2009 – Year End Review

(This is actually the first YER I've started to write and completed; 2008's still in draft mode...)

In comparison, 2009 is indeed not as eventful as that in 2008. But then, how could any year be compared to 2008? It;s almost as if all the cosmic forces had lined up and lots of changes happened and fun trips taken with new friends, old friends, and of course with my Dad. But 2009? Still a good year on any account.

This was a busy year in terms of my job. I have managed to complete necessary procedures for a specific task in 8 months, when it would usually take at least 11 months. And this was all possible because of a new temporary boss, who showed me "all the ropes". It was both exciting and exhausting, not to mention nerve wrecking, because the margin of error allowed was so slim. As somebody who's only been on the job for slightly over 1 year, this was certainly an intentensive training course and something to be proud of.

Taken during a walking tour through the historical Wanchai area (Sept)

Although it seemed I travelled less this year when compared to the last couple of years, I managed to average almost one trip a month, that is if trips to Guangzhou and Macau are also included.

First trip to the Philippines - Cebu (Feb)

Macau Trip to watch fireworks (Oct)

I am happy that I have gone to at 3 places which I hadn't been to before. Provence (July) is so beautiful and the weather was absolutely fantastic. Swimming with whale sharks in Donsol (April) and seeing the rural Philippines and the iconic Mayon volcano was memorable. Then a short but eventful trip to see the Giant Buddha and giant pandas in Chengdu (November) was a nice surprise late in the year. But I miss trips with a large group of friends. Our Singapore outing (May) was fun, and there is nothing like roaming around with a group of friends and eating non-stop. Hope we get to plan more of those next year.

Whale-Watching + Eco-tour, Legaspi/Donsol (April)


Singapore (May)

Provence, France (July)

Shanghai (Oct)

Chengdu (Nov)

As usual, I attended both the Hong Kong Arts Festival and the International Film Festival. They don't seem to elicit as much excitement as before, especially films at the film festival. Actually, when I go back and look at the films I see at the HKIFF this year, I could only remember a couple of them (Religulous, Ultramarathon Man). The rest, especially the Chinese ones, seem to get all mixed up in my memory as similar scenes of dusty and plain landscapes or stark contrasts of rural farmland and gigantic development nearby. That conflict between economic/urban development vs. social/democratic development seem to have lost its novelty and it's no longer fascinating to look at.

The now legendary No. 39 Conduit Road, as seen on one of my weekend strolls (July)

The Mosque on Mosque Street (July)

I also looked at the list of the films I've seen inside a theatre this year…. It seems that there are fewer films that have left lasting memories, the following are some of the films I've seen this year (mostly in chronological order) in addition to those seen at the HKIFF…

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, If You Are The One (Chi), Doubt, Revolutionary Road, Slumdog Millionaire, Milk, Rachel Getting Married, Watchmen, The Reader, He's Just Not That Into You, Knowing, Shinjuku Incident (Chi), X-Men Origins, 17 Again, Angels & Demons, Frozen Flower (Kor), Star Trek, Duplicity, Scandal Makers (Kor), Transformers II, G I Joe, UP, The Haunting in Connecticut, Overheard (Chi), Hangover, The Proposal, (500) Days of Summer, Time Traveler's Wife, The Ugly Truth, 2012, Julie & Juila, Avatar.

It's surprising that I've averaged more than 2 movies a month in a theatre, and that doesn't even include those 10+ movies I see within the 3-week period of the HKIFF… No wonder Hollywood is having one of the best box office total tickets sold this year (surpassed only by 2002).

Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance (Oct)

In terms of concerts I haven't seen many this year: Superband, At17, Kay Tze, Sandy Lam (GZ), Sandy Lam (Macau), and Sammi Cheng. And if you don't count Sandy Lam, or at17 (free ticket), I have only paid, (and gladly so) to see 3 concerts over the course of they year. I think, as I become more and more "old cake", the list will get shorter and shorter… But it seems I'll be seeing a batch of concerts at the start of 2010, which seems to be very busy concert year again.

Guangzhou - Sandy Lam weekend (Aug)

Macau - Sandy Lam weekend (Aug)

Other notable things:

“Hello Lyttelton Road”

Not only it is one of my favourite streets, I started to roam around the area more as friends have moved into the neighbourhood and I have also started a "project" there.

Central Police Station (Oct)

“Hello West Kowloon”

Job-related or not, I have gone to the WKCD site more and more, to jog, to see fireworks, or just to take a stroll around the area.

