kangxian

Poor signs

2011-11-07T13:05:00.000+08:00

English competency is generally poor in Malaysia. This can be evidenced by the fact that the signs of "Temporary Closed" far outnumber that of "Temporarily closed" at a ratio of 8 : 1.

And I bet 98% of the Malaysians cannot pronouce "Temporarily" without hurting their tounges.

She must have been inspired

2011-11-07T12:55:00.000+08:00

I watched Lost in Translation again last night and I came to this conclusion : Sofia Copolla must be inspired by the movie In the Mood for Love by Wong Kar Wai.

Similarities
1. The man and the woman had their own respective spouse.
2. They developed a very subtle relationship out of lonelieness and boredom.
3. They lied on the bed, exchanging feelings, stories, but they did not crossed the line into have sex.
4. And the last scene... Bill Murray whispered something into ears of a teary Scarlett Johanssan, before they parted goodbye. This is so similar to Tony Leung whisperring into a hole of a tree at a temple in Myammar. Both whispers were not audible.

Plagiarism is too strong a word but many more parellels can be drawn.

How much is enough?

2011-10-30T14:07:00.001+08:00

I have not tried Dick's but I assume it's the in same league as Carl's Junior. I'm not eating McDonald if I am a millionaire.

Speaking at the University of Washington, Mr Gates is reported to have said, “I can understand wanting to have a million dollars - it’s freedom. But once you get beyond that, I have to tell you, it’s the same hamburger.” He explained by saying “Dick’s doesn’t raise their prices,”, referring to the Seattle fast-food chain, but added “being ambitious is good.”

I agree that beyond a certain wealth, earning more does not necessarily bring you extra happiness. But the threshold is not a million. 10 Million maybe, if all you need a nice house and some good cars, and send your kids to Ivy Leagues. 100 Million if you really wish to do some serious work on charity.

The grestest thing he did

2011-10-13T15:55:00.000+08:00

Much has been said about Steve Jobs, who just passed awaylast week.

The following extracts of a speech made by him in Stamfordwas crazily quoted everywhere.

Your time islimited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped bydogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't letthe noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And mostimportant, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehowalready know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

I am not too impressed.

Well, the above quote, while valuable to some, is not practicalfor most people. 90% of the world population, including me, is ordinary folks doingordinary, mundane things. We do not really have the luxury to follow our inner voiceto do whatever we desire. A functionalsociety requires disciplined people who stick to their boring jobs, playing their tinyparts to keep this world moving. If you clean toilets or deliver letters, you better do exactly just that. You don’tfucking follow your heart and pick up a pen and write books, or build thenext operating system. The world wouldbe in an unthinkable position if everyone follows their hearts.

The top 10% talented an independent people, however, willcertainly take on unique routes one way or another and they do not need muchreminder from Steve Jobs.

To say that Steve Jobs was an idealist or someone who nevercompromised would be a mistake. To me, the most remarkable thing he did was notabout shipping iPhone or iPad. The mostremarkable thing he did was simply this : when he went back to Apple in 1997,he did not get all cocky to do whatever he wanted to do. He flew to Seattle tosuck the ball of Bill Gates, and painfully negotiated for a settlement withMicrosoft, and also got a cool 150 Million investment, a lifeline very much needed that kept Apple going. He accepted IE as the default browser on Mac, however he resentedit. He very skillfully laid out a pragmatic principle for his Mac crowds: For Apple to Win, we donot need Microsoft to lose.

He was simply a very good CEO who knew his position andplayed his cards right.

Gotta say somethin'

2011-10-07T12:01:00.001+08:00

If the world truly mourns the man, the stock of MSFT wouldn't have risen and the stock of APPL wouldn't have gone down.

This is no chinatown

2011-09-23T13:18:00.000+08:00

In one of the recent episodes of CSI, an agent appeared to have given an unclear answer. His superior responded - This is no Chinatown! So it appears that one of the stereotype for chinese people is that chinese are often ambiguous in expressing themselves.

The origin of myth

2011-09-13T17:17:00.001+08:00

There are many conspiracy theories about September 11^th.Some argue that Jews or even the US Government itself planned for the attacks.Dr.Mahathir, who recently claimed in his blog that 911 is not a work by muslims,seems to subscribe to similar conspiracy theories.

Dr.Mahathir argued that muslims are not capable of planningand executing such sophisticated operation, which requires great precision. Oneplane maybe, but 4 planes?

While Dr.Mahathir is right to cast some doubts, his argument is far from solid to conclude that muslim is not behind the attack, especially when the entire world has seen the video of Bin Laden talking proudly about how they planned the plane crash, and how he was the most optimistic among the comrades to predict a total collapse of the twin towers.

Well, I suppose Dr.Mathair would dismiss such video as another artificial work, no different from AVATAR.

To understand why Dr.M's behaves in such a manner, one only needs to read the following paragraph.

What a man believes upon grosslyinsufficient evidence is an index into his desires -- desires of which hehimself is often unconscious. If a man is offered a fact which goes against hisinstincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence isoverwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he isoffered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to hisinstincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin ofmyths is explained in this way. ~~~ Bertrand Russell.

To be fair, Dr.Mahathir certainly is not alone in having this syndrome. U.S government behaved similarly in 2003, when they wanted to launch a war against Iraq. Based on some sketchy satellite photos or some overhead phone conversations, they were convinced that were weapons of mass destruction and jumped into the war, because this is in line with their instincts, and that's what Bush wanted.

The 911 Memorial Service

2011-09-12T13:12:00.006+08:00

There was not one single speech of George.W.Bush that could outperform any of those made by President Obama, who is always articulate and natural, until yesterday, when the September 11^th memorial service took place.

George.W.Bush read out a letter written by Abraham Lincoln in 1864 to a mother who lost five sons during the Civil War. (Damn, I always thought the mother who lost three sons in Saving Private Ryan had experienced the worst possible pain). Although there were references to God in the letter, it was not religious in nature. The focus of the content was about consoling the poor mother. It was inspirational and in a sense, moving.

Executive Mansion,
Washington, Nov. 21, 1864.

Dear Madam,

I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,

A. Lincoln

In contrast, Obama made a poor choice of just blatantly reading out a section from the bible. He said,

Psalm 46 begins, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.”

It seems inappropriate to have a Christian scripture quoted in a national ceremony. The victims of the attack 10 years ago, and the families and friends of the victims, are not all Christians. They come from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds and religious faiths. If not all religions can be accommodated in the ceremony, none should be included at all. And I bet a large number of the victims were atheists. Did they not deserve to be spared from the Christian scriptures?

The mayor of NYC, Michael Bloomberg, has excluded any religious figures or prayers in this ceremony, in an apparent attempt to avoid any controversies. This, in my view, is a right decision. After all, the democracy of the United States is based on a simple concept of separation of church and state. The president has violated the city mayor's directive.

Women don't need help this way

2011-06-28T23:04:00.005+08:00

Although the "30% of the decision makers within corporations must be women" policy sounds politically correct, it is not. Fundamentally, it implies that women need help, and that they are incapable of competing head-on with males.

Any policy that is not based on merits carries with it some degree of favoritism, creating an unfair advantage for certain group of people. Affirmative actions are sometimes necessary to give a little support to people (often minority) that really fall behind, but affirmative actions must not be permanent. There must be a clear, measurable goal, which serves as the exit criteria to end those unfair policies.

What really needs to be done is to empower certain governmental units to serve as watchdog to scrutinize companies everywhere. If a company exhibits discrimination based on gender, or religion or race or sexual orientation (okay, maybe we are not there yet), lawsuits should be launched. In the United States, Justice Department and ACLU play such role.

Law cannot dictate how a company should utilize its resources in the most effective way. This is a question of management. Law should just ensure that everyone is born equal.

No, I don't want to tell my daughter that she might stand a higher chance of getting a promotion because she is a girl. I would tell her it's a cruel world out there, very imperfect, often dominated by men, and she needs to work extra hard to make it to the top. And she can.

Donnie Brasco

2010-07-29T01:11:00.003+08:00

Finally got the chance to re-watch Donnie Brasco, a film that I saw in 1997. I gotta say it still beats The Departed hand-down.

The Departed was nicely executed, but you wouldn't care any of the characters in The Departed. Whether it's Matt Demon, or Leonardo, none of them could come close to the complexity and depth of the character of Jonnie Depp in Donnie Brasco. And Al Pacino.. that little low-level figure... was such a strong contrast from Michael Corleon. Al had exhibited great courage to take on interesting role. The final scene in which Al left his rings and watch and some money in the drawer for his wife, before stepping out into the unknown danger, was heart-breaking.

Donnie Brasco is truly the Godfather of all Undercover films.

Botak chin

2010-06-28T02:15:00.002+08:00

The demolition of the Pudu Jail, led me to read about various tales of the prison. The most interesting is about this man Botak Chin. I vaguely recall hearing him from my mom when I was a little kid.

Having grown up in Jalan Ipoh, it's absolutely fascinating to learn that there was such a famous gangster in this area.

Interestingly, he was finally captured on the night when I was born.

http://themalaysianlife.blogspot.com/2009/11/botak-chin-malaysias-robin-hood.html

吴冠中逝世

2010-06-28T01:49:00.001+08:00

http://www.zaobao.com/zg/zg100627_104.shtml

King of quotes

2010-01-11T23:12:00.002+08:00

I can always cite some Bertrand Russell's remarks for any possible scenarios.

Let's see. On Tiger Wood's downfall, Russell said 50 years ago, that:

"The place of the father in the modern suburban family is a very small one, particularly if he plays golf."

On the "Allah" issue, Russell put it this way :

"Government can easily exist without laws, but law cannot exist without government."

that's it?

2009-11-17T22:42:00.004+08:00

I'm struck by the simplicity of the menu of the most important dinner of the entire world. In contrast, even a usual wedding dinner in KL would have 6 or 7 course.

The dishes are also impressively environmental-friendly. There is no sharkfin, for instance. It's interesting to note the difference between now and say 30 years ago.When Lee Kuan Yew visited Deng Xiao Ping, he was served bear paw. It is inconceivable now.

What is more important for us to take away from this menu is the brand of wine. If you ever visit China, you need to buy 中国河北2002年出产的长城干红和长城干白, because Obama drinks it.

国家主席胡锦涛17日晚举行盛大宴会，欢迎来华访问的美国总统奥巴马。

宴会菜单中西合璧，正餐包括一道冷盘，一份汤和三道热菜：翠汁鸡豆花汤、中式牛排、清炒茭白芦笋、烤红星石斑鱼。餐后甜品为一道点心和一道水果冰淇淋。

宴会上配餐的红葡萄酒和白葡萄酒分别是中国河北2002年出产的长城干红和长城干白。

2009-11-11T23:15:00.004+08:00

You would think SG is error-free when it comes to English, but I saw this advertisement in MRT

"HELP US TO FULFILL THEIR WISHES"

This is grammatically incorrect.

It should be : "HELP US FULFILL THEIR WISHES"

On a related note, I have always wondered which one of the followings is correct, when speaking to my daughters
1. Sit in the chair
2. Sit on the chair

Google seems to point to the first sentence as the correct answer.

News that haunts you

2009-10-29T22:26:00.006+08:00

What is more unbearable? The thought of losing someone so dear to you, or that someone so dear to you is aware of her looming death ...

http://www.zaobao.com/wencui/2009/10/lhwb091029.shtml

（美国辛辛那堤讯）原本天真活泼的女孩子埃琳娜，因为脑癌，在这个世界活了短短6年就离开了。由确诊至逝世的一年间，虽然逐渐衰失说话能力，但她暗暗地写下数百张爱的字条，以图画文字答谢父母的爱，并收藏在不同地方，让父母在她离开后，逐一发现。

　　居住在美国辛辛那堤的埃琳娜，5岁确诊脑癌，仅余下7个月至一年寿命。
　　埃琳娜对自己的情况心中有数，暗中以特别的方式感谢父。随着病情恶化，她口舌不清，于是利用纸和笔，一次又一次，向父母和妹妹说“我爱你们”。并将字条藏在家中不同的地方，好让他们不时能收到她的讯息。

　　埃琳娜最终不敌癌魔离世，她的父母某日在一个背包中，首次发现了爱女留下的纸条，写着“妈妈、爸爸和格雷丝，我爱你们”。之后，不论在书架的书中间、衣柜角、碗碟之间或藏在箱中的旧照片中，都发现她的字条。

　　父亲德瑟勒治说：“我们至今发现了数百张，而即使到现在，仍不时有新发现。”但两夫妇各留有一张字条未打开，好让永远还有一张未看。

Chagall

2009-10-15T00:34:00.007+08:00

Finally watched Notting Hill, a film that I was supposed to watch 10 years ago, when it was first released, in Canada. I still remember clearly it was rated 3 stars in the Hours newspaper, and the review was pretty positive. However, during that age I had a tendency of going for some "heavy" and "dark" movies. Light comedy was not exactly my cup of tea. I hesitated for a while in going to see this movie. Eventually I must have chosen something else that I thought more worthy of my attention and this movie got buried in the back of my mind. It is finally summoned out.

In the movie, Julia Robert gave Hugh Grant an original artwork produced by Marc Chagall. I did not know who the artist was but I promised myself to google it later on.

And it turns out Picasso thought very highly of this guy. Picasso remarked,"When Matisse dies, Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what color really is."

Anyway, I thought this painting is the most thoughtful gift ever produced in any romance movies.

中秋论团圆

2009-10-03T10:49:00.002+08:00

数个月前我还认为两岸故宫不可能在中国领土内进行合作交流，看来我是错了。大陆把雍正的文物借给台北展出，展现了大陆的气度，以及前所未有的自信。

“三希堂文物展“指日可待了。

（台北讯）来自北京故宫博物院的三件清代雍正朝稀世文物昨日在台北故宫博物院举行开箱仪式。两岸故宫文物60年来首度聚首，并将于本月7日在台北登场的“雍正——清世宗文物大展”上与参观者见面。

　　据中新社报道，“雍正——清世宗文物大展”展出内容分为“雍正皇帝的一生”及“文化与艺术”两部分，首创以文物铺陈雍正其人、其政及其艺术文化成就，全方位解读这一在史学界颇具争议的清代皇帝。选展的246组件文物包括档案、史籍、地图、肖像、绘画、书法、砚台、瓷器、漆器、玛瑙、玻璃、珐琅器等。

　　据悉，这次雍正大展是两岸故宫自今年2、3月间“务实交流”以来所落实的具体成果之一。北京故宫博物院精选了37件清代雍正朝文物，包括雍正肖像、生活绘画与器物等，远渡台湾海峡实现了两岸故宫文物60年来的首度聚首。此外，参与展出的还有上海博物馆、台湾中研院历史语言研究所等。

　　今日开箱率先与媒体见面的包括雍正“为君难”寿山石螭钮方印、铜胎画珐琅缠枝莲纹六孔瓶、描金彩漆包袱式纹长方盒。据台北故宫博物院院长周功鑫介绍，此次 “雍正——清世宗文物大展”规模大，其展出之物皆稀世珍品，仅保险费用就高达14亿2000多万新台币（约6234万新元）。

　　周功鑫表示，今年初台北故宫博物院造访北京，与北京故宫同仁已就两岸人员交流、出版物交流等达成九项共识。此次“雍正展”就是其中的一项成果，希望让文物自己对观众“说话”。

口头禅

2009-09-14T22:25:00.004+08:00

One of the most amazing qualities about Obama is his ability to make speeches that unify people of all races, or religions, or parties. I observed that he has repeated the follow phrase in a few speeches. The most recent speech about Health Care, contained such phrase too.

"I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper."

This phrase effectively conveys a sense of brotherhood that is equivalent to a chinese saying 有难同当

It is interesting to discover that that phrase originates from Bible.

A saying from the Bible's story of Cain and Abel. After Cain had murdered his brother Abel, God asked him where his brother was. Cain answered, “I know not; am I my brother's keeper?”

Cain's words have come to symbolize people's unwillingness to accept responsibility for the welfare of their fellows — their “brothers” in the extended sense of the term. The tradition of Judaism and Christianity is that people do have this responsibility.

Monk vs Monk

2009-09-08T14:34:00.003+08:00

The president of Taiwan, Mr.Ma, handled the recent hurricane poorly. Lives were lost and the response was slow. The opposition party (民进党), seized the opportunity to create a problem for Mr.Ma – Inviting Mr.Dalai Lama to Taiwan to pray for the victims.

This creates a dilemma for Mr.Ma. If he denies Dalam Lama’s visit, he runs the risks of angering the public further, for being insensitive to people’s spiritual needs. If he accepts Dalai Lama’s visit, he would risk destroying the rapport that he has built up carefully with Beijing. This does not help Taiwan’s economy.

Eventually he yielded to pressure and he let Dalai Lama in, purely on humanitarian ground. China, as expected, had a measured response to downgrade bilateral ties with Taiwan. Taiwanese did not seem to be impressed with Dalai Lam’s visit either. Many people thought this is just another political show. Mr.Ma gained nothing out of this.

Had Mr.Ma listened to my advice, he would not run into such problem.

My solution is as follows.

-Mr.Ma should first emphasize that Taiwan has the right to permit or deny anybody into Taiwan, based on the authority’s assessment. He should look cool and authoritative at the very least.

-Secondly, he should say that if Dalai Lama is here for humanitarian effort, he should be invited by a religious or charity body. Why is the opposition party inviting Dalai Lama? This does not make sense and he will not allow it. He would consider accepting Dalai, if he is formally invited by a religious body, or a well-respected religious figure.

-Thirdly, Mr.Ma should further say this : Look, I know people are grieving. And it’s understandable that some people might need religious support. However, we have so many respected religious figures here, including星云大师, who prays for the victims constantly. Is the opposition party holding the view that our local religious figures are not effective enough, that we must import external religious figures? Or are they politicizing this issue for their own benefit?

