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The Voice Within
Concerts, Musicals, Cinema events etc.
June 23 伦敦，昼长夜短 晚上8点47分的夕阳跟两个月前4点的一模一样。
12个半小时的飞行将我从地球的一端带到了另一端——让我朝思夜想的那一端。这座城市几乎没变，只是傍晚下班族的身影前多了一条长长的影子，阳光有些刺眼，为初夏准备的黑色的丝袜吸足了阳光的炙热。
我回来了，但由于时差的缘故，还是不可容忍地，在太阳未落山前就想沉沉地睡去。
白天长了，“白日梦”也就多了。从希思罗到住处的一路上，久违的光线加剧了眼前这一切的不真实感，罕见的堵车、计价器的疯狂跳动、上议院丘吉尔厅的晚餐……一切都像过电影，但坐久了双腿会麻木，脚底的刺痛感说明这一切还是真是的。只是，一切来得不早不晚，就在这个夏至。 May 19 Something of a dichotomyPerfection does not exist (or if so only fleetingly) and that in life we are called upon to make and accept compromises with a perceived ideal situation.
...I believe that in Chinese society, at least for the older Chinese, there would appear to be something of a dichotomy between western orientated jobs, which pay more and are in luxurious surroundings but are somewhat precarious, and the traditional Chinese safe haven of a job for life as a civil servant or in a university which are not desperately well paid and tend to be in surroundings which have seen better days...
April 15 Dis quand reviendras-tu?Voilà combien de jours, voilà combien de nuits, 你的离去已过了多少日夜 Dis, quand reviendras-tu, Dis, au moins le sais-tu, 说，你何时回来？说，至少你还记得 Le printemps s'est enfui depuis longtemps déjà, 春天已经离开很久了 Dis, quand reviendras-tu, Dis, au moins le sais-tu, 说，你何时回来？说，至少你还记得 J'ai beau t'aimer encore, j'ai beau t'aimer toujours, 我还徒然地爱着你，一直徒然地爱着 Dis, mais quand reviendras-tu, Dis, au moins le sais-tu, 说，你到底何时回来？说，至少你还记得 April 02 4+1/2hours & G20What do you get when the leaders of the 20 richest nations gather around a table in East London for four and a half hous with the avowed mission of saving the global economy?
Politics, of course, lots of it.
There is Gordon Brown, the host, whose diminished hopes of a political revival largely rest on being seen to organise a recovery for the economy.
President Obama will be seeking to parade his international superstardom for the first time before critical eyes on the world stage.
The presidents of Russia and China, Dmitri Medvedev and Hu Jintao, may see this more as an opportunity to take the measure of Mr Obama than to resolve the future of capitalism, says THE TIMES.
...
Expectations for what can be achieved when the leaders of the 20 richest nations meet within the glass and concrete walls are already being scaled back. For a start, this one-day summit leaves little room for real negotiation.
If a new global financial order were to settle like the one agreed at Bretton Woods in 1944, Mr Brown should perhaps have remembered that it took fully 22 years to thrash out.
The City of London is bracing itself...but for what it has no real idea.
Well, tempus fugit, 90 minutes left!
Cheese~~
 The chances of...
100% Gordon Brown hailing summit as a triumph
99% Summit agreeing to do "what it takes" to help world economy
75% Barack Obama lavishing praise on Gordon Brown
45% Nicolas Sarkozy praising Brown for world leadership
5% A leader storming out early
...
All quoted from THE TIMES March 07 为什么非得是“都对”，但是“不好” “看上去和美的”The Young Victoria之后，有两个肉包垫饥作坚强后盾的我，终于进入正题，开始读Woody Allen“献给巴塞罗那的情书”了。
电影放映的整个过程中，电影院里“讥笑声”不断，大部分是献给这个看似荒谬的情节的 —— 到头来还是在说 谁能否认，自己不曾有过瞬间的“邪念”。
There is something about is that is fairly ludicrous - it is ludicrous but it is fantastic because it is not something about money or diffidence - it is something intangible.
我相信每个人心中都有一个“Cristina”—— 浪漫、reckless but full of passion，但往往表现出来的则还是Vicky，有自己的标准，也乐意活在自己设定的标准里，不喜欢折腾，不冒风险。但同时这样的人又是浪漫的，脆弱的，容易受感动的。Barlenona盛夏夜晚潮湿空气里的吉他声竟会把她打动得热泪盈眶、失去一直以来的理智，然而这种“出轨”不会让她“上瘾”，仅此一次便可刻骨铭心，因为毕竟，她还是恐惧，曼哈顿的公寓和做律师的丈夫带来的安全感胜过一切！
我喜欢Cristina，理解Judy，一定程度上认同María Elena，但我，或者我们中的绝大多数，终究还是会成为Vicky！
婚姻要“都对”，但可以“不那么好”，但是爱情，如果世界上只有一样东西能让我要到最好的，我希望那是爱情。
“情书”读完了，可我久久不忍放下。 March 02 Sing, will you hear me （转）
