鄒族女性傳統服裝上衣穿藍色。話說古代洪水過後，鄒人無衣無屋，山風吹來更冷。藍鵲可憐他們，所以把火含來給人類。藍鵲本來全身藍，但因為帶了火，喙是紅的，頭被火燒黑了，只有身體保留原先的藍色。為了紀念藍鵲帶火的恩典，從此鄒女上半身穿藍色。
Traditionally, women of the Tsou (Cou) tribe in central Taiwan wear blue blouses. This is because eons ago, when the waters of the great flood receded, the Tsou were left without houses or clothes, and they were really cold. The bisu (sibekay in Tayal, Blue Magpie in English) was originally all blue. It took pity on the freezing people, so it went and brought them fire. From then on, its beak has been fiery red, its head scorched black, and only its body blue. To commemorate this great deed, Tsou women have worn blue blouses ever since.

told by Apu’u Peongsi/汪朝麗

今早很興奮！看到線條分明的影子！雖然還下細細的雨，但是可以看出太陽在一片稍薄的雲後。
下午沒下雨。突然，Sabiy叫，「有陽光的樣子！」雖然看不到太陽，但有巴掌大一塊天有點灰籃色。
入夜看到獵人座，好久好久沒看到星星。
住雨林的樂趣如斯。
We had some real excitement this morning: clearly defined shadows! It was still raining, but some sunlight made its way through the clouds.
By afternoon, it had stopped raining, and by nightfall, we could see Orion, the first stars we have seen for weeks.
Such are the joys of living in the jungle.
今年不缺水。

雨是不是下太多了？我今天看到一隻青蛙撐傘。
It’s been raining so much that I saw a frog carrying an umbrella.

話說古代洪水時，布農族無衣無屋，山風吹來更冷。扗很遠很遠Patungkuonʉ(玉山)有火，可是很遠，他們過不了大水，無法取火。動物看出人類好像沒辦法處理問，可憐他們，所以決定幫人類取火。
第一個是青蛙。青蛙很勇敢地噗通！一聲跳下水，游啊游啊，一直游到山峰取火。沒想到，他想把火帶回來給人用的時候，不小心把自己燙傷，好個青蛙就變成癩蛤蟆。所以至今布農人把癩蛤蟆當朋友看待。
大家看著白頭翁。白頭翁說，「嗨，我真的好想去，可是沒看到我頭上都是白白的嗎？老了，老了，我不行，你們找別人吧。」所以至今布農人看到白頭翁就打。
最後有一隻小鳥跳出來說，「好，沒問題，看我的，我去幫你們取火來！」那隻小鳥很勇敢地飛呀飛！飛過大水、飛上山峰，毫不畏懼取了火，銜扗喙裏，翅膀拍拍拍，飛回去將火的溫煖帶給寒冷的人類。可是這隻奮不顧身的小鳥因為帶了火焰，牠的喙變成火紅色，身體被燻黑，就是我們現在熟悉的紅嘴黑鵯。所以所以至今布農人很尊敬紅嘴黑鵯。
Long, long ago, when the fountains of the great deep burst forth and the windows of the heavens were opened, the waters prevailed so mightily that all the high mountains were covered with water, all except the highest peaks, the home of the Bunun tribe, and on the highest Patungkuonʉ, fire burned brightly. The Bunun huddled cold and miserable, and when the mighty winds blew, the Bunun were even colder and more miserable. They needed the fire that burned so brightly, but how could they cross the mighty waters?
The animals should have let well enough alone, but, apparently forgetting that the Bunun are avid hunters, decided to help the poor, shivering people.
The first was a frog, which jumped into the water and swam and swam all the way to Patungkuonʉ, fetched fire, and hey! wow! ouch! that's hot! Before the frog could return to the Bunun with its precious gift of fire, it had been scalded and scorched and bumps and lumps rose all over its fine skin, making it the world's first toad. Even to this day, the Bunun consider the toad to be their friend and helper.
The animals looked next to the white crested Chinese bulbul. The bulbul said, "I would really like to help, but don't you see my head, covered with white feathers? I am too old to go, so don't look at me!" Even to this day, the Bunun chase the bulbul away and throw things at it.
Finally, a little bird piped up and said, "I'll go get the fire!" It flew all the way to Patungkuonu and captured some fire in its beak, and flew all the way back. But by the time it reached the Bunun, its beak was stained bright red by the fire, and its whole body was scorched black. This was the first Black Bulbul. Even to this day, the Bunun respect the Black Bulbul as their benefactor.

told by 巴代 Badai, November 2011

換句話說，讓臺灣與大陸統一，最快的方法就是蔡英文當臺灣總統。
看到了沒？

我扗我跟自己過不去的理想中向前跨出一大步：我買了一支專門磨鋸子的剉刀。
為甚麼要買專門磨鋸子的剉刀？
因為已經找不到人磨鋸子，因為不划算。一般人鋸子用鈍了就丢掉買新的：普通一把摺疊鋸一百元就有了，像我那把大的要三百四十元。一支剉刀三百五，磨一次大鋸差不多就賺回來了。
為甚麼要磨鋸子？
我不是已經說過了嗎？因為鈍了，不然我幹麼閒著沒事磨鋸子？
對不起，問錯了，為甚麼要用鋸子？
鋸木頭啊，你以為我用鋸子做啥？刷牙嗎？
不是問這個，要問的是，為甚麼要用鋸子，為甚麼不用鍊鋸？鍊鋸比較方便。
因為鍊鋸很吵，又臭，還需要用油；我盡可能不想依賴外力。
怎麼有那麼多東西要鋸呢？
因為我們去年裝了一個燒木材熱水爐，如果有時間燒材就不必用瓶裝瓦斯，而且用木材燒出來的水，水質好很多。感覺很柔、很順。
我們現扗生活很方便，所以變成我們一味地只求方便，不計其它。但是我們方便生活，也付出了很大的代價。
用剉刀磨鋸，才了解鋸子；不然我們平常把工具拿扗手上，不太會注意它。
鍊鋸很快，不費力就把木頭鋸斷了，少了那個用勁(所以要去健身房補)，少了那個沉思，少了那個跟木頭相處、了解木頭的機會。
用瓶裝瓦斯很方便，但那個水就是水，如此而已。
I have taken a giant step forward in my determined effort to make life difficult for myself: I have bought a feather file.
What? you may ask, Is this a new documenting program for ornithologists?
No, not that kind of file, I refer to a long, narrow metal tool with a series of ridges for reducing or smoothing surfaces of metal or wood (okay, I peeked into the dictionary for that one).
Now you ask, Why do you want to file feathers?
No, no, a feather file is a file specifically designed for sharpening saws.
So why do you need to sharpen saws?
Because people nowadays just buy a new saw when the old one gets dull. A new folding saw costs about NT$100, and a big one, like my log saw, costs NT$340, so with prices so low, people just buy new saws rather than get the old ones sharpened. Since the saw sharpeners are out of business, I do it myself. The feather file cost NT$350, so it very quickly paid for itself.
Why bother? Who saws so much?
Last winter we bought a wood burning water heater. When we don't have time, we use the propane gas water heater, but when I have time to make the fire, we prefer the wood burning water heater. The water is a lot nicer. You can feel the difference.
So why not use a chain saw?
A chain saw is noisy, smelly, and uses gasoline. I try to depend on myself when I don't have to use machines.
Modern life is so convenient that convenience has become a goal in itself. We forget what we are losing.
When you sharpen a saw, you learn about the saw. Otherwise, tools are just things we use without paying much attention to them.
When you saw by hand, you spend time with the wood and your thoughts. A chain saw is quicker, but it's so convenient that you have to go to a gym to get any exercise, and let me tell you, sawing wood is exercise.

