Tonight is the last class for my badminton lessons. Over the 8 weeks course, I found my badminton skill has improved alot. I have been playing badminton for years but never learn the proper technics. I have signed up with the beginner class, although the name is a bit embrassing but it suits my level. I start learning the very basic of badminton, the focus of the beginner class is only foot work. The coach is trying to help us build up our body memory so when the birdie comes, we would at once know where to move and position myself to return the serve. Now, I stay in balance more often in the game and my speed has improved a little bit. The most useful thing I learnt is linking my moves, after I return the birdie, I can prepare for the next return. I have signed up for 8 more lessons starting next week. In the up coming intermediate class, I will learn more about racquet control, so that I can hit the birdie to wherever I want it to go.
Yearly Archives: 2007
Pumpkin Scissors 帝國陸軍情報部第三課
不要被這動畫那個甚有氣勢的名字騙了﹐「南瓜剪刀」並不是一套緊張刺激的軍事類動畫﹐反而是碗充滿溫馨人情味的心靈雞湯。時空設定在一個很歐陸風情的虛構國家﹐長年累月的戰爭剛剛結束﹐隨之而來是動蕩不安的和平時代。人民飽受戰火催殘民不聊生﹐軍方於是成立軍情三課「南瓜剪刀」統籌戰後重建的工作。第三課說穿了只是一個無權無勢的小部門﹐救災的工作僅限於派糧修路疏導難民﹐實際上只是軍隊用來裝飾門面的宣傳工具。雖然第三課不被軍方重視﹐但「南瓜剪刀」的隊員仍堅守他們的信念﹐希望他們的救緩工作像利剪一樣﹐剪開像南瓜皮層層不斷的貪官污吏﹐幫助有需社會上有需要的弱勢社群。人物描寫是這套動畫的靈魂﹐每個隊員來到第三課的理由不盡相同﹐隨著劇情發展透露每個人背後的故事﹐交織出對社會上不公義的控訴﹐亦展現人類在困難中不放棄追求建設理想世界的希望。
男主角Randel的身世是一個謎﹐戰時隸屬第九課實驗部隊﹐戰後失業因機緣巧合而加入第三課。他身高六尺滿面疤痕﹐在令人懼怕的軀殼裏面﹐擁有著一顆善良仁慈的心。可是當他打開掛在腰間的藍燈時﹐他會變成不怕死只懂前進殺敵的喪屍。他說話不多﹐看起來甚至有點兒呆笨﹐只懂一味傻笑﹐故事中他踏上重拾自我的旅程。在救緩工作中他見盡世態炎涼﹐懷疑第三課存在的意義﹐對著無窮無盡的窮人﹐救緩工作只杯水車薪﹐根本幫助不了他們。隨著第三課隊員出生入死﹐他慢慢走出戰時的陰影﹐感受到第三課改變社會的決心﹐這個使命給與第三課和他生存的意義。
女主角Alice是擁有王位承繼權的貴族公主﹐雖然官階只是少尉﹐她是第三課實際上和精神上的領導者。第三課是因為她要改革社會重建國家的理念而存在。她走的是仁者之路﹐要貫徹心目中那套社會公義準則﹐寧願犧牲自己身為貴旅的榮華富貴﹐呆在軍隊當沒有回報的救災工作。不過她的家人並不理解她﹐認為她在軍隊工作只是小孩子玩意﹐常常想逼她結婚嫁人當個平凡貴族婦人。她是一個典型的理想主義者﹐很多時候她的想法與群眾抽離﹐只是一廂情願自己做好事﹐被她幫了的人不單不感激她﹐還對她高高在上的施捨產生反感。她認為體恤平民是貴族的責任﹐社會問題的主要原因是貴族腐敗﹐只要貴族能勤政愛民﹐百姓就可以安居樂業。沒錯她的出發點是善意﹐可是因為她的出身背景關係﹐她始終跳不出階級化的思想框框﹐她不能理解貴族的存在本身﹐就是社會不公義的根源﹐這是制度上的結構性問題。
故事除了集中在男女主角外﹐第三課中每個隊員也佔有不少篇幅。Machs是士官學校的高材生﹐因為告發軍隊內的貪污得罪上級﹐給調任第三課投置閒散。Oreld是小流民出世﹐加入軍隊不過混口飯吃﹐在第三課的眾人中﹐他最能感受到窮苦百姓的辛酸。這二人一文一武﹐解決了很多第三課的疑難雜症。透過他們的短篇故事作出側面描寫﹐立體地呈現帝國首都內生活狀況﹐以及戰爭為人民帶來的創傷。束起小孖辮的Stekkin是第三課另一女性隊員﹐她主要處理文書工作和茶水﹐不用外出應付危險任務。她樣子可愛笑話百出﹐為第三課帶來不少歡樂。第三課名義上的長官是Hunks隊長﹐他每天只是坐在桌前休哉遊哉地咬著煙斗看報紙。但不要少看他的聰明才智﹐暗地裏他替Alice擺平了來自很多軍隊內的攻擊。他的角色讓人想起「機動警察」裏特車二課的隊長剃刀後滕﹐同樣也是大智若愚的厲害人物。