两天五部影片是自己从未打破的记录 —— 从The Reader, 三分之一部The confessions of a Shopaholic, Slumdog Millionaire, Revolutionary Road, 到Australia。
第二个在电影院度过的下午，和一群爷爷奶奶看完了冗长的接近三小时的《澳大利亚》，尼克基德曼和休杰克曼的表演在我看来远不如澳大利亚广袤壮美的自然风光来得吸引人。影片终了
你离开伦敦前往澳大利亚的第四天。从伦敦希思罗机场，到新加坡昌宜机场在到墨尔本的你八年未谋面的老爸家里，我没有一刻停止过思念。机场网站一便便地刷新，为的是在第一时间知道你安全着陆的消息——我知道你害怕坐长途飞机。你的报平安电话是最大的安慰、最好的催眠曲。我们似乎从来没有像现在这样思念彼此，这样频繁地发短信、互通电话。
八年之后，你们只是道了你好，他带你去墨尔本一家天津人开的中餐馆。你兴奋得问我“天”是否是“天空”的“天”。你说这里袋鼠到处能见到，我在电影里看你的澳洲，见你的袋鼠。
问候多了，便积成了思念。
我订好了回国的单程票，离别在即。你说Carpe diem。我第二次听你说拉丁语，以为是西班牙语。
你笑了，"Seize the day"。
“嗯，只争朝夕”。
“zhi zheng zhao xi”。
……
Will you hear me？ February 16 Mom and Dad... “裴忆恩”是我在还不怎么了解Ian的时候给他取的中文名字，当事只听说“是从剑桥附近来的。”
因为姓Perkins，裴这个姓几乎没什么争议，而到底是“一恩”还是“伊恩”还是“忆恩”确是斟酌了很久才定下来的，现在想想真是神奇——记得感恩，懂得“知恩图报”，这确实就是对这个相貌平平的诺福克人最贴切的描述。
差不多一年来，在领略了bits of London的别样风情之后，他突然说要一定带我去英格兰的乡村看看。
周五的King's Cross，从来没有见过伦敦的火车站那么繁忙，同行的还有Ian的两个同事Scott和Liana，四个人代表了地球上四个洲，除我俩以外，Scott来自澳洲，Liana出生在洛杉矶。一个半小时之后我们便来到了Ian出生长大的Downham Market，我们走出车站的时候，他老爸已经守候多时了。到了家放完行李，Ian打电话给儿时的伙伴Dave，两人几乎是穿开裆裤时就在一起打架、在图书馆里一起自习的兄弟，如今却有着各自不同的生活，Dave还在老家，今年夏天要结婚了。
Dave的到来也以为这Bar relay的开始，不过还好因为Liana不喝酒，才去了两家Liana就吵了要吃薯条了。小镇子上开到12点的Kabab也不多，闯进一家马上就要关门了，店小二说给10磅就可以把剩下的鸡翅、鸡块、土豆wedge全部拿走，还外加两份薯条。对于我们5个人来说是很好的bargin。在寂静的小镇上走，好像只有我们5个人的疯疯癫癫。现在回想起来好像还可以闻到鸡翅的香味。只是吃了满手的油……
回到家里，Ian妈妈已经把客房布置好了，床头的毛绒玩具、浴巾和巧克力让我一下子感觉到家一样。洗洗就睡了。
没想到小地方那么有得看，12世纪的城堡、教堂，在茶室坐坐、去海边走走……一天飞也似地就过去了。晚上我们去了游乐场，开了碰碰车、坐云天飞车……都记不起来是什么时候才玩过得了！15块钱三个人可以吃到最好的fish and chips，情人节，即使没有情人没有玫瑰，我也像到了天堂……
周日，我一头睡到11点。我们一行五人went for a walk，那时一条很泥泞的路，一路上没什么风景，最大的风景就是我们的鞋！我从来没有把脚踩进这样的泥潭里，从来没有这样用手摸过青苔、呼吸潮湿中带着阴冷的空气，走Ian小时候的路，回到家里，用水管冲洗鞋子，我们从心底里感到快乐。
Sunday Roast是Ian在这个地球上最爱的午餐食物，可是因为到得晚了，居然卖完了！在等上菜的同时，老板娘细心周到的送来三本相册，翻开一看，都是夫妻俩带着酒吧的招牌"HA"在旅行途中留下的记忆，从巴黎到纽约，从曼谷到南非，从澳大利亚到阿拉斯加……足迹遍布世界各地。再看看酒吧的布置，不夸张地说就是一个小型博物馆，老照片、夫妻收藏的高尔夫球棒、火柴盒上的照片、几十年来的平面广告……我不禁感慨，真正用心经营打理，顾客始终盈门！当然还有美味经典的餐点！我深深着陶醉在牛肉香浓的汁水和酒吧营造的浪漫氛围中。
我们终于要回伦敦了。Sylvia和Ralph眼中流露出来的东西我在我的父母眼中也曾经看到过，伤感——用快乐掩饰的伤感，更让人心疼和不忍。大包小包地给Ian带上了很多伦敦也买得到的东西，就跟当初我出门父母的如初一辙。Ralph把我们送到火车站，头也不会就要走，可当我们走上月台，突然看到老人夜幕中越走越近的身影——还是有东西要关照儿子！尽管儿子马上要33岁了！最后一句Goodbye son定格在我对这个慈祥的老人在这个情人节周末的最后回忆中。
重新坐上伦敦的地铁，我第一次有了“想离开”的感觉。我听到了教堂的钟声，嗅到了教堂里隐约的潮湿的我喜欢的霉味，还有老人们叮咛和嘱咐，隐约看到了昏黄灯光下的Ralph的背影。我想到了苏格兰的David，想到了上海的我的老爸，他们也是曾经这样地送别远行的我们。Scott、Liana、Ian和我都是“出远门”的人，Scott来自Perth，西澳州，一个无论去哪儿至少5小时车程的地方，因此很早就“出来了”；Liana是祖籍四川的美籍华人，在LA的阳光下长大，在耶鲁的图书馆泡大，拿着奖学金来中国学汉语；Ian18岁考上大学那年告诉自己，我可以离开这个地方了！我要去非洲、去南美、去亚洲、去纽约、去上海、去新加坡……去看世界。只是除了Ian以外的我们三个很久没有被送别的感觉了，因此看到“送别”，我们不是麻木就是反应过度了。
西方人太善于表达自己的情感，可是情到深处时过多地宣泄和表达就是徒劳。我想念JPJ，想念Fetter Lane的公寓，想念The Strand……但是我更想念上海，想念小笼包，想念小馄饨，想念冠生园路上的一草一木。
越是着迷越是害怕，害怕过一天少一天；因为拥有过，才害怕失去，拥有得越多，越是恐惧。终究，梦总是梦，梦总要醒的。
 February 11 Being different is what makes us great转载Telegraph 10 Feb 2009
In the wake of Britain's triumph at the Baftas and Grammys, Tom Horan examines what inspires us to be one of the world's most creative nations.By Tom Horan What makes Britain such a creative nation? Last weekend's awards ceremonies, the Baftas in London and the Grammys in Los Angeles, brought further confirmation, if it were needed, that when it comes to artistic excellence and innovation our small and often troubled country is a mighty performer. Whether the work be individual (a best actress Bafta to Kate Winslet, a best newcomer Grammy for young singer Adele), or collaborative (the seven awards for Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire, the Grammys for Robert Plant's bluegrass project and for the group Coldplay), there is clearly something in the British character that throws up great art, art that the whole world wants and celebrates. So what is it that drives the British creative engine? One of the reasons the British are great creators is that they're great haters. This is putting it in rather extreme terms, but it is a powerful element of the national psyche to be critical, to