今天，看完Anne Hathaway的The Idea of You， 無論社會如何開放，姐弟戀都仍然難以被人接受，男年長，女年輕，看在別人眼中還可以接受，但身份對掉，便好像有點不順眼，我也受到這個框架影響，曾感到不太自在，儘使這個差距只是微不足道，故此我要向法國總裁致敬，我也為奇洛李維斯的戀情高興。
Hallmark 另一套向Jane Austen致敬的電影An American in Austen，女主角Hariet 活在圖書館中，她對Jane Austen的鍾愛程度似乎有點過火，甚至認為自己只能嫁給Mr Darcy。當她的男朋友花盡心思向她求婚時, 她只是回覆Maybe。她的另一半和朋友都大感失望。
怎料， 她竟然如願以償, 投入了Pride and Prejudice 的故事當中, 成為Bennet家於美國居住的遠房親戚，Mr Darcy更對她另眼相看。她作為Jane的粉絲,又怎樣能夠「順其自然」,讓Darcy愛上自己,而不是Elizabeth。她的加入，令Elizabeth 變得忙亂，差點誤嫁給情場騙子Mr Wickham。
Prince Charles sought to mend his relationship with William following Diana’s passing William. He could sense his son’s unspoken anger and immense sadness, recognising that without addressing these emotions, genuine communication between them would be impossible.
When William confronted his father, he held Charles responsible for failing to protect his beloved mother from the paparazzi and the fatal car crash. In reality, William was weary of the constant “protection” himself. Would life be fun without constant surveillance, especially at parties?
The weight of his future role as king had never felt as heavy as it did when he walked behind Diana’s coffin. He wanted to avoid the overwhelming attention that came with his position, a stark contrast to his mother’s ease in public despite her efforts to evade the paparazzi.
A candid conversation with his grandfather revealed William’s deep-seated fear of being constantly watched by the world, now that he had taken Diana’s place as the centre of attention. Despite his handsome appearance and regal stature, he struggled to embrace his role as the object of affection for countless young girls.
Charles, too, was grieving over Diana’s death, sharing in his son’s pain.
While at university, William found solace in the condolence letters he received from people. The memory of Diana’s warm smile continued to resonate with many, despite her imperfections.
The last episode of season 6 of The Crown set the end of this TV series. With Camilla marrying Charles eventually, there is nothing more the royal fans would love to see earnestly except the marriage story of Kate and William. However, it is just a fraction of a story that can attract viewers to follow the whole season. Anything else? How about the infamous adventure of Harry and Meghan? A strong no from many viewers, thank you.
I can relate to how the writer feels about season 7. After all, he spent 10 years writing this Netflix series. It achieves what he intended to achieve – to depict a remarkable, historical story of great interest in the most entertaining way, and help Netflix to establish a solid reputation for its series.
I love the scripts that sound natural and smart enough to make me smile, cry, and try to look into the historical facts more. A fascinating royal life is portrayed right in front of us vividly, and the acting looks so real. What’s more I’m looking for. Maybe a change in Diana’s tragic story. Can she be the Queen in a TV series, instead of dying with a weird, unattractive man?
Sadly, all the incredible things have to come to an end at some point. I truly respect the decision that no more season 7 is planned. Despite the Crown is fiction, it somehow touches on many historical facts and historical figures in the past 60 years. It reveals the strong emotions the Queen, Diana, Charles, William, and Philip experienced in many events over the years. They have feelings like ordinary people. They look for allies and support from siblings and the other half. Some are more successful than others.
The writer Peter Morgan expressed that he wanted to remain a careful distance from the present and keep the series historical, not journalistic. There are enough writings of royal stories. There is no doubt he is an expert in the area. I feel relieved that the series ends with a happy ending. Our spirits need a boost and the royal family seems to bring hope and joy to the Brits.
The new year gives me time to catch up on some old memories, including the “Queer as Folk” TV series. Original a TV series from the UK, it caught enough attention that the Americans have adopted the series and developed their version.
Aidan Gillen posed as Stuart is almost a Master of a Universe who has slept with half of the men in the community. His friend Vince has a crush on Stuart but never tells and does not have luck in the dating scene. Vince is simply too cute for us not to like him. He has been waiting until one day Stuart meets the 15-year-old “sunshine” boy Nathan who explores the gay scene and finds himself excited with everything he sees.
There were no TV series with that much nudity at the time. In the TV series, gay men seem to live in a proud community and can be successful like Stuart. A proud man who lives his life like no others.
Nathan is inexperienced but full of curiosity. He runs away from home but finds his confidence in this new world.
The gay scene in Hong Kong might not be comparable to that of the TV show twenty years ago but we could find drag queens in specific bars or a few bars who attracted specific crowds who wanted to pursue different lifestyles. Should we call this a concept of freedom?
After all, that’s the era gender has become blurred. Singers and bands like Duran Duran, Thompson Twins, and Culture Club dressed so glamourously and in style that I can’t call them men or women at all. There were no “non-binary” labels at the time. I’m excited that beauty and makeup transcend the limitations of genders. I consider pursuing something you believe is cool. I was so naïve that I found myself immersed in the thought that I might turn myself to be a Jew one day.
