Gnimm: Christina Chan, You're right.

Christina Chan, You're right.

Translated by Chen-t'ang 鎮棠, Written by Gnimm (逆嘶亭)
Original: http://gnimmm.com/2015/01/08/youreright/ 

When we mention Christina Chan Hau-man, most people will think of her sidetrack gossips on entertainment magazines. Now, as the situation deteriorates, she is now well-acclaimed as if she is an aggrieved prophet. She herself has long been despondent and stayed away from politics. This is the only result of a person who steps much forward the others. She took an arrow and shoot against "Greater China morons". And now the Snow Lion Banner of Tibet has less and less exposure.

Recently a video clip was uploaded. It was Christina participating in a protest on a tree. I felt sentimental. It was four years ago at night. She was skimpy, as the media described. She was holding a mic, condemning the "go-through-the-motions" formalism of 1st July demonstration. She asked the other protesters to reflect the effectiveness of standing out on streets, and said things that were not much understood at that time. She said, "Should we keep on doing so? We have to think why we are out here. If we do not escalate our action, then staying here will be nothing but a tradition like 1st July demonstration." I can barely hold back my emotions.

Tempus fugit. A 'prophet' is bound to bear such pains. She had to withdraw, long before the Umbrella Revolution, long before people made their own shields and burnt rubbish bins. She, after all, is just a person. We felt helpless when we saw leftards calling people to "vote and deliberate" in Mong Kok [trying to be leaders in the movement], and now it seems that we can do nothing to those totem-praising, "peaceful, rational, non-violence, non-swearing" (PRNN) "yellow ribbons". It is not difficult to imagine how much Christina had to bear, especially when she was on her own. She knew she needed to grab the attention from cameras, so she did use many new tactics, making herself on headlines of newspapers. She then became the target on the bull's eye.

In a calm manner, she said the truth, "Is it useful to do the formality again, just like last year?" Four years have passed, even after the largest scale of occupation in the history of Hong Kong, the majority of Hongkongers still do not understand this truth. In the clip, her friends held the gate outside the old Government HQ, and she called for support. Yet, some fake-allies urged all protesters returning to the original position and to sit and wait until they were carried away by the police, and stop blocking the gate. She was clever and daring, and knew the way such fake-allies act. She shouted, "Never retreat and hold our bottom lines!" Yet in the movement against the development of Northeast New Territories in 2014, Raphael Wong, one of the chief fake-allies, was so brazen-faced to say "People did not think so" in front of journalists to halt the kind of charging Christina proposed. All people who think they are fighting for democracy for Hong Kong owes Christina an apology, because we allow people like Raphael Wong to get in our way when he felt excited when protesters were getting arrested.

Also, the forlorn Christina Chan promoted an idea of self-determination, an idea that is still not understood by PRNN yellow-ribbons. From 1997 to 2003, from 2003 to 2010, from 2010 to 2014, we are still thinking the meaning of civil disobedience, and tarrying with legal wordings. Hongkongers have the priority in enjoying resources of Hong Kong, the final say to our population policies, the right to have one-person-one-vote in electing the government - these are still "not accommodating and fair" to many people who think they are rational. The internal affair of Hong Kong is not yet solved, then not to mention how the Communists suppress people in Xinjiang and Tibet.

"Amid such chaotic world, we have our responsibilities .... for stability maintenance/weiwen." These PRNN yellow-ribbons brandish themselves travelling, and stuck the yellow banner with "I want genuine universal suffrage" wherever they go. But in fact, they have not cherished those pioneers who carry responsibilities at the beginning. And the way they "embrace" democracy is, but, another kind of stability maintenance/weiwen. They do not mind "doing the formality again just like last year", nor doing origami of yellow paper umbrellas for many hours. They are merely jumping on the wagon, or a kind of Joneses mentality.

She did not join the revolution, nor she exposed herself. The revolution ended, not even smelling a scintilla of gunpowder. At the time, did anyone always bear the idea in mind - that continuous escalation of movement has to be continued everyday more radically than yesterday? No. Few were struggling, but the majority of the protesters were not convinced. Some even said "Policemen are our neighbours, the government is our archenemy". Eventually people wait, and tally, for an inconclusive end, which was executed by the batons of the so-called law enforcement agency.

So, her thorough withdrawal was right. Her time belongs to her. People in this place do not worth her precious decade to "enlighten" others. She is neither Albert Ho nor Lee Cheuk-yan, she could go to somewhere else and develop herself, and for those twerps who can stay in the political sphere for two decades, you may now be crystal clear about their "true colours".

Wing Wing: "Flunkies of British" and "Noble Chinese Citizens"

"Flunkies of British" and "Noble Chinese Citizens"

Translated by Chen-t'ang 鎮棠, Edited by Vivian L., Written by 翼雙飛 (Wing Wing)
Original: http://www.passiontimes.hk/article/09-18-2014/18844 

(Photo: PassionTimes)

A few days ago, I saw a piece of news on CableTV: There is a shortage of regular ambulances in China, so there are many "illegal ambulances" sending patients to the hospital. These ambulances are owned by private operators, and passengers have to call them and PAY for their service. By saying "sending", I mean, these ambulances are merely metal boxes on four wheels with hardly any life-saving equipment. It also reported a deadly incident where the gas pipe of an "illegal ambulance" was broken, leaking carbon monoxide and killing all four passengers on board.

