WEBVTT 00:52.819 --> 00:54.287 Meillian’s parents 00:54.287 --> 00:54.887 send her to school 00:54.887 --> 00:57.156 once she reached school age. 00:57.290 --> 00:58.991 She encountered many difficulties. 00:58.991 --> 01:00.660 The children would bully her, 01:00.893 --> 01:03.262 through stones at her, 01:03.262 --> 01:04.530 chase her around with a stick. 01:07.466 --> 01:09.068 The physical inconvenience, 01:09.569 --> 01:11.370 weird stares from other people — 01:11.737 --> 01:13.940 it was like that as she grew up. 01:13.940 --> 01:16.275 She got here one step at a time. 01:16.676 --> 01:17.443 When she was little, 01:17.443 --> 01:19.545 there were two teachers who inspired her greatly. 01:19.912 --> 01:21.447 The first was Mr. Ma Chih-Chiang. 01:21.447 --> 01:22.381 He saw her drawing, 01:22.381 --> 01:24.383 so he went over to Meillian’s desk. 01:24.750 --> 01:27.086 He found that her strokes were full of strength, 01:27.453 --> 01:29.555 her use of colors was bold and unrestrained. 01:30.089 --> 01:31.123 So he told her mother, 01:31.591 --> 01:34.393 “Mrs. Huang, your daughter is very talented.” 01:34.393 --> 01:36.662 “You should cultivate her talent well.” 01:38.231 --> 01:40.933 It was this teacher’s affirmation 01:40.933 --> 01:41.701 that led her to 01:41.701 --> 01:43.336 develop an interest in painting. 01:43.936 --> 01:45.104 In second grade, 01:45.104 --> 01:47.673 she aspired to become a painter. 01:49.709 --> 01:52.111 The other was Ms. Wu Su-Wei. 01:52.111 --> 01:54.213 Meillian often thought others were bullying her, 01:54.480 --> 01:56.115 and she would go to the teacher. 01:56.415 --> 01:57.683 The teacher told her, 01:58.117 --> 01:59.785 “Don’t come to complain every day.” 02:00.319 --> 02:01.153 You should spend your time 02:01.153 --> 02:03.222 on the things you are interested in, 02:03.422 --> 02:05.324 and on the studying that you enjoy. 02:05.958 --> 02:09.161 Ms. Wu Su-Wei changed her perspective. 02:11.964 --> 02:13.866 The whole family moved to the US 02:13.866 --> 02:16.369 when she was 14, in hopes of giving her a better chance. 02:17.436 --> 02:19.538 It was a very famous middle school 02:19.538 --> 02:22.742 for people with varying levels 02:22.742 --> 02:24.710 of disabilities. 02:24.710 --> 02:26.379 They were speaking a different language and were of a different race. 02:27.813 --> 02:29.548 Her classmates wouldn’t make friends with her, 02:29.548 --> 02:31.183 so she became friends with the teachers 02:31.183 --> 02:32.818 and the teaching assistants. 02:33.619 --> 02:35.388 She finally got used to the school 02:36.355 --> 02:38.524 after three whole years. 02:42.495 --> 02:45.331 The pain and stress back then… 02:47.133 --> 02:48.167 she said it was 02:48.167 --> 02:49.435 the second dark period of her life. 02:50.436 --> 02:51.938 During university, 02:51.938 --> 02:54.640 she spent tenfold the amount of time on painting. 02:55.441 --> 02:57.276 She worked hard to prove that 02:57.843 --> 02:59.312 “I am a person.” 02:59.312 --> 03:00.680 “I have my wisdom.” 03:00.680 --> 03:01.948 “I am capable.” 03:01.948 --> 03:03.749 “I will prove it to you.” 03:04.417 --> 03:05.384 And she did it. 03:08.854 --> 03:11.090 After she got her PhD, 03:11.090 --> 03:13.225 she chose to live in Taiwan on her own. 03:15.761 --> 03:17.430 Why choose to live on her own? 03:17.430 --> 03:19.932 Because mom and dad can’t take care of her forever. 03:19.932 --> 03:22.134 She had to face her own life. 03:25.171 --> 03:26.505 She wanted to 03:26.505 --> 03:28.341 take full ownership of her life, 03:28.474 --> 03:29.875 instead of letting other people 03:29.875 --> 03:31.077 make decisions for her. 03:42.922 --> 03:44.590 What I find amazing about Meillian, 03:44.590 --> 03:46.959 is that she’s not afraid of hardships. 