Raped, by the Silences…

We are raped, by the silences, because, we’re, afraid to tell anybody what had, happened to us, because, if we tell our truths, the outside world will only, ostracize us more, saying, that it’s our fault, that we shouldn’t have, behaved too provocatively in front of that man, that we were, just, asking for it, therefore, we’d, kept our silences.

what we were…picture found online…

Raped, by the silences, we were, because, we’re, too afraid to talk, too afraid for our lives, as well as the lives of, those we loved and cared about, and, can’t even begin to imagine the shame they will feel, if our stories, busted out into the open!

Raped, by the silences, there’s, no way this will, ever come to an end, because, those predators are still, lurking, waiting, for their chances to, attack, and even though, we only come out, during the daytime, sometimes, it feels, like nights…

Raped, by the silences, we were, we were all, victims before, but, I’d, managed to, turn myself, into a god DAMN survivor here, I will, NEVER be quieted, be silenced again!!! what we are now…

what we have the potentials of becoming…picture found online

Raped, by the silences, there’s, nothing we can do, to change the past, change what’s already been done to us (and no, we NEVER enjoyed it!!!).  Raped, by the silences, no we don’t, keep our lips sealed, because what was shameful, wasn’t US, it was, what was, done to us!

Life Took a Sharp Turn

On changing tracks, not knowing, if you’d, made the right choices in life or not! Translated…

Life flew by too fast, it’d been six months, since my return back to Puli, this small town to live. The me a decade ago, or even, just two years ago, I’d never imagined a life like this for me.

Being on the rise through school and into the workforce, I’d entered into my first-choice schools locally, and entered into my top choices of university, after I graduated, I’d started working as an engineer in the well-known high-tech companies in Taipei. I’d worked very hard, and my abilities gotten the attention of the boss, in a few short years, I’d gotten promoted, and raises too. Back then, I’d imagined, that ten years later, I should be a high-end manager in the workforce, and would go on business trips to Europe and America often.

like this???the roadsigns of your life…

And now, I’d, walked with difficulties, with my pregnant belly, travelled on foot, delivering the goods that my clients ordered, and pondering, what I needed to update onto my website to sell when I arrived home.

A few years ago, I’d gotten married for a while, as my husband and I started thinking about when to have children, and how we’re going to take care of our kids after they were born. Both working as engineers in the high-tech companies, after subtracting the time for sleep away, there were only, about two hours in the late hours of the nights we can, save for ourselves. We didn’t want to be missing out on the coming of age of our young, so, a change in track was needed. And, something had, happened at home then, after careful considerations, we’d decided to quit our jobs, return back home, and my husband started working in the field, and I, started setting up my online shop.

Recalling how back when I’d just graduated from graduate school, my dad asked me if I wanted to take the public offices examinations. Back then, I was so satisfied with my own life, full of confidence, didn’t consider, that the life of a government office worker wouldn’t suit me well. But now, as my shop online just got set up, I’d had an unstable source of income, and I’d found those job openings in the areas of Puli, and I’d, wanted, to kick myself. After I’d left Taipei, Hsinchu, and Tainan, cities with the larger scale technology companies, it’s like, I’d, whited out my past work experiences. As I’d passed the post offices, along with Taipower offices, I couldn’t help but wondered, if I’d, only taken the government post exams.

imagine how different life can turn out for you…photo from online…

At the age of thirty, for the sake of my family, my life took a sharp turn, and I can’t tell yet, whether if it’s going to be good or bad, but I believe, that so long as I carried the heart I’d had before, worked hard, I can totally, find a brand new direction in life again.

And so, this, is a huge life-changing situation you’re, faced with now, isn’t it? You’d quit your government job, to chase your dreams, so you can have more time with your young, to not miss out in their coming of age, and, although you’re, unsure of whether or not you’d, made the correct choices in life, your life knows where it’s, taking you.

Unending questions of a girl child

Gender Discrimination, Happening, in the Unnoticed Places…

The First Assertion

As I walk towards my house, I see her tottering behind her mother. She is completely oblivious of her surroundings. Her mother is holding her younger brother in her hand. At times she tries to keep up with the fast pace of her mother and at times of her aunt who is also walking along with them. Although the baby is secure in his mother’s arms, no one is bothered if the girl child is indeed trailing them. Maybe she also knows it. Her speed becomes even more. The poor child deprived of nutrition seems weak. She is making every effort to silently grab the attention of the ladies clattering in front of her.
As we reach a fork road, the family turns towards left and I turn towards right, I am bound to think. Maybe I am making things up. But it is evident in everything everywhere that the…

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Walking Out of the Darkness After Losing My Marriage

The growth of a woman, translated…

My close friend, Hsin-Yi and two girlfriends’ floral shop opened, a few of us, their close friends, made the time, to give them the congratulations.