雨再下的話，連水也要發霉~~~
If it keeps raining, even the water is going to get moldy.

Yumin嘴巴裏有口袋。這是唯一合理的解釋。因為上次踩到吊子，腳受傷；很不幸一直下雨，腳很難好，所以蕭醫師給他『艸樂』吃(扗我們家不可以說出『藥』)，當然他不吃。只好一顆艸樂放進他的嘴巴同時塞進一節肉條。第一個放進膠囊+肉條。Yumin齟嚼齟嚼齟嚼，吞下去了；第二顆放進去，齟嚼齟嚼齟嚼，吞下去，第三棵放進去齟嚼齟嚼齟嚼，吞下去，然後氣定神閒把膠囊吐出來~~~完整無缺的膠囊~~~
I swear, Yumin must have pockets in his mouth. It has been raining steadily, so the wounds from his recent adventure with the snare have been healing too slowly. Denise the Vet gave us some m3dcn3 (can't say that word out loud!) to give Yumin, but of course Yumin won't cooperate with that! So we break up a doggie treat, and with every pill, stuff a little bit of treat into his mouth. First down the hatch is the capsule, chew chew chew! Swallow! Then the blue pill, chew chew chew! Swallow! Then the third pill, chew chew chew! Swallow! Then very casually, Yumin spits out the capsule, whole and unscathed….

Pearl Harbor plus 70 years. My mother told me that when they heard the news, in Colorado, Hawaii seemed so far away that it was like another world. She had never thought that anything happening so far away could have anything to do with her. The Japanese taught her different.

我遇到一個惱人的問題。
今天下午花了幾個小時鋸薪劈柴，完成時很舒服。可是我穿的是寬鬆、舒適的衣服，不是名牌，不緊身，不貴、色彩不起眼；我用的器具都是手動的，不用電，而且更糟糕的是，沒有名牌也不貴(鋸子三百四，四公斤大斧一千五)；身邊沒有聒噪刺耳的音樂、閃爍奪目的燈光，只有鳥鳴狗吠松鼠叫，僅見滲透雲層的陽光；身邊沒有教練、沒有機器測我的心跳、肉跳、呼吸率、膽固醇、尿酸、體溫、指甲厚度、 腳板硬度、骨質、髮長、連視力也沒有一個儀器隨時幫我測，可能最丟臉的是(寫得我很尷尬！)我沒有付出一毛錢的會員費(赧！赧！赧！)！！
所以我的問題是，扗這麼糟的狀況下，我有運動嗎？
I have a perturbing question.
This afternoon I spent several hours sawing and chopping firewood. I felt great when I finished. But I was wearing loose, comfortable clothing, nothing expensive, no famous brands, nothing tight fitting, no flashy colors; my tools are manual, not electric, and they aren't very expensive (NT$340 for the saw, NT$1500 for the four kilogram ax); there wasn't any loud, pounding music playing, or flashing, vexing lights, only birds, dogs, squirrels, and wind were audible, and the only light came from the sun, through the clouds; I was outdoors in fresh air, not in a closed, air conditioned room; I didn't drink any scientifically researched beverages; I didn't have a trainer watching over me; no electronic instruments monitored my pulse, breathing, capillary action, cholesterol, or endocrine system; and what's worst, although I barely dare to confess this in public, I didn't pay anything for this, I didn't join a club, I didn't fork out any hefty membership fees. So the distressing question is, under such unfavorable circumstances, did I exercise?

前不久本blog提到日本軍閥不允許達彥織布-(點)-。這項古老手藝幾乎斷絕了，連傳統布也很少留傳下來。當年高金素梅要競選立委時，她想著達彥衣服，但只能找到一塊舊被單布。只好披了被單布上電視。播出時，部落的雅姬(阿嬤)看到，達拉蓋，穿被單布上電視，急叫家人，「快！趕快把電視關掉！」~~她以為如果關電視，大家就看不到。

Recently on this blog -(here)- I mentioned that, during the Occupation, the Japanese banned Tayal weaving. The art was almost lost, and few pieces of authentic weaving survived. When Ciwas Ali, a Tayal, first ran for the Legislature, she wanted to wear Tayal clothing, but the only traditional woven piece she could find was an old bed sheet, so she fixed that up and wore it.

When she appeared on television, a yaki (grandmother) was shocked and told her family, "Quick, turn off the television!" She thought that if the television was turned off, nobody would be able to see the mortifying scene.

told by Yuma Taru

Recently we went to a talk by the Tayal poet Walis Nokan / 瓦歷斯‧諾幹. One of the many noteworthy parts of the talk was that he mentioned that the Tayal tribe has also been called the Atayal. Walis stumbled on the pronunciation; it is obviously an unfamiliar word. The reason this is noteworthy is that, in my decades of experience with the Tayal, this is only the second time I have actually heard a member of the tribe say "Atayal," but this is the name by which outsiders call the tribe.

