Sunday, December 30, 2007
South of the border, West of the sun
Why at this point of time I suddenly think of the dark blue covered semi-autobiography called KAMEN (mask) by Mishima Yukio. The book that I didnt finish at the plane home and I didnt finish during my 11 day holiday a while ago. There was golden flame on the cover.
Maybe it is by first sight love the electricity hit me and I got hold of this another Haruki Murakami copy, the name of which is South of the Border, West of the sun. Parallel and interesting. Obviously this Vintage published series for Murakami are all designed black and white, more with a glimpse of faint red, perfectly putting out the Murakami style. If such a Chinese-version copy with little lavender demitint were on a heavily dusted wooden rack, I would certainly not give it a second look. But I need a story, especially when I am in the mood of nothing. And this well-told story in a narrative manner did evoke my sound resonance, suprisingly.
Seldom around the time that Hajime was born, that the family would only bear one child. It was norm for families to have either two or three, no exceptions. Selfish, greedy and lonely, as people's acquiescence, to be the only child's trait, is not denied by the protagonist. Before 12, one girl Yamamoto in his class had only him as the sole friend. They'd listen to her dead father's record collection silently for the whole afternoon. And that was the time they were together, before parted.
And if parting triggered by one of them moving away, they would not see each other, no excuse, afraid of expectation. Until Hajime has gone his way to the steady late half of his life, his jazz bar welcomed the mysterious lady in a wet rainy night after 9pm. One has never forgotten the other, just like a seed that has been buried for too long and a little drizzle would hasten it to burgeon. It was almost obvilion, yet it not. Burgeoning would burst out of the border, cutting off the string.
The single child times were not belong to the two. Why? After they have grown up, the single child trend has becoming on the way. So Yamamoto said, we were born too early.
She appeared and shortly dissapeared, leaving a note using "a while" and "probably", which drived the waiting time into torment. They went a small dream destination trip, in a hasty manner with the thrill of being discovered by Hajime's wife. Before Hajime met Yamamoto again, he spotted her once and unconciously stalked after her in Shibuya, but was blocked away. Her favorite color was blue and she full of mystery.
However the mystery lead to nowhere. She told the stories about hysteria siberiana. Farmers see sun rises from east and sets at west. What if going beyond the west of the place where the sun sets? The thing went like the ancient sun chasing legend and the one on the pursuit died dry.
Synergy for the whole novel where one of the two's life went back on track, but it would never be the same. =)
---------
Some random conversation, maybe it's in the book above:
-Why reading?
-Because sometimes I cannot think over something so I want to see how others look at it.
Maybe it is by first sight love the electricity hit me and I got hold of this another Haruki Murakami copy, the name of which is South of the Border, West of the sun. Parallel and interesting. Obviously this Vintage published series for Murakami are all designed black and white, more with a glimpse of faint red, perfectly putting out the Murakami style. If such a Chinese-version copy with little lavender demitint were on a heavily dusted wooden rack, I would certainly not give it a second look. But I need a story, especially when I am in the mood of nothing. And this well-told story in a narrative manner did evoke my sound resonance, suprisingly.
Seldom around the time that Hajime was born, that the family would only bear one child. It was norm for families to have either two or three, no exceptions. Selfish, greedy and lonely, as people's acquiescence, to be the only child's trait, is not denied by the protagonist. Before 12, one girl Yamamoto in his class had only him as the sole friend. They'd listen to her dead father's record collection silently for the whole afternoon. And that was the time they were together, before parted.
And if parting triggered by one of them moving away, they would not see each other, no excuse, afraid of expectation. Until Hajime has gone his way to the steady late half of his life, his jazz bar welcomed the mysterious lady in a wet rainy night after 9pm. One has never forgotten the other, just like a seed that has been buried for too long and a little drizzle would hasten it to burgeon. It was almost obvilion, yet it not. Burgeoning would burst out of the border, cutting off the string.
The single child times were not belong to the two. Why? After they have grown up, the single child trend has becoming on the way. So Yamamoto said, we were born too early.
