Thursday, February 28, 2008

旅遊南美洲秘魯(首篇) / Travel to Peru, South America (Introduction)

It is hard to believe I was skiing in -43 deg C weather back in January and here I am in Peru, wandering in humid +27 deg sea-breeze along the sea-cliffs of Miraflores and San Isidro, just south of Lima. The waves of the Oceano Pacifico are huge and they sweep in and rush up onto the miles of pebble shoreline, leaving lines of white foam behind. Most of the locals have gone to beaches further south but many hard-core young surfers can be seen riding on the waves and enjoying themselves under the hot summer sun.

Peru has beautiful sea, mountains, rivers and jungles that are full of the mystery of ancient Incas culture and their footprints. It is also a country of contrast. To escape the attacks of the Shining Path in the 90`s, the government built modern cities such as Miraflores and San Isidro out of the shadow of the old colonial city of Lima. I note that people appear to be generally happy and relaxed during this period of relative peace and economic recovery. While there is still poverty in many parts of the country, there are definitely more opportunities for those living in the cities.

The govt is trying hard to provide security in major commercial and tourist centres. There are tourist police, transit police, national police and municipal police to make sure tourists are safe and criminals are kept out of strategic locations. I ventured only once into the border of a shanty town area and was warned by a passer-by to be careful with taking photos and showing my camera. I made a hasty retreat back to the "safe" side of town.

I will have some more time exploring Peru but am not sure how often I will have access to Internet (also spanish is the operating and keyboard language here). I will have to post the pictures later when I am back home.

Meanwhile, stay tuned !!!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Connectivity and Access to Internet

I lost connectivity to the Internet yestersday and part of today. It is likely too that I will not have access to my blog for a couple of weeks. If you keep on seeing this same message, please bear with me. Leave me your comments if you wish. I will be back, I assure you !!

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

冰湖徑上遇友人,雪山月下吃火煱 / Chinese fondue on a cold winter night

一月尾在北部冰湖上滑雪之時,遇上了一位從蘇格蘭來的友人,她剛剛在大學畢業,取了博士PhD文憑後, 英國政府的「邱吉爾獎勵金」(Churchill Fellowship),派她以特別研究生的地位來加,考查這边北方旅遊業的發展。我們雖然在不同的環境長大,但卻对越野滑雪 cross-country skiing 有同樣的愛好,所以我在她離加之前,約了一班友人,開個 potluck party (自置便飯派对) ,替她薦行。

在星期二晚上六時半日落後,我們一行七人(和一隻狗),將食物丶飲品丶火爐丶鋁煲等放入背囊,穿上了雪鞋和雪橇,在一輪明月之下,踏入積雪的山路。因為我們都是喜愛戶外活動者,所以对零下十多度攝氏的氣溫一點也不介意,在水銀瀉地的月光下,我們都談笑自如,也不耽心会著涼或在雪山中迷途。大約四十五分鐘後,我們到達了目的地,是一間在山谷中的小木屋,推門入內,一陣陣的餸香味迎面吹來,原來除了我們七人和狗兒之外,也有十多個同道者,趁著月圓之夜,來到這裏「打鞭爐」或「開歺」。

我們脫下了背囊之後,立刻開爈,燒熱那中國火煱 Chinese Fondue 的湯底,跟著每人取出帶來的食物,放在桌上大家分享,在閃爍動蕩的蠟燭光下,我看到的是有生鳮肉片,牛柳,荳苗,草菰,白菜,燒鴨,但其它的我就不知道,或看不清楚了,總之所有餸菜味道都非常好,再加上一些熱荼美酒,真可以說在雪山月下,我們是另有天地,樂不思蜀了!!!

