[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 Most of them have been replaced by the convenient stores.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。

[沖繩] 陽春三月。之二。陶藝村

March 28, 2007
Sunny Okinawa~

The YOMITAN vill is the next stop for us to have a short tour.
It is a pottery village full of artistic atmosphere.
We visit a workhouse of glass-blowing, which has a romantic
name as "Rainbow".

古堡之後，我們接著去拜訪一個充滿古風的小村莊。
首先參觀的是一個吹玻璃的工房。
它有個美麗的名字叫「虹」。
旁邊第二行的四個漢字，應該是工房主人的名字。



In this village, I met the guardian angels of lion features again.
People in Okinawa named the sculptures "Shisa" (シーサー).
They looked very much similar to our "Fong-Shi-Ye" that I met
long time ago in Tainan and the isolated island Kingmen.
We pronounced as "Fong-Shi-Ye", in the three Chinese character
they mean "Wind-Lion-General", i.e., a Lion General who guards
the village from strong wind".

Besides, "Shisa" and "Fong-Shi-Ye" had the same meanings
in Taiwan and Okinawa! They protect the island as well as the
seaside villages from strong wind, guard people against devils,
and also give blessings (魔除け、幸運招きなどの意味).

This "Shisa" I met in TOMITAN is very cool.
He wears glasses that makes his looking like a scholar.
In addition, he also is a glassblower!

在這裡，我又遇到跟風獅爺長得很像的獅子，當地人叫 Shisa。
跟我們的風獅爺一樣，具有守護神的象徵意義。
這一尊很酷唷！
戴著眼鏡看起來很有學問之外，它可是會吹玻璃的 Shisa 呢！



People in this village are all artistic~
The old person sits in front of the oven and the heated glass is
rotated continuously around the axle by his hands. With his
expertise at glassblowing, he forms the glass into a dish at the
best timing. How amazing!

老公公在火爐前，轉著手上那一坨熱融融的玻璃。
憑藉著經驗，在最適當的時候，展開「輕攏慢捻抹復挑」的手段，
只見一坨沒有形狀的玻璃，或盤或球或各式的容器，
就這樣從無到有，出現在眼前。




Walking along the road, the houses and scenery let me think
of "May-Nong" in Kaohsiung county (south part of Taiwan).
It seems that most of the people living here are clay profession.
Again, very similar to the town "Ing-Ge" in Taipei county~

Here comes another workhouse.
SEE! Shisa stand in front of the gate smile and saying hello to us!

往村裡面走。　
哇！屋舍跟鄉村的景緻讓人聯想起美濃～
而且村裡面大部分都從事製陶工藝，
跟我們熟悉的鶯歌好像喔！

這是其中一座陶藝工房的門牌。
看吧～又有風獅爺站在門口，跟過往的客人哈啦了。



Is it very difficult to understand the meaning in Chinese saying
"A huge number of things give a pretty sight"??

(I don't know how to translate/describe this saying >_<)

在這樣的畫面裡「數大便是美」不言而喻



Inside the workhouse, girls draw or paint for the clay
under sunlight. Cute Natalia goes into the house and
talking in body language happily.

另一家製陶工房。
只見女孩兒在裡面迎著天光，一筆一畫地為素陶胚著色上釉。
跟著爸爸媽媽一起來參加會議的五歲女娃娃 Natalia，
跑進去開心地跟人家比手畫腳，超可愛呢！



A huge number of Shisa in prototype.
Looks they are now undergoing the air-dry stage.
Not colored or harden by baking, yet the bravery
look is not a blur~

好大一群原型的風獅爺！
看起來正處於風乾的階段～
尚未上釉，也還沒經過高溫的焠煉，
不過英姿換發的模樣，已經稍見端倪啦。

[沖繩] 陽春三月。之一。古堡。

March 28, 2007
Sunny Okinawa~

Yesterday the rain made me feel so blue and
I prayed for good weather before I went to bed last night.
It seemed God heard it.

What a beautiful day it is!
The heavy rain yesterday just faded away as a dream.