We saw how in the small space of the shop, there were so many colorful bouquets, potted flowers, and fashionable pots, plus the professional floral arrangements too, with the explanations of the concepts, it’d made us all happy for her, that she could, get from underneath the dark clouds of the loss of her marriage, and find her strength again.

Three years ago, after Hsin-Yi’s husband had an affair, she was in pain, but, for the sake, of giving her daughter a complete home, she’d decided, to put up with her husband’s bad behaviors, but in the end, she couldn’t save, this already shattered marriage of hers, and ended up divorcing her husband.

After her divorce, she took her five-year-old daughter, moved back in with her parents, other than helping with caring for her daughter, the family members would give her encouragements often.  Plus, her two girlfriends from college would often come by to say hi, have heart-to-hearts with her, hoped, that she could, get out, from under the failed marriage, to not get trapped by the depressive moods, and encouraged her, to make plans for herself, and her daughter’s sake as well.

Later on, Hsin-Yi and her two girlfriends decided to go into business together, the three of them decided to open up a floral shop.  Because Hsin-Yi had the working experiences as a wrapper at a floral shop from before, she’d naturally took up the work of packaging, selection of the flowers, as well as the designs for the pots, and the two of them were in charge of the finances and sales.

The three of them worked with the plans of opening up shop, their days were fulfilled, and, it’d ignited that sense of hope, in Hsin-Yi’s life again.

For the sake of gaining a wide variety of customers, as well as upping her own professionalism, six months before they’d opened for business, Hsin-Yi especially took lessons in how to make corsages and bouquets for the brides, hoped, that she could add to her own professionalism, to offer her customers more choices, and to give her daughter a bit more material wealth as well.

Hsin-Yi told me, that getting divorced is not scary, what’s scary was getting sucked, into the glooms of the divorce.  She’s grateful to her own family’s support, as well as her girlfriends’, giving her a lift in time, so she could get stronger, and, start again.

So, this, is with the support from her friend, that this divorcee had found herself again, and, having a social support system like this one is especially important, when you’re going through a major change in your life such as a divorce.

Two Rapists Out on Parole Escaped, Hsinchu, Taichung, on High Alert

Yeah, and, we’re, NO longer safe here, from the Front Page Sections, translated…

It was, extremely rare, but, the sex offender out on parole, De-Yen Lin on the early morning of the 27^th this month had, managed, to destroy the electronic ankle bracelet and took it off himself, got away from his residence, the D.A. already put out an arrest warrant.  The news got out, that a sex offender on parole had broken loose, it’d made the women in Hsinchu and Taichung worry, they’d asked the courts, the D.A. to watch the sex offenders more carefully.

The Taichung D.A.s office manager, Xiao-Wen Chang said, that De-Yen Lin (age 49) twenty years ago, committed robbery and rape multiple times, was sentenced to life in prison, but because he’d shown signs of remorse and behaved well in prison, he’d gotten the chance of parole.  At the start of two years ago, Lin was indicted on charges of theft, and because he was a sex offender, he was forced, to have an electronic anklet on him.

On the early morning of the 27^th, the court appointed officer was watching the monitor, and found that Lin wasn’t at home, the D.A. immediately issued a warrant on his arrest, hoped, that he could turn himself in.

The Facebook Group, “Seeing the North of Hsinchu” two nights ago, posted the note: “a Released Rapist on the Loose, Women be Careful”, said, that the sex offender from northern Hsinchu, Lee severed the electronic anklet and ran off, it’d immediately gotten the online community’s attention, and the article was passed from one member of the online community to the next, and, that, was when the Hsinchu Police Department confirmed the statements.

Guo-Shen Lee (age 43) committed thirty-four cases of robbery back in 1992 in Tainan, and three of these cases involved the rapes of women, and he’d taken items such as Rolex watches from them, and was nicknamed that “Wolf of Rolex”, the following year, he was caught, and, from his first trial to his seventh appeal, the judges all gave him the death penalties, and, on the appeal of his ninth trial, the judge gave him life in prison, four years ago, he’d paroled out, and had the curfews of from nine at night to six the following morning, and he must have on, an electronic tracking anklet at all times.

Two years ago in June, Lee had sex with a hooker, and was sentenced to five months in prison for obstruction of societal values, and, he could not have his parole anymore.  The District Attorney’s Office received the notice of Lee’s parole getting taken away on January 5 this year, the very next day, Lee took off the electronic tracking anklet, and was on the run, on January 16^th, the District Attorney’s Office sent out an arrest warrant for Lee, but they didn’t tell the public that he was a sex offender.

Two nights ago, the Facebook group “Seeing Northern Hsinchu” posted photos of Lee, told the online community to keep an eye out for him, the police subprecinct from northern Hsinchu received so many calls from the public, asking if the source of the news was real.

Why didn’t the police department issue the notices of this sexual predator’s escape?  The police station said, that the arrest warrant issued by the District Attorney’s office is the same as letting the public know; the District Attorney’s Office in Hsinchu said, that if after four, five months from now, Lee is still not yet arrested, then, they would consider posting his name and photograph to the public.

