装饰

每一天上班的早上６点半左右，我都会经过沙田的新城市广场。因为健身房就在广场的三楼，而且到公司的小巴站也要经过这一个广场。不知不觉也经过这一个广场有四个月多了！也经历了广场内不同各式各样的装饰，有圣诞节的Ｓｎｏｏｐｙ，也有万圣节的黑暗，等等。这一次我想是为了将致的农历新年。在这一个冷冷的，暗暗的，异常静静的广场里，看到这红当当的装饰，不自觉地感到一番寂寥。是时候改变了吗？也太短了吧，这一个周期。

Every morning around 6-ish, I need to pass this New Town Plaza in Shatin. It is because the gym is on the third floor, and the mini bus stop to go to the office is next to the plaza. Time flies! I have walked in and out of this mall for almost 4 months now! And, I have witnessed different kinds of decoration in the mall for different seasons. And, this one, red-ish and purple-ish decoration, I guess it is for the impending Chinese New Year. In this cold, dark, and abnormally quiet mall, the red-ish and purple-ish decoration somehow looks very lonely. Is it the time to change already? Feels like this cycle is so much shorter.

追梦

从深圳公干回到家附近的时候，已经是10点左右晚上了，却赫然地发现我家附近的马会还是人山人海的，而且门前路旁还坐满了人，不管男女拿着一份疑是马经的报纸书籍之类的。香港是一个贫富悬殊很大的一个小地方。很多人的月薪刚好足够他们的日常所需，甭说买车买楼有什么梦想之类的。所以，唯有靠六合彩和赌马之类的一些横财，奢望能追到自己的梦想！

I was in Shen Zhen for working. When I got off the bus stop near my home, I saw the Jockey Club was still packed with people. Even outside the club and beside the road, there were people (no matter woman or man) sitting down, carrying what seemed to be some sort of jockey books or newspaper. Hong Kong is a small city but with a huge gap between the poor and rich. To most of them the salary they got only sufficient for their daily lives, let alone to buy a house or a car or fulfill some sort of dreams. Therefore, I guess it is only with some sort of luck from jockey or lottery, they hope they could chase after their dreams some day soon, if that is happening!

晨运

现在我一周里都会有两三天大约7点左右来到沙田的新城市廣場，到这里的舒适堡去健健身才回公司。 这一种一群人一起晨运的情况其实在上海都很常见，有耍木剑的，耍太极的，或者好像照片里这一种就是群体活动活动筋骨身体之类的。一起运动是很有趣的。大家对自己身体的健康也越来越着重了，无论是吃的，喝的。但是，有趣的是香港较为年轻的一代，好像还是饮食生活都很不健康。我还能看到很多年轻男女烟不离手，吃得不定时，而且都食肉少菜。我也觉得自己开始有一点受影响了。

Nowadays, I will go to New Town Plaza in Shatin around 7-ish in the morning to hit the Physical gym before going to work. Actually this sort of scenery where a bunch of people (normally middle-aged or elderly) gather around to work out together is also quite common in Shanghai. We can see people playing sword, doing taiji, etc. Working out together can be quite fun. Nowadays, people start really paying more attention to their health, however, I can still see the young generation does not so care about that -- still smoke like nothing, eat meat only no vegetable, and eat without any discipline. I think, somehow I can feel my health is a bit degraded by adhering to this type of lifestyle here.

依靠

在香港很经常可以看到的一个情景，一个中国人小孩（哪怕是香港人还是什么华人），旁边会有一个年龄不大的印尼或菲律宾女佣。而且有时候可以看得出那个小孩很亲着一个女佣。香港是一个压力很大，工作很忙，竞争很强，人多却很小的地方。几乎所有家长都必须早出晚归。印佣或菲佣是不便宜的（亦我所知大约9000HKD左右一个月），但是无可奈何的家长必须请他们来看管自己的小孩--做饭，接送，清洁等等。也不知是不是原因之一，香港的小孩问题还是挺多的--吸毒，叛逆，等等。我想他们需要家长依靠，却偏偏求之不得。

It is quite common in Hong Kong to see that a young Indonesian/Philippine maid accompanying a Chinese child. Sometimes it can be seen that the child is quite close to the maid. Hong Kong is undeniably a crowded yet small place with tons of pressures, busy work, and high competition. Almost every parent has to work, and work very late. These maids even though their salaries are not cheap (about HKD 9000 per month), but the parents need them to take care of their children. Is it one of the reasons why Hong Kong young generation has so many problems such as drugs abuse. I think they need their parents more than their maids, yet they cannot get what they desire for.

离乡

她们都是为了自己的家庭，而离乡背井来到一个陌生的地方，付出血汗，希望能换来一些幸福，即便是多细微，也希望能积少成多。然后，再周末期间，与自己的同乡闲话家常，希望能从中得到一点家乡的安慰，能让自己在这陌生的城市里得到不陌生的感觉。

They left their family, their hometown, coming to this totally strange city, fighting for their families. They hope they could earn some happiness for their family, even though only a little bit everyday, but they hope after a while, it could accumulate. In the weekends, they gather with their friends from the same hometown, hoping to get some feeling of home, hoping to feel familiar in this strange city.

亡命

上海很多亡命之徒。他们不是什么黑社会，不是什么私会党。他们只是像你和我一样平民百姓，为生活为家人为梦想而奔波。很多时候，我不明白，就为了那一两秒，竟然可以不顾自己的生命，更甚不理他人的安全而这样的冒险。真的是那么赶时间吗？真的是分秒必争吗？还是就为了争那一刹那的成就感？反正，我觉得这一些亡命之徒都是一些自私自立的混蛋。

Shanghai has plenty of desperado. They are not from any gang, nor from any underground society. They are just like you and me, a normal person who is fighting for living, for family and for her or his own dream. Most of the time, I don't know why they would ignore their lives like that, even worse, ignore others' safety. Only for saving literally 1 or 2 seconds? Or, for that instant success that he or she have saved that 1 or 2 seconds? Anyhow, I think these desperado are just bunch of selfish bastards and bitches.

无视

上海这两个星期都是好像是在热锅上烤一样，已经到了一个在家不开空调不行的地步了。这一种日子里，我们可以看见很多人袒胸露背，无视周围的在公共场所的地上铺起席子打盹。更厉害的是也可以看到一些人干脆就“露宿街头”，即便不是无家可归。也难怪，家里没有空调，电扇吹出来的也只是一阵阵的热风，能够“避暑”的也只有在路边，祈求有一点的微风，或者汽车开过带来的尾风，能够有一阵子的清凉。

Lately Shanghai is like being boiled on a fire. If I don't turn on the air conditioner in the house, it would be like a sauna in the living room. Under such boiling weather, we can see a lot of people take off their shirts, not caring how others are looking at them, napping on the floor with a mat in the public area such as subway station. Some even "abandon" their home and sleep out on the streets. There is no air conditioner in their homes, and the ventilator can only blow hot air. They just hope there will be some natural wind, or some wind brought by the passing-by cars.