A historic home has been restored and transformed into a free Chinese medicine clinic that opened last month.
In Hong Kong, where land is scarce and property prices are among the world’s highest, very few historic buildings remain; old buildings are simply torn down to make way for shiny new ones. But the past decade has seen an increasing awareness toward conservation and changing policies that have given rise to adaptive-reuse projects.
Lui Seng Chun was the home of a wealthy businessman, Lui Leng, who had it built in the 1930s. Typical of “shophouses” in Hong Kong at the time, the ground floor was used as a store — in this case of Chinese medicine — and the upper floors were residences. “At the time, Lui Leung had three wives, so there were several families living here,” said Joanna Chan, who led a guided tour of the 6,500-sq-ft building.
The house sat vacant since the 1970s, and in 2000, the family decided to give the building — labeled a top-grade historic structure — to the government to do as it pleased. After years of research and deliberation, the government decided to turn it into a free Chinese medicine clinic run by Hong Kong Baptist University.
Balconies originally wrapped around much of the house on its three upper floors. The new design encloses these outdoor areas, turning them into waiting areas for patients. To modern eyes, this building stands out for its squat form situated at the corner of two busy streets.
Hoyin Lee, a conservation expert who was involved in deciding what to do with the building, said having relevant use is vastly more important than preserving a historic building’s form. The team considered that the house is in a relatively poor area with an aging population, and no tourism, and targeted its use accordingly. “The fact that it is going to be a community health clinic and providing a service that is needed by the community is the most important thing.” Lee said.
The challenge, as always, was to preserve much of the dilapidated structure while making it usable for modern purposes. While all the wooden doors with glass panels are originals and the floor tiles were restored, a modern set of staircases was added to comply with current regulations of escape routes.
It also followed the principle that a building’s new use should echo its old use. In this case, it made sense to turn an old Chinese medicine shop into a clinic of Chinese medicine, which many older people in Hong Kong prefer over Western medicine. Much of the building is devoted to exhibitions that tells of its history and preservation, as well as the history of Chinese medicine.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Over 1,300 tubes damaged at Calif. nuclear plant
More than 1,300 tubes that carry radioactive water inside the San Onofre nuclear plant in Southern California are so damaged that they will be taken out of service, the utility that runs the plant said Tuesday.
The figures released by Southern California Edison are the latest disclosure in a probe of equipment problems that have kept the coastal plant sidelined for more than three months.
At issue has been the integrity of tubing that snakes through the plant's four steam generators, which were installed in a multimillion-dollar makeover in 2009 and 2010.
A company statement said that as of Monday, 510 tubes had been plugged, or retired from use, in the Unit 2 reactor, and 807 tubes in its sister, Unit 3. Each of the generators has nearly 10,000 tubes, and the number retired is well within the limit allowed to continue operation.
The statement comes just days after an Edison executive said the company hopes to restart at least one of the twin reactors next month. The company is drafting a plan under which the reactors would run at reduced power, at least for several months, because engineers believe that will solve a problem with vibration that the company believes has been causing unusual wear in the alloy tubing.
Government regulators say there is no timetable for a restart, which would require federal approval.
A joint statement issued Tuesday by Edison and the agency that operates the state's wholesale power system, the California Independent System Operator, said the possible June dates are for planning and subject to change.
"There is no timeline on nuclear safety," Edison President Ron Litzinger said.
Activists viewed the new figures as another alarming sign following a tube break in January, which prompted Edison to shut down the Unit 3 reactor as a precaution. Traces of radiation escaped at the time, but officials said there was no danger to workers or neighbors.
Unit 2 was taken offline in January for routine maintenance, but investigators later confirmed accelerated wear on tubing in both units.
"It seems that these new steam generators are falling apart and Edison doesn't know why. It would be foolhardy to restart, even at reduced power, under the current circumstances," said Daniel Hirsch, a nuclear watchdog who lectures on nuclear policy at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Ted Craver, chairman of SCE parent Edison International, told investors in a phone call last week that unusual wear was found in about 1 percent of nearly 39,000 tubes in the steam generators.
Costs related to the long-running shutdown could climb over $100 million, company officials say, and state officials have warned about possible rotating blackouts in Southern California while the reactors are offline.
The figures released by Southern California Edison are the latest disclosure in a probe of equipment problems that have kept the coastal plant sidelined for more than three months.