佳餚美酒之後,我們繼續談天說地,不覺已是午夜,很多人翌日還要上班工作,所以我們都無可夸何地開始執拾所有廚具,將廢物放入背囊,穿上外衣手套,踏上我們的回程。在臨別時,我們大家都有點依依不捨,從蘇格蘭來的遠朋要回家找工作,各人也有各人的事業前途,也不知道將在何時何,我們這一行七人和那隻狗兒,会舊地重遊,重聚在一起了。

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

七大奇景之一: 麗都運河 (2008年2月冬天景色) / Seven Wonders of the World: The Rideau Canal (Winterlude February 2008)

On Saturday, I took advantage of the nice weather (sunny with no wind, around -8 deg C) and went skating on the Rideau Canal. February 17 to 18 is this city's Winterlude Festival weekend and there were thousands of people on the 7-km long skating rink. Most of them were on blades, but some were just walking about in their winter boots, and everyone was enjoying himself/herself. Here are some of the photographs I took. 附上在運河上拍的攝影相片。

(Supplementary reading: My July 15, 2007 blog article on the Ridean Canal http://lotusandcedar.blogspot.com/2007/07/new-seven-wonders-of-world-rideau-canal.html)

Monday, February 18, 2008

行萬里路勝讀萬卷書 / Global Perspective

As the Democratic presidential primary campaign in the US unfolds, the local newspaper reports that the two front-runners are trying to convince voters they have the “right stuff” to competently decide on America’s foreign policy. According to the journalists, Hillary Clinton apparently indicated that she had gained such experience while travelling on business trips with her husband, then US President Bill Clinton; while Barack Obama emphasized he had actually lived and travelled extensively outside of the US mainland (his father’s family is from Kenya).

No doubt in a globalized world, any statesman/woman worth his/her grain of salt must have the competency and experience to deal with complex international trade and foreign affairs issues. Gone are the days when a country’s leader can just stay home, ignore the reality of the changing world outside, and manage only the domestic agenda. As to the average Joe and Josephine on the street, I would submit we too need to shy away from the village mentality, do more travelling to other countries and cultures, and broaden our view of the world.

As the Chinese say: 行萬里路勝讀萬卷書 / We gain more from travelling ten thousand miles than studying ten thousand books.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

「半鹹半淡」的中英翻釋 / More on Chinglish


How do you do? 「老外」您好 !!

在中囯北京舉行的奧林匹克運動倒数開始後,与奥運有關的辦事人員和商界行業,都儘量把公共告示丶亍標路牌丶廣告和其它遊客須知的消息,由中文翻釋過來英文。但可能是字典丶电腦丶或員工的能力有限,很多時印了出來的是「半鹹半淡」的英文,看後真令人摸不著頭腦,,啼笑皆非。以下是某歺館給客人看的歺牌,請留意那「干」字的英文翻釋。
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Feb 18, 2008 Supplementary:
Please also see my previous article posted on Oct 24, 2007

Thursday, February 14, 2008

2008年的情人節: 『愛情是為了什么?』 / Valentine's Day 2008: "Why do we love?"

他在車內等候女友,
是他自願開車接送。
在他感到不耐煩的數分鐘間,
他問自己:『愛情是為了什么?』

她望著水中的倒影,
丈夫在內地有二奶,
在她腳尖離開橋頭的一刹那間,
她問自己:『愛情是為了什么?』

他在机場接未婚妻,
滙了千元到她網址。
在他投玫瑰花入廢物箱之前,
他問自己:『愛情是為了什么?』

她看到丈夫在招手,
週圍的親友在啜泣。
在她心臓停止跳動的那一日,
她問丈夫:『愛情是為了什么?』

Monday, February 11, 2008

情人節感想 / Valentine's Day coming up ...

We all need romance and good time as positive 'credits' for building up sufficient reserve to overcome a relationship's occasional deficit situation. An overdrawn account usually means a distraught relationship.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

探訪克裡駝鹿族國 ∕ Visiting the Moose Cree First Nation (Part 4b)

Conclusion (continued):

YouTube videos:

There are two videos I would like to share with you:

(a) I really enjoy the one entitled "Native American - Sacred Spirit" made by 15-year old Robyn Nakogee of the Moose Cree First Nation. It was nicely made and the song is, well, very spiritual. As I mentioned in my last article, I am really pleased to come across this video made by someone who strongly identifies with her aboriginal heritage.

