Short talks ver. long talks

I was giving a proper colloquium, after longer time of pressing my mind into 10 or 15 minute talks. Not that I would have so much to say about my High Science, but it is nice sometimes to have possibility to develop line of reasoning and say what one has to say. One hour talk (10 min for questions) is just enough for it. Interesting was that I choosed not to speak about my specific topic, but some offspring of it. One hour of talk about numerical tests for MHD simulations might seem horrible, at least for the audience. But, knowing there will be mainly students, I did my best to be illustrative and clear as much as possible. As nobody fall down from the chair, snoring, I suppose I succeeded.
Interesting samoobservation was that I actually enjoyed the show. As said, it was rather non-sexy topic. But, exactly this made it more of a challenge! After 12 years of presenting in Science, even dropout from the highly frustrating machinery of Zagreb University gets to learn to give talks relaxed and non-stresses. And if I remember how much of stress I had to work through during these 12 years! Well, nothing I have to tell to fellow sufferers, present students etc., than: endure. One day you will go through. Just do not think too much, do not do much of stress. Understand it is something to deal with, and one, eventually, gets used, forgets it. After some time you gain proficiency in what you do, and this helps. When speaking about things new to you, or out of your scope, you learn to know your limits, and are not pressed to "know everything perfect", you know where you can say "I do not know", or just go over it, silently. Simply, one actually learns some things with time, really! Good luck
One financial addition: interesting is that here in Taiwan they pay you for such talks, if given on other institution. A bit less than 50 eur for an hour, not too bad, really. Strange feeling, for us europeans, to get envelope with money afterwards.

And one observation about city where I was, half way between Hsinchu and Taipei, Jhongli. Dirty, ugly industrial city. Only thing worth notice are beautiful girls on the streets, sometimes. This is core of Taiwan Tiger industry, with Taoyouan close by, and it is visible in the level of pollution and dirt everywhere. Taoyuian already invested its money into infrastructure, Jhongli still has to do it, obviously.

Pancakes

I find myself much more often than previously making pancakes, making bean soups...
Some effects of being on Mars for more than half year? Obviously.

After typhoon Krosa I will go for my 2nd Japan. Backpacking style this time, let's see more.

I was translating something from English to Slovenian...gosh, how long time since my last being there, it is unacceptable! Slovenian Alps + croatian coast, this are essential ingredients of my peace with myself, it seems.

Formulating something in Slovenian is extremely hard for me, as it mixes with Polish. But, funny enough, I like this harsh language, it has some weird poetical strength, for me. Croatian is an eternal Krlezian psychological drama, Polish is the language of Herbert and Gombrowicz, of XXI ct. catholic middle age, today. Slovenian seems to remain some oasis of Preseren-like local poets, of non-global (un)importance. Poets of few walleys on the border of former German world. But how nice walleys!

Camus

I finished A. Camus' "The Fall". Really, human fall. But, interesting enough, it did not speak to me.

"You speaking to me?" it was. I liked Camus, some 20 years ago. Now, here, poor fellow seems to go into the rubbish bin of history. Simply, outdated.

And it would seem his writing is so eternal.

Peculiar feeling of this ... like saying 'goodbye' to dear friend after a longer illness. I suppose it is accelerated by this being in Asia, which is not the place where reflexion of any kind would stick longer, but,then, the feeling of lonelisness should speak volumes.

But it does not, probably lack of reflexion is killing it, haha.

Should one be sorry for such event? I do not know. Where do we go if such books go to history of human mind, to be forgotten, not to ache any more?

I wish luck, big luck, to all of us.

Left- ver. right-handed

Tell me CP-parity (left versus right spin particles) violation does not matter in the St. Reality!

I started an experiment out of sheer chance. I injured my right shoulder last year dragging too heavy backpack through half Europe, and it needed more than half year to heal. Obviously, it is not complete, as slight miscalculated move recently activated similar pain again.

I visited traditional medicine ambulance here in Hsinchu, and tried their methods, it was good chance to become acquainted with this aspect of life here, also. Who knows me, knows I do not like even homeopathy, not to speak about sorcerers ;-). But am not blind for the world around, and to trying above my personal limitations.
My back after the visit-my shoulder is embalmed with minth, after hot towel and extensive massage treatment:

2nd time there, I tried acupuncture:

It helps in the sense you really do not feel pain (or feel it less) when having these needles inside. No, it is not painful at all, needles are just pinged inside swiftly, I think tissue is just shifted by them, more than pierced.

