“Happy birthday!” my friends chorused.
It was my birthday and we were going to watch Paranormal Activities. Nadja, Kaitlyn, Erin, Noor, Sabrina, and I were huddled in front of my T.V. After 1 and a half hour, the movie ended. We were all staring at the blank screen, hugging each other close.
The next day, on the way to school, Kaitlyn and I talked about the movie.
“Why don’t we make a parody?” I suddenly exclaimed.
Kaitlyn was in on this idea, and we both started working out a script for our parody, ‘Apple-Normal Activities’.
Arriving at school, we quickly filled out names of our friends for roles that would best fit their personality. We explained our ideas briefly to the rest of our friends. With all the excitement exploding like an eruption, they all still agreed to help, hearing only: “We are filming a movie”. There was a small discussion of the roles but as the bell rang, we were ready to practice.
“Nadj — uh — Nikki, what’s wrong?” Kaitlyn said, correcting into our stage names.
… Silence.
“Nadja! Your line!” I reminded her.
“Huh? Oh yeah! Um, uh… Nothing. Nothing’s wrong”
5th time through, they were still forgetting their lines. Recess was over, and we only practiced the first two scenes.
The next few scenes were fine, making only minor mistakes. Though when we got to the fighting scene, we were all messing up. Nadja wasn’t getting the sequence right.
“No! The first blow comes around and you’re supposed to duck! No, not yet!” I tried correcting her.
Soon, a few of the cast started wandering off to play with other people. When they were called back, none of them would be into the script or the acting. Eventually, we grew tired.
Little by little, like a creeping cat, the day of filming came. It was to be filmed at Kaitlyn’s house. When everyone arrived, I looked over at the camera, then at the tripod. Kaitlyn shrugged and so we hastily tried to piece it together. The camera wasn’t stable and there were a bunch of levers everywhere. We finally pieced it together after 10 minutes.
“Okay, guys, first scene. Sabrina, you — GUYS!” Kaitlyn yelled.
The camera started.
“Ooh. This looks cool.” Chaitri said expressionlessly.
“CUT! More expression! Restart!” I cut her off.
She sat back down and got ready to start.
“Ooh! This looks cool!” she exclaimed.
That short little scene already took away 15 more minutes from our 2-hour film time.
“Nikki, what’s wrong?” asked Kaitlyn.
“Nothing. Noth —” Nadja burst out laughing.
“NADJA!” we all yelled at her.
She apologized and Sabrina started the camera again.
“Nikki, what’s—” This time, it was Kaitlyn who started laughing.
20 minutes already passed and we were getting nowhere.
“We should do this first,—” Nadja said.
“But shouldn’t we —” Sabrina interrupted.
“Yes, but how about —” Erin tried.
“Guys, guys, stop! Let’s just stick with our plan!” I huffed.
It was the time for our fighting scene and Sabrina quickly set up the camera. Nadja and I began. First, she kicked and I dodged. Then my hand went for her head, but she wasn’t ducking.
“No, no, no!” I stopped. “You’re supposed to DUCK!”
The camera began rolling once more. This time, Nadja and I were in sync, not missing a beat. Suddenly, like waking from a dream, Sabrina’s voice cut in.
“Shirley, you’re not in the scene…”
With an exasperated sigh, I shifted the camera back a bit.
“There. Now let’s finish this scene with no more interruptions” I said.
Step by step, we finished one scene, then 2, then the whole movie.
“I am soo good” Chaitri finished off the last line and pivoted away.
“And we’re done!” we all yelled triumphantly when Sabrina stopped the camera. After a big hustle of clean up, Kaitlyn gave the memory card to Nadja for her to edit.
hey guys! i edited the movie and heres the final result!
Apple-Normal Activity – Medium_1.mp4
-nadja :)
That was the email Nadja sent us a few days later. I clicked on the link and watched our 15-minute movie unfold.
At school, we asked our teacher if we could show the class the movie. We received laughs, whispers of awe, and compliments afterwards.
That night, we all went home and slept soundly, proud of our success.
Sunday, 29 December 2013
Tuesday, 17 December 2013
Flowerpot Island
On Thanksgiving, my family and friends went to Tobermory for our vacation where we visited Flowerpot Island
On the cruise, we spotted the 2 famous flowerpots. It was a sedimentary rock with layers and layers of stones piled on top of each other. It was perfectly, but dangerously balanced for years, wide on the top and thin at the bottom, like a flowerpot. We docked on the south side of the island and all we could see for miles were rocks. There were large flat stones closer to toe seas and smaller pebbles closer in. All the rocks were bleached white, after years of salty waves washing the stones and the relentless sun beating the rocks with heat. We threw rocks into the blue-green water and skipped stones. We built inuksuks and tanned on the large flat stones. On the island were cliffs upon cliffs. Unfaltering at the height, we climbed all the cliffs. Hearing our parents yelling for us to wait, we turned around to cry out a retort. As I opened my mouth, at the corner of my eyes, I spotted something green on the side of one of the flowerpots. I looked harder, squinting under the bright sun. It was still there. Shocked, I rubbed my eyes, wondering if they were playing tricks on me. They weren’t. On the side on the flowerpot grew a little tree.
As a seed, it was separated from its family, snatched up by the unforgiving wind, along with a few of its siblings. It screamed and hollered, the howling of the wind drowned the sounds. As it flew past a flowerpot, it quickly grabbed the grainy rocks and found a tiny crevice where it was sheltered. It mourned for many days, there was no rain or soil; how was it going to survive? The little seed already knew the answer though. It patiently waited for a rainfall, just a drop of water. And then it came. In a flash of lightning, the rain poured out of the sky. Using the few grains of sand for nutrients, the little seed produced roots, clutching the rocks and reaching for the sky. Rain after rain, storm after storm, the little seed began to grow.
The tree, now a sapling, still grips onto the flowerpot. The other trees, just meters away in the safety of the healthy soil mock it day and night for its stupidity of growing in such a spot. The sapling is smaller than its siblings and growing sideways. Its branches were tangled and its trunk peeling. Its kin are all tall and straight, with leaves like emeralds; mesmerizing patterns adorning each one. Their branches all point upwards, reaching for the sky, their trunks flawlessly smooth. Alone on the flowerpot, the sapling looks down at the rocky floor. It could fall, loosen its roots a bit and drop. But it didn’t instead, it grabbed the rocks tighter and looked towards the light.
The tree grown up still ignores the ongoing comments. The wind comes every few minutes, pestering the sideways tree, trying to force it to let go. The wind becomes stronger and stronger, more ferocious each time, using all its force to blow the tree down. A few times it almost did, the tree barely hanging on with its last strand of root. Each time, the tree adjusted itself, holding the rock even tighter and eventually gripping it so tight that they seemed to be one. The rocky floor seems to be the only escape from the yelling voices of the other trees and wind. But nothing faltered the sideways tree. Every day, it faced the sun.
I stared at the tree, its healthy green leaves filtering light. It stood proud and strong. It may not be as tall as a pine, majestic as an oak or as serene as a willow, but it has its inner fire, allowing it to go on, even through the darkest of days. No matter how despairing, the sideways tree could always find a light, making it the most admired tree.
Sunday, 8 December 2013
Dr. Haltrecht's Clinic
I was born with a set of bunny teeth. My 2 incisors protruded unevenly. My parents searched for a teeth blacksmith who would forge my teeth into a set of straight teeth.
The orthodontist that they found was Dr. Earl Haltrecht, his clinic situated near Fairview Mall. He is a man that would smile, flashing a set of perfect teeth. If only I had those…
Surprisingly, he gave us a discount! Since I was the second child, he set the price lower.
When talking with my dad, his light creases around his eyes intensified.
“Come, sit down,” he invited us.
When I was actually settled, I noticed how big his nose was. It was shaped like a parrot’s. Big and arched with a pair of glasses that rested on top of it. He had a head of grey hair with white streaks running through it.
Every time he leaned in to begin an operation, I’d always catch the scent of coffee.
Whenever I first enter the clinic, Anna is the first to meet me. She has glossy black hair, big eyes that twinkle and shine, and a smile as big as the moon. She also has a set of beautiful teeth.
She answers all the phone calls with a light, upbeat tone, ending each call with a slight laughter.
Afterwards, she'll look up at the waiting patients and check them in with a warm smile.
In the waiting room, they have a screen that plays a slideshow of pictures and a few jokes. One picture showed them all dressed up for Halloween. The next slide showed:
Why did the vampire visit the orthodontist?
And the next…
What did the orthodontist do on the roller coaster?
He BRACED himself!
Overhead, they projected a radio station that plays the most popular songs of the month. The volume is turned down low so it wouldn’t bother the people who do not wish to listen.
Lisa, Dr. Haltrecht assistant, would be the one who does most of the operation work. Even though, it is Dr. Haltrect who she would turn to for help.
Coming from another patient, his blue latex glove would slip off and a new one slides back on. He changes them as he walks, like magic.
He’d reach over and probe my mouth for a minute, and then everything would be done.
“Is everything all right?” we’d ask.
“So we’ll just come again in 2 weeks?”
“Oh, ya ya” he’d repeat.
It’s been a year now and many different appliances have been inserted into my mouth. Now, with a prettier set of bunny teeth, Dr. Haltrecht put in braces. How much longer until my teeth look like his? Who knows? Going to his clinic has been incorporated into my daily life. The final result? I’m still waiting.
The orthodontist that they found was Dr. Earl Haltrecht, his clinic situated near Fairview Mall. He is a man that would smile, flashing a set of perfect teeth. If only I had those…
Surprisingly, he gave us a discount! Since I was the second child, he set the price lower.
When talking with my dad, his light creases around his eyes intensified.
“Come, sit down,” he invited us.
When I was actually settled, I noticed how big his nose was. It was shaped like a parrot’s. Big and arched with a pair of glasses that rested on top of it. He had a head of grey hair with white streaks running through it.
Every time he leaned in to begin an operation, I’d always catch the scent of coffee.
Whenever I first enter the clinic, Anna is the first to meet me. She has glossy black hair, big eyes that twinkle and shine, and a smile as big as the moon. She also has a set of beautiful teeth.
She answers all the phone calls with a light, upbeat tone, ending each call with a slight laughter.
Afterwards, she'll look up at the waiting patients and check them in with a warm smile.
In the waiting room, they have a screen that plays a slideshow of pictures and a few jokes. One picture showed them all dressed up for Halloween. The next slide showed:Why did the vampire visit the orthodontist?
Because he wanted to improve his BITE!
And the next…
What did the orthodontist do on the roller coaster?
He BRACED himself!
Overhead, they projected a radio station that plays the most popular songs of the month. The volume is turned down low so it wouldn’t bother the people who do not wish to listen.
Lisa, Dr. Haltrecht assistant, would be the one who does most of the operation work. Even though, it is Dr. Haltrect who she would turn to for help.
Coming from another patient, his blue latex glove would slip off and a new one slides back on. He changes them as he walks, like magic.
He’d reach over and probe my mouth for a minute, and then everything would be done.
“Is everything all right?” we’d ask.
“Oh, ya ya”
“So we’ll just come again in 2 weeks?”
“Oh, ya ya” he’d repeat.
It’s been a year now and many different appliances have been inserted into my mouth. Now, with a prettier set of bunny teeth, Dr. Haltrecht put in braces. How much longer until my teeth look like his? Who knows? Going to his clinic has been incorporated into my daily life. The final result? I’m still waiting.
Saturday, 30 November 2013
IB Essay
Growing up, I was very shy and for most of grade 1 to 5, I would bury my nose in books. I am a fan of historical fiction and so reading books about Russia, France, England etc. made me curious about their lifestyles and cultures. Sometimes lost about what is happening in the books I’ve read, I began to research about the particular country. I became more and more curious. In my research, I also came across many global issues.
In elementary school, I wasn’t very socially active and kept to myself. I didn’t participate in any fundraisers or clubs, except Silver Birch. However, in grade 6, when I helped organize my first fundraiser, my eyes opened to the world around me. I began to have deeper understandings of many issues like discriminations and global warming. After organizing that fundraiser, I began to feel as if I could change things and I started to crawl out of my shell. I have then started to help and organize fundraisers and join clubs.
I am generally a serious person and I can focus on tasks easily, which I think would help me in the IB program. I work well in groups as well as independently. Other helpful traits are self regulation and time management. I think that these traits will not only help me get through IB but also to thrive in it.
My hobbies are reading and music. Reading lets me find another view on situations and can bring me into the author’s point of view. I started playing piano at the age of 7 and I have earned my grade 6 certificate and I am now reaching for my grade 7 certificate. Many times, I wanted to quit piano as I could never reach the right key or my tempo was always wrong. Still, I held back the tears and persevered and in the process, I became more determined in all my works, not allowing myself to give up.
My career goal is to become a doctor and I hope that I would find a path trough IB. Ever since I was in grade 4, I wanted to be in medics. I watched some documentaries on medics to try to understand how different diseases and viruses affect the body. I also research about breakthroughs in medical history and the history of medics. I would like to take Science and Math and have a better understanding of how the body functions and body parts.
To me, IB is a chance to pursue my dreams. It is the door to my hopes and the pathway to my future. It is the source of satisfaction for my thirst of knowledge and my increasing curiosity.
In elementary school, I wasn’t very socially active and kept to myself. I didn’t participate in any fundraisers or clubs, except Silver Birch. However, in grade 6, when I helped organize my first fundraiser, my eyes opened to the world around me. I began to have deeper understandings of many issues like discriminations and global warming. After organizing that fundraiser, I began to feel as if I could change things and I started to crawl out of my shell. I have then started to help and organize fundraisers and join clubs.
