2008/04/30

一年一度老中青三結合

周年聚餐,又見老師、老友和小友,一年過得容易。

幾星期前,相約班主任在周年聚餐時把書送他。一進會場,便有同事對我說:陳Sir在那邊,他到處找你。師生相逢,長話短說,卻說也說不完。在老師面前,一如當日少女。

開席前,人頭湧湧,有的打過照面,有的握個手,有的閒話數句。

席間,上了幾度菜,便又出動和小友拍照,打聽各人的近況。

小友告訴我已找到了,未幾把小男友拉過來介紹介紹,跟著那邊廂的小友又把夫君帶過來打照呼,並告訴我在念學位課程了。今年又有小友拿最優秀職員獎。在小友面前,不老懷安慰乎!

但願留下的,都開開心心地留下。

2008/04/24

無妨forever young

昨日秘書節,同學老師一起請兩位秘書午膳,正是學校像個小社會,學校像個大家庭。坐在一位老師身旁,說起學期完了,她問為甚麼現在的學生,總是要到限期最後一天才交功課,一時答不上,我說自問也不算懶惰,但過往的功課都是最後一天兼最後一刻才完成。

或許是,我們用電腦做功課的一代,就算閉門在家,但接上了網,覆覆電郵、看看Facebook、聽聽音樂、玩玩MSN,非到最後關頭,也捨不得謝絕一切網上應酬。

忽然興起,搜搜看看一輪Bob Dylan,又是近黃昏。

年青的Dylan唱Blowing in the Wind,老去的Dylan唱Forever Young。

只要趕及deadline,無妨forever young。




How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many years must a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years and some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times must a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.





May God bless and keep you always,
May your wishes all come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you.
May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

2008/04/20

再多一點關於拙作的一些小統計和小故事

至今共送出191本書。

本以為,送書的和收書的都應該是客套一番,原來,不是必然的。

日前老友四人飯聚,席中有二人一直未有機會碰面,遂欣然帶書赴會。浦抵步,便打開背包拿出兩書和筆,當中一老友即道,不需要簽名,簽了名損壞了書的本質。沒問題,這位老友,一向有型,況且書,正是“唔係你俾就要要”這回事,人家肯收,便是俾面,但當時,心中難免閃過:不簽名,和坊間買到的,有甚麼分別?老友一打開,第一句是:layout這樣差!我但願當時沒有面色一沉,但心中確已在罵,好歹也是我的第一個baby,也算了,世間確需要有這類人,在人家請吃滿月酒時說句“這孩子將來要死的”。一頓飯,老友共重覆了三遍這書的排版很差,我唯一的回應是,我相信看我書的人不會太介意這樣的排版。虧得有廿載交情加四十年修維支撐,這頓飯,四人還是吃得開開心心,有說有笑。

老友,不要忘記我是藝術系本科出身,對排版豈無要求,收書當日給出版社老版電郵道謝兼檢討,其中我就提過:
設計和排版都做得很馬虎,到我手上,竟仍有多處段落行距、底線高底不一之類的錯。能夠容忍的我都不苛求了,最遺憾莫過於因時間關係,我沒看扉頁的最後一稿,扉頁書名的字體竟和封面不同,但我事前已叮囑要兩者一樣。

老板這樣回應:
設計一項我們於同業是較強的,所以未能說是馬虎,可能是設計人士的設計未合作者的要求。但排版這一點我是同意,以往排版是in-house進行,但我們自2007年,為了更集中資源於發行推廣,把此工序外批,當檔案較多修改時,不完善的溝通令錯漏增多了,吸取此次經驗,我們己開會討論了,由現在開始,會把排字此工序交回in-house進行,減低錯誤提升效率,特此謝謝提醒。(p.s. 設計是指圖,排版是指字)

一分錢,一分貨,這是教訓。意想不到,會有對排版這樣要求高的讀者,又是一個教訓。

過了一天,姊來電告訴我這兩天在公司無聊得發荒,終於把我的書看完了,出乎意料,還送上個迷你讀書報告,說開始和結尾的文章很難看得明白,應多加點年表之類,又說訪問部份太平實,比如說到女同事的同性關係,本是很吸引的題材,但卻蜻蜓點水,不夠興味。相信也會是一般讀者群的意見,照單全收,將來有機會,總得改進改進。隨即問她對排版的意見,當然少不免複述前一日給老友大彈的情景,姊說,字夠大,很易看,跟著問,你怎會有這樣的朋友?

