Kansas Skies

3/14/2006

Yes I am in good company :-)

很喜歡這部電影，不說教不硬灌政治理念，
就是一個中年爸爸面對女兒跟自己的小老闆戀愛的心路歷程，
很生活化的對白，以及我很欣賞的幾位演員，
看完心裡暖暖的喔！

這兩位真是太登對了，Marg是最美的媽媽喔。

好想也跟他們一起在紐約街上喝咖啡

這場戲自然得像是被Marg邀請去她家吃飯，打翻的baked ziti可是我拿手的菜色之一呢.

Scarlett平凡中見演技.讓我對她印象更加好.若是找Linsay Lohan演.就不會是同樣的故事了吧.也喜歡阿丹那場送女兒到新宿舍的掉眼淚戲.　

Topher真是越看越可愛.他在Ocean's twelve還揶揄自己接了這部片.真是欠打.

coperate ladder爬呀爬，我有著跟阿丹一樣的無力感

很喜歡這場戲，老夫老妻的甜蜜

小情侶很可愛喔

Use the picture you like best from the first page of the search results on Google Image. (no clicking around for 44 pages)

1. The city and state of the town you grew up, no quotation marks.

2. The town where you currently reside.

3. Your name, first and last, but again, no quotes.

4. Your grandmother's name.

5. Your favorite food.

6. Your favorite drink.

7. Your favorite smell.

1.Hong Kong

Tao Yuan

2.Wichita

3. quite fit my personality.

4. who would have thought that my nanny's one of the Mortal kombat characters?lol

5. do I have to say?hehe,from the beatiful steak animal.

6. Coke

Mocha latte

7.fresh air

3/12/2006

別忘了微笑喔

最近工作壓力比較大，貼心的同事在交班的紙條上特別寫上一句：
Don't forget to smile!
讓我會心一笑:-)

我承認我最近笑容少了很多，
不過現在開始我要激勵自己：
無論多麼忙，都不要忘了微笑喔！

Thank you my sweetest friends who always cheer me up and make my day.

3/09/2006

Doggie Dictionary

Leash:
A strap which attaches to your collar, enabling you to lead your mom and dad where you want him/her to go.

Dog Bed:
Any soft, clean surface, such as the white bedspread in the guest room or the newly upholstered couch in the living room.

Drool:
What you do when your mom and dad have food and you don't. To do this properly, you must sit as close as you can, look sad and let the drool fall to the floor. Or better yet, on their laps.

Sniff:
A social custom to use when you greet other dogs. Place your nose as close as you can to the other dog's rear end and inhale deeply. Repeat several times or until your person makes you stop.

Garbage Can:
A container where mom and dad put food they don't want to test your ingenuity. You must stand on your hind legs and try to push the lid off with your nose. If you do it right you are rewarded with margarine wrappers to shred, beef bones to consume and moldy crusts of bread.

Bicycles:
Two-wheeled exercise machines invented for dogs to control body fat. To get maximum aerobic benefit, you must hide behind a bush and dash out, bark loudly and run alongside for a few yards. The person then swerves and falls into the bushes and you prance away.

Deafness:
This is an affliction which affects dogs when their mom or dad want them in and they want to stay out. Symptoms include staring blankly at the person, then running in the opposite direction or lying down.

Thunder:
This is a signal that the world is coming to an end. Mom and dad remain amazingly calm during thunderstorms, so it is necessary to warn them of the danger by trembling uncontrollably, panting, rolling your eyes wildly and following their every move.

Wastebasket:
This is a dog toy filled with paper, envelopes and old candy wrappers. When you get bored, turn over the basket and strew the papers all over the house until your mom and dad come home.

Sofas:
Are to dogs like napkins are to people. After eating, it is polite to run up and down the front of the sofa and wipe your whiskers clean.

Bath:
This is a process by which mom and dad drench the floor, walls and themselves. You can help by shaking vigorously and frequently.

Lean:
Every good dog's response to the command "sit!" Especially if your mom and dad are dressed for an evening out. This is incredibly effective before black tie events.

Bump:
The best way to get your mom and dad's attention when they are drinking a fresh cup of coffee or tea.

