腹肌和腩肉的互換關係

死... 返黎三個星期，坐低覺得個肚有D頂住條褲既感覺。唔通個肚腩咁快就長大？？要搵人打多D波先得... 今晚有兩檔約會：同幾個老朋友食飯，或者去打波。我去左食飯... 好在佢貴夾唔飽，兼且有人請。
[我又用呢副相... 呢個蛋糕個做型實在太正]

秦始皇兵馬俑博物館

看了秦始皇兵馬俑博物館的網頁，見到兵馬俑和銅車馬造型準確，形象逼真，禦手俑和馬匹的解剖比例準確。比起歐洲文藝復興時代Michelangelo的當然有所不及，兵馬俑畢竟是比文藝復興早一千年的作品。

人常言中國的藝術不求準確，只求意境。我想這只是一個籍口。看看二千多年前的秦俑，它們的表情多仔細，解剖比例多準確？

究竟是誰主管秦俑的藝術工藝？為什麼秦俑之後便沒有了類似的作品？在秦的專政帝制之下，這樣有才華的天才連正式的名字也沒有留下來，更何況他們的命子？如果秦沒有「一統天下」，像製造秦俑這些天才還可以逃到別國，保住命子和把工藝留傳後世。歷史不是漸進，而是由個別的人突然創造出來的。專政帝制畢竟容不下個人的天份。

我建議各位，到不了西安秦始皇兵馬俑博物館，也要到它的網頁看看。看完之後，你會明白中國的文化和藝術比歐洲起步早幾百甚至上千年，為甚麼後來卻給人家趕上。

p.s. 我常說，有了互聯網和Wikipedia，無知已經變成罪。

睇英女皇寫硫磺島戰書

唉，想搵個人陪我睇戲都咁難。點解D人冇興趣睇英女皇同硫磺島戰書？好戲黎架！

清明上河圖與兵馬俑

今日報紙報導，北京故宮博物院可能會借出北宋的《清明上河圖》到香港展覽，慶祝香港回歸十周年。

我對回歸幾多周年沒有興趣，《清明上河圖》卻很想看看。我在Wikipedia查到，原來自從北宋的《清明上河圖》之後，歷代都有畫家臨摹或用相同的技巧繪畫類似的風景。其中最有名的是《清院本清明上河圖》，乾隆元年（1736）由清宮畫院的五位畫家陳枚、孫祜、金昆、戴洪、程志道合作畫成，現由台灣的故宮博物館收藏。


至於原來的《清明上河圖》現在只能推測是宋徽宗朝任朝翰林畫院畫史張擇端所繪畫，經過一千年的轉折現在被北京故宮博物院收藏。《清明上河圖》的特色是用全長528公分，高24.8公分的長卷，採用散點透視法「描繪了清明時節，北宋（960年－1127年）京城汴梁及汴河两岸的繁華和熱鬧的景象和優美的自然風光」。宋徽宗酷愛此畫，用“瘦金體”親筆在圖上題寫「清明上河圖」五字。


另一方面，大英博物館從秦始皇兵馬俑博物館借得120具兵馬俑（Terracotta） ，由今年9月13至明年4月6日展出。 大英博物館館長指出，「 重點不僅在兵馬俑上，而是秦始皇 。 」

這是刊登在大英博物館的網頁的介紹：

This once-in-a-lifetime exhibition will explore one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century and provide an insight into China’s First Emperor, Qin Shihuangdi, and his legacy. Objects featured in the exhibition will include a number of the world-famous terracotta warriors from Xi'an, China, which were buried alongside the First Emperor in readiness for the afterlife, as well as some of the most striking recent discoveries made on the site. In introducing the idea of a unified state and effectively creating China in 221 BC, the First Emperor of Qin created what is today the oldest surviving political entity in the world. How that state has survived, developed and is viewed today will be explored through events, lectures and debates around the exhibition.

Spirited Away

I was reading a paper written by a friend of mine. She is studying counseling and writing up a paper for her research.

Her theme is the way to happiness: "People who regularly feel grateful to others might be more likely to feel loved by others," and generally feel happier. Research has shown that "gratitude is negatively related to depression, anxiety and envy."

