2010年12月31日
一年365日, 總會有喜有樂, 亦有苦有悲
來到一年的尾聲, 是時候把這年的煩惱瑣事放下, 把美好回憶留在身邊, 好好迎接新一年
世界每分每秒都在變, 將來的事亦不能預測
無論你抱著什麼心情, 什麼態度, 生活總要過
緊記: 知足常樂, 珍惜身邊一切, 以開懷的心態享受生命每一天
祝各位2011年身體健康, 日日快樂!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Urban renewal may scare away hungry ghost
Urban development may be taking away cultural heritage and neighborhood bonds. A Yue Lan association of long history in Central is going to lose their headquarter because of redevelopment projects launched by the URA (Urban Renewal Authority). The traditional Yue Lan Festival celebrations are likely to be much smaller in scale in the future, and residents in the area will lose their usual gathering place.
The headquarter of the 30 House Yue Lan Associates has been on Staunton Street for more than a decade. The associates set up their office here back in 1996. Over the past 14 years, the associates and residents in the area have been using this place to prepare for their annual celebration events for the Yue Lan Festival, which is a well-known Chinese ghost festival in Hong Kong.
“We distribute ‘blessed rice’, run parades and hold worship ceremonies,” said Mr. Wong Kan-Oi, the chairman of the association.
This headquarter of the age-old association has become a gathering spot for residents around the area. According to people living nearby, a lot of elderly show up at the office to meet each other and chat every day. This usual practice has successfully built a strong bond among residents in the area.
The associates also hold different kinds of gathering events regularly for the neighborhood, like visits to elderly centers, dinner gatherings and one-day trips.
Every year before the Yue Lan Festival, local residents also take part in the preparation work for the celebration.
“Residents here know each other well and we come to the headquarter and help make paper offerings before the Yue Lan Festival every year,” said Ms. Lai, an elderly who visits the office every day. “The associates are kind to us; they respect us and treat us all very well.”
The Staunton Street/Wing Lee Street Project is one of the URA’s ongoing redevelopment plans. This project involves the area surrounding the association’s office and the URA is acquiring properties in the area for future development purpose. Information from the public relations department of the URA says the authority has already acquired the Yue Lan association’s property on Staunton Street, but the association may extend their lease to February 2011, and keep the office until the redevelopment work starts.
According to Mr. Wong, the deadline given by the URA is 11 February 2011. Though redevelopment work will not start until the authority has acquired enough properties in the area, the URA has not said whether the association can further extend their lease next year, or guaranteed to relocate the office in the same district.
Mr. Wong and other associates do not know what exactly they will do with the association when the lease expires. However, they hope to continue their annual Yue Lan celebration.
“We will try our best to continue our annual ceremony, but we are not sure if the event can be as successful as before,” Mr. Wong said. “Even if we could hold the event, we expect it to be smaller in scale than in the past.”
The associates are now facing problems preparing for the event next year. According to Mr. Wong, preparation work takes months to finish, but now it is difficult for them to order preparation materials as they are not sure whether they will have a place to keep the stock after February.
The nearby residents know that the headquarter is going to be closed when redevelopment work begins. However, they have not been able to find another place to replace their old spot.
“The other closest gathering place is the Kwong Hon Terrace Garden, but you’ll need to cross a few roads and go uphill to reach there,” Mr. Wong noted. “It’s difficult for the elderly to get there.”
When asked whether the association plans to buy another property in the nearby area to replace the old one, Mr. Wong said it might not be a feasible solution.
“After all, we are located in the Soho area, and rent here is extremely high,” he said. “We may not be able to afford it.”
Though there are still a lot of uncertainties regarding the relocation of the headquarter and the arrangements for the Yue Lan ceremonies in the years to come, Mr. Wong is still optimistic about the future.
“I think there’s still room for negotiation with the government. They’ve sent officials to discuss matter with us,” said Mr. Wong. “I believe they understand our situation and will take it into consideration when they carry out the redevelopment project.”
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
娛樂圈血淚史II尾場
黃子華這次棟篤笑名為「娛樂圈血淚史II」。這個血淚史的第一輯，原來與今日相隔廿年，早於1990年上演了。所謂的血淚史，就名符其實是黃子華過去廿年在圈中的種種經歷，當中有甜有苦、有高有低、有樂有哀，子華就趁這個機會「一鋪哂冷」，以拿手的棟篤笑方式與大家分享所見所聞。
11月8日是表演的尾場 (後來加開了11月9日)，紅館全場爆滿，由舞台邊的握手位至遠方的「山頂位」都座無虛席。約八時半，表演正式開始。子華甫進場的一刻，如雷灌耳的掌聲和歡呼聲四起；期待已久的粉絲們都懶理「嚴禁偷拍」的規條，全場閃光燈頓時閃過不停。粉絲們拍照都還能理解，但見子華手上亦拿著一部相機，邊走邊反拍觀眾們，上到台更自拍了好幾張，最後竟把相機拋向觀眾席－原來是份超豪見面禮!
作為熱身，子華播了好幾段過往的經典演出，然後才慢慢入正題，與大家細訴自己娛樂圈中的喜與悲。他說自己當年憑一個棟篤笑一炮而紅後，很快便人氣下滑，事業進入低潮，試過好幾年都無人問津，深深體會為作為演員「無人搵」的滋味。他說自己一直想拍電影，無奈無齣電影的反應都差強人意，但他堅持，說「要死都要死在自己手上」，所以自編自導自演「一蚊雞保鏢」，結果發覺電影名竟預測了票房收入，果真死了在自己手上。他說試過有導演找他拍戲時對他說 :「華仔偉仔呢，就拍o個D戲(手指向天)，你呢，就拍呢D(手指向地)。」亦有專拍黑社會戲的導演說他「睇個樣都唔識講粗口，就算講都講得唔順口」。他又說試過做棟篤笑反應麻麻，翌日報紙便大字標題寫道: 「黃子華淡出」。
雖說人生不如意事十常八九，但除了辛酸史外，當然也會有威水史。他說曾因棟篤笑一舉成名，即時吸引了很多導演找他拍戲。他說自己當年拍「男親女愛」，劇集大受歡迎，出街人人都叫他「小強」。而最威水，當然就是能來到紅館－並非坐在第一行觀眾席睇騷－而是「坐過左龍」，得到眾多歌手名星都夢寐以求的機會，在紅館台上表演。
過去二十年，黃子華在圈中可能還未至於飽歷滄桑，但總算嚐過高高低低的滋味。多年來，在浮浮沉沉、時紅時黑的演藝生涯中，他就是本著「有咪做囉…無咪無囉…」的心態生存。「電影唔得，咪拍劇囉…拍劇唔得，咪做下棟篤笑囉…做做下，咪做到黎紅館囉!」由當年幾百個座位的小演藝廳做到今天幾萬席的紅館，子華這句說話，贏得全場掌聲。由於是尾場的關係，在表演結束前，子華多說了些話，分享了一點感受，把整個騷的意思說得更明白，大抵就是在說: 在追求「夢想」的過程中，你可能會經歷挫折、可能會意志消沈，但一條路行不通，你可以找另一條，只要不放棄，肯不停試，最終都會達成心願。
要達成夢想，我們並非要除去沿途所有難關。很多事都受外在因素影響，不是說要解決就能解決到。要明白人生總不會一帆風順，總會有些日子特別難熬，有些日子特別幸運。我們要做的，就是在艱難時刻咬緊牙關捱過去。只要不放棄自己，終有一天，屬於你的時機會來臨。
11月8日是表演的尾場 (後來加開了11月9日)，紅館全場爆滿，由舞台邊的握手位至遠方的「山頂位」都座無虛席。約八時半，表演正式開始。子華甫進場的一刻，如雷灌耳的掌聲和歡呼聲四起；期待已久的粉絲們都懶理「嚴禁偷拍」的規條，全場閃光燈頓時閃過不停。粉絲們拍照都還能理解，但見子華手上亦拿著一部相機，邊走邊反拍觀眾們，上到台更自拍了好幾張，最後竟把相機拋向觀眾席－原來是份超豪見面禮!
作為熱身，子華播了好幾段過往的經典演出，然後才慢慢入正題，與大家細訴自己娛樂圈中的喜與悲。他說自己當年憑一個棟篤笑一炮而紅後，很快便人氣下滑，事業進入低潮，試過好幾年都無人問津，深深體會為作為演員「無人搵」的滋味。他說自己一直想拍電影，無奈無齣電影的反應都差強人意，但他堅持，說「要死都要死在自己手上」，所以自編自導自演「一蚊雞保鏢」，結果發覺電影名竟預測了票房收入，果真死了在自己手上。他說試過有導演找他拍戲時對他說 :「華仔偉仔呢，就拍o個D戲(手指向天)，你呢，就拍呢D(手指向地)。」亦有專拍黑社會戲的導演說他「睇個樣都唔識講粗口，就算講都講得唔順口」。他又說試過做棟篤笑反應麻麻，翌日報紙便大字標題寫道: 「黃子華淡出」。
雖說人生不如意事十常八九，但除了辛酸史外，當然也會有威水史。他說曾因棟篤笑一舉成名，即時吸引了很多導演找他拍戲。他說自己當年拍「男親女愛」，劇集大受歡迎，出街人人都叫他「小強」。而最威水，當然就是能來到紅館－並非坐在第一行觀眾席睇騷－而是「坐過左龍」，得到眾多歌手名星都夢寐以求的機會，在紅館台上表演。
過去二十年，黃子華在圈中可能還未至於飽歷滄桑，但總算嚐過高高低低的滋味。多年來，在浮浮沉沉、時紅時黑的演藝生涯中，他就是本著「有咪做囉…無咪無囉…」的心態生存。「電影唔得，咪拍劇囉…拍劇唔得，咪做下棟篤笑囉…做做下，咪做到黎紅館囉!」由當年幾百個座位的小演藝廳做到今天幾萬席的紅館，子華這句說話，贏得全場掌聲。由於是尾場的關係，在表演結束前，子華多說了些話，分享了一點感受，把整個騷的意思說得更明白，大抵就是在說: 在追求「夢想」的過程中，你可能會經歷挫折、可能會意志消沈，但一條路行不通，你可以找另一條，只要不放棄，肯不停試，最終都會達成心願。
要達成夢想，我們並非要除去沿途所有難關。很多事都受外在因素影響，不是說要解決就能解決到。要明白人生總不會一帆風順，總會有些日子特別難熬，有些日子特別幸運。我們要做的，就是在艱難時刻咬緊牙關捱過去。只要不放棄自己，終有一天，屬於你的時機會來臨。
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Apple Delays the Release of White iPhone 4 Again
Bad news for Apple fans. Beside the fact that the black version of iPhone 4 has run out of stock and won't be available for orders, Apple just announced that the release date of the white version will be further delayed.
A few months ago, Apple announced its newest phone - iPhone 4, saying that there will be black and white versions of the phone. However, up till now, the company has yet to release the white iPhone 4, announcing that the much-anticipated white version will not be available untill Spring 2011. This is already the third delay for the product.
As for the reasons for the delay, one theory is that the white iPhone 4 is having problems with its camera. Rumor has it that when flash is used, the white case leaks light and greatly affects picture quality.
Another saying is that, of all colors, applying white onto iPhone 4's glass case is the most difficult. If the layer of color is too thin, the case would leak light, which may probably affect the camera quality. However, if the color is too thick, the semi-transparent feature of the case would be lost. This creates manufacturing difficulties for the white version.
Whatever the reasons, apple is surely having unexpected technical problems producing a white version of its new iPhone, and after the antennagate scandal with the black version, it is highly possible that the company is doing whatever it can to minimize hardware deficiencies before releasing the new product - even if it means delaying the release date again and again.
Some questions remain. If Apple is to release the white iPhone 4 in Spring next year, will it still stick to the regular schedule of releasing a new iPhone in June/July every year? If an iPhone 5 is expected in summer 2011, would it it look totally different from iPhone 4? Some speculate that after the antenna/camera/manufacturing problems associated with the current iPhone 4, the next generation of iPhone is likely to have a complete redesign. Though a lot of questions are left unsolved, there's one thing we can be sure of : with the shortage of black iPhone 4 and delay of the white version, iPhone 4 scalping is bound to be outrageous when they hit the market again.
A few months ago, Apple announced its newest phone - iPhone 4, saying that there will be black and white versions of the phone. However, up till now, the company has yet to release the white iPhone 4, announcing that the much-anticipated white version will not be available untill Spring 2011. This is already the third delay for the product.
As for the reasons for the delay, one theory is that the white iPhone 4 is having problems with its camera. Rumor has it that when flash is used, the white case leaks light and greatly affects picture quality.
Another saying is that, of all colors, applying white onto iPhone 4's glass case is the most difficult. If the layer of color is too thin, the case would leak light, which may probably affect the camera quality. However, if the color is too thick, the semi-transparent feature of the case would be lost. This creates manufacturing difficulties for the white version.
Whatever the reasons, apple is surely having unexpected technical problems producing a white version of its new iPhone, and after the antennagate scandal with the black version, it is highly possible that the company is doing whatever it can to minimize hardware deficiencies before releasing the new product - even if it means delaying the release date again and again.
Some questions remain. If Apple is to release the white iPhone 4 in Spring next year, will it still stick to the regular schedule of releasing a new iPhone in June/July every year? If an iPhone 5 is expected in summer 2011, would it it look totally different from iPhone 4? Some speculate that after the antenna/camera/manufacturing problems associated with the current iPhone 4, the next generation of iPhone is likely to have a complete redesign. Though a lot of questions are left unsolved, there's one thing we can be sure of : with the shortage of black iPhone 4 and delay of the white version, iPhone 4 scalping is bound to be outrageous when they hit the market again.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Linkin Park's New MV - Waiting for the End
Linkin Park has just released the official music video for "Waiting for the End", a song from their latest album "A Thousand Suns".
The music video is directed by Joe Hahn, the DJ and sampler for the band. Joe has directed a number of the band's music videos in the past, including The Catalyst, which is another single from their new album. In the MV for Waiting for the End, the band members are portrayed as digital individuals in a dark space, with luminous grids wrapping around their bodies. The scene flashes from one band member to another, featuring each of them seperately.
"It was an opportunity to experiment with pushing the digital envelope as it pertains to the visual language created thus far for A Thousand Suns. It was my attempt to digitally crush us to the point that you feel the soul of the music through what has become the essence of us. We become the ghosts in the machine. Some may say that because of technology, we lose a sense of who we are. I counter that by illustrating that we can get closer to who we are if we sift through the noise." said Joe.