You may wish to find out more about Robyn at "ladyqweFnation": http://www.youtube.com/user/ladyqweFnation or go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2TxSOZ7Aws .




(b) The song "Land of the Cree" in the second video was written and played by Don Charbonneau, a Canadian musician living in Wawa, Ontario. The song was posted by YouTube user "lostguide1" whose site is at: http://www.youtube.com/user/lostguide1. The song was dedicated to all the First Nation people living on the James Bay coast and you could hear it at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWK6BAZgM_0



Here are the lyrics as posted on the YouTube site:

Land of the Cree

Freedom had a way of finding me
In this land of the Cree
In the black spruce with the bear and the moose
And people living out on the land
Brings me back to another time
When no shadow crossed this land

The wild geese fly over here
But call no place home
Using well worn celestial paths
They migrate from land to land
And the eagle she flies into my dreams
Bringing tales from grandmother's time

Freedom had a way of finding me
In this land of the Cree
In the black spruce with the bear and the moose
And people living out on the land
Brings me back to another time
When no shadow crossed this land

We are all children on this holy land
And Creator holds us all in his hand
We're all children on this holy hand
And Creator holds us all in his hand
And Creator holds us all in his hand


With this song, I thus conclude my 4-part series "探訪克裡駝鹿族國 ∕ Visiting the Moose Cree First Nation" I hope you enjoy all the materials I have posted on my blog!!!

Saturday, February 09, 2008

探訪克裡駝鹿族國 ∕ Visiting the Moose Cree First Nation (Part 4a)


攝影相片 Photograph above: Sunset on the mighty Moose River


攝影相片 Photograph above: A lone skier on his way back to the hunting camp


攝影相片 Photograph above: Looking across the frozen river toward Moose Factory abt 15 kilometres away


攝影相片 Photograph above: Ski tracks and footprints in the snow


攝影相片 Photograph above: A mixture of dark shadows on frozen ice


攝影相片 Photograph above: The team left the skis and poles here, chopped down some trees and had lunch over a roaring fire burning on the frozen river bed


攝影相片 Photograph above: Skiing through the snow-covered evergreen forest of the Moose Factory Indian Reserve

Conclusion:

I would like to conclude this series of articles by posting some more pictures of the beautiful sky, land, lakes and rivers of the Moose Factory Indian Reserve area 駝鹿公廠印地安保留區, as well as two YouTube videos that I found interesting.

Photographs:

I took the pictures around the hunting campground near the intersection of the North French River and the Moose River. (Reference: National Topographic Map System index #42P/2 "Bushy Island, Cochrane District, Ontario"). Even as I am writing this, part of me is still out there wandering in the evergreen forests and on the frozen lakes up north where the Moose Cree people call home.

... to be continued.

Thursday, February 07, 2008

探訪克裡駝鹿族國 ∕ Visiting the Moose Cree First Nation (Part 3)

攝影相片 Photograph above: Some like it cold ...

攝影相片 Photograph above: Some like it hot ...

攝影相片 Photograph above: The Ski-with-the-Cree campground

攝影相片 Photograph above: Arriving at the hunting camp after skiing 15 km in minus 30 to 40 degrees C weather on the Moose River.