have strong opinions. Here, after all, is a country that supports 22 national newspapers. This appetite for criticism can be a negative trait, as seen in the dismissiveness bordering on contempt that the British have for other people's success. It is the classic cri de coeur of the expatriate British star – a Phil Collins in Switzerland, a Michael Caine in Beverly Hills – that they had to move away from Britain because as soon as you are successful here people want to knock you down. It is undoubtedly true that they do. Curiously, the repercussions of this can be extremely healthy. An acceptance of the status quo can only ever produce more of the same. What we see so often in Britain is a cussed desire to do something different, to do the opposite to what everyone else is doing. Out with the old, in with the new. There is a strong sense throughout the British film and music industries that much of what they do defines itself in opposition to something – in particular, the American mainstream and Hollywood. Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle is a great example. Boyle did flirt with Hollywood after the huge success of his Trainspotting in 1996, making movies such as The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio, but he has remained in the UK, pursuing projects that he is passionate about, rather than primarily commercial ventures. Figures such as artist-turned-filmmaker Steve McQueen, who won a Bafta for his debut feature film Hunger, and documentary-maker James Marsh, who won best British film for Man on Wire, seem to thrive on their outsider status. In another example of the British gift for turning a negative into a positive, it seems that the parlous state of the British movie business throws up better filmmakers. It's so difficult to get funding and distribution here that only the most impassioned, the Somehow, the continuing low status of the creative industries in this country perpetuates this sense of being an underdog. The global popularity of British artistic endeavour is not a new phenomenon: it has made Britain money for decades. Nevertheless, there is still a sense here that working in the arts is "not a proper job". This produces a kind of amateur spirit, a feeling of succeeding against the odds, and that appeals to something deep in the British pysche. Adversity acts as a spur. It's as if it wouldn't be worth the bother making your name in the creative world if it were establishment-endorsed, well organised, a recognised career path. For decades, British fashion and pop music have embraced this penchant for the perverse. As soon as a type of music or a way of dressing establishes itself as fashionable and then popular, so a new subset of Brits will emerge who are intent on doing the opposite. When the haircut of the day seems to be the No 3 crop, you can bet that in some part of the country a new set of contrarians will be furiously cultivating Afros and matching beards. Thus did punk oust prog rock in the Seventies, and then Britpop see off house music when that, too, became ubiquitous in the mid-Nineties. There's a fantastic rigour to all this, a constant striving for individuality and a thirst for the original. It is the embracing of daring, of risk, that is a unifying quality of British artists across all disciplines. From the jaw-dropping designs of architects such as Zaha Hadid or Thomas Heatherwick, to the audacious works of Damien Hirst, and Danny Boyle making a mainstream film half in Hindi, achievement in itself is not enough – the badge of honour is always to be innovating. And surely the setting in which such people work, surrounded by massed ranks of critical countrymen, ever hungry for the new, helps focus the creative mind. Thus, 