塔利班嘅優點

上堂同學生討論，有個巴裔學生話佢支持塔利班，我問點解，佢話：「因為佢地阻嚇到啲唔跟伊斯蘭教規定嘅人，例如強姦會處決。」

我話：「其他政權唔會罰強姦咩，要靠塔利班？」

佢話：「佢地有做啲好嘅嘢，例如改善同巴基斯坦嘅關係，因為大家都憎美國。」

我：「吓？？？呢樣嘢咁重要？咁女性地位好差呢？唔緊要？」

佢：「佢地係跟伊斯蘭教規定。」

我：「咁女人無得讀書呢？」

佢：「係因為亂所以唔俾佢地返學，係保護佢地。」

我：「咁偉大，唔叫老師去佢地屋企教佢地？」

佢：「唔知。」

我：「塔利班仲有咩好？」

佢：「要大家跟返伊斯蘭教規定遮敝身體，女人要戴頭巾。」

我：「《古蘭經》無講要。」

佢：「有。」

我：「我識阿拉伯文，唔好拋我，邊一章邊一節？」

佢google完俾我呢段：「你們向先知的妻子們索取任何物品的時候，應當在帷幕（Hijab）外索取，那對於你們的心和她們的心是更清白的。（33:53）」

我：「呢段叫啲信徒唔好走入穆罕默德間屋嘅私人部分，點跳到全部女人要戴頭巾？」

佢：「我個教長有講，佢用我地嘅語言，啲字好深，我無辦法用英文翻譯俾你聽。佢話女人除咗眼之外都要遮晒，如果我有老婆的話我都要佢咁遮。」

呢啲教長咁鍾意阿富汗做咩唔投奔塔利班？點解要喺香港呢個咁腐敗嘅社會生活？一定係諗住要拯救呢度嘅迷途羔羊，真係好偉大。求真主體察佢嘅虔誠，送佢去阿富汗。

論練阿拉伯文與練法文之分別

在香港法國人群組發了一個貼文徵婚，不是，是徵語言交換，用廣東話換法文。有六個人私訊我，搞笑的是其中兩個想練英文而不是廣東話，因為我貼文中說我喜歡學和教語言，教過廣東話、英文和阿拉伯文。

第一個是想去法國學校做助護的中年男人，他的同性伴侶來法國學校教法文和德文（即是說私訊我的人是五女一男同性戀，我果然是跟直男八字不合），他則請了無薪假，想在這裡找份工作陪他，但面試時被嫌英文太爛，所以想練英文。他在法國是教公司客戶安全知識，像怎樣用滅火筒、急救之類，他留意到香港有很多心臟除顫器，他教我說只要啟動了就會有錄音教你怎樣用。聊得有點悶，不是太多共同話題。

第二個是中年女遊客，她母親是越南人，父親的父母來自香港但父親在越南出生不懂廣東話。她自己在法屬新喀里多尼亞（New Caledonia）長大，新喀里多尼亞位於瓦里瓦圖以南、澳洲以東，面績約一萬八千六百公里。大學到巴黎的名校讀法律，做了一段時間律師儲夠錢，想做輕鬆自在的工作，現時在法國南部做酒店接待員。她約我並不想學廣東話，似乎只是想找個本地人聊天，於是我們邊吃點心邊練法文。