At issue has been the integrity of tubing that snakes through the plant's four steam generators, which were installed in a multimillion-dollar makeover in 2009 and 2010.
A company statement said that as of Monday, 510 tubes had been plugged, or retired from use, in the Unit 2 reactor, and 807 tubes in its sister, Unit 3. Each of the generators has nearly 10,000 tubes, and the number retired is well within the limit allowed to continue operation.
The statement comes just days after an Edison executive said the company hopes to restart at least one of the twin reactors next month. The company is drafting a plan under which the reactors would run at reduced power, at least for several months, because engineers believe that will solve a problem with vibration that the company believes has been causing unusual wear in the alloy tubing.
Government regulators say there is no timetable for a restart, which would require federal approval.
A joint statement issued Tuesday by Edison and the agency that operates the state's wholesale power system, the California Independent System Operator, said the possible June dates are for planning and subject to change.
"There is no timeline on nuclear safety," Edison President Ron Litzinger said.
Activists viewed the new figures as another alarming sign following a tube break in January, which prompted Edison to shut down the Unit 3 reactor as a precaution. Traces of radiation escaped at the time, but officials said there was no danger to workers or neighbors.
Unit 2 was taken offline in January for routine maintenance, but investigators later confirmed accelerated wear on tubing in both units.
"It seems that these new steam generators are falling apart and Edison doesn't know why. It would be foolhardy to restart, even at reduced power, under the current circumstances," said Daniel Hirsch, a nuclear watchdog who lectures on nuclear policy at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Ted Craver, chairman of SCE parent Edison International, told investors in a phone call last week that unusual wear was found in about 1 percent of nearly 39,000 tubes in the steam generators.
Costs related to the long-running shutdown could climb over $100 million, company officials say, and state officials have warned about possible rotating blackouts in Southern California while the reactors are offline.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Chic Bathroom Designs
Because bathrooms can easily become filthy and unsanitary, having a clean and tidy bathroom is a definite must for both health and appearance purposes. Still, there are certain instances in which bathrooms are cleaned, but they look as if they haven’t been disinfected in quite some time. While this may be due to old fixtures and accessories, it is also possible that the inexpensive materials used to build the bathroom do not shine after a good scrub like other quality materials do. When designing a chic bathroom, top quality materials and neutral colors are best for an easy-to-clean bathroom that boasts an immaculate look and feel.
According to Decoist, granite, porcelain, and marble are materials one should consider using when designing a practical bathroom, while materials such as vinyl and carpeting are less likely to maintain its cleanliness. Similarly, decorating with neutral colors is recommended, as they offer a more relaxing feel, allowing you to use your bathroom as your personal day spa and beauty parlor. This way, you won’t even have to leave your home to enjoy all the luxuries provided by fancy hotel rooms.
“Natural wood, bamboo, soft beiges, stone gray, glossy blacks, and bright whites are always a safe choice,” Decoist said. “If these colors seem too plain, mix things up with interesting textures and unconventional bathtub or shower designs. If you have a need for additional color, consider a mosaic tile or brightly patterned rugs and wall art.”
With decorative materials and colors out of the way, focusing on fixtures is necessary in order to create a chic bathroom. Since there are so many different styles of fixtures, choosing one may be difficult. If you’re going for a lavish look, but you still want a bathroom that is low maintenance, consider purchasing fixtures that are more modern. Wall-mounted vanities, glass vessel sinks, and stainless steel faucets offer a contemporary feel fit for any chic bathroom. Consider browsing through what Bathnuvo and Modern Bathrooms have to offer.
According to Decoist, granite, porcelain, and marble are materials one should consider using when designing a practical bathroom, while materials such as vinyl and carpeting are less likely to maintain its cleanliness. Similarly, decorating with neutral colors is recommended, as they offer a more relaxing feel, allowing you to use your bathroom as your personal day spa and beauty parlor. This way, you won’t even have to leave your home to enjoy all the luxuries provided by fancy hotel rooms.
“Natural wood, bamboo, soft beiges, stone gray, glossy blacks, and bright whites are always a safe choice,” Decoist said. “If these colors seem too plain, mix things up with interesting textures and unconventional bathtub or shower designs. If you have a need for additional color, consider a mosaic tile or brightly patterned rugs and wall art.”