60-year-old Robert Plant, rich beyond measure from Led Zeppelin sales, eschewed the easy option of the reunion circuit to win five Grammys after making a brilliant bluegrass album with a singer, Alison Krauss, whom few in Britain had heard of. Of course, there are other, more prosaic reasons behind Britain's high standing in the great league table of creativity. Be you a playwright, a concert pianist or a fashion designer, it will always be in your favour that English has become the language of the world. It helps, too, that alongside the purely creative parts of the arts, there is a parallel world of technical and practical excellence in which imaginative flair can flourish. It was fascinating, if faintly bizarre, to see the film studios of Pinewood and Shepperton being awarded a Bafta. In a few weeks' time, it will be the Academy Awards and again Britain's creative wares will be judged through the eyes of the outside world. Slumdog may not match its showing at the Baftas, but with 10 nominations it is a strong contender for awards, as is Kate Winslet. In the traditional fashion, there are already many in the UK – in pubs, in the papers, at dinner parties – who are "fed up" with the film, and have "had enough" of Winslet. Already, too, there will be those who have been inspired by Boyle and Winslet, and those who think they're terribly old hat and that they themselves can do better. This is the best and worst of Britain as a creative nation. What cannot be denied is that time and again, in fields as diverse as painting, theatre, literature and heavy metal, the world responds to the British sensibility. To understand why, perhaps it's better to look at the equation the other way round. What is it that all art tries to do? Why do we create stuff? And is it something that British people are naturally suited to doing? These are big questions, but around them floats the idea of art as a search for truths about life. The constant questioning to which we subject creativity in this country is mirrored in the constant questioning that informs the works themselves. Although we have our share of the fake and dishonest in Britain, you only have to step outside the country for a short time to find that it is still viewed in many parts of the world as a place synonymous with a kind of integrity, with things done from the heart, with doing it like you mean it. And perhaps that's why, in our curious mixture of bloodymindedness and open-mindedness, cynicism and utter conviction, we continue to fascinate the world. February 08 伦敦，为什么我会怀念你转载 英国《金融时报》中文网特约撰稿人王昉 2008-11-21
写下这个标题的时候，我坐在住了一年半的伦敦北二区的顶楼小屋里。生活如常，我还没有要离开这个城市。
就在今天早晨，我和一个国内朋友网聊时说，我已经将近十天没有见到阳光了，伦敦已经彻底沦陷在了冬日无边无涯的萧瑟阴郁之中。来英国之前听说有人因为天气太差而移民，我觉得真是小题大作。现在我不仅完全理解，而且比英国人更加不能自持，每日像祥林嫂一般念叨着阴晴。当连续第十个早晨拉开窗帘又是一片晦涩的阴雨天的时候，我觉得我离抑郁不远了。 就在今天中午，一位英国同事邀请我下了班去喝一杯，这是本周收到的第三次邀请。仗着和他关系不错，仗着他们英国的天气影响了我的心情，我忍不住发了一通牢骚。请问你们为什么要这样嗜饮呢就因为平常你们都太拘谨只有几杯下肚才能let loose敞开心扉正常交际吗。请问没有比在寒冬中一人手执一瓶站在酒吧门外哪怕冻得瑟瑟发抖也要喝冰冻啤酒更人性更有趣的娱乐方式吗。你们英国人的饮酒量在过去四十年翻了一番这样不好不安全不健康知道吗。 很多时候伦敦总是在这里或那里得罪着我。比如令人绝望的天气，比如必须一脸严肃地宣称“我对酒精过敏”才不会因为点个果汁而被人耻笑，比如贵到匪夷所思的物价，比如没有手机信号的地铁，比如傍晚六点就关门的百货商店。刚来时一个英国朋友问我对伦敦的看法，我说，这个城市就像女演员中的一种，要在某个特定的时刻，从某个特定的角度看过去才觉得入眼，其它时候你都在困惑她究竟好在哪里。 伦敦自然有它可爱的地方，比如它无所不包的博物馆和永远精彩的舞台，比如它的历史感，比如伦敦人的幽默与自嘲。很多人说伦敦和北京相似的一点是待得越久越喜欢。对这种说法我一直持怀疑态度。这就好比一个媒人介绍对象时说，此人毛病多多，但相处久了就习惯了一般不能让人信服。 可是，就在今天晚上，在不那么经意的一个瞬间，我心底突然被伦敦小小地牵动了一下，随之竟涌起一种尚未离开已经怀念的奇妙感觉。这种感觉越来越强烈，发展成一种不可遏止地要将它记录下来的冲动。 准确地说，这个瞬间发生在我回家的路上，我刚在伦敦政治经济学院听完了一场讲座。主讲人是个来自苏格兰的金融历史学家，现执教哈佛，讲座的主题是货币和金融危机。整个讲座妙趣横生，末尾的一段最为精彩。他说，各位，中国和美国的关系不就像一对夫妻，一个负责赚钱，一个负责花钱吗。台下大笑。他说，如果没有中国人的储蓄，就不会有眼下这场从美国蔓延到全球的金融危机，我们要去向何方，在很大程度上取决于一个词：Chimerica —— 这是他的首创，是把中国和美国的英文名字捏成了一个词。 在回家的路上想起这段话，我不禁微笑了起来，而我对伦敦忽然而至的依恋也就产生在了这个瞬间。还能有这样一个地方吗，它的大学可以邀请到这个世界上最智慧的头脑，最多元的言论，并且毫无保留地对公众开放，热切地邀请任何感兴趣的人一起进行思想的碰撞。