Everlasting Love

相識多年的老朋友終於和女朋友拉埋天窗，上星期假金鐘某五星級酒店舉行婚禮及設宴，筵開 25 圍。

新郎哥不單親自送請柬到我家，更透過 Facebook、手機短訊，千叮萬囑一定要到...

其實以我跟他自從小學至今，相識接近廿年的交情，就算多麼繁忙，也一定會到場祝賀。

(Beautiful wedding picture, isn't it?)

七時左右抵達酒店，見到婚宴場外，己有大批賓客在接待處簽到。隨著簽名，寫上祝福句，奉上賀禮，走進宴會大廳，燈光一片通明，新郎新娘正在跟各親朋好友合照。

這個婚禮來得有些突然，由於好友長得英俊瀟灑，不愁沒有女朋友，這麼快便為自己的戀愛生涯劃上句號，還真有點叫人意想不到。

入席後，乍見不遠處坐著某電視藝員，後來再一打聽，得知新郎新娘的禮服，也有她在背後提供意見，笑起上來仍然可愛、純真的老友現在變得口甜舌滑、交遊廣闊，讓人深深體會到何謂"士別三日，刮目相看"。有進取心的人，不消幾年時間，可以變得大不同。

新郎新娘的出場方式，攸關婚宴基調，在男女司儀的介紹下，換上嶄新禮服的新郎新娘在歡欣樂調中輕快步出，沿路一眾伴郎伴娘撒上五彩繽紛紙屑，眼前的一對新人彷彿是世上最幸福的人。

過往參加的婚宴，大多都是一入席就上菜、勘酒、讓賓客們吃個不停，這次的婚宴，卻將結婚儀式、律師見證簽字、交換戒指等儀式安排在婚宴中舉行，再加上幾個遊戲環節，與及大銀幕播放新郎早上迎娶新娘時眾多被戲弄的搞笑片段，使整個婚宴，由八時開始入席，要到十二時左右才完成。

夜開始深，眾多賓客陸續散去，朋友們意猶未盡，一起乘車到某大型娛樂場所繼續消遣，本已在婚宴時喝到面紅耳赤的我，仍逃不過與人劈酒的命運...

幸好唱歌亦是我所好，借點歌之際推掉一些勸飲，一口氣唱了張學友的《李香蘭》、《當我想起妳》、《忘記妳我做不到》等歌，唱畢，周圍傳來熱烈掌聲。

Congratulations...again

Two years ago, a family member of mine was only a small step further from joing the local universities' Early Admissions Scheme because of his fantastic HKCEE results ( 3A 3B )
And now with the announcement of the 2009 JUPAS main round offer results, he got admitted into Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) at last.

But, as said before, getting enrolled as a good unversity's student doesn't mean your future is well settled. Keeping learning hungrily is a must.

Life is a long road ahead. As Steve Jobs put it in the Commencement Speech at Stanford, "Stay hungry, Stay foolish."

Lakers or Magic?

又到 NBA 總決賽。

賽前無論籃球界現役球員，或是球迷，都一面倒地傾向認為湖人隊會取得最終勝利，就連美國總統 Obama 也預言湖人隊將會在總決賽的第六場，以場數 4:2 的結果贏得 NBA 總冠軍。( Obama 之前曾準確預言 University of North Carolina 會奪得 NCAA 冠軍 )

湖人隊固然是傳統強隊，但看看近績，在面對缺乏姚明以及 Tracy McGrady 的火箭隊，還要打至第七場才能分勝負，表現很不穏定，反觀魔術隊，即使在處於嚴重落後的情況下，仍能從後趕上，在首圈對費城七六人，場數落後一比二，次圈對波士頓塞爾特人，場數落後二比三的劣勢下連追兩場奠定勝局，東岸決賽對頭號種籽克里夫蘭騎士隊，第一場比賽在大比數落後的情況下急追至反敗為勝，韌力驚人。

