Many writers often develop writer’s block after they have been writing for a while. They found their creativity dries up, could not write even a single sentence. I have been writing blog for almost 3 years, recently I found I have a mild symptom of writer’s block. In some day, I just could not think of anything. I still write TV, anime and book reviews. Writing review is relatively easy, the theme is already there and I just have to write down what I think. Putting a topic to write is the difficult part. Well, it is not that I am less creative, rather hold myself to a have higher standard now. I don’t my writing merely repeating what others say. I want to make my own point of view that is original. The problem is that I seems to start repeating myself. What’s the point of saying the same thing of similar issues many times? Maybe I should shift the emphasis of my writing. Instead of always trying to come up with new ideas, I should be content with my old ideas and focus on refining my writing skill. The same idea can be present in many different ways, some are more efficient and elegant than others. I should explore different style of writing other random scribble. I think I have hit a plateau in my writing skill, in order to have progress, I should learn about more advance writing skills. Now, the question is where can I find those materials.
家好月圓
我原本沒有打算看《家好月圓》﹐我對上輯《溏沁風暴》沒有什麼好印象﹐曾經很努力地嘗試過看﹐結果因為實在太婆媽無聊﹐看了十多集便放棄了。豈不知早幾個星期在家中扭開電視﹐看到了今年無線的視帝視后頒獎禮﹐《家好月圓》的夏雨和米雪稱帝封后﹐於是好奇心推動下﹐便找套《家好月圓》來看看﹐那些老戲倌如何好戲。在沒有十分強烈的動力下﹐終於花個多星期把整套劇集﹐以快速跳播每十五分鐘看一集的速度挨完。若果把劇中的婆媽悶場略過不看﹐無視閒角的旁枝未線故事﹐單看主線發展還算不錯。
上輯《溏沁風暴》收視取得成功﹐大家族爭產的故事開正戲路﹐無線食過番尋味急急開拍第二輯。這輯繼續原班人馬演出﹐我很好奇編劇可以變出什麼新花樣。上次夏雨一屋二妻享齊人之福﹐今次開場時則拋棄糟糠二奶變正印。上次關菊英做二奶米雪做妹﹐今次兩人則互換角色。關菊英的Sa姨依然嘈喧巴閉很煩人﹐她想搞笑但不完全好笑﹐她的戲份我大半跳過不看。上集米雪已經飾演女強人﹐今集紅姨的形象更上一層樓﹐高跟鞋咯咯地嚮很有氣勢。其實我在看《溏沁風暴》時﹐已經奇怪米雪做妹為什麼成世黐著阿姐頭家﹐三個老旦中米雪保養得最好﹐怎看都應該與一家之主夏雨有路才正常﹐今集的人物關係設定正好解釋上集的疑問。與新舊狐狸精相比﹐李司棋好像已經被定形﹐荷媽的角色同大契差不多﹐演出只是恰如其份﹐缺乏新的突破。在今集的眾多角色中﹐最好看是演奶奶的李香琴﹐想不到一把年紀重出江湖﹐亦然不失當年歡樂今宵的風采。
無線劇集百份百翻炒婆媽公式﹐只看劇情簡介和人物關係圖﹐已經可以估到劇情發展十之九八。劇中人物可以隨故事需要﹐由忠變奸再變回好人﹐不需要伏筆不需要理由﹐為求扭橋扭出大團圓結局﹐就是編劇最好的解釋。倒是爭產官司的結果出人意表﹐紅姨辛辛苦苦打贏官司﹐把錢全部留給女兒。豈料女生外向心繫情郎﹐轉個頭把餅舖原銀奉還給Jo爸﹐當作自己迎婜管家仔的嫁粧。以前我常常投設無線長劇的感情關係混亂﹐男女角色隨便對對碰分配﹐每對情侶組合也一定要拍拖。不計當大配角的啞妹和她的路人老公﹐今次三個下一代男角的感情線﹐竟然可以完全不假外求﹐在家族內搭上妹妹或表妹便搞定。雖然扭橋硬說兩對情侶沒有血源關係﹐不過在戲中還是一家人般以哥哥妹妹相稱﹐編劇也不怕意識亂倫教壞人被人投訴。
上集負心郎鮑爸未完場得到領便當的教訓﹐今集世絕賤男Jo爸最後卻財色兼收﹐簡直沒有天理。原本只是身無一文的窮小子﹐搭上餅舖太子女當小老闆。太子女年輕時也頗有姿色啊﹐演年輕荷媽可是港姐冠軍楊思琦。到老婆替她生了六個小孩走晒樣後﹐便搭上風騷的紅姨繼續第二春。紅姨這個二奶沒有敗家﹐反而罕見地能幹替Jo爸打天下﹐把一個舊式餅舖發展成十幾億的大生意﹐對比荷媽十年如一日的餅舖﹐足見Jo爸搭上了富貴榮華的順風車。到紅姨老年色衰被Jo爸嫌棄了﹐他又沒有能力找年輕女孩風流快活﹐於是便打子女的主意﹐想臨老享天倫之樂。荷媽教仔紅姨雖然失敗也叫做有教仔﹐Jo爸這麼多年來什麼也沒有做過﹐仔女肯原諒他考順他﹐天下那有這便宜的事情。紅姨本來對Jo爸好端端﹐若果不是Jo爸想大小通吃﹐才會吃醋瘋了寧可一拍兩散也要執著報仇﹐結局應該要Jo爸妻離子散兼破產才大快人心。
無線以大家族為背景的劇集﹐總是感覺那些家族還未夠班﹐才不過有幾個舖位得幾億身家。反正現實中的豪門恩怨﹐爭幾百億遺產打官司﹐富豪正印髮妻罵戰產私生子新歡﹐二世祖搭上小明星或過氣大美人﹐比無線的公式劇情還好看。若無線再開拍大家族劇集﹐叫編劇不要閉門做車亂編劇情﹐應該向狗仔隊收料求橋﹐改篇真人真事更有噱頭。不如就首先開拍賭王傳奇﹐四個老婆爭寵肯定比二個老婆更好看。
Quest for wisdom
I didn’t take any part time course at SFU this term because I have to adjust my newly wed life and I to work in India for 3 weeks in October. I am going to resume my studies next term. I can only afford to take one course per term, so I am working very very slowly to my philosophy degree. Next term I am taking intermediate ethic theory and political philosophy. The course is in the area of my study interest. I want to prepare myself well equipped to rebuke intellectual attacks from the both end of the political spectrum.
