經過連日的失眠(人稱時間顛倒)，有了點微燒加大感冒。傷風做mask好煩，邊敷邊流鼻水，抹完又敷，敷完又流。昨日去了book launch，踫上了楊先生，即時反應是最好唔好同我講嘢，加上自己又作病，無乜耐性應酬和面對，自己也對了一些人說了full stop，很好。
臉上是Peter Thomas Roth的Cucumber Masque，聽着是哥哥的Salute album，手上是Miranda July的短篇故事。
下個weekend想再走一躺。
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
上海之旅 - 學術篇地點為上海大學寶山區分校
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。
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
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Sunday, July 06, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Junk人騷
回港後，心情有點怪怪的，開始討厭weekend之餘亦嘗試將weekend變成weekday咁過。甚至想每個weekend也不用在香港過。啲人一見你online就問: not going out? Saturday night wor，跟着我就會答: nowhere to go wor，然後佢哋就會話: you know many people，then我就dead咗同滴汗，唔啱wavelength，此對話就等如問一個病人點解病一樣，我要的可能是一個果籃和一支葡萄適，而唔喺俾人keep住問你點解肚痾，點解發燒。
一直有將個電話silence和清msn "friends"的習慣，現在甚至清facebook同phone book，電話唔聽，email唔覆，覺得生活裏太多junk，包括人在內。Junk人是世上最不環保的東西，既不能循環再造，又要存在獻世。
最怕就是一些你已delete的人又十年唔逢一潤咁撩吓你，有點失諸交臂。
有些胡鬧的人係要小的，包括你，你知我是指你。
有些脾氣係要發的，esp對着エ作上的不允和生活上的無理。
有些過去的人係要忘記的，包括你你你他他他。
我只求生活有質素，隨心而行，不怕死，一些含junk量高的人和事，stay away。
若你覺得我的ego太大，fine，不夠大，在這裏生存只會被abuse，occasional selfishness and greed是OK的，只怕彼此的ego鬥大時，就不得了。
回港後，心情有點怪怪的，開始討厭weekend之餘亦嘗試將weekend變成weekday咁過。甚至想每個weekend也不用在香港過。啲人一見你online就問: not going out? Saturday night wor，跟着我就會答: nowhere to go wor，然後佢哋就會話: you know many people，then我就dead咗同滴汗，唔啱wavelength，此對話就等如問一個病人點解病一樣，我要的可能是一個果籃和一支葡萄適，而唔喺俾人keep住問你點解肚痾，點解發燒。
一直有將個電話silence和清msn "friends"的習慣，現在甚至清facebook同phone book，電話唔聽，email唔覆，覺得生活裏太多junk，包括人在內。Junk人是世上最不環保的東西，既不能循環再造，又要存在獻世。
最怕就是一些你已delete的人又十年唔逢一潤咁撩吓你，有點失諸交臂。
有些胡鬧的人係要小的，包括你，你知我是指你。
有些脾氣係要發的，esp對着エ作上的不允和生活上的無理。
有些過去的人係要忘記的，包括你你你他他他。
我只求生活有質素，隨心而行，不怕死，一些含junk量高的人和事，stay away。
若你覺得我的ego太大，fine，不夠大，在這裏生存只會被abuse，occasional selfishness and greed是OK的，只怕彼此的ego鬥大時，就不得了。
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Koh Samui - Chapter 2一早起身，發現有太陽，便pack了行裝到resort外的沙灘走走。雖然沙灘不是很美，但勝在無人，係一個人影都無，變了個private beach。有趣的是，水退了約一百米，沙與水氹混在一起，也有些地方露出了乾珊瑚。
一面在看村上散文，一面灑太陽，用緊希臘品牌 KORRES 的+4太陽油，不錯。
Dear Travel Buddies，認得出相中左下角的東西嗎？
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。
The Library 沒有spa，要去隔離的 Is Spa，前名為Four Seasons，但因年多前Four Seasons酒店登陸Samui後改名。價錢偏貴，用料一般，加上櫃面的阿姐們是黑面的。
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。
在蘇梅的每餐，幾乎餐餐都有蝦。是晚聽了旅遊書指示，吃了個宮廷荷葉飯，不油膩，有飯味，乾濕適中，用料多，最重要還是飯頂那隻咸旦黃，正。
Koh Samui - Chapter 3
早上起來，陰天，看看書，上上網，吃一個永遠都吃不完的早餐，玩玩 apple TV，便一個上午。下午突然出太陽，懶得再出沙灘，於是便在房內洒洒，身型不見得人時，連個影個線條都有問題。
晚上吃個飯後，到了 Q Bar 一趟，此 bar 乃蘇梅 最受歡迎的蒲點，位於山上，但遠距離已經望到個Q字。有兩層，下層disco，正在裝修，上層有bar，有露台，可遠眺島上夜景 (其實是黑色一片)。
