He Left Her For the past several months, I have been teaching my legal tricks of the trade to X, a young attorney who has been working in our office for 1½ years. X is hard to miss–-she is tall, young 30s, bright red hair, and busty. I guess you could say that X is my apprentice (徒 弟 tou4 dai6 in Cantonese). Of all the attorneys that I have ever worked with, she is one of the brightest. It’s amazing how fast she catches on, even with complex legal issues that she has not handled before. That makes it easy and fun for me to teach X. And unlike some jerks who hold back part of their knowledge as “job security,” I teach her everything that I know.

This morning, as I opened my work email, I saw the following message from X:

“C,

“I got both of your voicemails. My husband just decided to leave me this morning and I can't talk right now. I'm very sorry but I suspect that this would very much cloud my judgment.

"I'm cc'ing W [me] on this. I know that he has a lot going on right now, but I know you need an answer on this today and I just can't do this right now. Please call W.”

As you might imagine, X is heartbroken. I’m trying my best to be supportive, but it's so sad to see tears in X's eyes and hear her voice crack. Normally, X is so upbeat and in control. Why does shit like this have to happen in life?  ¶ 6:00 PM 0 comments

  Face to Face Today, I trail jogged and hiked out to the "property line" and back (about 4 miles round trip). The cool sea breeze made the jogging seem almost effortless, but I returned with a heavy sweat. As I pushed open the door to the men's bathroom/locker room to take a shower--surprise! I found myself standing face to face with a cute young woman. (They were holding some job interviews in an office next to the bathroom, and she probably dipped into the nearest bathroom before her interview.) After staring at me for a second with a look of embarrassment, she quickly exited the bathroom saying, “Sorry about that.” I replied, “No harm, no foul. But if you come in again, I won’t have any clothes on.” She smiled (but didn’t come back in).

This reminded me of a bathroom incident that I had several years ago. It happened when I was visiting another department in a different part of town. Not being that familiar with their building, I dipped into the nearest bathroom without looking. It took me a few seconds to realize that it was the women’s bathroom. But by then, I already was well inside. And worse yet, I heard the noise of someone starting to enter the door. What should I do? For some crazy reason, I made a snap decision to hide in one of the toilet stalls until the woman exited the bathroom. Recalling a scary scene from the movie "Witness", I locked the stall door, stepped up on the toilet seat, and crouched down, so no one would see me. It worked. Fortunately for me, the woman finished quickly and did not notice me. A few seconds later, I sneaked out of the bathroom, and no one was the wiser.

As I think about this now, I must have been insane. If someone had noticed me, they might have thought that I was a vouyeur or a peeping tom. I would have been much smarter to do like the young woman above–-look embarrassed, apologize, and get the hell out of there. In any event, as I looked into the young woman’s eyes, I could relate to her situation, because I had experienced it myself.

When I go to HK next year, I will have to be especially careful to watch for the right bathroom:

男 廁 laam4 chi3 men's bathroom
女 廁 leui2 chi3 women's bathroom  ¶ 7:00 PM 0 comments

  Life's a Beach Repulse Bay 淺 水 灣 (click)
Shek O 石 澳 (click)

Yahoo's second annual poll on beaches is out. The following are the top 10 beaches in the U.S.:

#1 Waikiki, HI
#2 Key West, FL
#3 Miami, FL
#4 Tampa Bay, FL
#5 Santa Barbara, CA
#6 Daytona, FL
#7 Kaanapali, HI
#8 Panama City, FL
#9 Newport, CA
#10 Myrtle Beach, SC

I myself have been to #5, 7 and 9, which means that I really haven't seen the best.

