Coffee Addict vs. Coffee Lover

我爱喝咖啡。

从大学开始，我天天早上一杯咖啡提神。大学时期，上课常常打瞌睡。早上那杯咖啡，好像救命恩人。不过哦，往往也救不了多少，两堂课之后，瞌睡虫还是找上门。有时候，一堂课还没有完，已经要钓鱼。

这个习惯一直延伸到今日，上班也一样喝咖啡。多数都在早餐时分喝。有时早餐喝，下午也喝。不过，都尽量控制在一天不超过两杯。不过，我最享受的是每个周末我自磨咖啡，好好享受周末。

男人不太赞赏我这个喝咖啡的习惯，不过，也没有极力阻止。近期，我却自己“良心发现”，或许，该戒一戒吧。不过，和卫斯理戒酒的道理一样，不是完全不喝，只是不要喝得太过分。既然以前是天天喝，我就戒成“不天天喝”就行。不过，周末自磨咖啡的享受，还是mandatory的。

说戒就戒，不喝咖啡真的不是什么大不了。我也没有头疼，没有流眼泪。生活一切照常。爱喝的时候，还是会喝，只是不天天喝。哈哈哈！

In my own defense, 我是爱喝咖啡，并没有咖啡瘾 (^_^)

五年了

2007年的今天，我懵懵懂懂地走进这间办公室。这样懵懵懂懂，也过了五年！

想当初，真的懵懵懂懂。推却了脚车公司的合约，一头栽进美国公司。不到半年，老板告诉我他要走了（只是被调去其他部门，没有离开），我傻傻的问他，“那我怎么办？”当时我的portfolio不清不楚，不是不慌忙的。

后来，一路跌跌撞撞，不是没有失败过，也不是没有气馁过。还好，世上的好人比坏人多，我总算在两年多后，有个像样的portfolio。

从小小的一个团队，五年后的今天，我们出外吃午餐是何等庞大的阵仗。现在，我觉得工作就是热热闹闹，开开心心。没事的时候，闹一闹，认真起来合作感觉也比较拼。问我工作如何？公司不过不失，就是同事之间开心，让我觉得工作还是挺开心的。我很幸运，人家说离开校园以后很难再有好朋友，我还是认识了一班疯疯癫癫的好同事，好朋友。

有后悔推辞脚车公司吗？没有。我根本不知道我失去的是什么，后悔也没有用。我也没有后悔当初挨过经济最低靡的时候，现在才能继续快快乐乐工作。

五年了，接下来是什么呢？

Running in The Rain

Sundown Marathon 2012 is my first marathon in the midnight. When I signed up for this, I didn't know the timing will be this crazy. The past 4 years, I think the race started around 10pm and I thought that was acceptable.

But no, this year they've decided to change to 12.30am. I was shocked, needless to say. But I was excited too, to have a first run at midnight.

For the whole week, it started to pour at night. I was praying hard that it won't happen to us when we're running our half marathon. But clearly the sky didn't hear my prayers (As if I even had one), and it was pouring rain when I entered my 18km.

When it started to drizzle, I ran with my head down, thinking "Shit, I have to get to the finishing line asap." But after a while, I said to myself "What the heck! I'm wet anyway".

I've always been secretly wanting to walk in the rain, without umbrella. Now here I am, running a half marathon in the rain. My dream came true! The only worry I had at that time was my iPhone, but my pouch proved it worth the price that I paid.

I can't describe how beautiful the rain was when I looked up and just let the raindrops falling onto my face. I wish I had a camera to capture the moment.

I didn't regret a single moment that I signed up for this race. I might even considering this for next year :)

Up in the Air

Have you ever let something hang in the air, in between, not spoken, but understood?

Sometimes, I wish I could have just break the unspoken, but I guess, it's for the best.

It's for the best to remain.

Unspoken.

Forever.

