Chinese New Year, Year of the Tiger!

Do you think there is any chance that Tiger Woods will appreciate, at all, the irony that the Chinese New Year falls on the same day as Valentine's Day this year, and that it's the ... wait for it ... Year of the Tiger?
The good news for Woods is that it could mean things are looking up for him after the beleaguered last days in the Year of the Ox, which (according to the breakdown of the 12 Chinese Zodiac) was a symbol signifying a lot of hard work for everyone in the past year. (The word "recession" comes to mind, no?)
So just what does the Year of the Tiger mean for us all, even if we're not the eponymously-named superstar golfer hoping for a personal redemption of our own?
If nothing else, the fact that the holidays are falling on the same day (which has only happened three times since 1900) means that there is twice as much to celebrate! Abhor hearts and chocolate? Hey, make yourself some dumplings and noodles because you can celebrate the Lunar New Year instead of going out/staying in with someone special/a pint of Ben & Jerry's in the name of Cupid's Big Event.
Or, say, if your normally scheduled December 31 New Year's was a bust, here's your chance to do it all over again in an honorary way.
Here are a few ideas on how to get it started off right:

• Have some noodles, but in keeping with Asian good luck tradition, don't let the first strand break before it is all the way in your mouth. A challenge, yes, but worth it for the auspicious groundwork  you'll no doubt lay. (Cutting the noodle is bad luck because long noodles symbolize longevity.)

• Wear red! It's not only the color of power and passion (which the Tiger apparently symbolizes), but is the ultimate hue of V-Day. And for the Chinese New Year, it's also the color of wealth and good luck, and royalty.
• Have some citrus fruits. They represent the good luck and fortune you'll have for the next 12 months, and hey, it can't hurt to get some vitamin C into you either, right?
• Go to the parades. If you're lucky enough to live in city that has a Chinatown like New York City, San Francisco (the largest Chinatown outside of Asia), or Atlanta, go check out the elaborate parades to celebrate the festive, fresh new start. Sure beats renting Sleepless in Seattle. Again. Or berating your husband/boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/significant someone over who was supposed to have made the Valentine's Day dinner reservations this year. Again.

Here's what ExploreChinatown.com has to say about people who are Tigers:

People born during the Year of the Tiger (1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010)  are said to be courageous and to possess hidden reserves of strength. They are also thought of as candid yet mysterious. Famous people born in the Year of the Tiger include Marilyn Monroe, Stevie Wonder and Tom Cruise.

And, for the record, that other Tiger is actually a rabbit.