Idol Worship - The Taoist Variety

Don't teach your kids that "back in the old days" of the Bible, people worshiped idols. Shockingly, people still do, and did so today. I went to do research at a Taoist temple today. It grieved my soul to see those searching for a god in a place that looked like hell.

I knew that in Hong Kong and Taiwan people really worshipped like this, but I did not expect to see it in a country where most people are supposed to be atheists. On the first day of the new year, scores of people go to temples to pray, looking for hope and prosperity in the year. It was SNOWING today, and people were supposed to be at home with their families, and I was absolutely dumfounded when my friend TR and I got to the temple and saw the crowds.

It was a fiery, smoky furnace of despair. It felt so evil.

Idol Worship - The Buddhist Variety

TR and I then went to do more research at a Buddhist Temple. It was another fiery, smoky, evil mess.

This young lady had to get instructions from a temple assistant. It was probably her first time to burn incense before Buddha and she didn't know the steps.

This guy is bowing before a shrine of Buddha. There were many Buddhas in the courtyard that people could bow in front of, but this one had a kneeling pillow near it.

Lots of big, thick candles were everywhere. I asked a group of village ladies if they visited the temple on a regular basis. They smiled and nodded "yes." I asked if they came every week (no), every month (no)? They said they came once a year. Oh, that kind of regular attendance.

Like some people in America who only go to church on Christmas.

The big scene of fire and smoke (and melted snow).

Thoughts on a New Year's Day

It's the Year of the Tiger, and these red stuffed ones wave to the passersby on the street.

Taylor is an intern with my company for six months. She is 20 years old. I feel blessed by her cheerful company. We spent at least 8 hours together this weekend taking photos and doing research in the bitter cold. We rode bikes, stood in the snow, met some Tibetans, and made sure we ate lots of Chinese food for Chinese New Year.

Although I can keep up with a 20-year old by day, by night I fall apart. I wonder if she has aches and pains, needs heating pads and pain relievers to get her through to another day. Probably not. Right now every muscle in my body hurts, and I'm cold. I'm not sure I would want to do this research again next year, but I'm really glad we did it today. I had a great time.

The only downer was seeing with renewed clarity the lostness around me.

Valentine's Day = Chinese New Year

Would I kid you? Cupid and the Tiger are going to have to duke it out to see who wins the battle of the holiday icons this Sunday. February 14, 2010, ushers in the year of the Tiger.

Grrrrr and all that stuff.

This will be my first Chinese New Year on the mainland. For well over a decade I've spent every Chinese New Year in Thailand, against my will. But now I can finally enjoy the holiday atmosphere.

I did spend a couple of Chinese New Year's in Hong Kong, back in 1996 and 1997. But it is celebrated much differently there. And it is hot in Hong Kong. Which brings me to my next subject.

It's cold outside! It is raining here, the wind is blowing, and the temperature is not all that far above the freezing mark. I had to ride my e-bike (electric bike) out in the rain across town this morning, and though I am back in my warm, dry apartment with a cup of hot decaf coffee, I still have not recovered.

My Chinese friends tell me that they love really cold weather during the holiday season. They must be thrilled today.

I bought 20 long-stem red roses today for US$9.00. I was annoyed at the price, but they told me the price is jacked up for Valentine's Day.

I bought them for my own house. There's no law that says you can't buy flowers for your own place. {Think outside the box!}

Hope you all have a happy Chinese New Year! Celebrate!

The Big World Downstairs

From my bedroom window, I took some shots of the view downstairs. There's a little park with ponds, rocks, and pavement. There's a bicycle path, then the main road. Then there are "short" little rows of apartments across the way (seven-stories tall, max). The more modern complex where I live is taller.

When it is not raining, the park is filled all day long with elderly folks in their drab-colored clothes, playing cards, chess, and who-knows-what all.

They are rather transfixed on their games. Getting out and about every day is good for them ... beats sitting at home watching TV I suppose. It's like a public park retirement center. I'm not sure, but I surmise that they play for money.

Rain

It's raining today. I love to hear the rain ... I love being indoors where it is dry and warm.

This February is forecast to be almost as dreary as the last one. It's what I imagine Seattle to be like. Not that I would know really....

A Day in the Life of a Sick Woman

You know your cupboard is bare when you go looking for ramen noodles and can’t find any.

So, sick or not I donned my motorbike gear (pink scarf, white puffy coat, heels, etc.), a package of Kleenex, and went out in the cold, moist, cloud-covered air with my mouth wide-open like an unintelligent fool. (I can’t breathe through my nose).

I have friends who could bring me food, but then I’d have to put on make-up, clean my house and entertain them as guests for a while. It takes too much lung capacity and energy to talk … to convince someone you are going to be okay. When I am sick, I’d rather just get my own food; it’s less stressful overall. (My friends don’t have cars either, so it would be a big hassle for them to help.)

