Pantsuit on fire

I thought it was over a month ago. It was unrealistic to believe over eighty percent of the remaining Democratic delegates would suddenly vote for Hillary. Nonetheless, she pressed on until Obama got the official vote count last night. Even at the last hour of her speech, she insisted she is the better qualified president of U.S., and at the same time, she told the world she wanted to be the VP without talking to the Obama’s camp (from a less reliable source, Bill also nominated himself the head supervisor of the Whitehouse interns). It is no brainer that the Obama-Clinton ticket makes the strongest challenge to McCain, but it is more than just winning the presidency--there will be years of team work down the road.

People start to analyze why Hillary lost. There are of course many factors, from Bill to her pantsuits. What about her pantsuits? She wore pantsuits in sunflower yellow, ketchup red, schoolgirl pink, and many different bright colors. You may say they show her self-confidence, but they are also really distractive to voters who need to listen to what she says. Last year, a Chinese manufacturer tried to recall pantsuits with asbestos material that belongs to one of her wardrobe. Why would one want to wear asbestos pantsuit for pity’s sake? To prevent pants on fire?

Last night was the night

Last night (5/7/08) was the night that spelled out the end Hilary Clinton’s contest for American presidency. Ignoring the obvious statistics in North Carolina and Indiana, she told her supporters it would be full speed to the White House instead. How can people trust her judgment if she cannot see her inevitable defeat? Or if she selfishly continues to fight regardless—doing exactly what Republicans want her to.

I have great respect for both candidates. It is interesting to observe how people take side like sport fans rooting for their team. There are really no major difference in political issues between Clinton and Obama (only if you count the gas tank holiday), but one third of Clinton’s supporters said they will not vote for Obama if Clinton lost.

All elderly women go for Clinton, and blacks for Obama. Nobody can be absolutely free of prejudice. Me, I cannot imagine giving Bill a chance to go back to White House, having nothing to do and hang out with interns all days.

Words are not just words

Pigments are not just pigments on paintings; they are the love and pain, beauty and irony that the painters want us to see. Music notes are not just music notes in symphonies; they are the harmonies or counterpoints that the composers want us to hear. Words are not just words in stories; they are the world the writers conceive and retell. Writers salt it down and spice it up—that is how many great poems and novels were created.

The story of Trojan War probably was told and re-told many times for hundreds of years before Homer wrote it down in an epic poem. Many historians believe it is a true historical event. There may be real heroes like Achilles and Hector, or there may even be a real Helen whose face launched a thousand ships. By and large, we can safely reason most parts are myths.

When Sima Qian (司馬遷) wrote the first official Chinese history, Records of the Grand Historian (史記), he inevitably injected many of his own ideas (and had the final saying about his unfortunate castration after all). Nonetheless, one can trust most the historical accounts he wrote are accurate because of the intrinsic consistency and they are consistent with other historical records. Some of them have been verified by modern archaeological findings.

As absurd as it sounds, the morality of slavery is not a clear cut in the American society only a hundred some years ago. The classic Uncle Tom’s Cabin was considered a propaganda publication in an abolitionists’ periodical. Every story that a historian or newsman tells reflects his or her own idea or self-interest. Remember how Connie Chung and Dan Rather lost their jobs? We are overwhelmed with news and information from Internet these days. How do we know what is true or false, mistake or malice, fact or propaganda? The absolute truth may never be known, but the approximation of it could merge if many enough different views are read; logic and reason are allowed to prevail.

When the Olympic flame went out in Paris

I read the news about the Olympic flame went out because of the Tibet protest in Paris.
More than two thousand years ago, the warring Greek city states got this great idea of competing in athletic fields instead of battle fields; they started the Olympic game. There will always be difference in politics. George Bush thinks he is liberating Iraq while people around the world think he is invading. Now the Western news media are saying China invaded and occupied Tibet. It is kind of true but the invasion took place more than three hundred years ago during Qing dynasty. All UN countries recognize China’s sovereign of Tibet. However, it does not mean it is the way should be.

Han Chinese didn’t like the Manchu rule and overthrew the Qing dynasty. I find it hard to believe Tibetans welcome Hans’ rule even after three hundred some years. I don’t know how much blood has been shed in the past, but I know for sure it won’t be over soon. People fight for lands, for foods, for gold, for oil, for resource, for control and dominance, and for thousands of years. When will human race learn to set aside their differences and play some friendly games?

