Gung Hay Fat Choy / Gung Xi Fa Cai!

Happy Chinese New Year, everyone! Here are some horoscopes a friend sent me. Hope you all have a happy, healthy, wonderful and wealthy year!

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Year Ahead: The OX year is a conservative year, one of traditions and values. This is not a year to be outrageous. A slow but steady year. This OX year will bring stability and growth where patience and diligence pays off. This is a year of Harvest - when we reap what we have sown. Take care of business this year, do not let things slide.

2009 Horoscopes for Year of the OX

Rat (1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996)
Positive: Influential, sociable, imaginative, and charismatic. Rat people will always stay loyal to their friends.
Negative: Power-hungry, gossiping, indiscreet, and meddling. These individuals don’t always plan for the future.
Chinese Astrology Horoscope 2009 for the Rat: 2009 will bring changes on both professional and personal levels. Career opportunities abound, but also require commitment. Income should increase but again, input is essential--careful assessment and control of personal finances is required. New friendships and developing (or new) romances are also indicated. Overall: quite favorable.

Ox (1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997)
Positive: Diligent, stable, and possesses a strong sense of purpose. These people build long-lasting friendships.
Negative: Stubborn and bigoted. Ox people aren’t often flexible.
Chinese Astrology Horoscope 2009 for the Ox: Romance will improve in 2009, and many single Oxen will discover new opportunities for love. A much steadier and more positive year is in the forecast overall. Family life is strong and even joyous. Steady progress in career is indicated. New friendships and plenty of reasons to celebrate.

Tiger (1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998)
Positive: Brave, strong, charismatic, and benevolent. Tigers are risk-takers and true adventurers.
Negative: Impetuous and hot-headed. These people aren’t good at taking orders from others.
Chinese Astrology Horoscope 2009 for the Tiger: As this is the year before his/her own year, 2009 can bring the Tiger some challenges, but never insurmountable ones. Avoid acting on impulse in 2009. It will be important to accept work responsibilities and to expand your knowledge set and skills base, rather than to push ahead aggressively on a professional level. Some disagreements with others could arise. Patience, controlled spending, and hard work will help Tigers to conquer any challenges that arise.

Rabbit (1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999)
Positive: Tactful, intelligent, caring, considerate, and virtuous. Rabbit people don’t like conflict.
Negative: Pedantic and secretive. These people can appear a little cold and distant at times.
Chinese Astrology Horoscope 2009 for the Rabbit: 2009 will be favorable overall and life will be more stable. Emotions should be kept in check. It's not a year of dramatic advancements on the job front. Rather, steady work and attention to duty pays off in small ways. Modest income increases are indicated. Social opportunities need to be sought out.

Dragon (1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000)
Positive: Successful, proud, lucky, and enthusiastic. Dragons are determined people and able to inspire others.
Negative: Rigid and easily infatuated. Dragon people don’t like routine.
Chinese Astrology Horoscope 2009 for the Dragon: Crucial changes are ahead in 2009. The Dragon prefers immediate or at least quick, results from his/her efforts, but the year of the Ox is one of hard work and steady progress. So, some patience needs to be cultivated. It's not the best time to make sweeping changes or advances on the career front. It's a good year for romance overall, although love can be complicated as well.

Snake (1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001)
Positive: Intuitive, wise, perceptive, and compassionate. Snakes prefer the finer things in life.
Negative: Lazy and extravagant. These people may have a problem with depending on others.
Chinese Astrology Horoscope 2009 for the Snake: Be ready for ups and downs in 2009. The year brings a mixed bag of energies, and any complications that do arise can generally be handled successfully with a disciplined and patient attitude. All areas of life require extra effort and discipline, but particularly with regard to finances, which should be attended to vigilantly.

Horse (1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002)
Positive: Popular, engaging, refined, and persuasive. Horse people are hardworking and independent.
Negative: Selfish and unscrupulous. These individuals may be rebellious and shun the advice of others.
Chinese Astrology Horoscope 2009 for the Horse: Success in career and recognition professionally can be attained in 2009. The year is a strong one in many ways, as it requires hard work and effort, which Horses are very capable of putting forth. A much more favorable year than last year is in store. Social relationships are expected to be fair, and attention is necessary to others' feelings. Rumors or gossip could play a role.