She appeared and shortly dissapeared, leaving a note using "a while" and "probably", which drived the waiting time into torment. They went a small dream destination trip, in a hasty manner with the thrill of being discovered by Hajime's wife. Before Hajime met Yamamoto again, he spotted her once and unconciously stalked after her in Shibuya, but was blocked away. Her favorite color was blue and she full of mystery.
However the mystery lead to nowhere. She told the stories about hysteria siberiana. Farmers see sun rises from east and sets at west. What if going beyond the west of the place where the sun sets? The thing went like the ancient sun chasing legend and the one on the pursuit died dry.
Synergy for the whole novel where one of the two's life went back on track, but it would never be the same. =)
---------
Some random conversation, maybe it's in the book above:
-Why reading?
-Because sometimes I cannot think over something so I want to see how others look at it.
Finally found it!
《Cool Whispers》
たったひとつの恋 原声
Cool Whispers drift from the north on the night.
Yet you warm my heart for we hold the light.
The land must fade from green into white.
Hush my heart this love is a fire.
This love will burn like a fire.
Lie side by side in the soft winter white.
Hold me close to you as we brace for flight.
In time I pray they'll see what we feel.
Gentle love this pain wont retire.
This love must burn like a fire.
Close your eyes and dream what I see,
peace for a moment the future unclear.
Hand by hand as we stand on the wire,
the ending so near our start close behind.
Light bends through trees, leaves spiral and wind.
We're far from here and frozen in time.
Cool Whispers drift from the north on the night.
Yet you warm my heart for we hold the light.
The land must fade from green into white.
Hush my heart this love is a fire.
This love will burn like a fire.
たったひとつの恋 原声
Cool Whispers drift from the north on the night.
Yet you warm my heart for we hold the light.
The land must fade from green into white.
Hush my heart this love is a fire.
This love will burn like a fire.
Lie side by side in the soft winter white.
Hold me close to you as we brace for flight.
In time I pray they'll see what we feel.
Gentle love this pain wont retire.
This love must burn like a fire.
Close your eyes and dream what I see,
peace for a moment the future unclear.
Hand by hand as we stand on the wire,
the ending so near our start close behind.
Light bends through trees, leaves spiral and wind.
We're far from here and frozen in time.
Cool Whispers drift from the north on the night.
Yet you warm my heart for we hold the light.
The land must fade from green into white.
Hush my heart this love is a fire.
This love will burn like a fire.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Old Foggy Capital and Tate Modernism
Just one day before the Christmas Eve, maybe because that capital city outsiders have taken the dominance, or because it is so confined that people all enjoy themselves inside the big window and refrain from the chilly weather; London is as empty and as void as you can imagine. Plus, big fog.
I was half delighted to hear from the news that so many flights and motoways have been affected due to the big fog and those people dragging a huge suitcase with numb faces come to my mind. Lugguges everywhere, invaded my eyesight whenever I am out of the room. The illusion of my dear roommate pulling her big black case hobbling along the frontdoor pavement clearly come up and makes me laugh. And also I did think it cost me some courage to lend a hand finally to a small-figured girl dreadfully dragging two huge cases on the road yesterday. Strangely enough I saw the heroscope exactly predicted that I would help a stranger. Even though that made me reaching the library late and the hardworking school staff put a notice on the firmly closed door saying the closure time was 4 hours earlier than it should have been. When was it? This Friday.
And today I went through some sort of treasure hunting. There were orange colored street lamp pillars showing me the way to the final destination all the way out of Southwarck tube station, yes! Tate Modern. It is modern art you know,so do I expect much of Piccaso, surrealism, cubical drawing, and abstract image. To distinguish a masterpiece of morden art which normal people find challenging to comprehend from a kindergarten kid's colorful drawings, only technique and a recognized appreciating eye are needed indeed. Therefore I did found something like a 3 grid gambling machine with any combination of work, meaning, publicity give an explicit equating sign directing to 'art'. Maybe this is also part of the London humor that you cant help but admitting its truthfulness. It is approachable. Even queen's palace, as long as they are willing to let you see, you'll get an eye on it as if you were living inside it.
