Hear Me

 

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Hi, Hi!

What a super hot summer in Hong Kong right now, let's have some reading under the sun...or in your comfy air conditioned corner with a smoothie or ice coffee :P
The sixth book of  Petit Paris series was released yesterday, you can say it do has some relationship with book 4 Jardins Secret & book 5 Point Zéro . You may aware there is an arrangement, not intentionally at the very beginning, but developed as time goes by:-

Book 1 - Pont Neuf......explore Paris
Book 2 - Entrée Sortie......explore Museums
Book 3 - Chat Noir......explore Belle épogue

Book 4- Jardins Secret......explore Gardens......reminding Friends & Families
Book 5- Point Zéro......breathtaking Churches......reminding Faith & People
Book 6- Hear me......"listen" to graffiti & the silent voices......reminding the Be-forgotten
Book 7....?

I've always has some difficulties to tell my friends what the genre of my book should be, because it consist of photograph, painting, song like text, a mixture of three but not quite definite as Photography, Arts or Poetry; so I will usually say it is my "sketch book" 公仔書 as I will describe in Cantonese - a sketch book of all my experience and thoughts to express through these three "channels". 

It's always enjoyable while writing, to recap a lot of my pleasure during the trip, the amazing moment of different hours in a long day, them - peoples that flash into my mind! By the end of the book, I may be lost or sad somehow, but never give up Hope! 

Two more books to finish in the year of 2021, I wish you can continue to walk through this journey with me, until the end of next year. Let's see what would Petit Paris lead us to...?!

 

Graffiti, merely?

I love walking, street, alley, riverside, local stalls...although it will drain off all my energy at the end, almost every night when I’ve returned to the hotel; but walking is really the most enjoyable activity in Paris, I can adjust my momentum wherever I like, “freeze” ......when attractions like this.

Texture & colour are the highlights which draw me close, all of the unknown fonts are transform into beautiful graphics; but in fact they do mean something for the specific group of persons or individuals in a specific moment.

Sometimes it’s sad to find them being painted on the public facilities, especially onto the heritage architectures which did shock me in the first place because I thought the citizens here do treasure them more than balustrade, mansion doors, pavement, post box...,etc. But when I walk along to discover more & more of them, I start to understand a bit more of their anger, the only way to express their accusation of being ignored by the government? the empowered? for months...years...?

Although that‘s not a tourist would like to see when visiting a spot, it’s the reality that we should face & to deal with the problems, there is no way to hide. A destructive act onto the public canvas may not be a perfect way but at least, a beam of hope for “them” to aware, to awake!

思維靜院

教會為着解構聖經中的書卷 ~ 雅歌，特別舉辦了這次三日兩夜的靜修營，也是我一早計劃好離職後給自己一個靜思的日子。

半小時的快速船，離開市區往長洲山上的思維靜院，和朋友一起步行上山，原本十多分鐘的行程，因為入錯分义路，在雨中花了差不多三十分鐘才到步.…忘記了告訴她，能夠一次順利到達陌生目的地，在我的前半生，出現的機率微乎其微, 不過現今有GPS, 我還是肯定在入夜前必定到達 :P

進入相對寂靜的世界，人聲、手機聆聲丶媒體資訊…被大自然的風聲、雨聲、鳥語、晨曦一一代替。完成每節的聚會之間，總能享受完全屬於自己的時空。

一望無際的海面，除了七八隻老鷹翺翔之外，也看到弟兄姊妹各自靜思於小角落；夜間，亦能望到山下長洲居民的燈火，船隻歸航的指示燈… 此刻，很舒服。

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

第一個晚上，在房間用風扇代替冷氣，除下口罩，打開窗，享受着雨後樹木的清香；思考着神與人/ 人與人之間關係的點點滴滴。第二個晚上，索性把風扇也關掉，讓風聲、雨聲、蟲鳥夜鳴陪伴入睡…. 此刻，很平靜。

 

這裡，有一個小角落，掛着一個手作風鈴，在疾風中發出噹噹巨響; 但行近細聽，柔弱溫婉的餘韻隨着中間水渠口蓋緩緩擦向鐵通發出，似乎有未完的說話…望着晴空的白雲，聽着聽着…此刻，忘我。

其實離開繁囂並不太難，離開資訊對某些人來說才是最不習慣；是恐防遺漏即時新聞還是害怕會被遺忘的一刻？

重回現實的晚上，關掉一切媒體裝置，雖然窗外傳來的是車響人聲，眼前的小山丘旁邊萬家燈火，心中卻傳來柔柔鈴聲，此刻 ... 重回我的小角落！

設計師系列...還要繼續嗎?

