A Picture A Day, Keep All My Friends Away...

passion

2008-03-20T00:09:00.000-07:00

I was helping my mom to update her website today... and remembered this article she wrote for 世界日報 a few years back... gonna share it with you guys ... for the very few who actually reads this.

First thing first, this is My Mom's Website

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王馨敏的 “由陪讀到伴讀”
我是四年級生｡1998年之前﹐在台灣我是個平凡的家庭主婦﹐在家中照顧一雙子女,先生則忙著自己的工作｡我最大的快樂是每星期到北美館(台北市立現代美術館)上課一次﹐從素描﹑油畫﹑藝術創作﹑到水墨﹑篆刻｡借由上課得以親仰大師的風采｡像何肇衢老師和許清美老師的油畫課﹐王素峰和林偉民老師的藝術創作﹐ 羅青和李重重老師的現代水墨﹐陳宏勉老師的篆刻﹐蔡麗雲老師的寫意花鳥｡除了技巧上的學習﹐也明白老師們待人處事的敦厚風範｡老師們告訴學生的話﹐約莫相同“藝術境界的提昇﹐就是要真誠的面對自己｡” 因一同上課的關係﹐認識了一些藝術上的同好﹐進而共組畫會﹐3E畫會(15年)北美畫舍(10年)每年都固定有展覽﹐彼此切磋﹐既真誠又感性﹐彼此的友誼由教室延伸到生活｡

1998 年的除夕﹐在圍爐長談中﹐明白了孩子的意願之後﹐先生決定結束事業｡一家人 “換個地方” 過一段 “自己想過的日子”｡於是在同年的6月﹐飛越太平洋﹐在另一個島-溫哥華島生活下來﹐簡單樸素的過日子｡一家人相濡以沫﹐互相鼓勵﹐彼此打氣｡在1999 年﹐為了讓陪讀的日子多點色彩﹐經友人的介紹﹐跟隨前北京畫院院長張步先生學畫｡他的濃墨重彩﹐使的初次拜訪畫室的我﹐大為震驚｡上課中除了技巧的學習外 ﹐他老人家還要我多讀書﹑多旅行﹑多看大山大水﹐胸中有丘壑﹐下筆自然不俗｡日子在英文和水墨中流逝｡雖是如此﹐仍有鄉愁無法排遣之時﹐此時先生便帶我去布查德花園﹐跟著台灣來的旅行團混在一起逛花園﹐聽親切的鄉音﹐用最自在的語言交談﹐不必經過翻譯﹐假裝自己在陽明山散步賞花一樣｡

在2000 年當我徹底被 “英文” 打敗時﹐先生鼓勵我換一種方式學習｡他知道我對繪畫的熱愛﹐便找了一家藝術學院｡約好面談﹐準備作品資料﹐並充當翻譯｡VCA(The Victoria College Of Art)的校長Robin Mayor很喜歡我的作品﹐並且不要求我的英文成績(只要上課時能跟上進度即可)｡於是我便開始了完全的新生活步調﹐由 “陪讀媽媽” 變成 “伴讀媽媽”﹐從此﹐每天帶著翻譯字典和錄音機上課｡錄音機錄下當天上課的內容﹐回家後再與家教研究討論﹐然後反覆的撥放﹐訓練自己習慣外在的英文環境﹐ 翻譯字典則是隨時待命｡班上的同學年齡層分兩種﹐一種是高中剛畢業的年輕人｡一種是孩子長大了﹐再重回學校一圓年輕時未竟之夢的中年人士｡夾在這兩種不同年齡成中﹐我更可以深刻的了解年齡和文化的衝突｡這些不同的經驗﹐讓我更能明白子女在學校中可能遇到的困惑﹐以及面對功課上的壓力﹐使我能用同理心來面對 ﹐進而解決了代溝對立的問題｡並鼓勵子女勇敢選擇自己喜愛的學校和科系﹐當然﹐要為自己的選擇負責｡於是在2002年的9月﹐兒子離開維多利亞﹐到多倫多大學就讀｡他立志要成為一名 “成功的” 商人｡同年的暑假﹐女兒膺選為加拿大女童軍的國家代表隊成員之一(共10人)｡去英國曼撤斯特參加大英國協女童軍大會﹐她是 “第一位” 拿台灣護照參加此活動的台灣人｡在去掉無意義的競爭跟考試制度後﹐孩子的自信重新寫在臉上｡唸書的壓力在仍在﹐但為 “自己” 而戰﹐整個意義便完全不同｡先生也加入了當地的高爾夫球俱樂部學習打球﹐認識朋友﹐並練習英文｡套他的話說: 三個加拿大人教我一個人英文｡各人皆有所獲﹐我們都很高興選對了方向來努力｡

