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    February 26

    平壤....

    停工近20年,平壤开始完成他们那座105层的饭店。居然在上面铺玻璃了,太牛了. 其实从skyline的角度来看,平壤并不算很差的, 尤其考虑到他们已经20年没搞什么建设了,就是楼房上色的不多,给人一种死气沉沉的感觉,晚上肯定也不会很亮。

    ryugyong-feb-2009

    February 23

    奥斯卡就这么结束了

    大奖都跟大部分人预测的一样,那天at the movies节目预测的也全对了。最佳影片,导演,男主角,男配角,女主角,女配角,全对,大家都好厉害啊。之前网上流行的那个所谓的获奖名单泄密倒是错了不少。 Slumdog Millionaire拿下8个奖项,去世的Heath Ledger拿到最佳男配角,The Duchess最佳costume值得特别点一下。这是第一个我看过几乎所有提名影片的奥斯卡,对比影片和提名以及获奖情况,感觉收获还是很多的。
    February 22

    感觉这个人写的还不错

    挺真实。我觉得留在美国的人,应该很多都是这样的心理路程吧。当然了,这是在美国经济好的时候,
    不是像现在这样到处都找不到工作的境况下可以考虑的了。
     
    标 题: 归与不归---我的心理路程
    发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Sat Feb 21 15:22:43 2009)

    第一阶段,归
    刚来美国的时候,20出头,那时候算是新新人类,对国内的潮流时尚了如指掌,去了一
    个穷乡僻壤念书,学校里二三百中国人,不乏来美国N多年的人,对国内早已陌生,觉
    得他们思想观念陈旧,对中国变化一无所知,从国内大城市的喧哗下乡到那种偏僻地方
    的落差,让自己产生了强烈的海归愿望。第一个暑假就回国了,还找了一份internship
    ,虽然挣得不多,还是觉得很满足,对于将来回国势在必行。

    第二阶段,很想归。
    后来毕业给在一家中国有业务的公司实习,有一次工作机会回国,和家人表达了强烈的
    海龟愿望。老爸不同意,说我这样的,没有工作经验的在中国的发展未必长远。后来静
    下心来,换了个名校读金融。

    第三阶段: 趋于平淡
    毕业就赶上好年景,第一份工作就>十万,于是工作的前两年,忙着享受生活,买车买
    房,经济上没有什么压力,又开始办身份。海龟的想法,就淡下来了。

    第四阶段,有点迷茫
    工作两三年后,重新拾起当年的回国愿望,自己在工作上渐渐的看不出会有实质上的飞
    跃,工作虽说稳定报酬丰厚,可是人越来越懒惰不思进取。回国的问题上,开始考虑到
    很多...

    第五阶段--不归
    这是我现在的思想阶段,也许以后也会有改变。回国的好处,大家都总结的很多了,这
    是我主观在乎的几个方面:
    1。事业上升的空间 -- 实现的可能性70%,因为语言熟悉,有国外的工作经验,名校背
    景,机遇一定要比在美国多。但是,还有30%的可能还不如现在,主要是:国内人际关系
    相对复杂,这么多年的国外生活已经让自己比较的单纯+LAYBACK,如果不加倍努力,把
    握住机遇,可能还不如现在,虽说没有什么CHALLENGE,但是朝九晚五压力不大。
    2。物质生活的丰富,实现的可能50%吧。正如大家都讨论的,名牌的东西这里其实更便
    宜,我倒不是那么在乎名牌这些虚荣的东西,但是买房买车是不可避免的--我现在已经
    有房有车,几乎都没有怎么费劲,可到了国内,不一定会这么轻松自如。反过来,国内
    便宜的豆浆油条,FACIAL按摩,这又是在美国没法儿比的。所以好处各半吧。
    3。精神生活的丰富--60%地实现可能性。吃喝玩乐声色场所多了,这是毋庸置疑的,但
    是我关心的还有,个人自由,比如不习惯被别人问隐私啊;环境污染,这个几乎是自己
    无法改变的;要防火防盗啊,这些在美国都已经习惯掉以轻心了。
    4。亲情。离父母比较近,可以照顾他们,逢年过节不会有‘遍插茱萸少一人’的落寞
    --这是唯一一点100%可以实现的。

