What party?

This was my bedtime reading and I wished I had it in my bag the whole time instead of another lighter and thinner book (which warrants a post of its own). All the time I was reading this, I could not decide to classify it as the 101 module for Intro to Modern China or "Chinese news you didn't have time for" finally in condensed form. Now reaching the end, I find it to be both and more. It appeals to this reader's need for the author's close encounters with the country and her people in question which is not unlike overhearing gossips of the most popular celebrity from the paparazzi (no offence intended though). 

It took me a while to decipher the title. Initially I was taken aback, I thought that this author is out to court trouble! I took "party" to mean the Chinese Communist Party" (CCP). To predict the consequences of its demise, well, I dare say farewell to ever returning to China! Then, in the middle of the book, I finally caught on, it can also mean what's next after The Olympic Games Extravanganza! Clever title, I must say, it is a double entendre. 

Highly recommended!

The Open Road by Pico Iyer

I'm not particularly religious, so it's not Dalai Lama who got me to read this. Instead, I've read Pico Iyer on his website and the occasional article he contributes for newspapers. I share his sentiment on the importance of quietness in this disquiet world.

I've never given a thought to Tibet other than it being a tourist destination that perhaps requires you to have an oxygen cylinder. I never knew Tibetans could hardly call Tibet their home, or that they could not live as their ancesters have. I'm not going into the politics of things because it's beyond me. Dalai Lama and his exiled government live now in Dharamsala, India. It's quite surprising India has given refuge to them and had not incurred the wrath of China. (Or have they?) 

Pico Iyer started off early with a conversation with a reporter who commented that Dalai Lama seemed to be not the brightest bulb in the room. I guess common sense does not count as brilliance. That's what I think of the Dalai Lama. He has the simplest answers to the most complicated questions. But simplest answers are hardly ever easy.

 

Religion and life can be contradicting. Buddhism teaches us forgiveness, while life throws darts at us from different directions. How do we not hate the dart thrower? How do we reconcile our learnings of Buddhism with the realism of life? Even Dalai Lama does not have the answer. "I don't know." is a phrase he frequently uses. It is difficult, but we move on, and hopefully we'll see the light someday. I believe we carry around this baggage all the time throughout our lives. And for me, I just want it to be small and light.

Catching up

I have known her since I was 13. I think I saw her as a good friend, but on retrospect, the feeling may not be reciprocal. She was one of the smartest in class with an acerbic tongue but I was never a victim of it. I am always amazed by her excellent school results even with a 2 week long chicken pox medical leave. You can say I did idolize her so much so that I wished she called me her friend. 

We hooked up on Facebook and exchanged numbers many years back. We never called each other but we wished each other happy birthday every year after that. I knew she appreciated that because I read it on her blog.

She does not know I am privy to her thoughts, or whatever she let on on wordpress. I considered telling her but it might be awkward, for her. I mean, she will suddenly write with an audience in mind. I would think that, if I knew I had a regular reader. 

We arranged to meet. She hardly changed, a little skinnier than when I last saw her. She is still a complainer, with a flavour less tart than resigned. In truth, I pity her. I waited for her to ask how I was, it never came. I listened patiently as I always do and interrupted infrequently with my anecdotes. Suddenly ripped with a throbbing headache, I asked to go and wondered for a while whether I should see her again.

It's just a little crush

It's just never too old to harbor a crush, isn't it?

The coolest, most talented guy is in my class.

And I just had a little crush

说什么呢

明天好像要去面试。虽然当客人的我应占上风，但我不知道该不该对专家说：我累了，我不玩了，人人以貌取人，不特出的我，算了。我想找看得舒服的人，难道他们也是？梗在于我看上的，看不上我。在这打圈圈，找不出这胡同的出口，真的是有点烦人。开了心，却不被接纳， 难免会把心合上，再次隐藏自己。

找爱找得太刻意，违背了自己。

自然的，如果遇上了，我会敞开心怀，学会珍惜。

自然的，如果没遇上，人生还是一样精彩。

Personal Project

Personal Project Challenge: Translation II

On 28th Dec 2013, I said:

I am challenging myself to translate Haruki Murakami's "What I talk about when I talk about running - A Memoir" to Chinese via Philip Gabriel's English translation from Japanese. Can I finish it in Year 2014? Yes, I just gave myself a year. "just" as in a second ago. Hah! Why this, I ask myself. It's because I like this piece by the venerable Murakami who displayed his down-to-earth personality throughout the memoir. It gives me hope that the so-called talents, geniuses are all normal, ordinary people with extraordinary dreams. Dreams do come true if we persist enough, yes, for you and for me.

