老盧廈門遊記 – 4

I'm guessing Tom is in his late 50's, his family is back in Tao Yuan, TW. Colin's family is from Malaysia, his 閩南語 isn't quite the same as ours but we can still communicate nevertheless. After about 15 minutes of weaving in and out of traffic, we arrived at our destination. Mobile food vendors occupy the street sidewalks while store displays spill out to the storefront. The electronics / computer district extends two city blocks, covering two, maybe three buildings.

We browsed through over a dozen stores, they were more or less the same. We also checked out several food vendors, Tom and Colin bought something that looked like a sandwich with meat and veggie fillings. I wasn't hungry (surprised?) so I waited and took photos of the street scenes. Among the vendors was one gentleman selling BBQ squids. I asked if I could take a photo of him and he gladly posed for me. We resumed our tour and walked into one of the buildings. The stores on the first floor usually have larger display of merchandises, the prices are typically higher. We took the escalator to the second floor, I could smell the smoke before the escalator was mid-way up the floor.

"OK, take a deep breath and pull up my shirt collar.", I prepared myself to combat the smoke. The second floor and beyond, were like a labyrinth, with small shops occupying every square centimeter of all available space. We looked at some newer gadgets - hand-held computers, smart-phones, surveillance equipment. I didn't have any shopping in mind since I didn't have much space left in the only suitcase I had brought on the trip.

We got out of one building and entered the next, then the next building. As I walked by one store selling digital media players, I thought to check out the goods. I brought with me a portable hard drive with several movies and family photos on it. I had been watching the movies and viewing the photos on my travel-size netbook. I thought to get a media player so I could use it to hook up the hard drive to the hotel TV.

I looked around the store and compared several different models. One of them had all the functions I wanted at 380 RMB. I asked the store clerk if he could reduce the price to 350 RMB AND throw in an HDMI cable? He paused for a few seconds then nodded. I have a similar media player back home which I paid $75 for. This one, would cost around $53.

Our tour continued on until late afternoon, where we slowly walked our way to one of the general shopping districts. The famous Gulangyu, just a short walking distance away.

老盧廈門遊記 – 3

I sat around the hotel lounge area and watched people go by. There were quite a few foreign travelers, come to think of it, I was one of them. A little girl roamed about the lobby with an entourage right behind her - her parents, and grandparents from both sides. It was an upscale hotel that we stayed in. I could imagine it must cost the little girl's family quite a fortune to all stay there.

2:30 pm arrived as I kept myself entertained, no sign of my tour guide yet. Knowing the culture very well, I certainly wasn't expecting Colin to show up promptly. I supposed I would actually be surprised to see him walk up at 2:30 pm. Anyhow, I waited in the lobby, out in the courtyard, then back in the lobby. At around 2:45 pm Colin showed up, Tom came with him. I had a hunch that Tom was sent by Peter, to "cover" my shopping needs. Peter is the CEO (Chief Entertainment Officer as he calls himself) of one of our biggest suppliers. Tom is the VP in charge of the Xiamen factory, Colin is a project manager. Peter usually goes out of his way to "take good care" of his business affiliates.

I greeted them and we chatted briefly. The electronics district is a good 15 minutes away by car, not exactly walking distance. We walked to the street corner hoping to flag down a taxi. One after another zoomed by us, all with passenger(s). We decided to walk down to the main intersection to try our luck. Wave after wave of taxis passed us by. We must have walked some 1/4 mile from the hotel before we finally saw an empty cab coming our way.

The driver was in the middle lane but he swiftly changed lane as soon as he saw us. Along the way he cut in front of several drivers. No sooner than the taxi had pulled to the curb I heard a raspy voice yelling out loud. One of the drivers was displeased with us (and the taxi driver), he cursed at us. "x你娘xxx!!", he yelled in 閩南語. "Hahaha, that was just too funny!", I thought. We all hopped in the taxi quickly and in no time we were gone in the traffic.

吃

Now, isn't that a surprise topic for a foodie like me? I'm not a food critic, "gourmet" food to me, it's more of showpieces rather than food items that we consume. I would highly doubt anyone's stomach can tell the difference between Kobe beef ($200 per pound) and rib eye steak ($7.99 per pound) .

I was extremely glad that our two-week trip had concluded. I missed my family but being homesick wasn't the main reason that I said that. I was happy that I wouldn't have to dine out with our suppliers, not until next trip. Too much of a good thing sometimes has a negative effect. By our third evening in China, I weaseled out of dinner duties, for two nights.

In part, it was all the smoking I simply couldn't handle. Restaurants in China really ought to consider separating the dinning halls. I know it's impossible right now to ban smoking in public places there. Fortunately I had several days away from the smoking crowds on this trip.

I kept a foodie journal on this trip, you are more than welcome to come take a look.

"吃"

Guess which dish/item was my favorite among them all?

老盧廈門遊記 – 2

將一桌食物一掃而光後, 我大約有個七分飽, 本來是想到街頭的便利商店跑一趟, 買個果汁, 零食什麼的, 只是一雙腳這幾天已經走累了, 想想算了, 結果喝了兩泡茶充數. 想著明天是星期天, 可以到附近走走, 看看還有什麼好吃的.

週日上午沒有安排節目, 也沒有飯局 (thank God!), 只是跟Colin約好下午兩點半在我的旅館會面, 他正好住在附近, 要帶我去電子商場逛逛. 洗過頭, 泡過熱水澡後混身舒服, 坐在床上看看新聞及當地的節目, 上傳FB的照片搞了一個多鐘頭終於傳畢, 看看手錶, 是該去找周公聊天了.

週日上午8點半左右多被肚裏的蟲吵醒, 本來是想大睡到9點後, 算了, 去沃瑪特買早點吧! 其實旅館的餐廳部早就開了, 只不過我想見識一下附近有什麼不同的東西. 走著走著, 經過一個不小的公園, 有許多上的了年紀的歐吉桑/歐巴桑在公園中散步, 運動. 公園旁有一座小廟, 廟前及廟堂外聚集了不少攤販, 菜,肉, 魚樣樣都有!