    说白了,我重视的这些方面,除了亲情,没有一点是可以让我死心塌地非要回国不可的
    ,事业上如果回国的话,自己可能还是有能力更上一个台阶的,但是,在国内争我目前
    的工资,我可能至少要付出两倍的努力,青春易逝,真不知道那样值不值。

    而亲情,一部分原因是自己担心父母年事已高,自己心有力而无法孝敬他们,但是,我
    可以尽可能的在他们身体许可的时候接他们来美国常驻,身体不好的时候,我辞职专门
    回国伺候他们也可以。

    还有就是,我老妈给我灌输的:中国人有四种:
    1。没钱的,生活无保障的,保姆啊,打工的,这些人很累很辛苦;
    2。有钱的,但是渠道不干净的,当官的,违法乱纪钻空子的,这些人也许不辛苦,但
    精神压力很大。
    3,有钱的,靠自己努力得到的,这些人往往工作很累,压力很大,责任很多。
    4,没钱的,但生活还能保障,这些人要么就是想得开,知足者常乐;想不开的,则抱
    怨多多,但又没有能力改变自己现状。

    所以,老妈总结,只有第三种,或者知足常乐的第四种,还算是活得比较快乐的;而鉴
    于我这人不怎么知足,所以,我只能争取做第三种人。

    但是,我现在在美国,物质生活比较丰富,又比较清闲的,算是第五种人,在中国除了
    继承大笔遗产而不用做事的人,几乎看不到有这种工作的人。所以,我妈认为,你这第
    五种生活,其实比第三种还好,那就别回来了。

    我在国内同龄的朋友们,绝大多数混得不错,但不是顶尖的,他们心里都羡慕着当年我
    在年龄尚小的时候就能出国扎根,如果现在给他们机会他们也还是愿意出来的,而我们
    却挣扎着是不是要回国---围城啊。
    February 17

    US Bank CEO: TARP program is lousy

    http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2009/02/16/daily24.html?surround=lfn

     

    While government leaders were well-intentioned in setting up the Troubled Asset Relief Program, it’s a “lousy program,” U.S. Bancorp CEO Richard Davis said at a business leaders forum Tuesday.

    The U.S. Treasury told, not asked, U.S. Bank to participate in the program, which is a Darwinian attempt to “synthesize” weaker banks into stronger banks through consolidation, Davis said at the forum, held at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans in Minneapolis. U.S. Bank (NYSE: USB) sold $6.6 billion in preferred stock with warrants to the U.S. Treasury in November through its capital purchase program.

    “There’s no A, R or P in TARP,” Davis said, adding that “troubled” is the only word in the phrase that’s accurate. “The ‘asset relief program’ has yet to occur.”

    The problems with the U.S. Treasury Department’s program are that its goals and rules have changed since its inception last fall, it’s poorly defined and it’s caused collateral damage to healthy banks.

    Davis said he would be “darned” if Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank would suffer collateral damage from the government’s “sloppy attempt at nationalizing the [banking] industry.”

    The Twin Cities is lucky to have large, strong, healthy banks such as U.S. Bank, Wayzata-based TCF Financial Corp., St. Paul-based Bremer Bank and Wells Fargo & Co., which is based in San Francisco but has a large Minnesota presence, Davis said.

    Other cities have tried to lure U.S. Bank away from Minneapolis, but Davis said that as long as he’s leading the company, it will keep its headquarters in the Twin Cities.

    U.S. Bank, which has $247 billion in assets, was the sixth-largest commercial bank in the country as of the end of the third quarter of 2008. It has more than 2,500 banking offices in 24 states.

     

    另外一则消息,原来Southwest Airlines现在这么大了。MSP机场彻底除了前十了,现在前两名航空公司都是Dallas的了。

    Airline passenger levels plunge in November

    Eagan-based Northwest Airlines ranked seventh among U.S. airlines based on the number of passengers, but it saw the biggest decline from a year ago, falling 20.7 percent to 3.3 million in November 2008.

    Northwest’s parent company, Atlanta-based Delta (NYSE: DAL), ranked third with roughly 5.6 million passengers in November 2008, down just 2.9 percent from the November 2007.

    Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. finished first with more than 7.4 million passengers for the month, down 10 percent from a year ago. The airline will begin serving Minneapolis, with flights to Chicago, in March.

