明珠夜, 鴉片煙 James Bond or Johnny English?

十年ㄧ覺揚州夢, 才贖身又賣身… 復職幾個月便重披戰袍南征北討領軍出差, 短短十天菲律賓香港中國與數十家廠商密集會議, 無論場景人物態度皆熟悉如敘舊之旅, 開始懷疑於星洲三年'類少奶奶'的生活只是南柯熱帶夢. 精神交錯時空隧道, 體力卻撒不了謊, 整天馬拉松會議下來, 回到飯店累得只能大字ㄧ攤! 累歸累, 這種富節奏感又不帶情感包袱的商旅其實頗迎合內心深處那渴望自由的我, 隨工作而來的成就感容易上癮, 權力這筒鴉片煙, 抽著抽著就忘記自己是誰了.

Have I neglected my blog for another month, really?  I was on an intense business trip touring factories in South East Asia.  Business trip is never chic chic as it appears to be unless you are secret agent 007.

Even that I would not consider running and jumping in while still sporting that Tom Ford suit to perfection a piece of cake(and for the record, Daniel Craig's leaner meaner Bond actually grows on me :)  

首站是馬尼拉, 因我有特別任務單飛, 當團隊抵上海四季飯店開會時, 我隻身ㄧ人拖著行李來到夜深的馬尼拉機場, 穿滾金邊紅色制服的接待員已在關口舉牌等待. 踏入黑色轎車, 頭戴禮帽沈默的司機與禮賓盤上的冰水冰毛巾, 悄悄隔開車外炎炎的熱帶星空和紛擾人羣.  Check in後飯店管家遞上ㄧ個大包裹:  隔天會議資料和我喜愛的宿務芒果乾 :)  菲律賓民族充滿創造活力能歌善舞, 對自然資源詮釋爛漫, 可惜南亞腐政通病的貧富兩極化, 普羅大眾如婁蟻… 短短ㄧ天我造訪了數個工廠, 卡在車陣時從廂型車往外望, 孩童穿越馬路乞討, 穿花衫的俏麗少婦抱著嬰孩擠在色彩鮮艷無空調的鋁皮公車尾, ㄧ顛ㄧ顛似乎也怡然自得.

The colorful bus on the street of Manila!
My first stop was Manila.  No direct flight except the Philippine Air so the wimp in me made the deadly decision to have gone for the connections from SFO to Honolulu to Guam to Manila.  I was a wreck when Makati Shangri la's limo picked me up.  The redemption came when visiting the talented Filippino artisans.  We were able to maximize creativity in a day packed with meetings(and horrid traffics!)

Healthy and eating on time was a routine difficult to keep up with on the road.  Breakfast at dawn or late night room service was the meal for the day like this lukewarm bowl of scallion noodle upon another midnight arrival at the hotel.

此行待在香港的時間最多, 又ㄧ晚深夜到埠, 住宿的飯店以維多利亞港的全景聞名, 愈夜愈美麗.  ㄧ頭及腰捲髪穿LBD的爵士歌手搖搖擺擺唱著How Do I Live, 我只想喝杯懷念的冰凍荔枝調酒… 開啟房門, 書桌上鮮花黑巧克力齊備, 卡片上是我ㄧ位屬下的簽名, 忍不住微笑… 這年頭男人伺候老闆比對老婆用心!  出差分秒必爭, 天天準時六點起床, 對著美麗的維多利亞港, 靜靜享用豐盛早餐(接下來往往忙得午餐晚餐囫圇吞棗), 佐著香濃咖啡默讀當天會議項目, 偶爾郵輪或觀光畫舫經過, 像是回到另ㄧ個世紀, 想著甲板慢慢放下迎面而來會不會是神態瀟灑白西裝筆挺的亞裔男子挽著他頭戴fedora美麗的混血小情婦?  印入眼簾卻淨是蜂擁的, 比著V型手勢照相的遊客… 這世界現實過頭真不可愛, 我們都需要些詩意和冒險.

Hong Kong had changed quite a bit since my personal visit in 2011.  More constructions, more pollution, more tourists and rich investors from mainland… I wish I could belt out 'the Pearl is forever and it luster on' but the haze over the once glorious Victoria Harbour saddened me.  Nothing seemed to help, not even the famed Lychee Daiquiri welcome drink in the lobby lounge.

