Marz 格子

My English readers, my apologies for not updating this in English. Just that I should practice Chinese while I have some “extra time” before school starts. English posts will be back soon.

9:20p.m. 到旺角，逛了一會，記得這裡有電影院，也記得蝙蝠俠是時候上映了；於是進去問還有沒有9:45p.m.的票．他問：＂是一個人的嗎？＂我回答說：＂是的．一個人．＂單人的位置全場還剩下兩個．選了一個位於前幾排，靠左的位置．

小時候在香港，並沒有可以常看電影的奢侈．新年時，一群孩子去看喜劇．（新年嘛，都一定是好意頭的喜劇）．不用自己掏腰包，又有零食（我愛的茶葉蛋），多開心．那個時候的我，直到初中年代，還是不太懂看電影．正確來說，是不明白為甚麼人家會愛看電影，自己卻迷著看電視劇．電影只有兩個小時，沒有得追，我當然不愛看啦．後來，電視看多了，就好像是每天外出吃飯一樣，開始感到乏味．每套電視劇的情節不外是那幾個橋段，完全在我的意料之內．沒驚喜，雞肋呀．

坐在電影院裡．同樣是好萊塢的電影，但在華人的地方看，就是有不一樣的味道．有點明白從前在外國長大的表姊所說的＂不習慣看到那麼單一人種的社會／城市＂．看到＂老外＂的臉，好像慰寂了自己的＂思鄉＂之情．有點．．．諷刺．無國界、世界大同．．．身居海外的華人，我想都會有類似的感受吧．身份的意識與衝突．我想，可能再待在這裡幾個月，這種感覺便會離去，也可能．．．

看完Dark Knight的感覺是：對喔，可能這就是現實的極端版．有娛樂的成分，也有一些讓人思考的地方．Hero與villain本來就是一線之差．不能成為英雄，成為梟雄也很成功．至少讓人畏懼、得到注意、叫人痛恨．人來到世界上，本來無一物，但大部份的人都逃不開想要＂人死留名，豹死留皮＂．又有幾個人願意＂輕輕的來，輕輕的走＂？
一黑一白，一暗一明，一陰一陽．Joker與Batman這兩個極端，一個都不能少．像Batman一樣正氣不能屈的人，世上沒幾個，看著看著，不多不少有點金庸小說裡主角的味道．（奇哉）

12:22p.m.　踏出電影院．沒下雨的晚上，還有一點清風．不能像從前一樣飆在Ｈighway上，慢慢的走在彌敦道上，也是一絕．沒有試過這樣走回住所．星期六的晚上，沒有醉意，沒有喧鬧，只有平靜的心，一步一步走著，跟自己對話．

城市人．過了這些年．也愛上了看電影．好戲，爛戲都會看．很難再投入那種追電視劇的勁．兩個多小時，剛剛好．

很慶幸，我們有一個治安很好的城市．一兩點，路上還看到辛勤工作的人，這是一個很有活力的城市．

很幸運，我們都活著．

（寫於七月二十日凌晨一點半）

在香港斷斷續續待了兩個禮拜．有好幾天的上午都是給外面的滂陀大雨吵醒．惱人的天氣．大家都沒辦法．日子還得過下去．（不能改變現狀，就只能改變想法和態度．） 漸漸習慣了那陌生的床，還有一個人的生活．有沒有電視都沒差，反正我也都不怎麼看電視．朋友送來一個小音響，聽聽節目、聽聽音樂．一天晚上，在廟街一家唱片店子裡聽到一些“打進心裡”的音樂，就把那張唱片買下．一看，他們叫做Daft Punk．

現在回到深圳，卻睡不好．反反覆覆，在夢裡出現了很多人．很多想不到的執著．看來還需要時間參透．

一天走在深圳的路上，看到一個小女孩坐在媽媽單車的後座．大家等著過馬路，我看著她，沒料到無心的一望，會引來她的怒視、拿起拳頭向我揮過來攻擊．想不到這三、四歲的小女孩能作出那麼讓人心寒的舉動．有曰：人之初，性本善．如果人性本善的話，我想那就是後天環境影響，有這樣的社會，就要有自我保護的能力．

看到一段話，覺得用在國內，很合適：
The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.

