當北京遇上西雅圖

一月中旬, boyfriend 要去西雅圖 business trip, 所以我就 tag along 去散o下心, 順便陪佢, 做個 ''跟得夫人'' ~ 佢會去2個禮拜, 而我o地之後都 plan o左去 Alaska 睇北極光, 所以呢個絕對係一個悠長假期, 非常期待！

我首先飛o左去北京同佢會合, 北京飛去西雅圖要差唔多13個小時, 唔知係唔係睇o左套電影 "北京遇上西雅圖" 的原故, 嘩, 真係好多中國人去o個度,  full flight 呀... 到o左 Seattle 之後, 天氣都幾凍, 係要著羽绒o既 level... 落住毛毛雨... 我o地租完車, 就開去30鍾車程o既 Hotel... 因為呢個算係屬於我倆o既第一次遠行, 所以佢 book o左間比較 family style o既 hotel, 讓我o地呢個二人世界o既 trip 可以更舒服, 溫馨些 = P

以前o係 LA 住o左8年幾, 如果問我,  Seattle 同 LA 有咩分別... 說實在, 外國地方真係度度都差唔多 (當然旅遊區除外)... Downtown, Shopping mall, Market, Park, 住宅 area 等等o既 setting 都大同小異... 而 Seattle 亦都好似 LA o甘, 有勁多中國人... 都有一個 sizable o既 Chinatown... 到處都會聽到廣東話同埋國語... 中國人o既 presence 真係厲害!

另外, Seattle 好近海, 所以有時開車去 Seattle Downtown, 就要經過一條跨海大橋, o係風和日麗時開車過橋, 吹住海風, 望下兩邊o既海岸 (唔好學呀, 唔太安全... haha)... 真係好 enjoy~ 有日, 自己一個無o野做, 開車去o左附近 Sammamish Lake, 當日天氣唔係太晴朗, 亦都有霧 (Seattle 其實真係可以稱為一個霧都, 好多時晚上開車, 1分鐘前都天清氣朗, 1分鐘後完全霧大到可以伸手不見5指), 環繞湖邊o既小屋, 呢一個情景, 真係令人覺得好舒服, 好似仙境一樣... 如果有一日可以o係 Sammamish Lake 旁邊有間小屋, 真係人生一大樂事呀!!

呢2個o係 Seattle o既禮拜, 真係好生活化, 唔係一個 tourist, 更多係似一個生活係o個邊o既人: 早上去 lobby 食早餐, 佢就返工啦, 跟住我就會返 ''屋企'' 上o下網, 睇o下電影, 睇o下書, 煮下午餐, 洗o下衫o甘... 其實唔駛返工要過一整日， 都好易過o架 ja... 雖然無無聊聊就一 day, well, 但都幾爽, 幾舒服...

周末o既時間, boyfriend 唔駛返工, 所以我o地就可以去遠 d... 我o地去o左o係 Seattle 好有名o既 Snoqualmie Falls... 沿途經過樹林山谷, 但早晨o既霧氣很濃, 開車都要好小心; 到o左Snoqualmie Falls 時, 霧氣厚得我o地只聽到瀑布o既聲音, 而完全見唔到瀑布, 加上一直落住微雨, 真係有 d 令人 frustrated... o甘遠o黎到, 唔通真係連瀑布o既真身都唔可以睇到就要走?? 只可以聽流水聲??

我o地決定等一等, 沿住一條 hiking o既山路, 由瀑布上游行落去下游... at least 睇唔到個主角, 都可以郊遊一o下~ 一邊行落山, 我o地一邊欣賞山中o既風景, o係 Seattle, 佢 d 樹唔知係唔係因為成日生活o係高湿度o既環境, 所以好多樹幹樹枝上都長满毛绒绒o既綠色藻類... 好可愛~ 行到去下游,衣, 霧好似無o甘大啦喎... 我o地走近瀑布, 終於, 見到 Snoqualmie Falls 啦~ 呢個瀑布真係好壯觀, 唔怪得甘多遊客都慕名而來, 幸好, 我o地無因為大霧而放棄, 終可親身 feel o下 Snoqualmie Falls o既氣勢~

除o左去 Snoqualmie Falls 之外, 我亦都跟o左 boyfriend 同佢老細同 teammates 去o左 Steven's Pass 滑雪... 都有幾年無滑雪, 今次主要都係玩 snowboard... 雖然學過 2 次, 唔知點解, 都係學唔識, 唉~

