5.29.2006
Life is pretty much the same day by day. Except Milo has become an important company to us now. I'm stilling learning how to be patient with an animal friend, eat, walk, cook, teach and even duzz off with him. It's not that easy for me to be honest, but I think I'm doing ok.Everyday is same all, especialy my Fridays.
Every Fridays, I start my day early at 7:30. Wake up, shower, dressed up and show up fresh at my old people's early morning class. For them their day have gone by half, for me, it's my first words for the day. After class, I'd meet up with Ryan foe lunch. After luch, we usually do some meeting with local people for the magazine ad selling or thing like that. By the time Ryan's gone to his afternoon pain in the ass kids class, my trip to countryside starts.
I usually take the afternoon time visting my mom in the other side of the town. I love the strech rice field roads going to my mom's place. On an average clear day, you can see huge tall mountain in the West and endless green rice fields with beautiful houses in the middle of the fields. I'd usually stop and check out mom's garden, listen to her showing off of her pretty flower blossoms and vegetables. 
After all my praises to the plants, it's often the time for us to visist the temple near by where mom and I would always go and help us a little bit and a place for us to search for some peace and tranguilty after a buzzy week
Drop my mom off, I start off my night classes and hopefully to end the whole week of work cheerfully! That would be my Fridays, I wonder why I blah about this, but... Yours?
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5.26.2006
I don't like the look of my blog at this moment, I'm still trying to find the one
that's a little bit more satisfying. Any suggetions? : /
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5.22.2006
By the way, that's Ryan, me (holding his medal), Doug, Emily, Bernard and Matt!
Emily and I were only there to cheer, of course.
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A triathlon has been held annually in Hualien for several years and I am shamed to say that I was actually only found out how interesting and awesome it was this year, what's worse, I was only there to cheer Ryan on during his first! It was amazing to see so many people from all around the island and other countries to get together at our pretty little lake in Hualien and put all their effort into this race. For most people, it was a race against him/herself, of course. The most amazing thing I learned about the race was the thriathlon spirit!
If you haven't been to one, go. And make sure you "cheer" them on. You will understand what I mean here. (:
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5.15.2006
Since one friend called last night, there came a new
menber of our family!
Meet Milo T. We are not sure when his birthday is or how old he actually is,or who are his parents. But, he's just full of cuteness!
Brave little Milo didn't scream or struggle a bit when we took him to have his first shots this morning. I'm not too sure if Milo and I will get alone well or not (he sure is with Ryan),since I've never had a pet company before. But, I'm pretty positive that we will be great friends, if only he stopped peeing on the wood floor and following me to the bathroom. O Milo...
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5.12.2006
【王記】
【王記茶舖】在花蓮的飲茶界成為主流，轉眼已超過有十年的春秋。因它美中樸實的裝潢，悅耳的鳥鳴聲和著重小細節的精緻設計，已使得【王記茶舖】在飲茶業界中，以獨特的美學概念和氣氛營造上贏得一席之地位。
王記在花蓮的新分店『花間茶堂』（位於花蓮市三民街十號），不但提供茶飲服務，同時也是個台灣過去史跡的活文化博物館。現今的『花間茶堂』從前是棟舊式別墅，為地方上頗有名氣的望族所擁有。但跟隨人與事的變遷，這棟別墅現在已全部整修並翻新，營造成可以滿足顧客需求的茶舖。茶堂有著古早味的台灣建築，加上現代感十足的設計，獨特地營造出一個新與舊的有趣融合。茶館裡，天花板上凸出的舊棟樑，不但增添了一息未完成之感，也刻意的保留了對於先前在地別墅史跡的一絲眷戀。而二樓路旁的陽台座位設計，不但別出心裁，同時也為那些喜歡在午後，觀察穿梭街頭的人群或享受日光浴的人們，完成了其許已久的心願。
若單就商業的層面而言，【王記】作為一間餐館及茶舖，它可算是東部首屈一指的。在茶品的種類、各式傳統餐點和小茶點上，茶堂本身就足以讓人流連忘返，而每次到訪所嚐試的新餐點，也每每給人許多驚喜。然而，花蓮擁有好茶和小吃的茶舖滿街遍佈，那麼到底什麼原因，才使得【王記茶舖】形象和名聲如此脫穎而出呢？
緣起Mr. Wang
顧名思義，【王記】的創辦人，王先生，在東部的「王記現象」中擔任茶舖經營者及合夥人已有超過十年的日子了。目前，他在花蓮已非常成功地經營了兩間他一手打造的【王記茶舖】。一間是位於中山路上，以電影『梁祝』為主題和背景設計；而新的分店『花間茶堂』則是位於三民路上，藉由傳統與現代、新與舊概念的結合作為主題。這兩間喧嚷熱絡的茶館，一一證明了王先生的用心和堅持十幾年下來完全沒有白費。
許多人常問王先生他的茶到底有多好？然而，他的答案雖沒有評比亦沒有誇大，但可能會實著地讓你驚訝一下。他老實回答的說：「其實茶品的好與壞，全取決於品茶人（顧客）當時的心情」。多麼特別的回答啊！帶著放鬆的心情和態度的顧客，總是能充分享受每一滴的好茶；但對於帶著壓力或心事的客人，可能就會覺得茶苦或索然無味。「這，就是茶所帶給人的真正感受」他笑著說到。
茶就是人生
王先生所選的茶皆來自於以好茶聞名的坪林鄉。每種茶葉被選定之前，都需經過八道嚴密的挑選步驟。王先生認為，幫愛茶的顧客嚴選好茶是他的一份責任，而親自去瞭解客人們的口味需求，也是他給自己的一份義務。也是因為對茶如此的堅持和執著，他的熱忱透過了陣陣傳來的茶香，持續的打動著無數的品茶客人的心。
傳統延續
【王記】一向很重視他們喫茶的熟客。因此，他們從不曾以花蓮市每年大量湧入的遊客群作為事業的目標。然而，【王記】的認真以及在地人對它的肯定，已使得【王記】漸漸成為一個吸引觀光客的花蓮市旅遊點。觀光客除了會暢遊東海岸以及探索太魯閣國家公園之外，有越來越多的遊客，陸續地發現了【王記】裡令人抒緩的氣氛和這個充滿茶香的在地人文茶館。的確，走進【王記茶舖】就彷彿踏入一個現代生活中，充滿史跡文化及古早味道的花蓮。
想要感受一下王記獨特的文化復古風嗎？品茶之際，不妨可以留意一下茶舖裡工作人員的制服。為了要讓顧客有身歷其境，並體驗先前日本文化對中華文化的影響，這一套複雜的傳統日式八片剪裁，結合了中國傳統長袍的美麗套裝，便因應而生。注意到了嗎？你是否也覺得【王記茶舖】裡的服務人員，舉手頭足之間都充滿了濃濃的人文氣息呢？
【王記】在於花蓮地方文化和史跡的維護上，展現了他們的細膩及用心。舉凡自各種茶種類的嚴選、茶舖的建築和設計，到所有員工皆秉持服務至上的態度以及王先生『以茶會友』的心態面對客人；【王記茶舖】用這十年間的精華時段為漫長的午後，創造出了在地的完美人文氣氛。
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5.04.2006
Hualien never ceases to surprise me! I was on my way to teach, I noticed that the clouds in the sky looked very different than usual. I stopped at a red light, took out my camera, tried to grasp a little bit of the weirdness. In about ten minutes before the night fell, I was completely stunned by the changing of the shape and colors of this East-coastal spring clouds!
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