Football Family

There are much bigger things on a football pitch than rivalry and the game itself.

(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2116638/Fabrice-Muamba-news-Gary-Cahill-reveals-Pray-Muamba-t-shirt.html)

(http://www.inthestands.co.uk/news/real-madrid-wear-t-shirts-in-support-of-fabrice-muamba-eric-abidal.html)

Draw Something II

A bit disappointed with the drawing this time. Proportion is a bit wrong. But nonetheless, a good practice. 

(Burano, 17 March 2012)

 

Draw Something

Butterfly, 16 March 2012

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

How this book is acclaimed to be one of the best spy novels is completely beyond me!

I was really excited to read this book as the movie is coming up soon. Turns out it was such a pain to read and I am so disappointed. The main plot was so simple – a former secret service agent searching for a mole in the service. Yet, there were, in my opinion, so many unnecessary characters, descriptions and sub-plots that diverged my attention and confused the hell out of me.

While I was reading, I kept asking myself if my English was up to understanding this “masterpiece” because I got so lost. I thought it was my problem. But then after reading a lot of reviews on the Internet afterwards, I realised at least I was not alone. Also, once you put the book down, it was so difficult to pick it up again as you would then lost the characters and/or the plot. So it actually took me quite some time to revisit some previous episodes before I could continue once again. Thankfully I read it with my Kindle and could easily make cross-references to the earlier parts of the book. Otherwise, I can imagine it would take so much longer for the process and my suffering would hence be prolonged.

Many a times, I was on the verge of abandoning the book because I thought I would never comprehend everything. But I hate so much to give up on books in the middle I kinda bite my lips and finished it – painstakingly if I might add. Even after I’ve finally completed the whole thing, there were still so many episodes dangling in my mind for they were not concluded / explained properly – loose ends not tied up. It was so irritating when I didn’t understand something, kept dwelling on it and couldn’t move ahead. Other times I just presumed what the author was trying to say only to find myself so wrong in the later pages. Pretty discouraging!

I wish I could like this book but it’s just never to be. Hopefully the movie will be better – I was told the movie presented the whole story in a more comprehensible way.

生日

人越大，生日似乎越不重要。小時候總是很期待生日的到來，大了之後開始有點抗拒這個特別的日子。也許是心魔作祟，不想承認自己「又」大一歲吧﹗

生日前一星期，媽已經問我想到哪裡慶祝，但我總是提不起勁，甚至覺得沒有甚麼必要。當然，有人問起會感到窩心，不過我在意的不在於慶祝生日的地點和形式，而是和我慶祝的人。所以如果有朋友問我要到哪裡吃飯慶祝，我多半都會說沒有所謂，希望不會冒犯了他們。

自從社交網絡變得普及之後，大家都會在朋友生日當天留言祝賀。就這個現象，我大概歸納出幾點： 

*** 千萬不要對號入座 ***

1.      最要好最知心的朋友，通常都不會在社交網絡留言。有時我都有這個心態，對好朋友的關心或祝賀，無須「公諸於世」，朋友之間私底下問候就好。

2.      有些相熟的朋友在社交網絡留言，雖然有點「例行公事」，但你仍會因為他們的祝福而心存感激。

3.      有些泛泛之交／很久沒有聯絡的朋友，你沒有想過他們會記得這個日子，但多得透過社交網絡的提醒功能，他們仍願意花丁點時間在留言版送上祝福，給你帶來驚喜。

4.      有些朋友準是忘記了，沒有留下片言隻字，但你會乾著急。(這些人大概在你心目中佔有一定的位置，可惜這種「關係」並不是相對的。)

5.      有些朋友雖然沒有祝福問候，但你不會生氣，也不會因此影響你們之間的友誼。(這些人大概是認識了很久但又不常見面／聯絡。你應該已很清楚他們的為人，以致你不會因這次「疏忽」而怪責他們。)

6.      有些「朋友」雖然沒有祝福問候，但你也不覺得有甚麼大不了。(該說明了這些人在你心目中的地位(如有)。)

* 

自從2011年起，我的生日便註定變得不一樣。珍惜所有，平安是福！

Nostalgia

Somewhere along the Great Ocean Road, South Australia, Jan 2006

My first and only helicopter ride, The Twelve Apostles, Australia, Jan 2006

Politicians - East meets West

Hong Kong’s leading officials don’t talk. They read aloud.

I really really dislike the fact that they fail to talk properly without referring to their iPad or a slip of paper. I acknowledge that sometimes one needs to quote statistics, or to get across a complex idea and that’s when you need something to help you. But why would you need to read from a script, for instance, while delivering an apology or merely telling people something that you have done? It’s absurd.

Take the Budget Speech earlier this month as an example. Why would any Legco member want to sit there and listen to the monotone of the Financial Secretary? He stood there like a statue with his eyes focusing on his reading stand. His delivery was lifeless and emotionless. Honestly, I don’t blame those who couldn’t resist and doze off. What’s the point anyway - when everyone was given a copy of the “speech” at the beginning of the meeting, one might as well read it at their own leisure.

On the other side of the world, President Obama was giving the State of the Union address. From what I can tell, he did not read from a script. There could be a teleprompter, but I can’t tell. It didn’t show anyway. He was poised. He kept looking around while addressing the congressmen. He controlled and varied the pace of his delivery. He enhanced his speech with appropriate gestures. Overall, he was natural and confident. It was such a joy just to listen to him.

I often wonder how politicians in the West can be so charming and charismatic, whereas the ones in Hong Kong, most of them anyway, are just drop-dead dull. Is this something to do with our upbringing – that people in the West are encouraged to speak up while Orientals are taught to be more reserved?

Somehow, you really cannot help but ask why there’s no Winston Churchill, or Martin Luther King, or Barack Obama, to name just a few, in our part of the globe. 

Sad but true.