帶領我, 救我遠離孤獨 Thanksgiving in NYC2

Too many goodbyes in 2016, we just saw Rogue One and encored Princess Leia...  

Write once more, about our Thanksgiving trip to the Big Apple. 

NYC, a city with history and never the slave of fashion but insolent tourists are definitely enslaved to this fashionable city.  Don't remember where I took the photo, the elegantly adorned facade was a perfect sight in the mist.

說ALW的作品俗, 翻譯並不容易,

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說你對我矢志不渝 Thanksgiving in NYC1

Visiting NYC has become my Thanksgiving anniversary!  This time, the boys tagged along so family fun it was, girls' outing had to take the back seat.  

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行者無疆之我和上海有個約會 As I Stride Out to The World 11.3

Nooooooooo… as the world was sinking deeper and deeper, one must find a way to cheer up.  I think about what I love.  I love Shanghai.  For the amazing pre-war architecture on the bund, its nostalgic alley lined with sycamore trees, the scrumptious hairy crab delicacy, I might even move there one day, who knows.  Exodus from US is en vogue.

或許滬菜對味, 還是前世曾住過上海, 每回出差到此, 都有份溫柔的熟悉.  這趟老朋友皆不在, 難免小小失望, 反正LK獨行俠慣了, 星期天不開會, 連日陰雨也總算放晴, 還是興高采烈整裝出門, 赴我與上海的美麗約會!

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行者無疆之一千零一夜 As I Stride Out to The World 11.2

In light of what's happening in this country, some felt an uncontrollable depression and others, a sinister sense of triumph.  I am feeling lethargic, the tiredness of fighting.  Born non white and non male, proud being both really but couldn't help to question… what happened to basic human decency?!

這趟商旅… 陰錯陽差, 未能赴格友Echo衣香鬢影的生日宴, 出發前一天, 老朋友M興高采烈傳簡訊告知我他快來灣區開會, 想來是要給我驚喜, 結果我大潑冷水說將遠遊未歸 :(

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行者無疆之亂世舟車篇 As I Stride Out to The World 11.1

每回環亞商旅必自嘲:  從舊金山飛新德里, 一條小命去掉一半; 在新德里開幾天會紅眼班機飛香港, 另一半小命也沒了.  某次眉飛色舞對少年友伴描述歷險記, 友伴不以為然:  女孩子家何必那麼辛苦?  我大笑:  富貴險中求!  

行走江湖多年, 早練得渾身是膽, 在新德里機場上午夜班機前, 必到搭滿帳篷和行軍床的長廊內, 享用物美價廉的印度式足療.  也因為紅眼班機, 捨隱形眼鏡就黑框, 重度近視者皆知, 取下厚厚的鏡片, 眼中登時另個世界, 所以那45分鐘1000盧比的按摩宛若超現實風格, Sofia Coppola導演的龍門客棧.

Last evening of the trip, a treat to stay at the Peninsula Hong Kong.  I am a sucker for old world charms.

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孤獨求敗 vs. 東方不敗 Oktoberfest a la Camus

前者是藝術家, 後者為政治家. 

是不是人到某個年紀, 健康時非我予, 情愛過境千帆, 只好奮然緊握生命最終的掌控, 如飛蛾撲火追求權力?

My daily long commute from the Silicon Valley to San Francisco often reminds me of Sisyphus rolling up the boulder.  Shamelessly, among the four characters of an absurd life prescribed by Camus, the seducer, the actor, the conqueror, and the artist, I identify with the last.  I eat create therefore I am.

近來常想起'笑傲江湖', 金庸小說這部最經得起時間洗㶑, 年少時醉心種種技藝書寫, 年青時也曾為個個癡情人物惋歎, 如今人到中年, 我似乎漸漸懂任我行和東方不敗.

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2016 祝我生日快樂 Bang Bang_birthday coronation

For once, I would love to procrastinate my birthday.  Aging never quite bothered me hitherto.  I mean, for someone who has always had an old soul, what difference really.  It bothers me NOW.  My mind is vital as ever, on the verge of being volatile but over the summer, even though I aced my annual health checkup, I find, slowly that my body prays for a revolution.  My name day presents this year included a jaw alignment, a forefinger adjustment by my chiropractor and a temporary crown on my right first molar by my dentist.

是不是中蠱?  於東京Delfonics文具行聽得Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow變奏, 心念之, 連寫四篇.  反覆探究, 分析各個版本優缺, 上幅網誌剛剛結此公案… 這首歌, 莫不是怪敝人文筆太遜, 如有冤難訴的幽魂, 糾纏起我這窮秀才.

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明天你是否依然愛我_萬物皆空篇 Tomorrow you will still love me… What's love got to do with it? Summer 2016 in Tokyo IV

Francophile, bibliophile, demophile… so ‘will you still love me tomorrow’ is a you-phile or me-phile?  In the realm of platonic-philia, I am Casanova.  Tokyo was my harem where I hugged my L-O-V-E-R-S left and right.

