回歸地球

很久沒有 update 部落。

是不是已經放棄?

當然不是，熟知行情的好友都知道這兩月發生很多事。

筆者相信二零零七年的十一和十二月是不會忘記的一段時間 —
除了如常的傭碌，有悲嘆，有期盼，有相聚，有歡樂，有新知，有重逢，有感激，有驚喜。

今天，是今年最後的工作天，好像所有事也到了一個段落，正好給筆者停下來，好好休息和珍惜身邊一切。

明天，我與小玲子會到中美貝里斯度假 — 睡，吃，潛水，無限打球。

祝讀者快樂聖誕和新年。明年再見。

孤兒仔蒸肉餅

昨天買了成包免治黑豚豬肉，「豬肉蒸水蛋」只用了少少，留下咁多(圖)，點算好??

打開冰箱，找到鹹蛋和魷魚乾。
鹹蛋較易弄，決定煮「鹹蛋蒸豬肉」。
蒸肉餅其實很多秘訣。因很容易蒸得太實和硬。
正常蒸肉餅應用半肥瘦梅頭，仲要唔可以用機絞碎。

但係...「孤兒仔煮飯，懶得就懶。」™

睇啲免治黑豚豬肉都幾夠肥，蒸豬肉應不會太硬。

言歸正傳，材料需要:

肥瘦豬肉

鹹蛋 (圖）

薑絲

油

蔥粒

醃料:

醬油 1茶匙

幼鹽 適量

糖 適量,1-2茶匙

生粉 1茶匙

麻油 適量

其他醃料(非必要):

胡椒粉 適量

酒 1茶匙

魚露 2-4茶匙

做法 (* = 筆者唔記得落):

肥瘦豬肉 + 鹹蛋 + 醬油 + 幼鹽* + 糖 + 生粉 + 麻油 + 胡椒粉 + 酒 + 魚露* 撈埋一齊。注意要同一方向攪。直至舊肉起膠唔散:

肉餅入碟，放上薑絲*:

猛火隔水蒸8分鐘,將近熟時加入蔥粒，再蒸2分鐘即成。(筆者蒸了7分鐘，無落蔥。)

完成圖:

我的晚餐 (有菜! 其實昨晚也有，相影得唔好)：

後記：

賣相OK，但唔記得落鹽，唔怪得咁甜!

孤兒仔食譜

小玲子遠行，上星期食完預備好的糧草。點算好??

今天挑戰難度，嘗試一道難弄得好的「豬肉蒸水蛋」。

材料: 日本免治黑豚豬肉 (圖)，有機雞蛋 2 隻。
調味: 醬油, 魚露, 澱粉, 酒, 麻油。

步驟:
黑豚豬肉 + 魚露 + 澱粉:

把 2 隻蛋完全打勻。然後加入(蛋　volume x 1.5)分量的水，和少許魚露，攪勻:

找一個玻璃蓋鍋子和陶磁碟子 (鐵碟不是太好)。
鍋子加水，放入蒸架和空碟子。把水煮滾，而碟子也會變熱:

水滾時，加入豬肉，鋪平碟上:

加蛋, 收細火 (不可大火, 因蛋會老):

溫火煮至蛋熟 (因此要用玻璃蓋)。時間大約 4-6 分鐘，時間因火大小而異，用眼決定。

完成後加醬油和麻油:

