Monday, February 25, 2008

Shot down over Afghanistan


My plane was shot down over Afghanistan.

I fell from the sky like pieces of anti radar ribbons. Flaky, in shreds, glittering in the thin night air lit by the heavy explosion that came just before.

I was a month from turning 28. I came to realise that I was old enough to die. I had done enough things in my life to not really worry about dying if I really had to. In fact I decided that I had seen and known enough about the world to know that I was dying. That was true because I saw my life flash in front of me as I was dying. None of it was in sequence or in proportion. Yesterday felt like it never existed, and three years felt like one second. But very quick moments that I don’t usually think of much came flooding into my vision. The smell of my mother’s milk lingered in my mouth. I felt the damp soaking feeling of water on my skin after my first dance in gumboots in the rain. The electrifying feeling of a man’s lips running down my shoulders and down the inside of my legs. Breathlessness. Swimming on a hot afternoon in a bottomless pond and feeling weightless that time I almost drowned when I was eight. Sinking into darkness and looking up at whirls of bubbles and patched of white light drawing to a close. Its just that then I wasn’t really old enough to know that I might be dying then.

I fell onto a bed of warm soft sand that felt like white silk sheets on a Sunday morning. The horizon was pale blue in the desert and it was morning. When I looked up there was a giant palm tree that stood very tall in front of me. A young man sat next to the trunk looking at me with his deep set of eyes. A skinny cat cradled next to his knee, also starring.

The man whistled. The cat sprung up from the sand and came over to me holding an instrument in his mouth. It was a beautifully carved wooden object resembling a guitar. It was encased with sparkling bright rubies around its rim and decorated with painted patterns of flowers and fruits. The string was made of something that reminds me of horse hair. Very fine, but very strong. When the air blew on it it made tiny pretty hisses into my ears.

I looked at the man as I picked it up, making sure that I wasn’t doing the wrong thing. He gestured with his hands like he is brushing it away, so I played. I played the only song I could play well. It was a really sad song. In fact it was the only song I remembered the whole entire words to. I cried because I remembered my family from far away. I felt like more of my life was flashing before me. This time I remembered more things, and things I did make a point of remembering. Like what the faces of people I loved looked like. The favourite things I remember them saying to me. And how free I felt when my plane last left the run way.

As I played and played I felt that the wind in the desert was blowing a lot stronger than it was. There appeared some small shadows from the dusts in the horizon. Several men and women and children came walking towards us. They all held an instrument too. They sang to my song and I sang back. There was more rhythm now. More drum beat. More melodious. More voices. More people came walking in from the rims of the horizon and joined me in my sad song. It felt like a magic orchestra because they didn’t know my song or my language but they could still play and sing along with me. The cat made a fire and we sat around it. The cat was very happy to be next to the fire and seemed to be very pleased with company.

I played with the magic orchestra all night. I didn’t feel tired. I didn’t mind these people singing my sad song with me. It felt really nice.

At the end of the night the man whistled at the cat again. The cat came over and gave me a beautiful ruby ring. The ruby was so dark and clear like a droplet of fresh blood in the sun. The cat blew out the fire and they all disappeared into the night.

After they sewed me up they told my parents that I was much better off than a lot of the others. Some were charred and bruised, some had ugly bullet wounds all over them and some without their limbs. They gave them a ruby diamond ring in a small white envelope with my name on it. They told them that I held it so tight in my hand that it was really hard getting me to let go of it.

Blinking *96




Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Festivities in Taipei

A very cosy Mad Ratter's Tea party outside the Mitsugoshi

The MTR arrives at Taipei Central.

Hellooooooooooo!

Its been a pretty good week in Taipei despite not coping well with the sudden contrast in temperatures. Its still the lunar new years festive season so although most people have gone back to work the parties just keep going. So I've kinda been party hopping and consuming copious amount of food. Otherwise I've been spending time with Ah Gong who is feeling much much better after that bad bout and he's pretty much on top of everything and back to his mischief self which is very comforting.
(This is Uncle Joh and Ah Gong whos is dressed like he's going to a meeting in Moscow)
The Parties
This is the revered shua-shua-guo, a modern day personalised version of the hotpot, where you get a whole bunch of stuff and cook it in your own little cordron, so the party control freak doesn't dictate everything that goes into your dinner, and you certainly don't have to share spit with any one that you don't want to share it with. All for under 10 AUD.










