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Happy Chinese New Year! Year of the Tiger here I come…

Given that I was born under the Year of the Tiger, according to Chinese Astrology, I’m beyond ecstatic that 2010 is my year 🙂 So far it’s looking like this is going to be an amazing year for me, with all the positive things going on in my life right now and lets not forget the astrologers determined that the “planets are in my favor” this year too. I’m just so excited with all the changes in my life lately. I can’t remember the last time I felt so free and so much like myself.

So here’s a bit of information on the Tiger in Chinese Astrology and what 2010 is said to bring. To find out what animal represents your birth year click here. Enjoy!

      The Tiger, the living symbol of strength and power, generally inspires fear and respect. Tigers’ compelling dynamism, intense activity, independence and curiosity about others make them irresistible, persons of multiple charms; Tigers attract followers and admirers. The Tiger has a regal quality and is courageous, active and self-assured; he makes an excellent leader and protector. Known for determination and charisma, the Tiger aims high and pursues goals with vigor, passion and daring. However liberal-minded Tigers may be, they are rash and resist the authority of others. Although they are selfish in the little things, they are capable of great generosity, even of altruism, in the larger. Tigers are men and women of action, thrust by destiny into the spotlight.
Tigers are fearless creatures in as much as they blind themselves to dangers and impetuously rush in where more cautious individuals would fear to tread. Outspoken in the face of injustice, their strong humanitarian instincts will not allow them to pass by if they see a wrong perpetrated upon another. They have a disdain for security and make a religion of change.
Tigers tend to renounce confining traditional roles, opting for a more unfettered life. With a wide ranging mind, they can adopt any number of careers. Their many experiences serve to enrich their life and add depth to their nature. Material benefits matter little to them.

Tigers have an inborn magnetic personality that attracts people to them like bees to honey. Warm-hearted, sociable and friendly, they are characterized by their frank, honest and open approach. Their immense kindness and generosity will always shine through except when crossed or backed into a corner, for then they can become vehement and ferocious.
Solitude is often the price Tigers pay for their position of authority, but they become accustomed to it. Better still, they draw on the experience, gaining new energies and great strength. However, this loner attitude and pride can sometimes prevent the Tiger from seeking other people’s assistance when faced with an endeavor that calls for someone else’s resources and talents.
Chinese say the life of a Tiger born at night will be less hectic than that of Tigers born after dawn and above all, those born around midday. It will be a stormy life full of dangers, but the Tiger will never be bored. Neither Night Tiger nor Day Tiger will have an easy life. The Western term for a particularly fierce woman is “dragon lady,” but the Chinese call her an “old tiger lady.” She has many expectations of her partners which can cause difficulties; she wants to dominate relationships because of her independent nature and desire to rule. A female Tiger won’t submit willingly to the Confucian ideal of womanhood, which dictates that a daughter obey her father, a wife obey her husband, and an older woman obey her eldest son. For this reason some Chinese avoid having children in the Tiger Year — for fear of having a daughter.
The lucky Tiger represents the greatest power on earth, and is the emblem of protection for human life. A Tiger in the house minimizes the Three Great Risks — thieves, fire, and evil spirits. If there are two Tigers in the house, however, one of them has to go!

The Sexy Tiger 
Tigers make ardent and virile lovers who dominate their partners. Because of their sensuality, their impetuousness and love of adventure, there is an excitement that not only follows Tigers wherever they go, but also guarantees them a certain irresistible sexy allure. These creatures whose emotions are out-front have strong libidos and are lusty in their passions. Generally flirtatious, they are especially prone to wild flings in their early years but do settle down as they get older. When committed to a happy and fulfilling relationship, Tigers make loving and caring partners, warm-hearted and generous. They don’t, however, lose that romantic streak nor that exciting ability to surprise. 
Encounters with the Horse and the Dragon will be especially interesting. Tigers will feel a definite affinity with the Dog and Boar but should avoid the Rabbit who could be too conservative or weak for him. The Monkey may be one of the worst possible mates for him, competing with him and refusing to compromise. Above all, beware of the Ox, who is stronger than the Tiger and will keep on attacking him until he is destroyed. If there is a Tiger and an Ox under the same roof the Tiger will have to quit before he is annihilated. 
March is the month of the Tiger. The time of the Tiger is from 3:00 a.m. to 4:59 a.m.; their direction of orientation is east-northeast. The Tiger’s color is green.

What the Year of the Tiger brings:

The Year of the Tiger is a time to undertake important things. It will not be an entirely peaceful year, to say the least. (Consider that World War I began in the Year of the Tiger.) Expect changes in life and be careful. There will be major realignments politically — coups, revolution, prospects of war and catastrophe. It is a time of audacity in which nothing is done unobtrusively or on a small scale. Action and change are favored in the turbulent and mercurial Year of the Tiger.

