Drats!!! Little Help? This is not fun. My new desktop arrived today which is the good news---it is very fast and has a huge hard drive and other great features. The bad news is that it does not have Asian language files installed. This means I have no way of reading or inputting in Chinese. All I can see are those little damned squares. My OS is Windows XP Home Edition that came preinstalled. I tried to add the necessary files from the CD but the freaking files I need are not on it. The problem I think is that the PC manufacturer (Gateway in this case) probably has a licensing agreement for an abridged version of Windows that does not include East Asian language capability. Either that, or Gateway just figured 'who in the hell is going to be working with Chinese on the computer' and so didn't bother including the files in order to save a fraction of time and money. The techie I talked to says I probably got a defective CD and he is sending me a new one. Fine and dandy, but better make it quick. I visited Microsoft but found no downloads that would solve my problem. Does any XP user out there know if Microsoft offers East Asian language pack downloads? UPDATE: I copied and installed the Chinese fonts from my laptop (its OS is Windows 2000) so now I can at least read Chinese, but I am still unable to input. For that I think I'm going to need the other files for XP unless I can figure out what they are on my laptop and just install them myself. Hopefully that aspect of Windows 2000 is compatible with XP.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 3/30/2004 10:55:00 AM| |

 
公布 我想让大家知道我筹划多个月的中文 '博克' 总算今天开笔了!!!!! 其实,我很讨厌 '博客' 这个词. 英文里的 'blog' 也很难听, 但还是没有 '博客' 刺耳. 好吧, 有意者可以先跑去看一下.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 3/24/2004 08:15:00 AM| |

 
My good friend The Barefoot Fool has launched a new project he's calling the Mi-Le-Fo Website, through which he plans to introduce us to the incredible array of Buddhist, Daoist, Confucian, and other folk religion sites he encounters in South China. Be sure to check out his other excellent references which provide a general background to Buddhism, an in-depth explanation of Hsi Lai Temple iconography, and a very illuminating glossary of figures often found in Chinese Buddhist temples. It all makes for absorbing reading.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 3/21/2004 12:35:00 PM| |

 
It's hard to believe, but in less than a month we will be at our new home in India. We are both getting very excited, and right now we are in a shopping flurry, stocking up on the 'consumables' we'll need (defined as foodstuffs or items used for personal or household maintenance). State lets us ship up to 2500 pounds of these for a two-year tour, so we now have a whole room filled with toilet paper, paper towels, 409 cleaner, laundry detergent, etc. I'm also seriously considering shipping over a whole boatload of Diet Mountain Dew, but I think that probably crosses the line into the truly pathetic, so here's hoping better sense prevails. I've been reading as much as I can about India, with sources ranging from the academic to the popular. We purchased not one, not two, but three Lonely Planet guides to the sub-continent. One covers all of India, the other is South India specific, and the third deals solely with the cuisine of India. Now, I don't know if it is due to the fact that most Indian restaurants in town appear to be of the northern variety, or if it is just a reflection that food in DC generally sucks, but I haven't been all that impressed with the Indian food I've had here. I need to qualify this by noting that the Indian delicacies I tried in London were quite good, although I don't remember which regions those restaurants represented. And although I like to consider myself a fairly adaptable type, some things I've noted in the India cuisine book fill me with a bit of apprehension. First, it seems that pasta is practically unknown in India. To a person of Sicilian heritage like myself, this is serious cause for concern. In China, noodles are everywhere, even in the rice-eating south, although I don't buy the theory that Italians got the idea for pasta from the Chinese---I maintain the Uyghurs are its true inventors. I realize India will have Italian restaurants, but I've always found that Italian restaurants (the decent ones, at least) are the Western equivalent of Thai establishments---overpriced with skimpy portions. Secondly, I haven't seen much use of tofu in Indian food. Again, I understand there are many Chinese eateries in the town we'll be living in, so hopefully we may be able to buy it there, or if we're lucky there may be a Chinese grocery. If I have to go two years without Sichuan Braised Tofu or 麻辣豆花儿 mala douhua(r), I don't know what will become of me.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 3/20/2004 06:35:00 AM| |

