"Only in silence the word, only in dark the light, only in dying life, bright the hawk's flight on the empty sky."
Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Revenge
Aomame shook her head. "Even If I take your life here, that won't bring Ayumi back."
"No, but it would provide some degree of retaliation against the Little People. You could have your revenge, as it were. They don't want me to die yet. If I die now, it will open up vacuum- at least a temporary vacuum, until a successor comes into being. It would be a strike against them. At the same time, it would be a benefit to you."
"Someone once said that nothing costs more and yields less benefit than revenge," Aomame said.
"Winston Churchill. As I recall it, though, he was making excuses for the British Empire's budget deficits. It has no moral significance."
"Never mind about the morals. You are going to die in agony while some strange thing eats you up whether I raise a hand against you or not. I have no reason to sympathise with you for that. Even if the world were to lose all morals and go to pieces, it wouldn't be my fault."
----
1Q84, H. Murakami
From the talk between Aomame and the Leader. Striking...
"No, but it would provide some degree of retaliation against the Little People. You could have your revenge, as it were. They don't want me to die yet. If I die now, it will open up vacuum- at least a temporary vacuum, until a successor comes into being. It would be a strike against them. At the same time, it would be a benefit to you."
"Someone once said that nothing costs more and yields less benefit than revenge," Aomame said.
"Winston Churchill. As I recall it, though, he was making excuses for the British Empire's budget deficits. It has no moral significance."
"Never mind about the morals. You are going to die in agony while some strange thing eats you up whether I raise a hand against you or not. I have no reason to sympathise with you for that. Even if the world were to lose all morals and go to pieces, it wouldn't be my fault."
----
1Q84, H. Murakami
From the talk between Aomame and the Leader. Striking...
An Idea
"I've been thinking about this... Well, I always kind of wanted to write a book that all took place within the space of a pop song. Like three or four minutes long, the whole thing. The story, the idea, is that there's this guy, right and he's totally depressed. His great dream was to be a lover, an adventurer, you know riding motorcycles through South America. And instead he's sitting at a marble table eating lobster. He's got a good job and a beautiful wife, right, but that...Everything that he needs. But that doesn't matter because what he wants is to fight for meaning. You know? Happiness is in the doing, right? Not in the getting what you want.
So he's sitting there, and just that second his little 5-year-old daughter hops up on the table. And he knows that she should get down, because she could get hurt. But she's dancing to this pop song in a summer dress. And he looks down and all of a sudden, he's sixteen. And his high-school sweetheart is dropping him off at home. And they just lost their virginity, and she loves him and the same song is playing on the car radio. And she climbs up and starts dancing on the roof of the car. And now he's worried about her. And she's beautiful, with a facial expression just like his daughter's. In fact, maybe that's why he even likes her.
You see, he knows he's not remembering this dance. He's there. He's there, in both moments, simultaneously. And just for an instant, all his life is just folding in on itself. And it's obvious to him
that time is a lie. That it's all happening all the time and inside every moment is another moment. All happening simultaneously. Anyway, that's kind of the idea. Anyway."
So he's sitting there, and just that second his little 5-year-old daughter hops up on the table. And he knows that she should get down, because she could get hurt. But she's dancing to this pop song in a summer dress. And he looks down and all of a sudden, he's sixteen. And his high-school sweetheart is dropping him off at home. And they just lost their virginity, and she loves him and the same song is playing on the car radio. And she climbs up and starts dancing on the roof of the car. And now he's worried about her. And she's beautiful, with a facial expression just like his daughter's. In fact, maybe that's why he even likes her.
You see, he knows he's not remembering this dance. He's there. He's there, in both moments, simultaneously. And just for an instant, all his life is just folding in on itself. And it's obvious to him
that time is a lie. That it's all happening all the time and inside every moment is another moment. All happening simultaneously. Anyway, that's kind of the idea. Anyway."
A part from "Before Sunset"
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Alikiz Kuyusu, Kanciklik Dehlizi, Sise-i Rindan
Mimdarlar, Alikiz Kuyusu, Kanciklik Dehlizi, Sise-i Rindan olmak uzere, ucu de birbirinden belali, birbirinden cetrefil uc safhadan gecerlerdi.
