08 January 2009

mystery unveiled

so after i left a note on my neighbor's door, i heard a faint knock. i went to answer it and it was my neighbor saying he had received his note. he said it had been him that flipped it--apparently in the chinese culture, there are a lot of superstitions with mirrors (this is all according to him). he's apparently been having serious nightmares lately, and the mirror is the only thing he could think of that might be causing it. i found an article which states:

"Remove mirrors opposite your entryway door. The mirror will reflect beneficial Chi -- and prosperity -- out of your home before it has a chance to enter. "

the mirror does face his door directly. luckily in my note i had included that if there was a reason for the flipping, i'd be happy to come up with a solution. he even complained to the landlord, asking him to remove the dresser. we, however, have grown attached to it and i would hate to see it leave--it's the only place we can have fresh plants because of the kitties. after speaking with the neighbor for a few minutes, he said it'd be fine if i just covered the mirror. yay! mystery solved, and everyone's happy.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting. I can't believe he just didn't talk to you. He'd rather have a passive-aggressive mirror-flipping standoff. And to even go to the landlord instead of talking to you.

You know, though, it's kind of way more creepy to have a mirror that you had to cover up for some reason. I'd check in with the guy in a month or two. If his situation hasn't improved, point out to him it wasn't the mirror after all and uncover it again.

That said, there are a lot of different ways you could actually make it decorative. You could paint over the mirror and decoupage it. Or if you don't want to permanently alter the mirror, you could put some sort of contact paper or maybe even wallpaper on it.

Anonymous said...

Oh! I thought of a better idea just as I sent my comment.

Fill the mirror space with a picture of you. Take a photo of yourself with no expression whatsoever on your face--just staring at the camera. Blow it up and affix it to the mirror, so that you're now staring at the apartment door. Now THAT'S creepy.

Anonymous said...

Elaine, I'm familiar with the Chinese culture and yes, it is considered very bad luck to have mirrors facing your doorway. I don't think it's nice to play him for a fool.

Since many people aren't superstitious or familiar with this culture, he probably didn't speak directly with her to begin with in fear that he'd sound silly.

bM said...

while i may not fully understand why he didn't say anything (i mean, this is san francisco after all--we're tolerant here, right?), i can understand him not wanting to be judged or thought silly --he did seem relieved when i share that i, too find mirrors creepy at times. i'm going to think about something fun to do with the mirror (for now it's remaining flipped) and i'll keep you posted!

Anonymous said...

Linda:

It was a joke. Of course, "playing him for a fool" is inappropriate and not conducive to healthy neighborly relations.

Oh, and I am part Chinese, so I know a little, too.

bM: Hopefully you got the joke.

bM said...

elaine, i did get the joke--brandon and i got a chuckle out of that suggestion this morning.