Life Scribble

万圣节快乐! wàn shèng jié kuài lè! Happy Halloween!

哈！哈！哈！魔鬼張牙舞爪、縱天長笑。這是Zumba 老師教我們因應萬聖節的鬼舞。西方人放得開，總喜歡拿節日開些玩笑，我們這些健身的學員，也穿起应景的橘、黑色衣服，樂得彼此嘻弄起來。
"Hah! Hah! Hah!" The devil opened his big claws and gazed at the sky with vicious laugh! This is the ghost dance taught by our Zumba instructor before Halloween. In west, people are more open-minded. They like to joke around even on those ghost-related festivals! As the health club members, we enjoyed the moments of dressing up the Halloween colors- orange and black, and playing evils for scaring each other.

Happy Halloween!

緬因州Acadiac 國家公園 Trip to Acadiac National Park, Maine

十月到北邊的緬因州Acadiac 國家公園欣賞自然風光。這個得天獨厚不算大的國家公園，得盡上天的垂愛，集結海洋、海灣、湖泊、瀑布、山丘、森林、步道..等，吸引許多慕名而來的觀光客和大自然的愛好者。到Cadillac Mt. 看新英格蘭第一道晨曦，在Sand Beach 踏在貝殼打碎成沙的沙灘，Thunder Hole 聽大漲潮時打在雷洞的巨響和看滔天的巨浪，在退潮時，露出的淺灘可以涉足通過Bar Island 和對岸的島，Jordan Lake 美不勝收的環湖步道，Otter Cliffs 令人驚嘆的岩岸和海景.....還有看不完來不及細數的風景，和吃不完的多汁鮮甜的緬因州特產-龍蝦，雖然還差2-3個星期，楓樹還來不及轉紅，不過這大自然的美景，已讓人陶醉。這是一個值得一去再去的地方，或许留著下次搭Princess 郵輪再到東北角旅遊。

I traveled up north to the Acadiac National Park of Maine in October for enjoying its natural sceneries. This unique but small national park is a place where you can enjoy the sea, the bay, the lake, the waterfall, the hills, the forest, the trails... It attracts many tourists and nature lovers. To the peak of the Cadillac Mt., where you watch the first dawn of New England; to Sand Beach, where you step feet on the sand smashed from the shells; and to Thunder Hole, where you listen to big thunders pondering on the shore and watch the splendid waves up in the sky during the high tide. You can walk through the shallow path appeared in low tide from Bar Island to the opposite side of island. You can also enjoy the breathtaking trails around the Jordan Lake, and be stunned by the marvelous seashore and spectacular views at Otter Cliffs . .... There are so many spectacular views built in nature. There are also endless juicy & local gourmet lobsters you can taste with great appetite. Although the foliage color would not turn peak until three weeks later, I was already in love with this great nature. This is a great place worth to be visited again and again! Perhaps I will try the Princess Cruise at my next trip to this northeast corner of the States.

手工皂 (shǒu gōng zào) Hand-Made Soap

製作手工皂 (shǒu gōngzào, hand-made Soaps) 皂很有趣 (yǒu qù, interesting)、也很好玩 (hǎo wán, very fun)。不僅可以當家中的擺飾 (bǎi shì, decoration)，添加的香精(xiāng jīng, essential oils) 和顏色 (yán sè, colors) 也可以增添氛圍 (fēn wéi, sentiment & feeling)，真是自用 (zì yòng, self-use)、送禮 (sòng lǐ, give presents)兩相宜！這批手工皂有兩個常用的中國字。一個是是“福”(fú, blessing)，另一是“喜” (xǐ, happiness)。希望這兩個字伴隨大家歲歲年年 (suì suì nián nián, everyday)。
Soap making is very interesting , and very fun. Soaps not only can be as the house decoration, but the added essential oils and colors increase the sentiment and feeling. They are great for the self-use and can be great presents too! Two common Chinese characters can be found from these soaps. One is "fú" (Blessing), and the other is "xǐ‘ (Happiness). May these two words accompany you day after day, and bring you the best luck in the years to come.

世界平安 (shì jiè píng ān) World Peace

最近世界似乎不太平安(píng ān, Safety)，当法国在七月十四日欢度国庆，庆祝象征自由(zì yóu, Freedom) 、平等 (píng děng, Equality)、博爱(bó ài, Fraternity) 之巴士底狱胜利之时，充满欢乐的尼斯顿时遭受无情的恐怖攻击(kǒng bù gōng jī, Terror Attack)。这是继土耳其伊斯坦堡、比利时布鲁塞尔和法国巴黎之后，令人心痛、沮丧、不安的大型恐怖攻击。信手拈来，写上［世界平安］四个字，祈求大家心中有爱(ài, Love)，减少仇恨(hèn, Hate), 拥有世界和平(shì jiè hé píng, World Peace)。

Recently the world seemed not in peace! When France celebrated on July 14 the National day, the joyful Nice suddenly suffered relentless terror attacks. The terrible incident destroyed 'freedom', 'equality' and 'fraternity', long established from the Victory at Bastille. This was the large-scale terror attacks, followed after the attacks from Istanbul in Turkey, Brussels in Belgium and Paris in France. We were saddened and depressed by this heart-broken attack. I could not help writing "shì jiè píng ān, World Peace" in Chinese Calligraphy, and pray there is endless love dwelt in everybody's heart. May there is less hatred and more world peace!

