e-news from Asia Houston Network

Asia Houston Network

E-Newsletter

February 11, 2010

THE YEAR OF THE TIGER: Gung Hay Fat Choy

The Lunar New Year dates from 2600 BC, when the Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the Chinese zodiac. Lunar New Year, a large celebration for Vietnamese and Chinese residents, falls on Feb. 14 this year. The exact date shifts each year because the lunar calendar is based on cycles of the moon, rather than the sun, but it usually begins in late January or the middle of February.

If you were born in 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998 or 2010 - you were born under the sign of the Tiger. Like the tiger, you are one of the most caring and thoughtful signs in the Chinese zodiac. Famous people born under the sign of the Tiger? They include Sheryl Crow, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Dickinson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jay Leno, Karl Marx, Marilyn Monroe, Marco Polo, Queen Elizabeth II, and Jon Stewart.

Lunar New Year Celebrations in Houston:

Feb. 13, 10 am - 5 pm, International Trade Center, 11122 Bellaire (info)

Feb. 13, 10 am - 4 pm, Chinese Community Center, 9800 Town Park (info)

Feb. 20, 11 am, Houston Public Library, 500 McKinney (info)

Feb. 21, 10am - 4 pm, Tan Tan Restaurant, 6816 Ranchester Dr.

Feb. 27 & 28, 3 pm - 8 pm, Viet Hoa Center, 8300 W. Sam Houston Pkwy S. (info)

MISS SAIGON - Journey with TUTS halfway around the world

On Sunday, Feb. 21, the Theatre Under the Stars will celebrate Asian Heritage Day with a special presentation of Miss Saigon. Asia Houston Network friends will receive a 20% discount!

To buy tickets online, click here and enter a special promotion code. ASIAHOUSTON

With its exotic setting, but familiar conflict of returning draftees, Miss Saigon makes the story of Madame Butterfly new again. Journey with TUTS halfway across the world for one of the most timeless and moving stories ever told everything to make you attest "I Still Believe."

MEET DEBBIE TYLER DILLARD, Asia Houston Network Board Member

Debbie Tyler Dillard serves as Community Outreach Director for the Office of Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan. She represents the County Attorney at various civic association events, and manages and coordinates special projects and public relations activities.

From 1998 to 2008, she served on the staff of former Mayors Lee Brown and Bill White, where she held various positions including the Interim Director of the Mayor's Citizens' Assistance Office.

In addition to serving on the board of Asia Houston Network, Debbie's membership affiliations include Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, and Houston Chapter of the NAACP. In 2007, Debbie was featured in the "Who's Who in Black Houston" inaugural issue.

Debbie graduated from the University of California, Riverside. She is a licensed Texas Realtor, and a certified Mediator conferred by the Dispute Resolution Center of the Harris County. Debbie has travelled extensively and lived in Japan. Her father served in the United States Air Force, and was a Tuskegee Airman.

Asia Houston Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created in 2002, to help build cultural bridges between Asian-Americans and other groups in Houston by offering greater educational opportunities to students. For more information, visit our website, www.asiahouston.org.