Go Pedals Go

Ride, Fall and Scar

Folding and unfolding a Brompton

See, I told you so many times and that’s why you fell and got hurt.   I fell because my motor skills and balance were bad but you fell because you stunted on your bike and did not stay alert.

Bike Safety Tips

Is Bicycling A Good Exercise?

Yes, riding a bicycle is great exercise. It can help you get in shape and lose weight, and it can reduce the risk of health problems such as heart attacks. Bicycling puts less strain on your joints than jogging does, so bicycling is easier on your body.

What Causes Bicycle Crashes?

Sometimes your mistakes cause crashes, and other times car drivers or loose gravel on the road are to blame. You are more likely to be seriously hurt if you run into a car or if you are riding fast. Children can be hurt while doing stunts on their bicycles. Getting your fingers or toes caught in the spokes or the pedals can also cause injuries.

What If I Fall Off My Bike?

If you hit your head when you fall you should see a doctor, even if the injury seems minor.

What Can I Do To Avoid Injury?

The best way to protect your head and face is by wearing a helmet. Make sure your helmet meets government standards. All children and adults should wear helmets when they ride, even on short trips. This is now the law in some states.

Here are some more tips for avoiding injury while riding a bike:

-      Bike helmet

-      Wear sports sunglasses can stop dust and bugs from getting into your eyes.

-      Wearing bright, reflective clothing when you ride can make it easier for drivers to see you.

-      Use padded gloves to protect your hands.

-      Wear padded shorts and use a comfortable seat to reduce buttock pain.

-      Avoid riding at night.

-      Always stay alert and look out for anything in your way.

Parents should teach children basic traffic rules and make sure they ride in safe places. Children younger than 10 years of age should not ride near traffic.

How Can I Be Sure My Bike Is Safe?

It is always a good idea to make sure that everything on your bicycle is working correctly. Get in the habit of checking that the brakes are working, and be sure there are no loose or broken parts on your bike. Reflectors and lights make you and your bicycle more visible to car drivers in the dark.

American Academy of Family Physicians

陳氏書院

兩次到過廣州的陳氏書院參觀，最後的一次是即興與老爸老媽去的。

有趣的是，儘管陳氏書院建立時，不是一所書院，最終在陳氏書院的生命史中亦曾辦過學堂。另外感到有趣的，既然辦合族祠是不合法，陳家祠就化身為書院，以圖倖存於多事之秋，這是可以理解的。但不甚理解的是，以陳氏書院規模之大、以它「天工人可代、人工天不如」如此這般精美的建築，這是極為張揚的假裝，而且不是單一事件，淫祠真的禁不盡、禁不到，或是地方官員不願禁呢？官有官禁，民有民辦，這不是一場角力嗎？明知是淫祠，明知不合國家規定，但因在地方上財雄勢大，仍胆敢興建如此堂皇的合族祠，來彰顯他們的地位和財力，那王法何在呢？是不是說明了，在當時的社會現實，能否建祠堂或合族祠，並不一定取決於國家的法律規定，最重要是視乎該族群在地方社會上的政治、經濟地位？

不禁讚歎明清珠江三角洲先輩的創造力，明明自己有祖先，又可以在合族祠的基礎上，與無明顯血緣、淵源關係的人，再虛擬出一個大太公來；這不是與嶺南人祖宗，眾皆出自南雄珠璣巷的說法同出一轍嗎？如果各姓合族祠的偽裝張羅，是要努力打造正統形象，一方面就表明地方的所謂正統，原本心知不是朝廷的正統。另一方面可見地方社會對正統文化，不是單純的抗拒或投降，而是一種建構，一種地方文化的滲透。這是否代表了當時社會流行的價值觀呢？當中是否顯示出宗族在地方間的開發和力量呢？不禁感到迷惑的是，人生中所認識的、學習中的正統文化，是國家的正統文化？社會的所謂正統變身為正統？或是一人有一個正統呢？或根本就沒有正統，純粹是場角力呢？

口水吹不盡

唔覺唔覺原來已經上載了一百篇口水花了。朋友仔講得無錯，看不出原來我是口水多過茶, 吹水唔抹嘴，口水吹不盡的人囉。實情是，見唔到光而淪為棄文的，比上載的還要多呢﹗

Nostalgia

床前明月光        A splash of white on my bedroom floor.  Hoarfrost?

