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Showing posts from 2006

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

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What have you received from Santa Claus this Christmas? Thank you very much, Santa Claus. I am really a good man. X'mas is not the time to cut a turkey with a hotel's knife, not the time to watch worse and worse harbour's lights, not the time to have one night stand plus sexual bite, but the time to stay at home with your family, the invaluable present of your life.

Die Kunst des stilvollen Verarmens

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因為可能受到Kathy瘋狂的感染,所以我近日也愛上陳奕迅的歌,其中一首名為 《富士山下》 更成為我「唱K飲歌」。當中歌詞的一句,「要擁有必先懂失去怎接受」,則教我想起Venus推薦的一本書《窮得有品味》(German: Die Kunst des stilvollen Verarmens, von Alexander von Schönburg)。不知何故,逛過各大書店,我也找不到這本書,連遠在香港藝術中心的阿麥書房也不放過。幸得超級大書迷Coco指點,我終於在銅鑼灣的開益書局買到了。繼續下文之前,讓我在此向以上三位美少女說聲謝。 言歸正傳,為什麼要看這本書?幻想自己化身為粉紅救兵五人組(English: Fab Five)?如果你真的這般想,你便一定要看這本書了,因為你將會給作者當頭捧喝!簡單來說,我們大部份人都會「一世無運行」(See details in The World Is Flat or Why We Want You to be Rich ),既然註定變窮,那得學會如何窮得有品味。 如何窮得有品味,詳情當然要親自看書吧。不過總括來說,作者以自身的經驗,從事業,住宿,飲食,健康,交通,旅遊,衣著,藝術,育兒與購物的環節,來重新定義「品味」一詞。該書教導讀者應該擺脫傳媒灌輸的所謂品味,其實庸俗不堪的觀念,並學習及教導下一代培養獨立思考與批判能力。品味不是人云亦云,隨波逐流,也不是刻意苦行,矯柔造作,而是三省吾身,求之於己,取道中庸。 我相信,這本書不會適合大部份香港人。他們之所以追求品味,便是為了獲得外人認同,自己或下一代真正的感受和幸福反而其次,而且還會極力壓抑。不高薪的工作,不做;不升值的單位,不住;不貴價的酒餚,不吃;不英姿的運動,不做;沒有寶馬的男人,不嫁;沒有度假的人,不談;沒有名牌的衣服,不穿;沒有成名的藝術,不看;沒有廣告的產品,不買。由此可見,在這個高舉金錢萬能的彈丸之地,追逐潮流才是他們的品味,逆之則為土氣,對該書的忠言或會嗤之以鼻,棄之如敝屣。 無它,追逐海市蜃樓,最終虛脫而斃,也不明原委哉。

Snowflake

曲名:雪の華 作詞:Satomi  作曲:松本良喜 編曲:坂本昌之 歌手:中島美嘉 歌詞: のびた 人陰 を 舗道 に ならべ nobita kage wo hodou ni narabe 夕闇 の なか を 君 と 歩いてる yuuyami no naka wo kimi to aruiteru 手 を 繋いで いつまでも ずっと te wo tsunaide itsumademo zutto そば に いれた なら soba ni ireta nara 泣けちゃう くらい nakechau kurai 風 が 冷たく なって kaze ga tsumetaku natte 冬 の 匂い が した fuyu no nioi ga shita そろそろ この 街 に sorosoro kono machi ni 君 と 近付ける 季節 が くる kimi to chikazukeru kisetsu ga kuru ※今年、 最初 の 雪 の 華 を kotoshi, saisho no yuki no hana wo 2人 寄り添って futari yorisotte 眺めて いる この 時間 に nagamete iru kono toki ni シアワセ が あふれだす※ shiawase ga afuredasu 甘え とか 弱さ じゃ ない amae toka yowasa ja nai ただ、君 を 愛 してる tada, kimi wo ai shiteru 心 から そう 思った kokoro kara sou omotta 君 が いる と どんな こと でも kimi ga iru to donna koto demo 乗りきれる よう な 気持ち に なってる norikireru you na kimochi ni natteru こんな 日々 が いつまでも きっと konna hibi ga itsumademo kitto 続いてく こと を 祈って いる よ tsuzuiteku koto wo inotte iru yo 風 が 窓 を 揺らした kaze ga mado wo yurashita 夜 は 揺り起こして yoru wa yuriokoshite どんな 悲しい こと も donna kanashii koto mo

Hong Kong Heritage Museum

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Because of my sister's History project, she and I went to Hong Kong Heritage Museum , a huge building opposite to Che Kung Temple KCR Station, in Shatin yesterday. I was surprised by the size of the museum when I arrived. It contains three floors. Each floor's height is up to several meters so that it can allow some huge exhibition such as a fishing boat. In addition to gallery rooms, stairs, leisure areas and a courtyard are very large. The large space provides relaxing atmosphere to visitors. Our target was a thematic exhibition called Hong Kong's Popular Entertainment. In this exhibition, a museum expert advisor led us to visit the gallery with full explanation. At the end of the tour, he raised a question for us to think ourselves: Under the impact of the Internet technology, how can we balance between our private time and interpersonal relations? He was really professional with good manner. With the above satisfactory equipment and service, the admission fee is just HK

Lost in Central

昨夜,因為陪伴友人尋找亞洲太平洋中心之所在,所以我可以重遊中環的橫街窄巷。一方面沒有大廈地址,另一方面手上只有一幅墨水化開的地圖,我心裡確實沒有把握。我們圍著在一幢燈火通明,外牆是落地玻璃的大廈徘徊,嘗試在附近尋找「亞洲太平洋」五個我覺得很土的字。 後來我在那幢玻璃大廈門前遇到一個「西裝友」,我便上前詢問: 「不好意思,請問亞洲太平洋中心在哪兒?」 「我也不清楚。」他回答後便匆匆地走了。 當我們有點感到懊惱,我便問問友人有沒有確切地址,試圖順著街號搜索。 「雲咸街八號」 我不期然抬頭一瞥,那幢玻璃大廈高處掛了一個有半個人高的8字號牌,號牌下面則刻了WYNDHAM STREET。那麼遠,原來,這麼近。 任務完成。友人走進大廈,我則趁機漫步中環百年街道。離開了雲咸街,走進蘭桂坊。因為我不想在酒吧流連,所以選擇了三聯書店。無意間我拾起一本書,名為《迷失中環》。方卓如先生又出版了新書?其實那本書是結集他在《信報》專欄《國金外望》的文章,並輯錄其網誌讀者的留言。好奇之下,我把那本書從頭到尾翻開看看,看看自己的留言有沒有被輯錄。縱使大海撈針,然而自己教人半懂不懂的文字總是與眾不同,一眼便看出。在網誌上,我的名字叫做「匿名者」。 在書店逛了約一個小時,還是找不到心中的那本書。從地底的書店走上地面繁華的街道,我感到有點兒不習慣。因而我不期然抬頭,瞥見遠方有一個燈光暗淡的大招牌,朦朧地亮著「陸羽茶室」四字。也許那朦朧的霓虹燈光,也許陸羽茶室那古意盎然的四個字,我也不知道什麼理由,也不去深究,徑自穿過陰陰沉沉,污水四賤的士丹利街,走到陸羽茶室的門前馬路正對面。 雖然茶室的外牆都綁紮著竹棚和尼龍網,但是相比四周已經關燈關門的店舖,依然掩蓋不了她本身華麗的氣質。不論是被網掩蓋的外牆雕刻和花盆,或是隔著玻璃門看到內部的裝飾擺設,都散發著勾起人們昔日回憶的古典韻味。在門前有一位包裹著頭的印巴藉男士站駐,負責接待客人,那種情景在香港已經很少見了。 當我細嚼其古典韻味的時候,那名印巴藉男士開門恭迎幾位說日語的女生,她們笑語盈盈走進茶室裡去。 「笑語盈盈暗香去」 我想:眾裡尋路千百度,驀然回首,誰人還在,燈火闌珊處?

