關於 smoke get in your eyes ，我們在網路上蒐集到這些相關的討論、資訊與評價

See a Mighty Jesus

“In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. With two he covered his feet. With two he flew. One called to another, and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!” The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.” (Isaiah‬ ‭6:1-4‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Picture this majestic vision. The mortal king of Israel had just died, and the Lord Christ revealed Himself, seated on His throne of glory which was high and lifted up, and the train of His robes filled the whole temple. The longer the train, the more honorable the king is—it was a picture of the supreme ruler. The King of kings and Lord of lords!

No mortal king rules forever, so regardless of who rules in Israel, Christ is the ultimate king who is watching over the nation, protecting it from all her enemies.

We can benefit from seeing Jesus in His love and Grace, and also from seeing Him in His power and authority. However, the former is more important to be established in first because without having a sense of being loved by Him, you will be afraid of Him due to the latter.

Behold Jesus in His power. Can any enemy stand against a God like that? He is Yahweh of Armies, who commands the seraphim, the cherubim, the four living creatures, the chariots of fire, and all the heavenly armies. The natural elements of this world like the wind and waves obey His word, and nothing can resist His command.

When we magnify the Lord in our hearts, we won’t fear the enemies because the greatness of our God overshadows the problems we face in life.

What does the passage mean when it says that “the house was filled with smoke”? This smoke is the smoke from the altar of incense, which is a picture of the prayers being offered up by the nation of Israel. The people were crying out for God to help them, and that is why the temple was filled with smoke—the many prayers of the people.

“The Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says. Won’t God avenge his chosen ones, who are crying out to him day and night, and yet he exercises patience with them? I tell you that he will avenge them quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”” (Luke‬ ‭18:6-8‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

God is being patient, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance in Christ Jesus. There is a day of vengeance coming, which is the period of time called the Tribulation and the Day of Christ, and it will be horrible for the inhabitants of this earth who have not received Jesus Christ as Lord. We won’t be going through the Tribulation, but we will be returning to earth with Jesus on the Day of Christ (popularly known as the Second Coming).

Our Lord is not coming back as a meek Lamb, but as the mighty Lion of the tribe of Judah.

“I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has names written and a name written which no one knows but he himself. He is clothed in a garment sprinkled with blood. His name is called “The Word of God.” The armies which are in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in white, pure, fine linen. Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp, double-edged sword, that with it he should strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He treads the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty. He has on his garment and on his thigh a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND Lord OF LORDS.”” (Revelation‬ ‭19:11-16‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

We have to change the picture of the ascended Jesus we have in our minds. He is no longer the bleeding and suffering man of sorrows who was so injured that He fell from the weigh of the cross that He was carrying.

He is now high and lifted up, back on His throne of glory, with all the heavenly armies at His command. In fairy tales, there is often a handsome prince on a white horse that whisks the damsel in distress away to a happy ending where they ride away together into the sunset. Where did humans get this picture from?

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their hearts, yet so that man can’t find out the work that God has done from the beginning even to the end.” (Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:11‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

God has set eternity into the hearts of men. Jesus is the prince who will save Israel from her oppressors. When you think of Jesus today, see a mighty King who commands the heavenly armies to fight your battles for you. He does this because He loves you!

My vision drawings was one of the Bible Study series shared for GEM patrons on Patreon. Join our Patreon community to receive fresh rhema words from the Holy Spirit to help you in every season of life: http://patreon.com/miltongohblog

ASAKU® X Dragon Life
Part.1
All 13 chapters in this book.

Original author：Mingkun Liu
Translator: Claudia Liu @ fanyi4life
Preface: Outline of ASAKU X Dragon Life

In year 36722 on Epic Calendar...

On the surface in the Epic World, green Mirror Cores started to appear on Humans Continent, Fairies Continent, and Phantom Continent. The location differed every time it happened. Meanwhile, the center was pouring out little guarding monsters. In 24 hours, the green core would turn red and release energy of Reversal Impact in radius of one kilometer, to turn back the time. The energy released would bring even more powerful monsters, together with the supreme core monster. One Mirror Core would cause one Reversal Impact which would turn animals or monsters around berserk as well.

The Mirror Cores emerged one after another, with the intervals of three to seven days. Currently, there was no way to destroy it. Once a Reversal Impact took places, the time within the range would be turned back, as well as the lives and scenery would be restored to the previous condition. In other words, people might become younger, but those who haven’t outlived the time reversed would disappear. Things would be restored to normal once they leave the range.

When Reversal Impact happened, not only time was turned back, but plenty of monsters would pour in to protect the core. People that once lived in the time that was reversed would be brought back as well, but appeared like a reanimated corpse without a soul. Yet for others who still remembered them, it would be a moment to look forward to.

Since the time reversed could not be estimated, no one dared to risk inside the range and fight against the monsters. When the Reversal Impact took place, whoever was inside the range could do nothing but evacuate as soon as possible.

On the surface of the Epic World, the Fairies were the only ones that were invulnerable to Reversal Impact, which also explained why the Mirror Core would not be found on the Fairies Continent. The Fairies were shielded from the danger of the Reversal Impact. We were not entirely sure of the reason why the Fairies were protected, but they did not hold the power to destroy the core. The only solution the Fairies could propose was to seal the core, to stop the monsters from flooding in our world.

Delegated by Oudelos, the Fairies King, Asaku, as the Seal Priest from the Light race, led his partners to explore the world. With the Compass of No Return, which could locate the Mirror Core and calculate the time turned back, Asaku would seal the core to stop Reversal Impact and the inundation of monsters.
Chapter One: Asaku the Seal Priest

At three o’clock in the afternoon on Monday, August 12th, year 36722 on the Epic Calendar...

In the Village of Eden, part of the Kingdom of Phil and located on the south-west of Humans Continent, a Mirror Core appeared and villagers started to evacuate. Troops dispatched by the Kingdom of Phil were engaged in a hard fight against monsters to ensure a safe evacuation of villagers. In the last thirty minutes when the core started to turn red, the military retreated and set up a line of defense in a safe zone outside village. Once the Reversal Impact started, the monsters would no longer be limited. All of a sudden, in front of the troops popped up a Folding Corridor from which a young magic knight walked out. The magic knight was dressed in blue with a white cloak, equipped with the Seal Knife and followed by a clown puppet and a winged lion. There was also an adorable little girl, walking with the trio toward the village. Some soldiers saw them and tried to stop them. The magic knight turned around and said, “Per order of Oudelos, the Fairies King, I am the delegate to seal the Mirror Core. My name is Asaku, the Seal Priest from the Light race. You are all useless here, so just run.”

Soldiers said, “How insolent!”

Hearing this, the little girl standing by Asaku punched him on the shoulder and said, “Asaku, that is just rude!”

Then she turned around and saluted the soldiers, saying, “My name is Ellia, and I am the animal trainer from the Soil race. Asaku is my brother, and I apologize for his attitude. May I ask: who is the general leading the troops?”

The human general stepped ahead, replying respectfully, “We appreciate assistance from the Fairies. This is General Stalul. Please kindly seal the core to prevent even more damage.

Ellia asked, “Have all villagers evacuated?”

General Stalul replied, “Yes, we have sent everyone to a safe place.”

Upon hearing this, Asaku said, “Great! So now I can do anything I want freely!” Then he rushed into the village with the clown puppet and the illusion lion, in the direction where the core was with all the monsters.

Ellia saluted General Stalul again and explained, “I am here to investigate the reason why monsters have gone berserk. Even the generally gentle monsters are turned violent by the core. Please proceed with caution.” Then Ellia ran into the village and caught up with Asaku.

Facing assault of countless monsters, Asaku fought back with the Seal Knife. Those monster who were injured by the Seal Knife were sealed and frozen. Meanwhile, this knife absorbed and stored power of monsters. What’s more, it could also soak up power of attributes from the Nature. For example, if the knife came in touch with stone, it took in the power of soil.

