Metaphor

"Economics is a very difficult subject, I've compared it to trying to learn how to repair a car when the engine is running."- Ben Bernanke, the brand new Federal Reserve Chairman of US said.

What a fascinating metaphor.

Let me try to construct a metaphor for... Anthropology:
Anthropology is a weird subject. I've compared it to digging the soil of the aborigines while your friends are digging a gold mine and think you are nut.

Let me try to construct a metaphor for ...Geography:
Geography is a pathetic subject. I've compared it to learning all the details of every corner of your house, and while you start to be impressed by the designers and the architect of this house, someone come to your house and wipe away your furniture throw away all the plants and build a production line here, there reason only one reason - the economic development. If you are rich enough, you can move to another house, if not, 'no money no talk'.

Not in a right place

Last night I thought about what I had learnt in the last 15 years.

I studied Geography for 10 years (yesterday I explained to Jeff that there are three types of rock in this planet - igneous rock, sedimentary rock and metaphoric rock... Frankly speaking, these are already all I remember about rocks =P), 3 years for Philosophy & Psychology and 1 year for Anthropology.

What kind of weird combination.

No wonder I disagree with lot of things in this world. Jeff also feels that sometimes I am like an extremeist.

I do believe the subjects you take would shape your personality.

Out of the box

This is the music box my Mom and Dad bought for me from Hakkaido, Japan. This is the most beautiful music box I have ever seen.

Music box means a lot to me, it is more than a machine with music, but a precious gift box to hold memories, blessing and sentiment!

The first music box I got was a petite pink little box, which played Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. As I remember, I was in Primary school at that time, and it was also a gift from my parents. I love that song a lot, it sounds sweet, not simply lollipop sweet, but the mixture of bitterness and sweet, doesn't it taste more like the real life?!

However, I lost that music box for quite a long time, I cannot remember it until I meet this gorgeous sparkling precious artifact, I am sure all those lovely memories were stored in my mind already.

蜜蜂大鬍子

今晚在電視裡看到蜜蜂及蜜蜂養殖專家，我腦海浮現一個用蜜蜂佈滿面頰的老伯，那些黃黑小昆蟲聚起來像透大鬍鬚，記得有些蜂蜜品牌用這映像作品牌標誌。不知道蜜蜂大鬍子的蜂蜜是否最甜，但應該是最惹笑。

過去週末看過三套電影：「高凶三萬尺」、「仙樂飄飄處處聞」及電視播出的「綠里奇緣」。在看「綠」的時候，我哭了一場又一場。告訴你一秘密，未看這電影前，我從片名以為它是講述Tom Hanks尋求美國「綠」咭的辛酸及曲折歷程......多麼好笑啊！

近來實在看了太多電視，尤其是Discovery Science。我就來變成UFO，魔術，外星人同木乃衣的專家了。是時候做些更有意義的事，例如籌備一下萬聖節時扮成甚麼去嚇其他細路！

Weird Nightmare

Last night I had a strange nightmare. I dreamt that one of my eyes popped out, and then I found it on the floor. A person stood next to me was so panic and asked me how to do, I was very calm and squeezed it back to the right place, it was just like people wearing contact lens.

Doesn't it sound disgusting?

This afternoon I tried to search the symbolic meaning of losing eyes in a dream analysis website, it explained that 'losing an eye' denoted problem. So does my dream mean that I also had a problem but I had solved it already?

I believed dream carries meaning. In my most remarkable dream many years ago, I dreamt that I was pregnant and wearing the roller blades and tried to keep balance on the slippery floor, there were lots of bubbles and foam on the marble floor. Then I saw a young guy came to me and held my hands, he tried to comfort and support me. I could not see his face clearly but I knew he wore glasses, I felt that eventually, I found someone I could trust.

After a few days of that dream, Jeff and I came together, but I had never thought about him during or after that dream, and I did not even plan to be her girlfriend. However, I am sure that the dream gives me a signal, I would meet someone I trust in the soon future.

Do you have any special dream that means a lot to you?

