Loud Thoughts

As a novice in poetry, I am easily impressed. I knew these are famous poems that people have analyzed, praised, and been deeply moved by.

And I will join them.

Autumn Begins In Martins Ferry, Ohio

In the Shreve High football stadium,
I think of Polacks nursing long beers in Tiltonsville,
And gray faces of Negroes in the blast furnace at Benwood,
And the ruptured night watchman of Wheeling Steel,
Dreaming of heroes.

All the proud fathers are ashamed to go home.
Their women cluck like starved pullets,
Dying for love.

Therefore,
Their sons grow suicidally beautiful
At the beginning of October,
And gallop terribly against each other's bodies.

James Wright

Americans then, probably still now, went to sport events to escape from their lives, their miserable and hopeless lives. They have dreams and they see those dreams in their sons who play high-school football. High school is pretty much the end of their formal education. The allure of those dreams even kept them away from their wives.

James Wright impressed those hopeless lives on my heart that I cannot shake off for days. I re-read this poem many times. The power of the words pounds on me. The last 4 lines grew in weight every time I read them. That “therefore” became a trapdoor to sink a deeper and deeper sadness.

What a master poet.

The ceremony begins precisely at sunrise and last exactly 127 seconds. In the dark, when we arrived, a few hundred people have formed a long queue, waiting. When the guard signals the square is open — officially an hour before dawn — the crowd trailed in and bee lined toward the flag pole. People accumulated in front of a short-fence distancing the pole about 10 meters away, like a physics experiment of magnetism. Uniformed security guards are few paces away: stood motionlessly. A patrol car floats back and forth, blasting recorded message on order and theft prevention. The sky is still black.

Hordes of people came in waves. Many of them wearing a same-color baseball hat and herded by a little flag. Many more do not seem to belong to any organized groups. Mass transportation has not started operating yet. Where do these people come from? I guesstimate at least 6,000 here.

Sky turned grey and street lights went off all of the sudden. Rowdy and drunk teenagers sobered up and got absorbed into the anxious population. That barf-into-grass young guy struggled to look respectful. (Why did he came at all?) Everyone sensed something is about to happen and cranked their necks toward the same direction. The speakers suddenly blasted out an anthem. The red national flag went up the pole slowly. Hundreds of digital camera screens lit up.

127 seconds later, it was over. Cars zoomed on.
A team of vendors, triggered by the unspoken signal, sprinted across the wide street, jumped into the square and attacked the dissipating crowd, “Kites? stamps? flags? post-cards?” City is now officially awake.

May 26, 2007. Sunrise at 4:51am in Beijing, TianAnMen Square.

Silicon valley does not have black-tie events, at least I have never been to one. Whatever function, you can pretty much show up as “business casual” — jacket, dress pants, shoes, shirt but no tie. When I learned the event in Beijing has a black-tie dress code, I researched to make sure. I needed to wear a bow-tie and a “dinner jacket” or tuxedo. The bow-tie does not need to be black.

Bow-tie? There are three kinds: clip-on, pre-tied, and do-it-yourself. Clip-on bow-ties are for kids and not cool. Most people buy “pre-tied” ones — perfectly tied and look exactly like the real one. I bought a real one: black too.

That provided the family entertainments for few days.

The instructions are hard to decipher. After practicing on an imaginary neck, on my knee, and on my wife’s wrists, I managed something that looks like a bow-tie. But even after I have lengthened it to the maximum, it still chokes my windpipe. Too small! Does bow-tie come with sizes?

A trip back to the store answered the question definitively. “We carry only one size. Sir,” said the salesperson. “And we have sold it to people whose necks are bigger than yours.” OK, I got the hint. I will practice more.

By this time, my kid and her friend have declared it stupid (translate: they could not make it work). I am getting the general accusatory hint of, “You should have bought a pre-tied one.” But I am now stubbornly obsessed. When no one is around, I practiced in front of the mirror. It became easier. Make a knot, make a loop, tighten, tuck, and adjust.

The event came and I managed a quite passable and comfortable bow-tie on my neck. Of nearly 100 or so adult male in the event, I counted about 5 bow-ties. One looked real; others are definitely pre-tied. It was a fun night: swinging music, pleasant company, and delicious foods.

