《天水圍的日與夜》

上星期在電影資料館看了《天水圍的日與夜》。很好看。而且一定要在電影院看。

What happen when you go shopping without an objective

I'd already exercised some self-control for not buying some even more useless stuffs.

The Tse Family "Cho Uk" (祖屋) – Part 4 of 5 -- The 3rd special item of the house is...

... the girls' room!

From one generation to another

I think this is the first time someone called it the "girls' room".

It is the bigger of the two rooms in the basement of Uncle and Aunt 2's house. The first occupants of the room were Aunts 7, 8 and 9. When they started to move out, Rose and Di occupied the room and I also joined in the crowd during college years. It's a room full of silly girlish talks :)

In the past, there were a single bed and a double-decker bed, couple of small desks, a big build-in closet (big enough for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe), etc. Most of the furnitures were there since Aunts 7, 8 and 9's time and are still in the room except the beds. Now, instead of two beds for three people, there's one double bed instead, and it also becomes a guest room when Rose and Di moved out.

Starry, starry night

One of the additions Rose and Di made to the room was the glow-in-the dark starts on the ceiling. (I tried to take some pictures but obviously was not very successful.) During the twin's first visit, we showed them the stars, but they were still at the age that would scare of the dark, so they would only stand at the door and held our hands tight with a very amazed smile.

One day, again, when I was reading in the room, Dai Mui came.

"Can you read outside?" The toddler asked.

"No." And so Dai Mui's gone.

After a while, she came and asked again, "Can you read outside?"

"No."

"I want to see the stars."

I can't remember if she succeeded this time, but Dai Mui sure was an assertive baby.

On a rainly day...

明明我已晝夜無間踏盡面前路
夢想中的彼岸為何還未到...

今晚在《頭條新聞》聽到這首歌...

All you really need to know, you learned it in kindergarten......Part 3

Always show your appreciation. One looks more beautiful when you always remember the good sides of others.

The Dentist -- Part 2 and more to come

I visited another dentist, who is a relative of a friend, yesterday.

This 2nd dentist is more experienced and the nurses are more fun. I also took an x-ray. The dentist explained to me the root problem of my teeth and how every problem springs from there.

So, the conclusion is, I don't need to extract the wisdom tooth at the moment but need to have an "endodontic treatment" (pulp treatment) for the problem tooth. (That's exactly why I was hesitated to take out my wisdom tooth last week. The other dentist asked me to extract a wisdom tooth which I don't feel anything wrong, but leave the one that's killing me for days untouched!)

I still need to go several more times before the treatment is done, and more scaling is needed! (Sooner or later, the dentists will scale out all of my teeth!) Then the dentist also asked me to brush my teeth with the small brushes in the picture. It can go all the way through the teeth spacings. Very scary.

P.S. Stuck at home because of Typhoon Fengshen (God of Wind, what a name for a typhoon). And also salute to those keep working under bad weather to keep the city running.

The Dentist

I'd been to the dentist three times on the last four consecutive Saturdays. There's an extra one cause the clince was drowned by the heavy rain and couldn't be recovered till the following Monday.

So, what had I done? I'd had two tooth fillings and had my teeth scaled. Spacings between my teeth were wide to begin with and now, after some very substantial scaling, it's even more spacious. I can even feel the water running between my teeth and have some difficulty to speak properly :( For a while, I think I will need to stay on an "old people diet" (i.e. fish, tofu, egg, minced meat, etc.) before I am used to it.

The dentist suggested me to extract a wisdom tooth (which I now have three). I am a bit hesitated. What do you think?

P.S. Couple of months ago when I watched Babies of Our Times of BBC, the small group of six or seven years old kids all thought Tooth Fairy was real while Superman was fictional. Interesting. I can't remember if they thought Santa was real or not.

差幾多唐英年就要死？

For my international readers, the title reads "for how much more that Henry Tang will need to die?"

Background

Henry Tang is the current Chief Secretary for Adminstration of the HKSAR Government. When he first became the Financial Secretary in 2003 (which was almost the worst economic downturn in HK history) he had once mentioned that the unemployment rate in HK would never get back down to 2.2% as long as he stayed alive (有生之年，失業率都不會回落到2.2%). No doubt he's being critized as mean (or "black heart"), and he also considered it as one of his most serious mistakes in his political life.

Latest Progress

Today, the unemployment rate of the previous quarter was annouced. The newest number is 3.3%, lowest in the decade. The title is what a FB friend sent me after learning the news.

