Mourning on 228

Alpinia zerumbet (Shell Ginger)

Spring is coming! Pink Porcelain Lilies are in full blossom everywhere along the Hsin-tien River. The arching clusters of funnel-like white flowers stood out beautifully in the sun. When my husband handed me a stem he selected for me, I spotted a tiny snail hiding in the pink shading and crinkled yellow lips with red spots and stripes. How I wish I could find Thumbelina sleeping on one of the cozy flowerbeds of pink porcelain lilies.

Pink Porcelain Lily (Alpinia zerumbet) is often called Shell Ginger or Shell Flower, because its individual pink flowers, especially when in bud, resemble sea shells. As I have been learning flower arrangements recently, I thought Pink Porcelain Lilies would just be lovely for a seasonal Ikebana at JYT's Home.

It's a national holiday to remember the 228 Massacre in Taiwan today. After Japan was defeated in World War II in 1945, Taiwan ended 50 years of Japanese rule. The new political and cultural conflicts between Taiwanese and Chinese caused anti-government uprisings in Taiwan. On 227, 1947, an open rebellion took place. It was violently suppressed by the KMT government. The incident marked the beginning of the KMT's White Terror period in Taiwan (coincidently the Red Terror in the US).

Being a second-generation mainlander born in Chia-yi, I didn't know what happened when I was young. All I could remember is that whenever Taiwanese people saw me in streets, they asked to get out of their sight! I didn't understand why! Up till today, many Taiwanese couldn't forget 228, neither could I!

Golden ladies met on 228 to discuss the grand performance at Innovative Toastmasters Club's 15th anniversary in June. We talked about various possibilities to impress the toastmasters and guests and to leave great memories for ourselves. I proposed we perform a clogging dance "Jimmy" by Tamil Singer MIA. We can put on dazzling Indian costumes, as President Joseph Fan, the past president of Innovative TMC, was born in India. It would be a thrilling challenge to dance for Raji Joseph in the audience.

But golden ladies preferred something else. They decided to sing and dance "I Will Follow Him"! I couldn't say no more but just follow suit! But, still deep in my heart, I love to perform the Indian dance, turning round and round in beautiful and colorful sari, especially after watching two famous Bollywood movies, Devdas & Jodha Akbar before Toastmaster Joy Chyr's journey in India for 20 days during the Chinese New Year holidays.

On Lantern Festival

Despite the attack of Norwalk Virus, which gave me the most serious gastroenteritis in my life, diarrhea, vomiting, dry mouth, fatigue, I gave Toastmaster Joy Chry welcome-home hugs and kisses on Lantern Festival, Sunday afternoon, February 24th.

Early Saturday morning, I felt an agonizing headache, I knew something was wrong. Before long, I had to rush to the toilette. The diarrhea came quick. I lay in bed all day without uptaking anything but warm water. In the evening, I had an urge of a throw-up. There was nothing but water. My body was tired, but my mind rambled here and there, past and present, in my dream!

Sunday, it was sunny. I felt a little better, but just as frail. I dragged myself to an eatery in the neighborhood at noon to recharge my body. In the afternoon, I was excited to prepare the ingredients for the potluck party for Joy at her home.

Joy wore a big smile when she greeted me at door. She put on the garments she purchased in India, a purple Pashmina shawl, an embroidered cotton jacket, and a lovely dark silk dress. It was hard to tell that she just arrived home from the airport. She took an overnight plane from Hyderabad at three o'clock in the morning.

Joy was eager to share her exciting stories in India for 20 days. While we watched Jodha Akbar part II, she talked about the Red Fort in Agra and her visit to the tomb of Akbar the Great.  I could hear Joy's footsteps and laughter at the Red Fort when we watched the movie. When she talked about the beautiful Taj Mahal, a jewel of Muslim art in India, she was touched by the love story of Shah Jahan (the grandson of Akbar the Great) and his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

After the movie, Joy encouraged me to browse all photos she took in India in her i-phones and i-pods. She was excited to talk about three Indian families, Christian in Agra, Hindi in Jaipur, and Muslim in Hyderabad she visited. Upon her heartfelt requests, three English tour guides opened their doors to Joy to let her know everyday lives in India. Joy had a big scheme to visit India soon in the future by organizing eco-tours to connect Taiwan and India. I hope I can offer my helping hands with time and money to realize her dream.