Alikiz Kuyusu, ici yariya kadar gulsuyuyla, yariya kadar da bezir yagi ile doldurulmus, genis agizli bir kuyu idi. Her iki sivi da aradaki huduta hurmet gosterip, birbirlerine karismadan, kuyunun dairesini kaplarlardi. Alikiz Kuyusu'na indirilen Mimdar evvela, gulsuyu ile doldurulmus kisimda, yukaridan dallanan halatlara tutunarak dururdu. Gulsuyu buz gibi soguk oldugundan bir yandan iliklerine kadar titrer, bir yandan da metanetini yitirmemeye caba gosteriridi. Bir muddet sonra, kuyunun etrafini oren mahalle sakinleri asagidaki Mimdar'i ovmeye, goklere cikarmaya baslarlardi. Mimdar soylenin her iltifata, simarmadan, kendini koyvermeden cevap vermeye mecburdu. Daha sonra, gene halatlarin yardimiyla bezir yagi ile dolu kisma gecen Mimdar, bu sefer de yergi yagmura tutulurdu. Mahalle ahalisi az evvel ove ove goklere cikardiklarini, simdi yere yere yerin dibine geciriverirlerdi. Ustune ustluk, bezir yagi adamin yuregini sikistiracak kadar sicak olurdu. Mahelle sakinleri onun hakkinda her turlu fena lafi soylediklerinde, Mimdar bozulmadan, gocunmadan, ustune gelen her saldiriyi usulunce karsilamak durumundaydi. Bir de su var ki, kuyunun agzindan atilan her soz Alikiz Kuyusu'nun duvarlarinda yankilanir, munasip bir cevap gelene kadar da bu yanki durmak bilmezdi. Bir zaman sonra ovguler de yergiler de can acitir, kan akitirdi. Eger Mimdar panzehirini yaninda tasimiyorsa, cabucak kelimelerin zehirine teslim olur; yukari cikartilmak icin feryad ederek aglamaya baslardi. Alikiz Kuyusu'nda cuvallayanlar oteki sinavlara girmeye hak kazanamadiklarindan, kafi derecede pismediklerine kanaat getirilerek saliverilirlerdi.
Kuyudan alinin akiyla cikanlar ise bir gece dinlendikten sonra ertesi gun en pak, en sik kiyafetlerini giyerek Kanciklik Dehlizi'ne sokulurlardi. Dehlizin disariya acilan kapaklarindan biri mahalle camiinin icindeydi. Gulfam camiinin avlusundaki ceviz agacinin dibinde bulunan ve kilidin anahtari sadece cami imaminda duran agir ve hantal tas kapak bu istisnai gunlerde acilir ve Mimdar iste buraya sokulurdu. Dehliz mahallenin tam altindan dolanir; catal catal yollara ayrilirdi. Sinav esnasinda, yollardan pek cogunun ya agizlari duvarlarla, taslarla, kalaslarla orulu oldugundan ya da nereye ciktiklari alabildigine mechul oldugundan, sadece birkaci kullanilirdi. Kullananilan yollarda her taraf boy boy, turlu turlu ayna ile donatildigindan Mimdar nereye bakarsa baksin sade kendini gorur; bir vakit sonra da kendi suretiyle hesaplasmaya koyulurdu. Bu dehlizdeki aynalar Mimdar'a paha bicilmez hediyeler teklif edip, karsiliginda da ondan, herhangi bir mahelle sakini tufaya getirmesini isterlerdi. Teklifler oylesine goz kamastirici, hediyeler oylesine akillara durgunluk verici olurdu ki, pek cok Mimdar icinde kabaran tugyani zapt edemeyerek cok gecmeden kanciklik etmeye razi gelirdi. Ve iste boyleleri, mal mulk icin esine dostuna halel getirmeyi korkunc bir zull addeden mahalle sakinleri tarafindan hemen imtihandan cikartilirlardi. Dehlizden de alninin akiyla cikarak, kancikliga sonuna kadar direnebilenler ise, gene bir gece dinlendikten sonra Sise-i Rindan safhasina hak kazanmis olurlardi.
Sise-i Rindan asamasina varan Mimdar, Akrep Arif mahallesinin orta yerine kurulan ziyafet sofrasinda, mahallelinin kendi elcegizi ve ayakcagizla yaptigi testi testi sarabi kafasina dikmekle ise baslardi. Boyle boyle hem Mimdar'i meykesligi olculur; hem de cakirkeyif oldugundan dilinin dolanip dolanmadigi, huylarinin degisip degismedigi anlasilirdi. Ilk iki imtihani basariyla vermis pek cok Mimdar testiler dolusu sarabi mideye indirdikten sonra yilisarak agizlarina soyledikleri, ciglik edip luzumsuz patirti kopardiklari ve muhabettin tadina damla damla agu kattiklari icin tam da dananin kuyrugunu kopartacaklari sirada elenmislerdi. Kaybettiklerine kani olmayan ve nerede hata yaptiklarini sarhos kafayla bir turlu idrak edemeyen Mimdarlarin, durduk yere hirgur cikartmamalari icin de her turlu tedbir alinmisti.
