Morning Breakfast in Mid-Autumn Festival

I haven’t been able to watch TV on a regular basis for a long time/or since I was in the U.S. This has formed my habit of not watching cable TV in my couch with a bag of chips every night. Sounds sarcastic!? …well, not my intention though! I just want to say: the best way not to be addicted to TV is not to put one in your room. And yes, it works. I haven’t been thinking about buying a TV for my bedroom since I moved back Taiwan last June. I am gonna stick to this “plan” which, to some extent, really helps keep my reading habit.

I watch TV only when I eat breakfast in the living room or during fruit-time in the afternoon. It’s usually not more than 30 minutes. But something caught my eyes this morning: “As Good As It Gets” by Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt. What is a good movie? A good movie can make you happy or inspire you sometimes even though you have watched it so many times.

Somehow, I enjoy catching the tension between Melvin and Carol. They are two people with entirely different personalities and ways of expression. Melvin is so good at words in writing, and yet, he is so bad at social skills, especially in verbal expression. Well, I’ve never met such a person like Melvin which makes curious and wonder how it feels like when I am talking to a person like him: always complaining, not showing any ounce of compassion or consideration, almost causing verbal violence while losing his patience… However, Melvin’s last comment on Carol is deep and thoughtful. He actually knows the bright side of Carol and he really appreciates it.

"I might be the only one who appreciates how amazing you are in every single thing that you do. And how you are with Spencer, Spence, and in every single thought that you have, and how you say what you mean, and how you almost always mean something that's all about being straight and good. I think most people miss that about you. And I watch them, wondering how they can watch you bring their food, and clear their tables, and never get that they just met the greatest woman alive."

Good movie. ^^

週末の偶遇

親愛なる君へ :

週五下午的奇遇，在離學校大約 20分鐘車程的濕地保護區，他是一隻出來曬太陽的小烏龜! 

(真的很危險，就在散步道的旁邊--他要是繼續待在那裡，我想很容易被人踩死或是被狗叼去玩!)

 雖然我不知道你是誰，但你實在是隻討喜的小東西!

 嗯嗯~這太陽真好!讓我伸一下懶腰~ㄟ….我好像沒有腰!

哈哈哈

 等等~我好像在半空中ㄟ!Oh…...Crap!我有懼高症啦!

 來來來...看這裡!

 對了…...笑一個!

 「好了啦…...再拍我要收錢囉!!!」

 實在好想把它帶回家飼養，但我知道我部沒有時間好好照顧他!如果把他養死了，那豈不是害了他!

呵呵...再跟你合照一張!

也許你在這個自然環境中要活下去是一場很嚴苛的挑戰，但你仍然屬於這個大自然!加油…^^

Coffee Addict: French Press Coffee

How many cups of coffee do I need every day? Or...should the question be "how fast can I make a cup of coffee when I have a nine o'clock shift in the morning?" Anyway, I got this pretty French press coffee maker.

 Bodum Chambord 3-cup French Press.

 Actually, I was a little doubting about its 3-cup capacity after I opened the box at home. But, well, this may probably turn out to be a better situation for me cause it limits the amount of coffee I can have for one day.

I made my first French press coffee this afternoon. The coffee was organic Serena blend with medium roast. I expected to have citrus and floral tasting notes. Hmm...it was very smooth, right temperature (just perfect for sipping), and full-body flavor. I was not so sure about the floral taste, but the citrus one was obvious, wandering around my palate. If I want it stronger next time, I may have to mix one scoop of coffee with less water like 3 oz.

What a Week

 So…I've got a pretty stressful week. And here you go…...a sty eye on the left side!!!!!! It's painful, swollen, and tear-running all the time. I guess I deserved it because of keeping reading my previous work on chapter 1 & 2 of my dissertation. My eye could not stand the unfinished writing.

Finishing two chapters, should I just take a break and go somewhere to relax myself? Oh, yep...sure I should. 

Ladies and gentlemen, please meet my new friend Herman Wells, the 11th president of Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. 

We had a nice chat that afternoon. 

I told him that he could use some cardio exercise. 

He suggested me: you think writing a dissertation is difficult? Wait until you become the president of Indiana University! 

Hahahaha…...well, he got a point! (though it's not like I have a chance or anything!)

I was on the E. Kirkwood Ave. 

Behind me is the Indiana University in beautiful sunset.

Bass caught in the Scott Lake of Greene-Sullivan State Forest

Lure: Reaction Innovations Skinny dipper/Light Hitch

Bass Caught in Minnehaha Fish and Wildlife Area

Lure: Strike King Space Monkey/Watermelon Red Flakes

好「酒」不見

親愛なる君へ :

記不記得我曾說過:「要找到一瓶好酒不難，可要有個好酒伴就不容易囉!」所以古人就說過--酒逢知己千杯少! 在美國這裡也差不多!

