琳星记录

起来吧！虽然活着是ＸＸ的累

2010-03-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

站起
倒下
站起
倒下

生活的拳擊賽
日不間斷
憎恨自己的無力博斗
心生恐懼
耳邊溢出的鮮血
意識著神智不清
激烈的戰爭
在腦袋里爆開

爬起
倒下
爬起
倒下

起来吧！虽然活着是ＸＸ的累
總有不倒的那一天

过山车

2010-02-07T04:08:00.001-08:00

脱节的过山车厢
失去后退的机会
没有前进的选择
一直不断往下坠
它怀念稍纵即逝
向上俯冲的岁月

Friends, come knock my head when necessary

2010-01-31T08:56:00.000-08:00

Reading motivational series is not my habit.

But somehow, somewhat, I read A Slice of Life written by Eugene Loh for 938 LIVE! In his article, he wrote about Socrates' Triple Filter Test as a way to practise speaking and communicating effectively.

First filter: Truth
Second filter: Goodness
Third filter: Usefulness

If what you are going to say is not true/not positive/not constructive, then don't say.

Hmm, I'll add another point to the test. It applies to actions too. If your action is going to hurt/offend/upset someone, then don't do.

Just last Saturday morning, I have "successfully" invited wrath from a friend. 5 minutes of face-to-face scolding was all I needed to be reminded(again!!!) to be mindful of my actions.

And then there's this belated birthday present from my friends. They gave me a book to read, every year, without fail. Guess what's the title this time round? The Power of A Woman's Words *faint* It tells you how/what words can make or break a person. And the book is not just about that.

I get it. I really really (x infinity) get it.

Installing filters in between my brain and my mouth and making sure it works would be my ultimate goal of this year.

If you sense that my filters are out of order, please do whatever that is necessary.

Thank you.

Better words/works for the New Year

2010-01-02T09:27:00.000-08:00

To err in words has been one of my long-standing weaknesses. I guess some would share the same struggle with me.

To speak less words of encouragement when I actually meant to say more. To utter words of harshness when it shouldn’t be. To withhold words of care and concern and choose to spike. Too much impulsiveness, too little thoughtfulness.

I cried when I read somebody’s MSN name the other day. I thought, “I wish I could say…” I’m still not saying a word.

Sometimes some of us speak in codes, hoping that the other party understands. Most of the time they never will.

Sometimes we are afraid to show that we care because of fear. We end up appearing cold and indifferent.

Sometimes we hope to patch things up but we thought our words didn’t matter/we are afraid that it wouldn’t be well received/ we don’t wish to put down our pride, blah blah blah…whatever the reason is.

Consider your friends to be your best-kept treasure. If you don’t mend your broken relationship now, when would you do it? The longer the time lags, the more awkward it is. Would you rather wait until the person is long gone? Would you prefer to say years later, “ I shouldn’t have….if only I could...” ?

Friends, let us say more of what we meant to say and give more of what we ought to give for the people who are dear to our hearts this year (on another note, you can show kindness to those you don’t know too). It takes a pint of courage, mixed with wisdom and guidance from above. It is OK if you receive nothing in return. The spirit of giving (mind you, it's not limited to every December) would lead to a better tomorrow.

And possessing such an attitude would be one of my New Year resolutions. =]

Good things to cheer about!

2009-12-26T21:27:00.001-08:00

Two months ago, I told a friend that only one word could describe my 2009. LOUSY.

Feeling down under physically, emotionally and spiritually half of the time, it certainly didn’t feel like a fantastic year. Having experienced sudden chest pain occasionally, I sometimes wonder if I would just collapse on an ordinary day? More often than not, people said, “hey, you look really tired...气色不好...” when I actually didn’t feel that bad, but somehow the words ate into me. OK, so I looked worse this year. And yes, I often feel lethargic (is not the physical health). Too many times I found myself exclaiming “life is such a struggle!” to my most kind and tolerant workplace neighbour, Uncle S. Oh yes, I did attend Bible Study Fellowship classes, but the spiritual walk, in my opinion, is not considered good. Now, don’t you tell me I’m too harsh on myself.

And like so many other people, I go down the route of stocktaking when the year end approaches. Here’s the good stuff I found:

To my wise and discerning friends, appreciate your guidance

To the most studious CL I have ever come across, you spur me onTo the humorous ones, thank you for making me laugh so much

To be seated next to a most encouraging neighbour is one thing I appreciated from the move, which I didn’t like

To the ones whom I scare/disturb on a regular basis, thank you for laughing with me and allowing me to indulge in such “entertainment”

To SN for communicating with me using “wawanese”, it was great fun

To the oh-so-creative one, 你是我创意的泉源. (WL, may your goosebumps rise)

To BSF lessons, for tiding me through the year. It speaks of the love of the omnipotent one whom we tend to forget, even during bad times

Now the good things have outnumbered the bad ones, isn’t it? These are the things to cheer about, to cherish, and be thankful for.

Upon reflection, I didn’t do a fantastic job in the department of words (this is not a spelling error, is about words, not works) and deeds. Did I say something unkind even on Boxing Day? Yes I did. I am sorry.

There’s no point reminiscing about a good 2008, or lamenting a bad 2009 on matters not described above. Move on. Be a better person next year. There is a reason behind every experience, good or bad. The song below by the late Lou Rawls described the gratitude in this season.

Christmas is the time

Christmas is the time when we should get together
To share the happiness and joy
To see the smiling faces of the little girls and boys

Christmas is the time when we should all give thanks
To the Lord above us
For watching over us and sending down His precious love

There are so many things to be thankful for
Our health, our strength, our peace of mind
When we must not forget those less fortunate than us
We must give our love all of the time

Christmas is the time for us to pray together
Give thanks to God above
Christmas is the time for us to share our love
Just as God share His from above

Enjoy the 12 days of Christmas! =]

For Andre(brother/ 老爹*) and Becky =]

2009-11-26T11:04:00.000-08:00

This flash forward poem(don’t read if you hate spoilers) is just for laughs…it would not be recited on the 28th …ha! Sing it to the tune of Joanna Wang’s Tikiville (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCRu_INwWtk) and let me know if you can as I could never, ever manage this!!

Come let us gather
for a celebration

Andre and Becky
the perfect union

And I think everybody here is
serious about partying
and it's quite alright

"Are you sure?
That you’ll be dancing? "
Like in high school musical
and that's quite alright

Oh! Have your hearty meal
Here at St Clare’s Hall
Raise your glasses high
Here at St Clare’s Hall

What you** say
Tis’ your working Saturday
But you really don't care
Yes let's toast to that

What you** say
that you have PSRs to vet
But you really don’t care
Yes let's toast to that

Here you find stuffed turkeys, desserts like bread puddings and other festive dishes tempting
On diet but totally weak to resist here’s where I want to be oh glorious food here I come glorious food here I come

What you** say
Deadlines are not met?
But you really don't care
Yes let’s toast to that

All day long we dance and we sing happy tunes that’s only for this joyous occasion
All the woes and troubles have now disappeared as the hall is filled with cheerful voices and sound of jolly feet tapping on ground

My goodness
all the wedding guests
sitting in this hall
are so good looking

But nobody beats
The dashing groom Andre
The beautiful bride Becky
Smiling in bliss

Now I'm done
with my humble poem
Good food and company
is waiting for me!

*for more information on the uniquely peculiar family structure, feel free to approach Andre, me or my “siblings”, LSM and CL =P
** “you” refers to the PSB guests attending the event

早点回家

2009-10-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

我从来不是一个恋家的人，虽然有时候想有个家可以恋。

偶尔想象如果我每天开心地赶回家，因为能见到……哦，只是一闪而过的念头而已。一个极其奢侈的愿望，一个实现了天就会塌下来的幻梦。作为漂浮的灵魂，与其浪费时间去想一个遥遥无期，还不如专注在辽阔的土壤扩大心的版图。

听到苏打绿的《早点回家》，还是有些感触。

早点回家

那是在被人们感觉遗弃的地方
大马路矮平房黄梅布满闹嚷嚷
生命很短山中开满的果铺成养老枝桠

日子很长只要是站在等孩子的窗
我们都是一个人加上另一个人的长相
时间的墙从他们的手掌到我们的肩膀
流浪星光代替着那么多眼神对我说话

早点回家早点回家
光溜溜黏答答孩提时光被原谅
牵绊绊踉跄跄白发靠我们欣赏
生命很长美好或者悲伤细数也数不完

日子很短只要是陪在孩子的身旁
心款款影恍恍牵手的步履成双
天茫茫月苍苍你们的流域回荡

笑吟吟声缓缓
尽头前的路暖暖
泥土中央屋瓦顶上升起太阳

携手了半个世纪，在生命最后一段路依旧相互扶持，很温暖的一首歌，却不概括所有人的经历。

换个角度看，依旧能得暖意。其实回得了家，就是件值得感恩的事了。

安静

2009-09-21T03:39:00.000-07:00

爱嬉闹的天使

转身

默念殷切的祷告

无声表达由衷的关怀
寄不出字里行间的鼓励

选择隐形穿梭虚拟空间探听消息

她

其实很安静

Perth.1: 窗外

2009-09-07T22:54:00.000-07:00

2/9/09

喜欢靠窗的座位。放眼望去，是不同色泽的蓝，我贪恋的蓝。
谁说蓝色代表忧伤？很不恰当，蓝天怎会苦着脸？那应该是灰灰的阴天。

今天密密麻麻的白云象特大羊毛棉球（人未到，脑海已浮现遍地是牛羊的画面），挺可爱的。

每一次离开地球表面看天空，意味着下一次的旅程，又是宠自己的时刻。

Perth International Airport

柏斯从不在我的places to go list，持着便宜机票，抱着到此一游就好(不可能重游了啦)的心态，来到袋鼠之乡。在机场遇见两个BSF的朋友，未免太巧了！

ML姐姐开车啰

ML自2003考到驾照后就没有开车了。EL和我竟然在异乡坐她的乘客,真是几"幸运"!!=P

午夜漫无目的的乱走,只拍到一树的荒凉。算了，还不如回Criterion Hotel 睡大觉。这个地方啊，可是我住过的旅店中最老旧的哦。单看我们房间的这一道门, 不难想象吧……哈哈。

Pixar Rules =]

2009-08-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

Never have I cried within the first 10 minutes of an animation…but UP did it to me! GOSH. Even though there’s so many hilarious moments in the film, tears still flow( I shall use a pail when I watch it again) when Carl saw the final note from Ellie, to thank him for the adventure of their marriage, and to encourage him to go on an adventure of his own. Carl finally relinquished the house, realizing that the wonderful memories, not the possessions, was all he needed to remember Ellie. He already had her ingrained in his heart. With that, he moved on to touch other people’s lives. =]

Hats off to the director, for imparting such poignant lessons of life.

Just when I thought WALL-E’s robotic version of otaku meets sassy girl was unbeatable. UP came to break new grounds.

UP is Pixar’s 10th feature film and definitely at its best (credits to its nostalgic soundtrack too). I must say unapologetically, that their films are a cut above the rest (not comparing animations from other countries).

Behind the radical approach and creativity, one sees Pixar’s commitment to tell good stories illustrating simple yet timeless truths. Pixar films are incredibly funny, sad and wise. You don’t just watch it for a laugh, you’ll learn as well.

On a light hearted note, I sometimes wonder if Pixar’s past works had an indirect impact on me(and friends), subconsciously. I’ll name a few here:

1. Toy story 1 & 2 – perhaps it is a prelude to the birth of the story of Patrick, Eeyore, Da Dong and friends?

2. Monsters, Inc – maybe that’s how I got into the habit of scaring people? =P

3. The Incredibles – is Jac Jac a parallel to Jack Jack?

4. Ratatouille – aptly nicknamed ‘mouse’ for the love of food?

I guess it takes a child in you to appreciate animations. I hope, that these may never depart from me…a childlike sense of wonder…an insatiable curiosity… a vivid imagination and…a spirit for adventure (doesn’t need to be South America)=P

NB: Come get Pixar soundtrack and short films from me, if you wish. =]

A Good Script

2009-07-31T21:29:00.000-07:00

Brozeit

C and I had supper after watching The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged).

One of the my favourite moment was when Hamlet was done backward(imagined Ophelia undrowning. Haha) You have to see it, I couldn't describe it.

And we started to talk about our lives, backward.

With gladness in our hearts, we shared about what the good Lord had done in our lives, and marvelled at how He shaped circumstances, for the better. The tenacity and resilience built in me didn't come naturally, for this I am grateful.

The play was London's longest-running comedy(10 years at the Criterion Theatre!), C exclaimed that all that was needed a good script, so they could carry on doing this for years to come. Wow.

Life is like a script. Any wrong move or poor decision would result in a lousy script that brings regrets.

O Lord, give us a humble heart that allow you to write good scripts of our lives. Amen.

Message Decoded

2009-07-25T11:33:00.001-07:00

“You know we spend so much of our lives not saying the things we want to say. The things we *should* say. We speak in code, we send little messages. Origami... So now, plainly, simply, I want to say that I love you both.” -Michael Scofield, Prison Break: The Final Break

Why do people find it easier to speak in code than to put things in simple words?

A Spirited Affair

2009-07-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

24/7/09
Brauhaus

Need a lift in your mood? Try having a spirited affair! =]

I have mine with A and the two Cs. Chairman M, altruism did cost you much. =P

" He who drinks gets drunk
He who gets drunk falls asleep
He who falls asleep does not sin
He who does not sin goes to heaven
So let us drink...
... and go to heaven" ---- print on Brauhaus' menu

And a heavenly time indeed it was, with the outpouring of beer and the indulgence of calories, plus my little occasional thoughts that the crocodile dish resembled white meat, tasted like chicken and hence, more healthy. Haha.

Amidst the chaos of the world, I'm thankful to be blessed with a jolly good circle of friends.

I shall not go into the details of the discussion, but I shall leave you with this quote of early (obviously obsolete) English that I came across in some literature. Surely you could figure out what it means. =P

"A friend is in prosperitie a pleasure, a solace in aduersitie, in griefe a comfort, in ioy a merrye companion.....I cannot tell, whether the immortall Gods haue bestowed any gift vpon mortall men, either more noble, or more necessary, then friendship...." - Lyly's Euphues

I fully agree.

