Saturday, April 30, 2005
TV Turnoff Week
This is a TV turnoff week (from Apr 25 to May 1), a campaign that began in Canada 11 years ago in which families are encouraged to turn off TV for a whole week. It has now been picked up by many advocacy groups in many countries.
I am supposed to watch less TV this week. But to the contrary, I ended up watching more. I have recently watched a lot of soap opera including 季節, 同撈同煲, 大長今, etc. I am so ashamed.
Quiz: Why have I watched so much TV recently?
Answer: It is a free entertainment.
Having spent so much money on P, I have switched to other free activities to save money. For example, I have gone swimming instead of playing golf; I have gone borrowing books instead of buying them; and I have spent my leisure time watching TV instead of watching movies/VCDs...
Friday, April 29, 2005
Quest for Freedom
硬漢 stayed in SZ overnight. Someone's brother took a business trip to Vietnam. How much do I envy them! I regret I didn't do more wild things when I was young and free. Now I treasure freedom a lot.
Quiz: How much for an economy class return ticket of CX from HK to Ho Chi Minh City with just one overnight stay? (Answer at the end.)
Vietnam... it reminded me of a beautiful Vietnamese girl I met in Singapore. The encounter was quite extraordinary. A taxi-driver even told me she was a she-male. But anyway, it was not true. She was the most beautiful night-lady I ever met.
I had my afternoon tea at Anytime. It was my favourtie鮮油菠蘿飽. I should be more careful about my cholesterol level. Selectively death-phobic!
afternoon tea
Answer: A CX economy class return ticket to Ho Chi Minh City is over HKD$5,900 if u choose to return the next day!
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Disappointment
Met P today. Unfortunately, she had already arranged with her colleague to go shopping after work. So could not have a chance to go out with her.
When I got back to HK, I was very hungry. So rushed to 再興 to have a 义燒鵝脾飯. The place was so crowded during lunch time!
Last night, surprisingly Chelsea and Liverpool drew in the first round of UEFA Champion semi-final. 放虎歸山，後患無窮!
oops
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Customer Service
Today I went to Central Library and passed by Victoria Sauna. It was still closed. It has been shut down for almost 1 year. I still remember there was a Thai masseuse. At first, I was impressed by her technique and went back to her a couple of times. But then she began to ask me to pay extra. I didn't know if she was greedy or in need of money. Did I care? I was not happy by her request and didn't go again. "今時今日, 咁嘅服務態度唔夠咖!"
要點? Please learn from 二話不説的蘇州妹, 逆來順受的652 or 隨時都願意打真軍的688. (Of course, P is the best. But I will not compare her with the others. Her status to me is not the same.) I learnt that the Thai was finally fired.
victoria
Had lunch with 老馮. He is a real old bird. He helped me to solve a recurring problem of my ring tone. It is just a little trick. 小改變, 大改善。
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
A New Beer
Today I received an email from 虹. It was an invitation to an exhibition of food and drink. She is about to launch a new beer product in HK.
Bali Hai Beer. I think I will go there to taste it.
Bali Hai
Monday, April 25, 2005
非常母親
This morning I went for a swim. As this morning was rainy, there was virtually no people in the swimming pool. Bascially, I swam alone. This was my 2005年的第一場水.
I then had a late lunch with my mom. My mom is becoming very lazy now. According to her, she will not prepare meals for us any more. Dining out is the only available option. It is quite sentimental because I forget when was the last supper prepared by her. Maybe it was about 2 years ago. So, it seems I will never enjoy her dishes again. This makes me quite sad because my mom used to cook for me in the past.
As discussed with 硬漢, you will never know when would be your last time of doing something. Anything, no matter it is meeting a particular friend, going to a particular place or what...
My mom is a weird lady. She always scolds me. She keeps on asking me not to fool around with other women. She believes someone is the best among all the girls I brought home before. And she will throw away the 風月版 before handing me the newspaper...
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Another World Record in HK
Today, another world record was created in HK. Silent Witness (精英大師) has won 17 times in a row.
Last night, I got a lift in East Kowloon and passed by Shun Lei, Sau Mau Ping and Lam Tin. I could hardly recognize the places. They are so different to what I knew. Obviously, the old buildings were demolished and new building erected. I must admit that I was amazed by what I saw.
