I've known quite a few of those in my time.

修密的習性與修顯宗的不同。修密的人讚揚佛陀、讚揚上師。修顯宗，尤其是中國的修行法門，稱讚佛陀，但他老人家修他的，我修我的，各人業障各人了。
虛雲老和尚說，佛來斬佛，魔來斬魔。

不經一事，不長一智。除夕那一天，雅婭給我們一桶紅菜(『紅鳳菜』)，我們想，哇哈，紅菜補血，這次捐血血紅素一定非常高！

結果，今天到捐血室一驗，血紅素反而比平常低很多，險些不到低標準。奇怪，紅菜吃那麼多，這是怎麼一回事？護理長說，老人家說紅菜中午吃補血，晚上吃破血。想一想，我也聽過，回家上網查，確實有此說。好像有道理！好，現在知道了，再下來就不敢晚上吃紅菜！

大家恭喜!
A happy new year to everybody!!

and I mean everybody!!

新年恭喜

萬事如意

春節貼福字，要正要倒？作家馮驥才攷證，「倒貼福字主要扗兩個地方。一個地方是水缸和垃圾桶上，由于這兩處的東西要從這邊倒出來。為了避免把家裏的福氣倒掉，便巧用『倒』字的諧音『到』，倒貼福字。另一個地方是扗屋內的櫃子上，表示福氣一直來到家裏、屋裏和櫃子裏。至于大門上的福字，一向都是正貼。大門是家庭的出入口，一種莊重和恭敬的地方，所貼的福字，須鄭重不阿、端莊大方，故應正貼。」

My wish is that someday I can learn hwo to sepll.

For crying out loud, don't drop it!

Not all news is bad news. The Chinese government is brokering peace talks between the Burmese government and the Jingpo (Kachin \ 景頗). I trust that once things settle down, the government will make peace with the Karen and others. In the meantime, the government should stop fighting.

Click

這兩天在少輔院舉辦成長營。每次看到這些孩子，我深深感受，他們不是壞種，而是倒楣：絕多數的倒楣，是生長家庭從來沒教過他們怎麼做人。有的院生說，進了少輔院之前，從來不知道有對、錯這種事。一旦捲入漩渦，想要自拔可沒那麼容易。

跟他們溝通、跟他們相處只有兩個字：「付出」：不求回報。我們比較正常家庭出來的人，很難想像他們的生活。舉一例就夠了：一個很有才華的學生從小受家暴，遍體鱗傷，但他有一天居然說，爸爸對他比對哥哥好。怎麼可能！？他說，哥哥小學時，爸爸都把哥哥鍊在狗籠子裏。

所以他們有一道一道的牆，不是那麼輕易地讓你進入他的心。

但是不能放棄。一個院生，一年半來，我每次跟他講話、給他打氣、一直找他就對了，而他頂多淡淡地回我一聲：「嗯」然後轉過頭。這兩天門開了：這次活動，他一再拉著我講話、有說有笑、勾肩搭背。

能為他們付出，是莫大的福氣。但也很累！星期五活動結束，回家只想趕快睡大頭覺。

回家、洗澡、睡！齁~~~~

旺！

齁~~~~

旺！

四點。傳來了狗吠聲。盡量不理它。可是一直吠，不只一個，還有一個太熟悉的聲音：我們家的皮狗Yumin。認出了另一個聲音是Byajing，但他們吠的很不尋常。

我出去叫他們，叫了幾聲，他們不回。這就怪，因為Byajing通常一定衝回來報到。只好拿起手電筒，循聲音去找。他們在竹林裏，叫的很奇怪：不是吠蛇、吠貓、吠野狗。我又叫了幾聲，決定很無奈，要過溪溝入竹林。好想睡。到了一個地方，離他們二十步吧，但再過去很難走，烏漆摸黑，竹林太密，甚麼也看不到。我好想睡。我又叫了幾聲，說我要回家啦！就回家躺了。

回家躺了，他們還吠，我也睡不著。五點多，撒毖也被吵醒。Byajing沒回。我們商量，一定要去看看。撒毖留在溪溝的這邊，我過去看看。還好那塊竹林我很熟，不然即使帶手電筒也馬上迷路。西嶺上有月，但竹林裏全黑。到難走的地方，只能硬著頭皮下去。我離他們大約七、八步時我就停下來了，因為我不知道他們吠甚麼。我再叫他們，他們突然停下來了，不出聲。這時有點緊張，因為我猜可能是山豬，如果是山豬，而山豬惹火了，我在竹林中難躲。我拔刀，等。

