At the court's opening in January 1912, the Chief Justice rather presciently (先見地) declared, "When Victoria has ceased to be a city, when the harbour has silted up (淤塞), when even the Hong Kong Club has crumbled (碎裂) away, this building will remain like a pyramid to commemorate (紀念) the genius of the Far East."
Spurrier, P. (2016). The Heritage Hiker's Guide to Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Form Asia.
我們為了「變」，為了所謂「追上時代」，往往忘記了其實中外古今，都應該存在種種永恆的主題。這些主題，是人類無法擺脫的，例如︰愛、生死、正義是非……兒童心中，最早最純化的就有這些母題。從小就培養，強化這些理念，長大後面對各種醜惡、歪曲、悲憤，都可以頂得住。所以，兒童必須有個「樂園」。
小思《悼「樂園」》
一九九五年
科學一點的做法是計算最高心跳率。以前中學時期練跑邊有此等裝備，往往靠自己感覺，感覺到了極限就停下來。但是，這種感覺都是日子有功，慢慢掌握拿捏出來的。疫情之前，到室內游泳池操水，何時停低休息，也是用同一種方式、同一種做法，只是陸上和水中的分別。如果要真正收效，可能要比極限高少少，但我只會在休假時運動，此等做法乃屬高危。
現在防疫措施放寬了，戶外跑步可以唔戴外科口罩。可是，因工作關係，雙膝出現輕微勞損，練跑隨時出事。沒有帶氧運動，身體差了少少，只能靠健康飲食、良好作息時間來彌補。難道要跟著電視電玩做健身操、耍太極、拉拉筋？
「不是吳冠中在文章裡提到，我並不知道那對銅獅是國立杭州藝專的外籍教授魏達所作，遠在一九三五年，林風眠當校長的時代。果然，W.W. Wagstaff 的簽名，深深刻在銅座上。」
小思《看銅獅去》
—— 刊一九九四年一月十九日《星島日報》副刊「七好文集」專欄。
Stephen and Stitt, the bronze lions, are named after two managers of the bank. They received shrapnel (砲彈碎片) damage, still clearly visible, during World War II. They have only been moved twice: once to Japan during the occupation, where they luckily avoided being melted down for armaments (軍備), and then over the road to Status Square while the new headquarters was being built.
Spurrier, P. (2016). The Heritage Hiker's Guide to Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Form Asia.
Hong Kong Museum of History will undergo renovation soon. It may reopen for a short period after the third wave COVID-19 and before the renovation. The gift shop, passage, will close up officially in September. The other branches of passage at Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Xiqu Center and Hong Kong Space Museum will probably gradually reopen after the third wave. As a member of this shop around 2019, I built up a sense of belonging with the colleagues and the place. Although the working pressure was much higher than that in CUHK bookstore, my working experience grew quickly here. At the end of 2019, I became an employee at the gift shop at Hong Kong Space Museum. Because of the impact of large scale demonstrations and COVID-19, gift shops under government facilities has to be closed temporarily and compulsively. Our business is largely hindered. Due to the rearrangement of human resources, I started working at Chung Hwa Bookstore (Tsuen Wan) in September. My main duty is stock management. I will be the helper of non-book business and cashier. Yesterday, I tried filling new Chinese books into the shelves. If I can handle the above workload, my supervisor will choose some categories of Chinese books for me to be in charge. What a challenging job!
tap: to strike lightly especially with a slight sound
mumble: intransitive verb: to utter words in a low confused indistinct manner
indistinct: not clearly recognizable or understandable
beak: the bill of a bird
bill: the jaws of a bird together with their horny covering
scramble: to move with urgency or panic
jerk: to propel or move with or as if with a quick suddenly arrested motion
swoop: to move with a sweep
flutter: to flap the wings rapidly
fiercely: in a fierce or vehement manner
fierce: violently hostile or aggressive in temperament
vehement: marked by forceful energy
savage: to attack or treat brutally
brutally: severe
pellet: a usually small rounded, spherical, or cylindrical body (as of food or medicine)
humbug: British: a hard usually peppermint-flavored candy
gotta: used for "got to" in informal speech and in representations of such speech
goblin: an ugly or grotesque sprite that is usually mischievous and sometimes evil and malicious
sprite: a disembodied spirit
gleam: to shine with or as if with subdued steady light or moderate brightness
subdued: lacking in vitality, intensity, or strength
enchantment: a magic spell
vault: a room or compartment for the safekeeping of valuables
summat: dialectal variant of somewhat
bungler: to act or work clumsily and awkwardly
awkward: lacking social grace and assurance
blimey: chiefly British: gorblimey
gorblimey: used to express amazement, surprise, or perplexity
clamber: to climb awkwardly or with effort especially by using both the hands and the feet
passerby: one who passes by
pant: to breathe quickly, spasmodically, or in a labored manner
crikey: used as a mild oath
canary yellow: a light to a moderate or vivid yellow
vivid: of a color :very strong :very high in chroma
parchment: the skin of a sheep or goat prepared for writing on
witchcraft: the use of sorcery or magic
sorcery: the use of power gained from the assistance or control of evil spirits especially for divining
robe: a long flowing outer garment
garment: an article of clothing
cloak: a loose outer garment
transfiguration: a change in form or appearance
potion: a mixture of liquids (such as liquor or medicine)
wand: a slender rod used by conjurers and magicians
conjurer: wizard
cauldron: a large kettle or boiler
pewter: (especially) a dull alloy with lead formerly used for domestic utensils
phial: vial: a small closed or closable vessel especially for liquids
get stuck in: to start doing something with a lot of energy
bustling: busily astir
