Friday 27 November 2009

A Wish On His Birthday...



Can you but feel my sorrow, can you feel my pain,
or even see my tears fell down like rain,
know of the sickness and of the strain,
all of this I must endure again and again.

All of the drugs, the chemicals too,
the treatments I've been through,
from all those injections,
come bruises often black and blue.

Now I look so different, now I look strange,
for in this battle my body must change,
to defeat this cruel killer,
my life I must rearrange.

Cells in my body are me trying to kill,
to win this great fight I must have the will,
your help and love is all I ask,
to get me through this onerous task.

Every day and every night,
against this cancer I must battle and fight,
while I cry and weep,
this single thought I keep.

Reclaim my life, reclaim my right,
keeps me going night after night,
to live and to love are not only my birthday right,
I will not surrender, I will always fight.


Monday 9 November 2009

I was reminded I haven't talked to the Dead!

Facebook has a new way to annoy its users and it is this dumb feature that attempts to get you reconnect with your friends - "friends" that you haven't spoken to or interacted in a while.

So they think they know the world's population now huh?  I don't know about you, but I certainly don't want to be reminded that I haven't "talked" lately to a friend that has passed away!

To resolve that, may be I should put my act together to fill in this form and help them identify its deceased member(s).  



Saturday 31 October 2009

Music Simmers & Bathes in Moonlight

I bought the movie tickets a month ago, fearing its hit smashing the box office.

The day came and as I watched Michael Jackson's This Is It, I can't help but find my toes constantly tapping to every beat and my head nodding to his grooves.  I had the urge to clap at the end of every song rehearsed but have to remind myself I was actually sitting in a cinema!  It's sort of mixed feelings really. 

It's fascinating to watch Michael Jackson controlled every nuance of the performance, from the dancers' cues to details in the music that a layperson like me would never notice.

The most interesting part has to be the words he used to describe things: music simmers and bathes in moonlight.

Even though I'd probably never go to see Michael Jackson in concert, I can see that the show would have thrilled and amazed fans, and that this film will be one way for them to experience just a bit of what could have been.

Monday 26 October 2009

The Dilemma of Shortening Jeans


A common problem that I come across when buying premium denim jeans is that the length often need adjusting.

I recently invested in a pair of Levi's Premium that I adore but I cannot simply have them taken up without ruining the vintage look I have just paid top dollar for.

I can't believe how lucky when I found a tailor that can shorten jeans and then reattach the original hem with an invisible seam. Don't ask me how they do it, but I guarantee you wouldn't be able to tell mine have been shortened - an investment that is definitely in the money.

Tuesday 20 October 2009

Change The World


Only recently, I realised if I can raise the spirits of just one person for a few hours, I can consider changed the world.

Because of my action, this person might go on to encourage and raise the spirits of someone else, thus setting up a chain reaction. There's no knowing where this might lead, but I imagine the world will have changed for the better.



Michael Jackson once said something about changing the world we are living in,


"We're Here to Stimulate, Eliminate And Congregate,
Illuminate
We Are Here To Change The World"

Eric Clapton wrote a song about it too

"If I could reach the stars I'd pull one down for you
Shine it on my heart so you could see the truth

That this love I have inside is everything it seems

But for now I find it's only in my dreams
"

I guess when these great writers wrote these songs, they didn't mean we can all change the entire world forever so there be problem free everywhere. They knew this is impossible to achieve overnight, but...let it not be the mother of procrastination or our inaction.

Think about this, what you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever but in its place is something you left behind.

So...let it be something good - even the smallest change is a change worth making.

Sunday 18 October 2009

Simply Wordless


There's a woman I know who lost her beloved daughter over a year ago and she's still not over with it. She will shed a bitter tear or two all of a sudden, out of nowhere, and just like tonight, I would have thought I must have said something inappropriate to have triggered that.

After certain point, I know for a fact that a parent will never come to terms with the loss of his/her child, however long that period of time has been.

I came across this

A woman who lost her husband is called widow;
A man who lost his wife is called widower;
Kids who lost their parents are called orphans


but there's no word to describe parents who lost their child...
that's how bad the loss is!


Sunday 4 October 2009

The Founding of A Republic Propaganda


The Founding of a Republic isn’t the greatest movie of all times, but as a Chinese, it’s definitely worth watching and particularly timely so, during the nation's 60th birthday.

If you are familiar with the history of the Chinese Civil War you should enjoy it even more, partly to check if they have changed anything and partly to appreciate how they portrayed what happened over 60 years ago.

