Hey Gang... it's NEW YEARS AGAIN!   Chinese New Year that is...  Today is "New Years Eve" so Brentage and I are going to Chinatown to get some red light bulbs and party supplies...  and to take a few new pics.  My bro and I have been enjoying the sights, sounds and , yes, sometimes STINKS of this area for over 20 years now.  He HAS to have his LEMON GREEN TEA and I havta have my JASMINE GREEN and of course our super pills [quazi-legal GINSENG TONIC PILLS that were "banned" here in Canada over a decade ago but SOMEHOW my old herbologist is able to sneak in a case for me every now and then]   It has become a monthly ritual and I have "introduced" my best buddies to the charms and GREAT DEALS of the Chinatown/Japantown district.  LITERALLY EVERYTHING is massively cheaper here, and when it comes to funky veggies and seafood, there is no other place to shop.   I also buy 1 or 2 pieces of this tacky, bamboo emblished china I've been collecting for about 5 years. Every time I go to my favorite chahcka store on Georgia Street they always have one or more pieces on sale.  This is the place where I also get my KUNG-FU noodles [which everytime I serve them people rave] and my cookery.  I'm gonna make some 'traditional' Chinese dishes this week... like B-B-Q Red Pork and some Dim-Sum dumplings.  YUM!                   There a tons of events going on throughout the week including the big parade on Pender Street on Feb 1st.  CAN'T MISS IT!    Also at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden Courtyears there's gonna be some fortune tellers and artists performing their 'magic"  and some entertainments at the International Village, also on Pender.  It's gonna be a full day...  

		The Chinese Lunar New Year is the longest chronological record in history, dating from 2600BC, when the Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the zodiac. Like the Western calendar, The Chinese Lunar Calendar is a yearly one, with the start of the lunar year being based on the cycles of the moon. Therefore, because of this cyclical dating, the beginning of the year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February. This year it falls on February 12th. A complete cycle takes 60 years and is made up of five cycles of 12 years each. The Chinese Lunar Calendar names each of the twelve years after an animal. Legend has it that the Lord Buddha summoned all the animals to come to him before he departed from earth. Only twelve came to bid him farewell and as a reward he named a year after each one in the order they arrived. The Chinese believe the animal ruling the year in which a person is born has a profound influence on personality, saying: "This is the animal that hides in your heart."
		Rat   1924 1936 1948 1960 1972 1984 1996 Ox   1925 1937 1949 1961 1973 1985 1997 Tiger   1926 1938 1950 1962 1974 1986 1998 Rabbit   1927 1939 1951 1963 1975 1987 1999 Dragon   1928 1940 1952 1964 1976 1988 2000 Snake   1929 1941 1953 1965 1977 1989 2001 Horse   1930 1942 1954 1966 1978 1990 2002 Sheep   1931 1943 1955 1967 1979 1991 2003 Monkey   1932 1944 1956 1968 1980 1992 2004 Rooster   1933 1945 1957 1969 1981 1993 2005 Dog   1934 1946 1958 1970 1982 1994 2006 Boar   1935 1947 1959 1971 1983 1995 2007

 The Chinese dragon is the most sacred animal; it symbolizes strength and goodness.  The dragon appears at the end of the Chinese New Years parade to wish everyone peace, prosperity and good luck.  He is called Gum Loong, meaning Golden Dragon. The dragon is said to have the head of a camel, horns of a deer, eyes of a rabbit, ears of a cow, neck of a serpent, belly of a frog, scales of a carp and talons of a hawk.  SEE U IN CHINATOWN!  S