May - June 2016
1. 台灣各地的地名由來 (台東縣) The Origin of Every Place Name in Taiwan (Taitung County) (May 2016)
OF COURSE there are more than four place names in Taitung County, but there are only five in my book. The first of these five place names, Liyu (Carp) Mountain, was discussed in another entry. What you see below are the remaining four. 當然臺東縣的地名不只五個, 可是我這本書裡面只寫了五個地名故事. 第一個地名故事就是鯉魚山, 那個故事我在另外的文章討論過. 接下來你看到的是其他的四個故事.
The Chinese text below was taken from "Taiwan Place Name Stories" 台灣地名故事, published by Windmill 風車圖書出版有限公司 in 2012. The Chinese text was written by Jang Ching-shr 張青史, and the English was written by me. 下面的中文文章是出自台灣地名故事這本書. 這本書是風車圖書出版有限公司2012年的作品. 中文的部分是張青史寫的. 英文的部分是我從中文翻譯的.
朝貓離 (太麻里) Jao Mao Li (Tai Ma Li)
此地是太麻里溪出口沖積成的肥沃三角洲平原, "朝貓離" 本是原住民語, 意指太陽照耀肥沃的地方. "太麻里" 就是 "朝貓離" 的譯音. In this place the Tai Ma Li River flows out onto an alluvial plain. [This plain is known as] Jao Mao Li, which in an aboriginal language means "the land made fertile by the sun." "Tai Ma Li" is derived from "Jao Mao Li."
鹿野 Luye
日劇時期, 日本來臺移民在此開墾, 種植甘蔗, 由於附近有原住民的 "鹿瞭社," 又多 "野" 生景觀, 所以稱為 "鹿野." During the Japanese occupation, Japanese immigrants settled in this area and began planting sugar cane. Because there was an aboriginal community called "Lu Liao She" nearby, and because of the "wild" (野 or "ye") character of the landscape, this place came to be called "Luye."
紅頭嶼 (蘭嶼) Red Head Island (Orchid Island)
本島形狀類似一艘紅頭船隻浮於水上; 也有人說島上山頭夕陽照射時, 遠遠望去, 呈現紅色, 因此得名. 後來, 因為島上盛產蘭花, 改名為 "蘭嶼." This island is shaped like a red-colored (or "headed") vessel, afloat upon the water. It is also said that when the sun strikes the hills of Orchid Island it appears red from afar. For this reason it came to be called "Red Head Island." Afterward it was named Orchid Island because of the orchids that grow there.*
加走灣 (長濱) Jia Dzou Wan (Chang Bin)
從前, 清軍討伐阿美族時, 族人在此設瞭望台監視清軍的活動. 阿美族語的 "加走灣" 就是暸望台的意思. 後來因本鄉瀕臨太平洋, 而且地勢狹長, 於是在民國12年改名為 "長濱鄉." In the past, the Ching armies troubled the Amis tribe, and the members of the tribe set up an observation post in this area, to monitor the Ching army's activities. In the Amis language "Jia Dzou Wan" refers to a lookout point. Later, because of its nearness to the Pacific Ocean and its long, narrow terrain, it was renamed "Chang Bin Township" in 1923.**
More place name stories? Find out why Green Island is also called "The Burning Island" here. There's also a little bit about where Yingge gets its name here. There are no end of place name stories, and what you see here are just a few! 其他的地名故事? 你可以參考為什麼綠島叫火燒島. 這裡還有關於鶯歌地名故事. 除了這些, 還有很多其他的地名故事, 你在這個部落格看到的只是其中一部分!
2. Nonsense That Fills My Head on a Wednesday (May 2016)
I. Items, Ideas, Thoughts That I was Actually Preoccupied with This Week (At Least Some of the Time)
A. I thought Captain America: Civil War was just okay. It was really, really long and it felt really, really long. I think the movie would have worked better if the big airport fight and the last fight in Siberia had been combined. As it was, the airport fight felt like the end of the movie, and the last fight was a letdown by comparison.
B. I'm taking a mini-break from reading books, and I've transitioned into comic books for the time being. A lot of the Marvel and DC stuff is crap (no big surprise there), but the big companies do have a few interesting titles. There are some good independent comics as well. "Monstress" and "Saga" are two of my favorites.
C. X-Men: Apocalypse will be coming out next week. Not all that excited about the movie, but hey it's something to do. Actress Olivia Munn recently stated that she chose playing Psylocke over playing Deadpool's love interest because there was more "character development" in store for Psylocke. Never mind the fact that Deadpool's girlfriend had ten times more screen time than Psylocke will ever have in any X-Men movie. Also never mind that Psylocke spends her days fighting bad guys in a bikini.
D. I've given up on the idea of wearing pants to work. I was giving it the old college try, but then I realized that I'm not in college anymore. It's fu*&ing hot right now, and pants would be unbearable.
E. Going to spend some of this weekend seeing all the Tom Cruise movies I haven't seen before. I'll be starting from 1981's Endless Love, and working my way up to 2012's Rock of Ages. I think there are about five movies in his filmography that I haven't seen, and only one of them is likely to be any good. Of course I've already seen the really famous ones, so I'll be working my way through his least popular films.
F. I'll probably go out drinking with some guys tomorrow. Or if I publish this later than tomorrow, I've probably gone out drinking with some guys last Friday. I feel like I haven't been to a bar in ages, and it would be nice to catch up with some people.
G. I often think that people are just mammals pretending not to be mammals. We like to pretend we're more complicated than we are.
H. Since last week I've been wanting that Yona Yona Ale they sell at 7-11. It's pretty close to an IPA, though the flavor isn't as well rounded as I would like. It's also not cheap. Maybe I'll go drink some more of it tomorrow. Or, if I publish this later than tomorrow, maybe I will have gone to drink some more of it last Friday.
I. Triathlons this Saturday and Sunday. I'm going to the Olympic distance on Sunday. On my way home I'll probably swing by the Royal Queena Hotel and ask about my accessories, since nothing's come in the mail yet. I should also stop by the Taitung County Government building. I was told that I actually did get the job, and there are papers for me to sign.
J. I was recently very close to condemning someone as socially awkward... until I realized that by doing so I was being just as socially awkward as he is. None of us are that well-adjusted after all. Some are just better at ignoring the awkward moments, or failing to see that they exist. I suppose this is just another way of saying that some people are more empathic than others.
K. "A" is thinking about moving to the States with his son for a year. It would be weird not to have him around. I get why he wants to do it, but it would be weird.
II. Items, Ideas, Thoughts That I was Not Actually Preoccupied with This Week
A. The upcoming release of any major film not superhero-related. Although I do want to see two other films: Miles Ahead and High-Rise. Those two films, however, probably won't be released in Taiwan.
B. Any upcoming apocalyptic/cataclysmic/catastrophic comic book crossover events. I got my fill with Marvel's Secret Wars and the earlier Ultimatum, both of which I read last week.
C. Whatever the X-Men film after Apocalypse is going to be. Deadpool aside, I think that movie franchise is running out of ideas.
D. Wearing pants to work.
E. The idea of a Rock of Ages sequel. I've also had my fill of bad 80s hair metal songs. Poison, Bon Jovi, and who knows what else. That movie had every song I despised during that decade. Made me want to break out the old Black Sabbath albums.
F. Hanging out with certain people. Some personalities conflict, and I have come to realize that I just shouldn't be around certain people.
G. Whether people are more like reptiles than mammals. That really doesn't make any sense. Reptiles, man? People aren't born inside of eggs!
H. Whether Budweiser was better left as "Budweiser" or whether it's new name, "America" is/was a good idea. Of course it's a good idea. Just look at their target demographic. That s&%t is genius!
I. Going to any more triathlons in the near future. I'm done man. I'm really done. I'd like to ride my bike to Hualien City though.
J. Whether or not I'm going to be reassigned to another school next year. I know I'm not. They want me where I am, and I suppose that's a good thing.
K. Existentialism. I tried in college, but honestly. Can you prove to me that existentialism exists?
III. Items, Ideas, Thoughts That I Might Actually be Preoccupied with Next Week (At Least Some of the Time)
A. Money.
B. The respect of my peers.
C. Sex.
D. Death.
E. Pizza.
F. Work.
G. The future.
H. Travel.
I. Bicycling.
J. Drinks.
K. Movies.
3. A List of Crazy Things You Could Do This Weekend 十項你這周末可以做的瘋狂事 (May 2016)
This weekend, you can 這周末你可以:
1. Walk barefoot up a mountain, far from any road or trail. 打赤腳爬山. 不走馬路或是步道.
2. Go up to some Mainland Chinese tourists and start a conversation about Tibet, Xinjiang, and Taiwanese independence. 接近一些大陸客, 跟他們討論西藏, 新疆, 和台灣的自由.
3. Surf to Green Island. 駕衝浪板去綠島.
4. Buy a realistic toy rifle and run towards the entrance of the nearest military installation. 買支仿真的玩具槍並衝進最近的軍事基地.
5. Bring your scooter to the shadiest scooter shop you can find, tell them "Money is no object," and leave your scooter there. 把你的摩托車騎去最爛的機車行, 跟他們說 "錢不是問題" 然後把摩托車留在那裡.
6. Ask a police officer where the ketamine store is. 問警察先生賣K他命的店在哪裡.
7. Go to a hospital and get all the free X-rays you can. 去醫院欣賞很多免費的X光片.
8. Go to the Taipei or Kaohsiung zoos, and attempt to take the Formosan black bear out for a walk. 去台北還是高雄的動物園, 把那邊的台灣黑熊遛一遛.
9. Start mixing Tunnel 88 in with your morning coffee. Have three or four coffees. 把米酒跟你早晨的咖啡混在一起, 並喝個三, 四杯.
10. Go to the most expensive KTV you can find. Order the most expensive drinks. Order the most expensive food. Order the most expensive everything. But leave your money at home. 去最貴的KTV點最貴的酒, 點最貴的小吃, 只要是最貴的都要點. 但是把錢留在你家.
4. Me, Twenty Years Ago 二十年前的我 (May 2016)
What was I doing in 1996? Where was I? What restaurants did I like? What bands was I listening to? What kind of car was I driving? Who was I dating? 我1996年的時候在做什麼? 我在哪裡? 我喜歡在什麼餐廳吃飯? 我聽哪些樂團? 我開什麼車? 我在和誰交往?
Twenty years is a long time, but in many ways it seems like yesterday. If I think hard, I can remember most of the important details from that time, but some of the smaller ones elude me. There are, after all, so many years, months, and days between now and then. 二十年真是很長的時間, 可是卻彷彿昨天才發生的事. 我努力回想, 還記得那時候許多重要的事, 只是一些無關緊要的事就沒辦法想起來了. 畢竟是經過多年, 期間包含了許多個月和那麼多的天.