So, unfortunately only the American version of the “Queer as Folk” is available. I can’t relate “Brian” is a name to represent sexy and powerful guys like Stuart. Michael is not as innocent as Vince. There are enough “meats” to draw the gay audience and it’s surely daring to bring forward a vivid gay scene in the TV series. After all, Brian is not invincible. He manipulates his friend Michael when Evan leaves him. His encounters with Evan are somehow naïve that I have to stop watching the programme.
Only if I can watch the British version I can give the TV series justice to comment any further. After all, the image of Stuart cannot be matched by Brian, a young executive who looks like a boy. Stuart is carefree, wild, and arrogant and has no fears. He cares less about people’s feelings as if he dominates the world. It just makes me want to look into this character and get to know him more.
“Beyond the satisfaction level of income, you can buy more pleasurable experiences, but you will lose some of your ability to enjoy the less expensive ones.” I read this quote from the book, “Thinking Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman.
I’m never rich but I can relate this idea to what I experienced when I travelled first time. I sat by the window seat, feeling excited to see the plane flying among the clouds. A simple experience was a mere pleasure when I saw Paris, Greece, or Italy. The enriched culture, exotic appearance of people, and even the night train had become very sexy! I could survive with baguette for a few days, or sample cheese and skip my lunch.
After years of travel, I start to look for something more “fascinating” to stimulate the senses, or just lie on the beach in a resort enjoying sunshine and good food.
The book talks about the measurement of well-being by U-index. What’s well-being? Health? Happiness? This index refers to the proportion of time people spend in a negative emotional state while commuting, working, or interacting with people around them. If you sleep 8 hours, you commute, work, and enjoy time with families for 16 hours. If your U-index is 25%, that means you feel emotional discomfort or pain for around 4 hours.
The measurement is solely a perception of how you feel rather than the actual health conditions. People who feel more positive and can bear pain might be better off in well-being. According to Kahneman, higher income can mean that you can buy more pleasures by obtaining luxurious goods or having nice vacations, but that does not translate to emotional experience. Therefore, better life satisfaction does not equal enhanced well-being.
Another interesting point he points out is that people with religious faith enjoy positive affect and stress reduction, but they cannot reduce any feelings of depression or worry. Nevertheless, the idea of perception is very powerful, not only in marketing but also in happiness and well-being. The next question is how can we generate positive energy and feel better in the long run.
Giving colleagues small farewell gifts is a popular ritual in Hong Kong. In the past few months, I received a pineapple snack, a biscuit, a tasty pudding, and today, a fortune cookie and a doughnut from a colleague who left the team and transferred to a new post with better pay. My boss also treated us to a Japanese tempura restaurant. Both the noodles and tempura made my palate very satisfied. The free deep-fried octopus and sesame mochi are also tasty.
Planning such treats is not easy. In a large corporation and a mixed office, should I give away cakes to colleagues with whom I have no interaction at all? How about the office, of which I barely know but one or two people? It was not an easy choice. And the cost of gifts can easily shoot up to a few thousand if it involves so many departments.
I never like to buy a lot of souvenirs when travelling. However, working in a large organisation with a lack of decent pantry space makes it difficult to distribute snacks efficiently. I definitely plan to have rooms for snacks on my upcoming trip.
When my desk is constantly filled with snacks from colleagues, there is no way to avoid the chance to return those favours.
Since we aren’t allowed to accept gifts from customers or vendors, I’m not sure whether my supervisor would like to give us goodies. A free mooncake can briefly make you happy. The perfect food for a lengthy Zoom meeting is Greek yoghurt.
Sometimes I feel like a spoiled child, but I’m glad I don’t have to stress about how much money to contribute towards dinner or a farewell present for my coworker.
Are you a fan of capsule toys, or a collector of toy figures? When I was small, I collected photos of popular bands. I literally checked out all the neighbouring stores I knew with my parents to purchase photos with my pocket money. Occasionally, my mom will buy me one.
As the internet was born, fans no longer keep physical photos of their favourite singers. Trading cards of all sorts, from baseball, Marvel to Pokemon have taken up the spotlight and become a hit among children, young adults or even investors. These cards are remarkably designed. Cards can’t be picked but are hidden by covers, just like the capsule toys. Fans usually eye for a specific card or carry a “mission” of collecting the whole set. Even collectable items nowadays are redeemed by random, forcing consumers to spend more. What a marketing strategy!
I’m not a super fan, so I simply skip the risk of redeeming the Doraemon glass that I do not particularly like. However, some people are willing to put in great effort, spend enormous sums of money and time in buying tons of trading cards in order to get what they’re looking for as specific collectable items or a rare trading card can be resold in high value, or even with an astronomical figure.
I remember I once received a “lucky gift box” from a friend in Japan. She packed a few items in a box and mailed the box over. It is truly a happy box, giving me a lot of surprises. So when I heard about the news about the popularity of blind boxes nowadays, I recalled my friend’s idea in the early days. Blind boxes are versatile marketing techniques that can be utilized to promote ice cream, bus routes, or even massage options.
