Sometimes maybe it should be as simple as that

Cathy was a colleague from my part-time job at school. I don't know if it's because her funny and silly problem of keeping walking straight on a pavement amuses me very much or it's because she also has the height of a hobbit as I do. I usually forget she is actually three years older than I am. The two hobbits became good friends.

During the past year, Cathy had always been a supporter of having black and straight hair as her DNA suggests. She usually ties her hair into a ponytail which suitably meets her simple and quiet dressing style. But about two weeks before she quit her job, she walked into the office with a romantically curled hairstyle which also carried a comfortable red-brown shimmer.

Cathy explained that since she is going to move to Japan soon and gets married in July, her mum thinks the new hairstyle might become a fashion shield which can keep her safe from any possible attack from those stylish Tokyo girls.

For Cathy's own safety and beauty, she changed her hairstyle, but the rest of her still remains. She's still the girl who thinks it's unnecessary to spend any money wearing her wedding dress and take photos before the wedding ceremony. In fact, if it were not for the wishes from her fiance's family, she even wouldn't want a dinner reception.

The spark between Cathy and her Japanese fiance was lighted in the first year while they both studied for their master degree in America. From then on, together for the following two years they took some courses which are not only about English teaching but also about dating.

After leaving America and respectively going back to Japan and Taiwan with a diploma, they advanced their learning about dating by taking another two-year, long-distance and cross-culture course.

Even though they saw each other every six months in Japan or in Taiwan and texted each other once or twice a day, they seldom chatted on MSN and only talked once every two weeks on Skype for usually less than 40 minutes during the past two years.

I thought I have already been well aware how few I can recognize the faces of love. But after knowing Cathy's story, I found out that when it comes to love, I was more ignorant and uneducated than I thought - Do you know in a long-distance relationship the temperature from a lover's hand can last for six months without any frequent help from Skype or MSN to maintain the heat?

Cathy usually walked with me to buy my coach ticket back to Taipei. Once while we walked along the calm and beautiful lake in our school campus, she told me she felt uncertain about quitting her job to start a new life in Japan. I asked her if it's because she is still not so sure he's the right man to marry and feels the two of them should spend more time living together before they get married.

She slightly bit her lips and gently shook her head while two baby pink clouds floated through her cheeks. "Never. We have never doubted about it.", Cathy answered bashfully.

I believe sometimes it's very important and necessary to show how much our love is and how hard we can try for the one we love. Even though I seldom question about how brave and defiant I can be for love, Cathy's story reminds me maybe it's equally important to learn that sometimes it is not the harder the better and it might be perfectly enough to try with the efforts it just needs.

Me and the prince

I can't remember the exact age during my adolescence when the first time I read Le Petite Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in Chinese. But I remember the puzzled feelings after reading it that it seemed not that brilliant as people said. At that time I blamed myself for being too young and too foolish to realize its profundity. I deeply believed there must be some misunderstanding between me and the little prince.

About a month ago, accidentally I bumped into Le Petite Prince in an English version in a second-hand bookshop. It was quite unusual for me, whose eyes are sometimes too BIG to find things in front to notice this aged, slim and wrinkled book standing at a very unnoticed corner of the bookcase. I immediately took it as a sign that the prince wanted a chance to appeal. He wanted to claim his innocence to me and regain his reputation.

Sorry to let the author down that I didn't do what he mentioned in the end of the book to inform him about my encounter with the prince. Instead, I took him home with me secretly and silently.

Honestly, after reading the book again, I feel it turned out to be proving my innocence more like. I still feel almost the same way as the first time I read it.

Even though I do envy the moments when the little prince is being romantic to his rose and I would also like to go to any pawn shop to exchange for any childlike imagination like the prince's, I think I have a problem appreciating the beauty of the could-not-be-more-obvious ideas in this parable.

It's like some mums who try to hide some very finely chopped carrots in a hamburger and persuade their kids to eat it. Carrots are still carrots which still can be seen clearly.

Besides the-finely-chopped-carrots-like metaphors to me, I also have a different feeling about some ideas the author mentioned in the book. For example, in chapter six the little prince says, "You know - one loves the sunset, when one is so sad.."

There is one very famous line from a poem by Li Shang-Yin in Tang Dynasty says, "Sunset is extremely beautiful, but night is drawing nigh." It's the same in Chines culture that sunset is usually related to some reminiscent and sadness atmosphere.

