Author Archives: anzyme

Christmas Eve

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It’s this time in the year again, when people rush to the streets with a purpose. No, it’s not the July 1 protest. It’s Christmas Eve. In the old days I wrote a few pieces on Christmas Eve, and I’d say Christmas signifies hope. Today that saying is still true. I still believe Christmas gives hope and brings peace on earth. I may be spending Christmas alone (or maybe not ;)), hashtagging in social media #DinnerAlone, #LifeSucks, #誰又騎著那鹿車飛過 and so on, but those sayings do not necessarily mean that I feel lonely. Instead, I’m enjoying Christmas more than ever. For the first time in life, I choose to spend time alone, in a bid to search for my very own values, things that I’m truly looking for, things that I most value. Those efforts could be in vain at the end, but in that process I hope I could at least discover something. Sometimes, that could mean an unexpected discovery.

A year ago I wrote a private list of my goals in 2014. When I look at it as the year end approaches, I’m glad most of those goals have been fulfilled. One reason is my determination, but it should also be noted that those goals had to be realistic to begin with. Yes, as I mature I realized one key to happiness is to be realistic and set targets that are achievable. If you don’t, you’ll never be happy. 

See you soon in 2015. Be happy. 

A recap — 四寶丸

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In recent days the focus of attention turns to Mongkok again, when police start to clear the occupation scenes in Mongkok. Shantung Street often appears in news reports. This brings back old memories again, memories about my favourite local snack shop “Four-treasure Balls”. Unfortunately due to rising rents in this city, a phenomenon that contributes partly to the whole Umbrella Movement, it’s been closed for nearly two years. Let’s just recap an article, in Chinese, I wrote about it four years ago.

印象中自己還未寫過關於食物的文章，今日跟「四寶丸」重逢，帶來了這個機會。

四寶丸無錯是旺角的街頭小食，但通常我提四寶丸，都是指位於旺角賣四寶丸的食店。這間食店由我開始逛旺角時已經存在，大概就是我中二、三，即02，03年的時候。當時我久不久放學後會到旺電，而「四寶丸」就在旺電旁邊，賣珍珠奶茶和台式小食。現在已經不記得最初是為了買珍珠奶茶還是四寶丸，估計這問題就像問先有雞還是先有蛋一樣。

當時旺角還沒有甚麼輕鬆飲、貢茶等台式飲品店，就連在街邊的寬頻推銷員都比現在少。「四寶丸」賣的台式飲品五元一杯，要加珍珠就七元，算是相當便宜，顧客亦非常多。大家都圍在店鋪外，看誰先跟賣野呀姐有眼神交流，然後把錢遞過去，說「藍莓綠茶加珍珠，同埋一串辣四寶丸」，呀姐又會極速心算價錢找續，而找續的過程中，呀姐又能一心多用，聽下一個顧客要甚麼。飲品通常一分鐘內一定到手，而且呀姐還能大約認出飲品是誰的，相比現在如貢茶之流的台式飲品店，相當有效率。順帶一提，熟客門通常都能有系統地叫出自己想要的東西，就像去到星巴克，叫 “Iced Grande Caramel Macchiato” 一樣，不需店員再問甚麼。

食物方面，當然以「賣飛佛」四寶丸為首選。四寶丸有蝦丸、墨魚丸、肉丸和牛丸，不要沙爹醬已經好吃，加了沙爹醬就另有一番風味。另外，花枝丸和龍蝦丸加了沙爹醬都非常出色，辣魚蛋做得很好很彈牙，而魚肉燒賣加了秘制咖哩汁是一流的。近年「四寶丸」更有先見之明，在台式腸仔還未流行前已率先引入，賣得還比外面便宜，算是他們回饋顧客的一種態度。

幾年前旺電旁的「四寶丸」不見了，以為它結業了，不禁感到心酸。後來才發現它搬到山東街現址，大家又能繼續享受抵食的台式飲品和小食。不過，現在的「四寶丸」跟以前全盛時期相比，顧客數目已大不如前，估計就是少了貢茶等的捧場客。要強調的是，「四寶丸」的飲品質素並無下降，只是新興飲品店飲品款式較多，而且，「四寶丸」的小食還是很出色的。這間店多年來屹立不倒，其實不無道理。

「四寶丸」多年來伴我成長，是我中學年代的一個重要回憶。入了大學後到旺角的機會少了很多，上次吃四寶丸可能是幾個月，甚至半年前的事了。今天跟「四寶丸」久別重逢，吃的一部分是蝦丸、墨魚丸的味道，但更大部分是中學時期的回憶。看著手上的一串四寶丸，不禁想起一幕幕舊時跟朋友逛旺角、hea、補習的回憶；咬一口四寶丸，以前生活嘗過的甜酸苦辣立即回來了。想起以前讀書時最艱難的日子，捱過了，現在的考驗算不上甚麼；但回想舊時簡單生活帶來的歡樂，錯過了，現在的生活頓時黯然失色。

味道總會隨風而逝，記憶卻歷久常新。

後記：多年來食了無數粒四寶丸，今天想在twitter介紹這間店，到openrice搜尋，才發現自己從來都不知它的正名。找到了，原來「四寶丸」一直用一個低調的名字。現在向大家正式介紹：台式地道美食，地址為旺角山東街40號地下。

This article was originally posted on Anzyme.com on October 15, 2010.

