My Belated Responses to Your Comments with Thanks !!!

Below are my belated responses to comments you have posted on the linked articles :

新鮮人: 每逢佳節~ 倍 ~思親呀!! on 聖誕快樂 / Joyeux Noël

Best Actor, SBB, 啤酒花™_J: Merry Xmas & Happy NY everyone!!! ps: Unpardonned turkey now seeing higher authourity. on 聖誕快樂 / Joyeux Noël

SBB: Season's Greetings 2U2!!! on 渥太華風雪夜 / Snowy Night in Ottawa

SBB: This particular human and the turkey had fulfilled their roles in nature's carnivorous food chain. on 渥太華風雪夜 / Snowy Night in Ottawa

Michelle: I put my bike away as soon as the roads become too icy and snowy. With snowbanks and dim light conditions, the cyclists risk being run over by motor vehicles. on 渥太華風雪夜 / Snowy Night in Ottawa

新鮮兄: >> .... 未到五點天就全黑, 樂覌一點看,十二月二十一日是日長夜短的開始!! Wikipedia: ".... 至點（亦稱二至點）可以是太陽在一年之中離地球赤道最遠的兩個事件中的任何一個，英文的字源（solstice） 來自拉丁文的太陽（sol）和保持直立（sistere），因為在至點時太陽直射的地球緯度是他能抵達的最南或最北的極值，而至點所在之日是一年之中日夜長短差異最大的一天 ...." >> ... ... 街上空無一人 個個回家做節也!! on 渥太華風雪夜 / Snowy Night in Ottawa

SBB: Thanks, I watched the video clip觀看片段 re climate change. I note it is abt -10 deg C outside my house !!! on渥太華風雪夜 / Snowy Night in Ottawa

新鮮兄: 日本文化也有其優美友善的一面,但「軍國主义」不是其中一部份。 on 中日關係: 南京大屠殺/ China-Japan Bilateral Relations: Nanking Massacre 1939-12-13

SSB： There is a big difference btwn denying to have committed a crime vs saying the crime was a big lie that was deliberately fabricated by the victims. on 中日關係: 南京大屠殺/ China-Japan Bilateral Relations: Nanking Massacre 1939-12-13

新鮮人: 多是: 有情人終不能成眷屬 :( on 眼淚的味道 / Tastes of Tears

SBB: Yes, photo was taken in Venice, Italy. Also, I watched the YouTube clips: 曾經有一份真誠的愛錢擺在我的面前,但是我沒有珍惜,等到了失去的時候才後悔莫及,塵世間最痛苦的事莫過於此,如果上天可以給我一個機會,再來一次的話,我會跟那個女孩說­我愛她！如果非要把這份愛加上一個期限,我希望是...一萬年 Was the statement supposed to be funny or serious? on 眼淚的味道 / Tastes of Tears

SBB: 單料銅煲 一滾就熟 on 在家賢婦,出外貴婦,床上蕩婦; 在家男僕,出外闊客,床上丈夫

新鮮兄: >> …. 由愛情昇華到感情 無錯,由拍拖談情說愛(講講吓) ,昇華到較有深度的感情,的确是可以令關係「長春」ever green。 但有很多在社会有名望的男人(多數是男人),仍然受不住誘惑,「偷食」露光之後,又对妻子家人道歉,但到底,他們的愛情究竟有沒有昇華到感情呢? 又: There was even a movie called: In praise of older women (which I saw *_^) on在家賢婦,出外貴婦,床上蕩婦; 在家男僕,出外闊客,床上丈夫

