Farewell

Today is the end of 2010. I have been blogging for 3 years since 2007 when I started my career break. After I resumed my career in 2008 I am getting busy. Now I think I should end my blog.
Pieces of advice to share with you:

1. Learn good English. It can help you communicate around the globe.
2. Learn how to invest. Never invest anything you do not understand.
3. Be critical. Do not easily believe what others say, especially your government.
4. Be generous. Give is better than take. It's an honour to give.
5. Treat your family members nice. They are the ones who really matters.

Enjoy your life. Wish you a happy and healthy life!

Freedom

Most of us like freedom. We all like the freedom such as to choose where we want to live, what we want to have, how to do things in our own way, and when to do something. Most of us would not like to be told where to live, what we want, how to do, and when to do. We are humans, not slaves. Only slaves are deprived of their freedom.

Rulers also like freedom but they do not like those ruled having the same amount of freedom as they do, otherwise those ruled are difficult to control. History shows that one major difference between a totalitarian country and a democratic country is the amount of freedom enjoyed by the rulers and the ruled. The wider the gap the more servitude of the ruled.

When our government asks us to do something but the officials are not doing the same, that's a sign of inequality. Disdain it.

Eating

I like to eat. Wherever there is a place which has good food, I like to try. I do not mind to spend a little more to taste something excellent.

I used to watch Sunday TV shows that introduce different types of food. I did not choose the program but I usually dine at my parents-in-law home and they liked watching TV. I enjoyed the show by Chua Lam, who not only introduced expensive food but also inexpensive ones, and he knows how to taste good food. However, I do not like those eating spree on Sunday TV shows that only promote expensive and rare food overseas. These endless programs make people think that we are only a bunch of animals who know eat, sleep, and shit only. Travellers should enjoy the cultural aspect of another country also. The TV program "From City to City" is a rare program that incorporates culture as well as food. I recommend you to search and watch it.

Political Reform

The government proposed political reform will be passed soon as the government has secured sufficient support to pass the bill in Legco. No matter you like it or not, everything is settled until a few years before 2017.

One-man-one-vote is the most basic political reform we should get and we are READY to have it now but the government does not agree with it. The problem is not with the local government but lies to the central government. If you have one-man-one-vote to vote all members of the Legislation and the Chief Executive, why if others want the same?

Politics is an art. It is for the people. Different people have different desires and politics requires negotiation as well as compromise in order to come up with something that satisfies the majority while not ignoring the minority. Our HK government still has a lot to learn.

Reform?

The HK government recently broadcasts two commercials on TV begging us to support the so called political reform. The two commercials have two core messages - support and belief. The first message threats that if you want a political reform you are bound to support the government's proposal, there is no alternative. The second message tries to brainwash you that you need to trust your government to implement the political reform.

To clear the myths, we need to ask: why do we need to support the government's proposal and why do we need to trust the government? If the government says that its proposal is the best and nothing but the best, prove it! If the government forces us to trust it, then show us that its previous performance is worth the trust!

Our government shall not become the Ministry of Truth.

Academic Life

I have just finished my last course of my study, and now I need to concentrate on my thesis. I need to conduct a presentation within the next several months, and in the next 4 years I need to read, write, revise, read, write, revise, read, write, revise, until I finish my paper. This is a long journey and I am moving one step at a time.

Although my academic research is not related to my work, the process makes me think deeply. I need to consider different aspects of a problem and try to find the best solution. This thinking process can apply to my work also and it definitely helps.

I have taken many half-days off from my work to attend classes at evenings. Classes started at 18:00 hrs. but I liked to have the afternoon off to prepare for my classes. I felt more relaxing and fully prepared for my classes. For a part-time student, this is what I should do.

Essential 2

What is the next most important essential for humans besides air? Water of course. Without water we can only live for days. The sad reality is that water has become a precious resource and the situation is continuing.

The recent drought in China has highlighted the shortage of water. 15 years ago, we had drought in China but it only affected crop; 10 years ago, the drought in China affected crop and animals; now the drought in China is affecting humans. We need to act immediately to control the situation otherwise more people will suffer.

The crux is that although the Chinese government is trying to find more water from underground water or divert river course to acquire more water, the problems are that the first method causes land collapses as hollows are formed underground and the second method may lead to war as we are stealing water from other countries. Some rivers start from China pass different countries before reach to the sea. By diverting river courses people who live in the downstream areas may not get sufficient water.