在這裡，能做到人不犯我、我不犯人，好像已經是很不錯．

[轉載自深圳Times歲月雜誌２００８．０１第六期］

這本日積月累的存摺，再貧窮的婚姻也不害怕透支．

我的“婚姻存摺”是出嫁那天，媽媽遞到我手上的．當時, 我以為會是一大筆錢, 打開一看發現只有1000元.　我用失望的眼神看著媽媽, 媽媽卻笑著說: “這是我特意為你們辦理的 ‘婚姻存摺’,　以后每逢值得紀念的日子, 都可以存一筆錢, 等到老的時候, 裡面除了錢, 還有無限的幸福…”

當時, 我對母親這份心思不以為然, 倒是丈夫記在了心上. 婚後沒多久, 他就先後存了兩個500元, 一個是因為他升職了, 第二個是因為我手術治愈出院. 當時我嘴上笑他無聊, 其實心裡甜蜜無比, 畢竟他把我的健康也當作一件讓他感到幸福的事.　

沒過多久, 我懷孕了, 這一次, 我足足往裡面存了2000元. 但很快, 我們開始有了爭吵和冷漠﹔孩子出生帶來的快樂是短暫的, 洗不完的尿布、餵不完的奶, 進一步加劇了我們感情的惡化. 而那本婚姻存摺像被遺忘了, 寂寞地躺在抽屜角落, 上面的數字久未見漲.

我們鬧離婚的時候, 媽媽說, 你們先把存摺上面的錢花光了再離吧, 雖然錢不多, 但是你們共同的財產. 於是, 我第一次取了1000元, 然後拎著幾件心儀已久的衣服離開商場時, 我又回去對售貨小姐說: “對不起, 我不買了, 請你退回我剛才付給你的錢.”

也許當時的局面窘迫極了, 但我腦海裡想到的是那1000元婚姻積蓄的來源: 他是個害羞的男人, 但曾在街頭大聲地對我說 “我愛你”, 我為此存下100元﹔他記得我的生日、鞋號、密碼及最怕的事, 我為此在生日那天存下300元﹔他對女人有風度, 也有距離, 不給暗戀他的女下屬任何機會, 我為此存下500元…啊, 這1000元裡就有這麼多的幸福積累, 再看看婚姻存摺上的兩萬多元, 我的眼睛忽然就有些濕潤起來.

晚上回到家, 我把存摺交給他, 說: “趕緊花吧, 花光了好離婚. 第二天晚上, 他把存摺遞到我手上, 我打開一看, 發現反而多了1000元. 他說: “那上面的每一元錢都記錄著我們走過的歷程, 我第一次發覺原來是這樣的愛你, 索性又存進了1000元.”

我們從此又和好如初了.

還是媽媽說得對, 以愛情的名義為婚姻開個戶口, 把夫妻間所有快樂的、幸福的、浪漫的事, 通通存進銀行. 有了這本日積月累的婚姻存摺, 即使是再貧窮的婚姻，也決不害怕透支.

***
看完這篇文章, 很感動. 想要跟大家分享. 相信我不會從母親手上得到這樣的東西. 但有機會的話, 我會很想這樣做.

Until April, I have never been to Chicago, not even once. In my mind… Chicago was neon lights, theatres, and the University of Chicago (Economics). I don’t know why I had this picture in mind. Probably because of the movie Chicago, who knows :p On the last night of Montreal, we suddenly wasn’t too sure if we had reserved a place to stay in Chicago. It was quite scary, but it turned out alright in the end. The location was in the suburb - something different. Browsed through all the online comments and compared the prices, we picked a place in Schaumburg. It’s about 40 minutes away from Chicago (by train). We arrived at the O’Hare International Airport in the afternoon. Took the Airport Express shuttle to Schaumburg (2 two-way tickets was about $76, which was about the same as how much we paid for in other cities - Door-to-door, about 15-20 minutes drive. Not bad at all.) The front desk staff, a Filipino lady, was very friendly. In the lobby, there was also a computer with Internet and Wifi, which really came in handy later on. After checking in, we were desperately searching for food (or just me?!).

So we went to this Big Bowl “Fresh” Chinese and Thai Cuisine. By end of April, I was already quite sick of eating out and wanted something fresh. So here we were… It was around 5-6pm but the place was already quite busy. I was surprised - does people there tend to eat a bit earlier? One of the selling items was the Big Bowl of noodle+veggie that you can pick and choose for stir-fry. Well, I thought that was kinda a gimmick and I went for the Pad Thai. How was that? just so-so. But I loved their fresh-made ginger ale. VERY gingery. Gotta boost up my immune system.