This way, the opposition party would be under pressure, for they are accused of playing politics while people are grieving. Secondly, they seem to not love 星云大师, a beloved man in Taiwan. Thirdly, they have no valid ground to invite Dalai.

星云大师 is expected to stay out of politics, not going to extend any invitation to Dalai. If he indeed extends the invitation, the visa will be stamped : Meet with星云大师 only. China will have more understanding of this. And most importantly, the opposition will not be able to take any credits.

This whole saga could be resolved by just one press conference. It’s piece of cake for me.

港澳街头掠影

2009-08-30T15:04:00.006+08:00

在星光大道里，还活着的巨星们都留下手印，唯独王家卫不留。原因不详，大概他要表现出一种遗世独立的态度，不想被简单地贴上巨星的标签。

二十年后，重庆森林依然是外劳的天地。林青霞的芳踪何在?

在澳门一条陋巷，看见一个酷似星爷的人在吃云吞面。

港澳喜欢cute cute 的字眼，竟然有"温馨提示"这种话语，英文翻译更可爱: Warm Suggestion. 左思右想，我认为没有合适的英译。最接近的应该是Lovely Tips (也是怪怪的)。

金庸修订碧血剑的原稿。难以想象字字句句竟然都是写出来的。

地铁看书

2009-08-19T23:49:00.003+08:00

地铁内许多人都有看书的习惯。根据我这半年来的观察，一般上，书本可以分为四类

一是跟学校有关的书。(学生）

二是俗气的中文言情小说（一定是马来西亚人，单身来这里工作，非常郁闷，需要一个想象空间。）

三是厚厚的畅销英文小说（新加坡时髦的OL)

四是大陆的文艺书（中国人）

当然，也有些非常另类的。比如说，我曾经目睹一个中年妇女，目不专盯地在看佛经(大纲经)。她一页页地翻阅，饶有趣味，好像在读小说，怎么会有人看懂佛经呢? 真是奇人。

日本的地铁内，都是铺天盖地的漫画本。这里的人们不好此物，我根本不记得有人在地铁看漫画。

遗憾的是，至今未能看到任何人手持余秋雨的霜冷长河。更不用说 The Great Gatsby 或者 The New Yorker。

李光耀在回忆录写道: “However, it will take another generation before our arts, culture and social standards can match the First World infrastructure we have installed". 如果他有空搭一趟地铁，感叹必定更深。

Ban it

2009-08-19T23:14:00.002+08:00

Even in an advanced nation such as Singapore, some acts that seem inappropriate are tolerated in the public. Take, for instance, burning the incense for some kinds of festivals. The incenses are enormous. Burning them in public generates lots of smoke, heat, and ashes. A few times I walked by these burning incenses, I almost got chocked. Such act is so environmental unfriendly. I am sure it increases global warming by a few celcious.

It seems the Singapore government tries to be tolerant and sensitive to religious rituals. But it is a known fact that the government disallows muslim ladies from wearing headscarfs in school. (I think this makes sense too). Hence, it should be equally cold on this issue, and ban incense burning in public. Carry out whatever religious rituals you have at home. Just don't do it in the public.

In my view, incense burning has far more harm than headscarf or chewing gum.

Singlish 101

2009-08-11T22:14:00.002+08:00

My colleague Ken was talking on the speaker phone. He is a white boy from Texas.

"Can? Can?"

"Yes I am"

"I mean can or not?"

The female colleague sitting next to me burst into uncontrollable laughter.

The most unlikely dinner

2009-08-06T00:33:00.007+08:00

President Clinton : How are you sir?

Kim : Not too bad.

Clinton : So um.. I am glad we finally meet. By the way, "Axis of Evil" is a term coined by my successor, George W Bush, not by me. I did not regard you very highly back then but let me make this clear, I did not label anybody as evil.

Kim : So, we are cool?

Clinton : We are dining together now, aren't we?

Kim : So you want me to free the girls?

Clinton : If it's not too much of a trouble.

Kim : So you apologize?

Clinton : Now, let's define apology. Suppose the apology is in the context of "Sorry for causing you put up with the American cuisine, which I know you are not exactly fond of", I would like to apologize. But other than that, I am not authorized to issue any apology with regards to these two wonderful female journalists. And certainly it is beyond my power to accept any responsibility that you might think I need to accept. I am not in Washington anymore.

[Kim's translator was at a loss of words for a while, because he was not exactly sure what Clinton has said. Eventually the translator said : He apologized]

Kim smiled : Well, that's all I want to hear. The girls are free to go.

Clinton : Thanks.

Kim said : Do you want some wine?

Clinton : No, thanks. I would give it a pass, because I have done a by-pass two years ago. By the way, you look pretty good, despite all the rumors.

Kim : Suit yourself. You wouldn't mind taking a photo with me together, would you?

Clinton : No sir. It would be an honor for me to take a photo with the last communist leader in the world.

Kim : Yeah Castro retired last year. And Hu JinTao is a capitalist in disguise. I am the last authentic communist leader.

Clinton : I do not disagree. By the way, is there any chance that you could stop making the nuclear bomb?

Kim : Sure, ask Obama to come see me.

Clinton : I would convey your invitation to Obama, but you know, he is a very busy man these days.

Kim : Ask your wife to come see me.

Clinton : You know how much authority I have over her after that little incident in White House. I do dishes these days at home.

Kim : Ladies need to be taught a lesson.

Clinton : Thanks for the inspiring words. Look, I think this is an interesting dinner. But I have a plane to catch. Let's do the photo, shall we?

The earth is my home.

2009-08-04T00:46:00.004+08:00

I believe that everyone has a right to choose the country of citizenship. And so, when Jet Li decided to be a Singaporean, I think that is neither honorable nor shameful. It is simply his personal choice.

But what troubles me is his reluctance to admit the fact, like a man.

When asked where his home is, he answered that the earth is his home. Yeah right, so if the earth is your home, you could belong to anywhere on earth right? So why go through all the troubles (or spend a lot of money) to change your citizenship from Republic's of china to Singapore? Does it mean Singapore is more earthly than China?

I would have more respect for him if he said "None of your fucking business" or "Yes, Singapore is my home now, and you have a problem with that?"

By the way, I have no shame in admitting that I am ashamed to be holding the passport of the country of my present citizenship. I would very much love to become an American. I would not blink for one second to ditch my current passport, if U.S.A decides to give me a U.S passport.

No, the earth is not my home. I would love my home to be somewhere in Beverly Hills and I want to be neighbor to Paris Hilton.

Crime scene

2009-07-28T21:39:00.003+08:00

This actually happned on the train while I was on my way to work.

Woman A asked woman B "Do you want baby?"

Woman B did not answer yes or no.

Woman A repeated her question, "Do you want baby or not?"

Woman B smiled uneasily.

Woman A flashed out her mobile phone, and started showing baby photos to her. This is her catalogue.

The shortest novel in the world, written by Hemingway, contains only six words -"for sale: baby shoes, never worn."

I am going to re-write a little "mobile phone : baby catalogs, no discount"

B- 的应用文

2009-07-27T23:08:00.002+08:00

昨日两岸最高领导人第一次互发电报，字字句句都是琢磨过的。换句话说，文字冷冰冰，说表面话，不深入，毫无热诚。

胡锦涛贺电全文如下：
　　台北
　　中国国民党中央委员会
　　马英九先生：
　　值此先生当选中国国民党主席之际，谨致祝贺。由衷期望贵我两党继续推动两岸关系和平发展，进一步深化政治互信，不断为两岸同胞谋福祉，开创中华民族的伟大复兴。
　　中国共产党中央委员会总书记胡锦涛
　　2009年7月27日

马英九回电全文如下：
　　北京
　　中国共产党中央委员会总书记
　　胡锦涛先生惠鉴：
　　今日贺电敬悉，谨致谢忱。
　　四年来，经过贵我两党的共同努力，当前两岸关系已在“九二共识”的基础上，走上和平发展、稳定共荣的大道，既符合两岸人民的期望，也赢得世界各国的肯定。
　　今后，仍须双方顺应民意，继续在“正视现实、建立互信、搁置争议、共创双赢”的原则下，不断努力，以巩固海峡和平、重建区域稳定、促进两岸持续发展与繁荣。端此奉复，敬颂
　　时祺
　　马英九敬启
　　2009年7月27日

总的来说，大陆比较肉麻，说什么中华民族的伟大复兴，好像有点夸张。台湾却比较文绉绉，什么端此奉复，什么谨致谢忱。拜托，什么时代了，还搞文言文。

奥巴马为了平息种族风波，邀请哈弗黑人教授和笨警察一同到白宫喝啤酒。这种调解方式，还真有一套。反正都在说客套话，说的轻松点，反而更有效。

中国人的通病就是比较 uptight. 其实，双方应该 lay back a little，可以说点这样的话：久闻英九酒量过人，什么时候能够过来中南海小酌两杯，或豪饮茅台，我无任欢迎。

毛主席的豪气万丈，周恩来的幽默诙谐，都去了哪里 ?

2009-07-21T03:25:00.001+08:00

最后的时光

密密麻麻地围了过来
一把鼻涕
战战兢兢地给我喂饭
不做饿鬼

庸庸碌碌
一生太长
嫣然一笑
一生太短

Martin & Michael

2009-07-02T00:05:00.007+08:00

Today comes a moment of enlightment. It is a startling discovery for me to realize that the BAD MTV is directed by Martin Scorsese. A friend tipped me off to this fact through MSN.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7n8LHOgg0U

Throughout our whole lives we were only exposed to the last 3 minutes of the dancing scenes of MJ in leather jacket. As a matter of fact, the first 15 minutes of the MTV is most interesting. It is a stirring drama, nothing short of the intensity found in Taxi Driver.

Quote of the Day

2009-06-30T23:25:00.002+08:00

When watching an old interview of Michael jackson by Oprah Winfrey, it was interesting to note that Michael had a very smart way of defending his skin color.

"Let's reverse the situation. What about the millions of people who sit out in the sun, to be become darker, to become someone they are not, and nobody said nothing about them"

It is simply irrefutable.

Lost in Translation

2009-06-27T11:22:00.003+08:00

新加坡有许多告示牌的翻译是很糟糕的。

比如，地铁站的告示牌 :

Value Life. Act Responsibly
生命要珍惜。行为要负责。

真拗口。

我以为如此写法更恰当。
珍惜生命。谨慎行事。

数年前在北京的公园看到这么一个告示牌，印象深刻 - 芳草凄凄，踏之何忍。这种柔性的规劝，晓之以情，让人自律。

沿着这思路，我觉得地铁站的告示牌可以再翻译得更形象一点。
Value Life. Act Responsibly
生命脆弱，小心！

团圆

2009-06-22T11:15:00.007+08:00

乾隆皇帝生平很有雅兴，收藏许多墨宝。其中的三件墨宝，应该是他最喜欢的，以至于他特别给他的书房取名三希堂。

王羲之的《快雪时晴帖》
王献之的《中秋帖》
王珣的《伯远帖》。

三件文物的命运如下
王羲之的《快雪时晴帖》 - 台北故宫
王献之的《中秋帖》 -北京故宫
王珣的《伯远帖》 - 北京故宫。

最近发现梵高画了三副关于他的房间的画。三副画命运相似，各有其主，也无法团圆。
BedRoom First Version - Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum
BedRoom Second Version - The art Institute of Chicago
BedRoom Third Version - Paris’s Musée d’Orsay.

我想哪个博物馆或画馆如果能搞个三希堂文化展览，分别从北京故宫以及台北故宫借到真迹，让乾隆的三件珍宝重新聚首，必定是文化界的一大盛事。从这里衍射出去的政治意涵，也很深远。

北京不会借画给台北，台北也不可能借画给北京，因为双方都不想给对方太多的正当性。香港也不恰当，台湾不会同意。看来，目前最能够胜任此任务的，是取得两岸信任的新加坡。

至于梵高的画，阿姆斯特丹以及巴黎都有资格收藏，因为梵高在这两个地方都生活过。芝加哥就有点格格不入。那个博物馆能够搞一个梵高睡房展，让三件画聚首，也很有意思。

康熙来了

2009-05-19T21:09:00.005+08:00

《康熙盛世》的展览已经有两个月了，今天我匆匆赶来参观。

三百多件关于康熙的文物，静静地躺在Clarke Quay河边亚洲文明博物馆里面。

康熙文学造诣很高，字也写得很好，我站在这幅巨型字画面前良久，一个个字仔细阅读，发现一个有趣的落款 - 仿董其昌。

董其昌是大书法家，康熙非常欣赏他。这幅字画，分明是康熙模仿董其昌字迹的一次练习。

按理说，堂堂一个大清皇帝，根本不需要将任何人放在眼里。康熙却不是这样的。他欣赏的人才很多，董其昌只是其中一位。

欣赏也罢了，康熙的落款甚至表明他在刻意模仿董其昌，这就耐人寻味了。这种坦荡荡的表白，显示他完全放下身段，虚心讨教，非常难得。

中国五千年历史，大概没有那个皇帝会大方地承认他很敬仰某某人的才能，甚至想模仿他。康熙是唯一知识型的皇帝，时时刻刻都在学习。三百多年前他使用过的圆规，几何物品，望远镜，计算机，地球仪赫然展现在我的眼前，非常震撼。

一个月后，这些珍品必会回到故宫去。今生今世，大概没有机会可以这么近距离地接触康熙了。

A great line

2009-04-20T23:23:00.002+08:00

In one of the rare interviews given jointly by Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, when asked what the greatest misunderstanding between them was, Steve Jobs did not answer directly.

At first, he joked that they had a secret marriage for a decade.

Then he turned serious and remarked that when he and bill first worked together, they were the youngest people in the room. And now they are working a their respective firms, they are often the oldest guys most of the time.

Towards the end, he said the followings

"And, you know, I think of most things in life as either a Bob Dylan or a Beatles song, but there’s that one line in that one Beatles song, “you and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.” And that’s clearly true here."

There was a standing ovation with thunderous applause. It was a very emotional moment. Steve and Bill were visibly moved by that occassion.

What a great line to end an interview!

Smiley Faces

2009-03-18T15:25:00.005+08:00

Inspired by a video created by Kian Woon, I attemp to write a mini novel on a topic that is haunting everybody now.

****

Eileen has not put up any lipstick for a week. In fact, she hasn’t dressed up. No make-up. No perfume, and of course most of all, she has not shown any cleavage for a week.

The reason is simple : don’t get any attention in the workplace during a bad time like this. The bald guy sitting in the room is running through his mind to pick a few people to let go. Simon has to go. That fat-ass is so gone. And what’s the name of the big-boob girl. She is cute but hey we are not running a freaking beauty contest here.

Eileen looked around the office today and almost everyone dressed black or white. A fucking funeral, she uttered.

It had to happen. The phone rang.

“Hey uggh… Eileen, you got a second?”

“Bob I have got a big presentation tomorrow.”

“Won’t take long”

She entered his room preparing for the worst. Do not cry, do not show your weak side. Tears will only compound his pleasure in murdering me. She kept reminding herself.

“Eileen, how long have you been with us?” He had a smirk on his face.

“Bob, you know it”

“See.. you know it’s unfair for us to keep anyone whose prospect is limited here”

Then came the silence. Sheer silence for 30 seconds.

“Bob, you know what, I haven’t put up any lipstick for one full week. It means nothing to you? And how could I be circled out?”

“Because you are capable. And you have been with us long enough to earn a promotion. You are taking over Jason’s position. I know you are close to him but it isn’t an easy decision for us too. I want to talk to you first because if you ain't ready for the bigger responsibility, I won't force you.”

Eileen walked out of Bob’s room and was utterly confused.

Jason was an average Joe. Never been a star, but never did something stupid either. He sometimes made stupid jokes and laughed like a horse but otherwise completely unremarkable.

Eileen logged on to MSN, eagerly trying to break out the good news to her boyfriend.

Poor Jason is online in MSN too. Eileen felt obliged to say something to him. His status is : Looking forward to a vacation in Paris !!! And two big smiley faces followed.

It all made sense now. Nothing is more disgusting than two big smiley faces in the MSN in a time like this. What the fuck are you trying to prove? That while all of us working our asses off here, you have the privilege of disappearing into Paris? And you have the gut to put three exclaimation marks and two smiley faces to boast about it?

Eileen immediately blocked Bob from her contact, and erased all the cute status updates in Facebook too.

"Maybe I can show a little cleavage tommorrow, just a little" She murmured.

She slept like a baby that night.

A speech 30 years ago

2009-02-28T18:28:00.003+08:00

It was one of those unremarkable night flights back to KL. As I was flipping through the Straits Times, a speech given by Lee Kuan Yew 30 years ago caught my eye. It wasn't about governance or policy. It was a speech about how to learn and write good english.

I re-read it twice to make sure I do not miss any important points he is trying to convey. One of the important messages here is that Englishmen do not stand an advantage in writing good English. Spoken English, maybe, but not written English.

Definitely a pleasure to read ..

Keep it clear, keep it simple

Thirty years ago today, on Feb 27, 1979, then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew called a meeting of ministers, ministers of state and senior civil servants to discuss how government papers and minutes can be written in clear, clean prose. Singapore's GDP has grown almost sevenfold since 1979. Marina Bay didn't exist then. Changi Airport was still two years away from completion. Singapore has been transformed beyond recognition in the last 30 years. But the same, alas, cannot be said of the quality of written English, which remains recognisably the same now as it did in 1979. We reprint excerpts of Mr Lee's address to mark a melancholy anniversary.

I WANT to discuss the importance of simple, clear, written English. This is not simple. Dr Goh Keng Swee gives every officer whom he thinks is promising and whose minutes or papers are deficient in clarity, a paperback edition of Sir Ernest Gowers' The Complete Plain Words.