Most important qualities in choosing a favorite beach:

Cleanliness -- 47%
Scenery panorama -- 46%
Climate -- 34%
Water temperature -- 23%
Romance -- 22%

Top 5 activities engaged in on the beach:

Having a party or BBQ -- 44%
Building sandcastles -- 29%
Having a cocktail -- 32%
Having "intimate" relations -- 18%
Flying a kite -- 13%

My observations:

Love and intimacy seem to be low on the list of priorities. When almost as many people go to the beach to fly a kite as go to have "intimate" relations, love is in trouble.
In the previous poll (2004), having sex was listed as the #4 beach activity (27%) and drinking alcohol was listed as #1 (47%). Both have lost ground this year.
More people are worried about jellyfish (39%) than sharks (37%).

For the entire poll, check out Yahoo Beach Poll.

Traditionally, two of the most popular beaches for swimming in Hong Kong were Repulse Bay 淺 水 灣 and Shek O 石 澳 (see above photos). Judging from the following websites, both Repulse Bay and Shek O remain very popular for swimming: Hong Kong Tourism Board and ctrip.com. Since I will be going to HK in the hot season next year, I hope to go swimming at at least one beach. Walking around without a shirt shouldn't be a problem (I don't have a beer belly). How about water cleanliness? Will that be a problem?
  ¶ 8:10 PM 0 comments

  食 霸 王 餐
Busy weekend. Between hiking and dining, the time went by all too fast. Saturday started out with 飲 茶 (yam2 cha4) at 鯉 魚 門 海 鮮 茶 寮 (Koi Palace), which is one of my favorite tea houses in the San Francisco Bay Area. They have some unusual 北 方 點 心 (Northern style dim sum) that you usually don’t find at teahouses. My favorite is 山 東 菜 肉 餃 (Shandong vegetable and meat dumplings). The 竽 角 (wu6 gok3 deep fried taro puffs) and the 山 竹 牛 肉 球 (saan1 juk1 ngau4 yuk6 kau4 steamed beef balls with bean curd skin) were especially fresh and tasty.

After 飲 茶, it was off to the redwood trees south of San Francisco to beat the heat. This time, I chose a park that I had not been to before--El Corte de Madera Open Space Preserve. What a great choice! Although I didn't really succeed in beating the heat, the redwood trees were huge and spectacular (see photo above)--much bigger than the ones I saw on my hike last week.

On the way home, I stopped at a restaurant that I previously had been to for 飲 茶--富 源 酒 家 Grand Palace Seafood Restaurant. Tonight's meal was 大 千 海 鮮 煲 (assorted spicy seafood pot), 黑 椒 牛 柳 粒 (black peppered steak cubes), 臘 味 蓮 藕 小 炒 (stir-fried lotus with preserved pork). Very fresh ingredients and great culinary skill (廚 藝, 夠 晒 鑊 氣).

Sunday, I decided to check out a place that I have been wanting to see for a long time--the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. They had a special Tibet exhibit on display, and I wanted to see it before it ends. The Tibet exhibit included some spectacular items, particularly gold objects and embroideries. But I was left with two main impressions: (1) many of the best items were made in China; and (2) almost all items related to religion (Buddhism). I actually enjoyed the Chinese exhibit more (especially the porcelain and pottery) because it had much greater variety in colors, materials, subjects, age, etc. Actually, the Chinese exhibit reminded me a lot of the one I saw last year at the Hong Kong Museum of Art 香 港 藝 術 館 in Tsimshatsui.

After walking around for hours in the museum, I was famished. First, to Chinatown to buy some food and vegetables to take home. Got 半 隻 燒 鵝 (half roast goose) at 文 仔 記, one of the few shops that has it in the Bay Area. Then it was off to a restaurant for a leisurely dinner. Ordered 腐 乳 蔥 度 羊 片 (lamb slices with scallions and bean curd), 密 汁 叉 燒 (barbecued pork), and 豉 油 皇 雞 絲 炒 麵 (stir fried noodles with soy sauce and chicken). The food was good but the service was a bit lackluster. Finally, after waiting a long time for the tab, I went up to the cashier and said: 你 0地 係 唔 係 想 我 0地 食 霸 王 餐? 叫 0左 埋 單, 等 0左 鬼 0甘 耐, 0個 單 仲 未 嚟! (Do you want us to eat free? We've waited a damn long time for the tab and it still hasn't come.) That got them into action.  ¶ 5:38 PM 1 comments