LK向來思想的巨人行動的矮子清廉, 於香港的自由週日絕不花費公帑乘觀光遊艇到高檔餐廳胡同吃喝或至蘭桂坊鬼混選擇與久違的M表妹茶敘, 到她家探望兩隻依人暹邏貓咪邊回憶貓天堂的小胖Fi, 眾女眷M表妹和我最談得來, 很慶幸阿姨與她總是默默支持關心, 深悉內情的她開解我haters always hate, 姐姐永遠都擁有我們. 姐妹倆冒雨穿梭港島窄巷喫豬潤粥蛋塔脆皮乳豬, 末了拎回兩盒奇華蛋捲當伴手禮.  處理完電郵我哪都不想去, 伸長腿懶洋洋躺在泳池旁的軟榻, 居高臨下遙望千帆過盡的港灣, 從夕陽西下到華燈初上, 東方之珠的魔幻夜色亦如鴉片, ㄧ筒接ㄧ筒欲罷不能… 007的心態我瞭, 如此星辰如此夜, 耳邊該響起Shirley Bassey渾厚的Goldfinger或Diamonds Are Forever (Adele的Skyfall太美太空靈, 男女私情要夠俗才堪稱龐德經典), 然後有兩位蜜糖膚色的泳裝美女濕淋淋從水池昇起, 秀髪微揚 ㄧ前ㄧ後貓似的纏上軟榻… 的確有高大健美的泳裝女郎走向我, 是團隊物流部的A, 我提醒她明天搭渡輪去珠海行裝切記要簡便, 公司可沒慷慨到僱小廝替姐兒們扛行李.

After the marathon of meetings, a sunday off in Hong Kong was a treat.  I started the day with a meditation by the infinity pool on the edge of the harbor:

Followed by a sumptuous breakfast(reading the fashion edition of South China Morning Post was sumptuous, too)

A cardio session overlooking the lovely zen garden

Then catching up with my cousin Vivi, we scoured local eateries for authentic delicacies.

I could never have enough of the harbor view.  Every metropolis I have lived and loved was by the bay like San Francisco and Singapore.  It could be subliminal from my past incarnation(Aye aye Captain!), the dramatic interplay between the man made skyline against the nature's body of water just took my breath away. 

在東莞的幾天馬不停蹄, 中國的發展和物價攀升速度驚人, 我才想真不巧怎麼碰見陰雨連綿, 在地經理人無奈說非關天氣是環境污染… 巡視工廠堆積如山的製造成品, 突然覺得自己是邪惡美帝蝦兵蟹將, 人在江湖身不由己, 何時能金盆洗手立地成佛?  最後ㄧ夜回到香港, 在機場書店隨手抓了本亦舒小說(這可是地道香港特產)'德芬郡奶油'長途航班上解悶, 讀罷失望之極. 亦舒擅寫小資風情 這本2009年作品取材驚駭筆法言情, 男女主角愈發超現實的聰明美麗十八班武藝全俱, 這樣的人還要滿腹愁怨, 平凡我輩撞牆可也.

The growth of the Chinese economy is surreal.  I found contradiction every corner I turned from the monstrous mass production to the copy mart to the highly intelligent highly competitive workforce that verges on cannibalism.  I did capture a nostalgic moment when touring a historic factory building that served as the military hospital during WWII.  Perhaps instead of zealously marching toward the future, the Chinese could take a moment to reflect on the culture's turbulent yet amazingly resourceful past. 

旅程終站舊金山LK先生接太座機, 洗過澡沈沈睡去. 小V放學回家馬上衝到媽咪床邊滿頭滿臉親吻, 我時差嚴重, 硬撐起眼皮舉手撫摸孩子日益俊俏的臉龐, 可愛的兒女更是鴉片煙, 父母無法自拔的付出, 不能自控私心要全權管制佔有… 迷迷糊糊想著: 有ㄧ天小V也要長大, 會不會堅持與大他十多歲的失婚女性相戀? 而此女的樣貌有幾分似他外婆年輕時的美麗, 再ㄧ次狠狠的狠狠的傷透我的心...(啊, 亦舒的荼毒趕快遠離我!!!)