In 1996 I was 21. I was three years out of high school, and fully independent of my parents. I visited them often for the purposes of doing laundry and catching up, but otherwise I was pretty much my own person. 我1996年的時候是二十一歲. 結束了三年的高中生涯, 我已經完全可以自立了. 所以我回家通常是回去爸媽家洗衣服或是和他們聊天, 那時我已經完全靠自己生活了.
1996 was also three years before I moved to Taiwan. At that time I had never been abroad, unless you count Canada. I was a college student, I was in the midst of a series of part-time jobs, and I had received my first credit card. 1996年也是我搬到台灣的前三年, 我那時候除了加拿大之外, 沒有去過任何其他的國家. 當時我是個大學生, 也忙著好幾個兼職工作. 我那一年我申請到第一張信用卡.
I must have been living in Kirkland. Kirkland is one of Seattle's many suburbs, though it's not technically part of the city. It's across the lake from downtown Seattle, and there are many nice parks in that area. I remember renting a room in the basement of a house at that time, and sharing this basement with two other guys whose names I can't remember. One of these guys was cool, but the other one was crazy. 我那時候應該是住在柯克蘭. 柯克蘭是靠近西雅圖的社區, 可是它不算在西雅圖市裡. 西雅圖市東邊有座華盛頓湖, 柯克蘭就在湖的另外一邊. 那個社區裡有很多漂亮的公園. 我在那裏租了一個地下室的房間, 和另外兩個室友共用客廳
If I was living in Kirkland, I must have also been a student at Bellevue Community College (BCC). Bellevue Community College is in the city of Bellevue, about a half hour south of Kirkland. I was completing my transfer degree at BCC, and a year later I would attend the University of Washington. 我如果住在柯克蘭的話, 那時候應該也在貝爾維社區大學讀書. 貝爾維社區大學位於柯克蘭南邊的貝爾維市裡面. 我在那裡完成轉學學位, 一年後轉到華盛頓大學.
And if I was living in Kirkland and going to school at BCC, I must have been working at UPS. Back then I was a "loader" at their Redmond plant, which means I was loading boxes into trailers. It was an exhausting job, but it paid well. I also had a job as an office temp on the weekends, and that paid even better. 那時我住柯克蘭, 也在BCC讀書, 我同時一定是在UPS工作. 我在那裡的工作是loader. 工作內容是把包裹裝進去拖車裡. 那種工作很累, 可是薪水不錯. 周末的時候我也在很多公司當臨時工. 那種工作的薪水甚至更高.
I had a girlfriend at the time, a Japanese woman who was much older than me. If I was 21 then, she would have been about 30. I would break up with her that same year, and I wouldn't see her again until much later. I remember a lot of arguments we had, and a few good conversations. I also remember her cheating on me. Not a good memory. 我那時候有女朋友. 她是日本人, 我們年紀差很多. 我那時候二十一歲, 她應該是三十歲. 我們也在那一年分手, 很久之後見了她一次. 我記得我們我們經常吵架, 有時候聊得很愉快. 我也記得她劈腿別人. 這是個不好的回憶.
I ate a lot of teriyaki back then. There was also a Wendy's on my way to UPS, so I ended up there a lot, too. I drank gallons of Mountain Dew. Most of my friends were coworkers at UPS, with a sprinkling of other friends from other places. 我那時候常吃韓式鐵板燒. 我上班的路上有一家Wendy's美式餐廳, 所以我常在那裡吃飯. 我也喝了大量的Mountain Dew汽水. 我當時的朋友大部分是我UPS的同事. 也有些在其他地方認識的朋友.
My clearest memory of BCC is watching people play Street Fighter vs. X-men, an arcade game which was HUGE then. I also have a strong memory of this Indian girl I was chasing after. She never turned out to be girlfriend material, but I did get pretty good at Street Fighter. 我對BCC最深刻的回憶就是看同學玩快打旋風對X戰警. 那個電動玩具當時很受歡迎. 我也記得我那時追的一位印度女同學. 我沒有追到她, 可是我的快打旋風技術進步很多.
I was listening to a weird mix of music that time. I had a pile of cassette tapes in my Jeep Comanche, and in the course of a week I'd cycle through Buju Banton, Captain Beefheart, Arthur Brown, and various thrash metal bands. I miss that truck sometimes. It was very comfortable. 我那時候聽很多不同種類的音樂. 我的卡車裡有許多錄音帶, 所以一個禮拜內我會聽到Buju Banton, Captain Beefheart, Arthur Brown和多種的重金屬樂團. 我有時候會想念那輛卡車. 坐在裡面很舒服.
I don't recall worrying much about the future then. I think I was more concerned with girls and having a good time. I briefly considered studying abroad, but I never filed the paperwork. I did well in my classes, but not because of any particular goal. I hoped that I would eventually find a job that would require me to use my brain, but I had no conception of what that job might be. 我那時候對我的未來沒有想太多. 我比較關心的是女人或是讓自己開心. 我有一陣子想去國外留學, 可是我都沒有申請. 我當時沒有什麼特定的目標, 但我的學校成績不錯. 我希望未來可以找到需要動腦的工作, 可是我還不知道那會是個什麼樣的工作.
It's funny to think about all of that now. Twenty years later, and in some ways I'm not so different. I still listen to Arthur Brown, I still eat teriyaki when I'm back in the States, and I still like to have a good time (of course). But it's been a while since I drove a truck, or studied in a university, or played Street Fighter Vs. Anyone. I suppose I might do one or all of these things again in the future, but it seems unlikely now. 現在回想當時蠻好玩的. 現在的我跟二十年前的我沒有那麼不同. 我還在聽Arthur Brown, 還是喜歡吃美國的韓式鐵板燒, 當然還是會尋找樂子. 可是我很久沒開卡車了, 離開學校生活也很久了, 更沒有玩快打旋風. 可能我以後還是會做這些事情, 只是可能性不大.
Twenty years. How can it be so long ago, when it feels like it happened yesterday? 二十年的時間. 怎麼會這麼久了? 可是那時候的事都好像昨天才發生的!
5. Convenient Storage 最方便的回憶 (May 2016)
How many 7-11s are there in Taitung? How many Family Marts? How many other convenience stores? 台東有幾家7-11? 幾家全家? 幾家其他的便利商店?
I don't know. 我不知道.
But I can tell you that in many of these stores lie memories of someone I talked to, or something that happened, or somewhere I was on the way to, not so long ago. 但是我可以告訴你, 很多便利商店留有我許多的回憶: 我跟誰在那裏聊過天, 在那裏發生過什麼事, 或是我不久前要到哪裡的路上所發生的事的回憶.
The 7-11 on the corner of Jung Shing and Chuan Guang. My base of operations. Beers purchased on Friday nights. Friends stopping by when they're in the area. 中興跟傳廣路交叉口的7-11是我的基地. 星期五晚上買啤酒, 或是來到我家附近的朋友都會停的地方.
The Family Mart on Jung Shing, across from the Dong Ba Wang. My alternate base of operations. Ice creams my daughters ate there. Watching the buses unload their daily quota of Mainland tourists. 東霸王餐廳對面, 中興路上的全家. 我另外一個基地. 我孩子們在那裡吃冰淇淋. 看遊覽車"卸下"當天的大陸旅客.
The 7-11 on Shin Sheng, near Shin Sheng Junior High. A student I used to teach in that area. A coke purchased on the way to Jer Ben. Other students, now in the junior high, that I used to teach. 靠近新生國中, 在新生路上的7-11. 我以前的一位學生住在那附近. 我往知本前會順路在那裏買瓶可樂. 也常見到之前讀我學校的新生國中學生在那裡.
The Family Mart on Da Tong, not far from the 85 and Kasa. Sitting around a dirty table with friends, watching people come in and out. Jokes someone told me, or stories. 靠近85度C跟Kasa, 在大同路上的7-11. 我會跟朋友坐在髒桌子看人們進出商店. 說著從其他朋友那裡聽來的笑話和故事.
Or even other 7-11s and Family Marts, these no longer with us. The 7-11 that used to be on Jung Hua and Jong Jung. Guys I used to run into there. 還有其他現在已經不存在的7-11跟全家. 我以前常在中華跟中正路口上的7-11遇到很多朋友.
Or the other 7-11 that used to be on Chuan Guang and Jeng Chi North, across from the Triangle Park. Running into the parents of various students. On my way to somewhere else, late at night. 以前也有一家7-11在傳廣路跟正氣北路的路口, 在三角公園對面. 我通常在那裡遇到學生家長. 深夜時我也會在那裡順便買東.
Or that weird "Taiwan" convenience store I used to visit. I can't even remember the name of the little road it's on. Buying lichi wine there, and the nice guy who worked there. 還有家很有特色的 "臺灣" 便利商店. 我忘記那家的巷子名稱. 我在那裏買過荔枝酒. 那位老闆也很熱心.
And other convenience stores, further outside the city. The Family Mart in Guanshan. The 7-11 in Chr Shang. The other 7-11 in Shang Wu, on the way to Pingdong and Kaohsiung. Conversations come and gone. Trips well remembered. People I used to know, but see no longer. 市區外還有其他的便利商店. 關山的全家. 池上的7-11. 也有往屏東, 高雄路上的尚武7-11. 我記得之前的對話, 快樂的旅遊, 和很久沒見面的朋友.
So many convenience stores, crowded with memories. I can't even remember them all. 那麼多的便利商店, 都充滿了我的回憶. 只是我不記得確切的數目了.
6. Nonsense That Fills My Head on a Tuesday (June 2016)
If you live in Taiwan, you're undoubtedly aware of the fact that it's been f*&king hot this week. A coworker just told me that it rained so much in north Taiwan that the Taoyuan airport flooded. I'm sure the flooding was a problem, but they were probably glad about the rain.
Running in the evenings is much more difficult now. At around 7 pm the air is still so humid and thick, and it's a lot more work for my lungs. A month ago I was running 10, 15, and even 20k without much trouble, but now I'm struggling after 5. I'm doing my best to adjust to the heat, but it's not easy.
Work continues to wind down here. June 30 is the last day of the semester, and I've written all my lessons up to that date. There's still some preparation for an English summer camp yet to do, but I've finished the worst of it already.
Been reading Tales from Shakespeare, by Charles and Mary Lamb. It makes for fairly boring reading, and abbreviated versions of Shakespeare make the inconsistencies and improbabilities present in most of his plays more obvious. Fun Fact: One of the authors of this book stabbed her own mother to death.
I'll probably meet D. and R. at Sam's Burger for lunch today. I would have invited others, but that seemed like a lot of work. After a certain point one hopes that others will just take the initiative, and ask you if you're eating at Sam's this Friday.
D. was talking about goings-on in Dulan. Seems a certain burger joint is in trouble. Not surprising, considering how many people they're employing, and the cost of renting the place. I think it might have done well in Kenting, but there's not enough tourist traffic through Dulan to sustain it.
