3.23.2009

Bad suprise from neighbor






Broken object list:
- 1 english coffee set,
- 1 large japanese bowl,
- 2 japanese animal face mugs,
- 2 designer crushed cups from sweden,
- 1 giant designer crushed cup from Paris,
- 2 large white milk mug,
- 1 light blue Maisons du monde milk mug from Paris,
- 1 of a pair Perrier Jouët champagne glass,
- 2 priceless masterpiece hand made filter tea set (our wedding gift) from Taiwan,
- 1 custom-made glass shelf.

Early February. Backed from vacation and found our kitchen in a mess.

The next door neighbor was away and left apartment to remodeling workers to renew their kitchen. And since the New Yorker's walls are not made with concrete. Our stylish custom made glass shelf with our world wide collection of mugs are in pieces.

I right the way took pictures for the report and my man emailed right the way to our Property management company asked about the damage. My man bumped into the young single mom neighbor, and all she can react was those soap opera's exaggerated fake "Oh! I'm sorry to hear that! ..."

2 months later. All we got from the management company was "The owner. The father of that single mom said that we reported too late." Very funny !

Anyway. We're still trying to figure out how much cost our masterpiece hand made tea sets.

3.20.2009

民權國小 六年八班 Class Reunion


記憶裡的小學生活,
是坐在一旁看全年級花很多錢跳貓捉老鼠的舞蹈,
是一, 二年級穿旗袍的劉老師,
是穿著燙得比挺的綠制服的幼女童軍,
是三, 四年級隔壁坐了導師的可憐兒子,
是後面坐了南海血書, 一家逃命來台灣的小兒子,
是翻著民歌本一首接一首的唱,
是每天到快鐘響才肯去上學的狂奔,
是頑皮過動到被罰的半蹲,
是每天上樓練合唱團的寒冷早晨,
是跟敦化合唱團爭得你死我活的比賽,
是擦窗戶昏倒, 老師開始對我吃完便當的檢查,
是每天看好幾對同學演著瓊瑤式的八點檔,
是和穿着夾腳拖鞋跳高的夏天,
是隔壁同學漂亮又好吃的便當,
是合作社賣的王子麵, 蘋果麵包和果汁牛奶,
是我週六穿流行招搖的五分燈籠褲,
是每天期待看到的長腿田徑隊學長,
是快畢業時, 每天早修上講台唱民歌的我,

PS. 看到樓上的六年十班在媒體上招喚失散的小學同學。 向來對懷舊的同學會完全沒興趣的我, 竟也開始覺得有一點怪異的好玩。
是因為不是自己班級的沒壓力? 還是後知後覺的發現這班上, 也有不少曾與我同過班的同學? 或著是遺憾, 因為分班而跟曾經感情好的同學疏遠成陌生?

3.17.2009

Staring Legless Photographer


A legless photographer. A couple announced while we're having a drink in a bar.
When I first hear it. As I love photograph and I photograph everything, everyday I can.
My reaction was what a cool angle he can photograph. Like Roman Polanski's p.o.v. once he said, or as low as Japanese movies that p.o.v. often from the tatami ground.

Then this couple keeps elaborate how he can move and lift on a table with a blink of time. With my filmography background. My mind starts to fill with a picture about a legless man on the top of the bar. My eye brows frown.
They talk about him with a bizarre enthusiasm like he is the next coolest thing they have found or a new black for the coming spring. My eye brows frown more. Which I'm not sure if they know how they sound.
The man said. He's a good looking guy with many girlfriends...
Many girlfriends? Then my mind starts to have a Monty Python collage adding on girls around the bar top.
I asked. You said he's legless. So he has the lower part of ...? "I've never ask him ... maybe ..." The man replied in trying to fetch an appropriate answer in his head. While this couple is flipping on their blackberry maybe to find if there is any picture of the legless man online. I can't help to stop my memory flashes back to all the legless handicaps I've ever seem. "All" ? That sounds a lots. Yes. I'm not exaggerating.

I start to explain. My generation in Taiwan had a danger rough childhood. We have been told severely not to talk to stranger, not to open door to stranger, should stand at the very same spot and not to follow stranger if got lost etc. You may say you have all been told so as well. But apparently my mom once grabbed me back from a stranger's hand just quite before I disappearing in a noisy and crowded market.
That's how it could happened that time in Taiwan. Some people steal kids and sell or beat the kids up to handicap or blind them for beggar's organization. The couple gave me a pair of strange faces, perhaps wondering what am I going wild again?
A girl was born in Thailand looked at me in searching for words. Like "Slumdog Millionaire" I said. "That's exactly what I was thinking." The girl happily added. Yes. That but a much less indian color was just like the world in a child's eyes in 70's Taiwan. The stolen boys ended up as beggars and the stolen girls will head to one of those whore houses in the dark alley in the old town.

After all these years. I still clearly remember those helpless crying handicap kids in the market as fresh as yesterday. I remember the kids were all about my age and some even taller than me. They just stood there, lied on the over heated lost shape asphalt and stinky puddles. Many of them seriously handicapped in all sorts. Legless, armless, earless, mute or blind. They're extremely bonny and messy with shredded summer tee and stained over size short tied on their tiny waist, even when the weather turned cold and humid. They cried or sobbed, tears and snot all over their lonely faces and weeping arms, cried all their little hearts out every time they've been let out. They were crying for mom, crying for help and the end crying for money.

I've heard a story about a little kid like this, was beat up to handicap so much that once he bumped to his own mother who can't recognize him. The kid cried and cried, grabbed her leg with all his strength and won't let go of the sad face lady. He cried and cried until the lady finally realized from the boy's eyes that this boy is son of her own. I remember my 1st year elementary teacher told the story to the entire stunned class of fifty something lucky kids.

I'm not sure how true was the story. But those unlucky ones didn't find their way back home. Maybe a few among of them, if I dare difference them, are legless and body shapeless, creeping alone side of the rocky road, under the popular area's building arcade to arcade, selling the famous american Green Arrow chewing gums among our feet and legs. How ironic. And still today. The unfortunates are still there. In any traditional market, on a high end shopping street or the worse place like raining smelly night market. And unfortunate us, we learned to live with. We learned to be senseless, and maybe even heartless without any look or even a stare at them anymore. And for me. I feel extremely lucky every time I see them. That I wasn't ended up in those beggar's hand, among those busy walking by heartless feet. Those unfortunate street creepers, same as my age, grew by time like us. And we. Our feet witnessing them grow, gan age, having grey hair. Which I'm sure. They've never thought about to buy a camera and take picture when they pass people around.

Stare? How can you be so sure they're staring at you? Do you know people are maybe more gentle and compassion than you thought? People look at you maybe simply because you caught their attention. They look down at you is maybe because that's the only angle they can apply. Maybe you remind them to appreciate life. Maybe they admire your courage and your skateboard skill. Or simply think you're a good looking man and they wanted to know you better. And you. Take picture of people looking at you without their permission and call them staring at you because you're handicap and you picture them back in return maybe is as leverage act you commit. Don't you think if you give those looking at you people a bit more time maybe you'll find them really sweet and treat you just as normal as anyone else? Don't you know you're damn luckier than the stolen kids spend whole their lives market begging, selling american chewing gums in Taiwan's night market?

We look up to you. We're not staring at you.

ABC News video on Kevin Connolly
Kevin Connolly's website