Link : Typing Pinyin in Word

Finally! Finally! I don't need to insert any symbol to show the tone of each character!

My friend has found me a very useful software called "Pinyinput" - with it, you can just type Pinyin with tone marks in Word! No more symbol, no more copy and paste! Please check the link and download for your typing practice at home.

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/10274-pinyinput-type-pinyin-with-tone-marks/

After installing, do Alt-Shift to cycle through the languages available on the toolbar (of course, we shall go for Chinese first), then Ctrl-Shift to cycle through the different Chinese input methods available (Pinyinput is one of the options).

So if you type "ni 3 hao 3", it shows "nǐhǎo" instead. Then you can save lots of your time to go shopping or having a cuppa with your friends.

Special thanks to Imron for sharing this fantastic tool and my lovely friend who passed me this link! Now we can all enjoy it! ^__^

Revolution

關於這一篇，我想用中文記錄，會更精準。

最近認識很多新的人，接觸新的事物，輸入新的能量。有舒服也有不舒服的。

我喜歡，會眾齊唱讚美的話語

我喜歡，孩童手足舞蹈跟不上節奏的可愛

我喜歡，盡力而為也接受失敗

我喜歡，刮去尖銳的誠實

我喜歡，追根究柢的過程因為不是無知接受

我喜歡，你打開了一點門縫悄悄地說出難得的真話

我喜歡，蝴蝶在我胃裡打轉的沉浮騷動

我喜歡，總是替人設想也愛自己的

我喜歡，自我表達但不亢不卑

我喜歡，春風一般溫柔的關懷

我喜歡，一見鍾情的詫異及驚嘆

我喜歡，人是脆弱非萬能的才能見到蟄伏的潛質

我懷疑，挑戰風格的對話只為引起注意

我懷疑，不同信仰就無法一起過一輩子

我懷疑，宗教只拿來貼標籤跟分班分小組

我懷疑，很多話都是言不由衷

我懷疑，人到底比動物高尚到哪去

我懷疑，真理總是在他方卻無法從自己開始

我喜歡的比懷疑多一點。

開心嗎最近？我是常常笑著的沒錯。

挑合適的鞋，但不要讓鞋挑選你。

腦袋打架，需要沉浸世俗的快樂，感受是個"人"。

It's all about TEA - Tea Processing Procedures

凍頂茶屬青茶類，是茶葉中兒茶素經氧化20~25%的輕醱酵素，外觀色澤新鮮墨綠，香味清香撲鼻，滋味圓滑醇厚，無窮甘潤的韻味怎麼來的呢?

1.日光萎凋

茶菁入場後應立即攤開散熱，藉太陽光之熱能加速茶菁水分蒸發，減少水分含量，使細胞中各化學成分得以藉酵素及氧化作用引起發酵之進行。

Fresh tea leaves should be spread separately right after entering the tea field. Then the heat of sunshine will accelerate the evaporation of the water within the fresh tea leaves to reduce the water content so that chemicals in the cells can proceed with fermentation by enzymes and oxygenation.2.室內萎凋和浪青

茶菁日光萎凋後移入室內間隔靜置萎凋與攪拌動作，歷經十小時以上，讓茶葉進行發酵作用，自然產生香氣與醇厚滋味。

After drying in the sunshine, the tea leaves are moved indoors to be shrivelled by being placed still and tossed, in turns for at least ten hours. The tea leaves will ferment and emit natural fragrance and flavor during this stage.3.殺青

以約350℃高溫熱炒破壞茶菁內部酵素活性，去除茶葉菁味及水份，使葉質柔軟便於揉捻成形。

Then the leaves are stir-fried with a high temperature of about 350℃ to stop the activity of the enzymes, thus reduce the fresh tea leaves’ smell and their water content.4.揉捻

將炒熟的茶菁，使用揉捻機將茶菁揉捻成條型，破壞茶葉組織，使茶汁黏附於芽葉表面，留住茶之精華。

The stir-fried leaves are then rolled and ground into rolls, using a rolling machine, to break the cell structure of the leaves. This process keeps tea juice on the leaf surface and retains the astringent taste of the tea.5.初乾

將揉捻葉解塊置於乾燥機初乾，蒸發茶葉表面水分，握之柔軟有彈性不黏手。加工至此已深夜，將茶葉靜置隔日再行團揉。

The leaf rolls are then separated and put into a dryer to evaporate the water content in the leaves’ surface so that they are soft, flexible and not sticky. It is late night already after this process. The leaves are left still until next morning.

