我們的家教CJ要去美國讀文學博士學位,希望我幫他寫推薦信申請全額奬學金,我當下立刻二話不說幫他寫。兒子跟女兒看到我這樣做,就說:「爸爸你對CJ很好耶」
「那當然,因為我們也很幸運能有CJ當你們的家教啊,CJ也是我們的貴人啊」
CJ真的是很特別的家教,他在孩子還小的時候(7歲跟5歲),就給孩子注入了老靈魂,他會帶吉他來我們家彈披頭四的歌並且解釋歌詞中的詩意跟智慧給孩子,所以我在英文原文推薦信刻意置入一段speaking words of wisdom from the lyrics of let it be, 希望對方的文化水平可以看得懂我的幽默隱喻
而我們也是很特別的家長,因為我們回家時也常常看到他們三個窩在沙發上看netflix, 通常一般家長就會很火大付那麼錢是要你陪小孩看電視嗎? 但高智慧如我立刻就察覺他們在看的節目是有教育意義的像是二戰歷史,像是Rosa Park人權事件,像是女權主義。
他讓小孩了解為什麼人要學習歷史,因為要從過去的錯誤中學習,確保種族歧視不會再發生,納粹的暴行不會再重覆。
我們因為太喜歡他的全方位教學,於是連續二年帶他一起去歐洲跟著我們全家去歐洲做生意。 當我們家長在各個城市做生意時,他並不只是個保姆,而是會刻意帶小孩們去大量的博物館跟藝廊,了解文藝復興這時期對於奠定歐洲在接下來五百年的科學超前其他地區的關鍵因素。
對我的小孩來說,CJ不只是個英文家教,而是人生導師,他會導讀動物農場並且跟他們解釋背後的含義。 會跟小孩在花神咖啡館一邊吃冰一邊解釋薩特在這間咖啡廳寫的《存在與虛無》這本偉大著作對於存在主義有多麼的重要。會在疫情時期跟他們分享卡繆的《瘟疫》裡的小人物的人性的光輝與醜陋,當時就跟現在一模一樣。會帶他們去諾曼第海灘,讓他們了解這個D day戰場對於現代世界的塑造有多麼重要。
我的孩子很幸運能遇到這樣優秀的大哥哥教會他們很多東西,我也像個慈父一樣,希望這個大兒子可以勇於去追求自己的熱情。
Savi看到我寫的文章後,驚呼:「爸爸,我不知道你的英文文筆竟然那麼好,幾乎快跟我一樣好了」
我聽了哈哈大笑:「兒子,你以後一定會比我還更好,但現在還是我比較強一點啦!再怎麼說老子也是個博士」
My name is John Lee and I am the CEO of JOLA INTERNATIONAL. A group that also owns Timeless Truth Mask, an internationally recognized face mask brand.
I am writing this recommendation letter on behalf of Ching-Jen Sun, whom I have known for 5 years and we all call him CJ. Initially I hired him as the English tutor for both of my children. However, I soon started to realize CJ is more than just an English tutor, his diversified interests sparked my children’s curiosity in various aspects in life. One day he would bring a guitar and speaking words of wisdom from singing along Beatle’s lyrics of “let it be” to my children, another day he would watch World War II documentary film with my children and explained to them why they should learn history, so that the atrocity of Nazi and racism should never be repeated.
As I got to know him better, I started to trust him more by weighing more educative responsibility on his shoulder. For business purposes, each year I would take the entire family touring around Europe for more than a month and CJ would travel with us and help me to babysit my children while I work.
However, CJ far exceeded my expectation as a babysitter, whichever city we went, every afternoon he would take them to the museum and art galleries, his vast knowledge of art and literature in different era never ceases to amaze me.
To my children, CJ is not only an English tutor, but rather a mentor. Regardless of my children’s precocious ages (11 and 9), he would ask them to read George Orwell’s 《Animal Farm》 and explained to them the philosophical context beneath the surface of the story. He would explain to them the significance of existentialism of Jean Paul Sartre as they sat under the balcony hood of Cafe de Fleur in Paris. He would take the kids to Normandy beach and taught them that was the battle field that defined the modern world.
During Covid-19, he would read Albert Camus’ 《La Peste》to my children and pointed out the similarity of humanity between past and present.
His diversified interests are not confined within literature world, as a good baseball pitcher and slugger himself, CJ often would take them out to play baseball and explained to them the beauty of baseball game.
Throughout the years my children and CJ had developed a very strong brotherhood and I feel compelled to recommend this bright, hard-working and courteous young man to your faculty as I have a very strong confidence that he would add extra aura to your team, as he had to mine.
I am confident that CJ Sun is a strong candidate for Fulbright grant for graduate study. If you have any doubt during the process of evaluation, please feel free to contact me.