If you are like me, who is cynical about the whole Communist Party of China, you will still be able to walk out appreciating the movie for not being a shameless propaganda piece but rather, a genuinely well-made film starring countless familiar celebrities.

The movie helps me remember one of the most contentious and pivotal moments of modern Chinese history. Well, for point scoring's sake, at least I know how we came up with our national anthem and the meaning to the design of our national flag.

Consider cramping 65 years of history and roll that out in just under 2.5 hours! It's not bad.




Thursday 1 October 2009

Recipe: Mussels in White Wine and Crème Fraîche

Blue Mussels from France are right now in season and I didn't realise I have passion for Mussels until this day.

Mussels can be found virtually anywhere in the world, but these one from France are the best and the fattest because the water is warmer than in Brittany and Normandy.

If you want a taste of the pure sweet delight, here's how:



  1. In a wide skillet with a lid, melt butter over medium-high heat.
  2. Add onion and shallot, and stir until very soft and beginning to turn gold, about 5 minutes; do not let them brown.
  3. Add thyme and bay leaf and stir.
  4. Add wine and 1 cup water and bring to a boil over high heat.
  5. Add mussels, cover, and cook until open, about 4 minutes.
  6. Transfer mussels to serving bowls with a slotted spoon and boil liquid in the pan until reduced to a sauce.
  7. Turn off heat and whisk in crème fraîche and salt and pepper to taste.
  8. Pour over mussels and serve with crusty bread.

Wednesday 30 September 2009

Never Give Up Hope

I have been following a blog lately, written by a mother whose child was diagnosed of stage 4 Neuroblastoma at age of 10 months old.

I'm in awe that someone who is going through such a difficult time can capture so much of the emotion & love in writings on a daily basis.

Her blog started about 2.5 years ago, is till continuing this day and her sharing, which is both positive and informative, not only is helpful to all desperate parents out there, it also serves as a reminder on how strong we human being can be when faced with obstacles, whether you are an infant or an adult.

I then recalled a conversation with my bedridden friend in her last demise days one Christmas eve, here was how it went...


“Do you know what I wished for?”


“I’m going to tell you my wish even though you’re not supposed to tell wishes. Because I want you to remember it.”

“OK. But you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”


“Listen. I wished to live 4 times on earth. I want to live 4 times."


And then she paused, thinking about it, checking to see if she had put the right words to her deepest, most private yearning. I had my heart in my throat, afraid to breathe, willing myself to remember every second. And then she continued:


“Yes, I wish to live. Because I really like it here.”



This is how strong and positive we can all be. Never give up hope!

Thursday 24 September 2009

A Bane of My Existence


Rubik’s cube has always been a bane of my existence.

I was only able to solve one side as far as I remember, and absolutely no idea what to do after that.

I was also totally hopeless when introduced with the beginner's solution which requires memorizing a few algorithms - l
et alone this 12-sided IQ Pentagon puzzle.



Wednesday 23 September 2009

A Bizarre Hue


As I expected, twitter went nuts with tweets about the apocalyptic red morning in Sydney.




It really was that bizarre changing hue and not been edited in photoshop.



Thursday 17 September 2009

Why Be Perpetually Late?


Haven't been writing for as frequent as I envisaged, because it took me a while to figure that there exists a norm for people to be perpetually late. Or I hate to say it is currently "in fashion".

I have always made a concerted effort to be on time or, usually early for every appointment, with few exceptions really, but every exception had been an opportunity for me to learn how to better manage the same circumstances next time.

Punctuality has become a trust issue in the western society. When you make an appointment, you are making a commitment to be where you said you’d be when you said you’d be there. You said you’d be here at 9 o’clock, but you are not here. If your word is not good enough about something as trivial as showing up on time, how can your word be any good about anything more important?

OK, you can almost always blame the traffic and come out clean and innocent, but if you think about it, if you can’t even consider the possibility of a little extra traffic in today’s western society, can I count on you to be handling anything else?

The attitude of the chronically late person who, when confronted, says,

“But I’m always on time for the things that are important.”

The message is loud and clear - when I’m late, it’s because I really don’t feel that whatever I’m late for is all that important.

For people I have a date with, I can only assure you that you are important and that your time is too valuable for me to be late.

Wednesday 26 August 2009

The Etiquette of Facebooking


Once upon a time, the sentence "Everybody and their mom are on Facebook!" would have been gross hyperbole for the fact that the social networking site started allowing non-Ivy Leaguers to sign up.

