2013 is the Year of the Snake in the Asian zodiac calendar. In case you don’t know the order of animals of our zodiac, corresponding to 12 year cycles, here it is:

Rat
Ox
Tiger
Rabbit
Dragon
Snake
Horse
Sheep
Monkey
Rooster
Dog
Boar/Pig

Legend has it that the Emperor of China wanted to select 12 animals for the zodiac calendar and a race was set to determine which animals would be selected. The clever Rat came in first on the nose of the mighty Ox, followed by the other 10 animals, including the mythical Dragon. There are many children’s books at the public libraries about this zodiac story.

Many Asians believe that the year of a person’s birth determines that person’s personality traits, degree of success and happiness through their lifetime.

So today February 10 is the start of the Lunar New Year for the Chinese lunar calendar. We Japanese start our zodiac calendar on the 1st of January, so the Year of the snake corresponds to the calendar year for us. There are several “snakes” in my life: two best friends married to each other in Hawaii, a niece, another female friend here in town.

One particular zodiac calendar I refer to says that snake people are “wise & intense with a tendency towards physical beauty. Vain and high tempered.” Hmmn, not exactly flattering characteristics, but then the snake is an enigmatic, slippery creature. Year of the Snake years for those born in: 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, and 2013.

Don’t miss the fabulous Lunar New Year celebration coming up on Feb. 16 sponsored by Tucson Chinese Cultural Center:

And later this month is a popular yearly event at the Himmel Park Branch library on Feb. 23 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.:

Chinese New Year Celebration

Celebrate the Year of the Snake with light refreshments and fun-filled activities such as Chinese Calligraphy, face painting, and crafts. The University of Arizona’s Purple Bamboo Ensemble will perform.

Happy New Year of the Snake.

2011 Southern Arizona Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Conference
Theme: “Reach, Inspire, Connect”
Saturday, March 19, 2011
7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Pima Community College, West Campus
2202 W. Anklam Road, Tucson 85709

Keynote speaker: Rear Admiral Colin G. Chinn, Medical Corps, U.S. Navy Director – Tricare Regional Office (West). Chinn is one of the highest ranking Asian Americans in the military. For bio/photo of Chinn, click here.

Workshops: special youth track, hands-on computer lab on the AAPI Census, Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP) overview, new AZ AAPI Health Coalition, immigration, anti-Asian sentiment, Growing up Asian, Mixed-race, more.

Registration fee $40 up to March 4, 2011, thereafter $50, and $10 for all students (middle, high school & college). Registration fee includes breakfast snack, workshops & lunch.

The purpose of the conference is to bring together community members, business owners, students, and employers to share common goals, life/work experiences, history and commitment ,and to power individuals to build a healthy & productive community.

The first Southern Arizona AAPI conference was held in April, 2009 at the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, with financial guru Robert Kiyosaki as the keynote speaker.

Registration form online at Pan Asian Community Allliance (PACA), www.panasiancommuntyalliance.org , or call Dorothy Lew at 520-512-0144, or email info@panasiancommunityalliance.org.

Sponsored by Raytheon, PACA, and Pima Community College.

And Happy Girl’s Day today to all girls & women, which is part of my Japanese-American culture. Enjoy sushi.

Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) Workshops: “When Hate Hits You – Combating Anti- Asian Sentiment”:

“Learn about the history and causes of anti-Asian sentiment, how to recognize the difference between hate crimes and hate incidents, how to respond to hate crimes, and engage in dialogue about real-life scenarios that depict anti-Asian sentiment.” The legacy of the 1982 beating death of Vincent Chin in Detroit, Michigan will also be discussed.

Tuesday, October 12
1:30 pm to 3:00 pm, workshop at Pima Community College, West Campus, Room AG-19, Tucson,
5:30 pm to 7:00 pm, workshop at University of Arizona, Nugent Bldg, Room 205, 1212 E. University Blvd., Tucson

Workshop presenter:
Bill Yoshino, Midwest Director, Japanese American Citizen League, jaclmro@aol.com

Local Tucson organizer: Ross Iwamoto, marross@comcast.net

As a 3rd generation Asian American who has been verbally “hit” by hate words – such as “Chink”, “Gook”, “Jap”, this workshop will be illuminating and hopefully, beneficial. Many people tell me that they can’t believe that we Asians/Pacific Islanders experience “hate crimes” or discrimination, but it does happen here in America (and elsewhere), along with the other racial/ethnic groups.

Sponsors:
Pan Asian Community Alliance
Japanese American Citizens League – Arizona
Chinese American Citizens Alliance – National
Chinese American Citizens Alliance – Tucson Lodge (more…)