It presupposes that the man who attempts to read the book has reached a certain level of literary competence. The book, written words, cannot convey to you the emphasis, the importance, the urgency of things, unless the receiver is a trained reader. And in any case, human beings are never moved by written words. It is the spoken word that arouses them to action. Arthur Koestler rightly pointed out that if Adolf Hitler's speeches had been written, not spoken, the Germans would never have gone to war. Similarly, Sukarno in print did not make great sense.

The spoken language is better learnt early; then you will have fluency. However, my thesis is that the written language can be mastered at any age without much disadvantage. It is learnt fastest when your written mistakes are pointed out to you by a teacher, friend, or senior officer. That was the way I learnt.

When I was in school my compositions were marked. When my children were in school they simply got grades for their written work. Their teachers had so many essays that they never attempted to correct the compositions. This has contributed to our present deplorable situation.

I want to convince you, first, of the importance of clear, written communication; second, that you can master it, if you apply yourself.

The use of words, the choice and arrangement of words in accordance with generally accepted rules of grammar, syntax and usage, can accurately convey ideas from one mind to another. It can be mastered.

When I was a law student I learnt that every word, every sentence has three possible meanings: what the speaker intends it to mean, what the hearer understands it to mean, and what it is commonly understood to mean. So when a coded message is sent in a telegram, the sender knows what he means, the receiver knows exactly what is meant, the ordinary person reading it can make no sense of it at all.

When you write minutes or memoranda, do not write in code, so that only those privy to your thoughts can understand. Write simply so that any other officer who knows nothing of the subject can understand you. To do this, avoid confusion and give words their ordinary meanings.

Our biggest obstacle to better English is shyness. It is a psychological barrier. Nobody likes to stop and ask, 'Please, what does that mean?' or 'Please tell me, where have I gone wrong?' To pretend you know when you don't know is abysmal folly. Then we begin to take in each other's mistakes and repeat them, compounding our problems.

The facility to express yourself in a written language is yet another facet or manifestation of your ability, plus application and discipline. It is a fallacy to believe that because it is the English language, the Englishman has a natural advantage in writing it. That is not so. He has a natural advantage in speaking the language because he spoke it as a child, but not in writing it. It has nothing to do with race. You are not born with a language. You learn it.

Without effective written communication within the government, there will be misunderstanding and confusion. Let me give a few recent illustrations of writing so sloppy that I had to seek clarification of their meanings:

'With increasing urbanisation and industrialisation, we will require continued assistance particularly in the technological and managerial fields.'

I asked myself: What have I missed in this? What has the first part about urbanisation and industrialisation to do with the second part about continued assistance? Why do we need more assistance, particularly in technological and managerial skills, because of increasing urbanisation and industrialisation?

It is non sequitur. We need technological and managerial assistance anyway. The first part does not lead to the second part.

'It is necessary to study the correlation between language aptitude, intelligence and values and attitudes to ensure that the various echelons of leaders are not only effectively bilingual but also of the desirable calibre.'

I read it over and over again. It made no sense. This is gibberish! I enquired and I was told, well, they were trying to find out how language ability and intelligence should influence the methods for instilling good social values and attitudes.

Well, then say so. But somebody wanted to impress me by dressing up his ideas in big words. Next time impress me with the simple way you get your ideas across.

'France is the fourth major industrial country in Europe after West Germany, Britain and Italy.'

Calculating backwards and forwards, I decided France cannot be the fourth. I queried. The reply was that France was fourth in terms of number of industrial workers. Now, China probably has the largest number of industrial workers in the world. In some factories they may have 14,000 workers when a similar factory in America would have 4,000. Does that make China the first industrial country in the world?

'The Third World has the stamina to sustain pressure for the Common fund. Progress will probably be incremental with acceleration possible if moderation prevails.'

Now what does this mean? By 'incremental' the officer meant 'slow'. 'Slow', I understand; but 'acceleration possible', I do not.

If we do not make a determined effort to change, the process of government will slow down. It will snarl up. I have noted this steady deterioration over the last 20 years. I want to reverse it. If we start with those at the top, we can achieve a dramatic improvement in two years, provided the effort is made.

Now I want to discuss how we can do this:

To begin with, before you can put ideas into words, you must have ideas. Otherwise, you are attempting the impossible.

The written English we want is clean, clear prose - not elegant, not stylish, just clean, clear prose. It means simplifying, polishing and tightening.

Remember: That which is written without much effort is seldom read with much pleasure. The more the pleasure, you can assume, as a rule of thumb, the greater the effort.

When you send me or your minister a minute or a memo - or a draft that has to be published like the President's Address - do not try to impress by using big words; impress by the clarity of your ideas.

I speak as a practitioner. If I had not been able to reduce complex ideas into simple words and project them vividly for mass understanding, I would not be here.

The communists simplified ideas into slogans to sway the people's feelings - to get them to move in directions which would have done us harm. I had to counter them. I learnt fast. The first thing I had to do was to express ideas in simple words.

My experience is that attending courses helps but not as much as lessons tailored for you. You have written a memo. Somebody runs through it and points out your errors: 'You could have said it this way'; 'this is an error'; 'this can be broken into two sentences' and so on.

In other words, superiors and peers and even subordinates who spot errors should be encouraged to point them out. My personal assistants point out my mistakes; I tell them to.

Some final examples on how urgent the problem is, from two papers coming before Cabinet: The first, a very well-written paper; the other badly written. But even the well-written paper contained a repetitious phrase which confused me. Because it was well-written, I thought the repeated words must be there to convey a special meaning:

'If the basis for valuation is to be on a basis other than open market value as evidenced by sales, arbitrariness and protracted litigation would occur, thus tarnishing the credibility of government machinery.'

I ran my eye back to the opening words. I queried: 'Do we lose anything if we dropped the words 'to be on a basis' before 'other'.' Answer came back: 'No meaning is lost.' And this was in a well-written paper.

Let me read from the second paper, which tried to explain why we must set up an institute:

'The need for such services is made more acute as at present, there is no technical agency offering consultancy services in occupational safety and health.'

I asked: 'What's happening 'as at present'? Why 'as at present'?'

What the officer meant was: 'There is acute need because there is no department which offers advice on occupational safety and health.'

We have taken each other's mistakes. He had constantly read 'as at present', 'as of yesterday', 'as of tomorrow', so he just stuffed in three unnecessary words - 'as at present' - into his paper.

There is such a thing as a language environment. Ours is a bad one. Those of you who have come back from a long stay in a good English-speaking environment would have felt the shock when reading The Straits Times on returning.

I spent a month in Vancouver in October 1968. Then I went on to Harvard University in Boston. For one month, I read the papers in Vancouver. They were not much better than The Straits Times. They had one million people, English-speaking. But there was no sparkle in their pages.

The contrast in Harvard was dazzling. From the undergraduate paper, The Harvard Crimson, to the Boston Globe, from the New York Times to the Washington Post, every page crackled with novel ideas, smartly presented. Powerful minds had ordered those words. Ideas had been thought out and dressed in clean, clear prose. They were from the best trained minds of an English-speaking population.

Let us try to do better. We are not doing justice to ourselves. I know the ability is there; it has just not been trained to use the written word correctly and concisely. And it is not too late to start.

It is not possible to conduct the business of government by talking to each other with the help of gesticulation. You have to write it down. And it must be complete, clear and unambiguous.

A farewell song

2009-02-01T16:39:00.004+08:00

A few days before 2009, during one hot afternoon mom casually asked me to pay a visit to grandmother, who was lying on a sick bed in a private care home in Sungai Buloh. She could no longer walk since she broke her thigh 3 years ago.

"Mom.... not now... kind of tired".

Maybe it was the the heat out there that discouraged my visit to grandma. But I guess more importantly I was not in a good mood. I was troubled by the uncertainty over my job. I wasn't going anywhere until I have my career sorted out. I know she was terminally ill but I thought I would have another chance to see her again.

How wrong could I be.

When she was drawing her last breath around 5am, January 16th, I was sleeping sweet and sound in a luxurious suite in Venetian, Macau.

On 14th, grandmother's bowel movement produced lots of blood. She was in the toilet, sitting on the lavoratory, with her head lowered, hands trembling.

On 15th, her condition worsoned. Around 8pm, she complained to my mom that there was immense pain on her back. Mom used a towel to rub her back in order to ease her pain. Mom tucked her in and said good bye.

Few hours later, at the dawn, mom rushed back to grandma's house after getting a frantic call. Mom reached there 5 minutes too late. Mom used her fingers to touch her nostrils. The was no air coming out or going in. That concluded her 87 years of lifetime on earth.

I flew home from Macau the very same day she passed away.

During the funeral, mom was recounting an interesting incident to the relatives. Mom said a few days ago she brought Yan Yan (my girl) to see grandma, and mom asked Yan Yan if she could sing a song to grandma. To everyone's surprise, she sang a song that carried more weight than any other song. The song is Shi Shang Zhi You Ma Ma Hao (Mom is the nicest person in the world). She was just 2 years and 5 months old.

So I missed my farewell. Yan Yan was filling in for me. And she had done such a good job. I held her tight in my arms. I was both proud and ashamed.

Grandma was buried in the morning of January 18th. While everyone was standing up solemnly for some rituals, Yan Yan walked around, looked up, made funny faces. A few of the aunties could not help but smile at her.

Yan Yan continued to mess around and she had no idea what a good deed she had done.

Idleness

2008-10-30T13:07:00.003+08:00

There is a public folder in the corporate network that stores some interesting documents posted by the management. Nobody ever looks at these documents but me. These documents are interesting not because of the content, but because they reveal a lot of what is on the minds of these CEOs and SVPs.

Take for instance, the article of “Changing Jobs Solely for Money Could Be a Mistake" from Wall Street Journal. It really reveals the deep insecurity of the bosses who are faced with intense head-hunting from competitors.

What amuses me is that these CEOs try to justify their long vacations by posting this article- “Why CEOs need a vacation”, which cites that CEOs need longer breaks to refresh themselves in order to look at problems from a new perspective.

This is bull-shit. Firstly, I know that a couple of the bosses fly constantly on the job. They have got 13 hours idling if flying to London, and more to Las Vegas. Usually they are in the Business Class section, sipping fine wine, flirting with the air-stewardess, and it occurs to me that they have got plenty of chance to refresh themselves. Maybe some serious business is done in these overseas trips, but I’m quite sure the majority of these trips do not lead to anything more than business leads. These are, without a doubt, paid vacations.

CEOs often conduct their business in a leisurely manner, over the golf course, over the 5-star hotel lounge, over some classy restaurants. No, I don’t think they need longer vacations. They need to spend more time in the office for some serious work and thinking.

I would be curious to find out if they would still post this article, had the title become “Why Workers need a vacation”.

And I bet no CEO would post the article of “In Praise of Idleness” by Bertrand Russell

“ When I suggest that working hours should be reduced to four, I am not meaning to imply that all the remaining time should necessarily be spent in pure frivolity. I mean that four hours' work a day should entitle a man to the necessities and elementary comforts of life, and that the rest of his time should be his to use as he might see fit. It is an essential part of any such social system that education should be carried further than it usually is at present, and should aim, in part, at providing tastes which would enable a man to use leisure intelligently.”

超越时空

2008-10-13T21:02:00.005+08:00

虚拟紫禁城。

http://www.beyondspaceandtime.org/

终于进入了太和殿内部.

2005年去的时候，我只能在门外张望。

中轴线

我遇到了一个导游，跟他打个招呼。他很热情，领着我到处跑，还给我详细说明。

optimal price

2008-10-13T15:34:00.002+08:00

What’s the most optimal price of fuel that the government should impose?

You would think that with the fuel price going up, you save less. So, the cheaper the fuel, the better. Well for me, that’s not exactly the case. Lately the fuel price comes down to less than 100 dollars a barrel (god know what it means), and this has effectively increased the traffic, so much so that I spend 45 minutes more every day on the road. So I lost tremendous amount of time, not to mention extra fuel to inch along the highway jammed with cars.

One easy solution is to increase the fuel price to a ridiculous level, so that all poor bastards are forced to take the subway. But this solution has a drawback : 90% of the people are poor bastards. And I'm one of them. I certainly cannot afford very high fuel price.

The solution is to increase the fuel price a little more, but not too more, so that it eliminates the weakest 10%, those who could barefly clear the credit card charges of last month. Is it ethical to eliminate these people from the road? It is not a question of ethics. It's a question of necessity. Intead of complete gridlock on the road, somebody has to be sacrificed. If you were born into a poor family making less than two dollars a day, you are not worthy of driving a car. Study hard, get a good degree, cars and women can wait.

So the question that I want to put forward to PHDs: Can simulation software simulate the traffic and find out what’s the least price the government could charge that results in tolerable traffic (Slow but no need to hit the brake excessively).

I wouldn’t mind paying a little more for being able to drive at 50km/hour and spend another 15 minutes more on the road. Traffic is slow but everyone is driving at a steady speed without hitting brakes. We have a piece of mind. We could actually sort out some tough problems on our mind while driving in this steady mode, which facilitates an efficient day. This is the optimal fuel price the government should charge.

白头人

2008-09-26T14:23:00.003+08:00

九月二十一日两点左右，我开车外出，载着妻儿到 The Curve 逛逛。快到商场入口的时候，一阵强风吹来，只见树叶漫天飞舞，一片萧杀。我打开了车窗，让嫣然听听风呜呜吹的声音，她兴奋极了。路边的路障被吹得移动起来，散乱地分布于路中央。一辆货车无法前行，司机下车将路障移到路边。他边使力边摇头微笑，似乎他也不相信风力可以那么强大。

我们先到 Borders让嫣然参与大将书局安排的儿童故事讲座。也许有点睏，她没什么兴趣听故事，我们只好离开书局，去吃意大利面。用餐后，嫣然拉着我们的手，直奔儿童游乐场。她跟其它的小朋友一样，又爬又跑，一直在格格地笑。

就在这个时候，三十公里外，万挠的一个高尔夫球场上，雨点已经滴滴答答地打下来了。警讯已经响起，要人们离开球场。有一个人正走向一个球洞，准备将球拾起。大概也就只有米的距离，他却无法走到球洞。一阵强光闪烁过后，他就倒下了。闪电终止了他的心跳。

SK是在Sungai Buloh 医院被宣判死亡的。星期一早晨我们上班的时候，才知道永远地失去了一个同事。

说起来，我跟SK并没什么深厚的交情。数月前，我们一同到新加坡公干多次，一起入住圣淘沙的Soliso Beach Resort. 到了晚上，我们都各自寻找节目。除了工作上的事宜，私底下我们没有什么话题。一个星期前，我们还在老板的办公室内讨论着菲律宾的一个项目的细节。他喋喋不休地说着一些话，我只是点点头敷衍他。那是我最后一次见到他。

星期二中午，同事们都到芙蓉大道旁的富贵山庄大厦出席他的丧礼。公司的高层都到齐了，都在轻声说话。SK 的妈妈用广东话跟老板们谈话，说这个孩子很乖，很听话，小时候读书很勤奋，自学华语，无师自通。老人家一边说一边流泪。这些平时满口生意经的老板们一时间也不知道如何应对这种辛酸场面，只是礼貌性地点着头。SK的妻子则出奇的冷静，非常有礼貌地在招呼着客人，并在打点出殡的事宜。人大概都有夸大悲剧成分的倾向。之前盛传她老婆大腹便便，临盆在即，原来不是事实。

其实这几年来SK在工作上的表现乏善可陈。他常常无故缺席，推诿任务，老板们都不敢给他重任。最近公司改组，他希望能换部门，也无法如愿。同事之间，说实话，都不想跟他在工作上有任何牵扯。事业的低潮，当然没有人会让他妈妈知道的。在这一刻，他是妈妈最乖最本领最引以为傲的宝贝。

现在，他的办工作桌上，还留有一条 Network Cable, 几封信，和一些未吃完的药，感觉上就像出差一样。

他的MSN处于offline 状态。标语是: 情海无涯，苦海无边。

偶尔我静下来的时候，映入脑海的不是SK的点点滴滴，而是他妈妈在丧礼上泪流满面的哭诉。

My McDonald Moments

2008-06-05T21:23:00.005+08:00

There are countless McDonalds in the world but I probably had dined in this particular McDonald at the heart of St.Chatherine street in Montreal, more than any McDonalds in the world. I'm glad to see that it still lives there, 9 years after I have last seen it.

During a cold snowy night in 1995, I walked into this McDonald around 9pm. I hadn't eaten anything all day, and I forgot why so. As soon as I had picked up the tray with a set meal, I stumbled and fell. The coke splashed, fries strewn all over the floor. I was literally on my knees.

Maybe it was the extreme hunger. Or maybe the coldness had sucked out all the energy from my body. I lost my steps.

A black waiter quickly helped me to get up. She told me not to worry about it. Embarrassed, I didn't know what to do. Seconds later, she delivered another set to me. I probably was more overwhelmed by embarrassment than hunger by then, but I finished the whole set nonetheless, with mixed feelings. Gratitude, self-pity, and sense of depression. I didn't know how I could get through this for another 3 or 4 years.

But of course I survived. There were many happy moments too in this restaurant, and I had dined with many friends there, but oddly I couldn't remember much details of happy moments.

Most of the moments there were neither positive or negative. There were many late nights, in which I was dining there alone, after watching movies nearby. I would be sipping the cold Coke, staring out the glass into the darkness, thinking of the movies that I had just seen. I was probably smiling over a clever plot, while chewing the fries, with lots of mayonnaise.

After clearing the tray, I would put on the coat, take a deep breath, and open the door, and plunge myself into arctic coldness, and struggle to walk up a steep slope to get home.

Dream revisited

2008-06-04T09:52:00.008+08:00

In May a friend went to the States for job assignment. I persuaded her to take a short trip to Montreal to take some photos for me. I had left the city in late 1999 and hadn't looked back. Admist all the drastic changes happening all over the world, this place seems to be constant. Nothing has really changed and it feels as if time is still there.

