Osaka: A Trip That Went Wrong

No, it wasn't that bad, really; but it could have been alot better.


First off, I began to have a fever the day before my departure. It's probably a combination of stress and lack of sleep mainly from work, and then probably the reduced adrenaline which has been widely studied as the main factor for "leisure sickness".


Anyway, the trip started off on the wrong foot. I was worried that they wouldn't let me through immigration over in Japan, so, I got all drugged up so that my fever would subside, and went into hybernation pretty much for the first 3 days of the trip...

Drugged all the way from HKG to KIX, now on Nankai Express from KIX to Namba

Though slowly recovering, my moving radius was confined to about 1km from our very centrally-located hotel in Namba... which is not so bad, because besides Umeda, Namba/Shinsaibashi is the main tourist/retail hub in Osaka. We went to this shopping street called "Tachibana", and already my travelmates went nuts. Seeing that they were so excited buying stuff, I emerged from my sick body, and ATTEMPTED to get something for myself, but like most other times, I ended up not buying any clothing (well, except a sweatshirt) because they simply don't make clothes my size in Japan. What do taller guys wear in Japan?

So, no spending on clothes, and I couldn't eat anything cold, raw, spicy, nor fried, this really has been a... Thrifty Trip Through the High Yen Times.

(there will be more to come... but sort of brainfarting and dunno what to write about this trip at the moment)

The only store where I could get something that fits me (what an irony)

A corner restaurant near Tachibana, nice place but no appetite though

Oh how I love bathrooms in Japan, especially the multi-functional toilets, you know what I mean?

(just realized that I have NO pictures taken in Osaka, so all picture posted today are supplied by Fun, THANKS!)

放假先至來病

唔通連個天都唔鈡意我？

唔洗驚，聼日一定會好番既！

你又知今日我會好番既？

唔知架。。。希望在明天啊嗎....

甘。。。就希望在明天啦！

Everybody have a good long weekend. ;)

我又玩

見你地玩的甘開心。。。 我又玩！！！

邊個話我唔似老豆款。。。 哎呀，係時候餵奶啦。

一個男生，兩個女生，仲唔係Player? 好似在等緊。。。

係啊。。。Moron of the Year 喔

La donna e mobile

What a busy week this turned out to be, and what a grand finish.

Following an overnighter on Wednesday, I had to worked a WHOLE day on Saturday.... it's becoming borderline unacceptable, really... But then, hopefully it's just a phase and it'll get better as it goes forward.

Sunday was a day at Ocean Park. I realized that it had probably been almost 20 years that I hadn't been there! Though things have changed, most things are still there... the rides, the dolphins, seals, sea lions. Didn't get to visit "An An" and "Jie Jie" or "Ying Ying" and "Le Le", next time maybe. Hard to believe too, that some of those rides are still there after 20 years... probably time for a revamp... which is already an on-going work in progress with their proposal of 3 new hotels within the Park.

Site formation and preparation works have started for the Summit Hotel

My favorite ride... the Cable Car

What do you think they're pointing at?

The full weekend wasn't quite done after a full day at Ocean Park... I then headed to TST for Verdi's "Rigoletto." As one of this year's Arts Festival's premier events, it was much looked forward to. But I was just too tired and I was dozing off probably for 70% of the First Act. Good thing... because then I was able to stay up for the remaing 3 Acts, haha.

And of course how could anybody miss one of the most well-known arias for tenors, "La donna e mobile" at the start of the 3rd Act? Just when the intro starts, you'll remember the late Pavarotti's many renditions at his solo concerts, and also one of the most famous performances ever, the "Encore - the Three Tenors" concert in 1994 at Dodger Stadium in LA.

0501

A few months ago I wrote about a night when I stayed at the office until early morning....

I look at the clock now, it's 5:02am, and still not done. I began to wonder what the f*ck am I doing here?

At least this time I'm not doing it alone. Have 2 colleauges going at it with me.
And Faye is on the iPod singing... let me check... "The Place Where I Had My First Love", a remake of Teresa Tang's classic. I think of all of Faye's album, I enjoyed her Teresa Tang remake the most. Her voice is perfect, and the rearrangements were cool.