With decorative materials and colors out of the way, focusing on fixtures is necessary in order to create a chic bathroom. Since there are so many different styles of fixtures, choosing one may be difficult. If you’re going for a lavish look, but you still want a bathroom that is low maintenance, consider purchasing fixtures that are more modern. Wall-mounted vanities, glass vessel sinks, and stainless steel faucets offer a contemporary feel fit for any chic bathroom. Consider browsing through what Bathnuvo and Modern Bathrooms have to offer.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Illinois faces its moment of pension reform truth
Sit for a few minutes in the waiting area outside the governor’s office on the 16th floor of the Thompson Center and the decaying financial condition of the state of Illinois is illustrated in clear, dismal fashion. From the disreputable acoustical tiles to the stained, ragged, blue carpeting repaired with strips of grimy duct tape, the whole thing gives off a vibe of threadbare neglect. The tubular, white, plastic sofas and scratched laminate tables would sit on a curb with the garbage all day and nobody would touch them. The only decoration is eight state flags stuck to the wall with pushpins. Some door moldings are held on with masking tape.
“Now would not be a good time to get carried away redecorating,” says Gov. Pat Quinn, in his inner office, where the furnishings are a little more presentable but, to be honest, the carpet still buckles into inch-tall watch-your-step crests and waves.
No, now is a good time to pull back hard on the throttle of the gravy train transporting state retirees. The state faces a choice: Either continue to hack away at vital services trying to fulfill skyrocketing pension obligations — pension costs are 17 percent of state expenditures this year — or cut future benefits.
The devil is in the details, of course, but the basic plan, for those just joining us: Retirement age gets pushed up to 67, cost-of-living adjustments are reduced, and retirees will be expected to pay something toward their health care — right now, 90 percent pay nothing.
“If we don’t change the system, then folks coming up now, especially children, we won’t have the money for their schools, or education, or public safety,” Quinn says.
How did this happen? How did $83 billion in state pension commitments go unfunded? What were they thinking? Quinn blames bipartisan folly committed over decades.
“The folks who put us in this mess are from both parties,” he says. “Every governor and every session of the legislature, the choice at the end of the year came down to: ‘Do we pay this pensions thing or spend a little bit more money now on other things?’ They always picked now over requiring pension payments. So it got worse and worse.”
Further complicating a complicated situation, the Illinois constitution forbids revoking pension benefits, but health care isn’t included, supposedly, so the governor hopes to skirt the constitution by offering retirees a Hobson’s choice — accept the new plan with the cuts or keep the old system but lose your health care.
“You have to have a bargain. The constitution says you can’t alter a contract unilaterally,” says Quinn. “So what we’re doing is proposing a contract, but you still have a choice. You can still stay in the old system, and there’s no change at all. You’re not guaranteed by the constitution a pay raise or retiree health care. You have to make that choice. We’ve come to a fork in the road. We have to deal with it.”
“So far so good,” he says. “I think we’re going to win. I’m very optimistic that people in the legislature will rise to the occasion.”
Even if the reform is passed, might voters not decide to kill the messenger? Is Quinn sacrificing his own political future here?
“No, not really” he says. When I started this mission, I felt this is a moment in history to change the channel in Illinois, to radically change the way the government is going. That’s what I want to do — I want to do major things that make a difference for a generation.” In fact, he hopes it’ll be those who oppose his plan who’ll end up paying a price.
“We’ve really helped change the environment,” Quinn says. “Folks who vote ‘no’ on pension reform, I think will perhaps have political trouble. Most voters would say, ‘You better vote for that.’ Those who resist reform in pensions will suffer the consequences.”
Americans are used to abundance, to the idea that if you complain loudly enough, you’ll be spared any cuts. Are those days truly over?
“If we don’t [do this], there won’t be any money today, for schools,” says Quinn. “The most important thing adults can do, in my opinion, is sacrifice a bit of their present for their kids’ future. That’s America. We do things now that might be hard but are better for our kids’ future. So we have to make these changes. They’re necessary.”
Otherwise, he says, even more fiscal woe as the bond rating agencies “take their revenge.”
“Anybody who looks at the fiscal truth realizes what we have to do. [Debt] gets higher and higher. It never gets better,” he says. “The pension obligation is now three times what it was in 2008. If we don’t have this moment of truth, this rendezvous with reality, it’s just going to get more and more difficult. Do or die. We have to make a stand. This is Iwo Jima -— we have to plant our flag and win the day.”