D. was also talking about another foreigner that I've met a couple times up there. I don't want to go into details, but apparently this foreigner has left Taiwan for the time being. He's been in a fair amount of domestic distress, and burned his share of bridges before leaving the country. If you hang out in Dulan you probably know who I'm talking about. If not, I can only apologize for being deliberately vague. Repeating too much hearsay would just damage people's reputations.
Life in small town Taiwan can seem idyllic from afar (depending on the town, of course), but some people really suffer in those places. Dulan is no exception. Not too long ago a girl killed herself up there, and of course Dulan has all the usual alcoholics, fights, traffic accidents, drownings, and small-minded people that you'd find anywhere else. Sometimes Dulan is even worse.
Talked to J. for a short while last night. She was drinking German beer. It made me think that there are probably a lot better beers available in Germany, and what we're getting here is probably the German version of Budweiser. Taiwan beer is not bad, but there are times when I wish the Taiwanese drinking public appreciated other kinds of beer.
Easy day today. Just testing the 4-2, 6-1, 6-2, and 6-4 classes. It's an oral test, so I interview them in groups of three. It can be very repetitive, but there is very little thought involved for me. Tomorrow (Saturday), I will also have to work, but I'm only teaching a lesson to the 4-2 class. I'll let the sixth graders watch a DVD.
Yesterday we were eating in a Japanese restaurant and a mentally ill woman came inside from the road, trying to sell vegetables there. The owner was very kind and patient with her, and let her fill a plastic bag with the food that another customer had left behind. Watching the owner do this, I began to think that I should try to be more compassionate.
Which leads me to that quote attributed to James Joyce - "non serviam." If you have avoided all forms of servitude, haven't you isolated yourself from other human beings? Why are we here, if not to serve one another?
Anyone wondering why I don't have more to say on the upcoming U.S. Presidential elections? It's because Hillary's all like blah blah blah blah, and Trump's all like blah blah blah blah, and somewhere in the middle this other guy who's sure NOT to get elected is making the most sense. I get a very pre-WWII vibe from Trump, and Clinton is almost as worrying. Beyond that, their recent debates seem very insubstantial.
Depressing dream last night, still vivid as I type this. The world was dying, and all of the remaining animals had gathered together to say goodbye. I was weeping over a patch of grass, and trying to say farewell to it all. Then I had to go back inside my parents' house (we were in Seattle), and try to explain to my daughters what was happening, and how we had helped bring it about. In the dream there was a tree full of the most beautiful owls I had ever seen, but the world was flooding, and there wasn't much time before the end.
But hey, it's not all gloom and doom here. It's Saturday after all (not Tuesday, not really), and the work week finally comes to an end today. Next week there are only three days before a four-day weekend, and I'm pretty happy about that.
7. Me, Fifteen Years Ago 十五年前的我 (June 2016)
Fifteen years is a long time, but not as long ago as twenty. I've also revisited some of my haunts from those days more recently, and I'm still in contact with many people from that part of my life. Whereas remembering 1996 is an act requiring serious concentration, recalling 2001 is much easier. 十五年是一段很長的時間, 可是比不上二十年. 我最近再一次去當時喜歡去的地方, 也跟那時的朋友保持聯絡. 回想1996年發生過的事很困難, 但回想2001年就簡單多了.
In 2001 I was 26. I had been in Taiwan for a year, I was fairly acclimated to the country (if not the language), and I was both married and the father of a baby girl. This baby girl is - if you care to do the math - now almost 16 years old. She's also on her way to senior high school very soon. 2001年的時候我二十六歲. 我那時候已經在台灣一年了, 也習慣在這邊的生活方式 (除了講中文之外). 我那時候已婚, 也有了個女兒. 當時的小女孩現在已經十六歲, 快要讀高中了.
By that time I'd been working in a private kindergarten for a year, and I'd revisited Seattle with my wife two times. Our second trip back involved a massive car trip across six states, and many good times with family and friends. I still enjoyed going back "home," but I was beginning to see myself as someone better suited to life in Taiwan. 那時我已經在一所私立幼稚園上班一年, 也跟我太太回去西雅圖兩次. 我們第二次回去的時候開車去了六個州, 也跟親戚朋友創造了許多美好的回憶. 我那時候還是很喜歡回"家", 可是我越來越習慣台灣的生活方式.
We were living in Taichung City. We had an apartment on Yuan Dong Street, not far from Taichung's famous International Street and close to Tung Hai University's north entrance. The neighborhood was fairly quiet, and in the evenings it was a great place to go running. Taichung's Municipal Park wasn't a popular destination back then (it had just opened), and they hadn't yet begun construction on the Science Park. At that time, that part of the city was relatively undeveloped. 我們那時候住在台中市. 我們租了一間遠東街上的公寓. 那間公寓靠近台中有名的國際街, 離東海大學北邊的入口很近. 那個社區比較安靜, 晚上的時候在那裏跑步也很方便. 那時候台中的都會公園剛完成, 附近沒有那麼多人, 中科也還沒開始施工, 所以那邊大多沒有什麼發展跡象.
The school where I worked, Jump Start English School, was about ten minutes down the hill from where I lived. This school has since closed forever, but back then it was doing very well. They had several campuses throughout the city, and taught both kindergarten and elementary level students. If the owners had managed their business better, they'd probably still be around. 我在博克徠美語學校上班. 從我家下山到學校要十分鐘. 這所學校現在已經結束營業了, 可是那時候他們的學生很多. 他們在台中市有幾個校區, 除了幼稚園學生外, 也教國小學生英文. 如果老闆管理的好的話, 他們的學校現在應該還在吧?
I got along well with my coworkers, and I genuinely liked my job. This was when I really got into the swing of teaching small children, and this was also when I learned (or invented) a lot of the tricks I still use today. Of all the years I've been teaching - and there have been many - this was probably my favorite year. 我跟大部分的同事都相處愉快, 也很喜歡我的工作. 在這裡我教小朋友的能力越來越好, 很多當時學會的教學技巧我目前還在用. 從我好幾年教書的經驗來說, 這是我最喜歡的一年.
Remembering what I ate back then is a little more difficult. There was a buffet place near our house that I visited often, and also a duck restaurant near my school. My favorite restaurant was probably a Thai restaurant on Jung Gong Third Road. 要記得我當時經常在什麼餐廳吃飯比較難. 我們常去住家附近的一家自助餐, 我學校附近也有一家燒臘餐廳. 我那時候最喜歡的餐廳應該是中工三路上的一家泰國餐廳.
Back then I had a weird habit of visiting a cemetery between my school and my apartment. This cemetery now lies somewhere under the Science Park, and most people living and working there probably don't even know it was there. It was the quietest place I knew of, and I liked going there to think. 我那時候有個奇怪的習慣. 我煩惱時會去位於我家跟我學校中間的公墓. 那個公墓已經在科學園區底下了. 在科學園區上班的人應該不知道之前的公墓. 那個地方真是我家附近最安靜的, 我喜歡在那裏想事情.
I was listening to a lot of early 70s progressive and hard rock at that time. Bands like Yes, Deep Purple, and the occasional jazz album. There was a cool CD store near Feng Jia Night Market that I frequented, and I have many fond memories of that place. 我那時候聽很多1970年代的前衛搖滾跟hard rock的音樂. 類似Yes或是Deep Purple那種樂團, 還有些是爵士唱片. 逢甲夜市附近有一家我很喜歡的唱片行. 我很懷念那個地方.
I think I was pretty happy with my life during that year. I was a new father, I had been married for about a year, and I enjoyed my job. I liked exploring Taichung by scooter, and also the area between the Science Museum and the Art Museum on foot. It was a little weird to be a new father, new husband, and suddenly find myself slightly alienated from single friends, but that happens. In time I learned how to adjust. 那一年我對自己的生活很滿意. 我結婚沒多久, 是個新爸爸, 也喜愛我的工作. 我喜歡騎機車在台中探險, 也喜歡在科學博物館跟美術館間散步. 當爸爸跟結婚會離單身的朋友們遠一點, 可是這是很自然的事情. 我之後習慣了新的生活方式.
I haven't been back to Taichung in at least a year, but there's always the possibility that I'll revisit it in the summer. It's certainly a lot noisier and a lot more crowded than when I lived there, but certain areas haven't changed all that much. 我大概有一年沒去臺中了, 今年暑假我可能有機會去到那裡. 現在那裡比我當年住的時候多了很多人, 也比較吵鬧, 但有的地方並沒有什麼改變.
Really though. Fifteen years isn't all that long. If you think it is, you probably aren't as old as me! 真的! 十五年不算很長的時間. 你覺得不以為然的話, 那你的年紀一定比我還小!
8. He or She, Saturday Morning (June 2016)
He/she wakes up.
He/she brushes his/her teeth. He/she takes off his/her clothes. He/she retrieves the bicycle clothing from the bedroom shelf.
He/she puts on his/her bicycle shorts first. Then he/she puts on his/her bicycle jersey. Then the scarf which he/she wears upon his/her head. Then the gloves, the socks, the helmet, and the sunglasses.
He/she goes into the other bathroom, and puts sunscreen on his/her face.
Then he/she goes downstairs, and he/she retrieves both his/her bicycle and his/her bicycle shoes.
He/she puts on his/her bicycle shoes. He/she sets his/her bicycle computer.
He/she goes.
仁五 Street (or 人二 Street). Left at 傳廣 Road (or 四維 Road). Right in front of 寶桑 Junior High (or 新生 Elementary). Other he/shes are eating breakfast. Other he/shes are crowding into the 7-11. Other he/shes are driving.
馬亨亨 Boulevard. Left toward the train station. Rice fields and 虎頭 Mountain. A temple on the other side of the rice fields, on the other side of the river.
Right on 志航 Road. Across the 臺東大 Bridge. The 卑南 River. The 中華 Bridge seen from far away. The 利吉 Bridge in the other direction.
More trees. Going up.
He/she passes through 石川. He/she goes downhill. Taxis pass by too fast. Under the overpass. Turning around onto Highway 11.
The sun is very big over his/her head. He/she has water so he/she is not worried. Slower going through 富岡, then past Little 野柳.
加路蘭,
富山,
杉原,
香蘭,
都蘭,
興昌,
隆昌 then stop.
隆昌,
興昌,
都蘭,
香蘭,
杉原,
富山,
加路蘭, then back under the overpass. He/she is sweating now. It is tired to come back up the hill.
The sun is even bigger over his/her head. He/she has drunk all the water so he/she is a little worried. Slower going through 石川, then up the steepest part.
He/she passes by the 197. He/she goes downhill. Blue trucks pass by too fast. Under the green trees, headed down to the bottom of the hill.
More cars. Going down.
Left after 志航 Road. Having crossed the 臺東大 Bridge. The 卑南 River. The 利吉 Bridge seen from far away. The 中華 Bridge in the other direction.
馬亨亨 Boulevard. Right toward 寶桑 Junior High (or 東海 Elementary). A field of dragon fruit and 貓 Mountain behind. Houses on the other side of dragon fruit, on the other side of a road.
