[郊遊] 明湖水漾。三。水中仙。

April 20-21, 2007
Young Lake Resort．III．Fairy Ladies

明湖水漾園區。
入口處。

Logo of the Young Lake Resort.
The entrance .




園區內。 放眼望去，一重又一重環著水庫的山之外，就是水了 。 大爿的湖水，映著天光，顯得寧靜甜美。

As far as the eye can see... The reservoir is surrounded by a mountain chain. Except mountain, water is what the most impressed image in my eyes -- the natural lake and those artificially made ponds. The lake with skylight reflected in peace looks gorgeous and sweet.




從這個角度拍，恰好可以看到我們的房間。 就相片左邊，二樓，那扇窗內。 草地上，小片的池塘，映著天光，一派清淺可親的模樣。

On the second floor, the left, inside the window~we had a sound sleep last night. On the yard, a small pond lays with a friendly face attracting people to touch and feel it.




微陰的天氣，還好沒下雨。 這種天色最適合拍照了！就自然光拍，不必打燈。 希芸妹妹真有舞台上走秀的模特兒的姿態。

Cloudy sky without rain.
It is great to take shots under skylight like today. No need of flash or compensation, everything shows in natural appearance.
Does the style Xiyuan walks look like a model in a fashion show?




就說吧～除了水還是水！ 木頭走道外是水，水中倒映著走道及睡蓮的影像。池塘裡的睡蓮，姿態各異。 木頭走道內還是水，玻璃護欄把水上水下、不管是真實的或是倒影，又呈現一次。
古人形容的「鏡花水月」，應該就是這等光景吧～

Water and water again~
Beside the wooden terrace is the pond with the reflected images of the wooden terrace and water lilies in various postures. The guard rail made of glasses for the wooden terrace again reveals the images no matter what is real, reflected, above or below water.
I guess the proverb in ancient China " Flower in mirror, moon in water" describing the scenery they'd experienced like what I saw in Young Lake Resort.




含苞待放的蓮。中午十一點左右拍的。 不知是睡過頭，來不及清早開花， 還是開過了，這會兒提早收工，回家睡午覺？

This picture of a lily bud was taken around 11:00 am.
I thought lily is usually in flower in the morning...
Is this one late for being in blossom or am I too late to see its full-blown flower in the early morning?




結伴綻放的蓮。亭亭玉立。
Two lilies are blossoming into fairy ladies.




一朵盛開的蓮。 真好～就這樣肆無忌憚的綻放，跟全世界宣告自己的美！
A fully blown lily goes to great lengths to show the world her astonishing beauty.

[郊遊] 明湖水漾。二。樂山水。

April 20-21, 2007
Young Lake Resort．II．Scenery


座落於明湖水漾會館園區內的湖畔咖啡屋，
備有室內跟露天的座位可供選擇。

The coffee shop serves tables both indoors and outdoors.
It's up to the tourists' choice to stay indoors with air-conditioner
or enjoy the lakeside view with natural breeze~





露天咖啡座旁的扶欄上，裝設了多盏造景與照明功能兼具的小燈。
我們的桌子旁邊，剛好有一盞，標示的號碼是桌號。
從我們的座位往湖面看去，這爿湖就是明德水庫，
這可是苗栗地區居民的重要水源呢！

A string of lamps are decorated on the guard rail along the outdoor tables. The lamps are not only for landscaping, they function to illuminate the garden at night. The lamp beside us labeled as "5" marks the number of our table.
Having a view of the lake from our seats, it is the Ming-Te Reservoir. The reservoir is the most important water resource for the residents in Miao-Li county.





我們的座位旁有棵樹，三兩樹枝伸展到我們的座位上方。
從遮陽傘下看上去，點點樹葉映在傘面上，
好像畫上去的圖案一般，挺美的呢～

There is a tree standing beside our table with its branches stretching across the sky. Looking upwards under the sunshade, the silhouette of the leaves looks like a poetic painting.




坐在湖畔喝咖啡。
明德水庫的美麗景緻盡收眼底。

Iced coffee cooled down the atmosphere under the sun.
We had a joyful time having tasty coffee and admiring the beautiful scenery.




水庫區有汽艇遊湖的服務。
我們當然也小小享受了一下在水面上飆汽艇的快感！
畫面是一個浮筒式的小碼頭，
僅供遊客就近觀覽湖景之用，不提供上下汽艇的服務。

We got on the mini-motorboat and had a short trip around the reservoir. The driver was so skillful that we could experience an exciting trip.
The dock in the photo is a pontoon dock for tourists to view the lake more closely. It does not serve as a dock for boarding on a mini-motorboat.




