Experiencing the Ullambana and some reflections on religion 盂蘭盆簡記

"TThere is no need for you to understand religion, there is only the need to believe in religion."
「你不需要理解宗教，只需要信仰宗教。」

"Ullambana, rather than giving a Durkheinist collective effervescence, is based on human beings' most noble and honest feeling, that is, love to family members. Love that can cross time, space, and the line between life and death."
「盂蘭盆儀式傳達的，並非涂爾幹式的集體意志，而是人類最純粹高貴的情感：人倫親情的舐犢濡慕，足以戰勝死生契闊。」

我今天再度地被雲端系統給愚弄了

真的有人搞得清楚嗎?
我們真的要再放心地把生活的點點滴滴交給宅男工程師的邏輯為我們安排嗎

縱使天高地厚 (Crouching Tigers, Hidden Dragons, 2000)

縱使天高地厚，

心困方寸間，身陷人情世，即無間地獄。

Occupy Legislative Yuan: Politics, Economics, and an Emergence of Civil Consciousness in Taiwan

      Last Wednesday afternoon, a small crowd of Taiwanese students protested in front of Sinclair Library to voice their supports to the "Sunflower Movement." The Sunflower Movement, similar to Occupy Wall Street, used occupation to protest against political and economic inequality.    

歌劇初體驗：Pagliacci & Carmina Burrana

      

     其實我已經抱了必無聊的決心出門的。人聲合唱是我聽廣播每次都必趴的選項，再說我對歌劇的印象就是絕代豔姬 (Farenelli, 1994) 裡聊勝於無的布景、無邏輯神話式劇情（劇情只是為了編歌詞方便吧）、和小時候看貓（這明明就是音樂劇）得來的都不知道在唱什麼的印象。我完全抱著賺經驗值的心態報名的（同場同想法的EWC鄰居不再少數啊，這年頭大家都只聽過音樂劇，住亞太平洋地區牛年馬月才有聽歌劇的機會啊）。

         

         結果真的太驚艷了，歌劇果然是個了不起的發明！

      As a matter of fact, I did not expect too much for opera. Chorus has been not an option for my radio. My impression to opera came from a movie, Fareneli and a musical, Cat, in which an opera's scenery design should be poor, no audience understood lines and lyrics, and the story is illogical because it served for music. I signed up this EWCPA tour, thinking to (maybe as most those never-gos) gaining experience. After all, it was a rare opportunity.  Then it turned out that.......it's great! What a  great invention, opera! 

回國後去社區中心兼差好了

連如何使用觸控螢幕這種咚咚都可以上課的話，我要去教

紅色情深 （Red 1994）: As if a ultimate force is looking at us

     
     我記得小時候的春暉電影台，一個奇葩無比的藝術片專門頻道。我記得曾幾何時聯祥國片台也播法國片，我看米娜的故事每次都可以哭。我記得奇士勞夫斯基曾掀起一陣炫風，茱莉葉畢諾許清麗絕俗的海報出沒在大街小巷。我記得電視上老是重播白色情迷（好奇怪的一部片）。我記得報紙上說紅色情深在那年的坎城全軍覆沒、敗給了初出茅廬的昆丁塔倫提若（和他的Pulp Fiction）。我記得一個週末華視十二點播雙面維若妮卡，我躺在沙發上邊看邊睡著了。
   
       In my childhood era,  there was one unusual television channel specialized in playing art films. I remember once even a Chinese film channel could play French movies, and Mina Tannebaum always made me cry.  I remember watching Kieslowski used to be a fashion in Taiwan. Juliette Binoche's beautiful face on Blue's poster was visible everywhere. I remember somehow White was often re-broacasted (it's a weird movie to me). I read from newspapers saying that Red failed in the year's Cannes Film Festival, to a rising star Quentin Tarantino (and his Pulp Fiction). I remember on one Saturday night I watched The Double Life of Veronique on my sofa and fell into sleep.    

       

        生命瞬息萬變，即使看似不動的風景，原來也會有一天再也不一樣。或是大師遠去，再也不復當年的鏡頭了，無比留戀紅色情深裡的各種細節，還有日內瓦市區街景，是最雋永最勾魂的那種紛圍。Zbigniew Preisner幽深的管弦配樂，仿若無構圖的生活化場景、伊蓮雅歌不世出的天使美貌、九零年代式的優雅而厚重的穿著（粗高鞋、毛呢、厚絲襪、墊肩大衣）、 石磚造建築的沈重歷史感。

       Life is changeable. Even a seemly constant view, one day you will realize that they are never the same. Or maybe the sceneries were gone with the master who created them? I am deeply fascinated by every detail in Red. This film presents me the most appealing atmosphere that only existed in the 90s. I mean the stone buildings and urban landscape of Vienna, Zbigniew Preisner's orchestral music, the simple and structure-less photography, the unsung angelic super beauty of Irene Jacob, and that out-of-date fashion styles, e.g., the low think heels, heavy sweater, and over-sized  coat with stupid shoulder-pads.    

安堂ロイド（其實都在罵星星）

   
 本來上禮拜要來狂罵「來自星星的你」的，因為在天涯上有理工女罵得頭頭是道就懶了。就在那個當下我看了安堂機器人，本週熊熊拼完，我只能說，平平是科幻題材兩相比較，前者真是被狠甩一個日本海啊。

Hitler's Generals in America: Nazi POWs and Allied Military Intelligence by Derek R. Mallett

       難得校園有Hitler開頭的講座，也難得主打二戰的題目這麼輕鬆詼諧的。

原來是來打書的啊

Courses that I will be able to teach