十點多, 在逛了接近一個鐘頭, 終於到了沃瑪特, 肚皮裏的蟲可能是餓扁了, 反而不覺得很餓. 我隨便看看, 漫步到餐飲部, 東西還真多! 我挑了幾個小點, 付了錢後到樓下找了個賣飲料的地方坐下來享用早點. 可惜美國國內的沃瑪特沒有像樣的餐飲部, 不然還真是方便.

東西下了肚, 力氣也來了, 繼續去逛街吧! 出了沃瑪特時已經接近十一點半了, 繞著大街小巷我一邊看一邊拍, 不知不覺的, 已經快一點鐘了. 找個地方休息一下吧! 我看見巷尾有個小吃店, 店外有幾張桌子, 我走近點去看看, 哦, 有糯米大腸? 還有筒子米糕?! 肚子雖然不是很餓, 但是看到幾樣平時吃不到的”美食”, 我禁不住的吞了好幾口口水, 進去探個究竟吧.

老闆跟老闆娘看起來很年輕, 我坐了下來, 點了糯米大腸, 筒子米糕及現搾豆漿, 我問老闆娘, 菜單上的, 都是他們自製的嗎? 老闆娘說不是, 他們的師傅是台灣高雄人, 平常一個月台廈來回數次, 那天中午他已經搭機回台了.

老闆的媽媽揹著小孫子在店門口漫步, 臉上泛著滿足的笑容, 看著祖孫倆, 勾起我想家的念頭. 這時候老闆娘將我點的一一端上來. 平時我吃得很快, 但是這次我細嚼慢咽, 喝著濃厚的豆漿, 品嚐著家鄉的口味, 真是一大享受! 結帳後, 我問老闆娘他們幾時打烊, 老闆娘回答說”11點”, 或許晚上再回來吃個宵夜吧!

我走回大街上, 繼續在街頭獵景, 在這時我收到同事發出的電子郵件, 一個在鼓浪嶼, 剛作完禮拜不久, 他在港口買了烤烏賊,還說很好吃! 同行的兩位老美, 一位比較敢於嚐試不同口味, 另一位就沒有那麼大膽了.

在走回旅館的途中, 我聽到小孩子的喧嘩聲, 我走近一看, 有兩個家庭各自帶著兩三個小孩子, 好像是小孩子們起了爭執,吵了起來, 雙方將孩子們拉開, 不過其中一個個子最小的還不肯罷休, 一副小霸王的樣子, 也不知道是他媽媽還是阿姨連忙趕上去把他扯回來, 兩邊家長沒有什麼大反應,可能是見怪不怪了, 看著這一景, 我會心的笑了笑. Boys will be boys!

“台灣原味大高雄黑砂糖刨冰“, ”台灣手抓餅”, “台灣糕餅舖”, “台灣生活館”, 看來, 台,廈兩岸, 並沒有因為一峽之距, 還是政治因素而隔閡很遠. 其實呢, 拋開政治立場, 兩岸都是華人, 兄弟鬩牆, 要何時才能和平相處呢? 柏林圍牆能垮, 蘇聯鐵幕能毀, 二十一世紀是屬於華人的, 讓我們好好把握吧!

我繼續逛了一會兒,在兩點半前回到旅館,就在樓下大廳等Colin.

老盧廈門遊記 - 1

"各位女士, 各位先生, 多謝您搭乘廈門航空.....", a recorded announcement played through the intercom in 閩南語. The friendly voice put me at ease as I settled in my seat. My colleagues and I were on our way to Xiamen for a 2 day stay. It only took roughly two hours to fly to Xiamen from Shenzhen, where we had stayed the previous week.

One of our suppliers had arranged for our pick-up at the airport. Upon exiting the airport terminal the feeling of "home" definitely hit me. It wasn't that 99% of the people there were Chinese, it was the familiar 菜市場 noise and traffic chaos that made me feel like home. Funny isn't it?

We were greeted by Tom and Colin, whom we had met the week before. I chit chatted with our hosts and tried to absorb in the surrounding scenery as much as I could. Xiamen ,I have to say this, there isn't anything small about this harbor city.

Massive architectural structures in Xiamen actually remind me much of Los Angeles, also a coastal city. I didn't waste any time snapping away photos. It started to drizzle soon after we arrived at the hotel.

I got a map from the hotel lobby and quickly plotted out my “老盧到此一遊” coordinates. There are two shopping malls on two opposite directions with the hotel in the center. One is a Walmart, which I figured I would visit the next day. While my colleagues stayed in their hotel rooms, I grabbed some cash and my camera and hit the pavement. I headed for 天虹廣場, roughly 2 km away.

Obviously the road signs and store 看板 are in simplified Chinese. I was kind of surprised that I actually didn’t hear more people using 閩南語, whether on the streets or in the stores. I walked past a few street vendors along the way. I could tell that they were from other provinces judging by their accents.

I took the “sky bridge” – 天橋, to the other side of the street. “Look what I’ve found, a KFC!” Colonel Sanders definitely has a good grasp in the Chinese market with his greasy fingers.

天虹廣場 is right next to KFC, it’s actually quite small. I didn’t see anything particularly interesting inside and quickly got out. Right about then my stomach started to beat like a drum, that tiny voice – “feed me” soon turned into a holler. Well, it’s time to tame the beast.

I returned to the street vendors for a second look. As I surveyed the goodies I also pondered on one issue – sanitary. Should I get something from the store or trust the vendors? “Oh, what the heck!”, I decided to try my luck.

“Hey, what’s this?”, Taiwanese sausages? The girl tended the stall was talking on her cell in閩南語, cool! I asked how much each then bought two of them. Check out my loot!

While uploading photos to FB I began my feast. All that walking on foot had made my legs hollow. I was pretty sure I had eaten everything in a record time. I noticed there was a convenient store not far from the hotel, in case I needed a late night snack, you know.

I looked at the small pile of bills on the dresser, they looked like Monopoly money to me. BTW, no stomachache or any discomfort after eating street food!

Home Coming

I just got words of my upcoming trip to China, that it has been booked. It's going to be a busy 2-week trip, covering 8 or 9 factory visits. Going from Shenzhen to Suzhou, then to Xiamen. 深圳 - 蘇州 - 廈門.

