tuesdays with Morrie

凌晨 05:43 的香港, 天空仍是漆黑ー片, 窗外很冷, 隠約聽見冷空氣在人煙飄渺的街道中迴蕩, 偶爾路經的車聲把我喚醒. 心中一直想着近期發生的人和事..., 還有...這本書,

相隔12年, 重看 tuesdays with Morrie, 是人長大了?! 經歷多了?! 又或是真的對死亡看得更通透了?!

作者Mitch與教授Morrie重遇, 展開一連14個星期二的人生課程: 他們談及 (We talk about...)
lesson 1:  the World
lesson 2: feeling sorry for yourself
lesson 3: regrets
lesson 4: death
lesson 5: family
lesson 6: emotions

lesson 7: the fear of aging
lesson 8: money
lesson 9: how love goes on
lesson 10: marriage
lesson 11: our culture
lesson 12: forgiveness
lesson 13: the perfect
lesson 14:to say goodbye  
(抱歉沒有把這14課譯中文, 因為我想, 從原文的字裡更傳神.)

面對不治之症和必死的事實, 教授可以處之泰然, 甚至能藉着僅餘的時間, 再次燃點他人的生命; 我想, 這並不是"臨別贈言" "正能量理論" 云云. 如果Morrie不是活著, 經歷, 學習, 感受, 實踐於他的歳月裏, 以上的一切只會是空談, 卻不能感動人心, 令我們再次反思生命.

重看這本書, 感受良多. 經過摯愛及親友離世的人, 要把握的不是"14個星期二", 而是毎一天, 毎一刻. 能接受自己機能上的衰敗, 用智慧去活到最後的一秒, 是送給自己一生最大的禮物.

He patted my hand weakly, keeping it on his chest. 
"This ...is how we say...good-bye..." 
(The Fourteenth Tuesday)

****Thank you, Morrie - A Teacher to the Last. ****

                                                                                 

Rainbow forever

Time flies, I've find this cute souvenir from my drawer, it's hard to remember how long has it been sitting there...why?

Because it's so lovely and so mini, 4,5mm long by 4mm dia. each, that I even don't know how to use them, you know? Once you've begin, the beautiful "rainbow" will break unevenly, it seems the whole product will be spoiled. 

If this is yours, what will you do?
If this is a gift you've chosen for your friend, what do you want her to do? 

Use it or keep it?

I've decided to use it this year! 
Yes, I think this is the real meaning of a product even though it looks so perfect and gorgeous, if it is only for decoration, it's another thing.  

But when they can be transformed into a picture or colorful liner in my book, they means a lot more. So, finally what are they look like now?......

As beautiful as they were forever, thank you, Peggy!

Good Taste

"Hey, pal; this Black soy sauce is almost expire, can you help?"......one of my friend who traveled and returned from Okinawa, brought this souvenir to somebody and/ or due to whatever reason, it can't be delivered......"Well, my pleasure!"

Ha, ha! the real attraction to me of course is not the content inside, but the package outside. It's always an eye candy for those traditional products' packaging found in Japan; no matter the color, wrapping material used, typography or the "accessories",

Even though the taste of soy sauce is not too special, it was enhanced by the package which creates the favor and aroma of Ryukyu :  

colorful printed fabric of sunshine + 
dry sea weed from the sea under the blue sky + 
natural wood block printing like label and tag......
generations after generations.

Yes! the taste of freshness, pureness and uniqueness. 

The Magic of Packaging Design ! Thanks Kwan.



 

Alone is not lonely

There's a difference between lonely and being alone ... quote from LUCKY


You may still feeling lonely 
even if you are in a party, 
with friends, or 
being occupied by tons of task.....
then 
it's time for you to be alone.

Everyone needs time to be alone, 
but it doesn't mean you are lonely. 
You can find your best moment, 
your place 
where nothing can interrupt 
your thought, 
how nice it will be!

 

Irresistible Souvenir

Lots of my friends and relatives do travel a lot within a year and that's why souvenir accumulated progressively. It may be a good idea to "build" a Cocoa Souvenir Street here as a return of thanks to all of them.

It's always joyful when receiving gifts especially cutie item from Japan - the favorite vacation choice of Hong Kong peoples. 

Here it is...if you may know Chibi Maruko-chan : a Japanese cartoon character of a small girl who has weird thought and childish ideas, well, you may say "innocent" if you like :P

So, if you know the story, you will not be surprised by seeing this, not inside the package, but onto you own face :D

Relax, and return to your childhood for 10 minutes, you will definitely be rejuvenated, enjoy !

Full gift package, thank you Jessie !

 



 

福伯的不老傳説

HKIFF 42

昨晩在又一城欣賞今年所揀選的最後一套電影 : 由 Harry Dean Stanton 主演的一部遺作. 90歳向來消灑, 兩袖清風的老伯, 如何面對可能隨時發生的死亡?!