Goose bump:
A maneuver to use as a last resort when the regular bump doesn't get the attention you require. Especially effective when combined with the sniff. See above.

Love:
Is a feeling of intense affection, given freely and without restriction. The best way you can show your love is to wag your tail. If you're lucky, a human will love you in return.

~Thanks for sharing Denise!~

3/02/2006

Overall I appear to be Left Brain Dominant

Brain Lateralization Test Results

Right Brain (48%) The right hemisphere is the visual, figurative, artistic, and intuitive side of the brain.
Left Brain (64%) The left hemisphere is the logical, articulate, assertive, and practical side of the brain

Are You Right or Left Brained?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Music Meme

Note: If you plan on doing this meme, you really need to make your list of 10 artists NOW before checking out the other questions. It DOES make a difference!

List 10 artists you like. (Do this before reading the other questions):

1.Andrea Bocelli.
2.Ennio Morricone.
3.黎明Leon Lai.
4.陳奕迅Eason Chan.
5.張國榮Leslie Chueng.
6.張學友Jacky Chueng.
7.Barry Manilow.
8.Nat King Cole.
9.Bryan Adams.
10.恰克與飛鳥Chage and Aska

What was the first song you ever heard by 6?
張學友-Amour愛慕.

What is your favorite album of 8?
Nat King Cole - The Greatest Hits

What is your favorite lyric that 5 has sung?
張國榮-為妳鍾情-詞﹕黃霑

為妳鍾情傾我至誠
請妳珍藏這份情
然後百年終妳一生
用那真心痴愛來做證

How many times have you seen 4 live?
None (yet!)

What's your favorite song of 7?
Barry Manilow-Weekend in New England.

What is a good memory you have considering the music of 10?
Watching "On Your Mark" mv for the first time in their concert.

Is there a song of 3 that makes you sad?
黎明-對不起，我愛你

What is your favorite lyric that 2 has sung?
Ennio Morricone-Love theme from Neuvo Cinema Paradiso.

What is your favorite song by 9?
Bryan Adams-We'll never have another tonight.

How did you get in to 3?
I just saw him on TV one night and decided to listen to his songs,hooked ever since!

What was the first song you heard by 1?
Andrea Bocelli-Time to Say Goodbye(Con Te Partiro)

What is your favorite song by 4?
陳奕迅-十面埋伏.

How many time have you seen 9 live?
Twice.

What is a good memory you have concerning 2?
One of my favorite movies of all time-Neuvo Cinema Paradiso.

Is there a song of 8 that makes you sad?
Nat King Cole -For All We Know

What is your favorite album of 5?
張國榮寵愛Released 11/96

What is your favorite lyric that 3 has sung?
黎明-如果可以再見你-作詞:林夕

回頭若沒有你
假使有力氣在陌路離開不需顫抖
怕惡劣氣候怕眼淚再流
都不怕為你張開笑口
回頭若沒有你
只需眼看著這段路曾經緊握你手
這最大報酬與最後理由
已夠我走出深溝
再去愛漫天星宿

What is your favorite song of 1?
Andrea Bocelli-Resta Qui(Return to me)

2/23/2006

Stephen Green-Armytage的鳥類世界

這幾年在逛書店總是看到這些令人會心一笑的公雞月曆，
今天總算查出這位攝影家的名字，
很可惜的我除了他的作品外，
找不到任何生平簡介，
希望有朝一日能對這位奇才有更多的了解。

photo credits:Amazon.com

2/19/2006

今年的情人節禮物

這是老公今年送我的情人節禮物，
還特地快遞到公司呢！
讓同事也跟我一起歡笑。

Pajamas from PajamaGram

似曾相識

似曾相識

這部1980年的浪漫經典，26年來不知感動了多少有情人，
英俊挺拔的Christopher Reeve和美得令人屏息的Jane Seymour，
譜出歷久彌新的感人愛情故事。

與這部電影同樣著名的，是John Barry譜寫的原聲帶以及拍攝地點Grand Hotel，
如果你已經很久沒有看這部電影，
不妨去買DVD回來觀賞喔。

Official Somewhere In Time Website
GRAND HOTEL (拍攝地點)
Your Wedding at the Somewhere in Time Gazebo(結婚熱門景點-涼亭)
The Somewhere in Time fan cult

