vivien's profileevanescent miragePhotosBlogListsMore Tools Help

Blog


    May 28

    Bottled Ink

    Habbit is something you could not notice you have unless you do not have the access anymore. I am running out the bottled ink I brought here and the idea that I would only write with those fluid, non-angle ballpens freaked out.  I could not relax, and cannot help but search the blue-black bottled ink on line and look for it in local stationary stores thess two days. It is a shock to me. Basically I thought I am not absorbed in anything concrete seriously, and nothing has the ability to make me chasing after endlessly and enchantedly other than books, movies and music, for the first time in my life, there is something I would love to collect -- vintage fountain pens and inks.
     
    In all of those shopping malls ,huge branched specialized diverse stores, I cannot find an real pen or bottled ink on the shelves. Yes, they are kind of out-of-date, but still, they are useful and unique. I love the feeling of scrub between paper and the nib. I had not fancy but good pens but never a fine, high-rank fountain pen. Right now, I know where to go for fun next time.
    When I told Queen about this, she burst into laugh and said I was so surprising, bottled ink! Only I can bring something like this up. OK, I am a little bit stubborn about my writing, but still it is great to find out that I actually love something concrete and interesting, and affordable at beginner level.
    May 17

    Commencement

    实验室很多的朋友都是今年毕业,全校的毕业典礼是在Capitol Hill 和Washington Monument之间的 National Mall 的草地上举行,所以这两天都去凑了个热闹。相对国内的来说,讲话和程序都显得简短实在,甚至包括最重要的commencement address(White House Chief of stuff 讲的,我们的校友), 也是十几分钟而已。比较让人感动的是,在学院的毕业典礼上,所有人都要上前接受学位,和国内找代表上台实在是大不一样啊。个人觉得,讲话中最让我受益的是,Do not consider so much about whether or not be suitable to be it, just do it. It is from one of the awarded English Assistance Professor, second is from the honored PhD of Fine Art (whose career has changed dramatically through his whole life) -- making your calling something greater than just about yourself and making the world a better place, and the last is commencement address, we all make mistakes but the failure makes the success. The coincidence is that on last Friday, when I asked Remash (my boss, kind of) how could she went through total 10 years from medical school to an interventional cardiologist from Iran to USA, she said she never planed to be a cardiologist at the first place, just do her best at what she was supposed to do, step by step.

    最近相对不忙,重新看三国演义,有时参考三国志,还在开头,官渡之战。 讲袁绍逃跑,什么都不顾,拉着孩子就顾自己逃回邺城,搜集了一辈子的古玩字画奇珍异宝都留给了曹操,当然还有沮授,他的主要谋臣,虽然从来不听他的,唉。 我就想,打仗,离自己的大本营隔条黄河,带着那么多宝贝做什么,听易中天老师讲,袁绍本人很帅,又很有名士风度,处处要带着古籍珍宝现派头。袁绍带着自己的全部精锐部队和曹操决战,原本打算一举歼灭对方以统一北方,谁晓得给对方一个机会统一北中国。急功近利,讲一次性处理,痛快潇洒。Being patient due to the confidence to persist and humility. 这也许也是现在的我做欠缺的,不能去计较今天做的是不是自己的initial intent,时刻学习,做到很好。说回袁绍,年轻的时候结交天下英才,自己也很有表面的个人魅力,四世三公的显赫家世,绝对是人种龙凤了,可是他自视甚高,自鸣得意,刚愎自用,极为刻薄猜忌,见不得别人比自己好,以至最后死于非命,家族事业土崩瓦解,自己的妻子嫉妒心强到丈夫尸骨未寒就要杀死妾室,儿子们相互倾轧窝里斗,完全没有一点真诚的兄弟情谊,省了曹操的功夫。真是,做人做事教育后代,也是到了一个极致了,他一辈子都走在上层,所以保持着风度和层次,似乎真是无可匹敌的英雄名士,一旦稍有困难波折失败,就如雪崩,一发而不可收拾。To be honest, this flew me out and made me realize what I have ignore for so long time: because I am so afraid that I would be someone talking about useless and meaningless metaphysical and ethical all the time, I have turned to superficial things that does not really matter for so long time. 矫枉过正了。 Lucky for me, I am always open to this kind of lessons and willing to change, always honest to and about myself. 实迷途其未远,觉今是而昨非.

    大概很多经典的东西的魅力就在于此,多少年后重新读来,依旧有越来越多全新感受. 即使是在百多年,千多年前,文人的随笔和文学作品已经开始分析藏在历史背后人性的因素。三国时期真的是人才辈出吧,如果把袁绍拿到乌烟瘴气的南北朝,凭着田丰和沮授的智谋才能说不定也可以统一中国了。It is so lucky to be a native speaker of Chinese...曹操是个大英雄,性情中人。他的短歌行,除了东临碣石那个,还有另一个,“对酒当歌,人生几何?譬如朝露,去日苦多。慨当以慷,忧思难忘。何以解忧,唯有杜康” (希望没记错) 下面一段是我的最爱 “青青子衿,悠悠我心。但为君故,沉吟至今。” 初读,完全没有想到是东汉时期的作品,感情真挚古朴,更像诗经中的国风。

    有点乱,但是对我而言,commencement 加上三国演义,平实的直白的speech, 加上百转千回纸上描绘斗智斗勇,言外之意恨不得藏起来谁也不让明了的古典中国文学,让我又一次要改点儿毛病了,这是最珍贵的体验。

    PS: 怕我忘了,Queen, 上次你说的那个water color的什么什么的魔幻志,名字发给我,我找不到







    May 05

    Brokenback mountain

    终于鼓起勇气看断背山了。
    有很多事,确实需要一定的阅历才能开始理解吧。
    李安讲出的不仅仅是同性之间的感情,是感情,是人生的活法。虽然,确实压抑,但是真实。无阻碍的感情,有多少是真实的。每个人在外表风光下都有着苦。有那些苦,也不见得是坏事。逃避,大概更可怕吧。一个人离去,一个人的放荡,一个人的一时兴起,留下的是另一个人一辈子的守候。