Management consultants needed for asian kids?

Read this article from Time this week, about asian kids having working hours as long as or even longer than grown-ups. Extra tuitions and activities after class, all intended by parents to add value to their children. I was surprised that this article was on Time's front cover as I thought people had been aware of this crazy phenomenon for quite some time already. I guess it's because the issue is getting worse instead of being resolved? Well anyway, two typical goals of the parents are: 1. to nurture leaders of the future ; 2. to increase the chances that their children will have a "better future". My personal view based on people I know, is that a goal lays there clearly visible but unspoken: they genuinely want to feel proud of their kids.

Typically these kids spend their time after school on: tennis, piano(or some kind of musical instrument), golf, painting, maths, english, mandarin, another foreign language, scouts. Now, the richer kids get to go to E.M.B.A. courses where E means "executive", and they're below 6 years old.

See what I had when i was in primary school, I had swimming training 3 times a week, painting once a week, piano once a week, er.....tution forgot how many times a week, tennis...forgot the time. Some of these things extended to early highschool. I had other responsibilities at school too. My schedule was nothing compared to many other richer kids or kids with more ambitious parents, but I did feel that life was hell. Don't think my parents were driven by goal no.1, not sure about the unspoken goal, but definitely they would have wanted me to have a better future. The problem was just that they didn't know that a lot of things i'd done was in no way related to a better future ha.

I think it's true (with exceptions) that if you do better at school you have a higher chance of having a "better future" financially speaking at least. So i can totally understand why parents would pour that much resource to train their kids. What's absurd is only that they don't select the right things to stuff into the little guys! You don't need grade 8 distinction in piano to enter law school. Painting doesn't get you anywhere near banking corporations. Nowadays you use computers and calculators so kummon maths would not be of much help. Golf tho, may be useful? Public speaking too should be useful, but isn't the most importnat thing about public speaking is having some content to express before you consider issues about presentation and confidence? With a life packed as these kids there's no time no source no awareness allowed for thoughts.

Sometimes I want to have a kid of my own and try raising them in my own way so that my kid would be a happy and bright person.....but i realised this is nuts. It basically founds on the same principle with which the abovementioned crazy parents are raising their kids - u just want to project your ideas onto another entity who's under your control. Such a scary idea!

Manners or culture?

Certain things are generally regarded as bad, eg. murder, theft. Others are not so clear. Can you have more than one wife? Certainly yes say the muslims (by the way why stop at 4???). Is eating noisy a good thing? "Why not?" says the Japanese, it means the food is delicious it's a compliment to the cook.

I won't call the audience disrespectful. I'd say, it's culture. Some may consider it a bad culture, subjectively i think so too, but hey, can't blame them right? They weren't even aware that what they did could be regarded as disrespectful. The first time i did it i was bit upset, now? ha predictable la...

At annual dinners, usually, people just eat and chat and no one pays any attention to what you do on the stage. You hear ppl laughing, glasses clinging, chopsticks dropping all sorts of noise and you just go up stage and blend in. It's funny in a way standing on the stage and watching these people. A few years ago i would find these performances worth trying. Now that i've tried i think I've done enough. Not really complaining, i get paid haha it's not that bad. And you get to experience different feelings when you face different audiences. Like, how often do you get the chance to feel completely invisible or absolutely ignorable in front of 500 people? hahaha....that's a strange feeling. It seems that HK ppl are quite used to being in a karoke room and each making noises and paying no attention to what the others are doing...I actually think that's weird.

I did it for wattie this time. =) (and for fun of course ha, great fun to jam songs!)

I don't consider many singers in hk "artists" as they are often called. But they're performers alright. I may dislike their work but hey, I have to say they're very brave and strong to go through all the criticisms and disrespectul or even worse malicious reports with invented facts in the tabloids every time they step onto the stage or just wherever they go. I know you have tabloids everywhere and not all hk ppl are tabloid fans, but to the vast majority of HK ppl: (allow me to be cynical) GET A LIFE and try to show some RESPECT!

I can't blame these people but man, ignoring the host to your function?? It's a bad culture.

Is it so hard to be friends?

Allow me to repeat this universal constant: i'm still without job.

KW came back to hk the past weekend and i'd only knew about it through his diary. Left him a message earlier and got no reply. Am I being fussy and sensitive and is this frustration of mine unnecessary? Absolutely yes to all three. Firstly, 2 days in a year is too short for an insignificant me. Secondly, i didn't have any question for him to reply in my message. As to the third concern, it is apparently frivolous.

Me and bernard, talk when we need to. Don't feel 100% comfortable and will never be. I give up.

Daniel amazingly won the grand prize for the Artwalk lucky draw. 2 free Cathay tickets to anywhere in asia. Nice of him to have included me in his travel plan. But guess where in china Cathay doesn't fly? SHANGHAI. Brilliant. He's thinking about getting a cash prize instead. Don't think it'll work though.

Is it true that men don't often/rarely communicate with their friends? (apart from girlfriends) If yes I can still consider myself friends with KW and ....bernard? Why is it so hard i just want to feel some friendship existing between us......sigh~ But u know what? i'm sure if there's any chance that any of them get to see this blog, they'll just say wtf and have not the slightest idea what i'm talking about.

Will use all reasonable endeavers to preserve and extend our friendship this time. GEES such a difficult task.....

whatever, that's life and get on with it.
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Practised at HKU with Wattie and CS. Sang for 3 hours long time since I last overused my vocal chords. Sore muscles now.

Good luck to myself tomorrow.

Music, is not my life.

