side B

新光戲院

2009-09-19T01:13:00.018+08:00

潘迪華姐姐今次 My Dream My Way My Indie Music音樂會在北角新光戲院舉行.

從未去過的我初初對新光戲院的印象帶點暗淡和過時的感覺.可能孩子時,常常去一間在灣仔海塝同名的新光酒樓,對它的印象不太好,因為地方又吵,人又迫,等位時要站在人家桌後,看着他們一粒粒蝦餃,燒賣放進口裏,自己沒得吃的感覺絕對影響了我對'新光'這個商標的看法.

不過,到達時,一切改觀了.在對面馬路看過去的巨型廣告牌是多麽經典呀.售票處傍邊有個小賣部,賣小吃的,也像沒比時間洗禮過似的.走進戲院裏才叫我驚嘆.它比我平常去的大數倍,至少也能容納過千人吧.舞臺上那優雅的紅色布幕絕對是整個戲院的精髓.給我即時的聯想是: 現時戲院也應該是這樣吧.當然,在現今低迷的經濟下,迷你影院才是生存之道.但可想像二三十年前全盛時,當大明星如芳芳姐,寶珠姐的戲上影時,這裏可是多麼時髦和熱鬧.

現時的新光戲院主要提供場地給粵劇或其它藝術團體作表現之用.希望這個難得的文化建築,不會受到商業決定所影響,繼續為廣大觀眾提供無盡的藝術享受.有幸,我曾到此一趟,它像時光機般令我感受到它那惜日的盛況.有機會你也去感受一吓吧.

可愛

2009-04-11T17:11:00.012+08:00

好東西,通常不長久.長久的,又覺得它好不了那裏.常常互相矛盾.最終結束了,說不定是另一邊的開始.好事或壞事,實在難說.最重要的,是有沒有在那過程中,享受過.幸好的話,更學習到些什麼.放進自已袋裏,其它人是拿不走的.之後,再去期待下一個新開始吧了.

過往一年,那個結束了的電影郵寄服務給了我一晚又一晚的驚奇.當然,拙劣的,醜怪的也看不少.還記得看完一套精釆的,都是笑着去睡,隔天記不記得是另一回事.

經濟不景氣,公司支持不住,在所難免.不過香港有個怪現象,就是容易善忘.過一段時間,經濟好轉,沒有人記得什麼金融海嘯,火山爆發.$33的谷底匯豐,也只當一眾出來吹水的懷舊笑話.集體回憶嗎,香港人最喜歡了.賺錢時,那會有空去想些無聊事.到時數十個starmetro也到處可見,香港就是那麽可愛.

偶然在H的網誌看到,低死嗎? 誰說香港不可愛...

Good things never last...

2009-03-02T00:30:00.019+08:00

my beloved online movie rental site www.starmetro.hk announced its retirement last month. i was shocked when i opened that email... it was like my 'something very important' was taken away, without me doing anything bad. well, looking at the bright side, at least i had a good full year of enjoying various films filled with laughters, romance, and drama.

at the very beginning, i was confidence to optimize my viewing experience to the max... probably planned to watch minimum 15-20 per month. this figure did last for maybe a month and my regular numbers dropped back to more like 10-12 a month, which is not bad. during this short, yet meaningful relationship with Starmetro, i had watched the good, the bad, & certainy some ugly ones.

it maybe a good pause for now since my exams are coming up in May. now that i so get used to rent movies online, there's definitely no going back to store rentals and my next goal for sure is to look for another 'starmetro-alike' which hopefully will not die on me again.

R.I.P.

Smap x Smap x 10 yrs

2009-02-28T01:36:00.021+08:00

1999

2009

這樣就十年了,時間沒有停留過.10年後怎樣看這張smap相,反應也沒變,一樣嘴O了.

大嘅很容易再渡過另一个10年吧.

四字頭,或許已步入"家庭式"生活,整天就是拼命工作,回家數小時和家人短短相聚,原本孩子興奮地拿來於三年級英文測驗考到的好成績時,爸爸飯也沒吃完,已呼呼的睡在卓上.時間過得太快,沒有好好的見證孩子成長.說時遲,那時快,他已留學外國,一年才回港一次,當然主要是和朋友共渡聖誕,探望家人才是其次.香港七百多萬人,多少家庭是如此呢?!

夢遊完,說回現在,想象力多豐富也沒用,只說不做,老了只會遺憾這樣,後悔那樣.像前輩蔡瀾先生常說(我單方面當作他是前輩),做的話,五十成功機會,不做的就是零,非常應用.

年宵 2009

2009-01-27T11:09:00.018+08:00

回流之後,從未在香港行年宵,主要原因跟你一樣,是怕迫.那種嗅住前面那個總是沒有洗頭髲的行街方式可不是每個人的喜好.遺憾地,人潮是一般人不能避免.

