Today / 今天

我的星星也和我在一起嗎？

is my star with me? 

Anticipation / 期待

每天早上七點，思維起床的第一件事：坐在窗台上看爸爸媽媽的車從車庫開出來。這樣小小的動作讓我放不下鏡頭。

At 7 a.m. every morning, the first thing Von does after  getting up is looking down from the window to see off his parents. His lingering eyes and love make it impossible for me to take off the lens from his small body. 

So I exist / 故我在

我說故事故我在。  —電影「伊麗莎白」導演夏克哈卡帕

"I tell a story, so I exist." by the film director of Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Shekhar Kapur

young and foolish / 赤子之心

Stay young, stay foolish. 

常保赤子之心。

Open / 開

本週的中國字是「開」，不想受限於中文字型，我決定作意譯上的詮釋。

The Chinese word of the week is "open." Not wanting to be restrained by the form of the Chinese character, I decide to go for a more abstract pictorial interpretation. 

今天在電影工作者安得魯史坦頓的演講裡聽到一句匿名的社工說的引言：「一旦你聽了每個人的人生故事，你就無法不愛上他們。」我加註：如果他們願意打開心。

Today I heard a fantastic quote from the movie director and screen-writer Andrew Stanton's talk by an anonymous social worker: There isn't anyone you couldn't love once you've heard their life stories. My footnote: If they are willing to open up.

Feedback / 回饋

小亮繪 / drawn by Liang

有時候我知道自己迷失在某個小細節，看不到全面的風景，但是總有外在的回饋讓我明白我是暫時的失明。

Sometimes I know I focus so much on a detail that I lose sight of the whole picture. But luckily, there is always feedback from the outside world that reminds me that I am only temporarily blind.

畫完「武士與小金龜」後，小亮媽一直和我說小亮和弟弟小柚因為這個故事有多開心，我把畫壞的部份送給小亮發揮，一看到他的作品我很清楚，他比我有才氣多了，這整個過程中我只是個媒介，我卻沒有因為被比下去難過，相反地我很高興自己可以這樣走進他的世界裡。亞得琳在旁邊幫腔說，之前在辦公室遇到小亮時，知道他不隨便和別人互動的，我下次想見到小亮本人，請媽媽有機會帶他來和小淳阿姨作朋友。

After I gave away the story The Warrior and the Ladybug to Liang, Emily has been telling me how much joy it has brought him and his younger brother Yo. I also attached some exercise sheets in the pack. Upon seeing his work, I knew he is way much more talented than me. I am no more than the medium in the whole process, but I do not feel discouraged because he outshines me. On the contrary, I am glad he let me in his world. Adeline couldn't help explaining how Liang does not accept people so easily, especially when she experienced that in person. I asked Emily to bring Liang to the office next time because I'd like to be his friend, the face-to-face kind.

美欽說我「認領」了很多孩子，他們長大之後會對我很好，好像不用等到以後，他們現在已經不斷地在給我回饋，這幾天和楷維在聽嚴爵的「暫時的男朋友」，我問他開玩笑要不要當我暫時的男朋友，他很爽快地說好，哥哥聽到之後很像錯過什麼肥缺地說：我也要當你的男朋友！這個小禮物會讓我溫暖很久很久⋯

Meichien said I "adopt" many children, and they will be my guardian angels after growing up. It looks like I won't have to wait until then. They have showered me with tons of feedback. When I was listening to Yen-j's "Temporary boyfriend" with Kai, I asked him jokingly if he wants to be my temporary bf. He said yes at a lightning speed, and when Von heard that, he offered to be my boyfriend as if he didn't want to miss such a precious opportunity. I think this gift will warm my heart for a long long time...

Haiku / 俳句

早上出門前抓了我在比利時買的法譯版俳句集，想在秋高氣爽的日子裡讓文字陪我作伴。

Before heading for work in the morning, I grabbed the collection of haiku in French, which I had bought in Brussels. I felt that it would keep me good company on such a lovely autumn day. 

辦公偷閒的某一刻隨便一翻，立刻就愛上了這首：

秋日的海邊

城市的盡頭

駐足的火車

中村汀女

I stole a moment in the office to read one haiku I picked randomly, and I immediately fell in love with it: 

The sea in autumn 

at the end of the city 

a train stopped 

Nakamura Teijo 

Filled with water / 水壺裝滿水

四歲的頎頎學了五言絕句，回家也做了兩句詩，她說：千山鳥飛啼，水壺裝滿水。頎媽轉述這個小故事給我的當下，我的心裡有了畫面。

Four-year-old Chichi learned five-character-quatrains at school, and she couldn't help writing her own couplet after going home. She said, "Birds fly and chirp against thousands of mountains, the jug is filled with water." When her mom told me the anecdote, an image formed immediately in my mind. 

