前几天有个学生对我撒谎,影响了考勤,我跟学生处长商量以后给他一个午餐留堂，就是午餐时间不能自由活动，要到指定的教室做功课。学生处长让他给我写一封道歉信。然后你知道他怎么干的？我午饭时间后拿到了他的道歉信，用英文写的，写得非常用功，用的全都是艰深的词和句型。我第二天对他说，谢谢你给我的信，写得挺好。结果他告诉我一个同事，说，我故意用很难的英语，但是她说谢谢我，我想她还是看懂了。

 

真是哭笑不得。这孩子高二了，很聪明，成绩也非常不错，就是比较捣蛋，觉得我是中国人，英文说的没他溜还敢教训他，所以要为难一下我。没想到我还谢谢他，大概有点出乎意料。

 

从这开始，我下决心修炼跟澳洲小屁孩吵架的功夫。

这两天一上课，我八年级的学生就问：Do you think China is going to win in the Olympics? Do you support China or Australia? 问完以后还充满希望地看着我。

 

我很想告诉他们：I am not really worried about if China is going to win in the Olympics or not coz we have more other issues to worry about. 但是他们可能还不会明白。

 

所以我说：I will be happy for either China or Australia no matter who wins.

 

他们不干了，大叫：You can choose only one!

 

If I could choose only one, I would support China.

 

他们有的就捂着脸：Oh, how disappointing!  有的大声帮我解释：She was born in China!

 

当时急着要开始上课，没跟他们好好说下去, 现在想想，觉得他们真可爱。

 

希望别人喜欢和支持自己的家乡、或国家，是人之常情吧？

今天在图书馆，一堆八年级男生围上来跟我聊天。其中一个跟我说我是他最喜欢的老师。当时忙着找书没太往心里去，现在想想，这说明我这个老师当得不错呢，还是另有原因？嗬嗬。汗一下再傻乐一下。

来澳州三年多，一直庆幸自己还不用去看病抓药。这次开学三个星期以来，因为国内来交流生和新开始教Asian Studies,一直忙得不得了。再加上最近贪玩，终于累病了。

 

上周五下午上完课，感觉嗓子眼儿有点痒痒的，觉得可能要感冒了，多喝点儿水多穿点儿应该就没事了，所以不怎么介意。当晚熬夜到近两点看完开幕式，从朋友家开车回来、洗洗涮涮完，近三点才睡觉。周六开始觉得喉咙好像肿了，全身很累，但是一周前已经约好带几个朋友去吃火锅，所以晚上还是出去了。回来以后上上网，再给家里打完电话，又到了凌晨两点，就明显感觉自己开始发烧了。烧了些热水喝完躺下，抱着睡一觉就好了的侥幸心理。

 

居然睡不着。全身好像着火一样滚烫，呼出来的好像也是火，却一点儿都不出汗。头晕、疼。平时就不怎么好的腰，这个时候就像堵进了两个铅球，又酸又涨。好容易睡到迷迷糊糊，居然听到自己因为太难受而哼哼的声音，然后就醒了。然后爬起来喝水、上厕所，昏昏沉沉回到床上，不多久，又哼哼醒了……如此反复循环，不知道多少趟。我神志不清地想，要看医生了。可是我不知道哪里有诊所、怎么看。于是6点多的时候迷迷糊糊地抓着手机，给一个朋友发了短信：我发烧了，要去看医生，不知道怎么看，你能帮下忙吗？当时是周日，别人都睡着呢。到了7点多，朋友打来电话，说看到我短信了，正在到处打电话找当天开门的诊所。我也开始出汗了，烧好象退了不少。

 

8点多，朋友说终于找到一个开门的，然后来接我。我摇摇晃晃爬起来，给自己穿好衣服，能裹的全裹上了。到了诊所，排队，等了20多分钟。轮到我，医生给我量了下体温，38度3。那我昨晚搞不好上40度了。医生说我喉咙发炎，直接就给我开了抗生素和两天的病假。回来以后吃了药，胃又不舒服，还是头疼全身疼，睡不着，折腾了一天。到了第二天早晨头才不疼了。

 

才好了一天，本来还要再休息一天的，我又跑回去上班了。结果5节课下来，我又趴下了。没办法，再请假一天吧。

 

生病真不好玩。各位出门在外的同学们要好好照顾自己。除了注意保暖，偶尔要给自己炖个汤、做个好吃的，就像KK同学那样，怎么都不要委屈自己。呵呵

 

 

 

一开始就说，我不是牛人，所以偶尔说话不符合牛博的主旋律，应该也可以理解吧。

 

