You know you're from Hong Kong when... (Part II)

 

You beat eggs with chopsticks instead of a fork.

Your mother used to hit you with a chicken-feather duster and shout "da sei lei!"

You're in another country and everything moves so slowly.  

You're in love with David Beckham. More for the ladies, but some of you guys do too ;)    

Chinese food in other countries doesn't taste right.

You never discuss your love life with your parents.

You keep most of your money in a savings account.   

You own a Snoopy toy from Mcdonalds.

You turn bright red after drinking alcohol.

You look like you are sixteen.

You have more than five remotes in your house.

You wear (or need) glasses.

Your parents (or some other close relative) own a grocery store or restaurant.

You always have water when dining out.

You say aiya! and wah!.

You’re mum talks to you in Chinese and you reply in English.

It annoys you how shops close at

5pm in other countries and you expect them to be open.

You love little red envelopes.

You know at least three people named Chan Ka Chun

People don't believe that you live on the 28th floor.

Your parents still tried to get you into places half-price saying you were 12 when you were really 15.

You ask your parents help on one math problem and 2 hours later they're still lecturing.

You're in another country and you try to make a local call, but what? you have to pay for it!

You have a 40 lb. bag of rice in your kitchen.

You've had a bowl haircut at one time in your life.

Your parents compare you with their colleagues' nerdy kids.

You eat bak choy.       

You learned about the birds and the bees from someone other than your parents.

You have way more technology than your foreign friends.

All of your friends ask you to translate whenever they see Chinese characters.

The vast majority of the people related to you wear glasses/contacts.

Your parents have either made you play the piano, the violin, or both.

You get nothing if you do well in school, but crapped on if you don't.

You think Mcdonalds in other countries is expensive.

You get homesick when you watch Rush Hour 2.

Your dad still pulls his socks up to his knees.

Your family always cheers for the Asian athlete on TV.

The furniture in your house never matches the wallpaper, the carpet, the decorations, or any of the rest of the furniture.

You own a rice cooker.

People think that PK stands for Penalty Kick, but you know what it really means

Your friends ask you if Hong Kong is in Japan.

 

 

and lastly,

You know you're from Hong Kong when you're from the most awesome city in the world!

You know you're from Hong Kong when...(Part I)

 

You pretend (and tell people) that you know Mandarin because you can speak Cantonese.

You are an expert in mahjong. 

You have more than 30 cousins.

You confuse Welcome with Wellcome.

You have many credit cards.

You have more than two DVD players at home.

 

You started singing karaoke when you were five.

You wear famous brand clothes: DKNY, Versace, Chanel, Polo, etc. even though all your Polo shirts are from ladies’ market.

You always have the latest mobile phone.

You play badminton.

You drink vita soy.

You love to go yum cha.

Your friends ask you if Hong Kong is a country.

You know what it means when you call someone inch.

You eat instant noodles too often.

You've dyed your hair before.

You are studying engineering, business management or law.

You try to avoid pork chops. And i'm not talking about the food.

You ALWAYS buy real software and DVDs. ALWAYS.

Your Chinese handwriting really sucks.

You build a mountain of salad when you eat in Pizza Hut.

Your stationery has pictures of your favourite cartoon character.

Your foreign friends don't mess with you because they think you know kung fu.

You have a collection of model robots, built or yet to be built.

If someone buys something, you brag about how its cheaper in Hong Kong

.
When having dim sum, you rinse your dishes in hot water before you eat.

You buy $10 VCDs.

You ask, "when are you going back to Hong Kong?" instead of "when are you going to Hong Kong?".

You miss the drinks and snacks that you can only get in Hong Kong

You use tick tick pencils instead of regular pencils.

You've played all the computer games that have ever come out.

You show off your mobile phone that you got in Hong Kong "for cheap."

Your luggage is near empty when you arrive in HK, and it's full when you leave.

You expect to pay for transport in other countries with your Octopus card, only to be disappointed  

You have a PlayStation, Gamecube, Xbox and you will get the Xbox 360 soon.
You use Bak Fa Yao.  

