Aim high

Aim high, and you'll have higher achievements. If you aim at getting Grade A+, you'll not likely to fall into the category of Grade B.

Often it's not that we are not capable of achieving it, it's that we do not want to. What does aiming A+ mean? It means responsibility. It means hard work. It means lots and lots of effort into working our way up. Some people don't want that. They don't want to carry the burden or pay the efforts, and so they'll never get A+, unless they're naturally gifted like a prodigy.

So think about what we want in life. If we really are determined to achieve A+, dream it, do it and make it happen.

Number of people migrating from Hong Kong to Taiwan reaches 20-year high as political disputes continue

An increasing number of Hong Kong people immigrating to Taiwan has been recorded. Up to 7,498 immigration applications from Hong Kong and Macau residents were received and approved last year, in which 2,832 applicants were Hong Kong students due to study in Taiwan, reaching a 20-year peak, Taiwan authority revealed.

Some Hong Kong emigrants claimed the continuing political disputes in Hong Kong to be one of the factors for the emigration, amongst the favourable immigration policy of Taiwan and the comparable living standard between Taiwan and Hong Kong.

"There are too much political disputes in Hong Kong," the 58-year-old Hong Kong emigrant said, "I wish to have a more peaceful living environment."

Another former Hong Kong resident, Hair stylist Tony, claimed that the living standard in Hong Kong is too high when compared to Taiwan. Designer Ms. Ko indicated that she preferred the culture and moral standard in Taiwan over Hong Kong; the cost of living is also lower in Taiwan.

As revealed by an immigration consultant agent in Hong Kong, the inquiries for emigrating to Taiwan has boosted, and the number of applications received last year has doubled that of the year before. He believed the not-so-high immigration requirement is one of the reasons accounting for the Hong Kong people's preference for Taiwan as immigration destination.

[Source: Sky Post, Hong Kong]

Journalism Prep

Different from novels, advertising copies and academic writings, journalism is a unique genre that utilizes a particular set of language, style and tone. Below are some websites with useful tips on journalism:

1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/journalism/article/art20130702112133610
   
   
   ^^ Put attribution in the second place for stronger intro.
   
   
2. ***http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/journalism/news-style-guide/article/art20130702112133530
   
   ^^ 'That' defines, 'which' informs; 'Who' = subj. of the v.; 'whom' = obj.
   
   
3. Vocab
   
   http://www.thenewsmanual.net/Resources/glossary.html
   
   http://www.angelfire.com/trek/puknews/refsnp.html
   ^^ some particularly useful vocabs copied directly from the above source
   byline: Line located under headline which tells the name of the writer.
   credit line: Acknowledging the source of a picture.
   cutline: Information below a picture which describes it.
   dateline: The first words in lead of a story which give name of city from which the story was sent.
   desk: Particular area of news coverage for which each editor is responsible ("City Desk" for example).
   filler: A copy with little news value; used to fill space.
   hard news:  up-to-the-minute news and events that are reported immediately.
   inverted pyramid:  Style of news reporting in which the most important information is gives first.
   

   jump: To continue a story from one page to another.justified: Lines of type that are even on the right as well as the left side.
   kicker: A short, catchy word or phrase over a major headline.
   lead: First paragraph of a story, usually telling the 5 Ws (who, what, when, where and why) and H (how).

   libel: Written defamation.masthead:  information about the newspaper, such as the name of the publishing company, names of the officers of the company, location of editorial offices, editorship and distribution facts, all usually found at the top of the editorial page
   morgue:  the newspaper's collection of clippings, photos, reference materials and microfilm
   obit: An obituary; a story of a person's death.
   op-ed page: Opposite editorial page: to give readers'/columnists' opinions different from those of the newspaper
   paralanguage: The semi-verbal responses we make during a conversation, such as "um" and "uh-huh."
   probe: To investigate thoroughly during an interview; to ask follow-up questions that encourage the respondent to explain or elaborate on something already said.
   reefer: Reference line, also called "refer" line.
   sidebar: A shorter, related article that focuses on one aspect of a main article. A sidebar is a secondary story accompanying a major story.
   slander: Oral defamation
   soft news:  background information or human interest stories
   spot news: News obtained first-hand. Fresh news.
   stringer: A writer who works for a newspaper but does not report to the office every day.
   syndicate: Company which sells and distributes cartoons, columns, comics, puzzles, etc. to newspapers.
   tabloid:  a smaller format 1/2 broadsheet folded, often preferred by publishers of local papers or commuter papers and the sensationalist press (National Enquirer)
   wire service:  a news agency or organization that gathers news and transmits it to individual subscribing newspaper (AP, CP, Reuters)
   yellow journalism: Refers to sensational stories and "scare" headlines.

Bad Decision

Anybody would know that the night view at the Peak should be better than that at the Victoria Harbour.

I don't know what I was thinking but I went for the latter... what an idiot...

Somebody please check my brain. I have no common sense at all.

You know it's real

Closely Apart

"Have you ever wondered where we will go after death?" Here I am, standing in front of hundreds and thousands of faces, black and white, thinking about life and death. It has become an annual ritual of my family. 

