Quotes

“You cannot stay on the summit forever. You have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know.”
Rene Daumel

"Leave everything. Leave Dada. Leave your wife. Leave your mistress. Leave your hopes and fears. Leave your children in the woods. Leave the substance for the shadow. Leave your easy life, leave what you are given for the future. Set off on the roads."
- Andre Breton

YES WE CAN!

That's the slogan the new president of the United States of America gave us. I didn’t feel THAT excited as a lot of people did when the election result came out last night. Actually, I was a bit surprised of the big sweep by Obama, I expected a much closer race. Obviously, John McCain was victimized by the Bush administration of his own party, and his campaign partner Sarah Palin was over-unfairly treated by the propaganda. Even so, McCain showed tremendous class in his conceding speech. As a person who fought for his country throughout his life with heart and soul, he deserves all the respect. I personally think his best moment in this failed campaign was this quote he said in the last presidential debate: “Sen. Obama, I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago." -- His best moment in his campaign.” On the other hand, Barack Obama’s victory was certainly historical. What he demonstrated in his acceptance speech was a humble man who does not promise as most politicians do but has the determination to do whatever he can to make a change. Change is never easy, especially when the role model on the top of the pyramid need to influence the mass foundation of the society -- the PEOPLE. But I look forward to that, because a better America means a better part of the world.

Umm...

I found a photo I took in New York City last year, did a simple calculation, and found out the U.S. National Debt increased by more than $3 Billion per day in the past year. Guess $700B is not that a big number as I thought...

Celine Dion Concert

I was never the biggest fan of Celine Dion’s garments or dancing. However, that’s not what’s about her. The powerful vocals, the extravaganza of stage effect, that My Heart Will Go On -- that’s why I was at her concert last night. It was certainly a megastar performance. Amazing! Enjoy my own short redux...

Money! Money! Money!

Even you are agnostic, sometimes you have to think whether there is some sort of superpower up there that makes things happen, because when they come, they don’t occur with pure coincident.

In early September, I attended a CANW meeting in White Rock. One of the presenters was a professor from UIUC. His presentation was on the contemporary issues in our economic and financial world. It was an interesting conversation between him and the audience, the crowd really got involved with his talk. He made a strong point against the current Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Secretary of Treasury Henry Paulson. He said there was strong controversy between the academic world and the current leaders of American’s monetary system. He was convinced that Bernanke’s way simply wouldn’t work in the long run mostly because it created too much of potential moral hazard. Big dollars bailout plans would always give firms a feeling of forever haven of refuge. He even traced this notion back to the last few years of Alan Greenspan’s days. It partly was this renowned gentleman’s idea and Bernanke was only a supporter back in the days.

Soon after that meeting, the financial world stumbled, in a catastrophic way. Liquidity in the banking system clogged. Credit market crumbled. Stock market plummeted with historic marks. Suddenly, the world seemed to come to an end because one street in Manhattan was bleeding. Should people be surprised? No. Volcanoes don’t erupt without amassing powers for centuries. This was just a burst-out after so many years of accumulation, of what? Greed. Then, there came the astronomical number of dollars of injection from the American government to this so-called free market, to save big corporations only in the name of saving the system/world. When it was not enough, actually far short of saving anything, there came the $700 billion bailout plan from a president who thought he had not left enough notorious pages on American history. On hearing that, I laughed: “This is disgusting. Fed, please save some trees.” I had no idea what $700 billion means, I only know the printing machine for the Fed would be busy. Although it was rejected by the House the first time, we all knew it was going to be passed as legislation with the way the government was pushing it. There seemed no way of solving this problem if the plan didn’t get implemented. People are not dumb, that money cannot save the world, neither the Americans, nor New York City or Manhattan, it was only for a street hidden in the shadow beneath some skyscrapers. Let’s relax, lay back and watch the roller coaster on the tickers for the next little while, if not for too long. Isn’t it funny to watch those people dressed so nicely but look so confused by making this world more complicated themselves!? Wall Street has been that magic place for so long in the American Dreams, and it will continue being it. The only thing I wonder? We have the law to throw criminals into prisons, but why it also bails out greedy snobs who burn other people’s hard earned money?!

Revenge on Golden Ears

Shakily leaning on the steep slope on the snow, 10 feet below the rim I needed to scramble onto, I was caught on a bad spot where it was all rock icy and I couldn’t kick in any steps to balance my body. Exhausted, I was on the verge of surrender. I tried to backdown the slope a bit to find a way around that vicinity, but I slipped. Gravity picked up the speed instantaneously, and I wasn’t able to stop at the rock I planned to. Instead, I hit the rock too fast and it threw me out for another 30-50 feet slide, leaving a nasty bruise on my back. Fortunately, I wasn’t hurt. Unfortunately, I had to give up my first summit assault on Golden Ears, and the weather turned ugly the next morning, so no second attempt was made before retreating down from the mountain.