That's very true. Hoyee is such a wonderful girl to me because she used to be grateful to everything. After a few years staying outside alone, she had forgot what she truly is, and became very unhappy, depressed and anxious at some point.

The theme of Miyazaki's Spirited Away: you lose yourself when you forget your name.

Beer

The first German word that I can manage and still manage is "Prost", German for "cheers" for the drink. I enjoy chattering with friends over a glass of beer a lot.

I learned to drink beer in Boston. Well, you know after you have tried a lot of them. Hefeweizen is my favorite. It is a style of German beer in which the yeast is not filtered out and stay in the bottom of the bottle. In Bavaria, the wheat beer is called weissbier, which is brewed with a special strain of top-fermenting yeast that gives the beer the distinctive flavor. The proper way to drink hefeweizen is to pour 90% of the beer into a glass, swirl the bottle and then top the glass with the yeast.

In Massachusetts, you will get 50 cents for returning a beer bottle. We don't drink a lot of beer at home. But from the few parties we hosted, we have kept $12 worth of beer bottles (240 bottles) in 6 months.

I use to rinse the bottles with water before keeping them for return. At the end of the farewell party for Remus, I was rinsing the beer bottles at the sink. Remus saw me and told me that he never did that at home. I said to him, "I don't do this at your home either."

From Wikipedia: Franziskaner (aka Franzi) is a Munich brewery that makes wheat beer. It got its name from being next to a Franciscan monastery. It is now owned by Spaten Brewery, having been bought by Joseph Sedlmayr and merged with his brother Gabriel Sedlmayr's Spaten Brewery.

師兄

一位師兄由英國返香港工作，佢係一個好好好好人，我初初讀Graduate School的時候，佢教o左我好多做lab的techniques。近來我久不久會搵佢傾計同食lunch。有一日一班人食飯，佢突然o係成班人前問我：「十年前開始問你同唔同我返church問到依家，你到底幾時同我去呀？」我心諗，我唔係唔信，不過我可唔可以o係自己心裡面private practice?


Rouen Cathedral, Full Sunlight, by Claude Monet, 1894

算命

今日同幾個朋友o係佐敦打邊爐，講到佢o地搵一個o係廟街開檔o既相士睇開相同算時辰八字，講得好準。咁就腳，加上佢o地有「友情價」，我就走o左去睇。

呢位相士都幾好o野，曾經o係雜誌寫專欄，講下D明星o既運程。佢重有個網頁：www.wongchunfu.com

佢真係幾準，用我個時辰八字算出06年係最沖我o既一年：同一個拍拖好耐o既女仔分手，會唔見錢，同要轉工。佢話我三十一同三十二歲係最差的年份，以後先有運行。佢叫我要修眉，因為三十一同三十二歲都係行眼眉中間的運。但好消息係，06年係我一生中o既最低潮，而且晚年無憂。但我要到49歲開始先有餘錢。

佢淨係睇我o既八字已經知道我係好錫女朋友o既人。我話就係因為太錫佢先至攪到今日o既結果。我問佢會唔會同前度女友有機會，佢話：「搵過個重好啦！」

Surrender

Fuck. I have not been sick for over a year. I even survived the sub-zero temperature and my roommate's flu many times. But I got a cold the first night in HK. It was deceivingly warm, and I should have closed the windows before I went to bed.

It has been 2 weeks. I am still coughing, particularly in the morning. I suppose the smog makes things worse. I probably need to surrender to a doctor.. I am feeling pain on my neck, maybe it is the thyroid. Let me check with my friends.

Happiness Index

A friend of mine put up a Happiness Index of the past year on her blog. It is a brilliant idea, so I made one for myself.



As I have said, 2006 was really a bloody hell for couples. If you survived it, you should open a bottle of champagne for that.

Alfred Sisley

I like impressionist painting. Claude Monet is a bit experimental to me. I prefer Alfred Sisley.

Sisley is actually a friend of Monet. Unlike classical painters who sketched the scene and painted back in the studio, they started painting outdoor to capture the realistic transient effect of sunlight. This is the essence of Impressionism: paint exactly what you see. If you are as irritated and sick as Vincent van Gogh, you see a swirling world of intense coloration. If you are as well-off as Sisley, you see tranquility: sunlight caresses every surface it touches and the colors it manifests.

