30 October 2009

今晚

今晚團契在我們家聚會。吃個飯,出去散步一會,回來分享一下,玩了一輪Imaginiff, 十時許,大家就回家去了。

我有點累,其實也不是「有點」而已。那不是身體的累。

或者我該早點去睡。再難將息,也要將息。

Blame it on the black star

I keep falling over I keep passing out when I see a face like you

27 October 2009

À bout de souffle (Breathless) (1960)

Finally, I have watched this three times. The last time took me nearly four hours to watch it, at the same time I have written fifteen pages of notes. It’s a bit silly, because the film itself is only part of the exam question I have to write about. Guess it’s because I really like this film a lot. The third time I watched this, and the closer I watched this, I found it more and more amazing in many many ways. The shot I have cut this frame out of is one towards the end of the film, and it’s one of my favourites.

However, I am not going to praise Jean Luc Godard here. I have no intention to do that at all. Also, I am not going to talk about scenes that have been discussed heavily in all those text books, especially the murder of the cop at the beginning of the film: about the elliptical style, the close angles, the rapidity and disorientating scale of shots, and the long, wide shot of Michel fleeing across the fields… ya, I am not going to talk about those. And no, I do not talk seriously and in details like those film critics, just want to note down some things, which are… maybe minor, but who cares, I am going to list them out.

Wiping thumb across lips

Okay, if I count it right, id est, if I didn’t miss any, then there are nine times:

1. At the very beginning, when he’s about to steal a car.

2. When he makes his first phone call after he entered the city.

3. When he looks into the mirror at his girlfriend’s place. Note that this is the first time he play with his facial expression, which he repeats in Patricia’s apartment when he says sulk doesn’t suit her, and later, just before he dies.

4. The obvious one: when he’s looking at a poster of Bogart, which explains his “ritualistic” (I say) action.

5. At Patricia’s apartment, in front of the mirror, saying “What a pain. I always fall for girls who aren’t for me.” (I was thinking… LOL)

6. At Patricia’s apartment, after she says “I’ll stare at you until you stop sharing at me.”

7. At Patricia’s apartment, after she says “I want to know what’s behind your face.”

8. Just before he leaves Patricia at the entrance to the News conference.

9. After Patricia blows a kiss to him while he’s talking to Antonio and she’s talking to another guy.

Okay, of course, there is the famous tenth occurrence, but that’s by Patricia, at the end of the film.

By the way, she’s very pretty, I love her.

Iris-out and Iris-in

First of all, reminded me Looney Tunes. Apologize to people who are serious about films all the time and find cutie talking animals in cartoons are disgusting.

There are two places, Iris-out/Iris-in are used in the film:

1. When Michel walked away from Bogart’s poster, you can see the inspectors looking for him. Later it iris-in, focusing on Michel’s hand with 2 coins only, while he is promising Patricia for dinner.

2. A random guy (Godard himself, sadly, not much hair left on his forehead when he’s around 30…) recognises Michel and informs the police. And later we see the couple at the entrance of the News conference.

I like the first set a lot more than the second. Don’t bother explaining why now.

Dialogues in her apartment

I know a lot of people find this part too long and boring (well that’s what those kids say in the tutorial class), but I really like this scene. Not my favourite, but second. Purely personal preference, I like the scene in Rue Campagne Première more – told you I have weird taste.

1. About looking at each other…

There are so many instances Michel or Patricia caught looking at the other. To me, they are very romantic (you know, I am a hopeless romantic).

“Why are you looking at me?”
“Because I am.”

“I’ll stare at you until you stop staring at me.”

“We look each other in the eyes and it means nothing.”

“I’m looking at you.”
“The French are stupid too.”

“Funny I can see my reflection in your eyes.”
“A real Franco-American reconciliation.”

At the end of the bedroom scene, they kiss again when he’s lying down on her stomach. Then they remove their sunglasses, look into each other’s eyes and kiss again.

Nothing more important than eye contacts.

2. About time…

Earlier in the film Patricia makes a comment when Michel tells her to wait for a second, she says

“The French always say one second when they mean five minutes.”

Now in the bedroom, he asks her when will she know whether she loves him or not, and she says “soon”.

“When will you know?”
“Soon.”
“In a month, in a year?”
“Soon means soon".”
“A woman never wants to do in eight seconds what she’ll want to do eight days later. Eight seconds and eight days, it’s all the same. Why not eight centuries?”
“No, eight days is good.”
“A woman’s all half-measures. It gets me down.”

Again, as I said, time is a subjective phenomenon.

3. About Romeo and Juliet…

Believe it or not, I like the story of Romeo and Juliet. I mean, I like it because it’s stupid, unrealistic, a fantasy. I never take it as a love story. It’s not about love but pride and prejudice. Romeo thinks he cannot live without Juliet, and Juliet thinks she cannot live without Romeo. That’s because Juliet is becoming fourteen and Romeo is “no manlike beard there grew”. Sorry for breaking the dream of the kids, but no, I do not believe in “couldn’t live without someone”.