2003 年因為有畢業畫展 ﹐所以老師要求要有大作品｡每次評圖時﹐先生都得幫忙扛畫﹐教室在2樓﹐上下搬動﹐十分累人﹐將來的收藏也是問題｡三年的課上下來﹐車庫已經淪陷一半了｡先生半開玩笑的說﹐可不可以換不同的媒材作畫﹐最好是又輕﹑又小﹑容易搬運﹑又不佔空間｡於是我開始用水墨做畫﹐加以裱褙後成為捲軸的方式｡老師在一次的評圖中﹐用很嚴肅的口吻告訴我:這件作品﹐完全是妳的語言｡剎那間﹐我整的思緒完全豁然開朗﹐所謂的 “誠實面對自己” 不就是這個嗎?! 我再怎麼用功﹐我的油畫筆永遠不能像西方人一樣大膽灑脫﹐相對的西方人再怎麼努力﹐也很難明白 “墨分五彩” 的道理｡刀叉和筷子的文化本來就不同﹐為何要勉強去融合呢? 各自保有自己的獨特﹐不是很好嗎?也因此﹐我的畫風及媒材都做了180度的改變｡老師們(5位)在畢業作品評審時﹐給了高度的評價﹐並推薦我繼續2年的研究所課程｡

2004 年的五月﹐為了慶祝兒子滿21歲﹐完全成為一個有 “行為能力” 的人｡先生買單﹐兒子單飛北歐﹐做一個 “孤獨” 的自助旅行者｡其中碰到了丹麥皇室的婚禮﹐他笑稱自己為台灣代表｡在搭渡輪跨越北角時﹐他打電話給我們訴說著他的喜悅和感動﹐並表達他內心的感謝﹐有機會給他選擇﹐用不同的方式來過日子｡ 45天的自助旅行下來﹐他寫滿了一本厚厚的日記｡

2004 年七月我挑一張現代水墨 “島嶼系列” 參加第19屆Sooke Fine Art Show的比賽得到首獎｡也因此﹐維多利亞TIMES COLONIST報紙的藝術專欄作家ROBERT AMOS對我的畫及創作理念發生興趣﹐進而做了一篇專題報導｡大邊幅的報導﹐讓周遭所有的朋友感到高興不已｡終於有位 “歐巴桑” 替大伙一吐移民生活中難以啟口的種種壓力﹐真好｡在我五年的VCA課程中﹐受到周遭所有親朋好友的鼓勵﹐幾乎每位朋友要回台灣時﹐都會先打電話過來問有沒有畫要帶回台灣裱﹐有沒有欠紙欠顏料﹐等等..｡大伙來回行李中塞滿了我所需要的媒材﹐薄薄的2張文憑﹐承載的是一大票人的溫度｡

2005 年的4月﹐我在維多利亞有一個畢業個展﹐在開幕茶會中我由VCA的新校長John Harris 先生的手中拿到另一張文憑｡在接過文憑的剎那﹐一滴滴的眼淚滴在我的手背上﹐日子﹐就這樣過去了｡ 10月份我再挑一張現代水墨 “啟示系列” 參加第一屆Ladysmith Fine Art Show﹐很慶幸的得到第一名｡當然在這幾年間也參加過別的競賽﹐有入選也有落選｡參加比賽﹐只是很單純的想要 “讓人知道” 在繪畫的表現上﹐除了油畫還有水墨｡“卷軸” 的表現方式﹐雖是中國畫的傳統﹐但卻十分符合現代人遷移的個性﹐畫一捲﹐隨時可走人｡而且﹐不管是在現代﹐或傳統上﹐捲軸都像中國千年來﹐不斷的遷徙﹐你永遠不知道手中 “輕輕” 的捲軸是歷經了怎麼樣的遷移流轉﹐有多少的故事蘊於其中｡這也是為什麼我堅持用捲軸來表現我移民生活的主因｡

