生日快樂，Dear Sis-ter.

三十多年前，妳來到這個世界，擁有全家上上下下兩代人的關注和寵愛。

二十多年前，妳的關注和寵愛先是被分了一半，最後剩下三分之一。開始有人和妳搶芭比娃娃，分你的床，開始有人和妳吵架打架，開始因為妳的裝死嚇得大哭然後害妳被罵，開始有人和妳搶媽媽的懷抱，爸爸的手，爺爺的稱讚，奶奶的問候，阿公的麥克風，阿嬤的醬油粥。

十多年前，離開家才兩年，國外自由空氣都還沒吸夠的妳，又必須得在課業繁忙之餘負起煮飯和家務責任，甚至為了一個因為語言障礙快自閉的小孩擔心。同一個屋簷下，進入叛逆期的小孩愛搞神祕不懂關心，盡做些讓妳為難的事情，讓二十出頭的妳無故又多出好多白髮。

這幾年，出了社會後的妳，雖然空中飛人似地來來去去，勞累和壓力卻沒影響妳從不間斷對家人的關心和用心。不知道妳為何總是這麼有活力，有衝勁，有精力計畫每次家人相聚的時光，不知道妳總是微笑的臉背後隱藏了多少努力堅毅和勇氣，我只知道，能夠當妳的妹妹，真的好幸福。

給我最愛的姊姊，生日快樂，天天快樂，不論在哪裡都要記得那個害妳辛苦的叛逆的小孩總是會支持妳，做妳最好的朋友。

 

To my dearest sister Alison, Happy Birthday and Every Day… :)

Happy Birthday, “A la Pizza”!

срећан рођендан, my crazy beautiful lovely Slavica! (And my Taiwanese parents would also like to wish “A la Pizza” a Happy Birthday!) May your every day be filled with love and happiness, and may your adventurous soul take you wherever you want to go.

If it weren’t for you, I would not have the courage to travel by myself, I would not have stories to write, I would not have photos to share, and I certainly would not be the same contended person I am today.  Thank you for being who you are, and thank you for always letting me be who I am when I am with you.  You know how much you mean to me and I am sure you know that I will always be there for you too, birthday or the end of the world, sun or storm, rich or poor, wine or no wine :)

One of your favorite authors Rabindranath Tagore once said, “You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.”  For a timid person like me, it really would be forever standing and staring – until you showed up and swam in front of me, and with me.

P.S. I know words are not enough for you. I owe you a big bottle of wine and some more crazy stories.

Happy Birthday, Richard Parker.

A quote for this special day: (I will try my best to translate this quote from Nietzsche, but still there is risk of losing its meaning in translation and more translation since it was translated from German to Japanese and then to Chinese and now going to be in English..)

愛對方的真實 <<節錄自 “超譯，尼采”>>

愛不是占有年輕貌美之人，也不是想盡辦法將優秀之人納為己用，進而操控、影響對方。

愛也不是尋找、分辨和自己相似的人，更不是全然接納喜歡自己的人。

愛是喜歡和自己完全不同的人，喜歡對方的真實狀況。即便對方的感受與自己完全不同，也能喜歡對方的那份感性。

愛不是用來填補兩人之間的差異，也不是強迫其中一方委曲求全，能夠喜歡彼此的差異，才是真正的愛。

Love the True Self of the Others  (from [ Choyaku Nietzsche no Kotoba ] by Haruhiko Shiratori)

Love is not to possess the youthful beautiful people, and it is not to try every means to keep the talented for our own in order to manipulate and influence these talented.

Love is not to find or distinguish those who are like ourselves, and it is not to completely accept those who like us.

Love is the sensibility to continue to like those who are totally different from ourselves, loving the true self of the others, even though the others may feel completely different about us.

Love is not used to fill the gap or difference between each other, and it is not to force the other to comprise; the real love is to be able to like and embrace the differences of each other.