Jobless rate stays level at 3.3%
http://www.news.gov.hk/en/category/atschool/080617/html/080617en02002.htm

雙方似並行直線，從交叉角度相遇

Again, no special meaning. Just that this song got stuck in my head these few days, and the lines are beautiful.

But then, the next lines sing "曾經交錯但離去後，不會再遇".

Isn't it life all about?

P.S. I thought of translating the lines, but not successful.

The Most Delicious Dragon Boat Dumplings

The other day a colleague asked if I had eaten any Dragon Boat dumplings this year.

I said no, cause my Grandma made the most delicious Dragon Boat dumplings in the world that I didn't eat anything else.

I am not being exaggerated. I tried one mouthful of dumpling that was made outside the family, and I had never tried another ever since. My mom and aunts learned how to make Dragon Boat dumplings from Grandma, but none was as pretty and as delicious as Grandma's (no offense, just telling the truth :)

It's our tradition to make Dragon Boat dumplings during Dragon Boat Festival (very obvious), and, interestingly, during Chinese New Year (don't ask me why). Grandma only made a small amount of Dragon Boat dumplings before CNY for some traditional ritual. However, making Dragon Boat dumplings before Dragon Boat Festival was a serious matter. It took Grandma weeks of preparation -- to soak the leaves, pick the best ingredients (they were all over the place), boil the dumplings, etc. It took long time to boil the dumplings. The fire in the kitchen heated up the whole house, and the entire apartment smelled like Dragon Boat dumplings :)

Grandma's dumplings were simple in one way, but not that simple in another. They were simple cause there're only salty ones, no sweet dumplings ever. They were not that simple cause there were a lot of ingredients -- salty egg yolk, peanuts, fat pork, dried Chinese mushroom, dried scallop, etc. and the sticky rice was stirred with salty egg white before hand, so even the sticky rice was very delicious. Grandma would make tonnes of dumplings for the Dragon Boat Festival that they easily became my nightmare every year -- dumplings for breakfast and weekend lunch at least for another month :(

However, the most amazing part of Grandma's dumplings is that she tailor-made for our picky stomach. For example, the one I and Ed ate had only lean pork and dried scallop (I didn't eat the other ingredients). Those that Aunts 8 and 9 ate didn't have peanuts. Grandma would tie different knot to identify the dumplings but usually it's only she who could decode the knots.

As Grandma's getting old, she hadn't made any dumplings or other traditional festive food for a number of years. I heard that Aunt 7 is making Dragon Boat dumplings in Grandma's style as well and they taste "almost" the same. May be someday I will try some.

Support BJ Olympic

《天安門母親的呼喚》

在陽光燦爛的五月裏......

　　在陽光燦爛的五月裏，我們絕食了。在這最美好的青春時刻，我們卻不得不把一切生之美好絕然地留在身後了，但我們是多麼的不情願，多麼的不甘心啊！

　　然而，國家已經到了這樣的時刻：物價飛漲、官倒橫流、強權高懸、官僚腐敗、大批仁人志士流落海外、社會治安日趨混亂，在這民族存亡的生死關頭，同胞們，一切有良心的同胞們，請聽一聽我們的呼聲吧！

　　國家是我們的國家，

　　人民是我們的人民，

　　政府是我們的政府，

　　我們不喊，誰喊？

　　我們不幹，誰幹？

　　儘管我們的肩膀還很柔嫩，儘管死亡對於我們來說，還顯得過於沉重，但是，我們去了，我們卻不得不去，歷史這樣要求我們。

　　我們最純潔的愛國感情，我們最優秀的赤子心靈，卻被說成是「動亂」，說成是「別有用心」，說成是「受一小撮人的利用」。

　　我們想請求所有正直的中國公民，請求每個工人、農民、士兵、平民、知識分子、社會名流、政府官員、警察和那些給我們炮製罪名的人，把你們的手撫在你們 的心上，問一問你們的良心，我們有什麼罪？我們是亂動嗎?我們罷課，我們遊行，我們絕食，我們藏身？到底是為了什麼？可是，我們的感情卻一再被玩弄，我們 忍著飢餓追求真理卻遭到軍警毒打……學生代表跪求民主卻被視而不見，平等對話的要求一再拖延，學生領袖身處危難……