數月前,我在深水埗電腦節已親身經歷過那種面貼面的擠擁塲面.明明是沒什麼特別想買,可能只是想八吓一條 8 GB 手指可以賤價到什麼程度,結果好象是$49也沒有心情去買,實在太迫.跟友人Andy討論過,意見一致,只有苦笑! 唉...有點像美女站在面前也沒有反應的痛苦感覺.

今年年三十晚,一行數人去了全港最大的維園花市.跟想象一樣,人多得不得了,但秩序良好,即時感受到新年的熱鬧氣氛.當然也只有在那樣氣氛下,我誤推誤撞的買了一隻傻公仔和一束桃花,非常應節.

說回年宵,今年主動Sell自己去的暗地因由其實是想多重視香港.找些機會去欣賞她.說了很土氣但原因正是如此.迫的恐懼消失了,可說是越迫越精神.下次的龍舟節,我即到.國慶煙花,我來霸位...如果去的話.

Big Feb!

2009-01-17T23:37:00.014+08:00

February's biggest day for most couples will probably be the most overwhelming Valentine. guys become desperate to look for those perfect over-priced restaurants to impress the ladies. for lower budget plans, 翡華 's $59 sizzling 雜排餐 offers you quick get-away in case you are horny...i mean hurry for something else...

Certainly it is not the case for me. i definitely need the Chinese new year to rest myself & prepare for the fully scheduled February. Six straight nights of 4hrs classes are going to drive me crazy. not to mention the two weekends of 6hrs classes as well. who the hell schedule the timetable for us. really, what's the hurry...

on the flip side, two of my good friends, Allen & Ben are getting married, separately.

aren't they cute or what....
Big day for Allen is on Feb 06 and Bigben's on Feb 21.
i'll be one of their 兄弟s, Ben & Allen, don't worry, i'll try my best to get your wives for just....
$9.99, r u out of your mind....!!!

Movie Picks of 2008

2009-01-10T12:49:00.025+08:00

Ensemble, c'est tout

Camille works evenings as an office cleaning woman, makes graceful drawings in her free time. Philibert is a young, aristocratic history buff. Timid, emotional and solitary, he occupies a spacious apartment owned by his family. Franck is a cook, both virile and tender, who has an undying love for his grandmother, a fragile and funny elderly lady named Paulette.
Together, they learn to ease their doubts and sorrows. Together, they move forward toward making their dreams...

The Royal Tenenbaums

Three grown prodigies, all with a unique genius of some kind, and their mother are staying at the family household. Their father, Royal had left them long ago, and comes back to make things right with his family.

Once

ONCE is the inspirational tale of two kindred spirits who find each other on the bustling streets of Dublin. One is a street musician who lacks the confidence to perform his own songs. The other is a young mother trying to find her way in a strange new town. As their lives intertwine, they discover each other's talents and push one another to realize what each had only dreamt about before. ONCE is their inspiring story.

The Bucket List

A long time ago, Carter Chambers' (Morgan Freeman) freshman year philosophy professor suggested that his students compose a "bucket list," a collection of all the things they wanted to do, see and experience in life before they kicked the bucket.
But while Carter was still trying to define his private dreams and plans, reality intruded. Marriage, children, myriad responsibilities and, ultimately, a 46-year job as an auto mechanic gradually turned his concept of a bucket list into little more than a bittersweet memory of lost opportunities and a mental exercise he occasionally thought about to pass the time while working under the hood of a car...

Stranger than Fiction

Will Ferrell stars as Harold Crick, a lonely IRS agent whose mundane existence is transformed when he hears a mysterious voice narrating his life. With the help of Professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman), Harold discovers he's the main character in a novel-in-progress and that the voice belongs to Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson), an eccentric author famous for killing her main characters in creative ways. Harold must quickly track down Eiffel and stop her before she conjures up a way to finish him off.

American Gangster

In the early '70s, police corruption was rampant in New York City. The Vietnam War was taking a devastating toll overseas and at home. Soldiers were brought back to the U.S. either in body bags or addicted to an imported opiate called heroin-which they shared with curious experimenters who became instantly hooked. With the assistance of law enforcement, the mafia operated with relative impunity in this noncompetitive market, selling thousands of kilos of smack to addicts hungry for their product. A privileged and untouchable class of white men paid hundreds of millions to New York's judges, lawyers and cops to keep quiet about this mutually beneficial relationship. La Cosa Nostra and their underlings were unbeatable. Until a black entrepreneur named Frank Lucas (Washington) took over the game.

Wall Street

In this riveting behind-the-scenes look at big business in the 1980's, an ambitious young broker (CHARLIE SHEEN) is lured into the illegal, lucrative world of corporate espionage when he is seduced by the power, status and financial wizardry of Wall Street legend Gordon Gekko (MICHAEL DOUGLAS in his Oscar - winning performance, Best Actor 1987). But he soon discoversthat the pursuit of overnight riches comes at a price that's too high to pay. DARYL HANNAH and MARTIN SHEEN co-star in Oliver Stone's gripping morality tale about the American dream gone wrong.