魔術隊是遇強愈強，現在的情況很像東岸決賽時面對克里夫蘭騎士隊般，賽前各方也一致看淡魔術隊，結果證明頑強的拼勁與堅韌的毅力可以融化一切強敵 - 先是力挽狂瀾淘汰去年 NBA 總冠軍波士頓塞爾特人，接著力壓今年 NBA 成績最好的克里夫蘭騎士隊，況且魔術隊在常規賽跟湖人隊兩次碰頭，都贏得比賽，眾人一致看好的湖人隊被後勁淩厲的魔術隊打敗，實在沒什麼好奇怪的。

今年的 NBA 季後賽分外好看，未到最後一分鐘，往往不知勝負誰屬，自從準決賽開始，不少比賽都是觀看現場直播，非常過癮。

A Habit for All Seasons

新春期間發現由於一段時間的頹廢，腰間有贅肉現象，於是有了鍛煉身體的念頭，本來打算到附近運動場跑 25 圈(25 x 400米 = 10 公里)，結果跑了 31 圈，接著的第二天意猶未盡，跑了 38 圈(38 x 400米 = 15.2 公里)，跑開了，以後每天(有時隔天)都以跑 25 圈作為跑步的標準。

跑步對我來說並非新鮮事，以往也有跑步的習慣，只不過回望起來，發覺以前每天跑四、五個圈，然後再做些鬆筋運動，根本算不了什麼。
不過，以前每天跑四五個圈，是在讀預科時期開始的事，每天六點起床，到公園跑步後，回家稍休片刻，沐浴後吃點東西就匆匆乘車上學去，所以也不能跑得太久，以免耽誤上學。不過沒有想到這卻成了習慣，在隨後不用上學的日子裡，也沒有檢討四五個圈是否太少。
唐朝時，柳宗元遊覽西山，然後知吾響之未始遊，遊於是乎始； 現在我經過一段日子的每天 25 個圈，然後知吾響之未始跑，25 個圈才是真正跑步的開始。

現在每天要六點左右就起床，六點多就出去跑步。不夜睡晚起，倒不是由於專家們那些"優質睡眠"的勸告(午夜前一小時的睡眠等於午夜後二小時)，只是覺得夜睡晚起的生活，並不比早睡早起的生活更精彩。以前會覺得夜睡晚起才像是成年人的生活。而現在則領悟到，成年人的生活，並不是體現在夜睡晚起(除非工作需要)，而應該體現在對生活的節奏控制得更好，生活得更有規律，不然與頑皮小童何異?

社會上常常見到兩類人: 第一類人讀過的書不少，滿腹經綸、出口成文，可是極少運動；　第二類人活力充沛、生蹦活跳、整天運動，可是卻不甚讀書。　這兩類人其實都活得不太健康，只有能動、又能靜的生活態度，外在(身體)與內在(腦筋)都注重的生活習慣，才是正規的生活方式。 這種生活方式可使人免陷於才識豐富、卻手無縳鷄之力，或者四肢發達，卻頭腦簡單的窠臼。

要做到能動能靜，我也要多加努力才成。

我常去的運動場背樓面海，環境清幽怡人，跑道上有常常運動的壯年男士，有為了保持窈窕身材的妙齡女郎，有為教育運動意識的老人攜幼，為這個近乎完美的運動場增添不少生氣。跑步令世界變闊，讓人更真切地感受到自己的存在、與天地萬物的聯繫。

基本上天氣不是太差，都一定跑步，就算跑步時下起毛毛細雨，也照跑如儀，有時反而覺得下起毛毛雨更好，可以趕走一些不是有心想跑步的人，讓跑道上活動著的都是同道中人。

經過長跑後的心得，長跑前的一小時要吃些食物，喝足夠的水，不然跑的過程若有饑渴感，會更辛苦，長跑時步幅要闊些，如果步幅過小，所穿的內褲或短褲經長時間不斷磨擦，會擦損腿部皮膚，雖然穿單車褲可解決此問題，但拉闊步幅更好。

