Miss Superwoman / 愛說故事的女生

by Weichuen You 2006

四月的展覽敲定之後，成千上萬的計畫蜂湧而來，最近因為工作和許多例行公事被壓榨到畫不出來，不過我對自己說，我可以把心思放在如何呈現完美的展覽，雖然回頭看很多過往的作品，老覺得自己不夠好，對我這種老是向前看的人來說，我只想忘掉不達水準的過去，這次的準備對我是場考驗。

我的準備工作包括：部落格上的連載故事我會盡量加上中文說明，有很多熱心的朋友因為網頁上密密麻麻的英文字感到很挫折，這方面我會加強；為了配合展覽，我順便開了幾個部落格，可以同時把幾個壓箱底的故事拿出來和大家分享，喜歡吃牛肉麵的讀者，請不要錯過從今日開始的連載故事，請上 http://thestoryofbeefnoodles.blogspot.com，你可以讀到有關牛肉麵愛的故事。在進行這些任務的同時，我希望能擠出點時間繼續創作。

希望我的第一次展覽會為我留下美好的回憶！

PS：本日圖作獻給勇敢的女生─詹小姐


I finally got the confirmation from Zyxel about the exhibition in April. I am literally buried in tons of plans now. I'll have to be a superwoman to carry all of them out. As a matter of fact, work and daily routines almost suck my inspiration dry, but this comes at a good moment because it means I can dedicate most of my free time to preparing the exhibition. I actually have difficulty looking back because the past works are hardly good enough for me. Now I am faced with the challenge of looking at the old self and present it in a more proper way.

My preparation includes: I'd like to add Chinese explanation for long stories. I owe an apology to those who are really interested in my works but who are baffled by so many English words. I am about to start some more blogs to publish the other stories I wrote. If you are interested in beef noodles, you can go to the blog:
http://thestoryofbeefnoodles.blogspot.com

In the meanwhile, I hope I will have some time for painting because without art, I would wither very soon...

My first exhibition is nothing fancy. It's even not in a professional gallery, but I really want to do my best. If you happen to drop by my blog, you are more than welcome to give me some encouragement!

PS: The illo today is dedicated to my brave girl, who struggles to find true love!

Tea / 茶道

The art of tea-making--

Several weeks ago, friends took me to a tourist spot in the suburbs known as the corner for tea in Taipei. It was a chilly evening. We could feel the rain and the cold indoors. When the tea was finally served, we felt warmed-up from head to toe.

The procedure of making tea is more than complicated. I watched Mr. Wu perform the whole ritual with ease. When he poured tea from one kettle to another, from the kettle to cups, it was as if I had seen fresh spring leaves drop into the little tea cups. The taste was so beautiful and beyond description.

茶道─

老吳泡茶時，還是喋喋不休地唸著我們這些乳臭未乾的晚輩，我望著他忙碌的雙手，把茶倒過來又倒過去的，突然間，我看到青脆嫩綠的葉子，就這麼一片片飄進了茶壺。

老吳雖然吵鬧，還是有身令人刮目相看的好功夫。

Hope / 電話裡的精靈

by Weichuen You 2006

Hope

Hope is the thing with wires
That perches on the table,
And sings the tune-with tons of words,
And never stops at all.

(As you can tell, I took Dickinson's poem and made some change.)


在她最瘋狂的幻想裡，有一天白馬王子會從小小的、不起眼的電話裡出現，而他們就順順利利地戀愛結婚，從此過著幸福快樂的生活。

Puppet / 玩偶

by Weichuen You 2006

我們彼此相愛，但我不是你的玩偶。

Though we love each other, I am not your puppet.

Why? / 自問

by Weichuen You 2006

一直以來，世界的大小都是一樣的，可是，為什麼年輕的時候，世界怎麼樣都不夠大，總嫌它綁手綁腳的，現在卻安於小小的角落？我還是有夢的啊！

Where I am has always been the same. When I was younger, it was never large enough for me. There were always bigger worlds out there. Years have passed and I am reconciled with living in my little corner. Why?