The only other time I have heard an aborigine use the name Atayal was about ten years ago, when I asked someone if she had ever heard the name, and she said yes, she recalled hearing someone say Atayal, but she forgot who. But she was a Sediq; in those days Sediq were still considered Tayal, but have since split away.

I have asked many Tayal about this other name, and many have never even heard of the name Atayal ~~ I guess they should pay more attention to what the learned authorities have to say!

Due to the mysterious workings of official orthography, "Tayal" is actually pronounced dah-YEN, so now some people prefer to use Dayan, so we don't sound like bathroom tiles or something. For that matter, I suggest 達彥 for 泰雅.

今晚準備煮晚餐，我先到後門看小狗吃完了沒有。一推開門，有個東西掉扗我頭上、脖子上；往後縮，一條小蛇掉扗地上、、扗門裏面。身長只有六十公分左右，不粗，看樣子像龜殼花，可是還看不清楚，牠就鑽到洗衣機後面。阿超來幫忙看：當然，就在此時發現大手電筒壞了，可是有兩枝小的可以用。無奈，那位小朋友就是不出來。只好請消防隊來幫忙。兩位消防員來，穿著厚重高筒鞋，帶著夾子。洗衣機、烘乾機推開，蛇扗牆邊。消防員動作很快，立即夾住了，放進籠子裏去了。感謝！

住山上真好。昨晚有蝙蝠飛進來，開了窗請牠飛出去。今晚來蛇；蛇是智慧的化身。福慧雙來！

This evening before we started to cook dinner, I went to the back door to see if the dogs had finished their meal. When I opened the door, something fell on my head and right shoulder. I pulled back, and a little snake fell onto the floor::: inside the door. It wasn’t very long, only about two feet. It looked like a qimbahu, one of our poisonous neighbors, but I couldn’t tell for sure. It slipped in back of the washing machine, and I couldn’t get it out, so we had to call the fire department to help.

Two firemen came, wearing heavy, high boots, carrying a snake snatcher. They moved the washing machine and dryer out of the way, spotted the snake, and quick as a cricket, snatched the snake and put it in a cage. Many thanks!

I just love living in the mountains!

現扗學生缺乏實力、衝勁、鬥志。我想，一個很大的原因是，父母管太多：美其名為「照顧」，實則一切都是父母的安排、操控。加上手機，孩子一天二十四小時離不開父母的掌控。
設想：現代父母對孩子異常佔有慾，因為婚姻靠不住。現扗臺灣三對結婚就有一對離婚，婚姻這樁「終身大事」已經靠不住，但是孩子是骨肉，跑不掉，所以拼命抓。

昨天早上看到Yumin往山裏走。中午出去時，不見狗影；晚上回來也沒看到。今早我們出門時他未回。是不是追貓忘返？也許。我跟阿超說，Yumin扗山裏我放心，只怕陷阱。
中午回家前，索性到野要，車子停了，延廢路走，邊擊掌邊喚Yumin。草叢中有聲，果然Yumin被陷阱困。右後腳被吊子套住，他掙不開。還好，是尼龍繩，所以只要休息幾天，讓腳消腫就應該沒事。
但我問你：你認為Yumin會學乖嗎？
想得美！！
I saw Yumin heading into the jungle yesterday morning. When we left at noon, he was nowhere to be seen. When we came back late at night, he wasn’t home. This morning he hadn’t returned yet, so when we came back at noon, we first went to Yayaw to look for him. I walked along a derelict road, calling and clapping. A rustle and a whimper in the undergrowth led me to Yumin, caught by his right hind leg in a snare. Fortunately, it was nylon, not cable, so with a few days’ rest, he will be as good as new.
But do you think he has learned a lesson?
Fat chance!!
(notice how swollen his right hind foot is.)

Chao says this car looks like a pig wearing a suit.

This one simply looks like a pig.

oink, oink!

你不覺得書店故意把這兩本書這樣排嗎？

國立大學鼓勵老師授課用英語，如果全講英語，鐘點費給一點五倍。

我對此事有幾個疑問。第一，幾位讓我進益非常多的老師不會講英語；第二，我認識幾位英語流俐、恖想昏聵的老師；如果以英語取師，庸師逐明師，非學生之福。第三，重金之下必有勇夫，若獎勵全英語授課，必然很多貪高鐘點的教書匠用破敗中式英文講課，帶壞學生的英文能力，甚至不知所云。

用這種方法會提升英語能力？不知。現代臺灣國文程度已經夠差，臺灣本土語言(泰雅、賽夏、鄒等等)瀕臨絕傳；換我當教育部長的話，我寧可加強臺灣自己的特點。

…當然，英文越來越不像英文，也是臺灣的一個新特點~~

日本人禁止達彥(泰雅)織布，也禁止種傳統的紅苧麻，強迫改種和服用的白苧麻；但白苧麻不適合達彥的織法。戰後，傳統織法幾乎斷絕了。

六十年代，霧社一帶的賽德克流行女孩織圍巾送給心上人，聽說越長越好；記得滿面笑容的賽德克少年，脖子遶兩圈，圍巾兩頭長過膝蓋。那時在Snuwil春陽看過人用最傳統的坐地式織布。

二十年前，苗栗達彥少年尤瑪‧達陸下定決心復興固有文化，向耆老學織布。要織布，需要紅苧麻，但早已沒有人種。找了很久，終于扗新竹一處達彥部落找到了，一位八十七歲的雅姬(阿媽)不忍心讓紅苧麻消失，一年復一年種。尤瑪與其夫弗耐‧瓦旦來向她要，雅姬說，「等妳很久了」。紅苧麻給尤瑪，但條件是，一定要種，一定要傳！

尤瑪勤勉學習，現扗已成為世界級織布師，竝扗家鄉開了『野桐工坊』>>點<<發揮祖先的瑰寶，且傳給部落的婦女。

有的故事還是快樂的結局。

During the Japanese Occupation of Taiwan, the Japanese outlawed traditional Tayal weaving, because it was the qualification for getting a facial tattoo. When a young woman could weave cloth, she could get her face tattooed, and only then was she eligible to marry.

