This blog is partly devoted to the sharing of my learning of the English language (my well mastered mother tongue is Chinese and I am not an English teacher) and its *cultures*, partly to the current significant trends in Canada and in the world, and partly to my own random thoughts and little life. I am not religious, but I am somewhat interested in Christianity and Buddhism, among other personal interests. Welcome. And, have a good day.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Ontario's Premier, Dalton McGuinty, prorogued Ontario's parliament.
And that has caused even more criticism against him.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Many youngsters in Montreal are not thrifty.
That life habit will cost them handsomely down the road.
Well, I didn't know that the English word "cereal" can roughly equal to "grain".
Rice, wheat, barley, and rye all belong to the category of cereals. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cereal .
And granola is normally considered to be one type of breakfast cereal.
And granola is normally considered to be one type of breakfast cereal.
Monday, October 22, 2012
If one wants to understand the reasons behind the great concerns of the U.S. over Iran and the Somalian pirates, he must understand the strategically important choke points of Strait of Hormuz, Persian Gulf, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
I saw a U.S. Air Force jacket, which is of the sort that bikers often wear, last night.
The style of that jacket looks good, with Chinese words on the back.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Montreal's mafia mogul, Vito Rizzuto, had been arrested for racketeering, loan sharking, and murder some six years ago, and then was released from a U.S. prison lately.
He had been considered to be the most powerful mafia boss in Canada. And he's returned to Canada.
It has profound consequences on Quebec's society, considering the ongoing police investigation into the close links among Quebec's construction industry, mafia, and some Quebec politicians.
It has profound consequences on Quebec's society, considering the ongoing police investigation into the close links among Quebec's construction industry, mafia, and some Quebec politicians.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Who can mollify the Americans who've seen their prosperity dim?
A president who can create decent-paying jobs.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Well, natural rubber latex is, natural.
But hospitals and people have been running to escape from it to hypoallergenic latex-free alternatives.
See http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/reporter/index.html?ID=4148 .
See http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/reporter/index.html?ID=4148 .
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
I know a widower whose condo got burned down.
How life's misfortunes can hit again and again, especially when one's old.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Heck, a Release the Kraken underwear.
See http://www.jinx.com/p/release_the_kraken_boxer_briefs.html .
What a fantastic adoption of the great meme.
What a fantastic adoption of the great meme.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
It seems that in many Hong Kong movies I've watched over the years, rooftops appear in them often.
Are those scenes a beacon that Hong Kong people crave for hard-to-get space?
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Sunday, October 7, 2012
If to demand bribes is customary in a country, then what sorts of people and businesses want to conduct business in that country?
And do the business clients and average consumers lose in that country? And what do they lose?
Friday, October 5, 2012
Music video - Gangnam style - PSY
With the ascendance of the formidable Samsung, South Korea seems to have soared beyond its peers among the Four Asian Dragons, business-wise, pop-fashion-wise, and pop-culture wise.
Here comes a recent spectacularly popular MV - 江南區 style:
And here's the English translation of its lyrics:
http://www.kpoplyrics.net/psy-gangnam-style-lyrics-english-romanized.html
Here comes a recent spectacularly popular MV - 江南區 style:
And here's the English translation of its lyrics:
http://www.kpoplyrics.net/psy-gangnam-style-lyrics-english-romanized.html
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Thrift is one good characteristic that Chinese descendants are apt to have.
Let's hope the ongoing sweep of spending on credit cards in China won't change that thrift much.
When RIM began to lose the U.S. market, they handed their company to fatalism. It's that straightforward.
No offence, a Blackberry sold in Indonesia does't mean the same thing as a Blackberry sold in the U.S. Not at all.
See http://beforeitsnews.com/science-and-technology/2012/09/dismal-rim-sales-in-us-as-meaningful-number-of-stores-sell-zero-blackberrys-2468960.html .
See http://beforeitsnews.com/science-and-technology/2012/09/dismal-rim-sales-in-us-as-meaningful-number-of-stores-sell-zero-blackberrys-2468960.html .
