Amphibia Yuwena

【茶的情詩】張錯

2007-04-17T22:29:00.000-07:00

大一的時候遇上這首詩，迷上它的類比
記得影印的幾份貼在中非大樓的電梯裡
啊~~大學時代

如果我是開水
你是茶葉
那麼你的香郁
必須倚賴我的無味

讓你的乾枯柔柔的
在我裡面展開，舒散:
讓我的溼潤
舒展你的容顏。

我必須熱，甚至沸
彼此才能相溶。

我們必須隱藏
在水裡相覷，相纏
一盞茶功夫
我倆才決定成一種顏色。

無論你怎麼浮沈
把持不定
你終將緩緩的 (喔，輕輕的）
落下，攢聚
在我最深處。

那時候你最苦的一滴淚
將是我最甘美的
一口茶

the picture is from generous Sandra, see her awesome pictures at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandra89/
believe me.. those pictures are sooooooooooooooooooooooo good

渡口

2007-04-17T21:52:00.000-07:00

這兩天想到高中時候同學揮毫在教室後方提下的一首詩

在網路上搜尋之後才知道原來是席幕容的詩

yabali 席幕容

讓我與你握別
再輕輕抽出我的手
知道思念從此生根
浮雲白日山川莊嚴溫柔

讓我與你握別
再輕輕抽出我的手
華年從此停頓
熱淚在心中匯成河流

是那樣萬般無奈的凝視
渡口旁找不到一朵可以相送的花
就把祝福別在襟上吧
而明日
明日又隔天涯

Que sera sera

2007-04-11T19:46:00.001-07:00

First heard of this song from Pink Martini http://www.pinkmartini.com/
Their concert was one was the best I have ever been to.
This song has been sang in all kinds of languages all over the world.
Love the idea, love the music.
Email me if you want to have the song.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother what will I be
Will I be pretty
Will I be rich
Here's what she said to me

Que sera sera
Whatever will be will be
The future's not ours to see
Que sera sera

When I was just a child in school
I asked my teacher what should I try
Should I paint pictures
Should I sing songs
This was her wise reply

Que sera sera
Whatever will be will be
The future's not ours to see
Que sera sera

When I grew up and fell in love
I asked my sweetheart what lies ahead
Will there be rainbows day after day
Here's what my sweetheart said

Que sera sera
Whatever will be will be
The future's not ours to see
Que sera sera

What will be, will be
Que sera sera...

a pacific islander in the arctic zone

2007-02-09T09:26:00.000-08:00

Well.. I am not really a Pacific islander, although I AM from an island in the Pacific. Salt Lake City isn't really in the arctic zone, but it is pretty cold for an islander like me. =)

The trip to SLC (now I am actually very comfortable with the abbreviation like using KC for Kansas City) was way better than I imagined. Took some nice pictures at the temple square. The architecture of the public library is pretty impressive. After visiting the one in Seattle and here in Salt Lake City, I have decided that public libraries are must-stops for any cities.

South from Granada

2006-12-31T10:48:00.000-08:00

Gerald Brenan was a English writer who travelled to a tiny village south from Granada. He ended up spending about six years there with two thousand books. He travelled around the area and fell for a local girl. The movie focuses a lot on the romance but I was amazed more by the village depicted by the movie.

The story occurred early in the century in remote Spain. I was amazed by the live style and the total difference of the moral context there. On the other hand, the hospitality of the villagers reminded so much of the field trip I made in the summer 2002 in inner China. We were invited to village events and seated with important people from the village. We got access to sacred places for the sake of research. The villagers treated us as someone really important. We really are not special, but in remote areas like that, outsiders from a more "developed" places are almost always treated so well. We tried our best paying back the hospitality by buying the most appropriate presents, melons we saw on our way, tea bricks, dry milk powder among others. Photos were amazingly popular for the villagers. I ended up taking a lot of portrays for each family and brought the photos when I visit the next time. Sincerity, however, is the best present in my opinion. Willing to try the things they provide and really spend time with the villagers to see how they live daily and translate the conversations so they don't feel left out is the best respect we can have for the villagers. The thing I hate the most is the honored guests laugh aloud about the villagers while they are around but not translating what is going on.

Gosh, the movie makes me wanting to travel so much....
If you can take all your books with you and stay in some remote village for six years, where will you go?

(picutre from www.rottentomatoes.com)

世界盡頭的小海龜- Turtles can fly

2006-12-27T17:29:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of the winter break, I came up with an idea about how I can make this break a if-not-productive-at-least-a-different break. I went to the public library and picked several foreign movies with various topics thinking I would see other part of the world through the movies. It was a good idea but all of the movies seemed to full of sadness and struggling from the caption/cover. I didn't watch any of them until the date they were due. After watching "Beyond silence", I decided to keep all the films and give me/them a chance. I am glad I did. Truly. After sharing "America-centered" world view most of my life, I found these films intriguing. I have travelled a lot. I really did. But now I just realized that I might have learned more profoundly through these movies than all the trips I made, combined. It feels like when I travel, I am like a director filming the places I visit. I only shot the scenes I could find or what I was interested in. Through films by other directors, the same land, the same people might tell a completely different story. The film tells some real stories without bringing too much overt sadness but still made me quiet.
(pictures from www.rottentomatoes.com)

Beyond Silence- voiced and voiceless

2006-12-26T19:49:00.000-08:00

Saw this movie again this evening and just have to write something about it...

I first saw this movie when I was an undergrad. The movie brings up issues between hearing/deaf parents with deaf/hearing children which relates to my own experience so well. My brother went to a special school for deaf students because he is completely deaf in his right ear and has residual hearing in his left. From hanging out with his friends and volunteering in deaf events, I had observed some real-life cases like what was depicted in the movie. In my own case, my mom never picked up the sign language because my brother can sort of speak. She also doesn't like my brother hanging out with his deaf friends too much. I have always suspected that the reason is she thinks he is better than them (completely deaf) and also because of her biased association of deaf community and crime. I felt really lucky that because my brother I get to know this silent world and through sign language I get to have some ideas of the other world.

There were two scenes from the movie which touch me deeply. One is the deaf father asking the hearing daughter what falling snow sounds like. She told him snow makes the world even quieter.
The other is when the father found out the daughter was going away from other people and was disappointed and hurt. He told the daughter "sometimes I wish you are deaf, so you will be totally in my world."

The music is another plus for this movie. I have had the sound track for almost ten years. When I used to work for the Taroko National Park in Taiwan, I liked driving into the gorges, listening to the music with all the windows down. It felt SO good.
(picture from www.imdb.com)

Wonderful May in Seattle

2006-12-20T22:29:00.000-08:00

Kelly's house in Seattle with a brick from Lawrence.

Visiting Seattle in May was such a great idea. I spent all the non-rainy days outdoors but not in the conference.

Meet SAM. There were some reconstruction and we didn't get to see him waving the ax.

Some kid saw me taking this photo and yelled to his friend "she is taking a picture of a hydrant!" I am sure I left a vivid impression on him- "crazy Asian lady taking pictures of everything."

Onset

2006-12-20T21:58:00.000-08:00

The winter break started today. I randomly decided it is the case because it is much harder to define the onset and offset of the semester by teachers. Here I am, between teachers and students.
Breaks which occurred in my life were all "unproductive" in a Taiwanese way because I never get works done during the break yet would spend the entire break feeling guilty about the fact. I have decided that I want to do a hard core working and seriously trying new things during the break. Hence, the evolving of Amphibia Yuwena.