我亦都o係 Weekday 時,  自己開車去o左 Bainbridge Island 遊覽, 其實,  Bainbridge 無咩特別, 除左我真係好 like 同架車一齊搭船過海, 坐係自己架車橫渡海洋, 個感覺真係好得意, 我未試過... 此外, Bainbridge 島上其中 top attraction 叫做 Bloedel Reserve, 係一個 private garden and forest reserve, 我大概 spend o左 1 小時, 行o左日本式o既花園, 一幢西式o既別墅, 成個 area 有一大遍草地, 湖泊, 樹林, 慢慢係度閑逛, 真係好舒服, 如此生活, 夫復何求 ?!

有時 weekday o既晚上, 我o地都會開車出去周圍轉, 會去 Seattle downtown, Bellevue downtown, 有一晚, 仲去o左 Mercer Island, 諗住搵個海邊位可以影o下Seattle 夜景同埋佢o既 skyline... 結果去o左人o地o既私人沙灘同碼頭... 嘩, 仲見到超級遊艇... 原來,  Seattle o既有錢人, 就係住係呢度...

最後, 我想 highlight 一下, 我o地o係 Seattle o既時候, o岩o岩係佢o地 Football team - SeaHawks  打 Super Bowl, 佢o地今年非常神勇, 過關斬將入o左 Final, 我o地o係 SeaHawks 嬴左 Semi-final 個日, 有幸 in town, downtown o既氣氛真係好熱烈, 到處都係 SeaHawks o既 fans, 佢o地一邊大叫, 一邊互相祝賀, 見到佢o地, 真係好 excited... 好難想像, 當 SeaHawks 嬴o左 Super Bowl 後, Seattle 會有幾開心 = )

總括呢2個禮拜o既 Seattle 之旅, 我都愛上呢個城市, 生活好舒服, 環境都很不錯... 有時, 香港生活太累時, 都真係好 miss 美國o既空間同寫意 ~

我的《再別康橋》

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輕輕的我走了，正如我輕輕的來； 我輕輕的招手，作別西天的雲彩。

悄悄的我走了，正如我悄悄的來；我揮一揮衣袖，不帶走一片雲彩。
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再一次的 Last Day, 真的好想引用徐志摩《再別康橋》頭與尾的那兩句... 誰不想事業順利? 誰不願意穩定地在一間公司發展? 但是, 如果已經很確定在這公司看不到前景, 亦都每天上班也好像受刑般, 真的, 長痛不如短痛,  蕭蕭灑灑地作一個了斷, 勇敢的向前找尋自己想走的路...

離開的一刻, 沒有一絲的不捨, 因為, 我信我這選擇, 是正確無誤的... 同事們的道別, 送上的心意和小禮物, 都讓我窩心; 老細臨別時假惺惺的道別話, 但願, 我倆未來不會再相遇... 踏出公司的那一刻, 真有 "我揮一揮衣袖，不帶走一片雲彩''的感覺...

但願這路, 會引領我到我想到達的位置, Let's get going!!

2013 的最後之旅

每一年, 我o地屋企都會有一次 Family Trip, 當然我阿爸就不太感興趣外遊, 所以, 多數都係我, 我阿媽同我細佬三個人出團... 今年, 我o地決定自駕遊去沖澠~ 5日4夜o既行程, 出發前我o地都無點 plan 到, 就只係買o左本旅遊書, 再問o下同事, 上到飛機先認真o甘 plan, 主打係 HEA... haha...

第一日到沖澠, 因為香港航空, 所以 expected 地 delay o左差唔多2個鍾, 到o左沖澠, 都日落o甘款, 由於我o地開慣美國o既左軑, 所以第一日開車去酒店時都格外小心, 一路慢開到達酒店已經天都黑晒, 當晚, 去o左一間叫 通堂Ramen 食過晚飯後, o甘就 1 day 啦~

第二日, 我o地o既行程係要''遠行''啦, 因為沖澠除o左那霸市區外, 其他主要景點係要o係沖澠主島o既另一邊, 所以, 要開大概2-3小時o既車先到...我o地o係酒店食完早餐, 行o左市中心好有名o既名勝首里城, 牧志魚市場等, 就要開始開車向萬座毛方向進發... 4點幾, 終於到o左萬座毛, 雖然因為天陰陰o既關係, 萬座毛睇起上o黎無 postcard 上o甘靚, 但見到大浪拍打在大石之上, 加上一望無際o既大海作為背景, 真係好宏偉~ 我同細佬仲打算如果2日後天氣晴朗, 有藍天白雲o既話, 我o地就再o黎多次~

