Fate, inescapable

The eye by the Pang brothers is not the type of movie that can be remade. HK horror movies often contain elements of ghosts, their pre-existence and afterlife, karma and reincarnation, as in the eye 2, which is a completely different story and much spookier. These concepts are ingrained in China’s thousands of years of culture and can’t be copied by any movie technique. (Similarly, there will never be a Chinese remake of the exorcist or the omen.)

However, the fatalistic ending of the eye reminds me of the final destination series. Most mainstream American movies I’ve seen are positive and uplifting, like the pursuit of happyness, Apocalypto… People fight for a better life. But final destination is atypical. So I imdbed it and found the answer: the director-cum-writer is from HK, too.

"Are you hot? I'm so hot!"

Miss Chen was a lovely stocky girl, like a female version of Garfield jumping out of the comic book, much diligent, though.

She was an intern helping with a PR project. We were receiving an agricultural delegation from the EU and their last day’s schedule was a trip to the Great Wall. Each intern was assigned to accompany a guest during the visit.

It was a warm spring day in late March. Chen seemed excited about being a tour guide. The view was stunning, but the stairs were too high for her and within a few minutes, she was dripping with sweat.

Then in the middle of the Great Wall, she turned to the guest and asked in a hospitable tone, with a smile on her chubby cheeks:

“Hey, are you hot? I’m so hot!”

The guy must be taken aback. Yes, she was hot in the gaudy dress that day.

I’m not poking fun at her. It was her sense of humor that made the trip we took 4 years ago so vivid and memorable.

Bad education

Science or art? This is a choice I was faced with ten years ago. Fast-forward to 1998, after the first year in high school, we had to choose between the two. Besides Chinese, English and mathematics, which were compulsory subjects, science students focused on physics and chemistry, while art students on history and politics.

I chose science without hesitation. I couldn’t stand the dates and historical events being drummed into me and learning everything by rote. Or maybe the darkness of the Middle ages and the resplendence of Renaissance Europe were too far away for a 16-year-old. I actually wasn’t interested in science either. I struggled in byzantine physical theories and fell asleep over chemistry formulas.

So you can imagine how miserable my high school life would be. 12 classes a day, 7am to 9pm, Monday to Sunday, Jan to Dec. The only spare time was Sunday afternoon. If I could call that spare time.

Despite my stupidity on certain subjects, I was pretty good at English. So after graduation, I chose English as my major. It was a miracle. I survived and finally broke out of the prison.

When I entered university, I found myself being surrounded by elites from all over the country. I was jealous of those with deep philosophical thoughts and admired those who can reel off history. I shouldn’t have wasted my youth on science exercises. What good did it do to me? Logical thinking? Hopefully.

When it comes to making choices, there is no right or wrong. It is always the not-so-wise choices that teach us something and we grow mature in these lessons. And coming of age is not necessarily a bad thing. It gives us the right to choose what we want to do and give up what we don’t.

Friendship beyond time

We have known each other for ten years, one year in the same classroom, and another two in the same high school. After graduation, we went our own ways. She studied in Qingdao and works in Shanghai. I’m in Beijing.

Last time we met, it was 4 or 5 years ago. But neither time nor distance can separate us. That’s the power of friendship. Real friends don’t change with time. When we get together again, the years just disappear and we quickly reconnect. That’s the magic of friendship. She helped me get through the hardest period. That’s the value of friendship.

题外话
经常会遇到很像的人：有人长得像，有人说话像，有人性格像，有人感觉像。老同学，老同事，新同事，新客户。。。好像在世界的某个角落，每个人都有自己的一面镜子。偶尔会在茫茫人海中看到一张似曾相识的脸，却不敢相认，因为不相信会有这样的巧合。于是就这样擦肩而过，或者他们本身就是我们生命中的过客。不曾相逢，是缘分未到；相逢却不相识，是有缘无分。

Annual greetings

Chinese New Year’s eve is the busiest night for my mobile phone. Thanks to SMS, it makes holiday greetings easy and efficient. Just a few thumb movements on the keypad, voila!

However, it’s weird to be addressed by a close friend with “nin” because we never talk like that. There’re also texts from acquaintances with whom I only get connected on this day. When greetings are mass produced, where can I find sincerity?

The childhood happiness of wearing new clothes on New Year’s Day, being amazed by splendid fireworks under the stars, receiving red packets from the elders… has gone forever. Nian doesn’t mean a lot to us jaded modern people any more.

The holiday

Work as if there were no tomorrow because tomorrow is the holiday.

The holiday is not always as romantic as Nancy Meyers' film. The rough working days before and after that, the chaotic transportation, the long and tortuous way home, the annual holiday routines…

The good thing is I can finally see some old friends.