Children's letters to God

I went to the wholesale venue of English books in our office complex today, and bumped into 2 little books, one called "Children's letters to God" and the other "Kids talk about Heaven".

In the first one, there is one entry by a little girl called Nora. She wrote thus:

"Dear God,
I don't ever feel alone since I found out about you."

Do I feel alone even after I found out about God?
Well, to be frank, I do.
I always feel lonely, but look what a little girl has to say about loneliness. She never feels lonely again ever since she knew about God.

This is probably part of what the Lord was talking about when He urged us to be like children. They have a very personal way about this whole thing. It's not books, not beliefs, but it's their reality, their life.

Do we feel lonely? Let's learn from the children.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - the movie

Well, indeed I have seen the movie. I saw it when I was only one third into the book of the same title, but finished the first one which talked about how the land of Narnia came about.

Personally, I do think that the movie is already quite a good manifestation of the original story.

Of course, you cannot expect the movie to carry all the details of the book, but then the approach of storytelling of the book and the movie are too different to compare.

On the one hand, you have a narrator telling you the story, filling in the necessary background and addressing you like a child. On the other, you have a movie and no narrator, where you must try to make sense out of the sounds and sights presented to you.

The experience differ quite substantially if you view it at that angle.

But frankly speaking, I like both.

The books are easy to read, told like a father to his dear child, and give you quite clear directions in looking at life within and without the books. They are pleasant to read, short, and written in very good and easy English. The storylines are clear, yet with subtle hints to Christianity if you read between the lines.

At this, the movie lacks the ingenuity in which the morales behind are subtly weaving all through, but substitutes that with the visualization of perhaps a too different world to understand if you only read it. (At least for us who are not native speakers of the language it might be a bit hard to understand.)

So, all in all, I would recommend perhaps you see the movie first, in order not the spoil the fun of the adventures, but read the book, and its 6 other siblings, to get the full picture.

If you want to read it, perhaps I could lend the set to you when I am finished? I am now one third into the sixth book.

Narnia - Christianity made easy

As usual, what I read at a particular time is normally tied to what is the then popular story.
So, here I am, finished the first 5 books of The Chronicles of Narnia, and feeling great about the time I have spent so far.

As most of us know, The Chronicles of Narnia is written by the C.S. Lewis who is also a famous Christian author of such spiritual books as Mere Christianity. So, there are a lot of Christian themes into the Chronicles, such as creation, salvation, and walking with Christ in one's daily life.

So far, I found that the books are written in such a way that these themes could be easily understood even by young children who are starting to be able to read story books on their own.

If you want Christianity explained in extremely easy terms, here you are...

喜歡嗎?

　　「这么辛苦工作，为什么？」
　　他叹气。「为了不被炒鱿鱼啊，这么简单还用问？」
　　「学长那个时候为什么选择这份工作？」
　　他看看她。「你是随便问问呢？还是真的想知道？」
　　她思考一下。「一半一半。」
　　「一半一半？」他挖苦地反问：「什么叫一半一半？我不知道这种问题也有一半一半的答案。」
　　「因为我已经大四了，之前也在找工作，所以有点想知道别人是怎么想的。」她笑。「不过我已经找到工作了，而且学长的状况是学长的状况，知道了可能也不能当参考，所以也算是随便问问。」
　　他瞥她一眼，摇头。「我跟你那个没用的大哥都是读商管的，所以选择贸易公司是很正常的，加上营业部算是公司的命脉所在……你没听过吗？学以致用，就是这么简单的原因。」
　　「所以，学长，你喜欢现在的工作？」
　　「跟喜不喜欢没有关系吧？」他放下杯子，往后躺进沙发，将已经松开的领带拉下，解开领口的扣子，露出褐色的喉头。「工作就是工作，努力工作只是因为我得养活自己……你以为现实社会是日剧吗？工作是为了充满爱与梦想的未来？」
　　「如果不是因为喜欢，学长为什么要这么努力呢？像大哥那样，不也可以养活自己？」
　　他嗤之以鼻。「照你大哥那种打混法，没被开除已经算是奇迹，等哪一天主管心情不好、公司状况不佳，我敢保证，裁员名单的前几名一定有你大哥的名字。哪里可以养活自己？」
　　「是这样吗？」
　　「就是这样。」他简单地说：「经济不景气，公司付一份薪水，想要的是两份的工作成果，拿不出来成绩的人只有等着被淘汰的下场。办公室比修罗战场还残酷，要留下来，就要比别人努力，跟喜不喜欢，没有关系。」
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節錄自梨陌-透明奇跡

我想, 我跟書中那個男生的情況差不多罷.
讀了商科,就只好到商場工作.
進了商場,就只好努力的做,一來生怕給別人比下去,只有等着被淘汰的下場,二來是真的過不了自己的那一関,怎麽也做不來得過且過.
一直一直做,不知不覺到了一個不上不下的位置,別人羡慕,自己卻覺得被困住了.
很累.
想到前不久張徳培說,工作是要做自己喜歡的.
真有這麽好嗎?
那甚麽才是我自己喜歡的呢?