I want us to be rich

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I found two interesting books when I walked by a bookstore in today's lunch hour. One is titled "Why We Want You to be Rich: Two Men - One Message", by Donald Trump and Robert T. Kiyosaki. The former author is the host of The Apprentice and the latter is the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad. Despite I don't expect any breakthrough in the book but summary of their previous points, two different writing styles meeting each other will be quite funny. Supposing you had read the book and understood the importance of being entrepreneurs and investors, what would you do next? Start your business. Staring a business is no longer difficult nowadays because of advanced Information Technology in Information Age. You can start an online shop with thousands visitors in Yahoo! site. Yet it will be a different story from traditional businesses and we haven't any course YAH001 in University. Therefore this dummy book "Starting a Yahoo! Business for Dummies" can be a good sta

Magician in Temple Street

My friends and I walked through Temple Street (Chinese: 廟街) tonight. We found a counter of a magician. We stopped and watched his performance. His performance was amazing and his saying was funny. His presentation was persuasive overall. Therefore, my friends bought a set of his magic tools. I was thinking about a question after the performance. Why could such skillful young man with great sales skill only sell such economic products in such dark lanes at night? In contrast, why does some relatively less qualified people still sit at office thousands meters over Victoria Harbour?

Tales from Earthsea

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Recommendation: please read the original novel series Earthsea before you watch the movie (Japanese: ゲド戦記, meaning the Story of Ged's Battles), otherwise you'd sleep very well in the cinema. I left some comment about this movie in other blogs , here is its English translation: I don't think that the problem of the movie is the fault of the plot, because the director Goro Miyazaki (Japanese: 宮崎吾朗) is not the author of the novel and the novel is an award-winning piece. The problem is that he selected a wrong media to express his own vision. First of all, the novel is not popular in Chinese society. Few people would spend hours to finish the books before watching the movie. The director selected to start the movie by the third book of the series, however. It would make audiences lose their way. This is because much background information has been described in previous book, say Tenar's experience in The Tombs of Atuan. Unlike his father Hayao Miyazaki (Japanese: 宮崎駿) as t

A Force More Powerful

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Video games are funny. Either the youth or the adult can be possibly addicted to video games. So it obviously seems an effective channel of instilling some idea into players. How about the idea of paralyzing a government? No kidding, it is serious. A Force More Powerful (AFMP), an award winning documentary tracing the history of Nonviolent Conflicts around the world, leads a video game with the same name. AFMP is a simulation game that teaches the strategy of Nonviolent Conflict. There are a dozen of scenarios inspired by recent history, such as conflicts against dictators, occupiers, colonizers and corrupt regimes, as well as struggles to secure the political and human rights of ethnic and racial minorities and women. The producer claims that AFMP is the first game to teach the waging of conflict using nonviolent methods. The game will also educate the media and the public on the potential of nonviolent action and serve as a simulation tool for academic studies of nonviolent resistanc

Rob-B-Hood

古人言蒙一飯之恩尚殺身為報(薛仁貴征遼事略),今人一戲之恩當何以報? *** 有人曾說:「看完 寶貝計劃 之後,我覺得成龍做主角先扣分,BB做戲再扣,不知什麼料子的TRAILER又扣的情況下,竟然還覺得好好看,而且我是真心地覺得!」 這類溫情喜戲確實一如既往,too simple,sometimes naive,說的不外乎「為人子,止於孝;為人父,止於慈」的道理。然而,何其simple,何其naive的事情,問誰有能做到?

Seasons In The Sun

Call me back when you go back home, my friend. U: Who treats you best? I: I don't know. U: So no one is your best friend. I: My best friends are not necessarily those who treat me best... U: Who? I: But those whom I treat best. U: Your theory is always strange. I: Love is unconditional. Your friendship is dependent to yourself instead of others. Your life is managed by yourself instead of others. U: No one understands you. I: It isn't worst. The worst is that you do not understand yourself.

Value

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How much is a diamond as jewelry? Priceless. How much is a cup of water as life necessity? Free. How much am I as unique in the world? Who care. The solution of Diarrhea is simply a mixture of salt, sugar and water. Yet Diarrhea is the second top killer against children under five in the world. We pour our money and concern on some issues that are apparently close to us or idols whom we are crazy about. Meanwhile we ignore something worse hidden in a dark corner. When we sit in a room with air-conditioner to enjoy warm sunbath, it is time to think about what is the value of a life in the land far far away from us. It is also priceless, not free and whom we should care.