牛肉麵 (niú ròu miàn) Beef Noodle Soup

台湾有名的美食之一是牛肉面，每年一年一度的牛肉面节总吸引不少饕客前来品尝。今天我也来示范如何做卤汁牛肉面，你也可以试试。
Beef Noodle Soup is one of the famous gourmet food in Taiwan. The annual Beef Noodle Festival always attracts many food lovers. Today, I am going to demonstrate how to make a home-made braised beef noodle soup. You can try it too!

好吃的麻糬 (má shǔ) Tasty Mochi

我的学生锺肯，三不五时总跑来告诉我，她好想吃麻薯。所以我把材料、做法列出来，锺肯下次妳可以自己做了:D
材料只要准备两杯糯米粉 (nuò mǐ fěn, rice flour)、一瓶椰奶 (yē nǎi, coconut milk)、一杯椰子丝 (yē zi sī, coconut flakes)、一包现成的红豆沙 (hóng dòu shā, red bean paste) 和半杯糖 (táng, sugar) 即可，先将糯米粉、椰奶和糖搅拌均匀后，放入蒸锅蒸二十分钟，冷却半小时后分成十六等份，再将事先分成十六等份的红豆沙，分别包入糯米皮，最后滚椰子丝即可。瞧，好吃的麻糬就在眼前了！
My student (Zhong, Ken) talked to me once in a while that she missed eating Mochi a lot. Here I am going to list the recipe of the Home-Made Mochis. Zhong, Ken! You can make it next time:) The ingredients are two cups of rice flour, one can of coconut milk, one cup of coconut flakes, one pack of already-made red bean paste and half cup of sugar. The first process is to well stir the rice flour, coconut milk and sugar before putting them into a steam pot for 20 minutes. Then cool down the sticky rice for half-an hour and separate it into 16 balls. Put each of 16 evenly chunked red bean paste balls into the sticky rice skin, then roll it onto the coconut milk flakes. Voila, these are the delicious Mochis!

台北的「摸乳巷」-- The Very-Narrow-Lane in Taipei

靠近台北年輕族群愛逛的西門町，有一條號稱台北的「摸乳巷」－亦即非常狹窄的巷弄，是位於衡陽路84巷，此巷弄全長約二十多公尺，巷寬大約90-100公分。除了稱「摸乳巷」，也有「君子巷」和「護胸巷」的雅號。可以想像當男女二人相對錯身之時，在男女授受不親的年代，彼此的矜持和尷尬可想而知。

Close to the youngsters' favorite shopping district in Taipei Ximending of Taiwan, there is a known very-Narrow Lane, called "the body contact lane". It is located on Lane 84 of Hengyang Road. This Lane is about twenty meters long and 90 to 100 centimeters wide. It also got the nickname as the "gentleman lane ". You can imagine how embarrassed the condition is at a very conservative era when a woman facing a man crossing from the opposite direction. It also tested how a gentleman should behave when encountering a woman at such a narrow alley.

一個美麗、勇敢兼具的女孩！A Brave & Beautiful Girl!

當我看到這支影片，我感動得哭了。這個來自陝西24歲,名叫楊佩的女孩，因一次意外失去了雙臂。不過她卻有驚人的刺繡技巧，不是依靠他的雙手，而是她的雙腳。雖然命運帶給她不幸，她卻變成一個堅強，獨立，陽光和樂觀的女孩。

　　夢想要開一家刺繡店的楊佩，在中國夢想秀的這個節目實現了她的夢想。獲得許多企業的贊助，是因為她殘而不廢，樂觀進取的精神，和展現異於常人的刺繡技巧。
　
　　我想她的父母一定以她為榮，因她的努力而自豪。不過也因為他們的愛，讓楊佩從一個悲劇的角色轉換成為燦爛和聰穎的女英雄。爲這個可敬的女孩喝采。

I was very touched and cried when I watched this video. This girl, named Yang, Pei lost her two arms from an accident. However, she developed a marvelous skill on embroidery not with her hands , but with her feet. Even her destiny had brought her misfortune, she built up strong, dependent, smiling and optimistic characteristics. Her dream of opening an embroidery store is realized via this China Dream Show. I think her parents must be very proud of their daughter. Because of their love, Pei could transform herself from a tragic role to a bright and talented heroine. Bravo again for this respectable girl!