Thoughts on iPhone

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There hasn’t been anything important in life lately. Lots of things sucked, though, but I’ve learnt to let go of those adversities, or at least not mention them, lest they affect other’s mood. But in just a few hours one of the most exciting events will take place: Apple’s “Wish we could say more” keynote. It’s been rumoured that the latest iPhone as well as an iWatch will be unveiled, so perhaps I should express some of my thoughts here.

First, it’s been said, and even confirmed, that the new iPhones will be bigger — 4.7” and 5.5” to be exact. A lot of Apple fanboys will be so disappointed because Steve Jobs used to say that a phone must be fit for single-hand use. Enlarging the iPhone screen is like hell freezes over.

Well, in Apple’s history there were quite a number of moments when hell froze over: switching to Intel processors, iPods played videos, iTunes worked on Windows, etc.. So it’s not entirely surprising that there would be a larger screen iPhone. I’ve always said when a large screen is coupled with software that is fit for single-hand use, we can have a larger iPhone. And that’s exactly what Apple needs to address in the coming keynote.

Second, it’s about the design, and the design leaks. In the old days Apple was absolutely secretive about their unannounced products. It was quite a big shock when the iPhone 4 got into hands of a Gizmodo editor and got published. Pushing time further back, we see that an old rumour site Think Secret was forced to shut down after publishing rumours about “a new Mac” (which was later identified as the Mac mini). They didn’t even have the pictures of the actual product! People used to joke that those who leak Apple rumours would be executed by Steve Jobs. Well, this is apparently no longer the case. We see Apple product parts on the web a few months before product launch. These days we even see working products (on the contrary back when iPhone 4 was leaked the device couldn’t be switched on, and no one knew about the stunning retina display until Steve announced it). Why does this happen? And on the other side why have we never seen parts of the iWatch? In short, most probably the iWatch isn’t made in China. Yes, the Chinese is the culprit of all the modern day evil.

Aren’t you a Chinese, Kevin? No, I’m not. I’m a global citizen who believes in democracy, equality, freedom and civic responsibility, who happens to live in Hong Kong.

OK, back to talk about Apple. A third thought on the upcoming event is whether the iWatch, or smartwatches, will become a new necessity, a global phenomenon, like the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad? What I mean is that before the iPod/iPhone/iPad, music players, mobile phones and tablets existed, but it was Apple that reinvented them into something no one could have imagined. Watches have existed for a long long time; smartwatches nowadays basically are useless. Will Apple be able to make smartwatches a new necessity?

This question poses a dilemma. Many think only Steve Jobs, the modern day Thomas Edison, could have done that. If the new Apple can do that too, Steve Job’s legacy would be diminished. But on the other hand, I sure want to see something groundbreaking. After all, if money can buy happiness, why not?

Filter

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There’re many ways to prepare and enjoy coffee: filter coffee, espresso, french press, you name it. If you wish, you can even enjoy junk coffee such as instant coffee and canned ones. Each is of different flavour and fits different purposes. I enjoy filter coffee a lot. In a controlled manner, you extract only the part of coffee with the best taste, leaving behind the unpleasant scent and coffee oil.

What if life can be controlled like filter coffee?

There’re a few writers that I appreciate whose primary job is something else. Au Lok Man, for instance, is a doctor, while Yip Long Ching is a private banker. They often talk about the funny bits and pieces in their job. Seldom do they complain about their jobs and their lives. Do they not have things to worry about, and things that annoy them? I don’t think so, but they always have the ability to extract the better part of their lives and write about them.

Sadly, in my own pot of life-coffee there’s a mix of everything — dissatisfaction, distress, depression, worry, etc. Of course there could be at least some excitement, but I just can’t filter the setbacks and extract only the desirable part to enjoy. I’d really like to enjoy life like I enjoy coffee, but that’s difficult, if not impossible.

Second-hand craze (2)

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Well, for the nth time recently, I bought another second-hand stuff. This time, it’s a big stuff — I bought a CAR, and here it is:

2012-Lamborghini-Aventador-Project-Verus-by-SR-1920x1080-HD

No, no, I made a mistake. I bought an old Audi actually, but I’m quite pleased with it. I had only one criterion when I searched for a car — it must be in black. And my Audi A4 1.8T 2004 is in black. Hopefully it will perform well.

