2009年9月11日星期五

甜甜酸酸的黃牙果　好有山竹 feel

昨天早上下過雨，天氣沒有那麼酷熱，下午便帶著那一黃一黑行山去．

路邊見到這棵嶺南山竹子，果子掛滿枝間，有黃有綠有啡．忍不住挑了一顆黃澄澄的放進口，果然有吃山竹的感覺，甜中帶酸．　

醒起它另一個名字：黃牙果，即時不敢放肆，再好吃也不會多摘一顆放進口裡，免得已經發黃的牙齒變得更黃．

山竹子科的黃牙果／嶺南山竹子．除了果實可吃，樹皮亦可入藥，可治療炎症及燙傷．

喜歡往山上跑的人，總覺得應該學懂幾種可以放得入口的野果．若某朝一日，迷失於荒山野嶺，又沒有準備好充足糧水的話，也不至於即時渴倒山頭．

2009年9月10日星期四

The sort of unregimented training I was giving Merle is how dogs have learned to live with humans for thousands of years. Its loose methods are different from those employed in dog obedience school, where a dog is taught stylized behaviors by issuing commands that, when obeyed, are rewarded, often with food. However, the aim of both loose and strict dog training is the same: to create a well-socialized dog. Obedience school (whether done on one's own or in a formal group) uses top-down management to get results. The loose method doesn't use bottom-up management, leaving everything to the dog, but joint management. Its underlying assumption is that dogs are clever and quickly “get it” by simply watching and listening.

豆點，還記得小時候你是何等活躍、何等難教，多少朋人好言相勸，叫阿娘將你送往訓練學校。但始終沒有將你送去受訓，因為阿娘相信，狗跟人一樣，每個人每頭狗都有自己的個性，以你的品性，送你到訓練學校，你定會比其他狗狗捱更多的罵、捱更多的揍。就算如此，也未必能成器！那，我情願你快快樂樂地待在阿娘的身邊，做頭過度活躍的狗狗，也不要送你去活受罪。

幸好，今天的你，雖然算不上是一頭乖乖的狗狗，但總算是一頭快樂的狗狗。

I knelt and gave him a hug, and he sank into my hands, groaning in pleasure. Then he lifted his head, regarded me tenderly, and sat back on his haunches. Putting his paws on my shoulders. We held each other's gaze.

Many modern dog trainers would view this moment as a red flag, claiming that a dog who puts its paws on your shoulders and looks you in the eye is trying to assert its dominance. This may be the case with some dogs, but not all of them,...

豆點，你間中也會有這個行為表現，某程度來說，這個論點對你也用得上，尤其是你想外出的時候。但這絕對沒有他們說得那般嚴重，或許你想來點甚麼攪作，但不見得一定是要顯示自己的優勢，只不過你有自己的想法並表達出來，想跟人類來個平等交往。

就如成人的世界，我們只要求孩子服從，卻沒有跟他們溝通，聽聽他們的想法。到出了甚麼差池，就責怪孩子不聽話，沒有跟成人的指示去做。但，是否成人可以考慮一下，就算錯，也要讓孩子有機會去踫踫釘子呢？

2009年9月9日星期三

又一本充滿睿智的狗書

“His lessons weren't so much about giving dogs physical doors to the outside world, although that's important, but about providing ones that open onto the mental and emotional terrain that will develop a dog's potential. His lessons weren't about training, but about partnership. They were never about method; they were about attitude. And at the heart of this attitude is a person's willingness to loosen a dog's leash — in all aspects of its life — and, whenever practical, to take off its leash completely, allowing the dog to learn on its own, following its nose and running free.”