When Asaku cast magic, he had the three-star matrix magic on his left hand, the reversed matrix magic on his right hand, so all he had to do was to take in the power, based on its nature, and use it on the matrix magic to initiate an attack. When swamped by monsters, Asaku could use the reversed three-star matrix magic to amplify the magic power; to focus fire, Asaku could zero in on the three-star matrix magic for a fatal blow. The more power the rituals absorb, the more potent the magic will be.

Ellia used the Love Racket to purge the monsters. Ordinary monsters would be pacified and become passive. Some of them would even help Ellia in combat.

The closer they were to the core, the more powerful the monsters were. Determined to dash into the core, Asaku put away the Seal Knife and yelled at the clown puppet, “Come, Ghost Card Uda, transform into the Sun Sword!" Uda then transformed from a clown puppet into a sword as shining as the sun. Asaku chopped his way toward the core with the Sun Sword. However, where the sun didn’t shine, the sword lost its glow and power as well. Uda said, “Asaku, seriously, I don’t have power without the sun. And the sun is setting soon. So chop chop, wrap it up now!”

Asaku replied, “Yea, roger that. I’ll finish the fight as soon as possible!” Then he hopped on the illusion lion, and dashed toward the core.

Soon Asaku and his partners arrived at the core that was about to turn red, but a baby’s crying caught everyone’s attention. Looking for where the crying was from, Asaku found a young mother holding a baby, hiding in a corner nearby. Asaku shouted but there wasn’t time. Without second thought, Asaku flew to the woman and grabbed her. Ellia held the baby tightly and hoped to take the mother and her baby to safety. At that moment, Reversal Impact happened!!

A strong wave of ripple dispersed and things around started to change. The young mother turned into ashes and disappeared, yet the baby in Ellia’s arms survived unharmed like a miracle. Shocked, Ellia held the baby and screamed, “You said everyone was evacuated, everyone!”

Checking on the Compass of No Return, Asaku learned that the time was turned back eighty years. Ghost Card Uda reminded Asaku to seal the core and prevent more loss.

Asaku asked Ellia to take the baby to safety, but once the baby left Asaku’s arms, he started to cry. No one but Asaku could calm the baby down. The baby clutched Asaku. In the end, Asaku carried the baby on his back and returned to combat to seal the core. Ellia even teased Asaku about the baby.

Irritated, Asaku yelled, “Shut up!!”

The yelling woke up the baby and he started to cry. At the same time, both Asaku and Ellia put a finger in front of the mouth and said, “hssssss” to hush the baby.

Asaku said, “The supreme demon has showed up. Let’s go knock it down, get it done and go home!”

The supreme demon for this core was a giant cannibal flower, spitting poison at Asaku and lashing him with its vines. Dodging with Flying-n-Leaping, Asaku chopped all vines he could but failed to get close to the demon for a direct strike.

Strange to say, but the baby Asaku carried stayed composed through the fight. He was so quiet, unusually quiet.

Ellia rode on a mountain pig she just calmed, trying to assist Asaku in combat. Yet the demon was too powerful, so all she could do was flee.

By then, the sun set completely. Ghost Card Uda shouted, “Oh no! The sun…” then it turned back into the clown puppet.

Without the Sun Sword, Asaku could only fight with the Seal Knife.

Asaku thought, “Seriously, the Seal Knife can’t do the monster much harm because the power it absorbs is not enough. I need a blaze to burn it!”

Then Asaku turned around and shouted at Samoyed, the illusion lion, “Cast three fire bolts at me!”

With one turn over, Samoyed jumped into distance and spat three enormous fire bolts to Asaku.

Asaku lifted his left hand, fingers spread out, and a three-star matrix magic appeared on his palm and took in the fire bolts. Jumping high, Asaku dashed back into the cannibal flower’s mouth with his left fist clutching and the fire bolts amplifying.

Asaku stepped forward, letting go of his left fist, “Three-star matrix magic, Fire Tornado!"

The wave of fire burned the cannibal flower into ashes. Asaku hurried to the Mirror Core with a transparent cube of crystal in his hand, the Holy Crystal Cell with inscription on it. Before Asaku successfully cast the ward and sealed the core, numerous monsters still fought on. Thanks to Samoyed, the illusion lion protected everyone.

With one flash, the ward was complete and the core was sealed. All monsters were gone right away, but the surroundings remained the same. Everything was the way they had been eighty years ago.

When it was safe, Asaku approached the villagers and wanted to hand over the baby to them. Unexpectedly, all villagers panicked. They were convinced that the baby was the son of Demon. Asaku learned that the mother gave birth to the baby without a known father, so no villager was willing to adopt the baby. Besides, the baby wouldn’t let go of Asaku. Without an option, Asaku carried the baby on his back and returned to the Fairies Continent with Ellia, who said goodbye to her new mountain pig friend, through Folding Corridor.

Chapter Two: A Trojan Horse

At eleven o’clock in the morning on Tuesday, August 13th, year 36722 on the Epic Calendar, a meeting was held in the Fairies Empire Meeting room with the presence of Fairies King Oudelos, General Alga, Priest Harp, Fairies Princess Jiefulo, Asaku, Ellia, and the human baby.

Asaku got down on one knee and updated the Fairies King Oudelos the current situation in the Village of Eden, while the human baby slept peacefully in the cradle tended by Ellia.

Asaku ended the report, “My King, this is the update of the event in the Village of Eden.”

The Fairies King Oudelos dismissed Asaku and turned to General Alga, saying, “My General, may I have your thoughts on this?” General Alga was red in the face, and the King yelled at him, “Seriously, you two got drunk this early in the day?”

General Alga explained, “Well, we are not to blame. Priest Harp brews the best wine ever, which is perfect to wake me up in the morning.”

Priest Harp argued, “Alga, I thought we were friends! And I even saved the goodies for you.”

“Ahem…” the King coughed to stop the fight, and then everyone fell silent. The King reached out his hand, and Priest Harp presented the King the wine. Bottom up and the King yelled, “Woot! Great wine indeed!” Then he turned around to Asaku and said, “All right, now we can continue.”

Seeing this, Princess Jiefulo said to the King angrily, “Father, really? You have business to attend to. How could you drink with them so early?”

King Oudelos said, “Awww it’s nothing, my honey. It’s quite peaceful on the Fairies Continent.”

Hands on her hips, Princess Jiefulo said, “Oh my… Some sense of danger, please?”

Scratching his head, Asaku said in a hopeless tone, “Do you old things really care about this Mirror Core?”

General Alga said, “We fairies do not interfere whatever happens outside the Fairies Continent. It was the Holy Dragon King who brought us an order from the Gods, stating that only the fairies can fight against the Reversal Impact, so the King is commanding you to handle the core in the Village of Eden.”

Asaku said, “The Holy Dragon King, you mean the conspirator? Why do we have to listen to him?”

Fairies King Oudelos replied, “Because this is an order from Gods, we have to comply.”

Asaku snorted.

Priest Harp walked toward the human baby and said, “This is a remarkable baby. He completely waves off the influence of Reversal Impact.”

Ellia pulled the baby’s blanket, and found on the blanket it said “Adam.” Surprised, Ellia even saw a birth mark of emblem of rainbow on the baby’s back.

The birth mark seemed to be quite weighty. Both the King and General Alga went to the baby to take a closer look at the baby.

Slowly, the Fairies King spat out, one word after the other, “Rainbow… Savior..."

General Alga said, “So the kid is the new successor of Rainbow Savior. His name is Adam."

Priest Harp said, “I suppose it was part of their plan to send Asaku off to the Village of Eden. We are set up!”

Asaku said, “So what now? This baby is so needy and wouldn’t let go of me. If he wakes up and I’m not around, he’s going to cry like there’s no tomorrow. Nuh-uh, I’m not babysitting anyone.”

General Alga asked, “Wait a second, Asaku, you know where the two cores were previously?”