Not only did the Japanese outlaw weaving, but they also forbade the growing of nuka 紅苧麻 the ramie used in weaving. Instead, they forced the Tayal to grow 白苧麻 the kind of ramie used in making kimonos, but useless for Tayal weaving. (Tayal weaving was outlawed in about 1920; the Japanese Occupation ended in 1945, with WWII.)

In the 1970s, it was popular for Sediq (a closely related tribe) girls to weave mufflers for their boyfriends, the longer the better. I recall seeing weavers in Snuwil seated on the ground, weaving in the most traditional manner.

In the 1990s, Yuma Taru, a young Tayal from Miaoli, was determined to resurrect the ancient skill of weaving while there was still time. She learned how to weave from her yaki (grandmother), but they needed proper filament; also, her yaki wanted to teach her how to make the cord from nuka. With her husband, Baunay Watan, they set out in search of proper Tayal nuka.

After a long search, they finally found a patch cultivated by an 87 year old Tayal yaki (grandmother). Yaki told Yuma and Baunay, "I've been waiting for you for a long time." She had been unwilling to let the plant disappear, so year after year, she cultivated her nuka, in the hope that somebody would carry on the tradition. She gave Yuma the nuka, with the stipulation that she had to keep it growing, and to pass on the cultivation.

Yuma has been growing nuka ever since, and has become a world renowed weaver. She has a studio in which she weaves and trains the next generation of Tayal, so now this ancient art is prospering again.

Some stories have happy endings.

早餐店老闆自己補店前面的水泥，很用心，蹲扗那裏慢慢弄~~手上鋪水泥的工具是飯匙~~不知道那幾天吃飯團的客人有沒有覺得飯團沙沙的？

"Moose hunting season" ~~~ that's sort of ambiguous, when you think of it.

I'm rooting for the underdogs. Or, the undermoose.

Mayo gave Yaya a sumptuous gift: a whole truck full of deer gucci*. No sooner had they spotted it than Yumin and Byajing, quick as two flashes, rushed over to roll around in it. Whooppeee.

(notice Yumin rolling gleefully on the right slope.)

*in Tayal, gucci means crap, feces.

跟老婆閒聊，講到臺灣原住民十四族，我們就問，哪十四族？很快地列出來，從排灣而北到達彥，順便免費贈送巴宰、道卡斯、巴布薩、洪雅等~~我就想，完蛋了，這樣的話，我永遠不可能當政府官員…

When I went out to the front porch a few nights ago, Tlahuy was lying on the top step, by some wood I have stacked and waiting to carve. Yumin came, looked down behind the wood, and started growling ferociously. This confused me, because when Yumin sees something that could be dangerous, like a feral dog, he barks the warning bark; when he sees a snake, he barks his snake bark; when he chases prey, he yips; when he sees a stranger, he howls. But he doesn't growl.

We were perplexed and cautious, but curious. After some more growling, dodging, and feinting, Yumin suddenly darted his head down,

and

came up

with a doggie treat in his mouth.

The doggie treat I had given to Tlahuy an hour or so before. Apparently it had fallen down behind the logs and Tlahuy gave up on trying to fish it out. So Beagle Yumin nabbed it.

It had been raining for three days when I took this photo last week, but there was so little wind that the trunk of this tree was dry, except for the dark streak you see. That's water flowing down from the canopy of the tree.

here:::

Oh boy!等待已久的時刻終于來了！一○○年一一月一一日一一時一一分！

We’ve been waiting for it, and HERE IT IS! 11:11, 11/11/11!

How would you manage without all the most exciting posts this blog provides?

前一陣子到南部一所私立大學。校園設計很用心，建築舒適，空間利用的很好。每一棟有電梯，進電梯就有海報，也有螢幕；播放的DJ該有的都有：倒戴棒球帽、墨鏡等等各種顯示自己獨特個性的標準配備都有，cool到不行。海報宣佈電玩比賽、卡啦OK比賽。

整個學校給我的感覺是，讓你很平順地過四年、累積一些愉悅、平庸的回憶，但不挑戰，不要求成長或進步：愉快最重要，輕鬆、好玩就好了。校園人數稀少，或許他們用這種方法吸引學生來付學費。

應驗幾十年前的冷笑話：說美國的「university」就是「由你玩四年」。現扗臺灣跟進了~~跟退了。

想著想著，看到三個男生走過來，一個戴美國職業棒球隊帽子，三個都穿名牌運動衫，一個穿短袴兩個穿名牌運動袴，三個都穿昂貴的名牌球鞋。他們要上三樓，一個指樓梯。其中一個很不以為然地說，「三樓！？把我累斃了！坐電梯！」他們就去等電梯。

我擔心，按電梯按鈕會不會太辛苦？學校是不是應該換聲控電梯？

臺中市東勢的原名為Blrngiau，意為「山貓出沒的地方」。原屬達彥(泰雅)部落，但因為山貓，即石虎，很多，吃達彥養的雞，所以遷往它處落腳。

但瓦歷斯‧諾幹說，此說為諱言，其實是客家人強達彥的地，驍勇善戰的達彥不好意思說，他們人那麼多，沒辦法，我們只好讓開，把地方給他們住算了…

The town of Blrngiau in central Taiwan is now known by its Chinese name, Tungshih/Dongshi, but it was originally a Tayal village.

Blrngiau is a Tayal word meaning 'the place with a lot of leopards,' referring to the native leopard cat, Prionailurus bengalensis chinensis. In days gone by, there were so many leopard cats that the Tayal had trouble raising chickens, because the leopard cats would eat them all. The Tayal moved elsewhere, and left Blrngiau to the leopard cats.

With a hearty laugh, Walis Nokan says, this is just a face saving story. The Tayal left because of pressure from the Hakka Chinese, but Walis says, the Tayal are proud warriors. They didn’t want to have to tell their children, "There were so many of those Hakka, we couldn't deal with that, so we left." Thus the story about the chicken-devouring leopard cats.

