That was the year that was

" Petö rabbits", 2002

A letter from Hong Kong

This morning, very early, I received an email, presumably written on February 3rd, saying that on this the last day of the Chinese Year of the Tiger all old projects where being brought to a close so that on the 4th of February the New Year can begin.

A tiger for the year

The first day of the Year of the Tiger had brought my first contact with the people organising the Congress in Hong Kong. What an interesting and exciting year that was, culminating in a Congress that definitely exhibited many of the Tiger's characteristics: lucky and lively, vivid and engaging, brave and with undying courage.

The certainly was a lot of courage needed in staging the huge World Congress, with over five- hundred delegates from fifteen different countries. Just like the Tiger the Congress was certainly vivid and engaging, from the moment that the tiger dancers welcomed us right up to the moment that we docked in the Harbour as the finale.

As the year closes the Chinese try to put their houses in order, and clear their desks so that after the New Year holiday they can start many things anew. Anything that can be completed will be finished off. Ongoings project are left at the appropriate place to be begun again with renewed energy.

I will not have brought my reporting on my Hong Kong experiences to a close before the next New Year arrives. I still have lots to write about from the Tiger year. There are more stories to tell, with many more photographs to illustrate them, but they are all neatly stacked away in my little black note books and 16-GB USB sticks, waiting for the time to type them, edit them and post them.

My vivid Year of the Tiger now closes, but my experiences will be reported for a while longer, staying alive on my blog and in my soul for a lot, lot longer than that.

Bring on the Rabbits

So now begins the Year of the Rabbit.

In my correspondence this morning I was told about the symbolic meaning of this year. The rabbit is a symbol of mercy, elegance and the worship of beauty, but holding as much meaning for me is that, according to the Chinese tradition, the Rabbit will bring a year to catch your breath and calm your nerves.

To gain the greatest benefits from this year one is encouraged to set goals and create a peaceful lifestyle throughout the year. A lifestyle that will in turn encourage the discovery of solutions to problems and the reaching of the goals.

I think that I might just manage this. It is already so conducive to my own lifestyle, where I try my hardest not to live in the fast lane, where I try to create beautiful things through my art works and ride my bike for a calming influence. This also fits perfectly with my work, with the philosophy in creating a conductive lifestyle. The creating of environments to work and live in that are harmonious to problem-solving and solution-finding.

A Happy and Harmonious New Year to you all

The closing of Chinese Old Year traditionally means the finishing of incomplete works, the closing of old projects. I expect that in Hong Kong many aspects of the work on the Congress will be coming to a close. The Chinese New Year with its Rabbit will encourage the worship of beauty. In terms of the Congress in Hong Kong I interpret this as the valuing of new contacts and relationships formed, the setting of new goals so that conduction on a personal and wider stage moves forwards towards creative goals, as the symbolic Rabbit encourages, with peace and elegance, creating a calm lifestyle for us all.

I wish all my readers the lifestyle that they need for creation of a peaceful soul to enable them to calmly work towards their goals, both at work and at play.