Out of blue, Joy asked me a question, between being a rich person in the poor country, or a poor person in the rich country, which one I prefer! It was the question she and her English tour guide contemplated at Taj Mahal in Agra. Both Joy and her Christian tour guide chose to be the poor in the rich country to enjoy the public welfare and social resources. I, on the contrary, prefer to be a rich person in the poor country. I can name many brilliant authors who are from rich families in the poor country, take Tagore, the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, and Orhan Pamuk, the Turkish winner of Nobel Prize in Literature in 2006, for example. After seeing "Through the Olive Trees", if human beings are less prejudice, a morganatic marriage in stead of  marriage of convenience can bring two people of two different worlds under the same roof to know both sides of the stories.

A giant snake lantern in Hsinchu 2013

When the night fell, I was exhausted after devouring much information about the beautiful and colorful subcontinent. The exciting Indian experiences sustained both Joy and me in the afternoon, while Joy was short of sleep for the past 24 hours and I frequented the toilette in and out (sounds like me who just got back from India). Before we called it a day, Joyed showed me an outline of her travelogue in India on her i-pod, I just couldn't wait to read the entire article!

The Gita in the Apricot Woods

"All's well that ends well!" ~English Proverb

水頭不如水尾 ~台語諺語

I walked fast in order to be the first to reach the destination. A mini bus passed by, stopped, to my surprise. The bus driver kindly asked me if I needed a lift to the Taipei City Zoo. I thanked him for his good heart and kept walking ahead. The passengers looked at me in awe, wondering where I was heading in the middle of mountains.

The phone rang. It's from Toastmaster Lydia Lin. "Sherry, the bus driver told us that we were in the opposite direction, the apricot woods are in the other side", Lydia said, "we could walk no more, we would just stand here and wait for the next bus back to MRT Mao-kong station."

I continued my walking till I saw a bus stop. I checked the bus schedule, it ran every hour. The next bus wouldn't arrive till one hour later. I walked back to join Kate, Linda, and Lydia. "What are we supposed to do now in the middle of nowhere", Kate complained, "I can't walk two kilometers back to the Mao-kong station with my empty stomach. On top of that, my knees are killing me to death".

"Yes, let's hitchhike", I proposed. A car passed us in a swift without even speeding down. "Where has all the world-known Taiwanese kindness gone," I grumbled, "the downturn spiral of the economy must have drained the fountain of wisdom and faith in people on this island!"

No sooner than later, had Lydia made the magic. A car stopped and the driver made a U turn to offer us a ride. It was a middle-aged monk who was just transferred to a sanctuary in Mao-kong two years ago. He was on his way back to the head temple near the Taipei Main Station. I felt the reluctance in his heart whether to stop when he saw four flowery middle-aged women wave hands along the country road desperately. I admired his courage to let the nature take its course! He saw the people in need and he offered his hands!

"Amitabha!" I shouted in joy. Four of us got in the car as soon as we could. God must have answered our prayers. How fortunate we were to receive the blessing from a stranger, a devout monk who changed his course to lead four ladies at lost to the right destination.

I was nominated to sit in front by three friendly ladies and was overwhelmed to be surrounded by four religious people, one Buddhist monk and three Christian ladies. "Allelujah!", the monk rejoiced when he knew that three ladies sat at the back seats were Christian. "Pray to Allah", I echoed, as I had recently been voracious in reading books about the of the clash of Islamic and Catholic faith in the late Ottoman Empire.

The kind offer from the Buddhist monk somehow reminded me of Mohandas Gandhi who often recited Bhagavad Gita (博伽梵歌) at the spiritual evening gatherings in India in early 20th century. The Bhagavad Gita, also called The Song of the Lord, is about a conversation between Krishna, an incarnation of the god Vishnu, and Ajuna, an army general. I asked the kind monk if he could recite the Gita, he told me it was too long for him to recite.

In less than ten minutes, we arrived at the MRT Mao-kong station, we thanked the monk for his precious time. After a satisfying lunch of chicken and vegetables proposed by Linda at a restaurant near Kao-kong station, we ventured to the apricot woods to enjoy the apricot blossom on foot. Lydia tried to hitchhike successfully for the second time. In one day, she made two attempts of hitchhike with success in metropolitan Taipei. It's not only her charm on the face, but also her willing to serve God in her heart, sang the Gita in apricot woods.

How time flies! It has been five years since four golden ladies last visited the apricot woods on March 19th, 2008. Who knows when golden ladies will venture to the apricot woods again in the future? No matter when, I shall certainly remember the generous ride offered by a friendly monk in 2013!

The Year of the Snake

The Year of the Snake begins on February 10, 2013 and ends on January 30, 2014. Year 2013 is a year of water Snake. It's said that saving money and being thrifty are the top priorities. And I shall follow suit to save as much as I could in the Year of the Snake. Hopefully I can make a profit of my saving in 2013 in the following 11 years of Chinese Zodiac cycle!

