Some days the universe conspires to get something done. I'm in the middle of planning Mike's 50th birthday party logistics and planning Dad's 80th birthday book, and all day thoughts keep popping into my head about the "Liu xue shen" version of the "Joy Luck Club"--about the main characters and their arcs. That generation of Chinese scholars and American immigrants, has done so much to bridge the two cultures!

Today, I went to a reception for the Shanghai String Quartet sponsored by Chanticleer. While they played, I kept thinking, "the folk song arrangements would be perfect for Act I of the screenplay!" It's so evocative of their Chinese roots. Act II is more about settling in America and could be expressed by their more western pieces. Act III completes their transformation from Chinese to American.

Coincidentally, while chatting with Jiang Yi-wen, their second violinist and main arranger/composer, he mentioned that they are good friends with Ang Lee. In fact, Ang Lee likes the same pieces that I did. If we needed a director for this film, he could introduce us. so here we are, the script isn't written but the dream team has already appeared.


That's quite a miracle!

Leave a message to yourself.

Why is that so often we are nicer to others than to ourselves? Today, I was thinking about Eve. We were working together on a film about cancer when she finally gave in to it last April. On the spur of the moment, I emailed the director of photography to talk about the mastertapes. He sent me this poignant anecdote about Eve:

'About a week before she died, a few of us were over there. Eve asked this one friend to return a book she'd had for a long time. The friend said (sort of like me and the tapes) that she kept forgetting but would bring it back. Eve said,"No--that's not good enough--call your phone number and leave a message on your answering machine so that when you get home and play back your messages you'll be freshly reminded to bring it."

So the friend did that. And when she was done, Eve said, "Before you hang up, tell yourself that you're beautiful and that you love yourself." The friend really didn't want to but Eve was quite adamant. So the friend finally said into the answering machine--"You're beautiful and I love you." When she went home, she heard this in her own voice, and it made her cry.

This is the kind of friend that Eve was to all of us."

Remember to love yourself as much as you love others. When you are wishing the best for others, remember to wish the best for yourself, too. Remember, how wonderful you are.

A three-miracle day

Miracles happen every day. Auntie Barbara looked stronger and more "present" on Sunday, than Saturday. Her eyes were wide open. Her light was shining through. The spark was still there. She wasn't barking orders to everyone like in the good 'ol days when we were kids, but she was curious, engaged and wanted to find out what we were up to. That was Miracle #1.

Miracle #2 was that our converstion threaded its way through music, film, Auntie Rosita's old boyfriend, Wayne Wang*, "The Joy Luck Club," to Auntie Barbara's request that I remember her generation in a film--the Chinese scholars of the 50's who came to study in America, set down roots, started little Chinese Camelots within all-white university towns. They shared their appreciation of Chinese arts and culture with the local community and became cultural bridges. Her eyes sparkled brightly when she talked about this. I suggested that she write her story, then turn it into a screenplay. It would be a wonderful story!

Miracle #3. In one fell swoop, not only did Auntie Barbara have something to look forward to, so did I. I felt that her idea renewed the spirit in both our souls. I needed something to jump into to keep the engine going. So did she.

I am going to complete the screenplay for "Heart Mountain" by May. Then I'll work on Auntie Barbara's project. In the summer, Mason and I will co-write "Ivy Dreams." Wow! All these unexpected miracles!

* On Wednesday, I found out that Rosita's boyfriend was actually Peter Wang, not Wayne Wang.

The Great Recall

We are two months into 2008 and I'm getting the the distinct feeling that a lot of our "star players" will be recalled this year. In January, one of Mike's best friends died in a tragic copter crash in Indonesia while scouting a new business venture. He was 57. In February, less than a week ago, we learned that another family friend died in her sleep while vacationing at Lake Tahoe. She was 54. Finally, I'm in Chicago right now visiting Auntie Barbara who has been fighting stage IV lung cancer since October. They started her hospice care on Friday. The day before Linda's funeral.

Seems that God is recalling his star players for a special project, doesn't it? Eve left last year. Lisa's mom just learned a couple weeks ago that she has about three months to live. All these folks were vegetarians or only ate organic foods, etc.

So my reflections on this:
1. With Bob's death, I decided I need to tie up looseends so that Mike and the kids can find everything in case I die unexpectedly.
2. with Linda's death, I realized that I need to let people know how much I appreciate them, and how they made a difference in my life, while they are alive!! That's mostly why I insisted on coming to Chicago this week to visit Auntie Barbara.
3. it doesn't seem to matter whether I exercise, meditate, eat organic because everyone who is superfocussed on all this gets recalled early. I'll just enjoy life.
4. In my remaining days, I will look for the miracles since they seem to happening with more frequency (at least one a day) and I will say something inspiring and/or empowering to the people I encounter. No need to strive for anything else. I think I'm on the process part of life.

The Relevance of Dust Bunnies

What started as a tribute to a goofy, white American Eskimo has now been commandeered as a place to examine the benefits of NOT cleaning the house. After all, I doubt Buddha would annihilate dust bunnies. Think of all the creative things you can accomplish in the time it would take you to vacuum under all the beds, sofas and chairs...

So now my tribute to dust bunnies means throwing off the shackles of keeping house. At least for today.

Good night.