Our prime purpose in this life

“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.”

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Dalai Lama

we would only date you, but will not marry you

讀到以下兩封信。拜金主義少女將愛情、婚姻和金錢等值，錙銖必較，一心只打算釣金龜，而一個會與這種人談婚論嫁的人，他本人可以斷定為一個精神殘廢，沒有甚麼精神契約可言。回信者用同樣的邏輯演繹他的看法，結論是“ we would only date you, but will not marry you ”，落得個聲色犬馬，在精神契約面前，這票人何等賤價。


A young and pretty lady posted this on a popular forum:


Title: What should I do to marry a rich guy?


I'm going to be honest of what I'm going to say here.


I'm 25 this year. I'm very pretty, have style and good taste. I wish to marry a guy with $500k annual salary or above.


You might say that I'm greedy, but an annual salary of $1M is considered only as middle class in New York.


My requirement is not high. Is there anyone in this forum who has an income of $500k annual salary? Are you all married?


I wanted to ask: what should I do to marry rich persons like you?


Among those I've dated, the richest is $250k annual income, and it seems that this is my upper limit.


If someone is going to move into high cost residential area on the west of New York City Garden(?), $250k annual income is not enough.


I'm here humbly to ask a few questions:


1) Where do most rich bachelors hang out? (Please list down the names and addresses of bars, restaurant, gym)


2) Which age group should I target?


3) Why most wives of the riches are only average-looking? I've met a few girls who don't have looks and are not interesting, but they are able to marry rich guys.


4) How do you decide who can be your wife, and who can only be your girlfriend? (my target now is to get married)


Ms. Pretty




A philosophical reply from CEO of J.P. Morgan:


Dear Ms. Pretty,


I have read your post with great interest. Guess there are lots of girls out there who have similar questions like yours. Please allow me to analyse your situation as a professional investor.


My annual income is more than $500k, which meets your requirement, so I hope everyone believes that I'm not wasting time here.


From the standpoint of a business person, it is a bad decision to marry you. The answer is very simple, so let me explain.


Put the details aside, what you're trying to do is an exchange of "beauty" and "money" : Person A provides beauty, and Person B pays for it, fair and square.


However, there's a deadly problem here, your beauty will fade, but my money will not be gone without any good reason. The fact is, my income might increase from year to year, but you can't be prettier year after year.


Hence from the viewpoint of economics, I am an appreciation asset, and you are a depreciation asset. It's not just normal depreciation, but exponential depreciation. If that is your only asset, your value will be much worse 10 years later.



By the terms we use in Wall Street, every trading has a position, dating with you is also a "trading position".

If the trade value dropped we will sell it and it is not a good idea to keep it for long term - same goes with the marriage that you wanted. It might be cruel to say this, but in order to make a wiser decision any assets with great depreciation value will be sold or "leased".


Anyone with over $500k annual income is not a fool; we would only date you, but will not marry you. I would advice that you forget looking for any clues to marry a rich guy. And by the way, you could make yourself to become a rich person with $500k annual income.This has better chance than finding a rich fool.


Hope this reply helps.


signed,
J.P. Morgan CEO

the heavy dust of politics

每年春天二三月，都會看奧斯卡頒獎，明珠台早上直播
，夜晚八時正準時轉播，無綫字幕組總動員，肯定是最
忙的年度大事。獎項以外，今年台上最搶眼的，除了安
祖蓮娜祖莉的長腿外，還有以下這段話──


[伊朗式分居]的導演接受「最佳外語片」時說：

At this time, many Iranians all over the world are watching us

and I imagine them to be very happy. At a time of talk of war,

intimidation and aggression is exchanged between politicians,

the name of their county, Iran, is spoken here through her

glorious culture, a rich and ancient culture that has been

hidden under the heavy dust of politics. I proudly offer

this award to the people of my country, the people who respect

all cultures and civilizations and despise hostility and resentment.

可以無限對號入座的一段話，也適用於那些可以無限對
號入座的國家。

辛波絲卡

辛波絲卡昨天逝世的消息，是這個早晨最不安的事情。




辛波絲卡：〈墓誌銘〉

這裡躺著，像逗點般，一個
舊派的人。她寫過幾首詩，
大地賜她長眠，雖然她生前
不曾加入任何文學派系。
她墓上除了這首小詩，牛蒡
和貓頭鷹外，別無其它珍物。
路人啊，拿出你提包裡的電腦，
思索一下辛波絲卡的命運。

moral or immoral

There is no such thing as a moral or immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.

Oscar Wilde

普費佛

荷蘭詩人普費佛(Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer)如是說：「令人費解的詩總比易讀的詩強。」

徹底改造?

