Ladybugs for the Summer 夏日裡的瓢蟲

No time for holidaying this summer, sadly; I have to get an interesting design project going and prepare for my two exhibitions in September and October.

But if I can manage to take a short break, I would like to lying on a lavender-scented blanket having a deep coma; reading a bit; back to coma. I don’t like to think too much in the summer so, in terms of my idea of a summer getaway, maybe observing ladybugs in the garden and enjoying the sensation when it tickles me between my fingers.

Aren’t ladybugs the best?
嗚乎哀哉，今年暑假泡湯了。我必須盡早進行一項有趣的設計工作並專注即將在九月和十月的開幕的兩個展覽。

可是如果我能夠偷個浮生半日閒，我喜歡躺在撒遍紫丁香香味的涼毯上打個熟頓；翻幾頁書；再睡個回籠覺。在夏日裡我並不太思考人生大事。對我來說，今年理想的暑假可能就是在花園裡觀賞著瓢蟲，享受它在我指間爬行搔癢的奇妙感覺。

瓢蟲最棒了, 不是嗎？

The Scent of Summer in Lausanne, Switzerland

Linden trees, the lake breeze of Bar-B-Que, and "Sunday Afternoon on the island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat.

What makes me feel happy? 什麽是讓我快樂的事情？

Outside, the swirling clouds on the top of the Alps were clearing away. Inside the study, I finally finished the design project from hell.

To clear up my tired mind and to release the tension held in my neck and shoulders, I’d try some tips to have my endorphin fix –––

1.Take a long walk in a green park.

2. Enjoy a cup of Taiwanese tea while listening to Bach’s music.

3. Take a lavender relaxing bath.

4. Sniff some citrus (fresh lemons and limes from the kitchen).

5. Have a good laugh from watching my favorite cartoons, i.e, Chibi Maruko-chan (櫻桃小丸子, ちびまる子ちゃん）and The Simpsons.
 
But what works the best for me is to enjoy a creative, full-flavored meal with fresh ingredients.

I like food. When I eat I feel happy.


外頭，阿爾卑斯山山頂打旋的烏雲已漸漸地消失。裡面，在書房的我終於剛好完成那好似被打下地獄，永遠不得超生的設計案子。

為了清理我疲乏腦袋的思絡、解脫我的脖子和肩膀上暫掛的緊張，我會試著用不同的方式來調理我的身心靈 –––

一、在公園裡走上一段長長的路。

二、一邊傾聽巴哈的音樂，一邊喝茶品茗。

三 、泡著有薰衣草味道的鬆弛浴。

四、聞聞柑橘科類的植物 （如廚房裡的新鮮檸檬）

五、看著最喜歡的卡通影集–––辛普森家庭和櫻桃小丸子而開懷大笑。

不過話說回來， 對我最有用的偏方卻是享用一頓帶有創意、風味十足的新鮮膳食。

我就是愛吃。當祭著我的五臟廟時，我覺得快樂似神仙呢。

Would you stop tickling me? 可不可以停止搔癢呢？

The sweet scent of peonies coiled with the fresh breeze coming from the Lake of Geneva, dancing around in and out of the garden. With the full hum life of bees in the background, I was in the garden and observed insects and plants–––one of my favorite things to do in the lazy Saturday afternoons. Again, I was in the mood to compose a Haiku, a Japanese poem...

Would you stop tickling me?

I am thirsty too,

This spring afternoon.


我在蜜蜂嗡嗡作響的花園裡觀察著昆蟲和植物， 這可是我每逢懶散的星期六下午最喜歡做的事情之一。牡丹花甜美的香氣夾帶著來自瑞士日內瓦湖的清新微風在花園裡舞進舞出，這時又想再做上一首日本俳句…

可不可以停止搔癢呢？

我也口渴呀，

在這春天的下午。

Tian Zi Fang, the fragrance to the stage 田子坊，粉墨登場的明星味。

What pulled me into the labyrinth-like Tian Zi Fang at night wasn’t the stylish fashion boutiques or the modern art galleries, but the smell that I can relate to the women who've waxed nostalgic over the fragrance's reference to the stage, having been an actress in my childhood.

夜訪迷宮似地田子坊。吸引我注意的不是流行精品小店也不是現代藝廊， 而是一層抹上懷舊氛圍的氣味，讓我聯想起孩提時代的女演員在粉墨登場時所散發的明星味。

Smell of the Past in Shanghai 老上海的味道

JinXian Road (進賢路）

While strolling around the alleys of Lu Pu district, Puxi, just west of Shanghai, I was confronted by what nostrils register as an odor of the past, for it is a rare thing these days to encounter the hanging clotheslines with a trail of detergent smell in public spaces.

上海浦西盧浦區的巷弄裡處處可見掛滿帶著一絲絲洗衣粉氣味的衣服。這樣在今日城市少見的景象倒讓我的鼻子聞出了一種上海老日子的味道。

My First Impression of Shanghai 與上海的第一次接觸

Shanghai is blanketed with a thin layer of tissue–––
the greyish air, the powdery flavor.

