剛才作了個小統計，這幾天總共逛了香港18間中文書店的29個鋪面：
中華（油麻地） - 新發現，頂層裝修後文史哲藝書籍齊備，舒適高雅
新思維（旺角） - 以前的心水書店，但書種越來越遠離文史哲藝
尚書房（旺角1 旺角2 旺角3 星光行 中環） - 逛逛而已，從來不是我杯茶，且書價較貴
樂文（旺角 銅鑼灣） - 始終是買台港版書好去處
榆林（旺角1 旺角2 旺角3） - 一字記之曰亂
文星（旺角） - 書種頗合心水，但不願做會員，故不幫襯
生活圖書（旺角） - 文星是一本正經的姐姐，生活圖書是活潑好動的妹妹
博學軒（旺角） - 亂、髒，不敢久留
國風堂（旺角 銅鑼灣） - 一字記之曰亂
綠野仙蹤（旺角） - 較適合年青人，與我有代溝
新益（旺角 銅鑼灣）買台港版書另一去處
學津（旺角） - 亂、髒，不敢久留
商務（尖沙咀 銅鑼灣） - 好逛的大型書店
大業（歷史博物館） - 路過
城邦（灣仔） - 難以想象能長期經營
新華書城（灣仔） - 書種齊全，惜「大陸」味濃
三聯（灣仔 中環） - 灣仔店小巧玲瓏，中環老店是我的老相好
牛棚（中環） - 稍為另類
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因朋友的推薦，買了遠藤周作的代表作《沉默》和較通俗的《我‧拋棄了的‧女人》。《沉默》的主題，不是我素來喜歡的一類，故多年前曾經拿起但結果沒有購買，可能因此而與一部傑作緣慳一面。
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買了早前我批評過的劉再復的《紅樓夢悟》。
原來有位日本推理小說作家，寫了本《紅樓夢殺人事件》。
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讀過宮部美幸的《理由》，驚為天人。今次想買她的「大」作《模仿犯》回澳，無奈真是大本之極，而且紙質厚重。有點猶疑。
2006-11-20
2006-11-19
南蓮園池
就在志蓮淨苑對面，並由志蓮淨苑策劃和管理的仿唐公園南蓮園池，剛在週三開幕。它以始建於隋代、確立於唐代的山西省絳守居園池為藍本。
南蓮園池不是收費的旅遊景點，而是所有人均可免費享用的休憩公園。
公園內最矚目的，無疑是金光燦爛的圓滿閣和兩邊相連的朱紅色的子橋和午橋。對一般港人來說，這些都是「日」式而非「唐」式建築。唐代或唐式建築，基本已在中國消失，反倒在日本能大量保留，形成誤把唐式作日式的可悲局面。
此外，長廊式的松茶榭茶館和前面的大魚池也是熱門景點。
園裏不少景點仍未開放。
遊畢南蓮園池，吃過龍門樓的素齋後，經蓮台出口，就是通往志蓮淨苑山門的相連天橋。
在烏煙瘴氣的香港，能有志蓮淨苑和南蓮園池這樣的清幽地，真是鬧市中的淨土。
南蓮園池網址 | 我的南蓮園池照相
志蓮淨苑網址 | 我的志蓮淨苑照相
----------
延伸：西安大唐芙蓉園仿唐皇家禁苑主题公園
南蓮園池不是收費的旅遊景點，而是所有人均可免費享用的休憩公園。
公園內最矚目的，無疑是金光燦爛的圓滿閣和兩邊相連的朱紅色的子橋和午橋。對一般港人來說，這些都是「日」式而非「唐」式建築。唐代或唐式建築，基本已在中國消失，反倒在日本能大量保留，形成誤把唐式作日式的可悲局面。
此外，長廊式的松茶榭茶館和前面的大魚池也是熱門景點。
園裏不少景點仍未開放。
遊畢南蓮園池，吃過龍門樓的素齋後，經蓮台出口，就是通往志蓮淨苑山門的相連天橋。
在烏煙瘴氣的香港，能有志蓮淨苑和南蓮園池這樣的清幽地，真是鬧市中的淨土。
南蓮園池網址 | 我的南蓮園池照相
志蓮淨苑網址 | 我的志蓮淨苑照相
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延伸：西安大唐芙蓉園仿唐皇家禁苑主题公園
2006-11-15
買書買碟
回到香港好幾天，天天不外乎飲飲食食，買書買碟。
就我所知，香港賣古典音樂CD的地方，不是收縮，就是離場，有點買少見少的感覺。昨天到時代廣場吃午飯，偶然在九樓發現一間古典+爵士+靚聲+電影碟中型鋪，選擇尚算不俗。老闆有點面熟，不知與恒生那間好像叫「寶韻」的有否關係。待考。
至於買書，以前常光顧的一間旺角樓上書店已經轉型至與我無涉。我是「文史哲藝」讀者，以前不少樓上書屋都頗合我心意。但書店畢竟也是生意，競爭激烈，入貨書種難免要與市場需求同步。幼兒，語文，心靈、商管、理財、翻譯書種已成主流。我只能另覓樂土了。
油麻地中華書店頂樓經改裝後，主打文史哲藝書，正合我意。
就我所知，香港賣古典音樂CD的地方，不是收縮，就是離場，有點買少見少的感覺。昨天到時代廣場吃午飯，偶然在九樓發現一間古典+爵士+靚聲+電影碟中型鋪，選擇尚算不俗。老闆有點面熟，不知與恒生那間好像叫「寶韻」的有否關係。待考。
至於買書，以前常光顧的一間旺角樓上書店已經轉型至與我無涉。我是「文史哲藝」讀者，以前不少樓上書屋都頗合我心意。但書店畢竟也是生意，競爭激烈，入貨書種難免要與市場需求同步。幼兒，語文，心靈、商管、理財、翻譯書種已成主流。我只能另覓樂土了。
油麻地中華書店頂樓經改裝後，主打文史哲藝書，正合我意。
2006-11-12
Blog address
You may have noticed that the address for two of my blogs, including this one, has been changed.
