Prosperity mantra
Published Jan 21, 2023 12:05 am
MEDIUM RARE
Jullie Y. Daza
In the standard greeting “Kung Hei Fat Choi” (Cantonese) or “Kiong Hee Huat Tsai” (Fookien) with which to welcome the Chinese New Year, not a single one of those four words says anything about happy or new or year. In fact, the first two words mean “Congratulations,” the last two words are a command to prosper. In short, “Congratulations and be prosperous!”
As a mercantile race and a 5,000-year-old civilization, the Chinese understand how money talks, money walks, it’s a medium and a message, and money is life. It’s not a religion though it would seem like one, the way they “follow the money” through a maze of beliefs, superstitions, and pragmatic practices influenced by tradition, mythology, even old wives’ tales. But enough with old-fashioned rules, just listen to a US-based banker and financial consultant whose other job is interpreting planetary data (NASA-based) to combine with feng shui, the science/art of living in harmony with one’s environment, principally the energy generated by the elements (water, air, earth, fire, metal).
Patrick Fernandez, garbed in any of his Oliver Tolentino-coutured Mandarin silk jackets in red, gold, and blue, the color of the year, is betting on three ways to make the most of the “romantic” Water Rabbit: 1) keep cash handy, enough to last six to 12 months; 2) invest in government securities; 3) buy bonds issued by reputable banking institutions.
Patrick’s academic credentials are too long for this space, suffice it to say his clients in Manila include property developers and real estate moguls, and he belongs to a family of feng shui scholars and practitioners, from his mother Arleen “Baby” Lim Fernandez to his sister, the late Princesse Fernandez who was mentored by Paul Lau.
Although blue is the theme color this year – blue as in water – pink is “good for romance and money,” symbolized by cherry, peach, and plum blossoms, all pink. If the romance of wealth and affluence is important to you, dear reader, put your money in industries associated with fire: metals, cooking, restaurants, machines, technology, travel.
Rabbit’s best friends are Pig and Goat, the contravida is Rooster. Why is pineapple a propitious fruit to display tomorrow, day one of the New Year? Because its name in Chinese translates to “Come, luck.”
Jullie Y. Daza
In the standard greeting “Kung Hei Fat Choi” (Cantonese) or “Kiong Hee Huat Tsai” (Fookien) with which to welcome the Chinese New Year, not a single one of those four words says anything about happy or new or year. In fact, the first two words mean “Congratulations,” the last two words are a command to prosper. In short, “Congratulations and be prosperous!”
As a mercantile race and a 5,000-year-old civilization, the Chinese understand how money talks, money walks, it’s a medium and a message, and money is life. It’s not a religion though it would seem like one, the way they “follow the money” through a maze of beliefs, superstitions, and pragmatic practices influenced by tradition, mythology, even old wives’ tales. But enough with old-fashioned rules, just listen to a US-based banker and financial consultant whose other job is interpreting planetary data (NASA-based) to combine with feng shui, the science/art of living in harmony with one’s environment, principally the energy generated by the elements (water, air, earth, fire, metal).
Patrick Fernandez, garbed in any of his Oliver Tolentino-coutured Mandarin silk jackets in red, gold, and blue, the color of the year, is betting on three ways to make the most of the “romantic” Water Rabbit: 1) keep cash handy, enough to last six to 12 months; 2) invest in government securities; 3) buy bonds issued by reputable banking institutions.
Patrick’s academic credentials are too long for this space, suffice it to say his clients in Manila include property developers and real estate moguls, and he belongs to a family of feng shui scholars and practitioners, from his mother Arleen “Baby” Lim Fernandez to his sister, the late Princesse Fernandez who was mentored by Paul Lau.
Although blue is the theme color this year – blue as in water – pink is “good for romance and money,” symbolized by cherry, peach, and plum blossoms, all pink. If the romance of wealth and affluence is important to you, dear reader, put your money in industries associated with fire: metals, cooking, restaurants, machines, technology, travel.
Rabbit’s best friends are Pig and Goat, the contravida is Rooster. Why is pineapple a propitious fruit to display tomorrow, day one of the New Year? Because its name in Chinese translates to “Come, luck.”