Sidetrack:
I'm not done with blogging on Taiwan trip. The last entry would be up before I leave for Perth. =P

Taiwan #8：心里留个位子给你

2009-06-19T10:43:00.000-07:00

13/6/2009

在台湾不吃吃喝喝，就是对不起自己。

上次的台湾行，就列出食物大清单。这次懒得做总结,只挑几个提。

就提随便炒都很好吃的台湾蔬菜吧。在新加坡可不是这个情形哦。

在花莲如诗如画的民宿吃到五色早餐，右上角的卷曲蔬菜叫过沟菜蕨(jue2) 。回国后好奇地上网搜寻它的庐山真面目，没料到竟是普遍见到的fern……

清翠爽口的山苏，在本地吃不到，在台湾有机会时就点这个。谁知上网一查，竟是新加坡遍“树”（you see them on rain trees often)都是的bird nest fern！哈哈！

当然，渔港的海鲜必吃，深坑老街的臭豆腐也必吃，水果随便哪种都好吃，但至于冰淇淋/雪糕嘛……就免了吧。给了台湾土产冰淇淋两次机会，每次都很失望咧。

我会怀念鲁肉饭……就算是本地分行，吃起来感觉还是不同的……

有杨妹妹在,真好

有个特别的小妹妹，不得不提。

它的存在，为我们三人增添许多欢乐哦。它举手投足又馋嘴的模样很憨，很好笑。

逗得大家很乐的杨妹妹（YX姑丈姓杨），姐姐们下次回来看你！

北投还没去？
下次吧！

墾丁还没去？

下次吧！

在诚品翻阅彭于晏的墾丁15X6 ，下次的计划，已有雏形。=P

台湾东南西北中，等待无限的下次。未来的旅途，我会留个位子给你。

小朋友们说：

台湾的50岚（KOI）泡泡茶，某些口味新加坡可没有哦！！

Taiwan #7：掉队的狼

2009-06-19T10:15:00.000-07:00

12/3/2009

诚品/新光三越/五分铺/中正纪念堂/紫藤芦/台大夜市/师大夜市

前天才光顾台东的诚品，今天又去，可说是三逛诚品了。爱泡台湾的书局，不用言语形容，所以就不多说了。哈哈。

上次在日本旅行时看到同样内容的列车告示，新加坡的地铁很需要贴这个吧？和他国安静的列车比起来，新加坡的简直是……怎一个“吵”字了得？=[

还没到中正纪念堂前，和友人分头逛。我二探五分铺，发现原来星期五可是特价日哦！所以各位想拼经济的话，就选星期五好了！

中正纪念堂是一栋为纪念中华民国前总统蒋中正（字介石）而兴建的纪念建筑, 也常是大型艺文活动的场地。太阳底下，整个广场都挤满了排练军乐或舞蹈的学生。

紫藤芦原是日据时期海军职务宿舍，80年代改建成人文茶艺馆，是艺文界人士发表创作、演说或聚会的地方。

不是文人、更不是品茶能手，我只是个解渴歇脚的过客。

可能是气候的关系，在新加坡不可能完成的“壮举”，竟然在台北办得到！一路走走逛逛，在忠孝新生站到台电大楼站，有7个列车站的距离（回国只要从一个地铁站走到另一个就能热死在汗水里*YUCKS！！*）！！YX姑丈和姑姑都惊讶于我们的能耐！

从台大夜市走到师大夜市，没品尝到令人回味的美食，反而喝了史上最难喝的珍珠芋香奶茶。=[

今天最好吃的，反而是YX姑丈带回来的台湾啤酒、盐酥鸡、甜不辣和臭豆腐。累了，前几天说好要去的台湾啤酒餐厅，就留到下次吧。

掉队的狼

根据FACEBOOK的"which animal represents your spirit?"，我是一匹狼。我想，我就是那匹老是掉队的狼。每次在不同的情况下失散，每次都被寻获。

对不起，又让你们担心了。

谢谢你，不离弃我的朋友。

Taiwan #6：大风吹吹绿岛

2009-06-16T02:01:00.000-07:00

11/6/2009

绿岛

清晨7点，我们启程到富冈渔港乘船到绿岛。一路上，民宿老板一直感慨台东的就业机会少，年轻人往外头跑，留下的多是老人。他衷心地希望台东会好起来。在我看来,台东的城市规划胜过花莲。但为何花莲比较热门呢？唉，如果市政府和旅游局不做点事宣传台东的话，那从心出发的服务精神，世人怎能知晓？

绿岛这个海上乐园，适合骑脚车或电单车兜风。岛上有出租这些交通工具。但由于我们“情况特殊”（两个不会骑脚车，全都不会电单车。唉），所以驾卡车的浮潜教练得兼做司机哦。

其实卡车游绿岛也是新奇的体验。对自己的摄影技巧挺满意的，在卡车行驶时一边保持平衡，一边忙拍照, 拍出来的效果还不错吧？=P

第一次浮潜（snorkelling），惊讶四周漂亮的珊瑚礁海底景观其实非常靠近海岸（我泳术只能用“烂”形容，离岸太远我会担心的。=P），加上极佳的能见度，可以清楚看见我到底喂了什么鱼儿。哈哈！可是浮潜教练的一句“你头发长那么多干嘛，象海草一样！”，让我觉得……怎么头发多都会被“酸”啊?

[Afternote:I bought a waterproof camera.....for the next trip("_) ]

接下来的朝日温泉，是露天海水温泉浴。自己去想象边泡温泉边看大鹿追小鹿，是怎样的感受吧。只不过，35度的气候，下了温泉，水也不热。等下了水，我们才明白为何早些时候别人会推荐晚上才在绿岛泡温泉，不只水的温度有变，还可以欣赏夜空的星星呢。

岛上某些商店都提醒我们，绿岛本是监狱（1970-1987年）哦！

连我们的浮潜教练兼司机都挺有江湖味的。呵呵呵。

岛上的风很大。我从来没有感受过如此强劲的风。在码头拍照，差点就要站不稳脚步。

当我们在东部享受艳阳天时，台北已经下了几天的大雨。我祈求好天气。感谢主，赐予我们每天的晴空万里。

虽然大热天窝在民宿也很舒服，但留下快乐的足迹、拥抱令人心醉的蓝天，
任由潇洒的风梳理头发，是更大的幸福。
我会记得那一片蔚蓝。

小朋友们有话说：

海风强得差点把我们吹走！好险！

不过能吃到美味的芋头地瓜海草冰，

冒险也值得。=P

Taiwan #5：田园诗人

2009-06-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

10/6/2009

花莲县->>台东县（森林公园/海滨公园）

在城市住太久了。

一打开玻璃窗，就可以欣赏戶外悠然绿山。感觉是有点不寻常的欣喜若狂。

用相机在民宿前后左右不停捕捉田园画面。捕捉不到的，就用耳朵收录虫鸣鸟叫，用眼睛记录漫天飞舞的蝴蝶和蜻蜓。

上午到附近的瑞穗牧场，真是浪费时间。多数的牛儿都在防疫中，实在没什么好参观的。

早知道就多点时间陪民宿里的大雄、小爱（狗狗）和大咪（猫咪）玩。它们真的很可爱哦。

静芦是瑞穗最偏远的一家民宿。如果你不乘搭德士，是哪里都不用去的。在这个美到冒泡的民宿，与其拼更多的旅游景点，倒不如尽情享受每个慵懒的时刻。

你看，中东在这里怡然自得，多乐！

室内:

老板（身穿黑色线条衣服）精心布置的摆设，让你无论看书、玩游戏或闲聊都一样自在。

户外:

米老鼠和小矮人都是快乐的移民。=P

下次有机会重游，就挑个天气凉爽的季节，赖在那里做田园诗人。=P

往台东的途中，看车窗外连绵的中央山脉和无尽的稻田，听卢广仲的《100种生活》，试图整理思绪。下一站的生活，要选择什么，放弃什么？答案的明确度只有50% 。无限的可能有待商榷。哈哈。

一般人到台东，都是为了去绿岛。在没抵达绿岛之前，先给台东一个机会，把它玩透透吧。去森林公园感受绿草碧茵，到海滨公园吹海风散散步看夕阳，饱览东海岸之美。

台东朝日度假别墅的李老板，服务水平好，不只专车接送到民宿，也把台东和绿岛能吃能玩的说得很详细。迷路时，还很不好意思地麻烦他出来载我们回去。台东人的热心，我们感受得到。谢谢你们！骑电单车帮我们找方向的两个女生！指引我们找好吃的路人！

小朋友们有话说：
静芦是我们的游乐场！！YEAH！！

Taiwan #4：游走山水间

2009-06-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

9/6/2009

太鲁阁峡谷

好个健康的一天。

多半时间在太鲁阁峡谷步行，能不健康吗？

如果在新加坡，我就不走了。热死了。溶掉了。还好，这是台湾，热也有风在吹。=] 看大自然的鬼斧神工，为山谷雕塑印第安人头像，为水开辟大道。

午间在天祥青年活动中心享用八菜一汤，却遇到不为别人着想的外国旅客。拜托，公筷明明摆在那儿却不用，还霸着一道菜，一桌有12个人，却好意思让其他人吃骨？在巴士上听他对其他旅客说神在第七天创造美丽的Rio de Janeiro（他不是巴西人），我直翻白眼。还好只是个Day Tour。*Phew*

路经七星潭，原来这里靠近空军基地！

傍晚抵达瑞穗静芦度假别墅，是当天的Highlight。单看网上相簿就很期待，身处绿意围绕的山野之间，我们热切迎接明天美丽的早晨!

小朋友们有话说：
今天又吃水果又远足的, 真是快乐的一天!

Taiwan #3：一起出海赏鲸豚去

2009-06-15T09:44:00.000-07:00

8/6/2009

花莲县

今天离开YX姑姑家, 朝花莲出发!

盛夏的6月,是赏鲸豚的好天气。

强劲的海风、溅起的海浪、湿了的衣服，增添了鲸豚的兴致。

虽说在花莲东海岸出没的鲸豚有多种，但可以看到热带斑海豚(Spotted Dolphin)、伪虎鲸（False Killer whale）和瓶鼻海豚（Bottlenose Dolphin），已算幸运。毕竟是我们创入它们的地盘，自由的个体，可不是为游客停留的！当然，要捕捉它们的水上英姿也是超难的……

傍晚回到六福客栈（很有武侠小说的味道吧？呵呵）歇息片刻，晚上出来用餐，发现花莲正如早前赏鲸豚时的导游所说的，好山好水, 可是晚上好无聊!

实在没什么好逛的，就当散步吧，在街上漫无目的地走。偶然走进一家卖麻糬的店，还真不巧听到这样的对话。

一脸茫然的顾客：“什么是端午节？”

惊讶的店员：“就是吃粽子的节日啰，你们来自哪里？”

顾客：“新加坡。”

*晕倒*

那是几个年纪不小（50岁以上）的新加坡人。在国外，我可不想碰到同国籍的人。=[

Taiwan #2：吃一个不能说的秘密

2009-06-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

7/6/2009

深坑老街/猫空/台北101/诚品信义旗舰店/五分埔/Mr.J意法厨房

我以为我永远都不想，也不敢吃臭豆腐。

结果大错特错，真是世事无绝对。哈哈。

清晨起得早，YX姑丈和姑姑带我们到深坑老街品尝臭豆腐。真不知哪里来的勇气，从来不吃臭豆腐的我却一次过吃下油炸臭豆腐、泡菜臭豆腐、红烧臭豆腐、臭豆腐卷等，而且还是不可思议的好吃！！！！相比之下，那些顺便路过吃的花生碎香菜冰淇淋薄饼（冰淇淋不好吃），炸鹌鹑蛋（普通啦），仙草奶冻（还不错）都黯然失色到离谱。

吃完一系列口味颇重的臭豆腐，接下来到猫空茗茶。猫空茶馆林立，是个休闲的好地方。有人可是每星期都去那里报到的！

拼搏完台北101+诚品书店+五分埔后，拖着疲劳的身躯到台北医学大学……吃晚餐！！搞不懂周董为何会选择在这里设立店面。话说回来，这里环境不错，价钱不算太贵。喜欢电影《不能说的秘密》？那你一定会喜欢这里。=]

我想，Optimus Prime应该是周杰伦心目中的英雄吧！=P

小朋友们有话说：

中东：在高山上茗茶，顿时间大家都成了文人雅士……
Patrick：Mr.J意法厨房的pasta份量很大，我饱到不行！
小小驴没有话说。它只会吃……

Taiwan #1: 我回来了=]

2009-06-14T20:37:00.000-07:00

6/6/2009

桃园竹围渔港

阔别两年。

想你的我,终于回来了。

新加坡的天很蓝，但我执意迷恋台湾的天空。

抵达桃园，已是夕阳。

一到机场, 托YX的福,有劳她的姑丈和姑姑来接我们。多谢啦！二话不说，直奔竹围渔港吃晚餐！

单看店面，是否让你想起新加坡卖的五香摊位？经营手法一样啊，可是菜色丰富许多。有酥炸的各种鱼类、蚵仔、章鱼、软壳蟹等等，我的胃好忙！=P

夜晚的渔港是宁静的。不过看停泊的船只，还是可以想象白天的热闹。

回台北的路途，不熟悉路段的YX姑丈迷路了。看他和YX姑姑在前座你一句我一句的，后座的我们一直笑。我找不到合适的词汇。可以用温馨的画面来形容吗？呵呵。

在廖无人烟的公路上迷路，感觉竟如此舒适安心。在这个悠闲的假期，把迷路当兜风，一样快乐。=]

到了台北，YX姑丈一时兴起，把大伙儿全载到位于建国啤酒厂的台湾啤酒346仓库餐厅，谁知餐厅11时就不能点菜。=[ 各位想去的话，可以选择周五或六晚上10点前，有乐团驻唱哦。

扑了个空没关系，开车到附近的长安东路一段，海鲜店多的是。边喝台湾啤酒边吃小菜，别有一番滋味。

这次随行的，还有迷你海星Patrick，小小驴和小猴中东。就让它们向大家打个招呼吧！

中东：我左顾小小驴，右罩Patrick，回国好向M和SL交代。（它成了大哥）

小小驴：第一次出国吃东西，好兴奋！=] （它只顾吃……）

Patrick：有两个哥哥陪我玩，很开心！

玩味真实

2009-05-03T03:47:00.000-07:00

“真实这个东西，不管被你丢得多远，它一定会找到路回家，回到你身边的。”-- 《模仿犯》

简直是从事调查工作（不管调查什么都好）的金句。从我欣赏的书中人物之一口中而出，这下我可记好了。刚开始还后悔看这本长篇小说（千多页数，看得晕头转向），后来才发觉坚持下去是对的。不然可丢了好句了。哈哈。

这年头，真实可复杂呢。应时改变的真实，它的名字叫真实吗？

到底是最多人支持的言论？还是权威发表的理论？还是报道最频繁的新闻？

其实都不是。

得锻炼自己的洞察力(discernment)取得。不简单。

心理测验 - 测试你的疯狂程度？

2009-04-18T02:15:00.000-07:00

颇具娱乐性的心理测验，先测试一下(click on images)，再告诉你由来吧。

我的PSI到底是多少？嘿嘿。请报上你的PSI, 答案才会揭晓。

要不是Yahoo!Briefcase在3月30日‘寿终正寝’，我大概也不会想到把多年前的拙作浮上台面。

1998年，《华韵23》（an annual publication of the Chinese Society of the then HCJC) 编委会以疯为主题，用不同的层面诠释何为疯狂。而心理测验，是探讨话题的开端。

还依稀记得，RC和我在Right Wing的class bench上，胡乱涂鸦。之前RC到IMH参观，通过涂鸦来透悉精神状态的灵感从之而来。

当时的我还为把Pollutant Standards Index （那时的印尼森林大火使本地的PSI指数暴升）改成Psychological State Indicator 而沾沾自喜。现在看来，只不过如此而已。

心理测验是胡诌啦, 可别对测试结果太认真哦。

和XR联手瞎扯乱编的《疯神榜》，我负责古代版，XR写现代版。一切纯属娱乐。

9个编委加起来不等于12篇专题 + 编辑新诗/散文/小说 + 举办文学创作比赛而已。

稚气的天马行空，如今只剩下记忆。

好象离题了。

但思绪本来就是零星。

大东不爱新居

2009-03-28T23:29:00.000-07:00

3月27日

搬家记

大家好，我是大东。

我的姐姐早些时候改编了一首“深获好评”的搬家歌，现在已经累到不行，所以就由我代她写吧！

我不喜欢新家，因为座位真是......我把双手伸直就几乎能碰到新桌子的两端了。=[

再也不能翻筋斗，连伸个懒腰都要三思，不然可能会打到背对背的朋友!

