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.

天氣轉涼了，中午想吃湯麵。水煮了，茄子切好放進去，但怎麼樣也沉不下去，我擔心這樣不會熟。我問撒毖，「怎麼搞的？茄子沉不下去。」

她回答，「它們要你知道它們不是浮不起的茄子。」

嘻~~~！！

老歌很好聽：但是……

你 問 我 愛 你 有 多 深
我 愛 你 有 幾 分
我 的 情 也 真 我 的 愛 也 真
月 亮 代 表 我 的 心……

甚麼跟甚麼？月亮代表我的心？冰冰地掛扗天上、只能遠遠看著它、不能靠近它、時而雲遮、時與星會、有一面完完全全不讓我們看見，而且，初一根本看不到它。每天看都不同，每天都有變化，只有十五朢那幾天才全現示人，這是甚麼樣的愛？

不行、不行，我一直認為這段歌詞該重寫。怎麼唱呢？

你 問 我 愛 你 有 多 深
我 愛 你 有 幾 分
我 的 情 也 真 我 的 愛 也 真
普 洱 代 表 我 的 心……

這樣才好！普洱，新時很有勁，可是越放越香、越淳，那耐人尋味的層出不窮的韻味，才是愛情最佳境界！

昨文提到我大約三十年未入過戲院，其來有自。第一、六十年代的戲院很爛；我長腳擺不進座位；第二、臺灣那時沒錢，所以外國片都扗國外先放爛了，才送到臺灣來放映：片段失序、音響失真、影片上很多白點光線。我高中住洛杉磯，習慣到好萊塢看首輪電影，怎能忍受？加上讀書時哪有時間看電影？中華古籍比電影好看太多！

但畢業以後，「大白沙」(第一集)太轟動，我本來對沙魚很好奇，又愛浮潛，好吧，看了。看完之後幾個月，夏天到了，我背起背包到東北角浮潛去了，怪事就發生了：我每潛到海裏，我腦中就會聽到「東冬東冬」大白殺要出現的音樂，嚇得要死。

我想，我從小扗海裏從來沒有害怕過，我幹甚麼花錢看電影讓自己害怕？從此不進戲院，一直到前天的「塞德克‧巴萊」。

偶爾扗家裏電腦看電影，例如George of the Jungle、中國古裝歷史電影、或原住民語電影，如此而已。

In yesterday's post, I mentioned that I hadn't been in a movie theater for some thirty years, I think. I went to high school in the LA area, and went to Hollywood to see first run films there. When I came to Taiwan, and tried to squeeze my long legs into the tightly packed seats, I was ready to give up. Taiwan didn't have money in those days, so foreign films were run threadbare abroad before they came to Taiwan, so they were filled with bright spots and light streaks. In college, I didn't have time for movies anyway. And ancient Chinese books are much more fascinating than movies.

After I graduated, Jaws made a big splash (the first episode). Sharks are interesting creatures, and I love snorkeling, so I decided to see the movie. That was in the spring. A couple months later, the diving season started, and something weird happened. Every time I got down to the bottom of a dive, I'd hear "dum dum dum dum," the movie soundtrack that announces the arrival of The Shark. I was scared.

I thought, what the hey? I have spent countless hours in the ocean since I was a kid, and I had never been scared. Why should I spend good money to go watch a movie to scare myself? That was the last time I went to a movie theater before Seediq Balé.(I forgot to mention there are two parts to the movie. Yesterday we saw Part I.)

From time to time I watch movies on the computer at home, great films such as George of The Jungle, Chinese historical movies, and Taiwan aborigine language films, but that's it.

сорок лет

seediq bale: blaq ktan balay!