French Breakfast

Taken with iPhone and edited on photography apps

Woke up 6.40am this morning to cook breakfast.

Incredible isn't it? I woke up much earlier than I normally do on weekdays. And what I did? Just making breakfast, and enjoyed it together with the Man. And when he set off to work, I turned on the laptop that had been in rest for a few days and started surfing as usual.

It's wonderful sometimes, to wake up early, having some extra time that I don't usually have.

Now, I'll just be waiting for my laundry, listening to Adele in Royal Albert Hall. Maybe, some yoga practice later.

Have a nice weekend ahead peeps!

Oh, by the way, it's really kinda French breakfast that I cooked. It's not a typical French breakfast the French will have. (At least not what I observed when I traveled to France) I named it French breakfast because, I learned the omelet from "French Food at Home", the toasts were French baguette. And the toasts were supposed to go along with the canned food that I bought from France last October :)

Emptiness

I have not been turning on my laptop for a few days, I guess it was two or three days. And I came home every night, disciplined myself to shower. Then, I sunk myself into the beanbag, picked up Lone Wolf to read.

Jodi Picoult is the only author that hasn't failed to make me cry in her every single book. Mind you, every single one. I remember reading Songs of Humpback Whale on my way to the States, crying through most of the part that made the guy beside me looking at me curiously most of the time. (I tend to cry even more easily on the plane. Why is that so?) Then, to make the matter worse, I read Sing You Home on my way back to Singapore for the same trip.

Currently, she is the only author I don't miss any single of her new release. Of course, my sister too. We're suckers for her book!

I hate it when I finished her books. I wish I have something that is as good as her books to read on. But it's hard to come by. Sometimes I wish to read her book slowly, so that the feeling of "emptiness" doesn't come so soon. But somehow, I just continue flipping through the pages. And sometimes didn't even realize it was already past midnight.

Today, I decided I should go to Kinokuniya to look for something good. It's just been one morning without a good book, and I've already felt empty.

延续生命

朋友生了一个女孩，今天中午收到她的短讯，那个小小的女婴包在厚厚的被里。我不怎么会看婴儿，总是看不出像爸爸还是像妈妈。别人说什么，就什么吧。是替她开心的，两母女健健康康，安安全全就是好事。

为什么要生小孩？为什么要组织家庭？其实，至今是我摸不着头脑的问题。或许你认为我出生在幸福家庭，应该对拥有一个家庭挺向往的，可是却偏偏不。我不过介于不排除，也不特别向往。坐在墙上。

以前我天真地认为大家大体上也是如此，原来不。有些朋友，真的很想要有自己的孩子。也有很抗拒的。

如果我有个孩子，她一定是女孩。我要把我的多愁善感，我的欢笑，我的眼泪，交给她。爱笑的人，也很爱哭。哭笑都是感情的一种抒发，我一点都不反对。她要爱旅行，我要叫她爱上雪山，我要叫她在旅途认识更多有趣的人。她最好是个摄影师，是个作家，抑或是画家。充满热忱的那种。

其实，生孩子是不是为了延续生命？ 我还是摸不着头脑。

杂想

终于回到家了。

家里一切还是一样，还是一样一尘不染，还是一样舒服。永远不会肚子饿，也永远不想离开。妈妈真的持家有道。

近来忙得很，没有好好把思绪整理，更甭想把他们写下，结果，一团糟。

朋友要宴请，我问她，你会不会请A君、B君、C君⋯⋯都是多年不见，失去联络多时的朋友。但是，都是曾经的好朋友。答案往往是不知道。其实，也不过想借机会知道，到时候的我，又该怎么办。

曾经，我定下的“条规”是如此，一年或更久不见面不联络的朋友，就不用请了。不过，更深一层地想，这个定下的条规一点都行不通。好像，太不近人情了⋯⋯以我们的生活步伐，其实，好多朋友，都是一年或以上都不联络的。