過去一個星期畫不出圖來，不過這是我給自己裝滿水的過程，週末正式地和2012年的夏天道再見，關掉了我本來就不怎麼愛的臉書帳號，揮別晦暗、猜測和等待，我要繼續我清亮的人生。不同於從前，我對於獨善其身開始感到無聊，該是自我拓展的時候了。

I couldn't draw in the past week, but I figure I was trying to fill my jug. This weekend I waved goodbye to the summer of 2012, deactivated my facebook account, and most of all, discarded waiting and guessing in the murky dark. I am going on with my bright and clear life. Different from the past, I start to feel bored with my narrow life circle. It's time for self-expansion...

Stars / 小星星

媽媽在學攝影，讓兄弟倆當模特兒，我忍不住也拿出相機跟著胡亂拍。

Mom is learning photography. She lets the two boys pose for her. Seizing such a heavenly opportunity, I am tempted to take one shot after another too. 

之前嘉蕊和我爭說楷維沒有思維帥，但上帝是公平的，楷維有一種明星特質，他在鏡頭裡非常之迷人，可能是因為那股自在。這張照片比丹尼爾克雷格的劇照帥上一千倍。

Jazel often argued with me about who's the handsome one among the two kids. She voted for Von. However, God is fair. There is something about Kai that makes him stand out in photos, and I attribute it to his being at ease in front of the camera. Personally, I think he looks 1,000 times more charming than Daniel Craig in this photo. 

最近讀書一本接一本，心裡頭還是有填不滿的空虛感，不過幾張男孩的黑白照馬上就把洞填滿了，都是因為我的小星星。

Lately I've been an avid reader, but there is still a patch of blank I can't fill with words. Luckily, a few black-and-white photos attack that sense of emptiness and make me feel whole, all thanks to my little stars...

Dreaming of the amusement park / 夢中的兒童樂園

哥哥不能和我們去兒童樂園，所以回家之後我們在描述這趟旅行時總說：下午睡了一場午覺，夢到我們去兒童樂園玩⋯

Von can't make it to the amusement park together with us, so after the trip, this is how we describe the day: We have had a sweet nap this afternoon, and we dream of having so much fun in the amusement park...

楷維只有九十公分，所以我們只能連續搭咖啡杯。

Kai is only 90 cm tall, so we can only take coffee cup rides again and again. 

還搭了摩天輪。

We also take a Ferris Wheel ride.

回家之後我們有了新目標：我們要努力長高到一百公分，就可以搭輻射飛椅！

We are loaded with a new goal after going home: We are going to grow to more than 100 cm so that we can take the thrilling flying chair ride next time! 

The Warrior and the Ladybug / 武士與小金龜

小亮是個很喜歡畫畫的孩子，但是有點缺乏秩序感，我先看了小亮的作品，非常欣賞他畫的動態人物。

Liang is a very talented little boy, but he seems to lack a sense of order. I took a look at his works. I couldn't stop wowing at his dynamic figures. 

這些戰士根本就是內心在飛翔啊！

To me these warriors are flying even inside! 

但小亮什麼都畫，而且相當潛心研究有興趣的主題。

Liang draws many things. Whenever he's into a subject, he will come up with hundreds of drawings centering around it. 

我不記得見過小亮本人，只是想如果可以用圖像和他對話，而且還是他的藝術語言，應該會很好玩，所以我花了好幾天練習小亮的風格。

I don't remember having seen Liang in person. I was just wondering if I could have a dialog with him through images in his art language, it should be fun. Thus, I spent a few days imitating his style. 

除此之外，我當然也得蒐集參考資料，畫了日本武士，也請小方和阿楷當我的模特兒拍了一系列打鬥的照片，最後也花了些心思決定表達的媒材，因為已經離開坎貝爾了，所以這一路的過程就不拉拉雜雜敘述。

Apart from that, I of course had to collect reference images. I was especially attracted to those of Japanese warriors. Also, I asked Von and Kai to be my models because I needed more exercise in drawing moving figures. In the end it took me some time and efforts to decide on the media. Since I am no longer in Camberwell, I would like to be brief about the whole process. 

我希望小亮看到每張圖都有驚喜的感覺，所以與其用手工書的形式，我把圖放在信封裡。

I hope Liang will be surprised upon seeing every image, so I put each picture in one envelope rather than adopt the form of a handmade book. 

The Warrior and the Ladybug 

written and illustrated by Wei-chuen You 

"I am a warrior! I want to make friends!" 

"Don't run! Be my friends!"

"Why are they silent? I want to be their friend!"

"Who are you?"

"I am the ladybug." 

"What are you doing?"

"I want to be your friend."

"So if you want to make friends, you tickle them?"

"Nope! How did you feel when I was crawling upon you?" 

"Your touch was as soft as the clouds." 

"It seems that you knew what I need."

"Most of all, I knew you really like me." 

"I am sometimes rude and upset people, but you are still willing to be my friend..." 

"Well said! But did you ever think of this when you were trying to make friends?"

"I'd like to apologize to them. Will you go with me?"

很多時候我不知道在小孩的心裡這些圖像究竟有怎樣的地位，但是起碼我因為這件事受惠了⋯

Often I don't have a clue what kind of role these images play in children's mind, but at least I benefit from the whole process...