我 o地今次住o既係 Hotel Sun Marina, 都係一間唔錯o既酒店, 每間房都可以見到海, 朝早可以坐係 Balcony 睇海同吹下海風, 而且有自己o既沙灘... 當然, 我o地12月去天寒地凍, 沙灘上除o左群年輕力壯o既學生o係度 training 之外, 真係無咩人. 我o地3個真係可以好 free o甘享受呢個 ''私人包o左'' 既沙灘 resort... 好正!!

第三日, 我o地去o左同事 highly recommend o既菠蘿園 (well, 我去完之後, 真係唔係好 recommend 大家去, 因為真係無咩做, 好無聊o下, 只係一個買手信o既熱點已然), Orion Beer Factory 同埋海洋博 (Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium)... 海洋博就真係非常值得去一趟, 猶其係佢o既黑潮之海, 真係超級壯觀... 當初以為呢個 Aquarium, 應該同我之前去過o既 Aquariums 如海洋公園同埋 Boston o既 New England Aquarium 差不多, 無咩特別, o甘, 海洋館o既 setting 就真係好 similar, 但係, 黑潮之海裡面養o既魚, 真係大到你唔信!!

入黑潮之海前, 有一個 video 係介紹黑潮之海中o既海洋生物同埋附近o既 environment and landscape, well, 我o地睇呢個 video, 都係因為行得太耐, 所以想搵個地方休息下, 但當 video 完o左之後, 個 monitor 徐徐向上升起, 後面竟然係黑潮之海o既巨大魚缸, 有好多如鯊魚, 魔鬼魚等深海魚在大家面前游過, 呢個 surprise, 真係令觀眾們突然間好 excited, 紛紛衝出去黑潮之海!!

黑潮之海就在轉角不遠處, 我一轉彎, wow, 真係即刻呆o左... 因為o係我面前, o岩o岩有一條超勁大 (無錯, 真係超勁大!) o既鯨鯊游過, 真係大到好誇張, 我從來未見過o甘大o既魚... 真係要定一定神, 先可以相信係真o既~ 仲要唔只一條, 係有3條大鯨鯊, 好多好多條大鯊魚同埋魔鬼魚, 真係只係o黎睇呢 d 大大魚, 都值回票價! 唔怪得沖繩呢個 Aquarium, 係世界第三大... 我o地3個就係o甘o係黑潮之海睇住 d 大魚游來游去直至佢收館... it's just amazing!

第4日, 去o左睇一d沖繩好出名o既 wedding chapels, 再去埋殘波鉀, 我o地就要開遠車返那霸, 所以午餐食o左沖繩料理後, 就開始回程, 傍晚去o左 Outlet血併o左3個小時, 各有收穫; 晚上去o左 downtown 食好出名o既守禮燒肉, 有和牛同 AGU 豬, 分別用 Grill 同埋 Shabu o既食法, 真係好正!!

最後一日, o黎到日本, 又點可以唔去溫泉呢, 我o地 follow 旅遊書o既推介, 去o左人猿之湯, 個溫泉o係山上, 居高臨下面對住無敵海景，浸住熱騰騰o既泉水, 真係人生一大樂事!

呢5日4夜o既沖繩之旅, 絕對附合我o地 HEA o既主題, 亦都把沖繩值得去o既地方去o左, 我o地3個都好满意今次的行程... 呢個地方, 可以 encore ~

命運靠自己轉彎

首先, 向大家說聲馬年快樂!

Read this online today... very nice article~

●每个人的人生都有两条路，一条用心走，叫做梦想；一条用脚走，叫做现实。心走得太慢，现实会苍白；脚走得太慢，梦不会高飞。人生的精彩，总是心走得很美，而与脚步能合一。