WKCD (March)

WKCD (Oct)

WKCD (Dec)

“Hello Trailwalkers”

1st practice: Tuen Mun - suffered mild sun stroke (Sept)

2nd practice: M2 (Oct)

3rd practice: Violet Hill (Oct)

The Event (Nov)

Very happy to have participated in this year's event as it is now officially the only active event I have participated all this year. Am very happy that we managed to shatter old records and I also proved to myself that last year's achievement wasn't just a fluke.

“Goodbyes”

This year I had to attend 4 funerals. In addition, there were 3 other passings which were related to me in different contexts (a distant relative, an "acqaintence", and close relative of a former "friend"). Each gave me an opportunity to reflect on my own life. Various questions pop up, like... What's important to us, what legacy do we want to leave behind, how should we divide our time between job, family, friends, self?

On a foggy day (Mar)

“Hello, drunks!”

Thanks to Fun, I have finally puked on the street at least once in my life. That party was a blast.

2010…

2009 went by quickly. If it wasn't for the few trips in between, I honestly wouldn't remember where some of the months have gone?! (April, where did you go? And September?) The first decade of the millennium is, and will always be, the most pivotal time of my life. In fact, it would be 10 years to the day in a few days, when one really life-changing event happened in year 2000. Who would have known that I would have gone back to the US, returned, gone back to school, changed career, bought, sold, bought and sold again a few times, and now living in Hong Kong full-time? But that's the point, because nobody knows what'd happen 10 years from now, even 1 year, or even tomorrow. Enjoy the ride, and enjoy the scenery, oh, and smell the roses along the way too, y'all.

H a p p y H o l i d a y s !

永不放棄 (毅行者終極篇)

到達九號檢查站時的衰樣

「永不放棄」—— 這是寫在七號檢查站橫額上的標語。

可能自通宵以來，心裏一直在打仗，受到不少的煎熬。經過馬鞍山暴風的「摧殘」、不眠不休的趕路，唯有心裏叫自己挨下去。見到「永不放棄」四個字，突然有想哭的衝動。我們，尤其是香港人，活在幸福的地方：沒有戰火、沒有天災、沒有動亂、沒有饑荒、沒有種族屠殺。相對世界上很多活在苦難中的人，我們應該時常感恩和儘量幫助有需要的人。「永不放棄」這刻對我來講只不過是餘下30公里的路；但對很多人來說，可能是為著生存堅持。

上大帽山的路，很悶，很煩，是一段有點兒具厭惡性的路段。頭段是山路，雖然不甚崎嶇，但有很多大石頭，而且一路風都很大。難就不是很難，但仍是步步為營，因為很容易會「拗柴」。雖然我們吃過杯面，還有愛心糖水，但身心疲累，要集中精神就是很痛苦。經過三個大石群，就要落山，繼續經大帽山道（車路）再上大帽山山頂。

這條車路，有幾段非常斜；我需要以「之」字形的方法上山，又慢、又辛苦、又大風、又悶。記得每次來到這裏，心情都不太好。缺乏睡眠的我，心火盛。最好都是給我空間，讓我心裏發完癲才找我。一路以為山頂範圍會刮著很大的風，但是當我們接近山頂的時候，風停了，而且有點陽光。可能是風向的問題，或者是因為當天的雲很低，所以當我們去到高處，可以感受到太陽光的溫暖。

沒有在山頂停下來，我們便開始下山，希望儘快到達我們最後的一個支援站。

最後的支援點設在荃錦公路旁，我們在中午十二點到達。奇怪的，氣溫比山頂上還低。算吧，慣了。。。

位屬元老級（以地位來講）的支援隊隊長（亦即是臨危受命予我的高層）本來是提議一邊BBQ一邊等我們。但（都是那句）因為我們到達時間比原先預計的早，所以他們沒有時間預備。最後，是炒飯及熱飲一大堆。多謝在本站提供服務的同學/同事/同僚。

最後的20公里，平坦兼悶蛋。幸好有來自愛爾蘭的前參賽者同行。他大約3至4年前在香港生活的時候曾經跟我們的隊友參加過一次毅行者活動。今次他是專程來香港以身體力行支持我們的，亦當然令本來很悶的路增添了一點趣味。我跟他不熟，但總覺得他的面容很像英國首相Gordon Brown.