攝影相片 Photograph above: Supper at the Cree Cultural Interpretive Centre at Moose Factory. The diagram I mentioned in this article is shown on the wall on the right (with the four-colour medicine wheel)

Sustainable Community
In Part 2 of this series, I mentioned Chief Seattle's Prophecy (or unconfirmed reported speech as some historians put it), which some of you might say is too doom-and-gloom and probably very outdated. But don't forget back in 1854, the patriarch of the Duwamish and Suquamish Indians of Puget Sound and a great warrior of his people, was under a lot of pressure from the "white man" to make concessions, sign treaties, and give up aboriginal lands. Such was the situation in what is now metro Seattle in the western United States. How about the Canadian natives and more specifically the Moose Cree First Nation people whom I recently visited? According to my aboriginal friends, things were not that much different in terms of forced assimilation (some called it "internal colonialism" 內部殖民主义). Here is a brief summary of and my thoughts on The History of James Bay Aboriginal People based on the diagram depicted on the wall of the Cree Cultural Interpretive Centre at Moose Factory.

Pre-European Contact Era: The community was sustainable both spiritually and materialistically. The traditional way of life provided a stable societal infrastructure with clear values, harmonious relationships between people; respect for elders, Nature and the Creator; and an abundance of resources from the environment.

Contact Era: To start with, 90% of the population died of imported deceases such as small-pox to which they had no natural immunization. The increasing demand for fur and other resources not only changed the economic independence of the aboriginals, but also exerted tremendous pressure on the natural environment to the extent that some species such as buffalos were hunted to near extinction. The encroachment of Christianity by missionaries who viewed aboriginals as savages also accelerated the erosion of the social, economic and ecological sustainability of the aboriginal community.

Post-contact Era: Industrialization and the loss of lands with or without treaties had resulted in poverty and deplorable social and economic conditions across the land. Loss of traditional values, culture, languages and way of life had eroded the spirit of the people. Family break-down, drugs, alcohol and other social problems had surfaced as symptoms (but not the original causes) of an unsustainable community. The government responded by implementing, among other things, the Residential School Program that aimed at forced assimilation of aboriginal children into the western society/culture. Currently, the government has agreed to negotiate/compensate the aboriginals for the abuses and suffering of those lost years. However, it seems that there is still a great deal of mistrust on the part of the aboriginals in dealing with governments and big resource industry.

The Future: The challenge facing the people is whether they can renew and revitalize the community and make it sustainable again. Healing is an important first step after years of hurt, abuses and neglect. To rebuild, the people will need to re-establish the three pillars of sustainable development.

(a) Social: The challenge is to re-introduce traditions, values and relationships to a whole new generation of young aboriginals who are bombarded by market-driven commercials and popular western culture. I do notice, however, that there are quite a number of users on Blogger, YouTube, and other internet media, who strongly identify with their aboriginal heritage and are taking advantage of what technology has to offer. On the down-side, one cannot rely on technology to deal with social problems. It would appear that education and raising awareness is the long-term solution to a lot of the deep-rooted social issues.

(b) Economic: A sustainable community will need a sustainable economy to provide the revenue it needs to survive and rejuvenate. My understanding is that the current Indian Act印地安法 does provide aboriginals with certain rights to harvest local resources as part of their traditional way of life, but at the same time it also confines the people to reserves which are usually far away from major economic centres. The promotion of eco-tourism is one way of bringing revenues to the community and is indeed the focus of several reports by the government (references: http://www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/fednor-fednor.nsf/en/fn00776e.html; http://www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/fednor-fednor.nsf/en/h_fn01621e.html). I believe that economic prosperity is a necessary although not sufficient condition for a sustainable community. It has been shown in the past that wind-fall from big resource development projects has caused more harm than good to aboriginal communities. To become sustainable, the community will also need to have in place the right environment, or winning conditions/factors, in order to succeed.

(c) Other Factors: In addition to (a) and (b) above, there are other factors that will also significantly determine the sustainability of a community. These may include (not in any order of importance): Resolution of long-standing legal issues (e.g. land claims, Residential School compensations, etc.); self-governance issue/model (with other jurisdictions and internally); municipal infrastructure (schools and teachers; roads and transportation, drinking/waste water, health/hospital and security, financial infrastructure, ...); geo-political power (links to other aboriginal players and political decision-makers); capacity building (knowledge and know-how of community leaders and workers); and other winning conditions or factors.