(Day 3) Just Keep Walking: German Museum & Walking Tour

我的歐洲行: Day 3 /65  (English follows)

到了慕尼黑的第三天，卻是我真正開始一個人出門的第一天，雖然前一天晚上已經跟Steffi & Christina 討論過今天我要參訪的德國博物館和下午的 Free Walking Tour，心中仍不免有一點小緊張！語言不通對我一直都是有某種份量的障礙，想當初剛從台灣到溫哥華念書時也是花了半年才敢開口買一份麥當勞五號餐。一到了德國就有種早知道來之前先學一點德文該有多好的感覺，但是反過來一想，假如都要等學會基礎語言才能出國的話，依我這半年熬出一句“Can I have meal number 5, please?” 的膽小個性我這輩子就不可能當個旅人了。於是，我帶著Christina 很貼心幫我準備的地鐵地圖，孤獨星球的西歐旅遊書，護照錢包水瓶和一股莫名的勇氣，這真正的solo trip就在我只會講 “bitte”（請） & “danke”（謝謝） 的情況下開始了。

I’m also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.

I was very lucky to be invited as an event photographer to a small “social gathering” yesterday. Well, okay, it was more like a matchmaking event in a very indirect Asian way; the direct translation of the word describing this type of event, 聯誼 (lian yi), provided by Google is “Friendship”, which technically is correct although neglecting its underlying cultural meaning.  The event was sponsored by one of the Rotary International clubs in Taipei, and two of my good friends (M&W) who just got married in December 2012 were appointed to host this event.  When I had dinner with M&W last week, they were very excited to invite me to join as a participant – being the kind of person I am it would probably take another 20 years (or never) to convince me to go so instead M suggested that they could use my help as a photographer.  I was having second thoughts until they told me they planned a speed dating exercise! Ha, despite spending a good chunk of my life growing up and working in Canada, I had never seen a speed dating event in real life and I was always curious to see it.  I also signed my brother up as a guest, knowing him being a totally different person than I am I was sure that he would enjoy it.

Haruki Murakami: 村上先生誕生日快樂！

Happy 64th Birthday, Mr. Haruki Murakami.  You are a great inspiration – although I may never become as good of a writer as you are, knowing that you started your first novel at the age of 29 just pushed me that much more to start this blog. 

“It’s as if when you’re in the forest, you become a seamless part of it. When you’re in the rain, you’re a part of the rain. When you’re in the morning, you’re a seamless part of the morning. When you’re with me, you become a part of me.” – Haruki Murakami << Kafka on the Shore>>

給親愛的村上春樹先生：生日快樂！感謝您的作品給我帶來了許多寫作靈感。也許我永遠也無法成為像您一樣的偉大作家，但知道您從29歲這個尷尬的年紀才開始了您人生的第一本著作著實給了我很大的勇氣開始這個project 29。

“彷彿你也存在那片森林裡，你成為了森林的一部份。當你在雨裡，你也成為了那場雨的一部份。當你迎接早晨，你也成為了那早晨的一部份。而所以，當你和我在一起，你也成為了我的一部份。” 

村上春樹 <<海邊的卡夫卡>>

(Day 2) Simple Happiness: Marienplatz & Englischer Garten

我的歐洲行: Day 2 /65  (English follows)

一早在Christina 的沙發床上醒來時還是有種很難相信自己身在德國的感覺。雖然十月三號的這天是德國的國慶日 Unity Day ，但是 Christina 身為辛苦的護士還是要排班，早上5點多就要起床出門。我和 Steffi 八點多起床後輪流梳洗準備，今天我們計畫到慕尼黑著名的 Marienplatz（馬利亞廣場）以及Englischer Garten （英國花園）。 Steffi 熱心的提議在家裡吃點早餐，拿出了Christina 冰箱裡的好幾種火腿，奶油，麵包和果醬，又用很方便的膠囊式的咖啡機弄了兩杯咖啡。能和好久不見的好朋友一起吃著早餐，簡簡單單的食物也覺得無比的幸福。言談間Steffi 問起我為何突然就辭去穩定的工作決定到歐洲旅行這麼多天，畢竟身為一個歐洲人她也覺得歐洲的消費很高，在未來工作不明確的情況下，她睜大眼睛告訴我，德國人應該沒幾個人會這樣做！哈哈，我笑了笑跟她說，這對我來說也不是個容易的決定，但是會這樣有點瘋狂，不顧一切的去完成自已想做很久的事好像還蠻 North American 的。 當然，這真的是有點天時地利人合外加一股衝勁，否則個性保守愛想太多的我應該永遠都不可能達成這項不可能的任務。

“I am looking f…

“I am looking for friends. What does that mean — tame?”

“It is an act too often neglected,” said the fox. “It means to establish ties.”