Sise-i Rindan'da kendini ispatlayan Mimdar, demirden dokulmus kuzey kapisinin onunde, has ipekten serbazlik kusagi kusandiktan sonra yediden yetmise herkes tarafindan bir guzel opulur, tebrik edilirdi. O vakit mahlle buyukleri ona yeni bir isim verir; ve bu ismin kazindigi bir akma haceri kusagina yerlestirirdi.
Pinhan, Elif Safak
------
Sen hangi sahfasindasin?
Alikiz Kuyusu, ici yariya kadar gulsuyuyla, yariya kadar da bezir yagi ile doldurulmus, genis agizli bir kuyu idi. Her iki sivi da aradaki huduta hurmet gosterip, birbirlerine karismadan, kuyunun dairesini kaplarlardi. Alikiz Kuyusu'na indirilen Mimdar evvela, gulsuyu ile doldurulmus kisimda, yukaridan dallanan halatlara tutunarak dururdu. Gulsuyu buz gibi soguk oldugundan bir yandan iliklerine kadar titrer, bir yandan da metanetini yitirmemeye caba gosteriridi. Bir muddet sonra, kuyunun etrafini oren mahalle sakinleri asagidaki Mimdar'i ovmeye, goklere cikarmaya baslarlardi. Mimdar soylenin her iltifata, simarmadan, kendini koyvermeden cevap vermeye mecburdu. Daha sonra, gene halatlarin yardimiyla bezir yagi ile dolu kisma gecen Mimdar, bu sefer de yergi yagmura tutulurdu. Mahalle ahalisi az evvel ove ove goklere cikardiklarini, simdi yere yere yerin dibine geciriverirlerdi. Ustune ustluk, bezir yagi adamin yuregini sikistiracak kadar sicak olurdu. Mahelle sakinleri onun hakkinda her turlu fena lafi soylediklerinde, Mimdar bozulmadan, gocunmadan, ustune gelen her saldiriyi usulunce karsilamak durumundaydi. Bir de su var ki, kuyunun agzindan atilan her soz Alikiz Kuyusu'nun duvarlarinda yankilanir, munasip bir cevap gelene kadar da bu yanki durmak bilmezdi. Bir zaman sonra ovguler de yergiler de can acitir, kan akitirdi. Eger Mimdar panzehirini yaninda tasimiyorsa, cabucak kelimelerin zehirine teslim olur; yukari cikartilmak icin feryad ederek aglamaya baslardi. Alikiz Kuyusu'nda cuvallayanlar oteki sinavlara girmeye hak kazanamadiklarindan, kafi derecede pismediklerine kanaat getirilerek saliverilirlerdi.
Kuyudan alinin akiyla cikanlar ise bir gece dinlendikten sonra ertesi gun en pak, en sik kiyafetlerini giyerek Kanciklik Dehlizi'ne sokulurlardi. Dehlizin disariya acilan kapaklarindan biri mahalle camiinin icindeydi. Gulfam camiinin avlusundaki ceviz agacinin dibinde bulunan ve kilidin anahtari sadece cami imaminda duran agir ve hantal tas kapak bu istisnai gunlerde acilir ve Mimdar iste buraya sokulurdu. Dehliz mahallenin tam altindan dolanir; catal catal yollara ayrilirdi. Sinav esnasinda, yollardan pek cogunun ya agizlari duvarlarla, taslarla, kalaslarla orulu oldugundan ya da nereye ciktiklari alabildigine mechul oldugundan, sadece birkaci kullanilirdi. Kullananilan yollarda her taraf boy boy, turlu turlu ayna ile donatildigindan Mimdar nereye bakarsa baksin sade kendini gorur; bir vakit sonra da kendi suretiyle hesaplasmaya koyulurdu. Bu dehlizdeki aynalar Mimdar'a paha bicilmez hediyeler teklif edip, karsiliginda da ondan, herhangi bir mahelle sakini tufaya getirmesini isterlerdi. Teklifler oylesine goz kamastirici, hediyeler oylesine akillara durgunluk verici olurdu ki, pek cok Mimdar icinde kabaran tugyani zapt edemeyerek cok gecmeden kanciklik etmeye razi gelirdi. Ve iste boyleleri, mal mulk icin esine dostuna halel getirmeyi korkunc bir zull addeden mahalle sakinleri tarafindan hemen imtihandan cikartilirlardi. Dehlizden de alninin akiyla cikarak, kancikliga sonuna kadar direnebilenler ise, gene bir gece dinlendikten sonra Sise-i Rindan safhasina hak kazanmis olurlardi.
