First Time In the US: Dental Care and Haircut

The toothache finally got me walk into a dental clinic. My doctor was Bruce Anshutz. He was so great that I almost felt nothing when he tried to make my tooth "numb!" Well, let's say it might be a good beginning for me to "like" to see a dentist. The treatment did not take a long time. Before I fell asleep, everything was done. Bruce then explained how he "fixed" my tooth. Temporarily, he filled the CAVE with some medicine and not-so-strong material. If I don't feel any toothache within a month, Bruce is going to put stronger materials in the CAVE. All the treatment today cost me only USD $21.

(As a matter of fact, he suggested to go back Taiwan, have the root or nerve taken out, and put a cap on. Guess what?! If I had all the treatment here in the US, I would have to pay at least USD $1600.)

Well, I guess I have to cross my fingers, hoping I won't have the toothache this month.

In the afternoon, I asked Yoshiki a favor for taking me to the barber's. The barber was still a student. After she was done with my hair, she asked her instructor to check how well she just did. I gave her 70 out of 100 points. Overall, she really concentrated on the work and was willing to communicate with her client. Her attitude and job enthusiasm were worth appreciation. On the other hand, I may not complain anything more since I only paid USD $5 for the haircut.

Do I look younger because of short hair? Jejejejejeje…

三十歲男人的活力 ＋四十歲的男人的腦子

親愛なる君へ :

還記得我跟你說過的，所謂「單純的喜樂」嗎？
我今天看一齣戲，戲中男主角是哈佛的高材生，億萬身價的他情願去當速食店的小工，體會汗水、勞力換來的一餐滿足！
他一個月所得還不抵不上以往一餐的花消！但他覺得很開心，很知足，很踏實地去實現他的夢想！
很簡單的訴求，似曾相識的劇情！但我還是細細地看完！為主人翁喝采！
又一次，粗茶淡飯和心心相扣戰勝了錦衣玉食及同床異夢！

以前，我會相信，這樣的劇情真可以發生在現實生活中！
現在，我卻堅信，有千萬身價後，一樣要粗茶淡飯！ （是千萬，不是億萬喔！我沒那磨貪心！）

但這些都不是重點！

令我著迷的，是他們同吃一枝KFC玉米的快樂！是他們颱風天看海的瘋狂！
就是做最簡單的事，也莫名地快樂！因為有他/她在身邊！

廣宏一說：「四十歲以後單身的男人，他們對心靈上的渴望，早已勝過肉體的歡愉追求，究竟他們這不惑之年，一晚纏綿悱惻一次後，也只能選擇不惑了吧！這時他們面對女人，是比少時更敏感，猶勝體貼，卻也更容易被誤解成戲弄人生！」（取自 08/03/06 戲弄人生：http://www.styleblog.com.tw/style_b/article.aspx?name=bukuly&no=7940）

我沒有戲弄人生的本錢！第一，就算我還可以一晚七次，我也不想因為過渡縱慾而早死！（嗯！兩三次還可以啦！哈哈哈哈！！！）第二，我也沒那麼有錢有閒，身邊也沒有名模辣ㄎㄚ圍著我團團轉！ 但是，我倒是漸漸有廣大師說的敏感！說起來，好像有點『鹽吃多了、路走多了』的感慨！呵呵！我還沒老到那種地步！最起碼，每週三次的健身，那些一肚子肥油的美國佬和「少年家」也不見得跟得上！

那我是啥！？三十歲男人的身體，卻有四十歲男人的體會嗎！？ ...我開始懂得，為什麼老爸喜歡看「背叛愛情」！也開始知道，為什麼和一個二十幾歲的小姑娘鬥嘴會開心個30分鐘！看到溫馨的電視廣告，會想掉眼淚！（唉！奇怪勒！我更年期又還沒到！）

其實，再一次就好，我真的很想再感受一次，那心頭炙熱的愛、那份癡狂、那眼角滲出的甘甜！幾句話就能顫動心悱，隻字片語，就能讓心口發熱！

Chivas Regal (12 yrs) + Missing Moment

Well, really! I swear I did not just grasp a reason for drinking!
This bottle of scotch just came at the right time and at the right place.
What can I say!? This is a coincident by God's hands…(I guess)!

Take a look at those Chinese words on the invitation card: 『執子之手，與子偕老』, which means " Let me hold your hands till the day we both leave the world." (I prefer this translation. "Till the day we are both old" seems not to express the inner meaning.)

I was flipping through your wedding pictures, sipping whisky. I remember you poured me glasses of sake once while we were eating hot pot in Yangmingshan. I drank up the whole bottle and then had a nice evening walk with you and friends. The tiny rain drop was like cool steam shower, falling on our warm faces and palms…

I guess I would also be drunk in your wedding like your father.
KANPAI, my dear. Here is a song for you.
Please remember … you and he always have all my best blessings!!!

Reserve A Breakfast Talk 13 hours Later

What is the farthest distance you can talk to a person?
Who talks and listens to you during breakfast every morning?
When was the last time you felt being loved and cared by someone in your mind?

Well, first of all, I don't know the exact number of mileage. It takes a trip on an airplane for more than 20 hours any way.
Second of all, I always feel talking to "her" during my breakfast every morning…though she lives in Taipei whose time zone is 13-hour different from mine!!!
Thirdly, I am not sure I once felt being loved or cared…but I am so sure that I feel she is always there with me … ALL THE TIME!!!

When she told me that she was getting married, I felt like a father, wondering if the lucky guy was really "qualified"!
When she got married, I hated myself being stuck in the US and failing to see the most beautiful bride in the world!
When she said "the platform" is a place where she can feel me being with her, I went back to her words and read line by line, again and again.

Every morning, I make myself a cup of coffee, do some casual reading online, and pay a visit to her "platform." It seems like a breakfast talk with your family before going to work.

I can not help but wonder why people sometimes ignore the advantages of these daily talks with their family. Maybe there is no such a "distance" that makes them feel the desperate necessity to talk to each other. Gee, what's in their mind? Having a meeting with boss or clients? Buying another LV purse or Lexus car?

~Life should be wasted in wonderful things~…the words I got from a commercial (though I forgot what the commercial was about).

So what are those wonderful things? Well, I guess they depend on what you treasure…in your "value system." Have you ever heard about French people? They seem to always delay things, indulge themselves in pleasure, and live a very casual life. From a perspective of an industrial society, French people are not productive and efficiency. However, they may be the people who know how to enjoy life best. Why hurries? They'd rather spend 30 minutes enjoying a cup of café au lait beside riverbank than rush in and out of Starbucks. Hahahaha…I start to like this life attitude actually. This is why I spend time "talking" to her every morning…with music and coffee!!!

You are having a nice dream, aren't you? My dear…
May you and he have all the happiness and love in God's hands!