A couple of weeks ago, Pat carelessly locked herself outside her home. She have to call the lock smith to open the door. It is about 5 minutes of work from the lock smith and he charged a ridiculous price $50. It doesn’t look that hard and I think I can do it myself. Then last week I read from the news that in HK, people can get lock picking tools and learn to open locks in a few hours. The HK government is talking about outlaw the buying and selling of lock picking tools to unlicensed locksmiths. This two events combined get me really interested in learning lock picking. First I can save money in the future, second I am geniunely interested in anything is on the legal gray area. In Canada, it is very convinient to order lock picking tools from the internet. I got a set of 14 pieces lock picking tools, come with a cut away practice lock showing the cylinders and a CD-ROM on lock picking basics. Lock picking will be the next odd skill I am going to learn by myself, adding to the list of juggling, simple magic, baloon twisting, etc.
Yearly Archives: 2007
Bluetooth Headset
My new Treo 680 has built-in bluetooth connection, which is pretty much a standard feature of all new cell phones. To get the most out of my new phone, I set out to buy a bluetooth headset so that I can talk wirelessly. I browsed alot bluetooth headsets and eventually decidded to get the Plantronics 510, which is PC Magazine editor’s choice. The 510 looks quite stylish, unlike other bluetooth headset with a big chunky module clip to the ear, the hardware module of the 510 is very light, compact and hidden nicely behind the ear. Just like any other bluetooth headset, the 510 is very easy to use, just fully charge it, turn it on, pair it up with the phone and you are ready to go. The voice quality is very clear and it has a good range. I can walk around my apartment without losing connection. Using the wireless headset is more natural than holding the phone or with a wired headset. It feel like talking face to face instead of on the phone. I can even have noodle soup and talk at the same time without feeling awkward. You will never go back to the old way once you had experienced a wireless headset.
Orz
Maybe I am a bit out of date about the internet culture of this generation. I have seen the word “Orz” used here and there, I sort of know it express the feeling of frustration and depression. Today, I finally know its true meaning when I come across the wiki page dedicate to this word. To be exact, “Orz” is a pictograph representing someone down on his knee, defeated, feeling life is totally miserable, and probably yelling “why, why, why me?” sadly. The O is the head, the r forms the upper torse and the arm and the z is the knee on ground. To give a better illustration, to “Orz” is making a pose like the guy in the picture belove. This word can be used as a noun, verb, adjective or even replace a whole sentence. Emoitioncon is really an efficient way to communicate. It only use 3 characters to express the complex feeling otherwise would require a few paragraph to describe.
生日快樂