Now, everybody. And. Their. Mom. Is. On. Facebook.

Yes, even your mom, who's probably not as IT technical as my very IT technical mom, is on Facebook.

In facebook, Jo Blogg posted his status as
"is organising an upcoming event named Jo is lonely and needs a friend Party".

In Jo Blogg's upcoming event page, it shows
Confirmed Guests (0), Maybe Attending (0), Awaiting Reply (8), Not Attending (259)!

How much does this information convey you about this person named Jo Blogg?

Let's say her mom read it and would probably reply
"What did you mean by lonely? Your father and I are very worried…”

Sure, Facebook can be a great tool for keeping up with folks who are important to you. Take the newsy status update for example, it is a real-time window into a friend's life. If you don't like, you can always ignore, but if you feel like, you can always express with a thumb up.

Nonetheless, as Facebook is getting sprawlingly more powerful, we have to be extra careful we don't create pointless twaddles and end up being
framed as one of the
12 most annoying types of Facebookers featured in cnn.com.

As I was writing this article, a friend of mine artfully sent me How Facebook Ruins Friendships.

Alrighty, go ahead, be deadly truthful.
Am I an evil facebook user? Feel free to be anonymous with your comments.

But before you do, I am going to post this blog entry on my facebook profile!


Sunday 23 August 2009

Bravo - The Mestizo Did It Again!


There has gotta be something about the mixing of the European and Amerindian origins in their population, which once again, made history when Miss Universe 2008 crowned her successor from the same country - where else but - Venezuela!

Miss China, Wang Jingyao, didn't do too bad, was named Miss Congeniality and Miss Thailand, Chutima Durongdej, won Miss Photogenic.

There must be some unique qualities that the Mestizo possesses which help them maintain their unparalleled record at winning international pageants and make them the world's most successful national beauty title.

Many of the contestants undergo life-long continuous preparation to compete in these is one, in which I think our little Miss Hong Kongs have much to learn from!



Wednesday 19 August 2009

Sounds Familiar?

The worst sin a man can commit with the woman in his life is not to listen to her when she is speaking. Every man has heard the woman accuse, angrily,
“You’re not listening to me!”

The typical male response is to quickly say, “Yes, I am.”

Then she has you. She folds her arms and asks demandingly, “All right, then. What did I just say?”

It is only if he can feed it back to her with some accuracy that she knows for sure that he was really listening.

Sounds familiar?

According to a book that I am reading "The Power of Charm", the author states that when a woman communicates and what shows in a MRI scan, would be a full seven centers of her brain involved while in men, it is only two.

Men often listen halfheartedly to women, especially if the television is on. That’s because men can only process one sensory input at a time. They cannot, for example, both watch television and listen to someone else speaking, which women can do much more easily.

Here comes the relevance and precis of the book: for you to become a completely charming person, you must learn to master the techniques of listening - especially if you are a man.


Friday 7 August 2009

The Salutation Worthy of Your Respect


My parents are wonderful, but there are people I know that really aren't that fortunate to claim they have wonderful folks.

I was at lunch with my cousin, my parents and an aunt, we were talking about honouring our folks. My cousin kind of scoffed at that and outright told me that her mother wasn't really worthy of being honoured.

As a matter of fact, that comment from her was rather abrupted and at that instance, I was not in the position to judge whether or not the mother'
s worthy of her daughter's salutation.

I, however, began to shed light on myself, thinking would it ever come to the minds of my parents, my sister, my friends, my relatives and even colleagues at work, that I am not worthy of whom I am being called?


I am a manager at work, the elder sister at home, a daughter to my parents and last but not least, friend of some friends and who knows, I could be someone's best friend too I supposed.

  • Have I been a good employee and fulfilled duties at work?
  • Have I looked after my younger sister and made her look up to me?
  • Have I been a good daughter that made my parents proud?
  • Have I reached out to friends and be there when they needed help?
  • Have I earned enough respect to be called someone's best friend?
  • And, if I ever become a god mother, am I capable of whom I am being called?

That really got me thinking but it was a good reflection exercise.

Tuesday 4 August 2009

Need No Alarm Clocks


Human being has survived for most of our history without these confounded noisemakers - alarm clocks.

Why would you need one now?
The answer, of course, is that everyone else has one, and it would look bad if you were the only one wandering into the office two hours late.

But like momma said, just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t mean you should.

