OASIS

很少有人能定义一个时代，但Michael Jackson就是这样一位王者。一位灵光闪耀的天才，在人世间走一遭，经历横扫全球的辉煌，娈童调查的耻辱，滑落巅峰的失落，万众瞩目的回归。在史无前例的50场告别演出前，以这样戏剧性的方式离世 -- 也许这才是王者最青睐的安排？带着黝黑的皮肤来到这个世界，带着苍白的身体离开，一个用音乐打破种族、语言、国界、时间的传奇，悄然逝去，留下一声叹息。

18年前，这位流行乐之王以他在录影带里对抗地心引力的舞步，时若百灵时若狮吼的歌声出现在中国时，我立刻成为一位忠实的簇拥。在我看来，他是一个不断挑战不断创新，永不疲倦的力量之源，从Jackson 5里带着稚气的嗓音唱着Ben的小男孩，到轻柔摇滚着Rock With You和动情吟唱She's Out Of My Life的青涩少年，到锻造无数经典的Thriller专辑：Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough里MaMa Se MaMa Sa Mama Coo Sa至今仍响彻舞池，Thriller引得数千人在监狱里共舞，Billie Jean中展示的里程碑式的月球漫步影响Usher等一众男歌手。

到Bad专辑时，Michael Jackson已略显成熟，从动人心扉的情歌对唱I Just Can't Stop Loving You（结尾时有三个非常华丽的鼻音Hee Hee Hee）到引人深思的Man In The Mirror（这首歌的旋律和唱腔实在太优美了！），再有舞姿令人眼花缭乱的Smooth Criminal，都堪称引人模仿的经典。还记得那时和同班几个同学每到课间就尝试着学习45度角的倾斜，而像Bad里面一样钉着铆钉的黑色皮衣也是潮人的必选。随后的Dangerous专辑，流行之王惊人的创造力仍未衰落，不论是旋律性感的In The Closet，还是录影带充满幽默感的Remember The Time（有几个歌手能想到用大舌音来唱歌？），还是关注种族问题的Black Or White，悲悯世界的Heal The World，都以横扫千军之势，征服了一代代的年轻人。

流行文化是一种奇怪的现象。我们热衷于塑造偶像，然后再将其一点点地打败。不幸的是即使是犹如Michael Jackson这样的天才也不能幸免。我无意也无从判断娈童案的真假，纵然最近当年的原告不知出于何种原因声称自己当年撒了谎企望原谅。可我始终相信天才都是很纯真的，因为他们太有才华，不需要经历尔虞我诈的污染就能取得成功，而只有保持这种纯真和投入，他们才能不断的进步。Michael Jackson就是这样的天才，以他在歌里时时可见的悲天悯人的纯真情怀，以少有人能忘其项背的投入，帮助这世界上的孩子。在当前这个物欲横流，被某些文人称作“满嘴仁义道德，满肚子男盗女娼”的年代，有几个站在世界顶端的人，能与其媲美？

于是Michael Jackson失望了。They Don't Care About Us也许就是写给世界的歌。这位引领着无数追梦的孩子，跳着永不重复的舞步的王者，终究意识到对抗世界只是螳臂当车。也许他早就懂；不然他也不会把自己一点一点地漂白，在以一个毫未威胁的sexless的形象出现在众人面前。

人无完人。我从不是一个盲目崇拜的人。但这位才华横溢，不断挑战，永不疲倦，心灵纯真的流行音乐之王，以其怒放的人生折服了我。

Goodbye, my King.

最近感触很多。但就像装满了水的杯子不容易摇出声，心里装的满满的反而什么都写不出来。好几次提起笔想写点东西，却觉得拙劣的文字不能准确的反映此时的思想。小时候的绘画老师总是说我，一落笔就想画一幅传世名作，看来这个坏毛病还是没改。今天晚上做完几个IRR模型，脚踝莫名其妙的像扭伤一样疼，不能去跑步，就想无论如何涂两笔，玩玩。

IQ/EQ，book smart/street smart，换来换去的名字却说的一个道理。最近的管理工作中每天面对着无数大大小小的决定，可供参考的信息却少之又少。有时候想破脑袋，却被别人一点，恍然大悟却又懊恼不已，明白自己陷入细节而忽略了整体，只见树木不见森林。有时候做决定到最后仅仅需要常识，迪迪是个大处着眼的人，可即使天性如此也难免陷入细节的圈套。面对着大量的决定，人难免倾向于尽量把一些不确定性去除，close some loose ends and cross out a few items from to-do list。可很多时候，keep options open确是最好的选择，过早的对事物下判断、草率的决定往往反映了心态的不成熟。

