The Spirit

I was on the stage of National Taipei University of Education’s big auditorium, from 1PM till 3PM, Tuesday afternoon, December 16th, coaching a designing class of 50 sophomore students about the catwalk on the runway. Wow, I was not only a supermodel, but I also taught young people how to act like a supermodel. It was like a dream come true for me. I’m feeling excited!

“Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get”, said Forrest Gump’s Mum. Indeed, we never know what will happen next minute, but it will happen when there is a will. Just about when I felt frustrated and joked about not being recognized as a model at Taipeier Cafe’, I didn’t expect that I would have been invited to give a lecture about modeling on a college campus. Isn’t the will power amazing?

Last Saturday afternoon, while Sophia Chen helped me with the hairstyle for the annual performance of Thousand Cranes Japanese Dance School at Youth Arts Center, I told her about the episode at Taipeier Cafe’. Sophia asked me immediately if I would be interested in coaching college students about modeling and posing for cameras. Voila! There I was, standing tall on the podium to demonstrate my body talks, surrounding by students. All of them followed my directions and copied the way I moved diligently on the runway. It was a fun and amazing experience to pose in front of 50 cameras like a supermodel.

After class, the professor in charge of the class invited me for coffee along with Sophia and a bunch of enthusiastic students. It was a pleasant experience to see college professor and students communicate without any barriers. The professor in charge got his doctor degree in Design from Tokyo University. We became instant friends because of the Japanese language. He invited me to help students put on a fashion show at the end of the school year next Spring.

What a wonderful challenge it will be to work with many ardent students to enrich their lives as well as mine in the coming year!

It is said that the global economic downturn will last for another three years. I can’t imagine what it would be like by then. The business is already slow in Taipei everywhere, shopping centers, restaurants, and coffeehouses. Where are the customers?

Monday morning, December 8th, I joined two of my golden ladies friends for brunch at Taipeier Cafe’. Virginia and I arrived at the coffeehouse at 11 o’clock. We were the only two customers. After Virginia ordered her Farmer’s Brunch (cheese & salad), she walked around the coffeehouse with a big Canon on her neck. I remained at the table on the patio waiting for my Happy Brunch (scrambled eggs & sausage) with patience. I felt relaxed sitting in the sun, drinking coffee, while putting on my makeup.

When the manager brought Virginia’s order, he asked me if Virginia was a photographer. Then he asked me if I was a journalist or a free lancer. I thought for a second, and replied that I was a free lancer. Even I had a big makeup box in front of me, I didn’t look like a model. What a disappointment! When Virginia came back, I told her the small episode and she looked at me with a sympathetic smile. No matter how much I’ve posed  in front of Virginia’s big Canon, I have not been successful so far leaving people with an impression that I was a supermodel on the runway.

Lydia came join us at 12 noon. We were the only three customers till we left Taipeier Cafe’, the prestigious coffeehouse in downtown Taipei, at one o’clock. Where is everybody in Taipei? It is indeed a pity to see the empty garden coffeehouse with nobody around the big white Christmas tree. How nice it would be to see a full house of customers eating, drinking, chatting, and laughing in the sun, during Christmas time.

Tuesday at noon, I felt encouraged when I shopped at a boutique in my neighborhood. I was the only customer. After trying on several bling bling tops, the sales girl approached me with a smile and asked me if I was a dancer. She complimented my figure and brought me all the fine items at a good discount. I was so happy to be served and to be recognized that I bought them all. Why not? I am a dancer, I could use all those beautiful outfits in the future. On top of that, I’m boosting the economy in Taiwan. I’m doing somethign for my country. It never feels better to spend than now!

Our body talks. People can tell what we do by the way our body moves. In three days, I shall be performing a Japanese dance at the Youth Arts Center. I wonder if people can tell from the way I walk on the street imagining myself dancing in Kimono on stage?

On the journey to the destination, it will never be bored if Taiwanese are on the charter bus. They sing as soon as the bus takes off, from one stop to the next, they sing nonstop. One group member will serve as the Karaoke operator voluntarily. One group member will pass the songbook at the front of bus and help members place orders of the songs, another group member will do likewise at the back of the bus. When it is a duet, someone will help sing the female or male vocal part. When it is a group song, everyone on the bus will join the crowd.

That’s what happened during two of my one-day excursions on Tuesday and Friday this week. Early Tuesday morning, December 2nd, 21 Hsin-tien volunteers chartered a deluxe medium-size bus for the annual outing to the northeast coast of Taiwan. We departed from Hsin-tien Cultural Center at 7, As soon as we got on the bus, we didn’t waste a single second to begin our karaoke party. Every volunteer took turns to sing the relay. Even when a volunteer saw a breathtaking scenery, we wouldn’t take a break. The songs kept flowing in the air. Nothing stopped when time passed, except the images remained and the voices lingered.