Many Chinese often say, "We China have stood up!", and criticise HKers: "You don't see yourselves as Chinese, but often mention Britain and so on... Haha! You are all flunkies of British people!" True indeed? We "flunkies" enjoyed one of the best ambulance service in the world under British rule. We do not need to bribe ambulancemen before using an ambulance. Patients would not have their oxygen pipes removed and be kicked out of the hospital if they could not afford the fees. We do not need to pay "red packets" to doctors and nurses before having doctors' and nurses' care.

True, before 1997, the British were somewhat privileged, but they also satisfied the basic needs of grassroots. Hawker centre, Dai-pai-dongs (cooked-food stalls), and shopping centres in housing estates used to sell food and daily necessities at affordable prices. Those public facilities were also places where grassroots gathered. Public housing estates built in the colonial era had sufficient spaces, adequate ventilation and good daylight-capturing, making homes comfy. Since the 1970s, six years of free education had started in HK, and was expanded to nine years in 1980s. No matter how poor you are, as long as you excel in school, there are all sorts of public funds, subsides and scholarships to help you along. Eventually you can be successful.

Even the rights of poorest people among the "flunkies of British people" were respected. With the living environment and basic needs were well cared for, people could move upward and be socially mobile. But what about these "Noble Chinese Citizens"? They have to bribe their way to an ambulance when their lives are in jeopardy; rich people cannot get hold of safe infant formula in China for their young; those who protect their homes will be ran over by bulldozers because they are "obstacles to development".

Whatever names they have for us, be it "flunkies", "dogs", or "bastards" -- a fact is still a fact: who would rather be a "Noble Chinese Citizen" if they can choose on their own?

Atsuna: Parents Pamper Children to Become Big Spenders

Parents Pamper Children to Become Big Spenders 

Translated by Nathaniel Suen, Written by 假啞港女 (Atsuna)
Original: http://www.passiontimes.hk/article/06-01-2014/15774 

(The Headliner, 15 December 2010)

Children in Hong Kong are reported to have spent over a thousand dollars on cosmetics upon successive trips to Taiwan and Korea per month, endorsed by parents’ expensive pocket money allowance.

He who distributed iPhones to schoolmates for the sake of being honoured in name is a teenager from Tai Po; she who visited Taiwan and Korea seven times in nine months just to see her favourite pop star is a secondary schooler from Kwun Tong; she who spends a thousand dollars on make-ups monthly is another secondary school student from Kwai Fong … The phenomenal emergence of young spenders worries social workers for adolescents’ poor ability to manage themselves financially, for which indulgent parents should be accounted.

"Daddy has promised me a pocket money of ten thousand dollars if I am admitted to the Diocesan Boys’ School. I can get an iPad for myself that way," a kindergartener told me.

In a society where toddlers are busier on their tutorials than adults working for their jobs, this is no news to me. Even so, as I noticed he endured the arduous study for the sake of getting an Apple producer despite his fatigue, I realised it was just one amongst all those "free-spending fledglings" revealing himself, whose life is extravagant but empty.

It has been reported earlier that a primary six schoolgirl in Hong Kong committed suicide pressurised by academic expectations. While some may impute the cause of this tragedy to Hong Kong kids' poor resilience, I would say that they are no difference to us, Hong Kong adults – the kids and we all work our fingers to the bone to earn living. Leisure time to play games on an iPhone is their equivalent of our salary. We, on the other hand, might have inherited exploitative genes from our bosses to assign tasks unceasingly to our children.

Overindulgence by parents is not the culprit of the phenomenal "Hong Kong kids" problem because this alone is inadequate to cause the predicament. The average weekly working hours of Hong Kong employees far exceeds 40 hours, which is the recommendation by the International Labour Organisation – Hong Kong kids' is no milder case. They do not need self-care and self-respect since they fully understand the act of making endeavours studying and can trade themselves attendance and respect.

Japanese writer Uchida Tatsuru had provided an insight to why teenagers in his country have poor academic attainment in his work Karyū shikō (The Orientation to Go Downstream). He wrote:

A contemporary society shaped by economic mechanism has predominant consequences in the development of children. They started their process of identity construction in the context of convenient stores, which means "consumer" is the first identity constructed. This results in a kind of "consumption behaviour" in learning, which intertwines cost with return. This consumerist perceptual pattern in learning has weakened the children's moral values and led to the idea that education is useless, as its values are hard to be seen. (Uchida, 2007)

If Uchida's logic applies, we shall see Hong Kong kids being as endeavouring as their parents, who possessed the "below-the-Lion-Rock" mentality, because "labour" should have been the first identity constructed. However in reality, the return for children’s labour is dollar bills in lieu of compliments and encouragement as it used to be. It is the very way we raise our children has contributed to their lack of innocence, lack of patience and understanding, and their opportunist temperament.

In fact, the concept of childhood in developmental psychology had not emerged until 400 years ago. During the Medieval Period, seven-year-old was set to be the end of childhood because children at that age were able to master communication and their language. Yet, as the technology of block printing came to Europe in the 15th Century, a new definition of childhood had been introduced – "children" referred to those who did not read whereas "adults" referred to those who were able to read. In that sense, adulthood was "earned" through hard work because one would not be qualified as an adult until he or she had been literate. This is why Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote in Emile, or On Education that "reading is the scourge of childhood, for books teach us to talk about things we know nothing about". The modern definition of adulthood was conceived upon the creation of mass-printing books. Reading opens the door to abstract knowledge for people meanwhile classifying those who do not read from those who do.

