Super K Board

Blogging from China

This may not be a big deal but I travel to Shanghai and the eastern provincves of China a lot and I can never access any blogs or my own...however I've managed to get on this time, so this marks the first time I've been able to post from China. Of course I'm in Guangzhou, which I don't know if that might explain it. A first nonetheless.

The continued downward spiral of the US led Iraqi occupation

Yet again the US government shows that it has no foresight and none of its true objectives are for the people they are supposed to serve. It's really pretty ironic that those who voted the administration in don't recognize that most of the foreign policy, and motives for the war will only basically shaft them.

For the government and big corporations, we have major contracts, incentives, money, oil, power, and ego-feeding.

For the public, we have more taxes, debt, less jobs, and dead children.

As for the poor soldiers on the front line doing the dirty work, the situation is only going to get worse, as evidenced in this recently leaked memo:

Link: BBC NEWS | World | Americas | US army reserve a 'broken' force.

Happy New Year...goodbye 2004, hello 2005

Well, I've almost made it through another year. The much-hyped turn of the millennium is now marching into its fifth year and we can safely say the 21st century has seen a very violent and tumultuous start.

As with all new year's eves, it's often a time to reflect on the past year and look forward to the next. A time for new year's resolutions. I'm not sure I've made any ground-breaking leaps in this year except for perhaps in the area of personal-development. And I for one time don't have any particular new year's resolutions - except maybe to spend more time with my folks and get involved in the issues I believe in more.

Doesn't seem to be a lot to feel good about this new year either...the continuing of the war in Iraq, the re-election of Bush, the continued damage to the environement, natural disasters everywhere culminating in the recent tsunami in Asia...

But I guess there's no reason for me personally to feel beaten down by all this. I should be happy that I am one of the fortunate ones who still leads a comfortable life, with luxuries and basic necessities that so many are deprived of. Hey, I can sit in my cushy chair at the office and type this entry on my nice little laptop while looking forward to a night of drinking and good food and celebration. Meanwhile thousands of people are still missing in South East Asia while survivors frantically search for their loved ones; families continue to starve and look for help in Sudan; soldiers and innocent civilians continue to get murdered and maimed in Iraq with no end in sight...

I guess the key to those who are more fortunate is to never forget that and to help when and where you can. And I do hope that I will enjoy to the fullest hanging out with my friends and getting a bit drunk and silly tonight as we head into 2005. But I'll also be wishing for a better future for all those who are less fortunate as well, and I guess if I do have any new year's resolutions, it will be I hope that I can directly make a difference in this.

Meanwhile, happy new year! Stay safe and if you see a drunk six foot one Taiwanese guy stumbling around the streets of Hong Kong with a few of his fellow highschool mates from Taipei (who are in town) tonight...that ain't me.

Merry Christmas and most importantly, peace and love

What a great Christmas story. I have to say the best one I have heard yet, and especially since it isn't a story but recount of what actually happened. Funny how so much changes, but then again so little. What happened during WWI 90 years ago is still applicable today. My wish this year is that somehow, the world can reverse the path it's heading down now for a better one.

So I thank Znet for sending me the following Christmas story, and also the lyrics of two songs recounting the same incident. So Merry Christmas to all, and may peace prevail one day.

*****

Christmas Day, 1914

My dear sister Janet,

It is 2:00 in the morning and most of our men are
asleep in their
dugouts -- yet I could not sleep myself before writing
to you of the
wonderful events of Christmas Eve. In truth, what
happened seems
almost like a fairy tale, and if I hadn't been through
it myself, I
would scarce believe it. Just imagine: While you and
the family sang
carols before the fire there in London, I did the same
with enemy
soldiers here on the battlefields of France!

As I wrote before, there has been little serious
fighting of late. The
first battles of the war left so many dead that both
sides have held
back until replacements could come from home. So we
have mostly stayed
in our trenches and waited.

But what a terrible waiting it has been! Knowing that
any moment an
artillery shell might land and explode beside us in
the trench,
killing or maiming several men. And in daylight not
daring to lift our
heads above ground, for fear of a sniper's bullet.

