The final result of Cave's book review contest has been announced

http://myurl.com.tw/1i67
As title, the result has been announced and fortunately I am the champion. Winning the challenge is not an end of learning but the opening to keep learning. On May 16, there will be an awarding ceremony at Chaoyang U of Technology and it's a great honor for me to be invited.

My luck leads me to win Cave's book review contest ranked #1 in FJU

Yes, I won the Cave's book review contest ranked #1 in FJU. That means I am into national final. But actually my winning is, to some extent, a good luck. This winning book review is Night without light; A doubt of God, which you can read form my previous article. My review is inspired by Elie Wiesel's NIGHT, a great novel or memoir, if you put it that way of memoir genre, about Nazi holocaust. And now I'm waiting for the final result, which the ultimate winner is chosen amongst semifinalists' reviews from ten colleges.

Renée Fleming in Taipei: I have an affair with Fleming's voice

I have an affair with Fleming's voice.

I was in NCH immersing in Fleming's unbelievably beautiful voice. I didn't list her as one of my favorite sopranos untill I heard her fantabulous performance last night. She is amazingly skilled in controlling every note to its best and perfect place. The every aria she performed last night has its most breathtakingly wonderful realisation ever.

Plus Fleming's superb controlling her breath also impressed me a loooooot. Particularly speaking, ''Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore,'' the very famous aria from Puccini's ''Tosca'' is the one that dazzled me most. From the lowest note to the highest one, my mood fluctuated as well. I'd say I have an affair with Fleming's voice.

Night without Light: A Doubt of God

After reading Night of Elie Wiesel, we might find it short and also explicit in writing. Nonetheless it is much more difficult to fathom the whole spirit in the work than we think. Although Night is not necessarily a memoir, I still treat the work as one, since the every aspect we can see in the book makes itself a similarity of the works in the memoir genre. To the greatest extent, Eliezer, the protagonist, is the representative of the author Elie Wiesel himself. Indeed what happened to Eliezer is almost exactly what happened to Wiesel during the tragedy. Nevertheless Wiesel varies minor parts so as to space a distance between him and the protagonist. Undoubtedly, what he has suffered during the genocide is too horrifying to be imagined by those who have never ever undergone, not to mention that he, as the Holocaust survivor, is to remind and write about his story. Therefore he makes this distance to keep himself away somewhat from the traumata and pangs of writing the memoir.

When the memoir begins, Eliezer, a Jewish teenager, is ripped by Nazis from his hometown of Sighet in Hungarian Transylvania. On his way to ‘Night’, Eliezer starts to doubt his faith in a benevolent God. He wonders why God never intervenes to save the innocent people who are ‘selected’ by Nazis to be killed immediately. Particularly in one scene where, at Buna, the Gestapo hangs a young boy, a man then asks, “Where is God?” The only answer is nothing but silence. We, as readers, may think of a well-known story from the Hebrew Bible – the Binding of Isaac (Genesis 22). In the Akedah, Abraham sacrifices his only son, Isaac, to prove his faith to God who does not send an angel to save Isaac until Abraham lifts a knife to kill his son. Totally unlike the God in the Akedah, the God in Night always shows his silence and allows Nazis to shed innocent blood. From now on, Eliezer is losing his belief in God and struggles to retain his faith in Him.

As I’ve mentioned earlier, the short-volume work is never easy to discern its deepest thought. It raises many huge questions, the likes of skepticism about God and inhumanity towards humanity. The writer never depicts any hint to cast a meaningful answer towards those big questions and the readers seek for any hint of light. However neither Eliezer nor Wiesel has light during Holocaust (may be still none aftermath). At this point, I think that searching for the answer is no longer desperate. Instead, I believe that Wiesel expects his readers to remember not only the historical event but the emotional truth about the Holocaust bringing endless ‘nights’ to experienced individuals. Remembering is the urgent task which helps us tackle the problems and alerts us to change unrighteousness and unfairness. Now that night is without light, we are charged to shed light.

Aussie's 100 favourite Mozarts

The following list is top favorite 100 of Mozat's pieces voted by Australians under the questionnaire of ABC.au.You can access to here to listen again how Aussie think of these masterpieces. Enjoy!

