Airbourne

A constructive wakeboarding session yesterday. Got some good air under my ollies and jumps. Naturally, "good" is a subjective word, so don't go expecting any miracles from a newbie like me.

Not my first wake jump, but definitely the farthest jump distance I've done to date; made it to the midpoint between both wakes!

And my highest ollie of the day...except I didn't stick the landing

Also did some 180's for the first time. Next target: 180 jumps!

Posted 2 videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9qeDHr9fnE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2w9DPXzlKY

Who dadee, woo dadee

I learned a new word today: mondegreen. It's the term used to describe when the lyrics of a song are misinterpreted because they sound like something else (yes, someone actually went a created an official term for this sort of thing; you can read about it here).

Reminds of the Lionel Richie song "All Night Long" which I always thought started with:

Well my friend, the time has come. Grab the woman have some fun.

Hey, the song is called "All Night Long", right? So taking that into context, the 'grab the woman" line makes sense. But actually, the line is "Raise the roof and have some fun". On paper, the line looks worlds apart, but I dare you to listen to the song and not hear my interpretation.

Anyways, it's funny that I should stumble across this word now because lately I've been listening to a lot of old Michael Jackson songs (I picked up the Thriller 25th Anniversary Album last month) and to me, Michael is the King of Mondegreen. It's amazing that MJ managed the level of success that he did when you consider that so many of his songs are incoherent. If you've heard his sing, you know what I'm talking about; only Mikey could away with warbling, hiccuping, howling and Hee-heeing his way through a song.

Thank goodness for the internet because I can finally look up the official lyrics to all the songs I could never decipher:

Thriller
You feel the cold showl, and wonder if you'll ever see the sun

What's a showl, some kind of monster name? Nope, according to the official lyrics, the line is "You feel the cold hand..." Showl...hand, good one Mikey!

Heal the World
Heal the world, make it a better place. For you and for me and the Anti-Human Race

Anti-human race? Sounds like Mikey was calling for the extermination of man to heal the world. But the actual lyric is "For you and for me and the entire human race"

Smooth Criminal
Ah...I won't even bother. I don't think ANYONE can claim to know the words without access to the official lyrics.

And finally, my favorite Michael Jackson Mondegreen song: Man in the Mirror. Let's look at some choice lines.

As I turn up the color phone
My baby's winter cold
This thing is blowing my mind
I see the kids in the street
Without enough to eat
Who am I to be blind
Pretending not to see them eat

(As I, Turn Up The Collar On
My Favourite Winter Coat
I See The Kids In The Street,
With Not Enough To Eat
Who Am I, To Be Blind?
Pretending Not To Seen Their Needs)


A sighless disregard
A broken bottom town
And a one man store
They follow each other on the way to work
Coz they go no where to go

(A Summer's Disregard,
A Broken Bottle Top
And A One Man's Soul
They Follow Each Other On The Wind Ya' KnowCause They Got Nowhere To Go)

And no moustache, could've bend any clipper

(And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer)
Hell, that'd be a serious case of facial hair it if could bend a clipper

I've been a victim of
A selfish kind of love
It's time that I realize
There is up with no hope
Not a nika to love (???)
Who dadee, woo dadee (????)
Pretending that they're not alone
A widow deepless God
Somebody's broken heartAnd a washed out jeans
They follow the pattern of the windless seaCoz they got no place to be

(I've Been A Victim Of
A Selfish Kind Of Love
It's Time That I Realize
That There Are Some With No Home
Not A Nickel To Loan
Could It Be Really Me,
Pretending That They're Not Alone

A Willow Deeply Scarred
Somebody's Broken Heart
And A Washed-Out Dream
They Follow The Pattern Of The Wind, Ya' SeeCause They Got No Place To Be)

Ha, good stuff. But regardless, I gotta say that "Billie Jean" still kicks ass after 25 years. Listen to the first 20 seconds of that bass line intro and tell me you don't have urge to bust a move. Ow!!! Hee hee hee, hic!

Quandary

I saw a news segment about Prayer and the Sichuan Earthquake that got me thinking (before I begin, let me say that I'm not trying to disparage anyone's religious views or beliefs here; I'm simply making an observation).

In the report, several interviewed prayer groups said that they've been praying night and day for the earthquakes to stop. It reminded me of an old dilemma that I've never been able to figure out.