An alternative which is viable is to change sea water to drinking water. It takes more money than pumping from the underground or stealing from others but the supply is unlimited in theory. If we build up more factories for converting sea water to drinking water, the costs should go down.

Although the above factories can solve the water scarcity, the northwest or southwest parts of China still face the drought problem as the sea is not near them. It is necessary to build up long pipes to pump water from the east to the west in order to solve the problem. If we have built up long pipes for delivering oil from Russia to China, why not water pipes?

Essential

What is the essential of our life? Health? Money? Frame? I think air must be the one, without air we can't live for minutes!

The reality is that air quality in HK is getting worse. Haze is bad and it is caused by pollutants from China as well as HK but dust storm from northern China is worse and it can spread all the way to the US! The air quality index in HK in the past several days speak for itself: the dust storm can reach HK and easily break our worst air quality index!

Dust storm is originated from desert. And desertization in northern China, which is a result of rapid development by invading forest, causes more dust storm. To prevent dust storm, we need to plan more trees and using less forest land for development. Dust storm is threatening the livelihood of China and there will be no development if situation continues.



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Work, Study, and Rest

I have been very busy in the last couple of months. Not only I have to write another paper and prepare my class each week, but also my work is full. I can hardly find time to rest.

I used to like reading but in the past couple of months I seldom had time to read. I know that this will continue in the next several years so I need to read as much as I could during summer when my school work is lessen.

As I have so many tasks to handle and the time is constant, I need to use my time wisely on work and study so that I can have time to rest. I plan what I want to do daily and try to complete it so that I can then focus on others next day. Leisure becomes a luxury. As I travel to work daily by MTR I use the interval to read and I managed to complete the Tales from Shakespeare within a year. It is putting your time to good use.

International Conference

I attended an international conference in early January 2010 and I presented my first paper at the conference. I was a bit nervous but I think it was received by the attendees. Having presented my paper, people on the floor asked me different questions and I needed to answer them. It was a challenging experience but I liked it. In fact, this is a good opportunity to receive others' critical comments and amend your paper, if necessary, accordingly. You may not like others' comments, but they are worth your while as your paper will be improved.

In addition, by attending an international conference, I got to know people in the same area as mine. By discussing your area with these people, you gain more insights. By listening and commenting on others' papers, you learn, think and gain. Beside, by knowing what others are doing, you understand whether you are on the cutting edge or not. If not, better work hard.

Time Management

I was very busy during last month and early this month. My work was packed and I needed to prepare for the assessment of my course. Besides, I am preparing the final version of my conference paper to be presented next month and I need to start writing another paper for another conference.

I need better time management so that I can allocate my time for family/research/work/study/rest. I tried to read some books but just couldn't afford some time to do so. Reading is my habit and I had to put it aside for a moment.

From what I have learned, the time management skill requires you to select the most important task for the day and focus on it. Having done that, go for the second most important task and so on. That's how you can complete the most rather than doing unnecessary but urgent tasks.

Housing in HK

Most of us in HK properly know that the housing prices are surging in the past 6 months and it seems that the trend continues. For those who want to purchase a home, they need to pay a higher and higher price and it looks like that their dream house is far away.

The government, along with property developers, are the only ones who deny the existence of a housing bubble. Everyone else knows the fact. If the housing prices increased by 20, 30 or even 40 percent in the past six months and this situation continues but our salary increment could not match them, it means that we are having a bigger and bigger bubble.

More people cannot afford the current housing prices means that these prices finally will fall and it's only a matter of time. So if you really want to purchase a dream home, I suggest that you had better wait. Set a price level that you think is reasonable and you can afford it, and hit it when the moment comes - the housing price drop to your set level.

Korea

I just visited Korea for the last few days. I attended a wedding banquet there and it was a wonderful experience to see how Koreans celebrated their wedding. I was amazed that the some parts of the wedding ceremony were similar to us such as bowing down to parents, receiving lucky money, and dressing traditional garments.

Seoul is an energetic country and is building up rapidly. Most young Koreans are taller than Hong Kong people and most people there look similar to northern Chinese. There are many tall buildings in the city though many people still live in three-story building. Their places are as hygienic as Japan so you have no problem to enjoy you call of nature. Koreans love coffee. There are countless coffee shops there and their coffee tasted very good. Their food is mostly spicy.

It is a place worth visiting. It only takes you three hour to get there. Try it and you will like it.