廣告那麼多，本來不太想看塞德克‧巴萊，但是今天還是去看了。畢竟三十幾年前，霧社的塞德克山區是我最喜歡去的地方，常去那裏爬山，聽過族人講霧社故事，漢人一聽到霧社就會談到起義壯舉，書本、報紙也很多報導，所以對霧社事件本來就不陌生(案：前幾天看到有人寫說二十年前不允許講霧社事件，豈有此理！？)以前最常去的山區，我常借住一個工寮；聽族人說，霧社事件有一家日本人逃到工寮遇害，所以經常鬧鬼。不知：日本鬼子、洋鬼子，都是一家鬼吧，反正從來沒有來鬧我。多年來，對原住民的興趣、住山地村、學山地語，這個電影的廣告再氾濫，還是想去看。三十年來，第一次踏進電影院。

長話短說：好看。該去看。雖然很悲烈，但是很用心拍的。我一個顧慮：畢竟我對原住民傳統比較熟，我懷疑，其中肯多弦外之音，一般觀眾可能比較沒有意識到它的道理。例如，莫那‧魯道腳上綁兩個腳飾：再泰雅語，那叫做kinraja'，不是隨便甚麼人可以戴的，一定要戰績卓卓的英雄才可以戴的。

一般觀眾能接受這個電影嗎？這樣講好了。通常電影一放完，開始放謝幕名單，觀眾逃跑，爭前恐後。塞德克‧巴萊就不同。放完，長篇片尾名單慢慢放，只有幾個人離位，大多數人看完名單，開了燈，戲院員工來催，才依依不捨地站起來，慢慢離場。

看完出戲院，愕然：套撒毖的一段話：「走出戲院，看到臺北街頭盡是些穿著標新立異、時髦裝酷，實 則弱不經風... 卻又趾高氣昂的孩子，很是心酸~~~ 他們的肩膀可以扛責任? 他們的心胸能夠容山海??? 怎能與雅緻的原民服飾比線條? 怎能與山海之子黝黑、剛柔兼併的臉龐比俊美? 遑論與遠古生活的、心靈的智慧比聰穎了?! 每每見到時下年輕人悉心呵護得自己的每一根頭髮的角度，腳上比地面還乾淨的「粗曠」鞋，還有還有.....我和先生只有一句話想說：m'xan loziq!」

What with the publicity barrage, I had my doubts about seeing Seediq Balé. The Seediq are a tribe of Taiwan aborigines, once lumped together with the Dayan/Tayal because of the close similarities. In 1930, under the leadership of Mona Rudo, the Seediq revolted against the Japanese warlords occupying Taiwan. This movie tells the story, which was very well-known in Taiwan, but seems to have slipped out of people's memory in recent years.

In the 1970s, on practically every chance I got, I hiked all over the area in which the revolt took place, because the mountains are very beautiful. I heard stories about the revolt from Seediq people, and used to stay in a hut that was said to be haunted by ghosts of a Japanese family killed while fleeing the revolt (I never saw them.) I have learned a lot from and about Aborigines of many tribes, but mostly Dayan, so Sabiy and I figured we really had to go see this movie. So for the first time in about 30 years, I went to a movie theater.

In a word: if you have the chance, be sure to see this movie. It is a stirring story of a world very different from today's. You can also see the way people then lived, dressed, and acted. The movie was made with great care. It is mainly in Seediq, with Japanese, Bunung, and Minnan Chinese. If you are not familiar with the geography and customs, parts of the movie may be difficult to understand. There are many details that will probably escape most viewers. For example, Mona, the hero, wears bands on his calves. In Dayan, such a band is called a kinraja'. The kinraja' was not just decorative, and not just anybody could wear one. Only a great warrior was entitled to put one on, much less two!

If you like tattoos, you will love this movie, but be aware that, unlike today's tattoos, Taiwan aboriginal tattoos had meaning, and had to be earned.

Usually, the moment a movie is over, as soon as the credits start to roll, the audience starts to rush for the exits. When Seediq Balé was over, a couple people left, but almost the entire audience stayed until all the credits were finished, the lights were turned on, and the theater staff came to prod people to leave.

See it if you can.

