往事只能回味 / Memories

多謝嗜悲兄留詞如下:

柏樹常青
權重位高
一葉偏舟
去國懷鄉

柏樹常青
堅忍耐寒
遠走他鄉
行走江湖

柏樹常青
江水長流
強忍離愁
渡洋跨山

柏樹常青
基立礎穩
再覓家園
生命留痕

My Responses to Mind Necessity's Blog article "遊學"

Mind Necessity 遊學 DECEMBER 12, 2011

http://mindnecessity.blogspot.com/2011/12/take-sabbatical-sabbatical-or.html

Haricot 微豆 said...

>> .... 第七日 祂就選擇休息

Traditionally, every seven years, professors are allowed to take a year off to do research, thus the term sabbatical leave. Similar to the religious tradition, they have a job to go back to.

>> ... 陳志雲 已經向無線電視辭職，並且得到接納。

If a person resigns, it is not a sabbatical, straightly speaking.

>> ... 中文叫作“退修”

Retreat can be undertaken any number of times by a group of employees who then go back to their jobs all refreshed with new ideas.

>> .... 直到西方文化東來，入侵中國固有的規律，城市才出現每工作六天給有一天休息 ...

入侵??? Even Chairman Mao wanted the industrialization of China. And it was the unions that demanded rest days for workers (and overtime pay if they have to work on weekends).

>> ... 近年在中國沿海大城市，已經推行一週五天工作

A country's productivity is measured by, among other indicators, how efficient resources are being utilized to produce goods and services in a SUSTAINABLE and ETHICAL manner. Obviously, locking children up in sweat shops and forcing them to work seven days a week will produce cheap goods. But the practice is neither ethical nor sustainable. On the other hand, well paid knowledge workers who spend only five days a week at the office will cost more but may contribute more to the long-term competitiveness of an economy. So, the number of working days by itself is not a good indicator of success/failure.

Monday, December 12, 2011 12:01:00 PM

Long Lost Love

If two ppl have gone on their separate ways for decades, maybe we should let (the emotional) sleeping dog lie.

(Comments posted at Beer Flower's blog on Nov 28, 2011)
Sent from BlackBerry

Maslow's Hierarchy

One could argue food for body and food for thoughts are equally important.

But Maslow's hierarchy of needs still holds true for many ppl.

(Comments posted on Beer Flower's blog on Nov 28, 2011)
Sent from BlackBerry

掟煲 / Defriend

Here are my comments to Fresh Designer's 2011年8月12日 blog article "Defriend!"

Haricot:

我個FB戶口一個月都唔開一次,都係用嚟做尋人廣告多。

我認為大家係網上雖然係匿名,但做人都仍要有文化,要有民風,互相尊重。傾唔埋咪唔傾囉,無需又講粗口,又登宣言。

係現實生活,我或者会疏遠某人,但係大庭廣众 defriend 掟煲就無做過,亦都覺得無必要。

8/27/2011

Exercise - Blood Pressure & Heart Beats/Pulse Rate after a Long Run

I notice that every time after a long run, my blood pressure drops.
For example:

After the long-run last Sunday July 24, 2011, the readings were:

- Blood pressure = 112/72
- Pulse = 39 beats per min

I suppose that's good news as high blood pressure leads to all kinds of health issue. But I wonder what causes the drop.

Sent from BlackBerry

Exercise - Training for my 14th Running Marathon

I did a 23.4 km run this morning as part of my training to complete my 14th marathon this fall.

Next week, the group I am training with will start doing hills, which should be fun lol !!

My goal is to narrow the gap btwn my PB (personal best) and the avg time of all 13 marathons.

Who knows, I might even surprise myself !!

Sent from BlackBerry

Short-term Stay vs Long-term Commitment

Here are my comments on blogger leLapinAmoureux's July 10, 2011 article entitled "在家千日好？"

Lapin: 如果可以在地方不同地方也留待一陣子，不是走馬看花，有少少家的味道，便好．

Haricot: Just my thoughts ….. The issue with short-term stay is that there is no long-term commitment. On the other hand, if you pick up skills and gain experience from the many different stops, then your contributions to the common good will be so much richer – if and when you decide to stay longer at one place, or with one project.

