Need a little good news

Our cat had a stroke. My co-worker's dog died in sleep. Our older daughter’s very close friend, Corina was hit by an SUV while she was riding bicycle. She is in a hospital in Seattle, WA going through surgery. One of our friends from Austin lost her dear cousin. There is no end in sight to misery and death in the Middle East and that’s not even natural or accidental.

Do I have some good news coming?

The Crazy World

Are we on the verge of the 3rd World War? Have we learnt anything from the 1st two wars? Korean war? Vietnam War? Why is Iran or North Korea trying to go nuclear? Why would not nuclear nations set an example by abandoning their nuclear arsenal first?

Peace is as illusive as ever. Some one uses a slingshot; some one blows him up to take a few with him for revenge. The other side goes after them with warplanes, tanks, and what not. Children grow up watching their parents, older brother, or sister killed in front of their eyes by unknown enemies. These pictures never fade from their memories. Foreign soldiers put up check posts on the streets of Baghdad and check up on the natives.

Yet the world seems to blame the “weak” and support the “powerful”. Where is justice and fairness to all people, all nations, all religions, all color, all ethnicities? The mighty speaks of “peace” that sounds hollow. The weak feels like they have nothing to lose. So, they continue on the path of violence.

After all that tragic happened in the past, after millions went through gas chambers, of all the people I had hoped that there would be one nation (created in an alien land by the world community) that would be the symbol of hope for peace, that they would understand the meaning of hate or losing near and dear ones, that they would not accept the mantra “an eye for an eye”, that they would try to win over their worst enemies, that they would give birth to many “Gandhis”. Alas, the government of that nation believes only in bombs in the slightest pretext of self-defense. Our Dubya encourages them and scolds others.

Do we have a big divide between the east and the west? Do we understand each other? Is the global village tearing up into pieces? Is it about domination? Is it about subconscious hope by some that war should continue so that some remain poor and others benefit from economics of war?

Some pictures

Mount Fuji through my window
Gothic Lolita clothes at Harajuku, June 30, 2006
Shinjuku and Neon Lights, June 30, 2006
Forbidden City
Temple of Heaven
On the Great Wall

Back in the USA

We are back. We spent all our money. We were practically broke. It was time to come home. Thanks to those plastic cards, we managed.

Now the news brief:
1st the bad news: Our cat Tigger had a stroke while we were away. Fortunately he was at the vet. According to his doctor Tigger is not in pain. He is home and improving. However, he has lost some motor function and has difficulty eating. He has lost weight, cannot jump on couches anymore, gives me a sad look, and sleeps most of the time. I wonder if he is going through some depression like people do.

On the world stage, Iraq is still in turmoil and death lurks for all there. Israel is bombing Gaza and now Beirut. The story of David and Goliath continues. There was bomb blasts in Bombay killing innocent train riders. North Korea did some missile testing. Darfur is still in the news. Mexico had a close presidential election and facing a potential mass protest. There has been massive flooding in many places in the world including my birth place thousands of miles away.

Now the travel news: In Japan, we visited Mount Fuji in pouring rain, tried out a Samurai outfit at a museum, climbed the Tokyo Tower, watched those Gothic Lolitas at Harajuku (our daughter even bought a Gothic Lolita dress – a little bit of Japan as she bids adieu after one year), witnessed million neon signs at Shinjuku, took a cruise on Sumida river, visited Odaiba and Fuji TV tower, rode buses, sub-ways and bullet trains, visited Meiji Shrine, Iris garden, temple at Nikko, tasted Miso soup and Kirin Beer, had Japanese style dinner with the Masurs from Chicago, ordered food looking at plastic food displays, tried chop sticks unsuccessfully, and above all tried out high tech commode.

In and around Beijing, we visited Tian An Men Square (our guide Betty Bu instructed us not to discuss politics at the square), Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Ming Tomb and climbed the Great Wall through a veil of misty fog. We saw people at work in a silk factory, a Jade factory. We witnessed a tea ceremony and tasted different flavor. We saw a gigantic Olympic Village in the making. We heard about Banana boys & girls (who they say are yellow outside and white inside) and banana dance halls. We watched millions of people riding bicycles in the heat. We saw haze from automobile pollution in the city. Beijing, the Northern Capital is on the move hustling and bustling trying to proclaim its power and vitality to the world.