hopeless

An Indian friend recommended a movie for me. I watched it and felt not very hopeful. Not very hopeful for Indian women or Indians in general.

I have never seen a Bollywood film, so I can't say that I understand the main stream Indian movies or the main stream culture of India in any sense.
Actually, the number of Indian movies I saw or watched is single-digit-ly three:
Several years ago, I saw The Journey (Sancharram). A year ago I saw Slumdog Millionaire (does this one count as an Indian film?). A week ago, I watched Water.
They all successfully delivered a clear message: With such visually pleasant spirit-lifting colors mixed in daily lives, India has had significant social problems that are so unpleasant and heart-sinking.

The Journey tells a story of two girls who cannot be together because being homosexual is not accepted and because getting married by parents' arrangement is demanded.

Slumdog Millionaire tells a story of a boy (and his brother and his love) who comes at the bottom of the social economic system and unbelievably (thus got beaten up) wins the biggest price on TV.

Water tells a story of widows who are locked in their world deliberately by the entire society based on a religious textbook that is, of course, written by a human not a God.

If I were an Indian, what would happen to me?
I would an advocate for homosexuals because I am an advocate for any subgroups of humans who are underrepresented for the benefits of those who are overly awarded for their ignorance.

I would not be involved in an arranged marriage because I may not even be involved in a marriage at all. If I want to, it will be my choice, not for the superficial good of a family, or of a name, or of simply I myself being a woman.

I would not win any price on TV. Um..... because I just do not do well with luck or TV.

I would not believe in any religious textbooks. Organized religious groups following some ancient texts word by word simply creep me out. Humans are not sheep. We may follow but we also think. However, many people are too lazy to think but just follow as if they were actually grass-eating without taste. Regulations should be guidance toward the spiritual core, and should not ban human natures such as food, sex, love, pursuing knowledge, or questioning authority. So locking me up for my never-met husband's death would definitely set me on fire.

Therefore, India would not allow my existence on their land. They would say that I am a bad influence and that I have an evil mind and that I shall feel shameful.
In conclusion, India would feel so lucky that I am in fact not an Indian. Hence, those hypothetical statements are just hypothetical. Nothing to worry about. They can keep their conservative bullying attitudes toward women, low-social class men, and homosexuals. They will never recognize the Museum of Sex in Manhattan. They will still welcome tourists (one day I may be one of them) there for yoga and spiritual trips. They are not worried about me at all.

See? That's why I felt not so hopeful after watching Water. I cannot do anything about it if it is true that there are currently 11 million widows always wearing white, isolated, and living in widow houses for their rest of lives. Hopeless.
Only Indian men, rich Indian men, rich religious well-educated Indian men can overturn this thing. Who the hell am I?

台中代表

君開了一個部落格，叫做從台北到台南的台中人。
我們六個女生不知從何時開始一起行動，在台北到處跑，偶爾跑到外縣市，跑到台中的比例還滿高的。青是澎湖人，很難常常去她家坐坐，大學畢業前夕去坐了一個禮拜，她結婚那個禮拜也去作客，拍了幾千張照片，年輕歲月裡就有了滿眼是藍色的紀錄，還有連續吃九餐大餐的紀錄。
台灣本島的代表：攸和大欣是新竹人，小星是高雄人，我反而都沒去坐過。錯過小星的婚禮是可惜了，誰叫我莫名奇妙的追什麼學術夢，追得窮困潦倒，John Palmer 有一次說：可以過得比 Scientists 窮困潦倒而且更有自欺欺人的自信的，就只有 Artists。 ...怎麼忽然間抱怨起來...
不過大家都有來我家坐過，大安區真的是好地方啊，去哪裡都方便。但是我大學時還是選擇住校。雖然說當時我決定非台北的學校不讀，也決定怎麼樣都不重考，更決定選系不選校，於是隔壁鄰居台大師大都招不到我，我偏偏跑到北投去唸北榮後山的陽明。
在陽明住校沒有摩托車等於沒有行動能力，但是剛入學的胚未滿十八，沒有駕照沒有車，就只好依靠室友君。
當時另一個室友小星也未滿十八，卻天天騎著機車到處跑，據說她高中就開始騎車了，高雄的警力果然不比台北。不過小星每天下課後就跑不見，也沒照顧我，所以我就跟君熟起來了。

