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 !






 

Anti gravity!

A beautiful pale yellow butterfly,

enjoying her lunch 

after rain;

"so delicious...la, la, la...

hey, you!

you are in a wrong way! "

Think out of the box,  pal! 

this is the reality :D

 

Urban Beauty

 

 

 

 

Where are you at this moment ?!

  

1995

If you like Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, these are the must see movies. Before Sunrise was the first one I had watched on T.V. at Pearl 930.... well, years and years ago. Two young strangers met on a train in Europe, they spent a whole after night at Vienna together, sharing hopes, joys, dreams, and love....then returned on train at dawn and aparted to their own destination.

Before Sunset was the second one I had watched on T.V. again late night at year end, right after Before Sunrise, Yes! movie double up :D So the feeling and emotion were even much stronger as the story carried on : Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) met after nine years in Paris......so, can you imagine...... 

2004

They were both more mature, having their own business and experience. Once again, they unfolded as much as they could before they had to apart again at dusk.  Life altered after the first met, but love remains.

There was an open ending in this story, whether Jesse could/would capture his plane back to US?  or stayed with Celine?

Another nine years pasted, I had to find out the real face of true romance between Jesse and Celine. This time, I went to the theatre, flied to Greece, learned a lesson before midnight.

2013

Life is amazing, because it is a learning path that everyone has to participate into, no short cut, no forever romance, no unawakened dreams. It mold you to become what you are from teen to mid age. 

Beautiful faces, stunning environment, meaningful dialogue, romancing moment...all you can find in this series of movie. Even though some people may say the last one is far too reality and they are too old which diminish the past romantic atmosphere of the whole film;
this is what we need to walk and grow together with Jesse and Celine, not only in their but our life, too.

I have to leave you now and enjoy my "triple up" !
Au Revoir!

                                               

Ikea Coffee Bean : Surprise !

Everybody knows that I am an IKEA and a Coffee lover, will it be lovely if they are merging?

Each year I will take a visit to see if there are any new products arrive, but unfortunately not many in the coming of 2018 in Hong Kong. Well, truly a little disappointed, so I am going to grab my favor almond pie before leaving, and accidentally discover this!

I am not a super fans of organic product especially in food, my past experience reminds me the "mild" taste of "everything" which are "boring". So I did hesitate a while when I saw this. In addition, because they are not freshly roasted, a certain compromise to aroma is expected.  

This espresso coffee bean is 100% Arabica, UTZ certified.
Produced in Sweden (I doubt whether it is the origin ).
Acidity 3, Body 5, Roasting 5....that's it, not much detail in terms of aroma or after taste...,etc. 
Cost: $46/250g. 
If compare with others, it is obviously very economical. 

To my surprise, the bean size are quite big, even though it looks like an Italian Roast, I will say a City Roast is more appropriate with a slight cinnamon favor is noted. 

Although this kind of ready packed coffee bean can not be compared with the freshly roasted and high quality single origin coffee; it is good enough for a morning coffee with sugar & milk, the overall taste is quite balance. So, give a try and you may love it :P

 
 

意外收獲

上回介紹了由王其鈞博士著作的中國民居，今次再介紹他另外兩本資料更詳盡的圖解詞典; 集合了中、西古今的建築特式及部件解讀. 圖文並茂，更是按着時序編排，所以從頭開始一直看下去，徬彿由古代穿梭到現代一般，非常有趣味性.

如果你有看過上次我介紹的那本中國民居，你便不會驚訝這兩本書內的資料何奇豐富. 如果你留意書內的插畫，亦會發現是來自不同人的手筆，正是作者的學生和他一起努力的成果，當中不少插圖繪畫得極之細緻。

翻看後記，原來部份原稿非常大，只是放到書內縮成約50mm 方的小插圖。全書差不多1000 幅插畫及內文，實在提供了很多寶貴和方便的資料，是兩本很值得珍藏的書籍.

兩本詞典尤以西方建築那本較為我所喜愛，因為當中提到不少古埃及，古羅馬，希臘，哥德式及文藝復興時期的教堂建築，解釋了不少當時常見的建築結構及圖像由來，看完後會對一些聞名已久的建築物：如巴黎聖母院，佛羅倫斯主教堂，古羅馬鬥獸場等等， 有較清楚及深入的理解; 更會懂得欣賞古時工匠的心思和高超手藝.

