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Divine Discontent

Discontent makes me closer to the divine.

Ying Li

January 01

心疼是一种幸福

要是一年了,都没在自己的Space里面露面,元旦前后也应该来转一圈。因为至少我经常会在元旦前后有很多想记录下来的感触。

今年的元旦,基调是心疼。

飞来飞去,到了曾经年年元旦必来的城市。昨天见了老马,她的宝贝女儿雨含,和老马的做同行的三妹妹。吃饭时听着老马不紧不慢地反思自己看似停滞,无所作为的人生,我心疼。傻瓜,养出个如此伶牙俐齿,精灵古怪的宝贝,是怎样的福气和努力啊? 而后三个女老师和一个一年级小女生,在熙熙攘攘的商场里转,享受那种只有女老师才拥有淡淡的遗憾和而后骄傲的超然。

今天,我见了一对和爸妈一样亲的 “年轻老人”  -- 我拒绝承认他们变老,因为会很心疼。他们没有很见老,但我还是心疼。相比我爸妈,他们的生活很简单平淡,却有着让人嫉妒的默契和亲密。聊聊从前,聊聊现在,我才意识到自己在跌入成年人特有的忙碌,失落,惊喜,和麻木的时候,有意无意地忘却了他们。可他们竟是如此牵挂,期盼着我这个负心人。常回家看看。他们的家,不是我的家。这其中的微妙,也只有我们知道。我的被期待已久的来访,有太多看似意义重大,实际毫无意义的顾虑。但顾虑是好事情。就像心疼是好事情。 世事纷杂,人生无常,只有让心疼给自己划出一个稳稳的坐标,才能度量轻重,判断价值。

回到房间,夜已深。才想起应该给老爸打个电话。前几天,自己在电话中不耐烦语气伤到他了。老爸真的老了。男人太敏感,一定是苍老的表现。年龄,而不是女人,终于改变了男人。 他已经这样婆婆妈妈有几年了,我真是心疼啊。小时候挨打,恨死他了。现在这样的可怜他,还不如恨他来的痛快。恨,是一种很简单的情感。怜,源自爱,自然是拖泥带水,欲罢不能。

明天会去深圳。本来没想要会面的一个姑姑,今天在叔叔和阿姨的督促下,约了一起吃中饭。姑姑当年在北外我的宿舍里借宿,准备考GMAT出国。现在被出生没多久的二儿子牢牢拴住了,想来是她老公将她留在身边的伎俩得逞了。姑姑那年要我给起个英文名字。我找到Veronica这个名字送给她。那时还没看过 "The Double Life of Veronica" 《两生花》 这部电影。想来,也许在美国,会有一个叫Veronica的中国女子,应该在华尔街叱咤风云呢。倘若知道了这个在深圳相夫教子的Veronica,她心疼吗?姑姑呢?

这两天乱跑,误了一个很想参加的研讨会的Deadline。太累,太忙。没时间和体力赶这个活。这么多要心疼的人。。。 前两天为了孩子们的聚会,跑到广州去租衣服,就是不想让他们失望。谁让我的心这么爱疼呢?如果为了赶活,不搞聚会,不飞来飞去,那我也就不是我了。

所以,如果不是 “绞痛”,或 “隐隐作痛” 的话,会心疼的人,是幸福的人。

李颖于2009年元月2日凌晨




October 02

Finally uploaded my HK and Macau photos.

Hey dear friends, I uploaded my HK and Macau photos here. Since l also posted them on Facebook, you can go there to check out the captions. Here are the links:
 
 
 
 
 
And here at MSN I have a little more personal photos!
 
I am enjoying my city and the region very much so far. Macau is not boring at all. I guess it's with anywhere in the world, as long as you have paid enough attention....
 
They say when the students are ready, the guru appears. Same here: When the heart is ready, beauty is not hard to find.
September 08

Settling Macau

 
Still trying to get settled in Macau, after arriving here for about half a month now. Discomfort abounds, yet nothing really too tacky. Just still waiting to be excited.
 
Macau, I am yet to discover what it really is. I am not in a hurry, it seems. Besides, work beckons all the time.
 
Today I was wandering in a mall. Arrived at the greeting cards section, started browsing. Found one that was so touchy, I could not help crying uncontrollably. I miss the friends I had in LA so badly. It's always the people, you know. The weather, the scene, the lifestyle is always secondary to the people. It's the people that make a place a place.
 
So wherever you are, my dearest friends, take great care. Please know that I love you so much.
 
 
July 16

an english poem

I was watching "Vanity Fair" last night. Heard a very beautiful poem/song and found it online.
 
NOw Sleeps the Crimson Petal
 
by Lord Alfred Tennyson
 
Now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white;
Nor waves the cypress in the palace walk;
Nor winks the gold fin in the porphyry font:
The firefly wakens: waken thou with me.

