Such beautiful lyrics...

Love this song now as much as when I first listened to it some 20 years ago, if not more. I can play the same track of the CD again and again and again...

They asked me how I knew

My true love was true

Oh, I of course replied

Something here inside cannot be denied

They said someday you'll find

All who love are blind

Oh, when your heart's on fire

You must realize

Smoke gets in your eyes

So I chaffed them and I gaily laughed

To think they could doubt my love

And yet today my love has flown away

I am without my love

Now laughing friends deride

Tears I can not hide

Oh, so I smile and say

When a lovely flame dies

Smoke gets in your eyes

Smoke gets in your eyes

《1Q84》

趁農曆年假，讀完《1Q84》。據說，《1Q84 》是對照歐威爾的《1984》的，例如 Little People 對照 Big Brother。整體印象是，書中主角都跟周圍的人疏離，所以氣氛沉鬱。有許多性愛的場面，但都是沒有愛的性。青豆的身世與遭遇奇異，故只能欣賞作者的想像力，但未有共鳴。反而有幾處對天吾的描寫，很是傳神 。

天吾有段自白曰：「小時候的我確實是個數學神童。自己也覺得那是不簡單的才能。大家都對我另眼相看，寵愛有加。不過那個終究是，無法發展到某個有意義地步的才能。那是限於那裡有的而已。我從小就身材高大、柔道很強。在縣比賽時經常得到好成績。但是進到更寬廣的世界時，比我強的柔道選手要有多少有多少。在大學就沒有被選為全國大會的代表選手。我因此深受打擊，有一段時期變得不知道自己是什麼了。」

另一段描述天吾：「他不是眾所寄望的數學神童，也不是前途有望的柔道選手。只是補習班的講師。不過這樣天吾很高興。他在那裡終於可以喘一口氣。有生以來第一次，不必顧慮別人，可以自己一個人過自由的生活了。」但自由之中，天吾又有點迷失：「雖然本來就是沒有目標的人生，不過以前別人對他有所期望和要求，為回應那個，他的人生也就忙得團團轉。然而那要求和期待一旦消失之後，就沒留下任何值得一提的東西了。沒有人生的目的。」

另外天吾在第 8 和 24 章到療養院看父親的兩幕，相當感人；雖然都是天吾自說自話，但大抵是書中最有溫情的情節了。

老實說，我仍未完全弄清村上春樹在書中傳遞的所有象徵意義。既然書的第三部尚待出版，我即管等看完大結局，再作定論。

Shanghai

At last, I tried the maglev train in Shanghai when I visited the city last month. It was all very sleek. Electronic indicators on board showed the speed of the train, and as the train accelerated from zero to some 300 km per hour within seconds, I was only grateful that the readings did not reflect the rate of increase of my blood pressure. There was no discomfort caused by the speed at all. If the train scene was a snapshot of the city profile, Shanghai is as cosmopolitan as you can get: there were conversations in Mandarin, Cantonese, English and French within my earshot, but mind you, the train was not crowded.

In the advent of the World Expo, the city was having a face-lift. Construction work was everywhere. I was unable to view the river from the Bund. Even some tourist attractions were closed for renovation. They were surrounded by fences and covers that say "Better City, Better Life", the theme of the 2010 Expo. Allow me to be critical, but the comma in the slogan appears unnecessary. In any case, the English version of the theme has a different meaning from that of the Chinese version ("城市，讓生活更美好"), which, in my opinion, also contains a superfluous comma.

I was delighted to discover a bohemian area hidden among the alleys within a block. There were enough little shops, cafes and galleries to make one lost in the maze. I hope those secret corners will not be replaced by skyscrapers as Shanghai strives to become a better city and for a better life.

塌樓

圖一

圖二



土瓜灣的塌樓悲劇，令我想起自己許多年前的一個經歷，現在猶有馀悸。大三那年，畢業考試前約兩個星期，一個寧靜的星期天早上，我正專心地溫習筆記。忽然，轟隆一聲，彷是天塌了下來。空氣中灰塵彌漫。抬頭一看，天花板出現了一個大洞！（見圖一）天花的洞口直徑應該有半米長。後來聽說，那是因為天花內的木樑潮濕發漲，令石屎裂開跌落。
*

天花塌下後，房間地上佈滿石屎碎片。（見圖二）定神回想，剛才大塊石屎擦身而降，我要是當時躺在床上，或者站過一點點，便已受傷，甚至被擊中昏倒。我受驚得不知如何反應。打開房間的門，屋內的樓梯靜悄悄的。那古老的英國房子三層高，每層有兩間房。鄰房沒有人走出來看個究竟；似乎屋內除我之外，無人知道塌天花一事。我又走回房間看一遍頹垣敗瓦。完全不知所措。
*

我走到街上的電話亭，手一邊震一邊撥長途電話回家，媽一提起聽筒，我便嚷：我剛才差點死了！
*

走到College找porter，鎮定情緒說了一次來龍去脈，還怕沒有人相信。Porter說，今天是星期天，辦公室沒人上班，他們愛莫能助。典型的英式efficiency。