Wordy: >> .... 小小一個環節 真的,索一髪可以動全身。 >> ... 個人的取捨 完全同意! on 人生苦短 時光如白駒過隙

SBB: >> .... yakuza I checked Wikipedia/Yakuza: ".... 流氓（日語：ヤクザ，英語：Yakuza）是日本社會裡從事暴力或有組織犯罪活動的人士或團體，統一稱為極道（ごくどう）。流氓（ヤクザ）的名稱是來自日本紙牌遊戲花札（玩法一說是「おいちょかぶ」）的一個最壞組合「八九三」。日本政府和警方通常把它們指為暴力團，又公告了所謂的指定暴力團，山口組是其中之一。..." ".... Rituals Yubitsume, or the cutting of one's finger, is a form of penance or apology. Upon a first offence, the transgressor must cut off the tip of his left little finger and give the severed portion to his boss. Sometimes an underboss may do this in penance to the oyabun if he wants to spare a member of his own gang from further retaliation. Its origin stems from the traditional way of holding a Japanese sword. The bottom three fingers of each hand are used to grip the sword tightly, with the thumb and index fingers slightly loose. The removal of digits starting with the little finger moving up the hand to the index finger progressively weakens a person's sword grip. The idea is that a person with a weak sword grip then has to rely more on the group for on 人生苦短 時光如白駒過隙

新鮮兄: 日以繼夜的痛楚,对睡眠身心都有很大負性影響,是会令人非常疲倦。不過臨睡前吃一片止痛餅,情况又改善了很多。 Link: Finger food for an ill-tempered eel in French Polynesia on 人生苦短 時光如白駒過隙

SBB: Oh you are so skeptical :-S on 無法無天的墨西哥毒梟 / The Lawlessness of Mexico's Drug Cartels

SBB: It's funny to watch (as a human). Yes, the dog is just being conditioned to carry out an order by his/her master. on 訓練牧羊犬聽得多,牧貓狗?? / You've heard of training a sheep dog. But a dog that shepherds cat?

SBB: 一個國家從革命建國,工業發展,社会改進, 至國泰民安,掦威海外,每一個階段都需要不同資歷的領導人。 海歸派或許有很多新意見,但他/她未必就能將這些維新政策廣泛地令村鎮官民接受和實施。土生土長的保守派可能深知階級關係, 官腔民意但他/她未必就能打破墨守成規的傳統思想,令社会進入新的紀元。 我個人相信選擇每一個階段的領導人之過程应該是 merit-based。 至於「插間」或「變節」這一回事,那就是視乎一個人的信仰原則,海歸或非海歸似乎不是主要因素。 on 新中國的接班人 / PRC Under New Management

加納 / Ghana

With the relatively strong Canadian dollars and discounts on travelling packages, K and I have been looking at vacation deals that would otherwise exceed our budget. But the supply-demand equation may also work against our favour. Such is the case with our planned Ghana trip when the travel organization informed us that there were not enough participants to make the trip viable. Obviously, we are disappointed.

Africa is a big continent with many beautiful countries but not all of them are politically stable or friendly to western visitors. While crime may occur everywhere, we sure don't want to have to worry abt being kidnapped while on vacation. Ghana would have been a great destination and their local economy would have been boasted by tourists spending money there.

Alas, we now have to dream abt the jungles and hills of Africa instead.

