Sunday, August 29, 2010
Mooncake
Not liking any of the mooncakes that one can buy and finding them too sweet and greasy, my father decided to make his own mooncakes. These are the low sugar, low fat organic mooncakes he made over the weekend. The darker coloured ones have date paste and the lighter coloured ones have green bean paste in them. It is his first attempt and the results are just perfect.
My father never fails to impress.
He was born in the 30's at a time when there were only wars, more wars and yet some more wars. A few months after the Japanese had surrendered he came to Hong Kong. As a 13-year-old young refugee who had never been to school and did not know anyone in Hong Kong, he found a job as a junior sailor and went on-board a cargo ship to Malaysia. With the very little money he earned, he managed to support the livings of his parents and his brothers and sisters, who were then all stuck in Tianjin. He taught himself English and continued to perfect his skills as a sailor. One examination after the other, he finally became a Captain, before he turned 26.
My father spent half of his life on ocean going ships. As a father of four and uncle of kids of my other uncles who preferred not to work, he had to work extremely hard. He never took any extended leave so that he could earn the extra bonuses. In my younger days I saw him probably less than 20 days in a year. Although we had very little time together, I was somehow more attached to him. I guess it was because he was the easy to identify hero and I, foolishly enough, did not have the wisdom to see all the sacrifices and contributions of my stay-home mum.
A few years after his retirement my father took up another job - to take care of his wife who was suffering from Pick's disease. Anyone who has experience with patients of dementia will know what it is like to take care of a patient whose brain steadfastly decides to shut down a part of it every day. When she was formally diagnosed as a Pick's disease patient, all the doctors predicted that she would live for another three or four years. It turned out that she lived another eight whole years, thanks to my father's 24/7/365 care and attention. My father's place was like a hospital ward. There were breathing aids, wheelchairs, mechanical mattress, electrical nebulizer, feeding apparatus and all kinds of tubes.
Witnessing the whole degeneration process (memory loss, personality change, loss of speech, immobility, incontinence, inability to swallow, breathing difficulty and finally death) was painful. My mother left two years ago. I did not feel particularly sad when she died. There was this guilty feeling of relief...
There were times that we were worried that our father would not recover from our mother's death. Every time we went to his place he would tell us things like, "Your mum died 435 days ago", "it would be your mum's birthday in 112 days", and so forth. The mooncakes shown in the picture above are testimony to his partial recovery from his wife's departure. He is always a curious and energetic man and wants to try something new. I hope he will remain so.
My father never fails to impress.
He was born in the 30's at a time when there were only wars, more wars and yet some more wars. A few months after the Japanese had surrendered he came to Hong Kong. As a 13-year-old young refugee who had never been to school and did not know anyone in Hong Kong, he found a job as a junior sailor and went on-board a cargo ship to Malaysia. With the very little money he earned, he managed to support the livings of his parents and his brothers and sisters, who were then all stuck in Tianjin. He taught himself English and continued to perfect his skills as a sailor. One examination after the other, he finally became a Captain, before he turned 26.
My father spent half of his life on ocean going ships. As a father of four and uncle of kids of my other uncles who preferred not to work, he had to work extremely hard. He never took any extended leave so that he could earn the extra bonuses. In my younger days I saw him probably less than 20 days in a year. Although we had very little time together, I was somehow more attached to him. I guess it was because he was the easy to identify hero and I, foolishly enough, did not have the wisdom to see all the sacrifices and contributions of my stay-home mum.
A few years after his retirement my father took up another job - to take care of his wife who was suffering from Pick's disease. Anyone who has experience with patients of dementia will know what it is like to take care of a patient whose brain steadfastly decides to shut down a part of it every day. When she was formally diagnosed as a Pick's disease patient, all the doctors predicted that she would live for another three or four years. It turned out that she lived another eight whole years, thanks to my father's 24/7/365 care and attention. My father's place was like a hospital ward. There were breathing aids, wheelchairs, mechanical mattress, electrical nebulizer, feeding apparatus and all kinds of tubes.
Witnessing the whole degeneration process (memory loss, personality change, loss of speech, immobility, incontinence, inability to swallow, breathing difficulty and finally death) was painful. My mother left two years ago. I did not feel particularly sad when she died. There was this guilty feeling of relief...