昨天的雨下得我好憂鬱。
心裡想著今天下午有郊遊，睡覺前好認真的祈禱說。
看來老天爺聽到了～

瞧～多好的天氣！
昨天的大雨真像一場夢。



Coffee break~ having a cup of cafe in black as usual.
The skylight is quite good for taking photos.
On the back yard, there are the light and shadow playing
a game of hide-and-seek.

中場休息時間。
不例外地要喝一杯黑咖啡。
今日天光可美的呢！
適合以相機捕捉光與影的變化。



As soon as the last speech of the morning session was ended,
An atmosphere of expectation filled the seminar room.
We were going on an excursion this afternoon!
With lunch box, we got on the bus and began the visiting tour
of the historic buildings and the art of ceramics.

中午的演講一結束，會場立刻充滿了要去郊遊的氣氛。
大夥兒人手一袋午餐，坐上大型遊覽巴士，
展開古蹟與陶藝的參觀之旅。




This old castle in Okinawa looks like the one we have in Tainan...
The castle in Tainan was named "Forever Golden Castle"
in meaning and pronounced as "Yi-zai-jin-cheng".
Not only the castle, the sky also is beautiful as I've
experienced in Tainan~

好像我們台南的億載金城喔！
而且，今天的天空也確實跟台南的天空一般～
藍的沒有一點兒雜質。



I love taking photos of these small plants.
See? They though looks weak and soft, yet they are strong
while facing the tough environment for survival.
As hard as these rock are, they also are touched and willing
to be counted on~

In fact I didn't ask the opinion of stone...and I guess so.

最喜歡拍這些岩縫中長出來的小植物了。
你瞧！柔軟的身體充分展現生命的韌性。
連石頭這種硬梆梆的東西，都受到感動，
願意被攀附跟依靠了～

我是沒問過石頭啦，可我覺得石頭應該是願意的吧。




This bug walks gracefully and passes by my feet.
With no exception, I just don't know who it is.
However, this time I am smarter than before~
Cause I have some information about it.

This tiny creature was classified to~ Animal Kingdom,
Phylum of Arthropoda, Class of Insecta, Order of Coleoptera.
And Family of ... I am not sure at this level.
Tenebrionidae or Carabidae?

Guess now nobody knows what I am talking about ^_^
Let's talk about it in a more popular way.

"The Order of Coleoptera have the most abundant lives in
the Calss of Insecta." has the same meaning as
" the beetles are the biggest family of insects".
I always have difficulty distinguishing ground beetles or
darkling beetles. This cute one looks like a ground beetle
for its lovely shine like metal...

這個小蟲兒慢手慢腳的從我眼前走過。
不例外地我叫不出它的閨名兒。
但是這回我變聰明些了！
我知道一些些關於它的身家資料唷～
這小東西是動物界、節肢動物門、昆蟲綱、鞘翅目的成員。

鞘翅目可是昆蟲綱最大的一目。
這樣說大家可能搞不清楚我在說蝦米，
咱們說白話一點兒，鞘翅目說的就是甲蟲一族。

然後到底它是哪一科我就沒把握了。
看起來像步行蟲科，因為它的甲殼有漂亮的金屬光澤。
反正我從來分不清楚步行蟲科和擬步行蟲科。

[沖繩] 憂鬱的一天

March 27, 2007
Cloudy Okinawa~

Just like yesterday, the birdsong wakes me early in the morning.
Through the roller blinds, the sky reveals slight darkness in color.
I stay on my bed and listen to the bird singing...
Around 7:30 am, the sounds of "Good morning" appear in the alley
outside the rooms.

早上一樣在優美的鳥鳴聲中醒過來。
透過百葉窗，看到外邊的天色有一點點陰沉～
於是賴在床上，安靜的聽著小鳥唱歌。
七點半。走廊上開始出現互道早安的聲音。


Something catches my eyes!
It is the window which locates at the corner on the way from our
room to the Chura Hall, what a breathtaking picture!