(ref: http://lelapinamoureux.wordpress.com/2011/07/10/%e5%9c%a8%e5%ae%b6%e5%8d%83%e6%97%a5%e5%a5%bd%ef%bc%9f/ )

Ghana - My next destination?

I saw this video clip on YouTube. Those surfboats and their handlers were amazing back in 1947. Are they still in operation today?

I want to go to Ghana !!!

USA independence Day July 4, 2011

SMARTY PANTS

My pants shall be hemmed,
All ready for Uncle Sam;
Smartly casual I will dress,
Like going to summer camp.

:O

Sent from BlackBerry

Jessie J - Price Tag ft. B.o.B.

I would like to thank blogger friend 啤酒花™_J for introducing me to this song (see reference below). Enjoy !!!



Lyrics:

Okay, Coconut man, Moon Heads and Pea
You ready
Seems like everybody's got a price,
I wonder how they sleep at night.
When the sale comes first,
And the truth comes second,
Just stop, for a minute and
Smile

Why is everybody so serious
Acting so damn mysterious
Got your shades on your eyes
And your heels so high
That you can't even have a good time

Everybody look to their left (yeah)
Everybody look to their right (ha)

Can you feel that (yeah)
We're paying with love tonight
It's not about the money, money, money
We don't need your money, money, money
We just wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag
Ain't about the (uh) Cha-Chang Cha-Chang.
Aint about the (yeah) Ba-Blang Ba-Blang
Wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag.

Okay!

We need to take it back in time,
When music made us all unite
And it wasn't low blows and video hoes,
Am I the only one getting tired
Why is everybody so obsessed

Money can't buy us happiness
Can we all slow down and enjoy right now
Guarantee we'll be feeling Alright.

Everybody look to their left (yeah)
Everybody look to their right (ha)
Can you feel that (yeah)
We're paying with love tonight
It's not about the money, money, money
We don't need your money, money, money
We just wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag
Ain't about the (uh) Cha-Chang Cha-Chang.

Aint about the (yeah) Ba-Blang Ba-Blang

Wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag.

[B.o.B]
Yeah yeah
Well, keep the price tag
And take the cash back
Just give me six strings and a half stack.
And you can keep the cars
Leave me the garage
And all I..
Yes all I need are keys and guitars
And its with in 30 seconds I'm leaving to Mars
Yeah we leaping across these undefeatable odds
Its like this man, you can't put a price on the life
We do this for the love so we fight and sacrifice everynight
So we aint gon stumble and fall never
Waiting to see this in the sign of defeat uh uh
So we gon keep everyone moving their feet
So bring back the beat and then everyone sing

It's not about the money, money, money
We don't need your money, money, money
We just wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag
Ain't about the (uh) Cha-Chang Cha-Chang.
Aint about the (yeah) Ba-Blang Ba-Blang

Wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag.

It's not about the money, money, money
We don't need your money, money, money
We just wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag
Ain't about the (uh) Cha-Chang Cha-Chang.
Aint about the (yeah) Ba-Blang Ba-Blang

Wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag.

[Jessie J -Outro]
Yeah, yeah
Oo-oooh
Forget about the price tag

(Source: 啤酒花™_J http://tanpohhoon.blogspot.com/2011/06/blog-post_22.html)

Lost, Found, Not Returned ?!!

Here are my comments posted at Fresh Designer's June 15, 2011 blog article 執到"寶"，點算好? :

Haricot 微豆 提到...

When I was living in HK, there was no strong guidance as to what one should do. Some ppl speculated that the police would just pocketed whatever were brought into the station - less paperwork that way. That was before 1997.