教练A.W 可能会叫我在地上练习（YOG日渐逼近），因为桌子没有空间!!

这里“山高路远”，空气稀薄；用力呼吸，我需要多一点空气!!!

这真是在逆境中磨练毅力啊！顽强斗志力的我穷则变，变则通!!!! 朋友们，加油吧!一起动动脑筋，we will overcome!

Let's Sing!!!

2009-03-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

An apt song for the move soon...

座位本来刚刚好为何现在却这么小?
(为什么?)
桌子怎能那么小, 玩具们都没位了
(市道不好)
搬"家"了搬"家"了我要搬"家"了
(我的心情很沉重) =[
亲爱的一楼朋友我会想念你们

Sing to the tune of the classic 1988 Scott's Emulsion Advertisement.

A pity that I only managed to find the Cantonese version on Youtube.

小小驴上屋顶

2009-03-13T23:15:00.000-07:00

LOOF

咦，小小驴怎么又回来了？

哦，原来他老爸在维护社会安全，三缺一的情况下，就来段友情客串。呵呵。

路过的侍应生，心里无不讶异：这个小小不点在这里干什么？？？（还好没挂 Underaged Baby Animals Are Not Allowed 的告示牌。不然，小小驴可火大了）。

小小驴虽然小，却有大大的肚量。别人的眼光他才不理会，自己快乐比较重要。

人生得意须尽欢，莫使金樽空对月！

不得了！引用浪漫诗人李白的《将进酒》，真不愧是饱读诗书的‘才驴’！想回顾小小驴其他‘惊人绝技’，请看这里。=P

三人行

2009-03-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

3月11日

Firestation Hillside Gastro bar

友情，是调剂生活的必须品。

美食，宠爱自己的非奢侈品。

和A&A的聚餐，是两者完美的结合。

A+A+J的组合不常见，但每次一聚，总有新发现、新知识。三个豁达潇洒的人（再自夸下去应该会被丢鸡蛋。=P 呵呵。）擦出火花，是一件乐事。

把握每次在一起的机会，日后在他乡再见，一起缅怀过去！

Not another chance

2009-02-20T09:25:00.000-08:00

再也不想看村上春树（Haruki Murakami）的小说了。

"He's a grey old man, you are too sunny for him." WL 说。

的确，首次尝试读他的长篇小说《挪威的森林》，透不出一道阳光的文笔，我看得辛苦。

好不容易读完，不外是欣赏他富诗意的句式而已。不是不能接受荒凉、空虚和无奈弥漫整部小说，但通过村上春树的笔触，感觉更加强烈。

“….我并不是完全在生你的气，我只是觉得很寂寞而已。因为虽然你对我很亲切，但我却似乎帮不上你任何忙的样子。你老是关在自己的世界里，我叩叩叩叩地敲门…..你也只是稍微抬起眼睛来而已，似乎马上又转回去了…”

“不管你拥有什么样的真理都无法治愈失去所爱的哀伤。不管什么样的真理、什么样的诚实、什么样的坚强、什么样的温柔，都无法治愈那哀伤。我们只能走过那哀伤才能脱离哀伤，从其中学到些什么。而学到的这什么，对于下一个预期不到的哀伤来临时，仍然也毫不能派上用场。”

真是要命的文字。

管他什么改编成什么电影，还是算了吧，免得踏出戏院的沉重。

管他什么畅销小说，我还是看那些推理的、悬疑的、励志的、哲理的吧。

这个周末，去买东野圭吾的《嫌疑犯X的献身》。电影即将上映哦。呵呵。

一切都好

2009-02-16T07:55:00.000-08:00

2月14—15日

Car Boot Sale, Big Splash

多亏M的锼主意，大家才会到Car Boot Sale 玩玩。

本来只是想玩清货游戏，结果个个都晒成......C.L变成名副其实的焦糖。=P

各位想到Car Boot Sale大显身手的朋友，千万不要抱着赚一笔的心态去哦。因为到那里逛的人啊，budget真是低到谷底。所以，不要太认真的好。就当做和朋友/家人一起消磨时间好了！

不过你是买家的话，这倒是个捡便宜货的地方。尤其是sale快接近尾声，价钱压更低的时候，就可以目睹有人以狂风扫落叶的速度把货品扫光！

但其实sale的第二天我是心不在焉的。友情是奇怪的东西。认识一个朋友十多年，我以为自己懂了她，又忽然间什么都不懂。我不惊讶，但心很空洞。整个下午，简讯在新加坡的两端来回飞驰。两人都激励对方，但心情一样灰。我们抱着同样的希望，希望我们的朋友，可以为她自己加油。

幸好，抬头一看，天空是蓝的。

幸好，我有沉默的空间。

幸好，周围的气氛还算是欢愉的。

我感谢, 在我身边的一切。

Blessed, indeed (^_^)

2008-12-28T10:23:00.001-08:00

Went to a record number of five Christmas Parties this year. No, this is not a description of the parties.

Casting the feasts and gift exchange aside, Christmas is about the gift of God, Jesus Christ, to this world. Without Christmas, the world is a much harsher place, isn't it? Looking back, it never ceases to amaze me how faith was introduced to me. Our God is creative with a sense of humour. With all things work for the good of those who love Him, He led people to faith through unimaginable ways.

Imagine LOTR! Little did I know that as a non-believer, the seed was planted as I browsed through literature on LOTR indiscriminately at the libraries. Why would I bother to read "Finding God in the Lord of the Rings" if not for the love of the story?

The initial obsession was skin deep (elves made their mark!Hah!), but as I studied deeper into the literature, theological themes such as the triumph of humility over pride, the battle of good versus evil, the seven sins(referring to the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life) and of repentance, redemption, free will, justice(the list goes on and on) slowly seeped into my mind.

Not doubt the theme of industrialization and war were also evident in LOTR, but, in Tolkien's words, LOTR was fundamentally a religious work to him. I shall not dwell on Catholic and Christianity here, as Tolkien's a Catholic. Reading critical analysis of LOTR written by Christian writers had sparked curiosity and cast questions over my head. That was how the foundation was laid since 2001, unconscious to me at that point of time, consciously so much later.

And then came the catalysts in 2003 and 2004. I thank God for the people that He brought into my life. Distressing though some events maybe, that became the turning point. No more turning back since Oct 2004. Though some things did not make sense initially, I thank Him for the wisdom to figure things out later. For some other issues, I am still figuring things out, but I know God already has a good plan.

We love because He first loved us. This season, let us remember how lavish His love is for mankind, and may He has mercy on us, as wretched beings, who forget his love too easily, be forgiven. With such a loving God watching over me, there's no need to worry. Have peace in the heart and stay joyful! For I am blessed. =)

大东出游记

2008-12-22T10:37:00.000-08:00

12月19日
圣诞将至,在办公室陪了姐姐一整年的大东很兴奋!
一年回家庆祝圣诞一次, 真是乐翻天! 还没到家前,先大快朵颐一番, 再到Patrick老爸的家拜访吧! 还可以结交新朋友呢!

大东第一次和哥哥姐姐们出门, 开心到想请客（大家都心知肚明，它没有这个能力）。虽然它握着帐单，不过最后付钱的还是大人。呵呵。虽然没有在外用餐过，不过餐桌礼仪它懂哦，而且胃口超好。满桌的黄梨炒饭、辣椒炒蕹菜、虾酱鸡和香酥炸鱼，一扫而空！

到了Patrick老爸家，大东竟和高龄20的忠犬一见如故！这一老一少在沙发上相谈甚久。大东对这位前辈充满敬意。原来，这忠犬跟了主人走遍新、美、台三地，岁月的痕迹，全写在脸上。除了忠犬，大东也有幸认识了树熊Rainbow和棕熊Brownie等。能在一天认识那么多新朋友，大东乐得很！

不只这样，大东也体会到M，AW，ML, ,S 和C众哥哥姐姐这一年都很疼爱它。满心喜悦的大东，隔天就随姐姐回家过Starlight Christmas！大东除了感恩外，也祈祷来年是个充满信心和希望的一年！=D

JAPAN 完结篇：下次,就去这些地方吧

2008-12-22T10:30:00.002-08:00

九天日本行之后的感想……
必备1 -日语手册

由于我们是自由行，每天都要问路。如果你不会日语，就一定要靠日语手册。在日本九天，我们在街上只遇到一个会说英语的人（而且说得很溜，因为她正计划到外国工作呢）。虽然语言不通，非常感谢当地人的热心。我们心领了。=D

必备2 - 超过两个轮子的行李箱

J到了东京时，行李箱的轮子掉了一个。拖着单轮的行李箱走，感觉很不好受！

必备3 - ￥和信用卡

在东京要刷卡，在其他地方就用现金。我吸取了教训，下次不敢了。要谢谢贴心的VVN，让我有剩余的钱在东京花。

还有，下榻的旅店最好靠近主线JR 线列车，因为有电动扶梯。支线，象Metro Line 之类的，要扛着行李箱上下梯级，很累！

乘搭日本的列车，看到“Please sat your mobile phone to silent mode and refrain from talking on the phone”的告示。心想，如果本地也有这个，多好，乐得我耳根清静。不过，本地人也会置之不理哦。而且那里的月台虽然兜售食物，还是很清洁，本地会做到这点吗？我看，算了吧！

应该是人口老化的关系，日本境内的医院多得吓人。尤其是京都，一条街就有好几间医院，而且那里没有半点类似本地私人诊疗所的，全都是几层楼的医院。我想另一个原因是烟客多吧，哈哈。售卖香烟的自动贩卖机，多得不胜枚举。象麦当劳有冷气的地方也设吸烟区，实在不习惯。个人认为，在冷气的地方设吸烟区，真是废！根本没有用！

在京都拿到的免费黑色纸巾，就送给大东吧！长得很象它哦！

我知道，总有一天会重返日本的。下次想去哪里？撇开北海道不谈（那里要花一星期），就列出以下的：

1）安藤忠雄的光之教堂- 感受透过十字的光的力量。其实安藤忠雄也设计了风之教堂和水之教堂（人称教堂三部曲），但光之教堂是较具盛名的。

2）博物馆/美术馆 - 东京国立近代美术馆、东京国立博物馆、箱根的博物馆，和宮崎骏有关联的动画美术馆吉卜力博物馆

暂时就这样，其他的，下次再想吧。哈哈！

JAPAN DAY 9: 幸运星

2008-12-22T10:30:00.001-08:00

11月16日
东京 - 明治神宫/ 竹下通

抓紧日本行的最后一天！出发！

穿越日本最大的鸟居(就是颇似中国之牌坊建筑)，我们撑着伞通往明治神宫。一路上，最清晰的，是脚踏碎石的声音。

尽管天是灰蒙蒙的，我们却是幸运的。11月15日原来是七五三节庆典。每年的这一天,五岁的男孩,七岁与三岁的女孩都要穿上传统服饰,前往神宫谢恩祈福(其实不就是父母的主意嘛)。

难怪下着细雨，爸妈们也务必要携着和服盛装的小朋友到神宫一趟。不过看到那么多全家福，画面其实蛮温馨的。

不用说，神宫内游人们的相机又咔嚓不停！

不只这样，当天还可以看到婚礼在神宫内进行。都说我们是超幸运的。嘿嘿。

去了竹下通，有种走宝的感觉。早知道昨天应该来……这里的价格和新加坡的Far East 近似，比较负担得起。哈哈。可惜我们只有一小时，不能尽兴逛，结果只能用剩余的钱买冬季限定的巧克力和啤酒之类的。=D

JAPAN DAY 8: 城市.记忆

2008-12-15T08:29:00.000-08:00

11月15日
东京 - 浅草寺/涉谷/原宿/表参道/六本木/秋叶原

一早赶到浅草寺，有回到京都二三年坂的感觉，没有石阶梯，街景也大不相同，而是因为大家忙着买手信呢！哈哈！

之后的午餐是回转寿司，可惜我胃病依然没好，吃了少过10个，真是缔造了历史新低。唉。顺便一提，寿司的盘子都设条码。只要扫遍盘边就能付账。怎么在科技尖端的新加坡，还没有这个呢？实在拿我的胃没办法，只好试试SY的朋友W的神奇胃药。果然，吃了很快就好！厉害！谢谢！*鞠躬*

胃好，就有力气走远路。但逛完涉谷和原宿，还是双手空空，因为东西很贵。一件T恤要90新币。*晕* 当然也有能买的啦, 只是我没卡(真是疯了，千万别学我不带卡)又没钱，只好作罢。