6.熱團揉

布揉捻團揉是藉著回鍋加熱，並用白色布巾包裹成球形，再以揉捻機揉捻數分，反覆此動作。

This process consists of two actions: the leaves are heated by a heating machine and then wrapped in white cloth in a shape of ball to be rolled and ground by the rolling machine for several minutes. These two actions take turns repeatedly.7.再乾

揉捻出來之茶葉加以解塊，茶葉才不致一團一團絞結在一起。再將揉捻後之茶葉以甲種乾燥機再次進行乾燥，降低茶葉中之含水量使其乾燥。

The leaves are then separated so that the leaves will not be twisted up with each other.The leaves are dried again using the rotary dryer to reduce the leaves’ water content.8.揀梗

經過乾燥完成後之茶葉，以人工挑撿方式撿去枝梗，使茶葉整體更具價值，並提升茶質。

The leaves after the drying process are picked manually to remove the stems. This method increases the value and quality of tea.9.烘焙

毛茶在乾燥不足或精製過程中回潮時，以再乾將茶葉含水量降低至4％以下。再利用焙火之火候改善茶葉品質。烘焙出凍頂茶固定的焙火香、甘醇、喉韻及杯底香。

The crude tea is then passed through the refining process and the second drying process to reduce the water content to below 4%. Then the tea quality is further improved by the baking process which gives Dongding tea a baking fragrance, sweetness, and a special taste in the throat.

茶的商品包裝應該在茶之製造工序全部完成後為之，包括精製再乾以及必須的加工。茶之商品包裝應盡量減少開封包裝的次數，最好製作完成後一次包裝，直到消費者打開享用。

The packaging of tea products should be made after the whole process of tea manufacturing, including the refining, second drying and other necessary processes. The frequency of package opening should be reduced during product packaging; it is better to package tea products at one time, so they are not opened again until customers are about to enjoy them.

圖片來源：鹿谷鄉農會

資料來源：http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/note.php?note_id=394970509008

Happy Chinese Valentine's Day!

According to the Chinese legend, the 7th evening of July (in the lunar calendar) is the Chinese Valentine's Day (七夕情人節: qīxì qíngrénjié ; literally qīxì means " the 7th evening of the 7th lunar month" and qíngrénjié means "lover's day"). So, HAPPY CHINESE VALENTINE'S DAY, EVERYONE! It is on 16-Aug this year due to solar calendar!
And actually there is an old love story for this day that is about the 7th daughter of "Emperor of Heaven" (玉皇大帝：Yùhuángdàdì) called "Weaving Maid" (織女：Zhīnǔ) and an orphaned "cowherd" (牛郎：Niúláng). In fact, you can guess what they do or what they are good at from their names.
"Weaving Maid" (織女：Zhīnǔ) is good at handcrafting, especially weaving clothing. The Emperor likes her skill to weave rainbows and clouds to beautify the world. "Cowherd" (牛郎：Niúláng) is a poor orphaned boy living with his elder brother and sister-in-law. His brother inherited the land and house after their parents passed away. Poor "Cowherd" only owned an old ox and need to work on the farm with it everyday. So he took very good care of that old ox.
One day, when Cowherd rested under the tree after the farm work, he glimpsed at many beautiful fairies taking a river bath. It was love at the first sight when he saw "Weaving Maid". To repay Cowherd's kindness, the old ox helped Cowherd get to know the beautiful Weaving Maid. They fell in love and Weaving Maid broke the rules to marry an ordinary person on the earth.
Their happy life didn't last long until the Emperor of Heaven knew his beloved daughter broke the rules of Heaven and separated them. The 7th daughter was forced to move to the star Vega and the Cowherd moved to the star Altair. Unfortunately, they are allowed to meet only once a year on the day of 7th day of 7th lunar month. It is a sad love story indeed.
Nowadays, people in love like to go to the temple of Matchmaker and pray for their love and the possible marriage on this day. People still single will do the same thing to ask their luck of love in the Matchmaker temple.
For me, it would be great to have somebody special around to spend this day with but being single and remembered by friends and patient for the right one is more important. People need to learn to get along with ourselves first, so we can get along with the others. Simple philosophy but difficult to put into practice sometimes.

