China Mainland Buddhist Music Troupe - This Week

Enjoy our free time

The world of movies

曾几何时,红极一时的电影受到了大众的冷落,似乎被打入冷宫。近来随着几部影响力非凡的大片又重新唤醒了人们的记忆,电影这一传统行业焕发出新的生机。

Movies, short for "moving pictures" have become one of the most talked about topics in our lives. Their traces are found everywhere not only in movie theaters, but also on TV, on the street, in books and in magazines, and even in some of our diaries. Let's take a peek at how some of our readers are involved with movies.

The unbearable lightness of being
By Linda

Occasionally I watch The unbearable lightness of being in the still of night with the background music created only by my neighbor's kittens. It really helps to tackle my insomnia.

The movie is based on Milan Kundera's masterpiece novel, The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1984). Milan Kundera has become an icon for young people in China who are inspired by his opinions on maintaining individuality. I am not an exception. The movie itself is attractive and includes the love, sex and politics of four people and four relationships-Tereza and Tomas, Tomas and Sabina, Sabina and Franz, Franz and Marie　Claude.

What I sensed was the tale of a girl's growth-Tereza. Her hopeless love for Tomas, her passion for taking photos during the chaos of Soviet tanks arriving in Prague in 1968 and her struggle to construct a life of individual value and lasting meaning in Geneva lead her towards adulthood. What turns a girl into a mature lady? It is sudden love and events. When everything occurs only once and then disappears into the past, existence seems to lose its substance and weight, spiritual maturity thus is achieved rapidly and passively.

Tereza's favorite novel is Anna Karenina, which hints towards her fate. Tomas cannot appreciate her interest for the novel. Sabina's hat represents her independence and aesthetic appreciation. Sabina and Tomas are confidants more than partners in erotic adventures. Tereza's unsophisticated purity and search for truth and Tomas' divide between Tereza (his wife) and Sabina (his mistress) result in her blocked world which is too remote to enter, even when she opens a door for Tomas. It is no wonder that Tomas enjoys Geneva, yet Tereza is eager to return to Prague after they have fled from the chaos in Czechoslovakia.

Tereza comes to realize that she is only complete in Prague. In Geneva, she forces herself to face and discover the relationship between Tomas and Sabina. It is time to replace all her question marks with a full stop. Finally, Sabina in Geneva receives a message from Prague that Tomas and Tereza are dead.

Prague in 1968 was witness to Tereza's meditation on the effects on personal identity when history impinges on individual lives.

What movies attract us?
(Rosa, watches movies regularly, and from time to time goes and sits in the cinema to reward herself.)

Movies are a reflection of the culture and value system in which it is involved. Thus movies produced in different regions have considerably different flavors. Movies sometimes work as a window on cultures. Through movies, you are able to travel around the world while just sitting comfortably in a sofa. That is real enjoyment. Moreover, movies have developed along with technology. If you have access to movies of both the earlier times and nowadays, you can compare them.

You will find how fantastic it is that movie shooting technology has made such great progress, from "Tunnel Warfare" to "Hero", for example. The application of computer technology has enabled us to enjoy movies more and more. Plots are no longer the key issue. Visual and auditory effects are becoming appealing to us as well. If the wallet permits, go to the cinema to watch movies. By doing that, not only will you enjoy movies much more, but you will also be making a contribution to the industry which is then able to provide you with more wonderful movies.

The benefits of cartoon movies

(Happy Hong is of a character of optimism with certain childlike innocence.
作为双语周刊的热心读者及Common Talk英语俱乐部的首批会员,Happy Hong积极参与每一次的英语沙龙,并且从中获益良多。)

Generally, cartoon movies are produced to satisfy the special demands of children. Nearly all kids love them. For years, I watched cartoon movies with my daughter. We were both attracted by the stories and often burst into laughter. In my free time my daughter often wants to talk with me about the cartoon movies we've watched. In this way we share a "common language". There is not any generation gap between her and me.
Cartoon movies are usually humorous. To watch such a film you do not have to strain your nerves. So it is a good way to relax after a day's exhausting work. By appreciating an interesting cartoon story with its fascinating theme songs, you are sure to be in a good mood.

Being an adult, I sometimes wonder about the magic of cartoon movies. Take an example, there are many stories in Disney series Tom and Jerry. Most of them are of the same conventional pattern, in which the cat tries to catch the mouse at first but in the end leads himself to a downfall. Nevertheless, they are popular all over the world. Why? I think, maybe people have a common psychological tendency for paying sympathy to the weaker part who is being bullied by his opponent. Nearly all people prefer to see the mouse get out of his crisis, and are delighted to see the cat being tricked by the mouse.

Certainly, I would like to extend my gratitude to cartoon movies.

Enjoy our free time

Everybody should have free time, as it constitutes a significant role in our daily lives. One can do anything they like, as long as it is legal, to relax according to their individual interests. Now let＇s go further to hear the voices of different professionals talking about their opinions of free time.