為報答司機，我請了他喝一杯，也跟他打了兩局pool，輸0:2。他確實有禮貌，才26歲，Sir前Sir後，幫你撐傘開車門兼在你買嘢食飯時再門口等你，即時變上等人。
附錄：在飛機上(最憎)遇到的三件事
一‧在起飛和降落時拍手，有時香港人真的好白痴失禮，又不是搭United 93，拍乜手？你上地鐵開站到站會拍手嚒？
二‧一對情侶披頭散髮地伏在對方身體上瞓覺，個樣好得人驚，看見他們，我想：他們是否之前一晚瘋狂做愛而犧牲了睡眠時間？其實有無情侶去旅行是沒有做愛的？有埋怨嗎？究竟他們喜歡日光旅行，還是黑夜鬼混？又有無人會為了可以連續做四五晚愛而'焗住'去旅行？
三‧坐喺我隔離睇聖經。WTF!!!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Koh Samui Chapter 4倒帶。
有時，有些東西是整定的，明明不要，但偏偏出現在眼前。
第四天，resort的frontdesk突然12:58pm打給我，說一點至三點停電，一心留在房賣懶亦因而被迫取消。於是便要求司機車我去揼骨，途經了一直想去去的 Villa Nalinndadda，但因車行得快，不太肯定。
之後，到達了司機介紹的5星resort，好不對勁，我不想在沙爹王做spa，於是便叫他折返。
果然，真的是Villa Nalinndadda。
坐在餐廳裏，細心打量選什麼 spa items時，也趁有陽光，拍下照片。選 hotel/resort 和選另一半一樣，一是要型，一是要細心，兩者兼得亦屬上乘之選，但很罕有，布島的 Indigo Pearl 則是例子，而 Villa N 則屬細心型。
花瓶內是有魚的。
Villa N 只有八間房，房內設計一般，屬地中海白屋仔式，但size 太小，design 東西太大件，太多角，可能最貴的房會好些，但正在住客，不能入內參觀。說實也不是太貴，5800 Baht成交，另包spa item 一項。
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。
蟹湯 - 8分。蟹肉鮮，而且十分紥實，仲有海鹽味，而湯雖清，但卻帶泰式香草的辛和甘，我未飲過這樣的蟹湯，很 surprised。
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。
主菜：Seafood Platter 6.5分。一般般，沒甚驚喜，唯獨那個 wasabi mayonnaise 很好食。
一眼睇哂，front desk 就是 bar 枱，十分親民，那個女子英文說得十分好，樣子有點像袁彩雲，同時也看見廚房為自己泡菜。
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。 亦是這個時候，我整個旅程第一次覺得餐桌的另一邊應該是要有人坐的。
等車中。
仍然等車中，蘇梅袁彩雲則和香港人沒大分別，上班時間是用來玩msn的。
但我喜歡她，我說要看房，她便帶我去，介紹了一會。我說無煙，她便叫人老遠出去買，這才叫細心，這就是服務，至少我在刷卡時覺得這錢是花得值的。
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
A Single Traveller and Three Packs of Cigarettes
Well, 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?
Well, 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?
Sunday, June 22, 2008
The hanging seat at the lobby
Oh, well. 20 mins after checking in, I had my first accident - I broke the ashtray.
The pool of my villa
The toilet (but the tub is not really holding the water)
Resort restaurant, 4K (pronounced as Fork). I am the only guest there.
Dear Travel Buddies, here are my fringe benefits today:
1. A bottle of red wine from the CEO (Santa Alicia, 2006). Ah daam, is it good/average stuff?
2. 50% off on drinks and beverages. I should try champagne later. I didn't know until I signed the bill of my room service!
Things to expect tomorrow:
1. Perhaps sunrise
2. In-room breakfast (the breakfast menu is better than the dinner one)
3. Perhaps lunch at The Library (http://www.thelibrary.name/TP_Lunch.html)
4. Meeting the CEO, perhaps
5. Going to town to hunt for (bargain) skincare products
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