一個很重的動物往右邊上坡衝，只看到Yumin白白的尾巴端在追。Byajing回到我身邊。我想，好了，兩位平安，我回家。

走過竹林，才要過溪溝，手電筒沒電，熄了。我嚇了一跳；早一分鐘熄的話，要嘛我爬著回來，要嘛坐下等天亮，因為實在太暗。菩薩保祐。撒毖幫我照，我過了溪溝。

Byajing跟了。皮狗年紀大了，我們快到山門，他也來了。安全起見，我給他上了狗鍊。回到家已經六點了，我就跟Yumin講，不能這樣，要注意安全‧…他已經睡著了….

Punishment doesn't seem to do much good, except to slake our thirst for vengeance. But it doesn't solve a lot of problems.

We just got back from a two day activity at the Reformatory. I believe that these boys are not bad, they just need to be taught, because nobody has ever taught them right from wrong.

You figure out where you would like your tax money to go: to lock up people so they become more hardened criminals, or invest in counseling, teaching, therapy, whatever it takes to make them useful, productive citizens. It is difficult, but it can be done. It should be done.

The boys in the Reformatory are all teenagers, and I have yet to meet one who comes from a normal family. They surround themselves with walls and walls, for protection. You can't ask to see results. But you do. I have made a point of greeting one brooding boy, saying good words to him, trying to talk with him, cheer him up. For a year and a half, he said little more than "Uh" and then turned away. But these two days, a door opened: as soon as they entered the activity area, he rushed over to hug me, joked with me, slapped my back, sat next to me to chat, and smiled all the time.

Volunteering at the Reformatory is wonderful, but it's also exhausting. When we got home, we wanted nothing more than a good night's sleep. We hit the sack and were soon sound asleep. Sound asleep. Sound. Sound. Arf arf. At 4, I was awakened by persistent barking, but I didn't recognize it. It was far enough away to ignore, but another voice chimed in, a suspiciously beagly voice. I dragged myself out of bed to go outside and call, but there was no response. Not good, because Byajing invariably responds.

I finally decided that I had to go look. I got the best flashlight, the one I got after the time that snake fell on my head :: click:: and followed their barking. I reached a streambed that borders a bamboo grove. Very reluctantly, I crossed the dry streambed and entered the pitch black bamboo grove, following the sound. At least it's too cold for snakes to be very lively. Black as a coal mine. It's a good thing I know that grove so well, or I would have been lost in a minute, flashlight or no.

The dogs were not barking at a snake, a cat, or a stray. What is more unusual, Yumin was growling, and he almost never growls. I reached a spot about twenty paces from them across very difficult terrain. I called a few more times, and told them I wanted to go home to bed. I did.

But I couldn't sleep. The barking continued, and at about 5, Sabiy woke up. She was also worried that Byajing was not responding, so we got our flashlights, I strapped on my laraw (headhunting knife), and got a leash and a saw, just for good measure.

I told Sabiy to wait on this side of the streambed, and entered the bamboo grove. I crossed the difficult part, and figured I was about ten paces from them. I called again, and they stopped barking. There was a tense silence. I was concerned that they had a boar, and if it charged, maneuvering would be quite difficult amongst the thick bamboo. I drew my laraw.

After a minute or more, suddenly I heard a large animal crashing uphill off to my right, and saw Yumin's white tail in hot pursuit. Byajing came to my side. Finally! I called Yumin again and headed home.

Just as I reached the side of the streambed, my flashlight died. Grief! If that had happened one minute earlier, I would have had to either crawl back, or sit down and wait for dawn. Crossing the bamboo in pitch dark is out of the question. But Sabiy lit the streambed for me with her flashlight, and we headed home.

Yumin is, after all, getting on in years, so he trotted up behind us, evidently forsaking his foe. I put the leash on him just to make sure, and we came home. When we reached the house, I gave him a little talk: You're getting on in years, you have to pay more attention to safety, it can be dangerous…. Yumin was already fast asleep.

At least somebody got some sleep! 

