| Click on each of the names to check their forecast |
Leung Chun-ying
Chief Executive of Hong Kong
Born: 12 August 1954
Sign: Wood Horse
Day Master*: Yang Earth (Weak)
SSSUCKY / SSSO-SO YEAR |
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Ai Wei Wei
Artist & political activist
Born: 18 May 1957
Sign: Fire Rooster
Day Master*: Yang Metal (Strong)
SSSO-SO / SSSUPER YEAR |
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| His sign is the Horse and he's nicknamed The Wolf, yet
Hong Kong's Chief Executive seems more like a fish
out of water at times. Which led us to wonder, while
waiting for our usual at the Chippy recently, just what
sort of fish Leung would be if he were one. A salmon?
(Pink on the inside.) A shark? (Wolf of the sea.) Or,
given his awkward start, perhaps a flounder? After
six months in office - and despite his much-hyped
and hampered bid to meet the electorate-in-waiting
- it can be hard to get a line on Leung. His fortune
chart suggests that he's strong-willed, determined, has
trouble admitting failings, acts on instinct, has a wellhoned
sense of injustice and makes enemies easily,
if unwittingly. Who knew? Apparently, he's likely to
also abhor hypocrisy. So what's ahead for the CE? Our
dear old mum, being a kind-hearted, optimistic soul,
invariably says of anyone who has been unlucky in
life's great "looks" lottery that they probably have 'a
good personality'. By that standard, we could probably
say Leung looks to be in for a 'good year'. |
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Say what you like about Ai Wei Wei . . . if you're allowed
to, of course. An acquaintance of ours reckons he's
the ant's pants and calls him the Great Balls of China.
Another reckons he's just pants. Funny things, opinions.
Bit like dogs, though - no good keeping them locked
up. Just our opinion. Ai lets his out at the drop of a hat,
as you might expect of a chap whose chart crackles
with Fire. And given the Rooster-Snake affinity, it's no
surprise to see a serpent in several of his works, notably Snake Bag (2008). The 16-metre piece is made from
hundreds of grey school backpacks - inspired by what
he saw amid the Sichuan earthquake's rubble. Schools
were among the worst hit, almost certainly because of
shoddy construction due to corruption. That was Ai's
opinion and letting that "dog" slip marked his first major
run-in with the authorities. As a Rooster, Ai should be
set for a super year, though tempered a tad in his case.
Windfalls are ever welcome, and there's the hint of one
later in the year. Need to be hurricane-strength to cover
his eye-popping tax whack, though. Just our opinion. |
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| *Unlike the zodiac sign of the year
you were born, your day master
(the heavenly stem of your
bazi chart's day pillar) is said
to represent your true nature. |
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*Unlike the zodiac sign of the year
you were born, your day master
(the heavenly stem of your
bazi chart's day pillar) is said
to represent your true nature. |
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Aung San Suu Kyi
Myanmar Leader of the Opposition
Born: 19 June 1945
Sign: Wood Rooster
Day Master*: Yin Earth (Strong)
SSSUCKY / SSSO-SO YEAR |
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Michael Bloomberg
Mayor of New York City
Born: 14 February 1942
Sign: Water Horse
Day Master*: Yang Earth (Weak)
SSSO-SO / SSSUPER YEAR |
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| 'The lady's not for turning,' Margaret Thatcher famously
said, defying the lowest approval rating of any British
Prime Minister and growing opposition to her economic
policies. She wasn't dubbed the Iron Lady for nothing.
Aung San Suu Kyi is known simply as The Lady, but she
may well be made of even tougher "mettle". After all,
this Lady wasn't even for blinking. She not only went toe
to toe with Myanmar's military rulers for decades without
budging an inch, but actually stared the bullies down!
