姊姊的守護者

剛看完上ㄧ本小說【巴別塔之犬】，還在讚頌書裡奇異的情節，卻也還來不及細細品味回想書中的意含時，便已被老婆大力推薦，且急著要我趕快看完，等著我和她討論之下，我只好開始翻看這本書，誰知欲罷不能，而且大受感動。這當然和我們的小培華有關，老婆說她很慶幸小培華走了，否則那對香緹來說也是很不公平的事。我們會將所有的心力全放在生病的小陪華身上，而忽略了香緹。

姊姊的守護者--- My Sister's keeper

『莎拉為了救罹患急性前骨髓性白血病的女兒凱特，利用醫學科技生下與凱特有完美基因配型的安娜。十三年來，安娜不斷地供應凱特血液、白血球、骨髓、幹細胞， 現在輪到了她的腎臟。無法忍受再被當成藥糧的安娜決定反擊她的父母，控告父母奪走她的身體使用權。』
生病的人很辛苦，大家都知道。有時候會有一些觀察敏銳的人會再加上ㄧ句：「他們的家屬更辛苦。」我並不打算訴苦培華生病時，老婆和我是多麼辛苦，那根本只是我在贖罪的過程。因為真正沒日沒夜、耗盡心力的人不是我，我只是個玩世不恭、疚由自取的傢伙。
為了救大女兒凱特，不斷的要求二女兒安娜捐贈，莎拉很自私嗎？我想是的，但是為了愛，可以被原諒嗎？那安娜的後半生怎麼辦？要是真捐了腎，一輩子不得遭到猛力的碰撞，要是她在70歲時僅存的ㄧ顆腎也壞掉了怎麼辦？誰賠她ㄧ顆腎？她當然可以拒絕捐腎，但是萬一姊姊凱特因為沒有得到她的腎而去逝，她還要不要在這個家庭生活下去？她一輩子能原諒自己嗎？
爸爸布萊恩雖然這次和安娜站在一起，認為安娜有權力拒絕捐腎給凱特，但是如果凱特因為接受了安娜的腎而從此身體好轉，安娜也無大礙呢？倒底怎樣是對？怎樣是錯？誰敢做這個決定？
媽媽莎拉說：「我的人生宛如建築物著火，我的一個孩子在裡面，而唯一能救她的機會是派我的另一個孩子上場，因為只有她認識路。．．．那可能導致我或許會同時失去兩個孩子，．．．可是我也知道那是我唯一可以同時保住她們兩個的機會。」面對如此兩難，誰有信心決定？
法官說：「我不確定我們之間有任何人有資格來決定凱特生存的尊嚴或安娜生命的品質哪一個比較重要。我是一個父親，我女兒十二歲的時候被一個酒醉開車的人撞死，那天晚上我趕到醫院，我願意做任何事來換取她多活一天。費茲傑羅家處於那種狀況已經十四年了，我尊重她們的決定，我欽佩她們的勇氣。我羨慕她們事實上有這個機會。可是這個案子不僅是關於安娜和一顆腎臟，它是關於這些決定該怎麼做，和我們要如和決定由誰來做決定。．．．因為道德遠比倫理重要，而愛遠比法律重要。」
而當事人凱特呢？她不想死，可是她也不想像這樣活著。而安娜真的是獨自做這個決定的嗎？結局的大逆轉，讓所有讀者感到訝異與不勝唏噓。而增添如此戲劇化的情節，也加深了本書的可看性。

The Last Slum in Taipei

The last survived slum in Taipei.


So called "slum" here, it's different from other countries. small and crowed living space, but they live with modern electronic equipments.


In the early days, people came from outside of Taipei, they built simple house in city's margin. More and more people got together, it became a small villages, time goes by, children grow up, having normal jobs, and bought modern electronic equipments and furniture.

The others living in the “pigeon cage" and hanging in the sky. I stay in the ground and have own yard. Who is better?