Impressionists had invented a brand new way to paint, but they wouldn't be able to do it without one technical breakthrough of their time: the invention of tin tubes that allow painters to bring their oil paints outdoor.

I like Impressionist painting because I can feel what the painters felt by looking at their paintings. I liked Vincent van Gogh until a couple of years ago. Now I prefer Alfred Sisley. Maybe I have passed the stage of adrenaline surge and now want some tranquility. Sisley was British after all.


Sisley - Bridge at Villeneuve-la-Garenne. 1872 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Lucille

I bought my brother a guitar a few years back. He wanted to learn but gave up later. I always wanted to learn guitar. Now I have the time.

A friend of mine said men always want to learn guitar. Well.. like B.B. King had said, "when I go home at night, maybe I am lonely - well, not maybe, I am lonely - I pick up Lucille, and bring up the funny sound that sounds good to me, you know.."

Lucille is the electric guitar B.B. King uses. When he was young and nobody, he almost killed himself to save his guitar from a fire, which was started by a row over a girl whose name was Lucille. He named that guitar Lucille to remind himself not to do that again. Like every musician, King falls in love with his instrument. In his own words, "She's just like a woman, and that's the only one I've had that seemed I could really depend on. I've been married and each time separated from my wife, but Lucille never separates from me. She always stayed with me." He names all his guitars Lucille. Since 1982, Lucille has become the official name for Gibson ES-335, which B.B. King uses later in his career. Read on here.

Men are not good at talking things off after all. Well.. I have learned to do so, but I am still looking for someone who would listen.

I am doing quite good with guitar. I can play the easy part of Signe by Eric Clapton, although I still need to work on the bit.

p.s. Thanks to Fat Hoi who brought this classic tune to my attention: Lucille (1968).

Steps

It has been a while not writing. Life is really busy in HK. Work, meeting friends, squash, etc. You really need to manage your time so as not to waste it.

After playing squash today, my buddy and I went to another squash buddy's home to see his baby son. Both of these 2 friends have just had their first baby sons 2-3 months ago. Their topics, although they are men, are how much milk to feed every time, what kind of lotion to put on to the baby, how many clothes to put on the baby when going out, etc, etc.

Life comes in stages, and the stages are connected by steps, not slopes. Some of the steps are quite subtle. I have a few goals. Although I am not a good planner, I have achieved these goals somehow. I hope luck will stay with me.

p.s. It really takes some time and bitter encounters to learn things. Hope it is what people call wisdom.

Cats

A friend of mine keeps 4 cats at home. She started with one and brought her along all the way from HK to the US. The cat is 12 years old now.

My friend works long hours everyday and wants to give her old cat some company. So she adopted 2 young cats from a shelter. One of them is a long-fur baby cat with grey hair. He was only 4 months old when she adopted him. His is very very energetic and lovely. When we watch TV, he will climb up on us and hug on our faces.

The other cat is white with black patches. He was a street cat before he was taken into the shelter. So he is very curious with the trash can in the kitchen. My friend has to keep all the food in plastic boxes, and the trash out of his reach all the time.

Somehow my friend adapted the forth cat. She has a wooden coat hanger of 4 kinds of cats, and it happens that she has 3 of them in real. So when she saw the forth cat in the shelter, she took her without doubt.

But her old cat doesn't appreciate her new acquaintances too much. She was very annoyed by the curious baby cats who follow her all the time. She is an old lady used to be alone after all.

My friend said she has spent too much money on the cats and is in a stage of severe poverty now. She should consider buying medical insurance for her cats.

Funny enough. She works with rats at work.

Travel

I was looking at the pictures I have put on my Picasa Web Album (see the link on the right). Yes, I have been to many places in Europe. But what is the point if no one shares with me the memories of being in those places? To me, there is no such place in the world that attracts me as much as the people who I want to see.

