Ripple 4 / 漣漪 4

Ripple 3 / 漣漪 3

Ripple 2 / 漣漪 2

Ripple 1 / 漣漪 1

Road trip / 公路旅行

最近生活的腳步快到我的心思有些跟不上，我以蝸牛般的速度繪畫著，紀錄著數週前的經驗，但是我的注意力已跳躍好幾個光年。

秋天，金黃色的陽光灑滿大地，伴著涼爽的微風。我在行駛於高速公路的車輛裡，透過窗感受到這個季節的美好，於是我想到去年夏天的公路旅行，我們在傍晚的日落餘暉裡出發，繞過了半個台灣，路途上有晴有雨，行經山和海。這些回憶的片段，在一年多之後的公路旅行，透過窗，像金陽雨落在我雙眼緊閉的臉龐上，我終於能夠平心靜氣地回頭看過去。

圖畫到一半時，我已失焦。還好，這星期看的電影、讀的詩集很用力地把我拉回來。「依麗莎白小鎮」片尾的單人公路旅行、Elizabeth Bishop的「關於旅行的二三問」再再地暗示我要按耐住性子把畫完成。

你沒有聽到我消息的一個多禮拜裡，就當作是我去自己的內心進行了一趟公路旅行，我一切都好。

Lately, the changes in my daily life have been so swift that my mind can hardly catch up with it. I drew at a snail pace, recording how I had felt several weeks ago. However, my attention was drawn away somewhere along the way.

In autumn, the golden leaves of sunshine falls everywhere on the small island, accompanied by cooling breezes. On one short road trip, I witnessed the beauty of this season through the car window and that reminded me of our road trip last summer. We set out in the sunset and drove around half of the island. We were greeted by the sun and the rain. We passed by the mountains and the sea. The fragments of these memories came back to me, like the rain of golden sunshine that fell on my face through the car window on a journey after more than a year. I felt the warmth from the past with my eyes closed. At that moment, I realized that I could finally look back with calm.

When I was halfway through with the picture, I could no longer focus on it. Fortunately, the movie I saw and the poem I read this week pulled me back. The solo road trip at the end of Elizabethtown and Elizabeth Bishop's Question of Travel kept hinting to me that I should concentrate and finish the image.

For the past ten days during which you heard nothing from me, let's say, I took a road trip to me and, I am fine...

Unsaid tenderness / 不說出的溫柔

又到了告別的時刻，他把車停在清大旁等待國光號的車站，在黑夜裡，你們安安靜靜地下車，妳走到他身旁，明知他害羞到無法給妳道再見的擁抱，心裡還是暗暗地期待著。果然，你們談話或互相凝望，卻沒有伸出手，儘管感情那樣地澎湃。你們說了再見，他在你身後目送你上車，車開了好一段距離，妳還是可以看到他傻傻的微笑。

妳說，還好再三個月就不用獨自開車回台北了，天空裡又圓又大的月亮也默默祝福妳。

即使在黑夜裡，語言之外的溫柔處處可見，在我心上留下久久不能自已的感動。

It's time to say goodbye again. He parks the car at the coach bus station next to Ching-hua University. At ink-dark night, both of you get off quietly. You walk to his side. Though you know well he's too shy to give you a goodbye hug, you still wish for it secretly. As you expect, you talk or gaze at each other. Neither of you hold out your hand, even though the feeling is so overwhelming. You say goodbye. His eyes follow you when you get into the driver's seat. You can still see his loving smile after you drive away.

You say, fortunately, you won't have to drive home alone in another three months. The big and fat moon in the sky wishes you good luck.

Even at ink-dark nights, the traces of unsaid tenderness are more than tangible. And his tenderness so moves me, when I don't think I believe in love anymore...

我偶爾會想和大家分析圖畫背後的創作歷程，剛好我自己很喜歡這則故事，便想說說相關的靈感和軼事。我目睹及參與了真實的鏡頭，一開始的想法也包括了我的角色，後來突然覺得第三者很多餘，我其實就是敘述者。雖然我的人物畫得不是很像、車子也畫得不是很好，我要感謝很有耐心的家人，兩組人馬陪我到地下停車場，聽我的指示擺出很引人注目的姿勢。還有，如果你是10月8日在路上被我偷拍到的車輛，請勿介意，我只是取材而已，不是狗仔隊。

Sometimes I feel like sharing with you the anedotes behind my pictures. I have a lot to say regarding this comic strip. I was there to witness the story. In the beginning I planned three characters, me included, but then it occurred to me that my part was unnecessary. After all, I was already the narrator. Even though the characters and car are not well-drawn, I'd like to thank my extremely patient family for going down to the parking lot with me, following my instructions in posing. If you are the car owners whose cars were photographed by me on October, 8, don't take it too seriously. I am not paparazzi. I am just a very hard-working illustrator-to-be:-).

Traveling in Taipei 17 / 台北城市生活旅行 17

迷惘

小黑是學校的校狗，每天在校園裡晃來晃去，比女孩們還自在。某個初秋的早晨，小黑的世界變了色，姊姊不再穿黃衣黑裙，每個人同款式的制服居然染上了五顏六色，而且單純的女校裡還出現數個黑黝黝的工人。

小黑迷惘地站在校園大路上，想著這究竟是一場夢還是現實？

給我那努力適應新生活的寶貝們‧‧‧

Confusion

Blackie is our school dog. It leads a super leisurely life surrounded by beautiful young girls and innocent little squirrels. One morning in early autumn, Blackie's world goes upside down. The big sisters no longer wear yellow shirts and black skirts. Everyone's uniforms have changed colors and patterns. There are even some tanned workers strolling around on the campus.