我們三個，沒有力，沒有氣，要用牛拉才行得到；每一步都變得重重的，拖下拖下。田夫仔位處一個山谷內，要經過一段很長的落斜車路才到。整條路行到這個時候，下斜坡很不舒服，所以時間用多了。本來預計兩個小時的第九段，我們用多了半個小時才到。其實我們從沙田坳以來一路的目標，是希望可以在三十一小時，甚至三十個小時以內完成賽事。若果我們可以以超快的步伐，在三至四個小時內完成最後兩段，機會是有的。但經過田夫仔的「一役」，我們實在太慢太累，要在一個小時內完成最後的11.3公里，根本是沒可能。而且，最後的新路段，聽說又長而且要上斜落斜，所以只希望可以在太陽下山之前完成，便算一個了結吧。

強顏歡笑

吉慶橋是最後一個檢查站，我們在三點十五分到達。跟上年一樣，檢查站內每個人都沒精打采。我們吃個包，裝點水，很快我們便向終點出發。

大欖涌水塘一路的「神采」

原來，以往由北潭涌往掃管灘附近Perowne Barracks為終點的賽道，只有98公里長。今年，適逢Perowne Barracks終於關門大吉，賽事的終點移師到元朗大棠的保良局度假營裏面，亦令賽事達到100公里的距離。其他隊友練習的時候我沒有參與，所以一直都不知道尾段是否很艱難。但一直都有提醒自己，不要臨尾香，一定要留一點氣力攀過最後的難關。

事情亦不出乎所料，兩公里就是兩公里，而且要上要落，而且終點在到達度假營之後還要繞幾個圈，這次真的被「玩殘」。幸好，自大欖涌水塘以來，一直有「假英國首相」帶著我們快速的步伐，我們終於在五點四十九分到達終點，以32:49完成整個賽事。支援隊再次提供妥善的「賽後服務」，真的是「辛苦晒」！

今年的成績，原來是破紀錄的。以往我們的機構所參加的多屆賽事，以2006年32:53為最快的。我們今年比他們快了幾分鐘，都是一個創舉吧！比較上年我們38:44的成績，更加快了差不多六個小時！

當然，很多人問我的第一個問題，就是下次會否再參加？我想，連續兩年都可以完成，起碼證明了我的體力、耐力、意志力。。。「還行」的。今年實在行得辛苦。但整個過程，心裏是享受的。能夠無牽無掛地做一些有意義的活動，是一樂也。但對身體來說是一個折磨。我想，若果我再需要肯定自己還是「還行」的話，就讓我再來吧！

毅行者，有緣再聚

再想起來，每一個難關、每一次的信心危機、每一個脆弱的時刻，在毅行者的活動上，我有親身的體會；也可以讓我在未來的日子，有需要的時候會回想。。。我不眠不休爬了100公里的山路，癲了嗎？

想重溫2009年系列的前兩輯：

臨危受命(上)

臨危受命(下)

想重溫上年的創舉，可以瀏覽一下Trailwalker 2008系列：

Trailwalker 毅行者 2008 （1）
Trailwalker 毅行者 2008 （2）
Trailwalker 毅行者 2008 （完結篇）

臨危受命(下)

上回講到我們一隊人到達基維爾營後歡天喜地去淋浴。
淋浴後，晚上11點幾，我們繼續搭上征途，向第五個檢查站--筆架山進發。

最難爬的一段，完了。再越過筆架山，迂回險要的山路亦大致完成。到達筆架山前要經過大老山。是整條麥理浩徑上可以觀賞九龍半島以及香港南岸的最佳位置。這個晚上，整個城市燈光璀璨。我在想，在慈雲山、黃大仙、九龍塘一帶的居民可能會看見山上一整條的光串，一定很有趣。

到達沙田坳道時的一個指定動作，就是要吃一碗餐蛋麵。可以想像，在疲倦及寒冷的環境下，一碗公仔面真的是可以很溫暖。平時不會吃的午餐肉亦便成稀世奇品。相對起大會一路以來派發的麵包、自己帶的PowerBar、PowerGel等食物，一個餐蛋麵又真的來的更實在、更飽肚、更有質感。其實，那些高能量食品及什麼電解質飲品，真的是吃到咀都「WEH」左。

沙田坳道提供餐蛋麵之外，就是有一個可以接受的坐廁及廁紙。當你是雙腳無力之際，我們安排十分妥當的郊野公園只會提供「mau」廁；恐怕以下兩個情況可能會發生在我身上：(1)跌落屎坑；(2)不能起身。所以，我忠告你，毅行者路線上，見到坐廁就一定要去啦！

