Friday. 12.29.06 7:10 pm
The new year is coming up as well as the lunar new year. I thought it was interesting to note that just like Japanese culture the house is cleaned on December 31, the same is done in China only the house is cleaned before the lunar New Year and a special type of couplet/poem is written and placed above the entrance ways.
Chun lian is a special type of duilian and is used only during the lunar New Year. While duilian is permanent, chunlian is a temporary decoration but with changing times some people may keep them up all year long. These couplets are written on vertical
strips of red paper in the best calligraphic style, and not made on Adobe Photoshop or Macromedia Fireworks like these. But in these changing times I am sure it is no longer uncommon!
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Tuesday. 12.26.06 2:08 pm
I am not sure why is it that the apparent "Western" culture is so popular. I see the Western culture as the destroyers of humanity. First of all what is "West"? This is something I am still trying to figure out. Is it Canada? USA? Europe? Africa? South America? India? Russia? China? What language do Westerners speak? English? French? Swahili? Turk? Hindi? Chinese? What is geographically west is different from what is culturally and politically west. It seems to me that what is East and West depends on who is in the center. So who is in the center? It seems like it is always "ME". How do we decide who is "ME"? Is it power that decides? From what I see and hear and read it seems to me at least that the "Westerner" is the English speaking American. Both of which do seem to have power. If this is true why do we want to make ourselves like the Americans? If their food alone will not kill you then their work ethic combined will kill you. Their society is too individualized, which seems to lead to a more anti-social behavoir. They work their 9-5 jobs and come home and complain about how they hate their job. They talk about how proud they are to live in a free country and yet they complain how they are tried to their jobs. How can this be freedom? When you work so much to pay off your house. The only social interaction they may have is with their co-workers and families if they get home in time. They may spend more time on the computer talking to someone in another city who does the same thing yet they may never meet each other in real life. Their society is based on "everyone for themselves". You grow up and then leave and are left to survive for yourself.
I don't want to say it but the opposite of this culture seems to be the one that is more rewarding. Perhaps it is the "Eastern" culture but who is to say exactly what is "Eastern"? They eat far healthier. They have jobs that continue from generation to generation. They have extended families that live and care for one another. They have better social networks of friends. They may seem to work more hours but considering their diet and social networking they may just out live everyone else. The more people you have in contact with the more chances that you will be able to get married. Who the hell wants to date a computer? Stop this world-wide effort to make the common language English! Learn a minority language! Keep the friendship and peace.
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Monday. 12.25.06 5:37 pm
First time in 10 years I got out today and rented some cross-country skis and did a few hours up on Silver Star in Vernon, BC. I never liked the fiberglass fish-scale non wax type of skis but the ones I tried today were excellent - going up hills was actually less painfull than I thought faster and easier to make corners. The ski boots - the first time I have had a boot that was actually comfortable and warm. Just to get myself into the pace of skiing again the next time I will have to try the waxing type and then the skating type after that.
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Sunday. 12.17.06 11:45 pm
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