It Has Been Quite a While

Called off my weekly tennis on Sat since too exhausted during the week. Turned out that coach was sick too.
To make up for the missed exercise, decided to play some wii fit in the afternoon. It has been 6 months (181 days) since I last played it according to the record. Time indeed flies... and, it said I lost 1kg since then... oh.
In order to make up for that 1kg, I decided to treat myself a McD Big & Tasty meal today. The fries were great but I should have asked the burger to be prepared without onion and dressing - well, a sign either that I haven't been to McD for too long, or my mind is absent-ing.

代表

雖然講多無謂, 又唔係新鮮事, 都係想講.
當奴曾, 一而再, 再而三咁, 絕對絕對不代表我.

還

最近狀態都不是很好, 看了兩次醫生, 盡量希望可以休息多點調理一下. 早幾天很累, 相對上多睡了點, 都有7, 8個小時. 可惜好景不常, TGIF算是最放鬆狀態不錯卻又失眠... 還返晒.
果然係你就係你嘅.

In Mood For

Was going to search something on a's blog, then found this... aiyo...
http://shallwetalk.blogspot.com/2008/12/in-mood-for-mo.html

Thanks wor, that sounds quite (overly) flattering, hohohohooo...
Time flies. Indeed, I miss those times too... those were the days.

Bang

Mom and bean still in Bangkok.
Made many many phone calls and sent many many emails (to bean's BB).
So far ok.
Wish they'll be back very soon.

Gone

thanks a wor... for record.
http://shallwetalk.blogspot.com/2008/11/blog-post_08.html

Settled

Finally, got hold of boss at his homely breakfast table somewhere out there in the CDT zone.
He indeed sounded quite upset. Though he could have expected with the messages received so far.
But I meant it - that I would prefer taking that to him in person, before the texts and formalities.
Not that it would have made a difference in the outcome, I believe.
Dates settled.
So...
I'm leaving, the BigBlue...
... once so glue-ly, not so clue-ly, not yet blue-ly, but too truly...

The Beginning is the End...

... is the Beginning

馬虎 Rewind 之始

有好一陣子沒有"用力"寫 blog. (真真要"用力"的, 尤其打中文字... it's killing me!)

原因不外乎是懶, 好懶, 同好鬼懶.

okok, 還有, 冇記性.

有時候看到聽到想到感到一些(以為)值得留個紀錄, 又或公諸同好的事物, 也只是"一念之間", 轉個頭就忘了, 更枉論晚上回家後再"反芻"過來. 畢竟自己不是好反省的人, 忘了就好, hohoho...

太久遠的固然不消提, 近幾個月來也不是沒有大事, 隨便數數就有次按風暴, 北京奧運, 立會選舉, 梁展文新世界大龍鳳, 政治助理鬧劇, 周融wear爛面, Hilary Clinton 落馬, Sarah Palin 上馬, 打風到9號, 嘉禾大火, 美國人老闆其實骨子裡大陸化到不行的 "supposed to is supposed to la"歪理, 未入"豪門"已見識的政治小風波, short-notice日本之旅, 契女小一開學, 友儕間的 changes or intentions to changes... 等等不能盡錄.

剛剛清理一下電話內的照片, 一些細碎的片段又回來了.

決定"由淺入深"回一下帶... 就由今朝開始 rewind 吧. 大事是記不下了, 當作是一個小小的個人瑣事 stock take 吧. 究竟之前有沒有提過寫過, 也不去考究了.

今早精神不錯, 開車送了媽去玩後, 突然非常有 mood 去嘆早餐. 把車泊回家, 徒步走下坡到火炭去.

也不是甚麼大茶飯, KFC吧了. 至愛芝士雞扒包走醬.

第一次吃, 應該是當年做某大銀行項目的時候... 差不多有5個年頭吧?

對上一次, 其實是在不久前的星期六, 因為要(俾人)洗車, 就在附近的KFC邊吃邊等, 之後還要趕出去打波, 所以點了可樂送包貪飲得快 (L), 跟今朝有心"嘆" 飲奶茶 (R) 的心情大不同 (雖然飲奶茶應該去茶餐廳...)

不過, 滿以為自己很 hea 很嘆的時候, 心神原來還是有一點彷彿.

喝咖啡我是不加糖的, 但喝奶茶要加少量.

可是我卻把糖加了在水裡.

講完.

Airy

Have been checking with the HK airport website about flight information under typhoon #8, since dad is supposed to fly around noon time.