It was a big giant reservoir underneath the lawn.

I could still recall looking out from this window in The McGill bookstore, just footsteps away from my school.

An absolutely stunning statue consisting of dozens of laughing people was placed infront of Royal Bank of Canada, where I used to work as a trainee in 1999. My two other co-workers were Jewish and Kuwaitee. The Kuwaitee obtained refugee status as a result of Saddam's invasion into Kuwait in 91. The Jewish was born in Montreal, but in a broader sense, every Jewish was a refugee. I was cash-deprived, seriously hit by the asian financial crisis and I did consider myself a true refugee, the most pathetic among the three of us.

I was especially close with the Jewish. He would sometimes call me up to discuss with me about his strategies to hook up with someone. Lately I reunited with the Jewish in Facebook.

I worked very hard during this period and I could never work as hard in my later years.

St.Chatherine street was the main source of entertainment. The buliding well-lit used to be strip bar. Next to it was a 2.5-a-ticket cinema. I probably had seen more than 300 movies from that cinema. Digitally restored Godfather, Fargo, Sleepers, Dead Man Walking were done here. I would say, this is a real school to me, and I had graduated mastering the art of watching movies without any subtitles from here.

Quebec state's flag is at the same height of Canadian federal flag, sending a signal of defiance and independence. HK's flag, in comparison, could never go higher than People's Republic flag.

In winter everything will be creamed.

A big red S sign was on top of Scotia Bank, where I used to do my banking. In the final days before milenium, I was trying to withdraw all the money from the bank before leaving the city. That prompted a black cashier stopping me. "Are you worried about the Y2k situation? Don't worry, there won't be any problems". I didn't bother to answer him because in my view he was infringing my privacy. I wanted to see his manager, and he gave in.

Photographed this in 1996, and sent to my dad and mom. Behind this status was a company that provided photocopy services.

This is new and I have not seen it. It's really nice.

The couple was still there, forever kissing each other.

I spent most of my Montreal yers staying in this apartment. Down there there is a little grocerry store, where I usually obtained milk and muffin, and ocassionally instant noodles. Behind the store was the mailroom, where I usually checked for letters. In 1995, the mailroom was filled with papers in green colors. The papers printed the question of referendum posted to all Quebecers. In late 1995, the referendum was held, and 51% Quebecers had agreed to stay in Canada, while 49% wanted independence.

This little crappy store is still here. I didn't know what it sold. I always passed by it while walking to school, and felt that it looked rather out of place.

要远行的妻

2008-05-23T11:39:00.005+08:00

Source

他怕她冷，给她披上棉袄，又加了围巾。

他回过头来，轻声说道，坐稳了啊。

Moral Authority

2008-05-23T08:32:00.006+08:00

Dalai Lama is in London and he has finally spoken.

LONDON — China lacks the moral authority needed to be considered a superpower, the Dalai Lama said Thursday in remarks to British legislators in which he also noted that the Summer Olympics provide an opportunity to press Beijing over human rights.

I hope Dalai looks into the eyes of Wen Jia Bao, who was in SiChuan within two hours since the earthquake happened, directing and comforting the crowd, while the aftershocks were on-going, and tell Wen Jiao Bao that he needs to strengthen his moral authority.

I hope Dalai looks into the eyes of the female police offer who has lost a two-year-old girl and her parents, but kept working on the site saving people until she collapsed on the job, and tell her that she needs to beef up her moral authority.

I hope Dalai looks into the eyes of countless teachers who kept going back into the shaking buildings to evacuate the kids until they were killed themselves, and tell them they need to work on the moral authority.

I hope Dalai looks into the eyes of a guy who suffered bone fractures but refused medical help for 7 days on the ground that medical resources were scarce and he could be treated later. I hope Dalai tells him in the face that he needs to work on the moral authority.

Lameting on moral authority of China now? While Chinese has demonstrated unprecedented level of passion and courage? Dalai Lama has to be the stupidest religious leader (if I can call that) in the world.

Hey, even the Shao Lin monks are using their skill to treat people onsite.

Dalai Lama could go to hell.

Pure critique of reasons

2008-05-21T16:28:00.004+08:00

I have to write this in English so that I could distance myself a little from the sorrow brought by the earthquake, and comment on a few matters, rationally. I can’t write anything in Chinese without being emotional at this time. This, in an ironic way, proves that English language is always secondary to me.

I have watched all major TV channels of China, including四川电视台，重庆电视台，凤凰电视台，湖南电视台，中央电视台, and I think I am qualified to make a few comments.

On Leadership
Premier Wen Jia Bao was onsite since day 1, while Hu Jin Tao was there on day 3, or day 4. When Wen Jia Bao was speaking to the victims, sometimes voice-shaken, and even with tears, he was making very soothing and natural remarks “Just hang on there, food is on the way”. In contrast, Hu Jin Tao is very conscious of camera angles, and he was making grand remarks like “The Party and the military will take care of all this! We will overcome this disaster!!”.

I know, I shouldn’t doubt Hu’s caring and sincerity, but Wen won my hearts.

On SuperStars
Jackie Chan and Jet Li went to Sichuan. Jackie Chan said “The Police escorted me along a very difficult road”.

Since the disaster area has already gotten worldwide attention, superstar’s presence is relatively unimportant. We don’t need Jackie to advertise to the world how bad it is over there. Sure, they care about the victims, but my only hope is that they go to ground zero on the condition that they cause no extra burden to the already stretched resources of police and military.

And I heard Andy Lau is on the way.

On Dalai Lama
We haven’t heard from this guy for quite some time. Not even a statement of condolence?

On Donation
I have made some donation via credit card to Tsing Hua foundation, which pledges to fund China RedCross. Nothing to be proud of. I’m doing this to make myself feel a little better.

However, I have overheard a very common conversation. Exact wordings vary, but the themes are similar.

A: Have you donated to the earthquake victims?
B: No, I wish to donate to both, China and Myanmar.
A: So have you donated to both?
B: No, because Myanmar government seems like a badass, and I’m not sure whether the victims will get my money.
A: Then what about China?
B: I don’t think that they need money now.. they are overwhelmed by charities. If I were in china I would like to be a volunteer to help out the logistics…

On Praying
Praying to which God? You couldn’t ask me to pray to someone who did all this. On the other hand, you couldn’t ask me to pray to someone who was not in control during the 20 seconds on May 12th 2:28pm.

Having said this, I do not object to praying if it provides psychological comfort or remedy.

2008-05-17T19:44:00.002+08:00

这一个礼拜，不是用天来计算的，是用分分秒秒来计算的。

许多的消息，不忍心看，却不能不看。不忍心听，却不能不听。

海啸也罢，风灾也罢，生死都是一瞬间的事情，相对来说，还是比较好的。地震的受难者，如果顿时去了还好，否则就是人间地狱。受难者的身体也许深埋在瓦砾底下，一时半刻去不了。叫天不应，叫地不灵，空气慢慢用光了，血慢慢流光了，人的意志也没有了，剩余的只是恐慌，痛苦，持续十多个小时后才死去。想到这种折磨，就难以忍受。再想象把这些痛苦放在孩子的身上，真是痛彻心扉。

2008-05-13T11:42:00.010+08:00

嫣然已经十八个月大了。

她现在是一个精灵的小淘气。

她会常常走到我的身边，握起小拳头，好像要把一些东西交到我的手中。接着她摊开她的掌心，却什么也没有。我惊奇的喊道，”疑？” 。她的诡计得逞，便格格地笑了。

刚满一岁左右，每当我说”A for?”,她会答”Apple”. 最近她终于学会了B for Boy 和 C for Cat. 有一次我问她B 和C的时候，她故意全答Apple, 接着就笑个不停。

每次驾车载她外出，嫣然的眼睛可厉害了。只要经过任何的儿童Playground, 她必定指着远方大叫。随着车子渐渐远去，当乐园消失在视野内，她总会接受残酷的事实，向乐园的方向说道:Bye Bye!

嫣然似乎会跟任何的东西都挥手说再见，包括家人，小球，鸭子，小狗，房子，月亮，卖面的阿嫂，油站的外劳。嫣然的眼中，万物皆平等，都必须礼遇。

以往嫣然一旦吃进了她不想吃的东西，她总会马上吐出来。最近她学会了表达对食物不满意的情绪，示意我向前，要我把手伸到她的口边，她才把食物吐到我的掌心。

嫣然有洁癖，身体只要稍微肮脏了，她会不断地指着肮脏的部分，嚷着要我关注。地上有任何的东西，不管体积多小，她都会作出回应。能吃的，她会吃。不能吃的，她会把垃圾交到我手里。

嫣然喜欢听歌。谁要是唱歌，嫣然就会检查看看是不是所有的人都在一起唱。哪个人没唱的，她会要求他参与。歌唱完后，每个人都必须拍掌。谁不拍掌，她会指着他要他拍掌。公主有命，不能不从。

偶尔我拿出十多年前的旧照片，要嫣然认出我，她都可以胜任。有一次，我让她看一张大概有二十多个人的全体合照。她认真检查一番后，终于还是发现了我。那个时候的我，发型，体型，跟现在有着天渊之别，嫣然的facial recognition的能力，不可小看。

嫣然好像永远都在晃来晃去，很少有安静的时候。只有这么一天晚上，接近午夜的时候，我抱着她到楼上去睡觉。当我缓缓上楼的时候，她一直安静地在靠在我怀里，并抬头望着我，深情款款地的，好像要跟我说些什么。我紧紧地将她搂住。前世今生，我们可曾相遇?

古语说，幼吾幼以及人之幼，以前不能体会。现在的心境不一样了。听到中国地震的新闻，听到四川许多孩子们活埋在学校的废墟下的消息，是很让人震动的。我马上联想的，是许多像嫣然般淘气的小精灵不再笑了，不再玩小拳头了，不再嚷着要去乐园了，不再跟人拜拜了，不再要人唱歌了，不再要人拍掌了，这要让多少的爸爸妈妈心碎。

谨以此文纪念嫣然的第二个年头的的生命旅程，以及所有受苦难的孩子们。

“My dear children, It is now better than several years since I moved to New York and I haven't seen you as much as I would like to. I hope you will come to this ceremony of Papal honors, given for my charitable work. The only wealth in this world is children. More than all the money and power on Earth. You are my treasure. ”

Michael Corleon, Godfather.

Reporting Live From China

2008-05-12T17:03:00.000+08:00

Steve Tan says:
Are you surving ?
Steve Tan says:
Am I talking to a laptop that has no owner ?
Steve Tan says:
Pls tell me u are safe
Deisy says:
safe lah
Deisy says:
we were evacuated
Steve Tan says:
hahahaha
Deisy says:
so at home now
Steve Tan says:
so good
Deisy says:
still dizzy
Steve Tan says:
half day holiday
Steve Tan says:
how bad is it
Deisy says:
7.8 及
Deisy says:
级
Deisy says:
very cialat.
Deisy says:
we so far also can feel
Deisy says:
so dizzy, whole building was swaying
Steve Tan says:
Did your cup topple
Steve Tan says:
Did your desk fall
Steve Tan says:
Did you fall down
Steve Tan says:
Anyone trapped in the lift
Deisy says:
no lah
Deisy says:
we very mild
Steve Tan says:
do you have another holiday tommorrow?
Deisy says:
so far from sichuan
Deisy says:
but can feel
Deisy says:
no lah
Deisy says:
everyday holiday, economy is going down liao
Steve Tan says:
what if olympic stadium is destroyed
Steve Tan says:
they don't have time to repair
Deisy says:
dunno lah
Steve Tan says:
do people still go shopping ?
Deisy says:
just now we saw the car parked at road side, is moving foreward and backward in slight motion, scary
Steve Tan says:
or everyone just go home
Deisy says:
my fren did some shopping before go home
Deisy says:
i only bought bread and watermelon
Deisy says:
hahahaa
Steve Tan says:
haha
Steve Tan says:
you went shopping
Deisy says:
bread!
Deisy says:
in case mah
Deisy says:
what if tomorrow also like that, then eat what ah
Steve Tan says:
why not buy more stuff, because the city might be going down without power for a few days
Deisy says:
watermelon is for tonight
Steve Tan says:
watermelon for dinner
Deisy says:
we have lots of maggie mee

Don't even think about catching up with them

2008-04-23T00:16:00.002+08:00

We have so many problems at home that we all get numb about it. Corruptions, abuse of power, racial discrimination, leaders who don't lead, a damned judiciary, are just parts and parcel of the life of Malaysians. You don't complain about them. You vote, you show a little color, that's all. You can't do much about it and you gotta learn to put up with all these shit.

And you look around, not too far, just down south, and you get a completely different picture. One detainee escaped from a prison. All right, bigl deal. What's his name? Mas Selamat. He is not even in the ranks of an accomplished terrorist. But all levels of Singapore government have gone through all sorts of self-assessment and soul-searching, and the PM has given a speech so solemn and larger-than-life as if they have lost a Space shuttle or something. This, you gotta give it to them.

MINISTERIAL STATEMENT BY PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG IN PARLIAMENT ON 21 APRIL 2008

　　1.Mr Speaker Sir, Mas Selamat’s escape has raised the question of the Government’s response when major lapses occur, not just the specific actions we take, but also the broader issue of Government responsibility and accountability. This is a question which many Singaporeans have raised, and which Ms Sylvia Lim has asked in a Parliamentary question. DPM Wong Kan Seng explained at length yesterday what the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has done in the case of Mas Selamat. Let me now present the Government’s overall approach, and then give my views on the Mas Selamat case.

　　2.The Govern-ment’s aim is to try our best to do things right the first time. This means planning well ahead for the future, anticipating problems, preparing for contingencies, and so avoiding major lapses as far as possible. We put the best people we can find in charge at every level in Government and the public service, and hold them responsible for delivering performance and results.

　　3.But despite our best efforts, we know that things do go wrong from time to time. Officers are human, and will make mistakes. Plans go wrong in implementation, the unexpected catches us by surprise, and organisations get set in their ways and fail to anticipate problems. To achieve one overriding goal, we accept trade-offs and compromises for other desired results and fall short. As our systems and challenges become more complex, inevitably from time to time there will be bad outcomes, and occasionally even serious lapses.

　　4.If and when something goes wrong, we have to deal with it decisively and effectively. Our first priority is to respond to the immediate crisis, and then to identify shortcomings and put them right. We must also take steps to ensure that the problem does not recur. This means not just quick fixes, but also where necessary fundamental changes to systems and organisations to address deeper problems revealed by the lapse.

　　5.But at the same time, we should not over-react to one bad incident. If we go overboard in trying to solve one problem, the chances are we will inadver-tently commit other mistakes which we will regret later. For example, encumbering an organisation with unwieldy rules and processes may look good on paper, but in practice will simply generate a false sense of security, while hindering the organisation from functioning efficiently and achieve its goals.

　　6.Besides corrective measures, we will give as full a public accounting as possible, especially if it is a major lapse. Singaporeans need to know what went wrong, and what the Government will do to fix things.

　　7.Having done all that, we have to establish who specifically are responsible for the lapse, and what disciplinary actions should be taken. Several questions will have to be addressed:

　　a.Was it a correct decision which turned out badly, because of external factors that could not have been foreseen?

　　b.Was it an honest mistake, something that happened despite the best efforts of the officers involved?

　　c.Was there negligence or incompetence on the part of the officers?

　　d.Was there criminal misconduct?

　　e.Was the cause localised mistakes by a few persons, or was it deeper: wrong institutional mindsets, or systemic weaknesses in the organisation?

　　8.These issues have to be investigated by departmental inquiries, committees of inquiry, or commissions of inquiry, or (where there is possibly criminal misconduct) by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Based on the findings, we will then allocate responsibility impartially and objectively. We will not just blame the officers directly involved. Those with supervisory oversight, or who are responsible for flawed systems, will also be held to account.

　　9.The Minister is ultimately accountable for the policies and operations of his Ministry. But this does not mean that if a lapse occurs down the line, every level in the chain of command, up to and including the Minister should automatically be punished or removed. Based on the facts, we have to decide who fell short in performing his duties, and what is the appropriate disciplinary action for each officer involved. We also have to follow due process, giving officers the chance to defend themselves. Otherwise we will demoralise the organisation and discourage officers from taking initiatives or responsibility, for fear of being punished for making mistakes.

　　10.This same principle of responsibility and accountability also applies to Ministers. It is the Prime Minister’s duty to decide how each Minister has performed in his portfolio. Hence when a lapse happens, I will ask the same questions of the Minister – how is he involved in the matter? Has he been incompetent or negligent? Most serious of all, is there a question of integrity? If so, he has to go, even if the actual incident is minor. I will also ask: is the Minister able to put things right, or does the situation call for a new pair of hands, not encumbered by what went before, to take charge and make a fresh start? Of course the Prime Minister himself is accountable too, to Parliament and ultimately to the electorate.

　　11.However, we should not encourage a culture where officials and Ministers resign whenever something goes wrong on their watch, regard-less of whether or not they are actually to blame. That would be the easy way out. It may temporarily appease an angry public, but it will not fundamentally solve the problem.

　　12.The basic issue is whether the person is culpable. If so, we must act against him, however senior his position. But if he is not at fault, then we must have the moral courage to state so, and support him. This way, everybody within the organisation can be confident that when something goes wrong, they will not be sacrificed for political expediency.

　　13.This is what the Govern-ment has done in the Mas Selamat incident. When Mas Selamat escaped, MHA’s immediate response was to try to track him down. The Ministry alerted the public within hours. DPM Wong updated Parliament the very next day, and apologised for the lapse. He also convened a Committee of Inquiry (COI) to find out the reasons Mas Selamat was able to escape. In parallel, CID launched an investigation.

