Greeting from a "roar"

I have always wanted to be a warrior after I watched the greatest movie of all: "Ash of the Time/ Dong Xue Xi Du". And I have always believed that the movie is about everything in life. I thought people in Jin Yong's fictions are so cool: They kill the ones they hate, they love the women who make them sweat,and they die for the courses of their own.

The enthusiasm for Chinese New Year is fading on me. It was merely a good excuse when Last Fri. I took off early for Queens from work. Last Sat. I had dinner in Flushing with my grandma, and my uncle's family from Toronto. It was pleasant.

A few hours ago, I was driving back to NJ. Then it snowed, and the road got wet. I was feeling blue as what William was this morning in Copper Lybrand.

While I was speeding on NJ Turnpike then on Parkway, I turned the radio off...

It was very dark. All I could see was the falling snow illuminated by my headlights. I saw millions of snow flakes dashing toward me at the speed of light, hitting my windshield, then all got wiped away by the wiper blades...,

So I asked myself where I was going. Going home? Or just following the car ahead of me. Or going nowhere? If I were someone in Jing Yong's fiction, I should be going to the top of the snow mountain then stay there forever.

But I still got off at Exit 105 and came home with a case of Miller Beer.

Life has always been an interesting "Network issue":

Everyone wants to believe the Server shall stay up. But the email server often crashes down as you are emailing your underground lover...
Everyone assumes the backbone is "fault tolerant" until the main link is out but the traffics are not willing to jump to the backup link..
Everyone thinks he can trouble any network problem as a CNE or CCIE until he fails to realize there was only a bad connector...
This is life as a network engineer.

It is the second day of the Year of Ox as I am at home drinking my Miller beer then got shocked by William's email. I tried to send out some best wishes, but..

I don't know. I am probably drunk, or it's probably too late in the evening.......or......the class in Columbia U. just drove me crazy. There won't be any life for me for next 3 WEEKS, it is cutting throat time again.......it's no one's fault.......it's School season....it's the Columbia U....it stinks!

Anyway, it is a new year. Great great year of OX. Let's wish William the best of best, and some relief out of the shity load of work in Copper Lybrand. It strengthened my belief that Capitalism will be defeated by Communism in which we won't need to work to pay for the rent, won't need to chase girls as we will be assigned a few.

Please laugh a little bit, and I am sure I am getting a fat tax refund from that damned IRS in this Year of OX!

Yifan Wang
2.8.97/Saturday

_______________________________ Begin Original Message from William Wang
______________________________________

Once upon my life, I was about to change my name to Forrest Gump, no doubt I
love the movie, why...... because it's about childhood, life and golden
memory.....it's about everybody's life, with tear and laughter.....
, no one made the projections or
estimates for their "tax liability" before they were born; no one pays
withholding to avoid any "penalty"; no one knows if it's going to be a
"payment" or "refund" at the end......no one knows what the real "issue"
is......it's no one's fault.....it's life.

Twenty four year ago, I was given birth. Twenty four years later, I am sitting
here in Coopers on Saturday morning, trying to express my new year wish to all
of you, but, what have I expressed...........

I don't know, I am probably lost, or it's probably too early in the
morning.......or......this job just drove me crazy. This week I was about to
quit the firm because I am really sick and tired of it. There won't be any
life for me for next three month, it is cutting throat time again.......it's no
one's fault.......it's tax season....it's the job....it stinks!

Anyway, this is my year, year of Ox, speaking on behalf of all the "Ox", I am
wishing all of you, and your future lovers or children, if any, a wonderful and
joyful year!

Hopefully, everybody gets a "refund" this year..............

regards,
Bill
2/8/97