Friday, November 18, 2016

婚姻是異性戀的特權?

昨天一早醒來看到台灣朋友們為同性婚姻議題連串討論,看到有趣的論點,忍不住在臉書回應:(回應完後有人支持也有人反對,感謝有反感者勇氣寫出原因,於是本文最底下有回應那些反對聲浪的回應)


1. 支持同性婚姻不代表支持把異性戀變成同性戀

 看到有些人說「我不支持也不反對」,這些人大概是誤會支持同性婚姻代表支持不只是支持同性戀同性婚姻還鼓勵異性戀選擇同性婚姻(再度強調,同性戀與異性戀是基因造就與生俱來的。如果有人能把同性戀轉「回」異性戀,那麼異性戀理當能被轉成同性戀。如果真的能轉來轉去,那任何一方都無法叫另一方異常)。於台灣現在法律只保障異性婚姻的前提,說不支持也不反對不是真正中立,而是維持僅保障異性婚姻權益。記得台灣公投法怎麼歸納沒去投票的人嗎?沒去投的不是歸為沒意見,沒去投的是算在反對裡面的,這也是為什麼台灣公投過的議題沒有任何一個通過的原因啊!

2. 有人說同性戀要結婚是輕率行為

 想請問這些人有沒有用一樣嚴苛的標準看待異性戀的婚姻?台灣目前的離婚率(曾位居世界第二、第三)可是異性婚姻單方面造就的!老實說,看這些同性伴侶為了愛受到家人、朋友、陌生人、社會,跟法律多重批判與阻撓,仍然堅持要爭取合法結婚的可能,這一點也不是輕率的決定啊!再講更深一層,這些經過如此理性與感性考驗仍然要在一起伴侶,可能比我們這些幸運的異性戀還懂得真愛,如果他們未來決定要領養小孩,我們不只要覺得開心更要支持他們,因為小孩需要懂得愛的家長幫助他們成長,而能經過這麼長期考驗仍不屈不撓的同性伴侶很可能比我們這種不用那麼辛苦的異性戀更懂得教導孩子愛,與如何克服現實困境的課題。
 台灣仍然有許多孩子需要認養與助養等協助,這些異性戀造成無家可歸或無法回家的孩子,搞不好能因為同性婚姻合法化後而獲得更多被愛的機會。目前台灣允許未婚男女以個人身分領養小孩,既然一個爸爸或是一個媽媽就可能有足夠能力領養小孩,兩個爸爸或是兩個媽媽不是更有能力嗎?指責同性婚姻可能會造成孩子性別混淆的人其實才是對性別認知不夠會造成性別混淆的人,回到第一點說的:喜歡同性或是異性是與生俱來的!同性婚姻與異性婚姻唯一的差別就只是伴侶跟自己的性別是否異同,對於任何其他可能會造成婚姻或是家庭不順的因素,存在於同性與異性婚姻中。還有人扯到同性戀領養的小孩會被社會排斥,這是社會不成熟的病態,這不是同性戀或是異性戀造成的。我們有法律規範審視個人(們)是否有能力撫養小孩,同性婚姻即使成立也不能跳過這些法律規範。其他人能不能撫養小孩,本來就不是我們能插手決定的!這麼愛管閒事的話,在這裡建議這些人在路邊發保險套並宣導節育概念,讓還沒準備好要當父母的人不會不小心生出自己沒有能力撫養的小孩而造成社會共同負擔!

3. 同性婚姻合法會造成社會(宗教)分裂

 首先,即使是現在仍然是不合法的狀況下,早有意見紛歧。我認識的同性戀朋友存在於佛、道、基督、伊斯蘭...,與無神信仰之中,說宗教會因為同性合法造成分裂,是自己刻意忽視假裝看不見現存議題的假和諧,自己想拖延或避諱面對現實卻怪罪政府其實是很不負責任又不合邏輯的。而社會只是推廣到更大的群體,如果我們這些選擇異性婚姻的人不用經過整個社會或國家嚴苛批判審視,我們憑什麼刁難選擇同性婚姻的人?再者,我們得了解自由的定義:自己想跟異性還是同性結婚(或是不婚)是自己的自由,但無論自己認為該跟同性或是異性結婚,都無權干涉別人行別人的自由。


目前美國這邊朋友們,在同婚合法化結婚的同性伴侶們,還沒有任何一對離婚。有幾對領養了孩子,這些孩子看來很健康也開心地長大,ˊ而其中一個被兩個爸爸領養的男孩最近還臉書放消息說交女朋友了!(就說同性還是異性戀是先天決定,不是後天養成的)也就是說,懂得愛才是婚姻長久與教育孩子的關鍵。至於性別,真的不是家庭或教育成功與否的重點。


臉書上的挑戰者回應有:


1. 前陣子電視撥放外國男男靠代理孕母有了小孩。 我納悶小孩長大後會不會問媽媽在哪裡?