I am generally a serious person and I can focus on tasks easily, which I think would help me in the IB program. I work well in groups as well as independently. Other helpful traits are self regulation and time management. I think that these traits will not only help me get through IB but also to thrive in it.
My hobbies are reading and music. Reading lets me find another view on situations and can bring me into the author’s point of view. I started playing piano at the age of 7 and I have earned my grade 6 certificate and I am now reaching for my grade 7 certificate. Many times, I wanted to quit piano as I could never reach the right key or my tempo was always wrong. Still, I held back the tears and persevered and in the process, I became more determined in all my works, not allowing myself to give up.
My career goal is to become a doctor and I hope that I would find a path trough IB. Ever since I was in grade 4, I wanted to be in medics. I watched some documentaries on medics to try to understand how different diseases and viruses affect the body. I also research about breakthroughs in medical history and the history of medics. I would like to take Science and Math and have a better understanding of how the body functions and body parts.
To me, IB is a chance to pursue my dreams. It is the door to my hopes and the pathway to my future. It is the source of satisfaction for my thirst of knowledge and my increasing curiosity.
Monday, 25 November 2013
Broken Arm
Monday August 5th, 2013 was Civic Day; everything seemed perfect. The sun was bright and warm and the blue sky held no trace of clouds. Squirrels and birds made amends and played. The lively breeze nudged the trees into whispering laughter. The flowers smiled and the grass was green.
On that beautiful morning, we decided to go to Sunnybrook Park. My friends and I frolicked around, running in the grass and climbed a tree. I climbed higher and higher, gaining more confidence. Suddenly, my foot slipped and I came crashing down. A small but sturdy twig caught me, flipping me over. I landed with my arms outstretched and the wind knock out of my lungs.
Everyone asked in unison, “Are you okay?” Out of breath and slightly embarrassed, I told them in a light tone that I was fine. I got up to brush the dirt off my pants, wondering how I would explain the dirt stain on my pants. When I looked down, it felt like I fell off the tree again. My wrist was crooked. My face instantly paled and I could only say 3 words: Oh. My. God. I was unable to take my eyes off my alien wrist. This was obviously a nightmare; it wasn't real.
5 minutes after we called 911, we heard the high pitch siren of the ambulance. The paramedics gently put my arm in a makeshift cast letting some of the younger children hold the equipment. He guided me to the ambulance where 2 other paramedics waited. We were seated in the ambulance but I kept fidgeting and my mom’s face was ghostly pale. The paramedic, upon seeing us instantly said it was nothing.
“I broke my arm 3 times. Heck, I even broke my skull! I’m still here,” he joked.
After filling many forms and applications, we sat in the waiting room of the hospital. At first, we kept little conversation, but after 5 minutes, we were silent. My arm began to throb, which didn't happen before. At first, it only lasted for a second or so and then stopped. But it soon came back, lasting longer and longer. I began to gasp as the throbbing became a stab and I cried in my mom’s shoulder, biting my tongue to try to keep my mind off my arm. Again and again I told my mom that my arm hurt and she would bite her lips each time, wanting to do something. After the millionth time, my mom asked a nurse for painkillers.
To keep my mind off my arm, I forced myself to think about something else. Suddenly, my foggy mind cleared and I sat up straight. I would miss the Backstreet Boys concert. Before summer vacation, my family and I heard that the Backstreet Boys would be touring in Toronto. We scoured the Internet for tickets and when we finally found a site, we managed to snag the last few tickets. Everyday, we ticked off the boxes of our calendars, impatiently waiting for the day to arrive. Timidly, I asked my mom if I could still go.
“We'll see”, she replied and I knew it was impossible now.
Slumping quietly in my chair, I suddenly realized that I wouldn't be going to China either. To save money, my mom bought our tickets earlier this year and they were non-refundable. She already packed our bags a few weeks earlier and I was looking forward to a trip to the Terra Cotta warriors which I missed on my last visit.
Sensing my dark mood, we decided to try to go to Backstreet Boys concert. There were obviously going to be big crowds at the concert so we devised a system where my family members would stand around me to prevent anyone from accidentally bumping my arm. I would wear only one sling so everyone would get the message that my arm was broken without me losing my balance.
As if fate didn't want me to go, the forecast was rain. My cast could not touch water so we had to find a rain jacket. There couldn't be any sleeves as my arm could not fit and it had to be well insulated.
The day was quickly upon us so we scrambled into stores, scouring shelves and exploring aisles for the perfect raincoat. The days disappeared, one by one yet no stores had the perfect jacket. As the days went by, I became more frantic. It seemed that I wouldn't go after all.
The day before the concert, I was scrunched up on the couch, all hope gone and tears prickled my eyes. The Backstreet Boys concert was going to be my first live concert! Now because of my arm, my family and I couldn't go.
I heard the door closing, knowing what my dad would say. He walked up to me, holding something behind his back. He smiled and produced a pink bicycle raincoat. I slipped it over my head; it covered me from neck to toe and my arm was safely under the thick waterproof fabric. There were no sleeves. It seemed as if God sent it himself. I clutched the jacket, almost kissing it.
After the exciting, awesome concert, another wall slammed in front of us. How would I go to China? I only had my cast on for one week and we all knew from the Internet that I needed at least 2 weeks before the doctors gave me a fiberglass cast and I might be able to travel. My luck couldn't be repeated the second time so I sulked in the corner. Still, my parents were able to read me like an open book and knew what I was feeling. My dad proposed that he and I would go 2 weeks after my sister and mother if possible. If my arm still couldn't take it after 3 weeks, he and I would go on winter vacation. Still, my dad was away for most of the day and since my other arm was also hurt, without my sister or mother, how was I going to eat, bathe, dress or use the washroom? To make matters worse, we were renovating our staircase and there was no way that I was able to use it without assistance.
A week after the incident, when we went to the hospital for a checkup, I was taken by surprise when the nurse began to cut my cast before I saw the doctor. The nurse pawned our comments of how I only had my plaster cast for 1 week, saying that it was fine. Afraid to hope, I timidly asked the doctor if I could go to China. I held my breath waiting for his response. He stopped writing. Was he biting his lips and shaking his head? He seemed to be on the verge of giving me bad news and my heart sank. He looked up from his sheet, his eyes seemed furrowed and I could already hear his answer: I’m sorry, but no. Then he smiled.
“Of course you can,” he said and I did a silent whoop, “I’ll just put you in a fiberglass cast and you’ll be ready to go.”
Snip, snip. After we came back from China, a month later, the cast finally came off. I took one last look at my cast, its familiar color and texture, filled with names and get well notes with happy faces and hearts from all my friends. I tentatively touched my right arm which tingled with the foreign touch. My arm prevented me from writing to playing with a dog; it was something that is least on my mind at night when I crawl under the covers yet I depend on it the most.
Everyone asked in unison, “Are you okay?” Out of breath and slightly embarrassed, I told them in a light tone that I was fine. I got up to brush the dirt off my pants, wondering how I would explain the dirt stain on my pants. When I looked down, it felt like I fell off the tree again. My wrist was crooked. My face instantly paled and I could only say 3 words: Oh. My. God. I was unable to take my eyes off my alien wrist. This was obviously a nightmare; it wasn't real.
5 minutes after we called 911, we heard the high pitch siren of the ambulance. The paramedics gently put my arm in a makeshift cast letting some of the younger children hold the equipment. He guided me to the ambulance where 2 other paramedics waited. We were seated in the ambulance but I kept fidgeting and my mom’s face was ghostly pale. The paramedic, upon seeing us instantly said it was nothing.
“I broke my arm 3 times. Heck, I even broke my skull! I’m still here,” he joked.
After filling many forms and applications, we sat in the waiting room of the hospital. At first, we kept little conversation, but after 5 minutes, we were silent. My arm began to throb, which didn't happen before. At first, it only lasted for a second or so and then stopped. But it soon came back, lasting longer and longer. I began to gasp as the throbbing became a stab and I cried in my mom’s shoulder, biting my tongue to try to keep my mind off my arm. Again and again I told my mom that my arm hurt and she would bite her lips each time, wanting to do something. After the millionth time, my mom asked a nurse for painkillers.
To keep my mind off my arm, I forced myself to think about something else. Suddenly, my foggy mind cleared and I sat up straight. I would miss the Backstreet Boys concert. Before summer vacation, my family and I heard that the Backstreet Boys would be touring in Toronto. We scoured the Internet for tickets and when we finally found a site, we managed to snag the last few tickets. Everyday, we ticked off the boxes of our calendars, impatiently waiting for the day to arrive. Timidly, I asked my mom if I could still go.
“We'll see”, she replied and I knew it was impossible now.
Slumping quietly in my chair, I suddenly realized that I wouldn't be going to China either. To save money, my mom bought our tickets earlier this year and they were non-refundable. She already packed our bags a few weeks earlier and I was looking forward to a trip to the Terra Cotta warriors which I missed on my last visit.
Sensing my dark mood, we decided to try to go to Backstreet Boys concert. There were obviously going to be big crowds at the concert so we devised a system where my family members would stand around me to prevent anyone from accidentally bumping my arm. I would wear only one sling so everyone would get the message that my arm was broken without me losing my balance.
As if fate didn't want me to go, the forecast was rain. My cast could not touch water so we had to find a rain jacket. There couldn't be any sleeves as my arm could not fit and it had to be well insulated.
The day was quickly upon us so we scrambled into stores, scouring shelves and exploring aisles for the perfect raincoat. The days disappeared, one by one yet no stores had the perfect jacket. As the days went by, I became more frantic. It seemed that I wouldn't go after all.
The day before the concert, I was scrunched up on the couch, all hope gone and tears prickled my eyes. The Backstreet Boys concert was going to be my first live concert! Now because of my arm, my family and I couldn't go.
I heard the door closing, knowing what my dad would say. He walked up to me, holding something behind his back. He smiled and produced a pink bicycle raincoat. I slipped it over my head; it covered me from neck to toe and my arm was safely under the thick waterproof fabric. There were no sleeves. It seemed as if God sent it himself. I clutched the jacket, almost kissing it.
After the exciting, awesome concert, another wall slammed in front of us. How would I go to China? I only had my cast on for one week and we all knew from the Internet that I needed at least 2 weeks before the doctors gave me a fiberglass cast and I might be able to travel. My luck couldn't be repeated the second time so I sulked in the corner. Still, my parents were able to read me like an open book and knew what I was feeling. My dad proposed that he and I would go 2 weeks after my sister and mother if possible. If my arm still couldn't take it after 3 weeks, he and I would go on winter vacation. Still, my dad was away for most of the day and since my other arm was also hurt, without my sister or mother, how was I going to eat, bathe, dress or use the washroom? To make matters worse, we were renovating our staircase and there was no way that I was able to use it without assistance.
A week after the incident, when we went to the hospital for a checkup, I was taken by surprise when the nurse began to cut my cast before I saw the doctor. The nurse pawned our comments of how I only had my plaster cast for 1 week, saying that it was fine. Afraid to hope, I timidly asked the doctor if I could go to China. I held my breath waiting for his response. He stopped writing. Was he biting his lips and shaking his head? He seemed to be on the verge of giving me bad news and my heart sank. He looked up from his sheet, his eyes seemed furrowed and I could already hear his answer: I’m sorry, but no. Then he smiled.
“Of course you can,” he said and I did a silent whoop, “I’ll just put you in a fiberglass cast and you’ll be ready to go.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Snip, snip. After we came back from China, a month later, the cast finally came off. I took one last look at my cast, its familiar color and texture, filled with names and get well notes with happy faces and hearts from all my friends. I tentatively touched my right arm which tingled with the foreign touch. My arm prevented me from writing to playing with a dog; it was something that is least on my mind at night when I crawl under the covers yet I depend on it the most.
Sunday, 10 November 2013
Le Petit Prince
Un Rapport du Livre
Sommaire
Un garçon était inspiré par un livre et décidait de dessiner un serpent qui mange un éléphant. Quand il donnait aux les adultes ou les « grands personnes », toute le monde disaient que c’était un chapeau. Découragé par son échec, il laissait ses dessine et apprenait comment piloter un avion.
Des années ont passé et le garçon a grandi. Un jour, il volait a travers le désert Sahara quand son avion a mal fonctionné et il a attiré. Soudain, il a aperçut un étrange petit garçon qu’il a nommé le petit prince. Le petit prince et l’homme sont devenus les amis et le petit prince a raconté son histoire.
Le petit prince vivait sur l’astroïde B 612. Sur son astroïde, il y a des baobabs qui vont occuper la planète si tu ne creuses pas. Le petit prince a vu une plante qui ressemble à un baobab alors il le laisse. La plante était une magnifique rose qui était très vain. Le petit prince l’aimait beaucoup et la rose prend l’avantage de l’amour du petit prince et donnait beaucoup des ordres alors le petit prince a décidé de partir mais pas avant le rose a avoué son amour pour lui.
Le petit prince a visité des autres astroïdes habité par les grandes personnes comme un roi, un vaniteux, un buveur, un homme d'affaires, un allumeur de réverbères et un géographe. Ces personnes donne une impression que les grandes personnes sont très étranges et manque d’imagination. Finalement, le petit prince a arrivé au Terre et il voir un aiguilleur du chemin du fer qui lui disait que toutes les adultes vont par ici et par la mais ils ne savent pas ce qu’ils cherchent. Seule des enfants regardent dehors leurs fenêtres et savait ce qu’ils cherchent.