When none of the adults in Hong Kong behaves like one, please spare university students for not acting like a grown-up. In spite of our ability to read, we are nothing short of a bunch of "educated illiterates" who scarcely read or think. A mature adult should have a good sense of citizenship apart from an intelligent ability to understand profound concepts. Nonetheless, there seems to be no sign of intelligent life who does not proclaim that "I hate politics" in Facebook status in Hong Kong.

Furthermore, the distinction between an adult and a child lies upon an adult can access to PG-18 information which includes the likes of sex and death topics. These topics which children were barred from accessing were unsealed as televisions and the Internet were popularised. Dirty words, a taboo children should shun, has paradoxically become one adults should shun when primary school teacher Alpais Lam Wai-sze was criticised for swearing in public. We read cheap magazines stuffed with sexual implications but we refuse to confront sexual topics in front of our children. Children learn not only from formal education but also from the reflections of our behaviour. As a result, they mock at sissy classmates in the same way how we discriminate homosexuals.

Confucius condemned those who "get older in age with lack of virtues" as "parasites"; I would denounce Hong Kong adults or kids who "get older in age and be not maturate" as "Hong Kong lads". They read and read a lot, but they do not think and seldom use their brain. They have diversified talents and all-rounded skills, they even know the meaning of complicated words like "dextrorotatory" and "Halappino"; nevertheless, they abstain from fighting for universal suffrage simply because "politics is boring".

The rise of "Hong Kong kids" and "Hong Kong lads" is a prevalent phenomenon. Both kinds act like the know-it-all smartass we met in our sixth grade class. It is undoubtable that they know a lot – in the sense of skills and information – not knowledge, let alone wisdom. There no longer exists a distinction between adults and children in Hong Kong because we think and act equally naïve. In which, the race of "Hong Kong kids" is becoming extinct while the race of “Hong Kong lads” is thriving.

Wing Wing: To Indulge Not in Fantasy

To Indulge Not in Fantasy

Translated by Karen L., Written by 翼雙飛 (Wing Wing)
Original: http://www.passiontimes.hk/article/09-02-2014/18642 

This morning, I saw people changing their icons into yellow ribbon images, AGAIN. It turned out to be Civil Human Rights Front's yellow ribbon event, appealing citizens of Hong Kong to express their demand of real democracy.

Doesn’t this move provide you the sense of déjà vu?

If we have to count, there possibly are not less ribbon events we've seen. Yellow ones, blue ones, black ones, and so forth. It's not rare for people to put on ribbon when it comes to expressing or fighting for something. But it’s only restricted to this, changing the colours at most.

I could understand how good it might feel. Under such delusion of sense of fulfillment, these ribbon fanatics have thought themselves being effortful. Here, let me remind you an inconvenient truth, if you're one of them unfortunately or regarding this just fine, that there has not been a single right successfully fought for by ribbons alone.

The honorific Mahatma Gandhi, who is frequently on the so-called activists' lips, is famous of his earnest hunger strikes and the launch of the Non-cooperation movement. Even that Indians were severely beaten; it didn't obstruct their determination continuing the Salt March. This, is the courage one has for struggles.

What if, Gandhi organised some sort of yellow ribbon events instead putting on ribbons on every Indian, to express their demand of real democracy? What if they kept paying salt tax and being obedient under Britain's regime? What if they lived normally listening to every word Britain had said? As such, would there be real democracy today?  

British would say "Okay. Well, I see… And purely as a reminder, it's already the time for taxes."

Have "casting magic through beautiful ribbon dance", "singing from the heart converts stubborn minds" or "a drop of tears brings miracle" ever been placed the centre of your political opinion towards Hong Kong's situation nowadays?

For the yes people, diagnosis of such condition is ascribed that too much you've been exposed to fantasy animes. As time goes by, to you, surrealism has become more real than reality itself. Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne, Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch and Sailor Moon all come to life, so are their plots.

(Source: deidara-akatsuki.moeblog)

Apart from pinning on the Standing Committee's unreasonable framework on Hong Kong's universal suffrage, there are plenty of creative legal alternative suggestions given online. One of them even advised people to open bank accounts collectively, however, the picture must not be romantic enough to compete with the marvelous blend of numerous symbolic ribbons, united-theme songs and soul touching tears in a peaceful assembly.

This is exactly what the case will be. Yet remember, we're all simply mortal creatures. Going opposite of down-to-earth suits the ones with super power, not us. The miracles are eventually miracles, and they also don't come along with "feel-good" measure.

To fight for something else next time, please adopt REAL actions. It has to be that influential to which the regime can no longer turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to. Again, the ironfisted government will not get rusty if we compromise.

Now, welcome back to the real world.

Wing: Understanding "LGBT" - Chapter Gay

Understanding "LGBT" - Chapter Gay

Translated by Choi Siu-wa, Edited by Karen L., Written by Wing
Original: http://www.passiontimes.hk/article/06-26-2014/16902

This time it is Gay’s turn in the series of "LGBT" after the previous brief introduction about Lesbian.

In medical terms, gay and lesbian are described as homosexual. The word "gay" originally means "happy" but it is no longer used to mean "happy" in modern daily life.