I know it is well to be up before day break, but my problem is, no matter what time I go to sleep I always wake up within 10 minutes of 6:30am and I deserve more rest!


If they have alarm clocks to wake us up, do they have clocks that make you sleep longer?

Monday 20 July 2009

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff



"After the big C, you just don't sweat the small stuff."

This came out from Samantha Jones in Sex In The City, who, although was the most sexually promiscuous out of the 4 girls featured in the series, I admired her courageous attitude when she faced the challenge of breast cancer head-on, played with her looks by wearing outrageous wigs or hats during her chemotherapy.



Revisiting the TV series reminded me that we should always appreciate being alive, keep our emotions like anger and dissatisfaction in proper perspective, and cherish other people as the unique miracles they are.

We should force ourselves to be thankful that we can 1) smell - if not roses - whatever is sitting in front of our noses. 2) Make sure our ears are for listening, not for hearing and 3) always taste the food we eat before we swallow.


Thursday 16 July 2009

No Matter If You're Black or White?


Nintendo Wii will have a bit of a makeover and a face lift from pearly white to shiny black.

This black console is being released in Japan as of 1st August but there isn’t a release date for the rest of the world.


It will be sold on the shelves for ¥25,000 and that is when you need to throw away your white accessories, as you will be needing a Black Wii Mote with a rubber jacket for ¥3,800; a Black Nunchuk for ¥1,800; and a Black Classic Controller Pro for ¥2,000 to go alongside the new buddy.


Will you itch for a switch?


Tuesday 14 July 2009

It Never Rain But It Pours

When troubles come, they often seem to come all at once or at any rate, no sooner has one problem been dealt with then another appears.

As Shakespeare put it in Hamlet, "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions."

I realised this saying probably isn't just superstition when I came across Stephen Covey's Habit 3 "First Thing First". Giving it some thoughts, troubles come in three could literally be true, say if you are struggling to deal with one thing, then usually trivial difficulties can actually, not apparently be felt like big ones.

To take an everyday example, say in the middle of a domestic crisis you are more likely to forget to pay an important bill than you normally would. Thus you soon find that you are dealing with several problems at once.

According to Stephen Covey, he explains that most of us are driven by the concept of urgency, whereas we really ought to reorganise the way we spend our time based on the concept of importance - not urgency.



  1. Important and Urgent (crises, deadline-driven)
  2. Important, Not Urgent (preparation, prevention, planning)
  3. Urgent, Not Important (interruptions, many pressing matters)
  4. Not Urgent, Not Important (trivia, time wasters)

So, step back a little, don't let any crisis fool you. First thing first.




Monday 13 July 2009

Popeye, you are wrong!

At my youth days, I was told the iron in spinach would make me strong, the notion propagated by Popeye the sailor-man.

I read somewhere online today that because scientists failed to sufficiently remove clinging soil in the labs, iron levels appeared unusually high in certain vegetables like spinach!

Which basically translated to "Spinach does not actually contain as exorbitant amount of iron as Popeye expected."


Now, tell me what to believe and what not!

May be I should stick with steak, just like Popeye's hamburger-eating friend Wimpy; or eat only orchids just like his other animal friend - at least he could tell the future!



Tuesday 23 June 2009

Did You See Me Coming?

Ok, this is not about Pet Shop Boy's latest single!

I have been reading some proxy statements from SEC filings and something suddenly cropped up.


Fact 1:
The world’s second largest yacht shown here is owned by the world's ninth richest man in the world - Larry Ellison, founder and CEO of Oracle.



Fact 2:
Larry is worth around $18 billion, so he can easily afford to have a boat of this magnitude, which costs over $13 million each year to just maintain her (about 30 metres longer than a soccer field).

Fact 3:
Speaking of boats and this has been known for years, Larry’s yacht is called “Rising Sun.”

Fact 4:
Oracle acquired Sun 2 months ago...

Did anyone not see this coming years ago?




Monday 15 June 2009

Medical Jargons

Why the heck do doctors use freaking weird jargons?

Example: Take the word "megakaryocytes".
What does this mean to you? Sound like some sort of Transformer? Megatron perhaps?



This word actually has nothing to do with Transformers. Megakaryocytes are actually the cells in the bone marrow that are responsible for creating platelets.

Why don't they just call them the "platelet-making-cells"? Sure, it's a little longer but only a by a little. They could well shorten it even more by making it one word: plateletmakingcells.

Megakaryocytes vs plateletmakingcells. Hmmm...the latter isn't that bad, is it?
They could very easily use simple English words that make total sense.