下午茶後，男生們都回房間去睡午覺了。
三個女生則去SPA區快樂的玩了一回水～

下午五點半。
從我們的房間往外看，赫然發現中庭的草地上，
戶外晚餐的桌椅已經擺置妥當，開始準備上菜了！

After coffee time, Papa and Daddy went back to rooms and took a rest. Mama, Xiyun and Mummy, we went to the SPA area and relaxed in water.
It was said "Women are made of water"...
Sounds true for we three are kinda "hydrophilic"~

The photo below was taken at 5:30 pm from the window of our room. The tables were set ready for dinner.




這個週末的客人還真不少，
幾乎每個桌位都是全家歡聚的場面！
天色完全暗了。
現場薩克斯風演奏，加上燈光的點綴，
讓整個用餐時光既熱鬧又溫馨。

Dinner was served as buffet.
With a living show of saxophone and decorated illuminations,
everybody enjoyed a delightful dining this evening.

[郊遊] 明湖水漾。一。親子篇。

April 20-21, 2007
Young Lake Resort．I．My Beloved

週五傍晚，老公說週末要帶我去玩，還說要在外過一夜。
我一聽二話不說，款好外宿一夜所需的簡單行李，
連續劇、長片都失去吸引力，早早上了床，養足精神好去郊遊囉～

Friday evening, I was informed we would have a short trip during weekend. I was so happy and could not wait anymore~
After the preparation of personal belongings, I lost my interest on HBO movies that I used to stay at night and enjoy a lot~I went to bed early with a mood of expectancy.

這是一趟超級親子之旅呢！
因為這是第一次，希芸跟爸爸媽媽乾爹媽咪一起出門去過一夜唷～
天氣雖然有點兒陰晴不定，可絲毫不影響我們如陽光般閃亮的的幸福感覺！

This is the first time -- we have a trip with our sweetie Xiyun.
Xiyun is a 3-year-old baby girl, she calls her mother-in-blood as Mama and me as Mummy.
Her father-in-blood is Papa and my husband is Daddy for her.
My husband and I, we are "parents-in-love" for Xiyun!!

抵達明湖水漾會館園區時，已接近中午。
不耐餓的一家五口，就在園區外的一家客家餐廳，先飽食一頓。
然後這一家子都哈咖啡，晃了一圈，選了湖畔的露天咖啡座，
就這樣閑閑坐了一個下午，喝咖啡，聊是非。

We arrived Young Lake Resort around 11:00 am.
After check-in, though it was a little bit early, yet we -- a five-member family, all have healthy appetites -- went to a Hakka restaurant nearby for lunch.
Having a short walk by the lakeside after lunch, we finally could not resist coffee and decided to take seats on an outdoor table.

These photos of Xiyun and Daddy were taken during coffee time~


寶貝：乾爹，你睡著了嗎？
乾爹：沒有呀！乾爹在想事情～
寶貝：乾爹，跟你說喔～媽咪在偷偷給我們拍照耶！
乾爹：真的嗎？那我們來擺個姿勢照一張！

Xiyun: Daddy, do you fall asleep?
Daddy: Nope~ I am thinking of something...
Xiyun: Daddy, I found Mummy is taking shots of us!
Daddy: Really! Let's adopt a nice pose for shots.



ㄟ～乾爹，不要一直說話啦！媽咪說要看著鏡頭耶！
Daddy~ talk later! Mummy asks us to stare at the lens!!



看！乾爹跟希芸妹妹誰比較可愛呢？
Look! Am I cute more than Daddy?



耶！媽咪說希芸妹妹的可愛天下無敵喲～
Yeah! Mummy says I am the most lovely baby~

謝謝。你/妳。愛我。

May 18, 2007
Thank You for Loving Me~

謝謝，你／妳，愛我。
對不起，讓大家為我擔心。
原來疏於照顧的部落格會透露主人的心情。

My dear Papa was not good these days.
Papa suddenly lost his voice for unknown reason since April 7.
A series of physical examinations were assigned and done during the followed two weeks.
At April 26, according to the results of computerized axial tomography scan (CT scan) on chest, we were told that Papa may have suspicious lung cancer with metastasis by the doctors of Emergency and ENT clinics.

我親愛的爸爸生病了。
四月七日那天，爸爸不明原因失聲，求診經過兩週未見好轉，亦查不出原因。
四月二十六日，急診科及耳鼻喉醫師根據胸腔電腦斷層的結果，初步診斷為肺癌疑有轉移。

The coming days Papa was suggested to take more detail examinations.
Bronchoscopy and Positron emission tomography (PET) were carried out to identify the cancer type of origin and the possible sites of metastasis.
At May 7, I accompanied Papa to the hospital for the results. We were happy when the pathologic diagnosis due to Bronchoscopy had no solid conclusion for the tumor mass located on the middle area of the lung. "Benign neoplasm" was typed on the records of Papa.

