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.
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.
Tonight I have a very good game of Chinese checker and of course I won the game. I used to play this game a lot when I was a little kid and I am pretty good at it. There are many different versions of Chinese checker out there. However for those who grown up in Hong Kong, the real Chinese checker must use colored marble pieces and paper board with a Temple of Heaven picture on the box.
I always thought Chinese checker is invented by Chinese, actually the game was invented in German. The rules we use to play is actually not the official rule, it called the fast hopping variation. In the official rule, the pieces can only hop over adjacent pieces. Hhopping long distance symmetrically as long as no other piece is block the way is a Hong Kong only variation.
My winning strategy of Chinese checker is don’t use the greedy algorithm. Many people always look for the longest hop for the next move. I like to setup paths for myself and other players to speed up the game. It is OK for other players to get their pieces into place fast, as long as you are faster then them. I will leave escape route for the player on opposite side, so that he can clear his area for my pieces to move in. I don’t like blocking other players’ path, slowing down the game is not fun. However when it is close to the end of the game, taking down the path is really fun. That would really hinder the progress of other players. In tonight’s game, I place my piece right in the middle of the board, so everyone use it as spring board. When I take move it away after most of my pieces are in place, I really jeopardized other players’ plan. That’s the fun of the game.
零七年放送的動畫「天元突破」﹐可說是把超級機械人推向極限之作。Gainax自福音戰士以來﹐一直也是靠吃老本﹐沒有什麼特出的作單。今次「天元突破」終於吐氣揚眉﹐省靚招牌叫好叫座﹐甚至重拾當年一代經典Gunbuster的雄風。這套作品包含超級系所有王道元素﹐要幾熱血有幾熱血﹐狂派便當猛灑狗血﹐最具主角相最有人氣的角色﹐也可以未到一半就戰死沙場。打鬥跨張到超乎正常人的想像﹐由地球打到上宇宙打到入超空間﹐波士越打越強越巨型﹐連月球也可以拿來變身做超超超巨型機械人﹐總之看得開心過癮一味夠爽。劇中每戰也賭上全人類的命運﹐往往在最後關頭﹐憑著頑強的生存意志戰勝強大對手。讓人看得熱血沸驣﹐不禁為主角永不放棄的精神動容。不過看這動畫前先要把空想科學教室丟在一旁﹐千萬不要試圖把內容合理化﹐不然肯定會抓狂兼口吐白沬。
不要以為超級系動畫﹐就一定是公式化地每週一怪。 過份跨張違反常理的機械人﹐只不過是吸引觀眾的劇情道具﹐主線是很傳統主人翁的成長故事。說起來男主角西門從第一集對結局的成長經歷﹐很有古希臘史詩的文學風格﹐經歷了人生四個不同階段﹐最後找到了生命的意義。最初西門是典型弱氣男﹐仰慕強氣熱血的卡米拉﹐老是站在他身後當跟班。到卡米拉死後﹐西門立志要取代卡米拉﹐要完成他的遺願﹐凡事也會代入卡米拉的思考去考慮決定。到了打倒螺旋王後﹐西門當上新世界的元首﹐他慢慢走出卡米拉的陰影﹐開始找尋自己生存目標。到打上大空後﹐西門已經確定自己的方向﹐要為人類衡破未來無限的可能性﹐打倒局限人類發展的反螺旋族。
除了主角西門外﹐這動畫還有很多成功的角色。故事不到四分一就退場的第二男主角卡米拉 ﹐雖然熱血白痴到很煩人﹐但絕對是故事最重要的人物﹐他的性格決定了大紅蓮團日後發展方向﹐創造出一個連一個的打不死希望奇蹟。女主角優子非常萌﹐熱爆三點式配狙擊槍﹐可愛骷髏頭飾令她萌上萌。不過正如所有熱血動畫一樣﹐女主角一般都是大花瓶﹐或作刺激男主角爆氣的火藥引。優子在後半部有自己一集故事﹐已經算是戲份很多特別厚待。另一個女角西門女友妮婭﹐只有被壞人綁走扮公主喊救命的戲份﹐也不知算不算有當女主角的資格。戲中優子對卡米拉的愛情著默不多﹐她所愛的兩個男人也先後送死﹐優子的愛情運認真命苦。唯一美中不足是優子與西門的互動不夠﹐若果能描寫為葛城里美與碇真二的關係﹐西門的成長故事會更加完整。
只要故事舖排伏線得宜﹐熱血動畫也可以很深刻感人。當中最令我感動的情節﹐是優子從西門與卡米拉口中﹐分別聽到他們從前有被困在地底經歷的兩個版本。西門把能夠逃出生天﹐歸功卡米拉不斷鼓勵永不放棄的精神。反過來卡米拉很清楚自己只是得把口﹐他認定西門沉實堅持到底﹐才是能夠逃出生天的原因。西門一直在追隨卡米拉的腳步﹐原來卡米拉只不過是面鏡子﹐把西門內心的想法反映照出來。西門並不是真想成為卡米拉的替身﹐他只是用卡米拉為藉口作自己行事的源動力。後來西門在戰鬥中建立起自信心﹐領悟出力量其實源自內心﹐就不用再借助卡米拉的精神去支持自己的理念了。
「天元突破」也許跨張失實 ﹐但如果減去超級機械人﹐其實是很傳統正宗科幻小說的題材。外星人害怕人類進化的無限可能性﹐把人類囚禁在地球上﹐剝奪人類上太空的未來。正因為人類擁有進化的頑強生命力﹐基因變化適應環境﹐人類一次又一次挑戰衡出太空的禁忌。寧可當隻可以自由飛翔的鳥兒﹐也不要呆在地上委屈求存。動畫中所講的螺旋力量﹐其實比喻基因雙螺旋體DNA。最有趣是第二十三集﹐基佬科學家為大紅連團眾人用進化論講解螺旋力量﹐悶得全部人呵欠連天。不過他一換個角度去講﹐進化的力量就是求生意志與愛情﹐全部人立即精神百倍一點就明。
我一向不好超級系動畫﹐不過「天元突破」實在是太成功太好看﹐連我這個真實系支持者﹐也不禁豎起姆指大讚特讚﹐大慨沒有男生會不愛看這齣動畫吧。
I took this funny picture today. There is a pigeon sitting on each letter of the sign.
