阿宝和吃草的羊

我是阿宝。去年我的数学老师叫赫鲁晓夫。按照英文发音，我们都叫他 Hairs Off, 就是拔头发先生。因为，上他的数学课，我们常常拔头发。

拔头发先生是个天才，他的头发很多，但是从来没有梳直过，一半的头发，大部分是白的，就那么立在脑袋上。第一眼看见他，我就想起了电影回到未来里的科学怪人布朗博士。就是布朗博士发明了未来飞行器。拔头发先生虽然什么也没发明过，但在他的眼皮下，我们所有的同学头发都变少了。通常我们上数学课是这样的，拔头发先生拿着在板上写字的笔，在讲台上走来走去，时不时的写一笔。讲到让他激动的地方，他的嗓门就大起来了，拿笔的手也抬起来了，背也不驼了，然后他就那么激动地讲下去了，然后我们就发晕了，这是讲得啥呀，听不懂呀，然后我们就开始拔头发。等到做作业或是考试的时候，我们就拔更多的头发，因为他没讲过呀。我们数学班本来就女生很少，这么拔头发的结果，坐我旁边的阿朱头发越来越少，大脑门越来越亮，越来越像个男生了。

虽然拔头发先生讲课很糟糕，我们还是喜欢他。因为他喜欢我们，当一个老师喜欢学生的时候，我们能感觉到。有时候我们在课堂上做题，他就坐在一边笑眯眯地看着我们，好像是太阳下放羊吃草的羊倌。我们喜欢他还因为他喜欢数学，虽然他的的热情烧得我们拔头发。他从来不罚站，考試考不好还可以去参加外面的数学讲座来补分。我去了好些次那些讲座，虽然内容全都不记得了，但是偶尔还能想起那些做讲座的人。虽然他们大半都很书呆子气，但是书呆子偶尔也能把干巴巴的数学公式讲的很有趣，尤其是讲到这些公式背后活生生的人，还有用这些公式做出有用的东西的活生生的人。讲到这里的时候，就连书呆子都变得生动起来了。

有一次有一个讲座提到一本书，叫做平面国。这个国家的世界是一个巨大的平面，所有的人物都是二維的几何形体。士兵和做工的劳力是锐角三角形，中产阶级是等腰或等边三角形，专业人士和绅士是四边形，贵族们是五边形和六边形，身份越高贵，边就越多。平面世界里边最多的人物是神父，他们最受尊敬，他们的身材也接近圆形。他们的平面世界里，每个人看到对方都是一条或长或短的直线。这样讲等级的世界，两个人相遇，是一定要向高贵的那一方行礼的。为了能看到对方有几条边，就得有一个人站着不动，另一个人绕着他走一圈，一边数数对方的边数，然后交换转圈，两人都数清了之后，边少的再向边多的行礼。这个世界也很有意思，一对父母最重要的工作就是培养他们的儿子学习转圈，然后呢从一条看似直线的形状数出边数来。学得越好的儿子，越有可能比他的父母多长出一条额外的边来，然后这个家族就越来越高贵了。

在这个平面国的世界里，虽然每个人看见的只有直线，但是每个人都很忙碌，需要遵守平面规矩，多长出边来，使自己和后代变得更高贵。故事的主人公是个四方形绅士，因为他有四条边，他很受尊敬。他有四个五条边的儿子，所以他很得意。直到有一天有一个奇怪的陌生人突然出现在他的眼前，陌生人是个奇怪的形状，经过他转圈的观察，陌生人不动的时候是个圆，但是圆的大小会随着陌生人移动而变大变小，他还会消失。他一定是个神。但陌生人说他自己不是神他只是个球，还跟主人公提到了高度这个词，主人公从来没听说过“球 “和“高度“，因为他引以自豪的平面世界里没有高度，只有长度和宽度。为了给他解释，陌生人拉住他，让他跳起来。当主人公跳起来之后，奇怪的事情发生了。首先他发现他的身体消失了，然后他在空中看见了他的平面世界。原来不需要转圈，一眼就能看到他的四个儿子都是五边形。身旁的陌生人，看着是个圆，怎么转圈看，还都是个圆，原来这就是个球。然后，主人公跟着陌生人，接着往上跳，他看到了三维世界，有奇怪的立方体，圆柱还有圆锥......

