村屋裝修-客廳變身前後

家裏的原裝樓梯扶手娘得不能再娘. 所以決定要更換.  但找遍灣仔, 旺角也找不到專賣樓梯扶手的公司. 唯有交給裝修師傅做. 但做出來的效果不大理想, 不是心目中想要的款式.  結果索性拆了地下的樓梯扶手, 免得眼怨.

以下相片是原裝的樓梯扶手, 現在扶手已化身成為我爸花園的圍欄!

The Return Journey by Maeve Binchy

 

 

This book is a very easy and delightful read

consisting of a series of short stories about people taking trips.   

 

For example, the journey of a secretary with her boss whom she secretly admired

but found out during the trip how wrong she was,

how two travelers who got each other’s suitcases by mistake

entered the live of the stranger the moment they opened the wrong suitcase,

how two young people who seemed to have everything in common, 

interests, background & lifestyle, etc.

 realized their differences during the preparation for a trip together,

and the bittersweet story of a daughter making every effort

to persuade her Paris-loving dad

to get out of the house and visit Paris with her once again.  

 

Several of the stories are particularly heartwarming. 

 

My favourite is "A Villa for Four",

which is about a girl on holiday in Greece,

instead of joining her three friends dancing all night in discos,

helping a café drum up business

by sharing with the owners her passion for cooking.  

 

The other one is "Victor and St Valentine",

which is about a young and kind electrician

accompanying an old lady client living alone in the UK in a trip to Australia

so that her family abroad was convinced that she would be taken good care of

during the journey to see her grand-daughter

and how at the end it developed into a love story

between him and the grand-daughter.  

 

" Excitement" is an interesting story about a bored wife and her married neighbour

planning for and taking a secret trip together 

just to bump into her mum and his sister-in-law on the way. 

 

This is my first Maeve Binchy book,

gather that I will have a look at her other books soon.

無奈

有個親戚今年二十多歲， 是家中獨女。如果我是她媽媽，必定被激到吐血。日常她與媽媽對話句句也是衝著她說的。永遠只有她自己是對的，媽媽就一定是錯的那位。有次，她當著媽媽面前向眾親友投訴媽媽花太多時間煮飯，令她不想吃，又說雖然她曾經說過想吃某個菜式，但已叫媽媽不用煮，媽媽卻堅持要煮，這完全是因為媽媽自己想吃，是為了自己而煮，並不是為她。我聽了後簡直想給她兩記耳光!  最後我教訓了她兩句，當然她睬我都傻!  可以想像她在場的媽媽有多傷心！

我和她傾談，她說的事只有兩類內容，一是抱怨，二是購物。有時我也不知道應該要如何和她說話，因為她的回應的確令人O咀。例如:她整天都躱在家上網，通宵不睡，有時不上學，爸爸下班回來還未睡醒。成績不好就推說沒錢作全科補習。我也懶得叫她努力讀書了，it’s like talking to a wall，直接勸她讀不到書，起碼也要找一樣興趣，培養成一技之長，她就說父母沒給她錢去培養興趣．但事實是，她卻有錢買各式偶像物品、八卦雜誌和iphone。她媽媽見她已經這麼大個還整日懶在家無所事事，便叫她今個暑假要找份暑期工。她又說過多幾年就要出外工作，所以要‘hea埋’這幾個最後的暑假。這還不特止，說著說著，她繼續斥責父母太大年紀才生她出來（父親當時約４０歲，母親３０多歲），她未來要供養他們很大壓力。雖則她說的未必無理，但我還是接受不到子女不感激父母生育養育之恩而反過來以此原因怪責他們！這還未算精彩，她進一步說媽媽曾經幾次向她訴苦，指工廠裁掉了很多人，怕有一天自己也被裁；令她也担心起來並向同學訴苦，但被同學譏笑她說謊，因為她媽媽始終沒有被裁走。她認為，她媽媽不應杞人憂天，更加不應該把不是事實的事說給她聽，令她被同學譏笑。

