Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Air Conditioning on May 26, 2010

This year's weather has been unpredictable. It's the first time in recent memory that I turn the air-conditioning sys on this early !! Usually, it is a few days in late July or August, if at all.

Anyway, I set the sys at 28 deg C to take off the accumulated heat coming thru the roof upstairs.

Quote from a widely circulated pps file entitled "老人家的三句話"

I don't always agree with stuff forwarded to me via email (usually PowerPoint Slides or pps files). But the ending of the one entitled "老人家的三句話" seems to have created some resonance:

Money is gone, nothing is gone(失去了金錢,沒有失去什麼)

Health is gone, half is gone.(失去了健康,失去了一半)

Hope is gone, everything is gone.(失去了希望,就失去了全部)

Sunday, May 23, 2010

香港工專 / Hong Kong Technical College HKTC

I have many fond memories of 觀塘 !!!

".... I was working one summer for the Vita Soy / Pepsi Cola company located there. I also had a link with the old HKTC, having spent many mornings at 7 am practising 功力拳 with [some HKTC] students in the grassy school yard at the back of the old building (if it still exists) ...."


The above are my comments left at Fresh Designer's 2010年5月19日 blog article "觀塘略影: 裕民坊一角!"

Yes, time has passed by quickly, and many of the ppl I practised kungfu with during those early hours at 香港工專 Hong Kong Technical College have moved on. One reached near the pinnacle of the HK society, his profile flashed across TV screens and newspaper. Another had married the former, and she too was in the news several years ago. A few like myself have gone overseas to seek our future. And the rest of the ppl? I have lost track of them all.

As Fresh Designer concluded in his article: "... 當中不少的人和事亦會消失得無影無踪了"

Monday, May 17, 2010

文筆創意

My comments left at 2weeks1gather's "五月成員專訪: 周游"

一口氣看完了這篇採訪,周游文筆創意像三梭鏡一樣放射光譜七色,但我讀後回想,她說的一切一切,又像馬鈴薯加白開水那么簡單。

(May 17, 2010)

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Germini

I wonder if Gemini ppl are all sentimental, remembering love affairs of yesteryears like yesterday. Sigh, 情之一物!!!

A to Z

Here are my comments posted on May 1, 2010 at 2weeks2gather "Ada 的「大愚若智:我做過最傻的事"

I agree with you. It’s interesting to note how the world associates “best” with the letter “A”. For example:

- Top bonds issued by countries, institutions, or companies are rated AAA (ref: On 27 April 2010, the Greek debt rating was decreased to BB+, a ‘junk’ status, by Standard & Poor’s)
- Beef graded AAA is better than AA, same for chickens and turkeys, etc.
- Eggs too are graded similarly
- The expressions “A-1″ and “A-OK”, as in “This car is in A-1 condition” and “Everything is A-OK”

And BTW, your writing is good, A for Ada ^_^ But your point of not wanting to be number one is not lost. So here is an option: How abt Zada? Zada (I believe it’s arabic) means “prosperous and fortunate” !!

The road to hell is often paved with good intentions.

Here are my comments to a 2weeks1gather article entitled Wordy: 有其母必有其子"

>> ... 既然出發點是對的、好的、正確的話,就算手法不夠好,對方也該接受。

Maybe yes, maybe not. As the saying goes: "The road to hell is often paved with good intentions." Anyway, I am glad to hear you find commonality with your Mom.


"The road to hell ..." is actually a very popular proverb often heard at meetings in Ottawa. Policy-makers must not forget that good intention "出發點" is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for success. No matter how "good" a proposed policy is, it still is from YOUR perspective / agena, and not the person on the receiving end. The challenge is therefore to establish a shared agenda, if not in whole, at least in parts, and in doing so, try to consult and create synergy.

Friday, May 7, 2010

「人不輕狂枉少年」,跟著是不是「老尚風流是壽徵」??

My comments left at Dreamer's blog:

1. 我的中文生銹,沒有想到儍丶蠢丶錯的分別。
2. 我的輕狂似乎是跟隨著我長大。
3. 「人不輕狂枉少年」,跟著是不是「老尚風流是壽徵」?? 哈哈,講笑咋!!!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Asian Heritage Month - May 6, 2010

I went to National Archive's Main Library on Wellington to hear Professor Errol Mendes and Dr. Vincent Lam speak, followed by a panel discussion and a reception.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

HP SimpleSave Portable 320 GB Hard Drive

I bought a HP SimpleSave Portable Hard Drive (320 GB) yesterday and started the back-up operation at around 20h00. Twelve hours later, only 18 GB of data has been copied and stored. I had expected the transfer rate to be faster. The bottle-neck could be the USB 2.0 cable - my guess.

++++++++++++ (Update 20100505) ++++++++++++++++++++++

Here is the SimpleSave report some 30 hours later:
_______________________________________________________

Backup Job Report
Backup to: K:\Backup Files\1\1\V0\
Backup Started At: 04/05/2010 5:14:12 PM
Number Of File(s) Processed: 9,380 [abt 35.6 GB)
Number Of File(s) Skipped: 1
FindFirstFile(The system cannot find the file specified.2) : C:\Users\HP_PX20100224\Documents\~$aghetti with Squid Ink Spaghetti al Nero di.doc
Backup Ended At: 05/05/2010 11:26:08 PM
_______________________________________________________

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Reality-checks on: 大智若愚, 大愚若智 / 聰明多被聰明誤 / 傻人

I posted earlier this evening the following comments on Vince's April 29, 2010 blog article entitled "大愚若智"

Vince:

The Chinese-language side of my brain has no problem understanding the concept of 大智若愚, 大愚若智 etc.

And my English-language brain actually agrees with the adage 聰明多被聰明誤 - too smart for his/her own good.

But my political experience / instinct tells me that 傻人 (real or percieved) do not last long in this town !!!

Haricot May 2, 2010 11:22 PM


It is one of those reality-checks that I often do.

++++++++++++++++++++

(Update) An excellent response from Best Actor:

haha, fair enough! ;o) all joking aside, i think doing silly things or doing stupid things are a little different. at work, there will always be rules and protocol to follow, but in one's private life, one can calculate all one wants, or can follow his/her heart and do some silly things... it's all about context and circumstance, i guess.

May 3, 2010 8:09 AM