Definition of "heat" (Webster, 1913):

 A force in nature which is recognized in various effects,but especially in the phenomena of fusion and evaporation,and which, as manifested in fire, the sun's rays, mechanical action, chemical combination, etc., becomes directly known to us through the sense of feeling. In its nature heat is a mode of motion, being in general a form of molecular disturbance or vibration. It was formerly supposed to be a subtile, imponderable fluid, to which was given the name caloric.

This is thoroughly gratifying to read!

If I were to give a shorter definition, I would say: "a force in nature which is perceived by the sense of feeling as warmth when moderate and as a burning sensation when excessive".

Religion is about eternity.

Paradise in its variant forms is, by definition, eternal.

Nirvana, by negating the ephemeral, is eternal.

For mortals, eternity is beyond reach.

Yet, in another sense, everything is eternal. This thing may not last forever in this form; when this thing ceases to be manifested in this form, it moves on and continues to exist in a changed form. In essence, this thing, whatever it is, never ceases to be. It is the form that changes and gives the impression of one thing dying and a discrete new thing being born. The existence of this thing never ends.

Or does it ever?

Beyond the theoretical, we have no definitive answer.

There is a shortcut ladder to eternity: since eternity can be equated with timelessness, to transcend the temporal dimension is as good as achieving eternity.

But who can attain that, except in the conceptual world of the mind?

It does not matter, for this conceptual realisation in the mind will create euphoria and a sense of elation in the physicality of our being. That's good enough. It's good enough because we experience our existence through our physical senses. We therefore judge the quality of our existence by comparing and contrasting the data captured by our sensory organs when we find ourselves in different states of being.

On a slightly different note...

Think, for a moment, about the origin of the universe: that moment when matter came into being... what has happened since seems to prove that whatever comes into being has an innate tendency to prolong its existence.

Maybe that innate tendency is the gene that is embedded in everything in this universe as we know it.

In physics, that tendency is manifested as an array of forces that bind particles together.

It is easy to impart a personified spirit to these forces: God.

The very existence of this universe, and everything in it, proves the existence of these forces and, thereby, proves the existence of God, the personified embodiment of the creative, the generative and the promotive.

But do these forces have an "intention"? Or is there an "intention" underlying these forces? Is there a "plan"? I will discuss that in a future article.

Celestial bodies come and go; matter goes through metamorphosis; the cosmic landscape mutates...

But that "gene" is eternal: the innate tendency to be born and to remain in existence, be it a life form as commonly defined or an inanimate object.

Once you recognise this "gene", you see eternity.

It is that simple.

Any pursuit of eternity by attempting to prolong the existence of a particular form of being is doomed to failure, because of the dialectics of change and eternity:

It is through change that the eternity of the gene is preserved; it is thanks to the eternal nature of the gene that change can happen: if this thing ends and ends for good, there would be nothing left to change.

At this point, I am beginning to see that I have, in fact, been unwittingly explaining the meaning of "The Book of Changes", i.e. the triple-layered import of the character 易: Ephemeral, Eternal, Easy.

That was not my intention. I wanted to write something on a different topic, a topic that goes to the heart of the art of meditation.

It seems that my thought on this premeditated topic is not ready to be spelt out yet. So be it.

In some contexts, 慰问 = counseling.

This is because the purpose of such an exercise is to bring solace to the sufferer(s) of a misfortune, and that's what counseling typically aims to do.

22 June 2010

Another WC night. Poolside this time.

Chen, Hao and myself.

All tables are occupied when we arrive. An extra table is erected for us after some negotiation (by Chen and Hao, while I am busy texting someone on my mobile phone). Ours is next to a table occupied by a local couple, right in front of the main TV screen.

Mosquito zapping lights around us hiss, sizzle, frizzle and crackle throughout the game. Most people don't notice it.

It makes me wonder: What's the purpose of LIFE?

Just a fleeting thought – never mind, watch the game!

Hao takes the seat that's farthest from the screen. Chen offers the best seat to me, the seat that is closest to the centre and, incidentally, closest to our neighbours. I decline, so he sits down, next to the lady, at which point she casts a casual, but friendly glance at us. Chen and I smile back. Hao's eyes are already glued to the box.

Half-way through the match (which is, yes, the all-important showdown between our host country, Nigeria, and the lone but not forlorn Asian hope, South Korea), I made a comment about that lady:

“Can you imagine the boredom if you have zero interest in football and yet you have to sit through it with your man, who is totally unaware of your existence, let alone having any form of communication with you, for a good two hours!”

Hao and Chen take a quick, discreet look at her and nod in agreement.