我回到房間，竟然嘗試徒手拾起石屎塊丟進垃圾袋。原來石屎碎塊也挺重的。筆記薄薄的鋪了一層塵。我竟然還嘗試吹氣吹走一些塵。
*

自己似乎清理不了房間，便走上去告訴樓上房間的同學小心，因為樓下有個洞呢。他好像卻不大擔心。現在想來，屋內其他五伙都應搬走；房子可能有倒塌危險！約了我吃中飯的同學上來，不敢相信眼前所見。我只懂傻笑。因為不知還有甚麼可以做，便出外吃了中飯再算。
*

下午，porter來向我交了一條鑰匙，叫我當晚到隔壁另一棟房子一個多馀的房間睡。那總算有點良心。那天晚上，我躺在陌生的床上（床單都沒有），張眼望天花，覺得一切都不可思議。
*

土瓜灣舊樓居民的徬徨心情，我是理解的。

Education

"Education, education, and education" were Tony Blair's three main priorities for government, so he said in 1996. Those who have seen Iris will remember: Judi Dench as Iris Murdoch, in reaction to Blair's speech on television, said, "John! John! Why does he keep saying that?"

It would have been good to hear what Blair had to say about the point of education. What's the point, really, for studying, asks the 17-year-old Jenny in An Education, who has just been proposed to. Emma Thompson, her principal, holds out two career options: teaching and civil service. 17-year-old has fallen for the worldly lifestyle the man twice her age offers, refuses to be bored now and bored for the rest of her life, so quits school to get ready to be married. Father of the girl sees no point in his daughter going to university now that she is "taken care of". Of course, the "fiance" turns out to have a wife already; 17-year-old realizes her mistake in time to break off the "engagement" to return to Latin and Oxford entrance exam and is eventually admitted.

But what if it weren't a con man but a perfectly wonderful husband, and they lived happily ever after? The Oxford degree wouldn't have been a lifesaver as much. What's the point of education is no easy question to answer: to be enlightened (but how many are enlightened by their degrees?) / to find happiness (but ignorance is a bliss) / for the sake of it (just like the point of living) / to get a job (but ask Donald Tsang what he plans to do with the jobless "post-eighties" who are equipped with at least associate degrees) /none of the above / all of the above...? The film title makes a pun on the fact that the girl has probably learnt more from the brief relationship than from school!

Titbits: When Jenny returns from Paris, she gives a Chanel No. 5 to Miss Stubbs, and the way the latter says "I cannot accept it" is soo similar to (oh dear) Elizabeth Bennet refusing the first propsal from Colin Firth's Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice (BBC's mini-series).

And I note from IMDb that Rosamund Pike, who plays the dumb blonde, is actually an Oxon alum.

阿凡達

原本我跟自己說，不會看這部片的。海報並不吸引：藍色的科學怪人，加上坦克模樣的機械，配原始森林的背景，怎看都像蠻夷的電影，不合我喜歡小品電影的口胃。後來有人說，很好看，一定要看，甚至聽說有人看完要再看。既是全城熱話，我最後屈服了，而且為公平起見，買了最貴的IMAX影院的3D版本的戲票，好讓我見識現代電影的最高視覺成就。

結果呢，唔，我覺得這部片，還不怎麼樣。

這是追求感官刺激的困境 -- 時下的觀眾，有甚麼沒見過呢，要討好他們，難啊。最先進的科技，更多時間的製作，最多是逼真到跟真的一樣，嘩一聲的讚歎之後，下一次的期望只有越高越難滿足。而且，個人來說，野人怪獸飛禽異卉蠻荒險地戰機炮火的場面，雖令人目眩，卻稱不上悅目。

影片大事宣揚環保意識，跟剛結束的哥本哈根峰會，相映成趣。然而，美式的電影就是這樣說教；要說些話也說得吵吵鬧鬧，沒一點像歐洲電影的留白，讓觀眾自己靜一靜想一想。

片中某些元素，從亞洲角度來看，雖則可能純屬巧合，卻有些抄襲之嫌。如潘朵拉星球的浮動山群，就像天空之城一樣；土著選飛禽坐騎，你選牠時牠選你，又講人禽合一，令人想起金庸小說裏郭靖與小紅馬。片名亦似故弄玄虛，整色整水：阿凡達是梵文，指生物的體現或身體的顯示，卻未必是片中借用軀體那種意思。

翌日，讀報得知，有粉絲巧遇占士金馬倫，要求簽名，卻遭大導以粗口對罵。如報導屬實，更使我對電影導演的印象扣分。

話說回來，阿凡達雖不合我的口味，但總算緊湊無冷場。而且，當全世界都吹捧這部片的時候，也只有親自看過，才有發言權。如是，我中了電影商的圈套，但又能怎樣，哈哈。

In love

"...Christianity is supposed to be all about love but it's utterly useless when you're in love. There's not a blind thing you can do about being in love it seems to me except to sit it out. Jesus said love one another. He said the only commandments that matter are to love God and each other. He didn't say that loving, especially each other, tears you to pieces. Might have been better if he had said Don't love one another. Just try and get along with each other and if you feel love coming on go for a long brisk walk like father tells Uncle Edmund..."

-- Jane Gardam, Bilgewater