Using normal words would save every medical student from learning all these nifty little words that - no one in the normal population uses.

But then, after they completed that doctorate degree and then worked in the medical field for a while, you will then find that you no longer have diarrhea, you now have gastroenteritis....Did someone came in with a cracked collar bone? No no no, they came in with a fractured clavicle! Neuroblastoma Carcinoma - why can't it simply be referred to cancer in the adrenal glands for crying out loud.




Sunday 14 June 2009

Standing Still

I found during a time of shock or pain or grief, it's often difficult to concentrate on anything for any length of time.

If you’ve ever googled cancer poems, you should have come across this:

What Cancer Can Not Do
by Anonymous

Cancer is so limited…
It cannot cripple love
It cannot shatter hope
It cannot corrode faith
It cannot destroy peace
It cannot kill friendship(s)
It cannot suppress memories
It cannot silence courage
It cannot invade the soul
It cannot steal eternal life
It cannot conquer the spirit.


To me, there's some truth in it, but it really depends on which state you are in. If you are a newcomer when your world is at a stand-still, telling you all these would be a load of crap and you'd think it's absolute bullshit when you are still comprehending what just happened.

May be down the line, after some denials, some acceptance and some actual battleships, these so called chicken-soup for the soul will begin to sink in a little.


To B&B,

I came to know that depths of grief which bereavement brings. But I also learnt that faith and hope and that it is possible to come out safely on the other side, changed but also strengthened.
I wish you all well.

Auntie Audrey



Wednesday 3 June 2009

Severe Sweet Tooth

OK, it's been 2 years since my last dental visit and I admit it has been longer than it should.

I have always pride myself with a good track record orally, so when my dentist told me 2 cavities and some early sign of decay were found, it got me thinking.

I am blaming the severe sweet tooth that got worse in the last 2 years.

Time to cut out the habit of prolonged chewing of gums, no more intake of coffee (hard to let go but yes, no more) and start flossing!




Tuesday 2 June 2009

The Final Break?


Saw the extra 2-hour movie version of the Prison Break: The Final Break on Fox last week.

Michael and Sara got married and then no surprise, it was Sara's turn to be locked in Fox River for the murder of Christina Scofield.

We had who else but the experienced gang of prison breakers, Linc, Sucre and Mahone who helped break her out. Michael died not because of his brain tumour, but sacrificed himself in the ordeal.

They made it look so darn easy to break a fool-proved prison and that bit was rather ridiculous. The last 2 minutes of the movie was really touching though and not to be missed.


I read somewhere that they are thinking of a Season 5… but how on earth they do that when Schofield's dead now?!

I will sure miss Prison Break if that's the end of it all.


Wednesday 27 May 2009

Inspired by Goldfinger

The James Bond film Goldfinger was on TV last Saturday and I caught a glimpse of it.

In an attempt to make the dastardly Auric Goldfinger's personal bullion stash 10 times more valuable, he tried to make the US government’s gold reserves worthlessly radioactive by detonating an atomic device in the vaults at Fort Knox.

Though this plot was needlessly complex, comparatively low-tech and I laughed through most of it, the film, 4 decades later, has somehow inspired me to follow a more time-tested mantra on an investment strategy: buy and hold.

If Goldfinger had snapped up the yellow metal in 1964 and clung on to it, his bars would now be worth 26 times more in nominal terms!! This would have been a very respectable return and would not involve murdering anyone by coating them in gold paint or threatening them with lasers.

Right - there you go, everything happens with a reason. The Goldfinger film, the enduring wait at the bank, the gold account promo. OK, I told myself it is time to buy some more gold when market opens, it ought to be a better bet against the minimal savings rate banks offer these days.

Ready, get set, go...only to find out my bank still hasn't linked up my gold account with my online banking account. They have not done a thing in the past 22 hours?! Crap!

Tuesday 26 May 2009

How many oz is to 1 tael?


Today, while dawdling aimlessly at the lounge of the bank, waiting for an apparently easy task to complete (which literally took them ages), I picked up a leaflet on opening a gold account.

Spooky as it seems and within 10 minutes, traded 1 tael of gold which is equivalent to USD1,128.00 at market close - Just like that!

Now you understand how banks operate. It almost always cost you more time to withdraw money than depositing.

There I also learned today, this world that we are living in, hasn't at all gone metric. What gets complicated is 1 tael does not equal to 1 ounce and there are indeed many different weighting standards of tael depending on the region or type of trade.

