一直覺得很奇怪：劉備欲帝天下，卻名子為禪讓之禪，實在奇怪，不知他老人家在想甚麼。
按：扶不起的阿斗，名劉禪。就是向曹魏投降、禪讓失蜀漢、樂不思蜀的那一位。

我正式宣佈放棄學鼻笛的夢。去年，旮亙阿美樂團北上表演，少多宜團長說西方人的鼻子吹不了鼻笛，因為鼻孔位置的關係。我當然不服氣，表演完就很不客氣地借了鼻笛，很用心吹…果然吹不出音來。

團長慈悲，他說幫我訂造適于高鼻的鼻笛。等待已久，他今天終于帶了鼻笛來，結果我吹得出聲音！萬歲！
好了，說實話，吹不太出來，但至少有聲音。但可以感覺到大部分的氣從旁邊流出，聲音很無力…但有聲音！
我企圖把鼻笛左右搖、輪流用左右鼻孔吹，可是鼻笛的聲音蓋不過我喘氣的聲音。
好了，我知難而退了，熱淚盈眶，我正式宣佈放棄學鼻笛的夢。
可是
少多宜團長建議我學弓琴。這我就很有興趣！等我機會到臺東向他討教。

I am announcing that I have formally given up my dream of playing the nose flute.

Last year, the Gageng Amis Troupe performed in Taipei, and the troupe leader Sawtoy mentioned that Western noses don't fit the nose flute. I do not wish to go into the painful details again, so please click >here< for the full, uncensored tragedy.

But Sawtoy said he could make an improved nose flute, so I waited eagerly for months. Finally he came to Taipei again, with his improved nose flute. I put the flute to my nostrils, took a deep breath, and produced melodious music!

Well, okay, let's be honest, I produced a whiny, anemic sound, but at least I was able to coax a sound out of it (other than my own wheezing). This is a great step forward! A victory for Serbian nostrils! Although even I had to admit that most of the air escaped out the sides, rather than flowing into the flute.

Discretion being the better part of valor, I have decided to concede defeat, so with tears in my eyes, I am formally giving up my dream of playing the nose flute.

But!

Sawtoy suggested I take up the bow harp, which sounds like a great idea. So I'm planning to go down to Taitung for a couple of days sometime and learn how to play that. Consolation prize.

今天到少輔院，剛好是拿破崙與俄軍交鋒兩百週年日，所以放了1812給他們聽。我覺得能給他們介紹偉大藝術品，是我的榮幸。

It happened that I was scheduled for the Reformatory today, so I played 1812 for them. One of the privileges of being a volunteer there is the chance to introduce them to great works of art totally beyond the scope of their experience.
Also: here:: and there were no Russian POWs.

Today is the 200th anniversary of the battle of Borodino, Бородинское сражение, Napoleon's pyrrhic victory over the Russians. Described in War and Peace as "a continuous slaughter which could be of no avail either to the French or the Russians," the battle is also the subject of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. Listen to it today, in commemoration of all the brave souls who struggled there, and in the hope that such wars are never fought again.

我很受不了一個謬論：心靜自然凉。鬼呀！本來不怕熱的人才這樣說，但溫度降到二十二度，長袖馬上穿上來，絕不會說：心安自然暖。

我大學修劉正浩老師的左傳；劉老師一再強調，「春秋是民主社會。」扗下不以為然，不只是因為沒有選舉，且是因為整個社會風氣、人民恖攷模式、生活習慣，都不合現代所謂的民主。也罷，期末攷申論題：試論，春秋是否民主社會？扗下不求好死，寫了一長篇反駁，說春秋壓根兒不是民主社會；引經據典，從三傳、禮記、論語、墨子到洛克、Payne、Jefferson，說明春秋是民本社會，但絕非民主社會。寫完還得意，這篇很有說服力吧！

過幾天在校園遇到導師，他一看到我便問，「陶維極，你攷左傳是怎麼攷的？劉老師給我看你的攷卷，上面用黑筆寫四個大字：滿口胡言。」

我回老師，「老師，我本來就是洋鬼子，開口閉口當然都是胡言。」

心想，春秋是否民主社會，未成定論，可是有些老師顯然不支持言論自由的民主。

Apparently we are learning now what a hero we had in Neil Armstrong.

click

Come on, a laugh will do you good. ho ho click

今年「陰魂不散獎」，非天枰颱風莫屬。好了，可以走了吧！

Typhoon Tembin just won't go away. It's been nine days already. Enough!

晉永嘉年間，前趙高祖崩，太子劉和繼位，卻為其弟劉聰所弒，聰自立為昭武皇帝。
劉和曾派軍殺其弟北海王劉乂，由大將田密率軍，田密斬關投劉聰。
總而言之，覺得大將名「田密」不怎麼威武。
「報告長官，田密來了！」「不要那麼肉麻，好不好？」

RIP to Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon.