拜天公 Bai Tien Gong
The birthday of Tien Gong, who is the God of the Sky (some might know him as the Jade Emperor), the chief god of all gods (there's a god for everything, eg. God of Earth, Goddess of Compassion, God of Money - are some of the better known ones, but there's also Goddess of Beds, God of the Oven, Goddess for Peace at the Sea, Goddess for Getting You Pregnant, God of War, God of Honesty etc etc you get the picture) in Taiwanese folk religion, falls on the 9th day of the year. This is an extremely important date in the lunar calendar as every household must prepare a humungus feast for God of the Sky, who is the god of all gods as well as all their warrior helpers who run around and does stuff for the gods.

Food prepared for the ritual is extremely important. God of the Sky is vegetarian, but his warriors eat meat because they run around a lot and requires lots of protein and carbs. So you will see in this picture that the top table is prepared with vegetarian food for the God of the Sky and the bottom table is prepared with meat and cakes. Every year the best/luckiest time to make this ritual will differ and this year thankfully is at 11pm and not at 3am like one of the other years. There are a lot more things like having to bath and clense before hand, the position of the table, the table cloth under the candles (a beautifully embroidered art work which my Great Grandfather brought when he was a young man which is now a treasured heirloom). Its a fascinating tradition that's been practiced for thousands of years and there is still so much more I don't know about it.

Concert & Belly Dancing
On my first day I went belly dancing with my sister and I thought I was actually really really good at it. Then I went to a Concert by the Evergreeb Orchestra which was just beautifull...










元宵節 Lantern Festival

Then it was Yuan Xiao, or known as Lantern Festival in the West (only half right cos Lanterns are only one part of the festival or the Pyromaniac Festival for others), which is on the 15th day/first full moon of the year. Food of the festival is Sticky Rice balls of all sorts of amazing flavours - except you get a year older with every one you eat, and I have lost count... opps. Brrp. This one is a black sticky rice ball with sweet sesami filling. YYUUUUUMMMMM!!


and politics.
Meanwhile, its a month till the presidential elections and the UN referendum, but politics seem to be depressing and unusually uninpiring - if not for the following people - who definitely have my vote:

逆風行腳團 - a group of young people (mostly pan-green) who are walking around Taiwan 'upside down'/against the tide to raise awareness about reconnecting to this land and its people.
http://taiwanwalklog.blogspot.com/ or try the very brief & DPP sponsored English version.

Stephen Spielberg & Mia Farrow for using their profile to stand up for peace & justice in Darfur and to draw some appropriate attention to China's atrocious behaviour in the international arena and the compromises on both human rights and the environment China has made to keep its thin face stuck on for the Beijing Olympics. Politics has absolutely everything to do with the Olympic Games.

Miss Tibet - usually I cringe at beauty pagents cos its sexist consumerist anti-women tripe, but I think this young woman has gumption. She pulled out of the race last year because, surprise surprise, the Chinese delegation asked her to call herself "Miss Tibet-China" or quit. So she quit and made a great fuss about it - good on her. She's on tour in Taiwan and one of the very few beauty queens I'd want to be seen drinking tea with.

Kosovo - again - gumption & inspiration against adversities. See an editorial from Taiwan News here.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Tucheng Markets

This is a typical Taiwanese traditional morning market that runs every single morning of the year except for Lunar New Years day. My family's been coming to these markets for more than 30 years. I've lived away for more than 20 years, but so many of the sellers still know my name and who's grandchild I am.

Marketeers attend morning auctions at the larger distribution markets as early as 3am in the morning, and take their stock of the day back to their stalls ready for the morning crowd. Its the hub of the community, buzzing with activities and lots and lots of yelling.

The arrival of the big multinational supermarkets hasn't seemed to dent the popularity and the loyalty to these markets where you just feel so much more personal to the produce you buy, not only because you know that everything you get is the most freshest & local, but also the people that sell them to you feel like part of your own family.

Above: Fruit stand aka back of a truck. Those red ribbons are lucky symbols for the new year, and so are pineapples which has the same pronunciation as "Properity Will Come"; Gutted amphibians.










