Globalization

On the tenth anniversary of Princess Diana's death, I have received this in email.

Finally, a definition of globalization I can understand and to which I can relate

Question: What is the truest definition of Globalization?

Answer: Princess Diana's death

Question: How come?

Answer:An English princess
with an Egyptian boyfriend
crashes in a French tunnel,
driving a German car
with a Dutch engine,
driven by a Belgian who was drunk
on Scottish whisky,(check the bottle before you change the spelling),
followed closely by Italian Paparazzi,
on Japanese motorcycles;
treated by an American doctor,
using Brazilian medicines.
===============================
This is sent to you by
an American,
using Bill Gates' technology,
and you're probably reading this on your computer,
that uses Taiwanese chips,
and a Korean monitor,
assembled byBangladeshi workers
in a Singapore plant,
transported by Indian lorry-drivers,
hijacked by Indonesians,
unloaded by Sicilian longshoremen,
and trucked to you by Mexican illegals.....
That, my friends, is Globalization!

Tao Fong Shan

I usually stay in cheap backpacker type accommodation when I travel. This retreat camp I went to last weekend is also a backpacker accommodation, though I doubt if any backpackers really stay there...

but the facilities is really great for the price, let's take a look at the twin room...



I guess part of its appeal (especially to overseas tourists) is the Chinese architecture.







And wildlife...



And the canteen got free internet!!!



Of course, the downside is the its remote location... and being a retreat camp, noise is required to be kept to a minimum... not a place for party-goers...

For more of my experience in the camp (and more photos), read this.

Shoe Shopping Finally!

Well, I finally bought two pair of shoes (coz buy one get one free!) from Walker Shop.

The black shoes are a bit big, as you see from the photo, coz my size was not available, it's size 39 instead (and my right foot is smaller than my left one), hopefully, it'll be better when I add a pad underneath.

How many books did you read last year?

I'm sure the results from Hong Kong will be even worse with NDS and PSP =P, but it's still pretty unbelievable for me when I see people who don't read for pleasure. This is a report from CNN. I think those who don't read won't read even without internet, TV or movies, if you love reading, you can always find time to read.

While I'm really busy these days, I still read. I used to be able to read 5-10 books/week when I was in secondary school, (No, it's not a typo.) I am already happy now if I can read one book per week, because I'm trying to study for my coming exams next year. Still I can never imagine one year with a book. Enough talking, let's see some of the results from the report here.

One in four adults say they read no books at all in the past year. Of those who did read, women and seniors were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices.

The survey reveals a nation whose book readers, on the whole, can hardly be called ravenous. The typical person claimed to have read four books in the last year -- half read more and half read fewer. Excluding those who hadn't read any, the usual number read was seven.

That choice by Bustos and others is reflected in book sales, which have been flat in recent years and are expected to stay that way indefinitely. Analysts attribute the listlessness to competition from the Internet and other media, the unsteady economy and a well-established industry with limited opportunities for expansion.

When the Gallup poll asked in 2005 how many books people had at least started -- a similar but not directly comparable question -- the typical answer was five. That was down from 10 in 1999, but close to the 1990 response of six.

Who are the 27 percent of people the AP-Ipsos poll found hadn't read a single book this year? Nearly a third of men and a quarter of women fit that category. They tend to be older, less educated, lower income, minorities, from rural areas and less religious.

At the same time, book enthusiasts abound. Many in the survey reported reading dozens of books and said they couldn't do without them.

Among those who said they had read books, the median figure -- with half reading more, half fewer -- was nine books for women and five for men. The figures also indicated that those with college degrees read the most, and people aged 50 and up read more than those who are younger.

More women than men read every major category of books except for history and biography. Industry experts said that confirms their observation that men tend to prefer nonfiction.

MIssion Statement Generator

Click here.

The end of internet

I have found this when I was surfing the web today...

"You have come to the end of the internet."

How a mobile phone salesman got a contract from a records company

It's unbelievable. A mobile phone salesman from the middle of nowhere got a voice like that. Imagine seeing that in 殘酷一叮!

Super Shuttle + all my photos from NZ again

If you're ever going to New Zealand, I strongly recommend Super Shuttle for airport transfer.