Le petit prince a marché à un jardin et il était triste de voir des millions des roses. Il avait pensait que sa rose est la seule de l’espèce et a pensé qu’elle était spéciale. Après, il a rencontré un renard qui a demandé d’être apprivoisé. Le renard a donné beaucoup des sagesses au le petit prince. Il a dit que l’amour donne la signifiance aux personnes et chose. A cause du amour du petit prince, le champ de blé avait de la signifiance a le renard car c’était la même couleur de ses cheveux. Le petit prince a réalisé que son rose est spécial car il l’aime.
Le petit prince finissait son histoire et l’homme n’avais plus du l’eau. Heureusement, ils sont trouvé un petit puits. Le petit prince a resté au le puits et a dit que l’homme doit retourner pour réparer son avion et de retourner le lendemain. Le prochain jour, l’homme trouve le petit prince avec un serpent qui le petit prince avait rencontré avant. Le serpent a mordu le petit prince qui mourait. Il disait que c’est le plus rapide façon de retourner à son astroïde.
Thème
Il y a beaucoup des thèmes dans cette livre mais le plus important ce que les choses importantes et sérieuses ce n’est pas toujours mathématiques ou la science. Les grandes personnes pensait trop sur la sujet du l’argent et l’efficace comme l’homme d’affaires, qui calcul les étoiles toute la journée et a placé les étoiles dans la Bank et penser c’est a lui. Aujourd’hui, beaucoup des personnes juste veulent l’argent et pensent que c’est la plus importante chose dans la monde et ils ne prennent pas le temps de fait des amis et regard des petites choses dans la vie qui te fait content. Aussi, nous essayons de faire les choses plus efficaces mais pas pour les choses importantes. Dans un parti, le petit prince rencontre un Merchant qui vendre les pilules pour qu'un personne sauver le temps pour boire du l'eau. Nous manque d’imagination. Nous devons regard les choses avec nos cœurs et comme le renard a dit, l’œil est nul.
Qui
Les protagonistes dans centre livre sont le petit prince et le narrateur. Il y a aussi le renard, la rose, le serpent, le roi, le vaniteux, le buveur, l’homme d'affaires, l’allumeur de réverbères, le géographe et l'aiguilleur d’un chemin du fer.
Où
Le lieu de cette livre est dans le désert Sahara, l'astroïde B 612, l'astroïde 325, 326, 327, 328, 329, 330 (la maison du le roi, le vaniteux, le buveur, le homme d'affaires, le allumeur de réverbères, le géographe), et la Terre.
Quand
Il n'y a pas d'une spécifique période du temps dans cette livre mais c’arrive il y a 6 ans.
Quoi
Quand le narrateur était petit, il fait un dessine que toutes les grandes personnes mal interprète et personne ne savais pas qu'est que c'est. Le narrateur, maintenant un adulte, se trouve dans un désert et trouve un petit garçon qu'il a nommé le petit prince. Ils sont devenu les amies et le petit prince à raconté son histoire et le narrateur est content d'avoir un amie avec d'imagination.
Comment
Le petit prince réaliser que sa rose est spéciale après le renard a dit que l'amour donne le signifiance. Il a aussi réalisé que sa rose lui aime aussi derrière ses ordres et ses étranges besoins.
Pourquoi
Le narrateur était découragé par ses designs et pensée que les grandes personnes manque d’imagination. Il n’avait pas des amies qui vraiment comprendre ce qu’il sent et il fait un modifier son personnalité pour que les autres grandes personnes pense qu'il est normal et raisonnable.
Un garçon était inspiré par un livre et décidait de dessiner un serpent qui mange un éléphant. Quand il donnait aux les adultes ou les « grands personnes », toute le monde disaient que c’était un chapeau. Découragé par son échec, il laissait ses dessine et apprenait comment piloter un avion.
Des années ont passé et le garçon a grandi. Un jour, il volait a travers le désert Sahara quand son avion a mal fonctionné et il a attiré. Soudain, il a aperçut un étrange petit garçon qu’il a nommé le petit prince. Le petit prince et l’homme sont devenus les amis et le petit prince a raconté son histoire.
Le petit prince vivait sur l’astroïde B 612. Sur son astroïde, il y a des baobabs qui vont occuper la planète si tu ne creuses pas. Le petit prince a vu une plante qui ressemble à un baobab alors il le laisse. La plante était une magnifique rose qui était très vain. Le petit prince l’aimait beaucoup et la rose prend l’avantage de l’amour du petit prince et donnait beaucoup des ordres alors le petit prince a décidé de partir mais pas avant le rose a avoué son amour pour lui.
Le petit prince a visité des autres astroïdes habité par les grandes personnes comme un roi, un vaniteux, un buveur, un homme d'affaires, un allumeur de réverbères et un géographe. Ces personnes donne une impression que les grandes personnes sont très étranges et manque d’imagination. Finalement, le petit prince a arrivé au Terre et il voir un aiguilleur du chemin du fer qui lui disait que toutes les adultes vont par ici et par la mais ils ne savent pas ce qu’ils cherchent. Seule des enfants regardent dehors leurs fenêtres et savait ce qu’ils cherchent.
Le petit prince a marché à un jardin et il était triste de voir des millions des roses. Il avait pensait que sa rose est la seule de l’espèce et a pensé qu’elle était spéciale. Après, il a rencontré un renard qui a demandé d’être apprivoisé. Le renard a donné beaucoup des sagesses au le petit prince. Il a dit que l’amour donne la signifiance aux personnes et chose. A cause du amour du petit prince, le champ de blé avait de la signifiance a le renard car c’était la même couleur de ses cheveux. Le petit prince a réalisé que son rose est spécial car il l’aime.
Le petit prince finissait son histoire et l’homme n’avais plus du l’eau. Heureusement, ils sont trouvé un petit puits. Le petit prince a resté au le puits et a dit que l’homme doit retourner pour réparer son avion et de retourner le lendemain. Le prochain jour, l’homme trouve le petit prince avec un serpent qui le petit prince avait rencontré avant. Le serpent a mordu le petit prince qui mourait. Il disait que c’est le plus rapide façon de retourner à son astroïde.
Thème
Il y a beaucoup des thèmes dans cette livre mais le plus important ce que les choses importantes et sérieuses ce n’est pas toujours mathématiques ou la science. Les grandes personnes pensait trop sur la sujet du l’argent et l’efficace comme l’homme d’affaires, qui calcul les étoiles toute la journée et a placé les étoiles dans la Bank et penser c’est a lui. Aujourd’hui, beaucoup des personnes juste veulent l’argent et pensent que c’est la plus importante chose dans la monde et ils ne prennent pas le temps de fait des amis et regard des petites choses dans la vie qui te fait content. Aussi, nous essayons de faire les choses plus efficaces mais pas pour les choses importantes. Dans un parti, le petit prince rencontre un Merchant qui vendre les pilules pour qu'un personne sauver le temps pour boire du l'eau. Nous manque d’imagination. Nous devons regard les choses avec nos cœurs et comme le renard a dit, l’œil est nul.
Qui
Les protagonistes dans centre livre sont le petit prince et le narrateur. Il y a aussi le renard, la rose, le serpent, le roi, le vaniteux, le buveur, l’homme d'affaires, l’allumeur de réverbères, le géographe et l'aiguilleur d’un chemin du fer.
Où
Le lieu de cette livre est dans le désert Sahara, l'astroïde B 612, l'astroïde 325, 326, 327, 328, 329, 330 (la maison du le roi, le vaniteux, le buveur, le homme d'affaires, le allumeur de réverbères, le géographe), et la Terre.
Quand
Il n'y a pas d'une spécifique période du temps dans cette livre mais c’arrive il y a 6 ans.
Quoi
Quand le narrateur était petit, il fait un dessine que toutes les grandes personnes mal interprète et personne ne savais pas qu'est que c'est. Le narrateur, maintenant un adulte, se trouve dans un désert et trouve un petit garçon qu'il a nommé le petit prince. Ils sont devenu les amies et le petit prince à raconté son histoire et le narrateur est content d'avoir un amie avec d'imagination.
Comment
Le petit prince réaliser que sa rose est spéciale après le renard a dit que l'amour donne le signifiance. Il a aussi réalisé que sa rose lui aime aussi derrière ses ordres et ses étranges besoins.
Pourquoi
Le narrateur était découragé par ses designs et pensée que les grandes personnes manque d’imagination. Il n’avait pas des amies qui vraiment comprendre ce qu’il sent et il fait un modifier son personnalité pour que les autres grandes personnes pense qu'il est normal et raisonnable.
Saturday, 9 November 2013
Canada's Wonderland
When the anticipated summer vacation became boring, my mom came home one day with a surprise. I was lounging on the couch doing nothing when 3 tickets were shoved in my face.
"Canada's Wonderland tickets were on sale today! I got you enough tickets to go twice with your sister and Arissa!" my mom said excitedly.
Since sitting on the couch wasn't my idea of 'fun', I didn’t want to miss my chance. Dialing Arissa's number as quickly as I could, a map of rides was already forming in my mind. The last time I went to Canada's Wonderland was years ago, and I didn't qualify for many of the rides. This year, all the rides were available for me.
"Hello?" Arissa’s voice said.
"Hi Arissa, it’s me Shirley. Want to go to Canada's Wonderland with my sister and I? My mom already bought us tickets, so we can go whenever we want." I told her.
"Really? I was thinking about going there too! Is it okay if one of my other friends come as well?"
"Sure! When we get there, we should…"
This went on for a while.
Our next ride was going to be Dragon Fire. There was a corkscrew and loops with rushing speed. Screaming filled the air.
"Uh…" my sister said with doubt. No one said anything, but we all didn't want to go on.
As we were making our way towards another ride, Arissa stopped.
"Wait! We haven't been on any of the bigger rides! We’ll have to go on one of them!" she exclaimed so we all agreed to backtrack to the Bat.
Arissa and I played hand games and tried to forget our situation. We suddenly found ourselves in the seats, being strapped tightly. I was sitting next to Arissa and my older sister was behind us. Screaming and screaming through horrifying loops, we finally stopped. My hand clenched the bars tightly, expecting to lurch forward again.
Feeling somewhat heroic, we decided to go on the Behemoth. Before we could change our minds, we stepped into line. Up close, the ride seemed much higher than from afar. Since my sister and Arissa mutually agreed to go on, I didn't want to seem afraid.
We were almost there and half an hour already passed, but all the while, I was becoming more and more uneasy. I watched a train leave a station and listened to the screaming. Since the seating plan was 2 by 2, one of us was going to have to sit by ourselves.
I told Arissa and my sister that I was not going to go, fear overcoming my dignity. Arissa looked at my sister and a look of doubt crossed her face. But the train had arrived, and they still decided to go on. I went down the stairs and waited at the exit. I heard the train leave the station. I saw it climb up the slope. I felt my stomach clench when the train teetered at the peak. Soon enough, the ride was over and my sister and Arissa were running towards me.
"It was awesome!"
"The air was so fast!"
"If you scream, it’s better!"
"You need to ride it!"
They both took turns yelling excitedly at me. This time, comfortable with the knowledge of their experience, we lined up again. Arissa was going to sit with me, and my sister would sit behind us.
When it was our turn, I sat down, taking deep breaths. I reached over to the lap restraints and latched it down as tightly as I could. Groping for the body straps, I realized there was none. How is this piece of plastic and foam going to keep me in my seat? From waist up, I was exposed. The next thing I know, I’m moving forward and the people who work at the ride were wishing us a good journey.
Good journey?! More like the scare of our lives! I thought. Our train jerked up as it began to climb. The air was cold and I noticed how dark it was. 2 ladies behind my sister were talking calmly and laughing. Do they not realize that they are on the Behemoth?! I looked down, and we were pretty high up. I sucked in air preparing to scream as we drop. But we continued to climb, and climb. When will this thing drop? The heads in front of me disappeared. We had reached the peak. Our train was suspended for a moment and below us, city light glowed and car headlights flashed by. The faint sound of traffic was all we could hear. I got in as much of the cold air as I could before plunging into darkness. I was out of breathe that I couldn't even scream anymore when we began climbing again. Before I could recover, we were rushing back down. We slowed down after a while and returned into the booth, where everyone was applauding. A bit dazed, we then went on the Stunt Coaster, Flight Deck, and Skyrider, though nothing came close to the Behemoth.
When Arissa's dad came to pick us up, we were all exhausted. However, Arissa jumped into the car and began talking to her dad.
"Dad, dad! We went on the Behemoth! We went on the Behemoth!"
This lasted the whole ride home.
"Canada's Wonderland tickets were on sale today! I got you enough tickets to go twice with your sister and Arissa!" my mom said excitedly.
Since sitting on the couch wasn't my idea of 'fun', I didn’t want to miss my chance. Dialing Arissa's number as quickly as I could, a map of rides was already forming in my mind. The last time I went to Canada's Wonderland was years ago, and I didn't qualify for many of the rides. This year, all the rides were available for me.
"Hello?" Arissa’s voice said.
"Hi Arissa, it’s me Shirley. Want to go to Canada's Wonderland with my sister and I? My mom already bought us tickets, so we can go whenever we want." I told her.
"Really? I was thinking about going there too! Is it okay if one of my other friends come as well?"
"Sure! When we get there, we should…"
This went on for a while.
The beautiful day finally came. The sun kissed the flowers and the birds sang happily. Arissa's mom was taking my sister, Arissa, and I to Canada's Wonderland, where we would meet Arissa's friend, Yi Fong.
When we entered the gates of Canada's Wonderland, a train on the Leviathan thundered above our heads, followed by screaming. I glanced nervously at Arissa.
