It was only a brief one and a half months before I flew out of Australia again shortly after the turn of the new year and went back to my old lab in Munich for a couple of weeks of work. Before I knew it, now I am back in Melbourne.
返歸澳洲才一個半月，新年伊始，我又再次從地球一角的澳洲飛往另一角的德國，回到我在慕尼黑的實驗室公幹兩週，現在終於返回墨爾本了。
I saw the four seasons come and gone in two months instead of the normal full year, albeit in a rather unusual sequence. The brilliant golden brown of autumn changed abruptly to the lush green of spring. Then after a few sizzling summer days, I had to acclimatise to the coolish winter days of Hong Kong and the icy snowy days of Munich. Fortunately it wasn’t too unbearable in Munich and I coped rather well even with the last couple of days there when it was also the coldest.
一年四季，完全濃縮在短短兩個月，金黃的深秋一下子變成綠油油的春天，經歷過幾個大暑天後轉瞬是香港清涼的冬天和慕尼黑冰天雪地，可幸還不是太冷，臨離開慕尼黑最冷的兩天也總算頂得住。
Pretty snow scenery near my institute in Munich (left) and the town of Geislingen an der Steige (right) en route from Munich to Frankfurt Airport by train
在慕尼黑的研究所附近（左）和坐火車由慕尼黑往法蘭克福機場途經Geislingen an der Steige（右）時的雪景
I never expected that I would return to Munich so quickly. Neither did my friends over there, and one of them joked that I didn’t seem to have left Munich in the first place! When I told my Dutchie Buddy that I was packing up for the trip, his response was: haven’t you just unpacked? I had a rather rushed trip to Hong Kong and Munich. But I am lucky that I rarely suffer from jetlag and I tend to adjust quite quickly to a new destination. A guy in Munich, however, reminded me that I might start to suffer from a permanent jetlag if I fly around too often! (Well, this is the first time I got sent on work trips at such a short interval.)
我沒想到這麼快又回到慕尼黑，那裡有個朋友打趣說我根本沒離開過，我告訴荷蘭朋友我要收拾行李往德國時，他的反應是：你不是剛剛才卸下行裝嗎？短短時間先後匆匆到過香港和慕尼黑，幸好我一向甚少受時差影響，一下機精神很快便恢複，不過有人開玩笑說，你這樣頻密飛行，其實可能早已有永久性時差影響（permanent jetlag）呢。（不過我也祇是這次才如此頻密出差的！）
This work trip has certainly been worthwhile for progress on my project, and I was also glad that I came in time to bid farewell to a few friends and colleagues. I couldn’t believe that, on my last day at work in Munich, I had to say goodbye to three colleagues in the lab and another friend who has decided to return to the UK for a new job. On the other hand, it was also a trip of reunions and meeting new people. I met up with a couple of old friends in Munich, and made some new friends at a farewell dinner. But the most amazing thing was, when I was in Hong Kong after Munich, I managed to have a reunion with three other Hong Kongers whom I knew from my old days in Munich! Two of us and I went our separate ways from Munich while one continued to live there. Who would have thought that we all happen to be in our home town at the same time!
這次出差固然有工作成果，而我也慶幸來得及時，給好幾個朋友和同事說再見，最誇張是我上班最後一天，便跟三個實驗室同袍和一個要返回英國的朋友道別！我也有幸與好幾個舊雨相聚，在歡送另一個朋友時認識了幾個在慕尼黑的研究所工作的人，最難能可貴的是，公幹後回香港時竟然可以和三個在慕尼黑認識的香港朋友聚首一堂！我和兩個離開慕尼黑後都去了不同的地方，另一個仍在那裡定居，我們四個能同時在香港，可真機緣巧合。
Food - an essential ingredient to all kinds of gatherings! 各種聚會，總離不開食！
I always have this picture in mind that Munich is like a snooker table where everyone that I’ve met was at first happily in one place like the red balls, but then a white ball would mercilessly come our way and forcibly smash everything apart. Munich is to many of us, myself included, a transit point to a further destination in life or a stepping stone in our career paths. The lab where I worked (and where I continue to visit for my work trips) was in particular a revolving door for scientists as very few would end up staying there and there would always be fresh blood replacing the old. I can’t ask the clock to rewind, and memories aren’t meant to be re-enacted. Opportunities to meet old friends are not necessarily easy to come by, but I know such moments should be seized and much treasured when they’re there.
