Daily Scribble

The Liberal-NDP-Bloc coup

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Canada has a very weird political system. We just had an election 2 months ago, we elected a minority government and the voters are still happy about the Conservative Prime Minister. Then suddenly the other three losing parties try to form a coalition and take over the government with majority seats in the parliament. The coup has became one of the most talked topics in our office. We all puzzled by this weird three parties coalition. The NDP and Liberals has totally different political platforms and they were criticizing each other like crazy in the past election. Yesterday’s enemies become today’s friends, yet the we have no clue what kind of policy their will bring forth. Just the Liberal and NDP is messy enough, then bring in the Bloc Quebecois can only make it messier. Bloc Quebecois is another weirdo political party does not exist in provinces other than Quebec. They have only one agenda, separation of Quebec from Canada. In the parliament, they don’t care about any policies for national good, all they care about is bringing more beef to Quebec. How can we trust the Bloc with power? We feel like cheated by the coalition, we did not vote for this screwed up government.

If the coalition really want to take the power, maybe they should do it fairly and call for election on a common convincing political platform and let the voters decide. I would rather have a Conservative majority government than another government with the leftist NDP and the separatist Bloc. I don’t mind a minority Liberal government if they can win it on their own power though. On a second though, Canada is still part of the common wealth and still ruled by the Queen. Maybe we should just reinstate full monarchy and ask the Queen to be our head of state with real power. I am sure she is more popular and nicer than all of the political party leaders. I may even go so low that I am willing to accept Prince Charles as our King than having the coalition government.

Daily Scribble

Fruit manual

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Pomegranate

Nowadays, even fruit come with a user manual. I went to grocery shopping at Superstores and come across a weird looking fruit, Pomegranate. It is red in color, in the shape of an onion, looks like a decoration ball on a X’mas tree. I have no idea what it is, how it tastes or even how to eat it. To my surprise, the fruit come with a user manual. The food producer printed a nice pamphlet answering all my questions and place them next to the fruit. From the pamphlet, I know pomegranate suppose to be very healthy, it has lots of antioxidants and Vitamin C. There are illustrations in the pamphlet show me how to eat a pomegranate step by step. You are not actually eating the fruit, you are eating the seeds inside fruit. After you cut open the pomegranate, you have to loose the arils (seeds) from the membrane attached to the skin and then pour the arils through a strainer to remove any remaining liquid. We bought one home, but I don’t know it taste yet. I am waiting for Pat to open a pomegranate. I would never buy one if there is no user manual. I feel more comfortable trying new things if I can read some related information first. Maybe all odd looking fruits in the supermarket should have a user manual too, so I know what to try.

Daily Scribble

Charlie has cancer

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Charlie

Our family dog, Charlie, is 13 years old. Pat grew up with it since a little girl. Charlie is a very adorable golden retriever. Now, it is getting old and it can’t even get up on its own due hip problem. We have to help it getting up by giving it support on the stomach. Pat took it to visit a vet yesterday and did its annual lab test. The results come back today and reveal that it has cancer. We will see whether the insurance cover for the surgery fee. If not, we will just let it live its remaining days peaceful. It is simply cheaper to buy a new dog than fixing the old one. I guess 13 years of life is long enough for a dog. It does not do much everyday, spent most of time sleeping and gets up only for food and its daily walk. To Charlie, everyday is just the repeat of the previous day. Life of a dog seems so meaningless, all it does is eat, sleep, walk, pee and shit. The function of a pet is to give joy and pleasure to its owner. When owning a pet brings more trouble than pleasure, maybe it is time send it to SPCA to end its suffering.

政治經濟

裁員

4 Comments

這幾天接二連三傳出大企業裁員的消息﹐匯豐花旗渣打無線﹐陸續宣報解僱員工削減人手。財政司長曾俊華例牌地站出來說幾句門面話﹐竟然惹來各方批評﹐說他沒有對大企業施壓﹐阻止裁員潮的發生。其實財政司長根本沒有權力做什麼﹐難道叫政府立法禁止企業解僱員工﹐還是向企業承諾包底﹐由庫房代付要削減員工的薪酬。職工盟的李卓人﹐更批評大企業在金融海嘯下裁員﹐是落井下石不負社會責任。可是在金融海嘯的大浪捲過來的時候﹐大企業自己也自身難保﹐若不趁早壯士斷臂緊縮開支﹐到時恐怕己不是落井下石﹐而是大家抱著一齊死了。

