表兄妹結婚

06/27/2008

Son of No. 2：「I want to get marry with cousin in the future, because I like her very much.」

 

Mother：「You cannot get marry with cousin due to our law disallow such situation.」

 

Son of No. 2：「Why does our law disallow it?」

 

Mother：「In order for eugenics purpose, because the couple will bear the stupid baby if they are cousinhood.」

 

Son of No. 2：「Mom, you and Dad are cousinhood, right?」

 

Mother：「Of course not, why do you think so?」

Son of No. 2：「Because I find I am very stupid……….」

 

Mother …………

Drizzle‧Heerbrugg

 

6/03/2008, what will you recall under the drizzle?  It will recall me for the

memory in Heerbrugg.  Heerbrugg is a small town near by St. Gallen of

Switzerland, for business purpose, I had stayed in that town for a couple

of months in 2004.  When the first step footed on airport of Zurich, mood

 was heavy……. Because I knew there were a lot of problems waiting for

me to dissolve and clarify, this trip was not a sightseeing for sure……. 

Switzerland is very beautiful country, however, I cannot feel its beauty at

that time since the heart was coped by dark clouds………

 

In April of 2004, it was always drizzly as today’s weather, remembering

one Sunday morning, in order to release the tired body and pressure, I went

out from hotel even though it was rainy.  To walk along the road for 3 hours,

no destination..... just walking and walking and walking……… The rain

doted on my face and cool air intruded into my lung, there was no people

on the road, only had few dogs on the side.

 

Year 2004 is unforgettable….. Frequently, pull the luggage to walk in the

airport and wait alone in the departure lounge, to and fro Zurich, London,

Paris, Taipei…..That year was filled with traveling, and heart was occupied

by solitude……………….

 

 

 

The women in painting—by Gustav Klimt

Portrait of Baroness Elisabeth Bachofen (1914)

                       Mäda Primavesi (1912)

Lady with Fan (1917)

         The Dancer (1916 - 1918)

 

The women in painting whose expression are calm, perhaps, are a little

bit delighted but are not too much, they seem to think something when

we stare at their eyes.  Klimt set up those women in two different worlds,

one is real, the other is fantastic.  Women were draw realistically, but the

backgrounds were arranged as a fictitious world, through such composition,

women did not exist alone in the painting, there was a bustling world

around her.  The women and their backgrounds seem to be not correlate,

but they set off each other via contrast.

 

Looking at these paintings, they inspire me to think of the “Art Deco” and

“Mix and Match” even if I know Klimt did not has any relation with those

design movements.  I wonder why Klimt utilized the Oriental objects (such as

Chinese opera characters, phoenix) to decorate the Western women portraits,

supposedly, this kind of arrangement might make the painting to be odd,

however, after his deliberate and painstaking drawing, those portraits were

presented in very unique and aesthetic feel.

 

 

 

 

 

Jealousness

05/19/2008

Mother and son are eating the lunch……

Son of No. 2：「What is “associate”?」

Mother：「Association is a kind of imagination, it will connect something in your mind or imagination when you perceive something.   For example: It will associate with 粽子when you see the dragon boat.」

Mother：「Do you understand?」

Son of No. 2：「……..Perhaps……...」

Mother ：「Well, another example: It will associate with your Dad when I see you.」

Son of No. 2：「Why does it associate with Dad when you see me?」

Mother：「Because you and Dad are alike whatever is for face or considerate heart.」

Son of No. 2：「Hum……Dad is not so considerate as me, he has never help you to put the dishes in order, but I always do that for you.」…………

Mother snigger…………

Indian KathaKali

 

5/3/2008 in National Palace Museum, KathaKali was performed starting

from 6:30 pm.  In accordance with the host’s indtroduction and

Mr. 吳德朗’s statements: Kathakali means a story play or a dance

drama.  It originated from Ramanattom and Krishnanattom, and was

belonging to the South-Western coastal state of Kerala.  Kathakali is primarily

a dance drama form and is extremely colourful with billowing costumes, flowing

scarves, ornaments and crowns. The dancers use a specific type of symbolic

makeup to portray various roles which are character-types rather than individual

characters. Various qualities, human, godlike, demonic, etc., are all represented

through fantastic make-up and costumes.  

