Cont'd
Tony: The mothers always care very much.
Lam: Why did we keep on talking about mother and not father?
Tony: Because father always stands behind the mother supporting her, therefore he won’t show his face. That’s my experience.
Leslie: Father?
Lam: Why is it always the mother whom we talk about? That’s a very natural response, but we don’t talk about the father, really strange!
Leslie: My father has already passed away. There’s nothing much for me to say about him. My impression of him is that he was a very famous tailor, making suits for William Holden and Marlon Brando. Well, actually my father could be regarded as a talent and he was pretty outstanding too. My recollection is that he always dressed smartly in a 2-piece suit wearing a bow tie. He had not bequeathed me with anything but the skill of making a bow tie.
Lam: Have you ever thought that, “Father, you had not carried out the duty of a father, and you passed away so soon, making me suffered that much.”
Leslie: My father was a very irresponsible husband.
Tony: Since you folks are talking about fathers, I have to go to the washroom.
(Laugh)
Leslie: My mother was irritated to death by my father.
Lam: Really!
Leslie: No. What I meant is that every time he would make my mother very angry. I have two mothers, that’s why I said he was a very irresponsible husband, therefore there’s nothing much to talk about him! Merely an irresponsible man! But if you ask me whether he cared about me or not, then I would say he did as I am the youngest one in the family. Actually I did not do too well at school, but I was the only one who had an opportunity to go abroad to study. My eldest sister did very good at school, but she had a hard time getting him to let her finish her study at the Hong Kong University. Because he was very traditional and old fashioned in thought (feudalism thinking) believing that females need not study too much. But my sister did very good at school, she managed to finish her study by working part time, having her problem solved by herself and eventually became very outstanding. Therefore, I actually adore my sister very much.
Lam: How about you? (referring to Maggie)
Maggie: Ever since I was small, my parents’ relationship had not been very good, but they got divorced only when I came out to work at the age of 16.
Lam: Did your father take care of you?
Maggie: He is here all the time but I am closer to my mother. I still have some recollection, for example, sometimes when I did not have any money to spend, I would go to him and he would give me some.
Leslie: That is to say when you went to meet with your father, you have already lived apart from him?
Maggie: We lived apart only after I returned to Hong Kong. Before that, we still lived together until I was 16 years old, they then got divorced. I returned to Hong Kong at the age of 17. But when my mother whipped me, he would help me by keeping it off. Actually I still have some memories of my father, just that I haven’t thought of him as much as I thought of my mother, besides my heart goes out to my mother more.
Leslie: Actually there was a period of time that I hated my father so much that when he still had his own shop, I would steal money from him. That’s when I was small.
Lam: Really?
Leslie: Yes, just trying to express my anger.
Lam: Stole his money so that he hadn’t got any to spend?
Leslie: Yes, stole it so that he didn’t have any money to spend, and then I would use the money to buy some snacks to eat. Hahaha … When one was small, one would have this kind of weird idea and strange thought.
Tony: Another new episode of “Under the Stars Talk Show”.
Lam: That’s right.
Tony: This episode of “Under the Stars Talk Show” is outstanding.
Leslie: Because we are going to interview Lam Kin Ming.
Tony: Because before the program started, we had discussed a very important topic which is “love”.
Leslie: The three of us have decided that we must interview Lam Kin Ming first.
Tony: Right, because we do not know too much about your love life.
Lam: Just because you did not pay any attention.
Tony: But we know that you are very happy.
Lam: I am doing fine. My husband is a very kind man. We respect each other, and we understand that both of us are mature people, because we got married at a relatively older age, and we were not young people. The first two to three years after marriage was the period for adaptation.
Leslie: Do you have any sparkle of love?
Lam: I think there should still be some because it won’t work if there is no love. The difference between human and animal is that human has love. The way that my husband’s entered into my life is very strange, I think Maggie will be able to understand my feeling more because for women working in this field, they really want to retire and look for someone whom they can lean on.
Leslie: Find a good man and get married.
Lam: You thought it was your movie “Rouge” [in which Flore married Master Twelve].
Leslie: to find a Master Twelve [the character Leslie played in the movie “Rouge”].
