The Dating Game 拍拖遊戲 While checking my online email, I came across a dating article that caught my eye. It describes the 5 women that every guy has to date:

#1 The older woman
Mature women have been places, have seen things, and have sophistication and wisdom. Older women know who they are and what they want. Spend time with one and you'll gain a terrific perspective on life.

#2 The guy's girl
Every guy needs to experience that rare breed of gal who looks and talks like a woman, but loves sports, beer, and action flicks. The guy's girl is often so similar to you that you forget to censor yourself around her--a good thing because it causes you to be more comfortable around women in general.

#3 The free spirit
Always stopping to smell the roses, she's totally creative, spiritual, spontaneous, and she relies more on instinct and inspiration than reason and good planning. Sometimes men need a free spirit to fly into our lives and shake us free of our rigid planning. A woman like this can tap a man's creativity in ways no one else has. She shows him not everything has to be perfect or planned.

#4 The brainy chick
Guys tend to go for looks rather than brains. But a sharp woman can keep your mind from turning to putty, can help you appreciate all facets of a woman, and can even handle those times in your life when you don't know it all.

#5 The seductress
Every man fantasizes about dating a girl who has a healthy libido and is extremely creative in bed. The good news is that such girls actually exist, and if you date one, you'll be a much better man for it. Every guy needs to get this type of girl out of his system because he'll quickly realize that sex alone cannot sustain a relationship.

So how does this relate to me? Having dated very little, I didn't experience the above women through dating. And I haven't experienced them thorough my wife because she doesn't fit any of the five types. Yeah, she's a few days older than me, but that doesn't qualify for #1. If I was pressed to pick the type that she most resembled, it probably would be #5. But that's more because she responded to my appetite, not because she initiated things.

Thinking about this now, I feel somewhat left out. Will I ever get a chance to make up for lost time and to experience any of the above types of women? Only time will tell.

To give equal time for my female readers, here are the 5 guys that every girl has to date:

#1 The older man
There comes a time in every guy's life when he's no longer interested in beer parties, video games, and phrases like "getting laid." In short, a man becomes a man, which is why you should see what an older guy is all about. It's not because he could be a sugardaddy and shower you with gifts. The real perk of dating an older guy is his worldliness and wisdom, which is bound to rub off on you. Because he's had more life experience and has been through more than younger guys, he can play something of a teacher role.

#2 The starving artist
These dudes are not going to take you to fancy restaurants or even pay your half of the dinner bill. Money, nice meals, and material goods don't mean squat to this guy--and that's exactly why you'll have an incredible time once he opens your eyes to life's simple pleasures.

#3 The metrosexual
He may be better dressed and more recently manicured than you. Not only will you reap the obvious benefits of dating a guy like this (by being able to borrow his expensive shampoos), but you'll get a chance to live a happenin' life. These guys will take you to the hottest clubs and the coolest clothing stores. His style may well rub off on you, making you a stronger player on the social and professional fields.

#4 The bad boy
This rebel lives on his own terms and is not about to apologize for them. Hang with him for a while, and you'll learn why being bad can feel so good and how to stop worrying about what everyone else thinks. By being with him, you can learn to look deep inside yourself for what's truly important, rather than just accepting what your parents or friends think is the proper path for you.

#5 The nice guy
He never makes you feel insecure or uncertain, never plays hard to get, never makes you doubt how he feels about you. A woman won't be used to the frequency and consistency of affection nice guys give, since most other guys who are playing the dating game don't do that. Once you've had the good stuff (a guy who calls when he says he will; a guy who wants to see you more as he gets to know you), you won't stand for anything less. But just because a guy is nice doesn't necessarily mean that he is Mr. Right. There has to be romantic chemistry, too.

OK, which of the five guy types do I most resemble? Any thoughts, girls?  ¶ 7:58 PM 0 comments

  Merry Christmas 聖誕快樂


Last year, when I was in HK in early December, I remember seeing beautiful Christmas lights on many buildings in Central. In fact, the lights were so spectacular that I took a nighttime photo of some buildings in Central (see above). Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo showing the Christmas lights. But I still can picture the Christmas lights that I saw in HK last year and wish I were there to see them now.