还能有这样一个地方吗，你可以接触到对你以为已经熟知的祖国这般新鲜的，迥异的看法，说者或褒或抑，听者自行评断。还能有这样一个地方吗，我每隔三五天就要禁不住诱惑，下了班空着肚子跑进学校听两个小时讲座，人满了听不上的时候还要沮丧好一阵。 和很多旅居海外的中国人一样，我时常抱怨生活在异乡的寂寞。这并不一定是独处的寂寞，更多的是脱离了一整个熟悉的家庭和社会网络，失去座标一脚悬空的寂寞，是既然这国不是我的国，这家不是我的家，我为谁奋斗，成功了又与谁分享的寂寞。来了英国才明白什么叫作发达社会，那是一种一切都上了轨道，一切都尘埃落定的感觉，这常常令我无比怀念国内热气腾腾的，不论什么都可能发生，都正在发生的日新月异。我从来没有改变过回国的决心，和朋友聊天也总是说，与其远远祝福她，不如回去建设她。可是慢慢的，我开始有了一点困惑，我终于走到了这座围城的墙角。 一个在伦敦住了五年的朋友说，他初到此地最强烈的感受，是手机突然安静了。国内呼朋唤友的喧嚣戛然而止，取而代之的是必须独自打发的长夜和周末。对此我感同身受。最近和一个国内来访的朋友聊天时我说，回了国我一定要住市中心，让朋友围着暖着，弥补我这儿冷清的生活。这位朋友露出难以置信的神色说，回了国就怕你饭局party多到躲也来不及，你最大的梦想就是找个地方一个人待着。原来寂寞真的有它的美丽。回了国，我还有空捧着书在咖啡馆坐一个周日的下午吗，我还有心情下了班跑去大学听讲座吗，我会不会觉得如眼下这般花一个晚上写可有可无的字纯属浪费时间？
最近和一个刚在英国名校读完硕士的朋友吃饭，问起她的近况。她说毕业之后她为一个慈善机构工作，这个机构给她提供一套免费住房，外加每周不到七十镑的生活津贴，她必须节俭地生活，可是吃得饱穿得暖，而且很有成就感。我问她可想回国，她说回是肯定要回的，可是一旦回去，就要卷入为钱为房子奋斗的洪流了，别说家人朋友不会允许，就连她也不能允许自己再如眼下这般生活了，所以，还是要等她干一段自己想干的事情再回去。的确，回了国，我也要加入这滚滚洪流了吧，与众人一样奋力向前，如果泳技不佳，我会焦躁不安吗，我可以允许自己落后吗？ 刚来伦敦的时候，碰到过一个水管工。他在我们约好的某日下午五点准时出现，穿着笔挺的制服，头一件事是拿出一份公司文件让我签名。大致意思是：你家住在三楼以上，如果有类似爬高爬低可能损害我们员工人身安全的要求，我们的员工可以拒绝接受。签了名，开始干活修管子。一个小时后，眼看就快搞定，水管工拍拍裤腿收拾工具起身要走。我大惊，问他就差这么一点儿不能干完再走吗，超出的时间我可以付钱。他说，六点收工是公司规定，如果破例会引起工会不满，你可以致电公司再约时间。这事成为我向人控诉伦敦服务业之低效的经典案例，末尾总要加上这充分体现了帝国主义腐朽没落之类的感叹。慢慢地，习惯了这边劳力的昂贵，习惯了就算有钱也不一定买得到他乐意，我发现这就是为什么在伦敦，即便是所谓底层的劳动人民，比如搬运工或者清洁工，也总是衣着整洁腰杆笔挺。贵是贵了，慢是慢了，但反而叫人珍惜起他们的服务来。是要最高效的经济增长，还是追求社会的平等尊严，伦敦选择了后者。回到国内，我还能真正从内心深处平等地对待一个水管工吗？即便我可以，他可以生活得有保障，有自信，以他的职业为荣而不是在人家之前自己先矮了一头去吗？ 和好几位在伦敦生活了多年的中国朋友聊天，问他们最喜欢这里什么，一个词出现的频率最高：安全感。开始我不解，什么安全感？走在北京上海的街头也很安全啊。直到国内的毒奶粉事件出现，我终于开始明白，这是指对食物的质量，对生活的环境，对政府的政策，对自己的财产，对假定一觉醒来不会发生变化的事物，一觉醒来果然没有发生变化的安全感。前几天去参加BBC四台现场直播的Any Questions节目，主持人Jonathan Dimbleby从1987年开始主持这档节目，每周四晚八点准时出现在电波中，二十一年后依然妙语连珠毫无疲态。英国的很多传统就和它的房子一样，动不动就有上百年了。安全感就是知道公司餐厅每周五必定供应炸鱼和薯条，就是知道每周三中午首相布朗一定要和反对党领袖在议会对轰一番，就是知道社区里那家医院那家学校十年以后还没被拆掉还会是那家医院那家学校。 和国内的朋友接触，总是觉得国内急剧的发展就好像一驾风驰电掣的列车，它呼啸着毫不留恋地向前飞奔，好像急于摆脱什么。在伦敦一个细小的政策变化可以让公众和政府你来我往辩论上大半年，而在国内再重大的公众事件吸引眼球也超不过三五天。可是这样的速度难免让人有隐隐的担心，那就是，这车上的螺丝都拧紧了吗？前方的轨道扳正了吗？如果发现了问题，刹车还来得及吗？一位朋友说：在国内我们的很多政策、我们设定的很多生活目标，都是针对未来两三年的，而英国人总是在为未来五十年一百年做打算，这源自他们的安全感，他们对火车不会出轨的信心。 作为一个老牌帝国主义国家的首都，伦敦是不是在走向衰败一直是讨论的话题，但不能否认的是，它曾经辉煌过、见识过、经历过、也阵痛过。这就是为什么它不免时常要带着居高临下的口吻评价我们这些世界经济舞台上的初来乍到者。不久前我和报社里一位英国同事有过一场争论。他写了一篇批评中国交通政策的文章，指出政府对环保轿车没有明显的倾斜，讥讽中国消费者仍对大排量车趋之若鹜，建议我们还是回到自行车年代。我说，你可以批评政府的政策，但不能批评老百姓开车的愿望，你可以帮助我们发展更好的车，而不是剥夺我们拥有的权利。他想了想，过了一会儿回来对我说：你说的对。改过的稿子里，已经拿掉了自行车的段落。可是事后我回头想，这就好像一个上了年纪的人对一个年轻人说，你不要做这个或那个，因为我有过惨痛的教训，而没有亲历过又心高气傲的年轻人却很少会心存感激地接受教导一样。伦敦在减排方面的政策的确要严苛得多，政府不遗余力地鼓励自行车和公众交通，任何一个来伦敦出差的中国朋友在领略了这里的蓝天白云和清新空气之后恐怕都不会对此提出异议。 写到这里我发现，虽然伦敦永远改造不了我拒绝酒精的胃，却已经在不知不觉中重塑我的思维。对先前居住过的几个城市，我总是到离开之后开始惦念，想起它种种的好。终于这一次，我学会了在离开之前体味和欣赏伦敦之美。纵然我还是要常常抱怨，纵然我还是会离开，我会不时想起今晚回家路上我突然微笑的这一个瞬间。在这个瞬间伦敦打动了我。 尽管她有点傲慢，有点拘谨，刻板而不那么圆通，但是她优雅守礼，幽默而克制，乐于包容，崇尚真知灼见。伦敦，这就是为什么我会怀念你。  进才的我们在伦敦 December 31 2008 2009今天，也就是这几个小时里，大家都在趁着2008最后的一小会儿忆2008自己的“峥嵘岁月”。
一下子又有点情感泛滥了……过年要看冯小刚，要去倒计时，要互道新年好，要回头看自己的2008……当一切都成为例行公事，我不禁还是感慨！
早我8个小时送来新年祝福的朋友们，你们的2009年比我多了8个小时。
婷婷说我“还是很热血，不用见面就可以想象出我的模样”，说得我想哭。
我说我感激这一年，伦敦的一年大大地多过上海的四年。一座城市、一些人、很多事、自己独处想哭想笑想挣扎想歇斯底里的那些时候，一切的一切都让我重新认识了自己，或者说发现自己不为人知的一面面——我感激伦敦的这一年。
新年，未知的2009年，我将以旅行开始，一个人看，一个人想，要学会争取，要懂得放弃，要爱别人爱自己！
无论我们大家以怎样的心情迎来新年，相信自己的2009年会更好！
December 21 绿豆汤还以为是自己的体温计坏了，因为大小有印象起就没有烧到那么厉害过。
外婆80岁生日，我又不在她身边。昨天看表姐的一篇日志。什么是幸福？——一家人在一起。现在这个朴素的梦想实现起来那么难那么难。没错，我并不是没有选择的。
多少在海外求学工作的学子，有人正数着离开家乡的日子，有人倒计时回家的天数。我什么都不数，不看日历，团圆的日子就要到了。
丹丹和凯利的药果然有效，一身臭汗一出，热度马上滚蛋。但对于我来说，最有效的疗法还是心理上的。跟妈妈发发牢骚，帮爸爸在amazon上买碟，跟朋友聊天。亲情攻势、音乐疗法要双管齐下，所以，今晚Barbican还是要去，穆特还是要见，莫扎特的小协还是要听，绿豆汤还是要喝，还是要“作”，眼泪还是要流。
不知道桂桂现在漂到哪里了：我也生热疮了，想你了。
先睡觉去了。 December 06 A firm but humble confidenceAt the risk of sounding somewhat naïve, and in spite of considerable exposure to Western films and literature at home in Shanghai, the fact of arriving in England after having spent all of my adult life in communist China was, to say the least, something of an eye-opening experience.
