又中又英｜Let your hair down

Before I gave up my newspaper columns and TV shows in 2021 to return to the US, I was often invited to the annual News Executives\' Association (NEA) dinner. Companies sponsor tables and invite guests. Those who attend include top government officials, media editors, and public relations people. It is a time when government officials let their hair down. To let your hair down means to relax and enjoy yourself. They joke, laugh, and sing with the media. Conversations are off the record, which means the media cannot report what is said.

The NEA dinner is a bit like the annual White House Correspondents’ dinner in Washington DC, which raises scholarship funds for journalism students. It is organized by journalists who cover the White House and the US president. The president traditionally attends and gives a speech. Movers and shakers are invited. Movers and shakers are powerful and influential people such as politicians and movie stars. The president and those invited to speak joke about themselves and other important people. I am visiting Hong Kong and was invited to last week’s NEA dinner. The Chief Executive, Chief Secretary, and Financial Secretary attended.

Many of my media friends also attended. I had a great time drinking wine and catching up with them. Some friends thought I had settled in London, Canada, or New York when I left in 2021. I have never lived long-term in those places! I lived long-term in Washington DC in the early 1990s and Seattle in the late 1990s. I stayed short-term with relatives in many US cities when I left in 2021. I need to find a permanent US home when I leave Hong Kong soon.

2021年我放弃我的报章专栏和电视节目主持工作，回到美国之前，我就不时获邀参加新闻行政人员协会的晚宴。晚宴会有公司赞助餐桌及邀请宾客。出席晚宴的人包括政府高官、传媒编辑以及公关人士。这是让政府官员let their hair down的时候——to let your hair down是指好好放松，尽情享受。他们会跟传媒朋友开玩笑、嬉笑和唱歌。对话都是off the record，意即传媒不能报道对话的内容。

新闻行政人员协会的晚宴有点像华盛顿特区那个白宫记者协会的晚宴，后者会为新闻系学生募捐奖学金。它是由报道白宫及美国总统新闻的新闻工作者所筹划的。传统上总统都会出席及发表演说。晚宴会邀请movers and shakers——movers and shakers即达官贵人，就是举足轻重、有号召力的人，例如政客和电影明星。获邀出席的总统和宾客，会拿自己及其他重要人士开玩笑。我正旅港，亦受邀参与上星期新闻行政人员协会的晚宴。当晚行政长官、政务司司长以及财政司司长均有出席。

有许多我的传媒朋友亦有出席。我过了很棒的一夜，跟他们喝酒，聊聊近况。一些朋友以为我2021年离开时，会于伦敦、加拿大或纽约安顿下来。我从未试过在那些地方长居！我在1990年代早期于华盛顿特区住过一段长时间，及于九零年代晚期长住西雅图。2021年离港后，我在美国许多城市暂居各亲戚的家中。我很快便要离开香港了，这次我需要在美国找一个长远的居所。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