現在在一些體能表現上，仰臥起坐(sit-up)可以一次過連續做 70 下(一分鐘內接近 50 下)，
掌上壓(push-up)一次過連續做 70 下以上(一分鐘內)(有時一分鐘 80 下)，儘管如此，對自己現時的肌肉並不滿意，必須進行更高強度的肌肉鍛煉。 理想中的肌肉強度應如 Eclipse 薄荷糖廣告中的男女那樣，那才是標準的男女身型。

有些人喜歡一邊跑步，一邊戴著 iPod 聽歌，而我則只拿著計時器跑，還未適應長跑時，通常跑到十個圈左右，會有點厭跑的情緒出現，那時看著自己如何克服厭跑情緒，考驗自己的意志，繼續跑下去，也是挺好的娛樂。

「雲門舞集」創辦人林懷民先生跟雲門舞者與藝術學院學生 參加幾天幾夜的步行活動，林懷民認為長時間的步行不但要體力應付得了，還要抵抗誘惑，例如步行時有人招呼你上車，你要不要上車，幾天幾夜的步行不單是對體力，也是對意志的考驗。

林懷民又鼓勵年青人要有獨自流浪六十天的經歷，這樣才能跟自己對話，同時面對世界，切身去跟陌生人、陌生的世界打交道，而六十天的流浪，會有開始時的興奮、到途中的疲倦、再到後來的重新振作，這個過程就是在學習克服自己的懦弱，為自己各方面提供了很好的鍛煉，而這年輕時的流浪歷練，是一輩子的養分。

長跑運動其實也和長期流浪一樣，會有開始時的輕快地跑，到中途時開始有點厭跑情緒，再到克服厭跑情緒，重新振作，這個過程也同樣在鍛煉自己的意志，為以後做其他事情增強了信心和韌勁。

人的一生都在追尋快樂，卻忘記了人生本來就是一個不斷克服苦與痛的過程，習慣克服苦與痛，克服的苦與痛越多，生活便越有滿足感，人才會活得更加安逸。
逃避應該經歷的苦與痛的過程，離真正的快樂安逸只會越來越遠。

經過一段時間的每天十公里(有時隔天)，之後再品嘗好的東西時會更有趣味，長跑時的辛苦，不單訓練耐力和意志，也令生命的一切顯得更美好。

每天跑 25 個圈並不是問題，只是有時天雨路滑，加上以前打籃球時曾扭傷腳踭，跑的時候有時還會觸動腳部舊患、有點不適。

諮詢過專業醫生的意見，他說以我現在每天的運動量，隔天做也足夠。其實若不是足部舊患，有時大雨路濕(不喜歡健身室裡的跑步機，喜歡運動場那種跑步互動的感覺)，我是非常願意每一天都跑十公里的。以每天十公里計算，每週也不過 70 公里而己，某位仁兄，每週跑 100 公里，而且年届 47 歲，人家的年齡比我大一大截，跑的公里數卻比我多得多，不得不佩服人家的體力與毅力。

(環球小姐冠軍 Jennifer Hawkins 常跑步保持健美身形)

跑慣了，會覺得長跑其實是一件頗享受的事情，有時一陣海風吹來，感覺猶如在空中漫步。　每次跑完都很有滿足感，覺得那一天沒有白過，就像 Usian Bolt 在奧運 100 米決賽，在最後 30 米開始放緩，攤開雙手拍著胸膛衝過終點贏得金牌時的興奮心情一樣。(事有湊巧，我也曾於運動會比賽時，高舉雙手衝過終點，贏得 800 米冠軍)

跑完 10 公里，再到運動場附近的 Starbucks 喝點東西，戴上耳機，聽聽 Giuseppe Verdi 的 Triumphant March and Ballet Music，再打開自行攜帶的書本閱讀一番。 就這樣開始一天的生活，感覺非常好。

有人問，跑那麼多個圈，不辛苦嗎? 我微笑著點了點頭，內心卻在說，那是福氣，不是辛苦。

有高人說過，人生必須至少有幾個可以陪伴到老的好習慣，那會使自己的生活獲益良多。

希望這長跑的習慣，伴我到老，from here to eternity.