Having discussed the three main pillars of a sustainable community, I would suggest that the overarching driver still remains to be the determination of the people and their will to safe-guard their heritage and traditions in a world that is becoming more homogenized because of globalized trade and informatics technologies.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: A special thanks to Clarence and Phil for helping me better understand The History of James Bay Aboriginal People during the Ski-with-the-Cree trip 2008. Please note I take responsibility for the opinions expressed in this article. If you find any mistakes or would like to make corrections, please submit them to me as comments.

... to be continued.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

探訪克裡駝鹿族國 ∕ Visiting the Moose Cree First Nation (Part 2)

While I have been to many parts of Canada either on business or for pleasure, this was actually the first time I visited and stayed overnight in a First Nation community. Having worked with several aboriginal colleagues and spent several years on the Employment Equity (EE) file, I do have a basic understanding of the challenges facing aboriginal and other EE-designated employees at the workplace, but not enough to be an expert on the subject matter of sustainable community. So what is sustainability? Perhaps the following unconfirmed speech from Chief Seattle (178?-1866), reportedly recorded by pioneer Dr. Henry Smith, on the occasion of an 1854 visit to Seattle of Isaac Stevens (1818-1862), Governor and Commissioner of Indian Affairs of Washington Territory, will help illustrate the point:

(Reference: http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=1427)

Chief Seattle's Speech

"Yonder sky that has wept tears of compassion on our fathers for centuries untold, and which, to us, looks eternal, may change. Today it is fair, tomorrow it may be overcast with clouds. My words are like the stars that never set. What Seattle says, the great chief, Washington … can rely upon, with as much certainty as our pale-face brothers can rely upon the return of the seasons.

"The son [a reference to Terr. Gov. Stevens] of the White Chief says his father sends us greetings of friendship and good will. This is kind, for we know he has little need of our friendship in return, because his people are many. They are like the grass that covers the vast prairies, while my people are few, and resemble the scattering trees of a storm-swept plain.

"The great, and I presume also good, white chief sends us word that he wants to buy our lands but is willing to allow us to reserve enough to live on comfortably. This indeed appears generous, for the red man no longer has rights that he need respect, and the offer may be wise, also, for we are no longer in need of a great country.

There Was A Time

"When our people covered the whole land, as the waves of a wind-ruffled sea cover its shell-paved floor. But that time has long since passed away with the greatness of tribes now almost forgotten. I will not mourn over our untimely decay, nor reproach my pale-face brothers for hastening it, for we, too, may have been somewhat to blame.

"When our young men grow angry at some real or imaginary wrong, and disfigure their faces with black paint, their hearts, also, are disfigured and turn black, and then their cruelty is relentless and knows no bounds, and our old men are not able to restrain them.

"But let us hope that hostilities between the red-man and his pale-face brothers may never return. We would have everything to lose and nothing to gain.

"True it is, that revenge, with our young braves, is considered gain, even at the cost of their own lives, but old men who stay at home in times of war, and old women, who have sons to lose, know better.

"Our great father Washington, for I presume he is now our father, as well as yours, since George [a reference to King George III, i.e., Great Britain] has moved his boundaries to the north; our great and good father, I say, sends us word by his son, who, no doubt, is a great chief among his people, that if we do as he desires, he will protect us. His brave armies will be to us a bristling wall of strength, and his great ships of war will fill our harbors so that our ancient enemies far to the northward, the Simsiams [Tsimshian] and Hydas [Haidas], will no longer frighten our women and old men. Then he will be our father and we will be his children.

But Can This Ever Be?

"Your God loves your people and hates mine; he folds his strong arms lovingly around the white man and leads him as a father leads his infant son, but he has forsaken his red children; he makes your people wax strong every day, and soon they will fill the land; while my people are ebbing away like a fast-receding tide, that will never flow again. The white man's God cannot love his red children or he would protect them. They seem to be orphans who can look nowhere for help. How then can we become brothers? How can your father become our father and bring us prosperity and awaken in us dreams of returning greatness?