暑假南京行/Nanjing Trip

学而知中文，学而后知不足; 学而无涯

在中国南京大学海外教育学院接受暑期中文师资训练。从南京历史、中国概况、语言测量、语言要素、古代文学、教学法、跨文化交际到水墨画...等，让我浸染在中文浩瀚的环境之中。学海无涯，学而后知不足。中国文化之博大精深，有五千年之历史文化作为奠基。有幸踩在中国的土地，与一群热爱中文的老师们互相学习、切磋，深感荣幸。

南京历史--Nanjing History

南京，六朝古都。中国南方政治、经济、文化和科教重镇。现是江苏省省会（图示）。Nanjing is recognized as one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China in addition to the Capital of Wu and Republic of China. It is the political, economical,cultural and educational center of Southern China. The map shows it is currently the capital of Jiangsu province of China.

夫子庙商店行人徒步区/Pedestrian Shopping area at Confucius Temple

大排档餐厅/Dapaidang Restaurant

秦淮区志愿站/The Volunteer Stop at Qinhuai Area

朝天宫江宁学府/Nanjing School Dept. in Chaotian Palace

晚上跳广场舞/Plaza Dance at Night

肚皮舞/Belly Dance

早晨打太极拳/Morning Taichi

南京地铁/Nanjing Subway

南京夫子庙/Nanjing Confucius Temple

藏经阁/The Depositary of Buddhist Texts

秦淮河/Qinhuai River

昆曲牡丹亭/Kunqu Opera-The Peony Pavilion

明城墙/Ming Dynasty Wall

玄武门/Xuanwu Gate

玄武湖畔大楼/City skyline from Xuanwu Lake

南京大学正门口/Front entrance of Nanjing U.

珍重再见！What a great semester！

当学生也成为你的朋友时，总是很难“说再见”，尤其是对那些毕业在即、或不会再修你课的学生。我们有许多值得记忆的片断。有趣的时光到最后总是惹来我纵声大笑。你们具挑战性的问题，总引我深思，迫使我更加成长茁壮。
谢谢你们，我CN 101和 102的学生。我感谢你们带给我在QU有这么好的开始。“天下无不散的宴席”，我会珍惜我们在一起的时光，也会衷心感谢你们给我诸多建设性的建议。

When your students become your friends, it is always hard to say good-bye, especially for those who will be graduated soon or not going to be in your class. There were many memorable clips in these classes. Our fun time together always ended up my great laughter. Your challenging question triggered I think deeply and forced me to grow stronger.
Thanks, my CN 101 and 102 students! I appreciate you had brought me such a wonderful start at QU. Party always has an end time. I will cherish the moment we had，and always remember the constructive suggestions you had given to me.

QU CN 101

QU CN102

由S.H.E.－中国话，漫谈华语教学演变(2012.06.21)

2007年台湾少女天团－S.H.E.发行中国话MV专辑，迄今已有五年之久。这五年之中，S.H.E.已由少女天团蜕变为熟女天团。先是Selina在2010年10月22日在拍摄电视剧时发生爆破事件遭到火吻烧身意外，导致S.H.E.合体的演艺事业遭到停顿。Selina也在2011年10月31日与从事律师的阿中结婚。Ella一向走中性帅气风格，不断朝演戏方面发展，像哥儿个性的她，也因结识马来西亚男友赖先生，而益增添女人风味。今年5月5日Ella也甜蜜步入礼堂。反观Hebe以田馥甄的名字单飞，分别在2010年及2011年的9月发行[To Hebe] 和[My Love]专辑，前者获得台弯第22届四项金曲大奖入围，后者则获得第23届七项金曲大奖入围，成就非凡卓著。
S.H.E.这五年当中改变甚大，至于这段时间，华语教学在世界上又是如何演变的呢？可由底下一些统计数字略见端倪。
★教育部对外华语教学能力认证考试，从2006年开办迄今，已六年有余，今年七月将迈入第七次的考试。每年大概有2000人左右参加考试。现年通过率略低于三成。
★2010年8月4日外籍人士华语能力测验Test Of Proficiency-Huayu (TOP) 改为Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL)。在2011年年末的的统计从开办至今计有14739人报考。

★教育部统计99学年度来台留学生人数突破2万人，其中1万2555人为了学语言而来，与2003年比较成长约2倍。
★2011年10月台湾书院在美国纽约、洛杉矶及休斯敦开办，至今年4月已经开设61国、189个台湾书院的联络点。
★中国于1980年代末设立专责机构承办汉语教学业务，至2010年底，全球已有近700所孔子学院及孔子课堂。27%的美国大学有中文科系教授中文，英国的中学开设汉语课也从150所增加至500所。
★2007 年美国将

朋友赠打油诗乙首 (2012.06.03) / Name Doggerel Written By Friend, Lihong

朋友－浰红前日送我一首我名字的打油诗，为不辜负她的好意，决定在这边跟大家分享一下。想必大家读了，也定知晓我的中文名字了！

林儒菁莪桃李满
丽质天生温文雅
雪咏芝慧数位强

    浰红的描述，实在令我羞得无地自容。桃李满、丽质天生、数位强......我想浰红是期许我的来世是如此吧！亦或揣测我的前世？不管如何，今生透过千古文学的隽永，穿越古今，与大家一齐学习中文的奥妙。学而知中文，祈愿教学相长。

Cher 书于壬辰年6月3日