Guess what. It shows typhoon #3 all the time.

Guess the one who needs to update that didn't go to work 'cos of #8??

This is confusing.

Surprise

Got a surprise-present today. Thank you kids =)

Though I've been to this concert.

http://amoozing.blogspot.com/2008/04/khalil-at-star-hall.html

宿命2

搵好位, 泊好車, 放好袋, 熱好身, 然後呢... 梗係落雨啦.
真係招風雨.
一走開避雨, 佢就停; 一走入場, 佢就落; 我一開車走, 仲出猛太陽添!
為咗coach嘅生計, 同埋我個荷包, 睇嚟要認真考慮抖抖暑.

宿命

零晨回家, 狂風暴雨雷電交加, 沒有混身滴出水來已算奇蹟. 一心以為早上的網球是打不成了.
8時許'扎'醒, 聽不見風雨聲之餘, 更見天色大亮, coach 話 the game is still on.
9時許 w 估估吓傳來 SMS 以為不用打, 然而 coach 再三肯定沒問題, 於是動身.
在球場放好家當, 還未開始熱身, 就下起雨來. 我們堅持了幾分鐘, 見沒有停雨的跡象, 場地也全濕了, 唯有打道回府.
這種天氣加上如此白行一趟, 真的比打球還要累人.

This isn't exactly the party I'd planned

Hillary Clinton Ends Bid & Endorses Obama
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/07/us/politics/07text-clinton.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Thank you very, very much. Well, this isn't exactly the party I'd planned, but I sure like the company.
And I want to start today by saying how grateful I am to all of you, to everyone who poured your hearts and your hopes into this campaign, who drove for miles and lined the streets waving homemade signs, who scrimped and saved to raise money, who knocked on doors and made calls, who talked, sometimes argued with your friends and neighbors, who e-mailed and contributed online, who invested so much in our common enterprise, to the moms and dads who came to our events, who lifted their little girls and little boys on their shoulders and whispered in their ears, "See, you can be anything you want to be."
To the young people, like 13-year-old Anne Riddell from Mayfield, Ohio, who had been saving for two years to go to Disney World and decided to use her savings instead to travel to Pennsylvania with her mom and volunteer there, as well.
To the veterans, to the childhood friends, to New Yorkers and Arkansans who traveled across the country, telling anyone who would listen why you supported me.
And to all of those women in their 80s and their 90s born before women could vote, who cast their votes for our campaign. I've told you before about Florence Stein of South Dakota who was 88 years old and insisted that her daughter bring an absentee ballot to her hospice bedside. Her daughter and a friend put an American flag behind her bed and helped her fill out the ballot.
She passed away soon after and, under state law, her ballot didn't count, but her daughter later told a reporter, "My dad's an ornery, old cowboy, and he didn't like it when he heard Mom's vote wouldn't be counted. I don't think he had voted in 20 years, but he voted in place of my mom."
So to all those who voted for me and to whom I pledged my utmost, my commitment to you and to the progress we seek is unyielding. You have inspired and touched me with the stories of the joys and sorrows that make up the fabric of our lives. And you have humbled me with your commitment to our country. Eighteen million of you, from all walks of life... women and men, young and old, Latino and Asian, African- American and Caucasian... rich, poor, and middle-class, gay and straight, you have stood with me.
And I will continue to stand strong with you every time, every place, in every way that I can. The dreams we share are worth fighting for.
Remember, we fought for the single mom with the young daughter, juggling work and school, who told me, "I'm doing it all to better myself for her."
We fought for the woman who grabbed my hand and asked me, "What are you going to do to make sure I have health care?" and began to cry, because even though she works three jobs, she can't afford insurance.
We fought for the young man in the Marine Corps t-shirt who waited months for medical care and said, "Take care of my buddies over there, and then will you please take care of me?"
We fought for all those who've lost jobs and health care, who can't afford gas or groceries or college, who have felt invisible to their president these last seven years.
I entered this race because I have an old-fashioned conviction that public service is about helping people solve their problems and live their dreams. I've had every opportunity and blessing in my own life, and I want the same for all Americans.
And until that day comes, you'll always find me on the front lines of democracy, fighting for the future.
The way to continue our fight now, to accomplish the goals for which we stand is to take our energy, our passion, our strength, and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama, the next president of the United States.
Today, as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run. I endorse him and throw my full support behind him.
And I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me. I have served in the Senate with him for four years. I have been in this campaign with him for 16 months. I have stood on the stage and gone toe-to-toe with him in 22 debates. I've had a front-row seat to his candidacy, and I have seen his strength and determination, his grace and his grit.
In his own life, Barack Obama has lived the American dream, as a community organizer, in the State Senate, as a United States senator. He has dedicated himself to ensuring the dream is realized. And in this campaign, he has inspired so many to become involved in the democratic process and invested in our common future.
Now, when I started this race, I intended to win back the White House and make sure we have a president who puts our country back on the path to peace, prosperity and progress. And that's exactly what we're going to do, by ensuring that Barack Obama walks through the doors of the Oval Office on January 20, 2009.
Now, I understand. I understand that we all know this has been a tough fight, but the Democratic Party is a family. And now it's time to restore the ties that bind us together and to come together around the ideals we share, the values we cherish, and the country we love.
