Wednesday 30 November 2011

Beautiful North (2) - Canada 美丽北国(2)-加拿大


A secluded corner in Ontario, encountered only by fate, is enchanted with northern magic. In its charm, mundane reality loses substance. Magic can of course be a spell also. Failing to harness its power, one could be trapped by its beauty, sapped of life, never to escape.
I find the northern seasons enthralling. The spring air is filled with hope, not moisture. Summer is exuberant, indulging with light. With the first sign of autumn heralded by maples and sumacs, the aestival landscape turns brightly colourful in front of our eyes. Then day by day, leaf by leaf, the transient brilliance of the fall would be claimed by the winter snow. Vast forests are now bare, allowing us to see through, looking forward to spring, in great silence.
Even in the artificial environment of the cities, the climate up north reminds us of nature's ruthless vicissitudes. By comparison, the gentle south seems prosaic and uneventful.
加拿大的风光很多人都认识。不过在安大略省遥远的北方有一角落,彷如仙境,与世隔绝,不着外间人迹。这里每一寸的土地都有魔力,令烦嚣的现实显得虚幻。当然魔力的另一面可以是诅咒,令着了魔的人沉溺,失去斗志。
我特别欣赏北国的四季鲜明。北方的春天充满希望,一点也不湿闷讨厌。夏天活力洋溢,处处生机。但繁华茂盛转眼即逝,秋杀瞬间把苍绿取替,换来短暂的缤纷。还来不及赞叹枫叶和漆树的绝艳,严酷的北风已经横扫大地。举目所见,铅华尽洗。昨天浓密的树林变得凋零疏落,一眼可以看通。万籁俱寂当中蕴藏着无限的活力,耐心地等待春天的再临。
北方,就算在现代城市的人造环境之中,仍然保留了几分大地的无情,提醒着人类只不过是大自然的一分子。相比之下,南方温和纵容的天气反而显得平庸乏味。



O Canada! 枫叶之国

Light image 光影
Twilight 薄暮彩霞

Where people recharge the land 户外茅厕:回馈大地
Human Cottage 人间小筑
Mist Salutation 雾之礼

Dog 狗
Cat 猫
Deer?鹿?


Garden Salad 自种自足
Summer Fair 夏季游乐场


Thursday 3 November 2011

What Next for Guo Du

On Saturday, I’ll post the final episode of Man’s Last Song. I’ve been posting a section of the novel every week or so since last October. In twelve months, I have only missed one deadline by a few hours (according to Hong Kong time.) Starting next week, Song, Rhea, Ma, Huan, John, Melody, would no longer be part of my routine. The feeling is reminiscent of watching Daughter No. One packing her suitcase, getting ready to leave home to start university. Another milestone: YES! and sigh . . . 
So, what next? 
I have started the next novel. I see Man’s Last Song as a reflective mosaic of our paradoxical civilisation that has become increasingly incompatible with human nature, and threatening to the only life-supporting environment we know. The next novel is a tale of ironies: One protagonist discovers life through personal calamities. Another gets lost in a quagmire of unexpected success. They live right here in our contemporary world — a likely place for either to happen. Finishing the bilingual versions would keep me occupied for a year or two, hopefully no more.
I intend to be busy with other tasks too. Up until now, I have not seriously sought publishing. I dithered uncharacteristically, worrying about compromising the indulgence which I have been enjoying in my writing so far. Having been a business operator in my past life, I also expect publishing to be more like a business than literary creation. I would need to package, promote, capture, just like in the old days. There is also a degree of cowardice in my hesitance; I do not feel like facing rejections, something that I know is inevitable even to established writers.
Thanks to the encouragement of my amazing friends, I have decided to grow out of these what ifs at long last. I will start planning to get Man’s Last Song published. Whatever the outcome or format, not trying would be a waste in many regards.
When I first started writing, I also had a wish that one day I might be able to help promote bilingual writing after I have learned enough through practice. Have I learned enough?
What about the Guo Du blog? 
Last August, before someone suggested the idea to me, I hardly knew what a blog was. Having participated in Blog-sphere for the past year, I now know a bit more about this fascinating universe of information and disinformation, entertainment, propaganda, and idea (great and dumb ones) exchange. 
Unexpectedly, I have made many virtual friends who have given me substantial support. The surge in visits during the first hours of a new post never fails to surprise and energise me. I have no idea who these readers are, just as I am sure they have no idea how much their dependable support means to me. In rainy days when I could not summon up the energy to get another post ready, I would think of them, take a deep breath, and turn the computer on. To them, I would like to give my heartfelt thanks. Thank you thank you. Bow bow. I know I’ll miss you.
Perhaps I should keep the blog going with the occasional opinion? I do not want to have to comment on something for the sake of posting regularly. It is also my wish to detach from, rather than getting closer to, pointless disputes. Furthermore, my views change as the world changes, and I do not believe in such a thing as the absolute truth in human affairs. But we live in the Propaganda Age, and are all potential victims of humongous official lies. If I could occasionally help to cast doubt on a 100% lie with a shimmer of partial truth, I might do my karma some good while keeping the blog going, and waiting for the new novel to acquire life. Why not? Oh well, don’t think I would be able to help it anyway.