Asaku replied, “Yes, they were in the Time Library on the Elves Continent and Hugilus Desert, south-east of Kingdom of Phil on the Humans Continent. But when I got there, Reversal Impact had been completed on the cores. When I went to the Eden Village, per the King’s order, I should’ve been able to seal the core and stop everything, but the kid was in the way.”

Priest Harp asked, “Both cores happened near Kingdom of Phil on the Humans Continent? Something doesn’t add up here.”

Abruptly, the Fairies King Oudelos stood up and yelled, “General Alga, rally the guards and prepare for war!” Immediately, General Alga dashed out of the meeting room and alarmed the guards!

Asaku asked, “What’s going on?”

Princess Jiefulo said, “Protect the baby with all you can.”

Hearing this, Ellia grabbed Adam who was sound asleep in her arms tightly.

Priest Harp yelled, “This is a scheme plotted against us! The core in the Time Library was to fabricate the history, while that in the Hugilus Desert was to restore the mirror in the lake. The baby was left there on purpose because they knew he wouldn’t be influenced by the Reversal Impact. In the end, you returned to the Fairies Continent through the Folding Corridor with the baby. Your tracks left behind granted access to those who cannot enter the Fairies Continent through the reflection of mirror.

At that moment, a tremendous crash was heard, which shook the whole Fairies Empire. Priest Harp said, “I will put the baby into deep sleep, so his crying wouldn’t attract the mobs. Ellia, please take care of Adam. Asaku, go defend us!”

Ellia replied, “Yes, Priest Harp, I will protect the baby with all my might.”

Asaku yelled, “The situation is dire. I’m right on it! Ghost Card Uda! Samoyed!”

Asaku summoned two escorts and the three rushed to where the loud noise was from.

Right above the Fairies Empire Hall appeared a crack of time and space, from which poured in lots of monsters! General Alga led the Royal Guards to fight!

Seeing this, Asaku yelled with surprise, “What is this all about!”

The next second, Asaku transformed the Ghost Card Uda into the Sun Sword and joined the fight.

Soon, the King and Princess Jiefulo came to the Fairies Empire Hall, heavily protected by the Royal Guards.

Out of the crack, a phantom fox with nine tails appeared in the middle of the hall.

The phantom fox said in an exciting tone, “Woot! You guys are here to welcome me, the gorgeous and graceful me, right? Show me your love~”

Asaku yelled, “You high or what? What did you just smoke!?”

Then a fairy soldier who was responsible for space defense reported to the King, “My King, a Mirror Core just popped up on the Fairies Holy Land!”

Hearing this, the king instantly ordered that General Alga guard the holy land, Asaku take care of the monsters to stop them from approaching, and commanded some royal guards to stay and assist Asaku.

Witnessing the depressing situation, Princess Jiefulo said, “I’ll stay and defend the empire with Asaku.”

The King replied in a serious tone, “No! You have to go to the Holy Land with General Alga.”

Through the corridor behind the hall, the King led General Alga, Princess Jiefulo, Ellia and others to the Fairies Holy Land.

All the monsters in the hall were decimated by Asaku and the royal guards while the phantom nine-tailed fox remained still, as if it had been watching a show, until everyone was killed but the fox.

Bursting in laughter, the fox yelled hysterically, “Now the spotlight is on me and only me~ I’m the center of everything like a superstar!”

When the fox was done talking, it waved its paw, creating an enormous shocking wave. In order to protect the royal guards, Asaku dashed to the front, dressed in Shadow Lion Armor and glowing, and blocked the attack of the phantom nine-tailed fox.

Equipped with the Sun Sword, transformed by Ghost Card Uda, and Shadow Lion Armor, transformed by the illusion lion Samoyed, Asaku was ready for combat.

Once ready, Asaku said to the remaining guards, “Go protect the holy land, and leave the monsters here to me.”

“Thank you, sir!” the royal guards replied and then retreated to the holy land.

The phantom nine-tailed fox said, "I am the Darkmirror General VI from the Mirror Continent. My name is Phantom Nine-Tailed Fox. Awww you can also call me Fox Nine-Nine, you know, cuter~”

The fox continued, “So you are Asaku, the one that has gained the power of Gods, the combination of Gods and Fairies, and that makes you a real… goof, you know, god plus fairy, so goof.”

Asaku shouted back, “You goof! What is this with your stupid nickname, Fox Nine-Nine? I don’t have time for this. I’m going to knock you out now!”

Fox Nine-Nine said, “Awww you think you can beat me? Muahaha~” He blinked to Asaku at once and initiated an attack!

The Fox was rather fierce, so Asaku was having a hard time fighting even with the Sun Sword and the Shadow Lion Armor. Meanwhile, Asaku cast matrix magic to absorb the Fox’s magic. Thanks to the Shadow Lion armor, most of the damage was mitigated.

Moving and attacking, the Fox laughed hysterically, “Hahahaha oh my my~ becoming one with god at the price of fairy power? So you can never cast any elemental magic and… now you can only attack by taking in power first? Awww that is hilarious… hahahaha!”

Asaku said, “Why do you look into my history?”

The Fox replied, “Awwww that’s because I love you, silly~ Muah!”

Asaku yelled, “OH MY GOD that is soooo disgusting!!”

Next, the Fox’s nine tails all spread out, looking all appealing and alluring. The Fox said, “Asaku~ this is going to be my mightiest blow, as powerful as my love for you~”

Even with bare eyes, Asaku could see tremendous power compile on the Fox. He knew, this assault would decide the ending of the fight.

On his mind, Asaku was talking to Uda and Samoyed, “We have to use that skill.”

Ghost Card Uda said, “Are you sure, Asaku? You haven’t mastered the power of God, and this strike will exhaust you. We don’t know when you’d recover.”

Samoyed argued, “But this is the only way out now. I cannot take any more attack from the Fox. We have to knock him out first. We will guard you, Asaku.”

By then, the Fox took in enough energy. He shouted, “Multiple Foxes Explosion!”

Turning over, a pair of angel’s wings and a pair of fairy’s wings grew out on Asaku’s back. The Keys of Seven Attributes flew around Asaku. Glowing, the light around Asaku turned into seven huge swords. Asaku shouted, “Take that, God’s power is with me. Seven Keys Comet Impact!”

The fatal strikes from both parties collided. The Fox was too late to dodge the attack and was gravely injured, so he fled into the crack back to the Mirror Continent. What’s more, Asaku’s potent attack almost wiped the Fairies Empire clean.

Ghost card Uda and the Illusion Lion Samoyed broke away from Asaku, while the latter collapsed on the ground. He was still conscious, but couldn’t move even one finger.

Samoyed carried Asaku on his back and took Uda to the Fairies’ Holy Land. By then, the Fairies Continent that had remained intact for thousands of years was officially intruded.

Arriving at the Holy Land, Asaku saw the Mirror Core on the altar in the center of the holy land. The King was leading fairies to fight against the monsters. Feeling hopeless, Asaku tried to put himself together and asked, “How come Priest Harp hasn’t sealed the Mirror Core?”

Chapter Three: Freeze Froze Frozen

At two o’clock in the afternoon on Tuesday, August 13th, year 36722 on the Epic Calendar.

A Mirror Core was placed in the most important holy land on the Fairies Continent, while Priest Harp didn’t even bother sealing the core; instead, he was only fighting against monsters.

Brought to Priest Harp by Samoyed, Asaku asked Priest Harp why he hadn’t sealed the core in the Fairies Holy Land. After all, it was Priest Harp that gave him the Holy Crystal Cell.

“Holy Crystal Cell was brought back from the God’s Continent by Holy Dragon King. Only you could use the crystal, which is why you were assigned this job.” Priest Harp explained to Asaku.

Upon hearing this, Asaku turned depressed and said, “But I’m too weak to activate the Holy Crystal Cell. So there is nothing we can do but to witness our holy land being destroyed by the Reversal Impact?”

Priest Harp said, “Rest, Asaku, and restore as much health as possible.”