因此我極力推介，無論你是行內或外人， 這兩本也是值得一看再看的好書，希望你會喜歡！

圖解中國民居

話說自從無印良品開始賣書之後，其實也沒有太大期望，因為心想還是賣一些日式家品悠閒書或雜誌罷，但是竟然給我發現 這本有趣的書籍!

雖然我不是建築師，但對中國民居也實在有點興趣. 奈何很多建築書不是太商業味（超靚實景相），便是內容沈悶非常，而且昂貴.

那天，還是隨意看看，卻被這本書封面的插圖所吸引. 仔細看看內文，清楚簡潔地把主要中國民居的特色、佈局、結構等一一紀錄. （抱歉因版權問題不方便打開內頁）而且紙質及插畫十分樸實，很有味道.

內容除了我們熟悉的四合院，  江南水鄉民居，圍屋，土樓之外；更有竹樓，碉房，吊腳樓等較有特色的民居.

作者是一個很有心的中國學者王其鈞博士，請務必看書中的前言和後記，可以對作者的心思有更多認識，以致在細看內文時會更珍惜所獲得有知識。 

喜歡看書，是因為可以隨時穿梭時空及地理的限制，藉作者的解讀而學會一些新的知識或趣味. 初時我以為這本書售價應該不少於二佰塊錢，事實上卻出乎我意料之外的便宜，雖然我興高採烈地即時把它據為己有，卻也同時感到一陣悲哀.

我在想：是我們對閱讀這一回事已變得沒趣從而影響了書籍的售價? 還是重來低估了一些有水準但沒用名氣來包裝的作品呢?!

一個廁所板

上星期，廁所板突然宣告死亡，咁啱唔得閒，唯有勉強捱到今日。係好熱嘅中午，唔係同客睇， 買自己嘢就梗係鎖定目標，想快快趣搞掂啦！可能你會覺得好易啫，買番同一個型號就得啦 ; 咁又唔係喎，因為從來我都覺得D廁所板跟個馬桶一套，除咗有冇油壓之外就冇咩選擇，而且淨係得白色， 悶到發慌! （以前好多色揀） 

所以今次又發揮＂可可實驗室＂精神，去揾揾世上有冇未被發現嘅＂珍品＂啦?！ 

如果俾你揀: 

A）＄800 白色Roca油壓板

B）＄480 新進白色德國油壓板

C) ＄250 湖水綠歐洲普通板 

D) ＄180 白色唔知咩牌子油壓板

你會點揀呢？ 

好明顯我揀咗 C 啦, 不過仲有下文, 係塊板用不銹鋼鉸，木蕊（重也), 而且係十年倉貨，返嚟要再自行清潔膠紙及汚漬…...好啦，講到呢度我應唔應該放棄呢？

放棄咗就冇呢篇文啦，冇錯，買咗.....而且超值，因為：

1）Jacob Delafon 

2）意大利生產 

3）靚色靚料 

4）金屬配件一D都冇生銹 

5）原價700 大洋

6）絕版 

心滿意足:D

以上就係我嘅非常選擇啦:P

做個 " 愛國" 的設計師

2014年10月26日, 發放了一篇 做個有承擔的設計師, 把好不容易累積了的中國流覧本網誌數量付於流水.可惜, 但無悔.

今天, 終於把流量稍為穩定, 更剛剛發佈了"可可雜貨舖", 在期待着吸引多些讀者之際, 我還是決定要寫這篇網誌; 即使, 我的期待或許將要再次落空.

 剛剛在電視上看了一個關於劉曉波先生的特輯.那一刻,我竟然能感受到身為"中國人"對國家没有看待人權, 人民沒有真正自由的那種傷痛, 真的很痛!!!

一個帶着崇高理想, 以和平心態去期待國家變得更好的學者; 卻為此而賠上自己, 甚至最愛的一生,  値得嗎? (我敢説在他心中一定認為値得!)

自問對什麼政治, 國家...不算熟識; 但人權, 自由, 理想和愛, 是正如你我一様, 天生便懂得, 也應該可以隨時享用. 可是, 在2017年的世代, 中國在高舉什麼一帶一路, 讓全國接軌的同時; 另一邊廂卻仍然像"野蠻人"一樣. 思想守舊, 腐敗, 專横...視人命如草芥!


劉曉波先生和劉霞的付出, 其實, 這オ是真正的愛國, 只是國家不愛國民罷了. 

以言入罪, 軟禁, 網絡封殺, 囚禁異見人士......這一切並不會隨着他的離世而終止; 但可以肯定的是, 人可以被囚, 心卻不可以! 只要有這個信念, 他(們)的付出必不會白廢!