　　14.Six weeks after the event, the COI has done a thorough investigation, and reported its findings and recommendations. CID has also completed its investigation and found no evidence of collusion. Nevertheless, arising from the COI findings, MHA has decided to replace the officers at the Whitley Road Detention Centre (WRDC) responsible for Mas Selamat’s escape, and to take disciplinary action against them, including not just the junior officers but also the supervisory and management levels.

　　15.The Cabinet has been briefed on this. I have gone through the COI report myself, and discussed the matter carefully with DPM Wong and other Cabinet members. I am satisfied that the Ministry has taken the correct remedial and disciplinary action, and that the Minister and top management were not to blame for what has happened. DPM Wong Kan Seng as the Minister and the Director of ISD both continue to have my full confidence.

　　16.We must admit our mistakes openly and honestly, put them right, and act against those who have been culpable. But the last thing we need is a witch-hunt which would damage and demoralise our intelligence and security agencies.

　　17.Could Mas Selamat’s escape been prevented? Of course. It should never have happened. The COI has listed out the specific lapses: the toilet window unbarred, the guards allowing Mas Selamat out of their line of sight, the weaknesses in the fencing, and the unclear lines of command over security. But the basic problem was the mindset of those running the WRDC. Because ISD’s focus was on gathering intelligence and rehabilitating detainees, the WRDC regime and physical security were different from Changi prison. And because past detainees like the Communist sympathisers were not likely to try to escape, and there had never been an escape from ISD detention, even when Mas Selamat failed to emerge from the toilet, the guards thought that he might have collapsed inside the toilet, rather than that he might have run away! ISD knew that Mas Selamat was a high risk detainee, and the Superintendent of WRDC had warned his staff to watch him closely, but unfortunately the Superintendent and his staff still let their guard down, and allowed complacency to set in.

　　18.The MHA Minister and Director ISD will now have to rectify all the operational weaknesses identified by the COI, and correct the underlying mindsets which led to these specific lapses. But let us see things in perspective. ISD is our lead agency fighting against terrorism. It has done sterling work keeping Singa-pore safe. ISD has won international respect for its vigilance and competence in detecting and detaining the JI terrorists before they could set off truck bombs in Singa-pore and destroy lives and property. Many security agencies from the US and Europe have come to compare experiences with ISD and study our methods to combat Islamist extremism. These agencies have been especially impressed by our success in winning the support of our Muslim community for the war against terrorism, and by the religious rehabilitation efforts of our ulamas to try to guide the detainees back onto the right path. These achievements are the result of years of patient effort. They reflect the professional competence of the leadership of the ISD and the senior officers of MHA working under DPM Wong Kan Seng. This is why I have confidence in them.

　　19.ISD officers understand more than anyone else the seriousness of Mas Selamat’s escape, and its implications for Singapore’s security. They will recover from this setback, press on with their mission, and rebuild public confidence in them. I ask Singaporeans to continue giving them your full support, as you have done in the hunt for Mas Selamat.

　　20.Mr Speaker Sir, we demand high standards of integrity and performance from every public servant, MP and office-holder. We assess them rigorously and objectively, and apply disciplinary rules fairly and impartially to all. This is what Singaporeans expect from their Government. And this is what we have delivered and will continually strive to achieve.

　　21.This trust between the Government and the people is crucial. Hence we have always been honest and forthright with Singaporeans when something goes wrong. We will learn from the escape of Mas Selamat and recover from it. Let us pull together, grow from this experience, and emerge stronger from this.

Love him

2008-04-17T10:09:00.002+08:00

Seperation of church and State, a universal rule in western countries, suddenly is ignored when they root for Dalai Lama in pursuing autonomy of Tibet. This is one of the good points raised by this extremely smart French guy.

2008-04-15T20:44:00.003+08:00

Sure, this movie clip probably still doesn’t tell the whole truth. How did the mob get to be provoked in the first place? What caused them to release their anger into the streets? This movie clip doesn’t address any of that, and it focuses more on the crimes, looting, fighting, stealing.

But I'm more than willing to spread this clip, because the mainstream media is equally narrow and biased, and we need all angles.

On the same token, what have CNN and BCC done ? Aren’t they equally selective in terms of reporting? They focused on the crackdown, showing images of the police (Some not even Chinese, but Nepalese) and imprinting words like “CrackDown”. And they never showed images of the victims, and they don’t show looting, fighting and stealing.

I do not believe that it's a simple matter of Dalai Lama alone ochestrating the commotion, as the China has claimed. Neither do I believe that the China government wants to culturally and religiously control Tibetans.

Dalai Lama is on the payroll of CIA since 1950s. The truth of this incident is still somewhere out there, and I believe more facts will slowly emerge, as certain documents are declassified in the future, or old men writing memoirs.

一场游戏一场梦

2008-04-08T13:56:00.003+08:00

昨天，由于一项重要的Project，我被传召入宫，坐在CEO的办公室。

CEO 日理万机，非常忙碌。刚刚叫我们几个职员坐下，他便接到了电话。

”Yes Tan Sri …” 他坐了下来，全神贯注地跟电话的另一端说话。

我拿着一份厚厚的资料，等待 CEO 的拷问。

放眼望去，都是CEO 的照片。最显眼的是董事部的全体合照。林梧桐老先生也在里面。坐在中间。他身旁身后都站着西装笔挺的高层人士。最左端坐着一个穿着深红色唐装的长者，跟真个场面不太协调，不晓得是哪位重要人士。

最有趣的一张照，是CEO跟 Bill Gates 的合照。CEO那个时候还是黑头发，Bill Gates 也嫩嫩的，露齿地笑，两人在握手。大概是十多年前的合影。

墙边挂了一把剑，古铜色，像是日本的武士刀，让我想起了Kill Bill 2的Urma Thurman 使用的那把宝剑。不知道是那个名人送给CEO的。商场如战场，都是刀光剑影，如何过关斩将，都是学问。

另外，墙上也一幅基督教徒的哲理名言的字画。“上帝给予你勇气”

冷气不断的吹，我的手有点僵了。CEO还在说着电话，大家都装作若无其事，其实都在偷听最高领导的对话。上亿的决定，也许就在我们面前完成。这个时候，脑海老是浮现少林足球的场景: 其中一个师兄拿着电话，口里一直抱怨：我的生意上下几千万…

要是我能坐上CEO 的位置，我要摆设四样东西。

1. 康熙皇帝的画像，比喻我雄才大略，为才是用。
2. 罗素的画像，比喻我崇尚理性。
3. 邓小平文选，比喻我不按常理出牌，务实，有弹性，能捉老鼠就是好猫。
4. 最后要一样东西可以取悦女性。比如，我跟女儿在地上打滚的照片，宣示我人情味的一面。这个还要斟酌，女性的口味很难捉摸。

这个时候，CEO 挂了电话，一场春梦就此卡住，回到严酷的现实中。

You serious ?

2008-04-02T14:11:00.003+08:00

When a person tries to make a stand on certain social issues, he needs to voice out his stand verbally or in written form, followed by certain actions to prove that he is really serious. You gotta show to the world that you are willing to die for your cause, or at least, be willing to be penalized as a result of making a stand. Otherwise, your stand is as good as singing. Nobody really takes you seriously.

In the old days, we have got Gandhi, who refused to eat, in order to plead for dialogue with the British.

In the modern days, we have seen person like Luo Da You（罗大佑）, who gave up his American passport because he protested against American military action in Iraq.

On the corporate level, we have seen companies like Bao Li corporation (保利集团), who spent USD 25 Mil to purchase the historical monkey statue that once placed at the national garden (圆明园)and returned it to the government, to show that they care about stolen national treasures. We are talking about 25 million of cold hard cash here.

Now, if we take it to the next level, we have suicide bombers in Pakistan, or monks in Myanmar who burnt themselves. I do not in any way condone any of these actions, but they are absolutely convincing in telling us that they believe in their ideology.

But in present times, we have seen jokers who would like to make a stand, on the ground that in doing so it does not bring upon any harm or disadvantages to them.

Take, Stephen Spielberg. He refused to be on the panel of consultants for Olympics, because he is of the view that China has not done enough in Africa. Whether that accusation is true would demand a separate discussion. What I’m more interested to find out is, Does Stephen lose out anything as a result of this resignation? No. Are movies produced by him still raking in billions and billions of dollars from China? Yes. Is it not true that every single second now his wallet gets fatter partly because of the “dirty” money coming from a bad regime that he complained about? Has he refused that part of the money? Not really. Well, I wouldn’t take Stephen’s words so seriously.

Take another example, MyDin, who tries to do something to make a statement against the Dutch video clip that has allegedly discriminated against Islam. MyDinn announces that all products from Netherland will be clearly labeled, so that concerned consumers can opt for other similar products. In other words, if you are not concerned, go ahead, you are free to buy the Dutch products. Anyway, it is unlikely that they will lose much sale because it is common knowledge that majority of their inventory is cheap products made in China. Secondly, large segment of consumers do not know what those labels are for, or simply do not care. MyDinn is expected to maintain its profitability, and at the same time, have some political gain.

If MyDin had announced they would stop carrying Dutch products altogether, or that part of their revenue goes to funding an NGO to make another documentary to refute the movie context, I might take them a little more seriously.

It's not really a crazy idea to demand that all ministers of this country to get their salary based on the performence of our GDP. Negative growth means negative salary. Nothing proves you care about about the country more that doing that.

Movie notes

2008-03-31T13:27:00.006+08:00

最近跟一个在国外的朋友讨论 No Country for Old Men 到底在表现什么。下面记录一下我们的共识。还没有看这套戏的朋友，最好别往下看。(spoil your fun)

全套戏里面，有三种不同类型的人。

第一类，老警察，他是老一代的人，相信善恶，相信是非黑白，相信每个案件都有动机的。

第二类，取得巨款的 Moss. 他是一个比较接近我们的人。没有明确的善恶观念。偶而会有贪念。偶尔也会有恻隐之心。内心往往有挣扎。因此，我们看到他辗转难眠一夜后，决定冒险为一个垂死的墨西哥佬送水。

第三类，死亡之神，Chigurh。(导演跟我们开个玩笑，听起来像甜心，Sugar). 他没有任何的是非观念。他只是一个有原则的杀手。原则基本上有两条

1. 他相信谋杀都一定会有Collateral Damage. 任何无辜的人的死，如果能够帮助他完成任务，都应该死的。

2. 如果不是 Collateral Damage, 那么杀人的理由就不够充分，应该要取决于命运的安排，比如说丢银角来决定。既然不是Collateral Damage, 为什么还要企图杀人呢? 因为受害者也许是一个潜在的威胁。比如说，油站老板发现了他的路程方向，这可能会对以后警察的调查有所帮助。另外，Moss 的老婆的继续生存，有违他的 Professional Ethics, 说话一定要算数，不杀的话，影响名声。

简单来说，老警察企图跟循旧时代的游戏规则。Chigurhz 制定自己的规则。而Moss, 在两个极端之间游走，是世俗的，是矛盾的。当电影把这三个人交织在一起，出现了有趣的激荡。

Chigurh 的那场车祸，再一次带出了电影无常的主题。即使死亡之神自己，也有非常脆弱的一面。面对一个小孩的奚落，他完全不能做什么。警察车的声音渐渐逼近，他惶恐的眼神表露无遗。

电影最末一段，老警察已经退休了。一天早晨，他在餐桌对他的妻子说他发了一些梦。

第一个梦，他好像不见了一些钱。

第二个梦，他说他梦见他的父亲。他父亲在一个冬天，骑着马，手上拿着火炬，从他的身边越过去。看来是要去某某地方生火。老警察知道待会儿自己跟将过去的时候，他父亲一定会在那里等着他。暖暖的篝火就在前方。

然后，镜头 Face Out, 影片就结束了。

这一段话，透露了老警察对于现实生活的种种失去常理的案件，种种的不可预测性，完全不能理解，也不再想理解。在这无常的宇宙里，唯一可以相信的, 唯一真实的，是爸爸温暖的身影，哪怕那只是梦里的回忆。

给我一天，我还你一个明天

2008-03-24T15:32:00.003+08:00

这些天，面对国际局势的迅速变化，我不断在想一个问题，如果给我一天的时间，坐上胡锦涛的位子，我一定可以有一番作为。我给大家预演一下。

一天有八小时。足足让我解决西藏的事情，平息奥运的风波。其次，对台湾选举表态。

8:30 am : 首先，早上起来，我会打个电话给外交部，要他们统统闭嘴。然后，我会打个电话给人民日报的主编，要他们不要乱发评论。西藏的事情，由我一个人说了算。接着，我要秘书让我安排一个记者招待会，中外记者都欢迎，不舍限额。同时，我的秘书会通知中央电视台，让他们宣布：下午三点钟主席要对西藏的风波发表重要言论。

11 am，我开始写一封信给马英九

热烈恭贺马先生当选成为台湾的新领导人！素闻马先生爱国爱民，高风亮节，马先生的当选必定会为台湾带来福祉。

马先生提出接受一个中国，回到九二共识，为两岸的对话提供了良好的契机。我谨代表党中央正式邀请马先生，择日来京，或叙情谊，或商国事。

祝安
锦涛

聊聊数笔就足够了。我不会刻意矮化台湾，称它为台湾省，也不会称呼马为总统。用领导人的称呼就可以避开这些争议。最重要的是，必须牢套马英九承认一个中国的事实。

发电报过去台湾，也要外交部在下午的例常汇报，提到我恭贺马先生的事情。

3pm，我举行中外记者招待会.

首先，我发表了一个段简短的声明。

“最近在西藏的发生风波，是一件很令人遗憾的事情。事情的开端，不过就是几个和尚在举行和平示威，后来个别的几个警察执法有偏差，动手打人，结果引发了许多民众不满的情绪，升级为一场风波。

首先，我可以告诉大家，几个执法有偏差的警察已经停职查办，接受惩处。

第二，这里没有西藏的独立问题。这纯粹是一场民警冲突的风波。西藏自古以来属于中国，这是一个不可争辩的事实。清朝康熙给西藏下的谕旨，今天还收藏在故宫博物院。各位如果有兴趣，可以到博物院看看。

第三，风波已经平息，我欢迎跟藏族人民进行进一步的对话，倾听民声。

第四，我欢迎各国记者欢迎到西藏去，绝不封锁任何消息。

发问期间，CNN问道 :”Your Excellency, Dalai Lama has continuously denied any role in this incident, and why does your office insist that Dalai Lama is responsible ?”

我道：我重复，这只是一个民警冲突，后来的事件升级，跟达赖喇嘛的怂恿有一定的关系。我们尊重西藏人民高度自治的权利，独特的文化遗产。这里，我也要顺便提到，只要达赖不主张西藏分列，我很愿意跟达赖进行对话。

发问期间，CNN问道 :”Your Excellency, boycotts against Olympics are looming. What is china’s stand on this ?”
我答：我认为体育跟政治是两回事。要不然，姚明也能当总统了。还是那句老话，给中国一个机会，中国将还世界一个奇迹。

6pm，Press Conference 结束，我到朝阳区吃烤鸭去。

7pm, 我坐了晚机飞到拉萨去。

11:pm : 我在拉萨的Hilton酒店房间内上网，看看Email, 网络媒体对我的评价还不错。

台湾TVBS 的头条是： “中共主席祝贺马，邀请访问“

美国华盛顿日报：“China’s president clarifies Tibet issue, welcomes dialogue” 报道还附上了我在拉萨跟民众握手的照片。

12:pm : 我看看Facebook 的朋友们的动静。我发现温家宝换了新的Profile 照片。妈的，今天我忙到狗一样，他竟然有时间玩Facebook. 我马上给家宝发了短讯：明天中南海一同吃午餐。明天要好好地训训他。

2008-03-18T22:05:00.003+08:00

看了这篇文章，才真正体会到友人的用心。我既感激，又觉得非常内疚。

http://www.got1mag.com/blogs/tinta.php/2007/12/30/c_e_c_cs_ac_ao

这个小学同学每次从美国会来，就会为我带来一大包的纽约客杂志。小女子瘦小，怎么能千里迢迢拖着一大包书籍。况且，任何从美国回来的时尚女子一定左一包 Armani，右一包 LV, 她牺牲了非常大的运输空间。

这一次她霍了出去，砸下重金，为我买下了全套纽约客，可是我已经拥有它了。这份礼物将永远静静地躺在波士顿，等待新的主人。

2008-03-09T13:08:00.003+08:00

Yesterday we were all color-blinded! Race is the last factor that came into ppl's mind. It's a beautiful day...

No Country for Old Men

2008-03-04T22:42:00.003+08:00

When I have rewatched Fargo a few months back, I wished so much to see another movie of such genre, produced by the Coen Brothers.

Little did I know that dreams would come true so soon. Just this past weekend, I was kept shivering and gasping for air for a good two hours. No Country of Old Men, directed by Coen Brothers, has captivated my full attention. The raw violence, the unexpected twists, and the unspeakable sadness are combined together to become a well crafted movie.

I don't recall seeing any movie better than this for the past several years. No, not even Ang Lee can rival.

Coen Brothers rock!