At the beginning of my research I set my budget between $15,000-25,000, and I tended to choose a Japanese car like Honda Jazz. But soon I realized the low budget wouldn’t lead to a good car, so I raised my budget again and again (in the typical K.Chan style). And as I raised my budget, I thought it’d be a bit pricey to get a Japanese car at above $30,000, so I resorted to European cars. BMW? Audi? Mercedes? The range of choice was vast but I soon focused on Audi A4. And here we are, getting an Audi.

As soon as I paid the deposit I found the whole thing was a bit prompt — I passed my driving test on 31/3, got my probationary license on 9/4, and bought this car on 13/4. But on second thought it wasn’t prompt at all. I’ve waited to get my driver’s license for 25 years. No, it wasn’t prompt at all.

So, I’ll get my car in late April. If you see a black Audi on the street with a P-license, don’t get too close, or I may accidentally run you over.

Driving exam

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I’ve just found out I haven’t talked about driving practices in this site at all. Well, I started my classes in January. There wasn’t much special actually. Like any skills, driving takes time to improve. If you don’t improve over time, you aren’t talented at best, or you’re retarded. This is pretty much like dentistry.

One hidden benefit of my driving practice sessions was that I was once again back to Festival Walk. I usually meet my See Fu on Wednesday afternoons. Sometimes when I arrived late, I’d go and walk around in FW. Alternatively, after a tiring session, I also got some coffee in FW. The more I go to TW, the more I found I’m so deeply connected to this mall.

It was my last session that was quite eventful however. Well, on 30/3, one night before my exam day, I had another session with my See Fu. There was heavy rain at first, and then there was amber signal, then red, and finally black. I was in Kowloon Tong. That rings a bell right? Yes, it was the very time there were very heavy rain and hailstone-fall. Having dealt with the worst weather, I became more confident and passed next day’s exam under the amber signal with ease.

The thing is, the rain I talked about devastated FW a lot. The rain overloaded the pipes at the ceiling and water started pouring into the mall. What’s interesting is that FW still looked magnificent despite the indoor waterfalls. When Thomas showed me his photos of the chaos inside FW, I couldn’t help but remember how we used to take pictures of FW out of no reasons. Yes, FW means a lot to each and every one of us. So it makes me kinda sad when I passed my driving exam, meaning I won’t be visiting FW so often then.

March overview, trip to Osaka/Kyoto

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So, I’m back from Japan, again. March was quite eventful actually. At the beginning I attended an Ortho course, now quite eager to do some braces. I went on a trip to Osaka and Kyoto, came back to HK safe and sound. And when I was back, I had more driving practice sessions and took the driving exam, and now I’m officially a licensed driver. 

Oh, one more thing. We met our dearest Eugene, after four long years since his last visit to HK in 2010. We spent a fun afternoon like when we were teenagers — eat, play, making fun of MK, you name it. Q1 of 2014 wasn’t completely wasted, I’d say. 

Osaka/Kyoto Trip
Japan was still very Japan — clean, polite, but this time, there was also cherry blossom. It wasn’t the best season when we got there, but thankfully we still managed to see some. The whole trip was about photography, and I took quite a few of them — 25GB of photos to be exact. It’ll take 30 years for me to get them all processed, i.e. when I’m retired. My dual m43 setup proved quite useful. I got enough focal lengths, enough sharpness, enough bokeh, and at the end, great photos. A few years ago I said my blood type was coffee. Now I think I’m a mixed blood type — coffee/photography. 

Two things I’ve learnt from this trip. One, when you go to chain restaurants like those for ramen, never go to the branch stated on the travel book. Instead try looking for other branches, and you’ll end up suffering less from waiting time, if at all. Two, most tourist spots have two train stations, which are often operated by different railway companies. Try to arrive at one station, go to the tourist spots on a planned route, and leave at another station. This way you don’t have to walk back to the original station. 

[TBC]

Second-hand craze

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For some reasons I’m addicted to buying second hand gadgets lately. I still can’t break the psychological barrier to buy/sell second hand Apple products though – after all part of the Apple experience is the unpacking process itself – but for other stuff, like camera, lens, etc. second hand ones are good enough.

Many “professional” users in the second hand market tend to keep their products in excellent shape, even better than how I keep my own stuff. Perhaps that’s because they’ve anticipated that one day they’d sell their products. So if you know what you’re looking for, you’ll for sure find great stuff at a reasonable price.

