Not long ago I read a passage about falling into a valley. The valley can be a personal one or a societal one or both. It's a smash. All the way to the bottom.
But in case you thought it must be suffering that shatters everything at the very bottom, let me tell you the meaning of the valley, the lessons I'd learned from David Brooks after reading his new book The Second Mountain. Being in the valley lets us see deeper into ourselves, to move from self-centered to other-centred, to embark on a new journey to the second mountain.
These are precisely the words we need to remind ourselves today, when our city stumbles into the deepest valley ever.
Everyone struggles. Everyone sheds tears.
Of course, crying isn't always a solution. Or even an option. I think, more than anything, it helps to read the powerful book and learn from David Brooks, who has always mentioned the second mountain discovered by Viktor Frankl. Paraphrasing Frankl, Brooks writes that "everything can be taken from a man but one thing - the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given circumstances, to choose one's own way."
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Tiger
You'll be forgiven if you've never heard of Téa Obreht. Her knack for writing began to be recognized in 2011 with her debut novel, The Tiger's Wife.
I had stumbled upon this book with Balkan history before my Croatian trip. I didn't have time to read it until my return from Croatia. My elder brother, who came back from the States to visit our family, couldn't hide his sly facial expression when he happened to see the novel's title.
"No, no, no," I lost no time in making myself clear before my wife became leery of me. "Now, listen. This has nothing to do with a tiger wife. It's about a tiger's wife, not a tiger wife."
No sooner had I finished Téa Obreht's tiger fable, than I heard about her most recent novel Inland from The New York Times Book Review this afternoon. That's her second novel after an eight-year wait.
Wait. My elder brother also came after an eight-year wait; his family last visited us in 2011. Well, if this has anything to do with clairvoyance, the chance is that my elder brother shall be back when the third novel of Téa Obreht is out.
Let's pray for more books to come from Téa Obreht.
I had stumbled upon this book with Balkan history before my Croatian trip. I didn't have time to read it until my return from Croatia. My elder brother, who came back from the States to visit our family, couldn't hide his sly facial expression when he happened to see the novel's title.
"No, no, no," I lost no time in making myself clear before my wife became leery of me. "Now, listen. This has nothing to do with a tiger wife. It's about a tiger's wife, not a tiger wife."
No sooner had I finished Téa Obreht's tiger fable, than I heard about her most recent novel Inland from The New York Times Book Review this afternoon. That's her second novel after an eight-year wait.
Wait. My elder brother also came after an eight-year wait; his family last visited us in 2011. Well, if this has anything to do with clairvoyance, the chance is that my elder brother shall be back when the third novel of Téa Obreht is out.
Let's pray for more books to come from Téa Obreht.
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Trogir
Flying by the seat of your pants, as advised by the Lonely Planet editor Don George, is a quintessential part of the traveller's act and art.
You can call it whatever you like. You can call it flexibility. You can call it no-matter-what mindset. Some might call it a secret sixth sense that you never know where the journey will take you - while others might go so far as to call it the eleventh hour.
Our recent trip to Croatia was the perfect example. Accommodation booked from the site Airbnb, to our chagrin, went south at the last minute. We found out that the lodging near Central Dalmatia wasn’t ready only on arrival.
Duh!
Disappointing, I know. I was not quite frowning, but certainly not smiling, my heart running at a gradually faster tempo.
Before darkness, we made up our mind and went to Trogir, a historic town on the central Adriatic coast. That turns out to be a wise choice. Trogir, in fact, is an Unesco World Heritage site, in recognition of its architectural and cultural importance.
Like so often in life, all it takes is a leap of faith. And a whole lot of trust in your seat-of-the-pants.
You can call it whatever you like. You can call it flexibility. You can call it no-matter-what mindset. Some might call it a secret sixth sense that you never know where the journey will take you - while others might go so far as to call it the eleventh hour.
Our recent trip to Croatia was the perfect example. Accommodation booked from the site Airbnb, to our chagrin, went south at the last minute. We found out that the lodging near Central Dalmatia wasn’t ready only on arrival.
Duh!
Disappointing, I know. I was not quite frowning, but certainly not smiling, my heart running at a gradually faster tempo.
Before darkness, we made up our mind and went to Trogir, a historic town on the central Adriatic coast. That turns out to be a wise choice. Trogir, in fact, is an Unesco World Heritage site, in recognition of its architectural and cultural importance.
Like so often in life, all it takes is a leap of faith. And a whole lot of trust in your seat-of-the-pants.
Monday, July 22, 2019
Plitvice
Open any Croatian travel guidebook and you'll see turquoise ribbon of lakes lined up in a maze of awe-inspiring waterfalls.
That's World-Heritage-listed Plitvice Lakes National Park.
To prepare for our family trip this summer, I'd decided to buy the newest edition of Lonely Planet Croatia. I then checked out few more from the public library: National Geographic Traveler Croatia, Insight Guides Croatia, Croatia Unpacked. And then the pocket guide by Rick Steves.
If there's just one activity you can't experience from reading, I'd put money on getting up-close views of the travertine formations, a porous sedimentary rock also known as tufa, that make up Plitvice's many waterfalls. Nobody shall miss this forested karstic terrain in Croatia, period. We headed to the trails exploring the lakes early in the morning - on two consecutive days.