我的晚餐：

後記：

完成圖的蛋看來過熟，其實那些小泡是加蛋時造成。筆者下次會嘗試把豬肉和蛋加入碟後 settle 一會才蒸。

今次蛋是剛剛熟(很滑)，但筆者想可蒸久一點 (用眼決定)。

誰估我是誰

Part I — 香港售貨員

地點: 旺角某鞋店
人物: 我、小玲子、售貨員

某次回港，和小玲子在鞋店閒逛，無意中和店員聊起來。
售貨員來自廣東，口音帶點不正。聊了一會，她看我們雖然粵語流利，但我皮膚較黑，不像本地人。

她便問: 「你們是不是遊客？」

我們不太意外，因為我們真是遊客。
但我們土生香港，並在這裡長大。所以好奇香港人覺得我們從那裡來。

我們: 「對! 你猜我們從那裡來?」

她想了一會說: 「你們是不是印尼或星洲華僑？」

我們涕笑皆非，但這答案也不無道理。

那我(們)便成了南亞人。

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Part II — 美國大陸同事

地點: 公司會議室
人物: 我、另外三個同事

在公司，不成文規定是公事上只說英語，即使能說對方的語言(閒聊例外）。
這天我做 presentation，開完會，三個同事說起國語來。

我用港式國語對他們說: 「喎天德擋離民梳沈摸。」

...OK... 其實我同英文說的...

他們有點出奇，其中一個說還以為我是夏威夷人。

吓．．．咁都得?

他解釋他有中國朋友和我 last name 相同，所以推斷我有中國血緣。
從外表看我皮膚較黑，像中日混血，加上夏威夷多日本人，所以有此推斷...

又幾 make sense 喎... 那我便成了夏威夷中日太平洋島人 (Pacific Islander)。

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Part III — 北海道小鎮店主

地點: 北海道某鞋海邊小鎮
人物: 我、小玲子、小食店主

這天和小玲子到訪小鎮，我們剛下火車，需要致電溫泉叫車。

火車站四周只有一間小食店，我們便去借電話。

我用有限日文問: 「すみません, 電話がありませんか？」

店主: 「ありますよ！　にばえんです。」

吓? 我一頭霧水。店主見我聽不懂，知道我是遊客，便豎起兩隻手指。
哦．．．原來要 ¥200...

打完電話，原來店主識英文。他說還以為我們是從沖縄來的...又是因為皮膚較黑吧...

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結論：　看來註定是太平洋島人。

國寶球杆

上星期與國寶同學到 Golfsmith 選購球杆。這裡品種齊全，而且免費試打。他試了十多枝不同牌子、不同桿身材料和硬度的球杆後, 發現較喜歡桿身較硬 (如 stiff graphite) 的球杆。
最後, 他揀了 Nickent 的 3DX Iron/Hybrid set — 5 至 PW 是 UNIFLEX 鐵杆, 3 和 4 号是碳纖 hybrid。我和小玲子也有試打, 這套杆的感覺實在很好和 forgiving, 加上正在折扣, 實在是很好的選擇。

國寶同學打球已有一兩年, 7号杆也打得不錯, 如能純熟運用這套杆, 可以征服很多球場。

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以下是這套杆的資料 (copyright Nickent):

Nickent 3DX Iron

An Extreme Power Iron for Everyone! Over the last 20 years, John Hoeflich has designed many of the game’s best-selling irons. Millions of golfers, including many of the world’s best players, have benefited from his iron design philosophy of mixing art with technology and looks with performance. With the 3DX Iron, Hoeflich challenged himself to create the highest level of game improvement irons combined with the classic look that have come to represent Hoeflich irons over the years.

The first thing a golfer will notice after hitting the 3DX Iron is how far you hit them! Cast from 431 stainless steel, the 3DX has a remarkably thin and strong face, creating a very high C.O.R. to promote faster ball speed. Twenty grams of weight were saved from the face and redistributed in two perfectly balanced tungsten-polymer fused inserts (XW Inserts) on the back of the clubhead.

Moving 20 grams of weight to the back of the blade and widening the sole makes the 3DX easy to launch and easy to play from a wide variety of lies.

More on the 3DX Iron:

Weight is spread to the extreme heel and toe by the XW Inserts, making the head even more forgiving and making the club more stable at impact. Balls will stay in the air longer and land softly as a result of unique Nickent U-Grooves that have been matched to the center of gravity of the irons to provide the ideal spin rate under all conditions.