Sent from BlackBerry

~~~~~~~~~ Updated ~~~~~~~~~~~

Reference / Photo credit: Wikipedia / Ghana

".... Tourism is a rapidly growing sector particularly among Europeans, Americans, and other internationals connected to the Ghanaian Diaspora abroad. Ghana's political and economic stability, low crime rate, and wide use of English make the country an attractive entrypoint to West Africa for foreigners. UNESCO World Heritage Sites including Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle, national parks such as Kakum National Park and Mole National Park, as well as cultural celebrations such as Panafest are major centres of tourist activity...."

".... 加納於1957年，由原英國殖民地「黃金海岸」和「英屬多哥」合并建國，成為英國在非洲殖民地中首個獨立的國家，被視為非洲民族主義領袖。它的開國總統恩克魯瑪是新殖民主義理論權威之一，曾經備受毛澤東推崇，對推動泛非獨立和整合起過歷史作用。名字為紀念以前的加納帝國選定為加納。這個名字只是借光，真正歷史上的加納帝國離今日的加納很遠。..."

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*******  UPDATED 20121229 ******* 
We ended up visiting Senegal in May-June 2012.

Please see my blog article entitled:
旅遊西非洲塞內加爾共和國 Travel to la République du Sénégal West Africa

「兩週一聚: 春」之【季節】 / 「Bi-weekly Series: Spring」:【The Opening Season】

歷代中國詩人和學者,常用「春」這一個字來形容和隱喻很多東西,以下是我這個「鹹水書生」炒雜碎的微見。首先,我会先談「季節」,之後是「人生」丶「感情」丶和「色性」。

季節:

立春梅花分外豔，雨水紅杏花開鮮
驚蟄蘆林聞雷報，春分蝴蝶舞花間
清明風箏放斷線，穀雨嫩茶翡翠連

春丶夏丶秋丶冬,一年四季之中,春是代表生長的開始,所以有云:『一年之計在於春』,而中國的農曆就以「立春」丶「雨水」丶「驚蟄」丶「春分」丶「清明」丶「穀雨」等作為「二十四節氣」的開始。

春天也是有風丶有雨,和仍帶寒意的季節,所以唐詩宋詞常有「春風」丶「春雨」丶「春寒」之語,例如: 唐代詩人韋應物用簡單的『春潮帶雨晚來急,野渡無人舟自橫』來形容幽靜的郊外景色,也借此隱喻表現了作者身無所主、有其才而不得其用的哀嘆。

而我這個喜愛遊山玩水的「鹹水書生」,当然最喜愛孟浩然的【春曉】:『春眠不覺曉,处处聞啼鳥;夜來風雨声,花落知多少?』在這短短四句詩中,作者巧妙地描寫那鳥語花香的早晨,用文字繪了一幅美麗而畧帶憂感的春曉圖!!!

References:
*「二十四節氣」: 百度百科http://baike.baidu.com/view/6385.htm
* 韋應物: 百度百科http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/7146684.html

教學: 從「不知不覺」到「學無止境」 (一)

最近看了Carmelina 及其他網友談到為人師表丶為人父母的教學責任和方法,我不敢在此儼然以專家身份來發表意見,但是提供「五逆仔」丶「家庭黑羊」 (Black sheep of the family) 的第一人身經驗,我卻可說是游刃有餘啊!!

教丶學其實不一定是兩個人或以上的程式,一個人也可以自教自學,故此從效果覌點來看,我覺得個人的領悟才是最重要,而這個領悟過程約可分為以下数個步驟:

(一) 「不知不覺」:

我是不相信「胎敎」,或灌輸給嬰兒「莫札特」音樂丶或其它製做super baby的「高級知識份子」養料,出世之後,嬰兒是不知不覺,這個狀況可以維持数星期 (但也有些人是混沌一生,不赘),之後他/她開始有自我的覌念 (concept of self)和逐漸領悟時間丶事物的永恆性 (concept of permanency e.g. Peek-a-Boo I See You; face recognition; disappearance and re-appearance of people, food, toys, and events)。在孩提時代,父母的的角式責任重大,如以下我在網上找到的一篇提議:

【如何做一個稱職的父母】

＊現代父母的角色：
　　每一個父母，當孩子一生下來，就對自己的孩子有很高的期許。然而，通常父母會希望有個乖巧懂事、又聰明的孩子，卻疏於反問自己如何做個好的「父親」或「母親」。
　　現今的社會，習慣地把教養子女的責任，經常加諸女性的身上，等孩子出了問題，卻彼此責難，那就來不及了。因此父母親應對自己的角色有以下的認知：
(一) 在教養子女的過程中，父親與母親同樣重要。
(二) 即使父母工作再忙碌，也應撥出時間陪孩子，教導孩子。
(三) 父母應關懷了解孩子身心的成長，並在管教上建立一致的態度，共同找出適合孩子的管教方式。
(四) 重視父母本身的「身教」。父母怎麼做，孩子就怎麼學。

＊有能力的愛：
但您是否覺得在花費許多心力教孩子、愛孩子之後，他仍覺得您不夠愛他，甚至彼此之間關係緊張，這是怎麼回事呢？答案是：愛是要有能力的。什麼是有能力的愛呢？
(一) 親子溝通的過程，要有溫馨、祥和的感 覺，若引起彼此之間的僵持或不愉快，則是沒有能力的愛。
(二) 指正孩子，要能引發他的心智成長，若只是一味的要求與責備，則是沒有能力的愛。
(三) 認清孩子的能力，幫助他走出自己的路，若凡事要求他跟別人比，只會更增加他的挫折感。
(四) 培養孩子主動自我指導的能力，使您的愛成為孩子自發成長的動力。
父母都是愛孩子的，但是愛是要有能力的，才能幫助孩子成長，讓他感受您的愛。

＊親子溝通的技巧：
不過也有很多父母感到疑惑，為什麼每天都和孩子「溝通」，親子關係仍然不好？根據研究發現，您和別人溝通，對他所產生的影響力，在措辭方面佔7％，音調方面占38％，肢體語言（表情、動作、姿勢等）方面佔55％。也就是說，如果您和孩子說一件事，說話的音調和肢體語言影響溝通效果很大，所以，有時對孩子一個真心的微笑，摸摸頭、拍拍肩，甚至一個熱情的擁抱，早已勝過千言萬語。
●良好的溝通條件是：
(一) 用關心的眼神，注視對方。
(二) 面帶微笑，專注傾聽。
(三) 點頭示意，表示接納。
(四) 問些問題，增進了解。
●溝通的技巧：
(一) 表達意見時，對事不對人。
(二) 只描述具體可見的行為。
(三) 說出自己的感受，而不是指責孩子。
(四) 把握適當時機。
(五) 與孩子一同討論，尋找合適的解決之道。

＊指正孩子的行為：
孩子在成長過程中，難免會犯錯，父母必須適時扮演指正者的角色，教他反省、改正，以建立正確行為。孩子有好行為時要給予讚美；相對地，不當行為則需即時指正。您可以試著這麼做：
(一) 即時指正：「阿雄，不可以搶弟弟的玩具。」
(二) 指導正確行為：「阿雄，你很想和弟弟玩是嗎？拿出你的機器人模型，和他一起玩！」
(三) 注意公平性：指正是以行為的對錯為準則，而非年齡。如：忽略了公平性，只是一味地要哥哥讓弟弟，會讓哥哥不服氣，弟弟不講理。
(四) 態度堅定：讓孩子知道他的錯誤是得不到通融的，但要語氣溫和，不須像犯人一般地審問。
(五)持續增強：留意孩子正確行為的持續性，並適時給予讚美和鼓勵。

＊讓孩子跟自己比較：