無友不如己者,這樣一個朋友,老友往還,懶得修飾半句,這樣灑脫,在吃人的禮教下長大的孩子,就是比不上。

所以,有這樣的老友,也是一個磨練,也是一件好事。

2008/04/17

做人不能太CNN



做人不能太CNN,開殼
要說我們做人別太CNN
西方媒體喜歡放TM狗臭屁
他們成幫結伙沆瀣一氣
要把西藏從我們中國分裂出去
那是癡心妄想別有用心地
(美國佬,西方那幫雜碎,你們別TM做夢了哦)

看看我們中國五千年歷史
和我們相比你就TM白癡
那時你們還TM用手爬著走路
身上一塊樹皮就算勞動保護
現在整天在我們面前瞎裝酷
你們就是一頭頭西洋大蠢豬
還TM舞舞扎扎不走尋常路
(你丫的,當初咋沒讓那些土著人把你們滅絕了呢)

西藏那疙瘩自古中國的國土
達賴喇嘛不要了B臉要來搞藏獨
祖國完整昌盛需要我們來維護
怎麼能夠讓你們這些外國佬比比劃劃來指路
你也別不服輸 有本事向前一步
我們讓你們TM的死無葬身之處
中國要富強要崛起 不管苦和累
中國要維護祖國統一 不許西藏分裂出去

中國再也不是那個軟弱的中國
改革開放讓我們過上好生活
一分領土都不允許你們來搶奪
鄙視你們這些人類敗家的小嘍囉
西藏是中國的領土,沒有別的說
央央大國13億人口兄弟姐妹賊拉多
每人一口吐沫 讓你們全軍覆沒
(媽的,你TM要再給我面前舞舞喧喧,我TM抽你)

德國之聲 CNN 還有 一個BBC
你們一群大煞筆
中國人不好惹 有本事一對一
整死你個逼養的
(別跟我們中國人裝逼哦,你以為中國是阿富汗、伊拉克、南斯拉夫呢?NM的,有本事你 們到中國來,TMD中國人整死你們,TM腦瓜XX給你們打出擼子)

中國要富強要崛起 不管苦和累
中國要維護祖國統一 不許西藏分裂出去
(打倒美帝國主義,打倒西方垃圾國家,打倒CNN 打倒BBC 做人不能太CNN!)





"I don't know if China is any different, but our relationship with China is certainly different,"

"We're in hock to the Chinese up to our eyeballs because of the war in Iraq, for one thing. They're holding hundreds of billions of dollars worth of our paper. We are also running hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of trade deficits with them, as we continue to import their junk with the lead paint on them and the poisoned pet food and export, you know, jobs to places where you can pay workers a dollar a month to turn out the stuff that we're buying from Wal-Mart.

"So I think our relationship with China has certainly changed, I think they're basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years."


China demands apology from Cafferty

(CNN) -- The Chinese Foreign Ministry demanded Tuesday that CNN's Jack Cafferty apologize for remarks he made last week, in which he called the Chinese "goons and thugs" and said products manufactured in China are "junk."

"Cafferty used the microphone in his hands to slander China and the Chinese people (and) seriously violated professional ethics of journalism and human conscience," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Tuesday, according to China's state-run Xinhua news agency.

She said Cafferty's remarks "reflected his arrogance, ignorance and hostility towards the Chinese people, ignited indignation of Chinese (at) home and abroad and will be condemned by those who safeguard justice around the world."

CNN issued a statement Tuesday saying: "We are aware of concerns about Jack Cafferty's comments related to China in the context of the upcoming Olympics, which were broadcast on The Situation Room on April 9, 2008.

"CNN would like to clarify that it was not Mr. Cafferty's, nor CNN's, intent to cause offense to the Chinese people, and [CNN] would apologize to anyone who has interpreted the comments in this way.

"CNN is a network that reports the news in an objective and balanced fashion. However, as part of our coverage we also employ commentators who provide robust opinions that generate debate.

"On this occasion Jack was offering his strongly held opinion of the Chinese government, not the Chinese people --- a point he subsequently clarified on The Situation Room on April 14.

"It should be noted that over many years, Jack Cafferty has expressed critical comments on many governments, including the U.S. government and its leaders."

Cafferty, who appears daily on CNN's "The Situation Room," made the remarks as host Wolf Blitzer was comparing today's China to that of 20 or 30 years ago.

"I don't know if China is any different, but our relationship with China is certainly different," Cafferty said. "We're in hock to the Chinese up to our eyeballs because of the war in Iraq, for one thing. They're holding hundreds of billions of dollars worth of our paper. We are also running hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of trade deficits with them, as we continue to import their junk with the lead paint on them and the poisoned pet food and export, you know, jobs to places where you can pay workers a dollar a month to turn out the stuff that we're buying from Wal-Mart.

"So I think our relationship with China has certainly changed," he said. "I think they're basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years."

He issued a clarification of his remarks on Monday's "Situation Room," saying that by "goons and thugs," he meant the Chinese government, not the Chinese people. It was unclear whether China's Foreign Ministry was aware of the clarification when it held the Tuesday news conference.

In the days following his remarks, however, the Legal Immigrant Association launched an online petition condemning his statements as "racist" and "despicable" and demanding that CNN discipline Cafferty and apologize to the Chinese people. Nearly 45,000 people had signed it as of Tuesday afternoon.

