February 15, 2006
俺的撞车经历
上学的时候开个破subaru,右转弯的时候被后面轻轻顶了一下,现在想起来是个福特金牛,保险杠撞歪了,没什么大事.下来正想跟他理论呢,那哥们儿说是公司的车,找保险公司吧,很痛快的留了保险公司电话就走了. 撞的很轻,我自己仔细感觉了一下,好像身体没事,就不准备计较了.
给保险公司打电话,原来在加州,根本本地没有,就让我去修车铺估个价传真给他们.俺估计这个小case一个, 发个传真他们就写个支票完事儿, 根本连牙缝都不用剔.俺穷学生哪能放过这样挖资本主义墙角又顺便发点小财的好机会啊,于是去了三个body shop(现在想起来, 俺早在N年前就深刻贯彻”三个代表”了! Step aside, JXX!). 当然去了先强调一下是别人的过错,保险公司陪的,指望着能给估个好价钱(deal精神咱融会贯通!). 开始去的那个看了看俺的破车,说这个问题不大,不用换零件,敲打敲打就够了,也不容我分辨,大笔一挥,$179.给我这气的!
走,咱找别人去!俺听别人说修body是最贵的,要不大街上怎么那么多撞了以后歪瓜裂枣的也不整整容就出来晃悠的车那,怎么到了俺这就这么便宜?打发叫花子哪!
于是就开着车在大街上xue2me (这两个字怎么写?),终于看见一家门面极为讲究的汽车美容院, 大摇大摆把俺的破车开过去停在门口—都这样了谁怕谁呀! 进了屋,你说档次不一样就是不一样嗨, 墙上挂满了各种锦旗奖状证书啥的(噢, 记错了,老外人家不兴锦旗的).相比之下刚才那一家就像个街头摆摊的. 老板(也许是颇有老板意识的伙计)明明看见俺开着破subaru过来,仍笑脸相迎. 俺照例把开场白讲了,他说,”您慢等,在这休息室凉凉快快儿的,喝点水,或者咖啡. 我马上给您做.” 总之是在休息室里好吃好喝了一会,就见他已经拿着打印好的估价进来了.一共$759. “谢谢”, 俺终于舒了口气, 我觉得这车跟我这么多年了,不会关键时候不给俺争气的么! “让我先和保险公司联系,再回来修.”我嘴里这么说,心里想着拿了这钱,干什么不比把这歪屁股弄正强!
出了这一家,还不放心,回家的路上又拐进一家店估了价, 这回不高不低, 四百多. 感情人家第二家就是质优价高! 当即对自己宣布,循价结束. 然后拿着估价单,一路哼着小曲儿开回了家.
接下来的事虽然俺是第一次, 也再容易不过了--把估价单传真给保险公司. 过了两个星期,收到一个电话,让俺签个免责声明, 确认以后不会再纠缠他们,收到以后就可以寄支票给我了. 我又仔细感觉了一下脖子,嗯,好像真没事儿,就一切照办了.
回想起来,这是俺到美国以后赚的最容易的钱了.
什么,车修了么? 您说那?
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Moral of the story:
别替别人想太多,很多人或者是公司的保险,或者保险里有第一次免责的优待.只有你自己才会为自己想.
February 09, 2006
Rice Cycle(稻子的周期)
I came upon this Rice Cycle photo essay made by an American (?) traveller.
My first reaction? I am ashamed. I am deeply ashamed of never knowing, until today, how rice, the staple food for all Chinese, is grown in our motherland. I wish this photo essay were a part of my primary school textbook.
To be fair, I've seen pictures similar to some in there, but to see the whole process from start to finish, it's just unbelievable. The power just cannot be matched by any subset of the whole thing.
My second thought after seeing this laborious process is probably in line with what most Chinese my age who grew up in the city--that it took so long and so much work to grow this thing. And I began to recall how my parents (and all parents) used to tell me we should not waste a single piece of rice if only to respect the work that goes into growing rice and putting it in the bowl on the dinner table.
I'm sure I'll see more of such shocking pictures. Hopefully not from a foreigner's travelog.
On a second thought, maybe it doesn't matter where I see them. Or maybe it's even more meaningful if they are found through foreigners' eyes.
今天看了一组让我震撼的图片.一组住在中国的"老外"拍的关于稻子的照片.虽然这是中国的农村再平常不过的百年不变的日常生活,对于我却是第一次这么清晰.
忽然有些感动,对于这稻子的生命力,这稻田中耕耘的水牛的生命力,在收割完稻田中觅食的鸭子的生命力,以及终日在曝日酷暑下耕耘的人的生命力.
也许有人又要跳出来,说我只喜欢看老外暴露中国阴暗面的东西.如果你真这么想,我也没什么可说的了.