總共二十四話的「南瓜剪刀」 故事性不強﹐很多話數花在塑造劇中人物的性格上﹐到完場時兩條主線還沒有多大進展。觀眾不清楚第九課實驗部隊的秘密﹐亦不知道供應先進武器銀車輪組織有什麼陰謀。這動畫應該是套一年長度的作品﹐現在只播了半年就結局﹐大慨主線劇情要等待第二季才會明朗化。不過第二季不知何時才會上映﹐目前還聽不到有製作的消息﹐希望這套動畫可以逃過逢Gonzo社的作品必定爛尾的宿命。這套動畫的畫面質素起伏很大﹐大部份話數的作畫十分出色﹐特別是後半部的鬥劍場面畫得十分細膩﹐兩劍交鋒過招時的微細動作也清脆利落。不過有幾話則作畫崩壞﹐人物面型嚴重走樣﹐甚至構圖比例也出現問題﹐可能這幾集外判給海外動畫公司製作﹐要省錢製作也不應該這樣馬虎啊﹗
Edward Said
Edward Said is one of the intellectuals quoted by the right and the left in cultural issues. His major work orientialism is criticize how the west see other culture only from their own perspective. His thinking is a hallmark for the post-colonial theories and is heavily influenced by post-modernism. I watched his speech The Myth of the Clash of Civilization about his critics on the clash of civilization theme in the post cold war era. Some intellectuals, especially the right wing claim in the next century, the world conflict will be from the clash of civilization, the West, the Confucianism and the Muslim are the three major players fighting for global domination. Edward Said is right that this view is too simplified by categorize people into the we vs them. There is are difference inside a civilization and generalizing everyone within under the umbrella of a single culture is misleading. Moreover, culture and tradition are not static, they are in the constant flux of change. His conclusion and the suggested route seems too naive, everyone just hug each other then we will have world peace. His post-modernism background misleads him to reject there exists universal value. I follow the enlightenment tradition and think different civilization are in difference stage in finding the universal truth. The core of all civilization are the same universal value, on the surface there are different culture preferences service difference taste of the people. The West are not imposing their culture on the Muslims, the more advance culture are just helping the slower culture to ascend into the next stage. Japan is a good example of successful transform, China is following the same path. The conflict is not between the difference of the cultures, rather it is the force holding back all the cultures and the force move them forward.
The video is separated into 5 parts. It is interesting that the first part is watched by over ten thousand people, while the last part is only watch by two thousand people. Looks like most people cannot sit thought a pure intellectual speech on serious topics.