We arrived at Tung-ao Train Staion before 8:50, started our hiking attempt along 2.1K Sunshine Trail to Nan-ao with a senior volunteer at the age of 80 for a couple of hours. After a seafood luncheon, we embarked upon another coastal trial for three hours. I gave up the adventure to the mysterious cave at far, I took a rest on the beach, listening to the roars of the Pacific in the winds. I became a part of the huge rock cliff by the seashore. I picked up 3 drift wood branches on the beach as souvenirs, returned to the bus with gratitude. The seafood dinner was as sumptuous as the lunch, if not more. We arrived home in Hsin-tien singing Karaoke all the way till the last minute. 

Friday morning, December 5th, I joined 70 volunteers of North Region Senior Citizens’ Home for an annual outing to Hello Kitty Resort in Kuan-shi in the morning and Hakka Village in Bei-pu in the afternoon. When we were on the deluxe charter bus, we sang. When we were off the bus, we shopped. Even before we receive the consumer voucher of NT$3,600 from the government, we started spending to boost the economy of Taiwan. Singing is contagious, so is shopping. Imagine a group of 70 volunteers at the average of 60, mainly females, you can predict the buying power of us.

Travelling Karaoke Boxes are unique phenomena in Taiwan. Strangers can break the ice easily and instantly when everybody sings together in Mandarin, Taiwanese, Japanese, English. I don’t know how many charter buses are running on the road everyday. But if the state-of-the-art satellites can record the decibel, Taiwan would certainly excel when the travelling Karaoke boxes are weaving the highways of transportation and communication in a melodious way.

On Thanksgiving, it feels good to say thanks to people around us. On Thanksgiving, it feels good to be surrounded by wonderful family and friends. On Thanksgiving, it feels good to surround a delicious stuffed roasted turkey for dinner.

“Do you also celebrate Thanksgiving Day in Taiwan?” a professor from Thailand asked me at the dinner party of 14th International Conference on Heavy Metals in the environment last Tuesday evening. “No, Thanksgiving is not a holiday in Taiwan, but I celebrate it just the same because it is a meaningful day for family togetherness”, I explained my fond of Thanksgiving to soil scientists sitting at the same table with me. Two of them were from Japan, three from Canada, one from Hong Kong, one from Thailand, two from Taiwan.

My first American Thanksgiving feast was in 1979 with graduate students of LSU Medical Center in New Orleans. It was the first time I saw many traditional Thanksgiving dishes displayed on the dinner table, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pies. It was the most memorable Thanksgiving in my life. I am grateful to my classmates at school and their friendship.

It was a sunny Thursday today. Thanks God for the lovely weather after many cloudy days. I took out the bedspread and blanket, exposed them in the sun. My husband and I shall have a sweet dream in the warm blanket tonight. On the veranda, I read two books this morning, one is ”In search of an illustrated book in the desert” by Kunio Yanagida, the other is “My Life in Germany Before and After 1933″ by Karl Lowith. I’m grateful to both authors for sharing their thoughts on life and death.

After lunch, I practiced Japanese dancing with my classmates for a couple of hours. We were excited about the dress rehearsal this coming Sunday afternoon. Our annual dancing performance will take place Saturday afternoon, December 13th. Many Japanese dancers will come support our big event. I am grateful that I have the good opportunity to excel myself in Japanese dancing.

My brother Jimmy invited my husband and me for dinner. He made Chinese noodles to go with the roasted honey chicken. After a big dinner, we had sweet rice balls stuffed with sesame paste for dessert. I am grateful to my brother for a cozy Chinese style Thanksgiving dinner to bring our family together.

Be it an ordinary day for most people in Taiwan, it’s an extraordinary day for me on Thanksgiving. I feel many moments of gratitude in my heart. I feel the transformation of time to memory when the fine sand pours through a tiny hole of an hourglass. Thank you, my family and friends for being around with me.

Francesca Johnson and I have something in common. We have a dream, but we’re ensnared in the boredom and dullness of family chores. I wish I could hop on the van of Robert Kincaid waiting at the crossroads in the rain, but I wouldn’t have the courage to face the uncertainty. I would choose to stay with Richard like Francesca did, to live in a self-woven imaginary world of fantasy. The secret love prompted the writing genes of Francesca and she left behind three volumes diary of love. Two lovers were united when their cremated remains were scattered off Rosamunde Bridge of Madison County in Iowa. What a romance of emotions and tears!

