2007年8月4日 星期六

The Mayonnaise Jar and Coffee

A friend sent me this story a while a go. and I found that I really like it.
I don't know who is the original author, but it's a good fruit for thoughts.


The Mayonnaise Jar and Coffee

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar....and the coffee.... A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook he jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes".

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now" said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else - the small stuff.
If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand. "One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

2007年7月22日 星期日

最近想把法文學好呢!!!

這樣才能很爽的看電影!!!



在台北近日來又有 L'amour影展 看得我十分為之心動呀~~:)

連日來上一直苦於尋無其門入無名
真得逼得老娘我生氣了
後

我想我真的要棄暗投明了! merde!

2007年7月12日 星期四

中國話

i know this song has come out for a while, but it wasn't until quite recently that I really gave a good thought of it. The lyrics are actually very worthwhile to ponder.

Enjoy! :)

2007年6月18日 星期一

Jokes for today

I got these jokes from two of my lovely friends.

One is from YC.C
She wrote on her blog..

A: Left turn here?
B: Right!

Looking at this joke just reminded me that I seemed to have the same inhibitus to do the same thing...hahah (no matter it's in English or Chinese....)

The second one it's from a clip that my lovely E sent to me.
It's a joke from our famous idol back in high school--Faye Wang.

She was on an interview, so she told the hosts a silly joke.
Here it goes.

Faye: Do you know why the bear has longer hibernation??
The hosts: ???@@@.....why???

Faye: Becuz no one dares to wake him up.

Ok that's my little drops-in for today. Maybe I should start a joke label as well...:)

Good nite.

2007年6月14日 星期四

[Forward]Yemen

Article originally posted from Taipei times.

Globe trotting ─ Yemen 世界走透透:葉門



Saturday, Mar 10, 2007,Page 14

Left: The walled mud-brick city of Shibam in Yemen's southeastern Hadramout Valley.

葉門東南方哈卓毛谷的泥磚古城希巴姆。
PHOTO: AFP

Yemenis wearing traditional costumes dance in front of a gate of the Old Sana'a City, July 16, 2006.

二OO六年七月十六日,身穿傳統服飾的葉門民眾在沙納舊城門前跳舞。
PHOTO: EPA

Referred to by the Romans as Arabia Felix, or Happy Arabia, Yemen is a diver's paradise and home to fascinating tribes, lush fields and well preserved ancient architecture. Yemen is attracting ever increasing numbers of visitors. Read on to discover more about this Arabian wonderland.

曾被羅馬人稱為「肥沃的阿拉比亞」和「阿拉伯樂土」的葉門,是潛水者的天堂,有迷人的部落、青蔥的土地和保存良好的古代建築,吸引愈來愈多的遊客前往。往下讀,深入了解這塊阿拉伯仙境。

A closer look 說古論今

Visitors to Yemen have increased by over 100 percent from 2003 to 2006. They are drawn by the unspoilt coral, a host of small islands and still evident tribal traditions.

There are three UNESCO world heritage sites listed in Yemen; the capital Sana'a, Zabid and Shibam. Shibam's five to seven story mud-brick buildings dating back to the sixteenth century have earned it the nickname of the Manhattan of the desert. The mud "skyscrapers" are contained by a fortified wall and number 500 buildings in less than half a square kilometer.

Zabid is home to the Al-Azhar University where the mathematical discipline Al Jabar — the basis for modern day Algebra — was formed. Although not listed by UNESCO, Marib, located to the east of Sana'a, was the capital of ancient Sheba, and draws visitors both for its outstanding architecture and for being the reputed home of the Queen of Sheba. Tarim, an ancient town in Eastern Yemen, has 365 mosques — one for each day of the year.

Yemen's landscape is a mixture of mostly desert landscape, breathtaking mountains, mud villages and stone houses, and vast green fields of Khat. Khat is a stimulant and local favorite. Its green leaves are chewed by local men in the afternoon giving the chewer a mild euphoric feeling.

