I am Your Sunshine

今兒個一早, 各大小 blog 都把提名名單貼出來了. 79屆奧斯卡, 多麼不可思議啊. 我念念不忘, 在我心目中一直有特別意義的 69屆奧斯卡, 距今也狠狠地有十年了. 名單到處都是, 我就只貼跟我有關係的了

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前年很愛的 Wake up Boo, 因為某些緣故去年一整年都沒聽. 這兩天又翻出來, 依然有讓人精神一振蹦蹦跳跳的效果. 從音響中緩緩流出的 Wake up, it’s a beautiful morning, 你可以看見自己在床上伸著懶腰. 精神奕奕地跳起身, 刷牙洗臉換衣服, 美好的一天由 Boo Radleys 開始!

不過每天聽終究會有點膩, 還有什麼歌適合早上聽呢? 今早翻了翻我的 brit pop top 10, Suede 的 beautiful ones 是不錯, 而The Verve 的 Bittersweet Symphony 總是會把我腦海中Sarah Michelle Gellar 走出禮堂的身影叫出來… -_-

沒聽過 Wake up Boo? Here you go.

早上四點四十分起床看球賽, 結果 0-2 慘敗給利記. 悶極. (安慰自己: 利記排出最佳陣容, 反觀我們連正牌的中後衛都沒有. ) 中午搬大家具, 發生了件不幸的慘事. 下午 Welton 與 Jennifer 來幫忙組家具, W還帶了瓶 Syrah 配我準備的 Lingoberry cheesecake. 家具越組越順手, 組完後真是超有成就感的! 感謝大家. 醉醺醺地前往 Santana Row 吃飯 (是我的第一餐…), 決定吃左岸. 因為等了一個多小時才有位子, 我們連桌都還沒上時神秘的 K 就出現了. (可憐的 J) 我們只好邀 K 跟我們一起吃 (雖然他已經吃飽了.) 我們開了瓶 Bordeaux, 點了 Quenelle Roland Passot (鮭魚與干貝打成的慕絲), Assiette de charcuterie (肝醬與生肉冷盤), Escargots (田螺), Brasserie Steak Frites 與 Sole Côte d’Azur. 吃得好生滿足. 可惜吃完時已經快十點, 只好跳過甜點 (Creme Brulee 我們會再回來的!) 接著到 Peets 買了杯咖啡之後我們去 CineArt 看 Pan’s Laborynth. 非. 常. 好. 看.

星期天拖著痠痛的身子 unpack, Joanne 找 bowling 只能忍痛拒絕. 不過晚上一起去吃 CCF, 也是吃得很開心! ^^ (叫了 Ahi Capparcio, Shrimp Scampi & Steak Diana 還有 Fettucini with Chichen and sun-dried tomato. 吃飽之後就吃不下甜點了…)

Addison: I wanted Derek. I wanted to have a baby with Derek. I never thought I’d end up alone.
Callie You have not ended up anywhere.
Addison: Yeah, I know, it’s just that… sometimes it feels that way, you know?

I don’t have much to say about this episode cos I didn’t feel much. But don’t get me wrong, it’s an excellent one with a successful character portrayal.

Let me start from the very begining. We have a victim escaped from a serial killer and Stark and his team were on it. I wondered why this case fell into their hands at such early stage, when they don’t even have a suspect. Because it’s the sixth victim? As I had the illusion that I was watching a detective show, they found their suspect and Stark was sure. So fast that seemed unreal. However, this Wayne, Creative Writing teacher in SMTU, was clearly a highly intelligent psychopath and Stark was defeated.

Everything went violently calm. It’s not an exciting episode but twisted in a disguised serene way. In the last scene, Stark mistaken a person at the bar Wayne, and the look on his face showed that he was clearly gonna be huanted by this case, by this “evil”. If they’re not going to just go on with other cases like nothing has happened, I think this episode was a brilliant turning point for the show. I look forward to how they’re going to develop on that.

來吧來吧! 重頭戲 (?)

