After 12 hour of driving, 1000km of distance, I went from Vancouver to Portland and came back on the same day. I think I have broken my record of traveling the most distance by car in one single day. The road trip is not as tough as I thought. I had a good sleep last night, woke up early today. I start around 8a.m. and arrived in 2p.m, which is pretty close to the schedule estimated by Google map. I turned around right away, stopped by Redmond to have dinner with my cousin around 6p.m., then another 2.5 hours to get home. I stopped over at McDonald’s or gas stations almost every hour to stretch my legs and go to washroom. My legs are not that tired, not as bad as skiing in Whistler for the whole day. Driving only by myself is not too that bored, and it is quite productive. I finished 1 audio book and half way through another today. Listening to audio books gave me the intellectual stimulus that substitutes talking with the passengers to keep myself awake. However, a person’s attention span last only about an hour, so I switched listening to music whenever my brain is overloaded, took the time to absorb the new knowledge until the next washroom break. Then after I am refreshed from the rest, I can resume listening to audio books. Now, it is time for me to take a good rest. It is a really long day for me, but definitely worth it.
Dancouga Nova 超獸機攻斷空我
「超獸機神斷空我」憑著獨特的野獸合體機械人設定﹐側重角色心理描寫的劇情﹐一反統傳地故事到了差不多一半時﹐機械人才第一次合體等等﹐成為八十年代的經典超級機械人動畫。二零零七年的新動畫「超獸機攻斷空我」﹐則只是掛羊頭賣狗肉之作。除了借用舊作機械人的名字和合體結構外﹐兩者並無關連﹐更加不是續集。若果用「超獸機神」的標準去量度「超獸機攻」﹐珠玉在前地去比較﹐新作可以說是各方面也不合格。不過若果把「超獸機攻」當作一套獨立動畫來評審﹐倒也不是完全一無是處。至少這套動畫惡搞了不少熱血機械人的情節﹐知情者必定發出會心微笑﹐有些位置更讓人拍案叫絕捧腹大笑。
「超獸機攻」的故事很行貨﹐兩男兩女四個少年人﹐不知什麼原因被選上了﹐坐在巨大機械人斷空我中戰鬥。初期的任務很白痴﹐說是要保衛世界當弱者的朋友﹐有戰亂的地方要會去搞局﹐總之讓作戰雙方永遠陷入膠著狀態。打倒幾國不同國家的嘍囉怪獸後﹐出現一台謎之赤色的斷空我﹐幾番交手也不分高下。四個戲份小到連路人也不如﹐不知還算不算是主角的主角﹐亦開始試探找出斷空我的秘密。目標更鎖定在斷空我背後的支持者﹐一個左看右看也像高達命種議長的男人身上。其實「超獸機攻」只是十二集的短篇動畫﹐角色背景交侍﹐人物關係發展全部從略﹐劇情一下子就跳入解謎階段﹐再三扒兩撥把大壞蛋幹掉結局完場。結局說了出來也不會破壞劇本的懸疑性﹐反正主線的橋段已爛無可爛。話說有忠奸兩個外星人﹐奸的外星人要毀滅地球﹐忠的外星人想要保護地球﹐於是製造了斷空我出來。斷空我頭十集的作戰﹐說穿了只不過刻意安排的特訓﹐把主角四人置諸死地而後生﹐引發斷空我進化使出神獸威力。最後兩集斷空我與赤色斷空我合體﹐由地球一路打到到奸外星人的月球基地﹐ 受到重創後又再進化﹐用新絕招一劍把大壞蛋的機械人斃了。
雖說劇本整體來說老土兼腦殘﹐但每集中的笑話點子倒有不少﹐往往有意想不到的驚喜。正常的超級機械人動畫中的基地司令﹐通常是製造機械人的科學家﹐智勇兼備是眾人的精神領袖。斷空我基地的司令﹐則只是個夾心管理層﹐喜歡以打工仔的滑頭口吻對主角訓話。熱血機械人必定有些指定動作﹐斷空我也有﹐只不過有點兒不同。機械人的出場歌曲不是鏡外配樂﹐而是從機械人身上的喇叭直接播出來。出發時主角應該很熱血地高叫出發去也﹐斷空我的駕駛員卻是很無奈地給司令迫著扮熱血。其中一個男主角夜半約女工程司出來﹐女工程司以為他要對自己告白﹐原來講了這麼久卻會錯意﹐只不過是想給他的坐駕加新武器。還有不少玩轉其他超級機械人動畫的橋段﹐跨張放大那些早已看得麻木的牌例過場戲﹐耍帥過頭反而會變得謬荒滑稽。