WYSLMT最弔詭的版本由嗓音低沈, 與David Bowie齊名的Bryan Ferry主唱, MV女主角乃九零年代尤物Anna Nicole Smith.  影音違和, 讓我想起久不久駭客入侵, 同個帳戶竟收到從自己帳戶發出的垃圾電郵, 信件標題千篇一律半亂碼半驚駭, 總是與藍色小藥丸或三級片有關.  封鎖帳戶更改密碼的同時不免異想天開:  在某個平行宇宙是不是有另一個LK正兜售著藍色小藥丸?

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明天你是否依然愛我_街角確幸篇 Will you still love… wait, can we please call a truce? Summer 2016 in Tokyo III

爵士歌伶氣質近似貓科動物, 若說Amy Winehouse是頭野性難馴的金錢豹, Norah Jones則是睜著大眼睛的柔順貓咪.  NJ嗓音具故事性, 應該滿適合唱Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?  然聽罷略感失落, 她娓娓道來甜美夢遊, 虛幻空靈, 硬是少了那針扎肉的實感.  本以為WYSLMT這題目俏皮, 與敝格天馬行空風格合拍, 誰知同樣辭句問至第三篇, 寫著寫著沈重起來… 或許真正的愛情皆難以負荷, 無苦集滅道, 無智亦無得.

Can't let the summer pass by without finishing my travelogue.  Just think about it…  we call a vacation 'escapde' for very good reasons.

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明天你是否依然愛我_星光燦爛篇 Will you still love me tomorrow... maaayybe? Summer 2016 in Tokyo II

早逝的天才女歌手Amy Winehouse也曾翻唱這首經典老歌, 先是清揚的吉他和弦, 襯著她曲線豐富的嗓音, 像隻野貓慵懶的在午后陽光下搔首弄姿, 唱著唱著敲擊樂漸進, 有些兵氣, 花腔女高音吐出will my heart be broken, 似帖華麗戰書, 聽畢十分蒼涼, 很前衛的行動藝術… 主題卻非'明天你是否依然愛我', 而是'大小姐我壓根沒愛上誰'.  這次停留臺北時研究所好友抽空茶聚, 美麗的C新婚, 說得是柴米油鹽夫婿生活瑣碎的小確幸, 早遠離當年'驚亦不是那驚法, 艷亦不是那艷法'的惆悵往事, 聽著甜蜜, 愛情這玩意, to be or not to be, 有或沒有都很傷腦筋(敝人翻譯功力真是出神入化).

Table at Beige, Tokyo.

July swept by like a trance.  One day I woke up smiling to myself, 'Friday!' but soon realized it's only Wednesday :( 

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明天你是否依然愛我＿東京驛駛篇 Love me still, will you… tomorrow? Summer 2016 in Tokyo I

There have been numerous iterations of the song, I still love the version by the Shirelles.  Innocent and sweet, not calculated, exactly how love should be.  Tokyo we met again, a weekend well spent at the heritage Tokyo Station Hotel this time.  The spectacular architecture exudes elegance and entrancing nostalgia.

那天在東京丸之內的文具行尋寶, 店裏悠悠播著軟軟的樂曲, 乍聽以為是法文香頌, 聽仔細才發覺是填了中文歌詞的老歌Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? 

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戀戀山城 The Lost Horizon Encore

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. ----- Psalm 23:4

June 4th is the Memorial Day for those who remember Tiananmen Square Massacre.  Rest in peace, courage. 
'Float like a butterfly, stings like a bee.  The hands can't hit what the eyes can't see.' ----- Muhammad Ali passed away into legend.  

Death seems to give definition to life as period to a sentence.  I have not written much lately and when I do, punctuations fascinate me, how a comma or a colon enhances the tonality of a word it brushes shoulders with.

'我雖然行過死蔭的幽谷, 也不怕遭害, 因為你與我同在, 你的杖, 你的竿都安慰我.'  ----- 詩篇 23:4

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也無風雨也無晴 Feigning, Folly, or in Rain?

Macbeth:  Act1, Scene1

First Witch

When shall we three meet again?

In thunder, lightening, or in rain?

Rainy city view from Jing An Shangri-La.

去年江湖謠傳, 某人升官, 赴印度出差馬上到當地著名的珠寶行購入鑽石手鐲, 開會時無論妝扮語氣姿態, 一山還有一山高, 完全朝總裁們看齊, LK向來我行我素, 小小晉級便裝腔作勢, 骨頭未免太輕.  如果因頭銜才尊重親近, 此類朋友不交也罷, 結交的代價是後背長眼睛, 飛刀接不完.

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魔鬼的交易 Lucifer

這幾個月, 走的是險峰, 如Lord of The Rings故事裏的Frodo匍匐前進, 等到達火焰山頂, 一轉身欲將指環據為己有.  前陣子心心念念'衣沾不足惜, 但使願無為', 當人事命令快遞, 我連串反應如老謀深算的政客, 演技直逼金像獎得主… 自認豁達如張良, 其實顫競似蕭何, 接受道賀時再平靜不過, 可見靈魂暗角的某個自己, 早選擇與我分道揚鑣.

image credit:  ARC

Gustave Moreau 1826-1898

Prometheus

LK:  'Hey, you, see the bright spot above my head?'

