咖啡和安娜

咖啡和安娜

墨尔本是个咖啡天堂。在那，我养成了泡咖啡馆的习惯。有时，和朋友在那高谈阔论。有时，喜欢一个人，静静地喝咖啡，看报纸，读小说，发呆，晒晒太阳，看路人，看妈妈们带小孩们出来走走．．．总爱赖在那儿不走。

在多伦多，少泡咖啡馆了，冬天时更不用说。天天零下十度左右，没必要的话，出门嘛，可免则免。

以前在墨尔本时，13 或14度就会喊冷。现在，温度如攀上零度以上，我已觉得是一种幸福。这一，两天，是零上的温度，太阳偶尔也会冒出头来。我拿着《安娜．卡列尼娜》，走去附近的咖啡馆，做我以前喜欢做的．．．

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异国中秋

最近几天，很多网友找‘中秋节’或 ‘happy mid-autumn festival’的文章时，无意间来到我这个部落。

每逢佳节倍思亲。如今，在外国生活或工作的华人越来越多。在中秋时节，上网看看其他华人如何在异国过中秋来解解乡愁是可以明白的。不知找到我这里来的网友多是哪里的朋友呢？看来，他们有点想家吧？

小时候的我很爱中秋- 吃月饼，点灯笼，玩腊烛游戏…马来西亚的中秋气氛还算浓厚。那么，现在的我呢？今天是中秋，我怎么在多伦多庆祝呢？

在多伦多，是没什么中秋气氛的。我是在去华人经营的杂货店买东西时，看到很多月饼，才惊觉中秋将近。 墨尔本的情况一样。不同的是，在墨尔本，我有很多华人朋友。有几年，刚好大家空闲时，会搞个中秋晚会或大吃会。

在多伦多，我们没有熟识的华人朋友。Ed的家人在这里住得久了，已没有庆中秋。

至于月饼，虽然我很爱吃（尤其是脆皮的上海月饼！），可也懒得买了。在墨尔本，有散卖的月饼，就算没和朋友庆中秋，我也会买一，两个来吃。这里呢，我没看到散卖的。要买就是必须整盒买。Ed不爱甜的食物，虽然我其实可以将整盒月饼一个人吃完。可是，才不敢呢！很怕自己变成大肥猪！看来，要等到下个周末，去Ed父母家吃饭时，我们才买一盒月饼一起吃吧。

今天中秋，虽有点冷清清，不过，我也习惯了。我和Ed呆在家里看电视，煮饭吃，悠闲自在，也很快乐。虽没月饼，没灯笼，我们一样有圆圆的月亮！

嗯…今晚，我必须记得摇个电话给妈妈！

还有，当然是祝大家中秋快乐！

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Festivals for Everything ! (Part 2)

Outdoor Art Festival at Nathan Phillips Square

除了以上提到的，还有很多很多，如Carabina Festival 啦，南亚节庆啦，户外艺术品节 (上图）, Hot and Spicy Festival ， 手工艺品节, 台湾美食节，沙滩爵士音乐节， 应有尽有。

竟然还有街头表演者的街头节庆，有些街头艺术者还山长水远地从英国，澳洲, 日本等国来表演。我在那溜了整天，看惊险的杂耍，看小丑讲笑，喝咖啡，听拉活音乐…..又刺激又写意。

Apart from what I mentioned above, there are also Carabian Festival, South Asia Festival, Outdoor Art Festival，HOt and Spicy Festival, Art and Craft Festival, Taiwan Festival, The Beach Jazz Festival….you name it, you get it.