At that moment, Ellia ran toward Asaku, crying, “A guy in a black cloak took Adam away… I was no rival to him… it was my fault…”

Asaku comforted her, “No, it wasn’t your fault. Don’t cry, Ellia…”

Priest Harp said, “I suppose kidnapping Adam was part of the plan.”

General Alga led the Royal Guards to set up a formation of attack, fighting against the monsters around the core. The Fairies King stood right above the core, trying to smash the core with magic of thunder but in vain.

A strong dark light emitted from the high tower of the holy land, creating a gap of time and space. From the gap, a knight riding on a dark dragon flew out. In a voice as loud as thunder, the knight said, “I am General Philips, the Darkmirror General II. Now, authorized by the Mirror Continent, I officially declared war against the Fairies Continent.”

The knight on the dark dragon emitted a unique magic power, which froze all monsters.

Sensing the power, both Asaku and General Alga blurted out, “It’s the power of Salu, the missing fairy of the wind race! Why would fairies’ power pour out from him?”

General Alga added, “Not exactly. This is something more potent, combining fairies’ power of wind attribute and dark power.”

“I can’t think of anyone on the Fairies Continent that can compete with him.”

The Fairies King fell silent.

General Philips waved, and the dark dragon spat out a super tornado that blew away the fairies troops. Some fairies cast defense for protection. Then everyone noticed that the wind did no harm to Princess Jiefulo.

The King commanded, “Take shelter behind Princess Jiefulo.”

The entire troops all hid behind Princess Jiefulo and they followed her wherever she went.

Princess Jiefulo asked, “Why are you guys staying behind me? I’m gonna teach that General Philips a lesson.”

Once she said these words, she moved to General Philip’s direction. The troops were begging her not to move, so they could stay where they were.

General Philips noticed this as well and he showed strong emotion. The next second, he darted to Jiefulo.

While everyone was trying to protect Jiefulo, General Philips grabbed Jiefulo and kissed her. Everyone stopped and so did the furious tornado.

Turning red, Princess Jiefulo pushed Philips away angrily and slapped him hard. “You crazy psycho! How dare you kiss me like this? Who do you think you are?” she shouted at him.

Soothing his cheeks, General Philips seemed disappointed and said, “You’ve forgotten all about…”

Then the dark dragon came take Philips away.

Seeing Philips leave, Jiefulo felt her heart beating fast. She touched her lips that Philips just kissed and burst into tears. She wondered, “What is wrong with me that I feel so sad and sorrowful?”

General Philips rode the dark dragon to the front of the fairies troops and taunted, “Send your best to challenge me.”

General Alga jumped into air, summoned his mount, the griffon, and accepted Philips’ challenge. “This is General Alga,” Alga said, “I am the strongest guardian on the Fairies Continent.”

General Philips said, “I have been waiting for this moment, to finally challenge you to a duel.”

General Alga asked, “Can you answer me one question?”

General Philips interrupted him and said, “I can tell you directly what you want to know. First of all, I am Salu, the missing fairy of the wind race. Secondly… the Salu you know are actually two people. One is on the Fairies Continent and the other is on the Mirror Continent. My real name is Philips.”

General Philips looked at Asaku who was still trying to restore his strength, saying, “Just like Asaku, we both have double masks.”

General Alga gasped, “Double what?!”

Still powerless, Asaku thought, “What does it mean exactly, double masks?”

Then Uda saw Philips’ weapon and said to Asaku, “He has the Moon Sword!”

Asaku replied, “No way. That's not possible.”

Uda explained, “I know I’m right. Moon Sword and I are two ghost cards, and we are connected. How did he get it?”

General Philips said, “Well, time for diplomatic courtesy is over, so I’m going launch an attack~ To begin with….”

Once General Philips snapped his finger, the core was turning red and Reversal Impact was imminent, which shocked Asaku and all the other fairies.

Asaku said, “I can’t believe that he could’ve sped up the time for Reversal Impact. I’m going to seal the core!”

Pity that Asaku was still too weak to even get up. All he could do was lie on Samoyed.

Asaku said to Samoyed, “Get closer, so I can touch the core.”

Samoyed moved closer to the core, and Uda helped Asaku put his right hand on the core. Suddenly, the turning slowed down, leaving Asaku in excruciating pain.

Priest Harp said, “Asaku, you can’t seal the core like this. You are only delaying the inevitable. If you continue like this, you will die from exhaustion.”

Asaku said, “Even this is to buy a bit more time… this is the only thing I can do now.”

Hearing this, Ellia put her hands on Asaku’s, and said,

“I want to guard the Fairies Continent as well.”

Asaku lowered down his head and nodded.

Riding on the griffon, General Alga initiated an attack at Philips. The crash of the two most potent powers in the whole world created a ripple that froze the fairies troops and monsters completely.

As time went by, the combat was heating up, and Asaku couldn’t hold it any more.

All of a sudden, Philips turned to the Fairies King and said, “My King, allow me to tell you: the time set on the core is 1000 fairies’ years, roughly 41 human years. That would be the time of the Eight Races for the fairies!”

Upon hearing this, all fairies appeared shocked and scared.

General Alga said, “I will never ever allow you to turn back the time to 1000 fairies’ years ago. That was a chaotic time, which will cause devastation in the Epic World at this moment!”

Just when General Alga was preparing to launch his most powerful attack, Compressed Air Cannon, General Philips unexpectedly attacked with the same strike!

General Alga said, “You are my student that I’m proud of, and you are Salu from the Fairies Continent!”

Smiling, General Philips remained quiet...

While the two were about to crash, the core glowed in red, the Reversal Impact was triggered and Asaku couldn’t hold it anymore!

At that moment, the Fairies King Oudelos shouted, “As your King, I will not allow the fairies to perish here. Race of Air, assembly to initiate the teleportation ritual!”

Just as the Race of Air was casting the spell, the King said to General Alga and Priest Harp, “Guard the Fairies.”

Quickly, General Alga retreated to the King, together with Priest Harp who yelled at Asaku, “Go! Run as fast as you can!”

The Fairies King then drew a special magic sigil on his hand, which turned into an eagle that dived into the ground.

The King nodded at General Alga and Priest Harp, and the trio shouted, “The supreme sealing magic of the Fairies, Frozen Seal!”

That was the time the Reversal Impact starting to affect the surroundings and the Race of Air launching the teleportation ritual.

General Philips said, “Dang! You even thought of freeze the whole Fairies Continent. Nuh-uh, I’m not going to be trapped here.” Then he opened the gap of time and space but didn’t leave without taking a second look at Jiefulo.

The Reversal Impact was stopped by Frozen Seal, so was the teleportation ritual which wasn’t fast enough to save all fairies. Asaku was lucky, as he was sent away. Right before he was teleported, he heard Priest Harp, saying, “Find the Fairies Queen Aranda… only she can save the Fairies. You are our only hope, Asaku.”

Tears in his eyes, Asaku was sent into the teleportation tunnel and he lost consciousness.

The time on the Fairies Continent stopped. No one could enter, nor anyone could exit.

Chapter Four: Tear of the Mermaid

At ten o’clock in the morning on Monday, August 19th, year 36722 on the Epic Calendar...

Waking up but still dizzy, Asaku heard familiar voices and they were Uda, Samoyed and Ellia. The three were excited to see Asaku. “Woot! Finally, you’ve come to yourself!” said Uda.

Ellia leaned over to Asaku and said, “I was so so worried about you, Asaku… Thought I’d lost you.”

Asaku said, “I’m good. So where are we now?”

Uda replied, “We were sent to the Mermaid Kingdom on the Phantom Continent. The Mermaid Queen arranged accommodation for us here. You slept for almost a week!”

Asaku looked around, and found himself in a small, warm room showered in sunshine reflected by water. “It seems to be a girl’s room,” said Asaku.

Uda said, "Because there are only girls in the Mermaid Kingdom.”

Asaku was surprised, and he saw the room was filled with flowers, so he asked,

"What are these flowers about?”

