又中又英——A happy-go-lucky person

　　As I said in my previous column, I left Hong Kong on August 17 for the US. My last trip to the US was in September 2018 when I went to Atlanta to interview former President Jimmy Carter for my TVB show Straight Talk, which I no longer do. That was a fleeting visit back to America. The word "fleeting" means lasting for a very short time. I was in Atlanta for just three days before returning to Hong Kong to fine-tune my recorded interview with Carter. The word "fine-tune" means to make small adjustments to something to make it much better.
　　Friends have asked me if I will be in the US for good this time. I told them I will play it by ear. To "play it by ear" means to make decisions in a flexible way rather than follow a fixed plan. I am really enjoying the fresh air and the freedoms Americans take for granted. Being here has made me a happy-go-lucky person. A happy-go-lucky person is someone who doesn't plan much and accepts what happens without being worried. My San Diego relatives took me to a wealthy area called La Jolla which overlooks the Pacific Ocean. I saw huge ocean waves smash against the rocks.
　　For the pronunciation of La Jolla, a Spanish-American word, and to watch the huge waves, go to my column in Popnews. There were large numbers of seals sunning on some rocks. The verb "sunning" means to lie or sit in the sun. La Jolla has plenty of restaurants. We had lunch in a sandwich restaurant. It was small but the servings were huge! One item on the menu was a cup of chicken soup and a half turkey and salad sandwich. The sandwich was so thick with turkey slices and salad I could not put my mouth around it! The soup was full of chicken pieces and vegetables. It was so delicious I finished it all but could only eat several mouthfuls of the sandwich.
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　　正如我在上一篇专栏文章中所说，我在八月十七日离开香港飞往美国。我上一次到访美国是二○一八年九月，当时我去亚特兰大，为我当时主持的电视节目《清心直说》访问美国前总统占美．卡特，那节目我现在已没有做了。那一趟回美国是个短暂的（fleeting）旅程。Fleeting意即飞逝的、短暂的。我在亚特兰大只待了短短三天就要返港，好能微调（fine-tune）我跟卡特的录影访问。Fine-tune意即对某事物作出很小的变动、调整，令其变得更完善。
　　朋友们都有问我，今次可会永久留在美国？我跟他们说我会play it by ear。To "play it by ear" 即指没有固定的计划，只是见机行事、随机应变。我实在很享受新鲜空气与各样的自由，这些都是美国人视作理所当然的。身处美国，令我变成一个happy-go-lucky的人。A happy-go-lucky person就是随遇而安、乐天、不去杞人忧天的人。我在圣地牙哥的亲戚带了我去一个富裕的地区名拉霍亚，在那儿可眺望太平洋。我见到大海的浪涛拍岸，冲击着大石。
　　想知道拉霍亚的西班牙英文名La Jolla的发音，以及观赏岸边的大浪，可浏览我在头条Popnews的专栏。在那海边亦有大量的海豹在一些石头上sunning——动词sunning就是晒太阳。拉霍亚有许多食肆，我们去了一间三文治餐厅吃午餐。餐厅细小，食物份量却很大！餐牌的其中一款是一碗鸡汤配半份火鸡沙律三文治。那件三文治夹着火鸡块与沙律，厚得我不能一啖咬下去！鸡汤更满是鸡肉件和蔬菜，实在美味得很，我把它喝光了，但那件三文治我吃上几口就饱了。
中译：七刻
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Michael Chugani 褚简宁