The XW Inserts also gives the 3DX Iron unmatched forgiveness and feel that will make an immediate imprint on all levels of golfers. The tungsten-polymer inserts absorb vibration from impact, reducing a majority of the shock and harsh feel associated with irons that use hard tungsten plugs or screws used to lower the center of gravity or achieve perimeter weighting.

"These XW inserts do so much for the 3DX iron," said Hoeflich. “It has a large cavity back with a very responsive face, so the distance, feel and forgiveness are deeply rooted in the basic design elements of the club. What makes the 3DX iron so different and so long compared to other irons is the way the XW inserts work. They spread the weight to the heel and toe, absorb shock and provide that extra ‘oomph’ so many golfers are searching for. After looking at the Iron Byron tests, I would say my first design with Nickent Golf is a smashing success. This is an iron for players of all levels looking to experience a considerable amount of forgiveness and the ability to create more power.”

The 3DX Iron features two exceptional shafts that have been matched to the powerful head to produce even more power and distance. The new SR2 graphite shaft by UST and the ST-90 lightweight steel shafts encourage faster swing speeds ith no loss of control.

3DX Iron Specs

MODEL	L/H	LOFT	LIE	BOUNCE
#3	Yes	20°	60.5°	0
#4	Yes	22°	61°	1
#5	Yes	24°	61.5°	1
#6	Yes	27°	62°	2
#7	Yes	30°	62.5°	2
#8	Yes	34°	63°	3
#9	Yes	39°	63.5°	4
PW	Yes	44°	64°	5
GW	Yes	50°	64°	5
SW	Yes	55°	64°	10

3DX Iron Shaft Specs

MODEL	GRAPHITE			STEEL			GRIP
	SWING WEIGHT	LENGTH	UST SPEEDRATED 2	SWING WEIGHT	LENGTH	TRUE TEMPER ST-90
#3	D2	39"	X-105, S-95, R-85, R-75, L-65	D2	39"	UNIFLEX	WINN Grip
#4	D2	38.5"	X-105, S-95, R-85, R-75, L-65	D2	38.5"	UNIFLEX	WINN Grip
#5	D2	38"	X-105, S-95, R-85, R-75, L-65	D2	38"	UNIFLEX	WINN Grip
#6	D2	37.5"	X-105, S-95, R-85, R-75, L-65	D2	37.5"	UNIFLEX	WINN Grip
#7	D2	37"	X-105, S-95, R-85, R-75, L-65	D2	37"	UNIFLEX	WINN Grip
#8	D2	36.5"	X-105, S-95, R-85, R-75, L-65	D2	36.5"	UNIFLEX	WINN Grip
#9	D2	36"	X-105, S-95, R-85, R-75, L-65	D2	36"	UNIFLEX	WINN Grip
PW	D2	35.75"	X-105, S-95, R-85, R-75, L-65	D2	35.75"	UNIFLEX	WINN Grip
GW	D2	35.75"	X-105, S-95, R-85, R-75, L-65	D2	35.75"	UNIFLEX	WINN Grip
SW	D2	35.5"	X-105, S-95, R-85, R-75, L-65	D2	35.5"	UNIFLEX	WINN Grip

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3DFX Ironwood DC

How do you make the # 1 hybrid model on the Nationwide Tour and # 3 on the PGA Tour even better? Introducting the 3DX DC Ironwood.

The first week the DC Ironwood was introduced to the PGA Tour, at the last full field event of the 2005 season, it helped catapult the family of 3DX hybrids to # 1 on the PGA Tour. Even the 2004 British Open champion who helped make hybrids famous with his hybrid play switched over to the new 3DX DC after just two days of testing.

