foreshadowing 7 years of bad luck stem from? I won’t be able to get the answer for all of the superstitions in the world but perhaps some of them were researched by someone else with the same wonderings and questions.

"I see in your future..."

Luck and fortune walk hand in hand on the pathways in life. When we see a magical or abstract movie, a fortune teller will say the words “I see ________ in your future…” and the customer looks amazed, mystified and bewildered all at the same time. A puzzled look along with either a smile or a frown depending on the future telling immediately forms after. I may not believe in a fortune teller at the nearest circus but I wonder if one day I would opt to attending a psychic’s session. If someone could tell me what was in my future, would I want to hear it? I wonder if I would really want to know what decisions will cause what effects. If so, will some of my decisions and choices be altered knowing an outcome I want to change. Would I want to know whether or not I will be married to the man of my dreams or an unexpected guy who won’t arrive for years into my future? Would I want to know where I will live and who will always be a part of my life; friends, family and loved ones? Will she tell me if I am going have three or four children or won’t be able to bear any children at all? Will she tell me if the profession I am in is the right one for me? Did I always do what my heart told me to in life or did I do at times what was right for other people? Stories of heard of friends and family who have visited psychics say they were contacted with people they lost years before. Will anyone I’ve lost come to say a message to me? I guess a psychic in my point of view is like a genie in a bottle. Instead of him or her granting me 3 wishes in life, they tell me what wishes will apparently come true in the future. Only time will tell if I ever decide to go along with something like this later on. As for now, it is a mystery to me.

Lucky Clovers

Clovers have been considered a lucky symbol since long ago in Celtic cultures, particularly the four-leaf clover being seen as powerful. Today, both three-leaf clovers (Shamrocks) in Ireland and four-leaf clovers in the United States and Europe are seen as good luck charms. It is unknown the exact time the belief in its luck started but it is said that it was “a favorite forage” or search of domesticated animals like cattle, sheep and horses. Since clovers fed these animals well and made their owners wealthy, the plant was thought to do good and bring good luck for people. The four-leaf clover was important and significance for its scarcity and rarity and it was powerful since it was used in spells. It was believed to represent the four seasons of the year and/or the four elements of alchemy (Water, Earth, Air and Fire). The three-leaf clover was special in the beliefs of Catholics due to its believed representation of the trinity of God, the song and the Holy Spirit. The rare fourth leaf was added for God’s grace. Even in present times, the four-leaf clover is assumed to grant powers in detecting witches, recognizing evil spirits and seeing fairies and mystical creatures. With the rare findings of a four-leaf clover in a patch, it is said to give the discoverer enhanced luck-bearing properties which may be of good assistance and good luck in life.

An Aquarian... mostly

According to one of the astrology websites posted on the internet, there are certain characteristics that Aquarians fall under. I have come to find that almost all of the characteristics fit my personality. My dominating characteristics are said to be “honesty, tolerance, respectful for other’s beliefs, always thinking ahead, keeping one’s word and prefers independence.” On “my side of the spectrum,” I tend to at times be a procrastinator and although I am independent on my opinions and principles, I am very dependent on those close to me for support, love, advice and just in a general sense. Many of the websites drew together the same characteristics. Aquarians are “interesting, attractive, extroverted people. They are outspoken, refined and idealistic, romantic but practical, personable and likable. They are generous, independent, communicative, fair, idealist, thoughtful, loyal, open-minded, selfless, individualistic and dependable. Characteristics less appealing includes being unpredictable, unemotional, detached, rebellious, dogmatic and aloof.” I am a very attached person and my emotions are “worn on my sleeves” at all times. The characteristics of being unemotional and detached are far from being a part of me. My personality traits are very close to the general framework of the Aquarius zodiac sign. I generally don’t rely upon astrology and horoscopes, yet it is interesting to see how my life experiences either allowed me to remain under the characteristics of my sign or alter towards different traits.

What’s Your Zodiac?