Just how absurd can it get?


In Hong Kong, one tael is 37.79936375 grams and with the limited mathematics brain cells in me, I figured 1 tael equals 1.33333 ounces or 1 ounce for 0.75 tael flipping over.

Why did I have to go through this pain?

Because I can't find any gold prices listed in tael at all. They are all in ounces. Splendid! Now what did I just got myself into?

Monday 25 May 2009

The Chi-Lites Blues on Dad


Dad was sitting in the miranda, listening to a ballad from one of his favourite albums "Oh Girl" from The Chi-Lites.

A shade of blues, a tint of melancholy and a touch of sadness....

I wonder what was on his mind!



Lyrics | The Chi-Lites - Oh Girl lyrics

Thursday 21 May 2009

Wednesday 13 May 2009

A Lesson on Anger Management

Last Sunday:

In the match against Manchester City, C. Ronaldo stood on the touchline pouting like a diva, snatched a tracksuit top from an assistant and fling it on the ground after he was substituted 60 minutes into United's 2-0 victory.

I asked myself - what's wrong with this Portuguese winger? You don't deserve my love!



3 days later today:

Gerrald snatched the footballer of the year from him this year.

C. Ronaldo could have been the first footballer in history to get the award in 3 consecutive years, but Whoops-a-daisy, he absolutely ruined it and deservedly so!

Tuesday 12 May 2009

Have a history teacher explain this...if they can (Part 2)

JUST WHO FIGURED THIS OUT?

1) Fold a
NEW $20 bill in half...




2) Fold again, taking care to fold it exactly as below




3) Fold the other end, exactly as before





4) Now, simply turn it over...





What a coincidence! A simple geometric fold creates a catastrophic premonition printed on all $20 bills!!!


COINCIDENCE?


YOU DECIDE


As if that wasn't enough...
Here is what you've seen...


Firstly
The Pentagon on fire...




Then
The Twin Towers.



..And now .. look at this!




TRIPLE COINCIDENCE ON A SIMPLE $20 BILL
Disaster (Pentagon)
Disaster ( Twin Towers )
Disaster (Osama)???


It gets even better 9 + 11 = $20!



Creepy huh?

Sunday 10 May 2009

Have a history teacher explain this...if they can (Part 1)

History Mystery










Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.
Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.

Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
Both Presidents were shot in the head

Now it gets really weird.

Lincoln 's secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy's Secretary was named Lincoln .

Both were assassinated by Southerners.
Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.

Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.






John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born
in 1939.






Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are com posed of fifteen letters.

Now hang on to your seat.

Lincoln was shot at the theater named 'Ford'.
Kennedy was shot in a car called ' Lincoln ' made by 'Ford'.

Lincoln was shot in a theater and his assassin ran and hid in a warehouse.
Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin ran and hid in a theater.

Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

And here's the kicker...

A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe , Maryland
A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with
(in) Marilyn Monroe.


Wednesday 22 April 2009

10 truths about merger and acquisitions


'Two tigers cannot live on one mountain' - a Chinese proverb, which means there can only be one winner in a battle.

A truce, the Chinese say, merely delays the inevitable and what I am thinking is...someone ultimately has to be put in charge.


Here are 10 truths about merger and acquisitions digged out from a book on surviving M&A...

won't be long till I can testify the truth behind them all!

  1. The truth of mergers: There are no mergers, only acquisitions
  2. The truth of addition: 2 companies combined will not equal to the sum of their individual businesses
  3. The truth of division: it's always Us vs. Them
  4. The truth of politics: Political alignments, rather than business strategies, will drive all decisions
  5. The truth of reconciliations: There are too many products, something has to go
  6. The truth of attrition: Rightsizing is the first victory of all mergers
  7. The truth of loyality: Old boys never die, they just network
  8. The truth of trust: The root of trust is us, and you are them
  9. The truth of fear: The primal instinct of fear will decide who will be ostracized
  10. The truth of denial: The right way is our way

Friday 10 April 2009

By Far The Most Nifty Feature


Attracted by its lavender colour, the latest SAMSUNG Anycall C3110H’s matte material gives it a softer look, easier grip and a prettier entry-price of HKD1,080 than its predecessor.

What comes with it though, is a nifty fake call feature that is...unheard of.

Pressing the bottom navigation 4 times will grant the user an incoming call which can also be pre-recorded with a custom message.

I wonder if this handset designer is constantly on the run. I mean, would you find that feature practical?