dermk4 BLoG

I spent my Sunday afternoon at Starbucks as usual, this time without my reading buddy Mr. Dai. I went there not only because I had nothing better to do, but there was also an urgent need for me to complete the book assigned by Keith our sunday school mentor. The book and the course was about "Profession and Vocation" (召命與工作, please forgive my shitty translation guys), all students are required to submit an essay when the course ends.

The book was okay if I am asked to rate it (altho obviously not in the right position to), somewhat insightful on many issues we encounter daily; however, I think the author has spent too much time murmuring this and that in the book, I found some of his arguments quite pointless, especially at the start.

Today I spent my lunch time with miss Chu, in past weeks I was just being too sensitive, things are all cleared now, no guessing and voice mails anymore, time for the both of us to move on. This is what I call "a sparkle that does not light up a fire"; in our case, it's not a "chase and hide, yes or no" kind of situation, we are not the 19 years old puppies anymore, mutual understanding between us has led to a straight-to-the-point conclusion. Now we are good friends again (doesn't look like I have other choices anyway...right?)

P.S. Thank Hin for posting Ms. L's next magazine clipping for me...

Anthony's blog entry - Ben 哥仔, 特登整俾你睇...(Link removed)

Not that it still matters, but if I tell you I am not interested to know who the hell has done all that to me, I'd be lying big time! Being rich, smart and all that, what more does he need to have any girl he wants at his disposal? That explains the story ...得啖笑, 哈哈..

在我們當中, 有幾個仍記得佐敦道汽車渡輪碼頭? 誠意推薦大家到照片連結看看, 讓時光暫時回到我們成長的 70、80 年代!



相關文章 : 港燦筆記 - [美好回憶] 老香港照片集
照片來源 : HK Golden Forum

In the last month you may have been getting lots of "friend's invitation" emails from sms.ac to your MSN or email address, saying to sign up for free SMS texts from the PC.

It's a scam. Your friend didn't realise that it sends out that email to their entire address book. And if you join, it may inundate you with SMS adverts, for which it charges you US$3.00 per 3 texts, and the free text facility doesn't work on most local networks anyway.

A closer look at SMS.ac on Google reveals that this company asks for your MSN/hotmail account info which (if provided by user) enables them to get hold of your MSN contact lists and respective emails of your friends. So what the heck is a .ac domain anyway? At first sight it reminds me of Cambridge University emails (which ends with *.ac.uk), well obviously the scam has nothing to do with the reputable institution, it's gotta be something else then.

Indeed, .ac is a top level domain of Ascension Island, an island located just south of the equator in the South Atlantic Ocean. According to the official website of its government (http://www.ascension-island.gov.ac/), Ascension Island is a British Overseas Territory which, together with St Helena and Tristan da Cunha, forms a single territorial grouping under the sovereignty of the British Crown. The group of islands is presided over by a single Governor who is resident on St Helena, the Governor is represented on Ascension by the Administrator.

Apple has updated its iPod lineup with a new 30GB iPod photo and a 6GB iPod mini.
The new entry level iPod photo is priced at HK$ 2700, replacing the 4th generation 40GB B/W iPod. Price of the original 4GB mini has obviously been lowered, now $1550.

By expanding its iPod product line to cover the entry level with a $780 512MB iPod Shuffle to the higher-end with its top-of-the-line $3500 60GB iPod Photo, Apple has made sure its dominance in the portable MP3 player market both price-wise and capacity-wise.



For more details: Apple Store Hong Kong

尋晚阿團長 Ken Lam 打黎話團契網頁裡面 D 查經錄音唔 work，睇下，原因似乎係個新 web host 用 Linux 做 server 唔知點解唔識認 *.asx，咁直接指去 asf 囉，問題不大。

搞掂左之後我係度諗, 做乜用 asf 呢... 其中最大原因當然係 Windows media encoder 唔駛錢，事實上當你個網頁 host 係 Windows Server 度，而訪客又全部都係用 Windows 既時候，ASF/WMV 的確係好方便。但係而家越黎越多 web host 行 Linux (你睇下一套 Linux 同一套 Windows Server 價錢上既差別就知點解)，又越黎越多 end user 用 Mac (你睇下 Apple 既股價就知我所言非虛，唔係吹水! 想知點解? 去買部 Mac mini 玩下咪知囉)，好不幸呢兩個平台都唔多俾面 Microsoft，死都唔買佢既專利，咁既情形下條 stream 就形同虛設啦。

所以都係提議用番 mp3 或者 real player 算吧啦。

講開 streaming media，大家可能會發覺我個 blog 加左條 mp3 stream; 我係用最原始既方法 【embed src...】。今日用左首梁詠琪 N 年前既舊歌「一天一天」，不嬲都無幾何聽佢 D 歌，呢首係比較印象深刻既。

百無聊賴在 Friendster 東看西看的時候, click 到別人的 blog 讀到以下的一段, 蠻感人的..
希望那網主別介意我借來一用.