    Through the first 11 months of 2008, the number of scheduled domestic and international passengers on U.S. airlines dipped 3.5 percent to 684.1 million, the Department of Transportation said.

    During that period, Northwest ranked sixth among U.S. carriers with about 45.3 million passengers (down 8.6 percent from a year ago) and Delta was third with 65.8 million (down 2.1 percent). Southwest again finished first with 94 million passengers (up 0.1 percent).

    Meanwhile, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport remained the busiest U.S. airport during the first 11 months of 2008, with 39.6 million domestic and international passenger boardings. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport did not crack the top 10.


     

    February 14

    08电影回顾

    随便写一点,有些牵强附会,呵呵。
     
    最好看的电影: Slumdog Millionaire
    最面面俱到的: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    最值得收藏的: The Dark Knight
    最想睡觉又不能睡的: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    看的最投入的: The Visitor
    最搞笑的: Vicky Cristina Barcelona
    演得很搞笑的: 1. Doubt 2. Revolutionary Road
    最好的悬疑: Tell No One
    最傻的悬疑: Righteous Kill
    最超出期望的: 21
    最低于期望的: Narnia 2
    最有中国特色的: 1. Kung Fu Panda 2. Hellboy 2 (色彩和武打)
    有些感人的: 1. The Duchess 2. Rachel Getting Married 3. The Visitor 4. The Reader
    觉得应该至少被提名一项奥斯卡结果没有的: Brideshead Revisited (至少除了演员感觉都不比The Reader差)
    制作最好的动画片: Wall-E
    奥斯卡所有提名里面画面最不清晰的: The Wrestler
    奥斯卡最佳影片提名里面画面最不清晰的: Frost/Nixon
    印象最深刻的角色: 1. The Reader的女主角  2. Appaloosa里面那个女的
    取景我最喜欢的: 1. Brideshead Revisited 2. Sex and the City 3. The Visitor (前两个是好看,后一个是真实有代表性)
    骂人骂得最爽的: RocknRolla
    没有特别感觉,又觉得不错的: Milk
     
     
    February 13

    美国的飞机.....

    失事的真多,越发觉得他们那些矶里嘎拉晃来晃去的破飞机不安全。 
     
    50 Killed in Plane Crash Near Buffalo
     

    Federal investigators arrived in the hamlet of Clarence Center, N.Y., on Friday morning to begin investigating the crash of a Continental Airlines flight from Newark to Buffalo late Thursday that killed 50 people.

    Readers' Comments

    The plane, heading to Buffalo Niagara International Airport, carried 44 passengers, a crew of 4 and an off-duty crew member, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and Continental Airlines. All the people aboard the plane and one person in a house destroyed by the plane were killed, said Chris Collins, the Erie County executive.

    Two other people in the house, a 57-year-old woman and her 22-year-old daughter, suffered minor injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital, Mr. Collins said. Michael P. Hughes, a spokesman for Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital in Williamsville, N.Y., said that the two had been treated and released. No one in the surrounding houses was injured, officials said.

    Intense fires at the site of the crash were being fueled by a natural gas leak, making it difficult for the investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board, who flew in from Washington, to retrieve flight data and cockpit voice recorders, said Steven Chealander, an N.T.S.B. spokesman. The cause of the crash is not yet known and will be the subject of the investigation by 14 N.T.S.B. investigators,he said in a news conference.

    Among those on board was Beverly Eckert, the widow of Sean Rooney, a Buffalo native who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, according to The Buffalo News.

    She was heading to Buffalo for a weekend celebration of what would have been her husband’s 58th birthday, and had planned to take part in the presentation of a scholarship award at Canisius High School that she had established in his honor, the newspaper reported.

    Continental Airlines said the pilot was Capt. Marvin Renslow, the first officer was Rebecca Shaw, flight attendants were Matilda Quintero and Donna Prisco and the off-duty crew member was Capt. Joseph Zuffoletto.

    Tony Tatro, who lives near the crash site, told CNN that he was driving home when the plane passed about 75 feet overhead, with its nose pitched lower than normal and its wings tilted. The plane struck the ground moments later, he said.

    The plane, Continental Connection Flight 3407, crashed about 10:20, five minutes before it was due to land. The plane — a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 with 74 seats and twin turboprop engines — was on approach to land. It was operated by Colgan Airways, a feeder airline for Continental.

