Project Joel

Texas IRS plane crash - terrorism?

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:51:00 +0000

Highway 183
Originally uploaded by Call Me Ismael

I was reading about the Texas IRS plane crash, watching people debate whether it was an act of terrorism, and just realized we don't even have an exact definition for the word.

The White House said "the crash did not appear to be an act of terrorism" though.

Ironic.

My thoughts on New York vs. Hong Kong aren't that one-sided

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:21:00 +0000

(Picture by eviandesign)

For instance, Hong Kong's MTR is the best I've seen. In my opinion it trumps any other subway systems in London, Athens, Vienna, Prague, Tokyo, various other places in the US, and definitely New York.

MTR is clean, efficient, and orderly. You never see passengers prying doors open and elbowing each other. And people do line up, unlike in New York where people always sneak in front of you as the train arrives.

And I always fear I'll catch some sort of disease in a subway station in NYC -- think about it, even public restrooms in Hong Kong aren't as filthy!

RE: Diversity in NYC

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:39:00 +0000

My friend Erica recently posted in her blog about Diversity in NYC and how she may find herself hard to fit in when she moves to Hong Kong.

As someone who will soon move to Hong Kong, I commented and drew a comparison on the way of thinking (on the bigger things in life) between NYC and HK:

I enjoy the diversity of values and interests in NYC, and I doubt I will find much of that in Hong Kong (I'm moving there next week).

New Yorkers seem more open-minded on the big things in life.

In New York:
Not everyone thinks marriage is necessary, and many enjoy dating well into their 40's/50's.
Matchmaking for senior singles and widowers are also highly encouraged here.
Child adoption is commonplace. Celebs (think Brangelina) "walk the talk" and make bold statements about it. When people hear about adoption their first thoughts are "that's a very kind thing to do".

In Hong Kong:
You are pressured to marry early, and by not doing so you're a disgrace to your family.
Seniors who date are often thought to have twisted cravings and are disloyal to their deceased spouses.
Nobody encourages child adoption. Their main concern is on preserving the bloodline. "Why would you pay and raise someone else's child?"

Work attitudes, business ethics (corporate responsibilities, intellectual properties, etc.) are all different in Hong Kong.

While HK'ers have their own qualities (street smarts, tireless at work, tight-knit families, etc.), I can go on and on about things I prefer done the American way.

Let's hope the culture shock won't hit us too hard, and that we can keep our core values for years to come. And maybe attempt to make some changes in HK?

Two global metropolises -- you'd think they do not differ by much!

Linux Mint 7 "Gloria"

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:00:00 +0000

用 Linux Mint 7 "Gloria"﹐令舊電腦「起死回生」

大學時從學校買了自己的第一台手提電腦 (IBM ThinkPad T20)﹐價錢雖然貴﹐但 ThinkPad 系列的設計跟用料很不錯﹐我覺得眾多品牌裡﹐除了 Apple 以外﹐沒有一家廠的手提電腦能夠比得上 IBM 的 ThinkPad 系列 (可惜後來 Lenovo 出的 ThinkPad 質素下降了)。

但畢竟那 T20 已經買了快十年﹐隨機附送的也是安全漏洞頗多的 Windows 98﹐硬件也有點落後 (Pentium III 700 MHz)﹐只能勉強應付 Windows XP。

所以在省錢和不使用盜版軟件的大前題下﹐我開始留意 Linux 系統的資料。

其實 Linux 已經推出了好多版本﹐用戶介面 (UI) 都跟 Windows 的差不多。像最近就出了 Linux Mint 7 (又稱 Gloria)﹐它的 UI 比 XP 跟 Vista 的更為優勝。Gloria 又是開源免費的系統﹐用來上網和做普通文書處理很不錯。(要 Reduce﹑Reuse﹑Recycle 嘛﹗)

昨晚花了少許時間把 Gloria 下載並燒成 CD。用 CD 開機的話﹐更可以無須安裝就試用 Gloria﹐用滿意了才選擇安裝。

安裝過程非常簡單直接﹐每一步驟都有詳細的解釋﹐整個過程 (包括 format 硬碟) 只花了半個小時。

寄件者 For blogging

安裝以後覺得很不錯﹐裡面已經包含了 Firefox﹑OpenOffice 等等的軟件﹐更有附上 firewall。

寄件者 For blogging

其實 Gloria 於學業和簡單的工作上﹐已經能夠應付自如。我覺得它在中小企業資金「能省就省」的情況下﹐是一個不錯的選擇。

如果大家有能力不用 Microsoft﹐又想「改邪歸正」不再用盜版軟件的話﹐我非常推薦大家試試 Linux Mint 7 Gloria。

Gloria 的 installation CD 也有繁體中文版的支援﹐有興趣的朋友不妨到官方網站 (http://www.linuxmint.com/) 瀏覽。

對《大王世宗》一劇﹐和韓國影視業的看法。

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:59:00 +0000

最近都在看《大王世宗》﹐一套講述朝鮮世宗在十五世紀初的成長歷程﹐及登位前後所遇到的各種困難﹑及儒家王道理想與當時民生﹑現實﹑傳統政治上的矛盾等等… 的韓國長篇古裝劇。