再者，在一个象牙塔般的单纯环境里待了三年，离开后才发现外面的世界远比其复杂、现实。理想主义虽好，但脱离现实的理想主义往往沦落为自欺欺人，坦诚面对现实方能在生活中进退自如。一天晚上看了一部很轻松的chic flick - he's just not that into you，记下了其中Justin Long对Gennier Goldwin说的一句话：you are not the exception, you are the rule!虽然每个人各有不同，但牢记绝大多数人交往的基本原则在绝大多数情况下是保险的。概率的美妙和令人沮丧之处就在于任何人都逃不脱。一帆风顺的长大，从某种程度上丧失了简单的辨别可能性的能力，也失去了一些面对挫折和拒绝的勇气。

最近公司里忙得一塌糊涂，换供应商、炒人鱿鱼、催应收账款、花钱买设备。第一次代表公司决定供应商、下一个100万的订单时，着实有一些压力。第一次炒人，也意识到了劳动法的规定却是给雇佣者出了很多难题，一个一无是处的员工，却不能轻易的拿掉，不得不对其晓以利害、调查起底、精神上折磨施压，用尽各种手段。工作繁忙，压力之下遇到不顺心的事不免脾气暴躁，可想到对一份工作应当由恰当的期望值，心态便平衡了很多。有时工作迷茫之时，便想到在MCK时大家常常提到的role model，用我们小时候朴素的语言来讲，就是榜样的力量。遇到一个能力出众、个性相合又愿意提携的老板，真是职场的一大幸事。

话说到此，不再赘言。长期外驻在杭州，上海的家似乎已经荒废，变成了无人搭理的weekend home。这个周末回去好好收拾收拾，做一锅美味的汤犒劳犒劳自己。

朱自清先生的散文《背影》，可能大多数看官在学生时代都读过。“父亲”那肥胖、蹒跚的背影形象，至今提起，仍记忆犹新。提起这篇文章，我并无抒情之念，而是想请各位看官欣赏一下国宝熊猫的背影 -- 大家有没有注意到，熊猫总喜欢用背对着大众？



孤独哀怨的背影



贵妃出浴的背影



这就是著名的S形……



XX，卡住了！



最后一个引体向上 -- 一定要拉上去……



我长得像熊猫，但我内心是一块抹布，我只想把自己晾干



要掉下去了！！



太没面子了



（撞墙）这日子没法过啦……



哥们儿，撑住，一定要撑住！

过去四年虽然工作会议覆盖了全国大大小小的城市，但休假时却清一色的在国外。今天和朋友为了曾梵志的画展去苏州一日游，惊喜的发现这座城市个性如此鲜明。

下了火车，不知去哪儿吃饭的我们叫车直奔Sheraton，咨询顾问的生活智慧：以熟悉的酒店为坐标。临近苏州盘门的Sheraton大概是我见过最有当地特色的Starwood酒店了 -- 开车抵达位于仿古城墙上的入口，整个中式园林风格的酒店层叠错落的展开，虽然原来酒店的房间比较老旧，但如世外桃源一般的设计使我在欣赏之余也不得不佩服当年GIC投资的眼光；据说今年初Sheraton又开了一个新翼，在保留中式园林风格的基础上充分加强了自然采光和借景，尤其是能享受清晨第一缕阳光的浴室对我这样热爱自然和早上起床淋浴的人来说非常有吸引力。

在小桥流水间找到苏州朋友推荐的老字号的面馆同得兴，墙上精致的竹艺和扬琴布置与服务员周到的照顾打破了我在上海和杭州对老字号形成的恶劣印象。出乎我意外的是在整个苏州老城区里没有看到一家Starbucks,老式的江南建筑像水墨画般点缀在新式建筑间，连公交站都是古代凉亭风格，城市的Identity强烈的存在于街头转角的细节之间。

画展在苏州博物馆新馆。苏州博物馆免费向公众开放，每天限制进入人数，在这样的情况下，虽然还是有不少游客在管理大呼小叫，但整个博物馆的管理还是相当的有秩序。贝聿铭设计的苏州博物馆新馆，自然的与邻近的忠王府融合，屋顶大量的采用了竹质隔栅天窗，自然光优雅的投入博物馆，大落地玻璃窗让参观者在博物馆中也时时可欣赏到现代园林的美景，本身就是一件艺术品。贝聿铭的父亲曾是中国银行的director和中国央行的governor，苏州世界文化遗产中的狮子林也曾是他们家族的私宅。作为Pritzker Prize的获得者，贝聿铭modernist的设计作品往往与当地的环境文化自然的融合在一起，虽然也有Pyramid Du Louvre这样比较provocative的作品，但从其位于Colorado的成名作National Center for Atmospheric Research，到JFK Library，到香港的中银大厦，到Ohio的Rock&Roll Hall of Fame，再到最新的位于多哈的Museum of Islamic Art，无一不在大胆的几何形体线条应用中，很绅士的向周围的邻居问好。这让我想起了前段时间读到一位美国建筑大师Frank Gehry的一句话：一座新的建筑，不应该对着它的邻居竖中指。这又让我想到了被昵称为“大裤衩”的CCTV大楼……

