The most terrifying thing / 最可怕的事

這個學期我們讀「八號出口的猩猩」，書中的猩猩艾文喜歡畫畫，有一天畫了十根香蕉，不知爲什麼，我對這個作業相當嚮往，回家之後不停地畫香蕉，已經畫了三天停不下來。

This semester we read The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. The protagonist Ivan, a silverback kept in a mall, loves to draw. One day he draws ten bananas. For unknown reasons, I am obsessed with this. I've been binge-drawing bananas for three days on end. 

        記憶和想像畫法畫完之後，我又嘗試觀察畫法。果然記憶和事實出入很大！

   After trying remembered drawing and imagined drawing, I can't resist observational drawing. It strikes me that there lies a huge gap between my memory and the reality!

        上週還以為我失去想像和畫畫的能力了，還好我把這個超能力救回來。

   Last week I once thought I had lost the ability to draw and imagine. Luckily, I nurtured it and had it back. 

        對我來說，這世界最可怕的事是過著完全沒有想像力的生活！

   For me, the most terrifying thing in the world is to live a life WITHOUT any imagination! 

第二部 / Part II

我的香蕉怪獸！

My banana monster! 

Power of a rose / 一朵玫瑰的力量

週末夜在永康街買了一朵漂亮的玫瑰花，接下來的幾天都在讚嘆她的美麗，我不是在拍照就是在捕捉玫瑰的燦爛。

I bought a beautiful rose on Yon-kang Street last Saturday night. During the following days, I was either taking photos of or drawing it because it was totally impossible to resist her charm. 

        我的想法隨心所欲，玫瑰的力量如此強大，應該可以救人，特別是破碎的心。

   I let my ideas take me wherever they wanted to go. The power of rose is so miraculous that I bet there must be rose knights whose mission is to mend broken hearts. 

        隔天爸爸去喝喜酒，帶了另一朵玫瑰回家，用充滿愛的心情把花放在我的窗台上。我的心被照得亮亮的。

   The next day after Dad returned from a wedding banquet, he placed another rose on my windowsill with love. My heart shines so....

Weight of poignancy / 深刻的重量

我努力地當科學人一陣子，也很盡職地活在框架裡一陣子，可是最近突然有種恐慌，覺得自己變成很沒有想像力的人。還好，收學生的作業時，Christine的圖讓我可以呼吸新鮮的空氣。這個女孩每一筆都深刻到心坎裡。

I aspired to be a scientist for a while. I also tried to hold reins on my imaginations. But lately I have been trapped in panic and worried if I have turned out to be a very dull person. Luckily, when I collected the girls' assignments this past week, a drawing by Christine freed me. Every brushstroke of this girl is so poignant that it does cut into the depths of my heart, in a good way. 

可是又看了其他人的圖之後，Joy的小偷感覺好輕鬆。也對，偷東西的確要輕盈一些喔！

Yet, after I took a glimpse at others' drawings, I found Joy's thief a strong contrast to Christine's. True, shouldn't a thief steal in a "light" and "unnoticeable" manner? 

A page a day / 一天一頁

新學期要開始了，我也要進入新的札記本了，去年秋天每天觀察一個路人，畫下我覺得令我印象深刻的小地方。

As the new semester is unfolding, I have prepared a new journal. I was in the habit of observing a passer-by a day last fall and drawing the most impressive part about him or her. 

        雖然只有十分鐘，畫不完的空間卻有意外的留白感。

   Though I had only 10 minutes, the space which I couldn't fill in has a rather nice visual effect. 

        這世界就是個舞台，每個人每天用自己的姿態走台步，我願是那雙眼睛。

   The world is a stage on which everyone lives in their own styles. And I am that pair of eyes which attempt to see all. 

        畫完之後才發現我也給了自己一個驚喜：每天一葉，醫生遠離我。

   In the end I gave myself a surprise too: A leaf a day keeps the doctor away. 

Alexandra Palm says / 亞歷山大椰子說

拿到亞歷山大種子時，被吩咐不用澆太多水，可是每天喂其他小盆栽喝水時，不禁也給亞歷山大一些，結果它的莖就慢慢地從綠色變成棕色了。

When I got the Alexandra Palm seed, I was told not to water it too much. However, I just couldn't help doing the same when I watered the other plants every day. Gradually, its stem turned from green to brown....

我想亞歷山大椰子要說：請用適合我的方式愛我。

Alexandra Palm says: Give me the kind of love I need.