My name is Lucifer.

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失意與詩意 Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame

English title inspired by Charles Bukowski's collection of poems.

Rather, I am burning in creativity and drowning in reality.  Meeting agendas, project deadlines, running between the office and home… OLD HATS!  More than ever, it's not only the focus that I need to find, I must identify my locus.  Step one:  relax my mind in the nature.

這幾個月逼上梁山, 人人身挑數職, 割不正, 不食.  何況我向來吃飯慢, 急不得, 乾脆不吃!  剩得顴骨和眼睛, 似某種夜行動物, 所以… '嚥不下, 玉粒金波咽滿喉, 照不盡, 菱花鏡裡形容瘦'說的不是相思?

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昇華 Dares To Be Tough Can Equally Dare To Be Delicate

'A woman who dares to be tough can equally dare to be delicate.' is the message behind Chloe, the Parisian couture house's autumn 2016 line.  The attitude and duality, to be applauded and the pairing of cascading ruffles of chiffon with linear simplicity of leather gear is a reverie to lose oneself in.

www.chloe.com

氣氛低迷, 大夥苦中作樂, 由我領隊聯合織品部企劃春夏交接系列, 邊加班邊聊天, 互猜如果不幹這行會做什麼?  眾人紛紛推選LK重入古老學府再修幾個學位!  進修的確乃自我昇華良方, 從小到大甚少訴苦, 不知撒嬌是何物, 往往出借肩膀讓好友哭泣當情緒靠山.  年輕時為戀人傷透心也只承諾自己有天將更有成就絕不回頭, 多年後於LinkedIn再見熟悉的名字微微淺笑. 如今為人妻人母, 與LK先生意見分岐, 心愈冷愈清晰, 雙眸探照燈般端詳眼前人, 十多年前此君還是研究所電機系最帥的男生…

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猜心術 My Bloody Valentine 2.2016

感恩節, 聖誕節, 新年, 春節, 情人節... 年尾年頭走馬燈, 節氣本是遠古記錄時光的方式, 現下是零售業比拼業績, 十分消費性的行為.  有情人者, 平常日子已夠甜蜜, 毋須特定時候擺出刻意姿態, 無情人者請珍重自由自尊, 不知有數據顯示否, 愛情這玩意傷感痛苦居多, 能如Adele高唱失戀心情引得全球共鳴經濟效益滿滿, 是萬中無一 利人利己的意外 :P

Such… belated… greetings…

Inspired by the impromptu of Yo-Yo Ma and Misty Copeland, I quickly sketched as I read E. E. Cummings.

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為誰開, 茶花滿路? Smell The Camellia

This blog post is chronologically… out of order.  The LK clan spent the new year at the lovely Carneros Inn in Napa before I flew solo to Shanghai for work.  Then I wrote about Shanghai while memory was fresh.  Ah, a vacation is a vacation, everyone knows it's not going to last forever but while we are at it, let's stretch out like lazy cats under the sun.

Our suite at the Carneros Inn, Napa.

春雨霏霏, 原本焦枯的庭園滋潤幾天後綠意盎然, 敞開落地窗, 赫然發現後院亭亭玉立一株艷紅山茶花, 我這人, 眼睛都長哪兒去?!  園藝當然一竅不通, 對山茶花的認識來自'天龍八部'段譽被囚曼陀山莊的章節, 金庸妙筆, 十八學士, 風塵三俠, 八仙過海, 眼兒媚… 各杜撰滇茶名種讀著有趣.  可惜這章節凸顯大理段二眾情婦之一王蘿王夫人的偏執乖戾, 想來金庸十分大男人主義, 小說中的女主角除了黃蓉, 全都是男主角的陪襯…

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上海再念 READ! Shanghai Encore

寫續集?!

開春歸來驛馬星動, 緊急出差南中國, 想到上海冬寒整個腿軟, 轉念現下逐鹿中原, 我連'自宮'這種厚黑學都考慮到了, 還假惺惺作啥? 向頂頭上司敲定, 就由LK單槍匹馬替企劃案收尾, 誰怕! 我已認清自己定位 - I love problem solving, 遇見愈棘手的問題愈是眼亮心癢, 當然, 沒錢我也願意做這種傻子創意思維, 千萬不能讓老闆知道, 千萬.  真要寫, 寫詭譎哀思武俠完結篇才對, 前後不過兩個月光景, 人事全面洗盤.  某層次我鞏固實力, 贏了裏子; 某層次我呆若木雞, 輸了面子.  我畢竟有父系遺傳, 享受手起手落之間的危機感, 輸贏都心悅誠服.

In the core of el nino winter, in the midst of pining for Downton Abbey Final Season, I was called upon a critical mission, a whirlwind business trip to Shanghai!  Whatever it takes, really.

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