I've written nothing since 3rd Aug. The reason is obvious: I took an Olympic break. And then it took me a good while to wake up from the obsession.

This morning, I found three messages in my junk mail inbox.

The first one tries to sell me Rolex watches, fake ones;
The second, viagra pills, at reduced price;
The third, university degrees, for people who can't EARN a degree, but NEED one.

My first thought: Okay, each of the three appeals to a disparate range of needs and wants of potential customers, but there's a common denominator to all three.

What is it?

Then I found the answer: EGO.

And it's a perfect illustration of how insubstantial EGO is.

I don't know who the author of this cartoon is, but I want to apologise to him/her before I start. I'm only using it to make a point and it's not a proper "reproduction" per se. Kudos to the artist and the agent.

奥运快到了，而北京早就开始进行公共场所的英文纠错运动，媒体大书特书，举了很多令人喷饭的例子。

几年前，一位朋友告诉我，北京一些“付费公共厕所”的牌子上写的英文是：Pay Money Toilet，让外国人笑死了。

其实，Pay Toilet 比 Pay-Money Toilet 好多少？难说。（窃以为，用 Pay-As-You-S**T Toilet 最贴切。还可以简称为 PAYS Toilet。）

母语的霸道，没办法。如果外国人先发明“好不热闹”、“不要太幸福哟”，早就被国人笑死了。道理是一样的。

仔细想想，Baby Changing Room 不可笑吗？

Female Toilet 呢？

This notice was found under the staircase of an old residential building in Hong Kong.

Literally, it says:

Warning

He who dumps garbage here shall meet the retributive misfortune of dropping dead, of dragging his entire family to its tragic demise and, should he beget a child, of having an anus-less baby!!

So, show some self-respect, please!!

事件引起中央和省领导的高度重视

乍一看，没什么名堂，但其实这里有两层意思，一是“引起（注意）”(it made them sit up and take notice)，二是“高度重视”(they decided not to treat it lightly)。

The incident caught the attention of central and provincial leaders, who took it very seriously.

“规模以上企业”
要翻成英语很麻烦。若是给出规模的定量标准，由于针对工业企业和商业企业的“分数线”不一，翻出来会惨不忍睹。
既然原文略去了定量的指标，那对不起，英语就依样画葫芦：

enterprises with turnover at or above the sizable-volume threshold

还是好啰嗦。

许
...时许
怎么翻？
例如：7时许
直觉判断，意思是some time after 7.
但词典的定义很窄，是approximately的意思。
用法律文件中常用的一个介词组合就可以解决（在大多数情况下）：at or around
例：at or around 7 o'clock

By the way, this is what a standard room in The Venetian looks like.

I'm not a fan of The Venetian, the one in Macau. The rooms are very luxurious, yes, but I can never get a good night's sleep there. I know the reason, but I don't intend to discuss it here.

This dessert, however, did tickle my fancy. It is as beautifully "crafted" as the rooms are stunningly "appointed".

But it's more nourishing to the body than the rooms are salubrious to the sleeper.

Dine with a view so fine...

More details, inside the coffeeshop of a conference centre

The devil is in the details. In Thailand, very often, the beauty is in the details. Curtains on a bus/coach are a nuisance in most cases and afford no viewing pleasure. But that doesn't have to be the case. Oh, BTW, this is on one of the Safe-and-Save airport buses.

I'm pretty sure the originator of this strapline, "Safe and Save Bus Service", is quite proud: proximate rhyme, alliteration, consonance... and it is punchy and effective.

On second thoughts, however, I wonder if it's a good advertisement for the city of Bangkok, although it certainly is for this particular service (as evidenced by the thronging crowds, mostly backpackers, who try to get on). It is, after all, one of the first things you see as you step out of the airport terminal building!

If this service is SAFE and I can SAVE, what is the alternative then?