Clarinet Concerto in A K622 - Adagio (you are listening to this piece)
Ave Verum Corpus K618
Piano Concerto No.21 in C K467 - Andante
Così fan tutte K588 - Soave sia il vento
Requiem K626 - Lacrimosa
Vesperae solennes de confessore K339 - Laudate Dominum
The Magic Flute K620 - Der Hölle Rache kocht
Serenade 'Gran Partita' in B flat K361 - Adagio
Piano Concerto No.23 in A K488 - Adagio
Exsultate Jubilate K165 - Allelujah
Clarinet Concerto in A K622 - Allegro
Marriage of Figaro K492 - Overture
Zaide K344 - Ruhe sanft, mein holdes Leben
Piano Sonata in A K331 - Alla Turca. Allegretto
Sinfonia concertante for Violin and Viola K364 - Andante
Concerto for Flute and Harp K299 - Andantino
Clarinet Concerto in A K622 - Rondo. Allegro
Eine kleine Nachtmusik K525 - Allegro
Symphony No.40 in G minor K550 - Molto allegro
Requiem K626 - Dies irae
Piano Concerto No.21 in C K467 - Allegro maestoso
Piano Concerto No.20 in D minor K466 - Romance Streicher
Clarinet Quintet in A K581 - Larghetto
Marriage of Figaro K492 - Dove sono i bei momenti
Requiem K626 - Requiem aeternam
Symphony No.41 in C K551 'Jupiter' - Molto Allegro
Marriage of Figaro K492 - Voi, che sapete
Horn Concerto No.4 in E flat K495 - Rondo. Allegro vivace
Don Giovanni K527 - Là ci darem la mano
Marriage of Figaro K492 - Finale
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik K525 - Rondo. Allegro
Violin Concerto in G K216 - Adagio
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik K525 - Romanze. Andante
Sinfonia concertante for Violin and Viola K364 - Allegro maestoso
Ah vous dirai-je, maman K265
Marriage of Figaro K492 - Sull' aria
Idomeneo K366 - Andrò ramingo e solo
Piano Concerto No.20 in D minor K466 - Allegro
The Magic Flute K620 - Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja
The Magic Flute K620 - Pa-pa-pa-geno (Finale)
Marriage of Figaro K492 - Porgi amor qualche ristoro
Concerto for Flute and Harp K299 - Allegro
Requiem K626 - Confutatis
Symphony No.25 in G minor K183 - Allegro con brio
Symphony No.40 in G minor K550 - Allegro assai
Piano Concerto No.23 in A K488 - Allegro assai
Don Giovanni K527 - Finale
The Magic Flute K620 - Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen
Piano Concerto No.27 in B flat K595 - Allegro (III)
The Magic Flute K620 - In diesen heil'gen Hallen
Clarinet Quintet in A K581 - Allegro
Concerto for Flute and Harp K299 - Rondeau. Allegro
Piano Sonata in C K545 - Allegro
The Magic Flute K620 - Overture
Rondo for Piano and Orchestra K382
Requiem K626 - Kyrie eleison
Requiem K626 - Agnus Dei
Concerto for two Pianos K365 - Rondeaux. Allegro
Requiem K626 - Tuba mirum
Don Giovanni K527 - Overture
Sinfonia concertante for Violin and Viola K364 - Presto
Piano Sonata in A K331 - Tema. Andante grazioso
Mass in C K317 'Coronation' - Agnus Dei
Serenade 'Gran Partita' in B flat K361 - Largo
Requiem K626 - Rex tremendae
The Magic Flute K620 - Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön
Sonata for two Pianos K448 - Andante
Requiem K626 - Benedictus
Requiem K626 - Communio
Don Giovanni K527 - Madamina! Il catalogo
Requiem K626 - Domine Jesu
The Magic Flute K620 - O Isis und Osiris
Fantasia in D minor K397
Il Rè pastore K208 - L'amerò, sarò constante
Mass in C minor K427 - Credo
Andante for Flute and Orchestra K315
Clarinet Quintet in A K581 - Allegretto con Variazioni
Don Giovanni K527 - Deh, vieni alla finestra
Marriage of Figaro K492 - Non più andrai farfallone
Piano Concerto No.27 in B flat K595 - Larghetto
Symphony No.41 in C K551 'Jupiter' - Allegro vivace
Serenade 'Gran Partita' in B flat K361 - Romanze
Piano Concerto No.23 in A K488 - Allegro
Don Giovanni K527 - Il mio tesoro intanto
Violin Concerto in G K216 - Allegro
Piano Sonata in C K545 - Andante
Mass in C minor K427 - Et incarnatus est
Piano Concerto No.24 in C minor K491 - Larghetto
Mass in C minor K427 - Kyrie
The Magic Flute K620 - Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen
Rondo for Piano in A minor K511
Piano Concerto No.15 in B Flat K450 - [Andante]
Abduction from the Seraglio K384 - Overture
Don Giovanni K527 - Finch' han dal vino
The Magic Flute K620 - Ach, ich fühl's
Piano Concerto No.17 in G K453 - Allegretto
Piano Concerto No.15 in C K415 - Allegro (III)
Piano Concerto No.17 in G K453 - Andante
Abduction from the Seraglio K384 - Ha! Wie will ich triumphieren
Adagio for Piano K540

Museum of Tomorrow

On January 4 Museum of Tomorrow is open!!!!! PPAPER and JUT cooperate to build an unprcedented 24-hour open museum in Taipei named Museum of Tomorrow. This museum is more than that! Its goal is to heal people's sickness in mind and fill up our spiritual hollowness. The first programme is coming from Denmark's theFLOWmarket. "theFLOWmarket" was created for the purpose of provoking people to rethink our daily competetive life and unconcerned attitudes toward the world. Through his concept of pieces of works, the founder of theFLOWmarket attempts to warn people that we are living in an unusual world where is filled with competitiveness and that people's unfair treat to the whole environment. His devotion goes to only one aim: Make our environment sustainable and our tomorrows better!You have to have a visit!