Lam: Just want to have a stable life. In the past, every man who went out with me kept telling me that they would want to marry me, but then after a while, they would say why they should marry me, making me really disappointed. After all those years, I was deeply hurt. I didn’t want to get married anymore. But then during that period of time, I met my husband. He was like a fool telling me that he wanted to marry me. He gave me a ring shortly after we went out together, I didn’t realize that he really meant it. But I didn’t have much expectation then. Fine, I said, if you wanted to get married, then let’s get married; merely to give him a proper answer after having been with him for so long.
Tony: Actually ever since I started dating someone, I had been thinking of getting married.
Leslie: I wanted to get married when I was 15.
Tony: But the problem was I was refused ….
Lam: I know that every time when Maggie was dating, she really was very much into it, but why it was always fruitless?
Maggie: Because I feel that we could only get married when we both feel that we are suitable for each other.
Lam: Do you want to get married?
Maggie: Of course I do, but not in a hurry.
Leslie: It is not easy to get along with others. In the previous episode, we talked about how to get along with people. Getting along with others is very difficult already, let alone sharing your life with them. And you require someone to tolerate and to share the life with you. I am very single-minded already, but still, when you get up you may have bad breath, right? Some times you may want to fart, right? Some times you also require others to tolerate you. When sleeping with other in the same bed, what do you do if you have to fart?
Lam: I feel that love means a lot of forbearance on both sides.
Leslie: Right, but you’ve got to have times, and to a certain stage, perhaps I feel that I can’t stand you anymore, since you have such bad breath.
Lam: Then you can tell him/her to brush his/her teeth next time.
Leslie: Then you will start to have friction. Understand?
Lam: He/She should even appreciate your bad breath.
Leslie: So what I am trying to say is that the technique to get along requires a long period of time.
Tony: Not that one has to appreciate your bad breath, but should be able to tolerate it.
Leslie: That’s right.
Tony raised some questions about how to get along.
Leslie: I would give my other half a call at least once daily.
Tony: Possibly the way they get along is to require a phone call to make them feel comfortable.
Leslie: Right. That is to locate where you are. [Making a sign of making a phone call] “Oh, I am working right now, doing this and that, and what are you doing now? Oh, good.” That will make me very happy. At night arriving home from work, just tell her what have you done in the daytime. “Oh, I have done this and that.” I feel this is very comforting.
Maggie raised her questions about how to get along with others.
Leslie: Therefore both people have to be compatible.
Maggie: Some man requires you to report to him every minute. I can’t stand it. And for those who don’t want to know where I was the whole day, I also can’t stand it.
Leslie: That is difficult to bear really. I don’t know why all of a sudden I seem to have understood Maggie more. I feel that she is the kind of woman that needs others to care for and love her. She really likes others to care for her but at the same time she must have her own view and idea and space. That is, I want to have my freedom. Therefore you don’t order me, but I will go and shop and prepare food for you. You however are not to tell me to go to a specific place to do the shopping, like going to North Point market to get fish balls, then to Shaukiwan to get vegetables, etc.
Maggie: How come all of a sudden you understand me that much?
Leslie: Am I right? What I was trying to say is you don’t try to limit and control me, but I will love you. That is it. Actually Maggie is a woman who can be loved easily. If I have the chance, she will die in my hand [meaning he will steal her heart] because I know how to love her. I have told you, remember? If I really love someone, I will love her (pointing at Maggie). If I am to get married, I will choose her.
Maggie: But you know how to love me is because you are willing to love me, or is it because you know the method to love me? These are two different things. If I see that you know how to use a method to love me or roar me, that won’t work because I feel that it is not sincere and the love is not from your heart.
Leslie: Yes, that’s a big difference. Certainly I will also make you feel that I am sincere, right from the bottom of my heart. But I am not wooing you. Hahaha.
Lam: There was rumor that you two were dating [referring to Tony and Maggie].
Maggie and Tony: It was not referred to as dating, but having affairs. It did not sound that romantic.
Tony: Actually I feel I owe apologies to my friend [referring to Maggie].
Maggie: To me.
Tony: Yes. At that time, I said to Maggie, the rumor is so serious, for the sake of both of us, we should not…
Leslie: That is to separate for a period of time.
Tony: It’s not to separate for a period of time, but should not keep in touch, should not attend the premiers together or ….
Maggie: He was afraid that I could not find a good boyfriend.