This year in the San Francisco area, I have noticed that plastic Christmas figures are especially popular. The above photos show some cute ones that a local restaurant put up to decorate for Christmas. It would be interesting to know whether plastic figures also are popular in HK.

Evidently, Santa and his reindeer are big business for tourism. For example, Finland attracts about 500,000 visitors a year to the Arctic Circle to see Santa. That may explain why there is a fierce competition between Iceland and the Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway) to claim the title of Santa's homeland. So far, this year's winners seem to be Finland and Iceland.

For those who need quick help with their Christmas decorating, try this. Be sure to press all the features at the bottom of the picture.

My Christmas wish for all of you--peace on earth and good will toward men (and women)!  ¶ 12:08 PM 0 comments

  This Beauty Is No Terrorist 這美人非恐怖份子 Who do you think this beauty is? Would you believe that it's Osama bin Laden's niece? That's right! Her name is Wafah DuFour, the 25-year-old daughter of Osama's half brother, Yeslam Binladin. After 9/11 (Sept. 11, 2001), Wafah changed her name from her father's surname (Binladin) to her mother's (DuFour). But although of Arabic descent, Wafah is all American. She was born in California (yea, my home state!), lives in New York, and is a law graduate. That probably means that she's horny as well as cute. As professions go, lawyers supposedly have a strong sex drive. I wonder whether that's true for HK lawyers and legal secretaries, too.  ¶ 11:51 AM 0 comments

  Where Do You Come From? 你們從哪裡來? I recently checked my blog to see where my readers come from. It turns out that most come from the U.S. 美 國 (29%) and Hong Kong 香 港 (24%), followed by Singapore 新 加 坡 (10%), Canada 加 拿 大 (10%), United Kingdom 英 國 (8%), Malaysia 馬 來 西 亞 (5%), and Australia 澳 洲 (4%). Of course, those are all countries with sizeable Cantonese-speaking populations and great Chinese food. No wonder I like them so much!

One thing puzzles me about Singapore. When I first learned to say "Singapore" in Cantonese, I learned 星 加 坡 (sing1 ga1 bo1). That's consistent with the name for one of my favorite dishes--星 洲 炒 米 粉 (sing1 jau1 chaau2 mai5 fan2) fried rice noodles Singapore style. I love it with lots of 咖 哩 粉 (ga3 lei1 fan2) curry powder and 叉 燒 (cha1 siu1) Chinese barbecued pork. But in recent years, I have seen people use 新 加 坡 (san1 ga1 bo1) for Singapore, especially in newspapers and news broadcasts. Now I'm confused. Which term should I use when speaking in HK? 敬 請 指 教.

When I started this blog, I was hoping to establish a connection with HK before going there next May to study Cantonese. I am especially proud to have so many HK readers. In that sense, my blog has been a success. On the other hand, I wish a few of you would leave a comment now and then or even email me (my email address is in the upper right). That would give me motivation to post more often and might lead to some interesting topics.

各位讀者: 請閣下在此留言或寫電郵給我. 本人有點寂寞.  ¶ 9:08 AM 1 comments

  Signs of Autumn 秋 風 起, 臘 味 香
Each year, when fall or autumn arrives, there are two things that really remind me of the season. The first one is 臘 味 (laap6 mei6) Chinese dried meat and sausage. During the year that I lived in Taiwan, I used to go to a place called 馬 來 亞 餐 廳, a Cantonese restaurant located in 西 門 町, the center of 台 北 (toi4 bak1) Taipei. In the fall, after the temperature cooled off, they sold special 臘 腸 (laap6 cheung2) and 膶 腸 (yeun5 cheung2) Chinese sausages made by a skilled 師 傅 (si1 fu2) chef from Hong Kong. The sausages looked so beautiful and tasty, especially to a poor, hungry student like me. I remember learning the saying 秋 風 起, 臘 味 香 (chau1 fung1 hei2 laap6 mei6 heung1) "when the autumn wind rises, the dried meat is fragrant." That's because the autumn wind is dry--ideal for drying meat and sausage. I love 臘 味 and think of that saying every time I feel the autumn wind or see Chinese sausage hanging in shops.

