This is one of those postcards that so much like it a modern day Tweet that it's almost difficult to write about because its full of personal references and inside jokes... So I'll try my best.
And then there's the HoMan 249 part - which is Cantonese for very manly - ho being very and man is well, English for man. Lilian thinks Jay Chou is homan! The 249 I don't remember, but it's probably related to the Chinese predilections for homonyms and play of numbers as words. For example the number 4 is pronounced si (4th tone) but also sounds like si (3rd tone) and that's bad because 3rd tone means "death." 88 means "Bye Bye" because if you say eight eight - then you get ba ba or bye bye. 419 means "For One Night," 51 wu yao sounds similar to wo yao meaning "I Want" and so on and so forth. And then there's 5cm which is a clothing brand in Hong Kong. It's also just very unfortunate. And what's up with that Ad?
Back to the postcard - Lilian is referring to a lack of life's essential skills. Bike riding and balance. I wanted to teach Lilian (then in her early 20's) how to ride a bike before she moved back to Hong Kong where she lives now. Lilian's cohort, Edward Tang, and I took her out to a large pedestrian promenade of the International Wonderland property development - yes, it's really called that. In the subzero temperatures of January, we're pushing and balancing and her tears of frustration are freezing on her scarf. We tried our best to help her find her center of gravity - even adjusting the seat on my bike really low so that she could walk while rolling to feel for that balancing point. For you bikers out there - you get it. For Lilian, forget it. She was born a Hong Kongnese - without balance. And to this day she still can't ride a bike.
As for her nickname - I call her zha zhu pai 炸猪排 or Deep Fried Pork Cutlet also known as Tonkatsu! One day in December of 2007, during lunch at a Japanese restaurant, a group of us were placing our order with the server. Some were stating their orders with phrases like "I will have the chicken udon" or "I want the fish set lunch," but Lilian just said very clearly (in Chinese) "I AM the za zhu pai." So, thanks Tonkatsu. I got your postcard.
3 comments:
419 / for one night is english (!!??!)
and 249 came by when we were shopping at ikea w/ eddie and you told him your new screenname is homan249 and he believed it. you just blurted 249 out. no meaning.
Eddie is so hilariously gullible. He will believe just about anything. Everything I hear someone say -
"REALLLY?!?!" it reminds me of him. hahha
it's kind of amazing the lasting impression the MT's had on us during opening... especially Eddie - like in Inner Mongolia during the sunrise... "It will come up eventually, right?"
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