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| Bulgaria is not well-known for its tourism. In fact, it's such an unlikely tourist destination that travel-adapter manufacturers missed out their name in the list of Schuko-using countries. I wouldn't have heard of Bulgaria had they not qualified for the 1998 Football World Cup, and I wouldn't have visited had I not been on the British delegation for a competition.
Although a seemingly insignificant country, Bulgaria has a rich and very unique culture to offer. Situated on the traditional land commercial route between Europe and Asia, Bulgaria has acquired a wide variety of cultural elements from the two continenents. Also diverse is the skin colour of Bulgarian people, which is probably a result of repeated mixing between different races. It is even more interesting to see that periods of occupation by foreign powers have effected almost absolute political correctness in Bulgarian people: in a museum of Bulgarian heritage, the costumes during Roman occupation looked like the Romans'; those during Turkish occupation looked Turkish. The political correctness has effects even today: when Bulgaria was affiliated to the Soviet Union during the Cold War, every Bulgarian had to learn Russian as school. As soon as the Berlin Wall fell, everyone stopped speaking Russian and started speaking English or German instead. Few outside Eastern Europe would've imagined such massive lingustic shift in such recent past.
The Bulgarian culture also has claims to two items of heritage more usually attributed to other cultures. The Cyrillic alphabet, which is often known as the "Russian alphabet", was actually developed in Bulgaria and spread to Russia. Bulgarians also claim to have invented the "sirene" cheese which is more widely known as Greek Feta.
I've also had a chance to swim in the Black Sea during my visit. The competition was held in the city of Plovdiv, a five-hour coach journey away from the coast; but the sunshine and fresh sea-breeze overcame the weariness of the journey immediately upon arrival. Pieces of suspended seaweed interluding the fresh salty water, and the geek talk about fluid dynamics between fellow contestants added much to the fun of swimming. It's often said that the Black Sea is called "black" because the water is darker than other seas. I didn't believe it until I saw for myself the dark blue water from the distance.
It's slightly disappointing that Bulgaria isn't known for tourism. With such unique cultural background, this Balkan country has more than enough to offer. Dobro Bulgaria!
(edited version published in Ars Magna as "Plugs, Informatics and Fluid Dynamics") | | |
| Monday dinner time. My harpsichord teacher suddenly arrived at the boarding house.
"Deryck!! What's going on! You didn't come in to say hi today!"
"Nothing's going on. Precisely because nothing is going on, I didn't even bother to go to school!"
This is study leave =)
You've got no lessons, 24 hours a day free, and the whole school's resources at your disposal. Yay.
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| Never had I expected to be shaken by a play by so many different elements, not at least by the element of racism. The despair of a racist world as portrayed by Noughts and Crosses, the play adapted from Malorie Blackman's bestselling novel, struck me from deep within my heart.
Noughts and Crosses is a bitter-sweet love story between two hostile races. The crosses had dark skin and were the ruling class of the society; the noughts had light skin and were despised upon. The story goes that the nought-boy Callum grew up with the cross-girl Sephy because Callum's mother worked for Sephy's family. After Callum's mother was dismissed, Sephy helped Callum to become one of the first noughts to enter a high-class crosses' school. In the school, Callum was met with many difficulties trying to mix in, and Sephy is rejected by her peers for associating with a nought.
The divide between noughts and crosses is not meant to reflect racism alone. Indeed, it is a portrayal of all kinds of divisions in this world, racial or secular, large-scale or small-scale. It reminds me of my struggles as I went to a new school in Form 1 (Year 7), befriended the "wrong" group of people, and as a result been bullied for three years. It alerts me of the constant struggles I currently have, as I try to mix into the English community as a foreigner. Although the resistance I have met were not as intense as the racial hatred in the play, the play reminds me of the path I have taken.
The story continues that Callum's brother and father joined a terrorist militia which planted a bomb in a shopping centre and caused many casualties in the crosses. Because of his terrorist linkage, Callum was expelled from his high-class school. At the same time, Sephy's father, the deputy prime minister, wanted to steer her family clear of Callum's family and decided to send Sephy to a boarding school.
Three years later, Callum and Sephy reunited, but it was a trap. Sephy was abducted by Callum, who is now a member of the militia, and held ransom against the deputy prime minister. While Callum held Sephy in captivity, there past love rekindled and they slept together for the one and only time. The play ends with Callum sentenced to death for kidnapping, and Sephy finding out that she was pregnant with Callum's baby. In the last scene, Sephy was seen with the baby in her arms, isolated from the rest of the crosses, and rearing the mixed-race baby alone in despair.