Best Memories of 2008

Best Memories of 2008

10. Man on Wire (2008, James Marsh)

This is a funny, captivating documentary chronicling a tightrope walker's history, preparation, and effort to walk on high wire between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.
On August 7, 1974, some New Yorkers were treated to a memorable spectacle at Twin Towers. Behind it all was the daring exploits of a Frenchman Philippe Petit.
Acting on an idea he'd been pondering, drafting, and practising for months, showcasing his unbelievable feat of perseverance and foot-first skill that had enthused him for years on end since he was a teenager, Philippe Petit depicts his formidable undertaking to the world. He undertook arguably one of the most periculous endeavour in human history, and it was publicized by TV and newspapers. With this risky venture, Philippe Petit inspired wonder shared by very few peers.
At the heart of Philippe Petit's high-wire walking performance was the idea that the seemingly insurmountable obstacle can be overcome by effort and enthusiasm. In one morning of awe-inspiring and emotional splendor, he educated, edified and entertained us all. If you have a dream, go make it come true while you are still young, time and tide wait for no man. That's what this film tells us.

9. The Chaser (2008, Na Hong-jin)

Inspired by a true story, The Chaser (2008) revolves around serial disapperances of call girls and an ex-cop's desperate search to save his employee's life. In his pursuit he's obstructed by his former police colleagues at almost every turn, even when the killer is held in detention and confesses his guilt.
The Chaser (2008), as in Bong Joon-ho's Memories of Murder (2003), pours scorn on the authorities' incapability and clumsiness, reveals social discontent about the officials, while the identity of the killer remains a mystery in the latter, it is identified early on in this film, and then focuses on how inept the investigators are and how preposterously the Korean society operates. In The Chaser (2008), most of the suspense comes from the foot chase, close fighting, and the killer will be released if the fumbling police are not able to provide evidence within a day.
With the dauntless filmmaker keen to paint a grim picture in which law enforcement is shown in an unfavourable light - the shirking police force are always in search of a way to shift blame, and with the added social commentary, this film goes beyond the majority of serial killer films. And the most unbelievable of all, this is the director Na Hong-jin's debut.
I am always in awe of some directors' talents, such as Clint Eastwood, the older he gets, the more prolific and inspiring he becomes, and some newcomers like Cristian Nemescu, Fatih Akin, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and Na Hong-jin, with their first attempts at filmmaking, many experienced directors pale into insignificance.

8. Revolutionary Road (2008, Sam Mendes)

It's western Connecticut in the mid-1950s booming postwar period, a couple attempt to move to Paris to begin their lives anew and leave their hopeless emptiness behind. But with the advent of a career opportunity that the male lead cannot afford to miss, the couple's relationship begins to turn sour and lack of communication eventually leads to family tragedy. The storyline sounds stale and conventional, it works as an astonishingly touching, absorbingly thought-provoking adult drama nevertheless.
The film is a glaringly vivid voyage of distress, observing the broadening line between the couple whose growing mutual resentment and hatred are impediment to gradually altering their corroding relationship in the name of matrimony.
Leonardo DiCaprio's acting in this film is at his career peak, bestowing a desperate quality with minimal moves, interiorizing the sorrow and fury with prominent facial torsions, but unfortunately overshadowed this year by Mickey Rourke's Oscar-worthy performance in The Wrestler (2008) - one that most probably will be recognised by the Academy.
Kate Winslet's performance here is much better than that in The Reader (2008), more natural and less contrived, though the latter got lots of her nude scenes, yet Kate Winslet got nominated for best actress for The Reader (2008) rather than this film on Oscar nominations. Go figure.

