To age or not to age - that is not my choice. The team threw me a Shakespeare themed birthday party! Star-crossed muffins, soliloquiches, midsummer night's drinks… my month long of celebration ended with a whimsical note. The positive energy from my sojourn at Cambridge will be long lasting. While juggling multiple soul-crushing meetings, I could always attain a moment of respite by wearing the Elizabethan collar my team made me, reciting: All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand…
開某項例會, 頂頭上司突宣佈當天是我生日, 由品牌冷艷大統領帶領高唱生日快樂, LK受寵若驚倍感虛不受補…
團隊也以莎士比亞主題為我慶生, 不僅派對的點心妙語雙關, 彩色杯蛋糕插上莎翁肖像, 背景高懸Hamlet父王的白布幽靈, 還替我特製伊莉莎白時代的扇型紗領(!), 看來我明年暑修Macbeth, 便可豎長頸項吟誦: 啊… 所有阿拉伯的香水, 也掩蓋不了吾指尖血雨腥風!!!
I was informed of the horrendous traffic and homicidal cyclists in Cambridge so a reflective phone carrier with blinking LEDs became my ultimate fashion statement while trotting on the cobblestone alleys. My first evening at Cambridge was stormy(setting the stage for King Lear…) and a cozy pub named The Old Bicycle Shop took me in without reservation(pun intended). My Sunday off there I wandered into the Espresso Library for a warm, delicious breakfast where bikes lined the ceiling(!) I even met a very interesting new friend doing his postdoc in social psychology at the Churchill College who built his own bike from scratch. I must say the nostalgic and simplistic flair of Cambridge is more tasteful than megalomaniac Tesla Silicon Valley…
Ancient colleges along the River Cam create the unique and fascinating landscape of Cambridge. Punting allows a different perspective to admire these spectacular architecture. I love 'crossing' bridges on foot. The thought of connecting the two worlds or transitioning from one terrain to another symbolizes an excitement of metamorphosis. The middle image is the Bridge of Sighs.
My morning started off at 7:30AM with a stroll to the Hot Numbers Coffee at the Trumpington Street. The menu? Americano black, smashed avocado or poached eggs on gluten-free toast and playing Horatio to the navel-gazing Hamlet… just kidding :)
Claudius: Laertes, 你愛你父親嗎? 還是表象的憂傷, 無心的愁容?
Laertes: 為什麼這樣問?
Claudius: 愛如焰火 開始總光采熱烈
漸漸 隨時間消減 直至熄蕊
所謂意念 所有自身盤旋 終將淹滅
我們該當起而行
蹉跎躊躇之後 才付諸行動
不過於事無補的輕嘆
煎熬或稍緩 註定傷心
所以 當Hamlet歸來
你如何證明對你父親的愛
Laertes: 我要在聖堂割穿他的咽喉!
是不是邏輯詩意兼具? 文學耐人尋味處便是讀者與文字之間的化學作用, 因人而異.
Between the morning class of Hamlet and lunch break, we were offered plenary lectures. Each deepens the understanding of concepts in Shakespeare plays. I especially resonated with the one where Professor Wilmer of Sidney Sussex College started with sfumato on Mona Lisa leading to ambiguities of passages in Hamlet and Othello. Humanity is enigmatic. Try as we might, we could never reach the inside of another person's mind.
The Museum of Classic Archaeology near the lecture halls transported me back in time when I first studied the classics: Iliad, Odyssey, Oresteia, Oedipus, Aeneid… Guess who I had tête-à-tête with in rainy mornings? Socrates :)
Loving having lunches at FeedYourBelly the Fitzbillies! Either my palate has evolved in recent years or I am simply over the chichi food scene, butter and sugar laden French patisserie no longer delights me. I am however addicted to A Slice of Virtue made of pine nuts, slivered almonds, dates, raisins… pairing freshly brewed Earl Grey at the Fitzbillies.
Souvent me souvient - St John's College. From left to right, the Chapel, the Deposition from the Cross by Anton Raphael Mengs, nave of the Chapel.
我從不懂欣賞徐志摩, 徐氏詩詞太刻意貴族文青優越, 故作情聖姿態如同放涼且加太多糖的茶, 可惜了如畫水色.
An early dinner at Jamie's Italian. The food neither disappointed nor swept me off my feet. It's a pity to learn that due to rapid expansion, the famed chef is crumbling into a financial crisis… :(
Carrying the inspiration from my summer study in the backyard, in a day trip to Napa, with Little V(already taller than me!)… everywhere!!!
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