H Is For Hypocrite/Hypocritical

Some excerpt from 林奕华's article on the leading Hong Kong paper, Ming Pao. Thought-provoking commentaries on the increasingly notorious tabloid news of the year, with pointers listed in an alphabetical order. H is for Hypocrite/Hypocritical 「虛偽」兩隻字在報章頭條上被放大，首先使人深思的，倒不是被它們指控的當事人（阿嬌）有幾表裏不一、言不由衷，而是兩隻字被看到的背景，以及從中引伸出來的定義。 如果我們都能明白，及實事求是地接受一份報章可以在新聞版道貌岸然，在風月版卻是「大滾友」，那麼，要求一個廿六七歲的女藝人徹頭徹尾是童話中的仙子或公主，便是選擇性地提出指控。因為，藝人明顯是娛樂工業一部份，「童話」的存在是補償現實中不能達成的美夢，只有兒童（天真）或思想不成熟的人（幼稚）才會相信看似童話人物的藝人是活在現實世界中的卡通人物。 為什麼有些人可以一邊如此世故，同時又如此無知？抑或，無知不過是一種偽裝，為的是開脫自己的鋤弱扶強？以譴責阿嬌「虛偽」為例，只要認識問題的本質，任何人都知道她的「虛偽」只是服膺虛偽的娛樂制度，甚至是媒體制度——「她」的「純情」，難道不是由這些制度按照市場需求而塑造？大眾渴望她永遠保持貞潔，但在渴望背後又隱藏着對她的性幻想——何嘗不是出於充滿吊詭和抑壓的慾望？ 不去反思自己的矛盾，偏去怪罪一個平日盡量替大眾「圓夢」，卻因一次意外而打碎集體幻想的藝人「虛偽」，請問是誰的不誠實和說一套做一套對社會造成更大的誤導和影響？ 即便阿嬌真是「虛偽」，她「口不對心」的理由已是人所共知，但在這時候還以道德之名搖旗吶喊要她「全盤交代」者，目的卻是希望消費過程中更多細節（甚至謀利），那就更是典型賊喊捉賊，真的很虛偽。

警字兩个口 Police With Two Mouth

Just to show something good comes out of everything not. Not only did hundreds of Hong Kong Netizen assembles for a protest march against police for indiscriminatory accusation while the common people attended an important lesson on the "integrity of law in Hong Kong" (but from there resulting in even more resentment towards Hong Kong Police), the freelance graphic artists out there also had a chance to stretch their muscle when they took part in a poster contest started by the campaign. Quite nifty, I must say.

Cleverest Fwd Ever

Blast from the past! While browsing my old mails, found this self-proclaimed "Cleverest Fwd ever". This has got to be one of the cleverest E-mails I've received in a while. Someone out there either has too much spare time or is deadly at Scrabble. DORMITORY: When you rearrange the letters: DIRTY ROOM PRESBYTERIAN: When you rearrange the letters: BEST IN PRAYER ASTRONOMER: When you rearrange the letters: MOON STARER DESPERATION: When you rearrange the letters: A ROPE ENDS IT THE EYES: When you rearrange the letters: THEY SEE GEORGE BUSH: When you rearrange the letters: HE BUGS GORE THE MORSE CODE: When you rearrange the letters: HERE COME DOTS SLOT MACHINES: When you rearrange the letters: CASH LOST IN ME ANIMOSITY: When you rearrange the letters: IS NO AMITY ELECTION RESULTS: When you rearrange the letters: LIES - LET'S RECOUNT MOTHER-IN-LAW: When you rearrange the letters: WOMAN HITLER SNOOZE ALARMS: When you rearrange the letters: ALAS! NO MORE Z 'S A DECIMAL POINT: When you rearrange the letters: IM A DOT IN PLACE THE EARTHQUAKES: When you rearrange the letters: THAT QUEER SHAKE ELEVEN PLUS TWO: When you rearrange the letters: TWELVE PLUS ONE

"The Fall Of Overlord of Western Chu(AKA Xiang Yu)"

The interpretation behind my Chi Chi Sticks determines that godawlful fates await in the year of the rat. The title of the particular cautionary tale behind this stick translates (more or less), "The Fall Of Overlord of Western Chu(AKA Xiang Yu)". Incidentally, I have always prefer Xiang Yu than Liu Bang despite the results.

"Still Photographs Are The Most Powerful Weapon In The World."

Not in reference to the recent fiasco pertaining the kinky pics of the HK celebs. "I'm sorry. There are tears in my eyes." - Eddie Adams (June 12, 1933 – September 19, 2004), 1969 Pulitzer-winning American photojournalist, wrote on his obituary to the late General Nguyễn Ngọc Loan (December 11, 1930[1]–July 14, 1998). Without a doubt, one of the most iconic images to ever come out of photojournalism, was taken 40 years ago today, on 1st February 1968. The Pulitzer-winning piece, captioned 'General Nguyen Ngoc Loan executing a Viet Cong prisoner in Saigon', illustrates the then Republic of Vietnam's Chief of National Police, General Nguyễn Ngọc Loan executing a Vietcong prisoner on a Saigon street, during the opening stages of the Tet Offensive. The exceptionally moving picture, nonetheless helped stir up the already rampant anti-war sentiments back then, thus sealing its iconic fate. But that destiny, might not be what its creator planned. In fact, Eddie Adam regrets its very existence. I won a Pulitzer Prize in 1969 for a photograph of one man shooting another… The general killed the Viet Cong; I killed the general with my camera. Still photographs are the most powerful weapon in the world. People believe them, but photographs do lie, even without manipulation. They are only half-truths. What the photograph didn't say was, "What would you do if you were the general at that time and place on that hot day, and you caught the so-called bad guy after he blew away one, two or three American soldiers?" General Loan was what you would call a real warrior, admired by his troops. I'm not saying what he did was right, but you have to put yourself in his position. …This picture really messed up his life. He never blamed me. He told me if I hadn't taken the picture, someone else would have, but I've felt bad for him and his family for a long time. I had kept in contact with him; the last time we spoke was about six months ago, when he was very ill. I sent flowers when I heard that he had died and wrote, "I'm sorry. There are tears in my eyes."