傳廣 Road (or 漢中 Street). Right at 仁五 Street (or 仁七 Street). Left into his/her apartment building. Other he/shes are still eating breakfast. Other he/shes are still crowding into the 7-11. Other he/shes are still driving.
He/she comes back.
He/she looks at his/her bicycle computer. He/she takes off his/her bicycle shoes.
He/she puts back his/her bicycle and his/her bicycle shoes, then he/she goes upstairs.
He/she goes into the other bathroom, and he/she closes the door.
He/she takes off his/her sunglasses first. Then the helmet, the socks, and the gloves. Then the scarf which he/she was wearing upon his/her head. Then he/she takes off his/her bicycle jersey. He/she takes of his/her bicycle shorts last.
He/she takes a shower.
And he/she goes back to bed.
9. Me, Twenty-Five Years Ago 二十五年前的我 (June 2016)
25 years is a long time ago. In 1991 I was still a high school student, still living with my parents, and still living in Seattle. As years of my life go, 1991 was one of the worst. 二十五年前的事真是久遠. 1991年的時候我還在念高中, 跟父母一起住在西雅圖. 在我的生命中, 1991年是最差的幾年的其中之一.
One of the things that made that year so bad was the prospect of death. Yes, that's right, death. At only 16 years of age, I was thinking about death a lot. One reason for this was a friend's attempted suicide during that year. Another reason was my grandmother's passing, not long before. Thinking too much about death doesn't give you the best perspective on life, you know? 讓那一年難過的事情是 "人會死" 這件事. 你沒看錯. 就是"死亡". 十六歲的我一直想著這件事情. 會這麼想的理由有二. 一是那一年我一個朋友自殺, 二是我外婆那一年過世. 思考太多關於死亡的事當然會讓我的觀念越來越灰暗.
Add to this the fact that I was just another awkward teenager, dealing with both feelings of inferiority and pressure from peers. During my first year of high school I was bullied a lot, and in my second year I was still sensitive about it. A lot of my sensitivity stemmed from an incident in which I was thrown from a second story window by several classmates. After falling two floors to the (hard) ground below, I didn't have the best feeling about kids my own age. 當然還因為是處於青少年時期的關係. 我那時候不是很喜歡自己, 也感受到同儕的壓力. 我高中一年級的時候常被欺負, 到二年級時我還是很在意這件事. 我會這麼在意是從同學們把我從二樓的窗戶丟出去開始. 被這樣對待之後, 我對同學的感覺當然不太好.
The thing was, most of it was in my mind. I realize that now. But at the time I was very standoffish, and very defensive. In some ways I was spoiling for a fight. I wanted people to start up trouble, just so I had a reason to exact "revenge" for what I'd endured the year before. Fortunately for me, my antagonism towards would-be bullies was enough of a warning, and no one ever bothered me again. 當時的我很冷淡, 防禦心很重. 我在很多方面都很挑釁, 我希望有人找我麻煩, 這樣我就有理由報復之前受到的對待, 幸運的是, 我表現出來對抗霸凌的態度讓人不敢再來煩我了.
And this, unfortunately, included girls. Chief among these girls was a girl named Emily in my English class. I was SO in love with her, but that was SO never going to happen. I agonized over ways to talk to her, and I sought out opportunities to be in her presence. But it was never going to be. I realize that now, too. Looking back at it now, I realize that I still had a lot of growing up to do, and Emily - and girls like Emily - weren't going to wait for me to do it. 不幸的是這也包含女生在內. 我的英文課上有一個女孩Emily, 我當時非常地喜歡她, 我想方設法跟她講話也找機會出現在她面前, 只是都沒效果罷了. 我現在回想起來也了解了, 當時的我還有許多成長中需要做的事要做, 而Emily, 或像她這樣的女孩, 是不會為當時的我等待的.
But hey, there was a good side to all of it. I wasn't bullied. I was left alone to read my strange books, to listen to my strange music, and to obsess over my strange movies. It was a year of H.P. Lovecraft and J.R.R. Tolkien, a year of Megadeth and Anthrax, and a year of From Beyond, Prince of Darkness, and Police Story. 但好的事還是有的, 我沒再被霸凌, 被冷落時我讀了許多奇怪的書: 一年的霍華德·菲利普斯·洛夫克拉夫及J·R·R·托爾金. 聽奇怪的音樂: 一年的麥加帝斯和炭疽樂團. 看了許多奇怪的電影: 一年的"靈異殺陣", "天魔回魂"和"警察故事".
I spent most lunches in the library, talking to almost no one and reading my books. I walked a mile back and forth to school every day, alone. I did OK in my classes, but never tried very hard. I had no plans for the future, nor any idea what I wanted to do with my life. Instead of plans I had an intense devotion to books, music, movies, and the idea (only the idea) of sex.我大部分的午餐時間都在圖書館讀書, 也幾乎不跟任何人說話, 我每天一個人走一英哩的路上下學, 我的成績還好, 不是很用功, 對未來沒有什麼計畫,也不知道自己想做什麼. 但我對書本, 音樂, 電影和性有很強烈的熱情.
Of course when you're in high school it seems like everyone is having sex. The football players, the girls smoking behind the gym, even the awkward guy who sometimes talks to you during lunch. But in retrospect, it wasn't that way at all. When I look at it now, very few of us were doing anything like that. But then you probably know how it is. You were probably once there yourself.在高中時, 覺得身邊的人好像都有過性行為了, 例如橄欖球員, 在體育場後面抽菸的女生, 甚至是有時候在午餐時交談的不怎麼受歡迎的人物. 但現在想起來卻不是那麼回事. 只有非常少數的人才是這樣, 但你大概可以知道那是什麼情形, 你應該也經歷過那些事.
High school. Altogether a fairly miserable chapter of my life. And on top of this there was going to the emergency room at Harborview, and seeing my friend's head swollen up to twice its normal size. The .22 caliber bullet he'd shot himself with bounced around inside his skull, and even though he somehow survived it, he was a different guy after.高中生涯是我一段相當難熬的日子, 除此之外, 就是去醫院的急診室看我的朋友, 當時他的頭腫成正常的二倍大, 他用來自殺的那顆子彈在他的頭裡撞擊彈跳, 雖然如此, 他還是活下來了, 但他之後就不再是原來的他了.
Most American movies about high school make it seem more fun that it really is. This is, at least, my experience. In the movies it's a big, lighthearted adventure, and by the end of the film everyone's either lost their virginity or made a friend for life. It wasn't that way for me, and in a way I'm glad it wasn't. A lot of the stuff that happened in high school was fuel for things I did later, and I think that in the overall context of who I am now it made me a stronger person. Maybe not always a happier person, but a stronger one regardless. 在美國電影裡, 讀高中看起來很好玩. 但我個人的經驗剛好相反. 電影裡的高中生都在冒險, 電影結尾不是終於做愛了, 就是找到生命中的至交. 這些都沒發生在我身上, 我也很高興沒有. 在高中時期發生的事都成為我之後的養分. 整體來說, 它讓我更堅強. 它不一定讓我成為比較快樂的人, 可是變堅強是一定的.
There's this, and also the fact that people whose "glory years" coincided with high school are among the most pathetic people I know. Maybe high school isn't a time when you should be completely happy, and completely well-adjusted. Maybe high school is a time when you're supposed to be pissed off, and waiting desperately for graduation. 我覺得認為高中是最美好時期的那種人很可憐. 我想高中不應該是人生最快樂的時候, 也不應該是最令人滿意的時候. 也許高中時期就是應該看什麼都不順眼, 也拼命地想著畢業吧!
1991? Part of me would rather not remember that year. But hey, it made me who I am today, right? If it wasn't perfect, at least it was a year I learned from. That, I suppose, is all that you can hope from any year, in any life, ever. 1991年? 我不是很想把那一年留在腦海裡. 可是那一年也讓我長大很多. 那一年不算美好, 可是那一年我學會很多生活能力. 這應該是人們希望的生命學習.
10. Nonsense That Fills My Head on a Monday (June 2016)
H. passed away two weeks ago. Friends told me he had a seizure, and that he stopped breathing soon after. Apparently he'd suffered from seizures for years, but he often avoided taking medication because of the way it made him feel. H. was one of those guys that I always felt like I would see again, and news of his departure made me very sad. Unlike V., who I never got to know that well, I felt like H. was a friend.
The above paragraph is, by the way, NOT nonsense. H. will be missed, and my condolences to any of his family and friends who might be reading this.
P. had his birthday party at Pete's pizza last Sunday. Saw a lot of the usual suspects there. Talked with J. for a while about real estate. Talked with K. about the job he's going to start in Taipei. No kind words for Hess. I've never worked at Hess, but what J. and K. said about their "vacation days" sounded like a lot of bulls&*t. Are the contracts at every Hess that deceptive?
It's a four-day weekend starting tomorrow. No plans as yet, though we might be driving to Kaohsiung on one of the four days. My mother-in-law made "a joke" about losing 2 million dollars on FB the other day, and she isn't the kind of person to make that kind of joke. Various family members are agonizing over the fact that she may have actually lost the money, and how is that possible, and who did she give the money to, and so on.
And by the way, the "J." in one of the above paragraphs is not the "J." mentioned in a previous entry. A lot of names start with J, and if anyone acquainted with the various Taiwanese and foreign "J.s" around town will just have to guess which "J" I was talking about. To make matters worse, there were two "J.s" at that same birthday dinner.
Miserable four-day weekend for me. Drove to Kaohsiung (and also Tainan) on Thursday, fighting traffic all the way. Later found out that the "joke" about the 2 million dollars wasn't a joke at all. My wife responded by taking away her bank book. Drove back from Kaohsiung on Friday, and the traffic was even worse - almost a standstill from Chao Jou 超州 to Fangshan 放山. Then I got sick on Saturday, and spent most of Saturday and Sunday sweating, coughing, and sleeping.
Saw The Conjuring 2 last night. Liked it a lot, and thought it was better than the first one. It was a bit too drawn out for its own good, but definitely an improvement.
Mainland China is threatening yet again to reduce the number of tourists it allows into Taiwan. This time they're claiming it was all a part of an established plan, and yet also a reaction to Taiwanese President Tsai Ying-wen's "incomplete answers" to questions about Cross-Strait relations. I can't help but think about all the years I was here before Mainland Chinese tourism was "a thing," and if Taiwan could get along without it before, what's different about now?
Speaking of the news, it's amazing how much traction certain facets of the Taiwanese media can get from Japanese porn stars. The Apple Daily and Next Magazine regularly feature articles on these people, and the articles almost never have any journalistic worth whatsoever. I get that such articles are an excuse to put up photos of the porn stars discussed, but why is the Taiwanese reading public so fascinated by them? Why not just view the porn that inspired the articles?
In equally ridiculous news, the little bar across from the Old Taitung Train Station is now serving a beer called "Satan Gold." A couple friends and I drank some of it last weekend. Not bad, but not as good as the IPA they were selling before.
