Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Quizás, Quizás, Quizás

Perhaps you come to this blog everyday and without saying anything,
Perhaps knowing you were here, good slave keeps writing it,
Perhaps in return, good slave wants you to be good,
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps

Perhaps good slave is special and see what the future holds,
Perhaps good slave believes the world to be a better place when you become rich,
Perhaps you may want to hold cash before others become poor,
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps

Perhaps gold is what you love when everything drops,
Perhaps you shall let go before the New Year's Eve,
Perhaps you are tired of being rich and not believe this,
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps

Updates –
Hang Seng Index, 5/11/07, value 28,942.32, change -1526.02 (day drop record high)
Gold, 5/11/07, 810 USD per oz (record high in 28 years)

Sunday, October 7, 2007

《色•戒》《Masturbate • Not》


There are many ways to masturbate. For film, the thoughtless transposing of abstractive writings to picturesque scenes, replacing the intensified monologue with intense sex, without the strife of words, of reflections coming closer to the world apart but only representations of bodily fantasy.

Foreword by 張愛玲 Eileen Chang sharing her thoughts on writing 惘然記-
極簡單扼要地顯示文藝的功用之一:讓我們能接近否則無法接近的人。
For abstractive functions in art: to get closer to whom we cannot get close to.
在文字的溝通上,小說是兩點之間最短的距離。
In the communication of words, novel is the closest distance in between two points.

In 張愛玲 Eileen Chang’s writing, her microscopic detailing of the external world is derived from a contemplative dimension, an inner projection of a distancing world that inflate doubts and conflicts, neither a picturesque reminiscent of the past nor narratives of places… rather an agitator that speaks from a turmoil present, a truth elicitor from a disorderly world. On one hand, the powerful monologue of 王佳芝 questioned every reflections of her encounter, of what seemingly righteous act had rotten long after the primordial instinct took over, and on the other hand, 王佳芝 strife for the rational behind the sinful encounter and with delicate thoughts and sensitivities. The powerful monologue situates oneself inside the eye of a whirling world, her reflections and sensitivities are outlook for higher belief and lightness. In the film 《色·戒》"Lust Caution", the monologue was removed along with 王佳芝 reflections, the remains were places/objects of empty signs devoid of signification, with rubbles of historic images awaiting to be romanticized.

When sex becomes a deceitful weapon, passion weigh down on betrayal, only with an intent that levitates us from an irreparable world, of intense fulfillment in the passage of weighing & levitating. In《色·戒》, 張愛玲 describe the bodily encounter of 王佳芝 and 易先生 as such -

事實是,每次跟老易在一起都像洗了個熱水澡,把積鬱都沖掉了,因為一切都有了個目的。
In fact, every time when being with Mr. Yi, it feels like having a hot bath and getting rid of all burdens, it is because everything began to have an intent.

Disappointingly but expected, the film maker of 《色·戒》"Lust Caution" translates the text into trilogy of sexual encounter, which often associated with Hollywood film genre -

1st encounterSadism and Masochism or SM sex… to show Mr. Yi frustration with himself of being a traitor and the mistrust with 王佳芝 that led her to become a sex object.
2nd encounter – The display of various sexual posture in reference to
Karma Sutra or 春宮圖… to demonstrate their affection and enjoyment when 王佳芝 began to earn Mr. Yi trust.
3rd encounter – Intense sex… to show Mr. Yi and 王佳芝 being in love with each other.


When things become literal, it is mediocre. There seem to have a lot more to learn for the film maker about the ambiguous role in the display of passion, love and sexual encounter. Nagisa Oshima would have taught the film maker that these roles were to be interchangeable, of a reversal order as “in the realm of senses” that had manifolds of intensity than the formulated Hollywood conventions… Sadism and Masochism are not meant to objectify the sexual counterpart, rather the merging as oneness conglomerates the composites of eroticism…and love/passion not necessary progresses in linear fashion from (rough>tender) sex.

Lastly, there were a few commentators/film critics here who highly praised about the movie in a very explicit manner… phrases like “Ang Lee had re-incarnated Eileen Chang’s soul… the scene was realistically generated in finest detail that was good for reminiscent of the old shanghai and Hong Kong … only European would know how to appreciate the love in the fallen city and not Americans especially the Californians…etc” Accord with good slave classifications, those are called hyper-masturbation, i.e. masturbating while watching other masturbating.

And good slave honestly believe 張愛玲 Eileen Chang’s would have shared the same view too.