抽屜的祕密 - 張海修著

古訓：

『吃得好，穿得好，不如夫妻同到老。
只要嫁得好，不必嫁得早，晚婚是個寶，幸福甜到老。』

有一對夫妻彼此信任，信箱是分開的，彼此都不過問信件的內容。
妻子平常都鎖著抽屜，他覺得多少有些不尊重。
他想問抽屜的事，似乎有點心胸狹窄。

有時候他會看見許多的幻影，看見她與另一個人，在房間跳舞、聊天、睡覺...。
從結婚開始，抽屜至少鎖了二十年，她，為何要一直鎖著抽屜？難道有甚麼不能公開？
他耐不住心中的激動，想知道抽屜裡到底有些甚麼，
他想：『我沒有甚麼隱瞞她的，打開抽屜應該沒關係吧？』
抽屜打開時，他愣住了，一抽屜都是回信，這些信是他寫給初戀女友被退回的信件，
而且每一封都沒有拆開。他呆了半晌，輕輕的把抽屜關上，並且鎖好。

他從此不再與她提起抽屜的事情，也不再寫信給初戀女友。

每個女人，都必須要有一個男人來疼惜她。
每個男人，都必須要有一個女人來鼓勵他。
有時候，我們總以為自己為對方做了很多，
有時候，在默默的私底下，對方做的比你更多。

把性拆開，就是心靈和生命，
心靈需要互相關懷，
生命更需要被尊重。

∼∼隨遇而安知足就是福∼∼

近日和一位相識多年的好朋友相處上出了點岔子, 其實已經和黎正軒楊智偉等人傾訴過, 但一時之間還是給這事情纏擾著...

筆者按: 事情似乎解決了, 相信只是一場美麗的誤會

九時正收到歐振 fw 過來的靈修資料, 今天的一篇很可愛喲, 讓人看得特別起勁!

2月22日──靈魂的冰淇淋
讀　　經：馬太福音18：1－5
金　　句：「凡自己謙卑像這小孩子的，他在天國裡就是最大的。」（馬太福音18：4）
全年讀經：民數記18－20章

　　有一個父親帶著全家到餐廳用餐。他六歲的兒子在飯前禱告：「謝謝你所賜的食物，要是媽媽能為我們點冰淇淋的話，我會更謝謝你的，阿門。」在笑聲當中，附近有一個婦人憤慨地說；「這個國家真是愈來愈糟糕，連小孩都不會禱告。居然向上帝要冰淇淋！」那小孩無意中聽到這話，立刻落下淚來。這時，一位年長的紳士走到小孩旁邊，對他眨眨眼並且輕輕地對他說：「好可惜，她竟從來不曾向上帝要過冰淇淋。有的時候，一點點的冰淇淋對靈魂是有好處的唷。」
　　
當甜點送來的時候，這個小男孩拿起他的冰淇淋走到那婦人的桌旁，並把它放在她面前，滿面笑容地說：「這個給你。有的時候，冰淇淋可以幫助靈魂。我的靈魂已經感到好多了！」
　　
這個小男孩彰顯出耶穌在馬太福音18章所說的無私的謙卑。當門徒問他：「天國裡誰是最大的？」他說我們必須像小孩一樣的謙卑和信靠（1－4節）。上帝，請你幫助我們學習這個功課，並且在與你的關係上更像小孩子。

上帝，賜給我孩童般的信心，
他們是如此毫無保留地信任，
他們單純、歡喜地相信你的話，
並且從來沒有對你產生懷疑。

信心在存赤子之心的人心中最是閃亮。

正在填寫一份某 airline 的職位申請表 (事先聲明唔係空中少爺), 其中有一題想和大家分享一下, 如下:

「從您的觀點 ，什麼是好的顧客服務 ?」 (請以中文回答本題)

熟悉我的朋友都知道我擅長「老作」，長篇大論地回答以上的問題當然不會難倒我; 真正困難之處在於怎樣保證我的答案言之有物之餘不會顯得「懶 insightful」，以及簡淺易明得來又不流於「行貨」。 咁就考起勒...

我的答案:

「顧客至上」相信是每一位從事服務性行業人士於工作崗位裡的金科玉律，抱著這宗旨去服務客人總錯不了。但當一間機構每天要面對成千上萬至高無上的顧客的時候，成功的顧客服務就不是將顧客奉若神明、有求必應那麼簡單。

當顧客的數目或所提供服務的規模令到取悅所有客人變得不可能的時候，成功的顧客服務乃在於平衡機構本身以及每一位客人的利益。另外，成功的顧客服務需要與時並進，與顧客並肩同行。在給予顧客旅途上貼身照顧的同時，貼心的服務同樣重要，務求令顧客感受到有關機構和他們在結伴走著人生每一步，並予他們信心將事業與家庭的每一段旅程都交給我們代勞。

尋日下午去完教堂百無聊賴同黎正軒去銅鑼灣換電話，差點撞正槍戰，都咪話唔驚! 話說我地由 sogo 沿住軒尼詩道行上渣甸坊然後到波斯富街去 ehouse 換電話兼飲野，今朝睇番原來渣甸坊同波斯富街一帶係個槍手既逃走路線黎，時間上仲要係我地上左去 ehouse 無幾耐，Quinnie Tam 就黎到話樓下封晒路。呼... 好險!