  Fried Brains My deposition just ended. It ran from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. today. I survived, but my brains are fried. After 6 hours of answering detailed questions, it's difficult for me to concentrate or even think. I don't know how to say "deposition" in Cantonese, but I do know the following legal words:

上 法 庭 -- to go to court (seung5 faat3 ting4)
上 訴 -- to appeal (seung6 sou6)
禁 制 令 -- injunction (gam6 jai3 ling4)
律 師 -- attorney, lawyer (leut6 si1)
高 等 法 院 -- Supreme Court (gou1 deng2 faat3 yun2)

Obviously, if I ever practice law in HK, I will need to learn a lot more legal terms. That's something on my to-do list.

Today, I'm enjoying 腐 乳 燜 羊 肉 (fu6 yu2 man1 yeung4 yuk6 / lamb stewed in bean curd). It's made with 四 川 腐 乳 (Sichuan bean curd) and is a bit spicy. You won't find this dish in many restaurants. Instead, it's what I would call 家 鄉 菜 (home style cooking). When I first started eating Chinese food, I didn't care much for this type of cooking. But the longer I have eaten Chinese food, the more I have come to enjoy things like 腐 乳 (bean curd), 鹹 魚 (salted fish), 蝦 醬/蝦 膏 (shrimp sauce/shrimp paste) and 豆 豉 (black bean) that often are used in home style cooking.

When I was in Macau last year for Encontro 2004, our group was invited to take a short tour of the city. Our tour guide was Antonio, a native-born Macanese who spoke Portuguese, Cantonese, and English. Most of our group talked English with Antonio, but I talked Cantonese with him. He probably thought I was crazy. Anyway, I got the biggest kick out of a story that Antonio told us about the hydrofoils between Macau and HK. He said that the ticket prices used to be much cheaper and included a free 叉 燒 飯 (cha siu rice plate). Somehow, the thought of riding the hydrofoil and eating 叉 燒 飯 (one of my favorites) appealed to me. The next time I take the hydrofoil to Macau, I probably will bring my own 叉 燒 飯 or a similar snack.  ¶ 6:05 PM 0 comments

  Sawdust Pudding Today, I'm enjoying 木 槺 布 甸, a Macanese or Portuguese dessert consisting of cream pudding covered with cookie or cracker crumbs on top. Its name in Chinese (muk6 hong1 bou6 din1) and Portuguese (serradura) means "sawdust," which is what the crumbs on top look like. It's hard to find 木 槺 布 甸 in HK. When I was in HK last year, the only place I was able to find it was at Orchid Padaria Bakery (君 蘭 餅 店) in Kowloon (尖 東).

Recently, when I was in Vancouver, Canada, I saw a small Chinese shop with a sign 港 澳 甜 品 (Hong Kong and Macau desserts). I got excited and was sure that they would have 木 槺 布 甸. But when I asked the owner, she said that she had never heard of it and seemed to be irritated at me for asking.

Although smaller than HK and less well known, Macau has some of the best food that I have ever tasted in my life. In a future post, I will describe my culinary adventures in Macau. For now, let me just mention an interesting blog that discusses the possibility that, 10 years from now, Macau, Zhuhai (珠 海), and Zhongshan (中 山) could become suburbs of Hong Kong. If you read Chinese, you might want to check out Over the Rainbow (see July 14 post). When I was in Macau last year, I remember walking along the beach at 黑 沙 灘, admiring the beautiful flats, and thinking about buying one.  ¶ 7:40 PM 3 comments

  Don't Bug Me I just noticed the following headline on the Yahoo website: “Florida Teacher to Claim Insanity in Sex Case.” The case involves a 24-year-old female teacher who had sex numerous times with a 14-year old male student. In recent years, there have been several such cases in the U.S. But what caught my attention about this one is how good-looking the teacher is (check her out). Traditionally, HK teachers have been very respected. Have there been any cases in HK where a teacher had sex with a much younger student? Somehow I would be surprised if HK did not have such cases, too.