A couple of weeks ago I sent in my passport to get the China visa processed. In the safe where we keep all the important documents, I found my mom's old Green Card and her old 身分證. On it, 本籍 - 福建省廈門市.

A little story that has been passed down - my maternal grandfather (born and raised in Tainan County) had traveled to Xiamen on a few occasions. On one of his trips he met a local gal in Xiamen, they had two daughters in the years that followed. The second daughter is my mom. Soon after my mom was born, grandpa brought grandma and the girls to Tainan. Together they would start a family and more kids were produced. (ten kids in all, which was quite normal back then)

I have no doubt that I still have maternal relatives in Xiamen, perhaps other parts of China as well. How do I go about finding them? I'm not even going to try. That's beyond me. Nevertheless, it'll be sort of a "home-coming" for me. I will be sure to pick up something for my mom when I visit Xiamen.

落葉歸根, 根在哪裡?

上週末中午我們一家應邀到了uncle楊家聚餐, 他們也邀請了另外幾位同鄉會的朋友, 在座的我們是最年輕的. Auntie楊手藝很不錯, 除了一隻烤得恰到好處的火雞, 桌上尚有五,六道菜. 我們邊吃邊聊, 聽他們講古, 在座的蕭老師在美國已經住了四十好幾年, 他以前是本地大學的微生物學教授, 也同時擁有醫師頭銜, 七十多歲的他現在以釀酒自愉. Uncle楊, Uncle黃跟蕭老師的孩子都已經成家立業了, 除了蕭老師的小兒子仍住在印地安納市區, 他們其他的子女都散佈於美國各州.

Uncle跟Auntie楊有兩個兒子, 大的從商, 現住加州洛杉磯區, 小的是醫師, 現居南佛羅里達州, 兩老為了要看兒,媳,孫子, 每年東西岸要跑好幾趟, 他們在台灣的母親仍健在, 所以也是每一年至少回台一次, 探望母親. 聊了好一會兒, 我跟老婆對了一眼, 心有默契的我們知道將來我們兒子大了, 各自成家立業, 我們也可能成為空中飛人一族.

樹高千 丈, 落葉歸根, 但是我們這些三,四十年前在異鄉落地的, "根", 是在哪裡? 我們很明瞭, 台灣, 汶淶已經不是我們的根, 我們不會報著養兒防老的期望, 我們希望的, 只是兒子長大後能在空餘時打個電話, 或是過來探望我們, 這落葉歸"跟", 將是個很大的奓望了!

我 們 這 個 時 代 的 悖 論 Paradox of Our Times

A very good friend of mine sent me a PowerPoint slide show which contained the following. I thought it was quite meaningful and I would like to share with everyone.

我 們 這 個 時 代 的 悖 論
Paradox of Our Times (by Herbert K. Lau)


我們居住的房屋越來越寬敞，家庭卻越趨小型化。
Today, we have bigger houses but smaller families;

可以享受的生活便利日益增多，屬於自己的時間卻日漸減少。
Our daily conveniences have increased, however, time which belongs to ourselves has dwindled;

我們獲得了一張又一張學位證書，卻愈加茫然於常識之中；
We earn one degree after another, but gain less and less common sense;

知識增多了，判斷力卻低了。
With knowledge amassed, our judgment clouded.

專家越來越多，問題卻也日漸增加；藥物越吃越多，健康卻每況愈下。
We have more experts but less problems solved; with more medication consumed, our wellness stumpled.

我們花錢太瘋，笑容太少，開車太快，
We spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast,

怒氣太盛，熬夜太晚，起身太累，
We get to angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too late,

書讀得少，電視看得勤，卻難得禱告。
We read too little, watch too much TV, and pray too seldom.

我們不斷聚斂財富，卻逐漸丟失了自我價值。
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

我們的話語太多，真愛太少，謊言氾濫。
We talk too much, love too little and lie too often.

我們掌握了謀生手段，卻不懂得生活真諦；
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life;

我們讓年華付諸流水，卻不曾將生命傾注其中。
We've added years to life, not life to years.

我們的住房越來越高，脾氣卻越來越糟；
We reside in taller buildings, but our tempers run short;

我們的道路越來越寬闊，眼光卻越來越狹隘。
We have constructed wider freeways, but our viewpoints have narrowed.

我們付出很多，可獲得的很少；我們購辦了很多，可未有物盡其用 。
We spend more with less in return; the more we purchase, the less we get to enjoy them.

我們能夠往返於地球與月球之間，卻不樂意穿過馬路向新鄰居問好。
We've been to the moon and back,
but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.

我們可以征服外太空，卻懾於走進內心世界。
We've conquered the outer space, but failed in reaching our inner space.

我們可以擊碎原子，卻不能突破思想偏見；
We can split an atom, but not our prejudice;

我們寫得很多，可學到的很少；計畫多多，可完成的很少。
We write a lot, but learn less; we plan more, but accomplish less.

我們懂得追趕時間，卻沒學會耐心等待；
We've learned to rush, not to wait;

我們的收入越來越高，道德品格卻越見低俗。
We have higher incomes, but lower morals.

我們用很多電腦儲存大量訊息，複製無數資訊，但人與人間相互交流溝通卻稀疏。
We build more computers to hold more information, to produce and duplicate,
but have less communication.

我們擁有的是數量，缺乏的是質量。
We accumulate on quantity, but fall short on quality.

這是吃快餐卻消化遲鈍的時代；身軀高大但性格侏儒的時代；名利高踞而人情淺薄的時代。
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; we have taller statute but shorter characters;
profits may be abundant, however the relationships are shallow.

我們的閒暇多了，樂趣卻少了；食品種類多了，營養卻少了；
We allocate time for more leisure but enjoy less fun; we enjoy more food groups but turn a blind eye on nutrition;

雙職家庭多了，廝守終生的少了；居處裝修華麗了，家庭卻破碎了。
Two incomes households increased so does divorce rate; our houses are more elaborate but our homes broken.

這就是我們今天身處充滿悖論的時代。
This is the paradox of our times today.

因此我奉勸大家，在當今這個時代，不必為某個特別時刻保留什麼，
因為我們生活的每一天都是特別時刻。
That's why I propose, that, as of today, you do not keep anything for a special occasion, because every day that you live is a special occasion.