Shrugging, Uda grinned, “The flowers are from your fans. The whole kingdom knows about you, and all girls are crazy for you. They’ve been sending flowers here, together with their greetings. The Mermaid Queen even promulgated to address you as the Sleeping Prince Charming of the Fairies…”

Samoyed turned around and giggled...

Footsteps were heard outside the door, so Uda told Asaku to fake sleep. If people knew he was awake, the fans would inundate the house immediately.

So Asaku lay down to fake sleep, and then about ten mermaids entered the room with flowers and gifts. Samoyed turned invisible, and Uda transformed into a clown puppet. Nothing could stop these girls --- they all kissed Asaku on the cheeks and wished him the best. It took them quite a while to have all the fun and leave.
Asaku got out of bed, with his hands on the cheeks that were just kissed. All smiling, Asaku blushed.

Ellia looked away, pouting unhappily.

Uda knocked on Asaku’s head and said, “Wake up!”

Asaku said, “I don’t want to stay here like a caged animal. I’m going to sneak out and look for some intel.”

“But Asaku,” Ellia said, “you can’t just go out like this. As the Sleeping Prince Charming of the Fairies, you will create a chaos. Let me dress you up.”

The Mermaid Kingdom is located under water, protected by a ward deep in the ocean. In the kingdom, one can breathe as freely as they can on the land.

On the street, there was a mermaid dressed in a maid’s outfit with a weird hairstyle and makeup, and a clown puppet on “her” shoulder. That was Asaku. Ellia dressed up as a mermaid as well, following Asaku. Samoyed turned invisible and stayed at their side.

Asaku asked, “Why do I have to go out in a maid’s costume? This is so silly! The skirt… it’s so cool down there and that feels so… weird!”

Laughing, Ellia replied, “Told you to wear some panties.”

“Nuh-uh,” Asaku said, “no girls’ panties for me!!”

Uda said, “But people would recognize you without the costume! That’d be trouble if they knew who you are. Thousands of mermaid girls would surround you to show you their love.”

Samoyed turned invisible so only his voice was heard, “Don’t count on me. I can’t stop all of them~”

Asaku said, “What is wrong with this place? The air is so stuffy. It just feels wrong, and the wind is not blowing at all.”

Uda replied, “The Mermaid Kingdom is quite exclusive. They are particularly hostile against the Beast Kingdom on the Phantom Continent. Both Samoyed and I are citizens of the Beast Kingdom, so we can never ever be found here. People say the Mermaid Kingdom enjoys a pleasant relationship with the Fairies Continent, so maybe this is why you are sent here.”

Ellia loved pets and she was talking to the angel fish roaming on the road. Asaku asked her, “Why are you talking to a fish?”

“I can talk to all living creatures~” Ellia replied, “and I want to befriend with all the cute ones.”

Asaku shrugged and said, “I can only understand Uda and Samoyed.”
At the time, a dowager walked by with a group of maids. The dowager gazed at Asaku, which made both Asaku and Ellia nervous.

Completely ignoring Ellia, the dowager said to Asaku, “Huh~ aren’t you a pretty one~ a little bit too flat-chested but no matter. What is your name? Who do you work for?”

Asaku tried to reply with a higher pitch, “Bonjour, Madam! My name… is Eklia, and I am the maid for Mrs. Mel.”

Upon hearing this, the dowager flipped and yelled, “What a waste!! You are adorable and you work for that crazy hag, Mel!?”

Then she took ten pearls from the bag and handed them over to Asaku, telling him, “This is the down payment. You go back and dissolve the contract with that hag, and report to Duke Vitalis Castle tomorrow.”

Once she was done talking, she led the maids and took leave. Asaku and the rest were left behind, startled.

Asaku complained, “Who is she and how can she call me flat-chested…”

Ellia laughed and said, “Eklia… my dear brother… that is awesome! You were hit on dressed up as a girl!! And that Lady Mel is real, too!”

Samoyed laughed so much it almost rolled on the floor.

“That is not funny!” Asaku said, “We still have business here. We’ve lost track of the core for one week, and Priest Harp said I have to find the Fairies Queen to save the Fairies Continent. How can I waste even one more minute here to be someone’s maid?”

Just then Asaku’s stomach rumbled, so he looked at the restaurant on the road and decided to dine in there.

By the entrance, Ellia said goodbye to the angel fish and entered the restaurant with Asaku. They chose a table in the corner to avoid attention.

“What!” Asaku screamed when he read the menu, “One set costs one pearl!”

Uda stopped Asaku immediately, “Quiet, Asaku, if you don’t want to pay, we can go back to the accommodations the Queen arranges for us.”

“Nuh-uh,” Asaku refused, “No way!”

Blushing, Asaku said, “I do enjoy being so popular though…”

Ellia punched Asaku on his shoulder, “Asaku, you are terrible!”

Then the waitress dropped by, asking, “What can I get for you today?”

Asaku gave a gesture of four fingers and said, “Four set meals, please.”

“Are you sure,” the waitress asked, “that you can eat so much?”

Asaku replied, “Sure, no problem at all.”

The waitress replied, “All right, four pearls then. The food will be served right away.”

When the food came, Asaku devoured everything in front of him, while Uda and Samoyed hid in the corner and ate quietly.

Asaku said, “I think we should leave the Mermaid Kingdom as soon as possible for the Beast Kingdom where I can ask help from an old friend, King Brad.

Samoyed said, “But it is forbidden to use the Folding Corridor in the Mermaid Kingdom, so we have to go through the connected tunnel to the Beast Kingdom above water.”

“But the tunnel is guarded," Samoyed continued, “no one is allowed to pass without the permission from the Mermaid Queen.”

“Besides,” Ellia said, “it is rude to leave without saying goodbye. We should at least thank the Queen for her kindness to take us in.”

Uda said, “It is true that the Mermaid Kingdom does maintain a good relationship with the Fairies Continent, but the Mermaid Queen made it official that Asaku is the Sleeping Prince Charming of the Fairies… that just doesn’t sound right.”

Asaku, “But if we don’t go back, we need to make money.”

“Asaku," Ellia said while she laughed, “ you have to support us all by working as a maid then!”

Both Uda and Samoyed nodded.

Holding his head, Asaku grumbled, “Why am I always the one that does all the work?”

While Asaku and his friends were talking, they had no idea that they had been surrounded by mermaid soldiers.

Politely, a girl mermaid soldier said to Asaku, “Friend from the Fairies Continent, our Queen would like to speak to you in Her Majesty’s Castle.”

Asaku said, “Ah… you’ve caught me…”

The mermaid soldiers took Asaku and his friends to the Castle where the Mermaid Queen resided. On the way, the road was full of fans who were crazy for Asaku. They screamed his name and more, “Asaku, my Sleeping Prince Charming of the Fairies… I love you~~”

At night in the castle , Asaku was taken to the Throne Hall where the Mermaid Queen sat on her throne. Both Asaku and Ellia took a bow, and Asaku addressed to the Queen, “Your Majesty, my name is Asaku, and I am from the Fairies Continent. We do not mean to intrude, as our presence here is nothing but an accident. We sincerely beg for your kindness and forgiveness.”

The Mermaid Queen replied, “I am the Mermaid Queen Kamina. You can tell your two escorts to show themselves.”

Hearing this, Uda and Samoyed turned visible and got down on one knee, asking for forgiveness.

Queen Kamina said, “I am fully aware of the situation. The rest of you can leave now.”

The Queen’s entourage took leave and only the Queen and Asaku and his friends remained.

“Follow me.” The Queen said once they were left alone.

The Queen led Asaku and his friends to the Royal Garden, hid them in a concealed corner. She then told them to stay quiet and asked Asaku to play along no matter what happened. Though confused, Asaku concurred.

Shortly, a young woman walked into the garden, with a fairy man, whose hair is white and elegant, flying in the air. The couple looked at each other deeply in the eyes, and the man took out a flower made of seashells and crystal.

The white-haired man said, “Mermaid Princess Yulia, I want to hold your hands in mine forever. Will you marry me?” The young woman shook her head and replied, “No, Fluffy… It has to be my Mother who can make the decision.”