看「生日快樂」這套電影的觀眾有兩類人﹐第一類被故事深深感動﹐在散場時還會哭成淚人。第二類人在整套戲中也呵欠連連﹐差點沒有被過慢的劇情悶死﹐很不幸 我是後者。這套電影改編自劉若英的短篇小說﹐不過原著是什麼不重要﹐重要是張艾嘉編劇﹐馬楚成執導。讓我期待著這套電影會是繼「心動」 後﹐另一齣精緻愛情小品的經典。不過很可惜礙於劇本先天性不足﹐這齣電影只能拍出一場場浪漫的情景﹐但觀眾不夠把感情思緒連接起來組成動人的故事。故事主 線沒有預告中細水長流的感情﹐只有兩個感情白痴的主角﹐拖拖拉拉的藕斷絲連長達十年之久。若果最後結局出人意表寓意深長﹐還可以挽救這整套戲的沉悶﹐騙自 己說不是電影拍得不好﹐只是我不懂欣賞。結局竟然是最老土俗套的絕症橋段﹐先前細心經營的淡淡憂鬱氣氛一下子消散了﹐換上防暴警察用催淚彈﹐欺騙眼淺觀眾 的熱淚。
故事內容在電影簡介已經完全交待清楚了﹐古天樂和劉若英在大學時原本是對情侶﹐後來大家出國留學分開了﹐約定每年生日也會向對方說一聲生日快樂。兩 人明明分開了﹐但不知何解又有些暖昧關係﹐仍然喜歡人又不肯說出來﹐硬是要故作瀟灑扮好朋友。兩個人明明已有新的另一半﹐還要當著另一半前邊若無人地調情 ﹐也不怕另一半會吃醋演六國大封相。前半部回憶大學時兩口子的拍拖生活﹐兩個中年人扮年輕裝大學生很嘔心﹐劉若英保養好遠鏡還可以騙到人﹐古天樂則左看右 看也是超齡﹐帶起金絲眼鏡就當有書卷氣﹐不過他演出來似是黑社會姑爺仔多些。男主角古天樂的演出只是一般﹐反正他也只有那個木訥裝帥的模樣﹐唯一演得比較 好就唱歌走音那幾場戲﹐有理由信相那是他真正的歌藝。女主角劉若英的演出則一百分﹐她能演能唱還彈得一手好琴﹐是娛樂圈中少見的氣質型美女。全靠她那聲線 非常優美的獨白﹐金馬演后級演技的內心戲﹐我才沒有在看戲時悶到睡著了。說穿了我看這齣電影﹐一半是因為看張艾嘉﹐另一半就是因為看劉若英﹐聽了主題曲十 分喜歡才想到後補看電影。這電影除了古天樂不行外﹐其他的配角的演出也十分出色。當劉若英父親的吳耀漢﹐當好朋友的曾寶儀和暗戀者的那個男演員﹐雖然出場 不多﹐但都能恰到其份地襯托出那段沒結果的戀情。父親見證女兒感情路上的起伏﹐好朋友嫁人當幸福媽媽與主角的孤獨形成強烈對比﹐暗戀者則是主角二人溝通的 橋樑﹐亦負責在鏡頭外擔當解述。
劉若英在劇中感情生活坎苛可以說是疚猶自取﹐與古天樂拍拖時好端端的要玩分手﹐不是古天樂做錯什麼﹐只是他太受女生歡迎沒有安全感。分手後又要當好 朋友﹐又要掛念著他﹐等待每年那一句生日快樂﹐都不知道她是不是喜歡古天樂。身邊又不是沒有追求者﹐也不是沒有新男朋友﹐古天樂出現時又隨傳隨到﹐連男朋 友也可以不理﹐去追一個不切實際的夢想。偏偏這個夢想不是遙不可及﹐只要她點下頭就可以夢想成真﹐她只是不願意先付出那點的感情。其實古天樂留學回來時就 該馬上捉住他﹐結婚生仔把他縛得死死﹐就不怕沒有安全感了。敝開最尾古天樂忽然患上絕症那段不談﹐他對劉若英其實很自私殘忍﹐明知自己出現會為她帶來困擾 ﹐既然做不成情侶就該安份守已﹐不要再曖暖昧昧的做情聖﹐也不想想這是對新女朋友很不公平。如果最後古天樂不是患絕症死﹐而是乖乖地結婚後從劉若英的世界 消失﹐倒也不失是一個完美的結局。
最後想補充一點﹐在戲中劉若英開Mini Copper﹐我身邊的女性朋友也有開這車。不知道是否感情空虛的單身女性﹐都愛開這型號的跑車﹐把跑車當成男朋友的代替品呢﹖
Kung Hei Fat Choy
Today is the Chinese New Year. I wish all the readers of my blog a prosperous year of pig. Here in Vancouver, we don’t really have the atomsphere for celebrating of Chinese New Year, except that the Chinese TV is showing special new year program all day long, the Chinese radio is playing those boring new year songs and we will say “Kung Hei Fat Choy” to friends. Without the 3 days long public holidays as in HK, the Chinese New Year is just seem like a normal weekend to me. This year is the year of pig, however the TV stations in China refrain from showing the lucky pig on TV. Out of political correctness, some stupid officials in communist government think showing the sign of pigs will offend the Muslim minority in China, thus may cause social unrest. First of all, although Muslim regards pig as unholy, the officials are simpily worrying too much. The enlightened Muslim would know to respect the Chinese culture and lives peacefully in the year of pig. There may be a few retarded Muslim consider the year of pig offending, but they are the one should change their mind. The majority should not bend to a few obscured mind minority. In the matter of fact, other than some random writing from an ancient book, the Muslims has no reason to dislike pig in the first place. Rather than forbidding showing pigs in TV, the Chinese governmetn should call to moderize Muslim in China, encourage the Muslims to embrace pig by correcting the obvious mistaken teaching regarding pigs in Koran. Just like we have a chinese style socialism, which is essentially capitalism, we should also have a chinese style muslim, in which the believers can enjoy pork and alcohol.