Food and laughter, as if we've forgotten the grand purpose behind all these. Or maybe we haven't forgotten. We're just good at covering up the grief.

Men and women, young and old, alone and in pair,

hundreds and thousands of once beating hearts,

jars and jars of ash are all that's left.

Every gaze hurts my eyes,

every mouth whispers "why?"

Why are we so close yet so far apart?

People go, memories remain.

Every touch, every scent, every smile, every word, every move,

comes alive when I close my eyes;

Every detail of your motionless eyes, nose, ears, mouth, hair,

haunts me when I look at you in your little rectangle.

Jars of lives presented in an orderly manner before me,

I know your body is there, but are you "really" there?

Where are you? How are you doing? Is everything alright? Are you in good health?

Maybe you can hear me, maybe you cannot.

But I just wanna tell you, "I love you."

Inside but Outside

Aunts, uncles, cousins... tens of them all around me, and I'm feeling all alone. Words flying pass me like bullets; children uncontrollably charging in different directions like hungry wolves; here I am, at the center of the impact, taking all these in me... 

Ever wonder how we speak the same language, but don't understand each other; how we are in the same house but also divided into separate 'houses'; and there I hide, at a corner, trying to find a place of my own...

Our Muse Waves Her Wand Again!

Shh... Just Listen to the sound from above.

Journey to Cambodia

A Trip of Realization

No street lights, but dimmed candle lights emitting from a few houses on the streets; no high rise buildings, but sparsely distributed shabby huts; no shoes on the tiny feet, but a filthy, worn-out piece of cloth barely covering the skinny little bodies; basically there was hardly anything ‘civilized’. But no, it was not the ’50s. It was the summer of 2010 when I first stepped my foot on this impoverished land, Cambodia, for a 5-day vacation with my family.

At the beginning of the trip, the itinerary was so boring because it was filled with visits to temples and historical sites. However, what I experienced on the second day of the trip had completely shifted my mindset and perception towards Cambodia.

On that day, we took a boat trip through a floating village. As a mid-stop, we boarded a floating school which was an eye-opener. It was heart-breaking to realize how few facilities there were. Everything on the boat were a classroom which could at most fit into 50 students, and an open-space “playground”. At the corner of the playground, two boys were lying on their stomachs in order to use the deck as a table for them to do assignments on their exercise books. With this scene imprinted in my mind, there is no excuse for me to be lazy given all the well-equipped learning facilities and support that I have. And this kind of self-reflection was what the whole journey was about.

As the French novelist Marcel Proust said, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” Cambodia might not have breath-taking scenic views or well-developed infrastructures, but it would definitely allow its visitors to reflect on their lives. Having witnessed how Cambodians struggled under poverty, I realized what true adversity really means and am able to see what I have and how lucky I am.

5 Easy Steps to be a Life Lover

• Be excited
  If the other people are being indifferent, you don't have to be like that too. Show your excitement, and they will be influenced.
  
  
• Be decisive and determined
  Know what you're doing and where you're heading to.
  
  
• Care about what is happening in your surroundings
  Have an opinion on issues.
  
  
• Wake up early
  Get a head start and be more relaxed for the rest of the day.
  
  
• Don't be afraid to fail
  To err is human. You tried, you failed, so what? At least you've tried. If you don't try, you never know.

5 Basic Mistakes Interviewers Should Avoid

Upon evaluating my first ever interviewer experience, I realized how poor an interviewer I was. And so, I wanna list in this post the things that I've done wrong, so as to remind myself and other junior interviewers not to make the same mistakes.

Before the Interview

1. Not setting up a time limit for the interview.
   You may not have time to ask every question on your list before your interviewee tells you that he/she has to leave for another appointment.
   
   
2. Not clearly stating how much of the interview will be covered in your article.
   If you plan to cover only a small part of the interview in your article but the interviewee don't know about it, he/she may end up elaborating too much for each question.
   What's worse, when he/she finds out that a great deal of the interview is cut out from the article, he/she may not be willing to give you help anymore next time.

During the Interview

1. Interrupting the interviewee in the middle of his/her response.
   It shows that you're rude, and no one likes to be interrupted anyway.
   
   
2. Sharing your own story.
   Well, if the article is not about you, why would you occupy everyone's time talking about yourself rather than themselves?
   
   
3. Making too-ready judgement on what they said.
   No one likes to be judged. Judgment would only puts them in an uncomfortable position where they would have to raise their fences and trigger their fight-or-flight response. (Unless if it's what you want to achieve.)

Thought-provoking Bathroom

I believe that many of you may agree with me that bathroom is such a thought-provoking place, where your brain automatically starts racing hundreds of miles away. From Astrology to Criminology, your mind just goes wild to a point when you finally stop and ask yourself, "Have I put on the soap yet?"

Bruises All Over

                                                             (Source: http://favim.com/image/31981/)

Attempting to mount the stacks of furnitures at home like a cat, I miserably fell from a wooden chair, breaking it into two and butt first (not paws!)

Bruises on my leg, shoulder and back, plus a few cuts here and there. Good job... Well, guess I gotta admit that I'm not as flexible as our furry friends. Ouch... my leg still hurts :(