‘Work for success in Dragon Year’

	1/22/2012
Like the Chinese symbol for danger, the color black represents opportunities for success for adventurous spirits in the Year of the Water Dragon, a Cebu-based feng shui hobbyist said recently. Aldric Dalumpines said black is the color of the deepest part of the ocean and this means those who wish to have material and spiritual success must dig deep and work hard to earn it. Black and red are the lucky colors for this year since they are associated with the dragon. Learn what's new in CEBU now, click here Since 2012 is part of the so-called “dragon century,” Dalumpines said this year marks the rise of Asian nations. He said a bigger budget means a busy economy with earnings going in and out of the country. “The budget can be sustained . . . In the coming elections, money can really circulate,” said Dalumpines, a self-confessed feng shui hobbyist since 1988. Dalumpines cites as clients Lucio Tan of the Philippine Airlines (PAL), ABS-CBN media official and former actress Charo Santos and Negros Navigation Shipping Inc. Dalumpines defined “feng shui” as a science of managing a person’s energies in relation to the environment, which affects house, work and business, among others. “Feng shui is the expression of yourself . . . is the human energy,” he said during a Rotary Club of Cebu meeting last Jan. 9 at the Casino Español in Ranudo Street, Cebu City. He said feng shui is the “state of equilibrium or homeostasis with your nature, internally and externally.” Dalumpines said each one has a personal direction stated on the feng shui. Though water can bring disasters and natural calamities, like landslide and flood, fortune will come next, Dalumpines said, referring to the water element present in the Year of the Water Dragon. He said simple businesses like carwash, laundry, coffee shop and water stations are profitable this year because they involved water. He cited the west and south directions as the two best directions for 2012 based on the compass, with the former being the luckiest. “West is the metal direction. It connotes currency. Money circulates in any economy, globally,” Dalumpines told reporters in an interview. He said south is the element of fire, and if a person is vying for a promotion, south is the best direction. People heading northwest, however, should be careful because it brings bad luck, as robberies, swindling and scams may happen, he said. This year's lucky plant is the zamio plant, which can be seen in Ayala Malls, while food that bring luck include seafood, like tahong (Asian green mussel), clam soup and oysters (talaba), he said. Above all, Dalumpines urged everyone to live a balanced life. “You should make money, and you should also look for food for your soul,” he said. /Correspondent Rhea Ruth V. Rosell