First Snow Fell on 12/1/2007

One layer after another, fluffy snow is gently wrapping up everything in a white coat. Silently yet assertively. It came upon us after a month of surprisingly nice November weather. It somehow adds a certain wintry authenticity to the holiday season.

Yesterday we went to CMA's Xmas party at Emily's house on Capital Hill. We arrived there from La Spiga with a full belly - that might have been a strategic mistake. The food at La Spiga was delicious; we had a few Northern Italian dishes there.

There was a lot of food, a lot of people and we had a lot of fun. Most of the people are in the shipping and logistics business.

Tie Guan Yin - Black Tea or Green Tea? Neither!!!

Opened a new can of Tie Guan Yin tea at work today. My cube neighbor, SS, turned to me for expert opinon, and asked what kind of tea that is. “Is it black tea or green tea?” I was caught off guard. Gee, I should know the answer considering that I’m from a country known for its tea! I quickly researched on the Internet a bit, and realized that it’s actually a premium variety of Oolong tea, supposedly the best kind in the Oolong tea family. So, I went ahead and assumed that it’s a black tea, since Oolong tea is known as a kind of black tea here in the States.

Unsatisfied with this level of understanding of tea, I surfed around a bit more later to learn about categories of tea. It turns out that there are many ways of categorizing tea. But in general, one can really divide them into three categories based on the level/use of fermentation in the process of making teas:
1. Fermented tea (Black tea falls in this category; Yellow Tea, e.g. Yingzhen Tea, also belongs to this category.)
2. Half-fermented tea (Oolong [Tie Guan Yin], Pu'er)
3. Un-fermented tea (Green tea such as Longjin)

Back to Tie Guan Yin tea, it was originally grown in An Xi county, Fujian province. Now it has thrived in Taiwan. Multiple websites claim that Tie Guan Yin tea has magic healing power: it can help lose weight; it can help cure Diabeties; it helps prevent one from getting cancer; it can even help prevent one from getting cavities! Next time, when I drink my cup of Tie Guan Yin, I’d have to be mindful of its potent effects on me. Maybe it’ll taste even better just envisioning these benefits!

Back to doodling on my space :)

The holiday season is around the corner again. This is when I can tangibly feel the weight of the cliché – “Time Flys.” I have not written anything on my blog for months. There is a huge gap between the Summer and the Winter, as if I have not lived those days. Being busy justifies my being lazy.

We’ll be on the road again in two weeks. I want to warm up my writing muscles for keeping travel journals. So, here I’m back on my space foraging through my latest random diversions.

Southern Oregon Coast Trip (6/29-7/1)

(6/29/07, Friday)
This trip was meant to be a surprise trip. But with the way my mind works, I'm in the habit of chipping away the suspense built around a surprise. Too much of a planner, or rather a spoiler at times. I "eavesdropped" on one of M's phone conversations with a friend of his and had an idea of where we might be going this weekend.

Submitted my PTO form on Friday, and left the office around 2pmish and joined M on a "surprise" trip. We used an airticket coupon from the Alaska trip that we cancelled and redeemed the other ticket with 20,000 miles.

An old and small airplane crammed everyone in. The windows had no shutters. The sun was shining brightly on the tarmac. One of the flight attendants was very bubbly and trying to be funny with the annoucements that she was making. It was a fast ride - 50 minutes later - we landed in Eugene.

Picked up a car at Avis, then off we were on the road. HW126 took us through a string of small towns, marshes and valleys. The road stretches out in front of us like a green tunnel once the road started traversing hillsides. As we were soaking in the tranquil and pristine scenes, suddently yet nonchanantly, a big black fluffy ball leaped out of the woods from the right side of the road, it took us a couple seconds to realize that it was a BEAR! We almost hit that guy! Yet, he strolled across the road without a glimpse of the excitement that we had over spotting him crossing the road. This is the first time I saw a bear in the wild.

We stopped at Florence, a city founded in 1893, to stretch our legs. Strolled around the Old Town area, which is lined with boutiques and eateries, then stopped at a little pocket garden where we had a good view of the 1936 Siuslaw Bridge, which is one of the city's landmark structures. Bridges from that era seem to be more soulful, unlike modern day viaducts - souless structures built with steel and concrete. What a drag compared to these older bridges! They shine through times with form, color, and grace.

Then, we turned South soon after Florence and drove on 101 through Reedsport, North Bend, Coosbay, Charleston and finally pulled into Bandon around 8pm. It was still bright outside. A big arch that says "Welcome to Bandon Old Town" was beaming under sunset clouds. Then, M's faced grimaced, "Shit, the cop is after us." Describing the rest of the encounter with this old police patrol guy annoys me. Basically, we were given a speeding ticket for driving at 49mph in 30mph zone. An outrageous fine of $140!!! We forgot that we were in Oregon, a state famous for giving our speeding tickets. And it took him 20 mintues to write up a ticket - that's the worst part! Maybe the blackbear was a sign - he was trying to warn us of these predatory cops waiting to prey on out-of-towners!

We found our hotel and checked in. The room is situated on a bluff directly facing the roaring ocean and an expansive beach. WOW. We are in Bandon, a small seaside town on the southside of the mouth of Coquille River. Population 3000.

That dreadful episode with the mean cop augmented our hunger. Got a couple of recommendations from the hotel guy for where to eat. Decided on Lord Bennett Grille & Louge, which has windows facing the ocean side. Unfortunately, they stopped serving food at 9pm. Drooling over a dessert cart, we ordered a Marionberry Pie and a Flan. Still hungry. Then, we went to El Jalapeno, a Mexican joint and picked up a Burrito and a Quesadilla.
*********

(6/30/07, Saturday)
The sandy beach, the whispering waves, the morning breeze and the blue sky lured us our of bed early. We headed down a path to the beach. Facing the ocean, I could smell Freedom in the air. The beach streches miles and miles in both directions. The urge to run, chase, dance and embrace is so real and natural. There were only a few people and a few happy dogs on the beach. Looking closely, there are also colorful seastars, sea anemone and other marine creatures and plants clinging onto rocks and hidden in the sand. There are different rocks, big and small, scattered near the beach. We walked around seastacks and rocks exploring marine life and admired these rocks with names like "Fish Rock," "Face Rock," "Elephant Rock," and "Cat Rock." The "Fish Rock" has big crevasses/holes that you can walk through from one end to another.