To some people, to be embraced by a nostalgic color tone of twilight might be a trigger to immerse themselves in their bitter sweet memory. But instead of keeping drowning myself in the tide of my irrecoverable beautiful past, I would rather wear a shallow smile, admire the feminine and not-so-aggressive beauty of sunset and tell myself I am just waiting for a more beautiful future to come.

Perhaps I have already become a serious adult with no imagination, just like what the prince says. Maybe the prince will want another appeal. But guess he will have to wait for quite a long time to see me again in my supreme court.

A period of repeat

Every year around this time, from one week before Christmas until the last day of the year, I call it a period of repeat. It's a period that someone seems to press the "repeat last year" button for all of us. (If you can rewind your life to every year around this time, you might understand what I mean.)

The period starts from playing "Last Christmas", "Do they know it's Christmas", or "I wish it could be Christmas everyday" as a prelude. We will never get a chance to remember which one was played first to remind us it's Christmas time. Because those songs were played repeatedly until we got confused.

After Christmas, although it depends, most of us will feel content but also a little melancholy in a certain way. Therefore, not an excuse to gain some weight but to cure ourselves of the depression and also make it more festival under such a cold season, we drink and eat more. After the "treatment", we might not be cured completely but at least will always have something for our New Year's resolutions - will reduce circumference of thighs by 2 inches. Then, here comes the must-repeat line, "5...4...3...2...1, (You know what to say next...)"

As for one of personal repeated lines of my family every year around this time, my mum's is "Oh, so fast! It's another year?! can't believe it!", my dad's is "Any special place you want to go today?" and my middle sister's is "Dear mum and dad, I will stay at my friend's place for the following two days."

This kind of repeat never really annoys me, not like the red big zit on my right cheek again now. Because although many things may be the same every year during this time, I can still have everything the same differently.

For example, this year, I helped my mum cook a roast chicken instead of steak for Christmas Eve's dinner, spent some time having a cup of tea with my best friend, Gina, on Christmas Day instead of being with a group of friends, enjoyed a quiet evening instead of a strident dinner on New Year' Eve.

And the difference of my New Year's resolutions this year is I only have one resolution - will try to live a simple happy life. Although simple doesn't seem to mean easy when it comes to life, New Year's resolutions are never something easy I think.

Bye, my roller-coaster-like 2008 and hello, the foreseeable unknown and poor 2009!

All they need is a bicycle, a scooter or...some reindeers

As usual, I tried to find something interesting to entertain me when I was doing my lunch. And I couldn't help to write this immediately after watching it. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7778553.stm) It's about some delivering staff complaining they are being bullied into walking at four miles an hour to help meet delivery times.

Who has the privilege to see me being very sluttish with my tousled hair and wearing my pajamas in the morning when I just get up? Well, besides my family and my boyfriend (if I have one), it's a postman in Taiwan!

Sometimes the door bell rang when I just got up and my mum was busy speaking on the phone or doing something that she really couldn't get down stairs to get the mails from the postman herself. Then she would raise her right eyebrow to deliver a quiet but firm order to me - "get down stairs to get the mails NOW." Since I have always tried to be a very considerate daughter and there was no way to say no, I usually prayed not to meet any friends or neighbours and ran like an Olympic sprinter during the whole process.

Although I got down stairs so many times with my sleepy face and hardly open eyes, I am still quite sure the postmen in Taiwan all accessorize with a scooter. I can always remember seeing their green scooters lying docilely aside waiting for their masters to keep taking them for a walk.

Even a small country like Taiwan the postmen need a scooter to help them. I am quite surprised that postmen in the UK deliver mails to one's home all by walking?!

Of course I understand it's the busiest time of a year for postmen and I do have sympathy for them. But I thought the situation is not hard to tackle and there are many resolutions instead of delicately calculating the realistic speed.

It's just a little weird and funny for me.

Love you anyway!

I can't recall the first English single or album I bought. But I surely remember who was the first one that exclusively won my heart and became my first love.

During my junior high, I almost got every single and album that Take That released. It was not easy while I was still a junior high school student who had very limited pocket money. But I still gave them all my heart.

When their new and final single, how deep is your love, released, they ignored my echo which tried to say my love for them was very deep, they still decided to split. (It's ok, Gary, Mark, Howard and Jason. I know it's all because of Robbie! Sorry, Robbie, but a trauma is a trauma. I guess that's the main reason I still don't like you even till now.)

