YJ corner

Things we learned in Kindergarten

2009-01-22T09:40:00.000-08:00

All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school.These are the things I learned:

-Share everything.
-Play fair.
-Don't hit people.
-Put things back where you found them.
-Clean up your own mess.
-Don't take things that aren't yours.
-Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
-Wash your hands before you eat.
-Flush.
-Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
-Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
-Take a nap every afternoon.
-When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
-Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
-Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
-And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.

Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.

And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

---By Robert Fulghum

Sweat Lodge

2009-01-18T20:56:00.000-08:00

Sweat Lodge is the most popular ceremony practised by Native Americans. It is where people come together to make contact with the Creator. The lodge is dome-shaped like Meng Gu Bao, which represent womb of mother. People take off watches, earrings, necklace or glasses before going into the lodge to remember that we came into this world naked without bringing anything with us. The ceremony accepts all nations. They use four colors to represent four directions and also four nations of people. Yellow is yellow people from East, red is Native American from North, blue is black people from South, and white is White people from West. The ceremony goes through four rounds; the first round is Cleansing, second Request, third Healing, and the last one, Gratitude. There are some different colors and rounds during the ceremony from different regions or tribes, each with somewhat different proceedings but in general, the sweat lodge is the sacred place where the participants concentrate on their spirits, to get cleansed physically, mentally and spiritually, to talk to our ancestors, to prey, to make wishes and to ask help.
I met a lady who is a Native American. We became friends. Her husband Neil is the leader for hosting the sweat lodge ceremony. I was so happy to have chance to participate the sweat lodge ceremony myself to experience the way they do. The ceremony started at 6:00pm on this Saturday, the preparation began two hours earlier. In order to see the whole proceeding I went there a little after 4:00pm, Neil was there with other two people, they were burning wood to heat stones to get ready for the ceremony. Each stone is around 6” size, some smaller or bigger. The number of stones may vary each time. This time, 64 stones were heated for about 2 hours until they turn red, ready to use, and16 stones would be brought in for each round. Since I was the first one to be there before the ceremony, Neil had time to show me around and explain some procedures and meaning of the lodge. The lodge can hold max 35 people. He was happy to see me there too since I am from East to represent the Yellow. It is amazing that I saw Chinese character ZHI (Wisdom) in the lodge. it was hang on there for years.
There are two change rooms for both man and woman. People wear whatever comfortable with, long underwear, pajamas or robes and also bring towers. Women wear skirts on the top of long underwear, some men naked top with underwear. There is a fire pit in the center of the lodge. The 16 red stones were brought from outside into the pit before the ceremony started. Each person stood in front of the door, took a circle turn and said “All Relations”, then went inside clockwise, Woman sat on east while men on west. The first time when the leader poured water on the hot stone, the door was open, let the dusk go out, and then closed the door. It was totally dark inside; I could not see anything in front of me, neither did anyone else but Neil said, Hey, YJ, I saw the halo around you. I did not really know what Halo was in English and of course I could not see anything at all so I asked what was halo. They all laughed. The halo is a circle of light around an angel. He was teasing me. Then we started the first round-Cleansing. The leader poured water on the hot stones, the lodge became hot by the steam like a sauna room which made our whole body sweating. Then leader started singing after prey, some played drums, some rattles, and the rest of us hummed with the songs. Every time I heard Native People’s song, I got feeling that I was in the very wide endless area like mountains or desert, the songs penetrate through the sky and reach the high above the sky. Now I was sitting there and hummed the songs with them. My whole body started sweating. I am not the person sweating a lot even in the hot summer but I could feel the drippings on my face and in front of my chest.
After cleansing round, you could go out for a rest or stayed inside, waiting for next round-Request. During request round, everyone took turn to make request for themself, their family, their friends or for the governments, or anyone or anything you concerned in the good way and kindness way. You could speak your own language. One man from Denmark spoke both Danish and English at the request. I followed the other people and asked for peace of mind and wished my daughter’s wish come true. Then another sweating came by pouring water on the stones by leader. For the last two rounds, another man took leading the ceremony, people were soaked in the wet sweating like sauna or hot spring and hummed with songs. After the four rounds, people came out from the lodge, men first, then women followed. The first person stood at the right side of the door, the second gave a hug to the first and stood after the first. All the rest people came out, gave hugs to the people in front and stood after one by one. I was the last second, gave hug to each one in front of me and stood at the end and accepted the last hug from the last person.
After sweating, we changed our wet clothes in the change room, dressed same as when we came and women still had their skirts on the top of our normal dressing. We sat around a circle, started another ceremony-Smoke Pipes. Each pipe, about 2 ft, a little different shape but they all have a tube and a holder, similar to Chinese Yan Dou but longer. Four people held pipes with dry sage leave inside, Lit it up and smoked, then passed to the person on his or her left side until the pipe went back to the one who held the pipe first. You don’t have to smoke if you don’t like to; but held it with your left hand on the bottom and right on the top. You touched your chest with the pipe and made wish and passed it on to next person. When the first pipe came, you smoked it, held the smoking from your top head to your feet. The other three pipes came to you; you smoked, or just passed on. I tried smoking as the others did. I did not feel like smoking at all as I thought it might make me cough, no strong taste. The last people who held pipes would keep smoking until no sage leave left in the pipe. Then it was the end of Sweat Lodge Ceremony.
It was cold outside and the ceremony started at evening. Only nine people came to this sweat lodge. Nornally around 20 people. One of participators looked at me and said: It is your first sweat lodge. I said, Yes but not the last one. He was glad to hear that. I do wish I would come as possible as I can. They are very kind and nice people. Before leaving one guy gave me a small bag of grounded sage leaves. I really enjoy being around with them.