I was excited to know there is also a street festival for street performers/buskers, it is called BuskerFest here. Some of performers came all the way UK, Australia, Japan etc. I spent a full day there, laughed at the jokes from street comedians, watched jaw-dropping fire juggling, listened to live music, sipped my afternoon cup of coffee….both thrilling and relaxing…

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Just the same

(Dear English reader, please scroll down to find the ‘click’ for English translation)

回来多伦多约一个星期了。 这阵子我都与时差的不适＇战斗＇着。多伦多与吉隆坡的时差为十二个小时。这里的中午十二点即吉隆坡的午夜十二点。 所以，我在中午会很疲倦，会睡上好几个小时。晚上呢，就会睡不着，或早上四，五点就爬起身来。这两天，好了些。

离开多伦多有四个月左右吧。除了季节的转变，其余的就如四个月前我离开的一样。就好像不曾离开过。

只是，心情有点不同了。上次来此，算是放自己一个长假，也是为了尝试多伦多的生活，见见Ed 的家人朋友。这次，这里变得熟悉了。而且，完成了在墨尔本的学业，也变卖或捐赠了在墨的一切。现在，没了这些牵挂。也许，算是新生活的真正开始吧。

可是，还在等着加拿大的永久居民证，暂是游客身份。再说，我还要再考药剂师的执照，才可以工作。加上，Ed的工作形式多为合约式。我们可能会再搬到别地也难说。听起来有点困难重重。哈！ 这证明爱情有多伟大，把我从老远吸引过来 ! （或也是盲目的 😉 ）

我暂也不想多想。暂顺其自然吧。想看看在打开生命的另一扇门时，另一边的风景如何。

现在， 我只想要好好享受多伦多夏天的阳光。这也是我要早点回来的原因。上个冬天把我冷得怕了。虽夏天已过了一半, 可我就喜欢现在的阳光, 不是熨人的热, 只是懒懒地温暖。 Ed也已迫不急待地为我编排了一系列的节目。:)

(photo from http://exploreto.wordpress.com )

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Home again

又回到马来西亚老家了。

昨天刚抵步。可已被炎热和潮湿的天气熏得头疼疼的。

离墨尔本前，太担心卖不出我的宝贝桥车和天天忙着见朋友说再见，没时间睡得好。

现在，车卖出了，没什么挂心的。墨的一切终算告一段落。现在决心要好好地休息 😉

I am home again in Malaysia.

Just arrived yesterday but already suffered from headache due to the hot weather.

I could not sleep well and did not have enough time to sleep in Melbourne before I left. This was because I was too worried about my car sale and was too busy catching up with friends to say goodbye.

Now, everything in Melbourne is more or less properly wrapped up. Without any worries, relaxing in Kuala Lumpur at this moment, I determined to sleep well and enjoy the rest 😉

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两个旅行箱的日子 （2）Life with Two Suitcases （2）

[Continue from Life with Two Suitcases (1) ]

(Dear English reader, please scroll down to find the click for English translation)

几个星期前，我从朋友A家搬去朋友B家。

因为朋友A要去南美洲旅行了，而且也不便住得太久。

把两个旅行箱一提，很容易地就搬到了朋友B家。

这两个旅行箱 ：一个装衣物和日常用具，另一个装课本和文具。

重量共不超过三十公斤。

在朋友A家住很像一家人。她父母把我照顾得无微不至。我天天有住家饭吃。

在朋友B家住很方便。

她的公寓就在市中心。搭个电梯到楼下，就什么商店餐馆咖啡室都有。

5至10分钟就可走到图书馆。这正适合我苦读的日子。

现在，考试过了，正适合我泡咖啡店的日子。

知道我只在墨尔本几个月，这些朋友不但不肯收房租，还处处照顾我。

心中很感激。

其实，有时也会厌倦这种居无定所的流浪式生活。

可往积极一方面想，这种两个旅行箱的日子却也很简单，很方便。

衣服就那几件，出门前不用多想，有什么穿什么。

反正就要离开墨尔本了，日常用品就只是需要的。

没什么多余的，也没什么需求。

少需求，就少烦恼。

这种生活，还不错。

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Mon- My Travel Day : Federation Square

(photo from http://www.federationsquare.com.au/index.cfm?pageID=56&galleryID=1）

今天想写一写我很喜欢的Federation Square (简称Fed Sq)。

Fed Sq 是一座十年不到的新建筑物，其目的是想为墨尔本提供一个集文化，艺术，旅游和公众空间的场所。 它座落在Flinders St Station 的正对面， 它的右边正是St Paul’s Cathedrel，左边是Yarra River.