After our early dinner, we walked to the Woodfield Mall nearby. Apparently, it’s a tourist attraction, and I ended up spending my remaining American dollars there.

The next day, we took the Metra (train) from Medinah (the closest station) to downtown Union Station. It seems that there’s one “Union Station” for every city. We have one in Toronto, there was one in SF, and here’s another one in Chicago. It was a quiet afternoon. Walking around the station, trying to make sure we were on the right track, literally. There was no train staff/manager at the station. After checking out the timetable and asking the only one other passenger, we were quite sure we’d be OK.

The first train didn’t stop. I think that was for products and stocks.

We arrived at the downtown Union Station. Not sure if it was because we came on the weekend, it was pretty quiet everywhere. Chicago is one of the most convenient U.S. cities to visit by train (according to wikitravel). I think so too. Looking at its Metra and CTA maps, I think it really has a pretty extensive train system, but at the same time, I also heard that Chicago’s transportation system is also one of its major problems over there - lots of traffic jam.

We got there around mid-day. Feeling thirty and got a cup of smoothie, plus vitamin boost. Holding a big cup of chilly smoothie, we started walking towards downtown. Thank to wikitravel’s itineraries, we had a good idea of where the buildings were, and what were worth seeing without having to buy a travel guide. I’d like to walk around the city w/o a plan, but it’s better to have some ideas and expectations in mind given the short stay.

The first stop was at the Art Institute of Chicago. Around 200m from the Institute, I saw a large poster of Edward Hopper’s Night Hawks. He’s one of the few artists that I like. But I never expected that I’d bump into his exhibition. Excited. Since it was our last stop, I could afford buying something larger - a large poster of his “Chop Suey”. His work is always calm, silent and stoic. I just like it. Don’t ask me why.

Walked out of the Art Institute… this is what you’d see on your right. Lots and lots of buildings. Walking in Chicago downtown - it’s like you’re on a architectural tour. Thought of a friend’s description of some buildings that he saw on his field trip (for architectural students) - I guess if we had a tour guide, we could have appreciated the designs even better.

We walked along Michigan Avenue towards the Millennium Park (following the Loop Art Tour wiki-guide). Saw these interesting faces (called “Crown Fountain”). What a cute idea! These are faces of real Chicagoans! One face you’re seeing here, and another face on the back of the block at the front.

Then… walked a bit more into the park, there’s a big “bean” that you just can’t miss. It’s called the “Cloud Gate”. We loved it and had a lot of fun looking at funny faces of ours and others on the bean. People were like big kids.

And then, we walked pass a large “ribbon” pavillion (Pritzker Pavilion)… and came to this artsy, long, winding BP Bridge. I never thought a walkbridge could be like this. Not very attractive from an economical standpoint, but it adds something different to the city. Really spiced things up a bit.

How could we miss the Chicago theatre district. We walked by a theatre and it seemed that the crowd just finished watched “Wicked”… Here’s a McDonald’s nearby - logo surrounded by light bulbs.

So many buildings and scruptures along the Loop… this is one that caught my eyes. It looks like this is the building that appeared in the movie “Wanted“. Do you think so? It’s called the Chicago Temple building.

And here’s the Chicago Post Office.

A typical view of Chicago…

We spent quite some time at the Woodfield Mall near our hotel. Haven’t seen a Lego store for a long long time. I never owned any Lego when I was a kid, but I liked to play it w/ cousins.

Of course… I’ve been looking forward to my Chicago deep dish pizza. It was raining quite badly the last 2 days. So, instead of going to the restaurant, we ordered delivery from Lou Malnati. It wasn’t as THICK as I thought it would be. It was delicious though! Good to have pizza and pop while watching NBA.

Other thoughts/memories of Chicago…
- Very windy - but that’s not how it got its name the “Windy City”. Wanna know more? click here.
- There were many museums in Chicago and I think some of them should be worth-seeing. Maybe next time.
- Would like to go to the 94th floor of the Hancock Center - heard about the great view from there.
- Also missed the Buckingham Fountain - it’s not on every evening though.

Overall, our trip to Chicago was really worth it. Too short though. Next time, I’d definitely check out its concerts… All That Jazz.

