The Unnamed

      It’s no easy task to really “enter” The Unnamed at the very beginning. By reading one page after another for some time, I still couldn’t figure out what it is driving at. Patience is the first thing that involves.

      However, the sort of “wired” atmosphere that has been built up also made me curious about what it is really about. --- Tim Farnsworth is being tortured by an unnamed disease, be it mental or physical, which made him keep WALKING and WALKING until he collapses.

      As a successful lawyer and partner, he is so committed to his career. As a caring husband, he is so in love with his wife, Jane. But as the WALKING thing comes back to him more and more often, he has to face up to the cruel reality that one day he is going to lose them all. And he did, eventually.

      The language is simple but expressive. The places where Tim has been walking to such as the Byrant Park, blocks in Manhattan, Route 22, suburbs of New Jersey and etc. remind me so much of those old days in New York. The fear and then pain to leave his beloved job, those recitations on his walking of famous court decisions, his impulse on court motions to move, his concern about old convicted clients but inability to take any action are also appealing. And above all, Tim’s unconsciousness of what the WALKING thing is and where it is going, is the most moving part of the book, which might resemble similar fear, uncertainty and inability along the way of our life. Maybe we all have a WALKING thing inside us. Who knows?

    偶然的机会，发现一个叫做诗意栖居的咖啡馆--号称北京最小的咖啡馆，能够借阅企鹅出版社（PENGUIN）即将出版的新书试行本。如果在阅后撰写书评，还可免费得到这本书呢。I did.

基辛格的现实政治---拿破仑三世与卑斯麦

最近一直在读《大外交》。十多年前就有了这本书，却一直没有开卷。直到在一周内看完尼克松的《领袖们》，才真正开始静下来一读基辛格的这本大著。16岁时自德国移民纽约，他的观念和作风更象一个欧洲人。作为局势动荡的上个世纪70年代美国的头号外交家和多极化理论的首倡者，基辛格的外交思想与美国主流外交思想有很大差异，他为美国设计了一整套均势外交政策。在本书中，他对欧洲外交史及其人物的研究和分析有许多独到之处，包括对拿破仑三世与卑斯麦外交政策的论述：

十九世纪的欧洲，克里米亚战争后梅特涅体制的崩溃带来近20年的冲突：皮耶芒战争、法奥战争、普奥战争及普法战争。自这个混乱局面出现了新的欧洲均势。曾参与三次交战并鼓动争战的法国，不再能主导欧洲的情势。更关键性的发展是梅特涅体系的道德约束力消失。---梅特涅体系反映着18世纪的宇宙观，认为宇宙有如一座庞大的时钟，其内部的每一个齿轮均复杂而密切地咬合着，只要有一个环节出了问题，其它部分的互动就会受影响。

政治家的考验在于是否能自战术性决定的漩涡中，分辩出国家真正长远的利益为何，并规划适当的策略予以达成。拿破仑三世既想大刀阔斧的改变，又不愿放手一搏，最后注定是徒劳无功。他鼓励革命却未能体认革命可能的后果。他无法评估各种力量的关系，并利用此种关系实现个人长期目标。他的外交政策全盘皆输，原因不在于缺乏理念，而是他无法自众多的想法中理出一个头绪，或分清理想与现实间的关系。他的难题在于没有足够的实力坚持已见，他的构想又太激进难以获得共识。

1853年至1871年是一段相当混乱的时期，欧洲秩序在重整中。这段时期结束后，德国一跃成为欧陆最强大的国家。由拿破仑三世发动的摧毁维也纳体系的的大工程，在卑斯麦手中完成。他在反自由主义原则下，借普鲁士强大的军事力量，完成德国的统一大业。卑斯麦的成就与他的个性一样出人意表。这位“铁血宰相”能写文字极为简练优美的散文，喜爱诗，曾在日记中一页页地抄录拜仑的作品。这位力推现实政治的政治家却有绝佳的均衡观，虽大权在握却懂得自我约束。由于他了不起的建树，使得他所缔造的德国经历了两次世界大战的失败、两度遭外国占领及国家分裂达两个世纪之久，却依然巍然屹立。

    书中贯穿一个观点：政治人物的决策对一国前途的影响是决定性的。顺应现实政治情势并制定相应策略者昌，反之则亡。拿破仑三世的可悲之处是他眼高手低，卑斯麦的遗憾则是他的能力超出社会可接受的程度。拿破仑三世留给法国的是策略上的动弹不得，而卑斯麦留给德国的是难以企及的丰功伟业。

千色

偶然，发现央视重播电视剧《画魂》，很是欣喜。六年前曾看过这部剧。前不久还到处去寻，看是不是能买到碟，未果。想不到，又碰上了。

还是那样唯美的画面、动人的音乐、舒缓的节奏、雅致的旗袍…很多当年喜欢的，都没有变。仍然为潘玉良的坚韧与执着所深深感动，没有那份坚韧与执着，她不可能走过在巴黎40年孤独的岁月，也不可能取得在绘画领域的成就。

只是看到了一些新的东西，一些让人难过的东西。那就是当年她对身边人的冷漠与绝绝，无论是对她深爱的赞化、爱她一生的守信，还是挚友奥米。“人终究是孤独的，我可以在你身边，却改变不了什么”，这是她在他们最需要她的时候说的话，也是她弥留之际最深的悔恨。

可是，何谓对错呢？如果当年留在上海追求一个普通女人的幸福，也就不会有这位在绘画史上留下足迹的潘玉良了。人生苦短，都是自己的选择。

Brazilian Coffee House

      At northeast corner of Third Avenue & 30^th Street, there’s Brazilian Coffee House, where you can find, along with Brazilian coffee, all types of coffee beans and coffee tips on the wall. From time to time I spent my lunch break there, got to know more about coffee and wished someday I could sip my coffee in Brazil.

      I made it, eventually. It’s my first trip to Latin America. After a looong journey, I set my feet in Belem, the mouth of the Amazon River. Only by then I got to know REAL Brazilian coffee, which is sooo different from that in Manhattan.

Brazilians like their coffee as strong as the devil, as hot as hell and as sweet as love. In the morning they take it with milk, café com leite. For the rest of the day, they take cafezinhos, regular coffee served either in a drinking glass or an espresso-sized coffee cup and often presweetened, HEAVILY. As a non-sugar person, I had difficulty ordering coffee without sugar. I even had such experience to order 3 coffees before I got the one I wanted. Can you imagine it？Maybe that’s why it’s the SWEETEST trip I ever made.

朗读者

看完电影朗读者的那天上午，心里有一种说不出的难受。沉淀之后，更多的是感慨。女主人公汉娜，为了维护自尊，为了不让人知道自己不识字的秘密，情愿坐一辈子牢。几十年之后，在狱中自学识字的她，又为了惜日情人不经意的冷淡而自缢，情愿结束生命也不愿出狱后靠他的施舍过活。她哪里知道，他因为一辈子活在那段感情中，而没有真正地生活过……

是不是我们每个人的生命都有一条主线？一切的一切都服务于这条主线，哪怕是一些难以诠释的取与舍？还是绝大多数人，在生活日复一日的打磨中已然放弃了自己最珍惜的？不时会想起多年前一位学长的话：无论在什么情况下，坚持做你认为对的事。