晉成帝永和四年東，「蜀土先無獠，至是始從山出，自巴西至犍為、梓潼，佈滿山谷十餘萬落。」通鑑疏：「其丈夫稱阿謨阿叚、婦人阿夷阿等之類。」

語言多麼寶貴，但多麼脆弱。當年獠人佈滿山谷十餘萬落，而傳至今代的獠語，僅此幾詞。其餘盡失。

臺灣的南島語言，如達彥(泰雅)、賽夏、鄒等，非常古老，但面臨絕響。需要大眾的關懷、支持、學習、傳播。最重要不過的是，需要鼓勵小孩子說族語。

按：謨，莫胡切，五部；叚，古雅切，段五部(音同各，古落切，五部)；夷，以脂切，十五部；等，多肯切，古一部，寺从止聲，諸市切，一部，陰陽對轉由曾攝入止攝，古或~ng或 ~g韻。故推測「阿謨阿叚」音*amaka，「阿夷阿等」音*angiepadeg.

In 346 AD, the Liao tribe entered what is now Sichuan province. They covered the mountains and valleys with over ten thousand villages. A footnote records that "they called a man *amaka, and a woman *angiepadeg." This is all we know of their language. The rest has been lost.

Language is fragile, and should be treasured. Here in Taiwan, we are in danger of losing ancient languages such as Dayan (Tayal), Saisiyat, Tsou (Cou), and others. They need our support, and they need to be learned and used. Otherwise, they will be lost.

Last year I posted ::click:: about making a traditional saw handle. The piece of wood I had turned out to be flawed, so I tried other wood, and had bad luck. Finally, today, inspiration: rattan! Light, strong, comfortable. Ideal!

三條小朋友味口不差，加上我們住山上，所以通常買狗飼料，買十五公斤裝的，一次買兩三包，免得常常跑寵物店。
通常喜歡在小店買東西，不太喜歡支持聯盟，但因為我十點下課回家，「魚中魚」天天開，開到深夜，貨品又多，所以這兩年多來就在新店魚中魚買狗飼料。很好笑，去年有一次剛好下午有事，安排回家路上去買，就碰到他們全體職員吃尾牙去了，沒開哈哈，怎麼那麼巧？
今天下午有課，晚上沒有，所以安排吃完晚餐就順著回家路上去買狗飼料，到了店，咦？怎麼黑黑的，燈沒開？全體職員吃尾牙去了，沒開哈哈…..

中研院李教授::點::是語言學權威，學了五百個泰雅語字，學了文法，所以他到泰雅部落去教泰雅耆老說泰雅語。當然，泰雅語是他們的母語，可是教授來開導，他們就很有禮貌，上課去了。
教授教一句：爺爺打孫子。好，下一步，變被動：爺爺被孫子打。扗坐耆老惴惴不安，說，這句不成立，因為沒有孫打祖之理。
教授被質疑，很不高興，說文法就是這樣，憑甚麼說他的句子不對？泰雅說，我們的話，沒有這種句子，沒有這種道理。

Professor Lee is a noted linguist, a great scholar. He learned five hundred words of Tayal and some grammar, so of course he went to a Dayan (Tayal) village to teach the tribal elders how to speak their native language. Of course, Dayan is their native language, but since the professor deigned to come instruct them, they politely went to class.

The professor said: "The grandfather hit the grandson. Now, in the passive, this becomes, The grandfather was hit by the grandson."

The tribal elders were quite upset. They said that such a sentence was not possible in Dayan, because a grandson would never hit his grandfather.

Professor Lee was displeased that his sublime authority and profound erudition were questioned. That's the grammar, what right did they have to have doubts about his sentence? The elders said, In our language, this sort of sentence is not possible, because it is unreasonable.

How uppity of these mere natives to question a linguist of international repute!

I really like this clip: :click:: If you're going to be famous and influential, this is the way to do it.

The most potent force in the universe is Murphy's Law. This morning was bright and cloudless. Sabiy went to work at noon, I stayed home and worked outdoors. Around 5, I phoned and asked, "Are you having the car washed?" She said, "Yes, yes! How did you know‽" I said, "It just started to rain."

Many are probably familiar with Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel and Collapse. Now he has published The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? I just started it, but there is probably a lot of food for thought for people who live on the intersection of Chinese and Westernized , or Aborigine, Chinese, and Westernized societies.

here

It's interesting to note that the Christian Right, which is usually so eager to quote scripture at us, has not brought their god along to the discussion about gun control. What Would Jesus Do? their mantra goes. I am not Christian, but I cannot visualize Jesus Christ buying rifles and ammunition.

張潮：幽夢影：
多情者不以生死易心、
好飲者不以寒暑改量、
喜讀者不以忙閒作輟。