That was more than two months ago. The feeling of a “loser” haunted me ever since: I was defeated by the mountain and there was a better route to lead up to the top which I didn’t use. It bugged me every day. I couldn’t get over the bug and wait until next year. I needed a closure. The past weekend, I set my feet on that trail again, with a lingering cough from the cold. Only one goal in my mind this time: the top. After setting up my tent on the Panorama Ridge beside the Emergency Shelter, I realized I would have the mountain for myself the entire night. Then, I began my second summit assault on this beautiful creature. With much less snow and almost none as obstacle, it was much easier; until I reached to a point where I realized there could be better route again: I was literally rock climbing and it got steeper and steeper. Without ropes and anyone close to me, I started feeling scared. Last time I fell, I had the snow as a cushion; this time if I did, I would be flying down to hard rocks -- no lucky break could save me from a bad injury, if not worse. I had to conquer my fear, but by no means of risking my life. Understanding the situation to the fullest with clear judgement was pivotal at that split second: I did not want to give up, but that was not the trail to continue following because with another two or three steps gambling, I would have no way back. I found a spot to relax my body and regroup, then back down a few feet to find the right path. About 20 minutes later, I was on top of Golden Ears, enjoying the view, the relief, and more importantly, the bittersweet revenge. It was the best reward to have nobody but the mountains with me that night. You say “Hello”, they reply with “Hello”; you say “Good morning”, they reply with “Good morning”; you say “I love this”, they say “I love this”. Listening to your singing echoing endlessly around the mountains far and far away was an amazing feeling. Waking up into the sunrise behind the Cascade was incredible.

Now, I no longer have the “failed” marked on my head and I can enjoy that beautiful memory forever. What’s more, I understood why people say in most critical moments for us human beings, it is more psychological than physical that cause negative outcomes. I learned more about that line between conquering fears and losing mind. THANKS NATURE!

Quote

“Conserving the natural world is not a process which can be imposed from outside by an external authority at the last minute, as it currently operates in the quota system. In other words, conservation is not an on/off switch for destructive behaviour. Rather, conservation issues have to be in the perspectives of participants who have collectively recognized they are part of both human and nature communities, at all times.”
-- Raymond A. Rogers, Nature and the Crisis of Modernity

In Memory of Luc Bourdon

6-0 blowout over the Flames; a free team cap; new stereo and graphic projection system at GM Place; the Canucks season opener could not be better with fans dissing the cowboys sitting in front of us. However, when it came back to reality, this night was only about one person - the fallen teammate who’s no longer with us - Luc Bourdon.

It was that early summer afternoon, I was going out for some grocery after work when my roommate told me the news. I asked him again to confirm because I wasn’t sure who he was talking about with his French accent. “Luc Bourdon, the Canucks player, is dead.” “Oh yeah, of course I know Luc Bourdon,” I replied. Hold on... Who??? Then, I’m not sure if I was too stunned to react or what, I went out of the house without saying a thing. What could I say at that moment?! On the short walk to the grocery store, my stomach started to upset, my feeling started to get eerie: “Luc Bourdon is dead???” That upcoming star this entire city put on? That strong and skillful player who brought Team Canada the World Junior in Vancouver two years ago? That happy kid who had the best rookie dance and gave the camera that cute wink with Gold Medal around his neck? That #28 who went up and down in our system fighting for the big league and made me so excited to yell his name when he scored his first NHL goal with that slapper? ...... NO WAY! I couldn’t wait for long to come back home and check the internet; and by that time, news already flooded the entire hockey world. The unthinkable did happen. For the next few days, I was haunted by this tragedy. I couldn’t go to sleep easily without thinking about it. I wore my jersey out and put Luc’s name on the back. I watched his funeral and tribute on the internet time after time. A group of gracious Canucks fans self-started a memorial in front of GM Place, I was glad to be one of them and put down my flowers and message. I didn’t know him personally but I know him as a Canucks family: WE ARE ALL CANUCKS! I had no idea why I did those things, maybe I needed something to have this reality sink in and move on. It wasn’t quite successful. Even with all those incredible Canucks fans supporting each other, it wasn’t that easy. This was supposed to be the year he would finally step up as our top-6 defence. The entire city was waiting for this moment. It will never happen.

As soon as the organization announced the tribute before the first game, I knew I needed to be there. Tonight, I saw his mother and girlfriend fighting back tears and acknowledging the fans applauding for the life of Luc; I relived those great moments Luc’s short life brought to us in Tom Cochrane’s singing of Big League; I cried out Luc’s name in the stadium. I knew he was there with us, because “Once A Canuck, Forever A Canuck.”

CATS

I saw CATS when Broadway Across Canada came to Vancouver tonight. No wonder why it used to hold the longest running show record in both London and NYC, it was extravagant! I particularly loved the costumes and the stage design. We all know the story was a result of genius creativity. The audience obviously loved the wild boy Rum Tum Tugger (Danny Beiruti). And with a few leading casts’ dictating performance, such as when Grizabella (Anastasia Lange) relived and erupted with that “Touch Me” line -- simply breathtaking, the show was absolutely an amazing Memory.

Getting to Know the Community

We met Bernie and Doug at the UBC Learning Exchange Trek Program volunteer orientation today. They both lived in the Downtown Eastside Strathcona Community for a long time. It is always sad and sometimes scary to be around that notorious part of town. So it was something special to talk with them, hear the real stories, and know the people there. I didn’t know DTES was the oldest neighbourhood in Vancouver. I didn’t know the ongoing condominium construction and gentrification of this area, which poses potential threat to push low income class to further east of Vancouver and continuing destroying the neighbourhood. Three quotes from Bernie and Doug may sum up what we learned from the discussion:

“We should stop treating poverty as criminals.”
“Downtown Eastside used to be called ‘skid road’. They chanced the name to DTES, but it’s still a skid road.”
“You don’t see criminals in those rich communities, such as Kitsilano or Kerrisdale, because they have enough money to cover it.”