The foggy city, going under an old bricked brige with a full carry of eagerly heading home passengers hovering along, and being shed by some blue light from the top of the brige arc, appearred bizarre. Made me think of Sherlock Holmes.
-------------
Too lazy to write about Windsor and The Royal Gardens, the Kew Gardens. Windsor is really a lively palace with all the image you can think of in old Shakespeare plays about royal life and all the modern European palace with political dabbling. Kew Gardens, whose underwater botanic art with colorful little fish really impressed me. And oriental garden art is of more fascination to westerners, not surprisingly. =)
I was half delighted to hear from the news that so many flights and motoways have been affected due to the big fog and those people dragging a huge suitcase with numb faces come to my mind. Lugguges everywhere, invaded my eyesight whenever I am out of the room. The illusion of my dear roommate pulling her big black case hobbling along the frontdoor pavement clearly come up and makes me laugh. And also I did think it cost me some courage to lend a hand finally to a small-figured girl dreadfully dragging two huge cases on the road yesterday. Strangely enough I saw the heroscope exactly predicted that I would help a stranger. Even though that made me reaching the library late and the hardworking school staff put a notice on the firmly closed door saying the closure time was 4 hours earlier than it should have been. When was it? This Friday.
And today I went through some sort of treasure hunting. There were orange colored street lamp pillars showing me the way to the final destination all the way out of Southwarck tube station, yes! Tate Modern. It is modern art you know,so do I expect much of Piccaso, surrealism, cubical drawing, and abstract image. To distinguish a masterpiece of morden art which normal people find challenging to comprehend from a kindergarten kid's colorful drawings, only technique and a recognized appreciating eye are needed indeed. Therefore I did found something like a 3 grid gambling machine with any combination of work, meaning, publicity give an explicit equating sign directing to 'art'. Maybe this is also part of the London humor that you cant help but admitting its truthfulness. It is approachable. Even queen's palace, as long as they are willing to let you see, you'll get an eye on it as if you were living inside it.