2/16/2006

Gregory Colbert的奇幻動物世界

在翻閱一月號「浮華世界」雜誌時，
與Nip/Tuck並列2005 BEST OF THE BEST名單的是攝影師Gregory Colbert，
他取鏡象群的專注姿態，以及大象們身上反射的光芒，
令人好奇他的攝影作品，
回家後找到他的網站Ashes and Snow，
得以一窺他奇幻的動物與人類攝影世界。

Gregory Colbert今年45歲，來自加拿大，
這位在2002年之前幾乎是隱形的低調攝影家，
過去十年並沒有代理的畫廊、未曾接受訪問、
也沒有大企業的贊助，只有來自世界各地財力豐富的熱情收集家，
持續的贊助他完成夢想。

為了捕捉人與動物間和諧相處的完美瞬間，
過去十年來Gregory Colbert遠征世界盡頭27次之多，
足跡踏遍印度、埃及、緬甸、斯里蘭卡、肯亞、衣索比亞、那米比亞、東加王國、亞速爾群島、北極以及婆羅洲。
Gregory Colbert的每一幅作品都是捕捉發生的瞬間，許多人在第一次接觸這些照片的想法都是：這是人工合成的畫面吧！
然而這些畫面都是未經任何影像編輯、人工燈光或是特效處理。

一直到2002年4月份，Gregory Colbert才在紐約成立自己的畫廊，
並首次公開展出作品，巨幅的動物與人映像配上大自然音樂，
讓人有置身奇幻世界的錯覺。
Gregory Colbert最引以為傲的，是他的收藏者從未將他的作品轉賣過，
Brad Pitt所收藏的Gregory Colbert作品，現在仍掛在Jennifer Aniston家的牆壁上，
無疑的Gregory Colbert將是今年最耀眼的攝影師。

Ashes and Snow(Gregory Colbert畫廊網站─點選圖片換張欣賞)
Gregory Colbert簡介
Gregory Colbert作品集(Terra.org)
Gregory Colbert攝影展現場採訪紀錄(.mov)

1/19/2006

今天在網路上看到的動物奇聞

小河馬與百齡陸龜形影不離
The Hippo and the Tortoise Who Became Friends After the Tsunami

東京動物園裡的黃金鼠與蛇變成好朋友
Hamster, snake best friends at Tokyo zoo

被拯救的母鯨逐一感謝救難人員
The Whale That Thanked It's Rescuers-Reported to Be Truth!

1/08/2006

斷背山─那個只屬於我倆的牧羊季

首先要感謝Alyx的大力推介，讓近年來對正經電影興趣缺缺的我，
帶著大家的愛，以及近乎朝聖的心情獨自去了戲院，
其實是可以找同伴一起去的，
可是我沒有，因為這是我想一個人去做的事，
只為我自己，我很高興我並沒有因為任何藉口而卻步，
在這個美麗的星期天下午，讓斷背山溫暖了我的內心。

首先我非常驚訝於座無虛席的盛況，
上次看到這麼踴躍的觀影群是「魔戒三」首映夜，
觀眾群各年齡層都有，坐我右邊的是白髮蒼蒼的老先生，
我右邊的是兩位中年婦女，還有人很明顯是全家出動，
臨開場更有好幾位年輕男生戴著牛仔帽進來，
真是觀眾跟電影一樣有趣！
然後是意外的驚喜─Simon Baker新片Something New的預告，
真的是覺得無論電影好不好看，看到Simon哥哥就已經值回票價....

斷背山最吸引我的是狀闊的山景、適切而不喧鬧的配樂以及細膩的劇本，
一直認為最佳的敘事方式是透過鏡頭，而不是對白，
電影裡的許多細節都相當動人心弦：
一開場兩位主角雖然都沒有交談，
卻很明顯的可以看出誰將是感情裡的主導；
富家女一身鮮紅牛仔裝襯托出她的外向以及樂觀性格；
岳父將車鑰匙扔給女婿的舉動，勾勒出Jack在岳家的地位；
Ennis將幼女丟給正在上班的妻子，讓人感受到他要和情人出遊的迫不及待；
Jack在訴說自己內心掙扎之後，Ennis那道盡委屈、決堤而出的淚水；
當然還有那一件跟兩位男主角一樣搶眼的泛黃襯衫。
片裡最令人印象深刻的莫過於那一句痛澈心肺的"I wish I knew how to quit you!"，
然而我也很喜歡Ennis在河邊一邊洗杯盤，一邊碎碎唸的'Jack f--king Twist!'，
是兄弟般的苛責，亦是情人間的容忍。