Now about the experiment. As I could not type or move mouse with my right hand-yes, it hurted so much-I used my left hand. I started my life as left-handed person, then, back in 1976, wise teachers of old leftist school forced my move to right hand. Maybe this was the reason for some my problems later? For sure it WAS the problem for my handwriting, which never became readable for others. Well, except maybe sometimes, in certain circumstances of my psyche which I would not describe as 'normal'.

So, I noticed moving the mouse with my left hand goes quite well. I changed order of buttons in setup and it was even better. But I noticed my typing became different-as if it would not be me. As if using left hand for mouse would affect something in my brain, really affect. Obviously, brain felt the switch. And I felt it (Miki-mouse) GOOD.

So, I decided to pursue it further: what else will change in my brain, doing the switch? To which level such an old horse as myself, can switch back to the left-handed world?

Really, motivation is in strangeness of feeling my own moves, and kind of feeling in head, as if I'd be a bit detached from myself. Interesting. Let's see what other effects I will be able to notice. As for now the strange (but positive feeling in head, something of kind of re-arranging in my brain, really interesting, like if it would put the question 'hey, what's this now? Mmm, I see some corridors here which were in dark, not visited for a looong time! Let's see them. curious I am what is there...".

Another change I decided to do is to add the ergonomic chair for long time computer work, as I had in Germany, some new equipment in TIARA ;-) . Sitting approx 12 hours/day or more in front of the computer is not natural thing, so we should use all means to help ourselves. Using large (19'') screen and large font on it helps to preserve my sight, chair is equally important, I feel.

All this forced at least one interesting move: after a long long time I read my little green booklet with particle physics notes from Zagreb, to review what CP violation was about, exactly. Seeing these equations was like visiting old friend, really it is time to move from these low energies to high energies, again ;-)

Die Liebhaberinnen

Next book by E. Jelinek, it was written in 1975. No capital letters-I should check in original how she did it, as in German it is quite essential feature. Engl. translation is "Women as lovers" and, as usual, it is not possible to specify something so clear as in German.

It is wonderfully written sad story about austrian women. Any women. The fact of writing this in 1975 is stunning, much. Lady really deserved her Nobel.

It is about stereotypes, written completely non-stereotypic. 2 intertwined stories (only on paper, they do not mix in the reality of the book) about 2 fates of women, where Jelined chirurgically shows their actions, reasons and results. Pure science, and who then Viennese should do it so good. And so nice without ANY reference to highbrow psychology.

At the moments Jelinek is brutal to people...but so true. It reminded me on some pictures from Zagorje, my region in Northern Croatia, which is similar in psyche and ways with austrian ones.

Completely different than Marina Cvetajeva, Anais Nin or similar. More realistic? Certainly with much less artistic attitude (but achieving Art, nevertheless). It is almost Zolan Naturalism in its effects on one's guts.

My bow, Lady Jelinek.

The Piano Teacher

Elfriede Jelinek got Nobel in Literature recently. I saw the movie Piano Teacher, and liked it (weird piece of art),and now went for the book itself.

Weird one, really, movie is well done rendition of it. Go for it if you want to see what deviations can be produced by too strict rising up+Viennese bonton. Brrrr....

Typhoon passed, Wipho, it was a Typhoon day, free day because of it, so I finished Jelinek's book. Also in the stock I have some Camus, and Bernhard's 'Limeworks'.

Sounds as autumn coming? ;-)

Bookish ZMM

After some time here, I feel URGE to meet some literature in my life...not to live it, as I usually do.

Fortunately, I had some hints of bookish conversations recently, and a book taken to read by chance, 'Daddy-Long-Legs' by Jean Webster, funny best-seller from 1912 took me by surprise.

Also ChiC, my Taiwan hippie Lady, took me by surprise showing me this nice piece:

The Road Not Taken
(Robert Frost, 1874-1963)

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth；

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear；
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
*********

Some melancholic mood for the end of the summer? Maybe. Well, why not?