If The Shoe Fits, Throw It

Shoes - We spend most of our lives walking in shoes. From our very own shoes we may learn something about our culture, our history, and even about oursevles. According to June Swann, a shoe historian from England, shoes are the best indicator of how people feel. Believe it or not, you can measure social change by the thickness of a sole.

Every shoe tells a story. Shoes enunciate a person's status, gender, ethnicity, religion, profession, and politics. Yes, politics. Remember how President Bush dodged a pair of shoes from an Iraqi journalist during a press conference? In India, the throwing-shoes-acts are 'succeeding' among the Indian citizens. Regular residents are learning how to voice their unsatisfaction to the politicians by hurling their shoes at them.

According to local newspapers in the country, perfecting the science of shoe-throwing is the current society's past-time. First, a local Indian reporter launched his size 9 Reebok sneakers at the Home Minister who was freed after he was suspected for the deaths of 3,000 Sikhs. A few days after this incident, a 64 year old retired school principal threw a shoe at a popular lawmaker during an election rally.

The following Thursday, the current Prime Minister candidate was another "victim" of shoe-throwing incidents. And on Friday, protestors threw shoes at the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi after Beijing sentenced two Tibetans to death for the Tibetans riot acts on March 2008.

"Flying footwears are now the weapons of mass distraction," noted a headline in the local papers. In Asian cultural context, throwing shoes is to humiliate the targeted person. In the age of instant punditry on television, shoe throwing may have a strong YouTube audience but does it really help resolve problems, such as bringing those guilty in the massacre of 3,000 Sikhs to justice?

It looks practical for protestors to include hurling shoes during their protests. However, too many shoes are missing their targets. Of course, the Iraqi journalist would have his sneakers landed right on the target, if it wasn't for the impressive reflex of the targeted man.

Potstickers

I have strong memories of eating potstickers as a kid when I grew up in Malaysia. My family always enjoy devouring potstickers in a well known coffee shop or at a notable Dim Sum restaurant on Sundays. My mother sometimes complains about how oily the potstickers are, yet her comment does not spoil my mood. The delicious thought of savouring those freshly made steamed potstickers, dipped with spicy soy sauce transcends my mother's complain. I could not imagine a Sunday without a plate of those addictive potstickers.

As I grew up, I discovered that potstickers are famous around the world. Different countries named potstickers in their own language. In America, its also known as fried pork dumplings or Chinese boiled dumplings; in Korea,mandu for Korean potstickers and notwithstanding gyoza for Japanese potstickers. Subsequently, different names lead to different ways of making the potstickers. 

I had my first experience of making a Japanese gyoza with my mother in law. I realized that the Japanese have gyozas as a meal rather than as a side dish. The family will make a bunch of gyozas up to 70pieces at least, steamed them and have them for dinner, dipped with chili soy sauce. Sometimes, my brother in law also dips the potstickers with mustard. Its quite a funny sight.

I found an internet article posted on San Francisco Chronicle explaining the legend of the origin of potstickers. According to the article, an aged chef who served the royal family left a pot of dumplings on the stove for too long and discovered the bottoms were burned. Afraid of being punished, the horrified chef consulted his smart son. Albeit the burns, the son presented the burned dumplings to the emperor and were asked why about the burns. The son ingeniously replied,'This is a new recipe called the potstickers.' Blessed the chef and the son, they were saved and praised as the emperor happily consumed the burned and crunchy 'potstickers'. 

Another account also ties the Chinese emperor closely to the potsticker origins, but with a variation on the story. Legend has is that the potstickers were originated from the Ming Dynasty. At those time, an emperor would usually go on a road trip in disguise and stop at any stalls for food or water. That day, when the emperor was travelling, his itinerary managed to get to the ears of a famous shop serving boiled Chinese dumplings. Having a hunch that the emperor is going to stop at his famous shop for a boiled Chinese dumpling, the chef decided to prepare the dumplings ahead of time. Unfortunately, as he waited and waited, the emperor did not turn up. Just as he was feeling disappointed, the emperor turned up, half a day late. 

