Be All You Can Be.

 

我看到了眼前的海闊天空

馬耳他的大自然奇景真令我嘆為觀止

 

我聽著我的mp3

我放聲大唱著張信哲的 “做你的男人”

我不在乎旁邊是否有人

我完完全全陶醉於眼前所看到的以及耳朵裹所聽到的

我喜歡這種自由自在, 無憂無慮的感覺

我突然覺得

 

這個世界好大

 

 

 

The Bus Ride

 

While riding on a vintage bus on the streets of Valletta in Malta, I was listening to Tanya Chua on my mp3 player.  The lyrics and melody of Tanya’s songs put me in an emotional mood.  As I look out of the bus window, I see Maltese balconies on buildings zooming by me.  “Wow, this is just so different!”  I remember saying that to myself.  Although the music was the same, but the view was definitely out of the ordinary.  The thought of me being on an island in the Mediterranean Sea was not only exotic, but also surreal. 

 

An old couple then came onto the bus.  This couple was probably well into their 70s, if not older.  I noticed they were both very well-dressed.  He was wearing a dark navy suit with tie and a hat.  She was wearing a red wool dress and pearls and a red hat.  I can almost sense the strength of their affinity from their matching outfits.  I admire how he held her hand as they walked toward the back of the bus looking for seats to sit.  She came and sat next to me, while her husband was sitting with Wayne across the aisle.  I got a good look at her.  She was wearing pearl earrings and a pearl necklace.  She was elegantly dressed.  Their faces looked alike too.  They have the same kind of age lines on their faces.  I think it is true that after spending many years with another person.  You begin to look like each other.  To me, love is about wanting to better yourself for the sake of the person you love.  I feel they truly treasure each other’s company.  They’ve aged gracefully together.  Even in old age, they continue to add a new page to their love story.  Once you’ve found true love, you cherish it forever.  Wouldn’t you?

 

 

 

Having a lemonade on a hot summer afternoon in an air-conditioned room is one of the simple pleasures of life that everyone can indulge in. Hey, remember to try it at least once this summer!

 

I met up with an old friend from college at the mall earlier tonight. Since I was at the mall, I did a little shopping at Calvin Klein. I bought a pair of boxer shorts and when I was paying for it, the cashier girl kept smiling. Finally she said: "My ex-boyfriend used to wear the exact same boxer that you are buying now." I didn’t know what to make of what she said. I just smiled right back at her. 

 

Here is my “top twelve” list for my Egypt excursion that took place in December of 2006:

 

12. The piercing rays of the Sun in Egypt; the Sun appeared in a relatively low altitude in the sky.  My eyes were squinting most of the time.

 

11. Riding for the first time on a camel was an awesome feeling!  You’ve got to try it at least once in your lifetime.
 
10. On this entire trip, I was only addressed as "Sir" once.  However, being escorted by an armed bodyguard the whole time did help to make me feel like a VIP.
 
9. On this entire trip, I only saw one red light.
 
8. Seeing a gorgeous Egyptian girl in the Cairo night bazaar and being mesmerized by her beauty.
 
7. All the temples, tombs, and other monuments in Egypt started to look the same after the third day.
 
6. Trying to figure out what to do for the rest of the day, after having to wake up really early and then being rushed by the tour guide to finish the day’s tours by midday.  The Egyptian tour guides have a practice of leading two tour groups a day.
 
5. Alitalia sucks!  The seats are the most uncomfortable of all the airlines I have flown.  Alitalia’s seats have no cushioning effect at all.  I realized this when I was sitting on the Delta flight on the way home to JFK from Milan.  I also know why Alitalia are so notorious for loosing luggage; their sticker label does not stick onto your luggage.  Both sticker labels fell off on my luggage when I picked it up.
 
4. I love the Egyptian peanuts; they have a naturally roasted taste!  The Egyptian bananas are fresh and ripe and their oranges are really juicy!  The Egyptian Dasani is very refreshing; maybe because the source is the Nile river?  The peanuts, fruits, and Dasani are all about a fifth of the prices here in America.
 
3. Seeing an Egyptian woman covered in a black drape carrying a 20 inch CRT TV on top of her head and crossing the street in chaotic traffic.
 
2. Seeing the shooting stars twice while sleeping overnight in the Baharia desert.
 
1. I will never forget the Aswan merchant with the calculator.  He has a funny way of running numbers on his calculator like an experienced accountant, but the end result of his calculation is always 30 EGP.  Yet, I kept telling him, "Veinte libras".  Merchants in the Aswan bazaar are now asking each other: "Have you ever seen a Mexican, who looks Chinese, but claims he is from Mexico?"  There is a new legend in the Aswan bazaar: "The Chinese Alibaba".  =)