購物方面，雖則她不喜名牌，但常大手購入一些無謂東西。有次和他們一家去吃飯，途中我買入了一佰個利是封，她居然也要買一佰個，但不是給她媽媽封利是用，而是用來收藏！家裏的文具、八卦雜誌堆了半個廳及一半餐枱，她就解釋說因為她要與同學埋堆，要有共同話題，所以要不斷看八卦雜誌。而那些八卦雜誌這麼多年也沒丟掉，令愛整潔的媽媽懊惱不已。近來我新居入伙，她看著我一屋傢俬，每樣也說很美，要我告訴她在那裏買。她知道有什麼用？我當然沒有理會她。

媽媽是難得一見的勤力來港人士。來港二十幾年，在工廠工作，居然半天病假也沒有請過。她一邊工作之餘，還把家打掃得整齊乾淨，每天也預備晚餐給父女倆，女兒又嫌不合胃口，晚晚外出買飯盒。她是典型的慳儉型，有次在街邊買了個三佰元的煲，後來覺得太貴後悔不已，回家和女兒說了幾句，女兒居然把她痛駡一頓，駡她蠢不特止，還對她說，他日給她家用時，她要醒醒定定！女兒一向無大無細已成習慣，但媽媽今次也忍不住悖然大怒，把自己的銀包摔爛了！這麼多年來，女兒只會攤大手板，她何時可以自力更生都成疑問，更不要說給家用了！當母女倆與我說起這事時，女兒還在滔滔不絕的駡個痛快！

怎知，就在女兒痛駡媽媽買煲的事三個星期後，自已卻在美容中心簽了五萬元療程的合約，還要是用媽媽的信用咭過數和冒媽媽的簽名的（不過後來中心知道不妥，取消了五萬元那張，用她自己的三張信用咭簽了三萬元）。事情發展到這裏，雖然我知道很不對，但我還是覺得她太desperate, 甚至可以說是hopeless了. 當然我沒有說出口。她今年會入讀公開大學（will it be another waste of time and money?），爸爸卻明年退休，而且最近投資失利，家裏已沒有什麼餘錢，她是一清二楚的。她闖了這個禍，父母說會繼續支持她。她的爸爸問我意見，說對美容中心的銷售手法很不滿，說她躺在美容床上被人誤導及慫恿用母親的信用咭買療程，無可選擇下才簽了合約。說正在考慮報警及投訴。但大前題是不想這件事對女兒構成進一步的傷害。天啊！當然美容中心銷售手法不妥當是肯定的了，但為什麼當事人自己完全不需要負任何責任呢? 從父女倆口中得知，當事人肯簽是因為覺得療程價錢合理（２００多元一次facial），又認同職員說當是給媽媽的母親節禮物（What a huge surprise!）。而且，我相信當事人是沒有可能在床上被迫購買療程及簽帳，因為不會有人帶著銀包做facial 的！而且，如果當事人不說，為何職員會知道她帶著媽媽的信用咭在身？我相信當事人只是後來被父親大駡一頓後，就推說整件事只是別人的責任。我明白美容中心的銷售手法的確能令意志不夠堅定的人‘落搭’，但我不明白的是，為何二十三歲人，還會認為家裏環境如此，卻可以負担數萬元的美容療程？為什麼她會認為她冒簽媽媽的信用咭是沒有問題的呢？我勸她爸爸別再糾纏下去了，因為如果別人沒有强迫他女兒，合約還是要履行的。而且，他女兒冒簽一事理虧的是她自己，還追什麼究？再說，他又不想女兒出庭被人盤問，那可以如何追究？

現在唯有希望她可以籍這個教訓醒一醒吧！

 

 

請不要買狗!

看到blogger 的一篇報道, 令我很心酸. 

一直也知道寵物繁殖場環境惡劣. 但親眼看到又是另一回事.

要達致大多人都認同領養, 不買賣寵物可能需要很長時間.

但怎也希望可籍傳播這些訊息出一分力, 也希望大家把這訊息傳開去.  在我認識的人及鄰居中, 很多人的寵物都是剛剛買回來不久的.

小插曲一段, 記得八,九年前曾經發表了一些不贊成吃魚翅的意見, 甚至不是勸人不要吃, 只是表明自己為何不吃. 但也遭人冷嘲熱諷一輪.  到今天, 反對吃魚翅的人越來越多.  希望大家一起努力, 令貓狗也有些好日子過!