“Now would not be a good time to get carried away redecorating,” says Gov. Pat Quinn, in his inner office, where the furnishings are a little more presentable but, to be honest, the carpet still buckles into inch-tall watch-your-step crests and waves.
No, now is a good time to pull back hard on the throttle of the gravy train transporting state retirees. The state faces a choice: Either continue to hack away at vital services trying to fulfill skyrocketing pension obligations — pension costs are 17 percent of state expenditures this year — or cut future benefits.
The devil is in the details, of course, but the basic plan, for those just joining us: Retirement age gets pushed up to 67, cost-of-living adjustments are reduced, and retirees will be expected to pay something toward their health care — right now, 90 percent pay nothing.
“If we don’t change the system, then folks coming up now, especially children, we won’t have the money for their schools, or education, or public safety,” Quinn says.
How did this happen? How did $83 billion in state pension commitments go unfunded? What were they thinking? Quinn blames bipartisan folly committed over decades.
“The folks who put us in this mess are from both parties,” he says. “Every governor and every session of the legislature, the choice at the end of the year came down to: ‘Do we pay this pensions thing or spend a little bit more money now on other things?’ They always picked now over requiring pension payments. So it got worse and worse.”
Further complicating a complicated situation, the Illinois constitution forbids revoking pension benefits, but health care isn’t included, supposedly, so the governor hopes to skirt the constitution by offering retirees a Hobson’s choice — accept the new plan with the cuts or keep the old system but lose your health care.
“You have to have a bargain. The constitution says you can’t alter a contract unilaterally,” says Quinn. “So what we’re doing is proposing a contract, but you still have a choice. You can still stay in the old system, and there’s no change at all. You’re not guaranteed by the constitution a pay raise or retiree health care. You have to make that choice. We’ve come to a fork in the road. We have to deal with it.”
“So far so good,” he says. “I think we’re going to win. I’m very optimistic that people in the legislature will rise to the occasion.”
Even if the reform is passed, might voters not decide to kill the messenger? Is Quinn sacrificing his own political future here?
“No, not really” he says. When I started this mission, I felt this is a moment in history to change the channel in Illinois, to radically change the way the government is going. That’s what I want to do — I want to do major things that make a difference for a generation.” In fact, he hopes it’ll be those who oppose his plan who’ll end up paying a price.
“We’ve really helped change the environment,” Quinn says. “Folks who vote ‘no’ on pension reform, I think will perhaps have political trouble. Most voters would say, ‘You better vote for that.’ Those who resist reform in pensions will suffer the consequences.”
Americans are used to abundance, to the idea that if you complain loudly enough, you’ll be spared any cuts. Are those days truly over?
“If we don’t [do this], there won’t be any money today, for schools,” says Quinn. “The most important thing adults can do, in my opinion, is sacrifice a bit of their present for their kids’ future. That’s America. We do things now that might be hard but are better for our kids’ future. So we have to make these changes. They’re necessary.”
Otherwise, he says, even more fiscal woe as the bond rating agencies “take their revenge.”
“Anybody who looks at the fiscal truth realizes what we have to do. [Debt] gets higher and higher. It never gets better,” he says. “The pension obligation is now three times what it was in 2008. If we don’t have this moment of truth, this rendezvous with reality, it’s just going to get more and more difficult. Do or die. We have to make a stand. This is Iwo Jima -— we have to plant our flag and win the day.”
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Newly constructed home in Park Shore features updated Mediterranean interior design
The owners of a newly-constructed 6,800-square-foot, five-bedroom, six-and-a-half bath home in Park Shore elected to execute a Mediterranean interior design that is ideally suited to a lifestyle that revolves around their three children and entertaining close friends. The layout of the home includes formal living and dining rooms, a family room, study, den, two game rooms, a three-car garage, and a large covered lanai with outdoor kitchen.
"The updated, transitional Mediterranean interior in this residence includes numerous details that contribute to its warmth and overall appeal, including beautifully applied crown moldings and ceiling details in every room," said Ficarra Design Associates President Lisa Ficarra, who created and executed the home's interior design.