李远哲的人格破产

2008-01-28T19:53:00.000+08:00

一年半前，我在华夏文摘post了这个帖子，意在看看到底大家是怎么看待李远哲的，结果引发了一场小小的骂战。日前李远哲公开挺绿营，一把年纪了，还要出来献丑，实在让人不胜唏嘘。

网路上，有许多骂杨振宁的文章。说他一把年纪了(82)，还这么色，娶一个28岁的姑娘。我呼吁，大家应该把炮火对准另一位诺贝尔奖得主，李远哲。

台湾2000与2004年举行总统选举前，李远哲都出面高调表态支持陈水扁，前一次尤其轰动海内外，被认为是对台湾政党轮替发挥了“临门一脚”效应。

对于目前陈水扁政权的罔法，政商勾结，说话颠三倒四的乱象，李远哲为什么不公开谴责。既然当年他可以公开赞民进党好，为什么现在只能选择沉默。为什么他不拿出一点科学精神来，说清楚，到底他当年的 hypothesis 是否正确。选择民进党是不是一个错误，请回答，给大家一个交代。

几天前，他在新加坡的演讲里谈到，科学家与政治人物其实是两种很不同的专业，然后又说，科学家是公民，应该关心社会发生什么事，应该参与社会活动，并表达自己的意见。奇怪的是，面对台湾目前朝令夕改的混乱局面，他怎么就不表达意见了? 必须指出，去来以来，李远哲偶合被记者逼问，也曾发表一些对执政者不满的言论，但是都很含糊，比如，”没有预期的好”。他也从来不点名质问。当年他那么高调地靠拢当政者，今天却这么低调地保持距离，我认为是极度不负责任的。如果说，要他跟陈水扁翻脸太难为他了，那么，他当年就应该乖乖地搞化学研究，教他的书，谁要他公开对选举表态? 既然扯上了政治的游戏，就要付出代价。

我觉得，科学家有两条路可以走。第一，学爱因斯坦，独善其身，有以色列总统的 job offer也不要，谢绝政治，专心搞研究。第二，学Bertrand Russell，爱恨分明，有骨气，敢负责任，敢发表政治评论，要坐牢也不怕，维护科学家应有的说真话的传统。李远哲没有说真话的勇气，也没有承认错误的勇气。严格来说，已经称不上一个科学家了。李远哲顶着诺贝尔奖的光环，影响力很大，他说的话往往成为社会的指标，因此，我们有必要以更高的道德标准来检验他。

杨振宁剥夺的，只是一个少女的幸福。李远哲剥夺的，是台湾人民的幸福，是两岸的和平稳定，历史岂能轻饶他?

2008-01-06T21:33:00.000+08:00

This is a classic moment of Clinton's giving an extremely influential speech.

The fate of Bush was sealed right in that moment.

Two big drops of snows fell onto the ladies

2007-12-28T17:43:00.000+08:00

Christmas 10 years ago

2007-12-25T13:29:00.000+08:00

Was it 1998 or 1997 ? It was Christmas. There were flurries and it was freezing cold.

Few days earlier, we parted with Yee Ling in purdue and we went on to Chicago and finally drove all the way to this little house in Iowa State, where we had an authentic christmas dinner, with Turkey and all. And that was the one and only one time that I have tasted a turkey.

There was a gift exchange. I gave Ling Jia Yi a special gift. It was a mask typically worn by bank robberers. She accepted it happily (at least from my observation) and wore it.

Everyone poured their hearts out during the trip and there were confessions of crush, love, etc.

Details of the trip start to fade out. I could have forgotten the facts. I hope everyone in this photo says a few words in this blog to strenghten my memory of it.

Merry christmas everyone!

Listen to the City 听城

2007-11-20T10:25:00.000+08:00

Of all the people that I am acquainted with, Stefano, a high school buddy, is the only person who has produced a product related to the Olympics 2008 in Beijing. “Listen to the City”(听城) is the album’s name.

I am no musician but I thought the theme is timely and it might have huge market potential.

Listen to the songs right here.
http://bbs.i918.cn/thread-770004-1-1.html

2007-10-29T23:26:00.000+08:00

October: Two weddings & a funeral.

calm down

2007-10-18T13:12:00.000+08:00

算了吧，布什总统要颁奖给达赖喇嘛，让他颁吧，中国实在不需要如此激烈，说出中美受损的重话。

中国外交部措词非常公式化：，西藏是中国领土不可分割的一部分，西藏事务纯属中国内政，中方坚决反对任何国家、任何人利用达赖问题干涉中国内政。达赖几十年的言行表明，他是一个打着宗教幌子，长期从事分裂祖国活动的政治流亡者。

问题是，达赖喇嘛从来就没有主张西藏独立。他只要高度自治。中国应该灵活些，敞开谈判的大门。何必大动干戈？十四年的中英谈判如此艰巨，都谈成了结果。区区一个达赖喇嘛，有什么不能谈的。邓小平在世的时候，就一直主张要跟达赖谈。这样灵活的政策，应该延续下去。胡先生要明察。

既然西藏已经受中国管辖，领土完整就不再是一个大问题。达赖喇嘛要当省长也罢，教皇也罢，特区行政长官也罢，都行。实在犯不着为了区区小事要跟美国闹别扭。大问题是台湾。子弹要留起来，省些用。

北京奥运在即，中国没有动怒的本钱。如果台湾的问题不能妥协，这个可以理解。那么，在其他发面就应该高度克制。

李安的色戒裸露场面太多，不符中国国情，本来上不了。中国电影局主动找李安谈，表示诚意。李安也理解，并愿意自己再剪接一个可以接受的版本。中国现在最迫切需要的，就是这种灵活的手段。

The funniest FAQ I have ever read.

2007-10-11T13:50:00.000+08:00

Malaysian government set up an official website for the astronaut. If they are determined to send a man to the space, you would imagine they could afford to spend some money to write some professional content for the official website. But no, they have a FAQ that sounds like the targeted audience is standard 1 students. ( http://www.angkasa.gov.my/welcome/angkasawan/faq/faq.php )

Q1. What is the total cost of Angkasawan Programme?
A1. Angkasawan progamme Programme is an offset project given by Russian when Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) purchased Sukhoi fighter SU-30 MKM. In other word, this project is free.
My comment : In other word, this project is part of the cost of buying fighter jet. It ain’t no free.

Q2. What is the benefit of this programme to the country?
A2. From this programme, we hope that new generations especially students can develop interest in space education, also can gain knowledge transfer and experience from other countries.
My comment : Okay, now that everyone is interested in space education, what next? By the way, you are right, Russia would be pleased to share with you all the cutting-edge technology

Q3. Is the astronaut going to the moon?
A3. No, our astronaut is not going to the moon but to the International Space Station (ISS)
My comment : Don’t flatter yourself. Nobody would be so naïve as to think that Malaysian is going to the moon. The last time mankind set foot in moon was 1969. And China plans to be in the moon in 2018.

Q4. Where is the ISS?
A4. International Space Station (ISS) is built by ISS partners. The station will be in an orbit with an altitude of 250 statute miles with an inclination of 51.6 degrees. This orbit allows the station to be reached by the launch vehicles of all the international partners to provide a robust capability for the delivery of crews and supplies. The orbit also provides excellent Earth observations with coverage of 85 percent of the globe and over flight of 95.
My comment : More importantly, is Malaysia an ISS partner?

Q5. Will the astronaut get to go outside the space station?
A5. No. Going outside space station require EVA.
My comment : I’m not interested in whether he would do a space-walk. What I’m more concerned is what he does inside the spaceship. What's his official duty up there?

Q6. How long will he be there?
A6. Angkasawan will is there about 6 - 8 days. Our Angkasawan will be in the space station about 6-8 days. He will do scientific research.
My comment : Just name one scientific research that he would do. Just one.

Q7. Is this safe?
A7. Yes, it is. The condition in ISS is same as our room except there is no gravity there. We will float.
My comment : This is so incorrect. The risky part is not whether you could pee properly in the ISS. The real danger is when the space shuttle is taking off, with immense heat being generated. I’m not going to get into the Columbia disaster but it suffices to say going to the space isn’t as easy as taking a train.

Q8. What is minimum qualification to be a Malaysian astronaut?
A8. First requirements to be Malaysian Angkasawan is must a Malaysian citizen, 21 years old and above and have first degree in any field
My comment : Hello I’m 21st year old, and freshly graduated from Sedaya College with a B.A degree in English. My hobby is playing guitar and MSN with friends. I have no problem going to the space.

广告随想录

2007-10-10T14:06:00.000+08:00

世界上最恶俗的广告，莫过于打温情牌的商业广告。

Diamond 的广告：我上个月赚了十八千，最重要的是给我的爸爸妈妈更好的生活。我妈妈。。。
余仁生的口号：一人一元一华小，感恩的心。

OGAWA登了整版的照片: 名模谢莉萍买了一张按摩椅给爸爸。

不知道会不会真的有人看了这些广告而受感动，甚至付诸行动，把产品买下。事实上，最高兴的不是我们的爸爸妈妈，而是Diamond老板的爸爸妈妈。拿温情来消费，以达到经济利益，是这些商家的一贯手法。

世界上最奇怪的广告，莫过于钟洁希的广告。

钟洁希，一个变性人，拥有一间健康食品公司。他们的卖点是自然（Natural）。让人匪夷所思的是，广告的代言人竟然是钟洁希本人。既然钟洁希改造了自己身体结构，难道还符合自然的形象吗？

世界上最有效的广告，莫过于Osim的脚按摩器广告。林志玲娇娇爹爹地不知道说了什么东西，然后show 一show 修长的大腿，效果完全出来。至少Osim 诚实，不搞温情牌，就是摆明要俗到底，反倒可敬。

Manifesto

2007-09-25T00:43:00.001+08:00

I'm going to print out the following words and hand it out to people who wish to "share some good news" with me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm basically a guy with little income and I don't have much passion for anything, at all. However, if you still want to engage me in one of the following activities, please comply with the following conditions.

If you are trying to sell me products of direct sales or try to recruit me as a member, please give me a written reply to refute this article penned by Dr.Law.

If you are trying to sell me Insurance or Unit Trust, please make sure you are at least CFP or holding an MBA. Be prepared that when you talk to me, I will ask you questions like who is the current Finance Minister, or governer of Bank Negara. I just want to make sure you do read newspaper. A lot of insurance agents are ignorant dumbfucks who pay no attention to current monetary policy.

If you are trying to sell me health-care products, please make sure you are least a doctor, or, at least a pharmacist.

If you are trying to preach Christianity/Catholicism, please give me a written reply to refute "Why I am not a christian" by Bertrand Russell. If you do get a chance to talk to me, I will ask you questions like "How come God does not respond to Mother Theresa, but to you?"

My time is precious, and if you don't agree, you can fuck off.

2007-09-21T23:04:00.000+08:00

中午时分，会议结束，我从办公室走出来，穿梭于赌场内。一阵熟悉的歌曲传入耳内。是汪明荃的歌。不错，正是经典港剧《千王之王》的主题曲。

“歌曲不太对劲吧。难道他们要鼓励顾客出千？”我说。

“其实他们是要警惕顾客，如果你出千，下场就跟谢贤一样，盲掉。” 同事D说。

“可是谢贤并没有盲啊。还有一个会印钞票的儿子。还有张柏芝这个漂亮媳妇。太幸福了”

“播歌的人的确应该检讨” 同事D答。

这个时候，歌曲已经切换到“万水青山总是情”。我们随即步出赌场吃午餐。

一个建议

2007-09-20T22:01:00.000+08:00

香烟盒上一般印有：警告 - 吸烟有害健康，可能导致癌症。

我呼吁，国家应该立法，规定所有直销公司的会员加入表格必须印上以下的字眼：警告 - 直销活动可能损害你的人际关系，丧失朋友。

Evil network

2007-09-20T16:10:00.000+08:00

It was Friday night. Around 10 p.m, just as I entered my house and getting ready to hug my little one, my uncle called and told me he was nearby my house. He wanted to pay me a visit. 5 minutes later, he arrived at my front door, with his wife, Susan.

My uncle has a P.H.D in Geology and he owns a respectable construction firm.

What follows was two hours of sheer torture.

They forced me to look at how their detergent clean better than my detergent, and they forced to hear some fucking success stories of some top-line in Amway.

“They travelled twice a year now, worldwide, and they barely need to work anymore”.

“Ugh-huh”.

“And oh, five years ago they have nothing. And they started doing this with zero capital.”.

“Ugh-huh”.

When it was near midnight, they have said everything they could possibly think of to lure me to the dark side, but I wouldn’t budge.

My uncle grew impatient. And I told him I needed to look at their website to study their products better. It was a lie and I would rather rot in hell than looking at an Amway website.

“Look, there is actually no need to look at the website. A detergent doesn’t cost more than RM30. It’s not some expensive product that you need to put a lot of effort to think about”. There was a smirk on his face, as if I sound like a nerd.

I smiled politely, without saying anymore words.

When he was finally gone, my baby was already asleep. He not only has deprived me of precious family time, he also insulted my intelligence. When he left, he was visibly disappointed, as if I have failed him.

He came, he talked, he insulted me, and he was mad at me.

He was mad because he simply couldn't understand why I could resist a risk-free, capital-free money-making scheme. If it works out for me, I get really rich. If it doesn't, it's just RM80 registration fee, that's all. In this sense, he is similar to a religious prechear :"If you believe in God and it turns out to be false, there is no harm. However, if you don't believe in it and it turns out to be true, you would be burnt in hell.

This argument, in my view, couldn't be more wrong.

There is a huge risk in engaging direct sales. I would call it the opportunity cost. After trying a few months of selling, and if there is no result, you would think you could just go back to do whatever you do. No harm right? Wrong. Since you have exhausted all your friendship, you have caused tremendous harm to your personal reputation. It would be incredibly difficult for you to engage your friend for other help, when you really need it. They wouldn’t even reply your phone call.

But of course, the direct salesmen would argue that you could make new friends. And when they say this, it is evident that they completely fail to grasp what friend is.

2007-09-19T23:57:00.000+08:00

数日前观看Francis Ford Coppola 的 Apocalypse Now, 十分震撼。有趣的是，Harison Ford 竟然饰演一名超级咖喱非。

Apocalypse Now对于越战的荒诞，有着入木三分的描述。The Deer Hunter 也很好，不过后半部玩俄罗斯轮盘，太煽情了。至于Saving Private Ryan, 没什么了不起的。Matt Demon大声喊“我凭什么可以回去？”近乎矫情，有点假。依我看来，Apocalypse Now是所有战争片之首。

让我Update一下我的Top 10 list

Godfather 1, 2, 3
Eyes Wide Shut
Pulp Fiction
Casino
北野武的《烟花》
李安的《饮食男女》
王家卫的《春光乍泄》
Apocalypse Now
The Deer Hunter
Sleepers

quote of the day

2007-08-28T16:39:00.000+08:00

EMPLOYERS have been reminded not to put up job vacancy advertisements with a prerequisite for candidates who speak Chinese, reported China Press. The daily quoted Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn as saying that his ministry’s officers have been told to relay the message to such employers. “Employers should provide language courses to workers who are poor in a particular language.”

Well said. The above rule, if strictly complied, will produce a job ad like the following.

Professor of Chinese literature needed. No Chinese proficiency is required. Chinese training will be provided.

And you would wonder why we need any prerequisite at all, for any job advertisements. Every skill can be trained, given infinite amount of time and resources.

2007-08-24T17:44:00.001+08:00

Today the CNN reported that according to some of the past letters written by Mother Theresa, she actually found no God in her life for the past 50 years.

This news is quite comparable to a recent news regarding Hitler, who had, evidently, listened to Jewish music secretly. Both discoveries could practically overturn the belief system of billions of people.

I wouldn't be too surprised if one day historians discovered that Bin Laden actually enjoyed Simpsons and Sex and the City.

Inspired by all these, I have come up with a witty pick-up line, for those who need it.

Let's say you are pursuing a girl who hasn't shown any interest in you.

"Please, join me for a dinner". You said.

"John, I like you, but I am sure this is not going to work. We are from different worlds".

"Jenny, don't be so sure of this. You know, even Hitler listened to Jewish music, and Mother Theresa actually has found no God. Anything could happen in the world! Let's give it a try, will ya?"

"Ok, pick me up at 7".

gift

2007-08-23T14:14:00.000+08:00

8 DVDs of New Yorkers, covering issues from 1925 to 2006, are now in my hands.

The sudden possession of 82 years of New Yorker magazines could be a little overwhelming. It's like inheriting a little fortune from a distant relative.

Where shall I start?

I could start by looking at those important years. Take for instance, 1929. What went through the minds of the people when the stock market crashed in 1929? And that very same year, F.Scott.Fitzgerald published a short story named "Autobiography" in New Yorker. It would be cool to read it.

So I settled for the issue on November 30th, 1963, because President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22nd. What struck me immediately is the choice of words. An article talked about what a group of Negro children saw, when Kennedy made a speech in Miami, few days before he was shot dead. The word "Negro" becomes a banned word now, but in 1963 it was accepted in mainstream literature. Secondly, it was interesting to note that President Kennedy was even more popular than president Roosevelt, in people's minds. The author wrote "If president Roosevelt, at the heyday of his popularity, had been riding through Tampa, he never would have got such reception!"

This is just the beginning of a long journey down the memory lane. All this fun is made possible by the Friendship Fund of Mr.Kim Thye Chua. These DVDs is a gift from him.

2007-08-20T23:51:00.001+08:00

上个星期五到新加坡公干，适逢雨天，一路上飞机摇摇晃晃，咖啡也无法喝下。

空姐无法倒茶，只好暂停了饮料服务。

我从柔佛的上空望下去，大面积的沿海地区被开发，一片黄土，泥土在雨水的冲刷下，流入大海，形成一圈圈的黄色污水。

十点半左右，飞机驶出柔佛，直奔星加坡。首先映入眼帘的是星加坡密集的港口货箱。海岸线上尽是一片绿草，行人道，公园，错落有序地点缀着。跟两分钟前的柔佛景象有着这天渊之别。

飞机徐徐下降，低空飞过一间间极有特色的办公大楼，准备降落。离开地面只有五层楼高的时候，飞机突然急速上升。飞机飞上高空以后，飞机司开始说话。

“We apologize for the sudden ascend. We couldn’t land just now due to the sudden deterioration of the weather. We will need to circle the island, and make one more attempt to land. If we still couldn’t land, we will need to fly back to KL, due to limited fuel consumption”

飞机环岛飞翔，让我好好地看清新加坡美丽的海岸线。岸上都是绿油油的草坪，似乎整个岛屿就是一个高级高尔夫球场。

十五分钟后，飞机在暴雨中安全降落。

检查我的海关人员是一个二十多岁的巫裔女生，劈头第一句就是“How are you?”