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
I called P yesterday and learned that she had recovered. Good.
I had a chat with 硬漢 and told him I didn't feel P loved me. He disagreed. But a feeling is very personal, right? I think I can understand that. Love may be too luxurious to P. She is still struggling with the basic needs like food and shelter. Unlike 翠鳥 , she even doesn't bother to pretend. Once again, the woman I love doesn't love me. Isn't it a curse or what?
Friday, April 22, 2005
坎坷記愁
Having been unproductive for months, financial distress is an imminent problem to me. The appearance of P has aggravated my problem. In addition, because of P, I have started a 暗戰 with someone. It seems that I will have a hard time ahead.
Everyone dog has its day. But recognition and praise is something now very remote from me. I hope 硬漢 will take care of me in my twilight years. "辜負百牙琴, 淚已難自控, 知音再復尋, 俗世才未眾..."
I don't know if I can still meet P so often. "相見亦似夢, 奈何別也倥匆, 嘆丹山有鳳, 此後咫尺隔千重..."
Thursday, April 21, 2005
凶鈴再現
About 7 years ago, there was a Japanese thriller called 午夜凶鈴. I watched it at the theatre with 鳳. 鳳 is a well-educated and elegant young lady. Her etiquette is so refined that my other girls (not just P, but even L, M and C) can never imitate. I think one of reasons is that she was born rich. My story with her was just another story of 窮小子與富家女. Of course, there was no happy ending. But I believe any guy would like to go after her. 關關雎鳩, 在河之洲, 窈窕淑女, 君子好逑。
OK. Back to the movie. It was about the 7-day adventure of a person who received a mysterious phone call. Normally, people who received such kind of phone calls would die within 7 days...
Recently, I was also haunted by phone calls. I believe that I will die, one way or the other...
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
榖雨．金碧．輸唔切
Today is 榖雨, the last sub-season in spring. According to the Chinese, the farmers finally have a short break because all the ploughing and sowing should have been done by now.
P had caught a cold and still needed to go to work. I felt so sympathetic to her. I gave her some money again.
"在遠方思念 忘掉卻驟現 我心中暗顫 期待你出現
為見你一面 尋覓到實現 看風箏有線 魂斷線不斷..."
I didn't have time to go to place my bet. So I asked 硬漢 to do it for me. All lost!
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
青葱歲月
Yesterday I passed by a building. The building has a special meaning to me because it was my mini-hall when I was studying in HKU. We used to do wild things at that age, eg. growing fungi in the rice cooker, pouring Coke into 以羅 and setting a fire (BBQ) in the living room...
I had also got an interesting room-mate in the mini-hall. He used to sing "夜夜月光洒青輝, 但願在花間抱月睡" before going to bed and "夢裡百花正盛開, 夢醒卻未有存在" when getting up. He was studying engineering at that time. But as far as I know, he never worked as an engineer. After graduation, he took up a teaching post. Then he went to work for an accoutancy firm. I don't know whether he has finally become an accountant or not. Lost contact of him for a long time.
mansion
Monday, April 18, 2005
Opportunity or Crisis
HSI dropped by about 300 points today. It was quite a lot. I wouldn't say it is another market crash but it is certainly quite scaring. From hindsight, you always regret not buying shares during the events like 87 market crash, Jun 4 incident, 9-11 disaster, SARS outbreak, etc. Yet is it the time to buy low now? There are still many uncertainties like the performance of the US stock market and the worsening conflict between China and Japan which is continuously worrying me.
HSI
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Family Day
An ordinary family day without any surprise.
Note: I have been continuously challenged by someone with difficult questions on my whereabouts yesterday.
Saturday, April 16, 2005
急什麼?
I went to meet P. As usual, P came almost 1.5 hrs later than scheduled. 翠鳥 said that slowness is P's character. Conversely, I am a restless person who cannot wait. But when she finally came, I forgot to blame her. I was totally turned on by her attractive outlook. She sexy pussy cat!