Generally speaking, things are more above-board here in Ottawa. However, I still would not expect lost items to be returned to me every time, esp electronic gadgets.

Exercise - 20110622 Marathon Training

I went out with The Running Room folks for their free Wednesday group runs.

I was with the Marathon crowd and we ran 10K in slightly less than 60 min. This is a slower pace than the triathlon group I usually run with on Monday. The personal best (PB) of the group leader there is abt 3h09.

Everything else being equal, youth does have an advantage !!!
Sent from BlackBerry

A Simple Life

I posted the following comments on 啤酒花™_J's June 17, 2011 blog article "哪个会先来".


I cannot spend my life worrying abt whether an accident would kill me tomorrow.

I can only deal with things that I have control over.

Meanwhile, I work hard and play hard and make my contributions.

And, if my book is closed suddenly, I will be generally happy with what have happened so far.


Perhaps I just want life to be simple.

Exercise - 20110615 Running + Cream Soda Float

I was going to run in the evening when the weather was not as hot. But then K wanted to attend the 2011 Sri Lanka Film Festival at the National Achieve near Parliament Hill. To entice me, she said there would be authentic food served at the reception by the Sri Lanka High Commission. Well, how can I resist!!!

So I went running in the searing 30 deg C temperature (hot by Canadian standard) and rewarded myself with a cream-soda float after!!!

Photo credit:
* I took this pic inside Dick's Dairy Bar after the run.

+++++++++++

Exercise Log:

Pace - Tempo minus
Heart - est 125-130 bpm
Time - abt 60 min
Distance - est 5-6 km

Started at Loblaws parking lot, to Expt'al Farm perimeter gate, across fields to Canal lock at Carleton University, return

30 deg C !! HOT !! Cream soda-float at Dick's after ~~COOL~~

Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network

Quotes of the day

- Barbara De Angelis -

"Women need real moments of solitude and self-reflection to balance out how much of ourselves we give away."

- Haricot -

"Only in countries where women have rights, as opposed to being properties of others."

Sent from BlackBerry

"Lavender Blue" by Gene Vincent

Comments left at Xiao Zhu's .....

【薰衣草藍】

Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green,
When I am king, dilly, dilly, you shall be queen.
Who told you so, dilly, dilly, who told you so?
'Twas my own heart, dilly, dilly, that told me so.
Call up your men, dilly, dilly, set them to work,
Some with a rake, dilly, dilly, some with a fork.
Some to make hay, dilly, dilly, some to thresh corn,
While you and I, dilly, dilly, keep ourselves warm.
Lavender's green, dilly, dilly, lavender's blue,
If you love me, dilly, dilly, I will love you.
Let the birds sing, dilly, dilly, and the lambs play,
We shall be safe, dilly, dilly, out of harm's way.
I love to dance, dilly, dilly, I love to sing,
When I am queen, dilly, dilly, you'll be my king.
Who told me so, dilly, dilly, who told me so?
I told myself, dilly, dilly, I told me so.

Related Links:
* Xiao Zhu's 慟 http://xiaozhu1979.blogspot.com/2011/06/blog-post.html * 「兩週一聚: 小朋友」之【兒童歌曲(二)】/ 「Bi-weekly Series: Children」 - 【Songs for Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers (2)】 http://lotusandcedar.blogspot.com/2009/02/bi-weekly-series-children-songs-for_15.html

re 美國負了一萬四千三百萬億元的國債

Here are some exchanges btwn myself and Space re his Friday, May 20, 2011 blog article entitled "你用膳 我付鈔？"
(http://mindnecessity.blogspot.com/2011/05/us14300000000000000-hk10440000000000000.html)

Haricot 微豆 said...
>> .... 美國是要在國內國外的巨額花費，去保衛民主，保持民主，保留民主，今天美國負了一萬四千三百萬億元的國債，可見民主是一個花費金錢的主義，民主選票是由要用鬪派得錢多，爭回來換回來買回來的....

