Please make up your mind!!!

Winter finally is here. It started yesterday.
It was freezing cold yesterday and it seems like Autumn has done with her job and give out the position to Mr. Winter. Winter season perhaps just give people another reason to go shopping for winter clothing. Yeahh, I did some shopping for my winter collection way before Mr. Winter has arrived. Not a lot, cause' I still need to save bucks for next week Thanksgiving's HUGE SALE! wow~ I can't really wait for that. I'm extremely excitedly exuberant about it.

After shopping talks, let's get back to some serious issue. Should I work or go travel in the summer? As I told myself as well as my dad, the reason I insisted to go travel was most of my friends are going back to their country for summer holiday. Chances are, I don't have to spend that much if I have someone to provide me with accommodation and probably food. Therefore, all I have to take care of is my flight tickets and miscellaneous expenses. Really! Money is one of the biggest temptation for me to work as a sale intern for V Co. The amount of money that the other interns earned was tremendously astonishing. I never thought that we can be able to make such big amount of money in 3 months. How amazing!?

But the thing is, am I willing to work that hard for it? Or do I want to pursue my dream to explore my Asia Voyage? Because I may not have the chance to complete this exploration after next year summer. I'll be graduating next year Fall and most probably I'll start looking for a job and hopefully I'll get a job here. Once I have a job, I don't think I'll have summer holiday as other college kids do. Job is always one of the barriers to get a kick start to do whatever you want to do. Indeed, they will be a heavier burden place down on your shoulder once you start working. The responsibility that you are carrying is just different. You may not have the guts to challenge your boss as you do to your college's professors because you may get fired and when he tells bad about you, I'm sorry, your future career is partially done. It will be more difficult to search for another job due to your previous history.

In contrary, where else in this world I could earn roughly $10k in 3 months? Sounds ridiculous to people at around my age, really! But I could expand my vision of traveling to different countries that I haven't been to before. The most important thing is I could accomplish my exploration and enhance my knowledge on tea in China, Taiwan & Japan. Tea is part of my life and my life is imperfect without the existence of tea. All I want to do is to indulge myself into the realm of tea. My inspiration, motivation, and determination are come from the indulgence of tea - the day started to learn to drink tea. As I told my friends that I'll literally go crazy if I ever in tea farms because that's where I'm belong to.

What a tea fanatic I am....

Work or travel?? Which path should I take?

Japanese Teas

I just found out that there are actually many kinds of Japanese green tea. First of all, the most prominent one would be Sencha and Matcha. Sencha would be considered as the usual drinks in Japan and people can find Sencha everywhere in Japan including some other countries. On the other hand, Matcha is famous for the Japanese Tea Ceremony.

Here are lists of Japanese Green Tea,

番茶 Bancha (common tea)

玄米茶 Genmaicha (brown-rice tea)

玉露 Gyokuro (Jade Dew)

焙じ茶 Hōjicha (roasted tea)

冠茶 Kabusecha (covered tea)

窯煎茶 Kamairicha tea (pan-fried tea)

茎茶 Kukicha (stalk tea)

かりがね Karigane

抹茶 Matcha (rubbed tea)

芽茶 Mecha tea (buds and tips tea)

煎茶 Sencha (broiled tea)

玉緑茶 Tamaryokucha

杭州 - 茶城

天啊~我本来只是想找一找中国杭州一些青年旅舍的相关资料，后来却忍不住要去了解一下杭州茶馆茶楼茶坊茶舍一事。结果没想谷歌地图一打开，杭州的茶馆果然是遍及全城，简直就是每一条大街，每一条小巷统统都是充满着与茶有关的东西。我心里在想，我到底要花多少时间才能逛完所有的茶楼？

还有，我已经说过，除非我不去中国，要不然我非要去杭州西湖的龙井村龙井问茶去！不止，我还要去附近的中国茶叶博物馆看一看。

喜来茶 Happiness comes with tea

人生无常，
充满喜乐悲哀，
欢喜之时，要喝欢喜茶；
悲哀之时，也一样要喝茶。

Life is unpredictable,
it is pervades of happiness and sadness,
enjoy the greatness taste of tea when you are cheerful;
at the same time, enjoy the greatness taste of tea when you are depress.

茶之苦涩清香回甘，
全归根于个人当下的情绪与心境。

The magnificent taste of tea
is instigated one's current emotions and frame of mind.

只要随时持有品常乐观之心，
再次等的茶都是一杯非常清香的茶。

Acquiring a tranquil and sanguine frame of mind,
one will not complain the quality of the tea because they are all the same.

好茶要配合个人心境，当时环境还有茶友的相伴之下，
好茶才称得上为一杯好茶。

Good tea is corresponding with one's emotions, appropriate atmosphere and tea companionship.

人生起伏不定，
生活匆匆繁忙，
连我自己也忘了上一次喝过最好喝的茶是那个时候了。

The inconsistency of life,
and somehow encompass with chaotic events,
I cannot remember when was the last time I had the best tea in my life.

樟树湖的味道渐渐地离我而去。

The sweetness taste of ZhangShuHu (樟树湖)is gradually fading away.

水之于茶 Tea and Water

水之于茶，
犹如水之于鱼一样，

Water is the soul of the tea,
just like fish cannot live without water.

“鱼得水活跃，茶得水更有其香、有其色、有其味”，

Fish is energetic because of water,
Tea acquires excellent fragrant, color, and taste because of water.

