Happy Birthday Jaime!

轉眼功夫
我的老公已經34歲咯
從27歲到34歲 他還是一樣靚仔
很快就是我們相遇七週年紀念日了唷

東興街134号

我的老家在東興街134号
當地人叫我们那裡牛頭湾

早上起了个早 穿過铁路上的行人天橋
循着记憶往老家走
我们现在住的公寓 是建在我们當初的稻米田
小時候常常跟着爺爺奶奶来巡田送饭 现在已建满了公寓

老家是一个最典型的四合院
進門便是两棵大蓮霧樹 還有三个大米倉
院裡的那个廣場 是我跟堂兄弟姐妹追趕跑跳的操場
也是收割後爺爺奶奶晒米的地方
更是我们夏夜裡乘凉看星的場所
我的脚踏車也是在這學的
院子裡除了我家十多人外 還有狗，雞及小兔子
熱鬧得很
现在的四合院輪廓仍在 但却已人去楼空了
小時候的房间 甚至已被拓宽的馬路切成两半
现在已被小攤販佔據

大門对面是一家做贡糖的工廠
無時無刻空氣中都溢着令人嘴饞的香氣
旁边是一家做麥芽糖的
我常常求奶奶買給我
一支糖便可以舔上半个小时
现在看到舊麥芽糖招牌還有廢置的贡糖廠
仍会不禁地舔舌

还有那条大水溝
有次颱風天 我的塑膠拖鞋掉了下去
堂哥姐们追趕了半个牛頭湾 才捞回来
但现在为了安全 已经加盖成路面了

对面的另一个大院 有好几棵大龍眼樹
小时候常拿着竹竿去打 现在仍枝葉茂盛
好久没聽到的知了 不停的叫着

我走到了東興街底 是老廟口
吃了碗熱呼呼的台湾鹹粥
老板娘的小女儿 不顾辛苦 跟着妈妈忙进忙出
体贴地让人心疼
心中想起還在家裡顧盼的奶奶
急急地踏上回家的路上

回家

下了飞机 南台湾的天空是我久违了的蓝天
白云朵朵 顿时令人精神气爽

从高雄搭莒光号到斗六 仍要两个小时的车程
但吃了个怀念已久的铁路便当
看了看窗外黄绿交间的稻米田 两个小时也就一下过去了

下了车 才发现从我有记忆已来就有的斗六火车站已不复在
但久久未听的乡音 让我觉得彷弗又回到了儿时回奶奶家的感觉

赶着正午的阳光 以最快的速度走回了奶奶家
爸爸已到了二伯家
二伯刚满一岁的吉娃娃 前天刚刚生下了三支小娃
护儿心切的她 对着我呲牙咧嘴
但过不久 她已安静下来 因为小东西要奶喝

爸爸还是顶着圆圆的肚子
我每次见他 总要叨念几句
要他戒烟 要他运动 多吃青菜 但好像一直没有效

奶奶的头发又白了些 今天她的心情似乎不是特好
只有我的小小侄女（奶奶的最小曾孙）来探她时 她才笑颜逐开

近百的她 作息仍是相当规律 八点多便开时催促着我上床
我到九点便乖乖地躺下 一如小时候 握着她老人家的手入睡

这些年来 她记忆已有些衰退 但不外乎就是多问我几次在那就职 何时结婚
三点醒来 她细心地帮我拉被子
但我开口问她是否睡饱了时
她微笑地问我 你是那一个呀 我不记得了
我笑着取笑她 怎么记性不好啦
她回说 我都快近百的人啦 当然记性差咯
我说奶奶您才九十六岁呀
她一脸讶异地瞧着我说 你还真清楚唷
後来 她一下子找到了属于我的记忆
问我结了婚在哪住 育诚在哪上班 爸爸现住在哪
问完了 才又缓缓入睡

但我已睡不着 我亲亲爱爱的奶奶一天天老去
但我却无能为力
她不记得我 代表我探她探的不够
我可要多来看看她 我希望她活得更开心 更健康
我姐弟俩都还没生出小曾孙给您看呢

Blackberry Addiction

Alright alright, JoJo gotta admit that she secretly got her blackberry ("BB") back last November after she tried her best to stay away from it for more than 180 days.

Her addiction to BB was so severe that had experienced multiple withdrawal syndrome during the 6-month detox period, particularly when she was surrounded by those bankers/lawyers/high-power people who just simply could not remove their thumbs from the keypad. Finally, JoJo gave in and got her BB back.

Some rules and parameters needed to be set by JoJo's beloved husband of course. As he suffered as the largest victim in JoJo's prior addiction. No BB in bed. No BB during meals. And No BB when walking. Simple to follow, isn't it? Not quite right.

Those of you who are addicted to BB as JoJo is will understand. The behavior is almost incontrollable. You reach under the table during a nice conversation as soon as you see from the corner of your eyes that the red light is blinking. You sit down in a car or at a restaurant and your natural reflex is to start scrolling down the inbox to see if you are needed by someone for an answer.