坊間小說中的單身女子被歧視記

　　人往往到了某个年纪就会被逼迫著去做某些事，比如年轻时你就得青春可爱，年纪大了一点你就要温柔妩媚，要是年纪再大了那么一点点……你就要担心自己是不是会没有男朋友。
　　你没结婚已经很惨了，如果还没有男友，简直就可以去申请社会救助，因为这跟肢体残缺没什么两样，你连男友都找不到，如果不是生理上有问题，就一定是心理上有问题!
　　“我有个朋友大学毕业后接连考上两个公职，住的是公宅，平常开销也不大，薪水又很高，但她却还是一个人。她想找一个条件比她好的男人，要是条件比她差的她也看不上，还要求对方的薪水一定得比她高，而且必须对老婆或女友很大方，她可以给对方养，自己的钱又可以存下来，如果遇不上这样条件的男人，她宁可一个人过日子还比较轻松愉快。”路人甲在捷运列车上对著路人乙说道。
　　“用这种方式来解释自己不结婚好像不太对吧?”感情不是应该由爱来构成，哪是先衡量经济再决定呢?路人乙觉得其中必定有诈。“她提出的条件根本就不太可能实现啊!会不会还有其他的原因?”　　“你的意思不会是说她是同性恋吧?”路人甲惊讶的问。
　　两人开始讨论起那位不婚女性的难言之隐，坐在一旁的花无缺冷著脸，真想开口制止他们，但最后还是隐忍了下来。
　　抵达朋友聚餐的会场，花无缺把刚刚在车上听见的讨论拿出来说，立刻引起一阵同仇敌忾的臭骂。
　　“他们凭什么那么说?没结婚、没男友就一定要被说成有病一样，难道这犯著他们了?”花无缺气呼呼的说道。
　　“难道要我跟人家说我才不管对方有没有钱，只要我爱他，就算要我养他都甘愿?我要是一说，搞不好人家以为我只要是男人都可以，马上又会被转化成另一种哈男人哈得要死的意思，谁敢那么说啊!”安妮点头赞同。
　　“对啊!尤其是跟已经结过婚的女人讲话时，还得面对她们那种隐藏在笑脸里的胜利姿态，好像她们已经结了婚就此你高出一截!”维珍也跟著发言。
　　“最惹人厌的就是那种明知道你没男友，还要一直问你怎么不交个男朋友，每见一次面就要问一次，问到你发火!”这才是花无缺的最痛，她几乎每隔几天就要被人问上一次。
　　“对啊!如果每个男人都那么好，我们为什么不交男朋友?就是因为找不到好男人啊!每次见面都要问，简直是故意找麻烦。”维珍也有相同的困扰。
　　“你要是说找不到适合自己的对象，对方一定会说：‘还不就是你太挑了!’好像你是什么阿猫阿狗都可以上床一起睡觉生小孩似的，还不许你挑!真不晓得那些人心里在想什么?”花无缺忍不住越讲越激动。
　　“你的生活要是过得好一点，不像那些黄脸婆又丑又胖，对方还会说你外表光鲜亮丽，但内心一定……”
　　“很、空、虚!”所有人很有默契地一起咬牙切齿讲出这三个字。
　　花无缺拨拨头发，忽略掉别桌几个男士望过来的倾慕眼神，她们这群女生本来就很引人注目，早已习惯旁人的目光，她神色自若的继续加入朋友的讨论话题。
　　“对，也许有时夜深人静是很寂寞没错，但是我们真要为了伯寂寞而随便找个人陪伴吗?”她们也不是不承认自己的孤单，只是就为了不想寂寞而去找个男人来陪，那根本不会有什么好下场。
　　“现在情杀案那么多，不要说感情没培养出来，最后还分手分不清、惹得一身腥，连命都搞丢了才倒楣。”安妮可是很伯自己变成情杀案主角。
