Tag: love

  • COVID Days

    COVID Days

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    As if time was not passing by fast enough with a growing baby, COVID has only made the days blur into one another even more. It’s been over a month since Zoe’s first birthday. Did she start walking right before her birthday, or was it right after? When did she start saying 蛙蛙 (frog) and…

  • 364 | Reflection :: Prague, Czech Republic, 2016
  • 356 | On the Road Together :: Grand Canyon, USA, 2006

    356 | On the Road Together :: Grand Canyon, USA, 2006

    Even before I could remember, my parents were taking me along on road trips all over China. That tradition continued after we moved to the US. We didn’t have a lot of money, but all we needed was a car and a couple of tents, and we’d never run out of places to explore. This…

  • 静好

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    旅途中其实多次有记录的欲望,好不容易停下来却又忘记当时想要留下的记忆是什么。刚来那两天阳光明媚,J的父母两人一早就在庭院里忙着,四处欣欣向荣的样子。J和我早上会起床后出去买面包,要走一大圈,去好几家面包店。他会一路告诉我这一家已经在这里很久了,那一家曾经是如何的好吃,又或是突然惊叹他最喜欢的一家居然已经改成了比萨店。早餐就是各式面包,加上自制果酱或是新鲜的午餐肉,还有J爱吃的巧克力酱。他们家似乎都没有吃午餐的习惯,但下午三四点是咖啡时间,妈妈会煮好咖啡,端上自制甜点。我不经饿,总是早已经偷偷吃过零食,但看到甜点自然又要再吃一轮。那以后爸爸妈妈都会坐在阳光下各自读书,我和J坐在早餐桌上工作,大家都安安静静的。 昨夜开始变天,今天从早上起来就听见雨声淅沥,天却是明亮的,坐在天窗下一点也不需要其他的灯光。他的妈妈坐在屋檐下说着我听不懂的话语,声调一如既往的温柔。因为下雨,大家都坐在屋子里看报纸,虽然都是在一起却也是很安静。下午茶的时间Georg问我要不要吃蛋糕,然后跑出门去买了许多小蛋糕来。J和Barbara都说这是他们家第一次去外面买蛋糕回来吃。我觉得很不好意思,或许是因为早上我要J顺便带零食回来,他们发觉我这样贪吃? Georg的姐姐和弟弟,也就是J的姑姑和叔叔,几十年来也都住在J的隔壁。当年J的爷爷是建筑师,在二战后搬来科隆帮忙重建这个满目疮痍的城市,也在市中心不远的地方为自己设计了新的家。他的儿女们感情很好,成年后把原本宽敞的地一分成三,建了两座新房子,院子却还是连在一起的。J便从小和他堂兄弟姐妹们一起长大,比起自己的三个哥哥弟弟,反而是和同年的堂兄弟更要好些。如今走得最远的大概是他和他弟弟,一个在美国一个在澳大利亚,其他人都是离得近的,每当节假生日,都能欢聚一堂,热闹得很。我偶尔问J他会不会想要回到这里,他都说不会。我们似乎都已经走得太远,即使已经厌倦了最繁华的那些城市,却也不再眷恋如此安静的生活。 来的第一天我们一大早就开着窗户,一整天的没有关。晚上我照旧坐在被子里看会儿书,听见滋滋的声音,本以为是蚊子,一看却是那种会飞的蚂蚁。我急忙先把窗户关上,本是懒得理这些虫子的,却发现它们不是一般的笨。抓蚊子是要看眼力,脑力,和反应力的。听到细微的嗡嗡声就得早早的准备好,仔细观察它从哪里出现,不能有大动作,要等最有把握的时候才出击,若不能一击而中就前功尽弃。飞蚂蚁却是无头无尾的四处乱撞,明明是有翅膀,却会停在一个地方慢慢爬,轻易的就被捏在手中。其实对人是没什么坏处的,只不过它们笨得可以,常常会莫名其妙乱窜到头上身上,吓得我跳起来,比起被蚊子咬到还要讨厌。无奈只好一只只抓住,虽然看他们可怜,也懒得放生,全部送往极乐世界。本来想等J回房间把这任务交接,却一直没等到,这一晚杀生十余,很是戚戚。 最最开始的时候,当我还不知道自己想要的生活,我以为这样的平静是我想要的。那以后的许多年,我追求着其实不需要的人和物,在失败中却积累出也算精彩的人生,渐渐忘记自己曾向往过平静。而今天我在这桌前,做一份平凡的工作,喝一杯半热的茶,听着雨声回忆些旧事,看着他专注的侧脸计划着明天,脑海中又浮出那句被文艺青年说烂的 — 岁月静好,现世安稳。

  • 047 | Animals :: Texas, USA, 2009

    047 | Animals :: Texas, USA, 2009

    jiajiadesuThis is our dog Roxie. She’s old and arthritic now, but in her younger days she was quite smart and agile. One day my dad tried to teach her to jump over the fence. Since he couldn’t jump over the fence in one try, he had to sit on the fence first. Roxie thought she…

  • Meet The Parents

    Meet The Parents

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    We met them at a hole in the wall Chinese restaurant with decor that hasn’t been updated since the 80s. My parents had already chosen their seats, so we squeezed in awkwardly into the booth, with him literally rubbing elbows with my dad. After the introductions, my parents would spend the next week asking again and…

  • On being another year older

    On being another year older

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    I feel like I’m losing my sense of time. Birthdays and new years. The best occasion for reflections and resolutions, as they so clearly mark the passing of our days. I’m not a big fan of either, perhaps for exactly that reason. Some people, in their younger days, could not wait to grow up. I…

  • The Road Less Traveled

    The Road Less Traveled

    It is not by chance that I stumbled onto this book, some may even call it serendipitous. The Road Less Traveled starts with this proclamation: life is difficult. It’s not a foreign concept, as Buddha has always taught us life is about suffering, and Christians are expected to endure tribulations on earth and suffer for…

  • The Tie That Binds

    The Tie That Binds

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    My sister came to visit me this past month. I think we spent more time together than we have in years, perhaps had more candid conversations than we’ve had, ever. There were quite a few incidents where people asked us who’s older, which always made me ecstatic as I am and always will be 13…

  • Together

    Together

    I just finished reading The Art of Loving, a classic of sorts by Erich Fromm. The book was structured and reads like a scientific thesis, and I shall restrain myself from crediting that to the stereotype of German methodical precision. I’ve often thought it futile to analyze the anatomy of love, to make sense of…