Overheard in the jungle
「我媽七十幾歲的時候還可以用牙齒開啤酒瓶。」

"My mother could still open beer bottles with her teeth when she was in her 70s."

One of the most brilliant moves I've ever witnessed was after a heavy rain, when I was in college. I must have been a freshman, because I was walking north on 新生南路 towards my place on 信義路. The Canal was still there then. There was only one lane on each side of the canal (as discussed in the previous post). Ahead of me, also on the left side of the road facing traffic, was a high school boy making his way along the side of a mud puddle about the size of Lake Superior. He got half way past when a bus came charging towards the puddle, passing a taxi. The student knew a big splash was coming, so quick as a wink, what did he do? He crouched down and covered his eyes….

I don't know about you, but I would have considered maybe leaping backwards?

民國六十一年夏，在國際學舍後面拍的。沒記錯的話，圍牆再過去是新生南路，金華女中。瑠公圳還在，依稀可看到沿圳的樹。抱小孩的小妹妹，髮型是標準的西瓜皮；當時規定，中學男生平頭，女生髮不過耳珠。談不上美觀，但那不是一個虛榮的年代。很好整理。
這個位置，現在屬于大安森林公園。

I took this photo in the summer of 1972 in back of the Taipei International House. Beyond the wall is what the US Army used to call "Canal Street" because of the canal running down it. You can see the trees lining the canal. There was one lane on each side of the canal, but that was paved over in about 1973, and the road widened. This area is a big park now.

The girl holding the baby is in a junior high school uniform, with the regulation "watermelon rind" hairstyle. That was not an era to encourage vanity; junior high and high school boys had crew cuts, and the girls were required to cut their hair even from ear to ear. Those with long, drooping earlobes were the envy of all.

臺北小市民生活歷史綴筆，地價篇
一位老太太說，民國四十年初，有人想賣一塊地；因為老太太家族是天水路大道埕一帶的地主，就問他們。可是一來，他們覺得地太偏僻，若要蓋房子嘛，嫌遠，不方便。若說投資嘛，恐怕那帶發展不起來。二來，那邊地主漫天開價，在那時買地是現金交易，因為沒有房貸也沒有分期付款，要湊那麼多現金，實在不方便，因而作罷。

要賣的地的位置：中山北路三段。地價：新臺幣壹百元。

Lawa, the garbage man is calling roll

Sequel to earlier post:: click here::

垃圾車廣播：Lawa沒在ㄟ？
Garbage truck loudspeaker: Isn't Lawa here today?

建議：臺灣應該以三月十九日為愚人節，紀念兩顆空中飛舞、竟落總統口袋的子彈，也為後人誡。

Drunken rioters trashed Dublin and Belfast on St Patrick's Day. Am I the only one who thinks getting roaring drunk is a strange way to celebrate a saint’s birthday?

news here and here.

Anybody who believes that "practice makes perfect" has never heard karaoke.

前幾天到新舞台看肢體音符團的舞作：觀，自在。

一進門，遇到舞者穿便服在大廳徘徊。本來有點驚訝，再十分鐘就要演出，怎在這兒？更驚訝的是，她們不認人，也沒有反應。想一想便知，演出已開始了。

看到舞者那樣，感覺不大好。好像不歡迎人。可是後來想，確實，修行的開始往往啟于不自在；熟悉的一切突然舛啎不適、不知如何應對。機緣熟，如救頭燃，不要等你找位坐好，不管地點不問時間，必須馬上開始修。

舞開始，舞者散坐觀察席，有人從右側門傳一支汽球進來給舞者。舞者將汽球傳給一位觀眾，拿回後，群舞者跟著汽球走，擺出驚奇態。

右側門，非旁門左道。將汽球傳給觀眾，就把觀眾納入表演，與觀眾共享過程，一個很漂亮的象徵：只是我擔心，如果觀眾沒把汽球拿好怎麼辦？汽球飛上天花板的話，接下來的戲不好演。汽球，是起蒙修行的心，看它輕輕飄飄，在我們之上，脫塵不染，沒重量，無拘無束：可是有繩子綁住，還不能飛揚上天。

有個細節很漂亮，不知是刻意安排否：舞者穿便服，一位舞者背上有S超人的標誌。很多佛子剛入門，以為自己當成為超人。
演戲：舞者畢竟不是演員，擺出驚奇態，很假。

舞者從觀眾席起舞，點子特別。移上舞台，台上佈置很多方鐵罐，如心中紛亂雜念。第一段舞，表現修行的開始，心猿意馬，越想平息，意念越奔馳。一舞者在一個透明大汽球：互應序幕的汽球：但現在汽球變成舞者的囹圄，掙扎奮狂，卻逃不出汽球。
﹝可能我不夠入戲，我一直擔心舞者會不會氧氣不夠昏迷過去？﹞