There were times that we were worried that our father would not recover from our mother's death. Every time we went to his place he would tell us things like, "Your mum died 435 days ago", "it would be your mum's birthday in 112 days", and so forth. The mooncakes shown in the picture above are testimony to his partial recovery from his wife's departure. He is always a curious and energetic man and wants to try something new. I hope he will remain so.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Cat and Dog
Soon after we had got married my wife suggested that we should have a cat. As a great admirer of the feline creatures, I jumped at the chance and promised to get her one. When searching for a cat we bumped into Mr and Mrs H, a couple from Holland who were breeders of the Balinese breed (long hair Siamese). They happened to have a new-born Balinese which we fell in love with at first sight. When the little hair ball was 3 months old, we brought it home and gave it a new name - Mui Mui.
As the only kitten in the litter and having seen more men and women, boy and girls than other cats, Mui Mui was deeply convinced that she was a member of the human race. She was very attached to us. Every evening if I was not home by 9 p.m., she would become agitated. If we went on vacation, I had to call back home every now and then to talk to her, or she would refuse to eat. When we were happy, she was happy; when we were sad, she knew. She was always interested in the books that we were reading (as if she could read) and food that we were eating. I once put a glass of red wine in front of her. After some hesitation she gave it a try. And, I can't describe it. You have to see it yourself to believe that a cat is capable of making such a face - eyes squeezed to a line, whiskers pulled to the front and mouth pulled back. Very funny indeed.
Mui Mui was some 4 to 5 years old when our daughter was born. She was the most wonderful elder sister. Whatever our daughter did to her (poking her ears, pulling her tail, throwing toys at her), she would never fight back. When her younger sister was asleep, Mui Mui would sit next to her, guarding her, not making a sound. When she was awake, she would jump to the living room and meowed to us, commanding one of us to attend to her immediately.
Mui Mui passed away some three years ago. Sad. All good things will come to an end, won't they? We thought of keeping another cat, but, as our daughter turned out to be allergic to all other cats, we had to give up the idea. Our daughter loves dogs. Ever since she was able to read she has been reading everything about dogs, from dog breeds to dog training to dog history. I dare say that our daughter is one of the least materialistic girls. She never asked for anything, be it toys, modern gadgets, new cloths or new school bags (I guess she is the only student at her school who use the very same school bag from grade 1 through grade 5). So, when she asked for a puppy we found it hard to say no. Because of her allergy and asthmatic tendency, poodle appeared to be the only breed open to us (I'm not Obama and can't order someone to find me a non-shedding Portuguese water dog). We then found her a poodle...
I once said that I did not want a kid in my life. It turns out that I am a happy father. I also said that I hated small dogs like poodle and Yorkshire terrier. Now, I have a tiny poodle sitting next to me as I am typing this. Never say never.
As the only kitten in the litter and having seen more men and women, boy and girls than other cats, Mui Mui was deeply convinced that she was a member of the human race. She was very attached to us. Every evening if I was not home by 9 p.m., she would become agitated. If we went on vacation, I had to call back home every now and then to talk to her, or she would refuse to eat. When we were happy, she was happy; when we were sad, she knew. She was always interested in the books that we were reading (as if she could read) and food that we were eating. I once put a glass of red wine in front of her. After some hesitation she gave it a try. And, I can't describe it. You have to see it yourself to believe that a cat is capable of making such a face - eyes squeezed to a line, whiskers pulled to the front and mouth pulled back. Very funny indeed.
Mui Mui was some 4 to 5 years old when our daughter was born. She was the most wonderful elder sister. Whatever our daughter did to her (poking her ears, pulling her tail, throwing toys at her), she would never fight back. When her younger sister was asleep, Mui Mui would sit next to her, guarding her, not making a sound. When she was awake, she would jump to the living room and meowed to us, commanding one of us to attend to her immediately.
Mui Mui passed away some three years ago. Sad. All good things will come to an end, won't they? We thought of keeping another cat, but, as our daughter turned out to be allergic to all other cats, we had to give up the idea. Our daughter loves dogs. Ever since she was able to read she has been reading everything about dogs, from dog breeds to dog training to dog history. I dare say that our daughter is one of the least materialistic girls. She never asked for anything, be it toys, modern gadgets, new cloths or new school bags (I guess she is the only student at her school who use the very same school bag from grade 1 through grade 5). So, when she asked for a puppy we found it hard to say no. Because of her allergy and asthmatic tendency, poodle appeared to be the only breed open to us (I'm not Obama and can't order someone to find me a non-shedding Portuguese water dog). We then found her a poodle...
