Dumb and Numbar

A very emotionally-charged film.  All about music and how it draws total strangers to become kindred spirits.  Glen Hansard is telling a story of his own, a story about how he makes his music.

Here's what he says on the film's Space.

"After being singer-songwriter for the Frames for almost two decades, a few years ago Glen Hansard decided to leave Ireland and find a new inspiration in the Czech Republic. There he met the classically trained, very talented multi-instrumentalist Marketa Irglova and they started to play together in small venues across the country. After Jan Hrebejk, a Czech director asked them to contribute with a few songs to his film BEAUTY IN TROUBLE, they ended up leaving the studio with a whole album. 'The Swell Season' was released last April and keeps going strong ever since. Even though Hansard was busy with the completion of the new Frames album, 'The Cost,' he found time to bring 'The Swell Season' live to audiences in Europe and the U.S."

Marketa: "We have been working together for the past six years. We met in the Czech Republic, where I am from, when The Frames were over to play a few gigs."

"Glen got me up for a song and I started playing piano and then we started to write songs. It was very slow and very natural process. Then we recorded an album a year ago."

Glen: "It was released around the same time as we started to work on the film. When I met Marketa it was immediately obvious how remarkable she was, and so for me, there was a whole new breath of creative life to be working with someone who could give so much to the music. I am very lucky with my band, they are incredibly creative, but when I met Mar it added a whole new area, a whole new voice, a whole new contrast to what I did. I think John [Carney, ONCE director] caught sight of that."

Now available for bt download at 伊甸园。Soundtrack downloadable at www.soundpiece.com

We were heading back for Beijing that afternoon, but in the morning we had an appointment with Stanford and its Office for Technology Licensing.  The meetings went lengthily well, so we were left with very little time for campus tour.  Never mind, the campus was so beautiful and the day was very flattering.

I had been working so hard up till the very last day.  The schedule was too tight for any campus tour at Washington University or UC Berkeley and it was either raining or dark.  The only photoable opportunity was Stanford.  I had my camera ready for this moment, but not sure my smile. 

I look weary in the pic, aren't I?

Never seen Niagra Falls with ice and snow.  Freezing cold, magnificent view though.

Vancouver is serene and colorful.  But my knowledge of the city goes nothing beyond the steam bell, Stanley Park and the seaside hotel where I spent a night. 

无聊在机场买了一本美国的八卦杂志恶补了一下娱乐新闻。然后看到了Scarlett Johansson为Disney演绎的灰姑娘形象。真是美丽到家了！

这组照片还有Beyonce、贝克汉姆、Julie Andrews等人演绎的其他卡通形象，看下来还是Scarlett最赞。选戏每一部都够有水准，而且难能可贵的是推掉出席奥斯卡颁奖典礼去为Oxfam当义工，套句美国人常说的就是：You're beautiful both on the outside and on the inside.

刚从冰天雪地的加拿大经西雅图从阳光明媚的加州回来，一路感觉圣诞气氛越来越浓。宾馆的大堂总是满满点缀着槲（又文盲了一把：原来这个字读胡啊！）寄生和挂满了彩灯和礼物的圣诞树。随处都能听到圣诞歌曲，商店贴着X'mas sale的字样，行人手里拎着红色的购物袋。想想一家人在温暖的壁炉边高声笑谈，享受大餐，窗外雪花飘飘，圣诞树下堆满礼物的景象不由让人心生向往。要不是这次出差行程实在安排太紧，否则肯定不会就几件A&F就打住。

相比之下，北京的圣诞气氛就要淡薄许多，下了飞机，一路到家冷冷清清，没有下雪，也没有什么灯火通明的街区，好在已经休假，不上班让人心情开朗许多 ，而且马上要去香港，这么一想喜庆指数又回升了一些。

刚回来时差还没有完全调整好，也没有时间去想X'mas eve怎么过，不管怎样肯定会有聚餐吃饭，应该会有逛街购物吧。网上碰到了西班牙的川川、马上回DC的Alison和远在纽约的来来，互道圣诞祝语。今天准备去当圣诞老人，把朋友们让从美国捎的诸如iphone、倩碧和保健品之类的东东分到个人手里。

祝大家圣诞快乐！Happy holidays and merry christmas!

Wow... It's freezing cold out here.  The temperature was said to have dropped to an all-time low, somewhere between minus 24.  If that wasn't chilly enough, one should really try a walk in the mist of the Niagra Falls.  In just seconds, you'd literally turn iceman.

Toronto is all in white now.  Snowflakes riding on the strong gusts cut into your face.  Flights probably will remain delayed and there's no telling when the ice storm will be over.

Fingers crossed!