「超獸機攻」的只是套低成本製作﹐畫面使用了很多兼容卡﹐人物偶然會走樣得很厲害。除了主角斷空我保留原作的韻味外﹐其他機設只是小學生的習作﹐完全不堪入目。片頭曲用日本小調﹐死不斷氣的唱腔令人煩厭﹐片尾曲用豎琴伴奏﹐倒算閱耳動聽。角色完全沒有演譯發揮的機會﹐故事編排更不用提了。不過近年麼熱血超級機械人動畫買少見買﹐只好找這套假熱血的「超獸機攻」來臨時充數﹐讓超級機械人在簡單的正邪黑白二分世界中大打幾場﹐過過乾癮。
Love novel
What’s wrong with a guy reading love novels? Today, I helped Pat clean up what’s left over from her garage sales. When I was bored, I picked up a copy of a pop Chinese love novel from one of her boxes of old books and start reading. The novel is written by a quite famous author in Hong Kong and I have read some of her novels before. Since I couldn’t finish the whole book this afternoon, I decided to take it home. Pat laughed at me that I am reading a girl’s book. I don’t think book can be separated into male or female. Books are just books, novels is just novels. Who says guys cannot read love novels? When I was in school, I read lots of books and novels, including my mother’s collection of love novels too. However, the way how the guys read love novels is quite different from the girl’s way. Girl may feel sympathy with whatever character in the novel, try to substitute herself into the book. When girls read, they feel the book. On the other hand, when guy read a love novel, all we care about is the plot and how scenes are played out. Does the plot make sense, are the descriptions well written, does the author build up enough support for the climax. When guys read, we analyze the book. If a guy reads a love novel and cry for the characters in the book, then he is a girly guy, he is abnormal. But if a guy, like me, reads a love novel, just trying to look into the mind of girls through the eyes of the author, then he is perfectly normal.
Lost Universe 迷失的宇宙
人久不久總會想懷舊一番﹐對著記憶中曾經十喜歡的東西﹐總會抱著一份寬容的心態。「秀逗魔導士(Slayer)」是九十年代的經典動畫﹐主線只是很老土的RPG故事。主角二人組接工作打怪獸四處尋寶﹐不知為何最後總要因為保衛世界而與大魔王決一死戰。可能受到是大學中動畫同好會的鬼仔朋友的影響﹐當年我也是這套動畫的忠實擁躉。在九八年「秀逗魔導士」的原班人馬製作了「迷失的宇宙」 ﹐不論是人設﹐作畫﹐音樂﹐主線均帶著前作的影子﹐只是把舞臺從魔法世界搬上外太空。以我現今評審欣賞動畫的角度去看﹐我絕不會花時間在這種劇情單薄的少年向動畫上。可是我卻一集接一集地﹐看完了全部二十六集動畫﹐妨彿讓我重溫大學時代那無憂無慮的時光。
「迷失的宇宙」的開場與 「秀逗魔導士」很相似﹐手持光之劍的男主角肯恩﹐在一次任務中邂逅神槍手女主角美莉後﹐這對無敵拍檔在宇宙中四處歷險﹐接手大大小小的棘手工作。這動畫不同之處是加多一個討人歡喜的新角色﹐太空船劍刃號的人工智能系統化身而成的綠色長髮美女卡娜。三個主角的性格各有不同﹐一男二女互相鬥氣頂嘴﹐為動畫注入不少歡樂。男主角是典型的熱血男子漢﹐重義氣視完成任務為最大使命。美莉則是個腦筋跳線的角色﹐整天幻想著擁有宇宙第一的名銜﹐不論這個名銜是廚司﹐神槍手﹐還是其他什麼古靈精怪的比賽。卡娜除了對船倉有潔癖﹐和喜歡買武器裝在自己身上外﹐倒是在三人中思想最正常的一個﹐畢竟電腦始終是理性的角色。她簡中會幻想自己是肯恩的妻子﹐埋怨肯恩工作不夠勤力﹐做背後的女人持家真困難。不過這套動畫中沒有什麼愛情線可言﹐二個女主角沒有爭風吃醋﹐男主角也不用為感情問題煩惱。那個年代還未興賣萌賣服務鏡頭﹐性格千依百順又常常變裝卡娜可也迷倒不少男觀眾﹐特別是那抱著熊公仔的可愛睡相。
