A girl night out

Cynthia is having a sleepover with her friend Megan, and going to see Jonas brothers' new movie. Both of them are big fans of the Jonas bothers, and she told me that was how she and Megan have become friends. Sharing common interests is one of the elements for friendship, but I never thought about being fans to some stars could create friendship. Well, it apparently does.

I decided to have some fun for myself, and accepted Kausar invitation for dinner. Kausar is one of our fellows who has an infectious laughter. She comes from a very rich family of Pakistan, went through divorce (how courageous for a Pakistan woman!), and came to US alone. Because of her personal and career experience, she has great insights to life, literature and art.

We had dinner at an India restaurant, the food is so delicious. I love Indian food in general, my favorite among any kind, but this one is the best I ever had. After the dinner, we hit the movie theater for “the reader”.

This is a movie explicating the complexity of human nature and an enmeshment not easily untangled. The love and passion of Michael to Hanna was soul-rattling, but complicated by Holocaust morality. He simply could not comprehend it. This short summer affair deeply affected his life thereafter. The heaviness of human heart and his struggling for a better understanding were explicated effortlessly in the movie.
Kate Winslet’s acting is so amazing.

It was a fun night.

Valentine’s day

Today is Valentine’s day, and amazingly, it does not really upset me to be alone. I took Cynthia to the Lakewood at night. On the way there, she was trying to recall what was like on the last Valentine’s, and the memory was so vague- seemed we went to Boston Chinatown, but nothing afterwards could come up.

After we got back, I called home. Mother is not doing well. The medication can not completely control her sleep, but really knocks her down. She used to be such a driven and energetic woman, now becomes so lousy, aloof and weak. Mother is a woman with a very complicated character, loving, but demanding and controlling, to the point of self-absorptive and abusive . In my younger days, I had mixed feeling to her- hated her in many ways but loved her so deeply and attached emotionally. She was diagnosed with depression in 2005, which answered many of my questions and confusion about her personality. She was treated with antidepressant for two years. When I started to cheer for her taking on a healthy life, she was attacked by a manic episode. Life has turned upside down for her, as well as for my father and people around her.

I am a great resemblance to my mother, but more rational and collected. Knowing that depression can hit me in the life chaos, I have tried my best keeping it up. Weakness and self-pity come to attack once a while, it takes great courage and bravery to face what lies ahead.

Another weekend passed by

2/8/09
A weekend passed by so fast, it is Sunday night already.

Saturday morning I dropped my car at Firestone, initially for engine oil change, but ended up changing all four tires. I was sitting at Border in Galleria for 5 hours, with a cup of coffee and a piece of banana cake, fixing Bo’s paper-it gave me such a bad headache. Although a total wreckage by the time I was leaving, I stumbled to Macy’s for some beauty products before the final exit.

At the same night, we went to Kathy’s party-a full house with Kathy’s friends. It saddened me to see her finally packing up and leaving. Kathy is one of those friends who are so loyal and trustworthy. Hoping when the economy recovers, she will be back here again. The night was enlightened by meeting a Buddhism couple who explained to me how they view the world, people, life and death.
Here it is:
1. Life is suffering;
2. Suffering is due to attachment;
3. Attachment can be overcome;
4. There is a path for accomplishing this.

These are Buddha’s final words

• Impermanent are all created things;
• Strive on with awareness.

The conversation reminded me when I was a child, I had this strange thought about the world and people surrounded - their existence was because of my existence, and I was the one with THE MIND. The man (sorry that I did not get his name) told me that I had the heart and soul (Hui Geng) for Buddhism, but it was all gone now after learning to be a human. How interesting!

This afternoon, after dropping Cynthia with her clarinet teacher, I took a run in the campus of Rice University. Sunday afternoon at Rice has always been my best time in the week. Either strolling through the grass paths, sitting in the coffee house with a good book, or simply waiting in the music hall with the music floating in the air and the sun shinning out, it is so peaceful and beautiful. One time, Cynthia had a night lesson. The campus was magically changed by the lights. I was immersed in the night, stunned by the beauty, speechless. I told Kathy afterwards, she said to me "remember, you need someone to share, all these beauty and wonders".