Goat (or Sheep or Ram) (1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003)
Positive: Sensitive, imaginative, and well-mannered. Goats are peace lovers who don’t like disagreements.
Negative: Pessimistic and tardy. These people can let others take advantage of them too easily.
Chinese Astrology Horoscope 2009 for the Goat: The year of the Ox tends to be a demanding one, and rules will have to be abided by. Goats don't always feel comfortable--in fact they could feel quite anxious--when too much is expected of them. Avoid overspending or money matters could become critical. It's time to buckle down with money. Expect better interpersonal relationships in 2009. Because the Ox and the Goat are opposites, the year is likely to be somewhat challenging, but not overwhelming.

Monkey (1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004)
Positive: Very inquisitive, curious, and witty with leadership qualities. Monkeys are popular people.
Negative: Deceitful and self-absorbed. These individuals can be childish and drawn to mischief.
Chinese Astrology Horoscope 2009 for the Monkey: Travel is a good option for 2009. Monkeys will have to be more disciplined than usual in the year of the exacting Ox, particularly with money, and also with health and well-being. While 2009 is not a year of making huge strides, the social life is rewarding, family relationships satisfying, and romance is more settled and reliable.

Rooster (1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005)
Positive: Enthusiastic, dignified, and resilient. Roosters are well-organized and good time-keepers.
Negative: Bossy and pedantic. These people are often a little too outspoken and hate being criticized.
Chinese Astrology Horoscope 2009 for the Rooster: The Rooster's personality is well-suited to the qualities of the year of the Ox. Work extra hard and joyous events will happen in 2009. The only thing to watch for is overconfidence and unrealistic thinking, as the Ox does not favor fanciful endeavors. Outlook for career, romance, and money look favorable, particularly if the Rooster keeps things "real".

Dog (1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006)
Positive: Intelligent, loyal, fair, and constant. Dogs are always willing to listen to others’ problems, and to fight for a good cause.
Negative: Cynical and tactless. These people don’t always forgive easily, especially those who cross them.
Chinese Astrology Horoscope 2009 for the Dog: Expect many changes in 2009. In the year of the Ox, Dogs will succeed best if they keep their expectations realistic and expect only minor improvements. This is not to say that improvements cannot be made. If Dogs work hard and take care of others' feelings, they can overcome obstacles and challenges that they may face.

Pig (1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007)
Positive: Gallant, kind-hearted, and sincere. Pigs rarely lose their temper and always try to avoid arguing.
Negative: Materialistic and pig-headed. These individuals have a problem saying “no” -- to people, and to food!
Chinese Astrology Horoscope 2009 for the Pig: Marriage and pregnancy could happen in 2009. This is a favorable year for the Pig overall. Determination and a master plan help the Pig to succeed in his/her career and with personal finances. Relationships that build gradually with modest and realistic expectations are those that will be most satisfying now.

What will the new year bring?

Chinese New Year is less than a week away (starts on Monday). I'm hoping for lots of good things in the new year--good job that I'll actually enjoy, healthy family, time for sports and crafts.

Don't mind if I ramble a bit as I'm really tired. I'm glad that I've had the free time to take care of my grandfather this last week and a half but I'm also starting to get worn a little thin. 4-7 hours in the hospital every day will do that to you I guess. A lot of things have fallen by the wayside as a result too. I feel like the house is a mess, I'm not at all prepared for CNY, grocery shopping and meals aren't getting done, job hunting is at a near standstill...*sigh* Not to imply that I regret one minute of the time I'm spending with my grandfather. This is exactly why I moved back to Boston--to have more time with family, especially my grandparents who I knew might not be around too much longer. I just want to have it all, I guess. What can I say, I'm a Type A perfectionist :)

Anyway, as for an update on Grandpa, he got moved to a rehab/nursing facility yesterday. It was very sudden as we were last told that he'd be doing rehab at the hospital he was in. Rehab was mostly to see how mobile, stable, self-sufficient, etc. he was before deciding whether he could go home or needed to be in some type of care facility. The family wants him in some kind of assisted or nursing facility because it just doesn't seem safe for him to be on his own anymore. He's done AMAZINGLY well for an 89-year-old living solo, but after my grandmother's aneurysm and the fact that we didn't get to her for hours afterwards has the whole family on edge.

But I digress...the social worker at the hospital found a bed at this rehab/nursing facility that has a high Chinese population and lots of Chinese-speaking staff. So that helps a lot since part of the reason I had to be at the hospital so much was because my grandpa just couldn't communicate with any of the hospital staff. But the problem was that we were told just hours before my grandfather was being moved and so had no time to find out anything about the facility or even really know what was going on. Luckily the place and the staff all seem nice and from here we just start with some rehab work and assess as we go along.

Grandfather is doing better!!!