这两天在地铁大厅和北京电视台总是看到Adidas的最新广告创意，让人很振奋的感觉。这组既有平面也有媒体版本的广告创意并没有过多的花哨，传递的其实就是Adidas与奥运精神的共通之处，以及助力中国队在北京2008奥运会勇创佳绩的一种承诺，结合Impossible is nothing的motto进行宣传。

这是Adidas在2006年“没有不能夺的金”的户外广告创意之后推出的又一组让人印象深刻的广告。真人结合手绘动画，朴实不喧闹。

这次的电视版广告从女篮选手带球上篮开始，切换到男足斜踢射门，然后是女排拍球、男子跳水和泳池起身的镜头，最后是国家队的一张张带着自信笑容的脸。配合激昂的主题音乐，让人看了不由深受鼓舞。

感觉最近用眼过度，每天做的时间最长的一件事就是眼盯屏幕，手击键盘，心做字典：一串串的外文单词组合成一篇篇的文章，仿佛又回到了前两年痛苦漫长的一份笔译工作中。原本还好的视力也在整日与液晶屏幕对视的拉力战中败下阵来。

最近宴请吃饭也很频繁：除了工作陪同领导吃饭，自己肯定吃不好；还有同事朋友聚餐打牙祭。这样的日子居然持续了三天，还将继续至下周出差前。心中不免有些恨恨，但是也只能牢骚而已，工作和交际还是需要继续的。

周末要去作考官，于是乎认识的和不认识但认识我认识的都来打招呼，希望手下留情。做个老好人是偶得做人原则，但是如果每个人都要你对他比对别人好一点点的话，归根结底就又变成了对谁都一样。

下周四出发去加美，同事朋友都来找着带东西过去或捎东西回来，采购任务颇为繁重。计划月底去香港的旅行也是一样，何姐的Bose音响不知道怎么搬回来为妙，还有小妹妹们争纷订购的Fancl产品，还有一些奢侈品的订单。本来是去度假，顺便看看朋友的，结果可能大半的时间要辗转于港岛各大购物中心，信用卡也有刷爆的危险。

生活啊！...

In case you haven't heard, a New Yorker who calls himself "honglaowai" has posted a series of homemade music videos both on YouTube and Tudou.  There should be no surprise to that, only Mr. Honglaowai is singing revoluntionary and patriotic songs in mandarin, bare-chested. 

He reminds me of the two "backdorm boys", who redid a lot of Backstreet Boys vidoes.  But Mr. Honglaowai did it with some twists.  For one, he uses his own voice (and Chinese is such a difficult language for someone who hasn't been to China).  Two, he often performs barechested under the tag of a proletarian.  

His blog entries:

20071107

同志们好！
今天决定写我第一篇博客了。也是特别的日子因为是11月7日。你知道吗？就是在1917出现的苏联共產革命的90周年。我们同志们都很快乐吧！ 

20071118 

《人民，只有人民，才是创造世界历史的动力》
毛主席语录

同志们好！
上星期我去曼哈顿的《东村》看《色戒》。这部电影很爱国的不过让我生气。
是爱国的因为它表现我们人民的反帝国主义居住人的奋斗。尤其是那名人民女为了中国的抵抗而牺牲自己了。
但她终于背叛中国了！我好烦恼。
那部电影里面还有一名来自纽约的同志。不是我，而是王力宏同志。觉得他演得不错。希望再看他参加别的爱国电影。 

20071120 

同志们的问题：

同志们好！
在优酷，雅虎，土豆等网站我最近收到了很多评论。很多人有问题及建议。我现在要给你们回答

1. 唱歌时你怎么不穿衣服？你外猴子，侮辱我们的国家！！

我并不愿意侮辱中国。我人这个无产阶级连衣服都没有。认真共产主义者说，不是衣服而是思想是最重要的！

2. 你有什么目的?

我要庆祝***的成功
我要和平

3. 你的中文不够好

对阿。因为是自己学的。如果同志们愿意，你们可以帮我改过来。
我还没去过中国大陆。如果我去的话，我肯定改良。希望明年有机会去中国
谢谢你们的支持。

Check out this hilarious video.  And google him for more.  Right, he has a blog on Yahoo, and already a growing fanbase.

If I say I haven't really figured out what I want from life for myself, you probably think I'm being discontent or ungrateful.  But really, have you?  Is your job really the dream job you wanted when you were a kid?  Are you in a truly happy relationship, or just a role in a two-persons' play like anyone else?  Are you open to possibilities?  Do you want a taste of the totally opposite of your life?  These self-doubting thoughts haunt me every now and then.

Annie was prepared for a job in finance.  But her anthropologist half did not feel right.  So she became a nanny for an upper east-side family.  This first job of hers opened her to a world that wasn't as rosy and desirable as she was led to believe.  This first job taught her valuable lessons about life and helped her figure out what she really wanted with her life, not to mention her Harvard hottie boyfriend wasn't the least of the job settlement.

So Annie was lucky in this sense.  She only had to cross the Hudson river to know herself.  For most people, figuring out yourself is a long and winding road and not always end well.  You have to grow in pains.  You have to try a lot of others before finding the one. 

 "You have to immerse yourself in an unfamiliar world in order to truly know yourself", Annie tells us.  Tempting...I wish I could try what she had experienced.