上海像是蓋了一層的薄紗–––
灰灰的空氣, 粉粉的味道。

The Smell of China 中國的味道

The chrysanthemum, is one of the four symbolic seasonal flowers in China (the others are being the orchid for spring, the bamboo for summer, and the plum blossom for winter.) It’s the symbolic of nobility and was first cultivated in China as a flowering herb as far back as the 15th century BC.

I use a big yellow or white incurved chrysanthemum to bring the fall season home. Either alone or pairing with similarly colored flowers, its result can often be exquisitely visual, and its woodsy fresh scent always reminds me of the English author R H Blyth’s Haiku, "Infinity grasped in the hand, before the eyes, the hammering of a nail, the touch of cold water, the smell of chrysanthemums, the smell of this chrysanthemum."

And the smell of China.

It Can Be Cold in Taipei. 台北是可以很冷的。

cold in Mandarin

I almost forgot how cold it can be in Taipei...

Regardless of the occasional drizzle and misty wind, I set out to rediscover the city where I used to live. Like a little curious child, my eyes moved from banyan fig to colorful signage to gardenia to roasted sweet potato to temple to Taipei 101 building to incense to coffee shop to osmanthus. I kept walking and searching for the the familiar smell until the sound of school kids' voices filled the late afternoon air on Tun-Wha North Road.

I stepped into Eslite Bookstore and was happy to find my favorite Japanese musician Sakamoto Ryuichi's book "Musik macht frei'. Suddenly I forgot it can be cold in Taipei...

幾乎忘記台北的冬天是可以很冷的...

為了重新認識這個我曾居住的城市, 就暫時不管那才下又停的綿綿細雨和濕答答的寒風。像個好奇的小孩，我的眼睛悠遊在榕樹, 多彩的看板, 栀子花, 烤蕃藷, 寺廟, 台北一零一大樓, 香火，咖啡館, 桂花樹。我行行復行行地尋找那熟悉的味道, 直到孩童放學的嬉鬧聲填滿了敦化北路。

走進誠品書局，居然讓我發現了坂本龍一的書“音樂使人自由”。開懷之下，就這樣忘了台北是可以很冷的...

Falling in Love with Marie Galante 戀上瑪麗加蘭

A bakery with colorful interior, Grand-Bourg.

An outdoor painting that depicts Caribbean living.

The local farmers still use oxen to plough a field.

The rhum processing factory ruin in Habitation Murat.

An open fish market where people shop for freshly-caught fish, Grand-Bourg.

The colorful chat (cat in French) has a delicious, delicate flavor. Yum...

Lunch at the fine beach in Folle Anse.

The local fruits always taste better...

Tropical flowers in the medical garden at Habitation Murat.

Falling in love with a place, seems to be largely a question of timing. In this scenario, I was extremely lucky to have the chance to discover the unpretentious simplicity of Marie Galante, during my first sailing trip to the French Caribbeans.

As soon as I set foot in Marie Galante, I was enveloped by the fragrance of coconut and rhum. And its timeless-quality of idyllic scenery made my heart singing Zouk–––the sweet, West-African-influenced, electronicised music of the Antilles (Guadeloupe in French.)

Listen to this.

戀上一個地方, 時間絕對是個主要因素。因此, 第一次出航法屬加勒比海便能及時體驗出瑪麗加蘭小島的純樸簡潔, 讓我覺得幸運無比。

一踏進這個小島, 椰子和萊姆的清香立即撲鼻而來。永永遠遠的田園風光讓我心頭低聲吟唱著容克–––這個受到西非音樂影響的甜美法屬瓜露普電子音樂。

聽聽這個吧。

Celebrate the Sunset with Rhum

Ti'Punch, mixed with Rhum, can sugar, and lime juice, may be the most well-known drink in the French-speaking Caribbean states.

After an exhausting yet enthralling sailing day, we often celebrated the sunset with a few glasses of Ti'Punch on our boat. All crew members agreed that, substituting passion fruit juice for lime juice, emphasizes more the exotic, tropical flavor of Rhum, a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by products such as molasses and sugarcane juice.

In perfumery, Rhum can be explored to interpret the festive mood and the influence of masculine. To name a few of fragrances with rhum in: Guerlain Homme, Locoste Pour Homme, Lolita Lempicka Au Musculin, Hugo Man, and Lubin Indole Du Lubin.

I have no preference for the fragrances, but I'm in favor of the packaging design of Hugo Man: crisp clean and undeniable masculine, just like a slick and beautiful Monohull sailboat.

Good-bye to My Summer Provence (II)

The Sun-kissed clothes
In Provence, any small village like Mouans-Sartoux, clothes hanging is a work of art. With the colorful walls as background, it can be associated with the vivid mobile art by the American artist Alexander Calder.
Clothes hanging takes on a life on its own. Towels flap and snap. Pants dance. Shirts shudder. And under the bright and cheerful sun, it is filled with the relaxing scent of slow and eco-friendly lifestyle.

