I watched Three Idiots alone on Saturday.
This time, Broadway The One was picked. Located at the 10/F of a shopping arcade, the theatre house was small. It was a reminiscence of APM's auditorium. Seats were leather-covered. It looked luxurious yet a bit too stiff. The house was quite full.
It was a Bollywood film. I did not have any idea about it until some day my colleague said it was "very good". And coincidently, I had spare time to kill last Saturday morning. The movie lasted for three hours, which suited my need.
I found it superb. The film told some simple thoughts. Like we should stick to our belief rather than live to meet others' needs. And the director represented these cold doctrines by ridiculously funny examples. The "all is well" rule is particularly touching. By shouting so, a guard with night-blindness soothed people's unsettled hearts. Most of us are born to be cowardice, we need placebo to give us some guts to walk against the wind.
Some of the songs and scenic views in the movie made me associated with Tagore. The simplicity was fascinating.
2011年10月29日 星期六
Double Nine - 20111006
According to I-Ching, six and nine are a pair of paradox. Six represents Yin, whilst nine symbolizes Yang.
Yesterday was the lunar 9/9. Chinese call it the "Double Yang Festival". Traditionally, we would go hiking, and visit tombs of our late relatives. It is interesting to see why we go for the "yangest" day. Maybe we are so keen to get rid of our beloved ones.
But now, for most of the people, "double nine" is just another ordinary day off. When I went jogging, I saw so many recreational cyclers. The chance of being knocked down was not lower than any sunny Sunday.
Around the time, there was a case of judicial review on a particular use of land. Businessmen argued that they could build shrines in the land in contest for settlement of deceased cremated ashes. They even branded their company "The Shrine". However, the court thought otherwise. The presiding judge ruled that the structure was columbarium rather than shrine. Approval from the authority has to be sought to build columbarium.
It is hideous. Those greedy guys, to make money out of dead ones, shifts the sin to others alive. It was such a big taboo to move cremated bodies around. By turning a deaf ear to the devil, the developer makes buyers suffer.
Yesterday was the lunar 9/9. Chinese call it the "Double Yang Festival". Traditionally, we would go hiking, and visit tombs of our late relatives. It is interesting to see why we go for the "yangest" day. Maybe we are so keen to get rid of our beloved ones.
But now, for most of the people, "double nine" is just another ordinary day off. When I went jogging, I saw so many recreational cyclers. The chance of being knocked down was not lower than any sunny Sunday.
Around the time, there was a case of judicial review on a particular use of land. Businessmen argued that they could build shrines in the land in contest for settlement of deceased cremated ashes. They even branded their company "The Shrine". However, the court thought otherwise. The presiding judge ruled that the structure was columbarium rather than shrine. Approval from the authority has to be sought to build columbarium.
It is hideous. Those greedy guys, to make money out of dead ones, shifts the sin to others alive. It was such a big taboo to move cremated bodies around. By turning a deaf ear to the devil, the developer makes buyers suffer.
Pedantic - 20111003
We watched Midnight in Paris last Saturday. This time, out of convenience, we chose AMC Festival Walk.
While watching the movie, a bunch of audiences, suspected mainlanders, were sitting (or squatting?) on the staircases instead of their marked seats. After some quarries, they seemed to be evicted.
The comedy was about nostalgia. In Woody Allen's portrait, golden age was a concept of relative. Contemporary people may be of the thought that 1920's is the perfect time to live in. But, guys in 1920's would like to be in 1890's. Funny observation.
And the movie itself was funny enough. However, there was a pre-quisite to have fun, that was, to know those celebrities in the past. Luckily, I have read A Movable Feast and a book on Van Gogh, and could get hold of the plot. The joke on Trotsky was especially tickling.
The word "pedantic" was sexily spoken by Carla Bruni. It was a funny word. Living for so long, we more or less came across pedantic people. Overwhelmingly men, most of them are dilettantes. It is usually annoying to meet them, unless they really know something. Woody Allen himself is a good example of benign pedantry.
Woody Allen is an America director with Continental substance. The montage in the opening, lasted for 5 minutes, though a beautiful exhibition of Paris, was a real challenge to audience nurtured by fast food. Traditionally, European films used to tell story by picture than language. But now, even long shots are sacred cows, montage should be off topic.
While watching the movie, a bunch of audiences, suspected mainlanders, were sitting (or squatting?) on the staircases instead of their marked seats. After some quarries, they seemed to be evicted.
The comedy was about nostalgia. In Woody Allen's portrait, golden age was a concept of relative. Contemporary people may be of the thought that 1920's is the perfect time to live in. But, guys in 1920's would like to be in 1890's. Funny observation.
And the movie itself was funny enough. However, there was a pre-quisite to have fun, that was, to know those celebrities in the past. Luckily, I have read A Movable Feast and a book on Van Gogh, and could get hold of the plot. The joke on Trotsky was especially tickling.