I once said that I did not want a kid in my life. It turns out that I am a happy father. I also said that I hated small dogs like poodle and Yorkshire terrier. Now, I have a tiny poodle sitting next to me as I am typing this. Never say never.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Yashica EZ F521 Review
There are two major drawbacks that turn me away from this little Yashica.
First, it takes three seconds to boot. Not fatal per se but, given that it loves to turn itself completely off (not stand-by) after 60 seconds to save power, if you are not shooting non-stop and there is a 60 second gap between two pictures, you have to turn it back on and wait for another three whole seconds before you can shoot on.
I also hate that there is no way to turn the monitor permanently off. Yes, you can suspend the monitor by pressing the display button a few times. But the slightest touch of shutter release will bring it back on. I do not "chimp" and only use the viewfinder to frame. That means I have to constantly struggle with the display button. To make things worse, the shinning bright light from he monitor, which is very close to the viewfinder, is more than distracting. It makes the viewfinder hard to use. Why bother building into a camera a viewfinder that is not usable?
These two things together, my shooting mode is like this: turn the camera on, wait for three seconds, press the display button a few times to turn off the monitor, frame and shoot, press the display button again to turn the monitor off, frame and shoot...(60 seconds later)... turn the camera back on, wait for another three seconds...
This little inexpensive Yashica feels good in the hand and produces images of acceptable quality. It is a pity that it tries too hard to impress by pretending to be capable of doing things that are not expected of a supposed to be simple and fun to use camera. Take away the all the built-in filters, cancel the video mode and limit the monitor for pictures review purpose, it will then be a great fun camera.
First, it takes three seconds to boot. Not fatal per se but, given that it loves to turn itself completely off (not stand-by) after 60 seconds to save power, if you are not shooting non-stop and there is a 60 second gap between two pictures, you have to turn it back on and wait for another three whole seconds before you can shoot on.
I also hate that there is no way to turn the monitor permanently off. Yes, you can suspend the monitor by pressing the display button a few times. But the slightest touch of shutter release will bring it back on. I do not "chimp" and only use the viewfinder to frame. That means I have to constantly struggle with the display button. To make things worse, the shinning bright light from he monitor, which is very close to the viewfinder, is more than distracting. It makes the viewfinder hard to use. Why bother building into a camera a viewfinder that is not usable?
These two things together, my shooting mode is like this: turn the camera on, wait for three seconds, press the display button a few times to turn off the monitor, frame and shoot, press the display button again to turn the monitor off, frame and shoot...(60 seconds later)... turn the camera back on, wait for another three seconds...
This little inexpensive Yashica feels good in the hand and produces images of acceptable quality. It is a pity that it tries too hard to impress by pretending to be capable of doing things that are not expected of a supposed to be simple and fun to use camera. Take away the all the built-in filters, cancel the video mode and limit the monitor for pictures review purpose, it will then be a great fun camera.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Han Yuan Book Store 漢源書店
Han Yuan Book Store (漢源書店) is more like a friend's place than a book store or a cafe. It is is located in a quiet corner of the former French Concession, surrounded by publishing houses, traditional Shanghai-style residences and trees. The exact address is no.27 Shao Xing Road, Shanghai (5 min walk from Shan Xi Road South station, Line 1).
The owner of Han Yuan, Deke Erh, is a photographer based in Shanghai. Signed copies of his books are available at Han Yuan at no extra cost. The book store carries books on photography, fashion, literature and old Shanghai customs and cultures. Scattered over the place are some old furnitures and antiques from Erh's own collection, which include antique tea sets, calligraphies, paintings, lamps, cameras and aged books. Some photographs of Han Yuan here.
Han Yuan is just the perfect place to have a cup of coffee and to read. You can bring your own books, sit down, order a cup of coffee and stay there for a whole day. No one will ever ask you to buy a second cup of coffee or disturb you from your reading. Sitting in Han Yuan takes you back to the old days, the days when you could idle in the yard in the lazy days of summer, when time seemed to pass slowly and nobody was in a rush. We went to Han Yuan on a Sunday and spent our entire afternoon there. Our daughter found a copy of Sophie's World (an early print which is not for sale). After reading the first 20 pages she fell in love with it. She found in the middle of the book a bookmark with some scribbles on it which said, "Please leave this bookmark in its place. I love this book and will come back to finish it.". My wife found a reprint of 楊絳《雜憶與雜寫》 and I managed to finish 龍應台《目送》which I never had time to finish. We went to Han Yuan the next day and spent another afternoon there. If there is something in Shanghai that we really miss, it is Han Yuan.