要寫一整年的電視其實頗有難度, 因為電視是學期制的, 並不是一年一季.
所以先來說說 2006 上半年度, 電視的後半季. 我在看的有: Gilmore Girls s6, Medium s2, Boston Legal s2, Desperate Housewives s2, Grey’s Anatomy s2, Dancing with the Stars s2, In Justice s1, Related s1. 除了 Gilmore Girls 這個我從大學就在看的’老牌’影集之外, 其他幾乎都是沿續上一季的新戲, 加上兩部演一半就被腰斬的當季新劇. 這樣的現象跟我的現實生活密切相關, 我很討厭從中間看, 即使是單元劇或 sitcom 也一樣, 因為我很在意人物間的互動與細微的關係演變. 於是在 04年秋天搬來加州後, 才真正規律地看電視.

2006下半年, 06-07 新季, 我看 Gilmore Girls s7, Dancing with the Stars s3, Boston Legal s3, House, M.D. s3, Grey’s Anatomy s3, Heroes s1, Shark s1, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip s1, Day Break s1. 其中 Day Break, 這個讓我捨棄 Medium s3 的傢伙竟然被腰斬了之外, 這季我看的新戲基本上還蠻幸運的, 除了 Studio 60 岌岌可危. 兩相比較可以看出 05-06 那季沒有我喜歡的新劇留下來, 紅得發紫的 Supernatural 與 Prison Break 都是不合我口味. 另外 Desperate Housewives 在第二季就已經給人彈性疲乏的感覺, 失去味道的東西就大方地丟掉吧!

Gilmore Girls 很好看, 愛極她們快速無里頭的對話. 原本只喜歡 Lorelai, 在這季漸漸對 Rory 有好感. 強烈懷疑是因為她跟 Logan 在一起的關係. Logan 實在很適合她. 而第六季 Lorelai 跟 Luke 終於修成正果, 雖然在第七季… 而 Rory 面臨大學最後一年突如其來的恐慌, 與 Logan 之間的磨擦, 常讓我對照反思自己的生活.

Medium, 很不好意思地說, 其實我還蠻喜歡看怪力亂神的東西. 只要不要太可怕就好. 但 Medium 不只是怪力亂神而已! (不然我怎麼不看 Supernatual 跟 Ghost Whisperer 呢.) 各個案件有的精彩複雜, 有的是在探討人性的衝突, Allison 與家人之間的相處, 工作與家庭如何平衡與支持彼此, 都是本劇吸引人之處.

Boston Legal 第二季的大換血一開始讓人不太習慣 (Tara 與 Monica Potter 的離開), 但是看沒幾集 Denise 就讓人無可自拔地愛上了, 討人厭的另外兩個新人在季中就自己消失, 本季特別刻畫 Denny 與 Alan 之間的情誼, 總是抬著下巴不可一世的 Alan Shore 依舊是我的最愛, 第二季無可挑剔. 然而第三季的新人雖然很有特色也不討人厭, 但整個劇情的強度明顯地減少許多, 尤其是少了 Alan Shore 強而有力的結辯, 略顯虛浮的 balcony scene, 第三季有一點點令人失望, 但還是很好看的.

Grey’s Anatomy 風花雪月. 但就是愛看, 尤其不少口白都讓我很有感覺.

House, M.D. 第三季感覺沒有前兩季那麼精彩. 至少拖戲拖超久的 Tritter 終於走了, 不過這是屬於2007的部份.

Dancing with the Stars 一季比一季精彩!

Heroes 故事性極強, 非常令人上癮. 看完第一集之後就大力推薦給別人, 目前被推薦的人也都在追了. 不過我不是非常認真, 官網上的漫畫都沒看… /_\

Studio 60 我幾乎是一邊看 Sports Night 第二季一邊看 Studio 60, 於是 Studio 60 顯得沒那麼精彩, 加上我較愛 Sports Night 的選角. 然而就在它逐漸找到自己的步調與感覺時, 竟開始有 Studio 60 走不下去的風聲. 希望它能趕快確立自己的定位, 鞏固觀眾群, 簽下第二季.

Shark 為了 Jeri Ryan 看這部的, 雖然她只是個配角. 很好看.

當季電視之外我還看完了 Felicity 四季 DVD, Firefly, Joan of Arcadia s1, Tru Calling s1, Battlestar Galactica s1 一半, Sports Night 兩季, Coupling 四季, Spook (MI-5) s1, House 兩季.

(寫電影的時候還覺得怎麼比我想像的要少, 原來時間都花到…)

耶~ 定了幾本新書. 雖然不知何年何月才拿得到… (有沒有人要來美國找我玩的呀?)

