低溫週，牙痛週

別看我笑得還蠻燦爛的！這禮拜真不是人過的！
先是大雪小雪紛紛不斷，明明出門時還有點太陽，下課出來就是狂風驟起，夾帶零下低溫及滿天細雪！台灣的同胞不太能體會吧！
想像一下，你們所謂的寒流來襲，幾小時候馬上降到零下8度！
你還沒來得及說：「哇！下雪了ㄝ！好美喔！」馬上就可以感受到一道刺骨的風自你的臉上襲來！不用30秒，你會開始全身打冷顫！呵呵！相信我，那是你躲都躲不掉的冷！

冷也就算了，偏偏我的牙齒在時候痛了起來！
一吸入冷空氣，那痛喔，像一根鑽心釘直接打入牙根！半邊臉都覺得是要掉下去！
不說你不知道吧！在美國抽一顆牙神經要價美金八百元起跳，相當於台幣NT$26000!!! ㄟ！這還只是抽掉神經而已喔！要補起來，另外算！ 古代人說：「人要是窮啊，就不要生有錢人的病！」 嘿嘿！這話像是說給美國人聽的！
一個中西部的大學教授，月薪也只不過USD$5000-6000！
要是這個月需要治一顆牙齒，最起碼就要花掉五分之一的薪水！
想想在台灣，做一顆牙套加上根管治療可能花不到美金200元（還不到台幣7千元）！！！
所以說，在美國不能窮！窮人就是...該死！！！
天寒地凍、牙痛難忍，再加上一堆功課跟著來！
看看到我的同學吧…An-Chang and Seo!!!
中場休息，老師載女兒去學游泳，我們就趕快補眠囉！
（冬天學什麼游泳啊，一定是要藉此機會甩掉身上一堆肥油吧！！！）
上帝保佑我的牙可以撐久一點！

Cuisipro Tamper for Monica

Since Monica has been complaining about the "temporary" tamper, I bought a new one for her from Cuisipro. See this cute little sucker!!! It cost me 11.66. Well, what can I say. Sometimes we have to spend some money…just to get her out of our back, don't we? Hahahaha…

The short handle is very easy to hold in hand, and not slippery. But the stainless steel part is little too smooth…Or maybe it's because of the coffee powder. The Colombia powder I bought in Walmart is not fine enough for espresso. Next time, I need to buy better ground coffee in Starbucks.

Talking about coffee, I seldom see Lavazza coffee in the US, not even in coffee shops. Well, is it because the coffee market of US has already been monopolized by Starbucks. When I was in Taiwan, I did not like to go to Starbucks. The coffee there was more expensive. The clerks there were sometimes very arrogant. So why spent extra money and bought a cup of crap? Just because it's a chain coffee shop from "big US" does not mean that its coffee is the world's best.

So…welcome to Frankbucks. You choose your favorite coffee bean. You add your favorite kind of milk. (I use Lactose free milk…so you'll never be worried about digestion problems.) And the most important of all, it doesn’t cost you a penny if you are one of Frank's friends.

When AnChang, Yoshiki, and I did window "browsing" in a mall (Indy), we stopped at an Italian cheese store where various coffee beans were displayed. Yoshiki was a little excited about those coffee beans. Look at his face…he seemed like to take all the beans home.

Calm down, buddy! You are getting a little high there!!! Hahahaha...

Thank God…AnChang and I did not have to drag him out of the store!!!

你命好！?

◎您是富貴的白雲，容易賺錢，也容易花錢，樂於享受人生。才華出眾，喜歡有仁慈，守承諾的人。有點唯美，愛好文藝，有多方面的興趣與才華，但是缺乏執行力與行動力。◎

根據命理來分析您的個性，潛意識，以及行為模式，您是屬於「白雲命」，因此您天生具有白雲的特質，聰明有才華，學習能力強，觀察敏銳，喜歡探究事物背後的道理，思路清晰，有獨具一格的判斷與分析能力，但是缺乏執行力與行動力。白雲隨風飄流，一下飄到這邊，一下又飛到天邊，因此您的思路十分活躍，一下想做這個，一下想做那個，想像力豐富，但是缺乏持續力，容易流於空談。白雲變化萬千，所謂白雲蒼狗，因此您能夠以不同的角色來適應週遭的環境，不論多惡劣，您也能漸漸適應，進而改變環境。您對於環境的變動有很強的適應力，所以容易給人表裡不一的觀感，但其實是一般人不容易想像您的思維模式。白雲漂浮不定，不容易停下腳步，因此您思考能力強，但執行能力弱，您對週遭生活有很多的不滿與期待，也有能力改善，但就是不容易付諸行動。