Stopped at Bandon's Visitor Center. Tried every sample of what Cranberry Sweets shop offered - at least 20 different kinds of mostly cranberry-based sweets. And it is the best place to try cranberry sweets, because Bandon is the capital of cranberry producton in Oregon. Then, we stopped at Brewed Awakening, a cafe, and had two English muffin sandwiches. Now we were ready to explore this area.

Stopped at an Animal Shelter tucked away next to a gravel road on the slope of a hill. Dogs were barking and whining. M suggested we take a dog for a quick walk. There wasn't really a trail, but we improvised and walked one of the dogs for about 10 minutes. She was in heaven compared to those dogs in cages.



Coos Bay (Art Museum [Profontaine's Room], Coos Bay Boardwalk)>> Shore Acres Park >> Laos-Thai Restaurant in Charleston >> South Slough (loop hike) >> Bandon

We had the best Pak Kee Meu in a small Laos-Thai Restaurant. It reminded me of Xinjiang Banmian!
******************
7/1/07, Sunday

We walked on the beach and explored tide pools again in the following morning. Checked out of the hotel at 11am. Stuffed our stomach with a yummy shrimp and seafood sandwich at Tony's Crab Shack in Bandon's Old Town next to a fishing pier, then we poked our heads into crabbers and fishing enthusiasts' buckets to admire their catch, big or small, and watched how a few seagulls were fiercely fighting over a piece of fish...

We hit the road again. Stopped at North Bend's Visitors Center. Our first stop was Umpqua National Park, where the West Coast's tallest sand dunes are. ATVs and dune buggies are zooming around like swarms of loud flies - the noise can be heard from far away. Too short on time, we'd have to leave this for the next trip.

Next to the sand dunes, there is a lake, Maria Lake. We did a hike around the lake. Amazing in such a small stretch of land, there is ocean, beach, sand dunes, forests, lakes, rivers, all within the vicinity of each other. Currently, the sand dunes have been contained by beachgrass introduced from Europe from long ago and plants are growing on the edges of sand dunes. They have stopped moving eastward inland. Quite a combo of terrain and contrast!

We drove back to Eugene on Route 38, another scenic road, and stopped at a Butterfly Pavilion near Elkton. Monarch butterflies pass through here on their way to Canada or Mexico. This little place near a valley helps educate people on butterfly and preserve their hatching environment. The Pavilion has a beautiful garden attached to it. These butterflies must be very happy to go through their metamorphosis in such a beautiful and friendly environment.

The rest of drive to Eugene was no fuss. We drove into the city to get a quick look at this college town. Green, clean and quiet - school is off now. Had dinner at Wings, a restaurant at the airport. Our weekend trip came to an end when the airplane landed in Seattle, our home city surrounded by mountains and bodies of water. Looking down at Seattle from the airplane windows always reminds me what a beautiful part of the world we live in, with majestic and pristine nature at our doorsteps.

movie

Savannah, Bobanah

6/3/07-6/6/07 Savannah Trip

Two weeks ago (5/25-27), I had just returned from the East Coast, and hadn't yet recovered from the long flights, one of which was a red-eye. Now I was flying out to the East Coast again, this time, for a conference in Savannah, a town famed for its "Southern charm and hospitality."

As part of my trip preparation, M checked out a book by John Berendt and a movie based on that book. That book is called "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," later I learned that this is also referred to by the locals as "the Book." The book was based on a real story that took place in Savannah; and the movie came out in 1997. Clint Eastwood was the director. It has a strong cast with Kevin Spacy, John Cusack and Jude Law. Jude Law was still a young boy in that movie. It wasn't an earth-shattering movie, but I can see why it is being touted as "the Book" in Savannah.

The movie did give me a good sliver of what Savannah is like. Some scenes were shot in the famous Forsyth Park. The architecture - distinctive brown stone and red brick houses - added extra allure to the movie.

To allow myself some time to walk around this city, I flew in on a red-eye via Atlanta and arrived at the Savannah-Hilton Head Airport around 10:30am. Dark clouds were hanging low above tree line. It was muggy, yet not too hot. A lady taxi driver picked me up. I tried to strike up a conversation with her, but my first attempt in getting a taste of "Southern hospitality" met with a shield of ice - she was more into her super-sized Coke and pungent cigarette hanging off the corner of her mouth than me, an out-of-towner. Worse than that, she charged me an extra $4 for calling in to charge my credit card.

I was anxious to check in at the Hyatt Regency Hotel so that I could take a nap. Again, neither "southern hospitality," nor Hyatt standards were given. My room was not ready, and I had to camp out on a couch in the lobby...Called SK, my colleague who came here ahead of me.

We did a loop around the historic district looking for a place to have lunch and taking in some city sights and sounds. It's Sunday. People seemed to have all disappeared into churches. The sun came out dancing through leaves and Cathedral spires. The Spanish moss hanging low off trees reminded me that I was not in the Pacific Northwest. We walked past many monuments and squares, pausing to take photos. Soon, we had an impressive collection of monuments. They look so distant and somber. It makes me feel this city is still living in the past and actually cashing in on its past by bringing tourists to its historical landmarks.

The architecture in the historic district, as promised in guidebooks and movies, is outstanding. Newly renovated old buildings, block after block, evoke a sense of a lost era, with style and quality; even some dilapidated houses still carry time-honored charm and grace.

Forsyth Park, the signature park of Savannah, stretches out grand and quietly in front of us. Several tourists were taking their best of shots of the Park Fountain from every possible angle. The park was quite empty. We hoped to run into a good restaurant. But "Closed" signs were everywhere. After asking around, we finally walked back towards an area closer to our hotel and ate at a cafe. It turned out to be a good choice - pleasant food and sweet tea! The sweat tea is basically sweetened lemon tea, and has become a local specialty very popular among tourists too. We ordered sweet tea for every meal we had there.