OF COURSE there are more than four place names in Taitung County, but there are only five in my book. The first of these five place names, Liyu (Carp) Mountain, was discussed in another entry. What you see below are the remaining four. 當然臺東縣的地名不只五個, 可是我這本書裡面只寫了五個地名故事. 第一個地名故事就是鯉魚山, 那個故事我在另外的文章討論過. 接下來你看到的是其他的四個故事.
The Chinese text below was taken from "Taiwan Place Name Stories" 台灣地名故事, published by Windmill 風車圖書出版有限公司 in 2012. The Chinese text was written by Jang Ching-shr 張青史, and the English was written by me. 下面的中文文章是出自台灣地名故事這本書. 這本書是風車圖書出版有限公司2012年的作品. 中文的部分是張青史寫的. 英文的部分是我從中文翻譯的.
朝貓離 (太麻里) Jao Mao Li (Tai Ma Li)
此地是太麻里溪出口沖積成的肥沃三角洲平原, "朝貓離" 本是原住民語, 意指太陽照耀肥沃的地方. "太麻里" 就是 "朝貓離" 的譯音. In this place the Tai Ma Li River flows out onto an alluvial plain. [This plain is known as] Jao Mao Li, which in an aboriginal language means "the land made fertile by the sun." "Tai Ma Li" is derived from "Jao Mao Li."
鹿野 Luye
日劇時期, 日本來臺移民在此開墾, 種植甘蔗, 由於附近有原住民的 "鹿瞭社," 又多 "野" 生景觀, 所以稱為 "鹿野." During the Japanese occupation, Japanese immigrants settled in this area and began planting sugar cane. Because there was an aboriginal community called "Lu Liao She" nearby, and because of the "wild" (野 or "ye") character of the landscape, this place came to be called "Luye."
紅頭嶼 (蘭嶼) Red Head Island (Orchid Island)
本島形狀類似一艘紅頭船隻浮於水上; 也有人說島上山頭夕陽照射時, 遠遠望去, 呈現紅色, 因此得名. 後來, 因為島上盛產蘭花, 改名為 "蘭嶼." This island is shaped like a red-colored (or "headed") vessel, afloat upon the water. It is also said that when the sun strikes the hills of Orchid Island it appears red from afar. For this reason it came to be called "Red Head Island." Afterward it was named Orchid Island because of the orchids that grow there.*
加走灣 (長濱) Jia Dzou Wan (Chang Bin)
從前, 清軍討伐阿美族時, 族人在此設瞭望台監視清軍的活動. 阿美族語的 "加走灣" 就是暸望台的意思. 後來因本鄉瀕臨太平洋, 而且地勢狹長, 於是在民國12年改名為 "長濱鄉." In the past, the Ching armies troubled the Amis tribe, and the members of the tribe set up an observation post in this area, to monitor the Ching army's activities. In the Amis language "Jia Dzou Wan" refers to a lookout point. Later, because of its nearness to the Pacific Ocean and its long, narrow terrain, it was renamed "Chang Bin Township" in 1923.**
More place name stories? Find out why Green Island is also called "The Burning Island" here. There's also a little bit about where Yingge gets its name here. There are no end of place name stories, and what you see here are just a few! 其他的地名故事? 你可以參考為什麼綠島叫火燒島. 這裡還有關於鶯歌地名故事. 除了這些, 還有很多其他的地名故事, 你在這個部落格看到的只是其中一部分!
2. Nonsense That Fills My Head on a Wednesday (May 2016)
I. Items, Ideas, Thoughts That I was Actually Preoccupied with This Week (At Least Some of the Time)
A. I thought Captain America: Civil War was just okay. It was really, really long and it felt really, really long. I think the movie would have worked better if the big airport fight and the last fight in Siberia had been combined. As it was, the airport fight felt like the end of the movie, and the last fight was a letdown by comparison.
B. I'm taking a mini-break from reading books, and I've transitioned into comic books for the time being. A lot of the Marvel and DC stuff is crap (no big surprise there), but the big companies do have a few interesting titles. There are some good independent comics as well. "Monstress" and "Saga" are two of my favorites.
C. X-Men: Apocalypse will be coming out next week. Not all that excited about the movie, but hey it's something to do. Actress Olivia Munn recently stated that she chose playing Psylocke over playing Deadpool's love interest because there was more "character development" in store for Psylocke. Never mind the fact that Deadpool's girlfriend had ten times more screen time than Psylocke will ever have in any X-Men movie. Also never mind that Psylocke spends her days fighting bad guys in a bikini.
D. I've given up on the idea of wearing pants to work. I was giving it the old college try, but then I realized that I'm not in college anymore. It's fu*&ing hot right now, and pants would be unbearable.
E. Going to spend some of this weekend seeing all the Tom Cruise movies I haven't seen before. I'll be starting from 1981's Endless Love, and working my way up to 2012's Rock of Ages. I think there are about five movies in his filmography that I haven't seen, and only one of them is likely to be any good. Of course I've already seen the really famous ones, so I'll be working my way through his least popular films.
F. I'll probably go out drinking with some guys tomorrow. Or if I publish this later than tomorrow, I've probably gone out drinking with some guys last Friday. I feel like I haven't been to a bar in ages, and it would be nice to catch up with some people.
G. I often think that people are just mammals pretending not to be mammals. We like to pretend we're more complicated than we are.
H. Since last week I've been wanting that Yona Yona Ale they sell at 7-11. It's pretty close to an IPA, though the flavor isn't as well rounded as I would like. It's also not cheap. Maybe I'll go drink some more of it tomorrow. Or, if I publish this later than tomorrow, maybe I will have gone to drink some more of it last Friday.
I. Triathlons this Saturday and Sunday. I'm going to the Olympic distance on Sunday. On my way home I'll probably swing by the Royal Queena Hotel and ask about my accessories, since nothing's come in the mail yet. I should also stop by the Taitung County Government building. I was told that I actually did get the job, and there are papers for me to sign.
J. I was recently very close to condemning someone as socially awkward... until I realized that by doing so I was being just as socially awkward as he is. None of us are that well-adjusted after all. Some are just better at ignoring the awkward moments, or failing to see that they exist. I suppose this is just another way of saying that some people are more empathic than others.
K. "A" is thinking about moving to the States with his son for a year. It would be weird not to have him around. I get why he wants to do it, but it would be weird.
II. Items, Ideas, Thoughts That I was Not Actually Preoccupied with This Week
A. The upcoming release of any major film not superhero-related. Although I do want to see two other films: Miles Ahead and High-Rise. Those two films, however, probably won't be released in Taiwan.
B. Any upcoming apocalyptic/cataclysmic/catastrophic comic book crossover events. I got my fill with Marvel's Secret Wars and the earlier Ultimatum, both of which I read last week.
C. Whatever the X-Men film after Apocalypse is going to be. Deadpool aside, I think that movie franchise is running out of ideas.
D. Wearing pants to work.
E. The idea of a Rock of Ages sequel. I've also had my fill of bad 80s hair metal songs. Poison, Bon Jovi, and who knows what else. That movie had every song I despised during that decade. Made me want to break out the old Black Sabbath albums.
F. Hanging out with certain people. Some personalities conflict, and I have come to realize that I just shouldn't be around certain people.
G. Whether people are more like reptiles than mammals. That really doesn't make any sense. Reptiles, man? People aren't born inside of eggs!
H. Whether Budweiser was better left as "Budweiser" or whether it's new name, "America" is/was a good idea. Of course it's a good idea. Just look at their target demographic. That s&%t is genius!
I. Going to any more triathlons in the near future. I'm done man. I'm really done. I'd like to ride my bike to Hualien City though.
J. Whether or not I'm going to be reassigned to another school next year. I know I'm not. They want me where I am, and I suppose that's a good thing.
K. Existentialism. I tried in college, but honestly. Can you prove to me that existentialism exists?
III. Items, Ideas, Thoughts That I Might Actually be Preoccupied with Next Week (At Least Some of the Time)
A. Money.
B. The respect of my peers.
C. Sex.
D. Death.
E. Pizza.
F. Work.
G. The future.
H. Travel.
I. Bicycling.
J. Drinks.
K. Movies.
3. A List of Crazy Things You Could Do This Weekend 十項你這周末可以做的瘋狂事 (May 2016)
This weekend, you can 這周末你可以:
1. Walk barefoot up a mountain, far from any road or trail. 打赤腳爬山. 不走馬路或是步道.
2. Go up to some Mainland Chinese tourists and start a conversation about Tibet, Xinjiang, and Taiwanese independence. 接近一些大陸客, 跟他們討論西藏, 新疆, 和台灣的自由.
3. Surf to Green Island. 駕衝浪板去綠島.
4. Buy a realistic toy rifle and run towards the entrance of the nearest military installation. 買支仿真的玩具槍並衝進最近的軍事基地.
5. Bring your scooter to the shadiest scooter shop you can find, tell them "Money is no object," and leave your scooter there. 把你的摩托車騎去最爛的機車行, 跟他們說 "錢不是問題" 然後把摩托車留在那裡.
6. Ask a police officer where the ketamine store is. 問警察先生賣K他命的店在哪裡.
7. Go to a hospital and get all the free X-rays you can. 去醫院欣賞很多免費的X光片.
8. Go to the Taipei or Kaohsiung zoos, and attempt to take the Formosan black bear out for a walk. 去台北還是高雄的動物園, 把那邊的台灣黑熊遛一遛.
9. Start mixing Tunnel 88 in with your morning coffee. Have three or four coffees. 把米酒跟你早晨的咖啡混在一起, 並喝個三, 四杯.
10. Go to the most expensive KTV you can find. Order the most expensive drinks. Order the most expensive food. Order the most expensive everything. But leave your money at home. 去最貴的KTV點最貴的酒, 點最貴的小吃, 只要是最貴的都要點. 但是把錢留在你家.
4. Me, Twenty Years Ago 二十年前的我 (May 2016)
What was I doing in 1996? Where was I? What restaurants did I like? What bands was I listening to? What kind of car was I driving? Who was I dating? 我1996年的時候在做什麼? 我在哪裡? 我喜歡在什麼餐廳吃飯? 我聽哪些樂團? 我開什麼車? 我在和誰交往?
Twenty years is a long time, but in many ways it seems like yesterday. If I think hard, I can remember most of the important details from that time, but some of the smaller ones elude me. There are, after all, so many years, months, and days between now and then. 二十年真是很長的時間, 可是卻彷彿昨天才發生的事. 我努力回想, 還記得那時候許多重要的事, 只是一些無關緊要的事就沒辦法想起來了. 畢竟是經過多年, 期間包含了許多個月和那麼多的天.
In 1996 I was 21. I was three years out of high school, and fully independent of my parents. I visited them often for the purposes of doing laundry and catching up, but otherwise I was pretty much my own person. 我1996年的時候是二十一歲. 結束了三年的高中生涯, 我已經完全可以自立了. 所以我回家通常是回去爸媽家洗衣服或是和他們聊天, 那時我已經完全靠自己生活了.