探索知識，遨遊書海，坐在門廊前欣賞眼前的景色，把所有煩惱拋諸腦後。
Search for knowledge, read more, sit on your front porch and
admire the view without paying attention to your needs.

留出更多時間與家人朋友一起，吃愛吃的東西，去你愛去的地方。
Spend more time with your family and friends, eat your favorite foods,
and visit the places you love.

生命是由快樂時光組成的鏈條，而不僅僅是為了活着。
Life is a chain of moments, of enjoyment, not only about survival.

舉起你那水晶酒杯開懷暢飲吧 ! 不要吝惜你最好的香水，只要想用就盡情地用吧 !
Use your crystal goblets, cheers!
Splash on your best perfume, use it whenever you wish.

將「今後某一天」這類的話語從你的詞彙中刪除，
當下就把你想在「今後某一天」寫的信件寫了寄出。
Remove "one of these days" and "someday" from your vocabulary and phrases.
Just write that letter that you have been thinking about writing - "one of these days".

不要把對家人和朋友的愛深藏心中，大膽地告訴他們。
Tell our families and friends just how much we love them.

對於能給你的生命增添快樂的事情，不要押後拖延。
Let's not pounder anymore on things which bring forth laughter and joyment to your life.

每一天，每一小時，每一分鐘都是特別的。你怎麼知道這不會是你的最後一刻?
Every day, every hour, and every minute is special.
You will never know if it will be your last.

如果你因為太忙而無暇
將這段文字傳達給你所愛的人，
總以為"今後的某一天"會有時間發出，
那麼想想吧....
"今後的某一天"
你可能沒機會再發這封信了。

If you're too busy to take the time to send this message to those dearest to you;
and think that there will always be "one of these days",
just think …
you may not have "one of these days" to send it!

Diversity

"Mama, can you steam the pork buns for me? I need them for the Holiday around the World in my class this morning.", our older son asked. "Holiday around the World?", I asked my wife. "Didn't you sign the consent paper the other day?", replied my wife. "I did? What is it again?", I called out to our older son. It sounded like I was rubber-stamping again, oops.

"We are having a classroom party this morning, all the students get to choose a country they want to represent. We research and present interesting facts about the country and bring a dish to share with everyone. Parents and siblings are welcomed at the party. You and mama are coming, right?", replied our older son.

"Oh, THAT Holiday around the World!", darn it, I still couldn't remember but anyhow we'd go and check it out. At around 7:40 am, with pork buns steamed and placed in the bamboo steamers, we gathered the boys and headed to their school. It was bone-chilling cold in the morning, the thought of steamy pork buns warmed me up!

Our kids' school is no more than a few hundred yards from us, almost as soon as we had hopped in the car, we had arrived in the parking lot. We walked passed the administrative office and headed down the hallway to our son's classroom. We were greeted by other teachers and fellow parents. A few families had arrived and set up their food item(s) already.

All four of us circled around the classroom, checking out different exhibits. I'd say the majority of them centered around European countries, perhaps the representing students have family roots traced back to them. Although not mandatory, many students chose countries where their parents (or ancestors) were from. "Oh yeah, now I remember!", I actually helped my son in his fun facts research and gave him idea about the bizarre food found in Taiwan.

The classroom filled up very quickly. Parents, younger siblings, teachers from other classes, it was quite homey. My wife and I helped our kids to their second breakfast and sampled a few items ourselves. We chit-chatted with a few parents who also live in our community. In the midst of this fun gathering something suddenly popped in my mind. As I looked around, I actually saw diversity. Of a class of some 26 students, ~8 of them have cultural roots in the Far-East.

Usually there are 2-3 minority students in each class, 8 in one class, that's significant! Sure, it pales in comparison with cities like New York or Los Angeles in which we literally blend right in. A few years back we would only see 2-3 students in each class who are minority.

It's been a long time coming, but it looks like diversity is finding its way to the Mid-West.

揠(壓)苗助長

I try not to brag too much about my two sons but I am very proud that they both excel at school. Our 4th grader was on his school's spell bowl team which brought home the 1st place trophy in an inter-district competition last month. About two weeks ago he came home and broke us the news, that he would begin taking 6th grade math the following week. My first reaction was "wow, that's very darn good!". Our younger son is also doing very well in all his classes. We are quite sure that he will follow his older brother's footstep and be placed in the GT program come next year. (GT - gifted and talented)

As much as they excel academically, our kids also want to play video games and be couch potatoes. Underneath the brainy facade, they are just your typical 9 and 7 year old boys. About a week ago our older son told us that two of his spell bowl teammates are now enrolled in Kumon Learning Center - 資優補習班. I asked my son if he knew why they were enrolled in Kumon and his reply was that their parents wanted them to. Another one of my son's teammate, although not enrolled in any academic center, his dad has been giving him extra curriculum at home such as reading and working on English and math assignments nearly 3 grades ahead of his current level.

Again, I asked if he knew why? He said that his friend's dad thought he should be paced instead of taking his own pace. The rationale behind it - kids need that extra push to fulfill their potential. My son also said that his classmate isn't allowed to have friends over, unless they discuss homework or school projects. My wife had a first hand experience with my son's classmate's mom when they both chaperoned the class during one field trip. Simply put, his mom was joined at the hip with him the entire trip.

Sure, kids can get lazy, including the smartest. They can use a good nudge from time to time to get them off the sofa. However, if they are already performing at a level or several levels above their age group, is there really any need to push them even harder? Does pushing harder really guarantee any future success? As gifted as a child may be, their social and cognitive senses still need time to develop. The drive from the parents may pave the way to an Ivy League school and a brilliant career, but it robs a child's innocence in more way than they realize. Have the parents succeeded if their children turn out to be the best in their perspective field but are social outcasts at the same time? Certainly, the circumstances are complete different if one's child is a musical protege or a math genius. These kids are in a class of their own and should be nurished differently. More often than not, they are self-driven and are self-disciplined far beyond their parents' expectations.

I'm lucky that my wife and I are on the same page on this, that fostering precedes driving. We as parents should nurture the natural talents that our children have. We need to provide them proper guidance and encouragement as they grow. Even the fastest running colts need some room to breathe, right?

