The Officers' Dinner

~from the film: Il deserto dei Tartari (The Desert of the Tartars)(1976)

You Just Miss a Bit of My Soul between your Teeth

an encounter with a well-dressed and eloquent beggar who mistakes cash with soul

Gas station on Gayley Westwood, Tuesday afternoon
Chien-Ling is putting some air in the tires.
A Stranger: Miss, sorry to bother you. I don't smoke, drink and do drugs. I went to college. But I ......blah blah blah
Chien-Ling: sorry, I don't have cash on me.
A Stranger: you don't have soul on you.
Chien-Ling: You must be an authority on soul and cash.
The Stranger left. I drove off after washing my hands.
P.S.:
1. He didn't even offer his help while I was dragging the tube. Not very gentleman like.
2. Perhaps I should have offered a bottle of water in my car, since I didn't have any money to offer.

Comparing This Recession to Previous Ones

Economix: Comparing This Recession to Previous Ones: Job Changes

BUSINESS | September 03, 2010
Economix: Comparing This Recession to Previous Ones: Job Changes
By CATHERINE RAMPELL
A look at how the jobs situation has changed since the most recent recession began in December 2007, and a comparison to trends from earlier downturns.

sixteen tons of number nine coal

philip glass: metamorphosis

Nuit blanche

The Heart of the Matter

"[For] those who do not love time never stands still." ~ Graham Greene

For those who love time flies~~

Villon's Wife-Osamu Dazai's authobiographical work

Another work related to François Villon:
Georges Brassens' Ballade des dames du temps jadis(Villon's poem)

The Third Man - cuckoo clock speech

期末報告

我的第二個學期在按著"send"鍵寄出最後一份報告之後正式結束了!雖然離下學期只剩下一個週末的時間, 但是總算可以休息一下。我真的需要假期, 想著過了這個春天之後, 夏天就可以回台灣好好玩耍就很開心!

來寫一寫這個學期做了什麼吧! 這個學期除了閱讀之外, 跟上學期比起來, 多了很多寫報告的時間, 平均每兩個禮拜要交一份五到十頁的報告 (雖然一學期只有十週), 學期末要將這些報告作整理, 三門課就是三份大報告。除了延續上學期科學史課的清末反種牛痘計畫(也因為這個計畫, 跟中國醫療史專家Charlotte Furth見面), 我和上學期的經濟史老師上一門獨立研究課, 繼續閱讀英國工人賠償問題。另外, 和一位每年冬天到學校講課的德國教授上了一門十九世紀資本主義史。也為了下學期的法文翻譯測驗去上了法文翻譯課。本來打算去旁聽一門大學部的計量經濟課, 但是因為花我太多的時間而作罷。課本身是有趣的, 每堂課之前要做許多的準備, 課堂上很多討論的時間。但是我一直有的問題是我不夠多話, 練習講話不害羞將會是我另外的重要功課。其實沒有那麼嚴重啦, 我還是通過了助教的說話測驗 (TOP, Test of Oral Proficiency), 這是設計給非英語國家學生要成為助教前的口語測驗 。

所以這個學期跟上個學期的忙碌狀況沒有太大的不同, 而且我已經習慣這樣 “單調”的生活內容: 起床, “喝”早餐, 回衣眉兒, 上臉書種菜餵魚, 唸書, 寫報告, 坐公車到學校上課, 聽演講, 跟老師談話, 去圖書館扛書, 到咖啡店喝咖啡或是蘋果茶, 在教室角落跟同學聊天, 在校園裡走來走去當運動… 有時候甚至覺得這樣的重覆是安心的來源。

身體狀況還算好, 沒有因為太多的擔心長白頭髮, 有一次我以為我長針眼去醫療中心看醫生, 結果是虛驚一場, 只是眼睛太累太乾而已。快學期末的時候受了風寒, 落得 一邊寫報告一邊擤鼻涕。

我還是看了很多好看的電影, 包括Mother, A Prophet, The White Ribbon, The Ghost Writer, Shutter Island, A Serious Man…聽了Randy Newman的演唱會, 也去聖地牙哥拜訪Jan和Sarah和他們可愛的小孩, 當然還有去看Sarah參加演出的歌劇, 羅密歐與茱麗葉。

短短的十周很快就過去了, 很快的另一個十周在繳了八千多塊美金的學費之後又要來到, 繼續替我加油吧!

Robin Rhode's Kite

Renoir's paintings and sculptures are awesome, but I also see something interesting in my today's visit at LACMA (Los Angesles County Museum of Arts). One of the memorable exhibits is Robin Rhode's "Kite". The running images on the kite are like the scenery you see while you are riding a bike, and the hands on the painting are holding three black kite strings: nostalgic, but at the same time, playful!

Forgetfulness

Forgetfulness by Hart Crane

Forgetfulness is like a song
That, freed from beat and measure, wanders.
Forgetfulness is like a bird whose wings are reconciled,
Outspread and motionless, --
A bird that coasts the wind unwearyingly.

Forgetfulness is rain at night,
Or an old house in a forest, -- or a child.
Forgetfulness is white, -- white as a blasted tree,
And it may stun the sybil into prophecy,
Or bury the Gods.

I can remember much forgetfulness.

壓力

即使在一開學就計畫好接下來十周裡每週要完成的事, 但是在不斷增加的閱讀材料和慢吞吞的寫作進度, 加上感冒的攪局, 落得現在進度嚴重落後. 已經很久沒有周末了, 現在連休息的時候都一直想著接下來的報告內容, 和怎麼擠壓時間做更多的事, 搞的我緊張的要命. 想想把這個寫下來說不一定會好一些, 有好一些嗎?

要過年囉! (Ready for New Year!)

Le Petit Parisien (1952) by Willy Ronis (1910-2009), French photographer.

Sea Burial

Like an angel you sit next to me. Among us the sleeping souls are not disturbed in this misty night, swaying with the sea. You draw me a tree and plant it on my hand. The youth and tenderness is in the soil. But you give up fear and toil. When the dawn breaks, my place will be empty. With silence and cold kisses, it buries the shadow in the sea.