History Is a Mirror To the Future

I run into this article to introduce this new film 'Good Nazi of Nanjing' on BBC web site. It is Chinese version of Schindler's List. He was a Germany businessman happening to be in Nanjing during the notorious Nanjing Massacre by the Japanese Invaders. He witnessed the atrocities and cruelty of Japanese army and told himself that a man can not be silent about this kind of cruelty even though he was a Nazi member. Actually he used his Nazi party membership to save hundreds and maybe thousands of Chinese lives while estimated two hundred thousand Chinese civilians were slaughtered during a short two weeks in this ancient city during the World War Two. John Rabe is this extraordinary German whose humanity will be remembered by Chinese forever. Please click this link to read the article.

My parents' generation experienced this painful humiliation and hardship when they grew up during Japanese occupation. My generation only learned from movies and told as stories by grandparents in the neighborhood. Meanwhile we found how advanced Japanese was when I had my very first tape player and recorder made in Japan. I love a great deal of Japanese Culture and its aesthetics reinvented to great extent from Chinese Culture. However in the contrary to what Germany treats its shameful history, still a portion of Japanese tries everything to deny or minimize that dark history. They tried to rewrite and make up that history and hope that shameful history will be totally erased from the younger generations.

What makes me sadder and even angry are what I run into here. When I worked for a consortium a quite while ago, my boss who comes from Austria is very nice guy and is a great friend of mine. One time when we touched this topic, he just laughed and said something I still vividly remember. That is "come on, Chinese need get over with it". It happened again later to my Mexican American co-worker. The reaction is so amazingly the same. I still wonder what they would react if German chancellor had paid visit to Nazi's cemetery as Japanese prime ministers repeatedly visited this shrine that buries a dozen of Japanese top war criminals of World War Two. Move forward only when history is told as what it was

At the end, I would like to pay tribute to Iris Chang who finally awakes the Western world with one of the great atrocities of world history- Rape of Nanking.

Back to Atlanta Series - Our House

We will go back to Atlanta this April for Sammy's Georgia Tech Architecture School 100th anniversary celebration. I guess that his excitement might affect me a bit. Yeah we can see Sammy's mom and BC and his sisters again. We may finally be able to visit our dear friends in the old hood. And our friends as well.

That certainly brings a great memory to our old house. That is the very first house we have had together and did a lot of projects around it. We just love mod quality of 50's and 60's ranch house - openness, extension from inside out, flow of chi. I miss those indoor planter dearly. We settle with our arts and crafts and feel cozy with it. But we hope that we may rekindle that kind mod house once again.

Back to Atlanta Series - Our Flowers

I wish that I can do this for living. So much fun, peace and imagination without forcing.

Back to Atlanta Series - Our Garden

This is the house that ignited my passion toward gardening. Natural woods in the back, magnificent Japanese Maple on the side, gardenia which gives me a long lasting inspiration for flower arrangement. It taught me that the beauty of gardening resides in harmonizing our creation with the one from the Nature.

I still miss our lady bank climbing rose. It is so naturally mingled with fig vine underneath in front of our house. It is simply warm and elegant at the same time. I experimented having Asiatic lily growing out above monkey grass. I am trying to recreate here in Ohio to create a dynamic garden - one background with different looks through the seasons. I still crave for the smell of Chinese sweat olive tree.

We may go back to see our retro mail box that Sammy created and our giant bamboo vase. Hope that we still can see the green house we built from old windows salvaged in the hood and our fountain for koi fish. We had to leave after three year hard work and finally witness the vision turned into reality. What I missed most is the sanctuary for me to practice yoga and tai chi chi gong.

Back to Atlanta Series - Our kids

Trotsky never made it in Ohio. We had to put him to sleep the day before our final move after a long period of agony. We had a long walk the night before through his familiar neighborhood woods and elementary school. He was such a sweet, crazy and smart dog. We had to let Gorme go more than a month ago. She is our little fluffy butt. We are glad that they both had a wonderful time in our Atlanta house.

Trotsky would balk each single moving thing and not stop after it is long gone. We have to shout him off or literally go to the garden to knock his head off. Gormie could wait right outside chipmunk hole for hours. I hope that she could have that patience for her endless meals.

We surely miss them!

Back to Atlanta Series - Ourselves

I am glad that I finally got rid of my Germany philosopher glasses. Sammy loved it and is still not totally over with it.

Back to Atlanta Series - Our Moms

We had a garden tour in Atlanta with Pat, BC and my mom. Sammy baked a cute name tag for every one. It was really fun. Especially the garden of Lush Life's owner and the garden of very well known landscape architect Ryan Gainey.

Are they all cute except me there!