email to CA, whose book I just finished.

Dear C,

I just finished your book. Wow! What can I say and how can say it? Let me try. Thank you for producing such a wonderful little book. I really enjoyed it. It in itself is indeed a work of art. It is complex, informative, with many many layers of metaphors refer to one another and within itself. I love the design of the book, not just the physical design but also the ideas and such, with rules, slacks and novelties and all things you set to reflect. I can see in a way your book is like a miniature Hofstadter (I only read Part one of his GEB book; it had tremendous influence on me when I first read a Chinese translation of the first chapter back in middle school). It's a representation of itself. Also very refreshing. Beautiful. Lovely. Hmm, I think you get my idea.

I don't know about cas system before but now I see it is a good theory to describe many systems. How fortunate that you have the opportunity to study it with the master!

I have only read two Calvino's books, one is Invisible Cities just last year after your father told me how you sort of idolize it. I did not study it so I was not aware of all the layers and complexity in it. Now I must read it again. The other Calvino's book was his first and was just a novel. I own three other Calvino's books but I haven't had time to read them.... I guess the time has not been right for these books.

I was introduced to Calvino by an Italian friend, an avid novel reader. His father teaches literature in Italy and had been friends with Calvino for years. My friend had met him many times at home when he was young. I should ask him again about his encounters now I know more about Calvino, through your book.

I did not know that Calvino was often compared with Borges. Now I want to read Borges again.

Interesting that you are presented with a Taoist Sourcebook at such a time. I am just beginning to read Tao Te Ching these days and writing my own translations, one chapter a day. I say to my friends that I finally started a journey to the east. I guess this is what being scattered does to me--that I go around and around in circles and learn everything the hard way. But then it's my way so what can I do about it but to at least recognize it?

Actually your book first struck me as something scattered too, and I thought, hey, this is a good way to organize materials into a book. Sometimes it also seems like a collection of your learnings, like a little notebook, and then organized in a very neat manner. Good stuff.

And while working on it, you must have zillion thoughts racing through your head all the time? Exciting and exhausting? I would be. But I would probably just stay in awe and not be able to carry out the work.

Sorry I am babbling. Just lots of thoughts at the moment...

Thanks again. More later.