我怔了一下，答“Great, thanks”

她的第二句话是“Have some candy”

我望了望放在桌上的糖果，不敢轻佻，递上护照后，才战战兢兢地取了一个糖果。

盖章后，她露出了一个极甜美的笑容。“Have a pleasant stay in Singapore”

我有点儿恍惚了，我究竟身在酒店柜台，还是严肃的海关？

会议在圣淘沙岛进行。午餐时间我跟同事们到附近的俱乐部餐馆用餐。餐馆设在海边。海边停泊这数十艘的私人游艇。我从餐厅的落地玻璃望出去，一边用餐，一边遐想这样的生活：在一个风和日丽的午后，我驾着游艇到对岸的印尼群岛来一顿丰盛的海鲜大餐…

傍晚七点，会议仓促结束。我回到樟宜机场。吃了一碗拉面后，到处走走。首先，映入眼帘的是一个叫SUDOKO 游戏天地的角落，10太电脑连线，让任何的旅客加入战场，免费玩数独。

另一个角落，数十台的脚底按摩器摆放着，任由旅客使用。

一群小孩子非常认真地在玩填色游戏。

无数的旅客陶醉在自己的手提电脑里，尽情上网。

每一个人都在忙着。

经过一整天的疲累轰炸，我已经不想跟任何用脑的东西扯上边。我步入一家免税烟酒店。服务员非常殷勤，让我试饮了五六杯各式Vodka。然后，我静静地坐在一旁，让酒精慢慢地放松自己的脑袋，听着微妙的爵士音乐，等待上机。

一个小时后，回到KLIA，放眼望去，什么也没有。旅客目光呆呆地，许多人都在椅子上睡觉。一流的建筑物，空洞洞地，形同虚设。

一天的新加坡之旅，竟可以体会两岸之间一世纪的差距。国庆五十年在即，国人仍不思进取，老爱挑弄族群游戏，固步自封，实在可悲。八十年代向东学习，跟日本取经。都是笑话。学到什么鸟东西？我认为不用日本那么远了。高官们有时间的话，到新加坡走一趟就行了。

Negaraku

2007-08-15T10:24:00.000+08:00

Well, the headline today reads– “Student rapper apologizes”

It’s strange because none of the quoted remarks of Meng Chee mentioned about apology.

Meng Chee was reported to say “It has taught me a lesson about the spirit of nationalism and race relations. As a Malaysian, I did not intend to shame the country or ridicule any religion.”

Newspaper jumped into conclusions that he apologized. But there is no sorry in his words. What he meant could be simply this: This really taught me a lesson, opened up my eyes on the close-mindedness of you fellow citizens. Anyway, I still love you guys.

Meng Chee was reported to say“To end the controversy, I will remove the video clip from my blog and I hope other bloggers will stop distributing the video clip”.

Newspaper jumped into conclusion that he regretted. But what he means could be simply this : Right or wrong, I will remove the clip to end the unnecessary controversy. It doesn’t mean that I have erred or regretted producing that piece of video clip. It only means that I am in no mood to entertain any more false accusations. I want to move on.

In fact, Meng Chee, in his own blog, defended, rightly, about his song. The lyrics are merely descriptive, not judgmental. Furthermore, the national anthem is loyalty preserved in the song, without modification, and so there is no issue of modifying national anthem. He didn’t say sorry. He didn’t cry out loud for forgiveness. He is man enough to stand up for what he believes in.

Maybe his father said sorry on behalf of him. Or Maybe the government is too eager to hear what they want to hear to put an end to this, so that the celebration of national day two weeks from now is all rosy. That’s fine for me. This looks like a good solution, because Meng Chee has maintained his stand, while the public selectively listen to what they think they have understood to please themselves.

Bertrand Russell has this famous quote: "A stupid man's report of what a clever man says is never accurate because he unconsciously translates what he hears into something he can understand.”. This, in my view, accurately describes the current situation.

2007-08-08T11:40:00.000+08:00

History is never what it seems to be.

American Dream

2007-08-07T14:23:00.000+08:00

今天有个报道，数十名异乡女子被关在东马的巴昆水坝森林地带，被逼充当性奴，为水利工程的职员提供性服务。昨日她们都被警方解救出来。真想不到，像这样的和平年代，竟然还有慰安妇的服务。

一些人要在一些偏远的地带长期工作，的确不容易。如何减轻员工的苦闷，思乡之情，是一门大学问。在慰劳员工这方面的工作，最有成就的要数美国人。

在一般人的想象中，美国大兵在伊拉克的生活一定苦不堪言。枪林弹雨不在话下，美国生活多么舒服，突然间来了一个那么大的转变，天天跟人肉炸弹为伍，怪可怜的。事实上，情况并非这么糟糕。有一期《纽约客杂志》重点报道处于伊拉克的一个美国军营的情况。

伊拉克机场附近，有一军营，名叫胜利营(Camp Victory).

军营里面有

Burger King
Baskin Robbin
播放最新影片的电影院。
完美的远动设备，包括游泳池。
网吧
Pizza Hut
类似星巴克的咖啡屋。
Hertz 出租车服务。
修指甲的美容院。

总而言之，军营以外，烽火连天，生死由天，军营以内，就宛如生活在美国本土的一个城镇。该有的服务，都有。当然，性服务是没有的。美国人正义，不搞这一套。

最让我不解的是，为什么军营内会有Hertz 出租车服务。难道会有人要载着性感的女军官到Basra 或al-Balad 的市区兜兜风 ，观赏街头的枪林弹雨？人肉炸弹应该不会因为你驾Hertz 的车而手下留情吧？如果是几个哥儿们相约一起出游，干嘛不用军用车？

古代打仗注重粮食，现代的军人注重精神粮食，注重Life Style。美国人讲究实际利益，不吃爱国主义这一套。 白天跟你卖命无所谓，晚上下班回到军营就是我的美国世界。跟女军官一起喝杯咖啡，看场电影，远胜于日日夜夜看照片，数日子。

有趣的是，也有人不喜欢这么优越的兵营生活。竟然有个兵士发出这样的感叹：我宁愿活的苦一点。这里太舒服了，让我更想家。

偷食

2007-07-29T13:19:00.000+08:00

七月二十四日傍晚，外面下着滂沱大雨，天色已经几乎暗下来了。我从办公室的窗口望出去，只见雷电交加，车子塞得动弹不得。大概一时半刻也回不了。

肚子饿得非常厉害。我分析了一下，有两个选择。

第一，Call Pizza。可是我的现金只有五十左右。如果要叫批萨，礼貌上必须问问其他的同事要不要也来一份。五十块一定不够。

第二，看看办公司的茶水房还有什么可吃的。

结果到茶水放转了一圈，什么也没有。

情急之下，心生一计。昨天有两位同事从苏州公干回来，给每个同事分发了一些当地的小食。我的份量早就吃光了。也许还有些同事还没吃。

我到每个Cubicle巡了一下，结果发现我的一个女同事桌上仍让放着一盒苏州产的椒盐酥。饮食男女，人之大欲，不能怪我偷了。

我迅速将椒盐酥弄到自己的桌上，立刻吃了起来。椒盐酥就如一块饼干，一口咬下去，立刻融化，咸咸甜甜的，自有一番风味。

故事的高潮终于发生了。椒盐酥里面突然有东西蠕动。我定了定神，再看清楚，终于发现有一条蠕虫探出头来，跟我打招呼。我立刻将口里的东西全吐出来。我没有尖叫，也没有叫其他同事来一同观赏蠕虫，只是很平静地将整盒生虫的椒盐酥丢进垃圾桶。

低调处理是必要的，因为不能让同事难为情，毕竟人家给我们带礼品是一番诚意。第二，我吃的是贼赃，也没有什么可以投诉的理由。

当晚回到家里，看见星洲日报的社论就是在谈中国食品的质量问题，感觉上社论是为我量身定做的。

Paradise

2007-07-03T13:48:00.000+08:00

It only took one remark to take down some VIP, well, at least in most countries.

This happens in Japan. (Defense Minister stepped down after saying that Nagasaki bombing "could not be helped", which, in my view, is a truth)

This happens in US. (Harvard president steps down after saying that women might not be as good in terms of math and science, which, in my view, is a debatable, academic topic)

In contrast, Malaysian politicians live in a paradise. They could say all kinds of stupid, outrageous, incorrect stuff, and there would be no consequences.

"Women leak every month.."

"Which building in the world doesn't have problem?"

"When HAMAS and Fatah fight, it only benefits Israel"

"If singaporeans don't want to invest in this project, we are okay".

And, it's a waste of my time to record down many ugly and completely senseless remarks uttered in the sacred parliament. None of these motherfuckers gets any punishment. No sorry. No shame. And there will be no justice.

2007-06-19T23:59:00.000+08:00

http://www.PeppySquare.com

formula 1 for love movie

2007-06-18T20:58:00.000+08:00

Two days ago I re-watched the movie Sleepless in Seattle, and to my surprise, a cynical guy like me could still be touched by some of the romantic elements in the movie. Maybe it was the big watery eyes of Meg Ryan that caught my heart. Or maybe it was the beautiful skyline of Seattle. Or maybe it was the little missed opportunities that separated the couple.

I think this is arguably the most successful sugar-coated commercial movie. The screenwriter must have decided that it should have the right mix of the followings.

1. Creativity (Hooking up through a Radio program)
2. Tear your heart apart ( Tom hanks sipping beer in the dark, mourning the dead wife)
3. Missed opportunites (Tom actually saw Meg Ryan in the airport, in the streets)
4. The couple is not perfect (Tom Hanks tried to cold-call some girl to get laid)
5. Nostagia (References to famous old love movies)
6. The final reunion (Finally Tom and Meg Ryan met in the Empire States building).

Putting each of the elements together, it worked really well.

The only chinese romance movie that came close to Seattle is Tian Mi Mi by Leon Lai and Maggie Cheung. Who could have forgotten the reunion when finally both of them incidentally stood infront of a store that happened to broadcast the death of Teresa Teng. It was both romantic and nostalgic. And who could have forgotten the humorous gangster that had a Mikey Mouse tattoo on his back just to please Maggie? And oh, both Leon and Maggie actually took the same train when they first arrived in HK to make a living - what a missed chance. The whole movie is not as tightly scripted as Sleepless in Seattle, but the basic formula is similar.

And just a few years ago, Tom and Meg Ryan decided to do it again, with "I have got Mail", which depicts a love story based on instant messaging. Unfortunately it lacks "tear your heart apart" element, and Tom and Meg Ryan are very good people. It's too sugar-coated, too Christmas.

Of all the elements, I actually value "Couple is not perfect" most. Because this is the basis of making the whole story credible and interesting. And this is why, I must reject Titanic as slightly boring, because Jack and Rose were too noble.

But of course, if you push the element "Couple is not perfect" too hard, you would not be very credible as well. Take "Leaving Las Vegas" for instance. A love story about a drunk and a hooker? It seems the screenwriter was so worked up in producing a gut-wrenching love story based on two very politically incorrect people. It's not impossible, it's just a little detached from reality.

嫣然

2007-05-31T16:08:00.000+08:00

学校假期到了，数日前妻女回娘家去了。晚上我一个人回到家，看到婴儿床上空荡荡的，脑子里自然就浮现起嫣然格格笑的容貌。

一天早晨，我被吵醒了，转身一看，发现嫣然的头已经抬起来，并高于床边的栏杆，正在注视着我。我赶紧起身把她楼在怀里。她一般七点半就已经醒了，是我的一个可靠的闹钟。

嫣然是去年十月三日出世的，现在算起来已经有九个月大了。她上个月起开始会向前爬行。更早以前，她已经会向后倒退。先退后进大概是所有婴孩的必经的过程吧。

嫣然的爱笑性格，是出了名的。瑞婷夫妇，Brandon 夫妇，Warren 夫妇，天洋，小卢，老罗，丘子等等朋友，都曾经到过寒舍来探望她，她也从不吝啬自己的笑容。她虽然爱微笑，却不会经常格格地笑出声音来。到目前为止，我发现有5种方法可以让她笑出声来。

1. 用口向挂在梅花树上的红包吹气，让红包晃动。
2. 用力拍打纸袋。
3. 她自己放屁。
4. 说 Bui ！
5. 用脚趾去碰她的脚趾。

这些方法的有效期一般很短，一段时间过后，如果我再重复这些小动作，她就不再笑了，而且会好奇地望着我，似乎我干了一件十分白痴的事。

嫣然还没有长牙齿，却喜欢把任何的东西都放到口里咀嚼。有一次，我大意了，把几张Tissue Paper 留在床上，嫣然竟然吞了一些入肚子里。她妈妈给她喂粥的时候，她表现的特别急。动作如果稍慢，她会立刻大叫，要你赶快把粥送到嘴里。

有时候，要哄她入睡不是一件容易的事。方法之一是把她放在摇篮里面，给她上下摇动。方法二，给她讲故事，还得越说越慢，越来越小声，让她在沉闷的状态中渐渐合上眼睛。有时候任何方法都无效，她势必要大哭一场，闹得我们累，她也累，两败俱伤，最后她喝着母乳沉沉睡去。
不久前我在一期NewYorker杂志里看到一篇名为Rebekah的文章。此文述说一个妇女肚里的婴孩在第九个月的时候死去了。她的医生建议她仍然要自然生产，因为这对她以后受孕的机会有很大的帮助。于是，医生给她注射了荷尔蒙，引发了阵痛，最后产下女婴。她丈夫把死婴楼在怀里，细细地触摸已经变形的脸蛋，场面特别辛酸。这些文字，对我来说是特别难受的。我再也不能很平静地接受任何有关婴孩的惨状。这大概是我当了爸爸后，最大的心理转变吧。

我和妻已经为嫣然照了成千上万的相片，我想也应该写几个字，给我的小宝贝记下一些图片不能捕捉的生活片段。

condition

2007-05-11T14:04:00.000+08:00

Taiwanese president Chen Shui Bian said he welcomes President Hu to visit Taiwan without attaching any conditions.

This is a typical technique used by Chen. He knows damn well that Hu will not come, unless Taiwan recognizes the one-china policy. His invitation is just to show that China is unfriendly, unworthy of a friendship. He, on the other hand, is the Mr.Nice Guy that extends his friendship.

I would love to cross-examine Chen to expose his gimmick. Imaginary dialogue:

Hu says, “Ok, I will come, as long as you recognize that there is only one China in the world.”.

Chen says “No, this can be discussed further, when we meet”.

Hu says “Are you saying your condition for me to visit Taiwan is that I must not impose the condition of one-china policy?”

Chen said “Yes”

Hu said “But you just said you have no condition for me to go over. You are so full of shit”

random sketch

2007-04-01T19:25:00.000+08:00

苏格拉底把世间的男人分成两类。第一类，找到一个好老婆的快乐男人。第二类，多愁善感的哲学家。

许多人对于石油大亨于80岁的高龄跟艳星Anna Nicole Smith 结婚，白思莫解。如果他真要女人陪陪睡觉，何必签下一纸婚姻? Anna 也不是什么纯情女生，目的很明显就是为了他的遗产，这老头真实糊涂。

苏格拉底给我们诠释: 石油大亨躺在病床上的当儿，他不想再思考他一生的功过，荣辱，今生后世的种种，他只想听见有人娇喋地唤他一句 :老公! 一瞬间的甜蜜，远胜于无意义的感慨。
感慨是可怜的哲学家的工作。

in memory

2007-03-24T00:44:00.001+08:00

http://blog.sina.com.tw/skyocean/article.php?pbgid=3980&entryid=389133

......

2007-03-23T23:03:00.001+08:00

It all started with an email from Old Law. And I had an online conversation with Tien Yang, who confirmed that our classmate Leong Sheong Seng has died from an accident.

tienyang says:
I call his mother just now
tienyang says:
it's confirmed that Sheong Seng is passed away
tienyang says:
in an accident when he was snookering at Sabah
tienyang says:
about one week ago
tienyang says:
he was cremated there and his ashes was brought back and spread to the sea at Port Klang
Lip Hooi says:
....
Lip Hooi says:
this is so saddening
tienyang says:
but his mother says he left with joy
tienyang says:
because he seems very joyful this few weeks
tienyang says:
just before he accidentally died in the sea
Lip Hooi says:
did u contact him lately ?
tienyang says:
na at all
Lip Hooi says:
his mother ok ?
tienyang says:
now what I can remember is his smiling face with a "Buddha" face
Lip Hooi says:
any chance of paying him the respect ?
tienyang says:
his mother says they rather not incite their sadness on his death
Lip Hooi says:
he is a christian right ?
tienyang says:
I think Christian might not cremate their body, isn't it?
tienyang says:
his mother tell me these in sobbing tone
Lip Hooi says:
i don't know. they might
Lip Hooi says:
i see
tienyang says:
I think she might broke out, so I quickly hang up
Lip Hooi says:
this is so heartening

还钱

2007-03-20T15:16:00.000+08:00

最近陈水扁最新的把戏是去中国化。比如，中华邮政改名为台湾邮政，把蒋介石的塑像推倒，去普通话...

如果他真要跟大陆切割，我奉劝陈水扁先还钱。蒋介石于一九四九年把大陆的国库，金条，全部运到台湾，留下一个一穷二白的大陆，这笔帐一点要算清楚。当年的几万两黄金，合折目前的多少百亿，请全数归还，别懒。

第二，故宫四分之一的文物，精品中的精品，也是漏夜运道台湾基隆港口的。王曦之的兰亭序，慈禧太后的玩意玉白菜，全部要归还中国。台湾的故宫只可以展出阿里山的姑娘服饰，慈禧太后的东西关你屁事?