A Thousand Suns is Linkin Park's fourth studio album, a concept album featuring the theme of nuclear warfare. The band is currently on the A Thousand Suns Tour, which started on 7th October, promoting their new album. The tour is scheduled to finish in December, with Australia as the last leg.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
令人大失所望的迪士尼Halloween
來到十月，不少人都懷著興奮的心情迎接萬聖節來臨，香港兩大主題公園一如往年，各自舉行萬聖節特別節目。小記用了兩晚時間，分別去了迪士尼樂園和海洋公園，參與兩個截然不同的Halloween Party。只能說，海洋公園的表現更勝以前，但迪士尼就真的太令人失望了。
海洋公園的「十月全城哈囉喂」已踏入第十年，活動似乎愈做愈好，鬼屋數量多之餘，每年都一定有新的主題故事、佈置和演員，連演員的嚇人方式亦見新意，絕不會把舊元素「翻炒」。除了鬼屋內面，海洋公園也十分注重整體的樂園氣氛，公園大街小巷都有不同造型的「厲鬼」到處遊蕩，還有多個配合萬聖節主題的音樂、舞蹈和話劇表演，整個公園變了個大型派對，節目類型多元化之餘，亦盡顯樂園娛樂大眾的心思，令人耳目一新。
相比之下，迪士尼就遜色不少。今年黑色世界只有兩間鬼屋，分別以酒店和森林為主題，鬼屋佈置尚算可以，內面的演員們也算賣力嚇人。除了鬼屋，也有巡遊表演、街頭舞蹈、與卡通人物合照等活動，節目種類也勉強足夠。看到這裡，你大抵覺得迪士尼的萬聖節活動看上去也還可以，怎樣也不至於令人失望吧！對，它的鬼屋和巡遊等等活動的確有一定娛樂性，但卻有一個致命傷：大部分節目與去年萬聖節活動一樣。是真的完全沒有改變，把上年的東西搬回來再做一次。例如，那間以酒店為主題的鬼屋由入口，以致內部裝飾、路線、鬼角色等等原素都跟去年相同。如果你之前來過，而記憶力又不算太差，大抵都不會感受到任何驚喜。除此之外，連巡遊的花車、演員舞蹈和服飾也是跟去年完全無分別。所以簡單來說，之前已經來過的遊客們，今次只會覺得所有東西都重覆一次，無半點新意。
其實，迪士尼輸不在它的佈置或演員質素，而是誠意。大家都明白，迪士尼對象主要是小朋友，即使辦萬聖節活動，也總不能太過恐怖，以免嚇怕小孩子；而由於樂園面積有限，鬼屋數量較少也是能理解的。之不過，把舊元素直接搬出來再做一次，就絕對令付錢入場的遊客覺得樂園亳無誠意。萬聖節活動一年一次，某些遊客可能去年來過，覺得活動不錯，所以今年再來，但十二個月時間不算太長，舊客對上年的活動記憶猶新，這次來到看到相同的東西，只會覺得浪費金錢，來年亦恐怕無興趣再來。反正都要付錢，與其重溫一次舊年看過的東西，倒不如到另一個樂園體驗全新的活動！
迪士尼樂園若想與本地的海洋公園平分秋色，必須花多點心思去設計節日活動。某程度上，迪士尼今次是自己不爭氣了。人家海洋公園只是個本地樂園，也肯每年搞搞新意思，換換主題；迪士尼是個國際主題樂園，論財力論經驗應該不比海洋公園差，但卻為何敷衍了事呢？非不能也，實不為也。是否知道海洋公園的「哈囉喂」節目十分受歡迎，所以自動棄權，不打算競爭？其實兩個公園對象不同，迪士尼大可行另一條路線，用家喻戶曉的經典卡通人物搞個可愛有趣的萬聖派對，效果可能更好。現在迪士尼那些想賣恐怖，但又不算十分驚嚇的鬼屋跟原本可愛有趣的卡通主題根本格格不入，兩者似乎有點矛盾。想來看卡通人物的遊客覺得童話元素不夠，追求刺激的遊客又或許覺得鬼屋驚嚇度遠比不上海洋公園。與其搞得「兩頭唔到岸」，何不專心做好自己老本行，來個適合一家大小的歡樂卡通萬聖節目？香港人喜歡娛樂，亦負擔得起，香港絕對能容下兩個主題公園。但若連一個萬聖節活動都不肯花心思去辦好，他日上海迪士尼樂園落成，香港迪士尼的經營恐怕會面對更大威脅。希望香港迪士尼樂園能早日認清自己的定位，在將來的節日活動中奉上更多誠意和新意，不要再令花真金白銀入場的遊客失望。
海洋公園的「十月全城哈囉喂」已踏入第十年，活動似乎愈做愈好，鬼屋數量多之餘，每年都一定有新的主題故事、佈置和演員，連演員的嚇人方式亦見新意，絕不會把舊元素「翻炒」。除了鬼屋內面，海洋公園也十分注重整體的樂園氣氛，公園大街小巷都有不同造型的「厲鬼」到處遊蕩，還有多個配合萬聖節主題的音樂、舞蹈和話劇表演，整個公園變了個大型派對，節目類型多元化之餘，亦盡顯樂園娛樂大眾的心思，令人耳目一新。
相比之下，迪士尼就遜色不少。今年黑色世界只有兩間鬼屋，分別以酒店和森林為主題，鬼屋佈置尚算可以，內面的演員們也算賣力嚇人。除了鬼屋，也有巡遊表演、街頭舞蹈、與卡通人物合照等活動，節目種類也勉強足夠。看到這裡，你大抵覺得迪士尼的萬聖節活動看上去也還可以，怎樣也不至於令人失望吧！對，它的鬼屋和巡遊等等活動的確有一定娛樂性，但卻有一個致命傷：大部分節目與去年萬聖節活動一樣。是真的完全沒有改變，把上年的東西搬回來再做一次。例如，那間以酒店為主題的鬼屋由入口，以致內部裝飾、路線、鬼角色等等原素都跟去年相同。如果你之前來過，而記憶力又不算太差，大抵都不會感受到任何驚喜。除此之外，連巡遊的花車、演員舞蹈和服飾也是跟去年完全無分別。所以簡單來說，之前已經來過的遊客們，今次只會覺得所有東西都重覆一次，無半點新意。
其實，迪士尼輸不在它的佈置或演員質素，而是誠意。大家都明白，迪士尼對象主要是小朋友，即使辦萬聖節活動，也總不能太過恐怖，以免嚇怕小孩子；而由於樂園面積有限，鬼屋數量較少也是能理解的。之不過，把舊元素直接搬出來再做一次，就絕對令付錢入場的遊客覺得樂園亳無誠意。萬聖節活動一年一次，某些遊客可能去年來過，覺得活動不錯，所以今年再來，但十二個月時間不算太長，舊客對上年的活動記憶猶新，這次來到看到相同的東西，只會覺得浪費金錢，來年亦恐怕無興趣再來。反正都要付錢，與其重溫一次舊年看過的東西，倒不如到另一個樂園體驗全新的活動！
迪士尼樂園若想與本地的海洋公園平分秋色，必須花多點心思去設計節日活動。某程度上，迪士尼今次是自己不爭氣了。人家海洋公園只是個本地樂園，也肯每年搞搞新意思，換換主題；迪士尼是個國際主題樂園，論財力論經驗應該不比海洋公園差，但卻為何敷衍了事呢？非不能也，實不為也。是否知道海洋公園的「哈囉喂」節目十分受歡迎，所以自動棄權，不打算競爭？其實兩個公園對象不同，迪士尼大可行另一條路線，用家喻戶曉的經典卡通人物搞個可愛有趣的萬聖派對，效果可能更好。現在迪士尼那些想賣恐怖，但又不算十分驚嚇的鬼屋跟原本可愛有趣的卡通主題根本格格不入，兩者似乎有點矛盾。想來看卡通人物的遊客覺得童話元素不夠，追求刺激的遊客又或許覺得鬼屋驚嚇度遠比不上海洋公園。與其搞得「兩頭唔到岸」，何不專心做好自己老本行，來個適合一家大小的歡樂卡通萬聖節目？香港人喜歡娛樂，亦負擔得起，香港絕對能容下兩個主題公園。但若連一個萬聖節活動都不肯花心思去辦好，他日上海迪士尼樂園落成，香港迪士尼的經營恐怕會面對更大威脅。希望香港迪士尼樂園能早日認清自己的定位，在將來的節日活動中奉上更多誠意和新意，不要再令花真金白銀入場的遊客失望。
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Top 10 Reasons Why Girls Love Edward Cullen
~ Top 10 Reasons Why Girls Love Edward Cullen ~
1. He's a vampire who doesn't bite. Having him as a boyfriend is like keeping the rarest pet on the planet.
2. He reads mind. That makes him the best tool for you to identify genuine friends and bitches among all the people around you.
3. He's super rich, and will happily buy you anything, from a race car to a place at a university like Dartmouth.
4. He's got a psychic sister. Befriend her and ask her about the stock market trend. You'll soon become the next Bill Gates (female version, of course).
5. He runs very fast and doesn't mind carrying a girlfriend on his back. That saves you a lot of traveling time and expenditure.
6. He doesn't sleep. You'll never feel helpless or alone when you wake up from a nightmare and want somebody to talk to 3A.M. in the morning.
7. He's 109 years old. Mature enough to help you handle any problems that you haven't experienced yet. Can probably help you get an A in History exams.
8. He's unbelievably handsome. Has "God-like features", as described by Bella Swan. And the best thing is, his face stays like this forever. You can enjoy the same beautiful face every single day of forever.
9. He's bizarrely moral (for a vampire). Refuses to change you into a vampire as he doesn't want you to become a "soulless monster" like him. Cares about your virginity even more than you do. Extremely loyal and faithful. Ready to marry you and stay with you forever (literally, as he's immortal).
10. He makes you realize that there's no such perfect creature like him in the human world. Wake up and face the reality. You should be really thankful if your human boyfriend has any of the above qualities.
1. He's a vampire who doesn't bite. Having him as a boyfriend is like keeping the rarest pet on the planet.
2. He reads mind. That makes him the best tool for you to identify genuine friends and bitches among all the people around you.
3. He's super rich, and will happily buy you anything, from a race car to a place at a university like Dartmouth.
4. He's got a psychic sister. Befriend her and ask her about the stock market trend. You'll soon become the next Bill Gates (female version, of course).
5. He runs very fast and doesn't mind carrying a girlfriend on his back. That saves you a lot of traveling time and expenditure.
6. He doesn't sleep. You'll never feel helpless or alone when you wake up from a nightmare and want somebody to talk to 3A.M. in the morning.
7. He's 109 years old. Mature enough to help you handle any problems that you haven't experienced yet. Can probably help you get an A in History exams.
8. He's unbelievably handsome. Has "God-like features", as described by Bella Swan. And the best thing is, his face stays like this forever. You can enjoy the same beautiful face every single day of forever.
9. He's bizarrely moral (for a vampire). Refuses to change you into a vampire as he doesn't want you to become a "soulless monster" like him. Cares about your virginity even more than you do. Extremely loyal and faithful. Ready to marry you and stay with you forever (literally, as he's immortal).
10. He makes you realize that there's no such perfect creature like him in the human world. Wake up and face the reality. You should be really thankful if your human boyfriend has any of the above qualities.
Friday, September 10, 2010
我不是iPhone! 但我也有Multi-tasking功能!
今時今日的智能電話功能多多，能發電郵、無線上網、玩遊戲、聽音樂、看電影、拍高清影片......而近來蘋果推出的iPhone 4，又標榜「multi-tasking」的功能, 即同一時間處理不同任務。「Multi-tasking」在智能電話市場上並非新玩意，只是蘋果推介的功能總會特別引人注目。看到這些產品報導，我忽發奇想，其實我們香港人又何嘗不是善於multi-tasking的「智能人」呢?
在香港，生活節奏急速，「得閒死唔得閒病」這句說話就充分反映出時間有多珍貴。在這環境下，我們人人都間接被訓練成multi-tasker了!
做學生，要懂得multi-tasking。雖說求學不是求分數，但要入大學，要有好前途，仍是要靠一張成績表。為了在公開試中取得佳績，不少學生除了上學，放學後還補讀多個補習班，每月給補習名師奉獻好幾百元，就是要取得「雞精Notes」，全力催谷成績。不過，這樣還未夠! 因為求學並不只是求分數，而是要求學生有豐富的生活經驗。為了令學生紀錄表上的「課外學習」一欄更加精采，學生在課餘時間還要參與各種課外活動，務求做到琴棋書畫樣樣皆精，而最終目標，當然是成為個文武兼備的高材生，爭取一個大學學位(最好當然是「名牌大學」了)，完成爹娘心願，光宗耀祖。除了以上的「正經事」，求學時期的青少年都處於青春期，對愛情充滿好奇心和憧憬，在數年求學生涯中，情情愛愛的小插曲通常都少不了。又要顧好成績，又要發掘讀書以外的個人潛能，緣份來到時更要上寶貴的愛情第一課，以上種種加起來，學生不懂multi-tasking又怎能應付?
做打工仔，更加要學曉multi-tasking。要有升職機會、要爭取更高人工，當然要出盡己力「做好呢份工」。但這通常都是說易行難，每日面對一堆又一堆的沉悶至極的工作，人的隋性便會開始誘惑你去找機會「蛇王」。老闆一走開，大家便以九秒九的速度收起電腦屏幕上的Microsoft Office工具，取而代之的當然是Facebook、MSN等版面了!一邊工作，一邊娛樂，相信也是multi-tasking的一種吧!除此之外，在爾虞我詐的社會工作，實在要一心幾用，除了做好本份，還要一眼關七，提防身邊小人，以防墮入現實版的「宮心計」!下班後，雖然暫時擺脫了工作負擔，但仍要花精神與家人維繫感情、花時間溝通溝通，處理各項家族大小事務。俱俱一個打工仔，身上的職務卻往往比職銜大得多，在這種環境下仍能生存至今的打工仔們，不是multi-tasking達人又是什麼呢?
在香港，連家庭主婦都是一等一的multi-tasker!何以見得?因為她們每日要處理的事務，可能比學生或打工仔更多!作為家庭主婦，做家務是例行動作。千萬別小看「做家務」這職責!即使是煮一頓飯，也需要經過精心計劃才能成功。這頓飯疏菜和肉的比例平衡嗎?太多肉又不健康，只有疏菜小朋友又未必喜歡。菜式夠新穎嗎?如果前兩天已煮過，家人大抵會吃厭吧!好了，想好菜式，下一步又要考慮怎樣煮。只得兩個爐，如何煮才能在同一時間完成幾道餸菜呢?這鑊用來蒸魚，便不能炒菜了。那大煲用了來煲湯，那如何炆牛腩呢?以上一切一切，都是準備飯菜的人要考慮的事，而不少主婦們在買材料前還要精心計算支出，要以最低價錢買到最好的食材，這就叫精打細算了!單單煮一頓飯都要花這麼多心機，你可以想想所有家務加起來有多難應付!現今很多家庭主婦實在知識淵博，有些在閒時精心研究股市，孖展藍籌皆有鑽研，投資心得拍得住電視上的股市專家；有些則為了協助子女讀書，自己也讀起來，中英數常各種科目也略讀一二，是名副其實的「通識」－「通通都識」。每天要完成這麼多不同性質的任務，仍能把整個家打理得井井有條、照顧好每一個家人的家庭主婦們，multi-tasking的能力相信比iPhone 4還要厲害!
