GEMINI (May 21-Jun 20): “It is not possible to get the blessing without the madness,” wrote Norman O. Brown in his book Apocalypse and/or Metamorphosis. “It is not possible to get the illuminations without the derangement.” His words ring true for you right now, Gemini. Lately you’ve been pursuing (and getting pursued by) wickedly twisted yet fertile opportunities and now you’re near the climax of the madness and derangement. Next stop: blessings and illuminations.

TIME FLIES when you’re having fun … or even what passes for fun in Singapore. And so it is with mild amazement (and sometimes amusement) that we have dusted off the archives, plowed through old copies covered in mold and Cheez-Wiz, and put together this retrospective issue which looks back at 10 years of I-S Magazine—the people, the places, the events, the restaurants, the nightspots, the issues and the trends that have shaped our lives, defined our culture, made us happy and driven us crazy.Think about it.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, what with all the goodies that were handed out last week to the old, the young, the poor, the sick, the under-paid, the under-educated and the over-worked in the 2006 Singapore budget. Problem is, this isn’t December–it’s February. All we can say is that it’s starting to sound a lot like election season, with bureaucratic cheer being spread among a plump electorate to get everyone in a nice, rosy mood. We’re not complaining, mind you—everybody likes a freebie. And with the budget showing surpluses, hey, why not share the wealth?

PISCES (Feb 19-Mar 20): Biologist Rupert Sheldrake regularly riles up the scientific establishment with his theories about telepathy and other taboo subjects.

If anyone actually stops to think about it, he or she will quickly come to the realization that, with so much diversity in the world, anything anyone says will very likely offend someone or other. Well, almost anything. Upon further reflection, we realized that there are actually many things which are not likely to offend anyone, anywhere, anytime.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Feb 18) Fashion designer Ennio Capasa was asked if he found his work difficult. “If it wasn’t difficult, I wouldn’t enjoy it,” he replied. That’s the kind of activity you will specialize in during the coming week, Aquarius. The more it stretches your capacity and forces you to dig deeper into yourself for stamina and willpower and resourcefulness, the happier you’ll be - and the more successful, too.

It will soon be Valentine’s Day—the third most lucrative retail festival after Christmas and Chinese New Year. We will let the mainstream media inundate you with ways to convince your loved ones that the love of money is indeed the root of all evil (whatever that means). We will tell you how to prove to your loved ones that you love them despite not spending any money on them.V is for Value their company: Spend time with your loved ones.