The Mid-Autumn Festival

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(Thank Jackie for taking this photo of the moon) 明月夜,短松崗

My YTD Book List

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I went to Commercial Press (Chinese: 商務印書館) bookstore in Tsim Sha Tsui because I missed a bus last night. I attended a seminar of Leung Man Tao (Chinese: 梁文道) held in the bookstore. The seminar's topic was "Whether there is any method of Reading?" (Chinese: 讀書有沒有方法?). He said that the reading method of many Hong Kong people was target oriented while he preferred targetless style. Unlike many readers, he enjoyed discovering questions in reading instead of answers. I think my style of travel as well as that of reading is similar to his. Triggered by a simple reason, I picked a book up and continued reading it. It's time to review what I have read for a year. Lettera a una professoressa The book title means "Letter To a Teacher" in Italian. It was authored by a group of students in Barbiana, a rural town of Italy. Leung Man Tao recommended this book, which was authored by students who were entitled as bad students under then education system, to criticize the

Between the Wood and the Water

Last week, I had an individual tour of visiting the Southern Taiwan, including Kaohsiung (Chinese: 高雄), Alishan (Chinese: 阿里山) and Kenting (Chinese: 墾丁). Since I have learnt the difficulty of organizing an individual tour of Taiwan, I would like to share it by authoring a guide of Individual Tour of Kaohsiung, Alishan and Kenting. Please click here to download the guide (Title: 森林と海洋のあいだ). The guide is Chinese only. For non-Chinese readers who are interested, please send me your questions at tekichan@gmail.com . For photos of the tour, please browse the following albums: Vernon's Photo Album of Taiwan Trip My Photo Album - Kaohsiung , Alishan , Kenting PS: Backpackers Forum Post

Fortune

When I passed through a public estate tonight, a glass bottle suddenly dropped down beside me. A body dropped down beside me too about a decade ago. I could witness both accidents and I am fine. It proves that my life is assigned by the heaven, no devil could hurt me. 我命繫於天,惡邪焉能害我哉!

Goin' Home

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Returning Home (Chinese: 陶淵明) by Tao Yuan Ming (Chinese: 歸去來辭) was a mandatory text of Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (Chinese: 香港中學會考). It is supposed that most of teens have memorized that poem, yet a few of them would still remember that after the exam. Even amongst politicians, Hong Kong people who can quote that in their daily life are rare. On the other hand, according to Yomiuri Shimbun (Japanese: 読売新聞), Kawashima Tatsuhiko (Japanese: 川嶋辰彦), the father of Kiko, Princess Akishino (Japanese: 文仁親王妃紀子), quoted a sentence of that poem, "Or sit by a clear river side, Composing poems worthy of my pride." (Japanese: 清流に臨みて詩を賦す, Chinese: 臨清流而賦詩), to express his feeling after his daughter gave birth to a baby boy for the Japanese imperial family. Perhaps he understated a meaning of the quote's successive sentences: "Let me abide by the law of nature to lead a life of nature. Let me submit to the will of Heaven and be content with my fate forever!"

EXIT

曲名:EXIT 作詞:秋元康 作曲:原一博 アーティスト:EXILE 歌詞: 誰にも目指しているゴールがある 初めて会う 新しい自分 ※ You'll find the exit. 悩んでも… You'll find your true love. つらくても… You'll find the exit. あきらめない… You'll find a big dream. いつの日か… ※ 人の群れに流されてる だれもかれも同じ顔で 今いる場所さえわからなくなる そっと 瞳閉じてみれば きっと 風を感じるだろう 今日から明日へ流れてる時間 もしも 君が道を見失ったら 風のEXIT 探せば…ほら △ 誰にも目指しているゴールがある 古い地図は役に立たないのさ 孤独の向こう側で待っているんだ 初めて会う 新しい自分 △ You'll find the exit. あきらめない… You'll find a big dream. いつの日か… 迷い込んだ愛のない街 風は どこへ吹くのだろう 未来は必ずそばで眠る もしも 君が悲しみに遭ったら 風のEXIT 探せば…ほら 誰にも向かってる行き先がある 知らず知らずに 歩き出してるのさ いつでもどこにいてもリセットできる 耳を澄ませば 自分の声がする (△くり返し) (※くり返し) ローマ字: Dare ni mo mezashite iru GOORU ga aru Hajimete au atarashii jibun ※ You'll find the exit. Nayandemo... You'll find your true love. Tsurakutemo... You'll find the exit. Akirame nai... You'll find a big dream. Itsu no hi ka... ※ Hito no mure ni nagasareteru Daremo kare mo onaji kao de Ima iru basho sae wakaranaku naru Sotto hitomi tojite mireba Kitto kaze wo kanjiru darou Kyou kara a

American Dream Visit - Ch4

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四.想念 Think Of Me 「我好掛著你呀(廣府話:我很想念你)。」 當COCO一看見KATHY出閘,便立即上前擁抱著她了,然後偎依一番。多謝JACQUELINE的好友JAMES早上便駕車來接載我們前往LAGUARDIA AIRPORT,等待從ORLANDO前來的KATHY。KATHY因工作關係而幾個月前已經來到美國,所以就算剛剛下機,看來她的精神也不錯。為了爭取時間,當我們在JACQUELINE的家放下行李,便馬上開始新一天的行程。 JACQUELINE首先帶領我們乘地鐵前往位於曼克頓北部的哥倫比亞大學。這個景點原本不是我們計劃行程之內,不過也許知我者的JACQUELINE覺得我會喜歡參觀這個地方吧。真的,哥倫比亞大學真是不可不去。哥倫比亞大學不但是世界頂尖的知名學府,常春藤盟校之一,而且也是最早接受中國留學生的美國大學之一,文化界大師級人馬胡適和蔣夢麟都畢業於該校。徐踏同路,回望前塵;見賢思齊,睹物憶人。 不愧百年老校(1754年成立至今已經不止一百年了),古風依然,從一邊閘門穿過COLLEGE WALK到另一閘門,所到之處,古典建築臨立,尤其是分別屹立在路徑中段兩旁的仿古羅馬建築物 - BUTLER LIBRARY和LOW MEMORIAL LIBRARY(其實是現在大學的行政中心)。在BUTLER LIBRARY的頂樓上刻有古代先哲的名字: Homer, Herodotus, Sophocles, Plato, Aristotle, Demosthenes, Cicero, Vergil 在LOW MEOMRIAL LIBRARY的頂樓上則刻有: King's College Founded in the Province of New York By Royal Charter in the Reign of George II Perpetuated as Columbia College by the People of the State of New York When they became Free and Independent - Maintained and Cherished from Generation to Generation For the Advancement of the Public Good and t

Tomorrow

"Neither we can know nor control tomorrow." my friend said. He said so when we talked about another friend. This man who had been fired by his former company boss, who is struggling for his business, has been promoted to the management level of a corporation. As saying goes, A Blessing in Disguise.

Fat Boys Eat All Day

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My friend DIY some food and invited me to taste it yesterday. Main: Green-Tea-Ice-skin Mooncakes and Pineapple/Strawberry Tarts Dessert: Fruit Tarts Drink: Soy Drink without milk or sugar Her food was delicious, even though it was her first trial. Yet I doubted whether I could Go Down And Eat BreakFast next day.

