昔日文章

Hello again.  I am very excited about another new school year and writing to you again.  Our school here in the US has already begun the school year on August 16.  There are some exciting things this year I would like for you to know about:   1. The Year of Faith and the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council.     Pope Benedict will open a holy Year of Faith from October 11, 2012 to November 24, 2013.  He wants us to reexamine the richness of our faith and how it directly affects our lives. 2. Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha will be canonized a saint on October 21, 2012.  She will be the first Native American (we used to call them Indians) to be canonized.   3. The parish here in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, will be celebrating our 150th anniversary.   In the fall of 1872, (during the time of the cowboys and Indians), St. John the Baptist parish was established for the Catholic immigrants from Europe.  Twenty years later another parish, Holy Rosary, was also established.  Now the two parishes have been combined to form the current Holy Spirit parish. Each, in its own way, affects people’s lives.  It is important that we take time to look back at how God has worked in the lives of people who lived before us and how we have been enriched because of them.In the course of this year I will write about these events.  It would be wonderful if you can be a part of the journey.  With that in mind, I suggest that you take some time to gather some information about your own history.  You may even want to put together an album with pictures, if you could find them.   1.  How many generations of Catholics are there in your family? 2. When was your parish formed?  How many buildings have there been since then? 3   What are the names of the priests that have served the parish? 4. How many priests and religious brothers and sisters came from the parish? 5.  Ask the same questions if you were going to a Catholic school. 6.  Are you related to any priests or religious?  What were their stories?  Any of them declared saints by the Church?   Except for a few unusual students, young people have a difficult time grasping history.  Time is such a funny thing.  And when it comes to history, it is just such a long time ago.  It does not seem to have any connection with a young person’s life.  EVERYTHING happened SO LONG AGO, definitely before you were born.  Yet, history is what makes the PRESENT possible.  Someone once wrote: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is God's gift, that's why we call it the present.”  I think it is a very good saying to remind ourselves that what we do with today will be tomorrow’s history.  By looking back into history and seeing how it has benefited us now, we could have more incentive to give a little extra effort for the good of the future. The Church actually teaches us, in the 4th Commandment, that we are responsible for those who follow us.  In the 7th Commandment, we are to hand on to those who follow, what is given to our care.  It is in this same vein, that we should look at the legacy of our faith.  It is not just a gift for ourselves so that we can get to Heaven.  We also have a responsibility to pass on the faith.  This is what it means to evangelize, to share the Good News of Jesus.

Last week we received a newsletter from our little boy’s nursery. One of the news items said, “We have arranged our 2012 Graduation celebration for the children who will be leaving us for Big School in September 2012.” The graduation will take place in late July. I suppose by this time you, as a Primary 6 student, might have received a similar notice from your own school. Are you very excited? Graduation means that we have completed a course of academic study at a school. In Hong Kong, most schools host a graduation ceremony to celebrate the efforts they have made. What will the programme be like at your graduation ceremony? It normally includes some speeches, performances such as singing, dancing and drama, and the award of school certificates.  After six years of primary school, what do you think are the most precious things? Friendship, good academic performance or the commitment of your teachers? Perhaps you can draw a list. I remember when we were in Primary 6, we asked our classmates and teachers to write us some lines in our autograph books. It is still well kept in my “treasure box” and has given me a lot of sweet memories. In this last article, may I congratulate you on your graduation by quoting the following poem from an unknown author: Glossary: Graduation:  畢業 Speeches: 演說 Award: 頒發 Certificates: 證書 Autograph books: 紀念冊        