Now Sandy comes back with "Slanted"... Rome, Paris, Lisbon, Milan....

Oh when can I go home...

二月有個二十九

記得小時候覺得閏年好得意，有二月二十九號的。如果在這天生日的，是否要連續三年自己騙自己才當三月一日是正日生日？昨天又有同事話他們會用舊曆計。。。但是，就好似更加麻煩。有誰會記著你的舊曆生日？

今天過得沒有什麽特別，四年一次的229，又是忙碌的一天。透不過氣來。雖然日晨是過得快，但工作排得滿滿的，幸好有個日本假期to look forward to，但始終這幾個禮拜可以做死人。有件奇怪的事，就是電話跳左去三月一日，有d約會差點忘了。。。sigh... our reliance on digital calendars...

前幾天又想，爲何過年後有轉工潮？便發覺原來在二月遞信的可以省兩三日的。雖然不太多，但當你的心已經不再現有的工作裏面，時間是難過的；而且，某些公司的管理層亦很無聊，對盟去意或已經resign的員工不禮貌、小器、諸多左撓。其實，始終都曾經是一場賓主，何必搞到如此地步？唉~~希望。。。

前兩天收到個。。。唔係好想收到的電郵。想回覆但又未想到一個比較好又得體的回應。不能不自己又細想，爲何情緒還會受到影響呢？也覺得，有d人做每一件事情都是爲了自己好過一點。説到底，自私是我們保護自己的一個很好方法。每個人都entitle to 一點點的自私。問題都是出在你有幾自私、你對對方有幾無私、你對對方的期望是什麽。。。





今日沒有什麽照片與個topic有關的，但又好似寡左d，不如都搵張相分享下先。。。



這張相是懾於上海一個private collection裏面。根據資料應該是1958年的一幅政治宣傳海報。1958年的15年後，即1973年。現在已經是2008年嚕。。。這些海報倒是一個時代的見證

It's Oscar Night, people!

Will Daniel Day-Lewis continue his sweep of acting accolades or will Johnny Depp finally gets his redemption?

Can Marion Cotillard continue her winning streak into Oscar Night?

Will Cate Blanchett be stuck again with a Supporting Role Oscar as with the Leading Role Oscar from the same role as ER (that's gotta be a first) eluding her once again? (oh was she robbed in 1999)

Can the Little Film that Could ("Juno") beat out bloody sagas ("No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood") and bring home the Oscar statuette?

Oh and all the marvellous writing nominees... "Juno", "Michael Clayton", "The Savages", etc.

AND

Best Original Song nominees from "Enchanted":

"That's How You Know", "So Close" and "Happy Working Song"!!!

So much to look forward to :)

The 32nd Hong Kong International Film Festival

It's that time of the year again to plan for back-to-back movies over the long weekends!

The 32nd HKIFF Catalogs are now available at Urbtix outlets and performance venues!

Advanced booking will begin on 23 Feb 2008 at 10am!

See you at the movies:)

You Are Not Alone...

"Thing to remember is if we're all alone, then we're all together in that too."

Saw this movie today ("P.S. I Love You") and the line that stood out was this one... not a bad line, actually, considering that we don't have many good lines from movies these days.

This Rom Com is really not that good of a Rom Com. Just the other day, I also heard on NPR that we just don't have those classics like "Sleepless is Seattle" or "When Harry Met Sally" or even "Notting Hill" made these days. Instead, we have these mediocre movies like "Fool's Gold" being the only major release for the Valentine's Day week last week in the US (followed by "Definitely, Maybe" this weekend).