大慨是香港回歸後經濟一直向上﹐香港人已經忘記了經濟有起有跌的定律。就算當年SARS也只是短時間的陣痛﹐外圍有利因素保持不變﹐經濟在疫症過後也快速反彈。今次金融海嘯全球國家無一肯免﹐外圍經濟因素大逆轉﹐香港這樣的出口型經濟﹐明年恐怕將會是一個漫長的經濟嚴冬。也許今年企業的業績還有盈利﹐但對明年的預測數字恐怕不怎樂觀了。若到出現赤字時才裁員﹐那已經為時已晚了。在經濟增長時錢很易賺經營很容易﹐到經濟衰退時才出管理顯真功夫。只要企業保持生存空間﹐挨到經濟從谷底反彈時﹐競對手﹐淘弱留強死了大半﹐輕易奪取市場佔有率﹐增長比衰退前更加壯大。當然前題是企業要挨過衰退期﹐沒有倒閉沒有被人收購﹐亦沒有裁員過度削深入骨﹐自癈武功斷絕谷底反彈的競爭力。

今次金融海嘯暫時還未吹到我公司﹐但自出來做事後也經歷過數次裁員﹐幸好每次都大步檻過。最記得第一次裁員時﹐科技泡沬剛剛爆破﹐公司股價在數月內蒸發九成。在大刀砍下來之前﹐我們早已收到裁員的消息﹐人事部開不尋常的週未會議﹐IT部漏夜急召開工﹐只是不知道誰會遭央。我部門的行政主管比較不幸﹐在裁員前一天已收到離職通知。我們下面的員工頓時成為無主孤魂﹐人心惶惶不知會否整個部門給關掉。正式裁員的那天﹐我們如常上班如常無心工作﹐十時收到總裁發來的電郵﹐公台裁員行動開始。我們要安在座位等候命運﹐若要收大信封的話﹐經理會來捉你入去會議室。好像捉越南難民般即捕即解﹐收了信封後由保安送出門口﹐再約個時間回來簽離職文件和搬箱。我四邊座位有三個人給經理捉了去﹐恐怕下一個就輸到我﹐一直挨到午餐時候裁員結束﹐大家同事才出去吃定驚飯﹐有些女同事還驚到哭了出來。

到第二次裁員公司吸收了上次的經驗﹐不再和我們玩恐懼鬥室﹐直接給我們來個爽快了結。裁員電郵在向外發佈消息的同時傳來﹐把所有人叫入不會議室開會。入到會議室時大家也不知會發生什麼事﹐人齊後高層開腔發言說我們全部人都安全﹐被解僱的同事在另一個會議室。這時我們才你眼望我眼﹐看看誰人不幸不在這裏。後來第三四五次裁員﹐大家也漸漸麻木了﹐反正這個年代已經沒有一輩子的工作保障。當經濟好景時外邊高薪挖角跳槽﹐經濟不好時公司裁員削減人手﹐雙方關係不過是一紙合同﹐合則來不合則去﹐沒有什麼責任可言。只要保持個人競爭力﹐被炒了也不用擔心沒有會失業。看上次裁員給解僱的同事﹐有些人很快便找到工作﹐有些人回校進修讀個MBA﹐有些人索性轉行做政府或教書。被裁員也不一定是壞事﹐可以當是一個重新開始的機會。反過來我公司的一些競爭對手﹐衰退初期持著招股時集資不少﹐堅持不裁員希望難關早過﹐結果因為衰退比所有人預期都長﹐錢最終還是燒光了﹐難逃被收購拆骨的命運。當然炒人也不是沒有風險﹐若果衰退比預期的短﹐衰退過後就沒有反彈的實力﹐不能搶佔有利增長的市場位置。

動漫

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion 反逆之魯魯修

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Code Geass 《反逆之魯魯修》絕對是一部話題之作﹐從零七年的第一季開始﹐己經吸引我每個星期忠實地追看。每星期急不及侍下載最新一話﹐看完後馬登入網上討論劇情﹐追看官方公告或路邊小道消息。這部動畫的成功完全出乎意料之外﹐第一季原本在深夜播送。儘管這部是可以賣玩具的機械人動畫﹐但連把動畫當玩具廣告的笨大也懶得推出週邊產品。也許很多觀眾和我一樣﹐對第二季後段劇情嚴重跳線感到失望﹐但無可否認這部動畫打破日本動畫界過分依懶賣座公式的悶局﹐開創一個新鮮少見動畫的類別。