Super Shuttle drivers will pick you up or drop you off at your doorstep, whether it’s home, a hotel or the office. They’ll even help you with your luggage. Super Shuttles operate to and from New Zealand's largest airports 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Super Shuttle keeps fares rock-bottom by picking up or dropping off other air travellers en route to or from the airport.

I have tried its service when I was in New Zealand, and it's great! I highly recommend it.

And since so many people told me, they loved my photos from NZ, here's a list of them if you haven't seen them yet.

Evidence of Chinese "invasion" in Auckland
Auckland Photos
Photos and videos from Waitomo, Rotorua & Taupo!!
Christchurch photos
Dunedin & Taieri Gorge Railway Photos
Photos (Queenstown & Milford Sound)

Shoe Shopping

I have always had trouble to buy shoes of the right size, well, ever since I'm no longer a kid.

First of all, my feet are quite big, AND the two of them are different in size...

I need to wear at least size 38 to fit (which is often the biggest size available here in Hong Kong) and usually my bigger foot cannot fit well into the shoes... or if they do have a bigger pair of shoes, then it's too big for my smaller foot...

I got another broken pair of shoes again (as some of you may notice a few days ago =P), so I went on to shoe shopping for a pair of black shoes that can be worn with dresses...

Is it my problem that I cannot find shoes that fit? The salesperson was SO rude as if it was my own fault. "You wear the shoes for a few more times, it'll feel better." I told her repeatedly I have been fooled numerous times to buy dozens of pairs of shoes that did not fit because of this statement. She didn't seem to be convinced...

I read about this custom made shoe shop on the newspaper a few days ago, wondering if I should go and try it out...

Chinese Medicine Zero

Haven't tasted it yet... wonder if it'll taste as bad as diet coke as compared to real Coke...

Yangtsz River dolphin extinct

A freshwater dolphin found only in China is now "likely to be extinct", a team of scientists has concluded.
The researchers failed to spot any Yangtze river dolphins, also known as baijis, during an extensive six-week survey of the mammals' habitat.
The team, writing in Biology Letters journal, blamed unregulated fishing as the main reason behind their demise.
If confirmed, it would be the first extinction of a large vertebrate for over 50 years...

"The Yangtze river dolphin was a remarkable mammal that separated from all other species over 20 million years ago," Dr Turvey explained.
"This extinction represents the disappearance of a complete branch of the evolutionary tree of life and emphasises that we have yet to take full responsibility in our role as guardians of the planet."

Read the news here on BBC.

"Old Biscuit" TV Commercial Test

你是半個電視廣告迷﹗

你有69分，看來某程度上你是半個電視廣告迷吧！ 你喜歡看電視之餘，也有留心電視節目之間所播放的廣告。得到這樣的分數，也許只是有些不太突出的廣告你沒有留意。沒關係的，這不是你的錯，是廣告商拍攝得不夠吸引罷了！：） 老餅廣告測試

I'm not that old afterall. HAHA!! Or maybe I got too old to be really forgetful now... =P

Working Mood changes

I got this from a friend. =)

Hope every day is Friday ~~


THIS IS YOUR STATE WHEN U COME TO WORK...........



Monday



Tuesday



Wednesday



Thursday



Friday



Last one is ultimate....


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Saturday & Sunday

Cheerful??

It's really weird for me to read my in-training assessment form this time. One of the comments was "cheerful", I'm not just saying this because it's a weird comment for my training purposes.

I've never thought of myself as a cheerful person. Earlier ago, when I was discussing with my friends what I usually do when I am depressed, a friend of mine commented it was difficult to imagine me being depressed.

What??!!

I'm an emotional person, most of the time on the pessimistic side...

It's just funny how people's view on yourself can differ from yours. And friends' view on me as well. HAHA!

Lee Hom Wang

I have never understood why many of my friends love Wang Lee Hom. (Don't throw tomatoes at me.) Ahem... I don't think he's all that good looking and I don't like his songs either. (Though I have to admit I haven't listened to many of his songs.)

I am impressed with the theme for his next CD though. He intended to use his music to promote environmental protection, and he's not just saying it. When the reporter asked him if he tried to use less air conditioning at home as he's so environmentally conscious, he said yes.

I always tried to tell people to be more environmentally friendly, though most of my time my advice seems to be ignored. Hopefully he'll have more success. =)

Ivana Wong