2. 也曾聽過有父母結婚有了小孩, 後來父親還是同性戀。 如果有這樣的父親,是否該懲罰?
3. 還好台灣沒學美國開放槍枝合法化, 不然莫名其妙死一堆人。

我於臉書的回應:

1. 不管是同性或是異性雙親, 都可能因各種需求選擇代理孕母, 要向小孩解釋媽媽在哪的情形,可能發生於擁有同性雙親、異性雙親,甚至兒福機構(根本不知道媽媽是誰的狀況)。既然以上這些情形都有可能會碰到向小孩解釋媽媽在哪的狀況,被問了就回答啊!要討論怎麼回答的話,不該只問同性婚姻選擇人,該問以上所有有這種可能的對象才是。

2. 我身邊的確有人先結婚,生小孩,然後向伴侶坦承出櫃,然後離婚。我認識的這些人經歷這些歷程的原因是他們本來就知道自己喜歡同性,但為了讓家人朋友陌生人...或社會接受他們而強迫自己跟異性結婚,然後久了真的無法繼續下去而自己坦承或是被伴侶發現得拆夥。如果社會一開始就是處於能夠接納他們做自己的狀態,他們不用強逼自己成就別人的期待,而造成後來更多人痛苦。如果真的要追究原因,逼迫他們做出這種決定的人與社會風氣要承擔很大的責任!同樣的,即使是異性婚姻,也有人結婚、生小孩,然後出軌或遺棄家庭。如果要討論遺棄家庭,我們應該同時討論同性婚姻與異性婚姻,不該只針對同性婚姻。另外,我的原文並沒有要懲罰任何人的意思,我只是單純比較目前同性戀與異性戀在社會上受到不公平待遇。

3. 美國槍枝合法化跟這個議題實在沒什麼關係,再者,美國槍擊事件這麼多不是因為可以合法擁槍,而是因為槍枝取得過程太簡單。目前規則很鬆散,任何人到所謂的Gun Show可以不用身家調查就購買到槍枝,在Gun Show賣出的槍枝,也沒有嚴謹的法律規定商家向官方單位通報。購買槍枝過程並沒跟「使用前訓練」與「槍枝存放」配套執行,所以很多被家長隨便放的槍枝落入小孩的手上,不少小孩跟家長被自己的槍枝誤傷。另外,不像其他歐洲先進國家,美國Gun Show可以買到的武器,除了很基本款的手槍之外,還有殺傷力強的半自動步槍與狙擊槍,連ISIS之前都在影片上跟自己信徒說:在美國要搞破壞還不方便,就去附近Gun Show隨便就能買到殺傷力強的武器。這點而言,美國真的是莫名其妙的落後,簡直到了不見棺材不掉淚的愚蠢狀態。不管問共和黨或民主黨支持者,一般老百姓都覺得更仔細的槍枝管制是好的,但投票的時候,共和黨把民主黨形容成「要把擁槍權拿走」(共和黨許多政治人物有接受NRA-美國步槍協會-贊助),然後懶得去看民主黨實際說法的選民就笨笨地相信共和黨員說詞反對民主黨而不同意任何改善,讓實在不該擁有槍枝的小朋友與恐怖份子也有機會繼續容易接觸到這些殺傷力強的武器。