So, what’s my story? I need a DSLR for taking decent clinical photos lately. In that case, I’ll need 1) a macro lens, 2) a DSLR body for that macro lens, and 3) a ring flash. The old-day K.Chan will opt for the best in class — 5D Mark III, first-hand macro lens, preferably a Canon 100mm f2.8 L macro, and Canon first party ring flash. But then I thought: if I’m dedicating the set-up to taking clinical photos only, I don’t really need to get a beast/beasts for that. So my set-up changed a bit:

“Ideal” set-up Cheapo 2nd hand set-up
Canon 5D Mark III $21500 Canon 450D $1200
Canon 100mm f2.8 L macro $6300 Canon 60mm f2.8 macro $2000
Canon Macro Ring MR-14EX $4300 Apliu Cheapo Ring Flash $500
Total: $32100 Total: $3700

Provided that the second hand goods are in good shape, they’ll be enough for taking decent photos. In fact, I got some to share:

IMG_1249

IMG_1252

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That’s not the end of the story, though. You know, I’m going to Osaka/Kyoto at the end of March, hoping to see some cherry blossom. My initial plan was to take both my m43 and my cheapo clinical set-up so that I have a wider range of focal lengths. On second thought: instead of bringing a heavy DSLR with a prime lens, wouldn’t it be great if I got an extra mirrorless body and fit my lenses onto it, so that I don’t have switch lens from time to time? That’s why I finally decided I’d get a second-hand m43 body, GF1. In that case, we’re talking about a $650 body. $650. I could have just dump it at Kansai Airport right after the trip.

[This made me think of the American astronauts who went to the moon. It was reported that they brought fancy (at that time) Hasselblad film cameras to the moon, but left them on the lunar surface due to weight concerns. Well, I’m not going to do that, but I’d definitely want to try the way “Pro Togs” shoot.]

Btw, this year Anzyme has passed its 11th anniversary without me saying anything. Well, let’s just say, Happy Birthday. And I’d like to thank you all.

Never give up

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還記得七年前，在準備高考的黑暗歲月，放學途中收聽電台節目成為我的唯一娛樂。當時卓韻芝在節目中以廣播劇形色說出幾個虛構人物的故事。故事中的主角儘管在多年來的情人節均有不幸遭遇，但沒有放棄人生，繼續向目標邁進，最終苦盡甘來。

當年的情人節，我都有一段小故事，七年後的今天，我總算成為一個牙醫，當年在自修室的日子總不算白費。驀然回首，許多艱辛往事已經過去。情人節將至，我也想和大家分享當年的往事：

07年2月14日, Anzyme.com:
情人節 – 有人說這是個不應光顧自修室的日子，
因為在這天出現，等於告訴全世界，你今日將會獨自度過。
這亦是我最初的想法。
但見到你孤然一人的人，自己又何嘗不是?
 
到了自修室，今日不比平日冷清。但明顯地，
平日打得火熱的情侶，今日不復存在。
今夜，在自修室留下的我，見到的，盡是扒兒。
各位，情人節快樂。

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如果陳奕迅的 “Lonely Christmas” 是聖誕節的代表歌，那麼Twins的 “雙失情人節” 必定是情人節的代表歌。

各位，情人節快樂。

If only we had magic

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J.K. Rowling admitted in a recent interview that Hermione should have ended up with Harry.

In the world of fiction, everything should be possible. In a fictional world of magic, things could get even crazier. Yet, in the magical world of Harry Potter, they lived within confines of reality.

For instance, one gets healed despite bad injuries, but no one can be brought back from death. And there were some magical laws, which worked like Newton’s Laws of Physics. E.g. You can’t transfigure non-food into food.

I guess this is why the Harry Potter fiction appeals to me so much. It’s not the unrealistic part that fascinates me; it’s the fact that they lived within constraints that connects with me.

Indeed my world is full of constraints.

As a fresh graduate my starting salary may be higher than others’, but I ended up having lower quality of life: long working hours, 6- (5.5- at best) day working week, no paid annual-leave, and the like.

I’ve always thought if work brings job satisfaction, all those tradeoffs are worthwhile. I still think that’s true. But the thing is, my job doesn’t deliver job satisfaction anymore. I think at this point my potential has levelled.

In Harry Potter’s world, magic rules. In our real world, capitalism, aka money, rules. I think I make enough money now (I don’t mind making more, though), but I have yet to experience the level of satisfaction I’ve longed for. I still find myself bored a lot of times. I need some fuel to reignite my life: love, passion, curiosity, and the ability to dream dreams.

What could that be? Sadly, it wouldn’t be my all-time “fuel of my life” — coffee. No. Magic? Perhaps. But I just need to figure out what that magic might be.

Barack Obama magic

PS Check out these Most Perfectly Timed Photos, including Barack Obama’s.