Night colour of London

For some unknown reasons,
London in my memory is always in grey tones,
though this city is, in fact, very colourful,
particularly the night colours--

-Golden Jubilee Bridge






鄰近皇家節慶音樂廳的橋上附有行人專用道
對剛剛聽完音樂會的人來說彷彿是一種緩衝
讓人不疾不徐地沿著橋走回原來喧囂的世界
（Royal Festival Hall 非常體貼地將當日沒有售出的票改成六磅的standby ticket賣給貧窮學生們，對那時的我來說，真是無比的享受。）

-London Eye & Big Ben












有時候會留戀、或是貪圖這醉人夜色
而改走另一座橋，可以一直走回羅素廣場的宿舍
算是相當好的夜間運動。

-Theater for Lion King













Lion King的舞台是我看過最多采多姿的
還沒開場前就覺得很熱鬧，忍不住拍了一張
不過音樂就是沒有其他的音樂劇感人。

-Moving along the Oxford St.


















深夜坐在沿著牛津街前行的巴士上
可以感受到城市生命的律動
不過多半時候我都和人群方向相反
希望早點回到住所
安眠一晚
也許倫敦的夜色對我來說從來就是色彩而已 ，

-Flying above London










要站得夠遠、飛得夠高
才能看到這樣的美麗。

California on the track

2 years ago, travelling in California.

while it only took 2 or 3 hours to fly from San Diego to San Jose
i chose to take train
because of its slowness-literally "slow", took me more than 12 hours
but it was fun.

the train was called "Coast Starlight"-海岸星光號












attached with dining car and sightseer lounge
the flloor-to- celing windows gave the magnificent scenery along the coast-I spent most of time here when i was awake.










we passed the pacific ocean,









the swamp,









the vine yards,









the state penitentiary(we were informed by the train driver- he seemed to enjoy himself as a tour guide, always remind us to see the "unmissable" scenes),








the "bigness" and "emptiness" of land,








the solitude of a streetlamp,










the stylish but abandoned station,









the seemingly timelessness scene,









and even the rainbow.

自由隨想～1

一時衝動買了村上的《海邊的卡夫卡》英文版 ，可能是因為封面的貓長得很詭異，受到牠的蠱惑。 但也覺得，第一次讀中文版，第二次讀英文版，或可彌補無法讀原汁原味日文版的缺憾，而達到最接近原作的可能。

自己起名為卡夫卡的逃家男孩，在廉價旅館的第一天晚上，想著:

I ...think hard and deep about how free I am, but can't really understand what it means. All I know is I am totally alone. All alone in un unfamiliar place, like some solitary explorer who's lost his compass and his map. Is this what means to be free? I don't know, and I give up thinking about it.

H. Murakami, Kafka on the Shore

這讓我想起多年前在倫敦的生活，尤其是一開頭的幾個月，還有幾次的遠行 。
（一個朋友稱之為這是我的self-exile journey，相當貼切）

I got the same feeling as him - being absoltely free and completely alone.


"Is this what means to be free?"寂寞的時候，或是在火車上、公車上或是飛機上看著窗外流動風景時，也會這樣問。如果夠專心的話，還會繼續問"free from what exactly?"然後通常就進入"give up thinking about it"的階段。離開了工作，離開了家庭，離開了長期生活的島嶼；不再是一個國家的子民，不再是誰的助理，誰的兒女，誰的姊妹，誰的朋友，這就是自由嗎？。being free and being alone之間是怎樣的關係呢？

一個人的時候，不見得都是自由的。一心想要尋找新生活的卡夫卡，在逃家的旅程上卻暗自打量著，在車上遇到的女孩是否會是失散多年的姊姊，在圖書館遇到的幽雅婦人，是否就是久未謀面的母親？關於過去，他擺脫了多少，這就是新生活，新世界嗎？

書只讀到十分之一處，一切還是個謎。人生也只活到不知道幾分之幾處，還不明白要如何才能活得自由自在 。

Homage to Van Gogh??

Did not realize the painting looks like a weird combination of Van Gogh's several works in the beginning. Just someday when I was cleaning up the room, I found it in the conor. And begin wandering whether it represents my homage to Van Gogh or just kind of plagiarism- be it consciously or unconsciously.

Still remember how impresssive it was when I first saw the Starry Night of his, even though it was just a fake one. I was studying star watch during that time and I knew he got it-the beauty of night. Not a single picture of high tech could compete with his works which told me more about the sky than all the others.

Never doubt that one of the main reasons to push me to do oil painting is Van Gogh but now I feel a bit sad about the similarity between mine and his. It's already a sad thing to copy nature on the canvas, what's more, is to copy somebody's. (And, the saddest thing is it is not as good as his.......)

Van Gogh's passion to painting natural scenes moves me, but what can move me from his style of painting? Nature itself?