Fluffy held the woman by her hands and said, “Then let’s elope!”

Yulia refused and said, “As much as I love you, such behavior is not allowed.” Then the man tried to leave with the woman, while the Mermaid Queen walked out between them and Asaku and his friends still hid in the dark.

The Queen reprimanded, “How insolent! Release my daughter and leave now!”

The white-haired man talked back, “I have no fear to whatever queen, including you, Your Majesty. If I snap, no one in your kingdom is capable of taking me down.”

The Queen said, “You are indeed contemptuous, but we do need a powerful man to be our King and to protect our people.”

The white-haired man laughed, saying, “So~ Your Majesty has agreed to our marriage then?”

The Queen continued, “But only the most powerful and the most beautiful man can be our King.”

Fluffy replied, “Awww thank you, Your Majesty, for all the kind words.”

The Queen interrupted Fluffy, “No, you are not the only one that is qualified here. Recently, the Sleeping Prince of the Fairies has visited us. He is even more beautiful than you and well-loved by the whole kingdom.”

The Queen then pointed at Asaku who had no choice but to show up, and the latter played along, “I am the Fairy Prince that is truly qualified to be the King. Leave now, before it turns even more humiliating.”

Fluffy yelled, “I will challenge you to a duel! Don’t be so sure you’ll win, Asaku from the Fairies Continent.”

Asaku was surprised, asking, “How do you know who I am? Have we met?”

Fluffy just looked at Asaku without saying one more word.

The Queen clapped and said, “Quiet down, both of you. As the Queen, I shall be fair and just. I will hold a Joust for a Spouse and the winner can marry Princess Yulia and become the future King of the Mermaid Kingdom!”

Asaku yelled in surprise, “What?!”

Fluffy said, “Deal! When will that be?”

“Three days from now," the Queen replied, "and it will be held in the arena.”

“Mother, how could you make such a decision…” Yulia cried while she ran away.

Fluffy was full of confidence and he said, “I’ll show you what I’ve got!” before disappearing in the night.

At the same time, Asaku, Uda, and Samoyed said, “It’s a set up…”

The Queen looked back at Asaku, nodding and smiling…

Back to the Throne Hall, Asaku sat on the corridor, pouting.

The Queen explained, “I understand it was really rude to set you up like this, but the situation called for it as we do not have enough arms to deal with this phantom.”

“Phantom?” Asaku asked, “Fluffy is a phantom?”

The Queen nodded and replied, “Yes, he is a fox from the Illusion Tribe of the Beast Kingdom on the Phantom Continent. We mermaids will never ever marry a beast.”

Samoyed concurred, “The three kingdoms on the Phantom Continent are quite hostile against each other. It is a great mercy that Uda and I can remain free here.”

“But are the arms here so weak?” Asaku asked, "Besides, if they truly love each other, why would Your Majesty have to stand by the rule and separate them?”

The Queen stood up, pointing her scepter at the ceiling right above the throne. The ceiling broke and there was a…

“Mirror Core!” Asaku yelled, “And it is red, so the Reversal Impact occurred already!”

Then Asaku took out the Compass of No Return to confirm the time reversed, but only figured out there was no difference in time. The Mermaid Kingdom wasn’t sent back in the past during the Reversal Impact. What was this all about?

Before Asaku could have a better understanding of what was going on, lots of monsters flooded from the core. Asaku and his friends prepared for combat. One monster dashed toward the Queen, and Ellia screamed, “Watch out, Your Majesty!”

To everyone’s surprise, the monster went right through the Queen.

The Queen said, “Don’t worry about me. Asaku, could you please seal this Mirror Core, first?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Asaku replied.

Covered by his friends, Asaku reached the core and sealed it by performing Holy Cell. With the core sealed, the Mermaid Kingdom was freed, and the air refreshed and flew again.

The Queen sat on her throne, and started to explain from the beginning, “About six months ago, the core occurred here. Even with all the arms we could afford, we could not resist it, and then the Reversal Impact took place.”

Surprised, Asaku asked, “But the time remains the same?”

The Queen replied, “The Reversal Impact turned back the time to 130 years ago, when the Mermaid Kingdom was an island above water, instead of deep in the ocean. Our Kingdom didn’t sink into the water until thirty years ago.”

“So the Reversal Impact brought back the Mermaid Kingdom 130 years ago!” Uda said.

The Queen said, “That is correct.”

Asaku asked further, “But what about the Mermaid Kingdom that was influenced by the impact…?”

The Queen replied softly, “Disappeared. We have all disappeared. Everything you see now is a reflection of our thought. We keep on living like this.”

Then the Queen took off an earring in the shape of a drop of water from her left ear, and she gently continued, “This is our beloved treasure, the Mermaid Tears. When the Reversal Impact struck us, the grave fear and sorrow from all our people triggered the Mermaid Tears.”

Trying to hold back tears, Asaku said, “So Your Majesty, and all the people I have seen in the kingdom are reflection of thoughts, protected by the Mermaid Tears.”

Ellia couldn’t hold it anymore, and she just cried out loud.

The Queen continued, “Asaku, you understand this, don’t you… Yulia cannot marry Fluffy, even with my blessing. Once Yulia is married to Fluffy, she, together with the whole kingdom, will realize that we are gone, no more. Could you keep this secret between you and me, please?”

The tears wouldn’t stop from falling, and both Asaku and Ellia nodded.

“Even it’s just an act,” the Queen said, “please do beat Fluffy, marry the princess, become our new King. Please, Asaku… give my people new hope. By then, we will no longer need the Mermaid Tears, and we can disappear with happiness. Could you please do us one last favor?”

Without saying a word, Asaku nodded. Ellia cried so much even the angel fish could swim in her tears.

Three days later, people started to swarm into the arena. The whole kingdom was there to witness the Joust for a Spouse held by the Queen.

Ready and set, Asaku slowly walked into the arena, to keep his promise.

Chapter Five: A Happy Smile

At ten o’clock in the morning on Thursday, August 22nd, year 36722 on the Epic Calendar...

Almost all the citizens of the Mermaid Kingdom gathered at the arena, the cheers were deafening as today would be the day, a new king would be elected. The champion could also win the hand of Princess Yulia, and the game started!

Both Asaku and Fluffy entered the arena, gazing at the other. The atmosphere totally changed.

Fluffy would like to charge in and attack Asaku immediately, while the latter looked at the Queen with so much sadness in his eyes. The Queen nodded at Asaku, with the crying Princess Yulia on her left side, and Ellia on her right side.

The horn was blown, which could be heard miles away. The game officially started!

On his hand, Fluffy attacked with a spear bursting of energy, and Asaku fought back with Uda and Samoyed, both transformed into his most trustworthy gear. Asaku’s Sun Sword clashed with Fluffy’s Shine Spear. Sparkle could be seen everywhere. As the fight intensified, Fluffy cast Magic Light Sword to attack Asaku, which shocked Asaku who tried to block it with the shield on his left hand.

Surprised, Asaku yelled, “Did I see it right? That was my Magic Light Sword?”

Samoyed replied, “You are right. That is your magic.”

Fluffy asked, “Hey Asaku, aren’t you a master of magic attack? Since when you have switched to a sword? Where is your magic?”

Asaku kept quiet, “Tsk…”

Uda said, “Asaku, this seems like a deja vu. I’m sure we know this Fluffy from somewhere.”

Fluffy yelled, “Woot! This is fun! I’m holding nothing back!”

Casting Light Sword Magic, Fluffy charged in to Asaku and attack!

Reaching out with his left hand, Asaku absorbed in the power with the three-star matrix magic. The matrix magic could take in power of three attacks only, so Asaku was still harmed. On his right hand, Asaku blocked the attack of Shine Spear with his Sun Sword.

Rolling over, Asaku released Aurora Impact! The three-star matrix magic seemed to take Fluffy by surprise. While Fluffy tried to dodge the attack, Asaku pushed further with the Sunshine Impact. Both impacts hit Fluffy hard and Asaku was winning.