每家人都用不同的方式在聯絡感情﹐有人用吃飯﹐有人用E-MAIL﹐我家則是用 “旅行” 來聯絡感情｡舊金山是我們第一個拜訪的城市﹐從此全家人愛上旅行｡每年選不同的城市﹐作為犒賞自己的方式｡在一個個令人驚艷的城市裡﹐種下大家共同的回憶｡從希臘的天空﹐到羅馬的建築｡阿姆斯特丹的梵谷﹐羅德堡的生鐵古典招牌﹐萊茵河女巫的歌聲｡墨爾本的企鵝﹐南非的長頸鹿﹐紐約百老匯的華麗演出﹐夏威夷女郎的草裙舞﹐倫敦的雙層巴士﹐白朗峰上的午餐﹐拉斯維加斯的霓虹燈﹐到京都除夕夜八坂神舍參拜中的藝妓﹐等等..｡不同的城市﹐有著不同的氣息｡路邊的咖啡座﹐冰淇淋店﹐都是我們落腳休息的地方｡看著行人來往﹐我們相視一笑﹐一年中所有的辛苦完全值得｡

現在是2005年10月﹐ 女兒回來維多利亞大學唸書｡去年她高中畢業﹐她選擇休學一年到英國的女童軍中心做義工｡回來後﹐她說她已經將這輩子要刷的馬桶在7個月內全刷完了｡當然包括床單﹐鍋碗瓢盆等等..｡先生的高爾夫球4年來的努力下﹐已進步為單差點｡我則拿到2張文憑﹐2個首獎﹐外加4次個展﹐我們的生活步調仍和7年前的初衷一樣﹐簡單﹐樸素﹐就是我們的幸福｡

Tatoo

2008-02-21T23:12:00.000-08:00

Today in yoga class, I saw a guy with a Chinese character tatoo on his shoulder... and the character is "豬"

Does he know? Did he do that on purpose? Or it's his angry Asian ex's revenge?

Sweat

2008-02-19T23:49:00.000-08:00

I started going to Hot Yoga last Monday. I remember the first time I tried it was last year's Thanksgiving in Victoria when I went home. My parents and my sister had already been doing it for a while, and they really felt the benefits of this sport (yeah, it really is) so they brought me along.

Now because of the cold weather... and weight gained from Dine Out 08, I felt it's time to start something new. I went to the Bikram Yoga studio on Broadway in Kits. After the first session, I felt that someone had just kicked my ass very badly. I felt like a piece of meat... cooked meat... and beaten up by peaceful yoga.... I have never sweat this much in any other sport like this.... other than the times in Taiwan when I play ball in the summer afternoon. However, the morning after, I felt refreshed and energized! Feels like you got rid of some toxin we gain from drinking and eating were flushed away. I went 4 times last week.

Also, for people who are still iffy about the sport, there are also side benefits. That is.... you can always find beautiful people in their sports bras, or speedos showing off their curves :) Last Sunday I saw someone looked like Keira Knightley. It was awesome! Always something to look at . 醉翁之意不在酒

If people would like to join me~ let me know lo. I got for the 8pm session at Kits. I can go any day of the week. Would be fun to see friends sweat their ass off.

KTV culture?

2008-01-24T09:07:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, I went to Party World with my co-worker. That makes my KTV count to 4 times so far. 1 in Taipei, 1 in Auckland, and 2 in Vancouver. Here are a few things that I have observed:

Have to order Pong-Da-Hai...apparently it helps with your singing
Most of the time, you won't know everyone in the room. (true for 3 of the 4 times)
It's a very supportive enviroment... no matter how badly you sing.
Can't be shy or you will be just sitting there and not singing (me)
To be "Hi", someone gotta sing a fast song...and someone has to dance/move along. (or candle light/cellphone light)
Do Not leave the list empty, have to max it out!

