Story Time!

mon petit chouchou / 我的小寵物

2008-03-08T17:44:00.000-08:00

一歲半的小方，是我們的小寵物，總是跟在大人的屁股後面，迫不及待的模仿我們的動作，重複我們說過的話，然後再加上自己的奇想，說出來的話俘虜了一拖拉庫的心。

Von, one year and seven months old, is our "petit chouchou." He follows closely the adults, waiting to imitate what we do and repeat what we say. With a touch of his own whim, his words capture a truck of hearts.

小方洗完澡後，看著水泡被捲進排水洞，會認真地說：「轉轉轉，see you！」

After the shower, looking at the bubbles sucked into the hole, Von would say seriously, "Turn turn turn, see you!"

For the Ocean I Miss 14 / 給我想念的海洋 14

2006-05-31T04:13:00.000-07:00

莉莉把對海洋和游泳的熱愛，珍藏在心底。她會很有耐心地等待再度下水的那一天‧‧‧

Callie brings with her the love for water and swimming no matter where she goes. She will wait patiently for the day when she can go back to her dear ocean...

For the Ocean I Miss 13 / 給我想念的海洋 13

2006-05-28T23:02:00.000-07:00

當最後一滴海水乾涸時，莉莉只好接受現實，悲傷地離去。

When the water is all dried, Callie has no choice but to take life as it is and leave in sadness.

For the Ocean I Miss 12 / 給我想念的海洋 12

2006-05-12T17:18:00.000-07:00

最後，海洋乾枯到幾乎完全消失蹤影，雷根和莉莉都束手無策。

In the end, the ocean is almost dried up. Reagan and Callie can't do anything about it.

For the Ocean I Miss 11 / 給我想念的海洋 11

2006-05-09T02:17:00.000-07:00

但是上天好像沒有聽到他倆的祈求，只見水越來越少，莉莉和雷根相當無奈。

But God didn't hear their prayers. There's less and less water. Callie and Reagan are quite helpless about the situation.

For the Ocean I Miss 10 / 給我想念的海洋 10

2006-05-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

過了不久，原本浩瀚的海洋居然乾枯成一小灘水！莉莉和雷根只好學原始部落跳起祈雨舞，雖然他們不是很在行，但他們的誠意感人，希望上天可以助他們一臂之力。

Soon afterwards, the vast ocean becomes a tiny teeny puddle of water! Callie and Reagan have no choice but to dance for rain like the aboriginal people. Obviously, they are not good at it, but their sincerity is quite heart-felt. They hope God can hear their voice and give them some rain.

For the Ocean I Miss 9 / 給我想念的海洋 9

2006-05-03T00:06:00.000-07:00

沒想到，莉莉玩得正開心時，因為久旱不雨，水面高度一層層地往下降，最後她無助地哭了起來。

When Callie is having all the fun of her life, the water level lowers little by little because of the coming drought. Her confusion turns to sadness. She can't help crying out of worry and fear.

For the Ocean I Miss 8 / 給我想念的海洋 8

2006-05-02T02:13:00.000-07:00

經過一番苦練之後，莉莉終於可以像魚兒在海中自由自在地游泳了！清涼的海水撫過她的肌膚，莉莉好不快活啊！

After a lot of practice, Callie can finally swim like a fish! The cool sea water caresses her skin. Callie is SO at ease!

For the Ocean I Miss 7 / 給我想念的海洋 7

2006-04-21T20:35:00.000-07:00

於是莉莉在水中練習，她很努力想找到適合她的姿勢，同時她想起雷根說的話：「就是在水中也要做自己才行。」

So Callie practices in the water to find her way of swimming. At the same time, she recalls what Reagan said, "You cannot be who you are not even in water."

For the Ocean I Miss 6 / 給我想念的海洋 6

2006-04-18T02:57:00.000-07:00

雷根說，水可以感受到我們內心的情緒，當我們輕拍水面，水會溫柔地回應；但是如果我們全身緊繃，水就會回以相同的力道。

Reagan says, "Water can feel our inner emotion. When we hit the water gently, it will respond with tenderness. If we are all tensed up, water will react with the same amount of pressure."

For the Ocean I Miss 5 / 給我想念的海洋 5

2006-04-13T04:02:00.000-07:00

雷根熱情地邀請莉莉下水，但是她卻想到小時候的經驗，有些裹足不前。

Reagan invites Callie to join him in water, but she is held back on thinking of the scary experience in her childhood.