Sise-i Rindan asamasina varan Mimdar, Akrep Arif mahallesinin orta yerine kurulan ziyafet sofrasinda, mahallelinin kendi elcegizi ve ayakcagizla yaptigi testi testi sarabi kafasina dikmekle ise baslardi. Boyle boyle hem Mimdar'i meykesligi olculur; hem de cakirkeyif oldugundan dilinin dolanip dolanmadigi, huylarinin degisip degismedigi anlasilirdi. Ilk iki imtihani basariyla vermis pek cok Mimdar testiler dolusu sarabi mideye indirdikten sonra yilisarak agizlarina soyledikleri, ciglik edip luzumsuz patirti kopardiklari ve muhabettin tadina damla damla agu kattiklari icin tam da dananin kuyrugunu kopartacaklari sirada elenmislerdi. Kaybettiklerine kani olmayan ve nerede hata yaptiklarini sarhos kafayla bir turlu idrak edemeyen Mimdarlarin, durduk yere hirgur cikartmamalari icin de her turlu tedbir alinmisti.
Sise-i Rindan'da kendini ispatlayan Mimdar, demirden dokulmus kuzey kapisinin onunde, has ipekten serbazlik kusagi kusandiktan sonra yediden yetmise herkes tarafindan bir guzel opulur, tebrik edilirdi. O vakit mahlle buyukleri ona yeni bir isim verir; ve bu ismin kazindigi bir akma haceri kusagina yerlestirirdi.
Pinhan, Elif Safak
------
Sen hangi sahfasindasin?
Storybook World and Real World
"Her shoulder muscles were tense and stiff, and the sweat of her armpits had an unusual smell. The awareness that she now possessed a pistol was enough to make the world look a little different. Her surroundings had taken on a strange, unfamiliar coloration.
She undressed and took a hot shower to wash off the unpleasant sweat smell. Not all guns have to be fired, she told herself in the shower. A pistol is just a tool and where I'm living is not storybook world. It's the real world, full of gaps and inconsistencies and anticlimaxes."
1Q84, H. Murakami
----
Chekhov's gun...
She undressed and took a hot shower to wash off the unpleasant sweat smell. Not all guns have to be fired, she told herself in the shower. A pistol is just a tool and where I'm living is not storybook world. It's the real world, full of gaps and inconsistencies and anticlimaxes."
1Q84, H. Murakami
----
Chekhov's gun...
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Bullying
"Why are they bullying her?" Tengo asked.
"She often has asthma attacks, so she can't participate in lots of activities with the other kids. Maybe, that's it. She's a sweet little thing, and her grades aren't bad."
"I don't get it," Tengo said. "You'd think they'd take special care of kid with asthma, not bully her."
"It's never that simple in the kids' world," she said with a sigh. "Kids get shut out just for being different from everyone else. The same kind of thing goes on in the grown-up world, but it's much more direct in the children's world."
"Can you give me a concrete example?"
She gave him several examples, none of which was especially bad in itself, but which, continued on daily basis, could have a severe impact on a child: hiding things, not speaking to child, or doing nasty imitations of her. "Did you ever experience bullying when you were a child?"
Tengo thought back to his childhood. "I don't think so," he answered. "Or maybe I just never noticed."
"If you have never noticed, it never happened. I mean, the whole point of bullying is to make the person notice it's being done to him or her. You can't have bullying without the victim noticing."
Even as child, Tengo had been big and strong, and people treated him with respect, which was probably why he was never bullied. But he had far more serious problems than mere bullying to deal with back then.
"Were you ever bullied?" Tengo asked.
"Never," she declared, but then she seemed to hesitate. "I did do some bullying, though."
"You were part of a group that did it?"
"Yes, in the fifth grade. We got together and decided not to talk to one boy. I can't remember why. There must have been a reason, but it probably wasn't a very good one if I can't remember what it was. I still feel bad about it, though. I am ashamed to think about it. I wonder why I went and did something like that. I have no idea what made do it."
