Yearly Archives: 2007

Daily Scribble

Banquet reservation tips

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I just start my banquet shopping, trying to find a right restaurant for my wedding banquet.  Making banquet reservation is not a simple task, there are lots of details I have to pay attention to.  My cousin who married gave me lots of useful tips.  Thanks Lu!  I would like share it with everyone who is planning a wedding.

1. Book early.  Good days are popular.  In order to secure the day of your choice, better start 1 year earlier.

2. Fix the menu and lock the price.  Restaurants tend to increase their price every year, fix the menu earlier can save you a few bucks.  You can always upgrade the packaged menu.  People tends to pick something between the two most expensive package.  Regardless of which package, the default desert usually sucks.  Sometimes you can change it for something better without extra charge.

3. Watch out for hidden charge.  Some restaurants may charge extra fee for AV equipment rental, cake cutting, opening wine, sauces, chair cover etc.  Usually you can bargain hard to waive all those fee.  One good option to have is bottomless soft drink﹐ It will only cost you a few bucks per table.  Regular price for the soft drink is $1 a glass, your guest can drink you broke.

4.  Write everything down in the contract.  If you don’t have enough table to reserve the whole restaurant, write down which corner you will get in the contact.  So you wedding banquet won’t suddenly placed next to the toilet.  If you order fish, write down it is one big fish in the contact, so you won’t end up with two small fishes.  Write down the when will banquet start, when will it end, how much time you have for clean up in the contract, so you won’t charge over time.  If you want your banquet be more classy, you can ask the waiters to serve individual dish to each guest.  If not specified in contact, the waiter may just put the dish in middle of the table and let everyone fight for the food.  It is less work for the waiters.

5.  Pay wisely.  When you make the reservation, usually you have to put down $1000 deposit.  If something changes, (touch wood) and you have to cancel the wedding, the deposit is non refundable.  The bill is usually paid in 3 installments.  1-2 weeks before the wedding, 3 days before the wedding and on the wedding day.  Always pay in cash, so you can save on tax.  You also have to pay 12-15% tips.  Pay part of the tips to each waiter or waitress in red pocket before the banquet start, so they are more willing to give you a better service.

Daily Scribble

Telus DSL modem

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Telus is making cold call to attract new customers.  They have a promotion deal , 3 months free trail on internet service and TV.  I always want to compare the download speed of DSL vs cable, so I figure that it is no harm to give it a try.  The telephone guy came over to my place and hook up the wire, since I don’t have a phone line install.  He then drop off a DSL modem and let me to setup it up myself.  Somehow the line is not activated, no signal at all, obviously the internet won’t be working.  I am too lazy to call Telus to setup my account, thus the modem is just sitting there.  Today I receive a call from Telus, saying they have technical difficulty to hook up the TV in my apartment building. I have the option to just cancel the service order.  That should me all the troubles on calling their customer service.  Now I am still using my occasionally very slow cable modem, but I end up with an extra brand new DSL modem.  I tried to sell the DSL modem on ebay, but turns out that it virtually worth not even a dime.  The question is what should I do with the extra DSL modem?

政治經濟

評香港政制發展綠皮書

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green paper

看香港政府推出的政制發展綠皮書﹐有點回到大學一年級時﹐讀政治科學入門(Political Science 101)的感覺。當年為應付考試只是囫圇吞棗地死讀﹐大部份課堂學到的內容早已還經教授﹐現在有點書到用時方恨少的感覺。有人會批評這本綠皮書選項瑣碎繁複﹐令市民卻步不去自行研究綠皮書的內容。這本薄薄六十頁的綠皮書絕不難讀﹐我用了一個小時左右就看完了。我認為這本綠皮書寫很十分好﹐對所有可能的政改方案均有詳細中肯的描述﹐沒有偏頗任何一方。政府希望市民達成共識後﹐才把方案呈上中央審批。其實只要市民心水清﹐主力爭取重點議題﹐放棄某些不重要支節的爭拗﹐達成共識不是難事。在各細選項的選擇﹐除了讚成或反對外﹐無所謂也可以是一種表態。