7. Frost/Nixon (2008, Ron Howard)

Frost/Nixon (2008) tells a very personal story wrapped within a larger political context. Adapted from the Peter Morgan's Tony-nominated stage drama that portrays David Frost's 1977 series of TV interviews with former President Richard Nixon, the film harkens back to the 1970s and the Watergate scandal that resulted in the indictment of several of Nixon's closest advisors, and ultimately his resignation on August 9, 1974. Much unlike typical political interviews, the struggle pitted an checkbook journalism against White House dirty tricks squad. Frost's interview also has to be seen against the backdrop of controversial pardon issued by President Gerald Ford for any federal crimes Nixon may have committed while in office, who regarded the interview both as an opportunity to make a fortune and a prospect of an improvement of his sullied reputation with a talk show host he believed adequate to only asking easy questions.
However, Nixon's underestimate of his opponent paved the way for his final admission and remorse. Mass media was what indicted him and destroyed his hope of presidency both in Watergate scandal and this interview. Although Frank Langella doesn't bear physical or vocal resemblance to Nixon, he incarnates Nixon through sheer force of brilliant performance.

6. Doubt (2008, John Patrick Shanley)

As in The Crime of Father Amaro (2002) and Deliver Us from Evil (2006), this film tells a story of a Father's sexual misconduct. All these films take on the issues of religion, morality and authority. Some priests' misbehaviour arouses some audiences' skepticism on the existence of God, crisis of faith (doubt), as this film put it, can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty. There are moments of doubt and disbelief, times when religious doctrine fails to provide a rationale or explanation. Yet all these films don't say priests are unethical but discover that priests are human and some humans are unethical. It should be noted that many ordained religious practitioners are good men. They are good-hearted, altruistic individuals living pious lives in service of their calling. For every dishonourable priest, there are many more men whose concern for others is non-ravening. As in Deliver Us from Evil (2006), an activist for those victims was another righteous Father, who excoriates the Church's response to the scandal, and in this film, Father Brendan Flynn's suspicious behaviour is investigated and reprobated by Sister Aloysius Beauvier.
I had a dicussion about the film Deliver Us from Evil (2006) with an evangelist during the Franklin Graham Festival at Hong Kong Stadium in December 2007. I asked why God didn't prevent some priests' culpability, he replied that God gives you the freedom to choose between right and wrong. If you're determined to misbehave, why blame God for the responsibility of your wrongdoings afterwards. It's you who made the decision. God doesn't tell you to misdemean. One day, those wicked priests have to bear the full responsibility for their conduct in front of God.
The message of this film can be extended from faith in God to faith in life, faith in love, faith in career. Under desperate circumstance, uncertainty is likely to set in. The only thing we could do is learn from the past, make sensible choices, keep going on the right path.

5. Gomorra (2008, Matteo Garrone)

Based on Roberto Saviano's bestseller about Italy's notorious Neapolitan syndicate Camorra, Gommorah is a movie so unlike the usual Hollywood crime film which glamorizes the mob in a phony way, that its genuineness makes the typical Hollywood ones pale by comparison. This film interweaves five different stories related to mob activities to demonstrate how deep the vicious roots reach in reality, and how hard and ineffectual it appears to seek to uproot this mob-rule threat from its firmly controlled regions. It was shot in the same locale as where the story took place, exhibiting the Camorra criminal families' impact in social, political and economic aspects.
It’s a splendidly told disclosure of how the modern Italian mob functions, from the long-existing street bullying to international business intimidation.
The author of the best-seller which inspired this film was threatened by the Mafia of Naples, because he had the bravery and the rashness to spill a large number of beans about the Camorra, the Mafia of Naples, the author now has to be protected by a bodyguard. All these add to the film's atrocious sense.

