上星期戰棋會清貨大減價，終於買了幾個考慮了很久的boardgame。我想，可以停一下了，現在有足夠的boardgame去搞一個定期的聚會吧。
其實最擔心的是有沒有足夠的朋友有興趣來玩boardgame。我知道一般聚會中很多朋友都有興趣玩玩boardgame，但如果每月一次以boardgame為主的聚會，又有沒有人會到呢（我不是說每次都到）？又，除了最簡單的遊戲外，又有沒有人願意學些雜複一點兒的boardgame呢？
或許我有點hedonistic吧，我知道大家都是很忙碌工作，有各種職責，我亦有我的part-time學業。但單純的快樂和享受也是有內在價值的東西，也是值得追求的吧……如果要玩樂，我覺得就選一樣具挑戰性、益智，而又social的方法吧。
以前家裡很小，招呼不了幾個朋友。現在家大了，boardgames也買了，playstation也有了，酒杯/茶杯也買了，是時候了。至於我家裡有什麼boardgame……就看這裡吧。
I am doing a part-time PhD in the same department I am teaching full-time, and so there is a constant reminder of the struggle between knowledge creation and knowledge sharing. I think the joy of a researcher is to have his or her work published and recognised – in the same way, I guess the joy of a teacher would be the growth, launching and recognition of his of her student.
My university is holding graduation ceremonies this week, and I see all over facebook former students posting their graduation photos on the wall. In the back of my mind I might have hoped I did make an impact on their study, but that might be wishful thinking. Nonetheless, that does not dampen my joy of watching them.
Maybe teaching is my calling… Well, I would like to be a scholarly teacher……
只是簡單的列出我們婚宴時使用的音樂：
CLASSICAL
JAZZ / COUNTRY
ROCK & POP
CHINESE POP
中秋節，早了下班，和同事到中環吃了下午茶、到銅鑼灣買了兩張高凳、到父母家裡吃飯，再趕回家 — 因為有朋友的聚會。
K比我忙，也比我嚴謹。其實我打算輕輕鬆鬆的、得過且過，她卻希望能讓家裡更整潔一點。可能，我付出的總是比較少……我之所以比較輕鬆愉快，只是因為我身邊的人為我付出了……
同事和朋友都叫我要弄個bachelor’s party，但我不知道bachelor’s party可以做些什麼。其實pleasurable的事情有很多，在unusual的地方做unusual的事情，卻讓我很不自在。
喜歡的是做回最多的自己。我很喜歡教學工作，lecture或tutorial，在某些框架中，做有意義的事情，也做回自己。（和那相反的，就是扭曲自己，做沒有意義的事情。）
工作中，社交上，社會裡的種種，相信我身邊的人起碼會覺得我是有禮貌的、專業的、甚至親切的。我也的確希望朋友、家人、同事、學生們都能快樂 — 這我或多或少都有用心去做。
您可以說我不夠犧牲的精神，但說到自己的婚禮，我就希望至少一生人中能「自私」一次，不為滿足身邊的人，只為自己兩個人，要一個讓自己快樂的婚禮。當然，這實際上不一定可行，兩個人所想要的快樂就並不一定一樣，但這至少是我對這婚禮的理念……
至少我覺得自己知道什麼是快樂的事情 — 昨天晚上就是快樂的相聚。當然各人有各人的付出 — 希望下次我可以付出更多。如果這就是我昨為bachelor的最後一個party，就已經很美好了。和我愛的人一起，和朋友一起，喝我很久沒喝過的Vouvray，聊聊天，玩玩boardgame。希望在餘下的人生中，還有很多這樣的晚上。
Maybe I am getting irritable lately, but I’m really annoyed by the fact that I was stopped at the gate of my local church yesterday. It was a Sunday, around 3pm in the afternoon; and I was trying to walk into the building, when someone I do not personally know tried to stop me and questioned me of my intention.
I have to say I have not experienced something like this before. Especially at a church where I have been attending more or less constantly over the past 30 years – I do not know what would happen if I am just a visiting churchgoer wanting to come and pray. I know of people being denied entrance into UK or USA and had to take the first plane back, but yesterday, even though I did gain entry, feel slightly different.
This church is my home, home of the parishioners. I thought a church is a place to gather, is welcoming, and is not a place for fencing people off, pushing people away. I have no idea why the gate to the church has to be locked, on Sunday of all days, and with the Priest actually inside the building. I know the Parish Priest has his own ideas, and while I respect his position as the one in charge, I also want him to respect us as the host, the backbone of the parish, being here and staying here while Priests come and go.
Yes, I know I am easily annoyed these days, so I shall just shut up.
If there is a title song, or theme song, for my wedding, then, for me, personally, it would be Kary Ng’s “愛是最大權利”. K said she does not know why I like this song so much… I guess it is because she is not as angry as I am, in life, in general.
愛是最大權利
可不可與你放膽嬉戲．忘掉日與夜那些限期．不管身邊幾多無聊道理
手拖手與你演出好戲．遊行直到夜晚多淒美．爭取這一次走幾千百里沿途留心掌心的知覺也著緊．我認我認我愛得太過份
人群漸近想改寫你我命運．任天塌下亦前行哪怕你說我天真憑我徹底的勇氣愛是最大權利．不理場面不偉大我共你始終同游生死
還有哪一種結尾花光一切在乎你．沒有想過太多我只需要你路到盡頭也置之不理．寧願為愛著你不捨棄．爭取多一次我身邊有你
沿途祈禱始終一天我會望到．你是你是我的所有態度
無從預告多曲折每段路．路中幾多的勸告我怕我會聽不到憑我徹底的勇氣愛是最大權利．不理場面不偉大我共你始終同游生死
還有哪一種結尾花光一切別嫌棄．若已想過太多我只知愛你憑我徹底的勇氣愛是最大權利．不理場面不偉大我共你始終同游生死
還有哪一種結尾花光一切在乎你．沒有想過太多我只需要你
For me, this song is about not caring about other people’s unjustified opinions and demands. This is something I have a lot of experience with, and also something I feel very strong about.
