nnglmag

Happy 牛Year!!!

2009-01-01T00:01:00.000+08:00

by linguowei@bmonidea

New Year Diet A to Z.

2008-12-31T08:09:00.001+08:00

Year 2009 is around the corner. Let us start with our New Year Diet from A to Z.

Activate a healthy lifestyle.

Include whole grain cereals for Breakfast.

Choose food with less salt, sugar & oil.

A good Diet practices balance, moderation & variety.

Eat slowly. Take time to chew.

Limit the intake of deep Fried Foods.

Set realistic health Goals for the year.

A Happy heart is a healthy heart.

Lean meat, poultry &fish are good sources of IRON.

Fruit Juice with pulp gives added fiber.

Have fun while Keeping fit!

Yogurt contains Live culture.

Energize your day with MILO.

Nestle Nutritional compass - a helpful nutritional guide.

Get refreshing drinks On the go!

Practice portion control when indulging.

Spend Quality time with your family.

Take time to Rest & Relax.

Get at least 7 hours of Sleep.

Total body check up 1 x year.

Use the Malaysian Food Pyramid as a guide for a balanced diet.

Eat a Variety of fruits &vegetables every day.

At least drink 8 glasses of plain Water daily.

Eat eXtra servings of vegetables daily.

Yes! To a stimulating cup of coffee.

Zoom in on health: exercise 30 minute daily.

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Source from Nestle
by 旭日の革

梅艷芳、奧巴馬、混雜的力量。

2008-12-30T02:30:00.002+08:00

九七之後，香港的流行文化為何光環褪色？曾經雄霸四方的港產片，為何今天連本地市場都失守？曾經征服八方的香港歌星，為何今天一走出珠三角就沒人認識？在梅艷芳辭世五周年之時，我們或許可以用梅艷芳的例子、從文化的角度去尋找這些問題的答案。

香港時事評論人洪清田早前談到奧巴馬的成功時，也提到梅艷芳。他說，奧巴馬作為一個混血兒，有多元的文化背景，他曾在不同國家生活，曾有身份的迷惑；這種混雜性令他能夠＂跨越黑白、社會階層、美非亞洲、政治哲學的意識形態，更多幾重深層次矛盾和問題＂（＜香港—中國的奧巴馬式＂第三種文化＂＞，《信報》 2008年11月13日　）。奧巴馬是＂第三種文化＂的產物，因此他有改變社會的能力；而洪清田認為，梅艷芳同樣是第三種文化的代表。這種文化，身處邊緣與夾縫之地，卻是融合與交流的中心，因此，也成了一種有改變傳統與不斷創新的力量。

如何定義梅艷芳？

＂第三種文化＂在這裡的意思，是超越＂非此即彼＂的新文化；有美國學者指出，一些隨父母到不同國家工作而在異文化中長大的孩子，混合了祖國與異國文化的多元特質，他們代表了有能力創新與改變的第三種文化。至於梅艷芳，雖然在香港土生土長，然而，定義梅艷芳卻又是困難的：在文化歸屬方面，她不是屬於中國傳統的，她也不是完全西化的，她有日本味，又混合了香港味；在性別特質方面，台上的她大膽挑戰性別傳統，銀幕上的她是巾幗英雄，台下的她卻有個相夫教子的夢想。要把梅艷芳歸類，談何容易？

這種難以歸類的特質，一度是香港流行文化的最傲人之處。有人認為舞台上的梅艷芳是＂東方麥當娜＂，但梅艷芳也有非常東洋味的時候，她翻唱了不少日文歌，她的造型也曾受日本殿堂巨星澤田研二的影響，再者，梅艷芳穿起旗袍唱《似是故人來》時，也有濃濃的中國味。然而，儘管梅艷芳的舞台風格有著別人的影子，但結果卻創出了只此一家的＂梅艷芳風格＂。當年香港在政治與文化上的邊陲感與無根性，對於梅艷芳來說是優勢而非缺陷──既然沒多少傳統可尋，既然本土文化的根不深，就不如來一招吸星大法，美國的、日本的、中國的，甚至是阿拉伯的（妖女造型）、拉打美洲的（巴西女郎造型），都是借鏡對象，都可以據為己有，而最後激出無窮創意。

梅艷芳最當紅的八十年代，香港歌星大唱改編歌。日文歌、台灣歌、美國歌，甚至是泰文歌、法文歌、粵曲，只要好聽馬上改成廣東話。從創作的角度，＂口水歌＂是股歪風，但過了二十多年回頭去看，這種拾人牙慧的風氣其實有一種多元混亂的可貴，也因此，大家都說那年代是百花齊放的、活力充沛的。看看梅艷芳的金曲：《似水流年》是日本喜多郎的作品，《夕陽之歌》及《夢伴》原唱者是近藤真彥，《將冰山劈開》及《夢幻的擁抱》原曲都是英文歌，《似是故人來》及《女人心》是台灣的羅大佑所寫，當然還有本地創作如《烈焰紅唇》及《情歸何處》。如果沒有這些風格紛雜的各種歌曲，梅艷芳要發揮百變形象恐怕會事倍功半，因為，當時在香港掌舵的仍是顧家輝、黃霑、黎小田等老一派的音樂人，他們未必有能耐在音樂上配合一個妖女形象。

不是東拼西湊，而是個人風格

從形象到音樂，梅艷芳兼容並蓄，結果，她不只沒有成為東拼西湊的、沒有靈魂的＂翻版貨＂，更建立強烈的個人風格。這種混雜性，有人稱為＂雜嘜文化＂，有人稱為＂半唐番文化＂，也就是一種可以用梅艷芳為代表的香港文化，這種活力曾令香港流行文化征服全球華人、征服亞洲觀眾，甚至征服西方──港產動作作就是結合中國武術、日本武士片風格，再加上香港技術與港式幽默的另一種混合體。這種文化，在七十年代已經萌芽：許冠傑一時輕唱有如古詩的＂曳搖共對輕舟飄＂，一時又大唱英文歌。這種混雜的特質，由梅艷芳透過其百變形象發揚光大。

在性別特質方面亦然。如果香港的歌影史有張國榮作為顛覆性別的男性代表，那麼女性代表就自然是梅艷芳。《飛躍舞台》時期的短髮造型只是小試牛刀，《蔓珠莎華》的西裝加寬邊帽則是大膽而成功的中性形象。值得留意的是，梅艷芳的中性是仍然帶著女人味的，《蔓珠莎華》一曲就有它的嫵媚憂怨。電影中的梅艷芳也如是，她在《東方三俠》等電影中的女俠形象入型入格，但她又不像楊紫瓊般的硬崩崩打女，她縱化身女俠仍然是俠骨柔腸。是的，中性的梅艷芳不是扮男人，她表現的仍然是真女人，只是，這女人的形象是現代的、有別於傳統的。另外，她的壞女孩及妖女形象也從新定義了女性特質，以及探索了女性情慾自主的可能，開拓了廣東歌的題材，從此情慾也可以入歌。

不過，除了深入民心的革命性形象外，梅艷芳也可以是傳統女性，《胭脂扣》中的她，還有台下那個始終視婚姻為女性歸宿的她，都非常傳統。雖然以壞女孩形象走紅，但梅艷芳沒有走進任何一個單一的性別框架，她的種種特質說明的是：性別就是可以有如此多不同的面貌，並不是簡單的男與女、陰與陽可以劃分。梅艷芳這種性別角色，在中國大陸在台灣都找不到，可見這也是獨特的香港製造；在八十年代的華人社會，只有充滿混雜性的香港有能耐創造一個這樣的女性形象。

梅艷芳的消失，香港文化的沒落

近十年的香港流行文化為何沒落？原因當然有很多。然而，很多人忽略了這文化因素：以前的香港，曾經有海納百川的包容性；在殖民統治下，香港與中國大陸在政治上文化上疏離了，但香港又始終沒有培植深入民間的英國文化，處在這樣的夾縫中，最懂得適者生存之道的香港人吸納了不同文化，最沒有政治包袱的香港人創造了迷人的混雜性。最後，政治的邊陲反而成了流行文化的中心。就如梅艷芳，處在中國與英國的夾縫，卻建立鮮明性格；雖然她某一兩個造型很像麥當娜，雖然她唱了很多日文改編歌，但誰也不否認，梅艷芳是獨一的、是香港的。　
　
九七之後的香港，在經濟上有著祖國的堅強後盾，事事必北望神州，這當然有好的一面。然而在今天，當香港電影總要遷就大陸市場，當藝人最怕得罪大陸網民，香港的整個文化性格亦隨之改變：當年，香港面向的是世界，今天，香港面向的是大陸。於是，香港也就好像一隻曾經狂放曾經迷惘的小鳥終於著地；在文化上，香港失去了當年那種來自邊緣來自無根的混雜性──這一方面好像很可憐很無依，但另一方面卻潛藏無限的可能性、革命性與創造力。這樣的＂第三種文化＂力量，很可能由奧巴馬帶給美國，但是，隨著梅艷芳的離世，這種充滿活力的混雜性已經在香港消亡了。

（《澳門日報》，２００８年１２月２５日）

by 旭日の革

Penang Has It All

2008-12-16T17:23:00.007+08:00

Welcome to Penang!

Source from internet.

by 旭日の革

The Sexy Power of Your Scent

2008-11-25T23:05:00.005+08:00

We surveyed thousands of guys on how they're affected by a girl's fragrance. The results blew us away: Your scent can make a guy lust after you and long for you.

You know that when you're sporting a snug, cleavage-enhancing top or a pair of low-rise jeans, guys are guaranteed to take note...if not drool, pant and babble. But you probably never realized that the way you smell can actually have just as much -- if not more -- of a knock-his-socks-off impact. Sure, you've sensed that guys love fragrance, but how much so has never been fully measured...until now. According to the more than 4,000 hot-blooded hombres who responded to a poll we conducted on the Men's Health Website (and the scientists we consulted about the results), a woman's fragrance not only matters, but it also wields tremendous power over the opposite sex. To find out exactly what these powers are and how to harness them to enhance your own man-entrancing abilities, keep reading.

One Whiff Can Hook a Hunk

When asked if they thought a woman's fragrance could boost her overall attractiveness, a whopping 89 percent of the respondents said yes. And 60 percent actually said that at one time in their past, a woman's scent was the main reason that they wanted to meet her. One explanation for this crazy phenomenon: Studies have shown that smelling a fine fragrance can improve a man's mood and make him more eager to socialize, says Jeannette Haviland-Jones, Ph.D., professor of psychology and director of the Human Development Lab at Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. In other words, your luscious scent can make your lad much more likely to stay at your side and get to know you better. Avery Gilbert, Ph.D., president of the Sense of Smell Institute, has another reasoning: "If a guy's brain gets lost in the sensual experience of smelling you for the first time, then he's not assessing your physical traits as critically."

Perfume Power Play: How to make a perfectly fragrant first impression? For starters, only people within a one-foot radius of your body should be able to smell you. "If anyone can smell you outside that invisible circle, you're overly scented," says Gilbert. Go light on the juice -- one spritz or a couple of dabs should be enough. Another tactic is to perfume your hair lightly, suggests Mark Knitowski, vice president of product development for Victoria's Secret Beauty. Then, when you're cruising by the object of your affection, subtly tousle your tresses (a seductive move in and of itself) to release a dose of scent.

Your Aroma Can Arouse Him

If you've ever doubted that your fragrance alone could actually get a man in the mattress-mambo mood, consider this: Fifty-five percent of our randy poll respondents said they've wanted to go to bed with a woman just because they found her scent to be a major turn-on. "If a woman is wearing a sensual, feminine scent that has some erotic oomph to it, men subconsciously tend to perceive receptivity on her part -- as though she has ramped up her scent for a sexual encounter, which is very attractive," says Gilbert. In short, guys know it takes two to tango -- and if your fragrance seems to suggest you'd be a willing partner, they're all the more likely to want you.

Perfume Power Play: So what kind of sensual scent should you be spritzing on yourself to ignite a nookyfest? While heady, spicy oriental-inspired notes are always a safe bet, you don't have to limit yourself to only that category. "Potent florals -- such as those containing ylang-ylang -- are effective too," says Gilbert. In fact, since most modern scents are based on flowers, you can pick from a wide range of fragrance types, as long as your selection exudes the aforementioned oomph. ("There is no scientific way to quantify 'oomph,'" notes Gilbert. "You just have to use your judgment and stay away from light florals and overly sporty scents.") And you're in luck, because this fall, there's a large selection of brand-new sexy fragrances to choose from.

Your Lingering Perfume Will Make Him Miss You

"Scent can powerfully enhance emotional attachments," says Theresa White, Ph.D., assistant research professor in the department of neuroscience and physiology at SUNY Upstate Medical University, in Syracuse, New York. "This happens by way of classical conditioning: If you start to associate a scent with someone, smelling it from then on will call that person to mind and evoke the feelings you have for him or her." That explains why 69 percent of the guys surveyed say that thoughts of an old flame pop into their noggins when they get a whiff of the perfume she wore when they were dating. Even more impressive is the fact that 85 percent said that when a girlfriend leaves behind a lingering trail of scent (like on an article of clothing or pillow, for instance), it conjures up strong feelings about the sexual relationship he shares with her.

Perfume Power Play: There are so many ways to leave tantalizing traces of your scent around: Spritz a naughty-but-nice note and leave it under his pillow, for example. Or you could always "forget" a scented scarf in his car. There's also this trick from Knitowski: When hand-washing your lingerie, spray it with a bit of your fragrance as it dries. Then any nightie, cami or whatever else you wear to bed will transfer just the right hint of scent to his sheets. Note: To make this advice work for you, don't be a scent slut -- stick to just one or two signature fragrances when you're with him so he'll associate them only with you.

Scent Can Make Sex Even Steamier

Though it may seem hard to imagine, even the best sex you've ever had can be made hotter if you add a delicious scent to the mix. Fifty-eight percent of the men we polled said that the alluring perfume of a partner has indeed made their lovemaking moments more erotic. "Scent adds another sensory dimension to the sexual experience, which can heighten sexual abandon and help you become totally lost in your partner," says Gilbert.

Perfume Power Play: Simply spritzing on some scent before sex will spice things up, but if you want your romp to rank among the greatest of all time, take advantage of what White calls "the high level of integration between sensory systems." She explains: "When you experience something, it's never through only one sense -- and the more senses you play to (like touch, sight, taste and sound in addition to smell), the more heightened the overall sensation will be. In fact, lots of studies suggest that when an experience is strongly perceived through multiple sensory systems, you remember it better." If you want to work his senses to the hilt and create the right ambience to have some of the most memorable sex ever, stock up on sensory multitaskers: candles that give off a seductive scent and a romantic glow or a body oil that makes your birthday suit smell and feel amazing.

This article is from Cosmopolitan.com.

by 旭日の革

November Recipe: Roast Duck

2008-11-11T11:11:00.004+08:00

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Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:
One 4 1/2 lb (2 kg) oven-ready duckling
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons maltose or honey
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon red food coloring (optional0
about 1/2 pint (280 ml) warm water
For the Stuffing:
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped spring onion
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon caster sugar
2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
1 tablespoon yellow bean sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons five-spice powder

Preparation:
Clean the duck well. Remove the wing tips and the lumps of fat from inside the vent. Blanch in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes, remove and dry well, then rub the duck with salt and tie the neck tightly with string.

Make the stuffing by heating the oil in a saucepan, add all the ingredients, bring to the boil and blend well. Pour the mixture into the cavity of the duck and sew it up securely.

Dissolve the maltose or honey with vinegar and red food coloring (if using) in warm water, brush it all over the duck - give it several coatings, then hang the duck up (head down) with an S-shaped hook to dry in an airy and cool place for at least 4 - 5 hours.

To cook: preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. (200 degrees C./Gas 6). Hang the duck head down on the top rack, and place a tray of boiling water at the bottom of the oven. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. (180 degrees C., Gas 4) after 25 minutes or so, and cook for a further 30 minutes, basting with the remaining coating mixture once or twice.

To serve: let the duck cool down a little, then remove the string and pour out the liquid stuffing to be used as gravy. Chop the duck into bite-sized pieces, then serve hot or cold with the gravy poured over it.

Source from Internet.

by 旭日の革

The Ever-living Anita Mui

2008-10-10T00:02:00.000+08:00

There's a certain bittersweet irony that in Rouge, Anita Mui's most
acclaimed film role, the star plays a ghost from Hong Kong's bygone past lingering into the present day. It's been almost five years since the world lost the 40-year-old Anita Mui Yim Fong to complications from cervical cancer, yet in Hong Kong - and indeed the entire Chinese-speaking world - the woman once dubbed "The Madonna of Asia" continues to be an almost palpable presence. Countless memorial shrines, compilation CDs, even a Mainland TV biopic have kept her spirit alive and center-stage in the East Asian pop cultur442e landscape. In life her flashy, constantly evolving onstage personas earned her another nickname - "The Ever-changing Anita." In death, her immortal place in entertainment history might well warrant a new title - "The Ever-living Anita."

Solid Gold Idol

Her rise to fame is the stuff of fairy tales. Mui Yim Fong was born October 10, 1963 to a family of modest means. Her father died when she was only five, and Anita helped support her mother and four siblings by performing Cantonese Opera and pop songs on the streets of Hong Kong, eventually dropping out of school to keep food on the table. For the next thirteen years, Anita and her older sister Ann worked the nightclub circuit, singing whenever and wherever they could find work. After more than a decade of grim prospects, Anita suddenly found herself on the fast track to stardom when TVB held its inaugural New Talent Singing Awards in 1982. Beating out over 3,000 contestants, Anita took top honors and the grand prize, a record deal with Capital Artists.

In addition to Anita, Capital Artists signed another promising talent in 1982, a young man named Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing. Anita and Leslie became fast friends, and although they remained solo acts, the pair quickly set about reshaping the Cantopop landscape in their own image. Along with Alan Tam, another close friend, Capital's two new stars set off an idol craze of Beatlemania proportions in Hong Kong. Anita's first album, Crimson, sold a strong 250,000 copies, with each subsequent album snowballing to higher and higher profits. By the release of her fourth album, 1985's Bad Girl, the Anita craze had shifted into high gear. Bad Girl not only sold an astonishing 400,000 copies in Hong Kong alone, it also cemented her reputation as the "Bad Girl" of Cantopop. The title track's risque lyrics and Anita's often gaudy, domineering onstage presence may have earned her a temporary ban in Mainland China, but her undeniable singing talent, charisma, and unconventional looks earned her a devoted following and a deserved place in Asian music history. In what is perhaps the greatest testament to her star power, Anita was named Best Female Artist five years in a row from 1985 to 1989 at TVB's Jade Solid Gold Top 10 Awards.

Let's Make Movies

Any good Hong Kong singer worth their salt enjoys a second career as a movie star, and Anita was no exception. Yet her film career was exceptional, because Anita was not merely a singer trying to pass herself off as an actress. She proved to be a natural on camera, easily essaying comedic performances and serious dramatic roles with seeming effortlessness. After all, who else can claim to have upstaged Stephen Chow and Jackie Chan in their own movies?

Right out of the acting gate, Anita demonstrated her dual knack for comedy and drama with supporting roles in two very different but both wildly successful films. 1983's Shaw Brothers smash Let's Make Laugh is Kenny Bee and Cecilia Yip's show, but Anita makes the most of a limited role in an essentially formulaic romantic comedy. She made an even stronger impression in the following year's Behind the Yellow Line opposite her pal Leslie Cheung and another rising superstar, Maggie Cheung. Anita's turn as the unrelenting third point in a complicated love triangle earned her a Best Supporting Actress win at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

The next few years saw Anita continue to alternate between screwball comedies and romantic drama. She holds her own against Chow Yun Fat and Joey Wong in the darkly ridiculous 100 Ways to Murder Your Wife, and she elevates the most predictable of situation comedies in Trouble Couples. But it was her re-teaming with Leslie Cheung in the 1987 supernatural romance Rouge that established Anita Mui as an A-list actress. Director Stanley Kwan's unusually affecting tale casts Anita and Leslie as star-crossed lovers in 1930s Hong Kong who agree to a suicide pact. When only Anita finds herself in the afterlife, she begins a ghostly search for her beloved that spans 50 years of Hong Kong's history. A poignant balance of fantasy, mystery and romance anchored by Anita's haunting performance, Rouge is still remembered as a high water mark of Hong Kong Cinema and earned its star a much-deserved Best Actress trophy at both the Golden Horse and Hong Kong Film Awards.

Ever-changing Fortunes

After simultaneously conquering the Cantopop music scene and racing to the highest ranks of movie stardom, Anita began to fall victim to the inevitable fatigue, pressure, rumors and scandals that plague any major celebrity. In the years following a record-setting 28 consecutive evenings of concerts, an Opening Ceremonies performance at the Seoul Olympics, a sellout show in Hammersmith, England (an incredible feat for an Asian pop music celebrity), and an endless stream of tabloid gossip linking her to everything from illicit lovers to Triad connections, Anita announced her retirement in 1991. Had this truly been the close of her already amazing career, her place in entertainment history would already have been secure, and her constantly changing fashion tastes and song styles over the past decade had already earned her the epitaph "The Ever-changing Anita." But like so many other celebrities, the world was not about to let her rest so easily. She kicked off her "retirement" by shattering the record for number of consecutive concerts she herself established, performing 33 straight evenings of farewell shows. The ever-changing Anita was destined for even more changes to come.

She continued to be a prominent presence in Hong Kong movie houses, taking major roles in films as diverse as Tsui Hark's A Better Tomorrow III, Jackie Chan's The Canton Godfather (a.k.a. Miracles), and Corey Yuen's Shanghai Shanghai. She memorably played the ruthless title role in Kawashima Yoshiko, an historical biopic about the Manchurian princess and wartime Japanese collaborator. Her most enjoyable movie outing from this period, however, is likely her dual roles in the 1991 comic-book fantasy Savior of the Soul. This weird and wacky action vehicle lets Anita play both the no-nonsense, tough-as-nails love interest of Andy Lau and her demented twin sister, a crazed sorceress with a knack for mortally wounding herself with her own magic spells.

Savior of the Soul is an entertaining enough but sometimes messily uneven superhero movie, a genre Hong Kong cinema seldom nails. One of the few exceptions is Johnnie To's celebrated 1993 adventure flick The Heroic Trio. Anita headlines the title band of superheroines as Wonder Woman (no, not that Wonder Woman), who teams up with Invisible Girl (Michelle Yeoh) and Thief Catcher (Maggie Cheung) to combat an undead Ming dynasty eunuch threatening modern-day China. The star power of the three leads, coupled with To's directorial panache, made The Heroic Trio and its follow-up, The Executioners instant cult classics.

Queen of Comedy

The biggest box office success to showcase Anita's acting abilities, however, was the previous year's Justice, My Foot! . 1992 was the Year of Stephen Chow in Hong Kong; Chow owned all of the top five highest-grossing pictures of the year, and Justice, My Foot! (directed by Heroic Trio helmer Johnnie To) was the Number One Champ. Chow stars as a shifty Qing dynasty lawyer at odds with his overbearing wife (Mui), who insists he follow more straight-and-narrow legal practices. As his less-than patiently suffering better half, she naturally keeps her husband on his toes, but more impressive is the way in which Anita gives Stephen Chow a run for his comedic money. It's probably impossible to completely steal the spotlight from a manic force like Chow, but Anita Mui comes closer than anyone else.

How do you follow up stealing scenes from Stephen Chow? Steal
them from Jackie Chan. In what is perhaps her best-known role in the West, the then 31-year-old Anita stepped into the shoes of the then 40-year-old Jackie's stepmother in Drunken Master II (1994). As a willing collaborator in her stepson Wong Fei Hung's mischievous schemes, Anita gives what is easily the best comedic performance of her career. Forever manipulating and outmaneuvering her stern and humorless husband (Ti Lung), Anita almost magically invokes Lucille Ball in a 19th-century Chinese setting. It's so endearing a performance that Jackie has to keep the character offscreen for the entire climax to prevent her from diverting the audience's eye from his trademark acrobatics.

Drunken Master II owed no small part of its success to the combination of Jackie's jaw-dropping stunts and Anita's comedic charms, and the two returned for a contemporarily set encore in the next year's Rumble in the Bronx. The film proved to be Jackie's breakthrough to complete global stardom, and served for many Westerners as an indirect introduction to Anita's talents, as well. She also found a degree of underground popularity abroad thanks to a few lesser wuxia pictures that made the bootleg and independent label rounds in America during the mid-1990s, Sammo Hung's Moon Warriors and Benny Chan's The Magic Crane.

Final Curtain

Following another dramatic performance in Ann Hui's 18 Springs (1997), Anita took a break from the silver screen, although she was never far from the public eye. Her musical "retirement" had been moot since 1994; she continued to release albums in both Cantonese and Mandarin, and her ongoing stage concerts featured the increasingly eclectic costumes that were her stock-in-trade. In 2001, Anita returned to cinema screens in a handful of pictures, the standouts of which were Johnnie To's gender-bending period comedy Wu Yen and Ann Hui's low-key family drama July Rhapsody. Whether she was mugging it up as a Warring States prince opposite fox fairy Cecilia Cheung and Amazon warrior Sammi Cheng, or coming to grips with a marital crisis with Jacky Cheung and Karena Lam, Anita proved she still had what it took to hold her own with a new generation of Hong Kong starlets.

The tabloids continued to hound her, with gossip about her perpetual spinsterhood being favorite fodder, in addition to more unsavory rumors about drug addiction and plastic surgeries. So it was in September 2003 that the 39-year-old star reluctantly made public that she was battling cervical cancer, which had claimed her sister Ann in 2000. Publicly, Anita stated that she expected to beat the disease, but to the world's dismay it quickly became clear that her time was short. Unable to complete her role in Zhang Yimou's highly anticipated wuxia film House of Flying Daggers, Anita instead chose to devote her final days to her fans, holding eight farewell concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum in December 2003. For her last-ever costume change, the ever-changing, ever-single Anita appeared in a white wedding gown. In a moment of rare poignancy, she symbolically wed her one life partner: the stage.

Weeks later, Anita Mui was gone, following the untimely passing of her friend and fellow legend Leslie Cheung by a mere eight months. The news of her death was broken by none other than Jackie Chan, who tearfully called 2003 "a tragic year for Hong Kong entertainment."

She left behind her a legacy unmatched by few performers, be they Eastern, Western, stage, or screen. Disproving the Shakespearian adage that the good men do is interred with their bones, the media no longer remembers the gossip and allegations surrounding her life. Today, Anita Mui is remembered for her charity work, establishing medical care facilities throughout Asia and America, donating her concert proceeds to battle SARS, and writing a book to benefit children's cancer research. And of course, she is remembered for entertaining a generation of fans worldwide. But most important of all, perhaps, she is simply remembered.

This article is written by Mike Crandol

by 旭日の革

Selamat Hari Raya

2008-10-01T00:02:00.001+08:00

Muslims celebrate the festival of Aidilfitri – popularly known as Hari Raya Puasa, or simply Hari Raya (Day of Celebration) in Malaysia – to mark the culmination of Ramadhan, the holy month of fasting.

It is a joyous occasion for Muslims, as it signifies a personal triumph, a victory of self-restraint and abstinence, symbolising purification and renewal.

Fasting during the month of Ramadhan is compulsory or wajib, whereby Muslims are required to abstain from satisfying their most basic needs and urges, daily, between sunrise and sunset. It is one of the five tenets of Islam; as is the paying of zakat (alms tax for the poor), which must be tithed by the end of Ramadhan.

In Malaysia, the period of fasting ends when the new moon is sighted on the evening of the last day of Ramadhan. The actual sighting is conducted by state appointed religious officials at various vantage points (usually at hilltops) throughout the country.

If the crescent is sighted, the following day is then declared the first day of Aidilfitri, which is also the beginning of the 10th month of the Muslim calendar Syawal.

A time to forgive and forget
Aidilfitri is celebrated for the whole month of Syawal, but in Malaysia, only the first two days are observed as public holidays. It is widely common however, to see Muslims taking the first week off from work.

Urbanites make their annual pilgrimage to their hometowns (this is popularly referred to as balik kampung), to be with parents, relatives and old friends. Thus, cities like Kuala Lumpur get relatively quiet during the festive season of Aidilfitri.

The Muslim community ushers in the first day of Aidilfitri by congregating at mosques for morning prayers. Everyone is usually decked out in their traditional best to mark the special occasion. Men are usually dressed in Baju Melayu, while the Baju Kurung, the quintessential Malay attire for females, is the prefered choice for the fairer sex.

Then it's usually breakfast at home with the family, followed by a visit to the cemetery where deceased loved ones are remembered; graves are cleaned and cleared of overgrowth, and prayers are offered to Allah.

This is also a time to forgive and forget past quarrels. Asking for pardon is done in order of seniority. The younger members of a family approach their elders (parents, grandparents etc) to seek forgiveness, to salam (Muslim equivalent of a handshake), then kiss the hands of the older person as a sign of respect.

The usual greeting (that is uttered with the salam) during Aidilfitri is “Selamat Hari Raya”, which means “Wishing you a joyous Hari Raya”.

Children and old folks are given duit raya or gifts of money, in small envelopes. In recent years, many givers have opted for the Chinese practice of putting the money in ang pow packets; however instead of the usual red, the packets are green in colour.

Although the first three days are celebrated on a grander scale, many Muslims hold “open house” throughout the month, where friends and neighbours of other races are invited to join in the celebrations.

Before the big day
The joy of Hari Raya Puasa actually begins before the first day. A week or so before the big day, excitement mounts as the house is readied for the celebration with new furnishing and decorations.

Of particular interest are the last 10 days of Ramadan, where many keep vigil for Lailatul Qadr (The Night of Decree), the night when the Quran was sent down. It is believed that angels descend and shower blessings on that particular night, so homes are brightly decorated with oil lamps or pelita.