朋友二號

對不起，這是我最後一次在這裡提這件事。

我以前很少留意任何歌的歌詞，但在我最低落的時候聽到這首歌，我竟然一邊聽，一邊喊（在一個女仔面前）。我一直都想將這首歌的歌詞post出來，因為歌詞所講的內容和我的遭遇一模一樣。

朋友二號

作曲╱編曲╱監製：林潤明 填詞：甄健強

某個背叛你　來這邊找我出氣
彷彿世界　只得我了解你
誰叫我看著你　還捨不得生氣
寧願聽聽你　來換多幾次一起
之後　突然忘掉我
之後　來到我早知的結果

朋友二號　完美任務　捱到絕路
讓對方感動到自豪　還不哭方算最好
做你好友二號　賠了熱度　還有量度
連傷心都不傾訴
如果可以為你效勞

我會照料你　留很多歡笑給你
可否愛我　不必說那些禁忌
誰替你費力氣　誰這麼珍惜你
撩動你同情　然後他講對不起
走吧　別人懷念你
走吧　難過也始終不至死

啊　繼續做　朋友二號　捱到絕路
你的手若有若無　還怎麼想對你好
做你好友二號　賠了熱度　還繼續做
連想哭都不知道　還怎麼決定我命途
誰又會因這個密友自豪

ps. 朋友號

『萬能俠﹐出黎啦﹔朋友號﹐落去啦﹗』鐵甲萬能俠平時藏在瀑布裡﹐要打怪獸時主角就會開著戰鬥機『朋友號』來到瀑布前召喚鐵甲萬能俠。鐵甲萬能俠破瀑而出﹐打開腦袋讓『朋友號』下去。所以『朋友號』其實是鐵甲萬能俠的腦袋﹐主角就在『朋友號』裡控制鐵甲萬能俠。

摘自這裡

In Hong Kong

I am back in Hong Kong again. I was here only last Sept.

Maybe I have not seen HK girls for a while, I am not very used to see them so skinny, if not bony.

Both trips were not planned. I only hope I can go back to Boston soon.

ps. Click here for an interview of the illustrator of the Phoenix.

Gravity

I called grandma this morning and told her that I would go see her soon. We didn't talk a lot, just caught up something trivial. After I hung up, I cried very badly. I felt I was like the little boy comforted by grandma after being bullied decades ago.

I had never felt that strong before. Maybe it takes time and some bitter encounters to get to feel the gravity of the bond that links you to people who love you.

樹欲靜而風不止，子欲養而親不在
《漢·韓嬰·韓詩外傳·卷九》

I will not let it happen to me.

Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation:


p.s. To some extent, Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation applies to people: the bond that holds 2 people together is inversely proportional to the square of their distance apart.

Paul Bishop

Paul invited me over to his home for dinner tonight before I go back to Hong Kong. We have been playing squash together twice a week for over 2 years but I have not been to his home or met his wife. I have seen his kids quite often though. He brought them over to the squash club from time to time.

Paul's wife is American, talkative and warm. Paul grilled some chicken, mushrooms, peppers and potato on his porch in freezing temperature. I brought a bottle of wine from home (a left over from one of the parties) and the chocolate bar Yvette gave me for Valentine's day. We had a nice chat and dinner there. His kids, Gavin and Malanie, are energetic. Malanie is 3 years old and really lovely.

Paul and Mary poured me with their love story over the couch and dinning table. I only knew today that they met in India. They were both taking a few months off from work in their early 20's and explored the world. They met in a backpackers' home and went on for a 5-days' hike in the Himalayas. They didn't plan to go hiking alone, but the girl from another couple who went with them had high attitude sickness the first day and was sent down the mountain right away. So Paul and Mary spent the next 4 days hiking together.

They didn't start dating until a few months later when Paul had a heart surgery in England. Paul proposed in a pub after a few pins of beer, and Mary needed to ask him whether he was serious. After they married, they spend 9 months seeing all the wilderness in the US without a job. When they spent most of their money, Mary called her former boss and he offered her a job in NYC. So they drove back to NYC and Paul found a well-paid job here after a couple of months. Now they own a big and comfy house with two kids zooming around. They are kids of some characters, but they hug and kiss their dad before going to bed everyday. Gavin even insists to get up before 6 am everyday just to have breakfast with his dad before he goes out for work.

Every friend of mine who has kids says it is not easy to raise kids, but it worths it.

