A year of turbulence

We are heading to the end of 2008. This has been a year of great disturbance. The whole world, especially the economy, has changed. All of us have learned a big lesson from the market.

Most of us are worrying the world's economy in the coming years and I think we still have a long way to full recovery. We need to be prepared amid the downturn. What can you do?

1. upgrade your English;
2. learn how to invest wisely, you need to know what you are going to invest. Never invest into something you do not understand;
3. think logically, do not believe what the government tells you;
4. study, use the CEF $10,000 if you have not applied for it;
5. be confident;
6. exercise more, 15 min per day will do; and
7. spend more time with your family and loved ones.

Wishing you a peaceful new year!

Loneliness

Most of us do not want to be lonely, especially during holidays. We want to head to TST or Causeway Bay with our friends and to celebrate with many other people. But when all those visual effects and noises are over, we need to face loneliness again and some people do not know how to cope with it. Some people simply cannot stay at home alone as they quickly get bored. If we cannot stand the loneliness during holiday seasons and have nothing to do except going to streets, it means that we are wasting our time. Loneliness is a good time for you to think, to read, to plan, and to rest. In fact I think loneliness is leisure and it's a peaceful moment. As a research student, I must face my sole quest for knowledge somehow but fortunately I think I like it.

If you want to be mature, try to be alone. You will benefit from it.

Learning

I like learning. Learning can come from many ways, school, web, newspaper, people, and of course books. We have limited time so we need to be selective, that means we should learn from the best otherwise we are wasting our time.

If you want to study something, choose the best school in town. The instructor may be very tough, materials may be enormous, and other students may be very keen. But you definitely will learn something afterwards and you feel good that you have made it. If you read newspaper, choose the best such as Financial Times. Its English may be hard to understand and it does not have many colorful pictures but you are heading to become the few successful ones who read FT daily. If you want to read, choose only the best such as classics. There is no reason to settle for less. If you want to be the best, learn wisely.

Smart Investor

Since the beginning of financial crisis, most of us are losing our hard-earned wealth. No matter you are holding stocks, funds, or even MPF, they are souring and the situation will likely to continue until the end of 2009. Even if you only hold cash, your pension funds are not performing well so you are losing monies indirectly.

For those who still want to invest amid the financial crisis, I suggest that:

1. buy only stocks/funds you know well, do not believe any recommendations/tips from others such as TV, newspapers, friends, or someone standing next to you in bank, etc.;

2. make sure that you do your homework before purchasing, such as reading annual report, funds performance report. Believe in facts and figures only, not recommendations; and

3. try to evaluate whether ETF (Exchanged Traded Funds) is good for you. They are similar to funds but have the benefits of stocks, and their handing fees are much cheaper.

A decade of loss

From 1998 to 2008, HK went from downhill to uphill and then downhill again. From 1998 to 2003, our economy was from bad to worse and then worst. Fortunately, the central authority started injecting cash to us by allowing people to visit HK. We were getting better from 2004 onwards until late 2007. Now we are struggling again but the central authority is busy helping itself so we may not be as lucky as we were.

From 1998 to 2007, we have lost a whole decade without achieving anything substantial to prepare us for the next financial crisis. We did not upgrade ourselves, we did not diversify our economy, and we did not know what to do next but only took a favourable policy from the central authority for granted. The financial crisis is destroying our economy and this may be the end of the peril of the East. There is a Chinese saying that "when you do not work hard during your young ages, you will have a miserable life when you become old".

Financial Crisis

Now we are all in the centre of financial crisis. Our pension funds are losing money and people are losing jobs. Some elders are forced to work in their 60's or even 70's. For those who can keep their job in the coming 2 years are the lucky ones.

The financial crisis comes from the US and then spread to the whole world. We can all blame the US to make us like that but if we were not tempted by our own desire for fast money by investing into complex financial products, we would not become what we are now.

In the past, we envied those who worked for Investment Banks and many people were desperate to become a member of them. Now it's all over. Although we did not understand why people in the Investment Banks could make so much money, we just wanted to be the same. Now we know that their huge income came from those complex investment products that lured people to invest in. When the bubbles are explosed, we all need to start from the ground again.

