23 rules of lives

記住這23條，你至少成熟5歲

1、遇到不想回答的問題：直視對方的眼睛，微笑、沉默。

2、走路擡頭挺胸，心情不好時，不想跟人招呼，點頭微笑，逕直走過

3、請記得：好朋友的定義是，你混的好，他打心眼裡為你開心，你混的不好，他由衷的為你著急。

4、做自己的決定，然後準備好承擔後果。從一開始就提醒自己，世上沒有後悔藥吃，而我永遠有個B計劃。

5、自己分內的事情，努力做到一百分。

6、接受自己不過是個「小小的我」，但眼裡要能夠悅納「大大的世界」。

7、如果你真的喜歡一個人，就給他自由。如果他能回到你身邊，他就是你的，如果他沒有回來，那他也永遠不屬於你。

8、不要試圖給自己找任何借口，錯誤面前沒人愛聽那些借口。

9、不要隨意發脾氣，誰都不欠你的。

10、不說謊話，因為總有被拆穿的一天。

11、別低估任何人。

12、你沒那麼多觀眾，別那麼累。

13、過去的事情可以不忘記，但一定要放下。

14、別人說的記在腦袋裡，而自己的，則放在心裡。

15、社會是有等級的，很多事不公平，別抱怨，因為沒有用。

16、你永遠沒有你自己想像中那麼重要。

17、錢能解決的問題統統不叫問題。

18、無論何時說「我愛你」，請真心實意，無論何時說「對不起」，請看著對方的眼睛。

19、永遠不要以貌取人，慢慢地說，但要迅速地想。

20、找點時間，單獨呆會兒。

21、不是自己的東西不要，就是再喜歡也不行，要懂得放棄。

22、不要覺得是生活虧欠了你，其實是我做的努力不夠。

23、努力向前，再努力向前，再努力一下下，願望就會實現！

After Li Na and Liu Xiang, how about sports players in HK?

Li Na, the first Asian female player, dethrones Francesca Schiavone at the French Open 2011. While I was watching the highlights of the final, I amazed at the strength, confidence and determination both players, respectively at the age of 29 and 30, exhibited during the play. The smooth and witty movement of Li in the game is definitely amazing and marvelous, while Schiavone had a strong come back during the second set of the play. A great match, I would say, watching how both players fought back with different tactics on the clay.

Just read a piece of their interviews before the play, Li said, 'You have to use your head, every day. Every player is different but for sure on the clay you can't use just the power. It's a mix of everything. You have to be good physically, mentally and tactically. You can't play just power because you have always the time to defend and to counterattack. It's a good mix to keep going, to use the mind, the heart, the body, everything that you are.'

I would call it a breakthrough of Li Na's championship in Chinese sports development within the white-dominated tennis playing. In these recent years, it is not hard to observe there are some real good Chinese sports players gaining acclaimed results in international competitions. Li Na is the one, also Liu Xiang.

These encouraging results only draw me back to one question, 'how about Hong Kong's sports development?' There was once a heated discussion and passion on the outstanding performance in the East Asian Games 2009 against Japan. Subsequently, the government claimed to support the non-mainstream local sports development. After a year and a half, what is the progress? Yes, the government promised to invest ten million dollars in promoting football and building sports facilities.

Wait. Is money all we need in promoting sports development, that just mere promotion and construction can help to foster sports? It takes good coaching, time and culture to truly push forward sports development in Hong Kong. Back to the education system, while everyone is stressing on academics, who else cares about the sports development? Even young kids are digging their heads in books. Fencing? Footballs? Basketballs? It's not just about the players, but the culture and atmosphere around that matter in nurturing the development. Besides, what about the protection of retired football players? It is not uncommon to see many retired game players are not financially supported after their sports career. Recently, a football player even committed suicide few years after his sports playing because of financial problems. Simply, sports players are not well supported or financed. In face of the limited prospects, the sports development will only be confined in a deadlock, no matter how much you spent on it without changing the whole system.

After Li Na and Liu Xiang, perhaps Hong Kong could aim herself higher and ask the question, 'how can we truly facilitate sports and culture in Hong Kong?'

After 22 years, we still hold our head high.

4 June, 1989

'A day that we do not want to remember but dare not to forget.'

