朱平：生意人，悅日人，漣漪人

Nonzero – My Place My Kitchen

Ping Chu — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:40:15 +0000

After a small scale renovation in June, Nonzero exterior now spots a new look and the interior also feels brighter and more spacious. Our regular customers seem to like the changes made to the space. Thank you for your support.

Our new look from the outside

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And the inside now looks like this.

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Window Farm Project

Ping Chu — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 13:39:31 +0000

Inspired by the Window Farm Project, the Canmeng Aveda team decided to try our hands at growing herbs using recycled shampoo bottles. Who said shop space cannot be turned into herb garden?

The Red Room videos

Ping Chu — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 02:24:45 +0000

I’m sharing three videos of the Red Room. Aren’t they amazing?

The Red Room is about having a stage and being listened to.The audience is also amazing as they created a safe and warm environment for us to express ourselves creatively.

You can get most up-to-date information from The Red Room Facebook

朱平談：空間生活

Ping Chu — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 04:29:37 +0000

與Channel [D]設計頻道談空間生活

Nonzero非零餐廳在6／6－6／23裝修期間會暫停營業

Ping Chu — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 02:22:42 +0000

Click to view enlarged image

Camino

Ping Chu — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 05:13:28 +0000

Searched Opus Dei on wikipedia after watching this movie. I need to know more about Opus Dei before I could completely understand what this movie is about.

I don’t think this movie is anti anything. The real intention for the director is to present a story ( true or not true ) about how an innocent and an imaginative girl’s intuitive reaction to the adult world. Adults interpret things in ways that match their beliefs. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we can live in a wold like Camino’s, with innocence and real human reaction without any dogmatic manipulation from outside world. I am more than ever convinced that we all choose our own religion and should respect every religion with no prejudice.

I love you, Camino, the eyes, the smiles, the hair and the youthful vitality.

Always love a movie that can stimulate discussion. For this reason, I highly recommend it for people who are ready for an intense movie. Do remember to check your prejudice at the door so you can keep an open mind.

Stage Time and Wine @ The Red Room 007

Ping Chu — Mon, 24 May 2010 15:37:01 +0000

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Dear M & A

The Red Room is getting popular among a specific group of people, the creative type. I am also pleased to see more locals attending the event.

Creative expression is a human need. It is everyone’s right to be heard. Unfortunately we tend to repress ourselves due to our Chinese upbringing: be low key, don’t attract attention, don’t show off.? Showing off is seen as a weakness, not a strength. Conformity is what is expected of us.

The future belongs to people who can live authentically and aspire to become a better person every day.

1. Prish made a phone call to Sarah who couldn’t make it as she was hospitalized with a broken leg. We all said in unison “we love you” to Sarah over the phone. I was touched by Prish’s ingenious way to let Sarah feel the love from the Red Room.

2. Lars’ sharing of his favorite Mantra whenever he encounters negative energy or feels negative. It was a great feeling when we made a tight circle ( shoulder to shoulder ) chanting Om with one single breathe. We made this harmonious sound almost as if it can reach out to the god. Taiwanese indigenous people have this practice too. I’d never tried it with a tight circle like this, only holding hands to form the circle. I will do this kind of tight circle next time. You also should learn to do this when you are in charge of an event.

3. Husbands are joining the Red Room. I encouraged people to bring their spouse. So happy to see Angelica and Grace bringing their husband to the Red Room so they can share this wonderful experience together. Taiwan needs a place like the Red Room so we all can grow together with our loved ones, instead of growing apart. We always want to share the jewel of our life with our loved ones. By the way, it was the first time I saw someone playing a flute with an iPhone. Grace and her husband, what a great team together, flute and harmonica!

