Shang Dynasty Bronzes

The RWP prompt went up late today, so instead I wrote this stream of consciousness one about a museum trip…

Many thanks for the birthday wishes, and especially to Rachel, Barbara, Rallentanda, Swapna and Christopher (unless there’s more I don’t know of) for their birthday poems! And I also discovered I’ll be having two small poems popping up on a handful of stones in the next couple months; that and I’ll have a poem up for one single impression in a week-ish. It’s been six months since I started this poetry journey (four of those on here), and I’m not quite sure what the next step I take ought to be…

Shang Dynasty Bronzes

Do you hear me, you wise old ghosts?
I gaze at the bells and learn the lesson of autumn:
all things must pass, and leave
beauty in their wake.  Their faces all are covered
with sea-green skin, having known such a heavy
eternal amount of earth.  They breathe.
They long for my fingers, for wooden hammers
to clear their throats again.  I can see
your eyes round their edges, wise old ghosts,
I can see the snakes and spiders,
the trees and hopes and complaints
in their angular simplicity.  What did you think
when you first took the oxbones from the fire?
What did you translate from those fissures?
Did you see the glory of the empire,
reaching outward from a jewel-like sea
to a desert paved with spice-scented bones,
your hearts striving at their ribcages,
or did you see this holy chorus, perfectly formed
and gathering new skin behind its glass?
You wise old ghosts, didn’t you know
that autumn is a hoary old teacher,
dropping his leaves in melancholy applause?
He chuffs his cheeks with
a wind that scatters the birds from their nests,
shifting the bells; they have no metal tongues,
if ever they did, but I am watching,
I still hear their hollow bronze moans,
and I wonder, you wise old ghosts,
if you are comfortable underneath.

China, 60 years of communism. Beijing military force demonstration

The most populated nation in the world celebrates today six decades since the founding of the PRC. Giant festivities began with 60 gun salutes, one for each year of existence of the communist state.
The anniversary has been prepared for months by the Army battalions of “volunteers” who marched in Beijing, they danced and praised the communist regime and the 60 years of great achievements. 52 military battle equipment entirely by domestic production were exposed. 90% of them have been seen now for the first time.

Green Tea Fat Burner

If you want to lose weight, feel better, and just be more healthier than I would highly recommend adding green tea fat burner to your diet.

Green tea fat burner has been in addition to alleged around slowing down the processing regarding complex carbs consumed in the body to simple sugars. Because of that, the transition of those nutrients to body fat would be delayed.

The very same green tea that originated via China approximately four thousand years ago has currently become labelled with being an efficient fat burner aid as well as a potent antioxidant which may help combat cancer and also additional diseases.

Determining the link between sipping green tea and losing weight must have taken 1000s of years, however thankfully, the secret is finally revealed.

Green tea is commonly thought to be a health drink which can prevent many common diseases and illnesses. In fact, many people in Asian countries (particularly Japan and China,) claim that drinking green tea has helped their people stay healthy and even live longer for thousands of years. So what makes green tea a healthy alternative to diet sodas and energy drinks and what benefits does green tea have on the human body?

What Makes Green Tea Healthy

There are several properties that aid in green tea's overall health label. Green tea is actually loaded with anti-oxidants. One of the more powerful anti-oxidants found in green tea is known as EGCG, (also known as epigallocatechin gallate,) which has been proven to prevent the growth of cancer cells. EGCG has also been shown to kill those same cancer cells without the harmful side effects commonly associated with other types of cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy.

Most teas (green tea included,) contain about half the amount of caffeine as a cup of freshly brewed coffee. For individuals who are looking to reduce their caffeine intake, green tea can help.

In addition to this, coffee is known to stain teeth an unsightly shade of yellow. Drinking green tea each morning instead of coffee can actually help reduce the buildup of plaque in the mouth. Some of the properties in green tea help fight bacteria that is known to cause plaque buildup and tooth decay; both of which are associated with enamel wear which can lead to stained teeth. Overall, drinking tea in the morning can still help you get your day started.

What are the Benefits of Drinking Green Tea?

