Book List

I read some good books recently which gave me a spiritual enlightenment. It's a journey to self-discovery!

1) The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
2) The Pilgrimage - Paulo Coelho
3) GirlFriend in a Coma - Douglas Coupland
4) Conditions of Love the philosophy of intimacy - John Armstrong

Half way:
1) The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 - Sue Townsend
2) The Day my Butt Went Psycho! - Andy Griffiths
3) Generation X - Douglas Coupland
4) The Life of Pi - Yann Martel

Really wanna see:
1) High Fidelity - Nick Hornby
2) Life After God - Douglas Coupland
3) The Power of Kabbalah - Yehuda Berg
4) Status Anxiety - Alain De Botton
5) Eleventh Minutes - Paulo Coelho
6) Veronika Decides to Die - Paulo Coelho
7) The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy

Paulo Coelho is a powerful writer!
Trust me, everyone in the mid-twenty should try The Alchemist!

To all of my teacher friends.
" Teaching is only demonstrating that it is possible. Learning is making it possible for yourself." (The Pilgrimage - Paulo Coelho)

Amazing Sing(apore)

A six-day (excluding the fligh time, it's only four) brief vacation to Singapore and Malaysia is much more comfortable than a 10 days trip to Europe by local tour! This is what i was expecting as a real reluctant VACATION. Though i have no idea what i am going to do since i return, i let my mind and my body rest!

The coolest thing is there is no schedule, no route, no specific tourist-must-visit spots for my trip. Anyhow, i have been to Singapore and Malaysia like 3-4 times already. I just stayed in my sister's place doing the same thing exactly i was doing in HK carefree. My major spot was my niece - Lynn. She's too lovely and adorable to describe.

Like the song said "i can see what i want to see, i can go where i want to go and i can be who i want to be..." that's what i think the most fascinating and awesome experience.

Superman Returns

Superman Returns is kind of disappointing. Sad to say i have almost forgotten the details of the last episode except the image of the entrenched Christropher Reeves humanly superhero who was too busy saving her perpetal trouble-making lover Lois Lane. This new reinvention, led by Brandon Routh has accentuated superman's chivalry and his adolescent romance craving desire. His existence was solely depended on the tie of the unfulfilling relationship but Routh's acting and facial expression have downgraded the incredible into a ineffable and sacrosanct facade without any personality.

How could there be anyone so perfect with noble temperment, a true & sincere heart, romantic, faithful, all potent, smart, kind-hearted and needless to say HANDSOME, HEFTY and CONSUMMATE. Maybe we shouldn't question this superhero logically nor judge the film with common sense. Do we really need Superman in the theatre? I like the idea of Woody Allen presented in the film "The Purple Rose of Cairo". The theatres can bring some hope to people for escapism and delude people with the real and the illusion. I can't say everyone, but at least most of my female friends embraced this cute Superman coz he satisfied most of their white-knight perfection dreams.

I still prefer Tobey Maguire's flesh and blood and more down to earth Spiderman over the unbeatible wax-like red underpants hero who could only fly and lift up aircrafts. Just a personal taste!

Bin Tai Yiu Fu Lan Hou Jing

Lei Leung Yat kok tak sum ching ho mou tun tong mai ho down, ho chi yau ho doll ci fat sun gum. or yau dai chor chi jack shun, yau mei wan doi yat fun ho gong wor, yau bai gor ho pun yau chuk mai, chong hung ding chor yat di or ng sheung sing ying gei yeh. Yau gunt jip fat yin yau gor friend pak chor ho loi tall dan high fun chor sou. ho tang kui ng hoi sum lor.

high kung jok sheung ho duck ham, tong mai ho hoi sum. yau tong or di tong ci hui chor hoi yeung kung yuen, or kok tak barn tong ci ho ho wan. yau ki ci chor or guard nei gor gor, kui high bin tai yiu fu lan hou jing dan high kui ho gau siu gar. tong kui tei yat chai ho yee ling or monk kei yat d ng hoi sum gei yeah. but gwoi ho fai or chou yau juen kung lah. ho ng shei duck kui dei. or ho chung yee kui tei.

hahah.... if you don't understand, just don't bother. I dedicated it to my colleagues. haha.