我觉得拔头发先生就是那个长得像球的陌生人，世界除了平面国，还有三维空间，应该会有更多。

阿宝和狐狸

我是阿宝。最近我老觉得自己很好看。每天洗完澡，不等擦干，我就对着镜子照了又照。脸自然是好看的，鼻子眼睛嘴巴都在完美的位置，皮肤自然的阳光色，而且没有一颗青春痘。肩膀自然也是好看的，宽宽的，胳膊上还有一点肌肉。因为肩膀宽，我爸的衣服我也能撑的起来，不过我爸太胖，他的衣服腰太宽，我穿着还是晃晃荡荡的。其实我最好看的还是肚子上的六块腹肌啦，我使劲的时候，就会有小小的包包出来，虽然第五块和第六块不怎么明显，但是还是比我爸好太多啦。

而且我的力气也很大。现在我妈买东西回家，都让我搬上楼。有一次我捣蛋，我妈举起手来要打我的屁股，我很快的拿胳膊挡了一下她的胳膊，她叫了一声疼，就自己去冰箱里找冰袋去了。冰了十分钟她的胳膊才不疼了。我看着她冰胳膊，觉得自己很有本事。从小到大，我爸我妈大事小事，不管是因为我捣蛋，还是开玩笑，还是因为他们很无聊，动不动就拍我的屁股。这回我可是自卫，我妈被我硌疼了，下回她要再想打我，绝对要思考思考再思考。我觉得她那么怕疼，估计是不会再动手了。

学校的作业还是那么多，不过去上学的好处也是有的。比如说，可以看到阿楠。阿楠的教室就在隔壁，课间的时候她常常和几个女生一起坐在拐角的桌子旁聊天。我有时候也和我的朋友阿森他们坐在树下的草坪上一起抱怨一下化学老师太变态太严厉，历史老师太唠叨等等的问题。有时候我会看到阿楠的眼光向我这里看一眼，她的眼睛真黑。上次开本年极会集合的时候，我终于比较近的看到阿楠的眼睛，她看我的时候，我觉得我向她笑了一下。我也不知道她看到了没有，我只觉得笑了那一下之后，天变得特别的蓝，云变的特别的白。
有时候，我觉得我就是“小王子”故事里的那只狐狸。小王子遇到狐狸的时候，正是他最孤独的时候。然后狐狸出现了。

“来跟我玩吧。”小王子说：“我心里很难过……”

可是狐狸拒绝了小王子。“我不能跟你玩。”狐狸说：“我还没有被驯养。” 小王子不知道什么是驯养，于是狐狸解释说：“驯养，就是把两样东西连起来吧。”

接下来，狐狸又说：

“对我来说，你只不过是个小男孩，跟其它成千上万的小男孩没有两样；对你来说，我也只不过是只狐狸，你既不觉得需要我，我也不觉得我需要你……可是，如果你驯养了我……我就会认得出一个人的脚步声，别人的都不一样。别人的脚步声会让我匆忙躲回地底下，而你的脚步声，却会像音乐一样，把我从洞里唤出来。”

“……我不吃面包，麦子对我没用，麦田跟我也没什么好说。这很教人难过的。可是你有金色的头发，一旦你驯养了我，会是多么美妙，同样是金色的麦穗，就能让我想到你，我也会爱上吹拂过麦田的风声……”

小王子问“我该做什么？”

狐狸回答说：“你需要很有耐心。你先坐得离我远一點，像这样，坐在草地上。我就拿眼角看你，你不要说话。语言是误会的泉源。但是，每天你可以坐近我一点......"， “我们应该有个仪式，比方说，假如你下午四点钟來， 从三点钟开始我就觉得幸福。时间越接近，我越觉得幸福......”