The owner of Han Yuan, Deke Erh, is a photographer based in Shanghai. Signed copies of his books are available at Han Yuan at no extra cost. The book store carries books on photography, fashion, literature and old Shanghai customs and cultures. Scattered over the place are some old furnitures and antiques from Erh's own collection, which include antique tea sets, calligraphies, paintings, lamps, cameras and aged books. Some photographs of Han Yuan here.
Han Yuan is just the perfect place to have a cup of coffee and to read. You can bring your own books, sit down, order a cup of coffee and stay there for a whole day. No one will ever ask you to buy a second cup of coffee or disturb you from your reading. Sitting in Han Yuan takes you back to the old days, the days when you could idle in the yard in the lazy days of summer, when time seemed to pass slowly and nobody was in a rush. We went to Han Yuan on a Sunday and spent our entire afternoon there. Our daughter found a copy of Sophie's World (an early print which is not for sale). After reading the first 20 pages she fell in love with it. She found in the middle of the book a bookmark with some scribbles on it which said, "Please leave this bookmark in its place. I love this book and will come back to finish it.". My wife found a reprint of 楊絳《雜憶與雜寫》 and I managed to finish 龍應台《目送》which I never had time to finish. We went to Han Yuan the next day and spent another afternoon there. If there is something in Shanghai that we really miss, it is Han Yuan.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Amanfayun, Hangzhou
Hidden deep in 飛來峰 (Feilai Peak, the Peak from Afar) are seven ancient temples. The most famous of which is 靈隱寺, Lingyin Temple (meaning: "Temple of the Soul's Retreat"), first built some 1,700 years ago during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, around the time when Constantine summonsed the Council of Nicaea. To the West of Lingyin Temple there lies a historic village called 法雲古村 (Fayun Historic Village). From its name, 法雲 (Fayun), one can readily guess that the village formed part of the seven ancient temples. According to some publications, the village was established by the monks and nuns of the nearby temples who had chosen to return to civilian life but wished to live close to the temples. A few of the farm houses in the village have been turned into AmanFayun 法雲安縵, a resort run by Aman Resorts. The farm houses have been kept in their original state. From the outside, the Aman villas look exactly like the other farm houses. Unless you already know, you cannot possibly tell that farm houses are now Aman villas.
Although the village is open to public, it is very little known. Chances are that you will not come across more than a few visitors in a day. The place is extremely well preserved. I can imagine that it looked exactly the same hundreds of years ago. There is an old Chinese story about a man who walked into a mountain and stayed in a hut for a night, only to find out the other day when he walked out of the mountain that the outside world had changed beyond recognition. I cannot help thinking that the story actually happened here. Time seems to have frozen at Fayun Village and there seems to be a spirit in every tree and every piece of stone. It is kind of surreal, almost dream-like. If someone tells me that the little spider on the twig, having listened to the monks' morning and evening prayers for over a hundred years, can recite a script from a Buddha text, I will believe it.
AmanFayun does not offer facilities common to other resorts. There are two small restaurants, a tea house, a library and a spa but there are no gym, swimming pool, karaoke or the like. To keep the ambience of the place, things are TVs and bath tubs are not to be found in the rooms and villas. Our villa is some two or three hundred metres away from the restaurants and spa area. Not very conveniently located one may think, but we love walking on the stone path.
This is our first Aman experience and we are Aman Junkies already. True that Aman is twice as expensive as other resorts like Banyan Tree but Aman is a hundred times better than others. If I have to choose between a paid night at AmanFayun and a free week at Banyan Hangzhou (which comes with meals in any restaurants in Hangzhou of my choice and a limo with driver), I will go for a night at AmanFayun, definitely. There are five more temples that I need to visit.
My next blog will be about another great find in China - a cheap one.
Although the village is open to public, it is very little known. Chances are that you will not come across more than a few visitors in a day. The place is extremely well preserved. I can imagine that it looked exactly the same hundreds of years ago. There is an old Chinese story about a man who walked into a mountain and stayed in a hut for a night, only to find out the other day when he walked out of the mountain that the outside world had changed beyond recognition. I cannot help thinking that the story actually happened here. Time seems to have frozen at Fayun Village and there seems to be a spirit in every tree and every piece of stone. It is kind of surreal, almost dream-like. If someone tells me that the little spider on the twig, having listened to the monks' morning and evening prayers for over a hundred years, can recite a script from a Buddha text, I will believe it.
