还有几个二十年？天安门广场六四事件二十周年

天安门广场六四事件发生的那一年，我只不过是个什么都不懂的五岁小孩。

二十年过去了，事件未得到中共的平反。

引起我深思的另一个问题是：人生还有几个二十年？

我走在港大的国柱，看见旁边放了很多白色的菊花。

Dormant

So I was dormant for more than 4 months, occupied with work and study at the same time. A lame excuse for not having enough motivation perhaps. It is easy to start a plan but not easy to sustain it. Same with everything that we always do.

After the hassles of these 4 months, I made a brief and fruitful trip back home to visit my family members, boyfriend and long lost friends. And after this, within a day's time I was transported from my native land where I spent my sweetest childhood and teenagehood memories to the concrete jungle that I now live.

Now that I am heading for Si Chuan for my summer placement project, I think it is time for me to re-energize and warm up this blog again, keeping a log of moments that I am about to experience in another foreign land that I am going to spend my next 3 months in.

My New Year Resolution

After a week for hustles rushing in and out entertaining friends from Msia and Spore, I finally have the time to really sit down, relax and contemplate on my goals and resolutions for this year.
During the past, I have never ever achieved 100% of what I have set at the beginning of the year. While I eagerly draft all my goals and aims for this year, I wish I could really make a 100% hit this year.

My goals:
1. Continue learning elementary Japanese
2. Try as much as I can to write in Traditional Chinese Characters
3. Practice Chinese Calligraphy
4. Regain my momentum and passion in music ( I need to polish up my violin techniques)
5. Visit all museums in HK
6. Buy myself a second hand clavi/keyboard (I have been deferring this goal for 2 years!)
7. Write some good papers
8. Read at least 2 books per month

My hope:
- visit Beijing/Taiwan by this year
- have a fruitful summer internship
- open another new Chinese Blog

May I be able to achieve all my resolutions.

星云法语

太久没有佛法的熏陶，感觉上生活有点空空的。想起过往的一年经常往Brickfields Vihara, BGF等南传寺庙跑（其实这要谢谢过去一年跟我住在一起的香玲，没有她我也许不会那么精进），无形中生活有了一种推动力。那天终于在恍恍惚惚与迷茫之中跑到旺角星云大师在香港的道场，听了一场台湾师父的弘法。在这个绚烂的城市之中，犹如久旱逢甘露。

记录了以下这短星云大师写的文字，记得以前不知在什么地方看过了，现在重温可说是别有一番滋味：

心甘情愿

人生在世，
若能时时以心甘情愿的态度
来实现理想，必能有苦时不觉苦，
有难时不觉难，
一切困境自可迎任而解，
无事不办，无愿不成。

Present moment wonderful moment

I jotted down these poems in my diary 4 months ago in a monastery in Stokes Valley, Wellington. They are written by a Vietnamese Monk- Thich Nhat Hanh ( 一行禅师), who advocates peace ever since the post-Vietnam war era, and continue to inspire people around United States and the world. I have not gotten the privilege to meet this fantastic Zen master as yet, but reading his poems and his writings tend to uplift my spirit and mind everytime.

1. Waking Up
Waking up this morning, I smile
24 brand new hours are before me
I vow to live fully in each moment
and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion

2. Taking up the first step of the day
Walking on the Earth
is a miracle!
Each mindful step
reveals the wondrous Dharmakaya

3. Opening the window
Opening the window
I look out onto the Dharmakaya
How wondrous is life!
Attentive to each moment
My mind is clear like a calm river

4. Looking in the mirror
Awareness is a mirror
Reflecting the four elements
Beauty is a heart that generates love
and a mind that is open.

5. Using the toilet
Defiled or immaculate
increasing or decreasing
these concepts exist only in our minds
the reality of interbeing is unsurpassed

6. Turning on the water
Water flows from high in the mountains
Water runs deep in the Earth
Miraculously, water comes to us,
and sustains all life

7. Washing your hands
Water flows over these hands
May I use them skillfully
to preserve our precious planet

8. Brushing your teeth
Brushing my teeth and rinsing my mouth
I vow to speak purely and lovingly
When my mouth is fragrant with right speech
A flower blooms in the garden of my heart

9.Bathing
Unborn and indestructible
Beyond time and space
Both transmission and inheritance
Lie in the wonderful nature of the Dharmadhatu.

10. Looking at your hand
Whose hand is this
that has never died?
Who is it who was born in the past?
Who is it who will die in the future?

11. Washing your feet
Peace and joy in each toe-
My own peace and joy

12. Getting dressed
Putting on these clothes
I am grateful to those who made them
and to the materials from which they were mae
I wish everyone could have enough to wear.

* Thich Nhat Hanh currently resides in Plum Village in southern France. Visiting his monastery is one of my dream in the near future. You can learn more about Thich Nhat Hanh and his monastery by clicking on 'Plum Village' from my blog links.*

一段让我若有所思的文字

友人怡亭写了这一段文字，虽然不是直接dedicate给我的，不过看了之后却感触良多。我想远在异乡的你同样面对着一样的困境吧，加油吧朋友，不管未来结局如何，我们一起勇敢地走下去。

文：王怡亭
对于家人的爱和思念

有时侯我们不会察觉

因为感觉上

他们永远不会背弃我们

因为稳定所以忽略

人,总在濒临失去才有感受

对于另一半

我们懂得珍惜

因为我们害怕失去

因为那种隐约的担忧

所以我们在乎

决定很多时候

没有所谓的对错

今天不管选了什么

还是会有犹豫和矛盾

每个选择都有好坏

只是可能份量不一样

既然已经开了头

很多时候只能往前走

与其埋怨

不如改变

改变心态,改变自己,改变方式,改变结局

所有的权利在你手中

自己才是自己的主人

如果你选择坚持

就得坚持自己的选择

人生是残忍的

有时你不能回头

可是你可以转弯

路

有时有点崎岖

可能你比别人兜得更远

但每个人都有自己的宿命

只有靠自己你才能找到出路

我们会迷惑

我们会埋怨

因为我们不懂得尊重自己的决定

要看清方向

我们才能继续前进

只有继续前进

才能到达目的

不要放弃

Egg tainted with Malamine as well? What's next?

I was enjoying my yummy egg tart and 菠箩包 (the only food that I like in HK) as breakfast this morning, when i was suddenly struck by the CNN news reporting that HK eggs were found to be tainted with industrial chemical Malamine as well, twice the amount of those found in formula! I was chewing on the last bite of my egg tart when I heard the news, and having known that I was actually consuming a considerable amount of Malamine, I immediately thought of the potential of having renal failure later.....One of you who's reading this must count on donating one of your kidney to me!!

So after the tainted baby formula scandal, most dairy products such as yogurt were found to be contaminated as well. Next we heard about made in China Cadbury chocolatate, biscuits, now come the eggs! So what's next??

I have been constantly aware of the quality of made in China manufactured food products all the while even before the tainted milk scandal was revealed publicly, now I have virtually abstained from all their products. But a friend teased me for my naiveness, living in HK, how can you possibly make sure that all your food consumption is 100% China free? The vegetables that we eat in the canteen are imported from China, so is the milk in the milk tea, and what about the flour used in making egg tart and 菠箩包？

When are the manufacturers in mainland going be more ethical? Public trust can be compromised and their long term sustainability growth can be jeapordized if all they have in their mind is only profit, revenue and thier 'face'.