我在很有耐心的等着阿楠驯养我。每天，我们坐近一点点...... 然后，因为她，我也会爱上风吹过麦田的声音，然后，因为麦田，我会爱上朝霞和夕阳，还有路边青草的芳香......

当然小王子最后离开了地球，离开了狐狸，狐狸说，“我得到好处了，因为那些麦田的颜色......” 其实不管在哪个平行宇宙，不管我有没有表白，阿楠有没有拒绝，最后我们有没有幸福的在一起，每一个平行宇宙里，都有大片大片的金色的麦田......

阿宝与猫

我叫阿宝，今年上高中二年级。高中生活很无趣，作业真多，老师真小气，爸妈唠唠叨叨的推学习推得真讨厌。有时候我很希望能还是个小小孩，坐在图书馆儿童园的小板凳上一本一本的看动画书，一直看到永远永远。可是我也很喜欢长高的感觉，可以不用抬头就看见大人的脸，可以自己骑车去上学，可以飞快的踩着脚踏车穿过宽宽的大街。那种速度快得就好象要飞起来一样的感觉，因为我自己能加速，自己能减速，那种因为长得够高大，自己能控制好多事情的感觉，做小小孩是没有的。而且，我越长越大，我的屁股坐图书馆儿童园的小板凳已经有点挤了。所以，我有时候也不知道我到底想要什么。

还有一件很烦恼的事。我觉得我喜欢上了隔壁教室的一个女生。她叫阿楠，她有一双大大的黑黑的眼睛。课间的时候，她常常和其他的几个女生一起在教室旁边角落里坐着说话。当她的眼光落到我这里的时候，我老觉得热乎乎的，有一种头发晕的感觉。如果某个课间她看了我一眼，下面的半节课我就有一种甜蜜蜜的感觉。剩下的后面半节课我就等着下课了。

有时候我晚上睡不着觉，躺在床上回忆阿楠看向我的眼光。我忍不住的想像如果能和她一起去店里吃冰激淋，然后她就那么的静静看着我，看好久好久，那多好啊。她的小手，拉起来会是什么感觉呢？我要不要向她表白，请她去吃冰激淋？

我的朋友们，好些比我个子高的，他们从去年开始，就开始讨论这个问题了。我们课间的时候，如果不讨论打游戏，那就是在说，谁向谁表白了，然后被拒绝了。大家吃吃一笑，接着去上课。表白的结果大半都不怎么好，阿乐甚至买了花去表白，还是被拒了。阿贝脸皮比较厚，隔一阵子换个女生表白，偶尔还有成功，然后过几个星期就被女生甩了。他消停几天，再来过。我觉得像阿楠那样文静的女生，大半是会拒绝我的。不过也有一半的可能她也喜欢我，要不她干嘛老看我？那我到底要不要表白呢？

美剧大爆炸里面谢耳朵把表白这件事比作”薛定谔的猫“，我觉得很有道理。”薛定谔的猫“是这样的：在一个封闭的盒子里，有一只黑猫，和一个装满毒气的装置。装置有50%的概率开启，如果开启的话，装置内的毒气会杀死盒子里的猫。开启毒气的装置，开启和不开启，是完全不可预测的。因为原理就是放射性元素的半衰期是不可预测。一个放射性原子控制机关，如果我们打开盒子的时候原子已经裂变，机关就会被开启。毒气就会杀死猫。如果我们打开盒子的时候原子还没裂变，猫就还活着。如果我们有好多盒子，机关和猫，那就是一半的猫还活着。但是在量子力学里面，只有一只猫，在我们没打开盒子看之前，这只世界闻名的猫处在一种活着和死了的叠加状态，也就是说，猫即是活着的，也是死了的。而我们作为盒子的观察者，我们要打开盒子看猫的状态的好奇心，向不可预测的自然强行的要结果，决定了猫的死活。也就是说，好奇心杀死了猫。