“To establish ties?”

“Just that,” said the fox. “To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world….”

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

(Day1) No Better Start: Oktoberfest

我的歐洲行: Day 1 /65  (English follows)

現在開始從第一天回想起來還算容易，拿出當初隨身背著的手札裡寫下的英文journal 以及回顧iphoto裡 4,500張照片，真的每次看都覺得自己實在太幸運。彷彿閉上眼睛就能回到那人潮多到只能用排山倒海來形容的德國啤酒節(Oktoberfest).

於是在西雅圖-芝加哥-慕尼黑這樣10個小時的飛機後，我終於得到了我人生中護照上的第一個歐洲印章！欣喜若狂之餘也很感謝慕尼黑機場海關人員並沒有對我那多次被海關質疑的極度不像我的照片（*這精彩程度有一天應該寫篇這個故事）提出任何問題，只簡單的問了我為什麼要到慕尼黑和要來多久後便微笑的放行。

德國慕尼黑機場感覺很舒服，簡潔，有效率，好像完全地符合德國在我心目中的印象。很快地拿到行李後很興奮往外衝向已經等候我幾分鐘的好朋友Steffi 和她的妹妹Christina.  距離上次在溫哥華見面也有一年多了，不過她們的笑容依然是那麼讓人開心。給她們大大的擁抱之後，我們推著行李往機場門口Steffi的小Audi 走去。Steffi 打開後車廂時拿出了一個好大的海報是她親手做給我的以德國國旗做背景的歡迎牌，感動的我都快流淚了。Steffi 幫忙我搬行李上車的同時感覺到那23公斤的威力，問了我一句 “What did you put in it?”

慕尼黑實在對我太好了，天氣晴朗超過20度讓我一上車後便馬上脫去我的外套和帽T。德國的Autobahn （高速公路），德文的標語，慕尼黑乾乾淨淨簡潔的街道，我忍不住在車裡大喊了好幾次 ”真不敢相信我真的到德國了！“  Steffi & Christina 也很替我興奮，畢竟自從2008和Steffi認識後我說著要到德國找她也說了好幾年了！一到了Christina的一人小小套房後我們忍不住在陽台拍起照，我興奮的拿著Steffi做給我的國旗歡迎牌說要拍給爸媽當作報平安。

理性與感性

在迎接29歲的到來以及那所謂的馬雅世界末日之前，我下了破釜沈舟的決心毅然決然地辭去了在溫哥華的工作，帶著一個23公斤的行李，一個10公斤的backpack，一群家人和好朋友的支持與祝福前往歐洲展開為期65天的一個人的旅行。心裡想著，這是第一次，也許也是最後一次 （如果2012.12.21真的世界末日的話）可以完成自己長期以來的夢想的機會。我心裡的理性天使和感性惡魔為此交戰了好多個夜晚。理性天使義正嚴辭地說，拜託，大小姐，虧你出國留學還念商，在這一片經濟不景氣的狀況下，應該只有傻瓜才會無計畫地辭去穩定的顧問工作，然後因為一些不可能發生的末日預言而賭上花光積蓄的可能去貴死人的歐洲旅行。感性惡魔用左手托著下巴，淺淺一笑地說，嗯，既然都已經夢想很久了，就勇往直前地去吧，也許這將是改變你往後人生的一次旅行，錢是可以再賺再存的，但是衝動和冒險的精神可能會隨著年紀一點點流失喔，所以去吧，去成為一個有故事的人。

基於工作和教育培養出的分析怪僻和想做到面面俱到的個性，這樣的激辯在好幾個夜晚挑戰我的發瘋極限。然後，某個八月的仲夏夜裡，在我下定決心要成為一個簡單再簡單不要再想太多的人之後，感性惡魔以51:49 小小勝過理性天使。Yes, you can’t make everyone happy. So just follow your heart…

 

於是，為期65天的歐洲行就此揭開序幕，成為Project 29 的第一個挑戰和第一個故事。雖然本來想著一旅行完就要好好寫下旅行紀錄，執行力還是有點差的我，終於在將近一個月後，有第一個熱切期待著分享我的照片和故事的阿姨的鼓勵下開始囉！畢竟距離上次寫這樣東西好像都快10年了。。。

 

明天從那瘋狂的慕尼黑啤酒節開始！