「徹底改造?讓我想想，我不太明白這個詞的含意了，我知道他正確的含意，對我它只是一個編造的詞，一個政治家的詞彙，讓你們這些年輕人穿上西服繫上領帶，好好上班，你想了解我甚麼?是否後悔過去犯的罪?過去的每一天我都在悔恨，不是因為我關在這裡或是你們認為我應該，每當回首往事，那個年輕、愚蠢的孩子犯下了彌天大罪，我想和他談談，想給他講講道理，告訴他甚麼是對，甚麼是錯，可是我找不到了，那個孩子消失了，只剩下一個老人，我必須接受這個現實。徹底改造?只是個沒用的單詞。繼續在文件上蓋章吧年輕人，別再浪費時間了，因為說句實話，我一點也不在乎。」


《月黑高飛》

給P / star-gazer


距離在我們的中間
是五張桌子，十二把椅子
兩杯咖啡
和二十三年的時光

hero/coward

you can be a dead hero or a live coward.
John Dillinger on 'Public Enemies'

我不和你談論／吳晟

[天南]上一首吳晟的詩手稿。
美麗的字。上佳的詩。
----------------------------------------------------------------------

陽羨鵝籠

很棒的故事。複習期間讀到《續齊諧記》一篇[陽羨鵝籠]，非常棒的故事。

-----------------------------------------------------------------

陽羨許彥，於綏安山行，遇一書生，年十七八，臥路側，云腳痛，求寄鵝籠中。
彥以為戲言。書生便入籠，籠亦不更廣，書生亦不更小，宛然與雙鵝並坐，鵝亦不驚。

彥負籠而去，都不覺重。
前行息樹下，書生乃出籠，謂彥曰：「欲為君薄設。」

彥曰：「善。」

乃口中吐出一銅奩子，奩子中具諸肴饌，珍饈方丈。
其器皿皆銅物，氣味香旨，世所罕見。

酒數行，謂彥曰：「向將一婦人自隨，今欲暫邀之。」

彥曰：「善。」

又於口中吐一女子，年可十五六，衣服綺麗，容貌殊絕，共坐宴。

俄而書生醉臥，此女謂彥曰：「雖與書生結妻，而實懷怨。
向亦竊得一男子同行，書生既眠，暫喚之，君幸勿言。」

彥曰：「善。」

女子於口中吐出一男子，年可二十三四，亦穎悟可愛，乃與彥敘寒溫。
書生臥欲覺，女子口吐一錦行障，遮書生。
書生乃留女子共臥。

男子謂彥曰：「此女子雖有心，情亦不甚，
向複竊得一女人同行，今欲暫見之，願君勿泄。」

彥曰：「善。」

男子又於口中吐一婦人，年可二十許，共酌，戲談甚久。

聞書生動聲，男子曰：「二人眠已覺。」
因取所吐女人，還內口中。

須臾，書生處女乃出，謂彥曰：「書生欲起。」
乃吞向男子，獨對彥坐。

然後書生起，謂彥曰：「暫眠遂久，君獨坐，當悒悒邪?
曰又晚，當與君別。」

遂吞其女子，諸器皿悉內口中。
留大銅盤，可二尺廣，與彥別曰：「無以藉君，與君相憶也。」

彥大元中為蘭台令史，以盤餉侍中張散。
散看其銘題，云是永平三年作。

人心譬如槃水

人心譬如槃水

正錯而勿動

則湛濁在下而清明在上

則足以見鬚眉而察理矣

微風過之

湛濁動乎下

清明亂於上

則不可以得大形之正也

荀子‧解蔽

veiled

earth is veiled
in darkness
where bats can sense
their way


tranströmer -
ostinato

someone's been pulling your leg

excuse me. can you really tell from someone's picture if they're dead or not?
請問，你們能不能憑照片知道相中人的死活?


someone's been pulling your leg.
別跟我開玩笑。


奇斯洛夫斯基《殺誡》

坐忘

.

這是一個高難度的行為。
無法練就。
-----------------------------------------------





顏回曰：「回益矣。」
仲尼曰：「何謂也?」
曰：「回忘仁義矣。」
曰：「可矣，猶未也。」

他日復見，曰：「回益矣。」
曰：「何謂也?」
曰：「回忘禮樂矣。」
曰：「可矣，猶未也。」

他日復見，曰：「回益矣。」
曰：「何謂也?」
曰：「回坐忘矣。」
仲尼蹴然曰：「何謂坐忘?」

顏回曰：「墮肢體，黜聰明，離形去知， 同於大通，此謂『坐忘』。」

仲尼曰：「同則無好也，化則無常也。而果其賢乎，丘也請從而後也。」


《莊子‧內篇‧大宗師》




.

"Women are meant to be loved, not to be understood." - Oscar Wilde

'I hurt easy, I just don’t show it/You can hurt someone and not even know it/The next sixty seconds could be like an eternity/Gonna get low down, gonna fly high/All the truth in the world adds up to one big lie'
卜戴倫

「」

「
　　　看　因　是　是
　　　見　為　它　一
　　　它　它　的　條
　　　哭　外　本　感
　　　的　表　質　情
　　　時　好　沒　豐
　　　候　像　有　富
　　　我　改　變　的
　　　很　變　，　毛
　　　開　了　它　巾
　　　心　，　依　。
　　　，　可　然
　　　　　　　　　　　　」重慶森林