Yearly Archives: 2008

Product Reviews

Liger belt

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Liger belt

I have been wearing the same belt for 13 years.  I bought the belt in the university bookstore in my first year.  It has made of leather and has a small university logo at the end.  Over all these years, the belt witness my growth in waist size.  I am slowly moving from one the belt hole to another closer to the end.  The belt is surprisingly durable and still survive as one piece under my daily abuse.   Although it is pretty much out of shape, the lining in many places are coming out and the leather surface lost of its texture.  The belt is way past its life cycle but I don’t want to throw it away because a belt is very personal item like your wallet.  I use the same belt everyday and I don’t know what belt should I get as replacement, so I keep just using it.  Finally I made up my mind and buy myself a new belt.

My new belt is a Liger belt made by Maxpedition.  It is literally the king of all belts.  It is the strongest belt you can ever found.  The belt can take over 2000 lbs of tensile strength and 300 lbs of hole pull strength.  The belt is made of composite fiber material that looks like leather.  The bucket belt including the hook is cast in one piece using aircraft aluminum.  The belt is so strong that it will never get out of shape and yet it is still flexible enough to wear comfortably.  Cleaning the belt is very easy since the material is abrasion resistant, you can just rinse it in soap and water and let it dry.  It is a perfect match for my 511 tactical pants.  The belt is so low profile that I think it may even goes well with a suit.

If I change my belt every 13 years, the next time I will buy a new belt will be in 2021.  I have confidence in my Liger belt can last until then or even longer.  The belt is pretty much indestructible.  Maybe it is the last belt I ever have to buy.

動漫

東大特訓班 – 三田紀房

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Tokyo University Class 以前小時候看漫畫﹐大人總是愛說看漫畫浪費時間﹐有時間不如溫習功課。「東大特訓班 」這套漫畫﹐終於可以為漫畫大平反﹐現在可以理直氣壯地說﹐看漫畫也可以很有教育意義﹐甚至對讀書考試也有幫助﹗這部漫畫的題材很獨特﹐一個很另類的校園故事。主人翁的目標很簡單﹐沒有愛情沒有甲子園﹐就是考進日本最高學府東京大學。這部漫畫講述兩個籮底橙學生﹐在一個面臨破產危機的學校﹐遇上一個高級流岷教師﹐用一年時間備戰日本公開試﹐挑戰東京大學拯救學校的勵志故事。不要以為講讀書就很悶﹐其實劇情架構很像冒險故事﹐吸引讀者不停追看下去。只不過不是打倒地下迷宮的怪獸﹐而是要克服一個接一個的測驗考試。神兵利器就變成讀書心法﹐武林前輩世外高人則是特訓老師。 過程中一樣有練功升級﹐逐級而上排除萬難面對最終挑戰﹐創造通過東京大學入學試的奇蹟。

這部漫畫的畫功很爛﹐人物時不時嚴重走樣﹐不過這也沒有影響可觀性﹐因為漫畫的精萃在於讀書心法。要教小朋友這些考取好成績的基本道理﹐正經八百地對他們訓話大慨不會入耳﹐改為在漫畫故事中帶出來﹐小朋友就不知不覺間吸收了。漫畫中的讀書心法笵圍廣而博﹐由生活規律到記憶術﹐到中英數文理科讀書竅門﹐到考試答題目的技巧﹐到父母如何教育子女﹐甚至做人的道理也應有盡有。若果能做到漫畫全部的讀書心法﹐考取不失禮人的成績﹐順利入大學絕對不是問題。我在閱讀漫畫時﹐不禁邊看邊檢討以前讀書時的習慣﹐看看與漫畫中教的有多少吻合。大部份讀書心法我也有用﹐不過若果中學時代看到這本漫畫﹐考試就能更加如虎添翼了。有幾個心法我特別喜歡﹐不妨在此和大家分享﹕

  • 讀古文先用白話文來記內容與涵義﹐讀起古文就容易理解多了。
  • 計數學時﹐寫方程式要有美感﹐一來可以幫助思考﹐二來可以增加運數速度。
  • 練習做舊試題的重點﹐是在於瞬間判斷題目的難易種類﹐可以不用思考去感學解題的方向。
  • 不能用螢光筆劃課本﹐劃了也不等於讀識﹐要筆記就應該自己寫﹐最好用記憶樹的方法寫筆記。
  • 考試目標就是取分數﹐不要給困難的題目迷惑﹐先答容易的題目取分﹐答題的時間分配很重要。
  • 考試當天早上不要讀書﹐應該冷靜下來準備輕鬆心情。
  • 發問為什麼這個問題是求取知識的根源﹐會問為什麼讀起書來就自自然然會覺得很有趣味。
  • 讀英文領聽試的秘訣﹐是先要練習講英文﹐而不是本末倒置去練習聽英文。
  • 考試寫錯時﹐不要用像皮擦﹐而是劃線刪掉繼續寫。
  • 不准熬夜﹐考試前一定要有充足睡眠。

