Leglessbird Newsletter Dec 2023

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Dear Family and Friends,


(Click for larger image)

Happy New Year! As the pages of 2023 have swiftly turned, we find ourselves embarking on a winter adventure to Finland, Norway, and Estonia a bit earlier than usual, starting mid-December. Jin enjoyed his inaugural journey to Europe, where he experienced the enchantment of snow for the very first time. And what better place to immerse in a true winter wonderland than at Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, Finland?

This shift in schedule has indeed compressed my time for writing this annual reflection, compounded by an unusual bout of illness that lingered intermittently for two and a half weeks since November 30. Thankfully, I am now on the cusp of full recovery.

Travel and Global Exchange
The year kicked off on a positive note, with Hong Kong lifting its quarantine requirement in November 2022, and the mask mandate was retired on March 1, 2023. Our family embraced the concept of "revenge travel," exploring destinations such as Nepal, Beijing (Jin's inaugural visit to the Great Wall), Taichung, Taipei, and Mongolia. The natural splendours of Nepal and Mongolia were the crowning moments of the year for Jin, who cherishes wildlife and the great outdoors. On the academic front, I've joyfully reinstated my student study trips, leading excursions to Cambridge, Berlin (twice), and Silicon Valley. The last program I've conducted was in July 2019. My corporate training sessions have also resumed, including recent engagements in Jakarta.

The return of exchange students to CUHK has been a particular delight, with my classes enriched by the presence of young minds from many countries. In playful banter, I challenge myself to see if they come from a country where I haven't visited; thus far, only Lithuania and Algeria have stumped me. (Here is the list of where my exchange students come from: Greater China, Mexico, Algeria, Morocco, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, UK, Spain, USA, France, the Netherlands, Japan, Korea, Switzerland, Russia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, India, Italy, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, and Canada.)

給晉晉的家書 Home Letters to Jin
The awaited publication of "給晉晉的家書" ("Home Letters to Jin") finally materialised in August 2023! I'm eager to share a poignant review from a friend who also serves as Jin's and my assistant Hapkido instructor: "Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter once said, 'We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.' This book rekindled the timeless values my father instilled in me - values that stand steadfast despite the world's constant flux."

Work
Professionally, 2023 was a year of unprecedented activity. Both teaching and corporate training have scaled new peaks, surpassing even pre-pandemic levels. A recurring narrative across the various organisations I've collaborated with - spanning commercial sectors, NGOs, universities, and government departments - has been the significant talent drain due to emigration.

Green Initiatives
Our commitment to sustainability saw fruition as the solar panels installed at the end of 2022 were finally integrated with the grid in 2023. It's with pride that we declare our household carbon-negative regarding our electricity use.

Public Speaking
Among the highlights in public speaking was the book launch and, notably, addressing the Cambridge University Chinese Society (CUCS) annual dinner, which serendipitously coincided with Jin's birthday. While he may have found my speech engaging, his passion was clearly for enchanting guests with his magic tricks. As a former CUCS president in 1990, witnessing the evolving leadership of this esteemed society has been a joy. My speech theme, "Connections," intertwined with reflections from Prof. Dennis Lo, Former Chief Justice Dr. The Honourable Geoffrey Ma, and Ms. Louisa Mak (Miss Hong Kong 2015). I disclosed an unknown, yet special link between Former Chief Justice Ma, Louisa, and myself that traces back to an event on October 28, 2011 at Clare College, Cambridge.

Other public speaking included a talk at Hang Seng Bank on Intrapreneurship; a sharing organised by Esperanza on "Parenting in the digital age".

Jin's Magical Journey
Jin continues to thrive in his Waldorf education, now well into his third year at Island Waldorf School and taking up the cello. His passion for magic, fueled by self-directed learning through YouTube and books, is remarkable. His dedication to crafting his own magic tools and honing his skills has fostered a level of proficiency that leaves adults in awe and inquisitive about his techniques.

Irene's Path
With the pandemic in the rearview, Irene is advancing through her second tier of training with Life Academy in Taiwan, an experience she finds profoundly enriching. I am excited to follow in her footsteps with the same training come February. Additionally, her exploration into the art of tea, guided by an esteemed teacher, continues to be a source of joy and learning for both her and Jin, who also participates in children's tea classes.

As the new year dawns, we extend our heartfelt wishes for your happiness, health, and prosperity in 2024.

Live happily, and live well wherever you are, do not get stuck!
無論你身在何處,都要過得好,快樂地生活,不要被困住!