The Himalayas, taken by Mark Galer, Creative Media Unit, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia

Sweet

Yvette gave us some small gifts for Valentine's day. I had a card, a chocolate bar and a post-it pad. The post-it pad says "Banging your head against the wall burns 150 calories an hour."



Sophie received the same things, but her post-it says "A dog accepts you as boss, but a cat wants to see your resume." Haha... that's why I love cats.

Thanks Yvette. That was sweet.

For My Roomates

Sophie loves chocolate and chocolate cake. She made chocolate cakes from time to time and I enjoy them a lot.

She said that I should make a cake for Yvette and her for Valentine's day. She showed me all the material we had for making chocolate cake. She said that it is a lot simplier than following a cloning protocol. I told her I would think about it.

I looked up the web and found a recipe for chocolate cakes:

INGREDIENTS

• 4 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch round cake pan, and dust with cocoa powder.
2. In the top of a double boiler over lightly simmering water, melt chocolate and butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, cocoa powder, eggs, and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Slices can also be reheated for 20 to 30 seconds in the microwave before serving.

I followed all it was said except the sugar. Everybody says that they add half of the sugar recommended in recipes from the US. Of course.

This is my first cake ever baked. I made it the shape of a heart for Valentine's day. Easy and tasty. A few girls came by to watch a DVD. They all love the cake.



The recipe comes from Allrecipes.com

Love Frozen in Time

I was watching the news on TV. On Feb 6, 2007, a team of archaeologists found the skeletons of a couple who were buried in hugging pose 5000-years ago in Mantau, a northern city of Italy. The archaeologists are trying to dig the whole turf in one piece so as to preserve the pose. The skeletons will eventually went on display in a museum in Mantau after data is extracted for research.

Mantau is only 25 miles south of Verona, the city where Shakespeare set the story of Romeo and Juliet. And Romeo had been sent to Mantau for a sword fight.

Not a conventional story to tell on Valentine's day though.

News from Anthropology.net

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The last book of Harry Potter will be published on July 21. It has become the best seller of Amazon already.

I am not a big fan of Harry Potter, although I have read all the books and seen all the movies. I was stunned by the creativity of the story and the referrals to the old literatures and legends of wizardry when I read the first book. I have to say Rowling had added too much detail at some points when the story moves on. But overall I like the way Harry stands up to the evil.

J.K. Rowling had said that two main characters will be killed in the last book. People guess they are Harry and Voldemort. I don't think so. I think Harry will kill Voldemort at the expense of a person very important to him. In the sixth book there is a clue that Aunt Petunia has been doing something important to Harry. I think she will turn out to be a key person in the whole story and die in this book. Harry will live in bitterness and regret after that. Mark my word.

J.K. Rowling was a jobless single mom when she wrote the first book of Harry Potter. She believed in herself and didn't give up her dream in the most difficult time of her life. I love writing too, and I am now stuck in a similar situation. Maybe it is my chance to take on a better path.

Oil Cravers

It is a twisted situation. This world relies too much on petrol oil.

The OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) is going to discuss to cut oil production because of the "falling price" .

What the fuck? You guys are relying on the black gold sitting under your asses for your Rolls Royce and Ferrari. Can't you be more decent?

Well, actually raising the price is not bad at all. The price of petroleum, especially in the US has been too low to give people any incentive to develop alternate fuel. When the price at the pump was over US2.7 per gallon, the most talked topic in the radio here was the source and technologies of alternative fuel.

You don't even need to debate about carbon emission or global warming. There are 2 obvious reasons not to rely on petroleum:

1. Petroleum is not replenishable, at least not in the next 1 million years. Obviously, it will be used up one day. Surveys had predicted that the oil fields in accessible area will be used up in the next 100 years. There might be more oil fields in deep sea, but the cost of mining them will be too high to be profitable. But still, oil will be used up one day. We need to find other energy source before that day comes.

2. You put yourself in a very bad strategic position to rely on a few countries for your major energy source. To keep themselves in a better position, the US had put a lot of effort to "secure" its interests in Middle East, and messed up the whole Middle East and irritated the Muslim world. Iran is still the second largest exporter of petroleum oil!! What the fuck? The West gives Iran money for the oil, and Iran uses the money to buy weapons from Russia/China/US for the militants in Iraq and Syria, and now threating to attack the US if the US stop their nuclear program by force. This is a karma completely avoidable.