4. Prish’s unbelievable monologue accompanied by drumbeats from a young guy. It was like a live radio show. I invited this drummer to come to every Red Room event. I like the effect that he made with his drum to highlight the poem’s emotional high and low. Prish’s story about her first date and what went through her mind was amazing. Her voice and sensual body movement were both sexy and divine. Her affection for her boyfriend was so touching. At the end, they embraced and kissed. What a classic and elegant way to share their love to each other in public.

5. Mark, the poet with his dog, was so funny and sincere at the same time. I think he is a lucky man to have such a gentle and lovely dog. I told him as long as his dog behaves he can bring it to the Red Room. The presence of a dog is remarkable. Everyone relaxes when they see the dog. I just hope the dog likes his companion’s poem about the dog. Lars rushed to clean up the vomit when the dog threw up unexpectedly. It is this kind of behavior that touches me deeply. They are true dog lovers. They will clean up the dog mess even when it is not their dog. In the Red Room, I noticed so many little things that our foreign friends did as a matter of fact. They know how to act civilized but also know how to let their inner child out. This is what I want you to learn from western culture. The Red Room is a culture club so we all can appreciate the differences and become a better person through the same passion for words and sounds.

6. Master Sun’s meditative chanting based on her memories of her father’s favorite Chinese Opera song is mesmerizing. She is forever calm and serene. I just love her style of expressing herself in a most Zen-like performance. It is a real treat to see her performing and reciting.

7. I was surprised to hear the cello performance from one of my favorite movies: The Tango Lesson. Annie is a professional Cellist. She brought her big man-size Cello and we originally did not have time for her to perform. I am glad she played for us at the last moment. I insisted that everyone be quiet and sit down to listen to Annie’s cello performance attentively. Boy, is she powerful to master this gigantic instrument. She is such an elegant lady too. Naya, her sister, also did a Chinese song. She told me that she’s pleased to know that the Red Room guests are receptive to more serious pieces so she will perform something more serious next time.

8. Mauro’s Italian song is very touching because he sang it like no one is listening. I like Red Room because people can really become themselves. You don’t have to be a professional singer. All you need is to sing from your heart and share your most vulnerable moment with us.

9. Lucy is a giant lady with her giant project to let the world know how badly the women are treated in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She is a world class inspirational speaker. She has presence on stage. Roma said she should be on TED. I totally agree.

10. A gentleman ( I will make an effort to get to know his name next time ) recited a few super short poems he made on his iPhone. I was so surprised by his profound short phrases. Sometimes we don’t need that many words.

11. Tim, the poet painter, did a very creative presentation. He integrated words (his short poem on Dulan), visual (his painting of Dulan beach), and sound (a recorded indigenous chanting) to share Dulan with us. Imagine the amount of effort to bring such a big canvas all the way from Taitung just for this performance! This is how I know if they are for real. Will you do something extra to be the best you can be in a presentation? I hate to see people do presentation without any planning. These people make the effort to bring bulky guitar and cello to the Red Room.

12. People really read lots of poems. Whenever I see people pull out their favorite poetry book and read the marked pages, I know they find respite and peace in poetry.

13. People still use notebook to doodle or write their poems on the go. It is this daily ritual that made these people think deep and see things that we don’t usually see. Are you going to have a notebook and do some drawing and writing when you travel?

14. I am so glad to introduce Zoya and Andrew to the Red Room guests. Andrew invited Zoya. I want everyone in the Red Room to appreciate the cookies and desserts that Zoya made for us. We need to give Zoya, her team and Nonzero restaurant proper credit.

15. Holly did a great new song she wrote to praise the bathroom of the Red Room. She told me that it has the best smell in the world.

16. Sarah from Taipei Players sang a wonderful song. I know it took courage to sing in public. Again, The Red Room is a space encouraging people to step out of their comfort zone. It is a safe and? nurturing place.

17. George read a few of his favorite poems.? I could not help to notice that George is more into his passion with words and sounds than the audience.? It was a joy to see people enjoying themselves and be true to themselves.

