Men are either reptiles or from Mars…

First of all, I have to clarify; I have not read either book.

To follow my logic, you have to somehow believe in the following two statements:

1) Reincarnation: there is a next life, we will become someone or something in our next life.
2) If you have your ears pierced, you will become a woman in your next life. It is a traditional belief in Taiwanese cultural, I think.

Here is the theory, most women have their ears pierced, so according to 2), they should become women in their next life. There are many guys who also have pierced ears, so according to 2), they should also become women in their next life.

Here is the problem, if most women stay women in their next life, and many men become women in their next life…. where do men come from? According to 1), we all come from somewhere, so many men must be the reincarnation of bugs, frogs, animals, or even aliens from Mars!

Maybe, there is a merit to the book, “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus”? Again, I have not read that book before… :)

一個有關快樂的故事...

我第一次從加拿大回台灣的時候，已經在溫哥華待了5年了，我拜訪了小時候一直都很親的小舅。

小舅見到我的時候，不但已經5年沒見到我，他也5年沒見到我媽了。身為家中長女，我媽對家中最小的小舅特別照顧，我小舅也和她最親。

小舅很想問問母親的近況，所以他就問『媽媽快樂嗎？』

我很快的想把母親最近都在作什麼說給他聽，『哦，她會去做義工，去帶團...』沒想到，小舅打斷了我的話，『不要跟我說那個，告訴我媽媽快樂嗎？』

我才仔細的想了想，『她很快樂』...

小舅的問題一直的留在我心中，人生不過這幾年，有多少東西去煩惱，去爭，但到頭來，什麼是比『快樂』還要重要的？

我覺得人生的旅途就是在尋找自己的快樂...

Before Sunset...

It was in 1994, when Jesse and Celine met each other and spent a night together in Vienna. They felt a connection and promised each other to meet again at the same spot in six months.

It is now 2004, Jesse and Celine met again in Paris, after Jesse had written a book about his encounter in Vienna and became a bestseller. However, this time they only had 80 minutes to decide if they want to be with each other. Jesse has to be on the plane to New Year...

This time around with renewed sense of closeness, they discussed Desire, Society, Death and of course, Love. This time around, they are older and more depressed. Jesse is married with kids, but not terribly happy, and Celine thinks she is "dying inside because she feels numb".

First question I had, was that did they actually meet like they promised? It turns out that Celine did not make it, but Jesse was alone at Vienna for a few days. They have crossed paths without even knowing they were living in the same city...

This is another great movie, both characters have grown and it feels like we can see that transformation too.

Again, there are a few great scenes. The walk and talk in back alleys, sitting on the bench asking each other tough questions.

There was a scene when Celine said to Jesse, "People just have an affair or even entire relationships, they break up and then they move on like they would have changed brand of cereals, I could not do that...", then, Jesse confessed to her, "You know why I wrote that book? So you might come to a reading in Paris, and I could walk up to you and ask 'where the fuck were you?'... I wrote it in way to find you"

When Jesse walked up to Celine's apartment, there was an awkward quietness, reminds me of the moment in the record listening booth in 1994. However, this time, they did not avert their eyes, they looked at each other and smiled. As if they knew each other, and there is nothing else they should be afraid of.

My favourite moment was when Celine sings to Jesse while playing a guitar,

Let me sing you a waltz

"Let me sing you a waltz
Out of nowhere, out of my thoughts
Let me sing you a waltz
About this one-night stand
You were, for me, that night
Everything I always dreamt of in life
But now you're gone
You are far-gone
All the way to your island of rain
It was, for you, just a one-night thing
But you were much more to me
Just so you know

I don't care what they say
I know what you meant for me that day
I just want another try
I just want another night

Even it it doesn't seem quite right
You meant, for me, much more
Than anyone I've met before
One single night with you, little Jesse
Is worth a thousand with anybody

I have no bitterness, my sweet
I'll never forget this one-night thing
Even tomorrow, in other arms,
My heart will stay yours until I die

Let me sing you a waltz
Out of nowhere, out of my blues
Let me sing you a waltz
About this lovely one-night stand"

I even feel my emotion flowing thru during that simple song...

Finally, Jesse put on a record, Nina Simons, Celine starts dancing solo while Jesse watched, then she said "baby you are going to miss that plane", he said, "I know"...

Before Sunrise...

I have just wached Before Sunrise. It is about two young twenty year olds drifted into each other in the middle of their own journeys. They spent a night at Vienna, they talked about love, parents, life... They had strong feelings towards each other, but they both knew, by sunrise, they have to go their separate ways.

I love the film, other than the fact that it is not a big budget film. It is shot beautifully, but not in an intimitating way. The conversations are smart and the characters are convincing and relatable.

Most importantly, the story, it feels like what I have just gone thru.

There are a few scenes I love, the best scene was in an old record store. When Jesse and Celine were trying a record in a small listening booth. They just met each other less than one hour ago, and they were checking each other out, but everytime when Jesse put his eyes on Celine everytime she looks away, he would have a smile on his face. Maybe thinking, "I could really fall for this woman". Celine would do the same, with the same smile, thinking, "I could really see myself with this man". However, they will avert their eyes just when the other person is turning around... very cute and very lovely...

There is also my favourite quote, Celine shared her thought in an anonymous back alley, she said,

"If there is any magic in this world, it must be in the attempt of understanding someone sharing something... I know, it is almost impossible to succeed, but who cares really? The answer must be in the attempt"

Finally, when they just had their first argument, they bumped into a poet, who will charged them a fee for writing a poem on any word they give him. Jesse and Celine decided on "Milkshakes"

"Daydream Delusion
Limousine Eyelash

Oh baby with your pretty face
Drop a tear in my wine glass
Look at those big eyes
See what you mean to me
Sweetcakes and milk shakes

I am a delusion angel
I am a fantasy parade
I want you to know what I think
Don't want you to guess anymore
You have no idea where I came from
We have no idea where we're going

Lodged in life
Like branches in the river
Flowing downstream
Caught in the current

I carry you
You'll carry me
That's how it could be
Don't you know me
Don't you know me by now?"

When they separated at the end of the film, they promised each other to meet again in six months at the same spot...

失戀是什麼感覺...

失戀的感覺很多人都有過，是他/她跟你說對你已經沒感覺的時候？是他/她甩上門的時候？

什麼時候才會有這刻苦銘心的痛？

我最近的感覺是昨天，

溫哥華的天氣已經轉冷了，停在門外的車有一層薄薄的霜，我上車把暖氣開到最強，去車內的霧氣。

她留下的指痕還在，我的名字和她的名字還在窗上...

我呆呆的看著我們的名字，在暖氣中慢慢的消失，窗上的指痕還在，但人和心都不在了，我們拿回了'L'字，不再提起'F'字...

兩個人好像走得很近的兩條線，相會了一陣子，又分開了，什麼後會再相遇？

暖氣替車內加了溫，也消去了字跡，但我的心還是有那字跡，還是冷的，我才真正的了解我是徹底的失戀了... 一瞬間，有種很想哭的感覺，是惋惜？還是解脫？

人生中如果沒有失去，就不會珍惜擁有的感覺，但每次的失去，都讓自己對失去多了些麻醉，我擔心我還會不會珍惜擁有？...