The other thing that reminds me of fall is 腍 柿 (lam4 chi5) persimmons. This year, the tree in my backyard has a fabulous crop of persimmons (see photo). The tree leaves have fallen, leaving the colorful persimmons silhouetted against the autumn sky. This is a scene that I look forward to every autumn. It tells me that winter is just around the corner. I have heard that Chinese like persimmons and that one can buy 柿 餅 (chi5 beng2) dried persimmons in HK markets. That sounds like a good, nutritious snack--one more thing to look for when I go to HK in May. In the meantime, I could use a hand in picking my persimmons. Anyone want to help?

Speaking of Taiwan, when I attended the 史 丹 福 大 學 主 辦 的 華 語 中 心 Inter-University Program on the 台 大 (toi4 daai6) National Taiwan University campus in Taipei, I used to frequent 鳳 城 (fung6 sing4), a hole-in-the-wall Cantonese restaurant located on 羅 絲 福 路 Roosevelt Road, directly across from the main entrance to 台 大. All my HK friends hung out there. The food was cheap and tasty. When a customer finished eating and was ready to leave, the waiters screamed out the table number to the 老 闆 娘 (lou5 baan2 leung4) the proprietress, who collected the money. The proprietress was a real character. When she went shopping to the marketplace at 公 館, she would yell Cantonese to the shopkeepers, who mostly spoke 台 灣 話 (toi4 waan1 wa2) the local Taiwanese dialect. Cantonese and Taiwanese are not very similar. It was amazing that the proprietress and the shopkeepers could somehow communicate.

Reading through my Nov. 30 post, I felt that it didn't capture my real sadness about losing M as my fitness instructor. So I went back and revised it.  ¶ 9:44 PM 0 comments

  Outfoxed 狐 借 虎 威 When I took a class in 文 言 (wan4 yin4) Chinese classical literature, I remember learning the classical saying 狐 借 虎 威 (wu4 je3 fu2 wai1). Literally, it means that the fox borrows the tiger's power. In other words, it applies to a situation where a person pushes his weight around using someone else's power or influence as cover. I was thinking about that saying today, even though it doesn't really apply. Today, I helped a young attorney for the State settle a case involving safety violations at a public construction project. She was having a hard time dealing with the other side (construction company) until I agreed to testify for her at the hearing. As soon as she told that to the other side, they suddenly decided to settle the case. It's probably my delusions of grandeur, but I imagined that she was able to take advantage of my 虎 威! In any event, I'm happy to see the bad guy (construction company) get punished for once. It feels good to help a young attorney just starting out, too.  ¶ 9:00 PM 0 comments

  Ouch ! 鬼 咁 痛 唉 呀 (aai1 a3)!! 好 痛 呀 (hou2 tung3 a3)!! Ouch, that hurts!! Last weekend, I injured my finger (see photo). How did it happen? No, it didn't happen when I tried to put my hand on someone's leg. It's less glamorous (amorous?) than that. It happened when I was playing football. As I jumped up to catch a hard-thrown pass, the ball jammed one of the fingers on my left hand. After injuring my finger, I tried to ignore the pain and continued playing. I even ended up making some great catches. But the next day, my finger had swollen up and looked like it might be broken. So my finger is now in a metal splint, and I am rubbing it every night with 鐵 打 酒 (tit3 da2 jau2), a Chinese liniment commonly used for bone and joint injuries. It probably will take two or three more weeks before my finger is back to normal.

It's ironic that this happened just before Christmas. One other time, just before Christmas, I broke a finger in my right hand. I remember my frustration at not being able to write Christmas cards because my right hand was bandaged with a large splint. At least this time I still can write and type without much difficulty.  ¶ 9:00 PM 0 comments