18. I read a grotesque but ingenious poem written by Candice. I did not read it well with correct intonation and dramatic body language. As you can see I am a proud father on that stage. I hope one day Candice can recite her poem here in the Red Room. She is really talented in poetry.

The Red Room is a very special place in Taipei. When you are in the Red Room, you will sense that humanity is alive and creativity is what made us human. Too often we don’t allow ourselves to explore this creativity. To be able to enjoy other people’s creativity is a form of creativity. We are all creative in many ways.

We have stopped listening. The Red Room is a space for us to practice deep listening and give our undivided attention to those who are on stage.

Joseph from Canmeng team was there the whole evening. I hope he was there not out of duty but also had fun, and more importantly I hope he learned how to build a community and to engage people through our common passion. I am happy to see that everyone stayed late and pitched in to clean up. This is the spirit of the Red Room. We are a community and a tribe so we share our joy and work together.

I hope you will be able to join us next time.

Ping

May 22, 2010

Happy Birthday – Earth Day ! Earth Month!

Ping Chu — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 03:06:10 +0000

您知道嗎？地球日已40歲了。
肯夢AVEDA不認為一年只有一天是地球日(4/22)，為什麼不能用整個四月來慶祝地球的生日？於是肯夢AVEDA”地球月”的概念就產生了。

肯夢AVEDA每一年中最重要的活動就是每年四月的”地球月”；首先要謝謝全體肯夢人無私地盡心盡力規劃有創意的活動，不僅是出錢出力，更重要的是能讓肯夢AVEDA的愛用者、忠誠的支持者能用行動參與，身體力行投資時間，一起來慶祝，屬於大家的”地球月”。

您在刷牙時有關起水龍頭的習慣嗎？
您有隨手關燈的習慣嗎？
您有晚上將電腦關機的習慣嗎？
以上三項是我努力養成的習慣，仍在努力中。

“ Walk for Water為純淨水而走“ 是肯夢AVEDA今年地球月的主要活動。
讓我們在4月17日一起為純淨水而走，與第三世界的朋友感同身受，珍惜地球最珍貴的資源。

肯夢 AVEDA 地球月行動: 為純淨水而走! 2010/4/17

Ping Chu — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 15:52:24 +0000

AVEDA Earth Month: WALK FOR WATER 2010/4/17

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmbNlbdNrdE

空下您一年365天中的這一天．體驗開發中國家婦女365天中的每一天

2010/4/17 (六) 步行六公里走向純淨水

活動票券收入將全數做公益用途，投入人禾環境倫理發展基金會『友善水資源』教育計劃，培養愛水愛地球的下一代。

當今全世界68億的人口中，1/7的人正面臨沒有純淨水資源的問題. 人數相當於3倍的美國人口，42倍的台灣人口，甚至遠超過一整個歐洲的人口

現在，世界上每七人有一人喝不到純淨水。如果，這一人是您的朋友?

肯夢AVEDA邀您在這一天與500人一同行走6公里，活動中體驗開發中國家婦女每天的取水距離，以您腳下的這一步，邁出走向純淨水的第一步，認識純淨水的重要，並串起全球AVEDA對純淨水的關懷與愛。

2010年4月17日 (六) 14:00集合報到 (預計17:30結束)
台北縣碧潭風景區東岸廣場 (捷運新店站出站後約步行5分鐘可抵達)

[票價] 500元 (3/17開始啟售)
*購票者可獲得價值800元地球月t-shirt+價值500元AVEDA礦植光采磨砂洗面乳40ml
*網路購票請洽博客來售票網
*郵購請洽肯夢AVEDA專線0800-007-909

*此活動需全程以步行方式參與，建議12歲以上者參加 (歡迎寵物加入!)

Aveda Walk for Water, Taipei

The month of April is ‘Earth Month’, and April 22nd is earth day. Aveda’s walk for water is part of a global movement towards water conservation.