Monday, October 1, 2012
Many Montrealers choose to amuse themselves with reading books or e-books for some time day in, day out.
That's good. That's much better than the alleged situation in China.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Saturday, September 29, 2012
U.S. Election 2012 has been red hot.
At work is a gigantic democratically political machine. At issue is how much responsibilities belong to the government and how much to the individuals.
Bouts of cyber espionage, allegedly from China, get Western countries to be very concerned.
Canada's intelligence agency, CSIS, has come out and warned the government and the public for several times already.
Country-level politics seems to be very complicated. Much much more complicated than the province-level politics.
Country-level politics seems to be very complicated. Much much more complicated than the province-level politics.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Quiche is a sort of custard pie.
And it's usually considered to be a sub-type of tart.
Delicious. The French have so much culinary know-how.
Delicious. The French have so much culinary know-how.
Barack Obama is a deft politician, isn't he?
And his opponent, Mitt Romney, is a very rich guy who was also born in a rich family, isn't he? See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitt_Romney#Heritage_and_youth .
And see the consequences of the notorious "47 percent" words by Mitt Romney here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/brutal-new-obama-ad-features-mitt-romney-and-the-47-percenters/2012/09/27/8fc96b6c-08b0-11e2-a10c-fa5a255a9258_blog.html?tid=pm_opinions_pop .
Who do you think the middle class people with good sense would vote for? And who do you think the lower middle class Americans would vote for?
Romney has already lost.
And see the consequences of the notorious "47 percent" words by Mitt Romney here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/brutal-new-obama-ad-features-mitt-romney-and-the-47-percenters/2012/09/27/8fc96b6c-08b0-11e2-a10c-fa5a255a9258_blog.html?tid=pm_opinions_pop .
Who do you think the middle class people with good sense would vote for? And who do you think the lower middle class Americans would vote for?
Romney has already lost.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Young high school students who feign that they have done the required readings may be wasting their own time and opportunity to really strive and get immersed in the marvelous worlds created by those chapters and words listed in the required readings.
On the other hand, do the prestigious high schools have to assign so much readings to their students?
Life is short and time, even for young people, is invaluable, I understand.
Life is short and time, even for young people, is invaluable, I understand.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
It appears that the Italian cuisine has got a very strong presence in Canada.
Gourmet coffee, pasta, panini, ..., you name it. They are almost everywhere.
And I love the way Panini taste.
And I love the way Panini taste.
Divinity (i.e. 上帝) is different than Karma (i.e. 因果报应).
For that matter, Christianity is different from Buddhism.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
Pringles potato chips were developed by P&G. And Dr. Fred Baur designed the packaging can of them.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Baur.
Gee. All those inventions that have gone into the American food industry which produces so many sorts of unhealthy food.
Gee. All those inventions that have gone into the American food industry which produces so many sorts of unhealthy food.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Obliviousness to the future is the one thing many people have.
Along that dimension, there are two sorts of people: the haves and the have-nots. I for one wanna be a have-not. :-)
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
"What a familiar name Bear Sterns once had been. What will I feel about the familiar name "Morgan Stanley" in the future?" I thought.
The fates of financial firms seem to be intrinsically fickle.
The society is apt to be the best dojo (i.e. "道場" in Japanese), but only if you have got a doshin (i.e. "道心" in Japanese), so to speak.
As for the meaning of "doshin", see page 109 of the PDF file at https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:4s6_vIx9H_cJ:nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/publications/jjrs/pdf/246.pdf+&hl=en&gl=ca&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESh98hOoVdZLbMcm1ZKzRK6HI5nOr4HXZP0L0zm-6hO0Do8RbzGbZupIIqWo_PLv8Xr8aRKMqVMASx27cBE9ohS96UMf39wavFJgqWvFB_JWZU_hEfaULDquHRQqY23uLzN_9F9B&sig=AHIEtbSLrjP6luGSt3fhFL39ud5gNOr1sA&pli=1.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Saturday, September 15, 2012
The obviousness of the decline of Taiwanese computer companies such as Acer makes me wonder why they didn't invest in mobile computing several years ago.