毒

由數年前中國的奶粉有製造商故意不加營養以省成本引致不少可憐孩子成為大頭嬰兒後，現在更進化到在奶粉增加化學原料以偽裝成蛋白質豐富之飲料，殘害大量中國的小孩，更把這些化學奶粉出口外國，造成全球震驚。中國政府極重視的面子便即時掃地，之前的奧運大國形象亦消失無踪。

這種為自己利益而不顧他人生命安全的心態表示出兩種事實：一、如果在奶粉加入工業化學物質的人為了增加蛋白質但不知其副作用者就是極度自私而不顧他人有否受害；二、若果是知道副作用而仍照用工業化學物質的人便是喪心病狂，毫無人性可言了。

可惜中國仍有大量上述極端自私以至喪心病狂的人，所以想成為大國真是痴人說夢。

Back to School

It's Sep and I am a student again. The difference is that this time I am going to stay in the same school for six years and I anticipate that I will be extremely busy. I am going to take some classes in the next couple of years and then if everything goes right, I am heading to the thesis.

I know that this is a lonely journey and it requires persistence and determination. I have chosen this path and I have the courage to face it. I need your support and you are welcome to drop me a few lines.

In fact I was thinking of becoming a PhD student after I completed my master degree in 2003. But I did not want to face the challenge until early this year. Now I am in, and it all depends on whether I can substantiate the loneliness and difficulties in the coming years. Life is difficult sometimes but you will not become a true learner if you do not endure the hardship of learning.

Election Again

The Legco is going to have an election soon. I am a voter and I definitely will vote. Although I do not have any hope on whoever I am going to vote, I still want to participate in this game.

As you know more, you realize that most of the candidates give empty promises before the election. Once they are elected, they will disappear for years and you only see them a couple of months before the next election. You have no idea what they have done in the past few years. All they want is to beg you to vote them again so that they can enjoy to be a well-paid Legco member for another 4 years.

Who wants to be a direct elected Legco member? Not the best and brightest as they would rather make more money. Not the second best as they are too busy to climb up their career ladder. Some of those rich and famous may want to be a Legco member as a compliment but must be appointed. And most People in HK prefer not to get involved as there is no career prospect to be a Legco member. So only some people who are thirsty for a little bit of power go for election, but I doubt very much they can have what they want.

Back to Work

Back to full time work for more than a month. New environment, new colleagues, new culture. I need some time to get used to all but I am confident that I can handle them.

I am getting busy at work and will be very busy starting Sep. as I am going to start a six-year graduate studies. I like to conduct research and I know that I need to prepare well in the next few weeks so that I can go for this academic apex. I need your support and encouragement.

If you want to excel at work, not only you need to work hard, but also to learn continuously. I am amazed that many of my colleagues are studying part time, and some of them are going for a second graduate degree. It's demanding in terms of physical and mental as a part time student but if everybody is working hard, you have to follow the trend. Although it seems tough but when you look back, you will realize that all your effort is worthwhile.

Long Break

Back to work since April 2008. As a volunteer and then an instructor. Now full time work. Having taken a long break, my feelings are:

1. you had time to chat with people who normally you did not have time for, such as lunch with friends, no matter where they worked, and visited relatives, who you normally met only during CNY;

2. you could study anything you like, no matter they were held in daytime or evening, and never missed any class due to work commitment;

3. you could read a lot of books and magazines, this is the part I liked. No matter long classic or short novel, you could enjoy them day after day;

4. you exercised more;

5. most importantly, you had time to think about yourself and decide the next career you want.

So, try taking a longer break, say 3 months or more, and you definitely feel the difference.
Remember, this is a special stopover in your life for you to get re-changed and keep going.

四川大地震

由中國在五月十二日發生地震開始，一直在緊貼着新聞。看到國家地震區有極大傷亡，實在很痛心。政府今次的危機處理做得相當不差，第一時間便派人搶救傷者，再派人深入通訊隔絕地區救人，另外亦趕發物資予災民。當然，鼓勵海內外捐输及容許外國派人協助亦反應很快。而且對本地及外國媒體採訪亦不設限，使到消息可全球知道。

事實上，無論在香港以至外國媒體，對政府今次表現都是好評不絕。而且對比在不久前發生風災的緬甸，其政府對人民死活的冷漠態度更顯出中國政府的反應快捷了。

不過，對於很多在地震中傷亡的中小學生而言，政府所做的便遠不合格。在災區有不少學校是由於工程質素太差而使學校在地震時不能支持以至快速倒下而使學生來不及逃生。事實是只要設計好及用足材料學校是絕對可以抵抗此次地震。政府絕對要將和這些工程有關的官員及工程人員嚴處，另在再建造校舍時施工質素上嚴格監管，才能在下一次災難發生時保護好下一代。

Volunteering

I used to be a volunteer when I was in Canada. After I joined the agency in Hong Kong, I never got a chance to be a volunteer. Now I am a volunteer again.

Volunteering is good as you can contribute to help the society to become better. Because you are a volunteer, nobody expect you to be a professional and you can decide the time, organization, and the type of work you want. You have less pressure than paid job also.

