il Giardino Romantico

記得小學至高中聽到的聖誕歌幾乎都是平時會聽到的那些：Deck the Halls, The Twelve Days of Christmas, Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, Rocking Around the Christmas Tree, White Christmas...and the list goes on.
但似乎沒有一首是自己最喜愛的。
到了大學聽到Mariah Carey 的 All I Want for Christmas is You 以及 George Michael 的 Last Christmas，不知道是為了趕上潮流還是真的喜歡，不知不覺這兩首成了心中的最愛。
不過是一直到開始教書認識Jason後才漸漸的發現有winter songs, songs about Christmas, 以及 Christmas carol的差別。仔細想想還真的呢。
如果問台灣的非基督教小朋友聖誕節是什麼樣的一個節日，直覺上他們好像會告訴你是聖誕老公公的日子。雖然教學最好是不要與宗教信仰扯上關係，但聖誕節除了是許多西方國家重要的節日之外，更是基督教的盛大慶典。這，也是不可否認的事實。

There is no Santa Claus?
Narrator: Every little kid believes that Santa Claus comes to their house and gives them presents every Christmas.  But is there really a Santa Claus?  What happens when people tell you “There is no Santa Claus”? Let Boy 1 and Girl 2 tell you.
(In one corner of the classroom)
Boy 1: I am so angry!
Boy 2: Why? Tomorrow is Christmas, we get to open presents!

龍山寺，是我每一年的十二月十六日一定要去的地方。
因為四年前的一場車禍，讓我差點失去了生命。心裡最內疚的就是對於當時必須承擔焦慮的家人與父母。但其實對我自己而言，這場車禍讓我撿回的性命，就如同那句老話：『大難不死，必有後福』。
因為這場車禍，讓我第一次感受到家人對我真心、真誠、完全不求回報的愛。
因為這場車禍，讓原本要跟我分手的Jason在之後的感情之路走的平平穩穩。

For those of you who are interested in the novel, but can't seem to find the time to read it:
You can now listen to the reading of the original novel by Richard Matheson.
Click: BBC iPlayer
Select: BBC 7

"Oh you men who think or say that I am malevolent, stubborn, or misanthropic, how greatly you wrong me. You do not know the secret cause which makes me seem that way to you....Yet it seemed impossible for me to say to people, 'Speak louder, shout, for I am deaf.' Ah, how could I possibly admit an infirmity in the one sense which ought to be more perfect in me than others..."1

---

237年前，貝多芬出生了。他的一生過的並不快樂。身為一個音樂家，卻漸漸的耳鳴。到最後，幾乎什麼也聽不到。但在我心裡，就是因為這樣使得他更偉大。

奧客[小聲地]：珍奶半糖溫的。
老闆娘：蛤？
奧客[大聲叫]：珍奶半糖溫的！
老闆娘[對店員叫]：珍奶半糖溫的！
奧客付完錢後，耐心得等候...
眼看一杯一杯的飲料從店員手中遞給身邊的顧客，珍奶半糖溫的卻痴痴地在那等待著...
好不容易，店員分工合作得將奶茶完成。一個將一顆顆珍珠裝進杯子，另一個將熱奶茶倒入，加了點冷開水。最後送進機器裡封口。
老闆娘拿了起來大叫：是大杯的耶...
此時奧客心裡想：你退我五塊，我拿走這中杯的珍奶不就得了？
可奧客又想看看店員們會怎麼處理。
中杯的珍奶，被退回後，被遺忘了。
換奧客痴痴的等...
幾分鐘過後，老闆娘發現被退回的珍奶一直沒被處理，就主動將封口先撕開。交代店員要先處理。店員一，一直不碰他。好像碰了他，就承認自己錯了。
店員二看封口已被撕開，拿了大杯，將飲料倒入。倒入後，還貼心的多加了幾顆珍珠。
到了店員一的手上後，奧客的眼睛傻了。
因為店員一....他將剩下兩分的容量，全部倒入冷開水....
封口後，老闆娘將飲料遞給奧客說：不好意思喔，給你弄成中杯了....
奧客終於忍不住：你這樣換大杯的有什麼意思？只給我加冷開水...
老闆娘很堅定的說：一定要加的啊！
奧客：剛才弄中杯的時候已經加了阿！
老闆娘：喔，不好意思。
排隊等飲料的客人越來越多。此時，奧客的最後一擊，就是大聲的回他：你們生意怎麼可以這樣做啊！
丟完這句話便掉頭就走...
接著，奧客喝了一杯奶茶水...並對自己說：以後絕對不會在光顧這家店...
沒錯，那個奧客就是我...