They started him on dialysis around 4pm today. It's a 3-4 hour process and the rest of my immediate family showed up around 4:30-5:00pm so, to appease everyone who kept saying I needed a break, I went home then since there were plenty of people to keep him company. Around 6:15pm as I was home making dinner I got a call from my sister and immediately I thought they were calling with bad news--some other sudden and unexpected development.

Well, it was somewhat unexpected but in a good way! They had given my grandpa a pencil and paper so he could write (since he's still intubated) and he kept writing #1. At first they asked him why he kept writing 1 and I guess he then wrote my name, as in I'm #1 :) :) :) I guess he knows I was taking care of him these last few days.

I cried when I heard this. I didn't expect him to improve so quickly on dialysis but things are really looking up right now. I hope he can get extubated soon so he can talk to us again and, really, I'm just so so so so so so happy right now!

Sick of hospitals

It's my fourth straight day of coming to the hospital to visit my grandfather. On Saturday 1/10 he was admitted for fluid buildup in his lungs and when they examined him it turns out he had a small heart attack and his kidney function was only at about 5%. Remarkably, he was still very active and talkative on Saturday despite all that was going on with his body. All they did on Saturday was put in a catheter and give him medication to help with urine output, then they just wanted to monitor him to see if his kidney function improved.

I spent the night with him in the hospital that night. With the language barrier I thought it would be scary for him to be here by himself and not understand what's going on. It was kind of a long night since he only slept for 20 mins. or so at a time and every time he woke up he instinctively tried to get out of bed to use the bathroom. The catheter often makes you feel like you have to go even if you don't, plus it turns out he had a UTI. But catheter + IVs = no getting out of bed. So, every 20 mins. I had to explain to him that he had a catheter in, that he couldn't get out of bed, that, no, he wouldn't wet the bed and it was all OK. Every. 20. minutes. He just couldn't remember and I think there's also just the fog of just waking up and not really being with it. My grandfather can be a really stubborn man so it's a wonder he put up with me constantly telling him what to do.

He got through the night OK and some other family members took over the watch around 1:30pm on Sunday. He finally got tired just before they showed up and started nodding off since he didn't sleep well the night before. I went home for some sleep myself and came back in the early evening. Apparently he hadn't waken up at all since I left and when family members decided maybe he shouldn't sleep for so long and tried to wake him, he wouldn't open his eyes and was generally non-responsive.

We were obviously really upset because he'd been doing pretty well before this. They took him for a CT scan but it turns out he didn't have a stroke. Unfortunately they had to intubate him for fear his brain wasn't functioning enough to tell his body to breathe. So now he can't communicate with us beyond nodding or shaking his head. Later that evening though he appeared to become lucid again and when the neurologist examined him he was able to lift both arms and legs, push with them, and generally seemed to be doing well considering the scare.

I didn't stay with him Sunday night as it seemed he would sleep through the night given how tired he was. Plus they had restrained him to the bed so he wouldn't try to pull out the intubation tube so he couldn't get up. I definitely felt some guilt at not staying because I kept thinking about how he was confused when he woke up the night before and I had to calm him down. But I knew I'd have to be here a bunch this week since I'm the only one not working so I figured I'd better get some rest.

Monday (yesterday) morning he went back to being non-responsive. According to the nurses he was alert when they went to brush his teeth and stuff around 9:30 or 10am. But my dad got to the hospital around 10am and between then and when I arrived around 1:30pm he was not really responding at all. Wouldn't open his eyes, though he moved his arms and legs a bit sometimes. Then he took to pulling his gown down with some serious force. I mean, I couldn't break his grip on the fabric! So I teased him that if he had enough strength to do that, surely he had enough strength to open his eyes and look at us! Stubbornly he still refused. I think he was just hot because the room was fairly warm so we turned down the temp a bit and he seemed better.

More family members arrived around 4:30 and 5:30pm yesterday and, finally, he opened his eyes for us! First it was just his eyebrows lifted up high, like he had to do it a step at a time, then finally, slowly, he opened up his eyes. Such relief! He responded to a few yes/no questions but we weren't 100% sure if he understood everything. This was important, because we needed to know whether he wants to be put on dialysis. Apparently there were two possible reasons he was suddenly being less alert: (1) the urinary infection or (2) his low kidney function leading to buildup of creatinine in his blood. His kidney function was not improving, in fact it had declined a bit in the few days he'd been in the hospital. The UTI was being treated with antibiotics but it didn't seem to change his alertness. That left just the creatinine increase, and the only way to treat that is dialysis. If he could decide for himself whether he wanted this invasive procedure, we wanted to give him that option.

