I think I have the potential to be an economist, I think I am as cheap as them. Next time when my wife complains about me being cheap, I can tell her I am just concern about economy efficient.
All posts by hevangel
Beginning of the ski season
The skiing season is pretty short this year due to the Olympic. The Sea to Sky Highway is closed during the games for normal traffic and hotels in Whistler will be ridiculously expensive. That means I have to use up most of all my ski passes before the Olympic in February.
Today is my second skiing day in season. I feel much better than my skiing first day before Christmas. Last time I sign up for lesson and I am so out of shape that the instructor bump me down from level 6 to level 5. I am getting a bit better today, plus we have really great snow, a very powder day. Skiing on powder snow is very different from skiing on groomed runs. If you don’t go fast enough, your ski will sink. I got trapped twice today in knee deep snow, digging myself out is pretty exhausting. You also have to lean a bit more backward on powder snow, or your ski tip will catch the snow and make you fall.
A few years ago, when I took my instructor class, I was told I lean too much backward. Since then I consciously try to lean more forward. This time, the instructor told me I am leaning too much forward, looks like I over correct my stands. It is important to keep your balance even between your ankle and arch. Leaning backward speed you up and makes you lose control. Leaning forward put too much pressure on the ski tip and make it hard to turn.
When I go to Whistler, I always have the noodle bowl and a cup of coke for lunch. Somehow the portion of the noodle bowl seems getting smaller and smaller every year. The cafeteria server only gives you half a bowl of noodle and fill it up with the empty space soup. That portion is definitely not enough to feed a hungry guy had exercised the whole morning. The portion is so small this year that I finally decided I am not going to get rip off the Whistler. I fix the problem myself and get even with them. I simply ordered two bowls and merge the noodles before checking out at the cashier. Now I get a full bowl of noodle, as shown in the advertisement, instead a pathetic half empty noodle bowl.
Tongue twisters