 我想,你在此想表達的是台灣喜歡趕美國流行?我覺得還好,因為美國如果川普於12/19確認當選之後可能會更退步(川普之前號稱挺擁槍派、廢健保、廢同性婚姻、廢合法墮胎...)而台灣有很多比美國進步很多的地方,如-第三勢力有可能在政壇出頭(這是美國極端雙右翼政府幾乎無法看到的現象)。台灣在資訊公開的方面比美國強很多,在美國這邊想看或整理政府資料真的很困難,因為每個州行的法規跟用的格式都不同,目前還沒有任何單位辦得到像g0v零時政府同等級的清楚呈現。台灣的消費者保護協還能多少保護消費者權益,美國這邊我之前查到的消費者協會是要教消費者如何消費。我倒希望美國從台灣學到這些優點!至於同性婚姻,合法不該是流行,是早就該存在的基本人權!同一句話,我們可以自己決定要跟同性或異性結婚,但我們不該擁有權利阻止他人的決定權。


看完一連串討論之後觀感:

  如果讀者也瞄到某個回應我牆上文章的用字含有"懲罰"字眼(我印象中那個人不是基督徒), 也許透露一些端倪. 至少有部分反對人不是用理性分析反對, 而是情緒化覺得同性婚姻合法等於是針對自己(深為異性戀)的一種人身攻擊。這也就是為什麼大部分這些反對聲浪拿出來反對同性婚姻的理由,其實是同時存在同性與異性婚姻中。

  而這種負面感情, 也許是來自自己對異性婚姻的優越感(或存在感)將因為同性也能結婚而不再感到自己的特別(個人覺得滿足感與優越感建立於別人的不幸其實很不健康...); 也許只是某程度的酸葡萄見不得人家變好(但明明自己也有葡萄啊); 或很情緒化的覺得當同性婚姻通過後會威脅到異性婚姻的影響力與地位... 我先生跟我說雖然情況不完全相同, 但美國當年為黑人或女人爭取投票權時也有類似情節. 白人覺得黑人不該擁有投票權, 男人覺得女人不該有投票權, 即使給黑人與女人投票權不影響白人或男人本來就有的投票權, 他們還是覺得自己的價值(優越感)受到威脅... 由於這種情緒化(非理性)的偏見(恐懼或是排斥)不是理性解釋能排解的, 要消除這種偏見需要他們最信任的家人朋友或是專業人士(心理醫師)長期溝通排解才有可能改變

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Verizon, a bully to a pregnant woman! -霸凌孕婦的Verizon!- with update on Oct 25, 文末有十月二十五日的更新

I had used Autopay for years and had a really good record until one day I switched to another bank. After that, I set up new info for Autopay. I didn't realize that Verizon Autopay processed "check in" account only, and the payment didn't go through. There was no explanation of why the payment didn't go through unlike Amazon that would "flag" the payment method right away. In addition, Verizon Autopay page said "You may have to make one extra payment once you change your Autopay info". I thought I missed a payment because of the change of info and used the same saved new account(which wasn't flagged) to pay one more time. Right after that, Verizon locked my ability to pay online with a statement:

多年以來, 我使用Verizon"自動付款"服務達成準時付款. 直到某天我換銀行, 登錄Verizon更新資料重新設定. 我沒發現Verizon只能使用"Check in"帳號付款(不像亞馬遜網頁, 一旦付款不成功會馬上送出"登入資料有誤"等警訊, 於是無法用相同資料再度付款), 於是付款不成功. 當我再次登錄Verizon網頁時, 有個訊息說: "當重新設定自動付款時, 客戶可能需要多付款一次, 以避免更新資料時少付一次". 我當時沒想太多, 直接用以存入的新資料再付款一次. 就這樣, Verizon鎖住我網路付款的功能, 顯示以下訊息:

"...You are not currently eligible to make payments online via My Verizon.
Please make a payment in cash via the following methods:
Nearest Verizon Wireless Store
You can also mail a money order or certified check to the following P.O. Box..."

"...你目前無法於My Verizon使用網路付款. 請使用以下方法付現:
最近的Verizon Wireless店家
你也能用郵局現金支票, 寄到以下P.O. Box..."