 
Today's Recipe Sichuan Spicy Roasted Soybeans 3 cups soybeans 调料/tiaoliao/seasoning: 2 green onions (chopped) 1/3 cup soy sauce (生抽/shengchou/light) 2 tablespoons hot chili oil 3/4 tablespoon sesame oil 1/2 teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder 2 pinches salt 1/2 tablespoon 豆瓣酱doubanjiang (optional) 1 cup hot water

View pictures above from top l-r, bottom l-r

INSTRUCTIONS: Mix the seasoning ingredients in a serving bowl (do NOT add the 1 cup hot water yet). The mixture should look like the picture in the upper left-top row. Set aside. Rinse soy beans well in cold water, then place in a wok on medium high heat. Begin roasting and stir well so that all beans roast evenly (middle photo-top row). When the residual water has evaporated, turn heat to medium. Continue to stir thoroughly for around 12-15 minutes. You should hear the soybeans emit slight popping sounds while this is going on---don't worry, this is normal. Also, you may notice a nutty aroma begin to permeate the air. Don't fret if a few beans begin to turn black, but if a lot of them do, then either stir more vigorously, turn down the heat, or both. Occasionally take out a bean and taste it (let it cool down first!). When the beans are done, they will be crunchy, not soft, and should have a toasty brown appearance, not yellow (see far right photo-top row). They should take about 15 minutes on medium heat. Right before the beans are done, add the 1 cup hot water to the seasoning mixture. The idea is to add the amount of water that would have barely covered the beans if they were in the bowl. You may want to pre-measure beforehand, but about 1-1.5 cups should do it. Then pour the beans into the serving bowl with the seasoning (far left photo-bottom row; middle photo-bottom row). Cover and let sit for 3-5 minutes. The longer the beans sit, the softer they will be, so let your own taste be your guide. Serve with steamed rice, or rice porridge (粥/zhou). COMMENTS: As much as I love Chinese food, I've never been a huge fan of the Chinese breakfast. Somehow rice porridge, cold pickled vegetables, warm soy milk and fried dough twists don't exactly put me in a raring mood to face the day. But after my mother-in-law first made me this dish in Chengdu, even I could find the motivation to crawl out of bed. If you're like me and you think Chinese breakfast is basically for the birds, this may offer some hope. The dish is great for lunch or dinner, too---in fact that is when we usually eat it. Sichuan Spicy Roasted Soybeans---They're Not Just For Breakfast Anymore! Bon Appetit!!!
- posted by Prince Roy @ 3/15/2004 06:25:00 AM| |

 
Public Service Message
Public Service Message I would be remiss in my duty to my employer if I did not plug the upcoming Foreign Service Written Examination (FSWE), scheduled for April 24, 2004. The exam is the first step on the path to a career as a United States diplomat. The exam is open to US citizens all over the world, and it is free of charge. Most US embassies and consulates will offer the exam, but overseas examinees must register by March 17, 2004. It is very quick and convenient to register, either online or by mail. Those who pass the written exam can proceed to the next phase---the Foreign Service Oral Assessment (FSOA). This is also free of charge, but it is only offered in the United States, and unfortunately the candidate is responsible for all travel expenses. Find out more about the examination process here. The site also contains several useful interactive tools that explain more about the different types of missions diplomats do, and you can even take a quick survey that will tell you which of our five career tracks most matches your own interests. I strongly encourage any US citizens living overseas to take the exam, especially those now living in the PRC/Taiwan. The State Department is always eager to bring in candidates with advanced Chinese language skills, and those who have gained an insightful understanding of Chinese society obviously have a lot to offer. Take the test, we need you! Anyone with questions about the examination process is welcome to contact me either in the comments or by email.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 3/14/2004 10:00:00 AM| |

 
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: Prince Roy's Realm is moving to its own domain and webhost. I will be going to Chennai, India soon and have major plans for the site that will involve lots of (I hope) interesting additions and features. These changes will require major space, and I don't wish to take undue advantage of John Pasden's incredible generosity that he has shown by hosting my site since May 2003. I am extraordinarily grateful to him for that. My new URL is: http://www.princeroy.org Please adjust your settings accordingly, and I beg your patience. The move may be a rocky one since I am going into uncharted (for me) geek territory and at the same time moving practically as far across the Earth as is possible from here. I will probably switch to Movable Type at some point, though that may will not be for a few several weeks. This should be fun and I hope you come along for the journey!
- posted by Prince Roy @ 3/11/2004 11:50:00 AM| |