On the way back to the hotel passing through the City Market, it seemed that most of the people, local or tourists, had come here. There were people everywhere in a stretch of about 2-3 blocks, there was music, stores crammed with artifacts etc. It's a bit like Seattle's Pike Place Market without fish and fresh produce.

Another attraction is Riverfront Street. It is lined with restaurants, candy shops, ice cream parlors and souvenir shops. Very touristy! Imagine in the 18th and 19th century, this street was basically a row of warehouses waiting to send cotton to domestic and overseas markets! We walked up and down the Street a couple times and realized that the city, or rather the historic district, is really small.

Monday and Tuesday were spent mostly indoors at the World Trade Conference Center. The Belles Water taxi took us to the other side of the river for the Conference. Wednesday was spent on the road getting from Savannah to Seattle via Cincinnati.

The "southern hospitality" might be just an urban legend or Tourism Bureau's campaign message. But Riverfront Street, the multiple squares and monuments, the City Market and Forsyth Park, beautiful architecture and chunks of Spanish moss swinging in the breeze are all real and unique to Savannah, a Southern jewel.

Memorial Day in Memory of Mom

The Memorial Day on the last Monday of May, a federal holiday, makes a nice long weekend. It, in many ways, symbolizes the beginning of the long-awaited summer here in this part of the US. This is when you hope for good weather; this is when many families will hit the road and camp grounds (skyrocketing gas price - $3.30 per gallon - won't even deter them from going); this is also when you will involuntarily breathe in air filled with BBQ smell. Of course, on the radio or TV, you'd hear or tune into shows in rememberance of those who died in military service - the real reason for having a day dedicated to this purpose.

This year, for me, the word "memorial" means something different. We cancelled our trip to Alaska, we didn't fire up our grill. I'm taking some time off to catch up on old memories with my mom who just passed away over a month ago. This has became a special weekend in memory of her.

I've taken a long break from this blog. Sometimes silence is a heightened sense of grief; sometimes silence is just the result of the dizzying pace of the modern-day life that we choose to live and not question. It's more of a senseless blur than blissful serenity that I wish I could wrap myself in.

After coming back from Mom's funeral, I went to Vancouver for a conference, then the following week, flew to Boston on a red-eye flight for a weekend in Provincetown on Cape Cod. Being on the road a lot left little room and time for grieving. Or maybe I'm just afraid of taking on the weight of grief and loss accumulating inside me.

I thought about quitting this blog completely and returning to the good old pen-paper type of journalling. But for what? I don't have a compelling reason to do that. So, I'm back to this cyber-space rambling along as my diversions occur, be they seldom or random.

May Mom lie in peace and love...

Rewind, Unwind and Ramble along

Two weeks of go, go, go
Now is time to rewind and unwind

My upper chest and left arm still suffer from stinging pain
as a result of shingles
unfortunately, not the kind one puts on the roof.
My mind is scanning for moments from last week
that left imprints on the trail I trotted along
as if I'm trying to pick the fruits
dangling from the tree of memory...

(Sunday, March 25th)
We walked from table to table savoring vegetarians/vegans' imagination at the VegeFest. Tofu turned out to be the key ingredient for anything that attempts to imitate the meat flavor. Why do we have to have vegetarian sausages/hot dogs - vegetarian food names tinted with meat flavor? Don't vegetarians/vegans pride themselves on their purity and their principle of "no-kill?" Yet, they can't seem to stay away from the meat lovers' lingo. Then, there was a table displaying caviar made from seaweed. Quite a creation - I have to say - the shape, the color, even the taste. It was sold as vegetarian caviART. Again, this naming strategy resembles that of the "vegetarian hot dog." Maybe it is just a way to lure meat lovers away into the vegetarian/vegan utopia and give them an alternative of loving "meat" without killing the beast. We walked away with a bag full of "freebies" at the expense of us spending $20 on becoming a member of the Washington State Vegetarian Association.

With all kinds of VegeFest samples still lingering in the stomach, we found ourselves in the buffet line at the Il Fornio for the Jewish Film Festival Closing Night Gala. There was a long line curving along the buffet table with multiple arms reaching into different beautifully displayed plates. The inviting smell filled the air, recharged our appetite and expanded our stomach for more food. We jumped the line thanks to H&G who were at the front end of the line. We ate, chatted, and drank. Good food, good dessert, good tea and good company. Then, we were off to the last film of the Festival, a documentary about a photographer whose passion is documenting the terrorist activities, conflicts and wars in action in areas such as the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The documentary is like the photographer himself - very intense and passion-driven. I admire someone who purses passion so exuberantly. It's a blessing to know what exactly you want to do in your life.

Another week went by. The details escaped me without visible traces.

Last Saturday, we had friends (T & J) and family over for dinner. It's fun to sit around a table of food and chat.

Sunday, we drove over to Ballard to see about renting a Tuxedo for a Black Tie event that we will be going in May. After a quick peek around the Tuxedo shop, we strolled down the Ballard ave and explored shops that I have never been to before. There was so much creativity seeping through the doors of these shops/boutiques: furniture made of bamboo, bags made of recycled materials, vintage furniture, green engineered floors etc...The whole street is brimming with entrepreneurs spirits.

This week, the Baseball Season started. I know what that means for me. M will be in his halo zone with his eyes/ears wide open for anything that's Angels-related. I will feel compelled to send some good mojo to his team and mimic the commentator say "Just another Halo victory!" So, Monday he went to the first game of this season while I planted some ground-cover plants next to our sidewalk.

The days are really getting longer. I love biking while it's bright outside. And yesterday (Friday, 4/6) we had another weather-related record, 78 degrees! Many people had their summer outfits on - miniskirts, shorts and sandals. I was still wrapped in my cardigan and didn't feel the heat at all. Guess what - today we are back in the 50s! Ah, or ghurr, Seattle's unpredictable weather!

Chris Kennedy Lawford - Actor, Author and Advocate

Last Thursday (3/22/07), M's organization put together a community forum on Hepatitis C sponsored by Roche. The featured speaker was Chris Kennedy Lawford, who is the son of actor, Peter Lawford, and nephew of J. F. Kennedy -quite a mix of celebrity blood on both sides.

