My zoo / 我的動物園

I love my little zoo very much! 

I Like You / 我喜歡你

多年前，男孩帶著這本書去紐約找他愛的女孩，女孩最後還是拒絕他，於是他把書送給我。多年後，男孩結了婚有了自己的小孩，我某一天卻猛然發現，我的書櫃裡藏著他過往的傷心：It's ok. Your once-broken heart is safe with me.

Many years ago, a boy took this book to New York as a gift for the girl he loved. She turned him down in the end, though. Not knowing what to do with the book, he gave it to me. Years later, the boy was happily married to another girl. One day I found that his past sad love affair hides in my book shelf: It's ok. Your once-broken heart is safe with me.

Little Bee / 小蜜蜂

過了半年，我終於把凱特琳娜的中國字寫成故事，可是在嘗試媒材之際卻毫無方向，玩到第四個版本時，楷維跑來湊熱鬧，倒產生了預期之外的效果。

After half a year, I finally wrote a story based on Caterina's favorite words. However, I was and am rather clueless when looking for the appropriate media. When I got to the fourth version, Kai's naughtiness inspired me, which brought about quite unexpected effect. 

雖然我現在也不知道最後的成品會如何，但是在困惑裡摸索也是件充滿樂趣的事。

Though I have no idea what the final look will be, but it's actually fun to grope for my way in confusion...

Encountering Chopin / 遇見蕭邦

這個春天在捷運上常常遇到叫蕭邦的男孩，但蕭邦都在睡覺，回家之後搜索音樂家蕭邦的圖片，不知道他會不會覺得大家都浪費了春日的好天氣？

This spring, I often encounter a young boy whose name has the same translation as the musician Chopin in Chinese on the MRT. But the young Chopin is dozing off all the time. I can't help searching for the portraits of the real Chopin. If he were also taking the metro ride, would he feel that people were wasting the beautiful spring days? 

Yuanfen / 緣份

我們家有兩組人馬的生日是同一天，其他的即使不在同一天，也只差了兩三天，雖然這一切可以解釋成巧合，可是大家幹嘛都擠在一起出生呢？

Two sets of people in my family were born on the same date. As for others, even though their birth dates are not exactly the same, they are only two or three days apart. All this can be explained as coincidence, but I'd rather think it's because we were born to be family. 

爸爸、弟弟和楷維都出生在五月二十七日，說來他們有一些舉動真讓人覺得似曾相識：這星期某一天媽媽帶楷維去買麵包，風吹得很急，小楷維直用手整理頭髮，媽媽一看不免心驚，這不是她先生最常做的舉動嗎？這天出生的人顯然都很愛美！回家媽媽告訴爸爸這件趣事時，爸爸不禁會心一笑⋯

Dad, Jun and Kai were all born on May 27. A lot of their gestures or personalities give us a sense of deja-vu. For example, when Mom took Kai to a bakery this week, Kai couldn't help combing his hair as the wind blew hard. When Mom saw that, her heart skipped a beat. That so reminded her of her dear husband! Obviously, people born on this day give much attention to their appearance. When we told Dad about the story, he laughed, meaning "so true..." 

緣份真是妙不可言，能在這麼有緣份的家庭生活，難怪我們不時嘻嘻哈哈的。

There's no English word for "Yuan-fen," because the word destiny or fate just can't define it.  Wikipedia defines it as "the binding force that links two people together in a relationship." I live in a family with strong yuanfen, and that's why we always have a jolly time!

New York / 紐約

老爸談起旅遊計畫，隨口說了秋天要去中央公園曬太陽，而我腦中浮現的是布萊恩公園，我在那裡和琪琪看了生命中第一部戶外電影，是我很喜歡的「金玉盟」。

When we were daydreaming of our respective travel plans, Dad spoke of taking a sun bath in Central Park this coming autumn. As I heard it, what came to mind was Bryant Park. There I watched my first outdoor movie--An Affair to Remember with Chichi in mid-summer. 

年紀大的好處就是每提到一個地名，都能喚起多彩的回憶！

The beauty about aging is that a place name can conjure up the colorful memories that I have collected... 

Holding hands / 牽手

男孩長大了，出去玩的時候我不再時時牽他們的手。今天出門散步的腳步很急，楷維在後面跟得很辛苦。

The boys have grown up, so I no longer hold their hands when we go out for fun. Today I walk at such a fast pace that Kai has a hard time following me. 

我的手臂晃啊晃的，突然一隻小手就接上我的節奏，鑽進我的手掌心裡，那一刻我的心被填得滿滿的，這世界上幾乎沒有比牽手更幸福的事。

My arms swing back and forth, and suddenly a small hand holds onto mine and nestles in my palm. At that moment my heart is filled with warmth. I think to myself, few things in the world make me feel so blissful as holding the hands of the ones I love...

about stars / 關於星星

很多星星藏在夜空裡，等到我們的雙眼適應黑暗之後，才意識到它們的存在⋯

Many stars are tucked inside the dark folds in the sky. They won't reveal themselves until our eyes are adjusted to the dark...

今年春天，小子們和我在社區裡尋找著星星的蹤跡，邊跑邊唱五月天的「恆星的恆心」：你和我，看星星，那夜空，多神祕⋯」

This spring, the boys and I look for the stars in the neighborhood. We run and sing Mayday's Persistence of the Planet: You and I, watch the stars. The night sky, is so mysterious...

spring 3 / 春天 3

這個春天常常帶著男孩們去溜滑梯散步，不知情的人都要以為我是他們媽媽了，不過因為小方可以照顧弟弟，現在我不跟前跟後，而是用我緩慢的腳步，讓孩子們自己先跑去玩。

This spring I often accompany the boys when they go play on the slide. The strangers never doubt the assumption that I am their mother. Now Von is old enough to take care of Kai, so I don't follow hot on their heels. I move at my own slow pace, letting the children lunge forward in excitement.


因為我們有美好的回憶，小方每次總說：汪達姨戴著墨鏡，我們一起去曬太陽。還有身後開得好燦爛的杜鵑花，這是我們再閃亮也不過的春日回憶。

Possessing such beautiful memories, Von always reminisces the moments with a joyful smile: Auntie Wanda wears sunglasses, and we go for a sunbath together. Oh, do not forget the blooming azaleas in the backdrop. All these form our dazzling memories of spring 2013.

Wounds / 傷口

我常常在檢視我的人際關係，最近發現和我親近的學生幾乎都是有傷口的人，因為幸福的人和誰在一起都幸福，可是有傷口的人對於陽光的需求特別強。

I often take a close look at my interpersonal relationship. Lately I've had an interesting discovery, that is, my ex-students who are especially close to me seem all to have wounds deep in them. After all, the happy birds find joy whomever they are with, but the wounded ones find sunny personalities particularly irresistible. 

反過來說，有傷口的人也有令人想像不到的力量，最終我總是會說：上帝是公平的。久而久之我和這些寶貝們也無法分離，因為小太陽也得有陰影襯托光芒。

On the other hand, people with wounds are strong in their own ways. In the end it all comes down to one of my favorite quotes: God is fair. With time passing, I am inseparable from my wounded babes. After all, the sun depends on the shadow to bring out its light.