Sunday, October 23, 2011

Total Recall

Book TV: Gordon Bell, Jim Gemmell, "Total Recall"
http://youtu.be/kDyLEyNX_vU

Total Recall: How the E-Memory Revolution Will Change Everything... Cover Art

Bill Gates, in 1990, spoke about “Information at your fingertips.”
In his book ‘The Road Ahead” of 1995, he stated “Someday we
will be able to collect everything we see and hear.”

While waiting for the flight at Fort Meyers Airport the other day,
this book “Total Recall” caught my eye in a store. I picked up a
copy and glanced through the book on the airplane back to San
Francisco through Chicago. I was amazed by the “E-Memory”
revolution. It will change what it means to be human. Obviously,
it has already begun.


Yeh Tze

Sunday, October 16, 2011

揮一揮衣袖 , 不帶走一片雲彩

“再別康橋” (Uploaded by allenlinnz on Jan 30, 2010)

http://ec4.images-amazon.com/images/I/51tRvZvCxUL._AA200_.jpg


再別康橋 徐志摩 1928

輕輕的我走了,
正如我輕輕的來;
我輕輕的招手,
作別西天的雲彩。

那河畔的金柳,
是夕陽中的新娘;
波光裏的豔影,
在我心頭盪漾。

軟泥上的青荇,
油油的在水底招搖;
在康河的柔波裏,
我甘心做一條水草﹗

那榆蔭下的一潭,
不是清泉,是天上虹,
揉碎在浮藻間,
沈澱著彩虹似的夢。

尋夢?撐一支長篙,
向青草更青處漫溯,
滿載一船星輝,
在星輝斑斕裡放歌。

但我不能放歌,
悄悄是別離的笙蕭,
夏蟲也為我沈默,
沈默是今晚的康橋。

悄悄的我走了,
正如我悄悄的來,
我揮一揮衣袖,
不帶走一片雲彩。

The English version:

“Saying Good-bye to Cambridge Again”

Very quietly I take my leave,
As quietly as I came here;
Quietly I wave good-bye
To the rosy clouds in the western sky.

The golden willows by the riverside
Are young brides in the setting sun;
Their reflections on the shimmering waves
Always linger in the depth of my heart.

The floating heart growing in the sludge
Sways leisurely under the water;
In the gentle waves of Cambridge
I would be a water plant!

That pool under the shade of elm trees
Holds not water but the rainbow from the sky;
Shattered to pieces among the duckweed
Is the sediment of a rainbow-like dream?

To seek a dream? Just to pole a boat upstream
To where the green grass is more verdant;
Or to have the boat fully loaded with starlight
And sing aloud in the splendor of starlight.

But I cannot sing aloud
Quietness is my farewell music;
Even summer insects keep silence for me
Silent is Cambridge tonight!

Very quietly I take my leave
As quietly as I came here;
Gently I flick my sleeves
Not even a wisp of cloud will I bring away.


When we are interpreting a poem, we try to figure out what the
poet intended in the poem, but we can not always be sure. We can
only come up with the feelings the poem gives us when we read.
We try to understand the meaning, think what was implied, unsaid
or suggested, and then speculate.


A couple of years ago, some of my NTUMC1968 ( 台大醫學院)
classmates, D.J., Wei and Wy etc, tried to work collaboratively to
translate 徐志摩's poem “再別康橋” into English. They had to stop after
several attempts due to the fact that, at some point, they had hard
time figuring out or speculating what 徐志摩 intended to say, or
unsaid. One of them, after having discussion in her former high school
( 北一女) classmates’ poetry club, thought there was deeper layer of
meaning in the poem.

They believed, on the surface, 徐 was talking about Cambridge, but
deep in his heart, he was lamenting his unrequited love. They thought
the “金柳” reminded him a slender girl “林”, who always lingered in
the depth of his heart. 徐 remembered their good old time as he
described in his poem. He could not have her and he was alone there,
even the critters, 夏蟲 felt his pain and kept silent for him. He took his
leave as quietly as he came, and could not bring away even a wisp of
cloud. What else could he do but 揮一揮衣袖,不帶走一片雲彩, and
quietly leave, according to their speculation and conclusion.


Yeh Tze

Friday, October 14, 2011

“白牡丹”


“白牡丹” is one of the popular old Taiwanese folk songs (台語流行歌謠).
The song was composed by 陳秋霖 and its lyrics were written by 陳達儒.

A few days ago, a family friend of ours from Taiwan sent me an e-mail
and asked me to translate the second verse of the lyrics into English:

請幫我譯"白牡丹",中翻英,謝謝!

白牡丹 白花蕊 春風無來花無開
無亂開 無亂美 不願旋枝出牆圍

以上 請通俗化 祝秋安 (Mike)

As I am not good at it, instead, I asked my NTUMC1968 classmates,
D.J. and Wei, who have often translated Chinese poems into English
and vice versa. I thank them for their kind contributions:

白牡丹,白花蕊,春風無來花無開。
無亂開,無亂美,不願旋枝出牆圍。

D.J.

White peony, white bud,
No blossoms without spring breeze.

The flowers do not bloom at random,
So they will not flaunt their beauty beyond the fence.

Wei

Peony, peony, so pure and white,
Only in spring breeze she blossoms wide.

Her blooms not casual, for she
shuns flaunting her beauty outside.