When I went to the bookstore pick up next term’s textbook, I have a habit of browsing textbooks of other courses, to see is there any interesting course I might want to take in the future. I come across many interesting and useful courses outside of the philosophy major. Philosophy is the mother of all subjects, which gives me a good foundation in making connection from knowledge in different fields. But I have to broaden my knowledge outside of philosophy into related areas if I want to survive in battle for the minds.
I observe that many leftists have a social studies background and many right-wingers have a economics background. I often feel kinda dumb when I read the theories quoted from both side to support their claims. Well, I sort of understand the quoted theories, they appears to be quite convincing in their context. However, without more knowledge on related fields, I can’t tell whether the theory really holds up or it is merely an intellectual bluff. I have identified a few other courses to take in the future if I couldn’t find a philosophy course fits my schedule on that term. Here is the list of core courses for my undergrad degree:
PHIL120 – Introduction to Moral Philosophy (done)
PHIL203 – Metaphysics (done)
PHIL220 – Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy (done)
PHIL242 – Philosophy of Art (done)
PHIL280 – Introduction to Existentialism (done)
PHIL300 – Introduction to Philosophy (done)
PHIL144 – Introduction to the Philosophy of Natural and Social Science
PHIL201 – Epistemology
PHIL240 – Philosophy of Religion
PHIL320 – Social and Political Philosophy
PHIL321 – Moral Issues and Theories
PHIL322 – History of Ethics
PHIL341 – Philosophy of Science
PHIL421 – Ethical Theories
SA250 – Introduction to Sociological Theory
SA350 – Classical Sociological Thought
SA351 – Classical Marxist Thought
SA450 – Advanced Sociological Theory
ECON208 – History of Economic Thought
ECON282 – Game Theory
ECON309 – Introduction to Marxian Economics
ECON402 – Advanced Microeconomic Theory
ECON403 – Advanced Macroeconomic Theory
Age difference
People say love should overcome difference in religion, race, age or even gender. There should be no different in religion and race, since those are artificial difference not compatible with modern society. I am always against homosexuals and spent lots of time research into this topic. But I didn’t give much thoughts on the age differences. I found most people accept love relationship with older man and younger woman, even the man is much older. On the other hand, we think older woman and younger man is pretty gross. I am not talking about a merely a few years of insignificant difference. I am talking about real different, probably separate by at least a generation. Older man and younger woman is acceptable in the norm of our society and history. It is easy to understand why a older man wants a younger woman. What puzzles me is why we treat older woman and younger man differently.