漫畫除了讀書心法好看外﹐主角櫻木老師反主流的教育精神﹐更讓我邊看邊激節不已深表讚同。主角的教育理念其實很傳統很王道﹐用現代五花八門教育理念的眼光來看似很落伍。可是最原始最基礎的方法﹐才是最有效的教育方法。漫畫藉著主角與他屬下教師的對話﹐無情地顛覆批判時下潮行的教育理念﹐什麼學生為本﹐快樂校園﹐培養心理素質﹐講通識講夢想﹐教師無私為學生﹐考試無用論﹐發展多元創意﹐注重人文素養等等﹐統統都是假大空的癈話。

考試成績最公平最客觀﹐是最好評核學生的學習指標﹐其他主觀的評核標準純屬多餘。成績好自然其他方面也會好﹐身心平發展是考取高分的先決條件。高分低能一般而言並不存在﹐反而低分低能則腑拾皆是。填鴨式教育最能夠打好學問的基礎﹐要講創意也先要從模妨一步步慢慢開始。不要以為考試制度沒有用﹐考試不要學生記著吸收過知識﹐而是練訓學生自發去追求知識。考試的內容並不是最重要﹐最重要的是準備考試的過程﹐和客觀評分對學生的推動力。

讀書必須講講現實功利主義﹐空談教育理想不切實際。學生不要以為老師會無私奉獻﹐老師與學生應該要互惠互利﹐各取所需才是正確的師生關係。老師不用追求春風化雨感動學生﹐只要專業操守做好本份就已經很好了。學生有心理問題應該他們自己學懂解決﹐決定末來志願入大學選科不是老師的責任。老師的首要責任就是要把學生送上大學﹐讓他們人生賽跑在起步點有優勢。教育不是追求五育四德的虛無幻影﹐而是學習在社會中生存之道﹐把學生的知識與性格好好武裝起﹐讓他們在現實世界中﹐擁有能勝過別人的競爭力﹗

這本漫畫中描述的教育理念﹐很值得讀者細心咀嚼當中意義﹐不要盲目相信社會上所謂的主流教育方法。香港教育改革搞得一鑊泡﹐正是因為與這些傳統教育價值背道而馳。若果負責教育事務的官員有機看這漫畫﹐將會是對他們教育主義一聲當頭棒喝。希望他們重新把焦點放回考試上﹐不要誤墮現代教育理論的陷阱。

Daily Scribble

Bridal Party

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Our wedding is on 08-08-16, so Pat wants us to have 8 bridesmaids and 8 groomsmen, including the maid of honor and the best men.  In our wedding website, we created a page to introduce every one in our wedding party [link].  I am responsible of writing a small paragraph for my groomsmen.  It took me a while to finish writing the short introduction.  I know my groomsmen for many many years, all of them are my old friends.  I am know them so well that I am used to their characters, like wearing comfortable old shoes.  It is seems so nature for us to be good friends.  Ain’t we friends since the beginning of time?  I actually have to think hard to recall how I know them and become good friends in the first place.  Writing the short introduction brings back lots of good memories.

Daily Scribble

Panda Bun

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Panda Bun

Pat bought this very cute panda bun to a pot luck party a few weeks ago.  I just got the photo from my friends and I think it worth postingthe picture.  The panda bun is ordinary milk-yellow bun with panda eye and ears on top.  It taste like ordinary milk-yellow bun, nothing special, but sure it’s cute.

Daily Scribble

Buy! Buy! Sell! Sell!

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Buy! Buy! Sell! Sell!

This is a funny cartoon by KAL on the cover of Economist in 1989.  This cartoon describe how the stock market really works on day to day basis.  In short term, neither technical analysis nor fundamental analysis can predict the movement of a certain stock.  Within a single day, whether a stock goes up or does down depends on a group of irrational brokers.  That’s why small investors can never profit in day trading.  Timing the market is just like gambling in a casino, except the casino may have better odds.