AmanFayun does not offer facilities common to other resorts. There are two small restaurants, a tea house, a library and a spa but there are no gym, swimming pool, karaoke or the like. To keep the ambience of the place, things are TVs and bath tubs are not to be found in the rooms and villas. Our villa is some two or three hundred metres away from the restaurants and spa area. Not very conveniently located one may think, but we love walking on the stone path.
This is our first Aman experience and we are Aman Junkies already. True that Aman is twice as expensive as other resorts like Banyan Tree but Aman is a hundred times better than others. If I have to choose between a paid night at AmanFayun and a free week at Banyan Hangzhou (which comes with meals in any restaurants in Hangzhou of my choice and a limo with driver), I will go for a night at AmanFayun, definitely. There are five more temples that I need to visit.
My next blog will be about another great find in China - a cheap one.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Two More Days To Go
I did not blog in the past week as I was heavily involved in a piece of work which took up more than 16 hours of any day of mine. With 4 or so hours of sleep everyday I really didn't think I could produce something marginally worth reading. Luckily, in 2 days' time, I can have my vacation, a much overdue vacation. Save that I know where my wife will take me to, I have no idea what she has planned for the vacation. I do know, however, I am going to enjoy whatever she has planned.
I am going to leave my heavy gear at home and take nothing but a toy camera with me. It's a Yashica EZ F521. I am always a big fan of Yashica/Contax. Although it costs me no more than HK$680 (about US$87), it has everything I want - an optical viewfinder and a fixed-focal lens which is not too slow (it has a 42.5mm f.3.0 lens). This 100% plastic little camera is amazingly light, lighter than my very light Summicron 50/2 alone. I'll write a review of this little Yashica when I'm back from vacation.
To make this vacation a real vacation, I'll be away from phone, computer and internet. So, there will be no update to this blog before August 13th.
I am going to leave my heavy gear at home and take nothing but a toy camera with me. It's a Yashica EZ F521. I am always a big fan of Yashica/Contax. Although it costs me no more than HK$680 (about US$87), it has everything I want - an optical viewfinder and a fixed-focal lens which is not too slow (it has a 42.5mm f.3.0 lens). This 100% plastic little camera is amazingly light, lighter than my very light Summicron 50/2 alone. I'll write a review of this little Yashica when I'm back from vacation.
To make this vacation a real vacation, I'll be away from phone, computer and internet. So, there will be no update to this blog before August 13th.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Creepy Songs
This post should be read after the clock strikes 12.
Gloomy Sunday is probably the best known creepy song. Legends have it that the original version was cursed, something about there being a subliminal message in the Hungarian lyrics and that people would kill themselves after listening to it on a bad day. Here is Bille Holiday's cover, which, people say, does not carry the dark magic.
夜夜痴纏 is a Hong Kong's answer to the Gloomy Sunday. Said to have been banned in the 80's following some strange occurrences to the DJs who were stupid enough to play it after mid-night.
I do not find 夜夜痴纏 creepy. If there is a creepy Cantonese song, it is this one:
This must be the most creepy Bach of all. BTW, whether or not you believe that there is a memorial to Bach's wife hidden in it, this rendering of the Chaconne is deeply affecting. BBC review of the Morimur here.
And, there is nothing more creepy than this: a 7-year-old playing a Paganini Caprice. (The lovely little girl got accepted by Julliard School and became the school's youngest student after playing Paganini Caprice No. 24, Vieuxtemps Violin Concerto No. 5 and Bach Sonata No.1 in front of Itzhak Perlman and Stephen Clapp. Here is her short biography)
Gloomy Sunday is probably the best known creepy song. Legends have it that the original version was cursed, something about there being a subliminal message in the Hungarian lyrics and that people would kill themselves after listening to it on a bad day. Here is Bille Holiday's cover, which, people say, does not carry the dark magic.
夜夜痴纏 is a Hong Kong's answer to the Gloomy Sunday. Said to have been banned in the 80's following some strange occurrences to the DJs who were stupid enough to play it after mid-night.