After work, I strolled over to Bell Harbor where the Forum was being held. I noticed that a few people were circling him talking. I didn't expect much beyond a brief introduction. As I was just wondering when and how to go over and introduce myself, he asked me first, "Are you with Roche?" That served as a good ice-breaker. The next thing I knew was that we sat down at a table and chatted for a good while until the Forum officially started. I was telling him about China, he was telling me about his experience in Cuba. He also told me his ex-wife is half-Asian and half-Swedish. He is very charming and down-to-earth; one can definitely sense the star quality in him.

He was asked to speak about his struggle with addictions and his victory over alcohol and drugs; now he's been clean for almost 20 years. In fact, he just wrote a book "Symptoms of Withdrawl." The book is a memoir with a focus on recounting his journey from becoming an addict to overcoming addictions with determination and honesty.

He's been in a number of movies, one of which I've seen before, "Thirteen Days." Now that I've met him in person, I feel the need to watch that movie again. In fact, I only vaguely remember that the movie is about the Cuban Missile Crisis, but I have no memories of other details.

Surely, born into a well-known family, the privileges are numerous. He talked about growing up with family friends like Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra, and later, Arnold Schwarzenegger, among other personalities. On the other hand, it's also encouraging to see him taking on the role of an advocate and putting the power of his name to a good cause, that is, to educate people and help addicts to overcome addiction.

Chillingly "Thrill Me"

This past Wednesday we went to Arts West, a small theatre in our neighborhood, and saw a musical drama called "Thrill Me, the Leopold and Loeb Story." It's a chilling story based on a real event that was later referred to as "the crime of the century" in the US.

There were only two actors, one played Leopold and another Loeb. The story was told, or rather sang, from Leopold's point of view. The monologues and dialogues reflect the director's imagination and ingenuity, especcially the claim that Leopold intentionaly left his glasses at the crime scene. What exactly was the two young men's thought process behind the killing of a young boy of 14? No one can know for sure. The distrubing fact is that they killed a yougn boy, actually a distant cousin of Loeb, for no apparent reason.

Supposedly, they intended to commit a "perfect crime" to prove that they are "supermen," men of superior intelligence and wisdom. The theory goes that they took that idea from Nietzsche, who wrote about the so-called "Ubermensch," or "superman." These two young men, wealthy and well-fed, misinterpreted Nietzsche's thinking. They sought to prove their ability to live beyond the laws of right and wrong, and rise above the general society, as long as they can "outsmart" the world, thus ensuring their existence as super-being "transcending" above the realms of social norms and morality.

Their heinous crime was committed in 1924 right around when Hitler became fascinated with Nietzsche's thougts, and started dreaming about an empire of a "master race" ruling over other "inferior" races. I'm no expert in Nietzsche. What's clear is that we've learnt, or observed firsthandedly, how some people, especially power-hungry politicians, can use popular philosophers' words, but interprete them in a way that fulfills their own agenda.

Intertwined with the super-man idea was the sexual tension between these two young men. It seems that Loeb was the one who was more into the "super-man" idea and seeking for thrills through crimes; Loepold got dragged into the crimes only in exchange for sex and affections from Loeb. Would Loeb be able to committ the murder on his own, by himself?

On a personal level, this musical drama warns the audience how difficult it is to raise kids, protect them from societal and familial malady, and prepare them for the unknown future in a country where the media is so fond of feeding fear to the genearl public.

Spring into Diversity

Tomorrow our Diversity Team is putting together a diversity potluck event titled "Spring into Diversity."

As a member of the Diversity Team, I've gained some first-hand experience of how diversity is practiced and promoted at workplace. We have organized a couple of very interesting events. My favorite one so far is having a UW professor come and speak on the subject of immigration during lunch hour at work a few months ago. As an immigrant myself, I gained insight into how this "melting pot" really came about, and how the 'pot' functions and, how its components changed over different historical periods. Generations of immigrants have endured storms on the sea and in this melting pot. My appreciation grows each day I live here.

At work, there are many diversity events lined up this spring and summer. Today, I stumbled upon a preparation meeting meant for Asian Americans. The meeting organizer was very nice to have cooked huge pots of food enough to feed everybody around the meeting table. As we all know, free food can boost attendance.

At the table, there are Asian peoples of different descents: Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipinos, Malaysian and a few other hard-to-tell looks. I was sitting there thinking: what an interesting picture this is! Our ancestor or home countries may have had pleasant or unpleasant chapters in history; but today we are lumped together as Asians due to our looks and proximate geographic locations. And we want to share with other non-Asian groups our cultural heritages as one single group. Does this add to my sense of belonging? No. But don't we all like to group people into different categories, for better or for worse. For now, it's a good-sized manageable group with fair mount of visibility and voice in the decision process at work. And that what really matters.

We brainstormed. Most of the ideas are familiar items on a typical agenda of a Diversity Event: ethnic food, traditional costume and cultrually distinctive music. I overcame my urge to stay silent, and put in my two-cents: "Don't you think these traditional items would only reinforce the cultural stereotypes that other non-Asian people have developed over years? Maybe it's time to bring in something new and exciting to show the other side of Asians: fun-loving, creative and humorous.

My two cents met with pretty good response. Now the group has decided to do a video montage to showcase modern day Asian cultures, and demonstrate that Asian cultures have also taken on a global aura.

The cultural, racial, ethnic and religious diversity in the States is the pretty side of the reality. The ugly side is the division among diverse groups. Practising diversity without genuine integration can only lead to disasters, which have happend in many parts of the world.

But how do we really integrate?

Spring Forward (an hour and a year for me)!

"Spring one hour forward!" The reminders are - in the news, on the radio, on the web - everywhere. This year, the Day Light Saving Time came three weeks earlier than last year. But spring is like a half-way open door with winter's tail still in view: The howling rainy wind reminds us not to put away winter clothes yet. Courageously, many cherry trees have bloomed in spite of the incessant rain; pinkish flower petals are one of the few visible signs of the arrival of spring. Other flowers like daffodils and tulips are trying hard to add some primary colors to the misty grey canvas. The maple trees in our backyard are still bald and bare swaying in the wind. Be spring here or not, we are springing forward for the sake of preserving energy, as so proclaimed.