"Your God seems to us to be partial. He came to the white man. We never saw Him; never even heard His voice; He gave the white man laws but He had no word for His red children whose teeming millions filled this vast continent as the stars fill the firmament. No, we are two distinct races and must remain ever so. There is little in common between us. The ashes of our ancestors are sacred and their final resting place is hallowed ground, while you wander away from the tombs of your fathers seemingly without regret.

"Your religion was written on tables of stone by the iron finger of an angry God, lest you might forget it. The red man could never remember nor comprehend it.

"Our religion is the traditions of our ancestors, the dreams of our old men, given them by the Great Spirit, and the visions of our sachems, and is written in the hearts of our people.

"Your dead cease to love you and the homes of their nativity as soon as they pass the portals of the tomb. They wander far off beyond the stars, are soon forgotten, and never return. Our dead never forget the beautiful world that gave them being. They still love its winding rivers, its great mountains and its sequestered vales, and they ever yearn in tenderest affection over the lonely hearted living and often return to visit and comfort them.

"Day and night cannot dwell together. The red man has ever fled the approach of the white man, as the changing mists on the mountain side flee before the blazing morning sun.

"However, your proposition seems a just one, and I think my folks will accept it and will retire to the reservation you offer them, and we will dwell apart and in peace, for the words of the great white chief seem to be the voice of nature speaking to my people out of the thick darkness that is fast gathering around them like a dense fog floating inward from a midnight sea.

"It matters but little where we pass the remainder of our days.

They Are Not Many.

"The Indian's night promises to be dark. No bright star hovers above the horizon. Sad-voiced winds moan in the distance. Some grim Nemesis of our race is on the red man's trail, and wherever he goes he will still hear the sure approaching footsteps of the fell destroyer and prepare to meet his doom, as does the wounded doe that hears the approaching footsteps of the hunter. A few more moons, a few more winters, and not one of all the mighty hosts that once filled this broad land or that now roam in fragmentary bands through these vast solitudes will remain to weep over the tombs of a people once as powerful and as hopeful as your own.

"But why should we repine? Why should I murmur at the fate of my people? Tribes are made up of individuals and are no better than they. Men come and go like the waves of a sea. A tear, a tamanawus, a dirge, and they are gone from our longing eyes forever. Even the white man, whose God walked and talked with him, as friend to friend, is not exempt from the common destiny. We may be brothers after all. We shall see.

"We will ponder your proposition, and when we have decided we will tell you. But should we accept it, I here and now make this the first condition: That we will not be denied the privilege, without molestation, of visiting at will the graves of our ancestors and friends. Every part of this country is sacred to my people. Every hill-side, every valley, every plain and grove has been hallowed by some fond memory or some sad experience of my tribe.

Even The Rocks

"That seem to lie dumb as they swelter in the sun along the silent seashore in solemn grandeur thrill with memories of past events connected with the fate of my people, and the very dust under your feet responds more lovingly to our footsteps than to yours, because it is the ashes of our ancestors, and our bare feet are conscious of the sympathetic touch, for the soil is rich with the life of our kindred.

"The sable braves, and fond mothers, and glad-hearted maidens, and the little children who lived and rejoiced here, and whose very names are now forgotten, still love these solitudes, and their deep fastnesses at eventide grow shadowy with the presence of dusky spirits. And when the last red man shall have perished from the earth and his memory among white men shall have become a myth, these shores shall swarm with the invisible dead of my tribe, and when your children's children shall think themselves alone in the field, the store, the shop, upon the highway or in the silence of the woods they will not be alone. In all the earth there is no place dedicated to solitude. At night, when the streets of your cities and villages shall be silent, and you think them deserted, they will throng with the returning hosts that once filled and still love this beautiful land. The white man will never be alone. Let him be just and deal kindly with my people, for the dead are not altogether powerless."