When there is a sale on toilet paper, you buy 100 rolls and store them in your closet or in the bedroom of an adult child who has moved out.

You use Park 'N Shop bags as binliners.

You always leave your shoes at the door.

You can twirl your pen around your fingers.  

People ask you if there are trees in Hong Kong, and they don't believe you when you tell them that 76% of HK is green.   

You feel like you've gotten a good deal if you didn't pay tax.

You have a Walkman, Discman and Minidisk player that you don’t use anymore because you use an MP3 player

澳洲闖蕩之旅(六) - 浪蕩東岸篇Carins之Green Island飛行之旅

敗走TULLY
Peter屋企連電視都冇，收音機只播宗教節目。０係佢地屋企，冇咩娛樂。不過就有好多過期雜誌如<讀者文摘＞。開頭覺得好悶，但住憤左開始享受呢度簡簡單單冇乜壓力的生活。我的娛樂，就只有睇<讀者文摘＞，但我覺得幾寫意。


寫意還寫意，我地的財政狀況實在唔容許我地在peter"s farm再hea。原本來tully wwoof 係想在tully等工作，不過同好多tully的working hostel打聽過都話冇工。gorden又同我地講今年tully一帶天氣有d反常，好多farm 的香蕉產量比往年下跌五成。於是我地決定盡快完成東岸的旅程，飛到據聽聞工作機會較多的victoria。

手提電話隨想

友人把新買價值三千多的手機不慎丟在的士上，再用三千多買了一部同樣的手機。

對於友人的遭遇我萬分同情。畢竟七千幾蚊(三千幾 x 2)一部手機實在教人肉赤。友人的豪氣亦教我這視錢如命的人佩服。但我實在不明白為何友人要即日買一部同樣的手機。什麼時候我們的生活被電子用品支配了?手提電話，這個十幾年前冇人會想像得出的產品，現在已成為大多數人生活中不可或缺的一部份，冇左要即刻買; 電腦/上網，同樣是十幾年前冇人想得出會咁普遍的東西，如果壞左/用唔到，便教人憂心忡忡好幾天。電腦整唔番，我會訓唔著。

但十幾年前，當人人都冇手機冇電腦冇網上，我地還是生活得好好地?

其實諗深一層，冇手機冇電腦冇網上係唔使死的。但生活在香港的我們似乎已被這些東西支配，可以俾呢d死物主宰我地的情感。依賴電子用品，我們的物質滿足感得到提昇，但精神滿足感其實是在下降。有手機，還有多少人記得你的電話號碼? 有email，還有多少人會親筆寫信給你? 電子產品無疑為人類提供更多溝通渠道，但又同時拉遠人同人之間的距離。多了接觸，卻少了一份情，少了一份心意，少了份窩心的感覺。

*******************************************************

工作上被一些我控制不了的因素壓得我有點透不過氣。每日幾十個電話實在令人虛脫。十分期待我自己的雲南之旅，到香格里拉吸一口新鮮空氣。在香港虛渡假期實在有浪費青春的感覺。獨自遠行，係人生身必修的課題。

不知道在雲南迎接我的，將會是什麼人，什麼事?

澳洲闖蕩之旅(六) - 浪蕩東岸篇 3rd WWOOF @ Tully

到tully玩第三次wwoof，原意並唔係再想體驗什麼農場生活，而係想有免費食宿好讓我地等工時唔使花錢。


在tully巴士站甫見wwoof host peter，佢一身農夫打扮，件衫又咁多污跡，不禁為未來幾日在Peter's farm的工作擔心。

peter's farm離市集有30 mins車程，主要種有機香蕉，亦有少量熱情果同家禽。農場規模係咁多次wwoof 之中最大的，仲有full time worker幫手。管理peter's farm的主要係peter的女婿印度人gorden，peter兩公婆正處於半退休狀態。