三個無聊人於星期日下午的故事, 黎正軒的版本見於: Anthony's Blog

ps. 可能之前幾天太多姿多彩了，尋日變番個無聊人硬係好似有 D 失落咁.

Tonight I was supposed to have a bible study session on "Psalm 90: A prayer of Moses, the man of God" at fellowship time, but I wasn't able to show up for some kind of a date (well, not really...). I would still like to share with my visitors a link I found on this topic.

http://www.js.emory.edu/BLUMENTHAL/Psalm90.html

Before anyone goes on, I must briefly warn you that I found only the EXPLICATION part relevant, it helps you to understand the passage. But if you decide to read on, please be reminded not to treat the anonymous responses too seriously!

【明報專訊】約10個民間團體組成的「民間關注扶貧聯席」今日將趁扶貧委員會開會前示威，促請政府設立貧窮線，分階段於10年內全面滅貧 ....

http://hk.news.yahoo.com/050217/12/19j8q.html

今天讓我們來談談政治。扶貧/滅貧這兩個名詞近來紅得發紫，幾乎每天我們都在報章、電台、立法會甚至街頭巷尾聽到政客們大談他們的扶貧大計。沒錢買電腦上網算不算貧窮見仁見智，但個人認為有部分組織只是在上演一場政治騷; 扶貧固然有理，但自古哪有滅貧這樣的事? 一個沒有貧窮的烏托邦 (utopia) 當然好，但根本不合乎經濟邏輯。馬克思窮一生之力也想不通、做不到的理想，「民間關注扶貧聯席」卻認為做得到! 我倒有興趣知道這 10 個民間團體到底是什麼人組成的，他們心目中的貧窮線又是否位於太平山中間?

好了, 客觀點讓 ADBI (Asia Development Bank Institute) 和 World Bank 來告訴我們貧窮線該畫在那兒，貧窮又到底是怎樣的一回事吧:

http://www.adbi.org/discussion-paper/2005/01/14.... Poverty Line

今天再來一則關於 blogging 的，內容為常見 blog 平台的市場分析，詳見【elise.com: On the Job - An Overview of the Weblog Tools Market, Update Febuary 2005】。blog 這玩意兒的興起體現了互聯網傳播資訊的威力，日趨發達的資訊科技把日記、學報 (journal) 和線上雜誌給混合了成為今天我們常說的「網誌」(weblog)。請注意 blog 並不等同個人日記 (雖然有很多人把兩者混為一談，但至少本人不認為是)，不然稱之為 online diary 便可以了，犯不著給它一個名字叫 weblog。日記是私人的或是屬於作者身邊一小撮人的，而 blog 卻是一個公開的網上出版平台 (web publishing platform); "Trackback"、"URI"、"del.icio.us"、"ATOM" 以及 "RSS" 等媒體內容傳播技術的急速發展可以證明這一點。

根據 elise.com 的資料，blogspot (blogger.com)、livejournal 及 typepad 等 hosted blog services 佔據了目前最受歡迎 blogging platform 的頭 3 位。而 movable type、b2evolution 及 wordpress 等傳統 DIY blogging platform 則分別有 1-3% 不等的市場佔有率。

Link:【elise.com: On the Job - An Overview of the Weblog Tools Market, Update Febuary 2005】

Captured this from another blogger, a bunch of BS basically but it does tell us where to focus when we blog - ourselves. We do not keep online journals to please anyone, but to be our true selves. Let's keep this in mind and enjoy the art of writing!

1. Blogging for fun ,for yourself, at least at the begining
2. Don't force yourself to blog just for periodical updates.
3. Don't limit your blog to any min. or max. length.
4. Don't blog just for the audience.
5. Don't be afraid of opposing comments.
6. Blogging is to share your thoughts, your opinions, not your "me too".
7. Blogging tools and interfaces are for convenience, not for "Wow! so
fascinating!" The same applies to your site layout.
8. If you don't want someone to read something, never put it on. (Even if he or
she doesn't know you have a blog)
9. Try to remind yourself why you are blogging.
10. Forget the first 9 rules: BLOG FOR YOURSELF!

The iPod Shuffle is out for how many days? 15 maybe? Some guy has already been crazy enough to hook them up on a RAID 0 array on OS X Panther.



http://www.wrightthisway.com/Articles/000154.html