Emphasizing on power relations will not take you far in studyng different kinds of cultural development

It took me a while to realise and understand that. Now I am much more confident in commenting on that.

張鈞文老師

不知為何想起我的國畫老師。

我小時候學了幾年的花鳥畫，老師是張鈞文，浙江人。老師家在象山附近的小坡上，外面寫著「教授國畫」的字眼。忘了哪一年夏天，媽媽帶著我去按了電鈴，老師說不收小孩子，但是媽媽硬ㄠ，老師不得不答應。

那個時候開始幾年，我的每一件衣服，幾乎都有墨汁。

我每個禮拜六下午到老師家，看老師畫畫；我有兩位同學，是老師的朋友，都是外省籍老師，一位師大附中退休，另外一位從桃園來。老師穿長袍，藍色的。老師的眼睛也是藍色的，和我們的褐色不同。前半個小時，都是看老師磨墨，這個半小時，配著蟬鳴，我經常打瞌睡，另外兩位也是。

竹子畫完畫蘭花，接著梅花和菊花。四君子完了之後，順序不太記得，但是記得畫了公雞、紫藤、葡萄、柿子、荷花、牡丹、蝦子、螃蟹、松樹。我最喜歡的是紫藤，但是我畫紫藤之前，從來沒看過紫藤。羊毫筆按下去，頓一下，紫藤的花瓣就出來了。由於老師的畫法是不用白粉，直接用水對顏料，所以這個水和顏料比例的掌握，非常重要，經常要先在另外一張紙上試試看。紫藤畫得美，感受得到輕盈，好像就像風在吹。

但是我筆下的紫藤，長得總像是葡萄。

後來我在倫敦，真正看了數大的紫藤，是在Hampstead。查了才知，紫藤原產自福建。

此時校園已經停課，研究室外，不時有蟬鳴。研究室內，是一堆待改的作業。原來是因為蟬鳴，我想起磨墨點頭的下午。

敏感

我從小就東看西看，視覺上很敏感；至於文字上，我的心態是過得去就好，情真即可。

每個時代有每個時代的驚恐

李師科、五股分屍命案、江子翠分屍命案、跳動72、法網。跳到鄭捷。

過度尊敬

當大學老師，且選擇走研究路線者，就是無止盡的讀書和（寫很乾的）作文，要喜歡這兩樣，才能勝任。台灣這個社會給大學老師過度的尊敬，我算是撿了這個便宜。

Do not

I said to my students: academic thinking sharpens your mind; but do not apply it to everyday conversation with your friends as sometimes it could be quite disasterous.

"Why there is no Taiwanese artist/gallery in Art Basel?"

Because there is no market for either of both globally. 

And, this has nothing to do with diplomacy.

2014 Taipei Fine Arts Museum: Landscape of a Boundary

中文
http://www.tfam.museum/Exhibition/Exhibition_page.aspx?id=500&ddlLang=zh-tw

English
http://www.tfam.museum/Exhibition/Exhibition_page.aspx?id=500&ddlLang=en-us

Photos
https://www.flickr.com/photos/chuinuk2000/sets/72157645161758142/?fb_action_ids=294601867373223&fb_action_types=flickr_photos%3Aadd&fb_ref=w

人心

人心是辛苦工作之後，買得起房子。

人心是選擇一輩子租房子，仍有保障。

人心是大學或研究所畢業，找得到工作，找得到的工作不是22k的工作

人心是我有信心，沒有中國大陸的舞台，我一樣有發光發熱、大賺錢的地方（分享給五月天和蘇打綠等台灣之光）

人心是工作不是燒盡了青春、然後頭也不回地放棄的工作

人心是我知道這個國家在朝著希望邁進

人心是我知道只要我努力，就會找得到舞台

人心是我知道貪官污吏會被抓不會被交保而且會被關很久很久

人心是我知道找工作靠實力不是靠關係

人心是我知道一分耕耘一分收穫是真的

人心是我知道從政者不是為了自己（要獲得第一任特首的地位等等）

人心是我知道商人蓋廟捐錢點光明燈照顧員工發高薪的同時沒有做髒事

Rules of the game

Each semester consists of 18 weeks in a uni; each assistant professor is required to teach 9 hours per week if the school is not kind enough to offer deduction up to 2 hours in the first 2 years. Almost each assistant professor is required to write grant applications to bring money to the department in order to fill the blanks on the CV for his/her own sake. S/he had better write crappy articles to submit to various and many crappy journals that are peer-reviewed by crappy colleagues in order to fill other blanks on the CV.  These journals had better to be in English; sometimes these crappy articles written in English were reviewed by crappy reviewers who know very little about the subjects and local dynamics related to the subjects. And they got published! And then the authors said that how many times their articles in English were downloaded online in order to prove how significant their academic contribution is.

Sometimes foreign reviewers and readers are mostly if not only interested in National Palace Museum and its dynamics with the Forbidden Palace and the cross-strait cultural-political dynamics. S/he shall always remember that it is the foremost important thing to choose the right topic to attract the international readership.

Play it or leave it.