Bernie also talked about he personally believes legalizing of drugs with limited amount of doses will reduce the health and safety problems. He used InSite as an example, saying although drug addicts can inject safely at InSite, they still need to go to hidden places to purchase the drugs.

After the session, Bernie came back to me and tapped my shoulder: “If you want to hear what people here are talking about, feel free to go to Carnegie Centre, just go inside, you’ll see some people sitting around and having discussions. You don’t need to talk to them, just sit there and listen. Well, those people use that F word a lot and swear all the time, f*ck this, f*** that. But you’ll be surprised by the topic they are discussing about. Right now, I believe they are talking about the GST.” I was so grateful that he recognize the fact that we were there wanting to help. Bernie, don’t worry, we all use that word and f*** this f*** that all the time. I look forward to a chance to be there and listen to them. I can’t wait to get to know this community more and prove that it’s not the government who solve problems, it’s the people in the community who help each other through times of ups and downs in life.

I Got My Bike Back!

Someone entered our house through the unlocked back door and stole my bike from the garage more than a month ago. I got it back the past weekend, thanks to this amazing person. He started a program named Bike Rescue (www.bikerescure.org) when he was looking for bikes to rehab his broken back. He found so many suspiciously cheap bikes in the underground market so he decided to do something while his disability forced him out of the previous job. He used his commonsense to judge the seller and bought good bikes at “surprisingly” low prices. He set up a website and put in effort to search for the bike theft victims (i.e. He found me through a post I put on Craigslist declaring my lost bike.) For the ones he couldn’t find the original owner, he sell them at reasonable prices. He made about 60 cents per hour in the past few years by this program. He is now back from disability making ends meet with a couple of other jobs. Nevertheless, he didn’t give up this less than a dollar per hour business and is growing it into a bigger cause. I could not believe when I received his email saying he might have recovered my bike. When I did see it in his storage, I was wordless, just like some of the other victims like me checking out their lost bikes at the same time. I offered all the cash in my wallet ($75) to him but he only took the $50 he paid to get my bike back. Maybe I shouldn’t make that offer at all, because it could be an insult to some gracious person like him. What he did is priceless. It people like him who make this world more beautiful.

So Long, The House That Ruth Built

This was how excited I looked like last year in my first and only visit to Yankee Stadium. I witnessed history that night: Roger Clemens pitched his 350th career win with Mo finishing it off. Today, reliving all the historical moments and sweet memories on the final game at this baseball Cathedral, I felt so grateful I was there for the once-in-a-lifetime experience. My emotions are mixed and overwhelmed. My heart was there with the fans, the Pinstripes, and of course, the Stadium. It's still hard for me to accept this place is going, going, gone. Those thundering chants will be echoing forever. Lights out for the last time...

Photo courtesy of MLB.com

Loved The Island

Okanagan was beautiful, Vancouver Island was only better. After the short trip, where I had organic food from the backyard and sipped fresh wine from the basement, to the Lake last week, I got on the ferry and crossed Georgia Straight for the first time since I came here; only left me wondering 3 days later why I waited for 4 years to touch this gorgeous place. Victoria had more perks than I expected. I thought Vancouver had trees - until I arrived in Victoria - it certainly has more. I was grateful to have Kelly and Courtney as local hosts and toured us around the town. Then it came the highlight: going across the Island to Ucluelet and Tofino. Ucluelet was such a peaceful small town, if not seeing those new real estate development. I camped on their Big Beach for the night: sleeping in the sound of ocean waves pounding on the rocks and under the bright full moon shining its pale light on the water, I could not ask for more. The only thing I missed was a moon set on the next morning. My favourite part of Long Beach was Wickaninnish Beach. The water was freezing cold but the fun of playing in it with the waves obviously beat it. In the end, when we arrived at our original destination Tofino, it was the time to head back. You can spend weeks there to discover the beauty. If the rainbow was the theme in Hawaii last time, the Mid-Autumn moon was with us throughout the trip this time on the Island. We captured an amazing view of this full moon climbing out behind the mountain right after sunset when we drove passed by Port Alberni, the colour could only made by nature. Then, on the ferry back to Vancouver, the silky moon light spreading on the water only seemed to help save my memory from the past three days.

A Genius Idea

I bought a new printer today at BestBuy. At the checkout, the cashier told me there was an $8 “Environmental Handling Fee” from the government. I couldn’t say no to that, as I did to the extended warranty charge, because it was government regulation. BUT... WTH! It was more than 11% of my printer’s price. 8 bucks plus tax for what? Cartridge disposal? What or whom do we pay for with that? It is modern technology (which somehow we all paid for) that invented this machine and now we need to pay extra to use it because there is something wrong with using it? I don’t think we can save the environment through this, as long as people don’t bother taking the cartridge to the disposal box, or they keep ferociously clicking the printing button on one-sided paper without a second thought... What a brilliant idea by the politicians -- I just graciously paid $8 ENVIRONMENTAL HANDLING FEE!

Danke Olli!

My First Time Hosting CouchSurfers

After joining CouchSurfing, I always wanted an opportunity to show foreigners around my hometown Xi’an. I wanted to do this because this city is an amazing city with ancient history and the Chinese culture which westerners are always interested to know. It is also an chance to have them know more about the real China and its people. At least I, as someone who was brought up here and lived in the western world for long enough, can let them know my opinions on the foreign sentiment of this country and try to clear some misunderstandings they have on my motherland. Therefore, I opened my door on the website, though I was only going to be at home for two weeks. With a bit of a surprise, I did receive a surfing request from a Belgian girl (Leen) who was travelling with her boyfriend (Koen) in China for two months.