Went to the Brazilian Dreams concert. There was a jazz band and they played jazz mix samba music. Absolutely my favourite!!!! Then there was this 4-member multi-talent vocal group New York Voices who sang with perfect harmonies and blending. I went to the concert with Jehan, a new friend from the states who also sang acappella. He has a beautiful tenor voice. Enjoyable night. I feel sorry for muffinman who couldn't make it hahahahahahahah!

Rehearsed twice for the performance with Wattie. His mixing equipment is pretty professional! A song before and after mixing is totally different. Wish I had that skill and the equipment, (seriously need a strong R&B bass for the first song...) but CS reminded me just in time, LAW is what i should focus on. Yes couldn't agree more. Not long ago I discovered there's such a thing as "ambition" inside me. It came well out of time, but nothing comes too late I guess. I believe that if I'd spent the same amount of time, effort and attention to law as I'd spent (have been spending...-_-!) on music, I would have done better. (probably not way better tho....i'm not that smart really...) And I do trust that if I focus totally on my training (BUGGER THAT'S IF I DO FIND ONE!) I would perform well too. Yes i'm just waiting for an opportunity.

Back to music ha. Sorry.
Finished the first song I wrote. If i'm lucky enough I'll have english lyrics for it from a great poet, and the chinese lyrics from my Darling. SinceDarling is such an artist, time is never of the essence. It's not like i'm rushing the music for a production though, so no hurry. I started a second song last night, couldn't help idling and wasting time. This one is faster and also in minor key. I doubt if i can ever write anything in major.

Everyone has different talents, and life is too short to focus on just one. (As such, to boost my ego and false sense of achievement, I have separated singing and composing into two different types of talent. Hahahahahahaha wicked!) Once a get a job I'll plan an intensive course on salsa. (and trading)

I realised that there a too many things about life which I should have learnt but haven't. At times I do feel that I'm deprived in emotional education but I'm ashamed to have felt that way. I know millions of people would dream to have a life like mine. I'm 23 but the my life has been so comfortable and simplistic that I hardly have the exposure and experience which I should have for a 23-year old. Can't help feeling that it's a hindrance to any form of art that I plan to engage in (same for my career la...) I need more "生活體驗".

PS. I finally have an mp3, yes mp3 you heard me right those of you who are using Ipods. I admit that I'm from the stone age. I never requested for one and one of the reasons (apart from gadget phobia) is that I tend to think it's safer to stay alert to sounds of the surroundings when I walk in the streets haha~ actually not only safer but also certain sounds are more thought-provoking and it'd be a pitty to have blocked them out with my earphones. (but the fact is i drift into my own daydreaming/mo liu thoughts too easily so I seldom pay much attention to the surrounding evironment with or without the mp3....)

My Momentary Euphoria

Compared to my long term depression, 2 days is "momentary" and this tint of happiness is euphoria.

Passed the first semester exams yeah!! (subject to second marking....) Called Tanner this morning and his secretary said she had no instructions from her boss so far to commence 3rd round interview. I guess this is good news for the time being. But gees it's MARCH!

Had a "witty" chat online on sunday night, irrespective of the content, it was certainly a skill that one should practise. The speed with which we typed was significantly slowed down apparently because we had to re-re-restructure the sentence and re-re-reformulate the implications before we sent the messages. Ah.....upon further reflection the next day.....should stay alert (but it was fun!!!!)

I'm listening to babyface now, there's this guitar background which reminds me of one of Tony Braxton's songs, the lyrics of which said that she wished she was the guitar her crush was playing.....right i could never comprehend that sentence until last time I went to see this drama History Boys. It was a few weeks ago, I'd wanted to write this down but forgot. Suddenly and luckily remember now. (by the way History Boys was not a particularly well-written story but the presentation was very good and creative, and the cast was definitely talented.) There were two actors who could play the piano and sing really well. They were given a highly challenging task:

to act (with facial expression and gesture and remembering where they stand on the stage), to play the piano (to remember the score and careful not to hit the wrong notes while acting) and to sing (to remmeber the lyrics and not to run pitch while doing everything else).

And one of them did it AT EASE!! (or so he seemed) His fingers had total control of the keyboard and........wao~ don't know how to describe it. It was super super impressive and charming (note: he's not cute) and that one second i really wished that I was the piano he was playing hahahahahaha~

The by-product of my euphoria is that I went shopping today. Bought a coat from Zara. Nice one but it wasn't cheap....

K, title deeds now.

Evil Hormones....

Having got out of bed (and back in several times) for 5 hours, i'm finally awake (momentarily?). Spent triple the time reasonably needed to read 1 conveyancing lecture outline. Found Mike Wil's text book far from helpful. Haven't yet had a glimpse of the tutorial materials tomorrow.

I have no idea where the evil oestrogen came from at this time of the month.

Curse the hormones, including but not limited to oestrogen and testosterones. I reserve the right to curse other hormones.

Actually apart from the hormones, and apart from being declined job offers, life has been fun. Went to Artwalk with Daniel and Jehan and through them, Finn. Interesting people. Met also Lauren who introduced me to Crystal. Crystal forced everyone else to play tennis with her but she didn't know the ball could bounce only once. I feel somewhat lucky not having gone to play but I feel terribly guilty for having dragged Daniel and Jehan into it....

Hormones......how do you know when testosterones are holding a person's brain on trust for that person? or if they've had momentary exclusive license of the whole volume of the head? How do you know if oestrogens have taken adverse possession of your emotion centre? Who has the duty to make requisition?

My oestrogen is doing a lot of damages to me not only in the emotional centre but also in other faculties and internal organs..........chi jor sin.