Most credit cards claim to offer substantial benefits to travelers, such as insurance, miles and concierge services. Here we’ve compared some of the top travel cards with some more humble options (at the bottom of the chart). Many of these cards work on a similar premise: You spend money, you get points or miles in exchange. These points can be exchanged for air tickets. For example, every time you spend B20 with a Citibank Royal Orchid Plus Platinum Select card, you acquire one point, which is equivalent to one mile on THAI Airways’ Royal Orchid Plus (ROP) program. Now, you’d need at least 15,000 miles for a domestic rountrip, 25,000 miles just to go a bit further, such as Singapore. Hence, you’d have to spend B300,000 with this card to get this “free” domestic trip (a lot of taxes and conditions also apply on such tickets). Still, for big spenders, these cards can be seriously tempting. Find out which one works for you.

I was born to a strict Chinese family. My grandfather was very traditional. He controlled everything, from the numbers of stairs we built in a house to the amount of money we gave to others for special occasions.

It was god’s will that I should be an architect. I was very good at arts, crafts and drawing. My teachers kept telling me, even in primary school, that I should study design and architecture.

Music is another part of my life. I have been a classic guitarist since high school. I wanted to be a musician—travel to places and experience what life has to offer and then translate them into songs.

I was too self-confident when I enrolled in the Faculty of Architecture at Chula. It was my first and only choice. But then I failed.

The next year, I locked my guitar up and swore I wouldn’t play it again if I failed for the second time. But I worked hard and passed.

My first design project was when I designed a house for my aunt. When my grandpa saw it, he was so upset. He thought everything had bad feng shui and demanded I rebuild it. My aunt chose to believe him.

It was probably true but I was really upset and stopped talking to him for a while. But that was also the beginning of my interest in feng shui.

Feng Shui is just a fragment of Chinese culture. It is the way to live with nature.

I started my company and, out of several designs, my first client picked one that was based on feng shui. I realized that feng shui was an added value to my work.

Houses with bad feng shui can be adjusted without knocking everything down.

Thais also have feng shui-like beliefs. We just don’t know it. Even King Rama V once published his recommended plans for homes, based on our tropical weather.

Beware of some feng shui masters who claim to to know it all. Even in China, different provinces have different feng shui beliefs based on local geography and weather.

Don’t do what a feng shui master tells you if you don’t really want to. People must live in their own happy space. No master can guarantee long-time happiness or quick wealth.

I never get negative responses because my designs are based on my clients’ preferences.

Don’t buy a condo facing west, or worse, north-west, as you are facing the hottest sun throughout the year.

I don’t understand why we have so many buildings these days covered in glass. It’s not suitable for our weather at all.

I am no longer a hard-working architect. I am now a landscape designer who directs the overall picture and lets the architects take care of the details. I also love to share my knowledge about feng shui with others.

Architectural landscaping makes me money, but feng shui gives me happiness.

Knowledge is like a candle. I’m lighting the candle and passing it on to others, who will pass it forward. The light will still be there even when I’m gone.

There is only one truth in life, no matter how many religions exist. There is no bad religion really, because their teachings are meant to lead to peace and serenity.

Find out what it is that you love and then do it. I know what I like and I’ve never stopped learning. I don’t want to be better than others, I just want to know more.

I’ve never set an age for my retirement. This career has no expiry date.

I love songs with good meanings, ones that make people happy. I don’t like those with sorrowful feelings.

My idea of happiness has changed. I might have dreamed of a music career, but I am now very happy to be with my children. When they go to sleep, I pick up my guitar. That, to me, is contentment.

My kids are not like me. I allow them to do everything and teach them to be as happy as they can. I don’t mind that they can’t organize things for Chinese New Year. I’d just like them to be good people.

You must inhale and exhale happiness. We never know when our time is over.

February

Jeju Jeongwol Daeboreum Fire Festival

Feb 17-19. South Korea. www.buriburi.go.kr
Not only a favorite resort island for Koreans, Jeju is also a great place to enjoy age-old folk traditions. Every year, almost 350,000 people participate in a fire ceremony to pray for good health and a good harvest in the coming spring. There are also a number of hands-on events tourists can easily participate in throughout the three-day festival, the highlight being the setting on fire of the old grass on the hill, which everyone does together, in order to banish harmful insects and bad luck and to prepare the land for the coming cultivating season.