我沒有解開信箱上「17」號碼的功力，也分心地錯過了結局左下角的玄機，
不過觀賞這電影所引發的淚水，是看完幾小時之後開始流下，
這其中的關係，怕是要思索好幾天才能有答案。

圖片來源：Heathbaby.com
TheMovieBox.Net

12/28/2005

裝可愛的新裙子

昨天下班後去GAP買了這件裙子，
真是越看越可愛:P
特價20塊喔，真是超級開心，
不過可能需要買長靴來配，
也不是壞事喔!
最開心的是我在試穿過程中發現，
其實只要努力一點，我還是可以穿2號的喔！
當成目標吧！

12/25/2005

Have a very Merry Christmas-聖誕快樂

今年很幸運的，能夠見到心愛的家人和朋友，
感謝你們陪伴我走過這樣值得感恩的一年，
也希望你們有個美好的聖誕。

Thank you for a wonderful year,
I cherish the precious time we get to spend together,
hope your Christmas is a special one.

Merry Christmas

love,Amanda

12/14/2005

小豹們獲救了

(AP Photo)

這對出生於非洲的小豹(一公一母)，之前被一家衣索比亞小鎮餐廳老闆為了招攬生意，用繩子拴住在店門口，並訓練他們兩兄妹互相殘殺，其中一隻豹還瞎了一隻眼。經駐守當地的美軍反恐部隊向衣索比亞政府以及美國獵豹拯救組織反應，引起國際媒體注意，當地獸醫出面向餐廳老闆情商出讓，可是他獅子大開口，開出當地人民平均年收入十倍之多的天價-每隻一千美金。

這位勇敢的獸醫Fekadu先生在上星期六將兩隻小豹救出，並給予牠們抗生素還有健康檢查，然後馬上交由美軍協助護送，他表示如果沒有美軍的幫忙，兩隻小豹是沒有機會逃出的，牠們目前健康狀況良好，上飛機前還躺在女士兵的懷裡撒嬌，美軍部隊還幫他們取了可愛的名字─Scout與Patch。

獸醫Fekadu先生表示衣索比亞的野生動物保護法令漏洞百出，這對小豹若沒有獲救，很可能會被走私到中東去販賣，餐廳老闆事後也表示母豹Patch是由盜獵者將其眼睛踢瞎。

目前小豹們平安抵達衣索比亞國家皇宮，與其他三隻獲救獅子以及幾隻猴子一起居住。管理員表示該動物園經費有限，需要各方協助給予小豹們最好的照顧。
美軍反恐部隊在非洲的任務除了收集情報以協助各國家和平相處，也執行一些人道協助如掘井、造橋、興建學校等，目的在為回教徒之間建立良好美軍形象，不過拯救小豹倒是前所未料。

隨行的士兵表示小豹們在一小時半的飛行旅途中，待在紙箱裡不停發出咕嚕咕嚕的滿足聲音。部隊長官也表示，小豹們讓士兵表現出溫柔的一面，大家都像小朋友看到小貓咪一樣趨之若鶩。

原文報導 -U.S. troops rescue Ethiopian cheetah cubs

只報好消息的HappyNews.com

在紛紛擾擾一整天之後，進入這個網站總是心曠神怡，沒有人性的醜惡，只有發生在好人身上的好事，或是好人所做的好事，與你分享剛網站今天的名言─

「要記住快樂不在於你的身分或是你的財產，而是你的想法。」

HappyNews.com - All The News That's Fun To Print

超級棒的奶昔

昨天上班同事跟我提公司附近一家很棒的冰淇淋店Cold Stone,
我就一直想著下班要去買個草莓奶昔給自己.
然後巧克力奶昔給老公.
那家店真的很棒喔!現場做的冰淇淋.
真材實料又濃的奶昔.雖然價格有點高.
讓我想到電影Pulp Fiction裡約翰屈伏塔與烏瑪舒曼一起去喝很棒的奶昔!