McConaughey and Hudson? *yawn*

Is it because we're missing star power in this genre? It's true we don't have stars like Julia Roberts or Meg Ryan nowadays (Witherspoon in her post-Oscar slump, Heigl still being prepped up....) and we are missing leading men as well? Is Rom Com just going away as we speak? What was the last good Rom Com that I saw? hmmm... I think it was 2006's "The Holiday". Winslet is always a pleasure to watch, and Jack Black was a good and fresh match. Diaz is getting a bit... tiring; and I never saw the chemistry between her and Law. But still, the Winslet-Black part was so enjoyable, and the whole plot works quite well, so this was the last good Rom Com that I saw. Another good contender is "Music and Lyrics." Ok movie, but there was just ZERO chemistry between Grant and Barrymore. That was just a complete mismatch. But the campy music made it fun to watch. Maybe it's not that we lack the stars, we just need good writers.

Speaking of movies... remember the 2008 HKIFF is coming! Early booking starts next Saturday (Feb 23).

Here are some of my fave Rom Coms... hope to add more to the list soon...

Doctor Marcia Fieldstone: Tell me what was so special about your wife?

Sam Baldwin: Well, how long is your program? Well, it was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were suppose to be together... and I knew it. I knew it the very first time I touched her. It was like coming home... only to no home I'd ever known... I was just taking her hand to help her out of a car and I knew. It was like... magic.

Edward Lewis: So what happens after he climbs up and rescues her?

Vivian: She rescues him right back.

William: I live in Notting Hill. You live in Beverly Hills. Everyone in the world knows who you are, my mother has trouble remembering my name.

Anna Scott: I'm also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.

Robbie: [singing] I wanna make you smile whenever you're sad / Carry you around when your arthritis is bad / All I wanna do is grow old with you. / I'll get your medicine when your tummy aches / build you a fire if the furnace breaks / Oh it could be so nice, growin old with you. / I'll miss you, kiss you, give you my coat when you are cold. / Need you, feed you, I'll even let you hold the remote control. / So let me do the dishes in the kitchen sink / Put you to bed when you've had too much to drink. / Oh I could be the man to grow old with you. / I wanna grow old with you.

Iris: I understand feeling as small and as insignificant as humanly possible. And how it can actually ache in places you didn't know you had inside you. And it doesn't matter how many new haircuts you get, or gyms you join, or how many glasses of chardonnay you drink with your girlfriends... you still go to bed every night going over every detail and wonder what you did wrong or how you could have misunderstood. And how in the hell for that brief moment you could think that you were that happy. And sometimes you can even convince yourself that he'll see the light and show up at your door. And after all that, however long all that may be, you'll go somewhere new. And you'll meet people who make you feel worthwhile again. And little pieces of your soul will finally come back. And all that fuzzy stuff, those years of your life that you wasted, that will eventually begin to fade.

Lucy: Can I have one last first kiss?

Harry Burns: I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.

李宗盛 @林一峰

本來沒有plan去看Chet 的Concert。但怫然空降一個很吸引的offer，又怎可能放過呢。。。

全晚Chet Lam所唱自己的歌，我真的一首都不識。熟悉的反而是他跟梁祖堯合唱的“微涼”以及他跟李宗盛合唱的“愛的代價”。

有李宗盛的原因，原來是因爲“大哥”送了一個結他給Chet。我自己記得大哥是很多年前看“明天會更好”的MV時見過他；之後就是因爲他寫歌及監製憶蓮國語唱片的關係。往後憶蓮奉子承婚，我都曾經覺得他們是門當戶對，而且是工作上的好拍檔。但當然大家都知道，愛都是會變成往事的。

李宗盛的歌曲及歌詞很細膩，可以帶出人（不只是女人）對情的盼望、期待；他為我們帶來的幸福、溫暖；分手的煎熬、寂寞帶來的不安、痛苦的領悟、把心放開的決心。。。愛情、親情、友情，每一個感受、每一種思念，橫過20多年的作品，一定有觸動我們心靈的。

年多前在紅舘終於看過他的Live演出（就是那場有成蟲搗亂的一晚），一個男人，拿著結他，在unplugged的setting中，好有heart的音樂就是我們8,000+個觀衆的共同語言。

以下是大哥的其中一首經典

如果可以在Facebook上面。。。

有個“藐人”既Function甘都幾好喔。。。

Kung Hei Fat Choi

As we enter the Year of the Rat, I wish you and your family a properous New Year, with great health and togetherness.