疑是地上霜        I raise my eyes to the moon, the same moon.

舉頭望明月        As scenes long past came to mind, my eyes fall again

低頭思故鄉        On the splash of white, and my heart aches for home.

一心準備暑假時教兒子李白的《靜夜思》，但找來找去都找不到心水的英譯本。這首五言絶句詩，英譯的有很多，但找到的大都是直譯的；不是我的理想型。今天小休時，翻看童元方的《為彼此的鄉愁》，看到了翁顯良的譯作《Nostalgia》，將《靜夜思》徹底意譯出來，讀來如散文般的詩，非常精彩。尤其精彩的是詩題，一般都是《Tranquil night》, 翁顯良卻譯成《Nostalgia》，貫徹了意境。


孩子啊，媽媽忍不住要先來讀一遍。

人生方圓

你看到事情的黑與白，但方與圓之間，你能有多少體會呢？天下萬物的是非對錯，真的如1+1=2這樣簡單嗎？這樣的人生會是怎麼樣呢？你真的會認為那是精彩有趣的人生嗎？你看到的是事情的全部，或只是你所知的全部呢？

Do you know it is very dangerous and a sheer fallacy to infer a conclusion from a hasty generalization ?

邊緣回望隨便談

顏聯武

在網上聽到香港的電台節台，聽的仍然是顏聯武，聽的仍然是《邊緣回望》。時光倒流，彷彿見到自己一邊深宵挑燈夜讀，一邊聽著電台節目；一轉眼已是中年了。

夜半歌聲

不知是會考或是A-Level，有段時間的零晨三數點時分，每次聽顏聯武，就會聽到《邊緣回望》。不只顏聯武喜歡這首歌，其實我都很喜歡；我甚至懷疑，周禮茂說的是自己的真實故事。

邊緣回望

我亦要感激這首歌，因為我曾經兩次用這歌，曲解附會歌詞來鼓勵一度以為絕望迷失的朋友。

邊緣回望

作詞：周禮茂
作曲：鮑比達
演唱：葉德嫻

樹向車旁兩邊飛
像昨天我已拋棄
曾經想過死
天將我留下了
地靜悄悄
讓我覺得重臨實地
願我可重尋趣味

站到邊緣回望時
視覺息間奇幻至
今生怎至此
天空裡無高閣
地像個殼
沒有理想從無憾事
沒有不完結往事

舊日我笑一笑
過去記憶只得一秒
活在這刻當閒事
活著就算有感覺
我已經解開這束縳
漸習慣今天的意義

若是我虔誠的問你
有否踏著傷悲
怎去逃避
若是我詞仍不達意
我心中的每個字
仍願接觸你

夜鬼

愛深宵挑燈夜讀，主要因為家裏人多空間少，只有零晨後才有絶對的空間來「擺陣」。比起「讀」，其實「夜」才是關鍵，才是我的摯友。現在看來，我體內早已流著「夜鬼」的血。

鬼來電

「夜鬼」除了要夜讀外，還有重要神聖任務，就是要在指定時間，致電及吵醒同學仔温習。試過有一次應同學請求，在考Mock 期間扮人肉閙鐘，於零晨三點致電同學仔，務必要吵醒她，以免同學仔一睡不起。好玩唔玩，我劈頭第一句，就叫用女鬼聲叫佢：「喟，XXX，好起身呵夜尿啦!」點知聽的不是同學仔，而是同學仔的老母，仲要比佢嚴重警告一翻添，衰鬼!

翻來啦

深宵時份電話響起，原來是驚魂未定的女同學。她哭訴見到自己倦極在書桌睡著了，及看到自己的靈魂脫離肉身在空中飄浮。雖然最後醒來無恙，但早已嚇到魂飛魄散。

好多首都好好聽

赤子都好好聽

I Write

I write.  I write that I am writing.  Mentally I see myself writing that I am writing and I can also see myself seeing that I am writing.  I remember writing and also seeing myself writing.  And I see myself remembering that I see myself writing and I remember seeing myself remembering that I was writing and I write seeing myself write that I remember having seen myself write that I saw myself writing that I was writing and that I was writing that I was writing that I was writing.  I can also imagine myself writing that I had already written that I would imagine myself writing that I had written that I was imagining myself writing that I see myself writing that I am writing.