I was looking up the web about geothermal energy. To my surprise, the country with the biggest production of geothermal energy is not any European country but the US. The Philippines is the first runner up. The biggest dry steam field in the world is The Geysers, only 145 km North of San Francisco. There are dozens of geothermal power plants in California and a few dozen more in the Mid West of the US. Of course, each of these states are bigger than France and the energy production from these geothermal plants do not contribute to a very big fraction of the whole energy consumption. But it is a good start.

I expect we need to use multiple sources of energy in the future. Geothermal energy is not everywhere. We can harvest wind power in the coast or even off the coast and solar power in the deserts. Setting up solar power farms in the deserts can actually keep the sand from the sun and trap moisture too. Has anyone done any experiment on it?

I know I know. We need a mobile and easy energy source for cars. Fuel cells. I know nothing about material science. But I am thinking to sacrifice the pleasure of acceleration and go for a hybrid engine car when I need to change my car. Well.. the design of the suburb of the US is based on cars. I need a car to do everything. I will do my best to save more energy.

The Story of O

I was visiting a friend's home a week ago and she had the book and the DVD for The Story of O. Out of curiosity about this classic, I borrowed them but only managed to watch the DVD today.

Well.. the girl has pretty face and body. Her gaze is attractive too. Her face and custom reminds me of 鍾楚紅. But I don't get the logic of the story. There are plenty of nude and sex scenes, but there are quite some disturbing whipping scenes too. If it is an account of Sadism and Masochism, it seems to me only a shallow and one-way account of female submissiveness.

The book was published in 1954 and the film was made in 1975. I am not sure whether S&M in that era was so male-dominant, or it was just the writer who wanted to take on this vision. But my friend told me the book is better than the movie. I have to start with the book soon.

Pictures captured from the movie (not by me)

Valentine's day

We have only spent 1 Valentine's day together. But to me, everyday is Valentine's day before she left.

Seriously. Valentine's day is the traditional day to express your love for each other. I did that everyday, because she had opened my heart and let me express myself. I didn't like to speak out my feeling before meeting her. You have changed me in a better sense.

Suffocating

It has been a few months since she left me. I am being occupied by some serious problems lately, but when I think about it, the thought of losing her is still suffocating. I mean literally short of breath (I just learned that short of breath is also one of the symptoms of acute anaphylactic shock.)

Anyway.. life has to go on. You never know what is ahead.

薑汁撞奶

多年前睇過一段麥嘜漫畫：

薑汁問鮮奶：
為什麼你要撞我，以後都分唔開了。

鮮奶說：
那天我撞了你，便分不開了。

我有一對朋友，男的是美國人，女的是法國人。他們都很年輕，只有24、25歲。他們在美國認識，男的跟女的回到法國，一年後結婚。之後兩人一齊返美國。女的在一家公司找到一份穩定的工作，男的工作卻不太穩定。

不久之後，男的發現有了腎病，原因是自身免疫力失衡，不斷殺死自己的腎臟細胞。他不可以再工作，只可以待在家中，每隔幾日還要太太送他到醫院洗腎。因為洗腎令身體很疲倦，而且日日留在家中很悶，所以男的心情經常都很差。

幸好太太對他不離不棄。每天中午都回家陪他吃飯，下班馬上回家照顧他。晚上和朋友的聚會，只要他身體應付很來，即使只是停留半小時，她都會帶他出來見見朋友和走動一下。

現在他轉用了一種洗腎機，可以在晚上睡覺時接上，機器便會在他睡著的時候幫他洗腎，日間便可以做些較輕鬆的工作。因為他的患的是一種自身免疫力疾病，所以他要長期服用免疫力抑制藥。但這些藥同時會令他很容易受感染，和令他吃不下食物。現在他每日只可以吃小量蔬菜和水果。

每次見到他們兩人我都感到很溫暖。我相信他們倆人相處可能有很多困難，特別是要照顧一個腎病病人，和處理他的情緒問題。但從他們望著對方的眼神和說話的表情，你可以看見他們還是很快樂的。

所以我相信，只要兩人相愛和走在一起，不放棄對方，世上沒有事情可以傷害到他們。

薑汁撞奶
做法

Stranded

I was changing train to go to the airport in Munich.