12/13/2005

Spanglish

週末看了去年底上映的電影Spanglish(真情快譯通)，看似輕鬆的內容卻傳達著沉重的訊息：因為失業跟著失去生活重心的太太將挫折經由歇斯底里的操控行為來表現、習慣把煩惱一個人擔的先生，看似悠然卻有著壓抑已久的怨氣、酗酒如飲水的母親、在嚴母慈父的衝突管教下困惑不已的一雙兒女，表面上似乎和諧的一家人，在語言不通的墨西哥裔女傭入住之後，掀起了一陣陣漣旖，在沉澱之後，有人失有人得，日子踏實的繼續過著。

我很欣賞編劇細膩的一些著墨，比如說Adam Sandler所飾的丈夫一角，請兒子起床那場戲就用一句："Think seriously about getting up. You don't have to get up right now, but are you thinking seriously about it? "來道出他的軟性態度，還有他對老婆喜怒無常的評語：Lately, your low self-esteem is just good common sense.以及他只想要中上的肯定，食評卻給他四顆星並封他為全美最佳主廚時的惱怒，都讓人對這角色又憐又愛。

片中探討的婚外情也處理得很寫實，那場丈夫得知實情後，晴天霹靂下根本無法反應，簡單的一句：If you don't stop talking I'm going to set my hair on fire and start punching myself in the face.讓人聽了也要跟著心碎。然而母親給女兒的忠告亦是非常中肯：發現自己還愛著丈夫，並不是那麼壞的事！以及奉勸心亂如麻的她要強忍著質問的情緒，向回頭的丈夫說：I am just so glad that you are back。

結局並沒有傳統的happy ending，甚至留下不少問號，但人生本來就沒有絕對的答案，如果不珍惜身邊擁有的，滿屋的華麗都是虛無。

願天下有情人，永遠不將彼此視為理所當然。

Spanglish: A Yahoo! Movies Exclusive
Sony Pictures - Spanglish

12/12/2005

"What Tomorrow might bring"

Sometimes people come into your life and you

know right away that they were meant to be there.

To serve some sort of purpose, to teach you a lesson, or

to help you figure out who you are or who you might want to become.

You never know who these people may be...possibly your roommate, neighbor,

co-worker, long lost friend, lover, or even a complete stranger...

you know at the moment they will affect your life in some profound way.

Sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful, and unfair at first,

but in reflection you find that without overcoming these obstacles,

you would have never realized your potential, your strength, your willpower or heart.

Everything happens for a reason.

Nothing happens by chance or by means of good luck.

Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity

all occur to test the limits of your soul.

Without these small tests, whatever they may be,

life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere.

It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet who affect your life, and the success and downfalls

you experience, help to create who you are and who you become.

Even the bad experiences can be learned from.

In fact, they are probably the most poignant and important ones.

If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them,

for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious

when you open your heart.

If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you,

but because in a way they are teaching you to love and how to open your heart and eyes.

Make everyday count.

Appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything

that you possible can, for you may never to experience it again.

Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and actually listen.

Let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your sights high.

Hold you head up because you have every right to.

Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself,

for if you don't believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in you.

You can make of your life anything you wish. Create your own life,

then go out and live it with absolutely no regrets.

Most importantly!!!!

If you LOVE someone, tell him or her,

for you never know what tomorrow might bring.

author unknown

(Thank you Ilia for sending me this)

12/07/2005

《當荃灣愛上柴灣》意外的驚喜小品

托香港好友Pooh的福，常常推薦好聽的粵語歌曲，
加上香港雅虎音樂網站的發達資訊，
讓我即使遠在他鄉，也能跟上香港歌壇進度，
我最大的收穫莫過於陳奕迅的歌曲，
這位罧歌動人快歌驚人的歌手，
只能用「超猛」二字形容。