 

Since I did not take pictures on the scene, so try to get some photos (see the

attachments) from web for reference.  This performance is bring me to remember

the Japanese traditional drama, Noh, played in National Palace Museum on

2/3/2007.  To compare Indian KathaKali with Japanese Noh, there are some

findings as following:

 

1.     Face:

The performers of KathaKali will make up and use different colors to portray

the characters, such as:

 

“green” is used to portray noble male characters;

“green background with red beard” is used to portray evil;

“lustrous and yellowish” is used to portray women and ascetics;

“black” is used to portray uncivilized hunters.

 

This kind of concept is similar to Chinese Beijing opera.  As for Noh, the main

actor will wear the mask, and the side player will not do so.  The Noh masks

normally portray female or nonhuman characters.  Several types of masks, in

particular for female roles, are designed for slight adjustments in the position of

the head can express a number of emotions such as fear or sadness due to the

variance in lighting and the angle shown towards the audience.  However, it is

not always possible to convey emotion for those masks of deities and monsters. 

Usually, these performers are not frequently called to change emotional expression

during the course of the scene, or show emotion through larger body language. 

Pursuant to the history, the roots of Noh can be traced back to the Tang

Dynasty’s theatricals, I wonder why it cannot be found the reflection of Chinese

opera on the point of “Face”.

 

2.     Music

 

The actors of KathaKali never speak, its songs are set for “ragas” based on

Carmatic music.  The instruments include a cylindrical drum, a drum held

horizontally, cymbals and a gong.  In addition to those instruments, there

are two vocalists render the songs to compose Kathakali music.  Noh is

chanted drama, the singing in Noh involves a limited tonal range, with lengthy,

repetitive passages in a narrow dynamic range. Apparently, melody is not the

focus of Noh singing.  Still, texts are poetic, relying heavily on the Japanese

seven-five rhythm common to nearly all forms of Japanses poetry.  From the

rhythm point of view, Kthakali’s music is more vivid than Noh’s.

 

3.     Acting

 

Since KathaKali’s actors never speak, hence, the body performance will be

very important to it.  Some particular facial expressions were developed to help

for telling the story, which are love, ridicule, fear, pity, anger, courage, disgust,

amazement, and peace.  Within the performance of this time, actor’s eye

movements is impressive of me very much, his eyeballs can move very very fast

from any angle.  Furthermore, characters used hand-gesture to enhance the 

facial xprssions and unfold the tex of the drama.   Mention to Noh, since its main

actor have to wear the mask, withhout facial expression, we have to rely on

player’s body language to know the emotion and will what they conveyed. 

As our awareness, for Japanese culture, people care about the compliance of

social regulations more than the will of individual.  Regarding this point, Noh

seems to interpret the personality of Janpanese society appropriately.

 

That night, with ending the KathaKali performance, husband, kids and I went

for the night market in a delight mood to eat some snacks.  Like to watch

performances since they always bring some different feels to enrich the flat life. 

In addition, through approaching the traditional performance of other countries,

we can know their culture and people more or less, ……..more understanding,

less fighting……..

 

Wind‧Azure Blue Sky

5/13/2008, it is windy and sky is azure blue, wind is a little bit cool like

as the one in autumn.  To feel the wind at this moment, it brings me to

remember Rossetti’s poem:

 

Who has seen the wind?

Neither I nor you:

But when the leaves hang trembling

The wind is passing thro’.

 

Who has seen the wind?

Neither you nor I:

But when the trees bow down their heads

The wind is passing by.

 

 

 

Watching the blue sky, it brings me to remember the same sky in Paris

on 6/27/1992, at that time, I stand in the front of Arc de Trimphe and

looked up at the sky to praise its color, how azure blue it was………….

Paris of 1992, it is my first time to go France, as for the language capability:

English was poor and French was none, but what I have only was a young

heart with a lot of bravery.  That trip was an adventure for me, it contained

bitter and sweet, whatever it contained, I enjoyed it for all. 

 

 

Time fleets so soon, Paris of 1992 has been far away from me, but its

scenery was branded on my mind, sometimes, it recurs unexpectedly

cause of meeting the similar circumstances.  The memory it left which is

hard to be erased and replaced even though I have re-visited Paris later on.

 

Memories are locked in a box, and the key could be anything, may be

weather, color, scent, touch,…….   Once the proper key shows up, those

sealed memories will spring………..

 

 

全身上下都可愛

05/03/2008

Mother and son are walking in MRT……

Mother：「Do you know why Mammy love you so much?」

Son of No. 2 reply in confidence：「Because I am very cute.」

Mother：「Which part of you is cute, you think?」

Son of No. 2：「From head to toes, everywhere is……...」

Mother………….