Guardian 镇魂 : Little Things

<<DEPART>> Photobook: Part 1

Hello all. This is not an update on Little Things. Instead, this is a collection of excerpts written by Long Ge for the <<DEPART>> Photobook. The excerpts were translated for the international editions and these are taken from the Australian edition of the photobook. Also, I'll be dividing the excerpts into three parts because they are just too long for one post. The reason why I'm uploading this is because:

1. Some fans bought the Chinese edition first before the English edition came out. They have no idea what's written in the book (I'm one of those people).
2. There are many fans who are interested in purchasing the photobook but are unable to do so due to various reasons (not available in their local bookstores, hefty shipping prices as they are not living in Asia, financial difficulties, etc).
3. I wanted to let more fans catch a glimpse of who Long Ge really is.  A reserved person with a complex mind and despite his fame, he is still a humble person ^^

[Note: I am typing these excerpts out word for word, down to the punctuations. There are mistakes in them, but I will not correct them.]

If these are deemed to be against the copyright in any manner, do let me know. I will take them down immediately :)

Excerpt 1: Every unknown journey is scenery of life. I'm always on the way, and never want to stop. I depart with courage, accompanied with my original dreams. Let's start, now. 

Excerpt 2: In the wind there is a hint of coldness, and also warmness. Here I am, in Sydney's September. Standing here, it seems my body temperature doesn't belong to me anymore. What left is the coolness of my hands. Passengers and tourists pass by around me, all smiling. And I smile back. A strange sense of belonging. Hi, can you hear me? I hope you receive my greeting, no matter it's at the end of winter, or the beginning of spring. How are you? Please accept the smile from the southern hemisphere. 

Excerpt 3: The mottled sunshine and the wall covered with ivy are the most reliable backup for the harbour. The cool wind hugged me and tousled my hair. Such bright sunshine, such blue sea. They brought peace to me. This city comfortably accepted me and shared its color with me. Walking into an unacquainted city, an unacquainted harbour, in an unacquainted season, it's like another experience of growing up in a brand new environment. When I first started learning acting, I was also a little bit stiff. But soon I began to enjoy, to experience, and to feel the fun. And now, I believe I'm beginning to feel the city, too. I want to hug the harbour, in front of fluctuating waves. 

Excerpt 4: There will always be accidents on the journey. Maybe you miss the destination, maybe you take a wrong way. But no need to worry about these. Because you can achieve something in all these processes. Everything I pass by is a station to me, where I can observe with earnestness. There gotta be something I can share with you in the future, something that can help me grow. These are the water to the tree inside my heart. Why limit the opportunity to grow up? At every moment I am ready to become a better me. 

Excerpt 5: Departure is a mysterious word. It's not necessarily the beginning, and not necessarily fast. It is unknown, but also known. You know that you won't stop here. You will keep walking, with expectations towards both yourself and the road in front of you. You don't know what kind of road it is. You don't know how long you will walk. You don't know whether it will be easy or hard. But it's just too boring if you stay where you are. Keeping still is not a good enough attitude. You'd feel you are wasting something. We depart, because we believe, and because we can. 

Excerpt 6: I would imagine myself wearing white shoes. Not because I'm obsessed with the color, but because I want to walk the journey more discreetly and stably. Being unbridled might be too much. We should be fearless towards certain things, but still keep humble towards others. Wearing shoes is an approach for me to keep humble, like a reminder from myself. I want to walk steadily, and keep walking, for a long time. 

Excerpt 7: I passed by a grand relic. The sunshine here is so bright. Light boldly sprinkled all over the place, washing away all the sadness. I don't want to be a garden. I want to be the sunshine. Visiting an ancient garden feels like mourning but it becomes all different with the presence of sunshine. I wish I can also wash away the sadness wherever I pass by and replace it with calmness and warmness. By that means we won't focus on the flaws, but achieve more valuable things instead. Try to be the sunshine. 

Excerpt 8: The best walk you can take is a casual walk, like the best way to take a trip is to live there. Once I view myself as an uncertainty, things start to happen randomly. The best journey is without destinations. Detailed travel plan bores me because it let you know the shape and color of your trip before you even depart. Once detailed planned, the journey stops being a surprise and falls into another part of scheduled life. Plan takes away the amazing part of a journey. 

Excerpt 9: Roman Holiday emerges in my mind frequently. The time seems to be freezed by the black and white film. While watching the love story in Rome, we are also appreciating the beauty of retained moments. The granular sensation deepens the outlines of the actors and actresses, making them look fascinating. Who wouldn't want a moment of their own life saved in such classic frames? Now and then I recall the days in Rome, the moments I myself was taken into the black and white photos. It was like a dream come true. Every time I take monochrome photos, I would think of the film, think of Rome, think of the charming Audrey Hepburn. 

Excerpt 10: 30 years old. An Aries who is 30 years old. Some may find it hard to face this age, but to me it's just another normal age. It's still me. I was growing at 10, at 20, and I'm still growing today. Maybe you want to ask what brought me to this day. But it's not the time to look back yet. I want to focus on what I'm doing today, and what will happen tomorrow. Those are what matter, aren't they? So what will happen to me in the coming days? Travel, live, act. No plans on purpose. I just try my best to carry on. To be the person you want to be, to realize the dream you have. Let's just carry on. Our presence, is also our future. 

Excerpt 11: No matter what language they use, the voice of children is always the purest and the most direct. Those syllables are never meaningless. They contain the children's happiness and confusion, curiosity and mischief. Maybe in their eyes I'm just a doll. I look at them, and tell them, don't be afraid, I'm one of you. Their smile is so clear, so touching. I'm so glad that I understand their language. I know how to listen to them, how to comfort them, how to please them. A part of me has grown up, and another part hasn't. I like this kind of me. I guess they feel the same. I saw freshness from them, which is also learning. And I'll take time to tell you what I learnt from them. 

Excerpt 12: At dusk, the sky was getting darker. The street lamps were lighted up, which comforted me. It assured me that this was the right way to go home. When I walk at night, I would feel that the street lamps are the only living things. We all want to have some lights to guide us on our journey, and we all can be others' lights as well. Maybe someone is going through great difficulties, and we give them the strength to carry on. This kind of warmness is provided by us to each other. 

[Note: So that is the end of Part 1. Will update Part 2 & Part 3 in a bit. Personally, reading these makes me feel that Long Gege is such a poetic person. Also, if you are sharing this, please do it with proper credit ^^ ^^]

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*Content does not belong to me. I'm merely sharing them. 

*Credits to the artists/owners of the pictures.