A typical meal in Yemen is salta, a broth made of meat and vegetables served in a stone bowl with flat bread. Grilled fresh fish, hummus and ful (a blend of beans, uncooked vegetables and oil) are also very popular. (catherine Thomas, staff writer)

葉門的觀光客自二○○三年到二○○六年成長超過一倍,不受污染的珊瑚礁、許多小型島嶼和至今仍盛行的部落傳統吸引他們的主因。

葉門有三個聯合國教科文組織所認定的世界遺產地︰首都沙那、宰比德和希巴姆。希巴姆市內五至七層樓高的十六世紀土磚建築為她贏得「沙漠曼哈頓」的美名。這 些土磚建造的「摩天大樓」外有垛牆,而且在不到零點五平方公里的土地上就有五百棟建物。

宰比德市內的愛資哈爾大學是數學「Al Jabar」的搖籃(「Al Jabar」是現代代數學基礎)。位於沙那東方的馬里卜雖未被聯合國教科文組織列為世界遺產地

,但是這個希巴古國的首都建築奇特,傳說是希巴女王的故鄉,因此吸引不少遊客。位於葉門東部的古城塔里木有三百六十五間清真寺,一年三百六十五天,每天一間。

葉門的地貌多半是沙漠,雜夾著令人屏息的山脈、泥土建築的村莊、石屋和大片的阿拉伯茶園。阿拉伯茶是一種深受當地人喜愛的興奮劑,當地人會在午後藉著嚼它的綠葉得到一種淡淡的幸福感。

「Salta」是葉門傳統料理,是一種以肉類和蔬菜熬

製而成的清湯,盛裝於石碗中,搭配煎餅食用。烤鮮魚、豆泥醬和「Ful」(一種以豆類、生菜和油混和而成的食物)也很受歡迎。 (翻譯:鄭湘儀)

Who Knew?

Socotra Island is situated 500km off the coast of the Yemen mainland in the Indian Ocean. Its isolation has created separate flora and fauna from the mainland, including the Dragon Blood Tree, so named because it leaks a bright red sap, said to be the blood of dragons.

The island is 3,600km2 and the population speaks Soqotri, which is entirely separate from and not generally understood by the mainland Yemenis. The island has pristine reefs, and so far 800 different species of coral have been identified off the coast.

Yemen has named the area as a national park and is promoting eco-tourism. In recent years the island has become more accessible with the advent of flights to Socotra. Visitors enjoy activities such as camping on beaches, tracking up dry river beds and hiking in the Haghier mountains, as well as snorkeling and diving.

索科特拉島位於印度洋上,離葉門本土五百公里處,它孤立隔絕的地理位置孕育出有別於大陸的動植物,包括會流出鮮紅樹汁的龍血樹,這種樹汁據稱是龍血。

索科特拉島面積三千六百平方公里,島上區民說的是和葉門本土民眾截然不同的索科崔語,且葉門本土民眾多半不懂索科崔語。島上有原始的珊瑚礁,截至目前為 止,外海已確認的珊瑚礁品種更有八百種。

葉門已將此區定為國家公園,並推廣生態旅遊業。近年來隨著航班的增設,索科特拉島的交通也愈來愈方便。遊客享受在海灘露營、溯行乾枯河床、在海希爾山脈健行,以及浮潛和跳水的樂趣。

What time is it there?

Yemen is five hours behind Taiwan, so when it is 9pm in Taiwan it is 4pm in Yemen.

葉門比台灣晚五小時,台灣若是晚上九點,葉門就是下午四點。

Flag

Adopted in 1990 when the north and south of Yemen unified. The red stripe represents the bloodshed during the struggle for independence, the black stripe an end to the dark past, and the white hope for the future.

北葉門和南葉門於一九九○年統一時採用這面旗。紅色帶象徵為獨立奮鬥時所留的鮮血;黑色表示黑暗過往的結束,而白色表示對未來的希望。

About Yemen

Size: 527,970km2, about 15 times the size of Taiwan

Location: Middle East

Border countries: Oman, Saudi Arabia

Capital: Sana'a

Population: About 21.5 million

Languages: Arabic

Government: Republic

Currency: Yemeni rial (YER). NT$1 is worth about 6 YER.

面積:五十二萬七千九百七十平方公里,約為台灣十五倍大

位置:中東

鄰國:阿曼、沙烏地阿拉伯

首都:沙那

人口:約兩千一百五十萬人

語言:阿拉伯語

政府:共和政體

貨幣:葉門里雅,新台幣一元約等於六葉門里雅