最好的時光‧Three Times

週五的晚上。不想回家。大世紀電影院。

這好像是我的第一部侯孝賢電影，以前也許零零星星有看過，但總之都不記得了。我想以後應該還會試試看吧。挺有意思的。

看到三分之二接近四分之三處，眼淚忍不住掉下來，是在完全無關緊要的地方，實際上整部電影更本沒有什麼緊要的地方，沒有那種感人肺腑、催人熱淚的鏡頭。真是感謝導演。

只是覺得漸漸為一種氣氛所包圍，被一種情緒所感染，然後那些醞釀的、蟄伏的、莫名所以的淚水就無聲無息地出來了，連我自己也嚇了一跳。

用三個不同時空背景下所截取的故事片段來呈現所謂「最好的時光」，彷彿是在說（或者是我感知到）人生中最好的時光是追尋、是等待、是不確定、是試探、是無關緊要的枝微末節、是一旁微弱的燈光、是一個姿態或一個眼神、是恣意妄為、是茫然、是捕捉到與捕捉不到的瞬間、是逝去的與失去的。

至於誰愛著誰、誰又負了誰，到最後決定和誰在一起，其實似乎並沒有那麼重要。


就像是一次次旅程中窗外的風景，有時候那比目的地還迷人許多，而當時又是帶著何其輕鬆的眼光在看待它呢？

眼淚，興許是因為察覺到自己的無知愚昧而流的。終究，難以做到去珍惜每一個當下。也或許，只是追悼那逝去的時光。

Is the colour of loneliness gray?

Can u image the colour of loneliness?
Is it clear or transparent as if nothing is there?














Or is it in such chaos that makes me lost in?














Probably, it is just in black, gray & white without so-called colour
(but, they are fundmentally colours too. just like feeling nothing is a kind of feeling.)















I say it is in a gray tone,















because that's what i see, i feel and i conceive...

Gidon Kremer & Tango music

just went to Kremer's concert a month ago, and it was very impressive-that's why I wrote about it one month later.

I don't really know if I like this musician or more precisely speaking, the artist . But everytime I see his new albums in the CD shop, I would stop in front of them and think is it worthy a try? is it beautiful? Does it bring something new and interesting or completely unaccepable? all these are my experiences of listening to his music.

I almost have a collection of his recordings, from the well known classical pieces of Mozart, Beethoven, and Vivadi to contemporary composer's music, like Philip Glass, Arvo Part and particularly, Piazzaolla, the master of Tango music.

Couldn't remember the first time I listened to Kremer's version of Tango music, but it completely broke down my idea of it. Though never heared of it, I alway think tango music is passionate with quick tempo and make people excited. But it went very deep and for some unkown reasons, brings a sense of sadness( talking about severl songs in the album of "Tango Ballet"). I guess that's part of the sound effect of string instrument, however, the way he plays it probably works more.

Anyway, it's because of Kremer, I know the music by Piazzaolla. Don't like all of them, but some of them are really touching and beautiful. In this sense, I really admire him and appreciate the way Kremer doing his art, as he said,

"As an artist I am also alway a traveller, and as such in search of an ideal."

I have to say I don't like all his innovation on music, but Ialway expect him bring me something unexpected.

London on chairs

我想因為生性懶散的緣故，總是不經意地尋找可供休息的地方 ，即是在旅行時，也是如此。

不論是在地鐵裡，還是在街上

結果發現椅子無所不在，而且造型各異
（難怪我如此熱愛這個城市！！）

於是，椅子自然而然成為我的焦點之一 ，

發現椅子不但可以成為風景的一部份 ，

本身也是一處風景，

不僅喜歡坐在其上，

也喜歡透過它，看看周遭的世界 。


而且發覺連椅子上的人們都饒富趣味 、

各有姿態，

深刻體悟到椅子的功能絕不只是讓人坐下來而已 。

Sitting on London

I always think London is a great place for wandering. Not only because there are many interesting points to explore, but because, on the way, there are various kinds of chairs for people to have a rest on it. Which, for me, is equally important.


Birtish Museum ~1

British Museum~2

Green Park~1

Green Park~2

the grass in Kensington Garden serves perfect "chairs."

Italian fountain in Kensington Garden

St. Paul's plaza

outside Nero Cafe

Outside Tate Modern 泰特之外

泰特現代美術館是舊發電場所改建的，至今外觀還是保有工廠的感覺。坐在聖保羅大教堂前面的樓梯廣場，遠望千禧橋（Millennium Bridge）後面的Tate Modern，對「現代性」（modernity）這個字眼會產生一種具象卻又無以名之的體會，隱隱約約感受到「科學」、「技術」、「鋼鐵」、「能源」還有一點「極簡美學」或是「公共藝術」等屬於現代的元素。然而當過橋之後，來到美術館四樓的陽台，盡收眼底的卻是北岸風貌，難免對燦爛輝煌的過去興起一份緬懷之意。現在與過去混雜在一起了，這是一種新舊的輝映，也是一種時空的對話，現代VS過去，北岸VS南岸。

Serpentine gallery

"The Serpentine is a rare gallery. Its like cannot be found anywhere else in Britain, or anywhere I can think of beyond Britain." The Sunday Times

It's really hit my thought of the very gallery. I used to pass it on the way to school, and gradually became a rountine guest. I went there not only for the exhibitions, but also her book shop-- it's worthy lots of time to explore. Featured as contemporary culture center, exhibitions there always made me to think how far art can go. And it appears endless and limitless.

The most unforgettable experience was from an exhibition related to "Ocean". (It's such a pity that I cannot remember the name of the artist.) There was a room with a big screen attached to the ceiling. I couldn't recall what exactly it was played; what I remembered was all the visitors lying down on the floor, forming a circle and watching the show. We were embraced by the "Ocean".