It was this very last picture that was the most thought-provocative. A girl from a high social class dedicated her life to fight for racial equality, but was as a result disowned by her own kind. The picture signified the endless continuation of partisan hatred, racial or secular, from generation to generation.
As many drama students have said, putting on Noughts and Crosses is very ambitious for the junior school, especially given the play's length. The stage play and backstage support is generally well done. In particular, the absence of elaborate sets made the audience focus on the cast, which amplified the energy and hostility of the play.
Immediately after I left the theatre, I was picked on by some pikeys because of my race. What are the chances of that?
I looked back on all I had done since coming to England. I dedicated myself to mixing into the English society. I spent much of my time simply trying to learn the accent. I have even addressed the entire school in chapel that I will "smash the stereotype and show the conforming side" of myself. But while there is no sign of obvious racism in this school, subconsciously there will always be hidden obstacles against my mixing into the culture. Subconsciously, I know it is a difficult path.
But I have been on this path for two years and I will stick to it, ready to bear all its consequences.
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| (本文中英對照，方便世界各地讀者)
問問身邊的朋友：「哪條是世上最著名的物理算式？」他們大概會答：「E=mc²」
傳媒從來都是科學家的最佳夥伴。沒有傳媒，科學不可能得以普及，大眾不能認識科學。沒有傳媒，科學家也不能將自己的發現公諸於世，讓各方驗證。
然而，傳媒所普及的科學知識是否正確，則是另一回事。
追問你的朋友，「E=mc2是哪條物理學定理的方程式？」若果他們不修物理，他們會肯定地答：「相對論！」
大錯特錯。
E=mc2 所代表的物理概念是質能守衡定律，而非相對論。雖然兩條定律都是愛因斯坦的發明，而兩者的算式也不分相似，但說E=mc2是相對論的算式，就大錯特錯。狹義相對論的正確算式是E=γmc2，而狹義相對論的精粹就正是藏於那個被忽略的γ裡面。
我們不能怪罪犯這個錯誤的記者們。畢竟，他們並非科學家，只能「天下文章一大抄」，互相重覆大家的錯誤。使我詫異的，是幾十年以來，沒有人改正這個錯誤，大家繼續重覆地念著那條錯誤的「相對論」算式。
還記得去年，群論(group theory)數學家成功解構E8時報紙上的報道。其中一份報紙說，E8是一個248面的立方體。事實上，E8是一個248次元的超立方體的對稱組合。在量子科學裡，E8是很多絃論(string theory)的基礎，但老實說我自己並不知道這E8究竟是甚麼怪物。
我只希望，五十年後，人們不會胡說這宇宙是一個248面體。
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(English version)
Ask any non-physicist, "Give me a physics equation."
Almost always, they will reply "E=mc2".
The media has always played an important part in promoting science. In fact, science depends on the media to be spread. "Scientists publish what they do, so their work can be criticised by others," say most physics textbooks.
But does the media spread science correctly?
You ask your non-physicist friend a follow-up question, "What is E=mc2 about?"
Almost always, they reply with greater confidence, "Relativity!"
Wrong.
E=mc2 is the formula for mass-energy equivalence, not relativity. While both concepts are largely invented by Albert Einstein and their equations are similar, it is a huge factual error to attribute E=mc2 as relativity. The real equation for special relativity is E=γmc2, and the essence of relativity lies in the γ term.
Individual journalists are not to blame. Afterall, they are not scientists by training. They can only copy from other sources. But why would the society be propagating the mistake for so long?
I remember reading a newspaper report about the E8 group. The reporter described E8 as a 248-faced polyhedron. Actually, E8 is the symmetry group of a 248-dimension hypersolid which underlies many string theories. But frankly speaking, I don't understand what it is.
But let's hope that in 50 year's time, people don't recall the universe as a 248-faced polyhedron.