＊＊＊

小時候常聽到旁人對於帝王生活的嚮往﹐仿彿「皇帝」和「快活」之間存在著一個等號﹔而高薪的白領族﹑討飯比較成功的乞丐﹐在香港都會被冠上「打工皇帝」﹑「乞丐皇帝」的美名。

《大王世宗》會令你領略到當皇帝才是「苦中苦」。王子在後宮鬥爭之中﹐能夠順利誕生已經不容易﹔而在成長當中﹐能幹的王子都會惹來忌妒﹐被視為會威脅世子登位的「王材」﹔也極可能會成為眾官謀權奪利 (或實現個人理想 ¹) 的政治犧牲品﹐賠上性命。

成為君王以後﹐也不代表事事會一帆風順。政敵仍然會擁護其它王子﹐打擊你身邊最親的人﹐在你最艱難的時候策劃謀反。曾經因為父王 (其中一個政敵) 的政治肅清﹐令外父含冤而死﹐這些事朝鮮世宗亦只能默默承受﹐而對喪父的妻子也確實無言以對。

而對於這些政敵﹑王子﹐該如何面對﹖要像父王一樣﹐行使王權進行肅清﹐非要把自己弄得家破人亡不可嗎﹖還是以不損失國家人材為大原則﹐冒著與其它朝廷百官交惡﹑造就更多政敵的危險﹐去寬恕和包容﹐希望他們能夠繼續為國家服務﹖

從歷史可見﹐大部份君王都 “Took the easy way out” — 會取後者的寥寥可數。

到最後 — 就如朝鮮太宗在晚年才領會到的 — 就是經過一輪肅清以後﹐身邊已經不存在願意服侍自己的人。

當君王﹐除了擔子重﹑責任大﹐也因政治原因不能交朋友﹐而註定要過孤獨的一生。

＊＊＊

國與國之間的關係亦錯綜複雜。對於上國 (明朝) 苛刻的要求﹐該怎麼面對﹖

上國要你派兵出戰的時候﹐為了不得罪上國﹐君王可以忍心徵收重稅來應付軍費開支﹐令民生更潦倒嗎﹖
能夠冒著以下犯上﹐然後被上國攻打的危險﹐讓自己的國家研究天文地理﹐發明一套自己國民能夠輕易學習的文字﹐繼而改善民生嗎﹖

這些都應該如何取捨﹖能夠找到兩全其美的方法嗎﹖

＊＊＊

前幾天在網上﹐看到好友在討論家長是否應該讓孩子學習自己的母語。其中有人提到世界語言統一的重要性。

我覺得大家有共通的語言是件好事﹐但並不需要把語言統一。用英文讀金庸小說﹐或用中文讀沙士比亞的作品﹐大概會詞不達意吧﹗

詞不達意 — 就是因為這個原因﹐再加上朝鮮國民缺乏資源去學習深奧的中國文字 (中文在朝鮮是上流社會讀書人的語言)﹐令朝鮮世宗立下決心﹐創造屬於自己國民的文字。

(我小時候總是覺得簡體中文很不正統﹐到近年才明白簡體字的重要。)

＊＊＊

以下是我喜歡《大王世宗》的地方﹕

對角色全面細緻的描述

我很喜歡此劇對於人和事的描寫。各人的決定大多沒有明確的正邪之分﹐而都是基於自身的一套價值觀和理想。

而君王身邊最忠心的臣子﹐也會因為理想和立場的不合﹐而做出對不起君王之事。

像劇中的國家大事﹐例如為高麗王朝復國的陰謀﹐及眾臣和王子們的奪權﹐也不是出於仇恨或對權力的眷戀﹐而是各自想實現心目中理想的國家。

世人並不完全險惡

同上。相比之下﹐《金枝慾孽》及《宮心計》把爭鬥放得很大﹐有點為鬥而鬥的感覺﹐不太合我口味。《大王世宗》看完以後﹐至少不會令我患上「被逼害妄想症」。

君王並不完美

雖然世宗是朝鮮最受愛戴的君王﹐但編劇並沒有把他完美化。

世宗從小就學習儒家思想﹐推崇王道政治﹐覺得軍隊應該把刀指向國民的敵人﹐而不是用來鎮壓自己的敵人。

但王道思想也並非完美的管治方式。世宗亦曾經因為把事情過度理想化﹐而為身邊的人帶來禍害。所以眾臣亦屢次要把世宗拉回現實。

對其它國家的尊重

另一個喜歡此劇的地方﹐是製作單位對於其它國家的描寫及尊重。有否發覺在港產的古裝劇裡面﹐日本永遠只是海盜﹐而外族都只是一群野蠻人﹖

在《大王世宗》裡﹐日本在海盜生活的背後﹐暗地裡是一個有組織﹑有政治體系﹑以民為主﹐只是未成型的小國﹔女真族也熱愛朝鮮邊境的和平﹑不會無故生事﹑在戰爭中也有可取的戰略﹔而他們描寫的中國﹐除了一片繁榮﹑科技先進以外﹐對下國的態度也並非完全的橫蠻無理。