Aside from the benefits mentioned above, green tea also has a variety of other known health benefits. Drinking green tea on a regular basis has been shown to lower “bad” cholesterol (LDL cholesterol.)

Green tea also benefits the heart, promoting a healthier heart and preventing heart disease all at once. This can also aid in living a longer, healthier life.

In recent studies in the past ten years, green tea is also being shown to benefit dieters. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition released an article in November of 1999 that stated that dieters who drank green tea extract with caffeine burned more calories than dieters who were only taking a placebo or caffeine.

Of course, these are only a few of the benefits commonly associated with green tea. Drinking a single cup of green tea may benefit you greatly, especially if you've never previously drank tea. So consider making the switch from sugary energy drinks to green tea.

Informational Sources:
The Miracle of Green Tea – About.com

Green Tea Fat Burner

October 1 in history

On October 1:

1843 The News of the World tabloid began publication in London.

1908 Ford put the Model T car on the market at a price of US$825

 

1920 US actor Walter Matthau was born.

1924 US President Jimmy Carter was born.

1935 actress Julie Andrews was born.

1936 Francisco Franco was named head of the Nationalist government of Spain.

Franco in the La guerra ha terminado painting

1945 US musician Donny Hathaway was born.

1946 Mensa International was founded.

Mensa Logo

1949 The People’s Republic of China was declared by Mao Zedong.

1960 Nigeria  gained independence.

1961 East and West Cameroon merged as the republic of Cameroon.

1978 Tuvalu gained independence.

1986 GST was introduced.

Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.

渺渺 @ 2009 卡加里國際電影節

渺渺“是一部香港澤東公司出資在台灣製作拍攝的電影，由名導演關錦鵬和澤東電影資深製片彭綺華擔任監製，台灣新銳導演程孝澤執導，攝影指導為香港攝影師關本良、原創音樂由台灣金獎創作者李欣芸操刀。”
渺渺是我在2009年卡加里國際電影節看到最好看的電影之一。好像DVD己經出了。非常值得看。

P.S. Lots of spoilers in this Variety review.

026 - Empezando por el principio: Llegada a Beijing

 No creo que entrar en detalles de como llegamos a China merezca la pena, es lo de siempre, autobús, un par de aviones y muchas horas. Pero creo que la primera impresión sí que merece comentarla.

Mientras vas andando por el aeropuerto, todo te parece medianamente normal, aparte de que los carteles están llenos de símbolos raros. Incluso también estuvimos en la oficina de información y turismo del aeropuerto (justo junto donde recoges el equipaje) y cambiando algo de dinero y en inglés te defiendes. La cosa cambia cuando sales fuera y lo primero que haces es preguntar si el autobús va hasta la estación de tren (nuestra primera parada ya que queríamos comprar los billetes para el día siguiente). Resultado: te miran con cara rara, se miran entre ellos, te responden algo que no entiendes, nos miramos entre nosotros, les miramos a ellos y hasta ahí todo. Gracias a una chica muy maja que hablaba inglés entendimos que había que comprar lo billetes en un mostrador que hay dentro del aeropuerto. Incluso nos acompañó a la oficina y de vuelta al autobús correcto. Primera muestra de la amabilidad china.

Tan solo 2 horas después (léase con sarcasmo) llegamos a la estación Oeste de Beijing. Un edificio enorme, que es capaz de absorber la marea de 300.000 personas por día, y en el caso de querer ir hacia Xi’an, paso obligatorio.

Beijing West train station (Fuente: Wikipedia)

Este sin duda si que es el primer auténtico contacto con China, y llevado a cabo como terapia de choque. Llegas a la zona de venta de billetes: 40 ventanillas y en cada una una hilera de chinos que llena todo el hall. Tras alrededor de una hora de cola, llegas a la ventanilla y por supuesto, no hablan inglés. No hay problema, te mandan a otra, aunque asegúrate de que se comunique con la persona de la otra ventanilla para que te dejen saltarte la segunda cola, sino puede que necesites una tienda de campaña. En esta segunda ventanilla (verídico), también puede que no hablen inglés, no desesperes, al final encontrarás a alguien o te comunicarás de algún modo. En todas parte comentan que en la segunda planta hay una oficina para extranjeros. Nosotros lo único que encontramos era un mostrador de información donde hablaban “algo” de inglés, pero para comprar los billetes te mandaban a las ventanillas, por lo que vuelta al mismo sitio.