  香港社會的發展與電影有著微妙的關係，近一個世紀，不少本港製作的電影透過各種表達方式和題材，反映香港不同年代的社會和民生的面貌。本報記者走訪位於西灣河的香港電影資料館（下文稱電影資料館），參觀現正舉行的「時間巨輪 —— 光影香江百年情」展覽（展覽期至三月四日），該館節目策劃（文化交流）王麗明帶領本報讀者走進時光隧道，回顧香港電影的發展，重溫香港社會的變遷。 （本報專訪）穿過展館入口的時光隧道後，六個不同主題和設計的展區，順時針方向排列眼前。第一展區內，播放著黑白紀錄片，王麗明解釋說：「整個展覽以香港電影發展里程為主軸，從關於香港的第一部紀錄片《愛廸生短片》（1898）開始，這部黑白短片紀錄了從前香港的街景、普羅百姓的生活。1898至1949年是香港電影工業的起步階段，戰爭影響了電影工業的發展。直至戰後（1950年代），一群內地優秀的電影工作者南下，為本港電影工業貢獻不少，製作許多粵語片和國語片。」她指出本港的社會發展，為電影工作者提供不少拍攝題材，如70年代政府推行一連串社會福利政策、1984年中英兩國在北京簽署《關於香港問題的聯合聲明》、1997年香港主權移交等。 香港電影資料館於2001年開幕。每年，該館均舉辦三至四個大型展覽。籌備展覽的過程中，王麗明（圖1）與另外一位同事整理大量資料，編寫六個展區的內容：「我們花了不少精神和時間，了解香港歷史和社會發展；從社會角度出發，選取與展區主題相關的電影。」1970年代，香港政府在港督麥理浩的帶領下，推行一連串社會福利計劃，加上本港經濟復甦；在電影工業方面，也有不少新轉機。王麗明對「1976-1984存叛逆．謀突破」展區感受較深，她形容這是一個火紅的時期，展區設計也以紅色為主調：「一群年輕導演離開電視台，投身拍攝電影，醞釀香港電影新浪潮，為八十年代的電影黃金期奠下基礎。這群導演擺脫過往在片廠拍攝的模式，他們勇於創新，作多方面嘗試，如在真實場景拍攝，對香港電影的發展帶來衝擊。」這個時期的電影，王麗明尤其欣賞導演許鞍華：「許鞍華是一位膽大心細的導演，她首次執導的電影《瘋劫》（圖2），以西環餘樂里為場景，帶出小社區的風味，又選取轟動一時的命案為題材。此外，她的另一套作品《胡越的故事》（圖3），回應當時的社會現況，細緻刻畫越南船民的境況。」 王麗明自初中起，對電影產生濃厚的興趣，經常閱讀電影雜誌《電影雙週刊》，從中認識更多本地以外的電影：「中三那年，我已購票觀看香港電影節的節目。我的第一份工作是字幕翻譯員，及後，我更有機會在《電影雙週刊》和《香港電影》工作。香港素有『東方荷里活』之稱，電影產量眾多，亦獲不少國際獎項，可是關於電影的雜誌寥寥可數，實在可惜！」年少時的王麗明漫遊電影的世界，她藉著欣賞不同的電影擴闊個人的眼界。她不忘提醒青少年：「不要只留意主流電影，嘗試擴闊電影選擇的範圍，學習欣賞不同種類的電影，這樣，電影的世界將會比你想像中更大、更廣闊。」該館為培養學生對電影的文化素質，增進有關電影的知識，舉行不同的活動，包括高中生藝術新體驗計劃、學校文化日計劃及中學生電影教育計劃。（仨）   獨立想／新創格 （記者手記）除了主流電影外，你有興趣認識和了解獨立影像媒體嗎？ 第十七屆ifva節將於3月13至28日舉行，除放映各組別比賽作品外， 特別舉辦「紀錄片工房」。剪接大師陳博文從台灣遠道而來，主持大師班和講座，在茶敍時段，和與會者交流切磋；此外，安排放映德國紀錄片大導荷索的短片選映，及ifva 歷年得獎的紀錄片代表作系列。 ifva由香港藝術中心主辦，旨在推廣香港及亞洲獨立影像媒體創作，成為創作人的搖籃及推手。ifva始於1995年，前名為「香港獨立短片及錄像比賽」，以比賽為平台，歷年造就不少本地及國際上舉足輕重的電影及媒體創作人 。第十七屆ifva比賽以「獨立想．新創格」（Think Independent, Frame New）為口號，比賽組別包括互動媒體組、公開組、動畫組、青少年組、亞洲新力量組。（仨） ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 第十七屆ifva評審推薦（亞洲新力量組） 《畢業旅行》(My Graduation Travel ) 洪伯豪（台灣） 彩色 29分22秒 國語對白，中英文字幕 國小六年級的惠美，意外地拾到信封袋，這促使她正視隱藏在內心深處的傷痛，獲得重新面對生活的勇氣。 Peace’s Toys H. Sercan TUNALI（土耳其） 彩色 5分58秒 土耳其語對白，英文字幕 Baris眼看祖父種植的每粒種子，都長成豐盛大樹。他相信任何在土壤裡的，都能茁壯成長。 www.ifva.com  

  In the eyes of foreigners, Hong Kong people love dining out and trying new restaurants. With more than 10,000 restaurants and a variety of cuisine options, Hong Kong has been called “Food Paradise” and “Gourmet Paradise”. In general, our eating habits are mainly Chinese with much Western influence.  Your parents might have taken you for dinner at a Chinese restaurant on some special occasion such as your grandmother’s birthday. Did you notice how the food was served? As we all know, a Chinese meal normally starts with a starter to whet our taste buds or a soup to keep us warm, especially in winter. Then several main dishes are served in the middle of the table and shared by all of us. At the end of the meal, we have fresh fruit or red bean soup as dessert. Chinese tea always accompanies food throughout the whole meal.  Western dinner is very different from a Chinese meal. Can you tell the differences? All the food is served individually. The first course of a Western meal is called a “starter” in British English or an “appetizer” in American English. Then each diner is served with one main course which could be beef, chicken or fish. After the main course, dessert such as ice cream, cakes or fruit, is served. While both British people and American people use the word “dessert”, British people may say “pudding” and “sweet” as well. After the table is cleared, coffee or tea is served as the very last course of the meal.  Before we leave the restaurant, we have to pay by asking a waiter for a “bill” (British English) or a “check” (American English). Glossary: Gourmet Paradise 美食天堂 Starter 前菜 Dessert 甜品 Main course 主菜 Bill 賬單