Gridiron Gang

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson stars in this gritty and inspirational movie based on a true story of group of teenage delinquents given a second chance to redeem themselves by playing football. Sean Porter (Johnson) is a frustrated juvenile probation officer. Most of the kids in his detention camp are either sent back to prison once they leave or meet a violet end when they return to the streets. Desperately looking for a way to make a difference, he and his co-worker Malcolm Moore (Xzibit, TV's Pimp My Ride) devise a plan to teach discipline and responsibility through the game of football. But with only four weeks before the start of the season, Porter must overcome insurmountable odds to put together a competitive team. It's a season that will test their minds, spirit, and bodies as Porter teaches his players the principles of good character, strength through resiliency, and genuine respect for one another.

Into the Wild

Based on a true story. After graduating from Emory University in 1992, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandoned his possessions, gave his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters who shape his life.

Wanted

25-year-old Wes was the most disaffected, cube-dwelling drone the planet had ever known. Until he met a woman named Fox. After his estranged father is murdered, the deadly sexy Fox recruits Wes into the Fraternity, a secret society that trains Wes to avenge his dad's death by unlocking his dormant powers. With wickedly brilliant tutors - including the Fraternity's enigmatic leader, Sloan - Wes grows to enjoy all the strength he ever wanted. But, slowly, he begins to realize there is more to his dangerous associates than meets the eye. And as he wavers between newfound heroism and vengeance, Wes will come to learn what no one could ever teach him: he alone controls his destiny.

The Mexican

Jerry Welbach is given two ultimatums. His mob boss wants him to travel to Mexico to get a priceless antique pistol called "The Mexican" or he will suffer the consequences. The other ultimatum comes from his girlfriend Samantha, who wants him to end his association with the mob. Jerry figures that being alive, although in trouble with his girlfriend is the better alternative so he heads south of the border. Finding the pistol is easy but getting it home is a whole other matter. The pistol supposedly carries a curse - a curse Jerry is given every reason to believe, especially when Samantha is held hostage by the gay hit man Leroy to ensure the safe return of the pistol.

Honourable Mention

The Girl Next Door

I don't know what makes me watch this several times....
Maybe the fact that this is yet another narrative moive and Emile Hirsch reminds me of "The Wonder Years".

movie descriptions referenced from Starmetro.hk

After 7 christmas, the lineup is still there...

2008-12-31T17:53:00.032+08:00

Getting a box of this AJs was probably one of my bigger Christmas highlights this year. on Dec 27th, the long & anticipated Air Jordan Countdown Pack(CDP) was finally out. every die-hard Jordan fan is desperated to get one and every mouth-watering reseller already have their new markup price tags ready. I have been wondering about this pack since the beginning of the year.... just how can I possibly break thru the crowd & sneak one to my closet...hmmm.....

my story began on a chilled saturday afternoon where i got stoodup by my friend on a lunch date. i called up my buddy cousin who had absolutely nothing to do to join me witnessing the journey. knowing Nike is going to lottery it between 8-9pm at only two locations, i got to MK WanKee at around 8:15pm and the lineup was just crazzzzzzz. it went around few corners and my rough estimation that there were at least few hundred dudes: some real users, some c9, some 潮童, & of course many more 水貨佬. lining-up to get a ticket wasn't so bad and i actually thought it was quite organized.
at 9:45pm, we finally got our Tickets, not the Shoes, just the Tickets. I got mine '215' and cousin got his '216' ticket. the Nike dude told us to come back 10:30pm for the actual lottery... YUP, the line-up was just the first part.
timing was awkward coz there wasn't much time for a sit-down dinner. so, just went for some quick snacks & came back around 10:10pm. at this point, i was tired & exhausted and felt pretty much done with MK but u know, have to suck it up...

typical MK Crowded......like HELL

don't know why we can stand right at the front...

it was just 20mins before they open again for the real deal. before coming here, i was actually not expecting anything. in case i couldn't get the shoes here, i am sure i could get it somewhere else, probably with a little premium... but for some reason, the excitement started to grow.

Gate finally opened. we went in along with maybe 80 other people to a small, airless & dark nike store. don't forget the hundreds gathering outside the street as well. my thought: when lottery started, they call out 1st number 215, and 2nd number 216 and i can call the mothership home, nice. of course, lottery didnt' start until another 20mins. just a little statistics, i heard there were less than 100 pairs serving over 300+ hungry fans, only 10-15 pairs per size.

