Chante's Video

Chante just created a whole new language, nobody knows what she was talking about, in the end of the video, I asked Chante that where was she from in her last life!!

告別禮拜

父親過世了，經過半個月的處理，在昨天下土安葬。在昨天的告別禮拜上我宣讀了父親的生平事蹟。

郭牧師要我在告別禮拜這個場合宣讀父親的生平事蹟，但我想在場的長輩們對我爸爸的了解，事實上比我都要來得深刻，就像五姨說的，大姨和大姨爹和我爸爸可以說是老朋友了。所以我想先念一段大姨和五姨為她們的老故人寫的事略碑。
大姨說，他，心胸宅厚，待人仁慈友善。少小捨小我成就大我，從軍隨政府播遷來台，老大回鄉人事不再，其情堪憐！1965年與陳氏結縭，夫婦同心，育有二子，均已成家服務社會。晚年與病魔搏鬥數十年，諸多不順遂，他選擇原諒不責怪，留下寬厚的榜樣，贏得眾人的尊敬。
五姨說，這是ㄧ位敦厚溫暖的人。年少從軍來台，四十年後返鄉人事已非。在台與妻陳氏攜手持家，愛屋及烏，全心守候家人照顧親人。晚年得痼疾，堅忍不適，隨遇而安，從不抱怨。他的愛與寬厚贏得所有人的尊敬，我們在此紀念他。
父親過世後，我依照他的行事風格，選擇低調不張揚，僅僅電話通知較親近的幾位親戚。但是我已經從這些長輩口中聽到他們對我父親的懷念與肯定。大舅說，父親是他一生中最尊敬的外省老兵；姨婆也說，我父親是她看過最真誠的人，也是對待她最真心的人，早年她們也有很深厚的友誼。根據眾人對我父親為人的看法，我覺得有兩句話很能為他的ㄧ生做個總結，那就是"無欲則剛"和"不忮不求"。正因為他的淡泊無求，不做非分之事的處事態度，所以得到大家的尊敬。我想這是父親留給我最大啟示和遺產。
五姨說得對，大姨真的是最懂我爸爸的，大姨寫的墓誌銘中說，"… 夫婦同心，育有二子，均已成家服務社會
…"。我記得在幾年前爸爸還曾經很艱難的提起筆寫下一封給他過世已久的媽媽，他在信上說，"母親大人膝下，兒來台已五十餘年，已結婚育有二子，皆已成家生子，也算不辱母親…"。他將二子的成家立業，當成是ㄧ生中最值得驕傲的事向母親報告。我怎能不兢兢業業的維繫我的家庭呢？
父親的為人得到大家的肯定，他的後事也受到各位阿姨舅舅的幫忙，他們出錢出力，送我爸爸最後ㄧ程。尤其感謝大姨提供的棺木，讓他能入土為安，保佑大家。
昨晚我第一次夢到父親，我和他並肩站在火葬場前排隊等候，他腰桿挺直，面容祥和，神清氣爽，一派輕鬆自在的樣子，我還驚訝的問他，爸，你怎麼會這樣？他說，因為休息十幾天啦！我們希望此刻的他，真能在天堂永享平安喜樂。

Our lovely Bhutanese lady sent a unique postcard from the last Shangri-La on the Earth--Bhutan,and sweetly attached a traditional stamp on it, (which looks like Taiwan's "八家將“) . We really appreciate her friendship, after all, there is only very few people receives postcard from the isolated beautiful country!
I am sure our friend doesn't mind I put "the part of her husband's body" in public. After all, that's the answer of why Bhutanese people are so happy. :-)

Chante's first rain

Chante's first time in rain, we walk all the way to the Taipei 101, and she almost finished the whole trip.
The last one picture, she finally got tired and seated on the floor in 101.

the pursuit of happyness

My wife and I, we went to see the movie "the pursuit of happyness" last Sunday night, we were so touched by the story. It's adapted from someone's real life.
After we stepped out of the theater, I ask my wife if she cried and when. She replied yes and it's at the time the Gardner (Will Smith) got the job after months internship. I didn't tell her mine, yes, I did tear too. But not because he got the job. For me, it's more than just a encouraged movie talking about American dream. When the son laying on the bed of a shelter, he said to his father:"You are a good father." At that time, I burst into tears, the tear's not just standing in my eyes, they kept flowing on my face. It's my first time crying for movie.
I thought of Peihua--my son. he has no chance to say that to me, and, I am not his good father.
In fact, my wife and I, we've never cried for Peihua at the same time, when she cried, I mostly just set besides her and tried to make myself calm badly; when I cried, she did the same thing to me. I think she has the same feeling, if we cry together, that will be very sad and endless.
PS, about the movie, I believe there is thousands of people in the States, they work hard as the Gardner does, but still not succeed. This world is not really flat, or fair, we are all lucky to see the movie in theaters and seat in front of computers and read this blog.
PS2. One thing interesting, our country, The Republic of China, Taiwan's flag appears in the film, now this movie may not be allowed to be shown in China. Ha ha!

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.