最夸张的，莫过于H&M，得出动警察在街道维持等待进商店的长长人龙，新加坡好象还没到这个地步吧？

终于看到奇装异服的青少年……

灯火通明的表参道，是比乌节路高档得多的商店街……

晚上8时，VVN的日本同事Mayako约我们匆匆赶到位于秋叶原的cosplay服饰店。原来店面8.30pm就打烊，不然就来不及了。老实说，要不是Mayako的坚持，我们是绝不可能以校服/女仆的造型拍照的。而我，因为短发的关系，还是帅气的女警制服比较合适。=P 这里禁止照相，只能用店里的polaroid （很贵！每张500日圆[$7.50!]），谢谢Mayako自掏腰包请我们！

亏待我的胃几餐后，终于恢复正常的食欲！Mayako 带我们到@Home Cafe ，感受秋叶原独有的女仆咖啡座文化体验（虽然新加坡也有，不过单看网上评论，水准差得远啰！）。

走进店里，男顾客都用奇异的眼光来看我们（他们可能觉得我们疯了），因为我们是……店里唯一的女顾客……

Mayako解释说，通常这些店只有宅男才会光顾哦。她自己一个人不好意思来，所以托我们的福，她也是第一次到！哈哈！这里又是个禁止照相的地方，每张polaroid 也是500日圆。百闻不如一见，看官们下次自己来吧。呵呵。

这里的每个侍应生都穿上女仆服饰。因为有Mayako充当翻译，我们才明白“女仆”在表达什么。她们招待的第一句用语，就是欢迎主人回家。男顾客称“master”，而女顾客称“princess”。忘了问她们，我们不会是该店迎接的首五位女顾客吧？呵呵。店里的食物水准其实蛮不错，还没开动前，“女仆”还在我的蛋包饭上用蕃茄酱画上小叮当呢！很可爱。唯一看不惯的是“女仆”在招待男顾客时是跪着的。除此以外，一切还好。

吃饱后就到商务区六本木活动一下。那里的圣诞节灯光造景美得很。11月的东京，空气中竟有平安夜的气氛。

谢谢你，Mayako！让我们度过美好的一晚。下次你到新加坡，就让我们尽地主之谊吧！

JAPAN DAY 7：神的孩子都跑到迪斯尼

2008-12-14T09:17:00.000-08:00

11月14日

东京迪斯尼乐园

就算你心情忧郁，病得再惨，到了迪斯尼乐园，也不得不快乐，因为，在这个快乐的工厂里，容不下愁眉深锁的脸，只能有灿烂的笑容。

前往迪斯尼乐园的车程，看到纯真无邪的画面，令人窝心。此时此刻，要记得珍惜幸福的模样。(^_^)

事逢迪斯尼欢庆25周年，又因圣诞将近，浓郁的节日气氛，使游客脸上的笑容加倍。Buzz Lightyear！Little Green Men！我胃病未痊愈，但心是开朗的，真的。

因为是学校假期的关系，小孩都蜂拥进乐园里。父母亲们忙得不可开交，小孩们乐到不行。友人们的照相机咔嚓得不停，日本的孩童不只看来乖巧，而且个个都长得很可爱！神的孩子，全都跑到迪斯尼！

“……故事的小黄花

从出生那年就飘着

童年的荡秋千

随记忆一直晃到现在……” -- 周杰伦《晴天》

由于肠胃不适，不能做过山车。我和VVN就挑POOH’s Hunny Hunt 这种没压力的。沿途VVN拍了几组小黄花的照片，预示了即将开始的娱乐。呵呵。

拿不到Express pass，我们必须等160分钟才能乘坐POOH’s Hunny Hunt！！好在我身后排第10位，是个外形、身高、穿着和周董类似的男生。可惜他身边有个人，不方便拍。=P 他的侧面和周杰伦《不能说的秘密》MV里几乎是一样的。不过，周杰伦还是比较帅。呵呵。

既然不方便向后看，就把注意力集中在前方吧。在我们前面是知足小妹和她姐姐，妈妈和外婆。

为何称她为知足小妹呢？因为身为160分钟漫长的等待队伍之一，她只专心吃一大桶的爆米花，不哭，不闹，好乖。一副“有爆米花万事足“的模样，真可爱。托她的福，我和VVN和她妈妈、外婆不只用简单的英语交谈，还吃她们给的饼干！=P

知足小妹把爆米花吃光后，就累得睡了。排着排着，我们也到了。短短5分钟的POOH ride，乘得尽兴。谢谢你，VVN！你在美国和香港的迪斯尼坐了几次，这次还是愿意陪我。*touched*

夜晚，绚烂的烟火点燃迪斯尼的上空。用迪斯尼员工拼凑成的经典人物（动物？），煞是好看。

拖着疲惫的身躯，我们在旅店附近的便利店买些东西才回去。午夜过后，VVN发现收银员少找了4000日圆（大概60新币）！！！大家不谙日语，就从日语手册抄了几句就想找收银员解释清楚，但又懊恼自己听不懂对方的回答。最后我们决定不逞强，还是向旅店的工作人员求救！

只见热心的柜台人员沉着地拿起电话，三两句话就把问题解决啦！我们开心地到便利店领钱，才知道一直都在冤枉收银员。原来，我们去得匆匆，收银员来不及找钱我们就跑了！=P 最好笑的是，便利店的收据还注明“韩国人”（就因为我们没开口），“三人组”（我没和朋友一起付钱）。哈哈！

谢谢你！Hotel Asia Center of Japan 服务柜台的新井先生！

JAPAN DAY 6：难得友谊

2008-12-14T01:27:00.000-08:00

11月13日

箱根汤本 - 强罗公园/大涌谷/富士山/芦之湖

东京 - 新宿歌舞伎町

还好订了设露天风吕的客房, 一大清早泡在暖暖的温泉里,看潺潺流水划过眼前, 实在乐! 随之而来的和风早餐, 令人心满意足。总之，一之汤可不是盖的，下次务必要重返哦。

孰不知，那顿饱足的早餐竟然是我当天唯一的一餐……*SOB*

买了很贵的乘车证，心里后悔着为何安排只两天一夜的箱根行程（乘车证足以用上两天），无法奢侈地参观设在山上各处的博物馆，我们只好挑三个主要景点游走。

乘登山电车抵达强罗公园，我竟然在这里找到残留的春天。火红的枫叶，强势地在树上炫耀着，试图把仅存的樱花比下去。但倔强的樱花，只专注地在寒冬来临前，用剩余的生命骄傲地绽放着。

为何远处的山谷有个“大”字？离开公园时仍心存疑问，看官们若知，请指点我们吧。

既然无法登上iconic的富士山，只好从大涌谷的远处眺望。还没到大涌谷，已经在缆车里一睹富士山的风采。表现得很“山龟”的我们，在车里不禁齐声“哇”起来，同车的欧巴桑们都被我们逗得笑了，真不好意思。

下了缆车，内心很兴奋，但躯壳却不争气。不适应高山的气压，头疼耳痛，好累。=(

贴心的SY递上薄荷糖，短暂的舒缓不适，却抵挡不了入夜后的“灾难”……

尽管身体状况不佳，面对此景，心情不能不好起来。蓝得令人心醉的天空，很美。望着席地而坐的人们，和他们一起享受远离尘嚣的宁静。

大涌谷的名物，就是“黑玉子”（温泉蛋啦！），因为温泉含有大量矿物质，所以蛋壳是黑色的。据说吃一个就能延寿7年（笑话！！）。味道和普通的蛋没有两样咧。

乘坐海盗船，我们在芦之湖上差点被冻僵。日本全程，想不到海上最冷。如果掉进海里，真是……不死才怪！

向箱根告别后，就风尘仆仆地向东京报到！在地铁车站的迷你裙高校生，让我们自叹是皮太薄吗？我们裹得密实，而她们不见得着凉！

在地铁上，又再次体会当地人的热心。我的行李，和J的手指（是！没错！）都卡在车门，还好其他乘客奋力拉开……当车门关上后，西装笔挺的大叔们表现得若无其事般，我们都很感激！

“灾难”终于在我们未抵达旅店前降临。没吃午饭，胃病发作，我在地铁上吐到脚都站不稳，还需要SY搀扶。一路步行到旅店，我见证友谊的可贵。J忽然拥有惊人的臂力，手提两个行李上下楼梯（吓！！！），SY扶着我，听从最佳向导VVN的指示，一拐一拐地向旅店前进！谢啦！朋友们！

大伙儿出去到歌舞伎町用晚餐，留我一个在房间休息。我祈祷自己快快好起来，不想坏了大家明天的迪斯尼游！

午夜醒来，大伙儿发回来的报告是：歌舞伎町不怎么样啦。除了让他们爆笑的悬赏启示外（让人想起本地人好象遗忘的MSK），实在没什么。嗯，还好。=P

JAPAN DAY 5: 流落深海的异形

2008-12-08T07:27:00.000-08:00

11月12日

大阪 - 海游馆 + 神奈川县- 箱根

今天在海游馆玩得好尽兴，捧着球晒日光浴的海獭，机灵的海豚，整天摆pose的企鹅，都是我喜爱的飞禽动物！温驯的鲸鲨也挺讨人喜欢的。

VVN和我都认为，海底生物不是勤劳就是懒。要嘛，就整天游啊游。要不，就象根木头一动也不动，好无趣......

不过馆里最奇异的，莫过于水母。看着深海的异形在水缸里漂流，有种说不上来的感觉。在灯光的照耀下，海底异类散发平静安稳的美。

参观了海游馆，大阪赶场完毕！！馆外的怡人海景，是告别这座城市的最后记忆。

在前往箱根的列车途中，欣喜看到许久不见的彩虹。在异乡把渴望的彩虹收进眼里，是幸福。

抵达箱根，首要任务不是泡温泉，因为晚餐比较重要......哈哈！饿到发昏的我们把桌上美食一扫而空，再配上一杯黑豆茶下肚，果然享受。单凭每人脸上幸福的表情，足以上JAPAN HOUR节目推荐好吃的。呵呵。

在泡汤之前，先让一个小子+三个美女的组合搞怪吧。尽情自娱，是为了明天的认真冲刺。

JAPAN DAY 4: 城市掠影

2008-12-08T00:11:00.001-08:00

11月11日

大阪 - 大阪城公园/ 大阪城天守阁/道顿堀/难波

到了大阪，正式踏入“赶赶赶”时间!

此后的行程，都以很拼命的态度进行呢。因为在每个地方的逗留时间短, 所以不管走到哪里心里都有一个计时的闹钟。痛苦！！！各位，下次旅行可别学我们那么不自量力，策划一个赶死自己的行程。

抱着“必须在N小时内看完这个地方”的心态，我们到了大阪城公园。

一出高铁, 就看见很多园丁（看起来象建筑工人多一点）聚在一起修剪外形类似巨型盆栽的灌木。看到他们认真地确保每棵树的外形一致，就打从心底佩服他们。这很靠耐心和集中力的工作，没有他们，就没有美丽的园景了。想到这里，不禁有放慢脚步欣赏这个地方的冲动，可惜心里的闹钟正催促着我们呢。

接下来的大阪城天守阁,就没有以走马看花的速度看完,不然很对不起这座具历史意义的建筑。从天守阁探出的城市景观，是我喜欢的秋季色调。

道顿堀是大阪的美食集中地。选择太多，不知如何取舍，所以又要劳驾旅游书籍了。继昨晚的“林志玲事件”后，难免对旅游书籍的信心降低。好在千房的大阪烧果然名不虚传，单看网址的菜单就想一网打尽，吃下肚后也真是满足。也许是吃惯了本地较有弹性的章鱼烧吧，大阪的章鱼烧是糊糊软软的，品尝后竟有“只不过如此而已”的感觉，可是单看人龙就知道当地人很爱这个小吃咧。

由于行色匆匆，步行到心斋桥后竟狠心舍弃它，只逛难波的地下商店街，实在是失策！=(

原本以为能在傍晚赶去海游馆，看圣诞装饰至晚上11时，事后才恍然大悟，不谙日语的我们，误以为11时是因圣诞特别延迟开放时间，谁知指的是馆外的灯饰（唯一的安慰是灯饰还挺好看的）而已。人到，海游馆却关了，唉。好在出发前有在地下商店街吃绿茶雪糕和栗子甜点，不然心情会和秋风一样冷......

外一章:

在大阪的其中一件乐事竟然是......看电视! =D 可以在电视银幕上观看SMAP制作的综艺节目SMAP X SMAP，就算听不懂也能开怀大笑。看到巨型广告也很乐，尤其是福山雅治，可说是智慧型男的代表哦。呵呵。期待Galileo电影版在本地上映，睿智却怪得可爱的汤川学教授，我喜欢。=P

她们不是做兼职的。真的。=P

我看新加坡不需要女性专用车厢吧？？

JAPAN DAY 3：色彩大汇集

2008-11-18T10:37:00.000-08:00

11月10日
京都的金阁寺/龙安寺+大阪市

秋天的金阁寺，是赏枫的热门景点。从湖畔望去，庄严的金阁与湖中倒影相互辉映，游客们竞相拍照留念。

虽是世界文化遗产，金阁满身的耀眼留不住我的视线。我反而欣赏“活景”，地上的石，落下的叶，枝上的果实，是更美丽的图画。

匆匆来到龙安寺，是要赶在夜前抵达大阪市。龙安寺最负盛名的，是它极具禅意的庭院造景。利用“枯山水”的概念，利用石头、石子在没有池子、没有用水的地方构成一个景。龙安寺的景就妙在你怎么看都无法把15块石头收进眼帘。厉害吧？我不理会什么禅机，什么“空寂”的艺术思想。不过话说回来，龙安寺是个風景怡人的地方，不需要禅机，也能享受此地的悠闲。

再见啦，古意盎然的城市！

傍晚来到大阪市，因为林志玲的美食介绍而搞到团团转，真是白忙一场。

志玲啊志玲，曾为日本旅游大使的你，怎么出的旅游书籍《日本再发现》校对那么差啊？给个错的地图，没注明店面的营业时间，影响可大呢！

要不是因为你，我们在鹤桥吃了闭门羹（你介绍的烤肉店星期一没开！！），不幸尝到很难吃的海鲜锅，到错的地方找甜点，很浪费时间咧！还不知道栽在你书下的“受害者”有多少呢……GRRRRRR……

但看在你人美、EQ还挺高的，就姑且原谅你了。但下次你出书，我可要小心对照其他的书籍。

因为晚餐实在不满足，我们就大吃零食安慰自己……好在日本便利店零食选择多（比新加坡的多好多），心情才好起来。ROYCE的巧克力布丁超好吃！为什么新加坡的分行没卖???