Federation Square (Fed Sq) is one of my favourite spots in Melbourne. It was built less than 10 years ago. It is the public space and a unique cultural, art and tourism precinct for Melbourne city. It is located opposite of Flinders St Station. St Paul’s Cathedral is on its right and Yarra River on its left.

我起初不太喜欢它的创新及大胆的设计，后来倒是开始喜欢上它不同的空间和色彩观感。最喜欢的还是它为墨尔本市提供源源不绝的动力。Fed Sq建筑内有 ： National Gallery of Victoria, Australia Centre for the Moving Image, Australia Design Centre, BMW Edge 圆形剧场等等。 它常年举办许多文化和艺术活动。

Initially, I did not like its design. For me, it was too awkward but now I start to appreciate the unique spacious and colourful simulations it provides. The are many important buildings within Fed Sq, including National Gallery of Victoria, Australia Centre for the Moving Image, Australia Design Centre, BMW Edge Amphitheatre etc. However, what attract me the most are the ongoing creative and cultural events and activities organised in the Fed Sq.

在写Me!!!bourne 的同一天，我路经 Fed Sq， 见有人坐在The Square, 起初还以为因为天气好，他们在晒太阳。后来才知道有些活动，原来是Melbourne Jazz Festival的免费节目。看看台上的乐器，竟是印尼传统乐器。好奇下，就坐了下来。

On the day I wrote Me!!!bourne, I walked past Fed Sq and saw many people sitting in The Square. I thought they were just enjoying the sunshine. Only later I found out that there were some free performances as part of the Melbourne Jazz Festival. Looking at the traditional Indonesian musical instruments on stage, puzzled, I sat down to find out how do these instruments relate to Jazz music.

表演者是一群Victoria College of Arts的音乐学生。他们先用印尼传统乐器呈献几首传统乐曲。接着才加上现代爵士乐器弹奏出几首爵士乐。蛮创新的。 慢慢地，许多人也被这新奇的音乐组合吸引了。

It was a performances by a group of music students at the Victoria College of Arts. They first performed some traditional Indonesian musics with the instruments, then slowly add in modern jazz components to the traditional musics. It was quite interesting. Attracted by the creative combinations of musics, more people sat down to enjoy the musics.

最近，我已听说儿童电影节，PBS办的古巴／东欧／巴西演唱会等等会在Fed Sq内进行。我想，我在墨尔本的日子将会很精彩　；）

There are also more upcoming events in the Fed Sq, including the children film festival and Cuban/Rio-Brazil/Eastern European Musical concert (organised by PBS station). I guess, my times in Melbourne are going to be quite exciting ! 😉

以下是Fed Sq的夜景。

The following is the Fed Sq at night.

（photo from http://www.federationsquare.com.au/index.cfm?pageID=56&galleryID=1）

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Melbourne Blue Sky

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久违了，墨尔本 ！Melbourne, I am back !

“ 久违了，墨尔本 ！”

微微一笑，轻轻松一口气，感觉很舒服。

这是我抵墨尔本时的心情。

一切是那么地熟悉….

暂住在朋友的家，被热情招待。

这几天的天气很好- 蓝蓝的天， 白白的云朵，暖暖的阳光， 清凉的微风 ….

我驾着我暗红色的车子，奔驰在宽坦的大道上， 空中送来我喜欢的另类音乐电台节目, 一路翠绿的树木….

我在机场遇到在机场工作的朋友，走在街上也会碰到久违了的朋友….

