Welcome to the Year of the Pig (Part II)

I recall watching Sagwa on Playhouse Disney one night and Sagwa's grandma was telling a story about how the Chinese calendar got its order. I must have watched it with my head backwards because for the life of me, I thought the pig was the first to arrive at the finish line. I remember feeling amazed that it was the pig that came in first, who would have thought? Then again, my memory could be faulty. I probably wasn't giving my full attention and somehow from that moment on thought that it was the pig that came in first. So I told my Mom, and she was like, "You must have remembered it wrongly. The first would be the rat. And the reason why there are no cats is because the rat tricked the cat." Oh, if you want to read more on the folk tale of how the Chinese calendar got its order, and the characteristics of each animal, go to: http://www.animeyume.com/fruits_basket/fbzodiac.html

Here's the folk tale from the website above:
Anyone who's seen Fruits Basket knows that the poor cat is not a "true" member of the zodiac. The reason for this goes back to an old Chinese folk tale in which the animals were assigned to the cycle of years. A long long time ago, the Lord Buddha summoned all the animals together to determine their order in the yearly cycle. When the Cat heard the news, he let his friend the Rat know about it and the two animals decided to go together the next day. However, the next day the Rat did not wake the Cat who, being a cat and loving to nap, slept through the morning. Therefore, the Cat did not make it to the assembly on time and did not get a year. This is why there is no year of the Cat and this is also why cats hate rats.
The Rat, on the other hand, made it there first and received the first year. He did not achieve this without trickery either. He knew that a small animal like him would not be able to compete with the others, so he begged the Ox to let him ride on its head. The Ox consented and they went together. Just when they were about to arrive, the Rat jumped off the Ox's head and got through the finish line first. This is why the year of the Rat is the first year in the cycle, and the year of the Ox is the second. The Boar, being lazy, came in last.

Ha!ha!ha! The story above jogged my memory a little, and now I am quite certain that my memory is faulty! The reason why I am talking so much about the year of the pig is that drum roll, please! I am PREGNANT with my third child! Mom says that loads of people want to get babies in the year of the pig coz it's supposedly lucky. Have to do some research on how much luck we're talking about here. I hate to announce my pregnancy so early but now I understand why I have been soooooo tired and why my appetite has been soooooooo erratic and sooooo weird and why I can feel every aching muscle in my aching body. Lately, I have been getting all woozy and if I miss breakfast, my world starts to spin. BTW, that's why I have sleeping so much too!

All this while, boley laa perasan awet muda but I tell you, once you get pregnant at this age, you dun feel awet muda anymore. I feel like a 75 year old. Maybe I should ween off my 3 inch heels but that means I have to go shoe-shopping first. Thre's no Modern Mom here, so that means, some time soon, I have to go to KL. Oh I swear I can't wait to slip into Modern Mom sandals. I hope they have improved the look of the sandals so I won't look so ah Poh like that.

Anyway, I'm not the only one pregnant this year of the piggie but my sis-in-law, her cousin, my friend. Here is what the same site above says about boars:

People born in the Year of the Boar are chivalrous, noble, and gallant. Whatever they do, they do with all their strength. For Boar Year people, there is no left or right and there is no retreat. They have tremendous fortitude and great honesty. They don't make many friends but they make them for life, and anyone having a Boar Year friend is fortunate, for they are extremely loyal. They don't talk much but have a great thirst for knowledge. They study a great deal and are generally well informed. Boar people are quick tempered, yet they hate arguments and quarreling. Also, they are kind to their loved ones. No matter how bad problems seem to be, Boar people try to work them out honestly, if sometimes, impulsively. They are most compatible with Rabbits and Sheep. Their opposite is the Snake.
If were born in the Year of the Boar, your Fruits Basket character is: Kagura!

Despite having all those nasty sayings like" fat like a pig, lazy like a pig", I must say I like what it says about Boar characters. And guess what? My dad is a boar too!

On another note, I don't have a clue what Fruit Basket means or refers to. :)