There's something about Yuwei

I was shocked to learn that today was the funeral of Prof. Lucie Cheng (1939/2/11 ~ 2010/1/27) because she was so energetic when I met her in 2000. I started to google news about her death, and to read a lot about her biography and bizarre family (e.g. her brother is the deputy chairman of Chinese Communist Party, left home for China when he was 16). Found that her friends started a website in memory of her. Very touched by some of the memorial articles, and also surprised to recognise some names (林照真, 廖雲章, 孫瑞穗, 夏曉鵑). And my initially faint memory of her got refreshed.

I recalled I've met Lucie twice. The first time was at a one-week workshop on Journalism for Taiwanese Aboriginal in Tai-Tung (I was still second-year or third-year undergraduate in Economics at the NTU, but crazy for journalism and communication studies). She lectured one session on social movements and journalism at the workshop.

And then, I started to freelance for Lih-Pao Daily, a newspaper she published.

I didn't have any direct contact with Lucie until when I was preparing a research proposal for my PhD study in the UK. I emailed her to introduce myself and asked whether she'd be able to serve as my referee. She asked me to send her my research proposal, and to go to meet her in person. At the first meeting, she asked me to explain the aims and objectives of my PhD research, and then told me that the research proposal didn't deliver what I'd just told her, and my English needed to be proof-read. She asked me to send her a revised version before the next meeting. At the second meeting, she told me that my proposal had improved, and she'd be happy to provide a reference letter for me. That was one of the reference letters I submitted to support my application for PhD in Sociology at the University of York.

Although my contact with Lucie was brief, it had an implication in my life and academic career. I am still grateful for her comments on my first draft PhD research proposal (about framing "computer hackers" in mass media), and for the reference letter she prepared for me. She did not know me well then, but she gave me her helping hand when I needed it the most.

Thank you, Lucie.

Obituary of Lucie Cheng

This morning on the free bus no. 3 to work, a man and his 3 year old kid went sit behind me.

The kid was consistently kicking the back of my seat. I turned and politely (with a smile) asked the dad: "Could you please ask your child to stop kicking my seat?"

He replied, "He's just a baby. Why don't you change seat?"

I went, "Excuse me, he is kicking my seat which makes me very uncomfortable. And he is still young, why don't you educate him?"

This guy went mad, going "Don't you dare to tell me how to educate my kid. There are plenty seats, why don't you go to sit somewhere else?"

I was so astonished and so upset by his reply that I decided to get off the bus before the stop I usually get off. Before getting off, I told him, "I wish your kid will grow to be a nice baby, knowing how to respect others."

And he replied "Shut the fuck up and get the fuck off."

So he is getting the child benefits because of the tax I paid. And there is free bus he can take because of the tax I pay. And he doesn't know how to spell the word "respect". This guy badly needs to be re-educated, and definitely not a good parent (in my opinion).

An Italian friend of mine is learning how to make a guitar from scratch at Pieve di Cento. He shared some photos about their workshop. Someone else also blogged about that place and the guitars he's built over the past years. Their commitment, ambition and passion are something I've longed for. Very admirable.