Daily Scribble

Wedding photographers

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Me and Pat are booking photographer for our wedding day. We have check out a few photographers and still having decide which to go for. We met up with a photographer on Sunday, quite an eye opener. The office of photographers is located in Granville, in one of those hippie building full of artists’ studio. Walking into a building with too many artists makes me feel uncomfortable. My hintch is right, you can never trust artists. The photographers are having way too much style over substance. Never mind they are charging a premium for their artistic photo style. Why would I pay extra money to buy useless artistic photos?

The photographers boasted about themselves being wedding journalists. They claim their style are non intrusive, never get in the way of the wedding. They will never ask people pose for portrait shots in the wedding day. This so call artistic style of photography really bother me. My goal to hire wedding photographers is to take some good pictures in my wedding day. Wouldn’t it be much easier to take good pictures if we cooperate with the photographers? I won’t mind slow down a bit in the ceremony for good pictures. I can even pose like I am pretending not posing for the photographers if natural shots is what I want.

We are not getting marry in the middle of the war zone, we have plenty of time to capture the prefect photo. Wedding is a staged event, there is no need for any form of photo journalist. Wedding journalists cannot guarantee they can capture all the important moments. Why risk the chance of missing important photos? In fact, being told to slow down, turn around and look into the camera is part of the wedding experience. The stupid self named photo-artists are just creating a solution for a non existing problem. Wedding journalist is a gimmick that can only fool people who are not smart enough to say no to useless arts.

電影

Futurama Bender’s Big Score 乃出個未來

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Futurama 平常我們香港人看外國電影﹐總愛笑大陸的譯名改得老土。今次卻剛好相反﹐Futurama在大陸譯作「飛出個未來」﹐很正常貼題的一個名字﹐香港則譯作「乃出個未來」﹐改得完全不知所謂。很慶幸我是看英文原片﹐不是看香港的配音版本。看見這個不知所謂的譯名﹐大慨可以想像到劇中的對白會給人改到面目全非。

Futurama是鬼材導演Matt Groening繼The Simpsons後另一套瘋狂搞笑的卡通片集。如果The Simpsons是老少咸宜的卡通﹐這套Futurama的觀眾層面則相對成熟。劇中大玩科幻小說和科學冷知識的笑話﹐對時事的諷刺也辛辣出位得多。政治正確只是拿來被取笑的對像﹐只要笑話好笑可以玩到很盡﹐那管會傷害一些弱小心靈。很可惜這套劇集最初收視不太好﹐霍士電視台只播了四季就腰斬了。奇蹟是這套劇集原來超慢熱﹐後來推出DVD和在有線電視重播﹐意想不到地大收歡迎。劇集玩轉科幻小說的風格﹐要懂引經據典才好笑的高深笑話﹐吸引一班nerd同geek的鬼佬宅男死忠粉絲。原本低收視的劇集鹹魚翻生﹐一躍成為Cult片集的經典。Matt Groening和有線台見商機重現﹐乘勢製作新的一輯故事﹐總共四部電視電影﹐也可以剪為十六集半小時的電視劇。據說這新一輯的Futurama﹐破了美國有線電視史的記錄﹐成為最昂貴版權費的劇集。

電影的故事內容與以前電視劇集的水準差不多﹐都是圍繞著三個主角發生的蠢人蠢事。一個是二十世紀去了三十世紀的標準傻瓜﹐一個是性格強悍的女獨眼外星人﹐一個是口衰口臭兼壞心腸的機械人﹐加上古怪博士那間星際速遞公司的一眾閒人﹐就會產生微妙的化學作用﹐爆出意想不到的喜劇感。主線故事分作三條線﹐雖說是互相關連但也可以獨立來看。一條是男主角回到未來和自己爭女朋友﹐愛上另一個自己的女朋友到底算不算是變心。一條是外星人發垃圾電郵﹐騙去了整個地球的控制權﹐人類來個絕地大反攻。一條是機械人變成末來戰士去殺男主角﹐還很扺死地帶黑超學阿諾講野。故事聽起來好像很無聊﹐事實上也的確很無聊﹐無聊到一個已經不可以用常理去看侍的地步。只需要靜心欣賞劇中笑話﹐享受笑過人仰馬翻的樂趣﹐不用亦不應理會劇情的合理性﹐反正不講道理從來都是卡通片的專利。可能是女兒當編劇的關係﹐美國前副總統戈爾常常客串Futurama﹐今次的大電影也有粉墨登場。照例玩下環保笑話﹐順便踢爆二千年落選的真相﹐原來是因為某個白痴未來戰士誤炸了投票箱﹐才於佛洲以數千票之微落敗給布殊。

霍士電視台這次可謂走寶了﹐若果當初肯投放資源押注Futurama﹐今天就會擁有另一套與The Simpsons同級的皇牌劇集。其實以我對科幻小說、電視和電影的沉迷程度﹐會喜歡Futurama絕對不出奇﹐算起我也算是半個鬼佬宅男。作為Futurama的多年擁躉﹐這套戲集能夠重獲新生﹐我自然替它感到高興。希望Futurama可以長拍長有﹐成為如The Simpsons般的長壽劇集。

Daily Scribble

Revision Sawfly

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sawfly

I want to get a cool looking one piece sunglass for along time. However there is one small problem. Somehow all the sunglasses brands like Oakley or Ray-Ban never make one piece sunglasses support eye prescriptions. They assume all cool looking guys who wear sunglasses will also wear contact lens. I can’t wear contact lens, so I can’t wear one of those cool one piece sunglasses.