Overall, I find that KTV is a good place to meet people (in your booth. ie Friend's friend), and I realize that if I ever want to make it in Taiwan/HK/China... I better start learning.

Bubble-tea Anonymous

2008-01-20T22:53:00.000-08:00

在很久很久以前，有一個對Bubble Tea 上癮的小女生叫...."阿花". "阿花"最愛的泡沫紅茶口味是...."芋頭". 她不管是麽時候到BBT 的時候一定要點這個口味.

有一天，阿花跟進財到了BBT. 阿花很興奮得跟店員說"我要芋頭冰沙去冰".....店員小姐呆了一下....."小妹妹....冰沙是不能去冰的".

阿花開始傻笑....想要打混過去......發現了的店員小姐很識相的跳了過去，假裝沒事發生過。然後她又問了 "那要不要加珍珠呢？"......阿花笑著說"我的名字叫阿花!!!"

這時候進財看到了店員小姐左臉上的3條綫還有右臉上的青筋.....
-------------------
The moral of the story is......
阿花 needs our love

little boys.... and....little boys

2008-01-15T21:21:00.000-08:00

Just saw the movie Kite Runner with friends...
i just realized how much i miss being at their age again.
Guess acting childish is not for no reasons

and then you say... man up, take responsibilities...
can i skip this part? pretty please

Late for work... again

2008-01-14T12:22:00.000-08:00

I just can't seem to wake up on time these days...

Most Interesting Story Ever!

2008-01-13T00:15:00.000-08:00

Today is Aaron's going away party. Aaron and I go way back... long story short, he is kind of a hippie (not in the sense of a real hippie, but in the sense that he is an awesome guy...kind of a hippie :)) I know it's confusing, but he is. He is moving to Pasadena in LA, and going to work at a start up IT company there. Hoping to get a trophy wife and a super car with in 5 years.

Anyhow, a few people showed up. Some are from his work, and some are his outdoor activity buddies. Oh yeah, Aaron is into rock climbing (real ones, not just indoor), and also hang gliding. Therefore, his hang gliding instructor, Tom, was there too.

Then, S showed up (real name is not used cuz the following event is currently involved in a legal matter) . Tom called him the "Captain". We were all curious about that. S said... "I am no a captain now, I sunk my ship." ....... Huh?
"My payload sunked...."..... Huh?
"Well... I was shipping these two huge cranes about 200 ft each to point A (again, a $50million law suit is going on).... And they just collapse..." Oh... I see.......wait WHAT?
"You know...crains...for construction.... I was on the tug boat.. and they were on the aircraft carrier size ship... the weather...etc etc..... they collapse because they were too old. Just thank god no one got hurt"......that's nice... BUT what happened???

Exactly.... what happened??? It turned out that it was very windy back in December, and big cranes aren't just that good to be shipped around.... especially during windy time... all the waves and wind weaken the structures of the cranes...so even thought they were wielded to the ship with 8 2inch thick pipes, these pipes still got torn like paper! The worst part was that the tug boat was connected to the loaded ship with a 3.5 inch thick steel cable! If the loaded ship was going to go down.... nothing can stop it.... Just glad that no one was hurt. Also, on the way back, they hit 2 solid curls that were 30 feet high!

This captain is such a character! He said after he got back... he went to Halifax to relax with his other captain friends... and drank themselves stupid.... then they asked him what happend, S said "if I tell you now, we have to drink all over again!" hahahaha

I won't say anything more about the case or about S so hopefully this won't be found during the trial or affect any potential jurors.
But god dang, this is probably the most interesting story told by a real person I have ever heard.

Delicous Sins.....

2008-01-08T21:55:00.000-08:00

This shall mark the return of my blogging days ( because of one special person's suggestion.. you know who you are). Over the course of November and December, I started to eat out a lot, especially since my friend from Montreal came to Vancouver for almost a whole month. We pretty much go out for food every week...I am happy that I got to try new things.... but when we are together... it's like girls see cheese cake~ there is no end. We will push each other to order more because we wanna try. It's just a vicious cycle I say.