君愛到處找吃的。
她有一張很大的台北地圖，在上面畫地標，她對台北的東南西北跟我會背九九乘法表一樣厲害。按照 bbs 美食版的推薦，她找遍台北，吃遍台北。有一陣子她還帶著即可拍去拍店家的門口和廁所，收集在一本附著筆記的本子裡。
重點是她會好東西跟好朋友分享，因為她跟我分享，所以她變成我的好朋友。
她分享的方式是去買好多份回來給大家吃，我吃到好多我沒有吃過的台北食物，像是延平北路三段的大大熱熱沾滿花生粉的麻糬，還有天母吃吃看的波士頓派，還有我有生以來第一次吃到道地的 bagel--來自重慶南路一段的馬可孛羅麵包坊，而且君一次買了好多種不同口味的 cream cheese。
如果她回台中探親，回台北的時候也會帶台中的好東西回來，例如薔薇派，或是似乎哪裡都買得到但是就是台中才有那等美味的小吃，例如鴨舌頭之類的滷味。

大概從認識君開始，只要是可以把我餵得開心的，都很快納入我的好朋友圈圈裡。
沒想到認識君已經超過十年了，她依然沒有改變找美食的好習慣，每次我回台北，都可以受惠於她對食物的熱誠。今年夏天她帶我們在台中吃到了超級讚的瑪露連嫩仙草芋Ｑ，在台北突然間爆多分店的派克雞排，也很慣例性的試了幾家台北東區的歐式下午茶。我必須要說台北的美式早午餐真的很不美式。

所以我不能默默的把她的部落格就加在胚的頁右欄裡，要好好的推薦一下，從台北到台南的台中人記錄了很多好吃的地方喔。
君辭去了外商公司的好職位，很勇敢的搬到台南去了，就為了讓人生多點變化調整一下方向。
小星也在調整方向。
Jason 說要走，希望走成了。
大家都在喬一喬自己的定位，瞧瞧前面看看四周，希望一切還未定，希望一切還有未來，希望我們都還夠年輕夠勇敢夠有本錢往前衝衝看（或是停下來一陣子不要衝了）。
今年，我這個世代的小朋友們都在深呼吸抿抿嘴的要長大，我們終於要擺脫年輕不懂事的二十，全部擠身三十，於是可以微笑的嘲笑的那些二十幾歲的小朋友：哎呀，你們年輕不懂事。
我們不用再堅持那些二十出頭時候立下的目標，因為我們已經用青春換來可貴的教訓和可愛的回憶，現在我們可以有經驗的立其他目標，穩穩的往前跑向成家立業結婚生子升官發財，或是跑向更好好吃好好玩的下一個十年。
...青春期正在更新、無限延伸當中... 當了媽媽當了上司換了幾個工作的我們依然還是小朋友，不過就是知道自己是什麼、能作得到什麼、能擔多少風險的小朋友。
於是待了十幾年台北的台中人可以去台南定居。
我的下一步是什麼？

drawing taiwan

For people who don't understand Chinese,

Please simply enjoy the image and the amazing skill of two hands on a plate of sand.
The artist's first writing was "Taipei Zoo" in Chinese.
The last writing was movingly breathtaking. It was "Taiwan", contoured with the shape of the Taiwan island.

I realized how much I love Taiwan during the first month of my moving to the US. Over the years, I have loved it even more because of its goodness and badness. Every time I went back, I had wonderful trips to various countrysides, where the natural views are unique and unbeatable, or the local people show how diverse our populations are within this 13,972 sq mi land (23,100,000 people). I may not get my favorite steak, pancake, Korean food, beer, or baklava there, but the quality and quantity of Taiwan fruits and tea and snacks and night markets can only be won over by the even improved Taiwan in a near future.

The mission of living away from Taiwan is to tell the world how wonderful Taiwan is. It is wonderful as a group of people, as an entity of political democracy, as a congregation of warm hearts, and as my home country.
Of course, each country has its own shits that never end and never can be entirely dissolved. It's like humans that can never be perfect but the nature is good. Many, including me, have complained Taiwanese tend to use the heart than the brain to deal with everything. However, because of the heart, Taiwan runs on systems of benevolence, great for average well-behaviored residents and visitors.