趕功課 - 慕尼黑的影評

好耐都未試過趕功課，亦從未試過咁享受趕功課的過程，我終於做到一d我好想做既野啦!!!!

好感恩有朋友介紹我寫影評,書評,樂評等，雖知自己不算是一個有料之人，但對電影的確有些興趣，正值苦惱潮而友人作出邀請，真是一個良機。以下的影評有幸的話將會在一個文化網站出現，更被祝福的話，將來所寫的文章還會被刊載至時代論壇，但此時此刻，唯有等待。無論結果如何，我亦為自己付出的興奮莫名!為你們獻上 - 慕尼黑的影評(第一次如此有心機，如此努力的成果):

1972年9月5日，第20屆夏季奧運會，5名"黑色九月"巴勒斯坦武裝人員屠殺奧運村的11名以色列選手，諷刺地為象徵了無種族、無國界分野的五環體壇盛事上的和平，劃上一個沉重的血色句號，亦奠定了史提芬史匹堡鏡頭下一個以色列"摩薩德"人 — 阿夫納(Avner) 在慕尼黑這影片中一生所背負著的一個民族性包袱。

當時的以色烈總理梅亞夫人在受到這侮辱後，暗地策動了一次「沒有存在」的報復行動，設法在地上組織一個暗殺小組用以惡報惡的方式，用敵人的血替自己申冤。男主角阿夫納，在以軍的邀請下和被內心充斥著的民族意識趨逼下，沒法抗拒這張只有幾個巴勒斯坦名字的名單，而踏上了征途。在此影片中，史匹堡描繪出以色列人這種令人十分佩服的愛國的情懷，這個 神所揀選的民族長久以來一直受到一次又一次亡國的考驗，無根的漂流生活不但沒有磨滅了他們的民族意識，反之令他們更團結，更甘願為國家付上一切。可惜這率直的忠心往往容易令人失去理性，迷失在真相以外…

曾為以色列總理的保鏢的阿夫納，原本只是一個熱愛家庭，喜愛下煮的好丈夫，卻在一次又一次的殺戮中，由一個連鎗也未能拿穩的門外漢變成一個熟練的殺手。名單一個一個地清除，但同時在以暴易暴的行為中阿夫納漸漸對以往所持守的公義產生種種的疑問，漸漸分不清自己是在替天行道還是在牽動更多的殺戮，甚至開始懷疑被殺的所謂 “黑色九月”成員究竟是否真正當年策動血案的主謀。這不其然的令我想起聖經中摩西在埃及地為自己的同胞申冤 ，「摩西左右觀望，見沒有人，就把那埃及人擊殺了。」 (出2:12) 我們在生命中是否太多時候是在「左右觀看」，而不是往上而看? 太多的審判亦是來自世上，人們各自的利用自己的尺去量度對錯，結果沒有一方完全是對的，亦正因為這樣 神不在這時使用年青力壯的摩西，而要他苦思了四十年之久才徵召這位埃及王子帶領以色列人出埃及。

影片從慘案中揭幕，史匹堡精妙地在故事中加插了真實的片段，重組了整段的歷史，一幕幕歐洲的街景，伴隨著不同懷舊的衣著及場地的裝飾，令人自然地投入於真實與建構的虛幻當中，經歷著阿夫納內心對家那種的渴求。片中沒有大肆的鼓吹民族英雄，卻將恐怖分子及追兇者人性化的一面表露無遺。男主角艾力巴拿精湛的演出，細膩地表現了一個人面對祖國的使命，殺人的恐懼，對家人的思念以及自我懷疑等，種種的內心掙扎與疑慮的人性反應，不禁令我聯想起哥普拉的<<現代啟示錄>>中的偉利及古華特上校，他們同樣地為國家背負著殺人的使命，但每作一個決定，每流一個人的血，就好像殺死了自己靈魂的一部份，令人漸漸失去理性的意識。這齣以暴反暴的影片，透過阿夫納令人反思報復到底能否徹底地解決種族糾紛，還是只會令野草春風吹又生。一洗人們心中以眼還眼，以牙還牙的價值觀，與近期的另一齣電影<<魔幻王國>>，實在有二曲同功之妙。

 (Feb, 2006)