39th Hong Kong Arts Festival

Feb 17-Mar 27. Hong Kong. Various prices. www.hk.artsfestival.org
39 days, 15 venues and more than 200 performances covering music, dance and theatre make the 39th edition of the Hong Kong Arts Festival even larger than previous years. The 2011 line-up is headlined by Tristan und Isolde performed by the Leipzig Opera from Germany, The Halle Orchestra from Britain, Hiroko Kouda and the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Carnations by Tanztheater Wuppertal from Germany, The Golden Lotus by Beijing Dance Theater, the Threepenny Opera by Berliner Ensembler and An Ordinary Man by Poon Chan-leung.

Hadaka Matsuri at Saidai-Ji Temple, Okayama

Feb 18. Japan. http://tiny.cc/fcxyx
Hadaka means naked, so you know what to expect from this festival. Nearly ten thousand Japanese men roam the streets in their traditional fundoshi underwear in search of the one fully naked man hidden among them. The one to find and touch the naked man will have good luck throughout the year. After a winner is declared, the mass moves to the Saidai-Ji Temple, where monks have a blessing for good luck at midnight. Sound fun enough for you?

Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras

Feb 19-Mar 6. Australia. www.mardigras.org.au
When the Asia Pacific gay headquarters organizes a festival, you can rest assured it won’t be small. The Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras is the region’s largest and most famous LBGT festival. The 11th edition of two-week long event is packed with a line-up of highlights like parties on the beach and at poolsides, art events, stage shows, a film festival organized by Queerscreen, a sports festival and, on Mar 5, a grand parade involving thousands of LBGT and non-LGBT citizens dressed up in some outrageous costumes.

Cricket World Cup

Feb 19-Apr 2. India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. www.www.cricketworldcup2011.co.in
The thwack of leather willow can only mean one thing, cricket. Held every four years it doesn’t get any bigger than this, especially as the tournament is being held in the cricket’s spiritual home, where fanatical crowds should be as much of a spectacle as what takes place out on the crease. Fourteen teams will compete in a series of one day matches over two months and across three countries for the right to be crowned champions.

MARCH

The Lion King

Debuts Mar 3. Singapore. S$65-240.
www.marinabaysands.com/entertainment
The Marina Bay Sands sees the Southeast Asian debut of the world-famous musical stage show The Lion King. Based on Disney’s 1994 animated movie about the story of an African lion with music by Elton John and Tim Rice, the Southeast Asian version will be staged with a new cast selected from around the world and promising the same levels of performance and amazing sets you might have seen on Broadway or the West End.

Mosaic Music Festival

Mar 11-20. Singapore. Various prices. www.mosiacmusicfestival.com
Started in 2005, this is one of Singapore’s largest music festivals and one not to miss for world music and jazz lovers. The ten-day line-up covers everything from folk and R&B to hip hop and electronic rock. Judging from previous years, nearly 100,000 visitors from all over the world are expected to enjoy the extensive list of artists headlined by Angelique Kidjo, Jamie Lidell, Michel Camilio Trio, The Manhattan Transfer, Joanna Newson, Charlie Hadan & Quartet West, Thailand’s T-Bone and Grammy Award-winning hip hop artist Common. Best of all, most of the shows are free.

Japan Fashion Week

Mar 18-25. Japan. www.jfw.jp/en
For its twelfth year, the fashion week of Asia’s hippest dressers features creations by 30 Japanese fashion entrepreneurs. Highlights include araisara, fur fur, Theatre Products, Yuki Torii and Somarta, famous for the extravagant bodysuits they created for Lady Gaga. And Japanese fashion is not all harajuku, so don’t expect every show to be full of avant-garde designs and manga. Pre-registration is required.

Hong Kong International Film Festival.

Mar 20-Apr 5. Various prices. www.hkiff.org.hk
One of Asia’s oldest film festivals is now fighting back against the influx of Korean films with an array of flicks ranging from indie films to multi-million productions. While details have not yet been confirmed, we’re expecting the world premiere of Quattro Hong Kong 2, an omnibus project featuring short films by four award-winning directors: Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Brillante Mendoza, Ho Yuhang and Stanley Kwan.