Tony: That is right. I thought that I have already got married, so it did not really matter to me. The most important thing is if my wife understood me, and even others didn’t, it was not important at all. Because my family members know what kind of a person I am. But I felt this would affect Maggie, therefore I told her that even if we were friends, we didn’t have tell the others that we were good friends.
Leslie: Then you are really a fool, Leung Kar Fai, for falling into other people’s trap.
Tony: Yes. Then she gave me a big lesson [referring to Maggie].
Leslie: Right, if I were there I would also give you one.
Tony: She used her tears to teach me.
Leslie: Tears?
Then Tony explained.
Leslie: If I were there, I would hit you hard.
Tony continued to explain.
Lam: Then what did you do then? (asking Maggie)
Maggie: I was really hurt then, therefore I cried. I felt, well, was that all for our friendship? Because I thought our friendship was very deep, and he didn’t want to make friend with me simply because of that. Therefore I was very sad and hurt.
Leslie: That’s right.
Maggie: After I cried, I said that wouldn’t do.
Leslie: (laugh), that’s right.
Tony made a speech about being an actor. In the course of that, Leslie kneeled down and refilled everyone’s glass with wine, and then tossed it down.
Finally
Leslie: Come on, let’s toast. Please run the commercials.
Lam: Okay, have you guys ever been betrayed?
Leslie, Tony: Many times!
Tony: Betrayed? Wow!
Leslie: Betrayed.
Lam: Me! I have never been betrayed by anyone.
Tony: A few times for me.
Lam: I had experience on this. From my friends, I finally learned the feeling of heartbroken. Really, painful!
Maggie: Tell us about it!
Lam: Tell you about it?
Maggie: It doesn’t have to be in detail.
Lam: Okay, twice. The first time was I had a boyfriend as well as two very close girlfriends. One told me, “Hey, he and this girlfriend have affairs.” I said, “You are really a good friend for telling me that.” But actually she was the one who had an affair with my boyfriend. Just that she knew about the affairs between the other girlfriend and the boyfriend that she told me so that I would deal with them. How mean this person was!
Maggie: Must hurt a lot!
Lam: I treated you as friend, right, but …
Maggie: Then your boyfriend had three girlfriends!
Lam: That’s right.
Maggie: Wow.
Lam: So this type of man can be ignored. Can go home and sleep.
Leslie: Wow.
(Laugh)
Tony: Can really be ignored.
Lam: Right.
Maggie: That really hurts.
Lam: It hurt a lot! Have you ever come across anything like this.
Leslie: To be betrayed by others?
Leslie: I have just been betrayed in Argentina! Hahaha.
(Laugh)
Lam: Is that right?
Tony: Talk about your trip!
Leslie: No! Leung Chiu Wai really is a nice guy. I must compliment him. He is quite weird but a kind man.
Maggie: He is like a kid.
Leslie: I was attacked by Amoeba, if not because of him, I probably would not be able to come back alive.
Lam: Right! Will your friendship with him increased to a higher level after that incident?
Leslie: Certainly!
Lam: Why don’t you talk about that incident. Do you know about it [asking Tony and Maggie]?
Tony: I am not very clear about it either.
Lam: Come on, tell us about it. How did it happen?
Leslie: It was nothing. I was there shooting a film but as soon as I arrived there, I got diarrhea.
Tony: You got Proteus in your body?
Maggie: Didn’t you take a shot before leaving?
Leslie: I didn’t. I didn’t know.
Maggie: It is better to prevent than to cure.
Leslie: I thought Argentina was not a dirty place. It’s South America, should not be that dangerous, like India or Africa.
Tony: South America! South America can be dangerous too!
Leslie: On arrival, the shooting of my part had not begun as yet, so I went about enjoying the food there. However, on the third day I started to have diarrhea, but it was not really serious; three to four times a day. My stomach can easily get upset after eating greasy food, so I thought, well, it’s merely because I was not used to the food and climate there and it was not a big problem. Then Leung Chiu Wai arrived, that’s three days later. I told him that I had minor diarrhea problem and he said he had some medicine that might be able to stop the diarrhea.
Maggie: Yes!
Leslie: After taking the medicine, the diarrhea stopped. However, once I stopped taking it, the diarrhea came back again. And then one day, William Cheung Suk Ping [famous art director], Leung Chiu Wai and I planned to have Italian food together, but I was feeling really sick. I am the kind of person that unless I am seriously ill, otherwise I will not go to hospital. But anyway I went to the hospital. The people [medical practitioner] there just simply pressed my stomach and did not ask me to take any further tests; no blood test, nothing.
