JM

JM was born on 03/05/1983, Germany.

Today I called JM, for saying happy birthday, from Holland, while he was in China working at a music festival. We happened to talk for 3 seconds, 5 mintues. I met JM in 2002, when I was 20. We sat next to each other in a Dutch Beginner's class. He later tried helping me also with my Spanish, I wrote him English/Dutch poems. We started to ICQ, my nickname was "ICQ", his was "Rocketman". Here are some small scene cuts of our long friendship:

Unforgettable was one sunny afternoon, we listened to the whole collection of his music, I suddenly saw another world, a world with heavenly kind of music, music that walks into your heart (like Joshua Kadison) or your head (like Die Zaubefluete), we were talking about where to go if having time, he said, "maybe Paris", 2 seconds after, we heard in the air, "maybe Paris" played...I learnt German because he introduced "Herbert Groenemeyer" to me and I wanted to understand the lyrics of "Der Weg". We watched "Amelie" together with his synchronized translation from Dutch subtitle into English.
To my surprise, not long after, I got back the USB stick that I lent to JM, and found a folder inside, "surprise or not". I opened it and found there was a file of the screenscipt of "Amelie" in both French and English, (he told me later he made use of the "Pause" and "Play" of the remote control in making it.) and there is another file of some songs of "Herbert Groenemeyer" in both German and English, again his translation.

I still remember once we went to Luxemburg, on the way back, he called for my attention because 2 cows were standing in a way as if there was only 1 cow with 2 heads. I missed it. He comforted me,"maybe fate will let u see it again." I didnt believe him. But some minutes after, I saw the scene in front of my eyes on my side. I was surprised and could only believe it till the driver apologized for driving a wrong route and we had been driving back the way we came.

Most unforgettable was the birthday of his 4 years back, my gift to him was a ticket to Keukenhof. We then went together, with Li and Raymond. After many stunning views of the flowers, we went for the water. On the way to the beach, I said, "I want to see a deer." JM laughed, "you can shout 'deer', maybe he will come then." I then shouted, and 2 seconds later, we saw 50 meters about in front of us, a deer ran cross the road. "WoW"."WoW". It was the same evening that I asked him, "what time do you get up?" "11:11" he said cunningly. The next day, he rang on my door bell about 11:30, "I woke up at 11:11 without any alarm."

JM, I know it is difficult to keep up with the letter writing now (we used to write pages and pages despite of internet), I know life is not always full of surprises and coincidences, I know we are always far apart georgraphically, I know we have had many new friends, including good ones. With this small piece, I just want to celebrate your birthday and I want to let you know how much I treasure you as a bosom friend, and respect you as a great mind.

SAM

Sam was born in 1939, New Haven.

It was June 2007 that I met Sam, in a beautiful Italian city. Sam walked up to me out of a classroom, Sam said, "hi, I am Sam." I was surprised to be greeted by someone who is much older yet with so young a smile. He then asked me a bundle of questions, showing the curiosity of a child. Again to my surprise, he knows my supervisor. "I admire his work," he said it with excitement, as if he saw the work in front of him. Shockingly, his book was published in Chinese early 2007 and it was the book I started reading entering my Ph.D. January, 2007, in English. When the crowd ran out of the classroom during lunch time, Sam greeted many others, but I managed to ask him about his interests in a music festival the next day, "I will be there."
It was brazilian drums, bright and rhythmed. Sam did come, with his friend and the son of his friend, "oh Ting, I am glad you make it!" I said the same much louder inside my head.

I saw Sam again last week. He invited me to his workshop with his expenditure and his time. I "bothered" Sam for my experimental design, and for many more questions about life, politics and research. As patient as he is to most others, he answered my questions, even interruptedly over time.
I had to sometimes constrain myself from bothering him too much, not because I feared he would mind, but that he could help others better and others deserve the chance to talk to him.

I salute to Sam because he is not only great in knowledge, wisdom, energy, but also he is non caculative in living his life, and most generous in sharing his happiness with his friends, and offering help and guidance to the weak, such as students and junior researchers, even being an Economist.