Pingtung City’s Chienkuo Elementary School threw a costume party at Christmas last year, and Ku Yu-kai, a kindergarten student, drew everybody’s attention by transforming himself into Optimus Prime, a Transformers character. His smart suit was tailor-made by his father, Ku Hsin-wei, who spent three months on the production with ivory board, cardboard and foam. It cost him less than NT$1,000 to get it done.
Ku Hsin-wei says both he and his son loved the Transformers, but since the elegant party costumes on the market were pricey and none of the transformer suits fit his son, he decided to make one himself. After the decision was made, he started to search for relevant information on the Internet.
“We had to put up with the mess in the house,” said Ku Hsin-wei, smilingly. The production process required constant modification; as a result, scraps of paper were constantly flying around in the house. Having his family endure the messy living environment was the most challenging part of making the Optimus Prime outfit.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
照片：自由時報記者邱芷柔攝
Ku Hsin-wei is a professional soldier. He made use of his skills when he was off-duty or on holiday. His work not only attracted everyone’s attention in the party, it also made several other parents want to learn the craft from him. He said that although a ready-made suit might be handy, a hands-on production experience can not only improve parent-child relationships, it can also help children understand that if you have the will, you can make your dreams come true.
(Liberty Times, translated by Ethan Zhan)
Photo courtesy of Ku Hsin-wei
照片：辜鑫緯提供
屏東市建國國小去年舉辦造型耶誕派對，幼兒園學童辜昱愷身著變形金剛大黃蜂，吸引全場目光。原來他的一身勁裝是出自爸爸辜鑫緯的巧手。辜鑫緯花三個月的時間為兒子量身打造，以西卡紙、厚紙板及泡棉為材料製作，不到一千元就搞定。
辜鑫緯說，他和兒子都喜歡變形金剛，但市面上精緻的派對服裝不僅昂貴，也沒有大小適中的變形金剛服飾，所以他決定自己動手做。決定之後，他就開始上網找相關資料。
「必須忍受家裡髒亂。」辜鑫緯笑說。製作過程中必須不斷修改，因此家裡常常紙屑亂飛。讓家人忍受住家髒亂，是打造大黃蜂最困難的部分。
辜鑫緯是職業軍人，利用下班與休假時間發揮巧手功力，不僅在派對中吸引全場目光，不少家長還打算向他拜師學藝。他說，現成的服飾雖然方便，但親自動手做的過程除了增進親子關係，也能讓孩子知道，只要有心，夢想就能實現。
〔自由時報記者邱芷柔／屏東報導〕
The Dutch introduced the Indian mango (Mangifera indica) to Taiwan in the 17th century. It is a green-skinned mango with thick fibers that get stuck in the teeth, but it boasts a rich aroma and a unique taste. In 1954, Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture introduced several mango cultivars from Florida, USA, including the Irwin, Haden, and Keitt varieties. After seven years of testing and domestication, the Irwin variety was chosen for promotion. Years later, the sample saplings started to bear fruit. These mangoes were large, with thin, vibrant red peels and golden pulp. The Irwin mangoes were mouth-wateringly sweet and
As the priest Antonius Hambroek stood in the dim chamber of Fort Zeelandia, his eldest daughter clung to him, her voice trembling. “Father, don’t go. They’ll kill you, and what will become of Mother and my sisters?” Outside, the sounds of Koxinga’s relentless canon siege boomed through the fortress. The defenders were on the brink of collapse. Starvation gnawed at their resolve, and the air carried the acrid stench of spent gunpowder and rotting flesh. Dutch reinforcements from Batavia had failed to arrive, leaving the garrison isolated and hopeless. Hambroek’s face was calm, though sorrow weighed heavily on his
對話 Dialogue 清清：今天中午我要多吃一點，不然晚上可能會吃不飽。 Qīngqing: Jīntiān zhōngwǔ wǒ yào duō chī yìdiǎn, bùrán wǎnshàng kěnéng huì chībùbǎo. 華華：怎麼了？為什麼會吃不飽？ Huáhua: Zěnmele? Wèishénme huì chībùbǎo? 清清：今天大年初七，是「人日節」，傳統上結了婚的女兒要回家給父母送長壽麵，而且最好是素的，我姐姐會回來，只吃素麵，我應該很快就餓了。 Qīngqing: Jīntiān Dànián chūqī, shì “Rénrì jié,” chuántǒng shàng jiéle hūn de nǚ’ér yào huíjiā gěi fùmǔ sòng chángshòumiàn, érqiě zuìhǎo shì sù de, wǒ jiějie huì huílái, zhǐ chī sùmiàn, wǒ yīnggāi hěn kuài jiù èle. 華華：我還是第一次聽說有「人日節」呢！這是怎麼來的啊？ Huáhua: Wǒ háishì dì yī cì tīngshuō yǒu “Rénrì jié” ne! Zhè shì zěnme lái de a? 清清：老一輩的人說，女媧是在第七天造出了「人」，所以今天可說是我們每個人的「生日」呢！生日快樂！ Qīngqing: Lǎoyíbèi de rén shuō, Nǚwā shì zài dì qī tiān zào chūle “rén,” suǒyǐ jīntiān kěshuōshì wǒmen měi ge rén de “shēngrì” ne! Shēngrì kuàilè! 華華：你也是啊！欸？那前六天女媧都做了什麼呢？ Huáhua: Nǐ yěshì a! Éi? Nà
As we bundle up in thick coats to stay warm during the winter, there is a population that has already adapted to extremely low temperatures. These people live in the remote city of Yakutsk, the coldest city on Earth. Yakutsk is situated in the heart of Siberia, which is the capital of the Sakha Republic in Russia. This historic mining city began to flourish in the 19th century following the discovery of gold deposits. Given its construction on permafrost, the average temperature in the city remains below 0°C for over half the year, with winter temperatures dropping to an astonishing -50°C.
RSS