从来就不是奥运的扇子，但开幕式还是看得很开心。看到那么多人说开幕式的不是，就凑凑热闹。

 

独在异乡，因为不想一个人闷着在家看，又是周末，就去了一个中国朋友家，凑了一堆人一起看。很多人说国内的转播镜头给得不好，如何如何，至少澳洲Channel 7的转播还是挺好的，表演就表演，远近也正好，也没给领导们啥机会露脸。如果没有中间插播的几个广告就更好了。老谋子的武侠片没法看，做成开幕式还挺热闹的。

 

开场的倒计时很震撼，也很有新意。接下来的几场表演，我得到的信息是：我们是一个以和为贵的民族，有着悠久的历史和独特的文化，以前我们也曾通过丝绸之路和七下西洋跟世界沟通过，今天我们又回来了，请世界接纳我们。当然追求“和”的方式值得推敲。

 

把孔子搬出来，不搬孔子搬谁？难道搬李宇春？别难为老谋子做无米之炊。再说，中国人知道孔子，知道四大发明，不意味着全世界人都知道，虽然我们觉得我们好像已经动辄四大发明了。老外知道中国有文革、有藏度、有“人权”，却很多不知道孔夫子何许人。今天我一个西人朋友说，他们一直都被告知纸最早是由埃及人发明的。

 

有人说开幕式用的是中国的语言，别人听不懂、看不懂。我看的Channel7转播，主持人一路解说各个表演的象征意义，不时赞叹两句。老外娱情之余，接受一下关于中国文化的教育，没啥不好。即使没有全看懂，也能感受到。澳洲国际频道SBS对开幕式报道的标题是Games opening wows spectators ——开幕式令观众惊叹。当然他们同时也报道哪里哪里又有某某组织示威游行反对北京奥运。

 

有人说刘欢穿得不敢恭维，我们好像是要听他唱歌的吧？反正人家长得可能是上不了什么“快男”，我觉得他声音真不错。主题歌的确很一般，如果是刘欢写的，那可真该口诛笔伐一下。

 

西红柿炒鸡蛋套在单个人的身上果真能掉下渣儿来，不过总体效果居然不难看，特别是有一片海蓝的现场灯光和蓝白服装的澳大利亚队走在前面。姚明一路上弯腰低头关照小男孩向观众挥手或跟他转弯的镜头也相当温馨。安排小姑娘唱“五星红旗”有点落了俗套，不过小姑娘的确唱得好，好像还不是假唱。

 

我不是牛人。所以对牛人们的言论不敢苟同。我不会认定自己比大多数人或一个体制聪明或清醒，并时刻准备对他们扑咬一通。我只是一个在澳洲农村朝九晚五的教书先生，面对一群对中国几乎一无所知并充满好奇的小老外。我们这段时间的作业之一就是关于奥运的，不管是对研究福娃的象征意义还是研究网上为什么有那么多”not very nice”的图片和报道，小老外们表现得很积极。看开幕式的时候，我想着我的学生，他们看到倒计时的中国数字一定很高兴，因为我们刚刚学过了。学校已经认同将开幕式的录像作为教学资料之一。我想我可以跟他们讲讲“和”除了and，还有harmony的意思。看完开幕式，他们可能会觉得，自己学的科目不光是一本死死的教科书，而是真正活着的、还在延续的、充满生机的一个文化。

 

不论是非，总之因为奥运，中国又全面地回到国际社会的视线里来了。既然回来，别人当然说什么的都有。没关系，他们也是那样说其他任何一个国家的。回到国际社会，可能第一件事就是要学会不能太介意别人说的话。再说兼听则明，没什么不好。保持怀疑和批评的心态也没什么不好，可如果都以某种姿态发表批评，恐怕没有什么建设性。“文人相轻，自古已然”，所以才“百无一用是书生”吧。

As the Olympics is getting close, the whole world is watching and talking about China. I listened to a radio program and watched a TV show today, both about China, but gave me so different impacts. I haven't written in English on my site for a long time, but now I think I should speak up for China, for both her good and bad, if it's appropriate to use this two words, and also for a different voice to be heard in an Enligsh spoken world.

ONE

The first program I heard was from ABC National Radio. I was driving on my way home and heard a young man's voice talking about his experience and thoughts on China, in regards to many issues like economic development, corruptions, and the young generations. In contrast to "ordinary" western media speakers, this gentleman is speaking with understanding and sympathy to China and her people. He talked about the sweeping willow trees in Houhai, the warm and friendly local people and their simple lives, as well as the physical and spiritual struggles of Chinese people in this diverse era for this 5000 years old country.