I went to a store to make the payment in full, but the lock stayed on. After calling the customer service, they told me the lock will stay on for half a year. As a pregnant lady whose mobility has increasingly gotten worse, I called Verizon every month and requested for a lift of the ban 4 months in a row. I never received any response, and the lock is still on. When I called again today, the person on the phone said, "It's OK. You can just call and make payments until Jan". That means I can't even send any request anymore. I have a few questions for Verizon:

我到實體店家繳完全部款項, 但我的網路付款功能仍然被鎖住. 打電話給客服之後, 他們告訴我Verizon會繼續鎖住該功能半年. 對於行動能力日益退化的孕婦而言實在有點殘忍, 我這幾個月來定時打電話給Verizon, 送出"解鎖"要求. 我從來沒收到Verizon任何回應, 直到今天我又再度打了電話之後, 客服說: "沒關係啦! 你只要繼續打電話來繳費, 到一月就好了!" 也就是說, 我現在連送出"解鎖請求"的權利也沒有了. 在這裡忍不住想問Verizon:

1. After paying the over charged late fee(1/6 of my regular payment) as a punishment, is it necessary to make a loyal customer suffer for another half a year? What if this person is not in the US? (There was no alternative shown in the web message)
2. How pregnant are you to tell me "it's OK"?

1. 由於付款不成功, 我已經被比率過重的"遲交費"懲罰到了(遲交費是原本費用的六分之一), 你覺得讓過去忠實客戶繼續受苦受難半年是有必要的嗎? 如果我正好在國外呢? (Verizon網頁並沒有提供其他付款可能)
2. 你懷孕多久了? 你怎麼知道"沒關係啦"?

Honestly, if Verizon had let me use Autopay without having to deal with Verizon customer service monthly, I would have not bothered at all for my unborn daughter's sake! However, the more I spoke with their representatives, the more I felt that they do things because they can without caring for their customers at all. So far, Verizon looks like a bully we've created with the monopoly. If Verizon finally decides to treat my case with more humanity, I'll make updates on this article. At this moment, I encourage all of you, if you have a chance to choose other carrier, stay away from Verizon, because you will never want to deal with their customer service!
老實說, 要是Verizon早點讓我回復網路自動付款功能, 讓我能避免每個月跟客服交涉, 我也不想在懷孕時寫讓我難以平靜的文章. 然而, 每跟客服交涉一次, 就讓我更深覺得Verizon仗著自己沒對手就可以為所欲為而輕視客戶. 目前看來, Verizon像是我們在極端資本主義壟斷後培養出來的霸凌企業. 當Verizon有人性對待我的個案時, 我會在此附上更新. 現在, 我敬告大家, 有機會選別家就選別家避免助紂為虐, 因為Verizon客服是你絕對不想接觸的燙手山芋!

It looks like I'll have more materials for a new song!
看來我又有料能寫新歌了!

If reading angry comments about Verizon interests you, please check on twitter #VerizonSucks
想更了解被Verizon惹毛的無數客戶評論, 可參考推特 #VerizonSucks

TBC: French, German, and Italian version
待續: 法, 德, 與義文版本

*Update
After filing a claim on BBB, I received a very polite apologetic email from Verizon Executive Relations Office. After receiving their phone call on Oct 25 to confirm my request to lift the ban again, the ban on my Autopay is confirmed lifted on the same night.
*更新
在BBB正式提案抱怨之後, 迅速收到Verizon公關負責人寄來的道歉email. 於十月二十五日(今天)再度由公關負責人提出解鎖請求後, 同天晚上收到Verizon的確認email自動付款的封鎖.

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

偶爾不轉文的智慧與勇氣

現代科技讓傳播變得非常容易,事發幾秒後,就會因社群網路成為散布全球的話題。觀察後發現,轉錄傳播消息的主因有二:希望自己身邊的人知道這些消息、希望別人知道自己知道這些消息。我認為許多事情有轉錄的重要性,多方分享後對事件有正面幫助:如好消息(我偏好正增強,常有癒療作用)、天災(尤其是社群網路含災地居民或救災所需資源連結)、逃犯、傳染病防治、協尋家人(我的家人包含寵物)、...,以及鮮有人知的國內與國際人道與人權消息(有的施暴者以為沒有人注意於是為所欲為,轉錄過程中可能引起輿論進而達成嚇阻甚至法律制裁)。

人類一直找方式尋認同感與存在感,而轉錄似乎成為另一種換取認同與存在感的表現...

對於網路新手的期待不高,剛接觸社群網路覺得新鮮刺激有趣,我可以理解瘋狂轉錄與表達意見等像融入新社團一樣製造參與感的衝動(回憶自己的過去中)。當熱潮過去後,人們是否能不延續盲目轉錄的非理性癮,先考量轉錄目的與因果後,再取決是否轉錄消息?