What to do if I’m receiving an invitation of romance to stay away for a few days on the sunny beach of tropical islands in the Pacific? Why asked when nobody said not to go. Why not pack and run away from the unpredictable autumn weather in Taipei. It rains and shines like a moody person under the weather. The time of the year, only love can make people to put on smiles on their faces.

Don’t be surprised if I’m ready to add a big spoon of excitements to the plain plate of meal in front of me. Who would mind taking a few risks if only Cupid could shoot his bow on us! 

I won the bet Friday evening, to my surprise. Fabiona and I put on our best shoes to an open concert by River Arno in Florence August 2003. She and I bet on who could find a MAN before we returned home. After the concert, we were invited to a celebration party hosted by the Jazz Bar owner. Who would know that I would win his heart after a few trials of marijuana for the first time. The will power works wonders, I have no doubt. (Mister Donut 021, Taipei)

I saw The Bridges of Madison County for the second time this evening on Japanese satellite TV BS2. I saw a lonely woman, a wandering man, and a romantic encounter. I saw it with more critical eyes this time and I felt touched just the same. A love story is a love story regardless the age of the viewer.

People have affinity for each other for no reasons. Some popped up and walked along with us for a while. Some stayed for a long time. Some disappeared and showed up. I asked one of my friends why he called me long distance from Italy this afternoon out of the blue. He said he had been waiting to see me for the past three years and he would want to see my face in person.

Finally I drag myself to sit in front of the desktop and squeeze a few lines on the monitor. The habit of writing seems long gone. I don’t go to the coffeehouse for inspiration any more. I only spend time reading voraciously, one book after another. I become obsessed in designing party costumes and accessories with a wishful thinking of a romantic encounter.

Since last month my friend gave me a bag of colorful Swarovski crystals of different sizes, everything I’ve touched upon become dazzling and glittering, clothes, shoes, hats, and bags. People can actually pick up the shiny crystals falling from me on the street. What a unique way to do something good to the society, leave something valuable behind, solid and tangible.

What could happen between men and women, love, lust, or war? One day Winston Churchill and Lady Astor were invited for an afternoon coffee. Lady Astor was not happy sitting next to the snobbish Winston. Lady Astor said, “If I were married to you, I’d put poison in your coffee”. Churchill replied with a grin, “If I were married to you, I’d drink it”. Lady Astor shot Churchill a look, “Look at you, Fat”! Churchill laughed and bowed, “Me fat, but not ugly. I can diet”.

Last month, I got a call. “Sherry, may I invite you for brunch”? Frankly speaking, I didn’t know who he was. Under the spell of his sexy voice, I accepted his invitation. Imagine he is interested in my beauty, my body, or hum…what. I was excited to have a long time no have, blind date.

The moment I walked into the coffeehouse, I saw George, a tall, handsome, new acquaintance at a social gathering. I called him George (in fact, I don’t know his real name), because he reminded me of George Clooney, especially his arresting eyes, like the George in Toastmasters.

George walked up to me and held my hand, “Sherry, what can I offer you, tea, coffee or me, hum milk”, George asked. “Anything but milk”, I looked at George with my heart pumping harder and harder. I looked at myself, eyes wrinkles, breasts, wrinkles, tummy, more wrinkles. Why me? George wouldn’t fancy a woman like me.

George and I sat at a dark corner, chitchatted for a long while. With George and his arresting eyes, I forgot who I was, where I was, just about the time I started to feel like falling in love again, George took a laptop from his black suitcase, no, wait a second, it was a weight scale. George signed me to stand on it with two arms stretching forward, and Voila, the health check-up data sheet, simple as that, in a coffeehouse.

After George unveiled and he became more aggressive, selling all the slim products in his suitcase. Oh yes, George was interested in my beauty, my body, and Yes, my money. My fantasy fell apart. Oh, God, where is the silver lining behind the dark cloud? I looked at my health sheet, my basal metabolic rate (BMR) only 1200 calories, very low.

What is your BMR? Two thousands, three thousands? BMR changes with the age. The older, the lower BMR. A young man burns a double cheeseburgers 1000 calories in bed, not at work rock and roll, but at rest. BMR changes with activity levels. More vigorous activities, higher BMR. My husband and I have been married for two decades, my husband and I are like brother and sister, two peaceful members in NATO, No actions, Talks only.

Now I know why I eat like a bird, but I don’t lose weight. Whenever I eat like a horse at a party, I gain one kilogram, sometimes two. But after fasting a whole day painfully without drinking water, I stand on the weight naked first thing the following morning, the same weight, no more, no less. “Dying is easy, dieting is hard.”