John Lee
Ph.D
Founder & CEO of Jolab
Founder & CEO of Timeless Truth Mask
call me by your name 隱喻 在 怪咖電影院 Facebook 的精選貼文
Youth is wasted on the young
“Call me by your name and I’ll call you by mine.”—Elio
今天終於看了Call me by your name,確確實實是一部好電影,關於青春與無所事事的夏天,關於身體與慾望,關於音樂與哲學,關於逃避與面對,聚攏又分離。讀過許多關於這部電影的影評,許多都離不開杏桃的隱喻,然而我卻更沉醉在意大利北部的夏日陽光、騎車時被微風吹起的頭髮,游泳過後皮膚上的海水與細沙,還有Elio彈奏的每一首歌,電影的時節、溫度、濕度,甚至氣味,全都濃縮在這些細節裡。
「你到底是在哪一刻愛上我的?」情侶們在一起後總喜歡問類似的問題。第一次被問及這題的時候,也就是大概十年前,我鉅細靡遺的回答著:「那天第一次見到你,我們穿著一樣的衣服,同色的牛仔褲,手戴同款手錶,然後得知你剛好比我大一天,你說關於我的那則新聞是最最無聊的新聞,你告訴我報紙是你的精神食糧,我覺得你真奇怪。」
就像Elio在電影第一幕對Oliver說“My room is now your room. I’ll be next door”,還有Oliver脖子那條項鍊,一些當時連當事人也未清楚意識到,要到後來才發現的愛情的輪廓。
“In two weeks you’ll be back at Columbia. I don’t know what I’ll do then. At least you’ll be somewhere else, where there aren’t any memories... We wasted so many days - so many weeks.“ —Elio
後來我有遇過一些人,有在同一時間喜歡著同一首歌或同一部電影的,有經歷過同樣的童年的,有跟我的名字很像很像的,有跟我一起沉醉在村上春樹的故事裡的,但不知道是不是因為人老了的關係,即便感受到特殊的連結,我似乎還是沒努力把握些什麼,更莫說把這些感受跟對方分享了,當然我也從未真正明瞭對方的想法。時機過後,我們現在連朋友都稱不上,倒是村上先生的書,卻因而讀得更懂了。
“We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster, that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to make yourself feel nothing so as not to feel anything - what a waste!” —Perlman
相比起來,Elio所說的浪費似乎就顯得沒那麼浪費了。
點播Youth (Cover by Daniela Andrade): https://youtu.be/Tmir2xweAfg
call me by your name 隱喻 在 怪咖電影院 Facebook 的精選貼文
Youth is wasted on the young
“Call me by your name and I’ll call you by mine.”—Elio
今天終於看了Call me by your name,確確實實是一部好電影,關於青春與無所事事的夏天,關於身體與慾望,關於音樂與哲學,關於逃避與面對,聚攏又分離。讀過許多關於這部電影的影評,許多都離不開杏桃的隱喻,然而我卻更沉醉在意大利北部的夏日陽光、騎車時被微風吹起的頭髮,游泳過後皮膚上的海水與細沙,還有Elio彈奏的每一首歌,電影的時節、溫度、濕度,甚至氣味,全都濃縮在這些細節裡。
「你到底是在哪一刻愛上我的?」情侶們在一起後總喜歡問類似的問題。第一次被問及這題的時候,也就是大概十年前,我鉅細靡遺的回答著:「那天第一次見到你,我們穿著一樣的衣服,同色的牛仔褲,手戴同款手錶,然後得知你剛好比我大一天,你說關於我的那則新聞是最最無聊的新聞,你告訴我報紙是你的精神食糧,我覺得你真奇怪。」
就像Elio在電影第一幕對Oliver說“My room is now your room. I’ll be next door”,還有Oliver脖子那條項鍊,一些當時連當事人也未清楚意識到,要到後來才發現的愛情的輪廓。
“In two weeks you’ll be back at Columbia. I don’t know what I’ll do then. At least you’ll be somewhere else, where there aren’t any memories... We wasted so many days - so many weeks.“ —Elio
後來我有遇過一些人,有在同一時間喜歡著同一首歌或同一部電影的,有經歷過同樣的童年的,有跟我的名字很像很像的,有跟我一起沉醉在村上春樹的故事裡的,但不知道是不是因為人老了的關係,即便感受到特殊的連結,我似乎還是沒努力把握些什麼,更莫說把這些感受跟對方分享了,當然我也從未真正明瞭對方的想法。時機過後,我們現在連朋友都稱不上,倒是村上先生的書,卻因而讀得更懂了。
“We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster, that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to make yourself feel nothing so as not to feel anything - what a waste!” —Perlman
相比起來,Elio所說的浪費似乎就顯得沒那麼浪費了。
點播Youth (Cover by Daniela Andrade): https://youtu.be/Tmir2xweAfg