Completely taken by surprise, he began to worry about the cold dumplings. A sudden idea came to his mind, he could fried the dumplings on a pan while making sure that the bottom parts were slightly burn to ensure cripiness. Upon tasting the burned dumplings, the emperor was delighted, amazed by the fragrant and taste of the fillings as it was both crispy on the top and soft on the botton - all at once! Given the spur of moment, the chef could not think of the name of this new invention when the emperor asked him. Therefore, the emperor had suggested the potsticker name in Mandarin.

Some prefer vegetables fillings, some meat and seafood fillings, or even more exotic of making it, using turkey, cilantro and sour cream like the Mexicans! Either way, potstickers are more scrumptious and flavorful if it were handmade, some might argued. Those frozen ones are certainly more convenient for those who do not have time to make it from scratch, however, I do recommend anyone of you to give it a try. Its not at all difficult, and its fun!

The Nature Connection

I wonder if Henry Thoreau is still alive today, would he be surprised at how discoloured, filthy, and hostile the people of the 20th century is to the environment? Instead of keeping environmental management at the local level where it is most efficient, like Thoreau, a hundred years later after his death, we had abandoned his idea of local environment maintenance and chose to move toward green nationalism, an act allowing the government to regulate the enviroment. In theory it looks perfect, on the contrary, in action it fails miserably.

As history has taught us, it is not always wise to allow the government to protect the environment from being contaminated.Yet, this is exactly what we are doing in the past and present. Look at how many multicorporations had escaped from being punish because their acts were supported and covered up by Presidents and world leaders.

However, on todays' Earth Day, I would like to hope - that people would either start or continue to be environmentally friendly, despite lousy environmental actions taken by our national leaders. We cannot change litterbugs or uncouth drivers from throwing their cigarettes out from their car window nor can we prevent multicorporations from dumping industrial liquid waste into the sea but for those who are aware, like you and me, we do not need any rules and regulations to prevent nature from decaying. The first step to conserve nature starts from our doorstep - Reduce, reuse, recycle.

I Need A Sign

I would like to believe that turning 20 means a big thing to everyone, including myself. For those freshly graduates, a new life ahead with big many big dreams to accomplish. For those entering college,you are surely glad to finish high school and move on.For those already employed, you are wishing for promotions,winning the lottery, and maybe hopes of getting married. Yet, why do we often still hear the expression, 'I need a sign', 'I am lost' every now and then from the people around us? 

To be honest with you, the answer is 'I don't know'. Lately, I find myself being lost and needing a sign too like many of you out there. I want what I cannot get. I want to quit this low pay job but there are consequences, as I know I am not able to get hired easily due to my lack of skill in Japanese. I am not able to get a teaching job like other Westerners because in the eyes of the Japanese, I am not a native English speaker, albeit I have been speaking English since I was a baby.

I really need a sign to show me that things are going to get better. I need to stop getting lost inside my head and feel more positive about the future. I talk to my husband all the time about being positivie but at the end of the day, did I managed to implement those upbeat and powerful words? No...At the end of the day, getting lost and needing a sigh is not just applicable to a 20year old. Its relevant to anyone, anybody. 

Raindrops Keep Falling

Have you ever thought how impossible for you to set things right again, and the only way to fix it is to submerge under water? Or the easiest and most senseless approach when you are rejected every time you applied for a job is to drown yourself in an alcohol ocean or simply commit suicide. The above sketches might sound a little exaggerated but particularly the latter can happen to anyone. People who fall under the second category are considered the victims of depression. Unfavorably, depression hits anyone primarily people who are being rejected all the time.

It is sorrowful for the surrounding people to see their love ones being in such state and this is exactly what is happening to my brother. They such things change overtime but not my brother. He was bright and quick-witted when he was young, however after he was rejected by his girlfriend at the age of 20, things began to change. When I have sunshine and birds chirping on top of my head, he sees raindrops falling and drowning him. Emotions are messy.

There are no easy ways out for people like my brother. Nevertheless, there are ways to be supportive about the whole situation. Learning the symptoms and treatment are pillars to deal with depression. Put yourself in their shoes and learn to listen better. Finally, love them unconditionally and let them know that it’s their illness that you are frustrated with, not them.