In case anyone is wondering, the two kids enrolled in Kumon are of Indian descent (India), the other classmate of my son's, his parents are from China. This "push to their highest potential" is commonly seen among Asians but certainly isn't limited to one specific ethnic group.

A story of true love

This isn't a true love story, but a story of true love.

"Ma..ma..." a toddler was crawling on the floor at the YMCA where we are members. I was sitting a short distance from the front desk waiting for my sons' Taekwondo class to be over. "Ma..ma..", the little guy muttered and continued to crawl. Down at the end of the hallway, I saw a lady walking up with a big smile.

"Be careful, people can't see you!" a gentleman in his late 30's walked up to the little boy and scooped him up with one arm. "See, there is mama, she is coming for you.", he said with a smile. Moments later the dad passed the little boy over to the mom. She held him up then gave him several big kisses. Mom and dad chatted a little before heading out the door.

It was a scene that can be seen everyday, in many places. What was special about it then? From what I could tell, the little boy most likely has Down syndrome, perhaps a mild case. I could also tell that the little boy is the jewel in his parents' eyes despite his mental capacity.

Bless their hearts and the true love they hold for their young son.

歸心

5:30 am, my watch showed. Another hour before take-off. My wife and two sons were having a light breakfast as I turned on my iPod and put on my headphones. Passengers quickly filled the waiting area, much like the aroma from the cafe nearby. A familiar song started to play on my iPod - 薛岳: 機場, I turned up the volume just enough to drown out my sons' laughter. I wasn't trying to ignore them, but to have a few moments to enjoy the song.

My wife and I were in California this past January when she attended a conference. It had been over three years since our last visit as a family. I had called San Diego home for over two decades, every trip back feels much like a home coming to me. I gazed at my sons as they played. It wasn't until a few minutes ago, that they were told of our final destination, both of them were elated. They had asked when we could visit their cousins many times this year, our reply had always been the same - "Soon, maybe next long vacation.". We wanted to keep it as a surprise, now they knew. On San Diego side, my mom, my nephew and niece still didn't know about our surprise visit.

It would have been nice if the four kids - our sons and my sister's two kids, could share childhood memories together. Unfortunately we had to go where the job market was. Despite the long distance, our families have remained close through the years. I was sure that the kids would have much to talk about and have a great time.

I wasn't exactly anxious but I found myself looking at my watch a lot. Finally, the boarding announcement was made, time to get in line to board the plane. There isn't any direct flight between the two cities. We had to fly to Denver for our connecting flight on this trip. Luckily both flights were roughly two hours long, with about one hour in between them.

At around 9:30 am, Pacific Time, our plane started to descend. Familiar buildings, structures began to emerge. "Look, that's downtown San Diego...the Skyline", I pointed them out to my younger son who sat next to me. "There's the Coronado Bridge...", my son didn't respond, it just did have the same effect on him seeing these landmarks. Deep down I said to myself, "I'm back!".

Shortly after 10 am, we picked up our rental car and set the GPS, then off we went.

Care to guess where we headed first?

華僑都很有錢?

華僑都很有錢?

Filed under: Random Chat — tluroc76 @ 12:26 pm

"表哥你的年薪多少?", 我表妹問我 . "差不多$N 吧?", 我回答她. 哇塞, 折台幣N萬耶? 你們好有錢喔!
How much do you earn a year, cousin? Asked one of my cousins. "About $N", I replied. Wow, that’s about NT $$, you guys are rich!

表哥好有錢? 我掏了下口袋, 剛好一邊各有四角. 我對我表妹笑了笑, 或許表哥真的是好有錢, 錢多到在那裡我自己都不知道.
Me, rich? I checked my pants pockets, four corners in each of them. I gave my cousin a smile. Perhaps I do have an overabundance of money, so much money, I’m clueless myself.

在美國長住, 工作的華僑都知道, 其實年薪高並不代表有錢. 在每個月領的兩張薪水支票上, 扣的最重的就是所得稅 – 聯邦稅 & 州稅就吃掉接近總額的40-45%.
Those who have been living and working in the States all know this, that a "good" annual income doesn’t really represent the true "wealth" of an individual or family. From my bi-monthly checks, income tax is the heaviest of all deductions. Federal and State taxes chew up nearly 40-45% of the entire amount.

那還有55%以上咧! 我還沒有算完呢. 個人養老基金 – 3~12%, 因人而異, 有的人存得更多(少), 醫療保 – 2~5%; 飯都還沒有吃, 薪水已經去了一半以上.
Well, there is still a good 55% left, not so fast, I haven’t even begun to add up all the deductions yet! Personal retirement fund and other contributions usually amount to 3~12%, some put away more (some less). Medical expenses add up to 2~ 5%; before you have your next meal, more than half of your paycheck is gone!

俗語說, 衣食住行是每一個人生活中不可或缺的基本條件, 就算生活不奢侈, 不要求吃得好, 穿得好,住洋房, 開高級轎車, 這四項包括的, 又花去了剩餘薪水的4/5.
Clothing, food, shelter and transportation are said to be the basic necessasities in everyone’s life. Even without overspending on clothes, food; on a big home and on luxury car, these four needs eat up 4/5 of the remaining check.

有嗎? 或許有人會問.
Really? Some may ask.

食: 用一家四口來算吧, 如果沒有常常在外面吃, 一天的食物費差不多是$25 ~ $40; 一個月$750 ~ $1200+
Food: Let’s take a family of four for example. Without eating out often, the average daily food cost is around $25~$40; monthly food bill at $750~$1200+

住: 分期付款 + 房子保險 + 縣/市稅
電費, 水費, 電話費, 瓦斯費, 電視費, 收垃圾費, 廢水處理費, 網路費…..等等
Shelter: mortgage (principal + interest) + home insurance + county and / or city tax
electricity, water, telephone, gas, TV, disposal, utilities, Internet…etc

行: 車貸款 + 車保險 + 汽油費 + 車保養費
Transportation: car payment + car insurance + regular maintenance

有小孩的家庭: 托兒費, 大學基金; 其他活動費用
Families with kids: babysitting expenses, college funds; fees for other activities
(一般規定, 十二歲以下的小孩不得自己在家, 每州不一樣
General rule in many states, kids under the age of 12 are not allowed to be at home alone.)