For example, when we went out for dimsum, we would keep on ordering stuff on the menu that we haven't seem before. Then, we would look at other tables and kept on ordering. In the end, between the two of us, a guy and a girl, we ate 8 plates of dimsum. It's huge! Same thing when we went to Xiao SiChuan. We ordered 4 dishes for two people, and we almost finish all. There were bubble tea afterward. We almost died.

I drove her to the airport yesterday and warned her to never return....until I shed off the pounds I have put on because of her.

This is a slow and boring start to a blog, but it's a start.

11/29 寶藏

2007-11-29T11:23:00.000-08:00

these pictures are my most precious treasure
...mmm
it's time to back up again

Frozen Time

2007-11-29T11:21:00.000-08:00

http://www.everyoneforever.com/content/2007-07-16/a_frozen_millisecond/

11/28 盛夏光年

2007-11-28T01:31:00.000-08:00

11/27 曖昧

2007-11-27T10:37:00.000-08:00

This picture is taken from a ultra modern hotel's window in Beijing in 2006.
This strange mixture of the old and the new, the rich and the poor,
makes the usually clear border between them seem so ambiguous.

Office Paintball Shoot Out!

2007-11-27T10:31:00.000-08:00

Takes a lot of planning, shooting and photoshopping
http://www.didntyouhear.com/2007/11/23/office-paintball-takes-a-lot-of-work/

11/26 Hero-2

2007-11-26T15:36:00.001-08:00

Home of heroes: Bilbo and Frodo's home town,

this is Hobbiton

11/26 Hero

2007-11-26T15:26:00.001-08:00

啊，英雄無用武之地 ...
(found it online)

and for those Heroes fans (me included)

Save the cheerleader, Save the world

Awesome Ads

2007-11-26T15:19:00.000-08:00

Good old chainsaw fencing...

enough said :)

for more
http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2007/10/creative-ads-issue-8.html

11/25 如果可以的話

2007-11-25T16:03:00.001-08:00

Chocolate Bunny

2007-11-25T11:12:00.000-08:00

I have always wanted to do this..... but thought it would be too messy

SanderPlug

or

http://www.lernert.nl/haas.html
this one is faster

11/24 顏色

2007-11-24T21:21:00.001-08:00

This is the colour of green,
the colour of cool breeze,
the colour of summer,
and the colour of a good afternoon nap

What the world eats...

2007-11-24T19:26:00.000-08:00

Above: the Revis family of North Carolina, United States (food expenditure for one week: $341.98) and the Ayme family of Tingo, Ecuador (food expenditure for one week: $31.55).

I know only very few people visit here, but this is a very interesting series of photos.

What the world eats...

11/23 喜歡

2007-11-24T11:03:00.000-08:00

11/22 禮物

2007-11-22T19:01:00.001-08:00

a gift to the ladies from Michelangelo..... David's ass

11/21 溫柔

2007-11-21T19:44:00.001-08:00

Taken by Terry

rose helps :p

11/20 bitter, sweet

2007-11-20T22:04:00.000-08:00

his and hers

11/19 最終話

2007-11-19T01:41:00.000-08:00

journey home....

11/18 Urban Love

2007-11-19T01:38:00.000-08:00

11/17 幸福

2007-11-19T01:35:00.000-08:00

11/16 現實/夢想

2007-11-19T01:27:00.001-08:00

11/15 Rainbow-2

2007-11-15T20:45:00.000-08:00

Who knew that sketch books can be so decorative

11/15 Rainbow

2007-11-15T20:41:00.000-08:00

Gelato.....drool......
In Florence, 2005

11/14 初體驗

2007-11-14T19:12:00.000-08:00

Tuscany.... It's not the first time i travel there...
but it's the first time I was able to sit on a hill, under the Tuscan Sun...
and enjoy a nice glass of red

Also, this trip changed my life...

11/13 勇敢

2007-11-13T21:24:00.001-08:00

It takes a lot of courage to call and say...........