I own a copy of John Milton’s Paradise Lost with a preface written by the author of the trilogy His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman.  At the time of purchase, and even by the time I had gotten hold of my box set of the trilogy, I had not made the connection between the two works.  What had drawn me into reading the trilogy initially was my inclination towards getting myself familiarized with the plot, the story, the themes, and the characters before watching a film adaptation.  After completing the reading of His Dark Materials, I realized I had gotten more than what I had anticipated for.
The copy of Paradise Lost I had bought upon me an excruciating reading experience.  I could only look at the words, but not comprehend them.  It was not until I got myself an annotated Norton edition of Paradise Lost did I begin to appreciate the masterpiece a little more.  John Milton is one of the greatest English poets.  His Paradise Lost had inspired many, such as Blake and Wordsworth, just to name a few.  The masterpiece continues to inspire other contemporary artists.  Philip Pullman is one of those contemporary artists that have been inspired by this extraordinary work.  The title of the trilogy had been taken directly out of Milton’s words:
“Into this wild abyss,
The womb of nature and perhaps her grave,
Of neither sea, nor shore, nor air, nor fire,
But all these in their pregnant causes mixed
Confus’dly, and which thus must ever fight,
Unless the almighty maker them ordain
His dark materials to create more worlds…”[Book II, line 910]¹
This was enough to guarantee a decent reading.  Seeing a quoted verse of one of my beloved poets, William Blake, in the beginning of the Amber Spy Glass, the third installment of the trilogy, further reassured the quality of the reading.  You see, for me, is it not enough for a book to make it to the best-selling rack.  Neither is it ample for the author to be an Oxford graduate.  Any dope can write a book if they tried.  But for a book to reach a certain quality, the author must have enough inspiration to begin with, and pass on that inspiration to his readers as well.  Not many books have that power. 
After only a week since the purchase of the trilogy, I had completed the whole thing.  But I must admit, that I have not come to a full understanding of every theme.  However, I am quite satisfied to say that it has inspired me to continue to peruse the timeless masterpiece, the priceless legacy left to us by a might blind poet, John Milton.  I anticipate that after completing Paradise Lost, I will have a better understanding of the trilogy.  The trilogy has already helped me grasp a few elusive notions of the poem.  They work hand in hand, as any decent work of literature aught to. 
This is a book that is unfortunately been dismissed as mere fantasy.  The genre of fantasy is a mistake.  Just as people dismiss Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings as pure fantasy, this trilogy faces the same inevitable fate.  The idea that anything is ‘merely’ any one thing is most imprudent of any reader.  Writers create their own worlds because it is easier to promulgate certain ideas through completely imaginary characters, events, and worlds.  This is what we call ‘allegory’2 in the literary realm.  Nevertheless, I should suspect that even an average reader should be able to get ample entertainment out of it.
The film adaptation will be enjoyable entertainment.  Though I know it will never reach the level of satisfaction that the book has brought me. 
There is much I wish to discuss.  Let this be an introduction of the discussions that shall follow.  If you have not read the trilogy, and wish to do so someday, then you may skip the discussions and perhaps return when you have completed the reading.  If you have already read the trilogy, feel free to discuss your ideas and afterthoughts.  If you have not read it, and have no intention of reading it, ever, then you have wasted your time reading this, and I beseech you not to waste any more of your valuable time to read the discussions that follow.
*allegory: [Greek: to speak in other terms] a form of art which sustains simultaneously both literal and abstract levels of meaning…allegory is often though of as expanded or integrated combinations of metaphors, symbols, personification, in which the two levels of meaning are sustained with characters, actions, or ideas functioning not only in a literal surface meaning but on another level of implied meaning (moral or abstract teaching) not expressly stated.[2]
1. Milton, John. Pullman, Philip. Paradise Lost. Oxford, 2005.
2. The Reader’s Companion to World Literature. Second Ed., Signet Classic, 2002.