Leen was very well travelled and had very open opinions on different issues. Koen had a very similar desire as I do: go off road. They even had some common language with my parents on career paths. It was fairly incredible to hear all their stories travelling around China -- they barely spoke any Chinese but went to many of those rural places I had never been to. We had great time together in Xi’an. I felt extremely enjoyable showing them around and chatting about things from wine to politics. I was extra happy to see them mouth-watering at those delicious Chinese food -- they went to the Muslim Quarter 3 times on their 3-day visit in Xi’an! Touring them to the historical places made me feel ashamed again for how little I know about my own history.

One funny fact in our trip was that the famous Dr. Henry Kissinger was with us for 2 days in 3 different occasions: from Terra Cotta Army Museum, to Shaanxi History Museum to Big Goose Pagoda... It was so annoying the Chinese security still enclosed “safe zone” and kicked regular visitors away for these celebrities. But guess we didn’t make a too bad travel plan.

The Olympics Opening Ceremony

The 2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony was absolutely a stunning performance. It was like an incredible movie (i.e. Dark Knight) I need to watch multiple times to get the real taste of it. Some parts were even surreal to me. I just WOW-ed all the way throughout this flashback of this great part of human history. Personally, I like the 60-second countdown by the 2008 drummers: INSANE.

Truly a celebration for the Chinese. Hope my country will build on it after the Games to make that part of the world even better, not only have it as a show!

My Cousin's Wedding

I had a lot more fun than I expected at my cousin’s wedding today. It was also my aunt’s (his mother’s) birthday, which made the wedding extra eventful. The groom and the bride got really emotional a few times during the process at the wedding ceremony. They kissed in tears when the MC announced them husband and wife. It was truly a moving moment to be part of, especially for me as a person who sometimes struggles with the opinions on marriage. Maybe that is the moment I realize it: the holy grail of LOVE with your special one.

Arriving Home

The first day at home was not too fun at all. Weather was outrageously hot, 30 degrees Celsius inside home all day and it’s very muggy. I had mosquitos bites all over my body. I couldn’t sleep too well because of jet lag. The air outside wasn’t too decent, either. On the way to visit grandparents in law, the smelly street filled with garbage and people who were out for some “cool” air. I couldn’t have any deep breath. I’m not sure why but last time when I was back in the winter, it wasn’t this bad. Maybe I should not come back home in the summer again. Maybe it’s just Vancouver further spoiled me.

Arriving in Beijing

Just arrived at PEK, had 3 hours to kill before my connection flight to Xi’an, so I wandered around the terminal when I met a customer assistant and told her my waiting ordeal. She said: “If you want to do something, you can chat with me here.” I asked about her work at the airport, she said her main responsibility is to answer any questions from travelers. It sounded like a boring job, but she did it to another level -- she was the role model for the entire terminal. She told me a lot about the new terminal we were at: Terminal 3. It’s a big one. We needed to take a train from the gate to the main area to pick up luggage. The architecture of the terminal is a dragon-like design. The long body of the building serves as the spine of the dragon. The windows decorated the roof are like the scales on the skin of the dragon. A lot of sculptures and arts designs resembling many great Chinese history stories are located inside the building. I suggested it could be better if we make some exhibition plates to show and tell people this valuable piece of engineering product. Foreigners are always interested in these things about China and they can start learning about them the first step they put onto our soil. Even for Chinese traveling within the country, I’m sure a good number of them don’t know the background of this terminal as this customer service staff. It can help them kill time while waiting for the planes, at the same time learning more about their own country. My brief chat with this staff demonstrated again it does not matter what you do for your job, it’s how you do it that matters.

Couldn't Ask for More from The House that Ruth Built

I had waited for this All Star game since it was announced. But what happened in the last couple of days at The (baseball) Cathedra was way beyond my expectation. History was written another page, again, at The House That Ruth Built. For me, and many others, this Midsummer Classic was not about those shining stars, it was about The Stadium. People wanted to be there because it was Yankee Stadium. I could not be more delighted whenever I was reliving my moment there last year this time. Every time I watch a game on TV, I feel like I’m back there again. The last two nights were even more special…

What Josh Hamilton did in the home run derby was beyond imagination. Every one of his shot seemed to be going out of the ballpark, and there were plenty of them, more than enough to make him on the record book. He put on a show that made the 55,000 fans at Yankee Stadium chanting for his name, a player not from the Yankees. Was it only an honour to names like Babe, Reggie, Derek, and alike? What made the story even more impressive is the life of this young man in the last few years. From a top prospect, to a drug addict who was on the verge of ending his own life, to showing the dedication of pulling himself back by cleaning up body tattoos (or at least trying), to now – embracing one of the biggest ovation in this special place at this special occasion. It was this game of sports which made it happen.