She has great patience while I am always in a hurry... in everything...
p
Friday, April 15, 2005
快樂 Amoeba
After looking at the old photos, I was quite upset. Unlike 硬漢 who strives for higher needs such as recognition and self-actualization. I am at the low end, deriving pleasure from food, shelter and sex. Yet he is happier than me. I think one of the reasons is his personality. He is more optimistic and rational than me.
佛家説: 人閒苦惱源於執著。 I think it may be happier to be a less evolved species. 子非魚, 焉知魚之樂。
me
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Those were the Days
This morning I went to my old home. I intended to collect some photos for scanning.
I discovered I still had a lot of old photos between L and me. Very sweet memories. In 1992, I had everything: youth, a good job, a beautiful girl-friend, an unexpected promotion and an impossible scholarship. I think I will never be so happy again. Every dog has its day.
L and me
Suddenly I also found a photo of a Thai girl and me in Phuket. According to the date printed on the photo, the picture was taken in Apr 1994. That year I went to Phuket with 硬漢...
My comments: 寄蜉蝣於天地, 緲滄海之一粟。 我曽經生存過...
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
The Favorites of Men
The favorites of men are women and soccer.
林志玲, the famous Taiwanese model, must have a lot of work to do in the last couple of months. I can see her in TV ads, magazines and all kinds of ceremonies. It is just too much. I don't deny she is quite beautiful. But every time she appears, you can expect to see the deep groove between her breasts. And in one particular ceremony, she deliberately took off her overcoat when she was approaching Andy Lau and Tony Leung. It was completely not necessary. Although I am an obscene old man, I feel a little tired of her.
The results of last night's UEFA Champions Leauge quarter-finals were discouraging. I betted a draw between Bayern Munich and Chelsea. And it was a draw (2:2) until the last minute (94 minutes+). The final result was 3:2! For the other one between Inter Milan and AC Milan, I betted on an exact score of 0:1. It was really 0:1 but the match didn't have a chance to come to an end. It was abandoned 17 minutes earlier! The result was void!
the match
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
港式生活
This morning I had a 鮮油菠蘿飽 and 港式奶茶 in 檀島 (a typical 港式茶餐廳). These things are surely unique in HK. Interestingly, there are many HK-styled things like 港式飲茶、港式桑拿、港式管理... In the past, I was puzzled by HK people insisting on 港式生活 even after they had immigrated to Canada. I thought I would not. Would I?
place
There was a shower of rain during lunch time. People without umbrellas (like me) were very 狼狽. (I really don't know the English word for 狼狽. Would anyone good at English help me? And also the English words for小器 and 膚淺? Is my English poor or is there no such concept in English?)
rain
Monday, April 11, 2005
Anti-Japan Protest
Over the weekend, there were several anti-Japanese protests in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other Chinese cities. One of the slogans was to boycott Japanese goods. Honestly speaking, it is more easily said than done. How many electrical applicances and electronic devices are made in Japan?
protest
Oops! M gave birth to a boy last week. Congratulations to her. But personally, I won't bring another life to this cruel world. You are just not responsible and considerate to bring someone to this world if you cannot guarantee his or her health and happiness.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Self-Employment
Joy has quitted her employment as a finance director of a multinational corporation. She is now self-employed as a consultant. She told me she is helping people to start up businesses. Apparently, she is enjoying the freelance job she is doing. But recently, she has got an opportunity to be employed by a US consultancy firm. She is going to Chicago next week to explore the possibility. Good for her.
I'd also like to be self-employed. Unfortunately, it is quite unlikely because of family opposition.
Saturday, April 09, 2005
Beauty and the Beast
A few days earlier, I mentioned the tragic death of Princess Diana. And today is the date of Prince Charles' remarriage. Most of the people condemned the remarriage. The reason is self-explanatory...
Lessons:
1. There is no fairy-tale.
2. 世人愛美
3. 情人眼裡岀西施
Friday, April 08, 2005
Superstition or Science?
Today is "御用閒人" 大結局 in TVB Jade. Finally the series is coming to an end. The famous 秋官效應 is once again proven. During the period when the series was on the air, the Hang Seng Index has dropped by more than 200 points.
Over the last 10 years or so, 秋官效應 was statistically significant. This effect is even formally studied by a research team of a certain investment bank.
