Welcome to The Year of the Tiger!

Here we are in the Year of the Tiger, as per the Chinese horoscope. This feels like a step in the right direction considering that 2009 was the Year of the Rat. In these parts, the horoscope is taken quite seriously and our fair city is over-run with the big cats. Say, love to have you come along for a look at a few local tigers.


(Click image to enlarge.) First, here's an special tiger from friends Volera and Julia of Kharkov, Ukraine. I'll admit to having had misgivings about allowing this gift precious space in my luggage, but I'm glad I gave in. It's amazing the sacrifices one will make for the animal of the year. So now there's a tiger in my own kitchen and a sweet memory of dear friends.


Speaking of tigers, remember The Eye of the Tiger from Rocky III? It was a huge hit in 1982 and here it is, just because.

Does that bring back memories, or what? Those years in the early 80's were golden for me. For one thing, I was teaching a bunch of 2-legged tigers at Irving High School, the home of Irving Tigers. Can you guess what was the favorite pep rally song?


But here we are in 2010, the Year of the Tiger in Rostov-on-Don and out on the street four-legged tigers have been spotted.

This lady is fiddling with her cell phone, totally oblivious to tigers in the vicinity.



These folks are exiting a major department store under a sign, We congratulate you (in the red letters) with the New Year and Christmas! (blue letters). They don't seem too worried about tigers. But yet on the table to the right of the exit are lots of tigers. Let's go in closer.



Here are tigers hard at work in various professions - traffic cops, army guys, navy guys and police officers. Hmm. . . wonder if there are any accountants, teachers or physicians parading as tigers?


In a florist window, a very watchful tiger. No pussycat, this one.


Here are tigers doing lots of things, mostly holding on to coins, a wish for prosperity in the coming year.


Here at the Cola kiosk on Pushkinskaya, see any tigers? Cute though, the Russian ДА, which is means, YES. But you already knew that. Da?


Back to home-sweet-home to a hot cuppa tea served up by our very own domestic tiger. Well, here's wishing you a wonderful year of the tiger!

How about you, dear blog reader, were you born during the year of the tiger? Or do you have special memories of the 1980's song, Eye of the Tiger? How about animal of the year trinkets - are you a push-over for those?