接下來一連串的檢查。支氣管鏡切片，全身正子攝影。。。
五月七日回診時，看到醫生在病歷上打出 benign neoplasm 的字樣，
讓全家人的心情都為之振奮。

There are two tumor mass being detected in Papa's lung. One is located in the middle area of lung, which had been sampled by Bronchoscopy for pathologic diagnosis and diagnosed to be benign. The other one is located on the upper part of left lung. The doctor assigned Papa to take the needle aspiration with CT scan for guidance for the second tumor mass.
Papa went to hospital this morning for the examination.

由於主要病灶有兩處，主治醫師相當謹慎，建議爸爸對左肺上方的腫瘤團塊進行病理檢查。
於是今天上午，爸爸又去做了電腦斷層導引切片。

Not yet a firm diagnosis was obtained indeed made me anxious.
Hopefully that the second tumor mass might not be so malignant.
Nothing to do but pray the good blessings for Papa.
Wish the day at May 28 we can have a good result from the doctor.

病情尚處於不確定狀態，讓人心急但也偷偷抱著希望。
在心裡不斷地祈求天上的神祇保佑。
希望二十八日回診時，賞給我們全家人一個奇蹟！


Many many thanks to my dearest friends.
So considerate to listen to my worry.
So nice to cook for me and send a lunch box with love.
Thanks for your calls that comfort me a lot.
Thanks for your company when I am weak.
Thanks for everything you do and assist in laboratory.

Though I worry for my Papa's health,
I wish to tell you sincerely~ Thank You for Loving Me~

謝謝妳／你，我親愛如家人的朋友們。

謝謝小皓與雅婷的貼心，聽我說我的憂慮。
謝謝玄音充滿愛的晚餐，還附一個美味便當。
謝謝維揚與小安，總是不時地打電話來問問爸爸的近況，問問我好不好。
謝謝伊婷總是在下班後，老遠從市區到南港來，陪我吃晚餐做實驗，還送我去捷運站。
謝謝子維、靜媛、小牛和奕軒不時傳達的問候與關心。
謝謝忠哲、舶滄、明怡和采馨，那麼體貼我的難處，在實驗室給我種種方便與協助。

雖然我很擔心爸爸的病情，但我還是真心地想說，
謝謝，妳／你，愛我。
　

[分享] 台灣故事館。場景。

April 8, 2007 Taiwan Storyland

It is a weird scene...
A young and modern lady standing by the counter looks after the old-fashioned grocery...Now it is hard to find this kind of grocery around Taipei City. Most of them have been replaced by the convenient stores.

這樣的畫面真有點兒弔詭。
走著走著...眼前出現了小時候的矸仔店～
不過，臉上有著歲月痕跡的矸仔店老闆不見了！
這個仿古的矸仔店，由年輕的小姐站台。



Another weird thing~
While I walk in a building, I always lose the sense of directions. I didn't know where I passed by, a police station in the old style just came into my sight. The wanted announcement was very cool and looked like the one which we used to see in TV program of ancient or historical stories.
Well, if the wanted announcement was painted with the enlarged portraits of those wanted persons...they would look extremely the same~

基本上，在建築物裡，我的方向感就會消失。
也不知怎麼走的，就走到派出所前面了。
「富貴派出所」是在富貴角嗎？
畫面中這張通緝犯公告，真是太酷了！
跟古裝片裡的懸賞告示如出一轍，就差沒畫個大大的頭像啦～



Year of 1964~I was not born yet...
However, I remembered the regulations on this board. Once I read them when I was eighteen. The difference was those regulations I read were mass-printed instead of handwriting like this ancient one. The regulations in this photo stated that students and teenagers were forbidden to visit pubs or bars, especially those ones with waitress accompanied.

民國五十三年我還沒出生呢！
不過這樣的公告，在我十八歲的時候，也還有呀～
不同的是後來的公告由印刷廠製版印製，
古時候可是有專人負責書寫告示的呢。



A movie theater named as "Happy-Stage Theater".
This old-fashioned movie theater was not only for exhibition in appearance but also really functioned as a movie theater. The movie "Heroes of the Eastern Skies" was playing at the moment. I had a look in the theater and was surprised that there were lots of audiences!