22 years ago, a group of students and workers marched to Beijing demanding free media and dialogue between authorities and student representatives. A declaration demanded the government to accelerate the political reform. After a series of hunger strike and protests, the government sent the army and tanks to block the entry of the students. Thousands were killed.

In these 22 years, people have been crying out for justice to be done in this massacre. Government officials, as expected, denied the killing and claimed only few deaths. For all those years, the Chinese government is working her way to strengthen the country's economy, so that people will put the political concern aside. 'I understand the feelings of the Hong Kong people towards June 4 Incident. But it happened many years ago. Between now and then, our country has made impressive achievements in all areas of development, which have also brought economic prosperity to Hong Kong,' said Mr. Donald Tsang, the Chief Executive of the HKSAR government.

Yet, no matter how hard you are trying to suppress one thing, it will come back. Memories, photographs, documents and passages, they tell us the history, the past and the calls for justice.

The June Forth Incident is not simply just an incident. It is an significant indication of the first large-scale democratic movement in China, a symbol of people's fight against the government and sadly, a witness of the government's cruelty over the people.

We are coming a long and hard way to demand dissident to be released from prisons and suppressions. China, are you listening?

Tuesdays with Morrie

Yea, i know i know, 'Tuesdays with Morrie' has been out for several years. But I picked this book again after reading it for few times. And surprisingly, I learnt something new each time.

The book hits me with several great lines from Morrie, which are worth sharing.

'Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bounded to do something else.'

This line pulls me into some thoughts about life. There are different struggles in lives, right? We have to make our choices in working on one stuff, while to choose something to let go. Life is never perfect, one has to give up certain options to make something complete. We are struggling, we are living in middle of the stretched rubber band. This is what everyone has been undergoing, so no complaints but to accept and move on.

'Love wins. Love always wins'

Growing up as an adult, the word 'love' means more and more to me. It does not only refer to romance but the tightened bound within family, friends and teachers. If we love, we would be considerate, forgiving, know how to treasure and be grateful for everything around. Love would defeat hatred, jealousy, aggression and selfishness. Love rules, love always wins. It does.

'We...need to forgive ourselves...for all the things we didn't do. All the things we should have done. You can't get stuck on the regrets of what should have happened.'

This line impresses me most while reading. Sometimes, I would have drown myself in a pool of negative thinking-back process. 'Hey, what if I work better to let my father to change his views on me?' 'Wait, would my life change better if I have social with that particular group of friend?' Regrets. Thinking back. Guess what? Life is passing every minute while we do such kind of unnecessary thoughts. Before i have tried to ignore or not thinking these questions. But reading this line from Morrie made me realize that, we have to face these regrets, yet not to feel sorry for them. We have to forgive ourselves to move on with a better life.

'Don't cling to things, because everything is impermanent.'

It says it all. Do not cling to materialistic things because money would have gone. To live is to live up the spirit of lives, to splendor in a way of giving out love and kindness.

'Death ends a life, not a relationship.'

It is meaningless to not willing to let go of a person physically, but not spiritually. Keep your love, respect and appreciation in your heart of the deceased. It might be a foolish saying, but I always believe they know our love, no matter where they are. I thought of a line from Mr. Szeto Wah, a political activitist of pan-democratic party who passed away few months before, said that 'If you have a beloved one in heart, and the one has loved you so deeply, that kind of affection will be kept in heart even if they are separated by death.' Death only ends one's life, not the bound between.

Too many quotes worth mentioning. Still, the above gives me a lot of good moments of pause to think, and to reflect.

If you feel despaired one day, face a blow of life challenges or need something to inspire with, grab the book and it will enlighten you.

The Terminal - Life is waiting and perhaps more...

Thinking of Steven Spielberg, I come up with few big movie names like the Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, E.T. and the list goes on and on. However, I would have recommended the more delightful, lighter-scale comedy by this terrific director - The Terminal (2004).

