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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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?

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.

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?

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.

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!

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?

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.

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

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!

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.

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!

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?

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

A Cracking Wedding Invitation

May God bless the couples and...the mother-in-law.

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!

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?

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.

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

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?

Better Late Than Never

NASA told us that our average temperature on earth today is between 13-14 degrees Celsius and when it reaches 16, our Earth will be virtually inhabitable. That D-day sounded terribly close doesn't it?

Here's another alarming fact. As of April 2009, the earth's total population is estimated to be around 6.77 billion. Hong Kong, though only represented by a tiny little dot on the world's atlas, consists of a thousandth of our planet's total population.

In other words, the inhabitants living in Hong Kong, are responsible for 1/1000 of the Carbon Dioxide produced by human beings on Earth and that gave us that amount of accountability for global warming.


Been observing trees in the territory over the weekend, witnessed many areas where we human kind has indeed destroyed the nature endlessly to an extent that I believe our planet Earth we are living in, is about to be terminated by our own hands, very soon.


Pleased to know that the Hong Kong Government has recently established a Register of Old and Valuable Trees to ensure that the trees in the territory can be well preserved and maintained. I supposed it is better late than never as trees truly are our heritage and precious natural resources.

To enquire about the Register or any tree recorded on it, you can call the Leisure and Cultural Services Department at 852-2601 8962 or 852-2601 8892 during office hours, or contact the Department by fax at 852-2691 7264 or by email at lmarb@lcsd.gov.hk ( mailto:lmarb@lcsd.gov.hk ).

Apart from documenting on paper, I really hope they can act fast enough to make an impact.

Take That - Back For Good ?

Robbie Williams said he is ready to rejoin the 90's British boy band sensation Take That.

Take That would be following a well-trodden path if they get back together, after a surge of nostalgia comebacks including the Spice Girls, the Police, the Sex Pistols, Blur, Spandau Ballet and Led Zeppelin.

But then, who would be the lead singer? Robbie Williams or Gary Barlow?

Buying & Selling

M&A activity has ebbed in 2008 and its no surprise as history taught us recessionary environments tend to result in lower activity.

However, the phrase has been popping up quite actively in the news, in this month alone we have:

Mar 19: Cisco > Pure Digital Technologies (USD0.59B)
Mar 18: IBM > Sun (USD6.5B)
Mar 12: Roche > Genentech (USD46.8B)
Mar 9: Merck > Schering-Plough (USD41.1B)

Well...I can understand Counter-cyclical industries, such as healthcare might be able to see strength in M&A. As for the rest, does it mean they are distressed deals where sellers have no choice but to sell out?

Gaffer on Camera Body?

This is the weirdest I have heard lately on "mummifying" a camera body.

A friend's bro who's a pro photographer has spent days on a project, using yards and yards of Gaffer tapes - wrapping up lenses and also the body.


Well, I found out he's not alone.

I was able to dig out some supporting reasons online for such tedious project:

1. Prevent the peeling of paint on the camera body / lens
2. Protect the camera equipment from chipping caused by accidental knocks
3. Enhance grip
4. Make metallic parts easier to hold in cold weather
5. Conceal expensive equipment (e.g. L lenses with red rings / white bodies) from prying eyes and unwanted attention
6. Minimize usage marks on lens hoods

His reasoning revolves around adding a character and personality to the otherwise boring piece of equipment. And the biggest agenda out of all would have to be the ability to preserve the resale value of his equipment - keeping them in good cosmetic condition.

When asked when he will ever sell his equipments - never!

Photographers all have something in common - they possess a certain perspective, which explains why they can shoot objects from a different angle, don't you agree?

A Decrease in Myopia

Recently, I felt that my eye sight has deteriorated and so there I went for an eye check and my optician told me otherwise.

My Myopia has actually decreased compared to a year ago, which explained why I kept having a blurred vision with my current contact lenses on.

Though I was told these cases are rare, I was not heavily overwhelmed as if Santa bought me a big surprise. The improved in short-sightedness basically translated to:

1) not been reading as much
2) the imminent need to buy new sets of lenses
3) aging might have something to do with it

4 Years of U2 Hunger

"You don't know how beautiful you are".

It's been 4 darn years since How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, yeah...Vertigo in Apple iPod's commercials...

Where have you been guys?

Can't wait to load their latest No Line On The Horizon in my playlist.

Sexy Boots...Get On Your Boots... Let me in the sound...Let me in the sound, now!

Chopsticks for Kids?!

OK - I admit I am new to the kids' market...but guess how much this pair of chopsticks for kids just cost me?



I hope they are worthy like ivory and would really work magic.

"Chinese make easy?!" We'll see to that.

The Greek Prison Break Take 2

While I was watching Prison Break season 4 on tele, I saw breaking news from BBC that a massive manhunt is under way in Greece after a duo escaped from a top security prison by a helicopter - for the second time in three years.

Wow - Prison Break live in real action - honestly better than the drama I am watching!

Filet-O-Fish

The fish sandwich has always been my favorite McDonald food, second to fries. Not many noticed, but it has only got half a slice of cheddar cheese in it - and been for the case for as long as I could recall.

An interesting incidence happened during my patronage today and it evolved around an argument about the size of the cheese served in the sandwich.

A customer furiously rushed to the counter holding a filet-o-fish, demanding another one made for him. Then shortly after he was given the second sandwich, he once again, returned it to the counter and complained it only had half a slice of cheese in it. The manager explained to the man that it has always been the case but the man insisted otherwise.

To settle the dispute, the manager offered to make the customer a new one and apparently, the new one must have contained a whole piece of cheese in it as I heard no more complaint thereafter.

2 filet-o-fish sandwiches got thrown into the bin because of a selfish jerk who could not tell right from wrong. The man got what he wanted this time and there is no reasons why he would not ask for the same treatment next time.

I understand why life is so unfair, it is due to the fact that a minority few cannot uphold integrity.

The Forgotten Chewy Raisin Bars

When I was a kid, I used to eat a flat, raisin, baked snack that was about a foot long, about 3 inches wide, and maybe a 1/4 inch thick.

The snack (as seen here) wasn't actually a "cookie", more like a chewy raisin cracker that had been pressed very flat and baked.


I have been longing to have this forgotten raisin bar and not managed to find it anywhere in recent years, whereas it was fairly available in supermarkets about 10 years ago.

Anyone with me on this? No?



The other day, I finally found a close substitute from Bourbon Japan...close enough for me.