We may have started on separate journeys, but today our paths have merged. And we're all heading toward the same destination, united and more ready than ever to win in November and to turn our country around, because so much is at stake.
We all want an economy that sustains the American dream, the opportunity to work hard and have that work rewarded, to save for college, a home and retirement, to afford that gas and those groceries, and still have a little left over at the end of the month, an economy that lifts all of our people and ensures that our prosperity is broadly distributed and shared.
We all want a health care system that is universal, high-quality and affordable so that parents don't have to choose between care for themselves or their children or be stuck in dead-end jobs simply to keep their insurance.
This isn't just an issue for me. It is a passion and a cause, and it is a fight I will continue until every single American is insured, no exceptions and no excuses.
We all want an America defined by deep and meaningful equality, from civil rights to labor rights, from women's rights to gay rights from ending discrimination to promoting unionization, to providing help for the most important job there is: caring for our families.
And we all want to restore America's standing in the world, to end the war in Iraq, and once again lead by the power of our values and to join with our allies to confront our shared challenges, from poverty and genocide to terrorism and global warming.
You know, I've been involved in politics and public life in one way or another for four decades. And during those 40 years, our country has voted 10 times for president. Democrats won only three of those times, and the man who won two of those elections is with us today.
We made tremendous progress during the '90s under a Democratic president, with a flourishing economy and our leadership for peace and security respected around the world.
Just think how much more progress we could have made over the past 40 years if we'd had a Democratic president. Think about the lost opportunities of these past seven years on the environment and the economy, on health care and civil rights, on education, foreign policy and the Supreme Court.
Imagine how far we could have come, how much we could have achieved if we had just had a Democrat in the White House.
We cannot let this moment slip away. We have come too far and accomplished too much.
Now, the journey ahead will not be easy. Some will say we can't do it, that it's too hard, we're just not up to the task. But for as long as America has existed, it has been the American way to reject can't-do claims and to choose instead to stretch the boundaries of the possible through hard work, determination, and a pioneering spirit.
It is this belief, this optimism that Senator Obama and I share and that has inspired so many millions of our supporters to make their voices heard. So today I am standing with Senator Obama to say: Yes, we can!
And that together we will work -- we'll have to work hard to achieve universal health care. But on the day we live in an America where no child, no man, and no woman is without health insurance, we will live in a stronger America. That's why we need to help elect Barack Obama our president.
We'll have to work hard to get back to fiscal responsibility and a strong middle class. But on the day we live in an America whose middle class is thriving and growing again, where all Americans, no matter where they live or where their ancestors came from, can earn a decent living, we will live in a stronger America. And that is why we must help elect Barack Obama our president.
We'll have to work hard to foster the innovation that will make us energy independent and lift the threat of global warming from our children's future. But on the day we live in an America fueled by renewable energy, we will live in a stronger America. And that is why we have to help elect Barack Obama our president.
We'll have to work hard to bring our troops home from Iraq and get them the support they've earned by their service. But on the day we live in an America that's as loyal to our troops as they have been to us, we will live in a stronger America. And that is why we must help elect Barack Obama our president.
This election is a turning-point election. And it is critical that we all understand what our choice really is. Will we go forward together, or will we stall and slip backwards?
Now, think how much progress we've already made.
When we first started, people everywhere asked the same questions. Could a woman really serve as commander-in-chief? Well, I think we answered that one.
Could an African-American really be our president? And Senator Obama has answered that one.
Together, Senator Obama and I achieved milestones essential to our progress as a nation, part of our perpetual duty to form a more perfect union.
Now, on a personal note, when I was asked what it means to be a woman running for president, I always gave the same answer, that I was proud to be running as a woman, but I was running because I thought I'd be the best president. But I am a woman and, like millions of women, I know there are still barriers and biases out there, often unconscious, and I want to build an America that respects and embraces the potential of every last one of us.
I ran as a daughter who benefited from opportunities my mother never dreamed of. I ran as a mother who worries about my daughter's future and a mother who wants to leave all children brighter tomorrows.
To build that future I see, we must make sure that women and men alike understand the struggles of their grandmothers and their mothers, and that women enjoy equal opportunities, equal pay, and equal respect.
Let us resolve and work toward achieving very simple propositions: There are no acceptable limits, and there are no acceptable prejudices in the 21st century in our country.