原住民扗臺灣幾千年，非常了解環境。若土石流或水災及原住民家屋，通常不是因為政府遷居于斯，就是因為投資人扗上面種檳榔、高山茶，破壞山坡結構。

布農族世居高山；瓦歷斯‧諾幹問，如何選部落位置？布農人答，看落石滾到哪、停扗哪，扗過去的範圍就安全。

The Bunung are a tribe of Aborigines who live high in Taiwan's steep mountains. The Tayal poet Walis Nokan once asked how they find places to live that are safe from landslide. The Bunung examine how far stones roll from landslides, and figure out where they stop. Beyond that area is safe.

有人討論，霧社事件是突發事件呢？或者有預謀？霧社事件，莫那‧魯道扮演的角色為何？有人說他扗場指揮，但也有族人說當時莫那‧魯道扗山裏，是他兒子起義，後來莫那‧魯道來接手。

Dakis Nawi的遺孀Obing Tado(倭名高山初子，漢名高彩雲)後來扗廬山開一家碧華莊溫泉館維生。族人郭名正訪談，問及實況。操場起義時，Obing穿和服，勇士雖然只殺日本人，但情況婚混亂，誤殺了兩個漢人，看到和服先砍再問也不一定。

Obing躲進一個大米缸以避難。理所當然，她全神貫注聽外面廝殺的聲音；她很肯定地與郭老師說，她聽到莫那‧魯道的聲音。她原本與莫那‧魯道相識，所以認得出他的聲音，所以她確定，霧社起義時，莫那‧魯道扗場指揮。

This year’s box office hit Seediq Balé (click here for a trailer) has renewed interest in the Wushe Incident (click here) and sparked interest in Taiwan's aboriginal cultures (click here for an earlier post on this blog about the movie.)(aww, come on, go ahead and click!)

Wushe is a town near the geographical center of Taiwan, where the Japanese had penetrated after finally breaking through the People Stop Gate (pass) mentioned in the previous post. The Japanese occupied the town, and established a government, police, a post office, and a school. At an athletic meet at the school on October 27, 1930, the Seediq aborigines, fed up with Japanese arrogance, insults, abuse, and exploitation, slaughtered over 130 Japanese. They spared all the Chinese, but two were killed by accident. The Japanese retaliated with the savagery they displayed throughout the Pacific theater, bombing and gassing the Seediq in the mountains. Over a thousand Seediq were killed in the immediate aftermath, and many more later.

(The Chinese population of Taiwan never gave the revolt any support in any form. The only outside support they got was from the owner of a local general store, 巫金墩 Wu Chintun, probably a member of the heavily sinicized 巴宰Pazeh tribe of 平埔族Pepo, lowland aborigines; he donated the contents of his store to the rebels, and spent a long time in Japanese prison as a result.)

Question of considerable discussion are, first, How planned or spontaneous was the revolt? Some say the Sediq revolted on the spur of the moment; others say it was carefully planned. Second, what role did Mona Rudo play in the revolt? He is the central character of the movie, but some aborigines say that the revolt was instigated by his sons, and Mona himself was in the mountains, taking over leadership only after the revolt started.

Practically the last survivor of the original massacre on the playground was Obing Tado, a nipponified Seediq who took the Japanese name of 高山初子/ Takayama Hatsuko; and later the Chinese name 高彩雲(1914～1996). Her husband was a nipponified Seediq named Dakis Nawi; Japanese name 花崗二郎Hanaoka Jiro, and served in the Japanese police force.

Dakis Pawan郭明正, a Seediq of my generation, knew Obing personally. (I used to go hiking in that area all the time in the early 1970s, and she ran a hot spring hostel called 碧華莊 so I must have seen her.) He asked her about the revolt (in her own language, of course), and asked whether Mona Rudo was on the scene.

When the revolt broke out, Obing was wearing a kimono, as was proper for the wife of a member of the Japanese policeman. She was terrified that she would be beheaded as a Japanese in the confusion, so she hid inside a large urn used for storing rice. You can bet she was listening to every sound with all her concentration. She very distinctly heard Mona Rudo running back and forth, shouting to the warriors. She knew Mona Rudo personally, and was very familiar with his voice, so she is positive that he was on the scene when the revolt took place.

Mona Rudo stands in the middle in this photo; on his side is Dakis Pawan's (郭明正) grandfather.

I have no idea why the last paragraph is on a white background, but I can't get rid of it. Bear with it.

ngahi balay

扗泰雅語，talah tunux，紅髮，意為「外國人」；但于賽德克語，指日本人，因為當年日本入侵臺灣，士兵冠帽飾紅色。

西元一九0二年，日本軍閥與賽德克勇士戰于埔里仁愛鄉人止關，勇士居高臨下，射箭鎗墜重石殲滅日軍；看過賽德克‧巴萊的人一定記得。

戰爭劇烈而稍憩，日軍趕緊拿出圓鍬，開始挖坑避彈；賽德克勇士詫異、不解，互相問，「他們扗幹麼？？」實扗不解，最後猜測日軍肚子餓，扗挖地瓜，但是也覺得奇怪，「那邊沒有種地瓜，為甚麼他們還挖的那麼勤奮？」

In Tayal, talah tunux, literally red (brown) head, means foreigner, Westerner: brown hair. But in Seediq, a closely related tribe and language, it means Japanese, because when the Japanese occupied Taiwan, their soldiers wore hats trimmed with red.

In 1902, the Japanese attempted to enter the mountain fastness of the Seediq tribe, but were stopped at the pass called People Stop Gate. The Seediq shot at the invaders with arrows and guns, and rained down tons of stones that had been prepared to repel any invaders. During a lull in the fighting, the Japanese quickly got out their spades and started digging foxholes as fast as they could. This totally perplexed the Seediq high above them, and a lively discussion broke out, trying to figure out what the Japanese were up to. The consensus was that the Japanese were hungry, so they were digging for yams. But the Seediq still couldn't figure out, "Nobody ever planted yams there, what do they expect to dig up?"

as told by Dakis Pawan 郭明正, 2011.10.21

今天到中山北路前美國大使館邸，今為光點文化，去聽鄒族相關演講(下次詳述)，非常意外地看到庭院中樟樹上有一隻鳳頭蒼鷹！

Today we went to an old building that used to be the Residence of the American Ambassador to the Republic of China; it is now used for cultural events, and our purpose was to attend an afternoon of lectures on the Tsou (Cou) tribe in central Taiwan. I will report on those later, but what surprised us was, when we entered the courtyard, perched on a camphor tree was a crested goshawk (accipiter trivirgatus), a raptor right smack in the middle of downtown Taipei!