The match ends in a draw. It's not good enough for Nigeria, who needed a win; but South Korea can proceed to the round of 16. The audience, largely Nigerian, are not too happy, but the 2-2 score is respectable. My club sandwich is okay, so is Chen's pizza and Hao's steak.

(Fast forward...)

23 June 2010

(The following is based on Chen's account.)

The time is 10:30 pm.

Locale: Capital Bar (so named, presumably, because Abuja is the capital of Nigeria and this Hilton is in Abuja)

After a very long day of hard work under suboptimal conditions, Chen feels like letting his (short) hair down, with a drink and a smoke in a noisily relaxing environment, to soak up some vibes that are different from what you would find in an interpreter's booth.

The moment he steps in, he is mobbed... er, by a crowd of gorgeous girls. He finds them friendlier and more diplomatic than their colleagues in, say, Kenya, who would come up to you and “demand” that you buy them a drink, sans pleasantries.

These girls, however, are very buddy-buddy: How are you? How was your day? What's your name? Where are you from? Welcome to Nigeria! How do you find our country?

But, alas, there are just too many of them for Chen to cope.

The bar manager (a matronly lady) comes to his rescue. The throng disperses.

At that point, Chen notices a girl who looks vaguely familiar, but he can't quite place her. She is very different from the rest in that she appears distinctly more cultured and reticent, even bashful.

She starts inching her way towards him. Finally, she sits down.

“Do you remember me?”

“Hmm... ah yes, you were sitting next to me by the poolside last night!”

“Yes.”

A conversation ensues. She says that she has a business management degree.

Before too long, the girl decides that their conversation is not getting anywhere, so she asks:

“Who is that slim gentleman sitting next to you last night?”

“Oh, him, he is my boss.”

“Ah, I thought so. I noticed that you offered the best seat to him. Did you deliberately arrange for him to sit next to me?”

“....”

“Well, I also noticed that he was very interested in me the whole time we were watching the football!”

“....”

“Please go tell your boss, please.”

(After regaining consciousness) Chen asks:

“Well, I certainly can do that if I know the price, because he's my boss and I have to get a quote first.”

“100.”

“100 what?”

“100 US dollars.”

“Wow, that's steep!”

“No, it's very reasonable. If your boss goes to New York....”

“Okay, okay, what's the lowest you can go down to?”

“Not less than 70.”

“I still think it's too much.”

“If you go tell your boss, I can go down even more.”

********************************************

That's the end of the story.

Hao, quiet until now, queries:

“She didn't ask about me?”

自学成才者 = autodidact (thanks to the 2007 film Nobel Son)

相声中的“贯口” = patter

有缘没分 = star-crossed

今天上班迟到，下午喝茶丢包，逛完超市不见帽，回家发现炉子临走没关掉。

I was late for work today
Then left my bag in a café
A visit to the shop made me lose my beret
And back home, I noticed I had left the cooker on all day!

(Second version)

I was very late in getting out of my chateau
Left my bag in the café after a piece of gateau
A visit to the shop, and I lost my chapeau
When I got home,
the cooker was still on,
the pot was all dry, without a single drop of eau!

传奇

刘兵词 李健曲

只因为在人群中多看了你一眼

再也没能忘掉你的容颜
梦想着偶然能有一天再相见

从此我开始孤单地思念
想你时你在天边

想你时你在眼前

想你时你在脑海
想你时你在心田

宁愿相信我们前世有约
今生的爱情故事不会再改变

宁愿用这一生等你发现
我一直在你身边

从未走远

A Tale of Magic

By Liu Bing & Li Jian

In a crowd of faces, I saw you, and I looked again

From then on, all my efforts to forget you were in vain

Dream I did, that I would chance on you one more time,

in the days that remain

And that was when I began pining for you, lonesome and insane

When thoughts of you flood over,

You wander on the edge of the heavenly domain

When thoughts of you flood over,

You stand before my eyes, clear and plain

When thoughts of you flood over,

You are incarnated into the real, from the memory lane

When thoughts of you flood over,

In the pit of my heart, you have resided and lain

I'd rather -- believe we share a bond that our past lives did ordain

And this life's story shall not change, shine or rain

I'd rather -- await your attention in a lifelong campaign

For I'm always here,

within the reach

of your rein

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJNQJLJ34TM

今天在窗口拍了一张照片。令我想起一首打油诗：

《咏雪》

江山一笼统

井口黑窟窿

黑狗身上白

白狗身上肿

刚才突然意识到，这首打油诗是可以翻成英文的。我试了一下：

Landscape is a blur, boundaries one cannot tell

The only dark hole is that of a well.

As black dogs whiten

White dogs swell.