Song / 婚禮歌手

by Weichuen You 2006

The Wedding Singer--

In their wedding, she did all the talking. He only looked at her in silent bliss. When he took over the microphone, words of love flew out of his mouth in the form of notes. It was a song written specifically for her.

Most of the guests were surprised. Some even found the act kind of comic. I remember that day, I thought to myself that I would never do something so ridiculous in my wedding.

Now when I think back, I wonder what she saw when she looked at him singing. Her smile was so dazzling. She must have seen the world to which she belonged...


在他們的訂婚宴上，她是大方的新娘，手持著麥克風，為宴會做開場，而他，只是靜靜地望著他，滿臉充滿著喜悅，輪到他說話時，他將情感化成一串串音符，他吟唱的是，專門為她而寫的歌。

他的歌聲算不上動人，不過他很有耐心地一直唱下去，剛開始不以為然的賓客感受到他的誠意，其中也包括我。

現在回想起來，我好奇她在他眼中看到的一切，那天她的微笑如此燦爛，也許她看到了心的歸宿。

I did two versions of the man, and in the end I can't tell if I prefer the one at the top. I do have to thank my dad for letting me pick the flowers on the balcony. The colors of the petals are just amazing.

這張圖有兩個版本，因為不滿意先完成的圖二，又嘗試圖一，後來我已分不清到底自己比較喜歡哪一張了。在此我要感謝我爸相贈的鮮花花瓣，為本圖增色不少。

Epilogue of "Oh My Loveman!"

by Weichuen You 2006

While I was posting "Oh My Loveman!", I realized the differences between the story and the reality were only growing bigger and bigger. The story was within my control, but it was not so with real life. Besides, the latter is sometimes more dramatic than fiction. It is mission impossible to put down all my feelings in words, so I'll let my paintings tell the story.

I've had moments of desperation, struggles, self-reproach, anger, disappointment, and even self-negation. It dawned on me earlier this week that I had to give myself a hug should I feel bad about myself. And with the story behind, it's really time to move on.

I think I'll be fine, and I hope the same for him.

Oh My Loveman! 87 / 我的戀愛超人 87

by Weichuen You 2005

Another story began when one day, Loveman found himself taken magically to a big city where a girl named "Pipi" was expecting him...


更何況，在人生裡，驚喜會發生在任何人身上‧‧‧

Oh My Loveman! 86 / 我的戀愛超人 86

by Weichuen You 2005

Well, don't forget Jesus. He loves to make decisions for people if he finds theirs too boring...


但上帝並不是那麼按牌理出牌，祂也有認真聆聽阿迪的禱告。

Oh My Loveman! 85 / 我的戀愛超人 85

by Weichuen You 2005

And Loveman would have become a monk in an abbey somewhere deep in the mountain if Pipi had never appeared in his life.


而阿迪可能早已上山去，虔修經法，偶爾有路人會看到他孤獨的背影。

Oh My Loveman! 84 / 我的戀愛超人 84

by Weichuen You 2005

Without this exciting adventure, Pipi might have still been making fun of her poor little brother.
"Oh help! My big sis is a witch!"


若沒有這場邂逅，小艾可能還是終日以惡整可憐的小弟為樂，甚至造成家庭的悲劇。

Simple / 單純

by Weichuen You 2006

About the girl named "Simplicity"--

Everyone says she is complicated. Her thoughts are hidden within layers and layers of petals filled with words. No one gets what she really thinks. She is too distant and mysterious to understand.

She says, "How can it be? My name is Simplicity. I am like all the other things in the world. See through the appearance and I am as simple as nature, as life..."


單純的女生─

他們說，她是複雜的女生，真心藏在層層的花瓣下，喜歡用文字隱藏真正的情感，他們不喜歡他的神秘和若即若離。

她說，我的名字意即單純，不要被表面的幻象騙了，用心看，你們就會發現我單純地像一張白紙。

PS: The last character in my Chinese name means "Simplicity."

Oh My Loveman! 83 / 我的戀愛超人 83

by Weichuen You 2005

Pipi finally set sail for her way home. As the boat drifted further and further away, she raised her hands hard and waved goodbye to the smaller and smaller people on the shore. "Bye everyone!" Though they couldn't see her face, she actually felt sentimental. After all, it was a very beautiful encounter...