JAPAN DAY 2：逗口腹！斗服饰！

2008-11-18T02:42:00.000-08:00

11月9日
京都 - 清水寺/地主神社/二三年坂/高台寺/祗园

一大清早发生的状况，为未来的“惊险旅程”埋下伏笔。哈哈。

房间的钥匙竟然不翼而飞！开始恐慌时，才赫然发现钥匙插在房门外！！我们竟安然无恙地度过一夜！感谢主，京都的治安真好！！

星期天的清水寺和清水坂，挤满熙熙攘攘的人潮。清水寺的独特之处，在于清水舞台的木工。据说整个舞台架是用139根木柱组装而成，就算几百名游客在上方也丝毫不影响到整个架构。舞台的建筑，巍峨地耸立于陡峭的悬崖上，但失足跌下就会一命呜呼。这也难怪日语里有这么一句成语：“从清水的舞台上跳下去”，用来形容毅然地做某一件事, 和咱们的“破釜沉舟”可是异曲同工。

不明白为何连周末都有学生穿校服参拜，怎么看都不象是游学。转了几圈，才恍然大悟，原来答案就在位于清水寺旁的地主神社。地主神社最著名的就是恋爱之石与恋爱御守。看到高中生挤在卖御守的店前那么兴奋，心里一阵纳闷。左看右看，只看到这是个兜售希望的商场。金钱就能买到超強恋爱运？*无言*

你知道，我只是个冷眼旁观的旅者。

接下来的二三年坂，最乐的发现（嗯，只是我而已=P）就是亲临《我樂苦多》咖啡厅。这店名，五月天阿信用它做他旧博客的标题。=）

如果两本旅游书籍同时介绍同一家甜点，那应该会很好吃。为了寻觅红豆麻糬和烤年糕（哦，这个阿信有介绍，我又硬把他扯进来了，哈哈），我们问了几家店，在阶梯来回上下的，最后觉得自己是糊涂蛋，因为红豆甘物和“我樂苦多”竟是面对面的店铺。=（

其实高台寺和清水寺之间的步行距离只有半小时，但我们却花了四小时在二三年坂闲逛，还真是不专心。长长的二三年坂，犹如人生旅程，一路上的mixed signals 太多，偶然一个决定，就慢了脚步，把行程拖延了。

夜访高台寺，最吸引我的，不是与湖面对照的夜景，也不是利用黃光，白光，绿光和松，竹所交织成的灯光影象，而是绿光蔼蔼的竹林。笔直的竹林，散发文人雅士特有的风骨。=）

重回祇园找吃的，来到豆水楼赴一场豆腐盛宴。没想到豆腐也可以玩出这么多花样。最喜欢外形酷似雪糕的豆腐棒，咸中带甜，真是过瘾。我想图片形容会比文字来得贴切。=P

宠完肚子后，到祇园角去领略到7种不同的日本传统艺术：京舞、花道、茶道、古筝、狂言、雅乐和文乐。只可惜，我们迟了半个钟，只看到一半的演出，实在不值得。

顺便一提，祇园最具艺伎風的路就是“花見小路”，可我们两晚都没遇见。所有的艺伎，都在白天被我们的相机捕捉了。哈哈！

镜头转移：

美食篇；

要走那么多的路，怎么能亏待肚子呢？从早吃到晚的我们，难忘京都的美食！

购物篇：

去二三年坂搞定买手信的事吧！别具特色的手工艺品和风味小吃，都能在这里找到！

JAPAN DAY 1：终于放大假!

2008-11-17T22:03:00.000-08:00

11月8日

京都 - 先斗町/祗园/鸭川

忙了一年，乐得在东瀛放九天假，心情特别蔚蓝。

车窗外灰的天，让我想起去年四月的台北。历史的纠葛，让两地有许多相似之处。两个地方，我都喜欢。=）

抵达京都时，天色已暗。先斗町的街道上，只有游客，没有艺伎。看来今晚除了找点好吃的，实在没什么事能做了。

壹钱洋食位于祗园周边的四条通附近。卖的是类似大阪烧的煎饼。简单的小吃，是面粉掺杂着鸡蛋、肉、青葱和一些不知名的东西（哇哈哈！），最后再撒上海苔，就很好吃了。

但对我们这些异乡人来说，最吸住眼球的是店里墙上的挂饰。请放大图仔细看哦。

素闻日本民族的情欲享乐与深层意识中的悲观主义、虚无主义的矛盾冲突.......第一天就见识了其一层面。接下来的几天，相信这种感觉会更强烈。

上次介绍五月天阿信的《浪漫的逃亡-游日非流行指南》时提到他在鸭川的经历。这次亲临鸭川，没想到竟那么平凡无奇(连照片都懒得拍.......)。看着散落在河岸的人们，只觉得，不起眼的地方，其实才是感人故事的搜集地呢。

*目标转移*

美食篇：

1）微笑的tofu cheesecake欢迎我们到日本……哈哈！

2）图右上角的豆腐锅, 加温后会从汤凝固成糊状，神奇哦！而且超好吃的！

住宿篇：

4人挤在窄小空间（大概每人$50新元一晚，实在不能嫌弃）里，谁也料不到明早发生的“大事”……

Wind down

2008-10-26T05:31:00.000-07:00

天马星空的想象，需要环境气氛的助长。可以naughty or nice的符号解读，隐藏无限的可能。=P

当然不清醒的话，就什么都不用想啦。哈哈。

看样子,这就要成为惯例了。呵呵。

解压良方

2008-10-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

前文提到Patrick为了YOG咬紧牙关进行体能训练。但史上最健硕的海星毕竟不是铁打的，也会喊累。村里的大叔大姐们就想到一些办法让Patrick减轻压力。

1）朗诵诗词
吟诗，可怡情养性。Patrick在养母SL和干妈JN的调教下，学会几首唐诗。但咱们Patrick太爱搞怪，竟做了首歪诗。隔了几条街的B大叔听了，笑到人仰马翻。由于Patrick是ABS(American Born Starfish),华语发音不准,就由JN做voice-over.

2）荡秋千
荡秋千是Patrick最爱的儿时游戏，可惜办公室没有游乐场。JN和SN竟自告奋勇充当Patrick的秋千，Patrick实在是个世上最幸运的小海星！

静默的沟通

2008-10-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

怪人爱写怪文章。呵呵。

For those who see me as a noise molecule bouncing around, this must be a shocking read. Wahahahaha.

***********************************************************

不喜欢听电话，尤其是手机。

这和辐射无关。我讨厌握着手机或电话听筒直到手心冒汗。我不喜欢挂电话后发烫的耳朵。我不要说完话后的精疲力竭。

友人开玩笑说，谁做我的男友就惨了，不能用电话和我聊天。如果你连简讯/电邮/MSN都懒得写的话，那你也甭想见我了。

除非是公事，不然我是尽量不听电话的。就算接了，三两句就挂了。连朋友都觉得我好狠心，可以眼睁睁地看着电话响也不接。回个简讯，问道："What's up?" 的我在朋友眼里是个怪胎。

说说我为什么喜欢简讯吧。

我定时收藏信息。日后回味一则则即时却真挚的话语，复习朋友诚恳的鼓励，善意的提醒和虔诚的祈祷，都让我感动许久。

算我反应慢吧，与其在电话另一端因词穷而沉默，或一时心直口快而说了想收回的话, 我宁愿给一个反复思考的答案。

我喜欢按自己的速度回应，不立刻答复是理所当然的。

在苦闷的时候，发送一句给朋友说我好烦，比拨打电话更有效地扶平情绪。你无须花太多时间替我解忧，我也不期望你长篇大论。这种冷静的一问一答，胜过啰哩啰嗦的声音互动。

建立在文字而非声音的沟通，多好。

听两首positive的歌

2008-10-05T09:15:00.000-07:00

真巧，股市崩盘，经济放缓，励志歌曲都出街了。

我想他们都不是故意的,但周杰伦的《稻香》，五月天的《出头天》，听来都很应时。

extract两首歌的词比较一下:

《稻香》

……

不要这么容易就想放弃就像我说的　　

追不到的梦想换个梦不就得了　　

为自己的人生鲜艳上色

先把爱涂上喜欢的颜色　　

笑一个吧功成名就不是目的

……

《出头天》

……

在我的天頂甘有人在保佑

怎樣我常常摔的頭殼流血

血乾會結痂失敗也不失志

成功是咱自己看自己得起

飄浪的日子等待著時機

我不信命運會這麼無情

……

一个提醒人换个perspective才能体会真正的快乐，另一个激励大家秉持永不言败的精神。同样散发着乡土气息的歌曲，有异曲同工之妙哦。

上次提到五月天砸钱出国拍MV真没意思，这次他们的《出头天》MV应该是史上最低成本的吧，看了忍不住一笑。果然有《憨人》时期的精神。嗯，不错。是因为公司没钱吗？哈哈。希望这五位仁兄不要出《为爱而生》那类专辑了。拜托。

积极备战！

2008-09-28T00:58:00.001-07:00

玩具城成员体内的运动细胞最近开始活跃。

2010年青奥会（YOG）虽然还不至于近在眉梢，但两年其实不远。

只见魔鬼教练A.W“威逼”大东挑战各种高难度动作，看了实在叫他姐姐心疼。可怜……看大东的表现，就知道教练A.W对大东的体操/跳水项目是信心满满的。=P

派特利克也很努力地练习呢。不过他的教练行踪挺神秘的，每次都让派特利克孤零零地进行训练，没有从旁监督。唉。大伙儿花一周的时间才发现搞低调的教练竟然是……RSR！？连SL姐都感到惊讶呢。

教练们，徒儿的将来就靠你们了。呵呵。

表面的宽恕

2008-09-24T08:58:00.000-07:00

今天和小兔J看Boy A, 是部悲伤的电影。

戏里的男主角，10岁时因谋杀罪而被世俗冠以邪恶化身的称号。服刑14年后，改名换姓，为的是要重新开始。善良无辜的眼神，让人无法怀疑他的真心。一次的英勇救人，换来世人短暂的赞美，也为他未来的悲剧铺路。

最令人心痛的一幕，是当他的真实身份被媒体揭晓后，屋外的记者象豺狼般守候着他；屋内的他恐惧地蜷缩在房间一隅不断重复："I am not that boy!!I am not that boy!!"

这个记仇的社会，选择忘了他不幸的童年，忘了他已经为自己的错误承受14年的惩罚，忘了他为回馈社会所做的努力，只记得他多年前的过失。残酷的世界让他摆脱不了过去，最后走上绝路。

他需要衷心的永久宽恕，不是假意的表面宽恕。

我思索了许久，还有什么地方能包容他，庇护他，扶持他？是教会吗？如果教会也向世俗看齐，对人的伤害和打击，会远远超过教会以外的世界。但这样的教会，屡见不鲜。

最后一道防线是脆弱的。希望，还是要有的。

旧诗二首

2008-09-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

最近很忙，但却莫名其妙地抽出仅有的时间翻看旧事物，吞噬光阴。
我无法解释自己的行为。还以为自己删除了若干年的烂诗......没想到还留着......

************************************************

无题一

知足的海浪
反复来回
覆盖了礁石的伤痛
安抚着泥沙的情绪

乌云欣慰地
落下眼泪
随即而逝的彩虹
没有一丝遗憾

************************************************

无题二

在地上画个圈
冷的星就在里面
为点亮孤独星
热的心踏入圈圈
还筑起了围栏
希望这是永远

星星说
你的存在改变不了我
你的关心只会让我感到内疚
走吧, 去圈外辽阔的世界

白云飘过
雷电闪过
落了雨滴
心不为所动
星无动于衷

无奈
心拆了围栏
只有雨点
陪伴心落泪

************************************************

吓！？这是我写的吗？哈哈......看了还真是令人“毛骨悚然”的诗篇。=P

以前的那个我，不会回来了......我想，这是好事。(^_^)

飞行少年

2008-09-13T03:45:00.000-07:00

从事感化教育工作的, 时时需要些养分,不然会干涸的。而《飞行少年》，刚好就是补充体力的能源。

《飞行少年》在第十届台北电影节获得最佳记录片的殊荣。记录的是一群失亲失养、或遭家庭和学校遗弃、或触犯法律而身心都伤痕累累的孩子如何因20天的独轮车千里环台挑战计划改变了他们的人生道路。

看这群在某些人眼里冥顽不灵、行为偏差的青少年在学习独轮车的过程里，一路历经放弃自己、说服自己、挑战自己、肯定自己的成果，是感动夹杂着激励人心的喜悦。

M还认定我会看到“眼泪在眼珠子里打转”，这回他可没说中。积极的、坚强的、关怀的暖和阳光覆盖了忧郁的、冷漠的、悲伤的过往经历。诚然，以后的道路挫折和诱惑何其多。但这些来自花莲信望愛少年学团的青少年完成这段不凡的挑战，就为未来的人生奠定了坚持不懈，永不放弃的毅力和决心。

有空就得到《飞行少年》部落格看一看青少年的学习心得，文笔好的很呢。印象最深刻的一段话是“……看到那麼多观护人(在新加坡应该是rehabilitation officer)和警员，那些人都是我以前所讨厌的，可是現在却是我的朋友，也是鼓励我的人，真是自己想都想不到的。”

一起加油吧！

最美丽的风景

2008-09-08T07:16:00.001-07:00

多亏雯,才能以$3.75买到电影的快乐。=)

WALL-E 的故事情节其实老套（生活千遍一律的憨厚宅男疯狂爱上才华横溢强悍女），但用在外型逗趣的机器人（以前认为最可爱的机器人是R2-D2, 现在它得暂时靠边站吧。=p）身上，还是有新意。

影片里最美丽的风景，不是浩瀚星际，反而是一丝绿意。回家的途中，看见数十只蜻蜓在草丛中飞舞。自然界的快乐，很简单。

各位，要好好爱护地球哦。

随意诗人

2008-09-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

想过一个慵懒的下午,就到位于牛车水的随意诗人吧。这里的独立书刊，书籍杂志，音乐唱片，杂货等，足以让你消磨几小时。要是你察觉空气散发着台北的气息，那是因为此店的概念来自台湾设计品牌蘑菇。

下次到访，说不定我会在这儿作诗涂鸦什么的。哈哈哈。

这一夜,没醉

2008-09-04T22:16:00.000-07:00

本来担心自己会出糗, 最后担心是多余的。
从来没有喝那么多，庆幸醉的不是我，反而是……呵呵，就不说了。
谢啦。M。A。C。(n_n)

图：三瓶四杯+扑克牌，就不用解释了。哈哈。

悲伤怪兽.快乐侠客

2008-09-03T07:53:00.000-07:00

悲伤是难缠的怪兽

紧捉住猎物不放

等待时机日益壮大

快乐是行踪不定的侠客

来去自如

任谁也留不住脚步

赶!