在執藥式地選擇政改方案之前﹐要對政治的架構(framework)有基礎的認識﹐不然只會在普選﹐平等﹐自由﹐安定繁榮﹐中央意向等含糊不清的字眼中迷失方向。政治說穿了只是權力的分配﹐政改方案對香港市民最有利的選擇﹐就是爭取中央盡量給與香港最大的權力。權力是一個零和遊戲﹐香港的權力增加﹐中央的權力則必然減少。換一句話倒轉頭來說﹐對香港市民最有利的方案﹐就是中央保留最少權力的方案。我們可以用遊戲理論(game theory)來分析綠皮書中﹐選出對中央最不利的方案作為共識﹐以作為對中央討價還價的是開價。

綠皮書分特首普選模式﹐立法會的普選模式和路線圖及時間表三大項。很多泛民主派甚至報章的評論﹐也把錯誤重點放在2012或2016上。行軍打仗可以用空間換取時間﹐在普選上則應以時間換取權力。何時有普選故然重要﹐但更加重要是我們得到一個怎麼樣的普選。那些政黨和議員很緊張立法會的普選模式﹐因為那是他們爭奪權力的兵家必爭之地。對於一般香港市民﹐取消功組別已是共識﹐問題只是空出來的三十席如何分配。越簡單的立法會選舉方法﹐對市民越有利﹐因為政黨可以操控的空間越少。我主張一人一票產生全部議席﹐不同政黨按得票取得相應的議席數目﹐讓香港全面實行正式的政黨政治。

特首提名後的普選方式其實不太緊要﹐ 用一輪普選也可以解決過半數認受性的問題。選民在選票上可以填投票的次序﹐若第一志願落選的話﹐票源歸入第二志願如此類推﹐直有一候選人取得過半數票源。這個方法聽起來有點複雜﹐其實香港人早己熟識多重選擇的投票方法﹐這投票方法比中一入學派位和大學聯招還簡單。提名方式上﹐候選人四個或八個﹐十個都沒有所謂﹐兩個就太少了。我主張不設最低門檻或最高上限﹐得到最高提名的那幾個就自動成為候選人。我把提名委員會留到最後才說﹐是因為提名委員會的組成和產生方法﹐才是整個政改方案中﹐重新分配香港與中央權力的關鍵所在。市民不要給綠皮書中的那三個建議定下的框框所限﹐不論多於八百人或少於八百人也好﹐只要提名委員會仍在中央影響下產生﹐香港市民說沒有真正的民主普選。基本法規定一定要有提名委員會﹐那麼就把提名委員會擴大為全香港合資格的選民好了。讓香港市民有提名特首的權力﹐才能實現真正的民主普選。

不過就算提名委員會原地踏步﹐用回第三屈特首選舉的產生方法﹐也不是致命的問題﹐至少袋巾也有足夠提名入場。有一件事在綠皮書中不停強調﹐但沒有給與市民選擇的自由﹐就是基本法規定中央要對當選特首任合的要求。政制方案必須要解答這條問題﹐若果中央不任命當選的特首﹐應該如何處置呢﹖要上一屈特首扺得諗做多任﹐把第二高票數的候選人推上去再試﹐還是中央委派名黨幹部來當特首接管香港呢﹖特首要中央任命不是問題﹐在加拿大澳洲等英聯邦國家﹐民選總理當選後也會由英女王實質任命﹐只是英女王有無論如何也不會不任命的不成文規定。中央任命特首的問題不解決﹐談論什麼的普選模式也是枉然。

香港市民不要給綠皮書定下所謂普選斬件方案牽著鼻子走﹐中央任命特首與提名委員會的產生﹐才是真正的政治權力角力的戰場。

Daily Scribble

PMC Tea Pub

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Since I moved downstairs to the new department, I have acquired a new habit of drinking afternoon tea.  One of my colleague is a big fan of tea.  She has a full set of tea pot, different kinds of tea leafs, herbs, flowers stocked at work.  It used to have a group of tea lovers hang around her cubicle every day for a cup of freshly made tea.  They joked that she is the chairman of the tea lovers’ club.  I was sitting in the different floor back then, I was too lazy to walk downstairs just to have some tea.  As the old gangs left the company, the old tea lover’s club seize to function.  It is too much to brew a big pot of tea just for yourself.  Now, I am just a few cubicles away from her, I took the trouble to boil water, then bug her to prepare the tea every day.  She decided to give the tea lover’s club a new name, and coined “PMC Tea Pub”, which she think is cool.  Membership for the PMC Tea Pub is free, but it is self service, members have to boil the water and pour the tea themselves.  There is a list of ingredient in stocked sticked on the cubicle wall.  Member can specify their taste or just enjoy the daily special made by the owner.  The tea pub is small but growing.  It has 3 members including the owner at the moment.  Drinking nicely brew tea at work is always better than buying generic coffee from Starbucks in the cafe.