我絕對不轉原則有二:對於被害人或未來可能受害的人毫無幫助的新聞,以及可能會間接鼓勵自認為一事無成魯蛇因為想出名上頭條於是複製(甚至變本加厲)殘忍暴力行為的爛新聞。

能合法擁槍的國家不少,但一年超過三百六十五件大型槍殺事件(超過四人喪生列為大型槍殺事件)的進步國家以美國為首。有個住加拿大的朋友跟我說,她認為美國媒體過度報導也許是造成間接鼓勵的原因。想想挺有道理的,事發後不論施暴者是死是活,媒體總是會連名帶姓盡可能挖出所有資料大肆報導。世界上有多少小老百姓有這種待遇,成為全國甚至全世界關注焦點?於是,越來越多自覺(*我百般強調自覺)活得沒價值沒尊嚴的魯蛇,為了引人注目而抱著必死決心幹一票大的登頭條。比較之下,一樣在北美洲的加拿大也有不少人擁有槍枝,但加拿大很少聽到校園槍擊事件(加拿大不分武器類型之屠殺記錄從1689年到2016年一月有23件,而美國從2010年到2016年一月光校園槍擊事件就一百多件)。我住加拿大的朋友認為那是加拿大人民的默契,從社會、媒體,到個人刻意忽視施暴者(仍會報導事件,但特別避免任何讓施暴者獲得任何一絲變態滿足感的特別關注),於是一樣有自覺魯蛇,加拿大的自覺魯蛇不使用屠殺成名(因為社會共識造成的不可能)。

CNN報導美國成為世界大型槍殺事件之首與可能原因
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/27/health/u-s-most-mass-shootings/

*自覺魯蛇很有可能是在被媒體與社會價值觀洗腦之後自以為的定義

為了讓這類型自覺魯蛇放棄以暴力行為而變態成名,我們能做到的第一步是相信你社群網路朋友大概早就因為網路發達知道這消息而不要轉這種對受害者完全沒幫助的新聞(相信我,受害者與之家人不需要一直被提醒,不認識的人關心對他們而言常常無關痛癢沒有必要性)。我明白同理心強的人很需要管道抒發,建議暫時關閉網路出門運動或是找親人朋友喝茶聊天,在重新與網路連結時告訴自己今天少幫了一個以為暴力就能成名的白癡,我為選擇不成為間接幫兇的人們為傲!

Saturday, February 27, 2016

The Grand Central Monalisa 中央車站的蒙娜麗莎

After my last min bachelorette improvisation at Residence Inn last night, I still had an order of untouched soup dumplings, an order of beef broth mai fun, 7 icecream mochis, and a box of cheese and crackers. I was counting on my guests to bring the left over home last night, but we had too much fun and forgot about all that. People who know me well understand my attitudes to food waste. I hate to waste anything, and I end up having boxes of untouched good stuff. (Joe's Shanghai or Joe's Ginger... I can't remember now.) I felt so bad while packing this morning. All of a sudden, I came up with an idea. I wrapped everything from the fridge. When I checked out, I asked the lady at the reception about the closest soup kitchen. She suggested me to check out grand central since it's only a few blocks away.

昨晚, 我在Residence Inn辦了個很隨意的小型告別單身聚會. 訂了太多食物, 玩得太開心, 結果沒人記得把剩下完全沒動過的幾道菜帶回家(小籠湯包, 牛肉米粉湯, 麻糬冰淇淋, 起士塊與餅乾...). 夠認識我的人會理解我對於浪費食物有多麼痛恨, 結果我在吃不完又帶不走的狀況下剩下這麼多好料(鹿鳴春的好料!) 睡醒後仍覺得心煩, 突然想到個辦法. 我打包冰箱裡所有好料, 到旅館大廳, 問服務人員最近的Soup Kitchen在哪. 服務小姐查詢後說最近的Soup Kitchen有點遠, 但幾條街近的中央車站常有可能用得上這些食物的人們.

So, I walked with a bag of food into Grand Central. I saw no signs of people in need on the ground level and went to the lower level around the food court. It was a little embarrassing because I couldn't really tell if that is someone who would appreciate left-overs. I was afraid that I may offend someone by the stereotyped judgement from the way he/she looked. After standing in the middle of the food court with my bag of food for 30 more seconds, I walked to a very nice gentleman who was working there by cleaning the tables. I said, "Excuse me, I know this question may sound strange, but by any chance you know anyone here who would appreciate untouched leftovers from a pretty good restaurant?" He looked a little bit puzzled, but he did point at a lady and told me that she would know if anyone around here could use some food.