过渡下一步

我將會於星期六上載「笙歌」的終結篇。自從去年十月以來,我以連載方式每過十天八天上載一章,從未間斷,轉眼已經足足一年。下星期開始,宋笙,瑞涯,宋煥,馬依力,尊信,莫弦音等人,將不會在我的日常工作中定期出現。現在的心情有點兒像當年看著大女兒收拾行李,準備離家往外地上大學的前夕一樣:寬慰興奮之余參雜了好幾分唏噓。

過渡下一步會做些什麼呢?

我已經開始了第二部小說。「笙歌」對我來說好像鑲嵌圖,一塊快的故事組成了一幅令人費解的浮世繪:人類的社會,竟然會越來越違反人性;熱愛生命的萬物之靈,似乎用盡力量去危害自己唯一的生存空間。新故事比較當時入世,不過仍然充滿諷刺和矛盾。故事中的一個主角,由於遭遇到人生的大災難而得以解脫。另外的一個人物,卻由於意外的成功而迷失了方向。又中又英,恐怕得搞上一兩年。

過了這個里程碑,我還有其它的打算。到目前為止,我還未有認真地替」笙歌「尋求出版機會。找人家出版,會不會影響幾年來放任不拘的寫作習慣呢?以往在商場打滾的經驗告訴自己,出版比較接近生意,不再是文字創作那麼單純。要懂得包裝,推廣,抓機會。心裡面願意「重操故業」嗎?反正左思右想,顧忌多多,自己也覺得有點不像自己。

還是要感謝幾位朋友的鼓勵和推動,我終於決定為「笙歌」的出版作出積極的行動。道是行之而成。行之而敗也是道。無論結果如何,不作嘗試是一種多方面的浪費。

剛開始寫作的時候還有個心願,希望有一天能夠為推動年輕人中英雙語寫作的興趣和水平作出貢獻。這一天來臨了嗎?如何開始?還得想想。

「過渡」這個博客的前景又如何?

回想去年八月,友人第一次提議我在博客刊登「笙歌」的時候,我連博客是什麼也不大瞭解。事隔一年,我對這個充滿了真假資訊,娛樂,宣傳,八卦,和交流參差意見的平台,總算有了基本認識。最意想不到的,是在虛擬世界中認識了一批給了我很多實在支持的朋友。每次我上載一章「笙歌」之後,幾個鐘頭內的訪客便會驟然上升,給予我一種難以形容的力量。我雖然不知道這批讀者是誰,但很想在「終曲」之前,利用這個機會向你們衷心道謝。孤零零一個人維持這樣長篇的連載刊登,難免會有氣餒的時候。每當心裡面陰霾密布的日子,我便會想起你們,然後來個深呼吸,又再繼續努力。「笙歌」得到你們這批知音人的無聲鼓勵,實在令我十分感動。 謝謝。再謝謝。兩鞠躬。我將會非常懷念你們。

那麼「笙歌」之後,偶爾來一篇半篇「隨筆博文」吹吹牛又如何?為了定期刊登而找個意見發表,絕對非我所願。為表達而表達的意見,無非文字污染。無謂的辯論,跟人家是其所非而非其所是,對我來說是浪費人生。再者我對事物的看法不同於有原則有信仰的高人。我經常會隨著世事的千變萬化而有所改變。裟婆世界之中根本就沒有百分百的永恆真理,又有什麼好評論的呢?

不過話雖如此,我們生活在「誰的聲音大,收視率高,誰的謊話變真理」 的二十一世紀,大家隨時都有可能淪為龐大的現代化宣傳勢力的受害人。假如我能夠間中將腦袋里模糊閃爍,疑是疑非的「半事實」提供大家參考;又假如這樣能夠稍為引起幾個人對國際級高純度謊話的警惕,也算得上是半件好事,善哉善哉,何樂而不為呢?反正我也心知肚明,儘管心裡渴望遠離塵囂,不問世事,無奈腦袋不爭氣,整天像鬼上身一樣,念頭不絕,幻覺無窮。


既然如此,亦只有暫時隨緣,不定期地在「過渡博客」小題大作,發洩發洩吧!

2011/11/3