When we entered the gates of Canada's Wonderland, a train on the Leviathan thundered above our heads, followed by screaming. I glanced nervously at Arissa.
We quickly spotted a rocking boat and decided to go on it. While we were in line, we were chatting normally. This would be a piece of cake.
When it was our turn, we got on without a glance back. We were rocked up and down a few times before slowing down to a stop.
When it was our turn, we got on without a glance back. We were rocked up and down a few times before slowing down to a stop.
Our next ride was more of a roller coaster, called the Wild Beast. It zoomed forward and around a curve before climbing up a slope where we were suspended for a moment. I screamed because everyone else did.
Afterwards, wishing for more thrills, we came across Thunder Run. Yi Fong glanced at the speed of the trains and refused to go on. After a bit of convincing, she hesitantly agreed to go on with us. Our train sped forward into a dark cave with flashing lights all around us. We all hollered loudly, feeling the wind against our faces.
"Let’s go on the Bat!" Arissa said pointing to an image on the map. When we were actually standing in front of the Bat, my heart lurched. My eyes followed the red tracks leading to two loops. I had never been on loops, and this didn't seem like one for amateurs and my head barely passed the qualifying line.
"Let’s actually skip this one…" Yi Fong said nervously after we watched a train race past us with a lot of screaming. We moved on.
"Let’s go on the Bat!" Arissa said pointing to an image on the map. When we were actually standing in front of the Bat, my heart lurched. My eyes followed the red tracks leading to two loops. I had never been on loops, and this didn't seem like one for amateurs and my head barely passed the qualifying line.
"Let’s actually skip this one…" Yi Fong said nervously after we watched a train race past us with a lot of screaming. We moved on.
Our next ride was going to be Dragon Fire. There was a corkscrew and loops with rushing speed. Screaming filled the air.
"Uh…" my sister said with doubt. No one said anything, but we all didn't want to go on.
As we were making our way towards another ride, Arissa stopped.
"Wait! We haven't been on any of the bigger rides! We’ll have to go on one of them!" she exclaimed so we all agreed to backtrack to the Bat.
Arissa and I played hand games and tried to forget our situation. We suddenly found ourselves in the seats, being strapped tightly. I was sitting next to Arissa and my older sister was behind us. Screaming and screaming through horrifying loops, we finally stopped. My hand clenched the bars tightly, expecting to lurch forward again.
Feeling somewhat heroic, we decided to go on the Behemoth. Before we could change our minds, we stepped into line. Up close, the ride seemed much higher than from afar. Since my sister and Arissa mutually agreed to go on, I didn't want to seem afraid.
We were almost there and half an hour already passed, but all the while, I was becoming more and more uneasy. I watched a train leave a station and listened to the screaming. Since the seating plan was 2 by 2, one of us was going to have to sit by ourselves.
I told Arissa and my sister that I was not going to go, fear overcoming my dignity. Arissa looked at my sister and a look of doubt crossed her face. But the train had arrived, and they still decided to go on. I went down the stairs and waited at the exit. I heard the train leave the station. I saw it climb up the slope. I felt my stomach clench when the train teetered at the peak. Soon enough, the ride was over and my sister and Arissa were running towards me.
"It was awesome!"
"The air was so fast!"
"If you scream, it’s better!"
"You need to ride it!"
They both took turns yelling excitedly at me. This time, comfortable with the knowledge of their experience, we lined up again. Arissa was going to sit with me, and my sister would sit behind us.
When it was our turn, I sat down, taking deep breaths. I reached over to the lap restraints and latched it down as tightly as I could. Groping for the body straps, I realized there was none. How is this piece of plastic and foam going to keep me in my seat? From waist up, I was exposed. The next thing I know, I’m moving forward and the people who work at the ride were wishing us a good journey.
Good journey?! More like the scare of our lives! I thought. Our train jerked up as it began to climb. The air was cold and I noticed how dark it was. 2 ladies behind my sister were talking calmly and laughing. Do they not realize that they are on the Behemoth?! I looked down, and we were pretty high up. I sucked in air preparing to scream as we drop. But we continued to climb, and climb. When will this thing drop? The heads in front of me disappeared. We had reached the peak. Our train was suspended for a moment and below us, city light glowed and car headlights flashed by. The faint sound of traffic was all we could hear. I got in as much of the cold air as I could before plunging into darkness. I was out of breathe that I couldn't even scream anymore when we began climbing again. Before I could recover, we were rushing back down. We slowed down after a while and returned into the booth, where everyone was applauding. A bit dazed, we then went on the Stunt Coaster, Flight Deck, and Skyrider, though nothing came close to the Behemoth.
When Arissa's dad came to pick us up, we were all exhausted. However, Arissa jumped into the car and began talking to her dad.
"Dad, dad! We went on the Behemoth! We went on the Behemoth!"
This lasted the whole ride home.
Saturday, 19 October 2013
Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa
Part 3 HuangTianBa
HuangTianBa (黄田坝)
Every time I visit HuangTianBa, a new shock shakes through my body. Buildings just grow out of the ground, taller with each visit. Shops and malls pop out of nowhere and people come and go. I went to China 3 years ago when they just begun the construction of 3 new buildings, right outside my grandparents’ condo. I returned last summer, and was taken aback to see 3 20-storey buildings.
Every time we visit China, my parents always visit the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (成都飞机工业集团) where they had formally worked. There were many tall trees crowned with large, healthy leaves and multicolored flowers surrounding the base of the tree. There were shrubs and bushes with tiny red berries and many benches on the campus. The tiles were all cemented on the ground and not one was higher than the other. There were many large murals, clearly depicting airplanes and men smiling. There are plane models but we never saw them; I am only told of them in stories or see them in pictures. We walked along the entire perimeter of the building and my parents recalled many stories from their time there. We circled the living quarters of the worker. Most of the condos were a bit run down and the road was deserted, giving an abandoned feel. The windows were blue, much to my astonishment. My mother pointed one of the buildings and told us that that was where my dad lived. We walked through the whole premises not skipping a single road.
Many years ago, before I started school, I lived with my grandparents and attended a daycare. Every day, we would watch a movie about fuzzy creatures that frightened me. One day, I brought a DVD about 101 things to know. At first, my classmates rejected as they all liked the fuzzy creatures which annoyed and frustrated me a lot. Still, I persisted as I couldn’t stand another day watching the show and the teacher finally decided that it was time for a change of taste.
When I came home from daycare, the first person I would meet was my 2-year-old sister, anticipating my return. Every day, she would bring my slippers over neatly and waited for me to put them on before asking me about my day. I would feel as if a queen, with a servant preening over me or a celebrity followed by a reporter and being asked about every single detail of my school day.
On our evening walk, I would sometimes see someone selling red, candy balls coated with sugar kabobs. The sugar coating would be hard and crunching, cracking when I bit into it while the soft inside was sour. The sweet and sour taste would blast through my mouth and fill my every thought in an instant. At that time, it was my favorite treat and whenever I saw it, I would plead and beg my grandparents to buy it for me.
At night, my grandmother would watch the news, but she never missed the Chinese National Anthem. My sister and I would anticipate all night for my grandmother to turn on the TV and when the familiar tune filled the room, my sister and I would leap off our chairs and start dancing. We pretended we were soldiers, marching on the spot and saluting with professional expressions. Our bodies were stiff and rigid, always erect while we sang along with my grandparents and parents who laughed in the background and cheered for us.
On my previous visit my grandmother Xiang ShiLin (向诗林), whose father (my great grandfather Xian DaiChang 向代昌) was the military Garrison commander of the Chengdu city (成都警备司令), showed me pins of Chairman Mao. Back in the 1960s, it was mandatory that everyone wore one to show respect for Mao. The pins came in different shape and sizes. Some were rectangular, others were circular, and a few were hexagons. Chairman Mao’s head would be golden on a red background, a sacred color in China. Sometimes, there would be five yellow stars, symbolizing China or the front gate of the Forbidden City. Now, the pins became collectables. I couldn't decide my favorite pin. They were all glittering at me and trying to catch my attention. At first I put one pin on. Suddenly, there would be a bright and colorful pin that I didn't see before and I would add it on to my shirt. Then my eyes rested on one with a unique design and I would pick it up and pin it to my shirt. Before I knew it, I had 5 or 6 pins on my T-shirt.
There is a large colored picture in the middle of the living room right above a drawer depicting my sister and I in traditional Chinese dresses (mine was pink and my sisters was red) holding our hands in a gesture of respect and peace on a red background with fake firecrackers hanging on the right. The picture was taken in a photography store and was specifically bought and framed for my grandparents. Sometimes, my mom points out thing in the house that was there when she was a child and I see many pieces of furniture that sparks fading memories. At night, wrapped in a blanket that seemed somewhat familiar, I took a deep whiff. A flood of memories flashed through my mind, little clips of conversations, the sound of laughter, the joy when my dad visited me and all the places I went. Three generations of my family lived and thrived in China and although my home is on the other side of the earth, my roots have wriggled through miles of land and sea, reaching a place that is embossed in my heart and nourished me. Canada will always be my home but China is my third parent.
Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa Part 1 China
Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa Part 2 Chengdu
Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa Part 3 HuangTianBa
Every time I visit HuangTianBa, a new shock shakes through my body. Buildings just grow out of the ground, taller with each visit. Shops and malls pop out of nowhere and people come and go. I went to China 3 years ago when they just begun the construction of 3 new buildings, right outside my grandparents’ condo. I returned last summer, and was taken aback to see 3 20-storey buildings.
Every time we visit China, my parents always visit the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (成都飞机工业集团) where they had formally worked. There were many tall trees crowned with large, healthy leaves and multicolored flowers surrounding the base of the tree. There were shrubs and bushes with tiny red berries and many benches on the campus. The tiles were all cemented on the ground and not one was higher than the other. There were many large murals, clearly depicting airplanes and men smiling. There are plane models but we never saw them; I am only told of them in stories or see them in pictures. We walked along the entire perimeter of the building and my parents recalled many stories from their time there. We circled the living quarters of the worker. Most of the condos were a bit run down and the road was deserted, giving an abandoned feel. The windows were blue, much to my astonishment. My mother pointed one of the buildings and told us that that was where my dad lived. We walked through the whole premises not skipping a single road.When I came home from daycare, the first person I would meet was my 2-year-old sister, anticipating my return. Every day, she would bring my slippers over neatly and waited for me to put them on before asking me about my day. I would feel as if a queen, with a servant preening over me or a celebrity followed by a reporter and being asked about every single detail of my school day.
On our evening walk, I would sometimes see someone selling red, candy balls coated with sugar kabobs. The sugar coating would be hard and crunching, cracking when I bit into it while the soft inside was sour. The sweet and sour taste would blast through my mouth and fill my every thought in an instant. At that time, it was my favorite treat and whenever I saw it, I would plead and beg my grandparents to buy it for me.
At night, my grandmother would watch the news, but she never missed the Chinese National Anthem. My sister and I would anticipate all night for my grandmother to turn on the TV and when the familiar tune filled the room, my sister and I would leap off our chairs and start dancing. We pretended we were soldiers, marching on the spot and saluting with professional expressions. Our bodies were stiff and rigid, always erect while we sang along with my grandparents and parents who laughed in the background and cheered for us.
There is a large colored picture in the middle of the living room right above a drawer depicting my sister and I in traditional Chinese dresses (mine was pink and my sisters was red) holding our hands in a gesture of respect and peace on a red background with fake firecrackers hanging on the right. The picture was taken in a photography store and was specifically bought and framed for my grandparents. Sometimes, my mom points out thing in the house that was there when she was a child and I see many pieces of furniture that sparks fading memories. At night, wrapped in a blanket that seemed somewhat familiar, I took a deep whiff. A flood of memories flashed through my mind, little clips of conversations, the sound of laughter, the joy when my dad visited me and all the places I went. Three generations of my family lived and thrived in China and although my home is on the other side of the earth, my roots have wriggled through miles of land and sea, reaching a place that is embossed in my heart and nourished me. Canada will always be my home but China is my third parent.Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa Part 1 China
Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa Part 2 Chengdu
Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa Part 3 HuangTianBa
Torus: Chapter 4
"The Big Bang occurred around 13.8 billion years ago and it describes the early development of the universe. The universe was a pinprick of energy and that energy blasted outwards in 10-37 of a second. At that time, the universe was extremely hot and dense and it began expanding rapidly. Even today, the universe is still expanding, not showing any signs of slowing down. After many years, the universe cooled down enough to let some energy to be converted into subatomic particles."
"What are 'subatomic particles'?" Maxina interrupted.
"Particles that are smaller than atoms", George explained.
"What is smaller than an atom?"
"Neutrons, protons and electrons are all smaller than an atom."
Maxina nodded and George continued on.
"Even though many subatomic particles were formed, it took at least thousands of years before electrically neutral atoms were formed. The particles kept smashing into each other in high speed because of the high temperature creating new particles ."
"What does temperature have to do with the speed of things moving?" wondered Maxina.
Inora sighed, "The higher the temperature, the faster particles moved because they have more energy. Duh."
"Yes", George agreed, "The particles had a lot of energy and zoomed across the universe."
"Cool", Maxina replied as Inora rolled her eyes.
"The first elements formed were hydrogen and traces of helium and lithium. Giant clouds if those elements formed stars and many metals were formed inside those stars, exploding into space in a supernova. The metals and new elements coalesced to form planets, asteroids and comets."
"Who made up the Big Bang theory?" Maxina asked, yet again.
"Georges Lemaître first proposed the idea in 1927", responded George.