每個孩子都有個別差異，不要拿他與另一個孩子比較，即使是兄弟姊妹也要避免。
● 請看看專家的分析：
(一) 經常被比較為不如人的孩子常會表現：
喪失信心、退化或幻想、仇視或敵意、害怕被遺棄、攻擊別人的缺點、為贏而不擇手段等行為。
(二) 經常被比較為比人強的孩子會表現：
怕退步的焦慮、擔心失去手足朋友的情誼、凡事求完美而造成壓力、驕傲自大或不合群等行為。
● 因此積極的做法是：
(一) 發現與肯定孩子的優點。
(二) 鼓勵孩子欣賞別人的優點，但不可藉別人的優點批評他。
(三) 鼓勵孩子自己跟自己比，有進步就可以了。
(四) 讓孩子體會父母真心愛他。
　　
孩子都有優點和特有的能力，父母要多發現他的優點，鼓勵他成長和學習，讓他和自己比較，協助他走出亮麗的人生。

References / Links:

1. 【如何做一個稱職的父母】 An article posted on a school website http://www.talented.com.tw/k024.doc

2. 【別害了孩兒的一生】 Carmelina's Opinion on Some Mother's Kid http://www.lpbi.blogspot.com/2008/12/blog-post_18.html

.... / to be continued 下續

建國 - 行政重點和基礎設施 (其一) / Nation Building - Priorities and Infrastructure (Part 1)

『公欲善其事,必先利其器』
“You need good tools and people to do a good job.”

I drafted this article in early April 2008, when the rising of China中囯崛起, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and other related issues were being hotly discussed among bloggers and mainstream media alike. Here is the formula I wrote down at the time, on the subject of nation building:

Nation Building建國 = A(1,2,3,..)+B(1,2,3,..)+C(1,2,3,..)+D(1,2,3,..)+E(1,2,3,..)+ etc....

where,

A=economics, B=education, C=governance, D=sports such as the Olympics, E=other priorities, ...

(Note: Obviously, each nation will have to determine what the priorities are at the national and regional levels at any given point in time and space.)

and,

1=transactional infrastructure changes
2=transformational infrastructure changes
3=other systemic changes, ...

(Note: All systemic changes must take into consideration both "hard" and "soft" winning conditions in order to achieve national priorities. For example: Physical installations such as water treatment plants are "hard" infrastructure, but their successful operation and maintenance will depend very much on the workers' knowledge and experience, or "soft" infrastructure. This concept applies to both transactional and transformational infrastructure changes.)

....... Next: Case Studies / to be continued 待續

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***** Updated 20140210 *****

Supplementary info re TRANSACTIONAL vs TRANSFORMATIONAL 

Let's look at the types of leadership that are associated with transactional and transformational changes. According to Wikipedia:

Transactional Leadership, also known as managerial leadership, focuses on the role of supervision, organization, and group performance; transactional leadership is a style of leadership in which the leader promotes compliance of his followers through both rewards and punishments. Unlike Transformational leadership, leaders using the transactional approach are not looking to change the future, they are looking to merely keep things the same. Leaders using transactional leadership as a model pay attention to followers' work in order to find faults and deviations. This type of leadership is effective in crisis and emergency situations, as well as when projects need to be carried out in a specific fashion.

"Adhering to the path-goal theory, transactional leaders are expected to do the following:

• "Set goals, articulate explicit agreements regarding what the leader expects from organizational members and how they will be rewarded for their efforts and commitment, and provide constructive feedback to keep everybody on task".
• Transactional leaders focus on increasing the efficiency of established routines and procedures and are more concerned with following existing rules than with making changes to the structure of the organization.