The return of investing so much time practicing an obscure skill that is not likely to be applied frequently is not high. I thought of the great female gender that makes such investments frequently (a dress, a swim-suit, an accessory, a hair-do, etc.). The thought did not last long. I collapsed into my home pillow (so nice). It is nice to spend an evening with my loved ones: Bow-tie or not.

周六晚去保利看赖声川的”暗恋桃花源.” 笑的肚子痛到不行.

一个平凡, 公式化, 无创意的解放期悲剧, 加上另一个平凡 , 公式化, 无创意的搞笑古装桃花源记, 居然一加一变成一百. 引人深思又捧腹不止. 难怪场场满座.

人到了困难的时候， 就想逃， 想放弃， 一走了之. 找个人间天堂, 快乐轻松. 别人收拾好了， 再回来奋斗接收. 一切都干干净净, 从头来过. 这”逃”的吸引力之大, 自古中西名作不断. 但想归想, 人都明白, 现实是不可能的. 只有一笑, 带点苦吧.

所以引人深思又捧腹不止. 叹. 读原文呗.

桃花源记

作者: 陶渊明

　
　　晋太元中，武陵人捕鱼为业，缘溪行，忘路之远近。忽逢桃花林，夹岸数百步，中无杂树，芳草鲜美，落英缤纷，渔人甚异之。复前行，欲穷其林。林尽水源，便得一山，山有小口，仿佛若有光，便舍船从口入。初极狭，才通人，复行数十步，豁然开朗。土地平旷，屋舍俨然，有良田美池桑竹之属。阡陌交通，鸡犬相闻。其中往来种作，男女衣著，悉如外人。黄发垂髫，并怡然自乐。

　　见渔人，乃大惊，问所从来。具答之。便要还家，设酒杀鸡作食。村中闻有此人，咸来问讯。自云先世避秦时乱，率妻子邑人来此绝境，不复出焉，遂与外人间隔。问今是何世，乃不知有汉，无论魏晋。此人一一为具言所闻，皆叹惋。余人各复延至其家，皆出洒食。停数日，辞去。

　　此中人语云，不足为外人道也。既出，得其船，便扶向路，处处志之。及郡下，诣太守说如此。太守即遣人随其往，寻向所志，遂迷不复得路。南阳刘子骥，高尚士也，闻之，欣然规往，未果。寻病终。后遂无问津者。

John Higgin and Mark Shelby were having the battle of their lives. They have been doing one-on-one for hours, 2nd day in a row, now. As a big part of the world intensively watched, most of Americans show little interest or awareness: typically.

They are the finalists of the World Snooker Championship. After China Open, Mr. Higgin ranks #3 in the world, China's own 20-year-old DING JunHui is #9, and Mr. Shelby #22 — not a seeded player entering the match. Mr. Shelby, a clear underdog, led briefly 3-2 (it is a best of 35 “frames” championship) but seemed all but lost when Higgins zoomed past him and led 12-4. But somehow, this 23-year old youngster transformed into a wizard to capture 6 frames in a row. Higgins was visibly drained and tired. The score is now 12-10.

Higgins won a game; Shelby answered right back. The scores seesawed 13-10, 13-11, 14-11, 14-12, and 14-13! Higgins showed his tenacity. He won two frame closely and pulled away with a decisive win (129 to 1)! No one can stop that momentum. The 31st frame sealed the 2nd world title for Higgins.

I am not much a sport-TV person. I watched Football only when 49ers were the best team. I never watched baseball on TV. Since I came to China, I watched: Diving, Badminton, Ping Pong, Snooker, Pool (9-ball), Volley ball, and, once in a while, Soccer. What's common? They all need fine motor control, finesse, and/or teamwork — super-human muscles or more-than-door-frame height not required.

American heroes are those who can do things normal people can never dream of doing. Chinese heroes are more normal people who practiced to win, less those who were born with extraordinary talents and resources. The contrast is sharp in what sports they watch.