我覺得這段舞表現那種心境，相當貼切。舞後我想，要我用舞表現雜念、無明，真不知如何下手。

第二章，前幕只開到膝蓋高，竹簾後舞者穿高跟鞋前後衝闖，也像行者意念衝突，無法調適。混亂腳步聲，慢慢跳出規律來了，此起彼落，前呼後應，有節奏，正如行者心思歸一。

第三段，臺上擺很多奇形怪狀的東西，有礙瞻觀。我本來以為是冰柱，溶了就好了，結果不溶，後來聽說是琉璃(人造琉璃，glass，非天然琉璃obsidian)。算是舞台設計的敗筆；既不漂亮、又不為舞增色，不如撤了乾淨。

舞者都穿白衣。一位舞者靜立中間，群舞動作優雅平靜；少了那位靜立者不行，因為靜立彷若心持一，雖有雲影幻化，深處如如不動。只是她的姿態有點尷尬。
天幕打開，露出舞台後的白牆，效果非常好。﹝斯時我很怕投影機畫蛇添足投出個觀音像甚麼的，幸虧沒有：那面白牆最恰當不過。﹞

群舞似中國古典舞蹈，手勢優緻，然後突然結束，舞者謝幕。我還在等她們舞出「自在」的境界，因為依我來看，好像還沒修到那裡去了。或許因為編舞者修密，漂亮手勢代表手印，可是對我這個顯宗根機的觀者來看，看不出「自在」所在。若要我編，要嘛群舞者圍繞靜立者手牽手徐徐圓舞，要嘛群舞徹，靜立者緩緩獨舞。突然謝幕，有點愕然。
何謂自在？我常看家犬曬肚皮，羨慕牠們的自在；人不如狗。

Now that he is finally out of office, His Travesty President Dubya says he plans to stay active in "supporting the families of fallen soldiers." Isn't that nice of him! First he sends soldiers to their deaths, then he says he will support their families ~~ just so long as they don't speak their minds, like that mother who organized protests after her son was killed.

Now Bush is trying to raise US$300 million for his presidential library :: click here::. On the one hand, I wonder why that much money need be spent at a time when millions of Americans cannot afford to see doctors or buy food. On the other hand, I can't help but ask, how big does the library have to be, since apparently all the books Dubya had were a couple of coloring books.

現代人實在訓練有素！商賈宣佈今天是『白色情人節』，消費者不問意義、需要，乖乖地把鈔票掏出來花。誰說不景氣？

就是有人甘願當傀儡。「廣告決定我的一舉一動。」

I wrote this in December 2001. This was when Tlahuy and Bengax were two years old, before Yumin or Byajing had arrived on the scene.

There is no denying that the Japanese know wood. The Taiwan Cypress is considered by the Japanese to be the most superior of hinoki (cedars and cypresses, which they consider the finest wood). The torii gate in the Imperial Garden in Tokyo is made of Taiwan Cedar, among many other excellent examples. The wood takes a chisel wonderfully, lasts forever, and the smell is simply heavenly, so it is used for everything from bridge construction, railroad ties, and ships, to furniture, sculpture, and amulets. A neighbor down the road was carving fine cypress. I passed as he was sweeping up the scraps. I said, "If you don't want those sweepings, I can burn them in the winter so the whole house will smell nice." "Fine," he said, "I'll leave a sack here and you may take what you want."

I got off the last bus at the bridge and arrived at his workshop near midnight. A fifty kilo rice bag full of sweepings was waiting for me outside the door, as promised. I smelled it before I saw it in the dim light. Lovely fragrance. Just as I shouldered the sack, Walis drove up on his new motorcycle, and offered to give me a ride home; he was having too much fun with his new toy to sleep. He delivered me at the foot of my steps.

Tlahuy and Bengax discovered my return and raced down to greet me. Mighty Tlahuy leaped up on me just as I was shifting the sack on my shoulders. I lost my balance. I let the sack roll off my right shoulder as I hit the bamboo banister to the left. The banister is there mostly for reference, not really to hold anybody up. It is rickety at best, and not designed to support much weight; much less at this time the bamboo was dried out and brittle. It held for a moment, then shattered. As I rolled past it, I relaxed my whole body except for my left hand, with which I clutched the step. Fortunately, there were no snakes in the underbrush as I came crashing down. When I stopped, I got a firm grip on the step with my right hand and slowly, kicking for purchase, dragged myself up to the step.

