A Single Traveller and Three Packs of CigarettesWell, this entry has to be (re)written in Chinese, but I don't have the writing pad here with me and I want to write it up now. So, that's it.
I've been thinking about smoking and travelling these days. It seems to me that their relationship is pretty intrinsic. What makes a person travel? Everybody travels for a different reason, for work, for leisure, to see something new, to forget something old. Or some people just travel for the sake of travelling. Going away in this case is already inside the travellers' blood.
Some may even say they travel for no particular reasons. It's also true though.
Now, let's go back to the reality: you could only bring in 60 cigarettes when you return to Hong Kong. I, of course as a habitual smoker, will buy 10 packs upon depature. And when I return, I could only (by law) bring back 3 (though every often I disobey the law, and honestly, laws are made to violate than to obey).
This means that I have to finish 7 packs in my trip. What if a traveller only goes out of town for 1 day. How is he supposed to smoke 7 packs in 1 day? Of course, you may say well, he has the choice not to buy any at the duty-free. True. But considering the reasonably low price of tabacco at the airport and the ridiculously over-priced ones out there in the market, a loyal and wise smoker will definitely buy some when they're at the borders.
Or maybe he has to discard some of the unsmoked cigarettes at his destination before he returns, in order not to get caught and penalized. Discarding things at the site of travelling always happens. How often we always bring stuff we don't really want at the home town and then discard them over there after use? And we always think there's not enough space in the suitcase and we don't really need them anymore. So, say goodbye to those disposable stuff. They're only disaposable when you travel, which means when you don't need to travel, they will always lurk in the shelf somewhere, waiting not to be used.
So, do I discard things this time? Well, I hope I have got rid of something in a metaphysical sense. But I'm not sure if I succeeded though. You won't know until you get back to your hometown and when your routine life resumes, you will know.
Though, I hope I did.
But, no matter what, those unsmoked cigarettes are by no means thrown away. For a smoker who risks bringing in more than 60 cigarettes upon immigration, the government should somehow reward them with a medal for the bravery. Do you think a person who plans to leave one day and still buys a full pack will still care about the law? It proves one thing though - he is a loyal smoking and regards smoking much more highly than obeying the law.
Even if someone is so stupid only to bring back 3 whole packs upon return, they will surely buy the taxed ones in the market after consumption. So, what's the point of enacting such a law? Addiction has been in all cultures for thousands of years - this cannot be changed.
What about a law that only allows returning travellers to bring back 30% of unhappy memories after travelling? This would definitely make HK a better place. But, you may ask, how could emotions be quantified? Cigarettes could, but the act joy of smoking couldn't. We buy cigarettes not because of the tabacco sticks themselves, but we buy also the moments of smoking. Cigarettes are not cigarettes if they're not smoked properly.
So, smokers returning from trips could be categorised as follows:
1. bring only 3 packs and 30% of unhappy memories
2. bring more than 3 packs and 30% of unhappy memories
3. bring only 3 packs and more than 30% of unhappy memories
4. bring more than 3 packs and more than 30% of unhappy memories
Which type are you?
上海之旅 - 學術篇
甫進會場，呆了一呆。從未去過這樣的conference，十足十聯合國開會，一人一個mon，有headset同一個translation remote，但翻譯很不濟。發言時，在天花板會有鏡頭capture發言者。
我開始時坐在較後排，是津巴布韋的代表。
整個conference悶場多，大陸學者多談工業，大片小片諸如此類，悶爆。
用 Bosch的，不錯。
石飛，一個很叻的人，才27歲已做了很多東西，在復旦畢業後到了UC Davis 讀PhD，他是我繼楊先生後羨慕過的男生，我想我也要為自己做多點事，發一發圍。
當然對大陸人來說，神探和出埃及記不值一提，沒有提問，fine by me。
Koh Samui - Chapter 2
李安說每人心中有座斷背山，其實太概不知他說什麼，可能是指情義結吧，又或是一個抑壓隱藏秘密的地方。既然如此，我可說每人心中都有座IFC，或一個談泉興。而對我來說，我心中一直有所library。The Library和布吉的Aleenta一直是我想入住的酒店，但太貴吧，很肉痛的，於是便於下午去了一趟「圖書館」吃lunch。
一入到酒店，就等如入了本Wallpaper，房間不是用號碼，而是Page 1, Page 2, Page 3...作標記。
餐廳名字叫 The Page。
典型遊客區，略嫌不夠 private。在點了菜後，沙灘上來了兩個泰仔，問我紋唔紋身 (短期那種)，其實有些心動，但最後打消了念頭。跟着又問我要唔要女，要唔要草，要唔要粉，我很有禮貌說NO了。
最愛那個 gym room和 library (within The Library)的 design。另外，那個紅色泳池也是型到爆，應深受親戚探訪的女仕歡迎。
左面是女廁，右面是男廁，看圖即知為何。
晚上去了另外一個酒店吃飯，Chi Sin!!! 又係無人的，但係就偏有隻山狗。
為報答司機，我請了他喝一杯，也跟他打了兩局pool，輸0:2。
Koh Samui Chapter 4
花瓶內是有魚的。
四個小時的spa後，來了一杯 hot peppermint tea加 honey。技師十分細心，見我做完面膜有少許敏感，時常在晚飯時了解了解，而spa用的產品十分好，連Cameron Diaz和Rachel Weiz也是顧客之一。不要少看Villa N，這高檔民宿的spa和restaurant與眾五星酒店齊名。
點菜中，而 front desk staff 亦同時拿了個花球去給一對到這裏慶祝新婚2週年的(勁 rude) 韓裔夫婦。
再來一個 surprise，廚師之後弄了個免費的 lemon sorbert 加 vodka，十分醒胃清涼，9分。
吃完主菜後，還有點餓，廚師便介給了crab meat avocado，配 honey curry sauce，配得很好，但嫌牛油果和蕃茄不夠凍。 8分。
點品：Jasmine Cream Brulee，9分。十年前有人教曉了我吃cream brulee，那時是未裝修前的文華，吃後從此就愛上了。吃cream brulee除了味道，還要聽聽匙把上面焦糖弄破聲音，不夠嚮不夠脆則不行，不是有那幾款食物可以給你聽的。而custard和茉莉味混成一起，很特別，出面是吃不到的。 
The hanging seat at the lobby
Oh, well. 20 mins after checking in, I had my first accident - I broke the ashtray.
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