1996 was also three years before I moved to Taiwan. At that time I had never been abroad, unless you count Canada. I was a college student, I was in the midst of a series of part-time jobs, and I had received my first credit card. 1996年也是我搬到台灣的前三年, 我那時候除了加拿大之外, 沒有去過任何其他的國家. 當時我是個大學生, 也忙著好幾個兼職工作. 我那一年我申請到第一張信用卡.
I must have been living in Kirkland. Kirkland is one of Seattle's many suburbs, though it's not technically part of the city. It's across the lake from downtown Seattle, and there are many nice parks in that area. I remember renting a room in the basement of a house at that time, and sharing this basement with two other guys whose names I can't remember. One of these guys was cool, but the other one was crazy. 我那時候應該是住在柯克蘭. 柯克蘭是靠近西雅圖的社區, 可是它不算在西雅圖市裡. 西雅圖市東邊有座華盛頓湖, 柯克蘭就在湖的另外一邊. 那個社區裡有很多漂亮的公園. 我在那裏租了一個地下室的房間, 和另外兩個室友共用客廳
、 小廚房和洗手間. 其中一位室友不錯, 但另一位怪怪的.
If I was living in Kirkland, I must have also been a student at Bellevue Community College (BCC). Bellevue Community College is in the city of Bellevue, about a half hour south of Kirkland. I was completing my transfer degree at BCC, and a year later I would attend the University of Washington. 我如果住在柯克蘭的話, 那時候應該也在貝爾維社區大學讀書. 貝爾維社區大學位於柯克蘭南邊的貝爾維市裡面. 我在那裡完成轉學學位, 一年後轉到華盛頓大學.
And if I was living in Kirkland and going to school at BCC, I must have been working at UPS. Back then I was a "loader" at their Redmond plant, which means I was loading boxes into trailers. It was an exhausting job, but it paid well. I also had a job as an office temp on the weekends, and that paid even better. 那時我住柯克蘭, 也在BCC讀書, 我同時一定是在UPS工作. 我在那裡的工作是loader. 工作內容是把包裹裝進去拖車裡. 那種工作很累, 可是薪水不錯. 周末的時候我也在很多公司當臨時工. 那種工作的薪水甚至更高.
I had a girlfriend at the time, a Japanese woman who was much older than me. If I was 21 then, she would have been about 30. I would break up with her that same year, and I wouldn't see her again until much later. I remember a lot of arguments we had, and a few good conversations. I also remember her cheating on me. Not a good memory. 我那時候有女朋友. 她是日本人, 我們年紀差很多. 我那時候二十一歲, 她應該是三十歲. 我們也在那一年分手, 很久之後見了她一次. 我記得我們我們經常吵架, 有時候聊得很愉快. 我也記得她劈腿別人. 這是個不好的回憶.
I ate a lot of teriyaki back then. There was also a Wendy's on my way to UPS, so I ended up there a lot, too. I drank gallons of Mountain Dew. Most of my friends were coworkers at UPS, with a sprinkling of other friends from other places. 我那時候常吃韓式鐵板燒. 我上班的路上有一家Wendy's美式餐廳, 所以我常在那裡吃飯. 我也喝了大量的Mountain Dew汽水. 我當時的朋友大部分是我UPS的同事. 也有些在其他地方認識的朋友.
My clearest memory of BCC is watching people play Street Fighter vs. X-men, an arcade game which was HUGE then. I also have a strong memory of this Indian girl I was chasing after. She never turned out to be girlfriend material, but I did get pretty good at Street Fighter. 我對BCC最深刻的回憶就是看同學玩快打旋風對X戰警. 那個電動玩具當時很受歡迎. 我也記得我那時追的一位印度女同學. 我沒有追到她, 可是我的快打旋風技術進步很多.
I was listening to a weird mix of music that time. I had a pile of cassette tapes in my Jeep Comanche, and in the course of a week I'd cycle through Buju Banton, Captain Beefheart, Arthur Brown, and various thrash metal bands. I miss that truck sometimes. It was very comfortable. 我那時候聽很多不同種類的音樂. 我的卡車裡有許多錄音帶, 所以一個禮拜內我會聽到Buju Banton, Captain Beefheart, Arthur Brown和多種的重金屬樂團. 我有時候會想念那輛卡車. 坐在裡面很舒服.
I don't recall worrying much about the future then. I think I was more concerned with girls and having a good time. I briefly considered studying abroad, but I never filed the paperwork. I did well in my classes, but not because of any particular goal. I hoped that I would eventually find a job that would require me to use my brain, but I had no conception of what that job might be. 我那時候對我的未來沒有想太多. 我比較關心的是女人或是讓自己開心. 我有一陣子想去國外留學, 可是我都沒有申請. 我當時沒有什麼特定的目標, 但我的學校成績不錯. 我希望未來可以找到需要動腦的工作, 可是我還不知道那會是個什麼樣的工作.
It's funny to think about all of that now. Twenty years later, and in some ways I'm not so different. I still listen to Arthur Brown, I still eat teriyaki when I'm back in the States, and I still like to have a good time (of course). But it's been a while since I drove a truck, or studied in a university, or played Street Fighter Vs. Anyone. I suppose I might do one or all of these things again in the future, but it seems unlikely now. 現在回想當時蠻好玩的. 現在的我跟二十年前的我沒有那麼不同. 我還在聽Arthur Brown, 還是喜歡吃美國的韓式鐵板燒, 當然還是會尋找樂子. 可是我很久沒開卡車了, 離開學校生活也很久了, 更沒有玩快打旋風. 可能我以後還是會做這些事情, 只是可能性不大.
Twenty years. How can it be so long ago, when it feels like it happened yesterday? 二十年的時間. 怎麼會這麼久了? 可是那時候的事都好像昨天才發生的!
5. Convenient Storage 最方便的回憶 (May 2016)
How many 7-11s are there in Taitung? How many Family Marts? How many other convenience stores? 台東有幾家7-11? 幾家全家? 幾家其他的便利商店?
I don't know. 我不知道.
But I can tell you that in many of these stores lie memories of someone I talked to, or something that happened, or somewhere I was on the way to, not so long ago. 但是我可以告訴你, 很多便利商店留有我許多的回憶: 我跟誰在那裏聊過天, 在那裏發生過什麼事, 或是我不久前要到哪裡的路上所發生的事的回憶.
The 7-11 on the corner of Jung Shing and Chuan Guang. My base of operations. Beers purchased on Friday nights. Friends stopping by when they're in the area. 中興跟傳廣路交叉口的7-11是我的基地. 星期五晚上買啤酒, 或是來到我家附近的朋友都會停的地方.
The Family Mart on Jung Shing, across from the Dong Ba Wang. My alternate base of operations. Ice creams my daughters ate there. Watching the buses unload their daily quota of Mainland tourists. 東霸王餐廳對面, 中興路上的全家. 我另外一個基地. 我孩子們在那裡吃冰淇淋. 看遊覽車"卸下"當天的大陸旅客.
The 7-11 on Shin Sheng, near Shin Sheng Junior High. A student I used to teach in that area. A coke purchased on the way to Jer Ben. Other students, now in the junior high, that I used to teach. 靠近新生國中, 在新生路上的7-11. 我以前的一位學生住在那附近. 我往知本前會順路在那裏買瓶可樂. 也常見到之前讀我學校的新生國中學生在那裡.
The Family Mart on Da Tong, not far from the 85 and Kasa. Sitting around a dirty table with friends, watching people come in and out. Jokes someone told me, or stories. 靠近85度C跟Kasa, 在大同路上的7-11. 我會跟朋友坐在髒桌子看人們進出商店. 說著從其他朋友那裡聽來的笑話和故事.
Or even other 7-11s and Family Marts, these no longer with us. The 7-11 that used to be on Jung Hua and Jong Jung. Guys I used to run into there. 還有其他現在已經不存在的7-11跟全家. 我以前常在中華跟中正路口上的7-11遇到很多朋友.
Or the other 7-11 that used to be on Chuan Guang and Jeng Chi North, across from the Triangle Park. Running into the parents of various students. On my way to somewhere else, late at night. 以前也有一家7-11在傳廣路跟正氣北路的路口, 在三角公園對面. 我通常在那裡遇到學生家長. 深夜時我也會在那裡順便買東.
Or that weird "Taiwan" convenience store I used to visit. I can't even remember the name of the little road it's on. Buying lichi wine there, and the nice guy who worked there. 還有家很有特色的 "臺灣" 便利商店. 我忘記那家的巷子名稱. 我在那裏買過荔枝酒. 那位老闆也很熱心.
And other convenience stores, further outside the city. The Family Mart in Guanshan. The 7-11 in Chr Shang. The other 7-11 in Shang Wu, on the way to Pingdong and Kaohsiung. Conversations come and gone. Trips well remembered. People I used to know, but see no longer. 市區外還有其他的便利商店. 關山的全家. 池上的7-11. 也有往屏東, 高雄路上的尚武7-11. 我記得之前的對話, 快樂的旅遊, 和很久沒見面的朋友.
So many convenience stores, crowded with memories. I can't even remember them all. 那麼多的便利商店, 都充滿了我的回憶. 只是我不記得確切的數目了.
6. Nonsense That Fills My Head on a Tuesday (June 2016)
If you live in Taiwan, you're undoubtedly aware of the fact that it's been f*&king hot this week. A coworker just told me that it rained so much in north Taiwan that the Taoyuan airport flooded. I'm sure the flooding was a problem, but they were probably glad about the rain.
Running in the evenings is much more difficult now. At around 7 pm the air is still so humid and thick, and it's a lot more work for my lungs. A month ago I was running 10, 15, and even 20k without much trouble, but now I'm struggling after 5. I'm doing my best to adjust to the heat, but it's not easy.
Work continues to wind down here. June 30 is the last day of the semester, and I've written all my lessons up to that date. There's still some preparation for an English summer camp yet to do, but I've finished the worst of it already.
Been reading Tales from Shakespeare, by Charles and Mary Lamb. It makes for fairly boring reading, and abbreviated versions of Shakespeare make the inconsistencies and improbabilities present in most of his plays more obvious. Fun Fact: One of the authors of this book stabbed her own mother to death.
I'll probably meet D. and R. at Sam's Burger for lunch today. I would have invited others, but that seemed like a lot of work. After a certain point one hopes that others will just take the initiative, and ask you if you're eating at Sam's this Friday.
D. was talking about goings-on in Dulan. Seems a certain burger joint is in trouble. Not surprising, considering how many people they're employing, and the cost of renting the place. I think it might have done well in Kenting, but there's not enough tourist traffic through Dulan to sustain it.
D. was also talking about another foreigner that I've met a couple times up there. I don't want to go into details, but apparently this foreigner has left Taiwan for the time being. He's been in a fair amount of domestic distress, and burned his share of bridges before leaving the country. If you hang out in Dulan you probably know who I'm talking about. If not, I can only apologize for being deliberately vague. Repeating too much hearsay would just damage people's reputations.