台灣故事館裡的「樂舞台戲院」。
雖說是仿古可也有實際功能，
戲院裡正在放映一部小時候的影片「筧橋英烈傳」，
偷偷探了一回，觀眾不少唷～



An old-fashioned hotel with hot spring~
If you wish to enjoy the old-fashioned hot spring, Pei-Tou is a good place to visit. I like one of the spring hotels - the "Guo-Ji Hotel"-which is located nearby the Yang-Ming Mountain.
With an historical building of the elegant style as well as the two special kinds of springs, I enjoyed my leisure time here very much~

很有古味的溫泉旅社～
其實有空的話走一趟北投的溫泉區，
有歷史的「國際大旅社」，可以讓你有回到過去年代泡湯的感覺呢！



Mentioning springs made me thinking of the days when I lived in Pei-Tou...
Missing the smells of springs that fade in the air~
Missing the time when I enjoyed the spring under the moonlight~
Missing the cherry trees in blossom out of my window~

說到溫泉，真叫人無藥可救的想念起住在北投的那段時光。
想念空氣中若有似無的硫磺味～
想念竹林裡月光下的露天溫泉～
想念推開窗在眼前盛開的櫻花～

[分享] 台灣故事館。人物篇。

April 8, 2007 Taiwan Storyland

It has been a long time we didn't see each other! Data lived with her family in US after marriage and not came back to Taiwan very often. Counting for the days, we've known each other for 12 years~while we both were master students. Data studied in US and I was in Hsin-Chu, we became friends via net.

小時候的朋友－Data－結婚後就住在米國了。
難得回台灣一趟，大夥兒說什麼也要抽空聚一聚！
說到我們認識多久，應該有十二年了吧～
那時候 Data 在米國，我則在清華，都還是學生的年代。


Data's Family

We made the date today one month ago. It was rainy~ I waited for my old friends in front of the department "Shin Kong Mitsukoshi" nearby the Taipei Main Station. This was the first time to see Data's daughter Ginny~ Ginny was shy but soon we walked around playing hand in hand~

約見面的地點就在站前新光三越門口。
天空飄著雨，這是第一次看到 Data可愛的女兒。
好害羞的小妹妹～不過，一下子我們就手牽手去玩了！


Danny's wife, Danny, Ginny and me

The doorman said "Good Morning" followed with some greetings to me in Japanese. I was kind of confused and thus told him I am a Taiwanese. Funny that we were thought as the tourists from Japan. Ginny didn't understand Chinese and she chatted to me in English. No wonder we were misunderstood~

我們一度被以為是日本來的觀光客。
因為小妹妹只會聽說英文，
我們一大一小哇啦哇啦的說著番話，難怪會被誤認。


Data's husband, Data, Ginny, me, Danny's wife and Danny

The snowman is Ginny's favorite. She found them on the ground floor of Mitsukoshi~ The little girl showed her happiness with laughing and clapping!

雪人是 Ginny 的最愛！
看到這兩尊大雪人，她開心的又笑又拍手，
還要我幫她拍雪人的照片唷！


Snowman in the Subtropical Island~

PS. Those photos with me were taken by Tarn~ Pity that I did not have a photo to show you how Tarn looks like. Trust me! Tarn is handsome~

附註：合照中有我的那些相片都是 Tarn 拍的，
　　　可惜我沒有 Tarn 的相片，他可帥的呢！

[沖繩] 那霸市區半日遊

March 29, 2007　
The Last Look in Okinawa

It was the moment to say goodbye to Onna~
I waved my dear friends off at the bus leaving for Naha airport
and was feeling a bit weepy...
I know I was a bit tearful and I tried to let myself not cry.
Yet while lovely Tomomi said "I'll miss you~ take care" followed
by "Don't cry!" to me...the tears in my eyes just could not help
running down my cheeks.
This made the other participants on the bus laughing~

離開恩納村的這一刻終於到來。
揮手跟待我們親切如家人的朋友們說再見，
叫人忍不住紅了雙眼。
我是有比較愛哭啦！所以一直都很忍耐
可是當 Tomomi 跟我說「再見～我會想念妳！」
最後，還加上一句「不要哭喔！」，
讓我原本只是在眼眶裡打轉的淚水，就這樣滾了下來。
同車其他人就開始笑我啦～

The bus moved.
My friends, Seaside House and the acquainted scenery were
passing me by...and disappeared behind.
Could not have any words...I left in silence.

