The first BarCamp last year was a great success, finally we’re having the second one this Saturday, 6 September 2008!

Food, drinks and free wifi will be provided. Anyone with something to contribute or with the desire to learn is welcome and invited to join.

Come, speak and learn at BarCamp Hong Kong!

Back from a short 2-day trip to the Sheraton Huizhou Beach Resort with family over the past weekend.

Huizhou is the city where my dad works, so he somehow got to learn about this “new” resort and decided to try it out. Well, it’s really new. So “new” that half of the resort looks like a construction site!

There is no beach, no outdoor pool, no golf course, no tennis court … we couldn’t even go out to the garden because the trees all fell down after the typhoon.

Series of ridiculous things at the resort:

• A small pack of 4-finger Kit Kat in the mini bar in our room is priced at RMB 68!
• RMB 50 per hour for table tennis. Fine, but the table is placed right next to the indoor swimming pool. Imagine picking up the ball from the water after every rally. Additional exercises?
• RMB 400 per hour for mahjong. After negotiations, we got two hours for the same price. But still, this price is outrageous. For the same price, you get dinner included with the mahjong room in HK.
• Only one restaurant (InAzia) was open on Saturday, so we had to put up with the so-called “Fusion” dishes that were tasteless and overpriced (around RMB 150 per head). Luckily I picked a Hainan Chicken Rice.
• The air-conditioning throughout the whole resort was minimal, not sure if it was malfunctioning or they just want to save energy. Feel like a green house every where.
• RMB 680 for a 60-min so-so quality body massage in their Spa.
• RMB 100 per hour for tennis court, plus another RMB 100 for one can of balls (3). Of course I didn’t play, their courts were still filled with cracks and trashes.

Their “official opening” is scheduled for late September. I don’t really know how they could pull this off! At least their team of staff is well-mannered and helpful. Unless they offer me a free stay I wouldn’t consider going there again.

One thing I did enjoy: watching the Olympics on local CCTV channels. Professional commentary from top athletes - less all the nonsense crap we have with TVB/ATV in Hong Kong.

認識我的人都知道我係「夜鬼」一個，我最喜歡半夜三更開工，貪夠靜夠專心。可惜最近都愈來愈少機會有一刻清靜，連睡覺都不能。講出來都覺得很搞笑：隔離單位有對年青夫婦不停吵吵鬧鬧，搞到我要打電話去管理處。

可能佢地以為半夜三四點人人都睡了，就走出來走廊嘈，但係我就正正給他們搔擾。我無興趣聽佢地嘈什麼，但感覺到「火藥味」很重，好擔心會遲早有一日會「出事」。我們這個年代的人鄰里關係冷漠，除非有人嗌火燭或救命，否則多數都抱「多一事不如少一事」的心態。

坦白講，我擔心有「血案」多過有噪音，但又唔知道可以做什麼，難道走出去勸交？這對年青夫婦家裡還有個小孩，我很難想像「出事」起上來會有多嚴重。我記得自己幾歲大時見過父母鬧交，雖然只是斯文的口角之爭，已經嚇得我又喊又失眠，事隔多年都重記得，那種影響可想而知。都係那句：諗得好好好好 … 清楚先好結婚生仔，唔該！

As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.

Steve Job’s commencement speech at Stanford is one of my favourite sources of inspiration, I never got tired of reading it. In terms of finding what I love, I’ve been very fortunate. One of my two passions has turned into a career (creating websites), and another (tennis) has brought a lot of fun and good friends. If I could choose how I die, I would love to die while doing either of these.

Recalling the first day when I found my “true love”, I actually didn’t realize it was something I would love so much. I think the bit “you’ll know when you find it” takes some time to sink in. That length of time varies, definitely not “love at first sight”.

For many years, I still did not believe that I would make websites for a living, or keep playing tennis for life (16 years and counting …). I’ve never stopped questioning myself: Is this what I really love? Have I made the right choice?

The hint from the speech is: It would get better as the years roll on. So I guess the answer is “time will tell”. I’d hope that it applies to relationships too, and I wish I live long enough to see the answer.

I’m at my sister’s house now. She has the new iPhone. Her husband has the new iPhone. Their two teenage children each have a new iPhone. And today they took my other sister to buy her (yep - you guessed it . . .) her very own iPhone.

I’m the only holdout.

From my friend John Schertle via Facebook, August 12th

之前同家人一起報讀潛水班，雖然自己中途退出，但今日都一起出海到西頁。今次都算經典，我帶埋電腦同無線 modem, 躺在甲板上嘗試工作。最後當然是什麼也做不到，我沒有「暈船」已經好好彩！天氣很好，但有時風浪都幾大，水裡的能見度也很低。真的好耐沒試過那麼早起，今晚連奧運的重頭比賽也看不完了 ….

Watched the whole Opening Ceremony on TV with my family tonight. Absolutely mind-blowing.

As Chinese, I’m so grateful that we got the chance to host the Games. Without doubt, I’d be glued to the TV to watch the tennis games and many other interesting events in the next two weeks!

Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2008 shows the art performance of the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games, titled “Beautiful Olympics”, in the National Stadium in Beijing, China. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

年紀大，開始鍾意懷舊。呢輪好掛住以前日日寫中文、講中文的日子。自問中文底子不差，但自從迷上網後，用中文的機會買少見少。上網看的多數係英文、撰寫報告和建議書用英文、電郵用英文、IM用英文、SMS用英文、同九成客開會要用英文，最近公司多了外籍同事，連內部會議都轉了英文 … 最恐佈係，連放工後同朋友消遣時都要用英文！！！

很累，真的很累。外籍的客人／朋友，我不是討厭你們，但我真的很想講多些中文。

Hello from Stanley! After several hours of tennis, basketball, swimming and BBQ, we had a walk around the campus and now playing card games at the North House Hostel. The seafood at BBQ is tasty!

This weekend I will be going back to my mother school St. Stephen’s College with my sister and brother for the Annual Homecoming organized by the Alumni Association. We are all graduates of SSC so it’d be a lot of fun to go back and experience the school life again!

After a dim sum lunch today, we will go swimming and play badminton, followed by BBQ near the Chapel at night. Tomorrow I’d like to have a breakfast at my beloved “Dai Pai Dong” 泗益, and hopefully would be able to exercise more. I’ve never stayed in the hostel in school before so I’m really excited!!