    President Obama said in a statement: “Michelle and I are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic accident outside of Buffalo last night. Our hearts go out to the families and friends who lost loved ones.”

    David Bissonette, the emergency coordinator for Erie County, speaking at a news conference about 4 a.m., said the plane made “a direct hit” on the house, which officials said was located at 6038 Long Street in Clarence Center, part of the Town of Clarence.

    “It’s remarkable that it only took one house,” he said. “It could have easily taken the whole neighborhood.”

    He said the only recognizable piece of the plane was the tail. The investigation, he said, would be “painstaking” because of the amount of damage to the plane and the house.

    Mr. Collins said that about 12 houses had been evacuated after the crash and that a limited state of emergency had been declared.

    The crash, which occurred as a light snow fell in the area, was the second major one in a month in New York State, coming weeks after the Jan. 15 forced landing of a US Airways jet into the Hudson River in which all 155 people on board were pulled to safety.

    Sandra Baker, who lives on Railroad Street, two blocks from the site of the crash on Thursday, said: “It was just like a huge great big crash, a boom.”

    Both of her sons, volunteer firefighters, went to the scene.

    “There was this banging sound” before the crash, she said. It was followed by a boom, then a dark cloud and flames and the smell of fuel and fire.

    Another woman who lives nearby described the sound before the crash as “a loud roar over my house.”

    “It was like the whole house shook,” said the woman, Jennifer Clark, who also lives on Railroad Street. “Then there was silence.”

    Ms. Clark said she looked out of her window and saw a ball of flames rising into the sky.

    She woke up her husband and said, “I think a plane just crashed.”

    “I don’t know,” she said. “I feel bad for the people on the plane and their families. I feel bad for the firemen who have to recover the remains of those poor people.”

    Ms. Baker described the town as “small-town U.S.A,” a place that will reel from what she was sure would be the biggest tragedy the town has ever seen.

    February 10

    芝加哥415米Trump Tower, now second tallest in USA

    前不久封顶的芝加哥Trump Tower, 以415米的高度成为芝加哥第二高楼,仅次于古老的Sears Tower, 也是美国第二高楼, 世界第9高楼。设计根南京早几个月封顶的Nanjing Greenland Financial Center有些类似。按照官方高度测量方法,现在世界高楼的排行榜如下。

    1. Taipei 101, Taipei, 509m

    2. Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, 492m

    3. Petronas Tower 1, Kuala Lumpur, 452m

    3. Petronas Tower 2, Kuala Lumpur, 452m

    5. Nanjing Greenland Financial Center, Nanjing, 450m

    6. Sears Tower, Chicago, 442m

    7. Guangzhou International Finance Center, Guangzhou, 438m

    8. Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai, 421m

    9. Two International Finance Centre, Hong Kong, 415m

    9. Trump International Hotel and Tower, Chicago, 415m

    11. CITIC Plaza, Guangzhou, 391m

    12. Shun Hing Square, Shenzhen, 384m

    13. Empire State Building, New York, 381m

    排到帝国大厦,因为这个是长久以来高楼大厦的icon, 值得尊敬。下面让我们看一下Trump Tower的雄姿。

     

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    February 09

    Fire rages at Beijing luxury hotel after fireworks

    Fire rages at Beijing luxury hotel after fireworks

    1 hour ago

    BEIJING (AP) — An unfinished luxury hotel, next door to China Central Television's landmark headquarters in downtown Beijing, went up in flames Monday just after being showered with sparks from fireworks set off during a holiday celebration.

    There were no reports of deaths or injuries resulting from the fire.

    The Mandarin Oriental hotel caught fire sometime before 9 p.m. (1300 GMT) as the skies above the Chinese capital were filled with exploding fireworks — part of celebrations of the lantern festival that follows the Lunar New Year.

    The entire hotel building was engulfed in flames, sending off huge plumes of black smoke and showering the ground below with embers. At least seven fire crews were on the scene and police held back crowds of onlookers and closed a nearby elevated highway to ensure safety.

    Li Jian said he saw smoke arising from the 44-story hotel's roof shortly after a huge burst of fireworks showered it with sparks, though it was not clear if they started the fire.

    "Smoke came out for a little while but then it just started burning," Li said.

    Calls to the Beijing fire service were answered by people who confirmed the fire but said they were unable to release any details.