On a day-to-day basis, Modern China is very different from the ideologically isolated Middle Kingdom of my parents. Western consumer goods, fast-food chains and films are everywhere in China; but even today it is generally accepted that the surest way to progress socially is to be a card carrying member of the Communist Party.
Moreover, at home it would not be considered strange that a permit from the authorities be required to change one’s place of residence from the equivalent of, say, Birmingham to London, or to be forbidden from having more than one child or indeed to be required to make a small gift to a minor civil servant to ensure that one’s application reaches the appropriate desk in a reasonable amount of time.
That said, upon arriving in London, a sense of absolute freedom did not however hit me like a bolt from heaven. Instead, over the almost two years I have been here, multiple “little freedoms” (the concept sounds better in Chinese) have come to my attention as I have gone about my daily life.
The newspapers and the television here are free to broadcast whatever they wish; some would say, however irresponsible their views or opinions may be.
Individuals are free to say exactly what they wish without fear of being arrested or simply being regularly bothered by the authorities if their views are contrary to those of the state.
Any UK resident could up sticks from London and go to live in Edinburgh tomorrow without needing any form of authorisation if he or she so wished.
And yet, it is these little freedoms taken together which bring about the pervading sense of freedom and liberty one senses in the UK; or at least which most foreigners will immediately recognise.
I say ‘most foreigners’ because many of my English friends apparently do not realise that the situation here is any different from anywhere else in the world, or if they do, they take the advantages for granted; as if they were some sort of birthright.
If I were to attempt to explain the provenance of these little freedoms, I believe that they flow essentially from the respect shown, consciously or otherwise, in the United Kingdom for the legal system and for the rule of Law.
I have also come to believe that they were hard won, over many centuries; and that members of the legal profession have played a considerable part not only in obtaining these little freedoms but also in protecting them against the constant and insidious assaults by those of a more dirigiste disposition.
This therefore is the principal reason which motivates my desire to commence studying law and to become a lawyer. I understand that it will be hard, particularly as English is not my mother tongue and the concepts involved are not necessarily self evident, even to those brought up in the West.
But in Chinese we say “ 有志者事竟成” which roughly translated means “where there is a will there is a way”. November 25 Baby Doll 巴尔札克 - 小裁缝 - 莫扎特 - 毛主席 - YSL Paris Baby Doll。昨晚看了《巴尔札克与小裁缝》。若干年前因为对片名的不削一顾错过了尝鲜，现在跟着pg挖坟也为时不晚。
中国人的情感和故事、四川话对白、法国人的制作 - 音乐精良。一开始吸引我的事音乐——Mozart - Delicious!