The Terminal has a very interesting opening, when Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) is not allowed to access to the United States due to a revolution in his country, Krakozhia. Losing his citizenship, Navorski is trapped in the JFK international airport for nine months waiting for the end of the war, so that he gains the right to step on the land of the United States. In a strange environment, Viktor however makes his way to become the master of a new environment. Later, he meets his love - Amelia (Catherine Zeta Jones). One day, he explains to Amelia the reason coming to New York is to collect an autograph of a jazz player. His father is a jazz enthusiast and he wants to get an autograph of 57 jazz musicians. Unfortunately, he died before collecting the last autograph of the jazz player, and Viktor comes to fulfill his father's wish.

Apart from Steven Spielberg for the wonderful plot, another great credit goes to Tom Hanks for his amazing performance in The Terminal. Playing as a non-English-speaker from the fictional Eastern European country of Krakozhia, Hanks plays with the accent very well and looks pretty heavy in his ill-fitting suit. He enlightens the role of a very honest, humble and virtuous man, which also makes Viktor so likable and popular later.

The essential appeal in The Terminal is perhaps the theme of waiting. 'What are you waiting for?' the question is frequently asked. Some wait for the delayed flight. Some work for tedious job just to hold the retirement fund. Others wait for true love to grow in the place where it won't. Viktor waits for the chance to step on the land of the New York City, Amelia waits for her man to change his heart. People come and go. The airport is the perfect setting to throw us the question, what is life waiting for? We wait the destiny for the right person, right timing and right decision. We are waiting for the uncertainty. It might be a beauty, or bitterness. Who knows?

Yet, Viktor tells us that apart from waiting, perhaps we can do something more about it. He sets himself a nice bed, stays in the bookstore everyday for learning English and even earns money by helping people to return the luggage carts. In one scene, he even helps a desperate Russian man with undocumented drug for the latter's dying father, by claiming it is 'medicine for goat'. Steven Spielberg adds in all these tiny details to tell us that aside waiting for what you want, we can create more beauty out from lives.

Life is waiting, and perhaps it worths more when you shed light and color during the process.

遺憾

向來很喜歡幾米的作品

一幅小小的畫，包含許多意義

某天，她遇見了他

彼此會心微笑，但誰也沒有做主動

或許是天意，也是緣份

還未是時候。

之後，誰也沒看過誰。

他向左走，她向右走

命運讓他們遇見的一刻，原來是美麗但短暫。

他們住在同一棟大廈，同一間公司工作，

但陽光把他們的背影拉得愈來愈遠，

她盼望，他等待。

在那冰冷的地鐵，

他們看著同一個天空，同一個月亮，

只是他們在不同的車箱內。

她低下頭，

他沈默，

時間在那無聲中流逝。

這麼近，又那麼遠。

命運把他們拉近，

卻沒有給他們對的時間。

對的人，但在錯的時間相遇，只有可惜。

錯的人，但在對的時間相遇，只有唏噓。

錯的人，在錯的時間相遇，只有感嘆。

人生總帶點遺憾才更美麗，對嗎？

'O Captain! My Captain!'

Just watched a 1980s movie, 'Dead Poets Society', and it brought me different thoughts and emotions after watching. It talks about how an English professor John Keating (Robin Williams) inspires his students to learn and love studying poetry, but more importantly, to live up a fulfilling life.

Keating told his students to call him 'O Captain! My Captain' if they were daring enough. The name comes from an old poem after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. He breaks the rule of tradition in teaching and tries to deliberate students' mind from old poems. He made it but unfortunately, being dismissed for a miserable tragedy of a student killing himself. There are different favorite scenes to me. For example, Keating taught his boys a lesson on a line 'Carpe Diem', meaning to seize the day and to do whatever we want. Or another scene when he told his students to rip out the page of an introductory of 'Measuring poetry', which is a stupid description of quantifying what is a good poetry. A good teacher is simply not teaching what is on the page, but what is going outside the classroom.

And my most favorite line comes from the scene (shown in the picture above) when he stood on the table and told the kids: 'I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way.' It corresponds to the last scene when the students revolted against the teacher and stood up as the same way to tell Keating, who was dismissed and leaving the classroom, that they understand this philosophy of life. What a wonderful arrangement by the director. And the line reminds me that we have to allow more perspectives on a thing, which might well be forgotten when days come and go in the same pattern.