IMPORTANTE: Algo que se repitió casi durante todo el viaje fue la dificultad para comprar billetes. Normalmente , los billetes de litera estaban siempre agotados, por lo que el primer viaje de 12 horas tuvimos que hacerlo en asiento duro. Cosas a tener en cuenta:

- Puede que aunque creas que vayas con antelación suficiente (4 días antes) ya no queden billetes.

- No venden billetes con más de 10 días de antelación.

- En ocasiones puede que te vendan billetes de tren que salgan de otras ciudades (para completar tu ruta), otras veces te dirán que no pueden hacerlo.

- Puede que en la estación te digan que no hay billetes, pero aún así prueba en hostales u hoteles, quizá ellos puedan conseguírtelos.

Tras este primer chasco, luchamos por coger el autobús (nº9) frente a la estación para acercarnos a la plaza Tian’an Men. Nunca creí que hubiera sitio para tantas personas en un solo autobús. Precio: tan solo 1 Yuan.

Buscamos hostal en la calle Dazhalan (dentro de un Huton), a unos 5 minutos al sur de Tian’an Men, muy céntrica y práctica para coger autobuses o metro.

Calle Dazhalan, al sur de Tian'an Men

En dicha calle hay varios hostales y hoteles, por lo que solo es mirar un poco y elegir uno de ellos. Se pueden encontrar algunos en esta página: www.hostels.com. Por ser para una solo noche y estar algo cansados nos alojamos en un pequeño hotel construido en una casa típica de los Hutones, por unos 200Yuanes la habitación doble con baño.

Y tras un pequeño descanso, lo mejor tantear el terreno, por lo que nos fuimos hacia Tian’an Men. La calle  en la que estaba el hotel estaba completamente en obras: suelo levantado, montones de arena por todas partes, tuberías y cables por el suelo… un desastre, aunque al salir de ella nos encontramos con todo lo contrario. Un par de calles de hutones completamente restauradas y en las que había un ambiente genial.

Calle Quianmen, al fondo la torre de la flecha

Calle Quianmen

Aunque te quedaba la sensación de que anduvieras por un parque temático cualquiera, merece verla, incluso tiene su propio tranvía!!!

De aquí a Tian’an Men, una plaza gigante. Dentro: el mausoleo de Mao, monumento a los héroes del pueblo… En los laterales el Museo de la revolución, museo de historia y el gran Hall del pueblo, y al norte la infinitamente fotografiada Puerta de la Paz Celestial, que da entrada a la Ciudad Prohibida.

Puerta de la Paz Celestial

Despierta, que ya estamos en el centro de China!!!!

book review: my war gone by, i miss it so

Holly was reading Anthony Loyd’s book My War Gone By, I Miss it So while we travelled through Sichuan and passed it on to me after she finished. It’s a story about journalism in the Bosnian war from the mid-90s, a war I knew practically nothing about. When I say story, I mean it is his factual, emotional account of covering the war. And about heroin.

So there’s a lot going on. A lot of characters in fragmentary glimpses. A lot of horrible things that soldiers do to people. Loyd has his point of view in the book (I don’t know what his filed stories at the time would read like), his allies and who’re good soldiers and who’re murderous bastards. I have a touch of a “Hey, what about the guys you’re villainizing here” but he would say that’s because I wasn’t there and didn’t see the HVO send Muslim prisoners back to their lines remotely wired with landmines and so I don’t get to say anything.

Loyd talks a lot about how he needed to be on the front lines, right in the action, to see things for himself, which is an instinct I recognize in me (though I’m obviously too timid a person to be able to translate that into any sort of effective journalism myself). But he talks about growing up in a military family, about having respect for soldiers, about wanting to be one himself, and that I don’t understand.

But whatever, that’s not the point of the book. The point is to talk about war and the limited point of view and limited actions a person gets to take in the face of all these events.