"休息是为了走更长的路",人人都应该有自己的空余时间。依据自己的喜好,听从心的指挥,做自己想做的事,放松心情,这不应该是梦,也绝对不是梦。听听"Common Talk"的读者是如何利用"空闲时间"的,希望能对读者有所启迪。

Hobbies in my free time
David Dong, Chinese, a student in Beijing Forestry University.
I definitely believe that free time is very important for everybody, because after a whole day's hard work or study, we really need time that belongs to us. We all need to find activities to refresh and restore so as to make ourselves prepared for tomorrow's assignments.
As for me, I am now still a university student, and also a sport-pursuer. I prefer to play basketball, my favorite activity, during my spare time. I find myself so relaxed that I forget about everything. Another reason I choose basketball as my spare activity is that I am really good at playing basketball, and I can get my confidence back from it, confidence which I have been deprived of while I face troubles in my study. So it has been a hobby of mine that I would like to play for pleasure when I fall into trouble. However, I must advise that those who choose the sport should not go too far. I mean you should do a reasonable amount of practice but if you find yourself tired, not only will you feel tired the next day, but it could also harm your health.
I am also fond of listening to music during my free time. I like to learn some songs as well. But learning was a problem for me because I could easily get the melody but it was hard for me to remember the songs' words. So when I felt like singing a song to express my emotions, I usually had to stop and hesitate to think of the words. Even though this happens often, as time passed, I found that I had a new skill filling in the forgotten words myself using my own words. Although the words are sometimes a little funny, I don't care. I find it a really useful method to make myself feel better when I am upset. Try it. It may be helpful to you. That is what I like to do at my spare time. What about you?

Whatever happened to our spare time?
Wangyy, works in a foreign company likes rock climbing and traveling.
A proverb says, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." In a fast-paced world, it simply proves to be more than that.
One weekday morning, a few years ago, my eyes were wide open, but I lost the strength to get up. After years of non-stop toil in an environment that rewarded crazy overwork, I collapsed. Only after a one-month holiday during which I traveled a lot and walked with my wife on the beach, I was able to recover.
Today our life and work rarely feel pleasant or light. Too often, we feel weary, exhausted and lost. Many of us, in our desperate efforts to be successful and care for our too many responsibilities, feel terribly guilty when we take time to rest.
We keep speeding up. We lose the rhythm between action and rest. It is hard to slow down. It becomes a popular greeting everywhere (especially for men): "I am so busy." "Busy" has become a symbol of success or pride. We are unavailable to bring our family to a concert, and unable to find time for the fresh air on a mountain. We stick to the faith that the busier we are, the more important we seem to others. Spare time goes far away from us now.
Spare time is the time to enjoy what is beautiful and good, to relax, to have fun, and to seek ways to socialize. Spare time pulls one away from the stresses of everyday life. It is a biological and psychological necessity. So I have to admit that being wealthy or successful is appealing, but rest and pastimes are necessary if one wants to be flexible and adaptable.
See a movie or take a walk in a park. Or, if you are too tired to go out, just stay at home and turn on the television or open an interesting book, lose yourself in the imaginary world of a play or the relaxing sounds of music, which take the mind away from worries and troubles, and nourish and refresh our hearts quietly.

Another race
Written by Hong Ying
Translated by Bixin Huang

Hong Ying, an eleven year－old girl. She loves Chinese and English. She has a tortoise as her pet.

Nowadays citizens of the tortoise kingdom no longer spend all their free time sleeping. Instead, they give priority to education. They plan to beat the rabbit again.
In a forest there exists a kingdom of tortoises. Since the king is a story fan, there is a story-telling show in the palace everyday during the king's free time.
One day, the story was mentioned again about their ancestor who had defeated a rabbit in a race. The king heaved a sigh and said: "I hear that human beings have passed down this fantastic story generation by generation and never doubted its truth for hundreds of years. Unfortunately, more and more children do not believe it because we tortoises cannot prove it."
Every tortoise in the kingdom knew that the king was unhappy from then on. But nobody could solve the problem.
One day, a young tortoise came into the palace and reported to the king: "Yesterday afternoon I watched a mankind cross-country bicycle race passing through our kingdom. I found that the two wheels of a bicycle can go very fast on the downhill path. So I think…"
"It's a good idea!" The king was very happy. He ordered the best blacksmith of his kingdom to make four superfine wheels. Then the four wheels were installed under the belly of the tortoise competitor.
A letter of challenge was delivered to the rabbit kingdom. The rabbit king laughed: "How stupid the tortoise king is! Can a tortoise run faster than a rabbit?"
The next Sunday morning, a race between a tortoise and a rabbit was to be held on the main downhill path in the forest. The rabbit king warned his competitor again and again. "Don't drowse away until you get to the finishing line!"
As soon as the starting gun was fired, each of the two athletes began to make his way. The tortoise pushed ahead with four legs. The four wheels under his belly were turning faster and faster. At last, the two players got to the finish almost at the same time.
The tortoise king shook hands with the rabbit king. "Our player couldn't be faster than yours even though we had another device."
The rabbit king said, "But you've taught us a lesson. We rabbits should learn from you. That is, to use our heads in our free time."
Soon after that race, man invented the wheel-scooter. Men and women, boys and girls are interested in playing the scooter in their free time.