我最近接觸到的陳奕迅作品，
慢歌以重量級分手極品「傷信」最勝，
勁歌則以令人熱血沸騰的「孤獨探戈」最優，
熟知Eason的歌迷大概都已經被訓練成不以歌名來判斷好聽程度甚至曲風分類，
像是看似搞笑的「K歌之王」、以為很武俠的「天下無雙」其實都是情歌聖品，
然而最令人莞爾的，莫過於這首「貝多芬與我」的Demo曲「當荃灣愛上柴灣」，
聽到那幾個耳熟的地鐵站名，這首歌真該為香港地鐵正式代言的。

作曲人在錄製作品提供製作人/歌手選曲時，
通常會隨手填上一些心血來潮的歌詞，
或是無意哼哼唱唱不見得有內容，
作曲人郭偉亮請陳少琪填上的詞，
卻因為太可愛而被收錄並演唱，
歌詞傳神的表達出一位上班族傻大個，
愛上一位遠住在地鐵最終站的女孩，
因為不放心她獨自晚歸，
還陪她從荃灣站輾轉換車回到柴灣的家，
因為路途實在太遙遠，
折返到家也差不多要準備去上班了，
其實每這樣跑一趟票價也不便宜，
他的能力只能坐到中途的太子站，
可是為了愛情也甘願付出甜蜜的代價。
想知道荃灣坐到柴灣有多遠呢?
可以看看底下附的地圖網址，
歌詞之後亦有出現的粵語俗字註解。

《當荃灣愛上柴灣》 Eric Kwok　填詞: 陳少琪

習慣保護你歸家來送你
車廂裡太好味貼緊著鼻和眉
但你東面我西邊頭到尾
偏選中你甜蜜的每程費用太犀利

由荃灣直入柴灣終站坐冷板捱成晚
不休息的壯男
由柴灣返番荃灣終站付了車資歸家太晏
我 [目訓] 到忘記何站

為你保護這開資如重擔
深深慨嘆能力只會能應付太子站

由荃灣直入柴灣終站坐冷板捱成晚
不休息的壯男
由柴灣返番荃灣終站付了車資歸家太晏
我 [目訓] 到又要上班

由柴灣返番荃灣終站付了車資歸家太晏
我 [目訓] 到忘記何站反白眼

註：
犀利 = 傷本
成晚 = 整晚
太晏 = 太晚
[目訓] (為一個字) = 睡

當荃灣愛上柴灣(簡介)
香港地鐵路線圖
Easyjoint International Fan Club(線上聆聽)

12/04/2005

十四年後依然感動的潮浪王子

星期六晚上我總是喜歡在電影台找一部浪漫喜劇，滿足一下我潛在的小女人需求，也喜歡找回青少年時曾迷過的舊電影，尋回不同的感動，畢竟歲月的洗禮，總是讓我在十幾年後對同一部片有著不同的感受，這種隨著電影又哭又笑的舉動，大概只有影痴才能明瞭。

昨晚無意間在轉台之際，重新看了這部曾令我深深感動的電影，算算那是十四年前的事了吧，這中間我歷經了七年精神科臨床經驗，也步入了婚姻六年半，再回頭看這部片子，也能加入一些自己的經驗而更感同身受。

然而「潮浪王子」當年造成的風潮，只有我們這群上了年紀的人還津津樂道。從Barbra Streisand成為奧斯卡有史以來，第一部榮獲最佳導演等七項大獎提名的女性導演、男主角Nick Nolte獲選當年時人雜誌最性感男人、到James Newton Howard優美動人的配樂，「潮浪王子」真正成功之處，是塑造了一位外表強悍暴躁、內心柔軟敏感的男性角色，這樣矛盾的特質讓女性觀眾激起保護之情，莫不希望自己生命裡有個陪自己夏天看星星，冬天在火爐前相依偎的潮浪王子。

這兩位反好萊塢典型俊男美女的男女主角，讓觀眾更有歸屬感，也對較少觸及的中年情慾有所著墨，劇中短暫卻美麗的婚外戀曲，莫非是「麥迪遜之橋」之前的同類型代表作，男主角在片尾駛過長橋，低呼的那一句：「Lowenstein，Lowenstein」，無限的感傷卻也無憾，就如同生命裡的抉擇後的醒思。

你遇到過自己的潮浪王子了嗎？但願是在婚前。

相關資訊：

The Prince of Tides (1991)

The NY Times review of The Prince of Tides

幕後花絮

精采劇照

本文獻給好友阿丹