Monthly Archives: March 2007

Daily Scribble

Why praise the Lord?

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Why praise the Lord, this question has been puzzling me for many years. I went to church since I was a kid, but I never understand why man should praise the Lord. Of course I know the model answers given to me from the church. There are two typical responses. The first response is something like thou shalt praise God because it is written so in the Bible, thou shalt glorify him, honor him as a good Christian. The second response is as mundane as superstitious beliefs in Africa, you have to praise God, so that God will bless you, reward you with good fortune and protect you from evil spirit. These two responses didn’t really answer my question. Is it like asking why I should buy this product, the sales answer me because it is on sales. The church never tell me the reason and the meaning of praising the Lord. If God is omni potent and omni scenes, he won’t get angry or lose any of his glory even if we don’t praise him. If God is justice and omni benevolent God, he won’t favor those who praise him, he will treat and love everyone equally. In short, there is no need to praise God.

Today in the mass, when I was waiting to have the communion and hearing the choir singing, “I will always praise you, I will always praise you…”, suddenly I have an insight why should I praise the Lord. One should treat God just like anyone else, you should praise him if he done something good, criticize him if he done something wrong. God did many good deeds to us, so we should praise him. Praise is neither a duty nor a mean to exchange for something. Praise is just a praise. It is that simple. The church and Bible’s teaching has confused me all these years.

Daily Scribble

Friday lunch

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Every friday, I go out to have lunch with my friends at work to take a break from the office.  Yesterday when we were heading out, one of my friend complains that how come we always go to the same resturant every week.  Indeed, we have been going to the same resturant for so long that I can’t remember when we start going there.  In the past, we used to have to decide where to have lunch in the parkage.  Nowadays, no one even bother to ask the same question.  We just hop into the car, drive to the same resturant like robots programmed to follow with the same route.  I have come up with a few theory trying to explain our repetitive and boring behaviour.  1.  We are boring engineers who can go to the same resturant weeks after weeks.  2.  We are lazy engineers who don’t even bother to think about where to eat.   3. We are getting old, so we become more conservative and reluctant to try new things.  4.  The group used to have an authoritative figure who like to try out new resturants, so we just follow her commands.  After she is married and moved down to the States, our choice for lunch shrink continuously until it finally narrowed down to the one and one only default resturant.  5.  The group has an annoying figure who complains loudly everytime we try something new or go to some other resturants.  Since most of us don’t really care where to eat, we just let him take over the lunch decision.  6.  All of the above.  There are many resturants around the office, why do we have to go to the same resturant every week?  That is my question for the week.

動漫

Robotech, The Shadow Chronicles 太空堡壘 暗影編年

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Robotech 說起太空堡壘暗影編年這套電影﹐則要從二十年前的歷史開始說起。話說當年美國Harmony Gold(HG)公司﹐從日本買下三套動畫(超時空要塞﹐南十字宮﹐機甲創世記)的版權﹐將三部作品改寫劇本重新配音﹐結集為一長篇動畫Robotech在美國上映。這動畫也有再進口來中國﹐譯作太空堡壘﹐反而比上映原著時更受歡迎。香港的亞洲電視也有播這動畫﹐上映時的名稱叫超時空戰神。 我等原著支持者自然不屑HG公司擅自刪改劇情﹐但不能否認它讓日本動畫成功打進美國市場的貢獻。Robotech更成為與變形金鋼齊名的經典作品﹐玩具賣過滿堂紅﹐構成了一代美國小男孩的集體回憶。改篇後Robotech的世界觀十分宏大﹐HG公司亦推出一系列外傳小說﹐吸引了大量科幻迷成為這系列的擁躉。雖沒有星球大戰或星空奇遇般受歡迎﹐但也足以比媲巴比倫五等作品的受歡迎程度。

HG公司其後曾嘗試引進其他日本動畫﹐作為Robotech的續集﹐可惜市場不大受落。後來HG公司只是一直在食老本﹐把Robotech的剩餘價值慢慢搾取乾淨。正當Robotech迷對HG公司不再存希望時﹐在Robotech二十週年竟然斥資製作新一輯的Robotech電影﹐這就是去年推出的暗影編年了。也許Robotech在美國是個金漆招牌﹐也許多年的老擁躉始終不離不棄﹐也許這是屈指可數美國自製的日式動畫﹐這套動畫在亞馬遜的動畫銷售榜多個星期穩佔第一位。雖然我對美國動畫沒有多大信心﹐畢竟我身為超時空要塞超級擁躉﹐對從超時空要塞衍生出的Robotech也愛屋及烏﹐加上是美國自製誠意可加﹐便決定給他一個機會試看一看﹐想不到竟然有意外驚喜。