因為跟她相處蠻舒服，之後又陪她玩了一天，隨興行程是：在九龍公園散步，之後坐小輪到中環坐電車，電車經過蓮香居時衝下車，在蓮香居搭枱飲茶，從點心車搶點心，吃完走到文武廟，逛新聞博物館和大館，在中環街市喝點東西，去坐中環摩天輪。蓮香居比我印象中好，芝麻糕超好吃，摩天輪是她說本來已經買了票想坐，叫我一起，原來只要$20元一次（因為政府打劫原先的承辦商），時間也蠻久覺得很值，不過星期日頗多人排隊，我還以為要百多元，原來$160是包廂，如果是拍拖可以考慮。初見她只覺溫柔可人，是個有東方味的法國女人，好像只愛喝酒玩樂，聊下去發現其實讀書聰明，工作成功，但想做就做，了解自己想要甚麼又勇於追求，聊政治文化也有見地。其實坐電車又坐摩天輪非常之Before Sunrise，香港也很浪漫啊，我們也聊得很開心，唯一分別只是不是靚仔而是女。等過馬路時有個家人在講英文的金髮小孩瞪大眼睛盯著我們看，想必覺得很難理解兩個東亞樣子的人在講西方語言還不是英文。

第三個也是跟法國學校有關，是該校的西班牙文老師，她父母由突尼西亞移民到法國，她在法國出生，懂阿拉伯文但不精，大學在西班牙讀西班牙語言文學，丈夫是西班牙人，她來了香港六年 ，有學過廣東話，但程度不高。跟她見面最像上課，她雖然不是教法文，但也是教語言，非常懂溝通和教學，會根據我的程度選字和說明，三言兩語就將我的錯處解釋明白，到我教她的時候她還將最後十分鐘用來練習她剛學了的東西，很有計劃，跟她聊教育聊得很投契。應該可以一直上課。

第四個又跟法國學校有關，二十幾歲來自法國北部的美女，之前在那裡做收生，但她本身是做非牟利組織，只是因為男朋友來做金融工作所以隨便找一份工，但實在不想做了，現在辭了職想找回非牟利組織的工作，但本地組織都想要懂廣東話的人，她說她嘗試去無國界醫生，但香港的無國界醫生全是本地人，並沒有法國人，所以請她的機會看來也不高。她是跟我練英文，我笑說：「你沒有英美朋友嗎？我以為白人比較容易混熟。」她說覺得本地的外國人好像也跟本國人往來為主，她自己的朋友多是法國人，之前在法國學校有個本地同事但大家志趣不同所以也沒有特別來往。我想我二十歲的時候也不會很主動想認識甚麼人就去找，所以她就相對被動地私訊我而不是去外國人群組寫一個貼文找人練英文。

第五個來了大半年，但廣東話最好，因為剛開始上了三個月課程，她也是丈夫來做金融工作所以一起來港，有兩個孩子，年紀還小，之前沒工作，但剛請了家佣，開始可以出來活動於是找我見面。她問我去過法國沒有，我說還沒，她熱情地說明年一起去，客套話先聽著，但如果真的跟她回鄉應該比自己去更有趣，可以看法國人的法國。

第六個，她家人來自香港，但自小在法國長大，不懂中文，想跟我練廣東話，她教法文工作時間不穩定，還沒見到。

練法文真是很順利，跟練阿拉伯文完全不一樣。只說在香港，曾經在CouchSurfing約一個在香港工作的埃及人在咖啡室見面，我們坐在相鄰高凳，他一直在碰我的手臂膊頭，見這類人真的一定要坐對面隔十萬八千里才行。

相反練法文遇上的人都很有教養（因為沒有直男？），四個女人都有氣質有內涵相處得很舒服。本來猶疑該去上會話還是自己找人聊天，慶幸選了更不確定的找人聊天，比跟著一個老師上課更有趣亦更有效：每個人初認識都會聊相似話題，跟上一個人學到的生字和句式就跟對下一個人用，每一次都感覺到進步，竟然兩個禮拜就解鎖了用法文教廣東話的技能，很有成就感，雖然不知道這個技能有甚麼用，或者我真的應該開一間語言學校。

英劇《北與南》

颱風假做咗啲咩？（其實我都未使返工，扮咩放假。分別只係無得上tango。）

見到人講North and South (2004)，走去睇發覺其實睇過，但重睇完覺得真係拍得好好，依家我嘅Period drama頭三位係Pride and Prejudice (1995)、Downton Abbey (2010-2015)、North and South (2004)。