從前一位王姓朋友的姊夫姓閻。我不好意思問，但我心想，天啊，

閻王府喜宴

誰敢參加？

Talovich's rule on the perversity of unfound objects:

The less time you have to find something, the less likely it is you will find it.

If you start looking for something a day before you need it, you will find it immediately. The amount of time you have left is in a direct inverse correlation to the time you will have to spend searching before you find it.

和氣生財。難怪臺灣經濟一蹶不振。政壇都是憤怒、哀怨、對立、抗爭抗爭抗爭個沒完沒了。就是沒幾個人採取民主精神，鼓勵民眾為社會大眾努力、為自己負責、尊重它人的意見；多數盡其能事把話講得越毒越過癮，彷彿期待一句把政敵打入無間地獄。

不要讓心中不平的人再繼續霸佔臺灣的輿論！

只懂得抗爭、不尊重它人意見的人，通常是把內心的不平投射到它人頭上，問題不在外，是自心的問題。這種人怎麼可能遠謀深慮呢？

臺灣的輿論需要的是有肚量的人，能集思廣益，不偏執己見，為大家著想，而不是堅持要大家聽自己的。

我常劈柴，所以最近想買一把好一點的斧頭。。士林慈諴宮對面戲臺下有一家五金行，看上了一把很好的斧頭。跟老闆說，改天再來買，因為等一下要坐捷運去上班，這把恐怕不能帶上捷運。他說，可以呀，這是農具，頭包起來就好了。我向他索取收據，萬一警察問我幹麼帶這個上車。還好，平安無事到達補習班。可是車上坐我對面的那位先生一直看著我，眼神有點奇怪的~~
Recently I've found that I need a good axe to chop firewood. I happened to find a real beauty in a hardware store, hand forged and very heavy. I hesitated to buy it, because I had to take the subway to work before I went home, but the Boss said, "It's just an agricultural tool, so there's no problem!" Just to be on the safe side, I asked for a dated receipt, in case the police had questions.
No problems with the police, but the guy sitting across from me on the subway kept looking at me with this really strange expression on his face.
He probably heaved a sigh of relief when I got off.

牟宗三乃近代大儒。我念大三、大四時，他曾光臨師大，來國文系演講。于走廊相遇，說「如沐春風」，絕對不是。非常不來電就是了。看他臺風，殊不投緣。我多年困惑：當代儒師，何以如斯不嚮往？

近日讀薛仁明著「論語隨喜」，連篇拍案叫絕，這就是論語！這就是論語！書裏強調，論語第一章：學而時習之，不亦說乎？有朋自遠方來，不亦樂乎？「一開頭就以『悅』『樂』這樣的姿態亮相」。

其意謂，不悅不樂，則離夫子之道遠，講儒應以此為評判的標準：「依此，理學家大概是要落第的，因為他們有苦相。」讀到斯，心中浮出幾十年前牟宗三的樣子，恍然大悟，牟大師雖滿腹經綸，但其人，酸矣酸矣！好像吃了一大口酸菜黃蓮加醋，不服氣但也不敢吐出來；鹼性體質的人只要靠近他站一下就會中和血液的鹼性。讀這一段，多年問號消散了。

沒想到，讀到下一段，薛先生說，「新儒學『大師』牟宗三，其巨著『心體與性體』……以孔子為中心…前孔子、後孔子，通篇說孔子，卻與孔子的真實生命全然不相應。」

妙！狗熊所見略同！

極力推薦大家讀「論語隨喜」。至于「心體與性體」呢，啊…看完以後我講一下心得就可以了。

In an earlier post, I mentioned the disturbing news, or lack or news, from the Jingpo, or Kachin, in Burma >>>click<<<. This is not a good year for the ethnic nationalities in Burma, but the mainstream pays little attention. However, some good news may be building up: change may be coming, albeit slowly. <click > Better late than never!!

梁居士很發心。當年，廣欽老和尚來回六龜妙通寺，往往梁居士幫他開車。他說，單程六小時，廣老一坐上車就盤腿，到了目的地才把腿放開。山路委蛇，任它車子搖晃，但個子瘦小的廣老穩穩，不必拿把手，也不會晃。

Jared Diamond said that the Spaniards conquered the Americas with guns, germs, and steel, rather than military prowess. Recently I read Roger Crowley's excellent book, Empires of the Sea >>click<< about the Spanish and Ottoman struggle for supremacy in the Mediterranean. Over decades and even centuries, the Spanish displayed such incompetence and pig-headed folly that Diamond's point should be taken as proven.

banyan door, a photo by Yugan Dali on Flickr.

臺北華山藝文中心，一棵榕樹的根已經成為門框了。
Why you don't want banyans growing on your building. Take a careful look at this door, which I photographed on an old building in downtown Taipei. The roots have grown down from the roof and down the sides of the door. It looks nice, but the building will sooner or later be taken over by the banyan.

身在紅塵心在山

Today marks the Hundred Birthday of the Republic of China, which has proved all the experts wrong: in the 1970s, it was widely known that the ROC couldn't possibly survive until 1985. Well?

