頭條日報 頭條網 - Walking on air by Michael Chugani

2013-08-01

Source: http://news.hkheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=248493§ion_name=wtt&kw=126

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I was walking on air at the start of last week. My new book had sold very well at the book fair. I must thank all of you for your support, especially those who came to see me at the book fair. But later in the week I began to feel very down. I don't know what caused this sudden change. I was walking on air at the start of the week and feeling despondent a few days later for no reason. The expression "walking on air" means feeling extremely happy. I am sure I would be walking on air if the winner of the Miss Hong Kong contest agrees to have dinner with me. To feel down or despondent means to feel very sad. Have you ever felt extremely happy one day and very sad the next day for no reason?

        L ast Sunday I felt less despondent after I watched an American news program (programme in British English) on TV. There was a sad news story about Sam Simon, the co-creator of the popular TV show The Simpsons. A co-creator is a person who took part in creating or inventing something. You can be a co-creator of anything, such as a TV show, a movie, a popular website, or a new style of clothes. The news story said Sam Simon is dying of cancer. That should have made me even more despondent but I felt less despondent because he has decided to donate all his money, about US$100 million, to charity.

        Sam Simon has joined a long list of very rich people who have decided to donate all their money. They include the co-creators (or co-founders) of Microsoft, Bill Gates and Paul Allen; the co-founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg; stock investor Warren Buffett; and the founder of CNN, Ted Turner. I searched on Google for the names of billionaires who have decided to donate all their money. Most are Americans. Only a few are Asians, and just one is a Chinese, Samuel Yin of Taiwan. None are from Hong Kong even though we have some of the world’s richest men here. That makes me despondent.

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        上星期初我快活得飄飄然（walking on air），因為我的新書在書展報捷，銷情很好。我得感謝你們所有人的支持，特別是書展期間來臨跟我見面的朋友。然而，到了接近周末，我又開始感到非常失落（down），我不曉得這個突然的轉變是怎樣來的。我在星期初感覺飄飄然（walking on air），可數天後又無緣無故地沮喪（despondent）。習語walking on air解作快樂無比，猶如騰雲駕霧一般。要是香港小姐冠軍願意跟我共進晚餐，我也定會高興得飄飄然的（walking on air）。感覺down或despondent即是感到非常失落。你可有試過哪一天感到無比快樂，翌日又無緣無故地沮喪萬分？

        上星期天，我看過一集美國電視新聞節目（program，英式串法為programme）後，就沒那麼沮喪（despondent）了。那是有關西蒙的一則令人難過的消息，他便是人氣電視節目《阿森一族》的創辦人之一（co-creator）。Co-creator就是參與創作或發明的人。你可以是任何東西的co-creator，例如電視節目、電影、人氣網站或新款時裝。新聞報道西蒙患上末期癌症，這該令我感到更沮喪（despondent），可是我反而不那麼沮喪（despondent），是因為他決定將總數約一億美元的財產，全數捐出做慈善。

        許多富豪都已經決定了將身家全數捐出，西蒙亦加入這個慈善大軍。他們包括微軟創辦人之一（co-creators或co-founders）的比爾蓋茲和保羅艾倫、面書的創辦人之一朱克伯格、股市投資家華倫巴菲特，還有美國有線新聞網的創辦人端納。我上Google搜尋有哪些億萬富豪決定捐出全副身家。大部份都是美國人，只有少數是亞洲人，當中只有一位是華人，就是台灣的尹衍樑。沒有一個是香港人，即使我們這裏有好幾個世上最富有的人。這又令我沮喪（despondent）極了。mickchug@gmail.com

        中譯:七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