The Year of the Tiger “There are no new sins; the old ones just get more publicity.”
— Found in a Chinese fortune cookie. By Bernard Mendleman These days, whenever I hear mention of The Year of the Tiger, I find myself associating it with Tiger Woods. The Chinese New Year begins on Feb. 14 and each year is designated by one of 12 animals. This one, The Year of the Tiger, will be followed by The Year of the Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig, Rat and Ox. Another dimension of the Chinese New Year is its yearly yin and yang connection to elements of metal, water, wood, fire and earth. I never paid too much attention to predictions found in Chinese fortune cookies, nor to mythical Chinese astrology claims that a person takes on the characteristics of the animal represented in the year they were born. Although Woods wasn’t born exactly in the framework of The Year of the Tiger, it’s uncanny that he possesses many of the distinguishing traits affiliated with it. Consider the following. Woods was born Dec. 30, 1975. The Chinese New Year that ended on Feb. 10, 1975 was also the Year of the Tiger. Technically, even though he was conceived a few months after that year ended, I have to assume his parents were already in the process of planning a baby. Another coincidence is that the year he was born, the designated element was wood. For me that’s as near as you can get to Woods! But the most mind-boggling coincidence of all is that it was also the Year of the Rabbit. I won’t hop further into that one. Yet another interesting observation is that Woods is partly Chinese. His father is from mixed African-American, Chinese and Native American ancestry, and his mother is from Thai, Chinese and Dutch ancestry. This would make the golfer 25 percent Chinese. They say people born under the sign of the Tiger are clever and fierce competitors, easily get bored, and sometimes tend to take hasty actions. But because they are also said to be optimistic, passionate, independent and flexible, they can often quickly recover from hardships. Amazing how all of this fits Woods’s character. Clever? Woods was a child prodigy who began golfing at the age of two. In 1978, he putted against comedian Bob Hope in a TV appearance on The Mike Douglas Show. At age three, he shot a 48 over nine holes at the Navy Golf Club in Cypress, California. Fierce Competitor? In 1984 at the age of eight, he won the 9-10 boys’ event — the youngest age group available at the Junior World Golf Championship — and continued on with achievements that rank him as the most successful golfer of all time. Between his winnings and endorsements, Woods is probably today’s highest-paid professional athlete. Easily bored? That’s so evident from his recent escapades. Taking hasty actions? Like suddenly removing himself from the golf tour to try to put his marriage back together? He’ll need to pull a rabbit out of his hat to accomplish that! Quickly recovering? It will take time for Tiger to come out of the woods. He should only return to the golf circuit on Jan. 23, 2012 — the start of The Year of the Dragon. The celestial Dragon represents an emperor and power, an obvious description of Woods. Golf fans will welcome him back even though he may still be eyeing lady dragons.
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Canada Post celebrates The Year of the Tiger, by issuing a commemorative set of stamps on Jan. 8. These stunning stamps are as striking and strong as the beast itself. Created by Wilco Design in Toronto, they are detailed with traditional Chinese icons and imagery. They further enhance Canada Post’s reputation of constantly coming out with innovative stamps that are collected by philatelists worldwide. As for Tiger the golfer, right now Canada Post doesn’t give two licks about issuing a stamp in his honour.
riben@videotron.ca | 