華僑都很有錢?

Yeah, I wish!

Nature

For several days now, the soaring sun threatened to push the thermometer to triple-digit and nearly succeeded. The heat waves coupled with unusually high humidity were suffocating, making plants and animals alike, succumb to their deathly grip. These were by far the hottest days we had experienced living in the Mid-West.

Thankfully, another round of storm was on its way, with it, some much needed rain to ease the summer heat. Last night, after an exhaustive day of battling the weather elements and running errands, everyone felt drained. I tugged our sons in for the evening, then my wife not long after.

I could hear the distant thunder roar as lightening lit up the night sky more and more frequent. Instinctively I surveyed every window on the first floor of our home, making sure they were all latched properly. I looked through the window panes, sure enough, the clouds saturated with heavy precipitation were fast approaching.

I stood by the windows for another moment or two, still looking out. Sporadically, the fireflies flew through our backyard, vanishing into the darkness. A few raindrops fell on the windows, soon, the intensity picked up. Another flash of lightening jolted across the sky gave intro to yet another heart-thumping roar.

A symphony was underway, composed, orchestrated entirely by Nature.

Taiwan 2010, Day 3 – The Feast

I’ve always had a deep appreciation for tranditional Chinese crafts. Whether it’s an architectural design, a handcraft or a sculpture, all requires a tremendous amount of patience and artistry. After our Tour de Taipei 101 had concluded we headed back Shih Pai, Uncle Lai was waiting for us. I told him that we would be back by 2 pm, perhaps 3 pm at the latest. Let me pin this one on my wife, so much to shop, not enough time.

We were supposed to meet with Aunt Connie, a long time family friend since the 1990′s. I’m not sure how she first met my parents but she was a regular at the Lu household for a number of years. Aunt Connie was visiting her younger brother in Keelung and she had invited us to join them for dinner. Uncle Lai and Aunt Connie have become good friends as well.

The drive to Keelung was dark and damp, it actually rain quite heavily at one point. I have no memories of this harbor city, zilch. The drive took close to 50
minutes, our sons had fallen asleep within minutes after they were in
the car. We had been on the go ever since we arrived in Taipei. Nearly 4 hours of walk in Shih Lin the day before. From Taipei 101 to 地下街 , another 4+ hours on foot, no wonder they were completely out.

We had to wake the boys up, still dazed, they managed to walk up the short hill leading to Mr. Lin’s house. Aunt Connie looked exactly the same as I last saw her, that would make it about 2-3 years. She gave each of us a big hug, she couldn’t believe how big our sons had gotten. Our boys were still too tired to explore Mr. Lin’s place. He was kind enough to offer one of the rooms
so our boys could sleep.

Needless to say, it was our first time meeting Aunt Connie’s brother. They do share some resemblances, most noticeably, they both speak with a big
voice and are very animated. As we looked around I found myself completely in awe! What a place Mr. Lin has! Wow! I don’t know how in the world he has accumulated all the art pieces, many of them of Buddhism religion. (Some say that Buddhism isn’t a religion but a philosophy, let’s not get into a debate on this.)

Mr. Lin holds a great wealth of knowledge in Buddhism, as well as Chinese history. He tirelessly explained the background of each piece to us, there were easily hundreds of art pieces. Status of Buddhist Gods, Goddesses,
architectural pieces from old temples, buildings (三合 / 四合院) , handcrafted
headboards, dressers, chairs, filled up much of the living spaces. Mr. Lin told
us what we had seen, was just a tip of the iceberg. Apparently there are two
other large rooms also filled with art pieces he has collected over the years.

It’s not an exaggeration that Mr. Lin owns a museum of his own. Mrs. Lin
was the chef of the evening and what dishes she had prepared! Every dish was carefully assembled, the elegant presentation made everything even more mouthwatering.

滷豬腳 高麗魷魚 蔥薑魚 醬鵝肝 雞捲 炒米粉 臘腸 素雞 白切章魚, I hope I didn’t miss anything. If I did, my apology to Mrs. Lin.

The conversations over the dinner table were great. Most of the time, my
wife and I listened. In between Aunt Connie and her brother, with Uncle Lai
filling in from time to time. It was as if we were sitting in some cultural
seminar, the topics were engaging and very interesting. The "elders", not including myself this time, continued with their own storytelling. The drinks flew and the food kept coming! We were getting quite tired so we thanked the Mr. and Mrs. Lin for the feast. We toured around the house as the dinner table conversations continued.

This seemingly endless banquet finally ended at just before 9 pm, I was
barely able to keep my eyes open by then. Guess what, there was yet another group of people (my cousins) waiting for us once we got back to Shih Pai. Oh the price to pay for having so many relatives! It’d be great if I could round them all up and hit them with one shot. Oh well, at least we have remained close after all these years.

Day 3 – Taipei 101 (sorry Mitchell, we had to go visit it at least once)

Our second full day here in Shih Pai started out with traditional Taiwanese breakfast. There is a 永和豆漿 (they are virtually everywhere!) just across the street from my cousin’s place. It was a little busy as we found our way inside for a table. Within a 50 meter radius, there are no less than 20 eateries of some sort. How convenient is that? We sat down as one of the staff handed me a small clip board with menus on it. "Just mark whatever you like." the
staff explained to me. Normally I’d hand the menu to my wife but in this case I had to do the ordering, the menu was printed in Chinese only. My Mrs. knows a handful of Chinese characters as she wasn’t raised in a Chinese speaking environment.

A tray of 小籠包 couldn’t go wrong, no matter what time of the day it is. Added to the steamed pork buns were 蛋餅 & 蘿蔔糕. Plus two orders of soymilk and a rice powdered milk
for myself and a 飯團. A light yet filling breakfast for the family. Our agenda for the day was to meet up with two online friends at Taipei 101, known as 豆豆 & 摩摩
(Pea & Momo) for the first time.

"History has a way of repeating itself." I had to make sure that it didn’t happen after
yesterday’s ordeal. I checked the emails several times and had the list of contact info safely tugged away in my camera case. I had also emailed both ladies and given them my cell number. Angel lent me one of her cell phones. We actually didn’t need the phone since Angel and her boyfriend were coming with us.

