Heavy Snowing

今天和媽媽通了Skype(with Tom’s new Eee PC，通話品質比之前好很多，這間接證實Tom’s headset應該是壞了)。在話家常時，媽媽說大溫哥華地區下大雪，是近幾年來少見的。我家的社區，不應該是說我家前後院的積雪就有50公分高~~我說真的嗎?媽媽說：是啊!積雪大到都不能出門了~~~~我所幸的叫Tom去照幾張照片來看看~~結果，Woo，好酷喔~~這個積雪高度，讓我想起和佑哥哥Mountain Washington 滑雪時，公路兩側的積雪高度，真是有過之而無不及。其實我也別高興太早，拜溫室效應所賜，天氣變化多詭。再過不久，我也會有機會到這麼高的緯度求生，祝你好運啊~~~~(帶個十字鎬和小圓鍬吧~~~~)

City amble

下午，在參加完一個座談會後，等待打球之際，我，愜意的杵在國父紀念館的園區中。心想，好久沒來了!
欣賞著四周的市景，吹著微微的風，真是舒服~
隨手拍了101大樓。實在是不太會拍夜景，但是想到幾天前，在翻使用說明書時，介紹了一個模式，今天用了一下效果還不錯。大家將就一點。










不久，紀念館的最後一班衛兵下崗了。
隨後，衛兵冉冉的降下國旗，為今天劃上了一個完美的句點。
再降旗之際，頓時，一種莫名的情緒，湧上心頭。
我知道，是那起初的熱血。
讓我再次肯定，我，對國家過去的貢獻。
只是，對照現今，有種找不到對價關係的失落…….

Land of freedom, home of brave.
----- Pearl Harbor

Taking Chances----Celine Dion

Taking Chances----Celine Dion


Don't know much about your life.
Don't know much about your world, but
Don't want to be alone tonight,
On this planet they call earth.

You don't know about my past, and
I don't have a future figured out.
And maybe this is going too fast.
And maybe it's not meant to last,

But what do you say to taking chances,
What do you say to jumping off the edge?
Never knowing if there's solid ground below
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,
What do you say,
What do you say?

I just want to start again,
And maybe you could show me how to try,
And maybe you could take me in,
Somewhere underneath your skin?

What do you say to taking chances,
What do you say to jumping off the edge?

Never knowing if there's solid ground below
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,
What do you say,
What do you say?

And I had my heart beaten down,
But I always come back for more, yeah.
There's nothing like love to pull you up,
When you're laying down on the floor there.
So talk to me, talk to me,
Like lovers do.
Yeah walk with me, walk with me,
Like lovers do,
Like lovers do.

What do you say to taking chances,
What do you say to jumping off the edge?
Never knowing if there's solid ground below
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,
What do you say,
What do you say?

Don't know much about your life
And I don't know much about your world

資格賽~~~~

成績單終於收到了~~~~果然是過了~~~~心裡還是有那麼一點興奮(比起用電話查分的時候平靜許多)
寫作依然是4.0分~~~(嗚嗚~~今天上ptt的iBT版，終於知道我為什麼考了3次都還是4分了~~~，原來五段式的寫作法，已經退流行了~~~11/27)
嗐~~~~
希望UT能夠 have some mercy on me and offer me a conditional ~~~~
感謝周圍的長輩及同事關心，成績雖過了。但是，這場競賽就像是京奧棒球賽一樣，中華隊順利在八搶三資格賽中，取得一張門票。同樣的，我也只是在資格賽中，取的一張通往留學之門票。更嚴峻的考驗，將接踵而至。
啊~~老師~~~~就差您了~~~~~
希望所有的申請程序能在聖誕假期前做個結束。

OSU's Eassy.........

