On one hand， the instant is easier and requires one bowl. No muss. No fuss. But too many times in my life I have taken the easy way. Oh yes， I have reached my goal in the process. But to what gain？ Instant stuff brings little satisfaction in life. A solid success that one hangs proudly on the wall is one that requires the same special attention as “cook and serve” pudding.
我在超市的過道上站了近十分鐘，試圖做出一個簡單的決定：買哪種布丁。在我的生活中，任何標有“速食或速溶”說明的東西總會吸引我的注意。然而，我突然想起母親烹制“即做即食”的巧克力布丁的場景。
我站在超市里，回想起自己孩提時等候在爐子旁，看著母親慢慢地攪動布丁直到它呈現出奶油色如天鵝絨般柔軟而醇厚的狀態的那個情景。我看著她把做好的布丁倒進杯子里，然后會有一些粘在罐子的內壁，這誘惑我拿起用來攪拌的勺子刮出罐子里的每一點布丁，直到把它刮得干干凈凈，幾乎不用再清洗。
制作這種美味的餐后甜點需要耐心和時間，而這兩者正是我現今的生活所缺乏的。
一方面，速食食物更方便，只需要一只碗就好。不會弄得一團糟，也無需勞師動眾。但是在生活中，我過多地選擇了最便捷的方式。噢，是的，我在這個過程中達到了目的。然而，我獲得了什么？速食的東西并不能給生活帶來什么滿足感。一份令人自豪的踏實的成就需要像烹制“即做即食”的布丁那樣特別的用心。
True Love Always Prevails 真愛勝過一切
True love is that we stick together in “thick and thin”. Especially when it’s thin， when it’s troublesome. Then we should really bridge over the “troubled water”. That’s what they say in English. But most of us fail the test， to ourselves， not to our partners. He might leave you； he might stay with you， because you’re nice or not nice. But you fail yourself. You leave yourself. You leave the noblest being that you really are. So we should check up on this to our family members or whomever that is beloved and dear to us. Most of the time in critical situations， we just turn our backs and that is no good.
Of course we have our anger， our frustrations， because our partners are not as loving as usual， or whomever that is； but he or she is in a different situation. At that time， she or he is in mental suffering. It’s just as bad as or even worse than physical suffering. Physical suffering you can take a pill or you can have an injection and it stops or at least temporarily stops， and you feel the effect right away； or at least if people are in physical suffering， everyone sympathizes with them.
But when they are in mental anguish， and we pound them more on that， and we turn our backs and become cold and indifferent， that is even crueler， even worse. That person will be swimming alone in suffering. And especially they trust us as the next of kin， the next person， the one that they think they can rely on in times of need； and then at that time， we just turn around and are snobbish， because they didn’t treat us nice so we just want to revenge. That’s not the time. You can revenge later， when he’s in better shape. Just slap him.
Actually， at that time， the person is not his usual self anymore. He was probably under very great pressure that he lost his own control. It’s not really lost his own control， but for example， when you are in a hurry， your talk is different. Right？ “Hand me that coat！ Quick！ Quick！ Quick！” Things like that. But normally， you would say “Honey， please， can you give me that coat.” Is that not so？ Or when you’re in pain —for example stomach pain， heartache or whatever—you scream loudly； and anyone who comes to talk to you， you don't talk in the usual way anymore， because you’re in pain.
Similarly， when you are in a mental or psychological pain， you talk also in a very grouchy way， very cross. But that is understandable. So if we—any so-called loving partner or family member—do not understand even this very least， very basic concept， then we’re finished. Then we are really in a bad situation. It’s not that the partner will do anything to us. Whether he does anything to us later or not， that is no problem. The problem is us. The problem is we degrade ourselves， that we make less of a being of ourselves than we should be， than we are supposed to be， or that we really are. So do not make less of a being of yourselves.
真愛是不管情況好壞都在一起，特別是當情況不好、有麻煩的時候，更應該如俗話所說的“兵來將擋，水來土掩”，想辦法克服困難。但是大部分人都不能通過這項考驗而背離了自己，而不是背離了我們的伴侶。因為不論你好或不好，你的伴侶留下或是離開，是你自己通不過考驗，背離了你自己，背棄了內在真正高貴的你，所以我們應該檢查自己對家人或任何我們所鐘愛的人的關系，通常在關鍵的時刻我們反而背棄他們，這樣很不好。
當然我們也會覺得生氣、挫折，因為我們的伴侶不再像以前一樣可愛，不過這是因為他（她）正處在不同的狀況，精神正受煎熬。精神痛苦和生理的痛苦一樣難受，有時候甚至更糟。生理的痛苦可以用吃藥或打針來制止，至少可以暫時止痛，可以馬上見效；或者至少身體受苦時，大家都會同情她。
可是當有人處在心理的極度痛苦時，我們卻落井下石，背棄他，變得冷漠不關心，這是更殘忍、更糟糕的事，那個人就只能孤孤單單地在痛苦中掙扎。尤其他們信任我們是最親密的人，認為在需要時可以信靠，可是我們卻很勢利轉身離去，只是因為他們不再對我們好或是我們只是想要報復。這真不是時候！你可以等一下再報復，等他好一點時，打他一巴掌。
事實上，那時候那個人已經不再是平常的他，可能已因壓力極大而失去控制；也不完全是失去控制，而是像當你很匆忙時，說話的語氣自然會不一樣，你會說：“拿外衣給我，快快快！”而在平常你則會說：“親愛的，能不能請你拿那件外衣給我。”是不是這樣？或當你在痛苦時，像是胃痛或頭痛時你會大叫，人家來看你時你也無法像平常那樣談話，因為你正痛得不得了。
同樣的，當你處在精神或心理的疼痛時，你的談話自然會顯得粗暴，但這是可以理解的。如果我們這些所謂的愛的伴侶或家人不知道這最起碼、最基本的觀念，我們就完了，我們會很糟糕。并非另一半會對我們怎樣，無論對方以后有沒有對我們怎樣，那都不是問題，問題是在我們自己——我們貶低了自己，不配自己應有的身份，所以千萬不要貶低自己。
Who Gave Me the Ears是誰給我的耳朵
“Can I see my baby？” the happy new mother asked.
When the bundle was nestled in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face， she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears.
Time proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was marred. When he rushed home from school one day and flung himself into his mother’s arms， she sighed， knowing that his life was to be a succession of heartbreaks.
He blurted out the tragedy. “A boy， a big boy...called me a freak.”