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I soon discovered Society6, an online collection of talented artists and designers selling their work in several forms: prints, iPhone cases, laptop skins, and t-shirts. It’s really quite incredible the variety of cool artwork to choose from.

After a few hours of browsing (their search function leaves a lot to be desired), I found the perfect case. It’s called “There and Back Again” by designer Reagan Lee. He designed a metro-style map of Middle Earth, featuring several fun stops like Rivendell and Helm’s Deep. The designer in me loves the clean lines and clever idea, while the nerd in me gets excited each time I see that Edoras and Isengard are just a quick train ride away.

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Make a wish, not a resolution.
The Chinese prefer making wishes instead of resolutions, leaving the real work up to the gods. Wishes are written on papers, in gold calligraphy, and hung inside and outside the home. Common wishes include “happiness” and “wealth”.

Bring flowers, but never white ones.
Flowers are usually associated with funerals in Chinese culture, except for the New Year celebration. Red is the most preferred color. But be careful, because each flower type represents a different thing. When in doubt, stick with orchids which represent love and fertility or peonies which represent spring and wealth.

Stick with red.
As you may know, red is the luckiest of colors for the Chinese. It represents fire, the sun, and life energy. Wear red clothing, but avoid black or white as they are associated with funerals.

Keep it even and 8 is great.
Chinese elders hand out lai see, or red envelopes filled with money, to the unmarried children. Even money amounts are preferred. Eight is the luckiest number, but four is to be avoided as it sounds too similar to “death”. If given lai see, accept with both hands, say a grateful “doi jeh”, and resist opening the envelope until the party is over.

Eat up.
The main part of a Chinese New Year celebration is the food. A bounty will be made, to feed the ancestors, a large family and guests, and for leftovers representing the food to be enjoyed all year. If you plan on bringing something, oranges, candies, and peanuts are all lucky snacks.

No cleaning, cutting, or breaking.
All the New Year cleaning is done before New Year’s Day. So don’t do any sweeping, or else you sweep away the good luck. Do not cut anything with a sharp edge or scissors. Many Chinese hair salons will be closed this day. Try not to break anything or else receive 7 years bad luck.

Wish a happy year of the Dragon.
2012 is the year of the Dragon. Dragons are marked by ambition and confidence, but also arrogance and anger. When wishing a happy new year, say “Gung hay fat choy” for Cantonese and “Gong Xi Fa Cai” in Mandarin, which translates to a wish of happiness and prosperity.

source: Good Luck Life by Rosemary Gong

Paris Pratique par Arrondissement
This little booklet includes the best map of Paris that I’ve encountered. It makes navigating the city almost effortless. Wandering the city streets was one of my favorite Paris activities and, with the Paris Pratique, I was never concerned about getting lost. It also includes a map of the Metro lines, an incredibly valuable map when traveling across the city. You can pick it up at any street news stand for only a few Euros.

Passe Navigo (formerly Carte Orange)
The Paris Metro is so convenient, easy to use, and the fastest way to travel around Paris. While you can purchase single-use tickets, I wouldn’t think twice about getting a Passe Navigo. The pass can be purchased for a week or a month and the price varies based on included zones. When I was there, I found myself using the Metro several times a day. It was great to not worry about purchasing tickets or about how much I was spending each time I boarded a train.

A small, travel umbrella
Several times while walking through the city, I found myself caught in an afternoon downpour. While it was great to wait out the rain in a cozy cafe, most days were booked with sightseeing and walking through the rain was unavoidable. I finally got wise and started carrying a small umbrella with me at all times. The ones shown here are Slimline travel umbrellas from the Container Store, weighing only 7 ounces.

A collapsable, reusable tote
Eating in Paris restaurants can get expensive. Most days, we purchased bread, cheese, and produce from specialty markets and had picnics in the park. Having a reusable bag to hold our groceries was incredibly helpful. Each component of our meal was often purchased at a different store, so we looked to avoid the collection of plastic bags. Many of our meals were also spontaneous, wandering upon a pop-up market and wanting to try new things.

Travel hand sanitizer
While Paris is exceptionally beautiful, it’s also exceptionally dirty. We spent the majority of the day away from our apartment, visiting places and touching things thousands of others were also touching. Jumping on and off the Metro promised convenience, but also plenty of germs. And since most of our meals were unplanned and outside, having hand sanitizer was a lifesaver. Public restrooms in Paris are hard to find and most shops charge money for you to use theirs. So this was key for in between hand washings.