The #X&%Y UK work-visa application

"Your bank statement copy is not certified. Don't waste my time", thus said the fcuking woman officer in Carlton(?), UK resident visa office. Astonished, if I was Soki. The bank statement is a true copy printed by HSBC. Who the hell could possibly know a company stamp is required? Not to say he wasted so much time dead waiting in the queue, although he arrived the visa office well ahead of the scheduled appointment time. Soki managed to obtain the HSBC stamp after 15 minutes and attempted to re-submit his visa application. Everything fine, another officer was about to stick the visa on his passport. "Hold-on!" the bitch passed by and shouted, "I just rejected this dude's application, our office can't process his application any further. He should schedule another appointment." Soki suppressed his anger and did not punch her. The resident visa application is dependent on his work permit application, and the work permit was approved just yesterday. To further complicate the situation, Soki's student visa is going to expire on 31st Oct. Also, the resident visa is replaced by a new resident+work visa from 1st Nov onwards, which means the old resident visa will no longer be available. Application to the new visa can only be submitted in Hong Kong. Danm!!! "The next available appointment slot in our office is next Monday. Meanwhile, there is nothing you can do, but to mail your resident visa application to the Sheffield office". The bitch suggested the Sheffield office, which is a post-box. What a game... The HR from the company described the visa office as "notoriously illogical", and told Soki "unfortunately all you can do is to wait". This is a typical experience of an Asian (if not any foreigner) in UK (if not Europe). :p

The Daydream before Halloween

Today my u-mates API & B visited the HK Disneyland to celebrate P's birthday. We entered with free employee tickets. Given there are 4000 employees in Disneyland, and the park is continuously having a financial deficit, I think they should keep a head count of Hongkers entering the park for free. It is my first time to visit this park, although it has been opened for 3 years. To me, the park is not too small, my experience was positive, especially with the Halloween theme. It is quite a long while since our last gathering. IB told us the updates from our department. Dr. C & I have left to work in the Science Park. B & G are now squeezed into the same office room, even though there is an empty room left. The department is about to close the S/W engineering stream. Big changes since our graduation. One of the dishes, and my dear Buzz Lightyear!! Last but not least, a giant pumpkin

The funny end of story

E: Hi Angie, how is HK? A: The Heng Seng Index has dropped 6.75%. (*The End*) His gf's sis is called Angie too - the haunting ghost effect.

深圳半日遊

今天我的小學同學一行五人上了深圳。路上我們討論了各樣趣事。例如消防隊目的面試裡會問三聚氰胺的英文是什麼？如何以煽情的手法推銷 HSBC 的環保信用卡。港鐵一程 1 小時便到達皇崗。皇崗的火車站大堂內有很多免稅店，好像機場大堂一樣。 一步出火車站是高高的樓房。我們走路到水立方。在那裡招待我們的不能比顧客站得高，不然會被扣 50RMB。中式 (128 RMB)、泰式 (148RMB)、港式 (178RMB)、什麼什麼島的，雙鐘計算，有很多選擇。星期日的本地和外地顧客都很多。按摩小姐問我們是否只有十九歲 !? 小肥羊火鍋的價錢比香港分店便宜一點，湯底只要30RMB。那裡的員工只有1000 RMB多的月薪，而且分工很仔細。也難怪黃色事業在那裡盛行，相對來說是高薪職業。深圳除了小肥羊，還有小天鵝煮食爐和小熊貓香烟等。 回程時，同學們在的士上討論了國內的許多怪事。也許開車的聽了後不高興，強收我們20元，不願找錢。我想香港人在內地是挺討厭的。

The "Fruit Money" Incident

2008.10.15, Mr. Wong 黃毓民, 掟蕉 Look how well-prepared was Wong, he had his bananas ready on his bench! Darting a "banana" (a Cantonese pun) at the Chief Executive is certainly an ingenious gimmick to arouse public awareness of the old age allowance (known colloquially as "fruit money") issue. The party calls for raising the fruit money to HKD$1000 and abolishing the relevant means test. The present allowance for a single senior, whose monthly income does not exceed HK$5910, is HK$625. These figures alone reveal nothing much, without knowing also the distribution of exact monthly incomes and the living cost. Hey, remember we have almost 3 billions of people in the world living on US$2 a day, HKD$480 a month. Last Friday evening, while pushing my way through the hectic crowd on a bridge in downtown Central, I passed by 4 senior beggars in 10 meters. In a modern prosperous metro scene, the traditional sound of er-hu composed a dirge in the background. If I was in a political party, definitely I would fight first for these abandoned souls, rather than requesting a uniform increment of fruit money.