此外，您喜歡平易近人，親切友善的人，不喜歡油嘴滑舌，虛情假意的人，而能讓您佩服的人，多半是成熟穩重，誠懇踏實的人。您的一生，像白雲一樣，無論飄向何方，也能保有赤子之心，但是白雲也會經歷考驗，有時會狂風暴雨，有時會烏雲蔽日，這些都是您一生中最大的磨練，只要您經得起外在的考驗，不怨天尤人，進而學習成長，一旦通過考驗，您的生活會更上一層樓，富貴綿長。
取自: http://tw.superfate.com/channel_fortune/index.php

算命網站上得來的！呵呵！跟我的個性、甚至別名都很像！
I know! I know! 這種網站大多都說得很籠統！
不過第一段倒是真的說的很好！我就是像雲一樣的人！
我喜歡自由自在！
還記得連小時候看的卡通片「北斗神拳」，我都比較中意南斗拳中的雲將-重左！
雖然他死的很慘，但最起碼，他就算知道自己打不贏拳王，也不惜戰鬥到嚥氣的最後一刻！生命中最後一秒，他的心仍然如浮雲，任性恣意！

話說回來，我天馬行空、去無定向，缺乏行動力！
久而久之，力量難以凝聚，什麼事都知道一點，什麼事都不精通！
合氣道很久沒練了，黑帶都可以拿去捆回收的舊衣服啦！
這回，我持續了一年多的健身，希望可以繼續下去！
唸書也一樣，好不容易念到這程度了，也不能半途而廢！希望可以早日拿到學位！！！

Sweating inside, Snowing outside

Sweating by the abs and shoulder training, Yoshiki and I was enjoying the snow-white scene out of the window in the Leclub. Soon after we finished working out, we went outside and took pictures. In this moment, the snow scene was the most beautiful in ISU campus. The first picture was the pathway toward Root Hall and Cunningham Memorial library. In summer, it will look like a green path, with shadow among leaves and golden sunshine's sneaking inside.

Snow kept falling on my head and shoulder, reminding me of the first-time snow experience on November 1, 2005. I was like a crazy country boy, dancing, hopping, and running in the snow. Oh, that was thrilling and exciting…I recalled. Well, when was the last time you had this kind of "simple pleasure" in your life? While we are getting older, we are also getting used to everything around us. Then we become more and more insensitive…eventually NUMB!!!

It's just like working out. In the very beginning, I used to get excited because the muscle growth showed obvious progress. But when the progress did not seem so "visible," the excitement diminished and so did the motivation. Fortunately, I've got a friend who has been working out with me since the first day I signed up in the Leclub. We tortured each other, encouraged each other, and of course, pushed each other. He is Yoshiki Hasegawa from Japan. Thanks to him, we do not get used to weight training and become "NUMB." We get numb muscles because of serious training and always feel sore the other day. We have been doing this for more than a year and we are going to move on.

Today…I was still excited about the snow. I don't know…maybe it's because of the words from Buddha: while you fail to change the situation, change your attitude. What's stronger may not be the power to change everything, but the will to endure the hardship.

Hahahahaha...Look at Yoshiki! He was tired! Smile, pal. We are becoming IRON MEN.

色戒：高級的三級片

就在去年吧，好像是在一陣歡呼聲中，李安執導的『色戒』上映！
一會兒得這個獎，一會兒得那個！回台灣時，媒體爭相報導！
突然間，又是一個「台灣之光」！！！
這些年，台灣之光就是不喜歡待在台灣，好像非得從海外，這光才能看得到！
回頭說說這電影，要不是掛上個[李安]，再加上一些明星，不就是一部情色電影嗎？！
好吧！咱們就不從那個角度去看，那這部戲要表達的藝術概念在哪裡？？
有些電影，一看就之倒是誰導的！因為片中有強烈的個人風格，有深沈的藝術理想！
就算是一部眾星雲集的商業片，也能清楚感受導演的藝術靈魂以及人文的內涵！
說穿了，我實在看不出這部黑白色情片的創作力！
很迂腐的橋段，很無聊的故事內容！若不是床戲，誰掏腰包去看啊？

說到這個，我就想到臥虎藏龍！大家都說好看，我卻覺得才剛剛要感覺到一點戲裡人物的深沈，就很快地被武打或是其他東西蓋過去！
古代劍客的孤獨及風骨，表現不到三成！
我知道，也許有人會說，反正外國人不會懂的，只要讓他們看個熱鬧罷了！
呵呵！我覺得，就是拍不出來，外國人才永遠都不會懂！！！

藝術家的美，就在於創作下的新穎突出以及與眾不同。往往，作品裡的靈氣與創意會令人耳目一新，開人眼界！
李安及他這部『色戒』，充其量也不過是個能工巧匠做出來迎合大眾胃口的複製品！
張愛玲小說裡的迷惘、情感糾結，這部戲也只是沾上一點邊而已！

Coffee Finger: Monica...