Mosques, as well as government and some commercial buildings, are also decorated and brightly lit to mark the auspicious day. The most predominant colour seen in decorations during this season is green which is commonly associated with Islamic items. It is often combined with yellow or gold.

As for motifs, by far the most frequently used symbol is that of the ketupat (rice cakes wrapped in coconut leaves); it is invariably used on Hari Raya greeting cards, hanging decorative items, and as a promotional image for the season.

The ketupat is traditional Hari Raya fare and is often served with beef rendang (beef cooked with spices and coconut milk) and/or satay (grilled meat on a skewer).

Other festive delicacies include lemang (glutinous rice cooked in bamboo tubes), serunding (dessicated coconut fried with chilli) and curry chicken.

..
.
Source from Internet.

by 旭日の革

September Recipe: Gado Gado

2008-09-29T18:11:00.002+08:00

Gado-gado is one kind of Malay food. It is also known as "Vegetable Salad with Peanut Sauce".

Ingredients:
½ green cabbage
1 cucumber
3 potatoes (boiled in jackets)
3 hard-boiled eggs
100g bean sprouts
100g long beans
3 beancurd cakes (pre-fried)

For Peanut Sauce:
1 med Onion
2 tbs oil
2 tsp ground chilli
1 cup coconut milk
4 tbs ground roasted peanuts
1 tsp lemon juice
salt/Sugar to taste

Directions:
1. Skin potatoes and dice. Parboil long beans and cut 1 cm in length. Slice cabbage in small squares. Bring to boil.(don’t overcook). Julienne cucumber. Parboil beansprouts. Slice eggs into quaters. Place the vegetables decoratively on a large platter. Serve individually with Peanut sauce.

2. Saute chopped Onion in oil. Add ground chilli, reduce heat; add peanuts and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Bring to boil and add coconut milk and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt, Sugar and lemon juice. This sauce is preferably served hot during winter and at room temperature during summer.

Source from Internet.

by 旭日の革

Global Warming

2008-09-24T12:06:00.003+08:00

口里喊着要抗暖化，但真正行动的人有多少？
只要每个人....不多，就1%的抗暖化知识，那地球上就会减少60%的温度！
别犹豫了！抗暖化就从现在开始！

不是因别人而行动，而是为自己而活！

~歪西~

The 7 Steps to Happily Ever After

2008-09-14T18:07:00.003+08:00

What makes love last a lifetime? Affection? Yep. Respect? Sure. But a great marriage is not just about what you have. It's about what you do to make a relationship stronger, safer, more caring and committed. Here's how to make your "forever" fantastic.

Marriage is a home, a refuge against the outside storms. And like any house, it requires a strong, lasting foundation. To build one, every couple needs to take certain steps — seven, to be precise — that turn the two of you into not just you and me but we. You may not move through all the steps in order, and you may circle back to complete certain steps again (and again and again). But if you make it through them all, you'll be well on your way toward creating a marriage that will be your shelter as long as you both shall live.

Step 1: Find a shared dream for your life together.

It's easy to get caught up in the small stuff of married life: What's for dinner tonight? Whose turn is it to clean the litter box? Did you pay the electric bill? But the best partners never lose sight of the fact that they're working together to achieve the same big dreams. "Successful couples quickly develop a mindfulness of 'us,' of being coupled," says REDBOOK Love Network expert Jane Greer, Ph.D., a marriage and family therapist in New York City. "They have a shared vision, saying things like, 'We want to plan to buy a house, we want to take a vacation to such-and-such a place, we like to do X, we think we want to start a family at Y time.'"

This kind of dream-sharing starts early. "Couples love to tell the story of how they met," points out Julie Holland, M.D., a psychiatrist in private practice in New York City and a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine. "It's like telling a fairy tale. But happy couples will go on creating folklore and history, with the meet-cute forming the bedrock of the narrative." As you write and rewrite your love story ("our hardest challenge was X, our dream for retirement is Y"), you continually remind yourselves and each other that you're a team with shared values and goals. And P.S.: When you share a dream, you're a heck of a lot more likely to make that dream come true.

Step 2: Ignite (and reignite) a sexual connection.

In any good relationship, sex is way more than just a physical act. It's crucial for the health of your emotional connection, too: It's something only the two of you share; it makes you both feel warm and loved; it draws you back together when you're drifting apart. And did I mention that it's a whole lot of fun?

Striking up those sparks when you first meet is easy. Nurturing a strong, steady flame? That's the hard part. When you've got a mortgage, a potbelly, and a decade or two of togetherness under your belts, it can be hard to muster up the fire you felt when you first got together. That's when it's even more important to protect your sex life and make it a priority. "You have to keep working to create allure and seduction for each other or your sex life will become lackluster," Greer points out. "Who wants the same turkey sandwich over and over? You want it on whole wheat! On toast! As turkey salad! On a roll!" (And now I will imagine my husband covered with Russian dressing. Thanks, Dr. Greer.)

As the years go by, you'll keep revisiting and realigning and reimagining the passion you have for each other. And if you keep at it, you'll have a sex life that transcends your marriage's lack of newness, the stresses of family and work, the physical changes that come with aging. Now that's something worth holding on to.

Step 3: Choose each other as your first family.

For years, you were primarily a member of one family: the one in which you grew up. Then you got married, and suddenly you became the foundation of a new family, one in which husband and wife are the A-team. It can be tough to shift your identity like this, but it's also an important part of building your self-image as a duo (and maybe, eventually, as three or four or...).

For me, making this transition meant stopping the incessant bitching to my mom when I was mad at my husband — my behavior was disloyal, and I had to learn to talk to Jonathan, not about him. My friend Lynn tells the story of her mother's reaction to a trip to the Middle East she and her then-boyfriend (now husband) had planned. Her mother hit the roof, calling incessantly to urge Lynn not to go. Eventually, Lynn's boyfriend got on the phone with Mom and explained why they were excited to share this experience. "It was clear then that we were the team," Lynn says now. "Not teaming up against my mother, but teaming up together to deal with her issues."

Whatever your challenges — an overprotective mom? an overly critical father-in-law? — you have to outline together the boundaries between you and all of the families connected to you. Not only will you feel stronger as a united front but when you stick to your shared rules, all that family baggage will weigh on you a lot less.

Step 4: Learn how to fight right.

I'm embarrassed to think of how I coped with conflict early in my relationship with Jonathan. I stormed out — a lot. I once threw an apple at his head. Hard. (Don't worry, I missed — on purpose.) I had a terrible habit of threatening divorce at the slightest provocation. But eventually I figured that this was pretty moronic. I didn't want out, and I knew that pelting someone with fruit was not a long-term marital strategy.

"Fighting is the big problem every couple has to deal with," says Daniel B. Wile, Ph.D., a psychologist and couples therapist in Oakland, CA, and author of After the Fight. That's because fights will always come up, so every couple needs to learn how to fight without tearing each other apart.

Fighting right doesn't just mean not throwing produce; it means staying focused on the issue at hand and respecting each other's perspective. Couples that fight right also find ways to defuse the tension, says Wile — often with humor. "Whenever one of us wants the other to listen up, we mime hitting the TV remote, a thumb pressing down on an invisible mute button," says Nancy, 52, an event producer in San Francisco. "It cracks us up, in part because it must look insane to others." Even if you fight a lot, when you can find a way to turn fights toward the positive — with a smile, a quick apology, an expression of appreciation for the other person — the storm blows away fast, and that's what matters.

Step 5: Find a balance between time for two and time for you.

Jonathan and I both work at home. This frequently leads to murderous impulses. Though I'm typing away in the bedroom and he's talking to his consulting clients in our small home office, most days it really feels like too much intimacy for me.

But that's my bias. When it comes to togetherness, every couple has its own unique sweet spot. "There are couples that are never apart and there are couples that see each other only on weekends," Greer says. With the right balance, neither partner feels slighted or smothered. You have enough non-shared experiences to fire you up and help you maintain a sense of yourself outside the relationship — not to mention give you something to talk about at the dinner table. But you also have enough time together to feel your connection as a strong tie rather than as a loose thread.

Your togetherness needs will also change over time, so you'll have to shift your balance accordingly. "My husband and I spend a lot of time together, but it's almost all family time," says Katie, 40, a mom of two in San Leandro, CA. "We realized a few months ago that we hadn't had a conversation that didn't involve the kids or our to-do lists in ages, so we committed to a weekly date. We were so happy just to go to the movies and hold hands, something we hadn't done in ages. It felt like we were dating again!"

Step 6: Build a best friendship.

Think about the things that make your closest friendships irreplaceable: the trust that comes with true intimacy, the willingness to be vulnerable, the confidence that the friendship can withstand some conflict. Don't those sound like good things to have in your marriage, too?

"Happy couples are each other's haven," says Holland. "They can count on the other person to listen and try to meet their needs." Greer adds, "When you're true friends, you acknowledge and respect what the other person is; you don't try to control or change them. This creates a sense of safety and security when you're together — you know you're valued for who you are and you see the value in your partner."

Then there's the way, when you've been with someone a while, that you become almost a mind reader. You have a shared history and inside jokes. Your guy knows what you'll find funny, you forward him links to articles you know he'll enjoy, and best of all, you two can make eye contact at a given moment and say volumes without opening your mouths. And is there anything more pleasurable than sharing the newspaper with someone? Sitting in companionable silence, absorbed in your respective reading, sipping coffee, occasionally reading something out loud, but mostly just lazing happily together, communing without needing to speak? Ahh....

Step 7: Face down a major challenge together.

You're sailing along through life, and suddenly you hit a huge bump. A serious illness. Unemployment. The loss of a home. A death in the family. How do you cope?

The truth is, you never know how strong your relationship is until it's tested. All too often, the stress of a crisis can pull a couple apart. But the good news is, when you do make it through in one piece, you might just find yourselves tighter than ever.

"What didn't happen to us?" says Daryl, 28, a preschool teacher in Harrisburg, PA. "My husband lost his job and took a minimum-wage job he was way overqualified for just to make ends meet. He was offered a better job in a mountain town outside San Diego, so we moved. Then during the California wildfires several years ago, our house burned down and we lost everything. We were living in a one-room converted garage with no running water and a newborn. But we found that this chaos somehow brought us even closer together. We took turns losing it. We really kept each other sane."

Hey, marriage is no roll in the hay. It's tough, real work. But the reward, the edifice you build together that will shelter you through years of tough times, is more than worth the effort. The small, friendly cottage you build — decorated with your shared history and stories, filled with color and laughter — will be the warmest and safest retreat you can imagine.

This article is written By Marjorie Ingall.

by 旭日の革

September Recipe: Cool Chicken Wings with Wine

2008-09-02T15:41:00.006+08:00

花雕醉雞翼

Cool Chicken Wings with Shaoxing Wine

材料Ingredients：

雞翼七至九隻Chicken Wing 7 to 9 pcs

醃料Marinated Sauce：

花雕酒半杯Shaoxing Dark Rice Wine Half Cup

米酒三湯匙Chinese Clear Rice Wine 3 tablespoon

雞湯半杯Chicken Broth half Cup

青蔥兩束Green Onion 2 Bunch

薑三片Ginger 3 Sliced

鹽一茶匙Salt 1 teaspoon

白糊椒粉兩茶匙White pepper powder 2 teaspoons

糖一湯匙Sugar 1 tablespoon

麻油兩茶匙Sesame Oil 2 teaspoons

低鹽份醬油三茶匙Low Sodium Soy Sauce 3 teaspoons

醬汁料Sauce:

花雕酒三湯匙Shaoxing Dark Rice Wine 3 tablespoon

青蔥一束Green 1 Bunch

薑兩片Ginger 2 sliced

花椒一茶匙Chinese Spicy Pepper Seed 1 teaspoon

鹽一茶匙Salt 1 teaspoon

糖兩茶匙Sugar 2 teaspoons

做法Steps:

1.先將所有醃料倒入雞翼中，放入冰箱醃一個晚上
Put all chicken wings into marinated source and leave it inside the refrigerator for one night.

2.取出後連醃料蒸約十分鐘
The next day, take out the Chicken wings and use steamer to steam it for 10 minutes.
.
3.將雞翼放入冰水中冷凍約十分鐘
Then, put all chicken wings into the cold water with ice cube for 10 minutes.

4.從冰水取出吸乾水份
Take out from the cold water and leave it dry on top of the cooking paper.
.
5. 淋上醬汁即可上碟
Put all chicken wings on the plate and add cooked source on top of it. Add some scallion and chili pepper julienne for decoration will do.

Source from Internet.

by 旭日の革

August Recipe: Sambal Udang

2008-08-20T20:20:00.003+08:00

Sambal Udang, a Malaysia local Nyonya's food. Prawn Sambal is prawn cooked in fiery sambal and tamarind. Marinating some tamarind with enough water to make a thick creamy gravy for the dish is fairly important.

Some people like to adding lemon grass gives it some kick. It taste equally good. But if you are going to put Petai (Stink Bean) in it, then don't use lemon grass.

Ingredients
250gm Medium sized prawns, shelled and devined
3 Tablespoon lime juice
or 25gm Tamarind 1/2 cup water
1 round Tablespoon Sugar
1.5 teaspoon salt or to taste
6 ozs of oil

Pounded Ingredients
1/4 ozs dried chillies
4 fresh chillies
4 ozs shallots
1/2 ozs belachan
3 buah keras (candle nuts)

Method of cooking
1. Heat 5 ozs oil and fry rumpah, high heat. When begin to stick to pan, lower to medium heat.
2. Add tamarind juices and simmer for 5 mins, before adding bunga kantan or chean hong.
3. Add sugar, it matures the sourish taste.
4. Fry the prawns with high heat and fast to achieve the crunchy effect. Add in last and better before serving.
5. For thicker creamy consistency: Using the same recipe, add minus the tamarind and water, this dish gets thicker.

Source from Internet.

by 旭日の革

巴菲特：“挑股選熟悉企業。”

2008-08-13T15:18:00.009+08:00

1974年，股神巴菲特44歲時接受《福布斯》訪問，當時他提及類似價值投資法和選購自己認識的行業股票，與34年後的今天他所提及的投資大法同出一轍。

《福布斯》數個月前重刊這篇訪問文章。

當時的巴菲特指，計算公司股價是否“值得買”的方法，是以傳統標準方法計算，如計算資產淨值（net worth）、賬面值（book value）和業務價值（value of the business）均屬於超低價的股票，則非常“值得買進”。

拒購高科技跨業界公司

近年巴菲特的揀股特色，就是多數揀選從事單一類業務的公司。當年他曾提議購買食水供應公司、報章和大型零售商，但不會購入高科技公司和跨業界公司（multicompany），因為對它們“不認識”。

當問及假如某隻被視為超值（bargain）的股票最終沒有升值，投資者應怎樣應付，巴菲特指市場遲早會反映某公司業務的真正價值。

他指自己曾把同樣問題問過當時上司，被稱為“價值投資法之父”的格雷海姆（Benjamin Graham）。
。。
勿受坊間意見影響

格雷海姆只是簡單答道，市場最終會反映出超值股票的真正價值。對自己或顧問的判斷有信心是巴菲特另一忠告。他說不要因為任何坊間的意見而舉棋不定，因為聰慧、真實和謊言是不會在當時的市場情緒中找得到。

當時巴菲特認為投資者的心態，應該是保持冷靜和有耐性，因為市場的其他投資者會經常一面倒樂觀或悲觀。

另一方面，美國康涅狄格州法院正調查巴菲特的投資旗艦巴郡（Berkshire Hathaway）有否因旗下新成立的市政債券公司Berkshire Hathaway Assurance，和巴郡擁有評級機構穆迪20%股權而造成利益衝突。

專業分析集中投資

不要想把巴菲特的投資行為簡化為一套公式，投資果真如此簡單，金融市場的面貌就會有所不同。應勇於配合市場狀況投資，向市場學習，並隨周遭環境調整和應變。與其嘗試破解巴菲特的某種獨門技巧，倒不如這麼做，還比較可能投資成功。

現實世界十分複雜，沒有任何一套公式化的投資方法能夠一體適用，不要試圖在紛亂無序的環境中找出秩序。最重要的是，要用有事實根據的真相，取代原本對巴菲特的各種印象。如此，就足以讓成功機會大增。

瞭解所做的選擇

分散投資是投資策略的根本原則，大家都知道“把雞蛋放在同一個籃子裡＂是不明智的，而且投資標的愈分散愈好。然而弔詭的是，巴菲特執行的基本上是集中投資策略，並未藉著投資各種不同類別的標的來降低風險，而是憑藉超凡的投資專業和優越的分析能力。

換句話說，巴菲特極度倚賴常識判斷，他發覺分散投資並沒有神奇到足以保證投資組合獲利。

他建議，只要確實瞭解自己所作的選擇，以六支股票組成的投資組合，就足以達到分散投資的目的。因為持有六支風險因素完全不同的股票，那麼這個投資組合的績效將可以超越反映大盤的指數型基金。要讓分散投資發揮效用，並不需要無限上綱。

巴菲特在這方面的具體建議有：

1.如果沒有時間或專業去分析企業，或是無法接觸到具備相關技能的投資顧問，就儘量以指數型基金作為投資工具。

2.即使你一開始是以集中投資的方式累積投資組合的價值，等到財富增長後，自然就應該花更多心
思在分散投資上。這個現象自然而然會發生，所以就順其自然吧。

3.分散投資的基本操作方法，就是在投資組合中增加和現有標的風險因素不同的股票。如前所述，只要你瞭解自己所作的選擇，那麼六支股票組成的投資組合，就足以達到分散的效果。

4.不要花腦筋嘗試挑選飆股，每次都挑對是不可能的，反而應該多花時間思考資產配置。用考慮該買哪幾支股票的同等時間，想清楚要配置多少錢在股票、多少錢在其他資產類別上。長期投資人一定要在投資組合上配置大量股票。

用最優價格買卓越股

大部份人都認為，巴菲特印證了價值型投資的好處。雖然他善於挑出被市場低估的股票，而且這些往往是價值股而不是成長股，不過巴菲特也證明了，他非常樂意在時機成熟時買進高成長股。

在這方面，巴菲特利用常識判斷的投資方法也顯而易見。他喜歡買便宜的股票，不論是成長股或價值股。他是運用現金流量折現法來判斷便宜與否，而不是用價格乘數。

如果市場上有一支股票的內含價值明顯高於市值，他就會買進。他操盤的基本邏輯是，長期成功的關鍵就在用最優惠價格，買進卓越企業的股票。

巴菲特1974年精句

“You're dealing with a lot of silly people in the marketplace ; it's like a great big casino and everyone else is boozing .If you can stick with Pepsi,you should be OK.
你正於市場中與很多蠢人交易，而市場有如一個大賭場，裡面所有人都飲酒到醉醺醺，如果你只是飲百事可樂，你就不會有問題。”

“Buy into a company because you want to own it, not because you want the stock to go up.
買入一間公司的股份是因為你想擁有該公司，而不是因為你想公司的股價上升。”

“Have faith in your own judgment or your adviser's. Don't be swayed by every opinion you hear and every suggestion you read.
要對自己或顧問的判斷有信心，不要因為聽到任何意見或讀到任何建議而搖擺不定。”

“Stick with waht you know, don't get too fancy.
投資在你所認識的，不要太過花巧的東西。”

“Draw a circle around the businesses you understand and then eliminate those that fail to qualify on the basis of value, good management and limited exposure to hard times.
用筆圈上你熟悉企業的名字，再根據價值、領導層能力和在市場困境時不會受太大影響等因素，把不合格的企業名稱刪去。”

摘取于“星洲日报”。

by 旭日の革

睡眠时间过长会使人智力下降变懒惰

2008-08-12T08:12:00.000+08:00

大家都知道，睡觉太少人就会生病，很多人却不知道，睡得太多同样不好。近日一则消息称，美国的研究人员发现，50岁以上女性每天睡9小时中风风险增加。记者昨天在采访中也了解到，如果睡眠过多，不仅消除不了疲劳，还会影响健康和智力。在睡眠时间中，死亡率最低的睡眠时间约为7小时。

风险1：

《中风和糖尿病》

美国的研究人员在对9万多名50—79岁的女性进行了长达7年半的调查后发现，每天睡眠超过9小时的人中风危险比睡7小时的人要增加70%，睡眠时间是增大中风危险的独立因素。南京脑科医院的专家介绍，老年人的血液黏稠度比较高，如果睡眠时间过长，就会导致血液黏稠度增加，而血液黏稠度增加就容易诱发中风等脑血管疾病。

有关专家介绍，还有一项研究表明，睡眠时间太长，也有可能诱发糖尿病，调查发现，每天的睡眠时间在7—8小时的人，身体最为健康。如果睡眠时间不足6小时，患糖尿病的风险就会增加约2倍；如果睡眠时间超过8小时，患糖尿病的风险则会增加3倍多。
有调查显示，一天睡眠少于6小时会损害一个人的健康。同时，睡眠时间超过9小时同样也会危害健康。在睡眠时间的调查中，死亡率最低的睡眠时间约为7小时。一天睡眠时间平均在4小时以下或是10小时以上的人，不管是男是女，死亡率都相当高。

风险2：

《呼吸道、心脏和消化疾病》

小李是一所学校的老师，喜欢睡懒觉，暑假里常常一睡就是10多个小时。他发现自己的身体还是比较差，常常动不动就感冒。医生帮他分析认为，他常常感冒可能和他喜欢睡懒觉有关系。
江苏省中医院呼吸科主任医师史锁芳说，卧室中早晨空气最污浊，即使虚掩窗户还是有部分空气未流通，不洁的空气中含有大量细菌、病毒、二氧化碳和尘埃，对呼吸道抗病能力有影响。而对于长期睡眠时间过长的那些闭门贪睡者，平时运动就少，再加上卧室内污浊的空气，就容易经常出现感冒、咳嗽等症状。

人活动时心跳加快，心肌收缩力加强，心脏排血量增加。人休息时心脏处于休息状态，心跳、收缩力、排血量下降。如果睡眠过多，就会破坏心脏休息和运动的规律，心脏一歇再歇，最终会使心脏收缩乏力，稍一活动便心跳不一、心慌乏力。另外，如果睡眠过多，就无法按时进餐，胃肠发生饥饿性蠕动，打乱了胃液分泌规律，影响消化功能。

风险3：

《越睡越懒，智力下降》

“一晚睡10个小时，为什么白天还是无精打采呢？”在某公司上班的小陈简直想不通，以前，他常抱怨自己睡得太少，以致头昏脑涨。但每天增加了睡眠时间，还是没精神，上班时反应慢，被老板骂了好多次。

专家解释，大部分人会认为，消除疲劳就应该多睡觉。其实，想用增加睡眠时间来获得健康的观念，是完全错误的。睡眠时间过长的人，就会变得懒惰、软弱无力，甚至智力也会随之下降。一夜休息后，肌肉和关节会变得松弛，醒后立即活动可使肌张力增加，也可使肌肉的血液供应增加，使骨骼、肌肉组织处于修复状态，同时将夜间堆积在肌肉中的代谢产物消除，有利于肌肉组织恢复运动状态。经常睡懒觉的人，因肌肉组织错过了活动良机，起床后会感到腿软、腰骶不适，周身无力。睡懒觉的人睡眠中枢长期处于亢奋状态，而其他神经中枢由于受到抑制时间太长，恢复活动的功能就会变得相对缓慢，因而会感到终日昏昏沉沉、无精打采，甚至智力下降。

健康睡眠时间6-8小时

那么，究竟每天要睡多久才有利于健康呢？专家认为，对于成年人来说，6-8小时是其所需的标准睡眠时间，老年人在这个标准上再减少1-2个小时，青少年可以增加1-2个小时。对于婴幼儿来说，睡眠时间则需要更长。

当然，睡眠时间多少最健康，还需要依据自身的情况来确定。判断自己的健康睡眠时间的标准，应该以第二天不会感到身体疲乏、感觉精力充沛来判定。

Source from Internet.

by 旭日の革

The Jazz Pianist ~ Herbie Hancock

2008-08-08T20:08:00.002+08:00

Herbie Hancock is a true icon of modern music. Throughout his explorations, he has transcended limitations and genres while still maintaining his unique, unmistakable voice. Herbie's success at expanding the possibilities of musical thought has placed him in the annals of this century's visionaries. With an illustrious career spanning five decades, he continues to amaze audiences and never ceases to expand the public's vision of what music, particularly jazz, is all about today.

Herbie Hancock's creative path has moved fluidly between almost every development in acoustic and electronic jazz and R&B since 1960. He has attained an enviable balance of commercial and artistic success, arriving at a point in his career where he ventures into every new project motivated purely by the desire to expand the boundaries of his creativity.

There are few artists in the music industry who have gained more respect and cast more influence than Herbie Hancock. As the immortal Miles Davis said in his autobiography, "Herbie was the step after Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, and I haven't heard anybody yet who has come after him."

In the latest 50th Grammy Awards, viewers who endured the occasionally sleep-inducing telecast were rewarded with a final shock, when 67-year-old jazz pianist Herbie Hancock took the Album of the Year trophy for "River: The Joni Letters." His tribute to singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell was the first jazz album to take the title since 1965, a fact in which he reveled at the podium.

"It's been 43 years since the first and only time since that a jazz artist got the Album of the Year Award," he said. "And, I'd like to thank the Academy for courageously breaking the mold this time. And, in doing so, honor the giants upon whose shoulders I stand; some of whom, like Miles Davis, John Coltraine, unquestionable deserved this award in the past. But, this is a new day that proves that the impossible can be made possible. Yes, we can … to coin a phrase."

While the recording industry undergoes a bumpy transition from traditional music delivery methods to digital downloads, the Grammy Awards retain one overriding advantage over other honors. Musicians' peers and not the public determine the winners; a trait which should stand the Grammys in good stead during their second half-century.

Awards that won by Herbie Hancock in the past Grammy Awards as the following.

2007 - 50th Annual Grammy Awards: Album Of The Year, River: The Joni Letters.
2007 - 50th Annual Grammy Awards: Best Contemporary Jazz Album, River: The Joni Letters.
2004 - 47th Annual GRAMMY Awards: Best Jazz Instrumental Solo, Speak Like A Child.
2002 - 45th Annual GRAMMY Awards: Best Jazz Instrumental Solo, My Ship.
2002 - 45th Annual GRAMMY Awards: Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group, Directions In Music.
1998 - 41st Annual GRAMMY Awards: Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual Or Group, Gershwin's World.
1998 - 41st Annual GRAMMY Awards: Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s), St. Louis Blues.
1996 - 39th Annual GRAMMY Awards: Best Instrumental Composition, Manhattan (Island Of Lights And Love).
1994 - 37th Annual GRAMMY Awards: Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual Or Group, A Tribute To Miles.
1984 - 27th Annual GRAMMY Awards: Best R&B Instrumental Performance, Sound System.
1983 - 26th Annual GRAMMY Awards: Best R&B Instrumental Performance, Rockit.

Source from www.herbiehancock.com.

by 旭日の革

Grammy Awards

2008-08-08T08:08:00.000+08:00

The Grammy history was started on 1957...

The Soviet Union launched the worlds first satellite, "Sputnik I". President Eisenhower presented the "Eisenhower Doctrine" which pledged U.S. defense against communism in the Middle East; The medical community was buzzing about the discovery of interferon; "The Bridge on The River Kwai" was playing at theatres everywhere; The "Hit Parade" featured "Wake Up Little Suzie" by the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly with "That'll Be The Day", and Elvis' hit, "Jailhouse Rock".

Despite warnings of its adverse ("devil music"), effect on society, Rock 'N Roll was sweeping the nation and taking over the airwaves. The music industry, was paying serious attention to the little studio in Memphis, "Sun Records", and was concerned about maintaining the quality and culture of its' society.

At the Brown Derby Restaurant in Hollywood California a group of music industry executives met to discuss the creation of a "Record Award Society". It was May 28th, 1957. This new organization would be dedicated to the improving the quality of life and cultural condition for music and its makers. It would present awards to members for outstanding achievements in the recording industry. Recording Artists, Writers, Producers, Engineers, etc. would be the voting members of the society and would elect their peers to receive the awards. The award would be called the "Gramophone".

June 6th, 1957; a press conference was held to announce the formation of the "National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences", and the birth of the "Grammy".

The first "Chapter" of this new organization was opened in Los Angeles with some high profile founding members; Benny Carter, Rosemary Clooney, Nat "King" Cole, Doris Day, Stan Kenton, Henri Mancini, and Nelson Riddle.
A second "Chapter" was chartered in New York City under the Presidency of Guy Lombardo.

The first Grammy Awards were presented on May 4th, 1959. Both "Chapters" of "National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences" simultaneously held an Awards Dinner; the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills California and the Park Sheraton Hotel in New York City.

There were 28 categories in which to compete. The winners of the inaugural Grammys included; Domenico Modgugno - "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu", (better known as "Volare") for Record of the year; Henri Mancini - "The Music from Peter Gunn" for Album of the year; Ella Fitzgerald - "Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook" for Best Vocal Performance - Female, and Best Jazz Performance Individual; Perry Como - "Catch a Falling Star" for Best Vocal Performance - Male; Count Basie - "Basie" for Best Jazz Performance Group; Kingston Trio - "Tom Dooley" for Best Country and Western Performance.

Although Frank Sinatra, old "Blue Eyes" was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Vocal Performance, he didn't win. He did however take home Best Album Cover Design.

Grammys are king of the music awards. It is an event that professionals in the music industry look forward to each year. The Grammy Awards are televised as well. In 2008, the Grammy Awards celebrated their 50th year.

With such a mixture of creative people, there are bound to be some interesting Grammy moments. So what are some of the best Grammy moments? Well, not all of them are good. Some of the Grammy moments are, shall we say, interesting.

Maybe the most touching Grammy moment in history is when Yoko Ono is given a Grammy in honor of her deceased husband, John Lennon. Another touching Grammy Awards moment is when Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie won the Grammy Award in 1986 for Song of the Year.