03:46.959 --> 03:48.728 She has this resilience. 03:49.028 --> 03:51.697 She was bullied so much as a kid, 03:51.697 --> 03:53.065 misunderstood by others. 03:53.065 --> 03:54.600 But she didn’t give up on herself. 03:55.067 --> 03:57.236 We all judge people based on their appearances. 03:57.236 --> 03:58.204 We say, 03:58.204 --> 03:59.672 “He’s very handsome,” 03:59.672 --> 04:01.440 this person is this… 04:01.440 --> 04:02.575 When we look at her, 04:02.575 --> 04:03.676 some people would make some 04:03.676 --> 04:04.810 negative judgements. 04:04.810 --> 04:05.644 She would say that’s their business, 04:05.644 --> 04:06.512 it has nothing to do with me. 04:06.979 --> 04:08.547 Their opinion is wrong 04:08.547 --> 04:09.715 and that is their business. 04:16.922 --> 04:18.424 Today, Ms. Hwang Meillian 04:18.424 --> 04:20.626 has prepared 4 courses for us. 04:20.626 --> 04:22.895 The first is called Brimming Fortune. 04:23.896 --> 04:26.399 The second is called Roaming Dragon Frolics the Phoenix. 04:26.399 --> 04:29.135 The third is You are the Apple of My Eye. 04:29.135 --> 04:32.004 The fourth is Red Meets Green. 04:32.538 --> 04:33.906 The descriptions are below. 04:33.906 --> 04:34.707 For example, 04:34.707 --> 04:37.777 Brimming Fortune has bell peppers, 04:37.777 --> 04:38.911 wontons, 04:38.911 --> 04:40.146 and also 04:40.146 --> 04:41.647 cheese slices. 04:55.161 --> 04:56.195 You can’t really find 05:11.143 --> 05:13.179 these dishes 05:13.179 --> 05:15.081 outside of here. 05:15.481 --> 05:16.015 Yeah. 05:21.320 --> 05:24.423 Once, she was giving a lecture at Chung Yuan Christian University, 05:24.423 --> 05:25.658 and during the last QA section, 05:25.958 --> 05:27.359 a student asked, 05:27.359 --> 05:28.461 “Dr. Hwang, with a appearance like yours,” 05:28.461 --> 05:29.829 “How do you see yourself?” 05:30.229 --> 05:31.764 Meillian turned around and said, 05:31.764 --> 05:33.466 “I’m adorable.” 05:33.466 --> 05:35.101 “I have long legs.” 05:35.101 --> 05:36.502 “I have a cat that I love,” 05:36.502 --> 05:37.303 “and parents and siblings” 05:37.303 --> 05:38.871 “who love me.” 05:39.271 --> 05:41.807 She said, “I don’t look at what I don't have.” 05:41.807 --> 05:43.542 “I only look at what I have.” 05:46.645 --> 05:48.214 Thunderous applause. 05:49.148 --> 05:51.283 I find her to be so passionate. 05:51.283 --> 05:53.085 That sort of passion 05:53.085 --> 05:55.054 is contagious. 05:55.321 --> 05:56.889 I think that passion 05:56.889 --> 05:58.124 is felt by a lot of people. 05:58.124 --> 06:00.593 Often, when she sees me, 06:00.593 --> 06:01.994 she would hug me so tightly. 06:02.161 --> 06:04.263 Even though she’s unable to speak directly, 06:04.263 --> 06:05.865 she’s very willing to pick up a pen 06:05.865 --> 06:07.433 and keep writing and writing. 06:08.167 --> 06:10.102 She really gives her all. 06:10.102 --> 06:11.437 She’s so genuine. 06:11.804 --> 06:15.141 Her positive mindset 06:15.141 --> 06:18.110 can be conveyed to all her friends. 06:19.945 --> 06:22.248 We can talk about many things, 06:23.082 --> 06:24.116 whether it be art, 06:24.116 --> 06:25.251 literature, 06:25.251 --> 06:26.252 history, 06:26.252 --> 06:27.419 or gossip, 06:27.853 --> 06:30.022 she has enough charm 06:30.022 --> 06:31.657 to appeal to everyone. 06:33.859 --> 06:36.195 Do you like the life you have now? 06:42.768 --> 06:45.104 This is what she wants. 06:45.104 --> 06:46.872 A life that she is in charge of. 06:49.108 --> 06:50.075 To have a cat.