There are two types of volunteering, event specific and routine work. The first one requires you to participate in an event that takes one to several days continuously, and you are free. The second one requires long term commitment and you need to spend a couple of hours or more per week to serve. To choose either one depends on your availability. It's the heart to serve that counts. Try it and you will like to be a volunteer.

談教學語言政策

由政府宣佈應能容許學校自行決定教學語言開始，政府用作規範中中及英中的教學語言政策宣告終結。亦表示政府終能自我了斷其中一個影響最大及爭議最多的政策。有趣的是，政府花了大筆錢請人研究母語教學的成效，但完成報告後卻拒絕公開整份報告。最大原因就是報告顯示母語教學對中中畢業生的前途有很壞的影響。亦表示回歸以來一面倒以為迎合主子心意的教學語言政策毒害了不少年青人。

老實說，我是十分贊成母語教學的。能夠用母語學習知識肯定會比用第二語言吸收得快及多，而且學生在課堂上更會勇於發問。不過，由於大專院校多以英文為教學語言，中中畢業生在大專院校內一定較英中畢業生難適應。所以，理想模式應是在小學便要學生學習英語音標，使他們懂得英文發音，在初中時再學文法，打好基礎；另外在初中各科目內的名詞附加中英文對照，使學生開始認識多一點英文名詞。到了高中後便全用英文課本，學生到大專時便容易應付。

TV News

I like watching news. Before I got married, I could watch Cable TV news continuously. Now I am more selective. Everyday I watch it once, or maximum twice. And recently I prefer watching news in the English channels. Why? Because the Chinese media, no matter TVB, ATV or Now, are unprofessional. Besides they report less on international affairs, this is what I can accept, they like to report trivial facts with unbearable remarks.

Two examples, the first is whenever the weather gets cold, the Chinese media always has a reporter report that "The weather gets cold, and people on street are wearing more clothes." Is that news or a teaching lesson for small children in kindergarten? Change of weather is worth reporting but not the rest. The second is whenever there are some minor things happen, such as an increase of electricity price or a redirection of driving route for special occasion, many Chinese reporters always like to put words into others' mouth by asking leading questions such as "Do you think that the increase of electricity price/change of driving route is not good/convenient?" They have an answer in heart and they just want it from others. Why not just report the facts and forget the rest? You never find the above examples in the BBC and the English channels.

過年

農曆新年眨眼便過，當中總不免到長輩家中拜年。雖是例行私事，但一年能有機會和親友相聚一次也是好的。

在年少時要跟隨父母在農曆新年拜年總不免覺得煩厭，但想到有紅封包可拿便只有隨時候命。那時總覺親戚很多又麻煩，但在年紀漸長後知道親戚是你生下來便是你血緣的一部份，不能像朋友一樣可以選擇不交往便只有欣然面對。

到了現在，人變得成熟了，更明白親戚是你家族中的一部份。 無論你喜歡與否他們都是你的親戚，所以自已亦變得較為關心他們。每年農曆新年間更喜歡與他們見面，大家交換近况，暢談一番。

不少人喜愛在農曆年間出外避歲，我卻寧可去拜年，和親戚朋友閒話家常。就算是不想見的人，最多亦只是一年見一次，每次半小時左右，絕對可以接受。

Questions

I have just finished reading the book "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking. An interesting book but it's difficult for those who do not know science. Some of his questions raised in the book are very very difficult to answer but enlighten. I have chosen a few of them:

1. after the beginning of the universe since the big bang, the universe is expanding, but if the universe stops expanding and starts contracting, are we heading to the big collapse?
2. why do we exist in the universe, at this moment, and for what purpose?
3. why does the universe exist, and for what purpose?

These questions put you in deep though. What do you think?

新年大計

新年開始，很多人習慣寫下新一年的大計。雖然無此習慣，但自從在去年開始放假時學了國際音標後，覺得自己的英文實在有很大的改善空間，所以今年要努力提高自己的英文水準。

當我們北望神州，很多人都期望今年中國在經濟上繼續向上，而香港亦可受惠。但是，中國經濟之高速增長是要付出很大的代價。在增長背後，國家的生態環境正在不斷受到嚴重破壞。無論是土地、空氣、水源、食物，都已受到污染。香港的空氣質素比十年前差了不少已是不爭的事實，而我們的食水是水務處做了不少加工才可使之符合標準。若果大家有飲過全無污染的地下水的話便知味道和普通食水有不少分別。

由於中國治理環境的資源遠追不上污染的增長，而大家抱着在最短時間賺最多錢的心態，所以對環境污染視而不見，結果是人民生活愈富裕但生活環境卻愈差。看看IHT對中國環境的專題報告"Choking on growth"便明白：http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/08/25/asia/26china.php