把悲伤赶尽杀绝

顿时间刀光剑影

撕杀挥舞战斗

悲伤一跃坠入谷底

追!

追寻快乐延续逗留片刻

不料对方递上一帖解药

恍然大悟对抗外敌

武林密笈早在心里

NB: 悲伤得存在，才能衬托快乐的重量。和所有武侠小说一样，坏人总会卷土重来，行侠仗义的，必会出现。哈哈。

忽然很想耍杂技

2008-09-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

懂事的派特利克最近有一点任性。

只见他使出绝技，学Spiderman倒吊！

这么危险的动作，可把村里的人吓坏了。万一出了什么意外，虽然不会摔得粉身碎骨，但脑震荡可不好的。

其实，派特利克这么attention seeking是有原因的。想上楼看小小驴却无法得偿所愿的他，心里纳闷得很。

The Talented Mr Eeyore

2008-08-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

If Eeyore has participated in the Olympics games, which sports would he excel in?

1. Gymnastics
Having the tendency to sit on the edge (see image on top or you can also refer to previous entry on balancing acts he has performed) he would probably do well in events such as pommel horse. He could also inject creativity by balancing himself on his chin. He even found a teammate to join him in his difficult stunts(SL thought the exercise was torturous for both).

2. Weightlifting
Well trained to be a handphone holder, Eeyore can withstand items much heavier than himself.

International Mathematical Olympiad
An all rounded individual, Eeyore could also consider flexing his brains in the mathematical olympiad. (单凭计算机就得此结论，实在扯。)

Now we all heard of Phelps' extraordinary diet (six times the intake of a normal person!). Thankfully, Eeyore is no Phelps, just some nuts would supply all the energy he needed for a day's training.

Anyway, this is the last entry on Eeyore. Initially wanted to write something melancholic《星期五.下着雨.Eeyore离开我》but dropped the idea as he's going upstairs for his good, really.

题外话:

Patrick is so well-loved downstairs that he's given organic champagne grapes! Anyway, he's a really kind and forgiving soul, as he shooked hand with his "perpetrator ". SL said this is a classic example of Project HEAL. Haha.

一个人，很简单

2008-08-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

Heard the second half of LHL's Mandarin speech on Sun, just before the table tennis finals. Outrageous was the word that came into my mind. In response, I would quote my favourite verse from Mayday's Ashin.

衣服曬乾，風在穿，心情变的很蔚藍。
我一个人，很简单，自己放纵自己管。 --- 五月天阿信

一定要秉持这样的信念走下去。^_^

其实，并不一定要是single才会这样想。阿信在写这些时就不是。独立自主必要有，私人空间不可无, 是个人的想法。有人执意是独立个体，有人乐得当附属品。复杂且矛盾的人性，有太多不同的要求。要完成一个perfect的equation，很难。

最后选择自得其乐。倔强地希望是对的。

Blessed are those who remained as they are(infer from 1Cor 7:26). 就与和我同样想法的人共勉之吧。

我.无法归类

2008-08-05T07:47:00.001-07:00

理性与感性在钢索来回游走

翘翘板上积极和消极无法定输赢

乐观和悲观坐着碰碰车不停撞击

竞技场里童心挑战老成的思维

卡通享受过山车时不理解严肃的拘谨

严肃在陆地上不认同卡通的行为

摩天轮乘载着高傲与谦卑

深奥和肤浅一起玩钓鱼游戏

现实在旋转木马上追不到梦想

抽离自己冷冷一笑

你就当我是在胡诌

充斥着视觉和听觉的昼夜……

2008-08-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

昨天我的眼睛和耳朵应该都很乐吧。

白天和YX到MAAD市集逛一逛，夜晚和WL， XL，和YX观看苏打綠[陪我歌唱] 新加坡演唱会2008.

先说Sodagreen。喜欢这个很有诚意的乐团。融合了摇滚乐和管弦乐的曲风，让听众自由滑翔在流行与古典之间，感觉如此清新。这年头还有几个歌手会让观众在encore时点歌呢？但苏打綠做到了。好个音乐乐园，除了3小时15分种的演唱，还能目睹青峰放肆地揶揄团员，哈哈。

至于MAAD(the Market of Artists And Designers)，则是个供设计师（不管设计首饰，衣服，手工艺品什么都行）齐聚的场地。只在每个月的第一个周末聚集在Red Dot Museum。艺术爱好者可以在这里逛市集，欣赏得奖的工商或家用的设计产品，还能听初出茅芦的乐团演出。

看不同的设计就联想到不同的人。这张就给SL姐，因为她喜欢红色。The Cirrus shelf, manufactured by Doppler and Saner, consists of a double layered bi-elastic fabric slipped over a two-part steel tube frame. The tension exerted by the covering gave the shelf its stability. The LEAF lamp, by Herman Miller, gives the impression of an aesthetically and elegantly curved sculpture. 如果SL姐把这些抱回家，我可不惊讶。=p

下一张就给“兔痴”J，那里以兔子设计的东西实在太多了。这handmade ceramics 只是其中一类，老板娘和你是同类哦。J 啊，全买给你我会破产，你就自己去一趟看吧。

看到益智玩具和婴儿推车就想到P，G，Ju和其他身为人母的朋友们，且看Xplory推车的介绍："Xplory is the first pushchair which raises the child’s sitting position. Thus, the offspring sits like on an observation platform…”看外观就知道很高档。

再来就是这堵墙。看似无奇，经YX一指点，走近一瞧，才发觉是用塑料瓶搭建而成，确是有趣。

在那里翻阅介绍台湾建筑‧设计与艺术展演中心（简称TADA ）的中文册子时，竟有一栏介绍MAAD。MAAD竟红到台湾去了？哈哈。位于台中的TADA，也有类似MAAD的市集。单凭叙述，了解规模更大，内容也更丰富。下次去台湾，可能会去看看吧。

On red cliff and dark knight

2008-08-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

Watched《赤壁》and The Dark Knight recently.

The former is really what friend S described as "嗤之以鄙". Please, forget the movie and read the book. Go ahead to watch it if you want a laugh, as I found it quite funny. In comparison, the latter has depth and is worth one’s time and $$.

The theme of fear, personified by the antagonist Scarecrow in the previous movie, is further explored in this sequel by the Joker. How apt this is in the world that we live in now, as too many events and devices are driven by fear and paranoia. From the psychological realm to the spiritual realm, fear is the most powerful and effective weapon to bind a person.

What struck me most was when the Joker places explosives on two of the ferries—one carrying convicts, the other with civilians—telling the passengers on each that the only way to save themselves is to trigger the explosives on the other ferry. The passengers on both ferries decided not to blow one another up. That reminded me that “nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others” (1 Cor 10:24).

Indeed,with all the chaos created by fear in this world, hope, faith and love remains the last line of defence to stand against fear.

永不完结的故事

2008-07-31T09:22:00.000-07:00

小小驴闲着没事，跋山涉水到R的座位找Mr Miller去了。小小驴把Mr Miller的头当晃板，跳得不亦乐乎。A.T.说“Mr Miller has an ass sitting on its head！”不过Mr Miller毫不介意，因为小小驴的主人不在, 日子不好过，需要解压呢。

每天都有新的情节上演, 看来楼下的玩具故事是无法完结了。哈哈。

Toy Story Continues...

2008-07-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

继7月2日的“M大叔绑架亲身骨肉和大东记” （长话短说，乃M把派特利克扔进公司的北极圈+把大东关进闷热的橱里+把他们俩放在photocopying machine上复印）后，level one又上演“派特利克惨遭殴打记”。

只见蒙面人K.C.和J.N.挟着派特利克拳打脚踢……

各位喜爱派特利克的朋友请放心，和M上次的“可恶行为”相比，这次只是Friday afternoon娱乐大家的节目而已，SL姐和众人在场都笑到不行。

看样子，level one的toy story还要持续好一段日子呢……

Many Thanks

2008-06-26T09:14:00.000-07:00

上周的church camp在关丹，灵粮和感恩的心是首要，周围的人和物是其次。而感恩的时间，多半是在往返关丹时。

来回16小时的车程，除了阅读《感谢有你同行：让人感恩惜福的28篇溫馨故事》（真是多拜这本书所赐，让我“眼泪在眼珠子里打转”[事后形容此事，还被M大叔笑我用词不正确]）外，过半时间都是flashback。记忆在脑海里像排山倒海般挡不住，想着小学、中学、初院、大学一直到工作场所所接触的人，原来在我生活里made a difference的人那么多。我承认，我常得罪人，我说话偶尔不经大脑，我倔强，我惭愧了一次又一次。感谢主，我是一直是被眷顾的，虽然很多时候我忘了，还根本不觉得。感谢你，我的导师和朋友们，让我的路走得更稳。

永不协调的现实与理想

2008-06-22T00:49:00.000-07:00

其实我只是想介绍一本书，却想到一些其他的事, 就索性写了。

阅读《浪漫的逃亡-游日非流行指南》，是感动夹杂着快乐。一直以来很欣赏五月天阿信驾驭文字的功力，读了这书后，好象又看到以前比较率真的阿信。此书是诗集+指南+摄影集+绘画本+建筑学理念（阿信大学时念室内设计），真的很好玩。

且看他怎么为东京国立博物馆做开场白： “美,是对抗世界不停崩毁的自然定律、是费劲心思挽留定格感动的无尽追求。美,是心思被触动的渺小一瞬、是人类脱离兽性的痛苦过程。” – 49万2461段美丽的现场物证

好可怕，我可是穷尽一生的时间也挤不出如此文字。=（

但不是整本书都这般深奥。在形容富士山脚下的河口湖录音室时，阿信又很孩子气地“看到戴着白帽的富士山” 在为他们加油, 也以细腻真挚的感情描写他如何为了化解老师和同学之间的冷战而冒着寒冬冲出去喝口鸭川的河水。

这个说“就算世界千疮百孔，也要和你逃到最浪漫的尽头” 的阿信，也为浪漫重新定义。浪漫，是专注做自己喜欢的事情的态度。所以他看到日本的老人“从容地专心做着一件事情的样子，总使得他们的一举一动，围绕着一份无以名状的浪漫空气”。希望自己也能浪漫的老去。

话说回来，阿信实现了他的理想，有幸和好友共闯惊险的音乐路程,又借着名气施展自己多方面的才华（服装设计，文集等）。但在现实生活中，说不定也妥协了不少。（到底是被环境改变或是向外在因素做出让步，不得而知）从单纯的乐团到越来越商业化的歌曲和促销形式（讨厌改版和砸钱出国堆砌华丽的MV），明显的改变让人失望，但似乎为了迎合某些趋势又不得不做。很怀念学生时代的五月天,那时拍的MV都有他们自己独特的风格,很幽默,很真。反之今天挟着天团的累赘，怎么看都少了感情，过目就忘。现在看苏打绿，仿佛有刚出道五月天的影子，纯粹为音乐做音乐。不知道若干年后苏打绿会不会又是向唱片公司妥协。希望不会。

复杂的人生，在不同阶段于现实与理想之间作出抉择，没有谁可以幸免。

忽然不知如何结束这篇章，哈哈。

只能说现实与理想之争，这场仗还真难打。

Toy Story

2008-06-20T19:00:00.001-07:00

小小驴最近心情苦闷, 因为有人嫌它外形古怪。
“别人说驴子都是灰灰的，为何我是蓝蓝的？”
小小驴日想夜想，不停思索，一直怀疑自己就如别人所说的，身上出了差错。被人当成怪胎的滋味真不好受啊，个性本来忧郁的小小驴难过极了。
这一天，小小驴出走寻找答案。
走着走着，小小驴渴了，刚巧路过一个大水缸，大得足以让它没顶。还好它身手敏捷，轻而易举地就把头栽进去。

忽然，小小驴听到一把微弱的声音呼叫它的名字。原来水缸里其中一颗玻璃弹珠看到它愁眉不展的样子，决定探个究竟。小小驴把事情跟玻璃弹珠说了。

玻璃弹珠滚了滚圆圆的身体，想了一想，说：“身为世上独一无二的蓝驴，你可是上天奇妙的创造哦。千万别因为别人的批评而怀疑自己的价值，你是非常珍贵的！”

听了这番话后，小小驴顿时豁然开朗。此时把水缸当成平衡木的小小驴，心里可乐了！

********************************************************

后记：小小驴和它的主人M大叔快要搬家了=（，大东和伙伴们都依依不舍。小小驴一直认为坐火箭比搭电梯上15楼来得炫，所以大伙儿正策划该怎样帮它呢。

Reminiscing LOTR

2008-06-07T01:07:00.000-07:00

Those were the days...

Shire and Rivendell wallpapers and screensavers ruled my desktop; Legolas was the cover of my school file*cough*; finished reading LOTR in 7 days; unearth tonnes of literature research on LOTR in the NUS library and National library (and read them all, of course); watched the VCDs for Nth times; surfed the official site and The One Ring Net regularly for updates; visited Middle Earth in my dreams...

All of that had past away. Looking back, I must be quite free in the undergrad days. Wahahahaha.

Went to the The Lord of the Rings Symphony: Six Movements for Orchestra, Chorus and Soloists yesterday at the Esplanade with J and YW. Performed by the Singapore Festival Orchestra (SFO), the Chorus of the Slovene National Theatres Maribor and Ljubljana , the Singapore Lyric Opera Children’s Choir – more than 200 musicians in all, the concert was indeed worthwhile. The live projection of Tolkien art in storyboard drawings by artists John Howe and Alan Lee complimented Howard Shore’s score perfectly, transporting me back to the fantasy realms...

Though not performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus (who did the movie soundtrack), SFO was quite up to the mark. The choir, as well as the soprano, was especially impressive. Perhaps it was the effect of listening "live", I did not realise that the score captured the underlying theological themes before, until yesterday. The battle of good versus evil, the triumph of humility over pride, the activity of grace and a sense of peace and hope exuberates through the sound of music.