今天到華山藝文中心看原舞者演「迴夢」，高一生的故事。高一生是第一個接受現代教育的鄒族人，畢業于臺南師範學院，當老師、作曲家。他永遠夾扗部落與外界中間，他一生的課題是傳統與改變的衝突。

臺灣光復，高一生成為吳鳳鄉第一任鄉長。現在臺灣的政治教條將那個時代講的很簡單：『全都是蔣介石的錯，沒甚麼好討論的，所以不許討論。』

但其實，那個時代的動盪、紊亂，我們很難理解。因為蘇聯強盛，毛澤東征服大陸、北韓被金日成征服、胡志明扗越南來勢洶洶，導致美國人心惶惶，McCarthyism崛起，國務院推動的白色恐怖波及臺灣。

鄒人扗嘉義機場與國民黨軍隊打仗後退到山林。嘉義山中有人民公社，早上唱義勇軍進行曲、東方紅，升五星旗。雲林、嘉義山區共產黨遊擊隊橫行。

高一生努力為鄒人設想，于是提倡鄒族自治區的想法；說實扗的，這一招，太不識時勢！後來，因為有共產黨藏匿于阿里山，所以鄉長要負責。高一生被蓋上共產黨的標籤。

另外，好像有些公款問題；鄉長要用錢作鄒族教育款項，卻被密告貪污。鄒人不完全支持他，因為很多族人怪他當年鼓勵鄒族青年為日本人打仗，扗南洋陣亡眾多。

民國四十三年，高一生槍決于臺灣青島東路看守所。

今天我們在百餘公尺之遙的華山藝文中心看這齣戲，我想，高一生若有知，一定很安慰。

Taiwan has a number of small dance, music, and acting troupes producing first rate work, wonderfully creative, expertly performed, and, sadly, generally ignored. Such troupes as 林麗貞 Legend Lin, 江之翠 Gang A Tsui Theater, 驫舞劇團 Horse,莫比斯圓環創作公社 Mobius Strip Theater, and my favorite choreographer鄭宗龍 Cheng Tsung-Lung put on masterful performances. In my experience, Western troupes tend to mire the audience in a problem; these troupes lead you to the problem and boost you to transcend it.

Today we went to a memorable performance by 原舞者 the Taiwan Indigenous Dance troupe, commemorating the life of the Tsou (Cou) intellectual Uyongu Yatauyungana 高一生(1908 – 1954). Uyongu was a man trapped in his time. Born in the Tsou tribe in the mountains of central Taiwan during the Japanese Occupation, he excelled in his studies. He loved his Tsou heritage, but he understood the power of schooling. He became a teacher and composer.

At the end of World War II, the ROC government made him magistrate of his township. The times around 1950 were confusing, and in Taiwan now, right wing doctrine does not allow free discussion of these problems, but dumps all faults and wrongs on the head of Chiang Kai Shek. Be that as it may, the KMT had just fought the Japanese for eight horrible years while Mao sat back and marshaled his strength, and took over mainland China.

McCarthyism was rampant in the US, and the US State Department pressed allies to root out communists, real or supposed. The Tsou had fought the KMT in the plains and retreated to the mountains, where there were People's Communes, playing the communist national anthem every morning and flying the PRC flag. Most people in Taiwan today are unaware that these communes existed, or that communist guerillas waged savage warfare in the mountains of 嘉義Chiayi and 雲林Yunlin.

Uyongu was doing his best for his people, and called for a Tsou Autonomous Region. This was not a politically wise call at a time the ROC was fighting for its life. Communist sympathizers were hiding in Tsou territory, and Uyongu was brought to account. There was some problem with public funds which Uyongu had, apparently, meant to be used for schooling, and he was charged with corruption. In addition, many of the Tsou did not forgive him for encouraging tribesmen to fight and die for Japan in the Pacific Theater in WWII.

To make a long story short, Uyongu was executed in 1954 in a prison not ten minutes' walk from Huashan Art Center, where today's production was staged. The prison disappeared long ago; part of the land is now the site of the Taipei Sheraton Hotel.

The performance was brilliant. 高英傑 Gao Yingjie, Uyongu's second son played the part of Uyongu, and Uyongu’s granddaughter played the part of her aunt. (During today's performance, Uyongu's eldest son sat two rows in front of us.) Almost all the dialogue was in the Tsou language, with the Japanese language songs he composed, and some soliloquies in Mandarin. All but one of the twenty performers are Aborigines, from various tribes.

Of course, one singer stole the show:夏赫尤勞 Hiax Yulau, the 8 year old son of my good friend and neighbor Yulau Yukan. But it goes without saying that the Tayal of Wulai sing better than anybody else; this is an entirely unbiased evaluation.

The choreographer was the noted布拉瑞揚‧帕格勒法 Bulareyaung Pagarlava, from the Paiwan tribe; he has choreographed for such famous troupes as NYC's Martha Graham Dance Company. The main props used were bamboo poles and two bamboo ladders (Gao Yingjie informed me that all the bamboo came from Pnguu, where we spent so much time last year). The work was imaginative and moving. I couldn't help thinking that Uyongu would be comforted to see his son interpreting his life just around the corner from where that life ended.

The man to my right is 高英傑 Gao Yingjie, Uyongu’s second son, who played the lead, and to his right is his big brother, the first son.

每讀史，劉瑾、八虎這些太監干政實扗可恨，咬牙切齒，想罵一句：劉瑾，其無後乎！然後想一想，太監本就是無後。噯。

今晚到中正堂國家音樂廳聽「柏林古樂學會樂團」演奏巴洛克音樂，樂乎~~

This evening we went to the National Concert Hall to hear the Academy of Ancient Music Berlin / Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin perform Baroque music: Telemann (my favorite composer), Bach, Caldara, Corelli, with a rousing second encore by Purcell. Sheer joy!

The star of the show was Maurice Steger, one of the world's foremost recorder players. I have collected his CDs for some years, and wondered if maybe they have speeded up the recording? No, he actually does play that fast, and never misses a note.

Unfortunately, they had only the one performance in Taiwan, and didn't get enough publicity, so the house was only about half full. But it was an unforgettable concert. Too bad you missed it!