於是, 我提著一袋食物走進中央車站. 在大廳晃晃, 卻找不著可能用得上這些食物的人. 到了地下樓的飲食區看看, 又怕自己因為穿著典型先入為主卻可能問錯人而讓人覺得侮辱丟臉. 躊躇了三十秒後, 走向一個看起來還挺友善的清潔人員, 開口問他:「抱歉打擾了! 我的問題可能有點奇怪, 但我想請問你知不知道這裡可能有誰會需要我點太多而吃不完的好料?」他看來有點狐疑, 但仍指著牆邊一位女士, 跟我說她會知道誰有需要食物.

Slowly, I approached her table. Her ensemble was actually very colorful. She wore a greyish coat with a matching hat that were accented with tiny pinkish threads. Next to her seemed to be her bags of goods. (Now I think of this, I can't recollect what exactly was next to her.) On her table were a few cookies. "Excuse me!" She buried herself in a book without raising her head. I must have said "Excuse me" over three times with some crescendo, and she finally noticed me. There was her look of question and hesitation. Maybe she was afraid that she could be asked to leave or anything.

緩緩地, 我向那位女士靠近. 她的穿著其實還蠻鮮豔的, 大衣與帽子皆為灰色系加上粉紅線條點綴. 她身旁似乎堆疊一些袋子, (說到這, 我對於她身旁那疊東西到底是甚麼毫無印象) 她的桌上有一些小餅乾. 「打擾了!」 她仍然專注於手中的書, 但我也記不得她當時正讀何物! 配合漸強的音量, 大概說了至少三次"打擾了", 她才抬頭看我一眼. 她看來面帶疑問與防備, 也許她擔心被趕走或驅離.

Before she said anything, I continued, "Excuse me for interrupting. I have some untouched leftover food. It's Chinese! There are some dumplings, noodles... I asked the gentleman over there if he knew anyone here would appreciate these, and he told me that I should come talk to you!" Her face softened, and she told me that she had not had real food for a while. Just like that, I felt the warmth in my eyes, and I had to do something to ease myself. I started to take the goodies out from the bag and said, "sorry that they're cold because I had to put them in the fridge". And then I said, "Oh! But this one will be perfect. This is a box of mochis. There is icecream inside! Definitely, start with this first!" She saw the excitement in my face introducing icecream. (Well, who doesn't get excited about icecream?) She gave me a big smile and told me that she appreciated the effort very much. We shook hands, and I learned about her name as Monalisa. ;) Beautiful! We hugged, and I said "Thank you for taking care of the food, and feel free to share it!". "Sure! I can't finish all these on my own. I was only counting on cheese and crackers..." There was no stopping of my tears. I excused myself quickly and started to sob on the way out. All kinds of emotions hit me.

在她開口前, 我緊接:「不好意思打擾了! 我有一些完全沒碰過的食物, 中國菜! 包括湯包, 麵啊有的沒的. 我問了那個好心的先生, 他說你可能知道誰會樂意享用這些食物!」 她的表請軟化了些, 告訴我她好些時候沒有正餐果腹了. 聽她一說我馬上眼紅, 為了轉移注意力, 我打開袋子一樣一樣介紹餐點:「抱歉因為怕食物壞掉只好放冰箱, 所以菜有點冷...」馬上接著又說:「喔! 不過麻糬這時候吃剛剛好! 裡面有冰淇淋!」她目睹我描述冰淇淋的興奮, (有誰聽到冰淇淋不會興奮!?)她的臉上浮現了笑容, 跟我說她非常感謝我費心思. 我們握手, 自我介紹, 那時我才知道原來她自稱蒙娜麗莎!? 多美的名字! 我們擁抱, 我接著說:「感謝你幫我處理這些食物, 歡迎你自由分享!」
她說:「那當然! 我一個人吃不了這麼多, 我原本只打算靠餅乾起士而已...」 她的話逼出了我的眼淚, 我很快地向她道別. 離開車站的路上, 我忍不住抽蓄著哭, 百感交集.

