#29 Conversation: Time in the Digital Age (粵語)
A little chat about time in the digital age... How do we stay focused when there are so many distractions out there? And what do you call a "bedside table" in Cantonese?
Vocabulary
1. 寶貴 bou2 gwai3 (ADJ) precious
2. 時代 si4 doi6 (N) era
3. 表達 biu2 daat6 (V) to express
4. 信息 seon3 sik1 (N) message
5. 選擇 syun2 zaak6 (N/V) choice; to choose
6. 資訊 zi1 seon3 (N) information
7. 泛濫 faan6 laam6 (N) flood, overflow
8. 吸引力 kap1 jan5 lik6 (N) attraction/power to attract
9. 能力 nang4 lik6 (N) ability
10. 可惜 ho2 sik1 (ADJ) unfortunate
11. 流行 lau4 hang4 (ADJ) popular
12. 數碼 sou3 maa5 (ADJ) digital
13. 學者 hok6 ze2 (N) scholar
14. 爭議性 zang1 ji5 sing3 (N) controversy
15. 蠢 ceon2 (ADJ/N) stupid; stupidity
16. 刺激 ci3 gik1 (V/ADJ/N) to stimulate; thrilling; stimulus
17. 感官 gam2 gun1 (N) senses, sensory organ
18. 集中 zaap6 zung1 (ADJ/V) focused; to focus
19. 深度 sam1 dou6 (ADJ/N) deep; depth
21. 極端 gik6 dyun1 (ADJ) extreme
22. 賊 caak2 (N) thief
23. 小偷 siu2 tau1 (N) robber
24. 考驗 haau2 jim6 (V/N) to test; test
25. 自制 zi6 zai3 (N) self discipline
26. 批判 pai1 pun3 (ADJ/V) critical; to critique
27. 控制 hung3 zai3 (V/N) to control; control
28. 行爲 hang4 wai4 (N) behavior
29. 停止 ting4 zi2 (V) to stop
30. 床頭 cong4 tau4 (N) bedside
31. 櫃 gwai6 (N) cabinet, cupboard, drawer
32. 几 gei1 (N) small table
33. 順口 seon6 hau2 (ADJ) fluent, easy to say
34. 危險 ngai4 him2 (ADJ/N) dangerous; danger
35. 鬧鐘 nau6 zung1 (N) alarm clock
36. 擺 baai2 (V) to place, to put
37. 衣櫃 ji1 gwai6 (N) wardrobe
ADJ - Adjective
N - Noun
V - Verb
Raymond: 大家啲時間都好寶貴1啦，太多嘢睇喇。
(Everyone’s time is very precious, there’s too much stuff to watch.)
Cameron: 其實我有時都會，就係諗，我哋嘅時間真係咁寶貴，定係我哋只係噉諗嘅。因為真係好多人，我哋會覺得，就係我哋今個時代2嘅人，我哋特別嘅問題，我話我哋嘅人有嘅。但係我覺得，可能就係每一個時代都會有人噉諗嘅。
(Actually there are times when I, when I think about whether our time is that valuable or if it’s something we just assume. Because there are a lot of people who think that it is a problem particular to us people of this day and age, but I think maybe there have been people in every era who have thought this.)
Raymond: 嗯，係啩，但我又覺得而家大家都，即係大家都有太多方法去表達3自己喇。噉即係你，噉你又可以好容易去睇到好多嘅信息4，或者睇人哋嘅故事，容易咗。選擇5太多咯我覺得。噉我覺得係，係囉，即係呢個資訊6泛濫7，我嘅感覺就係。
(Yes, that’s true, but I think that right now everyone has too many ways to express themselves. It’s also very easy for you to go look at a lot of messages or people’s stories, it’s gotten easier. I think there are too many choices. I think it’s an information overflow, it really is.)
Cameron: 因爲我就係，好多我嘅朋友就係，呢排有差唔多嘅睇法，就係我哋可能我哋細路仔嗰陣時就係會覺得容易啲，就係坐下睇晒一本書。但係而家呢，我哋會覺得“哦，睇書好悶喎”。就不如去，就係睇手機，或者就係玩乜嘢電子遊戲，就係佢哋嘅吸引力8更犀利，所以我哋就係而家冇之前噉樣嘅，就係一個，我哋失去一種能力9啦，就可能有啲人會覺得好可惜10喎。
(Because many of my friends, they’ve had the same perspective recently, that we maybe thought it was easier when we were kids to just sit down and read an entire book. But now we’ll think, “Reading books is boring,” so we might as well look at our phones or play some sort of video game, as their attraction is so great.)
Raymond: 係呀，我哋班，我哋流行11文化班有討論呢樣嘢嘅，即係數碼12文化點樣影響人嘅思考。即係有一個學者13呢，噉呀，我唔知你有冇聽過叫陳雲。噉佢係香港一個好有爭議性14嘅文化人嚟嘅。佢話網絡呢令到人蠢15嘅，即係，網絡令到大家唔去諗啦，噉呀佢係刺激16你嘅感官17啦，你嘅 sensation 啦，令到你好難去好集中18去做啲好深度19嘅分析20呀噉樣。大家會覺得網絡都幫你解釋埋啲文化啲問題呀，噉樣大家唔去諗啦，噉樣。
(Yes, in our [Cantonese] popular culture class we talked about this sort of problem, as in how digital culture has affected people’s thinking. There’s one scholar, I don’t know if you’ve heard of them, named Horace Chin Wan-kan. He is a very controversial cultural commentator in Hong Kong. He says that the internet has made everyone stupid, as in it makes it so that people don’t actually think, it just stimulates your senses, it’s just sensation, and it makes it difficult to concentrate and do deep analysis. Everyone might think that the internet completely explains a lot of cultural problems, but people don’t think about this perspective.)
