Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Blissful / 幸福的

五月時對於自己的作品有些不確定,我想來想去,覺得自己需要一雙有經驗、超然的眼睛,我想到鄭明進老師,兩年前的確聽過老師的演講,也記得老師很歡迎大家和交換信件,只可惜我當時沒有留下老師的地址。我在網路上搜尋老師的資料,很幸運地找到他在今年初出版的一本書,叫做「鄭明進與20個插畫家的秘密通訊」,買來之後發現裡面插畫家寄給老師的信件上,便可以找到老師的地址,我對自己說,一定要寫信給老師才行。

I wasn’t so sure about my works back in May, so it occurred to me that maybe I need a pair of experienced and objective eyes. Mr. Cheng Ming Chin’s name popped into my mind. I did attend one speech held by him two years ago, and I remember that he welcomed the audience to exchange mail with him. It is a pity that I didn’t ask for his address then. Thus, I searched for his information online and came across a book he had published earlier this year entitled Mr. Cheng Ming Chin’s Secret Mail with Twenty Illustrators. I was lucky enough to find Mr. Cheng’s address on the mail sent by his illustrator friends to him in the book. It was then that I vowed to write to him as soon as possible.

拖到了七月旅行回來,終於寄出給老師的明信片,但是我心裡想,如果老師沒有回信也是很正常的,這麼一想就到了八月底。星期天傍晚回家時,目光突然被一封躺在管理員桌上、看起來很不尋常的信件吸引,信封底貼著一張小圖,呼籲大家愛用台灣水果,出於好奇心,我把信封翻過來,收件人就是我!

I put off this important task until the end of July after I returned from my summer trip. Though I did send out a hand-drawn postcard, in the meanwhile, I told myself that it would be understandable if I did not hear from Mr. Cheng. Then one month passed. When I came home last Sunday evening, I was attracted by a very special-looking envelope lying randomly on the desk of the concierge. On the back was glued a small picture advocating the consumption of Taiwanese fruits. My curiosity tempted me to turn the envelope, and surprisingly, I was the addressee!

我開心地搭上電梯,到家不自主地大聲嚷嚷起來,老爸老媽也不得不問是怎麼回事,我說了老師的名字,他們倆也附和:鄭老師很有名啊,我們都認識。原來老師在收到明信片的當週就回信了,只是把我們家的樓層數少寫了1,還好我善心的鄰居在一個月後把信丟出來,又讓我在覺得有點落寞的星期天巧遇了這封信,我不禁想,上帝對我挺好的。

I took the elevator with a heart full of glee. I couldn’t help making a lot of noise about the mail when arriving home. Dad and Mom asked me what it was all about. When I uttered Mr. Cheng’s name, they two both exclaimed: Oh he is famous! We have heard his name. (Mr. Cheng is like the father of illustration in Taiwan.) I learned that Mr. Cheng had replied during the same week I sent out the postcard. However, he missed the number 1 when it came to the floor I live on. Fortunately, my kind-hearted neighbor threw out the mail one month later so that I could accidentally find it on a kind-of-sentimental Sunday. Isn’t God pretty nice to me, I thought…

老師快要八十歲了,卻如此充滿熱情,這令我很感動。老師的信件中除了提醒我之前我也想過的問題,還說:我們不拘束地、自由自在地畫畫好嗎?恰巧最近小雪也是這麼和我說的,也許我在無形中就給自己套上框架,幸好有這些很溫暖的人不斷提醒我,讓我可以在喜歡的事情裏用我的步伐前進,我真是幸福的一個人!

Mr. Cheng is almost 80 years old, but he is so full of passion and warmth. That really moves me. In Mr. Cheng’s mail, he reminded me of something I had thought about before. He also said, let’s draw freely without any restrictions, shall we? Eileen happened to have made similar remarks to me last week. I figure that sometimes I lock myself in the box without being aware of it. I am so blessed to have these warm people to constantly lift me up so that I can make progress at my own pace in doing the thing I love the most in the world.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

老師好像很開心的樣子=)

這麼一來我也要抱著熱情開心的算數學


by Prince

Anonymous said...

老師真幸福 !
我之前在金石堂有看到這本書哦
不過印象只有"封面上鄭明進三個字畫的真漂亮"
哈哈XD

哲芬

Weichuen You said...

Prince: 當然啦,這是很令人開心的事呢!好好算數學喔!

哲芬:這本書的封面的確用很有個性的字體寫鄭明進老師的名字呢!我可以借給你看!

Shorty修替他娘 said...

知道自己要的
就很幸福