半夜過後，往下的路段就只有盲目的走。到達第五站的時候，其中在第三站開始覺得腳痛的隊員終於決定退出。這已是他第三次參加毅行者。在頭兩段時，可能心情太興奮，雄心萬丈要創好成績，所以一開始他就遙遙領先我們三個。但是，毅行者是四個人一條心的隊際活動。就算你比我快一個小時先到達檢查站，你還是需要等到我到達才可以繼續前進。我衷心的感受到，「You are only as strong as the weakest link」的意思。記得上年，我們的領隊在第二段中暑，令我們預計需要三個小時的路程用了足足五個小時。100公里的路程，留前鬥後是一個基本的策略。體能及體力絕對是有限的，所以最緊要是可以完成整個路程；只要沒有受傷、沒有病痛、心靈意志集中，要完成不是一件難事。由於他不想耽誤我們的進度，他亦不想挨下去，所以我們就在筆架山分渡揚標。

完成了一半！是空歡喜還是目標在望？

我們三個人繼續以破自己紀錄的速度邁向大埔道。大埔道是原本的安排的第二個支援點。上年就是在這裏享受了一個半小時的日光浴/小睡。但今年因為只有淩晨兩點多，就連我們的支援隊仍在休息。所以我們就沒有停下來，一路朝走私坳--即六號檢查站進發。而支援隊就會在城門水塘再跟我們會合。

隊長的笑容都消失了。。。

我們經過一段金山郊野公園裏的車路，沒有見到任何猴子。三點半經過走私坳後，我們再繼續摸黑快步走進城門水塘的範圍。到達城門水塘時已經是四點多，兩位支援大使亦已經準備好我們的食物--滾熱的瘦肉粥。天氣非常的冷，風仍很大。我們實在是筋疲力歇；雖然我們的時間實在很快，但我們三個都已經十分累。所以，我們吃完我們的熱粥之後，決定在我們支援隊的車裏小睡一會兒。我們的進度，比原來預計的，快了差不多三個小時。天氣冷得要死，一路上根本沒有任何地方是適合休息的；所以為求在餘下的4段可以保持良好狀態，我們在車裏睡到天亮。這次亦是我們第一次休息超過一個小時的休息點。

這個小睡是毅力及決心的考驗。睡過一小時之後，實在不想醒來。初初醒來時，只記得發了夢，但以為是已經完成毅行者後在家休息。當發覺我被「困」在車裏，而且還有約40公里路程，我的心真的沉了一著，有幾秒想退出的心理。試想想，天還是黑的，月黑風高氣溫低，有什麼比一個和暖的披窩更吸引？路程只走了一半多一點點，繼續下去，不是意志的考驗是什麼？懷著沉重心情，我就衣服也不換，繼續上路。

天色開始亮起來，但一直期待的陽光，始終沒有出現。原來天氣報告預測星期六的天色是灰灰的，而且氣溫比起步當日還低。你說，心情是否繼續低落？

我們向針山、草山及鉛礦坳進發。針山很尖，上落的斜度很急。身邊的人，不論是同隊的隊友還是沿路所見的其他毅行者，看起來都沒精打采的。只有一步步，慢慢的往上爬。從針山的頂端，視野很遼闊。大帽山、沙田、荔枝角、葵涌、西九龍、香港島全部盡入眼簾。本來是一個很好的瞭望點，但在山頂逗留了不消一分鐘便下山，除了因為天灰灰之外，我真的沒有任何心情。

還有30公里。。。。。

向草山邁進，沿彎彎曲曲，有時很斜的車路往上走。我們半途遇到一位支援隊隊友。他也是個行山專家，雖然瘦瘦的，但有無比的毅力。幸好有他陪著我們越過草山再往鉛礦坳的七號檢查站，不然我們都已經累到昏過去了。到達七號檢查站是早上八點多。鉛礦坳令人難忘，除了有個寬敞的傷殘廁所之外，就是大會唯一有提供杯麵的檢查站。雖然當時的神志已經有點不清，但那碗生麵王杯麵確是難忘。在這同時，我們的支援救星Patrick亦拿出他為我們帶來的甜點：喳喳加湯圓。。。感覺，好幸福啊！！！即時為我們打了一支補針，重振雄心，要克服下一個難關--香港第一高峰，大帽山。

愛心糖水

(待續)