When I know a thirty something woman going out with a early twenty boy, my first reflective impression is yuck. I am visualizing a old woman preying on young boys, kinda like how the witches keep themselves forever young in fantasy novels. I can’t rationalize my feeling towards old woman and young boy, technically it should have no difference from old man and young girl, except the gender is reversed. The only reason I can come up with is on reproduction, young girl is fertile but old woman is not. But that is a pretty weak argument, unless I want to condemn all couples choose not to have kids. I definitely won’t go after an old woman, unless she is super rich like “little sweet sweet” and leave her darling boy a fortune worth a few billion dollars.
How Would You Move Mount Fuji – William Poundstone
不知大家有沒有在見工面試時﹐被問智力IQ題的經驗呢﹖我記得以前在大學應徵見習工時﹐真的在面試時被問如何佔計加拿大有多少間油站。據說這個面試考智力是微軟的傳統﹐因為他們只要挑選最聰明的人當員工﹐後來很多科技公司甚至金融銀行也爭相彷效﹐成為最幾年面試模式的一個潮流。不知這個潮流過氣了沒有﹐現在的公司面試時還會不會問IQ題﹐我也有一段日子沒有面試了。《如何搬走富士山》是一本分析這個現像的書﹐而書名則是來自微軟面試的其中一條問題。
這本書從IQ題的歷史開始說起﹐講述史旦福大學的Lewis Treman如何發明測驗智力的方法。不講不知﹐原來IQ題最初是用來診斷弱智兒童的工具﹐Treman把這些考驗抽象思考能力的問題﹐倒過來用來發掘天材﹐並制定我們今天常用的智力測驗標準。正常人的智力以IQ100分為基礎﹐低於80分屬弱智﹐而高於135分則被視為天材。後來智力測驗亦成為學校判斷學生學習水平和軍隊召募士兵時的標法問題。半導體的發明者William Shockly﹐離開Bell Labs自組晶片公司時﹐Treman大力拉攏他在史旦福附近落腳。Shockly本人十分聰明IQ甚高﹐對員工有相同的要求﹐他聘請的員工統統要通過智力測驗。可惜他不善管理之道留不住人材﹐現今半導體工業的大部份創辦人﹐當年也曾在Shockly旗下工作過﹐當中包括Intel的創辦人Gordon Moore。雖然Shockly的公司最後經營不善倒閉了﹐但看重員工智力卻留下來成為矽谷的企業文化。
有不少人質疑面試問智力問題有沒有用﹐本書嘗試從正反兩個角度去解答這個問題。考智力問題並不是要應徵者答得快而準﹐而是希望藉此觀察他們在壓力環境下﹐處理難題的應變能力。很多時候那些難題是沒有劃一的正確答案﹐而是應者展露邏輯推理能力﹐一步步嘗試找出答案的線索﹐就算最後答不到指定答案也沒有關係。很多時間應徵者踏入門口那一剎那﹐給面試者留下的第一個印象﹐已經足以左右他的聘請決定。在面試中考智力問題﹐可以覆核第一個印象是否準確﹐確保不會因一時疏忽而請錯人。當然面試考智力問題﹐可能拒絕一些有材能力員工﹐但站在公司的立場來看﹐最重要是千萬不要請到一個壞員工。若果有好員工不幸成為濫網之魚 ﹐對公司也不是重大的損失﹐反正又不是請不到足夠的人材。可是壞員工易請難送﹐他們甚至可會影響其他員工的習慣﹐蝕食賴以成功的公司文化。
這本書講面試智力問題﹐書中當然羅列不少例子﹐最後一百頁更有所有問題的詳細答案。答案除了例出計算或推理的步驟﹐最重要是指出問題重點﹐以及類似問題的應對方法。每一條智力問題也有特定的考察目標﹐只要想通了那個特定的線索﹐問題就很輕鬆地迎刃而解。有些問題考數理邏輯能力﹐有些問題考跳出框框的思考能力 ﹐有些問題則考能否小心意會題目用字的含義。書中的智力問題分為高低兩個等級﹐不過其實高等級也不是太難。身為Mensa會員的我﹐﹐差不多兩三分鐘就可以解決一題。最難是海盜分金或紅帽綠帽那類題目﹐因為不能用直線思考﹐要用螺旋循環的思考方法﹐推理隱藏在題目中的線索。這本書除了給應徵者答問題的貼士外﹐也有寫給面試者要注要的事項﹐小心不要把問題淪成為吹水亂答或數學習作﹐如何讓智力問題成為面試中有用的評核工具。