chill out

2019/07/09 04:12:53 網誌分類: 生活

09 Jul

        　　When I went to Penang recently to chill out for a few days, I dropped by (visited briefly) Cathay Pacific’s Hong Kong airport lounge called The Pier. I wanted to start chilling out right away with a drink and a bite to eat at the lounge before boarding. The bartender who got my drink was a 25-year-old Hong Kong-born Pakistani who spoke fluent Cantonese. It was the second time I saw an ethnic minority bartender at The Pier lounge. The first time was last year when the bartender who served me was a young Hong Kong-born Filipino. Both times I struck up a conversation when they said they recognized me from my TVB shows.

        　　To “chill out” means to relax completely without letting anything upset you. It is hard for me to chill out in Hong Kong because of my columns, TV shows, meetings, and work-related phone calls. Every time I want to chill out, I leave Hong Kong for a few days. The expression “a bite to eat” means having something small and simple to eat, not a full meal. The expression “strike up a conversation” means to start a conversation. I struck up a conversation with the Pakistani bartender after he told me he recognized me from my TV shows. He said his name was Shahzad Umar and he started working for Cathay nearly two years ago. He is a self-taught bartender, which means he learned it by himself.

        　　Shahzad Umar was polite and friendly to everyone at the lounge who asked for a drink. He told me he neither agreed nor disagreed with the protests against the now suspended extradition agreement with mainland China. As an ethnic minority, he said he just wanted to advance his career. It is hard for ethnic minorities to get good jobs in Hong Kong. I wish more big companies like Cathay would hire qualified and ambitious ethnic minorities. Most Hong Kong-born ethnic minorities can speak fluent English and Cantonese. I cannot understand why many Hong Kong companies don’t hire them.

        ***

        　　當我最近去了檳城幾天放鬆一下（chill out）時，順道拜訪了（dropped by）國泰在香港機場的貴賓室，名為「玉衡堂」。我想在上機前馬上就開始放鬆一下（chilling out），便於貴賓室喝杯飲料和隨便吃點東西（a bite to eat）。那位給我飲品的酒保是位二十五歲、在香港出生並能說流利廣東話的巴基斯坦人。這已是我第二次在玉衡堂貴賓室遇見一名少數族裔的調酒師了。第一次遇見是上年，當時服務我的是一位香港出生的年輕菲律賓人。兩次開始攀談（struck up a conversation）的契機，都是他們說因我的電視節目而認得我。

        　　To “chill out”意即盡情的放鬆，不讓任何事情弄得你心煩意亂。因着我的專欄、電視節目、會議和與工作相關的電話，我實在很難在香港放鬆（chill out）。每當我想放鬆一下（chill out），我就會離港幾天。習語a bite to eat意即吃些簡單的小吃，而不是正餐。習語strike up a conversation即是開始交談。那位巴基斯坦裔的酒保說他因電視節目而認得我，我便開始跟他攀談起來（struck up a conversation）。他說他名叫Shahzad Umar，差不多兩年前開始替國泰工作。他是名self-taught酒保，即是說他調酒的手藝是自學的。

        　　Shahzad Umar對於貴賓室每位想要飲品的客人都親切有禮。關於現時暫緩將逃犯引渡至內地的修例，他跟我說，對那些反對修例的抗議，他既不贊同也不反對。身為少數族裔，他說他只想發展自己的事業。在香港，少數族裔人士很難找到一份好工。我希望有更多像國泰的大公司，願意聘請有條件而又有志向的少數族裔。大部份香港出生的少數族裔都能說流利的英語和廣東話，我不明白為何很多香港公司不去僱用他們。　　中譯：七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

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