真的能如此豁達, 沒有遺憾, 沒有眷戀, 憤怒或驚恐嗎? 福伯帶領我們親身走過這一切的思緒, 短短九十分鐘, 彷彿上了人生的一課.

片中有太多太多値得回味的片段, 卻是一套没有刻意營造什麼大道理的電影,
很舒服.

Alone 與 Lonely 的不同; 烏龜逃走事件簿; 永遠没有人懂解釋的所謂"退化"; 生日會上福伯觸動人心的歌聲; 買保險不能改變的事實; 渺小的身形相對在旱地經年屹立不倒的巨形仙人掌; 由厭惡變成能處之泰然的墓園; 曾幾何時昔日服役的光輝歳月...即使只是一個厨子; 人生從來沒有帶什麼到世上, 走時兩袖清風也很合理......

要不洩氣地為着"退化"死氣沉沉地日過ー日, 又或者擁抱着周邊的關懷, 探索未知, 享受毎天的呼吸...明顯, 福伯選了後者.

我想是福伯的精湛演技, 在電影完結時, 影迷不期然地鼓掌, 似是回應着主角的智慧; 又或是早上剛剛陪伴朋友開始歩入生命的尾段令我有點彷彿活在戲裡戲外, 深知這是知易行難的一課.....無論如何, 福伯令"我的電影節"畫上完美的句號!

紐約公共圖書館

HKIFF 42

在大會堂劇院看這套戲實在別有ー番滋味, 因為我最愛的圖書館就在這裏.

入場時是意外的多人, 也許是適逢復活節假期罷; 無論如何, 很是熱鬧, 全院有九成滿座.

帶着期待的心情等開場之際, 後排一位男仕説: "嘩!成三個鐘, 睇完要急急脚趕下場... " 心想,  "好彩我淨係會毎日訂一場, 就係避免咁樣; 更加怕"消化不良" ,哈哈! 不過, 三個鐘, 都有D驚..."

開場了! 約20分鐘過去 , 心想, 這套戲如何能延續多百幾分鐘呢? 

這是一套以位於紐約公共圖書館整年運作計劃, 由一班熱心的管理層花盡心思, 由籌劃, 籌募 (因為其實這是公私型機構, 而且有多間分館), 以至實行, 維修, 改善體系等等...的半紀録式電影.所以片中有不少"會議"時間. 亦藉此介紹圖書館所提供的各式各樣服務, 藏書, 架構以及毎天發生的一些人和事.

差不多看了45 分鐘, 有趣的事發生了...彷彿我們不再是電影院内的觀衆, 而是成為"他們"的一份子, ー同去:

- 聽書評, 見作者, 詩人, 文學家, 音樂家; 感受他們所想所期盼的世界.
- 欣賞藝術藏品, 百年相片所紀録的古今.
- 學習關心手語/視障的推廣; 種族問題, 貧窮人口, 無家者的需要.
- 歩觸未能同歩接合互聯網世界的ー大群人; 又或者教育子女等日常看似普通, 卻日漸令父母吃不消的實况.

餘下的時間, 你會感受到管理層及員工為何會日以計夜, 年復年, 在政客及捐募者中籌集資源令圖書館得以運作. 不停的大小項目, 探訪, 分柝, 陪訓...成功或失敗.... 目的是要為着不同社區的需要, 調配各有地區性的公共圖書館: ー個"人性" 的空間, ー個不單單擁抱着被遺忘的過去; 更擁有無止境知識的泉源, 可見或未知世界探索的地方.


公共圖書館 :把人帶回希望的橋樑...感激片中所有人的付出.
我的三個半小時, 算不上什麼!

遺忘詩篇

HKIFF42

不經不覺又一年了，今天晚上在又一城看了在第四十二屆香港國際電影節所揀選的第一套電影：法國作品，遺忘詩篇。92分鐘的電影，不算長，節奏很慢，人物、場景很少，故事很簡單。由管理員帶着觀眾從被遺忘的墓園，重尋被遺忘的人和事。

管理員對最後一具未處理屍體的執着，讓故事中人尋回失落的安慰，也讓我們從死亡中緊記持守人性的尊嚴。全套戲的色彩很美，尤如退色的畫；尤其偏愛管理員飯枱上的吊燈及窗外萬家燈火卻又如斯寧靜的夜景。墓園在鏡頭下呈現一種脫離現實的狀態，彷彿在另外一個空間似的，很特別，令人很留戀。

如果你看電影簡介，也許會領略到更多由導演想帶出的訊息，不過我還是喜歡用一份探險的心情去看電影節的戲。今年，是個好的開始，一套令人細味的好戲。你呢？是否已和大家一樣，展開了你的探險之旅？！

 提示：唔好話我唔提你，記得聽埋片尾 Vivaldi 隻 Summer 先好離座呀！

Real Distortion

I've took this photo quite a long time ago, which was on the same day as the "fluorescent butterfly" in my Anti-gravity blog post , in Oct 2017. 