在香港生存的你，不論是學生、打工仔、家庭主婦，或是屬於其他界別，想必都有一定程度的multi-tasking能力！Multi-tasking的確是我們香港人的強項，令我們工作起來又有質素又有效率。但各位multi-taskers也要好好注意身體健康啊，長時期無休止地處理事務，再先進的智能電話也會無電，何況我們只是血肉之驅?每天花一點點時間放低所有工作，放鬆一下，為自己叉好電，明天再繼續做「智能人」吧!
在香港，生活節奏急速，「得閒死唔得閒病」這句說話就充分反映出時間有多珍貴。在這環境下，我們人人都間接被訓練成multi-tasker了!
做學生，要懂得multi-tasking。雖說求學不是求分數，但要入大學，要有好前途，仍是要靠一張成績表。為了在公開試中取得佳績，不少學生除了上學，放學後還補讀多個補習班，每月給補習名師奉獻好幾百元，就是要取得「雞精Notes」，全力催谷成績。不過，這樣還未夠! 因為求學並不只是求分數，而是要求學生有豐富的生活經驗。為了令學生紀錄表上的「課外學習」一欄更加精采，學生在課餘時間還要參與各種課外活動，務求做到琴棋書畫樣樣皆精，而最終目標，當然是成為個文武兼備的高材生，爭取一個大學學位(最好當然是「名牌大學」了)，完成爹娘心願，光宗耀祖。除了以上的「正經事」，求學時期的青少年都處於青春期，對愛情充滿好奇心和憧憬，在數年求學生涯中，情情愛愛的小插曲通常都少不了。又要顧好成績，又要發掘讀書以外的個人潛能，緣份來到時更要上寶貴的愛情第一課，以上種種加起來，學生不懂multi-tasking又怎能應付?
做打工仔，更加要學曉multi-tasking。要有升職機會、要爭取更高人工，當然要出盡己力「做好呢份工」。但這通常都是說易行難，每日面對一堆又一堆的沉悶至極的工作，人的隋性便會開始誘惑你去找機會「蛇王」。老闆一走開，大家便以九秒九的速度收起電腦屏幕上的Microsoft Office工具，取而代之的當然是Facebook、MSN等版面了!一邊工作，一邊娛樂，相信也是multi-tasking的一種吧!除此之外，在爾虞我詐的社會工作，實在要一心幾用，除了做好本份，還要一眼關七，提防身邊小人，以防墮入現實版的「宮心計」!下班後，雖然暫時擺脫了工作負擔，但仍要花精神與家人維繫感情、花時間溝通溝通，處理各項家族大小事務。俱俱一個打工仔，身上的職務卻往往比職銜大得多，在這種環境下仍能生存至今的打工仔們，不是multi-tasking達人又是什麼呢?
在香港，連家庭主婦都是一等一的multi-tasker!何以見得?因為她們每日要處理的事務，可能比學生或打工仔更多!作為家庭主婦，做家務是例行動作。千萬別小看「做家務」這職責!即使是煮一頓飯，也需要經過精心計劃才能成功。這頓飯疏菜和肉的比例平衡嗎?太多肉又不健康，只有疏菜小朋友又未必喜歡。菜式夠新穎嗎?如果前兩天已煮過，家人大抵會吃厭吧!好了，想好菜式，下一步又要考慮怎樣煮。只得兩個爐，如何煮才能在同一時間完成幾道餸菜呢?這鑊用來蒸魚，便不能炒菜了。那大煲用了來煲湯，那如何炆牛腩呢?以上一切一切，都是準備飯菜的人要考慮的事，而不少主婦們在買材料前還要精心計算支出，要以最低價錢買到最好的食材，這就叫精打細算了!單單煮一頓飯都要花這麼多心機，你可以想想所有家務加起來有多難應付!現今很多家庭主婦實在知識淵博，有些在閒時精心研究股市，孖展藍籌皆有鑽研，投資心得拍得住電視上的股市專家；有些則為了協助子女讀書，自己也讀起來，中英數常各種科目也略讀一二，是名副其實的「通識」－「通通都識」。每天要完成這麼多不同性質的任務，仍能把整個家打理得井井有條、照顧好每一個家人的家庭主婦們，multi-tasking的能力相信比iPhone 4還要厲害!
在香港生存的你，不論是學生、打工仔、家庭主婦，或是屬於其他界別，想必都有一定程度的multi-tasking能力！Multi-tasking的確是我們香港人的強項，令我們工作起來又有質素又有效率。但各位multi-taskers也要好好注意身體健康啊，長時期無休止地處理事務，再先進的智能電話也會無電，何況我們只是血肉之驅?每天花一點點時間放低所有工作，放鬆一下，為自己叉好電，明天再繼續做「智能人」吧!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Notable YouTube Channels
Youtube is a place where people can develop and share their creativity with the whole world by posting interesting videos to the site. Ordinary people get a chance to be famous by doing this and internet celebrities emerge. Some big corporations also make use of this platform to broadcast their news or online shows. Here are some interesting Youtube channels.
WhatTheBuckShow
Michael Buckley talks about hot topics in the entertainment industry, often making parodies of celebrities and pop cultures like TV shows, movies and pop stars etc. Apart from the amusing content of the show itself, his high-energy and fast-talking presentation style also grabs the viewers' attention. The channel now has more than 920, 000 subscribers.
NQTV
Remi Gaillard became famous among French media for playing a series of hilarious pranks on random targets, from innocent passer-by to policemen. He often disguises himself as cartoon characters or animals by wearing costumes. Remi played lots of different characters in his videos, like Super Mario, Pac Man, chef, beaver, butterfly, snail, astronaut and more. I wonder how many times has he been caught by the police?
Mondo Mini Shows
Mondo Mini Shows broadcasts the popular flash cartoon series Happy Tree Friends. Despite its childish title and cute appearances of the animal characters, the content of the cartoon is in fact very violent, often showing bloodsheds and scenes in which the characters are killed in a cruel and painful way.
Will It Blend?
This channel is actually a marketing campaign by Blendtec, a company that sells home blenders. Tom Dickson, the CEO of the company, demonstrate the powerful blending abilities of their products by putting non-food stuff into the machine. He has already successfully destroyed a Nike shoe, a baseball, an iPad, several iPhones, a glow stick, a Wii remote and loads of other products which are not supposed to blend.
WhatTheBuckShow
Michael Buckley talks about hot topics in the entertainment industry, often making parodies of celebrities and pop cultures like TV shows, movies and pop stars etc. Apart from the amusing content of the show itself, his high-energy and fast-talking presentation style also grabs the viewers' attention. The channel now has more than 920, 000 subscribers.
NQTV
Remi Gaillard became famous among French media for playing a series of hilarious pranks on random targets, from innocent passer-by to policemen. He often disguises himself as cartoon characters or animals by wearing costumes. Remi played lots of different characters in his videos, like Super Mario, Pac Man, chef, beaver, butterfly, snail, astronaut and more. I wonder how many times has he been caught by the police?
Mondo Mini Shows
Mondo Mini Shows broadcasts the popular flash cartoon series Happy Tree Friends. Despite its childish title and cute appearances of the animal characters, the content of the cartoon is in fact very violent, often showing bloodsheds and scenes in which the characters are killed in a cruel and painful way.
Will It Blend?
This channel is actually a marketing campaign by Blendtec, a company that sells home blenders. Tom Dickson, the CEO of the company, demonstrate the powerful blending abilities of their products by putting non-food stuff into the machine. He has already successfully destroyed a Nike shoe, a baseball, an iPad, several iPhones, a glow stick, a Wii remote and loads of other products which are not supposed to blend.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
可悲的態度
「2010年8月23日」，相信在很多香港人心中都會成為一個悲痛的日子。一個在菲律賓的康泰旅行團在離開黎剎紀念公園時，被一名持有M16步槍的前菲律賓警員上車挾持，旅遊車上的團友都成為人質。事件擾攘十一小時，最終流血收場，八名港人被殺。
對於菲警拙劣的表現，甚至拯救行動中誤殺港人的傳聞和討論，相信大家已接觸不少，亦有很多專家作過討論，在此暫且不談。我反倒想說說自己對以下人士的行為的感覺。
首先，菲律賓總統阿奎諾三世對整件事的態度，實在令人氣憤。當本港政府得悉挾持事件，曾特首已多次主動聯絡菲總統，希望確保香港人質的安全，但菲總統卻未有即時回覆。發生這樣一件關乎人命的大事，香港最高領導人已親自打電話聯絡，菲總統卻愛理不理，沒有作出回應，這是一位總統應有的表現嗎? 事件最終變成悲劇，當大家都期望菲總統會嚴肅地作出一個合理的回應時，他卻笑容滿臉地出來回見傳媒，把責任推卸到「傳媒進行直播」上，又拿俄羅斯歌劇院人質挾持事件來比較，暗示今次死傷已不算嚴重，並以輕鬆的語氣笑著說:「沒有人能保證一定可以救出人質」。總統先生，請問您笑什麼? 笑這次只是死了八個人，而非全團喪生? 還是覺得大家小題大造，過分緊張? 很明顯是次悲劇本可避免。 槍手既不是瘋狂殺人犯也不是恐怖組織，只是一個對政府有訴求的前警員，他本身亦無意要殺害人質。是菲警拯救行動連番出錯、不停刺激槍手，才會把原本可解決的事件釀成慘劇。總統在記者會上是否當著全世界的面把責任一笑置之? 即使慘劇與政府無關，作為一個正常人，也絕對無理由笑笑口地回應關於死亡的嚴肅話題吧。
除了菲律賓總統，部分菲律賓國民的態度亦令人側目。在報紙或網絡中都流傳一些當地人士在涉事康泰旅遊巴士前拍攝的合照。令人感到不解的是，相中人都並非神色哀傷，反而是開開心心笑著拍照，把案發現場當成旅遊景點一樣。他們有想過對死者及所有港人的尊重嗎? 發生一件奪去八人性命的悲劇，難道這些人都沒有同情心? 難免為他們感到可悲。這些人根本沒有情感、不明白性命的可貴、不懂珍惜和尊重生命。
此文章並非指所有菲律賓人都是這樣無情冷血，我相信不少菲律賓國民(包括在港工作的人)都與港人一樣為事件感到痛心。只是，某些人的態度和表現實在令人覺得他們沒什麼人性可言。如果面對這樣一件流血慘劇仍可若無其事地笑出來，便是沒有人類應有的情感，你說可不可悲?
在此，希望所有遇難的靈魂早日安息。康泰領隊謝先生，感謝您英勇、專業的表現，您是位英雄，港人以您為榮。一路好走。
最後，希望死裡逃生的傷者早日康復，走出陰霾，並祝願死傷者的家屬及朋友能度過難關，勇敢生存下去。本人在此送上最深切的祝福。
對於菲警拙劣的表現，甚至拯救行動中誤殺港人的傳聞和討論，相信大家已接觸不少，亦有很多專家作過討論，在此暫且不談。我反倒想說說自己對以下人士的行為的感覺。
首先，菲律賓總統阿奎諾三世對整件事的態度，實在令人氣憤。當本港政府得悉挾持事件，曾特首已多次主動聯絡菲總統，希望確保香港人質的安全，但菲總統卻未有即時回覆。發生這樣一件關乎人命的大事，香港最高領導人已親自打電話聯絡，菲總統卻愛理不理，沒有作出回應，這是一位總統應有的表現嗎? 事件最終變成悲劇，當大家都期望菲總統會嚴肅地作出一個合理的回應時，他卻笑容滿臉地出來回見傳媒，把責任推卸到「傳媒進行直播」上，又拿俄羅斯歌劇院人質挾持事件來比較，暗示今次死傷已不算嚴重，並以輕鬆的語氣笑著說:「沒有人能保證一定可以救出人質」。總統先生，請問您笑什麼? 笑這次只是死了八個人，而非全團喪生? 還是覺得大家小題大造，過分緊張? 很明顯是次悲劇本可避免。 槍手既不是瘋狂殺人犯也不是恐怖組織，只是一個對政府有訴求的前警員，他本身亦無意要殺害人質。是菲警拯救行動連番出錯、不停刺激槍手，才會把原本可解決的事件釀成慘劇。總統在記者會上是否當著全世界的面把責任一笑置之? 即使慘劇與政府無關，作為一個正常人，也絕對無理由笑笑口地回應關於死亡的嚴肅話題吧。
除了菲律賓總統，部分菲律賓國民的態度亦令人側目。在報紙或網絡中都流傳一些當地人士在涉事康泰旅遊巴士前拍攝的合照。令人感到不解的是，相中人都並非神色哀傷，反而是開開心心笑著拍照，把案發現場當成旅遊景點一樣。他們有想過對死者及所有港人的尊重嗎? 發生一件奪去八人性命的悲劇，難道這些人都沒有同情心? 難免為他們感到可悲。這些人根本沒有情感、不明白性命的可貴、不懂珍惜和尊重生命。
此文章並非指所有菲律賓人都是這樣無情冷血，我相信不少菲律賓國民(包括在港工作的人)都與港人一樣為事件感到痛心。只是，某些人的態度和表現實在令人覺得他們沒什麼人性可言。如果面對這樣一件流血慘劇仍可若無其事地笑出來，便是沒有人類應有的情感，你說可不可悲?
在此，希望所有遇難的靈魂早日安息。康泰領隊謝先生，感謝您英勇、專業的表現，您是位英雄，港人以您為榮。一路好走。
最後，希望死裡逃生的傷者早日康復，走出陰霾，並祝願死傷者的家屬及朋友能度過難關，勇敢生存下去。本人在此送上最深切的祝福。
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Bullfighting - A Barbaric Sport In A Civilized World
BBC News - Rampaging Bull Injures 40 in Spanish Arena
40 people were injured when a bull suddenly jumped out of the arena and leaped into a crowd of Spanish spectators. The bull was taken under control after running wild on the stands for several minutes and was later killed. The accident brings up the controversy about bullfighting again.
Some believe that bullfighting is a valuable cultural tradition that shouldn't be banned. Bullfighting was developed more than two hundred years ago and it indeed has a very long history. However, in the civilized world of the 21st Century where we can have almost every entertainment we want, is it still necessary to keep such a tradition that takes away the lives of innocent animals to please ourselves?