與我們國慶片《建國大業》相比﹐對於國民黨的描述和出言不遜﹐《大王世宗》的製作單位相對比較厚道。(不過愛國片就是這樣﹐美國的也一樣。)

＊＊＊

昨晚看了《大王世宗》的製作花絮。KBS 真厲害﹐光是用頂級的絲綢縫製世宗的一件龍袍﹐再用真金繡上四爪金龍﹐就已經用上八百萬韓圓 (七千美金)﹗

後來也發現劇中有好多鏡頭﹐其實是用電腦繪畫出來的。

韓國電視台對於一套劇集所花的費用和功夫﹐和製成品的素質﹐是遠遠超過了香港的大電影。

這都歸功於韓國從 1998 年起﹐十年來大力投資影視業行業﹐以實現「文化立國」²。

韓國的古裝劇﹐雖然在場景和服裝上的花費龐大﹐但往往都會獲得政府的支助﹐以及本地歷史學院﹑文化村的投資。場景和戲服在用完以後﹐都會開放成「主題公園」讓遊客參觀﹐成為歷史學院﹑文化村的投資回報﹐也為國家旅遊業帶來可觀的收入。

我覺得現今香港的旅遊業停滯不前﹐文化事業遲遲未起步﹐其實可以參考一下南韓的方法。

我非常推薦這套劇集… 能訓練觀眾凡事從多角度思考﹐對於自己不同意的事情﹐能夠學會去理解。反對或阻礙你的人並不邪惡﹐也未必想逼害你。

如果有推出 DVD 的話﹐必定會買一套讓家人觀賞。

＊＊＊

註﹕

在劇裡﹐謀權都被優雅地稱為「開闢新天地」。由此可見﹐從政的人都會有一套理想。謀權奪位不一定是因為財富 — 他們可能只想創造自己心目中完美的國家。
(新華網) 韓國﹕“文化立國”見成效影視業沖出國門

GOOP - Nourish the Inner Aspect.

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:30:00 +0000

SPAIN-VIAJAR-CATALUNYA
Originally uploaded by sateliteinfos

One of my all-time favorite TV shows is Spain... on the road Again by PBS, which features Iron Chef Mario Batali, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mark Bittman (NYTimes food writer), and Claudia Bassols (Spanish actress). In the series the foursome travels through different regions of Spain and explores the country's culinary traditions. As with all food & travel shows I have learned a great deal from this series, and just can't wait to visit those places some day.

If you don't already know, Gwyneth Paltrow also started GOOP, a weekly, lifestyle newsletter that I think is worth subscribing to.

Each week she sends out a note with simple tips for you to "nourish the inner aspect" (GOOP's tagline), categorized by:
Make, Go, Get, Do, Be, See.

Casual and not overwhelming.

Feel free to go take a look, and read a sample newsletter or two. You will find interesting ideas and great recipes (dishes she'd make for Chris Martin). The site's and the newsletter's design is simple yet elegant.

初中的廣播劇﹐和令人念念不忘的《農場餐廳》 The Farm House Restaurant

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:15:00 +0000

陳興濤先生
Originally uploaded by Think YUM!

還記得初中時候的一份習作﹐是和班裡的同學一起自編﹑自導﹑自演一台廣播劇。不要小看這份習作 — 它對於編寫故事﹑電腦和音響器材的應用﹑和與同學之間的相處﹑分工合作﹐對我來說都是很寶貴的經驗。

我依稀記得題材是關於父子之間的糾紛。初稿﹑臺詞和錄音帶﹐不知道有否留下來 — 畢竟已是十多年前的功課﹔下次回港必定會仔細的找一下。

(這輩子應該不會再有機會和幾個人在家裡錄音了。但如果能夠找出原稿﹐跟他們把廣播劇重錄的話﹐那必定會是件令人樂透的事。當然﹐經過良好的發育﹐我們的聲音都已經變得很低沉…)

當時錄音在同學的家進行… 好像是在般咸道附近。午飯都是去《農場餐廳》充飢。至今還不太相信我們竟然能夠吃下那一整盤的咖哩雞飯﹑羅宋湯。但《農場餐廳》的飯餐卻真教人回味無窮。

《農場餐廳》在 99 年被清盤是一件可惜的事。老闆陳興濤先生在理財和擴充生意方面大概曾經有點問題﹐但我卻很欣賞他的人事管理方式﹕

禁止員工說粗口﹔
禁止廚房員工抽煙﹔
營業時間比一般餐廳短，讓員工有更多時間休息及與家人相處﹔
員工亦要撰寫工作日記，並在員工之間傳閱﹔
各分店的牆上，餐廳內的餐牌及餐墊紙上，都印有陳興濤撰寫的人生哲理等文章。

