一个小孩,
很多事情不清楚.
不会的只能边看边学,
感谢朋友的提点体谅.
少了儿时的童真,
多了大人的拘谨,
该想的没想清楚, 就胡里胡涂地说出来.
该放的, 却想了许久.
书上学不会,
慢慢用心领悟
却不知还会得罪多少人,
失去几个朋友.
但愿
能拔苗助长,
早日收放自如.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Saturday, April 14, 2007
In the end, who pays?
Fine collections of arts, gilded buildings and fountains, painted ceilings and luxuriously furnished interiors mark Paris, the city of lights. It is a beautiful city to spend a week in, and it was a dream come true for me to see for myself the legacies of the history I did at A level. Bastilles, Tuilleries, Napoleon's tomb, Versailles and a whole string of other monuments were built by or in memory of the Kings, Napoleon and Napoleon III. These buildings took an extraordinarily long time to build by modern standards, and lasted even longer. I used to complain that 1789, the year of the French Revolution, was such a long time ago, and to visit these buildings that even predated the Revolution was awe-inspiring, to say the least.
It is also a city full of colourful contradictions. It craves peace, dedicating monuments to its patron saint, St. Genevieve, to avert the destruction of war. Yet, it was constantly plagued by wars and revolutions, and is to this day, proud of its military achievement. It is a fine balance, the abhorrence for war vs. the celebration and commemoration of French military legacies.
It was the birthplace of the Enlightenment, the Age of Reason which replaced the unquestioning faith in God, and in Paris, some churches were converted to Temples of Reason during the Revolution. Yet, it has very beautiful churches, like Notre-Dame with its cute gargoyles. The Parisians have achieved a balance in this too, being able to reconcile the idea of honouring great French mortals like Voltaire and Rousseau in the Pantheon, originally dedicated to St. Genevieve.
The trip would have been perfect, if I had time to slow down and walk through Paris' shopping districts and eat Parisian food rather than sandwiches. But I guess, this is the cost for seeing as much of French history and art as we could.
But it was great to be able to meet a longtime friend again. I met Yvonne for dinner on three nights, and we had French food, Korean food and bubble tea! Yes, there is no bubble tea in Coventry. Really grateful to her for keeping me company and showing me around despite having only a relatively short one-week holiday. And it is always good to be able to catch up with a long time friend.
All in all, it was a great trip, though I left with a tinge of guilt that the pinnacle of French cultural achievements that I got to witness came at the expense of generations of French who suffered their rulers' excesses.
It is also a city full of colourful contradictions. It craves peace, dedicating monuments to its patron saint, St. Genevieve, to avert the destruction of war. Yet, it was constantly plagued by wars and revolutions, and is to this day, proud of its military achievement. It is a fine balance, the abhorrence for war vs. the celebration and commemoration of French military legacies.
It was the birthplace of the Enlightenment, the Age of Reason which replaced the unquestioning faith in God, and in Paris, some churches were converted to Temples of Reason during the Revolution. Yet, it has very beautiful churches, like Notre-Dame with its cute gargoyles. The Parisians have achieved a balance in this too, being able to reconcile the idea of honouring great French mortals like Voltaire and Rousseau in the Pantheon, originally dedicated to St. Genevieve.
The trip would have been perfect, if I had time to slow down and walk through Paris' shopping districts and eat Parisian food rather than sandwiches. But I guess, this is the cost for seeing as much of French history and art as we could.
But it was great to be able to meet a longtime friend again. I met Yvonne for dinner on three nights, and we had French food, Korean food and bubble tea! Yes, there is no bubble tea in Coventry. Really grateful to her for keeping me company and showing me around despite having only a relatively short one-week holiday. And it is always good to be able to catch up with a long time friend.
All in all, it was a great trip, though I left with a tinge of guilt that the pinnacle of French cultural achievements that I got to witness came at the expense of generations of French who suffered their rulers' excesses.
For pictures, click on the Gargoyle. :p
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Cowabunga!!!
Yesterday night, I went with a group of friends to relive our childhood days. We went to watch TMNT, a show which all of us were faithfully glued to at 5.30pm on weekdays. CGI has given 2D turtle-heroes more defined features and more heroic-appearances.
But for all the high-tech equipment used in the making of the movie, turtles still used old equipment - swords, ninja ropes and smoke pellets. When they need to find each other, they meet each other physically. No handphones with high-tech blue-tooth sets.