回到我的表白问题来，我其实不能预测阿楠是不是喜欢我，因为我们都没说过话。那么她其实是在喜欢我和不喜欢我的叠加状态。我的表白就是那个打开盒子看猫的行动，向不可预测的事情要结果，这不是强行让叠加状态的自然倒塌到一个现实？这个现实是什么，是阿楠是喜欢我？还是不喜欢我？我能接受表白之后的现实吗？

不过接着”薛定谔的猫“还有个理论，打开盒子看猫的行动，制造了两个平行宇宙，在一个宇宙里，猫活着，在另一个平行宇宙，猫死了。那么我的表白行动，也制造了两个平行宇宙，在一个宇宙里，阿楠喜欢我，在另一个平行宇宙，阿楠不喜欢我。我想象之后我的每一个行动，都在这两个分叉上生出新的分叉来，无数的分叉，分叉又分叉...... 那么在这些数不清的未来平行宇宙中，有一个宇宙，我和阿楠幸福的生活在一起，一直到老...... 哎呦我的天，这个我还真没准备。不过既然好结果总是存在在这些平行宇宙中的，那么我表白不表白，其实也没啥大不了，对不？嗯，我可以睡觉了。

低头便见水中天

我盘腿坐在海湾边，湾里的水正在退潮。水向着东边沙沙的流着，露出高点的河滩上的黑色的淤泥。一片片的淤泥发出嘶嘶的声音，仔细看来还有的小洞顶着小水泡在夕阳下闪闪的发光。

太阳正在我的身后徐徐下降, 因为我们可爱的大气层，太阳光丢掉了蓝色部分，剩下的红色和黄色把东边的云彩染得粉亮粉亮的。映在水里，

水面上没有一圈圈的涟漪，但是退潮的水要往湾里汇集，两边河岸的淤泥拖拽着水，水面上就能看见一种由河中间的流的快的水拖出来的水纹。在有些地方，水纹还带出了小小的漩涡来。水在流，云在动，太阳在落山，整个天边越来越红，映在水漩涡里的彩色越来越深...... 在这夕阳西下的最后几分钟里，水面上的世界变化如此之快，就像梦一样。这灿烂深沉的漩涡甚至让人觉得水下还有另一个奇妙的世界，让人想探头进去看一看。在这个时间，做一个透明的眼球。

水中也许并没有另一个世界，但是我们的心里，自然有另一个世界。我们每每有烦躁、焦虑、嫉妒、自怜、自私，也每每有释然、平安、欣喜、慷慨。这也是每日常新、变幻无穷的风景。不懂得欣赏它们时，自己永远是世界的中心，正义的代表，别人从来是歪理邪恶。懂得之后，自己与别人都是神奇自然脚下渺小却有趣的生灵。低头便见水中天，这，也是要低头才见的。

Travelling is a fool’s paradise

I love travel, no question about it. There is no other activies that can take us to places with exotic cluture, beautiful snenaries, and wonderful nature, all away from our daily routines. For the last couple of years, we used all our vacation time going to places. We hiked on the icefield in Alaska, we swimed in between corals in Hawii, we sweeped through 30 out of 59 national parks of the United States, and also, we spent some time in the remote land of China like Tibet and Uygur province. My favorate part of those trips are not the colorful souvenirs, not the serene views, not even the flavorful food, but the beauty in people, the general benevolence of normal people after you met their wondering eye beams.

Then one day, I read this sentense "Travelling is a fool’s paradise". I was shocked, how can someone who prefers an active life style be refered as a fool? I want to argue and defend travelling, for all the people who enjoys travel. But who do I argue with? Emerson? the man who is considered the father of the American literature? Here is his sentenses in the essay "Self Reliance" published in 1841, about hundred senvety years ago:

“Travelling is a fool’s paradise. Our first journeys discover to us the indifference of places. At home I dream that at Naples, at Rome, I can be intoxicated with beauty, and lose my sadness. I pack my trunk, embrace my friends, embark on the sea, and at last wake up in Naples, and there beside me is the stern fact, the sad self, unrelenting, identical, that I fled from. I seek the Vatican, and the palaces. I affect to be intoxicated with sights and suggestions, but I am not intoxicated. My giant goes with me wherever I go.”