And, by then, guess how many more ladies are gonna get raped and murdered?  Exactly, this, is NOT good way, to deal, how can you ask the public to feel safe and secure, if a sex predator is on the loose?  It’s the justice system’s way of covering up, and, finding ways, to dodge getting blamed for not being careful enough if you ask me!

Treat Yourselves Better

Call it, an understanding from life if you will, translated…

As I’d marched past my half-way marker, I’d finally managed, to find a dozen of my elementary school classmates.  We hadn’t seen one another for forty years, and, we were all very surprised and moved as we met back up again.

Huei-Huei, who had her heart set on never marrying, in the end, still marched into the marriage, and, because she’d had her children late, they’re at their teenage years, the time when kids give their parents the headaches; and, she’d had to take care of her husband’s business, she couldn’t make the time as she lived in the middle parts of the island.  From the gatherings we’d had before, she could only watch the photos through her cell phone screen.

And, two years later, on this day, Huei-Huei took the opportunity that her daughter attended a conference in Taipei, and accompanied her daughter and gathered with us again.

But, I saw how stressed out she was, of the members of the family as she was with us, it truly made my heart ache.  I’d told her, “you’re here now, just go with the flow”, she’d rarely made trips, and so, she needed not worry about the goings on of her house, learned to relax herself a bit, and NOT carrying everything upon her two shoulders.

After all, we’re no longer young, nobody knows when life will end, so, we must live in the moment, take advantage of the now.

Seeing my other classmate, Pam, she’s outgoing too, also married late, without any kids, she is very good, at mastering her own life.  Wherever there are goings on, she could be found there, she’d lived her days to the fullest, and had the word, “happy” written all over her face, and, she’d looked younger and energetic.

Because of work, I’d needed to go into the hotels for conference meetings, and, would come across a ton of fashionable ladies there, they’d eaten together, and carried on in conversations in a relaxed manner, they looked leisurely.

I think, that the pressures modern day women face is way more than those who came before us, other than working hard to make a living, we’d also must take care of, raise our children, be good to our in-laws, and, we all had heavy loads we needed to carry; if we can’t find a way to de-stress, and learn to treat ourselves with kindness, then, we may have missed out on a lot of the good stuff in our lifetimes.

And so, this, is treating yourselves kindness, as a woman, because we women are giving to our families, pouring our hearts and souls out at work, and, after we’d come home, we’d still had to, take care of everything else that’s happening there, and, we run around the clocks, 24/7, and, if we don’t treat ourselves kindly, then, nobody’s gonna!

The Persistence of Beauty

The ins and outs of life, translated…

My good friend, Fang-Hwa is an Asian-Korean, the descendant of the Khitan tribe, her large eyes, erect nose, deep facial features, always amused everybody around her.  And yet, in the decades that passed, she’d kept her body fit, combined with her natural flair, it’d made us, a group of middle aged woman who are gaining weight super envious.

That day, on our gathering, everybody started awing at Fang-Hwa’s good looks again, she couldn’t help but explain to us all, “There IS a price to pay for being beautiful!”  turns out, after Fang-Hwa got pregnant, she’d bought herself a fitting, expensive dress for herself, put it on, took a photo of herself in it to keep in on file.  And, in the later stage of the month-long recovery after birth, she’d started controlling her own diet, and started exercising, and something she did every single day, was fitting herself into that extravagant dress, and keep on telling herself, that she MUST fit into it perfectly.

From the beginning, when she couldn’t even pull it on, to being able to squeeze herself into it, but couldn’t pull the zipper up completely, to fitting perfectly in it, as her maternity leave was over, she’d returned back to work, looking radiant.  At the same time that we’d all raised our glasses to her, we’d all felt awful, about how we didn’t have the foresight back when we went through our month’s worth of recovery after birth, causing us all, to not find a suit that fitted after we were to return back to work, compared to the persistence of beauty that Fang-Hwa had, we all bowed down to her!

Maybe you’d believed, that everybody has a different standard for what being beautiful is, why couldn’t we just be happy, and go with the flow?  Surely, being full-figured can be beautiful too, but, we’d often heard people complain about how they don’t feel well into their favorite clothes, but, we’d raised our white flags, when great food presented themselves to us.  The result of letting ourselves go was that we’ll forever be envying over how slim others looked, and, we couldn’t control ourselves, and no matter how pretty the clothes are, it is still, a complete WASTE!

We’d always used our regular selves, and expect a different future; we’d always envied others’ good fortunes, without realizing, that behind this beauty, there’s a strict self-fulfillment, a persistence that is ongoing.  So, you shouldn’t just envy those who looked beautiful around you, but instead, take their methods, and, surpass yourselves.

So, this woman’s beauty is NOT absolutely easily had, she’d had to work really hard, and, she was motivated, and because she kept on persisting, that, was why she was successful, and this can be applied to everything ELSE in one’s life, not just losing weight.