North and South嘅議題好有意思，關於（北方）工業發展同（南方）傳統英國社會嘅衝突，唔同階級面對嘅問題。作者Elizabeth Gaskell本身係想用女主角個名Margaret Hale做小說名，係連載周刊嘅主編Charles Dickens堅持用North and South。故事同作者嘅經歷有關，故事中嘅北方工業城市Milton基本上係講佢住嘅Manchester。

去睇返原著發現電視版嘅好多場景都唔一樣，電視版非常善用畫面去講社會背景，可以話係改得比原著好睇。演員揀得好好，男主角完全演到嗰種外冷內熱，女主角係識發光（唔係淨係打燈打得靚，係有inner strength）；演工會領袖Higgins嘅Brendan Coyle（Downton Abbey嘅Mr. Bates），演呢種高貴嘅低下階層演得好有說服力，可能係因為呢個角色所以搵佢演Downton Abbey。 唯一問題可能係啲角色太好，現實中好少咁嘅人。

書摘（有劇透）：

Her cheeks burnt as she recollected how proudly she had implied an objection to trade (in the early days of their acquaintance), because it too often led to the deceit of passing off inferior for superior goods, in the one branch; of assuming credit for wealth and resources not possessed, in the other. She remembered Mr. Thornton’s look of calm disdain, as in few words he gave her to understand that, in the great scheme of commerce, all dishonourable ways of acting were sure to prove injurious in the long run, and that, testing such actions simply according to the poor standard of success, there was folly and not wisdom in all such, and every kind of deceit in trade, as well as in other things. She remembered—she, then strong in her own untempted truth—asking him, if he did not think that buying in the cheapest and selling in the dearest market proved some want of the transparent justice which is so intimately connected with the idea of truth: and she had used the word chivalric—and her father had corrected her with the higher word, Christian; and so drawn the argument upon himself, while she sate silent by with a slight feeling of contempt. (CHAPTER XXXVII)

“Is Miss Hale so remarkable for truth?” said Mr. Thornton, bitterly. The moment he had done so, he could have bitten his tongue out. What was he? And why should he stab her with her shame in this way? How evil he was to-night: possessed by ill-humour at being detained so long from her; irritated by the mention of some name, because he thought it belonged to a more successful lover; now ill-tempered because he had been unable to cope, with a light heart, against one who was trying, by gay and careless speeches, to make the evening pass pleasantly away,—the kind old friend to all parties, whose manner by this time might be well known to Mr. Thornton, who had been acquainted with him for many years. And then to speak to Margaret as he had done! She did not get up and leave the room, as she had done in former days, when his abruptness or his temper had annoyed her. She sat quite still, after the first momentary glance of grieved surprise, that made her eyes look like some child’s who has met with an unexpected rebuff; they slowly dilated into mournful, reproachful sadness; and then they fell, and she bent over her work, and did not speak again. (CHAPTER XL)

She was getting surfeited of the eventless ease in which no struggle or endeavour was required. She was afraid lest she should even become sleepily deadened into forgetfulness of anything beyond the life which was lapping her round with luxury. There might be toilers and moilers there in London, but she never saw them; the very servants lived in an underground world of their own, of which she knew neither the hopes nor the fears; they only seemed to start into existence when some want or whim of their master and mistress needed them. There was a strange unsatisfied vacuum in Margaret’s heart and mode of life… (CHAPTER XLIV)

Time and space were not, though all other things seemed real. Every event was measured by the emotions of the mind, not by its actual existence, for existence it had none. (CHAPTER XLV)

“[…] I am only afraid I have thought and wished too much—in that absorbing wilful way which is sure to be disappointed—or else gratified, to the letter, while in the spirit it gives no pleasure.” (CHAPTER XLVIII)

“Take care.—If you do not speak—I shall claim you as my own in some strange presumptuous way.—Send me away at once, if I must go;—Margaret!—” (CHAPTER LII)