"The color palette features reds, greens and golds along with rusts and creams. The flooring is porcelain with a stone look presented in a pattern consisting of 20-by-20-inch and six-by-six-inch pieces. When you enter the home's foyer, a half-wall with a stone arch and an iron accent provides a view of the dining room. A beautiful medallion, an element often found in Mediterranean designs, has been laser cut into the floor and offers a note of welcome. From the foyer, the eye is drawn through the formal living room to a view of a cascading waterfall flowing into the pool at the rear of the home. The waterfall has hand-painted Italian tiles, another common Mediterranean design element," said Ficarra.
Ficarra's furniture selections are classic with transitional Mediterranean overtones that offer cleaner lines and something less ornate than heavier Mediterranean furnishings. Matching John Richards' chairs, done in an embroidered chenille fabric, are featured in the living room. The sofa has a paisley patterned chenille cut into it that provides a three dimensional look.
A custom stone fireplace features antiqued mirrored panels above the mantle that are surrounded by a keystone frame. Custom built-in wall units are positioned on either side of the fireplace. The coffered ceiling has rope lighting and an contemporary faux finish that brings in the color of the John Richards' chairs.
An adjacent study's wall finish mimics elephant skin. A traditional style wall unit wraps around the room and a chair rail has a unique tan elephant skin finish.
A custom built-in buffet with granite top is featured in a niche in the dining room. The niche is bordered by a keystone frame. The wall above the buffet has a light bronze metallic faux finish that compliments a bronze-finished tray ceiling. The ceiling's stenciled design accents tall silk draperies. A crystal chandelier is suspended above the dining table that seats eight.
The kitchen has a bar that seats four, an island and a wet bar that features a wine cooler and a light textured faux wall treatment.
Ficarra created a beamed ceiling, a mosaic inlay in the floor that frames the island and a custom vent hood that has a transitional design. The vent hood incorporates an iron accent that plays with raised, three dimensional iron pieces inlayed into the cook-top's mosaic backsplash.
The kitchen's primary cabinetry is off-white with glazing and lighting above. The vent hood, the base of the island and the space under the cook-top that surrounds the oven are in a deeper, darker brown tone. Granite countertops are a mix of rust, gray and taupe tones and feature a thick, double waterfall edge.
The kitchen flows into the family room that in turn flows into the ground floor game room that features a pool table and a bath done in a leopard pattern and zebra stripes.
The family room has a tall custom built-in set in a niche that houses a flat-screen TV. The built-in also has curio shelves and component cabinets. The family room's box pattern coffered ceiling is painted gold with white crown moulding. Pocketing sliders open to the covered lanai.
The master suite's ceiling design has intricate three-piece crown and wall moldings that accent a cream, rust and gold-taupe color palette. Furnishings include Bombay chests, a bed with a carved scalloped headboard and a heavy Mediterranean bed frame.
The master bath has a custom made stained glass window that brings light to the shower. Arches throughout the space are framed out with keystone moulding. An inlaid onyx floor in a thatched pattern with painted Italian tiles is in the shower while the tub deck is a soft gold marble.
The upstairs has four bedrooms, each with a full bath, a breakfast area at the top of the stairs, a recreation room, a den, a den bath and a covered lanai. The den is used as a computer room for the children. All of the upstairs rooms feature dark brown walnut six-inch plank hardwood flooring.
"The updated, transitional Mediterranean interior in this residence includes numerous details that contribute to its warmth and overall appeal, including beautifully applied crown moldings and ceiling details in every room," said Ficarra Design Associates President Lisa Ficarra, who created and executed the home's interior design.
"The color palette features reds, greens and golds along with rusts and creams. The flooring is porcelain with a stone look presented in a pattern consisting of 20-by-20-inch and six-by-six-inch pieces. When you enter the home's foyer, a half-wall with a stone arch and an iron accent provides a view of the dining room. A beautiful medallion, an element often found in Mediterranean designs, has been laser cut into the floor and offers a note of welcome. From the foyer, the eye is drawn through the formal living room to a view of a cascading waterfall flowing into the pool at the rear of the home. The waterfall has hand-painted Italian tiles, another common Mediterranean design element," said Ficarra.
Ficarra's furniture selections are classic with transitional Mediterranean overtones that offer cleaner lines and something less ornate than heavier Mediterranean furnishings. Matching John Richards' chairs, done in an embroidered chenille fabric, are featured in the living room. The sofa has a paisley patterned chenille cut into it that provides a three dimensional look.