Shabu Shabu

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A friend plans to visit Taipei, so I introduced her some spots that I had visited in my business trip. A place that I recommended is Guo Shan Shin Jin Du (Chinese: 鍋膳.新京都). This restaurant offers Japanese individual hotpot. There are various foods in menu, such as beef, pork, mutton, seafood and so on. The food is very fresh and highly qualified. After putting a piece of boiled meat into your mouth, you'd find unprecedented enjoyment. You'd never stop ordering once you ate a piece, although the pricing is quite high there. In addition to the food, the service and the environment are excellent. The place is clean and the waiters are warm with good manner. Here is some basic information of the restaurant - Name: Guo Shan Shin Jin Du 鍋膳.新京都 Address: No.3, Lane 9, 27 Lin Yi Street, Taipei City 台北市臨沂街27巷9之3號 (You'd better enter from Lane 134, Zhong Xiao East Road Section Two 忠孝東路二段134巷) Phone: 02-2322-2425 Others: Monday Closed, Priority Seating

Audit Before Fall

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I watched an old VCD last night. This VCD is called Audit Before Fall (Chinese: 秋前算帳). This records a standup comedy performance of Dayo Wong (Chinese: 黃子華) in 1997, just before Hong Kong handover. His standup comedies were full of hard criticism. This one is no exception. He incisively criticized the Chinese Communist Party in this performance. He used his personal story to bring out the idea of boiling a frog. His recent performances become less incisive after the handover, likely because of his career development in the mainland or even because of the China censorship. Anyway, you will find his predictions before the handover have become true. Here are some examples: "Think of danger in safe time" is "Be no more stable". 居安思危... 你地安極有限啦老友 The Individual Visit Scheme 自由行 Even some Gang guys are patriots. 黑社會都有愛國 In addition, he collected many material to support his comedy. They included a book of Scar literature (Chinese: 傷痕文學) and a set of newspaper clippings.

Queen's Pier

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遊艇如鯽,碼頭 眾人忘我。狂歡吧! 明天,妳的風采是否浪漫依然? 今日我都沒有「唉瘋」

LightsOut Hong Kong

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Attention please, attention please. Here is an annoucement for all Hong Kong people. Please turn off lights at your office or home for three minutes at 8pm 8th August to protest against the serious problem of Air Pollution of Hong Kong. Campaign Website: http://lightsout.com.hk/ Dear Chief Executive Donald Tsang, We need your help. When you tolerate the air pollution, you damage your living place. Now the problem gets more serious to damage our tourism and foreign investment. Take action! Demand clean air. Help us stop pollution. Let's terminate it! Best regards, A typical Hong Kong citizen who loves Arnold and Jackie

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

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I watched the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest this evening. It was an exciting movie with sense of humor. My friend complained my laughing was so loud. After I watched the movie, I suddenly felt that I found myself again. Again I realize what I want. What I want is freedom. I love challenges. Adventure is my destiny.

Lunch Hour

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午飯時光 今天天文台懸掛三號「風球」,馬路兩旁的大樹被強風吹得東歪西倒,街上的行人則被傍沱大雨弄得狼狽不堪。這個時候,只有我們四人在車上悠閒地躺在椅上,一邊聽着新城電台財經台,一邊輕談淺笑是與非。 因為「老世」遠行在即,所以借機與部門眾人到灣仔「君悅酒店」午餐聚會。君悅酒店遠離大馬路,地處偏遠,濱臨海港,環境幽靜。當汽車駛至酒店大門,穿得一襲整齊黑色西裝的接待員走上前來,幫老世泊車。而我們則逕自走入酒店大堂。大堂樓底有三至四層樓高,拱頂設計;地面是雲石地板,側旁則有兩支雕欄玉砌的石柱。那個時候大堂沒有什麼客人,只有幾個畢業生般的女生鞠躬歡迎。在潺潺的流水聲伴隨下,我們徐徐走上二樓的咖啡廳。 跟大堂不同,咖啡廳已經差不多坐滿客人。有些客人穿得比較正式,有的則穿著好像是名店出品的休閒服裝。那兒似乎女士比較多,身材略為豐滿,看來像三四十歲,手上總會穿金帶銀。幸好廳內的餐桌相隔甚遠,縱使人多也沒有破壞該處幽雅的氣氛。老世預訂了一張臨近落地玻璃牆面的餐桌。躺在鬆軟的沙發上,可以遠眺停泊在對面尖沙咀的遠洋郵輪。我們輕輕鬆鬆待在室內,冷眼旁觀室外的風吹雨打。 那間咖啡廳是自助餐形式,食物種類卻不多,比較有特色的則有冰鎮蔬菜,自製鵝肝醬和熱情果雪葩;烤羊排也味道濃郁,口感彈牙;而煎魚雖然味香皮脆,但是肉質卻煎得過火。其它菜色也不過是一般貨色,雖然算得上中上水平,但是有點兒襯不上這間酒店的高尚格調。不過食物只是其次,最重要的是我們可以無拘無束地聚首一堂。我們談論的不外乎是食物,電影,旅行,育嬰,樓市,股市,惟一跟工作間有關的只有「人事」。這些都是跟資訊科技毫無關係的事情,儘管我們卻是資訊科技人士. 當侍應端上四杯特濃咖啡,我們面前突然出現了一位獨個兒的年輕小姐。她皮膚黝黑,手腳瘦長,眼睛細細,好像是外國長大的華人女生。她穿著抹胸短裙,令這個老氣橫秋的地方點綴少許春青氣息。我回頭一轉,發現老世已經掏出兩張信用卡,思量使用哪一張結賬。一張是匯豐的白金卡,另一張則是美國運通的黑卡。後者年費達二萬多元,不是一般人可以負擔得來。我的另一個同事見狀便高談闊論他剛剛申請的金卡和白金卡。 吃了兩個多小時的午飯,我們得返回公司了。大門前的接待員忙碌地駛回客人的汽車。我們發現其中一輛是全球只有五十輛,香港只有三輛的「平治」G55 AMG KOMPRESSOR吉普車。其外觀稜角

Between Fantasy and Reality

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What if you saw residential buildings just behind AdventureLand? Your trip would be no longer an adventure. Hong Kong Disneyland, the smallest Disneyland theme park of the world, was considered as a stone's throw of the Walt Disney Company for entering the Greater China Region market. This stone collects very useful data of customer service, marketing, human resources and so on that are very different between American and Chinese. By this experience, the legend of Mickey magic will rise again in the land of 1.3 billion people. The stock price of the Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) jumped from $25.12 when last time I reported ( Joy to the World ) to $29.7 yesterday.