　　我們怎麼辦？

　　民主是人生最崇高的生存感情，自由是人與生俱來的天賦人權，但這就需要我們用這些年輕的生命去換取，這難道是中華民族的自豪嗎？

　　絕食乃不得已而為之，也不得不為之。

　　我們以死的氣概，為了生而戰。

　　但我們還是孩子，我們還是孩子啊！中國母親，請認真看一眼你的兒女吧，雖然飢餓無情地摧殘著他們的青春，當死亡正向他們逼近，你難道能夠無動於衷嗎？

　　我們不想死，我們要好好地活著，因為我們正是人生最美好之年齡；我們不想死，我們想好好學習，祖國還是這樣的貧窮，我們似乎留下祖國就這樣去死，死亡 決不是我們的追求。但是如果一個人的死或一些人的死，能夠使更多的人活得更好，能夠使祖國繁榮昌盛，我們就沒有權利去偷生。

　　當我們挨著餓時，爸爸媽媽們，你不要悲哀；當我們告別生命時，叔叔阿姨們，請不要傷心，我們只有一個希望，那就是讓我們能更好地活著，我們只有一個請求，請你們不要忘記，我們追求的絕不是死亡！因為民主不是幾個人的事情，民主事業也絕不是一代能夠完成的。

　　死亡，在期待著最廣泛而永久的回聲。

　　人將去矣，其言也善；鳥將去矣，其鳴也哀。

　　別了，同仁，保重！死者和生者一樣的忠誠。

　　別了，愛人，保重！捨不下你，也不得不告終。

　　別了，父母！請原諒，孩子不能忠孝兩全。

　　別了，人民！請允許我們以這樣不得已的方式報忠。

　　我們用生命寫成的誓言，必將晴朗共和國的天空！

　　絕食原因：第一抗議政府對北京學生罷課採取麻木冷淡態度；第二抗議政府拖延與北京高校對話代表團的對話；第三抗議政府一直對這次學生民主愛國運動冠以「動亂」的帽子及一系列歪曲報道。

　　絕食要求：第一要求政府迅速與北京高校對話團進行實質性的、具體的、平等的對話；第二要求政府為這次學生運動正名，並給予公正評價，肯定這是一場愛國、民主的學生運動。

　　絕食時間：五月十三日下午二時出發。絕食地點：天安門廣場。

　　不是動亂、立即平反！立即對話、不許拖延！為民絕食、實屬無奈！世界輿論、請聲援我們！各界民主力量，請支持我們。

北京高校絕食學生
一九八九年五月十三日

***** *****

這些年來，共和國都好像沒有怎麼晴朗過 (如果不更加黑暗)。

北京奧運遇上四川地震，就好像命中注定。

P.S. 傳甚麼奧運聖火都只是虛火，政府如何善後、人民如何協力，才最見真章。

Identity and Violence

During the recent heat of rational and irrational patriotism among Chinese around the world, I think of this book, Amartya Sen's Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny.

Basically, it stresses the different faces of a person, and the danger it creates when we start to group, label and stereotype people.

For example, I am a Chinese woman born in HK. However, my seven years of schooling in Canada also has a great influence of my values and how I see things. While I may support the Beijing Olympic so that China can has a taste of the international society, I am also deeply concerned about the human rights situation in the Mainland. I can have many different, or even conflicting, characteristics but it's still me.

Unfortunately, very often, we focus only one side of a person, and by simple deduction, we believe that s/he must believe in or do certain things. You may not see the impact when that's only me, one person. However, when we single out a big group of people and start to antagonize them, conflict arises. This happens when the book was first written after 9/11, when persons with Islam background or look like an Islam or simple carry some Middle East features are easily labeled as terrorists. The same happens in our everyday lives too.

Not only people have many characteristics, issues can be discussed from many perspectives too. Lately, however, we can only be one way or another.

Identity and Violence is part of the "Issues of Our Time" series. At the end of the preface, the editor Henry Louis Gates Jr. wrote,

These are books, accordingly, that invite the reader to reexamine hand-me-down assumptions and to grapple with powerful trends. Whether you are moved to reason together with these authors, or to argue with them, they are sure to leave your views tested, if not changed. The perspectives of the authors in this series are diverse, the voices are distinctive, the issues are vital.

When the world is becoming more complicated, only one voice is allowed.

了解．關懷一百萬人的故事 (Understand and Care the 1 Million People)

It's a TV programme in HK that attracts a lot of discussion even after the first of the five episodes was aired on Monday.

