Resume

That's our boy. He was with us for several happy years
but was taken to a primary school as a guard dog.
Now I go see him from time to time.
He still remembers me.

Alright.

It's really been a while since last time I posted something here. Despite the long lapse of time (some two years, I believe), the old enthusiasm that helped create this blog never ceases to be. It causes me heartburns, of course, since I just left it all of a sudden...no goodbyes. Sometimes I would tell my friends that it was because I was moving to a place where Internet access wasn't easy to get. Other times I would say that I just wanted to drop everything related to the grey days. But, you know clearly as I do, that's just another excuse.

So here I am, ready to let the same flame light the blog again. I'm not sure what stories it will be covering, but one thing for sure is that it will be English-Chinese based, about something worth thinking, discussing, and remembering. If you find it too ambiguous, check out the old posts under this. They will give a general idea of what I'm going to write from now on.

If you are new to my blog, there are a few things you might want to know:
1)  I'm a Taiwanese girl who started learning English when she was 12, so if there's anything wrong about my English, please let me know, as I'm still learning it.
2)  In fact, all sorts of suggestions are welcome.


Enjoy!

zone out

每日一詞---zone out

今天要看的是zone out，zone本身有「區域」、「地帶」的意思，比如 time zone (時區)、battle zone (戰區)；當動詞就是「區分開來」等等。所以，這個片語就是指「出神」、「專注/沉浸在某思緒裡而忽略身邊的動靜」。來看些句子吧！

When I'm dancing I zone out and feel like I'm the only one in the room. 我跳舞時很投入，總覺得教室只有我一個人。

I just flew in from Europe this morning, so don't get upset if I just zone out in the middle of the meeting. 我早上才從歐洲趕回來；如果開會不小心恍神，請別生氣啊。




碎碎：接下來又要獨自流浪兩週，順便去當地的舞蹈教室上課。

Then I Realized

Then I realized, with a word, a line, my faith is shaking. I am fairly inside of an illusion, and I'm fairly aware of it. Memories seem to lengthen themselves out as I look back. None of us know the color of the sky.

每日一看---Gordon Brown: Malala's U.N. speech is just the beginning(上)

今早在聽英文新聞時注意到這則新聞，瑪拉拉真的是個不簡單的女孩，年紀輕輕說話就非常有魄力，推動教育改革也不遺餘力，甚至被槍擊後依然如此，沒有放棄。今天來看一部分的新聞翻譯吧，可配著影片(雖然她不是標準的美式英語)。

Gordon Brown: Malala's U.N. speech is just the beginning

前英國首相布朗表示，瑪拉拉在聯合國的演說只是改革序曲

By Laura Smith-Spark, CNN

July 13, 2013 -- Updated 1523 GMT (2323 HKT)

(CNN) -- Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai's inspiring speech at the United Nations on every child's right to go to school is just the beginning of a major push on education, former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Saturday.
CNN---上週六，英國前首相戈登‧布朗表示，巴基斯坦少女瑪拉拉在聯合國發表的演說振奮人心，強調每個孩子有權受教；而這，只是教育改革的前奏。

Yousafzai -- who on Friday gave her first public remarks since she was shot by the Taliban last year for advocating that all girls should go to school -- will return to the United Nations in September to press her point, according to a statement from Brown's A World at School campaign.
布朗成立的世界教育推動計畫指出：去年，瑪拉拉因提倡所有女孩都該受教育而遭塔利班槍擊，但上週五，她發表了自槍傷後的第一場演說。今年九月，她將重返聯合國，重申她的理念。

Accompanied by Brown, she will address an education summit of world leaders during the week of the full General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, it said.
瑪拉拉會紐約的聯合國總部發表教育推動演說，屆時是聯合國全員大會週，布朗也會隨行在側。

There, the 16-year-old will demand action on behalf of 57 million children around the world who have no access to any schooling.
到時，瑪拉拉將代表全球無法接受教育的五千七百萬孩童，發言要求更多的機會與保障。

Between them, Pakistan and Nigeria have 16 million children out of school, the statement said, most of them girls.Meanwhile, Brown, who's the U.N. special envoy for global education, will travel to Pakistan in July to discuss education issues with the country's new government. He also intends to visit Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, in the fall.
資料顯示，那些沒法上學的孩童中，巴基斯坦和奈及利亞就佔了一千六百萬人，且大多是女孩子。

