griffinn's Quotable Blog

Midnight haiku

nospam@example.com (griffinn) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:24:16 +0800

The sound of raindrops
Gently, gently reminds me
That I have a roof.

跳崖了

nospam@example.com (griffinn) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:51:54 +0800

要過這一關，只可以糊糊塗塗、不問情由的過。將來會後悔嗎？或者。世上哪有確保永不後悔的事情？

Paranoid rant

nospam@example.com (griffinn) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:07:11 +0800

I've always had this indescribable idea somewhere in the back of my mind, but lately everything is falling into place to confirm it and help articulate it.

The idea: The entire social system is rigged to make sure the vast majority of you are deprived of the capacity for overthrowing the government.

From the moment you are born you are conditioned into accepting that there is an endless list of obligatory hurdles to overcome as you grow up: enrolling in schools, exam upon exam, interview upon interview, getting qualified for jobs, getting jobs, paying off your bills, getting a 20-year mortgage to pay an exorbitant sum of money for that tiny dwelling, paying off the 20-year mortgage, having a kid, having another kid, seeing your kid off into that enrol-in-school-exam-upon-exam cycle again...

You don't have time to think. No spare capacity. No resource. No other option. It's just part of being responsible. It's only normal. Anything else would be heresy.

And who set things up to be that way? The government.

So even though you feel some vague anger towards whatever is going down in LegCo and how those government officials talk and act like they can pass whatever bill they want (... which in fact they can), you're too busy to do anything substantial about it.

How do you break away from a rigged system like this?

The worst quadrant to be in

nospam@example.com (griffinn) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:40:26 +0800

b'cuz it'z cool

nospam@example.com (griffinn) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:58:22 +0800

自從 SMS 流行以後，人們開始慣性使用一些縮寫，以便輸入，例如把 because 縮成 'coz 等。我個人會避免使用這些縮寫，也不太喜歡見到別人使用。

但又是因為蕭 Sir 的緣故，在日常生活裏開始留意外國人用英文的習慣，竟然又從中看出了一點條理 -- 縮寫用甚麼字母組成，往往直接反映以英語為母語的人怎樣發音。

就以 because 為例，在討論區裏面通常會看到的縮寫有： becoz, becuz, b'coz, b'cuz, 'coz, 'cuz, coz, cuz。

由此可以得出三點觀察：

"be-" 的讀音往往會被省略掉，就算保留，也可能只發 consonant (/b/) 不發 vowel (/ɪ/)。
"au" 的讀音，可能介乎 o (/ɒ/) 與 u (/ə/) 之間，所以 coz 和 cuz 兩種縮寫大概各佔一半。
"s" 的讀音應該是 /z/。

再查查朗文字典，發現讀音為 /bɪ'kɒz/ 或 /bɪ'kəz/。除了 "be-" 可能被省略的口語習慣外，嘩！全中。

我們同學對於很多發音方面的問題 -- 例如甚麼時候用 s 或 z 發音 -- 都感到有點困惑。除了死記硬背之外，看看 native speakers 在平常生活裏怎樣把英文變來變去，也可能提供一點點的線索。

Obligatory new year resolution

nospam@example.com (griffinn) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:29:04 +0800

不貪不嗔不癡，平平實實，以事論事，不防人也不信人。

有人小相公

nospam@example.com (griffinn) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 15:27:19 +0800

引自明報即時新聞：

上水高空墜麻雀牌無人傷
上水下午發生高空墜物事件，有麻雀牌從高處墜下，無人受傷。...

既然無人受傷，那我最關心的是：係咪有人小相公咗？

留戀

nospam@example.com (griffinn) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:28:51 +0800

下班後，拿著一杯星巴克的熱巧克力漫步回家。天氣不太冷，時間不太晚，飲品不太燙，心情不好不壞。

就在這時候，顧慮隱隱浮現：當你自覺不錯的時候，大概就是到了峰頂，往後就只有走下坡？（人就是這樣吧，自找煩惱。）

改變是免不了的，但奢侈地很希望就留在這一刻。 Don't ever change.

The joy of learning

nospam@example.com (griffinn) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:56:31 +0800

Just started on the Speak English like a Native course taught by Siu Sir.

Siu Sir is superbly insightful about how the Cantonese language has moulded the way we make sounds. And he's surprisingly effective at helping us find ways to make novel sounds we've never made before, and feel new rhythms we've never felt before. In doing so we don't just learn to lose the Hong Kong accent; we are in fact exercising parts of our brain that the Cantonese language never touches. For that I know I'm going to be eternally thankful.

This course is so different from all the others, because this time I'm learning for the sole purpose of enriching my mind. Haven't had this feeling of pure bliss in a while.

Welcome to my new home.

nospam@example.com (griffinn) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:25:04 +0800

But no, it's not evident from what you see. The entire thing has been migrated to a different host but I haven't made any visual change to the web side of it.

Being a virtual server provider is tough. Every year there are better offers at cheaper rates.

Some things feel funny after doing other things

nospam@example.com (griffinn) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 21:01:23 +0800

Typing on the keyboard after playing the piano
Having alphabet soup after solving a Sudoku puzzle
Lifting an empty suitcase after lifting heavy luggage

Re-orienting

nospam@example.com (griffinn) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:00:05 +0800

It's time to stop looking up to a higher authority for what to do. Find for yourself what is right, allowing for the possibility you may be wrong anyway, and do what you need to do to defend the right thing and maintain a clear conscience.

The key to world peace is making the right thing easier to do than the wrong

nospam@example.com (griffinn) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:36:40 +0800

There is stress in presenting the unembellished truth to your boss. There is stress in bending the truth to your boss's liking. However, the degree of the former is far smaller than that of the latter.

Once I figured that out, it felt as if an anvil chained to my neck just disappeared.

In other words, the Good triumphs over the Evil this time round. And the forces of nature are in the Good's favour. Lucky break, I say.

Counting my blessings

nospam@example.com (griffinn) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:04:32 +0800

Today, something slipped from my hand but I was able to catch it. Usually my attempt to grasp at the thing would only make matters worse by knocking it (and probably other things) out of sight.

從失落的邊緣把事情挽回的感覺真好，縱使挽回的只是一支飲管。

人生本是赤字預算

nospam@example.com (griffinn) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:28:53 +0800

任何一個人虧欠這世界的，總比世界虧欠他的多。所以，無償地做一些事，又何妨？