沒有電視的晚上 Nights without a TV

一個plan左很久的動作，終於在友人搬家的推動下成爲事實。
我就是這樣的了，要有些推動力，要人逼逼，才會動。
事緣上年我自己搬家之後，因爲地方勁細，而我還是用著以前在“大屋”搬過3次的2001年新力牌34"平面方角Trinitron大電視，所以一直都想換一部Flat Panel。。。省些地方嘛。。。

10個月以來，又想過很快又搬（幻想居多。。。），所以以爲之後才再買；有時就因爲未能決定budget，產品琳琅滿目，很難下決心；而且又要一顆兒把電視cabinet換，不想花太多多餘錢（吃喝玩樂重要嘛。。。）所以最後都有很多因素都令我決定把它留下來（講來講去都是excuses一大堆）。

不過一路都有留意LCD電視的價錢的，所以都已經心中有數。

之後。。。大約兩個禮拜前，阿AC話因爲搬屋，舊傢私不要，剛巧他的custom-made電視cabinet及Shoe cabinet就是我所需要的size。。。

不久之後。。。決定把他們買下來，從來沒想過會買朋友的二手家具。但沒所謂啦，一家便宜兩家著，大家開心。

但是呢。。。我好像什麽準備都沒有；要等到上星期六，早上八度、下著雨的時候，才：
1。打電話叫收買佬上門收電視（價錢都不錯）
2。好在有AC幫手安排搬運師傅把傢私送到府上（AC只是一條街之隔）
3。把舊電視cabinet裏面的CD、DVD、VCD搬出來（其實很多應該要丟咯）
4。把舊cabinet搬走
5。接收貨物
6。同老豆吃午飯（幫左我成朝）
7。去買電視（仲途徑Lane Crawford買左對鞋，呵呵呵）

兩日後，即現在，很滿意新家具的安置，整個房間都鬆動了，剛剛電視已經送到，但還未安裝，所以已經是第二個晚上沒有觀賞電視。還好，終於在年28完成了大掃除，感覺真好！明天師傅把LCD安裝好便可以真真正正迎接新年嚕！

幸好有個Friend話幫我錄下今晚的“翡翠戀曲”，gum之後可以睇番。。。:)

有時d野，都係無端端發生，而結果是出乎意料的好。假期將至，心情不錯！！！

A yearly tradition

How do you want to do it... with all of your close friends? a selected group of friends? spread it out into multiple gatherings? an intimate candle-lit dinner for two? or just plain-old family gathering?

I've tried it all.

So this year, it's back to the basics. I remember one year, maybe 4 or 5 years ago, it was Chinese New Year time and both of my parents were back in HK. It was one of those strange events (maybe due to the alignment of some cosmic forces) that we were all reunited under one roof. While it's not like it never happens anymore, it was still special considering the circumstances and the timing.

I heard before somewhere, that birthdays are not really a celebration for yourself as a being, but more an occasion to thank your parents for bringing you into this world and trying their best to raise you into a decent human being.

So while last year's big feast is still a vivid memory... I mean, I don't think I ever had that big a group sitting together in my honour, plus the fact that it was also the debute of a new beau, whom, sorry to say, has taken an eternal leave of absence... it would remain as it is, good memory, from the past.

Thinking back and reading some of the old posts, I dubbed last year the start of a great decade... things were finally working out in all sorts of ways, I was comfortable. But like everything else, good things also come to end. That does not mean my run is over though. Entering the 2nd year of the decade, I look at myself, and I see a slightly more seasoned person, with a few more scars here and there, but making good progress. That's what living is about, right?

So, back to square one... or, maybe more appropriate: just another beginning, among the many and many more we all will face, and should be glad that we can do it again and again :)

... On the road again... where to? by what?

Borrowed the title from a dear friend's heartfelt email today. Thanks. ;)

Have been thinking about a new Entry for the last week... but didn't know what to write after pouring my heart out. Well.... just whatever, I guess...

- I am enjoying my on-the-go music quite much, and have gotten back in touch with music that used to fill my life. This one in particular stood out tonight when I was at the gym...



