Thursday, 20 March 2008

读《楚留香》有感

家长最怕孩子做什么?除了极端性质的乱交损友、抽烟、喝酒、吸毒等等,恐怕就是怕他们打电子游戏和看武侠小说了。原因我不说大家也都知道,这些东西一沾就上瘾。只要看过武侠小说的就一定不会否认它的魅力。故事情节引人入胜且包罗万象,它讲述不只是单单讲述精彩的招术和侠义豪情,也注重于人间的情与爱,不可捉摸的人心,反映世俗的偏见。

楚留香是一个很奇特的人物,在很早就名扬天下。他与胡铁花,姬冰雁一起,被称为“雁蝶为双翼,花香满人间”。除了他俩之外,他的朋友还有以杀人为职业的中原一点红,掷杯山庄庄主左轻侯,以及快网张三。往往在每个故事的结局他都先敌后友,结交更多的朋友。他有一艘自己的船,而且船上有三个红颜知己: 精于易容的苏蓉蓉,博闻强记的李红袖,还有妙手烹饪的宋甜儿。楚留香一生中也有许多别的女子。《大沙漠》里有琵琶公主和女扮男妆的黑珍珠;在《借尸还魂》里有石绣云;《蝙蝠传奇》里有责任重大的华真真,没有眼睛的东三娘;《新月传奇》里有新月公主;《桃花传奇》里有张洁洁(他最终的老婆)等等。

我猜楚留香的名字可以被理解为“处留香”,有“风流飘逸处处留香”的意思。不过古龙也挺怪的,男人的名字里有“花”、“香”,女人的名字里有“男”。虽然他在武林被喻为一个神话,头上也带着“香帅”的光环,但他绝不是一个神圣不可侵犯,不食人间烟火的大侠。到处留情,喜欢摸鼻子,更喜欢和胡铁花喝酒,这些特征让我觉得他更像一个常人,虽然他的功夫和本事是我们可望而不可即的。古龙常常说,楚留香不是属于任何一个人的,他作为盗贼们的元帅,常常劫富济贫来助人,当然也几乎每次都得到了女主角的芳心。虽说他十分有女人缘,但绝不重色轻友,每次都舍命去救他的好友,这一点可以从他教的朋友可以看出来。

有人说朱自清的散文写得很美,但跟古龙比起来就显得很俗气。他以诗词的优雅来描写一个场景,去刻画一个人的性格,词句却能摆脱格式的束缚。尤其是在对于一些女主角的描写,有些接近色情小说,让读者有种身临其境的感觉。也可能古大侠就是在讲述一些真理,因为真理往往是“赤裸裸”的。相对来说,武打场面站的篇幅就比较小,一些决斗被他几笔就轻描淡写的代过去了,侧重点则是在人们心理和外在环境。就好比他通过怒视、杀气、落叶、和尘土飞扬等来凝造气氛并渲染武打的激烈。

Sunday, 9 March 2008

Mas Selamat bin Kastari

The news is all about him. The orange alert was released by Interpol followed by a red alert. His pictures are everywhere. Police Special Forces and Singapore Guards were activated for the biggest manhunt ever. But what do all these mean to me? Pretty much nothing… until last Tuesday. It was nearing 5.30 and everyone in my workshop was preparing for the RO and fallout. Then suddenly PC called and said that we need to do OT. Apparently the reason was Mas Selamat. Many Land rovers are utilized in the search for him, and there are insufficient vehicles for training purposes.

Despite the explanation that the higher authority has conjured up, the morale is super low. Can’t they just inform us earlier? There were no spares in the workshop too, and we had to go down NSDC to collect them. But what to do, who asks us to be in the SAF?

We still carried out work despite all the grumbling. Even the clerks went down to the workshop, but just to practice their acting skill. The four vehicles that we were supposed to finish by that night proved to be full of faults, and up until 10 pm, we could not pass out all. All the NSFs like me totally gave up. In fact, we began gathering around the smoking corner and sighing on our bad luck. We wondered how and why the escape of a single fugitive could nearly cause the mobilization of the entire SAF.

Finally we were allowed to leave, and thanks to Xian Cong’s mum, I managed to reach home at around 11.30. At that time, I truly felt the power and influence of Mas Selamat.