I do not find 夜夜痴纏 creepy. If there is a creepy Cantonese song, it is this one:
This must be the most creepy Bach of all. BTW, whether or not you believe that there is a memorial to Bach's wife hidden in it, this rendering of the Chaconne is deeply affecting. BBC review of the Morimur here.
And, there is nothing more creepy than this: a 7-year-old playing a Paganini Caprice. (The lovely little girl got accepted by Julliard School and became the school's youngest student after playing Paganini Caprice No. 24, Vieuxtemps Violin Concerto No. 5 and Bach Sonata No.1 in front of Itzhak Perlman and Stephen Clapp. Here is her short biography)
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Education and Lottery
The Hong Kong A-level Exam results were out some two weeks ago and the IB Diploma results were released just now. Parents of kids who did well (my congratulations to them) were reported to have said that getting 5As in HKAL or 40+ in IB and securing a ticket to one of the top universities is like finally winning a big lottery or a mega jackpot.
Numerous researches have shown that winners of mega jackpots live a short life, are far more likely to go bankrupt and have their marriage ended by way of a divorce.
Do you still want to win a big lottery or mega jackpot?
We often see in the papers stories of people winning a mega jackpot. What about the people who did not win? I bet you've never read any news about Peter's not winning, Paul's not winning, Mary's not winning ... If we require a TV station to run a 30-second interview with each loser every time they interview a winner, the losers in a typical lottery in the US will require nine and a half years of your uninterrupted attention just to watch them say, "I did not win", "I lost", "Neither did I"... (There is an interesting TED video on this.) The media bias creates an illusion that lotteries are winnable and makes people buy lottery tickets.
Is it the same with the attraction of the top universities?
We have stories in the papers and fancy magazines (which very often are more pornographic than the real pron magazines) that Simon Junior, graduate of Princeton, joining Goldman Sachs as its youngest partner, and Ann, grand-grand-grand-daughter of Peter the Great and a graduate from Yale, becoming CEO of one of the Fortune 500. It's not that likely that we'll find in the papers stories of Simon, graduate of Harvard, becoming a police officer, or Peter, a Cambridge's graduate, becoming a pharmacist or a teacher.
Is there a similar illusion, like the lottery one, that makes people believe that going to one of the top universities will bring us happiness and success?
Winners of medium-sized lotteries are generally happier. If Oxbridge and Ivy League = the biggest lotteries and second-tier universities = medium-sized lotteries, what do you prefer?
Numerous researches have shown that winners of mega jackpots live a short life, are far more likely to go bankrupt and have their marriage ended by way of a divorce.
Do you still want to win a big lottery or mega jackpot?
We often see in the papers stories of people winning a mega jackpot. What about the people who did not win? I bet you've never read any news about Peter's not winning, Paul's not winning, Mary's not winning ... If we require a TV station to run a 30-second interview with each loser every time they interview a winner, the losers in a typical lottery in the US will require nine and a half years of your uninterrupted attention just to watch them say, "I did not win", "I lost", "Neither did I"... (There is an interesting TED video on this.) The media bias creates an illusion that lotteries are winnable and makes people buy lottery tickets.
Is it the same with the attraction of the top universities?
We have stories in the papers and fancy magazines (which very often are more pornographic than the real pron magazines) that Simon Junior, graduate of Princeton, joining Goldman Sachs as its youngest partner, and Ann, grand-grand-grand-daughter of Peter the Great and a graduate from Yale, becoming CEO of one of the Fortune 500. It's not that likely that we'll find in the papers stories of Simon, graduate of Harvard, becoming a police officer, or Peter, a Cambridge's graduate, becoming a pharmacist or a teacher.
Is there a similar illusion, like the lottery one, that makes people believe that going to one of the top universities will bring us happiness and success?
Winners of medium-sized lotteries are generally happier. If Oxbridge and Ivy League = the biggest lotteries and second-tier universities = medium-sized lotteries, what do you prefer?
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Hong Kong Book Fair and Stephen Fry
Although you are not going to see Chrissie Chau and other underage pseudo models in person, this year speaker lineup for the Hong Kong Book Fair has its own attraction. The guest speakers include:
Here is Stephen Fry. (If you, quite understandably, don't want to see too much of Ann Widdecombe, jump to 1:15).