就在我們從房間走到用餐處的轉角，
突然讓我眼睛一亮！
透過這一扇窗，好個風景如畫～




Sitting in the seminar room, a smell of rain fades in the air.
Surprising that my instinct of weather also works in Okinawa.
It indeed rains~

坐在演講廳裡，
空氣中隱約傳來雨水的味道。
沒想到我對天氣的預感在沖繩也管用～
真的，下雨了。




Speeches this morning were kind of difficult to me,
for the model system used was yeast.
It's the organism that I was quite unfamiliar.
Even I was not acquainted with this field, these talks still
intrigued me by the excellent presentation of the speakers.

今天的演講聽得有點兒吃力呢！
基本上，以酵母菌為研究模式的演講，
因為不是我熟悉的系統，對我來說不困難也難免生疏。
不過好的演講者就是有這種本事，
即便我不熟悉這個領域，一樣也聽得忘我。



The rain almost ran away in the evening and the sky
turned to be bright.
Well, the bright color did not last long~
Just a moment the sky was occupied by the darkness of night.

傍晚時分雨幾乎停了～
只見天空漸漸亮起來。
不過才一下下，天色就被夜的黑吞沒了。




Before the sky gets completely dark,
beside the wooden platform on the back yard,
I see a wild flower flapping in the breeze...

趁雨歇天未暗下來之前，
在演講廳後面的陽台邊，拍到小花迎風搖曳的身影～

[沖繩] 親愛的朋友。

Meet Me in Okinawa!

I was very lucky to have Ruth as a company in Okinawa.
We shared the room and spent times together in Onna.
In Astrology, Ruth and I belong to the same sign -- Leo.
Well, we did not set anything on fire.

這是一定要介紹的啦！
同樣是獅子座的可愛學妹，采馨。
她是我在沖繩的日子裡，唯一的同居人唷～


Modern Beauty in the Old Castle 古堡裡的現代美少女

I was also thankful to have an opportunity to join the workshop
in Okinawa. I did learn a lot from both oral and poster presentations.
Besides, friendship is the most precious thing I've been given here.
People in Okinawa are pure, simple, and open-minded.
Facing so many foreigners who came from different countries
speaking in different languages, they hosted us with not only
patience but also great passions.

這次到沖繩開會，除了在研究與知識的領域，
收穫頗多之外，我們也結識了新朋友。
這兒的人們，單純而質樸。
面對我們這些外地來的朋友，
她們以含蓄的方式充分傳達南國的熱情。


Pretty Girls 美女圖。

Ruth and I planned to have a short city tour in Naha
before our departure. Tomomi (middle of the photo below)
was so dear to us like our family.
She drew pictures, printed the route map and time table
of monorail in Naha city that we would rely on to finish
the shopping list of Ruth and find the delicious "Chinsukou"
for my lovely little Tina.

在會議結束後，學妹跟我有一趟小小的那霸市區觀光。
我們親切如家人的朋友 Tomomi (中間)，
耐心地幫我們畫地圖、列印單軌電車的行駛路線及時間表～
這可是學妹最重要的購物指南，
也幫助我找到雅婷指定要的手指餅乾！



The girl dressed in orange is also a Taiwanese.
Chen-Chun had a flight from England to Okinawa for the workshop
She is now pursuing her Ph.D. degree in Oxford.

穿著橘色上衣的漂亮女孩兒也是臺灣人。
不過，這回她從英國飛到沖繩來參加會議，
因為她現在在英國唸博士班。





Including me, there were four participants from Taiwan.
My adviser Sue (middle) and Dr. Chen (left of the photo) were
invited to give oral presentations about their research in Taiwan.
Ruth and I, we were late for application and lucky to be accepted
as exceptions to participate the meeting.

連我在內，從台北前往參加會議的臺灣人有四位。
其中我們老師 (中間) 跟陳老師 (圖左)，都是大會邀請的演講者。
我跟學妹是半路殺出來的跟屁蟲。





The group photo was taken by the OIST staff.
Post it here in memory of this wonderful meeting.
We were destined to meet each other in Okinawa~

收到大會主辦單位寄來的團體照，貼上來做紀念。
緣份就是這麼奇妙～
有緣者，天涯咫尺；無緣的，咫尺天涯。