Blackie stands at a loss on the wide path. It wonders if this is a dream or reality.

For my babes that are trying hard to get used to their new life...

Traveling in Taipei 16 / 台北城市生活旅行 16

生命不可承受之光

九月初，艷陽高照。那天下午我正要離開辦公室之際，接到一通母親的電話。她傷心啜泣，遠在大陸的先生骤逝，要我幫個忙，聯絡她在某年某班的女兒，請她立刻回家去，不過她再三叮嚀，請我不要先透露原因。我帶著沉重的理由出發。

我在教室外請同學把女孩找來，她看起來一派天真，對於母親突如其來的要求感到一頭霧水。我和她走到教官室的路上，陽光亮得令人睜不開眼，她即將面對的噩耗卻是那麼黑暗‧‧‧

﹝註﹞最近自從發現這個法國女生的網站之後，我又開始作我的法國漫畫夢。我開始對於取鏡有些概念，畫漫畫像是在拍電影，每個鏡頭的取捨都可以是研究的主題。這是我的第一幅漫畫，將來我還想做大型故事的發展，各位讀者敬請期待！

Unbearable light of life

Early September. The sunshine was incredibly dazzling. That afternoon when I was about to leave the office, I received a call from a mother. She spoke in an extremely sad weeping tone. Her husband passed away suddenly in Mainland China and she hoped I could find her daughter in class XXX right away. All I had to do was tell her to go home immediately without revealing to her the reason. Wit the heavy task, I set out.

I ran to the building for her class and asked if she was around. Her classmate found her for me. She looked like a free little bird, innocent as ever. She was completely at a loss about her mom's request. However, we went take leave of absence together. On our way, the sun light almost blinded me, especially when I thought of the darkness that was going to devour her...

Note: Since I found this French girl's blog, I have started to dream of French comics again. I've come to have a general idea of how to draw comics. It's like making movies. Every scene is a subject worthy of being studied. This is my first comic strip. I'd like to draw comics on a larger scale in the future. Please give me some time for that...

Chinese painting class / 水墨畫課

圖：江正吉老師 紙玩偶：游小淳

水墨畫練習第一步：觀察老師畫作。

Picture by Mr. Jim Jiang Paper doll by Weichuen You

First step of Chinese painting: Observe the teacher's work.

第二步：靜心。

Second step: Calm my mind.

第三步：磨墨

Third step: Grind the inkstone.

Traveling in Taipei 15 / 台北城市生活旅行 15

在台北緬懷另一個城市

隨著年歲增長，我看到的台北不再是101大樓或故宮博物院，那是外來旅客眼中的台北。近來吸引我目光的，絕大多數是不起眼的小店或景色，我並非為了和其他人不一樣而叛逆，我只是想為自己尋找住在台北市的理由，及觀察別人的日常生活。

某日經過住家附近的理髮店，從前理所當然地就晃過去了，那天卻覺得當時的景有種自成一格的風味，店名為上海的理容行，裡面坐著兩名客人，都是上了年紀的歐吉桑，連師傅也是同年齡層同性別。不是我愛自誇，但是我想這樣的台北一景應該也會吸引蔡明亮先生。像我這種年輕人，拜訪的是東區充斥著外來文化的髮廊，但這樣的店面和裡頭的人物組成反映過去一代的台北，有種日落黃昏的美。

我苦思了許多天，店主真的來自上海，還是上海這兩個字曾經象徵繁華的城市文化，可以因此招攬到較多客人？如果真如此，那麼師傅應該順應時勢潮流，把店名更新為紐約東京或巴黎，當然這只是我個人無厘頭的想法。也許就像很多居住在台北城的人們，大家散佈在這個城市的各個角落，默默地緬懷過去居住或旅行過的城市，一間異國超市、一家東南亞餐廳等等，都可以成為和回憶的唯一連結，看起來固然微小，其重要性可能如漂浮在大海上的救生圈，是支撐著他們活下去的動力。

我已經不想台北以外的城市了，我的心很小，只能專注在目前的居住地。此時此刻，我靠著台北裡的台北回憶生活。

Missing another city in Taipei

As I grow older, for me, Taipei is not Taipei 101 or National Palace Museum. They represent Taipei in tourists' eye. Lately, I have been attracted by really unremarkable stores and scenes. Not that I try to be different from other people. I just want to discover new things about this city and observe others' daily lives.

One day I passed by a barbershop near the apartment. In the past, I would just sail by without paying extra attention. But that day I paused because there was something special about the scene. The shop features Shanghai style of beauty. Two middle-aged men sat inside, and the barber is of the same sex and age. I do not mean to boast, but I have a feeling that Mr. Ming-liang Tsai (Taiwanese director) would find it quite appealing. Young people like me visit the most fashionable salons in downtown Taipei while a barbershop like this stands for a once-sublime era whose glow has faded. It is the Taipei city of the old generation.

I wondered for days afterwards. Is the barber really from Shanghai or the city was once the symbol of highly developed urban culture? It could thus attract more customers? If so, then he should change the name to New York, Tokyo or Paris because these cities would sound more interesting to most people nowadays. Don't take my suggestion too seriously. That's purely my personal imagination. However, like many people that scatter everywhere in Taipei, they live here physically, but their hearts dwell in cities they once lived or traveled to. A foreign supermarket, an exotic restaurant can be the only link they have to their past memories. Tiny or delicate as the link can be, it might have the importance like a buoy on a vast sea.

I no longer think about the city outside Taipei. My heart is getting really small and I can only focus on where I live. At this moment, I live by the memories of Taipei inTaipei...