跟之前翻的幾首歌不同的是，這次翻得比較鬆散，而且不押韻（否則好彆扭）。試一試吧。

驛動的心

曾經以為我的家
是一張張的票根
撕開以後展開旅程
投入另外一個陌生
這樣飄蕩多少天
這樣孤獨多少年
終點又回到起點
到現在我才發現
哦…………
路過的人我早已忘記
經過的事已隨風而去
驛動的心已漸漸平息
疲憊的我是否有緣和你相依

Throbbing Away

Once upon a time, I had many a home
Each printed on a ticket
You tear off one, you hit the road
Off to the never-never land

So I drifted afar
So I roamed alone
For many a day
For many a year
Until, alas, I did a full circle

Now I know, if you care to know,
Those who crossed my path
Have faded from my mind
Things that happened to me
Are gone with the wind
As ebb follows throb
What's written in the stars?
Can my heart, fatigued, lean on you?

Headache remedy:

......的重要讲话，站在时代发展的高度，着眼国际国内两个大局，深入阐述了新闻宣传工作的重要地位，深刻分析了新闻宣传工作面临的形势和任务，系统总结了改革开放以来新闻宣传工作的理论成果和实践经验，明确提出了新闻宣传工作的根本要求和重大理论观点，充分体现了马克思主义新闻观，丰富和发展了中国特色社会主义理论体系关于新闻宣传的重要思想。

The important speech by..., from the high-level perspective of the development of our times in the context of the overall international situation and domestic situation, provides: an in-depth exposition on the important standing of press and propaganda work; a profound analysis of the state of affairs and the tasks facing press and propaganda work; a systematic summary of what has been achieved at the theoretical level and what has been experienced at the practical level in press and propaganda work since the reform and opening up began; an explicit articulation of the fundamental requirements and major theoretical viewpoints concerning press and propaganda work; a full expression of the Marxist concept of journalism; and a contribution to the enrichment and development of the important thinking on press and propaganda within the body of theories on socialism with Chinese characteristics.

这次住在某个youth hostel，洗手间和淋浴房是公用的，厨房也是。
第一晚很不习惯。洗手间一个门进去，两个间隔是女厕所，两个间隔是男厕所；同楼层还有一个小洗手间，里面就两个间隔，男女各一。进去时经常要跟女同胞打招呼，浑身不自在。
厨房不大，吃饭时间很拥挤，那么多陌生人，跟你一起做同样的事情，而且都很客气，大家都努力在极短的时间内培养默契。脸上挂着微笑，一直挂着，因为你转向任何方向都有人。
奇怪的是，到了第二晚，那股别扭劲儿荡然无存，甚至可以说如鱼得水，无论是厨房还是洗手间，无论里面有没有人，自己感觉如入无人之境，做想做的事，做完了事。That's it.
惊叹人的适应能力 -- social adaptability。生存技能之一。

在电影Annie Hall里面，Woody Allen一开场就说了一个笑话：
Two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of 'em says, "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible." The other one says, "Yeah, I know; and such small portions."
（请看Youtube上的片段：http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrxlfvI17oY）

我一直忘不了这个笑话。

前阵子读到另一个笑话，跟这个有异曲同工之妙（大意）：
A girl confides in her mother that she has had sex with her boyfriend. The mother tells the dad, who is very conservative.
He decides to intervene. He calls the boy and says to him, "You are a dirty, unworthy and irresponsible piece of scum of the worst order. Now, marry my daughter!"

刚才贴的“欠雅照片”，拍摄时间距今已一个月了，我为何迟迟未贴呢？

其实是不好意思。

人家花了那么多钱，建了五号航厦，我居然如此糟蹋人家，说那照片是在五号航厦拍的，然后就没下文了。

我想：总得strike a balance。

所以，今天又拍了一张正经的，现在贴上，算是有个交代。

不过我取景的角度，让机场的候机去看上去有点像牲口市场。这是detractors可能会用来攻击新航厦设计的一种形容。

拥护者可能会说：这是一幅动态的全景油画。跟外面的停机坪结合起来，煞是好看。

我倾向于后者的意见。

结论：五号航厦还是不错的。

伦敦Heathrow机场五号航厦，刚启用就发生了行李处理大混乱的著名事件，我是在此24小时之后勇敢抵达这个新设施的。当时做好了拼上数小时等行李的心理准备，结果是anti-climax，等了大约40分钟就拿到了。

不过在那40分钟里，闲得慌，拿出手机准备拍拍五号航厦的“新貌”，却瞅见了这个引人入胜的一幕，于是不由自主地拍了下来。

香港有家鱼汤米线店

菜单上有道“小食”，叫“川香吊片”

就是鲜鱿鱼片，裹上薄薄的面粉，炸一炸，撒上胡椒为主的作料

我让服务员给我来一份，尝尝

于是，她用自创的速记法写下了菜名

请看照片，仔细看，看仔细......