“I never knew you could attack like this,” Fluffy shouted, “but your light magic doesn’t hurt me much as I also master light magic. You can’t beat me by absorbing my magic power!”

All of a sudden, the white-haired fairy turned into an enormous white fox, together with a bunch of small white foxes.

Asaku yelled, "... I... I hate foxes…”

The crowd started to scream and tried to run away. Princess Yulia was so scared that she wept, and the Queen explained to her this is who Fluffy really was. Princess Yulia cried even louder for being lied to.

Then Fluffy attacked with its enormous body and tail, while casting Meteor Shower at Asaku. The bunch of small white foxes were attacking with their super adorable paws, which made it even harder for Asaku to defend.

to be continued～
Google play book search 『ASAKU X Dragon life』

[翻轉視界] 台灣國際勞工協會成員陳秀蓮

All persons, regardless of their nationality, race, legal or other status, are entitled to fundamental human rights and basic labor protections, including migrant workers and their families.

所有人，不論其國籍，種族，法律或其他地位，均享有基本人權和基本的勞動保障，包括移工與其家庭。

★★★★★★★★★★★★

原文及圖片授權來自於Humans of Taipei和TIWA台灣國際勞工協會

我家是做香燭批發的，從小我就穿著四個口袋的圍裙幫忙賣金紙。以前生意很好，每逢過年都有百萬進帳，爸爸常帶我們去各國旅行，日本、韓國、東南亞。中國剛開放觀光，我家也是第一批去玩的。爸媽不太管我們念書，媽媽覺得女生就去學個美容美髮好了。我出社會第一份工作，就是當化妝品牌的櫃姐。後來離職，當了一陣子書店員，因為對台灣有使命感，想為社會做點事，立志成為記者，所以插班考上文化新聞系。

My family was in the candle wholesale business, and since I was little, I would wear an apron with four pockets to sell joss paper with my family. Business was good back then, and we would make millions of NT$ each Lunar New Year. My father would take us everywhere—Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia. When China lifted its travel ban on Taiwan, my family was one of the first groups to go. My parents never cared much about our education, and my mother thought girls ought to work in beauty salons. My first job was a sales clerk at a cosmetics and beauty shop. I left my job later and became a bookstore clerk. Because I felt a calling and wanted to contribute to Taiwanese society, I set my sights on becoming a reporter. I switched majors and was accepted into Chinese Culture University’s Journalism and Communications College.

1. joss paper 金紙
2. lift the ban on travel 解除觀光禁令
3. never care much about 從不太在意
4. beauty salon 美容院
5. sales clerk 櫃姐、售貨員
6. cosmetics shop 美妝店
7. a calling 使命感、強烈願望
8. set your sights on sth 決心；立志*

*https://bit.ly/2zBVu6m

★★★★★★★★★★★★

念到社會學和馬克思，學到階級、勞動這些概念，開始對世界產生疑問；上楊祖珺的文化研究課，她帶我們去關心白米炸彈客楊儒門。以前覺得好人壞人的界線很清楚，會被警察抓的就是壞人，但旁聽開庭發現，楊儒門不像壞人，而且他的很多說詞都沒有被採納，例如他的炸彈即使「引爆」，也只會發熱冒煙；他說和警察約在警局外自首，但檢方認為他沒進派出所、是警方抓到他。社會上對於WTO架構下的農民處境，更是幾乎漠不關心。

When I started studying sociology and Marxism, I learned about concepts such as class struggle and the proletariat, and I began to have doubts about the world. When I took Professor Zujun Yang’s Cultural Studies course, she taught us about the Rice Bomber, Ru-Men Yang. Before, I felt that the line between good and evil was clear. Those captured by the police were all ”bad.” However, when I attended Ru-Men Yang ’s trial, he did not seem like a bad person. Parts of his testimony were inadmissible and ignored. For example, even though his bomb “exploded,” it only emitted smoke. Also, he said that he turned himself in outside the police station. However, the prosecution felt that since he did not enter the station, the police were the ones who caught him. Moreover, at the time, most people were apathetic to the plight of farmers under the WTO framework.

9. sociology 社會學
10. Marxism 馬克思主義
11. class struggle/class warfare 階級鬥爭
12. the bourgeoisie （馬克思主義理論中的）資産階級，資本家階級
13. the proletariat 工人階級；無產階級
14. the distinction between good and evil 善與惡之間的區別
15. testimony（尤指法庭上的）證詞，證言
16. inadmissible （在法庭上）不可接受的，不能採信的
17. emit smoke 散發煙霧
18. prosecution （被）起訴；（被）檢舉；訴訟
19. turn sb in 將（某人）送交警方
20. apathetic（尤指對重要事情）不關心的，無動於衷的
21. the plight of... ...的困境，窘境
22. framework（建築物等的）架構，框架

★★★★★★★★★★★★

後來就到處抗爭。楊儒門的事告一段落，我又回去念書，因為對新聞產業有一定認識，覺得當記者也就那樣，所以跑去念世新社發所。黃德北老師鼓勵我們去社運團體看看，我選擇來台灣國際勞工協會（TIWA）當志工，就從2007年待到現在。

I later protested (Ru-Men Yang’s treatment) everywhere. Ru-Men Yang’s case eventually came to an end, so I returned to my studies. After I got to know the news industry a little better, I felt that I had pretty much learned what being a news reporter was like. So, I wanted to learn something new and began studying at the Graduate Institute for Social Transformation Studies at Shih Hsin University. There, Professor Te-Pei Huang encouraged us to experience social organizations, so I became a volunteer at the Taiwan International Workers' Association. I've been here since 2007.

23. protest (v.) 抗議
24. come to an end 完結，結束
25. return to 回到
26. encourage us to... 鼓勵我們去作某事
27. social organization 社會組織

★★★★★★★★★★★★

從事移工相關工作，才讓我真正看到人的樣貌。剛到TIWA時，我協助一位看護工轉換雇主，她照顧的阿嬤覺得子女不要她了才找外勞照顧，又覺得自己生病，老公一定跟年輕看護工有染，所以阿嬤對她很壞，一直罵她、還把吃剩的骨頭丟進她的碗裡。

Being in this line of work has really opened my eyes to what people are truly like. When I began work at TIWA, I assisted a foreign care worker in transferring to another employer. The grandmother she took care of felt that she was abandoned by her children, so she contracted the worker to care for her. She then thought that her husband cheated on her with the worker, and became quite nasty. She would yell at the worker and once threw leftover bones in her bowl.

28. line of work 行業*
29. open sb’s eyes 使（某人）認清，使（某人）了解
30. foreign care worker 外籍看護
31. transfer to（使）調動；（使）跳槽
32. be abandoned by 被…遺棄

*https://bit.ly/2X0TUmu

★★★★★★★★★★★★

我記得有次在新北市政府開完協調會出來，剛好是耶誕節，耶誕城有尖尖的、像竹筍一樣的耶誕樹，她跟我說「姊姊，可以在這裡跟妳合照嗎？」然後眼淚擦一擦，拍照時又露出開心的笑容。原來，她是要拍給越南的家人看看，她在台灣有台灣人朋友。他們無論在台灣被怎麼糟蹋，在家人面前總會設法表現出混得很好的樣子，逢年過節就寄一箱禮物回家、買玩具給小孩。

I still remember this mediation session in New Taipei City. It was Christmas at the time, and the “Christmasland” in New Taipei City had these Christmas trees shaped like bamboo shoots. The foreign care worker said to me, “Sister, could I take a photo with you here?” She wiped away her tears and did her best to put on a smile for the photo. She wanted to show her family in Vietnam that she was doing well in Taiwan, even though she was mistreated. Every New Year, she would do her best to send back a box of gifts with toys for the children.