(also featured on hkblog)
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| 八九民運的絕食期，在二十年前的這個時候開始了。
二十年過後，中國政府還是不肯接受事件真相，人們不能公開談論這一段歷史，異見分子仍然流亡海外，天安門母親不能悼念自己的亡兒。中國政府淡化歷史，甚至比日本的教科書更嚴重。
作為八九民運後第一批出生的小伙子，民運好像跟我沒有切身關係。真正接觸六四，是中四時黃老師分享《絕食宣言》一文的事。及後在中五那年參加六四燭光晚會，使我深切明白到正現歷史的重要。我支持平反六四，為的不是要抗爭；我支持平反六四，為的只是希望各界可以正視歷史，接受歷史，以史為戒。
十多年前，香港是學運的基地，但那團火已經不復熾熱。現在，香港人對六四的漠視，大學生對史實的淡化，特首對歷史的冷漠，使我感到平反六四的呼聲漸漸瀕危。在這裡，我希望跟大家分享《絕食宣言》原文，傳開這歷史的呼聲。「我們不喊，誰喊？」
希望大家支持我正視歷史，以史為戒。
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絕食宣言 (1989年5月13日)
在這陽光燦爛的五月裏，我們絕食了。在這最美好的青春時刻，我們卻不得不將一切生之美好絕然地留在身後了。但是，我們是多麼的不情願，多麼的不心甘啊！ 然而，國家已經到了這樣的時刻：物價飛漲、官倒橫流、強權高懸、官僚腐敗、大批仁人志士流落海外、社會治安日趨混亂。在這民族存亡的生存關頭，同胞們，一切有良知的同胞們，請聽一聽我們的呼聲吧！ 國家是我們的國家，人民是我們的人民，政府是我們的政府。 我們不喊，誰喊？ 我們不幹，誰幹？ 儘管我們的肩膀還很稚嫩，儘管死亡對我們來說，還顯得過於沉重，但是，我們去了，我們卻不得不去了，歷史這樣要求我們。 我們最真誠的愛國感情，我們最優秀的赤子心靈，卻被說成是「動亂」說成是「別有用心」，說成是「受一小撮人的利用」。 我們真誠請求所有正直的中國公民，請求每一個工人、農民、士兵、市民、知識分子、社會名流、政府官員、警察和那些給我們炮製罪名的人，把你的手，舉在你的心口上，問一問你的良心，我們有甚麼罪？我們是動亂嗎？我們罷課、我們遊行、我們絕食、我們獻身，到底是為了甚麼？ 可是，我們的感情一再被玩弄，我們忍着飢餓追求真理，卻遭到軍警毒打，幾十萬民族精英跪求民主，卻被視而不見，平等對話的要求經一再拖延，學生領袖身處危難…… 我們怎麼辦？ 民主是人生最崇高的生存情感，自由是與生俱來的天賦人權，但這些卻需要我們這麼年輕的生命去換取，這難道是中華民族的自豪嗎？ 絕食乃不得已而為之，且不得不為之。我們以死的氣概，為了生而戰！ 而我們還是孩子，我們還是孩子啊！中國母親，請認真看一看你的兒女吧，當飢餓無情地摧殘着他們的青春時，當死亡正向他們靠近時，你們難道無動於衷嗎？ 我們不想死，我們想好好地活着，因為我們正是人生最美好的年齡；我們不想死，我們想好好地學習，中國還是這樣的貧窮，我們似乎沒有權利留下中國就這樣去死──死亡絕不是我們的追求！但是，如果一個人的死，或一些人的死，能夠使更多的人活得更好，能夠使中國繁榮昌盛，我們就沒有權利去偷生！ 當我們挨着餓時，爸爸媽媽你們不要悲哀；當我們告別生命時，叔叔阿姨們，請不要傷心。我們只有一個希望，那就是讓你們能更好地活着；我們只有一個請求──請你們不要忘記，我們追求的絕不是死亡！因為民主不是幾個人的事情，民主事業也絕不是一代人能夠完成的。 死亡在期待着最廣泛而永久的回聲！ 在生與死之間，我們想看看，政府的面孔──是答覆、不理睬、還是鎮壓？ 在生與死之間，我們想看看，人民的表情──我們想拍一拍民族的良心。 人將去矣，其言也善；鳥將去矣，其鳴也哀。 別了，同仁，保重！死者和生者一樣的忠誠。 別了，愛人，保重！捨不下你，也不得不告終。 別了，父母！請原諒，孩兒不能忠孝兩全。 別了，人民！請允許我們以這樣不得已的方式報效。 中國，母親！在這個自然的、嫵媚的五月，我們去絕食了。 我們用生命寫成的誓言，必將晴朗共和國的天空。
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