車子開動了。
熟悉的景物，從眼前、身邊走過，最後消失在身後。
不想說話。也說不出話來。在沉默中漸行漸遠。



那霸機場站。日本最西端的電車站。

After our arrival at Naha Airport, we still have almost six
hours to take an adventure in Naha city~
Having our baggage placed in the coin locker, we begin
our short city tour with planned easy dress and shoes...that
makes us looking like the residents of Okinawa~

抵達那霸機場後，還有半天的城市冒險之旅呢！
找到寄物櫃把行李放好，
一身逛街的輕便裝扮，搭配事先換穿好的走路專用涼鞋，
我們看起來真的很像在地人！


A Woodpecker on the Floor Tiles 進電車站前的地磚。

We were on the train that looked very similar to the MRT
of Mu-Cha line in Taipei. With the map, time table and list of
each stops of Monorail, we had no fear of getting lost in a foreign
place, just stepped out to visit the city.

上了電車，跟我們的木柵線捷運好像喔！
對照電車時刻表及站名，兩個獅子座的路癡，
開始那霸市區半日遊～

Surely we would like to find a restaurant first.
Ruth and I had a chat and we went to bed at midnight, thus we
awake too late to have the breakfast this morning.
It was arounds 11:30, a good timing for lunch!

不要懷疑！當然找吃的先。
昨晚太晚睡，早上睡到來不及吃早餐就出門了。
十一點多，可以吃中餐啦！空著肚子怎麼逛街唷～


A Comic-like Menu 漫畫般的餐點介紹。


The menu, being looked like a comic, was difficult for me to read~
Few Chinese characters on it, we made the order with hearts of
uncertainty and expectation!
Wow~~I knew a "ramen" (ラーメン) restaurant nearby the
"Taipei Japanese School" (台北日本人学校), they served almost
the same taste!!

看著圖文並茂的餐點單，只認得為數不多的幾個漢字。
點了這個可能是野菜海鮮之類的拉麵，
跟我在天母「二子山」吃過的口味真的很像！


Ramen for me 我的午餐。

Starbucks really fulfilled me after lunch by a cup of "Iced Double
Shots"! With the map prepared by dear Tomomi, we were
energized and ready for our "Treasure-Looking" trip~

午餐後的咖啡就在星巴克解決了。
按照親愛的 Tomomi 幫我們準備的尋寶圖，
走回最近的電車站，開始按圖索驥、照單買辦去啦！



Street View 過天橋時拍的街景。

Some street views in Naha looked very similar to Kaohsiung City.
I used to look around while I walked along the streets and enjoyed
taking photos of those objects that caugh my eyes and intrigued
me. Last year the same season in Taiwan, I was fascinated to the
manholes that were distributed randomly on the streets and roads.
They were different in shapes and decorated by art deco as well
as a specified logo that represented to where they were belonged.
In an unknown street of Naha City, I saw the manhole again and it
reminded me that I had an unfinished "album" on this subject
"My Top 100 Manholes in Taipei City"~

那霸的某些景緻跟高雄感覺好像喔！
我的壞習慣走路總是會東張西望，五分鐘的路程走成二十分鐘。。。
去年的這個時候，我走路總是會看地上，那時候超熱衷拍人孔蓋！
沒想到，在那霸，連人孔蓋都跟台灣的很像～
提醒我，我有一個未完成的人孔蓋專輯，「我的一百個人孔蓋」。


A Manhole of the Polluted Water System
污水處理系統。人孔蓋。

I felt comfortable to walk along the streets in Naha.
The rights of the pedestrian are highly emphasized here.
As long as I stepped toward the pedestrian crossing, the traffic
just stopped to let me walk across.
I remembered the days when I stayed in Lausanne for the 10th
TNF conference, no matter where is a traffic light the pedestrian
on the roads in Swiss are respected and protected by the drivers.
Some of the drivers read my hesitation, they made a gesture of
"pedestrian first, please" to me.

在這裡走路的感覺很好。
因為走在路上要過馬路時，所有車子都會主動停下禮讓行人先走。
我記得在瑞士也是這樣。
不管有沒有紅綠燈，只要有人要過馬路，來往的車輛老遠就會停下來。
還有駕駛會伸出手，跟我做一個請先走的手勢。



Two Posts of the Area under Construction 工地圍籬的警示海報。

With the posts featuring cat and dog, the fences are settled
on the pedestrian lane as we see in Taiwan to protect the
passers-by from the construction sites.

The traffic regulations are what we've been taught since our
childhood. However, I almost feel no respects of being a
pedestrian in Taiwan. Neither watchword nor rules, I see the
good manners indeed being implemented in daily lives of
Okinawa...