澳洲闖蕩之旅(六) - 浪蕩東岸之Sailing @ Whitsundays

bunderberg搵工計劃失敗，tully的工作前景又未明朗，抱住患得患失的心情前往airlie beach玩埋packpage包的sailing tour。

澳洲闖蕩之旅(六) - Bunderberg沒有工開的日子 + 2nd WWOOF

完成fraser island之旅，我們的身家已冇左一半，係時間要賺錢。於是到backpackers打工勝地bunderberg碰運氣。

bunderberg working hostel多，不過來打工的backpackers都好多。來bunderberg之前曾經打電話到一間hostel問工作情況，佢地話有packing job的空缺，所以我們先來。但去到果間hostel，個reception同我地講依家bunderberg工作情況好淡，hostel有幾個女仔等緊工，叫我地先諗清楚。於是我同tak出去搵bunderberg其他hostel打聽。我地搵左四五間，間間都話依家冇乜工，可能遲d會有，不過唔sure幾時。一場來到，最後我地都係決定住番之前打電話問果間，俾左一個星期住宿，睇下一個星期會唔會有轉機。

澳洲闖蕩之旅(六) -浪蕩東岸之難忘FRASER ISLAND (II)

回到hostel，有各散東西的感覺，只有細佬問我地住邊間房。夜晚去廚房準備晚餐，德國ceo對我說welcome home, 又見大佬同irish couple在吹水，對我大叫"TIK! (因為tak 叫tak，佢地叫我做 tik) come and sit here!"一時間唔識應, 對他說:I'm not tik, my name is Ling! "便走了，回想起來有d寸。

澳洲闖蕩之旅(六) -浪蕩東岸之難忘FRASER ISLAND

完成NOSSA RIVER之旅，我們便前往RAINBOW BEACH展開FRASER ISLAND之行。

FRASER ISLAND是全世界最大的沙島，以美麗天然湖泊見稱。這次的FRASER ISLAND之行是半自助形式，團費包括了租用4WD車、營具及食物的費用。我們將與8個素未謀面的人合用一架4WD。

澳洲闖蕩之旅(六) - 浪蕩東岸之Canoeing @ Nossa River

澳洲東岸地大物博，旅遊勝地眾多，我同TAK都唔知點樣玩好。經其他BACKPACKER介紹，我地０係SURFER PARADISE買左個東岸遊PACKAGE，誤打誤撞之下，唔識游水的我竟然參加左個CANOEING TOUR划獨木舟！太瘋狂了！

０係BRISNBANE坐巴士去NOSSA，竟然撞番我０係EMERALD BACKPACKERS的朋友英國佬 Iwin，不過佢一直由悉尼坐車到BRINSBANE，打算再北上至BACKPACKER打工勝地BUNDERBURG打工，累得不能多談。

到了nossa，在HOSTEL休息了一晚便開始我們的旅程。tour的負責人來hostel pick我地，then join另外兩個團友到一碼頭坐水上的士到nossa river。

澳洲闖蕩之旅(六) - 浪蕩東岸篇 Brisbane+ Surfer Paradise

我們在聖誕節當日從TASMANIA飛到BRISBANE，機場保安都帶上聖誕帽，幾有趣。第一次住澳洲平價航空virgine blue，發現空中服務員男女都穿恤衫卡其褲，好smart。
由氣候乾旱清亮的tasmania飛到炎熱潮濕的 brisbane，好唔慣，但感覺好香港。

生日禮物

印象中自懂性以來，我都好似未收過一份真正稱心如意的生日禮物。

今年生日，我送俾自己一份可能係有生以來最好的生日禮物-來回麗江的機票，生日當日出發。

呢一個唔單止係一份生日禮物，仲係一個對自己0既考驗。因為今次係我第一次獨自遠行。

做人，如果有d野冇人陪就唔做，咁呢世人就有好多野都唔使做。

 

落葉歸根

近來睇左好多電視。<父子>令我失望及沉重; 台灣經典歌舞片、酒干淌賣無的<搭錯車>看得我熱淚盈眶; 王菲的<重慶森林>幾有趣; <藝妓浮生錄>書比電影好多了。最教人喜歡的，是笑中有淚的大陸電影<落葉歸根>。 