And the rain -- it has fallen almost daily. Of course,
it collects
right in our trenches, where we must bail it out with
pots and pans.
And with the rain has come mud -- a good foot or more
deep. It
splatters and cakes everything, and constantly sucks
at our boots. One
new recruit got his feet stuck in it, and then his
hands too when he
tried to get out -- just like in that American story
of the tar baby!

Through all this, we couldn't help feeling curious
about the German
soldiers across the way. After all, they faced the
same dangers we
did, and slogged about in the same muck. What's more,
their first
trench was only 50 yards from ours. Between us lay No
Man's Land,
bordered on both sides by barbed wire -- yet they were
close enough we
sometimes heard their voices.

Of course, we hated them when they killed our friends.
But other
times, we joked about them and almost felt we had
something in common.
And now it seems they felt the same.

Just yesterday morning -- Christmas Eve Day -- we had
our first good
freeze. Cold as we were, we welcomed it, because at
least the mud
froze solid. Everything was tinged white with frost,
while a bright
sun shone over all. Perfect Christmas weather.

During the day, there was little shelling or rifle
fire from either
side. And as darkness fell on our Christmas Eve, the
shooting stopped
entirely. Our first complete silence in months! We
hoped it might
promise a peaceful holiday, but we didn't count on it.
We'd been told
the Germans might attack and try to catch us off
guard.

I went to the dugout to rest, and lying on my cot, I
must have drifted
asleep. All at once my friend John was shaking me
awake, saying, "Come
and see! See what the Germans are doing!" I grabbed my
rifle, stumbled
out into the trench, and stuck my head cautiously
above the sandbags.

I never hope to see a stranger and more lovely sight.
Clusters of tiny
lights were shining all along the German line, left
and right as far
as the eye could see.

"What is it?" I asked in bewilderment, and John
answered, "Christmas
trees!"

And so it was. The Germans had placed Christmas trees
in front of
their trenches, lit by candle or lantern like beacons
of good will.

And then we heard their voices raised in song.

     "Stille nacht, heilige nacht...."

This carol may not yet be familiar to us in Britain,
but John knew it
and translated: "Silent night, holy night." I've never
heard one
lovelier -- or more meaningful, in that quiet, clear
night, its dark
softened by a first-quarter moon.

When the song finished, the men in our trenches
applauded. Yes,
British soldiers applauding Germans! Then one of our
own men started
singing, and we all joined in.

     "The first Nowell, the angel did say...."

In truth, we sounded not nearly as good as the
Germans, with their
fine harmonies. But they responded with enthusiastic
applause of their
own and then began another.

     "O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum...."

Then we replied.

     "O come all ye faithful...."

But this time they joined in, singing the same words
in Latin.

     "Adeste fideles...."

British and German harmonizing across No Man's Land! I
would have
thought nothing could be more amazing -- but what came
next was more
so.

"English, come over!" we heard one of them shout. "You
no shoot, we no
shoot."

There in the trenches, we looked at each other in
bewilderment. Then
one of us shouted jokingly, "You come over here."

To our astonishment, we saw two figures rise from the
trench, climb
over their barbed wire, and advance unprotected across
No Man's Land.
One of them called, "Send officer to talk."

I saw one of our men lift his rifle to the ready, and
no doubt others
did the same -- but our captain called out, "Hold your
fire." Then he
climbed out and went to meet the Germans halfway. We
heard them
talking, and a few minutes later, the captain came
back with a German
cigar in his mouth!

"We've agreed there will be no shooting before
midnight tomorrow," he
announced. "But sentries are to remain on duty, and
the rest of you,
stay alert."

Across the way, we could make out groups of two or
three men starting
out of trenches and coming toward us. Then some of us
were climbing
out too, and in minutes more, there we were in No
Man's Land, over a
hundred soldiers and officers of each side, shaking
hands with men
we'd been trying to kill just hours earlier!

Before long a bonfire was built, and around it we
mingled -- British
khaki and German grey. I must say, the Germans were
the better
dressed, with fresh uniforms for the holiday.

Only a couple of our men knew German, but more of the
Germans knew
English. I asked one of them why that was.

"Because many have worked in England!" he said.
"Before all this, I
was a waiter at the Hotel Cecil. Perhaps I waited on
your table!"

"Perhaps you did!" I said, laughing.