April 17, 2:00 pm kick off, 2:30 pm walk start at Eastern Square of Bitan Scenic Area. No.2, Bitan Rd., Xindian City, Taipei County 231, Taiwan

Bitan literally means Green Lake, referring to where the Xindian River widens to form the lake. Please join us for the 6 kilometer walk along the Xindian River, one of our main local water sources. Bitan can easily be reached via Taipei’s MRT system. The lake is walking distance southwest of the Xindian Station (south terminal station of the green line).We hope to see you there as we walk to protect clean water!

Link for more information
Contact Mavis Yu for more information: mavisy@canmeng.com.tw

A Symphony of Place @ The Red Room

Ping Chu — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:54:40 +0000

Pictures from Stage Time & Wine 005 2010/3/20

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This article is written by Diane Baker, a journalist and a long-time resident of Taipei, for Centered on Taipei (April 2010, Volume 10, Issue 7)

The color red can be polarizing. In traditional Chinese culture it is the color of happiness, of celebration: ‘lucky’ red envelopes, red wedding outfits, the red of firecrackers. It is also the color of politics – everything from Mao Zedong’s ‘Little Red Book’ and ‘the East is Red’ motto to the red-shirt clad protesters marching against former president Chen Shuibian here in Taipei.

The Red Room, however, is a space that conveys warmth, comfort and excitement; at least that’s what Ayesha Mehta hopes.

Taipei-raised Ayesha is the impetus behind Stage Time and Wine @ The Red Room, a series of informal evenings begun last November to allow people to share something that inspires them, from words to music to elaborate gestures of expressive intent; and most importantly, a space in which to practice deep listening. In a telephone interview, Ayesha explained that she had been looking for something to do, someplace to go, after moving back to Taipei in April 2009 following six years in Sydney, Australia. Ayesha was inspired by The Listening Book: Discovering Your Own Music by W.A. Mathieu, a poetry night she had experienced in Australia at “Bardflys,” (spoken-word evenings at pubs, organized by Tug Dumbly, a performance poet) and the living room of 154 Devonshire Street, one of her homes in Sydney. Anybody (and nearly everybody did!) found their way to 154 with open hearts and open minds, listened to each other, shared, performed, created, read aloud.

Finding these kinds of events, these kinds of spaces was a struggle in any city in the world, let alone Taipei, she said.

In keeping with what must be the Mehta family motto –“if you can’t find it, create it” – Ayesha decided that if she wanted to share aloud in Taipei, she was going to have to organize the space for it. Finding the right space for such an event was crucial, and for six months appeared difficult.

Then she met Ping Chu, the entrepreneur behind the Aveda franchise in Taiwan and Taipei’s Nonzero Restaurant (he was profiled in the May 2009 edition of Centered on Taipei), when they were both volunteering in Taitung in the wake of Typhoon Morokot last August. They became fast friends and eventually Ayesha told Ping about her Red Room dream. He became an enthusiastic supporter and cheerleader, having attended some poetry reading nights years ago in Minneapolis, Minnesota and one in Hong Kong.

In an email interview, Ping Chu described the instant connection he felt with Ayesha. “I just felt that this special soul is my alter ego. Of course, I have always wanted to do a poetry reading party even though I am not a poet or good with words,” he wrote.

As fate would have it, Ping, through his company Canmeng Aveda, could offer just the kind of space Ayesha was looking for. Very quickly, the first Stage Time and Wine @ The Red Room was put together. Ayesha pulled together friends as volunteers, including help from mother Roma (editor of Centered on Taipei and co-owner of Sir Speedy, Tianmu) and brother Manav, sent out invitations by email and began designing the space with help from staff at Canmeng Aveda and Non-Zero restaurant. People who wanted to read or sing were told to bring something they had written or something they liked and wanted to share. A sign-up sheet and guestbook were set out at the door and everyone would have the chance to read at least once during the four-hour event. Musicians were encouraged to bring their instruments to perform and share at any point during the night.

