Ernie got it right

Reading Hemingway’s piece, An Agent of Evil made me laugh out loud. I’m not sure why, now, because I’ve read it before and I didn’t laugh out loud then. It made the girl on the next table look up, and she had very red eyes, redder than I’ve ever seen outside of vampire B-movies. Her friend was very young and very beautiful and had the warm smile and cold eyes of many girls who are very young and very beautiful and know it. The wife of the bar’s owner was also very beautiful when I first met her a year ago, but it’s been a hard year for them, and it’s showing, as if the face of an older self is pushing through from beneath.

The walk home takes me along a road where new media firms rub shoulders with old, discreet brothels, although there was nothing discreet about the working girl squatting on the sidewalk as she chatted on her handphone, or about the pimp watching over her as I made my way past. Moments before, I’d been courteously greeted as I stopped to watch a temporary Buddhist pavilion being set up next to the road. In Thailand, I met young Westerners who were still hoping to find ‘authenticity’, but this is authenticity.

It looks like I might get a short contract freelancing in Korea between the end of my studies in Beijing and the start of the MBA; I hope so, because it would pay well, and I could use the money. Plus, from the very little time I’ve spent in Korea, I liked it and I would quite like to go back to see more. Well, fingers crossed.

Gawper

Chinese New Year is a great time for gawping. Last night, I was walking over to see a friend who’s going to look afte some of my things while I’m in China, when I encountered an ongoing part of the celebrations. All kinds of establishments will hire a lion dance troupe to come and perform, in the belief that it’s auspicious. At this time of year, they are to be seen everywhere going from place to place in small, open-backed trucks. These trucks have three triangular Chinese flags fluttering on each side; the troupe will be in the back, beating kettle drums and cymbals as they drive around. When they reach their destination, they’ll dismount, and as the drums and cymbals play perform the lion dance or, less commonly, a dragon dance. Last night, I saw something I haven’t seen before: they were using a huge banner, rather bigger than the sail of a Laser dinghy, for example. This was mounted on a bamboo pole about 50 feet long, and about five inches diameter. The performers would throw it up in the air, somersault, and catch the pole before it fell or departed from vertical. They were balancing it on their bottom lip, fall to their knees and perform obeisance then stand up again. They were throwing the banner from one to another without letting it topple. All this was in the middle of a busy road, as cars and buses edged by. I watched for about ten minutes before they finished. I love this time of year.

CNY goes on

Phew, just back from the ongoing Chinese New Year festivities. Spent the evening watching child acrobats doing the usual child acrobat stuff – no less impressive for having seen it all before. Next, a master face changer – a performer wearing traditional chinese opera costume, changing the mask in blink of an eye – but impossible to tell how he does it, and no sign of where the new mask came from, or the old mask went. I read somewhere quite recently that this skill is considered a national cultural treasure, to the extent that the Chinese government has forbidden it to be taught to outsiders, including a Hong Kong film star (possibly Tony Leung, though I can’t remember for certain) went to China to study traditional skills. Anyway, after that, on to a musical drum and cymbal performance. Excellent stuff, and all free.

More about the meditation retreat

A couple more things about the place where the course was held, more to keep my memory fresh than to illuminate you lot! It was so cool – well, the temperature was no less than I’m used to, but the humidity was way, way lower… Delightful… Nights were very chilly, and I had no blankets for the first couple of nights… Mist in the treetops in the early morning… Stars very clear and numerous, and Mars very bright: I haven’t seen more than a couple of stars at a time in over a year. A huge full moon for the first couple of nights, especially beautiful from the pagoda steps… Tree frogs invading the sleeping quarters and clinging to the straws of the brush that was used to remove them…

Just in from the New Year festivities; a bit early because I’m still sleep-deprived and need to hit the sack. A very happy year of the Monkey to you all; may it bring peace and prosperity to you all.

Back from meditation retreat

So, back from Thailand. What to say? The meditation course was fantastic; I feel mentally clearer and calmer than I have for years. It was hard going at times; the regime was spartan, with hard beds, cold showers and 4am wakeup; the first few days especially were physically very hard, as my body adjusted to sitting cross-legged for hours. Later days were mentally and emotionally tough as the concentration techniques started to clear out accumulated emotional baggage. The teachers say that 10 days is the bare minimum needed to learn Vipassana techniques, and I definitely feel that I’ve only made the intial step; this is something that needs to be worked at regularly over a long period – but I’ve already seen enough to convince me that it works!

The course also provided a rare opportunity for contemplation; for a news junkie like me, ten days with no Wired, slashdot, Plastic, or BBC was a real change of pace, and a chance to think about priorities, undisturbed by quotidian distractions and pressures. I’ve already decided to change the focus of my MBA, based on a clearer assessment of my personal priorities and interests. Perhaps I’ll talk more about that another time.

Another great aspect of the course was the variety of the participants. Most were Thai, of course. Those of us who weren’t Thai were a really mixed group, all with very interesting stories to tell. Some were professionals taking career breaks for various reasons, others were students travelling after graduation, some were regular attendees. There was a mix of nationalities – Belgian, Canadian, English, German, Italian and so on! At this point, let me say hi to Paula from Switzerland, who may well read this! If you do, email me!

I’ll put down some more thoughts later on; right now I need to get on with my packing before I leave for China.

Packing for Thailand

I’m listening to Groove Salad through iTunes, as thunder rolls in the background. Today is hectic, as I am rushing around trying to get everything finished before going to Thailand early tomorrow morning. Yesterday’s post brought a letter from NBS, with formal confirmation of my place. I need to accept, send a deposit, and apply for my student visa for Singapore. Except for the first, these will have to wait until I get back from Bangkok. As Finance Monkey has already pointed out, the visa can be arranged online so that shouldn’t be too difficult.

I’ve also been trying to catch up with old friends before the New Year gets too old; sending off emails to bring them up to date with my news and plans. 2003 was something of a landmark year, it seems – a very large number of family and friends became engaged, married or first-time parents. It feels odd, to be changing course, and shedding old ties, just as so many people I know are settling down. Hmm; that’s the kind of thinking that could become maudlin – appropriately enough for the festive season,if a little late – but right now I don’t have time: must pack!