HK Politics - A Collection of Entertaining Quotes

2008.09.07, Mr. Chan 陳克勤, Try our breast 2008.07.16, Mr. Tsang 曾蔭權, 民望如浮雲 2006.11.09, Mr. Tong 唐英年, Ngong Ping 360 2003.05.15, Mr. Tung 董建, "Naïve" != "膚淺"

Stretching Exercise

I need a shoulder blade pinch...

A thick black cloud

Today my PM announced the new contractor renewal arrangements in our office. Starting Feb next year, an approval from the executive board will be required for all new hires and contract renewals. Take a look at the "Five signs you may be on the layoff list" (MarketWatch) :

1. Others are losing their jobs
2. Hiring freeze
3. Training budgets cut, projects slow down
4. Office gossip
5. Company is missing targets

A thick black cloud of signs 2, 3, and 4 shadows our office. The travel ban is still effective. The social committee cut various employee welfare. We didn't send out a dragon boat team this year! The gloomy outlook of the global economy surrounds me. When the PM reassured that the new arrangements are not going to affect those few of us, who have our contracts renewed before the end of Jan, I felt sorrow instead of relieved - like I will terminate my invaluable life after surviving a massacre.

Reuters and Aachen

Apparently random independent events often link in an intriguing manner. An Aachener told me yesterday the Reuter House is now a restaurant. Aha! Then I recalled from my induction course at Reuters, around 1849 Paul Julius Reuter used 300+ pigeons to fly stock prices between Aachen and Brussels. The carrier pigeons were much faster than the post train. This is the hidden link between Reuters and Aachen.

"TOP 10 International Master’s Degree Courses - Made in Germany"

1. Freie Universität Berlin Master of Arts “Internationale Beziehungen“ (Jointly with Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Universität Potsdam)
2. Freie Universität Berlin East European Studies Online
3. Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Agricultural Sciences and Resource Management
4. Universität Bonn in the Tropics and Subtropics (ARTS)
5. Universität Dortmund Spatial Planning for Regions in Growing Economies (SPRING)
6. Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg Master of Arts in Social Science (Global Studies Programme)
7. Georg-August-Universität Göttingen International Master’s Degree Courses “Molecular Biology“ and “Neurosciences”
8. Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena International Master’ Degree Course “Deutsch als Fremdsprache“
9. Hochschule Mannheim Master of Science in „Informationstechnik“
10. Hochschule Pforzheim Master of Business Administration (MBA) in International Management
11. Bauhaus-Universität Weimar Public Art and New Artistic Strategies

