Leglessbird leisure guide

麥X錫顧問公司

有一個牧羊人在草地上趕著一群羊，忽然間有一輛敞篷跑車開進他的牧場，駛到他的身邊停下來，駕駛者是一個全身名牌服飾的年輕人。

年輕人對牧羊人說：「如果我能準確地算出你這一群羊的數目，你可以送我一隻羊嗎？」

牧羊人看了一眼他的密密麻麻的成千羊群，勉強同意：「好吧！」

於是年輕人拿出他的筆記型電腦和可以照相攝影的電話手機，用汽車喇叭驅趕一些密集的羊群，讓它們移動一下。然後利用衛星探測系統、無線上網、及遠端資料庫與知識系統，加上模式的處理和運算，最後印出一份5頁紙的報告。

Full story »

Mr. China: A Memoir (buy from Amazon) by Tim Clissold
Type: Business
Author: Tim Clissold
My rating: 5
Book introduction:
This is a memoir of an Englishman who felt really attached to China since late 1980s. He came to Beijing in 1990s to study Mandarin and travel around China. He saw the opportunity of bringing capital from Wall Street to China and started investing into a selected set of industry, hoping to dominate certain market through numerous Joint Venture in the early 1990s. That was the time when it was hard for businesses (SOEs state-own enterprises) to raise capital within China. Together with a successful Wall Street banker, they raised US$418 Million in a number of fund raising round. Soon they find that doing business in China is much harder than they thought, and their investments have started to go terribly wrong. This book is a recount of the various battles that they fought against the Chinese partners of their joing ventures.

My review:
Highly recommended for everyone who plans to work, invest, start business in China. China has changed since, but to read and learn about its past and how/why things have evolved in certain ways and what lessons did foreign investors learn through numerous failed JV are all highly insightful. The situation described in the books are so so so true, the attitude towards foreigners, the opportunity to grab money fast during an infant stage of development of a huge nation and the lack of respect of contracts. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Type: Fiction
Author: 片山恭一
My rating: 4

Book introduction:
Sakutaro and Aki are high school sweet heart. Aki died of leukemia. This is the story of Sakutaro and Aki as told by Sakutaro, how they fell deeply in love, how Aki became sick and passed away, what was the joint wish that was unfulfilled. How Sakutaro's grandfather's affection for another lady had inspired both Sakutaro and Aki...
ISBN 988201867X

My review:
A movie and a TV drama called Crying out love in the centre of the world 在世界中心呼喚愛 were made out of this book. Personally, I like both the book and the movie. But the movie is much better, more touching and they have added some clever tricks in the movie that made it more interesting.

Young 1st love that is separated by death is always so very sad and touching. Especially so if there is one last unfulfilled dying wish.

This book broke the best selling record set by 村上春樹 Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood 挪威的森林. It sold over 2.5Million copies in Japan.

Norwegian Wood (Vintage International Original) (buy from Amazon) by Haruki Murakami

Type: Fiction
Author: Haruki Murakami 村上春樹
My rating: 3

Book introduction:
A story of complex love relationships that have been further complicated by sex and by death of close friends, relatives or lovers. 渡边 is trying to figure out his relationship with 直子 and 绿子 of whom he loves both in very different way and for very different reasons and with very different history.

My review:
I feel kind of sad after reading this book. The helplessness of human when it comes to relationship and death. 渡边 the lead character is always torn between other characters, lost in what he should be doing and let life takes its own course and sometimes let desire takes over. In the end he takes a firmer stance and no longer letting desire to take over, but he was too late about 直子's situation and I think the ending implies he was able to make out something good of the 绿子's relationship.

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (buy from Amazon) by Malcolm Gladwell

Type: Business
Author: Malcolm Gladwell
My rating: 5

Book introduction:
This book attempts to explain why some ideas or diseases spread like wild fire and some other ideas do not. The book introduces a concept to systematically look at how ideas, messages, viruses spread through the key characters.

- The connectors are people who are well connected, they simply love to get to know more people, they have a natural facsination in meeting everybody and genuinely find them interesting. The connectors can always find a common topic with almost everyone.
- The mavens are people who have a habit in knowing the fine details of all sorts of things like pricing, differences in products and love to help others and share what they know
- The salesmen are people who have the ability to convince others and engage a conversation and lead the other party to adapt the salesman's harmony and pace. They have a gifted talents to make others more agreeable

The book quoted various examples of products, viruses, historical events and explain how they fit in this connectors/mavens/salesmen concept. There are other very important factors too, such as stickiness of the message.

My review:
Finally got to read this book that has been recommended by a few friends and business associates. I think I fit in the description of the connectors and mavens, but need to work harder on the salesmanship.

If you are in a mass-market business, this is a must read. If you are simply amazed by how certain people are gifted in one of the aspect of the social skills, this is also a very interesting read.

Cuisine: Shanghainese in Causeway Bay
My rating: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 3
Price per person: HK$100-150

3/F, 8 Russell Street, Causeway Bay
Tel.: 28936388

Have been there several times.
Quite many special dishes.
I especially like their xiao long bao which is juicy, taste good, very thin-pastry but not easy to break, quite easy to handle.
Many choices for dim sum and noodles with reasonable price, easy to share among couples.
Good to book in advance for big 12-ppl round tables or window seats facing Time Square.

Cuisine: Western in Tin Hau
My rating: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 3
Price per person: HK$50-100 for lunch

G/F, 13 Lau Li Street, Tin Hau, HKG
Tel.: 2570 9933

Set lunch price varies from $38-$98.
The bread & soup was good.
Their service was good as well. When I told the waiter that the milk was cold but the coffee was not hot enough, he made another cup immediately even though I have almost finished & told him it was not necessary.

Cuisine: Japanese in Causeway Bay
My rating: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 3
Price per person: HK$150-200

1/F Circle Tower, 28 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.
Tel.: 2591 0101

Special dishes: seasonal fishes, beef menu

Nice place for friends gathering. Good service & food quality is ok.
But not too many choices in menu as it seems many dishes are quite similar.

Anthony Zimmer (Original French Version with English Version) (buy from Amazon)

Type: Suspense Thriller, France 2005

Director: J?r?me Salle

My rating: 3
Key actors/actresses:
Sophie Marceau .... Chiara
Yvan Attal .... Francois Taillandier
Sami Frey .... Akerman
Gilles Lellouche .... M??ller
Daniel Olbrychski .... Nassaiev

Story:
Anthony Zimmer is one of the most wanted man in France by the French authority and the Russians, because he helps big international criminal organisation to laundary their money. Very good at his work and smart to avoid getting caught, changing his face from time to time. The only weapon French government has is Chiara, a French agent sent to approach Zimmer before, and they are still in love. Unsure about Chiara's loyalty, she is asked to hunt down Zimmer, or better Zimmer will come to her. To disrupt the chase, Chiara picks up a random guy on the train called Francois and claims that he is her lover Zimmer, landing Francois in deep trouble...

My review:
Full of twist and turns but no real surprise, Sophie Marceau is as beautiful as ever.

Cuisine: French in Beijing
My rating: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Price per person:
RMB 120 for lunch / RMB 300-500 for dinner

3/F., No. 19 Building, China Central Place,
No.89 JianGou Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Tel.: 10-65305766 / 10-65305899

Ordered : 3-course Lunch set (Soup/Entree + Main dish + Dessert + Tea/Coffee)

Review: It is worth to try the lunch set. Great food & service plus romantic atmosphere. Excellent place for dating. ;)