上次介紹金針菇煎蛋時有提到，家裡以前常常收到一大包金針菇。除了煎蛋之外，錢媽還自己發明了這道金針菇稀飯。錢媽的版本是加了五花肉。而茹素以前，也是把魚露當醬油拌著吃。現在介紹的是蛋奶素版的金針菇稀飯。
這是一道非常簡單，過程輕鬆的菜！一碗稀飯同時解決主菜以及配菜的麻煩。
準備的材料：
1. 兩杯米

被問到自己有沒有黃金羅盤，Philip Pullman*怎麼說？

其實重點不是他的回答。
請看他背後...
my dream bookshelf.....

【景點】自由廣場？
This is history. 這是歷史。[重點是背景...]
This is present. 這是現在式。
This is harmony.這是和諧。

基本上只要是小說改編的電影，我對那部電影的興趣就會大增。如果是我有興趣的小說，我會盡量在看電影之前把小說啃一啃。
I've always had a higher interest in movies that were adapted from novels or other works of literature.  If I happen to be interested in the original literary work, I'd always try to read it prior to watching the film version.
為什麼？
Why?
因為從middle school開始，一直到大學，常常被老師訓練比較小說與電影中的不同。導致現在把電影當作文學的一種附屬品。一種藝術品。大學去旁聽兒童文學[Children's Film and Literature][1]的時候，曾修過電影分析的講師說他的老師曾經在課程第一堂課警告他們：修完這堂課，你們將永遠無法再次享受看電影的樂趣。經過這麼多年的電影+小說分析經驗，我開始覺得我也沒辦法只把一部電影當做電影看待[2]。
Ever since middle school, I've been constantly trained to compare and contrast the difference between works of literature and their movie adaptations.  I've learned to treat films as a branch of literature, an art.  In college, the lecturer of the course Children's film and literature told us what her movie analysis professor had warned them the first day of class: You'll never be able to enjoy a movie ever again!  After all these years of movie/literature analysis, I don't think I can ever see a movie as merely a movie either.
上次去看Beowulf時候看到華納威秀天橋黃金羅盤的佈置，站在電視螢幕前看了整整十分鐘事後只能在DVD中看到的the Golden Compass幕後拍攝花序，覺得是我會有興趣看的小說。電影的卡司，除了我很愛的007，Daniel Craig，竟然連我很欣賞的Eva Green也在卡司中。電影，不用說，必看！小說，還得先去買回來再說。
When I was last at Warner Village, I stood in front of a television screen and watched the trailer and behind-the-scenes of the film version of the Golden Compass.  My favorite Bond, Daniel Craig was in it.  So was my favorite actress, Eva Green.  The film is a must see.  The novel, well, that's another adventure.
氣就氣在這。
This is where I started to get really annoyed.
上次找福爾摩斯已經體驗過一次，沒想到這次又來了！奇怪！這些書都不是很冷門，為什麼也要費盡我九牛二虎之力才能找到我想要的呢？
I've encountered the same problem when I was looking for Complete Sherlock Holmes.  I couldn't believe it happened again!  These books, should be considered main-stream reading?  Shouldn't they?  Why do I still have to go through such an ordeal to find what I want?
禮拜四上課前跑去永和誠品看。我對這間誠品已經徹底的失望了！分類分的亂七八糟。原文書也少的可憐！
Before work on Thursday, I went to the neighborhood Eslite.  Nope.  Well, not a surprise.  They rarely have anything I want.
8:30從學生家坐公車趕在9:00書林打烊之前到達。有是有，可是既然是三部曲，我不可能只讀一本。舊版的只有第一集跟第二集。新版的又只有第二集跟第三集。
After leaving my student's at 8:30, I got on a bus in hope to get to Bookman before it closes at 9:00.  Well, they did have it.  But they only had the first two of the trilogy in the old edition, and the last two of the trilogy in the new edition.   There was no way I was going to just read one book of a trilogy! 
我不死心。
I wouldn't give up.
又奔去誠品看。找了好久，都沒看到。僅看到一堆沒用的小說，或是我現在沒有興趣看的小說。忍不住去問小姐，還把中文名字記成『金色羅盤』。真丟臉。不過他的答案是：沒有貨。我想問他，別家分店有沒有。反正我禮拜五白天還有時間可以去找。小姐直接把電腦螢幕轉到我面前給我看：全省存庫－0000000000000。
I ran to Eslite and searched and searched.  Couldn't find a single copy!  I asked the lady, and even told her the wrong Chinese translation.  When she found the info I asked her to look for, she told me there wasn't a copy.  In fact, there wasn't a single copy in any of the Eslite branches.
天啊！
What the....?
不可置信！我甚至還對著小姐說：『怎麼可能沒有？你們是誠品耶！！』
You guys are ESLITE!
我看還離書林打烊時間剩五分鐘，馬上又奔回去書林問個清楚。果然是舊版新版都沒有完整的三部曲。
So I had to run back to Bookman within five minutes in hope they had a copy hidden somewhere.  Nope. 
我失望的回家。
I went home empty-handed.
心裡越想越覺得不可思議。
But isn't this unbelievable?
誠品耶！怎麼會沒有！
Eslite!?  Not having a single copy of the Golden Compass? 
回到家第一件事情就是開電腦！連上博客來！結果差點又找不到。有些網頁竟然開不起來。後來終於讓我買到了一整到＋收納盒的His Dark Materials三部曲。算算，還比在書林買三本便宜。
The first thing I did when I got home that night was to check books.com.  After a few agonizing trials, I finally found what I had been looking for.  His Dark Materials trilogy.  In a box.
在書還沒到之前，趕快把剩下的Walden啃完。
While I wait, I had to first, finish my last chapter of Walden.
這套書，竟然禮拜六就給我到了！
The box set arrived on Saturday!
所以接下來的任務，就是要趕在電影下檔前把小說啃完！再去電影院看電影版的囉！
My next mission is to finish, at least the Golden Compass, before I run to the theater and watch the movie.
[註]
1. 旁聽的原因是因為我當時學分已滿。而且又不想再增加自己的壓力，卻又很想上這們課。有趣的是，我這旁聽的好像還比有休學分的認真、有興趣說！
2. 一部電影如果沒辦法讓我寫出一篇感想，我就不會想再看第二次。即使是很爛或是我不喜歡的電影，只要可以讓我有足夠的靈感寫一篇感想其實也算是不錯的了。最糟糕的就是那種看完完全沒感想的電影....