Life in small town Taiwan can seem idyllic from afar (depending on the town, of course), but some people really suffer in those places. Dulan is no exception. Not too long ago a girl killed herself up there, and of course Dulan has all the usual alcoholics, fights, traffic accidents, drownings, and small-minded people that you'd find anywhere else. Sometimes Dulan is even worse.
Talked to J. for a short while last night. She was drinking German beer. It made me think that there are probably a lot better beers available in Germany, and what we're getting here is probably the German version of Budweiser. Taiwan beer is not bad, but there are times when I wish the Taiwanese drinking public appreciated other kinds of beer.
Easy day today. Just testing the 4-2, 6-1, 6-2, and 6-4 classes. It's an oral test, so I interview them in groups of three. It can be very repetitive, but there is very little thought involved for me. Tomorrow (Saturday), I will also have to work, but I'm only teaching a lesson to the 4-2 class. I'll let the sixth graders watch a DVD.
Yesterday we were eating in a Japanese restaurant and a mentally ill woman came inside from the road, trying to sell vegetables there. The owner was very kind and patient with her, and let her fill a plastic bag with the food that another customer had left behind. Watching the owner do this, I began to think that I should try to be more compassionate.
Which leads me to that quote attributed to James Joyce - "non serviam." If you have avoided all forms of servitude, haven't you isolated yourself from other human beings? Why are we here, if not to serve one another?
Anyone wondering why I don't have more to say on the upcoming U.S. Presidential elections? It's because Hillary's all like blah blah blah blah, and Trump's all like blah blah blah blah, and somewhere in the middle this other guy who's sure NOT to get elected is making the most sense. I get a very pre-WWII vibe from Trump, and Clinton is almost as worrying. Beyond that, their recent debates seem very insubstantial.
Depressing dream last night, still vivid as I type this. The world was dying, and all of the remaining animals had gathered together to say goodbye. I was weeping over a patch of grass, and trying to say farewell to it all. Then I had to go back inside my parents' house (we were in Seattle), and try to explain to my daughters what was happening, and how we had helped bring it about. In the dream there was a tree full of the most beautiful owls I had ever seen, but the world was flooding, and there wasn't much time before the end.
But hey, it's not all gloom and doom here. It's Saturday after all (not Tuesday, not really), and the work week finally comes to an end today. Next week there are only three days before a four-day weekend, and I'm pretty happy about that.
7. Me, Fifteen Years Ago 十五年前的我 (June 2016)
Fifteen years is a long time, but not as long ago as twenty. I've also revisited some of my haunts from those days more recently, and I'm still in contact with many people from that part of my life. Whereas remembering 1996 is an act requiring serious concentration, recalling 2001 is much easier. 十五年是一段很長的時間, 可是比不上二十年. 我最近再一次去當時喜歡去的地方, 也跟那時的朋友保持聯絡. 回想1996年發生過的事很困難, 但回想2001年就簡單多了.
In 2001 I was 26. I had been in Taiwan for a year, I was fairly acclimated to the country (if not the language), and I was both married and the father of a baby girl. This baby girl is - if you care to do the math - now almost 16 years old. She's also on her way to senior high school very soon. 2001年的時候我二十六歲. 我那時候已經在台灣一年了, 也習慣在這邊的生活方式 (除了講中文之外). 我那時候已婚, 也有了個女兒. 當時的小女孩現在已經十六歲, 快要讀高中了.
By that time I'd been working in a private kindergarten for a year, and I'd revisited Seattle with my wife two times. Our second trip back involved a massive car trip across six states, and many good times with family and friends. I still enjoyed going back "home," but I was beginning to see myself as someone better suited to life in Taiwan. 那時我已經在一所私立幼稚園上班一年, 也跟我太太回去西雅圖兩次. 我們第二次回去的時候開車去了六個州, 也跟親戚朋友創造了許多美好的回憶. 我那時候還是很喜歡回"家", 可是我越來越習慣台灣的生活方式.
We were living in Taichung City. We had an apartment on Yuan Dong Street, not far from Taichung's famous International Street and close to Tung Hai University's north entrance. The neighborhood was fairly quiet, and in the evenings it was a great place to go running. Taichung's Municipal Park wasn't a popular destination back then (it had just opened), and they hadn't yet begun construction on the Science Park. At that time, that part of the city was relatively undeveloped. 我們那時候住在台中市. 我們租了一間遠東街上的公寓. 那間公寓靠近台中有名的國際街, 離東海大學北邊的入口很近. 那個社區比較安靜, 晚上的時候在那裏跑步也很方便. 那時候台中的都會公園剛完成, 附近沒有那麼多人, 中科也還沒開始施工, 所以那邊大多沒有什麼發展跡象.
The school where I worked, Jump Start English School, was about ten minutes down the hill from where I lived. This school has since closed forever, but back then it was doing very well. They had several campuses throughout the city, and taught both kindergarten and elementary level students. If the owners had managed their business better, they'd probably still be around. 我在博克徠美語學校上班. 從我家下山到學校要十分鐘. 這所學校現在已經結束營業了, 可是那時候他們的學生很多. 他們在台中市有幾個校區, 除了幼稚園學生外, 也教國小學生英文. 如果老闆管理的好的話, 他們的學校現在應該還在吧?
I got along well with my coworkers, and I genuinely liked my job. This was when I really got into the swing of teaching small children, and this was also when I learned (or invented) a lot of the tricks I still use today. Of all the years I've been teaching - and there have been many - this was probably my favorite year. 我跟大部分的同事都相處愉快, 也很喜歡我的工作. 在這裡我教小朋友的能力越來越好, 很多當時學會的教學技巧我目前還在用. 從我好幾年教書的經驗來說, 這是我最喜歡的一年.
Remembering what I ate back then is a little more difficult. There was a buffet place near our house that I visited often, and also a duck restaurant near my school. My favorite restaurant was probably a Thai restaurant on Jung Gong Third Road. 要記得我當時經常在什麼餐廳吃飯比較難. 我們常去住家附近的一家自助餐, 我學校附近也有一家燒臘餐廳. 我那時候最喜歡的餐廳應該是中工三路上的一家泰國餐廳.
Back then I had a weird habit of visiting a cemetery between my school and my apartment. This cemetery now lies somewhere under the Science Park, and most people living and working there probably don't even know it was there. It was the quietest place I knew of, and I liked going there to think. 我那時候有個奇怪的習慣. 我煩惱時會去位於我家跟我學校中間的公墓. 那個公墓已經在科學園區底下了. 在科學園區上班的人應該不知道之前的公墓. 那個地方真是我家附近最安靜的, 我喜歡在那裏想事情.
I was listening to a lot of early 70s progressive and hard rock at that time. Bands like Yes, Deep Purple, and the occasional jazz album. There was a cool CD store near Feng Jia Night Market that I frequented, and I have many fond memories of that place. 我那時候聽很多1970年代的前衛搖滾跟hard rock的音樂. 類似Yes或是Deep Purple那種樂團, 還有些是爵士唱片. 逢甲夜市附近有一家我很喜歡的唱片行. 我很懷念那個地方.
I think I was pretty happy with my life during that year. I was a new father, I had been married for about a year, and I enjoyed my job. I liked exploring Taichung by scooter, and also the area between the Science Museum and the Art Museum on foot. It was a little weird to be a new father, new husband, and suddenly find myself slightly alienated from single friends, but that happens. In time I learned how to adjust. 那一年我對自己的生活很滿意. 我結婚沒多久, 是個新爸爸, 也喜愛我的工作. 我喜歡騎機車在台中探險, 也喜歡在科學博物館跟美術館間散步. 當爸爸跟結婚會離單身的朋友們遠一點, 可是這是很自然的事情. 我之後習慣了新的生活方式.
I haven't been back to Taichung in at least a year, but there's always the possibility that I'll revisit it in the summer. It's certainly a lot noisier and a lot more crowded than when I lived there, but certain areas haven't changed all that much. 我大概有一年沒去臺中了, 今年暑假我可能有機會去到那裡. 現在那裡比我當年住的時候多了很多人, 也比較吵鬧, 但有的地方並沒有什麼改變.
Really though. Fifteen years isn't all that long. If you think it is, you probably aren't as old as me! 真的! 十五年不算很長的時間. 你覺得不以為然的話, 那你的年紀一定比我還小!
8. He or She, Saturday Morning (June 2016)
He/she wakes up.
He/she brushes his/her teeth. He/she takes off his/her clothes. He/she retrieves the bicycle clothing from the bedroom shelf.
He/she puts on his/her bicycle shorts first. Then he/she puts on his/her bicycle jersey. Then the scarf which he/she wears upon his/her head. Then the gloves, the socks, the helmet, and the sunglasses.
He/she goes into the other bathroom, and puts sunscreen on his/her face.
Then he/she goes downstairs, and he/she retrieves both his/her bicycle and his/her bicycle shoes.
He/she puts on his/her bicycle shoes. He/she sets his/her bicycle computer.
He/she goes.
仁五 Street (or 人二 Street). Left at 傳廣 Road (or 四維 Road). Right in front of 寶桑 Junior High (or 新生 Elementary). Other he/shes are eating breakfast. Other he/shes are crowding into the 7-11. Other he/shes are driving.
馬亨亨 Boulevard. Left toward the train station. Rice fields and 虎頭 Mountain. A temple on the other side of the rice fields, on the other side of the river.
Right on 志航 Road. Across the 臺東大 Bridge. The 卑南 River. The 中華 Bridge seen from far away. The 利吉 Bridge in the other direction.
More trees. Going up.
He/she passes through 石川. He/she goes downhill. Taxis pass by too fast. Under the overpass. Turning around onto Highway 11.
The sun is very big over his/her head. He/she has water so he/she is not worried. Slower going through 富岡, then past Little 野柳.
加路蘭,
富山,
杉原,
香蘭,
都蘭,
興昌,
隆昌 then stop.
隆昌,
興昌,
都蘭,
香蘭,
杉原,
富山,
加路蘭, then back under the overpass. He/she is sweating now. It is tired to come back up the hill.
The sun is even bigger over his/her head. He/she has drunk all the water so he/she is a little worried. Slower going through 石川, then up the steepest part.
He/she passes by the 197. He/she goes downhill. Blue trucks pass by too fast. Under the green trees, headed down to the bottom of the hill.
More cars. Going down.
Left after 志航 Road. Having crossed the 臺東大 Bridge. The 卑南 River. The 利吉 Bridge seen from far away. The 中華 Bridge in the other direction.
馬亨亨 Boulevard. Right toward 寶桑 Junior High (or 東海 Elementary). A field of dragon fruit and 貓 Mountain behind. Houses on the other side of dragon fruit, on the other side of a road.