A custom stone fireplace features antiqued mirrored panels above the mantle that are surrounded by a keystone frame. Custom built-in wall units are positioned on either side of the fireplace. The coffered ceiling has rope lighting and an contemporary faux finish that brings in the color of the John Richards' chairs.
An adjacent study's wall finish mimics elephant skin. A traditional style wall unit wraps around the room and a chair rail has a unique tan elephant skin finish.
A custom built-in buffet with granite top is featured in a niche in the dining room. The niche is bordered by a keystone frame. The wall above the buffet has a light bronze metallic faux finish that compliments a bronze-finished tray ceiling. The ceiling's stenciled design accents tall silk draperies. A crystal chandelier is suspended above the dining table that seats eight.
The kitchen has a bar that seats four, an island and a wet bar that features a wine cooler and a light textured faux wall treatment.
Ficarra created a beamed ceiling, a mosaic inlay in the floor that frames the island and a custom vent hood that has a transitional design. The vent hood incorporates an iron accent that plays with raised, three dimensional iron pieces inlayed into the cook-top's mosaic backsplash.
The kitchen's primary cabinetry is off-white with glazing and lighting above. The vent hood, the base of the island and the space under the cook-top that surrounds the oven are in a deeper, darker brown tone. Granite countertops are a mix of rust, gray and taupe tones and feature a thick, double waterfall edge.
The kitchen flows into the family room that in turn flows into the ground floor game room that features a pool table and a bath done in a leopard pattern and zebra stripes.
The family room has a tall custom built-in set in a niche that houses a flat-screen TV. The built-in also has curio shelves and component cabinets. The family room's box pattern coffered ceiling is painted gold with white crown moulding. Pocketing sliders open to the covered lanai.
The master suite's ceiling design has intricate three-piece crown and wall moldings that accent a cream, rust and gold-taupe color palette. Furnishings include Bombay chests, a bed with a carved scalloped headboard and a heavy Mediterranean bed frame.
The master bath has a custom made stained glass window that brings light to the shower. Arches throughout the space are framed out with keystone moulding. An inlaid onyx floor in a thatched pattern with painted Italian tiles is in the shower while the tub deck is a soft gold marble.
The upstairs has four bedrooms, each with a full bath, a breakfast area at the top of the stairs, a recreation room, a den, a den bath and a covered lanai. The den is used as a computer room for the children. All of the upstairs rooms feature dark brown walnut six-inch plank hardwood flooring.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Memo from Vietnam
My story doesn’t make much sense to people who see the United States as the land of opportunity. Read: my parents.
They sneaked out of Vietnam in the 1980s and lived out the immigrant dream in California, complete with the house, car and college for their children.
And here I am now, giving up all of those luxuries, to move from Sacramento, back across the Pacific.
When I told my parents I would return to Vietnam to work, they thought it was the dumbest decision I’d ever made.
Why, oh why, my mother lamented every time we talked, would I leave the comforts of home for that Third World country?
Even while driving me to the airport, she hoped I would reconsider, or at least wait until she was dead so she wouldn’t have to worry. Human life is cheap there, she said, and war with China (over ongoing territorial disputes) could break out any day.
Vietnam has a per capita income close to $1,000, and while my parents never seriously demanded I become a doctor or engineer, they sensibly expected I would earn more than that. How could I waste my Ivy League degree on a place like that?
Indeed, as I look around at this very moment, their question seems to be the only sane one. Surely, I have not resigned myself to sleeping on ceramic tile, squatting over toilets and scrubbing my laundry beneath a faucet.
Within hours of landing in this city, I was explaining my poor life choices to one Vietnamese person after another. Not that they were all clamoring to go to the United States, but there certainly is a culture here that pines for the land of air conditioning and four-wheeled cars. Some joke about it (“If you’re good, I’ll let you go to nuoc my with that lady,” one mother tells her 5-year-old when we meet); others pay for marriages of convenience or, in my family’s case, escape.
My parents felt everyone was heading in or looking toward one direction, and I was running in the opposite direction. Or perhaps I was like the daughter in The Little Mermaid II, returning to the ocean.
These days, I am wondering if the American Dream has evolved.
