Posted 1:33 PM by Blah blah

First, I want you guys to read Rasee of Sushi for Beginners. She's an Indian girl in Bangkok who has regularly been writing very sparkling entries in Rice Bowl Journals. She writes for a magazine and plans to come to the U.S. to study creative writing. She pursues her dream despite lots of conflict with her conservative father, etc. She's also bisexual and gives her perspective on that. Rasee, as a Libra, I was very touched by your writing. Very self-aware and sensitive, this lady has a wonderful combination of depth and sweetness. Warm wishes to you!

Second, I really wish my Chinese were better, Christina. I know you are writing something profound and poetic below, but I can only decode bits and pieces. How sad. You write about The Bridges of Madison County ( ¡¶ÀÈÇÅÒÅÃΡ· ), which was one of my favorite movies from 1995. I even wrote about seeing it here on 7/14/95. It was such a touching tale of lost opportunities in love. I've read the novel was very popular in China.

Do you know that Robert James Waller has written a sequel to his first book, called A Thousand Country Roads: An Epilogue to the Bridges of Madison County? Despite the success of the first book, many people, including the large publishers, thought he could not improve upon it. They would not accept a second book. Here's the story of how it finally got published. Most people have said it is a bad book, as they predicted. People criticized the first novel too and said the movie was much better.

Did you know that on the Internet, you can find the scripts of some of the most famous movies and TV shows? I love reading scripts. Here's The Bridges of Madison County (¡¶ÀÈÇÅÒÅÃΡ·) movie script:

From Screenplay by Richard LaGravenese, March 24, 1994, First Draft.
...
FRANCESCA
Do you mind if I... ask you why you
got divorced?

ROBERT
Not at all. I wasn't around much...
So why did I get married? Well, I
thought it was a good idea at the
time. Have a home base. Roots. You
can get lost moving around so much.

FRANCESCA
So what happened?

ROBERT
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.

FRANCESCA
You must get lonely at times.

ROBERT
Never touch the stuff. I've got
friends all over the world. Good
friends I can see when I want, if I
want.

FRANCESCA
Woman friends, too?

ROBERT
I'm a loner, I'm not a monk.

Francesca averts her eyes, before continuing her investigation.

FRANCESCA
You really don't need anyone?

ROBERT
No, 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.

FRANCESCA
Why doesn't it scare you?

ROBERT
I embrace Mystery. I don't know
what's coming. And I don't mind.

FRANCESCA
Do you ever regret it? The divorce,
I mean.

ROBERT
No.

FRANCESCA
Do you ever regret not having a
family?

ROBERT
Not everybody's supposed to have a
family.

FRANCESCA
But -- how can you just live for what
you want? What about other people?

ROBERT
I told you, I love other people.

FRANCESCA
But no one in particular.

ROBERT
No. But I love them just the same.

FRANCESCA
But it's not the same.

ROBERT
That's not what you're saying. I know
it's not the same. What you're saying
is, it's not as good. Or it's not as
normal or proper.

FRANCESCA
No, I'm just saying --

ROBERT
(interrupting)
I'm a little sick of this American
Family Ethic everyone seems to be
hypnotized by in this country. I
guess you think I'm just some poor
displaced soul doomed to roam the
earth without a self-cleaning oven
and home movie.

FRANCESCA
(irritated)
Just because someone chooses to
settle down and have a family doesn't
necessarily mean they're hypnotized.
Just because I've never seen a
gazelle stampede doesn't mean I'm
asleep in the world.