There you go. The legendary "three layers" of the golden espresso just came alive from Monica. Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present you the Frankbuck's weekend espresso, double shots…go well with hot milk froth. Oh, do not add any sugar please. Don't delude the fragrance by sweetness. "本日特選素材"--Today's best selected material is Colombia coffee bean. It has smooth and well-balanced flavor…Imagine the passion and the exotic dancing coming from South America. Trust me, you won’t want to miss even a single drip…it's like the gift from God's imagination. Finally, we shall never forget the most important ingredient: ... ... LOVE. (Don't get any strange ideas.) It's the "LOVE" for coffee and the appreciation for Monica.

Take a sip. Oh, the fragrance goes into your nose, and the slight bitterness thrills your nerves. Sounds like taking drugs, doesn't it? Hahahahahahaha…

Happy WA, Frank. You are not alone…you have Monica.

小諾咖啡館

想起在秘密花園…..
『小諾，一杯藍山、兩杯曼巴！--大哥的朋友要的喔！』
曾經，我煮出來的咖啡是店長指定「老闆御用飲品」！
Syphon 在我手上時，那杯咖啡就是可以掛保證的啦!!!
我的師傅們，徒兒沒給你們丟臉！

現在義式咖啡當道，再好的Syphon手藝也慢慢被取代了！
喝純咖啡的人也越來越少了！
不過話說回來，Espresso在速度和品質上，的確方便許多！
很久了！很久沒有再讓咖啡粉滑過我的指尖！
輕握一小撮，湊到鼻尖，好久不見，哥倫比亞的香醇及恰到好處的濃密！

最近買了一台 DeLonghi espresso maker，價錢恰到好處！氣壓也很穩定！
雖然奶泡管有點短，但我的技術還是可以彌補這個小缺點的！
我給她取名叫 Monica！！！
整體說來，她的確是一台物超所值的義式咖啡機！至少，在美國的價錢會比台灣低的多！
現在，每天早上咖啡香都會飄散在我的書桌前！外面儘管是滿天風雪，我手裡卻有咖啡杯的微溫，肆溢嘴裡的咖啡香，當然...還有腦中轉來轉去的期刊論文！

【從一粒細微的沙子可以想見天地的寬廣，從一朵野花可以觀看出整個世界的奧妙，只要用心去觀察體會，便會發現我們的雙手掌握了無限的可能，而生活的每一瞬間的充滿了新奇與驚喜，只要能握住的當下的每分每秒，創造出的價值便形同永恆。】 ~威廉布萊克~

有一天，我也會有自己的花園！花園中刷白的石牆反射煦煦陽光…
藍色咖啡台望出去，是圍繞的長春藤蔓、是偶爾開在牆角的牽牛花！
我會煮著一杯杯的咖啡，然後一面想著，剛買的CD，要放那片來聽...
也許，這就是我心中的永恆！

One Fine Day

It was a little warm today. 'Warmness,' according to the current location, is about zero Celsius. Well, if my family heard me saying this, they would be probably saying: oh, then it is freaking cold there in Terre Haute.

I've never been to any northern states in the U.S. Maybe I should really go there and experience what's called "DMAN COLD."
Hahaha...!

Looking out the window of College of Education, I was composing the concept map of my future dissertation. The flow of thoughts ran like a crazy cat in my brain. I kept searching the ideas I got from the bibliography assignment. It seemed to me that the conceptual frame was being constructed piece by piece. After presenting my ideas to Dr. Powers, She actually gave me a positive feedback that I just keep going on the right track. "It's complicated though," said Yoshiki. I know…it may be a little bit!!! But I guess that's the way it is. All that I need to do is go on and get it done…

I was kind of surprised that I did not fall asleep because of the tiring exercise before the class. The sunshine was quite comfortable. Smell the air and take a deep breath! I know…I can feel it...this land is waking up. Spring is not far away.

