Estonia, what a strange country to me

Tallinn, Estonia Sunday, August 30, 2009



Estonia is known as one of the three little countries, along with Lithuania and Latvia. Long learned from georgrphic book in high school, I was exctited to put my feet on this tiny land. Being neighbored with the powerful and hostile Russia, this country has been long governed by Russia, in succeeding to Denmark occupation. It territory is 50% covered by forest, with not too much resource to enjoy. However, this country has been famous recently in internet technology. Skype is headquartered here, and those cruise tourists long limited in internet excess find it very convenient to use their device here to reach out the rest of the world. I feel this is another good example that Taiwan can stand out in similar patten, or even better because we have even richer resources.


Here we stopped over about one hour, in which my brain start to work for a pair of new friend who asked me to make a poem with their names. The husband is 張榮, the wife is named 素容.
Since I know them little, except that they are in babacco and liquor business, I later come up with this:


張口閉口皆生意欣欣向榮
素顏紅顏都自在翩翩雍容.
They seem to love it and said will calligraphy it and hang in office.


I was quite satisfied with this piece with a sense of humor too. I really appreciate that they like it. At least they give me a good echo. I has other experience to a more familiar friend, and they reacted without much excitement, and I also forget quickly what I wrote for them. You can't win all the time. Sometimes you lose even you have good card, ha ha.

Poland, a well remembered name in this region

G'dansk, Poland August 31, 2009

We visited the Labor camp in Gdansk as first stop today. The local guide Barbara is a teacher, who takes summer vacation to work as guide for extra side job income. The whole group of our tourists was about 22. After taking off the bus, some of them rushing for rest rooms, as always. Then we saw the mountian of shoe sols in the room, and the poor living place, eating facility and hospital. People getting less and less, I noticed. When we approached the gas chamber, a big empty room for a more economical way of killing, there was not too many friends around. When we turned into the cremation site, in which the cold air and a row of flags make me feel chilly from the spine, I found I was the only audience to the confusing guide.

Later she asked why people spent money for the trip, but they disappeared from this important historical site. My answer is not quite easy and clear to make. I remember I told her my people were too overwhelmed by the massacre, and, and, and, they do not like to be in anything about dead. Is that true, my friends from Walnut/Diamond BAr/Hacienda Heights area?

Through the whole process, I murmured a few times of 往生咒 for the victims. I do not know if this good will from a Buddist helps those victims who were in totally different religion? At least I hope they understand my sincerity in mourning them in the 70 years anniversay of their sacrifice.

This city is the igniting place that led to World War II when the German makde hte first attack at 4:45 in the morning. Today they happen to prepare to celebrate their 70 year anniversary of the event. We saw a lot of flags hung along the main streets in the city. The two "land" countries were separately the invading target of two negihboring powers. Finland was aimed by Russian while Poland was embraced by Germany. However, they all emerged as independent countries now after the WWII. Patiences works even for a country, I believe.

窮山惡水夠嗆,潑婦刁民更傷

日前八八浩劫,除了救災十萬火急, 指責與謾罵也此起彼落. 主事者動輒得咎,不動更會獲罪. 只是身為國家的負責單位,任勞任怨本是份內的事. 可是昨日看到少數災民不分青紅皂白,見人就嗆作秀,當頭棒喝,不留情面, 對於身為殘障卻有心去安慰鼓勱廣大災民的胡志強夫人而言,又情可以堪? 若其他有心前往安慰鼓勱災民的人為免受辱而因此裹足不前, 對於其他需要安慰鼓勱的人是否太不公平?對促進社會祥和的努力是否遭到無端的戕害?

天地相應,表現在水火無情. 大自然此刻大開殺戒,傷人無數, 人若再彼此相殘,就會天誅地滅,再無生路, 真的應驗了"天作孽猶可為,自作孽不可活"的絕讖. 我們的社會必需更懂得分辨是非,並兼具慈悲與寬容,才能相互扶持,共同療傷止痛. 否則再多的捐獻與救濟也只事倍功半,更有損於人性的光輝.