Brown and Yousafzai met with the United Nations' Pakistan high commissioner on Friday to discuss the plight of more than 5 million children who are out of school in the country, the statement said.
上週五，布朗與瑪拉拉與聯合國中巴基斯坦的理事委員會面，討論該國超過五百萬孩童失學的問題。

"Malala's speech was just the start of a momentous push for change in the run up to 2015, to deal with the education emergency," Brown said.
布朗說，瑪拉拉的演講只是教育改革的開端，這項政策會持續到2015年，強調受教育的迫切性。

tech-savvy

每日一詞---tech-savvy

呃，好久沒更新了(怎麼覺得這句話在這幾個月一直無限repeat囧)。好，今天要看的是tech-savvy----首先，tech是科技的意思，包括手機平板電腦之類的產品；而savvy就是指理解力或悟性。所以，這兩個合起來就變成對科技產品很在行的意思喔！來看幾句吧！

My mom isn't very tech-savvy. She has a hard time using email! 我媽對科技不怎麼在行，連用email都有問題啊！

I've always been interested in computers, and as a result I'm fairly tech-savvy. 我對電腦一直很有興趣，所以對這類東西還滿熟的。

flea market

每日一詞---flea market

好，相信很多人一看就知道這是什麼意思了吧！沒錯，就是我們常說的「跳蚤市場」。雖然沒什麼必要重提，但英文的解釋是這樣的：A market, usually held outdoors, where antiques, used household goods, and curios are sold. (跳蚤市場通常在戶外舉辦，古董、家中用過的物品及稀奇的東西都可買賣)。來看些例句吧！

I’m really excited to go to the local flea market this weekend because a friend of mine has a booth there. She does all these hand-crafted goods. 我好期待這個禮拜的跳蚤市場喔！我有一個朋友在那擺攤，她很會做手工。

I found an adorable couch at a flea market last weekend. 上週末，我在跳蚤市場找到一個很棒的長沙發。

Photo Essay

Thursday, June 6, 2013 | 14 Comments

On the Inside: Venezuela’s Most Dangerous Prison

透視：委內瑞拉至惡監牢

Family visitors during a celebration in the prison. In September 2008, family overnights were instituted as part of the Prison Humanization Plan, which sought to reduce conflict in the prisons and restore inmates' rights

His name is Wilmer Brizuela, Wilmito to his friends, but to the inmates of Vista Hermosa, he is simply the Pran, the unquestioned leader of one of Venezuela’s notorious prisons. Outside its walls, the Venezuelan national guard patrols; inside, the inmates live and die in a world of their own making. Brizuela has occasionally allowed reporters to visit for a few hours, but earlier this year, he gave photojournalist Sebastián Liste and me exclusive, full access to the prison for more than a week, revealing an improvised society that mirrors the one outside.

他的名字是Wilmer Brizuela，朋友都叫他Wilmito；但對於Vista Hermosa的囚犯來說，他就是統領委內瑞拉一座惡名昭彰的監獄，無人質疑。監獄牆外，國家警察例行巡邏；監獄牆內，囚犯們過活或死去，處在一個隔絕的世界。Brizuela偶爾會讓記者進監獄參觀數小時，但在今年初，唯獨攝影記者Sebastián Liste 和我能夠整整待了一週以上，讓我們看見最真實的面貌，一如牆外世界的倒影。

Brizuela, who is serving sentences of 10 years for kidnapping and 16 years for murder, believes that his rule over the 1,400 inmates of Vista Hermosa (Beautiful View) in the southern state of Bolívar is more humane than that of the Venezuelan prison authorities, who have been widely criticized by human-rights groups for the overcrowding, poor living conditions and corruption in the country’s prisons. Gang violence is rampant; last year 591 inmates were killed, according to the Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons, a watchdog group. Under strongman Hugo Chávez, advocates and journalists who reported on abuses in Venezuela’s prisons faced intimidation and threats of violence; conditions have not improved since Chávez’s death.
Brizuela因綁架被判10年徒刑，也因謀殺多了16年刑期。但他深信，他所掌控的Vista Hermosa(美麗景色)，也就是位在玻利瓦爾州、關著1400囚犯的監獄，遠比委內瑞拉政府所管的要有人性。那些政府管轄的監獄，經常受到國際人權團體的批評，不是過擠、就是生活環境差，還有貪污腐敗的問題；幫派互毆十分猖獗。根據委內瑞拉監獄的瞭望人員，去年有591名死於鬥毆。在前總統查維茲強人的統治下，專門報導與撻伐委內瑞拉對犯人差勁待遇的人士，常被暴力恐嚇、威脅。而這些狀況，在查維茲死後，仍未改善。

