What do you do in Taipei on an insignificant Thursday night? I saw long lines at the movie theater, and a big crowd of young people in the Ximen district where there are a lot of shops and bars. But I had better things to do. In the Taipei Central Train Station, I saw a long table with women talking to men in white, they appeared so engrossed in their conversation I asked what it was they were there for. It’s fortune-telling, my Taiwanese friend, H, said. Well, the horoscope junky in me just had to do it, I could not resist. You had to choose though, each guy there had his own expertise. Was it career fortune you wanted to know? Or family? Marriage? Money? I said, I know where my career is going and even if I love what I am doing, it does not completely define me. Family, I do not want to know what will happen with that, I am too paranoid to even ask. Marriage, well, it’s jumping the gun a bit, right? Money, I know I need to work really hard to have some, I do not need any fortune-teller to tell me that. So that leaves Dr. Love a.k.a. Mr. Chen.
But Mr. Chen does not speak English. So I had to convince H to translate for me. Out comes Mr. Chen’s PDA. After a very complicated calculation involving my date and time of birth, he said, through H, that from this year on until 2013, particularly during the months of February to July, I will have the good fortune to meet the One. And I will get married. And have children. Practical and pragmatic H, who could not help being a more active participant, right away asked a question I did not even formulate. How will she know? In the restaurant later that night, while we were recounting the experience, I asked her why she kept repeating that particular question. She said, “it’s very important, you meet so many people, how will you know who is the one?”
Mr. Chen was forced to give us a description so specific he went as far as to give me a physical and job description. H, who has an extensive English vocabulary when we talk about our work, had no similar range for conversations around love and fortunes. So the description involved a lot of non-verbal explanations and hand gestures. If I interpreted their hand gestures right and nothing was lost in translation, then does it mean that your time of birth will actually influence the height of the person you will marry?
I have a different explanation for fortune-telling that is more acceptable for logical people, especially when the reading is uncannily accurate. People who go to one usually have a specific question in mind. Usually, the mind is so cluttered with so many concerns that when they actually shell out 100 NT to get some answers to one question, they force their minds to focus on one thing. And more intuitive people (like fortune tellers) are able to pick up on that energy they emit, and read it.
Although I have a simpler answer to H’s question and Mr. Chen did not have to consult his PDA and his complicated fortune calculator to tell me how I will know. For me, you know or you’ll never know. But if Mr. Chen is right, he will be invited to my wedding. And H, who has never gone to a fortune-teller until I dragged her to one, said she will remind me every year of Mr. Chen’s timeline just in case I forget. Tick-tock, tick-tock…
But Mr. Chen does not speak English. So I had to convince H to translate for me. Out comes Mr. Chen’s PDA. After a very complicated calculation involving my date and time of birth, he said, through H, that from this year on until 2013, particularly during the months of February to July, I will have the good fortune to meet the One. And I will get married. And have children. Practical and pragmatic H, who could not help being a more active participant, right away asked a question I did not even formulate. How will she know? In the restaurant later that night, while we were recounting the experience, I asked her why she kept repeating that particular question. She said, “it’s very important, you meet so many people, how will you know who is the one?”
Mr. Chen was forced to give us a description so specific he went as far as to give me a physical and job description. H, who has an extensive English vocabulary when we talk about our work, had no similar range for conversations around love and fortunes. So the description involved a lot of non-verbal explanations and hand gestures. If I interpreted their hand gestures right and nothing was lost in translation, then does it mean that your time of birth will actually influence the height of the person you will marry?
I have a different explanation for fortune-telling that is more acceptable for logical people, especially when the reading is uncannily accurate. People who go to one usually have a specific question in mind. Usually, the mind is so cluttered with so many concerns that when they actually shell out 100 NT to get some answers to one question, they force their minds to focus on one thing. And more intuitive people (like fortune tellers) are able to pick up on that energy they emit, and read it.
Although I have a simpler answer to H’s question and Mr. Chen did not have to consult his PDA and his complicated fortune calculator to tell me how I will know. For me, you know or you’ll never know. But if Mr. Chen is right, he will be invited to my wedding. And H, who has never gone to a fortune-teller until I dragged her to one, said she will remind me every year of Mr. Chen’s timeline just in case I forget. Tick-tock, tick-tock…
4 comments:
Haay! I remember our Quiapo sojourn years back and that esoteric woman.
Why rely on a stranger to tell you about The One when you already have The Anointed One (TAO)? chika chika boom!
I remember that Sunday afternoon, it was raining, we were crouched under the umbrella of that scary woman by the Quiapo church (for the life of me, I do not remember what she said).
Nakuha la ngani ako second opinion...actually i wrote this for you (this was suppose to be my letter to you) cos I knew how you would react. Hahaha!
i had my fortune told here in the old china town of singapore, too. that's why i am going to do all i can to send you to you-know-where. that was the hula. hala! hala! =)
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