11/12 私角落

2007-11-12T14:53:00.001-08:00

11/11 晚餐

2007-11-12T00:50:00.000-08:00

There are a few ingridients to make a good dinner:

Free Food
Good Food
Outdoor under the stars
Free Drinks
Live Band
Good Friends

...and being in Tuscany

It's rare to have all at once... that's why they are extra special....

11/10 畢業照

2007-11-11T12:32:00.000-08:00

11/9 Utopia

2007-11-09T21:46:00.000-08:00

My Utopia.... is where everyone can smiles like that...

11/8 媽媽

2007-11-08T16:44:00.001-08:00

Once Upon A Time....

11/7 方向

2007-11-07T20:30:00.000-08:00

Who needs directions? Just pack up and go.

11/6 信

2007-11-06T22:44:00.000-08:00

Post cards from my parents and my sister from this summer along.... Sigh, then I look at the one I sent to myself and wishing I was still there writing it

11/5 missing

2007-11-05T19:59:00.001-08:00

This is going to be a fun one,

Long long time ago, in a galaxy far far away.... a Jedi was born....I mean.... Joe.... stopped sleeping during the night, thanks to the Sith Lord and his dark force Xbox Live. He has become a Night Crawler..... SO he started to miss out on all the shenanigans that his friends(??) are pulling.

In order for his friends to feel his presence, this following series of photos was born....

It started out with friends holding up hands at where he should be, and was going to photoshop his face in later (but got lazy)....

And eventually GONE GOLD! His friends started to carry his face around to where ever they go....

(Mongolian Grill, Pacific Mall, Markam)

(Campus Advanture, Toronto)

(Campus Garbage Dump, Toronto)

(Starbucks, Yonge & Wellesly, Toronto)

Or Hanging Out ..........
Now, I am the one who is missing....

11/4 瘋狂, Madness

2007-11-04T11:12:00.000-08:00

I have so many things I wanna say.....

Edward Munch - Scream, National Gallery, Oslo, 2004
This is one of my favorite paintings of all time.
Inside me, I was screaming like a Japanese Fan girl when I saw this picture in front of my eyes. There are so many reasons why this painting is part of my "Madness/Crazy" Journal. Not only because of the painting itself, but also the fact that This painting has been stolen once before.
When it was recovered, the Museum found a line said "This is painted by a mad man" written on the canvas. It's also the first time I went back packing (20 yr old). Everything I did was just based on a rough idea with out detail planning. (still do them now) Lastly, my shape has changed a lot (the true craziness!)

Goya - Saturn Devouring his Son, Prado Museum, Madrid
I have never heard of the name Goya before I saw this painting. I was ready to pass by the exhibition room quickly because Prado was waaaaay too big. Then this painting caught my eyes.
Then I read the title "Saturn Devouring his Son."
This picture worth a thousand words...

11/3 城市的聲音, Sound of a City

2007-11-04T01:30:00.000-07:00

This is Cinque Terra in Italy. There are 5 (Cinque) Mountains (Terra) in this area, and 4 little towns in between. This picture is one of the towns in the area. I forgot which one it is. But I do remember the sound, the taste and the smell of this town.

...PS and sun burns too :)

11/2 戀人, Lovers

2007-11-02T21:25:00.000-07:00

How fitting and yet inappropriate....

11/1 期許

2007-11-01T21:40:00.001-07:00

This picture was taken in Tokyo around the end of the year. Everyone goes to the temple, praying for themselves, their love ones.

This is a great topic for me today because I was discussing with my manager with my future path and how to move the corporate ladder. At the same time, I failed my dad's expectation of me once again today. Sigh.

The truth is that we all have to carry different expectations with us one way or another, either from ourselves, parents, or people around you. What to make of it, is going to differentiate the winners and the losers.

................. oh god............. why i am writing a freaking essay. Too much from work today I guess..... As Of Now, I am a corporate robot in training!

Calm before the storm...

2007-10-29T23:10:00.001-07:00

testing the blog before the photo expo starts.

....food for thought

2007-10-29T22:57:00.000-07:00

food for thought
noun
anything that provides mental stimulus for thinking [syn: food]

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University

I was going to use it as my topic... but pretty much everything can be food for thought...

Now i gotta bring a camera with me at all time...