Ten years ago, my weight went over 70, one night, I asked my husband, “Honey, what do you like most in me, my pretty face or my sexy body”? he looked at me from head to toe and replied, “Your sense of humor”. I decided to diet, from that moment. But I didn’t know how, my weight went down and up, up and down, like a roller coaster. I was at lost till George gave me the answer. BMR was like the light at the end of the tunnel. I found the key to a fabulous body. It is the control of calories on daily basis.

Who can resist mouth-watering food in front of our eyes? But before we put anything in our mouth, beware of the safety and calories contents. If Churchill, the hero who led the allies to win the World War II, should know his BMR and watched the calories, he would have lived longer and contributed more to the humanity. On Churchill’s funeral, Lady Astor brought a rose to pay the tribute, “Mr. Churchill, I am ugly, but you are dead”.

Do you see my tummy or my breasts first? Isn’t aging horrifying? It’s not about transformation. It is about deformation.

Last month, I got a call, “Sherry, would you like to have a brunch with me?” Frankly speaking, I didn’t know who he was from his voice, but I accepted his invitation just the same. Maybe he was interested in my beauty, my money, or my body. I was excited to have a long time no have, Blind Date. What should I put on, mini skirt, high heals, or nothing.

The moment I walked into the coffeehouse, I saw George, a tall, handsome, new acquaintance at a social gathering. I called him George (in fact, I don’t know his real name), because he reminded me of George Clooney, especially his arresting eyes, like the George in Toastmasters.

George talked talked, I listened listened to break the ice for one hour, at last he took a weight scale, out of his big black suitcase, signed me to stand on it with two arms stretching forward, and Voila, the health check-up data sheet, simple as that, in a coffeehouse. Then George tried to sell all the slim products in his suitcase. Yes, he was interested in my beauty, my body and my money. My fantasy fell apart.

I shot my ears and read the health check-up, oh my god, my basal metabolic rate BMR only 1200 calories, almost falls out of the average range (1,200-1,500 cal) for women. Now I know why I consume little, but I don’t lose weight, because my BMR is low. No wonder after eating and drinking at a party, I for sure gain one kilogram, sometimes two. On the other hand, after fasting a whole day, I stand on the weight first thing the following morning, the same weight, no more, no less. ”Dying is easy, dieting is hard.”

What is BMR? It is calculated by age, height, weight, gender, and activity level. Don’t mix it with BMI, body mass index. Just like you won’t mix up the two big Bs, BMW and Benz. BMR is the energy your body needs everyday. Take me for example, I only need two Kentucky Fried Chicken wings to sustain my body weight, but I didn’t know that.

For half a century, between size 4 and 14, my body has been like a rubber ball. It went over 75K in college, because I joined an all you can eat cafeteria. I ate as much as I could to gain, weight. I walked like a pregnant gorilla. Whenever I got on the bus, people would give seats. Then it dropped below 50K when I studied in the US. I was a knockout, young and pretty, surrounded by men, young and old, black and white, too bad, I was short of Taipower.

Back to Taiwan, it went above 65K when I became a government employee, sitting still, drinking tea and reading newspapers in the office, never missed a single full course meal. After becoming the head of pharmaceutical association, my job was to invite government employees for free lunch and dinner. My weight went over 70K. One night, I asked my husband, ”Honey, what do you like most in me, my pretty face or my sexy body?” he looked at me from head to toe and replied, ”I like your sense of humor.”

Ten years pass, I’m still at lost what to do to win my husband’s attention till George woke me up in the coffeehouse. It is the basics, it is the BMR, and I know the calorie of everything I put into my mouth. In a month, I feel like a guru in health.

Aging is not terrifying, if we live proactively to care for our fabulous body, from deformation in shape to transformation in style. Age is but a number. Everyday everybody is one day older, but if we are one day more confident to learn one more new trick to have pretty face, sexy body, and a sense of humor, that’s the essence of aging.

I thought I must be a goddess or something. I consume little, but I don’t lose weight. Does it ring the bell? But after eating and drinking at a party, I for sure gain one kilogram, sometimes two. On the other hand, after fasting a whole day, I stand on the weight first thing the following morning, the same weight, no more, no less. Frustrating, isn’t it?

When was the last time you had a health check-up? It had been ten years since I had mine last week at a coffee shop. Jennie called me and invited me for a brunch. Frankly speaking, I didn’t know who she was from her voice, but I accepted her invitation just the same. At the coffeehouse, I saw her, a new toastmaster I just met at a social gathering. After two hours chat, Jennie took a laptop from her black suitcase, I thought, “hum, finally we get down to the business”.

