I read this one after the Wool Gatherer. I am not quite sure why my acting teacher gave this one to me. Is it just a reading material or is it for me to see if I want to act this play. I could see the personality of Rose in Wool Gatherer very easily but somehow not Catherine.

I do like the story. I can totally see the excitement of a true geek when he sees a beautiful mathematical proof, that feeling of all your blood start boiling. The relationship between Catherine and her father was pictured very nicely, very warm.

I like the overlap of a mathematical proof and the proof of life. Oh, the wonderful world of Math. If you cannot prove a proof is wrong, you have to admit it is correct until otherwise. In human world, if there is doubt and it cannot not be proved, you are guilty forever!

I can see why Catherine has fear that she might go crazy, if I were that genius mathematician and stay in an old house taking care of a crazy father for years, I would go crazy too. Plus, the craziness hides in your blood. Uhh… But other than her virtual conversation with her dead father, I do not hear her say anything crazy! At most, she shut down. Well, overall, she is a mathematician, not a visual person like Rose. She doesn’t see many crazy things, I guess.

Also I am not sure exactly why Catherine and Robert are attracted to each other. I understand that they share lots of things, like the love of her father, love of math, memory of the house and the university. But I cannot see beyond that. It was also kind of easy for Catherine to forgive Robert after all that. Plus, Robert’s personality is kind of blend too in the script.

I guess all that blank is waiting for actors to fill. I would love to see a production of the play.

If you are reading this and you have something to say or simply want to beat me on the head for missing something important, please let a comment.

(I read some review. The inter-twined time lines of the present and the past were done very well. And yeah, the math part is kind of weak in this. All that new methods/models that Catherine used, I do doubt that she can learn all those in a semester or two in undergrad school? Well, she might as well skip school and read books at home. Although she could get inspired by talking to teachers in great length after classes. Then the teachers would probably follow her back to her house and beg her to stay around to get a PhD. Also the band. Well, they must all be genius since everyone in my grad school was busy all day long doing their homework, thesis study and all kinds of side projects that their advisers throw at them.

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In the world of Pure White Shadow, the only colors are black and white. If there is a third color, then it is red, the color of blood. Sometimes it is a bright red, sometimes it is dark and fading. Amazing that she was only born in 1981. But maybe it is because she is so young. She can be sentimental or even be trapped in depression for so long. Older folks just won’t do that to themselves or simply cannot afford to do that.

Just like an old Chinese poet said (Xin Qi Ji):  

When we were young, before we really knew the real taste of sadness, we liked to go to the top floor and seek sentimental words for our new poems.

Now we have tasted the true sadness, we open our mouth but cannot say anything any more. Instead we say, it’s getting chilly — a good autumn must be coming…

From Pure White Shadow again:

One night, LiJiang dreamt of XuYan again. She was wearing a white dress, dancing in the moonlight bare-footed. He walked over, trying to hold her hands.   She suddenly disappeared like the air.  In the void darkness, LiJiang cried out loud. His voice broke up in the wind but it was futile. He woke up. There was only the yellow ceiling hanging inches from his head. Outside, the sky started to light up a little. The rest of the world was still asleep. Continue reading →

By Chun Bai Yin Ying (Pure White Shadow)

Loneliness is the sea,

We are the tropical fish in the sea,

Vibrant but no warmth,

Even when we hug, there is still no warmth,

However, this is the safest distance,

Lonely but beautiful.