He told me he had a girlfriend in London and that the
war had
interrupted their plans for marriage. I told him,
"Don't worry. We'll
have you beat by Easter, then you can come back and
marry the girl."

He laughed at that. Then he asked if I'd send her a
postcard he'd give
me later, and I promised I would.

Another German had been a porter at Victoria Station.
He showed me a
picture of his family back in Munich. His eldest
sister was so lovely,
I said I should like to meet her someday. He beamed
and said he would
like that very much and gave me his family's address.

Even those who could not converse could still exchange
gifts -- our
cigarettes for their cigars, our tea for their coffee,
our corned beef
for their sausage. Badges and buttons from uniforms
changed owners,
and one of our lads walked off with the infamous
spiked helmet! I
myself traded a jackknife for a leather equipment belt
-- a fine
souvenir to show when I get home.

Newspapers too changed hands, and the Germans howled
with laughter at
ours. They assured us that France was finished and
Russia nearly
beaten too. We told them that was nonsense, and one of
them said,
"Well, you believe your newspapers and we'll believe
ours."

Clearly they are lied to -- yet after meeting these
men, I wonder how
truthful our own newspapers have been. These are not
the "savage
barbarians" we've read so much about. They are men
with homes and
families, hopes and fears, principles and, yes, love
of country. In
other words, men like ourselves. Why are we led to
believe otherwise?

As it grew late, a few more songs were traded around
the fire, and
then all joined in for -- I am not lying to you --
"Auld Lang Syne."
Then we parted with promises to meet again tomorrow,
and even some
talk of a football match.

I was just starting back to the trenches when an older
German clutched
my arm. "My God," he said, "why cannot we have peace
and all go home?"

I told him gently, "That you must ask your emperor."

He looked at me then, searchingly. "Perhaps, my
friend. But also we
must ask our hearts."

And so, dear sister, tell me, has there ever been such
a Christmas Eve
in all history? And what does it all mean, this
impossible befriending
of enemies?

For the fighting here, of course, it means regrettably
little. Decent
fellows those soldiers may be, but they follow orders
and we do the
same. Besides, we are here to stop their army and send
it home, and
never could we shirk that duty.

Still, one cannot help imagine what would happen if
the spirit shown
here were caught by the nations of the world. Of
course, disputes must
always arise. But what if our leaders were to offer
well wishes in
place of warnings? Songs in place of slurs? Presents
in place of
reprisals? Would not all war end at once?

All nations say they want peace. Yet on this Christmas
morning, I
wonder if we want it quite enough.

Your loving brother,

Tom

------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------


The two songs below are about what is described above.
The
first song is written by Joe Henry and Garth Brooks,
the second by John
McCutcheon.


BELLEAU WOOD

Oh, the snowflakes fell in silence
Over Belleau Wood that night
For a Christmas truce had been declared
By both sides of the fight
As we lay there in our trenches
The silence broke in two
By a German soldier singing
A song that we all knew.

Though I did not know the language
The song was "Silent Night"
Then I heard by buddy whisper,
"All is calm and all is bright"
Then the fear and doubt surrounded me
'Cause I'd die if I was wrong
But I stood up in my trench
And I began to sing along

Then across the frozen battlefield
Another's voice joined in
Until one by one each man became
A singer of the hymn

Then I thought that I was dreaming
For right there in my sight
Stood the German soldier
'Neath the falling flakes of white
And he raised his hand and smiled at me
As if he hoped to say
Here's hoping we both live
To see us find a better way

Then the devil's clock struck midnight
And the skies lit up again
And the battlefield where heaven stood
Was blown to hell again

But for just one fleeting moment
The answer seemed so clear
Heaven's not beyond the clouds
It's just beyond the fear
No, heaven's not beyond the clouds
It's for us to find it here.


CHRISTMAS IN THE TRENCHES

My name is Francis Tolliver, I come from Liverpool.
Two years ago the war was waiting for me after school.
To Belgium and to Flanders, to Germany to here
I fought for King and country I love dear.
'Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so
bitter hung,
The frozen fields of France were still, no Christmas
song was sung
Our families back in England were toasting us that day
Their brave and glorious lads so far away.