上月底才知道要寫essay.............
ho~~~~
好煩喔~~~~
孵了快一個月了還是寫不出來~~~~
看來，我應該是沒有OSU所說的LEADERSHIP的十個特質~~~~
算了，繼續孵吧~~~

應許之地

在周四經歷了一場浩劫之後，美好的週六及週日卻只能安靜的待在家裡.....
突然，想起也就是週四那天，我開始覺得google的blog真好玩，而開始我blog的旅程。

編輯到最後，我發現標題可以放圖耶~~~~就開始想要放那張圖。腦子裡，突然有了一幅圖，就是大家所看到的這張，再加上我blog的標題，大家是不是覺得就是這個地方了呢?

這張圖是從西溫的半山腰上向南拍攝的，角度剛好把整個大溫平原都照了進去。照片的右邊是頂頂有名的UBC大學城，中左段就是大溫了。

放這張圖的原因是為了要配合我的"THE PROMISED LAND"的TITLE。就像聖經裡的故事，出埃及記及約書亞記，上帝要摩西領以色列人出埃及，並應許以色列百姓，要帶他們進入迦南地，也就是所謂的應許之地，然而出埃及後，因著以色列百姓的被逆、硬頸及犯罪，使他們在曠野中，繞了四十年，直到第一代出埃及的人都凋零。之後，上帝命約書亞起來，帶領以色列百姓進入迦南地。

放上去之後，讓我覺得此時此刻的我好像當年摩西打發出去的十二個探子內心的OS--「這是我的應許之地。」還是「這是我的應許之地？」

擎天崗行~~~~

今日運動會結束，天氣正好，嚷嚷許久的擎天崗行，在下午的1430準時從景美出發。由於今天是星期六，只要是台北人都知道仰德大道行不得。那只好換個角色，讓這個資深的天母人來帶路吧~~~~~~

上陽明山的路千百種(好像沒那麼誇張，反正很多就是了)~~~~，今天就還是走老路好了---從中山北路七段→紗帽路→陽投公路→(看一下地圖)→陽金公路→中湖戰備道路→擎天崗~~

今天陪我上山的神駒(特寫一下)，

驍勇善戰，只花了1小時就到上了陽投公路~~~真順利，沿路上還看到一些自行車的愛好者，悠遊於山林中~~~~陽明山真是個好地方阿~~~~

擎天崗~~印象中第一次來的時候還是有軍營在駐守(民國七十幾年的時候)~~~之後，只要是有空就會上來走走~~~~是居家旅行，十大必備的景點之ㄧ啊~~~

擎天崗全景

擎天崗的主體是一個環形步道，在步道路口處，有一個涼亭，但是他的對聯實在是太經典了，「消滅共匪酬壯志，復興中華定中原」，讓我想起最近的時事~~

這裡有趣的是，步道的一部份是牧場，主角是牛~~~~告示牌林立，上頭會寫請遊客注意，這裡的牛仍然有野性~~所以，基於安全星期假日都把牛趕到看不到的地方~~~~

以前步到都是爛泥，現在都鋪上小石頭了~~~~可是真難走~~~~
今天崗上的天氣真好，加上天上雲的多變，讓今日的山景有如仙境阿~~~~

應該是七星山

上環形步道的最高點眺望崗上全景，

今天因為時間有限(快天黑了，加上又沒帶手電筒)就不前往更高的竹篙山，繼續向前行(走環形步道的另一半)下坡路段有必較難走一些，因為步道是類似橢圓所以在步行的同時還可以遙望對面的草原，草原上人可真多啊~~~~其實最享受的是可以在草原上曬曬太陽、看看書、聽聽音樂~~

步到接近尾聲時，會經過所謂的「金包里大道」，是先民的魚路古道開始

前面有提到的牛出現了，不過只有幾隻而已，有野性，還是不要打擾它們好了

好了，時候不早了，該回家了~~~~~~夕陽餘暉已在等候了~~~~

回程時，在竹子湖有名的看夜景處，照了一張夜景，作為今日旅程的結束。(更多美景參閱 為所"裕為"圖像記事~~)

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness~~

Declaration of Independence..

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We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer,while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.


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Wisdom words

Be willing to do things, not be forced to do so.