Hong Kong Rugby Sevens

Mar 25-27. Hong Kong. HK$1,250 for a three-day pass. www.hksevens.com
No matter who you’re supporting—All Blacks, Springboks, Wallabies, Lions, or Dragons—this is one of the world’s premier rugby events and a great warm up for the World Cup in New Zealand in Sep. The tickets for the seats Hong Kong stadium run out fast so make sure to grab the early-bird promotion that ends Jan 31.

April

Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix

Apr 8-10. Malaysia. RM500-1,600.
www.malaysiangp.com.my
Started in 1999, the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit has long been recognized as Southeast Asia’s first F1 racing event with international standards. Be an early bird and reserve seats to see international racers from world-famous teams, including Ferrari, Renault, and Mercedes, racing over 5.543 km with 15 turns and eight straights in front of 130,000 spectators.

Taipei Flora Expo

Through Apr 25. Taiwan. One-day NT$150-300, three-day NT$600, unlimited entry NT$2,500. www.2010taipeiexpo.tw
Last chance to walk through an array of 25 million flowers and plants in every color, covering an area of more than 90 hectares in the city center. Highlights are the diagram garden from The Netherlands, a zen garden from Japan and a Buddhist garden from Thailand as well as eco-gardens and cultural events.

It’s Chinese New Year (Feb 3). This time around, it’s not about resolutions—it’s all about predictions! (If your really new to all this, read Chinese Astrology for Dummies, first.) We spoke to feng shui master Visit Techakasem about what this means for you, and if it’s the right year to start your restaurant or continue to blame your spouse for their bad habits.

Compatible signs

Dog: Those born in a year of the dog, especially in 1946 and 2006, will have the best luck this year.

Incompatible signs

Rooster. The most incompatible sign this year, roosters should be ready for struggles, accidents, and illnesses. Tough luck!
Dragon. People born in the Dragon years might be abused and obstructed by anonymous persons. There’s also a chance of becoming involved with crime and losing money.
Rat. Rats will feel frustrated and uncomfortable as a result of other people’s behavior. You might also face obstructions that seem unfair.
Horse. Major disagreements could happen with close partners, spouses and parents.

SCREWED? NOW WHAT

Visit sacred places. Those at risk of experiencing bad luck should go pay respect and make offerings to the god of the Rabbit years (sim bao) and the god of the dog years (bia suk) at your nearest Chinese shrines. The popular places are Leng Nei Yee or Mangkorn Kamalawat Temple located in Yaowarat and Naja Shrine in Chonburi. To make sure all that bad luck is swept away, find a Chinese monk and let him use a piece of gold/silver paper to wipe you from head to toe 12 times.
Ask for help from those with good luck. Become best friends with those born in 1946 and 2006 as they can help give you better luck. Simply ask the people in those two dog years to offer some gifts to you. The gift doesn’t need to be precious or valuable but should be small as you need to carry it with you throughout the year. Don’t forget to give them back a small gift. It’s a good way to make merit, and don’t worry, they won’t absorb any bad luck from your wretched self.

What about me?

If you’re neither a dog, rooster, dragon, rat or horse, know that years of the rabbit tend to be harsh years, though not as bad as tiger years (last year), according to many fortune tellers. Anyway, as the element of this year is gold (metal), we can still expect growth in finance, banking and the jewelry businesses. Well, the heavens work in mysterious ways. To one and all, happy new year and good luck.

Chinese Astrology for Dummies

1. Find your sign based on the year you were born.

2. The sign opposite yours, on the above chart, is the sign you’re least compatible with. So if, for example, you’re a pig, make sure your boss is not a snake. Or if you’re a rooster, you’re in for a really bad year as you sit opposite the rabbit. (See main story.)

3. The two signs flanking your opposite sign are your compatible signs. So, for example, the year of the rabbit should be good for dogs and monkeys.

Check out these lucky charms to ward off bad luck.

Now that you've got the technical side of it down, here's a quick round-up of where to celebrate the New Year.