Afghan girl in refugee camp

Here is a haunting image of an Afghan girl in refugee camp captured by a National Geographic photographer two decades ago. It becomes an icon of the country's suffering. Peace is nowhere to be seen at the time of this writing.

Unatoned Sins

At the very beginning of the book The Kite Runner, an Afghan man Amir in California received a phone call from his father’s old friend from the war torn Afghanistan. He knew it was the past of his unatoned sins calling.

It is a story of two boys, best friends, growing up in Kabul. Because of a neighbor bully (Assef), because of his cowardice and his shame, Amir betrayed his best friend who loves him with all his heart and soul. Then Amir went on with his life moved to California with his father when Russians invaded Afghanistan. As the story unravels, he found out shocking facts and sins committed by his virtuous late father.

Those sins are of course pale in comparison the brutal Russian invaders and monstrous Talibans (Sunni Moslem) who massacred the Mongolian Afghans (Hazara who happen to its viral Shia Moslem). Foreign powers provided money, guns and rockets, and Afghans took the baits killing each other trying to dominate and control. Near the end, Amir finally met the old bully Assef face to face. Assef turned into a blood-thirsty Taliban.

The book is full of surprises that grip you from chapter to chapter. It is Afghan immigrant Kaled Hosseini’s first book. He writes with spare words—incomplete sentences—one word one sentence and sometimes even one word one paragraph--stuffs that could have been flunked by my highschool English teacher. Nonetheless, I found the writing style refreshing. Like many good authors, Hosseini has exceptional insight in humanity when he writes his characters. Afghanistan is an exotic place and little known culture. But people are the same everywhere after all; it is a journey many readers will find it worth taking.

My 10 Most Romantic Movies

It is Valentine’s Day again. Since first grade, I have been hoping for a letter, a flower, or any sign of love from a secret admirer on this day every year. Years gone by, the letters are still lost in mail. Meanwhile, I learned to find romance in films. There are so many wonderful romantic films that I love. I picked 10 that just pop up in my mind.

1. The Family Man. The top of my list film is not very well-known. Nicolas Cage and Tea Leone are simply supreme showing excitements about simple things between two persons truly in love; things like giving thoughtful gifts or giving each other that loving looks. The greatest romantic film is a film about simple little things in daily lives of an exceptional average couple.

2. Pretty Woman. A modern Cinderella story remade. It is easy to fall in love with Juliet Roberts watching her. One needs to believe romance that is out of this world to love this movie.

3. When Harry Met Sally. Meg Ryan is the queen of romantic comedy. She is incredibly funny and lovely. Billy Crystal is one of the best comedians of all times. It is a love story between two friends of opposite sex who find true love. The climax scene in restaurant was Meg Ryan’s impromptu idea; now it is a classic.

4. The English Patient. I love this movie; and read the book after watching it couple times. The desert heat, the sands, the sweet smell and taste of sweat; the English actor Ralph Fiennes delivered some of the most sizzling love scenes on sliver screen.

5. Jerry McGuire. Tom Cruise plays the sport agent who marries Renee Zellweger whom he likes a lot and finally learns to love. The great supporting cast: the little boy, the football player, the baby sitter, and his false friend make this movie a perfect movie for me.

6. Braveheart. This is a historical action-drama hardly anyone considers a romantic movie. I find it extremely romantic for a Scottish farmer (William Wallace played by Mel Gibson) raised a rebellion against English after they killed his wife whom he married secretly. Catherine McCormack is beautiful. The most memorable scene is when she accidently noticed Mel Gibson had been staring at her when she was walking in the market place. There was no dialogue since no word in this world could possibly express that feeling.

7. Notting Hill. It is Juliet Roberts again, but with Hugh Grant this time. Love that British humor and the seemingly impossible romance.

8. Sleepless in Seattle. What can I say, I love Meg Ryan. She paired up with Tom Hanks and made this highly entertaining romantic comedy.

9. Cold Mountain. It is a love story between two southerners played by Jude Law and Nicole Kidman during American Civil War. My mom loves “Gone with the Wind” and saw it many times. I guess this is a modern version of it. It gives new insights on the Civil War.

10. Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare’s story about the innocent love between two teens. The film translates the original poetic dialogue into somewhat more understandable English. The Renaissance music is beautiful. I had a crush on the Juliet played by Olivia Hussey when I first saw it in high school. (They are still showing it in American school for kids to learn Shakespeare.)