Basically, it's a programme produced by the most popular TV station in HK and broadcast during prime time. In each show, TV or movie stars interview those in HK living under the poverty line and show us how the poor faces everyday challenges. We have around 7 millions people in HK. According to the statistics, unfortunately, around 1 million are living in poverty.

Ever since I first watched the promos, I was expecting the programme, although I also expect it to be sentimental and shallow.

The programme doesn't fail me on this. What I didn't expect is the tremendous impact. After only the first show, a facebook was created, and if you search the internet using the programme name, hundreds of people have already written about it.

When we watched the first episode, my mom wet several pieces of tissue. At one point she asked if it's inevitable to have the rich becomes richer and the poor becomes poorer as a society develops. I said yes, but others are not as mean as we HK people.

Don't know since when, we start to hate the rich and are not sympathetic to the poor either. We don't like anyone that's different from us. While "we" have to be right and normal, those that are different are undoubtedly abnormal and unreasonable. There's one popular newspaper in HK that criticizes almost everyone and everything everyday, including the government and the civil society, including the politicians from left to right, including the rich and the poor. I finally understand why it's so popular.

The TV programme attracts a lot of criticisms too. For example, the interviewers (i.e. the TV and movie stars) are so ignorant and insincere. Very often I feel that the TV station is only using the poor as a gimmick. However, I do hope that more people can realize that poverty does exist in our society, and don't tell me why the poor can't work harder. Most have already worked hard enough. They just still can't make a living.

Wall Colouring

This is what I did yesterday, except having a minor car accident in the morning.

After a year of idling, I did wall "colouring" with the Arts in Hospital again for two Saturday in a row. Yesterday, we went to the Haven of Hope Holistic Centre, a place for hospice care.

Volunteers have been working on the project for three months already. Along the wall of the corridor, we could see some HK scenery, such as the Lion Rock. Inside each bedroom, we did a border similar to this along the top of the wall. What I did yesterday was to stand on a chair and colour the green leaves. I know you think it's easy. But trust me. It's more difficult than you thought. The actual size I did was about twice as big and I spent my whole Saturday from 11am to 5pm on it! Since we needed to hold up our arm and turn up your head to reach the height, your neck hurt and your arm felt tired simply after the first five minutes.

At first, I thought there was similar wall paper on sale in the market. It might be even cheaper if we counted in the coordination done by the staff and the volunteers' time. But than I thought might be it's the human touch the mattered and couldn't be substitute.

P.S. I am OK. It's just a car crushed on the taxi I was on under heavy rain and typhoon signal no. 3. I didn't go to the doctor although I was a bit dizzy and wanted to vomit at first. Holding up my head to paint was a bit difficult at first cause my neck hurt a bit with the crush.

棒球狂想曲 in YouTube

真係 YouTube 乜都有

Level Playing Field

This morning, the cleaning lady asked if she could have the foam board I wanted to dispose for a while so that her kids could use it for a school project. Her daughter was more than delighted when I said yes, and told me foam board was expensive. It costs HK$10 a piece.

When middle-class parents are sending their kids to overseas study tours in summer holiday, we can't deny that our income disparity is becoming more and more serious, and it's getting more and more difficult to climb up the social ladder. What make me most upset is not we have poor people in the society, but we have no sympathy. While our "Asian values" do not appreciate the concept of "individuals", we are also expert in distinguishing "you" and "me", "my money" and "your money".

I watched the first episode of RTHK's "Life on the Margin" (活在邊緣) last week. Although it's not perfect, I do hope that it can make a couple of people less indifferent. I also read 呂大樂's 《四代香港人》(Four Generations of HK People) lately. Although I don't usually like Lui's work and nothing he wrote in the book is something you have never heard of, it provides a structured account of the similarities and differences of the different generations of HK people. I do hope that it can make a couple of people to realize that we can't no longer apply the standard in the 60s to the Asia's World City in the 21st century.

日唸唐詩三百首

These are what I got today -- kids version of some old Chinese literature.

The wonderful part is, all the Chinese characters in the books have Putonghua pin-yin!

YEAH!!!!! Exactly what I wanted.

The collection has 10 books in total, but I could only find eight today. If you happen to see 三字經 and 成語故事, make sure you let me know!

Spring Resolution

Off-line by 11pm and sleep by mid-night.

P.S. Mission fails on the first and second days :(