grubby: dirty
peculiar: characteristic of only one person, group, or thing
shabby: inferior in quality
bald: lacking a natural or usual covering (as of hair, vegetation, or nap)
beam: to smile with joy
flutter: a state of nervous confusion or excitement
delighted: obsolete : delighful
stammer: to make involuntary stops and repetitions in speaking
vampire: the reanimated body of a dead person believed to come from the grave at night and suck the blood of persons asleep
courtyard: a court or enclosure adjacent to a building (such as a house or palace)
grin: smile
hag: an ugly, slatternly, or evil-looking old woman
quiver: to shake or move with a slight trembling motion
wriggle: to move or advance by twisting and turning
cobbled: paved with cobblestones
plump: having a full rounded usually pleasing form
apothecary: one who prepares and sells drugs or compounds for medicinal purposes
hoot: to make the natural throat noise of an owl or a similar cry
emporium: a place of trade
tawny: of a warm sandy color
screech: a high shrill piercing cry usually expressing pain or terror
barn: a usually large building for the storage of farm products or feed and usually for the housing of farm animals or farm equipment
barrel: a round bulging vessel of greater length than breadth that is usually made of staves bound with hoops and has flat ends of equal diameter
tottering: lacking firmness or stability
quill: the hollow horny shaft of a feather
burnish: to make shiny or lustrous especially by rubbing
swarthy: of a dark color
engrave: to form by incision (as on wood or metal)
heed: attention
scribble: to write or draw hastily or carelessly
ledger: a book containing accounts to which debits and credits are posted from books of original entry
cram: to pack tight
hurtle: to move rapidly or forcefully
rattle: to make a rapid succession of short sharp noises
steer: to direct the course (as of a ship or automobile)
plunge: to become pitched or thrown headlong or violently forward and downward
stalactite: a deposit of calcium carbonate (such as calcite) resembling an icicle hanging from the roof or sides of a cave
stalagmite: a deposit of calcium carbonate like an inverted stalactite formed on the floor of a cave by the drip of calcareous water
billow: sentence example: a field of burning grass billowing thick black clouds of smoke into the sky
mound: pile
ravine: a small narrow steep-sided valley that is larger than a gully and smaller than a canyon and that is usually worn by running water
groan: to utter a deep moan indicative of pain, grief, or annoyance
scruff: the back of the neck
infernal: of or relating to hell
mauve: a moderate purple, violet, or lilac color
drawl: to utter in a slow lengthened tone
gamekeeper: a person in charge of the breeding and protection of game animals or birds on a private preserve
sneer: to smile or laugh with facial contortions that express scorn or contempt
contort: to twist into or as if into a strained shape or expression
scorn: open dislike and disrespect or mockery often mixed with indignation
contempt: lack of respect or reverence for something
duffer: an incompetent, ineffectual, or clumsy person
curse: a prayer or invocation for harm or injury to come upon one
bewitch: to influence or affect especially injuriously by witchcraft
revenge: to avenge (oneself or another) usually by retaliating in kind or degree
rot: deteriorate
unicorn: a mythical, usually white animal generally depicted with the body and head of a horse with long flowing mane and tail and a single often spiraled horn in the middle of the forehead
glitter: to shine by reflection with many small flashes of brilliant light
scoop: the amount contained by a scoop
outta: non-standard contraction of ‘out of’, used in representing informal speech
rustle: to act or move with energy or speed
flickering: moving or shining irregularly or unsteadily
gruff: rough, brusque, or stern in manner, speech, or aspect
brusque: markedly short and abrupt
stern: having a definite hardness or severity of nature or manner
spindly: of a disproportionately tall or long and thin appearance that often suggests physical weakness
prickle: a prickling or tingling sensation
willow: an object made of willow wood
creepy: producing a nervous shivery apprehension
mahogany: the wood of any of various chiefly tropical trees
pliable: supple enough to bend freely or repeatedly without breaking
yew: evergreen gymnospermous trees and shrubs
shuffle: to move about, back and forth, or from one place to another
flit: to pass quickly or abruptly from one place or condition to another
crumple: to press, bend, or crush out of shape
snatch: to attempt to seize something suddenly
whippy: unusually resilient
ebony: a hard heavy blackish wood yielded by various tropical chiefly southeast Asian trees
supple: capable of being bent or folded without creases, cracks, or breaks
swish: to move, pass, swing, or whirl with the sound of a swish
whoop: to utter a whoop in expression of eagerness, enthusiasm, or enjoyment
bravo: a shout of approval —often used interjectionally in applauding a performance
applaud: to express approval especially by clapping the hands
gawk: to gape or stare stupidly
laden: carrying a load or burden