The most impressive part to me was when he talked about the impact that the death penalty had on people's life. He has a Chinese friend Jack, whose father was put to death because of drug smuggling. "I can't imagine the sadness Jack had to grow up with because of his father's death, that he only got told by his uncle till the day after and their family had to pay for the bullet that killed his father...I just feel sad only talking about it." His voice turned into sobbing and faded. Thinking about what he said, I couldn't help to start crying even then I was driving.

China, this beautiful yet complicated country, this unique country, the more you know about it, the more you would be facinated by her history, her culture, her everything. However, the more you love her, the more her suffering and sorrow is burning in your heart.

When I got home, I found out from the Internet that the program I heard was Radio Eyes "Reading the News from China". The young man who spoke and sobbed for his Chinese friend was James West (not sure if it's accurate), who is an Australian journalist working in Beijing. I dropped a message on ABC Radio site to thank him for what he spoke about. China, who once closed her door to the outside world, needs to be understood.

The following is the link of the program if anyone want to listen to it.

http://www.abc.net.au/cgi-bin/common/player_launch.pl?s=rn/radioeye&d=rn/radioeye/audio&r=ree_02082008_2856.ram&w=ree_02082008_28M.asx&t=Saturday 02 August 2008&p=1

Two

The second program was from SBS, Dateline, which is one of my favourite program. George Negus was in Beijing this time. He interviewed a Chinese official who spoke with not much confidence. He also interviewed some young Chinese and they were labeled "nationalist". I am not going to write down a summary for his program coz its stand is not much different from what we usually get from most media and program in Australia, and you can always go to http://news.sbs.com.au/dateline/  to check it out. What I want to comment is as follow:

From early 19th to mid 20th Centry, over 100 years, how many western countries had invaded China, robbed and killed her people, and took her silver and lands. Even nowadays, many Chinese treasures robbed from the Forbidden City and other Chinese palaces and royal gardens are still displayed in national museums of England and France. These same countries now try to teach China what freedom is and to tell China what to do and what part of the land does not belong to China. Is China going to listen to them? Is China going to just open her door widely instead of being cautious? Blindness of western freedom might look better from the outside, but it doesn't change the fact that it's also blind. If you really care about human right in China, think about what you can do for the majority of Chinese people who are struggling to have a life, but not just shouting "free Tibet".

Three

At the just finished late news on SBS, I saw foreigners putting up "free Tibet" slogan in Beijing, I heard news reporter still addressing the 3.14 rois "a crack down", I also saw a video from the Uigurs planning terroristic attack at the Olympic Games.

I hate politics.

Wish the world a good game in Beijing. Peace to the Han people, the Tibetan people, the Uigur people, to all in China.

那天一个人在家看电视，美国版的So You Think You Can Dance，American Idol外的另一大选秀节目。一直觉得这个节目还有些可看性，比Big Brther强多了。

 

海选，节目在选手们或精彩绝伦或糟糕透顶的表演中、评委干脆利落的yes or no中渐进，有人直接拿了去维加斯参加集训的机票，有人留下来接受短暂排练进行第二轮选拔，有人直接回家。一个大黑妞上来了，她去年参加过比赛，进入了集训阶段，之后被淘汰。她说，我在过去的一年里，每一天都在等待着再一次的比赛机会。然后没别的太多废话，她开始跳了。身材不是很好——可以说很不好，虎背熊腰的，据说去年还要胖，但是舞姿却不错，看得出功底。只是没跳几下，她哎哟一声抱住了膝盖。评委关切地问是何状况，她解释说是旧伤，然后就哭起来了，痛哭流涕。“你们改变了我的生活”，她边哭边说，“我只是抱着试试的心态，但是伙计们你们给了我一个机会，让我看到我能做到。从集训回来，我就决心改变自己的生活，我减了肥，努力练习，等待机会，我每一天都过得很充实。我想说谢谢你们伙计们。”

 

在这种时候，如果放在中国选秀节目，李湘们试图煽情的旁白乐队的伴奏就该凑上来了，然后评委们再郑重其事苦口婆心一下，然后再插几个观众们热泪盈眶的镜头……然后整个就毁了。

 

老美的确有一套，煽情也煽得那么地道不留痕迹。没有主持人旁白没有即兴伴奏，评委们跟选手互称伙计，大黑妞痛痛快快一通倾诉，评委推心置腹几句鼓励，这就该下一个选手了。我的眼睛却开始湿润。简单直接地，这就是梦想的力量吧。一个人能够踏踏实实的去为梦想而生活，不容易。

 

祝愿每一个人都能朝着自己的梦想脚踏实地的生活。祝愿每个人都有机会朝着梦想生活。