This is a really nice and tranquil place at Yiu Chung Yee Museum in Hong Kong, as far as I've remember, that was  a rainy day, so tourist were rare; i.e.: the best time for "photo adventure". I was looking for interesting view angle and by chance, this was what I had discovered. 

It looks a little bit weird, right? I mean the angle of view. The truth is, by normal, the direction of vanishing point should be 45 degree at NE, but I twisted my camera + my head, of course :D, to capture this almost isometric view, everything become weightless in a second, especially those furniture, so cool!

If the building at top left can be compressed a little bit more, it will be perfect, but as my usual practice, minimum PS touch is the best; so I  better leave it as it is to remind me they are distorted in real ! Hope you'll like it.
 

做個兼職設計師

幾年前，機緣巧合之際，開始第一次教自在人生自學計劃入面嘅一個美化家居課程。相信好多人都認識呢個專為婦女而設嘅計劃，由政府，公開大學同一D社區中心或者教會合辦；目的當然離唔開鼓勵市民，特別係退休婦女或者主婦、新來港人士等有個持續進修嘅機會啦，最近連男生都收埋，好熱鬧。

不知不覺間，眨吓眼，斷斷續續咁已經踏入第三年教學生涯。

原本諗住係工餘時間以外，一方面認識多D冇利益關係嘅人，平衡吓生活 :D，另一方面又可以將自己熟識嘅室內設計知識同同學分享吓。初時以為已經係成人嘅同學們都係係咁意，柴娃娃搵D嘢學吓，消磨吓時間；不過真係估佢哋唔到，大部份同學唔單只唔係玩玩吓，好專心甚至好認真咁抄筆記，都令我幾意外......即係我都唔可以hea 教，要認認真真啦 :P

另外最有意思嘅係，有唔少同學係我嘅長輩，初初聽佢哋叫我一聲＂老師＂，真係有D＂唔敢當＂嘅感覺；而老實講，或許真係因為係老一脫人，大部份都好有禮貌，令我突然搵番失落咗好一陣子嘅＂尊師重道＂感覺，好珍貴！

你估係課堂上最多人問嘅係咩嘢問題吖？（截至2017年第三個學期止）

第三位：做個升高嘅地台儲物，你話好唔好呀?！
第二位：你覺得地面做瓷磚定係木地板好呀？
第一位 ：究竟牆身油漆好定貼牆紙好呢？

呢幾條差不多係我嘅必答題 :D

短短幾年間遇過唔少類型嘅同學，同埋亦親身體會到一般用家其實最關注嘅裝修疑慮；每當我見到佢哋因為學會一D新知識又或者我為佢地解答咗疑團嘅嗰種神情，感覺好滿足。特別係佢哋係完成生平第一次繪畫平面圖嘅時候，眼前一個個既驚又興奮，好似返到小學生時期嘅佢哋，真係好可愛。所以不經不覺間，我亦將更多時間投放係教學當中，我諗，係時候份正職要轉兼職啦！

由於呢個計劃，老師全部算係義務性質，所以人工或者講成車馬費更適合。加上我係遊走較偏遠地區，真係＂車馬費＂唔慳得，所以身邊大部份親朋戚友其實唔多支持我此舉.....不過有樣好，就係設計師總係有佢哋嘅＂固執＂哈哈！而佢哋都知我份人，就係咁，2018年應該會遊走於五個地區三個課程當中，享受並重新學習＂為人師表＂呢份＂正職＂，期待！

It began with STAEDTLER

Around half years ago, one of my student gave me ten numbers of these Staedtler Triplus Fineliner, simply because she learned from my lesson about 斷.捨.離 (a method invented by a Japanese of how to organize your stuff and refresh your simple life/mind), which had to be proceed prior to re-design the interior of her house...as a result, they are the "useless stuff" that needed to be cart away from her place.

At the very beginning, I just used them as another writing tool, but one day, I had another idea, how about this....

 I started to draw on some of my aging illustration board, well, it seems it's yellowish tint did match with these too blueish liner; so I drawn another one...

followed by 
another one
and another one...

...finally, I've got a series of landscape, ha ha :D 

They were put aside in my drawer for a while but one day , I had another idea, again...what if I edited these image by Photoshop to become these...

It looked amazing, just added a lit bit of mysterious, which suited our Twilight Zone series in Cocoa Grocery...so, another day, what I thought is...metamorphosis!






 



 Here is what I've finally got as my wish !

Blue Dye Garden floor pillow

 Yes! It was all started by STAEDTLER !