Phantom in Hong Kong

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You alone can make my song take flight. Help me make the music of the night. The Phantom Of The Opera comes back Hong Kong again 11 years after its first visit in 1995. The world has changed after a decade but its attraction remains unchanged with great background, exciting gestures and special effect, gorgeous dressing, romantic story and touching music. The musical has been performed since July 11 in Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Culture Centre (Chinese: 香港文化中心大劇院). I watched it last night and share my opinion about the last night performance here. Audience Hong Kong audience should be the most qualified in South East Asia because of their English standard and previous British governance. I still remind you again, Don't take picture inside the Theatre anytime. Grand Theatre is equipped with a pair of Caption Machine. Yet they are vertical, suitable for Chinese, Korean and Japanese only. The authority should consider whether it violates Racial Discrimination. Shopping is a habbit of H

Waterfall, what ya fail

Here is an article against the myth of Waterfall Model, which is still commonly used and considered as correct standard in enterprise software development projects in Hong Kong. Don’t draw diagrams of wrong practices - or: Why people still believe in the Waterfall model

Three Letter Opera

Mathias Woo (Chinese: 胡恩威) is a famous local drama director in Hong Kong. He has joined Zuni Icosahedron (Chinese: 進念.二十面體), an important local culture organization of HK, since 1988. His outstanding theatre works include East Wing West Wing (Chinese: 東宮西宮) and 1587 - A Year of No Significance (Chinese: 萬曆十五年). He is good at utilizing some social elements of local HK style in comedy to reflect some unfair, unjust and unreasonable phenomenon of the society. His latest work is Three Letter Opera (Chinese: 三字經歌劇 《孔巨基》). The drama consisted of five acts and lasted for 90 minutes. It was a solo show by a famous local drama actor Chan Ho Fung (Chinese: 陳浩峰). Chan acted a private tutor, a computer user, a maid, a mother, a father, a son, a daughter and an idol by himself only. The actor weaved up his dialogue and lyrics by some jargon and slang of Confucianism, Hong Kong Education and youth, especially net generation peers. He gave a direct speech to express the situation of HK education in

Campaigns Wikia

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Sir Donald Tsang KBE, the Chief Executive of HKSAR, has renewed the political environment of Hong Kong since he reported to work in 2005. Compared with his predecessor, he is more successful to grasp the public opinion. In addition to his career of civil service under British governance, he has introduced new political methods. One is known as the position of Spin Doctor (common in US but fresh in HK). Being a citizen, each of us should keep concerned about our closely personal issue - the politics, by ourselves. Traditional information channels, i.e. post, radio and TV, are waved by politicians and Spin Doctors instead. This situation leads us to rethink the need of a public area in which no party is dominant and no member is ignored. In addition, the area should be rapid to reflect the opinions and well organized in a systematic way. You don't need to wait it till the Heaven but there at Campaigns Wikia . Campaigns Wikia was founded by the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales. He ai

Crash

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Greed and fear are two main enemies of investors, as saying goes. This idiom also applies to inter-racial relationship. Crash, the best picture winner of 78th Oscar, unveils these two sources of the suspended problem. Comparing between two, the effect of fear is more obvious. Anthony and Peter feared the power of the White, Jean feared the black severely after being kidnapped, Christine feared being molested, Ryan feared his father's poor health, Farhad feared the treat to his store and Rick is a master of politics, who played between the fear of the black and that of the white. Some suggests racism is due to ignorance or misunderstanding of other races. Yet the movie likely rejected this excuse. Jean is the wife of a District Attorney, Ryan and Hanson are detectives, Cameron is a director. They are well educated but tend to racism in various levels. Some fear is due to ignorance, but fear mostly comes from emotional status rather than intelligent one. People usually fear losing w

Truth Hunter

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Mother: What're you reading, Man? Father: Just a small book, A Brief History of Time. It's a great work. It unveils the secret of the Universe, although I haven't understood it yet. Mother: You don't understand it? Why do you still keep this book? Father: It's a hot topic this week as Professor Hawking will have a talk in HKUST. Everyone talks about him. Likewise, I don't play football but I necessarily watch the WorldCup. Son: Dad, you studied Science in secondary school. It's just a common topic in Physics and Chemistry. I suppose that you've understood it. Father: Don't be silly. You'll be laughed as a disabled guy if you claim so. Son: Why do you still read his book? You used to teaching me to leave Pure Science alone. Father: Yes, good boy. I'll donate it to a public library next week. Thanking Prof. Shing-Tung Yau 丘成桐 教授 for inviting Prof. Stephen Hawking to Hong Kong, the spirit of truth hunting has been sparked on the island of trend

CRAZY GONNA CRAZY

I heard this song a decade ago. Because of this song and the band trf (now TRF), I have started to appreciate J-Pop songs, to understand the Japanese culture and to explore myself beyond HK. A decade later as today, it is still my favorite. The melody, the lyrics, the voice of Yuki and the dance performance of the whole team were considered at the top standard. Although "old soldiers never die, they just fade away", t.r.f. has actually been a legend. Now let's be Crazy Gonna Crazy! 曲名:CRAZY GONNA CRAZY 作詞:小室哲哉 作曲:小室哲哉 アーティスト:trf 歌詞: ダイヤを散リばめてる樣な 夜景を車から見てるよ カラオケもあきちゃった頃でも 腕に手をからませればゴキゲン 何が一番大切なの? 聞きたいけとなか言えない ほんの一瞬でもあなたと いっしょならいいと思ってる 真面目な自分は茶化しちゃう自分に 負けてるいつもね だけと不自然じゃなく素直になれるよ 今夜は!! CRAZY GONNA CRAZY 雪が降る街並みを LOVE YOU GONNA TAKE YOU 2人踊リ統ける CRAZY GONNA CRAZY 星が降る公園を LOVE YOU GONNA TAKE YOU あざやかに色染めて 長く清らかな道を歩いてく ついてゆくよ ずっと 夜が明けなくても きっと 鳴リ響くストリンゲスさわめき あこがれる魅惑のダンスナイト 夢の樣な出來事でも いっしょなら現寞と思える おびえる自分は余裕げな自分に 負けそう ときとき だよねだけど地球は明日も必ず 回るよ!! CRAZY GONNA CRAZY いつの日かメロティーを LOVE YOU