According to the World Society for the Protection of Animals, around 250,000 bulls were killed in the rings every year. That means 250,000 innocent bulls were stabbed by the lance and tortured to death while the excited spectators applause for the brave matador's glorious victory. Is this a kind of sports that we "civilized" humans should appreciate? Some may say the deaths of those bulls are nothing compared to the deaths of commercial cattle for our consumption. That might be true, but at least cattle in commercial farms won't need to endure unnecessary pain before dying, and there won't be a pack of excited crowd cheering for their deaths. Moreover, even if the situation of animal welfare is just as worse in commercial farms, does that give us a justified reason to keep this kind of cruel sport running?
The accident shows that bullfighting doesn't only cause problems in the aspect of animal welfare, but also endanger the spectators' safety. So why continue this kind of entertainment? Do we really have to see somebody risking his life to combat with a raged animal or a wild animal being slaughtered to be satisfied? All living things created by Mother Nature are equal and no intelligence or technology can put us in a higher position than the rest of other lives. We don't have the right to torture innocent animals to death just for our own pleasure. This is brutal and barbaric. "Civilized" humans, let's all stop this kind of selfish act and learn to respect lives.
40 people were injured when a bull suddenly jumped out of the arena and leaped into a crowd of Spanish spectators. The bull was taken under control after running wild on the stands for several minutes and was later killed. The accident brings up the controversy about bullfighting again.
Some believe that bullfighting is a valuable cultural tradition that shouldn't be banned. Bullfighting was developed more than two hundred years ago and it indeed has a very long history. However, in the civilized world of the 21st Century where we can have almost every entertainment we want, is it still necessary to keep such a tradition that takes away the lives of innocent animals to please ourselves?
According to the World Society for the Protection of Animals, around 250,000 bulls were killed in the rings every year. That means 250,000 innocent bulls were stabbed by the lance and tortured to death while the excited spectators applause for the brave matador's glorious victory. Is this a kind of sports that we "civilized" humans should appreciate? Some may say the deaths of those bulls are nothing compared to the deaths of commercial cattle for our consumption. That might be true, but at least cattle in commercial farms won't need to endure unnecessary pain before dying, and there won't be a pack of excited crowd cheering for their deaths. Moreover, even if the situation of animal welfare is just as worse in commercial farms, does that give us a justified reason to keep this kind of cruel sport running?
The accident shows that bullfighting doesn't only cause problems in the aspect of animal welfare, but also endanger the spectators' safety. So why continue this kind of entertainment? Do we really have to see somebody risking his life to combat with a raged animal or a wild animal being slaughtered to be satisfied? All living things created by Mother Nature are equal and no intelligence or technology can put us in a higher position than the rest of other lives. We don't have the right to torture innocent animals to death just for our own pleasure. This is brutal and barbaric. "Civilized" humans, let's all stop this kind of selfish act and learn to respect lives.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Nothing was ever accomplished with tears?
Alice in Wonderland中, 毛毛蟲對Alice說過一句: Nothing was ever accomplished with tears.
的確, 面對問題時, 眼淚通常幫不上忙.
但是否沒有實際幫助便不可做?
流眼淚, 某程度上是給予自己一個發洩情感的空間.
你可以選擇禁示自己哭, 但你能保證那些淚不會在心裡流嗎?
為何不可哭? 不想接受自己也有脆弱的一面這個事實? 還是怕其他人會看低自己?
哭其實也可以是勇敢的表現啊.
去承認自己心靈也有脆弱的時候, 難道不需要勇氣?
去放低每天戴著的面具, 給自己幾分鐘, 真真正正做一隻有感覺, 有情感的動物, 也不是人人做得到.
流淚時, 我們才能接觸到心中最真的感覺呢... (有心裝哭搏同情的當然另作別論了)
流過淚, 釋放了一直被壓抑的情緒, 才有力氣繼續走前面的路.
Nothing was ever accomplished with tears. 可能吧. 但 without tears, can you be tough enough to live through all the ups and downs in life and accomplish anything at all?
Saturday, July 31, 2010
情人眼裡出壽司
「情人眼裡出西施」? 不! 是「情人眼裡出壽司」才對! 這是PIP劇場現正上演的一齣舞台喜劇!
《情》由詹瑞文兩大徒弟Tyson及Harriet創作和主演，這兩位演員於舞台工作十分有經驗，過往除了在詹瑞文的PIP劇團裡參與各個演出外，還有參與創作及教授戲劇班的工作。除此之外，此劇還找來向佐作為實習演員，客串演出。
《情》全長約兩小時，是一齣以愛情為主題的喜劇。Tyson及Harriet在劇中分演不同角色，將現代社會男女戀愛的荒唐趣事及問題－例如為金錢斤斤計較、吵架時堅持己見寧死不讓步、用情不專等等情境逐一帶到觀眾眼前。兩位主角每次演完一個情境，都不停對觀眾強調「這是你的故事!」。對，劇中觸及到的愛情點滴，無論是喜是悲，或多或少都曾發生過在我們身上，相信不少談過戀愛的觀眾都能產生共鳴。兩小時內，演員便帶著觀眾探索這個千奇百趣、變化多端、甜中帶苦、苦中有樂的愛情世界。值得一提的是，演員們不忘在劇中加插一些觀眾十分熟悉的元素，如在其中一幕模仿人氣電影/小說《吸血新世紀》中的三位主角Edward、Jacob及Bella，以搞鬼方式重新演繹這段三角戀，惡作劇味道大增，令人啼笑皆非。
《情》兩位主角Tyson及Harriet都是經驗老到的舞台演員，他們把劇中多個角色都演得十分傳神，演技不容置疑。特別的是，此劇有較多形體戲，很多時演員在沒有道具或對白的情況下，單憑肢體語言及聲音模仿，已能把整個畫面繪畫在觀眾眼前，獨特的演技叫人大開眼界，亦為整個劇添上更豐富的色彩。
這齣以愛情為主題的喜劇，劇名雖然有點抽象，但看畢後，相信此劇是想把愛情比喻為一件壽司，明明有兩種截然不同的食材(白飯和上面的配料)，合起來卻可互補不足，共融為一體後更成為一種比分開吃更加美味的食物。另外，Harriet在劇終提到關於壽司師父的小故事，亦帶出要維繫一段愛情，就應仿傚壽司師父，投入無限的耐性和心機，全心全意去製作這件「精品」。
Friday, July 23, 2010
Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3, finally. We've all waited so long for this to come! It's time to meet Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Bull's Eye and all the other toy friends again!
Like all the Toy Story lovers who have waited for 11 years, Andy has grown up. He's 17 years old now and no longer spends time with his childhood toys. Andy wanted to take Woody to college with him and store his other toys in the attic. Somehow, by accident, the toys ended up being donated to Sunnyside Daycare by his mum. Despite Woody's effort in explaining the misunderstanding, the toys believed that Andy didn't want them anymore. Warmly welcomed by the daycare toys and their leader Lotso, Andy's toys decided to stay. Woody had no other choices but leave on his own.
Andy's toys were allocated to a group of young kids who didn't know how to treat toys well. Buzz, Jessie and all other toys were soon abused by those children. Buzz, as a representative of the toys, went to seek help from Lotso, only to discover the evil side of the seemingly harmonious leadership there. Meanwhile, Woody fell into the hands of a little girl named Bonnie on his way home. He learnt about the horrible truth about Sunnyside Daycare from Bonnie's toys and decided to head back to save his pals. The toys got home safe in the end, all ready to go to the attic. However, Woody wrote a note to Andy suggesting him donate all the toys to Bonnie. Andy did, and played with his old toys for the last time in Bonnie's garden before going to college.
The whole movie doesn't really have any particular emotional climax that tries to make you cry, yet it's the most touching Pixar movie by far. The "friends stick together till the end" theme is definitely one of the things that touch our feelings. The scene in which the toys decided to faced death together, holding hands before being pushed into the incinerator(of course they were saved in the end), simply shows how precious friendship can be. Another element that most audience relate to is the departure from being a child. We just couldn't help ourselves but feel sad when the time of saying ''goodbye'' to our childhood comes. All those memories... those days when we slept with our toys...when we longed for growing up...when we had no idea of the dark side of life. Saying goodbye to toys means stepping away from that carefree world and taking a step closer to the unpredictable future and the complicated world of adults. Who wasn't scared of that?
The main idea of the story is that we should all learn to move on with our lives. Things change and there's no way we can avoid it. Clinging to the past doesn't help anything. Moving on doesn't mean forgetting our past. Everyone we loved... everything we experienced... stays forever in our heart. We just need to be ready to embrace a new life ahead.
Toy Story 3 is a wonderful movie. A movie that makes us laugh, wet our eyes, and reminds us of the precious childhood memories we all have. This is Disney's magic. They never fail to warm your heart with their movies. Go see the Toy Story 3 if you haven't, it surely will take you on an unforgettable emotional journey.
Friday, July 16, 2010
我們.
愈接觸大自然，愈明白人類有多渺小。
人在科學分類中，被定為生物界中動物界、瘠索動物門、哺乳綱、靈長目、猿科、人屬的智人種。人，只是眾多生物 中的一小部分。
春夏是植物最茂盛的時間，亦是昆蟲最活躍的季節。群花盛放的環境中，蝴蝶破蛹而出、蜻蜓羽化、各種昆蟲離巢覓食、繁殖；郊野地方生 機處處。數月後，秋冬來臨，昆蟲數量大減，取而代之的是一群又一群由北方南下過冬的候鳥。在香港這片福地，我們更有幸看到瀕臨絕種的黑臉琵鷺在這兒繁殖。自然界中所有生物都掙扎求存，努力在短暫的生命期中繁殖下一代，完成自己的天職。
生活在大城市中的人類，若您覺得自己十分不幸、覺得自己的煩惱比任 何人都大，或對生命感到絕望的話，不防抽一點時間，看看其他生物的世界。在大自然中，動物生存的機會極受周圍環境影響。溫度過高或過低，卵和蛋都 難以孵化，而即使一個生命成功誕生，牠又極可能在完成天職前便被食物鏈中的天敵吃掉。氣候轉變、自然災害等都會奪走許多動物的性命。在自然界中生存，從來 就不容易。
作為人類，至少我們沒有天敵會突然來襲，不用時刻擔心生命安全。至少，科技可以協助我們抵抗天災、提高繁殖率，甚至延長壽命。我們可說 是輕易擁有其他生物努力掙取、歇力保護的東西－生命。既然如此，我們又何需為生命中的波折過分擔憂? 在這個大世界裡，人類只是一群小小的物種。能夠安穩地生存已是最大的福氣，其他的煩惱根本不算什麼。實在不明白為何有些人只要遇上少許挫折便放棄生命。在 大自然中，各種動物在成長、覓食、繁殖這些過程裡都會遇上困難，但似乎只有「人」這種生物會選擇自動棄權。其實，我們一天還在世，所有問題都有時間去解 決。放開懷抱，珍惜生命，好好享受每一天吧。
人在科學分類中，被定為生物界中動物界、瘠索動物門、哺乳綱、靈長目、猿科、人屬的智人種。人，只是眾多生物 中的一小部分。
春夏是植物最茂盛的時間，亦是昆蟲最活躍的季節。群花盛放的環境中，蝴蝶破蛹而出、蜻蜓羽化、各種昆蟲離巢覓食、繁殖；郊野地方生 機處處。數月後，秋冬來臨，昆蟲數量大減，取而代之的是一群又一群由北方南下過冬的候鳥。在香港這片福地，我們更有幸看到瀕臨絕種的黑臉琵鷺在這兒繁殖。自然界中所有生物都掙扎求存，努力在短暫的生命期中繁殖下一代，完成自己的天職。
生活在大城市中的人類，若您覺得自己十分不幸、覺得自己的煩惱比任 何人都大，或對生命感到絕望的話，不防抽一點時間，看看其他生物的世界。在大自然中，動物生存的機會極受周圍環境影響。溫度過高或過低，卵和蛋都 難以孵化，而即使一個生命成功誕生，牠又極可能在完成天職前便被食物鏈中的天敵吃掉。氣候轉變、自然災害等都會奪走許多動物的性命。在自然界中生存，從來 就不容易。
作為人類，至少我們沒有天敵會突然來襲，不用時刻擔心生命安全。至少，科技可以協助我們抵抗天災、提高繁殖率，甚至延長壽命。我們可說 是輕易擁有其他生物努力掙取、歇力保護的東西－生命。既然如此，我們又何需為生命中的波折過分擔憂? 在這個大世界裡，人類只是一群小小的物種。能夠安穩地生存已是最大的福氣，其他的煩惱根本不算什麼。實在不明白為何有些人只要遇上少許挫折便放棄生命。在 大自然中，各種動物在成長、覓食、繁殖這些過程裡都會遇上困難，但似乎只有「人」這種生物會選擇自動棄權。其實，我們一天還在世，所有問題都有時間去解 決。放開懷抱，珍惜生命，好好享受每一天吧。
Thursday, July 1, 2010
The Twilight Saga - Eclipse
After weeks and weeks of waiting, the third movie from the Twilight Saga, Eclipse, finally opened in theaters yesterday (June 30). Eclipse is a lot more intense and action-packed than the previous two movies from the franchise, and to be honest, it's the best one so far.
The love triangle between the three main characters definitely gets heated up in Eclipse. Edward has returned and wanted to marry Bella, while Bella struggles to deny her feelings for Jacob. There are moments in the movie where Edward and Jacob get jealous of each other, which are quite entertaining for us audience to watch. There is also a romantic scene (especially for Twihards on Team Edward) where Edward proposes to Bella with a gorgeous ring in his bedroom.
The action scenes are much more exciting and intense this time, with a war going on between the Cullens-werewolves alliance and Victoria's new-born vampire army. The cast of the vampires all received special training to achieve the fittest condition for the fighting scenes, while the real master athlete off-screen, Taylor Lautner who plays Jacob Black, didn't get to do his own stunts because they were all done by his CGI wolf. What a waste! The battle scene toward the end of the movie was good, except being a little bit too short (only lasted for around 15 mins?). However, we do understand it's difficult to squeeze a 629-page story into 120 minutes, especially for Eclipse as the little stories about the wolf pack, Rosalie and Jasper also need to be covered.
