Suddenly into calligraphy

In a carton blanketed with thick dust, an old booklet about Chinese calligraphy caught my attention. It was hand-written and printed on a kind of carbon paper. A printer was unheard of back in 1991. It’s been 19 years since I last practiced calligraphy.

I decided to pick it up. Calligraphy used to be a mandatory course when I was in primary school. But I doubt if it still is today when a kid can use his iphone to photograph his homework and share with his schoolmates. They definitely won’t write so much as to develop hand calluses as we did.

Calligraphy is often associated with tradition and senility. But it shouldn’t have been. It doesn’t matter what you write. The nuances lie in every stroke of the characters and the slight movements of the wrist. Brush pen dances on the paper and ink soaks into it, leaving a special aroma in the air – it’s a wonderful moment.

胡思乱想

夜深了，公交车还在疯狂地咆哮着。

心情不好，又没有人诉说，只能在这里瞎写一番，希望不好的情绪能在敲击键盘的过程中得到释放。

天气热，人也变得很懒，不饿的时候连吃饭的欲望都没有。朋友好像都很忙，忙工作，忙考试、出国。相比之下，我似乎是一个完全没有追求的人。安于现状，顺其自然。记得去年年底公司聚餐的时候，我们的VP说了一个特别好的词“无欲”。想必我现在就是这种状态。No desire for anything. I guess I’ve somewhat achieved the Taoist ideal of non-attachment.其实本来性格就很laid-back，不愿意去争什么，只是工作中有时候需要改变一下自己。

很佩服那些对未来有明确规划的人，但我做不到。为了一个目标去做一件事会很累。什么也不要想，什么都不要做，大脑一片空白。

Deadline

Speaking of cultural differences, I thought of another example. My job involves a lot of liaison between Chinese clients and our Singaporean colleagues. When I need something from a Singaporean colleague, they always ask what the deadline is. Without a deadline, I’m afraid things will be dragged on for years. But for many Chinese, this may be a stupid question and they just tell me ASAP. Damn it! When the hell is ASAP? I have to trick and push them to get an answer. What’s so hard about setting a deadline, anyway?