It has to be traced back to the 19th century at least (or even earlier) that the word "gay" acquired a meaning connected to sex. Male and female prostitutes were called "gay" for their bright-colored and beautiful clothing in the Victorian Britain. Later, "gay boys" became the form of address of all male homosexuals.

In the United States, the word "gay" may be derived from the hobo community. A young hobo, also called "a gay cat" or "a geycat", usually had to be on friendly terms with another elder and experienced hobo to get a chance to learn and live. As sexual relationship is part of it, "gay cat" turned to the meaning of "young homosexual". The insiders of homosexuals did not start to use this form of address until the WWII.

The word "gay" has commonly been used to address male homosexual since the rise of the Gay Liberation Movement in 1970 and it is also a form of address that the insiders accept. You cannot say "he is a gay" which is a common wrong use as the word "gay" is an adjective. The right way to say should be "he is gay", meaning "he is a homosexual". However, we should be aware that "gay" and "homosexual" are the most common uses. Although it is easy to list 10 or even more words about homosexual in American spoken language, only "gay" and "homosexual" do not carry a tone of vilification, and that is the reason why the mass widely accept these two words.

Tracing it back in history, there are a great deal of records of male homosexuals in ancient Eastern and Western culture, such as the marriage of Athenian Pausanias and the tragedian Agathon in the Classical Greece period, Long Yang Jun in the Chinese Warring States period, the relationship between the Emperor Ai of Han and Dong Xian in the Chinese Han Dynasty, etc. Thus we can see that male homosexuality has existed since in ancient times.

It is not hard to discover the dark side when we are tracing events in our history. Homosexuals received rather serious persecutions during the past thousands of years, and there were still large scale persecutions even in the early modern period. During the Nazi period in Germany, homosexuality prohibition has became one of the targets in the Nazi party platform since Hitler’s rise to power. Both organisations of homosexuals and scholarly works of homosexuality and sexology has been banned since 1933. Homosexuals in the Nazi party were killed.

According to estimates, there were 1.2 million open male homosexuals in Germany in 1928. From 1933 to 1945, about 100,000 males were registered as homosexuals by the police, and around half of them were convicted. Most of them were put in normal prisons, but 5,000 to 15,000 people were estimated to be imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps. There is no clear number of deaths at the current moment but Ruediger Lautman, a well-known scholar, estimates that the death rate of homosexuals imprisoned in concentration camps was up to 60%. The homosexuals in prisons were treated cruelly by the arresters and were also persecuted by the other prisoners. This awful incident of persecution was neither recorded nor narrated in history books.

After persecutions for so many years and decades of affirmative movements, the mass has already accepted the existence of male homosexuals. However, the public in Hong Kong has considerable misconceptions towards our gay friends because Hong Kong people did not try to understand and were misled by TV series. It sometimes causes them to offend the homosexuals without any notice. "A man who wears an earring in his left ear is cool but in his right ear is gay," a saying within Hong Kong's community. This saying shows the misconception the public has because there is no such saying in the homosexuals' community.

Some may say, "all the gays are sissy. That’s what the TVB series shows us!" [Translator's note: TVB is a free-to-air TV broadcasters in Hong Kong] In fact, you cannot judge whether a pair of handsome guys is gay just by watching them in the street if they are not having intimate behaviour. The others may say, "many gays are actually very cool!" But I can say that not everyone is cool, at least for my gay friends.

"How do you differentiate the male and female role in a gay relationship?" The roles in homosexual may vary and it is not a simple black-and-white matter. It is not appropriate to explain a same-sex relationship with a male-and-female mode. For example, some couples' relationship is about care-taking and care-receiving. In their jargon, it is "an elder brother" and "a younger brother" respectively. Although it is common to see this kind of mode, it is fairly flexible that sometimes they exchange their role. Besides, a considerable amount of homosexual couples opts for the "equal" mode. They do not like the difference of role but the feeling of equal. Mutual respect is important in a relationship. People should be treated equally regardless of homosexuality or heterosexuality. Of course there are still many other different misconceptions that is too much to be listed here. The only way to shift it right relies on the mass's initiative to care about the gay friends around them and to avoid being misled by TV series and magazines.

In the end, I would like to recommend you a video about how a stranger hugs a gay person, which is really touching one. By and large, homosexuals are just normal people like everybody else.

(Photo: Passion Times)

Kenneth Cheung: Co-exist with AIDS for two decades

Co-exist with AIDS for two decades

Translated by Chen-t'ang 鎮棠, Spoken by Kenneth Cheung Kam-hung
Original: http://www.vjmedia.com.hk/articles/2014/05/15/72344 

[It is a tapescript of Cheung speaking on a TV programme on Anhui TV, China.]

At the end of 1995, after three months of fever, diarrhoea and pneumonia, I was suffering from breath difficulties. I entered the hospital, and the doctor asked me to do a HIV test. It was positive.

Since working in an AIDS organisation as a volunteer, then starting my own charity, and studying in social work in the last few years, I have gradually 'co-existed with AIDS for nearly two decades'.

Some might say, "There are lots of difficulties out there, why standing out?" 

True indeed, there are always discrimination. But we have to know why are we standing out here. If we just sit and wait until our families and friends are ready to accept us - will there by such a day? Why will they understand more? Why is the society more and more advanced? That's because some people stood out!

