Random Thoughts

[Angrboda]

Based on the calculations of Hong Kong geomancer Warwick Wong, the almanac gives fun and old-timey dos and don'ts for each day of the year based on traditional agrarian life in China.

For instance, Feb. 23 will be good for rituals, dismantling buildings, and cleaning house. BUT it will be bad for weddings and going to court. So DO take part in a demolition but DON'T get sued or hitched.

Translated and interpreted by husband-and-wife team Ken Smith and Joanna Lee, the almanac features calligraphy by Patrick P. Lee and layout design by Rika Iino.

This year's cover art is by Thai artist, Pornwipa Suriyakarn. Thailand is home to the world's largest overseas Chinese population. The artist's digital work, called "Prosper," is a patchwork of various significant images, including the dragon and snake (the outgoing and incoming zodiac animals), traditional Thai dancing dolls, and zebra statues, often seen at local shrines in Thailand and thought to represent safety.

Central to the design is the figure of Nang Kwak, the Thai goddess of prosperity, and the Thai word for wealth, ramruay ("wealth") at the bottom atop an assortment of auspicious fruit.

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