In six days in Po-tzu from February 9th to 15th, I read three Turkish books. It took me four days to finish "My Name is Red" by Orhan Pamuk. Each character was a confession from a protagonist, starting from the murderer in chapter one. With no knowledge of Ottoman Empire, I read the book with interest and patience. I was intrigued by the miniature paintings caught in-between of the Venetian style in the west and Chinese style in the East. I found the link between the Ottoman Empire and Akbar the Great of Hindustan. I leafed through "Snow" by Orhan Pamuk, and didn't read it from cover to cover, as I was less interested in the  political struggles in modern Turkey! 

"The Bastard of Istanbul" by Elif Shafak enriched my knowledge about everyday life in Istanbul, including the famous Turkish dessert Ashure* (Noah's Pudding). Each chapter was named after an ingredient of Ashure, a fruit, a spice, except Potassium cyanide-a poison to kill for the last chapter. The book is an eye opener to Turkish cuisine. Ashure is similar to Laba porridge Chinese eat on Laba Festival (the eighth day of the 12th month, lunar calendar). The book is also an eye opener to the conflicts between Turkey and Armenia and the clash of Islam and Catholic Faith in early 20th century.

Before I ventured to the south on Chinese New Year Eve, I finished watching three Turkish DVDs. Journey to the Sun is a 1999 Turkish film written and directed by Yeşim Ustaoğlu. It tells a story of two strangers in Istanbul, a young Turkish man and his Kurdish friend. In the end, the young Turkish man shouldered the responsibilities to take the coffin of his Kurdish friend home with difficulties only to find his home in the middle of no where. Takva (A Man's Fear of God) is a 2006 Turkish film, directed by Özer Kızıltan. It's a story about an honest man living a pious life until he is summoned upon to the service of his religion in the modern world of power, money, and sex. Yol (The Road) is a 1982 Turkish film, written by Yılmaz Güney, and directed by Şerif Gören. It's a story of five prisoners given a week's home leave. I saw the family bonds and ordeals of Turks and Kurds in various regions in Turkey! More Turkish DVDs are on my watch list this week, including Three Monkeys(2008) and Egg, Milk and Honey(2010).

The Year of the Snake starts with a great time to study Turkish history and culture. It reminded me of a dear Turkish friend at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto from September 2000 till June 2001. Hopefully I can converse with her in Turkish either in Istanbul or in Taipei some day in the future.

* Ingredients of Noah's Pudding (servings of four)
225g / 8oz barley
55g / 2oz dried haricot beans
55g / 2oz dried lima beans
55g / 2oz dried chickpeas
1.2 litres / 2 pints milk
570ml / 1 pint water
55g / 2oz pudding rice
110g / 4oz dried apricots
110g / 4oz sultanas
55g / 2oz currants
1 lemon, zest only
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
450g / 1lb caster sugar
2 tbsp cornflour, mixed with 1 tbsp milk
125ml / 4fl oz rosewater
double cream, to serve

For the topping:
55g / 2oz dried figs
55g / 2oz dried apricots
55g / 2oz walnuts
1 tbsp pine nuts
55g / 2oz pistachio nuts
1 tbsp currants

Sayonara to Year of Dragon

Grand Toastmasters Club held the last regular meeting at the end of the Year of Dragon Wednesday evening, February 6th. The cheerful and joyful meeting venue was decorated with auspicious ornaments and red envelopes. Nineteen people participated in the meeting, including five guests, featuring the dress code of RED. Potluck dinner was prepared for members and guests, including fired rice bought by Helen Lin, tea eggs cooked by Gina Cheng, vegetable salads made by Zoy, cakes and dark chocolates donated by Jimmy Wu.

Five joke tellers participated in the joke session. Toastmaster Jimmy Wu won the best joke teller with the joke of The Gym and The ATM. A middle-aged man, not in his best physical condition, just joined a fitness club. When he saw various exercise machines, he consulted a trainer, "I want to impress that beautiful girl over there. Which machine should I use?" The trainer pointed his finger at the corner and replied, "Use the ATM machine there." Past President Steve Wang told a management joke about a Genie in the Lamp with a moral of the story: Always let your boss have the first say. He won a blast of laughter from the floor.

IPP Gina Cheng, the Tabletopics Master, invited five speakers to pick up red envelops she placed in advance on the white board. I was lucky to win the best tabletopics speaker by telling a wish of mine at the end of Year of Dragon. I said that I wish I could meet with Mahatma Gandhi and asked for an advice to help others and to help myself. Recently, I've been inspired by Gandhi after seeing the Oscar award wining movie of Gandhi (1982) and reading Gandhi: A Memoir (1980) by William L. Shirer. As I knew so little about the culture and history of Hindustan, I wish I could see more movies and read more books about India before I set foot on the subcontinent again.