    The hotel, due to open this year, lies on the northern edge of a complex that also includes CCTV's imposing Z-shaped headquarters, a major prestige project for the city. The Mandarin Oriental was due to be one of Beijing's most luxurious hotels, with 241 guest rooms.

    Both buildings were designed by Rotterdam, Netherlands, architects Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren for the firm OMA. Both were nearing the end of construction. Along with Mandarin Oriental, the hotel building was to have housed a visitors center, a theater and exhibition spaces.

    Beijing usually tightly restricts the use of fireworks in the downtown area, but waives the rules each year during the Lunar New Year holiday. Monday, the final day of the exemption period, marked the first full moon since the Lunar New Year, and massive fireworks barrages exploded between buildings and in open spaces throughout the city.

    Erik Amir a senior architect at building designers OMA said the fire had destroyed years of hard work.

    "It really has been a rough six-seven years for architects who worked on this project," said Amir, who rushed to the site after hearing of the fire.

    "I think it's really sad that this building is destroyed before it can be opened to the public," he said.

    February 05

    车修好了

    还可以吧,不是很看得出来了,呵呵。换了个大灯似乎比以前亮一点。。。
    最近系楼居然被淹了,干活好不爽啊。跟老板meeting都要去咖啡馆,太搞笑了。这两天坚持早睡早起,还坚持吃早餐,表扬一下自己。以后要继续发扬。
    发现CW Twin Cities晚上黄金剧场是HD的,好清楚啊。不过每天只有这几个小时而已。
     
    February 01

    全球化时代的新鲜与不新鲜

    回美国以前,因为是早上的飞机,把宾馆订在了浦东机场1号航站楼和2号航站楼之间的motel 168 (说到航站楼这个词,就想起翻译The Terminal这部电影的时候,中国的机场可能还都是一个航站楼,机场么就是机场,航站楼这个词似乎不太常用,结果翻成什么幸福终点站之类的,呵呵。现在想想,翻译成航站楼或者迷失航站楼之类的,多好)。另外,现在宾馆的名字好洋气阿,呵呵, motel 168, 让我想到美国的super 8, 而且我在国内确实看到过 速8酒店,不知道是不是就是美国的super 8。
     
    到宾馆放下行李,想到还有书没有给zzh买,就坐机场大巴去人民广场。在大巴上看到两父子(父子关系是从他们的谈话推断出来的,不一定准确, 姑且这么认为吧)。儿子刚从国外回来,父亲去接机,家应该在上海。然后就听到那个儿子举了几个国外怎么怎么新鲜的例子,大致是关于上网,开车的时候打电话的规定之类的, 反正没有什么特别的事情。很扫他兴的是,老人家的回答往往都是,这个我们这里也是这样的,然后儿子就有些急了地辩解,往细节里抠,要证明在某些地方确实是不同的,直到他父亲闭嘴为止。后来车驶到世纪公园附近,儿子指着因为建设隔开的路,气呼呼的说,成天建啊建的,不知道他们在建什么,算是他们谈话的尾声,之后他们沉默了很长一段时间。
     
    听到他们的谈话,我在心底里暗笑。我觉得这其实是一段很典型的谈话,发生在亲人之间,同学之间,同事之间等等。在国外呆过的人回到家乡,往往很愿意跟人分享他们觉得国外独特的地方,特别是好的地方。但是他们之所以觉得独特,是因为他们之前不知道没见过,并不表示这些事物在他们的家乡不存在或者在他离开以后没有出现,也许仅仅是因为他以前没有关注过。反过来说,一些国内的人跟我介绍国内的新鲜东西,我心里也会想,这个么,美国老早就是这样的。但是除非特别好的朋友,我是不会讲出来的。因为我知道,某个时候我说不定也会犯同样的错误。
     
    人们往往认为一个人最了解的是自己的家乡,但是这次回国我觉得这个假设在我身上特别不成立。这次在家里,我要去中国银行换钱,要找离我家最近的,就在网上搜到了我们县城的电子地图,打开来我才意识到,我地图看了很多,家乡的是第一次看。这并不是说我对家乡的每条路都熟悉的不得了,而是因为我每天生活在这里,潜意识里又总是提醒自己这不是个什么好地方,加上我在家乡的大部分时间都在学校辛苦的读书,过着两点一线的生活,没有什么消费能力,从来没有觉得有了解它的必要。
     