In my previous article, both Pea and Momo had to commute close to an hour to get to Taipei
City. Before our trip I was deeply moved by their friendly and kind gesture. I had only given Pea several unstructured English lessons and had a handful of message exchanges with Momo prior to our meeting. For them to come all the way to meet us and spend a few hours together, really made me humble.

The rain continued from the night before but wasn’t quite as heavy. I must praise the
public transit system in Taiwan, swift, convenient and quite affordable. Not long after we got out of the station and headed our way to Taipei 101 my cell phone rang. Pea was already in the building. We were about half a block away so we paced ourselves. We were supposed to meet at a Japanese restaurant just outside the building, only I couldn’t find the dang place! Fortunately I had the contact list and a cell phone this time. History wasn’t going to repeat this morning!

We exchange calls with Pea several times, trying to pin point each other’s location in the
building. After a few minutes a young lady that fit the descriptions emerged. We looked at each other with uncertainty. "Uncle Lu?" the slender young lady asked. "Pea?" I replied. We looked at each other and smiled. I introduced Pea to the Lu clang, my cousin Angel and her bf. Whew, I didn’t screw up this time! Pea told me Momo should arrive in another 20 or so
minutes. "Great!" I thought. We walked a around a little and wandered our way to the lower level - 美食街.

It was still early but I could tell that our appetite was coming back, the store displays looked yummy! We circled the lower level for a while before finding a spot to sit. We chatted with Pea a little and moments later Momo joined us. I’m guessing the two ladies are about the same age, I didn’t ask them though. Mrs. Lu told me that lunch was on her and
asked me to take our guests to different establishments on the lower level to
see what they liked for lunch.

I’m not sure if the locals would agree with us, but we felt that the food prices were quite
good. For NT120~140 each set, my wife ordered two sets for our sons and one for
herself. Our elder son had 魯肉飯, 貢丸湯加燙青菜 for ~ $4? What a bargain!! I looked at my wife’s sizzling plate with 排骨飯 + 蛋, 2 small plates of pickled veggie and a bowl of Pea & carrot soup, not bad! Not bad at all! We chit chatted during our meal and it was very pleasant.

After lunch, we explored the now second tallest building in the world. It’s quite an impressive
structure, all the resident stores are open and bright. I had taken shopping tips from 大姐頭
- don’t shop at Taipei 101! We strolled from store to store, from one floor to the next. We had to make an extended stop at one of the toys & games places so our sons could flex their arms and hands. Pea and Momo were more like two big sisters to our sons. They were able to communicate to an extend. I know, I HAVE to teach our sons Mandarin more!
Our boys played as the two big sisters looked on.

We spent another hour inside, exploring more stores. There is this one store that particularly liked, but the prices are too steep. The "real" shopping would take place once we had concluded our Tour de Taipei 101. We worked out way back to the Taipei Main Station, the 地下街 sections. The foot traffic wasn’t too heavy on this Saturday afternoon. We really liked all the different stores and what they had to offer. Since many stores sell the same items, the prices are very close. We browsed through a few stores and noted the
prices, the differences were minuscule.

I still have the habit of converting back to US currency whenever I see a price on something. Well, nearly everything we saw was inexpensive! Pea and Momo were also bargain
hunting, too. It’s quite a distance from one end of the strip and back, with stores on both sides. There are several more strips like the one we had visited.

By mid-afternoon we had accumulated several bags of goodies, something for everyone, including kids. We really wanted to shop around more but it was close to 4 pm already. Uncle Lai was waiting for us to get back so he could take us to Keelung to meet with Aunt Connie (a very close family friend) and have dinner with her.

We returned to Taipei Main Station and said good-bye to Pea and Momo. Although we didn’t get to chat extensively but we did have a great time browsing, shopping together. Our sons really enjoyed being with the big sisters, too. Thank you Pea and Momo!
By the way, the snacks you brought us were DELICIOUS!

Day 2 – 士林夜市 here we come!

Dang, this box spring and comforter on top combo really made me feel like an old man! My wife got up feeling the same way, except she felt like an old lady. Despite the long flight the day before, we all got up fairly early, a few ticks before 7 am. So, what’s for breakfast?

Since we had arrived late last night, we didn’t know what was available. But I was sure that we could find something for everyone. 三文治? 豆漿+燒餅? 陽春麵? A few items quickly went through my head. We freshened up and headed out. We
stopped by Uncle Lai’s parents’ next door, Uncle Lai was out and about already. That’s all right, we’d see him again in the evening anyway.

It was a cloudy day but plenty warm for us at about 17~18 deg C. We walked
past close to a dozen food stalls in a short 100 meter distance. All breakfast items mentioned above were being served but somehow didn’t appeal to us. We continued walking, passing yet another dozen food stalls. Choices, choices, decisions, decisions!

Right at the corner after we walked past 明德國中 we saw a stall serving something different – 油飯, 貢丸湯, 肉羹. We found a table and settled in to placed our order. Our order arrived shortly, everything was very tasty. For some
reason we weren’t quite hungry though. Normally our sons would just devour whatever we put in front of them. Not this morning.

We walked back to the my cousin’s place after breakfast. We still had to sort out all 6 pieces of luggage we had brought. By around 10 am or so, we went down stairs and headed to the small temple where Angel does her volunteer work. The temple sits right next to a park with basketball and tennis courts. I read the sign on the fence and couldn’t help but chuckled, someone ought to proofread it first. Make that someone "qualified".

We got back to Angel’s place and took it easy the rest of the morning. I checked our trip schedule, next up for the day - Shih Lin Night Market! The long wait was finally over, we were merely two stations from 士林捷運站! I remembered that we were supposed to meet with a friend so I quickly checked my emails.

About the only place in Shih Lin I could recall was 宇音樂器行. I sent a message to my friend and asked if she knew the place, she looked it up and responded yes, she knew where to find it. I emailed her again, telling her what time we would meet. I thought to myself, "Great! Finally got a chance to unmask the disguise."