First, I have to say sorry for the inconvenience it may have caused.
I didn't do this for fun. In fact, it was no fun at all.
For so long, I have been unknowingly using addresses which are problematic for indexing and searching. For example, the address for this blog has long been:
www.joetsang.net/jtblog/jtblog.html
The appropriate address should be:
www.joetsang.net/jtblog/index.html
which can be accessed simply by going to:
www.joetsang.net/jtblog/
I began to suspect something was wrong after I have installed Technorati search here. Whenever I typed in a word to test it out, it always came back with zero result.
Anyway, there is no need to go through the whole process. Suffice to say that the problem has now been fixed (I think).
First, I have to say sorry for the inconvenience it may have caused.
I didn't do this for fun. In fact, it was no fun at all.
For so long, I have been unknowingly using addresses which are problematic for indexing and searching. For example, the address for this blog has long been:
www.joetsang.net/jtblog/jtblog.html
The appropriate address should be:
www.joetsang.net/jtblog/index.html
which can be accessed simply by going to:
www.joetsang.net/jtblog/
I began to suspect something was wrong after I have installed Technorati search here. Whenever I typed in a word to test it out, it always came back with zero result.
Anyway, there is no need to go through the whole process. Suffice to say that the problem has now been fixed (I think).
觀影讀書流水賬 12/11
觀影：James McTeigue 《V for Vendetta》
Luc Jacquet 《March of the Penguins》
雖然Wachowski兄弟將《V for Vendetta》交由副手James McTeigue執導，但影片處處都是他們的影子。以一部商業電影而論，《V for Vendetta》絕對是部傑作。它徹底地挽回我對Wachowski兄弟因Matrix 2和3的不濟而失落的信心。
《March of the Penguins》看的是英文版，Morgan Freeman旁述。上佳的動物紀錄片。
2006-11-11
被迫以全新貌樣示眾
前天，網誌搬遷到新平台（Blogger Beta），一切順利。
正是，飽暖思淫慾，一切順風順水，自然想去拈花惹草，於是隨即展開template改善大計，例如弄掉那本來長長的archive list。
搞東搞西，終於出事。一番改動後，Firefox能正確顯示網誌，但用IE，只見空頁一張。
百思不得其解。毫無解決辦法。
於是把心一橫，推倒過往，重頭再來，將原本的template幹掉，換上一個新的。於是有此全新貌樣。
正是：大半天後，又是一條好漢！
正是，飽暖思淫慾，一切順風順水，自然想去拈花惹草，於是隨即展開template改善大計，例如弄掉那本來長長的archive list。
搞東搞西，終於出事。一番改動後，Firefox能正確顯示網誌，但用IE，只見空頁一張。
百思不得其解。毫無解決辦法。
於是把心一橫，推倒過往，重頭再來，將原本的template幹掉，換上一個新的。於是有此全新貌樣。
正是：大半天後，又是一條好漢！
Saying goodbye to the garden
We shall be flying out for a one-and-a-half-month trip tomorrow. Although we have asked a friend to water the plants for us during the period, there is no doubt that some of them are going to suffer under the dry hot Australian weather. Good luck.
2006-11-09
Bra bag and bag bra
Celebrating the migration of this blog to the new Blogger Beta platform, here's a feel-good entry. Enjoy.
The latest and greatest invention from Japan is the eco-friendly bra bag - the No! Shopping Bag Bra from Triumph Intl. Japan.