- Han Han, Chinese blogger, named one of the "100 most influential people" by Time Magazine;
- Frederick Forsyth, author of thriller books The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Dogs of War and The Devil's Alternative;
- Stephen Fry, actor, comedian, author and Twitter user with more thn 1.57 million followers;
- Andrew Roberts, historian and author of Hitler and Churchill;
- Jade Y Chen, best-selling novelist and playwright from Germany.
Here is Stephen Fry. (If you, quite understandably, don't want to see too much of Ann Widdecombe, jump to 1:15).
Friday, July 09, 2010
Hong Kong's Best Kept Secrets Series - Tiao Yuan Soya Sauce 調源醬油
It's a very well kept secret.
An extremely low profiled old money family in Hong Kong has been producing the Tiao Yuan soya sauce since time long forgotten. The family, among the very rich though, is little known. Members of the family have been patrons to China Care Fund, a local charity that is quietly helping many poor students (especially girls) in the more remote parts of China. The family once hosted a causal party for the China Care Fund's people at the family mansion in Fanling. I was lucky to be invited. It was not a fancy party like the ones at Four Seasons but there were good friends, good food and good chats. After the party the guests were presented some souvenirs - two bottles of Tiao Yuan soya sauce, freshly brewed from the in-house brewing facilities, which were behind the mansion and next to the private peacocks garden (there were some real peacocks!). Nice party souvenirs indeed. The soya sauce is brewed in the way their great grandparents did it. No chemicals added; no preservatives, no artificial colouring and nothing of those substances whose names I cannot spell. Just good materials and a lot of attention and a lot of time. The soya sauce making business is now more a family heritage than a money-making business. They are making it for friends, relatives and old customers who still remember them. Production is extremely small. There used to be an outlet in Causeway Bay but it is now gone. To buy the soya sauce you need to go to Sham Shui Po and look for a little shop called Tai Hing Food, which is right opposite to Pei Ho Street Market Building. Trust me, it is the best soya sauce you can find. The price is a little unreal - it's HK$20 per bottle. It makes the price for the balsamic vinegar from Modena or Reggio Emilia sound like a joke.
An extremely low profiled old money family in Hong Kong has been producing the Tiao Yuan soya sauce since time long forgotten. The family, among the very rich though, is little known. Members of the family have been patrons to China Care Fund, a local charity that is quietly helping many poor students (especially girls) in the more remote parts of China. The family once hosted a causal party for the China Care Fund's people at the family mansion in Fanling. I was lucky to be invited. It was not a fancy party like the ones at Four Seasons but there were good friends, good food and good chats. After the party the guests were presented some souvenirs - two bottles of Tiao Yuan soya sauce, freshly brewed from the in-house brewing facilities, which were behind the mansion and next to the private peacocks garden (there were some real peacocks!). Nice party souvenirs indeed. The soya sauce is brewed in the way their great grandparents did it. No chemicals added; no preservatives, no artificial colouring and nothing of those substances whose names I cannot spell. Just good materials and a lot of attention and a lot of time. The soya sauce making business is now more a family heritage than a money-making business. They are making it for friends, relatives and old customers who still remember them. Production is extremely small. There used to be an outlet in Causeway Bay but it is now gone. To buy the soya sauce you need to go to Sham Shui Po and look for a little shop called Tai Hing Food, which is right opposite to Pei Ho Street Market Building. Trust me, it is the best soya sauce you can find. The price is a little unreal - it's HK$20 per bottle. It makes the price for the balsamic vinegar from Modena or Reggio Emilia sound like a joke.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
It's Complicated
Summer must be a time for divorce.
A few friends of mine have their problems with marriage resolved by way of a divorce recently. The common issue - a third party. The complication of having a third party is always under-estimated. Consider this: two cake lovers wish to share a cake so that each is satisfied that they have a fair share. How to divide the cake between the two? It's not that hard when there are only two cake lovers involved - A cuts, B chooses. The problem gets tricky when a third cake lover is brought into the picture. How to divide the cake among the three so that each is satisfied that they have a fair share? I'll give you a moment to deliberate on it.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Don't get frustrated if you can't think of an answer. The question, posted hundreds of years ago, was left unresolved until 1944 when a group of Polish mathematicians came up with a somewhat right solution. A tripartite situation is more tricky that one can imagine. Anyone who thinks that he (seems that it's always he) can resolve a tripartite marriage is either completely stupid or hopelessly arrogant.
Ironically, if one can divide a cake fairly among three persons, he can divide it among four, five, six or more (see How to Cut a Cake if you are interested).