人行道上的工程圍籬。連小貓小狗都受到保護，好可愛喔～
這種行人充分受尊重有路權的情況，何時才會在台灣實現呢？
這趟沖繩行，算是見識了日本之所以強盛的原因。
至少在沖繩，我看到生活禮儀，不是條文、也不是口號！
而是確確實實地落實在生活中。

The visiting notes of Okinawa go to the end by this post.
I wish to visit Okinawa again with my dear papa and mama~
as well as my beloved Michael~

沖繩五日就先寫到這裡，
希望今年有機會可以帶爸媽一起去玩。
更希望我的老公可以一起去，老公好辛苦喔～



Kiss Goodbye from Mosquito in Okinawa 沖繩蚊之吻。

Sometimes I felt mosquitoes around the world love me very much.
While waiting for the flight to Taipei in Naha Airport, I found I've
got a gift for memory from someone~ a MOSQUITO kiss! What a
GREAT goodbye kiss it is, the "stamp" lasted for a week to disappear...

我覺得全世界的蚊子都很愛我。
在機場候機室等候登機的時候，發現有人送我紀念品。
就是蚊子啦！
不知何時偷偷親了我一下，好個吻別！

後記：這個吻痕過了一週才完全消失～　>_<

[沖繩] 愛戀。風獅爺。

Falling in Love with Shisa in Okinawa~

Tracing back to the age that I met "Fong-Shi-Ye" for the
first time...It has been eighteen years ago when I was
undergraduate.
I took a three-credit course in "General History of China".
For the campus of NCKU located in Tainan City, it's convenient
for the teacher to guide students seeing this old city with its
historical buildings and temples, which were built with a lot of
allusions originated from Chinese architecture.
It indeed was a course featured with both sense and sensibility.

回溯認識風獅爺的年代，
已經是十八年前的事了。
那時候在台南念大學，修一門叫「中國通史」的課，
地緣之便，老師帶著大家走訪台南府城的古蹟，
實地解說源自中國的廟宇建築之美，
以及各項裝飾或擺設的由來與典故。
那真是一門感性與理性兼具的好課程！


風獅爺。之一。

As I've mentioned previously, the "Fong-Shi-Ye" in Tainan were
only the type of roof guardian. It was believed that people living
in the house with roof guardian are protected from devil.

When I was a graduate student, I moved to another old city
"Hsin-Chu" (New-Bamboo in meaning) and studied in NTHU
for my master degree...
Hsin-Chu is also an old city full of historical buildings, but it
showed a very different appearance and feelings from Tainan.
There was no "Fong-Shi-Ye" in Hsin-Chu, however, it was the
city that my first meet of Kingmen's "Fong-Shi-Ye" happened~

不過那時候只認識台南的風獅爺，
全都是鎮屋守宅的屋頂風獅爺。

碩士班到了另一個府城，新竹。
都是有年紀的府城，卻是不同的風情。
新竹沒有風獅爺，但我在這個時期，認識金門的風獅爺。


風獅爺。之二。

It is an unexpected event to meet "Fong-Shi-Ye" in Okinawa!
What a big surprise to meet an old friend at a place I've never
landed. A distance of four hundred miles is nothing~
Okinawa is such a magic place full of peace and love like my homeland.

The moment I saw "Shisa" in Okinawa laughing in the way exactly
the same as the "Fong-Shi-Ye" at home, I understood why I felt
acquainted at the first look~ Once upon a time families we were!

這回在沖繩，真有它鄉遇故人的驚喜，
一千公里的距離實在不算什麼～
這是一個讓我感到安詳且親切的國度，
尤其當我看到沖繩的風獅爺，
跟家裡擺設的那一對來自金門的風獅爺，
有著一模一樣的歡樂笑顏時。。。
我終於明白～原來這所有的人親土親，
真的是久遠年代以前的「歡樂一家親」！



風獅爺。之三。

I love "Shisa" especially those in the style of laughing happily.
Looking at them makes me laugh happily from the bottom of my heart.

We spent the afternoon before our departure fooling around
in Naha City. I just could not stop looking for "Shisa" in various
types of design. I want to take all "Shisa" with me and let them
meet my "Fong-Shi-Ye" at home !!

我特別喜愛這些開懷大笑的造型～
光是看著都會忍不住跟著開心的笑！
在那霸市區閒逛的半天，
我的眼光不斷地尋找各式造型的風獅爺，
好想把它們通通帶回家，跟家裡的金門風獅爺團聚唷～



風獅爺。之四。

Ruth was a good company and "functioned" as a brake in time
when I was fascinated to search for "Shisa"...finally, I had four
pairs of "Shisa" to go home with me~

還好有學妹在一旁時時勸阻我的衝動，
所以只帶了這四對回家。

The last "Shisa" shown below are the "Fong-Shi-Ye" at home.
It was a gift from my junior schoolmate when he served in
army in Kingmen. See? "Fong-Shi-Ye" from Kingmen look
exactly the same as "Shisa" from Okinawa!