“I want us to be like Romeo and Juliet.”
“Just like a girl!”
“You said last night you couldn’t live without me, but you can. Romeo couldn’t live without Juliet, but you can.”
“No, I can’t live without you.”
“Just like a man!”

Michel has chosen his destiny partly bases on his love for Patricia, this is true; and at the end it leads to his death unexpectedly (well, for him). He chooses to stay (and die) rather than leave (and live). He didn’t live without her, although that’s not necessarily “couldn’t”, however effort counts, right?

4. About Scare and cigarette…

This is a rather interesting conversation.

“How do you know I am scared?”
“If a girl says she’s not scared, then can’t even light her cigarette, it means she’s scared of something. I don’t know of what, but she’s scared.”

“See? I’m not scared”
“I never said you were.”
“You bet, pet.”
“No.”
“But you wish you had said it. And now you’re angry.”
“I'm not talking to you anymore.”

Forget about the lighting cigarette part, but see what he says there: “But you wish you had said it. And now you’re angry.” I was totally amazed when I see this line (ya, see, mind you I cannot speak nor understand French). How many men in the world can see through that clearly, I wonder. That line itself is like a secret being revealed. It’s too honest, therefore she stands up and says she’s not talking to him anymore.

This reminds me, several times, someone read through me clearly and stated out my deepest thought, like a secret being revealed. I instantly rebutted. Logical? No. But in situation like this we always try to find something to say, just want to hide and make the one who see through you admit he’s wrong – even in the rebuttal process we have to say something that hurts him. Well, Patricia just ends the conversation temporarily.

Now go back to the relationship between scare of something and lighting cigarette. In the Rue Campagne Première scene, after Patricia tells Michel that she’s called the police and explains why she’s made that move, Michel says “You’re out of your mind. That’s a pathetic way to reason.”. He doesn’t seem angry or upset at all. Then he walks away and lights up his cigarette, quickly and easily.

Which means, he’s not scared.

image
image

Now I finally understand why someone always says my thinking is stupid, and my action is stupid. I guess, I have a pathetic way to reason as well. Same. Too bad that I do not have a pretty face, therefore, unforgivable.

Rue Campagne Première

Okay, my favourite scene. My favourite part is after she come back from buying newspaper, bottle of milk, and calling the police, then she informs Michel about it. Now she starts walking around the room talking to Michel (more to herself I’d say), while Michel is talking to her (again, more to himself I’d say) at the same time, their dialogues overlapping. It’s… a bit like… there’s a part in Masquerade that Christine and Raoul sing “You will understand in time”/“I can only hope I’ll understand in time”.

Patricia

No, I’m fine.
No, I’m not.
I don’t want to go with you.

(she’s walking around and talking some French here…

…)

I don’t want to be in love with you.
That’s why I called the police.
I stayed with you to see if I was in love with you, or if I wasn’t in love with you.
And since I’m being cruel to you, it proves I’m not in love with you.
(here she has just finished a circle and back to Michel)
And since I’m being cruel to you, it proves I’m not in love with you.

If I loved you… It’s too complicated!

I want people to leave me alone.
Maybe you love me.
That’ why I gave you away.
Now you have no choice but to go.
(again, she has just finished another circle and back to Michel)
Michel




I knew it.
I just talk about myself, and you, yourself.
You should’ve talked about me, and me, about you.







Say that again!



They say there’s no happy love. On the contrary, there’s no unhappy love.
I’m independent.
You think you are. You’re not.
I’m better than you are.




Patricia crossing the road happily

Not much I want to say about this, just, feel happy when I see this shot. It’s very cute.

I tried not to step on the gaps between concrete sections on the pedestrian roads usually, because… you know, they are snakes, they bite. :)

Champs Elysées

Ah… this is getting a bit too long. I thought I am not going to say anything major and therefore this is going to be short. Let me finish this off with the long take on the Champs Elysées.

Why people all walk in the middle of the road in those days? :D

還是有雨

九時二十分,還是有雨,也將繼續下雨。這些日子都是要下雨才適合的,上次也如是。李牧師的安息禮拜也是下雨天。

如果是我死了,可以是晴天嗎?我喜歡晴天。

坐在Plaza的Muffin Break,喝著一杯Latte。小王子坐在我身邊,喝著一杯Flat White。。。噢,他喝完了。

說今天不要哭,我還是和昨天一樣沒有化妝,作好萬全之準備。

初九日,重陽,有雨

回家後才驚覺昨天是重九。宜祭祀,忌餘事勿取。餘事勿取即除了黃曆上宜作之事,其他都不要做,即諸事不宜。

諸事不宜?那我要不要刷牙?

我當然是對黃曆甚麼的一點也不理會,只是昨天竟是重九,還真巧合。

我說的當然沒做到,那也怪不得我吧。

今天是喪禮,我還是要說:我今天不哭。

 

薄霧濃雲愁永晝,瑞腦消金獸。佳節又重陽,玉枕紗廚,半夜涼初透。東籬把酒黃昏後,有暗香盈袖。莫道不銷魂,簾卷西風,人比黃花瘦。

--  李清照《醉花陰》


思念之情,以此為記。

26 October 2009

安息的顏色

image 今天是Sal媽媽的安息禮拜,一整個衣櫃佈滿了黑衣服的我,選了一條網是黑內裡是彩色的裙子。因為我們雖心內憂傷,卻是有平安、喜樂和盼望在心裡的一群。

我說,我今天不要哭。

...(1)...