That very last sentence has always stuck with  me since the first time I read it. After a while, I have to admit that Emerson is right. Even though there are immense pleasure to see as much of the world as we can, travelling is a poor effort to escape something that one should be dealing with, emotionally or otherwise. If we are sad, we carry that sad self with us, everywhere we go. And when come back home, the problem that haunted us before is still there, as unrelenting, as giant as it used to be.

Yet it is not quite right. Emerson himself traveled a lot before he developed all those famous essay that set up the foundation of modern american philosophy. He went to Europe, he visited Voltaire's home in France, and he met Thomas Carlyle in England, whose work had influenced him greatly. Did he consider the young self as a fool? Definitely not. Actually, every truth has its content, and we can't take a sentense out of the whole theme. This essay "Self Reliance" has one theme, "Trust thyself", never imitate. Those who travels to find new things, things that he does not carry within his heart, travels away from himself, and grows old even in youth. For a person with intellect, he shouldn't be travelling with the hope to find something greater than he knows. Rather, he should be obey his heart, exhibit his inner gift that he has cultivated all through his life and let it shine.

So what Emerson meant is not about traveling, it is about finding one's individualism and going with it, not  just imitating from others. He believes that there is a God, but everything else is also connected to it, therefore everything is divine. And for human, there is divinity in each of us, we just need to find it and let it guide us through the difficulties of life. The truth is not with God, but it could be intuitively experienced from the nature with a independent mind. That is how he transcended external authorities, organized religions, and the conformity to society norms.

It all sound too idealistic and heavy, now I suspect most people, like me, feels that we are fools already, becuase philosophies give us big headaches. But who need philosophy anyways? We all have our character, our own rule of thumbs toward life, and our divinities is with us no matter what. We still like travelling, because we simply enjoy it. We like to be intoxicated with the sights and sounds of new places, and the warm heart of the people, though we know it’s a fleeting enjoyment. I look back fondly on the places I have been, and I look forward to new destinations.

转贴：少去旅游，多去旅行

我们常把旅游与旅行混为一谈，其实两者可谓差之一字，谬之千里啊。

旅游是一种消遣和消费的过程，花钱享受异地的风光、风情、美食和服务。有人说旅游就是从你活腻味的地方到别人活腻味的地方去。讲究走的顺利，住得舒适，玩得开心，食得美味，购得称心如意。讲究这些时，一遇到飞机误点，旅馆脏乱，景区拥挤或者是刮风下雨，购物挨宰等等，便会怒气冲冲，怨天尤人，觉得十分扫兴倒霉。

旅行则是一种体验和感悟的过程。体验自然，感悟人生，不惧怕遭遇雨雪风霜和艰难险阻，把一切都视为人生的一种经历，一种体验，随遇而安，始终保持着平和的心态，沉着应对，这就是旅行。

旅游就像快餐一样，将景区、景点作为集中目标，恨不得省略一切过程快速到达，以了却此生到此一游的心愿。所以我们国家才出现了什么N日N国游。

旅行如品佳饮，要调整心态，放慢脚步，是漫漫旅途中的细细品位和观察，以获取新知。旅行没有终点，行者永远在路上，正因为如此有别于旅游者酷爱的高档、奢华、和世界知名人头攒动的旅游胜地。旅行者钟情于人迹罕至的荒野荒原，深山大川，天涯海角。

旅游之所以是从你自己活腻味的跑到别人活腻味的地方，那是因为心被功利和物欲所束缚，只有当心是自由的，才能走到哪儿都有美的发现，都有行者的快乐。有一个旅行者，写了一本书，书名叫做《中国人你为什么不快乐》，说的是心被欲望禁锢就不会有快乐，心永远在探索新知，生活才会充满奇趣与快乐。