"We Are the World" was truly an ambitious project. This was perhaps the biggest group of popular musicians ever gathered at once to record a song. This song was used to raise money for Africa.

If you don't know your 80s singers, just know that if you were someone, you performed in this song. All of these singers were HUGE! Names like Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Ray Charles, Paul Simon, Tina Turner, Daryl Hall and John Oates, Cyndi Lauper, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Bette Midler, Huey Lewis, Dionne Warwick, and on and on. MEGASTARS, I tell ya. It was phenomenal.

The Grammy trivia, so who did win the most Grammys and who won the Most?

Most Grammys in a Lifetime; Sir Georg Solti, who conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for 22 years personally won 31 Grammys.

Most Grammy Awards won by a band; U2 won a total of 22 Grammys.

Most Grammy Awards for consecutive albums; Pat Metheny, and Pat Metheny Group, won 17 Grammys.

Most Grammy Awards for Solo Artist - Male; Stevie Wonder has won 28 Grammys. In addition to the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Most Grammy Awards for Solo Artist - Female; Alison Krauss has won 20 Grammys.

Most Grammy Awards for Best R&B Vocal Performance- Female; Aretha Franklin has won 11 Grammys.

Youngest Grammy Winner; LeAnn Rimes was 14 years old when she won for "Best New Artist".

Most Grammys won in one night - Male; Michael Jackson in 1984 was nominated for 11 awards and won 8. Carlos Santana in 2000 won 8 Grammys to tie Jacksons record.

Most Grammys won in one night - Female; Lauryn Hill in 1999, Alicia Keys in 2002, Norah Jones in 2003, and The Dixie Chicks in 2007, all tied this record for winning 5 Grammys in one night.

Most Grammy Nominations; Quincy Jones has had 79 nominations, and won 27 Grammys.

Most Grammy Nominations with no wins; Alan Parsons and Joe Satriani are tied with 13 nominations but no wins.

Who's Never Won?
Some of these might surprise you;
50 Cent (nominated again this year), Lead Zepplin, Diana Ross, Backstreet Boys, Queen, Neil Young(nominated for two categories this year), Bob Marley, Janis Joplin, Buddy Holly, ABBA, and the Spice Girls. Of course there are many others.

Elvis Presley was nominated 14 times. Won 3 Grammys, however all were for Gospel recordings. In 1971 he was given the "Lifetime Achievement Award".

Frank Sinatra won 10 Grammy Awards.
Elton John won 5 Grammy Awards.
Beatles won 29 Grammy Awards, including individual efforts by each member

Source from www.grammy.com

by 旭日の革

August Recipe: Fish Head Curry

2008-08-05T08:05:00.000+08:00

Ingredients:
1 fish head, about 1 kg
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cooking oil
30 g fish curry powder, mixed with 3 tablespoons water into a paste
90 g tamarind pulp, mixed with 250 ml water and strained
750 ml coconut milk, squeezed from 1 grated coconut with sufficient water added
10 okra or ladies fingers
3 tomatoes, halved
5 red chilies
5 green chilies
1 teaspoon sugar
1½ teaspoons salt

Ingredients to be ground:
25 dried chilies
12 shallots, peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled
3 stalks lemon grass, sliced
2.5-cm knob galangal, peeled
2.5-cm square piece shrimp paste

Method:
Clean fish head thoroughly and rub with 1 teaspoon salt. Heat oil in a kuali or wok and fry ground ingredients for 3 minutes. Add curry powder paste and in slow fire, fry until fragrant and oil separates. Add okra and fry for 3 minutes, then add in tomatoes and chilies. Pour in tamarind juice and coconut milk. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in sugar and 1½ teaspoons salt or to taste and lastly, lower in fish head. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until fish is done. Serve hot with white rice.

Source from Internet.

by 旭日の革

Hungry Ghost Festival七月十四~鬼节

2008-08-01T00:01:00.003+08:00

Just as Halloween is for Americans, the ‘Hungry Ghost Festival’ is for the Chinese. For those who have never heard of this festival, here are the essential ‘spooky’ facts on this festival.

Hungry Ghost festival is a popular occasion that is taken very seriously by the Chinese. This festival that falls on the 7th month of the lunar New Year is celebrated mainly in China and other countries like Singapore & Malaysia. It is believed by the Chinese that during this month, the gates of hell are opened to free the hungry ghosts who then wander to seek food on Earth. Some even think that the ghosts would seek revenge on those who had wronged them in their lives. The reason why the Chinese celebrate this festival is to remember their dead family members and pay tribute to them. They also feel that offering food to the deceased appeases them and wards off bad luck.

Another belief among the Chinese is that the dead return to visit their living relatives during the 7th month and thus they prepare a sumptuous meal for the ‘hungry ghosts’. The Chinese feel that they have to satisfy the ghosts in order to get good fortune and luck in their lives.

During the 7th month, the Chinese offer prayers to the deceased relatives and burn joss sticks. In Singapore, it is a common sight to see entertaining ‘wayang’ shows and concerts performed on outdoor stages in some neighborhoods. These events are always held at night. There is a belief that this entertainment would please those wandering ghosts.

每年农历七月十五日为“盂兰盆节”，也称“中元节”（一定意义上讲，中元节归属道教，盂兰盆节归属佛教），有些地方俗称“鬼节”、“施孤”，又称亡人节、七月半。

“鬼节”，俗称“七月半”（有些地区为十三或十四）。俗传去世的祖先七月初被阎王释放半月，故有七月初接祖，七月半送祖习俗。送祖时，纸钱冥财烧得很多，以便“祖先享用”。同时，在写有享用人姓名的纸封中装入钱纸，祭祀时焚烧，称“烧包”。年内过世者烧新包，多大操大办，过世一年以上者烧老包。

无论贫富都要备下酒菜、纸钱祭奠亡人，以示对死去的先人的怀念。中元节一般是七天，又有新亡人和老亡人之分。三年内死的称新亡人，三年前死的称老亡人。迷信说新老亡人这段时间要回家看看，还说新老亡人回来的时间并不相同，新亡人先回，老亡人后回。因此要分别祭奠。烧纸钱的时间选晚上夜深人静，先用石灰在院子里洒几个圈儿，说是把纸钱烧在圈儿里孤魂野鬼不敢来抢，然后一堆一堆地烧，烧时嘴里还要不住地念叨：“某某来领钱。”最后还要在圈外烧一堆，说是烧给孤魂野鬼的。亡人们回去的这一天，无论贫富都要做一餐好饭菜敬亡人，又叫“送亡人”。

Source from Internet.

by 旭日の革

How I Want To Be Kissed ?

2008-07-23T18:45:00.004+08:00

I’ve had my fair share of kisses over the years. Some, I admit, were horrible, and included things like braces, corn-chip breath, and games of tonsil hockey. But there have been some pretty sweep-me-off-my-feet kisses too, like: kissing under a sky illuminated with fireworks, a grown-up-game of spin-the-bottle (please land on green eyes—yes!), and scandalous kisses that never should have happened but felt so good. It’s no wonder, of course, that my girlfriends and I want more of the latter than the former. So listen up, guys, for some advice. Here, eight women kiss and tell…

Make sure she’s willing
“First off, does the date merit a kiss? Am I engaged in conversation with you? Am I smiling? If things seem like a go, a first kiss should be very soft. Please, no tongue! Just kiss my lips with yours. Nip at my bottom lip—just slightly tug it. Don’t be like my last first date, who licked my teeth and got my hair caught in his college ring (come to think of it—never wear a college ring on a date).”
—Alexis Derano, editorial assistant

Brush up
“I think hygiene is key. Before you attempt to kiss me ask yourself: Does your breath smell like pepperoni pizza? I don’t care if we just dined in garlic heaven—a pack of gum or tin of Altoids cost around a buck. Both fit in your pocket. Puh-lease, have fresh breath. I keep Tic-Tacs on me at all times (hint, hint)! If we go back to your place to cuddle and watch a DVD, there is nothing sexier than a guy that excuses himself to the bathroom and emerges smelling like Crest. I once kissed a guy that tasted like tuna fish. We did not go on another date.”
—Donna Tice, accessories buyer

Ration the love
“A little goes a long way, boys! A little lip, a little tongue, a little caressing of my cheekbone. For starters, give me a quick, sexy sweep. Then retreat—do not shove your tongue into my mouth. What I want now are your lips. I want long, solid smooches. Next, pull away and hold the back of my head in your palm. Look into my eyes. I’ll reciprocate—trust me.”
—Kristina Katsulous, account executive

Sneak a peck
“When just getting to know a guy, I like it when he goes in but doesn’t make it to my lips and rather dots my cheek and lip with a long, sweet, I-know-I-like-you peck. Then he pulls away and I likely blush, which is a good sign. On our next formal date, I expect full lip-on-lip contact.”
—Tina Jackson, student

Kiss me in the theater
“Take me to the movies and kiss me (just sweet pecks) at really touching moments, like when the main guy and gal realize they’re meant to be or the puppy gets saved from a burning building. It shows me you’re sensitive and totally tuned into my girly feelings. I’ll kiss you when your team scores a basket—promise.”
—Rachelle King, sales associate

Watch the hands
“Do not take my hands and put them in inappropriate places on your body while we are sharing a kiss. If I like you, my hands will be caressing your brow or tucked under your collar. And I love it if your hands are resting on my hips, holding the back of my head, sweeping my cheek with a soft, open palm, or holding my hands (personal favorite). It ruins a kiss if you take your hands and go rushing to different places. If I like you… we’ll get there.
—Willow Roberts, photographer

Sweep her off her feet—literally
“This is a little cheesy, but I love Hollywood kisses. Completely, over-the-top, theatrical kisses. Hold me, dip me, kiss me. It shows me you love to have fun (like me), and it’s so romantic. Hollywood kisses are also a great distraction from petty arguments, by the way.”
—Laura Gowzen, personal trainer

Just do it!
“My best advice is so simple: Go for it. If you get that urge, and I don’t seem that into it, who cares? Maybe I’m just zoned out for some reason, or maybe I am into you and you just aren’t picking up on my very subtle vibes. I’ve been sneak-attacked a lot with a kiss, and nine times out of ten, it turns me on!”
—Jaz Valte, publicist

This article is written By Christine M. Coppa.

by 旭日の革

How To Be A Better Kisser ?

2008-07-23T18:30:00.007+08:00

As with driving, cooking, and cage fighting, kissing is a skill that requires practice. Most women like to think they’ve come a long way since locking braces with their high-school sweetheart. And they have! But still, there’s plenty more they could learn. Follow along with some tales of woe, and some tales of whoa, and take notes on the dos and don’ts of kissing a man.

Lean to the right
“Lean to the right. I thought that was common knowledge, but I’ve been with at least three girls who went left when we went in for a kiss. It was adorably awkward, I guess, but I would’ve much rather avoided the conspicuous bruise that showed up on my forehead. I had to explain that it wasn’t a hickey, but a battle wound caused by make-out misdirection. To any woman who reads this, remember, go right.”
—Sam, cameraman

Take charge

“Don’t be afraid to take the lead. I was at a bar on New Year’s Eve and, when the ball dropped, some of my female friends and I exchanged quick smooches. Then I locked eyes with a cute friend of a friend, who I’d never really met before. The mood took over, and we started to kiss. Next thing I knew, my back was against the bar and we were deeply making out. Her kissing style wasn’t overly aggressive, just firm, confident, and sexy. She took charge, and I was powerless to resist.” —Steve, writer

Close your eyes
“I had one girlfriend who, for some reason, always kept her eyes open when we kissed. I’d get this strange feeling that I was being watched while we made out, only to open my eyes briefly to find her staring back at me. Not only was it disconcerting as hell, but it made me self-conscious. Was she picking apart my moves? Did I make some kind of funny face I wasn’t aware of? I’d be completely thrown for the rest of the night.”
—Jon, editor

Get your hands in on the action
“Run them through my hair, or, if you really want to get me going, stroke my neck. Yeah, it’s a bit effeminate of me, but it makes me feel as if she’s enjoying it so much that she can’t control herself. Just lip-to-lip contact is the missionary position of making out.”
—Timothy, writer

Pause before you pucker
“A well-timed pause can really add to a passionate kiss. I love it when a girl leans in but doesn’t lock lips right away. She’ll go right to the point where we’re about to close our eyes, and then smirk or giggle or do something that lets me know she wants to savor the moment. And so do I.”
—Chris, certified financial planner

Chuck the gum
“Is it really too much to ask that you not chew gum when we kiss? It’s funny in the movies when a girl kisses a guy and he magically ends up with her gum in his mouth, but real life is a different story. I’m all for a little tongue-on-tongue action but, please, ditch the Trident before we get there.”
—Chandler, club promoter

No brushstrokes
“I went on a semi-blind date and the conversation was natural, we both laughed a lot, and I think we both knew the date was going to end with a first kiss. Unfortunately, her technique can best be described as ‘lip painting.’ She literally painted my lips with her tongue, in a circular motion. I recoiled as politely as I could, and retreated to some pecks. Then I escaped in a cab and never called her back.”
—John, radio host

This article is written By Matt Christensen.

by 旭日の革

林冠英接受香港无线访谈

2008-07-21T17:02:00.003+08:00

香港无线电视翡翠台-林冠英特备节目 1

香港无线电视翡翠台-林冠英特备节目 2

香港无线电视翡翠台-林冠英特备节目 3

~歪西~

做什么运动最减肥呢？

2008-07-16T17:36:00.002+08:00

到底什么是减肥最有效的方法。在减肥用品市场兴盛了这么多年之后，这个问题仍然让很多人困惑。专家指出，目前减肥方法有两大类：食品减肥和自然减肥。而让自己能够瘦下来的最有效最安全的途径只有一条—— 运动。恰当的运动，往往能够使人尽快地减肥，使自己的体重保持在正常范围。那么什么样的运动最有利于减肥呢？

就运动项目的选择来说，一般可选择运动节奏中等或较快的项目，规定距离的匀速跑（1500－3000米）、网球、羽毛球、健身操、体育舞蹈等都是较为理想的。

就运动强度而言，中等强度较适合。因为采用中等强度进行运动，从能量代谢的角度上看，可以促使人体内的脂肪变为游离脂肪酸进入血液，作为能源在运动中消耗，没有被消耗掉的游离脂肪酸也不再合成脂肪。同时中等强度的运动不增加食欲,这可避免因运动引起摄入更多的能源,加剧脂肪在体内的存积。如何把运动强度控制在中等强度范畴呢？通常可以通过心率的测定来控制，这里向大家介绍不同年龄的人，其中等强度的心率控制范围：20—39岁，125—135次/分；40—49岁，115—130次/分；50—59岁，110—125次/分；60岁以上，110—120次/分。　　至于健身运动的时间，健身减肥锻炼宜安排在晚餐前2小时进行，有研究表明，其效果是最佳的。

康贝

by linguowei@bmonidea

Paint It Black: Zang Toi's Antiques Transformed

2008-07-16T17:00:00.003+08:00

The antiques that line the Upper East Side home of the fashion designer Zang Toi appear a bit puzzling at first. The classic shapes suggest an 18th-century French décor, but there is no sign of the dark brown wood or gilded accents that one might expect. That doesn't mean they're not there.

When Mr. Toi decided to redecorate, he wanted an entirely black-and-white color scheme. But to achieve a mix of the classic and the modern, he had to change the look of several pieces of furniture. In some cases, Mr. Toi had mahogany pieces covered in layers of black, glossy lacquer — and their gold accents turned to silver.

"It's still very classic," Mr. Toi said of the unconventional style.

Arguably the most controversial piece that Mr. Toi transformed is a master bed originally created by a Belle Epoque furniture maker, François Linke (1855-1946). A museum-quality piece made of mahogany with gold leafing, it now has a glamorous look of jet black with silver leafing.

Mr. Toi commissioned Carlton House Restoration to make the change, but the proprietor, Kenny Dell, wasn't so sure about the project at first. "I actually felt a little queasy about it," he said. "I didn't understand the whole vision of the residence. I had one piece, but an object without context is hard to understand."

Mr. Dell said that his biggest problem was that the commission strayed from the basic principles of his business. "We try to preserve the character of pieces, not change it," he said.

In fact, employees at the restoration studio, located in Long Island City, tried to dissuade the designer from going ahead with the changes, but he would not budge. "I bought it for myself, for my own enjoyment. Not for anyone else," Mr. Toi said. "I worked so hard. It's mine."

The project took one woodworker and one finisher six months to complete. They employed the 18th-century technique of French polishing to finish the wood. For Mr. Toi, it was worth the wait. "Everyone at the studio couldn't believe it. They asked me, 'How did you have this vision?'"

But visions like this come easily to the Malaysian-born Mr. Toi, who is known for sumptuously decorated evening wear. Gowns from the House of Toi are often covered in hand-embroidered embellishments — some evoking trails of bougainvillea, underwater coral motifs, or piles of sparkling necklaces. His day wear is often simpler, but always intended for luxury: If you want to dress from head to toe in cashmere, this is the man to see.

So when it came time to give his apartment a new style, he went about it just as he would a new collection for the runway. Instead of hiring a decorator, he found a theme, modernized it, and executed it with supreme quality. Ultimately, it was his adoration for all things Parisian that led him to a look that's Marie Antoinette-meets-the new millennium.

After all, as he recalled asking himself when he found his inspiration: "Why do I want a carbon copy of 18th-century French?"

And in the end, even the skeptics who worked on his furniture came around. Mr. Dell admitted that by the end of the process he gained a better understanding of the look Mr. Toi was going for. "The bed was very elegant at the beginning and at the end it was more glamorous than elegant," Mr. Dell said.

Despite its stature and dominating presence, the bed — like any antique — is beginning to show its age. The silver leafing has gently faded and oxidized, taking on a distinctly more golden hue. And though Mr. Toi is certainly devoted to details (the apartment is meticulously free of clutter and items that don't fit in) the signs of age don't bother him. "Part of living with antiques is that they're not always perfect," he said.

When asked which piece was his favorite, he went straight to a picture frame housed in a white floor-to-ceiling, double-door cabinet. The frame, one of many on display, was entirely bronze, but Mr. Toi had it transformed — by Hygrade Polishing and Plating in Long Island City — into the silver-leafed piece it is today. It features an old photograph of his grandparents in Malaysia.

Another piece that Mr. Toi is particularly proud of is a salon chair in the center of the living room. Originally mahogany with gold leafing and striped damask upholstery, the chair is now painted in white lacquer with silver accents; the fabric surfaces were reupholstered in charcoal cashmere with black velvet piping. The work was completed by Osmandu Echevarria of Osmandu Echevarria Associates Inc. in Long Island City.

Unlike Mr. Dell, Mr. Echevarria had no qualms about making the requested changes. "[Clients] want a certain look, and that's what we do for them," he said.

He also recalled the designer's visits to the studio throughout the process to express his specific ideas. "He knew what he wanted," Mr. Echevarria said.

That focus extended to the room's accent pieces, such as a custom-made silver fox area rug, silver-leafed wicker chairs, and two life-size "glamorous and beautiful versions" of Marie Antoinette hand-painted on the walls.

It all adds up to a home in which every detail has been painstakingly thought through and has, as the owner describes it, "a distinctive House of Toi look."

When Zang Toi wanted to customize his antiques, he turned to these local studios, which are willing to repaint and rebuff to help you get the look you want.

The New York Sun

by linguowei@bmonidea

如何引導兒童觀賞美展

2008-07-16T16:46:00.005+08:00

一、引導兒童觀賞美展的通則

帶領兒童觀賞美展，是引導兒童走進藝術殿堂的美麗花徑，兒童可以透過藝術家凝聚智慧與感情完成的作品，接觸美、感受美、享受美。美展的型態繁多，琳瑯滿目的展品各有特色，觀賞的主體兒童又有年齡的差異，觀賞方法自然不宜齊一，因此唯有斟酌不同的客體與主體採擇適當方式，才能深入接觸，收效宏大。話雖如此，由於觀賞任何藝術品都在追求美，本質相同，彼此之間必多相通，帶領兒童觀賞美展走進藝術殿堂，自然要掌握若干通則。茲分述如下：

(一)激發喜愛美術的興趣

凡事須有興趣才能順利推展，美的探索也須要濃厚的興趣做為推動力。當前觀賞美展風氣不夠普遍，一般人鑑賞美術能力薄弱，顯然是缺乏興趣、喪失信心所致。追究其因極可能是過去的教育偏差，美術淪為不受重視的副科地位，或只求表現的技能科性質，社會上又普遍受功利價值觀影響而偏重知識教育，忽視陶冶情意的審美教育。
其實人類具有愛美的天性，觀賞美麗的自然物、藝術品都會心曠神怡，對於兒童只要稍加提攜，很容易激發潛藏的喜愛美術的興趣。經常安排兒童參觀美術館，增加親近藝術品的機會，自然而然會消除自卑、冷漠、畏懼的心理，順暢地發展天性，增強美術鑑賞的信心。引導兒童觀賞美展，不僅次數要多，也要用心激發其興趣，例如：觀賞前鼓舞情緒，以增強對這次美展的期待；觀賞中發掘驚喜，以維持興趣的熱度，或解析疑惑，以提升鑑賞的程度；觀賞後須回味、共享、整理，其肯定心得滿足成就感。每人帶領兒童觀賞美展都當做播種工作，悉心在兒童心中種下愛好美的種子，如此才有萌發新芽茁壯成樹的一天。

(二)保持輕鬆愉快的心情

創作藝術家來說是快樂的一件事，但也可能夾帶辛苦，甚至充滿痛苦的困擾；至於觀賞藝術品則是順性怡情的快樂事，最能舒暢心懷，掃除心中壓抑鬱悶。一個人自小經常保持心情開朗，氣度自然恢宏，對人生也就充滿信心。因此走進美術館，固然不能態度輕慢而嬉戲喧鬧，也不必拘謹嚴肅而滿懷戒慎。我們應該引導兒童本著快樂心情，去接觸平面的繪畫或立體的雕塑，尋找賞心悅目的美。
參觀的規矩，觀賞的禮儀都不是束縛快樂的枷鎖，而是保障各人能靜心接納美的權利。引導的人本身要以開朗的態度，幽默的言語，熱誠的鼓勵，讓兒童體會徜徉在美術館與藝術品對談是多麼愉快的事。不論是少數一、二人或班級性群體活動，要能鼓舞兒童輕鬆活潑的情緒，營造愉快和諧的氣氛，才能讓美展成為快樂源泉，把兒童帶進美的天地。
此外，走進收藏品豐饒驚人的美術館或大規模的美展，往往給人「既入寶山，豈可不滿載而歸」的貪念，極想全部觀賞完畢，以致走馬看花般匆匆掃視。此種囫圇吞棗消化不良的方式，也容易促使觀賞心情急躁不安，影響對作品的感受程度。

(三)掌握展覽資訊，熟悉展覽會場情境

凡事豫則立，不豫則廢，妥善的準備工夫是成功的要素，帶領兒童參觀美展也是如此。觀賞前要獲得確切周詳的展覽資訊，包括開展至閉展日期、每日展覽起訖時間、展覽地點、交通狀況、展覽內容、相關活動及出版品等，比較容易掌握參觀活動的順利、收穫的豐富。尤其是帶領人數較多或是配合課程的教學活動，更須講求預備工作的周全。
規模宏偉的博物館、美術館，展示空間廣闊複雜而類似迷宮，展示內容琳瑯滿目而令人眼花撩亂，初次走進其中猶如「劉姥姥遊大觀園」，不知從何看起，如何行進？因此須要事先取得資訊，或入場後先看入口處所揭示的展覽室分布圖，或所提供的摺疊小冊子，了解館內展示概況，按圖索驥，才不會遺漏某些重要展品，或未能在預定時間內觀賞到本次預定觀賞的部分。
展覽作品可能是原始藝術或二十世紀的現代藝術，可能是中國的水墨或西方的雕塑，帶領的人如果事先研讀有關資料，對展覽品具備相當程度的認識，則一進入會場便能迅速掌握參觀情緒。
一般美術館除了展示精采作品以外，也附設販賣部門陳售作品海報、明信畫片、畫冊、書籍、幻燈片、裝飾品等，為了加深對作品及此行印象，也可以安排在參觀路線內。

(四)掌握展覽特色，接納各種美術品所擁有的美

美展作品種類繁多，包括繪畫、雕塑、陶瓷、攝影、書法、美術設計、民俗工藝、兒童美術等，其中繪畫還可分為：水墨、油彩、水彩、粉彩、膠彩、版畫、素描、綜合媒材等，各擁有獨特的美，觀賞重點自然不一。例如：觀賞水墨畫，用筆與墨韻是發掘水墨之美的兩大重點，筆墨呈現的美感與趣味，在引導兒童觀賞時最值得提醒說明。
再如不同於平面藝術的雕塑，尤其是比浮雕更立體的圓雕，觀賞就不能僅從一方接觸，須從前後、左右、上下不同的方向、角度去觀賞，感受向四面八方展開的造形美。即使同屬彩繪的水彩與油彩，也由於材料、技法截然不同而分別呈現渲染或厚實的趣味。
美展型態有展示收藏品的經常展，展示某人或某主題的個展、特展，也有集合若干人的聯展，甚至兼容各類媒材的綜合性大展，帶領的人最好了解性質與特色，以期兒童輕易地接納各種藝術品所擁有的美。

(五)隨機介紹美術知識、技法及引導賞析方法

帶領兒童參觀美展是一種休閒活動，更是意義深遠的教育活動，到美術館不是看熱鬧，不能只顧玩樂，每次參觀總是期望在美術教育上有所收穫。不過這是靈活的教育活動，是自由活潑的隨機性教學，不是系統化、規律化的一般教學活動，以避免刻板、嚴肅、枯燥無趣為宜。應該配合時間、空間、客體的展品，並斟酌主體兒童的需要與能力，適切地介紹相關美術知識、技法，增強鑑賞能力及創作能力，不必像在學校裡有步驟的美勞教學。
例如：參觀畢卡索畫展，對這位藝術大師的童年生活、生長環境、時代背景、創作經歷、作品特色、在美術史上的價值等，可以用輕鬆有趣的言語隨機摘談，並不一定要做有系統、很嚴謹的介紹。又如面對印象派大師莫內的作品，可以根據所展現的畫面隨意談談光與色彩的關係。經常參觀美展，接觸次數增多，零星知識自然在輕鬆中積累成山。

(六)適合兒童的感受能力及經驗

兒童不是成人，當然不能以成人程度相待，但也不能以歧視眼光認為幼稚不成熟而不關切。他們擁有自己的美感特質，對美的感受、認知與喜愛自有另一種心靈語言，並且隨著年齡的增長一直在改變。
兒童對美術作品內容的了解，或許受了知識經驗的限制而不夠豐富深刻，但是對作品的鑑賞具有迥異於成人的著眼點；對彩色機能的詮釋，往往跳脫成人世界的習慣領域而另有情鍾；對造形、構圖的接納，也有各年齡階段的獨特眼光，這種現象從兒童所創作的繪畫與立體造形不難發現。
兒童造形能力發展固然有基本軌跡的存在，個別差異的事實也不容漠視，天賦與後天的教育、環境差異都影響兒童對美的感受能力與興趣，引導兒童觀賞美展不能忽略這個現象。兒童的注意力不易持久，最好不斷藉生動新鮮的趣味來吸引。因此，嚴謹的藝術史要故事化，深奧的創作理念要淺語化，抽象的畫面要具體化，不要讓兒童感覺枯燥乏味。

二、觀賞美展的禮儀

不論是教師帶領學生，或是父母陪伴兒女觀賞美展，都是情操教育的好機會，除了主學習的美感教養以外，公德心的培養也不容忽視。進入圖書館須肅靜，不可高聲喧譁以免妨礙閱讀安寧已成共識；進入美術館觀賞藝術品，也須要建立應有的程序與禮儀。
參觀美術館是美的朝聖，是美的洗禮，自己的外在、內在都得要求美。儀容舉止要活潑中保持端莊，穿著簡便無妨，但不宜過於隨便。成人的吸菸、吃檳榔當然禁止，兒童的邊吃零食，邊看美術品也不可取。購買門票進場不擁擠、不插隊，依序排隊。下雨時雨傘的處理，攜帶物品、背包、相機等保管都要依照規定。
定心靜觀最能領會作品中奧妙，保持美展場所的寧靜是必要的，因此在美術館或展覽會場高聲闊談，喧譁嬉戲，奔跑追逐都在禁止之列。指導兒童專心觀賞作品的美，悉心揣摹藝術家的創作理念，並以輕聲細語交換心得或提出問題，才是觀賞美術的正確態度，也是培養公德心的機會教育。
一般靜態展示，平面的各類繪畫、攝影等作品大都懸掛壁面，立體的雕塑、陶藝等作品則放置檯架上；不論是珍藏在透明玻璃櫥內，或只用簡易線帶隔開，甚至沒有任何隔離設施都嚴禁觸摸、撞碰，以防污穢、毀損。每件作品都是藝術家的最愛，對作品的珍惜保護表示對藝術家的尊重，對藝術的真愛。為了永遠保留藝術珍品，尤其年代悠久的古畫古物，更是嚴密講究收藏及展示的空間、採光溫度、濕度等，有的禁止閃光燈攝影，甚至禁止一切攝影，這些保護措施需要讓兒童明瞭並遵守。
為了充分發揮雕塑向四面八方展現的美，有些雕塑作品展示於戶外，或成立雕塑公園。遺憾的是常見兒童自行或在父母慫恿下，然而把藝術家的傑作視同遊樂園的玩具而攀登騎乘，影響他人觀賞，也破壞了藝術品。可見尊重藝術品，愛護藝術品的觀念亟待建立。
現代藝術中所謂動態藝術，大都在展現藝術品本身的動態變化，至於觀念藝術、行動藝術則頗多藝術家或觀賞者參與活動的形式，此外兒童藝術教育也有藉遊戲融合鑑賞與創作的推展方式。藝術品的展示除了靜態之外，還包括活潑的動態，更須指導兒童遵照規定，讓他們愉快地感受到藝術的美，又明瞭尊重藝術的意義。
藝術的極致在創作要素構成了和諧的形式，於是徜徉美的天地就成了心靈和諧的享受，但是我們帶領兒童觀賞旨在探索美的美展，不能忘卻人與人之間保持敬重禮讓所生的和諧也是美。因此要指導兒童：面對不合己意的作品，避免惡言譏評，試從各種角度去理解作品的美，發現藝術家的才華。尊重導覽人員，借重他們的專業能力與熱誠，幫助自己對作品深刻了解，是鑑賞捷徑，也是待人的禮儀。此外，對一起觀賞的同伴及不相識的其他觀眾，相互尊重、友善，共同良好秩序，自然能在和諧寧靜的氣氛下，深得藝術情趣。