Salvador Elizondo / The Graphographer

It is confusing. 

It is interesting. 

It makes you dizzy.

It is creative.

It is not difficult to visualize, with some imagination.

幻聽與變天

今天在Oakridge Mall 的Polo Ralph Lauren 購物時，突然聽到場內播放了衞蘭的中文歌；究竟是聾婆重來，出現幻聽、或是温哥華早已變了天呢？

心裏有點感觸。喜愛英語的兒子，一心來加拿大學好英語；希望他內心沒有太大的落差就好了。

A treat to treat myself better

If I still gained 2 pounds after a whole-day yard works and 1 pound after pedaling for 30 minutes, I think there is no reason why I can’t treat myself with 2 small packs of chocolates after all.

The most ridiculous point I want to point out is : I did not gain any weight after the fatty treat.

Every Coin Has Two Faces

Award Evening cum Art Exhibition

Please don’t complain I have been so mean to you even you have been awarded for your academic excellence in school lately.

Do you know “Every coin has two faces” ?  Every time when you want to play the peacock, you should start to think about what’s going on.  Do you know the straight A and provincial examinations are but a mirage if you think about those real genius.  “Why you can still get high marks when you haven’t tried hard?  Don’t tell me you have suddenly transformed into a super talented kid even you have spent most of your time chatting, singing, uploading and downloading. 

I am not going to tell you the reason, please unveil the truth yourself.  I can only tell you: you will be regretted if you are so naïve and snobbish to rest on your laurels.  So, please clear your blurred vision and make yourself known of a cruel riddle.

怪事日日有，今年特別多

一雙女裝布拖鞋代表甚麼呢？它的出現會有甚麼玄機呢？拖鞋的主人是誰呢？這雙拖鞋的前世今生會是個怎樣的故事呢？這雙拖鞋究竟經歷了甚麼遭遇，會在一個星期六的早上，齊齊整整、並排的出現在我家車房門的正前方？

經過地氈式搜索，方圓百尺未有發現「身鞋異處」的「無鞋」女屍。巷里間，亦不見因姦不遂受殺害的棄屍。斷估家中有人開slippers party， 我唔會唔知道。打死都唔相信Fairy Godmother 嘅品味，會低落成咁樣；有Cinderella glass slippers唔變，變對咁款嘅布拖嘛？

我承認我看得《Cold Case》多，我確實想多咗啦；但亦不代表這算是平常事。Okay, 我無《Monk》套劇裏面嘅Natalie咁八卦，let go 吧 !!!

他朝君體也相同

Stanley Military Cemetery, Hong Kong

想不到老媽有一個頗為超脫的想法：不懂泳術的她曾經提出，日後她百年歸老時，希望我們將她的骨灰撒在大海中。這個話題，至今尚未有繼續下去，亦不知是「吹水」性質，還是現在已有「更激」的「新猶」。

  

香港和合石

The Dutch Graveyard, Malacca

The Japanese Graveyard, Malacca

 馬六甲蘇丹墓園

 馬六甲三寶山華人墳場

 

鹽田仔

如果問我，我是不贊成的。不是因為不孝義，是我認為生者心靈上是有這樣的需要。我承認我有點自私。自私的我認為，人活著時，都會在時間和空間中留下深刻的痕跡。緃使亡者身體化灰，慢慢腐化，生者仍然希望，能夠藉著墳場這個特定的媒介空間，跟親愛的亡者維持著精神聯繫。生者對亡者的思念，有形而上的懷緬，再保留形而下有痕跡的黐纏，又有何不好呢？

 人在天堂, 錢在銀行

「也許你聽這蚯蚓翻泥，聽這小草的根鬚吸水，
也許你聽這般的音樂，比那咒罵的人聲更美。
那麼你先把眼皮閉緊，我就讓你睡，我讓你睡。
我把黃土輕輕蓋著你，我叫紙錢兒緩緩的飛。」 

「那美好的仗，我已經打過了。」 

大城小愛

好友 Jenny 從香港奔喪回來。見面時，提到她老父對亡妻的思念種種，以及Jenny自己對老父的擔憂；娓娓道來，平實得來很感動。數十年相依相靠的厚實夫妻情，看似平凡，但永別時那種傷，原來仍會這般痛。

亡了，忘不了。