Screw the insects! Since this blog (waisikgwai 胃 食 鬼) focuses on things that are good to eat, today’s Cantonese words relate to one of my favorite HK foods—燒 臘 (siu1 laap6 or roasted meats). These are the barbecued ducks, chickens, etc. that you see hanging in the window of many HK restaurants:

叉 燒 – cha1 siu1 (roast pork, usually red color)
燒 鴨 – siu1 ngaap3 (roast duck)
燒 鵝 – siu1 ngo4 (roast goose)
豉 油 雞 – si6 yau4 gai1 (soy sauce chicken)
鹽 焗 雞 – yim4 guk6 gai1 (salt baked chicken)
白 切 雞 / 白 斬 雞 – baak6 chit3 gai1 or baak6 jaam2 gai1 (steamed chicken)
燒 肉 – siu1 yuk6 (roast pork, with crispy brown skin and fat layer)
乳 豬 – yu5 jyu1 (roast suckling piglet)
燒 排 骨 – siu1 paai4 gwat1 (roast spareribs)
燒 乳 鴿 – siu1 yu5 gaap2 (roast squab)
臘 腸 – laap6 cheung2 (Chinese sausage, usually reddish and hard)
潤 腸 – yeun2 cheung2 (liver sausage, usually dark brown and hard)

Last year, when I was in HK, I had 燒 鵝 (roast goose) at 鏞 記 (Yung Kee Restaurant, which is well known for that dish. What supposedly gives their roast goose its unique flavor is the special geese and special charcoal that they use. I also had excellent 潤 腸 at a small restaurant in 灣 仔 (Wanchai). Sharing a table with other diners (撘 檯) really made me feel like I was in HK.

For anyone who was waiting for the insects, I will continue with them in my next post.  ¶ 9:15 PM 0 comments

  Heat Wave 熱 浪 I’m sitting here in an air-conditioned room trying to get some relief from the big heat wave (熱 浪). For the past week, daytime temperatures have been over 100º F (38º C.). The worst part is that the temperature hasn’t cooled off much at night, which is unusual. Normally, we get an ocean breeze at night, even in the summer. According to the weather report, the heat wave will be with us for another 5 days or so. It will be interesting to compare HK’s summer weather when I go there next year.

The iPod 40GB arrived on Friday. I’ve been busy loading songs on it. After loading some 1980s classic rock songs, I started to load some newer stuff and have been listening to the following:

The Offspring—Americana
Nirvana—Nevermind
No Doubt—Tragic Kingdom
Red Hot Chili Peppers—Californication
Sugar Ray—14:59
Third Eye Blind—Third Eye Blind
The Wallflowers—Bringing Down the Horse

I’ve got loads of space for all kinds of music and definitely want to load some Cantopop. Any recommendations? 有 乜 0野 好 推 介 呀?

Anyone who follows this page or knows me knows that I love to speak and study Cantonese. To share some of my knowledge, I have been thinking about including some Cantonese words and phrases in my posts. Since I recently have had some incidents with insects, I will start with some common HK insects:

曱 甴 (spoken form; gaat3 jaat2) 蟑 螂 (written form; jeung1 long4) – cockroach
蟬 (sim4) – cicada
蜈 蚣 (m4 gung1) – centipede
百 足 (baak3 juk1) - millipede

Note: For Cantonese Romanization, I use a combination of the Jyutping 粵 拼 and Yale systems.

I’ll follow with some more insect words in my next post. If anyone is interested in a particular topic or vocabulary, let me know.

And remember—you can post comments in English, Cantonese, or any other language. 注 意: 留 言 寫 英 文 或 中 文 均 可.  ¶ 6:02 PM 0 comments

  Is There A Solicitor in My Future? Hooray! Our natural air conditioning (sea breeze) is back today. It felt good to have some cool breeze while jogging along the waterfront with my friends B and W. But once we got away from the water, it still was hot. I don't know what my weekend activities will be yet, but I'm thinking of going over by the ocean where it will be cooler.

