Saturday, June 27, 2009

There's this singer called 張懸...

i normally go to bed rather early during normal weekdays, partly i get tired easily after a whole day of hard work, and partly, your whole body+mind will feel so darn screwed the next day if you don't get enough sleep ... signs of aging i guess...

But usually it is a total different story on Friday and Saturday night. In fact, Friday night is my favourite session in the entire week. I just like the feeling of, "ah, weekend is finally coming and i can sleep in tomorrow morning..." Schweet. 

anyway, it's almost 4a.m. right now, so effectively it's no longer Friday night anymore. i have spent them away by watching numerous shows + clips on youtube the whole night. Not totally wasted though, as i stumbled upon this taiwanese singer, whom i think it's worthwhile to recommend to everyone who reads my blog here.

her name is 張懸, Deserts.

Here is one of her most popular song, "Baby"




and another one "Like"



She is one of the most popular Live House singer in Taipei right now, and she's popular for her lazy voice and the very soothing + non-commercialised songs of hers.

i hereby recommends these two songs to you, on this beautiful Saturday early morning...

Monday, June 22, 2009

This is a story of a cab driver





It was just a normal Monday morning. You know, those Monday morning with loads of Monday Blues in the air, as usual.

Still yet to recover from the weekend laziness and with summer approaching, I have decided to spend it like a real banker and took a cab to work.

Taking a cab in Hong Kong is quite challenging at times. Putting the craziness of Hong Kong traffics aside, you have loads of impatient and outspoken (some says 'rude') taxi drivers around. It's quite a traumatic experience for me to take cab to work as the distance between the place I live and the place I work is relatively, short. (a good 20 minutes walk to be exact)
And of course, working in central, a.k.a the business district of Hong Kong, you can imagine how bad the traffic will be during rush hour.

Usually, after I tell the driver where I want to go, the atmosphere will suddenly become eeriely silent… you can sense the unhappiness, disgruntlement and the swearing in the driver's mind (sometime you can hear them outloud too…). Throughout the whole journey, the cab driver will show how unhappy he is by driving like mad or just cursing along the way.

Once, a cab driver told me " you know, actually, we don't really like to go there at this hour. It's easy for you because you just hop off and go to work, but we will be stuck in a jam for like, 15-20 minutes?" I was like "oh, I see…" and kept quiet after that.

It's actually quite funny that I, as a passenger, supposingly the "customer", should be the one who's complaining about his/her services but in reality, I'm getting all sort of lectures. Guess the customer is always right doesn't really apply to cabbing.

Anyhow. Back to the normal Monday morning story.

I flagged down a cab, hopped on it. And then the nice old man greeted me "Good morning".
I was like, nice guy, well, not for long, bet he will be super pi$$ed after I told him where I am heading to.

"Central, please." I said. Then he replied "Ok!" with a happy tone.

After the first turning, he asked "So which way do you like to go? Up Hollywood road or the other side?"

Then I replied, and we started chatting. To my surprise, this cab driver's english is very good.

"Sir, I have to say that you speak pretty good English." I said.

"Me? Oh no. I stopped schooling since I was 11 or 12 years old. I could hardly write either Chinese or English, but I can recognise these words. That's Restaurant, that word is Old, that one means Tunnel, that one is Bridge and that one is Connaught Place." He said.

"Wow, that's impressive. I thought you came back from Canada or U.S., as your English is very good, and it doesn't have the typical Hong Kong slang in it!"

"Thanks for your compliment. My lawyer friend even once said that I speak better English than his staff! Haha, I bet that's definitely an overstatement. I was working at this garment factory as an apprentice after I left school when I was 11 or 12 years old. Then I went to night school for 2 hours per day after work at 6pm."

Then he continued, "work finished at 6pm, then I have to cook for all the seniors, and I will go to school at around 7pm after dinner was served. I usually went back at around 9pm to eat my dinner, then cleaned up the place, cleared out the rubbish etc.. When it's all done, usually it's about midnight already."

"Wow, then bet you don't have any time for revision or to do homework."

He said, "Ya, I don't. I told my teacher that I would never be able to do any homework so I got the exemption (how nice…I think). I still recall the only time I could do my revision was in the morning, before work started. I read my notes at the walkway most of the time. That's how I learned my English."

I said," That's very hardworking of you! It must be very tough to work whole day and to study at the same time!"

He smiled, then he continued,"When it comes to study, I will not be shy and I always asked all sort of questions. Throughout these years, I just keep on speaking my broken English to people, and I guess, that's how it got improved over the years."

When it's about to reach my office, he said "Two of my sons are University graduates. I'm so proud of them."

I gave him the money and said "Bet you are."

He smiled, gave me the change, and said to me, in English, "nice knowing you, have a nice day!"

Nice day indeed. Perfect way to start my day. Ganbatte yo!

Monday, June 15, 2009

小伙子的故事: 志愿篇

距离现今大约15年前, 在小伙子学校中每年惯例性得填的志愿栏中出现了突破性的新答案.

打从小学一年级开始,为了讨好老师及父母,小伙子都会在志愿栏中填:

1) 医生
2) 老师
3) 律师

年复一年,从未更改.原因有二, 一是, 自己根本不知道要当啥, 二是,既然不知道要当啥,就写些老师父母们都爱听的职业吧.

因为年少的小伙子知道,若写下漫画家,摇滚乐团主唱或足球员,一定会被活生生宰死,或被叫到训导处"再教育". 纵然虚伪, 但你也应该认同,小孩子为了不被唸,就算得离家出走也会干.

在后来的后来, 小伙子在电视剧及周遭的影响之下, 突然找寻到了他的梦想.