The foggy city, going under an old bricked brige with a full carry of eagerly heading home passengers hovering along, and being shed by some blue light from the top of the brige arc, appearred bizarre. Made me think of Sherlock Holmes.
-------------
Too lazy to write about Windsor and The Royal Gardens, the Kew Gardens. Windsor is really a lively palace with all the image you can think of in old Shakespeare plays about royal life and all the modern European palace with political dabbling. Kew Gardens, whose underwater botanic art with colorful little fish really impressed me. And oriental garden art is of more fascination to westerners, not surprisingly. =)
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Cambridge Recur between Two Hours
堆积如山想说的话和想记的事，好像追赶不完的火车车厢？
昨天看到Ryo Chan的“文艺日记”，印象最深的比喻就是:我的哭声，就像嘈杂的唱片店。
剑桥是上个星期五去的，好好地体验了一下伦敦上下班高峰的熙攘。回来之后嗓子很痛，一半是因为冷风吹的，还有一半是这天我的说话量破纪录了。
去剑桥的火车上结识了Olivia,原来这个时候是剑桥的面试周，她准备去面试医科，紧张地翻着她的Biology Book.但是面试这种东西不是完全不知道要问什么的么，所以为了缓解紧张，一直跟邻座的我讲话。她的书背后贴着纪伊国屋的标签，那个是新加坡的书店。因为父母工作的关系，从小在法国长大，直到高中在威尔士读IB,因为进的是inernational school，就跟我讲她认识的许多香港朋友，是少有的对中国也curious的可爱女孩。她的在医院做Administration的Gap Year.然后我就说真好，可以在进大学决定自己专业方向之前体验一下到底会不会喜欢这个工作。她的医师朋友，总是能把一个词expand再expand,所以真的让她觉得很有趣，而我看了看那本被她highlight过的书，真的写的很简单很实用，所以背诵从来不是问题。一开始真的完全不能确定她是英国人呢，很浅的蓝色眼睛和微笑。至于面试和大学，我讲了些我的糟糕但是印象深刻的经历。
剑桥很多自行车，但都是好牌子。需要搭车去city center,然后见到卖菜和水果的集市。但是剑桥非常五脏俱全，比我想象得要摩登许多，西装首饰流行到处都是，而且很密集。特色大约是这里纪念品店摆设的各College的Shield纪念品,好像苏格兰的Clans的家纹，可以用来装饰盘子和茶杯垫。King's的方庭和青铜雕，Trinity的三重门，还有St John's的黄色拱形长廊和格子窗，还有一条很小的河。剑桥出版社的酱紫封皮的莎士比亚，和各种注解的古典书。
回来的话是Burberry Weekend.拥挤的回程火车上我们从车头一直走到车尾，跟着Sonny回伦敦的他的学弟聊天，收获是他跟我推荐的《Karas-鸦〉。有是个有着灰绿色调超高清晰的某社四周年纪念大作，打斗很华丽，但是2D人物跟混沌武士不好比，没有弹性的线条。=）
昨天看到Ryo Chan的“文艺日记”，印象最深的比喻就是:我的哭声，就像嘈杂的唱片店。
剑桥是上个星期五去的，好好地体验了一下伦敦上下班高峰的熙攘。回来之后嗓子很痛，一半是因为冷风吹的，还有一半是这天我的说话量破纪录了。
去剑桥的火车上结识了Olivia,原来这个时候是剑桥的面试周，她准备去面试医科，紧张地翻着她的Biology Book.但是面试这种东西不是完全不知道要问什么的么，所以为了缓解紧张，一直跟邻座的我讲话。她的书背后贴着纪伊国屋的标签，那个是新加坡的书店。因为父母工作的关系，从小在法国长大，直到高中在威尔士读IB,因为进的是inernational school，就跟我讲她认识的许多香港朋友，是少有的对中国也curious的可爱女孩。她的在医院做Administration的Gap Year.然后我就说真好，可以在进大学决定自己专业方向之前体验一下到底会不会喜欢这个工作。她的医师朋友，总是能把一个词expand再expand,所以真的让她觉得很有趣，而我看了看那本被她highlight过的书，真的写的很简单很实用，所以背诵从来不是问题。一开始真的完全不能确定她是英国人呢，很浅的蓝色眼睛和微笑。至于面试和大学，我讲了些我的糟糕但是印象深刻的经历。