電視

大國崛起

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Country Rising 大陸中共官方拍輯的電視節目﹐一向充滿黨宣傳機器的腐陳沉悶味道。去年在十七大前在中央電視台播出的記錄片「大國崛起」﹐卻給人耳目一新的感覺。這節目不單製作精美內容嚴緊﹐雖與外國BBC或PBS記錄片的水準還有一段距離﹐歷史資料大致也上客觀中肯﹐總算觀眾看起來不會反胃嘔心。今年無線慶祝香港回歸十週年﹐七月起播出這套「大國崛起」﹐還請來狄娜小姐配上廣東話。我是看網上下載的原裝國語版﹐無從比較那兩個版本的優劣。有人也許說中央想藉此洗香港人的腦﹐那只是杞人憂天的陰謀論。用平常心去看待「大國崛起」﹐不計明珠台或有線的配音記錄片﹐大慨這是香港近幾年最有教育意義的中文電視節目。只是知識含量高正經八百的節目﹐在幾百萬人追看垃圾肥皂劇「溏心風暴」的香港社會﹐會有市場嗎﹖

「大國崛起」記錄了九國世界級大國崛起的經過。節目內容主要由旁述像大學教授上歷史課般道出來﹐在某些需要權威人士背書的重要觀點﹐則訪問各國的大學教授歷史研究學者。聲音與畫面可以獨立分開來看﹐有些片段似是介紹風光明勝的旅遊特輯﹐有些則似是介紹名畫古董的文化節目﹐有些片段則直接從新聞舊片剪輯出來﹐還有些片段採用很遜的電腦動畫﹐畫面的質素只是勉強合格。這個節目中介紹的歷史資料﹐大慨應該屬於初中西洋史的課程﹐只是當年學習過的知識早已還給老師﹐所以看起來也頗為津津有味。

頭兩集講述西班牙和葡萄牙的航海世紀﹐荷蘭的金融制度最好看﹐因為我最不熟悉這三個早期大國的歷史。法國﹐德國和日本只算是普通大國﹐各佔一集的篇幅。這三個國家崛起的經過雖然各有不同﹐法國是大革命的自由平等博愛思想﹐德國是重視國民教育和鐵血宰相統一國家﹐日本則是務洋運動﹐最終這三個國家也落得戰敗的下場。 英國﹐美國﹐蘇聯這三個超級大國﹐因為太多有歷史資料﹐需要各佔二集的篇幅。偏偏這三個國家的歷史我最熟悉﹐節目中所講的知識早己耳熟能詳﹐所以看起覺得太淺有點興趣缺缺。「大國崛起」在介紹這三個國家時﹐在細微之處還是露出作為共產黨喉舌的馬腳。 在說英美資本主義自由經濟成功時﹐不忘一踩腳說這帶來貧富懸殊的社會問題。在說蘇聯五年計劃的成功時﹐卻對社會上同樣的不公義避重就輕不加以批評。

古語有云﹐以銅為鏡﹐可正衣冠﹐以史為鏡﹐可知興替。不論在中國或海外﹐這節目引起不少政治分析家的留意﹐他們認為從這個節目的主旋律中﹐可以估計中共高層的心意﹐預測中國未來的發展路向。在節目的最後一集﹐總結九個大國崛起的經驗﹐央視旁述所採納的立場﹐與我的個人觀看心得有明顯的差異。重視教育和科學研究這兩項崛起的基本條件﹐當然全人類也不會有異議。旁述引用德國﹐日本﹐蘇聯的經驗﹐強調國家必需要統一﹐用國家力量集中資源調配的重要性。這三個國家有一個共通點﹐都是發展起步較遲的國家﹐集中資源的確可以在短時間內追上其他國家。可是英國﹐美國﹐荷蘭﹐行的是一條截然不同的崛起之路。他們沒有可以追趕妨效的對象﹐崛起全靠制度和科技的創新﹐而創新的果實只能生長在自由的土壤﹐這是中央規劃不能供給的養份。中國短期內以中央雞精去趨谷發展沒有大問題﹐但長遠而言當生產力追上其他國家後﹐若不成功過渡至英美的自由發展模式﹐則可能會步上德日以軍事力量去征服他國的不歸路。