終於完成一項偉大工程！

許久沒有正正式式撰寫學術文章了，花了好點時間方把自己調教至適當的狀態。

我這人好生奇怪，排戲有排戲的狀態，寫作有寫作的狀態（寫blog這類小品是生活調劑，另作別論），兩種狀態之間的交替，卻往往得花點力氣。猶幸教學的狀態，也許因已習以為常，不受兩者影響！

Project R 存檔，好累，但啟動了思考的腦袋卻仍甚活躍。也好，不然接踵而來的Projects S, T, U V, W… 不知怎辦！

《人體使用手冊》和《人體復原工程》倡議的「早睡自然醒」，奉行了三天，然後……

難道真的要待退休時方可開始實踐養生之道？（假若仍未太遲的話……）

I once came across a teacher who was writing a lesson plan using process drama to teach problem solving. She was puzzled when some fellow teachers posed her a question, "You plan has generated so many different ways of looking at the problem, but what is the conclusion? The problem's got to be solved in the end!"

A similar question arose after a Forum Theatre session I conducted. A social worker, liking the performance as it was, worried if the young people who watched it would be puzzled as the play did not arrive at a final solution. I told her that this question had not been raised by any of the young people who had seen the play (about 700-800 of them). The only people who have asked me questions of this sort are adults who are used to giving fixed answers.

I think the issue arises from their notion of problem solving. Look closely at the phrase "problem solving". Which part would you see as the most important? "Problem"? "Solve" or the solution? Neither of them in my view. I think the essence lies in the final three letters - ING - in continuous tense.

I see problem solving as an on-going process. In teaching problem solving we teach young people how this process occurs - by takING a close look at the problem, from multiple perspectives; by analyzING the problem using different lenses; by generatING different proposals to tackle the problem; and by testifyING those proposals in a relatively safe environment – and here I mean the dramatic environment, where we could be more courageous as the fictional world protects us from the real consequences of those testified actions.

Would we find THE solution in the end? Oftentimes not. And when we do, it is probably because the problem has not been challenging enough to echo the complexity of real life situations.

Life is complex, and ever-changing. A solution that works for me may not work for others. A solution that works today may not suit future circumstances.

In teaching problem solving it is of utmost importance to equip people with the competence for dealING with problems, instead of limiting ourselves to quick fixes, easy, one-size-fit-all solutions - And I do wonder if such solutions ever truly exist.

友人向我介紹了吳清忠的《人體使用手冊》和《人體復原工程》兩本書，看了前者，非常精彩，教人對健康和疾病、人體的智慧，都有全新的領悟。特此推介。

 有興趣的朋友也可到吳清忠的網站瀏覽。

English friends,

An interesting site related to The User's Manual for Human Body by Alex Wu, who talks about how ancient Chinese medicine concepts explain the wisdom of our bodies, giving an alternative view to how disease occurs:

http://garywu2005.blogspot.com/

老媽病臥在床那段日子，我們在探病時常會與她談談新聞、社會話題，好使她不會和社會脫節。

某天，我們的話題圍繞新出的十元紙幣（紫色那款）。

老爸從錢包裡拿出十元紙幣給老媽看，我說：「顏色和圖案真古怪，對不？」

老爸回應了一句：「個政府唔似樣，出啲銀紙都唔似樣過人！」

簡直是神來之筆！

後來我在某齣舞台劇中，採納了這精闢語句為台詞，劇中的老伯話一出口，全場拍案叫絕！

有機會，我得問問老爸對膠紙幣的看法；也許會是下一個創作靈感！

老爸行年八十，生性節儉無比、極度性急，耐性指數是零。

老爸自從由葵涌搬到將軍澳後，經常埋怨沒有談天的夥伴。以前，他每天都會到住所樓下的公園，和友人聊天，搬家後，他失去了這項打發餘暇的節目。

我一直以為問題是老爸不擅交際，不懂得和陌生人打開話匣子，因他經常強調和那些人「唔傾」。

今天，我再鼓勵他：「現在住的屋苑，照道理也有人在公園閒聊的啊，何不試試加入？」

老爸：「那些人唔傾的！」

我：「一次生兩次熟，多談幾次不就傾了嗎？」

老爸：「唔傾的！」

我：「為什麼？因為他們不是潮州人？」我猜想老爸是否只愛與同鄉搭訕。

老爸：「那些都是『維園阿伯』來的！唔傾的！」

我恍然大悟！原來是政見、意識形態不同！我想起老爸一直是泛民的忠實擁護者。

老爸，對不起，我低估了你！

老爸行年八十，生性節儉無比、極度性急，耐性指數是零。

我的老爸，今年八十歲了，托賴健康不俗，健步如飛。有次和他坐地鐵，我問：「通常會否有人讓座給你？」他一臉不屑地說：「無！」

老爸就是這樣，話語不多。老媽未過世時，通常很少聽到他發言，有什麼話，他都透過老媽傳達。

老媽過世後，老爸得重新適應怎樣與我們溝通，話，開始轉多，但通常仍是斬釘截鐵、精煉獨到的簡單對答，如以上的一句「無！」。

打自老媽走後，我們子女六人開始擔上不同的崗位照顧老爸，我，是「醫療部主管」，專責陪診和跟進老爸醫療方面的事宜。

話說年前老爸的白內障問題開始影響日常生活，但老爸生性慳儉，堅持要在政府醫院排期做手術，縱然我們說替他支付手術費用，他仍然堅決拒絕。直至一天，我致電到醫院詢問排期要多久，得到的答案是三年半！我向老爸報大數，說要等四年（四捨五入嘛！）他聽罷說：「四年後我不知還在不在了！」終於，他答應兩星期後到私家醫院做手術。

手術非常成功，陪他出院那天，在交通燈位前等過馬路，燈還沒轉，他已一支箭般衝過馬路，還鄙視地看看仍在等候的我，說：「等什麼？都沒有車！」那刻我方知原來他之前過馬路那麼小心，只是因為看不清楚有沒有車輛駛至。

這就是我的老爸，一位心急老人。

老爸行年八十，生性節儉無比、極度性急，耐性指數是零。

HKCATS 的朋友出了一個題：「假若貓貓要上學，你的貓會是哪類學生？」

我想：

細貓應該會是品學兼優、被老師選做班長那一類。

阿拔；我腦海中登時浮現一個肥仔頭模樣的小學生，是小息玩得滿身大汗、校服濕透回課室，上學經常漏帶東西的「論盡」小朋友。

妹頭，相信是各方面表現平平，不大受人注目，不特別受同學歡迎，但也不令人討厭那一類。但我想像當阿拔漏帶東西時，妹頭會上前告訴哥哥：「我幫你帶喇，哥！」是往往在危急關頭救大佬一命的細心好妹妹。

阿拔一向大情大性，性格像小狗，熱情好客，面對陌生人絲毫不感害怕，料不到……

某日速遞公司的人來我家收件，在填表的當兒，我突然聽到速遞員說：「喂，唔好lam，唔好lam！ 」

我往腳下一看，發現阿拔竟然正在舔速遞員的小腿（他穿短褲）。

唉，雖然不怕人是好事，但這……是否過份熱情了點？

For me, it was amazing to see such a large group of local master graduates in drama education altogether. There aren't many in Hong Kong!

The moment I saw them in the graduation ceremony, tears filled my eyes. I think all teachers would be moved seeing their students graduate. And I was particularly thrilled as they are my first batch of students.

I am astonished at how strongly my emotion has bonded with this masters programme. The few times I cried my eyes out in recent years it had been something to do with this programme. When you have invested so heavily into something it just becomes a part of you.

I remember a friend once told me, it is above all tiring working in our profession as we are constantly giving ourselves, juggling emotions, egos, while all the time having to manage consciously the human elements of teaching and art.

In many ways I am glad to be in a career that I truly aspire, and that means such a lot to me. Happy times outweigh bad ones, but at times things can be really tough, when you come across obstacles created by people who just have no idea. And this is not uncommon in our field, as drama education is yet something to be truly understood by people at large.

壓力指數又開始飆升，適逢長週末，而妹妹早前請我替她的初生女兒編織冷帽，便趁回家做節、邊等吃飯邊與家人吹吹水之際，了頂BB帽。

(A hat I crocheted for my new-born niece.)

由於是故技重操，開工前上網補習補習，發現在Youtube有短片教編織，比起以前靠自己解讀文字圖畫，實在方便多了！

回家意猶未盡，再織了一頂。這頂有花邊的：
 

(Another one)

最後，還剩了點毛冷，織了這個：

(And I used the rest of the yarn to make this little mouse.)

一個週末就在織織復織織中渡過。

這極佳的減壓活動，裝備我繼續去處理接踵而來的挑戰。