又中又英｜ups and downs

又中又英｜ups and downs

By the time you read this I will have returned to the US. My stay in Hong Kong had ups and downs, which means a mixture of good and bad things. I was happy to be back in my birthplace and to see close relatives. But soon after I returned, I developed back pain which lasted for weeks. A close relative in the US passed away, which saddened me. It is normal to experience a mixture of good and bad things. We can only appreciate good things when bad things also happen to us.

Government officials often ask Hong Kong people and the media to tell Hong Kong\'s good stories. There is nothing wrong with blowing Hong Kong\'s trumpet. 
To blow your trumpet means to proudly tell everyone about your achievements. But some people say Hong Kong has bad stories too. To each his/their own. 
This expression means people are free to talk about different things. I want to share with you a very good Hong Kong story when I went to renew my identity card at the Immigration Tower in Wanchai. I arrived an hour earlier than my appointment. A receptionist gave me a number tag. I was prepared to wait but my number appeared right away on a TV screen. The lady in the cubicle was super polite. She took my fingerprints and picture. I then went to a different cubicle where another polite lady took my fingerprints again and my identity card. She gave me a temporary one until I got my new card. Everything took just 20 minutes. I will share this good Hong Kong story with friends and relatives in the US.

当你读到这篇文章的时候，我已经回到美国了。我在香港逗留的日子有 ups and downs，意即有好事亦有坏事，有甘亦有苦。我很高兴能回到我出生的地方，去看望近亲；但在我回到香港不久以后，就患上背痛，痛了好几个星期。一位在美国的近亲离世了，令我很悲痛。经历人生甘苦、悲喜交杂，是很正常的，只有发生过坏事，我们才懂得欣赏美好的事情。政府官员常常叫香港人和香港媒体说好香港故事。要去吹捧香港（blowing Hong Kong\'s trumpet），本身没有甚么问题。To blow your trumpet意即自吹自擂，四处向人吹捧自己的成就。但有些人会说，香港也有坏故事。To each his/their own——这个习语是指每人想法不一，人人也可以自由讲述不同的见解。我想跟你们分享一个非常好的香港故事，是我在湾仔入境事务大楼换领身份证时发生的。我比预约时间早一小时已到了大楼，一位接待处职员给了我一个号码牌。我准备好要等候一会，但我的号码立刻已出现在电视荧幕上了。小隔间内的女士极之有礼，她套取了我的指纹，给我拍了个人照。然后我去了另一个小隔间，又有另一位有礼的女士再给我套取指纹和拍照。她给了我一张临时身份证，直至我领取新的身份证。全程只用了二十分钟。我会跟在美国的亲友分享这个美好的香港故事。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