The movie in general is good and the elements of romance and action are quite well-balanced. The fourth(which is also the last) story from the saga, Breaking Dawn, will be split into two movies and the first part will be in theaters in 2011. Let us all be patient, Twihards!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
潮性辦公室Season 2
等了四個多月，潮性辦公室第二季終於來臨。喜劇大師詹瑞文四位徒弟Tyson, Harriet, Rosa及智堅再次踏上舞台，上演一幕又一幕的辦公室趣事，為觀眾大放笑彈。
在Season 2中，大部分舊角色再次出現，當中少不了大受觀眾歡迎的送水猛男輝哥、無論精神上或生理上都感到「很乾」的蘇小姐、神經質女祕書Rachel，以及與女上司關係複雜的Gilbert。一如Season 1，每幕戲之間都加插了約10分鐘的獨腳戲，演員分別模仿四個不同的見工情境。Season 2是Season 1的延續，兩者內容有連貫性。由於很多原有角色都被保留下來，Season 2 的新元素不多，故事及角色的發展亦與Season 1相差無幾。其中由翟凱泰(Tyson)演出的見工獨腳戲，對白與上一季幾乎完全一樣。有看過Season 1的觀眾感到有共鳴，但亦有人覺得內容重覆太多。
雖然內容沒有太大驚喜，但這齣舞台劇仍和上次一樣，成功令全場觀眾開懷大笑兩小時。由於Season 2在面積較小的壽臣劇院上演，觀眾與演員間的距離拉近了，現場反應似乎比Season 1(於葵青劇場上演) 時熱烈，兩小時內，拍掌聲歡呼聲不絕。四位演員表現一如以往出色。擁有豐富舞台喜劇經驗的Tyson及Harriet把搞鬼角色發揮得淋漓盡致，一舉手一投足都足以逗得觀眾捧腹大笑。新晉演員Rosa及智堅亦絕不遜色，在台上十分淡定，聲線瞭亮，配合肢體語言，鬼馬演繹各種抵死對白。劇終謝幕時，四位演員得到全場觀眾如雷貫耳的掌色和喝采聲，證明他們的努力絕對沒有白費。「潮」劇令四位演員聲名大噪，如今在很多觀眾眼中，他們已不只是詹瑞文徒弟」，而是能獨當一面的喜劇新星。
由於「潮」劇十分受歡迎，四位演員似乎亦有意思繼續創作Season 3、Season 4，讓這齣舞台劇延續下去，把歡樂帶給更多觀眾。到底會否有更多搞鬼新角色、新笑料? 大家就拭目以待吧!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Apple unveils iPhone 4
Apple announced its newest
iPhone at 10:00am on Monday(US time). As usual, CEO Steve Jobs did the keynote for the latest product.
The new iPhone is said to be having "over 100 new features", but Jobs focused on a few of them in the keynote.
1. An all new design. The back of the new iPhone is flat, but not curved like the previous design. It has glass on the front and the back, with steel around the sides. It's 24% thinner than the old iPhones. On the body you can find voice control buttons, sleep-wake button, a front-facing camera, a micro SIM tray, a camera and LED on the back. In fact. The new iPhone looks exactly like the previously leaked prototype...so, no big surprises!
2. Retina Display. Images and text would look much sharper with the new display. Retina Display increases the pixel density by four times, which means there will be 326 pixels per inch. That's pretty cool huh?
3. A4 chip. The iPhone 4 is powered by an A4 chip developed by Apple's own team. With the small A4 chip, the battery can be made bigger. The battery life is improved, 7 hours of 3G talk, 6 hours of 3G browsing, 10 hours of WiFi browsing, 10 hours of video, 40 hours of music and 300 hours of standby.
4. Gyroscope. This is a piece of hardware which makes your gaming experience even better. It is more sensitive to movements of the player. Jobs demonstrated with a Jenga game. He did a turn and the block of wood actually went with him. Quite amazing.
5. New camera system. The camera will be upgraded from 3 megapixel to 5 megapixel, there will also be an LED flash. Other than that, the new camera system is also capable of filming HD videos, 720p at 30fps! There will also be a film-editing application, iMovie available for the new iPhone.
6. iOS4. This is the new operation system for iPhone. It allows users to do multi-tasking and create folders. For search engines, apart from Google search and Yahoo!, Bing will be added. Whoa. Putting your opponents' search engines in your new product...that's... generous! Ha!
7. iBooks. A PDF reader and the iBookstore will be installed in the iPhone. You can look up the dictionary, highlight, note or search the text while reading.
8. iAds. This helps developers to earn more money. Some advertisements are interactive, like the Nissan Ad demonstrated by Jobs. iAd will be turned on for all iOS4 devices starting from July 1st.
9. FaceTime. Jobs made a video call to Jony Ive to demonstrate the video call function. Though the screen froze up for a second, Jobs claims that it never freezes and asked if the audience had turned off their Wifi. A commercial for the FaceTime function was played.
Jobs summed up the whole keynote by giving information about the price, dates which it will be available for sale, OS upgrade scheme for previous iPhones and iPod Touches, and last but not least, another commercial for iPhone 4.
iPhone 4 will be available in Hong Kong in July.
To read the complete Keynote coverage, here's a link.
iPhone 4 Keynote live coverage @ engadget.com
iPhone at 10:00am on Monday(US time). As usual, CEO Steve Jobs did the keynote for the latest product.The new iPhone is said to be having "over 100 new features", but Jobs focused on a few of them in the keynote.
1. An all new design. The back of the new iPhone is flat, but not curved like the previous design. It has glass on the front and the back, with steel around the sides. It's 24% thinner than the old iPhones. On the body you can find voice control buttons, sleep-wake button, a front-facing camera, a micro SIM tray, a camera and LED on the back. In fact. The new iPhone looks exactly like the previously leaked prototype...so, no big surprises!
2. Retina Display. Images and text would look much sharper with the new display. Retina Display increases the pixel density by four times, which means there will be 326 pixels per inch. That's pretty cool huh?
3. A4 chip. The iPhone 4 is powered by an A4 chip developed by Apple's own team. With the small A4 chip, the battery can be made bigger. The battery life is improved, 7 hours of 3G talk, 6 hours of 3G browsing, 10 hours of WiFi browsing, 10 hours of video, 40 hours of music and 300 hours of standby.
4. Gyroscope. This is a piece of hardware which makes your gaming experience even better. It is more sensitive to movements of the player. Jobs demonstrated with a Jenga game. He did a turn and the block of wood actually went with him. Quite amazing.
5. New camera system. The camera will be upgraded from 3 megapixel to 5 megapixel, there will also be an LED flash. Other than that, the new camera system is also capable of filming HD videos, 720p at 30fps! There will also be a film-editing application, iMovie available for the new iPhone.
6. iOS4. This is the new operation system for iPhone. It allows users to do multi-tasking and create folders. For search engines, apart from Google search and Yahoo!, Bing will be added. Whoa. Putting your opponents' search engines in your new product...that's... generous! Ha!
7. iBooks. A PDF reader and the iBookstore will be installed in the iPhone. You can look up the dictionary, highlight, note or search the text while reading.
8. iAds. This helps developers to earn more money. Some advertisements are interactive, like the Nissan Ad demonstrated by Jobs. iAd will be turned on for all iOS4 devices starting from July 1st.
9. FaceTime. Jobs made a video call to Jony Ive to demonstrate the video call function. Though the screen froze up for a second, Jobs claims that it never freezes and asked if the audience had turned off their Wifi. A commercial for the FaceTime function was played.
Jobs summed up the whole keynote by giving information about the price, dates which it will be available for sale, OS upgrade scheme for previous iPhones and iPod Touches, and last but not least, another commercial for iPhone 4.
iPhone 4 will be available in Hong Kong in July.
To read the complete Keynote coverage, here's a link.
iPhone 4 Keynote live coverage @ engadget.com
Saturday, May 29, 2010
情人的體積
一個人的實際體積未必能輕易改變， 但當投入一段感情時，我們便會自動調較情人在我們心中的大小。
當你瘋狂地愛上一個人，你會把他無限放大，你的世界就只有他。
去哪裡也好，只要能與他把臂同遊，即使只是到便利店逛個圈，都足以令你樂上大半天。
吃什麼也好，只要看到枱另一端的他吃得津津有味，嘴裡的苦瓜都突然變得像蜜糖般甜。
做什麼也好，只要有他相伴，在三十度高溫下等巴士都突然變得極有意義。
你只想每天都黏著他，即使無法見面，也想他每隔十五分鐘便打一通電話給你，告訴你他過去十五分鐘如何瘋狂地思念著你。
你的喜怒哀樂都被他的一舉一動影響著。跟他吵架，這刻你為他哭得死去活來，下 一刻又被他的甜言蜜語逗得笑逐顏開，你心想：這世上大概沒有人比他更懂逗你笑了！
你眼裡只有他，為了他，你可以放棄所有東西，因為他便是你的全部。
再美好的事都總有逝去的一天，熱戀期最終也會漸漸消失。
相處久了，愛成了習慣，當初的甜蜜和激情不再。你發覺大家的生活習慣有很多不合拍的地方，而這些問題，你以前是從來沒注意到的。
難得放假，你興致勃勃的問他想到哪裡逛街，他的答案是一個你們已逛過數百次的商場，你頓時覺得有點掃興。
你想到高級餐廳試試有特色的佳餚，他卻想省省錢，說在大排檔吃個雲吞麵填飽肚子便可。
陽光普照，你想趁機到郊外看風景拍照片，他卻寧願躲在家中開著空調打遊戲機。
你開始覺得，他根本不了解你的需要。你想重拾當初為他放棄的一切、擴闊視野， 多看看他以外的人和事。這時候，你決定把他縮小，好讓自己看得更多。你赫然發覺這世界原來比想像中大。除了他，原來還有許多許多的事能令你哭令你笑；原來 過往你眼裡只有他，以致忽視了有很多有意義的事物。
當你看得愈多，他在你心中佔據的地方便愈來愈小。有朝一日，當他已小得你根本感覺不到他的存在時，就是這段感情逝去之期。
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Eclipse & Breaking Dawn Movie News
Currently there are three official trailers for the upcoming movie, Eclipse, from the Twilight Saga.
The first one features the love triangle between Edward, Bella and Jacob. In the clip, Edward promises to love Bella "every moment forever", while Jacob asks Edward to "consider the idea that I might be better for her than you are". The competition between the two hotties is going to be intense in this movie!
The second trailer features the war between Victoria's young vampire army and the united force of the Cullen family and the werewolves. It seems that there are going to be a lot more action scenes in this one!
The latest trailer is all about the Volturi. The 43-second clip shows Jane, Alec, Demetri and Felix watching the newborns doing destruction from a building. They haven't decided whether or not to interfere with the crisis. Poor Felix got excruciated by Jane when he suggested they consult with Aro.
Eclipse will be out in the cinema on June 30 in the US.
=========================================
The Twilight series finale, Breaking Dawn, will be directed by Bill Condon. There are rumors about whether the finale will be split into two movies. The movie (or the first of the two) will be released on November 18 2011. Despite the recent salary disputes with some of the supporting cast (including some of the Cullens) , Summit Entertainment confirmed yesterday that the Cullens and Billy Burke, who plays Bella's father, are all set to return for the series' final installment.
The first one features the love triangle between Edward, Bella and Jacob. In the clip, Edward promises to love Bella "every moment forever", while Jacob asks Edward to "consider the idea that I might be better for her than you are". The competition between the two hotties is going to be intense in this movie!
The second trailer features the war between Victoria's young vampire army and the united force of the Cullen family and the werewolves. It seems that there are going to be a lot more action scenes in this one!
The latest trailer is all about the Volturi. The 43-second clip shows Jane, Alec, Demetri and Felix watching the newborns doing destruction from a building. They haven't decided whether or not to interfere with the crisis. Poor Felix got excruciated by Jane when he suggested they consult with Aro.
Eclipse will be out in the cinema on June 30 in the US.
=========================================
The Twilight series finale, Breaking Dawn, will be directed by Bill Condon. There are rumors about whether the finale will be split into two movies. The movie (or the first of the two) will be released on November 18 2011. Despite the recent salary disputes with some of the supporting cast (including some of the Cullens) , Summit Entertainment confirmed yesterday that the Cullens and Billy Burke, who plays Bella's father, are all set to return for the series' final installment.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
The Legendary Miss Britney Spears
I cried. I don't know why but tears just swelled up in my eyes when I saw Britney Spears crying in her interview. Generally I don't have much sympathy for artists. 99% of them portray a positive, attractive but fake public image, there's no reason for me to believe what they say they feel. With Britney, the case is slightly different. Yes she is a typical "pop art", or even "product" manufactured by the music industry, and yes she did drugs and drank alcohol and slept with possibly more than a few guys. I'm not saying that I approve of all the things she did, I just think her life is a real tragedy and if I were her, I would have gone crazy and broken into pieces long long ago. Britney is probably the only artist that I truly feel bad for, that I sincerely hope she can be strong enough to live her tough life.
This girl used to laugh during interviews, smile at the camera after every performance. She used to be such a cheerful and sweet girl, until the media and the industry started to ruin her life. Britney is an artist who gets hurt from her own fame. What could be more tragic than that, when it's every artist's dream to be famous, to be on the front pages of newspapers and magazines, and to be recognized by people everywhere they go? Britney has been famous since she was only 18, when she debuted her top hits Baby One More Time and Oops!... I Did It Again. Since then, she quickly earned her place in the music industry and became an international pop icon within the first few years of her career. Before she turned 20 in 2001, she had already sold over 32 million albums worldwide. Some people criticize Britney for lip-syncing during her performances, but to all Brit's fans, watching her show is not about appreciating her vocal abilities, but about enjoying the sight, the scene, the mood, and the atmosphere she creates. Energy and passion simply radiates from her when she's on stage. I've never seen any other female artist reaches Britney's fever energy level live on stage. She didn't earn her "Pop Princess" title for nothing.
When she got more and more famous, paparazzi started to invade and exploit her life, to a degree that no other artist has experienced before. Britney appears on the front pages of tabloids for shopping in a grocery store, buying a new piece of cloth, or swimming in a beach during her vacation. A group of paparazzi follow her everywhere she goes, hoping that she would somehow get into some kind of trouble so that they can snap photos of her, create an epic story about the pop star's messed up personal life and get money from it. Everything in her life, including her career, her personal affairs, her relationships with guys, or even her motherhood, is put under a magnifying glass. It's easy for us to judge her when everything she does is reported and blown out of proportion by the media. For Britney, it's a nightmare. She can't even go shopping with her sons without a lifeguard around. She is just a money-generator in the eyes of the media and her record company. Her life is totally controlled by the ferociously competitive entertainment industry. Who cares anything about her except the amount of money she can generate?
Watching and comparing her old interviews with "For the Record"(2009), I can see her changes. She's gone through so much in the past ten years. She has gained maturity but lost a lot of happiness. How could you be happy when your life isn't even yours? How could you be optimistic about your life when the paparazzi are all waiting for you to make a big mistake for them to write on? I know celebrities are public images and they should expect these before setting foot in the industry, but Britney's situation is just beyond normal cases. I truly admire her strength to live through the dark period of her life. I don't think I can ever live a life like hers even when I'm 28 years old. It's just heart-breaking to see her suffer and cry in front of the interviewer. If you only knew what she's been through in the past three years, you'd understand her tears. Though she's changed a lot, I believe the cheerful girl is still there, deep inside her. I hope Britney can break free from all the shackles in her life and embrace a joyful future. A girl like her deserves to be happy.