皇后碼頭的共識﹖
去年十二月時﹐政府清拆天星碼頭引起一場小風波﹐數十名反對清拆人士佔據碼頭與警方對峙。最終鬧劇完滿落幕﹐天星碼頭得以順利清拆﹐沒有影響填海工程。天星碼頭沒有什麼歷史意義﹐拆了也不可惜﹐在天星碼頭旁邊的皇后碼頭﹐畢境是歷代港督上任登岸之處﹐有保留下來歷史價值。政府亦從善如流聽取反對聲音﹐提出原件重置皇后碼頭的保育方案。可惜反對清拆人士並不領情﹐誓要爭取原地保留皇后碼頭。他們抗議政府沒有他們達成共識﹐可是政府有可能與非理性的反清拆者達成共識嗎﹖
在一個協商的過程中﹐當雙方利益有衝突時﹐透過討論磋商去達成一個雙方也可接受的方案﹐是為共識。當然由於雙方的開價條件不同﹐雙方也必須要作出某程度上的讓步﹐才可以有達成共識的空間。在皇后碼頭這事件上﹐政府原本的計劃是清拆碼頭﹐現在政府作成本評估﹐考慮反清拆人士的要求後﹐提出修定方案作出善意的讓步﹐希望於愛丁堡廣場重置皇碼頭可以達成共識。反觀反清拆人士那方﹐他們在收到重置方案後﹐沒有好好考慮方案內容可否接受﹐再提出可行的修訂方案﹐反而盲目地堅持他們最初的訴求。試問若一方堅持寸步不讓﹐協商又怎可能達成共識呢﹖再者在這個議題上的協商者也不是只有政府和反清拆者兩方﹐還有支持完全清拆碼頭的發展商和建築界。那麼他們的意見又有沒有被考慮﹐有沒有與他們達成共識呢﹖反清拆者啊﹐請不要用「共識」二字誤導市民﹐你們爭取的不是共識﹐而是政府要完全聽你們的話﹐妄顧其他互方人士意見的徹底勝利。
在政府的重置方案計劃書中﹐ 政府列出不同保留皇后碼頭方案的成本﹐明顯地重置方案是最乎合成本效益﹐亦同時在歷史價值與成本上取得很好的平衡。香港大部份市民和主流傳媒也接納那些數字﹐可是反清拆者死不認輸﹐控訴政府跨大數字來誤導民意﹐要求政府公開內部的估價資料。其實那些估價資料也不是什麼機密文件﹐反對者大可以申請查閱﹐不過我很懷疑他們看不看得懂。跟據以往政府填海工程的開支﹐在重置方案計劃書的數目是可信的。若反對者還是認為有問題﹐大可以委託獨立工程顧問作估價﹐再題出合理的數據。而不是像現在那樣﹐只要政府的計劃不合他們心意﹐就放開嗓子說政府不公。要指控政府跨大成本﹐也至少要告訴市民大約跨大了多少吧。全世界政府的大部份工程預算﹐只會有超支不會有盈餘﹐我倒懷疑目前計劃書中的數目﹐最後夠不夠錢來埋單找數。
皇后碼頭有歷史價值這點是不容置異的﹐ 但是否必須要原地保留才可以保存其歷史價值呢﹖正當反清拆者高呼要政府公開各方案的詳細工程成本﹐去讓市民衡量付出的成本是否值得時。反清拆也該做點功課﹐研究一下各方案對皇后碼頭歷史價值的影響﹐讓市民可以衡量取回的價值是否成正比。現在的重置方案絕對物有所價﹐既能保留皇后碼頭的原貌﹐新址與原址又相距不遠﹐還有涼亭的實際功用。若果原地保留可以保存所有歷史價值﹐完全清拆一件不留則歷史價值灰飛煙滅﹐那覓地重置的歷史價值應該介乎兩者之間吧。反清拆者﹐請告訴市民重置方案會令皇后碼頭損失多少百份比的歷史價值﹐總不是重置與完全清拆沒有分別吧。還有請公開計算歷史價值損失的詳細資料﹐不要甪虛無瓢渺的後現代詞語去跨大損失﹐不然反清拆者與政府也只是一丘之貉﹐為著自己的議題去誤導市民。
最後我認為把皇后碼頭重置在填海後的新海岸﹐讓皇后碼頭繼續其碼頭的功用就最理想﹐可惜看來政府與反清拆者也不會考慮我這個方案呢。
Survived another round of layoff
Today, my company have a massive layoff, 15% of the employee is gone. I have been stressed out for the whole week. Since the beginning of the month, there were rumors about the company is having a layoff plan. The rumour is leaking more and more information out, and we even know the numbers of people to cut last week. It is 180 out of 1200 employees, probably the biggest cut since 2001. My project team has been idling since we finished our project in january. Some of us are working in feasibility work, and myself was on loan to help out another project. Seems like the whole team is the redundant overhead that can be chopped away. I would expect my team have lots of causality, but it term out only the director and one guy is laid off. I guess closing down the remote sites helps save our job. The company still need someone to take over whatever tasks in the remote site. It is cheaper to keep workers in the headquarter than in the remote sites. The productivity of the company drop to the lowest level due to the layoff rumour. I havn’t been doing any real work last week, just waiting for the day to come. Some people can work as usual like nothing is going to happen, probably their brain is built differently, they just couldn’t feel there is something wrong in the atmosphere.