The Origami Project

I haven't used this blog for anything in—well, pretty much since Facebook came along. But I've decided to revive it for a little project I'm embarking on for the month of May.

My prayer life is about as active as my love life these days: the occasional connection but nothing that indicates real commitment. And although this could be perceived as boot-licking since I do work with him, I'm inspired by Jamie Smith's thoughts on ritual:

While formally or structurally speaking, there are mechanisms of discipline operative in both the convent and the prison, in both the factory and the monastery, more specifically these disciplines and practices are aimed at very different ends. And here we must make an important distinction: we can distinguish good discipline from bad discipline by its telos, its goal or end. So the difference between the disciplines that form us into disciples of Christ and the disciplines of contemporary culture that produce consumers is precisely the goal they are aiming at. Discipline and formation are good insofar as they are directed toward the end, or telos, that is proper to human beings: to glorify God and enjoy him forever.

So, in other words, we've all got habits. How do we develop habits for good instead of for lazy? For me personally, when it comes to prayer, I'm going to try to pray every day of May while folding an origami crane. I may do some lilies as well. I think there's some symbolism to be enjoyed there but I'll save that for another post. The point is that I'm going to set aside time to fold the paper, and those few minutes will be time that I also set aside to spend with God.

Why am I publicizing this project? Accountability, for one. But also, I'm fairly certain I'm not alone in my lack of consistent prayer time or my desire to attempt something more. So if you'd like to join me this month, please do let a sister know by commenting below.

• Step one: Get some paper. You can use any paper you want, you just have to make sure it's a square.
• Step two: Make a crane.

• Step three: Talk to God a bit.

I don't know if I'll post a picture every day but you're welcome to check out my Instagram and Twitter feeds if you like.

Inspired by a conversation overheard yesterday

Two generations face off over a round table in the awkward comfort of metal chairs
Comments flying over each other's shoulders, grazing earlobes
Nos and not reallys and you're wrongs stomping carelessly atop a minefield

Shredded, burnt-out, long-exploded hollow shells of Nazi Germany
vs.
Defensive, insistent, transparent, labeled structures of contemporary Canada

Yet they negotiate a truce, pushing for common ground
Coffee cups and cookies and conversation crumbling between them

They're men — manly men!

This article about the habits of Shanghainese men shows a lot about the unique appeal of many Asian men, who often come across as a little girly to foreign eyes. However, I have always felt that a man's willingness to carry purses and wear pink displays a confidence in his masculinity rather than a lack of it.
China surpasses the world in yet another category: Quality husbands

Hot.

One cool lady

In honour of Women's Day, here is Madeleine Albright sharing some of her gutsy views.

Design and gender roles

Cute concept... but note the male and female roles here.


Is it better for men to pursue women? Is it unattractive for a girl to be chasing a guy? Or does it just depend on the situation? And also, what's with the vacuum cleaner?!

Social Networking Behind the Great Firewall

Check out this article from Fast Company:
On a typically busy workday, Liu Yuan, 29, an administrative assistant at Lenovo who's an avid player of Happy Garden, the FarmVille of Kaixin001, asks her mother to tend her crops. "She'll grow and harvest vegetables for me," says Liu, who thinks nothing of sharing her login and password with her mom. "When I'm at work, she'll send me a text asking what kind of vegetables." She says that many of her friends ask their mothers to do the same. (What makes this simultaneously perverse and loving in an only-in-China way is that, as youths, many of those moms were working on real farms as forced laborers during the Cultural Revolution.)

Sweet and simple

... but oh-so-important.
I'm loving Neil Pasricha. His blog, 1000 Awesome Things, is always good for a mood boost when you're having one of those days when everything looks bleak, and you need to be reminded about how awesome it is when you find good reading material in someone else's bathroom, or when the hold music is actually good, or when you get caught in the rain and just don't care. And hearing him talk about his life philosophy on TED today was uplifting. And it made me want to pass it along to everyone I know. The speech is touching and funny, and I love it when he floats off into poetry.



PS: Finishing filming all six spots for the day in one take... awesome!