This girl used to laugh during interviews, smile at the camera after every performance. She used to be such a cheerful and sweet girl, until the media and the industry started to ruin her life. Britney is an artist who gets hurt from her own fame. What could be more tragic than that, when it's every artist's dream to be famous, to be on the front pages of newspapers and magazines, and to be recognized by people everywhere they go? Britney has been famous since she was only 18, when she debuted her top hits Baby One More Time and Oops!... I Did It Again. Since then, she quickly earned her place in the music industry and became an international pop icon within the first few years of her career. Before she turned 20 in 2001, she had already sold over 32 million albums worldwide. Some people criticize Britney for lip-syncing during her performances, but to all Brit's fans, watching her show is not about appreciating her vocal abilities, but about enjoying the sight, the scene, the mood, and the atmosphere she creates. Energy and passion simply radiates from her when she's on stage. I've never seen any other female artist reaches Britney's fever energy level live on stage. She didn't earn her "Pop Princess" title for nothing.
When she got more and more famous, paparazzi started to invade and exploit her life, to a degree that no other artist has experienced before. Britney appears on the front pages of tabloids for shopping in a grocery store, buying a new piece of cloth, or swimming in a beach during her vacation. A group of paparazzi follow her everywhere she goes, hoping that she would somehow get into some kind of trouble so that they can snap photos of her, create an epic story about the pop star's messed up personal life and get money from it. Everything in her life, including her career, her personal affairs, her relationships with guys, or even her motherhood, is put under a magnifying glass. It's easy for us to judge her when everything she does is reported and blown out of proportion by the media. For Britney, it's a nightmare. She can't even go shopping with her sons without a lifeguard around. She is just a money-generator in the eyes of the media and her record company. Her life is totally controlled by the ferociously competitive entertainment industry. Who cares anything about her except the amount of money she can generate?
Watching and comparing her old interviews with "For the Record"(2009), I can see her changes. She's gone through so much in the past ten years. She has gained maturity but lost a lot of happiness. How could you be happy when your life isn't even yours? How could you be optimistic about your life when the paparazzi are all waiting for you to make a big mistake for them to write on? I know celebrities are public images and they should expect these before setting foot in the industry, but Britney's situation is just beyond normal cases. I truly admire her strength to live through the dark period of her life. I don't think I can ever live a life like hers even when I'm 28 years old. It's just heart-breaking to see her suffer and cry in front of the interviewer. If you only knew what she's been through in the past three years, you'd understand her tears. Though she's changed a lot, I believe the cheerful girl is still there, deep inside her. I hope Britney can break free from all the shackles in her life and embrace a joyful future. A girl like her deserves to be happy.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
浮生路
這原本是份功課，既然已被評分，就貼上來當是一 則介紹電影的文章吧。
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《浮生路》於零九年情人節檔期上映，由九七年賣座電影鐵達尼號的主角里安納 度狄卡比奧及琪溫斯莉主演。驟眼看，觀眾可能會以為《浮生路》是齣浪漫愛情片。實際上卻不然。其實，《浮生路》訴說的是一個人生悲劇。
故事主人翁維勒夫婦是美國五十年代的典型中產家庭。這對年輕夫婦自命不凡，希望擺脫枯燥乏味的生活，移居巴黎追尋理想人生。可惜，當二人著手準備移民時，兩件突發事件卻打亂了他們的計劃：妻子愛普嚇然發覺自己已懷孕十週；同時，丈夫法蘭克在工作上得到賞識，公司高層還打算讓他升職加薪。愛普堅決要按照原定計劃行事，法蘭克卻因工作上的成就及妻子懷 孕而對計劃猶豫不決，兩夫婦為此爭執不斷，矛盾日深。最終巴黎夢實踐不了，二人價值觀上的分歧也促成了一個 破碎家庭。
《浮生路》關注的不是男女間的愛 情故事，而是人們在現實與夢想之間的掙扎。在追尋夢想時，現實總會給我們帶來很多局限和障礙，令人猶豫追夢的決定是否明智。片中的丈夫法蘭克雖常說十分嚮往巴黎 的新生活，但當面臨升職加薪這股強大引誘時，便想向現實低頭，寧願繼續一份自己覺得沉悶至極的 工作也不想冒險到歐洲闖一番。相反，妻子愛普雖然知道丈夫在美國會於事業上大有作為， 卻又捨不得放棄期盼已久的巴黎生 活。很多時，現實生活中實實在在的成就和安全 感會令我們對虛無縹緲且充滿未知之數的夢想卻步，但若要理性地放棄夢想, 鬱 鬱不得志的感覺又會揮之不去。看著維勒夫婦為巴黎夢發生一次比一次激烈的爭 執，觀眾不難明白現實與夢想之間的 矛盾有多大威力。
電影本身也暗示了擺脫普通生活去 追尋夢想是很難成功的。維勒夫婦在計劃移民的初期，到處跟朋友訴說他們的追夢大計。大家都覺得很 驚訝，並認為他們的計劃是天馬行空，不可能成事。主角最終的遭遇也似在暗示觀眾，人若只顧追求遙不可及的夢想，下場很可能跟他們一樣，變得一無所有。為追 求個人夢想而放棄平淡安逸的生活似乎太不切實際，我們可能會得不償失。這是否意味著人除了接受現實，安分守己，便無更佳選擇? 若真的如此，人生又有什麼意義? 這些問題都值得觀 眾好好思考。
《浮生路》的一大賣點是里安納度和琪溫斯莉自《鐵達尼號》後首度攜手演出。 這對金童玉女各自經過十二年的磨練，演技大有提昇，把電影角色的情緒變化及內心掙扎一一表達出來。琪溫斯莉更憑此片於金球獎中獲得極高殊榮的最佳女主角 獎。在片中好幾段夫妻爭執場面中，她把女主角歇斯底里，瀕臨崩潰的情緒發揮得淋漓盡致，演技令人嘆為觀止。男主角里安納度亦絕不遜色，他把面對破碎婚姻以 及後期妻子死亡這些悲劇的負面情緒演得十分真實，透過銀幕把空虛和絕望的感覺帶給觀眾。《浮生路》的兩位主角都絕對是實力派演員，把維勒夫婦這對悲劇人物 演得活靈活現。
《浮生路》的中文譯名裡「浮生」一詞，喻意人生本來就充滿著很多我們無法預 計或控制的變數。在電影中，這些變數成了一對年輕夫婦追夢的障礙，加深了現實和夢想之間的分歧。作為旁觀者的觀眾，就見證著這些分歧如何讓一對一直被視為 夫妻典範的夫婦在浮生路上由相愛走到相恨，由希望走到絕望，最終甚至家破人亡。所以說，《浮生路》並非一齣普通的愛情片，而是一齣顯露現實殘酷一面的悲劇。
=========================================
《浮生路》於零九年情人節檔期上映，由九七年賣座電影鐵達尼號的主角里安納 度狄卡比奧及琪溫斯莉主演。驟眼看，觀眾可能會以為《浮生路》是齣浪漫愛情片。實際上卻不然。其實，《浮生路》訴說的是一個人生悲劇。
故事主人翁維勒夫婦是美國五十年代的典型中產家庭。這對年輕夫婦自命不凡，希望擺脫枯燥乏味的生活，移居巴黎追尋理想人生。可惜，當二人著手準備移民時，兩件突發事件卻打亂了他們的計劃：妻子愛普嚇然發覺自己已懷孕十週；同時，丈夫法蘭克在工作上得到賞識，公司高層還打算讓他升職加薪。愛普堅決要按照原定計劃行事，法蘭克卻因工作上的成就及妻子懷 孕而對計劃猶豫不決，兩夫婦為此爭執不斷，矛盾日深。最終巴黎夢實踐不了，二人價值觀上的分歧也促成了一個 破碎家庭。
《浮生路》關注的不是男女間的愛 情故事，而是人們在現實與夢想之間的掙扎。在追尋夢想時，現實總會給我們帶來很多局限和障礙，令人猶豫追夢的決定是否明智。片中的丈夫法蘭克雖常說十分嚮往巴黎 的新生活，但當面臨升職加薪這股強大引誘時，便想向現實低頭，寧願繼續一份自己覺得沉悶至極的 工作也不想冒險到歐洲闖一番。相反，妻子愛普雖然知道丈夫在美國會於事業上大有作為， 卻又捨不得放棄期盼已久的巴黎生 活。很多時，現實生活中實實在在的成就和安全 感會令我們對虛無縹緲且充滿未知之數的夢想卻步，但若要理性地放棄夢想, 鬱 鬱不得志的感覺又會揮之不去。看著維勒夫婦為巴黎夢發生一次比一次激烈的爭 執，觀眾不難明白現實與夢想之間的 矛盾有多大威力。
電影本身也暗示了擺脫普通生活去 追尋夢想是很難成功的。維勒夫婦在計劃移民的初期，到處跟朋友訴說他們的追夢大計。大家都覺得很 驚訝，並認為他們的計劃是天馬行空，不可能成事。主角最終的遭遇也似在暗示觀眾，人若只顧追求遙不可及的夢想，下場很可能跟他們一樣，變得一無所有。為追 求個人夢想而放棄平淡安逸的生活似乎太不切實際，我們可能會得不償失。這是否意味著人除了接受現實，安分守己，便無更佳選擇? 若真的如此，人生又有什麼意義? 這些問題都值得觀 眾好好思考。
《浮生路》的一大賣點是里安納度和琪溫斯莉自《鐵達尼號》後首度攜手演出。 這對金童玉女各自經過十二年的磨練，演技大有提昇，把電影角色的情緒變化及內心掙扎一一表達出來。琪溫斯莉更憑此片於金球獎中獲得極高殊榮的最佳女主角 獎。在片中好幾段夫妻爭執場面中，她把女主角歇斯底里，瀕臨崩潰的情緒發揮得淋漓盡致，演技令人嘆為觀止。男主角里安納度亦絕不遜色，他把面對破碎婚姻以 及後期妻子死亡這些悲劇的負面情緒演得十分真實，透過銀幕把空虛和絕望的感覺帶給觀眾。《浮生路》的兩位主角都絕對是實力派演員，把維勒夫婦這對悲劇人物 演得活靈活現。
《浮生路》的中文譯名裡「浮生」一詞，喻意人生本來就充滿著很多我們無法預 計或控制的變數。在電影中，這些變數成了一對年輕夫婦追夢的障礙，加深了現實和夢想之間的分歧。作為旁觀者的觀眾，就見證著這些分歧如何讓一對一直被視為 夫妻典範的夫婦在浮生路上由相愛走到相恨，由希望走到絕望，最終甚至家破人亡。所以說，《浮生路》並非一齣普通的愛情片，而是一齣顯露現實殘酷一面的悲劇。
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Qinghai 7.1 Earthquake
An earthquake of 7.1 magnitude struck Qinghai, China yesterday morning. Over 600 people were killed and more than 300 missing. 15000 residential building were destroyed, leaving a lot of victims homeless.
Among the dead was Mr. Wong, a volunteer from Hong Kong, who died while saving victims from a Yushu orphange. Mr Wong had been actively engaging in various charity work in mainland China in the past years. He arrived at an orphanage in Yushu earlier this month to provide volunteer service. Mr. Wong escaped when the orphanage building collapsed, but decided to return to help rescue the buried children and teachers. He was said to have successfully saved 4 people, but unfortunately lost his own life during the process. His courage and selflessness gained respect from people who read about the news.
Wen Jaibao, Premier of China, arrived at the affected region to inspect the damage. The freezing temperature became a great challenge to the survivors. Relief organizations like Oxfam and Red Cross have already started preparing aid packages, including thick blankets, tents, food and clothes, to send to the area. Hong Kong Red Cross has also mobilized $200000 to support the relief work in Qinghai.
Among the dead was Mr. Wong, a volunteer from Hong Kong, who died while saving victims from a Yushu orphange. Mr Wong had been actively engaging in various charity work in mainland China in the past years. He arrived at an orphanage in Yushu earlier this month to provide volunteer service. Mr. Wong escaped when the orphanage building collapsed, but decided to return to help rescue the buried children and teachers. He was said to have successfully saved 4 people, but unfortunately lost his own life during the process. His courage and selflessness gained respect from people who read about the news.
Wen Jaibao, Premier of China, arrived at the affected region to inspect the damage. The freezing temperature became a great challenge to the survivors. Relief organizations like Oxfam and Red Cross have already started preparing aid packages, including thick blankets, tents, food and clothes, to send to the area. Hong Kong Red Cross has also mobilized $200000 to support the relief work in Qinghai.
Monday, April 5, 2010
談娛樂新聞
近期打開報紙娛樂版或八卦雜誌，必然會看到有關阿Sa和鄭中基感情的種種新聞。由二人的愛情秘史，以至結婚離婚等等的細節和來龍去脈，各大傳媒都一一揭露出來。藝人私生活的新聞似乎每天都出現在報章雜誌中。姑勿論這一大堆「獨家內情」是否真確，這些八卦消息的新聞價值是否真的高得可以佔據整個報紙頭版，又或是被雜誌作數十頁的大特寫?