There is no doubt the US economy is in bad shape and one can come up with many reasons, but I do not believe保衛民主，保持民主，保留民主are the key ones. A country's foreign policy involves more than fighting for ideology. Even during the height of the Cold War, when the US and its allies were fighting against communism, politicians knew they were fighting to preserve not just western style democracy but also control of the world's economy, resources and power. In that sense, it is similar to what China is doing now!!!

Haricot 微豆 said...
>> .... 全世界最大的民主國家 = 全世界最高的負債國家

Are you generalizing then that 民主 is equated with 負債 (i.e. not a good thing)?

I would submit that the United States' political system and its national/foreign debts cannot and should not be linked/represented by a one-one, cause-result type of simple equation.

In terms of population, I believe India is the largest democracy in the world.

Haricot 微豆 said...
>> ... 但是中國卻是美國國債的最大持有者（約23%），中國人民暫時沒有享受到美式民主，而美國也沒有償還的意願，即是：“你用膳 我付鈔？”

When China agreed to become the "lender", there was no stipulations as to how the US should or should not spend the borrowed money. So, I do not understand your logic: 中國人民暫時沒有享受到美式民主 ... “你用膳 我付鈔？”

It would have been very different if you had lent money to Uncle Sam, and had stipulated that 中國人民要享受到美式民主 in return !!!

the inner space said...
哈哈哈 Hari 兄：我只是說用錢去爭回來換回來買回來的民主不是真的民主。若你間接承認了美國的民主是用錢爭回來換回來買回來，哈哈哈哈哈哈！我也無話可說了！

the inner space said...
哈哈哈哈 Hari 兄：
全世界最大的民主國家 = 全世界最高的負債國家

我是由英文翻譯出來的 Highest democratic country = highest debt country

讓我改正翻譯：
全世界最高度民主的國家 = 全世界最高負債的國家

the inner space said...
哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈！hari 兄：“你用膳 我付鈔？”是中國人常講的話，意思不用細表矣。

而我寫：
中國卻是美國國債的最大持有者（約23%），中國人民暫時沒有享受到美式民主，而美國也沒有償還的意願，即是：“你用膳 我付鈔？”

最尾尾是個問號？
我是想不出道理來呢，遂向各方好友網友發問，祈望若有所悟，不嫌棄告訴我個中緣因。

Haricot 微豆 said...
Finally, I am not an economist and will let experts in that field to explain the root causes of the reported US$14,300,000,000,000,000 debt.

Just like the restructuring of a corporation that is close to bankruptcy, the share-holders, the lenders and the borrower will all have to come up with acceptable financial measures, as well as new terms and conditions.

I believe it is irrelevant to refer to the past lend-borrow transaction as 你用膳 我付鈔？because there were no stipulations on how the money should be spent.

However, it may be fair to use the 你用膳 我付鈔？challenge now as part of the pre-conditions for restructuring the debts.

But then, the US is not exactly like Greece !!

the inner space said...
哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈！ Hari 兄：
我在伸延閱覽做的其中一個連結：美國國債
有以下的資料：

財政年度末。美國國債十億美元
1950 。。。。257.4
1960 。。。。290.2
1970 。。。。389.2
1980 。。。。930.2
1990 。。。。3,233
2000 。。。。5,674
2005 。。。。7,933
2007 。。。。9,008
2008 。。。。10,024.7
2009 。。。。11,910
2010 。。。。13,562

可供閣下參考，看出有甚麽端倪！

re: 60歲之前唔俾女人食飽飯

I left the following comments with Fresh Designer's 2011年5月19日 blog entitled "天生絶配!" (http://freshdesigner.blogspot.com/2011/05/blog-post_19.html):

Fresh Designer: ....老一輩的男人講過: 60歲之前唔俾女人食飽飯 ...

Haricot:

I think it was all abt control and power, similar to hostage taking.

In the old days, if a woman, as hostage to the man/husband/master, was always dependent on the latter for food, and by extension, lodging, comfort, and security, then the risk of the woman running away was much reduced.