English Joke

2008-12-12T17:19:00.000-08:00

(The picture above is from dribbleglass.com. the joke below is from ahajokes.com)

English language

Have you ever wondered why foreigners have trouble with the English Language?

Let's face it

English is a stupid language.

There is no egg in the eggplant

No ham in the hamburger

And neither pine nor apple in the pineapple.

English muffins were not invented in England

French fries were not invented in France.

We sometimes take English for granted

But if we examine its paradoxes we find that

Quicksand takes you down slowly

Boxing rings are square

And a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

If writers write, how come fingers don't fing.

If the plural of tooth is teeth

Shouldn't the plural of phone booth be phone beeth

If the teacher taught,Why didn't the preacher praught.

If a vegetarian eats vegetables

What the heck does a humanitarian eat!?

Why do people recite at a play

Yet play at a recital?

Park on driveways and

Drive on parkways

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy

Of a language where a house can burn up as

It burns down

And in which you fill in a form

By filling it out

And a bell is only heard once it goes!

English was invented by people, not computers

And it reflects the creativity of the human race

(Which of course isn't a race at all)

That is why

When the stars are out they are visible

But when the lights are out they are invisible

And why it is that when I wind up my watch

It starts

But when I wind up this observation,

It ends.

___________________________

My Dad

2008-12-05T12:44:00.000-08:00

This is my dad's first family picture when he was a little boy. My dad and my mom's marriage was arranged by their parents when they were very little kids.

Oct. 6th 1997 was a black day for my family. My mom got stroke and send to hospital. It was the first time that I realized that my dad was not that strong as we thought. Eventually my mom was sent out from the surgeon room. She was in coma for a week. We took turn to look after her for a month in hospital. Eventually my mom made her way home. She could not walk and talk since then. My mom looked after our family in her whole life. My dad said it was his turn to look after her. He quitted his job to take care of her so we can go back to our normal lives without worry.

When people get sick, they get frustrated and lose temper often. Like my mom, she has a clear mind but cannot talk. She was a busy person, now she could not walk. It was hard for her to accept the fact of lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, waiting for others to feed and dress her. It took my dad extensive patience. He always tried to figure out what she was asking. Sometimes it took him a day or more to find out what my mom really wanted. After he got, he was happy like a little kid and told us the story with his smiling. Once my auntie on my mom side, came to visit us. Before she left, my mom asked my dad to buy something for my auntie. No one could figure out what she asked for. My mom got frustrated and cried. My dad felt so bad for her, not for himself. A month later, when he bought a kind of seafood for my mom, finally found out that was the one my mom asked for my auntie. He bought the same one but dried, send to my auntie. That was my auntie's favour food my mom knew.

My dad bought a simple wheel chair, modified his bicycle and put both together, made a special wheel chair. He can either walk or ride with my mom sitting on the chair so he can take her outside when the weather permits. Where ever he went, people would see my mom too. My dad became well-known in the neighbourhood. In the cold days, my mom got bored by lying on the bed and asked to go out. It took my ad half hour to dress her, pull the wheel chair dowstairs and go out. They had to be back inside in a short time because of the cold weather. Sometimes we felt bad for our dad, but he said he is doing exercise while my mom can breathe the fresh air, good for both.