The word "pedantic" was sexily spoken by Carla Bruni. It was a funny word. Living for so long, we more or less came across pedantic people. Overwhelmingly men, most of them are dilettantes. It is usually annoying to meet them, unless they really know something. Woody Allen himself is a good example of benign pedantry.
Woody Allen is an America director with Continental substance. The montage in the opening, lasted for 5 minutes, though a beautiful exhibition of Paris, was a real challenge to audience nurtured by fast food. Traditionally, European films used to tell story by picture than language. But now, even long shots are sacred cows, montage should be off topic.
Sales - 20110923
Thanks to the invention of powerpoint, we hear a lot of presentation. The only purpose to conduct a presentation is to persuade the audiences to adopt your view. However, in Hong Kong, we could rarely be moved. Hong Kongers are poor presenters. We are shy. In front of a large crowd, we twist our tongues, tremble our hands, sweat and stiffen our backs. We waste our time, both to convince and be convinced.
On Wednesday, I attended two seminars. One was conducted by a local commissioner of some sort, the other was in charge by an American CEO of an insurance broker. The contrast was so great. A chasm. The American vanquished easily.
To be fair, the local guy was not that bad. His presentation should be above the average Hong Kongers. The commissioner spoke in English clearly. He held no cue cards. Nevertheless, the powerpoint was a bit too causal. And his tone was flat enough to make ones loss their minds after 15 minutes. Without the subsequent comparison of the gweilo, it would still be a so-so talk. Easily forgettable ones.
The gweilo was evil. He was a footnote of charisma. Anything we could associate with an exemplary presentation, the gweilo possessed. Power, humour, body movement . . . Throughout the talk, ladies were tickled continuously. Laughter here, laughter there. By cloning those "top ten list" of talk shows into the presentation, it made more fun to listen. If I had the authority to choose broker, I would have opted for them. Lucky for our company.
That's why we were cheated repeatedly by those Americans. They are experts of cajole.
On Wednesday, I attended two seminars. One was conducted by a local commissioner of some sort, the other was in charge by an American CEO of an insurance broker. The contrast was so great. A chasm. The American vanquished easily.
To be fair, the local guy was not that bad. His presentation should be above the average Hong Kongers. The commissioner spoke in English clearly. He held no cue cards. Nevertheless, the powerpoint was a bit too causal. And his tone was flat enough to make ones loss their minds after 15 minutes. Without the subsequent comparison of the gweilo, it would still be a so-so talk. Easily forgettable ones.
The gweilo was evil. He was a footnote of charisma. Anything we could associate with an exemplary presentation, the gweilo possessed. Power, humour, body movement . . . Throughout the talk, ladies were tickled continuously. Laughter here, laughter there. By cloning those "top ten list" of talk shows into the presentation, it made more fun to listen. If I had the authority to choose broker, I would have opted for them. Lucky for our company.
That's why we were cheated repeatedly by those Americans. They are experts of cajole.
Hong Kong Club - 20110921
Every country has their mythical buildings. Hong Kong Club is one of those in the SAR. Adjacent to the old Legislature, Hong Kong Club has always been one of the symbol of power. It was the club for British, and the very few selected Chinese. So, grassroot likes me would bypass it very quickly when we cris-crossed in Central.
The situation may be different after the changeover, bit by bit. Some years ago, a colleague by then told me that she had lunch in Hong Kong Club, thanks to her boss privileged status. So, the door of that mysterious place was widened. And yesterday, even I could have a chance to go there to join a breakfast briefing, organized by the British Chamber of Commence.
I arrived at 1 Jackson Road at 7:50am. Thanks to my boss reminder, I was in jacket and tie. When the automatic door opened, a male receptionist directed me automatically to the Harcourt Suite. Obviously my face was nobody enough. I walked up the spiral staircase. The Harcourt Suite was on the right hand side. Some Gweilos were there, both the organizers and participants. A few Chinese could be spotted. I got my buffet breakfast. Usual stuff. I sat between my boss and a man with an AP watch. I looked at mine reflectively, which was a Seiko. It was 8:20am.
The briefing started. A perplexing topic rendered by an ordinary presenter with a set of perfunctory powerpoint. In the meantime, a young man in T-shirt and chinos, with a blazer on, came in late. He was one of the participants. The talk finished at 9:20am. I went to the washroom. The urinal was Armitage Shanks. I associated those used in public estates.
When I left, I saw the vice president of HKU, who attended another meeting there, was picked up by his chauffeur in an old Toyata.
So, Hong Kong Club was like this. I had a very hybridized feeling to it.
The situation may be different after the changeover, bit by bit. Some years ago, a colleague by then told me that she had lunch in Hong Kong Club, thanks to her boss privileged status. So, the door of that mysterious place was widened. And yesterday, even I could have a chance to go there to join a breakfast briefing, organized by the British Chamber of Commence.