I came to this programme today, because I would like more audience to see a real AIDS patient.

Discrimination is more scary than AIDS itself!

Thus, many patients are not optimistic and active. In these years, I have encountered many sad cases. They carried HIV, and were forced to quit school, jobs, aspirations. They cannot be civil servants, teachers, policemen, lawyers because they cannot pass through the body check. Some of them even run away from home. Some patients had other chronic diseases or had some accidents, and were rejected by hospitals. When their lives were in jeopardy, no doctors are willing to do surgery for them. Some are depressed, and ended their lives.

Through advancement of medicine and regulation of my body, my situation is now quite stable. I had my follow-up consultation every three months now.

My CD4 Index (which reflects my immunity) was 8 in 1995, but after the cocktail therapy was invented, my CD4 remains between 500 to 700 in the past decade, which lies within normal range. The HIV content are way below 20, which is incomparable to millions of HIV back in 1995.

China has promulgated the "Four Frees and One Care Policy" for ten years already. Now the patients receiving free treatment can kill 99.99% of their AIDS virus in their bodies with medicine. When the virus content are below inspection level, their immunity can gradually recover. So now, AIDS is just a chronic disease.

If it is spotted out earlier, patients can co-exist with very little amount of virus, and go to work, study, travel, love, marry and live up to their grey years as commoners!

We should get rid of the spectre of death pyramid and fear of AIDS.

These years, I felt that I am capable of changing something - giving care and hope to others. I feel that I am obliged and responsible in doing this. 

Because I believe changing the world starts from oneself.

Thank God for giving me a special play for my life, a challenging role for me to experience a wonderful life.

In the future, I will continue my charity work, and chase after my Rainbow China dream!

Last but not least, I would like to encourage patients in China, and end this with my talk today:

"You don't insist on things for having seen the hope, but because only if you insist on them can you see the hope."

「我們不是因為看到了希望才去堅持，而是因為堅持了才會看到希望。」

Wing: Like-whore: Rookie Councillor Grieves Loss of Night Market

Like-whore: Rookie Councillor Grieves Loss of Night Market

Translated by Chen-t'ang 鎮棠, Edited by Karen L. ,  Written by 翼雙飛 (Wing Wing)

Original: http://www.passiontimes.hk/article/02-04-2014/8395 

"Gone are the days when I was seeking warmth with her in night market. She's still here with me, yet gone are the hawkers. Special snack stalls are replaced by chain food stores. I felt the [Hawkers Control Team of] FEHD enforces the law ruthlessly without discretion. I wonder how many people will support retaining the taste of grassroots?"

Such sentimental status can no doubt win the staunch support from HKers, with some thousands of likes in just a while. But what kind of insight can Mr. Kwong Chun-yu (a district councillor and an author with tens of thousands of fans) provide to your readers? It reminds me of CY Leung being severely criticised after he wrote about buying fish in a wet market last August.

If a commoner controls his sentiments appropriately, it is not a big deal. But as a politician, Mr Kwong shall comprehend what public policy is. Instead, he just wrote on behalf of his own perception. He said he misses the days when he could "eat along the street" (掃街), but suddenly he accused the ruthlessness of FEHD, and then "supported the taste of grassroots". I felt that his writing is nothing but naive, and moreover I felt he failed to live up his profession. Do you write merely for baiting for 'likes'?  Shouldn't you, as a person with social status and influence, write more didactic articles? At least you should widen your readers' horizons and inspire them?

I am not so erudite in the field of public policy. But is it all about reminiscing the days of eating fishballs when we mention Kwei Lin Night Market? You don't even need to be professionals to spot out clues if you go there in person!

First of all, there were lots of hawkers whose fingers are all thumbs. Probably due to hype of the media, the unexperienced hawkers want to be vendors. Without coordination, there were far too many vendors, causing a crowded eating environment. Conflicts can easily spark off. Charcoal stoves were placed in the middle of the crowd, and pedestrians might easily be burned. If there were accidents, would there be enough space for ambulance access? If charcoal stoves became on fire, could firetruck gain access? Diners are not vigilant against pickpockets, who came to seek "job opportunities". Diners left tonnes of rubbish, but hawkers did not care to even put a few bins around their stalls. As a result, the "ruthless" FEHD will be responsible for cleaning up them? Enforcing law is "ruthless", what an insinuation! But after people feed themselves happily and "non-ruthless-ly", FEHD has to clean up for the hawkers and the customers. Won't you be too ignorant to notice that as a politician?

(From Ada Wong)

Merely writing from your personal emotions without seeing anything undesirable, you neglect food hawkers can actually be an influential issue. You are "like-whoring" by saying 'I love eating along the street!'. What is more unbearable is saying "If the thought of this status is widely supported, I will suggest holding night market(s) to the district council!" Wow! Isn't it your responsibility to advocate certain policies! You even pass the buck to the netizens! Do you know whether they are from the community of suggested night market(s)! Isn't it a joke when a serious policy is treated as a trifling matter? Come on, Mr Kwong. Can you just don't be so egoistic and fooling the public as a district councillor?

