Devastating Water
(image from
BBC News)
I might have reacted too quickly when I tried to argue with my Buddhist friend who proclaimed the quake and tsunamis, and other recent devastating natural disasters (super-typhoons, SARS, etc), are inevitably the unavoidable result of human being's "deviated" direction of civilization developments which have been exceedingly exploiting the natural resources. And that more severe natural catastrophes will arrive undoubtedly.
Exploitation, certainly true. But are we straying further and further, with these disasters reflecting in a proportional degree? I quoted the fact (from
Straitstimes.com - Dec 28) that "the worst tsunami case in recorded history" happened in Indonesia far back in 1883 which killed
more people: 36,000. She responded with a slight "Really?"
The conversation took place two days ago... when the concerned figure was still around 25,000. Every other morning I exclaimed to my colleagues, "The final result is horrible," without envisioning an even more stunning figure revised on news each evening. Red Cross claims today that the number "is likely to spiral above 100,000." (
BBC News)
Nobody could have imagined what the real influences would be like - unimaginable like the figurative of "
detonating a million atomic bombs". Well, I am revisiting my reaction that came too quickly, and trying to believe more there is a reason for everything. We probably can do more than attributing every cause to "randomness" and succumbing to passive thought that "having some kind of monitoring system seems better than none..." (Straitstimes)
... starting from here:
Wiki's relief donation links. (Thanks
Toby)
Company Hiking
Saikung in pre-Christmas hours
enriched by yellow sunshine and bluish breeze
whispered with leisurely cows
forgetting emails, budgets and conferences
Countryside without charming flowers
but flourished with subtlety and calmness
bestowed the excitement under drifting clouds
over rustic bridges, lagoons and frightened crabs
(After a hiking trip to Hamtin on 23.12)
e-greetings from the arts
Hey busy friends, feel the festive touch and get yourselves some colours tonight! I am going to the
gourmets' gathering at least...
Some e-greetings I've received from art/cultural organizations and friends... Not particularly artistic/creative, huh? Any one you like?
1.
Hong Kong Institute of Contemporary Culture
2.
Zuni Icosahedron
3.
The University of Hong Kong
4.
Arts Council of Mongolia
5.
Roundtable: HK Avant-garde Policy Research Institute
6.
Fashion Community Kitterick
7.
Artkey Taiwan
8.
Edward Lam Dance Theatre
9.
Martin H. (No, he does not represent his org here...)
10.
Lee's family
Threatened by names
I felt less stupid for having more than once replaced friends' names with initials or pseudonyms in my blog as requested (maybe protested against?), or even having deleted entire entries after vain negotiations, after I read
this.
I learnt and tried to inform people involved
afterwards but how many of you do ask for permission BEFORE blogging names? Even you are far from
objectively offensive, it's unpredictable to say when your protagonists will consider your posts as
sweet and when they will
hate you. Toby, right?
(Illustration by Nana Rausch from The NY Times)
Tears of Angels
Several actresses wetted their make-up with tear drops in the final two scenes of the last performance of "
The Lightless Ring of Angels". I was surprised and touched myself because it came so naturally at the right timing... I realised a bit too late that I tackled the question of the core motif of the play too rationally - i.e. the tension between the anxiety of death and the desire to continue/eat (re:
The Club of Angels). Chan Ping Chiu, the dramaturg of my play and director of
another piece, observed this critical aspect after the second show and suggested I give the ending a more psychological or emotional touch besides other symbolic hints for the audience. Tonight, I just watched from side stage the magical changes and learnt yet another lesson about directing. (Thanks, Chiu.)
Of course, you have to have a capable actress like Chai who is willing to experiment even for the last show and can execute a new idea so accurately and readily...
My major involvement in the
Directors' Lab finished after the 3 performances. The immediate result from the audience seems apparently a bit more encouraging than other 20 Beans' projects (actually there are extremely different opinions also so far). However, in terms of the original objective to create a project with more influences in heart than intellect, I know in the bottom of my "brain" there's still a long way. That's why I am thinking about the approach and adjustments in a possible re-run already.
Let me summarise and write more about the experience when cooled down from the frenzy of over-exposure and overloading. I need some lightless dreams.
(Photo by
Chi-wai)
Icon button
Toby has updated the website of 20 Beans with the information of "
The Lightless Ring of Angels". However, Designer Pollux is too busy to finish the illustration he once suggested for the show, which upsets a little my idiosyncrasy for preoccupied perfection... Anyway, I will be satisfied now if our satirical webmaster can replace the
Steven-as-button with another image with the real angels another Toby had shot during last rehearsal. To show my eagerness I even transformed a possible "button" for him:
...... Four days before the performance and I am still working on the script... Can I blame our C.E. for insufficient support to the art(ists)?
After a (Non)Break...
It feels like the works of a whole life have been done in a month. I hate telling the others I am "busy" (I guess nobody will say such thing to oneself), knowing it's usually more an excuse than a reason for not taking one more step forward. I will try to swallow that word whenever it comes to the lips but sometimes there is hardly any good replacement.
To justify the use of the connotation at least, I am recalling in my heart what I been through in this month:
- confirmed the combination of two sources for the performance in the Directors' Lab and named it "The Lightless Ring of Angels" ... and finished a rundown much earlier than usual...
- had my review of U-theatre's Meeting with Vajrasattva published in Mingpao ...
- sent out the first issue of newsletter of ICC (for which Toby has provided many up-to-date opinions and cruel criticisms...)
- finished the draft of ICC's new brochure (but a very close friend who has been designing the layout disappeared after I requested more options....or after he becomes a freelancer?)
- organised a seminar of a professor from UC Berkeley on his neuroscience research in relation to creative thinking... (and understood the difference between UC Berkeley and "Berkeley University" - dumb me!)
- studied the controversial consultation paper for the proposed academic structure reform especially on the implications of having "Liberal Studies" as the core subject in secondary school...
- read about the development and major arguments and possible actions about the West Kowloon Project...
- watched 2046 twice (Am I the only one in the whole world?) and read everything on-line about it, such as the resourceful MonkeyPeaches' site (and started to like this most disliked film of Wong Kar Wai) ...
- went to Taipei again for my Master's commemorating events... and organised the related exhibition there... (and again inspired)
- joined Grace's thematic wedding banquet based on EYT (="Enjoy Yourself Tonight", a long-life popular variety on TVB) and was touched for the first time in wedding.....
- and missed Wilson's birthday performance...
After all, the opening of the performance is coming in less than two weeks and I am triggered just now by yet another
sweet post to keep my blog alive, when I am particular
hectic actually finishing the script for the performance. (Yes, I have had a lot of improvisations with the lovely actresses before I sit down and write the script for the scenes. Occasionally I would think the performance would be a presentation of a creative script at last... Wait, but it's called "
Directors' Lab"... Well, I have at least reflected on the significance of a "laboratory".)
Once again, I
started with something simple (I thought it was), and
tried to develop it in a simplifying manner, but (doomed to) finish in an extremely complicated text. Anyway, I am still working hard on it and looking forward to it...
This is one of the very few images that I like in those publicity items.