This reminded Tengo of a certain event, something from the distant past that he would recall now and then. Something he could never forget. But, he decided not to mention it. It would have been a long story. And it was the kind of thing that loses the most important nuances when reduced to words. He had never told anyone about it, and it he probably never would.
"Finally," his girlfriend said, "everybody feels safe belonging not to the excluded minority but to the excluding majority. You think, Oh, I am glad that's not me. It's basically the same in all periods in all societies. If you belong to the majority, you can avoid thinking about lots of troubling things."
"And those troubling things are all you can think about when you are one of the few."
"That's about the size of it," she said mournfully. "But maybe, if you are in a situation like that, you learn to think yourself."
"Yes, but may be what you end up thinking for yourself about is all those troubling things."
"That's another problem, I suppose."
"Better not think about it too seriously," Tengo said. "I doubt it'll turn out to be that terrible. I'm sure there must be a few kids in her class who know how to use their brains."
"I guess so," she said, and then she spent some time alone with her thoughts. Holding the receiver against his ear, Tengo waited patiently for her to gather her thoughts together.
"Thanks," she said finally. "I feel a little better after talking to you." She seemed to have found some answers.
-----
From 1Q84, H. Murakami
Have you ever bullied?
"She often has asthma attacks, so she can't participate in lots of activities with the other kids. Maybe, that's it. She's a sweet little thing, and her grades aren't bad."
"I don't get it," Tengo said. "You'd think they'd take special care of kid with asthma, not bully her."
"It's never that simple in the kids' world," she said with a sigh. "Kids get shut out just for being different from everyone else. The same kind of thing goes on in the grown-up world, but it's much more direct in the children's world."
"Can you give me a concrete example?"
She gave him several examples, none of which was especially bad in itself, but which, continued on daily basis, could have a severe impact on a child: hiding things, not speaking to child, or doing nasty imitations of her. "Did you ever experience bullying when you were a child?"
Tengo thought back to his childhood. "I don't think so," he answered. "Or maybe I just never noticed."
"If you have never noticed, it never happened. I mean, the whole point of bullying is to make the person notice it's being done to him or her. You can't have bullying without the victim noticing."
Even as child, Tengo had been big and strong, and people treated him with respect, which was probably why he was never bullied. But he had far more serious problems than mere bullying to deal with back then.
"Were you ever bullied?" Tengo asked.
"Never," she declared, but then she seemed to hesitate. "I did do some bullying, though."
"You were part of a group that did it?"
"Yes, in the fifth grade. We got together and decided not to talk to one boy. I can't remember why. There must have been a reason, but it probably wasn't a very good one if I can't remember what it was. I still feel bad about it, though. I am ashamed to think about it. I wonder why I went and did something like that. I have no idea what made do it."
This reminded Tengo of a certain event, something from the distant past that he would recall now and then. Something he could never forget. But, he decided not to mention it. It would have been a long story. And it was the kind of thing that loses the most important nuances when reduced to words. He had never told anyone about it, and it he probably never would.
"Finally," his girlfriend said, "everybody feels safe belonging not to the excluded minority but to the excluding majority. You think, Oh, I am glad that's not me. It's basically the same in all periods in all societies. If you belong to the majority, you can avoid thinking about lots of troubling things."
"And those troubling things are all you can think about when you are one of the few."
"That's about the size of it," she said mournfully. "But maybe, if you are in a situation like that, you learn to think yourself."
"Yes, but may be what you end up thinking for yourself about is all those troubling things."
"That's another problem, I suppose."
"Better not think about it too seriously," Tengo said. "I doubt it'll turn out to be that terrible. I'm sure there must be a few kids in her class who know how to use their brains."
"I guess so," she said, and then she spent some time alone with her thoughts. Holding the receiver against his ear, Tengo waited patiently for her to gather her thoughts together.
"Thanks," she said finally. "I feel a little better after talking to you." She seemed to have found some answers.
-----
From 1Q84, H. Murakami
Have you ever bullied?
Thursday, October 2, 2014
A Window
"The answer is beyond me. Even now, I have no idea. There are lots of things we never understand, no matter how many years we put on, no matter how much experience we accumulate. All I can do is look up from the train at the windows in the buildings that might be hers. Every one of them could be her window, it sometimes seems to me, and at other times I think that none of them could be hers. There are simply too many of them."
