Like A Teapot

I need distraction today and happened to have an appointment that brought me out of the house.

The weather is not good. It is cloudy and raining. Not a heavy downfall, but rather spare large raindrops hitting the head. I appreciate the cool air, especially in light of the fact that a heat wave is coming up on Thursday, which is forecasted in both west coast Canada and the United States.

I bought lots of grocery. I also bought Chinese medicine for my sprained ankle. I got both herbal pastes and a special oil that is made of herbs. I have the paste on right now.

I was a bit dazed the whole time I was out, due to bad news received earlier in the day. I sighed loudly a few times in my friend's car and also when walking on a parking lot. My friend brought up the topic of the Olympia. She watched synchronized diving but missed the opening ceremony.

Synchronized diving and artistic gymnastics, two of my favourite events are over now. There should be more diving though, for the indivicuals. I do not know the schedule, as I am not as crazy about the game as some people thought. It is just the fact that China is the host this year that makes things more interesting for me. It is interesting to learn of the world's reaction to the Chinese approach.

The opening ceremony is a fantastic showcase of Chinese creativity and ingenuity. It cleverly and successfully reminds the world that the four great Chinese inventions - gun powder, paper making, printing, and the compass - forever changed China and the world. At least this is a clear message that Canadian television viewers received when watching the ceremony at home, as it is repeatedly emphasized by CBC's star presenter Peter Mansbridge, who was doing the live coverage in Beijing.

I do not know how other national news networks covered the opening ceremony. But I feel no one could have done a better job than Mansbridge. He is respected by Canadians and is respectful of Chinese history and culture. I mentioned him in a post on the US Super Tuesday election coverage (without giving his name). He is simply cool and is definitely fast becoming an icon of Canada.

It seems that all personal matters pale in the face of the large-scale devastation in China. Although over ten days have passed since the disaster struck, shock and sadness is not lifting up for anyone who continues to pay attention to the grim situation on that part of land.

That part of land was once my motherland. Although both of my parents were born outside China, I was born and grew up there. Although I had a hard time while living there, I cannot stop caring for what is happening over there. Every nation has its merits and short-comings. Often the merits of China and its culture are not sufficiently recognized and understood by the rest of the world and the virtues and intelligence of the Chinese people underestimated.

It seems that it never occurs to some people that because China has a large population, while it includes a lot of poor and unsophisticated folks, it also at the same time produces a large ratio of bright, well-educated, and highly intelligent people, who are at any rate smarter and more well-informed than many dwellers of the first and second worlds and deserve equal, if not more, respect with many of those proud citizens of western democracies. Living in a western democracy does not mean that you are immune of ignorance and cannot be a narrow-minded idiot, especially if you don't travel.

Luckily there are also many nice and sensible people around. It is touching and comforting, as my Opera friend themugs aptly points out in a comment to one of my earlier posts, that after last week's earthquake struck, the world pours out generous help and proves to have evolved into a truly global village.

When the Olympic torch reached Guangzhou, China on May 7, 2008, the municipal male hospital gave a massive gesture, amusing commuters and passersby.