This wonder bra can be turned into a shopping bag in just a few simple steps and is designed to promote the reduction of plastic bag consumption.
According to Pink Tentacle, "when the bra is being worn, the 'shopping bag' portions are folded away inside the bra cups, where they serve as extra padding. The bra quickly converts to a shopping bag by removing the bag portions from the cups and connecting the hooks on the bra's underwire. The lace cups serve as decoration along with the shoulder straps, which are disconnected and tied to the top of the bag as ribbons."
Two things I don't understand:
1. Can the bag be reverted back to a bra after the shopping's done?
2. Can the bra-bag transformation be done in seconds? There is usually a long queue behind you at the supermarket check-out.
On the whole, I doubt whether any significant number of plastic shopping bags can be saved as a result of this invention.
But I have no doubt about the eco-friendliness credential of this one: turning a plastic bag into a bra.
According to the inventor, "this bra can be used for men as part of a party costume" but can also suit the really thrifty and crafty type. Just follow the instructions from BBC's h2g2 site.
OK, I have to admit, the main reason why I posted the above entry was to test whether the new Blogger platform publishes texts, graphics and videos correctly. It did. But from early experience, the "publishing process" was as bad as the previous one. In fact, you might argue that old platform is superior in that at least it gives you the "percentages" while you wait, whereas in the new platform, you never know how close you are from being done. Also, I am still having problems with publishing using Firefox, my default browser. Publishing with IE seemed smoother.
It's a dilemma. I have four blogs, two of which publish on my joetsang.net domain using FTP, while the other two are hosted by Blogspot. Of course I prefer my blogs to be on my domain. But the speed and ease of publishing, and the bigger range of formatting and customisation possibilities under Blogspot are quite persuasive.
The latest and greatest invention from Japan is the eco-friendly bra bag - the No! Shopping Bag Bra from Triumph Intl. Japan.
This wonder bra can be turned into a shopping bag in just a few simple steps and is designed to promote the reduction of plastic bag consumption.
According to Pink Tentacle, "when the bra is being worn, the 'shopping bag' portions are folded away inside the bra cups, where they serve as extra padding. The bra quickly converts to a shopping bag by removing the bag portions from the cups and connecting the hooks on the bra's underwire. The lace cups serve as decoration along with the shoulder straps, which are disconnected and tied to the top of the bag as ribbons."
Two things I don't understand:
1. Can the bag be reverted back to a bra after the shopping's done?
2. Can the bra-bag transformation be done in seconds? There is usually a long queue behind you at the supermarket check-out.
On the whole, I doubt whether any significant number of plastic shopping bags can be saved as a result of this invention.But I have no doubt about the eco-friendliness credential of this one: turning a plastic bag into a bra.
According to the inventor, "this bra can be used for men as part of a party costume" but can also suit the really thrifty and crafty type. Just follow the instructions from BBC's h2g2 site.
OK, I have to admit, the main reason why I posted the above entry was to test whether the new Blogger platform publishes texts, graphics and videos correctly. It did. But from early experience, the "publishing process" was as bad as the previous one. In fact, you might argue that old platform is superior in that at least it gives you the "percentages" while you wait, whereas in the new platform, you never know how close you are from being done. Also, I am still having problems with publishing using Firefox, my default browser. Publishing with IE seemed smoother.
It's a dilemma. I have four blogs, two of which publish on my joetsang.net domain using FTP, while the other two are hosted by Blogspot. Of course I prefer my blogs to be on my domain. But the speed and ease of publishing, and the bigger range of formatting and customisation possibilities under Blogspot are quite persuasive.
2006-11-05
觀影讀書流水賬 5/11
觀影：無讀書：無
----------
下星期天，我將外遊一個半月，聖誕過後才會來，因此這篇流水賬極有可能是今年的最後一篇了。
不如借此機會，選出本人2006觀影之最：
喜出望外：
- Andrey Zvyagintsev The Return
- Oliver Hirschbiegel Downfall
- 馬儷文 我們倆
- 許秦豪 外出
- 市川準 東尼瀧谷
- Pedro Almodovar Bad Education
----------近日一口氣寫了幾篇頗長的關於《紅樓夢》的文章，於是翻閱了不少自己的紅學藏書，又搜尋並閱讀了更多的網上文章。
----------
除了冒充紅學家外，本週我也忙於完成曾堯2006日本訪古賞楓之旅網誌的事前準備部分。以往我外遊時，都會將遊記及照片先放在本網誌，然後才慢慢製作一個專題網頁。但年中到中歐旅行前，卻決定搞搞新意思，先製作一個臨時網誌擺放遊記及照片，待專題網頁完成後，才將網誌取消。
今次的日本之旅，我原本打算故技重施。碰巧當時Blogger.com推出新的Beta平台，據說功能更多，操作更穩定，而我現有的網誌尚未排期遷移，於是決定在新平台建此日本遊網誌，既可達到原來目的，又可藉此熟習新平台的運作和設計。
及後再想想，以往總是在出發後才將所見所聞所吃所照放在網誌上，不如今次創新一番，將出發前做的準備工夫也一併載入。
這前半部分現已大功告成。
Babel by Inarritu
Here's the official site of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's new movie: Babel.