Lately, the whole world seems to be giving the topic of environment and energy efficiency extra attention. The documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" won its share of glory at this year's Oscar night; President Bush just went to Latin America to buddy up with Brazil and other big sugar cane producing countries in promoting ethanol production all in the name of being environmentally friendly and energy efficient. At home in Seattle, the debate on which option to choose for replacing the aging waterfront Viaduct also put these issues in spotlight. Now we have a new Day Light Saving Time to implement and experiment also in the spirit of saving energy. Let's just hope these are not just empty talk and extra fuel for political in-fight and ulterior motives (like confectioners trying to sell more candies to kids on Halloween if the Day Light Saving Time extends to include the day of Halloween).

Ah, I wish we could turn our biological clock so arbitrarily - spring forward or rewind backward. Unfortunately, our life is not a mechanical clock. I can only embrace the addition of another year to my age with grace and zeal.

I turned 34 (or 35, depending on how one counts). Surely, I prefer 34 and wouldn't like the idea of springing forward in age. I guess celebrating birthday has been ingrained in cultures across borders. To many, it's an occasion to get together and hang out with friends and families; and the birthday person gets to indulge in being the center of attention with candles lit up and balloons floating in the air. But I didn't grow up celebrating each and every birthday at all. So, I don't expect much. Worse than that, over time, I've developed an acute sense of uneasiness, or rather paranoia, over celebrating birthday. In fact, I just want to totally forget about it, which, sometimes, does the opposite. I still haven't quite figured out the psyche behind my paranoia. On the other hand, I know what a sweet feeling it is to get a "Happy Birthday" from friends and families on the phone, in the mail or via email. They remind me that I don't need to tuck myself away in a closet getting all weired about a day that's really just another day.

After M walked in my life, my birthdays have been quite colorful and fun - surprise weekend trips here and there. Last year, we spent a weekend in a cabin with Jacuzzi at the foot of Mt. Rainier. This year, he wants to celebrate my birthday on a different day due to his tight schedule at work. But I'm equally happy spending my birthday in utterly blissful solitude: soaking in hot bathtub, flipping magazines while sipping tea and listening to the radio. It's a special retreat for myself.

I soaked in hottub for a long time, letting my thoughts drifting to my past. When mom was my age, I was already 11 years old, and we were just in the midst of moving from Xinjiang to Hunan - a turning point in our lives together. And I know this year, it's going to be another turning point for mom and me...

I have reset our clocks. But there is not a "reset' button on my past and future.

A Silent Journey to Hometown

I was completely unplugged - partly self-imposed and partly due to circumstances - for about two weeks. The journey to my parents' home in Hunan was long, emotional and necessary. The actual stay in that little town where my parents live was short, only six days - but it felt much longer. Every moment was stretched tight to its limit just like the rubber bands in my mouth; I could feel every second ticking away while feeling mom's pulse pulsating loudly in my ears. I spent most of my time in silence, sitting next to mom's bed, holding her hand searching for the right words to say...

We didn't stay up until the clock turned 12 at midnight on the Chinese New Year's Eve - a tradition that we had held onto for every Spring Festival family gathering. We didn't even watch the Chunjie Wanhui. It just didn't feel right to watch a quintessential Chunjie show while mom was in bed.

Firecrackers were crackling up all over the place nonstop for the whole night on the New Year's Eve. We had no where to escape to; under heavy blankets, the crackling noise was muffled, but not shut out completely. I hate firecrackers! What's the point? Is this the essence of Chinese traditions? If all people want is a bit of festive noise, maybe there are more environmentally friendly ways of creating such noise without sending all that extra sulfur into the already polluted air. The so-called new policy allowed people to set off firecrackers for the first three days of the Lunar New Year; of course, many people jumped to the opportunity and embraced the new freedom with excessive amount of enthusiasm, as if the Fortune God is going to bless the household who set off the most amount and the loudest firecrackers. A bunch of superstitious crap!

I don't want to repaint the grim picture of seeing mom lying in bed in pain. Every touch of her body tightened my stomach pushing a knot to my throat and filling tears in my eyes. Washing her makes me realize our body is such a weak defence against human sufferings. For the first time in my life, I began to face death and understand death in a different light; it's no longer other people's stories. It's my own story; it's the body that gave birth to me.

I hope mom can achieve a peaceful mindset in the midst of all the pain and unresolved feelings which I'll have to save for the private pages of my journal.

Love. Peace. Serenity. Dignity. Grace. Magnanimity.

Selective Memory - Don't Worry, Be Happy!

"What did I do in the past couple of weeks?" I asked myself, but I couldn't remember anything at first try. Then, as flashbacks started to play in my mind, it's funny to see what actually stands out in my memory: the meals I had, the errands I did like exchanging a water filter, lunches with co-workers and M at CJ's, John's Wok, Pike Place Market and Uwajumaya's food court on different days, watching "Lost" on TV and a quick excursion to the Curiosity Shop with M etc. - basically little trivial things that make up the bulk part of one's daily life. Other bigger events seem to have been pushed to the back of my head - rushing M's passport renewal and visa application, getting ready for my interview, getting ready to leave for China. Maybe I just mentally didn't want to deal with these headaches, so those somewhat stressful items were unconsciously being suppressed. Looking back, all those worries were so unnecessary - "hey, it's all good! and selective memories help too!"

Now that small details are emerging from my memory, I, however, have lost all the enthusiasm to recount what I did. I'd rather highlight every body's favorite subject - weather. The weather has been unpredictably good for almost three weeks now. The forecast was off almost everyday. Instead of rain as forecasted, we've had a pleasant weather pattern: drizzly rain or misty fog in the morning, then the sun would come out late in the morning, and the warm sun made lunch outings more pleasant too, then the glorious sunset would accompany me on my walk to M's office every day.