They tried it but haven't succeeded in it?
Friday, September 14, 2012
Some technical people often myopically say Apple's platforms are lagging in terms of technologies.
They simply have ignored how remarkably Apple improves its technologies all the time, coupled with reputed staggeringly marvelous user experience.
It's been said that Facebook is considering to build up its own search engine.
We're watching a nascent public company, however reluctantly it went public though, at work with enormous financial resources.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
My wonted choice of computer brand name used to be HP.
No more. Because it has got quality problems nowadays. I think I'll switch to Toshiba.
Our toddler daughter has got some minor skin problem at the place close to her wrists, on both of her arms.
We've been applying some excellent medicinal cream to those problematic areas.
If she hadn't been picking at those areas, they would have healed long time ago.
If she hadn't been picking at those areas, they would have healed long time ago.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Saturday, September 8, 2012
I suspect that since the 21st century, for any, or at least almost any, young generation in North America and East Asia, the future always looks grim.
Maybe it's ultimately because the power within the society does not belong to them but always belongs to the middle-aged population, relatively?
Without exception, the 20 somethings in Canada and China feel quite blue.
Without exception, the 20 somethings in Canada and China feel quite blue.
What a scene.
Today I passed by the Holiday Inn at the China Town. Almost all over its wall, are small colorful posts reading "CSN lock-outs" and "Scabs".
Android has been eating its competitors' lunch.
What exactly is Google's grand plan behind the particular mobile OS platform?
Friday, September 7, 2012
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Dell has been scrambling and buying up assets and companies in the fields of VOIP, cloud computing, and so on.
Anyways, its traditional PC business has been declining horribly in recent quarters.
Currently it's conventional Windows computer makers such as Dell and Acer whose graves are being dug. Now is their moment of truth.
Currently it's conventional Windows computer makers such as Dell and Acer whose graves are being dug. Now is their moment of truth.
I heard from an acquaintance that a full-time real estate agent in Montreal, who's been several years in the trade, has not closed a single deal this year, which is a generally booming year for the housing market in Montreal. It's already the beginning of September right now.
Think about how much pressure he feels when he gets up everyday and drives around and goes about his work of selling houses.
Being a real estate agent is a high-cost and high-maintenance occupation.
Being a real estate agent is a high-cost and high-maintenance occupation.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
You beautify your hair by yourself with expensive or primitive hair styling products and go about your daily life.
You use your own sophisticated or rudimentary computing devices to deal with the world day in and day out.
Nonetheless, we can realize how empowered a modern individual is.
Nonetheless, we can realize how empowered a modern individual is.
American public companies' moves generally are not fresh, but they look new in the eyes of the public, including myself.
Because the power of those companies is so significant that they provide fresher and comparatively reliable alternatives.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Just now, I tried out listening to songs by a few singers, such as Of Montreal, Mobile, Joey Cape, and Bahamas.
Still, among them, Norah Jones is the only one in whose music I drown myself and did so quite easily.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Many people remember the glamour of the great start-ups such as Microsoft, Google, and Facebook, but they forget the millions of others which fell into oblivion.
Not only I wanna see the obvious, but also I wanna see the oblivious.
Many Americans and Canadians advocate that education is the key to solve the structural unemployment problem.
If they are mentioning college level career education such as welding, then I don't know much about it and can't say anything really.
But, if they are talking about post-secondary academic education, then they are ignoring the problem that university academic education probably is increasingly irrelevant both to the real world and to the truths so that it is actually scuttling the labor market instead of helping it.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Some people think they can scheme and take advantage of others.
Really? Are other people really fools or pushovers as they think those to be?
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Everything is so vague in China.
How come local governments in China can terminate, at will, factories' leasehold of lands and force them to move and pay even higher rents?
Gee. That definitely can turn businesses on.
Gee. That definitely can turn businesses on.
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