The picture! Yoshiki was very good at taking my pictures from the angle that I look pretty "fat." Good job, pal! Now I will really keep working out in the Le Club, trying to lose several pounds of fat…!!! Is this how you keep me from being lazy working out with you? You really know how to get me do it, don't you? Hahahaha…

Well, well, well...please take a look at this, my BROTHER---My Dinner! Butter chicken spaghetti with vegetables in parmesan & Mozzarella sauce. I made it by myself. That's right…very cheesy and buttery. Oh, by the way, I found some beer left in my refrigerator. What a great combo! For sure, this is why I can not get rid of the fat around my waist. What the heck...Gan-bai…!!!!!

Life should be wasted in anything that makes you happy …^_^ …

Reading by the Riverside

"To see a world in a grain of sandAnd a heaven in a wild flower,Hold infinity in the palm of your handAnd eternity in an hour." ~ William Blake ~

Have you ever dreamed of sipping a cup of cappuccino while reading a favorite novel in your back yard beside a river? It could be considered a luxurious lifestyle in this modern world…well, depending on where the house is located actually.

The riverside idea is not really fascinating to me as long as the house is surrounded by bunches of mosquitoes. Sounds pretty nasty, doesn't it? However, I do like the tranquility as presented in this picture. If I can live in a house like that, I must have a dog. Shibainu is definitely my first choice. Then, what else? What kinds of cars do I need? ...Probably an SUV. What about Acura MDX 2008 or Lexus RX350!? ----------HaHaHaHa…either one is perfect. Of course, I shall have a mini-bar beside my living room. Imagine there is a comfortable couch with a reading light by the side. I can make a cup of coffee, go back to my reading, and pat my dog sometimes.

What's the eternity in an hour? For years, I have been praying for the tranquil moments in my mind…An hour is enough…if only I can really hold those moments in the palm of my hands sometimes.

髮梢裡的記憶

今天陽光挺大的，地上的積雪頑強地抵抗著！
我伸手摸了摸教室窗台上的玻璃，打了個冷顫，外頭還是零下的低溫！
那女孩不像是美國人！那種細緻的氣質是裝不出來的！…..至少，在粗魯的美國女人中式看不到的！
我聽得出她的口音，她肯定是會說兩種以上的母語！
細白的皮膚卻沒有多少雀斑，棕色的髮絲看得出她用心打扮過！ …..很明顯，她是有男友的！
這一小時裡我格外多看了她幾眼，不是覺得她美，而她也沒有特別『魔鬼』的身材！
捉住我的，是那陽光灑在她髮梢上...淡淡光影扶疏間的...眼神！！！

不陌生！從側面看，一下子就喚起我的記憶。
這個眼神，曾經望著我的眼神，在夢裡思念過千百回的眼神！

見不到妳，聽不到妳，都不是最痛的！
凌遲在心裡的，是好像處處都留下妳的記憶，妳的蹤跡，妳的一言一行！
一分一秒、一草一木，妳好似在我身旁…
伸出手來，卻觸不到妳的溫柔，握不住妳的髮梢！

妳好嗎？親愛的天使：
記得那家咖啡館嗎？ 妳還喝同一種咖啡嗎？
今天下午的陽光是否也溫暖妳的臉？
髮梢裡的浮光掠影是否也曾令妳想起我…..？

Lousy Bank, Poor Service (Not research-based, but authentic)

I have never felt so disappointed at a bank…Chinatrust Commercial Bank!
The story started with the problem of the annual fee. I was being charged $NT600 because I have not used my credit card "enough" for the past year. Well, I currently live in the U.S. so that I may not be able to use that credit card so often. Feeling that I should not pay that annual fee, I called and asked for the cancellation of the annual fee. Then, guess what! The bank clerk on the phone dared to say: Since you have not used your credit card, you have to pay the annual fee…or you can cancel the fee as well as the credit card.

Wow! What kind of bank is this? What a service!!!!!

First of all, why should I pay the annual fee since I did not frequently use the card? Maybe this was just because of the poor service from Chinatrust bank.
Second of all, I did not say that I will not use the card any more. I did explain that I will use the card soon after I go back to Taiwan. Just because I do not use it right now does not mean that I will not use it in the future. How dare you tell me to cancel that card just because of the damn $ NT 600.
Finally, this was how Chinatrust bank treated a customer who have kept business with it for more than ten years. For Citi Bank, just a phone call solved everything. (Oh, by the way, it seems that credit card users do not have to pay annual fee in the U.S. SO why banks in Taiwan are so special?????)

To sum up, I strongly suggest people in Taiwan stop business and service with Chinatrust bank. In this modern world, you want to make money…..you got to have good service!!!