剑桥很多自行车，但都是好牌子。需要搭车去city center,然后见到卖菜和水果的集市。但是剑桥非常五脏俱全，比我想象得要摩登许多，西装首饰流行到处都是，而且很密集。特色大约是这里纪念品店摆设的各College的Shield纪念品,好像苏格兰的Clans的家纹，可以用来装饰盘子和茶杯垫。King's的方庭和青铜雕，Trinity的三重门，还有St John's的黄色拱形长廊和格子窗，还有一条很小的河。剑桥出版社的酱紫封皮的莎士比亚，和各种注解的古典书。
回来的话是Burberry Weekend.拥挤的回程火车上我们从车头一直走到车尾，跟着Sonny回伦敦的他的学弟聊天，收获是他跟我推荐的《Karas-鸦〉。有是个有着灰绿色调超高清晰的某社四周年纪念大作，打斗很华丽，但是2D人物跟混沌武士不好比，没有弹性的线条。=）
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
北格林威治的象形埃及
图腾卡门大概是最著名的埃及法老，又是9岁登基19岁神秘去世的年轻国王，一统上下埃及，达到当时的鼎盛。所以这个大肆宣传的展览叫做Tutanhkamun and the Golden Age of Pharaoh.脑子里不知怎么就冒出来N年前去北京时在北京科技馆看到的那个埃及探秘的立体电影，带给我的是震撼的头痛欲裂。展览在O2 Arena,到处贴着十二月月辣妹重出江湖的海报，还有PS3的伦敦巡回。
没有金字塔，但是有金字塔的宝藏。整个展览是抽丝剥茧式的，房间故意弄得很暗，陪葬品和雕塑都被陈列在很大的玻璃展览柜里，一个一个的密室，整个的墓穴，好像让我们能感觉到Howard Carter初发现宝藏的巨大惊喜。
然后由年轻的图腾卡门半臂红石像，到进门的图腾卡门家谱，他的爸爸Akhenaten（与众不同的雕刻）,妈妈Nefertiti,然后唯一的同父异母妹妹，也是他的妻子Faience的雕像.Akhenaten的改变宗教和迁都，母亲妹妹/妻子的梳妆盒，点缀的守护成双女神，香料瓶子，还有出现多次的简单图画。那种就像幼儿简笔画的图一个一个排列着，被放在类似中国印章外面的那一圈的方椭圆框框里，出现在各种木器上面。那个就是埃及的文字，每个图表示一个音节，所以图腾卡门的名字英文被拼做Tut-ankh-amun然而表示为3个图画(hieroglyph)，第一个是柱子和小鸟，第二个是类似权杖象征life的Ankh（见下图）,第三个音节是类似河流。他的物品上都有那个类似“玉玺”作用的章，外加埃及王国伟大统治者的头衔。考古学家们依靠这个推断这个最有发掘价值和豪华的墓的归属。
墓里面重复的图案当然是Ankh即life,还有stability，权杖。装饰很多使用了lotus petal,其实就是水滴型+长柄，淡绿简洁高雅。图腾卡门的陪葬品展出的有他的小巧的椅子，那个金黄和黑漆的梳妆盒，很多为他重生后准备的假的但是色彩鲜艳的美丽水果雕刻，他的“跳跳棋”玩具盒子，然后倒数第二个展室的他的上下埃及王冠全身站像，交叠在胸前的两个有穗的权杖（金蓝交替），他的黄金神龛上有无数他跟娇妻的恩爱生活画面，精致无比。这个神龛就是里面陈有他内脏器官的类似俄罗斯套娃娃的金像。最后一个陈列室就是这个举世闻名的珍宝。放大了的图画让人以为会很巨大，其实不到一英尺半的高度，暗金色，却大概是世界上最珍奇的雕塑，脸，眼眸，两颊，头发，背后的辫子，交叉的权杖，铺张的项链，袍子上个暗红装饰，还有脚。
出了展厅回到现代，已知这个封存完好的3220年未被打扰的最珍奇陵墓宝藏被我亲眼看过了，虽然隔着层玻璃。就是探险队的照片，在古墓里几老外还摆了桌子铺了白布吃西餐，还有那个小小的金字塔上的墓的开口。古埃及最珍奇的宝藏不在古埃及，大概就是因为这个发现者太执著，研究了一生的东西终于被他找到了实物，狂喜之后宝物就被无情地夺走啦。秦始皇兵马俑也在伦敦大英博物馆。古文明就这样被运输着呢。
没有金字塔，但是有金字塔的宝藏。整个展览是抽丝剥茧式的，房间故意弄得很暗，陪葬品和雕塑都被陈列在很大的玻璃展览柜里，一个一个的密室，整个的墓穴，好像让我们能感觉到Howard Carter初发现宝藏的巨大惊喜。
然后由年轻的图腾卡门半臂红石像，到进门的图腾卡门家谱，他的爸爸Akhenaten（与众不同的雕刻）,妈妈Nefertiti,然后唯一的同父异母妹妹，也是他的妻子Faience的雕像.Akhenaten的改变宗教和迁都，母亲妹妹/妻子的梳妆盒，点缀的守护成双女神，香料瓶子，还有出现多次的简单图画。那种就像幼儿简笔画的图一个一个排列着，被放在类似中国印章外面的那一圈的方椭圆框框里，出现在各种木器上面。那个就是埃及的文字，每个图表示一个音节，所以图腾卡门的名字英文被拼做Tut-ankh-amun然而表示为3个图画(hieroglyph)，第一个是柱子和小鸟，第二个是类似权杖象征life的Ankh（见下图）,第三个音节是类似河流。他的物品上都有那个类似“玉玺”作用的章，外加埃及王国伟大统治者的头衔。考古学家们依靠这个推断这个最有发掘价值和豪华的墓的归属。
墓里面重复的图案当然是Ankh即life,还有stability，权杖。装饰很多使用了lotus petal,其实就是水滴型+长柄，淡绿简洁高雅。图腾卡门的陪葬品展出的有他的小巧的椅子，那个金黄和黑漆的梳妆盒，很多为他重生后准备的假的但是色彩鲜艳的美丽水果雕刻，他的“跳跳棋”玩具盒子，然后倒数第二个展室的他的上下埃及王冠全身站像，交叠在胸前的两个有穗的权杖（金蓝交替），他的黄金神龛上有无数他跟娇妻的恩爱生活画面，精致无比。这个神龛就是里面陈有他内脏器官的类似俄罗斯套娃娃的金像。最后一个陈列室就是这个举世闻名的珍宝。放大了的图画让人以为会很巨大，其实不到一英尺半的高度，暗金色，却大概是世界上最珍奇的雕塑，脸，眼眸，两颊，头发，背后的辫子，交叉的权杖，铺张的项链，袍子上个暗红装饰，还有脚。
