Year of the RAT!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! It feel like its been a while since I've blogged. Its 2008! I should do better at blogging we'll see how that goes. I do have some resolutions that I made but I'll spare you the details. Maybe I'll share a few. I decided I want to learn the Piano. I want to get a teacher and get lessons. I think i am going to start here in Japan. I need to find a teacher...hmmm. I have others but they are boring and some personal. But I hope every one has started their New Year healthy and with a positive mind set of what this year could bring. I celebrated my New Year at a Latin club in Roppongi(party district in Tokyo). Before the club I went to the big Tokyo Tower to take some pictures. I am not a clubber so it was weird to go to this club alone. But I had a good time met some ladies and danced the night away. When it was ready to count down I didn't know if I should count down in English, Spanish cause I was at a Latin Club, Japanese cause I was in Japan or French just because I can. So I think I started in English then went to Spanish then I ended up in Japanese. Crazy...I know but what an experience to be in a Latin bar in Japan, not knowing a soul, and bringing in the new year. I left around 1am and met up with some people from Disney at a local bar by our apartment. It was mostly those who had to work the countdown shows. It was fun to see them. Around 3:30am I decided to call it a night and head home, SOBER by the way. I am happy to report I am 28 years SOBER :) Anyway, the next day. I watched CNN and saw the ball drop in NYC. I was missing NYC. After I rushed out my apartment because I was late meeting someone to go see National Treasure. There is a funny story while leaving. While in the Elevator I met this girl that was visiting a friend. I wished her a Happy New Year. She then states that I was the first person she has talked to all year. I told her she was lucky :) I wished her a good day as I rushed to go get my bike at the lot in the back of the building. I decided that I should invite her to the movies. So as I leave and go out the front doors to see if I can catch this girl I see her on the floor holding her ankles and balling her eyes out. I freak out and drop my bike to see what was wrong. In her hiccupy, cute accent(I think Australian) she says she fell off the concrete steps outside the doors while fidgeting with her Ipod. She also says she thinks she sprained her ankle. I ask her if she wants me to call an ambulance. She said no that she just needs to put ice on it. I then pick her up and take her to the elevator. By this time she wants to walk. So I let her go. I felt bad she went upstairs alone. I called her friend she was visiting to make sure he knows she was hurt. While all this is happening my friend is calling me and texting me to hurry up. I was in such panic. Ahhh! I should have just taking her to the room and made sure she was OK and had ice. I just felt so bad for this girl. Her first steps in 2008 and she falls and sprains her ankle. That can't be a good sign. Or maybe she is getting all the bad stuff out of the way first. hmm? Well, I hope she is OK. When I picked her up and took her to the elevator I kinda felt like the Knight in Shining Armor rescuing the damsel in distress. I am going to check up on her tonight and see how she is doing. Story of sprained ankle girl to be continued...

So in Asia they use the Chinese astrology calendar. I am not too familiar with it all but in Japan it is the year of the RAT in the 12 year cycle in the Chinese animal zodiac. In Chinese astrology the zodiac of twelve animal signs represents twelve different types of personality. The zodiac traditionally begins with the sign of the Rat. So what this all means ..I dunno but I do know that Disney is using this to their advantage. Because some times the Year of the Rat can be interchangeable with the Year of the Mouse. Rat...Mouse....MICKEY MOUSE! So get this. I just figured this out today. This might take some math skill. Hope you can handle it :) The year of the Rat is every 12 years. 12 animals naturally Rat being the first in the cycle. So if we count down in multiples of 12 from now we get, 1996(year of the rat) and 1984(year of the rat). Guess what opened in 1984....you got it. Disney Land Tokyo. So this year being the year of the Rat/Mouse again marking the.....drum roll please....25th anniversary of the park. How cool is that! So this year they are using that to their advantage as a marketing point. There are going to be many special events through out the year. This is a big year for TDL. I hope they do well. So I am counting this as my Culture Corner which I haven't done in a while. hehehe! In all this research I found out what my Chinese zodiac animal was when I was born. I was born on the year of the SHEEP. Every animals has personalities that go with them and I freaked out how spot on my animal was.

Sheep (hitsuji) --- Born 2003, 1991, 1979, 1967, 1955, 1943, 1931, 1919, 1907
People born in the year of the Sheep are elegant, highly accomplished in the arts, passionate about nature. At first glance, they seem to be better off than the people born in other years. They are deeply religious and passionate in whatever they do and believe in.

I love IT! All of that is so TRUE to me. Made me smile and chuckle to myself. So when I am acting Sheepish. You'll understand.


Anyway, I am really excited about this year. I feel like its going to be a year of change for me. I am not sure what kind of change but I know its going to be good change. I wish everyone the best in this year to come. God bless you all with health and a strong will to accomplish all your goals you have set for yourselves in this new year, 2008!

Here are some pics of Christmas and stuff:


Pumpkin Spice Cake w/ Honey Cream Cheese frosting I made for dinner at the Welch's. YUMMY!


Creepy Reindeer Dancers on parade at Disneyland


Cinderella Castle at Christmas


Family I spent Christmas Eve and morning with. They gave me American cereal for Christmas. SO AWESOME!


Cy and I at Disney Sea on Christmas day!


Mariachi Band at the place we had dinner over at the Mexican part of Disney Sea


Tokyo Tower on New Year's Eve