So, back to the title. Sometimes we choose to get off the ride, and sometimes we're kicked off... does it matter if we are off at the right stop or not? Probably not. On the road again... to seek another ride, or to tackle the challenge on your own? Maybe that's the journey we all have to take.

(will keep it short this time... ran out of BS to say)

P.S. Wordy: Took your advice and now we are finalizing our plans for March. Looks like it's a go! Also re-thought about my August travel plans. :)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

It's one of my favourite movies. I love it's wackiness, I love Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey, I love the suggestion of loving the same person the 2nd time around, and I love the open-ended ending. So when you are really given a second chance, would you take a go at it again?

______________________________

Recently, on 3 separate occasions, this film was presented to me once again. A dear friend wrote me a note referring to this film, which led me to watch the film again last week, and a couple of days ago another dear friend emailed me and told me that she'd just watched the movie again and that prompted her to write me.

Erasing a memory that hurts so badly... for the time-being... is a quick fix. Oh how we want to get pass the sadness, how we want to emerge from rock bottom, how we always reminisce happy times, and how we cannot make a connection to reality...

The film suggests that despite having your memory erased, you still end up falling in love with the same person over and over again. Do we really learn from our so-called "mistakes"? And even knowing that it hadn't worked before, Joel and Clementine still decide to try again. Is that just being a hopeless romantic, or is that a belief that love is always there but it's timing and events that alter the outcome? So, love alone, really is not enough to sustain a relationship? But that's not even the point of the movie... because it's the process that we see Joel and Clem enjoy, when they really "live" the relationship, that they both want to go back and experience it, remember it. Another movie (which I also like) shares a similar theme, Adam Sandler's 2006 flick "Click".

_____________________________________________

Just did a simple search online, and this movie has some pretty good taglines:

I already forget how I used to feel about you.
Our memories makes us who we are. You can't change the past.
Would you erase me?
This Spring, clear your mind
I'm fine without you.
Do I know you?
You can erase someone from your mind. Getting them out of your heart is another story.
Replace My Memory
A comedy for anyone with a past they'd rather forget.

_____________________________________________________

I especially like the 3rd to last one...

"You can erase someone from your mind. Getting them out of your heart is another story."

Some people erase someone by running away, others do so by having a rebound, some resort to different substances, etc. I wonder, can you remember and forget at the same time? The reason I said this is because some say,

"oh you just need to forget about it and move on"

But then some say,

"Remember the good times, learn from it, treasure the memories"

You have to know one thing, that moving on is not that easy.
It's not like you're leaving everything behind and moving somewhere else; you're still in the same space breathing the same air going to the same places. Everything stays the same and the difference is tiny, miniscule. It doesn't even make a difference to ANYBODY else in this World but you, and you alone. That's why you feel so alone. You feel like you're in this perpetual Black Hole.

But we all crawl back from this Black Hole... dunno how (oh would somebody please tell me), but we all eventually make it, because the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is our will to love, our will to fall in love.

Unpublished posts

A few posts remain in Draft status, most of the time it's because I started writing it, but didn't finish it at that moment, so it'd remain in the "black hole" forever.

Not that I don't want to finish it, but this blog is about my feelings, and sometimes just some BS comment I'd like to make at that moment. When the moment passes, you just lose interest or you don't know how to continue writing. The concepts are gone, or "outdated", or maybe, forgotten.

Feelings come and go. And yes, you can't predict, guarantee, or hold on to a feeling. (But that doesn't mean that we can't try, right?)

... I've just lost my train of thought...

Sometimes, you get exhausted from feeling so much, and it becomes... a blob... a thing that you can't quite define. Maybe it's a good thing to be numb.... blah blah blah, blah blah blah...

What can you do

What can you do.
What can you do?