A few friends of mine have their problems with marriage resolved by way of a divorce recently. The common issue - a third party. The complication of having a third party is always under-estimated. Consider this: two cake lovers wish to share a cake so that each is satisfied that they have a fair share. How to divide the cake between the two? It's not that hard when there are only two cake lovers involved - A cuts, B chooses. The problem gets tricky when a third cake lover is brought into the picture. How to divide the cake among the three so that each is satisfied that they have a fair share? I'll give you a moment to deliberate on it.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Don't get frustrated if you can't think of an answer. The question, posted hundreds of years ago, was left unresolved until 1944 when a group of Polish mathematicians came up with a somewhat right solution. A tripartite situation is more tricky that one can imagine. Anyone who thinks that he (seems that it's always he) can resolve a tripartite marriage is either completely stupid or hopelessly arrogant.
Ironically, if one can divide a cake fairly among three persons, he can divide it among four, five, six or more (see How to Cut a Cake if you are interested).
Chinese Lesson (1) - 山人仙谷俗
人: man; person; people.
山: mountain; hill.
仙: immortal; god; divine; heavenly.
人 + 山 = 仙. Therefore, to be immortal and divine, a man needs to go deep into the mountain, away from the material world.
人: man; person; people.
谷: grain, corn, harvest.
俗: worldly, materialistic, vulgar.
人 + 谷 = 俗. So, a man who eats is bound to be worldly, materialistic, or even vulgar. The more he eats or the more harvest he keeps, the more vulgar he will be.
山: mountain; hill.
仙: immortal; god; divine; heavenly.
人 + 山 = 仙. Therefore, to be immortal and divine, a man needs to go deep into the mountain, away from the material world.
人: man; person; people.
谷: grain, corn, harvest.
俗: worldly, materialistic, vulgar.
人 + 谷 = 俗. So, a man who eats is bound to be worldly, materialistic, or even vulgar. The more he eats or the more harvest he keeps, the more vulgar he will be.
Friday, July 02, 2010
Hou Yeh Pinoy! Great! Filipinos! 好嘢!菲律賓人!
Traditionally, people don't talk much about the Philippines except the beaches in Cebu, Imelda Marco's shoes, Freddie Aguilar's Anak and, of course, export of domestic helpers. But, it seems that things are starting to change. These days, local newspapers carry stories of Walden Bello, and the Hong Kong Arts Centre is hosting the first Philippine Film Festival. (I really want to watch Voices/Boses but my work schedule for the coming week sucks.) A welcome change.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
A Quick Rreview
This blog has been up for a few months. It's time for a quick review.
1. Microsoft is out
2. The Metro Vocal Group is in
I notice that in the last few days, quite a number of the new readers were directed by Google to this post as they were googling "Metro Vocal Group". They were from everywhere: Thailand, the Netherlands, New Zealand and ... Romania and Russia? It seems that people all over the world are suddenly interested in the Metro Vocalists. Their new video "Under a Vast Sky" got almost 100,000 hits in less than 3 days.
3. Top referral site
Gweipo leads by a big margin, followed by Joyce and Ulaca.
4. Apparently most loved post
On fatherhood. Surprisingly, people like it. I guess the cute video helps.
5. Apparently most influential post
On fatherhood again. One reader said in a private comment that he (or she) may reconsider the kids issue.
6. The worst post (nominated by SorLo)
Application for permission to date my daughter. It's a shameless copy and paste, and completely devoid of originality. (But I know parents in my situation will forgive me.)
1. Microsoft is out
2. The Metro Vocal Group is in
I notice that in the last few days, quite a number of the new readers were directed by Google to this post as they were googling "Metro Vocal Group". They were from everywhere: Thailand, the Netherlands, New Zealand and ... Romania and Russia? It seems that people all over the world are suddenly interested in the Metro Vocalists. Their new video "Under a Vast Sky" got almost 100,000 hits in less than 3 days.
3. Top referral site
Gweipo leads by a big margin, followed by Joyce and Ulaca.
4. Apparently most loved post
On fatherhood. Surprisingly, people like it. I guess the cute video helps.
5. Apparently most influential post
On fatherhood again. One reader said in a private comment that he (or she) may reconsider the kids issue.
6. The worst post (nominated by SorLo)
Application for permission to date my daughter. It's a shameless copy and paste, and completely devoid of originality. (But I know parents in my situation will forgive me.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