一部好看的動畫與一部成功的動畫的分別﹐在於好看動畫只是複製其他好看動畫的元素﹐而一部成功的動畫﹐除了要好看外還有一些其他動畫所沒有的獨特元素。《反逆之魯魯修》的人物由CLAMP設計﹐兩個男主角帥氣美型得沒有話說﹐配合初段癈棄王子隱身校園生活的輕喜劇﹐吸引女性觀眾的支持﹐擴大機械人動畫主攻男性觀眾的基本盤。一般機械人動畫由主角當機師﹐戰鬥場面不外是轟轟聾聾的熱血打鬥。這部動畫頭幾場作戰﹐主角充當幕後指揮﹐打鬥不再只機械人間純力量的比併﹐而是講求部隊合作性的戰略遊戲。主角魯魯修擁有洗腦能力的魔眼﹐沒錯是金手指大開的主角威能。但第一季黑騎險中求勝的那幾場戰役﹐是機械人動畫中少見奇兵戰術﹐讓觀眾有耳目一新的感覺。可惜是到中段以後編劇腦汁乾塘﹐逃不過機械人動畫的宿命﹐主角還是要依靠機械人的性能﹐找台無敵機械人便可以橫掃天下。

第一季主線開首的設定很宏大﹐有齊史詩式英雄故事的所有元素。有流亡外國的王子要找出母后被弒的真相﹐有原本的好朋友因際遇變成兩雄相遇誓不兩立﹐有主角不擇手段向父皇報仇踏上奸雄之路。除了間中用來緩和氣氛的校園戲外﹐這部作品的劇情去勢凌勵捉緊觀眾情緒。若不理經細心推敲後發現不合理的小毛病﹐這動畫在故事舖排上張力和迫力﹐展現出近年動畫作品罕見劇力萬鈞之勢。主角因為愛人發現身分秘密﹐向她下洗腦指令要她忘記自己很淒美感人。主角與童年好友均立志要改革社會﹐一個走黑道建立革命軍推翻政府﹐一個走白道加入軍隊要從內部改革。兩個不同理念互相衝擊著對方﹐兩人猩猩相惜卻因命運而站在敵對立場。為求讓觀眾估不到劇情發展﹐編劇也很花心思去扭橋埋伏筆。中段魔女CC的舊情人毛出場回復仇﹐當時大部份觀眾都不明白﹐一個出來送死的閒角為什麼可以佔三集戲。到了後段才驚覺那其實是為魔眼失控當伏線﹐讓魯魯修的一句戲言鑄成無可挽救回大錯﹐這一著絕對是編劇的神來之筆。

很可惜編劇第一季時讓人拍案叫絕﹐到了第二季卻令人拍案大罵。第一季意料之外的成功﹐讓笨大落重本全力催谷這套動畫﹐更接手高達空出來的黃金檔期。不知是編劇好大喜功﹐還是本來劇本己經先天不足﹐第一季所有的成功元素﹐在第二季消失得一乾二淨。扭橋高明會讓觀眾有驚喜﹐但不合理地超展開劇情﹐只會讓觀眾丈八金剛摸不著頭腦﹐完全不明白故事到底想說什麼。魯魯修重建黑騎軍力取得獨立﹐幾個月內先中華聯邦奪權﹐再佔領日本反攻大英帝國﹐因劇情需要加快進度不是大問題。當年元祖高達一年戰爭中﹐聯邦重奪地球打到上太空﹐也只是用了幾個月。魯魯修身為大英帝國王子的身份暴露﹐黑騎發現自己成為家族內亂權鬥的棋子﹐讓魯魯修落得眾叛親離的下場﹐雖然尤突但勉強也說得通。到了魯魯修走頭無路索性與朱雀聯手﹐大開魔眼把全國貴族文武百官洗腦﹐座上皇位一統世界﹐倒也是預料中的結局。

可是魔眼的來龍去脈﹐皇帝企圖毀滅世界的大陰謀﹐王兄的理念與魯魯修到底有什麼衝突。算了﹗我投降﹗我承認完全看不明白魯魯修話的謬論﹐前言不對後語亂說一通大講癈話。若果是單純的正邪對決﹐又或者權力薰心報仇雪恨﹐雖然老土也至少有個交待。整套動畫從開場打到完場﹐從一個學生到一統世界的皇帝﹐到頭來卻不知道主角為什麼要戰。是魯魯修要推倒帝國不公義的制度﹐要為妹妹創造一個幸福的未來﹐要弒父為母報仇﹐要奪取皇權拿回應得的東西﹐還是反叛少年只不過對父兄看不順眼﹐觀眾到最後也不知道他一切行動的動機是什麼。若果他是順天命型的時勢造成英雄也算了﹐偏偏他卻滿口看似大條道理﹐但沒有人知道他在說什麼﹐讓整套動畫失去建立所有劇情的基礎。《反逆之魯魯修》本來能成大器﹐可以名留史冊成為經典動畫﹐可惜第二季編劇玩爛了結尾。讓一個有亦正亦邪的魅力﹐可塑性甚高可以交足內心戲去描寫的主角﹐淪為一個痴人說夢的精神分裂者。