2010年12月17日星期五

Being Happy

To some of my friends I am happy person, or "the sunshine boy" that they described. Well, to some of my other friends, they see a darker side of myself - worry about the future, nostalgic with the 'good old days', failed relationships, the urge to achieve something before I hit 30, etc.. I suffered a really hard time when I first came back to Beijing 3 months ago that I felt I have no friends, and that surprised almost all of my friends.


Well, in contrary, I had a great day yesterday. Don't ask me why because I don't know. To investigate into this myself today I think I have done some of the things that mentioned below, the five ways to happiness:

1/ connect
2/ be active
3/ take notice
4/ keep learning
5/ give


There are subtitles for 15 languages so don't worry about whatever language the speaker uses.

I strongly recommend anyone to spend some time seeing some of the videos that interests them most. Guaranteed to be more interesting then soap operas.

And another great video also about happiness, that I want to share to some of my unhappiest friends:

2010年12月8日星期三

Recent Obsession - December 2010

Since I have withdrawn from my full-time job, I am now working on my own terms, "Buying back my own time", this is how I like to call it. To pave way starting my own business, I have done quite a few things that I am rather proud with, such as renting a nice apartment which is capable for some SOHO lifestyle, taking enough rest by sleeping REALLY early (I mean 10pm here) and going for exercises almost once every two days.

I must admit I am not spending 100% of my time on work besides doing all the stuff mentioned above, and that goes to my different kinds of obsessions. Well, according to George Carlin (Legendary standup comedian. If you don't know who he is, link here): "Hobbies costs money but interests are free", but for obsession, I think it costs more than money - like your precious time and energy which might not lead to anything useful in life. There are many obsessions since I was born, playing lego for instances, has lasted for many years. Some might lasted as short as only a few days but why I still call it an obsession because during that period I am totally submerged in it.

So... recently I am obsessed with cleaning up my itunes music library.

which includes:

Cleaning up all the gibberish caused by different language encodings;
Search for the album arts for almost ALL of my songs (!!);

In order to do that meaning I also have the accurate artist names and album names, then I try to find the album year by wikipedia as well.

YES. I know some might say I have OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) but honestly I think it is the other name of perfectionism which I am feel rather happy to be labeled this way which make me a little more like to the great designers, artists or musicians.

In fact is is a very rewarding experience when I relook at most of my music collection and dig out relative information - "Oh that song was on billboard top 100 for many weeks!" "Oh this song was inspired by that!".. I am happy that I have done all these.

Also one bonus thing that really pleased me is that for the longest period of time (since my harddisk crashed and ipod stolen back in 2005) I was very displeased that my most listened music in the library was "冬令時間" By Twins.. I have to admit I think it is a nice song but I really don't know how to face my friends with his.. haha...

"There should be tons of other songs that should rank higher!" I told myself, and until now I know it was because there were duplicates in the library! The ranking now make much better sense now with some of my favorites appearing back in the top ten:



2010年11月20日星期六

音樂分享

早日有一位友人分享了一首音樂給我

Tizzy Bac - You'll See
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/ItKqqC8nzx8/

她用“流麗的鋼琴”去介紹這首歌。的確,一聽下去就給鋼琴吸引住了。心裡想著“這鋼琴真好聽,多聽一下”的又一再倒帶重聽。

漸漸注意到vocal和其他細節,感受到一種都市的節奏,是一種來不及難過的快速⋯⋯ 一陣風過去之後只剩下無奈⋯⋯






⋯⋯ 原來是一首傷心歌啊

聽著聽著有一個奇想,覺得在鋼琴solo之後應該可以連 Air Supply 的 "Even the nights are better~"

2010年10月11日星期一

到達可以稱自己為二十幾歲的最後一年。做了一件頗有意義的事情。


家中有一棵鐵樹,是父母在我出世之前開始種的。據說,那時候只有一個拳頭般大 – 三十幾年的光陰讓它達到足以碰到我家的樓頂的高度,過去幾年還以駝著背的艱苦狀況向窗口方向生長。由於過度的往外伸展,有時整個花盆會倒向新樹芽的方向。


