il Giardino Romantico

本篇文章又是故意要『閃』的。其實本來想要等到Boxing Day再來大敗家...可是昨天我辛辛苦苦海運過來的靴子竟然發生了以下的狀況：

I couldn't wait until boxing day to do this because of this:

【中文在下面】

There are many things that I can take advantage of while I'm here in the UK.  Other than the vast collection of English resources in the library, the performances in the world renowned Philharmonic Hall by the world acclaimed Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, easy access to football match broadcasts[however vain it may sound...], there is also the frequent lectures and talks by notable contemporary figures in the literary realm.

In fact, I just came back from one last night.  John Carey's talk on William Golding: How Novels Begin was the first lecture I attended since I got here.  John Carey is a literary critic who has edited works by Milton, Donne, and Orwell, just to name a few.  He has also published books and biographies on famous authors.  In his preparation of his new biography on William Golding, the author of the Lord of the Flies, he came to Liverpool and told us about the man, the work, and most importantly, how novels begin.

As a result of having been 'ordered' to attend this, I, and probably most of the other literature MA's as well, did not expect much to happen during the talk.  Contrarily, it was an eye-opener.  The presentation was insightful, though the content may seem irrelevant to certain MA's.  However, speaking of that, nothing is ever irrelevant, especially in the literary realm. 

At the entrance of Sydney Jones Library 入口

One of the things I've learned to enjoy most is the access to the library.  Actually, I could've gone in last week, but since something went wrong with the administration, and many of us did not receive our student cards, I had to wait the following week to explore my new paradise.

From what I've heard from my MA mates, who did their BA's elsewhere in the UK, this library is equally astoundiing to them as it is to me.  Through all the horrible experience I've had with libraries back in Taiwan, I'm going to have to say this again, and again: I love Sydney Jones!

There are actually two libraries on campus, and this one contains all the arts and humanity collections.  The sciences and engineering library is elsewhere.  SJL is extremely close to where I live, and the atmosphere of the library is absolutely fantastic! 

I almost eneded up going to this 'match' alone.  I wouldn't even try to get my new friends doing Football Management to go, 'cuz they would be seeing the match at the stadium!  My other new friends were either away, or not really interested in football.  Fortunately, my new fellow classmate was free, and joined me.

This pub is extremely close to where I live.  Even at night, it would be a convenient venue to meet friends.

When we arrived, the place was still quite empty.  But the crowd gradually gathered up as the time got closer to kickoff.  Most of the people I've recently met have been fans of the club way before they came here to Liverpool.  I wonder if that affected their decision on where they were going for their MA's...

話說，雖然這場比賽還蠻刺激的，不過我還差點因為約不到人本來要一個人去看的。因為兩個念足球管理的日本人跟韓國人根本不用約，他們一定會飛到球場去看現場的。美國人跑去開會...其他的我也不知道他們洗不喜歡足球。還好，新同學說有空可以陪我去看。我們兩個人就約了中午在圖書館碰面在一起去pub。

沒錯！英倫懶骨頭又出新書了！而且這次的主題是我未來這一年絕對、肯定會用的上的【倫敦】！既然是認識許久的格友，又是絕對會用的上的旅遊工具書，不幫忙打書，我的心裡可是會過意不去的呀！

Happy Boxing Day

請各位好好欣賞。因為你很少會在這裡看到流行樂的分享。

但由於英國每一年都會在聖誕節前的禮拜天公佈當年的Christmas Number One Single，跟老姐看完充滿聖誕氣氛的Love Actually之後就很好奇的找出今年的大贏家。答案揭曉：是2007年The X Factor的冠軍Leon Jackson所演唱的When You Believe。