講粗口﹑抽煙﹑與家人相處﹐這都是大部份現代年輕人的問題所在。

現在要年輕人不講粗口不抽煙﹐大概會被投訴侵犯人權﹔但我卻覺得香港需要一群像陳興濤先生一樣的僱主。

雖然《農場餐廳》已經消失﹐但陳先生在去年終於「東山再起」﹐開設了《農家意粉》餐廳。

下次回港會到《農家意粉》試試﹐看能否和陳先生傾談兩句。希望食物的質素能夠保持下來﹐但我更希望的﹐是他能夠保持對員工品格的要求。

我覺得品格教育的實踐﹐需要由社會基層做起﹐反正學校不會教。有心的僱主除了發薪水以外﹐亦會充當教師的角色。在這個過度現實的社會﹐要教育年輕人﹐確實需要這份「農家」的熱心﹑執著和堅持。

喜歡和習慣

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:25:00 +0000

Park Avenue NYC
Originally uploaded by mariohartmann.com

最近發現有賣 Baklava (果仁蜜餅) 的店﹐火速的訂了一盒﹐但三個人不到一個禮拜就吃光。結果用來送禮﹑自用的﹐前前後後已經訂了三次。

但我最喜歡的零食﹐還是兒時吃過的﹕椰子餅﹑太平餅﹑巧克力手指﹑Cheez-It's﹐在平凡的味道裡勾起絲絲回憶。

對於這些零食﹐究竟我是從心底裡喜歡﹑還是純粹的習慣﹑還是兩者皆是﹖好矛盾﹐我實在搞不清楚。

細心一看身邊的人﹑事﹑物﹐同樣的矛盾其實無處不在呢﹗

＊＊＊

走出辦公室﹐看著 Park Avenue。離我不遠的有華麗的 Grand Central 車站﹐和香氣飄溢的 Halaal 小販檔。在我身旁穿梭的是西裝筆挺的男士﹐還有穿小背心和拖鞋的 OL 們。

It's fun to people-watch in NYC.

在香港做同樣的事情﹐大概會被路人投以奇怪的目光吧﹗

前幾個禮拜跟 Calvin 吃飯﹐他半醉不醉的跟我表白了好幾遍「I Love New York」﹐讓我抓不著頭腦。現在開始像有點頭緒… 紐約﹐確實有她迷人的地方。

禮尚往來 Treat as you would like to be treated

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 01:00:00 +0000

Mooncakes
Originally uploaded by phebeshen

今天發現我們其中一家子公司已經開始籌備年終寄給客戶﹑供應商的聖誕賀卡。

其實也差不多是時候了 — 相比之下﹐我們母公司在 CRM（客戶關係管理）下的功夫﹐就認真麻麻﹐每年都會在十一﹑十二月為了一堆電子賀卡（註﹕垃圾電郵）﹐弄得手忙腳亂。

對比較 high maintenance 的大客戶﹐亦應該開始思考聖誕禮物的事宜﹐畢竟價值 US$50 以下（免得有貪污的嫌疑）﹐能供一整個部門享用﹐又大方﹑得體﹑不寒酸的禮物﹐並不易找。

＊＊＊

幾個禮拜後就是中秋節﹐相信香港的企業已經開始訂購月餅 — 大量將會被轉送﹑轉送﹑再轉送的月餅。這就好比一場遊戲﹐輸家轉送得不夠快﹐收下一大堆月餅﹐往後的幾個月在家裡就「有排嘆」﹗

每年中秋﹐電視都會奉勸各位月餅不能吃太多﹐一兩塊就夠。不就是一人半個月餅嗎﹖但這個刺激的遊戲﹐輸家往往都逃不掉「一人半打月餅」的厄運。

真忍不住要唱一句﹕「大盒月餅邊個食~~﹖ 我唔食~~﹐你要食~~ 」

＊＊＊

「這不是普通的『雙黃』﹐是『三黃白蓮蓉』啊﹗還有『五仁餡』…」
「噢… 謝謝﹗我今年也是送您『三黃白蓮蓉』。」

心底話﹕「送禮的月餅﹐都會被轉送﹐哪有自己吃的﹖」大家心照不宣﹐那送禮時何須浪費大家時間「推廣」一盒月餅呢﹖

相信港人送月餅的原因有二﹕

方便。大家都送嘛﹐何必動腦筋。
酒樓老闆威逼侍應賣月餅 * ﹐不跟侍應買的話她會好可憐。不給她臉子﹐以後吃飯就不能「打尖」（插隊）了 **。

酒樓每年賣月餅是否能獲利﹐而侍應是否需要自己買下滯銷貨﹐這些我不清楚。但僱主施行這等苦肉計﹐跟印度先把小孩挖眼睛﹑再放他們在街上行乞的行為﹐倒是有兩分相似。

既然我們的下場都是要留在家裡吃一個月的月餅﹑年糕﹐那這種「禮尚往來」的行為豈不是很殘忍﹖

何不乾脆送上餐廳﹑餅店的禮品卡 (Gift cards)﹖不用大家難堪。中秋節吃不下太多月餅﹐可以待一兩個月後﹐換領其它的麵包﹑糕點。不失傳統禮儀之餘﹐大家也吃得健康﹑不浪費。大家可知地球某處有個小孩正餓得要死﹖