4. Waltz with Bashir (2008, Ari Folman)

Before Israel carried out an air attack in Gaza and sent tanks into the Strip in late December last year, a film called Waltz with Bashir (2008) was made about the Sabra and Shatila massacre in September, 1982. The peacebreakers and victims are the same in both incidents, Lebanese Phalangist militiamen entered and massacred two Palestinian refugee camps with the permission of Israeli Defense Forces. and Israel's recent relentless air attacks on a besieged Gaza caused over 1,000 deaths and some 4,000 injuries of innocent Palestinians, mostly women and children.
In an animated style similar to Waking Life (2001), writer-director Ari Folman investigates the massacre of Palestinian refugees that has been haunting his generation for more than two decades. Folman's film mulls over this disturbing material, digging slowly but deep – and even the Kafkaesque tone that runs throughout those fragmented memories can't gear you up for the striking aftermath. Ari Folman cuts in between those fragmented memories in such a manner that it takes a while to figure out what's happened and how it all connects, here is a filmmaker challenging the audience's history knowledge, demanding fullest attention. Waltz with Bashir (2008) comes across as a hearty and profoundly sore struggle that exempts neither its maker nor his nation from the guilt. Even though the film's animated style, as the director claimed, functions on the border between reality and the subconscious, what happened in the film was not a dream, and that was the most frightening thing of all.

3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008, David Fincher)

There's little doubt this is an ambitious effort, the film takes the audience on a tour of the 20th century, with a love story so unique that the lovers age in the opposite direction.
Of all the directors you would expect to make an era-spanning romance epic like this film, you would not think of David Fincher as the first choice. David Fincher's films are symbolized by murder, suspense, brutality, nastiness, and psycho thriller as seen in Se7en (1995), The Game (1997), Fight Club (1999), Panic Room (2002), Zodiac (2007). And yet, David Fincher's astonishing deployment of phenomenal amount of techonological details to replicate New Orleans over the span of the 20th century, and his adeptness to elicit wondrous performances from his actors made this another masterpiece of another heartrending romance. One of David Fincher's magical strength as a director is his ability to make the movie as engrossing as possible througout the film. The film is nearly 3 hours in length, but it never makes you feel ponderous and tedious.

2. The Wrestler (2008, Darren Aronofsky)

Darren Aronofsky, an auteur of making visually thrilling and intellectually challenging films, brings another astounding feature, but with less equivocalness as previous film like The Fountain (2006), instead with more violence and poignance.
The Wrestler (2008) explores not just the traditional elegiac of fading from prime prominence, but the equally soul-rattling ache of father-daughter relationship.
The characters are so deeply drawn and remarkably illuminated, the audience are connectted with the characters' pain. It's an audacious and essential film, gorgeously presented and, grimly entertaining too.
As in Requiem for a Dream (2000), Darren Aronofsky uses certain sound effects to simulate a certain emotion, such as the actor walked in a store to work, but accompanied by shrill, excited cheering of wrestling fans to represent the character's past glory and today's ordinariness.
The performance by Mickey Rourke in this film is simply superb, Mickey Rourke has never been better, his dumfounding wrestling presentation and electrifying acting developes the wrestler into an incredibly complicated, conflicted individual who emites equal parts enchantment and immorality, magnetism and brutality. Mickey Rourke's interpretation of Randy 'The Ram' Robinson stands for the class of male acting in 2008. Chances are we'll see him being awarded as best actor at the upcoming Oscar ceremony.

1. Slumdog Millionaire (2008, Danny Boyle)

Twelve years after the sublimely excellent Trainspotting (1996), Danny Boyle's works in between were inspiring but uneven, and now with the deeply affecting Slumdog Millionaire (2008), the director is back to his career peak, and this film may be his most popular work ever.
This film is the director's most accessible work to date since the narrative works on multiple levels, it can be viewed as a suspenseful adventure, a touching romance, or as a peek at human misery in Indian society despite its fast-growing economy.
Danny Boyle blends this evidently Oliver-esque tale with picturesque sets, quick cuts, amazing kaleidoscopic shots, canted camera angles, and always-in-motion camerawork. In the hands of a less talented director, this skillfully crafted feature may appear kitschy and meretricious, but with the cinematic sleight of hand of Danny Boyle, this seamlessly assembled work looks stylistically overwhelming while remains narratively solid and grippingly breathtaking.
The movie has grievous and tragic moments but it is jubilant in the end and incorporates all the elements general audience desires. Danny Boyle ends the movie with the protagonist reuniting with his childhood sweetheart and then an effervescent dance number, ensuring the audience leaves the theater with an elated viewing pleasure.


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