You can be so proud that, from now on, it will be unremarkable for a woman to win primary state victories unremarkable to have a woman in a close race to be our nominee, unremarkable to think that a woman can be the president of the United States. And that is truly remarkable, my friends.
To those who are disappointed that we couldn't go all of the way, especially the young people who put so much into this campaign, it would break my heart if, in falling short of my goal, I in any way discouraged any of you from pursuing yours.
Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in. And, when you stumble, keep faith. And, when you're knocked down, get right back up and never listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on. To those who are disappointed that we couldn't go all of the way, especially the young people who put so much into this campaign, it would break my heart if, in falling short of my goal, I in any way discouraged any of you from pursuing yours.
Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in. And, when you stumble, keep faith. And, when you're knocked down, get right back up and never listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on.
Although we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 18 million cracks in it and the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time.
That has always been the history of progress in America. Think of the suffragists who gathered at Seneca Falls in 1848 and those who kept fighting until women could cast their votes.
Think of the abolitionists who struggled and died to see the end of slavery. Think of the civil rights heroes and foot soldiers who marched, protested, and risked their lives to bring about the end of segregation and Jim Crow.Because of them, I grew up taking for granted that women could vote and, because of them, my daughter grew up taking for granted that children of all colors could go to school together.
Because of them, Barack Obama and I could wage a hard-fought campaign for the Democratic nomination. Because of them and because of you, children today will grow up taking for granted that an African-American or a woman can, yes, become the president of the United States. And so when that day arrives, and a woman takes the oath of office as our president, we will all stand taller, proud of the values of our nation, proud that every little girl can dream big and that her dreams can come true in America.
And all of you will know that, because of your passion and hard work, you helped pave the way for that day. So I want to say to my supporters: When you hear people saying or think to yourself, "If only, or, "What if," I say, please, don't go there. Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward.
Life is too short, time is too precious, and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been. We have to work together for what still can be. And that is why I will work my heart out to make sure that Senator Obama is our next president. And I hope and pray that all of you will join me in that effort.
To my supporters and colleagues in Congress, to the governors and mayors, elected officials who stood with me in good times and bad, thank you for your strength and leadership.
To my friends in our labor unions who stood strong every step of the way, I thank you and pledge my support to you.
To my friends from every stage of my life, your love and ongoing commitment sustained me every single day.
To my family, especially Bill and Chelsea and my mother, you mean the world to me, and I thank you for all you have done.
And to my extraordinary staff, volunteers and supporters, thank you for working those long, hard hours. Thank you for dropping everything, leaving work or school, traveling to places that you've never been, sometimes for months on end. And thanks to your families, as well, because your sacrifice was theirs, too. All of you were there for me every step of the way.
Now, being human, we are imperfect. That's why we need each other, to catch each other when we falter, to encourage each other when we lose heart. Some may lead, some may follow, but none of us can go it alone.
The changes we're working for are changes that we can only accomplish together. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are rights that belong to us as individuals. But our lives, our freedom, our happiness are best enjoyed, best protected, and best advanced when we do work together.
That is what we will do now, as we join forces with Senator Obama and his campaign. We will make history together, as we write the next chapter in America's story. We will stand united for the values we hold dear, for the vision of progress we share, and for the country we love.
There is nothing more American than that.
And looking out at you today, I have never felt so blessed. The challenges that I have faced in this campaign are nothing compared to those that millions of Americans face every day in their own lives.
So today I'm going to count my blessings and keep on going. I'm going to keep doing what I was doing long before the cameras ever showed up and what I'll be doing long after they're gone: working to give every American the same opportunities I had and working to ensure that every child has the chance to grow up and achieve his or her God- given potential.
I will do it with a heart filled with gratitude, with a deep and abiding love for our country, and with nothing but optimism and confidence for the days ahead.
This is now our time to do all that we can to make sure that, in this election, we add another Democratic president to that very small list of the last 40 years and that we take back our country and once again move with progress and commitment to the future.
Thank you all. And God bless you, and God bless America.