Ayesha said that Stage Time and Wine @ The Red Room is open to whatever people want to do, but the key was that people have to come willing to listen – really listen.

“There’s a W. A. Mathieu quote from The Listening Book – my Bible of the moment – in which he explains this concept of deep listening as a key to engaging in creation, acknowledging hearing beyond the surface level,” she said.

Asked where the Red Room name came from, Mehta laughed and said it was a long story. “It’s just a name for the space,” she said, giving Manav credit for coming up with “Stage Time and Wine @ The Red Room.”

November’s Stage Time and Wine @ The Red Room, which drew about seventy people, was indeed a launch for the event, Ayesha said, mostly because no one really knew what to expect. But the succeeding evenings have had that living room ambience, of friends sitting together and sharing openly, without fear of judgement or imposed expectations of performance. New friendships are being formed and people are connecting through a space that affords them an opportunity to push themselves beyond their comfort zones.

“We’re not putting on a cap or expectation on the evening… just aiming for listening, sharing and trying to keep the space open,” she said, adding that they were trying to avoid a specific ‘vibe.’

Both Ayesha and Ping say they want the evenings to be accessible to everyone, whatever language[s] they speak. “We encourage reading poems in whatever language you choose. After all, it is for lovers of word and sound, not limited to nationality. It is a multi-language event. We had English, Chinese, Taiwanese, French, Italian poems read so far,” Ping wrote.

He also wants to get more young Taiwanese to attend, both to expose them to other cultures and to inspire them to improve their English. “My goal is to have at least thirty-percent of people attending this event to be locals. I started to invite my young friends to the event now. It’s a window for local youth to peek into a multinational community,” Ping wrote.

The idea was to keep the evenings low-budget – at NT$200, admission is less than one might spend for a couple of hours at a coffee shop or a drink or two at a bar. Asking participants to contribute a bottle of wine or other beverages to the open bar (and bring their own cup or glass) as well as a vegetable or something for the communal stewpot, ensures the limited budget would stretch no matter how many people show up.

As an entrepreneur, Ping feels that it is crucial for The Red Room be self-sustaining. “I am a businessmaker first. This is why I insist on a door fee for The Red Room. Sustainability requires an ecosystem. We are all in this ecosystem. I think The Red Room will evolve on her own term[s] over time. At this moment, it is a private underground party to celebrate intimacy and deep listening. I would like it to become a Mecca for all creative people to mingle and network. It is one of the reasons to create The Red Room. We can become each other’s Daymaker and Ripplemaker,” he wrote. Ayesha and Ping say they look forward to seeing The Red Room evolve organically. “Ayesha, Roma and Manav all agree that we should continue it as a grass[roots] movement that promotes intimacy and sharing. This is why we set up a committee for this event … It is our party, not Ayesha’s or mine. It is created by all lovers of sound and word. We are just a medium or a vehicle to serve,” Ping wrote, listing about a dozen volunteers whose help has been crucial in getting events going.

Ping said he felt blessed to have been involved with The Red Room, because it reflects both his personal and Canmeng Aveda’s corporate belief that people need to get involved in their societies to make the world a better place.

“I want to thank Ayesha to allow me to join her to co-found this dream,” he wrote. “I am honored to launch this movement that celebrates amateurism. To me, the future belongs to amateurism. All significant inventions are from the peripheral. The modern and active amateurs are the new phenomena in the 21st century. I think The Red Room is on the right track.”

“You create the night … what you need and what you want,” Ayesha said, adding, “Everyone who joins the night puts in, whether it be simply listening or watching others or sharing, exactly what they wish the night to be, filling an individual and communal purpose.

We are all joining to write our own Symphony of Place, a piece of our own, a quiet observance of sounds, intention and existence together.”

Stage Time & Wine @ The red room takes place on the 3rd Saturday of each month. For more information, contact red.room.taipei@gmail.com

Join us on the next event on April 17th. Mark your calenders!