Please note: It was assumed by some historians that Chief Seattle's speech was given in the Lushootseed language, retold in the Chinook Indian trade language, and then translated into English. However, some scholars have challenged the authenticity of the speech itself. (Reference: http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1985/spring/chief-seattle.html)

.... to be continued.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

探訪克裡駝鹿族國 ∕ Visiting the Moose Cree First Nation (Part 1)

Photograph above: Passengers of the Polar Bear Express unloading at the Moosonee train station

Photograph above: A hydro dam along the way

Photograph above: Crossing the mighty Moose River on a high railroad bridge

Photograph above: The Ontario Northland, which operates the Polar Bear Express, has been serving the north for more than 100 years.

Photograph above: This is the locomotive that pulled us 186 miles from Cochrane to Moosonee (long 80.39, lat 51.17) which is located near the southern tip of James Bay (south of Hudson Bay).

Photograph above: The Polar Bear Express at the train station in Cochrane, Ontario

It was over a week ago when 16 members of the Ski-with-the-Cree 2008 team stepped off the Polar Bear Express at the Moosonee train station and met up with Philip Sutherland and Clarence Trapper of the Moose Cree First Nation from Moose Factory Island located 15 kilometres south of James Bay in northern Ontario (see Google Map). Since my fellow traveler Susie, who is an excellent writer with a good sense of humour, has diligently and accurately reported the trip in her blog, I shall refrain myself from repeating the same account, but will share with you the pictures I took during the voyage as well as some of my post "expedition" thoughts.

Here are some of my pictures / 附上我的攝影相片. I will share more pics and my thoughts with you in the blogs that follow.

Monday, February 04, 2008

回覆留言 ∕ Responses to Your Comments

I have gathered here my belated responses to many of your comments posted in my blog, up to and including the article entitled「冬天越野滑雪和露營 ∕ Cross-Country Skiing and Winter Camping」. My apology for the delay. These responses will also be inserted into the respective articles. As the Shakers say in designing their home furniture http://www.artcomplex.org/shaker.html :

"Everything has its place and every place has its thing."

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米果 已針對您的文章「对『目的、旅程、手段』概念作一個分析 / Examining the Concept of 'Mea...」留下新意見: 曾在書上讀到:愛,正如卡夫卡所形容的是旋轉的陀螺一旦用手輕碰停止轉動也就失去了魅力..............讀到這段...真的很有感覺...很有想像力的文字...^^分享給大家....如果把愛情比喻成魔術....又會是另一個精彩吧....^^

米果: 对不起,遲了回覆。又有人比喻,愛情像花園,沒有人理会打理,就会雜草叢生,日久失修了。(以前也寫過類似的,請看2007-02-02 文章【家園青草綠柔柔/Green Green Grass of Home】)

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米果 已針對您的文章「Please Be Patient with Me :)」留下新意見: 其實 當我讀到這篇文章時...心是大大的震憾而感動的..說不出為什麼有種撥雲見日的豁然開朗..又像是許久解不出的數學題..頓時解開的狂喜就像文中所述..戀愛到底是個手段或旅程..端看自己怎麼選擇...而我原本的想望與零碎的想法...因著這篇文章而得到共鳴...所以非常的驚喜....^^..很讚的一篇論文..呵呵by 米果

米果: 很高興那篇有關『戀愛到底是個手段或旅程』的文章能給您一點幫助!!

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新鮮人 已針對您的文章「黃潤娥的故事: 留言 / The Story of Anita Wong: A Note from ...」留下新意見: 好有詩意!浪漫到暈!

新鮮人: 回想以前的「浪漫」史,總有些詩意,也有點憂鬰感。

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shek 已針對您的文章「黃潤娥的故事: 留言 / The Story of Anita Wong: A Note from ...」留下新意見: 生命總是無常,我們對生死也總是無奈!

