Wassup Tiger?

I read about Divisoria's 168 Mall somewhere so we went yesterday, Sunday, to whet my curiousity.  I left the car in a safe place and commuted by FX.  

So I saw familiar roads once more - Legarda, Mendiola and Recto-  and wondered why these busy roads had not been widened after twenty years or so.

In Divisoria, my attention was focused on my wallet and wrist watch, lest I come back without a driver's license and a timekeeper.  It was difficult choosing any merchandise since the items looked similar and cost almost the same.

But whenever I saw a stall selling hardware goods, I had to stop and buy something.  My most immediate needs were a mosquito repellent machine, a doorbell, a duct tape and a tube-like, hard pillow.  But at the roadside leading to the jeepney ride, I found a table full of "tikoy" and I just had to buy a box.

The stench was terrible; of course there was an "estero" nearby and of course, there was the continuous blast of carbon monoxide coming from the jeepneys of all types, although CO is supposed to be free of smell. I suspect it's the fumes coming from the jeepney's diesel fuel.

Then I found out that 2010 is the Year of the Tiger.  Inside the mall, there were several stalls selling Chinese good luck charms - Buddha, the waving Cat, and an assortment of the Tiger. 

The Year of the Tiger, according to the Chinese Zodiac, begins on February 14, 2010 and ends on February 2, 2011.   The Tiger is the third sign in the cycle of Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 animal signs.  It is a sign of courage. This fearless and fiery fighter is revered by the ancient Chinese as the sign that wards off the three main disasters of a household: fire, thieves and ghosts.

People born in Tiger years are highly competitive, adventurous, and very confident in their  own abilities - they are the sorts who can, and will, get things done.  Tiger people are aggressive, courageous, candid and sensitive. Their towering passion, ambition and all-or-nothing attitude  can take them all the way to the top in  whatever they endeavour to do.  They crave excitement and get bored easily. 

Tigers fiercely stand up for what they believe in and for this, coupled with their courage and dedication, they are respected by both friend and foe.  The intrinsic element of this sign is wood, and its direction is east-northeast.  The Tiger is the third sign of the Chinese Zodiac and corresponds to western sign of Sagittarius.

I was born in the Year of the Snake.  Being a snake, I share characteristics with Mahatma Gandhi, Oprah Winfrey, Rick Warren and J.K. Rowling.  

Snake people are very shrewd  and often achieve success through their wits.  They are wise and intense with a tendency towards physical beauty. Snake people are  discreet, restrained and refined.  They never  come across as pushy, and instead get their  way through subtle manipulation.  Cautious and intelligent, they possess analytical minds, but often also have a well-developed gut instinct. 

There's an air of elegance and magnetism about Snakes that make them very attractive to the opposite sex.  They are quite aware of their appeal, and thus can be rather vain and high tempered.  Snakes enjoy flirting, but when it comes to their partners they are often possessive.  The intrinsic element of this sign is  fire, and its direction is south-southeast.  The Snake is the sixth sign of the Chinese Zodiac and corresponds to western sign of Scorpio. 

So, what's your sign?