I was a teenager at the time the Eagle landed. My mother was drafting for Geology at Caltech. We never had a television, so we watched Armstrong's first steps in Geology's Moon Lab, with the scientists who were scheduled to get the moon rocks. That was an experience to remember, although I didn't understand most of their arcane discussion about the rocks they were seeing in fuzzy black and white.

click

See if you can read this without shaking your head or smiling.  click

近幾年商人很喜歡炒七夕為「中國情人節」，目的不外乎撈君口袋裏的鈔票。但七夕本來是情人節嗎？請參攷：here

Somehow, I am not in the least surprised to discover the breed of the culprit:::

>>The dog ate the money<<

白塔、白塔寺，我們外地人怎麼知道不同？我本想到元朝的白塔寺，看到地圖上有白塔，扗北海公園，就去了。後來才知道，白塔寺扗附近，但不一樣。

地圖上，從天安門西站過去就到了。下了地鐵….上了地鐵？地鐵扗地下，我到站離開車子往上走，我到底是下了地鐵或上了地鐵？真難搞。

好，再來。我到了天安門西站，從地鐵站走出，確認方向，放開步伐向北海公園走。走。走。路兩邊有樹，有圍牆，右邊大概是紫禁城，左邊是中南海吧？走。走。走。走了十幾分鐘，那條路彷彿無止境，我看到路名：南長街。不妙。再走走走，南長街變北長街，但還是看起來無止境。我太習慣嬌小的臺北市。走了半個小時才看到北海公園、看到白塔，美！

岸邊有船，一個小女孩賣力搖呀搖槳，船呢，如如不動。湖上石橋，橋下蓮花開。走過橋，登坡上白塔。過幾處寺院，樹上求願紅牌累累、喜氣洋洋，宣佈老毛已做古、極左歸正、共產只留下空殼。

走上白塔，俯視煤山、紫禁城。視線模糊，剛好，僅覽臨處古殿，不見遠方新樓，宛如身回明清。

降山半，到一亭台，拿出虜布(泰雅口簧琴)，俯瞰皇宮，彈了一曲。臺灣高山古樸美樂，難得到北京，尤其在紫禁城、天安門、人民大會堂頭上。嘻！

I wanted to visit the White Stupa, which dates back to the Mongol dynasty of Kublai Khan. It wasn't until later that I found out there are two White Stupas, and the one I spotted on the map was the newer one, which dates back to only 1651.

The new one is in the Beihai (North Sea) Park, near the Palace. On the map, it looked just down the street from the subway station, so I took the subway to the Tiananmen stop, got out, and started walking. After fifteen minutes, the end was nowhere in sight. Noticing that the name of the stret was South Long Street, I realized I was in for a stroll. I soon reached North Long Street, and after a half hour walk, finally spotted the White Stupa.

In the park is a sizeable lake, crossed by a bridge, which takes you to the foot of the hill. You climb the hill to reach the White Stupa. Don't bother to go if you don't like climbing steps, there are a lot.

It was a hazy day when I reached the top, which was just fine, because I could see the Palace and nearby complexes, but not much further. Poor visibility hid modern Beijing.

Coming down, I stopped at a pavilion and played the lubu (Tayal jaw harp), bringing Taiwan's high mountain music to a height above the emperors' palace, Tiananmen Square, and the Great Hall of the People.

 

楊三哥送我五棵樟樹苗、五棵杏樹苗。樟樹可以活千年、銀杏則千年以上；這是一份意義非凡的禮物。本來想好地方要將一棵樟種扗土裏，但今天打雷、下雨，所以暫且全種花盆。等大了再迻蒔山土。

Yang 3 gave me five camphor saplings and five ginkgo saplings. A camphor can grow over a thousand years, and a ginkgo even longer, so this is a mighty gift.

They are small. I was going to plant one out in the jungle this afternoon, but there was lightning and rain, so I planted them all in pots. When they are larger, and less likely to be trampled by wild dogs (we're not naming anybody in particular, so don't worry, Yumin and Byajing), I will plant them out on the mountain.

Did everybody forget to celebrate Napoleon's birthday yesterday?

七月廿一日下午，臺北車站上出現了龍頭。

A dragon head appeared over Taipei  Station, July 21.

Early on the morning of August 12.

Early on the morning of August 14.

and if you even start to talk about "end times" or Revelations,

you are invited to leave this blog.

This makes sense: to improve your memory, walk around. The human being evolved walking, not sitting at a desk.

Click: your desk is making you dumb.

今天最美的句子：「我常常忘記馬鈴薯的存扗。」
Today's most beautiful statement: "I often forget about the existence of potatoes."