问白云

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxUOsFFbyvs

白云啊白云，

为何每天清晨，

您总是在户外蹓跶?

难道您不能片刻待在家里，

做家务，看书，静坐，

乃至仰卧在地上，

来个瑜珈式的大休息？

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zotVRaz2VIk

 不管我在空地上练拳，

或在泳池里戏水，

您总是会在天空中遥望着我。

不论您是评头论足，

或是从心里发出会心微笑，

您或多或少都会影响我的晨运的心情。

有时您那甜美的笑容，

让我情不自禁地暂停动作，

拿起相机捕捉您的倩影。

白云啊白云，

如果(万一)，

从始至终，

我的拳术不精、

泳术不剂，

不能怪谁，

要怪就怪，

您这朵朵白云。

Adrift on the water

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhOsU_lRXm4

Usually when a person jumps into a swimming pool, he is expected to swim vigorously for a length of time in order to achieve and maintain good health.

However, have you ever tried what I have done before, by just letting your body adrift on the water?

With your eyes closed and your body motionless, you are like a canoe floating aimlessly on the water. Allow the water to flow gently over your abdomen and the ripples to touch your face in a gentle manner, like a lady kissing her fiancée on the cheek.

Try to relax and do not allow any part of your body to be tensed or stressed.

As you do that, you would feel that only two parts of your body seem to be functioning; the nostrils that are breathing and the eardrums that are beating in unison.

At this juncture, you would forget what's happening around you as your attention is focused on your breathing and the beating of eardrums. To me, it’s a form of meditation.

If this is not meditation, then what would you call it?

As you re-emerge from the process of being adrift, you would feel more relaxed and seemed to be very intimate with the surrounding water so much so that you would want to swim at a slower and softer pace and trying not to disturb the tranquillity of the water.

土梿仔的故事
'Tou Lian Kia Kai Kou Su' (潮语）

(老潮州人一般上会叫一个坏孩子或小顽童为“土梿仔”)

小学二年级时多数学童都不要去牙科诊所，唯有一个土梿仔自告奋勇要去牙科诊所。或许他只是为了一个很单纯的原因～那天一整天不用上课也不用交作业。(接下来的补牙或拔牙的疼痛完全没有被土梿仔在第一时间里面考虑到。他可能是不见棺材不掉泪。)

当年政府诊疗所离高渊培德学校有一段一英里多的距离。如果当天只有土梿仔和另一位同学被轮到上诊所的话，一名马来牙科助理，Encik Salleh,会用脚踏车一前一后将这两位同学连同书包一起载去诊疗所。

如果超过两位同学被叫去检查牙齿的话，校方就要劳动驾车叔叔以一辆能载四十多位同学的校车来载这三、四个同学去诊疗所。

土梿仔在等待被诊疗的空闲时间随兴尽情和其他同学在诊疗所宽阔的空间追逐和玩耍。
一直等到被点名在诊疗室外等候时刻心脏跳动才开始加速，因为一进入诊疗室，不是补牙就是拔牙, 每样疗程都有不同的痛感。

一般上， 土梿仔和其他同学都能在早上十一点多看诊完毕，背着书包走回家。
有一次， 土梿仔在回家途中看到有一个马来小贩卖榴梿。刚好裤袋里有一角钱，他买了一粒五分钱的榴梿仔回家吃～土梿仔吃榴梿仔。

今时不同往日，那里还有五分钱买一粒榴梿。

Related link: http://zest-zipper.blogspot.com/2008/06/legitimate-way-of-playing-truant-in.html

"Luk Tiao" (Teochew dialect meaning to finish drinking)

鹿调[潮语，意译:喝掉]

This morning I went to market to buy coconut water.

今早我去巴杀买椰水喝。

Usually the container I brought with me was sufficient to contain coconut water from three coconuts without it being filled to the brim.

通常我自备的容器可以容纳三粒椰子的椰水而绰绰有余。

This time around the vendor had chosen three big coconuts with a lot of a lot of water until the container was nearly full to the brim.

但是，这次小贩特地挑选了三粒椰水很多的椰子，椰水多到它快要溢出容器来了。

In order not to let the coconut water overflow, I requested the vendor to transfer some of it to a plastic bag.

为了不让椰水溢出来，我向小贩要了一个朔料袋来补装一些椰水。

The vendor replied me in Teochew dialect with a counter suggestion, "luk tiao!"(Here he meant 'to drink some')

谁知道这位小贩没有给我朔料袋，反而以潮语反建议我：“鹿调!” (意思是“喝掉!”一些。)

It never crossed my mind that a simple problem just required a simple solution.

我完全没想到我这么简单的问题小贩可以有这么简单的解决方案。

"Luk tiao" is in fact the best solution at that moment. ("Luk" means to drink. "Luk tiao" literally means "to finish drinking") After all I still have to "luk" the coconut water when I brought it home. When and where  to "luk" the coconut water  was just a matter of time and space.

“喝掉”一些椰水是当时最好的解决方案。反正椰水迟早是要拿要喝的。当场喝椰水或拿椰水回家喝只是差别在时间和地点而已。椰水的最终‘归依处’毕竟是在喝者的肚子里。

自然醒

 

今早在健身房遇见一位朋友，问她的先生为何没有现身。她说她先生还在睡觉，所以没有叫醒他，就让他睡到自然醒吧!