八八浩劫

為此八八水災引來的浩劫國際注目. 今天晚上也失眠了. 看到友人伝送來的金帥飯店原先照片,對照那頹然倒入溪中的那一冪,加上災民受難,殊屬可憐,但仍捨近求遠,罵求總統的政治異象,真是百感交集. 剛好深圳方面生意上的友人來信關怀打氣, 就順便回覆:

应兄,

收到來函,正是我清晨難眠之際. 您的關心與打氯令我感動,可是這山崩地裂,家破人亡, 滿目蒼痍的景象仍是在心中割痛,難以平復. 十年前921大地震,我家鄉南投埔里受創頗重,親人遭難. 此刻雖無此直接沖擊,對於故國鄉親的傷痛卻有相同的不捨/ 聊作拙詩以敘此際之吾情:

國在山河破, 天怒水土崩
餐飯須臾間, 家破人失魂
回顧昔日村, 活埋多少人
淚眼望家國, 何日再生春?

相信如您所說,921,汶川等浩劫皆可彌平修復, 此劫也非末日.但仍願災難遠離,團圓可期.


永池

Two world, two sentiment, one sinking heart

On August 8, I witnessed two worlds with totally different sentiment, and my heart covers two layers of impact, joy and sadness.

Here in the U.S. my 1st grandchild Avery was having her 1 year birthday party at a beautiful local park in Chino Hill in a picture-perfect weather. About 70 friends/realatives with their kids enjoyed a great event that celebrates Avery's arrival to our family for one year. She is really adorable in her cuteness, healthiness and a little cunningness. She is bringing the whole big family total excitement through her daily development of skills.

In the same time in our homeland Taiwan, our folks there were under a century-scale attack by floods that were formed by typhoon Morakot. They said the rainfall of the whole year was pouered down in just three days. Without much outlet the vicious torrents ran wild. The rivers were burdened with 80 times of water than normal. Tens of bridges broken, hundreds of houses toppled and swallowed by the torrent, and most shockingly was many villagers were buried alivemudslide that consists of stone, debris and water. This is a natural disaster that severely damaged Taiwan just like the 921 earthquake that shook the same island and kill thousands of civilians 10 years ago.

On the same day I have given out two kinds of money:
One for my grandchild as gift for her birthday. Another one as charity to suffering folks at the homeland. Both are my beloved objects to the most.

I believe Mother Nature is making her voice sound. Our environment is sick, and the weather is the messenger to give us a warning. We have to do something to fix our earth in order to keep the mother nature behave as nicely as what it has been before.

Stop wasting, BlackRock

I finally took action, as a small shrimp, to challenge the big whale against wasting
paper, printing and all resources. I hope the letter goes to the right person. Anyone who are responsible for not getting it to the right person should be condemn as an enemy to our effort to stop poluting our world.


August 10, 2009

BLACK ROCK
P.O. Box 9819
Providence, RI 02940-8019

To the management of BlackRock

I am writing this letter to you just to show my concern that Black Rock has been sending me statements that are not at all giving us any information. (enclosed you can get one for your reference). I checked my agent and she also suggest that we ignore it.

However, such statement has been periodically sent to me in other forms in even bigger volumes, often in stacks of larger size of paper. I have to send it right into the trash can. I have been wondering why in the world that you have to print such trash and mail to our trash can? For legal protection? If so, this legal system is just not helping anybody, but making a huge waste . In fact, the whole thing is just a ridiculous waste of resource and great jeopardy of our globe.

Our Earth is suffering the unprecedented environmental crisis, and I believe every human being has to do their share to help. As a small person, I am doing my tiny effort to contribute in salvaging our earth, I feel it is a shame that BlackRock as a big organization is ignoring it.

Your attention in this matter is highly appreciated. If granted your compliance, I believe the whole globe will appreciate your great contribution in saving our earth.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely yours,

Walter Shih

Dona Dona for the Dexter steer

I borrow a letter from my classmate who is living in New Zealand. Her descripition of "disposing" a "surplus" steer is quite touching. This little short lived creature has exactly the same destiny of Dona which we were very familiar at the college by then. The Song "Dona Dona" has been so familiar even by now we can sing without missing a word.
The calligraphy shown in the blogs was actually written for them to bring to New Zealand home. With this letter from her, one classmate asked for the skin for shoes, and I asked for the male part for male nutrition. ha ha.