　　“最气人的是那些人都又老又丑，生活也不见得如意，却还自以为高人一等的对我们说那种话，这才是我最呕的部分!”花无缺最无法平衡的就是这个，如果今天是个漂亮的家庭主妇说这种话也就算了，偏偏用高姿态说话的人多半是些痴肥的黄脸婆，自己都弄得蓬头垢面竟然还有睑来嘲笑比她们年轻貌美的未婚女子。
　　“别提了，我才惨咧……”Mary一脸困扰的望著伙伴们。“你们知道我买了房子之后，我那个已婚的朋友阿玲硬要说房子是乔治买给我的，还用那种不怀好意的口气跟我说：‘别不承认了，大家都是这么好的朋友，干嘛不跟我说实话……’后来我不是很火的回答：‘对啦!是他买给我的!’?”　　众人纷纷点头，都听过Mary提过这件事，当时Mary也只能自我解嘲，都这把年纪了还有人认为她的姿色足以让男人甘心买楼给她，她不承认的话好像辜负了对方的期待，索性点头满足对方的猜测。
　　事实上，她们这群朋友都知道Mary为了买房子努力了多少年，只是长得太漂亮，就会有人觉得她一定是被包养的，非要抹杀她的努力不可。
　　“结果最近我再遇见阿玲，她居然问我：‘你怎么都不敢带男朋友来给我看，是不是你男朋友长得又矮又丑又肥又秃头，所以你才不敢带他来?’。”
　　“太过分了吧?”所有人连声惊呼。
　　“是啊，我哪有空专程带著乔治去给她看，再说哪个人会无聊到天天带著男友去跟朋友献宝?我们忙著工作连见面的机会都不多，能够在一起的时间那么少了，我还要牺牲两人相聚的时光把乔治带去给她评分?这……真是强人所难!”
　　“别理她了，那种人肯定不是什么好朋友，真是好朋友的话又怎么会做这种恶毒的猜测呢?”　　“你不觉得已婚的女性都这样吗?如果不把那些漂亮的未婚女性妖魔化，她们的心理就无法平衡，所以一定要把你想到最差的情况去她们才能好过一点。”花无缺开口解释。
　　“你们也知道我实在咽不下那口气，我有次跟乔治经过那附近，就要求他跟我去见见阿玲，可是我告诉乔治原因之后，乔治说他不想做这么愚蠢的事，他认为去了只有被评分的份，而他为什么要被那种恶毒的女人评分?他还要我别去在意那种话，除了她以外我还有其他的朋友，没必要为了争一口气去跟那种人瞎搅和。即使我知道乔治说的话没错，心里还是很不舒坦……你们能了解吗?我甚至还没跟乔治串通好要他说那房子是他买给我的，要是我这么说，他一定会觉得我疯了，自己努力那么久的成就竟然要推给他去承担……”
　　“我们当然可以了解。”　　大家同情的看了Mary一眼，她可是众人当中唯一有男友的，但她没有想过要结婚，再加上他们两人工作都忙，虽然名义上是男女朋友，可是大家都感觉得出来他们早已经不是热恋期的男女，维持这份情感多少是为了不希望被当成异类。
　　Mary甚至说过她已经做好心理准备，随时等著乔治遇上喜欢的人跟她提出分手，因为她老早就知道他们的感情只剩下形式而已，而她之所以愿意维持这个形式，只是不希望有人问到她有没有男友时要委屈的说没有，接著还要去面对那些人荒谬的揣测。
　　“这么想想，我们好像很悲哀似的……”
　　“也别这么说啊，你想想有多少人可以像我们这么开心自在?”花无缺露出手上的小钻戒，得意的说：“我宁可为了要买哪件衣服烦恼，而不是为了老公和小孩操劳。”
　　“我也是!”众人再一次异口同声，接著笑成一团。
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節錄自:連亞麗-情非得已