That was Monday night, and we all knew it was only the start…

On Tuesday, the party reached its summit. The streets in Big Apple were covered by red carpet, for the baseball’s celebrity parade. The best of the best, Hall of Famers, gathered in the Stadium. The New Yorkers chanting their captain’s name during players introduction, while booing everything related to Boston. The fly-over at the end of The Star Spangled Banner was such a reflection of the place under it: that B2 Stealth Bomber looked so solitary from far away in the pale light after sunset across the beautiful NYC skyline, yet it was so loud and powerful within. The big surprise came when the Boss rode out on a cart and delivered the balls for ceremonial pitch. Then, what could have been more fitting than Derek Jeter having the first hit of the game. The game itself didn’t want to miss the spotlight either. So it almost had everything that a baseball game could offer: great pitching; comebacks; all-star errors; teaching the kid (Jonathan Papelbon) what it took to become a Hall of Famer (Mariao Rivera). Then, it needed more -- extra innings -- to decide, or almost didn’t decide, the winner. It even got better in the extra frames: leadoff runners were stranded again and again; bases loaded with nobody out couldn’t score the winning run; back-to-back errors by the same player, accompanied with 3 strikeout and rally-killing double play. In the end, it came to the fun (or not) part: “Is it going to end when the new Yankee Stadium opens?” Managers were facing the dilemma of using 2 pitchers who just threw 100+ pitches two days ago, not saying one is from the division rivals competing for the pennant. After two 7th inning stretch, 15 innings, and 4 hours 50 minutes, probably the longest box score ever, it finally ended, with a very close play which, if went the other way...

There was nothing more I could ask from this celebration. With more to come in its last days, History and the Stadium belong to each other.

I Accidentally Bused to White Rock

I jumped onto #351 in downtown this afternoon, hoping the express bus will catch the #10 right in front of it to take me home. It didn’t. Then I felt guilty for taking a seat on the suburban bus. On a sudden impulse, I decided to stay on the bus to wherever it led me to: Crescent Beach. I had no idea where that was and originally guessed it was somewhere in Richmond. An hour later, I realized that I was going to White Rock and South Surrey. I was a bit nervous on the bus at times because I wasn’t really sure if I would have a bus back to Vancouver - these buses could only run in peak hours for daily commuters. I felt really bad for taking a seat from others who needed the ride more than I did at rush hours. To make it worth, I took it to the very end, and it was here:

Guess I can't really complain about this short adventure.

Could Be My Favourite Dance of the Season

Tiger Did the Unbelievable, Again

The 2008 US Open will go on record as one of the most amazing stories in sports history, because of Tiger Woods, again. Almost slipping away from the contenders on Saturday afternoon, he came up with some magic: two eagles and one birdie on the back nine instantly led him on top of the scoreboard into the final round. Giving up a lead into Sunday had never been part of Tiger’s major history, so when he was trailing one shot on the 72nd hole, he answered with a birdie and forced a Monday playoffs with Rocco Mediate, who, with great personality, put up an equally amazing fight to round up the story. Then again, with the same scenario on the 90th hole, Tiger did it again. The pressure, the background, the time was made for him. I don’t think many people were expecting anything else. Everyone was saying: “You knew it was going to happen.” Now, we know a bit more. Tiger doesn’t quit. Tiger doesn’t whine. The grimace he had on his left knee throughout the tournament was not a baby crying for sympathy. His caddie and coach were not sure whether he was able to walk through four days of 18 holes. He came up with the 14th major trophy. After that, he told us his season was over, because he battled through with a torn ACL and double stress fractured left tibia, which requires reconstructive surgery. The world’s golf icon won’t play again until 2009. Everything so incredible he did seemed so normal only because he is Tiger Woods. Thinking back, as a hardcore Tiger’s fan, I was even wondering at times if Tiger was exaggerating his pain. He proved to everyone, again, what he did and will do is beyond remarkable. 

Get well soon, Tiger!

It's Not That Far Away

Dad told me grandpa donated 1000 Yuan to the earthquake victims. That’s about half of his monthly retirement fund. So I decided to call him and tell him that his grandson is proud of him. His reply touched me even more: “I’ve been so blessed with all the helps this country gave me. I just feel the country and those people need help now. So it was time for me to give back a little bit.” Usually when I read lines like this on the newspaper, I’d consider it as part of the political propaganda. This time, it was real to me. I could feel when my grandpa said that, he was talking from the bottom of his heart, as an 80+ years old communist party member.

The big aftershock earthquake happened again during my call with dad. I hung up the phone and let him run. I thought I heard the trembling of furniture at home. I felt if I was there in my room. It was scary. One more person died in the epicentre, but they were all OK in Xi’an. Hope this all will end soon. They all need the rebuild to start, not only physically shelters, but also mentally support.

The Stories About 龙的传人

My tears are dropping. My heart is bleeding. These stories just keep coming, about human, about us, CHINESE. 

When the troops asked Premier Wen for suggestions on the phone that the road was completely damaged and they couldn't march on to the destination for the rescue work, he paused and replied: "It's those people who raised you, you figure it out by yourself. (人民养育了你们子弟兵，你们看着办。)" Then, he put down the phone. Guess there is nothing cannot do when it comes to saving people. 

Never thought we would have another Premier to be compared with Zhou (周总理，人民的总理)... maybe there is one today! 

因为救援的直升机很难降落在废墟上，非常危险，所有的伞兵都在参加任务前写了遗嘱。The helicopters could not land to the deadliest region so rescue workers could not get in. It came to the airforce. Paratroopers had to fly in with signed petitions of possible sacrificing their lives. Then they parachuted down from 4000 metres high, everyone was safe.

一个救援人员听到了废墟的底下有一个小孩儿喊救命。他告诉记者：“虽然救她的过程几乎不可能，但是如果我放弃了，那个救命声音的阴影会笼罩我一辈子。” From CBC news, a rescuer told the journalist he heard a child's voice for help deep in the debris. He could not see her. And they had no idea how to get her out because of the sophisticated situations. But they started trying. Why? "If I failed to get her out alive, that voice will taunt me for the rest of my life." 