Vista Hermosa is emblematic of these problems. Built in the 1950s to house 650 inmates, it now houses more than twice that number. As the population grew, clashes between prisoners and guards became common. Rather than improve conditions, prison authorities have allowed them to descend into near chaos. Since Brizuela, a champion boxer, and his gang took control of Vista Hermosa by force in 2005, drug use and violence are still widespread but tightly controlled. “So far we have achieved peace and a minimum of decent human living standards,” Brizuela says.
Vista Hermosa監獄建於1950年代，當時用來關650名犯人。但今日囚犯人數早已超過初始的兩倍，且隨著人數增長，囚犯與獄守的衝突日益頻繁，整個監獄有著過擠、生活環境差、幫派鬥毆等問題。這些狀況並未獲得改善，獄方反而無動於衷，讓秩序幾近混亂。雖然吸毒和鬥毆事件廣佈，但自從2005年，由曾是拳擊冠軍的囚犯Brizuela及他的手下暴力控管這座監獄後，已能掌控上述情況。他說，「目前為止我們擁有和平和人的基本生活條件。」

Entering Vista Hermosa during visiting hours feels a bit like stepping into the streets of a bustling slum. There are open-air vendors selling DVDs, medicine and snacks amid the unbearable heat and thumping techno music. There are plazas for dancing and a more formal ballroom for parties. In these areas, visiting women and children walk freely, the iron bars have been removed and the walls are freshly painted. The prison, like any society, has distinct subcultures. There are Christian evangelists, called varones, who live, pray and sing together and work hard to keep their spaces clean. Gay inmates have their own quarters, where they can live without fear of harassment.
進入Vista Hermosa監獄參觀數小時，感覺像踏進了喧鬧的貧民窟。這裡有露天的攤販，在難以忍受的酷熱和高分貝的電音舞曲中，兜售DVD、醫藥、小吃。這邊也有幾個能跳舞的廣場和辦party的正式大廳，來訪的女人和小孩在這自由走動，先前的鐵欄杆已被拆除、牆面也才粉刷不久。如同所有社會，這座監獄有獨特的次文化，包括人稱varon的基督福音士，他們群居生活、一起禱告、唱聖歌，辛勤打掃自己的環境；而同性戀也有屬於他們的區域，可以避開其他囚犯騷擾。

Vista Hermosa feels like an extreme version of Venezuela itself, in microcosm. Along with the families and celebrations, there is violence and despair. Dozens of addicts, their bodies withered by crack and other drugs, smoke and sleep in rows of hammocks or on piles of trash. Men serving time for sex crimes live in an area far removed from the other inmates. And this society of prisoners has a prison of its own the zone known as La Guerrilla, where gandules, the renegade inmates who have violated Vista Hermosa’s unwritten code, are kept under armed guard. Their inmate-jailers make surveillance rounds night and day armed with pistols, high-caliber revolvers and automatic rifles.
微觀而言，Vista Hermosa監獄正是委內瑞拉的縮影；暴力和絕望，伴隨著囚犯的家人團聚與歡慶。幾十個毒蟲，睡在成排的吊床或垃圾堆上，身體因為毒品和毒癮影響而萎縮；性侵犯則被隔離在遠離提他犯人的區域；而在這個囚犯組成的社會，還是有「囚犯」這個標籤的。那些違背監獄遊戲規則的犯人，會被關在La Guerrilla區，由其他武裝囚犯看守；看守人早晚巡邏時都帶著手槍、大口徑的左輪，和來福槍。

Prisons like Vista Hermosa, which Brizuela says generates about $3 million a year in profit from illegal activities and weekly taxes paid to the Pran by the inmates, could not function without the complicity of corrupt officials who allow drugs and weapons inside. Even the Pran fears them. As Brizuela puts it, “The arms are for protecting us from the national guard.”

