It is a fool’s errand to find a needle in a haystack. Even though it is a fool’s errand, I will today embark on (start) finding a needle in a haystack. I hope readers can help me find the needle I am looking for in a haystack. The expression “fool’s errand” means trying to do something that is almost certain to fail. The expression “needle in a haystack” means trying to find someone or something that is almost impossible to find. A needle is a thin metal pin used for sewing. The word “hay” means grass that has been cut and dried. A haystack is a large pile of hay. If you drop a needle into a haystack, it would be very difficult to find.
That’s why “needle in a haystack” means someone or something that is impossible to find. The needle in a haystack I am trying to find is a teenage girl protester I met when I was covering the protests on October 1. It is a fool’s errand but I really hope I can find her. There was a lot of police teargas on October 1. Some protesters without gasmasks took shelter in a coffee shop near Wanchai. I joined them because I also did not have a gasmask even though I was at the protests as a freelance journalist. The young girl berated (angrily criticized) me, saying TVB had unfair coverage. I explained to her I was a freelance journalist and my TVB shows are always balanced.
She agreed and said even though I have TVB shows she would help me. She sprayed sterile wash into my eyes to ease my pain from the teargas. Then she gave me a wet paper towel to clean my face even though her own face was filled with tears from the teargas. It made me want to cry. Her kindness confirmed what I already knew. Most of these youngster are not bad people. I want to find her to thank her again for her kindness. It is finding a needle in a haystack. I hope readers can help.
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要大海撈針（needle in a haystack），實在是徒勞無功的事（fool’s errand）。但即使是白忙一場（fool’s errand），我今天仍要着手（embark on）在乾草堆裏尋針（finding a needle in a haystack）。我希望讀者們可以幫我在一堆乾草堆（haystack）中去找找我在尋覓的那根針（needle）。習語 fool’s errand意即去做一些差不多注定會失敗的事情。習語 needle in a haystack 就是去尋找某人或某事，但找到的機會很渺茫。A needle就是縫紉用的針；hay就是乾草，而 haystack就是一大堆乾草。若你掉了一根針（needle）在乾草堆（haystack）裡，那就如大海撈針一樣的難找。
因此 needle in a haystack意即近乎不會找到的人或物。我要在大海撈的那根針（needle in a haystack）就是我在十月一日報道示威活動時遇見的一位少女。雖會是白忙一場（fool’s errand），但我真的很希望可以找到她。十月一日當天警方發放了許多催淚彈。一些沒有防毒面罩的示威者在灣仔附近一間咖啡室避難。我跟他們在一起，因為我也沒有防毒面罩，即使我是以獨立記者的身份身處示威現場。那位少女斥責（berated）我，說無線的報道偏頗。我跟她解釋說，我是獨立記者，而我的無線節目總是持平的。
她同意並說，即使我有主持無線的節目，她仍然會幫助我。她給我的眼睛噴了些無菌生理鹽水，以減輕催淚煙給我帶來的痛楚。然後她給了我一張濕紙巾抹面，即使她自己也因催淚煙而滿臉是淚水。這令我很想哭。她的善意證實了我一直也知道的事。這些年輕人大部份都不是壞人。我想再找到她，為着她對我的幫助再次感謝她。這就如大海撈針（needle in a haystack）。我希望讀者可以幫忙。
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
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