In Hong Kong, senior citizens enjoy $2 dollar concession bus fare. Some couples enjoy weekly journeys by taking different bus routes. They love these adventurous rides. As a consumer, I would love to see a promotion like paying $5 or $10 dollars to try my luck to get a premium ice cream by random, or $20 dollars to bet on a tasty bubble tea.
In general, we all enjoy good deals and new experiences. Life is too brief to pass up the chance to do something that can be done easily and gives us a burst of joy.
I deliberately plan my work with delightful moments sometimes, for example, having a site visit followed by a lantern-making workshop during lunchtime. Another day, I headed to the lantern riddle event after the lunch break, extending my ME time at work.
My desk is now full of lanterns by the window. Even the hospital tuck shop is having a good mid-autumn festival promotion for ice creams, popsicles and drinks. The mid-autumn festival celebration has become a huge thing this year.
My friend often reminds me to refocus on positive thoughts even though I have found pain in my ear, tightness in my back muscle or constipation. We always want to get rid of the dreadful, awful feeling, but wait! Hang in there. I did try, and it was not easy.
Friends’ support and a pleasant work environment give me a cheerleading effect.
“Acknowledge the unpleasant feelings with gentleness and kindness. Feel them with curiosity instead of strong negative thoughts,” my friend reminded me. Of course, seeking treatment or relaxation to soothe those feelings if possible.
I did find deep breathing for hours could soothe my ear pain one day. Yeah! It takes such a long time to wind it down. I thought my body wanted to tell me I shouldn’t ignore the headache, so it passed on to my ear. Anti-inflammatory ear drops could help.
I was convinced to break my prejudice to enjoy a kiwi fruit a day for constipation. Other options can be laxative medicine or probiotic tablets. Exercises and massage are also helpful. But hot pad, kiwi, vegetables, stretching and walking/running are the best solution for me. I opt for natural options if possible.
Compared with corporations and small businesses, I’ve found hospitals put more effort into supporting staff in stress management, especially in the rehabilitation hospital where I’m working now. After all, most patients are frail and old. Without an open heart and a positive mindset, patient conditions can affect one.
Typically, people who are either less educated or in middle age work as patient care assistants in Hong Kong. They can be very gossipy workers, but many tend to just focus on enjoying a good meal rather than focusing on the pain that patients are suffering. Wards can be a high-risk environment, but no one knows what will happen the next year. So, just live in the present moment.
More celebrations to come before the mid-autumn festival on 29 September – volunteer programme for patients, team lunch, etc. After all, restrictions are kept for too long for life enjoyment.
Born in Wellington, New Zealand and lived in several countries during his childhood, Richard Curtis finally resided in the UK and is known as one of the most successful directors of romantic comedy movies, many of which leave us fond memories, like Love Actually, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary and Yesterday.
His film “About Time” may not be at the top of the list when you go to the movie. The storyline is as simple as another time-travelling story. The plot is also cut to the chase about an ordinary young man looking for love and happiness. When he learned from his father that he could time travel, he attempted to go back in time to reverse his “actions” to impress the girl he just met. He was kind with a good heart and he tried to help his roommate in his theatre debut. Applause to the great success eventually!
Sadly, the girl he loved was gone because of what he had changed. Life has many paths. They are intertwined. Redirection of a path leading to a series of life changes. We then saw this young man very focused on chasing this girl no matter how many hurdles he went through. So happy to see they crossed paths again and became a couple. Despite the temptation from another beauty, he was not shaken with his goal, instead, he proposed to his love and built a family.
His newborn daughter was so pretty like his wife, so adorable that let you forget the trouble in life. He was so joyous and content with the new life. In this journey, he connected with his father more, especially when unfortunate news came. His father got cancer.
The father and son had a heart-to-heart talk. “We’re all travelling through time together, every day of our lives. All we can do is do our best to relish this remarkable ride.”
His dad told him his secret formula for happiness – get on with ordinary life, living it day by day, like anyone else; and live every day again almost exactly the same. The first time with all the tensions and worries that stop us from noticing how sweet the world can be, but the second time noticing.
He went one step further by not travelling back at all and trying to live every day as if I’d deliberately come back to this one day, to enjoy it, as if it was the full final day of an extraordinary, ordinary life.
There were a lot of remarkable quotes that relate to enjoying life. The scripts were wittily written with a sense of humour.
I share some of the quotes below and feel free to check out more.
“He says worrying about the future is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life will always be things that never crossed your worried mind.”
“I always knew we were a fairly odd family. First, there was me. Too tall, too skinny, too orange. My mum was lovely, but not like other mums. There was something solid about her. Something rectangular, busy and unsentimental. Her fashion icon was the queen. Dad, well, he was more normal. He always seemed to have time on his hands… All in all, it was a pretty good childhood.”
Bill Nighy played the dad role. He is subtle, very British and was excellent in his acts. The son was tall, and skinny with orange hair. Nothing extraordinary. His life was not an excitement. He had friends who were not that smart, too. But he was kind with an open heart. That made the movie more sweet as people could resonate with the storyline more.
Time travelling can be a good trick, but it proves that living an ordinary life is not a bad thing if you learn to enjoy the moment.
experience today 