I wish something could be done... :(

十八年前的事

今晚我放棄一位摯友的音樂會，去了一個跟舊中學同學的聚會。
當年只完成中二課程的我，十多年來都沒有跟中學同學有什麽來往。但其中都有一兩個最終成爲很要好得朋友。

十幾個同學中，有好幾位，真是差不多十八年都沒有見過。好奇的是，十四位中，至少有三四個什麽都沒有改變。可能有些是肥了、頭髮少了，但與我所記得的真的沒有太大出入。不過，可能走的時候年紀還小，所以，幾個個別同學個子高了、大舊了。

母校裏，中一到中三是同班的，然後中四開始分理科及文科班。小弟沒有經過中學選科或會考的洗禮。。。中二已經遠走亞美利堅，所以跟這些由少玩到大的老朋友真的沒有太大的集體回憶。十多個年頭大家做了什麽？往英國讀書的有、澳洲的都有、當然香港的就更加多。現在，有些當上什麽投資銀行的顧問、分析員，作核數的也幾個，醫生、電訊設備系統、心理醫生、建築師、律師、工程師、外展訓練導師。。。大家都有了自己的calling。十四個人，七個已經結婚。我想，都差不多了。。。人生行到第三個十年，都應該有確定及清晰的方向，找到分享生命的另一半。是他們的生活“正統”？或是我的生活沒有方向？大有可能兩者皆是。

他們是否開心，我不清楚；亦未有太大興趣探討。始終，大家的世界不同，成長得過程不一樣，沒有什麽同樣的經歷。有時覺得自己的經歷大不同，但是亦只是自己太自我中心。每個人都有自己的故事，奈何要評論其他人的生活呢？自己有時做太多武斷的評論，爲什麽？是要自己提高對自己的評價？自我欣賞度過低？自尊或自我價值較低？未知。。。

很多時候，自己是内向的；沒趣亦沒時間去應酬。與自己一班圍内好友一起，感覺是舒服的，亦頗有安全感。雖然重遇十多嵗時的一圍同學是一個。。。“很不同”的聚會，但始終有點兒格格不入。起初我們還要作自我十年回顧的介紹。。。有點兒生硬、而且有點悶罷。沒有關係的關係，是根本大家的世界從一個共用的班房變成十四個小宇宙而所以演變成完全的斷線，還是十多年都沒見就是大家彼此關係的見證？這些可能就是答案。

與之前“Regret”一篇相呼應，其實有些記憶是埋在腦後。同學提起班房中的瑣事。。。“王伯”、“Mr. Siu”、“Miss Mok”是十多年來遺忘了的片斷。想起某些同學的趣事、老師的花名，都令自己會心微笑。

聚會結束後，飛過中環第二場，與一班摯友吃甜點。很多事，盡在不言中。講的笑話、小小的點頭，已經可以令我說：心領了。

苦中作樂, Reprise

When the going gets tough the tough keeps going.

Seems like an inspirational quote that we should pledge alligence to during times like these. If anything, I realize one thing... that there is really nothing you can do to make you feel better. There's no quick remedy, nothing you could do to make it hurt any less. You can try to fill you schedule with dinners, movies, gym, exercise, etc. but really, none of these would help. It's like going to jail, it's a fixed sentence, and you're gonna do time no matter what. But if somehow you have good behaviour, they might let you out early and finally you get back to your old self. Previously, I had taken the route of being on exile, and that turns out to be a bad idea... because you simply prolong the healing process and you never really get over it. So... Jail vs. Exile, for the long-term well-being, jail time seems to be the "better" way. (c'mon, is there really a BETTER way for this?)

My X'mas present turns out to be a blessing for times like these, and I am rediscovering some songs that I used to like alot, including this one:

某次　某晚　生命中某人
臨分手也狠　說世界誰比我親
我信那兩秒的我　曾經是最開心的人
幸福純屬偶然　誰介意沒永生

＊還記得幸福的感覺　苦中可作樂　已堪稱快樂
　誰為寂寞戀愛　將來也許更寂寞
　能記得受苦的知覺　苦中總有樂　還祈求甚麼
　若永久一起無方　我也懂得難過
　已證明　曾發生的不算幻覺＊

你說每次見到我　良心便再得到試煉
熱戀容或偶然　朋友永遠發展
Repeat＊

你能對我講　曾真心喜歡著我
亦已真心不喜歡我　還求甚麼
Repeat＊