By the way, this pair of "Fong-Shi-Ye" from Kingmen are also
featuring as "Shi-Gan-Dang".

最後這一對是學弟揚捷送的金門風獅爺～
我說的沒錯吧！金門跟沖繩的風獅爺長得一模一樣！
不過，金門這一對同時也是「石敢當」唷～


風獅爺。之五。

If you are interested in "Fong-Shi-Ye", the website below will
tell you more about them.

對風獅爺有興趣的話，可以參考以下連結。
http://content.edu.tw/local/jinmn/jinhu/windlion/index.htm

Besides, wikipedia in Japanese also provides information of "Shisa"
(シーサー) and "Shi-Gan-Dang" (いしがんどう、いしがんとう).
另外日文版的 wikipedia，也有風獅爺和石敢當的相關資料。
http://www.wikipedia.org/ or http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/

*NCKU: Natl. Cheng-Kung Univ.
*NTHU: Natl. Tsing-Hua Univ.

[沖繩] 夕陽無限好。

March 28, 2007　
Farewell Sunset in Onna~

On the way from YOMITAN back to the Seaside House, I told
Ruth..."I couldn't help thinking of fresh milk...that I used to
drink 500 ml everyday in Taipei. Every morning I went to the
Chura Hall for breakfast and wished that milk was on the table,
but I was disappointed day by day. I WANT MILK!!"

結束陶藝村參觀之行，回程的路上我開始無藥可救地想念鮮奶。
按照我每天都要喝五百西西鮮奶的習慣，
其實我已經忍耐很多天了。
每天早上我都期盼會看到鮮奶，然後日復一日的感到失望。

Ruth laughed at me for loving milk so much like a baby, yet she
suggested that I should ask where the supermarket is and she
would accompany me to get some.

How lucky I was! God respond to my wish again!
Nice Mizuki drove me to the supermarket nearby the Sea Park
Hotel. (Though sounded "nearby", with my slow pace in feet, it
would take me almost an hour to get milk.)

學妹可能心裡偷偷笑我，這麼大了還沒斷奶。
不過終究我們是一夥兒的～
學妹很有義氣的說，學姊你去問那兒有超市，我陪你去買囉！

莫非是老天爺聽到我心裡對鮮奶的呼喚？
好心的 Mizuki 特地載我到附近的全家便利商店買鮮奶！
(說是附近，以我的速度，走路來回可能要花一個小時～)

I stand by the window drinking milk I longed for...
Headache still, but the sea is outside waving "Come Here" to me.
Thinking about the last two lectures later, I decide to take a pill
of Ibuprofen first and then go out in a reply to the NATURE's call~

我站在窗邊喝著久違的鮮奶。
頭還痛著，窗外的好景緻卻一直對我招手～來呀！
心想傍晚還有最後兩場演講，還是吃個止痛藥吧。
然後就帶著相機，回應藍天白雲對我的招喚去了。

A back yard is always mysterious and attractive to me.
The one beside the seminar room is exactly full of the feelings
and imagination.

後花園總是神秘、美麗，引人一探究竟。
會議廳外的後花園，完全符合這樣的氣質與想像。

This memorial was erected to pray for the everlasting peace
of the world. I just could not stop imaging those days when this
island was at war for months, what people here suffered under
the typhoon of steel...

Yet today this island represents itself to me and touches my
heart deeply... with silent sea, blue sky as well as peace and
love for eternity.

這支祈求世界人類和平的紀念碑，
讓我忍不住揣想，久遠年代以前的烽火連天，
曾經帶給沖繩怎樣的創痛。。。
而今天呈現在我眼前的沖繩，
卻是如此打動人心的藍天、碧海、和平與愛。




Under the tree, a dark corner was painted in green.
The sunlight shined through the leaves and lighted up the lives of
the unknown lovely plants. The small stones with reflection of the
sunlight made themselves shining as if they were stars in the sky.

乍看陰暗的角落，定睛一瞧卻看見一片綠意盎然。
陽光透過樹葉的縫隙灑在不知名的小植物身上，
地上的白色碎石宛如天上繁星一般，映著太陽閃閃發亮。





Time for my return to the seminar room.
I visited the viewing platform again and took a photo of this board
for memory.

看看時間差不多了，該是折返的時候。
我又來到觀景台。拍下恩納村海岸安全管理的告示牌做紀念。




The last two seminars talked about the regulation of cleavage
division and mainly focused on the centriole/centrosome part,
which was very interesting to me. These speeches caught my
attention and even let me forget my awful headache this afternoon.

By the end of the last talk, my pen was also ran out of ink...
No ink for supply~ who dares take that in flight?!
Liquid in bottles are troublesome while check in for boarding.