With love,
Jin, Irene, and Dominic
December 2023
PS Just in case you were wondering, this letter was written with the assistance of ChapGPT 4.0

---
Hapkido
Jin and I continue to advance in our belt exams this year. We have been practising since summer 2020.

Hong Kong
All I want to say is to look at the numbers and indicators of all sorts of measures instead of listening to people's baseless claims and speculations: Hang Seng index, IPO figures, property index, government deficit, mental health issues, voting percentage, number of emigrants, serious crime rate, fraud related crime rate ...For me, I care most about people's physical and mental health, and our education. 

Quotes

"We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying, we know they know we know they are lying, but they are still lying." - Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn

"We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles " - Jimmy Carter

「成功無方程式,失敗一定有道理。」- 李嘉誠


Books
- Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth By: Reza Aslan
- Pricing Beauty: The Making of a Fashion Model By: Ashley Mears
- The Journey of Humanity: The Origins of Wealth and Inequality By: Oded Galor
- The Metaverse: And How It Will Revolutionise Everything By: Matthew Ball
- Winning the Right Game: How to Disrupt, Defend, and Deliver in a Changing World (Management on the Cutting Edge) By: Ron Adner

 

Happy New Year 2024

Finland (Dec 2023-Jan 2024)

給晉晉的家書 Home letters to Jin Jin

Hapkido Belt Exam June and Dec 2023

Beijing, April 2023

Highlights of book launch events

Speaking at Cambridge University Chinese Society Annual Dinner 2023

Jin entertaining the guests with his magic tricks

Taiwan (July, Oct 2023)

Nepal (Dec 2022-Jan 2023)

Leglessbird Newsletter Dec 2022

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Dear Family and Friends,


Dec 2022 (Click for larger image)

Happy New Year! Once again, we trust that this message finds you well. Time seems to pass faster and faster by the years, 2022 is coming to an end. It is that time of the year again to count our blessings. 

Year 2022 started with the 5th wave of Covid19 in Hong Kong. We were finally infected with covid19 in April. Thankfully, we only had mild symptoms, and recovered within 2 days with no signs of long-covid. 

The much-delayed publication of my book 給晉晉的家書 "Home letters to Jin" is finally at the printer. Keeping my fingers crossed!

We love to travel and experience different cultures. It had been 3 years since we last travelled. Finally, we are spending 2 weeks in Nepal from 24 Dec. This is Jin's first visit to this country to see mountains that are so tall, stay with a local family in the mountains and see some wild animals in the national park.

The pandemic has no doubt been making everyone's life challenging, I think we are finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. With 2022 passing, I believe things will definitely improve in 2023. We wish you and your family a prosperous, healthy and happy 2023!

Love,

Jin, Irene and Dominic

Dec 2022

---

Highlight of Chan family

We love the village house and the neighbourhood that we have been living in since 2018. During the very hot month of July, the river near our house provided a great haven from the heat. From our roof-top garden, we have had pineapples that took 2 years to grow each, papayas that can grow in just a sizable pot, and numerous other vegetables/ herbs throughout the year. This place with its rural location is the perfect hide-away.

So when our landlord offered to sell, we decided to buy. However, buying a village house is not as simple as buying a flat in the city, there was so much more due diligence. We have just cleaned and repainted the outer wall. In January, we are going to construct some solar panels (9.6kW) on the rooftop. Under the government scheme, we will sell back the electricity to the power company and enjoy a legal shelter on the rooftop. By our calculations, with the amount of sunshine in our area, we should be able to achieve carbon-negative energy with our solar panels. 

Jin and Dominic passed the Hapkido belt upgrade examination in Dec. Hapkido has been a great father and son bonding activity and certainly good exercise for Dominic, most people have noticed that Dominic had achieved his optimal BMI. 

Unfortunately, Twedo, one of the two turtles at home, had a fatal accident. There was a lot that we had to reflect on from this incident. (Twedo was a gift from Santa Claus in 2018).

Highlight of Jin

Second year at Island Waldorf School, Jin is very happy with his school and making lots of friends. We are getting used to the long commute from Tai Po to Sai Wan. From time to time, Jin does miss the natural environment of his old school in Tai Po and Yuen Long.

In addition to the local BigBang Academy STEM activities, we started subscribing to a STEM learning kit delivery service from the UK and enjoying all the physics, chemistry and engineering experiments at home. 