[P.S. 1 Such kind of night market is temporary in nature, since during Lunar New Year holiday, law enforcement agencies will usually turn a blind eye, but recent trend shows that the situation is different. In night market, one can usually buy ox offals (牛雜), egg puffs/waffles (雞蛋仔/格仔餅), fishballs, shiu-mais, cheongfans (rice rolls 腸粉), imitation shark fin soups (commonly known as wun-chai-chi 碗仔翅) and so on.]
[P.S. 2 A Chinese article of Kursk is attached in the Chinese version of this article, and I'm not going to translate it, so, sorry.]

Chen-t'ang: Do you know? Do you remember? 還記得那些日子嗎？

Do you know? Do you remember? 還記得那些日子嗎？

Written by Chen-t'ang 鎮棠

The city has become so unaccustomed to us.

Do you know since when did the bar benders earn much more than common nine-to-six workers? Do you know how much (mainland) tourists were here last year? Do you know there are schools trying to change our conventions, teaching Chinese Language in Mandarin? Do you know how much do Hong Kong parents suffer? Do you know we are tired of political disputes?

Do you remember the year Her Majesty came to Hong Kong? Do you remember what did Lord Patten remind us when he left in 1997? Do you remember how lovely our city was? Do you remember when did you wholeheartedly laugh without worries? Do you remember our English proficiency was one of the best in the region?

Gone are the days.

But believe we can. Work harder to gain the right for approving one-way permits. Confront schools which use Mandarin to teach Chinese subject. Speak out for what you think is right, and make sure you won't regret once they come out of your tongue.
Sometimes one might be really frustrated about the future of the Pearl of the Orient, but we shall bear in mind that by concerted efforts, we can confront and defend any attacks. We cannot be lulled into a false sense of security. Placebos are sent out by those who welcome China to alter our traditions, but always be alert to possible traps. Everyone do something out of their own motives, but remember those pro-Peking camp usually have more nefarious ones. Do not judge a person by its cover. Not to afraid challenging authority because they are meant to be challenged.

But at the same time, be polite as you can. Be thrifty and hard-working as this can be an uphill task. Accept anybody who are willing to embrace core values of Hong Kong, speak Cantonese and English, write traditional characters and observe regulations in Hong Kong, including non-party mainlanders (if you may).

Learn the history of Hong Kong, and tell your non-local friends about the genuine history of Hong Kong.

Remember: We are, and shall always be, the authentic Hongkongers.

這個城市變得越來越陌生。

知道扎鐵工人賺得多過朝九晚六的打工仔嗎？知道多少中國遊客來港旅遊嗎？知道多少學校打算改變我們的傳統，用普通話教中文科嗎？知道香港家長吃了多少苦嗎？知道我們對政治角力倦了嗎？

還記得英女王訪港的日子嗎？還記得九七年彭定康總督臨別演講提醒我們什麼嗎？ 還記得我們的城市曾多麼可愛嗎？還記得你對上一次笑得見牙不見眼是哪時嗎？還記得香港的英文程度曾是區內數一數二嗎？

今非昔比矣。

不過，我們要相信自己，努力取回單程證審批權，還抗普教中學校，堅持己見，但確保講出來之後不要後悔。

有時對這座城市的將來難免沮喪，但要記住，眾志成城，就可抵抗一切攻擊。我們不可掉以輕心，應時刻警惕，勿坐可乘之機。事出必有因，但親北京黨派的因通常更加陰濕。勿以貌取人。勿害怕挑戰權威，因為權威就是用來被挑戰的。

與此同時，盡可能有禮貌。要捍衛主場，亦應勤儉並行。只要肯入鄉隨俗，講粵語、英語，寫正體字，奉公守法，即使是非黨員中國人，亦應包容（包到就包啦）。

學好香港歷史，向外地朋友介紹香港真正的歷史。

要記住︰我哋係貨真假實、如假包換嘅香港人。

(Image: Internet - source forgotten)

Lewis: Filipino maids and middle class dream

Filipino maids and middle class dream

Written by Lewis (無待堂), translated by Chen-t'ang (鎮棠)
Original: http://dadazim.com/journal/2014/01/middle-class/

One day I saw a Filipino maid and a "young master" (the kid of the master) on a minibus. He was five or six, throwing tantrums. The maid held her on her lap. The kid cried for getting off, and was so loud that the driver turned his head and scolded him: "Kid, stop annoying. There are other passengers on the minibus." Holding his reins for two seconds, he came full circle, and waved his hands, thus the maid's face was hit.

Probably because the maid abuse becomes the social concern, passengers around him was quite astonished. The kid kept his noises, and the maid just condone him, with her face and head being hit twice or thrice. That's just suffering. The journey was around six to seven minutes, and the kid was noisy for that long. The driver again turned his back, said: "Shut up!" He can't help much. I think something should go behind that sentence, "Screw your mom!". What kind of mom would born such kind of monster? Such distorted relationship of powers will breed such kind of "young master". Foreign maids work in HK as a servant, and the one who employ her is the master, whose children are young masters. Foreign maids take care of their basic necessities, and she can't pretty much help on other aspects. When the "young master" did wrongly, the maid can only condone and forbear, and will not rectify them. Because the gap on powers are shown on the faces of every pair of master and maid.

First, they are here to earn money, but not to teach your son; Second, even the young masters are impertinent, to maids, the only way is to endure the pain. The maids can't afford to have issues when they are the breadwinner of the entire family. Just take that inside. Erwiana endured for a long time even her face was severely swollen. For small stuff, you can rule that out.

