il Giardino Romantico

有人開始吃素後覺得自己比吃葷食的人慈悲、有愛心。難道植物他沒有生命嗎？英國詩人Percy Bysshe Shelley主張素食的原因是因為他認為人類在人體構造上原本就應該是『草食性動物』[1]。但無論你對吃素的想法如何，植物在大自然中、對我們所有生物的重要性是不可否定的事實。他們提供了住所、食物、空氣。
以下這部紀錄片會讓你愛上大自然，讓你珍惜地球，並且使你想更積極的為這些植物伸出援手－努力節省資源做環保。

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The Private Life of Plants - Social Struggle
Written and Presented by

星期天。
這幾個禮拜幾乎都在當宅女。早上起來第一件事，就是看左邊的Blogcaster有沒有新文章。再來就是檢查信箱，看有沒有留言、回復通知，順便追蹤還沒到手新書是否已經出貨。這幾週，我不是在瀏覽部落格，就是在看書。沒有在做這兩件事的時候，就是在上課。
禮拜六早上得特早起來。如果六點半是一個習慣，也許你不會懂這對一個平時九點多、十點才起床的人來說是多麼大的挑戰。不過我很得意的是，我從來沒有一次會賴床，或甚至遲到。只要有重要的事情，我一定會強迫自己爬起來。連上完兩個團體班之後，吃飯。吃完飯，走十五分鐘至捷運站。到站後，在走十分鐘到學生家。下課後，我體力也差不多用盡了。常常在八九點就需要補眠一下。累得話也許可以一覺到天亮。
除非早早安排，不然一般星期天我都是希望很悠哉的渡過。
這天早上起來，還是依照這幾個禮拜的生活模式－先上網。

此篇文章受密碼保護，請輸入密碼後閱讀。

 [Warning: Contain very inconvenient truths.
Do not proceed if you believe 'Ignorant is Strength'!]
It must have been more than ten years since I first encountered George Orwell's classic disutopian novel, 1984. The novel had such a profound impact on some two dozen teenagers that we decided to name our senior trip fund-raiser hunted house 'Room 101' that year. It happened that we had a room 101 on campus. It was the perfect venue for our little Halloween project. We covered up every window with layers of black garbage bags and newspaper. Once the lights were turned off, the room was completely dark. Then we used chairs, tables, and anything else we could find, to construct a maze inside the light-free room. It was such a success, that I was discouraged from going in and experiencing it myself. I saw little kids crying like I had never seen before. At the time, I was in charge of selling tickets. The event was supposed to end at noon. At around one, there was still a long line of people waiting to go through this maze. I forgot how much we raised, but I shall never forget the impact that this novel had on me and my fellow classmates.
Years have gone by, and sometimes I still recall certain details from the book. Whenever a film or novel of similar purposes was mentioned, 1984 would always be brought up. The details of the plot had long been forgotten. Only bits and pieces of the notions of Newspeak, Doublethink, and Thoughtcrime remained intact. After having exposed myself to a little esoteric readings and films, I decided it was time to gather my strength and revisit 1984.
The impact this second reading had on me, was way more intense than what it did to me during my first reading. Therefore, I believe a good book always deserves at least a second reading. This time round, I had realized how prophetic Orwell had been. The conclusion I came up with was that 1984 is not a science fiction, but a prophecy.

在不起眼的永和，有一個奇妙的地方。它在一個毫不起眼的角落，以和平與尊重為主軸，容納下全世界所有的宗教文化。
在這裡，沒有種族、宗教、文化衝突。
在這裡，一切都是和諧的、美好的。
它是世界宗教博物館。

看到上篇士林官邸會不會覺得好像沒什麼看頭？
其實這裡有名的是她的玫瑰園。不過因為還不到玫瑰盛開的季節[註]，所以看不到一整片的玫瑰盛開美景。話雖如此，拍拍單朵玫瑰，趁人不多的時候認識認識一些品種，好像也不錯。這個靈感是來自hinlin的大家來認識植物系列文章喔！

Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code had perhaps shocked the world, Christians and non-Christians alike, with its fictitious plot surrounding the hypothesis that not only did Jesus once live, he got married and left a bloodline.  Dan Brown's novel could not have existed without Holy Blood Holy Grail.
Michael Baigent and co-authors Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln are three meticulous researchers that had put together pieces of a puzzle together in a book to share their findings to the world.  Holy Blood and Holy Grail is a history book.  It is well researched and contains extremely intricate details that support their hypothesis.  Jesus was a man.  He got married.  He had a son.  The woman he probably married was Mary Magdalene.  It is most likely that he had never been crucified.
I do not claim to be a Christian.  I had never been baptized.  Yet I cannot deny the impact Christianity and the teachings of Jesus had on me.  Therefore, I believe I can offer a rather objective insight.  Was it so important whether or not Jesus was a divinity?  Does it make him less respectable having been married and having bore a child?  His teachings remained the same.  This discovery may be shocking to Christians who have been taught to respect Jesus as a divinity.  Quite on the contrary, this very same discovery did not, in anyway, diminished the impact of his teaching on me.  In fact, it merely fortified it. 
In just the same way that Roman and/or Greek mythology does not inspire me more than legends of ordinary human beings, Jesus' mortality actually causes my respect for him to strengthen.  What is so interesting about gods and goddess that have special power and have little or no weaknesses at all?  The true beauty of legends and myths is the notion of an ordinary being confronting great challenges.  So wouldn't Jesus' morality make him even a greater hero?
I've once promulgated here, how I am all religion.  Someone asked me if that meant I am, at the same time, no religion.  I believe the core of all religion.  What the teachings of these religions wished to do for humanity.  They offer salvation and improve humanity.  What I am not, is the religious groups and organizations that had gotten together claiming to offer these essences of religion, but in reality they offer nothing of the ilk.
And thus I'd like to end this review with a quote from one of the authors of the book Holy Blood Holy Grail: "Everybody has, within them, some divinity and that they can discover that themselves."
Listen to radio interview with author Michael Baigent

Click the links for more
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

為什麼會突然想去士林官邸？記得去年去故宮時，因為過年期間去的，我們一路從捷運士林站走到故宮。所以有經過。當時我就想要找時間來看看。前一天晚上，學生突然打電話來說因為要看牙醫無法上課。禮拜二本來就很閒的我，這下可是一整天都沒課。悠閒的一天，卻因為裝了無限網路後，很容易就變成縱容自我的一天。所以掛完電話馬上很堅決的告訴自己：明天一定不能一整天待在家裡！
What made me want to come here? I remember the 'unforgettable' walking trip to the Palace Museum last year.  We walked because it was during Chinese New Year, and the traffic was terrible.  I saw this place on the way, and wanted to make a special trip some day.  My student called the night before and canceled our Tuesday class due to a dentist appointment.  Tuesdays are usually my easiest days, now that she'd cancel our class, I had the whole day off.  I could stay at home and sit in front of the computer all day and waste this wonderful mid-week holiday, or I could do something special.  Guess what my final decision was!
吃完午餐，又處理了一些事情後一路坐捷運做到士林站。一開始有點搞不清楚方向，但後來漸漸的想起去年去故宮的路程。看到熟悉的景象，也想起了不在我身邊的他。不過我一點都不感傷。因為我知道他過的很好。看到我分享這些照片，他也會很開心。

到了101晃了老半天，兩個明明都是女人，卻對琳琅滿目的名牌商店興趣缺缺。一到三樓晃完後乾脆還是到Page One去！果然...才進去不到五分鐘一個躲在文學區，另一個則是窩到童書區去了。天曉得隔了多久我們才捨得離開。
不過Page One雖然是台北規模最大的外文書店，我這次卻還是有找不到的書。儘管如此，我在敗了兩本，帶著衣帆伊凡小姐到四樓的中庭。今天很熱鬧，因為正在辦法拉力車展。中庭幾個月前將Barista 跟 Dante 撤掉換成Kaffee Amadeus跟London Tea House後就一直想來試試。所以今天要試哪一家，我就給衣帆伊凡小姐決定。他選了這家。

[有點長喔...]
原本打算聖誕節當天，在晚上聽演唱會[演奏會]前來個泡湯之旅。心靈要淨化、身體也要來個淨化。沒想到卻意外的發生了以下的小插曲。不過在看完後，也許你會明白，為什麼我選擇不公開此店家的大名...
3:20分左右，我到了北投捷運站。問了詢問處的小姐接駁車的資訊，得知在3:30會有一班。興高采烈的去站牌那等著。跟我一起等的還有一團疑似是從香港來的旅客們。我想說他們可能是一起的，就沒跟他們搶著排隊。乖乖的到後面去等。
3:30接駁車準時到達。很棒。