兩浙漫遊 – 郁達夫
肉像與紙韻：康州筆記 – 康正果
哀豔是童年 – 胡淑雯
手機 – 劉震雲
縫 – 張耀升
一把雨傘給這天用 – Wilhelm Genazino
遠河遠山 – 張煒

(五分鐘後)
繼續買… 最近有點想看江國香織… orz

This one is much easier than the books cos I have lists of what I saw and what I’m gonna see. According to my list, I watched around 50 movies in 2006, which is less than I’d expect. Hmm…

Anyways, this is how I summerize my 2006, movie-wise
(listed only ones that impressed me): Continue Reading »

繼一年多前看完的 The Murdur Room by P.D.James, 我終於正式開始看英文書了. 第一本完成的是放很久的 Burglar on the Prowl by Lawrence Block. 這是我第一次讀原文的 LB (不把大四在浩然借的那幾本算進去的話), 原因其實蠻好笑的. 我這幾次回台灣都沒有時間好好看書, 總是去書展或是網路書店訂一堆想要看的書, 捧回美國慢慢看. 因為 Burglar 系列是走輕鬆愉快風, 不若 Scudder 系列總能讓我再三咀嚼回味, 所以我只有收 Scudder 系列, Burglar 都在浩然看, 也不想迫於現實無奈買一本 Burglar 孤伶伶的. 只好硬著頭皮在 Borders 把一本原文的看完. 於是由 Lawrence Block 正式開啟我讀英文小說之路.

接著是兩年前就很想看的 Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler, 看完了電影 Sideways 之後又忍不住買了 Sideways by Rex Pickett. 叫我酒鬼吧我認了, Ms. Austen 我對不起你, 我終究是先把 Sideways 看完了. 我實在愛極 Rex Pickett 文字, 無論是人物的心境轉變還是周遭環境, 由字裡行間就可以感受到人物們的心情與思緒, 沿路的景色也鮮明地在腦海裡建構了起來. 特別是他的文句, 他選用的詞彙往往清新讓人眼睛一亮卻又不會太過艱澀牽強.

天啊, 差點忘了. 其實在 Burglar on the Prowl 之前, 我還看完了 Ira Levin 的 A Kiss Before Dying. 因為多年前就看過中文版, 今年只是借了原文的回來復習 (我實在很愛 Ira Levin 的作品.)

中文書的部分就多到想不起來了. 但比較其他年份, 2006 是我書看的比較少的一年. 因為以往總習慣在睡前看書 (這習慣害我常常不小心很晚睡, 太精彩的書總是停不下來.) 而這一年幾乎每天睡前都會講電話, 講完之後就直接睡了. 除了我自己的藏書之外, 三不五時也會到圖書館晃晃, 挑點新書, 或是揀幾本金庸回來復習. 說實在想來想去, 我印象最深刻的只有現在還正在看的[遠河遠山], 沒想到隨手挑的一本書竟會帶給我這麼大的震撼, 肯定是要買回來貢在架上的了. 再來就是前年看的茶人三部曲系列. (我的[南方有嘉木]一借不復返了… 也得再買一次.)

除了小說外也看了一些散文, 一些經濟學人, 一些 punk planet (很多專欄跟評論很有意思呢!)

今年會繼續努力, 還請大家多多指教.

睡到一半忽然醒來, 很清醒, 就睡不著了.

Did I drink something today?

Ahhhhhh… Chinese green tea (hot) while going back to office from gym, and Japanese green tea (cold) while watching Working Girls(1988) later this evening. Alas.

(ok, after this I’m going to bed, seriously.)

先講件星期天發生的有趣的事, 放最後的話, 下面都是流水帳, 大概沒人會看完.

