The first time I visited Cloud 9, the highest bar in the World atop the Grand Hyatt Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, and the Chinese fortune teller who roams its tables, it was New Year's 2007. I hadn't bought my house in Durham, NC yet, and I didn't know Jamie existed. The fortune teller told me that my future was in Shanghai and the Asia Pacific Rim, and that I would be married in October of 2008.
My birth in the year of the horse is auspicious for leadership in China, as many government leaders are horses in the Chinese Zodiac. In the Astrological Zodiac I am a Virgo, and little did I know in 2007 that by the time of this trip in 2008 I would have met another Virgo, Jamie, and find myself in the same corner of Cloud 9 two years later. It's my hope to work in sustainable energy in China amidst other dreams, and as fortune would have it, I just might have my way.
Jamie's fortune was interesting: She was described as a river; going with the flow, powerful but meandering energy. What's amazing about this is her interest in the Amazon in South America. Additionally he said Jamie would be in the hospital soon, but it wouldn't be a big deal. This freaked us out a little, but as I write this in Melbourne, Australia we have just visited the hospital this morning after Jamie had a gran mal seizure.
This was just another day in the life of an epileptic, but it was my first time to witness a gran mal and I was freaked out enough to follow directions from our host in Melbourne, (who luckily happens to be a Neurologist), and rush Jamie to the hospital. Luckily her fortune didn't end there and she has a year ahead of Double Happiness. 2009 for Jamie is a year when everything is said to line up, and all opportunities will unfold into lifelong resources, resulting in the biggest opportunity of her life when she turns 40.
With the stability of Jamie's health unquestioned, it's fun now to look back and take our hospital trip as reason to value our fortune teller's predictions. That said I'm really excited about business school given what I was told. When choosing between working internationally in sustainable energy consulting or partnering with investors to form an international cafe and media franchise, I wanted his opinion. It didn't come out right away; we had to consult the cards. After I dug for the hardest cards to find in a deck spread out before us, it was determined that I could do both, but the cards favored the sustainable energy gig.
It was cool to see the six cards face down, three for each choice, and learn the meaning behind the Chinese character on each and the value it had between 1 and 54, 1 being the most favorable. The cards for sustainable energy told of work with government and success with sustained effort. The numbers prioritized this over the work with an international cafe, which could also be successful if pursued on the side though it wouldn't live up to my expectations.
It's all news that my colleagues at AGSM would tell me without consulting the cards, but I enjoy Cloud 9 immensely and thank Kevin Low for his flawless translation while my Mandarin still sucks. Plus, those with business knowledge may have not have been so generous as the fortune teller. When noting that I would go through a great transition through 2010 with a lifestyle of international income afterwards, he added that I would be like a high-flying James Bond type! Sounds good to me. I enjoy the view from Cloud 9.
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