香港傳媒的一大特色便是喜歡把藝人的私生活揭露出來，然後用各種煽情的手法誇張地報導這些八卦消息，引起大眾討論。沒錯，八卦新聞的確成為市民每天閒聊的好話題，但若有關藝人私生活的娛樂新聞經常被無限放大，香港傳媒恐怕會成為只懂講是非的低級新聞媒介。
前兩年，藝人陳冠希與多名女藝人的床照被人在網上發佈出來，相片愈傳愈多，牽涉演藝界不少知名女星。不少報章連續多日將此風波的消息登上頭條，當中《蘋果日報》更連續二十一日把床照事件放到頭版作大幅報導。當時社會是否天下大平、沒有比藝人床照更重要的事可報導呢?當然不是!此事正好於農曆新年期間發生，各傳媒為了報導娛樂消息，大大忽略了一些更為緊貼民生的新聞，如農曆年市況及中國內地雪災的消息。
去年，著名男藝員劉德華被揭發早已結婚，也引一起場風波。不少人看了新聞，都批評這位形象一直甚為正面的男星「講大話」、「向粉絲們忍瞞婚事」。這次阿Sa與鄭中基的情況也與劉德華事件相似，同樣是沒有公佈婚訊，同樣被人責罵為「大話精」、「偽人」。
藝人的私生活確是十分有娛樂性，但想深一層，他們做什麼、去那裡、與誰談戀愛，甚至和誰結婚，又與我們有什麼關係?大部分人只是懷著閒好奇的心態去看藝人們的事，但傳媒慣性揭露藝人私生活，大家就覺得覤探人家私生活的點點滴滴是理所當然的。因為藝人是「公眾人物」嘛!「公眾人物」，當然要受公眾監視，做事也要受公眾批判。其實，藝人和我們一樣，都應該有私隱。社會上有不同職業，有人做商人、有人做教師、有人做記者、有人做醫生。「藝人」，只不過是眾多行業的其中一種，那為什麼藝人就不能有自己的秘密呢?有人說公眾人物忍瞞婚訊，即是「講大話」，教壞小孩子。其實，大家都應該明白，藝人並非十全十美的人。作為觀眾，我們欣賞的是藝人帶給我們的娛樂，同時也應該知道藝人平日塑造出來形象是要討好觀眾。他們真實的個性是否與外在形象吻合，我們無從考究，亦不必天真地認為他們是完美的人。至於忍瞞婚訊，結婚又不是傷天害理的事，又不會損害大眾利益，純粹為兩個家庭的事，為何非公開不可?而不公開是否又等於說謊呢?不少傳媒的報導手法都引導大家批評這些藝人，令讀者們以為自己有權對人家的私生活事事關心、事事批判，卻忘記自己只是個局外人。
演藝圈內每天都發生一些戲劇性又高娛樂性的是非新聞，但這些事除了成為大眾茶餘飯後的話題外，確是對我們生活無什麼重大影響。傳媒與其把焦點放在一些對市民無關痛癢的是八卦聞上，倒不如花多點精神去報導有關社會經濟和政治發展的事情，讓大家學懂關心社會時事，而關心非某某的私生活。作為讀者，我們也應有批判思維，對公眾人物懷兩分尊重，不要讓好奇心蓋過理智。
香港傳媒的一大特色便是喜歡把藝人的私生活揭露出來，然後用各種煽情的手法誇張地報導這些八卦消息，引起大眾討論。沒錯，八卦新聞的確成為市民每天閒聊的好話題，但若有關藝人私生活的娛樂新聞經常被無限放大，香港傳媒恐怕會成為只懂講是非的低級新聞媒介。
前兩年，藝人陳冠希與多名女藝人的床照被人在網上發佈出來，相片愈傳愈多，牽涉演藝界不少知名女星。不少報章連續多日將此風波的消息登上頭條，當中《蘋果日報》更連續二十一日把床照事件放到頭版作大幅報導。當時社會是否天下大平、沒有比藝人床照更重要的事可報導呢?當然不是!此事正好於農曆新年期間發生，各傳媒為了報導娛樂消息，大大忽略了一些更為緊貼民生的新聞，如農曆年市況及中國內地雪災的消息。
去年，著名男藝員劉德華被揭發早已結婚，也引一起場風波。不少人看了新聞，都批評這位形象一直甚為正面的男星「講大話」、「向粉絲們忍瞞婚事」。這次阿Sa與鄭中基的情況也與劉德華事件相似，同樣是沒有公佈婚訊，同樣被人責罵為「大話精」、「偽人」。
藝人的私生活確是十分有娛樂性，但想深一層，他們做什麼、去那裡、與誰談戀愛，甚至和誰結婚，又與我們有什麼關係?大部分人只是懷著閒好奇的心態去看藝人們的事，但傳媒慣性揭露藝人私生活，大家就覺得覤探人家私生活的點點滴滴是理所當然的。因為藝人是「公眾人物」嘛!「公眾人物」，當然要受公眾監視，做事也要受公眾批判。其實，藝人和我們一樣，都應該有私隱。社會上有不同職業，有人做商人、有人做教師、有人做記者、有人做醫生。「藝人」，只不過是眾多行業的其中一種，那為什麼藝人就不能有自己的秘密呢?有人說公眾人物忍瞞婚訊，即是「講大話」，教壞小孩子。其實，大家都應該明白，藝人並非十全十美的人。作為觀眾，我們欣賞的是藝人帶給我們的娛樂，同時也應該知道藝人平日塑造出來形象是要討好觀眾。他們真實的個性是否與外在形象吻合，我們無從考究，亦不必天真地認為他們是完美的人。至於忍瞞婚訊，結婚又不是傷天害理的事，又不會損害大眾利益，純粹為兩個家庭的事，為何非公開不可?而不公開是否又等於說謊呢?不少傳媒的報導手法都引導大家批評這些藝人，令讀者們以為自己有權對人家的私生活事事關心、事事批判，卻忘記自己只是個局外人。
演藝圈內每天都發生一些戲劇性又高娛樂性的是非新聞，但這些事除了成為大眾茶餘飯後的話題外，確是對我們生活無什麼重大影響。傳媒與其把焦點放在一些對市民無關痛癢的是八卦聞上，倒不如花多點精神去報導有關社會經濟和政治發展的事情，讓大家學懂關心社會時事，而關心非某某的私生活。作為讀者，我們也應有批判思維，對公眾人物懷兩分尊重，不要讓好奇心蓋過理智。
Monday, March 29, 2010
iPhone 4G
As Apple have been releasing a new generation of iPhone every summer in the past three years, iPhone 4G is expected to come out between May-July 2010.
The previous iPhones are extremely popular among phone users due to their flattering design and the ability to incorporate the functions of multimedia player, web browser, phone and third-party applications into one single device. However, the previous generations are often critizied for their short battery life, the lack of multi-tasking function and low quality camera.
Consumers are beginning to spectulate what new features will iPhone 4G bring. The possibilities include: an OLED screen, a 500-megapixel camera, improved battery life, removable battery(the possibility is small, as even the iPad does not have this feature), multi-tasking, biometric security and more. A list of 25 most-wanted features of the upcoming iPhone can be found on the following website.
iPhone 4G: Most Wanted Features - iPhone Hacks
There are also rumoured pictures of iPhone 4G available on various websites, though most of them are just concept designs created by individuals. There are still a few months away from the release of the fourth generation iPhone. Let's wait and see what surprises will Apple bring us this year.
The previous iPhones are extremely popular among phone users due to their flattering design and the ability to incorporate the functions of multimedia player, web browser, phone and third-party applications into one single device. However, the previous generations are often critizied for their short battery life, the lack of multi-tasking function and low quality camera.
Consumers are beginning to spectulate what new features will iPhone 4G bring. The possibilities include: an OLED screen, a 500-megapixel camera, improved battery life, removable battery(the possibility is small, as even the iPad does not have this feature), multi-tasking, biometric security and more. A list of 25 most-wanted features of the upcoming iPhone can be found on the following website.
iPhone 4G: Most Wanted Features - iPhone Hacks
There are also rumoured pictures of iPhone 4G available on various websites, though most of them are just concept designs created by individuals. There are still a few months away from the release of the fourth generation iPhone. Let's wait and see what surprises will Apple bring us this year.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
牛柏葉 Albert Yip!?
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好一篇趣聞！堂堂一家酒店，菜牌怎能出這種低級錯誤？話雖如此，這次鬧出個笑話，也不能全怪酒店經理。菜牌翻譯並非特別困難，只要翻譯員願意花點時間去查一查其他食店同類菜餚的英文名，或上網查證一下，應該不難找到個合理的譯名。酒店經理也是認為這種簡單小事不太可能出問題，才沒有多加關注吧。若翻譯員肯下點功夫、做些資料搜集，譯出來的菜名即使不完全正確，應該也不至於錯得這麼離譜。恐怕這位翻譯者只用了最簡單最省時，但同時亦最容易出錯的方法－網上翻譯器。不是說網上翻譯器無用，只是它們大多逐字翻譯，未能顧及前文後理、寫作風格等因素，以致譯出來的意思十分零散，文法也會出現問題。若然這位翻譯員沒有用網上翻譯器，而是靠自己的「常識」去譯，情況就更令人驚訝了。難道自己讀出來都不覺好笑嗎？牛柏葉等於Albert Yip？Are you kidding me? 收人家翻譯費卻提供這種「劣質服務」，絕對應被列入黑名單！幸運的是，這次受影響的食客不太介懷菜單上的錯誤，只當它笑話一則。但無論如何，食肆將來外判菜單翻譯工作時，也應檢驗一下才收貨，免得香港旅遊業界再次蒙羞！
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Eclipse - the Trailer
With much anticipation from all the Twilight fans, the Eclipse movie's full trailer finally came out a few hours ago.
Eclipse is the 3rd movie from the Twilgiht Saga. With Edward returning and Jacob still sticking around, Bella is caught in a love triangle with the vampire and the werewolf. Bella chooses Edward regardless of the damage he had done to her when he left for a year in the last movie. Jacob , however, is not willing to give Bella up. At the same time, enemy Victoria is using newborn vampires to build up an army to take revenge on the Cullens. A big fight at the end of the story is inevitable.
Guys may feel more entertained this time when watching the movie in cinema with their girlfriend, as Eclipse is expected to involve a lot more action and fighting scenes than the previous two movies. With the God-like Edward and the always-shirtless Jacob around, girls better get prepared to be dazzled by these two impossibly gorgeous creatures.
There are no major changes in the movie cast, though Rachelle Lefevre's role of Victoria will be replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard due to "scheduling conflicts", according to Summit Entertainment. There will also be some new faces like Leah Clearwater (played by Julia Jones) and Seth Clearwater (played by BooBoo Stewart).
The Twilight Saga - Eclipse will come out on 30th June 2010. Three-and-a-half months to go!
Eclipse is the 3rd movie from the Twilgiht Saga. With Edward returning and Jacob still sticking around, Bella is caught in a love triangle with the vampire and the werewolf. Bella chooses Edward regardless of the damage he had done to her when he left for a year in the last movie. Jacob , however, is not willing to give Bella up. At the same time, enemy Victoria is using newborn vampires to build up an army to take revenge on the Cullens. A big fight at the end of the story is inevitable.
Guys may feel more entertained this time when watching the movie in cinema with their girlfriend, as Eclipse is expected to involve a lot more action and fighting scenes than the previous two movies. With the God-like Edward and the always-shirtless Jacob around, girls better get prepared to be dazzled by these two impossibly gorgeous creatures.
There are no major changes in the movie cast, though Rachelle Lefevre's role of Victoria will be replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard due to "scheduling conflicts", according to Summit Entertainment. There will also be some new faces like Leah Clearwater (played by Julia Jones) and Seth Clearwater (played by BooBoo Stewart).
The Twilight Saga - Eclipse will come out on 30th June 2010. Three-and-a-half months to go!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
《愛麗絲夢遊仙境》的奇幻新世界
要數近期熱門電影，一定離不開鬼才添布頓拍的真人版《愛麗絲夢遊仙境》。故事其實是動畫版的延續：事隔十年，愛麗絲(Mia Wasikowska飾)已由當年的小妹妹長成一個亭亭玉立的少女，並意外地重返兒時到過的「仙境」。原來仙境在紅心皇后(Helen Bonham Carter飾)的暴政下變得民不聊生，居民一直都期待著愛麗絲這位傳說中的救世主來打救；其中瘋帽子(Johnny Depp飾)更擔上重任，帶愛麗絲聯同白皇后(Anne Hathaway)一起對抗暴政，展開一場瘋狂刺激的仙境旅程。
導演添布頓與飾演瘋帽子的尊尼特普在此片之前已有多次合作經驗，如2007年的《魔街理髮師》、2005年的動畫《怪誕屍新娘》和同年的《朱古力獎門人》。二人合作多次，自然非常有默契。尊尼特普曾指與添布頓合作能作很多新嘗試，甚至連唱歌都可以(如《魔街理髮師》) 。另一記者會中，添布頓又笑言有位記者在訪問時指他與尊尼特普已合作了「十個十年」 (本來應說a decade, 記者卻說了ten decades)，場面十分惹笑。相信添布頓與尊尼特普私底下都是老友鬼鬼，才會有這麼多次合作吧。特別的是，每次他們合作的電影都是帶點古怪詭異的味道，尊尼的造型和角色更是不斷給觀眾一些意想不到的驚喜，相信這就是他們口中所指的新嘗試吧!
電影3月4日才會在上映，在這之前想先感受一下奇幻氣氛的話，不妨到沙田新城市廣場看迷你展覽。展覽地方雖小，卻有精美的場景擺設，包括瘋帽子的茶會(茶桌上當然有不少造型精緻的糕點)、大蘑菇、戲中尊尼特普戴過的禮帽(只展出至3月7日，有興趣的朋友要把握時間了!)和b+ab獨家以《愛麗絲夢遊仙境》作主題設計的華麗服飾。除了看展覽外，大家亦可參加由現時至4月7日的不同宣傳活動，盡情投入《愛麗絲夢遊仙境》的異想世
界!
展覽及活動詳情:
http://www.newtownplaza.com.hk/eng/promotion_poster1.html
導演添布頓與飾演瘋帽子的尊尼特普在此片之前已有多次合作經驗，如2007年的《魔街理髮師》、2005年的動畫《怪誕屍新娘》和同年的《朱古力獎門人》。二人合作多次，自然非常有默契。尊尼特普曾指與添布頓合作能作很多新嘗試，甚至連唱歌都可以(如《魔街理髮師》) 。另一記者會中，添布頓又笑言有位記者在訪問時指他與尊尼特普已合作了「十個十年」 (本來應說a decade, 記者卻說了ten decades)，場面十分惹笑。相信添布頓與尊尼特普私底下都是老友鬼鬼，才會有這麼多次合作吧。特別的是，每次他們合作的電影都是帶點古怪詭異的味道，尊尼的造型和角色更是不斷給觀眾一些意想不到的驚喜，相信這就是他們口中所指的新嘗試吧!
電影3月4日才會在上映，在這之前想先感受一下奇幻氣氛的話，不妨到沙田新城市廣場看迷你展覽。展覽地方雖小，卻有精美的場景擺設，包括瘋帽子的茶會(茶桌上當然有不少造型精緻的糕點)、大蘑菇、戲中尊尼特普戴過的禮帽(只展出至3月7日，有興趣的朋友要把握時間了!)和b+ab獨家以《愛麗絲夢遊仙境》作主題設計的華麗服飾。除了看展覽外，大家亦可參加由現時至4月7日的不同宣傳活動，盡情投入《愛麗絲夢遊仙境》的異想世
界!展覽及活動詳情:
http://www.newtownplaza.com.hk/eng/promotion_poster1.html
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Youtube Community Getting Together for Haiti
The music community on Youtube is taking action to help Haiti. 57 artists of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds collaborated to produce a remake of Michael Jackson's "We Are The World", hoping to promote the "We Are The World Foundation" and get help for Haiti through music.
Instead of celebrities or famous singers, most of the artists participating in this video are amateur web singers. This, perhaps, is what makes the video so touching and beautiful. You don't see a glamorous music video starring pop singers from the mainstream music industry. What you see is ordinary people like you and me making their greatest effort to care for others. No dramas, no special effects, everything is kept real and simple. It may sound rather plain, yet it does what the celebrity version of the remake may not have achieved: It touches people. The video came out on 20/2 and it's already watched by 472668 people and has received a lot of positive comments. Tyra Banks, former model and the host of TV series "America's Next Top Model", also appreciates the video as she posted a tweet saying that the video made her cry and she was "Speechless because of beauty". Indeed, the video succeeded in showing the beauty of ordinary people from different backgrounds getting together and devoting their hearts to helping those in need. Let's hope the video gets more and more viewers so that the message of love and care can be spread around our planet.