搬離西環有一個多月了。在那邊住了三年前，最主要是因為那裡靠近我上班的地方，又剛好有合適的單位。現在工作的地方沒有變，但人生又要進入下一個階段了。
從西環上班，每天穿過西寶城，乘它的電梯上薄扶林道；下班時又從薄扶林道走它的樓梯回到皇后大道西。蠻喜歡西寶城有三聯書店和蠻大的惠康超級市場，不過我最常到的店還是食店。
有一陣子常到McDonald’s買早餐，之後改為到Panash買麵包。不錯吃呢，只是比起樓下的傳統麵包店貴了一截。
我喜歡吃日本菜，附近也有不少餐廳。其實蠻懷念一間叫「十人十色」的，特別是它晚上的二人餐，可惜早就結業了。「活一鮮」由小店搬到大一點的舖，壽司和魚生飯都很不錯，想慰勞一下自己就到那裡吃。後巷裡的「熊亭」總是沒什麼客人，或許是不夠便宜吧，食物卻還不錯。大街上「御家」的食物則浮游在合格和不合格之間，賣點或許是有電視看吧。
「味千拉麵」也算是日本料理吧，只要不吃拉麵以外的東西，也是不錯的選擇。有時走遠一點到「三上」，和元朗本店一樣，不過不失，但勝在選擇多。更遠一點，在堅尼地城的「濤」和「神座」，以前常到吃午餐，晚餐卻好像不值呢。最有趣的是號稱日式烤肉店的「福田」，賣的卻完完全全是韓式烤肉。
最後要題的日本料理店就是厚和街的「嵐川日本串燒」，值得一試呢～
嵐川日本串燒
從西環搬到了長沙灣。過了兩星期，昨天才上得了網。
房子還是租的，但比以前大得多。有個正式的廚房，或許會多煮點飯。mi-mi是否也會因為多點地方走動而開心點呢？
每天要早個多小時起床了，但到現在還未有在公車上睡覺的習慣。要是每天都在九時左右下車，或許正好可以到先Starbucks買點早餐……就像我當年剛搬到西環時那樣……
其實很多東西都並未習慣呢，又或是說未establish一個新的生活模式。甚至連傢俬都未買齊呢。
Director: Kawamoto Kihachiro 川本喜八郎
Country: Japan
Year: 2003
In adapting Basho’s renga poem, a form traditionally created by a minimum of three different poets, Kawamoto enlisted the help of 34 of Japan and the world’s finest animators, including Alexandr Petrov, Mark Baker, Bretislav Pojar, Jacques Drouin and Wang Bairong to each produce a 30-second segment of Winter Days, one of Kawamoto’s most ambitious films. Ranging widely in styles and techniques, from cel animation to CGI to pin screen, from the surreal to the comic, Winter Days is a visual delight as well as an innovative approach to renga.
本片源自日本的連句詩《冬之日》— 這連句詩由江戶時代的詩人松尾芭蕉和當時幾位詩人輪流合寫，而動畫家川本喜八郎則請來幾十位不同的動畫家，根據詩句創作出動畫。
我對日文詩並不熟悉，字幕中的英文翻譯當然亦不一定傳神，但我想其中幾位外國的動畫家（甚至日本的動畫家）都各自有各自的想法和體會。有些抓著幾個詞話、有些比較考究歷史，有些風趣、有些沈鬱。有趣的是每個動畫家都負責兩句詩句，但負責的部份卻是重疊的（甲負責第一二句、乙負責第二三句……）可以看得出各人對同一句詩句的演繹。
電影的前半部是動畫，後半部卻是紀錄片，訪問有份參與製作的每一位動畫家。如果看完紀錄片部份再重看動畫部份或許會更有趣呢。這是個有趣的project，若果您喜歡動畫創作或欣賞的話，相信是更有趣的電影。
Director: Manoel de Oliveira
Cast: Pilar López de Ayala, Filipe Vargas, Leonor Silveira
Country: Portugal/Spain
Year: 2010
The 102-year-old Manoel de Oliveira practically defies his age with this playfully anachronistic love story. Simultaneously retro in its evocation of Melies and avant-garde in its ruminations of recent ecological and economic crises, the film charts the romantic obsession of a photographer, Isaac, who falls for the recently deceased Angelica after taking her photo. Soon enough, Isaac becomes haunted by Angelica’s ghost. The surprising assimilation of digital visual effects show a director who remains unafraid of taking risks.
每年電影節都總有些和我預期中有出入的電影……今年的《The Strange Case of Angelica》也是如此。它的節奏很慢，好像很多事情都沒有交待清楚。我們只看到男主角為剛死去的Angelica和田裡的工人拍照，然後開始在夢中見到Angelica，變得越來越痴迷。
男主角和房東太太的對話，或許也代表他和世間的交往。他不太理會其他人，但自始至終對待房東太太還是蠻正常的。至於他對Angelica的obsession（或是haunting），則有點突然……一陣子好像只是有點念掛，突然又變得瘋狂。恕我不太看得懂……