New Year Countdown with Carreras

With José Carreras' heaven-born voice, '06 has gone and '07 has come. It's an unforgettable and fantabulous experience to be in Carreras' new year eve concert at the Taipei Arena at the very end of year 2006 and the very first of year 2007. To me it's high-class but not luxurious!With the coming of year '07, I've made some wishes. They should be untold because,as legend and convention go, wishes are secret or they won't be carried out. So I don't think I'll share my new year wishes. Anyway to seize the day and live on everyday as the last day of your life!

Paris, je t'aime

"Paris je T'aime" has been the most worth-watching movie in all others played recently in Taiwan. Composed by eighteen stories directed by eighteen directors, respectively, "Paris je T'aime" makes itself a very special movie that differs from others in style. Sometimes freaky, sometimes touching. Maybe romantic, maybe thought-provoking. It's all because it's given birth by eighteen directors with completely distinctive genres.This film reminds me another one - "Love Actually". But actually I prefer "Love" to "Paris" in that the former is British English. ^_^ Just teasing. To be honest, "Love" is more complete and unabridged for the sake of plot. Whatsover they are both beautiful and intriguing.

BBC's recommended programmes of mine

Recently I am hooked to Elaine's Programme on BBC radio 2. There is another must-listen programme on radio 4 named "Just a Minute" hosted by Parsons. They are my sweetest desserts in my so-far bitter graguate life. Let's forget the bitterness, the sweetness is always the one that we are dedicated to pursue. Well, Elaine's programme is all about musicals or to be exact, Broadway.

Broadway has been my preference of musicals, especially for its type of music, i.e. theme songs of each famous Broadway musical, one of which is Déchire from Notre Dame de Paris which is also one of my favorite. Masquerade from The Phantom of The Operais much appreciated (at least by me). They are more and more and all in the list of CLASSIC. So, if any of you is appealed to it or my words arouses a little of your concerns or curiosities of it, then you may be happy to spare som time to listen to Elaine Paige on BBC radio two.

Another one that I have listened for long is Nichola Parsons's Just a Minute. As introduced by its title, every guset in the programme are given some successive topics and they hav the horrible task of speaking for one minute without hesitation or deviation by one of his school masters. It is soooooo hilarious to hear them breaking the rules! Though they speak in a very speedy speed (because they have to assert their ideas "in a minute") and thus gives rise to a lot of difficulty in understanding them, it is also a must-listen programme that I recommend much!

Euthanasia: of extrication or immorality?

It's requently reported that a mother asked for euthanatizing her son with brain paralysis so that both of them could extricate from the torture triggered by the incurable illness. I sympathize with the whole of what's happening to the mother and the son but I am concerned a lot more about the controversial issue, EUTHANASIA.

Rregardless of a cluster of discussions about euthanasia in light of morality, emotion or policy, can anyone imagine that somewhere out there has circumstances that one's life is exterminated for s/he is perceived as living an intolerable life, in a painless or minimally painful way either by lethal injection, drug overdose, or by the withdrawal of life support? Brain dead patients are often euthanatized under the request of their family. But the question is aroused that the life belongs to its life owner (i.e. the patients) and the decision of whether they wants to get over their life can and should only be made by themselves. Although the patients are unable to make any decision due to their being ill, nobody is given the authority to decide for them!

Some social groups are seeking ways to legalizing acts such as the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act, passed by Australia's Northern Territory in 1995, and nullified in 1997 by the federal Parliament while other organizations of human rights strongly oppose against it. Probably it's no longer of importance to discuss about whether or not one government should legitimatize any euthanasia act, instead we, as members of the globalized society, had better introspect and think about if we can substantially provide extra and extensive support to those minorities. This is exactly what they need. Think about it!

Last but not least, keep in mind that more cares, less calamity!

My list of songs YOU SHOULD NOT MISS

1. Los Amantes - Ana D / Recordando
2. Heart Like a Wheel - The Corrs / Home
3. Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinéad O'Connor / I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
4. Thank You for Hearing Me - Sinéad O'Connor / Universal Mother
5. I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls - Meav / A Celtic Journey
6. The Days are Long and Filled with Pain -
Niina Susanna Rinne & Maximilian Hecker / Infinitive Love Song
7. Dying - Maximilian Hecker / Lady Sleep
8. Set the Fire to the Third Bar -
Snowpatrol features with Martha Wainwright / Eyes Open
9. Manchester - Superbi / The Beautiful South
10. Beautiful Close Double - Damon & Naomi / The Earth Is Blue


And a lot more, stay tuned.