一个多月，没写文章。

Not because there was nothing to write about.

But what motivated me to reopen this blog account and start composing a new post was an encounter with a special human being. 这个special，有“异人”之意，也有“了不起的人”之意。

如果张鸿基先生没有搭错车；如果他搭错车了，但没有发牢骚；如果他发牢骚了，但不是一口苏北口音；如果他是苏北口音，但没有理睬我...... 那么，他的故事，我就永远不知道了。

这里只想贴一张他的行色匆匆的侧影照片，记下有关他的一些facts and figures，以帮助我记忆，让我永远记住这位我打算记住一辈子的老人。

张鸿基

江苏盐城阜宁人

1929年生

小时候没有读过书、识过字

家里属于“富农”

十几岁参军，后来撤到台湾

复员后在林务局谋到一份工作

在部队上，同乡（地主出身的、因此读过私塾）帮他写信（他的连队，有12个阜宁人）

复员后，这个support system没了

开始自学国文，后来把《三国演义》读了两遍（第一遍其实没有读完，因为难度太大）、《水浒》读了一遍

刚到林务局，学会了几个字，给所有的战友、朋友们发了一封“通函”：“张鸿基现在单位是林务局”（收到通函的人纷纷复信，“士别三日”云云）

退休后，每年起码到大陆旅游一次（每次十几天到25天不等）、大陆以外的地方（特指东南亚）旅游一次

最不喜欢的地方：菲律宾（可以不用去，他说）

最喜欢的地方：中国的每一寸土地（尤其是江西三清山，“不亚于黄山”，他说）

昨天是赶着经香港去九寨沟

这是他第三次去九寨沟

全中国，就剩宁夏还没去过；东南亚，就剩寮国（老挝）没去过

凡是著名的景点，他都去过不止一次

去年，在内蒙古、山西玩了17天（我说：您快80，在山西内蒙玩，不累吗？吃得习惯吗？他说：有米饭、面条、烧饼，还有烤羊肉，你还要什么？）

前年在云贵高原玩了25天

青藏铁路一通车，他就搭上了第一列

手头一有钱，马上去大陆玩掉

偶尔需要女儿接济一下...... “我问她要1万（台币），她会给我2万！”

每年必有一次经江都（侄子在江都）回阜宁老家

我说：从江都经高邮去盐城方向，穿过兴化时，就是在当年我家门前的公路上驶过

他说：那早已变成高速公路了！（然后详细向我介绍整条通道的具体情况以及经停的地点）

他曾在黄桥镇吃上正宗的黄桥烧饼，并带了一批回台湾给左邻右舍，大家都说好吃

我一说我的祖籍崇明岛，他马上如数家珍，告诉我，新隧道是哪里到哪里，新桥是哪里到哪里

这些都不重要......

重要的是：

15年前，他因大肠癌动了手术

5年前，他因肝癌动了手术

他说：我早就应该死了，我这辈子过得很值。

他从宜兰来台北，下了车，看到“大有巴士”的牌子，鬼使神差就被忽悠着上了车，因为他以前总是搭乘“国光巴士”的车去机场，时间可以掐得很准。上了车就知道上当，因为发车时间一拖再拖，而且走的路线比较兜，但无法补救了，只好发发牢骚。

与此同时，我在始发站的下一站，正在雨中候车。计程车司机从一千多元主动降到900元，动员我坐他的车去机场，我一想：坐大巴只要90元，悬殊太大，而且节省下来的800元，可以买一罐相当不错的茶！但看着计程车司机挺可怜，正要动心，大有巴士来了......

上了车，听见发牢骚的老人一口苏北话，就跟他搭讪

于是，有了这个故事