以下就是SPCA 拯救狗隻行動的片段的連結, but mind you, it's not for the faint-hearted, 我看時也不禁落淚.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150182712097638&oid=69177347384&comments

It's summer!

這幾日天氣轉睛, 早上起來看到藍天, 和那翠綠的田園, 另一邊有漂亮整齊的房子, 還有鄰居活潑佻皮的比高犬與唐狗仔在嬉戲, 不禁微笑起來. 

在有藍天的日子, 我最愛用Bobbi Brown 的 Beach 香水. 當年在店裏第一次試用, 驚為天人!  不是花香, 完全就是在泰國布吉一邊曬太陽, 一邊嘆cocktail 時, 身上散發的太陽油的味道!  有些人可能覺得很奇怪, 為什麼會有人喜歡這樣的香水.  但我就是喜歡它的 refreshing scent.  在辦公室苦幹時也可以把自己催眠, 以為自己正在泰國渡假一樣.

我想我有超過50枝香水, 但這已是我的第二枝 Beach, 現在已用了一半:

Italian village for sale

Very appealing and interesting ad about a whole Italian village on sale at the price of a 600 feet flat in HK! Also read about the e-kiss machine.  But it is criminally gross! Source: NecesCity.com  http://necescity.com/travel/valle-piola Weird World - Japanese Scientist Unveils Internet Kissing Machine - e-kiss: A Japanese scientist has unveiled a kissing machine that simulates kissing online. Called the e-kiss, it's designed for long-distance couples starved of physical contact. It is absolutely ridiculous. The tongue like mechanism resembles a straw - about as far removed from a tongue as you can get - and the whole object looks more like a breathalyser than a mouth. When one lover waggles their straw, their movement is mirrored by the other lover's straw to simulate the kiss. Unbelievable scenes. Via

It’s a Steal Buy a Medieval Italian Village for €550,000 Hi The medieval Italian village of Valle Piola in the Gran Sasso national park, Abruzzo, is up for sale for €550,000. The village consists of a church, 11 dilapidated stone houses and two farmers’ barns, making it a perfect place to play hide and seek or stow away your mother-in-law safely out of ear-shot. Despite the money that needs to be injected into the project, it represents immense value. For the same price you can get hold of about 600 square feet in Mid-Levels. Which begs the question – why on earth do we live here? Apparently it requires another €2 million to get it up to your mother-in-law’s uncompromising standards but once she’s gone you can turn it into a boutique hotel. Or a shrine. In fact over in Santo Stefano di Sessanio, a similar project involving a cute hotel in a venerable Italian village has been a great success. You can stroll down cobbled streets, pick from a few sublime little restaurants, and generally play mayor. Forget a one up/one down in Stanley – head to Valle Piola and buy the whole village. It’s money well spent. Valle Piola Price: €550,000 Website: www.mipc.co.uk Email: d.moss@mipc.co.uk

East of the Sun by Julia Gregson

          

           

     The backdrop is colonial India in 1928.

The story follows the experiences of three young Brithish ladies

on their way to India ,

all with vivid characters.

Young and beautiful Rose is to leave her very sick father in the UK to marry a British Army Officer in India whom she barely knows.

Her bridesmaid the bubbly Tor, eager to get rid of her domineering mother,

is an enthusiastic member of the "Fishing Fleet"

hoping to find herself a husband on board or in India .

And Viva, a strong and independent girl who has lost the whole family at young age and went back to India to get back a trunk of her parents,

became their inexperienced chaperone.

There is also Guy Glover, an unstable sixteen-year-old,

whom Viva took care of in exchange for the fare of the ship. 

Guy has mental problems and developed affection for Viva which later became the cause of some very dangerous and frightening events.

The depiction of India in the book is highly visual,

many a time evoking my memories of traveling in Mumbai

and other more laid-back regions in India .

Though I don’t quite like the latter part of the book and

found it hard to believe that Rose and Tor would like to befriend a person

as icy as Viva,

and it was rather unconvincing that

as principled as she has always been in her whole life,

Viva will decide to compromise all her believes abruptly at the end,

overall the book is a great holiday read.