景也好。都江堰真的美，不过美不过人的真情实感。
影片最后，当年的那个小裁缝已经不在人世了，在欧洲古典乐坛已经小有名气的小提琴家在巴黎机场为小裁缝买了一瓶99年的YSL Baby Doll - 小裁缝在小提琴家心里永远18岁。永远天真无邪、永远怀揣梦想、永远坚韧有毅力、自由。
当粉红色钻石型的瓶身和那架老式缝纫机同回忆一起沉入长江水的时候，莫扎特再次响起。
“女人的美是无价之宝”——巴尔札克的一句话成了洒在小裁缝智慧心灵上的第一缕阳光。
October 21 Wo zai NY'Am on Lexington avenue, NY, about 50 metres from the Chrysler building - it is still dark, 5.50 am and a brisk 6 degrees celsius - but life is good - hope you are exceedingly well!' October 17 2 million times终于去登了“伦敦眼”。
You are in London. You get the weather you have. 我想只有号称来过London Eye “200万”次的人才不会介意在这种极度不适合登高望远的天气条件下再来一次。
金钱是可以买时间的。工作人员说上周末游客一直排到“那里”，今天的队伍还算好。只是这个长度在我们看来还是觉得会等到望眼欲穿。于是我们买了两张fast track tickets就直奔主题了。
小球球在不断往上爬，伦敦的标志性建筑物一览无余，记忆的小门又打开了。2006年9月第一次来伦敦，坐了7个小时的夜车。在伦敦初秋的午后坐在泰晤士河畔，我感受到一种幸福，作为一名普通游客的幸福。2007年9月，忐忑占据了全部内心。2008年的10月，对这座城市的一切都开始习惯以后的今天，对旅游景点完全丧失了热情的今天，我还是要感激这座城市。如果说This man reassured me of myself，或者说在一定程度上使得我对爱情婚姻和家庭的美好幻想近乎破灭。那么这座城市无疑让我发现了自己的无数种可能。这是一座伟大的城市。
pg一直在打电话，直到球体接近制高点他的电话还是一刻不停。和我们在一个小球球里的有印度游客，还有操着一口伯明翰口音的带着孩子来玩的英国爸爸。小孩子和来自印度的游客同样兴奋，最后还被邀请和印度游客合影留念。我原本和pg一样，都会以为登上伦敦眼鸟瞰城市会让我很激动，可眼前的美景丝毫调动不起我的情绪，倒是大本钟和议会大厦让我们说到了撒切尔夫人和梅杰首相。又开始忆往昔峥嵘岁月了！
回顾往昔真让人百感交集。
再往上，手机信号不好了，他索性关了机，偷享片刻的宁静。那一刻我觉得还挺罗曼蒂克的！
初级汉语课上经常会跟学生提到“你是哪里人？”答案无一例外的都是“我是伦敦人”，而作为老师的我也会一便便重复“我是上海人”。也总会有人更正我“你是伦敦人”。“不，我不是”。只是问题在于我也幸运地没有了游客的心态。"Be careful, it moves." pg对站在门边缘激动不已的小男孩说。
两百万次，伦敦眼可以上它两百万次。
今天，今天只有一次。 October 09 14:05天气很好，阳光照得让人睁不眼。
在看Lost in Translation.很早以前就看过的老片子了。当时印象最为深刻的便是Scarllett那张美得仿佛被雕琢过的脸——饱满、健康，逼人的青春。还有便是男主人公丰富内心世界外面怅然若失的脸，坐在Hyatt的豪华套房的床沿，背后的窗外是喧嚣——被霓虹灯染红的东京夜空。
“Ni Zai Nar?” pg的短信里总是那么写的。我真的一时间忘了自己在哪儿。
中午在门口的日本速食店买了豆腐饭，但是没有豆腐。回来边吃边看的是美国电影，开门进来跟我说话的是SSRP口音马上要回法国的英国人。
几年前看的时候我其实并没有完全看懂，对这部电影想要表达的东西的东西理解的加深也并不因为深处异乡的缘故。还是因为自己长大了，体验多了，懂事了，会思考了吧？
我的一个星期就快结束了，尽管这才星期四，Away from The City of London, I am back to the real world - my countryside weekend life. 迷失东京，事实上，在哪儿又不是迷失呢？
博客更新少了，一方面是因为搬了新家，没有网络，二来是因为前段时间实习的公司大不了中文，一耽搁就是5个星期。三来也不觉得有什么可写。背景音乐里还是《秋天别来》。伦敦的冬天又要来了。
上星期去Duck of York's Theatre看了Michael Gambon主演的No man's Land。上演没多久，爆满。里面有一句很经典的台词，潜台词其实就是说someone is foolishly getting into a situation that he won’t be able to understand, handle or escape.
September 03 60 is the new 18There is one problem with living until you are 125. Who wants to be married for a hundred years?
Suddenly, everybody’s interested in old people, as if we’re an alien life form. Perhaps because there are loads more of us, hanging on for longer. What do we do all the time? What do we think? Can we hear? Can we see? Speak? Eat? Do we have sex and normal bodily functions?
When marriage was first invented, death tended to part people fairly quickly. One barely had time to get browned off. Now we have more time to get fed up, and we won’t put up with as much. We are a tougher, more hedonistic and ruthless lot. We are the new ‘me generation’.
Men are precious creatures who needed pampering. The need sex on demand, unconditional admiration and forgiveness, fascination with male hobbies etc. They are terrified of their looming pension age. Sixty is the new 18. August 26 走过那十六天的中国人一位旅法钢琴家在自己2008年8月8日的博客中以“活过2008年8月8日的中国人”为题写了一篇文章，文章一开始写道：
2008年8月8日，北京奥运会开幕 革命歌曲居然能处理成ADAGIO，小女孩的歌声让我看到一个新的中国，那是中国的未来，看到我们的主席露出微笑，不知他是否很赞同这个未来。 最后他说： 李宁飞起来接近画卷的时候，我的眼泪抑制不住下来。为什么？ 当然，首先在云上漫步是非常美的创意。 百年兴亡，怎么能不落泪 实在是表达不清楚这一百多年坎坷，这五千年历史的沉淀在今天的释放。 18天后的今天，我回想起那一刻：pg从法国发来短信说Bravo China! Well done!我说我的眼泪已经噙满眼眶——法国人不懂，英国人估计也想不明白——承办一届奥运会，哪怕只是短短十几天，中国人为此能够付出多少，凝聚多少力量。而这一切，只有活过1993年莫斯科、2001年摩纳哥和2008北京的中国人才能体会——深深的自豪和荣耀。这确实是一次沉重的释放！梦圆了…… 星期天和40000伦敦人在白金汉宫门前观看奥运会旗交接仪式的时候，看着大频幕中的五星红旗，耳边奏想的却是God Save the Queen，英国沸腾了。 我不忍这一天到来，正像我16天前不忍8月8日离去…… 过去的一年，我每一刻都和我的那个家在一起。那16天，我的心和目光也不曾离开——山地自行车的一草一木、赛艇比赛的每一缕水纹、帆船比赛中搏击的风浪……还有镜头前一张张熟悉又陌生的笑脸……都饱含着我的眷恋。 这确实是一个深重坚实又多情的民族。我自豪，我感动，我更期待——我是用心、用注视的目光和大家走过那十六天的中国人。 看看妈妈眼中的奥运