老趙是個五十多歲的農民，他南下到深圳打工，卻因為好友老劉死在工地上，決定展開回鄉安葬老劉之旅。老趙先把老劉偽裝成醉鬼，混上了長途車，卻不幸在途中遇上劫匪。老趙誓死保護老劉的補償金，贏得劫匪敬重之餘，還救了一車人的財物。但他因為暴露了屍體，結果反而給乘客趕了下車。

老趙在路上攔車，把老劉假裝成急救病人，並遇上好心人把他們送到醫院。晚上要住店，過了一夜才發現錢被偷了，老趙不禁悲從中來，但這未能動搖他的決心。要解決錢的問題，他把老劉裝成乞丐；要解決吃飯的問題，他到別人的葬禮哭喪；要掩蓋屍斑，他請髮廊妹為老劉化妝。

一路上，老趙遇到形形色色的人。家鄉在望之際，他遇上泥石流，只能靠意志力戰勝大自然。當老趙帶著老劉回到故鄉時，卻發現故鄉已變成水庫，村莊都埋在水底了。

像<落葉歸根>這種體栽的電影，香港實冇，所以感覺好新鮮。我覺得<落葉歸根>是一套很有中國的電影，令我想起高考文化科的一篇文章<情與中國文化>。趙因為工友的一句: "如果你喝死了，我背也背你回鄉下"而決心送工友的屍還鄉，體驗出中國人的「悌」。但同時巴士乘客趕老趙下車，又表達出中國人對陌生人欠缺同情心及"各家自掃門前雪"的自私心理。老趙收到偽炒保償金、吃野味被屈錢及最後驚見工友的鄉下已變成水庫等則同現在的大陸非常吻合。估唔到<落葉歸根>的製作人可以這樣用黑色幽默的方法暴露現代中國的弊端。

會考放榜

屈指一算，原來會考放榜已經係七年前的事。

當年的我，在無驚無險亦無喜的情況下平穩過度，會考放榜帶俾我的回憶並不深刻。直到今年，才深切體會會考放榜是什麼一回事，因為今年係我細妹重讀中五後的會考放榜。

我呢個阿妹...唔算蠢, 唔算懶，不過，0係溫室中長大的她似乎未經過什麼風雨，略嫌欠了些鬥心。可能就係呢一點鬥心，令佢得到了最尷尬的分數 : 十三分。

佢最初知道分數時尚算冷靜，還帶點興奮的告訴我佢中文oral竟然有5*，(註:我識佢咁耐都唔知佢講野原來係有文有路的。舊年英文oral有A，今年就中文ORAL 5*)。直到佢知道學校收左一個同樣係13分但主科成績唔夠佢好的學生讀中六，且沒有考慮收佢，佢就覺得好委屈，在電話旁哭不成聲。之前仲口硬話唔使我地陪佢，依家終於忍不住開聲想我地去陪佢。於是我同阿媽就走去學校搵佢。

去到學校，我地搵左佢其中一個班主任了解情況。阿妹果D升到中六的同學包括那怕醜的男朋友仔也在她身邊。那位班主任似乎話唔到事，著我們去找另一位班主任鍾SIR。於是一岡人等浩浩蕩蕩出發去找鍾SIR。鍾SIR坦言學校的中六學位已所餘無幾，而且考獲13分的人有十幾個。不過如果有人DROP，我細妹將會係第一/二個選擇。其時我地已打定輸數，諗住耐心等到第四階段再出擊搵學校。我也在盤算星期五是否需調更幫細妹搵學校。

放榜日番到公司，我個腦一片空白，滿腦子都是搵中六學位的事，不時上網CHECK剩餘學位及查一查那些學位較多的學校校風如何。估唔到我要到自己放榜七年後先深切體會考生的徬徨。雖然好多人都話會考只係人生一個小階段，但我相信對很多會考生而言，會考就是一切。

經歷過愁雲慘霧的一天，今日阿妹終於收到學校電話話仲有一個位，可以俾佢升中六。我都唔知應該用"好彩" 定 "唔好彩" 來形容佢。

經此一役，希望可激發阿妹的鬥心。畢竟會考同高考，可謂小毛見大毛。真正的挑戰，中六才開始。

 