Females normally look into their horoscopes and zodiac signs more than males do. When opening a newspaper, the sports section looks much more enticing to a guy than what his day might require to be successful and have a happy ending to it. I live in this fantasy bubble where the glass is always half-full and I am said to always be smiling. I think that I am always optimistic with the simple knowledge that there is always someone else out there who is having a worse day or who has worse luck than I do. Sometimes reading a horoscope gives you an uplifted and temporary fantasy on that day. The word horoscope is derived from the Greek word horoskopos meaning “a look at the hours.” Your horoscope or zodiac sign is determined by the month and day you were born. The zodiac signs include Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. I fall under the sign of the water bearer, Aquarius. My horoscope for today reads… “The upbeat energy in your life is given a shot of joy, encouraging you to pick up your pace and get more accomplished. You probably won't need to wait a long time to know if you're on the right track. Although you're not usually one to shy away from new experiences, now your enthusiasm could be quickly rewarded.” Horoscopes are also used in terms of yearly and monthly predictions, love compatibilities, and general characteristics. I enjoy reading my horoscope just as much as reading the Chinese fortune cookies, whether or not they are at times farfetched and/or unrealistic.

Chinese Zodiac

We live under the International or Gregorian calendar. Our years are determined by the months. The Chinese calendar is based upon astronomical observations and begins on the second new moon of the Winter Solstice. This normally falls between January and February of our year. The meaning behind the 12 animals designated to the Chinese years dates back to Lord Buddha. When he summoned all the animals to bed him farewell before departing from earth, only 12 animals arrived. These animals include Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. He honored them by naming a year after them in the order of their arrival. I was always under the assumption that I was born during the Chinese year of the snake since I was born in 1989. I recently found out that the year of the snake did not start until the day after my birthday, February 6th, 1989. I was born in the year of the dragon. According to the Chinese traditions and zodiac signs, the season and time of day in which you are born have just as much of a major influence on the aspects in your life as the animal that is said to “hide in your heart” does. The animal tends to give a general horoscope. My characteristics as someone born in the year of the dragon are said (also in the link below) to be “Strong-willed, emotional, eccentric, born leader, great ability and high achiever. Lucky, successful, attracts wealth, full of pride, showman, confident, sincere, warm, demanding, high expectations.” My influential element traits of Earth are sociable, conventional and stable. And my compatibility rate with other animal signs (from best to worst) is as follows: Rat, Pig, Rabbit, Monkey, Tiger, Rooster, Sheep, Snake, Horse, Dog, Ox, and Dragon. I think it would be interesting and a little confusing if we lived by this calendar.

My Birth-DAY in History

I was born on Sunday, February 5th, 1989 at 12:44 in the afternoon at Staten Island’s University Hospital. The day obviously has special meaning to my life because it is when I celebrate my birthday year after year. However, there have to have been a handful of events in history with much significance that happened on February 5th as well. I looked up the day and it had many events that occurred. On my actual birthday and year, the last of the Russian troops withdrew from the capital city of Kabul in Afghanistan. All the following events, as well as others that I have not learned, fell on February 5th of different years. An immigration act was passed in 1917. In 1931, Sir Malcolm Campbell set a new race car record of 245MPH with his racing machine, the Bluebird, in Daytona Beach. The first “Don’t Walk” sign was installed in 1952. Children ran for sweets in 1953 after 13 years of sweet rationing in Great Britain since the commencement of WWII. The commander of Apollo 14 (Alan B. Shepard Jr.) became the fifth man to walk on the moon. Panama leader and 16 other associates were charged for drug smuggling and money laundering in 1988. In 1994 in Sarajevo, Bosnia, there was a mortar bomb that exploded in the central market square which killed 68 people and wounded another 200. And in 2008, what was reported to be the worst tornadoes in 2 decades swept across the 5 states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Kansas and Alabama, killing 54 people. Some of the events were happy and others were sad. All I know is that my birthday has had a lot more meaning in history than I could have ever imagined.

Happy New Year

New Years Eve in the year 2000… I can remember like it was yesterday. It was referred to as “Y2K.” There was this superstition that all of our technology was going to fail on us once the clock struck 12. Computers and cell phones and all the materials we had grown so dependent upon were not going to be in use as of 12:00AM on January 1st, 2000. The panic and hysteria left even those who were not superstitious to begin to believe in it in some way, shape or form. When we normally count down to a New Year, we are happy and celebrating the year that passed and excited about the year that will soon follow. It wasn’t until we were sure that we were able to wish our loved ones a Happy New Year over the cell phones that the world was at ease. Superstitions like this have been going on since ancient times and they will continue to live as long as people like us grow the slightest doubt in their own certainties.