August 07 The Routemaster Channel 5前一天晚上还在播放纪录片The Ghosts of the Mary Rose: Revealed，我们第二天就起程前往Portsmouth——也不知道是天意还是pg早有预谋，反正一切就像是那么完美的巧合！
节目里说科学家对船上人员的尸骨作了抽样分析，通过水质分析和确定残留的牙垢的酸碱性的方法判断他们生前生活的地区，从而断定400多年前这艘亨利八世生前最爱的战舰上的勇士们60%都是非英国人。而语言障碍也可能成为导致沉船的元凶。——实在太有意思了！实在等不及去亲眼看看她！
从Waterloo坐一个半小时的火车就来到了Portsmouth，一下车就嗅到空气里海水的味道，咸咸的，是带有些许腥味的咸。远处有帆船，一下子恍然觉得回到了巴塞罗那。Mary Rose在静静地等待了。
城市不大，（不过没去市中心）游人却如织——大家都是为了同时目睹英国800年的皇家海军辉煌前来的吧！从Mary Rose， 到19世纪初的特拉法加战役，（when the British beat the French!）再到19世纪末的HMS Warrior，造船技术日新月异，不变的是英国人在海上的荣耀。
如果说白天是历史之旅——非常具有教育意义的话，那么晚上完全属于当下的物质文明之旅了！
伦敦是一座伟大的城市。知所以这样说，不仅是因为我和小卷同学达成共识的"London is a funny city where you can meet funny people"，更重要的是这里有motivation。pg说Harrods就是最好最奢华的百货公司，他应该经常光顾以确保自己有足够的动力去卖命工作，哪怕只是为儿子那每年28000磅的哈罗公学学费！Knightsbridge有最好的房子，他这辈子恐怕是住不起了，但是“你可以”。Knightsbridge上停满了世界上的顶级跑车，看看车主，几乎没有一个白人！你喜欢Bentley也不算什么，还有Lamborghini。晚饭前就看到一位小弟开着Lamborghini绕着哈罗兹溜达呢，晚饭出来他居然还在溜达……法耶兹一不小心就让Knightbridge变成阿拉伯人血拼得天下了！放眼望去。。。真的是。。。一个。。。英国人。。。都没有！
Berkeley还是最牛的酒店，门口一块招牌都没有，如此低调，格调，腔调。
走过Knightsbridge，穿过Green Park，从女王窗前一闪而过，沿着The Mall，转角到The Strand……我们终于又回到了The City of London，还是得买果汁，还是得过日子。
华灯初上。伦敦，我还是没能看够你。
Call me Jackie...France's First Lady is someone who has lived in the media glare all her life and knows which way to turn to best advantage, in both photographs and interviews.
July 21 I am who I am becouse of everyoneI am my mom
I am my sister
I am my best friend Mike who I've never seen since school
I am Kate who's still somewhere in Thailand
I am all the girls who I've kissed and the girls I will
I am the teacher that failed me
I am my bosses
And everyone of my friend
I am the places I go to with mates and the jokes I share with
I am the people that put me down
And the ones who pick me up
I am who I am because of everyone.
-Orange
今天的我，感谢有你们。
July 18 Finally home 写上几百上千的文字来总结16天的旅程实在是一项浩瀚的工程！还是先长话短说。
先看路线图计划：伦敦-布达佩斯-维也纳-萨尔茨堡-慕尼黑-纽伦堡-雷根斯堡-鹰巢-国王湖-菲森-法兰克福-巴塞罗那-塞维利亚
16天4国连轴转的旅行一辈子只能有一次吧！坐火车赶飞机蹲地铁和船外加超级无敌的双腿。半夜三次换车，被疯老太婆吵醒，15个小时大巴最后还是下错站，塞维利亚今天下午显示的摄氏43度气温让我怎么也想不起在德国菲森14度挨冻的情形！
从一间又一间的青年旅社辗转到火车的大通铺，再到四星级酒店，自己跟自己发誓再也不住youth hostel！——VISA在手刷边全球都手抖（妈妈对不起！穷游其实是腐败游！）
双脚再次踏踏实实地站在Standsted机场UK Border面前，心中只念叨一个字“家”，坐上Standsted Express开始怀念德国的铁路系统——不禁感叹火车真的还是要坐德国的！
原谅我真的不知道从何说起。
一路上的人——
相遇在慕尼黑青年旅社的三个可爱的香港女孩子，希望你们在瑞士玩得还好，21号伦敦见！
在德国去鹰巢车站上问我借书又说"See you up there"的你，还会再次相见吗？照相技术还不赖哟！
甲甲：大学四年我们只长谈过一次，没想到那唯一的一次留在了彼此心里那么久那么久。在巴塞罗那的两天有你真好，登上皇宫看城市夜景的那一刻我永远忘不了。我们俩都晒成黑皮了Oooooooooooooooooo，下次我一定带比基尼，我们再去海滩！
塞维利亚叫不上名的酒吧的餐馆老板：我的西班牙语很烂，你的英语也不见得好，不过你家的东西真的是好吃！
睡意渐浓——到家了！Speak later!
June 29 What gender is your brain?
This is so me!
今晚真的要穿着10cm从七姐妹跑去Chancery Lane吗？ June 25 Everything has a price tagI would like to preface the following post with the fact that I do not believe or think that my situation(s) are any different or "worse" than anyone else's...this is just a particular incident.
There is a fine line between learning and doing. When you are learning, you have to take a look at your position and say to yourself "I'm still learning and that opportunity is far greater than anything monetary".
Now, when you are doing... pay me.
Without getting the specific details, I strongly feel in my mind, body, soul that personally and honestly, I'm about to reach a crossroad that may define the next crucial years of my life.
Time, energy, passion, emotion, love, happiness, drive, ambition, determination, creativity, survival...Everything has a price tag. The question is, who will you rely on to provide you for the money to pay for it? Or, do you need one?
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You have the brain of a girly girl
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