澳洲行（3）

赌鬼斩手指发誓不再赌在戏里真实世界里都有，即使做得诚心诚意，但一有机会，赌鬼又会不由自主地涉赌了。爱书的人和赌鬼是难兄难弟，见到心爱的书，叫他不买和要赌鬼不赌一样难。

这回在吉隆坡“学林“，买了一套两册“哲学大辞典”，一本金岳霖的“论道”，在“白屋”买了一本南怀瑾老师的新著“禅与生命的认知”，在墨尔本Chadstone Mall 的Boarders ，在墨尔本国际机场又买了几本，包括 Roger Penrose 的“The Road to Reality ”和一本叫 “Big Questions in Science”的书。假使我能以现在的速度读书读到七十五岁，我估计已读不完已拥有的书了。不是我坐拥书城，是我读书速度慢。我不止一次告诉自己，提醒自己：不要再买书了，你的书今生已读不完了，不要浪费钱了。可是我见不得心爱的书，如赌鬼不能碰上赌博的机会。我这一趟出门，共买了九本书，现款不足就刷卡，书超重就托侄儿代劳带回沙巴。那两本辞典重五公斤，我总不能把它从吉隆坡带到墨尔本再带到亚庇。

赌鬼斩了手指还要赌有他的借口，我买书何尝没有？我退休后自修哲学，哲学辞典是必需的工具书，英文的，我有一套 很完善的 Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy；中文的，有一本 Harper Collins 哲学辞典，有点营养不良的样子，另一本“大辞海” 哲学卷，有点唯物辩证论至上的韵味，说不上是利器，如此武装自己，如何能工善其事呢？我是不是该花三百多元买这套上海辞书出版社新出的哲学辞典？

至于“论道”，我找这本绝版书已找了好几年了，每次到中国大陆书店，必专程找它。这次见到，哪里还肯放过？我喜欢金岳霖，不单是因为他是个当代中国擅长于逻辑的哲学家，我特别喜欢他的文人风格，如他和梁思成一家的情谊，他写“知识论”的态度，都令我敬仰。第二次世界大战期间，他任教西南大学，在战乱困苦中写完了“知识论”，手稿却因搬迁而遗失。他的不屈不挠刻苦耐劳重新再写的精神，是我书架上摆有一本一寸半厚的“知识论”的缘由。“论道”是他的哲学创作，表达他的形而上学观点。要认识金岳霖，一定要读他的“论道”。我能不买这书吗？

借口是不难找的，而且，只要你振振有词，就变成说服力强的理由了。赌鬼都可以说出很多漂亮的理由，何况书虫？

“Big questions in Science” 收了40篇文章，探讨20个大问题，每个问题有一篇评注和一篇由专家撰写的探讨文章。这20个大问题是：上帝存在吗？宇宙如何开始？时间是什么？意识是什么？ 思想是什么? 梦是什么？智能是什么？语言如何演进？我们是先天还是环境所塑造的？男女有何区别？什么令人恋爱与失恋？什么造成侵略性？应该干涉自然吗？我们能否消灭疾病？我们会不再疼痛吗？我们能不再饥饿吗？我们仍在进化吗？其他星球上有生命吗？世界将会如何毁灭？生命是什么？

好大的问题！几十年来，或多或少，也曾想过这些问题，但除了“意识”之外，都不了了之，不去深入追问。“意识”倒是仍在追问，就是问不出一个所以然来。读了这本书，倒是增进了不少见识，收获不小。

在“什么是时间”里，有一则解释熵的片段，令人耳目一新。节译出来分享：“香水为什么只从瓶中流出而不自己从外倒流入瓶？十九世纪奥地利物理学家Ludwig Boltzmann 这样推论：先计算有多少个方法可以把一瓶香水的分子安排得很平均地分布在一间房子里；然后计算有多少种方法可以把他们安排在一个瓶子里。根据Boltzmann 的结论，前者比后者大非常多倍，是1 后面加上很多个零，比全英国图书馆中的书本还要多。香水分子相互撞击，一般上会随意地从一种安排转到另一种安排，由于这两种安排方法在数量上的惊人差异，瓶盖打开，香水终会分散到瓶外去。” 四十年前，我学热力学第二定律时，如果讲师这样教我，我相信我会明白。

