读林语堂的书
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林语堂的书写得好，中文版虽然翻译的有些蹩脚，但现在读起来也不觉得过时。
“和荣, 你有机会去读大学, 姐姐因为是女孩不能去. 不要辜负自己的机会, 下决心做个好人，做个有用的人，做个著名的人。” 这是林语堂二姐在送他上大学时分手时对他的叮嘱.二姐从嫁衣的口袋里拿出四角钱给16岁的弟弟. 含泪对他说了这段对林语堂一生德行有很大影响的话. 可怜好学的二姐，两年后死在了乡下。几十年后, 林语堂不但没有辜负, 而且远远超过了二姐对他的期望. 我读到这段时眼泪不由自主地流出来, 接着竟笑出声来. 敦敦诧异地看着他老娘, "嘿老妈, 我只知道喜极而泣, 不知道您还有泣极而喜的本领.” 我说泪是伤感, 笑乃感伤, 并不矛盾.
�� 当我读到, 1923年林语堂留学一大圈回北大当教授时毛泽东在那里当图书管理员. 敦敦突然冒出一句, “妈妈, 中国近代发展中吃了点亏”. 我问啥亏? 敦敦回答说, “多年的封闭.”
我说, “建国30年来, 闭关自守让西方没机会了解中国, 中国也没机会了解世界. 东西方彼此的误解和过渡的爱恨都是源于不了解. 语言的障碍让很多文化精华的东西都在翻译中流失了(lost in translation). 英文很棒的人对中国文化了解甚少, 国学大师们英文都不灵光. 毛泽东对中国历史有很深的造诣, 可惜他没勇气跨出国门, 老年才腾出点功夫学英文, 太晚了. 很难设想如果当年毛泽东少年留美，能读够大量阅读英文书籍, 也许现时上演的华尔街的金融风暴就会发生在上海而不是在纽约了.”
“全球化的今天，多元文化的浸染和经验带来的优势日趋明显，我希望你既不要白学英文，也不要白长了这张中国脸，如果你能修炼成为用恰当的英法德讲述奥妙的儒道佛的人，长大就能为增进东西方的了解尽点力.” 敦敦瞪大眼睛，静静地看着我, 表情很严肃，显然他觉得老妈对他的这个期望着实过重了点。
孩子眼中智者的缺陷
周末的早晨, 我们一家三口浅读了罗素的快乐智慧 (Russell’sWisdom on Happiness）. 我大声读了书中第一页的第一段, “有三种简单却铺天盖地般强烈的激情, 支配了我的整整一生: 对爱的渴望, 对知识的追求以及对人类苦难的难以承受的怜悯.� (Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.)
听到我对这位大师级人物的语言感染力发出的由衷的赞叹. 敦敦说, “妈妈, 罗素只是写出了他自己对人生的感受。 很可惜，他本人并不是一个快乐的人.” 我和敦爹放下手中的茶杯, 拜托小儿拿出证据再做评论.�
“你刚读的那一段罗素的自白就足以证明了这一点。”So What? 我们追问。敦敦见二老还不太明白。耐心地解析道: 没得到爱的人才有着强烈的 ‘对爱的渴望’, 当一个人面对苦难, 自己又无能为力改变这些苦难时是十分痛苦的. ‘难以承受’ 这个词足以证明他痛苦的程度. 这几句话就勾勒出, 没有被爱, 同时忍受精神上无尽痛苦折磨的罗素，您看他的照片，我们赶紧把眼光移向书角上罗素的一张黑白小照，那是一张被痛苦折磨得几近狰狞的脸. 看着我们没完全被说服的样子，敦敦指着第一章的标题 ‘我为什么活着?’ 对发傻的爹娘说, “快乐的人一般不会问这样一个问题.” 我们不得不点头，承认敦敦的推理有些许逻辑。
去年我跟敦敦花了不少时间研究诸子, 我觉得他应该忘的差不多了. 昨晚睡觉前, 我问敦敦对这些智者的看法. 敦敦带着睡意说, “在诸子中，老子站得最高, 善讲真道理; 孔子太注重小节; 孟子太过自责; 庄子啥都不管.” 敦敦反问老妈的看法, 我说：“我崇拜老子, 尊敬孔子, 欣赏庄子, 明白孟子.” 他加上一句, “您还喜欢林语堂.” “孩子，你说对了。看来，这两年我没白跟你一起读书。”
“敦敦, 既然老子是智者中的高人，你崇拜老子吗?” 我问. 这小子毫不犹豫地说 “不！” 我问，“为啥?” 他说, “在我这个年龄，我没有必要崇拜任何人. 思考和时间允许我形成自己的思想, 在这一点上我跟‘诸子’们是平等的.”面对眼前如此翩翩少年，我真羡慕他有‘轻狂’的资本。
I just noticed that the microlending site Kiva.org accepts Paypal for payments.... a great chance for me to sell some once beloved, but now excessive/outgrown items on eBay and�loan the profits to struggling small businesspeople all over the world.� When the loan is (hopefully) repaid, I can then reinvest again.