暗影編年雖說是承接Robotech原著﹐但畢竟已是二十多年前的作品﹐不可能要求觀眾還記得劇情﹐所以基本上可以當作一套獨立作品來看。很典型的B級科幻電影故事﹐背景是外星人侵略地球﹐人類逃亡到火星殖民地。經過十幾年的抗戰卒到了大反攻前夕﹐從火星來的遠征軍誓要把外星人趕出地球。接下來的劇情很熟口熟面﹐名乎其實的科幻電影公式橋段大雜燴。有新人男機師戀上王牌女機師﹐當然少不了捨命相救的情節。有地球遊擊隊與外星人公主相戀﹐最後用愛化解敵我雙方的仇恨和平共處。有不顧下屬死活的將軍﹐要出動新型秘密武器與敵人同歸於盡。當然少不了幾個配角壯烈犧牲﹐好讓主角們可以流幾滴眼淚﹐再熱血地說要為朋友報仇。除了例牌的人物支線外﹐最重要的戲情主線有個不可告人的大陰謀。原來侵略者外星人的母星給壞蛋外星人毀滅﹐他們在宇宙中流浪﹐好不容易才找到地球作棲身之所。電影一半時壞蛋外星人追到來地球﹐要消滅人類與地球侵略者的好外星人﹐結局是一眾主角與敵人同心協力﹐把壞蛋外星人打個落花流水。很難想像導演可以把所有橋段塞入二小時的電影中﹐不過總算是把所有情劇交代清楚。可能我平時多看科幻電影日子有功﹐很自然地在腦內把欠缺的情節補完。雖然每個角色的性格設定也不俗﹐但出場人物眾多難免變成群戲﹐角色特點因時間所限無從發揮﹐淪為典型科幻電影的樣板人物。

這套動畫採用日本動畫的風格﹐與一般畫給小朋友看的美國卡通很不同。人物和室內用2D作畫﹐而機械與打鬥場面則是3D電腦動畫。人物設計忠實地展現八十年代日本科幻動畫的風格﹐我有點看厭時下動畫耍萌耍帥的人設﹐反而喜歡這套動畫平實的人設。這動畫在2D畫面上的畫功一流﹐人物面型完全沒有走樣﹐雖然女角沒有賣可愛賣性感﹐卻有一番久違了的硬科幻韻味。在3D畫面上則有點失望﹐變型戰機的動作生硬﹐場面的流暢和細緻程度﹐ 只達到電子遊戲的級數。不過平心而論﹐有些去年日本上映的新動畫中的3D鏡頭比這套還差﹐所以可以算是勉強合格。機械設定源用二十年前的設計﹐讓機甲創世記的變型戰機與變型電單車﹐以電腦動畫重現觀眾眼前。大慨源用舊設計比較保險﹐至少老支持者比較容易受落。就算今天再看那些設計也絲毫沒有過時的感覺﹐不愧為動畫機械人設計的經典﹐比至近年某些不知所謂的機設好多了。太空戰艦的設計則不過不失﹐有點平平無奇﹐與歷年推出過科幻電腦遊戲中的戰艦大同小異。

不論從動畫欣賞或是科幻電影的角度﹐ 暗影編年也不算是一套很出色的作品﹐可是我卻看得十分開心過癮。動畫從開場就動作連篇﹐讓觀眾目不暇昅﹐中間也偶有笑位﹐讓觀眾輕鬆一下。故事雖然看似複雜龐大﹐但其實不須用腦去看﹐只要記著主角是好人和好人必勝就夠了。很久沒有看到這類平舖直述的科幻故事了﹐這電影勾起我愉快的童年回憶﹐再一次體驗那些很行貨﹐但每次看又會覺得感人的情節。暗影編年是HG 公司的市場試金石﹐看到二十年過後Robotech還很受歡迎﹐HG公司已決定開拍續集﹐並推出漫畫和小說等週邊產品。Robotech除了鹹魚翻生人氣急升外﹐有新一輯的原創故事也是一件好事﹐可以讓它洗脫抄襲的罪名﹐堂堂正正的建立一個屬於它自己的世界。