Jack Daniel's Tennessee 這支酒在美國很常見，20元美金(相當於台幣大約六百元) 就可以在超市或是藥房買到! 說實在的，口感其實也不錯了!而且當年在電影[女人香 Scent of a Woman] 裡 Al Pacino 幾乎是當水喝了...呵呵呵呵!當然，如果依我的評價來看，調合威士忌裡面，還是日本 Suntory 的 山崎 (Yamazaki) 和 角瓶 (Kakubin) 要略勝一籌!

這支威士忌應該是Jack Daniel's 出產的一支"花招"酒-Jacke Daniel's Tennseess Honey-顧名思義，就是威士忌加上蜂蜜的調味! 我在架上看到後，往往返返地走來走去，內心抗爭了許久，終於還是不敵好奇心，買回家嚐嚐( 算是給我自己今年的生日禮物吧)!!!!!!

最近看過的一部戲Robin hood裡面，羅素克洛的同伴們一人繳了兩個硬幣向修士買醉!那修士給他們喝的就是所謂的蜂蜜酒(mead)--我一面抱著酒瓶去結帳，一面想像著~~~該是啥滋味!!!!!! Well, 溫潤的口感，也沒了傳統威士忌的那種濃厚的麥芽味道! 好喝~好入喉~~~只能說，也許上不了男人幫的檯面酒；但要是在有男有女的小聚會，加點綠茶或是調味的Tonic Water，應該足以賓主盡歡地喝個過癮!我想，Jack Daniel's 出這支酒，應該也是為了將威士忌更普遍化...更加迎合女性和不太喝烈酒的人吧!

Whiskey Enlightenment

In winter, 1996 (Yangming Mountain, Taipei), I had my first shot of whiskey. Some said that whiskey is definitely the "Men's Drink." Well, I have no intention to get in such an endless debate, but yes, I fell in love with whiskey ever since that shot. It was a tongue-and-throat-burning experience and the name was Suntory Kakubin "角瓶."

That night, I went to my landlord's house for tutoring his son with his English. I walked to my landlord's house only to find my student had gone shopping with his mom. My landlord was sitting in front of his big TV, kindly asking me if I would like to join him with a drink. He poured me a shot of Suntory whiskey in a beautiful hand-made Chinese pottery. (quite an exotic match, huh!) My whiskey enlightenment thus began. (BTW, we were watching the Discovery channel at that time. Well, would it be cool if we were watching "The Godfather" instead!?)

This is the genuine Suntory Kakubin-just flew to me from Japan….from Yoshiki. I shall expect to have a pleasant winter with this bottle. ^^

Special Blend

Made In Japan--I wonder if it tastes the same as the Kakubin in Taiwan.

價值

親愛なる君へ :

要填飽肚子一般來說30分鐘足矣~!可要花多少錢勒?

那得看看在哪兒吃囉!

自己做的一餐: 水燙青花菜、生的小紅蘿蔔、義式千島沙拉醬、兩片雞柳條(要價大約3元美金吧~約台幣90元~免油錢)~健康/少油少鹽少糖

Taiwan Tea House的一餐: Deep Fried Pork with Rice 就是台灣的炸豬排飯 (要價7元美金~約台幣210元~開車一小時三十分鐘~來回約30元美金的油錢)

Mug N Buns 的特製豬排堡加上自製的沙士: 要價約 7元美金~約台幣210元~開車約一小時~來回約20元美金的油錢

Volvo C30 T5 北美價 $26350 USD

(約台幣87萬~但這款Turbo版卻不在台灣上市~台灣版的要價已經過台幣百萬)

因緣際會，朋友租車，我也幸運地能夠開到!瑞典 富豪汽車果然加速及穩定方面很出色~我在美國的高速公路上開得很過癮

(還好沒遇到警察~嘿嘿嘿嘿)

但是說實話，有錢我也不會買這部車!!! 車內空間不大、座椅不是很舒服!這倒不是說我不喜歡這車的內裝~它的極簡風格有種俐落的高雅!

只是相比較起來~我還是比較喜歡日式的貼心~~!

我真的不年輕了~~ ><

路很寬敞~車子的油門踩得很爽~日落的景色很美

這裡是美國印第安那州70號公路

咖啡味の 夢想

親愛なる君へ :

曾幾何時，白色襯衫、牛仔褲、深海軍藍的圍裙；陽光、Bossa Nova 音樂、手中的Syphon，陣陣咖啡香! 我還曾幻想自己是店老闆，煮出來的咖啡一杯杯都要親自喝過，就算站了一整天的吧檯，就算連午餐都沒時間吃，只要客人滿足地說：「小諾，咖啡、還是喝你煮的最讚。」呵呵，那是連作夢都會笑的場景!

這麼些年了，我始終不會忘記花園裡學過的東西，所有輕食的作法及要領，就好似如數家珍地、不時地浮現在眼前! 在美國這麼多年，吃過那麼多西餐，但在心裡，咖啡和三明治仍然是最佳拍擋!