● 忍让，第一次叫气度，第二次是宽容，第三次就变成了软弱。

● 只要别人和你在一起，你让别人感觉很舒服，你必成大业！

● 学着看淡一些人和事物，这才是对自己最好的保护。

● 生命不是一场赛跑，而是一次旅行。比赛在乎终点，而旅行在乎沿途风景，好心情才会有好风景。

● 生命太短暂，哪有时间遗憾，一分钟都不要留给那些让你不快的人或事。若不是终点，请微笑一直向前！

● 误解的本质:被误解的人一点儿都不吃亏，误解别人的人，是他丧失了机会！

● 不要因为暂时的得到而失去未来的拥有，靠牺牲别人得到的更不会长久。没办法，这是天道。

● 人生，总有太多期待一直失望，总有太多梦想一直落空，总有太多言语无人可诉。其实，有些事，轻轻放下，未必不是轻松；有些人，深深记住，未必不是幸福；有 些痛，淡淡看开，未必不是历练。坎坷路途，给身边一份温暖；风雨人生，给自己一个微笑。生活，就是把快乐装在心中，然后，静静融化，慢慢扩散。

● 这个世界不是所有的人都懂你，被不懂的人误解无须争辩，我们选择沉默；有时被最爱的人误解，我们难过到不想争辩，也只有选择沉默。生命中往往有很多无言以对的时刻。不是所有的是非都能辩明，不是所有的纠葛都能理清，有时沉默就是我们最好的回答和诠释。

Mirror - Justin Timberlake

During my trip to Seattle, this song always plays on radio... Then I download it in my iPad mini and this song, like what it currently does, keep looping in my device as well as in my mind =p

Really nice song composed by Justin... I like this song more after I read about the meaning behind:

On March 21, 2013, Timberlake posted an audio clip on his official website; in it he elaborated that "Mirrors" is very special song for him. The singer explained that the single is a love song about person's other half and admitted that is inspired by his love for wife Jessica Biel and the marriage of his grandparents. Timberlake further said, "One of the most valuable things in a relationship is being able to constantly change and be individual, but look to the other side to the person that you're with and know that they're changing as well individually, but somehow you two can mirror each other and be the other half of that world that you both create.

Is this Antarctica? No, it's America.

Read this from news.yahoo today @ Jan 7, 2014

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Voices from the vortex: Polar temps have us asking, ‘Is this Antarctica?’

Monday morning, the mercury in southern Mississippi flopped to a frosty 19 degrees. In northeast Montana, the temperature plummeted to minus 26. Residents in cities along the Great Lakes woke to subzero temperatures with wind chills much worse.

Americans across large stretches of the country greeted the first Monday of the new year with far-below-average readouts on their weather gadgets of choice.

“Average sounds pretty good right about now,” says Jason Schaver, of Clinton, Iowa, where temperatures tumbled to 17 below zero — 40 below if you count wind chill. It's all caused by what meteorologists are dubbing a "polar vortex," or a massive southbound weather system.

Yahoo News asked residents in some of the more frigid areas to share their cold-snap experiences. Below are lightly edited excerpts from stories they submitted today.

Snow, ice hamper travel across frigid Chicago
CHICAGO — Snow has fallen in the city over the past week and, on Sunday, we got another three and a half inches on top of the previous accumulations. Even before the negative highs came around today, the temperature was only 3 degrees when my daughter and I had to hunt for a parking spot in the snow and walk several blocks back to our apartment Sunday night.

Even bundled in cold weather attire, my daughter cried the entire way inside. By the time we were in the warmth of our home, my fingertips and toes felt like they had been smashed in a door. Even this morning they are still sore from the exposure to the cold.

Traveling side streets in Chicago during this weather is risky. Many of the streets haven't been plowed. I saw many cars getting stuck in snowdrifts on the streets in the Lakeview neighborhood, an added danger in these temperatures.

Those living in and around the city can now say they have experienced Chicago's lowest temperature on record Monday morning. The minus 17 reading surpassed the 1988 record of minus 14. This is far from Chicago's average January high of 32 and low of 18 degrees. The dangerous arctic blast has closed down the Chicago Public Schools, and has put a health warning in effect to keep people indoors.

Chicago O'Hare International Airport has  canceled more than 1,000 flights as of 7:30 a.m. due to deicing problems.

— Janoa Taylor

Is this Antarctica? No, it's Iowa

CLINTON, Iowa — The first thing I heard this morning when my alarm went off was the sound of the weatherman saying it was minus 17. Then he followed that by saying it was minus 40 with the wind chill. He then advised us that when the wind chill is that low, exposed skin can easily get frostbite in just five minutes.

My hometown hasn't seen temperatures like this since, well, 2009, That day was Jan 15, when the temp was minus 24.