Source

potenziale zukünftige Mitarbeiteren

(To be written) potenziale zukünftige Mitarbeiteren

陳年舊事

二十八年前，母親因為肚中的我，沒有跟父親到紐西蘭，一個人留在香港工作。醫院本來一番好意，把她由急症室掉派到工作比較簡單的產房，多接生四十個小孩 §1，以在香港註冊成為產科護士。怎料產房內的助產士結黨營私、橫行霸道。自私的房長毫不體恤腹大便便的她，更安排這個新丁在周末兩日守夜，比其他行動自如的助產士還要多。由於情況在上報後也沒有改善，母親只好狠狠地把工作辭掉，到住在澳洲的朋友家中安胎。那個月是我有生以來，唯一待在澳洲的日子。 回到香港，產科醫生本來打算把我在預產期前的兩周§2拿出來，但是母親擔心我不夠重，堅持把手術押後一周。幾經曲折誕生的我，膚色偏黃，醫生卻說中國的小孩都是這樣。 在我出生後的第三天，產科醫生終於認同我真的有點偏黃，在上午檢查後斷定我得了黃癱。到了下午，我的病況急轉直下、命在旦夕，要立刻召喚高級兒科醫生。可是那時有名的曹廷x醫生還在過他悠閒的聖誔假，代工的黃日x醫生說要替我換 1500 cc. 的血。母親聽後大吃一驚，在產房工作的她清楚知道一般替嬰兒換血每次只會換 200 cc.。從我的大小估計，我只有 500 cc. 的血， 1500 cc. 是個很奇怪的數字，於是她冒險向醫生要求先讓我照燈§3。我馬上被送到溫箱隔離治療。 弱小的我被蒙著眼睛、一絲不掛，孤單的身驅捲曲在坦闊的溫箱內接受照燈。護士每數小時替我打痛痛的一針，無情的她事後不顧而去，也不屑安撫這個不懂投訴的小生命。可憐的我在溫箱內掙扎，沒有一點安全感，燈光的溫暖沒有消除我身心的寒冷。焦慮的母親長守在隔離病房外，把一切都看在眼裡，心如刀割。 一星期後我的情況略為好轉，隔離病房卻掀起了一塲疫症，多個嬰兒肚瀉。母親在出院後決定把我提早帶離可怕的隔離病房，我就這樣脫離險境了。 後記： 雖然母親訴說這個故事時，字裡行間都宣洩了她對香港廿多年前醫療人員的不满。可是故事的重點是：不論人在什麼崗位，都要把事做好。因為儘管是一個很小的動作，也會對他人造成深遠的影響。沒有熱誠的，不要投身那個行業。 註： §1 在香港要接生六十個小孩才能註冊成為產科護士；澳洲是二十個。 §2 預產期前的兩周是非自然分挽的最好時間，因為嬰兒的適應力比較高。 §3 嬰兒的皮膚薄而透光，照燈有助嬰兒的血球生長。

Pathetic

第一次搵工連個 title 同個 offer 有幾多錢都唔知... 一直都以為仲有一個 interview... 當o左琴日打電話o黎同我講 work permit o個人係秘書，原來佢係經理...

Median Salary by Job - Country: Germany (Germany)

CAREER TOOLS: Salary Calculator, Career Path Tool, Cost of Living Calculator, Meeting Miser

2008 income tax calculator

走、唔走、走、唔走... ？

〔二兩八〕： 自卓為人才能近貴之人 一生作事似飄蓬，祖宗產業在夢中，若不過房並改姓，也當移徒二三通 我冇話我信呢o的o架...

An unknown pain

While I was flipping over "the State of the World"*, a sudden physical pain struck. As a senseless attempt to take a break from this painful sensation, I closed my eyes. A dimmed vision produced a moment of faint feeling. I felt the hour came close to me in a flash of time. My very last bit of consciousness promptly woke me up, to restrain me from entering into a distant world. I opened my eyes. The immense pain assured me I remained alive. I dragged my weary body onto a bed, and lay destitute of any strength. My hands and feet turned cold and clammy. I pulled a blanket to wrap myself, but my temperature continued to sink. In the midst of persisting pain and chill, I cried desperately for help. Yet, my voice was too weak and soft for anyone to hear. Being detached from the rest of the world, the coming hour notion revolved in my head. The verse "Your kingdom come" hit me with a double-entendre. Immediately I gave up praying, and tried again my earthly practical calls, "Mao-mao... Mao-mao..." Finally my mother heard my whispers. She walked slowly into my room, and discovered me lying half-dead. With my last breath of energy, I earnestly asked for a painkiller. "You can't just kill your pain without finding its source", Mao-mao spoke in a deep worry as if it was the end of the world, "Do you need a digestive capsule, or should I call an ambulance?" Willing not to spend my restful weekend in a hospital, I chose the capsule. Its placebo effect gradually relieved my pain in the next 30 minutes. This unknown pain forced me to ponder over what if I left the world today. N.B. * The cash award was substituted by a book after the financial tsunami. Maybe this was the source of my pain. :)

The Monty Hall Problem

and an ad for the book - "The Drunkard’s Walk".

Programmers and Gender

A thought-provoking, short survey shows that women compose only a petite 3% of famous programmers. Recalling my awful memory from debugging another girl's program in my first programming class in HK, to coding the whole project in a group of 2 girls in DE; nothing seems to have changed in the past 5 years, which parallels the following ill logic: Isn't it a big surprise that the first programmer was Ada.