Isn’t it Ironic?

Our days always seem to have some touch of irony in them. It appears to be the determination of how our luck unfolds and how that day will unravel. Irony can be defined as what can seem coincidental. Maike Oergel from the Encyclopaedia of German Literature writes that “Irony is a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects...” A song was written by Alanis Morissette entitled “Ironic.” The song goes into some extremes but the lyrics can be understood depending on what kind of day you are having and what you’re doing on that particular day. She says lines like “it’s like ten thousand spoons, when all you need is a knife,” “it’s like rain on your wedding day,” “a traffic jam when you’re already late,” and “a no smoking sign on your cigarette break.” The lines of the song are pieces of a bad day that just keeps getting worse. It defines how you feel before you say the words “this is just my luck,” or “this could only happen to me.”

“13” Precautions

In many countries around the world, in order to help citizens cope with their fears of the number 13, authorities take certain actions they consider necessary to keep everyone happy. For instance, in Scotland, there is no gate at any airport numbered 13. Instead, it is referred to as Gate 12B. In many airplanes, they tend to skip row 13 altogether. Many cultures tend to discourage getting married on the 13th of a month. A race car has never won the Indianapolis 500 or NASCAR Nextel Cup, causing most race car drivers to shy away from having 13 in their number. There is no 13th law in the Code of Hammurabi. According to a superstition, when 13 individuals sit around a table for a meal, one is presumed to die within the following year. There is no sound stage number 13 in Universal Studios, California and no Microsoft Office 13. Bill Gates lost his title of being the richest man in the world after 13 years, according to the 2008 list of world billionaires in Forbes’ magazine. And to reiterate why these superstitions are taken into such account, it was on April 13th that the Apollo 13 spacecraft broke down forcing a return to Earth without reaching the moon and jeopardizing the entire crew.

The Unlucky Number

In many cultures, the number “13” is synonymous with the UNLUCKY NUMBER. In English-speaking cultures, Sweden, Russia and Germany, it is unlucky when the 13th day of the month falls on a Friday (Friday the 13th). A specific fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia.However, in the Greek or Spanish-speaking cultures, there is an unlucky presence when the 13th day falls on a Tuesday. Fear of the number 13 is called triskaidekaphobia. There are many interpretations used to try and explain why the number is termed “unlucky.” As a start to years of superstition and scare, in his writings in 1925, Charles A. Platt proposed that the reason the number 13 was considered to be unlucky was that a person could only count from 1-12 with their 8 fingers, 2 thumbs and 2 feet but not beyond that. Christians believe that it is ill-fated since the 13th disciple to sit at the Last Supper was Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus in the end. The 13th card of Tarot Decks of the Major Arcana is Death. A calendar of 13 months was used in England up until Tudor times when scientific methods were put into effect. Another interpretation as to why the number 13 is unlucky is because it is the number of full moons in a calendar year. Although there are many other superstitions in the world today, this seems to be the one with the most substantiated evidence and reasoning as to why it still stands today and how it came about to start off with.

Luck...

...Luck is a term that refers to that which happens beyond human control. They are chance happenings, if you will. Luck, even in its simplest state, can be applied to many different focuses in life. Whether referring to good or bad fortunes, destiny, fate, superstitions and their history or even karma, luck plays the prominent role undoubtedly. When you wake up in the morning, you are unaware of how the day will begin or end. As the days unfold, there will always be triumphs and downfalls, upsets and accomplishments, happiness and sadness. "Each misfortune you encounter will carry in it the seed of tomorrow's good luck." Depending on your beliefs and how you interpret the world, your luck will cause the different outlooks you have on life. With luck as the central or focal point of my writings, there will also be the inclusion of a thing called “Dumb Luck…” One of those moments when after it occurs, you immediately say the words “Only Me!” Everyone has gone through events where you feel as if it could only have happened to you and of course at the worst of times. And this occurrence must have been bestowed upon you because of something wrong you did earlier or even in a past life somewhere.