頭條日報 頭條網 - Line of Work by Michael Chugani

2013-04-09

Source: http://news.hkheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=233153§ion_name=wtt&kw=126

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A legislative councillor recently invited me and some of his other friends to lunch at the Legislative Council dining room. Sitting next to me was a lawyer who asked what line of work I was in. The expression "line of work" simply means kind of work, occupation, or job. I told him I was a TV show host and a columnist for several newspapers. He looked at me for a second and suddenly recognized who I was from my TV show. But he said I looked very different in person, shorter and much thinner, which was why he couldn't recognize me at first.

        M any people have told me the same thing. Whenever people say I look different on TV, I explain to them that the TV camera can play tricks on viewers. To play tricks on people means to do something silly to them for fun. You can play a trick on your girlfriend by secretly putting a cockroach in her handbag. But when I say the TV camera can play tricks on viewers, it means the camera can fool the viewers. The faces of people usually look slightly chubbier (fatter) on TV. And people can look taller on TV, depending on the camera angle, which means the position of the camera. One of the cameras for my TV show is at an angle that makes me look taller. This was not done on purpose to make me look big！

        My friends always tell me I am very skinny (thin). I have sunken cheeks. A similar expression is hollow cheeks. This means my cheeks are very thin and curve inwards. I have tried many times to put on weight by eating chocolates, French fries, and other unhealthy foods. But it doesn't work. Only my stomach gets bigger, not my cheeks！ I also get "yeet hei" from these unhealthy foods. I need to find a way to eat healthy foods and still put on weight so my friends won't always say I am skinny and have sunken cheeks. Luckily, TV cameras can play tricks on viewers by making me look as if I don't have sunken cheeks！

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        最近，有位立法會議員邀請我和他的幾位朋友到立法會宴會廳共進午膳。坐在我旁邊的是位律師，他問我從事甚麼工作（line of work）。習語line of work即是職業或行業的類型。我告訴他我是電視節目主持，也是幾份報章的專欄作家。他定神看着我，忽然認得我是哪電視節目的主持人。他說我真人較矮和較瘦，差別頗大，因此他一開始不認得我。

        許多人都跟我說相同的話。每當有人說我真人跟上鏡不一樣，我就會解釋，因為電視鏡頭會愚弄（play tricks on）觀眾。 To play tricks on people就是戲弄或開某人玩笑。你要捉弄（play tricks on）女朋友，大可以偷偷放隻蟑螂進她的手袋裏。但當我說the TV camera can play tricks on viewers，是說電視鏡頭會愚弄觀眾。人在上鏡時面部總是看來較圓胖（chubbier），而在不同的攝錄角度（camera angle），也可以令人顯得更高。我那個電視節目的其中一部攝錄機，角度恰好令我看上去更高，可不是刻意為之的啊！我的朋友常常說我瘦削（skinny），我亦確實面頰凹陷（sunken cheeks），sunken cheeks的類近說法是hollow cheeks。我曾努力增磅，吃朱古力、薯條和其他不健康的食物，但始終徒勞無功。面頰沒長肉，倒是胖了個肚腩！吃這些不健康食物也令我「熱氣」。我要想辦法吃健康食物也能增磅，好讓朋友們不再說我皮包骨（skinny）又面頰凹陷（sunken cheeks）。幸而，電視攝影機可以愚弄（play tricks on）觀眾，令我看來沒有下陷的面頰（sunken cheeks）！mickchug@gmail.com

        中譯:七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