Here is a little sweet weather-related story that added an extra gallon of positive fuel into my life. Last Wednesday, while taking a walk during lunch hour at Myrtle Edward Park and pausing to enjoy the view of snow-capped mountains in the Olympic National Park, a guy cheerfully chatted up with me about his open heart surgery, and told me how thankful he was for not only the new pig valve he just received, but also the good weather we've been having.
"Can you believe, at age 67, they found out that I was born with a defect on my heart - 2 valves instead of 3. And that explained why I was never and could never be a good swimmer. And all throughout my youthful years, I'd been this little fat kid. Now I feel normal again. I'm going to follow Doc's suggestion and walk every day when the weather allows."

I was moved by his optimism and zeal in embracing a heart with new pig valves. He is full of life at the age of 67!

Rock-n-Rose Room Rocks! Two-Year Anniversary Getaway Weekend

Since we have two wedding dates to remember - one is x/x, that's when we exchanged vows in Arradon, France; another is x/x, that's when our marriage became official in the King County Court House, I really don't know which day I should remember to celebrate. So, it's no surprise that I just totally forgot about it. M, on the other hand, surprised me with a beautiful getaway weekend at the Rock-n-Rose Room overlooking the middle fork of the Snoqualmie River on our 2nd wedding anniversary. He is an expert in giving surprises; I, on the other hand, completely lacks that skill.

Friday evening, unexpectedly, the line in front of the snowshoe rental counter at REI was too long, we went home without snowshoes. I thought our snowshoeing plan was off and lying ahead was just another lazy Saturday. Around noon, M told me to get ready for a fun trip and didn't let me in on the details.

It's a beautiful day - sunny with blue sky - perfect for any outdoor activity. We picked up snowshoes from REI, and got on I-90.

Seeing icy snow on tire tracks leading to the parking lot at the foot of Mt. Si, we hesitated. After chatting with a couple of hikers, we went ahead and parked on the snow in the parking lot.

We were planning on doing the Talapus Lake Trail, but it was hard to follow the trail; so we just randomly trekked around on a trail where there was snow and not too steep. It was refreshing and invigorating to be in the forests; snow-capped mountain tops stand high above tree lines, displaying postcard-perfect views. After 2 hours of fun in the snow, we were re-energized and ready to hit the road home - at least, I thought so.

When we drove to the little town, North Bend, M wanted to explore the back roads in that area, that's when I sensed that we were not going home. He pulled into a parking lot in a wooded area where there are a few houses and cabins. Voila! Here is the surprise - this is where we are going to be staying tonight and happy anniversary! Yes, I was surprised and happily surprised.

The couple, who run and own the B&B, are very friendly. I immediately noticed the view from their big windows. The husband took us to our room, the Rock-n-Rose Room, which has a fascinating story. It is a room right underneath the main floor of their house overlooking the Snowqualmie River. It has a huge rock, the bulk part of which is in the bedroom, a small part of which extends into the Sauna room. The original owner had tried to blast the rock, but only small pieces broke off, the rest sat firmly in one piece. And the original owner's wife was shaken off her chair, not knowing the rock was being blasted. Thank Goodness that they kept the rock in the room! Now, the rock adds a special lure to the room.

It's truly a rock-n-rose room. Besides the prominent presence of the rock and a rose garden outside the room, the room itself is filled with rose-themed objects - paintings, plates, sheets, pillows, cups, coasters, photos, books etc. - you name it. Aesthetically, this decorative style is busy to eyes and doesn't really suit my taste. But the overabundance of rose-themed items exemplify the owner's love and care for this room. It definitely serves as a good reminder to people who are staying here to be romantic.

Well, the most romantic part about this place is really the view. It overlooks the Snoqualmie River, which soothingly flows and splashes against rocks down in the riverbed. The B&B bears the name of "Roaring River," but the river really murmurs, maybe there are moments (flooding?) when the river really roars.

After resting up a bit, we went to the main strip of the town, checked out the Bad Girls Antique Store, and then sat down for a big fat dinner - 10 ounces of prime rib and a thick bacon burger - at the North Bend Bar & Grill. As if that's not enough, we grabbed a milk shake and a hot apple cider to go at the Dairy Freeze and went back to our cozy Rock-n-Rose room. Then, we watched a movie, Mona Lisa, on the small TV next to the big rock, and simmered ourselves in the sauna room for ten minutes which readied us for a good night's sleep.

The next morning, we woke up to dancing sun rays splashing through tall pine trees; there was gossamer mist hanging low above the river; the water flows and splits around rocks like melted jade.

Our breakfast came in a basket: two danishes, two quiche, two scones, OJ and strawberry jam. Yum. We had breakfast while watching "Breakfast at Tiffany."

After checking out, we hiked down to the river, where we laid on a rock and soaked in the morning sunshine and savored the beautiful views and sounds around us. We had the whole river bend all to ourselves. There was not another soul in sight. Peaceful, blissful, and we were mindful of the beauty and serenity around us.

On our way back, we stopped by the Snowqualmie Falls. We had to drive around in circles to find a parking spot. Many people were crowded next to each other on the viewing deck, and a few ventured down below.

Then, after grocery stops at the ID and TD and dropping off snowshoes at REI, we embraced the last bit of the weekend before Monday would drag us out of bed again...

Babbling about "Babel"

The weather has been surprisingly nice for a whole week. It's Friday evening. The setting sun splashed different hues of orange on the ripples of Puget Sound. I walked to M's office taking my usual route along the waterfront, and turned onto Western Ave where I browsed furniture displays in windows, which has become a pleasant weekly routine for me.

The downtown traffic was crawling as always on a Friday evening. We decided to go to REI first to rent snowshoes, and only to find a dreadful long line at the rental counter. Then, we chose to leave without snowshoes to catch a movie at the Pacific Center and grab a plate of my favorite sweet potato fries at Tacone.

We watched "Babel," a movie directed by our favorite Mexican director, Alejandro Gonzales Innaritu. We had watched two other movies directed by him: "Amores Perros" and "21 Grams." It's said that these three movies complete a trilogy that Innaritu and the screenwriter, Guillermo Arriaga, set out to produce a few years ago. Among the three movies, "Babel" really stands out on many different levels: the cinematography, a plot that is cross-border and cross-cultural and a solid cast with both super stars and amateur unknown actors.