旅行在一个人独行的时候，会有独特的眼光和思索。相伴而行时，可以彼此分享与交流，而令人身心愉悦的自然风光和异域环境，又使行者容易敞开被城市禁闭的心扉，彼此深入沟通了解。因此，伴旅往往能够成为长久的知音、知己。这和旅游中的所谓一夜情和艳遇也是完全不同的。

旅游者选择的旅伴常是昙花一现，游过之后各奔东西，彼此忘却。古有读万卷书，行万里路之说，认为把读书和旅行结合起来可谓理想和完美的人生，实际上旅行如人生，人生也是一次长途旅行，有一位叫马赛•普罗斯特的学者说：真正的发现之旅不在于发现新的领域，而在于拥有新的目光。我们也可以说真正有价值的人生之旅不在于拥有权势或金钱，而在于拥有精神、智慧和道德的力量。

让我们少去旅游，多去旅行。

Oh, the curiosities that we have

I haven't been posting my travel blogs for a while. The reason is quite simple, I didn't travel. For as much as we want to explore the new territories, our physical body chained us down. For me, there are frozen joint, aching back, and even worse, I have discovered a mysterious food allergy to some nasty shell fish. After adding all the other constraints in life, the job, the family ... all of these, made traveling not as attractive as it used to be.

Seeing yourself getting old, sometimes you just don't have the cheer...

But even we don't physically travel to new destinations, our mind can still go to places. Sometime we also call it reading a book. From book, I have discovered various things. And the most interesting things are the curious characters like Richard Feynman.

He is famous, he won Nobel Prize in 1965, he was part of Manhattan project that developed nuclear bombs, and he investigated the Challenger disaster. He was a Cal Tech professor and his books are the favorite souvenir if you go to the college bookstore.  

He is still everywhere even after he died 26 years ago. If you want to learn introductory physics, he authored the best book out there. His words, his stories get to be told over and over again by different people. If you open a book on physics of the future, he is there, talking about theoretical physics. You open a book about inspiration, he is there, talking about metaphysics and nature.You go to Yourtube, he is there, talking about other various subject about science and human in general.

 Feynman's small talk on flowers - http://vimeo.com/55874553

But he is not a typical Nobel Prize winner. Yes he is a genius and he has done a lot of great things for scientific discovery, but his IQ is rather adequate at 125 only (I mean jeez my son has a higher IQ according those online test and that didn't help with not getting a F in his math test). Most people don't understand anything about his work on Quantum physics or electromagnetic theories, yet a lot people came to say "We love you, Dick" after he died. He never really cared or strived to gain popularity yet he is loved so much. Why?

He is a curious character. Feynman's great trait isn't his intelligence; it's his passion to understand, his sheer doggedness. From a boy, he was taught to figure things out. Then one day he saw a dinner plate tossed vertically into the air like a Frisbee and began to wonder about its wobble. After that there was many years of long, slow, hard work, slogging away at a difficult scientific problem with all his strength until it was solved. That ultimately led to a Nobel Prize in physics. In his book "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman", he talked about how he enjoyed cracking national security safes, and playing pranks on people, with a marvelous sense of humor. It seems like he treated all sorts of problems as puzzles and got great pleasure for solving them.

People also got to know him through his many faces outside physics because his curiosity moved well beyond things scientific. He is a poet and a musician. He can write in Chinese and he played world level Bongo drum and he sings well. He even sign silly songs like "I want my orange juice", see video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKTSaezB4p8. He did other crazy things, like resiging from the national academy of science, like dating undergraduate students, hanging out with strippers, he even stood in court to support a nude bar he frequented. He was eccentric in all ways but he was always himself. And when he followed his nature, he sees the connection of events. And yet he was a simple man, who could laugh and made other people laugh. His love of life spilled over to all the people he met during his adventure in this planet.

Reading about Richard Feynman, it seems that getting old may not be that bad, as long as you have a curious heart.