今天中午的午餐是用Honey Wheat Bagel 做的雞柳三明治!沒有啥訣竅，Romaine 菜加上紫洋蔥，雞柳切平用薄油煎熟後灑上一點黑胡椒鹽，然後再放一點蛋黃醬和Bagel夾起來就行了! 健康輕食主義：少鹽少油又少糖! 咖啡的話，也是餐後一小時搭配幾片燕麥餅乾一起喝的!不會影響到正餐的消化!

夢想有味道的話，那會是啥?

我的夢想嘛~~是咖啡味!!!

It's not fish I am after

What is my hobby? For lots of Taiwanese students, in fact, a hobby is sort of luxurious thought. In my memory, there was no such a thing as a hobby for me from elementary school to college; Oh, yeah, not even when I was in the master's program in the U.S. I've never collected stamps which was considered a "good" hobby when I was in the elementary school. I did play some sports, including baseball, volleyball, badminton, tennis, and basketball. But none of them developed into the category of "my favorite hobby." Obviously, I am not tall and strong enough. On the other hand, sports in Taiwan are seldom developed into profitable career unless they are associated with gangs or illegal gambling.

Well, somehow I still feel myself lucky because I find something that will be my lifelong interest: bass fishing. Fishing was not really my thing when I grew up in Taiwan. I've never thought that sitting there and waiting fish to bite the bait is so much fun. However, bass fishing in the U.S. consists of various rigs, skills, lures, and knowledge. Just talking about rigs and tips, we may easily find tons of information about them on Google Search. Some may regard bass fishing as a leisure activity while others may take it as a professional career. For me, I'd like to view bass fishing as competitions between human and nature. There is no winning or losing but endless mind game in this sport. Let me quote a saying from a fishing calendar (which was a gift from my favorite professor, Dr. Nelson): many men go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.

My rod, reel, and rig: Shimano Voltaeus 6.6' Medium casting rod, Shimano Curado 200E7, and 3/8 oz jig with Strike King Rage Tail craw (Okeechobee).

The rod on the right is Daiwa 6' Medium Light Spinning rod and Neko rig with Zoom Swamp crawler (June bug).

Seldom do I say: I am a big fan of … I mean I like Kevin VanDam. Talking about bass fishing in the world, he is definitely #1 in my mind. But to be honest, I like Hata Takuma better. Sometimes he is more like a comedian to me. He is funny even when he is fishing. Maybe it's his spirit that make me feel that fishing is an enjoyable sport: enjoying the process of fishing, learning from each fishing experience, and letting the results go by the God's will.

「回憶」

親愛なる君へ :

好久不見

「回憶」是一種很奇妙的禮物；能使人開懷大笑，也能使人痛哭流涕。我一直以為時間拉長了，心情會慢慢平復，淡淡地，就不再那麼痛了! 也許那天一忙起來，也就記不清楚了。但事實上，根本就不是這樣!

景物依舊；但人事全非! 回到美國，就是開車去買菜都不免傷感起來-原來一棵樹、一個路上的招牌、甚至超市裡最平凡無奇的蔬果，都會使我想起很多!就像不會間斷的紀錄片一樣，轉身，我還覺得她就在我身旁，我還在說：「今天的高麗菜很便宜又新鮮，買大顆一點，可以吃好機天。」這種感覺很難過，三不五時地在心上割一刀，傷口永遠都難復元!最糟的是，每天都會在我眼前上演，只是場景不同。

Connie常常被我停在樹蔭下，一兩天都不去動她! 因為我好怕出門，好怕在那裡又有甚麼東西又讓我想起她! 每次一想起她，我就會想喝酒，而且一喝就很容易醉!

Dream Lamb-chop

My sister asked me: what do you want to eat the most when you are back in Taiwan this time? The first dish came to my mind is the lamb-chop made by a cool beard-guy in Tainan. Its Chinese name is "東北十三香烤羊肉." In translation, I infer that the lamb-chop has been seasoned with thirteen different kinds of spices and that may be originated from the Northeast of Mainland China. (Well, I've heard that the owner's wife comes from the northeastern part of China.) Anyway, the lamb-chop was a little crispy outside and juicy inside. Combined with various seasoning, it was surely a perfect match with a glass of red wine, or maybe beer.

Further information about the restaurant: 食草堂羊肉舖子

Riding a bike to Anping and all the way back to my home took me around forty to fifty minutes. It was nice exercise when I had no access to any workout center in Tainan. As a matter of fact, I stopped by a fitness center called "Workout Factory" near my home. The price for one-year membership would cost me six hundred US dollars which was six times of the price in ISU. Wow~~~again, I was spoiled by the gym in ISU.

During the Dragon Boat Festival, I bought a giant hot dog which cost me 50 Taiwan dollars (almost 2 USD). Well, it was just a piece of hot dog wrapped with bunch of fries. Believe me, I was sweating like hell while eating that hot dog. I should have just bought a cup of bubble tea. ^^