澳洲行（2）

九月是澳洲的初春，梅花桃花盛开，满树是花，美极了。

山茶花。

一家与裕威道英伉俪喝了早茶后合影。

你能告诉我，这树洞是怎样形成的？这里有个传说，说一个小女孩失踪了，找来找去找不到。后来从树洞里一望，就见到女孩蹲在小溪旁。神秘的树洞！

全家福。卓成殷庄，都在墨尔本念大学，对澳洲自有一番留念。在墨尔本拍个全家福，也就有它的意义了。

儿子34岁生日提早庆祝。这是他妹妹的花样，要给哥哥一个惊喜。

孙女煦芸和晨睿不爱穿毛衣，戴手套，不是不怕冻，是小不更事 。

煦芸的雪人。

澳洲行（1）

女儿去年去澳洲工作。虽说她曾经在澳洲生活过很多年，在墨尔本也有很多朋友，她还是盼 望我们去探望她。年头订了今年八、九月的便宜机票，先到吉隆坡探儿子一家，再去澳洲。儿子一家也约定我们一家人在墨尔本团圆。我们也顺便去探望多年不见的老同学。

上图右起：1，同学桂兰的夫婿，2，黄裕威， 3，张桂兰， 4，王景玲，4，曾道英。这四位都是我们高中时代的同学，景玲和桂兰中学毕业后就到澳洲求学，毕业后落籍澳洲。和景玲上一次见面，是一九九二年我带儿子来澳州念书时。其他三位，曾于二零零三年回沙巴参加班上毕业40周年团聚；桂兰后来又回来沙巴一次。


在Victoria Market 回味2000年尝过的德国肠。

与陶卿进午餐。陶卿是陶娟的妹妹，我的本家，同辈；也是玉玲的学生。她留学英国，落籍澳洲，是个很虔诚的基督教徒。在墨尔本，她很照顾我女儿。

杨德良兄是玉玲香港中文大学的学长，在墨尔本华社贡献良多。他是这间华人护理院的副主席。

德良兄住在Boxhill. 是华人聚居的一区，区内有很多间华人餐馆，卖的是地道的中国菜。德良伉俪招待我们到一间江浙馆子用晚餐。一九六十年代我在Sydney 求学时，当地中餐馆不多，我没见过一间卖地道的中国菜的，卖的都是西化的简单菜式，以大杂烩最出名，叫做杂碎，澳洲人还当它是中国名菜。现在不同了，杂碎好像失踪了，澳洲人也知道什么是地道的中国菜。粤菜四川菜江浙菜，一应俱全，任君选择。

一九六九年大学毕业后，曾到Rosebud住了一个星期， 帮同学关君清理关闭三季的餐馆和洗碗碟，准备夏天有游客时营业。这次特别来凭吊。忘了餐厅的名字；看到一间叫梨园的，名字似曾相识，但不敢肯定。当时坐过的chiar lift 尚在，但看来是废置了。

Our Europe Tour in Pictures(4)- The Louvre, Paris

Madonna and child with the infant St John by Raphael (1488-1576), painted in 1507.


Woman with the pearl, painted in 1868, with the same pose as Mona Lisa.

The portrait of Infanta Margarita byDiegi Velasquez(1599-1660)

Self Portrait with a Ricinus Flower, by Albrecht Durer(1471-1528).

Portrait of Eransmus of Roterdam, by Hans Holbein the Younger(1497-1543)

Henriette of France as Flora.

Grande Odalisque

Diana resting after her bath, by Francois Boucher(1703-1770)

Liberty leading the people, by Eugene Delacroix(1798-1863). This was painted
to celebrate the day of July 28, 1830.(French revolution)

Status of Venus

Goddess of Victory

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Our Europe Tour in Pictures(3)- Paris

Paris, here I come.
I visited Paris twice, the previous time was in 1991 if my memory still serves me. I like Paris. Of the cities I visited in Europe, I like Paris best. The architectures, the parks and greens, the Seine River, the Louvre....

Tour Saint Jacques, a Gothic architecture, was erected between 1508 and 1522. Pascal has carried out many scientific experiments here.

The Panorama facing southeast from the Eiffel Tower with the Military School at the back.

The Palais Bourbon, the seat of the National Assembly.