I always thought Chinese is the most difficult language to learn with its tonic pronunciation and different writing system than European languages. It turns out the grammar rules of the most difficult language is way more complicate than Chinese. I am a believer of universal language theory, why the world need so many languages. It would be a lot more convenient if everyone speaks the same tongue. But, I may revise my position after I take philosophy of language.
我的2009年終報告
證卷交易所規定所有上市公司﹐必定要預備一份年終報告﹐總結過去一年的成績﹐夠測未來一年的動向。若果我是一個上市公司﹐我會這樣寫我的年終報告。
工作上今年較去年有記錄良好增長﹐前年差點以為所屬部門要解散﹐怎料大難不死必有後福﹐今年下半年開始大量增聘人手﹐每個星期也要面試請人。我把手下的高級印度工程師﹐掉換做加拿大新丁工程師﹐很高興是正確的決定。雖然訓練新人要勞心勞力﹐但始終自己人做事比較可靠。另一個副產品的收獲﹐是去年印度吃了三個月咖喱﹐今年只用去三個星期。相比其實手下全部是印度人的同事﹐我每星期只需要和印度開一晚電話會議﹐算是很好的工作生活平衡。寄望明年部門業績和人頭﹐一直會持續高速增長﹐可以升職加人工。
持續進修上今年比去年勤力﹐去年只讀了一科﹐今年讀了二科﹐不過還未達到每個學期讀一科的目標。明年第一個學期要先專心考PMP試﹐第二和第三個學期才重捨書包讀哲學。可惜去年設下的其他進修目標﹐完全交白卷一項也沒有做﹐今年一定要考二級滑雪教練牌﹐獵牌和IPSC牌。射擊技術進度也未如理想﹐未能按目標每星期練習。經過一年多的努力﹐長槍試過能射出一百環滿分的最好成績﹐不過水準不太穩定。短槍技術進度一般﹐扣板時手指的動作不夠清脆﹐影響彈道瞄準的方向。飛靶技術則完全荒廢生疏﹐不記得有沒有拿過枝870出來。今年買了臺單輪單車﹐原來是打算學識後用來陪老婆跑步﹐現在還未能做沒有扶手下也不跌下來。可惜入冬後天氣轉涼經常下雨﹐只好等夏天到來才繼續練習。因為買了新的關係﹐明年我報讀了木工班﹐學識後可以自己做簡單家居維修。
娛樂上去年我看得太多電影﹐電視和動畫﹐沒有把時間用來看書。今年讀了二十二本書﹐比去年多了七本。今年看了十二套動畫﹐比去年下跌了五套。今年看了二十八套電影﹐去年看了四十套。今年只看了三套電視劇﹐去年看了五套。沒有營養的電視劇跌幅最大﹐明年希望能保持這個趨勢﹐花多些時間看書就對了。今年還有些重要電影未有時間看﹐如果明年能有多些時間看電影﹐保持在四十套右左就最理想了。今年發表很少網上評論文章﹐後半年甚至完全不曾發一文。不想寫沒有資料搜集和理論分析的吹水文﹐可是又不能騰出時間思考和寫作﹐結果積存了很多時事評論的文稿﹐只寫下主要點子卻久缺有力的推論支持。明年希望這個情況能夠有所改善﹐盡量每個月發表一篇有水準的評論文章。
總括一句﹐想做的事太多可用的時間太少﹐而且有很多時間被無無聊聊地浪費掉。新一年新開始﹐明年要善用時間﹐方能達成最多的目標。
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 美食風球/食破天驚
電腦動畫電影一向是迪士尼Pixar的天下﹐雖然Dreamworks偶有佳作﹐始終不能威脅Pixar的龍頭地位。新力的電腦動畫很遲才起步﹐畫面的質素明顯與Pixar有一段距離。新力頭幾套動畫電影主攻兒童市場﹐太過幼稚趕走不少成年觀眾。這套「美食風球」改篇自Judi Barrett家傳戶喻的童話故事﹐原著基本上沒有任何故事﹐這次電影版借用原著美食從天降下的點子﹐加入原創角色和橋段填滿九十分鐘的電影。
故事十分簡單直線發展﹐主角天才科學家發明了一機神奇的機器﹐可以把雨水變成食物﹐讓天空下降不同的美食。天降美食看似是偉大的發明﹐解決了小島的糧物問題。可是市民沒有節制地點菜﹐導致美食機器暴走產生破壞力強勁的美食風暴﹐反常氣候還席捲全球﹐天降巨型食物破壞世界著名地標。主角與天氣小姐攜手合作﹐衝進風球中心關掉美食機器。
很多動畫電影只適合兒童觀看﹐大人可會悶得睡著覺﹐苦了陪小朋友入場家長。一套好的動畫卡通﹐要有不同層次的表達﹐小朋友看見滑稽場面哈哈笑﹐大人看懂畫面弦外之音會心微笑。小朋友看見沙甸魚遊樂場﹐熱狗漢堡飽重天而降﹐下雪變成下雪榚雪﹐還可以玩雪榚雪球大戰﹐故然感到得意有趣。這套動畫還惡搞了很多災難片﹐也有很多幽默扺死的單句笑話。預告片中的意大利粉龍捲風﹐從天而降的肉丸殞石﹐籤語預言閣下將會被壓扁的巨型幸運餅﹐巴黎鐵塔變成巨型串燒﹐還有抄襲異形的食人燒雞﹐讓家長從另一個角度去享受這套電影。
潮流興寓教育於娛樂﹐彷彿什麼大電影也要說教趕時麾。這套電影的主旋律很明顯﹐小島眾人貪得無厭﹐結果最後自食惡果。故事還有兩個不著眼但更加重要的教訓。天才科學發明了有用的新機器﹐卻完全不知道新機器能帶來的後果﹐完全違反科學家專業操守。他發明了可著不可脫的噴油鞋﹐怎麼會這樣笨拿自己當白老鼠﹐長大後過了這麼多年還學不精。現實中任何新發明不可能這樣亂來﹐必定要有很多安全裝置防止意外發生。
女主角小時候夢想當科學家﹐可是給其他女孩子笑她書蟲排擠她﹐結果她只能做天氣小姐當花瓶。直至遇到欣賞她的男主角和天氣危機出現﹐她才回復聰明的本性去應付問題。香港的情況還好些﹐不知何解北美的女孩子﹐重是很輕視數學和科學。女生選擇靠頭腦不靠美貌﹐雖然在事業上能做到與男性同樣成功﹐不過在感情上總是有無型的壓力﹐很少男生懂得欣賞她們。男主角對天氣小姐一見鐘情是因為外表﹐更加喜歡她很有頭腦此乃後話。天氣小姐也發牢騷說﹐她的頭腦嚇跑了很多男人﹐只有像男主角般的怪人才會喜歡她。電影某程度上很反映現實﹐或許小朋友被電影潛移默化﹐小男孩長大成會懂欣賞女生的頭腦的怪人。