傳廣 Road (or 漢中 Street). Right at 仁五 Street (or 仁七 Street). Left into his/her apartment building. Other he/shes are still eating breakfast. Other he/shes are still crowding into the 7-11. Other he/shes are still driving.
He/she comes back.
He/she looks at his/her bicycle computer. He/she takes off his/her bicycle shoes.
He/she puts back his/her bicycle and his/her bicycle shoes, then he/she goes upstairs.
He/she goes into the other bathroom, and he/she closes the door.
He/she takes off his/her sunglasses first. Then the helmet, the socks, and the gloves. Then the scarf which he/she was wearing upon his/her head. Then he/she takes off his/her bicycle jersey. He/she takes of his/her bicycle shorts last.
He/she takes a shower.
And he/she goes back to bed.
9. Me, Twenty-Five Years Ago 二十五年前的我 (June 2016)
25 years is a long time ago. In 1991 I was still a high school student, still living with my parents, and still living in Seattle. As years of my life go, 1991 was one of the worst. 二十五年前的事真是久遠. 1991年的時候我還在念高中, 跟父母一起住在西雅圖. 在我的生命中, 1991年是最差的幾年的其中之一.
One of the things that made that year so bad was the prospect of death. Yes, that's right, death. At only 16 years of age, I was thinking about death a lot. One reason for this was a friend's attempted suicide during that year. Another reason was my grandmother's passing, not long before. Thinking too much about death doesn't give you the best perspective on life, you know? 讓那一年難過的事情是 "人會死" 這件事. 你沒看錯. 就是"死亡". 十六歲的我一直想著這件事情. 會這麼想的理由有二. 一是那一年我一個朋友自殺, 二是我外婆那一年過世. 思考太多關於死亡的事當然會讓我的觀念越來越灰暗.
Add to this the fact that I was just another awkward teenager, dealing with both feelings of inferiority and pressure from peers. During my first year of high school I was bullied a lot, and in my second year I was still sensitive about it. A lot of my sensitivity stemmed from an incident in which I was thrown from a second story window by several classmates. After falling two floors to the (hard) ground below, I didn't have the best feeling about kids my own age. 當然還因為是處於青少年時期的關係. 我那時候不是很喜歡自己, 也感受到同儕的壓力. 我高中一年級的時候常被欺負, 到二年級時我還是很在意這件事. 我會這麼在意是從同學們把我從二樓的窗戶丟出去開始. 被這樣對待之後, 我對同學的感覺當然不太好.
The thing was, most of it was in my mind. I realize that now. But at the time I was very standoffish, and very defensive. In some ways I was spoiling for a fight. I wanted people to start up trouble, just so I had a reason to exact "revenge" for what I'd endured the year before. Fortunately for me, my antagonism towards would-be bullies was enough of a warning, and no one ever bothered me again. 當時的我很冷淡, 防禦心很重. 我在很多方面都很挑釁, 我希望有人找我麻煩, 這樣我就有理由報復之前受到的對待, 幸運的是, 我表現出來對抗霸凌的態度讓人不敢再來煩我了.
And this, unfortunately, included girls. Chief among these girls was a girl named Emily in my English class. I was SO in love with her, but that was SO never going to happen. I agonized over ways to talk to her, and I sought out opportunities to be in her presence. But it was never going to be. I realize that now, too. Looking back at it now, I realize that I still had a lot of growing up to do, and Emily - and girls like Emily - weren't going to wait for me to do it. 不幸的是這也包含女生在內. 我的英文課上有一個女孩Emily, 我當時非常地喜歡她, 我想方設法跟她講話也找機會出現在她面前, 只是都沒效果罷了. 我現在回想起來也了解了, 當時的我還有許多成長中需要做的事要做, 而Emily, 或像她這樣的女孩, 是不會為當時的我等待的.
But hey, there was a good side to all of it. I wasn't bullied. I was left alone to read my strange books, to listen to my strange music, and to obsess over my strange movies. It was a year of H.P. Lovecraft and J.R.R. Tolkien, a year of Megadeth and Anthrax, and a year of From Beyond, Prince of Darkness, and Police Story. 但好的事還是有的, 我沒再被霸凌, 被冷落時我讀了許多奇怪的書: 一年的霍華德·菲利普斯·洛夫克拉夫及J·R·R·托爾金. 聽奇怪的音樂: 一年的麥加帝斯和炭疽樂團. 看了許多奇怪的電影: 一年的"靈異殺陣", "天魔回魂"和"警察故事".
I spent most lunches in the library, talking to almost no one and reading my books. I walked a mile back and forth to school every day, alone. I did OK in my classes, but never tried very hard. I had no plans for the future, nor any idea what I wanted to do with my life. Instead of plans I had an intense devotion to books, music, movies, and the idea (only the idea) of sex.我大部分的午餐時間都在圖書館讀書, 也幾乎不跟任何人說話, 我每天一個人走一英哩的路上下學, 我的成績還好, 不是很用功, 對未來沒有什麼計畫,也不知道自己想做什麼. 但我對書本, 音樂, 電影和性有很強烈的熱情.
Of course when you're in high school it seems like everyone is having sex. The football players, the girls smoking behind the gym, even the awkward guy who sometimes talks to you during lunch. But in retrospect, it wasn't that way at all. When I look at it now, very few of us were doing anything like that. But then you probably know how it is. You were probably once there yourself.在高中時, 覺得身邊的人好像都有過性行為了, 例如橄欖球員, 在體育場後面抽菸的女生, 甚至是有時候在午餐時交談的不怎麼受歡迎的人物. 但現在想起來卻不是那麼回事. 只有非常少數的人才是這樣, 但你大概可以知道那是什麼情形, 你應該也經歷過那些事.
High school. Altogether a fairly miserable chapter of my life. And on top of this there was going to the emergency room at Harborview, and seeing my friend's head swollen up to twice its normal size. The .22 caliber bullet he'd shot himself with bounced around inside his skull, and even though he somehow survived it, he was a different guy after.高中生涯是我一段相當難熬的日子, 除此之外, 就是去醫院的急診室看我的朋友, 當時他的頭腫成正常的二倍大, 他用來自殺的那顆子彈在他的頭裡撞擊彈跳, 雖然如此, 他還是活下來了, 但他之後就不再是原來的他了.
Most American movies about high school make it seem more fun that it really is. This is, at least, my experience. In the movies it's a big, lighthearted adventure, and by the end of the film everyone's either lost their virginity or made a friend for life. It wasn't that way for me, and in a way I'm glad it wasn't. A lot of the stuff that happened in high school was fuel for things I did later, and I think that in the overall context of who I am now it made me a stronger person. Maybe not always a happier person, but a stronger one regardless. 在美國電影裡, 讀高中看起來很好玩. 但我個人的經驗剛好相反. 電影裡的高中生都在冒險, 電影結尾不是終於做愛了, 就是找到生命中的至交. 這些都沒發生在我身上, 我也很高興沒有. 在高中時期發生的事都成為我之後的養分. 整體來說, 它讓我更堅強. 它不一定讓我成為比較快樂的人, 可是變堅強是一定的.
There's this, and also the fact that people whose "glory years" coincided with high school are among the most pathetic people I know. Maybe high school isn't a time when you should be completely happy, and completely well-adjusted. Maybe high school is a time when you're supposed to be pissed off, and waiting desperately for graduation. 我覺得認為高中是最美好時期的那種人很可憐. 我想高中不應該是人生最快樂的時候, 也不應該是最令人滿意的時候. 也許高中時期就是應該看什麼都不順眼, 也拼命地想著畢業吧!
1991? Part of me would rather not remember that year. But hey, it made me who I am today, right? If it wasn't perfect, at least it was a year I learned from. That, I suppose, is all that you can hope from any year, in any life, ever. 1991年? 我不是很想把那一年留在腦海裡. 可是那一年也讓我長大很多. 那一年不算美好, 可是那一年我學會很多生活能力. 這應該是人們希望的生命學習.
10. Nonsense That Fills My Head on a Monday (June 2016)
H. passed away two weeks ago. Friends told me he had a seizure, and that he stopped breathing soon after. Apparently he'd suffered from seizures for years, but he often avoided taking medication because of the way it made him feel. H. was one of those guys that I always felt like I would see again, and news of his departure made me very sad. Unlike V., who I never got to know that well, I felt like H. was a friend.
The above paragraph is, by the way, NOT nonsense. H. will be missed, and my condolences to any of his family and friends who might be reading this.
P. had his birthday party at Pete's pizza last Sunday. Saw a lot of the usual suspects there. Talked with J. for a while about real estate. Talked with K. about the job he's going to start in Taipei. No kind words for Hess. I've never worked at Hess, but what J. and K. said about their "vacation days" sounded like a lot of bulls&*t. Are the contracts at every Hess that deceptive?
It's a four-day weekend starting tomorrow. No plans as yet, though we might be driving to Kaohsiung on one of the four days. My mother-in-law made "a joke" about losing 2 million dollars on FB the other day, and she isn't the kind of person to make that kind of joke. Various family members are agonizing over the fact that she may have actually lost the money, and how is that possible, and who did she give the money to, and so on.
And by the way, the "J." in one of the above paragraphs is not the "J." mentioned in a previous entry. A lot of names start with J, and if anyone acquainted with the various Taiwanese and foreign "J.s" around town will just have to guess which "J" I was talking about. To make matters worse, there were two "J.s" at that same birthday dinner.
Miserable four-day weekend for me. Drove to Kaohsiung (and also Tainan) on Thursday, fighting traffic all the way. Later found out that the "joke" about the 2 million dollars wasn't a joke at all. My wife responded by taking away her bank book. Drove back from Kaohsiung on Friday, and the traffic was even worse - almost a standstill from Chao Jou 超州 to Fangshan 放山. Then I got sick on Saturday, and spent most of Saturday and Sunday sweating, coughing, and sleeping.
Saw The Conjuring 2 last night. Liked it a lot, and thought it was better than the first one. It was a bit too drawn out for its own good, but definitely an improvement.
Mainland China is threatening yet again to reduce the number of tourists it allows into Taiwan. This time they're claiming it was all a part of an established plan, and yet also a reaction to Taiwanese President Tsai Ying-wen's "incomplete answers" to questions about Cross-Strait relations. I can't help but think about all the years I was here before Mainland Chinese tourism was "a thing," and if Taiwan could get along without it before, what's different about now?
Speaking of the news, it's amazing how much traction certain facets of the Taiwanese media can get from Japanese porn stars. The Apple Daily and Next Magazine regularly feature articles on these people, and the articles almost never have any journalistic worth whatsoever. I get that such articles are an excuse to put up photos of the porn stars discussed, but why is the Taiwanese reading public so fascinated by them? Why not just view the porn that inspired the articles?
In equally ridiculous news, the little bar across from the Old Taitung Train Station is now serving a beer called "Satan Gold." A couple friends and I drank some of it last weekend. Not bad, but not as good as the IPA they were selling before.
Comments
Post a Comment