American Dream Visit - Ch3

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三.淚水與汗水 Blood, Sweat and Tears 它哭了。 當我們剛要離開我們在曼克頓的第一站,位於曼克頓最南端的一條海岸走廊,名叫BATTERY PARK,便下起雨,更刮起強風,把我的傘子吹翻了。我們狼狽 地走到WORLD FINANCIAL CENTER避雨,遠處可以看見現在稱為GROUND ZERO,即是WORLD TRADE CENTER的遺址。難道遺址的陰魂等候著我們幾位有心人的到訪? 記得九一一的那天,我仍躲在實驗室裡為畢業習作堆頭苦幹,不知人間世。當返回宿舍的時候,雙子塔已經灰飛煙滅。曾幾何時,塔裡的人跟我一樣埋頭苦幹,把春青 奉獻給起起跌跌的數字,把光陰安插在密密麻麻的文字,現在它都與您同在。「出去了,還不知道往哪裏去。」在這塊土地上,您們都無怨無悔,縱使一剎那您們榮歸於您們的主,您們還不知道往哪裏去? 我們繞過遺址,發現旁邊的地盤木板塗上各人對遺址的感想。原來塔外的人都與您同在,譜下步向天堂的詩句: The Road to Heaven ------------------ While traveling along It's never to late Take the road that leads to love Not the one to hate Hate is what took these buildings down with love is how we'll remember those no longer around Take the right road and you will see how much sweeter life will be The road may be uphill and strewn with stones so get rid of the weight and lighten the load AT the summit there is a beautiful view all of God's peace open to you A police officer NYPD 您們應該知道往哪裡去,可是您們不是留在溫馨的家或是涼快的辦公室,您們不是到旅遊區巡邏或乘坐警車四周巡視,而是前往一個堆積着瓦礫與團結、陷阱與勇氣、屍體與希望的廢墟。現在廢墟清理過

American Dream Visit - Ch2

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二.脫韁的騾子 Escape and Arrival 「最好就唔使撈(廣府話:最理想便是不用工作)!」 這一句香港人的口頭禪,我現在實現了。香港人是厭惡工作卻每天都日以繼夜埋頭苦幹的一群;如JACQUELINE所言,華人的工作間總充斥著限期、檢討、是非、討薪、升遷、偽善、馬屁、陷害、欺詐。香港可能更為嚴重,但是辦公室中人卻「身懷絕技」,「百毒不侵」,「樂此不疲」。不好意思,我不是瘋子,我要旅行,失陪了。 感謝同行的COCO的盡心盡力跟進機票事宜,我可以離職第二天跟家人打個招呼便「乘機」遠去。在飛機上是忙裡偷閒的:忙是身邊的人忙,不是自己忙。躺在椅子冷眼空中小姐少爺出出入入,自己則修習「無所事事的藝術」。我覺得西方空姐欠缺了一般香港空姐的年輕與對待客人的笑容。她們好像三十至四十歲,有一個穿得與眾不同的已經是「阿婆級」了。縱使外觀欠奉,她們的工作效率相對其它美國服務人員來說是非常高,食物放置快捷且穩妥,有問必答。雖然她們對待客人按章辦事而已,但是同事間卻相處融洽,合作無間,反而香港的空姐卻服侍客人週到,同事之間各自為政。到了各乘客好夢正濃的時候,空中小姐和少爺圍坐一起竊竊私語。尤其那位貌似阿諾舒華辛力加的空中少爺,他說話的時候,眾小姐全神貫注地傾聽着。也許他們倒享受自己的工作環境,不在乎斟茶遞水的工作性質,也不在乎自己的年齡。也許他們只是苦中作樂。 我們剛剛踏上紐約境內便又遇上一件苦中作樂的例子:當我給海關檢查證件後,發現COCO還耐在海關的櫃台。難道是因為她的簽證花了,手指紋化了,相貌跟相片有差距,還是貌似某某恐怖份子?幸然都不是。她事後告訴我,那名海關人員(皮膚黝黑,雙眼幼細,帶點好色相,我心想)跟她說笑,笑怎樣稱呼她的姓名,究竟是姓名名,名名姓,還是名姓名?真是無聊,很多中國人的姓名都是三個字,他不曾經那樣問我,也不見得會那樣問我們的國家主席。在機場內,每分鐘做着重覆的工作,那可謂沉悶極至,他卻反而自得其樂。我也發現其它人員守崗時也會說說笑笑,執勤的時候則絕不手軟(在我觀察的幾分鐘,已經有兩位人兄被逮到另一間房間了,氣氛可不輕鬆)。 甫出至入境閘口,我便遙望YOUNG已經在揮手示意。雖然三個月前他來港時我們也見過面,但是身在異邦遇故知的興奮倒是難以形容。我環顧了甘迺迪機場一會兒,便麻煩YOUNG的表弟(以下簡稱表弟)駕車載我們到JACQUELINE的家去。 在機場

American Dream Visit - Ch1

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一.身不由己 Overview 旅行本來是一種「放鬆」,對我來說卻是一種「放逐」;後來失控演變成「放縱」,驀然回首發現原來是「放牧」。 我好像一隻剛跳出水井的青蛙,以為從黑暗深處走到世界高處。在井口自鳴得意,傲視井底的一切,也輕視井外的環境。眺望對岸的山凌,縱使高聳入雲,不過在我視界之內。初生之犢不畏虎,誓要揭開她的蘆山真面目。會登凌絕頂,一覽眾山小。高處不勝寒,上與浮雲齊。朝有烈日怒吼,晚有繁星竊笑。如此嚴峻的環境,令我昔日的傲氣都顯得微不足道。究竟是我放棄了水井,還是水井放逐了我?抑或是我放逐了自己,變成山間「隨街跳的蛤乸」? 起初此行只限奧蘭度迪士尼世界,一來為了探望KATHY,二來為了迎接迪士尼樂園成立五十周年(始於1955年7月17日加州洛杉磯)。可是,來回美國機票昂貴,長期住宿迪士尼所費不菲,遠洋而來只為一地,確實欠缺效益,更對不起那張申請煩瑣的美國簽證。然而,如果多走一個地方,當地交通食宿費用也是額外的支出,為去而 去只會得不償失。再三思量,決定先到紐約,再去奧蘭度。因為紐約是世界大都會,全球經濟起伏繫於該市,各市爭相效尤,長駐當地工作更是我夢寐以求;再者,我的好友JACQUELINE和YOUNG居住當地,我可以順道探望久違故友,喜不勝收,更可以向他們借宿,省下高昂的住宿費(杜林普酒店雙人床位差不多二千美元一晚,別想了)。 除了機票及住宿,觀光及餐食也需要錢。所以起行前我已經設計了在紐約的行程表,好讓我們能夠善用時間、金錢和當地資源(例如:CITYPASS優惠券、百老匯廉價門票及某些觀光點可以只給予象徵式費用等)。不過,旅遊的輕鬆心情,大開眼界的各式誘惑及消費習慣都令計劃偏離軌道。縱使如此也無礙,因為花錢總可以忘憂。 我在被放逐到的國度上放縱自己的心靈,或是評賞表演的品客,或是飽嘗佳餚的食家,或穿梭於光影交錯的街道,或閒步於古今輝映的建築,或探究企業文化之管治,或思索社會環境之因果。我是自由的,我想。然而,有曰:牧羊者,羊實牧之。「仍然自由自我,永遠高唱我歌,走遍千里」的時候,其實我也是身不由己。 ... Back Home