To read the forecast for your specific sign click here.

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What’s your sign?

I’ve always had a wide range on interests and found various ways to fill my time with…some a little more odd than others. 

One thing I’ve always had a strong interest in was Astrology, and I’m not just talking horoscopes and compatibility matches. I mean a full fledged interest in what planets rule my emotions and whether Mercury is in retro grade and all that fun stuff. So naturally, having read everything I could get my hands on already, I opted for a more hands on approach to learning. I attended an Astrology class held at a local institute for Astrology and taught by Astrologers. 

And I have to say…it was so much fun. Peter Hale, one of the astrologers teaching the class, pulled my Natal Chart and read it with the class. It turns out my oh so bad temper is neither something I acquired or inherited…its the result of some of my planets being “out of bounds” in the wrong house. Go figure. 

If you have an interest too, they hold classes every Tuesday in Hollywood. Check it out here

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Allergic to LA!?

 I finally figured out why I’ve always felt so much more at home in Los Angeles, even when I was a kid. It’s because this city is filled with an overflow of creativity. Everyone has some kind of interest in art whether it’s their hobby or a full fledged obsession. LA is somewhere that creativity is more than just accepted, it’s home grown. 

Every person I’ve come in contact with is either an artist, a musician, a writer or involved with one in some way of another. I can truly say my soul feels at home here…if only my body was on the same page. It seems that I’m annoyingly allergic to some of the city’s natural elements, causing me to break out in random rashes for no apparent reason. For someone who never took pills for anything, Zyrtec has become my BEST friend. To make matters worse, the food makes me sick too :/

Damn. It figures that I’d feel good and my body would lose it. At least my writing career seems to be advancing right? I finally launched my website, http://www.jenniferlima.com, where I linked every article I’ve ever had published. The only things not listed are the review for Hungry? Thirsty? City Guides, since they were published in books and are not available online. I also had some poetry in an anthology a few years back…but I can’t seem to get a hold of a copy of that. 

Hmm…I’d better get cracking. I’ve got a few projects to complete.

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Still recovering…

 I can’t remember the last time I put so much effort into anything like this. I’ve spent the past few days doing nothing but working Photo LA, writing about Photo LA and pitching my writing to various outlets. Crazy that out of 20 editors that I emailed, I only got one response and while she couldn’t use my Photo LA coverage, she liked my writing so told me to pitch her anything else I thought she may be interested in. Not bad 🙂

I also pitched to Candy Collective and they liked it as well…so it might actually appear on their website. Maybe I have to work on my approach. I figure the more I pitch to different editors, the better I will get at it. Practice makes perfect right?

Let’s hope so. I’m gonna start working on my fresh start list again so look for the posts!

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New Year-Busy little me.

While I am still very determined to finish my "Fresh Start" list, it’s kind of been put on the back burner for a minute. Given that January in Los Angeles in the annual LA Arts Month, I’ve been busy posting previews on my Examiner page for some of the upcoming shows. Even if I only list the one I think are worthwhile…it’s turning out to be very time consuming. But I can’t really complain, this is what I wanted to be busy. Top freelance with various publications. To be a full-time journalist.

The only thing is, when I set aside all those goals, I kind of wanted them my jobs to be paid. Maybe I should have been more specific…hmm.

But still, getting my name out there is always good and exposure from the right publications is worth it as well. So the past few days, I’ve been working on my first piece as an "undercover" reporter. I know, it sounds so dangerous. But no, I’m not uncovering some big government secret, I’m just working to bring you the behind the scenes look at Photo LA.

Photo LA is a four day exhibition in Santa Monica where photographers from around the world come to showcase. Guests are invited, with ticket of course, to look around maybe purchase some art. There you’ll find pieces ranging from $50 to $10,000, all beautiful in someones eyes. That’s the thing about art, it’s all about prospective,

Oh and did I mention I started writing for VAMPD as well? Don’t know VAMPD!? Seriously people, click the link and get to it.

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4. Listen to the radio instead of your iPod.

 What a better way to start off the new year than to give my iPod a little breathing room huh? Shockingly, I discovered that radio is not all that bad. Well, when you get past the random commercials and sometimes not so hilarious jokes. 

Being that I’m new to LA, I spent the first 10 minutes adjusting the saved stations on my car to local radio channels…you know I wasn’t really in the vicinity to pick up Y100 anymore. A fact I should have been aware of, seriously I mean what was I thinking? Still…not being able to listen at all to the “Morning Zoo” made me a bit sad and homesick.

But anyway, I found some pretty cool stations. Some rock, some country and even one that plays all the hits! Oh yeah, and did I mention the Chinese radio station I mistakenly tunes into? Yes, you read that correctly. CHINESE radio station. Shocking, I know.