Guilty pleasure

I stayed home last night partly to do some laundry, run some errands and do some cleaning, but also because of the Golden Globes.
I can't help it; I loved Paul Giamatti's acceptance speech, even though he's kind of a dirty middle-aged man. Partly, yes, because he said that Montreal is "an incredible beautiful city which I dream about. An incredible place in a great nation, Canada. And I salute the great nation of Canada." But also because he seems like an normal person. Who shares my affinity for chocolate.
And I loved the standing ovation for Michael Douglas.
Other happy moments:
- Helena Bonham Carter's shoes
- Jane Lynch's wit
- Robert Downey Jr.'s cheek
- Christian Bale's hair (Also, isn't it time for him to do a film or two in his own delicious accent?)
- Annette Bening's style: I call it nerd chic.
- Toy Story 3's win
- the image of Colin Firth on a motorcycle
- Aaron Sorkin's shout-out to his daughter: "I want to thank all the female nominees tonight for demonstrating to my daughter that elite is not a bad word. It's an aspirational word. Honey, take a look around—smart girls have more fun, and you're one of them. I love you."

Sharing a poem

It's a new year, and while I doubt that I'll continue blogging the way I once did, I'd like to once again share a few of the things that make me think, or wonder, or hit that chord that resonates through my day.
To kick it off: While waiting in the cute little café across the street from my apartment for a long-overdue chat with the inestimable Miss Julie, I picked up a poetry collection on the shelf that surely must have been required reading for the adorable manager, Xilu, who is currently studying Philosophy and occasionally asks for my help in translating passages from both English and incoherence (I'm not sure which is more challenging). As I was flipping through the book, I came across this gem that everyone who has ever conversed in a second language will probably appreciate.

Speaking a Foreign Language
by Alastair Reid

How clumsy on the tongue, these acquired idioms,
after the innuendos of our own. How far
we are from foreigners, what faith
we rest in one sentence, hoping a smile will follow
on the appropriate face, always wallowing
between what we long to say and what we can,
trusting the phrase is suitable to the occasion,
the accent passable, the smile real,
always asking the traveller's fearful question--
what is being lost in translation?

Something, to be sure. And yet, to hear
the stumbling of foreign friends, how little we care
for the wreckage of word or tense. How endearing they are,
and how our speech reaches out, like a helping hand,
or limps in sympathy. Easy to understand,
through the tangle of language, the heart behind
groping towards us, to make the translation of
syntax into love.

Cold, cold comfort

In Taiwan, it doesn't get all that cold. But since nobody uses indoor heaters, apartments and offices can get a little chilly. Especially when people turn on the air conditioning "so it doesn't get too stuffy in here." Of course, it only lasts for a couple of months at worst.

But why would you choose to live without heat in a place like New York?


Photo: Beatrice De Gea for The New York Times

Apparently some people have their reasons.
"We just have to suck it up and wear a bunch of layers, even if it means looking like an Olsen twin."

Read all about it here.

Deceptive isolation

I read an extremely depressing article via Adbusters today:
Consumer and cultural critic Mariko Fujiwara believes that one of the most dangerous deceptions of virtual life, especially for lonely and isolated individuals like Kato, is that it creates a false sense of belonging. Internet communities, she says, are fundamentally different from communities in the real world, largely because they are so fleeting and fundamentally insubstantial.
Read more here: "Private Worlds" by Roland Nozomu Kelts
This is a realm in which Christians need to be shining. But how could one stay healthy in a mission field that is so sick?

Brush with fame

OK, so I don't usually run down to 7-11 after prayer meeting so soon before Friday Night Live starts, but it just so happened that I hadn't eaten much today and felt the need to grab some juice, despite the fact that I didn't have much time to spare.
(I should mention somewhere around here that I had noticed some groupie-type girls loitering outside the building earlier, but I wasn't sure who they were hoping to see. There's a radio station of some sort in the building, so this kind of thing happens now and then.)
So I just barely managed to sneak into an elevator filled with several employees from various companies in the building. Unfortunately for my limited time, I then noticed that it had missed the first floor and was headed to the parking garage.
I confess to feeling a little irritated by this, so when a lady on B4 asked me to "step out because we're a big group," I gave her a look of exasperation. "Never mind; it's OK," she responded, and proceeded to hold the door open for several minutes, waiting for that group to get on.
Eventually, a posse and about six guys with coiffed hair and matching suits got on. I smiled but then let out a little yelp of protest as we once again missed my stop and headed up to the 10th floor.
"Sorry about that," said one of the guys, in surprisingly excellent English.
"Where are you from?" I asked.
"Korea."
"Really?" I asked, beginning to clue in. "What is your group called?"
"Super Junior," the skinny little pop star responded.
Me: "Really? Wow! 'Sorry Sorry!' We all know it here!" Then one of them gave me a high five.
Them, exiting the elevator: "Great! Cool! Nice to meet you..."
Me: "Have fun!"
So now you know why our entire church youth group is like, totally jealous of me. This is also especially funny because Super Junior is the only Asian boy band I'm even remotely familiar with.

