A fortune teller told me...

An excellent book by Tiziano Terzani that takes you into a trip around a spiritual dimension of South-East Asia!
Check out a summary here or here.

Another fortune teller told me, with quite accurate veracity, that I am:

How I Approach Life and How I Appear To Others:
Forward-looking and progressive, you are a person who supports change, innovation, and human advancement, and you are often strongly committed to a humanitarian cause or social improvement. You are extremely aware of the interconnection and interdependence of all people, and are always relating personal issues to some larger framework. You see the political or social ramifications of personal actions, and you wish to contribute something of value to the world, or at least to your community or group.

The Inner Me: My Real Motivation:
Proud and intensely individual, you really want to stand out, to be the very best you can be, and to be recognized and appreciated for your unique contributions. Doing something well and being respected for it is extremely important to you, and you cannot tolerate being in the background, taking orders from others, or being "just one of the team". You must put your personal stamp on whatever you do, and direct your own course in life. You need to have a place where you can shine, express yourself creatively, and be the one in charge.

It was 17 August 1965...

...a very hot afternoon in Madison County, Iowa...

Francesca sits on the front porch with some iced tea, trying to cool herself off. It is a scorcher. She is barefoot, her blouse hanging out of her jeans, her hair fastened up by a tortoise shell comb.
Camera begins a slow move into close-up, as she sips her tea and lets her mind wander.

“I never got lost. For some reason, I'm more at home everywhere than at one place. So I decided I'll think of myself as some kind of world citizen. I belong everywhere and nowhere. I'm kin to everyone, and no one in particular. See, once you get into the habit of not needing anyone, it's kind of hard to break.
I think I need everyone! I love people. I want to meet them all! I just think there are too many out there saying "This is mine." or "She's mine." Too many lines have been drawn. World's breaking apart because of man's weakness for some testosterone conquests over territory and power and people. He wants control over what deep down he knows he has no control over whatsoever and it scares him silly.”
“We're not even two separate people anymore. Some people search their whole lives for it and wind up alone -- most people don't even think it exists”

"-- going over and over in my mind every detail, every moment of our time together and I ask myself, "What happened to me in Madison County?" I struggle to put it together in a way that allows me to continue knowing we're on separate roads. But then I look through the lens of my camera, and you're there. I start to write an article and I find myself writing it to you. It's clear to me now we have been moving towards each other, towards those four days, all our lives -–"

He begins walking towards her. She prepares herself. Her life will change -- it has to. There's not turning back.
But the closer Robert gets, the clearer he can see that she is crying. And he stops.
Without any words, he realizes what taking her with him would mean. With just a glance, he sacrifices her. With their eyes locked in the middle of Main Street -- in front of the whole town -- they smile and say goodbye.

“Do what you have to, to be happy in this life. There is so much beauty, don’t miss it!"

Extracts from the movie script "The Bridges of Madison County" .

Happy Birthday Dear Madonna...

Chinese Taipei = Taiwan - Beijing?

Chinese Taipei, the designation of Taiwan in the Olympic games, in my opinion misrepresents this island.
Taiwan does contain Taipei as well as people whose ethnic background is Chinese, however Taiwan is much more than just Taipei (a county and city part of Taiwan) and does have other ethnic groups (there are 12 different tribes of aboriginal people in Taiwan).
Not all the athletes representing Taiwan come from Taipei and not all are ethnically Chinese.
Calling Taiwan, Chinese Taipei, would be like designating Brazil as Portuguese Brazilia or USA as English Washington.
It would not be correct, right?
So why Chinese Taipei and not Taiwan or perhaps Formosa?


PHOTO: LIN CHENG-KUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Team Taiwan waves to spectators while holding the Chinese Taipei National Olympic Committee flag during the opening ceremony in Athens on Friday, 13/08/04.