I am looking forward to watching it. Hopefully it will surpass what Inarritu achieved in his previous movies Amores Perros and 21 Grams.
I am looking forward to watching it. Hopefully it will surpass what Inarritu achieved in his previous movies Amores Perros and 21 Grams.
2006-11-04
Latest on migration to Blogger Beta
Those, including me, who were outraged at the repeated outages of the Blogger platform over the past few weeks should read the latest Blogger Buzz announcement.
Essentially, full migration to the new Blogger Beta platform will take place soon, including those, again including me, who publish your blogs to your own domain via FTP. Label management will be available under Blogger Beta, and the dreaded "publishing process" should become more trouble-free (I hope).
Essentially, full migration to the new Blogger Beta platform will take place soon, including those, again including me, who publish your blogs to your own domain via FTP. Label management will be available under Blogger Beta, and the dreaded "publishing process" should become more trouble-free (I hope).
啼笑皆非的「為尊者諱」
為寫那篇上海博物館購入《紅樓夢》甲戌本究竟是怎麼一回事？，我近日常在網上搜尋有關資料。
碰到一篇文章，題為「我眼中的周先生」﹝周先生即名紅學家周汝昌﹞。作者開首即表明寫作動機：
幾天前，看到一篇群小攻擊周先生的報道，非常憤怒。為尊者諱，想借這一席之地，回敬這幫無恥之徒。那好吧，今天，我來寫寫我所認識的周先生。
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駁斥無恥之徒是應該的。但總不能「為尊者諱」啊！ :-)
----------
文章提到：
試想，在人民解放軍的炮火將逼近之即，從胡先生手上交出，周汝昌歸還，1949年胡適帶走(僅隨身帶走兩本書)，胡先生去世之際存入美國康奈爾大學，如果歸屬上海博物館的甲戌原本，如果沒有那麼歷史性的時刻，甲戌本該是什麼樣子？
歷史就這樣與我們越來越遠了。甲戌本回到中國，可是，他們(周先生和甲戌本)還有機會重逢嗎？相信周老平生之願是重新再看一眼與他相離了半個多世紀的書，撫摸一下當年寫在原書上的短跋──當年的周汝昌是何等的意氣風發──而如今又是如何的淡定從容!讓書也再撫摸一下周先生吧。
周汝昌能否與《甲戌本》重會，互相訴說分手後幾十年的滄桑際遇，就要看上海博物館了。
----------
關於周汝昌1948年向胡適借閱《甲戌本》，抄寫副本，並在胡適倉惶離開北平前歸還的一段歷史，可參閱宋廣波的胡適與甲戌本〈石頭記〉。
----------
碰到一篇文章，題為「我眼中的周先生」﹝周先生即名紅學家周汝昌﹞。作者開首即表明寫作動機：
幾天前，看到一篇群小攻擊周先生的報道，非常憤怒。為尊者諱，想借這一席之地，回敬這幫無恥之徒。那好吧，今天，我來寫寫我所認識的周先生。
----------
駁斥無恥之徒是應該的。但總不能「為尊者諱」啊！ :-)
----------
文章提到：
試想，在人民解放軍的炮火將逼近之即，從胡先生手上交出，周汝昌歸還，1949年胡適帶走(僅隨身帶走兩本書)，胡先生去世之際存入美國康奈爾大學，如果歸屬上海博物館的甲戌原本，如果沒有那麼歷史性的時刻，甲戌本該是什麼樣子？
歷史就這樣與我們越來越遠了。甲戌本回到中國，可是，他們(周先生和甲戌本)還有機會重逢嗎？相信周老平生之願是重新再看一眼與他相離了半個多世紀的書，撫摸一下當年寫在原書上的短跋──當年的周汝昌是何等的意氣風發──而如今又是如何的淡定從容!讓書也再撫摸一下周先生吧。
周汝昌能否與《甲戌本》重會，互相訴說分手後幾十年的滄桑際遇，就要看上海博物館了。
----------
關於周汝昌1948年向胡適借閱《甲戌本》，抄寫副本，並在胡適倉惶離開北平前歸還的一段歷史，可參閱宋廣波的胡適與甲戌本〈石頭記〉。
2006-11-02
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