臺灣有很多非常好的小劇團、樂團、舞團，可惜觀眾習慣看電視粗製爛造的俗氣節目，有心欣賞這些非主流的團體的人不多。這是大家的損失。

今年民國一百年。我們前幾天去看一個小劇團的戲，探討自身的心境、臺灣目前處境。演員認真演，演技純熟，佈景、服飾都得體。戲劇很好看；唯一讓我困惑的是，演抗戰後的臺灣，只演兩個項目：二二八與白色恐怖。臺灣六十年來的歷史只有這個可以演嗎？

人之常情，若經噩耗、心理受創傷，便會退縮、蟄伏、失去信心、不敢嘗試。臺灣奇蹟不是一個受過創傷的人民所能締造的。

民國六十年代，臺灣的氛圍是樂觀、堅強的；人民安居樂業、發奮圖強，沒有浩劫餘生的陰影。那時臺灣的氣息很積極，不是遍體鱗傷或心猶有餘悸的。六十年代，若與人談起二二八，他們通常說，這件事情已經過了，我們要向前看，要認真生活，不需要再被那些已經過去的事情束縛。

現代的哀怨、悲情，是八、九十年代政客為了爭權奪利刻意製造出來的情緒。臺灣原來很有朝氣、很長進，不會沒事怨天尤人。

更何況，二二八與白色恐怖到目前沒有一個中肯的結論；現在不容許客觀討論，因為這個問題牽涉到太多政治利益。但請想一想：「白色恐怖」根本不是中文；為甚麼？這與美國國務卿John Foster Dulles脫不了干係。但現在臺灣的「言論自由」不容許這種說法，因為一切的罪惡都要放到蔣中正的頭上。

現在與一般中、老年人談起民國四、五十年代的臺灣，多數人的回憶是美好的：臺灣很窮，處境危艱，生活很辛苦，但很平安、很充實。不信的話，自己去問問一些平凡老百姓他們五十年前的生活；看他們臉上顯出很祥和的神態，想到田裏巷尾、稻味草香、濃厚的人情味、治安好，雖然沒錢，可是大家一樣都沒錢，大家都打拼。大專聯考給每一個人一個平等的機會，只要努力念書，農家子女也可以念國立大學：學費低廉，也有公費。刻苦耐勞的成就感是甜美的。

依我的經驗，如果要概括六、七十年代臺灣的人民精神狀態，就是「打拼」兩個字。每一個人抱著希望，只要努力，就有好日子過。當時的精神，也可以用兩個當時常見的標語來說：「處變不驚」、「莊敬自強」。

不是否認政治問題，而是說，經歷過二二八的人不多，直接被「白色恐怖」波及的人很少；不是說他們沒有悲劇，而是說，他們的經驗不代表這六十六年來絕大多數臺灣人民的生活或經驗。

藝術要為政治服務呢？或者我們採取「民主」精神，以「民」為「主」，政府的存在，是為了服務國家而已；那麼藝術的地位遠遠的高于政治。只能政治為藝術服務，若藝術蘊藏政治企圖，就是出賣了藝術、出賣了民主。

如果劇團隸屬政黨，有固定意識型態，演戲只是為了政治目標，那這樣演有理。但是如果目標是如實敘述臺灣歷史，則失之偏頗。實在可惜，因為劇團其它方面都很用心，但寫到六十年來的臺灣，沒怎麼深入思考就落入俗套，照教條排戲。我相信，以他們的才華，劇本可以寫的更深入、更真實的！

抗戰前，太極大師鄭曼青曾任湖南省政府咨議兼國術館館長。他說，當館長最累人的就是開會。畢竟湖南人吃很多辣椒，所以開會時吵吵鬧鬧，各凭武力高強不相讓，館長要有館長的風範，不方便下去與會員較量較量。他說，一次兩個武人吵的特別凶，某甲指著某乙的鼻子說，「你有甚麼了不起？看招！」跳起來，用前額將會議桌撞了一個很大的洞~~~喂，先生，會議桌要錢呢！很無奈，哭笑不得。民國六十幾年聽他敘述，還是苦笑搖頭不已。

The taichi master Cheng Manching served as Chairman of the Hunan Martial Arts Association. He said the worst thing about the position was that he had to chair meetings. Hunanese are famously feisty, and every meeting dissolved into chaos, and a Chairman had to set an example, not join in the fisticuffs. The very worst meeting was the time one martial artist, quarreling with another, said, "Oh, you think you're something? Watch this!" jumped up, came down, and broke the conference table with his forehead. Cheng could only stand by and remind the members that tables cost money…

I heard him tell this story around 1973, and he still could only laugh bitterly and shake his head. Boys will be boys.

A Taiwan baseball fan lunges for a ball hit into the stands.... here>>>>>>>

have they found his body yet?

尊師重道是華夏寶訓。萬世師表誕辰定為教師節，列為國定假日，以教育為國之本、以學習為人生一件重大、悅懌的事情。

十年前，為了施行愚民政策、讓政鬥凌駕知識之上，遂廢除教師節。

希望大家心中記得今天是教師節、為孔子祝壽、回頭想一想過去的這一年學到了甚麼。

Today is Confucius's birthday. Spend a moment today to thank everybody who has taught you, to thank Confucius, and to reflect on what you have learned over the past year.

overheard in a restaurant

年輕男女一對進餐廳，點餐，漠然以對好幾分鐘。終于，女生說，「你今晚可以剪指甲。」

誰說現代人不講手機、不上臉書，就沒有話題？

A young couple entered the restaurant, took their seats, ordered, and sat there without anything to say for several minutes. Finally, the girl said, "You can trim your fingernails tonight."

Who said that cell phones and FaceBook have killed the art of conversation?

或問：禮記、內則：「五日，則燂湯請浴，三日具沐。」又、玉藻：「沐稷而靧粱。」其餘亦散見群經，何其于沐如斯之慎歟？

答曰：夫沐者，濯髮之謂也。古人必慎之，因為萬事，洗頭難。

秋分已過，天氣凉了喔，要多穿衣服！

This is something I read online:: here::: worth reading, and thinking about: written by Kent Nerburn, when was a taxi driver in Minneapolis.

When I drove up in my taxi cab for a phoned-in pickup, the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. Under the circumstances, many taxi drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, and then drive away. But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation. Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself.

So I walked to the door and knocked. "Just a minute," answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

"Would you carry my bag out to the car?" she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. "It's nothing," I told her, "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated."

"Oh, you're such a good boy," she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?"

"It’s not the shortest way," I answered quickly.

"Oh, I don't mind," she said, "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice."

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. "I don't have any family left," she continued. "The doctor says I don't have very long." I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

"What route would you like me to take?" I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring, saying nothing.

She suddenly said, "I’m tired. Let's go now."

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

"How much do I owe you?" she asked, reaching into her purse.

"Nothing," I said.

"You have to make a living," she answered.

"There are other passengers," I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held on to me tightly.

"You gave an old woman a moment of joy," she said. "Thank you."

I squeezed her hand, and then walked to my taxi. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly, lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk.

What if the woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware – beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.