I had a feeling that my normally reliable 2004 Chevy Cavalier wouldn't want to start today. And it didn't. So I had to call off work.
It was so cold out that even our dog, Wilfred, wanted no part of going outside this morning. He's a 12-year-old Bernese mountain dog mix. This breed of dog can endure pretty much any weather. That he didn't want to be outside for more than a few minutes was enough proof for me that it was going to be a horrible day in the River Cities.

Last week we got snow four out of five days. This week we have arctic recording-breaking temps. Average temps for this time of year are in the upper 20s.

Average sounds pretty good right about now.

— Jason Schaver

Uncharacteristically cold weather stuns southern Arkansas 

 

TEXARKANA, Ark. — Wearing shorts and short-sleeved shirts during winter months is one of the perks of living in the South, particularly in Texarkana. On Monday, Arkansas truly tasted winter weather. The temperature this morning was 16, rising to around 19 by 10 a.m.

I’m the father of three young boys, and I bundled them up this morning not unlike Ralphie's little brother in “A Christmas Story.” Usually a jacket and possibly some mittens are in order because the weather takes a turn for the warmer in the afternoon. However, the cruel temperatures made me perhaps a bit overcautious. After dressing the boys in their regular school clothes, we added two sweatshirts, scarves, gloves, toboggans and puffy coats with hoods. Somewhere in there, my children were warm and safe.

Other parents dropped kids off who looked like walking Milk Duds as they waddled to their classrooms, where I imagine they began the tedious task of unwrapping themselves from their precautionary wardrobes.

The forecast here shows our highs hitting 64 by Friday. Now that's the southern Arkansas weather we know and love.
— Josh Jones

Freeze and thaw cycle aggravates in Philly
PHILADELPHIA — Roller coaster temperatures have provided the area plenty of headaches over the past week with more up-and-down temps to come. The weather has been frightful for eastern Pennsylvania, and temperatures are expected again to plunge into the deep freeze. We're expecting a high of 14 degrees for Tuesday.

Additional precipitation struck the area on Sunday morning, and with temperatures hovering at the freezing mark, it caused area roadways to turn into virtual ice skating rinks into Monday. Driving conditions were treacherous as temperatures remained at the freezing mark for much of the morning.

The temperatures continued to seesaw into Monday, as a warm front moved into the area Sunday night. Although highs on Monday were in the 40s, the front also brought a heavy dousing of rain. With temperatures expected to quickly plunge into the single digits by nightfall, it looks like area roads will be back to their ice-skating conditions by Tuesday morning.
— John Focht

Wisconsin's severe cold hits pocketbook hard

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — The temperatures here are minus 11, combined with wind chills that make it feel like 35 below zero.
The freeze has forced kids home from school. I'm home from work with my kids, unable to earn money, and we're in the house with layers of clothing on. And the heat is running nonstop, costing plenty every minute.
I don't remember school being canceled due to severe cold temperatures since my 22-year-old was in elementary school. There is talk of school closings again for Tuesday, which will land me right here at home with my kids, playing cards, baking cookies, watching movies or perhaps doing artwork. The time with my kids is great; however, the time off work without pay? Not so much.
Local grocery stores like Pick ‘n Save, Piggly Wiggly, and Aldi are closing Monday, at least for half of the day, and likely Tuesday as well, with dangerous temperatures looking to top off at 5 degrees, as wind chills are expected to plummet to minus 40.

We all like time off, but the cost of heating the house during severely cold weather is enormous. One month takes up a third of my wages during these cold snaps. So, unfortunately, the time off is bittersweet. Time off combined with large heating bills? Not fun.

— Lyn Vaccaro

青春派

今天晚上看了一套國內的電影, 名為 [青春派], 有一點像 [那些年], 也是描述幾個高中學生在校園的點滴, 如愛情, 友情, 親情, 還有在高考中的奮鬥經歷...

對我來說, 這電影中最深刻一幕, 便是班主任為要激勵學生用功, 在課堂上呼喊：

"两眼一睁，开始竞争"

"不苦不累，高三无味"

"不拼不搏，等于白活"

"就算拼个头破血流，也要给我冲进一本的大楼"

"扛得住给我扛;扛不住，给我死扛" 　
　
"累死你一个，幸福你一家"　

"破釜沉舟，拼它个日出日落"

"背水一战，干它个无怨无悔"

我不知道這些語句是否真的可以讓他們學習的效率提高, 但是, 我在想, 是不是要有這樣的狠勁, 這樣孤注一擲的心態, 才可以成功達到目標?!

總體來說, [青春派] 還是一套很不錯的電影,  還挺感人的!