If there are things in the world that cannot be explained, I think 秋官效應 is one of them. You'd better believe it. In recent years, I have become more and more superstitious. I have even seen a witch lately. I hope she can help me to change my fate...
qiu guan
Thursday, April 07, 2005
一杯咖啡的隨想
I think a good cup of coffee is very important for the beginning of a day.
I was surprised to know my brothers do not drink coffee. Neither do they drink beer or wine. One of my brothers even doesn't eat raw food (including sashimi). I am happy they are living healthly lives. But will a life without vices be too boring? Ironically, my life is full of 黃賭毒...
C, the woman I loved most, has exactly the same taste as me. She loves coffee, beer, red wine, red meat, hot and spicy food, fresh oysters, sashimi and so on. She has also got the characteristics I like: intelligent, aggressive, independent, adventurous, sporty, sarcastic, bitchy and fond of learning... She enjoys going to cinema. She would watch profound movies of Woody Allen and never watch soap opera. I will never forget our days in Dickens Bar, Pier One and African Heartbeat. I will never forget how we smoke cigars together. Unfortunately, our story ended a few years ago. As 硬漢 put it: the women I love won't love me. So sad!
PS: C 的雋語:
1. 性格決定命運
2. 看破, 放下, 自在
3. 諷刺是一種藝術
coffee
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
The Story of Lu
I have intended to write a story about Lu for a long time. Today I am going to do it.
How should I begin?
Ok. Lu came from Hunan and was 硬漢's another 紅顏知己. When he first met her, it was her first day of work in a certain sauna place... She was very skilful in massage and had a talent in hand job. I think she was doing her job with her heart. This is respectable.
She was then a single mother. In my opinion, she was a good mother. Moreover, she had a strong character. Despite what she was doing for a living, she had her dignity.
People in the place associated 硬漢 with her because 硬漢 always looked for her. She was also my favorite masseuse. 硬漢 and I frequented the place in 2002 and 2003. I still remember how amazing 集體機 was.
At the end of 2003, she left the place. The last time I saw her was in Jan 2004. I don't know how she is now. Wish her well.
East Lake
Great Lake
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
What a Rush on 清明!
I bought a Filet-O-Fish Meal from McDonald's and went to meet P. Apparantly, she doesn't eat McDonald's food very often. She told me she loved it.
I am glad that she is becoming more pleasant and talkative. We talked about a lot of things, eg. her family, my family, the education system in mainland China, the forthcoming Disneyland in HK, etc. I believe she is now treating me as a close friend.
ping
Monday, April 04, 2005
Who is 膚淺?
硬漢 is going to watch a movie in the HK International Film Festival again. He has watched 2 other such 另類電影 over the weekend. I have already lost interest (and tolerance) in those movies for quite some time. Though I am proud of having watched Rogue, Blanc et Bleu.
Many people in HK are now watching 大長今. I always think it is just another soap opera. And watching soap opera is 膚淺.
But I may also be 膚淺 in the eyes of 硬漢 because I don't go for the movies in the Film Festival.
PS: Suddenly I remember 2 incidents:
Scene 1: 江澤民 accused the HK reporters of being naive
Scene 2: 董建華 said: naive 的人很天真, 膚淺的人很膚淺
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Death of the Pope
Pope Jonh Paul II died early this morning. The whole world is now mourning the late pontiff.
Suddenly it reminded me of the death of another celebrity in 1997. Princess Diana. She died so young and her death was so tragic. I remembered C and I went to a special mass in St John's Cathedral to prayer for her soul. In that year, we were behaving like a boy-friend and a girl-friend. Time flies...
Saturday, April 02, 2005
A Tiring Day
Today I went to Foshan to see my new apartment. Foshan is very far away from HK. It took me over 4 hours to go there. So the whole round trip lasted for about 15 hours.
My new apartment is actually in Nanhai District of the city. The place is completely strange to me. I only know 佛山黃飛鴻 and 南海十三郎.
Clifford Bayview
Friday, April 01, 2005
April Fools' Day
I woke up this morning and found an appointment was cancelled in the last minute.
Today is the April Fools' Day in the West. Moreover, according to the Chinese, today 日值歲破，大事勿用. Better to be careful and do nothing.
