June 12, 2008

• Unicorn born, auspicious occasion?

  One year ago, in research nature preserve in Prato, Tuscany, Italy, a unicorn was born.

  Granted, he isn’t the same as the equine Western mythical unicorns we have come to know in modern times, the other previous European incarnations that have existed, nor the giraffe-like or chimerical Unicorns of China and Japan: the Qilins and Kirins (though there have been interpretations of Kirins as decidedly deer-like).  He is a Roe Deer with a single horn, and in a very unusual fashion – not only does he only have a single horn, but it is dead-centre atop his forehead, and he carries the fitting nickname of “Unicorn”.

  
      Center of Natural Sciences/AP

  For more details, the original article can be found at AOL News: 

  http://news.aol.com/story/_a/unicorn-deer-found-in-italy/20080611173709990001

  Supposedly a unicorn – at least the Chinese version of one – appeared the night that Confucius was born and according to Chinese mythology, their appearances are said to herald the coming of prosperous times and the arrival of new rulers and leaders.  There is an oft-used phrase that when a unicorn allows his presence to be seen, it is to signal a very auspicious occasion.  Perhaps the return of the mythical Unicorn to reality also brings with him the tidings of better times to come.

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  Personal updates:

  Just got back from dinner.  Zhongxi’s birthday.  The gift I’d ordered for him had been overlooked in shipping so I had to substitute another gift for it, a cigarette-lighter-car starter jumper cable that you can use to hook up two cars via their cigarette lighter ports without having to mess around under the hood.  I thought it would work since he had to come down to help charge my car battery a few weeks ago when my car battery went dead.  Family had dinner at Prince restaurant again as usual.  Mom got a great mango cake from T&T; she gave him the mp3 player she’d got for his birthday when we were at Fry’s Electronics Depot in Oregon.  Mom and Dad also got Zhongxi a hardwood apache helicopter model.  Dunno what Karen got him but she probably gave him his gift before we got there.  Mom came and picked up me and then Karen to drive down there since Zhongxi coming from work, and Zhongxi and Karen drove me home after.

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