24 Hours Wal-Mart

The Richmond Hill Store is also on the list*

Yip-Peee!!

*From Dec 01 to 24, 2007

Diapers Turning Into Diesel

This will be great!

朝朝朝朝朝

朝朝朝朝朝 ..... 三條友爭野講 ... 真好笑!

唉! 大咪要爭取晨早 market exposure, 唯有屈袖啦 ......
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WHAT??

Quotes on "Walk"

Quote #1: When we come out to walk, we talk about this word called TRUST.

 

Quote #2: When you have come out to walk, you are expected to repay any debt incurred.

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第三聚腳點 (Third Place)

拜讀 littleho 今日的 blog "第三聚腳點"，發人深省，特別是基督人 (Christians) 。


Here I quote:

"第三聚腳點

從yuling的貼引發我們思想，教會作為「第三聚腳點」(The Third Place) 的可能性。

所謂的「第三聚腳點」，是指在屋企(第一)和工作場所(第二)以外，第三個社交的場所，其特點是「就腳」(即「就近」)、花費低廉、有吃有渴、有定期聚集的「班底」，加上間中出現的新朋友，並且彼此有交流和發輝創意的火花。

這觀念令我立時聯想到酒吧、茶餐廳、大排檔等供人tea break或放工後又不想立即回家卻去「打躉」的地方。

這 第三聚腳點是人類社交上的需要。事實上在初期教會中，也出現了這類「中距離」的社交空間。「近距離」的自然是家庭(連同謀生場所)，「遠距離」的是政府， 因著帝王政權的高度集中性和滲透性，基本上不是所有人都有機會連繫到貴族或官員階級，而是大部份都只能接受極權政府由上而下的管治，所以政府作為家庭以外 的社交空間，其實是沒有提供實質的和正面的人際連繫，所以個人只好從一些地方性、實用性和宗教性範疇開展合法的社交空間，例如職工會、福利會(如處理死葬 需要)、同鄉會(同民族的聚合，如唐人街)、鄰舍組織(互助委員會？)、廟宇及會堂等(參Philip A. Harland的Associations, Synagogues and Congregation: Claiming a Place in Ancient Mediterranean Society)，當然這些單位的社交功能是可互相重疊的。在這些合法的中距離社交空間下，家庭教會成為新興的「第三聚腳點」。

我 留意到香港人的生活空間其實相當狹小，不利造就「第三聚腳點」出現，我不見很多人放工放學後會聚在一起，Starbuck宣稱自己是個Third Place，但明顯地在香港這並非市民的社交生活場所，香港人有的是The Third Time，而非The Third Place，而且這Third Time多數是在逛商場和個人消費，其次是回家上網打機渡日(難怪Playstation 2也說自己是個Third Place)。換言之，香港人的社交空間是嚴重失衡的，許多人在家庭以外，花最多時間就是在同事間的工作關係，在這個家不成家的破碎環境中，許多人連第一 聚腳點都沒有。

教會是極有潛質發展成填補這失落的第三聚腳點。我自己社會以前星期的的聚會時間編得密密麻麻，特別是我們在早上10:00 -11:15有崇拜，在11:45-1:00就分班上主日學。由大聚集的崇拜轉向把人打散的主日學，有損人際交往，而且時常是「滾水淥腳」。自今年十月 起，我們把主日學和崇拜的時段對調，令我們最大伙人一起完結崇拜時，大家是有閒暇可自由聯繫或相約醫肚。可是平日甚少見有人回教會打躉，週五週六的團契也 能聚集人群，但大家的主動性較低，多是以程序主導的心態來運作和參與，欠缺具創意凝聚和火花。

始終教會發展成第三聚腳點的方向，需要教會領導和信徒本身有這意識和意欲，肯花心思和代價去達成。我相信教會作為第三聚腳點是有更深遠的目的，是讓教會成為一個擦出信仰火花以至實踐信仰和服待人群的「反動基地」。教會和信徒不要再白佔地土了。

位於 11/12/2007 04:26:00 上午"


Additional reading:

The Starbuckification of McDonald's ... and the church?

Wikipedia : The Third Place

老媽子之歌 --中文歌詞版 (Mom's Song with Chinese subtitles)

小馬哥上貼了這段 youtube 短片在他的 facebook。 呢個阿媽 ...... 一個字:

堅!

You Raise Me Up

Recently changed my listening habit while I am driving and have been listening to CHFI and EZRock 97.3 more.

These days I have been hearing "YOU RAISE ME UP" quite frequently. Perhaps an old song (to me it's still new!) but the lyrics are very inspirational.

The "YOU" that was referred to may be the "Big Guy" up there???

YOU RAISE ME UP

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit a while with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up: To more than I can be.

Gossip By The Pool

Will someone please get me a waterproof iPod ...... I need it after my morning swim when I am sitting in the jacuzzi @ Elgin West on Saturday mornings.

Sitting in the jacuzzi after swimming in the main pool is good therapy for me (and I believe for other swimmers too). It is the time for me to cool down and meditate. However, ever since I started swimming on Saturday mornings, there is this Chinese woman who seems to know everyone in the jacuzzi and they just won't gossiping about their friends and colleagues and everybody else.

Oh my ... gimme a break please.

When I told this to Bea, she told me that it is just the same on the GO Train every morning. Some of the passengers also gossip non-stop from the Richmond Hill station to the Union station! She told me that those look like they are OLs or secretaries.

I forgot who it was, but he said this which makes a lot of sense:

SMART PEOPLE TALK ABOUT IDEAS. SMALL PEOPLE JUST TALK ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE AND NOTHING ELSE.