那一年, 他13岁.

他知道, 若喜欢音乐,却去街头卖唱, 这并不是他的作风.
他知道, 若喜欢电影.然后跑去洛杉机念导演,这家里可负担不起.
所以, 他下定了决心, 得干一个既实际,又能实现理想的工作.

企业家.

为何呢? 世人不懂得,会认为小伙子很市侩, 很现实,怎么看钱看的这么重?

不然. 小伙子也懂得, "人若没梦想,那么活着,与咸鱼有何分别" 但为了实现梦想, 人总不得脱离现实.
你也该知道,人,为了爱情,总不得只靠白开水而活,也得啃些面包吧!

所以呢,在小伙子小小的心灵里,他知道,若要实现他本身的梦,他得先填饱自个及家人的肚皮. 人只要活着,吃饱了,才会有力气去追逐梦想.

所以,小伙子的目标是搞一门与自己兴趣有关联的生意. 这不仅仅能让他乐在其中,若能赚钱及能与三五知己一同创业,那,他想, 那成就感一定很棒吧. 好一个一石二鸟!

哪,搞什么生意呢? 小伙子并非生于大富之家,所以也没有家业可继.但, 小伙子觉得, 无论做什么都好,最好的生意是能造福人群的买卖.哪,做什么好呢?

那一年, 他13岁.

从那一年开始, 小伙子的志愿栏,开始有了变化,而志愿栏,对于他而言,也不再是那一种只为敷衍人们而写的东西.

那一栏, 写的是他的目标及梦想.

那一栏, 写着

企业家.

Friday, June 12, 2009

小伙子的故事: 三国篇

若干年前,有一位小伙子,在看了"大时代"这部剧后, 就开始对股票产生了浓厚的兴趣.

当时看着方展博如何大战丁蟹,人们为了私欲而将股市当做为战场,然后有人开心,有人却为此而丢掉了性命等等,等等,小伙子的内心开始有点起伏.

他想.有一天, 我想成为在股市中呼风唤雨的家伙.多屌呵.

然后,他开始对商业/金融产生兴趣,同时,也开始留意有关商业/金融的书籍与电影.虽然当时他是一名理科生,但他却比较喜欢文科.从历史, 地理, 会计, 音乐等, 他都不愿错过. 或许在潜意识里, 他真正想做的是文人或艺术家, 而非工程师或大医生.

若这是三国时代,我想, 他会想当司马懿,多于当义气盖天的关羽,或刘备,或张飞.
小伙子喜欢的是司马懿的商道及手段. 他不厉害? 别人的江山都可弄到手,谈何容易呀?

在三国这故事里,除了司马懿,他最欣赏的人物还有三个.

一为, 大奸雄辩- 曹操.
为何呢?
小伙子觉得,曹操这人不会只将忠义挂在嘴边, 他奸的够干脆.
而且,他懂得何为大义.凡事都看大利,而非小利.
看似容易,但在那个年代,若我让你当曹操,我想,很多人都会疯掉. 在这点, 我认同小伙子的看法.
再说, 最有意思的还有这几点.

演义中说到曹操是"治世之能臣, 亂世之奸雄". 天啊,这多爽啊, 这说明, 无论如何, 曹操这辈子已肯定是一名响当当的大人物.

再说,纵贯天下, 又有谁能象他一样,说出"宁我负天下人,莫叫天下人负我"? 心中有想的, 我肯定, 到处皆是. 就算是最好的朋友, 虚伪的你我, 又怎可能说得出口?

还有还有, 无可置疑地是, 曹操一定是一个蛮有魅力的人. 不然为何他旗下名将如云? 纵然是奸臣, 但他肯定具有统一天下之才能.

二为, 诸葛亮.
小伙子不是歧视,但却非常怕蠢人,更怕本是蠢但装聪明者.
别误会.蠢与苯可是有分别的. 人嘛, 一生下来,难免会有长短.
苯是情有可原, 因为有些人脑筋不怎么灵光,就如小伙子一样. 而且有些人可是苯的很可爱.
但蠢却是那种让人冒火,不爽,堵烂的不怎么灵光的行为及心态. 你想我举例? 翻开报纸,看看今天政治家说什么就知道了.

小伙子欣赏的是诸葛亮的智慧与沉静. 人说,聪明反被聪明误, 这些例子比比皆是. 但,能沉静地运用其智慧者却没那么多了.
诸葛亮精彩的一生,相信大家也都清楚了吧.所以, 笔者也无须再细作举例.

三为, 小霸王 - 孙策.
孙策在其父战亡后,忍辱负重,然后,借兵取江东,让孙家从新再抬头,何其痛快! 只因他命短,所以在三国里篇幅并不多.但, 你想想. 当时可说是人才辈出的年代,在芸芸人才中,孙策, 年纪轻轻, 就可带兵取江东,灭了几国,若非奇人,谈何容易?

世人说他是小霸王,可不见的全是贬义. 小霸王, 可说是因惧怕而起之名.

小伙子欣赏的是孙策.之才能,果敢及远见. 可惜他在三国的舞台早退场,不然,局面应该会更有意思.


三国时代,结束也有好长的一段日子了. 欣赏归欣赏, 小伙子最想做到, 就是集以上四人之长,摒四人之短,用之于事.然后在其梦想的商界,闯出一翻事业来…

<小伙子的故事: 续>

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Edison on CNN














The cofounder of CLOT is on CNN

Click here for the video

Monkey Majik

Monkey Majik, a band with two canadian + two japanese. Totally refreshing. check it out. you won't regret it.

http://www.avex.com.tw/monkeymajik/