Recently I purchased an Android phone. As part of the activation procedure, I was asked to open a new Google account and a Gmail address.
With two Google accounts, I've decided to consolidate everything into the new one, including this blog.
From now on, this blog will continue at: translators-notes.blogspot.com. Everything else is unchanged.
27.7.11
3.7.11
Brownies
Not the chocolately dessert. I'm talking about brown-banded cockroaches, disgusting critters that started appearing in my kitchen about two months ago. These are small cockroaches. The adults are a little bit over 1cm, while the babies can be smaller than a sesame.
They're very hard to catch because of their superb alertness and agility. One slight movement of your hand is all it takes to send it darting into the nearest gap, even if you're at a considerable distance. The adult males are an even bigger problem, because they can fly. I should have played more badminton.
The infestation reached a peak in May when there were so many of them that I could easily kill more than a dozen every night. On the positive side, though, it was a perfect training for hand-eye coordination.
Worse, they had expanded to the living room. Something must be done before they invade our beds.
So we turned the whole kitchen around. We dragged out the refrigerator and sanitized the space behind it. We cleaned every surface, sprayed every gap with insecticide, and poured bleach into every drainage outlet. We also mined the place with roach baits. That quickly reduced their presence to the occasional one adult or two.
And now, not a single brownie has been seen for two straight weeks.
They're very hard to catch because of their superb alertness and agility. One slight movement of your hand is all it takes to send it darting into the nearest gap, even if you're at a considerable distance. The adult males are an even bigger problem, because they can fly. I should have played more badminton.
The infestation reached a peak in May when there were so many of them that I could easily kill more than a dozen every night. On the positive side, though, it was a perfect training for hand-eye coordination.
Worse, they had expanded to the living room. Something must be done before they invade our beds.
So we turned the whole kitchen around. We dragged out the refrigerator and sanitized the space behind it. We cleaned every surface, sprayed every gap with insecticide, and poured bleach into every drainage outlet. We also mined the place with roach baits. That quickly reduced their presence to the occasional one adult or two.
And now, not a single brownie has been seen for two straight weeks.
2.7.11
弄巧反拙的一場戲
昨天，去海港城買新電話。
海港城的其中一層是電器店集中地，包括香港三大電器連鎖店。
先到第一家去問，那個職員立時擺出一副不在乎的臉孔，演起戲來：
職員甲：「呢部機平時無貨，要訂㗎！係呢幾日假期先返得果幾部。你問我有無，我只可以話比你知宜家呢一刻有，因為去得好快。」
職員乙見狀，馬上跟甲說：「喂，果邊有個客又要一部，你睇吓仲有幾多？」這句話，明顯是說給我聽。
職員甲又說：「我哋呢度兩邊賣緊（指該店有兩個賣電話的櫃枱，同時售賣這款電話），可能得番一兩部到。」
這兩個人一唱一和，把我當白痴的。
在香港，許多銷售人員喜歡做這種戲，製造「手快有手慢無」的假象，希望嚇得客人快快掏錢包。在服裝店，店員總會說：「呢件得番最後一件咋。」在示範單位，地產代理游說你買樓時，總不時有一兩個「同事」走過來，故意在你面前說：「喂，啱啱又有個客買咗一間。」箇中虛實大家心照。
不過，店員不是演員，這戲也做得太假，甚至做得太濫，鬼才相信。
你不是強調兩邊在賣嗎？好，就到另一邊：另一家店。
遇到此類手段，我的反應是即時離開，就算本來想買的，看了你這場戲，也馬上打消念頭。因為，你現在是明擺著在玩弄我。
我還幫襯你的話，豈不是自認笨蛋？
海港城的其中一層是電器店集中地，包括香港三大電器連鎖店。
先到第一家去問，那個職員立時擺出一副不在乎的臉孔，演起戲來：
職員甲：「呢部機平時無貨，要訂㗎！係呢幾日假期先返得果幾部。你問我有無，我只可以話比你知宜家呢一刻有，因為去得好快。」
職員乙見狀，馬上跟甲說：「喂，果邊有個客又要一部，你睇吓仲有幾多？」這句話，明顯是說給我聽。
職員甲又說：「我哋呢度兩邊賣緊（指該店有兩個賣電話的櫃枱，同時售賣這款電話），可能得番一兩部到。」
這兩個人一唱一和，把我當白痴的。
在香港，許多銷售人員喜歡做這種戲，製造「手快有手慢無」的假象，希望嚇得客人快快掏錢包。在服裝店，店員總會說：「呢件得番最後一件咋。」在示範單位，地產代理游說你買樓時，總不時有一兩個「同事」走過來，故意在你面前說：「喂，啱啱又有個客買咗一間。」箇中虛實大家心照。
不過，店員不是演員，這戲也做得太假，甚至做得太濫，鬼才相信。
你不是強調兩邊在賣嗎？好，就到另一邊：另一家店。
一問，服務員親切有禮，解釋詳盡，馬上付錢。
遇到此類手段，我的反應是即時離開，就算本來想買的，看了你這場戲，也馬上打消念頭。因為，你現在是明擺著在玩弄我。
我還幫襯你的話，豈不是自認笨蛋？
1.7.11
Silver Cross Pub, London
I was having lunch with my dad when I noticed this girl sitting by the window. The light brightened her face, which formed a beautiful contrast with the pub's dim interior. I knew I had spotted a good B&W photo opportunity.
She was sitting at the far end of the room, so I had to exhaust the digital zoom of my camera. As a result the photo is a bit blurry and grainy, but in this case I think it adds to the atmosphere.
I like how the light highlights the ends of her hair.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)