Good Bye, Lenin! (2003)

I first knew about this movie when I browsed a blog that I often visit, and later I found it is listed as the 2ndGerman movie one should watch from Lonely Planet – Germany . From Lonely Planet, this film is described as a comedy set around the fall of wall. I partially agree this since I am not sure if it is a comedy, or, a tragedy which is comedy-like. (p.s. just wiki and found it is categorized as tragicomedy there lol, okay, I accept this)

Extracted from Wiki:

“In October 1989, right before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Alex Kerner is living with his mom, Christiane and sister. But when the mother, a loyal party member, sees Alex participating in an anti-communist rally, she falls into a coma and misses the revolution. After she wakes, doctors say any jarring event could make her have a heart attack, meaning the family must go to great lengths to pretend communism still reigns in Berlin.”

I love Germany especially the cultural- history of Berlin so this plot is attractive for me. The movie succeeded in showing the contrast between East and West Germany from the politics belief (way citizens spoke & jargons used), clothing, consumer goods brands etc. Some of the senses are quite crazy for me (who watched black comedy for 1st time), like Alex twisted the history of W. and E. Germany, by using the real news clips and reporting it in another way (LOL…), quite reflective as I realized this may be happening in real life nowadays. Meanwhile, the techniques in movie filming, lighting and editing are interesting too.

If you are interested to know more about Germany’s post WWII history in a huma/cultural way, I would recommend this film as well as The Lives of Others, one of my all-time favourite (and also top one from Lonely Planet list).

我看冠名贊助

較早前我工作的公司冠名贊助了一項本地的盛事，作爲員工，我開始對sponsorship有另一種看法。

最初認識sponsorship是在A-level 的 Business Studies 課上，和之後在大學的 marketing course；與課本 / 課室上，我們都是從公司/ 股東利益出發。例如分析sponsorship的pros and cons 時，好處當然是可以提升公司形象；需要考慮的自然是短期回報。

而當從員工角度思考，往往會關注自身利益。公司舉辦盛事，員工可能寧可把資助的錢分給他們， 如果因活動而增加工作量，又可能會覺得多一事不如小一事。

從公司角度，他們固然想全民同樂，所有員工一起參與其中；如何才做到？

Why Nylonkong?

An acronym of New York City, London, and Hong Kong. First appeared in the January 28, 2008 issue of TIME, and it was highlighted on the cover of TIME's international editions.

"...the extent to which New York City, London, and Hong Kong, three cities linked by a shared economic culture, have come to be both examples and explanations of globalization. ... Understand this network of cities — Nylonkong, we call it — and you understand our time.” ('A Tale Of Three Cities', TIME cover story by Michael Elliott, January 28, 2008.)

Reference: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=nylonkong

我雖然只在一個時區工作，但也能感受到紐倫港的威力 - 當你身在香港，客戶在美國，Client rep 在倫敦，你cover的時區也會變得非常紐倫港 - round the clock coverage 是也。

返工總要在雨天

香港一般上班一族在八號風球、黑色暴雨警告都不用上班，但其實很多人在惡劣天氣下仍要工作，本人身處的行業是其中一個。

根據合約，我們是有權利在風球或暴雨警告取消後兩小時内才回到工作崗位；但打風只是意味香港股票市場關閉，其他亞洲市場還是如常運作，公司所需要的人手不會減少。

於是，雖然留在家中，但大部分的同事都要remote access, 遙距操控公司電腦；更甚者，如情況許可，部分人要冒著狂風暴雨回公司。何謂情況許可？意指地鐵站在你家附近 / 你不是離島居民。

所以，新入職員工第一件事是申請remote access, 以防影響公司正常運作。

至於我，由於我只有一部小小的手提電腦，要應付平常三個monitors處理開的日常任務，真是不太可能；所以地鐵在八號風球仍然行駛，對我來説是莫大福音 (不想挨貴價的士！)。

Reference: http://www.labour.gov.hk/tc/public/pdf/wcp/Rainstorm.pdf

仲夏夜之（惡）夢

仲夏夜之夢 - 這個夢其實已經發生在半年前，但今時今日還是記憶猶新，所以請容我取巧一下，用此為題。

話説，某周一深夜，我夢見自己在公司的desktop, 畫面是一個大大的outlook, 我不停的check email, client 和不同的counterparty 車輪式的send email 給我。印象最深的，是夢境的其中一個client， 在現實是真實存在的，而我要解答的問題，也是非常非常realistic。於是，當下一刻，我嚇醒了。

最要命的，我居然連續三天發同一個夢。

到第四天，我累了，真的不想再發同一個夢。我想旅行，縱使只在夢中。臨睡前，不停想著旅行旅行旅行。

好，終於不再是那個夢。

我夢見自己到了台灣鐵路旅行，坐在木制的蒸汽火車，等待出發前，還有時間買鐵路便當。一邊走回座位，一邊急不及待打開便當品嘗。

一走到自己的座位，坐我旁邊的，居然是兩個交易员! 原來我是跟他們一起出旅行！原來我的便當是買給他們！

我崩潰了。點解，點解第四晚都唔放過我？

頭搖又尾擺飄移境界

工作十多個小時
感覺自己是一個1% battery 的iphone
唯一不同是我不能沒電就關機

終於等到的士
原來司機是拓海粉絲
飄~~移~~
暈到後座那位本已經累倒不行的乘客

變了一部在嘔吐邊緣的iphone。

將進酒

本人不是酒徒，也沒有天分賞酒。可惜在此行，喝酒不但是文化，更是社交禮儀。
而人在江湖，往往有身不由己的時候。

外國高層來港，上市下令，如無充分理由，完成工作後要到drinking session 。
Friday night， 三五同事一起喝一杯，吹水談天。
Networking session / BBQ / 唱K 等等，要喝酒的機會不計其數。

我不喜歡喝酒。
第一，喝酒太貴，而我不懂欣賞，白白浪費金錢。
第二，我好錫身。自己知自己事；知道自己身體不好，就算不用錢，也沒理由人出酒我出命。
第三，我容易醉。即使未至於酒後亂性， 喝醉了失儀/ 亂説話也不好，無謂事後才後悔。

可惜，一旦你喝了第一杯，往後也難有機會脫身。

嗯，剛想了一個藉口，希望加上堅定意志，可以向 (無謂的) 酒說不。