Tlahuy and Bengax stood aghast on the stairs above: What have we done? (at least I think it was aghast. Maybe triumphant is the word.) Satisfied that I had not broken any bones, I picked up the sack again. Tlahuy and Bengax pranced around me with the extra gaiety of guilty dogs.

大家好，今天陶山人要講陽宅。請大家記得，廁所裏一定要掛一面時鐘。

看倌問廁所裏為甚麼要掛時鐘？

答案很簡單：有始有終。

今日陰曆二月十二，迺花朝節，百花生日。希望大家珍惜花卉的生命、自己的生命、地球的生命。

按：花朝節::click here::亦名花神節，東周春秋已行之，盛行自武則天時。武則天嗜花成癖，每逢二月十五花朝節，令宮女採集百花，和米搗碎，蒸製成花糕，以賞賜群臣。
延至宋代，由于生態不同，花朝節因地而異。『誠齋詩話』曰：「東京（今開封）二月十二曰花朝，為撲蝶會。」『翰墨記』曰：「洛陽風俗，以二月二日為花朝節。士庶遊玩，又為挑菜節。」
到滿清，北方以二月十五為花朝，而南方則以二月十二為百花生日。

Today (March 8 on the Gregorian calendar this year) is the twelfth day of the second lunar month, which in a practically forgotten Chinese custom, was celebrated as the birthday of all flowers. Be nice to a flower today. Admire them, praise them, savor them, but don't pluck them or cut them! It's their birthday.

Recently a friend visited and brought their dog, who we shall call B__. As we walked in, Yumin kept standing sideways across the walkway, blocking their path. But once he accepted that they were guests, he was civil. Although he and Tlahuy staked out the doghouse door ~~ over our dead bodies will that mutt enter our doghouse!! ~~ and they kept an eye on B__ so it wouldn't try anything funny, they were pretty polite. They tried to play with B__, but it snapped and barked and acted aggressive.

Our dogs stood down, but an hour later, Yumin tried again to engage B__ in play. B__ snarled and barked at him, snapping and biting fiercely. Yumin flattened himself down on the ground and protected himself, but he didn't attack or fight back. Then I was sure that he was being a polite host, because he could thrash B__ in a few seconds if he wanted to.

Another hour or so later, when our guests were getting ready to leave, we found B__'s bell which had been attached to its collar. It was lying on the ground at the spot where it had snarled at Yumin. Apparently, so quickly that none of us noticed it, Yumin bit off B__'s bell, breaking the wire that affixed the bell to the collar. Sort of like in those Chinese fighting movies where the master snips off the upstart's belt without being noticed.

When our guests were taking their leave, Yumin came out and stood on their feet for about two minutes: just to remind you whose home this is.

As a final parting gift, Yumin ran around outside the front gate. When I opened it from the inside and B__ started out the door, Yumin lunged forward, quietly said "Woof" in B__'s face, and stepped aside to allow us to pass.

臺灣山川之美，全世界難比。臺灣山川之冠，烏來居前位。臺北人有福，離臺北繁忙吵雜都市一小時路程，宛若進入了另一個世界。

現在烏來一群泰雅新開的有機農場的菜已經長出來了 (去年七月開始耕種時本 blog已報導:: click here:) 如果大家有時間想呼吸乾淨空氣、吃健康菜，歡迎來烏來，也順便捧捧場，到「共同農場」選美味的菜。
到烏來過了大橋，往瀑布方向；大轉彎後，消防隊在左手邊，前面便利商店有岔路，右邊是達利美食，往寶慶宮的方向差不多兩公里。過了雲頂、運動場、雲景。最好出發前聯絡菜農Lugun「路寬」女士：02:26617460, 手機0926-306-475 或0938388823. Bon appétit!

Last July I reported that some local Tayal had started an organic farm. Their crops are coming up now, and their vegetables are delicious! If you're in the neighborhood and want some mouth-watering vegetables, phone Lugun at the phone numbers above. Speak Mandarin or Tayal.

Please be aware that today is Square Root Day. I have been informed that March 3 is Square Root Day. It only happens nine times each century, and is— 3/3/09 (hint: three is the square root of nine).

For Pete's sake, don't ask me when the other two are.

在書架上摩出一張虛雲老和尚的照片。忘了哪來的，可是似乎是從原來的底片洗出來的，不是翻印的。後面有字。
The great monk Hsu-yun (Empty Clouds, Xuyun, 1840-1959).

坐朋友的車往臺北，看到路邊一個手寫的牌子。很久，朋友問我，「甚麼叫做『此巴』？」

我回答，「枇杷。」

朋友默然…

Everybody makes mistakes!