Keep going

It has been a year since I started my graduate study. Time flies. When I started it in 2008, I thought that I still have a long way to go. Now I feel the pressure. I need to read more, faster, and wider. And I need to use more time on my study.

As a part-time student, normally you do not want to participate in any school activities. Those are for young adults. All you want is to attend classes, finish your assignments, and meet all requirements - you have no time for others. Although we are busy in our work and school, we should at least spend some time on some non-physical or non-social activities at school such as academic conferences and talks. Some of them are definitely worth to attend and I attended some. You get more knowledge while you meet others who are also keen to explore more.

See if we can meet in the coming conferences and talks.

Life Style

As I grow older, I am used to my own life style. It may not be the best, but at least I like it. Even thought I can change it, I tend to change it better.

I like reading good books, newspapers, and magazines. I enjoy good food with my friends and family. I enjoy the lonely path of my research. I like classical music, visiting museums, travelling, and more.

Some people may like to follow the current styles but these "styles" are made by others so you are just following others. Ask yourself what you like the most, then go for it; listen to others while think independently by adopting those advices fitted you, then you will have your own style.

If you do not want to live under the influence of others forever, try to have your own life style.

Tiananmen Massacre

I went to the Victoria Park tonight. This is the place I must go on 4 June.

We shall never forget what happened. No matter how many excuses people have, the reality is that on 4 June 1989, there was the Tiananmen Massacre in Beijing. It was not an "incident" or "event", it was a massacre. Not many people are using the term "massacre" now for fear or others, but killing massive people is massacre, nothing else. Any government who used guns and tanks to kill people commits a crime.

If anyone doubts what had happened on 4 June was not a massacre but merely an incident, a conflict or a small event, why no government officials dare to discuss it or concur the views of the central government? Thanks for our CE, we have recorded numbers of people showed up in the Victoria Park.

What happened in 4 June 1989 was a massacre, is a massacre, and will be a massacre.

Government direction again

A few weeks ago the HK government, once again, pronounced that it would consider giving resources to boost the growth of six different trades. It is just a repetition of the same mistake made years ago when the ex-CE claimed that HK would be a hub of Chinese medicine or IT or whatever. We now know that those ideas were built on sand. Again? Please don't.

Government giving directions never work. Those who work for the HK government are just people who know nothing but bureaucracy, probably they know one thing - how not to do it. You ask them to lead us? The performance of our government in the last 12 years speaks for itself.

The government should only provide the rule of law, respect its people, give us justice as well as beneficence and we should be doing fine. We know what we need. Give us the tools and we will finish the job. This is not North Korea, we don't need non-stop directions.

Donation

As the economy is getting worse, more social organizations require donations from the public. We may donate a few dollars on street, but how can we know whether an organization is worth to donate if we want to donate more say a hundred dollars?

I think a simple way is to know the background of the charity you want to donate. We can go to see the website of the charity and see whether you like to support the services provided by the charity. In addition, you need to see the annual report to find out how the charity has spent its donations. If a charity has spent a substantial amount of donations to its staff salary, you should be careful. A good charity should, from my point of view, spends 90% of its income to its services. Anything between 80% and 89% is acceptable. Lower than 80% is not a good charity. If a charity cannot even provide a financial statement in its annual report, don't donate.

Be competitive

In the last 15 years, more people received post-secondary education. The result is that more educated people go to the job market. The market becomes more competitive in terms of education background.

20 years ago, you could assure yourself that you would get a decent job if you had a bachelor degree. 10 years ago, you could assure yourself that you were ahead of others if you had a master degree; and for those with a bachelor degree only, they had to work hard to find a good job. Now, you can assure yourself that you will have a good chance to get a job if you have a doctorate degree; and for those with a master degree only, they are not so sure and for the poor ones who only have a bachelor degree, tough life ahead.

If you still have years before retirement and want to be competitive, keep studying.

2009 Financial Budget

Have you read about the budget 2009 which is just released this week? I only know some of the key suggestions but they are heading to failure.

The government wants to create jobs for people. It is the right direction, but the internship programme for students means the government is extending the unemployability of students. The only purpose of internship programme is for reducing the unemployment rate, not for enhancing students' abilities for employment. Many students show their discontent by only getting several thousands a month in the internship program, they want to make big money. Unfortunately, they do not know that some of them are unemployable. If they were smart, they should get a job without assistance from government. The government should have enhanced their employability before pushing them to the market.