小艾順利地啟程，大家互相離情依依地揮手再見，很快地，他們就要消失在彼此的視線裡了。

Oh My Loveman! 82 / 我的戀愛超人 82

by Weichuen You 2005

"Pipi, we are here to give you a hand!" Loveman and his family showed great enthusiasm in pushing the boat for her, but the problem was, there were kids and some of them even didn't know how to swim!
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Pipi thought to herself and wondered if she would make it home...


「嗯，現在我們是在做什麼？」

Oh My Loveman! 81 / 我的戀愛超人 81

by Weichuen You 2005

"Pipi!" Before the boat was pushed into the sea, Loveman and his helping family arrived in the super RV of Mercedes Benz. Loveman even ran all the way from the house to the seashore. Pipi was glad and anxious at seeing them. She had no clue if she would still be firm enough to carry out her original plan...


「等等我！小艾！」戀愛超人跑得上氣不接下氣，此時，熱情的家人們也駛著馬力十足的露營車前來助小艾一臂之力。

Oh My Loveman! 80 / 我的戀愛超人 80

by Weichuen You 2005

The sky was getting brighter and brighter. Pipi knew that she had to carry out her plan before the dawn. She pushed the boat with all her might and obviously it wasn't easy...


「船裡有朵玫瑰花，難道，戀愛超人知道我要離開了？糟糕，沒時間想了，這船好重喔！」

旅行的滋味

by Weichuen You 2006

Magic Couch

by Weichuen You 2006

Cal lived in a seaside village when she was little. Rain or shine, she would go to the sea every day. The sea was part of her.

When she was 10, her parents decided to send her to a boarding school inland. They were so busy with their little bakery that they hardly had time to visit her once a week. Whenever adults came to pick up their kids, Cal looked with at lines of cars racing off for sweet homes. Her eyes were brimmed with longings for the small and warm house in the village and most of all, for the sea.

One Sunday, she was sitting on the couch in the student lobby. The first floor was five-story tall. Having no one to talk to, Cal sank into daydreams. She closed her eyes. The dazzling lights felt like twinkling stars in the dark. The noise around her faded away and then came the soothing lullabies of tides. She dipped her feet to make sure that it was really seawater. She could even feel that salty smell. Suddenly her yearnings and nostalgia were replaced by a sense of satisfaction and calm…

After Cal became a mom, she told the story of the Magic Couch to her children. It was from then that the sofas and chairs in Cal’s house all became magical!

Note: I redid an old drawing done 6 years ago. I like the idea but the illo is sort of crude. But there seems to be something else inside the old one. What do you think?

by Weichuen You 2000

Oh My Loveman! 79 / 我的戀愛超人 79

by Weichuen You 2005

By this moment, the whole family had been awoken from their sound sleep. They looked at Pipi from behind the windows. Meanwhile, they shouted and waved their hands. "Oh la la, Pipi, come back!" "It's very dangerous for you to sail alone on the sea like that!" "God bless the poor girl!" "Don't do silly things young lady!"

Everyone was too preoccupied to hear the door slam.


凌晨的屋子裡一陣聲響，「什麼？小艾偷偷離開了？」「你們看！她在岸邊！」「小艾！」「小艾姐姐！」「戀愛超人呢？」「我們來得及趕上嗎？」「小艾！妳這樣很危險的啦！」

Oh My Loveman! 78 / 我的戀愛超人 78

by Weichuen You 2005

Pipi ran to the shore and caught sight of Patrick's little boat. She planned to sail home with its help.


「對，就是這艘小船，我只能靠它載我回家了。」

Oh My Loveman! 77 / 我的戀愛超人 77

by Weichuen You 2005

The wind outside blew hard. It was all dark. Pipi grasped her T-shirt with both hands. She knew that there was no way back...


小艾匆匆地步出大屋，再不走她就捨不得離開了。黝黑的夜裡，冷風颼颼，她感到格外孤單。