Dance Photos

To prepare for the September dance performance, we tried out the costumes for the first time. The two numbers are 歡樂海 and 在那遙遠的地方.

Spokane, WA trip

Tagged along with my hubby to his IAI conference held in Spokane, a charming small town in Washington. It's hard to believe that Spokane is the second largest city in the state of Washington. It's true that stepping out in any direction and I found a park or green space. At each different moment, I often took quick strolls which could lead me to the roaring falls of the Spokane River, a spiritual place for the first inhabitants here...where Native Americans continue to gather together. We visited Riverside State Park, Manito Park, Newman Lake, Davenport District, North West Museum, Gonzaga University, plus lots of trails. And yes, we tried the rafting on Spokane River, which was Wu Liang's first rafting experience. Wont' forget those beautiful pine trees, and churches everywhere.

The Piano Teacher(La Pianiste) (Movie, 2002)

Watching Michael Haneke's film is, aptly enough, a challenge and a punishment.

Erika Kohut (Isabelle Huppert) lives with her domineering mother (Annie Girardot) in Vienna, where she teaches piano at a conservatory. Erika lives a life of severity and control, but underneath she seethes with transgressive passions: Standing like a well-groomed martinet over her students, she seems to be willing them to fail. As she begins to explore the dark side of her sexuality (sex shops, self-mutilation, a dangerous affair with a young musician), her exploits take on the desperation of a woman trying to expunge desire altogether. Huppert delivers a courageous performance as the woman around whom it ultimately falls apart.

燭光盛宴( 蔡素芬)

蔡素芬在她十年創作的這部《燭光盛宴》裡，用一種悲憫又釋懷的心情给我們講述了一個“台灣外省女人故事”，同時又採用時空穿梭的方式，用一個後后輩的身份，通過一位老者的口述，把這三個不同命運，不同生活背景的女人用歷史的绳子緊緊綑在一起。畫面在歷史與现實中來回切换，而生命的主题却只有“尋找”。尋找真愛，尋找真情。

她的人生是下半部，被命運安排在台灣那個封閉的小村裡。這部分將呈现出眷村最原貌、最真實也最残忍的生活樣本。

眷村的封閉性使得裏面的人自成一種特殊的意識和氣質，因為他們都有一種流亡的潛意識。許多人感受到的是認同的焦慮，“得以返鄉探親的那一刻，才發現在僅存的親族眼中，原來自己是台胞、是台灣人，而回到活了40年的島上，又動輒被指為‘你們外省人’，他們遲早回會在伊索寓言故事裏發現，自己正如那只徘徊于鳥類獸類之間的，無可歸屬的蝙蝠。”

之前看過龍應台的大江大海較歷史敘述的關於1949，這本書帶領我體驗更深更痛 對於大時代的無奈感 。

我喜歡她對兩性感情的書寫，覺得好美。其實那些牽引情節進行的談情說愛，篇幅雖短，卻是適時的發揮了重要的連接效果。

Forever Strong (2008, Movie)

A very uplifting, enjoyable movie to watch with good acting and a good story. This movie is inspired by true events, based on a rugby coach who believes in turning out "champion boys" not only "champion" teams. A coach who truly cares about his players, making them see that life off the field is just as important on the field, including how they play, act and treat others.

There's not a lot of Rugby movies around, especially in the States - so this is a little unique.

Alice in Wonderland (2010, Movie)

Tim Burton's part-live action, part-animated, all-3D version of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is a collage of characters and episodes from Lewis Carroll’s two nineteenth-century books about a girl who falls into the rabbit hole of her own imagination.

When we meet her again, Alice has decidedly mixed feelings about her original trip down the rabbit hole, but begins to recall Wonderland more favorably as she's threatened with an arranged marriage to Hamish Ascot (Leo Bill), a conceited snot-nose twit. At the moment of truth in the wedding ceremony, she impulsively scampers away to follow another rabbit down another rabbit hole and finds below that she is actually remembered from her previous visit.

This has never been a children's story. The less generous might just call it gloomy.

The Stoning of Soraya M. (2008, Movie)

This is a very powerful movie and also a very emotionally moving story. The most compelling component of this film was its true-based story of a woman who unwaveringly loved her children, lacked a voice, any rights, or support from anyone who wasn't female. Thankfully, Soraya's aunt bravely jeopardizes her own life by divulging Soraya's story to a French-Iranian journalist describing her niece's life involving an abusive and unfaithful husband.

This film is not about Islam but about man's inhumanity to man and for people of faith. It is a film that should make you ask yourself, "How can God forgive us for what we do to each other in the name of faith."

腸道健康法：不生病的生活

作者：新谷洪實　監修 / 譯者：李毓昭

從吃開始，是改變健康生活的基礎。多吃蔬果、少吃肉，多喝水、多運動，正常排便。這些都是相當基本的保健法則，但是卻不是每個人都能輕易做到。因為，不光「多」就夠了，而是要有品質的攝取。

這本書"前三分之二"的部分, 內容屬於醫學研究的部分，對於人的健康有很大的幫助，也讓我學到不少新的、正確的觀念。但後三分之一的部分完全是"置入性行銷"，隔幾頁就請一個醫生講解（背書）關於"乳酸菌生成萃取液"的神奇效果，但真的是很貴！