The narrative no longer has to be that immigrants work hard so their children don’t have to. Our parents aren’t giving us the tools just to become wealthy, but also to have freedom in the kind of lives we want.
I am simply taking the resources my parents gave me—education, curiosity, a stable upbringing—and investing them elsewhere. I don’t have a mission in Vietnam, like someone who made it out and then returned to give back. But I think my background will go much further here.
As a champion of globalization, I’m pleased to hear about friends and others who also are setting out and settling down in far-flung locales for whatever reason—adventure seeking, wanderlust, employment.
In some of their cases, and in mine, the journey somehow brings the immigrant story full circle. My parents abandoned Vietnam when it felt like a sinking ship. Decades of conflict had devastated the nation; global politics isolated it. Then economic reforms began to bring the country back into the international fold, even to the point of friendship with its former enemy. Vietnam’s turnaround hasn’t quite reached the level of South Korea or Japan after U.S. involvement, but it’s no longer the country my parents left behind.
They sneaked out of Vietnam in the 1980s and lived out the immigrant dream in California, complete with the house, car and college for their children.
And here I am now, giving up all of those luxuries, to move from Sacramento, back across the Pacific.
When I told my parents I would return to Vietnam to work, they thought it was the dumbest decision I’d ever made.
Why, oh why, my mother lamented every time we talked, would I leave the comforts of home for that Third World country?
Even while driving me to the airport, she hoped I would reconsider, or at least wait until she was dead so she wouldn’t have to worry. Human life is cheap there, she said, and war with China (over ongoing territorial disputes) could break out any day.
Vietnam has a per capita income close to $1,000, and while my parents never seriously demanded I become a doctor or engineer, they sensibly expected I would earn more than that. How could I waste my Ivy League degree on a place like that?
Indeed, as I look around at this very moment, their question seems to be the only sane one. Surely, I have not resigned myself to sleeping on ceramic tile, squatting over toilets and scrubbing my laundry beneath a faucet.
Within hours of landing in this city, I was explaining my poor life choices to one Vietnamese person after another. Not that they were all clamoring to go to the United States, but there certainly is a culture here that pines for the land of air conditioning and four-wheeled cars. Some joke about it (“If you’re good, I’ll let you go to nuoc my with that lady,” one mother tells her 5-year-old when we meet); others pay for marriages of convenience or, in my family’s case, escape.
My parents felt everyone was heading in or looking toward one direction, and I was running in the opposite direction. Or perhaps I was like the daughter in The Little Mermaid II, returning to the ocean.
These days, I am wondering if the American Dream has evolved.
The narrative no longer has to be that immigrants work hard so their children don’t have to. Our parents aren’t giving us the tools just to become wealthy, but also to have freedom in the kind of lives we want.
I am simply taking the resources my parents gave me—education, curiosity, a stable upbringing—and investing them elsewhere. I don’t have a mission in Vietnam, like someone who made it out and then returned to give back. But I think my background will go much further here.
As a champion of globalization, I’m pleased to hear about friends and others who also are setting out and settling down in far-flung locales for whatever reason—adventure seeking, wanderlust, employment.
In some of their cases, and in mine, the journey somehow brings the immigrant story full circle. My parents abandoned Vietnam when it felt like a sinking ship. Decades of conflict had devastated the nation; global politics isolated it. Then economic reforms began to bring the country back into the international fold, even to the point of friendship with its former enemy. Vietnam’s turnaround hasn’t quite reached the level of South Korea or Japan after U.S. involvement, but it’s no longer the country my parents left behind.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Death threats for bin Laden demolition man
Shakeel Ahmad Yusufzai cuts a defiant figure in the genteel Pakistani town of Abbottabad. He is the man who demolished Osama bin Laden's house and despite Taliban death threats, says he is proud of what he did.
Yusufzai paid the government around 400,000 rupees ($4,500) for the contract to demolish the compound where the Al-Qaeda chief hid for around six years and to salvage building materials from it.
The high-walled three-story house was flattened in February and now Yusufzai gives away bricks to curious souvenir-hunters from all over Pakistan.
A year after the US special forces raid which found the world's most wanted man living on the doorstep of the country's elite military academy, Pakistan is keen to turn the page on one of the most humiliating episodes in its history.
The 47-year-old Yusufzai, tall, mustachioed and confident, told AFP the Pakistani Taliban had sent him threatening letters, but he was pleased to have erased some of the physical traces of his country's shame.