Good-Bye to My Summer Provence 跟夏日的普羅旺斯說一聲再見

My summer memories of Provence (普羅旺斯), like the falling leave in the autumn air, flutter to my mind. I come to realize that a fallen leaf is nothing more than a summer waves good-bye.

I still remember––the sun-kissed Côte d'Azur (蔚藍海岸), the warm color palette of architecture, the fig trees, the Pastis and Rosé wine, the herbs, the scent of lavender in the air, the olive tree groves, the wine-fuelled meals, the pine-scented sun, and the occasional naps after reading few pages of a fat book by José Saragamo in a shady balcony...

My friends, please stay tuned for the episodes of my summer Provence.

Elegant Things 優雅情事

Translucent purple petals lit from the late afternoon light.

The unique patterns and textures on quail eggs.

The elongated sculptures by the Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966).

The sound of corks popping out from bottles of Burgundy wine.

An encounter with long-lost friends at museums.

An old grandma's innocent smile of tranquillity and happiness.

A pretty fragrance lingering in the fall evening air.

Like the Mischievous Smile of Stan March 像Stan March的頑皮笑容

It was around 2:30 am.

My hurrying footsteps were echoing around the empty platform, as I was making my way out of the subway station at SoHo stop. The air smelled like the breath of a drunkard–––sour, humid, and bitter. The unpleasant odor alerted me, and all of sudden I felt a bit uneasy. After all, the New York City subway is often naked in its danger, bewilderment, agitation.

The sound of my soles was absorbed by my increasing fear until I climbed up the stairs and saw the green subway lamp on Prince Street. Like Stan March in the cartoon South Park, it gave me a bright mischievous smile, and made me surprise into laugher. 

At the instant moment, the fear was gone with the fresh, cool autumn breeze...

Things That Arouse a Fond Memory of the Past 喚起我美好回憶的事物

The fragrant blotter cards.
My old Moleskine sketchbooks.
The moon in a clear night.
The tofu cuisine in Kyoto.
The yellow ginko leave that have been pressed in the pages of a book.
The photo of a little red farm storage shed in Norwegian Lapland.

The Raindrops 雨滴

Rain poured down on the entire day, only in the late afternoon it decided to take a break. I left my Mac and books behind a closed door and went for a walk to the garden in the East Village.

I remember my last visit here when the late spring sun bore through the gorgeous clouds. The pink sakura petals were falling...And now all the colors were being carried away by the fall wind.

On the bamboo fences and criss-cross hedges I saw tatters of spider webs; and where the threads were broken the raindrops hung on them like strings of white pearls. I was also delighted by watching the raindrops rolling down of their own accord from the plants where they had lain so heavily. 

There was something so enchanting in the sound and smell of the raindrops–––an invisible beauty with the lingering scent of true nature. What most impressed me was that they were not at all impressed.

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

My Mac tells me that it'll be sunny tomorrow, and I tell my Mac that I'm going to make the best out of it.

I'll whistle the song Always look on the bright side of life by Monty Python, while smelling the sunlight from leafy vegetables and plants in the Union Square farmer's market.

The Kaleidoscopic Smell on Number Six Train 六號地下鐵的氣味萬花筒

The late morning ride, on number Six train in Manhattan, is often in silence; except for the occasional chatter amongst a few riders. In a rainy day, when the air smells of wet, I like grouping passengers into olfactory categories; there are the incense, the floral, the citrus, the vanilla, the patchouli, the sandalwood, the aqua, and occasionally, the homeless.

Smelling Khublai Khan in New York 聞出忽必烈, 在紐約。

Portrait of Khublai 忽必烈 by Chinese court artist Liu Guandao(刘贯道), c. 1280

Painting of Kublai Khan on a hunting expedition, by Chinese court artist Liu Guandao(刘贯道)
The hunter in red hat and white fur robe on a black horse is Kublai Khan

I wondered for a while in the night, without knowing where I was. I listened to the wind, and felt the grass on my feet. Here and there, I smelled of a herbaceous scent, and realized that I was on a green prairie.

Suddenly I heard a thundering sound. The area I stood was swirling in wind so intense that it hid the stars from view. Before me it was a Mongolian horseman, with a peregrine falcon perched on his left shoulder, sitting astride an enormous black horse.

He wore a white fur robe and his familiar round face exuded a powerful yet friendly manner. His smile, glittered in the soft light of the stars, mingled with the scent of prairie... And all of sudden I recognized him––Khublai, the fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire (1260-1294) and the founder of the Yuan Dynasty in China...

Of course my sensory encounter with Khublai is just a dream. It reflects my personal experiences of the images, sounds, scents, and emotion from my visit to The World of Khublai Khan忽必烈的時代 at Metropolitan Museum of Art last night. If you happen to be in New York, don't miss out the opportunity to create your own sensory experience with the art during the great time of Khublai Khan.