Gift cards 在外國非常盛行。我覺得禮品卡的優點有三﹕

商戶能夠保住客源﹐增加現金流。賣卡的時候﹐商戶已經收了錢﹐其實只需等客人取貨。
紓解生產線瓶頸的壓力。因為不是 100% 的禮品卡都用作換領月餅﹐商戶無須再大量生產同一種產品﹐令滯銷的風險相對減低。
方便客人取貨。反正香港各區的酒樓﹑餅家背後都是某幾個集團擁有。客人可在任何一家分店取餅。

一定會有人反駁﹐說買禮品卡欠缺心思。那我問你﹐難道中秋節送月餅﹐人送你又送﹐就十分有心思嗎﹖

註﹕
*﹕ 據說香港的酒樓老闆﹐每逢中秋﹑農曆新年也會要求員工賣月餅﹑年糕。每個侍應都有一個銷售額﹐而滯銷貨的價值將會從員工的薪水裡扣除。

**﹕個人經驗。在香港的酒樓﹐新年一封紅包﹐中秋節幫忙買兩盒月餅﹐跟侍應打好交道﹐保證你一生不用再排隊等位。

＊＊＊

順便一提﹐早前建了一個新網站﹐以方便自己每天閱讀中﹑港﹑台的新聞 (我特意抽走了娛樂八卦新聞)﹐有興趣不妨看看﹕http://news.zlect.com

還有其它關於求職﹑教育﹑環保綠化﹑親子﹑科技﹑旅遊和素食的文章。

[轉貼] 當您嫌棄您的父母時，請您讀讀這段話! When your parents are old and frail, remember this.

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:36:00 +0000

You-all-pass-me-by
Originally uploaded by Danz in Tokyo

應該偶爾讀一次﹐提醒自己。

我的孩子﹕
哪天
如果你看到我日漸老去
反映慢慢遲鈍
身体也漸漸不行時
請耐著性子試著了解我，理解我……

當我吃的臟兮兮
甚至已不會穿衣服時
不要嘲笑我
耐心一點儿
記得我曾經花了多少時間教你這些事嗎
如何好好地吃，好好的穿，
如何面對你的生命中的第一回

當我一再重复
說著同樣的事情時
請你不要打斷我
听我說
小時候
我必須一遍又一遍地讀著同樣的故事
直到你靜靜地睡著

當与我交談時
忽然不知道該說什么了
給我一些時間想想
如果我還是無能為力
不要緊張
對我而言重要的不是說話
而是能跟你在一起

當我不想洗澡時
不要羞辱我
也不要責罵我
記得小時候我曾經編出多少理由只為了哄你洗澡嘛

當我外出
找不到家的時候
請不要生气
也不要把我一個人扔在外邊
慢慢帶我回家
記得小時候我曾經多少次因為你迷路而焦急的找你嘛

當我神智不清
不小心砸碎飯碗的時候
請不要責罵我
記得小時候你曾經多少次將飯菜扔到地上嘛

當我的腿不听使喚時
請扶我一把
就像我當初扶著你踏出你人生的第一步

當哪天我告訴你我不想再活下去了
不要生气
總有一天你會了解
了解我已風燭殘年來日可數

有一天
你會發現
即使我有許多過錯
我總是盡我所能給你最好的

當我接近你時
不要覺得感傷、生气或埋怨
你要緊挨著我
如同當初我幫著你展開人生一樣
了解我幫我
扶我一把
用愛和耐心幫我走完人生
我將用微笑和我始終不變的愛來回報你

我愛你﹐我的孩子 ﹗

港聞

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:44:00 +0000

Newsworthy
Originally uploaded by teldow

今早看到這篇港聞 (link)﹕

紅磡男子誤踩玻璃碎片腳趾受傷
【20:06】2009年08月12日

【on.cc專訊】一名穿涼鞋50餘歲男子，途經紅磡樂民村樂德樓對開，誤踩路邊玻璃碎片，引致右腳母趾受傷，救護員到場為他包紮後送院治理。

問﹕

這也叫新聞嗎﹖
報社是否已經到了「寫無可寫」的地步﹖
香港報紙還值得我們花費購買嗎﹖

It is of great sadness

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:55:00 +0000

(To enlarge picture, click above)

That I share the news of the passing of my beloved pet. Chups passed away late last night at the age of 1 year and 2 months. When we returned home last night she appeared weak and refused to take water. She passed away about half an hour into lights out.

We found a crematorium at Lafayette, NJ that would offer her a private cremation. We dropped her off today (and her favorite pumpkin seeds), and should be receiving her ashes in a few days. I am very pleased with the level of respect the crematorium staff gave to my two-ounce baby hamster.

(I just have to vent this out -- the staff today treated my hamster with more respect than how my grandmother was treated at the biggest Hong Kong funeral home, not to mention we paid upwards of US$ 20K just for their service. Ironic, isn't it?).

I always tell my girlfriend "Chups is too spoiled", but today I have come to realize this "spoilage" has been mutual. Over this past year Chups has changed my life in a way I have not expected. No morning was complete without waking up to see her by my bed, waiting for her breakfast and a hug. And for countless nights Chups had wound me down after a long, stressful day at work. Just looking at her makes us smile.

