Metal Ox: Year of rebuilding

Welcome the Year of the Metal Ox with more healing energy brought about by heavenly star no. 6 in the middle of the 2021 Flying Star Chart. There will be more stability, innovation and opportunity especially in the digital world. New transformations and new solutions will hopefully bring more luck and prosperity.

The Year of the Metal Ox started Feb. 12, but celebrations of the Chinese New Year will continue through the coming week.

Among the decorations often used for the Spring Festival are Chinese lanterns. Hanging a red lantern in front of the door is believed to drive off bad luck. Door couplets with statements of good wishes could be displayed in pairs at the two sides of the doorway. Even numbers are associated with good luck and auspiciousness in Chinese culture. Couplets are brushworks of Chinese calligraphy on red paper. New Year paintings of legendary figures and plants could also be added in all areas of the house.

Paper cuttings could be pasted on doors and windows to symbolize harmony and prosperity. The image of an auspicious plant or animal typically provides the theme of the New Year’s paper cutting. Each animal or plant represents a different wish. For example, the pomegranate symbolizes fertility; the peach, longevity; the pine tree, eternal youth; the mandarin duck, love; the peony, honor and wealth; while a magpie perched on the branch of a plum tree presages a lucky event that will soon happen.

The Kumquat tree at home symbolizes a wish for both wealth and good luck. The Chinese name of this tree has the same symbol for the word gold and it sounds like the Chinese word for good luck. Blooming flowers symbolize the coming of spring and wishes for a prosperous new year. The most popular blooming plants traditionally used during this period are branches of plum blossoms, orchids, peonies and peach blossoms.

Among the Chinese animal signs, the Dragon is the most coveted sign, with Chinese births peaking in Dragon years. In Chinese culture, the top five luckiest signs are Dragon, Snake, Pig, Rat and Tiger. If your animal sign is challenged this year, create good karma or acts of kindness to generate lucky energy. In 2021, the challenging group includes Ox, Sheep, Horse and Dragon.

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Meanwhile, here is one corporate social responsibility project that you may consider.

Survivors of the 2020 typhoons that hit Bicol still don’t have roofs. Excel Coil Coating Corp. (Excel) is donating roofs for the rebuilding efforts of Gawad Kalinga in Bicol, but it still needs the materials and manpower to help install them. You can scan the QR code to contribute to a better 2021 for our neighbors in Bicol. #RoofingForBicol is the campaign hashtag. Byron Chua of Excel told me about his company’s CSR project and the products they sell. You can visit Excelroof.com.ph.

Excel is donating roofs for the GK’s rebuilding efforts in Bicol.

Excel traces its roots as far back as the 1950s from its sister companies Southern Industrial Projects Inc. and Chuayuco Steel Manufacturing Corp. The company first ventured in the pre-painted color roof business in 1978 using the pre-cut sheet-to-sheet method to manufacture its products.

Excelroof Pre-painted Steel Roofing combines the superior strength of steel, the corrosion resistance and protection of a continuous galvanized steel coating, and a unique paint system specially formulated to resist fading, rusting, flaking and even heat, thanks to its Solar Reflective Pigments (SRP). All these allow each coil to maintain its color for up to 25 years, even in the hot and humid climate of Southeast Asia. Their roof reflects up to 70 percent radiant heat, making the interior of your home cooler even during summer. You can also save up to 20 percent on cooling costs over time.

Scan the QR code above to contribute to a better 2021 for our neighbors in Bicol.

Kung Hei Fat Choi!