The first couple of times we asked him if he wanted to go through it, he shook his head no. It was really difficult for us to deal with that answer, but if he meant it we would respect his wishes. Then again, we weren't sure if he was totally with it. Right around then the team of doctors--cardiologists and a nephrologist (kidney specialist)--asked to meet with us to discuss options.

I asked the nephrologist a bunch of questions. Most importantly I wanted to make sure he wasn't going to be put through a lot of pain. Because he already has a tube into his stomach in addition to the intubation tube they said they can sedate him for the procedure of putting in the dialysis catheter and he wouldn't feel any pain or remember any trauma from the procedure. We explained this to him and he decided that he wanted to do the dialysis. Hopefully he'll respond to the treatment, get extubated, and we'll take it from there. If he doesn't respond...well, we're no worse off really.

So now I'm sitting here waiting for the kidney team to come and place the line to start the dialysis. They're late, of course (by more than an hour at this point). Will update when I can.

More amigurumi cuteness

I am having way too much fun making these guys. They're just so cute! And it's amazing how many of them you can make when you don't have a job ;) The giraffe was kind of a pain in the butt to do--he's much bigger than the other guys, as you can see by the last "group" photo, haha. The legs were super tedious to do so when I got around to doing the arms I made them a little shorter than the legs. He turned out cute though, so it was worth the effort. I especially like his cute little tail--you can kinda see it peeking out on the left side of the photo.

And here's the turtle I mentioned earlier. I might make him with a funky red colored shell next, just for fun. But first I have to finish a teddy bear I'm working on. Then maybe I'll move on to something useful like a blanket. Not sure I'll ever make clothes, at least not for adults, as I don't think I can make anything fashionable enough that I'll actually want to wear. A hat or a scarf maybe, but a sweater I'm not so sure. Baby sweaters would be cute though, like Sabrina makes. Anything is cute when it comes in miniature :)

I've learned that the hardest part of making these guys (at least for me) is stitching the different parts together. The appendages are all made separately and then stitched onto the body. I never did learn how to even sew a button on appropriately, so I'm learning this stitching stuff as I go. I found a decent online tutorial for how to do it neatly so these guys are already much improved over the first elephant I made. Speaking of which, I'll have to make one of those for myself since I gave the first one to my sisters.

Goodbye from the amigurumi zoo for now!

Looky what I learned how to make!

When my grandmother passed away I inherited her crochet and knitting needles. She had taught me a couple of basic crochet stitches many, many years ago and I promptly did nothing with it. Now that I'm older and feeling more crafty, I really wanted to put her needles to good use and, I suppose, feel a connection to her now that she's gone.

Similarly, my friend Sabrina also inherited her grandmother's needles but she's been doing the crochet/knitting thing for much longer than I have. She even gave me a great fuzzy scarf several years ago that I still use regularly. Well on my last trip out to the bay area several weeks ago she showed me these great crocheted animals she's been making called amigurumi. This is an amigurumi octopus she made me, which her hubby said is appropriate for me because I'm a multi-tasker :)

Well, I'm a sucker for cute. Sabrina re-taught me some crochet stitches (thanks, Miss Sabrina!) and then I was off to decipher the foreign language that is crochet patterns (work 6 sc in first ch. *2sc in next sc, sc in next sc around...huh?!). With the help of some books and Sabrina's suggestion of YouTube lessons, I eventually got it. And looky what I made!



I am so stinkin' proud of my crafty self ;P They're a little rough around the edges, but I think not bad for my beginner efforts. I made the elephant first because he's all one color and I wasn't sure yet how to switch yarn colors mid-project. I gave him to my sisters because the college they went to has an elephant as a mascot. Then I made the penguin for my mom. Sabby's made the penguin for her hubby and a friend of ours and it's a perpetual big hit. I also finished a turtle last night that I haven't taken pics of yet.

This is my newest obsession and I can't wait to make more! Have to get more plastic eyes from the store today and I think I'll be attempting a giraffe next. I think my grandma would have been proud, albeit a little critical too of the aforementioned rough edges, haha! Then she would have told me how to make it better. I like to think she's smiling down at me as I'm working on these.

Miss you, grandma.

Happy New Year!

It's a snowy, blowy, and cold New Year here in Boston. Nothing that a yummy hotpot dinner with family can't cure though. It's always nice to start things off with good food.

Personally I'm looking forward to the beginning of new and better things in 2009. Best wishes for health, wealth, and happiness to you all!