三、培養兒童觀賞美展的良好態度

(一)以純真的感性去接觸藝術品

美術鑑賞是知性與感性交融的活動，感性占有重要分量。走進美術館剛接觸一幅繪畫或一件雕塑時，不急著想了解作品的敘事性，只關心題材的內容。觀賞繪畫除了若干紀念性作品以外，何人、何物、何地？並非關切的重點，最重要的是先掌握畫面由造形、色彩、明暗、質感等構成的視覺感受。即使鑑賞以內容為主的歷史畫，也得先從視覺的感受開始，才能淋漓領會畫中人物所表現的意義。一幅肖像畫固然須認識畫中人，但不妨先關心這位畫中人所顯現的感情，是開朗、快樂、得意，還是憂鬱？一般風景畫也不宜只知探求是何處景色？應先感受畫面所呈現明朗、柔和、沈悶、激烈等氣氛，掌握情趣所在。
如果只知從作品內容去追求美，一旦遇到塞尚那種藉蘋果、橘子探討畫面構成的靜物畫，就無法領會藝術家精心創作的美；尤其純由形狀、色彩組合的抽象畫，更是不知所畫何物了。至於立體的雕塑儘管有寫實、變形與抽象的各種造形，鑑賞重點都在作品的量感、空間感、質感、均衡感與動感，而不全在題材的內涵，觀賞人像時便不必太在意這個人是誰？
向日葵在荷蘭是農村常見平凡的花，然而梵谷所畫向日葵卻是價值連城；雖然如此，我們在鑑賞它時，也不必驚嘆而沖淡了自己對它的真實感受。鑑賞畫中花，不計較品種價格的高低，才能深切感受畫家所展現的美，面對任何藝術品都要拋棄世俗的價值觀，而以純真的感性去接觸！

(二)多方接納不同情趣的美

觀賞美展須要敞開胸懷，廣納各類題材、不同形式的美。科學的價值在確定真理，而藝術的珍貴在多元性，富於彈性而不僵化；美本身沒有好與壞、是與非的區別，只有主觀的喜歡不喜歡。
藝術創作強調獨樹一格，以致百花齊放，藝術鑑賞自然也得培養多方接納的眼光，鼓勵兒童樂於觀賞不同媒材、不同題材、不同技法、不同風格的藝術創作。藝術家各有偏好，有人專攻一方，期待熟能生巧而淋漓展現創作理念，但是鑑賞則不必固守一途。即使偏愛精緻優雅的古典風格，也不妨細加品賞粗獷豪邁的率性作風；鍾情飄逸的中國水墨山水畫，也不必拒絕繽紛的西洋油彩風景畫。廣泛接納百家反而透過畫裡的相通，相得益彰而增強賞析能力，使得感受更深刻，收穫更豐碩。
各處美術館分別推出各種精采展品，正是讓生活多采多姿的良機，何必偏執而單調了美的饗宴？

(三)突破成見與概念

美術鑑賞要用心觀察，盡情想像，以真切體會從作品傳來的感受，千萬不要侷限於成見或概念的束縛，而行因循籠統的觀賞。一般人都有先入為主的習慣，尤其生活在權威支配環境下的兒童，更是牢記幼時師長權宜之言。例如：幼稚園時期畫樹指定用綠色塗樹葉後，孩子們便一直認為樹葉就是蠟筆、彩色筆所畫那種綠，不辦清真實而延用下去。其實葉色隨著樹種、季節、受光、距離、老嫩等差異，呈現不同的綠色或其他色彩，如果一律視為同色便犯了因循籠統不切實際的毛病。未經真實細密的觀察，導致缺乏真誠深刻的感受，是不足取的。
從藝術史的發展看來，愈來愈重視創作理念與方法的自由，因此各類創作不一定是客觀對象的忠實再現。繪畫的改變形狀、更換色彩是常事，甚至創造現實世界不存在的現象；雕塑的誇張、變形、抽象也司空見慣，逼真與否已不是唯一的審美標準，過去所見創作手法不是一成不變，觀賞者得突破成見與概念，真實觀賞眼前藝術品，真誠接納感受，才能發現新鮮而多采多姿的美。

(四)知性的分析與感性的統整

觀賞藝術品如果只依順愛美天性，憑著感性去體會美，是屬於欣賞層次，如果添加知性的輔助，理性的研判，則提升到鑑賞層次了。由直覺的欣賞，提升到兼容感情要素與知性要素的鑑賞，有賴後天的教育。為了提升觀賞藝術品的層次，我們應該鼓勵兒童願意學習藝術史、創作要素與形式等美術知識，以及鑑賞方法的態度。
具備了藝術史的常識，便可明白各種流派的來龍去脈與藝術家的創作理念；認識了色彩、造形等創作要素與均衡、對比、韻律等構成形式，便可淋漓品賞作品的美妙。因此，充實相關知識是必要的。
知性與感性交融的鑑賞，最能感受到美。本著豐沛的感情，以敏銳的感覺接觸藝術家注入思想、感情的作品後，又藉知識的輔助去發掘、分析、思考作品中的美，最後再以自己的感情去接納，這種完美的鑑賞是少不了知性的。

四、問題與討論

(一)觀賞前要準備什麼？

帶領兒童觀賞美展前，不妨介紹這次觀賞對象的特色，以及若干重點作品。讓兒童準備筆記，以便記錄心得，或使用美術館提供的問卷，提醒觀賞重點，都是含有知性的鑑賞方式。如果不理這些而輕鬆地做感性的享受，也未嘗不可。

(二)是否一次就要看完所有展品？

參觀位處遠地不易再度前來的美術館，難免會有這種想法。不過面對驚人大量展品走馬看花般匆匆一瞥，結果只是慕盛名、看熱鬧、累身體，還不如選擇其中若干名作或自己感興趣的作品，細加品賞。

(三)從哪裡開始看？

一般美展可以順著從入口起的行進路線觀賞。規模較大美術館則可以根據館內提供的展覽室分布圖，及本次觀賞重點，決定先後順序。衡量心情與體力，以先看重點為宜。

(四)每件作品都要仔細觀賞嗎？

觀賞美展是輕鬆愉快的事，除非專攻美術的人或是自己酷愛的特展，不必像勤奮工作似的認真細賞每件作品。不必平均分配觀賞時間，可以隨興決定在作品前面停留的久暫。

(五)要不要看作品說明卡？

作品說明卡可以幫助觀賞者了解作品，但是花費工夫一一閱讀說明卡，容易造成喧賓奪主、妨礙自己對作品的感受。不過當觀賞發生疑問，或遇到極想進一步探討的作品時，說明卡便發生效用了。

(六)使用錄音導覽好嗎？

錄音導覽可以邊看邊聽說明，操作又任由自己控制，是很不錯的導覽方式。缺點是只能單向發展，無法像導覽人員可以隨時提出疑惑獲得解答。

(七)作品需要詳細說明嗎？

藝術欣賞最重視觀賞者與藝術品的溝通，對於兒童或許為了引起興趣與幫助了解，而需要多加說明，但是不要干擾太多，尤其是年紀較大的兒童，須留下他們自己探索、思考的空間。

(八)兒童看得懂現代繪畫嗎？

幼小兒童的繪畫原本就不在追求寫實，對於藉形狀、色彩等構成抽象畫面的現代繪畫，只要不著眼在畫的是什麼，仍多吸引他們的趣味。繪畫不限於寫實的具象美，五花八門的現代繪畫，照樣表現了視覺及心靈的美，當然可以讓兒童發現其中奧妙。

(九)名家作品才最值得觀賞嗎？

名家作品在兒童眼中並沒有成人那麼重要，畫面的題材與圖象才是直接吸引他們所在。兒童有自己的視覺語言，與成人不盡相同。較大兒童則懷有崇拜權威的心態，對大藝術家的作品會產生興趣，可以藉此激發對藝術的愛好。

(十)看美展比看畫冊好在哪裡？

美展所看藝術家的原作，真實而最具感動力量。畫冊裡複製的畫則受印刷技術的限制，色彩、明暗層次與質感都很難跟原作相同，何況畫幅縮小很多，更失去震撼力了。因此多到美展現場，最能享受藝術家所創作的美。不過手中有畫冊，便可隨時回味原作的美，或彌補未能親睹原作的遺憾。

節錄自「開啟美展之門」國立臺灣藝術教育館

by linguowei@bmonidea

男性对床也迷恋 8大系列床品充满男人味

2008-07-16T16:15:00.006+08:00

大多时候，提到床的装点或者聊起对于床的依恋，似乎多半会想到与女性有关，然而时代在更迭，风尚的坐标也不断变化着，男性也开始对床品提出了独自而隐性的需求，于是色彩夸张、面料考究，极具男性化特点的床品，之于男性或者更准确地说是单身男性有了愈来愈高的标准。下面八类床品最受男性欢迎。

1、粗犷

实木的肌理，粗纺的质感，静静地蕴涵着天性狂野的本色。躺在这样的木榻上，男人的心胸便来得宽广而原始，仿佛头顶图腾面具，重回刀耕火种粗犷原始的天地间，一切都变得纯粹而真实。

2、幻想

当东方大行西方简约之风时，西方却开始复古，盛行东方的古朴和厚重。精良的工艺，顶尖的品质，将奢华与实用，华贵与时尚完美地结合在一起，加之融入神秘的东方文化元素，流露出独具东方神韵的男性显贵气质。

3、深邃

如果这个城市需要一种颜色的话，那就是蓝。蓝的音乐，深邃而纯净；蓝的主题，美丽而忧郁；蓝的嗓音，深沉而性感。蓝的床品，带着冷静的憧憬，散射出清爽醉人的蓝的气息，单身男人开始对蓝色这样解读。

4、高贵

优雅得不留痕迹，性感得使人窒息，单身男人从此便不再孤寂，不可自拔地与之相恋，爱上这神秘的绝美。单身男人也因这紫，显得丰富而神秘。

5、浪漫

条纹靠枕上，轻薄被面上的花纹似曾相识，熟悉而亲切、华贵而典雅，典型的亚平宁风情。垫面上采用的草履虫图案，清新、质朴，一如男性浪漫的品格。

6、纯粹

绿翠的窗幔下，浪漫的意大利设计把传统的欧洲古典主义风格加以提炼，符号化的手法既体现了传统的雍容气质，又符合现代人的审美观，简洁的图案设计，优美利落的流畅线条散发出沉静内敛的男性之美。

7、奔放

艳丽的色彩更像一种感觉。或者奔放、或者沉默，就像永无止境的旅程，由始到终，从热烈创造到肃穆消亡。男人欣赏这种过程演化起落的状态，于是红色-这男性很少起用的元素，现在成了单身男性眷顾奔放的主题.

8、温情

当男人在衣橱内不断加入条纹和方格时，时装中的时尚、流行元素已经登陆一方“温”，无论重温昔日的旧梦，还是焕发温情，单身男人无需顾忌这许多，因为此时他们是如此真实地关爱自我。

取之于《家天下》

by 旭日の革

Soap Leaves

2008-07-16T15:37:00.004+08:00

Only Mother Nature could form soaps as beautiful as these Soap Leaves. The soap is made through a process in which soap resin is mixed with a secret Thai formula, then hand poured over a dried and cured lattice-like frame of real mango tree leaves to form individual soaps of unmatched exquisiteness. These are sure to be a conversational piece. Comes in packs of 20 honey-scented soap leaves in an acetate box perfect for gift-giving. Each leaf is good for one or two washings. Please note that as these items are handmade, please expect color and size differences between the leaves in each box.

wrapables.com

by linguowei@bmonidea

墙角树THE CORNER TREE

2008-07-16T15:28:00.005+08:00

THE CORNER TREE由Abhinav Dapke设计，简单，改变了墙角给人的感觉。

by linguowei@bmonidea

Soap Bank

2008-07-16T15:18:00.005+08:00

Soap Bank,设计来自DesigNoDoubt。人人都会碰到这个问题，总不能将一整块肥皂使用完，但肥皂在使用中慢慢变小，它就越来越难使用。这个 Soap Bank 刚好可以将这些小肥皂集中起来使用。

by linguowei@bmonidea

提包雨伞 Inside Out Umbrella

2008-07-16T15:08:00.006+08:00

这个来自 Seung Hee Son 设计的折叠伞则可以将伞转变为一个小的手提袋，就不必担心雨伞上的积水到处乱滴。当你把雨伞放进卫生间的时候，不必担心身后（走廊、电梯、大厅……）的一长串。

by linguowei@bmonidea

一张床.两张床

2008-07-16T14:54:00.007+08:00

这张叫作 Simpledoubledeux 的床，既是单人床又可以是双人床，既是一张床又可以是两张床，设计来自于建筑师 Daniel Jauslin，这个作品获得了 I.D. Design Award 2008 家具类的最佳设计。非常适用于现今寸土如金的空间。

by linguowei@bmonidea

贵宅就是豪宅吗？

2008-07-15T18:13:00.004+08:00

豪宅三大条件

所谓“豪”，当然也贵、也大，但是单纯贵、单纯大却不一定“豪”。

西方国家所谓的“豪宅”，有三个条件缺一不可。首要条件是地点的不可取代性和稀缺性:面对大海，依傍山峦、林中空地、都市文化中心。在地点普通的地方建造住宅，做得再大，装修材料再豪华，也成不了豪宅。“豪”首先在于地点的优秀。李嘉诚有句名言，看房子好不好有三个要素，第一是地段，第二是地段，第三还是地段。一个不大的小木屋，如果面对的是南加州马里布一碧万顷的太平洋，可以贵到千万美元，加上一块山地，值个上亿美元；而一个数千平方米大的住宅，如果放在北达科达州空旷的牧场中，也就几万块钱而已。

豪宅的第二个条件，是设计的品位，要有很突出和明确的风格可言。时下到处泛滥的“欧陆风”，其实是工业材料模仿石材效果、模仿古典主义的混杂形式，还不如纯正的现代主义风格来得地道。西方在1900年前后流行过的新古典主义风格，也是西方国家建筑豪宅最常用的风格，装饰细节讲究，建筑材料特别是石料的广泛应用，使这种风格比较难于复制。

西方豪宅的第三个条件，就是社区的成熟。在美国，虽然也有那种位于大自然中的豪宅，坐拥得天独厚的自然环境，地点绝对优秀，但是比较多见的，还是在城市中成熟社区内的豪宅。比如纽约上东城沿着麦迪逊大道和第五大道两边，全是贵气袭人的高级公寓，巴黎香榭丽舍大道两边也全是这种讲究的住宅。那些地方社区高度成熟，不但服务专业周到，附近的公园、林荫道、学校、教堂、公共交通等配套也都十分完备。

有了这三点，想不豪都难。至于内部装修是否用大理石和进口木材，倒不是那么重要了。

王受之

by linguowei@bmonidea

Reflections Rooms in Bangkok

2008-07-15T17:40:00.014+08:00

Different room number in different design and style. Cool and nice!

room211

room212

room301

room302

room303

room304

room305

Reflections Rooms in Bangkok
244/2-18 Pradipat Rd.,Samsennai,Phayathai,Bangkok 10400 THAILAND
T: +66 (0)2 270 33 44 F: +66 (0)2 270 33 59
rooms@reflections-thai.com

by linguowei@bmonidea

意大利车身设计

2008-07-15T16:06:00.024+08:00

我们在讲顶级汽车的时候,其实往往集中在两大类型:贵族气十足的大豪车,英国的多,而运动气质十足的跑车,则意大利的多。意大利的汽车设计走了一条和其他国家很不同的路,就是非常普及型(好像菲亚特这类的量产车)和极为高端的两者并列发展,而比较集中于运动型的高端车的设计极为突出,涌现出好像吉奥加罗、平尼法里拉这类顶级大师，因此意大利汽车设计，总是能引起世人的惊叹。
自然，我们在这里不可能把意大利的汽车都介绍了，因为文章篇幅有限，我在这里讲讲自己了解到的意大利设计和生产的比较重要的顶级跑车的品牌，有些是大家熟悉的，有些则还是比较陌生。

the Grande Punto Abarth S2000

“阿巴斯”（Abarth ）是意大利赛车品牌，1949年在都灵成立的公司，品牌名称来自奠基人卡尔"阿巴斯（Karl Abarth ），他是意大利和奥地利人，因此，在意大利不叫卡尔，而叫卡罗（(Carlo)。他设计各种赛车，从 850cc到 2000cc，成立之后，他将自己的竞争对手瞄准为德国保时捷（ Porsche） 904 和意大利的法拉利（Ferrari ）Dino。获得过好多次的汽车大赛奖。不过这个公司在1971年卖给了意大利大公司菲亚特，菲亚特在2007年用推出两个用阿巴斯命名的大功率跑车，一个是“普陀阿巴斯”（the Grande Punto Abarth ），另一款叫做“S2000普陀阿巴斯”（ the Grande Punto Abarth S2000），为了保持这个高端品牌，菲亚特从来不提是阿巴斯自己旗下的企业，以保持其高端性格。

Ferrari

要说举世闻名的意大利跑车，那当然是法拉利了，法拉利(Ferrari S.p.A)主要制造一级方程式赛车、赛车及高性能跑车，1929年由恩佐"法拉利创办。早期的法拉利赞助赛车手及生产赛车，1946年独立生产汽车，其后变成今日的规模，现在由菲亚特汽车集团拥有，总部设于意大利摩德纳(Modena)附近的Maranello。法拉利的跑车以漂亮及流畅的线条闻名，不少设计是由著名设计工作室如平尼法里拉（Pininfarina）负责设计，其他参与设计的工作室包括意大利著名的斯卡里蒂（Scaglietti）、贝尔通（Bertone）、图灵（Touring）、吉亚（Ghia）和维纳理（Vignale）。

Lamborghini

另外一个著名的意大利跑车品牌是兰博基尼（Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.），公司在意大利圣亚加塔"波隆尼（Sant'Agata Bolognese），是专门设计和生产超级跑车的公司。1963年，经由创业者费鲁齐欧"兰博基尼（Ferruccio Lamborghini）设立公司。这个公司一向把法拉利公司的各款跑车作为主要竞争对象。这个品牌在1998年被德国的奥迪汽车（Audi AG）收购为旗下公司。目前，属于德国“大众”汽车集团（Volkswagen Group）旗下的间接品牌，德国人保持了意大利设计的独立性，因此外界一般还是视之为意大利跑车品牌。

Alfa Romeo

阿尔法"罗密欧（Alfa Romeo）是一家在米兰为总部的汽车公司，创厂历史最早可回溯至1907年，并从1986年开始加入菲亚特集团成为成员品牌之一。车厂原名ALFA（Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili，伦巴底公有汽车制造厂），但在1916年出身拿波里的实业家尼古拉"罗密欧（Nicola Romeo）入主该车厂，并将自己的家族名加入车厂名称中，而成为今日的阿尔法"罗密欧。今日的阿尔法"罗密欧车厂主要是以制造造型风格前卫、注重操控与性能的运动型跑车、房车或旅行车产品著称。设计前卫，属于顶级豪华跑车之列。

Lancia

兰西亚（Lancia ）也是很豪华的意大利汽车品牌， 1906年由文森佐"兰西亚（Vincenzo Lancia ）建立，1969年被菲亚特公司兼并，在菲亚特公司是属于高档豪华车系列，好像日本的丰田汽车公司的凌志品牌一样。如果没有记错的话，这个品牌公司现在的总裁应该是奥利维"佛朗索瓦（Olivier François）。

Fornasari

意大利高级跑车品牌佛那萨利（Fornasari ）是新公司，是1999年由吉乌塞浦"佛那萨利（Giuseppe Fornasari）成立的，专门设计和生产非常特别的SUV和高级跑车，量产低，因此也很独特，现在我看见比较突出的车款有三种，分别是SUV类型的Fornasari RR450，450匹马力，Fornasari RR600则是600匹马力的SUV，时速最高是280公里，从静止到100公里提速只需要4.3秒钟， Fornasari LM则是轿跑车，英语叫做“ coupè”，时速可以达到每小时300公里。设计也非常前卫。

Maserati MC12

玛莎拉蒂（Maserati）是一家知名意大利赛车与跑车生产商，于1914年在博洛尼亚成立，公司的总部现位于摩德纳，标志是一支三叉戟。玛莎拉蒂曾经是法拉利的一部分，玛莎拉蒂从法拉利中分割出来，由菲亚特全盘控制。菲亚特的规划是把玛莎拉蒂建造成一个跑车与豪华车的分部，这样也保持了原来的设计独立性，这个牌子的车也是设计前卫，非常好看的。

Pagani Automobili features Zonda F

帕加尼（Pagani Automobili S.p.A.）也是意大利的跑车公司，专门用碳素纤维做车身材料，强度大，而重量轻，车身就特别好看。这个公司在1992年由霍拉修"帕加尼（Horacio Pagani）组建，公司在意大利的莫德纳（Modena）附近的 San Cesario sul Panaro。
上面提到的这些意大利汽车都是从制造厂家出身的，而意大利还有一些品牌，则是发起于设计公司，比如贝尔通设计公司（Gruppo Bertone ）。贝尔通公司为意大利差不多所有比较重要的汽车厂设计汽车，包括阿巴斯、阿尔法"罗密欧、法拉利、菲亚特、兰西亚、兰伯吉尼、Iso Rivolta、还有德国的奔驰汽车公司、瑞典的沃尔沃公司，这个公司最近“牛”得不得了的设计是两款顶级车，一款叫做“Lambretta”，还有一款叫做Luna，不太成功就是了。
贝尔通公司在都灵，最早的奠基人是吉奥瓦尼"贝尔通（Giovanni Bertone），他在1912年成立这个公司，战后继承人是努希奥"贝尔通（ Nuccio Bertone），完全是意大利的家族公司的做法。公司本身也出产汽车，在卡罗泽丽亚工厂（the Carrozzeria building ）每年生产4万辆打自己品牌的汽车，而在设计中心，由努希奥的寡妇莉莉"贝尔通（Lilli Bertone）负责，为外面的工厂设计车身。

Pininfarina Birdcage 2005

汽车设计界无人不知的大师是平尼法里拉，也有公司，叫做“Carozzeria Pininfarina”。是意大利最出名的汽车设计事务所和车身制造公司，英语叫做“coachbuilder”，就是量身订造的车身公司。公司在意大利的堪比奥诺（Cambiano），开创人叫做巴蒂斯塔"“平尼”"法尼亚（Battista "Pinin" Farina）， 1961年建立公司，把自己名字中间一个昵称和后面的姓连起来，就叫做平尼法里拉了。这个公司在过去的半个世纪里为世界上好多大汽车公司设计汽车，比如法拉利、玛撒拉蒂、卡迪拉克、纳什（Nash）、法国标致（Peugeot）、美洲豹（Jaguar）、沃尔沃、阿尔法"罗密欧、MG、西斯塔里亚（Cisitalia）、兰西亚等等。巴蒂斯塔去世之后，现在是他的孙子安德里亚"平尼法里纳（Andrea Pininfarina）主持公司，主要是设计车身，员工3千人，是世界上最大的汽车设计公司之一，在欧洲各地、在摩洛哥、在中国都有办事机构。意大利汽车有看头，就是因为不走其他大路货的套路，因此总是很独特。不但我自己喜欢，我很多国内国外的朋友和同事谈起意大利车身设计来也是津津乐道的。

王受之
(美国加利福尼亚州帕萨迪纳艺术中心设计学院教授，主要讲授设计史和设计理论。在中国多所著名艺术院校，如清华大学艺术学院、中央美术学院等任客座教授。他还在美国奥迪斯艺术与设计学院，加州美术学院，南加州建筑学院和洛杉矶南加州大学教授设计类课程。
美国洛杉矶艺术中心艺术学院全职终身教授,美国全国艺术和设计院校委员会校委会年度会议理论组召集人 .中央美术学院.清华大学美院客座教授)

by linguowei@bmonidea

July Recipe: Buttermilk Fried Chicken

2008-07-15T15:35:00.004+08:00

Most of the people love fried chicken and this is a great recipe. Adjust the seasonings to your own taste. This is a basic recipe which you can customize to your liking.

1 broiler-fryer chicken cut into pieces

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

Vegetable oil for frying

Step 1:
Place chicken parts into a large bowl. Pour the buttermilk over chicken and marinate for 2 hours or overnight.

Step 2:
Combine the flour, salt, paprika and pepper, mixing well to combine.

Step 3:
Remove chicken from buttermilk and place in flour mixture coating all sides well.

Step 4:
Pour 1 to 2 inches of oil in skillet and fry until one side is golden brown, then turn and brown other side approximately 20 minutes total.

Step 5:
Remove chicken and place on paper towels to drain off excess grease, (or you can brown on both sides until lightly golden 5 to 8 minutes, remove and place on paper towels to absorb excess grease, then place on a baking sheet and place in a preheated 350 degree F oven until juices run clean).