33. a mediation (session) 協調會，調解會
34. bamboo shoots 竹筍
35. put on a smile 露出笑容
36. do well 過得好 ; 做得好
37. be mistreated 虐待

★★★★★★★★★★★★

另一個我不太能接受的事情是，好像移工沒有被虐待，就不值得被關心。台灣人傾向從溫情或人權的角度，而不是從勞動者的角度去看移工。

Another thing I cannot accept is that no one cares about foreign workers unless there is news of their maltreatment. The Taiwanese people need to consider them as legitimate workers and not only care about them when there is a human rights violation.

38. cannot accept 無法接受
39. maltreatment 被虐待
40. legitimate 合法的，正當的，法律允許的
41. human rights violation 人權侵害

★★★★★★★★★★★★

六年多前我爸過世，我哥接手後力求創新轉型，改走精緻路線，例如設計防小人金、寵物金紙，算是重新撐起家裡的事業。最近七月半是旺季，我還是得回家幫忙手工包裝還有折蓮花。人跟好兄弟都能共存了，活人的世界有些標籤和界線，想想實在滿荒謬就是了。

Six years ago, my father passed away. My brother took over and tried to reinvigorate and transform the family business. He designed specialized joss paper to ward off backstabbers and even joss paper for dead pets. July is the peak season for the business, so I went back home to help out. I hand packed the products and folded paper lotus flowers for the dead. It's funny that we can get along with the dead, but we still attach labels to the living and draw lines between us. It’s quite ridiculous when you think about it.

42. pass away 過世
43. ward sb/sth off 避開；阻止；擋住
44. a backstabber 背後插刀者；背後講壞話的人
45. peak season 旺季
46. fold paper lotus flower 折紙蓮花
47. attach a label to someone 對(人)貼標籤
48. draw a line (between something) 畫界線*

*https://bit.ly/2Z8f5G6

★★★★★★★★★★★★

故事網站連結:
https://storystudio.tw/gushi/chen-siou-lian-interview/

資訊與照片出處:
http://bitly.ws/8qVR

Visit Humans of Taipei for more stories!

★★★★★★★★★★★★

如何增進同理心: https://bit.ly/34qSKnC

#ChangingPerspectives
#翻轉視界

Dough-Boy & Hanjin 陳奐仁 - Down【Official Music Video】

Directed by Seanie Pictures

Music by: Dough-Boy / Hanjin Tan 陳奐仁
Lyrics by : Dough-Boy / Hanjin Tan 陳奐仁
Arrangement by: Dough-Boy
Produced by: Dough-Boy / Hanjin Tan 陳奐仁

[Intro]
Hanjin 陳奐仁: I been down I been down I been down down
So down I been down I been down down 

[Chorus]
Hanjin 陳奐仁: I been down I been down I been down down
So down I been down I been down down 
When I smile it’s a frown upside down down
I been down I been down I been down down
I wanna cry like a waterfall 
I wanna die like who gives a fuck
Don’t ask me why you don’t even know 
I been down I been down I been down down

[Verse 1]
Dough-Boy: I been down I been down I been down down
When I needed you the most you wasn’t round round
Now I’m hot now I’m flexed up in this town town
Fuck a blue face my paper brown brown
Hate on me hate on me bitch you dumb as fuck
Duffle bag full of stacks watch me run it up
Cash money only thing that made me fall in love
Made a mil realize that shit not enough
Back when I was broke huh, didn’t have money and shit
Thought I was a joke huh, thought I was funny and shit
Hundred K for a beat, made two of those in a week
Investing investing investing, might buy a house up at the peak
I stay quiet but my music turn up loud loud
You want smoke, I’ma hit you with the pow pow
Lost my soul to the game it can’t be found found
I been down I been down I been down down

[Chorus]
Hanjin 陳奐仁: I been down I been down I been down down
So down I been down I been down down 
When I smile it’s a frown upside down down
I been down I been down I been down down
I wanna cry like a waterfall 
I wanna die like who gives a fuck
Don’t ask me why you don’t even know 
I been down I been down I been down down

[Verse 2]
Hanjin 陳奐仁: It gets harder and harder each day to wake up 
My prayers they say don’t make up 
For sins that were never paid up
The national debt will catch up
The bubble created blows up
Your dreams turn into ketchup 
My medication just ran out
My body’s about to give out
poison so toxic burnin my eyes out
Personal crisis don’t get bail outs 
expendable folk crying about 
How they can barely feed a family of four 
Welfare just gets me enough to cover my habit it’s expensive
Optimism is a luxury I can barely afford
Ask for deliverance and they gave me a noose, oh lord
I can’t imagine what you suffered my other cheek is swollen
Happiness was a one-take I forgot to press record

[Bridge]
Dough-Boy: I can’t feel my face
Since you walked away
I’m stuck here in this maze
I don’t wanna wait
Hanjin 陳奐仁: I can’t feel my face
Since you walked away
Feels like end of days
Take me from this place

[Chorus]
Hanjin 陳奐仁: I been down I been down I been down down
So down I been down I been down down 
When I smile it’s a frown upside down down
I been down I been down I been down down
I wanna cry like a waterfall 
I wanna die like who gives a fuck
Don’t ask me why you don’t even know 
I been down I been down I been down down

たばこ、歌ってみました。チャンネル登録お願いします（*'∀'人）マイク変えたんですけどあんまり気に入ってないです笑
Today I sang Tabako (cigarettes) by Koresawa. Thank you for watching and please subscribe ^^
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ASMRBluekatie

~ENGLISH TRANSLATION~

It's been 24 hours since you left yesterday night.
I haven't taken even one step outside yet.

I'm thinking of you, who often slept in late, at my pace.
Five minutes have quickly gone by on the house clock;
it doesn't mean anything anymore.

Caring about how I hate cigarettes,
you'd smoke out on the balcony.
Watching the curtains sway, my eyes become warm.
You're not there anymore.

"Look after me more carefully,
more carefully,"
were those words too heavy for you?
"Look after me more carefully,
more carefully,"
would you be here if I hadn't said that?

You know me pretty well.
I get hot when I'm sleepy,
and I love when you'd kiss me, even if it was short.

In that moment when I thought of you,
how well did I know you?
The first thing that came to mind
was the name of your favorite cigarettes.

"If only I had looked after you more carefully,
more carefully,"
even if I realize it now, it's too late.
"If only I had looked after you more carefully,
more carefully,"
even as I realize it now, what meaning is there?

The cigarettes you left behind,
they're my least favorite thing,
and yet, why did I light one?

It had your smell, your smell.
I inhaled,
but choked, of course.

"Look after me more carefully,
more carefully,"
would you be here if I hadn't said that?
"If only I had looked after you more carefully,
more carefully..."
I cried to your slightly bitter smell.

Hello Youtube family,

Is it getting hot or what? Apparently it's only gonna get hotter here in Hong Kong. Today, I'm gonna show you guys how to create this look I call 'Hot Smokes'. I'm seeing orange eyes and red lips everywhere lately and I'm loving it. However, I know the combo can be a little too overwhelming for some. Just smoke it up and you'll get a sizzling hot look that's perfect for the evening. Hope you guys will enjoy today's quick tutorial! Stay tuned for a 'cool' look coming up soon.

Love, Bubz xx


I've booked myself in for a hair makeover for Monday. I'm SO nervous and excited. It's been truly long overdue. I will keep you guys updated how it goes heheh. Anyways, has anybody watched Avengers- Age of Ultron yet? What's your thoughts? No spoilers please! It feels like a little while since I caught up with you guys. Hmm.. what else? Oh, did you know we raised approximately $50,000 for Compassional Intl and Nepal together? Isaac turned 8 months not long ago. I'm headed off to Singapore next week. I'll be returning to LA end of May. Then flying back to the UK mid June. Hong Kong has been super hot. What hairstyle should I get? I had leftover baby food for dinner. I wore Ariel the mermaid socks today. I went back to my rose hip oil since my skin just doesn't like moisturiser anymore. LOL I used a hairdryer. Wish I had behind the scenes footage. Looked so silly. Bubz out =D



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