I arrived at 1 Jackson Road at 7:50am. Thanks to my boss reminder, I was in jacket and tie. When the automatic door opened, a male receptionist directed me automatically to the Harcourt Suite. Obviously my face was nobody enough. I walked up the spiral staircase. The Harcourt Suite was on the right hand side. Some Gweilos were there, both the organizers and participants. A few Chinese could be spotted. I got my buffet breakfast. Usual stuff. I sat between my boss and a man with an AP watch. I looked at mine reflectively, which was a Seiko. It was 8:20am.
The briefing started. A perplexing topic rendered by an ordinary presenter with a set of perfunctory powerpoint. In the meantime, a young man in T-shirt and chinos, with a blazer on, came in late. He was one of the participants. The talk finished at 9:20am. I went to the washroom. The urinal was Armitage Shanks. I associated those used in public estates.
When I left, I saw the vice president of HKU, who attended another meeting there, was picked up by his chauffeur in an old Toyata.
So, Hong Kong Club was like this. I had a very hybridized feeling to it.
Hakka Cuisine and Else - 20110914
Yesterday, I had both my lunch and dinner on Hakka cuisine.
There are many Hakka people in Hong Kong. It was not uncommon to find their food here. The most heard dish should be "Baked Salty Chicken". However, the cuisine becomes less popular. Hakka cuisine is renowned to be heavy and oily. Hong Kongers have completed their transaction from farmers to clerks. Most of us need not to labour to survive. We rarely sweat.
With one day off, I accompanied my mum to go to Shenzhen. Though already a place full of post-modern architectures, some of their choices for food were still traditional. Like Hakka cuisine. Those fresh flesh of pigs and live chicken were still lovely. And I was particularly fond of the meat mash. With all the ingredients very finely chopped and mixed, the meat mash was delicious.
I tried the railway from Shenzhen to Futian too. With more than twenty stops, it took an hour to travel from one end to the other. It was smooth and quiet. The railway, administered by MTR corp, was a reminiscence to ours. There were LCD TVs to display news and stuff. I watched a long clip on how Djokovic defeated Nadal to clinch his first US Open. While traffic congestion was such a norm above the soil, it was not a bad option to go underground.
But, it would even be better to stay in Hong Kong.
There are many Hakka people in Hong Kong. It was not uncommon to find their food here. The most heard dish should be "Baked Salty Chicken". However, the cuisine becomes less popular. Hakka cuisine is renowned to be heavy and oily. Hong Kongers have completed their transaction from farmers to clerks. Most of us need not to labour to survive. We rarely sweat.
With one day off, I accompanied my mum to go to Shenzhen. Though already a place full of post-modern architectures, some of their choices for food were still traditional. Like Hakka cuisine. Those fresh flesh of pigs and live chicken were still lovely. And I was particularly fond of the meat mash. With all the ingredients very finely chopped and mixed, the meat mash was delicious.
I tried the railway from Shenzhen to Futian too. With more than twenty stops, it took an hour to travel from one end to the other. It was smooth and quiet. The railway, administered by MTR corp, was a reminiscence to ours. There were LCD TVs to display news and stuff. I watched a long clip on how Djokovic defeated Nadal to clinch his first US Open. While traffic congestion was such a norm above the soil, it was not a bad option to go underground.
But, it would even be better to stay in Hong Kong.
Overheard 2 - 20110912
Yesterday morning, I watched Overheard 2 in Kowloon Bay MCL.
The movie theatre has been renovated some years ago. Then, still a cinema under UA, I've been there once. The impression was next to nothing. But the reformed theatre was of fine quality. The screen was big, seats soft, and aisles were wide enough to avoid accidental kicking and nuisance. I trust it would be visited more frequently.
It was not a sequel of Overheard. Other than the combination of crew and the three main actors, other elements were of no connection. The film was tense, no time for pissing was allowed. To make the storyline more complete, there could be some more touch-ups on the background of Daniel Wu. Maybe the film has already been lasted for 2 hours, and the producer may be of the thought that it was the tipping point for our concentration to collapse.
As usual, Daniel Wu successfully seduced all the ladies, whilst Lau rendered the best performance. Louis Koo faced a difficult and embarrassing dilemma. He could never beat Wu and Lau in respective senses. The ladies were quite unimportant. The elder supporting actors performed deftly. However, it was unamusing for Kong to speak foul language repeatedly. Cheap trick. And it was stupid for the singer-turn-actor Lau to feign cool. Wu was here. And even Koo was there.
All in all, the film was a good piece of entertainment.
The movie theatre has been renovated some years ago. Then, still a cinema under UA, I've been there once. The impression was next to nothing. But the reformed theatre was of fine quality. The screen was big, seats soft, and aisles were wide enough to avoid accidental kicking and nuisance. I trust it would be visited more frequently.