As a Buddhist, I have refrained from killing since mercy is one major character in the Buddism doctrines. However, in reality, as part of food chain, it is inevitable for lives of domestic nature, such as steer, ducks, chicken, geese etc, to become food for human being. How to convert life into food? Not me, but I guess there should be some balance in the mankind so that every job can be executed by certain people. With the balance reached in job and distribution, people in all kinds of religion can ejoy their peace of mind as part of the big world community.

******


Dear 老潘和阿妙；

--------

按理6、7、8月才是這兒的冬季，但今年氣候特異，5月20幾號就開始有寒流，晚上達零下2度下霜，所以今年的奇異果還沒有完全成熟就被凍啞了，無法熟甜，據新聞報導，果農損失慘重。前幾星期又有強烈寒流來襲，凌晨達到-7度，草上結了一層厚厚的霜一直到10點才退去。今天早上9點時雖然有大太陽但陽台上的溫度計顯示-2度，屋內10度；現在是下午一點，屋裡屋外一致是15度。羊毛拖鞋/手套、羊毛內衣、羊毛被，都是禦寒必備，棉被已不能夠保暖，果然是要適地、適所、適材、適料。

早到的冬季也使我們(EKO)農場的草生長遲緩，不夠牛吃；EKO農場約3英畝(Acre)，依紐西蘭的養殖慣例只能養三頭牛，但因為牳媽去年12月又生了一頭小公牛所以我們有四頭牛；不得已，只好決定把3歲大的閹牛給處理了。紐西蘭的農家"Home Kill"自家牛，是相當普遍的，他們認為自己養的牛的生產履歷自己最清楚，也最安心(尤其狂牛症出現後)；而且依據當地的動物保護法"Home Kill"牛必須由有執照的專業人士，在牛安心吃草、毫無防備下、一槍斃命，不可以讓它痛苦、緊張，因為緊張和痛苦會讓它的腎上腺素激增，肉的PH值異常，造成毒素。

我們家也是經過激辯；因為我不想在家園中有血腥，要求把閹牛載出去處理或賣掉；但是老K及兒子一致認為只有在自家的園子裡它才不會因環境變遷而驚慌；隔壁鄰居及獸醫也一直規勸我們，閹牛三歲是太老、油也太多了，一般閹牛過了18個月後就只長油不長肉了。

所以6月3日那天，專業屠宰公司的貨櫃車開進我們農場，老K最愛、也最乖巧、貪吃的閹牛就在30分鐘內被完全支解；我不敢去看，但有聽到參訪的好友Steven 余及廖醫師說明經過(因為老K其實也是很shock的)；當天，老K自己在院子裡清洗內臟到半夜，天寒地凍的洗，應該是有帶贖罪的心情吧! 畢竟那是他最疼愛的一頭牛(當天上午我遠遠的看到老K用手一把一把的
餵牠吃乾草，那是牠最後的早餐)。寫著寫著，我不禁場起了"Dona Dona"那首歌詞 :"Who told you a calf to be"，牛的命運注定是到屠宰場滿足人類口腹之慾的，在這兒還沒看到過有壽終正寢的老牛(可能只有印度及泰國的聖牛有此好命)。 一個星期後，屠宰公司送來分割好的牛肉，有香腸、絞肉、牛排、漢堡肉、醃腿肉及薄片肉等等完全和超市一樣的包裝；我雖然負責烹煮牛肉，前幾星期我一口都不敢嘗試，但據吃過的朋友及家人反應都說"讚"。某天，應兒子要求烹煮肉燥，乾鍋炒牛絞肉居然很香、毫無腥味，比超市買的牛肉，品質優良許多；從此以後，我也不排斥食用自家牛了，只是每次烹煮時，我都向閹牛致恩。

雖然"Home Kill"自家牛，很衛生、很新鮮、很安心，而且每個吃過的朋友都上癮了，但我不能保證明年你們來旅遊時能不能吃到我家的牛肉，因為我真的不願意再看到"Home Kill"自家牛的場面了，寧願把它們賣掉就好了，但兒子說"那樣只是掩耳盜鈴，對他們是更殘忍；牛的命運註定是如此，在自家風和日麗的環境中安樂終了，是它最好的結果"。 所以呢?! 最好的結論就是不要養動物，而且吃素；其實，吃素是吃植物，植物也是有生命的，如果它會說話的話，應該也會叫痛吧?! 所以呢!? 真正的結論是，一切順應自然即可。