American Dream Visit - Schedule

行程 Schedule 回憶是享受,憶述卻累人。尤其事隔多月,儘管快樂的心情仍未平伏,然而當中的細節須要略加思索。為了讓友好可以跟從我們的步伐,於是在此列出我們的行程。這是最花腦筋的,因為有些地點連當時都不清楚其全名,須要事後到網上搜查。雖然左思右想,力求資料詳細,可是還有些地方遺缺,特別是吃早午餐的地方,因為我們食無定時,早餐、午餐、甚至下午茶「混為一吃」。興奮忘食,樂而忘憂,不知時之將至。 五月二十八日 28 May Hong Kong International Airport, HK Narita International Airport, Tokyo John F. Kennedy International Airport, NYC Jacqueline's Home Battery Park Ground Zero (formerly World Trade Center) Bookstore besides Trinity Church New York Stock Exchange, 1 Wall Street Goldman Sachs Building, 85 Broad Street Young's Office Bull Statue Japanese Dinner in Japanese Street Macys Times Square Broadway Street Jacqueline's Home 五月二十九日 29 May LaGuardia Airport Fire Station near Jacqueline's Home Columbia University Lincoln Center Barnes & Nobles, 1972 Broadway Lunch in Whole Foods Market, Time Warner Center Columbus Circle Central Park FAO Schwarz Fifth Avenue Trump Tower, 725 Fifth Avenue Dinner wi

American Dream Visit - Preface

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What I visited in NYC were different from what Jackie visited there. Jackie suggested that the difference is due to difference between our backgrounds. He grew up in North America while I did in HK. He has touched NYC while I have just dreamed of it. Jackie reported his recent NYC visit and it is time for me to report mine. In order to express my feeling natively, the article will be authored in Chinese. ----------------------------------------------- 《新約客遊夢》 致 CK 等你 在漆黑中,等你 時鐘在轉動 時間在停頓 因為在漆黑中 等你 捧着夕陽 璀璨的,耀眼的 驅不走黑暗,與它同在 躺靠山脈 巍峨的,磅礡的 擋不住淚水,被它沖去 天邊,腳下,腳下,天邊 等你,跨越了空間,突破了時間 等你,在腳下,在天邊 浩瀚的 床單 廣闊的 枕頭 在漆黑中 觸不到 你 小妹妹酣睡,老婆婆熟睡 在漆黑中 小飛俠獨自四周飛舞 在夢幻島 等你 ----------------------------------------------- 序言 Preface 本文目的是記述筆者於零五年夏季到美國紐約與奧蘭度的所見所感。本來應該於上年秋季動筆,可惜因為生活繁忙兼惰性,所以著文計劃被擱置一旁。直至黃公子重遊故地,提起大家各自的旅遊經歷,不禁使筆者重燃其志。思憶交錯,揮毫灑墨,落筆成章。 本文題為《新約客遊夢》,不直呼紐約之名,並稱該行為遊夢,自然別有用心。雖然該行是旅遊,但不是為了遊覽山水名勝,體察奇風異俗,也不是飽嘗山珍百味(儘管我們確實如此),而是為了一個夢--美國夢。 我們整天自吹自擂,捧自己為國際大都會,國際金融中心,自由經濟典範,擁有國際視野,直迫倫敦紐約之豪語云云。究竟事實是否如此?真真正正的國際城市是怎樣?造就美國夢的環境是

Densha Otoko

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Not long time ago, in a city close close to us, there was a comedy between a lady and an introverted boy. On 14 March 2004, the boy left a message in a 2ch BBS to say that he saved a lady from harassment of a drunk guy on a tram and a few days later the lady gave him a pair of Hermès cups to thank him. Since he used to escape from social activities and be addicted to computer games, comics and animations (such people are well known as Otaku 御宅族 in Japan), he did not know how to get along well with a lady and felt shy to face a lady. He asked for help in the BBS. Therefore other BBS users taught him various HOWTOs. Eventually on 9 May, the boy claimed his success of chasing the lady in the BBS and then the BBS users gave him congratulation. What an unbelievable fairy tale. In fact, the story was captured from messages of the 2ch BBS (Japanese: 2ちゃんねる, URL: http://www.2ch.net ). It is known as Densha Otoko (Japanese: 電車男). I think it is meaningful to watch this TV program in Easter. Th

Bookcrossing

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Before the Internet is popular, we used to making friends around the world via some PenPal programs. When we were children, we paid a PenPal organization for its administration fee and then started our exchange of letters in our unrecognized English with counterparts in the other side of the world. Behind pieces of letter sheet, there were friendship, curiosity and fun. We can no longer find such feeling via emails or instant messengers that are supposed to replace letters. The speed of the interaction is rapid and they can carry images, audios and videos. However, the key of PenPal is not information exchange but soul exchange. Can we retrieve such feeling in the world of Web 2.0? Yes, we can do it through Bookcrossing. Bookcrossing is an activity of leaving a book in a public area to be picked up and read by others who will do so then. With the power of Web 2.0, such personal and free activities can be traced and coordinated by an online database and a website. Bookcrossing.com (URL:

Investment and Life

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The Hang Seng Index substantially boosted up yesterday to close at 16,411.13. It was believed that the rise was triggered by a strong inflow of traditional European funds. They might expect an occurrence of a high-level return in the short run. Are you one of them, my German friend? The rise of the stock market is so attractive. It attracts sights of professionals, students, housewives, elders. However, people who can become rich by stocks are very rare (certainly rich people are rare too). Even Warren Buffett, known as the Oracle of Stock Markets, is just the second richest person in the world, behind the IT talent Bill Gates, Microsoft chairman (Does it mean IT guys superior?). Anyway, many people still look for so called Must-Win method for investment/speculation. The following quotes from a local columnist Cao Ren Chao (Chinese: 曹仁超) are considered by the HK public as lighthouses of investment: 有智慧不如趁勢。 Trends override individual wisdom. 投資行為係世界上最易學難精之事,其中涉及風險管理,簡單點說便是止蝕的勇氣及賺盡的豪氣。

Marginalization

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Marginalization recently becomes a keyword in HK. Many HK people are worried whether HK will be marginalized in the Greater China Region. This word has been mentioned by many scholars but it is just under spotlight after Rafael Hui used this word and Joseph Yam reused the word in his public speaking. 一向以法治同金融為傲既香港人好似如夢初醒. 乜我地唔係高人一等咩? 其它野可以鬥平鬥賤啫, 乜金融依下野都會被人搶埋? 我地衰咩呀? 以前仲可以賴老懵董, 依家可以賴邊個? I don't know how many people have asked the above questions. I don't wish you are one of them. My friends who are foreigners have realized this problem several years ago. 話說幾年前小弟仲係一間丁屎咁大既公司到做, 有一次聖誕趴池, 請左我既大學同學一齊玩, 結果趴池變成聯合國, 有港人, 英人, 德人, 美人 (美利堅國人是也), 印人, 巴人 (巴基斯坦人是也) 同非洲人. 傾下傾下傾到大家都有興趣既話題 -- 煲冬瓜! A friend told us that he was busy in learning Putonghua. Others were interested his progress. Another friend who was a researcher said Putonghua was essential for her because her colleagues were most from PRC. Some said they considered HK as a hub or a springboard between the West and the mainland. On

