Fiddle & Friends: The Happy Strings

#2026-0908

As we grow older, we accumulate more and more memories—beautiful ones, less remarkable ones, and some that gradually fade as time passes.

Perhaps that is one reason I treasure our little group of friends so much. Back in 2018, we started learning to play string instruments together, taking up a “new trick”—or perhaps a new skill—even in our later years. Our group has a beautiful, cheerful, and meaningful name: 快樂提琴手 (The Happy Strings).

Over the past year, however, we had to put our group practice on hold for various reasons. My wife and I spent almost a whole year in Hualien, until July 2026. Our teacher, who is also a former classmate and one of my best friends, was experiencing some physical difficulties and needed to take a break from teaching us in person for a while.

Fortunately, we now have hope for a fresh start. Look! Most of the group members have gathered for a happy, leisurely walk along the mountainside at Hou Shan Park (後山公園), followed by lunch together at Yilu (議蘆). It was wonderful to see everyone together again. We are all looking forward to resuming our regular practice sessions this November.

As for the English name of 快樂提琴手, I think “Fiddle & Friends: The Happy Strings” might be the best choice. Perhaps Fiddle & Friends tells people a little more clearly who we are: friends who have enjoyed learning and making music together for many years.

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相關文章 (See also)：

1)  《學琴首日》     (2018)

2)  My First Time Playing . . . in Public     (2020)

3)  Our Last String Lesson in the Year of the Tiger     (2023)

4)  樂琴手～月亮代表我的心     (2025)

5)  Seven Old Songs, One Unforgettable Musical Journey     (2026)

A Beautiful Name, A Place of Memories

#2026-0902

The place where the three of us—my sister Xiuqing, my wife Jean, and I—had lunch today has a beautiful name: Ren Ben Ziran (人本自然).

After lunch, I asked Gemini for a good English translation of the restaurant’s name.

I told Gemini that the restaurant is located in Caotun, Nantou County, and that I wasn’t really sure whether “Humanist Nature” or, alternatively, “Humanistic Nature” would be a good English name for it.

Gemini gave me a rather surprising answer:

“For the restaurant 人本自然：七彩神仙魚主題餐廳 in Caotun, neither ‘humanist’ nor ‘humanistic’ is the ideal choice for a natural English name.

“While ‘人本’ technically translates as ‘human-centered’ or ‘humanistic,’ using these words in a restaurant name sounds overly academic, political, or philosophical to an English speaker. It evokes an image of a university lecture hall rather than a beautiful garden restaurant with an award-winning discus fish gallery.

“Instead, you can translate the spirit of the phrase, which refers to harmony between humanity and nature, or human nature itself.”

In the end, Gemini suggested two possible English names: Human Nature and Humanity & Nature.

According to Gemini, Human Nature is the more natural-sounding choice in English and is actually what automated systems and platforms such as Google Maps use for their menu data: “Human Nature Discus Fish-Themed Restaurant.” It certainly has an elegant flow in English.

The second possibility, Humanity & Nature, captures more directly the philosophical meaning of 人本 (putting humans first) alongside 自然 (nature). It also seems to fit the restaurant’s green, garden-like setting.

But what about the restaurant’s full English name?

Gemini had no difficulty coming up with a couple of possibilities:

“If you want to create a complete, official English name that includes their famous fish theme, you could use: Human Nature: Discus Fish-Themed Restaurant, or Humanity & Nature Garden Restaurant.”

Perhaps an impressive restaurant does deserve a beautiful and meaningful name.

But for me, the name is only part of the story.

What makes this place special is that my sister Xiuqing and I have shared our personal stories here more than once—especially memories of our childhood and teenage years. As the years go by, some of those memories inevitably become less vivid, and some may eventually fade away.

Yet when we sit together and talk about those distant days, the past seems to come alive again. A forgotten scene, a family story, or something that happened when we were young suddenly returns to us, as if it had been waiting all these years to be remembered.

That is why I think Ren Ben Ziran is more than just an impressive restaurant to me. It is also a place where my sister and I can revisit our past, share old memories, and keep a small part of our family story alive.

A beautiful name, indeed—and, for the three of us, a place filled with beautiful memories.

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相關文章 (See also)：

1)  Don't Kiss Me So Hard!     (2013)

2)  Just a Note!     (2021)

3)  人本自然～Chatting during Lunch!     (2024)

4)  (英譯) The Dance of the Discus     (2025)

More Than the Pretty Chickens

#2026-0828

Yesterday, Jean and I invited our second grandson, Shine, to join us for a walk. We eventually made our way to the Taiwan Provincial Consultative Council Memorial Park, where, to our delight, we ran into the beautiful roosters I had first spotted back in late July.

Shine was thrilled to see such colorful birds. Picking a small handful of grass, he crouched down and held it out, tempting them as if it were actual chicken feed. One inquisitive rooster fell for the trick, but when it pecked the grass straight from his hand, its sharp beak gave his palm a painful pinch. Though a bit startled, Shine was undeterred and spent quite some time trying to entice the birds with his makeshift feed.

Before long, his attention shifted to a few white ducks nearby. He crept in so close that they ended up fluttering into Sun Moon Pond, paddling away as if fleeing a duck hunter!

We spent a wonderful afternoon in the park, and I managed to capture several photos of Shine enjoying his time with the birds—precious snapshots that I know we’ll treasure for years to come.

However, an unexpected surprise was waiting for us the very next afternoon.

When we returned to the park around 5:00 p.m. the next day, we spotted two of the handsome roosters perched high on a tree branch several meters above the ground. Their roost was just beyond the park fence, tucked beneath a canopy of lush, leafy trees. Even though the morning had long passed and the sky was darkening after a midday rain, the duo suddenly burst into song, crowing together in harmony like a well-rehearsed duet. I managed to capture a video of their loud performance (click below to watch).

It was such a special experience for Shine to stand just a few feet away and watch those roosters crowing together high in the trees.

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相關文章 (See also)：

1)  Beautiful Chickens @ 省議會紀念園區     (2026)

2)  宣的夏日時光 (Shine's Summer Time)     (2026)

3)  Wufeng Summers, Then & Now     (2026)

4)  Tokyo Skytree (東京晴空塔)     (2023)