我時常覺得，我和在慕尼黑認識的人，就好像英式桌球的紅球一樣，開始時還是在一起，但後來不知怎樣，被人一棍無情的白球打得各散東西。慕尼黑這個地方對很多人（包括我在內）來說，祇是人生的一個中轉站、或是踏腳石，過了一段時間大家又再各奔前程，尤其是那家研究所更是個走馬花燈，舊的一批早晚也會離開，但總會有新血補充。天下無不散之筵席，過往和這些朋友相處的開心日子不可能復返，祇可讓其成為自己回憶的一部份吧，所以他日若有機會與他們重聚的話，可得好好珍惜、把握了。
返歸澳洲才一個半月，新年伊始，我又再次從地球一角的澳洲飛往另一角的德國，回到我在慕尼黑的實驗室公幹兩週，現在終於返回墨爾本了。
I saw the four seasons come and gone in two months instead of the normal full year, albeit in a rather unusual sequence. The brilliant golden brown of autumn changed abruptly to the lush green of spring. Then after a few sizzling summer days, I had to acclimatise to the coolish winter days of Hong Kong and the icy snowy days of Munich. Fortunately it wasn’t too unbearable in Munich and I coped rather well even with the last couple of days there when it was also the coldest.
一年四季，完全濃縮在短短兩個月，金黃的深秋一下子變成綠油油的春天，經歷過幾個大暑天後轉瞬是香港清涼的冬天和慕尼黑冰天雪地，可幸還不是太冷，臨離開慕尼黑最冷的兩天也總算頂得住。
Pretty snow scenery near my institute in Munich (left) and the town of Geislingen an der Steige (right) en route from Munich to Frankfurt Airport by train
在慕尼黑的研究所附近（左）和坐火車由慕尼黑往法蘭克福機場途經Geislingen an der Steige（右）時的雪景
I never expected that I would return to Munich so quickly. Neither did my friends over there, and one of them joked that I didn’t seem to have left Munich in the first place! When I told my Dutchie Buddy that I was packing up for the trip, his response was: haven’t you just unpacked? I had a rather rushed trip to Hong Kong and Munich. But I am lucky that I rarely suffer from jetlag and I tend to adjust quite quickly to a new destination. A guy in Munich, however, reminded me that I might start to suffer from a permanent jetlag if I fly around too often! (Well, this is the first time I got sent on work trips at such a short interval.)
我沒想到這麼快又回到慕尼黑，那裡有個朋友打趣說我根本沒離開過，我告訴荷蘭朋友我要收拾行李往德國時，他的反應是：你不是剛剛才卸下行裝嗎？短短時間先後匆匆到過香港和慕尼黑，幸好我一向甚少受時差影響，一下機精神很快便恢複，不過有人開玩笑說，你這樣頻密飛行，其實可能早已有永久性時差影響（permanent jetlag）呢。（不過我也祇是這次才如此頻密出差的！）
This work trip has certainly been worthwhile for progress on my project, and I was also glad that I came in time to bid farewell to a few friends and colleagues. I couldn’t believe that, on my last day at work in Munich, I had to say goodbye to three colleagues in the lab and another friend who has decided to return to the UK for a new job. On the other hand, it was also a trip of reunions and meeting new people. I met up with a couple of old friends in Munich, and made some new friends at a farewell dinner. But the most amazing thing was, when I was in Hong Kong after Munich, I managed to have a reunion with three other Hong Kongers whom I knew from my old days in Munich! Two of us and I went our separate ways from Munich while one continued to live there. Who would have thought that we all happen to be in our home town at the same time!
這次出差固然有工作成果，而我也慶幸來得及時，給好幾個朋友和同事說再見，最誇張是我上班最後一天，便跟三個實驗室同袍和一個要返回英國的朋友道別！我也有幸與好幾個舊雨相聚，在歡送另一個朋友時認識了幾個在慕尼黑的研究所工作的人，最難能可貴的是，公幹後回香港時竟然可以和三個在慕尼黑認識的香港朋友聚首一堂！我和兩個離開慕尼黑後都去了不同的地方，另一個仍在那裡定居，我們四個能同時在香港，可真機緣巧合。
Food - an essential ingredient to all kinds of gatherings! 各種聚會，總離不開食！
I always have this picture in mind that Munich is like a snooker table where everyone that I’ve met was at first happily in one place like the red balls, but then a white ball would mercilessly come our way and forcibly smash everything apart. Munich is to many of us, myself included, a transit point to a further destination in life or a stepping stone in our career paths. The lab where I worked (and where I continue to visit for my work trips) was in particular a revolving door for scientists as very few would end up staying there and there would always be fresh blood replacing the old. I can’t ask the clock to rewind, and memories aren’t meant to be re-enacted. Opportunities to meet old friends are not necessarily easy to come by, but I know such moments should be seized and much treasured when they’re there.
我時常覺得，我和在慕尼黑認識的人，就好像英式桌球的紅球一樣，開始時還是在一起，但後來不知怎樣，被人一棍無情的白球打得各散東西。慕尼黑這個地方對很多人（包括我在內）來說，祇是人生的一個中轉站、或是踏腳石，過了一段時間大家又再各奔前程，尤其是那家研究所更是個走馬花燈，舊的一批早晚也會離開，但總會有新血補充。天下無不散之筵席，過往和這些朋友相處的開心日子不可能復返，祇可讓其成為自己回憶的一部份吧，所以他日若有機會與他們重聚的話，可得好好珍惜、把握了。
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