现代的“主义”太多了，而且只会越来越多,似乎任何词语后面都可以加上-ism的后缀。被一堆“主义”搞得晕头转向，研究了半天也没有搞清楚其中的精髓所在。一点点可怜而可贵的收获在于，明白了“主义”是方法，“主义”是思路，“主义”是角度。“主义”之间常常争论打架，但往往是各说其词，各抒已见，各打各的仗而交火不够。

     尽管千百年来人们在为追寻真理而上下求索，然而没有什么“主义”是完美无缺的，也没有一个“主义”是普世皆适的。“主义”应当有一个“定义域”，就好比牛顿的经典力学理论只在低速环境下成立，爱因斯坦的广义狭义相对论在后世也被发现并非绝对真理。也许唯一绝对的真理就是，真理是相对的。那么追求“绝对”、提出“绝对”口号、逼迫他人高喊“绝对”口号的人，其愚蠢程度恐怕不下于老人家笔下的宋襄公吧！

     回想那几个主流的“主义”，无论单拎出哪个来看，都是自圆其说，但也都不免有片面之处。我想，中国大概是发明不出太多的“主义”的，因为我们太怕把话讲满，太怕有鲜明的观点－－中庸才是硬道理。我们往往会说一方面如何如何，另一方面又如何如何，好像做数理化讨论题，要把每一种情况都包含进去，生怕漏掉哪一种可能性，而不好向后人交待。即使事态的趋势很明显，也千万要在文末添上一句“如果不出意外，则如何如何”。真的出了这样那样的意外，也可谢天谢地。

     这样的骑墙派应该去研究物理。爱因斯坦的观点很伟大－－光，既是波，也是粒子。

     X and Z are two best friends, like Woody Alan’s Vicky and Cristina.  Z believes that there is one Mr. Right in the world and it’s worth spending one’s lifetime to find him out, while X thinks that there are many Mr. Right’s and you can make do with anyone of them you meet. 

     Z appreciates the way Blair (from Gossip Girl) says to Chuck – “three words, three syllables, eight letters and I’ll be yours”.  She likes the song “Think of Me” from the Phantom of the Opera – “Say you’ll love me every waking moment, say the words and I will follow you”.  She agrees with what Marilyn Monroe sang in When I fall in love.

     X never uses the “L” word.  “I’ll never ever fall in love with anybody!” She says, “I am not a fall-in-love person.  And it’s not sad for me to be out of love.  I would try to distract myself and I would be fine very soon.”  She desides that she must get herself married before 30 – that’s the deadline.  “I chose him because I feel good with him, But I will never say I like him.”

     X thinks that Z is an idealist, while X is not a realist in Z’s eyes.  They don’t like each other’s boyfriend, which, again, proves that one man’s meat is another man’s poison, but they care about each other, which both of them are sure of.  They suggest to each other and never judge.  It’s a wonder to others that bad words are often agreeable. 

     Anyway, it takes all kinds to make a world.  Z is going to find the One and X is going to find one of the Many.

     Vicky Cristina Barcelona.  It’s a movie with great music.  It’s a movie with a narrator.  It’s a story about one man and three women.  It’s about two best friends, one of which thinks she knows what she wants while the other is only certain of what she doesn’t want.  It’s about marriage and relationship and their unfulfillment and some balance they need.  And again, it’s about women.  Women’s desire.

    What do women want?  This is an old question without a correct answer.  Do you know what exactly you want for your life?  Maybe you don’t, but you are unaware that you don’t until one day someone inspire the hidden part in you, like Vicky, the realest character in the movie, who will end up with an affair like Judy as Woody Alan explained.  And worries and suspicion bought up by this uncertainty begin to haunt women after they watch the movie.  It’s a warning, anyhow.

     It’s wired to see a killer from No Country for Old Man turn into a charming artist in Barcelona, a perfect place for the story.  It’s great to see his eccentric freak ex-wife is played by Penelope Cruz, who is perfect for the role.  And it surprised me when I got to know that the actor and actress, both from Spain, were lovers in real life.  Wow!

     If a good movie is a delicious meal, good reviews must be dessert – I enjoy both.  It feels awesome to watch a movie without seeing any trailers or introduction of it beforehand and noticing how much time is left on the timeline of the player in the whole process of the entertainment.  Just let it start and let it end, as naturally as possible. 

     And, of course, I need someone to talk to about it.

    前几天在HBO上看《怪物史莱克》，突然质疑：“Prince Charming”为什么要翻译成“白马王子”呢？难道王子都要骑白马？王子为什么要骑白马呢？某人说，“白马王子”非骑白马的王子，意在像白马一样帅气的男子。算是一次不错的尝试吧！当时我想到的是那句“君骑白马傍垂杨”。“墙头马上遥相顾”，哇，配上合适的阳光和音乐效果，再来点一二级的轻风，那个意境啊！还有，人见人爱、妖见妖爱的唐僧不也是骑白马的吗？人家是御弟，跟王子的档次也差不多吧！

    猜想罢，要拿出点可以当脚注或参考文献之类的东西了。据韦氏词典讲，“Prince Charming”源自1856年的《灰姑娘》童话（至于Cinderella这个名字怎么为译成“灰姑娘”又是另一回事了）。而最早的“白马王子”是赵子龙，“白马银枪纵横处，玉面公子属赵郎”。连小乔都发出感叹：嫁当今王子，不如嫁此白马少年！

    而史莱克的酷就酷在它是一个“反公主王子”式的反常规童话，好比布什的“反智主义”哈！

007: Quantum of Solace：★★★
24: Redemption：★★★★
Burn after Reading: ★★★★
Cold Mountain: ★★★★★
Flight of The Red Balloon(Le Voyage du ballon rouge): ★★★
Kit Kittredge An American Girl: ★★★
Legends of the Fall：★★★★
Mamma mia：★★
National Treasure：★★★★
National Treasure: Book of Secrets：★★★
Onegin(1999)：★★★
Tropic Thunder：★★★
The Savages：★★★★
The Women：★★★★★
Transsiberian：★
爱情呼叫转移II：★★
霸王别姬：★★★★★
梅兰芳：★★★
女人不坏：★★
桃花运：★★★

Strongly recommended:

This poster of “the Women” is very interesting in that so many elements of women’s life are included: the girlfriends, the joy, the bonding, the betrayals, the breakups, the makeups, the sex, the fun, the jealousy, the gossip, the success, the struggles, the marriage, the divorce, the beauty, the warmth, the work, the family, the dreams, the career, the husbands, the kids, the laughter, the tears, the secrets, the support, the lovers, the fighters, the balance, the intuition, the thighs, the shoes, the diets, the trust, the loyalty, the lies, the intellect, the elegance, the confidence, the doubt, the mothers, the daughters,   the compassion, the courage, the humor, the passion, the love, the friendship.  And the WOMEN.

    2009年元旦假期中最搞笑的事莫过于问路－－两个中国人向两个外国人问路，中国人用英语问路，外国人用汉语回答。其中一个中国人就是我。临别前才意识到，可以说“谢谢”，不必说“thank you”。

    越来越发现，人和人有太多太多的不同了！还是NCE里学到的那句话：One man’s meat is another man’s poison.  《欲望都市》里有一句模仿的，大概是One woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure. 严重同意！