The storyline has become more sophisticated though, dealing with the questions of good leadership, family and how too much of a good thing can become a curse. Even the villain was not all evil. He had sought to open a gate to the past, that would in fact unleash all the demons onto New York city, only because he was the creature who attained immortality 3000 years ago and lived to regret it. Only by opening the gate can he undo the curse.
Speaking of the villain, it is quite funny how the baddies all looked like they came out from warcraft. New York city is typical TMNT grounds, but the world of the baddies located 3000 years ago in time and space is Warcraft landscape! And I always thought Warcraft was progress from TMNT.
Well, mindless entertainment with a good dose of childhood memories and a guaranteed good ending works wonders. Cowabunga.
But for all the high-tech equipment used in the making of the movie, turtles still used old equipment - swords, ninja ropes and smoke pellets. When they need to find each other, they meet each other physically. No handphones with high-tech blue-tooth sets.
The storyline has become more sophisticated though, dealing with the questions of good leadership, family and how too much of a good thing can become a curse. Even the villain was not all evil. He had sought to open a gate to the past, that would in fact unleash all the demons onto New York city, only because he was the creature who attained immortality 3000 years ago and lived to regret it. Only by opening the gate can he undo the curse.
Speaking of the villain, it is quite funny how the baddies all looked like they came out from warcraft. New York city is typical TMNT grounds, but the world of the baddies located 3000 years ago in time and space is Warcraft landscape! And I always thought Warcraft was progress from TMNT.
Well, mindless entertainment with a good dose of childhood memories and a guaranteed good ending works wonders. Cowabunga.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Truth or Dare?
truth: I am an unadventurous scaredy-cat who will be better-off placed on a package tour and be brought around.
dare: Run off to a European city by myself for 4 days 3 nights.
Result: Off I went to Brussels, with a bagpack of clothes and an invisible baggage of jitters. Yes, I was crazy to do that, but it was a way to force myself out of my comfort zone once again, out of my room. With that, I made this short trip my own unique experience, learning things I never could from books or travelling with people.
First, about Brussels:
Brussels town centre is incredibly beautiful, and cultured. But at the same time, everywhere outside of it pales in comparison, and even appears backward. I stayed a 15-minute tram ride away from the town centre, in this place called Helmet in Schaerbeek. When I got off the tram, my first impression was that I have landed in the area behind Little India, or in Johore. The area was full of shops abandoned, some full of graffitti, some barely operational, others half-torn down.
Brussels is also incredibly blessed for its culture and history. The beauty and grandeur that remain are a shade of the past, which has been lost through haphazard restructuring and horrendous town-planning. Basically, they draw plans, and tear down whatever is in the way and fill up whatever holes, rivers and canals that lie in that direction. Old urban settlements are often found near rivers, but the river Senne in Brussels has been made into a longkang, filled up and then made into a tree-lined boulevard. Even the process of tearing down was never done properly. The Coudenberg palace which was destroyed in a fire and remained in ruins for 40 years was built on a slope. When they required the place, they filled up the slope to level it and merely tore down whatever was still above ground level.
Amazing.
Second, travelling in a non-English-speaking country is a different experience altogether. In tourist areas, my bad attempts to speak in French were met by reassuring replies in English. In other areas, the locals and I struggle along with each other, taking very long to think in each other's language. The solution: buy everything you need in a supermarket. Minimal communication needed. :p
Third, travelling alone forces me to talk to strangers. On this trip, I spoke to a Hungarian, a Romanian and a Slovakian, all happening to just be in Brussels. They had different ideas, and I was forced to understand how and why they think the way they do. The most surprising of all was the Romanian girl, who insisted that government should legislate away all problems, including *gasps* family-planning. She agrees with China's One-Child Policy, and when questioned about the consequences that China faces now, her highly pragmatic answer: "If it has to be done, it has to be done." Friends provide good travelling company, so I won't stray and seek the company of strangers.
Lastly, self-planned, everything-DIY holidays are TIRING. From the usual booking of hostels and transportation and planning of itineraries, a solo holiday creates the additional stress of having to be extra alert all the time. From dodging beggars, buskers, drunkards, gangsters, to pretending to be confident even though I was hopeless lost. On the ferry from the French coast to UK, I kept dozing off, but woke up every 3 minutes because it is dangerous to fall asleep. (Another crazy thing I did: took a bus to Belgium that involved the bus driving up onto the ferry.)