Finally, I come across the Revision Sawfly military eyewear system fits all my requirement perfectly. Sawfly is the standard equipment of the US army in Iraq. The sunglasses not only looks cool, but also built ultra strong. It can withstand shotgun blast from 16 feet away. It comes with interchangeable lens in shades for outdoor, clear color indoor and high contrast for shooting.

revision insert

The features I love most is the Sawfly support Rx insert carrier. The prospection lens fit comfortably over the nose piece. Best of all is the price, it only costs $30 on eBay for the basic kit comes with the frame and 2 lens. If the lens is scratched, you can simply buy a new lens for replacement instead of throwing away the whole eyeglasses.

The Sawfly is a no thrills, purely functional design. It is way cooler than those brand name sunglasses designed by gay designers who put styles over substances.  Highly recommended for any sports that need eye protection.

宗教

基督教思想史第二部 – 第一章﹕正統神學、虔敬主義和理性主義

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這個星期的田立克炒冷飯﹐正統神學同虔敬主義的內容基本上同上期沒有分別。正統神學那一節﹐田立克用另一個角度去解釋﹐比上次清楚易明些。虔敬主義則差不多照抄上次的內容。

田立克記為正統神學的重要原則﹐並不是因信稱義﹐正確的說法是因恩寵﹐通過信來稱義。信心並不是得救的原因﹐因為人只可以接受信心﹐信心不會產生任何東西。田立克認為如果說信心是得救的原因﹐比天主教說好行為是得救的原因更差。

不論是路德神學還是加爾文神學﹐是聖靈的工作讓我們可以接受福音﹐從而令我們的罪得到赦免。如果說教徒要先信什麼教條﹐罪才可以得到赦免的話﹐那是完全違背改革神學的原意。最重要是開放心靈給聖靈﹐而非強迫自己信相一些我們根本不相信的教義﹐打壓內心的實誠認真疑問﹐完全扭曲了基督教的神學觀念。

正統神學的另一個重要原則﹐是聖經為不可動搖的根基。可是歷代神學家對聖經有不同的解讀﹐不同譯本間內容也有差異﹐那我們如何得知聖經的真正意思呢﹖正統神學認為解經的原則是要以經文解釋經文﹐可是一個普通教徒拿起聖經來讀﹐如何可以保證他不會因為神學知識不足﹐像基要派般把經文亂解一通﹐自行創造出一套錯誤的教義呢﹖改革派不想把解釋聖經的根據﹐來源自教會的權威。正統神學認為要依靠聖靈的帶領﹐才能夠解讀聖經的內容。可是我們沒有辨法去客觀地證明﹐別人解讀聖經時真的有依靠聖靈﹐於是無可避免混入個人的主觀意願。

一般天主教徒只需要相信教會頒佈的教義﹐並不需要擔心這個教義是否真的正確﹐因為教會擁有解釋聖經的權威。可是基督教否定教會的權威﹐教徒必需自行解讀聖經去找出教義。那教徒如何肯定自己所信的教義是正確呢﹖理性主義正好提供一個解決方法。正統神學認為﹐教徒不能依靠神學家或神職人員的權威﹐每個人也必需明白教義的正確性。教徒可以通過理性討論去解讀聖經﹐從中發現正確的教義﹐整個神學系統的基礎就是建立在理性邏輯之上。

理性主義與神秘主義並不存在對立﹐反而理性主義是神秘主義的申延。人因理性思考明白教義﹐還是因通神經驗領悟教義﹐兩者之間只有程度上的差異。因為理性是神賜給人的內心明燈﹐也是一種內在的經驗。與理性主義相對的是權威主義﹐我們不經思考就接受權威所說的教義。很多現在基督教忘卻了正統神學的理性主義傳統﹐把教義視為一套不容質疑的律法戒命﹐把聖靈從神學中宗教生活中排擠了出去。反觀回歸神神秘主義的恩靈教派﹐倒更為接比理性主義的神學傳統。

Daily Scribble

Martial arts vs guns

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Some time back then, I went into a discussion with a friend who is a kung-fu master. Martial arts is taught as an exercise, a spectator sport and self a defense skill. I was questioning the usefulness of martial arts in self defense among modern weapons, like guns. This is one of the reasons that leads me into learning shooting. How useful can martial art be under gun point?

Since then I have learned more about shooting and combating handgun skills, now I realize how wrong I was. Even when you are in a standing off situation with another gunner, martial art skills prove to be extremely useful in winning the gun fight. Most handgun fights happen within a few feet, that is within the range of martial art striking distance. If the bad guy reach for his gun, even your are skillful shooter, you can’t beat him in reaching you gun. The best you can do is draw and fire slightly before he fires at you. The reaction time delays you enough from stopping him before he pulls the trigger. Mutual death is not the best way to win a gun fight. In a gun fight, the goal is not to shoot the bad guy, the goal is not to get shot. Shooting the bad guy is just a mean to archive the goal by disarming him. If the fight is within martial art striking distance, it is actually faster to reach for his gun instead of drawing your own gun. Once you push his muzzle way from pointing at you, you gain the valuable split second to draw your gun and fire at him.

Yes, martial arts is no match of a gun in a distance. However in real life combat situation when both sides have guns, martial arts will give you a tactical advantage that can help you win the gun fight.