Brizuela說，像Vista Hermosa這樣的監獄，透過非法交易和每週得到的保護費，一年賺進了三百萬美元。而這樣的好處，都託委內瑞拉政府腐敗的福；因為他們爭隻眼閉隻眼，讓監獄裡出現毒品和槍枝交易。即便是目前掌控這座監獄的頭頭，還是會怕政府官員。因此Brizuela說，「這些我們擁有的武器是用來保護我們，免於國家看守的侵害」。

每日一看---On the Inside: Venezuela’s Most Dangerous Prison (2)

今天來看之前沒看完的部份吧！

Photo Essay

Thursday, June 6, 2013 | 14 Comments

On the Inside: Venezuela’s Most Dangerous Prison

Prisoners preparing pipes used to smoke crack cocaine

His name is Wilmer Brizuela, Wilmito to his friends, but to the inmates of Vista Hermosa, he is simply the Pran, the unquestioned leader of one of Venezuela’s notorious prisons. Outside its walls, the Venezuelan national guard patrols; inside, the inmates live and die in a world of their own making. Brizuela has occasionally allowed reporters to visit for a few hours, but earlier this year, he gave photojournalist Sebastián Liste and me exclusive, full access to the prison for more than a week, revealing an improvised society that mirrors the one outside.

他的名字是Wilmer Brizuela，朋友都叫他Wilmito；但對於Vista Hermosa的囚犯來說，他就是統領委內瑞拉一座惡名昭彰的監獄，無人質疑。監獄牆外，國家警察例行巡邏；監獄牆內，囚犯們過活或死去，處在一個隔絕的世界。Brizuela偶爾會讓記者進監獄參觀數小時，但在今年初，唯獨攝影記者Sebastián Liste 和我能夠整整待了一週以上，讓我們看見最真實的面貌，一如牆外世界的倒影。

Brizuela, who is serving sentences of 10 years for kidnapping and 16 years for murder, believes that his rule over the 1,400 inmates of Vista Hermosa (Beautiful View) in the southern state of Bolívar is more humane than that of the Venezuelan prison authorities, who have been widely criticized by human-rights groups for the overcrowding, poor living conditions and corruption in the country’s prisons. Gang violence is rampant; last year 591 inmates were killed, according to the Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons, a watchdog group. Under strongman Hugo Chávez, advocates and journalists who reported on abuses in Venezuela’s prisons faced intimidation and threats of violence; conditions have not improved since Chávez’s death.
Brizuela因綁架被判10年徒刑，也因謀殺多了16年刑期。但他深信，他所掌控的Vista Hermosa(美麗景色)，也就是位在玻利瓦爾州、關著1400囚犯的監獄，遠比委內瑞拉政府所管的要有人性。那些政府管轄的監獄，經常受到國際人權團體的批評，不是過擠、就是生活環境差，還有貪污腐敗的問題；幫派互毆十分猖獗。根據委內瑞拉監獄的瞭望人員，去年有591名死於鬥毆。在前總統查維茲強人的統治下，專門報導與撻伐委內瑞拉對犯人差勁待遇的人士，常被暴力恐嚇、威脅。而這些狀況，在查維茲死後，仍未改善。

Vista Hermosa is emblematic of these problems. Built in the 1950s to house 650 inmates, it now houses more than twice that number. As the population grew, clashes between prisoners and guards became common. Rather than improve conditions, prison authorities have allowed them to descend into near chaos. Since Brizuela, a champion boxer, and his gang took control of Vista Hermosa by force in 2005, drug use and violence are still widespread but tightly controlled. “So far we have achieved peace and a minimum of decent human living standards,” Brizuela says.
Vista Hermosa監獄建於1950年代，當時用來關650名犯人。但今日囚犯人數早已超過初始的兩倍，且隨著人數增長，囚犯與獄守的衝突日益頻繁，整個監獄有著過擠、生活環境差、幫派鬥毆等問題。這些狀況並未獲得改善，獄方反而無動於衷，讓秩序幾近混亂。雖然吸毒和鬥毆事件廣佈，但自從2005年，由曾是拳擊冠軍的囚犯Brizuela及他的手下暴力控管這座監獄後，已能掌控上述情況。他說，「目前為止我們擁有和平和人的基本生活條件。」

Entering Vista Hermosa during visiting hours feels a bit like stepping into the streets of a bustling slum. There are open-air vendors selling DVDs, medicine and snacks amid the unbearable heat and thumping techno music. There are plazas for dancing and a more formal ballroom for parties. In these areas, visiting women and children walk freely, the iron bars have been removed and the walls are freshly painted. The prison, like any society, has distinct subcultures. There are Christian evangelists, called varones, who live, pray and sing together and work hard to keep their spaces clean. Gay inmates have their own quarters, where they can live without fear of harassment.
進入Vista Hermosa監獄參觀數小時，感覺像踏進了喧鬧的貧民窟。這裡有露天的攤販，在難以忍受的酷熱和高分貝的電音舞曲中，兜售DVD、醫藥、小吃。這邊也有幾個能跳舞的廣場和辦party的正式大廳，來訪的女人和小孩在這自由走動，先前的鐵欄杆已被拆除、牆面也才粉刷不久。如同所有社會，這座監獄有獨特的次文化，包括人稱varon的基督福音士，他們群居生活、一起禱告、唱聖歌，辛勤打掃自己的環境；而同性戀也有屬於他們的區域，可以避開其他囚犯騷擾。