Seems like a small way for me to fight against the global credit freeze, rather than trying to 'spend our way out' of the downturn.
Best Friend Forever, that title is being thrown around alot these days. I'm thinking the originators didn't have a real grasp on the forever part. Probably being a bit overly optimistic.
I've had a very long friendship with Barb. We met when we were teens. We soon married men that had known each other since they were little, so we became close over the years. As our families grew we supported each other through the tough times and shared in tons of fun times. We came to consider each other as family.
I never had to say or think that our friendship had to have a time-frame put on it. ie; "BFF". I did however, tell others that Barb was my best friend. Not sure if she had that same opinion of me. Not feeling valued as a friend at all these days. Not for quite awhile really.
Most recently I know that Barb's struggling with her son's move to another country with his wife and kids. I know she anticipated feeling a great loss. I can imagine how she feels, I am sorry for her and wish I could help. I also know that this will pass and�that she wants what her son wants and hopes for his happiness - whatever or wherever that is.
Yesterday I got a call from�Janet, she doesn't call often but had run into my father unexpectantly and had to share�thier encounter with me. Cool. But when she told me about how it's going for Barb and that she has�been here-there-and everywhere seeking shoulders to cry on, I realized I wasn't one she wanted to turn to. It saddened me.�
I have to wonder if�I've been a good friend�to her. I�feel very much on the outside of her life when it comes to�her times of need. I am thinking back on events�like a death in the family. I reach out to help and she turns away even rejects me. I told myself this is the way she handles things, it's about her not me. We have a strong bond, don't be concerned that�it means anything bad.
Today, I can't believe�the story anymore. �I don't know what else I can do. I've made myself available, to me that's about it. If she needs me she'll find me.
I think I sound so stupid right now. Wah-wah, poor me!! Shut-up! Your friend is having a hard time and you're upset that she doesn't need you to help her with it!!!!! Grow up!
im so sick of this shit.
of it always being about you instead of me
�a truth from you never being a gurantee
since the day that i met you i could never understand
why that girl with the brown eyes was your kind of brand
she was the one you denied me for, the one you cried for
and i was just that other girl that you seemed to ignore
but i gave you my heart and i gave my word
when that bitch fucked you over for some other dude she preferred
yet you still ran back to her after i gave you my heart
i knew you would do all this right there from the start
Its like one day you loved me, the next day you cared less
and i sit there stressing and feeling a mess
so now im stranded, lost and feeling alone
and i still cry and feel butterflies when i smell your cologne
so when that day comes around when you realize im the one
you can give me a call so i can say "FUCK YOU IM DONE"
Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same.-- Anonymous
I chose this quote for a special reason, mainly because some people I know have been having troubles with who their true friends are. I agree completely with this quotation, saying that some peopl come into our lives and quickly go, and there are some that stay for a while and leave footprints on our heart and we are never the same. This is really true for me. I've had friends that have came and gone, and then there are some that are there, but we don't talk, unless we really need each other. Then there are some that have been there through everything. I find that I will never be the same because of how their words, their just being there has left me not only speechless in how a friend can endure what others are going through.
I am a friend who will do that for one of my friends, but that's just who I am, I have never expected others to do so. What my said friend has done for me left me speechless, very emotional, just at how they were there for me, and to me that's what a true friend is. A true friend will be there no matter what happens in your life. However, just regular friends, or acquaintances, are the one's who you let into your life, you put all your trust into them, and yet they don't quite return that trust, you tell them your life story, in hopes they will respect what you have gone through, and be there for you, but blow you off when you really need them. A true friend will always be there for you, no matter what, even if they can't be physically, they will be there by phone, or just IMing online, just to see how you're doing, and help you no matter what.
If you are having troubles trying to decide who your "friends" and true friends are. Step back and think about what those people have done for you, who has actually been there for you to talk to, to cry on, or just be there, and hasn't said anything about what you tell them to anyone. Good luck!
Nated
well another week over and done and i'm mot bankrupt yet still keeping head above water still managing to the bills so thats one less thing to wory about . next thing is the xmas word god knows what were going to do about it this year, but one thing for sure i'm not going to make my self ill with worry over it .apart from that every thing else is ticking by nicely i have my appointment for the gyny� at last so now at least i know that some one will finally sort things out for me .well not much else to say so see ya later
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