5月16日下午6点半，离地震发生整整100小时。虚弱得已近昏迷的刘德云被救援官兵抬出来时，看到了自己的女儿。随即，他的目光指向自己的左手腕。女儿扑上去，发现父亲左手腕上，歪歪扭扭写着一句话：“我欠王老大3000元。”经过324医院野战医疗队紧急抢救，刘德云第二天就清醒过来。他告诉女儿：“如果出不来，手腕上那句话就是留给你的遗嘱。”刘德云是什邡市汉旺镇人，工厂职工。地震发生时，他和一起玩牌的另3人都被埋在了废墟下。不知道过了多久，刘德云有些绝望了。此时，他用还能活动的右手，掏出随身携带的圆珠笔，在左手腕上写下了“遗嘱”——他不想欠着账离开。刘德云说，写下这句话后，他安心了许多。黑暗中，时间慢慢流逝，刘德云实在是太困了，好几次险些睡去。于是，他拼命地去想3岁外孙的笑脸，又狠命打自己的耳光。在脸被自己打肿后，刘德云终于等来了曙光。但让刘德云遗憾的是，就在他被救出来之前几小时，坚持了90多个小时的同伴对他说了最后一句话：“刘哥，我撑不下去了，我先走了，你好好活下去。”说到这里，刘德云泪流满面：“你个瓜娃子！这么久都坚持过来了，这会咋就不行了？
A man who was rescued 100 hours after the earthquake was found on his left hand written: "I owe 3000 Yuan(RMB currency)." While being asked what that meant, he said: "Just to tell my daughter to pay it back if I could not get out alive. I don't want to leave with debt." 

前日东莞石龙联步行街本是某品牌可乐的选秀现场，当地团委和青年志愿者组织联合商家把它变成了义卖和募捐的现场。当天下午，一名乞丐老伯沿路乞讨经过时，被志愿者的叫卖声吸引。“他开始就是看了看，我们不断说捐献一点爱心，让他口渴了买点可乐。”志愿者回忆说，老伯先是愣了下，后来要掏钱买可乐，听了几句灾情介绍后又看了看海报。“没想到他居然把口袋里面所有的钱都翻了出来，皱巴巴的。”随后，老伯拿了瓶可乐快步消失在人群中。“我们追着他，他也不理，他不说自己叫什么。”一名负责宣传的青年志愿者赶紧用相机拍下了这一幕，志愿者们只记得老伯说了一句，向社会讨了这么多年，也该向国家捐点了。

The beggars and disabled people on the streets donated all they have.

They keep coming. My tears keep dropping. My heart keeps bleeding.

But with this, life is only stronger!

Don't Understand Western Media

(Or, I should say I should understand it by now after four years here.) With all the effort being put on rescuing people after the deadly earthquake which would probably take more than 50,000 people’s lives, western media started reporting news and articles like “Earthquake reveals poor building quality and corruption in China” and “‘One child policy’ takes toll after earthquake in China.” I wouldn’t deny the accusing of corrupted projects in construction in China during the current economic boom. But this is not supposed to be the time to talk about it. Plus, where else doesn’t have problems in construction contracts between government and companies. The western media simply don't want to miss any opportunity to report negative things in China; guess it’s because there are too many positive ones for them to choose from. It’s funny that I used to reach to outside sources for news and opinions when I was in China, now I have to access Chinese websites for reports of true stories when I am in the “freedom kingdom”. Keep using the words "authoritarian", "state media censors", "political nationalism", blah blah blah whatever you want to use to scrutinize Chinese media reports. Keeping writing about Taiwan, Tibet, and our human rights problems (I understand you won't keep the job with other stories). You know what?! We can't care less about it because with the time to argue with you about the fact, we can save another child from the rubbles! 

I'll end this vent with a quoted poem from a comment board on CBC website:

A Poem Dedicated to the last 150 years of this planet.
By a Silent, Silent Chinese.

===
When We were called Sick man of Asia, We were called The Peril.
When We are billed to be the next Superpower, We are called The threat.

When We were closed our doors, You smuggled Drugs to Open Markets.
When We Embrace Freed Trade, You blame us for Taking away your jobs.

When We were falling apart, You marched in your troops and wanted your "fair share".
When We were putting the broken pieces together again, "Free Tibet" you screamed, "it was an invasion!"

( When Woodrow Wilson Couldn’t give back Birth Place of Confucius back to Us,
But He did bought a ticket for the Famine Relief Ball for us.)

So, We Tried Communism, You hated us for being Communists
When We embrace Capitalism, You hate us for being Capitalist.

When We have a Billion People, you said we were destroying the planet.
When We are tried limited our numbers, you said It was human rights abuse.

When We were Poor, You think we are dogs.
When We Loan you cash, You blame us for your debts.

When We build our industries, You called us Polluters.
When we sell you goods, You blame us for global warming.

When We buy oil, You called that exploitation and Genocide.
When You fight for oil, You called that Liberation.

When We were lost in Chaos and rampage, You wanted Rules of Law for us.
When We uphold law and order against Violence, You called that Violating Human Rights.

When We were silent, You said you want us to have Free Speech.
When We were silent no more, You say we were Brainwashed-Xenophoics.

Why do you hate us so much? We asked.
"No," You Answered, "We don’t hate You."

We don’t Hate You either,
But Do you understand us?

"Of course We do," You said,
"We have AFP, CNN and BBCs..."