向基層婦女致敬

今晚「星期二檔案」講述九位獲得提名本年度諾貝爾和平獎的基層婦女的故事。

其中幾位以前是工廠女工，在九十年代工廠大舉北移的情況下，她們遇到失業的難題，卻勇於面對，並在自已的社區建立合作社，目標不但是自力更生，更希望回饋社區，發揮互助互愛精神。

另外一位女士，她自小在大澳長大，多年來為保護碩果僅存的棚屋及大不為餘力。儘管被人譏為現代愚公，她只堅持心中一個信念 -- 要對自已的地方、文化、身邊的人及大自然有愛。

就是因為她們將「愛」這訊息傳至別人而得到諾貝爾和平獎的提名。雖然最後落敗，但她們的成就比娛樂界的香港傑青崇高得多。

在香港這金錢掛帥的社會，人的成就單純地以他的職位、資產及社會地位來衡量。我們往往忽視一羣為社會默默貢獻，努力養育為新一代的人們。他們或許不富有，不為人所識，但我們要確立他們的成就，向他們致敬。

Blink - Trust your instinct judgment

I am reading the last two sections of the book 'Blink', which is written by Malcolm Gladwell, the bestselling author of his another book 'The Tipping Point'.

This book points out an important message - people sometimes make judgment by their 'snap' feeling, we sense something but actually we cannot tell the why we can sense it, and in some case the judgment could be absolutely correct. People always call this powerful ability as the 'sixth sense'. Most women possess such power to 'feel' if their boyfriends/husbands have done something 'naughty'.

instinct feeling' is not ESP. In fact, our brain can make analysis by several small layers of information and provides a decision within a second. As we cannot even know that the brain has operated such a complicated process when the 'blink' feeling comes out, we think such intuitive feeling is mysterious. Just take a woman's instinct feeling to her spouse as an example, she can spot out her husband has mis-behaved by even one glance. Actually within that short eye contact her brain has already sensored his facial expression, body language and the something weird in his outfits within a snap shot, and realizes that he flirted with a girl in the pub that night.

Of course, we should not totally trust the instinct feeling all the time, because it could be blinded or deluded sometimes, especially when we are not experienced enough in some aspects.

This book also mentions the weaknesses of market research. Market research sometimes ignores the power of snap judgment in many consumer behaviors. Of course, this profession cannot be always wrong, but to be an excellent market researcher, you could be very familiar with the industry that you are doing the research, which enable you to spot out those blind points and provide the insight which beyonds the plain figures and charts.

From my experience, the best time to use your 'blink' power is when you are deciding if a person is great to be your lover. Of course, you should have certain exposure to the opposite sex... or the same sex if it is your case.

Biological Clock

Well, I am trying to switch my biological clock to 'WORK' mode, hope I could do it tonight. Frankly speaking, I still wish to remain it at 'HOLIDAY' mode.

Lazy holiday

I am still enjoying my lazy holiday. I will resume my work next Wednesday, that means there are still two days left.

In this 'long' holiday, I did almost nothing. Zero level of productivity, 100% of consumption, I love the lazy life so much.

Everyday I sleep for more than 9 hours, I wonder if I could tune my biological clock once I should get back to my work.

Last Friday my sister took a half day leave and visited me. We watched TV from 2pm-4pm. Do you know there was a TV soap opera called 'Season' in 80's decade? It is now shown on TVB channel during weekday afternoons. We laughed and laughed as the whole stories, lines, make up, costume and relationship amongst characters are very old-fashioned. Definitely this is unfair to judge these in term of the current standard, but it is undeniably that the whole story is tailor-made to attract the our mothers and Tai-Tais!!

Then we had a tea in Queen's cafe, it sounded so prestigious, right? Therefore, to maximize the utility level, we'd stayed there for more than an hour. Oh, I remember the tasty honey lemon that evening.

Mom and dad would come back from Japan tonight. Jeff and I gave up the Japan trip and Mom and dad took our vacancies. This is the first time we pay my parents for a trip. They promised to buy me a lot of souvenirs, they couldn't disappoint me!!