JoJo simply cannot get her hands off the keypad and she is just so proud of her ability to type without looking down. She doesn't stop until there is no more new messages. And even when there is no more new messages she will check and re-check her calender until it's time for the next appointment.

But BB has it merits too. For example, she is JoJo's companion when doing the 3-hour roundtrip commute to office daily. And she is also JoJo's best defense when she is sitting or eating at a restaurant alone. And best of all, this entire blog was typed on BB!

得与失

人是很奇怪的动物
一方面有其自豪的文明道德
但另一方面 其竞争的本能却牵引着人们的一举一动

人 按理论来说 是一种永远都不会知足的动物
因为知足了便没有上进的动力
亚当与夏娃 因为不知足 被逐出了伊甸园
于是乎 最原始的剧本 不断的在我们身旁上演

我们这一代的 可以说是人类有史以来 最丰衣足食的一群
但我们竟争的本能并没有因生活需要上的满足而减少

我们在学校 便争排名比成绩
毕了业 争职位比薪水

也许现代人的文明 在于不再赤脚空拳 争得头破血流
但人与人之间的勾心斗角 你争我夺却也每每令人伤痕累累

上天是公平的 无论穷富 不分老少
时间就是24小时一天
你花了20小时经营事业 肯定晋升快过那个每天只花10小时工作的人
但凡事有得必有失
当某天你爬到高点时 是否会回头叹惜 你失去的家庭 朋友 生活？

我的好友K最近做了一个抉择 她在职业的战场上歇了歇脚
每天看着她的部落格
她心情上的变化 为我带来了心中的平静与快乐
她的生活
并没有因为不再朝九晚五(或者说不再朝九朝五)失去意义
反而 因为她有更多的时间去享受生活 体验生活
她体会到了最平凡的幸福
我还有许多朋友 仍是在得与失中做抉择 (包括我自己)
希望她的经验 可以为我们带来启发
停一停脚 也许你寻找的伊甸园 就在身旁

Shanghai Shanghai

Haven't been to Shanghai for almost 2 years... It's a city that never ceases to amaze me. It was going to be a busy weekend. We were supposed to go check out the sizzling property market, visit my mom, my god-daughters and Hui/Sophie.

We were staying at the Le Royal Meridien, right at the heart of the most busy shopping district (Nanjing E. Road). Saturday morning, we have 10 properties to check out... I actually really like the city and therefore am interested in seeing what property there is on the market. Unfortunately, places we liked we cannot afford...

In the evening, we (and Mom) met up with Erin, Steve and my two goddaughters (TingTing and NingNing). Even though we haven't seen each other for almost one year, they immediately recognized that I'm their "JoJo Mami". Ting is already almost 6 years old and even Ning is now 4 years old. I still remember holding them in my arms when they were babies. They have boundless energy and keep asking Jaime to play with them even though they cannot communicate in English. I guess for kids, there is no language barrier of any kind...

On Sunday, we walked around some more with Mom. She seems to really enjoy the city (even though she complains about the long Winter). She lost weight and seems to be in a better mood and health condition. Our last stop is Hui's place. Sophie is more than 9 months old now. She is super adorable with eyelashes that are longer than most of the dolls I played with. Pink cheeks that are as fluffy as as a sponge cake. She can almost stand!!! Next time we see her, she should be able to walk already!

Happy Birthday, Lisa!

Lisa and I share the same last name in English (Chinese character is different). She was practically my missing sister growing up in the small town in L.A.

June 1989, I left Taiwan to move to the US. In August, without knowing a word of English, I went to my first school in the U.S. (Okay okay I knew 3 words: 'Joyce' 'Hsu' 'Here'). After the first period, which I still remember it was a Social Studies class, I walked out the class room with confusion and a bit of shame. I had changed school many time before and everytime I adapted quickly. I was elected the class rep (班长）on the first day of my previous new school. I was always confident, strong and aggressive. But at that moment, I was weak, scared and lost (and literally lost, because I had no idea where my next class was). As I stood there in the hallway, this Asian girl came up to me and said "?????" in English. I replied with even more question marks in my eyes. And then she asked again, this time in Mandarin, "你讲国语吗？＂ Never in my life I had been so touched to hear my mother tongue, I nodded to her frenatically.

From there on, we became friends, then best friends, and then sisters.

We (and little Jenny) spent almost everyday together in the next 5 years. We had most classes together. We ate lunch together. We hung out after school together. When we were not together, we were most likely on the phone with each other. We even got scolded by my mom together (my sisters just very bravely stood there with me). Like all other teenagers, we had endless conversations. We tried to cover for each other. We shared our dreams, complaints, happiness and sadness. After I left LA for college, we stayed in very close touch. Then I came to Hong Kong.

I still try to see Lisa at least once a year when I go back to LA. As we both got busy with our lives, we don't get to update each other as often as it used to be. I can't remember the last time I celebrated Lisa's birthday with her and I am sorry I had to miss it again this year. I don't know when it will be that we get to live in the same city again but one thing I know for sure is that our friendship will never end no matter how far apart we are.