I will never forget how she looks at me, how she sleeps, how she screams when she had nightmares, how she munches on her favorite cheese, and how difficult (and fun) it was to measure and weigh her on a scale.

Mussels and Pasta

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 02:51:00 +0000

Mussel new zealand DSC_4674
Originally uploaded by HK2046

IY still could not forget about the mussels and pasta dish she had in Vienna, and would occasionally (and unwittingly?) slip out the words "mussels" and "tasty". So on our weekend supermarket stroll we picked up a bag of Canadian mussels (for just $5!), and re-made that same dish at home.

Ingredients:

Olive oil, 3 tbsps
Mussels, fresh, 2 lbs
Water, 1/2 cup
White wine (rice wine acceptable), 1/3 a bottle
Garlic and green onions, lots of.
Parsley, lots of.

Wash and brush the mussels thoroughly, and steam all ingredients for 15 minutes (or until they open up). Serve them over angel-hair pasta tossed with tomato sauce. Lots of mussels, little pasta -- not the other way around.

We loved the dish -- it wasn't one bit over/undercooked, with the slight saltiness and sweetness from the mussels. Not sure why restaurants always salt this dish, leaving you to taste "seawater" instead of mussels.

We followed the instructions here: http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Make-Steamed-Mussels-107161474

Introducing the new "Sardine Class" by Ryanair

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:59:00 +0000

sardine
Originally uploaded by Liska

Brought to you by the same geniuses who came up with installing coin slots on lavatory doors.

From "The Daily Mail":

The Irish air carrier plans to cut costs by making fliers perch on stools with seat belts around their waists.

Chief executive Michael O'Leary has already held talks with US plane manufacturer Boeing about designing an aircraft with standing room.

Should the idea get the go-ahead from the Irish Aviation Authority, the airline plans to either order new jets or refurbish its existing fleet.

Ryanair estimates it would be able to pack in 30 per cent more passengers while slashing costs by 20 per cent.

So if you're traveling on a pinch, you can now choose to fly Sardine-class instead of Cattle-class (i.e. Economy).

Body of a car, brains of a PC

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:32:00 +0000

I was just watching the Wimbledon and saw Mercedes-Benz's new TV ad for the E-class, which now comes with an Attention Assist System that reminds drowsy drivers of a much-needed coffee break.

This reminds me that nowadays when we purchase a car, instead of paying for the car and the manufacturer's marketing efforts (the branding), we are now paying for car + marketing + software.

Isn't this similar to computer purchases? Except that with computers we get to purchase the operating system separately.

And this is a wild, wild thought -- in 10 years, will we get to choose the OS for our cars? Why, and why not?

(Assuming hardware drivers are all compatible, and the insurance industry figures out a way to factor car software into calculating premiums)

Personal & Financial Review: 2009Q2

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:09:00 +0000

Yesterday marked the end of 2009Q2, which means I am spending an hour to reflect on how I did personally and financially this quarter.

Personally, I have continued to read extensively, and came across excellent works such as "The Strenuous Life" by Theodore Roosevelt. I have also started to follow a plan that Benjamin Franklin developed in 1726. It is a plan based on 13 virtues (temperance, resolution, moderation, industry, to same several) to keep one's conduct in check.

I have followed his plan for several weeks and believe it brought positive changes in me.

I believe the plan is worth exploring and would recommend it to everyone. Here is a Google spreadsheet I created to follow the plan with.

Financially, although budgeted in advance, the biggest expense is my recent trip to Vienna and Prague. I took a close look at life in Central/Eastern Europe*, and took the time to figure out the how's & why's of their architecture, their food, and their lives.

This trip has widened my vision and changed my perspectives. I toured Prague with younger budget travelers on their summer Around-the-World trips. Dressed in worn-down clothing, who sleeps in hostels by night and can afford only one meal by day, they genuinely cared about learning foreign history and culture. To my surprise, although they are from the US and other parts of Europe, they are a nonjudgmental crowd who cares little about appearance and luxuries, unlike most spoiled youths nowadays. I was awe-struck.

It is a shame that buying Swarovski crystals and Zara shirts (for others) was once part of my trip.

Interestingly enough, after this 10-day trip, New York now "takes a little getting used to".

To wrap up, this has been a positive quarter (i.e. hasn't gone into waste), and I look forward to 2009Q3 despite the many uncertainties ahead.

---------

* This is debatable and (I believe) is largely based on politics. For instance, Lebanon was once part of the Mediterranean. What about Turkey?

Wine to Water: Enjoy great wines, engage in real conversations, and help others

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Sun, 03 May 2009 16:15:00 +0000

According to the UN ^[1], at least one in six people worldwide lack access to safe freshwater for drinking, cooking and cleaning. And every 20 seconds a child dies as a result of poor sanitation, which results to 1.5 million deaths each year -- and the deaths were all preventable.

Doc Hendley, a US bartender, have figured out a way to help the poor. He founded a charity organization that provides clean water to people in developing countries through funds raised at wine tasting events. Proceeds from these events are used to build clean water wells and sanitation systems in developing countries such as Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda and Cambodia.

