The Conversation (1974)

Oh my god the most heart-pounding, mind-blowing thriller I have seen in years. Just unbelieeeeeevable.

What the hell happened to Coppola? He was so fantastic. And then nothing. He kept flapping his arms and nothing came out. Yet once upon a time he was the master.

What the hell happened to American cinema?

I'm speechless. I'm damned speechless. How could anyone still have the nerves to make any movie about wiretapping after The Conversation?

And the music! It creeps me out! Amazing! It is not only David Shire's spine-chilling OST but also the Jazz pieces he littered throughout the movie. At one point I was, like, I know that one. Am I hallucinating? I know that one. In the end credits it came up --- Sophisticated Lady by Duke Ellington. Indeed, I did know that one.

What Next?

I've been listening, very slowly, two interviews of Philip Glass by Ira Glass. There is a lot of very poignant ideas that seem to transcend music. I am ignorant enough of music and the language composers use, but what he said makes sense for making up and telling stories as well.

In both interviews, he mentioned that a composer's work is fundamentally to resolve a problem, or "What next?" And the propensity each (good) composer resolves problems defines his style. Bach, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, and Philip Glass each has his own way of coming up with the answer to the question of "What next?"

When I heard this I had to chuckle. A few weeks ago I was sitting in a doctor's office with the classical music station in the background. At some point I thought, "That sounds very Rachmaninoff!" It was a piece I was sure I had never heard of, but it just reminded me of all the other Rach pieces I had heard. And at the end the radio host said, "That was Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 4." I pumped a fist in the air.

Needless to say, the question for every storyteller (or perhaps even for every nonfiction writer) is also "What next?" How do you get from point A to point B? That is the question.

随便发发牢骚

终于明白了为什么 Jonathan Cassar 的脸让我觉得似曾相识，每次在现场看见都魂不守舍地盯着看个没完没了 ...

古希腊出土文物有木有？！



遗憾地说每次都是只顾着看了又看，总是忘记多拍两张照片。我真是太傻冒了。

The closest thing in the world to perfection.

Catherine Russell

Another awesome song from Russell's new album: I'm in the Mood for Love. Sweet but not bland, pretty with an edge. The guitar is especially irresistible.

Compare with Sarah Vaughn's version.

男单10

总算凑齐了十个 (2003-2012)。

1. The Mission (Matt Savoie/Tom Dickson)
2. Naqoyqatsi (Jeff Buttle/David Wilson)
3. Schindler's List (Jonathan Cassar/David Wilson)
4. Eight Seasons (Jeremy Abbott/Tom Dickson)
5. Chocolat (Stephane Lambiel/Salome Brunner)
6. Pirates of the Caribbean (Braden Overett/Braden Overett)
7. Jazz Medley (Yannick Ponsero/Laurie May)
8. Harlem Nocturne (Derrick Delmore/Jill Shipstad?)
9. Insane in the Brain (Adrian Schultheiss/Galina Lutkova)
10. Swan Lake (Daisuke Takahashi/Nikolai Morozov)

泰式咖喱虾

这个菜谱看上去很容易，记录一下，改天买菜做它。

提神醒脑

古典音乐电台里经常播放巴罗克音乐，我经过一番努力终于放弃，八字不合，听不进去。太和谐了，圆圆的弦乐的质地，没有棱角。听了一会儿必然走神，拉都拉不回来。

相比之下，我喜欢 dissonant (dis)harmony 与 angular melodies 与 syncopated rhythms，不太和谐的调调，对比强烈的音质（例如钢琴与提琴，bass 与管乐），something with sharp edges and rough surfaces and odd twists, an ambiguity like a man who is simultaneously seducing and rejecting you, something that keeps me on my toes。

不是说巴罗克音乐不好，Jazz 或现代音乐也不是都好，都能让人听得下去。只不过，说不出什么原因，目前我对提神醒脑的音乐感觉比较亲近。

House of Silk

I am very impressed by the description of the London streets, the foggy night, the dock and pub, etc. Horowitz certainly has a way with scenery. And the pacing is excellent. A bit slow in the first half (as it should). A mini-climax occurred almost exactly at the half-way point, and at the two-third point the pace picked up considerably.

But the book could have used a better editor. I have already caught a few minor typos and mistakes so far. The biggest error is perhaps in Chapter 9 when Holmes is described as lighting a cigarette. Sorry, but he only smokes the pipe.