In the petition, the association describes itself as "a leading organization of legal immigrants mainly comprised of people from China." According to its Web site, the nonprofit group is based in Santa Clara, California, and was founded in 2007 as an organization "dedicated to the social well-being of employment-based immigrant professionals."

The state-run English-language newspaper China Daily also said in an editorial Tuesday that an apology is called for, calling Cafferty "pathetic" and noting, "it is rare for the world audience to hear such a blatant discrimination against an ethnic group of people with such a derogatory connotation."

Others angered by Cafferty's remarks were urging a boycott of CNN's advertisers.

2008/04/15

多一點關於拙作的一些小統計和小故事

原來知道誰想看和誰在看,比知道賣出多少來得叫人興奮。

清明的周日,舅父帶著小表妹來探我們,我給她看我的書,她拿在手一頁一頁的看,一個下午,看了一大半,這個念中一小女孩,是迄今目睹的最年輕小讀書。

周未,與姊的同學飯聚,其中一位帶了一對小兄弟來,剛好有一本在袋裡,送了給他們,念中三的弟弟在等上菜的時候便翻開,吃完一道菜,又繼續看,散席問他好看嗎,他說OK,他媽媽說,他通常說OK即表示很好。

朋友說澳洲念書的兒子給他的購書單,竟然有我的書。

上網打了書名google一下,又竟出現在另一個年輕小伙子想讀名單

書出了不久,在系友的師生展巧遇高老師,送了她一本,她一看便讚封面做得好。上星期系友飯聚,老師告訴我把書看完了,說寫得不錯。終於有高老師讚許的作業了。

最受寵若驚,是一位身在加國素未謀面的退休長官,因為本書之緣,給了我洋洋千字鴻文,其中一段這樣寫:I brought it home and read it from front to end and thoroughly enjoying the manners by which your work is presented. Inevitably and invariably, much hard work had been expended on its making......

幹了,便成了歷史,不斷發展、不斷變幻的歷史。

2008/04/13

一顆不變的心

前幾天整理舊物,又一次拉開載著舊照和舊作的二十二吋拉鏈行李箱。這個箱不打開由自可,一拉開拉鍊,看看想想、想想看看,總得花上最少三兩小時。這回,從其中一個公文袋內拉出那疊發黃的原稿紙,越看越著迷,很多是大一國文的功課,有的印象依稀,有的卻已一點印象也沒有了。當中竟然有一篇,短短幾百字,看完後真的笑了出來,怎會寫出這麼肉麻的東西!但回心細想,大概是赤子之心,未發初發之際,未經修煉,沒有半點內家功夫,是故稚嫩可笑。時至今日,算不上歷盡人間無數,也算曾經一番洗練,心裡想的東西總不至赤裸裸寫出來。想了好久,還是忍不著上載出來貽笑大方。赤子之心,就是一顆不變的心,變的,只是修辭和語法。


2008/04/03

創意,不是用paper寫出來的

chanel-mobileart,多得潮友訂票前問我看不看,當然看。從步入天星停車場一刻,便體驗人家是怎樣包裝一個品牌。

前晚到文化中心看電影節的“Nightwatching”,遠望海徬那堆福娃燈籠,驚魂未定,進場等開場,劈面再來個電影節開幕禮名人宣傳片頭,剪接配樂再加上菲林花痕,真的以時光倒流到昔日利舞台看七彩特麗影片的時代。幸而果然沒選錯影片,141分鐘,除了開場不久睡了十多分鐘外,每個鏡頭都有得著。電影完畢,導演現身,卻又來個反高潮,那位主持先生不知是否加班公務員,一出場便告訴大家有問題快點問,只有十分鐘,只求把工序完成了事,今時今日...唉。

昨午天陰不曬,大家在那個白色場館等進場,十多分鐘也是享受。先是談前一晚的奇遇,再看對面文華,懷緬一番張國榮,然後又與場外員工閒聊幾句。進場後,兩位大方殷勤的小姐說告訴我們隨身物品可放在衣帽間,跟著請我們坐下,然後一位小心替我們掛上個很型的黑色迷你mp3機,另一位過來溫柔的問我們喜歡中、英或法語,聲量是否恰當,告訴我們等一會跟著mp3內的導賞內容參觀便可。講解完畢,我們不約而同說,究竟政府中人有否來見識一下?

展品的presentation質量極好,內容喜不喜歡是另一回事,整個過程最享受是展覽的包裝和服務配套。最後一人一張咭寫意見,我寫:very good service,旁邊潮友寫的好像是:it's business, more than art...(其餘看不清楚了)

出來每人發一冊A3大的Hong Kong Chanel Mobile Mobile Art Issue #1,拿在手裡,想起前夜對面海的福娃,真的要命!

有份掛名研究創意文化的職工請注意,創意,不是用paper寫出來的。