There can't be many tougher tests of your beliefs. Other
than perhaps the one she's now undertaking of holding
firmly to those beliefs amid the hurly-burly of everyday
politics, which some argue are inherently compromising
and corrupting. Our reading suggests Aung San Suu Kyi
may find the year ahead to be tough going - a worry
considering what she's been through. As a Chicken, she
should be in for a stellar time, but her Day Master and
other configurations see things differently. Still, with her
solid-gold form, we'd back The Lady against anything
mere Fate can dish up any day of the week. |
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The man behind the name that's front and centre of
more than 300,000 desks throughout the world ends
his third and final term as NYC Mayor in November.
Which leaves us wondering what the suave, politically
incorrect, antiques-loving crypto-Marxist will do now.
We don't mean Bloomberg, of course. With US$22bn
in the bank, he can do as he jolly well likes. But his departure
will deprive our London-based Nipponologist John
Seagrim§ of one of the alliterative legs of what's almost
a signature note of his emails: Mayor Mike's Marvellous
Machine. Very 'Er . . . ijo desu'. As for Bloomberg,
even critics admit he redefined the mayoral role, as he
did with financial information. (It helps being able to
dig into your own pocket to fund budget shortfalls, preferred
projects and campaigning - his final term cost
him a record US$174 per vote.) In the process, Bloomberg
has become a national figure whose independent
voice is worth hearing - and he clearly loves it. Our
reading points to a clever career change ahead. The
Mayor may be leaving. But not Bloomberg. |
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| *Unlike the zodiac sign of the year
you were born, your day master
(the heavenly stem of your
bazi chart's day pillar) is said
to represent your true nature. |
|
*Unlike the zodiac sign of the year
you were born, your day master
(the heavenly stem of your
bazi chart's day pillar) is said
to represent your true nature. |
|
| Back to top |
Ricky Wong Wai-kay
Founder and chairman, City Telecom
Born: 13 December 1961
Sign: Metal Cow
Day Master*: Yang Metal (Weak)
SSSUCKY / SSSO-SO YEAR |
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Poman Lo
Executive director, Regal Hotels
Born: 01 September 1980
Sign: Metal Monkey
Day Master*: Yin Fire (Weak)
SSSUCKY / SSSO-SO YEAR |
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| Back in the day, TV was like the weather - much as
people griped about it, they felt compelled to watch, if
only in hopes it would get better. And it did. An evergrowing
spectrum of delivery systems and options left
free-to-air (FTA) stations looking like dinosaurs. Audiences
fragmented, advertisers followed. Not a pretty
picture - unless you're Ricky Wong and the market is
Hong Kong, where FTA is a monopoly, in effect, and
the fare is like 'chewing gum for the eyes', as one early
critic dubbed TV. Wong made his name busting the
local telco's overseas-call monopoly in the 90s, and
then took on the big broadband carriers by building a
US$4bn fibre-optic network. He sold it to get into TV
when in 2009 the government, backed by viewers and
advertisers, opened FTA to new applications - which it's
still 'vetting' three years on. Perseverance may be a Cow
trait, but there is a limit. Recent remarks suggest Wong
is in no mood for his chart's advice to be patient. It also
warns of possible setbacks and counsels against speculation!
Oh, dear. If only we could change channels. |
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What the Queen of England most enjoys about her
corgis, it's said, is they think she's just Betty Windsor.
Poman Lo, the poodle-pampering Princess of Hong
Kong's Regal Hotels group, knows the feeling. 'I can
be myself in front of them,' she says of her pooches.
'Totally nude and naked.' Maybe a dog's life isn't so ruff.
Not if you're one of the Poman pack (we've counted
up to eight), who typically go wherever she does, with
a team of maids and guards in tow. Don't be misled
by the poochie-cuteness, relentless charity-eventing
and social-other-whirliness. This Monkey's no chump.
She studied psychology at Duke - starting young, if we
recall (an underage thinker rather than drinker). When
the Asian Crisis hit the family firm, she impressed her
father with her handling of a tough but crucial project
and is now seen as heir, ahead of her older brother,
who is also with the firm. Still, Lo may want plenty of
pooch time this year, given the challenging outlook.