Source from Recipegoldmine.com .

by 旭日の革

不一样的歌手~ 陈美龄Agnes Chan

2008-07-15T14:52:00.004+08:00

“我认为每个人都拥有很多爱的种子，但是爱的种子只播撒在自己的心田是不会开花的，必须播种在别人的心里。同时，如果自己的心里没有别人播撒的爱的种子，爱也不会在自己的心里开花。”
　　——陈美龄

　　《环球》杂志驻东京记者/高红

　　“辽阔草原，美丽山岗，群群牛羊；白云悠悠，彩虹灿烂，挂在蓝天上……”
　　还记得这首《原野牧歌》吗？上个世纪80年代，一位香港女歌手在北京首都体育馆倾情演唱了这首歌，其清纯的形象、甜美的歌声深深留在了一代人的记忆里。

　　十几年过去了，记者来到日本后惊奇地发现，这位当年的偶像歌手已经成为日本家喻户晓的明星。她不仅频繁地在各种广播、电视节目中出现，还以随笔作家、大学教授、日本联合国儿童基金会（UNICEF）大使等身份广泛地活跃在日本乃至世界的舞台上。

　　她就是陈美龄。日本人都叫她“Agnes Chan”。

　　从偶像歌手到教育学博士

　　在位于东京都涩谷区的“T & A事务所”里，陈美龄接受了《环球》记者的专访。她留着一头俏丽的短发，身穿素雅的大花图案连衣裙，依然年轻漂亮，甜美的微笑和纤细的嗓音给人以巨大的亲和力。

　　陈美龄1955年生于香港，在6个兄弟姐妹中排行老四。她从小就显露出唱歌天赋。16岁那年，她在参加慈善演出时被星探发现，从此登上歌坛，并一炮打红。1972年，她东渡日本，以一首《虞美人草的花》进军日本歌坛，很快在日本掀起“Agnes热”，成为受欢迎的青春偶像歌手。

　　陈美龄在回忆这段往事时说，那时她在日本每天工作十分繁忙，似乎连睡眠时间都没有。她独自在异国他乡奋斗，不仅要克服生活习惯不同的困难，还要忍受孤独。

　　但她在日本的歌唱事业比较顺利。1973年她演唱的《草原的光辉》荣获第15届日本唱片大奖新人奖等奖项，并在当年12月31日参加了第24届NHK红白歌会。对一名歌手而言，这可是在日本的最高奖赏。此后，她不仅唱歌，还演电影，演剧，活跃在日本的演艺舞台上。

　　这次采访是在陈美龄事务所的一间小屋子进行的。屋子正面墙上挂着陈美龄的大照片，她头戴博士帽，身穿博士服，露出甜甜的微笑。这是1994年她获得博士学位时拍摄的纪念照。

　　陈美龄告诉记者，在繁忙的演艺事业中，她始终没有放弃学业。这是她父亲的要求。父亲认为知识比什么都重要。在陈美龄的工作合同里明确写着工作要以上学为前提。1973年9月10日，陈美龄进入上智大学国际系，在工作之余抽出时间学习。1976年8月，正处于演艺事业巅峰的陈美龄突然宣布引退。她一直对儿童心理学感兴趣，与家人商量后决定到加拿大留学，学习社会儿童心理学专业。她想尝试在文艺世界以外发展的可能性。

　　1978年夏天，陈美龄以优异的成绩从多伦多大学毕业。她为毕业后的出路而烦恼，日本的朋友希望她回日本继续唱歌，于是她决定再次进军歌坛。昔日的偶像歌手并没有随着时间的流逝而成为过去时。陈美龄凭借她的才能开演唱会，出专辑，参加慈善演出，做司仪，为电视台录制节目，出版烹饪书，演电视剧…… 1989年，因一个偶然的机会，陈美龄远赴美国斯坦福大学进修博士课程，开始研究教育学。同时，她在日本《读卖新闻》、《朝日新闻》发表留学日记、随笔。留学不仅拓宽了陈美龄的工作范围，知识的积累更增添了她的文化底蕴，使她多了一份知识女性的魅力。

　　做UNICEF大使，一年只挣1.2美金

　　陈美龄并不满足于做一个文化人，她还长期支援和投身儿童慈善事业，无私地奉献着自己的爱心。

　　在香港上教会学校中学一年级时，陈美龄曾到残障儿童设施、孤儿院、难民收容所等做义工，接触了那些需要帮助的小朋友。她说：“我不是出生在一个很富裕的家庭，但我有家，有爸爸、妈妈，有饭吃，有衣穿，可以上学，他们却不能。我亲眼看到他们的情况，感到很心痛。所以，我就经常去陪那里的小朋友玩，跟他们聊天，给他们唱歌。尤其是我从加拿大留学回来，那时候正是我社会意识高涨的时期，我认为自己不仅要作为艺人，而且也要作为一个社会人做出努力，我希望从事慈善活动。”

　　陈美龄回忆了1985年4月在北京首都体育馆举行的3场名为“归来的燕子”个人演唱会。这是由宋庆龄儿童基金会主办的慈善演出。这次演唱会让她很感动。其后5月，陈美龄跟随日本电视台到埃塞俄比亚难民营采访，看到很多儿童因饥饿而被夺去生命，陈美龄的内心再次受到强烈震撼。从此，她开始积极从事儿童慈善活动。

　　1998年，陈美龄被日本UNICEF任命为大使。这是一个义务性工作，每年只有一块二美金的象征性工资。当记者问她是如何接受了这一使命时，陈美龄回答说：“我10多年前就开始为日本UNICEF做义工。我觉得我不需要一个头衔。但是5年前，日本UNICEF找到我，希望我担当这一工作，作为儿童的代言人，呼吁保护儿童权益。于是我就答应了。”

　　迄今，陈美龄已经访问了泰国、苏丹、柬埔寨、伊拉克等十几个国家，目睹了贫困和战乱国家儿童悲惨的生活现状。回到日本后，她通过演讲，通过媒体，讲述当地儿童的状况。“不论什么年纪的人，不论从事什么职业的人，我希望他们听了我的讲述后，能开始为此做些什么。”

　　今年6月下旬，她在伊拉克逗留了一周，访问了南部城市巴士拉的学校、医疗等设施。谈到伊拉克儿童的现状时，陈美龄的表情一下子沉重起来：“伊拉克治安很差，晚上能够听到枪声。小孩子很可怜，营养不足，缺医少药，跟非洲似的。5岁以下的儿童每8个就有1个活不到5岁。”

　　她给我看了在伊拉克拍摄的照片。有两张照片格外引起我的注意。“那个肚子很大的小女孩，得了一种病，肚子里积满了水。她一个劲儿地哭叫着，只说一句话，‘妈，我疼，妈，我疼’。另外一个小男孩也是同样的病，他爸爸想让我带他到国外治病，但是医生说，他的病已经没有办法医治了。”陈美龄非常难过，面对痛苦的小孩和他的家人，不知如何是好。她希望我们做记者的能多多呼吁：“伊拉克不光是地下有宝贝（油田），地上也有宝贝（孩子），我希望人们更多地关注地上的宝贝，培养地上的宝贝。”

　　“我的家就是个联合国”

　　1986年初，陈美龄披上了婚纱，夫婿是她的经纪人金子力。婚后，陈美龄没有像很多日本妇女那样做专职家庭主妇，而是和丈夫一起开设了自己的事务所。

　　1987年，陈美龄将长子和平带到工作场所，由此在日本引发了围绕职业女性带孩子工作问题的争论，被称之为“Agnes争论”，后来成为日本实现《男女就业机会均等法》和育儿休假制度的原动力。

　　陈美龄在谈到这件事时说，“Agnes争论”当时给她很大压力，但没想到这一事件让她再次得到机遇的垂青。“Agnes争论”事件刊登在美国的杂志上，斯坦福大学的一位教授读了这篇报道后，邀请陈美龄到斯坦福大学读教育学博士课程，研究现代女性问题。陈美龄顺利通过了研究生院的入学考试后，说服了丈夫，于1989年9月带着长子和8个月的身孕再次踏上留学之路。

　　陈美龄现在是3个男孩的母亲。“我和丈夫每天早上6点半起床，我给3个孩子做盒饭，然后送他们出门。因为工作的缘故，有时不能与孩子们一起吃晚饭。但是不管工作多么繁忙，我都注意与家人沟通，否则就会逐渐失去与家人之间的信赖关系。不少人劝我找一个保姆住到家里做家务，但我没有那样做，因为我担心光图轻松，一家人的感情会渐渐疏远。家庭对孩子来说，是心灵的避风港。悲伤时如果能和家人诉说，悲伤就会减半；有高兴的事儿，与家人分享，喜悦就会倍增。那才是家庭，才是一家人。”

　　面对工作和家庭总是一副笑脸的陈美龄说：“兼顾家庭和事业不是件轻松的事。我也有很累的时候，有觉得不被理解的时候。我经常在车上哭，他们都看见过。”陈美龄指着身边的工作人员笑着说道，“但是我回家就不哭了，在家里，妈妈的微笑是最好的药剂。”在孩子眼里，陈美龄是一位好母亲。孩子们都非常喜欢她做的饭菜，也喜欢跟她谈自己的想法。

　　陈美龄持英国护照，她先生是日本人，她的3个孩子分别拥有加拿大、美国、中国国籍。陈美龄开玩笑地说：“我的家庭就是个联合国。我告诉孩子们，你们是自由人，世界都是你们的家。长大后，你们找自己最喜欢的地方去生活。”

　　爱、和平、自由

　　歌手、电视节目嘉宾、大学教授、日本UNICEF大使……陈美龄拥有很多头衔。我很想知道她的主要工作是什么。陈美龄说：“我的工作是歌手、演讲、大学教授，但作为一个人来讲，做义工和家庭比较重要。”她说现在孩子还小，她还需要多留在孩子身边照顾他们。等孩子长大了，她就可以更多地到国外访问，做更多的事情。

　　陈美龄坦言，自己的人生确实丰富多彩。“我觉得我可以见到很多人，这是我最幸运的一点。我跟很多人谈话，不论他们年轻、年长，或者是个小孩子，我都从他们身上学到很多东西。所以我是幸运的。”

　　谈到今后的打算，陈美龄说：“歌手的工作自不必说，作为人生的很大支柱，我将把慈善活动作为毕生的事业。我认为不论是谁，生到这世上来肯定有一定意义。考虑自己存在的意义，这决不是偶然。因此，我想在工作上继续努力，通过努力能够让谁感到幸福，我自己也会感到快乐。”　　在采访的最后，记者提出让陈美龄签名，她欣然应允，提笔写下“爱、和平、自由”几个字。这是陈美龄最喜欢的词语，也是她孜孜以求的人生目标。陈美龄热爱和平，所以她给第一个孩子起名叫“和平”，寄托了自己希望世界和平的愿望。她也热爱自由。而对于“爱”，陈美龄有着自己独到的诠释：“我认为每个人都拥有很多爱的种子，但是爱的种子只播撒在自己的心田是不会开花的，必须播种在别人的心里。同时，如果自己的心里没有别人播撒的爱的种子，爱也不会在自己的心里开花。”

by linguowei@bmonidea

保护你的牙齿Protect Your Teeth

2008-07-09T15:38:00.005+08:00

最近美国健康网站WebMD发表的著名克里富兰医院牙科医师的文章表明：适当的护理，可以保持你的牙齿牙龈一生健康。护理的四个基本步骤：正确地刷牙、用牙线、吃食物和看牙医。
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刷牙的窍门
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每天至少刷两次，最好每顿饭后都要刷牙。刷牙能去除依附在牙齿上的菌斑，因为菌斑中的细菌接触到食物，会产生酸，导致蛀洞。
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刷牙时：
· 用软的牙刷，在牙刷上挤绿豆大小的含氟牙膏。
· 刷牙时牙刷与牙龈线成450角度。
· 牙刷在牙齿上以打圈的方式刷牙齿嚼面的最上部。每次刷一颗牙，连续。避免刷毛与牙齿平行刷和过重刷。让刷毛刷到两颗牙齿的中间。
· 用同样的打圈方式清洁牙齿面对舌头的那一面。
· 清洁下前牙时，刷头的角度是对着牙齿内面上下打圈刷。
· 清洁上前牙时，刷子的角度是上下笔直，刷头指向嘴上部。以打圈的方式刷。
· 轻轻的用软刷刷舌头，从后部刷到前部，不要用力刷。这会帮助清除舌部细菌保持呼吸清新。
· 刷牙两三分钟后，用水漱口，冲洗口腔。
· 两把牙刷，轮流使用，以保证牙刷干燥，每3-4个月换一次牙刷。
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使用牙线的诀窍
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每天用牙线一次。牙线能清除残留在牙齿之间的食物和菌斑，如果菌斑一直残留在牙齿之间，会形成牙石，就必须要牙医来清除了。
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使用牙线时：
· 拿一根40-45厘米的牙线。使用干净部分牙线，用过的部分就把它绕道手指上。
· 把牙线绕在双手中指上，留出2。5厘米的空隙来清洁牙齿。先清洁上牙，然后下牙。
· 把牙线放进嘴里用食指推动牙齿之间的牙线。小心不要推得太重太深，伤到牙龈。
· 在牙齿之间和牙龈周围上下推动牙线。清洁时牙线必须在牙齿里成C字形。清洁每颗牙齿之间和里面。
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正确地吃
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食物要多样化，但是要少吃富含糖和淀粉的食物。因为这些食物会在口腔里产生酸，长期残留在口腔里，会损害你的牙齿。儿童吃硬棒棒糖尤其有害。
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吃糖类零食也会导致蛀牙，因为大多数人不会在吃完零食后刷牙。淀粉类零食，如薯片，会粘在牙齿上。因此要避免吃以下零食：
（1）糖，曲奇，蛋糕和派；
（2）糖类口香糖；
（3）饼干，面包棍和薯条；
（4）干果和葡萄干。
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牙科检查
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有条件每六个月看一次牙医。定期检查和专业清洁牙齿是很重要的。如果你的牙齿或口腔疼痛或牙龈肿出血，你也要去看牙医。
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摘取于“搜狐健康”。
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10 Tips to Protect Your Teeth
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Dental hygiene has been of utmost importance in every day lives. Maintaining a good dental health can prolong the life of your teeth and also your life, as studies have pointed out to different problems that are arising due to poor dental health. Mentioned below are some tips though all of you are not first time users, it will guide you through the right procedure for maintaining dental health.
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Brushing technique:
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Learn to brush correctly, take your time to brush your teeth. It in no case is going to take up more than ten minutes of your time totally. Brush your teeth for a minimum duration of at least three minutes daily per session. During brushing, the position of the tooth brush head should be at an angle of forty five degrees towards your gum line. Gently move the brush in forward and backward strokes and let the strokes be short.
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Consume foods that will damage your teeth sparingly:
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Choose food that will not damage your teeth, if you cannot spare them then choose alternative methods for eating / consuming them. Do not eat pope corn kernels or ice cubes. These can cause severe damage to your teeth. Most carbonated drinks erode your teeth enamel. Other drinks like coffee and tea stain your teeth. When you are taking drinks that are likely to stain your teeth, then do not have them too hot or too cold. This will cause the drink to seep into the crevices of the teeth and you will find it hard to remove.
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Flossing:
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Flossing your teeth is quite necessary as this will increase the longevity of the teeth life and the health of the gums. Flossing removes food particles and bits that are trapped under the gums.
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Use your teeth for what they are intended for:
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It is found that most people use their teeth for a different kind of activities. This includes using the teeth as a tool and sometimes as a can opener. Using the teeth for activities like these can cause the enamel to erode / crack and loosen the teeth from its base.
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Avoid smoking:
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Smoking is likely to cause stains on your teeth that are un-removable. Gum diseases affect smokers more than non-smokers.Smokers beware.
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Avoid clinching or grinding teeth:
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The amount of pressure that can be exerted by one’s jaw is tremendous. If this is done against bone to bone or teeth to teeth it can cause sever permanent damage? Don’t express anger in ways like this. It will cause more harm than release of tension.
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Medications:
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There are a number of medications that are available over the counter that will cause serious gum problems or dental problems. Know what you are taking and update your knowledge about the side effects of the se medications.
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Exercise:
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There is no exercise for your teeth other than gum massage. The exercise that causes harm here is the ones that you do for your body. More often than not it has been found that more damage is caused to teeth by weights banging against the mouth than normal wear and tear.
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Visit the dentist regularly:
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Make it a habit to visit your dentist once every six months. He can guide you and tell you about the status of your teeth and can do some professional cleaning once in a while.
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Source from “peoples-health.com”。
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by 旭日の革

DIY Balcony Decoration

2008-07-03T00:01:00.001+08:00

I found this information from one of the blogs. Some great ideas for those who like to decorate his or her balcony... Whether it is a big balcony or tiny balcony, but with a good plan and filling up your balcony with tasteful accoutrements so you can fully enjoy your outdoor space.

Helpful tips:

Have a glass door leading into the balcony. If possible, you could consider having two glass doors, in the center of the wall, leading out. This gives an illusion of space, without you having to actually enclose the balcony. Enclosing small balconies do make sense, but often new constructions don't allow you to enclose balconies. Also, having a small balcony can be very pleasant, if you make the most of it.

Now that you have a glass door that lets you look out into the balcony at all times, it's time to decorate the balcony itself.
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Plants

Do you have a good view from the balcony? If you do, don't do anything that will obstruct the view, since having a nice view is a rarity in large cities. If you don't have much of a view, for example if your balcony overlooks the backside of your neighbour's house, try this. Hang plants over the entire length of the balcony, from the parapet above, in little round pots, equidistant from each other. Hanging plants will still lend the illusion of space, while somewhat concealing the bad view. If the view is truly terrible, if you overlook a garbage dump or a car garage for example, do all you can to completely conceal the view with the help of taller plants.

Balcony gardening is always popular among apartment dwellers. Whether you’re into large or small containers, trellises, or window boxes, patio or balcony gardening is a great way to lend color and excitement to your outdoor space. It’s also a good way to get yourself outside. If you don’t find yourself using your balcony much, add a few plants and some seating and see if you start spending more time outside. The more you like your balcony surroundings, the harder you’ll work to keep improving them. Make your own unique containers for gardening, and work on using a variety of colors in your planting. Whether you like richly colored trees, bright little marigolds, or hardy hostas, a little planting will go a long way toward making your balcony a more attractive and appealing place to be.

Sculptures

Nothing looks as striking as a shining brass sculpture amidst green plants. If you've decided to fill up your balcony with plants to conceal the bad view, place a slightly large brass statue between the plants. If you have glass doors leading to the balcony, let the statue face indoors. On the other hand, if you have a good view, consider placing a few plants in one corner of the balcony, and place a smaller brass statue amidst the plants.

Lighting

One or two well-placed lamps or lanterns are really all that is needed to give your balcony a designer touch. Hang a large paper lantern from the parapit, or place a tall lamp on the floor. You could also consider nailing two coloured lanterns to the walls in your balcony. Mood lighting is essential, and is far preferable to functional lighting in a small balcony.

Seating

If you would like to spend time seated in your tiny rectangular balcony, here's what you can do. Consider opting for a few hanging plants, and divan-type seating, using the three corners of the balcony as backrest. Simply take an old trunk, cover it with bright phulkari embroidered cloth, throw on a couple of matching cushions, and you have a perfect seating arrangement. Hang a lamp just above the seat, so you can turn it on when you sit out in the evenings and read.

Source from Internet.

by 旭日の革

“别让恐同症践踩人权！”

2008-07-02T18:02:00.008+08:00

130个团体及个人发表请愿书，促请政府尊重马来西亚公民的隐私，而且主张只有经证明有导致滥权行为，例如不当挪用公款或资源时，公众领袖的性行为方能成为一个课题。他们对前副首相安华再次被指责“鸡奸”深感不安，认为这似乎是要摧毁其政治生涯的另一次尝试。

他们在题为《别让恐同症践踩人权》的请愿书里说：“我们不在乎安华或任何其他政治人物的性倾向。我们所关心的是，个人的性行为与取向是私事。而且，每个人的隐私都必须受到尊重。对于公众领袖，只有经证明有导致滥权行为，例如不当挪用公款或资源时，其性行为方能成为一个课题。”

以下是请愿书全文：

我们对于安华依布拉欣（右图）再次被指责“鸡奸”深感不安，这似乎是要摧毁其政治生涯的另一次尝试。我们并不是在促销或支持安华作为一个领导人或个人，我们是在处理对他所作的最新指控的议题。

我们认为，安华的人权再次遭侵犯。实际上，我们看到1998年事件正在重演，当时鸡奸指控成为号召马来西亚公众否决其潜在领导的工具；其前提是，基于安华被指责的性行为，他不适合成为国家领导人。

应尊重隐私权

我们不在乎安华或任何其他政治人物的性倾向。我们所关心的是，个人的性行为与取向是私事。而且，每个人的隐私都必须受到尊重。对于公众领袖，只有经证明有导致滥权行为，例如不当挪用公款或资源时，其性行为方能成为一个课题。

更令人不安的是，政府以“肛交违反自然”的说法，引用《刑事法典》第377（a）条款及第377（b）条款，抑制政治异见人士。实际上，政府一再使用的这些条规，妖魔化社会各阶层的男女同性恋者、双性恋者及变性人，甚至是反传统的异性恋者。他们营造了一种不仅允许且怂恿歧视和暴力侵害这些人的环境。

但无论我们喜欢与否，男女同性恋者、双性恋者及变性人是我们社会的一部分。他们是纳税人、他们是有生产力的工人、他们是学生，他们当中一些人是虔诚的教徒，对他们的清真寺、教堂和寺庙作了积极的贡献。一些人甚至抱着从事政治领导的希望加入政治。然而，他们在这些领域都被歧视，更被政府认为是“变异物”（deviants）。这直接违反了国际文书与公约，如《世界人权宣言》（Universal Declaration of Human Rights）阐明，没有人都不能因任何理由被歧视。

三项呼吁

无论如何，并非所有马来西亚人都认同政府的立场。2003年8月，一群有心公民及不同背景的非政府组织提交一份备忘录给马来西亚人权委员会（SUHAKAM），呼吁停止歧视及暴力侵害男女同性恋者、双性恋者及变性人。我们希望重申该备忘录的精神，再次呼吁：

一、促请政府尊重全体公民的人权，包括男女同性恋者、双性恋者及变性人，一如《联邦宪法》及《世界人权宣言》所阐明那样。

二、促请政府废除以刑事论处自愿发生性行为的成人的法律。

三、废除禁止媒体以公平及平衡的手法描绘男女同性恋者、双性恋者及变性人的政策与条例，而媒体处理性议题时应保持公平及不歧视。

我们认为，这个议题不仅是男女同性恋者、双性恋者及变性人所关注的议题，而是每个支持正义与民主的人都应关注。任何侵犯个人或群体人权的事，我们都应该关注。此外，我们必须知道，除了《刑事法典》，马来西亚仍有许多法律用以规范性行为，例如各州的回教法律，在很多案子里都对自愿发生各种性行为的成年人施以鞭刑，其中一些案子如肛交，无论异性恋者或同性恋者都可能有此行为。因此，这不仅影响男女同性恋者、双性恋者及变性人的事，而是影响了全体马来西亚人。

以上摘取于《独立新闻在线》记者陈碧环撰述.

by 旭日の革

The Queen of Pop ~ Madonna on a Mission

2008-07-02T16:30:00.009+08:00

By Jeanne Wolf
PARADE Magazine

She's about to begin her Sticky and Sweet World Tour, and "4 Minutes," the first single from her new album, "Hard Candy," is topping the charts. Now Madonna can add documentarian to her growing list of accomplishments.

"I Am Because We Are," which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, focuses on the suffering of Malawian children whose parents died of AIDS, an issue of critical importance to the superstar.

PARADE Magazine: What made you decide to do the documentary?

Madonna: I was approached by a woman who lived there who said, "Look, you have children; you're a mother; you write children's books; you donate money to children's charities, so we know that you care. There's a state of emergency going on here, over a million children orphaned by AIDS. People pay attention to what you do and what you say, so could you please help?" I just thought, "How can I say no?"

What was it like to film in Africa?

When I experienced what was going on first hand, I just got sucked into the whole thing. Thank God I did. I met some amazing people and, hopefully, I've changed the lives of a lot of children. Just as important, I think it's been an incredible growing and learning experience for me. I think the film is really important, because it's not really just about what's happening in Malawi; it's really about the importance of how connected we all are, and how responsible we are for one another.

Did you know it would give you another child?

No, of course not. But I'll never forget meeting my son, David. If I could, I would have adopted 10 more children. There's just so many that need parents, and one's more beautiful and lovely than the next.

You have some high-profile collaborators on your new album "Hard Candy," from Justin Timberlake to Kanye West. Who was in charge in those recording sessions?

I like to work with people who have strong opinions. Justin, Timbaland and Kanye -- they are all pretty much superstars in their own right and have a very strong sense of what they like and what they want -- but so do I. So it was like many forces meeting all together in a room, and it was good give and take. There was a lot of chemistry.

You seem to have a very strong sense of what it takes to survive in this business.

I guess so. I mean, people say that about me, but I don't really think of myself as a business woman. Maybe I just have good intuition.

As the music world changes, you've been called a master at reinventing yourself. What's the secret to staying current?

I think it's because I'm curious. I pay attention to what's going on around me. I'm always looking for new energy, new talent, new voices. When you do that, I think it's easier to come up with fresh ideas. It's not that my career has been based on surprising people, but it's been about challenging myself -- to constantly do new things that are going to broaden my own mind and in the process, hopefully, connect with other people.

How's the fight going to keep the media from invading the privacy of your children?

It's a constant battle. I try to avoid places where I think my kids are going to get inundated by paparazzi. In England, there's a law against photographing children. So it's a little bit easier there. Airports we can't avoid. Sometimes it's just unavoidable. I don't like to live in a gilded cage. I don't want to live my life behind closed doors. I want to be out in the world and I want to be free, and yet, still careful and watchful.

Source from MSN.com

by 旭日の革

July Recipe: Barbecue Pork Ribs

2008-07-02T00:01:00.002+08:00

Here are the ingredients, listed in the four steps for cooking barbecue pork ribs. These
quantities will work for 4 slabs of ribs.

Step 1 – The Dry Rub

4 slabs of baby back pork ribs
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup paprika
⅓ cup garlic salt
2 tablespoons onion salt
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cayenne or ground red pepper
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 ½ teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin

Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well
- OR-
1 bottle of Big Bob Gibson’s Seasoning & Dry Rub or your favorite bottled rub

Step 2 – The juices

½ cup apple juice per slab
½ cup grape juice per slab

Step 3 – Dry Rub again

¾ cup of the Step 1 dry rub, or your favorite bottled rub
⅓ cup brown sugar

Step 4 – The Sauce

1 ½ cup of Bib Bob Gibson’s Championship Red Sauce or your favorite bottled sauce
½ cup honey

First, take off the thin membrane that covers the underside, bone side, of the ribs. Use a sharp knife to start to separate a small piece of the membrane from the bones. Then use a paper towel in your hand to grip the membrane and pull it off the whole slab of ribs in one shot. This is an important step because that membrane would block the seasonings from being absorbed into that underside half of the pork rib slab.

Step 1:
Sprinkle on a good amount of the dry rub that you choose, homemade or bottled. Pat the rib slab gently to make sure that the seasonings stick. Bake the ribs, meat side up, in a 250 degree oven for 2 ¼ hours.

Step 2:
Remove the ribs from the oven and place each slab with the meat side down on a double-sized sheet of aluminum foil and fold the sides of the foil up to make a little “boat.” Pour 1 cup of the step 2 juice mixture over each slab and fold over the foil to tightly cover the ribs so that no liquid or steam will escape when cooking. Put the ribs back in the 250 degree oven for 1 hour.

Step 3:
Take the ribs out of the foil and discard the foil and juice mixture. Cover each slab with a medium coating of the dry rub and bake uncovered meat side up in the 250 degree over for another 30 minutes.

Step 4:
Again take the ribs out of the oven and turn it up to 350 degrees. Paint on the step 4 sauce on both sides of each slab. Place them meat side up in the 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until the sauce starts to congeal and caramelize on the slabs.

Serve and enjoy!

Source from Internet.

by 旭日の革

Decorating Homes Ideas

2008-07-01T00:21:00.000+08:00

Home decoration can be a big and expensive budget and it is always good to pre-plan and foresee the problems that may arise beforehand to prevent wastage of money, time and effort or a result that does not match to your original intentions or conflict with your daily needs. Choose the project that fits your budget. You may also want to beak up your total project plan in smaller and more manageable projects and then prioritize them to fit your budget. Mostly, people prefer to solve living problems first and targeting the areas that are most used or lived-in in the house. Décor themes and styles can be chosen from the interior décor magazines to make your home look bright, cheerful and casual or formal, elegant and sophisticates. You may also prefer rustic, country and shabby-chic styles.

Color schemes should be chosen according to your theme, climatic conditions, size of the room and light that comes in the room. Monochromatic walls can be made to look beautiful with accents in two or three accent colors. Prints of fabrics such as stripes, plaids, floral or checks can be used as single or mix-and-match according to your preference. For large rooms, choose multi-hued upholstery, bed linens and coverings, wallpaper and window curtains with a large-scale print. Contrasts of mid-scale and small-scale prints look too. Play with either color or print or texture. Variants of all can lead to chaotic feel. Solid colors or neutrals go well with patterns. Position your furniture into more than one group seating areas, if the room is big, use screens and area rugs to divide the areas and use warm colors all around to make it feel cozy.

Stick to less than three colors, prints or textures in a small room and keep your decorating muted for serenity. Mirrors reflect more light, and glass-to tables almost disappear from view making the space feel larger and airy. Tall vertical furniture, floor length curtains hung from ceiling height and vertical stripes add to the height of the ceiling. Use symmetrical décor elements such as a pair of lamps and vases for the formal look in a room. Smooth, glossy and plush are the key words to elegance, be it highly polished wooden furniture or luxurious carpeting. Casual decorating can use horizontal lines with low furniture line and use of different textures. Displaying your collectibles on wall mounted shelves and grouping pi

ctures of different sizes on walls for an informal look, does well too. For collections, display heaviest piece at the bottom, groupings at the eye level and preferably in odd numbers.

Source from Internet

by 旭日の革

Home Color Scheme

2008-07-01T00:11:00.000+08:00

When it comes to home decoration, one thing that is of prime importance is no doubt the home color scheme including the interior color scheme and exterior paint scheme. You might have the best of home furnishings but if they are not in proper harmony it will spoil the whole look. Color plays a vital role in making your small house look bigger and cozy. While choosing your color scheme, due consideration should be given to the space available, furnishings and your personal taste.

There are different elements of color, so it's crucial to acquire knowledge about them and then choose your decorative color. Neutral shades like beige, fawn and light gray are the best for creating balance and harmony. If you want to give a cool refreshing appearance, then you can choose one of the soft pastel shades. The contemporary pastel colors are enhancing the beauty of many bedrooms these days. The concept of harmony can be met in two distinct ways. You can either look out for neutral shades or else go in for contrasting bold colors. There is a wide range of beautiful rainbow colors hitting the market.

Color selection is also dependant on the place, which needs to be renovated. Shades of your bedroom cannot be applied to your office. There is a different color palette for office, shops, shopping malls, hotels and your own sweet home. For residential purpose there are different shades as distinct from the commercial ones.

Color also reflects moods. Red is a color indicative of excitement, anger and passion. While blue especially sky blue denotes patience and calm. Yellow is something that is often associated with sun, thus represents warmth. Green is more cozy and refreshing. Keeping all these factors in mind, choose the right color scheme.

Source from Internet

by 旭日の革

Decorating First Homes

2008-07-01T00:01:00.002+08:00

Decorating first home is often very
challenging to the new couple or single homeowner. Most of the people can only afford sterile-looking apartment units or tiny homes at the beginning stages of their lives that have few or none architectural advantages to flaunt. However, decorating your first apartment is also about giving a personal touch to your home, buying furniture and furnishing that is stylish, functional, efficient, fits into small rooms, versatile and yet inexpensive. Here are some tips that you can use to make your home a retreat for yourself while accommodating all the necessary comforts of life:

Choose the theme of home décor and stick to a similar look in all the rooms and areas for harmonious and rhythmic flow and balance throughout the home.
Get inspired by home decoration mags, events, shows and serials to choose the home style that you love.
Most people opt for rustic, contemporary, casual, traditional, sleek, modernistic, minimalist, regional or period décor styles.
nce you have decided on a theme, try to choose your assets, furniture pieces, furnishings, accents and accessories in keeping with the theme, though a piece or two of mismatched items is perfectly okay.
For small apartments, loft living and tiny homes, it is best to stick to maximum of three colors, patterns or styles to keep the serenity of the home environment rather than going for a riot of colors that makes your home look like a chaos. Differ in only one of these things to maintain the better synchronization.
Scale of furniture should be chosen according to the room size, doorframe size and elevator size for greater movability. Put less and versatile furniture in a small room such as chest of drawers that can serve as countertop too or an ottoman with hidden storage area for greater efficiency in less space.
You can also make a combo of one or two leather furniture items with wooden table and sleek modernistic chairs that can be stacked on top of the other in the corner to make more space when needed.
You may choose loveseats instead of sofas for small rooms or sofas with no arms to make the room look more spacious.
Cheap inexpensive home décor pieces available at vintage and antique shops, flea markets, auctions, thrift shops, secondhand and recycle shops and garage sales can be used creatively to make your home look like a studio for a fraction of the cost. These places are good resources for unwanted and rare items that are still in good condition or need only minor changes or repairs.
Long-lasting, stylish and versatile furniture piece is something you can invent your bucks or buy a good quality old furniture piece and paint, polish, repair, reupholster or wax it to make it shine like new.
Keep swatches of fabrics and colors you would like along with pictures of the pieces you would really like for home with you while shopping for home décor furniture and furnishings so everything new available in the store doesn't tempt you.
Allot some shelves of the bookcase or the entertainment center or the wall to display your collectibles, for a pretty home makes you feel proud of it and is much more inviting when you come back to it from work. You may also like to install a small fireplace for colder climates to add warmth to home décor.

