洋人有一句諺語﹕Every cloud has a silver lining ﹐意思和《淮南子•人間訓》的「塞翁失馬焉知非福」大同小異。縱然烏雲密佈﹐陽光總會在雲端透現﹐漆黑裡總有燦爛明媚處。有一些人天性樂觀(或不算悲觀)﹐看見半杯水會說杯是半滿。有一些只看見月缺日蝕﹐「塞翁失馬」於他們而言﹐不啻精神勝利法﹐無異於阿Q精神。醉醉醒醒﹐見仁見智。
我們兩人習慣了一起追看這個連續劇﹐看到了over the top 極盡胡鬧誇張的情境和對白都會忍不住噴飯。喜歡編劇沒有什麼自我審核﹐但又案中有案的對白﹐精警啜核之處回味生甘。
關於工作
Hilda: “A job is not about making friends. It’s about making money and stealing office supplies. By the way we're out of coffee filters.”
關於忠心
Wilhelmina: "Now as for the rest of you, your loyalty is admirable. You remind me of the orchestra that stayed behind to play as the Titanic sank."
關於過招
Fabia: "You must come to the ceremony. I won't be able to get married without my something old.." Wilhelmina: "Oh with the veins in your legs you already have your something blue..!"
關於脂肪
Wilhelmina (Holding out a cashew): "Who on this staff would willingly eat something that is 15 grams of fat per serving?"
關於優待
Daniel: "Back when my mother, father and sister all worked here, people used to think I got preferential treatment, too."
關於押韻
Marc: "I can't go stag, hag"
Amanda: "Buy your own beer, queer"
Marc: "You can't just ditch, bitch"
關於諫言
Marc: "I'm not mean to you!"
Amanda: "You told me my head was too big for my neck!"
Marc: "That was constructive criticism!"
Amanda: "And what am I supposed to do about it?!"
關於襯色
Marc: (Looking at Wilhelmina's purple ribbon) "I thought breast cancer was pink?"
Wilhelmina: "It is. But Alzheimer's went better with the outfit."
關於大腿
Wilhelmina:(Having her skirt altered): "Higher!"
Christina: "Any higher and I'll be giving you a pelvic exam!"
Marc: "Oooh, fill my bucket with nothing but thigh!"
Wilhelmina: "Relax Colonel, we all know you prefer nuggets!"
關於爽快
Wilhelmina (to Betty): "Ohh come on girl, I'm black, you're Mexican, lets not stand here and chat like a couple of dull white girls!"
關於道別
Betty: "I've had to say good-bye more times than I may have liked, but everyone can say that. And no matter how many times we have to do it - even if it's for the greater good, it still stings. And although we will never forget what we've given up, we owe it to ourselves to keep moving forward. What we can't do is live our lives afraid of the next good-bye because chances are they are not going to stop. The trick is to recognize when a good-bye can be a good thing - when it's a chance to start again."
故事早期﹐明美的少女歌曲反映了她的天真純情﹐除了《私 の彼はパイロット(我的男朋友是飛機師)》﹐還有《0-G Love》和《Sunset Beach》﹐都是一些節奏明快的J-pop。0-G 就是 zero gravity﹐歌曲配合幻影式戰鬥機在太空中呼嘯翱翔﹐在電光火石間變形格鬥﹐煞是好看。《Sunset Beach》配用了拉丁節奏﹐是以多了一點海灣風情。飯島真理以片假名風情萬種地唱出sunset beach﹐然而聽來卻像在唱sunset bitchy﹐令人不禁會心微笑。
《小白竜》是明美成長的轉捩點﹐因歌影雙棲星運竄紅﹐漸漸和男主角一条輝距離拉遠﹐也造就了機會讓一条輝和早瀨未沙消除芥蒂﹐加深了解。 《小白竜》是一部神怪武俠電影的主題曲﹐異星敵軍曾誤將電影的特技信以為地球人的戰爭紀錄片﹐產生了很多誤會﹐也使敵軍艦隊火速立下消滅地球的決定。這首歌曲雖然是典型的J-pop﹐弦樂編排巧妙地流露了中華色彩﹐小白龍三字也由國語拼音唱出。一如《Sunset Beach》﹐《小白竜》夾雜了很多日式的英文﹐其中一句: 小白竜 is a very messiah﹐初次接觸時聽得我莫名其妙。
隨著故事發展﹐明美也漸趨成熟﹐這一點很明顯地從她的音樂反映出來。《シルバームーン・レッドムーン (Silver Moon, Red Moon)》是一首帶有輕爵士風格的抒情歌曲﹐雖然明美的歌聲依然甜美﹐然而帶出了一點優皮的感覺﹐像杯香濃的咖啡﹐不再是少女的口香糖。
我們這六名一起唸碩士的同學﹐轉瞬間已孕育了十四年的友情。從日以繼夜地應付考試論文到現在為了五斗米折腰在辦公室裡做牛又做馬﹔從瀟灑單身男女到現在下一代合共八名小孩子鬧在一團唯恐天下不亂……這十多年來的路程上一直相互扶持﹐活過哭過發生過數之不盡的插曲。數星期前﹐接到好消息﹐閨密 U 的夢想終於成真。幾經過關斬將﹐U 終被任命﹐成為楓葉國駐歐盟首都布魯塞爾的參贊﹐職務為期四年。我們這班識於微時的朋友當然雀躍不已。星期六﹐我們應邀到 CK 位於魁省的度假物業﹐除了特別為U 舉行慶祝賤別派對﹐也好讓舊同學乘機聚舊一番。
說起周末晚上的聚會﹐因為貪圖方便﹐我弄了一大盤干燒青口作為頭盤。不說不知﹐原來 U 一輩子都沒有嚐過青口。雖然 U 對於飲食不大抱有冒險精神﹐然而她堅持一試我的手藝﹐除了看在十多年的友情之上﹐也因一款布魯塞爾的地道美食赫然正是青口薯條 (moules frites) ﹐是以甘願一試。於是我和CK 即席教授嚥啖青口的程序。U 果然如脫胎換骨﹐瞬即克服了這種貝類海產赤裸的賣相﹐盡情地享受﹐彷彿一切注滿了新的開始。