Good times… was a bit tired after a whole month, but still restless. (Thatz why I got sick for like 3 weeks in late-May to early-June) -_-

Late April, we were at our second last stop - Montreal. Back to the East coast - We felt the difference right away. It was COLD. The wind was chilling at night. We arrived at the Montreal airport in the evening - couldn’t find a shuttle bus. So we took a cab to our hotel (fixed price $35 + tips). It was a pretty cozy hotel located in a good location - not too far from old Montreal, and not too far from the Rue Sainte-Catherine shopping area. Since I’ve been there several times before, I had a vague sense of where things were… Didn’t do much planning - just grabbed some free maps at the airport. The first night, we asked the concierge where we could grab some food. He recommended walking towards Rue Saint-Denis. First dinner: burgers and poutine ordered from a French menu.

The next day, we walked around the city - first stop Old Montreal. Had lunch @ Place Jacques-Cartier. It’s definitely a popular gathering place. I’ve never been there in the summer but I could imagine how relaxing it would be to walk around in the summer - not too humid… summer breeze. Last time I was here - it was around Christmas time. Since it’s a tourist spot - you still hear a lot of English.

Then, we walked passed a lot of banks and old buildings. I guess that was the financial center of the city. I went into a CIBC - old-fashion but grand. The service was good - teller was speaking with French accent. At that time, I felt that I hadn’t been to a Canadian bank for so long… been living on US cash for over half a month already.

Then we walked along Rue Saint-Catherine. A lot of people on the street. Of course, it’s the shopping core of Montreal. Walked by this flower stall. I thought… I have never bought a bouquet just because I feel like it. (But I’ve bought some likely bamboos out of the blue.) Ｉ will do that next time - one day before I go to office or head home, I’ll buy myself one - coz I don’t expect that I’d get any. :p A romantic Pisces. After wandering around the area, we saw some artists on the street. I got myself a souvenir from one of them - a burned copper ring. Forgot to take a picture of it. Because it’s burned copper - every piece is different. The color is similar to this. Wasn’t expensive - just $20. I love it.

That evening, we met up with Uncle T again since they were having a “fam trip” at Montreal and Quebec city - for an upcoming Catholic event in early June. We had dinner @ a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown! OMG. The taste of Chinese soup came back after almost a month. It was good :p Before the dinner, we walked around the small Chinatown and took some snapshots.

After dinner, we went to Casino de Montreal and played “horse-racing” a bit! Lots of fun w/o paying a lot. I wish we had that in Las Vegas - just for fun. But other than that, of course the casinos in Vegas were much more attractive.

Uncle T invited us to go to Quebec city with them. We looked at each other… why not? The only thing was that we’d have to wake up early like 8-9am. But… we’ve had 4am morning call. 8-9am wouldn’t be a problem.

After over an hour drive and stopping at another hotel - coz they need to check out the venues for the upcoming tours… we finally arrived at Quebec City. This is the landmark - if you’ve been to Quebec City you would recognize this hotel right away. 2008 is Quebec City’s 400 years anniversary.

Walked around… This area was much busier when I was there last few visits. Maybe April was really a low season for tourism. I remember the first time I was there, over 10 years ago, there were the sound of harp music, a lot of artists painting, and a lot of kids - they had face painting and hair braiding.

The dog was so relaxed. (Thought of G all of a sudden.)

We had lunch at this restaurant right across from the hotel. The red roof made it very stand-out. The food was good overall. Not sure if it was because the crew knows the managers there and they bring this restaurant a lot of business every year. They have a selection of 3-course set lunch - A lot of people went for the fillet mignon. Looked really good. I liked the dessert as well. But my poor friend had an allergic reaction unfortunately -.-

Took some pictures from another angle…

400th anniversary - I wonder if that was why they are renovating the floor and everything. I heard it’s been like this for a year. Hope it’s already finished by now.

The last spot in Quebec city was the Sanctuaire Notre-Dame-Du-Cap. It was a very beautiful church. Too bad I don’t know much about Catholic or else I could have appreciated it more. Heard that the event was going to take place at this church. And here’s a snapshot of the shadow of my own underneath a tree.

The Montreal/Quebec city trip was relatively relaxing. Of course… I’ve also went to Simon’s and bought some stuffs from there. On our 2nd last day, we had lunch @ our hotel - again, thank to Uncle T, we had really good stuffs - HEAVY but tasty Italian food - Tiramisu and Expresso as finale. They said there were some really good breweries nearby. But we didn’t have a chance to check those out.

Cheers.