More than a half of middle class families' children are brought up by foreign maids. The consequence is that next generation of HK are spoiled since they are born. Their moral characters are problematic, but no adults rectified it. If I am the parents on the minibus, I would have slapped him. Problematic character, problematic competitiveness. Surely does the foreign maid system exploit the 'third world', Hong Kong is quite selfish on its own, and allow those countries foreign maids come from continue their lives depending on foreign exchange and foreign maids industry.

To Hong Kong, it's some kind of convenience for hiring foreign maids, but in the long term, it distorts the labour market. Those who need to take care of their kids can come out and work. The more the job seekers, the lower the salaries. Dual-working-parents families become the norm. The next generation is brought up in an environment 'without dads and moms', distorting the kinship. And eventually, those so-called middle class find somebody to express their querulousness: their maids. So they can enjoy the hallucination of 'better class', and temporarily eschew from the cruel fact that they are actually exploited by big capitalists.

Without maids, many people in HK cannot afford to have kids. Why? High price levels, high property prices, low income. Parents have to work in order to be feed their children. If the entire society does not allow you to continue your family tree, the disgruntles of the entire society will accumulate - that's a sad fact. But we have foreign maids system, using a cheap cheap price hiring maids from the 'third world' to take care of our kids, so we can continue to do what we have to, to study, to work, to born a child and to wait until retire. We don't have to face the sad fact. We can have someone to call upon, and feel like a yuppie middle class.

So the invention of foreign maids system is indeed superb! Just hallucinate people as if it's a drug. Just like the dream machine in Inception, we can have an old school dream once we connect to the machine. We graduate, we find jobs, we marry, we buy cars, we buy properties, we have kids. Our happy little family shall convert to Christian as well, with a maid to serve!

'Maria! Time for sending James to school!' yelled you. James is the son in your dream. How is it possible for kids form middle class not having Christian names! Maria politely replies: 'Come on! James!' Your son goes to school happily. The dream is so sweet, so 'love and peace'. I have a dream - but a dream woven by the tears of Filipino maids, the quality of the next generation and exhaustion of the future between HK and the 'third world'.

Image:

 Foreign maid employment centre ad

陶傑英文專欄︰德國人低估了

文／陶傑
譯／鎮棠
原載於／http://hk-magazine.com/city-living/column/german-understatement

德國人素來不以幽默感著稱，但近來德國《明鏡》 週刊或者會改變你的想法。

編輯訪問了巴伐利亞一間酒店，問問他們中國旅客如何令他們的生意「火紅」起來。有人向編輯展示了一本德文小冊子《如何令中國人遠離此處》，低調地在前台派發給本地和歐洲顧客。無論在華格納演奏會聽到難以制止的中國觀眾大聲呼叫，又或者鄰桌一群旅行團打嗝大聲得如敲鑼打鼓般，小冊子均提醒西方顧客「不應感到受冒犯」，因為是「中國習俗」來的啊。還有見到中國遊客捏捏拿拿那些麵包、牛角包、奶油蛋卷，然後放回原處，歐洲顧客都不應「大驚小怪」。負責管理酒店的部門建議歐洲客人如果翌晨想清清靜靜吃個早餐，應選擇於8點後進餐，因為可避免6點至7點半期間大批中國旅客，然後酒店員工需要半小時，收拾殘局，然後重奪主權。

雖然一名德國侍應以「多元文化」之名容忍他們，「不過他們走了之後我便安樂了」。有此等評語的報道出版後，立刻惹來德國自由學派和部分中國網民的聲討－－種族歧視。若果如此包容、溫和及友好，並尊重「中國傳統」的提示都可以被說成是「種族歧視」（否則也可粗俗地拿隻中指出來說「滾回你的國家去」），那我們正活在一個顛倒是非黑白的世界裡。二戰後，德國人尚未洗脫「種族歧視」的道德罪疚感和偏執感，仍然過份自我約束和審查。即使一份陳列事實，說明德國酒店如何教育本地人容忍「中國文化」的報道都被左派意識形態的獨裁思想劃成是政治不正確的新聞報道，是對弱等並不斷入侵的種族逼害的前奏－－那麼新聞自由將會收窄，這類報道將不復存在。酒店管理方（又或者是《明鏡》編輯）曾嘗試用最隱晦而又安全的方式講出對「種族歧視」的恐懼，但或會引起中國全體旅客的杯葛。但這正是德國人「企硬」的關鍵場合︰中國人仍然會來的，因為去賓士（中國譯奔馳）廠房仍是夢寐以求的。

許多日本酒店採取了某種種族隔離措施︰中國遊客只許在早餐用膳區劃出的一個隱暗小角落。這也許會勾起德國人歷史的神經。但也許是時候再用了，如果可行的話。

旅遊警告︰都係放低你張匯豐提款卡喺屋企啦

原載於︰ http://thehousenews.com/personal/travel-warning-leave-your-hsbc-atm-card-at-home/
文／司馬文
譯／鎮棠