Source from Internet

by 旭日の革

周慧敏年过40依然身材窈窕

2008-06-24T14:21:00.007+08:00

周慧敏保养有方，年过40依然身材窈窕。

周慧敏最近应邀为代言的塑身中心拍摄一系列宣传美照，展露24吋的纤腰。保养有道的周慧敏为了拍照，已先在家中勤练扭腰动作，并希望年年都保持好身材。

据台湾媒体报道，周慧敏表示，其实她刚入行时身材圆滚滚的，还有些婴儿肥，不过因为自己很节制，一直保持良好的生活习惯、均衡饮食、注重保养，并以乐观正面的心情态度面对生活，身心健康平衡，人也自然青春漂亮。随着夏天到来，周慧敏也希望以轻松的打扮，从事户外运动。

摘于: 中新网 2008年6月24日

她是一位很好的保养模范人物，让那些正在努力减肥、保养者可向她借镜。重点就是注意生活调节，保持身心调和、积极人生。

by 旭日の革

如何保证高质量睡眠

2008-06-23T16:27:00.000+08:00

高质量的睡眠既是健康的表现，又是保证健康的前提。睡眠的好坏，不仅取决于睡眠的量（时间的长短），更取决于睡眠的质（深度）。深沉香甜的睡眠要比足够时间的睡眠更为重要。好的睡眠应该是醒后全身轻松、疲劳消失、思路清晰、精神饱满、精力充沛。睡眠的好与坏，不应简单地以睡眠时间的长短来衡量，而应以是否消除了疲劳，精力是否充沛来评判。那么怎样才算是高质量的睡眠呢？

其主要表现有：

①　所谓睡眠效率高即是躺在床上的时间基本等于睡着的时间，睡眠效率高则睡眠质量相对较好，睡得充分，时间足，质量好，成年人一般应有6.5－8小时的睡眠；

②　入睡容易，一般睡眠时，快则3－5分钟，慢则15－20分钟即可进入浅睡阶段；

③　睡眠连续，不会中断。正常睡眠是一种连续的、深浅适度的转换过程，不会半夜醒来，难以入睡；

④　睡眠深沉，即进入深睡阶段的睡眠长，此时睡眠者的肌肉张力消失，感觉功能进一步降低，不易被唤醒。那么才能如何保证睡眠质量呢？

一　遵循睡眠的生理规律：

人体在22－23时进入生物低潮，是睡眠的最佳时间，一般情况下此时睡眠，最容易入睡，睡眠质量较高，如果一个人由于某种原因在23时还未入睡，那么一过24时，就很难睡着了。对于年龄较大及患失眠症的患者，情况更是如此。而早晨5时左右起床最为合适，早晨5－6时，开始进入人的生物高潮，此时起床人的精力最为旺盛，所以我们应该遵循这种睡眠规律，养成定时睡眠、定时起床的习惯。只有养成良好的睡眠习惯，才能得到充足的、深沉、酣甜的睡眠，才能解除疲劳、改善脑力，这对于保证良好的睡眠有很重要的影响。准时睡眠，才能在大脑建立起时间上的条件反射，调整好自己的“生物钟”。医学研究表明，睡眠和光照有密切关系，光照又与人体内褪黑素的分泌有关，褪黑素是由人大脑内一个叫松果体的腺体合成的，白天脑内把褪黑素前体贮存起来，晚上，这些前体在各种酶的作用下变成褪黑素，并迅速进入血液和脑脊液中，数量可达白天的10倍以上。褪黑素的主要功能是加速人的睡眠过程，使人很快入睡。如果我们坚持良好的睡眠作息制度，定时起床，定时休息，体内的生理性物质到时候就会自动调节，让人轻松入睡。相反，如果一个人长期打乱睡眠规律，经常开夜车、从事夜生活，整夜搓麻将、看电视、跳舞，这样就会破坏原有的睡眠规律，就会扰乱自己的睡眠生物钟，容易引起失眠，发生神经衰弱。而对于有些需要在夜间工作、白天休息的人，一开始会影响睡眠，时间长了，身体就会建立起新的睡眠时间条件反射，调整生物钟，以适应这种变化，但也应该注意要根据自己的工作休息情况，按照自己调整过的睡眠生物钟，按时睡眠按时起床，这是保证睡眠质量的重要措施。

二　创造良好的睡眠环境：

睡眠环境的好坏对睡眠的质量有重要的影响，要想拥有高质量的睡眠就要有一个良好的睡眠环境。良好的睡眠环境应该具备哪些条件呢？

1　睡眠时卧室要安静，尽量避免噪音的干扰，身居闹市的家庭应尽量创造一个好的居住环境，采取有效措施以保证睡眠时室内不要有噪音。如果不能避免，可用棉花堵塞耳孔。

2　卧室的温度要适宜，一般以20º℃－22ºC为好。在感到稍有凉意的室温最适宜入睡，过冷过热都会影响睡眠。另外，睡眠时室内空气要新鲜、流通，这样可使大脑皮层能得到充分的氧气供应，所以卧室内最好能开一个小窗户或有通气设备，以保证空气新鲜。当然房屋的门窗总会透一些气，只靠这些缝隙来换气是远远不够的，因此最好能适当开小窗睡觉。即使在冬天也应开点窗为好，但不要把窗开得太大，以能交换空气而不觉得有风为原则。

可采取以下方法：

①开气窗，

②开单方向窗，

③开背风窗、有条件的可在开窗后拉上窗帘，

④床铺要远离窗户，以不觉得有寒气为度。特别要注意不要让风直接吹在身上，以防止感冒、肩周炎、腰腿痛及面神经麻痹等病的发生。

3　睡眠时，室内光线要暗，不要开灯睡觉，以免影响睡眠，黑暗的环境更有利于睡眠。

4　选择舒适的被褥　被褥对睡眠的好坏有影响，而舒适的被褥可促进睡眠。用做被褥的布料应选用吸水性强、柔软的棉布制作被里、褥里，而不宜用化纤和丝织品。被胎、褥胎应用棉花较好，因其有利于维持被窝的温湿度。如果采用羽毛、丝棉做内胎，因其吸水性能差，被窝较潮湿，对健康不利。被褥的厚薄要根据当地的气候、季节、室内温度加以调整，不要一年四季总用一套被子。被子的厚薄是否适宜，应该是以盖上后在觉醒状态下不出汗，同时手脚也不感到发冷为好。因身体每天约有30毫升的汗水在睡眠中排出，其中大部分被被褥吸收，使被褥经常处于微潮湿状态。因此要勤晒被褥，以避免过湿，否则会使细菌、真菌在潮湿的被褥上繁殖，影响健康，并能刺激皮肤，引起瘙痒，不利于睡眠。

5　选择合适的枕头　枕头的选择是否得当，对睡眠的好坏也有很大影响，应该适当选择。枕头的高低应适宜，其高度与每个人的胖瘦、肩的宽窄、颈的长短以及年龄的大小有关，因人而异，以舒适为好，无一定的标准，一般高度以10-15厘米为宜。正常人的脊柱有四个生理弯曲，颈腰椎往前凸，胸骶椎向后凸，只有在睡眠中能保持脊椎的这种正常曲线，才有利于健康。枕头过高，无论是仰卧还是侧臥睡，都会使颈椎的正常生理曲度改变，还会引起“落枕”。并使颈部软组织过于紧张，容易疲劳，时间久了，还可使颈椎强直、错位，导致颈部酸痛、失眠、记忆力减退、甚至引起颈部韧带钙化，颈椎骨质增生。枕头过低，睡眠时会使流入头部的血液偏多，使头颈部肌肉不能放松，容易使人产生头胀、烦燥、失眠等症状。一般说来，枕头的高度以不超过肩至同侧颈的距离为宜，以维持睡眠时颈与躯干的正常生理曲度。睡眠时应将枕头垫在后颈与后脑的交界处，或者全部垫在后颈部位，不可垫在后脑部，这样，在仰卧睡眠时头部能保持稍向后仰的姿势，既充分缓解了颈后肌群的紧张，又宽松了颈椎间的相互挤压，起到了颈托和轻度牵引的作用，对有颈椎病者可缓解症状，对没有颈椎病可起预防和保护作用。枕芯常用的装芯物有荞麦皮、蒲绒、木棉、绿豆壳、鸭绒、海绵等，以前四种装芯物较好，但装填不宜过滿。枕头装芯太硬，睡眠时对接触头部的皮肤压力大，影响局部的血液循环。如果用后两种物质装芯，则枕头过于柔软，虽摸起来觉得很舒服，但在睡眠时头部过于下陷，不能使头部保持在适宜的高度，不利于睡眠。

6　选择良好的睡床　睡床的选择是否合适，不但影响睡眠，而且对人体的生理功能也有影响。床铺的种类很多，常用的有木板床、弹簧床、棕绷床、竹床、席梦思床等，北方农村以土炕多见。睡哪种床才能达到既睡臥舒适，又有益于健康的目的呢？这要根据家庭情况、年龄、身体状况，是否有疾病，如腰痛、脊椎病等情况来决定。从生理卫生的角度上讲，以木板床较好，睡在床上面可以使人的脊柱保持正常的生理弯曲状态。但因其太硬，睡时不太舒适，可在上面垫以较厚而硬的床垫，这样就软硬适中。而席梦思床，钢丝床、弹簧床、棕绷床如果弹性硬度不够，人睡在上面仰卧时脊柱呈弧形，侧臥时呈侧向弯曲。天长日久，可使脊柱的自然形态改变，将引起腰背部肌肉劳损疼痛，或使原有腰痛病的患者症状加重。另外睡床太软，睡臥时身体一部分肌肉下陷于软垫间，被动地呈拉紧状态，得不到放松，同时腹腔内脏器也会受到挤压，得不到应有的休息。尤其是儿童和老年人，有骨关节病、腰腿痛病的人更不适宜。当然许多正常成年人长期睡席梦思床、钢丝床已经习惯了，也没有什么不适，可不必去更换。

7　正确的摆放睡床　关于床位的摆放和睡眠时的身体方向怎样最好？据科学家研究认为：以头南脚北为好。因为地球是个大磁场，人体随时随地都受到地球磁场的影响，睡眠的过程中大脑同样受到磁场的干扰。采用头南脚北位睡眠，使磁力线平稳地穿过人体，最大限度地减少地球磁场的干扰，睡得更香甜。对一部分患有慢性头痛的人，还有防治作用。

三　正确的睡眠姿势

睡眠有俯卧、仰卧和侧臥三种。那么哪种睡姿更有利于健康呢？从生理卫生角度说，以侧臥尤其是右侧臥位最好。这是因为在仰卧时，身体和两腿都是伸直的，肌肉不能完全放松也就不能充分休息，有时两手会不自觉地放在胸前，这样容易做恶梦、睡熟后舌根容易后坠而造成打鼾，口水流入气管引起呛咳。在俯臥睡时，除身体及腿部肌肉不能完全放松外，还会使胸部和腹部受压、从而影响肺的功能。而在侧臥睡时，脊柱略向前弯，四肢容易放到舒适的位置，使全身肌肉能得到满意的放松，较少引起上面两种睡姿的弊病。向右侧睡，对人体健康更为有利。因心脏位于胸腔偏左侧，向右侧臥位睡，使心脏受压小，可减轻其负担，有利于排血。另外，胃通向十二指肠以及小肠通向大肠的出口都是向右开，向右侧臥睡时，有利于胃肠道内容物的顺利运送。再者，肝脏位于右上腹部，右侧臥时它处于低位，因此供应肝脏的血液多，这对食物的消化、体内营养物质的代谢及药物的解毒，甚至对肝脏本身的健康都较有利。但在实际上，人在整夜的睡眠过程中不可能固定于一种姿势，过一定的时间就会自行翻身或改变四肢的位置，以求得舒适的体位，可顺其自然，不必强求自始至终固定一种睡觉姿势。对于某些病人或孕妇，就更不能强求某种睡眠姿势了。很多疾病是由于睡眠姿势不当而诱发或加重的。所以，自行采取或被动采取保护性睡姿，对预防疾病的发生或减轻疾病的症状都是有益的。

四　保持心理平衡对保证良好睡眠很重要，因为情绪变化对睡眠影响很大，上床睡眠时要排除杂念，思想放松，不紧张、不焦虑、不害怕、不担忧，保持平和的心态、轻松的情绪，这样才容易进入睡眠状态。过度伤悲、紧张、思虑、惊喜是最常见的失眠原因之一，喜怒哀思悲恐惊七种情绪的过度变化，都可能导致失眠，所以睡眠前一定要保持情绪稳定，把白天工作、生活中的事情全部搁置一边，一心只想睡眠，这点对妇女、老年人和神经衰弱者尤其重要。

五　戒除不良习惯：

1古人云：“胃不和则臥不安”，所以晚饭宜少吃，晚饭应在睡前2小时左右吃较好，如果晚饭吃得太早，睡前会出现空腹饥饿感，也会影响睡眠。晚饭不宜进食过硬食物，也不宜吃得太饱。这样可避免腹部膨胀不适，影响睡眠。

2 睡前不要吸烟、喝咖啡、饮酒，茶及咖啡中含有容易使人兴奋的茶碱和咖啡因，影响入睡，尽量避免。

3睡觉时，应尽量减少思考白天的事情。

4避免接触一切带刺激性的事情，不看惊险小说、电影、电视等。

5睡前应停止紧张的学习和繁重的工作。

(资料取自于网络)

日夜奔波，为生活而劳累。休息是为走更远的路，睡眠是让身体自我修补。保持者高质量的睡眠，让醒来后又是一个充满活力、希望、美好的一天！

by 旭日の革

默哀五月 Moment of silence in May

2008-05-31T23:55:00.000+08:00

5月2日，以速超过190公里的热带风暴登陆缅甸已造成至少1．5万人死亡。
(On May 2nd, the Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar with the force equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane. It caused at least 150 thousand people death.)

5月3日，休眠了9000至10000年的柴滕火山爆发。它位于智利南方，喷发出的大量火山灰覆盖到周围的城镇。同时还引发数十次小规模地震，紧急疏散了数千名附近居民。
(On May 3rd, the eruption of Chaiten volcano in Chile.)

5月12日，中国四川8级地震已吞没了近7万人的性命。
（On May 12th, Sichuan, China's happened 8 magnitude earthquake took away more than 70 thousand people’s lives.)

5月里，菲律宾多次遭受台风袭击，导致人财两失。
(In May, Typhoons attacked Philippines.)

5月里，多股龙卷风袭击美国中西部，导致多处损失惨重，多人伤亡，无家可归。
(In May, few powerful tornados attacked Middle West of United State.)

The Secret Recipes of Healthy Drinks

2008-04-24T17:14:00.005+08:00

Yummy! The secret recipes for healthy drinking… but for those pregnant woman, advised to consult your doctor first.

Mixture: Carrot + Ginger + Apple
Function: Boost and cleanse our system.

Mixture: Apple + Cucumber + Celery
Function: Prevent cancer, reduce cholesterol, and improve stomach upset and headache.

Mixture: Tomato + Carrot + Apple
Function: Improves skin complexion and bad breath.

Mixture: Bitter gourd + Apple + Milk
Function: Prevent bad-breath and reduce internal body heat.

Mixture: Orange + Ginger + Cucumber
Function: Improves skin texture and moisture and reduce body heat.

Mixture: Pineapple + Apple + Watermelon
Function: To dispel excess salts, nourishes the bladder and kidney.

Mixture: Apple + Cucumber + Kiwi
Function: To improve skin complexion.

Mixture: Pear + Banana
Function: To regulate sugar content.

Mixture: Carrot + Apple + Pear + Mango
Function: Clear body heat, counteracts toxicity, decreased blood pressure and fight oxidization.

Mixture: Honeydew + Grape + Watermelon + Milk
Function: Rich in Vitamin C + Vitamin B2 that increases cell activity and strengthen body immunity.

Mixture: Papaya + Pineapple + Milk
Function: Rich in Vitamin C, E, Iron. Improve skin complexion and metabolism.

Mixture: Banana + Pineapple + Milk
Function: Rich in Vitamin with nutritious and prevent constipation.

from Internet

by 旭日の革

Back To Nature

2008-04-23T15:39:00.000+08:00

Long before antiseptic creams and lozenges came along, natural ingredients like honey, milk and a blend of medicinal leaves were used to cure common ailments. Although modern science has taken over, traditional practices like Naturopathy, Homeopathy and Ayurvedic medicine are still popular options. So before forking out a fortune for that anti-wrinkle cream, head for the kitchen instead. Here are five DIY remedies to treat common ailments:

Hang Up: Aching Feet
Fix It: Pour warm water into a tub or basin. Add two teaspoons of salt with a handful of mustard seeds and soak your feet for 20 minutes.

Hang Up: Hair Loss
Fix It: Mix two tablespoons of olive oil, juice from one lemon, one egg yolk and a handful of crushed rosemary. Apply on hair roots for half and hour and wash off.

Hang Up: Minor Cuts
Fix It: Honey is a natural antibiotic. Just dab a tiny bit of natural honey on the cut and over it with a plaster.

Hang Up: Sore Throat
Fix It: Chop an inch of ginger root and soak it 1/3 cup of boiling water. Stir in one tablespoon of honey and drink when it is still warm.

Hang Up: Wrinkles
Fix It: Mix one teaspoon of olive oil, one egg yolk and two tablespoons of ground oatmeal into a thick paste. Wait for at least half an hour before applying it on the face. Once dried, wash off with warm water.

from Body & Soul

by 旭日の革

《几米故事的开始》

2008-04-22T10:50:00.002+08:00

知道关于几米这个人是从报章，杂志里头；知道关于他的作品是从《向左走，向右走》这部电影。过后也只知道他有部作品也成为电影，《地下铁》。他的作品受到各地，各国的欢迎，一位著名，成功的绘本画家。对于他，我知道的是如此而已。读完了《几米故事的开始》，我才开始真正认识几米。

还没有成为几米之前，原来他是与癌症拼搏过来的。他说：“创作帮我忘记疾病的恐惧，纡解我的哀伤。1998年，我开始出书，意外地受到鼓励与欢迎。”我说一点也不意外。一个历经生活洗炼而奋战过来的人，他所作的都会感动每一个人，深深影响着一个人。所以他10年里的30本书，故事的开始，创作的背后都来自他的生活，他的经历，他的遭遇，他的体会。。。。。。

他如是说：“说我平步青云，步上人生高峰，没错。我像皇帝般地受到美丽的妻子，仁慈的护士和医术高明的医生24小时全心全意的呵护。我终于明白那一年生命大发的意义了。你正在过怎样的季节？春，夏，秋，冬？心情冷暖又是由谁决定的？上帝？自己？还是路人甲？我在寒冬里，梦见走进春天的花园。。。。。。醒来时，香气满身。”真是充满希望与坚强。

一本不错的书。

by linguowei@bmonidea

Mariah & Madonna

2008-03-31T17:24:00.003+08:00

Madonna and Mariah fans lets celebrate!

When the latest Billboard Hot 100 singles chart is released on Wednesday, both pop divas will reached new milestones. Both M & M are set to break two records set by Elvis Presley, making music history together on the same week!

Thanks to its release as a digital single, Mimi's Touch My Body is expected to be the #1 single in America this coming week. It will be her 18th #1, and she will surpass Elvis as the artist with the most #1 hits.

Meanwhile, Madonna's 4 Minutes will jump into the Top 10 this week and she will beat Elvis as the artist with the most Top 10 hits in music history. It will be her 37th !!!

ARTISTS WITH THE MOST TOP 10 SINGLES (Before 4 Minutes)
1. Elvis Presley (36)
1. Madonna (36)
3. The Beatles (34)
4. Stevie Wonder (28)
4. Michael Jackson (28)

~aL~

NEW GAP FALL COLLECTION

2008-03-09T23:10:00.001+08:00

ITS FABOLOUS ..

~aL~

香江怀旧情

2008-02-28T15:37:00.004+08:00

“小河弯弯向东流，流到香江去看一看，东方之珠我的爱人，你的风采是否浪漫依然……”

这歌，听了可多年。去年十月，我终于选择香港这颗东方之珠，作初哥出游第一步；而让我本著怀旧情飞赴香江的是“香港的女儿”梅艳芳。

赏梅人之囍月

到港第一个夜，我们在铜锣湾“囍月”享用晚餐，一家以已故天皇巨星梅艳芳为主题的餐厅。开设餐厅的三位合伙人，是追随“百变天后”梅艳芳多年的忠实迷。甫进餐厅即传来梅姐磁性歌声，墙上挂著一幅幅私人珍藏的电影海报，一张张千金难买的黑胶唱片，架上摆著一本本旧日杂志，全都弥足珍贵。除了歌迷捧场，远道而来的游客也是座上宾。老板们说：“这是赏梅人聚脚地。”

利舞台划时代

然后，我们特经铜锣湾的全港最高纯商场：利舞台广场。利舞台广场前身为名噪一时、于1925年落成、90年代清拆的利舞台戏院。利舞台曾经星光灿烂；1982年，梅姐在此勇夺香港无线电视首届新秀歌唱大赛的冠军，罗文、邓丽君、甄妮和汪明荃等皆是表演常客。利舞台清拆前，梅姐举行“飞跃舞台十载情”演唱会，告别她崭露头角之地。利舞台戏院落成初期，香港电车曾设“午夜专车”，每晚从利舞台载送乘客到当时烟花地石塘咀。

坐叮叮游车河

当晚，我们便乘坐见证百年岁月的香港电车前往石塘咀。

电车俗称“叮叮”，源于其开动或警示的“叮叮”铃声。电车最初从港岛北部沿海岸线行驶，穿梭东西部；游客若在港岛市区迷路，可参考电车路线作为辨认方向坐标。今日在消费指数高飙的香港，电车成人车资只需两元港币（约1令吉）；乘客可投币或用八达通卡付车资，极方便。

石塘咀寻段古

石塘咀于1880年被开发，最初为花岗岩石矿场。采矿之后残留凹陷的洞，加上地形形似向海突出的咀，故名“石塘咀”；石为花岗岩石矿场，塘则比喻凹陷的洞，而咀指地形。1904至1935年间，香江娼妓业最蓬勃，妓寨数百妓女上千，近五万人靠花事维生！

经典电影《胭脂扣》里，倚红楼红牌阿姑如花和贵公子十二少跨生死的爱恋，为石塘咀这风月地增添几许凄美。在那纸醉金迷，夜夜笙歌的年代，红牌阿姑身娇肉贵，绝非今日妓女可媲美。时光荏苒，人面桃花往事如云烟，石塘咀经几番变换，一砖一瓦已闻不见旧韵味。

石阶煤气街灯

访过石塘咀，我们赶往蕴藏历史悠久的年迈古迹——石阶煤气街灯的都爹利街。以花岗石筑成的石阶，于1979年归纳为法定古迹。

石阶两侧石柱上，伫立四盏笑看风云变的古老煤气街灯，全港煤气灯如今仅剩都爹利街这四盏。石阶煤气街灯乃电影电视及硬照拍摄热点；梅姐《梦伴》音乐录影带及电视剧《法证先锋》皆曾在此取景。从前街灯由煤气工人点燃，如今晚早六时自动开关。

男人街女人街

港有两条男人女人必逛的街：庙街和通菜街。庙街得名于清朝时期建在街道中段的油麻地天后庙，年轻人多叫“老庙”。以售平价货闻名的庙街亦称“平民夜总会”；由于与售卖女性服装、用品为主的“女人街”通菜街相似，加上到访者男性居多，又称“男人街”。街边相术之士与江湖卖艺构成另一特色。电影《新不了情》《食神》等让庙街名堂更响。饿了，这里不乏美食飨馋嘴。

漫步星光大道

在“星光开路”下漫步于九龙尖沙咀东海滨长廊，欣赏维港夜景、看“幻彩咏香江”实为美事！此行适逢梅姐10月10日冥寿，梅迷于星光大道筹备“香港的女儿 ——梅艳芳成长之路纪念展览会”多款百变造型一比一人像板沿著星光大道交织一代巨星与东方之珠的奋斗史纵然星光大道乃为表扬杰出香港电影工作者贡献而增的新近景点，但循年代铺陈的特制纪念牌匾却引领我们见证港片历史。

芳踪游走透透

我们为这趟旅程取名“芳踪游”顾名思义，自然跟梅姐有关。在她生日前夕及生日当天，我们随“香港的女儿”的足迹，游走香江；到位于上环必列者士街的“东华三院梅艳芳长者日间护理中心”、汇聚珍贵文物和古董的荷李活道、摩罗街（香港一级历史建筑文武庙在此）及考验脚力、整条都是楼梯并曾亮相不少港剧的“楼梯街”，让我们窥探香港这艳丽大都会卸下浓妆的朴素一面。

10月10日，我们参加梅迷组织的义工队到钻石山志莲净苑服务。接著，我们马不停蹄前往省善真堂与广播道。70年代，香港只有五家电子媒体（亚视，无线，佳艺，港台及商台）聚集小山丘上而得名“五台山”；当时很多明星都住广播道。物换星移，如今仅剩港台商台仍在此高尚住宅区扎营。

登山顶观夜景

戏不是都演香江花月夜吗？香江闻名于夜景，而观夜景，登高自然最妙。登上太平山顶俯瞰维港的夜景，万家灯火的壮丽，尽收眼底。既登山顶，怎能不入内欣赏杜莎夫人家的杰作？第一个出自她手的蜡像乃于1777年为“法兰西思想之父”伏尔泰而创作，距离现在已230年之久！

香港大球场则为我的香江之旅画下完美句点。再会香港，再会我的旧情怀！

(以上文摘于: 傅秋蓉, 刊於2008年2月28日《光华日報》娱乐版)

by 旭日の革

恭喜发财!

2008-02-01T02:18:00.000+08:00

恭喜发财的文化意涵。新年将到，亲友间见面道恭喜，电视广告、商家都挂上“恭喜发财”或“Gong Xi Fa Cai”的看板。“恭喜发财”已成为华人过年的一个符号，友族同胞可能不解其意，但见面都会说上这一句。在学院任教的楼友说，外国同事以为“Gong Xi Fa Cai”是新年快乐的意思，听她解释其意后睁大眼睛看著她，说：“非常典型的华人”。

..........什么是典型的华人？好听一点是务实，坦白点就是向钱看！数天前，在国营电台的一个清谈节目中，电台主持人带领大家思维“恭喜发财”意义，节目嘉宾提到“恭喜发财”是属于文化层次较低的新年吉祥语，这样的论调立即引起热烈的讨论,有支持的，也有十分不赞同的！

..........“恭喜恭喜”、“大地回春”、“大拜年”等我们很熟悉的过年歌曲，这些歌曲都是二次大战后创作，那是一个物质匮乏的时代，所以新年就希望“吃得饱穿得暖”。到了我们的这个年代，我们就希望“发大财”，所以就出现了一些反省的声音，认为“恭喜发财”反映了华人其实是很经济型的民族，这当然也透露除了希望整年财运享通后，过年期间能发个新年财！要如何发新年财？只要是在我们这个“文化”长大的大概就能列出几种发新年财的花样！

..........“恭喜发财”是华人过年口头上的一个习惯，就像我们见面会问：“吃饱没？”对一般人而言，当习惯和所认同的附号被抨批时，就可能就引起一些情绪上的反应。

..........或许，我们可以进一步思维：财，就一定是指金银财宝吗？依据佛教的说法：财有内财和外财，外财当然就是指外在的物质，就是身外之物；而内财就是指健康，身体。缺乏内财（健康的身体），所有的外物大概就很难享用到。所以，当我们在说“恭喜发财”的时候，从广义来看“财”，就是祝贺对方内外财兼得。

..........一般上，我们都希望钱都装进自己的口袋，并且会对别人口袋里的钱比我们多时感到眼红。可是，在过年期间，我们在祝贺别人“恭喜发财”时，也可以是敞开胸襟的时刻，有福同享，希望别人也能够丰衣足食，生活安稳。

..........进一步而言，我们希望国家能越来越安定及富裕，全民都能平等分到国家的经济蛋糕。阿里发财，但不是拿了阿明口袋里的钱的方式，而这个财富也应该让分给三美。不管是阿里、阿明或三美，这些财富不应只集中在少数人的口袋里。

..........“年老的有人来帮助，年轻的有人来守护，人人相亲如手足。”恭喜发财，很多友族都懂这句中文话，这是一个亲切的语言沟通桥梁。或许，当被问起“恭喜发财”的意义时，我们可以这样说：恭喜发财，祝你经济稳定和身体健康；恭喜发财，愿更多人同享有财富！

(以上文摘于: 陈爱梅, 刊於2007年1月31日《光华日報》言论版)

by 旭日の革

CLOVERFIELD

2008-01-24T18:53:00.000+08:00

一部my friend期待的电影。他们也还没有看，但说得绘声绘影，我也把持不住，有股冲动想去看，毕竟很久没看电影了。幸亏我还没看，因为突然间对这部电影有所保留。为什么？看后的人的反应是。。。

988电台某DJ ~ 我第一次看电影看到呕！

某观众call in ~ 开场十五分钟我就离场了，“顶不顺”！

某人看回来的反应A ~ 電影上映不久後就罵了句“Fxxx!"，然後離場不見人。

某人看回来的反应B ~ 一直低著頭不看螢幕，因為很暈。

某人看回来的反应C ~ 不是因為畫面恐怖噁心讓我作嘔，而是暈到我半途離場，去廁所嘔吐，把

之前吃的食物及半杯啤酒都吐了出來。

某人看回来的反应D ~ 在睡覺，然後也是半途離場。

某人看回来的反应E ~ 電影畫面晃足一個小時，而電影也只有一小時左右長。

某人看回来的反应E ~ 任何一個人都可以當攝影師，只要你掌機時手晃動，搖搖摆摆，

喝醉酒，讓畫面隨時保持晃動，不同角度轉來轉去。

某人看回来的反应F ~ 看這電影讓我獲得比轉了幾十個彎後暈車，更快暈的體驗。

某人看回来的反应G ~ 有其他觀眾半途離場，換位置，不專心看電影。

某人看回来的反应H ~ 我看見前兩排的一對情侶在親吻。

by linguowei@bmonidea

如何让小屋香气怡人?