Lam: Then there was nothing wrong.
Leslie: She said, “Well, probably you are not accustomed to the climate and the food here.” She was a westerner and asked me to abstain eating for a few days but to just consume congee. A western woman asking me to have congee! (laugh)
Leslie: I thought, “Good, she must be something. A western woman asking me to have congee!” Then she gave me some syrup and asked me to drink it up. After taking it, the diarrhea stopped. But once I stopped taking the syrup, it came back again! It was really strange, I thought!
Lam: How many times each day?
Leslie: At that stage, I started to have diarrhea seven to eight times a day!
Lam: Wow, then you must be very weak!
Maggie: For how many days?
Leslie: For almost two to three weeks already.
Maggie: Oh!
Lam: You must be very thin then?
Maggie: Diarrhea every day?
Leslie: Yes, every day. That is, if I took the medicine, it stopped, but if I didn’t take the medicine, the diarrhea came back again.
Maggie: Why did you find it out that late?
Leslie: Then one day, I said to Leung Chiu Wai, I said, ”Wai, I am feeling really sick. Do you think it is possible that I might have Amoeba in my stomach?”
Lam: How did you figure it out?
Leslie: I thought of it quite suddenly. Really! Then Wai said “You are crazy. We are in Argentina, Buenos Aires – the place where we are shooting the movie – it is at the seaside. Amoeba can only be found in places at riverside.” I said, “Really, then I’ve got it! Buenos Aires is at riverside.” Then he said, “Really?” He said he would give his good friend Tim a call. Tim is a doctor in Hong Kong. Wai told me to go to bed early since I did not have any part in the movie that night. He was filming at night and would tell me the next morning. At 6 a.m. the next morning, he knocked on my door and said “Gorgor, you’ve got it”.
Lam: He was …
Leslie: It was Amoeba. Because he was on the internet, I meant the doctor Tim. Tim now becomes my family doctor as well. Wai immediately called the doctor and the doctor said he would call him back in two minutes. Then afterwards, he called back asking for more details, such as what symptoms did I have etc. After making some research on his computer, he told Wai that I’d got Amoeba and should go and get the medicine immediately!
Lam: Oh!
Leslie: So my assistant, who is also here today, went immediately and bought me the special medicine which was antibiotic. That special medicine was very strong thus would hurt one’s health. Tim also asked me to stop eating any kind of food except congee for ten days.
Lam: Yes!
Leslie: Only salty egg and congee! I couldn’t even touch the egg yolk, just the egg white! I had to beg for it! I had to beg for the salty eggs because he said it would be better for me if I only took plain congee for ten days. Therefore do you remember how I looked at the press conference upon my return to Hong Kong at that time?
Maggie: Yes.
Tony: You could beg and then got salty eggs in Argentina, I think you were…
Maggie: Wow, incredible!
Tony: You really did have some power and position there.
(Laugh)
Tony: In that movie, there was…
Leslie: There were Chinese restaurants there.
(Laugh)
Lam: That is to say, if it were not because of Wai.
Leslie: Eating salty eggs all days made me feel dull. If I didn’t ask Wai that day…
Lam: If he did not ask the doctor for you, you simply would not know it yourself, and thought it was just because of not being accustomed to the climate and food there. If this illness got extended for too long, it could be really dangerous, didn’t you know?
Tony: On the one hand, he was ….
Lam: Some years ago, one of our colleagues ….
Leslie: Yu King Wai [Yu died because of eating too many raw food. He was an executive of HK TVB], right?
Lam: It was because he was not accustomed to the climate and food…
Leslie: Also they said that, I don’t know if that’s true or not, or whether it is just a rumor, but once you have Amoeba, you cannot be operated on.
Lam: That’s true.
Leslie: If you were operated on, it would spread.
Maggie: Really?
Lam: It would spread out, right?
Leslie: Imagine, if I was suddenly in coma due to dehydration, and without knowing the cause of the illness, the people there thought they should operate on me, and if they really did, then I would have to say goodbye!
Lam: That’s right.
Lam: That’s possible.
[to be cont'd]
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