昔者或論，英雄造時勢、或時勢造英雄，觀之今民，似可斷論：時勢造英雄。天將降大任于是人也，必先苦其心志，勞其筋骨，餓其體膚，空乏其身，行拂亂其所為，所以動心忍性，曾益其所不能。今之人也，安逸頹萎，天若降大任焉，遂即壓扁而已矣。

On September 10, there was a lot on Yahoo news about a jet with suspicious passengers who wouldn't come out of the bathroom, so F16 jets escorted the plane to a safe landing, where a SWAT team boarded the plane to ensure the passengers' safety. The suspicious passengers were both Israeli citizens, and who knows with these Mid-Eastern types? they might have been agents for Al Qaida. Or maybe they even knew where Hassan kept his super-secret Weapons of Mass Destruction. They were taken off the plane, along with a totally unrelated Russian citizen who happened to be along on the ride, and interrogated. Well done, o ye heroes! Guardians of air safety, apple pie, and the American way!

Follow up news here:::: it seems that the suspicious Israelis in the bathroom were, as the news euphemistically phrased it, "making out" wink-wink, nudge-nudge, mile high. Boy, they chose the wrong day for that!

Two things worth comment: first, I happened to find this follow up report on the UK Yahoo pages, but not the American. I suspect the reason for this is that Homeland Security feels the average American is not up to the shock of reading the words "making out" online.

Second, in the article, the FBI spokesperson says that "The public would rather have us err on the side of caution than not." Oh really? This is based on which study? Since when do we need the FBI to tell us what we would rather? We would rather be shorn of liberty just because the FBI and TSA assume they know what we want? I often think that bin Laden won: shed the freedom our ancestors fought for, live in fear, and obey your rulers.

今天是我在臺灣的第四十個中秋節。剛來沒多久就過中秋，但大家告訴我，自從阿姆斯壯登陸月球，卻沒看到嫦娥也沒看到廣寒宮，連個搗藥玉兔也沒個影兒，人間的中秋就不熱鬧了。這樣就能證明吳剛已經伐了月桂樹嗎？阿姆斯壯才走月球的一小塊；況且，我也沒見過X光，但我不懷疑X光的存扗。

也罷。入境隨俗，到信義路一家麵包店(是不是義美的？忘了)買了月餅。第一次吃月餅不太合口味。後來聽人家說，他們先把去年沒賣完的拿出來退冰賣。也許。

中秋很快成為我一年到頭唯一最喜歡的節。一則一個國定假日不是為了政治也不是為了宗教，純粹是為了賞月，多美！一則我怕熱，中秋到了，涼風就跟著來。一則月餅+茶=絕配！

我念大學，有一年帶著月餅到龍洞。當時東北角未開路，只有一條小步道，很少人走。我從金瓜石出發，走了半天，到了龍洞下方石臺，聽海濤，觀望月，吃月餅，快哉！

從前宜蘭有幾個兄弟用祖傳配方做月餅，重視睡眠的宜蘭人願意徹夜排隊買。大家手捧著洗過的奶粉罐去裝，能買多少就買多少。聽說那幾個兄弟一年只工作那幾天，也夠他們生活。沒辦法，實在好吃！

大約十年前吧，商家觀察到到消費者沒主見，是廣告的傀儡，就推銷「烤肉」來賺錢；管它摧殘生態，自己賺錢最重要！一夫登廣告揮臂，萬家買烤肉架。中秋變質了。一切佳節必須為商機服務。

吃素的人例外。我呢，準備最好的茶，儲備的端午水要上場，與阿超賞月吃素月餅。今年打算泡珍藏的不知年普洱(四、五十年吧)、廣方圓的特藏茶，也少不了一泡宋韻今茗普洱吧！

祝大家中秋愉月！

Today is my fortieth Moon Festival in Taiwan. I hope everybody enjoys the harvest moon, and moon cakes, too!