    一个人对一个地方的了解,并不只跟他在那里生活的时间长短有关,跟他的年龄,阅历和消费水平都有很大的关系。我们这一代人,从小学到大学,读了很多年的书,而在这期间,花着父母的钱,往往处于一种亚消费的状态,生活范围其实及其有限,对周围事物的关注也并不多。很多出国的人,包括我,在国内的时候一直在读书,对国内其实并没有很深的了解,出国以后自己拿奖学金自己养活自己,暂时也不考虑买房子的问题,消费水平或多或少都有一些提高。最明显的是在国内读书的人很少会平时开车,到了国外几乎人人都开。很多人说出国可以见世面,但是对我们这种读书人,在国外见到的世面,有多少是因为身在国外,有多少是因为年龄的增长和这种消费水平的提高,其实很难说得清楚。
     
    如果你问我现在对哪个地方最了解,我会毫不犹豫地告诉你,Minneapolis. Minneapolis的什么地方大致在什么方向,我有一个完整的概念。从哪儿到哪儿该怎么开车走,我能说个八九不离十。Minneapolis有哪些著名的饭店,有哪些shopping的地方,各个档次,我都知道。我不了解美国人,也不了解Minneapolis的人,可是对城市本身,我以前生活过的任何地方我都没有这么熟悉,包括我的家乡, 只有巴掌大的一个县城。我对Minneapolis熟悉,是因为我到了一定的年龄才来的这个地方,看问题已经多角度化了,也因为在这个地方我经济独立了,开始关注一些亚消费状态下不怎么关注的方面了。
     
    我经常在思考一个问题,一个从小在上海长大,在上海读书,在上海工作的人,他小时候眼中的上海,读书时候眼中的上海,跟工作以后眼中的上海,抛去绝对的发展因素,能有多少不同。一个在小地方长大的人,在上海读书的时候和在上海工作的时候,所见过的世面能有多大的不同。像我这样小地方长大的人,在杭州读完书,出国读博跟去上海工作或者在杭州工作,哪一个能让我见更多的世面,这些我觉得都很难回答。我对杭州的了解,很多都是来到美国以后阅读的一些信息。我在美国第一次吃subway也觉得挺新鲜的,但是杭州天目山路上似乎就有一家,离浙大近的不得了,没去吃过而已。我在香港的时侯第一次吃蛋挞和老婆饼,可是这种东西在杭州不也满大街都是吗?来到美国以后从别人嘴里知道的Hooters猫头鹰餐厅, 后来我才发现这个在杭州也老早就有了。在杭州我基本上没逛过商场,衣服都是在好又多之类的地方买。什么湖滨路,名品街,通通不知道也不在乎。我最熟悉的是玉泉校区到紫金港校区的89路公交车路线,和火车站到浙大各个校区的21路路线。有去杭州找我玩的人我能带他去西湖逛逛就不错了,其他的景点都要问别人打听过。杭州的酒吧,我一家也没去过,去过的餐馆也集中在浙大附近而已。至于在杭州怎么开车,路面上的路标等,我更加没有注意过,所以我在美国第一次开车看到左转道还觉得蛮新鲜的。这就是说,即使我留在杭州工作,对我来说依然有很多新鲜的地方值得去挖掘。
      