A small entourage, our family plus Uncle Lai and Angel hopped on the MRT and headed 宇音樂器行 in Shih Lin about 20 minutes before the said meeting time. We got off 士林捷運站 with plenty of time to spare. Several minutes went by, then several more. I usually allow a half hour window when waiting for someone but since there was a small group of us, I decided 15 mins would be the limit. Well, 15, 16, 17 minutes went by quickly. I was sure my friend wouldn’t stand us up but perhaps a miscommunication had occurred somewhere. I wish I had brought the contact info paper I had printed out. And that I had given my friend a cell phone number. I got a loaner cell phone from Angel for the remainder of our trip later in the day.

It was a little early to be browsing the alleys in Shih Lin before 5 pm. Half
the stores, stalls were still closed or being set up. We went through 小北街, 大東路area, dodging motorcyclists and cars. It reminded me of the good ‘ol middle school days. I used to go through the web of back alleyways back in the day. Shih Lin hasn’t lost any charm over the years at all, in my opinion.

By early evening, at around 5 pm or so, the streets began to fill up, with mostly school kids. We looked around, going from store to store, stall to stall. Mobile vendors were setting up to get ready for yet another busy night. My wife and I were talking about how we would pig out in Shih Lin weeks leading up to our trip. Well, here we were, after nearly 2 hrs on foot, we ought to be hungry like a pack of wolves right? I don’t know if our trip fatigue had finally set in but none of us was really hungry.

I didn’t want to keep Uncle Lai and Angel waiting so we picked a booth serving
蚵仔煎among other things. It was literally a tug of war going through booths serving practically identical food items. One lady extended one arm out and welcomed my wife, "美女….進來啦", pointing to a table inside. It didn’t register with my wife so I asked her "美女, which one do you want?" It still took her a few seconds to realize that she was the "美女".

Believe it or not, the four of us only had 2 plates of 蚵仔煎, 2 bowls of 魷魚羹 and a small serving of 士林大腸. Normally I’d eat all that plus more all by myself. Perhaps the air saturated with the scent of stinky tofu deterred their appetite? Or, perhaps they just 看都看到飽! We browsed around some more and did some shopping as it started to sprinkle. It eventually started to rain at 7 pm or so. On our way back to the MRT station I noticed that a lot of people were staring at us.
It was the same stare I had received years ago going through….. Shih Lin! I looked around and found us the only people with just T-shirts on, we had our sweaters tied around the waist. Years of living in a colder climate had a lasting effect on us – thicker skin, we had evolved!

If not for the rain we would have lingered longer. I turned to my wife and we agreed, that we’d be back again before out trip is over. After going through my emails later in the evening I found it was indeed a miscommunication solely on my part. I had mentioned 宇音樂器行 but didn’t specify it to be the meeting place. So,
while we stood like a bunch of idiots outside the store, my friend waited at the 捷運站. Doh! I apologized to my friend, and that I was very sorry for the confusion and missed opportunity to meet. "We’ll be back!"

Leave a Comment TW 2010, Day 1 (Indy – Dallas – Tokyo – Tao Yuan)

Our 20+ hour flight had finally concluded, thankfully, everyone had done quite well especially our two sons. It was the first transoceanic adventure that they had ever embarked on. I must say that they were very well behaved. Quite
frankly, I didn’t know what to expect as the plane was pulling up to
the designated gate. "Will my friends and relatives greet us cheerfully
and warmly? Or, will there not be any welcome mat at all?", I wondered.

As I placed the last piece of luggage on the cart, we began heading toward the ground transportation exit. Like a migrating herd, we followed the rest of the travelers. Through the exit doors, I looked and saw my uncle awaiting from a short distance . Uncle Lai waved at us as soon as he spotted me. The familiar smile put me at ease as he lead us to the outside of the terminal building.

We waited at the curbside for several minutes before Uncle Lai drove his car around. We loaded our luggage swiftly and soon were on our way to Shih-Pai. Uncle
Lai is married to my mom’s 4th sister, in case anyone is wondering. I asked how he had been and how everyone was as we entered the freeway.

Nearly twelve years had gone by since our last visit. We actually didn’t get
to see Uncle Lai on our last trip due to circumstances. It had been close to fifteen years since we last chatted. It didn’t take long for our sons to fall asleep in the back of the car. In a little over 30 minutes we arrived at Uncle Lai’s old home in Shih-Pai, now occupied by his eldest daughter. I buzzed my cousin – Angel, on the second floor, she unlocked the security door and let us in immediately. I was sure
that she had waited by the door soon after the plane had touched down.

Another familiar, smiley face greeted us. Angel looked the same despite the
time had elapsed. She was as friendly as I could remembered. The English name she had chosen was a perfect match to her easy-going, always helpful personality. Our sons were too tired to take a shower so a quick head to toe wipe down was all they got before sending them to bed.

Uncle Lai’s parents still live next door but it was too late in the evening to say hello to them. My Mrs. and I were very tired as well. We said good night to Uncle Lai and Angel before we retired for the evening. I think it was close to 1 am when I finally succumbed to fatigue. I remembered thinking to myself, "It was great to be back!".

Farewell to an old friend

For over 16 years you had traveled
with me. Together, we had logged over 183,000 miles. From scenic
ocean routes to bland desert scenes, we shared every stop and every
turn. Side by side, we roamed the hilly American West, and the flat
lands of the Mid-West.

You had shielded me from the scorching
summer heat. You had also sheltered me from the bitter winter cold. We
had greeted many blossoms in the spring. We had also chased many fallen
leaves in the fall.

Through the years I had done the best I
could to ease you from aches and pains, not once you had complained.
Like all journeys that must come to an end, we too, had to part our
ways.

Farewell to you my trusty friend, thank you for all the fond memories!

Our hit list

In no particular order, below is our trip hit list I’ve come up thus far. If you aren’t named here, don’t worry, We WILL Find YOU!

菜埔蛋 懷古便當

白菜滷

彰化肉圓 烤香腸

刈包

炸臭豆 腐 筒仔米糕

魷魚 羹 豬肉羹

紅燒牛肉麵 小籠包

潤餅捲 炒米粉 大(米)腸

燒肉粽 豬血糕 胡椒餅

蚵仔 + 大腸麵線 蚵仔煎

台南度小月擔仔麵