已与几个朋友去了几间我喜欢的餐馆吃我锺爱的食物 🙂

当然， 工作上也没太大的更改。

虽然我的心境和生活中的许多方面已经改变, 这里的一切还是那么地熟悉, 就好像我从来没有离开过…..

(注：我其实正在大学图书馆为硕士论文埋头苦干，但还是挡不了写部落的瘾，忙里偷闲地写上几句 🙂

“Melbourne, I am back!”

I immediately felt comfortable and relaxed when I arrived in Melbourne. I looked around and smiled -everything is familiar again.

I am temporarily staying with my friend and her family, and been welcomed warmly like a family member.

The weather has been very pleasant for the last few days. The sky is so blue, the cloud is so white, the sun is so gentle, the breeze is so comforting…

I am driving my burgundy Toyota in the Eastern Freeway, listening to my favourite radio stations, and noticing the lovely greens all along the freeway…

Incidently, I ran into a friend immediately when I arrived Melbourne Airport, who happened to work there. Then I met a friend while I was walking in the CBD (Central Business District)…

So far I have been to a couple of my favourite restaurants with a many good friends…..

But work is still the same … :p

Everything here is so familiar that I feel as if I had never left, although many aspects of my personal life have changed since…..

(PS: I am currently in RMIT university library, supposedly should work extremely hard on my Master thesis. However, I obviously can’t resist of my addiction to blogging…… 🙂

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生日和饯行晚餐 Birthday and Farewell Dinner

上星期五是復活节假期。邀请了几个好朋友来我们家做客, 也算是为我庆祝生日和饯行。

On Good Friday, we have invited a few friends over for dinner. It was for my birthday and farewell dinner.

我们决定大展厨艺，为朋友们煮一餐马来西亚和广东晚餐。菜单很丰富，菜肴有：

We decided to cook something different, a Malaysian and Cantonese dinner for our friends consisting of the following courses:

1. 叉烧包 BBQ pork buns as appetitzer (store bought）
2. 马来西亚的咖哩鸡 Malaysian Curry Chicken （homemade）
3. 醉鸡 Drunken Chicken （homemade）
4. 蒜蓉豆豉炒蚶 Fried Clams with Garlic and Black Bean Sauce（homemade）
5. 卤胡罗卜牛腩 Turnip and Beef Brisket in Chinese Marinade （homemade）
6. 蠔油芥兰 Fried Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce （homemade）
7. 鲜虾炒碗豆 Fried Snowpeas with Prawn(homemade）
8. 斋拼盘 Cantonese style Vegetarian Platter （store bought）
9. 烧鸭 Roast Duck （store bought）
10. 黑白巧可力蛋糕 Black and White Chocolate Mousse Cake （from Loblaws）
11. 还有很多的白，红酒，其中一瓶是Ed收藏了八年很贵的澳洲红酒 and lots and lots of white & red wine, including a fancy bottle of Australian red Ed was saving for eight years.

在多伦多，马来西亚餐馆屈指可数。Ed没遇到我之前，从没尝试过马来西亚美食。所以，在这里不普遍的马来西亚的咖哩鸡对他们来说是蛮特别的。不难煮，因为这里买得到马来西亚的咖哩粉，更令我振奋的是， 我竟买得到pandan叶！ 我从未在墨尔本见过。所以，煮出来的咖哩很香，还算可以见人。我和Ed的厨艺加起来还算不错，所以客人们吃得开胃又开心，所有菜肴都被吃得几乎美人照镜。我和Ed 也自豪 🙂

There are only a few Malaysian restaurants in Toronto. Malaysian food is not common in Toronto, therefore the Malaysian curry chicken dish was something new for our guests. It was not too hard to cook because I can get authentic Malaysian curry powder here. What really surprised me was I found pandan leaves here ! I never saw it in Melbourne. It helped to sweeten the flavour of the curry. Ed and I are ok cooks, and our guests enjoyed our food so much that we did not have much leftover!

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