For the Ocean I Miss 4 / 給我想念的海洋 4

2006-04-12T01:31:00.000-07:00

莉莉懇求雷根教她游泳，「叔叔，我也希望可以像你游得那麼好，請問你是如何辦到的呢？」

Callie begs Reagan to be her swimming coach. "Sir, I wish I could swim as well as you. How did you make it?"

For the Ocean I Miss 3 / 給我想念的海洋 3

2006-04-11T02:24:00.000-07:00

有一天，莉莉在海邊閒晃時，發現一名泳者，他在水中那副自得樣，令她羨慕不已。

One day when Callie strolls on the beach, she encounters a great swimmer. He's really at ease in water. Callie envies him a lot.

For the Ocean I Miss 2 / 給我想念的海洋 2

2006-04-10T01:40:00.000-07:00

莉莉小的時候，曾經溺水過。從那時開始，她一直認為海底住著大水怪，對水敬畏三分。

When Callie was little, she came near to being drowned once. From then on, she has believed that a big sea monster lives in the sea. She is in much awe of the water.

For the Ocean I Miss 1 / 給我想念的海洋 1

2006-04-08T19:39:00.000-07:00

莉莉從小住在海邊，她很喜歡大海，卻不會游泳！

Callie lives by the sea. She loves the ocean, but she doesn't know how to swim!

Feature of April / 四月精選故事

2006-04-01T18:15:00.000-08:00

給我想念的海洋

這個故事的靈感來自於2002年的限水措施，當時我剛學會游泳，每天下班之後立刻往游泳池報到，想到天公不下雨，而我必須暫停游泳，內心便湧上一陣恐懼。因為擔心，我決定把對游泳的喜愛畫下來。

莉莉從小住在海邊，但是她不會游泳，因為小時候曾經溺水過，她對海水又愛又怕。有一天，她在海岸邊遇到雷根，他在水中就像條自在的魚，莉莉央求雷根教她游泳，雷根傳授許多簡單卻深奧的秘訣，例如說，水其實反映人們內心的情緒，當我們放輕鬆，水也會輕柔地回應；如果我們太緊張，水便以同等力道對待。莉莉終於學會游泳，可是多日不雨，海水因而乾枯，莉莉和雷根想盡各種辦法，最後還是不敵大自然，雖然莉莉很傷心，她自我安慰，一方面回想著游泳的日子，並期待下雨天趕快到來。

For the Ocean I Miss

The inspiration for this story originated from the water rationing program in Taipei in 2002. I had just learned to swim. Every day after work, I rushed to the swimming pool to enjoy the best moments of a day. I couldn’t imagine how dull life would be without my favorite sport. Waiting for the rain, I decided to turn my worry into a short illustrated story.

Callie lives by the sea, but she doesn’t know how to swim. When she was a child, she was drowned once. From then on, she has been afraid of water though she loves it greatly. One day, she encounters the swimmer Reagan. She envies him a lot because he seems to be so much at ease in water! Callie asks Reagan to be her swimming coach. He partakes with her some very basic yet important tips. For example, water actually reflects how we feel. When we are relaxed, water treats us gently. When we are all tensed up, water does nothing but react in the same way. Callie finally becomes a swimmer. However, because of the coming drought, the sea level goes lower and lower. Reagan and Callie try all they can to ask for rain, but they can’t fight against nature. Callie learns to live with the reality. She will wait for the rain with hope and think back on the good moments she had in water when she feels down.

牛肉麵的故事大結局

2006-03-29T01:48:00.000-08:00

妞妞開心地跳起牛肉麵之舞，還邀請爸爸媽媽加入。這一次妞妞記得把牛肉麵分給辛苦的爸媽，瞧他們三人吃得津津有味！

"It is a bowl of beef noodles!" Kiddie exclaimed. She was so excited that she started the beef noodle dance and invited her parents to join her! But this time she remembered to share the noodles with her exhausted dad and mom!

牛肉麵的故事 17

2006-03-28T04:09:00.000-08:00

原來是爸爸媽媽！妞妞不僅和他們團聚，還得到一碗熱騰騰的牛肉麵！她真是感動到心坎裡。

So Dad and Mom found their sweetie! Kiddie was reunited with them. She also got a super lovely surprise from them. It was a bowl of beef noodles! She was touched to tears...

牛肉麵的故事 16

2006-03-27T03:47:00.000-08:00

妞妞流浪於世界各處，她已經好幾天沒吃東西了，很需要來碗牛肉麵。同時，她想爸媽想得要命，就在這個時候‧‧‧

Kiddie wandered around the world. She was very unhappy because she hadn't eaten for days. She was in terrible need of beef noodles. Meanwhile, she missed her parents SO MUCH. Right at this moment...