Cameron: 係呀，就係。
(Yes, that’s right.)
Raymond: 我覺得佢有佢嘅道理嘅，噉但係又未至於咁極端21嘅我又覺得。
(I think this view has some reason to it, but I also don’t think it is true to such an extreme.)
Cameron: 我會講就係賊22嚟嘅。
(I would say that it [the internet] is a thief.)
Raymond: 係呀，小偷23、賊，係啦。點解呀？
(Ah, yes, a robber, a thief, yes. Why?)
Cameron: 因為就係偷我哋嘅時間喎。
(Because it steals our time.)
Raymond: 哈哈，係，我覺得而家係考驗24大家嘅自制25，自制能力啦。同埋考驗大家係，即係要做多啲批判26思考呀。而家我呢幾年都喺諗緊我每一個班，我其實我教咩嘢，我覺得都唔緊要啦，因爲大家上網都查到。即係你係，反而教大家，你要點樣去做啱嘅選擇，即係點樣識得去做批判噉樣囉。呢個我覺得最緊要。
(Haha, yes, I think now it tests our self discipline, our self control. And what challenges everyone is that we need to do more critical thinking. In recent years I’ve been thinking about how in every class, whatever I teach, it doesn’t really matter because everyone can just go look online. So when teaching everyone, I teach how to make the right choice [of source of information], or how to know how to engage critically. That’s what I think is most important.)
Cameron: 嗯。
(Yes.)
Raymond: 學廣東話都係。
(Studying Cantonese is the same.)
Cameron: 係呀，但係都，就係要搵到新嘅方法就控制27自己嘅，就係自己嘅行爲28。特別係，譬如話，我自己就係瞓覺之前，可能就係一個鐘頭之前會停止29用電子嘅嘢，譬如話就係將我嘅手機，放喺另一個地方，或者另一。。。 就係唔會喺我嘅，就係嗰個，嗰個 bed side table，廣東話點講？
(Yes, but also, when looking for new means to control oneself, as in one’s behavior…Especially, for example, before I go to bed, perhaps an hour or so before, I’ll stop using electronic devices. For instance, I’ll take my cellphone and put it somewhere else, or another… as is not my… how do you say “bedside table” in Cantonese?)
Raymond: 係，呢個床頭30。。。床頭。。。床頭櫃31？唔係床頭櫃。。。床頭檯？又唔係床頭檯。。。床。。。床頭几32呀？唔係“几” 喎。。。
(Yes, bedside…bedside..bedside gwai6 [cupboard]? No, not bedside cupboard. Bedside toi2 [desk/counter]? Not bedside desk either… Bed… Bedside gei1 [small table]? It’s not “gei1….”)
Cameron: 好似係“几”，因為係細啲嘅。
(It seems like gei1 since it is pretty small.)
Raymond: 係，我又。。。叫咩呢？我有陣時，係啦，呢啲講到又唔識講。床頭。。。通常講床頭櫃囉，即係最容易講。我覺得比較順口33係講床頭櫃。
(Yes, I also… What’s it called? Sometimes, yes, when you bring up something you don’t know the term for. Bedside… Usually one says bedside dresser [gwai6], it’s easier to say. It think cong4 tau4 gwai6 comes off the tongue more easily.)
Cameron: 好好好。所以唔會係，就係。。。
(Alright, so it’s not…)
Raymond: 檯都 OK 嘅。
(Toi2 is also okay.)
Cameron: 係，因為如果係嗰邊嘅話，就係會覺得好危險34。就係我起身嗰陣時就會係，我第一個，就係做嘅嘢。
(Yes, because if it [the cellphone] is there [on the bedside table], it will be pretty dangerous. As soon as I wake up, the first thing I will do…)
Raymond: 嗯。
(Yes.)
Cameron: 第一件做嘅嘢就係睇嗰個手機。但係而家覺得，可能我起身之後要等，40分鍾先至會，就係令到自己睇手機啦。
(The first thing I’ll do is look at my phone. But now I think, maybe I should wait 40 minutes or so after waking up before allowing myself to look at my phone.)
Raymond: 嗯，係，我諗，係啦，呢個習慣啦，我識講唔識做囉。因爲我鬧鐘35呀係要用我嘅手機，我係用鬧鐘嘅，噉我鬧咗我冇可能擺36得好遠。
(Yes, I think that this habit, I don't practice what I preach, since my alarm clock is also my phone. When using the alarm, I can’t put it too far away.)
Cameron: 係呀，係，但係我都有呢個問題。因為我住嘅地方冇咁大呀，所以可能又，就係，攞去，邊度呀？衣櫃37裡邊嘅。
(Yes, but I also have a problem. Because where I live isn’t that big, so maybe… where do I put it [the cellphone]? Inside my dresser.
Raymond: 擺衣櫃。
(Put it in the dresser [more idiomatic way of saying it]).
Cameron: 係呀係呀。
(Yup, yup.)