Happy Birthday, Lisa!

母亲节快乐！

从小到大 我一直不认为我的生命中是拥有足够的母爱

妈妈在我九岁时去了美国 临走前答应我一年后回来
一年后才十岁的我 用我的零用钱 买了车票从斗六到台南外婆家等妈妈
妈妈却一直没回来 我等到了我十三岁 她才再次出现在我生命里
我选择了与妈妈漂洋过海地到了美国 但之后十年与妈妈的相处是非常艰苦的
母女俩有无数的争执 她害怕美国的文化影响我 辜负她带我来美的用心
我无法理解小时后对我有求必应的妈妈 突然之间成了一个叨叨念念的管家婆
加上青少年时期的叛逆 我们之间有吵不完的架 流不完的泪
这情况一直到我读大学时 才渐渐改善
妈妈其实是非常非常辛苦的
她二十岁生我 三十岁到了美国 由非法移民拿到了绿卡
中间的辛苦过程并不是当初十几岁的我可以体会的
她辛苦的目的
只是希望她俩个孩子可以受好的教育 未来有好的出路
近年来 我和弟弟都独立了 我也希望她能开心的过日子
不再为我们操心

奶奶从我还是小小孩是就陆陆续续的担任起照顾我的责任
妈妈到了美国后 她更以今70岁的高龄 一手拉拔长大我跟弟弟
她疼我们 往往留着最好的鸡腿给我们 说故事唱歌来陪我们入睡
在那些没有妈妈的日子里 我们完全是靠着奶奶的宠爱
才能不自暴自弃 即使同村的小孩笑我们没妈妈
但他们也无法反驳奶奶对我们的爱
到现在 我回去探望她时 她仍是嘘寒问暖
恨不得把她珍藏的饼干 水果 全让我吞到肚里去
她的记忆不好 但她的爱永远不变

阿姨嫁给我爸爸的时候，我跟她闹了很大的别扭
爸爸执意要我改口叫妈妈 但我死也不肯
（心里还是等着妈妈 怕叫了别人妈妈 自己的妈妈就不回来了）
有很长的一段时间 连阿姨也不称呼了
索性走到她面前 等她看到再出声
她仍尽她所能 把我和弟弟当成是她亲生的孩子
自己选择不再生育
后来 我们选择了妈妈 去了美国
她仍是不改初衷 到现在我们回台湾时
她仍是会不断张罗吃的 句句关心

回想起来 我拥有的母爱比别人都多得多
三个母亲 给我了源源不断不求回报的爱
我只希望这生中有足够的时间 来报答她们的恩惠
在母亲节的这天 我也祝她们永远健康 快乐美丽

Ines

The first time I heard the news about Margaret and her little baby girl I was so saddened. I called Margaret and tried to cheer her up but my tears just came down uncontrollably down my cheeks when I spoke to her. Even though I am not yet a mother, I can understand how tough it must be to decide the fate of your baby at week 25. And I was not at all surprised to hear that our Margaret, who is one of the strongest girls I know, decided to keep the baby and keep fighting. This week, we were so happy to finally see Baby Ines after months of suspense (even just pictures of her). Although she had a operation right after she was born, by Day 6, she was already breathing on her own. Just like her parents, she is a strong fighter herself too. We are all so proud of Margaret, Julien and their new family member, little Ines. Ines, we can't wait to see you and hold you. As we all had expected, you are a beautiful girl and your daddy will certainly have a hard time keeping the boys away from you (especially with mommy's charming genes!). Keep fighting, little Ines!

Ines grabbing her daddy

Sydney

Had a such a wonderful time in Sydney. Jaime and I have always had all these places we wanted to go but at the end always ended choosing the destination randomly (not necessarily random actually--usually it's whichever city CX happens to have a fare sale on... :o). This time, it's Sydney. Although most people think it's far, it's actually quite accessible from Hong Kong. You board a midnight flight and after you wake up from your sleep, you are almost ready to land. We landed at 11am in the Sydney airport and the minute you step outside of the airport, you realize immediately that this city is so much less polluted. Just like what the tour book warned us, you start to question your own quality of life after spending some time here.

The city itself is beautiful. We spent a total of 6 days here. We saw Koalas, Platypus, Kangaroos, Wombats, Penguins and all other legendary animals that you can only see Down Under. We went to the famous Bondi Beach (so Jaime can get his craving for surfing satisfied). We were awed by the grand architecture of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. We even went to sand boarding at the Sand Dunes (where you only see tourist groups from Northeast Asia). We drove through the lovely Hunter Valley (although our sunrise balloon ride was unfortunately cancelled). We did a lot in six days but at a much slower pace, just like the way it should be in Australia. The only complaint we have is that with the weakening dollars, we left Australia with a much smaller wallet than when we arrived (but it's more than made up for with the memories we have)...

Australian surfer boy at Bondi Beach

Not a Dead Kangaroo but a napping Kangaroo inside Taronga Zoo