After such a heartbreaking breakup, Boyzone was very very considerate and took good care of me. Then they became my new lover. I supported them not only mentally but physically. For that matter I mean I even went to their first and only gig in Taiwan so far. It was in Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in 1998 and I bought the most expensive ticket which was NT2,000. Under their spell, in the gift shop before the gig started, I even bought a Boyzone hat which was obviously too big for me.

I must confess I am not loyal when it comes to music. I soon found someone else when I went to college. But they all absolutely have a place in my heart. Now Boyzone is on their tour to Taiwan to promote their new single, love you anyway, and gig next year. After spending the whole week without TV in Hsin-Chu, I finally found them in a Taiwanese entertaining program on Youtube. (http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=rKk3LcI0pRg&feature=related)


Although their new single may not cause my attention now, if it were not sung by them. Their dancing seems quite, well, "interesting" in their new music video. And I am also wondering if they can still be called BOYzone... But don't worry, Boyzone. Just like what I said. You will always have a place in my heart. I will love you anyway!!!

What will my wedding and wedding reception be?

Besides eating our own birthday cake, receiving a wedding reception invitation in our own names is also a very obvious way to notice we are getting older. Yesterday was the third time since I have begun to attend not my dad or mum's but my own friend's wedding reception.

When I was a little girl, I was always very excited about attending a wedding reception to congratulate the newlywed with my parents. If you asked me then what kind of wedding I wanted, I would probably answered that except a pumpkin coach, I wanted every fascinating thing that Cinderella had. Yes, it included a delicate pair of glass slippers.

In my adolescence, my dad asked me more often whether I wanted to go to his friend's wedding reception with him when my mum couldn't keep him company. Being a teenager, who would rather spend more time with her friends, I said yes selectively. It depended on if the food would be good or not and if the place of the reception would be beautiful or not.

Attending a reception was like having certain kind of internship for me at that time. I took it as a great chance to learn some experience. I also regarded myself as a wedding reception commentator. I would try to mark everything during the reception and muttered to my dad. My comments and conclusions were usually something like these, "Don't you think the decoration of the whole reception is a little tatty?", "I want to make a short video or a slide show at least about how my husband and I met. What do you think?", "Oh no, the gown doesn't suit the bride. It makes her butt look even bigger.", "Wow! What a gorgeous and elegant gown. Remind me I would have the same one when I get married.", "Where do you think will be perfect for my wedding reception?" or "I am between Chinese and Western style now. It's such a difficult decision!"

Instead of discussing or arguing with me then, now I understand why my dad usually chose to remain silent and merely smiled at my comments and conclusions. Not only because I amused him in a certain way but I think he knew I was still living in a castle with Cinderella at that time and will have totally different ideas about my wedding or wedding reception when I really get married.

After starting to attend my own friends' wedding receptions, I still can't help to continue my amateur job, being a wedding reception commentator. But without my dad being a good listener next to me, I can only murmur to myself now. Because I am wondering if people will be like my dad, who will understand I am just doing it for fun and still wish my friend will live happily ever after from the very bottom of my heart.

When I am getting older and older, my dream wedding and wedding reception become simpler and simpler. Besides a pumpkin coach, I can compromise on not having a pair of glass slippers now.

Although I am still not sure how simple they will be, it's really unnecessary and silly for me to worry about them now. Because just like my mum and dad said, I will have to start from finding myself a nice boyfriend first!

Oh god, my dear Prince Charming, where are you?

Two words in English and four words in Chinese

The songwriter is talented but very lazy I guess. Because the melody of the song is just so simple and even the lyrics basically are only four words for the whole song. But it is still so popular that family and friends will sing it for most of us once a year in front of a cake before candles are blew out.

From the very early morning I could feel my cell phone nudged me and tried to tell me many friends were saying the two words in English and four words in Chinese or even singing the song to me through texts, but they all somehow became a lullaby that I slept incredibly well.

The gentle sunshine sprinkled on my bed when I woke up. There was no need to get out of bed hastily while I reached my cell phone and tried to taste all my sweet texts in bed. When I was informed by those texts that officially I became one year older, instead of being panic I wore my big smile on. Since I could never modify my true age on God's book of age or deceive God in any way, I always believe it's the age of my heart that really matters. Besides, I knew a big smile would always perfectly suit any dress I wanted to wear for the dinner tonight.

Quietly but confidently, I was ready to embrace the day. At the moment, I proudly said the two words in English and four words in Chinese to myself,

"Happy birthday & 生日快樂"