It was not a sequel of Overheard. Other than the combination of crew and the three main actors, other elements were of no connection. The film was tense, no time for pissing was allowed. To make the storyline more complete, there could be some more touch-ups on the background of Daniel Wu. Maybe the film has already been lasted for 2 hours, and the producer may be of the thought that it was the tipping point for our concentration to collapse.
As usual, Daniel Wu successfully seduced all the ladies, whilst Lau rendered the best performance. Louis Koo faced a difficult and embarrassing dilemma. He could never beat Wu and Lau in respective senses. The ladies were quite unimportant. The elder supporting actors performed deftly. However, it was unamusing for Kong to speak foul language repeatedly. Cheap trick. And it was stupid for the singer-turn-actor Lau to feign cool. Wu was here. And even Koo was there.
All in all, the film was a good piece of entertainment.
Causalities - 20110906
After mistakenly announcing the death of former president Jiang Zemin on 6 July, SVP and VP in charged of the news broadcast in ATV resigned yesterday. It took two months to drag them down.
It was rumoured that the false alarm was rang by the chairman of ATV. And the chairman's will overrode editorial independence. As stated by the SVP, he could not stop the coverage, which was an understatement of the prevalence of the big boss.
However, it was interesting to see ATV's coverage on the SVP's departure. He was labeled as "the conscience of news". What a big name. By sacrificing the press autonomy, as well as its leaders, the news section got a piece of big yet wrong news. But, where is the element of conscience?
And, with that kind of emotional label added on their beloved leader and publicly announced, neutrality conceded.
Everybody loses.
It was rumoured that the false alarm was rang by the chairman of ATV. And the chairman's will overrode editorial independence. As stated by the SVP, he could not stop the coverage, which was an understatement of the prevalence of the big boss.
However, it was interesting to see ATV's coverage on the SVP's departure. He was labeled as "the conscience of news". What a big name. By sacrificing the press autonomy, as well as its leaders, the news section got a piece of big yet wrong news. But, where is the element of conscience?
And, with that kind of emotional label added on their beloved leader and publicly announced, neutrality conceded.
Everybody loses.
Tiger Talk - 20110905
When TVB humiliates, ATV repeats, and Cable and Now TV blackmails, could we still find some reasonable stuff on TV to watch? Phoenix could be a scarce pick.
On an ordinary Sunday afternoon, as lunch was yet to come, I flipped through TV channels. Bored by recurring news, and scared by the rubbish movie in Jade (千機變), Tiger Talk in the Phoenix was inadvertently switched to. The show was on Putonghua. Normally I would bypass it at once. However, after hopping to the present job, which PTH was an unexpectedly usual medium, I decided to stand by the show, for a while.
I got hooked. The programme was like this. A rich Chinese, X, together with her daughter, run a so-called charity fund to help Africans, were doubted of using the fund as a facade to make money. X and Y appeared in the show as more-or-less defendants. In addition, there were some experts to challenge X, as well as a string of audiences.
The show was funny. Undoubtedly it was a copycat of some sorts. Nevertheless, the production was at least serious. Experts were rightly deployed. I was impressed by a pundit from the media. He was sarcastic. The audiences were strangely reasonable. Even though X and Y were negatively percepted, personal attacks were controlled. Most of the participants were eloquent and able to utter their views clearly. And X and Y were brave.
The show was smart. It was such a good platform for people to vent their anger in a society lacks freedom. In contrast, it was particularly sad to compare it with City Forum, which was full of silly exchanges.
Hong Kongers have freedom, yet are too lazy to utilize.
On an ordinary Sunday afternoon, as lunch was yet to come, I flipped through TV channels. Bored by recurring news, and scared by the rubbish movie in Jade (千機變), Tiger Talk in the Phoenix was inadvertently switched to. The show was on Putonghua. Normally I would bypass it at once. However, after hopping to the present job, which PTH was an unexpectedly usual medium, I decided to stand by the show, for a while.
I got hooked. The programme was like this. A rich Chinese, X, together with her daughter, run a so-called charity fund to help Africans, were doubted of using the fund as a facade to make money. X and Y appeared in the show as more-or-less defendants. In addition, there were some experts to challenge X, as well as a string of audiences.
The show was funny. Undoubtedly it was a copycat of some sorts. Nevertheless, the production was at least serious. Experts were rightly deployed. I was impressed by a pundit from the media. He was sarcastic. The audiences were strangely reasonable. Even though X and Y were negatively percepted, personal attacks were controlled. Most of the participants were eloquent and able to utter their views clearly. And X and Y were brave.
The show was smart. It was such a good platform for people to vent their anger in a society lacks freedom. In contrast, it was particularly sad to compare it with City Forum, which was full of silly exchanges.
Hong Kongers have freedom, yet are too lazy to utilize.
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