按照一般情理，一个女生要跟人家分手，也会自动退还一些名贵的赠物。更何况，国库不是赠物，是老将偷的，更没有不还的道理。华人之中赖皮至此，台湾当局算是达到最高境界了，我甘拜下风。

NewYorker 002 - Kajang

2007-03-11T22:57:00.000+08:00

This year is the year of tourism for Malaysia. Overseas tourists are expected to tour popular attractions such as Batu Caves, or Genting Highland, or Melaka.. Eventually every tourist will need to go to KLCC and take a snap shot of the Twin Tower before going home. That’s probably about it. Malaysia, strictly speaking, is completely devoid of interesting stuff.

Some time ago, I read about a tour package designed to show the scary side of KL. One of the stopovers is the Guang Dong cemetery, 10 minutes from KLCC. The tour guide was presumably bullshiting about all the local ghost tales, and about the Japanese cruelty during ww2. I thought that was quite innovative. I do not know whether such tour package is still on going.

So what other interesting thing can we do in Malaysia?

Now, some friends might also suggest, what about having Satays at Kajang ? I would say Kajang is great to showcase, but definitely not for the reason of Satay. Satay is so trivial compared to what I’m going to propose below.

When the New Yorker Magazine 2006 ran a story on the communication breakdown between CIA and FBI, it became clear to me that Malaysia was very important in the whole development of September 11^th attack.

On Jan. 5, 2000, the top management of Al-Qaeda was having a corporate conference to plot the September 11^th attack. They were not having this meeting in Pakistan or Afghanistan or Saudi. They were having this meeting right here, in Kajang. To be exact, they met at Hazel Evergreen Park condominium, in Kajang. And according to the magazine, this condominium is next to a golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus, one of the best golfers of all time, according to wikipedia.

This meeting is now being labeled infamously as the Malaysia meeting. It's hard to tell whether the original idea of airplane attack grew from this meeting, but it's certainly true that they brainstormed about the attack, and worked out the logistics, and after this meeting, two of the meeting attendees flew to San Diego and waited until September 11th. This meeting simply was a project kick-off meeting for September 11th.

It is hard to imagine now that the two hijackers, which slammed into World Trade Centre, were here, in Kajang. And very likely they have also tasted our infamous Satays. If I were to make a movie, I would shoot them discussing about the plot at the Satay joint. One guy was holding up two sticks of Satay to symbolize the twin towers, while the other guy was using his two fingers to pierce through the Satays to symbolize an attack.

In almost all countries, the original venues that hosted important meetings were important tourist attractions. Ministry of Tourism should realize that Hazel Evergreen Park condo is not a normal condo anymore, but rather, it is the place that kicked off September 11th attack. It is therefore a place of huge significance. Establish a monument there. Set up a billboard that tells the stories of the meeting. List down all the names of the attendees. Establish a place for people to drop flowers. I am sure such a place is of significant historical and sentimental values to a lot of visitors, especially those from the States. I am ready to bet with you that any American would rather go to Kajang to visit the condo than going to see the 30-million Eyes of Malaysia.

Newyorker 001 - Fatty Crab

2007-03-06T20:35:00.000+08:00

In New York city, there is a restaurant named Fatty Crab.

For all Malaysians who live in the vicinity of KL, Fatty Crab is pretty well-known. I know of two shops, one in SS24, and the other near the Mines Shopping Mall.

Their flag-ship product is crab. They seem to have only two cooking styles (Spicy, and sweet & Sour). And overall, I do not think that they are really special. Probably the white boys will be impressed by that, but I have lived long enough to have tasted much better crabs.

When the Table for Two section of The New Yorker (Jan 16, 2006) features a restaurant named Fatty Crab, at first I thought it's only mere coincidence. This Fatty Crab restaurant is located in 643 Hudson Street, New York City. However, it's quite evident, after I have finished the food review, that the owner of this restaurant is aware of the Fatty Crab in Malaysia.

Evidence : "The chef, Zak Pelaccio, lived in Malaysia for a little more than a year."

Zak Pelcaccio must have visited Fatty Crab in Malaysia, and was amused by the name, and subsequently used it as his own. What's the odd of an italian chef being inspired by a cheap, ugly name of a chinese restaurant? Now, this is what we call globalization.

Zak Pelaccio doesn't sell crabs though. It sells Assam Laksa, and also Fatty Duck - "a small plate of brined, steamed, and fried pieces of duck served in a palm sugar syrup studded with black peppercorns.". Fuck, the writer is so full of shit, but surely the description sounds alluring.

What really surprises me is this. New Yorkers have not tasted Ikan Bilis. Owen Phillips, the writer, describes them as "a hundred little fish eyes looking up at you. They belong to tiny anchovies called ikan billis, which, if you ignore their plaintive stares, are a pleasure to crunch". I have to give it to this guy. He gives a whole new meaning to Ikan Bilis.

Zak Pelaccio even brings along a weird tradition of Malaysia to New York. On the tables of his restaurant, customers would find Wet-Nap. You would need to pop it before using it. The blondes probably would find it funny.

Footnote : From now onwards, periodically, I will randomly blog about my thoughts after reading the magazine of The New Yorker. To be exact, I need to write 100 articles of this kind, to fulfill the obligation of a contract. On March 2, 2007, I have entered into a contract with a Harvard grad (Pan Swee Ting). The contract requires this : After I have writen 100 articles based on The New Yorker, I will be entitled to a gift from her, a DVD collection of all old issues of The New Yorker dating back to 1920s.

午夜电视

2007-03-02T00:11:00.000+08:00

不知道什么时候开始，十二点半的凤凰台已经不再播放<<李敖有话说>>。我记得他曾经在其中一集节目里说过，节目做到年尾，也该结束了，因为他的年事已高，开始常常说错话。看来，<<李敖有话说>>真的走到了尽头。

大概半年前，有一次他在节目里谈谈前妻胡茵梦。有趣的是，至少3次，他把胡茵梦说成胡适。这个Freudian Slip，除了透露了胡适在他心中的分量，也还说明他的口齿真的有点不灵光了。

大概已经有几个月了，午夜十分，我的手指还是自然拿者遥控器，调到37台，希望奇迹出现。

前夜观看<<2100全民看讲>>，李敖大师意外出现。他还是穿着那身红色外套，精神依旧亢奋。他抬出了许多旧文件，立证台湾二二八事件是一件错综复杂的权利斗争事件，而不是单纯的外省人杀本身人。他立批陈水扁制造假悲情，三字经也骂出来，实在听得痛快。

想到他老一天，说话能力就会被削弱一分，不由地悲从中来。

War

2007-02-10T03:18:00.001+08:00

On the recent "Criminalize War" compagin led by Dr.Mahathir, he made a remark intended to show his neutrality.

"If Iraq had invaded United States, I would support USA".

Suppose he really means what he says, then a question follows. Iraq had invaded Kuwait in 1990, and USA had helped Kuwait defend itself. According to his line of reasoning, he would support the victim, and naturally, all people who help the victim. Why did Mahathir NOT support USA during that time?

Mahathir could further argue that, Kuwait was invaded, not USA. He had no reason to support USA, an outsider. USA had no reason to stick a foot in, and uphold justice by itself.

However, this leads to another question. Now that Iraq was "invaded", why does Mahathir, an outsider, has any right to meddle with middle east affair, and establish a justice system to help Iraq fend off its enemy (USA). Isn't Mahathir trying to do exactly the same thing USA was trying to do 17 years ago? Mahathir and USA are both outsiders, they are not the victim themselves. And they both tried to work out a solution based on the common belief that they were trying to protect the victims. Interestingly, American's solution was backed by United Nation in 1990, whereas Mahathir's campaign was outside the UN's system, because he is of the view that Geneva Convention is not adequate. From this perspective, USA's action was more legitimate than Mahathir's.

Mahathir could again argue there is a difference in motives : USA intevened based on its personal interest in the gulf area, in particular the control of oil and gas. Meanwhile, Mahathir is really trying to uphold a global justice based on the fact that war is cruel, and all war initiators should be tried and punished.

However, Mahathir higlighted only the cruelty suffered by Iraqis as a result of american troops. Hamas bombing Israel citizens does not really count. Saddam Hussein's torture and mass murder of certain tribes do not count. September 11th does not count. The selectve definition of war and cruelty is really bothering me. If Mahathir's campaign is larger than just the Iraq's misery, he has to give a fair, just, and accurate definition of war. For the moment, he sounds like he is defining war as American wars.

Maybe Mahathir has all the good intentions : Bring peace to the middle east. By the same token, we have every reason to believe that USA has its equally noble cause : Bring democracy values to the middle east. If you must doubt USA, you have to doubt Mahathir. Let's be fair.

As I drove past Jalan Tun Razak today, I saw many banners placed upon the lamposts along the street. Those banners featured the photos of suffering iraqis. There was one photo particularly gruesome : One muslim lady looking on at a dead baby. These banners are very powerful to create an emotional outburst among the public. Deep down, I'm very worried. Are these banners going to promote peace ? Or are they more likely to ignite hatred and revenge? Are we really talking about peace and ending all wars, or are we talking about only ending American influence?

To all the people who quickly think that Mahathir is going to get the Nobel Peace Prize, answer me : Crimalize War ? What War ? What is War? Why just Bush and Blair?

Stupidity defined

2007-02-10T00:59:00.000+08:00

There is a limit of how much stupidity one can tolerate.

And this really tests my limit.

Yesterday the newspaper headline is hat Malaysia government finally recognizes the Chinese studies of Tsing Hua University, Beijing.

Ong Ka Ting said "Tsing Hua university ranked 20-something globally, we should recognize their chinese study". Everyone applauded.

Just a couple of quick questions.

First f all, I do not think that we, Malaysia, which has no universities that ranks in the world top-100, has any right to judge and recognize a university much superior to us. It's as stupid as saying that we finally recognize the English study of Oxford University.

Secondly, what was the reason of not recognizing their chinese study in the past 50 years since we regained independence? Can somebody explain why on earth a chinese study degree from China was not recognizable in the first place. You mean, a chinese study is better taught in Japan? Germany? France, but not China? I can only guess that the only reason is Marxism, but China has long stopped propaganda courses after 1978.

Thirdly, are you saying that you are only recognizing the chinese study of Tsing Hua university, and not any other universities in China? Are you saying, for instance, chinese study of Fu Dan university in Shang Hai is so poor that we can't recognize it?

Fourthly, why is the government cabinet deciding whether a foreign university is good or not good. Last I checked, none of you make it to the PHD, except for the chairman of Bank Negara. Can you guys do yourself a favor, don't meddle with academics. Leave it to the experts.

It's a good news that the government recognizes something that should have been recognized long ago, but this decision is not something of which the politicians can claim credits. We still look really stupid in the whole world.

And I blog about this because I know Jeff Ooi wouldn't.

pick-up line

2007-02-01T14:30:00.000+08:00

The best pick-up line ever - Would you light up this room forever for me?

　毕业后，梅琳达如愿进入了自己曾经实习过的微软公司，并很快崭露头角，取得了骄人的业绩，成为一名管理人员。在一次新闻发布会上，梅琳达结识了公司最大的“头儿”——比尔·盖茨，而后者也同样注意到了这个端庄又聪慧的女性。之后，对梅琳达开始留心的盖茨发现，她几乎和自己一样都是工作狂。每天晚上，盖茨从自己的办公室窗口望出去，正好可以看见梅琳达也在办公室埋头苦干。一次，他终于来到梅琳达的办公室，鼓足勇气对她说：“请你永远为我点亮这盏灯……”两人从此坠入爱河。直到有一天，梅琳达鼓起勇气穿了一件上面特别写着“娶我吧，比尔”的T恤衫来到盖茨的办公室，于是，两人的爱情终于有了完满的结局。

故宫与星巴克

2007-01-18T13:17:00.000+08:00

近来中国媒体闹得沸沸扬扬，因为北京故宫里面，竟然开了一间星巴克(Star Bucks)咖啡屋。大家都说这破坏了故宫的历史面貌。

其实，西方文化的毒侵，何止于此。一年前我游故宫的时候，就发现一个奇怪的现象: 讲解牌匾往往都印有一个西方赞助商的名字。比如，悬挂在坤宁宫大门前的牌匾，就印了American Express的名字。我还特地照了相。

当年八国联军入侵故宫，烧的烧，抢的抢，美国就是其中一个共犯。唐伯虎的的画，王曦之的字，很可能就在美国大兵点烟的当儿，化为灰烬。可以原谅，但不能忘记。现在反倒要American Express来赞助赞助，还让他们堂儿皇之地写下大名，实在愧对凡是有骨气的中国人。
抛开民族气节，历史问题不谈，纯粹从文物的艺术角度考虑，这也是一大破坏。大概没有哪个埃及人笨到允许美国佬在金字塔门前开一个麦当劳吧。

中国人现在并不穷了。两千亿美元的外交储备金闲在那儿干什么呢? 故宫并不稀罕外国公司的一分一毫。国家应该全面拨款，何必要看外国公司的脸色?

中国北京要迎奥运，迅速现代化，是无可厚非得的。胡同可以拆，四合院也可以铲平，但是故宫是中国灿烂文明的顶峰杰作，也是全世界华人的集体记忆，总可以饶了它吧?

The death of a prodigy

2007-01-10T11:14:00.001+08:00

After I have finished the last year of my primary school, there was a long holiday. Dad suggested I should do something useful to upgrade myself. I ended up in a small little institution named Inti college, somewhere in downtown KL. I joined a program named “English and Computer camp”, and it lasted for about 2 or three months.

Overall, the memory of that experience is somewhat vague now, but a few things are surprisingly imprinted in my mind. I remember a bunch of kids, two years to my senior, were constantly discussing about pornography. I also remember a kid of my age being very famous in the institution. His essays were posted on the notice board for everyone to read. I actually took the effort to copy down his essays into my notebook for a serious study later on. I was shocked at his mastering of English language, because his essays were full of deep vocabs, and sophisticated sentences. During a few rare occasions when I actually saw him, he was in discussion with his professor in the canteen or corridors somewhere. He just looked like a regular fellow.

I knew he was a prodigy at that time. And I knew he was Zhang Shi Ming. He died a few days ago.

He appeared in the press quite frequently at that time. His and his dad were meeting VIPs, politicians, Anwar Imbrahim, etc. I suppose one of the major reasons for them to do that was to get every publicity possible, in order to raise fund for him to go to MIT. I remember, at one point, his dad complained subtly that the Chinese community did not do enough to help pay for his son’s tertiary education.

My dad analyzed to me “Do they ever make a promise to come back to Malaysia? If no, is there an obligation for the Chinese community to assist one prodigy who might be an American?”

Until this day, I absolutely believe that my dad’s analysis is justified. Even if he had promised to come back to Malaysia, it’s really debatable whether we should fund one prodigy, or put our dollars in our homeyard – there are countless primary Chinese schools here that are seriously under funded and understaffed. Let’s get our priorities correct here.

Reportedly, he got sick and he came back to Malaysia in 2002. Since then, there was no more news of him. The rumor was that he was in a depression and he had to receive mental treatment. From then on, his family posed a very defensive attitude towards the public, and was silent about his situation. His ex-professors were also not kept informed of his status.

Few days ago, his family was reportedly throwing punches at the news reporter at the graveyard. Sure they were heart-broken, but the fact that they even declined to confirm his death, and the entire evasive and defensive attitude, was an insult to many people who had helped him at some point. I have never given him a dollar, but many did. And many people were truly concerned about his well-being. Don’t these people at lease deserve a confirmation of his death?

This is Malaysia. We are not united states, where CNN and Fox and ABC would have trucks hosting satellites and cameras, waiting infront of their houses 24x7. Their hatred towards the media or public, was baseless. They might think that the media’s coverage in the past has given his son too much pressure, which leads to his depression, and finally death, and they are mad about that. If such an assumption is true, they are being unfair to the media - they have exploited the media to their advantage in the first place.

Michael J.Fox is outspoken about his own illness –parkinsons. His frank, open treatment of his own condition, is not only good for himself, and it’s absolutely important for the greater good of the society. A prodigy’s death is tragic, but we must talk about him, analyze him, and find a way for all prodigies to have a life.

Think Week

2006-12-31T18:02:00.000+08:00

It was reported that Bill Gates, once every year, spent a week in confinement. I would imagine that he probably locks himself in a 16th century castle built on the bank of Rhines river, with mobile phone on silent mode, door shut, and he expects to see dinners prepared on the table, but not anyone preparing it. Then he settles down, and starts to read hundreds of proposals, or buisness ideas collected from Microsoft employees and he would digest them, go through a very deep thinking process, before coming up with some crucial decision, which would set the tone for the company's direction. Such process is infamously named "Think Week".

For the past few days, I have been staying in Butterworth, where my wife's family lives. I'm faraway from KL, and since their home provides no Astro or Streamyx, it's an excellent opportunity for me to do the Bill's thingy. I spent some time with their family, and by noon, I carried my laptop to the only Star Bucks available in Butterworth. I ordered a cup of hot chocolate, and started to surf the net, to ponder over the next generation architecture for Genting eBusiness, b2c, b2b, crossling, multi-currency, multilingual, fulfillment integration, bla bla bla.

While I'm going through a complex problem of aggregating multiple catalogs from different systems to enble one unified shopping cart, a fortune teller from china sitting right infront of me caught my eyes. He was trying to remove a mole from a middle-aged lady. That lady appeared to be calm. He applied some white creams on her face and asked her to wait. I'm just curious. Isn't this kind of mole removal requiring a surgery? If you can remove a mole in five minutes in some shopping mall, what else can you do? Can you fix my small eyes? Can you replace my kidney by the way?

I didn't wait to see the result of mole removal. I was determined that I cannot let a fortune teller distract my "think week" and I continue to do concentrate on my problem-solving. It's quite difficult to concentrate. A 16-th century castle facing the sea or river definitely helps.