后来，我定下了所谓“更理想的条规”。列下一个宴请名单，每个名字，都想一想这个问题。

“如果，‘大吉利是’某某君有天离开人世，你会如何？”
A非常惋惜
B伤心，后悔当初没有更常联络
C非常伤心，大哭一场，恨他为什么就这样离开⋯⋯

如果你选C，我看这位朋友，你还是请吧。（当然，有更多不同的反应，不过是举个例子，请自己衡量）

有些人，即使你不联络，可能三年、五年，你永远关心他。从别人的口中得知他的消息，你还是为他开心，衷心祝福他。这种朋友是缘分吧，或许见面的时间不多，但是，有些人有些事，并不用时间来衡量。

我没有名单，可是我知道，我有这样的一些朋友的存在。

你呢？

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

I didn't really care what was the story of the movie, it's Ewan, who cares! :)

Story:

A visionary sheik wanted to introduce salmon fishing to his home country, Yemen. This dream however sounded impossible, because Yemen is a desert, very non-fisheries friendly place. Sheik ordered his assistant, Harriet (Emily Blunt) to find the fisheries expert to make this project possible. Emily found Dr. Alfred Jones (Ewan McGregor). It's a story of how people make the impossible possible.

It's a British produced film. Everybody spoke in the very heavy British accent, which was perfectly fine for me, I'm always drawn to men in British accent. There weren't many characters in the movie, since it's a simple story. But I really like the supporting actress, the President's press secretary, Maxwell. She was a strong opinion woman, in which provided quite a number of humorous scenes in the movie. To add, the sheik was a really handsome man.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen was really a good relaxing movie for a Friday night. Simple love story, British humor (I know some people don't quite get it), good looking actors and actress. Not a fantastic movie, but definitely pleasant to watch.

The Flower of War 金陵十三釵

这是一部很沉重的电影。以南京大屠杀为背景的故事，当然不会是一部欢喜的电影。不过，我怎么也没想到，我竟也低估了电影所会带来的沉重。

电影是从严歌苓的小说改变而成的。张艺谋导演，陈其纲作曲电影原声带，Joshua Bell独奏小提琴。幕后都是大师级人物。幕前，就是无人不晓的蝙蝠侠Christian Bale主演。其实，单看幕前幕后的阵容，已是下了定心丸。

故事大纲：
我也就不提了。我从来都不爱在看电影之前，知道故事的来龙去脉，也更不想破坏大家看电影的乐趣。

观后感：
生活在非战争年代的我们，太幸福了。

生活在南京大屠杀的那个黑暗年代，基本上对人性会完全失去希望。战争原本就是残酷的，可是更残酷的是，人与人之间可以这么的丑陋，可以把他们所占领的人，当动物来看待，为所欲为。

夺取别人的性命原已是一种罪，折磨而拖延死亡的时间，更是一种不可理喻的行为。可是，这种行为在日本军占领南京时期，被视为英雄的作为。也不是高官没有把小兵士们管理好，而是由上到下，都抱着这种心态和态度，将黑暗蔓延整个南京城市。

如果当时在日本军队的蛮横霸道之下，你只有能力救成人与小孩，其一，你该怎么选择？小孩固然可怜，但难道成人就应该牺牲？左右不是人，救谁牺牲谁，没有一个选择会让你好过。每个人都有活下去的权利，谁该救？谁不改救？

只有对人性更为失望⋯⋯

评价：
所幸这部电影是张艺谋导演。若果这种故事，掉在好莱坞的手里，美国马上变英雄，大美国主义让人窒息。Made in China就没有这个问题。况且，在历史中，南京大屠杀期间确实有外国人伸出援手。Christian Bale的角色，也就不做作夸张。

电影里，以女人女孩居多。同张艺谋一贯的电影一样，不管是女人女孩，她们样子都是那么讨好。

值得一看。只要对电影的沉重有所心理准备就可以。



谢谢OMY的Preview Screening!