Today, I contacted J to ask him about his leads for legal jobs in HK. After talking with J, I pretty much have decided to apply for admission as a solicitor in HK. Not only would that make it easier for me to get a job in HK, but it also would be a tremendous, personal honor for me. According to the information on the website for The Law Society of Hong Kong (香 港 律 師 會), an attorney with my experience should be able to qualify by passing one examination (Conveyancing). It would be exciting for me to take a course and exam on HK real estate law, especially since I have a genuine interest in the subject as well as experience dealing with real estate cases and transactions in the U.S. If I can pass the exam, I will be able to officially call myself 律 師 (leut6 si1) in Chinese.  ¶ 9:01 PM 0 comments

  I Am Being Deposed Today, I went out trail jogging over lunch hour. Surprise--I saw another deer (a fawn with white spots). It dashed across the trail as I was hiking up the hill. I'm glad that I work near the water where it's cooler. Otherwise, it would be hard to exercise in the h-o-t weather (38º C.) that we have had the past 3 days.

Yesterday, I was at a big, fancy law firm in the city (San Francisco) preparing for my deposition. A deposition involves answering questions under oath like a court trial. But it takes place in an attorney's office, not in a court room. Normally, I represent clients who are being deposed. But this time, I'm the one who is being deposed (the case relates to a contract that I drafted). After the deposition preparation, I met J, an attorney who lived and practiced in HK for 9 years. He had many interesting tips to share, and I probably will follow up on some to see what legal jobs would be available to me in HK. According to J, HK has the following pros and cons:
Pros: Cosmopolitan city (more than Tokyo or San Francisco); comfortable lifestyle
Cons: Cyclical economy (boom or bust); health issues (pollution); crowded living conditions  ¶ 10:00 PM 4 comments

  En Boca Cerrada No Entran Moscas 唉 呀 呀, 好 核 突 呀! 我 今 日 跑 步 0既 時 侯 吞 0左 隻 烏 蝇! How gross! While trail jogging today, I swallowed a fly. Suddenly, I remembered a saying that I learned in Spanish: en boca cerrada no entran moscas. The Spanish saying basically means that people shouldn’t gossip (flies won't go in a closed mouth). Well, I wasn’t gossiping at the time, so that couldn’t have been the problem. From now on, I’m going to be more careful.

Someone just gave me an iPod mini with a 200 or 300 songs already loaded on it. I quickly went through the songs and have been listening to the following:

Allister—Scratch
Dashboard Confessional—Vindicated
Green Day—2000 Light Years Away, Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
Joselito—Chica Bom Bom
Metallica—Nothing Else Matters, The Unforgiven, Fuel
New Found Glory—All Downhill from Here, Hit or Miss
Offspring—The Kids Aren’t Alright
Red Hot Chili Peppers—By the Way, Californication, Otherside, Parallel Universe, Under the Bridge
Saves the Day—Rocks Tonic Juice Magic
Weezer—Dope Nose, Island in the Sun, Photograph

The mini is perfect for working out. In fact, I liked it so much that I went on eBay and bought a larger iPod with a 40 GB capacity. As soon as the new iPod arrives, I’m looking forward to downloading a bunch of songs (all kinds), including some Cantopop. Any good suggestions?  ¶ 8:40 PM 6 comments

  Face to Face Since returning from my trip, I have been enjoying beautiful weather, the kind that California is famous for—blue skies, daytime temperatures in the 80s, and a gentle sea breeze. Today, the weather was so nice that I had to get out to have some fun. I ended up going on a hike in Huddart County Park, a 900-acre park with trails winding through tall redwood trees. Not only was the hike good exercise, but it also had lots of shade (good for warm weather). About half way through the hike, I sat down under some redwoods to enjoy a sandwich. Suddenly, I heard footsteps and thought it might be another hiker (I had seen very few today). Within a few seconds, a mother deer (doe) was staring at me about 15 feet away. She hadn’t noticed me because the trees blocked her view. As soon as the deer saw me, she dashed away, followed by her little fawn (baby).