 

above: The Lads of East Group Two

I received an unexpected email (with these photos!) today from one of my squadmates in our 2003 July 20-27 Hsi Lai Temple Chan/Zen Buddhist Retreat. He's the guy you see in the back row at the far right. He's from a small town in Kansas and is a free-lance photographer. Luckily, he brought his camera and on our final day we had someone take our group picture. I remember that he was a fairly young guy, in his early 20s, with a very enquiring mind and some excellent insights. There is no temple in his town, but a Buddhist nun went there who is associated with the Hsi Lai Temple (I've posted some Hsi Lai photos here). She opened up a kind of 'house temple', and somehow he found out about it and regularly attends her Dharma lectures. She suggested he come to the Retreat and so he did. He's very interested in learning Chinese and I recommended he go to Taiwan or China, but he has a baby daughter whom he is loathe to leave behind for any length of time, although he is no longer with the child's mother. I hope he makes it over there some day... As you can see, we were pretty much the 老外 laowai (Westerner) squad (and there was yet another guy who quit on the second day), except for those three Chinese-Americans you see there. And one of those guys really counted as one of us because he didn't speak any Chinese at all. The monastics appointed me the 'squad leader' which meant I was responsible for seeing that we were all where we were supposed to be, doing what we were supposed to be doing, at any given time. True Chan Buddhism stresses personal and group discipline in a big way and we had to follow a strict schedule every moment of this Retreat. No minute was unaccounted for and the monastics expected silent mindfulness from us at all times. This is probably its main difference with the Pop/New Age faux Zen so prevalent here in the West. I have no idea why I look like such an unhappy camper in this picture---the caffeine withdrawal was long gone. Maybe I was demonstrating my 'stoic' pose, or perhaps I was regretful that our Retreat was at an end?

Finally, here's a photo of me and my good friend Brian. We started attending Hsi Lai Temple Dharma classes at about the same time, and we shared the same room during the Retreat. Brian is a mathematician with an advanced graduate degree from UCLA, and he's very curious about philosophical/spiritual matters, especially pertaining to India. I still remember the time he arranged a visit/tour to a Jainist temple in LA one weekend. Unfortunately I couldn't make it, I think because I had exams. One of my greatest regrets. We actually both ended up taking refuge the same day, the week before I left California. I hope that he and James can make it out to India for a visit while I'm there.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 3/10/2004 10:45:00 AM| |

 
Watched a great documentary tonight on PBS by Ken Burns: "Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip", about Horatio Nelson Jackson, the first guy ever to drive across the country. He did it in the summer of 1903---took him 63 days. Visit the website of the program here. My most recent cross-country drive occurred last Fall, when I departed Los Angeles to begin training for the Foreign Service in Arlington, VA. I left on the morning of October 21 and arrived here the afternoon of November 2. Of course, the reason it took me so long is because I made something of a holiday out of it, stopping to see friends along the way. Poor Horatio had more legitimate excuses---lack of roads, incessant mechanical difficulties, inclement weather (the vehicle was completely exposed to the elements--no windshield and no top), but what a grand adventure! I absolutely love driving and I've written before about my (other) dream job here, which would entail driving an 18-wheeler points West. I've driven cross-country no fewer than a dozen times, and a good deal more if you count the Pacific Northwest to the Gulf of Mexico. One of my favorite websites is by Matt Frondorf. In 1999 he drove from the Statue of Liberty to the Golden Gate Bridge, and he rigged a camera to his car's odometer so that it would take a picture at every mile. He avoided the main interstates, preferring to traverse the old highways that still reveal the country's character, all while attempting to drive in as straight a line as possible. The resulting montage is amazing. To see the nation roll by on Quicktime or Picture Viewer, go here and click on the "Launch Web Site" button. That is something I'd love to do in China one day---wouldn't such a journey from Shanhaiguan, where the Great Wall begins from the sea, to Jiayuguan, where it ends in the desert, be epic?
- posted by Prince Roy @ 3/02/2004 12:05:00 PM| |