Another Christmas, another year, another city, another story

Will there be another Earth, another sun, another sea, another me….  Another universe?

Harrod's Cafe, KLCC, KualaLumpur

This shop has been in KLCC for quite a long time.  Somehow I didn't try it, until this time that I found KLCC much too crowded for me to find a quiet place for a drink.  To certain people, they may feel that some shops with nice deco. and a prestigious name may mean "pricey".  That isn't the case often.  The drink and cake in this outlet are at the same price of Starbucks or CBTL.  Got an iced mocha which was blended with a choco ice cream.  It's quite rich to me though the ice cream is not bad.  Then we tried an English tea cake.  A bit too sweet to me and overwhelmed the fine English tea leaves flavour.  After all, what I want is a quiet place from the hectic and busy KLCC mall.

Moments in Sanya, Hainan Island

鹿回頭, 鹿不回頭 - 海南島三亞市

這裡有一個故事，年輕壯士跑過九十九座山，跨過九十九個海，到了這島上最南端的崖上.  一頭鹿在回頭一望這壯士，化身為一女子，跟隨壯士在這灣內定居.  世世代代，後人為這崖稱作"鹿回頭"，這灣為"情人灣"。

不其然，腦海中將這傳說，聯想一位故人。就這樣來了另一個故事⋯⋯

壯士流放到這島上，天天夜夜在想念故鄉妻兒，跨過這島上廷綿溪河，跑過南北西東山崖，對著無盡頭大海呼喊，這些影象攝入一頭仙鹿眼簾內.  仙鹿就在這崖上等，壯士終於跑到這裡。

仙鹿用了畢生的法力，眼睛一貶，將壯士過往的一切忘掉。也在那一貶眼，仙鹿正要化身為一女子，可惜法力不繼，再一貶眼，變回一頭鹿。壯士帶著這頭鹿在這灣區內遊牧，沒有情感背負，忘掉一切，一個人也過得很好。這頭鹿也忘了自己的一切，不用再帶著永遠不死之身去看透世間情，過得很好⋯⋯  

這時我聽到祖母在對我說，這故事我聽懂了，謝謝你沒有將這故事懷上我的恨意，只記掛簡簡單單的一個他，也好讓他走得簡單。不回頭。

還了一個心願 ﹣ 最後踏上海南島

小時候姑母陳述往事，日軍佔據香港，爺爺被充軍去海南島，當時已當作凶多吉少。但我多次在問為何不去找找看？ 每次只聽到慨嘆聲。從那時起，小孩與生俱來的幻想，海南島這名字就如魔法故事中的場景，在腦海中牽起多個故事 ﹣ 小品的，震憾的，怨悔的，瀟灑的，盪氣迴腸的⋯⋯

日後，曾多次提到來這裡走走，家人友人不太熱衷。雖知海南島地大，也事隔數十年，心內總是有些事未了。

偶然，如天空上一片倦倦思緒，投影在這海南的波心，不必訝異，無須歡欣，為的是感受這裡的氣息及人情。在交錯時空的剎那，讓你知道我來過這島了。

A warm and hearty noodle soup, in a street stall, Bang Por beach, Koh Samui, Thailand

Seeing this family run street stall noodle shop reminds me of my childhood that I like to visit a noodle street stall run by a family.  It's so warm seeing a father holding his kid in his arms, while his wife is making noodle soup for the customers, or vice versa.  Naturally I would feel this noodle soup is very warm and hearty, regardless of the taste.  

On a ferry ride from Hung Hom to North Point, HK

我的異想天空下，多了一個她

10多年前，在上下班時常帶著我的消噪音耳機，在嘈吵的地鐵內，聽著自己disc man 的歌，清噪音啟動後，週遭的人聲即時靜下來。

今天在公共交通公具上, 很安靜, 看到很多人帶著名貴耳機, 在聽著音樂，而我好像有一點角色對換.  既然那麼多人在聽歌，應該歌曲銷售是相對地好。可是.......

現實生活中, 唱片店快要消失, 合法音樂平台未見成效, 周遭的朋友家人, 全因為某些智能手機操作平台的所謂方便好用, 主要在於免費程式及音樂電影等容易複製. 每當我聽到這些, 只會默不作聲.  很多時候, 在朋友的電腦或某些裝置, 見到歌曲只是一些數字亂碼代號為其曲名, 我當作看不見.  更有一次, 一位朋友在要求將我的iTunes library 全部拷一份, 我很憤怒拒絕, 我也跟他疏遠。以後我再也不想對人說自己喜愛的歌。

也有一次, 我對另一位朋友說, 我在唱片店及iTunes找不到 Mr. Children 的 “十四歲的媽媽” 的主題曲及 “The Day after Tomorrow” 的電影原聲帶, 因為某些版權問題, 而並未能在某些地區售賣, 我的朋友說會在日本給我找, 但我拒絕, 原因在於我喜歡自己去找, 也有很多人不明白, 為何我不因為工作之便, 去拿取一些免費樣版, 我說我喜愛享受自己去找尋及自己去買的那份情懷, 換來是別人的說裝模作樣, 之後我也收回這些話.  