刘邦以来, 中国人相信布衣卿相. 只要十年寒窗, 痛下苦工. 就能皇天不负, 修成正果.
五千年来, 中国人历经苦难, 战火, 暴君, 贪官, 污吏. 可是中国人从不失去希望. 我们可以放弃一辈子的幸福, 只要儿女能有更好的环境. 我们愿意.
现代中国的户口制度， 夺去了这希望. 夺去了百姓的基本迁徙权. 50年中, 户口制度牺牲了数代 百姓. 现在, 只为了几个大城市的管理方便, 中国还继续牺牲她的百姓, 资源, 及她崛起的速度.

迁徙， 是追求幸福的重要手段. 百年来, 中国人离乡背井, 远走他乡. 为的就是幸福的梦. 梦最好在今生, 但也可以实现在儿女身上. 现代中国的制度, 父母的户口绑在土地上, 儿女的户口跟着父母. 而户口限制了求学, 工作, 及未来的机会. 也就是说, 生生世世, 不得翻生. 户口成了现代中国的封建阶级. 投错胎终生无望, 生对门机会源源.

北京, 上海, 深圳, 如果门户大开, 垮了怎么办? 乡下农村, 空了怎么办? 市场是残酷的. 适者生存. 人多了, 竞争激烈. 最有能力的人抓到机会. 其他人离开. 日子长了, 中国的每个人, 都到了他最合适的地方, 全国人才分配优化, 市场最快崛起. 市场不会让大城市垮， 也不会让农村空. 市场会把人搬到他最优化的地点. 只有干预市场, 才会制造无谓的困难.

谁是受害人? 无力竞争的人. 他们会被迫迁移, 最后无处可去. 但13亿中, 有多少这种人? 如果坚持户口, 受害的人多, 还是少? 那种模式的社会成本高? 那种给人更多希望? 当然, 城市人不愿放弃手头的好处, 农村人不愿竞争不过, 而会被城里人逼迁. 可是如果人人都要 国家保护, 这社会就不必进步了. 中国就不用崛起了.

一个农民, 可以移民欧美, 但不能入住北京. 应该是迁徙决定户口, 不是户口限制迁徙. 人搬到哪, 户口就迁到那. 就这么简单. 其他的一切, 交给市场.

A chimney is a mental cylinder that is roughly half a foot in diameter and a food long. It is the best and cheapest way to light charcoals.

In the US, you buy bags of charcoals from the store. They are uniformly shaped black objects each the size of a baby’s fist. Vendors, such as Kingsford, heat up woods in the absence of air, pulverize the charcoals, and form them with molds.

In US, Labor Day is always the 1st Monday of September. This is the unofficial end of the summer and I usually celebrated with my world-famous BBQ.

We would rub the ribs with garlic, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Wait few hours.

Have one chimney of charcoals, light a piece of newspaper under, and wait patiently for 15 minutes until the smoke becomes blue.

Divide the hot and ashed charcoals into 2 piles and push them as far away from the center — leaving a long rectangular of space.

Carefully position the ribs to be exposed to as little direct heat as possible. The job is pretty much 95% done.

Close the lid, open the beers, play few catches with kids, or chase dogs around the backyard. Do nothing to the meat. Watch the smoke.

After about 45 minutes, the smoke thins out. Time to act. Open the lid, move the meat away, add charcoals, mix them up, divide them to the sides again, throw a big lump of previously soaked barks into the center, put the meat back on.

Wait! Don’t close the lid. Stick a hand on top of the meat and try to count to 5. If can’t, it is hot enough.

Close the lid. White smoke churns out from the vent and that is beautiful.

About 40 minutes more, time to call the kids, and take the order of which BBQ sauce they want. I offer 3 kinds: the standard bottled BBQ sauce, pure honey, or my secret recipe: lemon juice, honey, and pepper.

The most popular one? Nothing. The rib will be golden in color, the meat will be falling off from the bones, the smoking gives a wonderful aroma, the meat exhibits a layer of reddish darkened color. I usually sample few pieces to make sure everything is right. Man, they are finger licking good.

It turns out May Day is the International Labor Day. Contrary to what I thought, it is not a communist’s celebration. In 1886, US workers, demanding 8-hour work day and other protections, had a large scale strike in Chicago. Eventually, this concept became part of the social norm around the world. Funny that as the world celebrate this day that originated from the US, it is largely ignored or more associated with the call of distress when an airplane faces imminent danger.