“Certainty is beautiful, (pause) but uncertainty is more beautiful still.” (pause)
「確定性是美麗的，但不確定性卻更為美麗！」
　

The quote was by 1996 Nobel Prize winner, the Polish poet, Wislawa Szymborska.
這句話是1996年諾貝爾獎得主，波蘭詩人Wislawa Szymborska的雋語。
　

I did not understand the meaning of it at that time, no, not until I fell into desperation from predicted certainty, and found hope again in future’s uncertainty.
我當時並不了解這句話的含意，不，直到我從他人預測的確定性掉入絕望的深淵，並在未來的不確定性中尋得希望！ 
　

Mr Contest Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, 2 years ago, I met an old, wise-looking man in my friends’ house.
比賽主席，各位先生女士，兩年前，我在友人的居所中碰見了一位貌似聰慧的老者。
　

He said he was a Master of the ancient art of Chinese fortune telling, Chiwei.
他說他是中國古算命術紫微的大師。

To my surprise, the Master began to state many secret facts about me.
另我驚奇的是，他開始告訴我許多我不為人知的秘密。

As I was still amazed, he offered to tell me more.
正當我驚奇的當下，他願意告訴我更多。

So, I told him the exact date and time I was born, and he closed his eyes and started to calculate.
所以我便告訴他我的準確生日與時辰，他闔上眼，開始算了起來。

Moments later, he frowned and muttered: “No good, no good.”
一陣子過後，他皺起了眉頭，喃喃語道：「不可！不可！」

I stared at him in nervous anticipation, receiving nothing but silence.
我瞪大圓眼望著他，緊張得等待著，但我得到的唯有靜默。

Suddenly he opened his eyes and proclaimed with authority: “For the next thirteen years, your life will be miserable, you will fail at everything, and great misfortune will be yours.”
突然間他張開了雙眼，以充滿權威的聲音宣稱：「接下來的十三年，你的人生將會悲慘無比！你將一無所成，並遭逢極大厄運！」 
　

Desperately destroyed by his prediction, I began to shout, “What can I do?”, “What can I do?” 
他的預言把我逼上了絕路，我開始大叫：「如何是好？如何是好？」
　

Again he closed his eyes. Again the answer came. “To change your fateful fortune you must become a monk, in a temple, until you are forty. Then, great fortune will be yours.”
當他再度闔上眼，答案也隨之浮現：「要改變你多舛的命運，你必須去廟裡當個和尚直到四十，到時，你就會交上好運道了！」

I could remember nothing later said on that day.
當天他剩下所說得話我都記不得了。

The only thing that I could remember was: “be a monk”, “in the temple”, “until 40”.
我只記得我必須去廟裡、當個和尚、直到四十！

27 to 40! They’re the golden years of my life.
二十七到四十，那可是我人生中的黃金歲月！
　

I should be making money, chasing girls, and starting a great family. But now, someone’s telling me to be a monk! Me, monk? NO!
我應該要賺錢、找老婆、並組個美滿家庭，但現在有人竟然叫我當個和尚！我？和尚？別鬧了！

I was preparing for my graduate school entrance exam back then, and his words certainly crushed my confidence.
當時我正準備研究所的入學考試，而他的話語完全擊碎了我的信心。

I went home about midnight with all those “being a monk” sentences echoing in my head. I could not fall asleep, let alone study.
我在大概半夜時回家，就著那些「當個和尚」的話語在我腦中盤旋，我根本睡不著，更別提讀書了！

I dragged my tired body and mind to the living room, sitting on the sofa, turning on the TV, hoping to find some comfort.
我拖著我疲憊的身軀與心靈到了客廳，打開電視，希望能找點慰藉。

To my great surprise, I found the solution to my miserable fortune on television. Where did I find it?  “HBO, your home movie theater.”
想不到，我從電視上找到了我悲慘命運的解答！哪兒找得？「HBO! 您的家中電影院！」

A movie called “Paycheck” was playing on HBO.
HBO正播放著一部叫做「記憶裂痕」的片子。

It’s a story about a scientist inventing a machine that could foresee the future.
故事敘說一名科學家發明了能預見未來的機器。

There were some lines in the movie that truly blew my mind and shone a whole new light.
片中有幾句對白完全改變了我的觀點。

They went: “Knowing future would take away all other possibilities. You may think it’s good in the beginning for it provides such a sense of security, but you are wrong. Because if there are no other possibilities, there is no hope, and hope, is what we humankind can truly rely on!”
「預見未來會去除所有其他的可能性。你可能在一開始會覺得不錯，因為它提供了無上的安全感。但你錯了！若沒了其他的可能性，也就沒了希望，而希望，才是我們人類真能依靠的！」

Like the spring wind that gently replaces winter chill, those lines took away my desperation at the thought of finding myself trapped in the predicted certainty.
就像春風輕拂帶走了冬寒，這些文字把我的絕望從我心中吹走，讓我發現我困在他人預測的確定性所打造的絕望深淵。

I stood up from the sofa and looked out of the window. I saw lights from many buildings glimmering in the darkness of the night.
我從沙發上站起來，看出窗外，我看見了從棟棟大樓中散出的光芒，在暗夜中閃爍。

There seemed to be so many uncertainties should I choose my own destiny, and face the possibility of failing at everything before forty.
若我選擇了自己的命運，未來就充滿了許多的不確定性，而我將必須面對在四十歲前一事無成的可能性！
　

However, those lines reminded me: as there were possibilities, so was hope, and hope, would be what I can rely on!但，那些對白提醒了我，只要還有可能性，就有希望，而希望，就是我所能依靠的！
　

Starting from the very next day, I studied in the library from 8 in the morning to 10 in the evening.
隔天起，我在圖書館中從早上八點到晚上十點發憤苦讀！
　

2 months later, I not only passed the graduate school entrance examination, I championed all test-takers.
兩個月後，我不但通過了研究所入學考試，我更獨占鰲首！
　

Starting from that moment, I lay the compass of my destiny not on others, but on my own hand.
從那刻起，我再也不把我命運的指南針假以他人，而是緊握在自己的手中。
　

Step by step, my destiny has led me here today, heading toward higher dimension.
一步步，我的命運把我引到了今天這個舞台，往更高的層次邁進。
　

Whatever the result is, to me, it’s not failure nor desperation, but success and glory!
不管結果如何，對我來說都不是失敗與絕望，而是成功與榮耀！
　

I am not saying that being a monk is bad. Some girls like bald men. (Pause) But it’s just not for me right now.
我可不是告訴你當和尚不好！有的女生喜歡光頭男，但那現在真的不是我要的！
　

I am not telling you that “HBO” can always give you the answer, because I may have become a monk if the movie I saw had been “7 years in Tibet”.
我可沒說HBO可以給你人生的答案！若我當時看到的是「西藏七年（火線大逃亡）」，我可能就當和尚去了！
　

When we set our goals and strive for them, somehow the light of hope shall lead us to good fortune.
只要我們設定目標並持續努力，希望的光芒就將引導我們直至好運！
　

“Certainty is beautiful, but uncertainly is more beautiful still.” Why? Because in those uncertainties, we can still hold fast to hopes!
「確定性是美麗的，但不確定性卻更為美麗！」為什麼呢？因為唯有在不確定性中，我們能緊緊抓住希望！
　

Yes! Uncertainly is more beautiful! Join me in embracing uncertainty and meeting the challenges and opportunities of this unpredictable world.
是的，不確定性更為美麗！讓我們一起擁抱不確定性，並面對這不可預知世界中的挑戰與機會吧！

Contest chair!
比賽主席 !