第一章节 (pg 3&4)

2005年8月5日 。 夏威夷，考艾岛

谁会耻笑Mick Jagger?

今天是2005年8月5日，星期五，我在夏威夷的考艾岛。今天的天气出奇的晴朗，连一朵云都没见得，有如云朵从来都不存在。我在7月末来到这里。 与平常一样，我们租了一间公寓。乘着早晨的凉意，我会在桌前写着各样的事情。就像我写这的样子，写着关于跑步的事，可以写得随心所欲。现在是夏季， 难免炎热。夏威夷虽被称为“永夏之岛”，但它因处于北半球，可以算拥有四季。夏季几乎比冬季热。我常居住在麻省的剑桥。夏日炎炎加上砖块与水泥块的加持，那里的夏天又热又潮湿，就像一种酷刑。 相比之下， 夏威夷的夏天简直是世外桃源。这里无需开冷气，开窗户就行了，总会有清凉的微风吹进来。住在剑桥的人总惊讶我的八月竟然要在夏威夷里度过。他们问：“你为何要在这么炎热的地方度过夏天？” 他们不知所云。不知道东北的季候风让夏天凉快。我们在这儿能悠闲着，能在树下读一本书， 又或者，心血来潮，裸身跳入小湾游泳。

自从来到夏威夷， 我每个礼拜六天，每天跑上一小时。我重拾了过去的生活方式，除非有他事，每天都会跑步。今天我戴着随身听听了预录在MD盘的两本Lovin' Spoonful的专辑，一是“Daydream", 二是“Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful"。

现在，我的目标是延长我所能跑的距离，速度是其次。我所关心的是今天能跑几公里。有些时候，会一时兴起而跑快了，一旦增加速度， 我会缩短跑步的时间。原因是我要把今日的亢奋延续至隔天。

待续。。。pg 5

Personal Project Challenge: Translation II

On 28th Dec 2013, I said:

I am challenging myself to translate Haruki Murakami's "What I talk about when I talk about running - A Memoir" to Chinese via Philip Gabriel's English translation from Japanese. Can I finish it in Year 2014? Yes, I just gave myself a year. "just" as in a second ago. Hah! Why this, I ask myself. It's because I like this piece by the venerable Murakami who displayed his down-to-earth personality throughout the memoir. It gives me hope that the so-called talents, geniuses are all normal, ordinary people with extraordinary dreams. Dreams do come true if we persist enough, yes, for you and for me.

 

续。。。


有那么一次， 我在巴黎一间酒店房里阅读《国际先驱论坛报》。里头有一则关于马拉松的特别报道。报道里头有与数位有名的马拉松选手的访问。选手们被问道：是什么特别的“魔咒” 推动他们在赛事过程里士气不懈。我想那是个有趣的问题。 我对于选手们在26.2英里里所想的不同事感到佩服。这显示出马拉松是个何等折腾人的运动，如果没有持续重复一个特别的理念是无法活着出来的。

有一位选手说他的也爱跑步的哥哥教了他从跑步开始至今还在思索的事情。他说：“痛楚在所难免，痛苦却是个选择”。在跑步时，起初你会想 ：太痛了，我无法承受。这痛苦是个无法避免的现实， 你能承受与否在于跑步者自己了。 这大概就是跑马拉松重要的一环。

第一次拥有关于跑步的书的概念已有十年了。年复一年，我也尝试了无数的写法，却没有真正地写着。 跑步本身是个虚的主题， 我在思索要写什么遇到了困难。

到了一个阶段，我决定我应根据我的一贯写作方法，诚实地写出我所想所感受的。我察觉那才是开始的唯一途径， 我就这样一点一滴地在2005年夏天写书直到2006年秋天完成。除了一些我注明的段落，这本书大多记录了我当时的想法和心情。 我发现了诚实地写出关于跑步的事和写关于自己的事， 两者几乎是相同的。因此，我想当这是个跑步自传来阅读没有什么不对。

我虽然不会称这些为哲学， 这书确实收集了一些称得上为人生道理。它们不算什么，但是那是我通过移动身体所得到的个人经历， 从而发现痛苦是个选择。 那或许不是你能推及全人类的想法，可那是因为呈现在这里的是我，我这样的一个人。

前言完