But what are we thinking? She clearly loves it when the
going gets ruff. This girl is the goods. |
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| *Unlike the zodiac sign of the year
you were born, your day master
(the heavenly stem of your
bazi chart's day pillar) is said
to represent your true nature. |
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*Unlike the zodiac sign of the year
you were born, your day master
(the heavenly stem of your
bazi chart's day pillar) is said
to represent your true nature. |
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| Back to top |
Rosemary Vandenbroucke
Model, singer & actress
Born: 12 September 1982
Sign: Water Dog
Day Master*: Yang Earth (Weak)
SSSO-SO / SSSUPER YEAR |
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| That she's "hot" is a truth most red-blooded chaps
would hold to be self-evident, and no doubt wish they
could hold more. Yet a close perusal of her fortune
chart, rather than, say, the 2007 Asian FHM spread
that brought her prominents to prominence, suggests
Rosemary Vandenbroucke has long been desperately
in need of Fire. No surprise, then, to read of her big
blowout at the Burning Man counterculture festival
in Nevada a couple of years ago. If anything, we'd
have expected a flare-up sooner. And with no harm
done (the ding in the base of the landmark Reno arch
is barely noticeable), we see it marking the start of a
more balanced, happier stage. After all, she has been
modelling since the age of 14, and looked to be at a bit
of a loss after slipping free of her mother's management.
What's ahead? Should be a good year, particularly in
terms of wealth and relationships. And there'll also be
plenty of support on hand, if she needs it - sometimes
from unexpected quarters. There's even some sign (not
that one back in Reno) of a mid-year career booster. |
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| *Unlike the zodiac sign of the year
you were born, your day master
(the heavenly stem of your
bazi chart's day pillar) is said
to represent your true nature. |
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| Back to top |
David Webb
Shareholder activist
Born: 29 August 1965
Sign: Wood Snake
SSSO-SO / SSSUPER
Never mind the polluted air,
Webb does an excellent job of
making breathing difficult for
those who try to put one over
their HK shareholders. Does a
nice line in sleepless nights too.
We were tempted to slip him
an even brighter outlook . . .
but we really like our sleep. |
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Liu Yang
First female taikonaut
Born: 06 October 1978
Sign: Earth Horse
SSSUPER
We predicted Liu's historic
spaceflight last year (well, her
gender) and what a delight
to see such a steady, balanced
chart - with a few intriguing
pointers to the heavens.
Simply being an Earth Horse
("heaven's blossom") is a great
combination. Welcome back. |
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Lang Lang
Piano and erhu virtuoso
Born: 14 June 1982
Sign: Water Dog
SSSUCKY / SSSO-SO
Our call strikes a bit of a sour
note. After all, the Lang Lang
phenomenon has really only
just begun. Luckily, the discord
we sense is likely to come from
outside and can be contained.
Still, no encore! Lang's charts
are intriguing: Highly strung,
yet beautifully balanced. |
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Robin Li Yang-hong
Co-founder Baidu
Born: 17 November 1968
Sign: Earth Monkey
SSSUCKY / SSSO-SO
Not the most stellar outlook.
But with signs this may
be a significant year for Li, the
Snake may turn out to be very
rewarding. One bright spot is the chance to expand or
move into new areas. Still, the
hallmark of the year looks to
be hard work and then some. |
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Tony Chan Chun-chuen
Fudge-away master
Born: 23 December 1959
Sign: Earth Dog
SSSO-SO / SSSUPER
Fascinating chart for this fellow
who seems to have bet on the
old adage: 'Where there's no
will, there's feng shui.' Despite
intriguing 'stumbling blocks',
the outlook is pretty spanking
- and who's to say that may
not mean a nice long holiday
away from everything? |
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Singapore
Parliamentary republic
Born: 09 August 1965
Sign: Wood Snake
SSSO-SO
Whether or not you'd want
to live there (views tend to be
polar), today's Singapore is an
Asian marvel - a testament to
vision, self-belief, confidence,
cunning, pragmatism, hard
work and never-say-die. Odd
that next year's big challenge
may be widespread ennui. |
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