The water is real clear for you to count every trout. And why is this so? For one thing, I was told, it comes directly from high-mountain runoff. Water around Plitvice is supersaturated with calcium carbonate and spills over the edges of the lake. For that reason, the water calcifies everything it touches, preventing the creation of mud. Another mineral, magnesium carbonate, keeps the water highly basic, preventing the growth of algae and other plant life.
The sight of Plitvice, by itself, is a good reason to visit Croatia. You will never be able to experience the breathtaking natural beauty simply from guidebooks.
That's World-Heritage-listed Plitvice Lakes National Park.
To prepare for our family trip this summer, I'd decided to buy the newest edition of Lonely Planet Croatia. I then checked out few more from the public library: National Geographic Traveler Croatia, Insight Guides Croatia, Croatia Unpacked. And then the pocket guide by Rick Steves.
If there's just one activity you can't experience from reading, I'd put money on getting up-close views of the travertine formations, a porous sedimentary rock also known as tufa, that make up Plitvice's many waterfalls. Nobody shall miss this forested karstic terrain in Croatia, period. We headed to the trails exploring the lakes early in the morning - on two consecutive days.
The water is real clear for you to count every trout. And why is this so? For one thing, I was told, it comes directly from high-mountain runoff. Water around Plitvice is supersaturated with calcium carbonate and spills over the edges of the lake. For that reason, the water calcifies everything it touches, preventing the creation of mud. Another mineral, magnesium carbonate, keeps the water highly basic, preventing the growth of algae and other plant life.
The sight of Plitvice, by itself, is a good reason to visit Croatia. You will never be able to experience the breathtaking natural beauty simply from guidebooks.
Friday, July 19, 2019
Slovenia
It's hard to imagine running in countries with magical landscape. Add to the temptation of photographs, throw in a few Instagramable castles and wayside villages, and it's clear to see why we resist lacing and tying running shoes on the road.
During my summer vacation with family this week, I confirmed that Croatia and Slovenia's scenic credentials are impeccable. As a bonus to the trip, I picked the hour with less promising weather to give myself an excuse to sneak in a jog and put in serious miles. That means an excuse not to bring my camera. An excuse to go solo for a self-indulgent experience.
The running experience turned out to be as memorable as the one with my camera and great shots. When I'd finished my run, I loved the country more than I had.
During my summer vacation with family this week, I confirmed that Croatia and Slovenia's scenic credentials are impeccable. As a bonus to the trip, I picked the hour with less promising weather to give myself an excuse to sneak in a jog and put in serious miles. That means an excuse not to bring my camera. An excuse to go solo for a self-indulgent experience.
The running experience turned out to be as memorable as the one with my camera and great shots. When I'd finished my run, I loved the country more than I had.
Friday, July 5, 2019
Inspired
Be proud of who you are. Love yourself.
Right. That's what my nine-year-old reminds us. All embedded in nice handwritten notes.
Oh, and lest I forget.
Do your very best.
It's her summer holiday, and not ours. My daughter has much free time when we're at work. She designed a lovely box filled with those heart-warming notes.
It was such a joy to read and share quotes, and that's natural. We learn more from a simple sentence than a thesis. I happened to be reading Together is Better this evening. The quotes from this book never ceases to inspire me:
A boss has the title. A leader has the people.
When we are closed to ideas, what we hear is criticism. When we are open to criticism, what we get is advice.
A star wants to see himself rise to the top. A leader wants to see those around him become stars.
The mind can be convinced but the heart must be won.
When we tell people to do their jobs, we get workers. When we trust people to get the job done, we get leaders.
Faced with the inspiration from my daughter's treasure trove and that little book by Simon Sinek tonight, how could I be anything but grateful?
Right. That's what my nine-year-old reminds us. All embedded in nice handwritten notes.
Oh, and lest I forget.
Do your very best.
It's her summer holiday, and not ours. My daughter has much free time when we're at work. She designed a lovely box filled with those heart-warming notes.
It was such a joy to read and share quotes, and that's natural. We learn more from a simple sentence than a thesis. I happened to be reading Together is Better this evening. The quotes from this book never ceases to inspire me:
A boss has the title. A leader has the people.
When we are closed to ideas, what we hear is criticism. When we are open to criticism, what we get is advice.
A star wants to see himself rise to the top. A leader wants to see those around him become stars.
The mind can be convinced but the heart must be won.
When we tell people to do their jobs, we get workers. When we trust people to get the job done, we get leaders.
Faced with the inspiration from my daughter's treasure trove and that little book by Simon Sinek tonight, how could I be anything but grateful?
Sunday, June 30, 2019
Van Gogh
What has struck me most in the renovation of the Hong Kong Museum of Art is that it has taken more than four years. And it sounds as if it will take forever.
So when we heard about local exhibitions like Affordable Art Fair and Van Gogh Alive, we were more than a little excited. It shouldn't surprise us that children's creativity is best unleashed outside classroom.
But wait, as our experience tells us, there's more. Free drawing and painting. Plenty of paper and sketch books. This is all happening at my home, and my wife told me lately that we have had enough sketch books. I have bought too many of them, I'm afraid.
So when we heard about local exhibitions like Affordable Art Fair and Van Gogh Alive, we were more than a little excited. It shouldn't surprise us that children's creativity is best unleashed outside classroom.
But wait, as our experience tells us, there's more. Free drawing and painting. Plenty of paper and sketch books. This is all happening at my home, and my wife told me lately that we have had enough sketch books. I have bought too many of them, I'm afraid.
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