I suppose a woman older than 60 would not be considered as "marketable" anymore and therefore not a flight risk. Beside, most men started to die off after 60 and they would need their women to help look after the family lineages and other affairs.

Those were the days !!

Priority Seats: What to do with rude and inconsiderate bus passengers?

On the day my Mom left the rehab centre, the social worker there gave me an application for an Ottawa-Carleton Transpo attendant card (for myself) and a priority seating card (for my Mom). According to OC Transpo:

The Attendant Card is a photo-ID card that identifies a person who, because of their disability, requires assistance while travelling on OC Transpo's regular services and therefore requires an attendant. This card will allow the cardholder to have an attendant travel with them at no charge on OC Transpo.

The Priority Seating Card assists a person who has a disability or medical condition rendering it difficult or impossible for them to stand in a moving vehicle. When shown as ID, the holder is given priority to sit at the front of the bus in the designated cooperative seating ares.

Hopefully, upon presenting the said cards to able-body passengers in the front of the bus, my Mom will be offered a seat. But what if a rude and inconsiderate bus passenger refuses to vacate his/her seat? What then? Should I throw the rule-book at this individual, or should I patiently try to "educate" this person on the spot?

I will find out soon enough !!

Harioct
2011-04-22

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

Below are my comment and Fresh Designer's response re: the latter's 2011-03-31 blog article "天殘腳~" :

微豆: 新鮮兄 I hate to say this: When a society's civility 文明態度禮貌 is slipping away, the govt must start codifying and enforcing acceptable/unacceptable behaviours before the society passes beyond the point of no return. For example: In many SE countries, nobody stops for traffic lights anymore because there are little or no consequences for non-compliance.

新鮮人: haricot,我明白你的意思,但有些行為是道德上的操守,例如讓位給老人等,並不是可能白紙黑字的例入法律,這些要從教育開始, rather than 用刑法去規管!

(Link to Fresh Designer's article: http://freshdesigner.blogspot.com/2011/03/blog-post_31.html)

「無大陸，香港食屎」: I Beg Your Pardon ?!!

Here are my comments posted on 新鮮人's 2011年2月25日 blog article 怒着駡、哭着停 ! :

"..... After watching the video of the tourist screaming at the camera「無大陸，香港食屎」and of the tour guide explaining her side of the story, I finally understand the problem is bigger than the structural weakness of the "shopping tours" industry. What we have here is a case of the newly-rich mainlander vs the hard-done-by Hong Kongnese, the former with an overblown ego and the latter a victimized self-image.

Since 1997, some of the ppl living in HK seem to have loss confidence in and identity of themselves. They feel resentful, rightly or wrongly, for not being appreciated and not being treated fairly. It is high time they find something unique that they can be proud of, a symbol, an icon, a collective accomplisment !!!

THERE IS NOTHING HONK KONGNESE SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF ABT THEIR HUMBLE PAST !!! THE PREVIUS GENERATIONS WORKED THEIR BUTTS OFF TO MAKE A LIVING OUT OF THESE BARREN ROCKS!!!



As to Mr. Newly-rich, a jerk will always be a jerk wherever he goes !!! "

Career Advice: Diversify early !!!

Here are the exchanges btwn myself and Fresh Designer re: N展佬

新鮮人:>> .... 我有很多很多工程出身嘅朋友,做十幾廿年專業,但由於大陸工廠不斷委縮,很多都面對失業問題,他們有返咁上下年紀,又做開好專門嘅行業,唔係話轉就可以轉的,

Haricot:>> .... I think you've nailed one of the career obstacles right there -- over-specialization. It's not just engineers in HK. Many of my Canadian colleagues in the science and technology S&T field are also facing the same problem. When the paradigm shifted, they found themselves too "old" to change career direction. Advice to next generation of engineers: Diversify early !!!!

Reference:* Fresh Coffee Shop: 生活隨想! 2011年3月1日