If you're not yet aware of this Asian phenomenon, check it out here:

Pretty much everyone in Taiwan knows how to do this dance by now...

"I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck."

From a several-weeks-ago trip to the flower market:

Disappointment

500 Days of Summer was a lot cheesier than I had hoped. Great in many respects, but still. I guess that last scene was just a little too cute for me.

Dude Perfect

Trying out iMovie

Movie of the Week

The Proposal

OK, so of course, I love Ryan Reynolds (ever since Van Wilder, I'm ashamed to admit). And Sandra does have that every-girl quality that makes you like her despite the fact that she rivals Meg Ryan for playing the same woman in every movie. There is something appealing and recognizable about a tough lady who learns to soften up. Interesting, too, how movies like this actually celebrate traditional male/female roles. And Betty White is adorable.
But the real stars of the movie were undoubtedly the Louboutins:

Lake Huron

 

What I was up to last week

(thanks for the slideshow, Lisa!)

Guess what, second language students?

Your teachers can tell if you use a free online translator to do your homework.
Case in point, from one of my Mackay Hospital students:
Ask that you have according to the inspection letter of consent live in the Italian item to prepare?
Yes, I have illuminate am doing.

Eat, Pray, Love what you do

I really enjoyed Elizabeth Gilbert's book, and I really enjoyed this speech she gave about creativity (via TED):

Halo

Last weekend, I went to Thailand with some girl friends, and it was lovely. I may post more about it soon, but I have to say that the most incredible thing I saw was this:

Apparently it's called a halo. You can read more about this phenomenon here.
We were walking around the Grand Palace in Bangkok and I looked up to take a picture and saw this. It's sort of like God was reminding us of how awesome he is. Like, "You think the palace is nice? Check THIS out!"

Swine Flu

Today's China Post headline (yes, in all caps):
NO NEED TO PANIC
Uh, yeah. THAT's effective.

I'm gonna be a supermodel, and my hair will shine like the sea

For my birthday, two friends gave me the gift of a personal photo shoot. Now, I felt a little silly getting excited about the whole thing, to be honest, because it all seems a little self-obsessed, doesn't it? I mean, really: "Let's spend an entire Saturday morning taking pictures of ME!" Blech.
However, I quelled my doubts by assuring myself that since they're both aspiring photographers (on some level, anyway; they both certainly could be, as you can see), this was good experience for them, and besides, now I'd have a nice photo or two to send home to my parents.
The morning itself was fun, and funny, especially when Winnie tried out her macro lens, and when it was all done, all parties were very satisfied. But the next question arose: "So, Nomes, whatcha gonna do with all your pix?" Yeah, good question. I've been changing my Facebook profile picture a lot, which is fun (bless my Facebook friends and all their positive feedback)... but again, am I just obsessing over myself?
Well, my conclusion is, it was a really nice experience for me. Seeing all those photos of myself, both the flattering and the devastating, taught me something about how I can choose to see myself. Yes, I may be a giant compared to most of my neighbours here in Taipei. Yes, I have a few pounds to lose. And yes, my features are sometimes striking, and sometimes just a little weird. But I am still made in God's image, and I should feel fantastic about that. Hopefully, that kind of confidence should be propelling me to focus on the people around me more.
As for what I'm going to do with them, I'll save them and show them to my kids one day, and they'll get a kick out of them, I hope. And I'll post a few of my favourites* here, so you can appreciate some good photography as much as I have.

*There are some good ones posted by both Winnie and Lisa online as well.

Taroko Singing

I was just sorting through pictures from this year so far and came across this video I caught at my dear friend's home church in Hualien. She is from the Taroko tribe and this spontaneously happened after the service. Amazing. We also sang, but believe me, you'd rather watch this guy!