風花雪月

05/23 Sat. Marin Café

Ordinary to extraordinary

This morning,  as usual, I went to Marin Café and occupied a seat in wireless area, getting ready to enjoy my brunch time.

Then a gentleman started to talk to me, asking me where I am from…

His name is David Machado, a photographer based in Marin.

The reason why he was interested in talking to me was because of his new pictures taken in Hong Kong.

(Check out his gallery: http://davidmachadophotography.com/Home_Page.php)

Meanwhile, it is very unusual to see Asians around this small town.

So he said that’s why I become outstanding among people in the cafe.

“I try to be like everyone else here” I said.

If I still see myself as a tourist or outsider, I will never get used to the place that I resident.

“That’s what Americans thinking. They think they are independent and special. Cowboys leave their families, wife behind and go to California. Some of them became millionaires; some of them didn’t make their dream come true…”

He would like to have different comments from the friends he made around the world, and his book is going to be published in July.

He said, his artworks are mainly focus on turning ordinary stuffs into extraordinary.

So he would love to have diversities of the comments from people.

It was a very interesting lunch conversations, we will become very good pen pals.

Btw, I cracked when he said maybe I can be one of his collaborators. Well, it’d be my pleasure to do so!

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“You are the new hope of the world, because you might have a mixed kid…and they will mix with others, eventually, there would be only one kind of color and people in the world.”(Social phsycology)

“Pacific Community”

“You must have a remarkable family.”

“You are just like my daughter, the high achiever.”

“Collective contradictions”

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Back in 2007, I didn’t have such profound feeling about myself, as well as USA when I was in Texas. Me and my Taiwanese friends were too extraordinary there, people didn’t see us as equal as they are, and neither did we.

Besides, I didn't go there by myself, so most of the friends who I mingled with were mostly Taiwanese and Colombians.

At that time, I still saw myself as Taiwanese, instead of just a human being like others.

It is very difficult not to categorize people or things we have seen, but if one day we can apply this idea to our living, treating everyone in an equal way, I believe that the Plato’s “The Republic” will become real.

Because meeting people like David and Bobby, make me feel confident and proud to say that “I AM FROM TAIWAN.”

I found my own identity through those connections, profound conversations and the sensations deep in my heart.