The title itself says a lot about the movie. The word "babel" means "confusion of sounds and voices." When written as "Babel" with a capitalized "b," it refers to the city (now thought to be Babylon) where the Tower of Babel was built in trying to reach Heaven; and it was said that God was offended by that and made people to speak different languages so that man can't understand each other. I'm no expert in religion. But I can see how this title is a smart choice.

The movie delivered that message very clearly - communicating across cultures, languages and gestures is no easy task. Even as a movie viewer, we are also naturally trapped in ongoing moments of "lost in translation" throughout the movie without being able to speak the respective languages firsthand.

This movie weaves in so many themes and asks so many questions all in one movie:

• Life styles differ from cultural to culture; yet how much of that difference is dictated by economic conditions, how much by political conditions, how much by culture itself. It seems rich countries seem to have a somewhat similar life style. Does poverty make a country and its people dangerous? Or is it something else?


• The pains and joy of growing up no matter where you are in four corners of the world (the lure of and curiosity about sex and the ethics around it...)


• How do we come to terms with losing loved ones (the couple's baby, the Japanese girl's mom, and towards the end the sheep herder's son...)


• Although the gun was a gift by a Japanese tourist to a local Moroccan hunter. It also raises the question: How do countries prevent weapons from spreading, or how does a country go about the issue of gun-control?


• The relationship between the police - the machine of a state - and the general populace (Moroccan police, Japanese police and US border patrol.) How do the police treat people (as enemy of the state?) whom they are supposed to protect?


• Our lives are so intertwined with each other, knowingly or unknowingly. Is globalization bringing us closer or sending us far apart along religious, spiritual and cultural lines?


• What kind of immigration policy should the US pursue?


• How can the world combat true terrorism without sacrificing civilian lives or civil liberty?

The movie ingeniously linked these themes across three different continents. After watching it, I find myself babbling from one subject to another...

NWAAFF, Asian American Film Festival Opening Night

This year, the Northwest Asian American Film Festival fell between 1/24 and 1/28 from Thursday to Sunday. We went on Thursday, the opening night; and this is our second time to come to a NWAAFF event.

There was no long lines trailing outside of the Theatre Off Jackson when we got there a bit later than 7:30pm, which is the starting time stated on the schedule. Compared to the Seattle International Film Festival, understandably, this is a much smaller event, hence the smaller crowd.

The Theatre is small and cozy. It was two-thirds full by the time when we sat down. After brief opening remarks, acknowledgement of sponsors and a few lucky draws of ticket giveaways to a few performances around the town - we didn't have the lucky numbers, we were shown a collage of snippets from different films to be shown in the next few days.

It's quite a varied collection of movies by Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese and other Asian American artists. In mainstream films, Asian Americans are still a rare sight. A film festival as such gives Asian Americans an opportunity to explore what it is to be an Asian American, and to refute some of the stereotypes associated with Asian American women -obedient, secretive, dragon lady - and men - asexual, rigid, humorless.

During the break, before the audience were invited back in for CineOke, Cinema version of Karaoke, the small hallway was filled with audience who had eyes on plates laden with yummy foods donated by different restaurants and stores including Wild Ginger, Trader Joe's, to name a couple. M ran into someone he knows. We chatted with him and his wife. Later, a Chinese American guy, David, chatted up with us. He is from Philadelphia, and had been in Seattle for a few month and currently looking for a place to buy. He complained about how expensive the properties are in Seattle...

In spite of an American passport, I don't consider myself Asian American, I think I'm really a transplant that doesn't fall under that category. Watching these films give me a sense what my kids might experience in search of their own identity.

Coming out of the theatre, right around the corner, we ran into Jim, who runs a Subway store near where I work, he is the one who always gives me a free cookie whenever I buy sandwich there. What a coincidence! I haven't gone there for almost 3 months!

Laundry Listing the Weekend of Jan. 20 -21

Another weekend flew by; luckily, the good weather stayed with us. It feels like springtime. I love walking to M's office with the sun setting gloriously between the Sound and the Olympic Mountains, quite a breathtaking view accompanying me on my walk along the water front. Now it's almost half way into the week, I feel like recapturing our weekend activities in a laundry list format (when and what):

Friday evening after work: We tried a new downtown restaurant, Qube. The food was good; the price was a bit high; the service was fine; the ambiance was sleek and chic, also full of youthful and metrosexual energy.

On the way home after dinner, we checked out a couple of movies from Planet Hollywood, one of which was "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," the 1975 Oscar Award movie. Quite a movie! Awesome!

Saturday:
Saturday morning, M made omelet and we read Sunday newspapers together.
Lounging around, surfing around, cleaning up around the house, time just went by.

Late in the afternoon, as a spur-of-the-moment decision, we drove to Volunteer Park for a nice walk. While we were in the park, we stopped by the Green House and admired all the beautiful plants and flowers. Then we crossed over a fallen fence between the park and a cemetery. There, we zigzagged around tomb stones, and bet on in which year the oldest tome stone was erected or laid down here. The result? Roughly the late 19th century. The view from the hilltop that is part of the cemetery was stunning - what a nice piece of land to rest one's soul! We also stumbled upon Bruce Lee's tomb, right next to his son's. In fact, there are a fair number of Asians buried here.

Popped into Daiso just when a fire alarm went off, the whole Westlake Center was being evacuated and people were looking at each other in disbelief and confusion. I didn't see the source of smoke or fire. There was no panic, just shopping crowds filing out of the building obediently following a voice coming out of a speaker up in the ceiling. Instead of waiting around, I walked to BB&B and got a faucet-mounted water filter and we drove to M's brother's house for dinner.

We ate and hung out at their house and played with 3 babies. Babies are really popping up everywhere! We left around 10pm for another event, the 3rd Annual Weird Genius Science Fair, which happens to be in the newly renovated Youngstown Cultural Arts Center right in our neck of woods, West Seattle. Mostly young people - freaks, geeks and yuppies, people of all types - were there. There was the biggest baking soda volcano demonstration, artificial snow, the world viewed from insects' eyes (you actually were required to put on a pair of wings and some sort of headgear with contraptions that would allow you see the world in their way), thermal reactive TV screen etc. I'm not a science enthusiast, but it was fun watching them churning some fun out of science.