Only the front part of the train goes to the airport. I was about to board the train, and a man came out of the door and ran to the front part. I simply follow him to the other cartridge instinctively. But the door closed immediately after him and I couldn't get in. The train went away. I waited on the platform for 20 minutes in freezing temperature and strong wind.

I could have got on the train and moved to the front part a few stops later, but it happened to have a mindless man lured me into the trap. Whatever. Everyone is affected by random events.

Passing, Germany, Dec 31, 2006

Prost

Prost for the passion for beer!

Counceling

When I think about it, it seems to me that all that I have learned from my mistakes do not benefit myself a lot. I find myself giving good advices to friends who are going through what I have gone through (and made the wrong choices).

I should seek a career in counseling instead.

This blog

The more I think about it, the more I understand why I started this blog.

I always have things that I do not tell everyone, just like everyone. Now I have no one to talk to. So I write them down and hope that people who care will read them.

At least I found a way to take care the dark side of my feeling.

The calendar page on the date of my birth. My grandfather saved it in a photo album.

Harsh

I studied hard, I work hard. I go through tough terrains, luckily with help from friends at times.

I do all a man should do: being tough and decisive, proactive and keep my promises.

I run and run...

People ask me what kind of girls that I like.

I said as long as I am comfortable to look at and stay with.

Bad phrasing. I should say I want a soul mate whom I am eager to tell every triviality I face and every secret and fear of mine. I will let her see the part of mine hidden from the others. We understand each other and love each other. You don't meet that many soul mates very often.

Most the time I know what I should do. I ask not because I am indecisive, it is because I want your support.

Life is harsh. Things that had happened cannot be reversed. It is always cold and lonely to walk along. Why don't we hang on together and get some warmth from each other?

I always have the fear that I will be thrown out to the street and live a miserable life.

I have only told this to one person. Now you all know, if you care to read on.

Me at the age of 2. I have just realized that 30 years have passed.

Friends

I know I have many friends. But I didn't know I had so many good friends who were so willing to listen to me, give me advice and help me out of my trouble. I am really thankful for all of you who have offered. I am very proud of myself having made so many good friends in these years.

Mistakes

I always say that men only worry about two things: career and women.

I am sad not only because of my situation. I am more bothered by having my time and effort wasted. I am a simple man working for a simple life. I am not asking for a fancy career or a star-like girl. I only want a stable job and a comfortable life spent with the girl I love. Why it has to come down to this?

Mistakes. When I look back, I can see I have made a series of mistakes. I have told myself not to make the same mistake twice, and I am very proud that I have not repeated any mistake. But do I have to try out that many mistakes before I can do things right in the first place?

p.s. For those who care to read on, I am not as gloomy as I appear here. I use this blog to express the feeling deep in my heart. I am fighting hard all the time to keep my life rolling.

Realistic

This is weird. When I need to worry about living, I drop all the worries I had before. Now I have to fight for my own survival, and I don't even have time to read newspaper, or worry about girls. I am a realistic person after all.

But when I am tired, I still feel upset for no one in this world care about me too much.

Paul is right. He says I am worse than him if things happen, because he has wife and children with him. Physical and financial help is one thing, mental support is another. Of course, then I have the benefit of less burden because I don't have a family. But if I have to choose, I prefer having one.

Hang on.. please

My computer has been running slow and cut off suddenly today...

Please hang on and keep working. You are my only life line now. I really need you to work and run some business. I will probably lose my will to live if you fail.

Loser

I lost my love a few months back, now I lost my job. What else do you want from me?

Yes. I cut my hand with the lid of an open can, and my windshield got hit by a stone on the highway and left with a crack today. What's next?

Quick fix

We had a brief house meeting for my situation.

Yvette asked me what she could help. I said not much.

Sophie said, "Oh, you can marry Hong and he will be all set."

Yvette flushed and said, "Yeah, Sean doesn't mind. Let's go to the city hall tomorrow."

I thanked her and said I would keep it as the last resort. What a happy meeting.

Scull

Too much violence in my mind.