‘自然醒’ 这名词最近几年才在面子书出现，不知道是那个懶虫发明的專有名词。

以前学校课本根本没读过。孔子、老子肯定不会叫你睡到日上三竿。

以前的人都是‘不自然醒’的。他们不是被公鸡叫醒，就是被自己的哭泣声吵醒(被爸妈的藤条鞭打叫醒)。

‘不自然醒’象征勤奋。成语故事的‘闻鸡起舞’是指古代的人半夜三更听到公鸡啼就起身练习武术。

能‘不自然醒’总是好过‘自然不醒’。等到‘自然不醒’时再想要‘不自然醒’已为时太晚了。

然而对于一个走到生命尽头的老者来说，能无病无痛睡到永远‘自然不醒’倒是他老人家前世修来的福报。

根是树的本

The Root as a Foundation of a Tree

根是树的本。

The Root is the foundation of a tree.

因为有了根，树才能面对强风吹、暴雨打而屹立不倒。

The roots hold a tree firmly in the ground to withstand strong winds and heavy rain.

树根不计较名闻利养；它大部分的根是隐藏在泥土里，一味默默地将根延伸出更深`更阔的空间，好让枝叶花果得到更充份的水和矿物质，来藉以壮大它们的生命力。

The roots of a tree do not steal the limelight but prefer to remain anonymous as the roots choose to stay underground. They stretch deeper and further so that the tree can get more nutrients and water to enable the tree to grow taller and healthier.

祖先有如树根，子孙就像树上的枝叶花果。有了强稳的树根，树木才能开枝散叶，灯火世代相传。

Ancestors are like the roots of a tree while descendants are like the branches, leaves and fruits of the tree. With a strong foundation of the tree, the tree would grow healthily under all kinds of weather.

犹如枝叶不可忘记树根，子孙更要怀念先祖，孝敬父母师长。

Just as branches and leaves shouldn't forget the contribution and sacrifices of the roots, the descendants should remember the kindness of their forefathers.

踢屁股

Kicking the buttock

 

有一个印度朋友以前是作工厂主管的。他跟属下们沟通良好。他也很受下属们的尊敬。下属当中如有人犯错，被他踢屁股也能欣然接受，不会生气。
My Indian friend told me that he was a factory supervisor with a number of workers under his supervision. He had a cordial relationship with his subordinates who treated him like a friend. When a subordinate had done something wrong, he was not offended at all to be kicked at the buttock by his supervisor.

工厂经理见管工可以任意踢工人的屁股，以为这是工厂的管理文化，也想有样学样。
The factory manager came to know about this and he thought it could be the corporate culture of this factory to kick the buttock of a worker to reprimand him for his wrongdoing.

 

有一次，工厂经理看到一个员工犯错，也学管工踢员工的屁股。谁知道经理的脸被员工回敬一拳，变成半边熊猫脸。
Once, the factory manager saw a worker doing something wrong. He spontaneously kicked the worker on his buttock. To his horror of the manager, the worker retaliated by punching him on his right eye, turning him into a distant relative of the Panda family.

所以不要以为有样可以学样，人家能做到的不见得我们也能做到。

The moral of this story is that what others can do does not necessarily mean we can copy without consequences. Don't simply imitate others blindly without due consideration.

吃榴梿
◆◆◆

榴梿种类繁多，名堂也不少。好彩我的味蕾迟钝，不管你的榴梿是猫山王、龙虾、红虾、青皮、林风娇 或 susu, 给我吃起来是没有太大的分别。我只知道我吃的是榴梿，而不是其他的水果而已。

所以我买榴梿是任由相熟卖榴梿的女士推荐；她给我什么我就吃什么。她也很乐意有我这个“吃不择食”的顾客。
唯一能令我关注的是榴梿的核(种子)最好是细小的，果肉要厚如冬天的寒衣，不要薄如夏日的背心。

一位对吃榴梿很有心得的朋友对我说：“不要太迷信名种榴梿。如果你对榴梿不在行的话，你会被偷龙转凤，在浮罗山背买到从太平载去的榴梿。虽说全马到处都有种猫山王榴梿，并不是全部的猫山王都是好吃的。最好吃的猫山王是种在柔佛州。”
为了吃顶级的猫山王，我这朋友不惜老远从槟城搭车去柔佛。他的举动在我看来是有点执着、有点over了。

有一回，我这个朋友在一座榴梿园看到一堆不知名的小榴梿，要向园主买几粒来吃。园主始终不肯卖给他。园主称说这堆榴梿是用来扔打野狗的，不能吃的。可是第二天，这堆扔打野狗榴梿不见了。我朋友追问下，原来它们已经脱手他人了。过了几天，园主才勉强卖了两粒‘扔打野狗榴梿’给我这位朋友。我朋友吃了这无名的榴梿后，才知道所谓名种榴梿根本比不上这无名扔打野狗榴梿。他吃了这类榴梿，简直不想再吃其他名种榴梿。所以我朋友说不要迷信名种榴梿是有它的道理的。

总之，当榴梿成熟时，形形色色的人会吃各种各样的榴梿，让人们吃榴梿吃出众生相。