Wei's 北一女 classmate

Peony flowers white and pure,
Blooming only in spring breeze.

A few blossoms here and there,
Not to flaunt outside the fence.

Shaoyeh, my 建中 classmate, could not help to chime in the translation:

Oh, wild peonies you look so pure and white!
Only in spring breeze you blossom wide.

Do not overdo it and bare yourself all,
I'll keep your beauty inside my garden wall


Yeh Tze

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

A Gift I Treasure

Memory (Youtube music video)

Ever since I took this state government job as a physician and
surgeon more than three decades ago, my spouse had never visited
me in my office until two years ago when she was invited to attend
my “retirement” party at my work place. While she was in my office
for the first time during that visit, she noticed that the coffee cup on
my desk was old and discolored with coffee and tea stains. She asked
me if I had ever had it cleaned. I said to her that I washed it every
time.

It is a pottery mug that my children bought me for Father’s Day 25
years ago. Over the entire mug is printed an essay by Barbara
Smallwood and Glen Taylor entitled “Dad”. The essay begins with
“Becoming a father is easy enough, but being one can be rough. On
top of being a provider, protector, and playmate, it is a father’s job
to be …………………………………………………......................................... .”

It is a gift I treasure.

I have been coming back to work half-time as a rehired annuitant
since my “retirement”. Every morning on my workday, I fill my
“Dad” cup with coffee and place it on my desk. The wordings of the
essay on the mug are still clearly visible, and once in a while, I
glanced at part of, or through the entire text of this thoughtful essay.

The ending of the essay says:

“Being a dad is one of the things you do best. Thanks for everything.
We love you dad.”


Yeh Tze

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Season Of The Soul

Youtube video (Uploaded by szikszaiferenc52)

Autumn is a season of change, change of sights, sounds and smells.

It is also a season of sensation and season of the soul.

Autumn has long inspired poets. For some of the ancient poets,
it is a season of loneliness, sadness and sorrow.

懷君屬秋夜,散步詠涼天。空山松子落,幽人應未眠。(韋應物)

覺人間,萬事到秋來, 都搖落。 落時西風時候,人共青山都瘦。(辛棄疾)

多少綠荷相倚恨,一時回首背西風 。 (杜牧)

秋陰不散霜飛晚,留得枯荷聽雨聲。(李商隱)

孤村落日殘霞,輕煙老樹寒鴉,一點飛鴻影下 。 (白樸)


Yeh Tze

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Walking The Dinosaur Path



Located in Colorado, the Garden of the Gods has the outstanding
geologic features with its unique red rock formation which has been
millions of years in the making.

Ancient prehistory can be viewed at Garden of the Gods as people
walk the same path as the dinosaurs walked making it a living history
book. Within the park, there are dinosaur tracks that lead the way
including a new species of dinosaur which was discovered in 1887.

In early October 2008, we had the opportunity to visit Garden of the
Gods. While we were looking upward at the stately red sandstone
rocks, we were also viewing an ancient prehistory. As we were
strolling through the trails, we were walking the same path where
dinosaurs heavy trod once walked.

Dinasaur path, Garden of Gods
Walking the Dinosaur Path, Garden of the Gods (October 2008)

We were walking in nature, and at the same time we were walking in
history as well.


Yeh Tze

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

空山新雨後,天氣晚來秋.

Raindrop - Prelude Opus 28 Number 15 - Chopin

Autumn often conveys a melancholic or nostalgic mood,
especially when it is also accompanied with rain.

The first autumn rain has finally arrived in the Valley.

空山新雨後,天氣晚來秋.

The night breeze is cool and fresh.

While walking on my yard lawn, I felt the soft, crunchy texture
beneath my feet. I loved it.

Rain inspires thought and literary.

"片雲頭上黑 便是雨催詩"

Autumn rain had inspired the ancient poets.

“涼風吹夜雨 蕭瑟動寒林”

“細雨濕衣看不見 閒花落地聽無聲”

"三秋細雨愁楓葉 一夜扁舟宿葦花"

“澗底松搖千尺雨 庭中竹撼一窗秋"


Yeh Tze

Sunday, October 2, 2011

"天宫一号" and "America The Beautiful"


【文匯網訊】據鳳凰衛視報道,美聯社稱發現9月29日央視現場直播
天宮一號升空時, 播放的背景音樂是America The Beautiful 美麗的亞
美利加,號稱美國的第二國歌.

Music choice during broadcast raises eyebrows

"America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song.
It reminds me of a writing that I once posted on my blog:

America the Beautiful

America the Beautiful (from Youtube)

http://adm2.elpasoco.com/epchome/images/america.jpg
"America the Beautiful" plaque atop Pikes Peak

"America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The lyrics
were written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by
church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward. Bates wrote her
song "America the Beautiful" after visiting Pike's Peak during the
summer of 1893.

She recalled "It was then and there, as I was looking out over
the sea-like expanse of fertile country spreading away so far under
those ample skies, that the opening lines of the hymn floated into
my mind." The song is one of the most beloved and popular of the
many American patriotic songs.

In early October 2008, while visiting our younger daughter in
Colorado, we had the opportunity to drive up to the summit of
Pikes Peak, where is at an elevation of 14,115 feet(4,302 m).
We saw what Bates had seen, the beauty and majesty of nature
landscape, and, of course, the "America the Beautiful" plaque atop
Pikes Peak as well.


Yeh Tze