Inora looked up."I thought Edwin Hubble thought of the Big Bang".
"Wrong," George explained, "Edwin Hubble only expanded on the idea".
Inora pretended not to notice her sister smirking at her.
"Georges Lemaître was a Belgian cosmologist and Catholic priest. However, many astronomers at the time were uncomfortable that the universe is expanding. The idea that the universe started in a bang seemed absurd. In 1927, Lemaître published in Belgium an unnoticed paper that provided a solution to the equations of General Relativity for an expanding universe. By 1930, other cosmologists had concluded that the static models of the universe the cosmologists had worked on for many years were not correct. Furthermore, Edwin Hubble discovered that the distance to far away galaxies were generally proportioned to red shift. With Hubble’s observations, Lemaître paper convinced the majority of astronomers that the universe was indeed expanding."
"Um ..." Olivia asked nervously. "What is red shift?"
"Red shift happens when light and electromagnet radiation from an object moving away from the observer is increased in wavelength so it looks more red," described George, "Like when a high speed train rushes towards you, the pitch of the sound becomes higher."
"A year later, Lemaître explored the logical consequences of an expanding universe. If the universe is expanding, it would have been smaller in the past. Appealing to the new theory of matter, Lemaître proposed that the universe was initially a single particle which he called the "primitive atom" which exploded and expanded. This, my girls, was the birth of the Big Bang theory."
"What are 'subatomic particles'?" Maxina interrupted.
"Particles that are smaller than atoms", George explained.
"What is smaller than an atom?"
"Neutrons, protons and electrons are all smaller than an atom."
Maxina nodded and George continued on.
"Even though many subatomic particles were formed, it took at least thousands of years before electrically neutral atoms were formed. The particles kept smashing into each other in high speed because of the high temperature creating new particles ."
"What does temperature have to do with the speed of things moving?" wondered Maxina.
Inora sighed, "The higher the temperature, the faster particles moved because they have more energy. Duh."
"Yes", George agreed, "The particles had a lot of energy and zoomed across the universe."
"Cool", Maxina replied as Inora rolled her eyes.
"The first elements formed were hydrogen and traces of helium and lithium. Giant clouds if those elements formed stars and many metals were formed inside those stars, exploding into space in a supernova. The metals and new elements coalesced to form planets, asteroids and comets."
"Who made up the Big Bang theory?" Maxina asked, yet again.
"Georges Lemaître first proposed the idea in 1927", responded George.
Inora looked up."I thought Edwin Hubble thought of the Big Bang".
"Wrong," George explained, "Edwin Hubble only expanded on the idea".
Inora pretended not to notice her sister smirking at her.
"Georges Lemaître was a Belgian cosmologist and Catholic priest. However, many astronomers at the time were uncomfortable that the universe is expanding. The idea that the universe started in a bang seemed absurd. In 1927, Lemaître published in Belgium an unnoticed paper that provided a solution to the equations of General Relativity for an expanding universe. By 1930, other cosmologists had concluded that the static models of the universe the cosmologists had worked on for many years were not correct. Furthermore, Edwin Hubble discovered that the distance to far away galaxies were generally proportioned to red shift. With Hubble’s observations, Lemaître paper convinced the majority of astronomers that the universe was indeed expanding."
"Um ..." Olivia asked nervously. "What is red shift?"
"Red shift happens when light and electromagnet radiation from an object moving away from the observer is increased in wavelength so it looks more red," described George, "Like when a high speed train rushes towards you, the pitch of the sound becomes higher."
"A year later, Lemaître explored the logical consequences of an expanding universe. If the universe is expanding, it would have been smaller in the past. Appealing to the new theory of matter, Lemaître proposed that the universe was initially a single particle which he called the "primitive atom" which exploded and expanded. This, my girls, was the birth of the Big Bang theory."
"So what was before the Big Bang?" Olivia questioned.
"There was nothing, just a blank space", said Olivia, exasperated.
"Actually, there was no 'before' and no 'blank space'", George explained.
Inora and Olivia gave their father a confused look.
"Time was created when the Big Bang happened. 'Before' is a statement about time so there can be no 'before' the Big Bang", George said.
Inora and Olivia still looked confused.
"If I asked you how your brother looks like, what would you say?" George asked.
"Well, we can't answer because we have no brother," Inora answered.
"Exactly!" George exclaimed. "There was no time before the Big Bang so I can't answer what is before the Big Bang. The concept of 'before' simply didn't exist."
"Okay ... ", Olivia said, still confused.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Inora and Olivia gave their father a confused look.
"Time was created when the Big Bang happened. 'Before' is a statement about time so there can be no 'before' the Big Bang", George said.
Inora and Olivia still looked confused.
"If I asked you how your brother looks like, what would you say?" George asked.
"Well, we can't answer because we have no brother," Inora answered.
"Exactly!" George exclaimed. "There was no time before the Big Bang so I can't answer what is before the Big Bang. The concept of 'before' simply didn't exist."
"Okay ... ", Olivia said, still confused.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
My Grandma
When I think of my grandma, I only receive a few memories. The only way I communicate with her is usually through the telephone with my dad. But she can’t remember him. Nor me. A few years ago, she could still remember a couple of events that happened during her childhood. Now, she can't even tell who she was, what she did, etc. It’s not possible to chat with her like a typical grandma. To make her happy, we sing to her. She can still remember a few songs and cheers up when she hears them. She’s my grandma.
She wasn’t always like that. When she was young, she was a scientist. My grandpa, Wang Dao Kui (王道奎) and my grandma, Li Ben En (李本恩) both worked at Nuclear Power Institute of China (中国核动力研究设计院) She and my grandpa were one of the head researchers and their high-tech invention was granted an international patent in March 1995. This patent is now governed by State Intellectual Property Office of P.R.China. But after my grandpa passed away, her memory slowly began to deteriorate.
When my family visits China, I scarcely visit her home. She lives in a obsolete condo with tarnished furniture, situated nearby the heart of the city. Most of her furniture was hand-crafted by my grandpa himself. On her aged walls, hung pictures of my sister and I, the ones that my dad mails to her time and time. When I do visit her, she stares at me as if I were an intruder, making myself at home. Once, we went to a mall with my grandma and as we were waiting in line, I leaned on the shopping cart. I realized that I was being watched. I turned around to find my grandma glaring at me, with ice in her eyes.
“Don’t touch,” she muttered coldly. “I’ll beat you up!”
The look in her eyes, of mock and threat, dared me to object and the calm, but demanding, tone made me slowly back away, inching closer to my mom.
Back at her condo, I dropped down on the seat closest to me, exhausted. My grandma walked in then lingered hesitantly around me. Then, she sat down on the stool, in front of my seat. A few seconds later, she turned around and suddenly smacked my knee. Feeling uncomfortable, I changed spots, getting the message that I was not wanted in that area. The next thing I see, is my grandma sitting on my old seat, with a flash of triumph in her eyes.
She wasn’t always like that. When she was young, she was a scientist. My grandpa, Wang Dao Kui (王道奎) and my grandma, Li Ben En (李本恩) both worked at Nuclear Power Institute of China (中国核动力研究设计院) She and my grandpa were one of the head researchers and their high-tech invention was granted an international patent in March 1995. This patent is now governed by State Intellectual Property Office of P.R.China. But after my grandpa passed away, her memory slowly began to deteriorate.
When my family visits China, I scarcely visit her home. She lives in a obsolete condo with tarnished furniture, situated nearby the heart of the city. Most of her furniture was hand-crafted by my grandpa himself. On her aged walls, hung pictures of my sister and I, the ones that my dad mails to her time and time. When I do visit her, she stares at me as if I were an intruder, making myself at home. Once, we went to a mall with my grandma and as we were waiting in line, I leaned on the shopping cart. I realized that I was being watched. I turned around to find my grandma glaring at me, with ice in her eyes.
“Don’t touch,” she muttered coldly. “I’ll beat you up!”
The look in her eyes, of mock and threat, dared me to object and the calm, but demanding, tone made me slowly back away, inching closer to my mom.
Back at her condo, I dropped down on the seat closest to me, exhausted. My grandma walked in then lingered hesitantly around me. Then, she sat down on the stool, in front of my seat. A few seconds later, she turned around and suddenly smacked my knee. Feeling uncomfortable, I changed spots, getting the message that I was not wanted in that area. The next thing I see, is my grandma sitting on my old seat, with a flash of triumph in her eyes.
Since she can’t remember anything, my dad, uncles or caretaker has to assist her with using the washroom. When someone does, she has no clue of what’s going on and thinks that they are trying to hurt her. She’ll thrash, hit, and yell nasty comments at them. It takes plenty of coaxing, singing, and sweet talking to get her to sit on the toilet. While she is, she’d be grumbling about thieves and how they all are thieves. When she is done, she wouldn’t get up. However they try (by singing, talking with her, acting happy, etc), she would refuse to stand up. It would take a couple of minutes to finally win her over and continue on with the day.
She also can’t eat by herself. Someone has to feed her to prevent her from doing anything rash. Though if I were to feed her, she wouldn’t even take one bite. She would only eat from people that she is familiar or comfortable with, people like my dad. Some days, when she is in a bad mood, she’d refuse to eat anything at all. In those days, someone ought to comfort her and make her feel happier.
When I visited her, a week before we left, my dad’s younger brother (my uncle) took us to as restaurant with my grandma. My mom ended up sitting next to her. My grandma studied my mom’s face with a vacuous expression. Without further ado, she reached over and grabbed my mom's plate. My mom, who didn’t want to make my grandma mad, happily handed over her bowl and utensils as well. When the food arrived, my mom couldn’t eat, for my grandma was still keeping everything hostage, so my dad offered to switch seats with my mom. After my grandma looked at my dad up and down skeptically, to my surprise, she handed him the plates! A few minutes later, while everyone was eating, she picked up a piece of tofu and put it in my dad’s plate. Every once in a while, she would do the same, giving him something that she thinks tastes good.
A few days later, my dad told me a story: the morning before we returned to Canada, my dad visited my grandma again to see her before we leave. During breakfast, her caretaker was trying to feed her, but whatever she tried, didn’t work. 2 minutes passed. Then 5. The whole time my grandma would glance at the food, and then look away. My dad offered to feed her after seeing the stress in the caretaker's face. He doubted that it would work, but when she glanced at the food once more, she leaned in and took a bite.
"I think that she can still remember me deep down," my father said, more to himself than the caretaker. "I think she knows that I'll be leaving for Canada today."
As he was saying this, my grandma looked over at him and her eyes slowly welled up. Just a bit, but it turned light pink and glassy, like she was holding in tears. She stared at him, as if yearning to be able to say something. But just as it started, she turned back to the T.V. and resumed watching like nothing happened, dry eyes and all. So does she remember, still?
She also can’t eat by herself. Someone has to feed her to prevent her from doing anything rash. Though if I were to feed her, she wouldn’t even take one bite. She would only eat from people that she is familiar or comfortable with, people like my dad. Some days, when she is in a bad mood, she’d refuse to eat anything at all. In those days, someone ought to comfort her and make her feel happier.
When I visited her, a week before we left, my dad’s younger brother (my uncle) took us to as restaurant with my grandma. My mom ended up sitting next to her. My grandma studied my mom’s face with a vacuous expression. Without further ado, she reached over and grabbed my mom's plate. My mom, who didn’t want to make my grandma mad, happily handed over her bowl and utensils as well. When the food arrived, my mom couldn’t eat, for my grandma was still keeping everything hostage, so my dad offered to switch seats with my mom. After my grandma looked at my dad up and down skeptically, to my surprise, she handed him the plates! A few minutes later, while everyone was eating, she picked up a piece of tofu and put it in my dad’s plate. Every once in a while, she would do the same, giving him something that she thinks tastes good.
A few days later, my dad told me a story: the morning before we returned to Canada, my dad visited my grandma again to see her before we leave. During breakfast, her caretaker was trying to feed her, but whatever she tried, didn’t work. 2 minutes passed. Then 5. The whole time my grandma would glance at the food, and then look away. My dad offered to feed her after seeing the stress in the caretaker's face. He doubted that it would work, but when she glanced at the food once more, she leaned in and took a bite.
"I think that she can still remember me deep down," my father said, more to himself than the caretaker. "I think she knows that I'll be leaving for Canada today."
As he was saying this, my grandma looked over at him and her eyes slowly welled up. Just a bit, but it turned light pink and glassy, like she was holding in tears. She stared at him, as if yearning to be able to say something. But just as it started, she turned back to the T.V. and resumed watching like nothing happened, dry eyes and all. So does she remember, still?
Tuesday, 1 October 2013
Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa
Part 2 Chengdu
Chengdu (成都)
The moment we touched Chengdu land, relatives came to our aid; they drove us to my grandparents’ home, helped us find our luggage and carried the heavy duffel bags and backpacks. Relatives or friends would come every day and visit us, some I remembered and some I didn’t recognize. There were so many relatives that it was impossible to keep track. I’ve always known that we had many relatives and family friends, but it ever crossed my mind that it would be on this scale.
Every day or two, someone would invite my family over and treat us to dinner where we taste almost everything on the menu. Our table always winds up with a mountain of decorative plates with barely touched food. One day, my dad’s friend treated us to dinner at a fancy restaurant with multiple glittering chandeliers and a private room the size of my living room. The wall was decorated with heart carvings and our door was wooden with rows of protrusions, representing an ancient looking door. It was furnished with a couch, a coffee table and an aquarium with multiple golden fish. There are more than 4 waiters who attended our every whim, filled our glasses and introduced the platters. Among the dishes was a three-foot long platter piled with fried balls, with a carrot dragon head, almost as tall as the length of the plate, sitting upright on the end of the plate. 