最後兩場演講都與卵裂的調節有關，
聽得我忘了頭痛，意猶未盡。
真巧，我的鋼筆已經完全給它沒墨水啦！
沒帶墨水無法補充，還好演講都結束了～

Before the sun goes down, the appearance of the sky turns to be
a reddish-blond color. I stand on the end of the alley watching a
spectacular sunset. These days in Okinawa, I had no chance to
have a look at it...the sunset was gone with the seminars in the
evening session. The same time tomorrow I ought to stay in the
Naha airport waiting for the flight to Taipei...
It is the first as well as the last sunset in Okinawa to me.

從會議廳回房間的時候，瞥見太陽已經接近海平面了。
回想前幾天的日落，好像都在傍晚的演講結束前就完結了。
這應是這趟沖繩之旅的第一個，也是最後一個。夕陽。




Everything goes to the end?
The signal of no battery flashes on the screen and reminds me
I have no recharging set with me.
Sure! The last shot in Okinawa~
God know when the next meet is...

電力不足的標誌一直在螢幕上閃呀閃！
不管啦！按下快門再說～
明天這個時候，應該已經在那霸機場的候機室了。
此時不拍，更待何時？

[沖繩] 陽春三月。之三。陶藝村。

March 28, 2007
Sunny Okinawa~


I think "Shisa" in Okinawa and "Fong-shi-ye" in Taiwan were
of the same origin. No matter where in Kingmen or Okinawa,
they were in two types of "Fong-shi-ye" as well as "Shisa".
The first type is the village guardian and used to stand
in front of the gate of a building or on the platform of a village.
(建物の門や屋根、村落の高台)
The second one is the roof guardian as the photo shown here

ps. "Fong-shi-ye" in Tainan were only the type of roof guardian.

沖繩的 Shisa 跟我們的風獅爺應該是同源吧！
不管是沖繩還是金門，都可以看到兩種類型。
第一種是鎮守村莊的村落風獅爺，
第二種則是相片拍的屋頂風獅爺。

ps. 台南好像只有屋頂風獅爺。




I also found another familiar scene in Okinawa.
It is "Stone dare take" in meaning with pronunciation like
"Shi-gan-Dang".（いしがんどう、いしがんとう）
We saw "Shi-gan-Dang" standing beside the road, especially
those roads of a T-shape or a three-way intersections were
thought dangerous.
It is said the culture of "Shi-gan-Dang" in Okinawa was of
China origin. (これは中国伝来の風習で、福建省が発祥と
されている)

I think long long long time ago, Fujian-Kingmen-Taiwan-Okinawa
were possibly bound to the same landmass and separated from
each other because of earthquake or landsliding, and finally had
the geography as we know now.
If not, how come they showed so many similarities and let me feel
as if I were in Taiwan!

另外，我在這裡還看到另一個熟悉的景物「石敢當」。
在臺灣，「石敢當」通常設立於公路旁。
特別是丁字或三叉路口，被認為是路沖處，或被稱為凶位的牆上，
用來辟邪的石碑。
沖繩的「石敢當」據說也是源自中國沿海的風俗文物。

我想很久很久以前，福建、金門、臺灣、沖繩，可能是同一塊陸地吧！
後來因為大陸板塊移動，才漸漸變成現在的地理位置～
不然怎麼會這麼像呢！
像到讓我這個第一次到訪的人，一直有在家的錯覺。




With background of blue sky decorated by clouds in white,
green trees standing by the house of roof tiles in red,
it is a must-be-taken picture of the pretty girls!
The smile faces are as bright as the brilliant sunshine.

趁著天光好，把女孩兒們集合起來，照個相是一定要的啦！
藍天白雲綠樹紅瓦為背景，
陽光般的笑容，充分傳達我們有多幸福～




Although I was suffering from sunstroke and felt dizzy...
When I looked at the paper flowers, a term came into my mind.
"Primary Colors"~
Aren't they? Red is red, Green is green, and Blue is blue!

(Do the paper flowers stand for the city flower of Naha?)

我覺得頭好暈ㄛ～好像有點兒暈車或中暑吧！　>_<
抬頭看著沖繩的九重葛，腦中閃過的辭彙是「原色」。
可不是！紅就是紅、綠就是綠、藍就是藍～

九重葛好像是那霸的市花。




In the parking lot outside the village, while waiting for all
participants to gather for return, I have my camera to take
the last shot of this village.
A street lamp stands alone on the square with all its majesty.

在村莊外的停車場，等待大家集合的時候，
順手又拍了這支有著「一柱擎天」之勢的美麗路燈。