牛肉麵的故事 15

2006-03-25T18:09:00.000-08:00

誰知他們在途中居然遇見大白鯊！還膽大到在白鯊牙齒上動土！

Unfortunately, they ran into a SHARK! And they were bold enough to pull the shark's teeth!

牛肉麵的故事 14

2006-03-24T17:45:00.000-08:00

於是爸爸媽媽便展開他們的尋找愛女之旅，看來他們已經做好征服全世界的準備了。

So Dad and Mom set out on their daughter-seeking trip. It seemed that they were ready to conquer the whole world simply to retrieve their beloved Kiddie.

牛肉麵的故事 13

2006-03-23T16:22:00.000-08:00

另一方面，爸爸媽媽很久沒接到妞妞的電話，內心不禁開始焦急，有一天居然在報紙上讀到火災的消息，妞妞的名字竟然出現在死亡名單哩！

Dad and Mom were anxious. They hadn't heard from Kiddie for a long time. One day, they found her name in the newspaper. She was reported to have died in the disastrous fire!

牛肉麵的故事 12

2006-03-23T16:18:00.000-08:00

可憐的妞妞無處可去，浪跡天涯，她很想念爸爸媽媽。

Poor Kiddie had no place to go. She roamed without any destination in mind. She missed her parents a lot.

牛肉麵的故事 11

2006-03-20T00:28:00.000-08:00

妞妞不小心把整棟公寓燒掉了！救火人員抵達現場時，妞妞害怕地躲起來，一旦他們發現她是罪魁禍首，一定會把她繩之以法。

Kiddie was so careless that she burned down the whole apartment! When the firemen arrived on the scene, she hid behind the tree. She was afraid that once they found her, they would put her behind the bars.

牛肉麵的故事 10

2006-03-17T21:49:00.000-08:00

妞妞對烹飪不是很在行，再加上她這個人挺粗枝大葉的，牛肉麵還沒煮出來，意外就先發生了。

Kiddie was never a good cook and she was VERY careless. So something serious happened before she really started cooking.

牛肉麵的故事 9

2006-03-16T05:48:00.000-08:00

好不容易得到食譜之後，妞妞到市場尋找食材，但是當她看到五顏六色的蔬果肉類，一個頭兩個大，究竟要從何下手呢？妞妞不禁想著，作菜真是件難事啊！

After Kiddie got the recipe, she went to the market for the ingredients. When she saw fruits and veggies of all colors, she was really dizzy. She had no idea where to start. She couldn't help thinking, "Oh, cooking is SO complicated..."

牛肉麵的故事 8

2006-03-15T02:15:00.000-08:00

妞妞尋遍各處，終於找到夢幻牛肉麵的食譜！「你愛吃牛肉麵嗎？每星期天晚上請收看王大廚的『牛肉麵全紀錄』！」

After Kiddie traveled through cities and all the country, she finally found the recipe for beef noodles.
"Are you a beef noodle lover? Meet Chef Wong for the recipes of beef noodles every Sunday!"

牛肉麵的故事 7

2006-03-14T07:29:00.000-08:00

想著想著，妞妞決定了，她要為爸爸媽媽製作一碗牛肉麵！不過她得先找到獨門秘方才行！於是她背起行囊，到處走透透，當然，社區裡的大嬸級人物是不能放過的。

Kiddie decided to make a bowl of beef noodles for her dad and mom! But she had to obtain the ONE AND ONLY recipe first. She started her trip by visiting the housewives living in the same neighborhood. They owned secret recipes to 90 percent of the good food in the world.

牛肉麵的故事 6

2006-03-12T00:57:00.000-08:00

爸爸媽媽安靜滿足地看著妞妞吃著最後一碗牛肉麵，雖然他們也餓了，卻只有想到心愛的女兒，
完全不顧及自己咕咕叫的肚子。
「好好吃喔！」妞妞大呼過癮。

Dad and Mom looked at Kiddie eat up the last bowl of beef noodles. They were also starved, but they thought about nothing but their daughter. They didn't pay attention to their stomachs at all.
"Delicious!" Kiddie exclaimed.

牛肉麵的故事 5

2006-03-10T18:47:00.000-08:00

爸爸媽媽到達牛肉麵攤時，身心已疲倦到無法負荷，看到人擠人的瘋狂場面，媽媽上前詢問，真的只剩下一碗了！不過他們算幸運，居然還有人，麵沒買到，身體卻被人群踩得稀巴爛。

When Dad and Mom got to the beef noodle stand, they were exhausted mentally and physically. They saw the crazy crowd fighting for beef noodles. Mom went forward to order and there was only ONE BOWL of beef noodles left. However, they were quite lucky because some people ended up seriously wounded without getting anything!

