2016-07-07

【Aiden in English】

        Today starts the final stretch of our journey. The cruise on the Regal Princess is over, but no worries. Our trip will continue across the English Isles with Kirkwall on the Caribbean Princess. I've mentioned before that this ship was built in 2006, appears to be new, but is actually quite old. While Momom is usually the organized person, the transformation from one boat to the next is very different. 

        Being different is not always a good thing. The newest ship in the Princess fleet boasts a wide range of modern technology. From the smart TVs in each room to the automatic doors at every exit, and even the fashionable buttons on the elevators, you can't help but notice the terrible conditions the Caribbean seems to be in. Walking along the cabin corridors, the lighting was considerably dimmer. Not to sound like a kid, but the halls resembled the scary hotel horror movies, and the bobbing ship wasn't helping. 

        The second notable change would be the quality of the rooms. The most prominent difference is probably the bathroom, but I won't talk about the features of a toilet seat. Going outside of private areas, the buffet also has a significant change. On the Regal Princess, eating at the buffet offered a vast selection, but the downside was the annoying, oily, combined smell of every significant food style packed into a single room. Indian curry mixed with the smell of fried meat is quite unsettling. The Caribbean is half the size, yet it still retains the same scent. And finally, the worst changes occur in the worst spot: the basketball court is located on the ship. 

        On the Regal Princess, I never went to the teens' club. Not that it wasn't fun, but some events… weren't fun. Having a fixed schedule with events that must occur is so restrictive, often resulting in annoying consequences for uncooperative kids. It feels like school, where petty things such as "no bragging," "no potty language," "no budging," "no trash-talking," "ladies first," "listen," and "one person talking at a time," and "no stating that you are better even though everyone knows that you are" matter. I'm sure most of you understand the feeling of having to do things with your "friends." 

        Bonds are often formed on the court and in competition, where people share a common goal of reaching the top. Additionally, no one needs to know who's better than whom, as it can be easily proven. To reiterate my point, the court in the Caribbean has shrunk significantly. The Regal Princess has a nearly half-court-sized area for basketball, and this ship has a quarter-court-sized area. The floor is also a dull reddish-brown, cracked from years of wear. The Regal has a nice, water-repellent surface and non-slippery gripping. 

        The balls still have a slightly sticky feel in the Caribbean, but that is all thrown out the window. These balls have a white dust coat, which provides nearly no grip, making it extremely difficult to perform any backspin or quick pull-up. Movement is strictly limited in how a crossover can break your and your opponent's ankles. With these conditions, most big men get an advantage. Then again, the small court means short shots, which means easy jump shots. 

        I guess that's how this cruise is going to be. I'll have to see the silver lining in every event to make it more exciting. The small court lets shots fall in more often. The buffet, however small, makes us eat less. And the bathroom… well, I'm still not going to talk about that.

【紅霞譯】

        今天打響了我們暑期旅遊下半部分第一槍，前一個“公主·帝王號”遊輪已完成使命，但不必擔心， 後一個“公主·加勒比海號”馬上帶我們乘風破浪穿越英倫三島直奔海豹群島教堂牆城。正如以前曾經說過，“加勒比海號”建造於2006年，表面上看起來挺新，實際上卻很舊，通常媽媽主管出遊企劃，這回竟信手拈來兩艘年頭相去甚遠的遊輪。

        看來獨到個色並非都是好事，最近下水的“帝王號”公主遊輪擁有裝備精良高新現代科技，不但每個房間配置智能電視，而且進出大門全用自動控制，就連電梯裡的按鈕也安得花里胡哨；相形之下，“加勒比海號” 簡直老掉了牙，樓道燈光昏暗低迷，咱絕非以孩子口吻發牢騷，其主廳宛如恐怖電影裡陰森可怕的旅館，船身甲板也推波助瀾上下忽悠。

        另一個明顯區別就是房間質量，主要表現在浴室陳設，但這裡我暫且不談馬桶座位功用問題。走出私人住所，自助餐同樣有很大不同：“帝王號”飯菜品種繁多，不過世事均有正反兩面，各國料理競相出爐，甜鹹苦酸鮮五味再濃也抵不過油膩味刺鼻，印度咖喱飯彌散着油炸肉香的芬芳，讓人真不知道該吃什麼風味是好；“加勒比海號”面積僅有“帝王號”一半大小，而氣味有過之而無不及，末了我不得不指出，最糟糕的地方恐怕非籃球場所在的船尾莫屬。

        在剛剛過去的“帝王號”上，我從未參加青少年俱樂部，倒不是說活動中心無聊透頂，但有些項目……確實沒啥意思，問題在於活動時間呆板，遇到不屑合作的夥伴更招人心煩，感覺好像又回到了學校，跟“哥們”“不吹牛”“不使用下流語言”“不做小動作”“不講髒話”“女士優先”“聽話”“別人說話不能插嘴”“即使你有能耐也不能表現出來”等規矩在這裡同樣適用，我相信多數人感同身受。

        這麼一來我跟同伴接觸最多的地方不是球場就是賽場，彼此純粹為了共同目標走到一起，沒人需要了解你的經歷背景，只有實戰才是檢驗球技水平的試金石。繼續上面我所談及的話題，“加勒比海號”球場小得可憐，如果說前者籃球場有實際場地一半那麼大，那麼後者充其量僅有四分之一而已。“加勒比海號”紅褐色地板實在不敢恭維，經年使用早已磨損得裂紋斑斑；“帝王號”質地講究，再加上表面防水，走在上面絲毫沒有打滑的感覺。

        “加勒比海號”球面比較粘手，這點瑕疵均倒算不上什麼，不過球外表覆蓋了白花花的灰塵，想要用手抓球、做後旋球、快速上拉投籃比登天還難，轉動移位也極受限制，交叉跑跳快速過人不僅會讓自己腳踝受傷而且還殃及隊友。在這種情況下，個子高的球員占盡了便宜；與此同時，由於空間狹小，我們只能採用短距離投籃，跳投已不成問題。

        我想既然“加勒比海號”遊輪條件有限，本人只能自得其樂：球場雖小但投籃命中率高；自助餐花樣不多，正好大家吃得也少；而對於浴室……哦，我沒必要小題大做。

Today in History(歷史上的今天):

2016: British Isles via Kirkwall, UK(出遊英國·途徑教堂牆城環遊英倫三島)

2014: First Day of YMCA Soccer Camp(基督教青年會營足球營第一天)

2012: Stage Taste(演戲興趣)

2011: Drama-Sports Camp-3(文體營之三)

2011: 業餘活動(Extracurricular Activities)

2010: 討價還價外傳(Another Bargain)

Piazza Atrium of Regal Princess

(“公主·帝王”號遊輪——廣場大廳 07-05-2016)

Sports Deck @ Caribbean Princess

(“公主·加勒比海”號遊輪——運動甲板 07-07-2016)

Caribbean Princess_Sports Deck

(“公主·加勒比海”號遊輪——運動甲板 07-07-2016)

Guitar & Vocal Entertainers @ Caribbean Princess 

(“公主·加勒比海”號遊輪——吉他和聲樂藝人)

Vocal Entertainer Jumari @ Caribbean Princess

(“公主·加勒比海”號遊輪——聲樂藝人朱瑪麗“美麗”)

Chili Lime & Cumin Marinated Skirt Steak Fajitas

(辣酸橙與小茴香醃製的牛排肉絲蔬菜玉米卷餅)

Crosslinks(相關博文):

UK(出遊英國)

Europe(歐洲掠影)

7th Grade(初中二年級)