Had an amazing conversation over the phone with Y e n L u W o n g. I had googled here based on what little info I had - that she was at U C S D and taught theater - to tell her that I had a book from my mother for her. Turns out she had documented the troupe back in 1976 and kept the films, shot on S8, with the Smithsonian. But wonders! she had also just come back from Yunnan where she was born. Dad was the head of Bank of China so that puts her right up there in KMT China. We have the same ideas about culture, preservation, interpretation of the weaker and the smaller. Plus she was In Tennesse in Knoxville and had an interest in A p p a l a c h i a. I sent her my A p p a l s h o p i n C h i n a article.

Heady day over all. Met up with B a b l o o at the W i t n e s s office, so spanking new ay 8 0 H a n s e n P l a c e I wcouldn't even find the door! S a m and A d i t i were nic eand am not sure why they needed me to recut Tamyaima's Soldiers in Sarongs. The soundtracks are a problem. I spenty 5 nights doing S a n a m a c h a' s S t o r y with M i c h e l l e; can't do it for free. W'll see = but got to ask if Witness might be intersted in funding the film S t e v e n wants to do. I am glad he agrees B should be the central figure, or one of the central figures. Plus W i t n e s s worls with organizations not individuals and I think ours should be an indie. Perhaps F r o n t l i n e.

Over coffee with B we talked about my recnt trip. I told him what I told T a m o G a n g m u m e i : that the problem is that the M e i t e i s do not have a coherent historical vision of their future. Perplexed, he aske me what we should do. What an amazing question. I told him about my projects in re-mapping" - that's about all I can do as a cultural worker. He agrees independence is out of the question, or at least very difficult. Interesting to hear about Lichtenstein's 1993 proposal.

I also tested out my summer epiphany: that we love things mayang and I n d i a n but cannot take to being ruled by them. That I think is a place to start.

I don't think we will have time and space to talk about our film at S's on Thursday. Maybe I will still invite B.