Now droops the milkwhite peacock like a ghost,
And like a ghost she glimmers on to me.

Now lies the Earth all Danae to the stars,
And all thy heart lies open unto me.

Now slides the silent meteor on, and leaves
A shining furrow, as thy thoughts in me.

Now folds the lily all her sweetness up,
And slips into the bosom of the lake:
So fold thyself, my dearest, thou, and slip
Into my bosom and be lost in me.
 
July 10

A Wanderer's Love Song

 
A Wanderer's Love Song
 
Born and raised under the red flag 
I grew into something pinkish blue 
A wanderer by nature
I meandered
To a different shore of the Pacific
Only to discover
A deeply attached string
So strong that
The further I stretch
The mightier the rebound

Six years
Two thousand one hundred and ninety some days
The roads taken
Were full of painful clarity as well as blissful confusion
Have learned to think less
About those roads that were not taken
Settled
That I am sadder but wiser
Yet, more convinced than ever
That love and cooking shall be approached
With reckless abandon

So here I am
Writing, like a lilac tree
Slowly waking up to the warm morning sun
The storms have past
The storms will come back
Yet I am patient, and persevering
I only wish
When my purple petals all shivering in the wind
With passion and yearning
Someone happens to pass by
Showering in my love he gathers the petals
And he makes the purple, sweet, lilac wine
To sip and discover for as long as he lives....
June 18

Chinese Gold Farmers 打金农

Read something about Chinese gold farmers today on the New York Times. Here is the link to the article.
 
Had to write to an American friend about my response to the article. He is a good friend of the writer. Here it is, thought I might share with more friends.
 
 
Well, I certainly am not a typical Chinese person.  And I am sure there are major difference in interpretation between the gamers' community and the non-gamers. But I feel I am probably on the ball part right if I say the majority of Chinese population would look down upon these gold farmers. Pity probably is a better word to use. The Chinese working ethics never gives approval to indulgent play like video games. From the videos and the photos Julian posted you can tell the young gamers are a marginalized social group, their sense of achievement in work/play is misunderstood by many. People will feel ashamed of such illicit practice. The image of slave labor, exploitation, and colonialism probably will come into people's head, the flip side of the rising nationalism.
 
But then, thinking that there are "stupid, dumb" Americans who are paying for the virtual goods, they probably would feel taking advantage from such naive consumer behavior is fully justified. They would be appalled if they know some real hard-core gold farmer gamers sometimes buy other people's gold to move ahead like it was featured in Julian's article. That would be the ultimate puzzle to most of people. I can kind of see it. But we have to ask the gamers to explain this one. I don't see a change of public opinion in favor of these farmers any time soon though. I wander what the domestic media's portrayal of the gold farmers is. I did a google search (with the Chinese translation of "Gold Farmer", which is Da Jin Nong, 打金农) in Chinese and found a few pieces of articles and postings, mostly about the legal aspect of the phenomenon, and with a sympathetic tone.
 
On the other hand, I think there probably will be very few people in China that would argue against such "farming" practice on moral grounds. After all, we are the country doing business with Sudan.... Pragmatism rules if you have 1.3 billion people who are increasingly divided by the wealth gap. Live and let live. Maybe some will find some condolence seeing young boys playing games to make ends meet -- better than being kidnapped to toil in the coal mines or brick shops. As Julian pointed out, most of these young men are migrants from the countryside. They are struggling at the bottom of the society. What ever illicit practice this is internationally, it keeps the domestic employment rate and crime rate low.
 
I personally responded to one of the comments towards a video called something like "They youngest gold farmer in China",  where one viewer said "F**** Asians", with "F*** the military-industrial-entertainment complex".  I know Blizzard is probably just as mad. Yet this is globalization and in the sinister race to the bottom racialization and ethnic stereotypes probably are the least significant casualties.  
 
All right. These are my two cents!
 
 
June 04

给我未来的狗狗起名/the name for my dog in Macao

想听听大家的意见。
我到澳门后会养只狗狗。
还没想好什么狗,名字到是有两个。
请大家出出主意看那个好。
一个是“啥”。
一个是“沧桑”。
请留言。
又有了一个。“有啥”。请帮忙。好难觉定啊!
 
Need you opinon on my future dog's name.
Yes I plan to adopt a dog when I start working in Macao this fall.
I have not decided what kind of dog to adopt.
But I have two names ready. Please help me decide.
 
One is "Sha", meaning "What?" in Chinese.
The other one is "Cang Sang", meaning "life's vicissitude" in Chinese.
They both are so good I just cannot decide.
Don't tell me I should have two dogs.
I will never marry myself off if I do.
 
Gosh, I got one more name choice.
"You Sha", meaning "So What?" in Chinese. Heehee. So cool.