匯豐加入了中國的「銀（唔）聯 」自動櫃員機網絡，基本上旅行時你的匯豐提款卡沒用了。如果你因為習慣用匯豐卡到各國的櫃員機拿當地貨幣而少帶現金，以後不行了。匯豐仿似時光機倒流二十年，好似以往旅行前要去銀行買外幣，然後帶著大量外幣隨身旅遊。
今年年頭，我在馬尼拉機場提不到款，打了很多電話，又去了馬尼拉匯豐，才啟動了新的ATM晶片，終於拿了菲律賓披索。
上週我拿著行李，陪著我的三歲女兒，回到阿姆斯特丹，拿著80歐羅，打算在荷蘭、瑞典、英國玩三週。我在機場部部ATM都用過，黑到極點。然後我才知道，匯豐卡現在變了只限銀聯網絡，即是銀唔聯網絡。除中國外，銀聯只得很少櫃員機，即使有也處理不到新的匯豐ATM晶片。
還有不要被銀聯的網站誤導啊！ 目的地一欄就有各國國旗，但按下去只有旅遊資訊，沒有櫃員機地址的！
暑假外遊前，我有一些忠告︰

1. 將戶口轉到提款卡能在PLUS及/或CIRRUS櫃員機網絡提款的銀行。
2. 啟動信用卡提款功能，記得PIN密碼。貴係貴，但緊急起來有個錢傍身。
3. 帶現金，要小心。
4. 有一個其他網誌打過，但我未試過的方法︰將你的支票/提款戶口連到你的匯豐VISA卡，以這些戶口作為提款預設戶口，避免手續費。VISA可以令你用PLUS櫃員機網絡提款，但不保證他們不會事後叫你結帳。

旅行，安全為上。

陶傑英文專欄︰在飛機坪上演奏

原載於: http://hk.asia-city.com/city-living/column/playing-our-turf

• 

文／陶傑

費城交響樂團兩名小提琴家、一名大提琴家及一名中提琴家上星期在北京上機，遇上司空見慣的延誤。中國乘客自然吵吵嚷嚷，甚不耐煩，三字經滿天飛，而他們呢，就拿出樂器，演奏幾曲，紓緩乘客情緒。

知道有「免費音樂表演」後，乘客居然靜下來，拿出iPhone，開始圍在四周錄影。在皇家艾伯特演奏廳當然會令指揮停下來離開，但在這個遠東地區就平常不過。各位音樂家本於中國有巡迴演出。剛於北京演奏完，正飛往澳門。知道東道國元首正和奧巴馬總統共商大事，音樂家當然識做，「為建設中美友誼稍作貢獻」，令中國人可以有點兒免費節目，又容許知識產權給中國人民「侵犯」。無論如何，美國實在很想中國助其買入更多波音飛機－－特別是法國總統簽署了價值60億美元的合約，為中國提供60架空中巴士客機呢。

中國乘客笑到見牙不見眼，用歡呼同鼓掌為五分半鐘的表演劃上句號；他們並無說要求Encore，加些有中國味兒的東西。他們好應該這樣做。演奏了的是A. 德伏扎克的American String Quartet （美利堅弦樂四重奏），單看標題就充滿了文宣味。

如果我是乘客就肯定鼓譟，我定必莊嚴地要求不奏美國音樂，而奏《黃河協奏曲》，接著是《東方紅》。在中國土地上，好應該尊重中國人民啊－－雖然話是即興演奏。

用美國味的菜牌「嘉惠」中國人，純粹是因為這是免費節目。我就會播Jack Nicholson的《飛越瘋人院》（One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest）主題曲了。風格奇特，提醒祖國同胞乖客，1999年是美國政府炸毀中國駐南斯拉夫大使館、2001年擊落中國偵察機，據說令機上的飛行員王偉不幸身亡。在機上，堅持要求有一碗揚州炒飯，換掉安格斯牛扒，想必也不會有人投訴我的。別忘記啊，當中國人從北京美領館申請旅客或者學生簽證時，雖然一疊疊銀紙拋在領事館職員前，美國人可是堅持有權仔細挑選的啊。

為香港把關，還是在香港闖關－中環街市重建申請破壞規劃程序

Originally at : http://thehousenews.com/politics/gate-keepers-or-gate-crashers/

By Paul Zimmerman 文／司馬文

Translated by Chent'ang 譯／鎮棠

磯崎新和吳永順設計的新中環街市外貌

日本建築師磯崎新和由吳永順主導的本地團隊AGC Design的設計已展出了一段時間。大部分人接受了新的中環街市將按此方案興建。去搜尋器按幾下，你就可以找到「城中綠洲」的網頁當中的設計和資料（我不能理解為何不直接叫「中環街市」）。
但市建局需要城規會同意才可動工，因為分區大綱圖規定，不允許興建超過4層高、或高於現時高度的建築物。團隊建議為中環街市加設平台（atrium）、多建數層，並加設地庫，令建築物比現時高出一倍。

中環街市「增高」規劃示意圖（城規會）

市建局為節省時間，申請了 「略為放寬高度限制」，而非更改分區計劃大綱圖（12A）。這實在是開壞先例。不少建築物均曾向城規會申請「略為放寬高度限制」，多數獲批，而發展商經常任意玩弄此條款，本意是為了容許加添一些設計變更，如天台公用設施。小型建築物頂多也就5%到10%，就中環街市而言也頂多是加一層。
市建局這樣「偷雞」，打算省幾個月時間，繞過正常程序，居然還得到規劃署支持，實在可悲。我們依賴這些部門為香港把關，而非「闖關」（原文作gate-crasher，應是指破壞制度的行徑）。闖關的例子已經夠多了。我們極力反對此申請。

想得知更多資料，可瀏覽城規會網頁。截止日期為2013年6月21日。