Uh. Oh.

I GUESS I'M GOING TO HAVE TO BRUSH UP ON MY CHINESE ON THE PLANE...

los angeles, not for me, not now.

June second, Wednesday

Little Tokyo. I am eating dinner at Curry House. I seem to be the only one who came alone. I poured myself tea just now, just like I did several times in my dorm room while I was in College (except, I paid 2 dollars for the entire box of tea, not just a single tea bag). I think about how great it would be to be able to pour tea for more good company in Taiwan.

Sitting across to my right are a group of twenty-somethings. They’re hard to miss. They are the largest group here and are making quiet a ruckus. I bet they’re already drunk. They are probably co-workers, or good friends.

Surprisingly, accidentally, serendipitously, today was a good day. Los Angeles is a beautiful city. I ate lunch at home. I watched some more T-dramas.

The tea is not too hot, not too cold.

Aaron messaged me. He had the day off and asked if I wanted to hang out , I hadn’t seen him in a while, thought that it would be nice to accompany him; drove all the way (in traffic) to the West side and had shaved ice with him. Mediocre shaved ice, but exceptional company.

Then came a candid, scenic, trafficky drive to the East side, where I visited Christian to pick up my beloved camera. I had left it in her car the night before—filled with drunken partying.

While Angelino drivers braked, yielded, signaled, and accelerated like ants, mechanical, I pondered. Los Angeles is my home. I find a special sense of comfort here. There is something magnificent about the monolithic skyscrapers that is manifested as the symbol of LA, especially during the magic hour. The sky was clear. The air felt soft and cool against my skin. Pop music.

However, I cannot settle for a nice cubicle-office-reserved parking-elevator-morning espresso-air conditioned—type job. Not yet. Part of me feels like these skyscrapers, as blindingly lustrous as they are, were not built for me. Part of me, feels like for the time being, I am meant to be a vagabond of the world, a searcher, a student, a dancer in the dark.

On the way to the East side, I also imagined, that if my father were wiser, what kind of words he would tell me. It had something to do with traffic. He would say, “You cannot beat traffic, no matter how many times you swerve in and out of lanes. Someone will always be ahead of you and someone will always be behind you. Either way, you are on your way to your destination. We all are.”

Curry House. To the right of me is a couple (or siblings) talking about life’s mundane tasks. Errands they have to run. The couple is “grown up”- looking. I wonder if I will end up in restaurants when I’m “grown up” talking about mundane things.

Taiwan, I'm ready.

Ethan Ruan

I think Ethan Ruan, a Taiwanese actor, is one of the sexiest men alive. Everything about him is fine, fine, FINE. Also, he does a great job of playing really excellent boyfriends in such dramas as "Wayward Kenting." Today I went to the park for another jog and I got to thinking. I love film for many reasons and as a media theorist, I understand film as an oversimplification, often an idealization of reality. This is precisely why I believe film has the power to shift the world as it is, to a world as it should be; and, it is an excellent predictor of where popular culture is progressing to. Hollywood and Asian dramas spend so much money on media works that send the message that love it worth the pain; that one day you (and me) too can find the love of our lives...and actors like ETHAN RUAN do a great job of convincing us that these messages are true and apply to our real lives!

But I am very eager to ask these questions to Ethan Ruan (or other romantic comedy actors, or folks who have been in successful long-term relationships): Does true romance exist? How do you make it happen? How does it happen?

Being involved in the gay community for quite some time (not only being in friend circles but also, of course, DATING), it's rare to find couples who have been together for a very long time. Further, often times when you see long-term relationships, partner commitment levels... well... waver. And I have to say THIS: no matter how much I think SEX is great, no matter how many sexual partners I may enjoy screwing around with, I absolutely, whole-heartedly, want to find this thing called ROMANCE and this thing called LOVE.

So how do I do it? And do it exist?

The Park in my Hood, only in my Hood

I went to Almansor Park today to do a feel laps. I got to thinking--how there is really no place else like this: the folks playing baseball are Chinese, but are native Spanish speakers; a man sitting underneath the gazebo plays an ancient Chinese instrument I forgot the name of; guys playing basketball, jacked ABC's, old folks, and a woman wearing sandals, jog around the track. The weather was perfect today. If only I had my camera.

粱

Taiwan Sky

Around My Hood

Fieldbook Assignment #2

A Photo Essay of Peking University

(Click on photo for larger view)

Peking University, founded in 1898, is the oldest institution of higher learning in China. The university has kept its original English name of “Peking” as not to confuse it with the numerous other universities with the word, “Beijing” in it. I decided to take photographs of the older architecture on campus not only because it is the most beautiful architecture on campus (and arguably the most beautiful architecture of all Chinese universities), but also because it symbolizes that the role of PKU as an institution for progress has not changed with time.


In 1904 PKU sent 47 students to study abroad for the first time. Since then, PKU’s role in China has been a place for the “old to meet the new” and for new ideas to be exchanged. Peking University was the birthplaces of such progressive events such as the 1919 May 4th movement, which set the stage for the questioning of traditional Chinese institutions and values such as Confucianism and the Tienanmen Square Protest of 1989 which demanded for a more democratic society. This photograph of figures in Taiji positions represents the merging of new ideas with the old because even in this modern time, Taiji is a big part of PKU student life. It also has a “come-hither” gesture, representing PKU’s receptiveness to new ideas.

This pagoda, which is often considered the symbol for PKU, was once used as a water tower. It is now an ornament that lights up at night. It sits looming like a monolith over the weiming lake on the center of campus.

Though PKU is the academic center for progress, some things remain unchanged, such as the distinct administrative hierarchy. This photograph was taken in the administrative area of campus by the Chancellor’s office. This stone pillar, with carvings of dragons, symbolizes elitism.


PKU, also one of the most prestigious universities in China and the world, is distinguished for its famous alumni and associates. Mao Zedong, at age 20, worked at PKU as an assistant to the librarian. While on campus, he wrote about Marxism in newspapers and magazines, questioning teacher’s authorities. This photograph is of West Gate and contains the sign of the university’s name written by Chairman Mao.