頭條日報 頭條網 - From the middle-class to the poor-class. by Michael Chugani

2013-03-07

Source: http://news.hkheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=229111§ion_name=wtt&kw=126

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Iam in a quandary (difficult situation, predicament). My landlord wants to jack up (slang expression for raise) my rent by a lot. If I agree, I can remain in my tiny but middle-class flat. But I'll have no money left to live like a middle-class person. Without any disposable income (remaining money that can be spent after paying taxes and other expenses) I'll drop from the middle-class to the poor-class. If I move to a subdivided flat instead, the rent money I save will give me enough disposable income to live like a middle-class person.

        S hould I choose to live in a middle-class flat but become poor with no disposable income? Or should I live in a poor-class subdivided flat but remain a middle-class person with disposable income? This is my dilemma (a problem or situation in which a difficult choice has to be made). I told my landlord about my dilemma. He replied that I was not in a quandary. He said I could pay his jacked-up (raised, increased) rent and still belong to the middle-class simply by drinking coffee and watching French movies.

        I told him that was silly. He replied that Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah had said that people who drank coffee and watched French movies belonged to the middle-class. I told him I didn't like coffee but my landlord replied that Tsang admitted he was a tea-drinker but still belonged to the middle-class even though he earns over $300,000 a month. I mulled (thought deeply, pondered) over this and decided to drink very strong "yeen yeung" (combination of tea and coffee) to be 100 percent sure I remained in the middle-class. I borrowed a DVD of a French movie from a friend but it had lousy English subtitles because it was a fake copy from Shenzhen. Trying to understand the lousy subtitles made me dizzy and the strong "yeen yeung" gave me a stomach-ache. I remembered I had "yeet hei" (heatiness) and should not drink "yeen yeung". Maybe I should drink "leung cha" (herbal tea) and watch French "ham sup peen" (pornography movies) instead? Will I still be a middle-class person if I do that, Mr Tsang?

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        我身處困境（quandary），皆因我的業主要大幅抬高（jack up，raise的俚語）我的租金。我若答應，便得以留在我那狹小但中產的單位內，卻再無餘錢去過中產的生活了。沒有閒錢（disposable income，交稅和必要開支後餘下的錢）我便會從中產跌落清貧一族。要是我搬到劏房住，省下來的租金便讓我有足夠的閒錢（disposable income）去過中產生活。

        我應該住在中產單位，但再無閒錢（disposable income）而變得清貧；抑或我該住在窮人的劏房但有閒錢（disposable income）去做個中產？這是我的兩難困境（dilemma）。我告訴了業主我的兩難（dilemma），他回覆說我沒有在困境（quandary）中。他說我可以支付他那抬高了（jacked-up）的租金，再喝咖啡和看法國電影，便可輕易留在中產階層。

        我跟他說這樣太傻了，他卻說財政司司長曾俊華說，喝咖啡和看法國電影的人全屬中產。我告訴他我不喜歡咖啡，但我的業主說曾俊華也坦承自己是愛茶之人，但仍然屬於中產，即使他月入超過三十萬。 仔細衡量（mulled）過後，我決定喝濃烈的鴛鴦，好讓我能百分百確定我還在中產階層。我從友人處借來一齣法國電影的DVD，但英文字幕糟透了，因為它是從深圳買來的翻版。吃力地理解那些爛透的字幕令我頭昏腦脹，那濃烈的鴛鴦亦令我胃痛。我想起自己有「熱氣」而不該喝鴛鴦。或者我該喝涼茶和看法國「鹹片」？曾先生，我這樣做的話，還是中產嗎？mickchug@gmail.com

        中譯:七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