What do you really want from us?
Think Hard first, then Answer...

Because you only get so many chances,
Enough is Enough, Enough Hypocrisy for this one world.

We want One World, One Dream, And Peace On Earth.
This Big Blue Earth is Big Enough for all of Us.

Stay Strong, Friends - We Are with You!

Talked to my parents on the weekend about what's happening at home and started paying more attention on the disaster. Can't believe I've actually been to the epicentre of this earthquake Wenchuan (汶川) on my trip to Jiuzhaigou (九寨沟) with Tong many years ago. That beautiful place is ruined now. However, that's not what matters at this moment. People are losing lives. I know people are in vulnerable condition over there, both physically and mentally -- the aftershocks won't give them a full night of sound sleep, not even hundreds of miles away at home in Xi'an. But I can feel they are strong within. "Tragedies bring us together." My eyes couldn't stay dry while reading all those incredible rescuing stories. My heart is unrest. I can't stay here doing nothing while my families, friends and fellow countrymen are in grave danger. I want to go back, to help. There must be something, something I can do because so many people are needing assistant, desperately. Maybe bringing some clothes and blankets to them because they must had no time to bring out any belongings from the collapsed home. Maybe carrying some bricks and building some temporary shelters because there are 5 million people homeless. Maybe some foreigners need translation because they might not understand my government is trying their best to help them. Maybe just sitting down with those children and tell them a happy story to make them smile because they must still be crying for their parents. Maybe ... ... I don't know what, but I do know help is much needed. I felt ashamed to have the idea of donating only $10 or $20 to the relief fund several days ago; now I know if I can't make it back to help, I can save at least $900 airfare. I also donated blood today, which made me feel a bit better -- if I can't help my country at this moment, at least I am helping someone. But I couldn't be proud of that, especially in front of those regular donors, because it was a trip meant to make many years ago, so I silently hide away my "1st Time Donor" sticker. Hope my money to Canadian Red Cross will be on the way to where it's mostly needed soon, Burma and China are awaiting helps. I will go to another bank tomorrow to contribute a little more. Hope that will make me feel better, at least I am helping in a way. Still... I don't know how I can hand to the victims my sleeping bag, my used clothes, shoes, ... ... I just don't want them to feel cold at night. STAY STRONG FRIENDS, WE ARE WITH YOU!

CHINA EARTHQUAKE - 14:28 Monday, May 12

The Canucks Season End

Two years ago when the Canucks missed the playoffs, Jim Hughson concluded the season in their last game with this line: “Tonight’s goal-scorers: Todd Bertuzzi, Markus Naslund, and Brendan Morrison -- once the best line in the league, will they ever be together again?” No, it didn’t happen. The team rebuilding started. Big Bert went away and Captain #19 was never the same without his best buddy. We thought we got our “savior” Luongo.

Last year, with a bit of luck and a certainly overachieved team, we won the division and made to the second round of the playoffs. The entire city saw a fruitful future on the horizon. However, most people didn’t realize the problem; or, they didn’t recognize it with enough attention: offense. So with an almost the same team, the expectation was high for this season.
The unbelievable finally arrived. Late in the third period when they blew a 2-0 lead (again) and were trailing the Avalanche 2-4, John Garrett said to one of the best play-by-play announcer, if not THE best, in the league who was leaving us after this season: “Jim, I know you are moving on. It’s been a great pleasure working with you ... You’ll be in the playoffs but we will not.” This happened at a perfect time when the team’s playoffs hope was slipping away, just as they both wanted to say a goodbye to the team’s season. They had their fate back on their own hands two nights later, but they blew it again. John Shorthouse let us know: “For the second time in three years, the Canucks will miss the playoffs.” In their last game at home on Fans Appreciation Night, the team embarrassed themselves in a no worse way: losing 7-1 to the Flames (YES, I said Calgary Flames), giving their captain his 50th goal of the season, having OUR boy(s) (you know whom I meant) empty-handed to walk away. It was the best fans in the world who saved the last party: “#16 on the back, #1 in our heart.” They were prepared to blow up that place but the moment they wanted never came in the game. But the 18,000 Nuckleheads knew why or whom they were there for. On their feet, they gave their loudest and longest standing ovation to the face of the franchise because it was probably his last skate on that uniform at the Garage. Not once, not twice, it never stopped, they just didn’t want to leave -- not for a pathetic team, but for a heart and soul that attached to this city for the past 19 years. “ONE MORE YEAR! ONE MORE YEAR!” I saw this so many times for a sports hero, but never seemed to be this close. Everyone was so chocked up. Even the arch-rival showed their highest respect. No one wanted to believe it was their last time to see Trev on the Blue.

Looking back to the season, the injuries definitely took our toll. A team that was built on goaltender and defence never had their back 6 full strength. Nonetheless, the collapse at the end had no excuse. Trevor Linden may not be a Canucks next year. Jim Hughson, my favourite broadcaster, is going to CBC. Not saying the unpredictable future for the captain Nazzy, and local boy Mo. The only thing we all know is it’s another long summer and changes need to come. Canucks hockey will not be the same again in October. Vancouverites have to reluctantly say it again: “Next year ...”

Yankees Visit VT in Shooting Anniversary

“She asked me to take a picture with her fiancé's memorial stone. I told her she smiled.” -- Derek Jeter said during the Yankees visit to VT today. Marcy Crevonis, a Virginia Tech student and lifelong Yankee fan, placed a Jeter’s T-shirt near the stone monument of her fiancé Mike Pohle and made the request.