To create an even hotter and more forgiving hybrid, Nickent thinned the face of the 3DX DC, creating a much higher C.O.R. than the original 3DX Ironwood. A special plasma welding process was used to help redistribute the weight to the extreme perimeters of the clubhead. Forty grams of weight were moved down and back in the head using two tungsten-polymer fused inserts (XW Inserts). That’s almost 60% more adjustable weight in the clubhead than in the leading adjustable weight hybrid!

More on the 3DX DC Ironwood:

Nickent has used this new weight scheme to create a club that is perfectly weighted to the extreme heel and toe for the straightest and most forgiving setup. This unique feature gives Nickent the ability to make the DC Ironwood the same shape as the Tour favorite 3DX Ironwood, while increasing the MOI by 25%.

The XW Inserts are a fusion of polymer and tungsten. By using polymer around the outside of the insert, Nickent has the ability to vary the mass of the insert without being bulky and taking away from proper clubhead design. XW Inserts are also used to move the center of gravity of the head to insure proper weight distribution and eliminate the “pull hooks” produced by many of the leading hybrid designs.

The 3DX DC Ironwood has 14 hybrid lofts, one club every 1.5 degrees from 14° to 26°. This hybrid system allows the golfer to attain the optimum distance control and trajectory. With this new system, there will be no distance gaps in your bag and no confusion on what club your hybrid actually replaces.

The 3DX family of hybrids feature three high performance shafts from the world’s premier shaft manufacturers. The 75-gram Aldila NV hybrid shaft is used, making Nickent the only manufacturer tooffer this stable yet easier to load genuine NV shaft. Also available in graphite is the higher-launching UST SR2 graphite shaft. For players who prefer the weight and feel of steel, the Nippon 950 shaft is available in an S/R shaft option.

3DX Ironwood DC Specs

MODEL	L/H	LOFT	LIE	BOUNCE
#1 IWD	Yes	14°	59°	N/A
#2+ IWD	No	15.5°	59°	N/A
#2 IWD	Yes	17°	59°	N/A
#3+ IWD	No	18.5°	59°.5	N/A
#3 IWD	Yes	20°	59.5°	N/A
#4+ IWD	No	21.5°	60°	N/A
#4 IWD	Yes	23°	60°	N/A
#5+ IWD	No	24.5°	60.5°	N/A
#5 IWD	Yes	26°	60.5°	N/A

3DX Ironwood DC Shaft Specs

MODEL	GRAPHITE					STEEL			TIP SIZES
	SWING WEIGHT	LENGTH	UST SR2 (mph)	UST PROFORCE V2 HYBRID	ALDILA NV	SWING WEIGHT	LENGTH	NIPPON 950
#1 IWD	D2	MENS: 41.25" LADIES: 39.25"	X-105, S-95, R-85, R Light-75, L-65	S, R	X, S, R	D2	40.75"	UNIFLEX	.370"
#2+ IWD #2 IWD	D2	MENS: 40.75" LADIES: 39.75"	X-105, S-95, R-85, R Light-75, L-65	S, R	X, S, R	D2	40.25"	UNIFLEX	.370"
#3+ IWD #3 IWD	D2	MENS: 40 " LADIES: 39"	X-105, S-95, R-85, R Light-75, L-65	S, R	X, S, R	D2	39.5"	UNIFLEX	.370"
#4+ IWD #4 IWD	D2	MENS: 39.25" LADIES: 38.25"	X-105, S-95, R-85, R Light-75, L-65	S, R	X, S, R	D2	38.75"	UNIFLEX	.370"
#5+ IWD #5 IWD	D2	MENS: 38.5" LADIES: 37.5"	X-105, S-95, R-85, R Light-75, L-65	S, R	X, S, R	D2	38"	UNIFLEX	.370"

Age of Turbulence

格林斯潘新書 "The Age of Turbulence" 今天出版。
9月18日星期二中午在 Wall Street Borders 會有簽名會。可惜筆者不在紐約, 否則必會一睹這近代偉人的風範,並對他的貢獻致意。
筆者明天打算訂購他的 signed copy。