The head and neck were carved with scales and the eyes give you a feeling that it was alive and smiled with a wise expression. The long mustache hung down, waving in the imaginary wind. The neck was crowned with freshly picked flowers, their fragrance still lingering. None of us eat a lot as we are engrossed in our conversations. So much food is wasted; in fact, most of the food is thrown away. I resent their life style or nature of wasting food, and instead, may invite others for tea while they can chat like what they normally do in restaurants.
The thing that pushes my buttons the most is smoking and it annoys me that people there have a habit of smoking. Any room you walk in, there would be a cigarette odor because there is no specific room or place to smoke. Everyone smokes in restaurants and foggy smog condenses on the ceiling and the stench is eye watering. On the sidewalks, thousands of cigarette butts are flung onto the ground, neglected by the smokers. My uncle smokes a few packs a day and the foul smell surrounds his body for many hours and I try to stay away from him the entire time. Also, more and more people are starting to smoke. My dad, who never smokes in Canada, was wheedled into smoking temporarily.
In Chengdu, there is a street called Jin Li Street (锦里古街). In the Qin Dynasty (秦朝 221 BC - 206 BC), this street was already famous for its cloth and it was one of the busiest streets in the Shu Han Kingdom (蜀汉, 221-263). Sometimes, Jin Li Street is referred as the “First Street of the Shu Kingdom”. In 2008, the street was restored and opened to the public. The street is 350 meters long. The street sells food and other souvenirs like embroidery, calligraphy and paintings. They also sell traditional, ornamental cloths and you can enjoy music and shadow puppetry. My favorite part was the food. There was a huge assortment of food and I wanted to try all of it. I ate something called Donkey Ears, 3 Big Pows and my favorite dish called Liangfen (凉粉) which I had no English translation. It is made out of green been that was grinded into powder, ran through with water and after the mixture dries, it is cut into slippery strips resembling noodles, then added sauces and spices. This dish was already created in the ancient time and was like a Popsicle at that time because of its naturally cold taste. 
It kept sliding in my mouth, spreading the sharp taste of spices across my tongue and glided down my throat. I kept eating and eating while my stomach was quickly filling up, feeling as if it was going to burst. I looked around and saw much more tempting food, sweet squares decorated with gemlike fruits and pineapple sticky rice. Smells were wafting at me from every corner. I was so disappointed that my stomach was too full to fit another bite.
Aside from the few setbacks, Chengdu has gone a long way from the drab, rundown buildings that I am occasionally told of. Now the buildings are well furnished with brightly lit hallways and the lobbies and are more spacious with glittering chandeliers and waxed tiles. 
The neighborhoods are nicely decorated with plant life like colorful flowers, healthy grass, many trees and sometimes even bamboo. My aunt and uncle’s apartment has many ponds with fish of any color of the rainbow and small cute turtles that we used to feed. My cousin’s apartment is decorated with bamboo while the buildings in the neighborhood give off an ancient feel.
10 years ago, only few people had cars, but now, seems every family has cars there. Automobiles pop out at every corner and speed away, taking almost impossible turn and every once in a while, a honk would be heard. The streets are constantly jammed and many roads and shortcuts criss cross each other, leaving cars precariously close. The cars squeeze in and out of the tight spaces. The wide roads are filled with little vendors who sell books, freshly roasted chestnuts, fruits and other trinkets. The streets are constantly filled with bustling people, rushing to get to their destinations.
Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa Part 1 China
Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa Part 2 Chengdu
Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa Part 3 HuangTianBa
The moment we touched Chengdu land, relatives came to our aid; they drove us to my grandparents’ home, helped us find our luggage and carried the heavy duffel bags and backpacks. Relatives or friends would come every day and visit us, some I remembered and some I didn’t recognize. There were so many relatives that it was impossible to keep track. I’ve always known that we had many relatives and family friends, but it ever crossed my mind that it would be on this scale.
The head and neck were carved with scales and the eyes give you a feeling that it was alive and smiled with a wise expression. The long mustache hung down, waving in the imaginary wind. The neck was crowned with freshly picked flowers, their fragrance still lingering. None of us eat a lot as we are engrossed in our conversations. So much food is wasted; in fact, most of the food is thrown away. I resent their life style or nature of wasting food, and instead, may invite others for tea while they can chat like what they normally do in restaurants.
The thing that pushes my buttons the most is smoking and it annoys me that people there have a habit of smoking. Any room you walk in, there would be a cigarette odor because there is no specific room or place to smoke. Everyone smokes in restaurants and foggy smog condenses on the ceiling and the stench is eye watering. On the sidewalks, thousands of cigarette butts are flung onto the ground, neglected by the smokers. My uncle smokes a few packs a day and the foul smell surrounds his body for many hours and I try to stay away from him the entire time. Also, more and more people are starting to smoke. My dad, who never smokes in Canada, was wheedled into smoking temporarily. 
In Chengdu, there is a street called Jin Li Street (锦里古街). In the Qin Dynasty (秦朝 221 BC - 206 BC), this street was already famous for its cloth and it was one of the busiest streets in the Shu Han Kingdom (蜀汉, 221-263). Sometimes, Jin Li Street is referred as the “First Street of the Shu Kingdom”. In 2008, the street was restored and opened to the public. The street is 350 meters long. The street sells food and other souvenirs like embroidery, calligraphy and paintings. They also sell traditional, ornamental cloths and you can enjoy music and shadow puppetry. My favorite part was the food. There was a huge assortment of food and I wanted to try all of it. I ate something called Donkey Ears, 3 Big Pows and my favorite dish called Liangfen (凉粉) which I had no English translation. It is made out of green been that was grinded into powder, ran through with water and after the mixture dries, it is cut into slippery strips resembling noodles, then added sauces and spices. This dish was already created in the ancient time and was like a Popsicle at that time because of its naturally cold taste. 
It kept sliding in my mouth, spreading the sharp taste of spices across my tongue and glided down my throat. I kept eating and eating while my stomach was quickly filling up, feeling as if it was going to burst. I looked around and saw much more tempting food, sweet squares decorated with gemlike fruits and pineapple sticky rice. Smells were wafting at me from every corner. I was so disappointed that my stomach was too full to fit another bite.
Aside from the few setbacks, Chengdu has gone a long way from the drab, rundown buildings that I am occasionally told of. Now the buildings are well furnished with brightly lit hallways and the lobbies and are more spacious with glittering chandeliers and waxed tiles. 
The neighborhoods are nicely decorated with plant life like colorful flowers, healthy grass, many trees and sometimes even bamboo. My aunt and uncle’s apartment has many ponds with fish of any color of the rainbow and small cute turtles that we used to feed. My cousin’s apartment is decorated with bamboo while the buildings in the neighborhood give off an ancient feel. 
Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa Part 1 China
Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa Part 2 Chengdu
Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa Part 3 HuangTianBa
Saturday, 28 September 2013
Proud and Pretty Dogs?
During summer vacation, I was dog-sitting my neighbour's dog Mocha. He was a small white dog with a little canine peeking out from his mouth. When we took him home, he darted inside like a white flash. He ran around the room once, then twice, and began exploring every corner of the house, under chairs, tables, behind the curtains, everywhere. Without stopping, he pranced over to where I was sitting and bounded onto my lap with his tongue hanging out. I tossed a tennis ball and in a second, he was attacking it. He slowly stopped playing and slowly became to calm down. He toddled over to his bed, and then curled up. Suddenly, he jolted back up when we got up to prepare for bed. He got all excited all over again, thinking we were going to take him outside. He scurried into the hallway then back and circled us a few times, panting all the way. It was late at night and we needed to sleep, so we were forced to sit calmly for 15 minutes and finally, Mocha was on his bed and fast asleep.
Two weeks later, we returned him to his owners, for we were leaving for China. I thought that I would be living without lovely dogs for a while.
I was staying at my grandma's (my mother's mother, 外婆) house and I knew that my grandma lived in a tall building and she had no dog. I only saw a few dogs last time when I went to China. When I stepped into China this time, I was shocked. The streets had become filled with dogs, much more than I had remembered. Is having a dog becoming the new fad or in vogue? Seems like every family owned a dog or two and they were seen everywhere on the streets.
One day, while taking a stroll, I encountered a small elegant Pekingese. The hair looked puffy and soft, bouncing in waves and drifting in the wind. His fur was artfully brushed – behind its head, through its back, and around his tail, a tuff of fur. His hair was clipped up into a sprout that stuck from his head. His mouth was slightly open and the tiniest hint of his pink tongue showed. His stubby legs made him waddle on the sidewalk and his ears flopped with each step. I turned to my sister and pointed out that the dog was very adorable. Somehow, the owner overheard what I had said and for a split second, her face broke into a smile. She pretended that she didn’t hear and tried to mask her face, but the look of satisfaction showed. Even the dog’s gait increased and he held his head higher, gloating as he left.
I was at my grandma’s (my father's mother, 奶奶) house when on the stairs, there was a dog blocking the way. It took up most of the space as I squeezed past it. It felt like time froze. He was standing tensely with his ears up and eyes following. It didn’t move. His fur pricked up and his legs stiffened as if he was ready to jump. The specie looked familiar and one of my Canadian neighbors had a dog, Meisha, who is similar to him. She was very friendly and gentle. Then, as I looked at the dog on the stairs, my stomach clenched. What made him scarier than Meisha?
The next morning, I stepped into dung. It wasn’t in the grass or anything; it was in the middle of the sidewalk. A few meters later, I nearly did again. Looking across the sidewalk, there were a lot of droppings, small brown and black balls. Every few minutes, I see more and more droppings on the ground. But then I looked around at the dog owners and none of them were holding poop sacs. Their hands held nothing at all!
One morning, my grandma’s housekeeper told me about a woman in their neighbourhood who feeds the stray cats everyday. At first I didn’t believe her. Who has the time and strength to give them food every morning and night? But then I saw her. I went down to take out the trash and I saw her placing a big bucket of food on the side of the building. It was pretty early in the morning and in the night; I saw her putting out another bucket while taking in the one from the morning. By the size of the bucket, and the amount of stray cats that I see, she makes enough food for all of them.
My dog stories have been finished. Now I’m in Canada and I couldn’t wait to see my ugly friend Mocha.
Two weeks later, we returned him to his owners, for we were leaving for China. I thought that I would be living without lovely dogs for a while.
I was staying at my grandma's (my mother's mother, 外婆) house and I knew that my grandma lived in a tall building and she had no dog. I only saw a few dogs last time when I went to China. When I stepped into China this time, I was shocked. The streets had become filled with dogs, much more than I had remembered. Is having a dog becoming the new fad or in vogue? Seems like every family owned a dog or two and they were seen everywhere on the streets.
One day, while taking a stroll, I encountered a small elegant Pekingese. The hair looked puffy and soft, bouncing in waves and drifting in the wind. His fur was artfully brushed – behind its head, through its back, and around his tail, a tuff of fur. His hair was clipped up into a sprout that stuck from his head. His mouth was slightly open and the tiniest hint of his pink tongue showed. His stubby legs made him waddle on the sidewalk and his ears flopped with each step. I turned to my sister and pointed out that the dog was very adorable. Somehow, the owner overheard what I had said and for a split second, her face broke into a smile. She pretended that she didn’t hear and tried to mask her face, but the look of satisfaction showed. Even the dog’s gait increased and he held his head higher, gloating as he left.
On the way back, there was a Bishon Frise. She was an adorable animal with a fluffy coat. Her arched tail swept back and forth across her back and her fur covered her ears. Her whole head was designed into a fluffy ball. Her paws were placed gently in front of each other not rushing, but keeping a steady pace. Her head was high, and when she saw me looking at her, she walked a bit faster and taller. She looked at me with contempt and scorn. She wasn’t like Mocha, who often sniffed and searched the grass; instead, the Bishon Frise just strutted away.
When visiting one of my cousins, her family took me to a small town named Bailu Township. There, one of my aunt’s friends brought a brown Chow Chow. Her fur was trimmed neatly so that it was fluffy and soft. Her tail was also styled into a puffy arc of fur. She had a big head and a scrunched mouth with a small button nose. We started talking about his dog and it ended up on the topic of price. He laughed and said, “This dog is worth 3 000 元 ! And don’t forget the registration fee!”
Is it important or “cool” to own a popular or expensive dog?
A few days later, I felt strange, even though there are a lot of dogs, I haven’t petted a single one. Everyone knows I’m crazy about dogs, usually, if there were this much dogs, I’d be petting them by now. Now being around them, I feel nervous.
When looking around at the dogs, I suddenly noticed that none of them were wearing leashes. Even the menacing dogs like the German Shepherds weren’t on leashes. Since China is a bit crowded, it’s hard to find the owner of each dog. But some dogs don’t even have owners! Some are just waddling around, sniffing garbage, weaving around legs, and lingering around a certain place as if looking for something – or someone.
My grandpa told me about a dog encounter he had one day. There was a big dog taking a walk and suddenly, lunged himself at a passing woman. His force was so strong, and he was so quick, the woman fell over. Then, the dog came charging at my grandpa, but after seeing the woman, he was more prepared and didn’t fall over. That was when the owner came. My grandpa started telling him that he shouldn’t have let his dog walk unleashed. If it had jumped on a child, it could’ve resulted in an injury. As an apology he paid the woman $200 and bowed to my grandpa. After he finished this story, every time I passed a big dog, I braced myself just in case he was going to pounce on me.