"I am not scared at all but sometimes I think I have put my family in danger," said Yusufzai, who has a seven-year-old daughter.
"My wife feels scared and whenever I come home late she thinks that either I have been killed or kidnapped.
"But I believe that whatever I did was in the national interest. We conveyed a message to the world by demolishing this compound that we are against terrorism, which harmed our province and the country."
Yusufzai hoped to make a profit on material recovered from the site but said he lost money despite taking away 12 tons of scrap metal from the buildings.
Conspiracy theories about what "really" happened to bin Laden are rife in Pakistan, and many in Abbottabad are not convinced he was ever there. Even Yusufzai is prepared to accept the doubts.
"I am not sure whether bin Laden actually lived there but my feeling after seeing the building and its design was that it might have hosted him," he said.
Six dumper trucks were needed to clear the building scrap from the bin Laden house, Yusufzai said, and now the salvageable material is held in a storeroom in a girls' hostel at a local college.
Two bathtubs were stacked in the storeroom along with dozens of bricks, floor tiles, water pipes and cables. An Arab-style black and white scarf lay on the floor.
Yusufzai said he would donate an orange tree and an olive tree he took from the compound to the college.
Twelve months ago the air of Abbottabad rang with the deafening sound of gunfire and explosions as two Black Hawk helicopters full of US Navy SEALs stormed the house in the dead of night.
Now there is birdsong at the site and the sound of boys playing cricket.
A smooth patch of concrete, once part of the foundations of the buildings which hid bin Laden, his three wives and their 10 children, now makes a perfect pitch for young cricketers.
The boys say they know little about the 9/11 mastermind who lived there, but they are clear about what should happen to the site.
"Everybody in this area wants this place to become a playground. We like playing cricket here and we want the government to build a playground," said 12-year-old Jamal-ud-Din.
Yusufzai paid the government around 400,000 rupees ($4,500) for the contract to demolish the compound where the Al-Qaeda chief hid for around six years and to salvage building materials from it.
The high-walled three-story house was flattened in February and now Yusufzai gives away bricks to curious souvenir-hunters from all over Pakistan.
A year after the US special forces raid which found the world's most wanted man living on the doorstep of the country's elite military academy, Pakistan is keen to turn the page on one of the most humiliating episodes in its history.
The 47-year-old Yusufzai, tall, mustachioed and confident, told AFP the Pakistani Taliban had sent him threatening letters, but he was pleased to have erased some of the physical traces of his country's shame.
"I am not scared at all but sometimes I think I have put my family in danger," said Yusufzai, who has a seven-year-old daughter.
"My wife feels scared and whenever I come home late she thinks that either I have been killed or kidnapped.
"But I believe that whatever I did was in the national interest. We conveyed a message to the world by demolishing this compound that we are against terrorism, which harmed our province and the country."
Yusufzai hoped to make a profit on material recovered from the site but said he lost money despite taking away 12 tons of scrap metal from the buildings.
Conspiracy theories about what "really" happened to bin Laden are rife in Pakistan, and many in Abbottabad are not convinced he was ever there. Even Yusufzai is prepared to accept the doubts.
"I am not sure whether bin Laden actually lived there but my feeling after seeing the building and its design was that it might have hosted him," he said.
Six dumper trucks were needed to clear the building scrap from the bin Laden house, Yusufzai said, and now the salvageable material is held in a storeroom in a girls' hostel at a local college.
Two bathtubs were stacked in the storeroom along with dozens of bricks, floor tiles, water pipes and cables. An Arab-style black and white scarf lay on the floor.
Yusufzai said he would donate an orange tree and an olive tree he took from the compound to the college.
Twelve months ago the air of Abbottabad rang with the deafening sound of gunfire and explosions as two Black Hawk helicopters full of US Navy SEALs stormed the house in the dead of night.
Now there is birdsong at the site and the sound of boys playing cricket.
A smooth patch of concrete, once part of the foundations of the buildings which hid bin Laden, his three wives and their 10 children, now makes a perfect pitch for young cricketers.
The boys say they know little about the 9/11 mastermind who lived there, but they are clear about what should happen to the site.
"Everybody in this area wants this place to become a playground. We like playing cricket here and we want the government to build a playground," said 12-year-old Jamal-ud-Din.
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