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!

相依相隨

真情真美
詞 趙麟，曲 陳彤，孫楠、許茹云演唱
(男)真情真美，真如一池春水，風吹點點漣漪，感受細致入微。
(女)癡心無罪，付出沒有不對，就算一生一世，從此相依相隨。
(男)不必在乎是誰，翻轉是是非非，把前塵做白紙，寫上無怨無悔。
(女)我們都愿意給，只要愛的純粹，就算有苦有累，我們一起去背。
(合)愛是多么可貴，貴在有所作為，只要同去同歸，成敗也無所謂。
(男)來日風雨中有沒有傷悲，無論怎么樣一起來面對，百轉千回，縱橫南北，敞開我們的心扉。
***********************************************************************************
大陸原版射雕英雄傳的片尾曲是「真情真美」，唱出小說中郭靖與黃蓉的愛情故事！
呵呵！在台灣上映時，卻是用陳亦迅的「十年」作為片尾！！！...真是強烈的對比！

認識一個人十年，和一個人在一起十年，算不算是很久！？
我喜歡李亞鵬和周迅演的射雕英雄傳！儘管很多人批評這個版本：
李亞鵬把郭靖演的太過憨傻、周迅演出黃蓉的機靈聰慧，但卻缺乏靈氣！！！
但我不在乎！我看重的是他們表現出郭黃兩人無怨無悔，生死相隨的愛情！
十年後，你會不會記得那天？---第一次牽妳的手！握在掌心裡的微溫…
十年後，你會不會記得那一刻？---第一次相擁？抱在懷裡的感動…
十年後，你是否還想牽他的手？是否還有勇氣，互許另一個十年？

我妹問我，對我來說，什麼事最難？
她告訴我：『放棄』最難！尤其是要放棄一個人時，最難！
我想，她是對的！揪扯十多年的感情線，不是說斷就馬上可以忘記一切的！
但我想問：難道硬拉著不放就是愛嗎？難道堅持下去就是勇氣的表現嗎？
嘴上說的很好聽：不會輕易放棄這段感情！但卻一直做出折磨對方的事情！
這就叫做『堅持』嗎？這就叫做『真愛』嗎？
我好累！...昨天是十週年紀念！也沒什麼好記的！
不要怪我，我不是『放棄』！我只是要一個，能在乎我的人！

Life always finds a way...

I have never been so depressed on Monday and Tuesday this week. First of all, I could not tolerate my toothache any more and decided to go to a dentist in the neighborhood. Well, health is more important than anything, isn't it? But I had to pay USD$51 just for the exam and X-ray. (I screamed in my mind: why don't you just rob the bank?) My hesitation stopped me, and that took me to another dental clinic near Honey Creek Mall, Aspen Dental. This clinic will not cost me a penny for the exam…however, I got to wait until next Wednesday to meet the scheduled time for the exam. Wow, how wonderful!

Anger, disappointment, and pain dragged me out of Aspen Dental and I went back to the dentist near my apartment. Again, the fastest appointment I could have is next Tuesday morning. Hahahahaha…God really has a sense of "humor." As soon as I went back to my apartment and was ready to take and rest for further studies of my statistics, my internet was dead. Well, let me tell you something, Mr. God: You are not……funny at all!!!!!

Alright! You want me to have some frustration! Fine, let's feel it and taste the bitterness.

Despite the toothache and the dead internet, I finished my assignment and went to the statistic class on Tuesday. Well, Well, Well…while Yoshiki and I sat down in the lab and checked our homework, I took a look at my emails since I failed to get online at home. Then guess what!!! Dr, Marte sent out the email, telling us the class was cancelled because of the coming snow storm on that night! The email was sent at 4:59pm while Yoshiki and I left for school at around 5:03pm!!!!!

What the heck! We just stayed at the lab, finished the assignment, and submitted it online. As we were on our way walking back, it was snowing very hard, making the campus all while.

Hahahaha…that was actually very beautiful…something I'd never have a chance to see in Taiwan. Maybe this is life…huh...going up and down just like being on a roller coaster. At that moment, I guess I finally realize what Dr. Barratt said about the optimism. No matter how you feel, life will be just the way it is. You smile, things will go on; you cry, things will still go on! So why makes yourself miserable? Just enjoy the moment…

Yoshiki and I were taking pictures while we were walking back.
Mark this day, Frank! From now on, you are an optimist.

By the way, the next day, March 5, was a sunny and warm day. Yoshiki and I went to Leclub and enjoyed a nice afternoon workout. ^_^

Damn Pimple

Notice the giant pimple around my upper lip!? Damn…it hurts. Sometimes I really wonder why a 31 year-old man like me still have pimples coming out from his face! I mean I am old enough…shouldn't it be the "feature" of teenagers? Well, it doesn't sound like I am still in my twenties or something, does it!? Besides, I wash my face every day, put lotion on, and even do extra cleaning every week! Shouldn't those be enough for face-care…for a "man"? What!? Or should I put moisture mask on my face every night before bed time? Ahhhhhh..., come……………on!!! What's next? I should probably play Britney Spears' songs and put cucumber slices on my eyes?????
Some said that pimples are symbols that represent potential problems of your health. Maybe I've got a few digestion problems these days. I know it. It's all about my toothache. I have been using only right side of my teeth for the past few days. Sometimes, I could not really chew well. Maybe that's the problem. Ahhhhhhh…I really want to go back Taiwan right away.










Night, March second, 2008: after two-hour work out and five-hour statistics studies--tired, thirsty (for sake), a little bit sleepy, not happy with the pimple!!!

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.