I was lying with my messmate on the cold and rocky
ground
When across the lines of battle came a most peculiar
sound
Says I, ``Now listen up, me boys!'' each soldier
strained to hear
As one young German voice sang out so clear.
``He's singing bloody well, you know!'' my partner
says to me
Soon, one by one, each German voice joined in harmony
The cannons rested silent, the gas clouds rolled no
more
As Christmas brought us respite from the war

As soon as they were finished and a reverent pause was
spent
``God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen'' struck up some lads
from Kent
The next they sang was ``Stille Nacht.'' ``Tis `Silent
Night','' says I
And in two tongues one song filled up that sky
``There's someone coming toward us!'' the front line
sentry cried
All sights were fixed on one long figure trudging from
their side
His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shown on that
plain so bright
As he, bravely, strode unarmed into the night

Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man's
Land
With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand
We shared some secret brandy and we wished each other
well
And in a flare-lit soccer game we gave 'em hell
We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from
home
These sons and fathers far away from families of their
own
Young Sanders played his squeezebox and they had a
violin
This curious and unlikely band of men

Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once
more
With sad farewells we each prepared to settle back to
war
But the question haunted every heart that lived that
wonderous night
``Whose family have I fixed within my sights?''
'Twas Christmas in the trenches where the frost, so
bitter hung
The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of
peace were sung
For the walls they'd kept between us to exact the work
of war
Had been crumbled and were gone forevermore

My name is Francis Tolliver, in Liverpool I dwell
Each Christmas come since World War I, I've learned
its lessons well
That the ones who call the shots won't be among the
dead and lame
And on each end of the rifle we're the same

Wanted: Inspiration

Man, sometimes you just need something, anything, to spark you or inspire your life. I'm definitely in need of it now.

You know when you're caught in a rut wondering what the hell you're doing with your life? Can't help but wonder how people tend to compromise or justify their existence day in and day out, living in denial. It's all about blind faith I guess...gotta live as if life matters right!

All the stories, all the different walks of life and little dramas on this speck of molten rock floating in a vast expanse of space. Somewhere a boy and girl have their first kiss behind the school gym, a trader makes a million bucks from a few keyboard taps, the owner of a factory goes bankrupt in a day, a man discovers his wife cheating on him after a shortened business trip, a group of soldiers in a war that should never have been get blown to bits during lunch, a beyond-wealthy president sends more children from the poor families that elected him into a war that cannot be won, a baby stands up and walks for the first time, a teenager first learns that her parents are getting divorced, a 5-year-old starves to death like the two siblings before him, a newly-wed couple puts their first down payment for their first home, the CEO of a listed company shops for a Porsche SUV for his girlfriend, another sex worker contracts AIDS in Asia, another reality show is hatched in the backrooms of Hollywood, a 60-year old homeless man wakes up in a dumpster wondering for a second where he is, a thirtysomething business man sits at his desk wondering what the meaning of life is.

Man, the human condition and the life we've created for ourselves.

On the road again...

On the road again…in the middle of an 8-day business trip in China, mixed with one day of pleasure in Beijing for the NBA exhibition game between the Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets. Right now I’m sitting on a drain (that was a typo, and after thinking about it, it’s probably a more fitting name for what I’m riding) from Shanghai to Hangzhou. Then again, I shouldn’t complain, I’m already in the nicer cabin and compared to many of the trains in China’s inland or less developed countries, this is actually pretty luxurious. But still, the road gets to you and it’s nice not to have people all around who for some reason have mistaken shouting with talking go at their conversations full force.

Lucky for me though is that sitting across from me are two very cute elderly couple…the plump wife who is nodding off and the soft-spoken thin husband in a way oversized stone-colored jacket periodically glancing over to check on her while battling boredom and wandering off to some deep depth of his mind. Times like these I wonder what he might be thinking of staring out of the train window into the darkness.

I can’t help but think people are such pathetic creatures…we’re just animals with too many toys, and very slightly higher intelligence. I love watching Discovery channel not just because I love animals and enjoy nature, but because it’s refreshing to see animals go about their business with an honesty that people will never have.