 忽然心血來潮，都係寫埋呢幾句先睇書。係臨熄機嘅時候，突然睇到＂設計師系列＂呢幾隻字，腦海中突然諗起，係喎，我仲應語應該繼續寫呢個系列呢？

書

這幾年間，花多了些時間看書；應該説是幸福地可以騰出時間及心情來看書。隨了刻意地把家中所有設計書籍、畫册及雜誌重看一遍之外，也把所有中英文小説、信仰書籍都重看了。真的，在工作以外的時間，花了差不多三年；還沒有把新買及弟弟借給我的繪本計算在內⋯⋯好書~實在令我着迷。

朋友勸我還是去圖書館借閱罷，兩年前我認真地重新申請圖書証，終於展開借書之旅，結果借閲了不到十本，又回到買書的日子。也有朋友叫我閲讀電子書，結果嘗試了兩三頁，沒錯，不是兩三本，又回到買實體書的日子。幸好，我並非愛情小說迷，否則一定破產收場⋯⋯

上週，因為要找一些資料，從書架上取下Mitch Albom 的 the five people you meet in Heaven,由於有些內容已忘記了，於是又快速重看了一遍。就是這樣，在人生中不斷地重看，又是另一番滋味；翻開變黃了的首頁，寫下這是2006年買的，書背仍貼着$66售價的純白標貼，嘩！時光飛逝！

但每次藉着這小小的標記，令我回想當天買此書的時日情景(即使有些已忘記了)，也很令人回味；或許，這也是我喜歡買實體書的其中一個原因，它，會陪伴你＂成長，老去，再重生＂

原本打算在這個網誌分享一本，我剛剛在昨晚看完的書，但是寫到這裏，有關閲讀的點點滴滴已不經不覺地把篇幅延伸了，也許還是遲些再介紹罷；又是我晚間閱讀的美好時光了，晚安！

旅貓日記

這是一篇被遺忘了的網誌草稿，應該也有兩年之久。還記得那段時間重新到圖書館借書(包括這一本)，前後還看了夏目漱石的＂我是貓＂和另一本，川村元氣的＂如果這世界貓消失了＂，三本貓書，各有特色。

我喜歡貓，因為她們有個性，尤其耳朵呈三角形的短嘴貓；她們形態優美，悠然自得，不會隨便驚動你，除非她感覺到你喜歡她，而此刻她也想和你在一起。 

看旅貓日記，要預備一盒紙巾…主人翁因為一個原因，帶着小貓展開幾次探訪之旅，昔日的朋友，單戀對象…目的是為她尋找新居，看看她喜不喜歡新主人及環境。一次又一次的旅程，也換起主人翁的記憶與思念; 即使貓咪仍未有最終決定，無奈分別的時間已到.… 當你明白原由之際，貓咪選擇了她自己的想法…

已經是兩年前的閲讀，我已忘記主人翁及貓貓的名字，也忘記是三次或共四次的旅程，但此刻仍然記得那份着急、不捨和無奈的心情；同樣地，代入貓兒的角色，你確實會有另一個打算，不是為著自己的去向，而是對方，你所記掛的人/或貓！

結局如何，如常地留待你去經歷…旅程，仍是要繼續…

The History of Modern France

 

The History of Modern France

It's been a while for me to introduce some reading from my book shelf recently. Here is what I've got from a book store...by chance!

 

I walked in my leisure momentum towards Festival Walk in a sunny day, looking for a language grammar book, but it seems it's more & more difficult for me to find what I wanted in small book shop, unless I go to those super huge chain store...which I am not really enjoy. 

 

Due to the limited shop space to keep the stock, I thought I would leave in empty hands, but suddenly this book caught my eyes. Voila, I really need this, a quick review at the back cover and paid; a similar feeling of joy and excitement as I've bought The Fox and The Star .

I am not familiar with History of any country except a bit more of Hong Kong, of course. It's always be my most headache subject when I was a student, never pass in my exams. But I will be triggered to search the history of some countries after certain readings such as the memoir of a specific person, a trip, a painting or a story...when I grown up.

To have a glance of the history of France can be easily found online, but as usual, history can be boring if the writer mess it up; and on the other hand extremely attractive that leads the reader to view in wider angle , this book belongs to the latter. 

When I read through the details and have a bit more understanding to the background of the formation of Modern France, the Fifth Republic since the First Revolution, the "looping" of political, economic, basic human needs, or desires... all counted. Leading of the influx of immigrant, complicity of the social problems...after the vanished of the Monarchy & the "glorious" period of Napoleon's Empire.... facing the terrorist attacks in the modern age, again bearing the history that weight.

I continue to research more regarding the French National Symbols: the Cockerel and the Tri-color National Flag; the history of French Jews...A lot to explore, a lot more way for us to introspect, for all of our own countries, too. 

Thank you, Mr. Jonathan Fenby.