牛肉麵的故事 4

2006-03-09T04:14:00.000-08:00

妞妞想到爸爸媽媽可以為了買一碗牛肉麵上山下海，就只是為了討好她，對他們來說，距離根本不算什麼。
「喔！親愛的，要抓緊喔！」
「好！為了我們的牛肉麵！」

Dad and Mom would struggle over the sea and mountains just for a bowl of beef noodles because that is Kiddie's favorite. Long distance for them was nothing.
"Oops, hang in there dear!"
"Yeah! For our beef noodles!"

牛肉麵的故事 3

2006-03-08T02:40:00.000-08:00

「真搞不懂爸爸為何話沒說完就掛電話，一定是有什麼事‧‧‧一定是爸爸媽媽太想我了，可是我也好想他們喔！真希望可以為他們做點什麼，可是我住得這麼遠‧‧‧說來慚愧，爸媽為我付出那麼多，我卻想不出一件事，讓他們知道我有多在乎他們，唉！」

"I don't understand. Why did Dad hang up the phone? There must be something wrong...Perhaps Dad and Mom miss me too much. How I miss them too! What can I do for them? But I am so far away...Strange to say, they've done so much for me, yet I can't think of ONE SINGLE THING to let them know I really care for them..."

牛肉麵的故事 2

2006-03-01T02:01:00.000-08:00

某天早上，爸爸從公園回家時，看到了公共電話亭，他無法克制對妞妞的思念，便撥了通電話給她。
「鈴鈴鈴！」
「怎麼沒人接電話呢？」爸爸唸唸有辭。
「喂？」
「妞妞！」當爸爸聽到寶貝女兒的聲音時，眼淚都快流下來了。
「爸爸！家裡都還好嗎？」
「媽媽和我都很想妳‧‧‧」說到這裡，他不禁悲從中來。
「爸，你怎麼啦？你在哭嗎？」

One morning, when Dad came home from the park, he spotted a telephone booth. He couldn't refrain from making a call to Kiddie.

"Ring...RRR..."
"Answer the phone!" Dad murmured to himself.
"Hello?"
"Kiddie!" When Dad heard her voice, tears were circling in his small eyes.
"How's everything at home Dad?"
"Well...Your mom and I, we miss you a lot..." He couldn't go on because he felt really sad.
"Dad, are you alright? Are you crying?"

牛肉麵的故事 1

2006-02-28T00:14:00.000-08:00

妞妞是爸爸媽媽的心肝寶貝，可是她就要離家去美國讀書，他們心裡有很多不捨‧‧‧

妞妞並不是獨生女，但是她的大弟弟老是早出晚歸，三天兩頭不見人影，總是惹爸媽擔心。

媽媽很想念妞妞，她常常和爸爸說：「我們明天就搭飛機去看她好嗎？」「美國東西是不是很難吃啊？」「妞妞最討厭冷天了，真不曉得她能不能適應當地的氣候。」有時媽媽想著想著，眼淚就掉下來了。

Mom and Dad's heart, Kiddie, was about to go to the US for studies. It was hard for them to part with her.

Kiddie was not the only child at home, but her brother often upset them. He was always somewhere out there having fun with friends.

Mom missed Kiddie a lot. She often asked Dad, "How about visiting her tomorrow?" "What if the food there is awful?" "Kiddie hates cold days. I wonder if she can survive there." Sometimes tears trickled down her cheeks when she was lost in her thoughts about Kiddie.

緣起/ Preface

2006-02-26T22:23:00.000-08:00

我們家喜歡吃牛肉麵，而且只愛桃源街牛肉麵，從小習慣了的口味成了我們的一部分，若幾個月沒嚐到，人生彷彿少了點什麼，離開台灣一陣子，鄉愁便以牛肉麵的味道日日夜夜地縈繞著，「牛肉麵的故事」寫於1999年，當時我生平第一次離開家，負笈美國唸書，因為知道爸爸媽媽會想念我，便寫了這個小小的故事，希望爸媽知道我會把回憶和滿滿的愛放在心裡。

Our family love to eat beef noodles, and we eat only beef noodles from the restaurant Tao-yuan Street near Taipei Train Station. I've eaten them all my life and the taste becomes part of me. Life without beef noodles seems sorta of empty. When I am away from home, nostalgia obsesses me in the form of beef noodles.

The Beef Noodle Story was written in 1999. I was about to leave home for the first time. I knew that my parents would miss me terribly, so I put all my memories and love in this little book. Hope you love the story too!