An astronaut had a unique view of the disaster on September 11, 2001.

here:::

Awww, nuts, I can’t believe I missed it! August 28, 2011 was one hundred years to the day since Ishi walked out of the mountains.

An article well worth reading about where we came from:here:::

As usual, the American Christian fanatics have come out of the woodwork, insisting that their DOG created man, and that evolution is 'just a theory.' Facts and Truth are the realm of Christianity and Islam, not science; science proposes theories that have not yet been proven false. To date, nobody has proved scientifically that 2 + 2 = 4, but does that stop you from figuring?

It is sad that so much time and energy have to be wasted on such pointless debates.

(note: Bertrand Russell and Alfred North Whitehead attempted to prove mathematically and logically that 2 + 2 = 4, but hundreds of pages into the proof, they gave it up as too difficult.)

真的！！

環保隊員養的虎斑臺灣土狗：虎寶：很美！

看得出來把她當寶。

A beautiful brindle Taiwan tugo (Taiwan mountain dog, Taiwan aborigine dog), named Hubao, or Tiger Treasure. You can tell that her owner treasures her. As well she should!!

舊相機越來越難用，買了一台新相機：Olympus防水防震，很適合我。

I bought a new camera to replace my aging Sony: an Olympus TG – 810: waterproof and shockproof. Just what I need.

今早與鄰居去整理附近的步道；由于颱風、豪雨勁風的關係，倒了很多竹、樹、藤，步道幾乎不能過。他拿開山刀，我用拉烙(達彥刀)，邊砍邊討論，大雨經常將烏龜沖入水溝，牠們爬出來很辛苦，我們想對策。揮刀扯藤，流汗頂日，光腳踏著濕涼泥巴，真舒服。

晚上到市府附近的嶄新「德不留」大飯店喝老學生的兒子的喜酒~~素桌以誠意代替杯中物。我們早到了，順便先到誠品逛逛。看著這裏的男子，個個穿著攷究、細皮嫩肉、髮型精緻(醜到斃了，可是看得出他們多麼地用心弄出這等醜髮)、走路似不經風；這些精細男生，很多腳上穿粗獷不羈的Timberland黃色反皮登山鞋，問題是，每一雙好像剛剛才從盒子裏拿出來的、尚未踏上塵土，乾淨到「純淨」的境界。

突然覺得我的新相機扗這個環境，無用武之地。

This morning I went to help a neighbor clean up the path. Typhoons, heavy rain, and strong winds had brought down a lot of trees, bamboo, and vines, rendering the path almost impassible. Heavy rains wash turtles into the ditch, where they have difficulty getting out, so we discussed remedies. We hacked, pulled down bamboo and vines, and sweat under the bright sun. My bare feet enjoyed the cool mud.

In the evening we went to the wedding party of an old student's son, held at the newly opened, super fashionable W Hotel. Since we got there early, we went to a nearby bookstore. The males in the area floated around at the peak of fashion, exquisitely dressed with fastidious coiffures (hideously grotesque coiffures, mind you, but with great effort put into them) and fine, white skin. Many of these excruciatingly fine darlings were wearing, as fashion stipulates, rough, tough outdoor hiking boots from Timberland; the problem was, the boots all looked like they had just been removed from the box, and were spotlessly clean.

I felt that my new camera was really out of place.

For a follow-up on the hassle of buying an Olympus, please click here:: October 24, 2012

東方朔據地歌：陸沈于俗、避世金馬門、宮殿可以避世全身、何必深山之中、蒿廬之下。

白居易、中隱詩：

大隱住朝市，小隱入丘樊。
丘樊太冷落，朝市太囂喧。
不如作中隱，隱在留司官。
後世多以斯為凭，隨俗而以市隱、朝隱自居，以「官場好修行」為盾，且斥野隱、山隱為「與世務脫解」。隱者本義扗于與世務脫解！隱遁、修行扗心不扗位，然虛雲老和尚曰：

比丘住山佛歡喜、

住扗鬧市擔憂。

斯言確鑿！