Some interesting facts about Third Culture Kids
什麼是第三文化小孩？
所謂第三文化小孩(Third Culture Kids)是指童年時跟隨父母至異鄉成長的孩子。這些孩子除了父母傳承的文化，也無形間接收了成長期所居住國家的文化，形成屬於自己的第三文化。
Third culture kids refers to those who, during childhood, have followed their parents to a foreign country and have lived in other countries for sometimes longer than they have in their own country.  Not only do third culture kids absorb the culture passed down by their parents, but also the culture of the country in which they lived, thus forming their own unique 'third culture'.
研究顯示，無論是私人公司或是政府機關派出國，較優秀的人才一定會被作為優先考慮對象。父母離異的狀態下，很少有人會同意一方將孩子帶出境。因此第三文化小孩大多都有平穩的家庭關係即經濟狀況。
Research have shown that those who excel in their area of work are most likely to be sent abroad by either private companies or by the government.  Because it is more difficult for a divorced parent to take their kid abroad, due to the unlikely consent of the other parent, it results in the fact that most third culture kids come from stable family and economic backgrounds.
一般第三文化小孩父母不過就是在軍事單位、政府機關、傳教單位、或是商業公司服務。許多第三文化孩子都住過兩三個以上的國家。
Most of the parents of third culture kids may occupy positions in military or government offices, international business companies, or they may be missionaries.  Many third culture kids have lived in more than two or three countries during their childhood.
第三文化的孩子比較容易接受不同文化的思想、比較容易homesick、以及與遠方的朋友保持聯繫的慾望也比較高。大多數的第三文化小孩也都有不錯的英文能力。因為大多數的國際學校都採用英語為主要教受語言。
Third culture kids are more likely to accept ideas from different cultures, more susceptible to homesickness, and have stronger desire to stay in touch with distant friends.  Most third culture kids also have a certain command of English, since most international school, assuming that is where their parents would send them, uses English as the main language.
因為特別的文化背景，時常無法與有相同經驗的朋友們建立共同話題。雖然可以用所持護照表明自己的國籍，但對許多第三文化小孩來說，這其實是一個相當難回答的問題。這些孩子常常對於自己的國家早已陌生。若是常常居住不同國家，對當地文化也不會有太深入的了解。
Due to the unique cultural background, third culture kids may sometimes find it difficult to converse with those without a similar experience.  They may use their passport to define their nationality, but for many third culture kids, it is most difficult to associate themselves with any one country.  They may have lost the intimacy toward their own country, and if they often move to different countries, they may not know any one culture in depth.
[以上資料來源：wikipedia]