和媽媽討論之後,打算把它送給住在廣州的爸爸-他近來在東莞買了一套房子,那裡有一個小花園,鐵樹可以無限制的享受陽光和爸爸的照顧。誰知爸爸在電話裡一口拒絕。


“這麼大的一盆怎麼樣搬過來啊。”


也對,我也想像不到如何從我家把這樣一個龐然大物運到大陸,除非把它斬件吧。同時也不知道要一個離婚男人接收一個有這樣重大意義的生命是不是個好主意。


“把它鋸了吧,幾年前上你家的時候已經有想過這樣做,只是怕你母親不喜歡。”


“甚麼!?”


“嗯。長到差不多就要鋸了,要不然對植物也不好。”


我爸爸這麼多年以來都是在漁農署工作,退休以前每天都在和人以外的生命打交道;加上他從小就在園林田野中長大,在照顧動植物方面在我家有著絕對的權威。


根據他的指示,在兩天之後鐘點女傭扶著鋸子以上的樹冠部份,而我拿著鋸子在樹幹離泥土約半米的地方躊躇。


媽媽工作在外,給她最完美的原因避開參與狗頭鍘劃破三十歲鐵樹喉嚨的一幕。而我則擔當著跟“君子遠庖廚也”背道而馳的崗位。爸爸口中最平常不過的事,怎樣看來都像是劊子手無情地剝奪生命的行為。


“不就像頭髮長了要修剪一樣嗎?”我安慰媽媽的理由在刀口前顯得多麼的軟弱。


像鼓起勇氣打蟑螂一樣,我肩負了我認為是男人應該扛的擔子,大概在沒有人察覺到我的遲疑下開始拉動鋸子。





一分為五,哪個孩子能開枝散葉還是未知之數。

2010年6月13日星期日

奇怪,好奇怪

無意中在無線高清台睇左一套叫手機偵探既特攝片,裡面既劇情講總部既所有人一起叫外賣但係過左好耐都冇送來,於是引起全體鼓噪最後演變為大混亂。這個故事讓我想到當年機動警察有一集基本上一樣既內容。馬上wiki一下,原來手機偵探有一個監督加果集既編劇係押井守,然後機動警察既導演就是押井守!最好笑既係兩個相距20年(一個係88年一個係08年)既故事叫既外賣餐廳都係叫上海亭

不過最奇怪既係... 手機偵探裡面有一個監督助手叫宮崎駿!What!?

2010年1月19日星期二

有感而發

大家請看看一下的video

http://220.170.79.105/html/music/20091123/59067.html

當然,是絕對是一首好歌,很令人感動。但是我想說的是那些錯綜複雜的‘字幕’加起來有一種很搞笑的效果,難以形容。

2010年1月9日星期六

2010年1月8日星期五

007 of 365


007 of 365
Originally uploaded by ::: water :::

I am still working in the office(3:17am now) but somehow I found a gap between stuff and finished this. I hope I can find time to do it every time I OT and continue the challenge!

2010年1月6日星期三

2010年1月3日星期日

003 of 365


003 of 365
Originally uploaded by ::: water :::

Beijing has the biggest snowfall in the recent years. Tomorrow is probably the coldest single day for the past 40 years!

When I see the world covered in thick white snow, I start to realise why swiss design (and also other northern countries) are that clean and simple... the single-minded white eliminates all sharp corners and combines every objects into a simplistic whole.

002 of 365


002 of 365
Originally uploaded by ::: water :::

2010年1月1日星期五

001 of 365


001 of 365
Originally uploaded by ::: water :::

And I am challenging myself with doing some design everyday, for a year. Yes, 365 days consecutively. I will try my best to do it and please show me your support!! :)