When I visited another one of my cousins, we were walking to a restaurant when a big black Doberman made a beeline towards us. My aunt is scared of dog and began to increase her walking speed. But he continued to keep pace with us. She started to exclaim how she was afraid of dogs, but the owner just glanced her way and said:
“The dog doesn’t bite”
My aunt is scared of dogs whether they bite or not, so that didn’t make any difference. She politely asked if they could take the dog away. It was following us and occasionally barked. It’s owner called his name once, but seeing how the dog didn’t react, went back to his picnic. The dog was blocking our way, and we had to sidestep him. His gaze lingered on us for a few more seconds, then lost interest and left.
When visiting one of my cousins, her family took me to a small town named Bailu Township. There, one of my aunt’s friends brought a brown Chow Chow. Her fur was trimmed neatly so that it was fluffy and soft. Her tail was also styled into a puffy arc of fur. She had a big head and a scrunched mouth with a small button nose. We started talking about his dog and it ended up on the topic of price. He laughed and said, “This dog is worth 3 000 元 ! And don’t forget the registration fee!”
Is it important or “cool” to own a popular or expensive dog?
A few days later, I felt strange, even though there are a lot of dogs, I haven’t petted a single one. Everyone knows I’m crazy about dogs, usually, if there were this much dogs, I’d be petting them by now. Now being around them, I feel nervous.
When looking around at the dogs, I suddenly noticed that none of them were wearing leashes. Even the menacing dogs like the German Shepherds weren’t on leashes. Since China is a bit crowded, it’s hard to find the owner of each dog. But some dogs don’t even have owners! Some are just waddling around, sniffing garbage, weaving around legs, and lingering around a certain place as if looking for something – or someone.
My grandpa told me about a dog encounter he had one day. There was a big dog taking a walk and suddenly, lunged himself at a passing woman. His force was so strong, and he was so quick, the woman fell over. Then, the dog came charging at my grandpa, but after seeing the woman, he was more prepared and didn’t fall over. That was when the owner came. My grandpa started telling him that he shouldn’t have let his dog walk unleashed. If it had jumped on a child, it could’ve resulted in an injury. As an apology he paid the woman $200 and bowed to my grandpa. After he finished this story, every time I passed a big dog, I braced myself just in case he was going to pounce on me.
When I visited another one of my cousins, we were walking to a restaurant when a big black Doberman made a beeline towards us. My aunt is scared of dog and began to increase her walking speed. But he continued to keep pace with us. She started to exclaim how she was afraid of dogs, but the owner just glanced her way and said:
“The dog doesn’t bite”
My aunt is scared of dogs whether they bite or not, so that didn’t make any difference. She politely asked if they could take the dog away. It was following us and occasionally barked. It’s owner called his name once, but seeing how the dog didn’t react, went back to his picnic. The dog was blocking our way, and we had to sidestep him. His gaze lingered on us for a few more seconds, then lost interest and left.
I was at my grandma’s (my father's mother, 奶奶) house when on the stairs, there was a dog blocking the way. It took up most of the space as I squeezed past it. It felt like time froze. He was standing tensely with his ears up and eyes following. It didn’t move. His fur pricked up and his legs stiffened as if he was ready to jump. The specie looked familiar and one of my Canadian neighbors had a dog, Meisha, who is similar to him. She was very friendly and gentle. Then, as I looked at the dog on the stairs, my stomach clenched. What made him scarier than Meisha?
The next morning, I stepped into dung. It wasn’t in the grass or anything; it was in the middle of the sidewalk. A few meters later, I nearly did again. Looking across the sidewalk, there were a lot of droppings, small brown and black balls. Every few minutes, I see more and more droppings on the ground. But then I looked around at the dog owners and none of them were holding poop sacs. Their hands held nothing at all!
One morning, my grandma’s housekeeper told me about a woman in their neighbourhood who feeds the stray cats everyday. At first I didn’t believe her. Who has the time and strength to give them food every morning and night? But then I saw her. I went down to take out the trash and I saw her placing a big bucket of food on the side of the building. It was pretty early in the morning and in the night; I saw her putting out another bucket while taking in the one from the morning. By the size of the bucket, and the amount of stray cats that I see, she makes enough food for all of them.
My dog stories have been finished. Now I’m in Canada and I couldn’t wait to see my ugly friend Mocha.
Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa
Part 1 - China
On the other side of the Earth, there is a place where my family always visits - HuangTianBa, Chengdu, China. This summer, we went to China and my grandpa FanGeng Kong (孔凡庚, Standing Committee of National People's Congress of Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China, Founder and Council member of China Institute of Non-Destructive Testing) gave me an essay title and topic: “Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa” (怀念中国•成都•黄田坝). Even though I had many scattered memories, it will be an interesting, tough challenge for me.
China (中国)
3 years ago, my family visited China and we took a train from Chengdu to Beijing on the way back to Canada. At first, the landscape was flat. We passed many farmers who owned acres of land. All I could see was fields and fields of crops. Every two minutes, we would pass a farm. Day faded into dusk as the flat surface of the plains turned into mountains, jutting out from the ground, towering above us. Soon, we began tunneling. One tunnel followed another. The time to get through the tunnels took longer and longer, from seconds to minutes and even longer. Hours passed and dawn came. The mountains all disappeared and were replaced by an endless prairie. After about 32 hours, we finally reached the capital city, Beijing.
In Beijing, beside the famous Forbidden City (故宫) and the Great Wall of China (长城), the place that struck me the most was the Temple of Heaven (天坛). It was used for the Emperor to pray to heaven and perform special rituals in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Circular Mound (圜丘), one of the altars and was used to pray for favorable weather, is 532m in perimeter and 5.2m tall. It is 450 ft in diameter which represents a multiple of 5 and 9, numbers commonly used by emperors as a symbol of authority. The Circular mound is decorated with lavishly carved dragons. The altar has 3 layers with terraces, each with nine slates. The bottom layer has 180 slates, the middle has 108 slates and the top has 72 slates. In all, that is 360 slates, which is a circle and represents the circumference of heaven. On the top terrace, one round tile, the Heaven Heart Stone, is slightly taller than the rest and sits in the center while nine other tiles surround it. Then, another circle of tiles, this time, with eighteen tiles encompasses it and so on until the ninth circle with 9×9 tiles. In all, that is 3402 tiles. Each terrace has four entrances and the number of steps in each entrance is also nine. Since it strongly emphasizes the number nine so much, I call it the “Alter of the Great Nine” for myself.
In Chengdu, a subway was being constructed when some workers found several odd objects in the ground like a rectangular prism made out of jade and several elephant tusks. After much research and investigation, it was determined that the objects were from 1000 BC. Before we went to Beijing 3 years ago, we visited a grand, modern museum called Jinsha Site Museum (金沙遗址, translation: Gold Sand). The museum was built over the ruins. These primitive people mostly made all their gold into foil, spending hours on the precious metal, purifying it as much as they could and engraving mesmerizing designs. Some archeologist found gold foil, crumpled into a ball. With much care they unraveled it, revealing a large sun in the middle of the circular sheet of gold and several birds flying around it. Surprisingly, even after thousands of years, the piece of foil was in excellent condition, signifying that the gold was very pure.
I had a dream to see the Terra Cotta Warriors since the first time I read it in a school text book. It made me extremely disappointed that we had to cancel our trip to see them three years ago, due to a tight schedule. This summer, we specifically planned 2 days in Xi’an (西安), where the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses (秦始皇兵马俑) site is located. The Terra Cotta Army is a tomb for Emperor Qinshi Huang (秦始皇, 259 BC – 210 BC) and the soldiers were meant to protect him in the afterlife. The warriors were made and placed with painstaking care. They were in proper military order and each one of the warriors was life-size and the stomachs were hollow to help balance the statue. Each warriors face is distinguishable from another and had human counterparts. The statues were painted in vivid colors which have now faded due to oxidization and the warriors had been equipped with real weapons which were stolen by peasants in a rebellion. The carriage buried for the royal family was artistically designed. It was equipped with everything, from a bed for long journeys and benches. The umbrella that was attached to the carriage, giving the driver some relief had many contraptions and every detail was thought through.
Contrasting to the ancient world, when I stepped into the Beijing Capital International Airport this summer, I was awed. It had a high ceiling with orange bars and polished spotless white tiles. There were shops at every corner selling souvenirs, books, clothes, food, anything you could think of. There were people everywhere, rushing to their terminals, their voices echoing around the cavernous room. The airport had 3 terminals. The first was built in 1980, the second was added in 1999 and the third, in 2008. The only way to reach each terminal gates was by a mini subway.
Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa Part 1 China
Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa Part 2 Chengdu
Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa Part 3 HuangTianBa
China (中国)
3 years ago, my family visited China and we took a train from Chengdu to Beijing on the way back to Canada. At first, the landscape was flat. We passed many farmers who owned acres of land. All I could see was fields and fields of crops. Every two minutes, we would pass a farm. Day faded into dusk as the flat surface of the plains turned into mountains, jutting out from the ground, towering above us. Soon, we began tunneling. One tunnel followed another. The time to get through the tunnels took longer and longer, from seconds to minutes and even longer. Hours passed and dawn came. The mountains all disappeared and were replaced by an endless prairie. After about 32 hours, we finally reached the capital city, Beijing.
In Beijing, beside the famous Forbidden City (故宫) and the Great Wall of China (长城), the place that struck me the most was the Temple of Heaven (天坛). It was used for the Emperor to pray to heaven and perform special rituals in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Circular Mound (圜丘), one of the altars and was used to pray for favorable weather, is 532m in perimeter and 5.2m tall. It is 450 ft in diameter which represents a multiple of 5 and 9, numbers commonly used by emperors as a symbol of authority. The Circular mound is decorated with lavishly carved dragons. The altar has 3 layers with terraces, each with nine slates. The bottom layer has 180 slates, the middle has 108 slates and the top has 72 slates. In all, that is 360 slates, which is a circle and represents the circumference of heaven. On the top terrace, one round tile, the Heaven Heart Stone, is slightly taller than the rest and sits in the center while nine other tiles surround it. Then, another circle of tiles, this time, with eighteen tiles encompasses it and so on until the ninth circle with 9×9 tiles. In all, that is 3402 tiles. Each terrace has four entrances and the number of steps in each entrance is also nine. Since it strongly emphasizes the number nine so much, I call it the “Alter of the Great Nine” for myself.
In Chengdu, a subway was being constructed when some workers found several odd objects in the ground like a rectangular prism made out of jade and several elephant tusks. After much research and investigation, it was determined that the objects were from 1000 BC. Before we went to Beijing 3 years ago, we visited a grand, modern museum called Jinsha Site Museum (金沙遗址, translation: Gold Sand). The museum was built over the ruins. These primitive people mostly made all their gold into foil, spending hours on the precious metal, purifying it as much as they could and engraving mesmerizing designs. Some archeologist found gold foil, crumpled into a ball. With much care they unraveled it, revealing a large sun in the middle of the circular sheet of gold and several birds flying around it. Surprisingly, even after thousands of years, the piece of foil was in excellent condition, signifying that the gold was very pure.
I had a dream to see the Terra Cotta Warriors since the first time I read it in a school text book. It made me extremely disappointed that we had to cancel our trip to see them three years ago, due to a tight schedule. This summer, we specifically planned 2 days in Xi’an (西安), where the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses (秦始皇兵马俑) site is located. The Terra Cotta Army is a tomb for Emperor Qinshi Huang (秦始皇, 259 BC – 210 BC) and the soldiers were meant to protect him in the afterlife. The warriors were made and placed with painstaking care. They were in proper military order and each one of the warriors was life-size and the stomachs were hollow to help balance the statue. Each warriors face is distinguishable from another and had human counterparts. The statues were painted in vivid colors which have now faded due to oxidization and the warriors had been equipped with real weapons which were stolen by peasants in a rebellion. The carriage buried for the royal family was artistically designed. It was equipped with everything, from a bed for long journeys and benches. The umbrella that was attached to the carriage, giving the driver some relief had many contraptions and every detail was thought through.