我想我也不至於那麽偏激，身邊的朋友也鮮少會那麽惡毒，但也不是沒有人是這樣說過我。
我當然也知道不需要理會不相干的人，但縂會有那麽一點點的不甘心。真的很辛苦呀。
或者，是我太認真了。

Love in a dangerous world

I planned to have further discussion articles about HP6 after my last post. There are lots of different things to talk about. But I came across my friend's article, and found that it is very insightful. Plese have a read. And then again, if I write too much about the details straight after my last post, I think a lot of people will swear at me for leaking the story lines.

Anyway, I guess this is a good time to start talking about the book.

First of all, about love.

There are three major lines in here: Harry & Ginny, Ron & Hermione, and Bill & Fleur

About Bill & Fleur:

It came as a surprise to me actually. If I remember correctly, there had not been too much hint about their love towards each other in previous books.

And it is very interesting that in the whole of HP6, Bill has not uttered a single word!! It was a solo of Fleur's endeavour to mix into the Weasley's. I do not understand why Bill and Fleur become a pair, but I am very impressed by Fleur's show of her love to Bill after his face was badly injured by the werewolf. I especially like Fleur's declaration in the hospital wing after his injury that "I am good looking enough for both of us..."

To me, Fleur has always been just a pretty face, but after this incident, I really like her very much. She is brave and her love is very true and pure. It is not about the looks, but the person himself that she loves.

How admirable!!

About Ron & Hermione:

I really cannot understand why Hermione would fall for Ron, and vice versa. Hermione is such an intelligent girl. She knows so much and is so capable. Of course, she is not a very very pretty girl. She had large front-teeth, which she managed to get them reduced after being jinxed to much bigger and protruding. She is so soaked into studying that her she doesn't care too much about her looks. Yet, she has better opportunities, such as Victor Krum the Seeker of the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team, famous and capable.

On the other hand, Ron is always overshadowed by Harry, and his many elder brothers. It's true that he is tall and sleek, and probably might be good looking because Bill the eldest is said to be handsome (before the werewolf's attack in HP6 at least). But he is always rash and don't even have the gut to chase Hermione but allow Lavendar to wrap herself around him.

How could these two persons possibly fall for each other?

I really cannot understand!!

What does Hermione like about Ron? And wouldn't Ron feel uncomfortable about Hermione's brains and abilities? All I can say is, love is irrational, and beyond any reason.

About Harry & Ginny:
As to Harry & Ginny, I perfectly understand why Ginny loves Harry. It was actually not a surprise at all. Ginny had been very impressed by Harry starting from the first book. She was saved by Harry in the second book. She cannot be herself in front of Harry. And she has much more chance to be with Harry than any other girl, of course except Hermione. It is very easy to understand how she came to fall for Harry. And as she herself puts it, she loves him because he always puts saving the wizarding world before himself, even his love for Ginny.

As for Harry, I can only say that he finally realizes what he really wants of a lover. He needs a person he could communicate without problem, not like Cho who seems to be from a totally different world. He needs someone who truly loves him, not just his achievement and status. He needs someone he is comfortable with, can share his thoughts with, and can understand him.

But all these does not amount to his urge to chase her. It really springs from his realization that she is so much a part of his life and he can no longer bear with the thought that she is someone else's girlfriend.

Aren't we like that? When we like someone, we deny the fact by saying that we are just very good friends. But then when the person becomes someone else's girl/boy-friend, we suddenly find ourselves hopelessly in love with that person, and die to have a chance to have him/her back.

Love is a very tough and difficult topic, is it not?

Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince

It is the latest book of the Harry Potter series.
Read in within 3 days of its release. Not a very notable achievement though.
Well, as with the last book "the Order of Pheonix", I feel most sad after finished reading it.
Most sad.
Last time it was my number 1 favourite character, Sirius Black, who was killed. This time, it was another most beloved character, the Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, who was killed.
Extremely sad... I was depressed for 1 whole week last time. I am not sure how long I would be depressed for this heart-felt loss.
Can't say too much at this mental state.
Will talk more about it when I feel better.

Howl's Moving Castle - the book

I bumped across the book "Howl's Moving castle" by Diana Wynne Jones last Saturday. It was really a detour that I entered the book shop that stored it, so it had been a nice surprise as well as an unexpected purchase.

Actually, as soon as I walked out of the Cinema finished watching the movie of the same name by Miyasaki, and learnt from a friend that it is adopted from a book, I was determined to find it and read it.

There was so much untold in the movie that reading the book seemed to be the only solution to solving all the mysteries.

And I was thankful that I did bump into this book.

Now I know that Sophie was actually quite a beautiful girl just finished school; that Howl is well into his twenties; that Sophie actually contributed partly to Howl's ability to charm and attract the girls he decided to court with; that the scarecrow was not actually the prince; that there was no war raging behind the scenes; that Sophie has a special gift of talking life into lifeless objects; that it was not the Witch of Waste who's after Howl's heart, but her fire demon; that the fire demon was after Howl's heart for a very good reason; that why Sophie was the only person who could break the contract between Calcifer and Howl; that Howl was not flying too much to turn himself into a bird for good; that Howl actually had family, etc.

It made much more sense after reading the whole plot as it was told in the book itself.

I like the book, as much as I like the movie. Both had been most interesting.

And I believe the movie had a special place in my heart simply because it was Takuya Kimura who gave Howl the charming voice in the picture.

And I am very much relieved that it is a children's book after all, not underlay by the war theme as Miyasaki introduced to this story on his own.