I think his idea is brilliant. After the first sips of wine, what do we usually do? We shoot the breeze, talk about work, politics and world poverty.

Why not put those words into action? One gets to enjoy great wines, engage in real conversations, and help the others.

You can read more about Hendley here on the CNN web site.

Here is a link to the "Wine to Water" web site. They even have free, downloadable kits for you to host your own Wine to Water event at home.

The least we can do, right now, is to conserve water at home -- such as not letting water run while shaving or brushing our teeth.

And here are 25, 49, and 100 more ways to conserve water at home.

Source:
[1]: http://www.unwater.org/statistics_san.html

For Mother's Day: How Housewives Lived in The 1950's

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Sun, 03 May 2009 03:34:00 +0000

I am lucky to have come across this magazine excerpt just before Mother's Day.

It shows how housewives lived lives in 1955 (my grandparents' generation). A housewife had to keep the house in order, take care of the kids and prepare for her husband's grand arrival home, after which she had to "greet him with a warm smile", to "make the evening his", to "make him comfortable" and perhaps even to "offer to take off his shoes".

Times have changed and we are unlikely to see the same. But the effort housewives have put forth into their families is nonetheless comparable to that of the bread-winners -- if not more. Running a home is no easy undertaking. Successful upbringing of our parents' generation (and ours, subsequently) is heavily dependent on their hard work to keep things organized and everyone accommodated at home.

Would like to take this opportunity to show my high regard to these housewives, and to thank my grandmother and my mother for keeping the family in check.

Love you mom, love you grandma!

(Images from The Advertising Archives)

H1N1 Vaccines may not be available for 4-6 months

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Fri, 01 May 2009 17:12:00 +0000

According to an official from the World Health Organization, the first doses of vaccine for H1N1won't be available for four to six months.

Why so long? Mass-producing this vaccine requires the following steps:

Scientists must first identify and isolate the virus (already done).
The virus then needs to be tweaked to make it more suitable for manufacturing (not yet completed).
Tweaked version of the virus is then shipped to manufacturers, who then have to adapt it to their own production techniques (we're not even there).
Virus is then injected into eggs for cultivation.
The eggs are then harvested, and the vaccine formulated from them.

The Bad news:

We are still a long way off the vaccine.
The virus is constantly mutating. By the time the vaccine reaches the public, the strain will have mutated many times over, and the vaccine may be useless.
We still have no idea how lethal this pandemic will be.
This may be just the first wave of this pandemic. We are likely to see another in the fall/winter seasons. Flu viruses usually go dormant during the summer and then re-emerge months later.

An interesting article to read: http://forecastfortomorrow.com/Files/swineflu.pdf

香港的「電車男」現象及解決辦法 "Densha Otoko" (geeks) in Hong Kong and the Solution

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:45:00 +0000

電車男3
Originally uploaded by buding

前幾個禮拜看了一集《星期日檔案》﹐裡面描述現代香港男性﹐甚至「電車男」在生活和求偶上遇到的種種問題。節目中亦有訪問香港女性們對「港男」的看法。

我覺得該節目並沒有醜化香港男性﹐也沒有在灌輸「港男 = 電車男」的思想。在節目裡出現過的梁榮忠﹑一眾愛好健身的年青人﹑和一個喜愛流連「女僕 Cafe」﹑溝通能力有問題的青年﹐形成了一個客觀但強烈的對比。

後者確實令人失望。那青年因一次感情上的問題 (女朋友看不起他) 而自暴自棄﹔終日流連「女僕 Cafe」只為了讓低聲下氣的侍應給他男性的尊嚴。更在鏡頭前承認自己曾在網上大膽批評「港女」的種種不是。諷刺的是在節目尾段﹐他以不完整的句子說﹕「其實我們都很善良 … 希望女士們能夠給我們機會 … 認識一下妳們 …」

香港有不少「電車男」在看完該節目後覺得被醜化﹐某些更穿上漫畫主角的「制服」並上街遊行。

今天再看到一篇新聞﹐一名 17 歲沉迷電腦的青年﹐在隔壁兄長燒炭自殺的時候﹐竟然不會求救﹐反而要在電腦上找網友代為報警。

可見年青人不擅溝通已經變成了香港嚴重的社會問題。整天躲在電腦前玩 Facebook﹑流連網上論壇﹐跟現實世界逐步脫節。

Facebook 這玩意﹐令朋友間聯繫變得容易﹐偶爾玩玩無妨﹐但萬萬不能取代面對面的溝通。

「電車男」是香港政府的錯嗎﹖我想不是。我在香港長大的時候﹐政府已經有為青年提供很多課外活動 (如游泳班﹑壁球班﹑攀山﹑露營等)﹐而許多學校也有與童軍﹑救世軍等的機構合作舉辦活動。

我覺得年輕人應該多點善用政府和學校提供的資源和休閒設施﹐爭取和人相處的機會﹐令身心能夠獲得平衡的發展。

或許香港能夠找些商業機構﹐舉辦一些集中的訓練營 (Intense Training Camps)﹐以體力訓練和群體活動﹐來重新教導年青人應有的相處和溝通技巧?

