Let’s hear it for Patriotism!
Posted in China, Curiosity on Nov 1st, 2008 No Comments »
This comes from the smoky lobby of a Beijing hotel. Perhaps it will take more than patriotism to advance the cause of public health.
Archive for the 'Curiosity' Category
Jet Travel: American Style
Posted in Culture, Curiosity, Travel on Oct 6th, 2008 No Comments »
Somewhere on the road between Wuyi Shan and Jiuhua Shan there was a town that involved in a bus change. It was the summer of 2005. Anwei Province Chinese summer hot, with a roasting heat that vied with the humidity and gritty air. Restrooms in Chinese bus stations are by definition a moment of endurance. [...]
Asking the Right Questions
Posted in Acupuncture, Culture, Curiosity, Health, Herbs, Language, Wellness on Aug 21st, 2008 No Comments »
There is a method of telling fortunes in Taiwan. Actually, there are many methods of telling fortunes in Taiwan. 算命先生 fortune tellers in Taiwan are as numerous as psychotherapists in any trendy west coast American city, and for the most part serve the same function. Which is to help us ask the questions that get [...]
Ever get discouraged?
Posted in Culture, Curiosity, Wellness on Aug 12th, 2008 No Comments »
Of course, we all do.
Dreams elude us.
Troubles dog us..
Inspiration evaporates into drudgery…
I suspect John Dane knows a thing or two about following a journey to its guiding star. He has been trying to get into the Olympics for 40 years.
He is now in Qingdao competing!
John Dane 加油啦！
Thanks to 37signals for the lead to this inspiring [...]
OK is not
Posted in Curiosity, Wellness on May 22nd, 2008 No Comments »
OK is not good enough.
I’m not talking here about the nitpicking endless knot of perfectionism. Nor, about a careless disregard for what does indeed require our attention and concern. The problem with OK is that it has no teeth. It is comfortable enough to allow years to slid into oblivion because it lacks [...]
Trust me, I’m traditional
Posted in Curiosity, Medicine on Dec 22nd, 2007 No Comments »
You hear this a lot with Chinese medicine:It has been around for thousands of years, they must know something. A thousand years is a long time.
Plenty of time to have lots of bad ideas, along with the good ones.
I always get concerned when I hear people deciding that Chinese medicine must be good simply because [...]
Road time – a travel log from summer 2005
Posted in China, Curiosity, Travel on Dec 17th, 2007 No Comments »
Travel can easily be broken into two general categories. The time you are in places and the time you are between them. One is about settling, the other, movement. The Chinese would just say it’s Yin and Yang.
I see it more as Doing, and being Done To.
“Brakes bu ling” 刹車不靈
This is NOT what you [...]
Fixing Mercer Street
Posted in Curiosity, Medicine on Sep 25th, 2007 1 Comment »
I don’t get it.
Mercer Street down by the south end of Lake Union is a ruffian of potholes, bumps and disgravity. It has been that way for as long as I can remember, and I can remember at least 20 years of driving that stretch of road.
Imagine my surprise to see Mercer Street with it’s [...]
If only it were that simple
Posted in Curiosity, Health, Herbs, Medicine on Jul 17th, 2007 No Comments »
It is a curiosity. Perhaps it is because Yong Kang clinic looks like something from outside the brittle borders of our country. The walls are lined with assorted jars full of bark, leaves, twigs, and roots. This stuff looks like it means business. I should not be surprised when people walk in and ask:
So, what [...]
The sensation of acupuncture needles
Posted in Acupuncture, Curiosity, Wellness on Jun 28th, 2007 1 Comment »
Asking an acupuncturist about acupuncture can give you plenty of information about the use and curative effects of acupuncture, but to get at the experience of acupuncture, ask a patient.
Recently, I had a patient tell me this about the experience of acupuncture:
The sensation is like that of food prepared with just the right amount of [...]