"No SEAT for corruption, LOVE $ PEACE". Even if we stay in slum, still are patriot and anti-corrupted politicians.

TAIPEI GLANCE

Busy Monday, office workers just got off the MRT station, and waiting for bus to the office.

















Some walking in to their office, Taipei 101.

















One police is on patrol, you notice something? Where is his gun?

















Taipei city is surrounded by mountains and hills, and develops many hiking trails.One farmer is selling her vegetable besides of the entrance.

















The hiking trail.

















Buddhism gains most of people's religion.

















Even you drive Mercedes Benz, living in this crowded city, you can only let the turtle's head comes out, :)

















Thanks God! The tree is protected by law, even the land is under construction, the tree survives.

















CCTV monitors are full of streets in every Taiwan's city, it becomes police's best tool to detect crime, and irony, the symbol of people doesn't trust each other.

Monks and Lamas

Monk and Lama

In the last blog, I made some mistake and got questioned from a friend in Buddhism country: Why don’t we respect the monk? Even someone is not Buddhist, in Thailand, he still respect monks!

Let me clarify something first, in Taiwan, the Lama and Monk is different. Normally, the Monk is who live in Buddhist temple; they are vegetarian, complete bald, keep single and almost not coming out of the temple. They earn more respect in Taiwan.

And Lama, in our recognition, they are from Tibetan Buddhism, in the early days, you almost can’t find monks in the streets. Of course, more and more right now. They wear red and yellow gowns, they are bald, but there is always short hair on their heads… People even don’t know if they are vegetarian? Not drinking? Insist commandments and no marriage? I think due to this kind of miss understanding, people keep away from Lamas. That’s why I said, the Monks earn more respect than Lamas, people here know much more about Buddhism and Monks than Tibetan Buddhism and Lamas. In my colleague’s story, he met Lama.

there is one more difference, Monks, they concentrate only on Buddhist and ignore all the other things. Ask them to watch TV? That's impossible.

In this story, I learn one thing, the culture conflict. Like in India, they respect cows as Buddha, but in the other countries, the cows are just beef and milk.

I don’t know if this explanation is enough for Miss Bhutan? Does she forgive me?

The Monk

One of my colleagues told me this unusual story today, and I can't wait to write it down.
Last Friday on his way home from office, he took a bus from Airport to Taipei, he found besides of the driver and one monk, he was the only one passenger. As I said, this bus is from Taipei International Airport to downtown, suppose it should be very crowded, but today, there were only he and one monk on the bus. After few minutes, the monk moved to next to him, an aisle was between two of them. And the monk started to talk, actually it was more like a murmur "come to Qinghai, come to Qinghai....." (Qinghai is one of provinces of China, next to Tibet.)
My colleague twisted his neck and stared at the monk, " The face was just what I hate." he said to me.
But after few times, he couldn't stand it any more, so he asked the monk:
"Are you talking to me?"
The monk noded:"Yes, please come to Qinghai."
"Qinghai is so far, how do I get there?"
"Since you could go to Xinjian( another one provinces, next to Qinghai and Tibet.) of course you can come to Qinghai."
In fact, my colleague did visit Xinjian in his annual leave last year.
my colleague is just like me, he doesn't believe in any religion and only trust himself. He said:
"What are you talking about? I don't even know you!"
The monk just smiled and passed his name card to my colleague, but he only took a look and returned it to the monk. Even when the monk asked for his cellphone number, he lied to him:
"I don't have any cellphone."
"It's fine, we will meet again." The monk replied, then got off the bus.
My colleague told his mother this story. I know his mother, she believes in Buddhism very sincerely, and she is always hanging around in temples and some masters. This time her son really piss off her, she yield and blamed him:
"You never listen to me! you don't even know your time is up! I knew it! I knew it!"
What does his mother know? he didn't ask, just run away. But I am very curious.
" I didn't know you were a living Buddha last life!" I laugh at him.
"you nuts!" he replied.
What this story will be? Let's wait and see.