Sunday:
Late in the morning, I cooked a crustless Quiche with soy milk. It turned out well. A bit sweet - something that I didn't expect to taste - little wonder that I used VANILLA soymilk!

Afternoon-Evening: We spent the whole afternoon and evening working on a home improvement project - about 5 hours to transport rocks from our neighbour's front yard to our yard and align them along the sidewalk next to our front lawn so that the soil and plants won't overgrow onto the sidewalk. We thought it'd take us 2 hours. It turned out to be a much bigger project. Transporting those heavy and bulky rocks was the most time-consuming part; of course, arguing over which rocks goes in where was also exhausting:) But, we got it down without throwing shovels at each other. Alas.

We ended a productive weekend with the movie, La Petite Jerusalem.

Watching "China from the Inside" from the Outside

Yesterday night, we finished watching all 4 episodes of the PBS show entitled "China from the Inside." It was an emotional ride; I was sad, mad, disappointed and hopeful.

I was especially disturbed by the environmental disasters - the polluted water, air, soil - prevalent in China; these are also the basic elements for sustaining human life, be you rich or poor. The images in the show are heart-wrenching. A village, now known as the "cancer village", has many sickly people lacking basic medical care and having no way of getting compensated for what have caused their cancer - deadly cancer-inducing pollutants in the river where they draw their drinking water. That makes me wonder, not for the first time, that the polluted water and air probably are the key culprits for my mother's cancer too. Obviously, she is not alone in this case. It pains me. It angers me.

On a positive note, the program interviewed activists, journalists and professors who are deeply concerned about these issues and passionate about making changes. I truly admire their courage, altruism and perseverance for taking real actions: exposing scandals, cleaning up rivers, planting trees, spreading "green" messages. Someday, I hope I have the guts to face the perils and contribute my share to make China a greener and cleaner place.

I took a stroll to PBS's forum on this show. There are insightful discussions on different subjects - assigning blames, searching for solutions, debating on the fate of Tibet, the future of China - all good food for thought.

I hope the Chinese in China will get to see this documentary too...

Maps: Tracing Our Recent Road Trip from Merida to Belize

I've meant to map out the route that we took on our recent road trip from Merida, Mexico to Belize. After looking around online, I finally found a website that has world maps available for free. So, I decided to give it a shot, and below are maps that trace the route that we took:

Map 1: Mexico and Central America

Map 2: Yucatuan Penusinla, Belize, Guatemala and Nicaruagua

Map 3: Actual Road Trip Route (Yellow & Brown Line) and Flight Route (Pine Line)

Blog for U, or for Myself? - That Is A Question!

Today, I ran across an article that caught my attention, because it used the phenomenon of mass blogging as a main example to support the argument. After reading it, I felt compelled to point out a fallacy.

Below is an excerpt from the article entitled "Economics of Here to There" by Jefferey Tucker, in which, he used 'blogging' as a primary example to illustrate his point:

"Thanks to the advent of mass blogging, many more people are acquainted with this issue than ever before. Let's say you take what is for most people a big and exciting step of creating a blog. There are so many sites now that make it easy. You sign up, you fiddle around with the look and feel, you add links, and the all-important "about me" page. You are ready to go.

You write your first post, thoughts you find funny, profound, insightful, or otherwise compelling in some way. Submit. And voila! You are published in a medium that is accessible to the entire world. Who can believe it?

The thrill doesn't last long because you suddenly realize something that had not yet presented itself. Only your family is reading this. Maybe. It's true that anyone in the world can access it but why should anyone want to? How are people even going to find out about it? How can you be sure that people are going to come back again and again?

This is a striking problem mainly because it is something that hadn't actually occurred to you before. You created a beautiful product. You could create a profound post. But you must then persuade people to read it.

You might have read somewhere that the key to blogging is to do it often. So you blog and blog. You post 3 times, or even ten times, per day. You keep this up for weeks, even months. Exhausted, you check your stats. They show no increase in readership. Still, only your family is reading — or at least they claim to be reading.

You then turn to other means. You link, you beg for links, you turn on track backs. You try boosting your search-engine ranking. Finally, you take the step: you buy a spot on Google ads. Then things begin to happen. And then you marvel at how much time you have spent on this project. It seems that you have spent 10 times as much time promoting than you ever spent writing your blog. And yet what is the point of writing if you have no readers?

In this way, average people are beginning to see the great hidden cost of capitalist production: getting from here to there. And take note that with blogging, the problem of distribution is already solved. The final product is delivered via a click."

The author is trying to make a point about how the cost of promoting and marketing a product is far greater than the cost of actually producing it - a point that's well argued and I don't disagree - except that I don't think "blogging" is a good example.

Is the content of blogging a product? It varies from case to case - some blog sites are, some are not. I don't think there is a consensus out there among bloggers. The author's assumption that blogging is a business activity that churns about products does NOT fly, and is misleading. Blogging can't be equated to selling things on ebay. It's not necessarily a commercial activity; in fact, it's probably more spiritual - searching for a virtual community and sharing fun stories with friends & family members - than commercial.

I started blogging, because I like what I can do with it. Surely, I could also keep a journal on my own computer in MS Word. But I wouldn't be able to have access to it whenever I want. I blog, first and foremost, for myself. If there is no traffic on my site at all, I won't be disappointed or discouraged to continue with my random babbling.

The reasons that I prefer blogging over the traditional way of keeping a journal:
1. It looks prettier than a plain word document stored away on my computer.
2. I tend to be more disciplined (spelling, punctuation and grammar) and, occasionally, more creative when I know there might be a pair of invisible eyes glancing through. And, for the same reason, I don't blog about things of utmost private nature.
3. I like the idea that other people can access it and comment on it if they choose too. If not, I'm equally jovial - because I treat it as a hobby.
4. I can access it whenever I want - on my couch or in an Internet cafe far away from home.
5. It's a place where I can store my favorite links without having to pull down the "bookmark" function on my web browser.
6. Ultimately, it creates a space that's controllable, accessible and interactive.