I sometimes think, what would happen if the world could start from scratch again with some of the pieces changed? I mean what would happen if Caucasian Europeans originated from the Middle East, Chinese came from Western Europe, Africans from Russia, South Americans from Africa, Native Americans from Eastern Europe, Middle East to North America, Native Australians to the British Isles and British to Australia…how would the cultur develop differently due to their surroundings…how would politics, power, and society progress…how would the difference in resources available change the global balance? Would their still be a Great Wall? Taj Mahal? How would oil be valued by these cultures? How would the different cuisines taste?

Or else, what if all ethnicities were distributed across the world under the same current population densities, but within each population each ethnicity was distributed evenly in numbers and in relation to each other. Would we naturally navigate into groups based on ethnicity or is it possible that we could wipe away discrimination based on ethnicity?

Anyway, the train is jerking around every once in a while like a person getting the chills. Why this is I have no idea. The elderly couple across from me are awake and attacking a bowl of chestnuts. I’m playing 80’s music through my laptop. ETA in 45 minutes.

Like watching a bad movie

Sometimes I feel like I'm trapped in a movie theater watching a bad movie play out...it's like what my body is doing is not controlled by me, and even though I'm aware of what I'm doing, I feel completely detached from the actual motion and drive. And so I'm carried along for the ride. Like I'm in a virtual reality helmet or something. Also makes me think about whether our minds are really just unfortunately trapped inside our flesh.

Anyway, lucky me I get to travel again for pleasure, a wedding in Bangkok this weekend, leaving tomorrow night...at this rate I'll never get my mind back to work.

The Optimism of Uncertainty by Howard Zinn

The Optimism of Uncertainty

I'm back from a fantastic holiday in France and a London...let the post-vacation blues begin. But before I start writing about the things that happened during the vacation and thoughts that hit me, here's a great essay by Howard Zinn about holding on to hope and acting on it when everything seems so bleak. Just the other day my girlfriend was telling me she thinks it's just hopeless to make change in the world, and why I'm so into world affairs and change. I think this essay is a nice little inspiring piece for those who care to keep trying.

I'm outta here

Will be steppin' on that plane tonight for Paris. Really looking forward to getting away for a bit. So peace to everyone and I will resume when I get back...unless I have enough time to write a bit while I'm on the road.

More memories knockin'

Funny how things just happen in bunches. I had dinner with an ex that I dated for a very long time a month ago, another just moved into town, and I came across an unopened letter from a girl I dated years ago.

And this morning in the office, I get an e-mail out of the blue from someone else that I haven't thought of in a long time but that was always special. She's actually someone that I wouldn't say I know too well, as our friendship pretty much stems from my senior year in high school (good lord that's a long time ago).

In fact we didn't really know each other at all, although we knew of each other. Half way through the year, someone asked me if I knew this girl, and I said not well at all (It's really pretty strange to be re-telling high school stories at this stage in life, but it's kinda nice). Plus I was "going out" with someone at the time (haven't used that term in a while).

But for some reason I got the chance to hang out with her one weekend, as she became good friends with a friend of mine. This girl had a reputation of being an airhead, and just kinda off. But we really did get along very well for some strange reason. It was one of those "we were lost in our little world" situations, talking about silly things that we'd find interesting but if anyone else was overhearing us would think we were nuts.

Unfortunately a relationship was never meant to be, as she met a boy in Australia over winter vacation and began seeing him long-distance. However, we became very close friends and I ended up spending a huge chunk of my last half year in highschool with her, which did not sit well with my friends. We went to the prom together as well, and her company made the last bit of highschool that much sweeter.

We pretty much lost touch after highschool, although I tried to meet up with her in Germany when I was backpacking through Europe. She wasn't back yet, and that was the last time we spoke. I heard that she eventually moved to Australia.

Anyhow, this morning I received an e-mail from her, but via another guy's e-mail address based in Australia. Good chance that she actually is married and living in Australia, but it would be interesting to know what she's been up to over the last decade. It's especially weird that the last time we talked those long-haired trolls were still the hip thing, and one of the most-played songs on MTV while I was in Europe was Madonna's "This Use to Be My Playground" (funny the things you recall).

I look forward to her writing back, and I hope she's doing well. It's just cool to hear people that were once very close to you doing alright. But all these things lately are getting me nostalgic, and reminds me of the chorus of a song by Spearhead:

"memories come down and me once again, caught without an umbrella"