Gotta neutralize it with some calm views.


Thomas Eakins
Max Schmitt in a Single Scull
1871
Oil on canvas
32 1/2 x 46 1/4 in. (82.6 x 117.5 cm)
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Damn it

Damn it. I have run into a fucking serious problem.

I am just kicked out of work because of my visa problem. Damn it. I have to see my employer's attorney tomorrow and find a way to get back to work as soon as I can. Damn it!

I got the news after lunch. I was upset and worried for the first hour. But now I am so fretted and only want to slice some people into halves!! FUCK!!

A fantastic video clip I found on the web a few years back. I didn't pay attention to the name of the maker though.

My first day on snowboard

After the snowboarding lesson, I was on my own and Sophie took a video of me.

The Angelus

This is probably the only piece of art that strikes me on the first sign. The Angelus of Jean-Francois Millet.

The Angelus
Jean-Francois Millet; 1857-59; Oil on canvas; 21 3/4 x 26 in. (55.5 x 66 cm); Musee d'Orsay, Paris.

The church has rang the evening bell in the far background. A humble peasant couple prays at their potato harvest in the field.

A masterpiece is a masterpiece because it touches the audience's soul. This is a masterpiece.

Dolphins

I found something interesting from my collection of pictures and paintings.

A few years back we invited a writer who had written a book about visual illusions to give a talk at work. He explained to us that our brains are trained by our perception and experience, and then interpret what we see so that we can recognition the same car or the same person from different angles of view. This extraordinary ability serves us very well but can also does tricks. Here is one funny example.

He said that young children only saw dolphins. I saw something else of course, and I needed to stare at it for 5 minutes to locate the dolphins.

I know.. I know.. I am far from being innocent.

Scream

Yvette has hung the Scream of Edvard Munch at home.


And I happened to come across this on the web today..


It seems like the Simpsons people are escalating our dear Homer into the classics...

Sunday River

Sunday River is the biggest ski resort in New England. It has over 50 trails covering 7 mountains and 6 ridges.

We went there skiing and snowboarding for 2 days. On the first day, I took a snowboarding lesson in the morning and got on the hill on my own in the afternoon. But I couldn't managed it and hit my butt quite badly.

So I got back on the skis on the second day and took a short skill improvement lesson. The instructor is probably in his late 50's and has over 35 years of teaching experience. He brought Shamik and I up the hill and showed us what and how to ski in the right form in a few runs down the hill.

After that skiing lesson, I could ski in a controlled manner and started enjoying it. I was not even tired after skiing for the whole day.

But that was not the end. The journey back home was a lot more adventurous than skiing/snowboarding. We were hit head on by freezing rain, which froze on the ground and the windshield in 2 seconds. I had to drive in the 3rd gear all the time and use engine brake to stay in control. We even needed to stop twice to scrap the ice from the windshield. That turned 1 hour's drive through the local streets into almost 2 hours. It almost killed me mentally. I passed the driving seat onto Shamik soon after we got on the highway where the driving condition was a lot better.

We went home safe and sound after four and a half hours.

Surprisingly, the most impressive encounter of the whole trip was a few unintended words came out from the skiing instructor. I was skiing from behind him and he suddenly said to me, "Go on, son." Maybe he is like all affectionate American old men who always address young men "son", but it touched my heart like a father who is encouraging his son to explore the best of his potential and standing by his side when he needs him.

30000 feet above

On the plane back to Boston

Sagittarius

There has been plenty of negative thoughts coming upon me today. It is wired that my horoscope seems responding to it:

You clean your kitchen when it gets messy, you clean your car when the back seat gets cluttered, and you should clean your mind when it gets full of negative things. This isn't a question of ignoring real problems you may be mulling over, it's a question of letting go of worry. There are things you just can't do anything about -- those are the things you have to stop thinking about today. Move on with positive thoughts, and leave the old ones behind.

I rarely read any horoscope. But once in a while it is good to have some guidance, especially when those guidance make you comfortable.

People say I am not a typical Sagittarius. But so what?

2007

Another year.

May it be a good one for everyone.

Sanctuary

Back to Boston.

I feel like stepping back into the harsh reality from my sanctuary.

Logan Airport Terminal B; Dec 2006