Hi everyone,

 Happy Year of the Dragon! As I'm sure you know, 2012 is the Chinese Year of the Dragon. The Chinese Zodiac has 12 signs: each year is a different animal. People take on the characteristics of the animal of the year they were born in. I'm a Rat: apparently I'm intelligent, adaptable, quick-witted, charming, artistic and sociable. On the downside 不利的一面, Rats can be intolerant and scheming! Hmmm.

 The dragon is the only mythical creature of the zodiac's 12 animals - and it is believed to be especially lucky: they are imaginative, charismatic, strong and passionate. Many couples across Asia are making extra efforts to give birth to so-called "dragon babies" in 2012.

 My Hobby 我的嗜好

I collect dragons. Not real ones, obviously, but china dragons, pottery dragons, flying dragons, cuddly dragons......you get the general idea. I must have around 100 dragons -they are perched 矗立在...边缘 all over my flat: on shelves, cupboards and bookcases. For Christmas and birthdays, I usually get given at least one dragon. When I go on holiday I always scour 寻找 the shops for dragons. This is particularly good when I go to Wales, as there is a dragon on the national flag of Wales and so you can buy lots of dragon souvenirs 纪念品 (some of them are very tacky! 粗制滥造的)

But why do I collect dragons? Actually I have no idea - maybe there is something in my blood 与生俱来的 as I am half Welsh 威尔士人. Maybe it's because when I was an impressionable 容易受到...影响的 teenager I loved reading JRR Tolkien (his dragon, Smaug, isn't particularly nice though). Later I read all of Anne McCaffrey's books about dragons - her dragons are much nicer!

 The strange thing is that I don't actually like flying things: I almost have a phobia about flies and I'm not keen on 喜欢 butterflies or birds! And I definitely don't like reptiles of any kind - although this lizard that I saw in Cornwall is pretty cute:

A couple of years ago I went to a festival in London and was amazed to see a walking dragon! It moved its head, opened its mouth to pick up things, breathed out steam and even blinked! It's called "Lo monstre"and comes from a remote corner of Catalonia and is really amazing to see. It's mechanical, but moves so gracefully that it gives the impression that it's really alive. You can see a film of it here.

 It's a bit too big to add to my collection though!

Do you collect anything? And do you have the characteristics of your Chinese sign? Let me know.

Take care

Carrie

重点词语

downside: 不利的一面
to perch: 矗立在某物的边缘
to scour: 寻找
a souvenir:  纪念品
tacky: 粗制滥造的!
something in my blood: 与生俱来的
Welsh: 威尔士的
impressionable: 很容易受影响的
to be keen on something or someone: 很喜欢某物或某人