故事初段只是些東拼西湊的單完故事﹐在建立角色間關係的同時﹐亦留下一些伏筆線索﹐指向最後的正邪大對決。肯恩從祖母處承繼了的太空船劍刃號﹐原來是上古超科技文明建造的失落的太空。在初期設定基本上是天下無敵﹐感應防護罩刀槍不入﹐黑洞炮和感應炮則堅無不摧﹐肯恩和美莉在工作上遇到危險﹐只要卡娜駕到必定化險為夷。有光明的地方必然有黑暗﹐從中段開始主角們就要與陰謀統治宇宙的恐怖組織惡夢交手﹐他們擁有與卡娜勢均力敵的失落的太空船﹐主角一行人且戰且逃﹐一邊想辦法擺脫惡夢的追擊﹐一邊追尋卡娜過去的歷史﹐好解開謎團粉碎惡夢的陰謀。結局很例牌﹐主角幾經艱辛死過翻生後領悟出終極奧義﹐令感應能量推動的卡娜威力大增﹐戰局一下子扭轉﹐遇強越強的打倒其他失落的太空船﹐一路殺入壞蛋大本營。劍刃號決戰最後大佬死亡星﹐阻止死亡星吞食全所有星球毀滅全人類。最後決戰的劇情有些畫蛇添足﹐其實美莉是不是壞蛋首領的女兒對故事影響不大﹐夾硬將她拉上關係反而有點尤突。「迷失的宇宙」是使用3D電腦技術繪畫太空船的先驅﹐戰鬥場面充滿動感比傳統的平面動畫優勝。這個差不多十年前電腦動畫的質素﹐與今天的大作如高達種命比較也毫不失禮。究竟舊作是劃時代特別出色的經典﹐還是電腦動畫的技術多年來的表現停滯不前呢﹖
看畢「迷失的宇宙」﹐不能夠說有什麼得著﹐始終這只是套娛樂性豐富﹐但沒有什麼深度的動畫 。儘管現在每季新番動畫超過三十套﹐新動畫已經多得看不完﹐可是我卻特別鐘情於這套舊動畫。公式化的劇情﹐耳熟能詳的笑料﹐上世紀九十年代的作畫風格﹐給我一種熟悉的舒服感覺﹐讓我暫時把現實拋開﹐重溫一下年少時的美好回憶。
Engraved ring
We were talking about wedding ring and engagement ring during lunch today. My friends said that they would like their ring to be engraved. I wonder why anyone want their rings to be engraved. First of all, the engraving is not free. The letters are engraved inside the ring, so no one can see the letters. Someone engrave names on the ring. I can understand you better tag your thing if it is easy to lose or mix up with other people’s. Since most people wear their ring all the time and it is unlike to mix up the ring. If indeed the ring is lost, shouldn’t engrave your phone number or email address instead of your name, so that whoever find the ring can contact you to return the ring. Engraving your name on the ring was the best way to mark your property before each diamond come with an engraved identification number. Your purchase receipt with the diamond certification already provide enough proof for you to reclaim the ring in case it is stolen. Someone engrave the day of wedding on the ring. Well, it is useful, in case you forget the date. However, should you remember the date by heart? Lastly, someone engrave the ring for symbolic meaning. Yet, the ring itself is already a symbol of the wedding. Why would someone put an small extra symbol on more prominent symbol. The symbolic meaning of the engrave is insignificant next to the symbolic meaning of the ring itself and it will be unnoticeable in the round off error of symbolic meaning. In short, engrave the ring doesn’t make any sense.