Contrasting to the ancient world, when I stepped into the Beijing Capital International Airport this summer, I was awed. It had a high ceiling with orange bars and polished spotless white tiles. There were shops at every corner selling souvenirs, books, clothes, food, anything you could think of. There were people everywhere, rushing to their terminals, their voices echoing around the cavernous room. The airport had 3 terminals. The first was built in 1980, the second was added in 1999 and the third, in 2008. The only way to reach each terminal gates was by a mini subway.Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa Part 1 China
Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa Part 2 Chengdu
Remembering: China • Chengdu • HuangTianBa Part 3 HuangTianBa
Thursday, 26 September 2013
青春无悔 - Kong FanGeng (孔繁庚)
青春无悔
孔繁庚
中航工业成都飞机工业（集团）有限责任公司
我是一个平凡的普通人，不是“官二代”更非“富二代”。父亲只是一个为人打工的穷 店员。我在航空工业企业工作长达46 年，行政不到科级，在共青团和工会里也就只当过小 组长而已。但命运坎坷，起起落落，从一个侧面折射出中国五十年代知识份子的一段人生轨 迹。回首往事，倒也充实有趣。
满腔热忱 投身航空（1952 年——1965 年）
1952 年，我刚从清华大学物理系本科毕业，恰逢我国国民经济恢复时期，百业待举。 抗美援朝烽火连天，尽管中国人民志愿军英勇奋战，但因无制空权，常遭美帝飞机重创。我 国党政高层在痛定思痛中，毅然决定尽管基础工业还尚处于十分薄弱的条件下，也得想方设 法上马航空工业，其困难之大可想而知。
建国初期，周总理于百忙中就曾于1950—1952 年间先后三次主持会议研究处理航空工 业的筹建、发展方针、原则和3—5 年规划的制订与落实，以及争取苏联援助等重大问题， 尽全国之力援建航空工业。
1951 年4 月17 日，航空工业管理局宣靠成立。并从国民党以及日伪手中接收的烂摊子 里面挑选了稍具规模的六个工厂（即哈尔滨的120 厂与122 厂；沈阳的112 厂与410 厂；南 昌的320 厂与株洲的331 厂）作为起步，从修理走向制造。
我当时就是在航空工业急需用人之际由国家统一分配到沈阳112 厂的，结合所学物理专 业而从事无损检测工作，具体就是利用声、光、电、磁等物理方法来检验航空零部件的内部 和外表有无超过容许标准的缺陷以保证产品质量。鉴于这项工作在航空工业里十分重要，技 术也很前沿和尖端，因此在我1952 年9 月到岗工作后不久，就在10 月从苏联派来一名专家 ——秋宫诺夫，这也是当时我国航空工业系统内仅有的一位外国无损检测专家，而我作为固 定向苏联专家学习人员，任务十分光荣艰巨，要求时刻紧跟专家，尽快掌握技术解决生产问 题，在“一五”期间，遵照党中央发出“向苏联学习”的号召，对于苏联专家的每项建议都 是有书面记录和检查的。跟随专家三年多的时间里，我的确也学到不少国外先进技术和真实 本领，也曾将前苏联的NO.370 等共7 本磁粉与渗透检验说明书全部翻译完毕并出版，自己 也能独立处理日常业务和问题。那时我深深地感到伟大的斯大林和苏联政府无私的国际援助。1956 年，我是在整个航空工业系统里首批晋升的工程师，同时参与筹建了沈阳市和辽 宁省的无损检测学会。
在航空工业从无到有，白手起家的日子，当时最困难的一是技术，当然包括掌握理论和 实践的人；二是材料和基本生产设备。根据1951 年中苏双方签订的《中苏航空工业技术协 定》，苏联一是要派遣专家300 余名（仅112 厂最多时就高达44 名），二是开来一列40 节车 厢带有小型机床和工具，并满载零部件的修理列车，就在车上修理飞机和发动机。1951 年， 当朝鲜战场最为吃紧而奇缺副油箱时，就曾几乎征用了整个沈阳市内为锅壶补漏换底的白铁 工人，利用镀锌铁皮甚至黑铁皮来代替铝板，于3 个月内就赶制出3027 个副油箱，为了防 止漏油也只好在铆接处焊锡，居然也能应急使用。
1956 年6 月，我国首台涡轮喷气发动机“涡喷5”在沈阳410 厂仿制成功，同年7 月， 装备它的国产首台喷气式飞机“歼5”也在沈阳112 厂仿制成功。在此基础上，徐舜寿、叶 正大、黄志千、顾诵芬、程不时等人开始自行设计我国首台喷气式歼击教练机“歼教1”型， 当时原则是参考米格式飞机，但不生搬硬套，而是有所创新，例如就不沿袭苏联传统的机头 进气布置，而选用美英式的两侧进气方式，将机头留作安装雷达天线部位。该机于1958 年 2 试制首飞成功。
1958 年10 月，我国第二个歼击机制造厂——成都132 厂也开始破土动工建厂。实践证 明，我国航空工业“先修理，后仿制，再自行设计制造”的建设方针是正确的。这样，即使 苏联于1960 年7 月单方撕毁中苏协议并单方决定全部撤走在华专家的做法也未能减缓我国 航空工业的前进步伐。 建国初期，为了稳定政局而在全国范围内发起“镇反”、“肃反”、“三反、”“五反”、“反 右”、“反右倾”和“四清”等一连串政治运动，本也实属必要，但将绝大多数人民内部矛盾 毫无限制地上纲上线，过份夸大为敌我矛盾的作法却造成了全国经济衰退，人心惶惶，波及 面广，我家也难幸免，我的姐夫——蒋雯键，只因曾大解放前当过县级公办银行行长，就被 戴上“贪污份子”帽子抄家劳改，我的姐姐——孔繁德也只是为了姐夫冤案鸣不平而被扣上 “右派份子”帽子。一时全家六口生活极其困难，也靠我每月汇给的30 元活钱勉强湖口度 日。当然，这种扩大化的做法以后也终被一一纠正，姐夫在平反后还按离休干部落实政策， 姐姐在摘帽后也加入了共产党，政治上、经济上虽大有改善，但身心上所受创伤却是永远也 不会磨灭的。
十年动乱跌入低谷（1966 年-1976 年）
1966 年，“文化大革命”开始在中国大地上，群魔乱舞，一些自封的“造反派”以破四 旧为名到外打砸抢，造成工业停滞，农田荒芜，商铺凋零，这就是“十年浩劫”。当时我也 被罗列了八大“罪状”后被打成“反动学术权威”，关进“牛棚”监督劳改。其实这些所谓 “罪状”多属荒唐可笑，强词夺理，例如在一次学习会上，我曾提问：“既然总路线是‘鼓 足干劲，力争上游，多快好省地建设社会主义’，但对于航空工业则是反复强调质量第一， 而其它行业的质量问题也确实都很重要，所以为什么总路线的提法不按“好快多省”而是“多 快好省”的排列顺序？”这本是学习会上的正常提问，但结果却被扣上企图篡改总路线的罪 名。
全国各地在这段时期，不仅各级党政部门太多被“造反派”压权把持，而对企业更为严 重，使技术、质量管理非常混乱，因此，132 厂能于 1969 年使歼 7 机通过鉴定并试飞成功 真是十分不容易。随后，在屠基达院士的指领下再不断地将其改进、改型、扩充和延伸，使 132 厂终于源源不断地成批生产出我国主用的歼7 型系列军机。
出于事物的两面性，我在这十年动乱的日子里，虽然暂时脱离技术专业队伍，但却前所 未有过的整天和基层工人在一起，从事体力劳动实践，也只有这时才能深深地体会到“光凭 想象而不实干”确实不可能创造出世界来的。任何轻视劳动的观点也都是错误的。这些都有 助于我日后长期地与基层群众建立起热诚、稳定而融洽的关系。
到1976 年粉碎“四人帮”后，“文化大革命”这场闹剧也就草草收场。刘少奇平反，邓 小平复出。濒临崩溃的国民经济开始复苏。
改革开放焕发青春（1977—1998 年）
1976 年，“四人帮”倒台后，我也被宣告无罪释放，仍旧继续从事技术工作。
1977 年曾用射线法解决飞机座舱盖骨架锈蚀程度的关键问题，并领队带上仪器深入到 海、空军部队检查飞机和排故，研制了涡流导电仪剔出混在铝型材中的过烧次品，还研制了 区分晶粒度等级的专用超声波探头来消除某批铝梁质量隐患。
1978 年我被中国无损检测学会选为首届理事，后兼任第一至第四届射线专业委员会主 任。1979 年，我被调往成都132 厂，同时被四川无损检测学会推为会长，1980 年就联合云 南省和贵州省召开了首届西南无损检测学术交流会，并议定以后每两年一次由云、贵、川三 省轮流主持开会。
1981 年我被航空工业部首批晋升为高级工程师，1988 年再次晋升为教授级高级工程师。 曾主持研制50 千伏软X 射线机和300 千伏金陶管X 射线实时检测系统，主编航空标准《中 粒中速型工业 X 射线胶片验收规范》。已出版的著作有：主编的《射线检测Ⅱ级教材》、译 自德国的《射线检测》、译自美国的《金属陶瓷X 射线管的过去、现在和将来》。曾赴美国、 荷兰、巴西、印度出席第11 届至第14 届世界无损检测会议，宣读《国内外的射线检测》与 《工业CT 在中国的应用和发展》等论文并随即被刊载入该届会议论文集内向全世界发行。 还曾任第七届亚太地区无损检测学术报告会议执行主席。
1992 年荣获“航空航天部有突出贡献专家”称号。后被聘任为重庆大学顾问教授、四 川省东西方文化交流促进会会长。
从1984 年被选兼任第六届四川省人大代表以来，还被连任第七届和第八届四川省人大 常委一直到1998 年，为适应国民经济建设发展需要，并结合人民生活热点和反腐倡廉要求， 曾在四川省人民代表大会上和省人大常委会上先后提出或领衔提出过100 余条建议、意见和 批评，大多已被采纳实现。例如：《在成都市建立国际邮件互换局》经国家邮政总局和海关 总署联合批准并已建成和营运，从而加速了成都市和四川省的国际交往，也加大了对外开放 力度；又如曾在四川省人代会上带头质询过省高级人民法院关于《夹江县假冒成都市彩虹电 器名牌产品案》引起中央和省市电视广播与报刊等传媒广泛报道和揭露，一方面大张旗鼓打 假，一方面也抨击了地方保护主义；还曾根据到地方视察工作中所见所闻，而在四川省委、 省人大和省政府联合召开评议四川省人民检察附工作的大会上，以《不受监督的权力必然导 致腐败》为题，具体揭露了渠县某检察长为谋求私利竟对简阳县某公司经理（后因涉嫌诈骗 3000 余万元而被捕查办）非法封官发证、发放检察官服装，并进而两次擅自借给其一支手 枪和十发子弹，对这样胡作非为的检察长当即由四川省人大常委会组成专案组查处，其它还 曾向成都市政府呼吁过关心退休职工生活困难而经批复同意从1998 年起对在成都市的国有 企业退休职工普遍增加了大约人均100 元的养老金，这既体现了党和政府的关怀，也有助于 社会稳定。总之，作为一名专职科技人员，在这长达15 年来的参政议中，由于能力和水平 均很有限，因此为人民办成一点点事情，也确实体会到必须克服许多困难，但同时也对能够 不断获得人民的认可而感到由衷的欣慰。
回报社会 退而不休（1999 年—2010 年）
1998 年10 月，当我于第八届四川省人大常委会任期刚满时，也就从成都132 厂正式退 休。由于15 年来一直以人民代表身份参政议政，早已习惯于密切关注人民生活与政府作为， 也认识到自己应在力所能及范围内感恩回报社会．因此．身虽退心未退。
2000 年 7 月，作为四川省东西方文化交流促进会会长，我曾与四川省人民政府对 外友好协会联合邀请了美国政府顾问韦恩博士来蓉，为省内部分大型企业的董事长和总经理 共约30 余人举办了为期三天题为《公司成长及赢利的管理技巧》的经济管理讲座，效果不 错。看来借鉴西方在经济方面的先进经验用来改善中国的企业管理还是十分有用。
2001 年，沈阳 112 厂建立五十周年，我作为 132 厂唯一代表应邀前往参加。有意思的 是厂庆会场竟仍在30 多年前我被挂牌揪斗的体育场内举行。坐在主席台上的我不禁感慨万 千，真是人生风雨变幻无常．昨日还是阶下囚，今朝竞成座上客。
建国以来，一般大型国有企业都普遍超越本身职能权限大办社会，自进入市场经济轨道 以后，政府出于节省地方财政开支考虑，也一拖再拖地延缓接管步伐。为此，我于 2006— 2009 年间曾以《从严依法治国，企业不办社会》为题多次上书中共四川省委和省人大常委 会敦促省市政府加快接管步伐，经过反复磋商后方才从132 厂陆续将成飞中学、成飞小学、 公路桥梁、水电气供应以及社会治安与综合治理等政府职能一一交还给政府。这样理顺关系 以后才为132 厂集中全力专心从事科研生产、狠抓国防建设搭建了大展宏图的平台。
今天，随着“枭龙”、“歼8”、“歼10”、“飞豹”、“小鹰”、“海鸥”等一系列飞机不断亮 相，中国航空工业已经从无到有、从小到大地发展成拥有能自行设计制造门类齐全、性能卓 越的多种飞机的世界航空大国，在不远的将来，我们还会能自行设计制造出150 座以上的大 客机，也一定会进入世界航空强国之林。
最后，谨祝西南地区第十一届无损检测学术年会成功举办
作者简介：
孔凡庚高工是我国无损检测的老前辈，曾任中国无损检测学会常务理事、第１～４届中国无损检测学 会射线专委会主任。他自清华大学毕业以后在航空企业长期从事无损检测工作，尤其在射线检测技术领域 造诣很深，编写了中国无损检测学会第一版“射线检测”教材。支持和指导我国丹东射线仪器基地建设， 为射线检测仪器生产作出了重大贡献。1981 年5 月他在南昌航空大学主持了为期45 天的“全国首次射线 检测II 级（中级）人员培训和资格鉴定班”，开创了我国无损检测人员培训和认证的先河。孔凡庚高工曾 任四川省人大常委多年。
Thursday, 18 July 2013
The Four Brothers
There is a family,
A bizarre one indeed.
Every day they're happy,
4 brothers it needs.
Forever running,
But never together.
And when they're coming,
They come one after the other.
One brings noise,
And one brings fun.
The third annoys,
The last, fiery like the sun.
The first loves colours,
As he drifts through time.
He is the peaceful brother,
And brings the smell of pine.
The second is radiant,
And floats from here to there.
Though rude, he's brilliant.
Always lovely and fair.
The third is a bit different,
Sweating as he runs.
A very ignorant person.
Really pesky when he comes.
The last is a blazing fire,
Like a comet, plunges deep.
Brings beauty to a gloomy pasture,
A strong one, who never weeps.
Being complete opposites,
They balance each other out.
Cruising over continents,
They live forever - no doubt.
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