The Church of Saint Eustache.


Place De La Bastille.
The July Column was built between 1831 and 1840 to commemorate the Parisians killed in the days of July 1830. The Bastille was demolished in July 1878. The Opera Bastille characterized by its curved glass facade, houses the main auditorium with rotating stage. This opera was erected on the site of the Bastille.

The Arch of Triumph is a landmark in Paris. Being not a French, I attach no importance to it. To me, it is a huge arch on a roundabout with 12 approaches.

Our Europe Tour in Pictures(2)

After posting the few photos we took in Roma, I managed to upload just over 100 photos out of the 600 over photos we took in the 2 week tour to Picasa2. These photos can be viewed from the following link: http://picasaweb.google.com/tchiew2/Europe2008. Alternatively, they can also be viewed as slide show on my blog slideshow if you don't mind missing the captions.

There are places or spots or views of spots that we have not taken photos of for some reasons or other that are of interest to us or perhaps to you, I would like to show them to you here.



Simply because of its size, we could only manage to take photos of segments of the St Peter's Square. Here are two aerial views that will give you an idea of how big and breath taking it is. It is an ellipse whose greater diameter is 240 meters.

The temple of Saturn was one of the oldest temples in Roma erected in 497 BC but was completely rebuilt in 42 BC by the aedile L. Munazius Plancus.



We have no chance to go inside the Colosseum. But the thought of kings and so called noble and rich men watching their slaves fight each other to death like animals as a form of entertainment/game sends cold shudders through my spine. This happened 2000 over years ago. How much has humanity progressed since then? How much of that cruel mentality is still with us or people among us? I am pretty sure we have not yet completely transcended that mentality. It still exists in us in more subtle forms-we still have this master-servants mentality. Haven't you noticed that some of us wanted to treat our civil servants as maids? Haven't you noticed that some of our civil servants are assuming the masters' role in dealing with the public? Haven't you noticed that some house wives do not treat their maids as their equal fellow human beings? Let the Colosseum remind us of our animal constituent that we need to watch out for.



Piazza San Marco or St Mark's Square, Venice, was originally laid out in the 9 century AD. Framing the Square are unrivaled architectures such as Basilica of San Marco, the Palace of the Doges(Duke) and the Loggetta.

Head of Michelangelo's David.


In Firenze, there are many museums with collections of the world's finest arts. In sculpture, no one who does not know of Michelangelo and his work David. Have a look for yourself and make your own judgment. In painting, Alessandro Allori's Venus and Cupid is no less famous and fascinating. Arts make Firenze (Florence) a city I think I must visit while in Italy.

The dikes, the canals, the windmills and the tulips are the reasons for visiting Holland. We missed the Tulips in our visit. What a pity. Not our fault. We booked the first of May tour, but ended up joining the 29th of May tour because there were not enough participants earlier on. By June, the tulips were nearly all over. To make up, I uploaded this photo to show you how huge and beautiful the tulip farms in Holland are.

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Our Europe tour in pictures (1)-Roma

The tour took place from 29th May to 11th June 2008. We traversed Italy, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France and England, in that order. Took many photos, but no guarantee we remember what they are.

And that applied to the very first photo I took, in Roma.

Monument to Victor Emmanuel ll. Started in 1885 and completed in 1911, to celebrate the splendor of the nation after the Unification of Italy.

The Basilica of San Pietro, St Peter's Cathedral, in Vatican. The biggest cathedral in the world.

Two St Peter's statues guarding the cathedral named in his honor.

The famous Michelangelo sculpture in St Peter's cathedral. 圣母和耶稣的雕像。

St Peter's Square. 梵蒂冈的圣彼德广场

The Arch of Constantine, next to the Colosseum.

The remain of the doubled wall Colosseum. 竞技场

The remain of the inner wall of the 2000 year old Colosseum. 2000历史的竞技场





If you are a regular movie watcher, you should be familiar with this site in Roma- the Trevi Fountain. When you visit this place, I bet your tour guide will warn you to be careful of pick pockets. If you love ice-cream, don't forget to spend $3 Euro to enjoy a cup of it.

The Barcaccia Fountain, near the Spanish Square, within walking distance from the Trevi Fountain. There is a street nearby along which shops selling branded goods are frequented by celebrities, particularly film stars.