Music of such stays in the mind more vividly than physical objects, really. =)

Backtrack

2008-05-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

PY真是勤劳,竟然有心制作上个月乌敏岛之行的slideshow。*鼓掌*

周末去看Hillsong United的concert, 终于认清日渐衰老的躯壳容不下尝试维持活力的心。*苦笑*

是时候，该出去走走咯。老了，可没力气了。

Feet Unbound

2008-04-27T04:56:00.000-07:00

Never expect myself to watch a documentary in the theatres, but I did. It all started with me being attracted to a movie poster at The Picturehouse (human beings are indeed visual creatures). Ha.
The Chinese title of Feet Unbound is 解放的三寸金莲. It literally means "liberation of the three inches feet". I didn't like this title as it couldn't capture the spirit of the film. Whereas feet unbound seemed to suggest courageous free spirited(that comes with the release from bondage) individuals who persevere on in the face of extreme deprivation and brutality.

The film is about the journey of Elly, a 28-year-old journalist from Beijing, who embarks on a 5,000 kilometre odyssey that takes her from Cangxi in Central China to Xingxingxia in the Gobi Desert northwest of China. Along the way, she uncovers the tragic story of the destruction of the Western Route Army -a great military failure of the Chinese Red Army.

Among the Western Route Army, only one per cent or 2,000 troops were females. Most of them were teenagers fleeing poverty, cruelty and general discrimination against females. Ironically, their search for a better life through joining the army led them to death. The majority did not survive the harsh weather conditions and the atrocities of war crimes.

Xuan felt a sense of emptiness and found the film depressing, while Wei was thoroughly amazed with the distance covered by the troops. Walking 12,500 km on foot! Gosh!!!!

The average age of the female veterans interviewed in the fim was 90 years old. One could not help but marvel at the resilience displayed by these women. Seeing how some managed to cast aside their emotional burden and live till this age, what spur them to move on is really a wonder.

If one thinks his/her problems are too heavy to bear, perhaps one wouldn't mind the problems so much after viewing the film. But then again, the self- centred human nature often forgets other people's troubles and grumbles or wallows in sorrow too easily. May sufficient grace and truth be with me throughout this life to avoid falling into such behaviour, as much as possible.

食叶者

2008-04-25T20:54:00.000-07:00

As far as my ailing memory could remember, the last time I visited the tranquil Pulau Ubin should be 12 years ago, during Outward Bound School camp*faint*(does that make me sound freakily aged???!)

Anyway, the place is worth a visit, if you wish to relive/experience(depending on your age) the kampung days. Credits to Uncle Tan and his team for organising this trip for the department. *applause*

The highlight of the trip was visiting Pat's grandpa unintentionally(we stopped only because we saw Pat in the hut) . Pat's grandpa grows plenty of herbs outside his hut and has no intention to move out of the place, it seems. As we gathered around listening to him sharing his knowledge about the therapeutic effects of the different plants, I figured he enjoyed what he has been doing all these years. As he led us to the trees outside the hut, he spontaneously plucked some leaves from one tree and started chewing!!

According to Pat's grandpa, the leaves and flowers of this tree(eh, I forgot the name) is supposed to keep one free from acne, wah. Hence all the girls in the group had our share of leaves and flowers(taste rather bland), haha.

If you decided to drop Pat's grandpa a visit, do look out for the brightly painted yellow tin board outside his hut. (see below) =)

This cycling trip wouldn't be so enjoyable if not for Pat's grandpa's hospitality, as well as Uncle B.T, for the extra "burden". Thanks for being a good "bus driver". =p

Apart from the usual cycling/ strolling/ treading on Chek Jawa(till next time, wonder when that would be), here's some suggestions on ways to spend half a day in Pulau Ubin, away the scorching sun:

How to escape from the heat in Pulau Ubin:

Step 1: Set off from the Singapore island only when the sky looks like this. >>>

Step 2: If you have $$$, rent a van and tour round the island. Bring a handheld fan if you wish.

Step 3: After you are done with the tour, laze around a coffee shop(no worries about the heat with ceiling and wall fans) and spent hours playing card games such as UNO and aeroplane chess (for demonstration, refer to the pics below ).

Step 4: Settle for a seafood dinner, alongside with coconut juice.

题外话:
眼前画面颇有诗意, 真想做首“浪涛滚滚”之类的诗, 只可惜本人才情不高, 对海的欣赏仅限至此。唉。

(所有照片均由PY提供)

小东东和大东( plus 玩伴)

2008-04-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

If you don't appreciate soft toys/never speak to soft toys before, please stop reading. Haha.

**********************************************************

话说有个人因为身高有限,好友J 叫她小东东。

小东东生日时获赠小猴一只。当她正苦思该为小猴取什么名字时，忽然想到台湾某团体某成员和她同样有animated face且enjoy搞怪，应该会是个理想的弟弟（没有哥哥/弟弟还真是小东东人生一大遗憾），因此小猴就叫大东啦！

大东是个善解人意的小弟。永远面带微笑的它，比姐姐的脾气好多了。它会和姐姐一起努力工作，会做逗趣的动作让姐姐开心，还会捶背舒解压力!

大东人缘极好，所以在办公室结交了一群好友。其中最要好的有小海星派特利克（patrick）和蓝兔bluey。以前它们常拜访彼此的家，但每当派特利克探访大东时，它总是瘦了一圈（大东的减肥餐不合派特利克的胃口），所以SL姐（也称派特利克的妈）一声令下，现在只有大东登门造访派特利克咯！

这里要顺便一提，派特利克其实“身世坎坷”，因为生父M 大叔无暇照顾，把它转送给SL姐。所以严格来说，派特利克的妈应是派特利克的养母。在SL姐无微不至的照顾下，派特利克是个开心果，亿万瓦特的笑容还真能brighten up在office辛勤工作的大叔大姐小弟小妹的一天呢！

据派特利克的妈所说，周一至周五，派特利克都会亲自把精神粮食（TODAY 和 My Paper 是也）送到大东姐(aka小东东)的座位。如此贴心的举动，小东东心领了。=）

小东大东兼具，独欠中东。M大叔说：“中东已经够乱了，千万别把中东搬过来啊！”孰不知此中东非彼中东，中东也可以指其他事物哦。（吓！！？）

目前有大东和众玩伴的小东东，根本无需中东。

呵呵呵呵。

**********************************************************

图1 :工作累了, 大东示范如何单手flexed-arm hang 活动筋骨!

图2 :大东, 派特利克和bluey是情同手足的好兄弟!

图3 :大东工作, 派特利克在旁加油!

图4 :大东累到zzzzzzz, 派特利克从来不责怪...

图5 :大东和派特利克迎接新朋友北极熊 Po Po !(中文名有待SL姐敲定)

图6 :大东和派特利克是并肩作战的朋友!

图7 :瞧大东一副悠然自得的神情……

备注：各位看官如果注意细节的话，一定看出座位不是小东东，乃是Sabby 和和JN的。要知道，小东东的desk可是乱到“享誉全村”，下至一楼，上至12楼都知晓。乱到这种程度，怎么可以用来拍照……

In case you find me plain nutty after scanning the article, you can either...

1)think of the times when you last spoke to your robots/dolls/teddy bears... =p

2)understand the words of a former intern who commented that the stress level in office is "unacceptable".

Through entertainment like this, everything will be alright in office in the end....haha.

和纸PLAY!

2008-04-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know me better, I meddle with papers(to be precise, pretty craft paper) quite a bit.

Nonetheless, I am alien to the methods of fine art prints, and am thankful (WL, since you were not there, this is for you) to visit the Singapore Tyler Print Institute Open House last weekend. VVN, MW and I truly enjoyed ourselves playing with papers, no less than the many kids present there. =)

1. Lithography

Pic A: Spreading ink onto the roller...

Pic B: I am not rolling pancakes...am applying ink to the dampened stone surface

Pic C: MW and me scrutinizing the image painted on the stone

Pic D: VVN spreading a dry sheet of paper on the inked surface

Pic E: The stone pass underneath on the press bed

The finished product, is like pencil sketching, absolutely lovely. ^_^

2. Intaglio Printing

Pic A: Copper plate etched with a permanent image. This inked image is then covered with a dampened sheet of paper and run through the press. The paper is then peeled away from the copper plate

Pic B: Three proud owners of the printed images

3. Relief Printing

Pic A: Ink is applied evenly to the raised parts of the woodblock before placing a sheet of slightly damp paper on top

Pic B: Rolling the paper and woodblock through the printing press!

Pic C: MW demonstrates another way by rubbing the back of the paper with a spoon evenly across the entire surface. Seemed like a cooking lesson from afar, isn't it? =p

4. Screenprinting (common for printing t-shirts)

Pic A: Using the squeegee to squeeze ink through the "open areas" of the screen onto the paper below

Pic B: MW pulling out the paper placed under the aluminium frame

Top two and bottom image: mousy products of relief printing, very CNY. Haha.

Left: A maze for mouse made from screenprinting method

Right: My favourite mouse printed using lithography!

5. Papermaking

Step 1: Use a mould and dip into the vat

Step 2: I am asked to hold it vertically before placing it horizontally again but I still don't understand why...

Step 3: Lifting up the mould, filled with a layer of wet paper pulp (reminds me of tofu)

Anyway, this is just a summary on prints, for more information, please refer to wikipedia. Haha.

(photo credits: VVN)

A person's a person, no matter how small

2008-03-30T03:54:00.000-07:00

连续两天看了两部肯定人的价值的影片, 感觉真好。

A person is a person, no matter how small" -- Horton

That's the last line in the movie. Dr Seuss's Horton tells the story of an elephant who hears a cry of help coming from a speck of dust. Despite the community judging him and thought he's crazy, Horton was determined to help the lives on that speck.

One can imagine the various ways the quote can be used.

From the anti-abortionists..."a life is a life (even if it's a few days old), no matter how small"

From the social workers..." a person is a person, no matter how insignificant he's in society/how he has been judged by others, is worth helping"

And the list goes on.

On another note, the film reminded me of LOTR, when Galadriel spoke of the hobbits, "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future."

One see how the small(and probably the most ignored) people could make a difference. In LOTR, middle earth passed with the destruction of the ring(thanks to Frodo and Sam). In Horton, the WHOs tried their best to make their presence heard, and was heard, finally, by the open-minded Rudy, thus saving the entire community.

The scripture says that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. In the movie, one see how the humble (Horton, Rudy) overcame the proud mother kangaroo, not with aggression, but with love and forgiveness.

How inspiring. =)

Btw, Homeless FC is showing at the Singapore International Film Festival on 6,8 and 11 Apr. Consider catching it, if you have the time.

Homeless FC

2008-03-29T07:51:00.000-07:00

我回来了。

废置了近一年的部落格，重新启用，只因友人游说。

“give me your blog address leh,add your link in my blog！”

"Errr..but my last entry was Apr 07, you sure you want to add? Nothing to read one leh "

"then u write la"

"erm...but I'm lazy..."

"aiyoh stop being lazy la!!!!"

(以上谈话，间中已删除不必要的细节）

另一边厢，又有人劝说我一定要磨磨笔尖，要不语文生锈什么的(the truth is, is not just rust, is already decomposed. haha).

I enjoy reading more than writing. 在我N年前决定新闻行业不适合我时，就早已知晓了。

但话说回来，偶尔提提笔还蛮有乐趣的。

所以，我回来啦！！！！！

Watched Homeless FC yesterday(thanks to YL ) by Singapore documentary filmmakers James Leong and Lynn Lee. The film, based in Hong Kong, followed Dawn Team(曙光球队) through one year and captured how the soccer players(made up of ex-offenders, recovering drug addicts and gamblers and homeless people etc) reassessed their own lives after taking part in the Homeless World Cup. More accounts can be found in the filmmakers' blog.

What struck me most, was not the parallels between these players and my cases, but the dedication of the social workers. The focus of the film was not on them, but one could imagine how much time and effort they spent in motivating these people who have fallen through the cracks of the society. 因为香港社工不懈的努力，曙光球队的球员才学会自己发光。

I cannot imagine myself roaming the streets in the middle of the night in search of a client who did not return my calls/ report to me for sometime, and I doubt I ever have the courage to go that far. Neither do I have the guts to be in a settlement talk(that was not in the film, but from a HK professer sharing his experience as a social worker last year at a departmental workshop).

已经不只一次听到看到香港社工费心的付出，是不是只有在那样的环境，才会产生那等的勇气？

可能我永远都不知道。I doubt I would ever study and practise social work in HK...

就不知台湾社工是怎样的情况？

几件小事

2007-04-26T10:40:00.000-07:00

更正启事
Thanks to Xuan, who pointed out that the hotel we visited on day 3 was 圆山大饭店actually. Eh I need some enlightenment, the poster hanging outside the theatre in 九份, 到底是候孝贤导演的恋恋风尘还是悲情城市huh? I am confused when different people say different things.

Photo Link
Think some still didn't realise there are more photos to view in flickr link, so I changed the link's name to make it more obvious. Haha.

On 九份Again...

Saw this article in My Paper on 26/4/07. Same sentiments!

台北记趣

2007-04-24T02:56:00.000-07:00

台北人
Put people from East Asian region together and you could easily differentiate Taiwanese from others, judging by their demeanour. They are, in general, more polite, soft spoken, and cultured (博爱座 in train cabin, wow). There are times when we felt we were really hard of hearing (repeated several times still couldn’t catch what the person was trying to say, sigh).

台北学生
Believe what you see on 《花样少年少女》, the secondary and high school students’ hairstyles are really happening. So many guys are spotting 金秀伊 (汪东城饰)’s hairstyle or something similar to that effect. I don’t think this is going to happen in Singapore anytime soon. Oh Jane, even though I didn’t manage to see 大东 but I saw his junior from复兴美工!

The school uniforms there are in general, not bad, but the PE attire from some schools can freak us off. Imagine a bright red track suit from head to toe. Scary sia. Lucky we don’t have that in Singapore, at least not yet.

娱乐百分百
(I suggest you skip this section if you can’t be bothered about Taiwanese artistes, and don’t know what on earth is Hana Kimi=p）

Mayday is my favourite rock band, so naturally I would be very excited about visiting their homeland. Unfortunately, I did not feel much of their existence in this trip, but thanks to Xuan’s aunt, we visited台大, which was 怪兽的母校。Looking forward to the next trip to Taiwan, hopefully I can drop by 师大附中 (阿信，怪兽，玛莎和石头的母校) + 北投（阿信的家乡! ）. Haha.

Even though we didn’t bump into any artistes, one can catch plenty of them on TV commecials, with products endorsed by 杨丞琳, 黑人, 小猪, 小S, 蔡依林, and Japanese artistes such as 中岛美嘉, SMAP etc, the list goes on.