• Thus, they operate most effectively in organizations that have evolved beyond the chaotic, no-rules stage of entrepreneurial development that characterizes so many new companies.
• Transactional leadership establishes and standardizes practices that will help the organization reach maturity, emphasizing setting of goals, efficiency of operation, and increase of productivity. "

Transformational Leadership enhances the motivation, morale, and performance of followers through a variety of mechanisms. These include connecting the follower's sense of identity and self to the project and the collective identity of the organization; being a role model for followers that inspires them and makes them interested; challenging followers to take greater ownership for their work, and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of followers, so the leader can align followers with tasks that enhance their performance.

The full range of leadership introduces four elements of transformational leadership:

1. Individualized Consideration – the degree to which the leader attends to each follower's needs, acts as a mentor or coach to the follower and listens to the follower's concerns and needs. The leader gives empathy and support, keeps communication open and places challenges before the followers. This also encompasses the need for respect and celebrates the individual contribution that each follower can make to the team. The followers have a will and aspirations for self-development and have intrinsic motivation for their tasks.
2. Intellectual Stimulation – Such leaders encourage their followers to be innovative and creative. They encourage new ideas from their followers and never criticize them publicly for the mistakes committed by them. The leaders focus on the “what” in problems and do not focus on the blaming part of it. They have no hesitation in discarding an old practice set by them if it is found ineffective.
3. Inspirational Motivation – the degree to which the leader articulates a vision that is appealing and inspiring to followers. Leaders with inspirational motivation challenge followers to leave their comfort zones, communicate optimism about future goals, and provide meaning for the task at hand. Followers need to have a strong sense of purpose if they are to be motivated to act. Purpose and meaning provide the energy that drives a group forward. The visionary aspects of leadership are supported by communication skills that make the vision understandable, precise, powerful and engaging. The followers are willing to invest more effort in their tasks, they are encouraged and optimistic about the future and believe in their abilities.
4. Idealized Influence – the degree to which the leader acts as a role model for their followers. Transformational leaders must embody the values that the followers should be learning and mimicking back to others. If the leader gives respect and encourages others to be better, those influenced will then go to others and repeat the positive behavior, passing on the leadership qualities for other followers to learn. This will earn the leader more respect and admiration from the followers, putting them at a higher level of influence and importance. The foundation of transformational leadership is the promotion of consistent vision, mission, and a set of values to the members. Their vision is so compelling that they know what they want from every interaction. Transformational leaders guide followers by providing them with a sense of meaning and challenge. They work enthusiastically and optimistically to foster the spirit of teamwork and commitment.