Time flies, eleven years has passed by. My dad does the same thing day by day, he didnot complain a single word, instead he said he is not useless at home, busy and worthwhile. My dad is very patient and kind person, always think the others first. A lot of things come into my mind when I am writing my dad. This is the first thing I like to say about my dad. He is the hero in my family. I wish all the parents be happy together like my dad and my mom no matter up or down.

Hulu (葫芦) or Calabash in English

2008-11-29T19:43:00.000-08:00

Hulu has its long standing in Chinese culture. It has many different meanings, Hulu is for good fortune, blessing, longevity and prosperities. It is said that Hulu has an ability to improve your health and increase your wealth. The shape of Hulu is also a symbol of Heaven and Earth united together. From top to bottom, it shows that the integration of Heaven, Earth and Human being. And also it is said Hulu is able to absorb bad evil spirits and put it inside Hulu. You can hang Hulu around your home, inside the car, office or etc.

I took this picture at a small shop besides Shenyang Empire Palace. The owner is an artist who carves chinese characters, special patterns or sceneris on Hulu, a very neat shop, I spend almost two hours at this store looking around, bought two hulu. The bigger one with a hundred of Fu (Luck) character on, the other with a Fu and a Shou (Longevity). I love them very much.

Hulu or calabash is a wine grown for its fruit, which can either be harvested young and used as a vegetable, or harvested mature, dried, and used as a container or pipe. In old time of China, people used Hulu as container to hold Chinese wine or water. They hang this Hulu container under their belt, kept wine or water inside the container, fulfilled their journey and kept them alive. People used Hulu container at household also. It is called Piao. You could see them most in countryside. My parents grew up from farm so we still used Piao (Hulu) as container when I was young at my home.

Hulu Shi is a type of traditional Chinese music instrument made from Hulu, It is called Gourd Pipe in English. The instrument has a wind camber; main tone pipe has seven holes in it. Musician blows through the mouthpiece at the top of the gourd and controls the air going out of the holes with their fingers, and generates harmonies with beautiful melody. I enjoy listening music, not super fun to any particular music but enjoy the melody of many different types of musics. I like to put music at backgroud whatever I am doing, like reading, cooking, cleaning or doing housework at home. I brought some Chinese music CDs from China last time I went back homed in September this year. One of CDs is Hulu Shi (Gourd Pipe). I keep it in my car so I can listen to the chinese music when I am driving; sometimes I give my coworker ride to home if we work at late shift. She liked Hulu Shi very much and asked me to get one next time I go back China. Once I gave a ride for a young guy, he is at my daughter’s age. He told me that he was learning to play flute, similar as Gourd Pipe, and his teacher is very good at Gourd pipe. He loves Hulu Shi too. The music is international language; people can understand its beauty no matter what your nationalities are. The melody of harmony will bring you peace of mind.

Brothers Kamarazov

2008-11-24T08:12:00.001-08:00

Finally I finish reading the book Brothers Karamazov. If you are going to start another book, that is the one I recommend. It is the one you want to read in one breath. you will like it, I do. The book made my time too short.
When I read the story about the little boy Kolya, A tiny flash arose up from my far memory, I believe I watched that movie long time ago when I was a little kid, maybe younger than kolya at that time. a little boy walking into the dark, lying between railway tracks, train passing by. Another flash was Ivan talking with the imagine of his hallucination. That was all I could recall.
The whole story is beyond my language. Go ahead, find the book, start to read. It is definitely not sleeping pills no matter you like it or not.
"Love cannot be created from nothing, only God can create something from nothing..." But mother's love is unconditional and human being pursues elusive love and never ceases for centuries.

Blog. Blogger. Blogging

2008-11-13T22:33:00.000-08:00

Blog, Blogger, Blogging...
I am in the process of practice, keep searching for a better host which I can post my photos or make a hyperlink to connect my blog with my gallery. It took me a long time to come up a name for my blog, YJ-Corner. I like sitting in the corner, quietly looking at the world with my smile. My blog will keep changing while I am learning and it will be getting better surely and slowly :)

Welcome you, my friends. Looking forward to seeing you at my corner. Thanks!