晚上送 J 去 SFO, 沒想到 check-in line 超長, 排了快一個小時. 結果還劃不到走道位子. 我開車回家, 快十一點, 看來是甭想去健身房泡 Jacuzzi. 那天超冷, 本想去那邊泡泡 Jacuzzi, 洗澡再回家的, 反正順路 (如果走 92 橋的話.) 拿著停車票排隊付錢, 路上的工作人員指指最左邊的那道叫我過去, 我半信半疑地開向看起來沒人的收費亭, 一個銀髮飛揚的老先生在裡面對我微笑. 這位老先生在將近半夜仍一副活力充沛的樣子, 配上他神似愛因斯坦的髮型, 忽然有種不在現實世界的感覺. 我將停車票遞給他, 旁邊的顯示器亮出 $7.00. 我們交換了錢以及一兩句陌生人的問候, 踩下油門前我拋出了句 “Have a nice evening.” 因為這位老先生看起來實在可愛. 沒想到他從桌面上拿了幾張黃色的紙片起來, 遲疑了一下, 問道 “Where are you from?” 我瞬間錯亂, 直覺回答 “Fremont.” 又想起我早就不住在 Fremont 啦! 很無意義地補了兩句, “Well, I live in Milpitas now, but I work in Fremont.” (至少我沒有補充說我就要搬到 San Jose 去了…) 結果原來他是要問我”本來”是從哪裡來的. 知道我是台灣人知道, 他將手上的其中一張紙片拿給我, 告訴我這是他去中國的遊記, 希望我可以看看, 也許給他點回應. 我欣然收下, 同時也告訴他我從沒去過中國. 互道晚安之後我就飆車回家了.

人與人的相遇往往很奇妙, 也許那個工作人員叫我走右道, 也許我沒講那句 Have a good evening, 我就會錯過這樣一個在寒夜裡讓人揚起嘴角的, 一個也許微不足道的小際遇.

(這麼一小件事竟然寫那麼長, 懶得寫流水帳了.)

People often tell themselves (and sometimes others) that if I had this and this, if I were in a different place, if I were with so and so, I’d be a happy. But it usually doesn’t work that way. Often times, we get something we think we want but all we feel is lost and emptiness. Like Von Sidell in Everyone Says I Love You thought she met her Mr. Right (even though it’s just the package) and lived in the city of her dreams, then she realized that it’s not what she really wanted. Sometimes, it’s just a thing you hold on to while fighting through your life, and sometimes it’s just an excuse, a valid reason for the present unhappiness. We’re not happy because we don’t have this or that; we’re not happy because things don’t turn out the way we want them to be. Without them, we’re unhappy with no good reasons. Then what do we do? How do we face our lives? Can we stand firmly saying we’re not happy because we aren’t, or simply claim we’re clueless?

In the pursuit of our happiness, we’re trying. Is the journey painful? Is there any pleasant encounter? Have you reached it? Is that really what you want?

12:35am, in my room, ready to go to bed. I turned on the TV thinking it’s been long since the last time I watched Conan. I’ve always loved his opening. The interview part really depends on the guest. Some can be great, some can be a real drag. He mentioned Becks’ going to LA Galaxy which I’m really surprised that it’s even brought up. He even made a section called “Late Night LA Galaxy small talk”. And he and Max talked about the strategy and prospectives using all the soccer jargons which apparently they don’t have a single clue for several minutes. It was hilarious and a bit offensive. But I love Conan, and I understand common American’s lack of knowledge and interest in soccer, so we’re fine, for now. (Don’t talk about soccer anymore, Conan.)

It’s a shame to see things turning out this way. But to look at the bright side, perhaps his coming will inspire people in the states. Who knows?

“But they never do.” she said.
You remained silent. Oh, but some of them do. You thought.
You know all those big talks you and others say to each other are merely means of comfort. What you do is actually hypnotizing one another. Deep within, if you’re honest enough, you’d have to admit that your main motivation is not as pure as you claim. But then, you come to realize that you yourself seldom do that either. Not enough is never enough. And now you wonder why people would hope that knowing it’d never happen. It’s human nature.

Many are on “War on Terror”‘s ass right now. (Well, 2. Didn’t watch much TV lately.) Denny’s name’s on the no-fly list and they decided to take on homeland security. While Alan declared they’re gonna make Murch’s (Homeland Security officer) life miserable, Murch replied in comtempt, “you wanna mess up my life? We’re homeland security, that’s what we do.” And I’m so glad that my Alan Shore is back! Love his firm and strong closing. (His closing, if any, this season were comparably weak.) This time, finally, wasn’t an emotional approach.

I’ll have to say Gary Anthony Williams is a awesome actor. His delivered each of his personas beautifully. I like Clarence/Clarice/whoever + Claire interaction; however, I hate to see them turn their “friendship” into something gossipy. Enough ridiculous sexual relationship in this show!