Muhammad Yunus's Visit to UBC

As part of the UBC 100 Years centenary celebration, we invited 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Muhammad Yunus to deliver the first annual Michael Smith memorial Nobel Lecture. Dr. Yunus is such a humble gentleman and his speech was truly inspiring. He talked about the background of creating Grameen Bank -- the idea started with a loan lending a total of $27 to women producing bamboo artwork at an entire village in his home country Bangladesh. Then, how the bank grew bigger and helped more poor people in his country. He made some points I couldn’t agree more. He talked about “the world is a strange place” now: financial institutions only lend big money to people who already have big money. Those who are really in need of money rarely get helped. Also, he mentioned the fact that no one was born to be poor, it’s the system that makes poor people poor. He gave an example of comparing a mother who was helped by his bank with her daughter who was supported by her to become a PhD student. It’s like a giant tree seed being placed at a small flower garden -- it cannot grow tall not because its nature but where its growing environment was restrained. Furthermore, he talked about the story when he went to sit down with the beggars to try to figure out what went wrong with their life and how he made them to become small merchants. Dr. Yunus closed out his lecture by declaring his ultimate goal: creating poverty museums for Bangladesh, for the world -- let poverty become a history! The amazing legacy Professor Muhammad Yunus did was to use his expertise to do little things to help those who were in need of help.

PowerWithin Round 2

This year’s PowerWithin was a much smaller size crowd than two years ago, but it was still a worthy experience. Lorreta LaRoche was still my favourite: I just could not stop laughing so hard with her performance on the stage. It almost brought me to tears to see those business people who paid big bucks coming to this event hands-in-hands singing and dancing in waves with her in the stadium -- how wonderful life could be when people’s mind is free. Why not talking to the person beside you?! Why not be able to laugh at yourself sometimes?! Why not reply with “I’m feeling juicy” while being asked “how are you”?! Christopher Gardner’s opening speech about “Pursuit of Happyness” was inspiring. His story of being thrown in jail for parking tickets and realizing the importance of life with his son reminded me of the movie American History X. Frank Abagnale, the man behind the movie Catch Me If You Can, was also a speaker. Martha Stewart and Andre Agassi were supposed to be the two big names but both failed the expectation. I’ve never been a big fan of Martha Stewart so I didn’t even bother continuing listening to her story after the mumbling boring start. The organizers tried to make Andre Agassi’s part for those business audience, so I guess he couldn’t shine too much over there. I was only disappointed he didn’t bring Steffi Graf. The legendary Quincy Jones had a long story to tell us which bored me (partly because I couldn’t hear what he was saying with his low volume mumbling). However, legend is a legend. The end of his speech didn’t only wake up the audience but also emotionally brought the event to another level. When the music started showing tenor Andrea Bocelli singing with a Columbia girl at We Are The Future charity around-the-world charity concert organized by Quincy Jones, he chocked up and his eyes were wet. What an incredible story!
I think legendary people are brought to their best when they are at their own business.

Another highlight of the day was to go up to the broadcasting booths on top level of GM Place!

Chinese New Year - The Year of Rat

It's the Year of Rat in Chinese New Year. This is my year! On Chinese New Year's Day, highlight was the lunch potluck at OHSAH. Very delicious food. Although I was aware that Vancouver has big Chinese population, I was still surprised by the scale of celebration even in a medium size organization like OHSAH. It was great to see those white folks being so excited and celebrated the festival with us. Someone even cooked a Chinese dish for the first time. My supervisor, who usually doesn't care about dresses, wore red to work and was so happy to tell me she dressed her two kids with red hats in the morning! See the Chinese influence?! =)

Too Easy to Forget

Bathurst, NB is a small town with about 18,000 population. Last week, it was struck by a tragic car accident which killed seven high school basketball players. On Friday, CBC National had a special session that asked the question:“How will Bathurst get over this tragedy?” Out of less than 20,000 population, about 10,000 people came out and attended the funeral memorial. In this little town, everyone knows each other, everyone seems to have some sort of connection with those seven kids -- they are like their own children. The community coped with the ordeal by setting up memorials along the highway where the accident happened, by consoling others whenever they met, by appreciating the cards and flowers sent from all over the country. In the question “How would you help people in this town shift the focus to other things of normal life” during the CBC interview, the mayor of the town said: “No. We simply don’t. If people want to talk about it, we talk about it. If they want to remember the boys, we try to help them in all ways we can offer.” What a truthful answer that is! I think people nowadays tend to forget things too fast. Yes, many of us have “more important” things to take care of, so when things like this happen, the way we deal with them is to forget. Soldiers were forgotten on the battle field; homeless and poor people were forgotten behind the back alley; even sometimes families were quickly forgotten because one has his/her “own business” to cater for. Those “more important” things can be all different kinds, but I do not understand what is more important than your life and the life around you. I’m sure Bathurst will leave this nightmare behind someday in the near future. But for now, take your time now to remember it...

Start New Blog Here

I've had enough of the characteristic Microsoft non-user-friendly interface and functionality, especially on my Mac. And maybe because I like to try out new things constantly as well. I decided to move my blog from my old Windows Live Blog to here. Hopefully, I'll share my life and thoughts here continuously for a while. I'll upload most of my photos to my Picasa Web Albums and link some of the most recent ones on this page. Please feel free to check out and I will be very happy to see your comments. 

I think the first task here is to blog my Hawaii trip a month ago -- it's been too long... Enjoy!