Welcome to Taiwan, if you go. Taipei is especially English friendly. As to other places, everyone will be friendly to you.

hub cap

What can you do with a hub cap?
Toss it around as a Frisbee? Cover your head from the rain? Sale it on eBay?


One of Bungbung’s hub caps was gone early last year because of the terrible road condition. I replaced it with $75. In five minutes after leaving the body shop, the cap popped out and vanished again because the terrible road condition. Therefore, I decided never to replace it until I can afford a brand new steel wheel rim to prevent this happening so often.
Front wheels tend to hit potholes more frequently then back wheels, and I had actually replaced front hub caps at least five times since I bought Bungbung.
Anyway, Bungbung wore three shoes since last year. I like to refer my car and its parts with humanized terms.

Early this morning, it rained very hard. With the sound of rain, I dreamed that the windshield wipers were broken, and that I had to call the day off because driving without clear vision was very dangerous. I woke up immediately and felt relieved that it was just a dream.
It was still raining when I walked to Bungbung. He looked different than usual, I found. Oh damn! All the remaining three caps were gone. The rims were fine, indicating that I did not lose them last evening when driving back home on the notoriously pothole-scattering routes, NJ-7 and NJ-139. Apparently, the thief manually took them off without using any tool to damage the rims. Which actually has been a problem: hub caps are very easy to take off. But still, one must not take them off without my permission.

What the …? If you’ve seen people this morning in Hoboken working on a VW Beetle, or if you’ve seen people covering their head with hub caps from the rain this morning, or if you see people toss a VW hub cap as a Frisbee, please oh please yell “SHAME ON YOU!” at them. And please contact me.

Naureen suggested me file a claim to my insurance company. No way. My insurance rate has soared so high after the incidence in December 2007. Any claim will lead to my bankruptcy due to an unaffordable automobile insurance.
For now, I won’t even buy new caps for Bungbung. I will wait until I can afford a parking space in a garage. Why should I provide more hub caps for thieves to sale on eBay while I don’t get any compensation? Ha, guess who is selling used hub caps?

Shame on you, thief!

President Ma

Mama told me that there are lots of voices asking President Ma to resign because of the natural disaster on the Father's Day. She said that even CNN has reported greatly on this issue. She felt shameful that Taiwan's President is making a joke internationally.

First of all, CNN does not represent international news. It is sad that Taiwan takes CNN as the main source of international news. It simply represents a voice from America. It is also sad that CNN's coverage seems to have greater effects than any local news channels in Taiwan. With more than five news channels running repeated news 24/7, viewers believe if CNN covers something, the something must be what CNN tells you what something should be. It is very sad that people believe what a news channel wants them to believe.

Second of all, I doubt if there is more than 30% of Americans watching news at all. Of these people, probably 30% of them watch CNN. Kimberly watches CNN every day, but she did not know anything about Taiwan's debate on President Ma until I told her over today's dinner. Therefore, I do not believe that a few pieces of foreign coverages on Taiwan by CNN have made Taiwan an international joke. As Kim put it honestly, Americans are very self-absorbed and they have many many issues in their own countries these days. No one would care about Taiwan or whether President Ma should resign. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, President Bush, who did a little more than nothing, still held his position until last year. Katrina caused countless people lost their home, and was one of the deadliest natural disaster in American history. But no one asked the stupid Bush to get out of his office. Therefore, a poll conducted by CNN saying President Ma should leave is simply a media-biased viewer-catching technique. Americans do not care who is the President of a country other than their own, Kim said.

Third, I felt worried that Mama allows the TV on and watches news more than once every day. It is so not necessary. Taiwan is such a small place, and much news "shown" on TV is not worth a viewer's time. It just makes people think that Taiwan is a trouble-making island, and everything is out of order, and one should live in fear.

President Ma and officers related to rescue and recovery for the Typhoon did need to take responsibilities. They should apologize to the people, which they did. They should start to learn how to speak politically encouraging as if they are experts in public relation, which they have great space for improvement. They should understand that they are dealing with people who have rights to vote, and psychology is a much useful subject to master than bureaucracy. Making people happy and providing a sense of security to people will earn more trust than governing the country silently with little communication (or advertisement).