Anyway, if you go Taiwan now, you can feel the strong presence of a particular boy band. You see them on 7-11 TV Commercial, on magazine covers (at least three for this month) and in almost every entertainment magazine in Taiwan. You see their faces in every 7-11 outlet (and there are hundreds of outlets all over Taiwan, mind you). This is certainly overdosing of Fahrenheit.

各位发过"花烧"的朋友,有机会要到天籁温泉会馆一趟哦. We went there without realising it was where Hana Kimi was shot, until we saw that bench, that green carpeted staircase, that "Spa World" signboard, and so we entertained ourselves by sitting on that bench 左以泉 (吴尊饰)sat, and recited those classic lines. 想重温精彩片段,请看花樣少年少女 Episode 12 Part 1 of 8.

You may have thought I brought tonnes of posters back to Singapore. Nah, I didn't. Like all things on earth, they will fade away, and I have to move on. Hahaha.

Pic 1-2: 无论是繁华的台北或远离喧嚣的九份山区, 都有7-11商店…及飞轮海和S.H.E 的存在! 吓! 这只是店外的广告, 店里的广告我都没拍呢!
Pic 3: 这只是其中一间西门町偶像精品专卖店的外观…there’s tonnes of Fahrenheit/ Zun with Ella posters, stickers, cards inside, no kidding. (惊!)
Pic 4: See that bench (first from the left), green carpeted staircase and "Spa World" signboard?
Pic 5: 梅田老师和瑞希在戏里穿的就是这款浴袍。

饱到不行的第五天

2007-04-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

20.4.2007
诚品@忠孝敦南街-> 永康街->台大->桃园国际机场

Xuan’s aunt brought Xuan and WL to this salon near 古亭站, while I make my way to the 24 hours Eslite bookstore situated near 忠孝敦南街, and discovered only one floor was open 24 hours while the rest would open at 11am. Oh well.

Due to time constraint, we did not visit Shilin Night Market (hey is just food, and there’s always a next trip to Taiwan yah?) Xuan’s aunt was determined to let us try as many Taiwanese snacks as we can stomach on the last day. From 古亭站 to 永康街, here’s the record of what we have eaten for lunch on this last day in Taiwan but alas, the camera died on me, so there’s no photos:

1.埔里肉圆 (minced meat wrapped in glutinous rice flour? Rice flour? Not sure lei. )
2.碗粿 ( yum yum! I love bowl cake, and so do Xuan and WL)
3.竹叶粿 ( yum yum! The texture of the skin is very soft and the fillings consisting of minced meat and prawns are very fresh, and Xuan agrees!)
4.韭菜包+包菜包+肉包 (All three types of buns tasted far better than in Singapore. Vegetables in Singapore lost out in freshness as compared to Taiwan, no kidding. )
5. 蚵仔面线 (yum yum!)
6. 盐酥鸡 (try imagining it as an improved version of popcorn chicken)
7.甜不辣 (deep fried fish cake)
8.芒果冰 (yum yum!)
9.大豆芋头冰 ( the yam is a bit too hard, can try it at some other outlet recommended by Xuan’s aunt on another day)
10.葱抓饼( yum yum! Taiwan’s version of roti prata)
11.烤地瓜 (yum yum!)

Just to add on to the food we ate for the past few days:
葱油饼 ( a bit too oily for my liking)
炸鸡扒 ( I guess the one @ Shilin should be better, got ours from Xi Men Ding)
卤味(concept similar to Singapore’s 五香 stall, where one pick and choose what you want. We got ours @ Dan Shui, and it was really yummy! ）
炸地瓜( deep fried sweet potato topped with plum powder)
鲁肉饭 (yum yum!)
综合鱼丸汤 ( sotong ball + meat ball + fish ball, bigger and better than Singapore’s version)
烤菇 ( BBQ mushroom, I like! )
芋圆 ( yam balls in red bean soup)
炸芋条
饭团 ( fillings are youtiao, meat floss and pickled turnip, taste great!)
榨菜肉丝面
酱爆鱼条 ( sausage with fish roe)

One could see the extensive use of yam and sweet potato in Taiwan, and that my vocabulary on describing good food is indeed limited. Haha.

Let’s use one photo to sum up our food adventure - >

Before we leave for Taoyuan International Airport, Xuan’s aunt brought us for a car tour around National Taiwan University, it is her Alma Mata. The campus is Nth times prettier than NUS!! Elated to visit this campus actually, will tell you why in later entries. Haha.

乐透了的第四天

2007-04-23T09:25:00.000-07:00

19.4.2007
九份->金山老街->天籁温泉会馆@阳明山->西门町

Jiu Fen and Jin Shan Street are tourist spots where you could stock up more snacks to bring home. Tourist groups from different countries, including Singapore, "raided" the shops that morning we were there. Btw, Jiu Fen resembled the town in Spirited Away, where Chihiro and her parents were. It was also the place where Hou Hsiao Hsien shot his film <悲情城市> City of Sadness. I wonder if anyone is going to do some conservation works there, the dilapidated cinema looked as if it could collapse anytime.

WL and I were not keen in going to hot spring initially, but I am glad we all did.
It was really shiok to view the mountain scenery while in the pool. Thanks to Xuan’s aunt’s recommendation, we went to the “correct” hot spring, where a big surprise awaited us (or should I say only me?) To find out why I was so elated (still “high” as I pen this down), please read upcoming entries. Heh heh.

Think of Xi Men Ding as a mega version of Annex One @ Far East and you get the picture. No wonder HL and Xuan's aunt rather not go.=p

Pic 1: 民宿外怡人的风景线
Pic 2: 民宿外观
Pic 3: 咖啡屋外凋零的樱花
Pic 4-5: 想象夜深人静的九份店铺吧, 街上的灯饰, 犹如《千与千寻》的场景=)
Pic 6: 岌岌可危的戏院外《悲情城市》的海报
Pic 7: Why take a photo of a bench @天籁温泉会馆? 先卖个关子。哈哈。
Pic 8: 回台北路途经过的蔚蓝海岸。看到右下角的人吗？听司机说，他正采集海带哦！

非常冻人的第三天

2007-04-22T08:21:00.000-07:00

18.4.2007
圆山大饭店->士林官邸->阳明山公园->竹子湖->小油坑->朱铭美术馆->邓丽君墓->野柳->山海关民宿@九份

What a cooling day after the rain…visited the five star Yuan Shan hotel while it was still drizzling outside. I wouldn’t want to stay in a hotel where hundreds and thousands of tourists stream in and out everyday. Haha.

The former residence of Chiang Kai- Shek and Soong May Ling was quite an eye-opener. As Soong May Ling love roses, their garden houses more than 200 types of roses. I am not very fond of roses, but I am glad I was there to feel the warmth of the volunteers and see how adorable Taiwanese school children are. =)

The volunteer (called志工, i.e. 志愿工作者) who approached us is a friendly lady in her 50s or 60s, I think. Very impressed by her knowledge of many plants, not just roses, you could see the sparkle in her eyes as she shared with us her knowledge of flowers.

Besides this lady there were a couple of other volunteers acting as tour guide leading kindergarten children in the park. I was quite amused when the volunteer addressed Chiang Kai- Shek as 蔣公 (Lord Chiang). Oh well, it was their way of showing respect. Anyway, I could understand why Y and J felt the kids in Taiwan look more lovable than Singapore children. Somehow they appeared to be more genuine.

Little did we realise that our clothing were not warm enough until we reach Yangmingshan National Park. The view was not too bad but we didn’t want to stay long as it was so cold. The same could be said for Zhuzihu Calla Lily Garden and the volcano hole, which were even colder.

There were quite a number of eateries selling wild vegetables around the vicinity of Zhuzihu Calla Lily Garden. Sizzling hot soup topped with delicious wild vegetables such as 山苏花, 龙须草 were all we need for a satisfying lunch @ Yangmingshan.

Juming muesum was the highlight of the day’s trip. I strongly recommend this place, where you can decipher, appreciate art pieces by master sculptor Ju Ming and play like a child. =)

The temperature at Y e Liu along north coast was just as chilly as up in the mountains. Really buay tahan the weather.!!! !! But the wave- cut rock formations was quite a sight, so the trip was still worthwhile. We arrived at Jiu Fen in late evening and stayed overnight at a neat and cosy lodge.

Pic 1-2: 圆明大饭店外观与内观
Pic 3-4: 知识渊博的志工/稚气好学的小朋友@士林官邸

Pic 5: 遍地海芋和雾气重重的阳明山脉相称得很

Pic 6: 爽脆的野菜+热腾腾的竹笋汤+ 香味四溢的三杯鸡…赞!

Pic 7-10: 朱铭美术馆象游乐场,可画画, 可模仿, 我喜欢!

Pic 11-12: 图中央乃野柳出了名的女王头

Pic 13:累了,在民宿歇一晚

好相聚的第二天

2007-04-22T07:16:00.000-07:00

17/4/2007
台北车站->故宫博物院->渔人码头->淡水老街->台北101->诚品信义旗舰店

If you think Dhoby Ghaut station is confusing, then you will faint at the sight of Taipei main station. It has 8 different exits that are so far away from each other, it took us one hour to look for a particular exit!!!!! *almost peng san* If you are unfamilar with the MRT in Taiwan, please do not choose Taipei main station as meeting point, or you will cry.

Anyway, after an hour of unintentional hide and seek, we managed to find HL, my ex-colleague who is staying in Taipei for the next 2 years with her hubby. We strolled down underground Metro Mall, bought some yummy looking cakes, and got some travel pointers from her before departing for National Palace Museum.

National Palace Museum is a place for you to marvel at the intelligent and intricate works of the ancestors. It would be great to visit it on a weekday morning, before it's invaded by noisy loud spoken tourists from some countries *cough*.

Although weather looked gloomy we still tried our luck to travel down Dan Shui. Heard from Xuan's aunt that the sunset was really beautiful at the Fishermen’s Wharf, but alas, the time was really not right, all we saw was a piece of dreary looking sky.=( To me, there’s nothing special about Dan Shui, like so many other tourist places in Taiwan, it is another place for buying snacks. I am not sure how keen I am to return to this place just to catch the sunset.

At 9+pm, met PW, a friend currently doing masters in journalism over there, we were hoping to view the night scenery
from Taipei 101, only to be barred entry from the building.
Something must have happened as the media was doing their live
reporting outside the building. PW said one have to pay to get to the 89th
floor of Taipei 101, oh well; I rather spend the money elsewhere. =p It was a pity we went to Eslite flagship a bit late, some of the floors were already closed when we reached.

Nevertheless, we had fun chilling out at the café at Eslite...

Pic 1: The Metro Mall @Taipei main station is like artists' playground,

when all the shops are close, you see paintings of places all around the world!

And this background is just one of them=)
Pic 2-5:National Palace Museum + flowers outside the museum
Pic 6-7:Lovers' bridge @ Fishermen’s Wharf, what a tacky name!
Pic 8-9: Taipei 101 + café at Eslite

有点灰的第一天

2007-04-22T01:54:00.000-07:00

16/4/2007
桃园国际机场-> 五分埔

The grey skies at Taoyuan Airport didn't seem like a promising start to 5 days of travelling. Looking at the traffic that contributed much to Taiwan's air pollution, I hoped the weather wouldn't work against us.

Things started to look a little cheerier when we arrived at Xuan's paternal aunt's warm and cosy home(she kindly allowed us to "wreck" her place for the next few days so that we could cancel hotel booking@ cityinn to free more $$$ for spending).She also proposed a completely different itinerary from ours. One that sounded ambitious with more picturesque places to catch.

Xuan, WL and I the three hungry souls then made our way down for dinner + shopping @五分埔 at 8++pm. We had chicken chop/ pork ribs/ cod fish rice set and unanimously agreed that the cabbage taste much fresher and crispier than in Singapore. Boohoo. So much for not having any natural resources. 五分埔 is a much larger version of Bugis Village. I bought six tops. Enough said. Haha.

开场白

2007-04-22T01:21:00.000-07:00

在脑袋里呆了两年的部落格,到今天才出庐。哈。要不是因为上周的台北之行，恐怕部落格还是个储存在脑里某个角落的idea，没有落实的一天。
我想我应该不会经常update这里。每一天的心情故事我懒得讲，印象深刻的零星片段比较容易记录。^_^

琳星记录

起来吧！虽然活着是ＸＸ的累

过山车

Friends, come knock my head when necessary

Better words/works for the New Year

Good things to cheer about!

For Andre(brother/ 老爹*) and Becky =]

早点回家

安静

Perth.1: 窗外

Pixar Rules =]

A Good Script

Message Decoded

A Spirited Affair

Taiwan #8：心里留个位子给你

Taiwan #7：掉队的狼

Taiwan #6：大风吹 吹绿岛

Taiwan #5：田园诗人

Taiwan #4：游走山水间

Taiwan #3：一起出海赏鲸豚去

Taiwan #2：吃一个不能说的秘密

Taiwan #1: 我回来了=]

玩味真实

心理测验 - 测试你的疯狂程度？

大东不爱新居

Let's Sing!!!

小小驴 上屋顶

三人行

Not another chance

一切都好

Blessed, indeed (^_^)

大东出游记

JAPAN 完结篇：下次,就去这些地方吧

JAPAN DAY 9: 幸运星

JAPAN DAY 8: 城市.记忆

JAPAN DAY 7：神的孩子都跑到迪斯尼

JAPAN DAY 6：难得友谊

JAPAN DAY 5: 流落深海的异形

JAPAN DAY 4: 城市掠影

JAPAN DAY 3：色彩大汇集

JAPAN DAY 2：逗口腹！斗服饰！

JAPAN DAY 1：终于放大假!

Wind down

解压良方

静默的沟通

听两首positive的歌

积极备战！

表面的宽恕

旧诗二首

飞行少年

最美丽的风景

随意诗人

这一夜,没醉

悲伤怪兽.快乐侠客

忽然很想耍杂技

The Talented Mr Eeyore

一个人，很简单

我.无法归类

充斥着视觉和听觉的昼夜……

On red cliff and dark knight

永不完结的故事

Toy Story Continues...

Many Thanks

永不协调的现实与理想

Toy Story

Reminiscing LOTR

Backtrack

Feet Unbound

食叶者

小东东和大东( plus 玩伴)

和纸PLAY!

A person's a person, no matter how small

Homeless FC

几件小事

台北记趣

饱到不行的第五天

乐透了的第四天

非常冻人的第三天

好相聚的第二天

有点灰的第一天

Taiwan #6：大风吹吹绿岛

小小驴上屋顶