If I want to take a good break, I would stay in my room and sleep or book a package tour. But the crazy side of me still thinks it is all worthwhile even though I'm now more tired than before I left.
And now, PHOTOS.
Me looking kind of buay-song, in front of the Cinquantenaire. Can't really manage everything and self-take the photo. :D
dare: Run off to a European city by myself for 4 days 3 nights.
Result: Off I went to Brussels, with a bagpack of clothes and an invisible baggage of jitters. Yes, I was crazy to do that, but it was a way to force myself out of my comfort zone once again, out of my room. With that, I made this short trip my own unique experience, learning things I never could from books or travelling with people.
First, about Brussels:
Brussels town centre is incredibly beautiful, and cultured. But at the same time, everywhere outside of it pales in comparison, and even appears backward. I stayed a 15-minute tram ride away from the town centre, in this place called Helmet in Schaerbeek. When I got off the tram, my first impression was that I have landed in the area behind Little India, or in Johore. The area was full of shops abandoned, some full of graffitti, some barely operational, others half-torn down.
Brussels is also incredibly blessed for its culture and history. The beauty and grandeur that remain are a shade of the past, which has been lost through haphazard restructuring and horrendous town-planning. Basically, they draw plans, and tear down whatever is in the way and fill up whatever holes, rivers and canals that lie in that direction. Old urban settlements are often found near rivers, but the river Senne in Brussels has been made into a longkang, filled up and then made into a tree-lined boulevard. Even the process of tearing down was never done properly. The Coudenberg palace which was destroyed in a fire and remained in ruins for 40 years was built on a slope. When they required the place, they filled up the slope to level it and merely tore down whatever was still above ground level.
Amazing.
Second, travelling in a non-English-speaking country is a different experience altogether. In tourist areas, my bad attempts to speak in French were met by reassuring replies in English. In other areas, the locals and I struggle along with each other, taking very long to think in each other's language. The solution: buy everything you need in a supermarket. Minimal communication needed. :p
Third, travelling alone forces me to talk to strangers. On this trip, I spoke to a Hungarian, a Romanian and a Slovakian, all happening to just be in Brussels. They had different ideas, and I was forced to understand how and why they think the way they do. The most surprising of all was the Romanian girl, who insisted that government should legislate away all problems, including *gasps* family-planning. She agrees with China's One-Child Policy, and when questioned about the consequences that China faces now, her highly pragmatic answer: "If it has to be done, it has to be done." Friends provide good travelling company, so I won't stray and seek the company of strangers.
Lastly, self-planned, everything-DIY holidays are TIRING. From the usual booking of hostels and transportation and planning of itineraries, a solo holiday creates the additional stress of having to be extra alert all the time. From dodging beggars, buskers, drunkards, gangsters, to pretending to be confident even though I was hopeless lost. On the ferry from the French coast to UK, I kept dozing off, but woke up every 3 minutes because it is dangerous to fall asleep. (Another crazy thing I did: took a bus to Belgium that involved the bus driving up onto the ferry.)
If I want to take a good break, I would stay in my room and sleep or book a package tour. But the crazy side of me still thinks it is all worthwhile even though I'm now more tired than before I left.
And now, PHOTOS.
Me looking kind of buay-song, in front of the Cinquantenaire. Can't really manage everything and self-take the photo. :D
Monday, March 12, 2007
You have my respect
It does not matter how many qualifications you have.
You have my respect if you...
... write for normal people to read. (i.e. non-academics)
... can work through the most complicated linkages, and present them elegantly without losing their complexities.
... can write about the most boring stuff on earth, and yet still be engaging.
... do not need big words to make your arguments sound impressive. A good argument is convincing no matter how you present it.
... do not need to create hybrid words to put your point across.
I am a demanding reader. Or to put it nastily, I am a moronic reader with a short attention span.
You have my respect if you...
... write for normal people to read. (i.e. non-academics)
... can work through the most complicated linkages, and present them elegantly without losing their complexities.
... can write about the most boring stuff on earth, and yet still be engaging.
... do not need big words to make your arguments sound impressive. A good argument is convincing no matter how you present it.
... do not need to create hybrid words to put your point across.
I am a demanding reader. Or to put it nastily, I am a moronic reader with a short attention span.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)