Burning

The other day something quite stupid happened to me. After I filled my Zippo with cleaning naphtha, I lighted it up for a test and accidentally introduced the fire to the small tissue paper I used while filling the lighter. A disaster thus got its start. I was surprised by the burning tissue paper and dropped it on the ground of my research room which is paved with wooden floor. I almost panicked by the imagination that the floor would be set on fire. Then I calmed myself down to put out the fire which, to think of it retroactively, was in fact a pretty small one. Stepping on the fire on and on and being cautious to not getting fire on my slippers, I turned on the fan to ventilate the air in case the fire alarm might be triggered for the smoke thus caused. a few seconds later, the situation was well under control and I had my breath back again. A pretty stupid incident it is. Can't believe that I myself can be so careless and without caution. If the room gets on fire, it would be a total disaster and might even endanger other people's lives. What an imbecile I was that day!

A Challenge?

Today the head of department offered a chance of opening a course on Taiwan literature. Only one course for one semester in the following three years is in need from me. Not a real burden, to tell the truth. Yet the challenging part is that the course has to be taught in English as it is part of the program for international students in our graduate school. I know my spoken English is not so poor as being incapable of handling the situation. Yet my concern is that my expertise is never on the field of specifically Taiwan literature despite my being an avid reader of the literary works here for a long time.

Cannot help wandering in what way will be my thoughts on the literary texts written in Chinese conveyed in English to others? Yet I have to admit this is a chance for me to focus on, for example, a few poets whose works have for long been my favorite and a chance for me to start working on some poetic studies. From a perspective of vocational advancement, this may also be a chance to wade into a study that may grow into a promising field for international recognition. At the same time, my own ideas of and attunement to that which is literary pure and simple can be put into a test on works in Chinese, my own mother tongue.

I don't know. A challenge indeed, in terms not only of the demand for language skills, but also of a requirement of professional disciplinary training. Need time to think it over. Might take the challenge. Life needs to keep going, going over boundaries to break a new ground, to sail into terra incognita for self-test as well as self-transcendence. A self that needs and has to open to the immortal, the infinite.

The Ring

Changing the place I wear the ring from the index finger to the rope on my neck. The other day I slapped on the head of Tiger and the ring's metal hardness caused him quite a pain that should have been entirely unnecessary. I watched his painful expressions on face and felt terribly sorry for my doing so. He is so cute, tiny, and weak that one would only want to hold him tightly in bosom. From that day on, I decided to change the place of the ring. Now I wear it as part of my necklace and wish with all my heart that my little Tiger will never suffer from that pain, that stupid pain, again.