It's all about TEA - High Mountain Tea in Taiwan

Visiting Nantou (南投) Jhushan (竹山) Tea Ceremony Association in June 2010

Tea is a drink product of the leaf buds, leaves, and internodes of the Camellia sinensis plant. Camellia sinensis is an evergreen plant which primarily grows in tropical and sub-tropical regions (e.g. my lovely hometown Taiwan). It requires at least 127 cm (nearly 50 inches) of rainfall a year (well, the north and mountain areas in Taiwan is often damp..furthermore, the typhoon season also brings lots of rain!) and prefer acidic soils. The studies of Chinese tea cultivation believe that high-quality teas are grown at high elevations, up to 1,500 meters (nearly 5,000 ft), as the plants grow more slowly and acquire a better flavor.

In Taiwan, the tea-cultivation areas are generally classified into three levels of height: low elevation (less than 500 meters above sea level), medium elevation (nearly 800 meters above sea level), and high elevation (nearly 1,000 meters above sea level).

In low-elevation areas, tea leaves can be picked throughout the year, up to seven seasons. Therefore, machinery is needed. So costs are lower and yields are higher. Some typical tea varieties cultivated in these areas are: Oolong tea (烏龍茶: Wūlóngchá), including such varieties as Dōngpiàn (冬片; literally means “winter slices”), Bùzhīchūn (不知春; literally means “not knowing spring”), and the internationally renowned Oriental Beauty Tea (東方美人茶: Dōngfāng měirén chá).

As for the medium-elevation areas for tea-cultivation, they can be found in Yunlin (雲林), Chiayi (嘉義), and Nantou (南投) in southern-central Taiwan. The altitude and moisture levels in these areas are ideal for growing tea, especially for producing half-fermented teas, such as Oolong teas of the highest quality.

In Taiwan, the tea cultivated in high-elevation areas also named “high-mountain tea” (高山茶: Gāoshānchá). The most famous growing areas are Alishan (阿里山), Shanlinsi (杉林溪), Wushe (霧社), and Lishan (梨山). Comparatively, high-mountain tea is harvested less frequently, that is, twice a year. It is harvested once in spring and once in autumn/winter when the tea grows new tea buds. The tea-pickers have to carefully select the best stems with “one bud and two leaves ” (一心二葉: yìxīnèryè) by hand. Later, the limited amount of superior tea leaves is carefully processed to the finest brews for the customers by withering, rolling, fermenting, and drying.

“one bud and two leaves ” (一心二葉: yìxīnèryè)

Its limited production quantities, higher costs, and rich flavors make it very precious and expensive. In Taiwan, the most highly-valued high-mountain tea is grown in Alishan area. Huáng dàgē (黃大哥: a very knowledgeable tea manufacturer in Taiwan) told me it is very true whenever the tea labeled “Alishan cha” (阿里山茶), it becomes the best-seller on the tea market. The price ranges from NTD 6,000 to NTD 36,000 / 600 g (roughly from GBP 17 to GBP 100 / 100g) according to different tea quality and tea manufactories.

So, if you are a big tea-fan with adventurous spirit, finding good tea cultivated in Taiwan’s mountainous regions may sound tempting to you! If you want to go straight to the source, Alishan could be the best choice. On the way, you will see many tea vendors and plantations right along the main highway (Prov. Route 18). Feel free to pull over and have a chat with the tea vendors (most of them are very friendly though barely speak English :P) while sampling the tea. To explore the spectacular views of Alishan, you can head towards to Alishan National Scenic Area to enjoy the stunning sunrise, sunset and sea of clouds.

Check the link: http://www.ali-nsa.net/english/00home/home.php for more information about Alishan National Scenic Area.

If you haven’t drunk high-mountain tea, you may wonder what makes it so special. The secret is in its leaves which contain fewer bitter and harsh-tasting elements than tea cultivated in lower-ling areas because it grows at the high altitude and free of pollution. Its leaves are also thicker and more tender. The tea has a refreshing color with a distinct mellow taste; its leaves also allow several infusions.