這幾天,我不是在溫習,就是在睡覺和打機。上一次我看了一整天戲,這次我打了一整天機。聽起上來,一定有人不耳順。只是每個人的表達不同,每個人的方法不同。

...(2)...

天氣還不太差,我是希望更好天的。 我跟小王子說,我死了,請叫全部來賓穿上鮮艷的衣服,我喜歡顏色。

23 October 2009

Interior

I record my pains in where love moves me.

Same as last time. Interior.

I don't want to expose them. Have to show no one.

20 October 2009

看書

Lewis Carroll in Numberland

最近一星期,每晚睡前我都在看一本書,通常是不太想停,但眼皮開始撐不起來,唯有去睡。有幾晚則code到停不下來,所以沒有看書,到半夜十二時許,才驚覺該是睡覺的時候,立刻收拾一會,上床睡覺。

所以看書的進度十二分的慢。

雖然某人說我總看不完開始了的書是因為我看些「懶型」的書,我是絕對不同意的。我選擇看每一本書皆有特別的原因,大概都是和我的興趣有關;總看不完是因為太多旁務,興趣泛濫,常常走去做別的東西。再加上每每遇上有興趣的就一頭熱的開始看一部份,然後給其他事情分了心後又擱下來。

這樣大概不太好吧。所以我有意清算一下未讀完的書。看完了《Lewis Carroll in Numberland》後,再拿本未看完的繼續。在我把這些書看完以前,不能再買別的了!

忙咩

結果我reskin咗哩個blog,都唔知點解。

最近忙咩?嘿嘿,有好多野忙,不過就嚟考試,其實都無咩選擇。我好勤力咁溫書架。。。前幾日。今個weekend繼續努力啦。

其次。。。都係返下工,上下堂,畫下畫,睇下DVD,睇下書,寫下code。。。你可以話我生活無咩變化嘅,但係都幾多野做。琴日我就同小王子講,睇下我地而家自由慣,玩慣,我諗要我生仔係愈嚟愈無可能嘅事。。。可能到卅幾歲又唔同講法嘅。再加上以小王子現階段嘅心智完全無可能照顧一個小朋友,我都無可能。

人地啲細路就全部都好得意,唔好搞我就得喇。

12 October 2009

小時候

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祖祖scan咗哩兩張相上facebook,哈,我都有哩兩張相喺屋企。以前呢,我總係男仔頭嗰個,祖祖就係女仔啲嘅,有一次我哋喺教堂裡面個遊樂場玩,有個教友同我阿媽講:「我見倒你個仔同你個女喺出面玩呀!」,我阿媽就同佢講:「你講嗰個女係我兒甥女嚟嘅,你講嗰個仔哩,就真係我個女喇。。。」你話幾似男仔丫。

雖然係咁,但係大大下,祖祖就變咗爽朗啲嗰個,我呢,就變咗係發姣婆媽嗰個,都唔知點解會變成咁。結果我就鍾意文弱書生型,祖祖就鍾意運動型。。。又拎《幻法雙子星》嚟講,佢就係友美,我就係美香(御影);所以佢鍾意野田,我鍾意倉茂師兄。

講開,好想睇返哦~

講返我哋細個。。。係囉,由細至大,我同祖祖都好close,以前喺香港時差唔多個個禮拜或者兩個禮拜就會見到大家,有時我仲會留喺阿公度過夜。記憶中我地無乜嗌過交,因為祖祖比較無所謂,通常都係我一個人火爆。。。不過遇著係祖祖,其實我都係特別遷就㗎。 XD

等我得閒都scan下啲舊相先。。。

01 October 2009

Bob and Estee’s wedding

It’s Bob and Estee’s wedding on 29th September 2009 Tuesday. It was a really good day. Yes, it’s raining all day long, even when I was driving to the wedding. So I prayed in the car for rain to go away on arrival (because my dress is long, and quite trouble to carry an umbrella and my dress), and prayed for no rain whenever the ceremony has to be outdoor. Thanks God for answering that (he always allow me to have whatever weather I pray for, very nice). On arrival, rain stopped, and sun came out for the time when Estee was throwing the flower bouquet and when we were taking photos outside.

Leanne didn’t run up and catch the flower bouquet, so disappointing. :P

As I said, it’s a really good day. Everyone’s happy. We went back in for dinner after some photos. Rando and Johnny have to speak for our beloved Bobby. I cannot stand Rando’s try-to-be-serious face, hahaha. Hugh has been taking photos whole day with his extremely heavy camera – ya, real heavy! I carried that for 5 mins and now my left arm still sore. As dinner started, rain started again as well. There were lightening strikes, the sky occasionally lighted up.

Hugh spent yesterday tidying up the photos, and he’s going to upload the rest…maybe tonight?! I had put the first 24 I got from him yesterday, but, ya, there’s no Bob and Estee, hahaha… see them from here: Album

image