Denise looks so cute in pink. But come on, cut the office sex already! Where are you going anyway?

By and large, American works. Denny said.

他真的像 George 耶~

兩個多月尋覓, 終於入手.

是因為我不想用原價買… 太冒險. 對 Strays Don’t Sleep 就像 Landon Pigg 一樣, 很多團跟歌手第一次聽很驚豔, 尤其是在唱片行用耳機試聽時, 一不小心衝動敗下來結果後悔的機會不小. (最近最後悔的一張是 Tools) 然而兩個月來一直標不到 Strays Don’t Sleep 加深了怨念與執著, 最後好不容易在 AM 用半價買到. 還好, Landon Pigg 的 LP 讓我很滿意, Strays Don’t Sleep 也如我印象中清爽.

吃飽飽曬完太陽的午後來聽真是恰到好處, 像飯後一杯涼爽的綠茶, 不會讓人昏昏欲睡, 卻也不會像 Wake up Boo 那樣逼你清醒. 我相信夜深人靜時聽這個應該也很適合, 終於在 Keren Ann, Katie Melua 與 Diana Krall 之後又有一個深夜良伴. (而且還是男聲!)

再覺得無聊也應該要記一下.
同樣的, 不知道是我變得更冷血, 還是終究是看太多麻痺了, 這部電影沒有帶給我想像中的感動. (不過我有注意到他們在屋頂上打籃球時背景不停出現的中華民國/台灣國旗.) 劇情也是照著可預料的方向發展, 沒有很刻意地灑狗血, 也因此沒有太讓人會忍不住一起涕泗縱橫的片段.
然而劇中 Will Smith 的一段口白我很喜歡, 他提到了 Thomas Jefferson 寫的獨立宣言, 其中一段 “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” 生命, 自由, 以及追求幸福是天賦予人不可剝奪的權利. “追求幸福” 並不是 “幸福”. 他說, 也許我們都有權利追求幸福, 然而也有可能一輩子都抓不到你要的幸福. 令人傷感.

自己跑去看了 Stomp the Yard 及 The Pursuit of Happyness, 因為知道沒人會想看這兩片. XD (這兩片跟 Pan’s Laborynth 不同, 自己去看是沒問題的.) 夠認識我的人就知道, 我對歌舞片/勵志片/真實故事改編片/運動片毫無抵抗力. (film noir 我也很喜歡喔!) 我的品味奇怪不是一兩天的事, 自己度過一個受激勵的晚上感覺也很不錯.

然而不知道是我變了, 還是這類的電影看得太多終究無法跳脫既定的框框, 整部片感覺鑿痕太深, 讓人完全知道他下一步要往哪走. 然而 Columbus Short 時不時透露出的純真眼神以及令人目不暇給的舞, 彌補了本片故事線的不足. 另外, 總是一副正直嚴肅的樣子的 Theta Nu Theta 頭頭 Sylvester (Brian J. White) 真是個 eye candy. (這是我能找到最接近他劇中扮相的照片) 劇中 DJ 弟弟被人殺害之後被送到 Atlanta, GA 叔叔的家, 叔叔想辦法將他弄進 Truth University, 自責的 DJ 一邊沉悶一邊想要為弟弟實現念大學的夢想. Truth University 有兩個競爭激烈的 fraternity, 在看過 DJ 跳舞後爭相要他加入. 寡言卻好勝的男孩與他心愛的女孩, 想要向上的心, LA 來的舞步, 一些大人小孩的心機手段, 團體榮譽與愛現之間的區別, 以逝去弟弟最後一個 movement 贏得比賽的完結. 這些都很普通, 甚至幾乎能說是陳腔濫調了. 但本片好看之處在於他的舞, 以及… 好帥的 Brian White.

電影結尾放了句 Martin Luther King 曾說過的話 “Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” 在 MLK 日這天看這部電影真是再適合也不過了! (但是我沒有放假 /_\)

這幾年跳舞校園勵志片也很多, 像是 Step Up(2006), Take the Lead (2006), Save the Last Dance(2001), Honey(2003) 等

遇到挫折時常會想, 也許是自己不夠. 但有沒有可能其實是太多了呢?