2008-01-22T17:08:00.000+08:00

　 因室内外的温差较大、通风不便，随着室温的增高，屋子里的气味也是越发不好掌控，诸如空气长期不流通、取暖设备等都会给您的室内空气造成影响，如何使自己的小屋变得温馨浪漫又香气怡人呢？

　　第一计蒸发香水
　　在台灯、吊灯还有壁灯的灯泡上喷洒自己喜爱的香水，利用灯泡的热量来蒸发香水，让香味在房间内弥漫。
　　优点：香味较浓郁，香气直接散发。
　　缺点：有的家庭好多灯具都不能直接接触灯泡，因此不容易达到效果，另外此方法效果不够持久。

　　第二计悬挂干花
　　用晒干的玫瑰、茉莉花瓣加上少许香料放置于竹篮等容器中，悬挂在墙壁或屋顶，可使满室飘香。
　　优点：气味芳香，自然细腻。
　　缺点：并非所有地方都适合悬挂，同时，如果花瓣的数量比较少，所能产生的效果也就不够显著。

　　第三计水果切片
　　把菠萝等具有香味的水果切片，放置于竹篮等容器中，能使满屋生香。
　　优点：芳香自然的同时还能散发水果的甘甜等特殊味道。
　　缺点：此法是利用新鲜的水果切片不断风干的时候所散发出来的味道，因此如何存放新鲜的水果切片，和如何处理切片上连带的果汁是一个比较困难的问题。

　　第四计薄荷提神
　　把薄荷叶放置在竹篮等容器内，或者直接压于衣柜、床褥下，能带来清新、略带乡野气息的香味。
　　优点：薄荷具有提神醒脑之功效，可以净化空气还有附加效果。
　　缺点：薄荷的味道并不为所有人所喜爱，更有一大部分人几乎不能接受此种气味，故有所局限。

　　第五计吸附散味
　　用吸油纸等吸水性强的纸张，吸足香水或包装香料后，放在抽屉、衣柜、床褥下等角落，香味可保持很久。
　　优点：芳香气息强烈、持久悠长。
　　缺点：香水多具油性，如直接置于床褥下，容易污染被褥；另外此方法适合较小且较封闭的空间。

　　第六计制作药包
　　去中药店购买细辛等香味浓郁的草药晒干或直接置于纱布袋或薄布袋中，放在衣柜、橱柜、鞋柜中，开柜即有浓香。
　　优点：将这些东西放置于鞋柜，或者置于鞋中，可起到除臭的效果。
　　缺点：浓香中免不了一些中草药的气息，不为部分人群所喜爱。

　　第七计放置香草
　　把薰衣草等香草用纱布或者丝袜头包起来，挂在衣橱、床边、浴室，香气宜人。
　　优点：薰衣草本身就具有一种独特的浪漫气息，并且气味轻柔，悠长久远。
　　缺点：由于香味不够浓郁，因此需要长期使用，同时对于异味强烈的场所，效果不明显。

　　第八计橘皮去味
　　将食用香料，如橘皮、丁香等用薄布或者纱布包起来，放在衣柜或置于床褥下，也有另外一种与众不同的特殊芳香。
　　优点：橘皮的气味不仅芳香更带清新，而且对于驱除异味的效果较明显。
　　缺点：新鲜的橘皮含有汁水，切不可挤压，若稍经挤压其汁水污染衣物后不易清洗。

　　第九计浪漫香薰
　　利用小蜡烛熏烤盛有植物香精油的香薰炉，便可令居室生香，放一个点燃着的香薰炉在浴室内，感觉特别浪漫。
　　优点：市场上可买到的植物香精油品种繁多、花样齐全，可依个人的不同喜好随性选择。
　　缺点：价格低廉的植物香精油和蜡烛，容易产生刺激和轻微的余烟，好的植物香精油和蜡烛的价格又相对较高，属于投资最高的一种方法。

　　小贴士
　　市面上可以买到千姿百态的香味蜡烛也是品种繁多，果香、花香等很多种，即使不点燃的时候也是可爱的小饰物；而且，北方空气比较干燥，这些香味蜡烛和香薰配合一台空气加湿器一起使用，效果更佳。但是，用餐时不宜使用香薰或香味蜡烛，以免干扰食物的香味。

from Wiselife

by 旭日の革

厨卫家电保养三招五式

2008-01-22T16:54:00.000+08:00

每天下厨房可能都要使用抽油烟机、微波炉、电饭煲等厨卫家电，不过，在使用过程中经常会碰到使用不当导致电器受损。为了合理使用以延长其使用寿命，消费者有必要从专业的角度懂得一些保养的基本常识。

　　消毒柜餐具事先要擦干

　　消毒柜在使用过程中，用完的餐具必须先洗干净，将水擦干才放进消毒柜内，不能承受高温的餐具必须放进低温层。水洗过的餐具必须擦干或晾干后方可放入消毒柜内，红外发热管通电加热，柜内温度上升至200°C~300°C，达到消毒之目的。一些用户把带水的餐具放入柜内又不经常通电，致使消毒柜的各电器元件及金属表面受潮氧化，在红外发热管管座处出现接触电阻，易烧坏管座或其它部件，缩短消毒柜的使用寿命。

　　有些用户出于种种原因对消毒柜少用和闲置，而正确的使用方法是：每1~2天通电消毒一次，这样既起到杀毒的目的，又可延长其使用寿命。应将餐饮具洗净沥干后再放入消毒碗柜内消毒，这样能缩短消毒时间和降低电能消耗。

　　塑料等不耐高温的餐饮具不能放在下层高温消毒柜内，而应放在上层臭氧消毒的低温消毒柜内消毒，以免损坏餐具。彩瓷器皿放入消毒柜会释放有害物质，危害人体健康。碗、碟、杯等餐具应竖直放在层架上，最好不要叠放，以便通气和尽快消毒。

　　消毒柜应放置在干燥通风处，离墙不宜小于30厘米。消毒期间非必要时，请勿开门，以免影响效果。消毒结束后，如过十分钟再取用的话，效果更佳。

　　微波炉勿因切断电源而麻痹

　　微波炉是一种高技术家电产品，且内有高压电，维修时一定要小心谨慎，才不会引起人身危险及损坏微波炉。微波炉发现异常或故障，应及时通知生产厂家的维修部门或特约维修点来维修，千万不要自己检修或继续使用。在对微波炉的内部进行检查维修前，一定要先切断电源开关，并拔下电源插头。修理时，切勿因电源已切断而麻痹大意，因为微波炉的高压回路中的整流电路的高压电容曾经充了电，里面仍蓄有高压电，触摸它将有被高压电电击的危险，要十分注意。同压电路时，先要利用接地线把高压电容中蓄存的高压电能放掉，然后才能进行维修。

　　电饭锅外表水须揩干

　对于电饭锅的保养，在使用过后，其内锅需经洗涤后，外表的水必须揩干后再放入电饭锅内。电饭锅的锅底部应避免碰撞变形。而发热盘与内锅之间必须保持清洁，切忌饭粒掉入影响热效率甚至损坏发热盘。内锅可用水洗涤，但外壳及发热盘切忌浸水，只能在切断电源后用湿布抹净。还要注意的是，不宜用电饭锅煮酸、碱类食物，也不要放在有腐蚀性气体或潮湿的地方。

　　抽油烟机不要擅自拆洗

　　为了避免油烟机噪音或震动过大、滴油、漏油等情况的发生，应定时对油烟机进行清洗，以免电机、涡轮及油烟机内表粘油过多；在使用抽油烟机的时候要保持厨房内的空气流通，这样能防止厨房内的空气形成负压，保证油烟机的抽吸能力；消费者最好不要擅自拆开油烟机进行清洗，因为电机一旦没装好就不能保证吸烟效果，且会增大噪音；最好让厂家的专业人员进行清洗。

　　热水器：滤水网应定期清洗

　　热水器的保养要注意经营检查供气管道（橡胶软管）是否完好，有无老化、裂纹，发现异常现象要及时处理好。对滤水网应定期进行清洁，并时常观察有无漏水现象。每半年需委托合格的专业技工检查一次热交换器是否积碳和堵塞，并及时清理，以保证热水器正常工作。此外，要经常观察火焰情况，火焰由蓝色变成黄色并有黑烟就应该通知维修部门进行处理。当发现点火针积碳时，要清理干净，以保证点火质量。

from Wiselife

by 旭日の革

以人为本设计时尚家居

2008-01-22T16:10:00.000+08:00

设计在遵循以人为本的前提，能够具备实用功能。老一辈对家居装修追求多追求豪华，而现代人对家居装越来越讲究简洁和实用，下面就介绍几种运用在家居装修时的方法吧。

方式一：对比

　　对比是家装设计中惯用的一种方式，设计师称，从事过系统学习艺术理论的人都知道，这种方式是艺术设计的基本定型技巧，它把两种不同的事物、形体、色彩等作对照，如方与圆、新与旧、大与小、黑与白、深与浅、粗与细等等。通过把两个明显对立的元素放在同一空间中，经过设计，使其既对立又和谐；既矛盾又统一，在强烈反差中获得鲜明对比，求得互补和满足的效果。

方式二：和谐

　　和谐包含协调之意。它是在满足功能要求的前提下，使各种室内物体的形、色、光、质等组合得到协调，成为一个非常和谐统一的整体。和谐还可以分为环境及造型的和谐、材料质感的和谐、色调的和谐、风格样式的和谐等等。和谐能使人们在视觉上，心理上获得宁静、平和的满足。

方式三：色调

　　色调是构成造型艺术设计的重要因素之一。不同颜色能引起人视觉上不同的色彩感觉。如红、橙、黄的温暖感很强烈，被称为暖色系；青蓝绿具有寒冷、沉静的感觉，被称为冷色系。在室内设计中，可选用各类色调构成，色调有很多种，一般可归纳为“同一色调、同类色调、邻近色调、对比色调”等，在使用时可根据环境不同灵活运用。

方式四：独特

　　一位设计师称，许多业主很讲究个性，独特正是他们所追求的。设计师为追求独特，就要突破原有规律，标新立异，引人注目。在大自然中，“万绿丛中一点红，沙漠中的绿洲”，都是独特的体现。独特是在陪衬中产生出来的，是相互比较而存在的。在室内设计中特别推崇有突破的想象力，以创造个性和特色。

方式五：简洁

简洁是室内设计中特别值得提倡的手法之一，也是近年来十分流行的趋势。这要求室内环境中没有华丽的修饰和多余的附加物，要坚持以少而精的原则，把室内装饰减到最小的程度，以“少就是多，简洁就是丰富”为原则。

方式六：呼应

　　在室内设计中，顶棚与地面、桌面或其他部位，采用呼应的手法，形体的处理，会起到对应的作用。呼应属于均衡的形式美，是各种艺术常用的手法，呼应也有“相应对称”、“相对对称”之说，一般运用形象对应、虚实气势等手法求得呼应的艺术效果。

方式七：对称

　　对称是形式美的传统技法，是人类最早掌握的形式美法则。对称可采用绝对对称和相对对称。上下、左右对称，同形、同色、同质对称被称为绝对对称；而在室内设计中采用的是相对对称，对称给人感受秩序、庄重、整齐即和谐之美。

from Sunbala

by linguowei@bmonidea

“懒人文化”布置家居新亮点

2008-01-22T15:35:00.000+08:00

与以往“懒人调料”得不到初露厨艺的女子青睐不同，懒人家居用品在当今日渐流行。懒人沙发、懒人床、懒人桌及懒人设施等可以“坐不改姓”地在商场内大行其道。这代表了“80后”新生一代完全不拘泥于传统居室设计装修风格，也表达了他们对自由、舒适的原始追求。

其实，“懒人文化”也从侧面反映了当代产品设计师注重细节的品性，它可以助推未来的居室布置向着“以人为本”的方向快速地发展。

懒人桌：餐饮娱乐统统搬上床

　　寒冬腊月，空气中的凉意总让人感觉懒懒的，恨不得整日待在温暖的被窝里。再加上这两年小户型住宅的兴起，有限的空间不能承载太多的家具，于是，床成了一件“多功能”家具，同时给床再配上一张可移动的多功能“懒人床桌”，简直把餐厅、办公室统统“搬”上了床

温暖的餐桌：懒人桌又叫应时桌，一个长长的“门”字形桌子，桌腿带有轮子，方便移动，拉过来刚好可以横跨床的两边。坐直了，桌的高度刚好到到胸的位置。需要的时候，可以坐在床上，把懒人桌拉到跟前，不需要的时候，可以把它推到一边，给它找个不起眼的角落容身。由于桌面窄窄的，所以它平时并不占地方。放一杯香浓的咖啡，摆一桌美味佳肴，周末慵懒的家居生活就可以在床上开始了。

方便的办公桌：冬天坐在书桌前看书，不一会儿脚就冷了。如果坐在床上看书，被子盖着腿，暖和是暖和了，但由于捧着书，胳膊没有支撑，不一会儿就会觉得胳膊麻、脖子酸了。如果床前有一张桌子，能把书和胳膊放在上面，这个问题就解决了。可移动懒人桌不但是为懒人准备的，也是为怕冷的都市人准备的。懒人桌当办公桌用，一张床等于一间办公室。坐在床上，把笔记本电脑放到懒人桌上，裹着温暖的被子，让心思驰骋，随心所欲。

懒人沙发：让身体随时软着陆

　　懒人沙发：尽管软软的沙发靠垫基本可以满足人们对柔软的依赖，但偌大的沙发进深还是不能让你沉浸在柔软的怀抱中。懒人追求的舒适和温暖看来只能靠懒人沙发来实现了。坐进懒人沙发里就像婴儿回到了襁褓或摇篮中，越坐越惬意，最后可能完全被沙发包围起来。看电视、发呆的时候坐在这里最合适，困了、累了就直接睡在里面，就像裹了一层被子般舒服。

懒人床：与追求质感、美观的床具风格不同，懒人床完全没有线条限制，它直观给你的感觉就是柔软，躺上去的感觉是更柔软。以往追求柔软的人喜欢在睡觉的时候抱个毛绒娃娃，这回你完全可以将它抛弃了。躺在懒人床上，你就似乎是个毛绒娃娃，周围全部被软软的被褥包围。懒人床的最大特点是床矮，免去你上床抬腿的环节；其次是床四周没有直线设计，全部是弯曲设计，以防你扑到床上的时候磕磕碰碰。

　　懒人沙发和懒人床的流行，得益于人们对舒适感的原始追求。它不能让你的居家设计与现代、简约或是任何一种成文的装饰风格完全对接，但它却可以让你找到自然、随意的孩童感觉。“以人为本”的设计守则，在奉行“懒人文化”的家居布置中得以体现。

from Sunbala

by linguowei@bmonidea

SOHO一族追捧的活力家具

2008-01-22T12:42:00.000+08:00

人人都想有个家。或简约实用、或富丽堂皇。你希望自己的家是什么样的呢？你将如何装扮它呢？　　最近记者在市场发现，一种充满年轻活力及情趣的家具备受18—35岁的青年白领、SOHO一族追捧。　　

　　最近记者在市场发现，一种充满年轻活力及情趣的家具备受18—35岁的青年白领、SOHO一族追捧。

　　家具的年轻化主要体现在两个方面，一是颜色一反传统的黑、白胡桃木、橡木的单一色调。激情奔放的大红、冷静酷味的灰蓝、生机盎然的果绿等配色闯进了成人的家居，出现在床屏、拉手等部位，既有丰富的色彩魅力，又没有刺激的视觉效果，可以说突破了传统成人家具的氛围。

　　二是设计一改过去直来直往的棱角分明，现在的成人家居大量采用圆形、半圆形和弧形，显得十分俏皮。比如一款卧室三件套，柜门上采用了大大小小十几个纯圆造型，给人的感觉就是“好玩”二字。而另一款床头柜四个角都是圆弧形，看起来有点像收音机，再加上底部的四个轮子，真像是专门为孩童设计的。让人不得不感叹：家具变年轻了！一位正在选购家具的王小姐说：“这样的家具不但赏心悦目，还能有效缓解一天的疲劳呢。”

床：

绝对时尚 SOHO一族追捧的活力家具

　　樱桃红的床头软包配上喜气洋洋的红色床上用品，非常适合新婚夫妻选用。床屏的全弧形符合人体功能学，睡在上面非常舒服。

四门衣柜：

　　灰蓝色块的点缀本身就很酷，以大大小小的纯圆造型体现，充满了动感，适合外冷内热的年轻男士使用。

吧台：

　　弧线非常彻底，既节约空间，又最大限度地拉近人与人的距离，是一个闲来把酒谈心的好地方。

from Wiselife.

by 旭日の革

Diet Coke + Mentos

2008-01-22T10:24:00.000+08:00

by linguowei@bmonidea

A4 Paper

2008-01-22T10:04:00.000+08:00

from net

by linguowei@bmonidea

一個馴教周潤發的女人.

2008-01-21T22:50:00.000+08:00

「當年，梅艷芳一站在台上，她已經徹底跟以前的世界說再見。」在香港電台節目《不死傳奇》中，香港大學教授吳俊雄（梁款）談到梅艷芳的成就時這樣說。

　　如果說梅艷芳以她獨特的形象與歌曲重新定義了華語流行曲，也創出一種前無古人的中國女性形象，那麼，在電影方面又如何呢？都怪舞台上的梅艷芳太成功，已至於不少人──包括製作《不死傳奇》的人──都忽略了梅艷芳在電影方面的時代意義。這個有關性別角色與社會變遷的大議題，可以是好幾篇博士論文的題目，本文只嘗試從一個角度思考，也就是電影中梅艷芳跟周潤發的兩次互動──英雄片《英雄本色之夕陽之歌》及喜劇《公子多情》。

Mark哥是怎樣煉成的？　　

　　周潤發是八十年代香港電影的其中一個最重要的男性／父權標誌。在七十年代李小龍的民族英雄之後，八十年代成龍與周潤發繼續樹立一種男性典範，前者是頑皮的、富動感的、常代表警方的，後者是比較沉著的、常代表黑社會的。一黑一白的兩個形象，是當時被全球華人膜拜的兩個男性典範，他們代表的是香港電影、以至於亞洲社會的父權意識。很自然地，女性在他們的電影中自然是可有可無，一如荷里活的西部片或００７系列。《英雄本色》中的Mark哥有型有款義蓋雲天，是男性自我形象的一種投射及幻想，誰又記得他在戲中有沒有女友？然而，梅艷芳的出現，卻改變了這種規律。

　　落在徐克手上的《英雄本色之夕陽之歌》，進一步發展他早在《刀馬旦》等電影中就鍾情的女性角色。當電影旨在講述《英雄本色》中的Mark哥在發跡前的故事，徐克安排了由梅艷芳飾演的周英杰一角。片中，周潤發及梁家輝兩個無知的小子流落到越南，遇上了黑幫大姐梅艷芳，並在她的引導及調教之下懂得了江湖之道。《夕陽之歌》要述說的，表面上是“Mark哥是如何成為Mark哥”的故事，而骨子裡其實是“男人是如何成為男人的”的故事。而在這“男人的煉成”的過程中，靠的竟然是一個女人的馴教。

一個女人的魅力來源。

　　這個女人經驗老到，洞悉世情，有情有義，她教兩個男人如何在動盪的越南（比喻的自然是當時的香港）生存，她在槍林彈雨中拯救他們，她在危難中自我犧牲；片中所見，她的IQ、EQ、甚至是AQ（逆境商數），都跟男性角色高下立見，她是男性的啟蒙者(Mentor)。至於她的外形，則帶著硬朗的英姿，而不是艷麗嫵媚。是的，當一個女人有經驗有智慧有成就，她就會充滿魅力，她不必明眸皓齒巧笑娉婷婀娜多姿。這種對女性美態的定義，竟然是近乎於“成功男人”的，徐克不可謂不大膽。

　　電影最具意義的一幕，是梅艷芳在臨別前送給周潤發一件長褸。我們都知道，這件長褸後來成了《英雄本色》中Mark哥的標誌。梅艷芳把她的江湖智慧、情深義長傳授了給周潤發，然後我們這個世界才有了Mark哥，才有了所謂真正的男人。這一幕的傳承儀式，打破了中外陽剛電影中的男性承繼男性的傳統（在西部片及港產英雄片皆然，通常是一個大佬帶著他的兄弟出身，如《旺角卡門》中劉德華與張學友的關係），它顛覆的甚至是東西方古代千百年的皇權父子世襲制。而片中的梅艷芳，儼如大地之母；電影的小結論是沒有女性的點化就沒有Mark哥，大結論則是沒有女性就沒有我們的世界。

搞笑周潤發遇上搞笑梅艷芳。

　　另一次值得討論的梅艷芳與周潤發的合作，是喜劇《公子多情》。這部片跟《夕陽之歌》的有趣對照之一，是兩個演員的多面性，他們同樣可以搞笑，可以嚴肅，可以槍，也可以屎尿屁。周潤發在英雄片遇到了罕有的女性對手梅艷芳，他在喜劇範疇同樣遇到早在八四年就憑愛情喜劇《緣份》獲得最佳女配角的梅艷芳（說起來，梅艷芳得到電影獎項比周潤發還要早）。

　　《公子多情》以西片《窈窕淑女》作藍本，再混合以港式的追女仔電影風格。《窈窕淑女》中，柯德利夏萍飾演的賣花女被一位紳士改造，好使她擠身上流社會，那自然是一個由高高在上的男性去馴化調教女性的過程。然而，這種性別角色在《公子多情》中被顛倒了，電影借著周潤發的草根性，讓他演一個偷渡客，又借著梅艷芳的舞台形象，讓她演一個形象指導；故事是一個有品味的富有女人調教一個鄉下仔晉身上流社會。

　　雖然說，電影拍出的仍然是男性趣味：片中既有利智及李美鳳等花瓶角色，又讓色迷迷的男角（除了周潤發還有曾志偉及王青）保留了追女仔電影的“麻甩”趣味，然而，電影對階級與性別的逆轉，在男性主導的八十年代港片中仍然是一個特例，要知道當時最盛行的都是剝奪女性的電影，包括動輒又姦又殺的黑幫片，以及只把女性視為咸濕對象的追女仔電影及福星片系列。

　　《公子多情》中的梅艷芳，延續了她在舞台上的百變形象，她代表是的香港人渴慕的一種上流階級，而周潤發代表的是當時香港人較常認同的草根的、爛撻撻的角色。在此，身為女性的梅艷芳不啻象徵了一種社會流動性。另外，梅艷芳在香港電影中亦從來不是花瓶，從來不賣弄性感，這一點在《公子多情》亦有體現，她在片中的華衣美服，炫耀的只是階級品味，而不是女性嫵媚，她傾向於是被整個社會仰望的人物，而不是男性所凝視的客體。

性別研究──學術上的天水圍

　　如此看來，如果周潤發是香港電影──以至於華人世界──的一個性別icon（圖標／聖像），那麼，梅艷芳作為屢屢挑戰這個icon的女人，她在電影方面的意義就顯然被輕視了。當八十年代的周潤發及成龍等人其實只是用不同方式強化既有的男性霸權，梅艷芳的革命性就在於她在陽剛的類型片中，開創了幾乎是前所未有的女性形象。

　　如是，我們就大概不必追問為何影評界及整個社會較少論及電影中的梅艷芳，因為，這個議題觸動的是父權社會的最深層結構，那是很多人不願提起的；而女性主義及性別研究在香港，亦始終是一個被邊緣代得厲害、甚至是隱形的領域，那可比作學術上的天水圍。也因此，才顯出梅艷芳的珍貴。八十年代過去了，一方面，男性類型電影沒落了，另一方面，今天也找不到可以跟當年的梅艷芳旗鼓相當的女性標誌。這就是為何我們會說：梅艷方帶走的不只是她的肉身，而是一整個時代。

(以上文摘于: 李展鵬, 刊於2007年1月3日《澳門日報》演藝版)

夕陽之歌--(韓國梅迷剪輯的電影片段MV)

by 旭日の革

The Art of Coffee

2008-01-19T11:39:00.000+08:00

by linguowei@bmonidea

Dream Bag

2008-01-19T11:20:00.001+08:00

Dream Bag (look like lotus)

from HDK

by linguowei@bmonidea

寝具的使用与保养

2008-01-19T10:12:00.000+08:00

1．保养意识

无论购买何种面料的寝具，洗涤前一定要读标签说明，只要用心选配与保养，保证一套套会常保如新。

2．关于干洗

关于纯棉制品的清理方式，建议自己洗涤是最好方法；而混纺提花或真丝产品则需考虑干洗方式。

3．污渍处理

如有油渍或口红，可在未下水之前喷上少量沙拉脱或适量除污剂，加以轻轻揉搓，然后再清洗。

4．洗前浸泡

寝具浸泡的时间不可太长(视物品的污秽程度浸泡l 5～20分钟，但浸泡时间不宜过长，以免纤维吸附污物反而更难洗净)，以免织品产生不必要的褪色现象。

5．洗涤用剂

尽量使用温和，中性的洗涤剂，切勿用漂白剂或含漂白成份的洗涤剂。清洗时不要将洗衣粉直接倒在寝饰上，而是必须让洗衣粉先在水中(水温不超过30度)，待洗涤剂完全溶解后，再放人寝饰用品清洗。注意：如果水温太高，洗涤剂没有完全溶解，或浸泡太久都可能容易造成不必要的褪色情形。

6．分类清洗

选用适当尺寸的洗衣袋，将各类棉质品分类装入洗衣袋中，以免变形。清洗时浅色产品要与深色产品分开洗涤，避免互染。有花边、坠子等可取下的装饰物一定要取下。蕾丝产品的被套则将内胆翻至对外，以使蕾丝向内得到应有的保护：蕾丝产品的床罩则建议以洗衣袋装好后再清洗。

7．脱水烘干

应避免高速脱水或用力扭绞，在脱水后应尽快抖松：在使用烘干机时可用除静电纸以防静电，烘干后待其自然冷却后再取出。

8．晾晒方法

被头、裙脚等部位务必拉平后平放或晾在衣架上，不要将床单，被套等直接曝晒在阳光下，最好将寝饰反转至没有印花的背面以防褪色，并放在较阴凉通风的地方晾晒。若使用烘干机，请选用低温烘干，温度不要越过35度。

9、整熨建议

纯棉物品以蒸汽整熨较佳。花色物品应整熨反面，以保颜色鲜艳。

10、储存方法

收藏时折叠整齐，并放人一定量樟脑丸(不能与产品直接接触)，宜在暗处、湿度低、通风良好的地方存放。长期不使用的被类在重新使用前可先在阳光下晾晒，使其恢复蓬松。棉、麻产品收藏时应注意保持环境清洁，防止霉变，白色与深色最好分开存放，防止影色、泛黄。白色真丝产品不能放樟脑丸或放在樟木箱内，否则会泛黄。

11、让被子呼吸新鲜空气

早上起床后不宜立刻叠被子。因为人在睡眠时，机体新陈代谢会排出汗液和化学物质等附着在被子上。如果起床后立即叠被子，污染物无法散发，时间长了被子会吸潮且有异味，影响健康。建议在起床后选把被子翻个面，让被里朝外，打开门窗通风；先去刷牙洗脸吃早餐，之后再来叠被子。

12、关于被子晾晒的讲究

被子不是晒得越久越好，一般在上午1l点至中午2点晾晒2—3小时最好；羽绒和羊毛被不需频繁晾晒，更不可曝晒，因为高温会使羽毛及羊毛中的油份起变化，产生腐臭味。将它们在通风处晾晒1小时就可以了。

13、晾晒被子后切勿拍打

晒完被子你可能习惯于拍拍打打，觉得这样既干净；又能使被子蓬松，其实不然；棉纤维粗而短，易碎；合成纤维细而长、易变形，一经拍打，纤维紧缩板结成块就不会再复原了：羽绒被更不能拍打，羽绒断裂成细小的“羽尘”，会影响保暖效果。

(House & Garden)

by linguowei@bmonidea

戀愛很難 -- 周杰倫

2008-01-18T15:31:00.000+08:00

閱報學中文，我意思是自由民生中時等等台報。台灣人有個形容詞，「他很屌嘛」，是從看周杰倫報道中學到的，意思是「他好串」；另一個形容詞是，「他擺臭臉」，也是從周杰倫新聞中看到的，即是香港人說的「黑口黑面」。

周杰倫近年很少做專訪，不太清楚他現在脾性如何，訪問他之前，已作好心理準備，他有可能擺臭臉，也有可能耍屌，尤其當侯佩岑蔡依林等名字宣之於口的時候……

這天訪問，他為首次執導的電影做宣傳，周董榮陞周導演，不知他會否像波蘭斯基在康城發脾氣罵記者問題沒水準並拂袖而去，唯有用摸貓手法順毛撫。

由puppy love談起，再說到現在談戀愛的難度，當中有哈哈笑聲，小眼睛瞇得更小，雖然聽得出表達能力不太好，但總算平易近人，沒有耍屌也沒有擺臭臉，請他坐在地上拍照也沒問題，一切在小心翼翼中進行。

希望重遇中學女友

周杰倫拍《不能說的秘密》，回到唸了三年高中的淡江中學取景，他在那裏談過兩次戀愛，雖然最後都是女孩子提出分手，但現在回想起來，都是美好的回憶。

「談戀愛的時候，總是躲在琴房裏面，跟這部電影有點像，低聲的談情，聽到有老師來，就躲起來。那個學校很保守，校內的風氣是男生女生不可以走在一起，放學男生一排、女生一排，不能走在一起，你要談戀愛，你要到校外去，在校內被發現，你會被訓導主任罵。」

