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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider 'So many starts'

'So many starts'

Published Feb 1, 2022 12:05 am

MEDIUM RARE

Jullie Y. Daza

The first day of the calendar year arrived on Jan. 1. Came Jan. 9, the first of many Sundays in what the Church calls “ordinary time.” Today, Feb. 1, is the first day of the Lunar New Year. Fr. Francis Alvarez, SJ, puts it succinctly: “So many starts.”

Going by the calendar, lunar or Gregorian, the Chinese reckoning of 2022 as the Year of the Tiger, let’s pretend that today might as well be our last chance to begin from the beginning yet again. Having had so many starts, we could do ourselves a favor by working on our plans sooner than later, as if the resolutions made on Dec. 31, 2021 were not enough, or too much.

So here goes, a few last-minute tips. According to Arleen “Baby” Lim Fernandez, mother of Patrick and the late Princesse Fernandez who learned their feng shui ABC from childhood, an important facet of inviting luck into one’s home is knowing the auspicious and inauspicious directions of the year.

This year’s wealth directions happen to be Northeast and South. North augurs well for romance. Northwest favors travel and fame. Southeast is good for career and education.
Center is ruled by a disaster star, conflict rules East. Robbery star prevails in West, sickness star in Southwest.

About to renovate your house? Don’t let the carpenters and masons touch Northeast, Center, or Southwest. Auntie Baby advises, “No hammering, no loud disruptions and disturbances.” These directions fall under “tai suey,” which would take an entire article to explain in layman’s language.

Seriously? That’s the fun of feng shui.

As for the fruits that the happy, prosperous homemaker is ready to display on the dining table today, Tita Baby’s list includes a pineapple (in Chinese, the name of the fruit sounds like “Come, luck”), two pomelos, four apples, four oranges, and two dragon fruits or any round-shaped fruit.

Another feng shui practitioner and yoga teacher, Ollay Aninion believes that six red apples on your table every day is an effective way to invite fortune into your home. If you like flowers and plants, Lillian Too, who is Ollay’s mentor, firmly advises that they must be alive, fresh and healthy-looking – preferably no dried ones, please.

Seriously? That’s the fun of feng shui.

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