其實找不到, 得不到某些歌, 我就不要硬著要, 再者, 自己的人生哲理就是簡單地不要強求. 這點的不執著, 原來在當音樂巳沒有尊嚴地很容易垂手可得時, 竟然顯得我是頑固執著.   我也只好再一次收聲, 也不再說因由.  

這天, 我聽到一位母親苦苦訴說, 她寫給小朋友的一首兒歌, 竟然在綱上給別人變成多樣不同版本, 輕挑, 中傷, 淫穢什麼都有.  她女兒哭著對她說不要再寫歌了, 不要再聽兒歌了.  這位母親只好屈結她的無奈, 默不作聲, 能做什麼?  當眼看所有人巳對隨意下載音樂, 及在綱上將音樂任意踐踏, 也認定應該是給別人這樣吧.

看著她, 也看著自己, 原來我與她是活在這無形的生活壓抑底下.  然而, 她比我更壓抑 - 她的女兒..... 

這位母親沒有放棄, 每晚照顧好年邁的父親及幼女睡覺後，不管是深夜，追尋自己理想......   堅持自己的信念.

在我看到一個異想天空下，多了一個她。

最愛的晚餐

其實我最愛在節日時做一些簡單的炒青菜， 蒸魚，洋蔥雞翼。因為生活的平實，才是節日最值得慶祝，

Fasten your seat belt at all times

The past week has been very stormy in the Southern Canton area.  When I was at the airport earlier this week, there came some heavy cloud with glow like the scene of UFO landing from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".  Later on, 10 minutes after the plane I got on took off, a strong lightning hit the plane hard.  Though I had quite some experience on lightning hitting planes, this time it was very severe.  Certainly the plane was very bumpy this time.  Remember often fasten your seat belt at all times. 

A cheating taxi driver, Bangkok

There are times I have heard about those cheating taxi drivers in many cities.  My first encounter is in Amsterdam.  It cost me HK$500 from the airport to an airport hotel for a transit night stay and the journey time is just 3 minutes within less than one kilometre.  So as I arrived at the hotel, I asked the front desk to verify if that's the fare from the airport to the hotel.  Turned out it's a 2.5 times higher.  So at this recent visit in Bangkok, I had a 2nd time encounter with a cheating driver.  Noticed the meter count ran unusually fast (3 times faster).  When it got at the first toll way in entering the city area, it showed 35.4 kilometres (double the actual distance). Then when it got near to the hotel in Sathorn, it showed 66.4 kilometres but it was then slower back to normal.  Supposed it shouldn't be over 35 kilometres if you are getting to areas like Siam/Sathorn/Sukhumvit.  The interesting part is that the taxi driver kept asking for the paper that the airport taxi counter put his driver's licence details on record.  I then claimed that I dropped it at the airport.  He repeatedly asked for that.  So when I got to the hotel, I told the front desk to check on his meter.  So the funny thing is that the driver made an excuse that his meter was fixed the night before and didn't know it wasn't fixed.  One lie over another.  Anyway, in order not say that I took advantage of the situation, I simply offered to the fare that I usually pay for the ride to Sathorn area, which is THB320 (including the THB50 Airport transportation charge).  Later on, I told the front desk to report it to the police as we shouldn't let him cheat more future victims.

和成豐 Hua Seng Hong, Central World, Bangkok

Missed the headquarter of this shop for some acquainted friends.  Some left for good.  Some weren't in contact somehow.  Not in any need for a FB search, nor care for opening an account being searched for.  Rather put some memory in a frame, like a photo of the time and the light particle being frozen without any subsequently intruded.  Life is in moments.  To keep every moment intact, then to keep moving forward to create moments.  That's how I tried this new branch of Hua Seng Hong in Central World.  Still love their fried rice with preserved olive (photo 2) and their house signature dish stir fried rice noodle (photo 3) and their stir fried fish maw (photo 4).

A tram ride at 10:30pm.

清茶淡飯 steamed rice and a cup of tea

I often got asked by my friends why I can take plain rice and plain bread without any soy sauce or butter/jam...etc.  I'd often tell plain rice and plain bread do taste and that's the nice rice and bread original flavour.  This scene reminds me of how my grand ma warned me of not leaving one rice left in the bowl.  So whenever possible, I would do so - not a single rice left.

Gecko in a glass, life in the childhood

This gecko reminds me of my childhood that I used to run around with my school mates on the hillside, finding interesting bugs or any wild life.  That was the fun time costing not a dime, but I learned a lot from this natural encountering.  

The moment, the beach, the last.

View from the Pavilions, Kuala Lumpur

Little brother, little sister

Everyone's childhood can be simple and innocent.  No complexity.  No planning.  No targeting.  No guessing.  No plotting.  No other third parties involvement.  

Tan Shui, (淡水), Taiwan

The first time I was here, this place wasn't yet that developed.  Subway still couldn't reach here.  Not many shops, not many tourists, and no traffic jam.  This time I chose to come here in the morning time. There I found the tranquil of this place again.