Traditionally, there've been 3 schools of thoughts in terms of God and Bad Things Happening:

1) There is no God
2) There is a God but He doesn't meddle in the affairs of Man.
3) There is a God and everything happens according to His will.

So the conundrum goes like this: something bad happens and people pray to God in hopes that it will stop. But looking at all 3 of the above options, prayer seems to be rather futile because:

1) If there is no God, obviously praying won't do any good.
2) If God is strictly an overseer, He won't interfere in our affairs, thus making prayers ineffective.
3) If everything happens according to God's will, then the occurrence of the Bad Event was part of His plan, meaning no matter what Man prays for, the outcome will remain the same.

So it seems that prayers that wish for an action to happen are somewhat hopeless. Yet, it would be wrong to say that praying is completely worthless. Back in primary school, one of my teachers very wisely taught us that we shouldn't ask for a specific outcome or object in our prayers (e.g. praying to pass an exam or praying that it won't rain tomorrow) but rather we should pray for metaphysical things like strength and peace of mind. So taking the Sichuan Earthquake as an example, instead of praying for the earthquakes and flooding to stop, we should pray that the survivors find the strength to face their coming challenges; that the families of those lost will find peace; and that those of us lucky enough to be unaffected will continue our compassion for our fellow man.

Just my humble observation and opinion.

14:28

Yesterday's 3 minutes of mourning was such a poetic contrast of events. The stillness and silence wasn't just a contrast to the devastation of the Sihuan Earthquake, but also to the joy and celebration that took place here in HK just 17 days earlier during the Olympic Torch Relay.

It's one of life's little ironies that two such extreme events could bind us all together. But also so fulfilling that no matter the situation, we will come together.

Stanley

Didn't have anything planned for today but the weather was too nice not go out, so I headed over to Stanley.

Although I'd known about this old police station turned Wellcome for a long while, this was the first time I actually visited it.



The main attraction can be found upstairs

You hardly notice it among all the shelves and products

It's this old fireplace.

Anyways, no visit to Stanley could be complete without a stop at the Pickled Pelican for...the Banana Crumble!!!

Also made a pleasant discovery at the Saffron Bakery

Oodles and oodles of different brownies. I opted for the caramel sauce brownie. Tasty but not overly sweet, just the way I like it.

Mmmm, another yummy reason to visit Stanley.

One country, one love

Wow, what a happily hectic day. I took the afternoon off to chase the Olympic flame from all the way north in Shatin to all the way south in Central. Crazy amount of running and squeezing between a sea of red-clad supporters but well worth it.

Good thing my office is in Shatin. The moment lunch came I took off and ran to the Shing Mun River. I arrived just in time for the Dragon Boat relay. Couldn't get close enough to the action, but the atmosphere was so fantastic. People left and right - complete strangers really - were talking and laughing and having a great time. The few of us with radios acted as human broadcast speakers announcing every latest news update of the relay.

Although the Olympic flame has been relayed by boat before, this was the first time it was relayed by a Dragon Boat. A technicality, I know, but still something to be damn proud of.

After the flame was passed, the cheer from the crowd and the rowers was amazing. The surrounding boats broke into a joyful sprint.

On my way to the train station, I passed through Shatin Plaza.

What was everyone looking at? You got it, the second most significant part of the relay: the Olympic Horse Statdium

The entire plaza actually quieted the moment the final torch bearer approached the flame dish. It's like everyone was holding their breath, waiting for the dish to light.

Eventually, I made my way down to Central. I figured that it would be least crowded area of the final leg of the relay (watching the news reports later in the evening proved me right). Luckily, I found a spot with a huge unblocked view. Still, the runners were so far away that I had to shoot with a 300mm lens.

Yay! The Hon Mrs. Rita Fan Hsu Lai Tai!!

I planned to make my way to Wan Chai but as you can see from the sea of people, there was no way to get there in time to see the finish. Oh well, can't be too greedy; I'm pretty amazed that I was able to see as much as I did.

Overall a fun day. So great to see so many red clad people walking around, showing their support of the Beijing Olympics. There's been so much China-bashing on the news lately but it's clear that although the detractors may be more verbal, they obviously don't represent even the smallest portion of HK.

中國加油!!!

PS

Each night before the evening news the TV stations broadcast our national anthem. I never gave it much thought before, but tonight when I heard the anthem I got goosebumps all over and my eyes nearly watered up. I'm really not a patriotic person and yet tonight, I was overcome with a feeling of satisfaction and pride.