A little shop by the gate sells ramen. It also sells other heartburn-inducing carb food like Ruffles potato chips (barbeque sausage flavored) and muffins. The shop is out of Diet Coke. The gal promises me she’ll have some by next week. That’s what she said last week. I think the fizz of a Diet Coke would make me feel better. Fizz and caffeine, a glorious combination.

I putter down the road and find a vegetable vendor. I buy broccoli and onions, wondering what dish I can cook up with those two ingredients. Maybe sautéed broccoli and onions over ramen noodles? Ah, well, maybe not.

I go to the ATM machine, because I need rent money by the end of next week. There is a limit on how much I can take out each transaction, so I do seven transactions, at which point I hit my daily maximum withdrawal limit. I have to come for seven workdays in a row, doing seven transactions each time, in order to have enough money to make up the rent amount. I hope no other expenses come due before then, because all my money is going for rent. Sick or not, I have to go to the ATM every day. I hope the guy smoking the ghastly cigarette won’t be there next to me in this enclosed area of the bank every day.

(You may wonder how I have time to engage in activities related to rescuing the perishing when I have to stand in line at the ATM/bank/electric company/phone company/real estate office/gas company/cell phone company so often [Did you know that no bills are paid by mail here? All are paid in person]. Trust me, it annoys me too. Anyway, I’m sick, possibly with something infectious, so no one wants to be around me today anyway.)

I get home, only to be greeted with that look that says, “What? No dog food today?” The pet shop is so far away. Mimi already ate Italian spaghetti yesterday, so I’ve got to come up with something besides Ramen for her to eat today. Too much pasta can’t be good for her. Poor doggy.

I turn on the TV for noise. “House” is on. CNN is on the other station. I don’t care, I just wanna take a nap.

My elderly neighbors knock on the door. Loudly. They are not trying to make friends with me. They think my heating unit is dripping water on their windows below me, and they are mad. They come up here every day to complain. I try to sound sweet and contrite, but, in fact, I am not the guilty dripping party.

They send an apartment complex maintenance man to my house to prove to me that I am the problem. He comes to my apartment when the neighbors are not there. He says I am not the problem. See! I wish he would tell my neighbors, because they don’t believe me.

Every muscle in my body hurts. I would think I had the flu except (a) I had two different flu shots this season, and (b) I know I carried heavy stuff this week. I’m sore most all of the time when I am in this country.

I answered e-mails today, probably twenty of them.

And so there you have it, the day in the life of me.

Not a very good day, but a day nonetheless … in case you were wondering.

Back Overseas

A happy little doggy greeted me in the night late on January 21st as I returned to my apartment in Bamboo Forest after a nearly three month absence. She has hardly left my side since then.

Due to all the security measures I have to use on my computer when here, the internet is slowed down to a turtle's crawl. It's a bit frustrating to use the internet now.

Anyway, thanks for lifting up my travels, and I'll be in touch again sometime soon.

Wow, thanks!

Thanks to those of you who have written/called/visited in the past couple of months, but especially during the past week. I got 33 birthday cards, and I haven't stopped to count the Internet greetings I got. And some of you didn't know it was my birthday, but you kindly wrote/called/visited/gave gifts anyway.

By the way, I had one of the best birthdays ever!

I want to write to thank all of you personally, but those individual thanks will come later. I have to leave here in less than 24 hours and I don't have everything packed. Plus, I have to go to the bank, the doctor, the hardware store, the post office, and renew my driver's license. Things are hectic. I need to get up at 2 a.m. tomorrow, so I plan to be in bed by 7 p.m. tonight.

Today is the only day I am both eligible and present in the USA to get my driver's license renewed before it expires 362 days from now.

My flight plan: Here to DFW (20 minutes) to Tokyo (14 hours) to Shanghai (3 hours). The longest layover is in Dallas for four hours. My first flight leaves at 7:10 a.m., but I need your prayers at least as early as when I check in at 5:00 a.m. Wednesday. :-)

More news soon!

Running Out of Time

Uh-oh. I only have four full days left before I leave the country to return to Asia, and one of them is going to be spent traveling from the USA east coast back to Texas. Yikes! What happened to the time?

Please remember me as I run to buy a few last things, figure out where in the WORLD I think they will fit in my already full luggage, say good-byes (the hard part), get some sleep, do banking, walk my parents' dogs one last time (not that the white one even likes me very much, but I still kind of like her anyway), mail off some paperwork after I do the paperwork, reconfirm flights, etc.

And, though I know it is not your fault Mr. late Martin Luther King, Jr., your birthday, which is now a banking holiday, did not fall on a very helpful day. How I am I supposed to go to the bank when it is closed?

And, despite the way things sound, it is not all about me. My mom has a doctor's appointment Tuesday morning (I leave Wednesday morning) -- I pray that all the news is good.

Worth Propagating

"The reason some folks don't believe in missions is that the brand of religion they have isn't worth propagating." -- unknown