所以自古以来，
茶人对水津津乐道，爱水入迷。

Since the ancient times,
tea enthusiasts are exultant with water, they are devoted to the beauty of water.

明人许次纾《茶疏》中就说：
“精茗蕴香，借水而发，无水不可论茶也。”

According to a book called Cha Shu 《茶疏》,
the greatness fragrant of tea is originated by water,
there is no way you can deliberate about tea without water.

以茶养素 Tea & Self-integrity

以茶养素
这句话该怎么讲呢？
何谓茶？何谓素？

The art of tea may boost up one's integrity.
How are we going to define this phrase?
What is the art of tea? What is integrity?

茶，何以能称之为饮品如此肤浅，
茶之深邃境界，学问，艺术，修养胜于万物。

Tea, is not something as shallow as just a kind of drinks,
the profoundness of tea represents a different level, knowledge (wisdom), art and self-reflection which are literally better than anything in the world.

素，称之为个人素质，
相等于个人品德，心境与修养。

Integrity indicates one's personality with great philosophical thinking and perception.

惜茶之辈，
向来品德高尚，心境品和，举止行为优雅。

Tea enthusiasts are those typically with great personality, peaceful mindset and sophisticated attitude.

七碗茶诗 Seven Cups of Tea

看来卢同《七碗茶诗〉的公诸于世，
让不少人感到震撼，
而且还激发了喝茶的兴致，
还有，
对品茶有更深邃的境界。


The Seven Cups of Tea 七碗茶诗 (qi wan cha shi),
written by LuTong (卢同) has passed down from one generation to generation
since the period of Tang Dynasty in China.
His passion towards tea art has reached an indescribably level,
and thus he wrote how seven cups of tea can trigger the zeal of those tea enthusiasts.
At the same time, it will stimulate boundless of bliss in ourselves.

闲聊之谈

偶尔耍耍酷也是应该的,
这会让生活不会那么枯燥乏味.

这一会儿凶一点,
给我来杯安溪铁观音.

啊~~~~ 果然是"味惊四座",超赞!!!

平常心情

一日无事一日清,
一刻无虑一刻闲.

清闲,是一种幸福的特征.
心静之时,
别无所求,
只求天天平常心.

最后,配上一杯狮峰明前龙井茶便是人间天堂.

***微笑***

天涯海角，中秋之月，皆是一样圆。

中秋之夜，
大家总算团圆，
华人的团圆。


差一点就忘了中秋节，
一个对中华子弟非常重要的节日。

星期六，台湾学会会长邀请我们出席一个烧烤会，目的是为了庆祝中秋节。其实，当初我也不怎么想去。可是就是不知为什么在短短的时间以内便答应了别人，而且还帮忙找人一起去。可能就是赏面赏面吧~~

后来才发现当天的烧烤会并没有我想象中多人，可能是下雨的关系吧。人虽不多，但大家在乎聊天，害得那个台湾学会会长在雨中帮我们烧烤食物，实在过意不去。结果，他第二天果然生病了。可怜哦~ 会长果真不容易当啊！

那天大部分的人都是台湾人，只有我和benjamin是来自马来西亚因为我们都被那个uncle跟stella放鸽子了，过分！刚开始聊天时，没有人发现我们不是来自台湾，再加上我又能随是抛上几句闽南语，所以就更加没人知道我们是特别的，哈哈！这次的烧烤会，我都认识了一些可以说是非常经典的朋友。首先，我就要向大家介绍一下uncle jeft，这位年纪将近五十的英语班学生。他在台湾已经拿过了很多个学位，现在就在我们的大学里修英语。听起来有点奇怪的感觉，当初还以为它是哪间大学的教授呢？他这个人跟幽默而且很健谈，在加上学历丰富，说起话来就有一定的影响力和吸引力。更不同凡响的是，他爱喝茶和摄影，这就让我对他整个人都改观了。我真的发梦也没想到在美国可遇见茶友，而且是爱喝阿里山茶和梨山茶的台湾茶友。其实内心的兴奋不是真的遇见茶友而兴奋， 而是有台湾高山茶喝所以如此的兴奋！！！ 哈哈, 这太过分了！paiseh la, 我也是因为茶瘾难耐才导致如此下场。然后，我们也认识了一位语言天才。听他的口音，就知道他是在美国长大的华人，他对我们说他爸爸是广州人，他妈妈是泰国人，所以他就能将蛮正统的广东话和泰国话，而且他又能与其他人一起将中文，还讲得不错。结果，我万万也没想到的就是他还会说马来文呢！这太恐怖了吧！他可以同时说五种语言因为他在平均每个国家都住过差不多五年，那岂不是比我们所谓自称厉害的马来西亚人更厉害吗？而且他对每一种语言的发音都很准，不是开玩笑的哦，中文字还比我写的美哦！！ 当时，我真的被他的马来文吓着了。另外一位就是中文讲的超好的香港人。如果他不说他是香港人，我还真的以为全部人都是台湾人，除了我和benjamin之外。

最后，我们到其中一位台湾人的家，喝茶又唱k, 那天晚上让我不亦乐乎！四个星期后，终于让我喝出了那个味道，那个一直以来让我回味无穷的味道。虽然喝茶的环境并不完美，而且泡茶的人也正在喝啤酒，所以几杯阿里山茶下肚之后，我便转移视线，唱k去了。



不幸的是，那天晚上回到宿竟然把整个微波炉给烧了，他妈的！