A Window, Elephant Vanishes, H. Marukami
A Window, Elephant Vanishes, H. Marukami
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Images
"The images came to her one after another and with great vividness. The summer night, the narrow bed, the faint smell of perspiration. The word they spoke. The feelings that would not take the form of words. Forgotten promises. Unrealized hopes. Frustrated longings. A gust of wind lifted a lock of her hair and whipped it against her cheek. The pain brought a film of tears to her eyes. Successive gusts soon dried the tears away."
"1Q84", H. Murakami
"1Q84", H. Murakami
Harvest Moon
Come a little bit closer
Hear what I have to say
Just like children sleepin'
We could dream this night away.
But there's a full moon risin'
Let's go dancin' in the light
We know where the music's playin'
Let's go out and feel the night.
Because I'm still in love with you
I want to see you dance again
Because I'm still in love with you
On this harvest moon.
When we were strangers
I watched you from afar
When we were lovers
I loved you with all my heart.
But now it's gettin' late
And the moon is climbin' high
I want to celebrate
See it shinin' in your eye.
Because I'm still in love with you
I want to see you dance again
Because I'm still in love with you
On this harvest moon.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Golden Age
"This was a Golden Age, a time of high adventure, rich living, and hard dying... but nobody thought so. This was a future of fortune and theft, pillage and rapine, culture and vice... but nobody admitted it. This was an age of extremes, a fascinating century of freaks... but nobody loved it."
Alfred Bester, "The Stars My Destination"
Alfred Bester, "The Stars My Destination"
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Deus ex machina
"What marks his plays is the way things get so mixed up the characters are trapped. Do you see what I mean? A bunch of different people appear, and they've got their own situations and reasons and excuses, and each one is pursuing his or her own brand of justice or happiness. As a result, nobody can do anything. Obviously. I mean, it's basically imposible for everybody's justice to prevail or everybody's happiness to triumph, so chaos takes over. And then what do you think happens? Simple - a god appears in the end and starts directing traffic. 'You go over there, and you come here, and you get together with her, and you just sit still for a while.' Like that. He's kind of a fixer, and in the end everything works out perfectly. That call this 'deus ex machina'. There's almost always a deus ex machina in Euripides, and that's the point where critical opinion divides over him."
"Norwegian Wood", H. Murakami
"Norwegian Wood", H. Murakami
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Feeling Good
Birds flying high you know how I feel
Sun in the sky you know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by you know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good
Fish in the sea you know how I feel
River running free you know how I feel
Blossom on the tree you know how I feel
Dragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean, don't you know
Butterflies all havin' fun you know what I mean
Sleep in peace when day is done
That's what I mean
And this old world is a new world
And a bold world
For me
Stars when you shine you know how I feel
Scent of the pine you know how I feel
Oh freedom is mine
And I know how I feel
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Wrinkles
"There was something almost mysterious about this woman. Her face had lots of wrinkles. These were the first thing to catch your eye, but they didn't make her old. Instead, they emphasized a certain youthfulness in her that transcended age. The wrinkles belonged where they were, as if they had been part of her face since birth. When she smiled, the wrinkles she was neither smiling nor frowning, the wrinkles lay scattered over her face in a strangely warm, ironic way. Here was a woman in her late thirties who seemed not merely a nice person but whose niceness drew you to her. I liked her from the moment I saw her."
From Norwegian Wood by H. Murakami.
From Norwegian Wood by H. Murakami.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Listening You
They are strong; because they give meanings... They are fragile; because they live at the cliff of the beauty. You cannot even touch; you cannot even move your eyes. Watching them is as though understanding everything in this universe just for a moment… The colors, the softness, the innocence, the shyness, and the fragrance; how beautiful - how fragile - how mute. They capture me; my legs turn to be their legs, my arms become their arms. Then, they could go anywhere they would like to… This is the moment they could run, and my arms and my legs could feel.
Listening you is as though watching one of them.
Listening you is as though watching one of them.
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Nelson Mandela
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite." N. Mandela
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Monday, July 7, 2014
Searching for Words
"I wondered if she was trying to convey something to me, something she could not put into words - something prior to words that she could not grasp within herself and which therefore had no hope of ever turning into words. Instead, she would fiddle with her baratte, dab at the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief, or look into my eyes in that meaningless way. I wanted to hold her tight when she did these things, but I would hesitate and hold back. I was afraid I might hurt her if I did that. And so the two of us kept walking the streets of Tokyo, Naoko searching for words in space."
Norwegian Woods, H. Murakami
Norwegian Woods, H. Murakami
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