越忙越x

好些日子沒有update. 是太悶也是太懶更也是沒精打采.
然後有聊事好無聊事也好, 溝淡的溝淡, 爆散的爆散, 囤積的囤積到料不出理來, 萬語千言從何說起? 就像醫師說我的千年火.
有人說過, 越忙 (unidentified/undefined) 越xx.
xx 可以是: 打掃, 打機, 打坐, 打書釘... 適隨尊便, 只要是跟原本要"忙"的事無關, 能幫"倒忘"就是了. 越倒越好.
我呢, 越忙越打 blog.
所以. 其實. 今個 long weekend. 我好忙.

btw. 那天, 師傅說我一身黑衣好cool. 其實我想話. 無忘六四.

Mercy

Dad just came back from Suisse yesterday afternoon, but he didn't miss the big news in Sichuan.
There are 17 Sichuan workers in his China plant and all had their homes gone in the earthquake, while status of their families are far from clear.
Dad has instructed to give out special funds to these workers and provide a 1:3 matching-fund on money raised among the staff. And there will be some 'requests' from the local/provincial government too.
During our usual Sunday dim sum this morning, he kept on saying that human is so vulnerable at the mercy of the nature & 人生無常.
Let's do whatever we can. The fight would not be short and sweet.

Zero-Sum Game

又清倉. 掘出這張照片. 在地鐵列車上.
話說某天下班時份在公司附近的街頭, 見人人手拿一罐 coke zero, 站在地鐵站外, 垃圾筒旁邊, 大口大口的喝着, 場面壯觀. 還有幾位鋁罐回收婆婆在密密"入袋", 大有收穫.
原來有推廣大派 coke zero - 仲係幫你開埋嗰隻, 唔飲唔得. 即時會心微笑 - 高招.
可惜自己不是 coke人, 又趕時間, 耍手擰頭無福消受.

衝入車廂, 前面的太太在喝着 coke zero, 心想 "eating or drinking is not allowed after entering the gate..."的時候, 她一個箭步加左右開踭, 就 sip 了個座位, 才發現原來她 "又食又leg", 真捧場.
原本以為她很快會下車, 畢竟手持兩罐汽水在車廂中人群中穿梭應屬競技遊戲一類, 不宜持久戰跑長途, 況且若要為親朋好友送上窩心飲料如 coke(有此假設皆因阿太太其實冇點飲過), 夠汽夠凍方為上品. 誰料阿太太一路坐一路坐足足6個站到金鐘才下車, 中途打了幾個電話, 還要接力隨人潮到對面月台轉車... 別忘記她還拿着起碼一個手袋和一個膠袋, 有相為証. 真有心.

用小小糖水做甜頭就幫你飲到開巷仲跑埋半個香港. 哩個廣告, 真抵賣.
香港人, 真抵得諗.

To Whom It May Concern

Thanks for all the regards (and intellectual/gossipy curiosity alike) sent through re my once-in-a-life-time incident.
I'm intact. And lessons well learnt :)

2Q is always an expensive quarter personally:
Mom's birthday, Mother's Day;
Dad's birthday, Father's Day;
Mom & Dad's anniversary;
2nd tax instalment.
and this year with this once-in-a-life-time incident.

So I'd better skip fancy and unfunctional get-togethers in the days to come... :)

第一次交通意外

話口未完, 今日輪到自己小炒.
仲係揸人地架坐駕撞人人地架坐駕.
唉. 失敗. 是自己大意了. 還有不耐煩的性格缺憾.
是出道多年來第一次交通意外. Touch-wood.
細燈飛彈了出來 (相信是在撞擊之下受擠壓彈出), 有關部位碰花撞歪更不用說.
人地架坐駕初步報價大約3千個大洋, 未計人人地架坐駕.
一腳值千金. 希望是破財擋災吧.
以後要打醒精神, 加倍小心.
共勉之.

Spring

My dear teammate didn't believe that it was quite sunny last Sat that I could play tennis.
Give myself a tick.

Again, deserted.

30C!

Wish another good day tomorrow.