曾梵志的画展比我想象的规模要小很多，展出了他最近几年的作品（大概早前的作品都在艺术品市场的疯狂中卖掉了）。展览的中文名叫“与谁同坐”，英文翻译很有意思：Narcissus Looks of Echo。Echo and Narcissus是罗马诗人Ovid著作Metamorphoses中的一首诗，故事情节大概是：

In Greek mythology Echo was a wood nymph who loved a youth by the name of Narcissus. He was a beautiful creature loved by many but Narcissus loved no one. He enjoyed attention, praise and envy. In Narcissus' eyes nobody matched him and as such he considered none were worthy of him.

Echo's passion for Narcissus was equaled only by her passion for talking as she always had to have the last word. One day she enabled the escape of the goddess Juno's adulterous husband by engaging Juno in conversation. On finding out Echo's treachery Juno cursed Echo by removing her voice with the exception that she could only speak that which was spoken to her.

Echo often waited in the woods to see Narcissus hoping for a chance to be noticed. One day as she lingered in the bushes he heard her footsteps and called out “Who's here?” Echo replied “Here!” Narcissus called again "Come", Echo replied "Come!". Narcissus called once more “Why do you shun me?... Let us join one another.” Echo was overjoyed that Narcissus had asked her to join him. She longed to tell him who she was and of all the love she had for him in her heart but she could not speak. She ran towards him and threw herself upon him.

Narcissus became angry “Hands off! I would rather die than you should have me!” and threw Echo to the ground. Echo left the woods a ruin, her heart broken. Ashamed she ran away to live in the mountains yearning for a love that would never be returned. The grief killed her. Her body became one with the mountain stone. All that remained was her voice which replied in kind when others spoke.

Narcissus continued to attract many nymphs all of whom he briefly entertained before scorning and refusing them. The gods grew tired of his behaviour and cursed Narcissus. They wanted him to know what it felt like to love and never be loved. They made it so there was only one whom he would love, someone who was not real and could never love him back.

One day whilst out enjoying the sunshine Narcissus came upon a pool of water. As he gazed into it he caught a glimpse of what he thought was a beautiful water spirit. He did not recognise his own reflection and was immediately enamoured. Narcissus bent down his head to kiss the vision. As he did so the reflection mimicked his actions. Taking this as a sign of reciprocation Narcissus reached into the pool to draw the water spirit to him. The water displaced and the vision was gone. He panicked, where had his love gone? When the water became calm the water spirit returned. “Why, beautiful being, do you shun me? Surely my face is not one to repel you. The nymphs love me, and you yourself look not indifferent upon me. When I stretch forth my arms you do the same; and you smile upon me and answer my beckonings with the like.” Again he reached out and again his love disappeared. Frightened to touch the water Narcissus lay still by the pool gazing in to the eyes of his vision.

He cried in frustration. As he did so Echo also cried. He did not move, he did not eat or drink, he only suffered. As he pined he became gaunt loosing his beauty. The nymphs that loved him pleaded with him to come away from the pool. As they did so Echo also pleaded with him. He was transfixed; he wanted to stay there forever. Narcissus like Echo died with grief. His body disappeared and where his body once lay a flower grew in it's place. The nymphs mourned his death and as they mourned Echo also mourned.

结合曾梵志极其抽象却非常有力量的作品，画、诗与历史的艺术效果互相加强。其实音乐、建筑、雕塑、绘画、文学、舞蹈乃至美食美酒，都是人通过不同的感官形式对艺术的探索。视觉、听觉、嗅觉、触觉、味觉这五感中，看官用了多少种？

斜靠在沙发上，淡淡的埃塞俄比亚香料的味道弥漫在房间里，窗外淅淅沥沥的下着小雨。就着一杯红酒，我悠闲的读着一本随机拿到的书。突然感到一种久违的快乐。

没有目的，忘记时间，忘记自己，投入的做一件事。Lose myself in something。

我们花了太多的时间在寻找“我”，“我想要什么”，“我是谁”，但是这种抛开自我的轻松感，一种莫名的一切皆有可能的希望，带给我持续的单纯的快乐。

Sometimes, we should just let go and let life take control.