Last but not the least, a quote from the movie for some good thoughts:
'We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?" Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be? '

It is your luck if you met a wonderful and inspiring teacher as John Keating. You might not agree with him/her, you might have a hard time to change and learn. But he/she just enlightens you, or even inspires you to go for your dream.

What is love?

"4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (1 Corinthians 13)

Have been thinking over the same question over these few nights, 'what is love?' And I found my answer in the Bible. A very classic line, but it is always true. Love is patience, kindness, and not self-seeking. Love is without reservation. Love with your whole heart. Do not ask for return.

Have been trying to let go of someone these days, and I kept myself in a deadlock of not letting him go away from my mind. Everyday morning when I woke up, I would think, 'Why he did this to me?'. It is not love, but a feeling of unwilling to be the loser in this love battle. After reading this line, I know that it is not worthwhile to try keeping one to myself, while he does not even consider your feeling. Love is neither selfishness nor about boasting.

We were in sorrow and we have tried to escape. Then, we learn to let go. And begin a new chapter.

The New York Times - 14 actors acting on classic screen types

Fourteen actors, including James Franco, Matt Damon, Anthony Mackie and Michael Douglas, come together to capture the classic screen types in nytimes.com

Very striking performance and music, interesting expression. Especially Michael Douglas, very fierce expression in eyes, and powerful gesture. As well as Tilda Swinton in a stunning performance of tears, emotions and pain on her face.

Too much stories in these short clip videos. Enjoy.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/12/12/magazine/14actors.html#index

Spaghetti Head

Walking pass a spaghetti restaurant today, I found out an interesting poster: 'Pasta Mania: With our delicious flavors in 3 sizes, you'll never have to cry for more'. Then I turned to look at the baby's face, and kinda laughed off. Since when a baby model has to put the spaghetti on his little head for the sake of commercial? Later I tried to google 'spaghetti baby', and there are more about it.

www.visualphotos.com

http://www.fugly.com/media/view.php?cat=IMAGES&id=17418&comments=on

Different facial expressions, but I bet they share the same question, 'Why are you guys doing this on me?'

A Delightful Surprise - Sara Bareilles

Leaving this blog for a year and more, I decided to pick it up and had fun polishing it.

Today I have been digging my head in the computer to insert the lyrics back to my iPod through iTune, and at the same time, blaming myself for not doing it before. And I found 'Between The Lines' (2007) by Sara Bareilles on Youtube, and immediately captured by her raw power in the vocals, beautifully-written lyrics and melody. It is a song about a couple who loses each other. She knows what is going on before he tells her him in love with someone. Struggling between the line of leaving or staying for the girl, the song is very sad and Sara Bareilles just sang it perfectly. While listening, bitterness came to my throat, and perhaps felt even bitter when I read the lyrics more carefully.

Apart from 'Between The Lines', Sara Bareilles has a lot more good songs, like the recent hit 'King of Anything', 'Uncharted', 'Breathe Again' and so on. In this boring day of copying lyrics and pasting them back to my iTune, it is definitely a delightful surprise to come across to know this American singer, and her wonderful songs. More beautiful songs accompany me for the long night.

Since the video size is too large to upload, direct link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIDFWmv1oU8

Time to tell me the truth
To burden your mouth for what you say
No pieces of paper in the way
Cause i cant continue pretending to choose
These opposite sides on which we fall
The loving you laters if at all
No right minds could wrong be this many times

My memory is cruel
Im queen of attention to details
Defending intentions if he fails
Until now, he told me her name
It sounded familiar in a way
I could have sworn i'd heard him say it ten thousand times
If only i had been listening

Leave unsaid unspoken
Eyes wide shut unopened
You and me
Always between the lines
Between the lines

I thought i thought i was ready to bleed
That we'd move from the shadows on the wall
And stand in the center of it all
Too late two choices to stay or to leave
Mine was so easy to uncover
He'd already left with the other
So i've learned to listen through silence

Leave unsaid unspoken
Eyes wide shut unopened
You and me be
You and me always be

I tell myself all the words he surely meant to say
I'll talk until the conversation doesn't stay on
Wait for me i'm almost ready
When he meant let go

Leave unsaid unspoken
Eyes wide shut unopened
You and me
Always be
You and me
Always between the lines

Lyrics source: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/sarabareilles/betweenthelines.html