Above: The Fish-hook lady can certainly inspire a good fun black comedy; Man from the toy stall looking for his lost dog. Below: Pre-made food for festivals; Vege stall.












Below: The Butcher in action. You pick the cut, he crafts it.



Tot


I found me, some time around 1981, in the front yard of my grandpa's factory.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Monday, February 11, 2008

Blinking #94

The foremost things in my mind at this moment are:
  1. Fuck I hate packing
  2. About to mention being driven to drink and suddenly realising how persistently often I have made alcholic references or have photos of me holding alchol posted on my blog pretty much since its inception
  3. But accepting that its ok and move on
  4. facebook is evil
  5. why am I binging soy sauce when I'm going to Taipei tomorrow
  6. if I was a biosecurity officer at an airport, scanning a flight load from Hong Kong, and see a frozen snake-looking object curled in a foetal position, a giant silicon catepillar shaped object with rusty batteries, some hacked off peacock feathers, and a jar of dark gooey stuff that resembles cat vomit after a red wine overdose - would I arrest this person?
  7. Do I have outstanding library books?
  8. I only have one pair of clean knickers and one sock but plenty of everything else
  9. Please may I drive myself to Auckland tomorrow? But you can sit next to me. I'll like, totally be like, careful and stuff
  10. I fuck'n hate packing

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Happy Year of the Rat

"And my hopes and dreams for this year are...."


"T-Shirt Weather"
- and access the soundtrack by The Lucksmiths here

I know being under the influence of a very fine drop of sav isn't a gooed enough excuse to make cheesy videos, but, silly happy season can be found all year round when you look hard enough. And don't you agree this one is kinda cute? Eat your heart out everyone! Just don't over do the rancid cheese & watch out for BAAADDDD KITTIES like Merlin!!!

Monday, February 04, 2008

I'm going to London

Bloody red tape chopped up all over the floor. Biggest pile I'd ever seen.

Its official! My visa arrived late last week and I paid for my plane tickets the next day. I am heading out next Tuesday via a quick visit through Taipei. I'll be in London by the last week of February - and for the foreseeable next little while. A year or two - ish. Who knows.

I was in Ragland yesterday with Mel, just chilling by the beach off Cliff Street, eating fish'n chips under a pohutukawa tree after a morning of kayaking, swimming and some fruitful cockle hunting. My legs were sun burnt and there were salt crystal patterns encircling my arms. Thinking to myself - London in three weeks - woolly hat, warm ale, cozy tube carriages and snowflakes on my imaginary mustache. Lovely. if not some what warped.

Why?

Because I've been meaning to do it for ten years and its becoming the longest procrastination in my life. Because I have gypsy blood and I am hyperactive. Because its some what closer to Paris and Berlin and Amsterdam and all those other places that I'd rather live in but can't practically do so just yet. I'll be able to go to Iceland, and Egypt and the Ukraine for weekends. Even New York. Because I can see Emma and Wendy and everyone else I adore whenever I fancy. Because I'll be able to go to the Tate all the time. I'll be able to go to Camden all the time. and Soho. And musicals. Second hand book shops, odd little alley ways, big parks and old buildings. Opportunities with NGOs big and small, a more credible CV, boutique libraries, lots and lots of lectures and protests and clubs and life drawing lessons. Because I'll meet so many diverse, interesting, colourful people that will give me ideas and show me things I'd never otherwise think of. Because I'd like to brood up another funny accent. Because I can be the It Girl. Because I can be anonymous. Because I can go to speed dating, and parties... big parties, little parties, crashed parties, ginormous parties, micro parties, anti-party parties, imaginary parties, work parties, tea parties, birthday parties, dinner parties, parties on the tube, parties for two, parties on rooftops, parties in basements, and waking up to more murky sunday afternoons. (Next to Jude Law). And especially when I can get beroccas there. Because I didn't use up all the credit in the Oyster Card I bought there last time. And I owe the guy at the Turkish shop 50 pence. Because having a big hole in the pocket is fun, reckless, exciting, and always bring random situations at hand. and I love random situations. Because I love change, new things, new places, exciting unknown things. Because I want to be lost and I want to be found.

And because I can so I will.

Meanwhile...

The FB is covered in toner

I am enduring some unwinnable battles at the office during my last week at work.