2013/04/06

The Return of the Pseudo-Artist

Until Instagram came along, it wasn't easy being a pseudo-artist. Guys like myself had to invest considerable time and the energy to learn the skills necessary to make a photograph look worse. These days, kids who have never heard of things like D-76 or Dektol would simply load up Instagram on their iPhone 3GS, point, tap, and VOILA! Instant pseudo-art.

As a result of this, the whole pseudo-art scene is going down the toilet in a hurry. Everybody is a bloody pseudo-artist now. Confronted with this perversion, I have, on many occasions, howled at the moon and sacrificed many chickens all in the hope of reversing this retched technological progress.

Then, my prayers are answered. Enters Ilford XP2 400. Like any color print film, this little gem may be processed by any one hour photo joint. But get this, it's a BLACK AND WHITE film! That's right! A B&W film that may be processed anywhere by anyone, with results that imitate Kodak T-MAX 400. The photo god is indeed a kind and merciful fellow.

2013/04/02

天空之城 - 酒池肉林極樂世界的分店

「黑色追緝令」是影響教主一生最巨的電影。它博大精深,包羅萬象。人生所有可能碰到的問題與困惑,幾乎都可以在這齣電影內找到解答。在靠近結尾的地方有著這麼一段經典對白

朱爾斯溫菲德是教主仰慕已久的武林前輩。他的這段言論,與佛家的「諸法皆空,自由自在」實有異曲同工之妙。這種高深莫測的學問,不要說一般人,就算是大內高手如李登輝與宋楚瑜窮一生之力也還弄不太清楚。不過教主小時了了,所以少年時代就早已參透其中奧義。於是,在教主看破紅塵的那一年,二話不說立刻跟隨前輩的腳步,馬上收拾行囊,填滿油箱,過那雲遊四海,行俠仗義的日子去了。