Shek: 您說得沒有錯,昔人已乘黃鶴去,看著那留言,有的只是回憶。

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Keith 已針對您的文章「黃潤娥的故事: 留言 / The Story of Anita Wong: A Note from ...」留下新意見: It is a touching story. A casual note that can mean nothing or everything.

Keith: Something so casual and insignificant at the time actually left marks in two people's lives, one terminated, one continues.

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Wo_木土人_od 已針對您的文章「自閉症作家唐娜、威廉姆斯的【此地無人】/ Donna Williams' "Nobody Nowhe...」留下新意見: I read the book about 10 years ago and can't recall much. Since the book was written so long ago, now we know that autism is not an acquired development disorder but to do with some neurological stuff before birth. It is a good book though. I learn to view from my clients' perspectives after reading.

Wo_木土人_od: My apology for the late response. While I am not a professional like you, I too benefit a lot from reading her book (and also the next one "Somebody, Somewhere").

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啤酒花™_J 已針對您的文章「黃潤娥的故事: 留言 / The Story of Anita Wong: A Note from ...」留下新意見: ya..Keith I agreed - it's the "feel"

啤酒花™_J: For sure, my feeling for her stays.

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新鮮人 已針對您的文章「冬天越野滑雪和露營 ∕ Cross-Country Skiing and Winter Campi...」留下新意見: 可以做自己喜歡的事,當然開心到暉啊,也可見你早前的決定不錯! :)

新鮮人: 其實我就是好遊山玩水的,对天然環境有關的活動,實非常有興趣。

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啤酒花™_J 已針對您的文章「冬天越野滑雪和露營 ∕ Cross-Country Skiing and Winter Campi...」留下新意見: I am bz too - bz reading...but at the same time I still feel I am actually too free...hehe

啤酒花™_J: As they say in time-management, there is always time in one's life to do things - it's just a matter of priorities.

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孱仔 已針對您的文章「冬天越野滑雪和露營 ∕ Cross-Country Skiing and Winter Campi...」留下新意見: It is very hard for me to imagine how cold it is at minus 30 to 40 degrees. Now in Hong Kong is 12 degrees which I already felt cold......

孱仔: At minus 30 to 40 degree C, I only have time to take my auto-focus electronic camera out, quickly snap one picture, put the camera back into my pocket, and put my hands back into my gloves. Even then, my fingers will begin to feel numb. Here in Canada, all public buildings and most homes are heated, so it's not too bad.

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啤酒花™_J 已針對您的文章「冬天越野滑雪和露營 ∕ Cross-Country Skiing and Winter Campi...」留下新意見: Keith, haha...yeah, u are rightHaricot, take care... minus 7, 8 degree C to me its very cold already...

啤酒花™_J: Thanks !! "Hot" and "cold" are indeed relative terms.

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紗繪 已針對您的文章「冬天越野滑雪和露營 ∕ Cross-Country Skiing and Winter Campi...」留下新意見: HEllo..告訴一聲:我轉了新地方.麻煩請改連結.http://blog.pixnet.net/missdoll.

紗繪: 多謝告知,我会用您的新址。

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Ooops, I almost missed a humourous comment from Keith, here it is ....


Keith已針對您的文章「冬天越野滑雪和露營 ∕ Cross-Country Skiing and Winter Campi...」留下新意見:
Scientists have found out the earth is spinning faster because too many people cross-country ski eastward, pushing the globe with too many of their slides. Although it is not as serious as the global warming problem, skiers are advised to go either northward and southward from now on.

Keith: Ah, the hallmark of science is that it is always posted up there to be challenged. Now, according to Newtonian physics, the earth will spin faster only if skiers are skiing westward (action), and pushing the earth eastward (reaction). It's not the gliding but rather the pushing (if you skate-ski) or kicking (if you classic-ski) that propels a skier forward. Okay okay, for the sake of humanity, I will heed your advice and ski north-south more often.
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