出了展厅回到现代，已知这个封存完好的3220年未被打扰的最珍奇陵墓宝藏被我亲眼看过了，虽然隔着层玻璃。就是探险队的照片，在古墓里几老外还摆了桌子铺了白布吃西餐，还有那个小小的金字塔上的墓的开口。古埃及最珍奇的宝藏不在古埃及，大概就是因为这个发现者太执著，研究了一生的东西终于被他找到了实物，狂喜之后宝物就被无情地夺走啦。秦始皇兵马俑也在伦敦大英博物馆。古文明就这样被运输着呢。
Monday, December 10, 2007
Photographers are travellers!
=)
补记，今天看了一篇puppy love的小说。男主角之一是个有小儿麻痹症后遗症不能自由活动的人，但是他能捕捉美丽，常常去不为人知的地方拍摄，每次拍很多照片却只留觉得最好的一张。一张而已。全部都是风景。然而故事围绕着他唯一的一套人物照片展开，能够把最温暖的笑容定格，把最温暖的时间一瞬定格，然后传达出去，让那个人知道。
让我想到ハルカナ約束的歌词了。
周杰伦的Secret。（没看过电影的话不要往下看哦！）整个故事都是为了最后那个巨大流星锤！然后佩服他能turn love story into ghost story =)
补记，今天看了一篇puppy love的小说。男主角之一是个有小儿麻痹症后遗症不能自由活动的人，但是他能捕捉美丽，常常去不为人知的地方拍摄，每次拍很多照片却只留觉得最好的一张。一张而已。全部都是风景。然而故事围绕着他唯一的一套人物照片展开，能够把最温暖的笑容定格，把最温暖的时间一瞬定格，然后传达出去，让那个人知道。
让我想到ハルカナ約束的歌词了。
周杰伦的Secret。（没看过电影的话不要往下看哦！）
Friday, December 7, 2007
X'mas tree lighting up ceremony
As my memory is still fresh, hurry stick on the photo today!
(I dont want to blame my little camera anymore as those who do arts and photography will make pictures look nicer than it should be...I'm just try make a loyal reproduction of what I saw...haha)
25 meter tall tree in Trafalgar Square as a present from Oslo, Norway. It was carefully chosen by the mayor of London. And as a token for the UK support to Norway in WWII. Short but profound ceremony today in constantly dripping rain, but the mood of the stand-by people (I see most of them London citizens) quite high.
Across the street to the Piccadilly Circus, I saw the huge merry-go-around as in fairytales, but casinoes in neighbor of it. lol
(I dont want to blame my little camera anymore as those who do arts and photography will make pictures look nicer than it should be...I'm just try make a loyal reproduction of what I saw...haha)
25 meter tall tree in Trafalgar Square as a present from Oslo, Norway. It was carefully chosen by the mayor of London. And as a token for the UK support to Norway in WWII. Short but profound ceremony today in constantly dripping rain, but the mood of the stand-by people (I see most of them London citizens) quite high.
Across the street to the Piccadilly Circus, I saw the huge merry-go-around as in fairytales, but casinoes in neighbor of it. lol
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