Three prepared speakers all gave advanced speeches. Toastmaster Shuen Chen talked about her study in England. Before she left Taiwan, she joined Grand Toastmasters Club to learn the communication skills in English. Her mentor Arlene Chen assured her by saying "You'll be fine in England! You just don't know you will." Shuen Chen proved that she was stronger than she knew. Toastmaster Yolanda Wu remarked on the performance of Grand in previous year and concluded that “we are on our way”! Toastmaster Yvan Chu talked about Dementia, a campaign to fight for brain, among the elderly in our society.

The language Evaluator Jimmy Wu echoed my praise of Gandhi by quoting a saying from Gandhi, "if you choose to do something, you don't necessarily succeed, but if you do nothing, nothing will be changed." He complimented Shuen Chen's courage to study in England by saying her action reminded him of Helen Keller, "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."

President May Hwang closed the last meeting in year of Dragon by calling upon each participant to say a wish and to pick up a red envelop she prepared for everybody. A group photo was taken before we bade farewell to Year of Dragon! Time flies, like smoke through the key hole. In four days, we shall welcome the Year of Snake (癸巳). Wish everybody a prosperous and happy Year of Snake!

From Hindustan to Ottoman

At first, I was not enthusiastic about the weekly movie and dinner gathering chez Joy's. But I became addicted to the gatherings after seeing two movies every Saturday at Joy's roomy home theater with a cheerful group discussion over dinner in January.

We had an add-on movie gathering Tuesday, February 5th, before Toastmaster Joy Chyr flew to India for a 17 days Pilgrimage during the Chinese New Year holidays. We watched two Bollywood movies, both of them, 3 hours in length.

Devdas (2002) is a well-known romance film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, based upon a novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. It's about two lovers of different castes and financial status. The prevailing societal customs in Bengal in the early 1900s put an end to the happy ending of a genuine love story. The movie was eye candy in leading roles:handsome Devdas Mukherjee (Shahrukh Khan), beautiful Parvati "Paro" Chakraborty (Aishwarya Rai, Miss World 1994 at Sun City, South Africa) and Chandramukhi (Madhuri Dixit), and in sets and costumes. The song "Dola Re Dola" with its dance duet between Paro and Chandramukhi was simply gorgeous and stunning. It reminded me of the Bollywood dance class at True Yoga Taipei two years ago. The fast paced hands, feet, and body movements to the high energy level Indian music were like praying in a spiritual ritual.

Jodhaa Akbar (2008) is a sixteenth century love story directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. It's about a marriage of alliance between two cultures and religions, a great Muslim Mughal Emperor, Akbar and a Hindu Rajput princess, Jodhaa. Two leads are icons of physical beauty, sexuality, and glamour. Akbar (Hrithik Roshan) won the allegiance of the Rajputs, the most belligerent Hindus through a shrewd blend of tolerance, generosity and force. Jodhaa (Aishwariya Rai), the daughter of King Bharmal of Amer, sets conditions for marriage, retains her Hindu Dharam and worships Bhagwan Shri Kishan in the Mughal palace, challenges palace customs.

Both movies opened my eyes to Hindustan and the Mughal Empire. I recalled my fist visit of Pakistan in June 1996. When the Thai Airways landed on the airport of Lahore in late evening, I felt being transcended to an ancient and mysterious world of fantasy in a swift. During a week stay in Lahore, I visited the Mughal Castle and many Pakistani families. Then I gradually knew about the separation of India and Pakistan in 1947. I knew that Hindi in India and Urdu in Pakistan are the similar oral language in different written forms. On my way back to Taipei, I carried an exquisite Persian carpet as a precious token of appreciation from our pharmaceutical agent in Lahore.

I'm interested in human evolution. I'm interested in World Affairs. I've known only recently that movies are best resources to know the world. Movies of thousands of flowing pictures are powerful beyond words. Movie directors are miraculous story tellers to depict the world of imagination into a virtual reality of two to three hours. I hope I can visit India some day to know more about the history, religion, culture and people in the great land of Hindustan. I also hope I can visit Turkey, the old empire of Ottoman.

There is a long journey from Hindustan to Ottoman, I'm taking the first small step in 2013. I look forward to a trial lesson of the Turkish language in March (I'd be just satisfied if I could recognize and pronounce the alphabets in Turkish). I have three Turkish DVDs (Journey to the Sun, A Man's Fear of God, The Road) in hands to watch during the Chinese New Year. And I have three books (Benim Adim Kirmizi and Kar by Orhan Pamuk and The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak) in my suitcase before I head for Chia-yi Saturday morning, the 30th day of the 12th month of Year of Dragon.