An evening of discovery
"All roads photographers" held a panel of 7 distinguished photographers who excel in their chosen field of photography, I was cleary intersted in photography, I have been clearly cowardish toward sacrificing one's own interest to discover the world and the society. The other day friends discussed about a renowned woman activist from Taiwan whom they described as "upright" and "honest", who would rather die voicing her concern for injustice, than living under the cover of self comfort. That is me, that is lot of others, even we might have great dreams to achieve what we want. We do not choose the uncertain frontline to be but circumvent the dreams of saving others and planet. That is actual cowardish. I am not sure whether I will opt to sacrifice everything I have and I am to search for the justice, sympathy and humanity for those who suffer. All I remember is a photo of young indian boy conservancy worker whose body is covered by the mud up to his neck and still smiles at the world. Reza of national geographic society told everyone on seat that being a photographer is to leave the body of an observer and to live the life of object, when it's truely felt natural.
On the lighter side, I find many attractive women who obviously have something to say, when we all have something to say, it's much better a place to be than clubs and bars.
Genius grant and Stanford
Today I read a report of one of this year's MacArthur Fellow: 40 yrs old professor Pehr Harbury of Stanford Biochemistry.
“I feel extremely lucky to be at Stanford,” he said. “I came here because it has a reputation for technical development, and for allowing people to go out on a limb and try hard things. Historically it's also one of the greatest biochemistry departments in the world, and it has a wonderfully warm community of researchers.”
One day when my dream of becoming a successful creative entreprunuer becomes true, I would say the same thing: it's Stanford that allows people to go out on a limb and try hard things. I may not be associated with Stanford except being an alumni but the spirit is inside of me: try hard things and believe in myself. In fact, I have already been thinking the same thing: what Stanford gives me is a legacy of innovation, self-challenge and confidence that sustains me for these years' of struggle to be myself.
Although I am still struggling and searching, I feel the sunrise and soon the sunrise it comes.
I am a sucker for many things
Somehow I find myself being a sucker for prepschool movie, poems, cynical comments and rebel. Therefore I found a movie called "flirting" by Newton and Kidman back in 1991 charming. The other prep movie that I loved the utmost would be "dead poets society" back in 1989. Maybe that is why I also loved school of rock, James Dean, Natalie Woods: all the beautiful and special people make this world a little bit more of a fairy land. I am also a sucker for sympathy. I sympathsize for children who do not have the previlige for basic education, who are denied for access to the rights to grow into a human being with a decent future.
Moon festival come and go. This year I was invited to Chen Chen's home for a get together with people in our soccer team, all of them are from BeiDa. It was good fun to enjoy moon cake and good friends, new friends and restrospect. They are good people, they participated China's Project "hope" that was initiated decades ago to take poverty out of China' next generation through building modern elemantery school. It takes about $10000 to build a decent such school in the areas that is considered extremely poor in China's western, moutain areas. It normally takes 20 overseas Chinese scholars, people like us who got education in US and got good career going and enjoy good life, people like us who came from relative poverty comparing to western standard, who understand what it like to be poor, to live without hope. I felt I have been under-serve the society that I owe much to, comparing to my new, good friends. They have a poetic heart, they are new middle class immigrants to America, they live in small apartment with second hand furniture and love-filled sentiment toward their motherland, to their loved ones but they have started contributing. When I saw the pictures of Chenchen, a mellow Chinese man, a top software engineer, a great soccer player and his beloved wife: Ninxang, a journalist and reporter, together they look into each other's eye, I know my life will be different. I know what the selfishness has been in me for all this long and I know it will be conquered forever.
Romance, isn't it a poem itself!
Discover a book:
What is the best way to find out a good book for yourself? Close your eyes, and strech back out your left arms, and grab whatever the first book touching your finger: I found Thomas Wolfe this way from Menlo park library where I was searching high and low for wireless for two nights while searching is not fun, it's fun to get a good book you can relate, as to wireless, palo alto's starbucks has free wireless Internet, isn't that cool?
Life without Internet
The network router in our house is down and all my roommates have been screaming for help. I guess Jim is either indifferent for Internet and just could not figure how to configure a new router. We have been staying out of Internet for more than 5 days and the life is almost unbearable. I just realized that I spent probably 80% of my free time on network doing variety of activity and works. LiveNshare is on hold, GuysNroses is on hold. England is hold. Sun is on hold...everything is on hold. And my workspace network does not allow for access to webmail...what more could be worse!!
Finally I got a wireless card and was able to find a peaceful corner at a Menlo Park library to access the wireless network. It feels good to get back on touch with Internet.
Afternoon nap
is soothing. For the first time in a long time, I felt having enough sleep. Next thing I will do is to look into the mirror to see if I still look tired:), or not.
Hitch
Wow I have not posted for almost two weeks. Today I was watching the movie "Hitch" (Will Smith leading). One of the consultants they got help from is the CEO of a company called "wingwomen.com". Check it out, and it's quite funny.