For an after-hike treat, my choice was the 許 流 山 dessert shop in Milpitas. I ordered the 芒 果 布 甸 (mango pudding), one of my favorites. Last year when I was in Hong Kong, I went to 許 流 山 in Wanchai and Tsimshatsui. I swear—the desserts at the one in Milpitas are better.

Speaking of weather, I have been reading that Hong Kong’s weather has been rainy lately. When I go to Hong Kong next year (May-August), I’m wondering how rainy the weather will be. Will it be possible for me to go hiking and trail jogging? Or will the ground be too wet for hiking?

我 依 家 有 0的 唔 開 心 因 為 聽 日 要 一 早 返 工 0架. Despite my fun today, I feel shitty knowing that it’s back to work tomorrow.  ¶ 10:45 PM 2 comments

  Dreamland This isn't the first time it's happened to me, but it still felt weird. I just woke up from a dream in Chinese. Somehow I found myself at a stranger's house admiring her furniture and decor. Suddenly, she started mentioning prices for some bedspreads and I realized that she was selling them. When I said something about the items in Chinese, the woman, who was wearing a deer mask, answered back in Chinese. I said to her: 你 係 唯 一 隻 講 中 文 0既 鹿 (you're the only deer that speaks Chinese)! She smiled back. A few minutes later, I was in my car driving away and I realized that I had mistakenly taken something from her house. At first I didn't know what it was but then realized that it was some kind of special 倒 後 鏡 (a rearview mirror; a new word I recently learned). By then I was many blocks away from her house and had no idea how to find my way back. That's when I woke up. So tell me--what does all this mean? Did I have a dream in Chinese because I just returned from speaking so much Chinese in Vancouver? Or does this have a deeper meaning? Well, Dr. Freud, I'm waiting for your explanation.  ¶ 10:00 AM 2 comments

  What Am I Made of? Returning home to a big pile of mail, I notice one letter that catches my eye. It’s the results from my body composition, which I had tested just before leaving on my trip. Opening the envelope, I see that the results are pretty good. My body fat percentage is 11.6%, which means that body fat comprises 18.6 pounds (11.6%) of my total weight (160 pounds). According to the information sheet, the average body fat percentage for men is 10%-20%, which puts me at the lower end. Compared to most men my age, I am very fit (I still have a 6-pack stomach). I love to exercise outdoors and it’s nice to see healthy results from something that I like to do anyway. Next year, when I go to Hong Kong, I plan to continue working out there. I wonder whether there are any gyms or good places to trail jog in the 沙 田 and 大 圍 area. One thing that definitely is on my list for next year is to hike and trail jog the hidden trail from 保 雲 道 to 灣 仔 峽.  ¶ 10:00 PM 0 comments

  Back Home Just returned from my trip to Seattle and Vancouver. As soon as I get settled, I will leave more details (see posts below). For now, let me say that the trip was a memorable one. I expected to have a good time, but what surprised me was how comfortable I felt in both places and how much I hated to leave. That probably indicates that I’m ready for a change of scenery in my life. Another thing that totally surprised me was how much Vancouver (especially Richmond and Burnaby) reminded me of Hong Kong. For 5 days, from morning to night, I spoke mostly Cantonese there. And what was way cool was that most employees in the Chinese shops and restaurants spoke with me naturally just like I was in Hong Kong. In other words, they treated me pretty much like any other customer rather than making a fuss about my Cantonese. There even was a 20ish young woman in a bakery who clarified a few words for me (一件,一隻同埋一舊). When I mentioned to her that I planned to go to Hong Kong next year to study more Cantonese, she suggested that I really didn’t need to and that I would do fine by listening to Cantonese TV programs and studying with a tutor. With her cute smile and helpful manner, she would make a perfect tutor! If Hong Kong doesn't work out for some reason, it's nice to know that Vancouver would be a good substitute.  ¶ 1:07 AM 0 comments