廣告電話新伎倆 New Cold-Calling Tricks in Hong Kong

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:41:00 +0000

Cubicles For the Working Damned
Originally uploaded by TheLadyDragon

電話推銷員﹕
喂﹐請問這是否李先生﹖

李某﹕
嗯。

電話推銷員﹕
李先生﹐您好﹗我叫 Anne﹐您這個電話號碼是我以前幫您登記的﹐您還記得我嗎﹖

李某﹕
抱歉﹐沒有印象。

電話推銷員﹕
那不要緊﹐我已經不在那邊做了﹐我想告訴您我現在於 Y 電話公司工作﹐想推薦他們的 ZZZ 電話優惠給您…

問題是﹐李某的電話號碼已經用了十多年了﹐她怎麼可能會記得﹖

(Translated version)
Telemarketer:
Hello, is this J?

J:
Speaking.

Telemarketer:
Hi, my name is Anne, I signed you up for your phone number, do you remember me?

J:
Sorry, I don't recall.

Telemarketer:
It's okay, I now work for ZZZ phone company, and would like to inform you about their new service promotion...

J kept the same number for over 10 years - how could the young telemarketer possibly remember signing him up?

Lily O'Briens Irish Chocolates (did I say Irish?)

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:41:00 +0000

Lily O'Briens: Display
Originally uploaded by yummyinthetummyblog

I walk by this store every morning to work - never had the time to look closer, but I love the store displays (a pleasant contrast from Godiva's).

Given the recent "Irish craze" in Hong Kong (see Ireland's Potato 愛爾蘭瘋薯), I wonder how Irish chocolates taste like?

Link to official Lily O'Briens site

Met an Audio enthusiast today

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 07:36:00 +0000

Today, through an uncle, I spent the morning with an Audio enthusiast. For two decades, he has been designing and making speakers and amplifiers. He showed me his work - all 40 speakers and dozens of amps, all home-made.

From the long conversation, I have learned that:

the center and frontal speakers should be identical. One can easily trump the quality of higher-end but different frontal & center speakers by using lower-end but identical frontal & center speakers.
the number of Watts from the amp and speakers has nothing to do with their "power".
since CDs are recorded with 2 channels, one should listen to music only in stereo mode, not surround-sound (which in this case is just simulated by your amp).
7.1 is a commercial gimmick and has no audio quality over 5.1. Movies audio nowadays are only recorded with 5 channels and anything above that is just simulated by your amp. The additional 2 speakers do nothing but mess up the frontal audio.

+1 to my "someday/maybe" list, upon my return to New York. :)

談香港電視製作 My take on TV productions in Hong Kong

noreply@blogger.com (Joel) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:55:00 +0000

一直覺得香港電視劇的質素很參差。多年以來﹐電視劇集我只喜歡《壹號皇庭》和《妙手仁心》系列。至於綜合節目﹐我會追看的有《五綾鏡》﹑《鏗鏘集》﹑《星期日檔案》﹑《新聞透視》﹑《向世界出發》﹑《細說名城》等。

自從陳志雲掌管 TVB 以後﹐他們似乎多了和贊助商合作。有了資金﹐製作亦變得更強大。如《歲月風雲》﹑《珠光寶氣》等長劇﹐內容比較充實﹐質素有顯著提昇。我不介意看多點廣告﹐以換取更好的電視劇集。

綜合節目也漸趨教育性﹐開始注重談論環保及香港文化 (如 TVB 的《光影流情系列》和近期 RTHK 的《香港歷史系列》等)。

不得不提 (一)﹕昨晚的那集《珠光寶氣》﹐真令我拍案叫絕。Martin 一角多年來的沉著﹐以及在妻兒﹑朋友面前的忍讓﹑受辱﹐再加上周詳的計劃﹐最終獲得成功。要做出如此成績﹐一個人必須具備不自滿﹑不輕易放棄的性格﹑持久的耐性﹑清晰的頭腦﹑及堅定不移的理想。

這些全部﹐我還得加緊磨煉。在劇集裡﹐ Martin 已經是香港的第二富豪﹔但他仍然保持一貫的低調﹐願意忍受多年來的屈辱﹐甚至偶爾貶低自己﹐再等候適當的時機﹐登上第一。

我常常會比較美國和香港的電視製作。雖然以國家和城市相比並不公平﹐但我很期待他日香港能夠有像《24》﹑《House》和《Heroes》等高成本又大膽的製作﹐並能夠獲得觀眾的一致好評。

不得不提 (二)﹕看了新城電台的頒獎禮﹐香港似乎多了一群有信仰的歌手。這對我來說是香港樂壇的一大進步﹐但不知歌迷對他們的接受程度有多高。總覺得他們得獎時在臺上致謝神的時候﹐和美國的 Jonas Brothers 相比﹐總有點不太自然的感覺。

在這週末﹐有空我會重看《投名狀》。聽說電影中三位主角﹐描繪的就是香港﹑台灣和中國大陸。以這個角度重看﹐我或者會有新的體會。