Tokugawa Ieyasu

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My friend who had visited Japan last winter gave me a souvenir yesterday. The souvenir is a model of Tokugawa Ieyasu (Japanese: 徳川家康). Isn't yesterday April Fool's Day? Yes, you are right. Compared with other heroes in Warring States Period (Japanese: 戦国時代), he likely looked foolish. He was not as powerful as Oda Nobunaga (Japanese: 織田信長), neither as intelligent as Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Japanese: 豊臣秀吉). However he was eventually the winner of the period and set up Edo Shogunate (Japanese: 江戶幕府) that ruled Japan for almost 300 years (1603 - 1868). One of his characters that led his success is known as patience. As an old joke goes, when a cuckoo did not sing, those three heroes would do the following ways respectively: Oda Nobunga: if it does not sing anymore, KILL it! Toyotomi Hideyoshi: THINK a method to let it sing. Tokugawa Ieyasu: WAIT until it sings. The below is the so-called The Last Words of Toshogu (Japanese: 東照宮御遺訓) that shows how Tokugawa Ieyasu thought about patience

Mahjong

Because of optimistically economic expectation, I recently received many wedding banquet invitations. In a Chinese wedding banquet, Mahjong game (Chinese: 麻將, Japanese: 麻雀 [まあじゃん] ) is a must. Chinese guests like to play Mahjong before a banquet starts. For the history and rules of Mahjong, you can refer to Wikipeda ( English , Chinese , Japanese ). I am just a beginner and know a little about the game. But I find out the following interesting figures. For simplifying the calculation, the following assumptions are made: No Flower Tile (Chinese: 花牌) is involved. So the total number of tiles is 136. After assigning 13 tiles to each player, there are 84 tiles remained on the table. You are the first player. Your opponents do not keep or later take your targeted tiles. No one Pong (Chinese: 碰), Chi (Chinese: 吃, Cantonese: 上 [Sheung] ), Kong (Chinese: 槓) before you complete the targeted pattern. Case 1a: If you want to have Three Identical Tiles or Pong but you have none of tar

An Unforgettable Tour of China

Since my sister had to write a passage for her Chinese Literature homework, I borrowed this blog to share my work regarding to the subject: An Unforgettable Tour of China. 一次難忘大陸之旅 在數碼的年代, 舊式使用膠片的相機幾乎絕跡. 然而, 在我案頭還擺放著一部"傻瓜機", 珍而藏之. 它珍藏著一份難忘的情懷. 幾年前, 大陸經濟剛剛起飛, 我跟同學到華東遊山玩水. 我們選擇了一個經濟實惠的古剎觀光團. 團裡大部份都是差不多白髮蒼蒼的老年人, 除了她. 起初我們只是各自為政, 一貫華人旅行的習慣. 後來我們覺得她整天跟著老人們不作聲, 太悶了, 於是我們邀請她跟我們一起. 這時候我們才知道她是美國人, 不諳中文. 幸好我們都是品學兼優的學生, 我們這群中國人便在這塊中國土地上以英語來溝通. 一晚, 我們住在無錫一間旅館. 旅館設備簡陋, 沒有什麼娛樂. 我們小伙子倒沒所謂, 一眾人玩撲克也可以開懷大笑一番. 不過她倒納悶兒, 因為每一次她都勝過我們, 反而她想到旅館外逛逛. 當時中國治安惡劣, 加上她言語不通, 所以在"民主"方式下, 我被選為她的保鏢. 我們在街上一邊走, 一邊講述大家的背景故事. 她說她是一個聰明人組織的成員, 智商逹一百五十, 在美國諗博士, 所以玩撲克對她來說沒什麼難度. 我聽了後不但沒有被嚇壞, 反而跟她說: "在中文裡, 智慧不是動腦的, 是從心的. 在這幾天的時間裡, 妳不如嘗試放開妳的腦袋, 用心思考, 用心感受, 感受這片土地, 這裡的空氣, 四周身邊的人." 她點頭同意了. 跟著, 我們在夜市裡尋寶探秘. 似乎聽完我的一番話, 她真的放開懷抱. 對每一件飾物擺設, 她都拿上手玩弄一番, 小販可能氣透極了, 我們依然我行我素. 這跟平日嚴肅的她豁然不同, 當然也因為我這一個良好的聽者在旁吧. 走累了, 我替我倆買了當地特色飲料. 喝到一半, 她突然要求交換飲料. 真是教我驚訝了, 但我很樂意. 我看著她喝飲料的樣子, 不其然地偷拍了她這個表情. 她好奇地看著我, 我則哼

Women's Day

Today is International Women's Day. This festival, commemorated at the United Nations, represents almost a century of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development. Unlike other festivals, the story of International Women's Day has not been the past. Someone suggests that the French Revolution sparked off the movement of Women's Rights. Parisian women calling for "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity" marched on Versailles to demand women's suffrage. And the first Women's Day was observed in US on 28 February 1909. It seems that democracy can bring the Rights of Women. In the ancient Greek, citizens who could vote for the democratic government and public affairs did not include women as well as children, slaves and prisoners. Women were considered as naive, incredible, sensational, dependent and slaved. After two thousand years, some people still think of women in such way today. The movement of Women's Rights can be considered as two directions. O

Touch

The movie Touch (Japanese: タッチ) is released after its original comics (created by Adachi Mitsuru, Japanese: あだち充) has been ended 20 years ago. Fans of Touch expected that they would be touched again by the movie but some of them are disappointed. I am disappointed too but I understand the director Inudo Isshin (Japanese: 犬童一心). This is because transforming a hundred-episode cartoon into a two hour movie is a huge challenge. In addition, the style of Touch which is known as low-paced and implicit increases the difficulty of the transformation. There have been three OVA cartoons that summarized the whole series but they are usually considered as unsuccessful. Personally speaking, this movie is a good trial. In order to grab hold of the comic soul, it is necessary to understand the title Touch. What does Touch mean? In my opinion, there are three kinds of meaning. The simplest meaning is any activity in the ballfield. It can be either a touch of a baserunner to bases, that of a baseman to