Intriguing Yaler

Miss Le’s death was covered by the news media just as intense as the Beer Summit story in Harvard last month.

It got all the elements of a drama: plot, motive, and character (brought to mind Vincent Chin murder back in 1982

also on his bachelor night near Detroit).

Miss Le, however, went down as an Ivy Leaguer, a wild flower died young. Heart wrenching event grieved by a private family, East vs West Coast.

I blogged about Tila Tequila previously. And their stories couldn’t be more different, as vast an expanse as between Anna Nichol Smith and Nicole Brown Simpson, although both got a lot of publicity.

At least, we have made progress since 82, from hate crime to crime of passion ??? Either way, it doesn’t lessen

the grief their families have to endure: the loss of their young and budding ones.

Instead of wedding plan, now they are busy with funeral plan.

Father of the bride never gets to answer the question “who give this woman away”.

My Aimy will turn 18 next month. And every time I hear “Dancing Queen” by Abba, I thought of her.

She will forever be 17 in my memory when that song is on.

This morning, I happened to come across Kevin Carter’s Pulitzer photo (the vulture is waiting) and read about his suicide.

When you are young, you process realities (pain and joy) differently, unlike adults, in “Rebel without a cause”

(we just don’t want you to “volunteer” too much).

Back in 1983, I went to Asia as a volunteer. The Boat People were being interned there awaiting their US homes.

I didn’t understand those well-meaning advices from people at the time (against my volunteering decision).

26 years later, I see their point : theirs was “one cannot make a difference”, while mine at the time was “yes I can”.

Miss Le could have lived on to be our next Marie Curie, working for Genentech. Virus of the future need scientists of stamina. In her case, it’s not virus which led to her demise. It’s people. Or more accurately, the dark seed sown and hibernating in each of us. But then, there is also a spark of divinity in each of us as well. History has recorded countless acts of kindness from one stranger to another (often without ever seek a ROI for their selfless action).

I hope my dancing queen safe passage through college and post-grad life. It’s a violent yet hopeful world out there.