周杰倫讀音樂班，學術成績一般，彈鋼琴的成績比較好，副修大提琴也不錯。當時他是班中的籃球代表，會彈琴又會運動，雖然年少時被認為性格怪異，但也不乏女孩子喜歡。

「音樂班打球的男生並不多，我小時候已開始打，音樂班跟其他班比賽，我代表出賽，雖然輸但輸不多，已經很好，起碼不會給人感覺學音樂的男生，看起來都傻傻的，不會運動，改變大家對學音樂的人的印象。」

他很早談戀愛，初戀發生在初中，十三歲加入合唱團，喜歡了鄰班一位女孩子，後來開始拍拖，還作歌送給她，當時張學友的《吻別》紅遍台灣，他就摹倣寫曲作詞，歌名叫做《天長地久》，現在想起也覺得可笑但純真。

淡江中學是百年老校，校友包括李登輝，學校一帶是荷蘭人最早定居的地方，校舍是歐洲式古蹟，校內有墓地。「學校的鬼故事很多，放學不回家，在琴房裏面練琴，每次都要找朋友留下來。」其實也是跟女朋友見面的藉口，他又會爬牆出去蹺課。「感覺很好玩，好像冒險一樣。」

珍惜美好時光

若可時光倒流，他希望重遇高中時的女朋友，不是對她們念念不忘，而是想把對愛情懵懂的謎團搞清楚。

「人沒法回到過去，如果可以返回學生時代，碰見以前的女朋友，我會問候她：『好嗎？』因為都是女生先提出分開，我會問她為什麼講這個話，為什麼不要我，是不是喜歡別人，我哪裏做得不對，其實當時分手到現在，還是不太明白。如果可以把話說清楚之後，我們才分手，這樣會好多了。高中的時候，比較年輕，很多時男生女生沒有說清楚就分開了。」

周杰倫第一次做導演，他想拍一部電影，表達珍惜青春、珍惜純情這個主題，於是有了這部《不能說的秘密》。

「有可能我很喜歡一個人，但是最後我並不是跟這個人結婚；有可能我結婚的對象，並不是我真正最愛的人。錯失了某些機會，你可能一輩子也無法挽回。我覺得當你是學生的時候，不用接觸社會的複雜，人與人的關係最單純，每個人都應該珍惜讀書的時光，珍惜青春的歲月，有可能有些機會來了，你沒有把握，這個人就會從你身邊離開。我想表達的是，要珍惜你身邊的一切，不然時光很快消逝。我覺得自己老了，今年二十八歲，離開學生的生活十年，我想回到學生的時候，但是回不去，我有沒有錯失一些應該珍惜的人？當然有，在這部電影裏面，美好的時光一去不返，每個人都會感同身受。」

處理感情仍不太好

他和侯佩岑的戀情去年劃上句號（女孩子單方面承認），一向對戀情封嘴的周杰倫說：「讀書時不懂處理感情，不明不白跟女朋友分開；長大一點，已經比較會處理感情的事情，但其實現在仍處理得並不是很好，哈哈，所以有很多問題。」

說到這裏，他笑了，像說到自己的糗事（台灣人指的瘀事），忍不住笑了出來。

「主要問題是外間的壓力、媒體的壓力，我覺得自己在談戀愛，並不是很單純的談戀愛，要為了很多人的想法，包括周遭的親朋好友，你要成為所有媒體注意的焦點，要克服很多人對你的愛情的好奇，會不會長久？會不會結婚？會不會怎樣怎樣，所以我覺得很煩。」

他承認自己是一個喜歡戀愛的人，如果沒有成名，談戀愛是很浪漫的一件事，但現在為了外界的壓力，暫時不敢拍拖。

「會很辛苦，所以拍拍戲就好。有時兩個人個性不太一樣，相處之後才知道，走到某個位置就bye bye啦。現在太忙了，談戀愛很花時間、很花精神，不是很隨便的事，我還沒有準備好去談戀愛。」

成名之累是沒戀愛空間，拍拖彷彿要向全世界交代，所以他常說回不到過去。

「最懷念以前的生活，比較自由一點，不是說不喜歡現在的生活，兩個要比較的話，當然比較喜歡以前。現在太不自由，當然得到的東西也很多，掌聲呀、支持呀，所以我想比較平衡一點，讓我在這個圈待久一點時間，可能會進步。我出道大概八年，一開始當然不太能調適，現在已經好多了。」

怎解釋花心

他跟侯佩岑和蔡依林的緋聞傳得最盛時，狗仔隊不放過他，在馬路上開車追逐，他曾發怒跑下車向狗仔隊豎中指，而後來也公開道歉不該教壞小孩。

「太過分的話，我仍會發火，張學友歌神都會（到學校接女兒時發怒追趕記者），哈哈，人是有限度的。」

這個笑聲，也別有含意，他第一次作曲以張學友歌曲為學習對象，對狗仔隊發火，也是以歌神為榜樣。

「我的旁邊只要有女孩子，很有可能就會被人家寫是女朋友，所以很麻煩，我沒有地方解釋，通常八卦的人看了都會相信，我愈解釋愈模糊，很多時候我就選擇不解釋，不解釋就給人感覺你是一個很花心的人，我的愛情就是活在媒體的筆下，他們怎樣寫我就是怎麼樣。」

我跟他說，在這個訪問，他可以澄清，也可以解釋，假如要澄清外界對他最大的誤解，那是什麼？他欲言又止：「如果我要澄清的話，我就會說……我已經很難去反駁，大家都覺得我花心，有很多誇張、嚴重的指控，即使有機會讓我說，我也會說，我不想傷害別人，所以我沒辦法澄清，有些緋聞要澄清的話，你會傷到別人，所以就算吧。這方面我看得比較開。過去跟我談戀愛的人，我想壓力都蠻大，她們對我認識都很真實，才會談戀愛吧。」

喜歡控制別人

在《不能說的秘密》中演他父親的黃秋生說，周杰倫拍電影比演電影好，有一點劉偉強的風格。

這樣的評論不知是讚他拍戲好，還是彈他演戲差。周杰倫也同意：「當一個演員，要聽導演的話，我未必喜歡那種表演方式；做導演，我很清楚要什麼，所以比較有自信。當演員要做一顆很好的棋子，給人家下棋，而我比較喜歡控制別人。」

故事他想了很久，找來一位香港女編劇替他寫劇本，由於語言問題，溝通上花了不少時間。現在戲拍出來了，他很滿意。

「我在戲中因為一首曲子，認識一位女生，後來這個女孩子秘密消失了，是有一點懸疑的校園愛情故事。

「有人以為我在拍自己的故事，其實不是。我還未到拍自傳的年紀，應該老一點、更有成就，我現在還在起步。」

他剛在內地拍完《灌籃》，又推出自導自演的新片，工作重心好像向電影發展多一點。

「我分配得剛剛好，很快又要做專輯，很多人擔心我不做音樂，歌迷朋友不用擔心。我拍戲的興趣由拍ＭＶ而來，其實我最有自信依然是音樂。」

魔戒

周董即是周董，跟他一起來的有十多廿人，但因談話在過千呎的禮堂中進行，眾人分布很廣，談話聲不大，就不怕經理人監聽發問內容。

但奇怪的是，當問題出現「侯佩岑」三個字時，經理人公司職員就走過來阻止﹕「對不起，Jay不能深入講這些，他在台灣也不講，要是他在香港講，會有很大問題。」

其實也不太明白是什麼問題，可能是被媒體「詐型」、封殺等問題吧。我只是注意到，周杰倫手上戴一隻鑽石戒指，他一邊說話，一邊把弄戒指。當問題問到「你對上一位女朋友」時，他把戒指除下來，經理人方面就自動過來阻止發問了。

雖然無法證實，但可以解釋經理人為何有順風耳，估計應該是因為看到「魔戒」訊號，的確是不錯的安排。我想說的是，這個訪問中，周杰倫溫文有禮，假如他遇到不想詳談的內容，用暗號請經理人出來阻止，也是很有禮貌的做法，其他藝人不妨倣傚。

from chi~shall we talk

by linguowei@bmonidea

The Passage

2008-01-18T15:02:00.000+08:00

by linguowei@bmonidea

Joanna 王若琳

2008-01-18T15:00:00.000+08:00

西洋有诺拉琼斯．日本有小野丽莎．台湾现在有Joanna

虽然Joanna和唱片公司都很不愿意「王治平老师的女儿」成为媒体介绍Joanna的制式台词，但不可讳言，身为台湾最优秀也最资深的制作人之一的女儿，对Joanna的音乐历程仍是一个影响很大的元素。因为父亲的关系，Joanna从小就听遍各种语言、各种乐风、各种年代的好音乐，也启发了她对音乐和创作的兴趣。
Joanna是个左撇子，从小她就很希望能跟自己最喜爱的乐团The Beatles的成员Paul McCartney一样用左手弹琴创作。父亲在她12岁那年送了她一把左手用的吉它，原希望能带她走上创作之路，没想到个性好强的Joanna，因为觉得在像爸爸这样优秀的音乐人和吉它手面前弹琴压力太大，总是觉得自己表现太差很丢脸，反而因此不想再拿起吉它。
还好对音乐的喜爱还是让Joanna在两年后重拾吉它，14岁开端了创作，并在16岁开端表演。一开端表演时，父亲非常开心的邀请所有的亲朋好友和许多音乐人来观赏，每场总是高朋满座，但Joanna却没有因此而特别开心，她总认为这些人不是来听她唱歌，只是因为是爸爸的朋友所以才出席捧场的。也因为这样，Joanna和许多其它的表演者不同，有时候遇到台下没什么人的场合，她也一样很轻松自在而不沮丧，好像反而很珍惜这种「和爸爸无关」的表演场合。
即使父亲王治平对自我要求严格的Joanna来说是个很大的压力，但在Joanna心中，父亲仍然是最值得尊敬的制作人。Joanna认为父亲的任务态度，以及对音乐的诚意无可挑剔，并且对音乐的掌握力也很好，无论什么样的歌交给父亲，都能完整的呈现那首歌应该有的味道和样貌。因此这张专辑也理所当然的由父亲王治平担任制作人。
在专辑制作的前后两年多中，Joanna和王治平老师父女俩也曾多次因为对音乐的意见不同而有冲突，Joanna说她十分感谢父亲对她的包容和疼爱。而王治平老师则说：「也许许多人会认为Joanna是因为我才有今天的机会，但我心里很明白她的天份和才华，她将来一定是青出于蓝的。」
【数据源╱SONY BMG】

~歪西~

Festive Seoson 恭喜发财

2008-01-18T10:22:00.001+08:00

Some ideas for your home decoration by Eric Leong

by linguowei@bmonidea

大大時代 -- 韋家輝杜琪峰

2008-01-18T09:33:00.000+08:00

韋家輝寫《大時代》的那個時代，現實中恆指六千點，劇中誇大到過萬點，但原來現在才是真正的大時代，每天上落過千點，四分鐘反彈八百點，現實的誇張已超越電視劇。還記得嗎？丁蟹擲兒子落街，天水圍也發生過不止一次。

曾被稱為煽情編劇的韋家輝，還有更多瘋狂的想法，他曾構思拍一部電影，寫恐怖份子在九龍城用火箭炮射擊飛機，引發大災難，結果電影拍不成；沒想到美國幾年後發生九一一事件。

這幾年，韋家輝溫和了，拍女人購物狂、懷舊溫情的鬼馬狂想曲，那個「狂」字只是港人的都巿病，未至於死人樓。

新作《神探》中的劉青雲割耳贈上司，是現代版梵谷，天才畫家化身特異探員，探討的是精神病，也就是大大時代的暗湧。

當然，還有豪情壯語更狂更放的杜琪峰，罵汪明荃、罵陳志雲、罵周星馳，大大時代之下的老拍檔。

鄭秀文改變《孤男寡女》

杜琪峰口中全港最出色的編劇——韋家輝，是這樣寫劇本的﹕他很少在開鏡前寫好一個完整劇本，每次都是邊拍邊寫。

「在電視台後期，《義不容情》已是這樣，《大時代》更嚴重，一邊在辦公室寫，一邊在廠拍，兩小時內由文字變成一場戲。我很怕被要求有完整劇本，電影有生命，不是閉門造車作出來。譬如《孤男寡女》原本不是這樣，鄭秀文第一天埋位，拍她在餐廳四處找愛情符，然後遇上劉德華吃牛鞭，我看到她的演出方法，那種神經質，我就知道原本的寫法不對，她有一種能量告訴你，我要用不同方法處理角色，從而整部戲的走法都不同了。」

劉青雲拍《神探》時，同樣沒有劇本，他問杜琪峰應該怎做，導演告訴他，不要問只要做，橫豎韋家輝今天給了答案，明天都會改。

杜琪峰較早前有部《鐵三角》，是他、徐克和林嶺東，八、九十年代最火爆、最有性格的代表人物；自從杜琪峰九六年成立銀河映像後，他的鐵三角是他自己、韋家輝和劉青雲，沒錯，他們的電影較少用閃耀明星，黝黑紮實的青雲是杜琪峰韋家輝用得最多的男演員。

劉青雲怨杜琪峰得罪人

十年前，三人走在一起的《一個字頭的誕生》，已有杜韋劉這個鐵三角。○四年韋家輝離開銀河映像，杜韋拆夥之說不逕而走，說到底杜琪峰經常辣起火頭，得罪拍檔也不出奇。今年的《神探》他和韋家輝再次合作，外界就認為是復合了。

「拍完《大隻佬》，我們分開各有各拍，其實三年來經常一起吃飯喝酒，我有去他的首映，他的首映我又會出現，常常傾偈，不是外間所說的久別重逢。」杜琪峰解釋﹕「我有我拍一輪戲，他有他拍一輪戲，青雲有青雲拍一輪戲，合久必分是人之常情。由無電視到今天，我都覺得韋家輝的創作非常豐富，很有力量，和他合作好開心。今次《神探》是一個挑戰，香港電影這麼多年來，應該未見過一部這樣的電影，我們三個再走在一起，希望不是再做以前做過的東西。」

他們三個的舊作，在電影愛好者心目中佔重要地位，劉青雲六度提名電影金像獎最佳男主角落敗，大部份是杜琪峰電影，今年終於把獎座拿到手，卻是作品的電影（劉國昌《我要成名》），杜琪峰一點也沒感到可惜。

「青雲常對我說﹕『杜琪峰，你得罪人多，所以我拿不到獎。』我也告訴他﹕『我不會因為這個原因而改變，你遲早會拿，結果真的拿了，都有人覺得無論如何要給你的。』

「我一直對電影金像獎有意見，拿獎那個未必是最好，他們鍾意遊戲怎樣玩就怎樣吧，懂得看電影的業內人都不多，不足一半。我一向對獎項不緊，青雲或許緊一點，我覺得他最好的演出，是在我拍的《暗花》、《真心英雄》、《無味神探》。」

梵高引發拍《神探》

這個訪問在杜琪峰位於觀塘的大本營進行，三年前，韋家輝在這裏仍有房間，現在已被銀河其他手足進佔了。他離開後，兩處為家，製作部在九龍城，寫劇本的地方位於銅鑼灣。

十多年前，韋家輝是無线的幕後明星，那時他經常收到劇迷來信，官方刊物《香港電視》又會訪問他。

他的成名作《誓不低頭》播出時，杜琪峰兼顧電影工作，在外面拍《八星報喜》等電影，他們兩個在無只合作過一次。

「是一部叫做《天堂血路》的電視電影，黃日華、鄭浩南主演，不過那時他已常找我傾偈。我們第一次一起拍電影，是大都會電影公司的《愛的世界》，我寫劇本，他做導演。」

後來杜琪峰成立銀河，拉韋家輝進來幫手，商業代表作是三千八百萬票房的《孤男寡女》和四千萬票房的《瘦身男女》。

韋家輝為人極低調，○六年一月完成《最愛女人購物狂》後，年半不見傳媒，期間只籌備《神探》一部電影，並無兼顧其他工作。

他自小喜歡Don McLean的民歌《Vincent》，繼而開始對梵谷的油畫產生興趣，這個人物令他萌起拍《神探》的意念。

「我們現在都認為梵高是天才，但當時人人都當他是傻佬，畫作不好賣，沒有人了解他，他割下自己左耳，被斷定有精神病，我覺得他看事物、看顏色一定和我們不同，假如梵高是一個警察，他怎樣破案呢？。」

撐住好D拾肆K衫

劉青雲在戲中割掉自己耳朵，因為這個鏡頭，《神探》被裁定為三級片，眾演員大呼不公平，因《出埃及記》內有粗口，也被列為二B級，常與電檢處對幹的杜琪峰竟沒異議。

「我們預了被列作三級，割耳是韋家輝的創作基礎，這個鏡頭一定要拍，我們拍了這麼多年戲，知道哪些東西屬於三級，這次我不反對。

「最奇怪的是當日拍《放‧逐》，因為一個反手互握的鏡頭，令整部電影變成三級，我拍《黑社會》時深入研究過，從來沒看過這是黑社會手勢，其實當時純粹為了遷就鏡頭。沒得上訴，因為警方專家說是便是，如果他愚蠢、發脾氣，或者記性壞了，我就做了犧牲品，那次我覺得好無聊。」

那次杜琪峰沒堅持，揮刀一剪，讓電影以二級上映。

「不是講笑，三級和兩級半少了幾多觀眾？至少二十巴仙。我拍《黑社會》時（兩集均為三級），已經不太照顧年青觀眾，如果因為這個鏡頭失去他們，太不值得了。《放‧逐》我寫的是一個浪漫的世界，是友情的極端，這種情懷每個人都要堅持。」

他為了拍《黑社會》，跟黑白兩道搜集資料，別人認為他踩鋼線，他不以為然。正如反黑組充公住好D「拾肆K」T恤，拘捕十七人返警署，他也看得很通透。

「那是警察部擺的姿態，我想最後未必會定罪，他們不是真正的社團，沒有做真正違法的事，應該讓他們自由創作，如果這些東西的存在不被社會接受，它最終會被淘汰，這是自由社會。」

《黑社會》惹反對聲音

他拍兩集《黑社會》，第二集甚至寫社團頭目由中央政府欽點，拍攝時，他沒聽到政府或黑社會的反對，算是順利。

「但當電影上映後，有些人質疑我應否再提『黑社會也愛國』，我不是要挑戰權力，這已是眾所周知，警察部知，黑社會都知，一般巿民可能差一點。

「這部電影是時代的記憶，我想到但不做，就太可惜；想到而去做，但避開某些題目不談，就帶不到大時代的想法出來。時代改變，九七之後為什麼黑社會的活躍程度那麼低？現在還有沒有可能出現尖東之虎、灣仔之虎、屯門之虎？真正能夠控制黑社會的是共產黨，你不講這一筆，就沒意思，某程度上，黑社會是死在共產黨手上，英國佬搞那麼多年都搞不掂，回歸後那麼快時勢易轉，可能大家都是中國人吧。」為非作歹是不是最易最快的賺錢途徑，現在可能很多人都會質疑，股巿每天翻幾翻，誰有空搞黃賭毒？

韋家輝當年拍《大時代》，說的是此時此地的故事，現在內地香港一起炒，已是另一片天。

韋說﹕「當時我寫到恆指一萬九千幾點，已作大了很多倍，誰知到了今天，昨日的天馬行空原來很保守，上帝的力量超乎人的想像，當時的離譜，已變了今天的常態，一天上落一千點，在我創作《大時代》時，已經叫做大奇跡日。」

今年無四十年，網上投票百大深入民心角色，佔首位的是他一手創作的丁蟹，但香港人猜不到，當年連帶產生的丁蟹效應，也因為股巿太暢旺而失去效力，鄭少秋今年的《香港傳奇——榮歸》播出時，股巿仍升個不停，這才真正是大時代下，人的渺小無能。

父子

杜琪峰、韋家輝兩個大男人很少談私事。

我們只知，杜先生廿三歲成家立室，但杜太太從沒在公眾場合露過面，他們膝下猶虛，他寧願花時間生產一部部電影當仔女。

韋家輝廿二歲結婚，育有一子，後來離婚後兒子跟他同住。今年，兒子中文大學哲學系畢業，做父親的知道他對電影創作有興趣，但不贊成他因父之名入行。

「年青人要自己去闖，他自己想辦法吧，勉強一定無幸福。」

當年，韋家輝也是靠自己一手打拚天下，小時候在華富長大，後來父母離異，為了照顧弟妹，他小五開始做暑期工，初中早上在茶樓賣叉燒包，亦做過倒垃圾。八○年中五畢業後，做過一年停車場管理員，後來看到無編劇班招生，他報讀入行，由見習編劇做起，寫過《新紮師兄》、《流氓大亨》等長劇，幾年間急升到監製一職，當時不少想當編劇的年青人都當韋家輝是偶像。

現在無都不搞監製編劇明星化，可能怕員工食碗面反碗底，看《萬千星輝頒獎典禮》，《溏心風暴》如此風靡觀眾的劇集，幕後功臣都靠邊站，心裏替韋家輝、杜琪峰等慶幸，生於一個有明星創作人的大時代。

from chi~shall we talk

by linguowei@bmonidea

Ah Long Movie 2008

2008-01-18T08:58:00.000+08:00

Preview of “Ah Long Pte Ltd”

by linguowei@bmonidea

身体排毒时间表

2007-12-06T18:39:00.000+08:00

医生建议:

晚上11:00前
最好上床休息,中午尽可能睡半小时到一小时的午觉, 年轻人一天至少要睡足八小时!

晚上9-11点
为免疫系统(淋巴)排毒时间, 此段时间应安静或听音乐

晚间11-凌晨1点
肝的排毒, 需在熟睡中进行。

凌晨1-3点
胆的排毒, 亦同。

凌晨3-5点
肺的排毒。此即为何咳嗽的人在这段时间咳得最剧烈, 因排毒动作已走到肺; 不应用止咳药, 以免抑制废积物的排除。

凌晨5-7点
大肠的排毒, 应上厕所排便。

凌晨7-9点
小肠大量吸收营养的时段, 应吃早餐。疗病者最好早吃, 在6点半前, 养生者在7点半前, 不吃早餐者应改变习惯, 即使拖到9、10点吃都比不吃好。

半夜至凌晨4点
为脊椎造血时段, 必须熟睡,不宜熬夜。

因此建议大家能不熬夜的就不要在熬夜了。

(资料取自于网络)

by 旭日の革

生理時鐘

2007-12-05T17:42:00.000+08:00

你知道我們的身體也有個時鐘嗎??不同的時間有不同工作，應該配合生理時鐘，才能有健健康康的身體噢！　

午夜 12：00--01：00 淺眠期
這時候容易多夢且敏感，身體不適的人最容易在此時被痛醒噢！

凌晨 01：00--02：00 排毒期
此時是肝臟要排毒的活動力最高的時候，所以應該讓身體進入睡眠狀態，才能使肝臟可以順利完成新陳代謝的工作噢！

凌晨 03：00--04：00 休眠期
病情嚴重的病人最容易在此時發作，故常常會有病人在此時死亡，若需要熬夜也最好識別超過這個時間。

上午 09：00--11：00 精華期
此時為注意力及記憶力最好，而且工作與學習的最佳的時段。

中午 12：00--13：00 午休期
最好靜坐或閉目休息一下再進餐, 正午不可以喝酒, 此時喝酒容易醉也粉傷肝噢!

下午 14：00--15：00 高峰期
是分析能力和創造力最能發揮的淋漓盡致的時段噢! 若不好好利用那就太可惜了....

下午 16：00--17：00 低潮期
體力耗弱的階段, 最好補充水果來解嚵, 避免因為過度飢餓而沒有元氣, 更不會因為吃太多零食, 而變胖噢....

下午 17：00--18：00 鬆散期
此時血糖略增, 嗅覺與味覺最敏感, 不妨用來準備晚餐來提振精神.

晚上 19：00--20：00 暫憩期
最好能在飯後30分鐘去散個步或淋浴,放鬆一下, 紓解一日的疲倦困頓.

晚上 20：00--21：00 夜休期
此時為晚上活動的巔峰時段, 建議您利用此時來做一些極須思慮縝密的活動.

晚上 23：00--24：00 夜眠期
經過鎮日忙碌, 此時應該放鬆心情進入睡眠狀態了,千萬不要讓身體過度負荷,那就得不償失了哦....
.
贏的全世界, 失去了生命,那有什麼意義呢? 也許我們小小的用心, 我們就可以擁有健康的生命了, 為什麼我們不學著用點心咧!
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(资料取自于网络)
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by 旭日の革

忧郁症(depression)

2007-11-21T16:56:00.000+08:00

憂鬱症又稱抑鬱症，是一種常見的精神心理疾病，又稱為「心靈上的感冒」。患者一般主观上感到强烈的悲伤和忧郁，阻碍其正常生活和社会交往。
心理学上的忧郁症不同于正常范围内的情感脆弱或暂时的心情不好。它是一种由生理及心理精神因素所致的疾患。病情在任何年龄阶段均可出现，包括儿童。
憂鬱症患者常常可能會想哭、經常大發脾氣，心情總是不好，睡不好，吃也吃不好，每天胸口悶悶的，什麼都覺得煩惱，四肢無力，記性差，不能集中精神，做事緩慢，對什麼都提不起勁，沒有信心，常常想不開，更想尋死。有些症狀會與習得無助感相關。

主要症状

临床上，抑郁症的主要表现为下面几条。如果你发觉你有其中几项都佔了，现在不妨去看下医生：

1.过分的忧伤和恐惧，及空虚。
2.快乐程度的下降，失去以往对于生活的愉悦感和兴趣。
3.胃口和体重的下降或上升。
4.长时间的失眠及浅睡眠。
5.活动频率的降低，变得焦躁不安，运动速度减缓。
6.身体及精神上易累。
7.经常感到罪恶、无助、没有希望、焦躁、恐惧。
8.自信心下降。
9.决策能力、注意力、认知能力的下降。
10.记忆力、学习能力的下降。
11.一些重要的平时行为的变化，例如社交能力、脾气、对药物的依赖性等。
12.有自残、自杀等倾向。

病因
~生理因素
~遺傳因素
~生活壓力，壓力管理問題（心理因素）
~性格因素

生理因素
主要是荷爾蒙問題，例如產後抑鬱症。藥物濫用也會容易產生憂鬱症。

遺傳因素
根據研究發現，患有憂鬱症的母親，她的孩子患有憂鬱症的可能性比一般人高兩倍。

生活壓力，壓力管理問題
社會急速變化使人未能適應，隨時產生挫敗感。節奏緊張，壓力不斷增加，管理不善，會影響個人情緒，例如過於繁複的考试。

性格因素
如果性格內向，不善於溝通，便會比較容易得抑鬱症。

治療方法
針對不同的成因，有不同的治療方法。一般來說，憂鬱症都不是由單一病因所產生。因此，病人要同時接受不同的治療方法。必須配合藥物治療(例如百憂解等藥物)與心理治療，可以解決生理及遺傳問題；心理治療能夠幫助病人建立正面樂觀性格。透過一些訓練班教授病人如何處理壓力。如果能夠及早治療，便可以痊癒。就其治療而言，要有非常的耐心與毅力，去克服情緒的起落，有事就找人談，不要悶在心裡，儘量朝向正面，勇敢的去面對。憂鬱症的患者更需要家人與朋友的支持，唯有他們堅定的支持，才能走出陰影。

抗憂鬱藥物的副作用
美國食品藥物管理局（FDA）在2004年公佈抗憂鬱藥物會導致患者有自殺的傾向，並規定藥廠要在所有的抗憂鬱劑外盒上標示「黑框警語」，也就是最嚴重的警告。
除了有導致自殺的傾向，還包括焦慮、暴躁、失眠、情緒沮喪、暴力傾向、注意力不集中、精神恍惚、感覺遲鈍等，長期服用這些藥物會造成對它的依賴性，因而產生「藥癮」的情況。請參考美國精神科醫師著的為藥瘋狂，這本書中撰寫著許多精神科藥物的副作用。

面對憂鬱症的處理方式

〈以下內容摘錄於台灣董氏基金會的宣導資料〉

陪伴憂鬱症患者，需要注意下列四原則：
1.針對憂鬱症要有正確的認知與了解，如果有必要可以協助就醫或進行心理治療，並與醫師充分的合作。
2.積極的傾聽與了解。
3.請給予正面的鼓勵與支持。
4.諒解憂鬱症患者情緒無法控制的時候，例如發脾氣等行為，或是出現需要人陪伴的脆弱行為。

陪伴憂鬱症患者，不能做下列五件事情：
1.不要急著給任何意見：陪伴者不要急於把自己的意見或價值觀強加於憂鬱症患者的身上，應該仔細傾聽患者的看法。
2.不要隨意強迫憂鬱症患者：儘量讓他照著自己的想法去做。
3.不要過度的指責憂鬱症患者的無理或情緒：如果出現極端或無理的負面想法，可以提供不同的看法，供其叁考。
4.不要用負面的舉例或運用激將法來刺激、處理憂鬱症患者的情緒。
5.不可沒有耐心：失去陪伴的耐心，往往會將陪伴者的情緒不小心的宣洩出來，容易影響憂鬱症患者的情緒，或使其再度受傷。

如何杜絕壞心情，你可以這樣做：
1.走在陽光裡，多接近大自然，當情緒不好時，可以這樣做。
2.外出運動，運動可以改善憂鬱的心情與情緒的難關。
3.找個好朋友分享彼此的情緒，抒解心中的壓力。
4.天天讓自己開心，每天要想一件快樂的事情。
5.我的未來不是夢，把它記錄下來。
6.静坐

(维基百科）

by linguowei@bmonidea

nnglmag

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