澳洲闖蕩之旅(五) - 暢遊塔斯曼尼亞－東岸篇

完成了cradle mt 之旅，休息了一天，又再開始東岸團。今次呢個團有成廿人，絕大部份都係亞洲人，仲有一對香港姊妹，令人懷念之前CRADLE MT TOUR人少少多老外的日子，我亦失去了跟團友打交道的衝動。

第一日遊覽了小鎮ROSS 同bichelo．．．

澳洲闖蕩之旅(五) - 暢遊塔斯曼尼亞之勇闖Cradle Mt.(II)

第二朝一早，連同另一團人一齊出發攻頂。

Six Months In a Leaky Boat - Little Birdy

點樣去判斷自己真係鍾意一首歌呢?

對我而言，一首歌如果可以令我一聽鍾情，每次聽都要重覆好多次的話，就係鍾意一首歌。

好開心終於俾我搵到呢首"Six Months In a Leaky Boat"，真係好難搵，由澳洲番來到依家，就不斷去搵。

難搵係因為呢首歌係一首地道澳洲歌，而 Little Birdy的版本更加係一個翻唱版本，難上加難。

我只0係澳洲聽過呢首歌三次，第一次係0係emerald backpackers打工時無聊聽收音機聽到，第一句"when i was a young girl, i wanted sail around the world"已經好搶耳，我甚麼都沒有做，就這樣靜靜地聽著過這首歌。歌詞有大量澳洲俚語同地方名，我唔係聽得好明，但係首歌的確帶俾我好大0既震撼。可惜個節目冇交代首歌係咩歌。之後自己行cd鋪，咁岩間鋪就播住呢首歌，再翻閱cd店的免費音樂雜誌，先知道首歌係由perth rock band little birdy翻唱，收錄在一隻叫"She will have her way"－既雜錦翻唱唱片中，向澳洲兩位多產音樂人致敬。一直牢記住呢一首歌的資料，終於０係今日搵到，一口氣聽了五次，不其然想起第一次在emeral backpackers的床上聽到這首歌的情形。

下次去旅行，我一定要帶上這首歌。

When I was a young girl
I wanted to sail around the world
That’s the life for me, living on the sea
Spirit of a sailor, circumnavigates the globe
The lust of a pioneer, will acknowledge
No frontier
I remember you by, thunderclap in the sky
Lightning flash, tempers flare,
’round the horn if you dare
I just spent six months in a leaky boat
Lucky just to keep afloat

Aotearoa, rugged individual
Glisten like a pearl
At the bottom of the world
The tyranny of distance
Didn’t stop the cavalier
So why should it stop me
I’ll conquer and stay free
Ah c’mon all you lads
Let’s forget and forgive
There’s a world to explore
Tales to tell back on shore
I just spent six months in a leaky boat
Six months in a leaky boat

Ship-wrecked love can be cruel
Don’t be fooled by her kind
There’s a wind in my sails
Will protect and prevail
I just spent six months in a leaky boat
Nothing to it leaky boat.

澳洲闖蕩之旅(五) - 暢遊塔斯曼尼亞之勇闖Cradle Mt.

勇闖 cradle mountain

cradle mountain係tasmania最著明的山脈及景點之一。睇旅遊資料，覺得行cradle mountain的確係一件好有型0既事。由於tak想單車遊 tasmania，我又唔識踐單車，故離開wooff family之後，我同tak暫時分道揚鑣，各有各玩，直到0係tasmania最後一日先再見面。

澳洲闖蕩之旅(五) - WWOOF @ 塔斯曼利亞

wwoof @ tasmania

   

離開emerald backpackers，在澳洲足足打左差不多五個月工，終於儲夠盤川去玩了!

我地每人都儲左約四千蚊，不過冇概念去邊度好。直到0係melbourne一間travel agent，打聽到由melbourne到tsamania (塔斯曼利亞)的船飛做緊promo，只係$69，平左一半，於是就傻下傻去tasmania。