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一年回顧 / A Year in Review

In the evening of June 8, 2006, I was at home sipping tea and surfing the Net when I happened to come across San Wen Ji's 散文集. What caught my immediate attention was the way the author characterized the blog: 『散落在文字裡情感的收集，為之“散文集”』.It conveyed a sense of being frank and open, of sharing thoughts, and of capturing fleeting sentiments that otherwise would have been forgotten with the passage of time. There were also snippets of thoughts on work issues that reflected the author's workplace experience. San Wen Ji's blog rekindled my desire to write (outside of work), something that had been buried over the years for various reasons. I have always been a creative person - not that I am a professional artist - and that side of me yearns to find an avenue to express myself. As well, I had the desire to retool my Chinese language skill, having used only English and French in Canada for many years.

My blogging started two months later and my first post entitled "Lotus and Cedar: Site under construction" on September 14, 2006 depicted a ruin site in Rome with the caption "This is going to take a while ....." The posting reflected my belief in personal rebirth, revitalization, and reacquainting with the past. The pen-name “微豆∕Haricot”was chosen to signify that I am one of the beans in a pod that in turn is one in a field of millions in the country and, of course, "Haricot" represents the European liaison and French connection.

Looking back, here are some observations and thoughts:
* I find blogging satisfying but also time consuming if I want to go beyond just chitchatting.
* Wikipedia's information are "relatively" more reliable compared to other blog-based sources. I have to remind myself that there is no institutionalized quality assurance/control of public info on the web.
* It's always a challenge to pass judgement on the nature and type of info to be posted. Once in the public domain, personal data, statements, and multi-media materials (video, pictures, etc) become non retrievable and can be used by anyone in any way, shape or form, with or without the author's permission.
* I greatly appreciate the thoughtful comments from my blog friends and readers who are always polite and respectful of other people's opinions.
* I am surprised by how much my writing style and choice of subjects have expanded over the short 12 months. To me, a web-based "second life" (and I don't mean Second Life) is one way to complement but not to replace my life in the real-world. In that sense, there is no difference in between blogging and creative writing, painting for fun, watching a movie, reading a novel, or talking to people.

In closing, I have learnt a lot since the first blog appeared a year ago. I enjoy sharing my thoughts and reflections with my friends/readers on the web, without imposing on anyone. I intend to follow my original "Blog Statement" that says:
"My bilingual blog (English and Chinese) offers a wide variety of topics, including: my daily thoughts; romance/love; traveling pictures of Venice, Rome and other cities; memories of my youth in Hong Kong; running marathons; and other aspects of life in Canada."

It's getting late. So, I will say to my global friends/readers: See you / 就此擱筆 / Alors, à la prochaine / Grazie, ciao !!!

微豆∕Haricot
(September 14, 2007)

References:

San Wen Ji - First visit

Lotus and Cedar: Site under construction