We don't need a government, a politician, an organization, or a law to stop food waste. We ourselves can do a lot by paying a little bit attention to the surroundings or just by simply asking someone who knows the place very well. It's shocking and saddening to learn that things we throw out could become someone else's treasure. Individuals seem little and insignificant, but one is enough to start the change for a better outcome.

我們不需要政府, 不需要政治人物, 不需要機構, 也不需要法律才能解決浪費食物的行為. 我們自己就能辦到很多, 比如說多觀察周遭環境, 或是開口問周遭可能更認識環境的人. 知道自己要丟棄的任何東西可能會成為某個人的寶藏, 常讓我感到驚訝又痛心. 我們常常覺得一個人的力量很渺小, 但"一"已經足夠成為任何不凡的起源了!

Monday, February 1, 2016

Brunch at Tiffany's

A few weeks ago, J and I went to several jewelry shops in NYC. That was educational, overwhelming, and somewhat stressful, due to the the weekend/holiday madness in Manhattan in December. We checked out quite a few places like Georg Jensen, Tiffany, Cartier, Piaget, Montblanc, and even Chanel. For the sake of fun, we also visited Mikimoto, Van Cleef, and Harry Winston. If you like to know my thoughts about every single one of them, talk to me and I'll give a full speech! Now, let's fast forward to two days ago, when J and I went down to Tiffany again.

幾周前, J跟我逛了紐約市內幾間珠寶店。由於年底節假日曼哈頓內洶湧人潮,我們學了不少,也費神傷神不少。其中,逛了Georg Jensen、Tiffany、Cartier、Piaget、萬寶龍,還有香奈兒。為滿足好奇心,也晃了Mikimoto、Van Cleef,以及傳說中的鑽石之王Harry Winston。如果您想知道我對上述各家觀感,我很樂意特別詳述。現在,請容我快轉至兩天前,J跟我再度拜訪了Tiffany。

J and I live in the middle of nowhere, and the closest Tiffany is still the one in New York City. This time, we decided to go in early on a work day. After getting on the bus at 6:10AM, we got to Tiffany right after it opened for business. The atmosphere was completely different because of the lack of early customers. Right after entering, a gentleman handed us the guide of the building, and we realized that Tiffany meant a lot more than just the ground floor... Our specialist Margo welcomed us right after we exited the elevator on the second floor. We told her what we were looking for, and she brought us to her desk. While waiting for her to bring a few rings, we were treated with tea served in the pretty Tiffany cups. Margo came back with the classic Tiffany design and the Harmony design for my curiosity. The real fun and tricky part started after settling with the design. We got to decide which stone we wanted to go with the design. Before Margo brought us more rings, we had more tea...

我們住在鬼地方,最近的Tiffany就是紐約市那間。搭了早上六點十分出發的巴士,我們在Tiffany剛開門營業時拜訪。由於非假日加上早上客人稀少,氣氛大不同(前一次簡直是菜市場)。一踏進店裡,馬上有服務人員遞給我們店內介紹,我們才發現原來Tiffany的服務有六層樓之分。一出二樓電梯門,來自波蘭的Margo馬上熱情歡迎我們。一得知我們來訪目的,她帶著我們到她的介紹區先坐會。在我們等她拿戒指的同時,還有服務人員招呼我們用Tiffany杯組呈獻的烏龍茶。Margo帶來Tiffany的經典設計與我好奇的Harmony設計,在比較一番後我說還是比較喜歡Harmony,接著就是最有趣又最讓人頭痛的部分,選石頭!Margo起身去準備更多戒指,我們喝了更多烏龍茶...

Margo came back with three Harmony rings with different sizes and qualities of stones. Without any professional guidance, she asked us to rank the brightness of the stones. Unfortunately or fortunately, J and I both got them perfectly in order with our naked eye. Margo was very thorough and helpful. She also took us next to the window to see how different ranks of stones shine under the sun light. From my experience, I couldn't see any difference under that circumstance. Since the differences seemed to be very subtle, we brought up another variable, wedding band, which could help us nail the final choice. Margo got up for more rings and we got asked to have more tea...