On the Inside: Venezuela’s Most Dangerous Prison

每日一看---On the Inside: Venezuela’s Most Dangerous Prison (1)


今天來看TIME的一篇報導，是關於委內瑞拉一座監獄的紀錄；了解一下世界各地的境況吧！翻譯若有不當之處，也請指教喔。

Photo Essay

Thursday, June 6, 2013 | 14 Comments

On the Inside: Venezuela’s Most Dangerous Prison
透視：委內瑞拉至惡監牢

Drug users and those who violate the unwritten rules imposed by the inmates who control Vista Hermosa are confined to one area known as La Guerrilla.

吸毒犯和違反監獄遊戲規則的囚犯，皆由掌控Vista Hermosa監獄的頭號犯人看管，監禁在La Guerrilla區。

His name is Wilmer Brizuela, Wilmito to his friends, but to the inmates of Vista Hermosa, he is simply the Pran, the unquestioned leader of one of Venezuela’s notorious prisons. Outside its walls, the Venezuelan national guard patrols; inside, the inmates live and die in a world of their own making. Brizuela has occasionally allowed reporters to visit for a few hours, but earlier this year, he gave photojournalist Sebastián Liste and me exclusive, full access to the prison for more than a week, revealing an improvised society that mirrors the one outside.

他的名字是Wilmer Brizuela，朋友都叫他Wilmito；但對於Vista Hermosa的囚犯來說，他就是統領委內瑞拉一座惡名昭彰的監獄，無人質疑。監獄牆外，國家警察例行巡邏；監獄牆內，囚犯們過活或死去，處在一個隔絕的世界。Brizuela偶爾會讓記者進監獄參觀數小時，但在今年初，唯獨攝影記者Sebastián Liste 和我能夠整整待了一週以上，讓我們看見最真實的面貌，一如牆外世界的倒影。

Brizuela, who is serving sentences of 10 years for kidnapping and 16 years for murder, believes that his rule over the 1,400 inmates of Vista Hermosa (Beautiful View) in the southern state of Bolívar is more humane than that of the Venezuelan prison authorities, who have been widely criticized by human-rights groups for the overcrowding, poor living conditions and corruption in the country’s prisons. Gang violence is rampant; last year 591 inmates were killed, according to the Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons, a watchdog group. Under strongman Hugo Chávez, advocates and journalists who reported on abuses in Venezuela’s prisons faced intimidation and threats of violence; conditions have not improved since Chávez’s death.

Brizuela因綁架被判10年徒刑，也因謀殺多了16年刑期。但他深信，他所掌控的Vista Hermosa(美麗景色)，也就是位在玻利瓦爾州、關著1400囚犯的監獄，遠比委內瑞拉政府所管的要有人性。那些政府管轄的監獄，經常受到國際人權團體的批評，不是過擠、就是生活環境差，還有貪污腐敗的問題；幫派互毆十分猖獗。根據委內瑞拉監獄的瞭望人員，去年有591名死於鬥毆。在前總統查維茲強人的統治下，專門報導與撻伐委內瑞拉對犯人差勁待遇的人士，常被暴力恐嚇、威脅。而這些狀況，在查維茲死後，仍未改善。

heartbreaker

每日一詞---heartbreaker

其實前些日子就想介紹這個詞了，但就怕自己了解得不夠全面，所以還是花點時間查了它的用法。heartbreaker通常指讓人心碎的人，意思有好有壞：好的是說某人很有魅力，卻又難以觸及；壞的就是指某人花心放蕩，專傷害別人的心。好，來看些句子吧！

That guy has a lot of girlfriends; he is a heartbreaker. 那傢伙有一堆女朋友，一定傷了很多人的心。

Look how gorgeous that woman is, she is such a heartbreaker; I know I have no chance with her. 你看，那女人這麼美，一定勾走了許多人的心；我自己肯定搭不上她。