I was featured on Today on Tuesday for All the People Imagine. Check out the pdf article here.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
李白 <<山中问答>> - no link (yet)
Haven't written an entry for sneak in sometime. So happy lunar new year to everyone and hope that everyone will be happy.
Came across this nice poem from Li Bai to share with you here.
<<山中问答>>
问余何意栖碧山，wen4 yu2 he2 yi4 qi1 bi4 shan1
笑而不答心自闲。xiao4 er2 bu4 da2 xin1 zi4 xian2
桃花流水窅然去， tiao2 hua1 liu2 shui3 yao2 ran2 qu4
别有天地非人间。bie2 you3 tian1 di4 fei1 ren2 jian1
Line by line rough explain:
1- someone asks (me) why I go live in the mountain
2- smile/laugh but don't answer. (my) heart is relax.
3- cherry blossoms fall into the flowing water and gets carried away (until I cannot see)
4- this place has a different sky and water, and is not earth, ie. like the heaven.
Personally, and egocentrically, I feel that it explains why I would want to quit my job and spend afternoons looking at the clouds or how the north wind blows everything here and there. I don't see cherry blossoms on flowing water, but say, watching the chameleon lizard run around and climb trees, and finding it again after hearing a fall or tumbling through the tree, and then see that it has caught an insect between its jaw, and distinctly hearing the sound of the crunch crunch crunch...
it's almost the same sound of fried grasshoppers between the jaws of my friends sitting next to me when we were hanging out in Thailand some years ago. I also ate grasshopper. But back then was concentrating on how disgusting it was. But now to the think of it, should have ate it and imagine that that's how a frog or lizard feels like everyday. Next time when I should meet them in dreams, then I will be able to relate to them in that different level...
What a long simile and side-track. Anyway, but to have experience the peace and delight of my heart still enough to hear the sound of the crunch of the prey of the garden lizard... is something that can really relax me on those dull-jobless-wtf-Recruit-is-3-page-long-again??-days. Like remembering the lizard at interviews will make me feel like standing up and saying, "aiyah, life is too short to be working for you la."
If people ask me why I quit my job to go and do these bo liao things, I also dun know how to answer. Tell them, "because i'm a bit siao" or "because...for the heck of it" or "to write a book", or "to take a break"? Well, all the above is true, but all the above can't accurately describe how all in all it's a good thing, so i also want to "smile and don't answer, ownself feel shiok", but because I don't want to be rude, I will say something simple, and then try to change topic.
So Li Bai's poem puts it well. I do relate to his protagonist here. If people ask me why I quit my job and go and do these bo liao things, my sincerest answer is to quote <<山中问答>> and walk away (or smile and walk away). But if I were to really do that, I'll just feel gek sey and rude also. So, you know, some things can be talked about, and never done, and left better at that. Just as how some times can't be talked about, and left better at that.
Perhaps before this experience and I read the poem or idling things liek that, I'll be like thinking, ah, very charming idyllic picture thing. but after this experience I'll feel, that it can be lived, even for a while. I hope when you're reading me waxing lyrical here about zo bo-ing, you'll feel less distance, at least i'm not from the tang dynasty.
A very important note to take if you're thinking of taking a break from work: Weather is a very important consideration for timing. eg. If you don't like rain, then don't quit during the rainy season, because you'll just be very pekchek. May is the month of great heat. December-January has good northwind. Personally, I'd recommend Dec-Jan, but xmas and newyears takes up a lot of social time. That said, do remember being jobless can also suck big time. so ya. That's life. Do whatever you want.
祝大家 笑口常开 无优无虑.
Came across this nice poem from Li Bai to share with you here.
<<山中问答>>
问余何意栖碧山，wen4 yu2 he2 yi4 qi1 bi4 shan1
笑而不答心自闲。xiao4 er2 bu4 da2 xin1 zi4 xian2
桃花流水窅然去， tiao2 hua1 liu2 shui3 yao2 ran2 qu4
别有天地非人间。bie2 you3 tian1 di4 fei1 ren2 jian1
Line by line rough explain:
1- someone asks (me) why I go live in the mountain
2- smile/laugh but don't answer. (my) heart is relax.
3- cherry blossoms fall into the flowing water and gets carried away (until I cannot see)
4- this place has a different sky and water, and is not earth, ie. like the heaven.
Personally, and egocentrically, I feel that it explains why I would want to quit my job and spend afternoons looking at the clouds or how the north wind blows everything here and there. I don't see cherry blossoms on flowing water, but say, watching the chameleon lizard run around and climb trees, and finding it again after hearing a fall or tumbling through the tree, and then see that it has caught an insect between its jaw, and distinctly hearing the sound of the crunch crunch crunch...
it's almost the same sound of fried grasshoppers between the jaws of my friends sitting next to me when we were hanging out in Thailand some years ago. I also ate grasshopper. But back then was concentrating on how disgusting it was. But now to the think of it, should have ate it and imagine that that's how a frog or lizard feels like everyday. Next time when I should meet them in dreams, then I will be able to relate to them in that different level...
What a long simile and side-track. Anyway, but to have experience the peace and delight of my heart still enough to hear the sound of the crunch of the prey of the garden lizard... is something that can really relax me on those dull-jobless-wtf-Recruit-is-3-page-long-again??-days. Like remembering the lizard at interviews will make me feel like standing up and saying, "aiyah, life is too short to be working for you la."
If people ask me why I quit my job to go and do these bo liao things, I also dun know how to answer. Tell them, "because i'm a bit siao" or "because...for the heck of it" or "to write a book", or "to take a break"? Well, all the above is true, but all the above can't accurately describe how all in all it's a good thing, so i also want to "smile and don't answer, ownself feel shiok", but because I don't want to be rude, I will say something simple, and then try to change topic.
So Li Bai's poem puts it well. I do relate to his protagonist here. If people ask me why I quit my job and go and do these bo liao things, my sincerest answer is to quote <<山中问答>> and walk away (or smile and walk away). But if I were to really do that, I'll just feel gek sey and rude also. So, you know, some things can be talked about, and never done, and left better at that. Just as how some times can't be talked about, and left better at that.
Perhaps before this experience and I read the poem or idling things liek that, I'll be like thinking, ah, very charming idyllic picture thing. but after this experience I'll feel, that it can be lived, even for a while. I hope when you're reading me waxing lyrical here about zo bo-ing, you'll feel less distance, at least i'm not from the tang dynasty.
A very important note to take if you're thinking of taking a break from work: Weather is a very important consideration for timing. eg. If you don't like rain, then don't quit during the rainy season, because you'll just be very pekchek. May is the month of great heat. December-January has good northwind. Personally, I'd recommend Dec-Jan, but xmas and newyears takes up a lot of social time. That said, do remember being jobless can also suck big time. so ya. That's life. Do whatever you want.
祝大家 笑口常开 无优无虑.
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