Kitten 2 - Name to be confirmed....

Now


Before

Kitten 1 - Name to be confirmed....

Now

Before

The guys who I am living with...

Job nightmare

Job refers to the regular activity performed in exchange for payment. According to Aristotle, all paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind. Aristotle also said that “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work” and it is one of the attitude I apply to my working life all the time. I always have a belief that if I can choose a job I love, I will never have to work a day in my life. However, thing always doesn’t happen as we expected.

I am doing something I really don’t like at all. I never expected to be involved into the shitty tasks I am working on. Such shitty are not the duties my employer told me when they gave me the job offer. What I am working is completely different from the work I was told when I signed the 1-year employment contract, while such shitty duties were assigned to me just right before I passed probation. I have a very strong feeling that people around me are taking advantage of the limited employment time which does not give me any bargaining power with the boss(s). Short term contract employees are always the first tier to be exploited in a company.

I will not blame too much if I knew what I expected to do when I accepted the job offer, as it is my choice and I am always responsible to what I have chosen, no matter the outcome is good or not. But the case now is not what I chose, and I feel so powerless during the whole process. Of course, I can choose to resign but the resignation would have so much negative impact to my career in long term. I rejected few offers from other organisations of the industry I am working on when I accepted this offer from current organisation. And there is so few organisations and job vacancy within the industry in Hong Kong. So, it is so hard for me to work in the industry again if I resigned before my contract end normally. So, to certain extend, I am forced to stay as I am so devoted to work on the industry that I am working. My devotion is possibly one of the major sources of my powerlessness in this situation.

My everyday life is just a nightmare for me. This moment seems one of the worst moment in my life too as I have to force myself to do something I dislike without enough incentives. This is something really not in my blood…

(Well, i also feel that the "complain culture" among most Hong Kongers also finds in my blood... +_+)

The way i celebrate my birthday......

.....it was what i did on my b-day in 2007.

http://www.greenpeace.org/china/en/press/release/1129930

Beijing Snapshot: People

1. Preparation for 2008 Olympics ?

2. Tourists in the city


3. Food market

4. Outdoor Hair Salon
5. Herb stall

Beijing Snapshot: The city

1. Old & New

2. Advertisement every where

3. Traffic Control

4. Less bikes than before

5. Local wet market

6. Coke Cola: 2008 Olympic edition

7. Olympic Souvenir on sale

Beijing Snapshot: Tianman Square

It is almost ten years since my last visit to the capital city. The city itself does change enormously, but the landmark Tianman Square seems more or less the same.

Tin Hau Festival @ Lamma Island

《Go Green》: Music & Well-Being

Source: Greenpeace Works

One of the greatest song ever, spreading the environmental message through music!!

Songwriter and music producer Dave Stewart works together with activist group Greenpeace to come up with ways that can promote environmental causes in a rockie way.

Lyrics

What happened to the unborn babies
when their life is left up to maybes
When toxic chemicals are released in the air
and the land and the sea
All the dangerous climate changes
it’s human greed that made this
If it’s not a flood, it’s a drought, tsunamis about
you and I can change it
What happens when the water’s no longer fresh here
we created a dirty mess
Now let’s join hands and hearts
Greenpeace has made the right start
Let’s move now

Go green, Greenpeace
Go green, Greenpeace

Nuclear bombs unlocked
humans beings have run amuck
Thousands dead while laying in bed
I’m asking now can we stop
Life is so precious, every bird that sings
follow the natural course of things
As human beings, within our means
what can we bring
Take charge now, get yourself up
This is home where can you go
Take charge now, get yourself up
This is home where can you go

Go green, Greenpeace
Go green, Greenpeace

Go green, Greenpeace
Go green, Greenpeace

How long can we keep holding on
How long can we keep holding on
How long can we keep holding on
How long can we keep holding on

Go green, Greenpeace
Go green, Greenpeace

Go green, Greenpeace
Go green, Greenpeace

Listen to the music: Greenpeace Works
《Go Green》@ Beijing Midi Festival: Greenpeace China

Today's Snap Shot

Guizhou, China: People

Guizhou, China: Landscape

PR War? Current Food Safety Scandals in Hong Kong

Food Safety is a very hot issue in the city at the moment.

Last Tuesday (2007/01/22), environmental pressure group Greenpeace claimed banned chemicals have been found in samples of mainland strawberries and tangerines being sold in Hong Kong local markets. They campaigned for urgent food safety legislation as well as clear standards for residual pesticides on fruit and veggie. Greenpeace than converged on the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) and dumped buckets of fresh fruit at its front door in order to blast the authorities for being incompetent in halting imports of tainted food products into the territory.

This action was held between 10:30am-11:30am. Around 40 medias attended the actions and the news become the headline news for the mid-day TV and radio news broadcasts. An official response was released by the CFS saying that “the department would not comment on the results of tests carried out by other organizations” and emphasized their test is based on International standard.

Around 3:00pm the same day, CFS suddenly called up all medias that they were going to have a PC at 6:00pm to announce “something”. Information Officer from the CFS did/could not explain details about the PC and just mentioned that they would release something about “fish”. The PC turned out was the CFS said it had received complaints from 14 people who fell ill after consuming oil fish said to have been wrongly labeled as codfish, which the products were bought from the supermarket giant ParknShop. Than, this food scare erupted across the whole city and ParknShop becomes the main target for public impeachment.

If people view these two issue cynically, it can be concluded the CFS uses one food scandal to override another food scandal, than shifting all/part of the public’s target from CFS to ParknShop. Using a scandal to prevail another scandal is an old, simple and direct media/PR strategy, but it does work at most time.

Maybe it is too skeptical and the comment is a bit in hindsight, but the current food scandals is a good demonstration about how the HK authorities to tackle humiliations.



News Links:

Greenpeace in toxic fruit fight

Label mistake revealed in oilfish saga

Hong Kong:Day and Night

Today's Snapshot

Sunset at Victoria Harbor, Hong Kong

Fancy a Green Christmas

Photo Source: Environmental Denfense

A time of goodwill and celebration often accompanies by extra environmental impacts, such as seasonal increases in eating, drinking and spending which results in million tonnes of extra waste with our christmas funs. (PingPad Dec 2005: Hidden Costs of Christmas). Lots environmentalists proposed that a Green Christmas can be even more satisfying than a white one when it means giving and receiving gifts that can help keep the planet healthy long.

There are heaps of way we can make this holiday season helps the world to be a greener place. Says, our gift can be some donations to environemntal NGOs or adopting an animal/ a tree, by donating in the name of our gift recipient who will receive a certificate showing what he or she helped save. Such greenbacks not only bring joy to friends, relatives, but also to our mother nature. Adopting an animal or a tree is a usual practices in western countries (such as Australia you can adopt a shark or the U.S.). But this type of donation is till not common in most Asia countries including Hong Kong.

Other things we can do is to decorate with energy-saving Christmas lights to replace old lights. We can also send an e-card instead of a paper christmas card. If giving holiday cards is necessary, giving a card which is made from recycled paper, and using reusable or recyclable wrapping paper. Choosing gifts that help reduce environmental impacts, durable and not over-packaged (e.g. plants, reusable napkins or reusable shopping bags, educational items). Choose toys that can wind up or use rechargeable batteries.

If everyone can use the Christmas to reconsider about our everyday habits and actions to be more environmentally friendly. I am confident that we can make a huge difference in our future!

More Info: How to have a Green Christmas (Time.com)

Guide to Green Holiday Gift Giving (Environmental News Network)

Decorate with Energy-Saving Christmas Lights (Environmental Denfense)

Cutting down on Christmas waste (WasteOnline.org)