    我带着对国内的无知,来到美国,自然觉得任何事情都是新鲜的,还好我比较有自知之明,不会跟别人强调我在国外见过很多世面。因为我知道,那个骗骗在读书的学生还可以,跟工作了的人讲,说不好你说得这些东西在人家眼里到底是不是新鲜。而且在国外,以成人的眼光对国内重新了解,了解得越多就越觉得确实没有多少东西是能够算作新鲜的。比如我这次回国看到上海很多胡同里的小店都可以用Discover card, 这个卡是我来了美国有一段时间才知道的, 我如果跟人家眉飞色舞的讲美国有一种卡叫discover card, 说不定碰上这种店的店员就会觉得我超级老土。我以前贴过一组照片,What's typical in America, 那几乎是所有我能想到美国的新鲜玩意儿了,都是具体到最细节的东西,也说不上好坏。对于什么东西是好的,什么东西是差的,我现在越来越没有概念。新鲜的不见得就是好的,尤其是大家都承认比较发达的地方,比如美国,比如上海,见到的新鲜东西不见得是好的,这个道理我花了很长时间才弄明白。说实在的,我以前很看不起自己的家乡,觉得它那么小,那么的没有光彩。可是见过的地方多了,尤其在美国农村见的多了,曾经的上海崇拜和曾经的美国崇拜互相撞击彻底击碎了我以前对好坏的简单判断,于是我觉得抛开我喜欢大城市的个人爱好不提,其实家乡也不错,家乡里生活的很好的人大把大把。生活方式上,你说不好谁就比谁优越。我小的时候总觉得去大城市能见世面,可是除了高楼大厦和灯火通明,我读书期间见过多少世面呢,这些东西都是一种视觉冲击而已,尽管我现在仍然喜欢沉醉于这种视觉冲击里面,可我觉得这只是我的一个爱好,跟世面没有太大关系,毕竟这些东西对我已经不再新鲜了,其实视觉上的东西,看一眼以后就不再新鲜了,不是么?我读书的时候很多人张口闭口上海,可是真让他们说说上海哪里好,他们也不见得就真的说得出所以然。用高楼大厦来判断一个城市会被鄙视为表面化,所以东方明珠,金茂大厦之类的,平时可以谈谈,用来回答为什么好,这不是一个能说得出口的理由。而除了这个,对一个学生来讲,又真的知道什么呢。
     
    关于这个新鲜事物好坏问题,我又想到了大学里面很喜欢的一位老师,他会给我们展示一些他在欧洲不知留学还是访问的时候的照片,介绍的时候满是赞扬的口气。我记得比较清楚的一个,他说他问一个欧洲人,奔驰的车在欧洲是什么档次,那个欧洲人很鄙夷的告诉他非常一般。当时我听的神乎其神的甚是崇拜,现在想想其实他说的那些很多都没有什么特别的,都是一种生活方式的不同而已,没有什么绝对的好。至于奔驰车在欧洲有多一般,我不是很清楚。但我现在知道除了专门产跑车的那几个牌子,没有几个牌子敢说绝对比奔驰高档的。而那几个牌子也是很大程度上依靠土包子美国给他们撑着市场。那个欧洲人觉得奔驰一般,可能是因为他们有钱,但是也可能因为他们本来就没多少选择。这个就跟说LV在国外不算什么高档云云,就是靠贬低一个大家都知道的著名品牌来夸大某些事实,提醒大家他还知道很多更加新鲜的品牌,可是那些新鲜的品牌也不见得就真的绝对的更高档。比如很多人知道LV, 但是知道LV有6w多刀的限量版的可能就不多,知道的多到一定程度你就知道不能轻易鄙视一个品牌。那位老师讲的大部分可能在很大程度上都是事实,但是加上一种感情色彩的倾向性,尤其是对还不曾在国内经济独立,享受过国内新鲜事物的大学生来说,头脑中容易造成一种对国外新鲜事物的倾斜,现在我想想觉得有一种说不出的感觉,因为我也曾经有过那种倾斜,我曾经傻傻的以为,只要去了最好的地方,其他的就不用看了,就跟黄山归来不看岳差不多性质。我觉得我遇到的有些人,尤其是网上的人,对于国内国外的同一种现象,脑子中都保存着两种截然不同的解释,国外的现象就往好的方面解释,国内的往差的方面解释,同样的情况存在于国内的大城市跟小乡镇,所使用的逻辑无非就是夸大其中的某些因素,缩小甚至忽略某些因素,而造成这种逻辑的根源,就是头脑中一种固有的倾向。其实他们说的,反过来说也都是说得通的。
     
    有时候不得不感慨,世界确实全球化了。有时不得不感慨,你得到了一些,必然就失去了一些。见到了国外的世面,必然见不到国内的世面。每个人只能活一次,每个人只有一个二十岁,这个二十岁,你在一个地方过了,对另一个地方就是茫然。生活中从各种渠道多获取一些居住地以外的信息,也许能够最大限度的避免闹笑话,当然,少说话,慢开口,也不失为一种安全的生活方式。从另一个角度来讲,全球化时代的人心态应该更宽容,如果有人眉飞色舞的跟你讲他认为新鲜的事情,而你觉得十分平常,请不要惊讶,请不要鄙视,这在现代社会真的很正常。