All in all, not such a bad experience. And people say trying new things is tough…hmm. My only complaint is that now I have all these songs stuck in my head and have no idea who sings them or where to download them!? Damn. Maybe my iPod will get more than just some breathing room, it’s starting to look like an extended vacation to me.

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5. Sleep on the opposite side of the bed than you’re used to.

 My bed faces a wall to wall mirrored closet, so naturally I tend to sleep facing the mirrors. I know Feng Shui books always say not to sleep facing mirrors, but when I researched it, it turns out that the only reason Feng Shui beliefs say not to sleep that way is so that you don’t scare yourself if you wake up in the middle of the night. Funny huh? And hear I thought there was some mystical chi blocking reason for the rule.

So, last night I slept the opposite way, with my head to the mirrors. I was surprised that I fell asleep so quickly because I’d always heard that when you change a sleep pattern like that it’s a little harder to drift off than usual. Anyway, I sleep surprisingly well. Except that when I woke up in the middle of the night…a bit disoriented, I was all confused as I looked around my room. Wondering to myself, “who the hell moved my furniture!?” 

I eventually fell back to sleep and was rested and refreshed when I woke up this morning. Needless to say, #5 is a simple and great way to change up your routine.

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1. Buy a new magazine that you don’t usually read but interests you.

I’ve always been a big fan of tattoos. Getting them. Watching other people get them. Even randomly checking out artists work. I’ve casually flipped through a tattoo mag or two, but they were normally just filled with images. Maybe, photos from a recent convention but that’s about it. So, the other day I was browsing through the magazine racks at Barnes & Noble and stumbled upon an issue of Inked Magazine.

Thinking it was just another tattoo mag I decided to but it. Much to my surprise, it was so much more than just pictures and conventions. Inked is a cultural magazine, showcasing everything from new music to tattoo artists to new techniques. They even had an article on new scientific developments in the tattoo industry, like “removable ink” and what the future of tattooing holds in store for us.

One artist the featured really caught my eye was Mimi S, an illustrator from Berlin. I seriously love art that depicts women in a bad ass way and Mimi has def perfected that. She combines sex, tattoos and fur in the appealing kind of way that you can’t seem to tear your gaze from…no matter how naughty it might be. It’s like that rush you get when you know a secret or get away with something. It’s deliciously devious. These are a few of my favs.

The musician I discovered in Inked was Kid Sister, a brother/sister duo taking club rap and dance music to the next level. His hip beats packed with her saucy lyrics are sure to have you singing along while you break it down on any dance floor. Perfect kind of music for driving down Hollywood Blvd with the top down. I’m def a fan.

Who knew you could get so much by just picking up a new kind of magazine?

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House of Love & Luck One year celebration!

The House of Love and Luck reigned in the holiday season with their one year anniversary. Making the celebration all the more memorable, they featured jewelry from designer Nola Singer along with a one night only special sale. As guests crowed into the seemingly larger than life boutique (the mirrors give that effect) they were greeted by shop owner, Ricki Miller and surrounded with one of a kind vintage pieces.

Miller, who has been an avid shopper for years, has spent her recent days searching endlessly for the perfect pieces just in time for the holiday season. Knowing better than most how tedious it can be to find an ideal piece of jewelry, Miller has made it her job to lighten the burden.

Along with breathtakingly beautiful jewelry, guests enjoyed a champagne bar, yummy holiday cookies and even went home with a VIP goodie bag. Among the guests was featured designer, Nola Singer, along with actresses Amy Smart and Ever Carradine, each showing off Singer original necklaces.

All in all, given that the boutique caters to those who appreciate the beauty behind buying jewelry with a story to it, everyone seemed to be feeling the holiday spirit. But hey, who doesn’t love shopping and champagne?

***Photos courtesy of Landon Zagales

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#7 Move your laptop to another room.

Okay so I’m not exactly going in order, the point is that I do them. These are my baby steps. Baby steps to a freer me. Well that and number seven was so simple to do, it looked like a good place to start.

I normally use my laptop in my bedroom, on my desk or even the bed. Today I decided to take it to the dining room table instead of my usual comfort zone. To be honest, I didn’t really think something so minimal, so unimportant would make any kind of change in my day. Boy was I wrong.

I realized that my writing had been in a stump. I was experiencing some serious writers block and wasn’t even aware of it, until I tried working from the dining room. The moment I sat down with my tea and my laptop, the words just flowed. Right through me and onto the screen. There was no pause. No moment of hesitation wondering what to write. I had almost forgotten what it felt to be that in tune with myself…with my words.

Wow, if something that simple actually impacted my day, what’s going to happen when I try the big stuff? I can’t wait to find out. Think about how these little things can change your life? You’ll never know until you try…

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