於是,Margo帶著不同等級不同大小的石頭回來。在不知情又未受任何訓練的狀況下,她讓我們為這三顆石頭排等級。很幸運或是很不幸地,J跟我竟然能用肉眼為這三顆差距不大的石頭排出正確等級!Margo相當周慮地提供我們各種欣賞角度,她帶著我們到窗邊看這三顆石頭在一般日光下的差異。根據我自身經驗,在一般光線下,我完全看不出任何顏色與亮度差異... 由於等級造成的實際差別其實相當細微,我們建議配合婚戒一起看,也許能幫助我們下決定。Margo再度起身,我們喝了更多烏龍茶...

She brought us a few different designs of wedding bands, and that was extremely helpful. Putting on the rings next to each other completed the picture. Some of the stones lost their beauty in certain combination. Once I caught that, it couldn't be unseen. In a few minutes, I knew what combination I love the most. I told Margo what I wanted, and Margo requested some champagne for J and some sparkling water for me. She was very sweet to take a few pictures for us. After J got out from a Grounded Vindaloop (South Park Season 7) to process the payment, Margo asked me if I liked to wear it right away. We were convinced to take a moment at the Tiffany private area. They brought us cute blue cakes, more champagne, and more sparkling water. Just like that, J knelt and gave a little speech, I got to say yes, and we got to walk out with the ring on my finger! Mwahahahahaha...We believed that Tiffany had everything recorded...

她帶來三款不同設計的婚戒,相當有幫助!一旦同時戴上兩個戒指後,某些缺陷馬上浮上檯面。而這些缺陷都是一旦被發現,就無法被忽略的那種。於是,幾分鐘後我就告訴Margo我的喜好與決定。這次,Margo請我們香檳與氣泡水(我酒精過敏),還幫我們照了幾張相片!在J順利通過Grounded Vindaloop考驗(請參考南方公園第七季)成功付款後,Margo問我是否想馬上戴著戒指。看著我無法再等的表情,Margo帶我們到Tiffany二樓某個安靜無人的角落,請人準備更多香檳、氣泡水,與Tiffany招牌藍盒子樣的小點心。就這樣,J下跪發表感言,我說好,然後我們戴上戒指離開Tiffany!Mwahahahahahaha... 相信Tiffany有整個過程影音檔案...

At the end, I would love to point out things I love about this shopping trip especially
1. Margo was thorough, patient, pleasant, and humorous
 Margo did a fantastic job covering things we should take into our consideration in terms of choosing the best fit for us/me. In the mean time, we didn't feel pressured or rushed. Because of her sense of humor, the purchase became more personal, intimate, and fun.
2. International and lifetime services
 According to Tiffany customer services, I could walk into any Tiffany in the world and get the Tiffany rings clean any time with no charge. They also fix the prongs for free if needed. After the purchase, customers could exchange and pay the price difference for an upgrade(only one time). After the purchase, I could choose to remount the stone from one setting to another (e.g. Harmony to Tiffany) for free(also one time only).

這次旅程,有幾個特別讓我想闡述的部分
1. Margo很周慮、很有耐心、很有幽默感,讓我們覺得很愉快
 Margo除了點出數據上的不同點外,也讓我們有機會用很實際(非專業)角度考慮所有面向。她相當有耐性,讓我們在過程中沒有壓力又從容不迫,而她的幽默讓這次經驗變得更特別,更親密有人性,且更有趣。
2. 跨國且終身服務
 根據Tiffany售後服務,我能隨時拜訪世界任何一間Tiffany,終身免費清理戒指(與免費修理戒指金屬的服務)。購買後,若我某天覺得戒指不夠高檔想要升等,Tiffany允許更換補差價一次。購買後,若我某天突然覺得看Harmony底座膩了想換成經典Tiffany,Tiffany也會免費為我換底座一次(這個次數其實我不太記得了)。

We couldn't think of anything else that could make this trip even more perfect... Okay! If Tiffany also has certified official that could marry couples right there to complete the Tiffany experience, we would totally sign up for that...
我們實在想不出還有甚麼其他服務能讓Tiffany旅程更完美了... 好!如果Tiffany同時雇專業人士能提供我們機會就地合法結婚,那我們勢必會馬上報到...

2nd floor is the way to go!
二樓才是王道!


 Speaking of a whole package deal, Tiffany made our trip sweet and memorable!!
完整服務的極致表現,Tiffany讓這一次旅途倍感甜蜜且難忘!


So glad that I didn't get judged by how casual I looked... Thx!
 我這麼平常的打扮還能獲得這般禮遇實在是太開心了... 謝啦!