You can watch the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hhX0KkQBW4
Instead of celebrities or famous singers, most of the artists participating in this video are amateur web singers. This, perhaps, is what makes the video so touching and beautiful. You don't see a glamorous music video starring pop singers from the mainstream music industry. What you see is ordinary people like you and me making their greatest effort to care for others. No dramas, no special effects, everything is kept real and simple. It may sound rather plain, yet it does what the celebrity version of the remake may not have achieved: It touches people. The video came out on 20/2 and it's already watched by 472668 people and has received a lot of positive comments. Tyra Banks, former model and the host of TV series "America's Next Top Model", also appreciates the video as she posted a tweet saying that the video made her cry and she was "Speechless because of beauty". Indeed, the video succeeded in showing the beauty of ordinary people from different backgrounds getting together and devoting their hearts to helping those in need. Let's hope the video gets more and more viewers so that the message of love and care can be spread around our planet.
You can watch the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hhX0KkQBW4
Friday, February 19, 2010
Taylor Swift Not Gaining Recognition?
Country-pop princess Taylor Swift just released the music video for her great hit Fearless. The video, directed by Todd Cassety, is made up of clips from the singer's 2009 Fearless Tour. Clips of Swift performing Fearless on stage during concerts and some backstage scenes can be found in the MV.
Despite the sweet and glamorous life depicted in the MV, the 20-year-old country-pop singer seems to have received quite a lot of negative comments both on her singing and acting skills recenetly. Swift, though winning four Grammy Awards in early February, surprised the audience by turning in an off-key duet with Stevie Nicks at the awards ceremony. Scott Borchetta, CEO of Big Machine Records, defended their artist by dissing the popular television series American Idol. "This is not American Idol...This is not a competition of getting up and seeing who can sing the highest note. This is about a true artist and writer and communicator." This speech has clearly offended Kelly Clarkson, who won the first season of the show in 2002. Clarkson posted a blog entry on 4/2, thanking Borchetta for his "'Captain Obvious' sense of humor" and saying that "We not only hit the high notes, you forgot to mention we generally hit the 'right' notes as well." She added that artists should not put the blame on others when they have bad performances and that things are not always going to be perfect.
Not only her singing skills are questioned, Swift's acting skills are also being criticized these days. She teamed up with Twilight hottie Taylor Lautner and starred in the new romantic comedy Valentine's Day, which came out a few days ago. Todd McCarthy from Variety comments that Swift "seems entirely undirected, as she jumps around, makes faces and jabbers on inanely." OK! Magazine also slams the young singer's acting skills, saying that Taylor "is not an actress" and calling it a "a regrettable performance". The Observer even calls Swift a "tone-deaf Flavor of the Moment" when mentioning the movie cast. Ouch. Looks like Taylor would have to work much harder to gain recognition from the public, not just from the Grammys.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
社交網站的角色
現今科技發達的社會裡，報章雜誌已不是市民傳播各種新聞和八卦消息的唯一途徑。網絡世界發展迅速，愈來愈多人傾向使用Facebook、Twitter和My Space等社交網站來發佈最新資訊。最近連全球最大網絡搜尋引擎谷歌(Google)也推出社交網絡Buzz，可見社交網絡服務近年實在十分普及。網民用社交網站來發佈自己最新的資訊之餘，還可以查看朋友們或社會上的最新動態。
用社交網站來發佈資訊有好幾個優點。首先，由於我們能快捷方便地上傳最新的消息，資訊的傳播遠比傳統新聞媒體快。不少社交網站的介面都有?狀況?一欄，用家只要直接鍵入資訊, 按下?發佈? ，便能在數秒內把最新動態跟整個網絡上的人分享。在社交網上，只要訂閱相關新聞頻道，我們不難知道過去幾小時以至數分鐘內全球各地發生了什麼大事。由此可見，網民能從社交網站上取得即時資訊。其次，訊息的傳播可說是無界限。只要能接通互聯網，就能輕易向全世界發佈獨家消息， 同時亦能得悉全球網絡上每一個個體的動向。2010年1月12日，海地發生7級大地震，整個地區的主要訊息網絡都受到嚴重破壞。災區中少數能上網的災民透過Twitter更新災區最新狀況，而各大新聞網絡如CNN及BBC也把網民的tweets集合成一份報導。這種情況下，時間和空間都不會阻礙訊息傳播。另外, 目前為止，網民發佈的新聞不會被過濾。很多時，傳統媒體會因政治理由或要顧及眾多讀者的感受而修改報導，未能完完整整帶出整宗新聞的細節。由於在網絡上網民可以自由地發表意見，同一宗新聞會有不同角度的報導及闡釋，這有助揭露更多相關資訊 (雖然有時候資料的真確性會受質疑) 。
有人認為由網民發出的資訊通常十分零散，真確性亦被質疑，但無疑網民在社交網絡上分享資訊的確比傳統媒體有優勝之處。透過社交網站，每一位網民都能成為民間記者，向大眾發佈即時消息。網絡讓我們在短時間內分享最新資訊，把各地人民都連接起來。相信利用社交網絡服務來傳播消息將成為全球資訊交流的新趨勢。若這種新媒體能與傳統媒體共存並互補不足，便能把資訊傳播的質素提升至另一階段。
用社交網站來發佈資訊有好幾個優點。首先，由於我們能快捷方便地上傳最新的消息，資訊的傳播遠比傳統新聞媒體快。不少社交網站的介面都有?狀況?一欄，用家只要直接鍵入資訊, 按下?發佈? ，便能在數秒內把最新動態跟整個網絡上的人分享。在社交網上，只要訂閱相關新聞頻道，我們不難知道過去幾小時以至數分鐘內全球各地發生了什麼大事。由此可見，網民能從社交網站上取得即時資訊。其次，訊息的傳播可說是無界限。只要能接通互聯網，就能輕易向全世界發佈獨家消息， 同時亦能得悉全球網絡上每一個個體的動向。2010年1月12日，海地發生7級大地震，整個地區的主要訊息網絡都受到嚴重破壞。災區中少數能上網的災民透過Twitter更新災區最新狀況，而各大新聞網絡如CNN及BBC也把網民的tweets集合成一份報導。這種情況下，時間和空間都不會阻礙訊息傳播。另外, 目前為止，網民發佈的新聞不會被過濾。很多時，傳統媒體會因政治理由或要顧及眾多讀者的感受而修改報導，未能完完整整帶出整宗新聞的細節。由於在網絡上網民可以自由地發表意見，同一宗新聞會有不同角度的報導及闡釋，這有助揭露更多相關資訊 (雖然有時候資料的真確性會受質疑) 。
有人認為由網民發出的資訊通常十分零散，真確性亦被質疑，但無疑網民在社交網絡上分享資訊的確比傳統媒體有優勝之處。透過社交網站，每一位網民都能成為民間記者，向大眾發佈即時消息。網絡讓我們在短時間內分享最新資訊，把各地人民都連接起來。相信利用社交網絡服務來傳播消息將成為全球資訊交流的新趨勢。若這種新媒體能與傳統媒體共存並互補不足，便能把資訊傳播的質素提升至另一階段。
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Avatar Tops Titanic?
James Cameron's Avatar reached 601.1 million on Tuesday, officially breaking the 600.8 million record held by Titanic in the US.
The quality of the movie itself is definitely one of the reasons leading to the huge success.
Undoubtedly, the Oscar-nominated sci-fi has one of the best computer-generated-imagery that is far beyond other sci-fi movies' reach. Though all the scenes are created by computer, Pandora is simply exquisite and breath-taking. The story line is simple yet moving. The whole movie is basically about protecting and fighting for nature. It shows how selfish and arrogant the so-called civilized human can be, in contrast to the Na'vi people's(a tribe indigenous to Pandora) attitude of truly appreciating and respecting nature. The main characters' determination to stay and fight with the Na'vi people is touching and admirable, while the war scenes in the later part of the movie are extremely exciting. With all the above elements combined, Avatar is truly one of the most remarkable films of the decade.
The public's anticipation of the film is perhaps another factor contributing to the high revenue. Since Cameron's last big project Titanic became such a huge blockbuster and left its mark on movie history, people are naturally having very high expectations of Avatar. Therefore, a lot of people rushed to see the movie once it came out. With the tickets costing double the price of regular tickets, the sales revenue is pushed even higher.
As the sales revenue of Avatar is greatly contributed by the high ticket price, some say that the actual number of tickets sold should be considered instead of the sales revenue to see if Avatar really tops Titanic. However, no matter which film wins in terms of popularity, it does not change the fact that Avatar has already become the highest grossing film on the US domestic box-office chart.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
潮性辦公室
今天終於看了PIP劇場
最新的演出--《潮性辦公室》。《潮》是一齣關於辦公室生活瑣事的喜劇，它把辦公室戀情、性騷擾、求職者見工、打工仔爭權爭上位的種種情景搬上舞台，讓觀眾體驗趣事多多的辦公室生活。送水猛男阿輝舉手投足都散發著濃濃的男人味；「慌失失」女秘書凡事大驚小怪，最愛突然慘叫；各見工者在老闆前盡顯真性情；女上司一廂情願戀上已婚男下屬等等......老實說，這齣舞台劇娛樂性極高，幾乎無悶場，令觀眾笑足整整兩個多小時。
除了搞鬼有趣的內容外，此師劇另一特別之處在於喜劇大師詹瑞文從幕前退下來做導演，放手讓四位徒弟擔正做主角。劇中四位演員Rosa，Tyson，Harriet和Eric都有一定的舞台經驗，其中三人更於09年與詹瑞文共同演出《o靚模襲地球》，大獲好評，演技被受肯定。這次詹瑞文放手讓四位徒弟擔正做主角，相信能令給予新一代演員更多發展空間，亦令觀眾認識到較新晉的演藝人材。畢竟，一個劇團不能只靠一個詹瑞文。
《潮》劇無論內容、演員造型或演譯方式都盡顯製作班底的心思。現代香港人每天都生活在壓力底下，無時無刻為前途為工作煩憂，不少人漸漸忘記「快樂」為何物。《潮》劇的目的就是要令觀眾暫時拋開煩惱，騰出兩小時盡情大笑、釋放心靈，在苦中找一點樂。在枯燥無味的生活中，百多元便能換取兩小時的歡笑，絕對物超所值。
最新的演出--《潮性辦公室》。《潮》是一齣關於辦公室生活瑣事的喜劇，它把辦公室戀情、性騷擾、求職者見工、打工仔爭權爭上位的種種情景搬上舞台，讓觀眾體驗趣事多多的辦公室生活。送水猛男阿輝舉手投足都散發著濃濃的男人味；「慌失失」女秘書凡事大驚小怪，最愛突然慘叫；各見工者在老闆前盡顯真性情；女上司一廂情願戀上已婚男下屬等等......老實說，這齣舞台劇娛樂性極高，幾乎無悶場，令觀眾笑足整整兩個多小時。除了搞鬼有趣的內容外，此師劇另一特別之處在於喜劇大師詹瑞文從幕前退下來做導演，放手讓四位徒弟擔正做主角。劇中四位演員Rosa，Tyson，Harriet和Eric都有一定的舞台經驗，其中三人更於09年與詹瑞文共同演出《o靚模襲地球》，大獲好評，演技被受肯定。這次詹瑞文放手讓四位徒弟擔正做主角，相信能令給予新一代演員更多發展空間，亦令觀眾認識到較新晉的演藝人材。畢竟，一個劇團不能只靠一個詹瑞文。
《潮》劇無論內容、演員造型或演譯方式都盡顯製作班底的心思。現代香港人每天都生活在壓力底下，無時無刻為前途為工作煩憂，不少人漸漸忘記「快樂」為何物。《潮》劇的目的就是要令觀眾暫時拋開煩惱，騰出兩小時盡情大笑、釋放心靈，在苦中找一點樂。在枯燥無味的生活中，百多元便能換取兩小時的歡笑，絕對物超所值。
Friday, January 29, 2010
海派甜心Hi My Sweetheart
近期迷上台劇海派甜心
. 故事講述富家子薛海為了學懂獨立而化名林達浪到浙江大學讀書, 卻在班上遇上惡女陳寶茱. 兩人相處過好幾次後, 達浪漸漸發覺寶茱姐只是以兇惡的外表來掩飾內心的孤獨, 所以不理旁人阻止也堅持與她做朋友. 與此同時, 寶茱姐也被達浪純真老實的性格深深打動, 二人開展了一段長達三年的戀情. 快要畢業的時候, 達浪約寶茱姐出來見面, 準備向她求婚, 可惜等了一整天, 寶茱姐也沒有出現. 二人從此未再見面, 直至三年後才於台灣重逢. 此時, 達浪已變回自己的真正身份--薛海, 打扮和言行都比三年前的"醜不拉機香菇頭"帥得多. 薛海誤會寶茱姐當年是因為他窮而拋棄他, 對此一直耿耿於懷, 所以重遇對方後也不透露自己身份, 一直等待報復的機會. 事實上, 寶茱姐當年是因為交通意外而未能赴約, 大學畢業後也一直在找尋達浪, 但遇上薛海時卻不知眼前人就是達浪. 薛海希望以富家子的身份重新追求寶茱姐......但寶茱卻一直未能忘記林達浪......早期劇情中, 天真傻氣的達浪與兇狠無比的寶茱姐成了很大對比. 或許是因為兩者的性格剛好與他們的性別相反, 加上演員誇張的演技, 兩者之間的互動實在分外惹笑. <海>雖然是齣喜
戲 , 卻有不少教人感動或難過得流下淚來的場面. 故事的兩位主角其實一直也忘不了對方, 但重遇後又因大家之間的誤會而不能相認. 愛的人近在咫尺卻不能延續愛情, 令人又無奈又心酸. 後來薛海不顧生命危險到火場中救寶茱姐, 然後失去記憶, 寶茱姐又為了保護已失憶的薛海而被打得頭破血流這些場面都感人得很, 一直看下去, 聽著劇中令人傷感的插曲, 也不禁流下淚來.<海>是一齣能令人大笑大哭的劇, 絕對做到令人釋放情緒的效果, 為觀眾的心靈帶來一次難忘的體驗. <海>的大結局將於明晚播出, 雖然大概也猜到會是個完美結局, 但見證過故事的主角在愛情路上經歷這麼多波折後, 一個大團員結局確是叫人十分期待的.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Apple's New iPad
After all the rumours about Apple's tablet computer, the company finally released its new product -- iPad yesterday. Previously there have already been some rumoured pictures of the product going around on youtube and the actual product do look very much like what most people have expected. No surprise! And I mean it for both the appearance and the functions of iPad! It seems that iPad is just a larger version of iPod touch. The functions are similar, e.g. multi-touch technology, email, safari, music, movie, photos...etc. It's a bit disappointing, to speak the truth. While there's no doubt that Apple is leading the trend of tablet computers, I do look forward to seeing more techonological breakthroughs and creativity in their future products.
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