Oops! It was a weight scale when I saw it again. Jennie asked me to stand on the scale, and Voila, the health check-up data sheet, simple as that, in a cafe’. Thanks to Jennie, I knew from that moment I was not an Olympia Immortal. I am a mortal in a secular world. I just have a low Basal Metabolic Rate(BMR), but it still falls within the average range (1,200-1,500 Kcal) for women.

What is BMR? It is calculated by weight, height, gender, and age. It is the indicator of the power consumption of our body. If you want to lose weight, know your BMR first. I’ve always wanted to lose weight. In high school, I was a member of Honor Guard. Our Military Training Director always shouted at me, ”Sherry, Breast Out, Stomach In!”, even though I was taking an extra deep breath at the moment. Mom often looked at me hiding my head in books on the couch, and shook her head, ”how come my daughter’s belly is bigger than her breasts?”

My weight accelerated over 75 kilogram in college, I joined an all you can eat cafeteria and I won a nickname, a hippo. Then my weight dropped to 70 when I was the President of Grand Toastmasters Club in 1993. Many new members saw my old photos, often wondered, “Is She Sherry?” Now I weigh 58, with a height of 168 centimeters. It’s okay, but the data sheet from Jennie also showed the number of my body fat 34%, I was in a total shock. It was way above obesity 30%. No wonder I don’t sink in the swimming pool.

Fat is not at all a bad thing on the condition that it is deposited at the right position. The extra fat on my tummy is so big, you won’t miss it when you see me. But I was happy when I left Ikari cafe’, I knew I was a disproportioned fatty meatball. I knew I have low basal metabolic rate, and I knew my goal–to lift my fat up!

Do you want to live long and stay fit? First of all, know your body, know your BMR and set your goal. Live proactively to embrace your body everyday. That is how we can reverse the aging process in spirit and in reality! Go! Go! Go!

Common Garcinia is one of the most common campus plants in Taiwan. It is believed by many Chinese that the trees bring luck. That’s why they are called Luck Trees in Chinese. The fruits of Luck Trees are like oranges in green and turn yellow when ripen in August.

I ran into the yellow fruits of Luck Frees for the first time at Linda’s factory in Wu-gu Industrial Park. The tall and lush green Luck Trees were planted in line behind two stone gates. While waiting for Linda to fetch for breakfast, I climbed on the trees and took a close look at the yellow fruits in the sun. I couldn’t help picking four of them out of my curiosity. When Linda returned, I asked her if they were edible. Linda gave me a big No.

That didn’t end the story. I passed one of the fruits to Trini who was late for our gathering and didn’t have any ideas about the episode of luck fruits. Being a fruit lover, Trini had the first bite immediately without any hesitation even though she didn’t know the fruits. I took the fruit back immediately and examined the contents with my eyes and nose carefully. I had the second bite. It tasted like a mixture of persimmon and yellow pepper, smelled like Durian fruit.

After a small scale of human trials on family and friends (five females and one male), I have been challenged again and again by Linda when I asked her to supply me with as many fruits as possible in her factory, I’d like to develop some good recipes of luck fruits and encourage people to eat the fruits of common garcinia. Linda refused to give any fruits unless I give her the solid evidence of the safety of the fruits, their nutritious contents and their benefits to human beings.

As a long time trained botanist, pharmacist, clinical trial specialist for more than two decades, I knew the fruits were not toxic at the first sight, because of my instinct, knowledge and experience. Subconsequently, luck fruits have been proved edible in the past week on six human subjects. In addition, judging from the popularity of the trees on campus in many countries in the Pacific region, I can affirm the fruits are safe! Many birds, dogs, monkeys, and curious human beings (like my family and friends) must have eaten them before.

As for the compositions of luck fruits, it won’t be hard to get the results of carbohydrate, protein, lipid, vitamines, minerals from the laboratory upon our request. If luck fruits have a mysterious anti-aging component, there is no way the lab will tell us unless we specify the components we are looking for! How I miss my friend who used to be the head of Quality Control Department of a big pharmaceutical company. He would certainly run the test for me.

Googling the family members of Garcinia, I found the Mangosteen Fruits. They have become popular recently for their antioxidant contents, essential in preventing ‘free radicals’ in our bodies from creating cancer cells. Look at the bright yellow skins of luck fruits, they must be full of beta-carotene, another ingredient of the defensive mechanism of our bodies.

I have a great mission ahead of me, that is to prove the great benefits of Luck Fruits to human beings. Luck trees are everywhere in Taipei. I am determined to know more about Common Garcinia to give luck fruits a chance so that they won’t be wasted! I’ve always wanted to do something for humanity, and it seems that I’ve found my way to prove my meaning of being!