I am not going details on the draw.... just disappointed that both our numbers didn't get called when three quarter of the shoes were already taken. what the hell am i doing staring at the front person's back hair for one whole hour? the nike staff aside were talking shit to me, 'dont worry, u will get it for sure...' it was 11 something and i wanted to leave so bad....
AND out of nowhere, they call out 216.... at first, we both didn't react at all until the same nike staff woke us up.... man, still couldn't believe it. i think i took the 3rd last pair of size 9. we were then asked to go to the front & get the shoes. i told cousin it feels good to wait around cashier while other 'not so fortunate' are stilll hoping for miracles.

i think my real joy didn't reach me until i got home & opened up the box thinking & enjoying the 3 hell hours we went thru that night. cousin kept telling me it was quite an experience, waiting in line for a pair of jordans in HK. memory came back to both of us that 7yrs ago, during that same christmas time, we were also doing the same stupid thing at Metrotown, waiting for that precious pair of AJ 11 white/black retro. at that time, we swore we will never ever line up for shoes again.
man, time flied.

Cousin's lucky 216

really classic...

not bad either...

One happy family...

Same shit happening at the other nike store at TST but even worst. heard there were over 500 people...

They always eat the cabin boy...

2008-12-26T00:40:00.030+08:00

These 4 cases are examples of 'Murder' excuses. although they all satistified the 2 core requirments of homicide: intention to kill + the actual killing itself, only one case is considered guilty as charged. does 'Necessity' justify a lawful legit excuse to murder?

Case 1

This happened over 120yrs ago. a shipping yacht had experienced a thunder storm in the middle of no where and crew members had to abondon the vessel onto the lifeboat for survivals. only 4 did make it: the captain, c0-captain, a cabin boy & someone else (notes didn't say). yet , they only brought minimal food and no fresh water with them. over the next 10days or so, everything was consumed and the poor dudes did not manage to catch anything in the sea. seems like every dying seconds, captain made a suggestion to have the weakest killed & served his 'fresh' as food. if u are going to die anyway, why not in a meaningful way, the captian thought. to make the story short, they killed the weak cabin boy who had no way to defend and the 3 fed on his body in the next 4 days, and finally got picked up by a pass-by fishing ship. are they murderers or explainable legal kills?

Case 2

In 2000, a twin babies were born with an unfortunate conjoined body. doctor & parents had to make an important decision whether to seperate them or not. without the proper surgical operation, both will die 100%. certainly if we were to proceed the operation, the weaker twin will die in saving the life of the stronger one. the doctor in this case seems to perform a lawful kill, or is it? why nor a murder case though? of course, the operation was performed and stronger twin survived. the sacrificed twin was weak but it doesn't mean he won't survive over the stronger one. who is to judge here?

Case 3

2 experienced hikers/mountaineers were once again challenging some 'tops of the world'. in the safety preparation, they linked up together with rope so that one can help out the other in case of accident. on a steeper climb, u know, shit happened. the lower climber accidentally fell, and with his rope attached to the upper guy, here's the dilema: top climber could only: cut the rope or not cut the rope. he knew he cannnot possibly pull the other guy up all by himself. if he is to hang-on, he may be dragged to dealth. eventually, he did cut the rope and witness his companion's death. murder or legal kill, you decide?!

Case 4

This is a hypothetical case, as we all know the facts of 911. if US government were to find out the terrorist's plan a little earlier and did have some time to react to the attack, what would they do? one quick thought would be shooting down the plane before it hitted world trade centre, and let's say US milliary were determined enough to launch a bomber to shoot it down, all the passengers in the plane would have no chance of survivals. on proportion wise, casualties were greatly reduced but was it morally fair? why lesser of the two evils? how do u justify who to sacrificy?

Upon all four cases, we were to ask ourselves, when it comes to 'Necessity to Kill', who is to judge?

Let's do some Christmas Carol too...

2008-12-23T23:53:00.006+08:00

It's that time of the year where u hear Christmas Jingles just everywhere. the idea of doing one on our own came up from nowhere and as long as andy's in, we r half way there. i can edit it so that we dont look that stupid.....nice!

chk out Sheed & his gang

Sheed's so funny.

check out another one from the Rockets...

cousin, i think u will play Mutombo good.

It happens once a year... again

2008-12-18T14:06:00.001+08:00

Yes, our annual event is coming soon again...

Every year some time in december or so, our 6th sense just comes together thinking what the hell r we doing for christmas.
Problem quickly solved depnding on our financial situations.
This year, I proudly present....

The Tsunami Pack Christmas Party 2008

as Ben has posted on fb, Dec 26 my place...
no 300 bucks turkey, $68 soya sause chicken uncut will do just fine. along with fry rice & chicken chow mein, who said christmas dinner has to be expensive, as long as it's not cheaply presented, no worries. food maybe just 'B' graded but we guarantee to make it up in the rest of the evening...
u know what i mean la.

remember what we did in 2006...

part 1

part 2