Jin has a very curious mind and asks questions like "Why can't light escape from a blackhole?". So I told him what "escape velocity" means, and how it depends on gravity force which in turn depends on the mass of the body and the distance from the centre, and since the escape velocity of a blackhole is higher than the velocity of light, therefore even light cannot escape from a blackhole. He then asked, ""Light doesn't have mass, so how come there is still gravity force?", I further explained how light can be treated as a photon and so now he also knows about the famous equation connecting mass and energy. A few weeks later, he asked "What would an observer on the platform see, if I run towards the tail end of a moving train at equal speed, or faster or slower?". I often challenge him to answer his own question by asking "what do you think?". 

Jin helped to replace 7 of the 8 metal door knobs in the house, changing the entire structure including the locking mechanism and all moving parts. Dominic did the very first one as a demonstration, Jin got so good at replacing it that he can change one in under 5 minutes by the time he replaced the 5th one.

During the summer, Jin together with 2 friends built a treehouse from scratch in Fan Ling, he also learned how to chop wood, start a fire with wood and cook a meal. He got so excited about cooking that he cooked an entire meal for us at home. Something neither Irene nor Dominic did when we were at Jin's age.

Highlight of Irene

Irene is very much into tea-drinking and she found a very good teacher. Picking the right tea and serving it properly has profound health effects. She also spends quality time at a beautiful place called Nam Chung. Irene and Jin are caring for some trees, and Dominic joins them to enjoy nature.

Highlight of Dominic

Despite the pandemic situation, 2022 had actually been the busiest year for work. We were conducting zoom-classes only during the first 8 months of the year. I was so glad that we resumed face to face classes from September and the campus was finally filled with students again. With no overseas field trips, I'm teaching even more courses at CUHK. Things had really picked up again this year, conducted more corporate training and executive coaching than any other year. There were some public events like MBA/EMBA sample classes, Make a DASH (Greater Bay Entrepreneurship programme), activities further opened up in Q4 2022, and more face to face activities became possible, e.g. various graduation dinners, residence weeks, faculty/ department annual dinners and wedding banquets. CUHK launched Hong Kong's first "Corporate Innovation Index" in November. 

Not reading as many books as I should, but instead did 12 online courses with certificate this year, ranging from Psychology, Philosophy, Forensic Science, Blockchain Applications to ESG (Environment, Social and Governance), SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), Negotiations, to Parenting etc. Some for fun, some are very practical indeed (e.g. parenting). 

Quotes 

"Evil Does Seek To Maintain Power By Suppressing The Truth."  -  Spock, Startrek

"Insanity -- a perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world." - Ronald D. Laing

"The problem is not people being uneducated. The problem is that people are educated just enough to believe what they have been taught, and not educated enough to question anything from what they have been taught." - Prof. Richard Feynman

Books

The Shame Machine - Cathy O'Neil

Digital for Good - Richard Culatta

Wild Problems - Russ roberts

Principles - Ray Dalio

Movies/ Documentary

Eat the rich - The gamestop saga

Extraordinary Attorney Woo


Happy New Year 2023

給晉晉的家書 Home letters to Jin Jin

給晉晉的家書 Home letters to Jin Jin

Nepal (Dec 2022-Jan 2023)

Hapkido Belt Exam

Roof Top Garden

Jin making bows and arrows

Building a treehouse

Jin cooking

Jin changing door knobs

Irene serving tea

Beautiful Nam Chung

Beautiful Nam Chung

Hong Kong Corporate Innovation Index

Leglessbird Newsletter Dec 2021

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Dear Family and Friends,


Dec 2021 (Click for larger image)

Happy New Year! Trust this message finds you well and you have been staying safe and healthy. Like the years before, the year 2021 seems to have passed in the blink of an eye and it is that time of the year to reflect and count our blessings. 

In 2021, the covid19 infection number continued to be reported on a daily basis which is more frequent than any stock market index and we find this rather numbing. Our hands have consumed more alcohol than our mouths ever have since we are not really drinkers. Masks are such an integrated part of our daily wear, we almost feel naked without wearing one. However, if I had to make a list of how or why I do not recognize Hong Kong anymore, these points probably would not even make it to the top 50, and some of the points on the list would clearly explain why I will not be sharing this list even if such a list exists. 

It is impossible to keep track of the number of friends who have left Hong Kong to pursue a [Better life]. While it saddens us deeply, we fully comprehend why they would choose to leave the place where they were born and grew up. I appreciate the term Better life, does not shallowly mean a better job, making more money, seeing property value rockets, the earthly things that many would say those who left Hong Kong are foolish to give up. Better life is a state of mind, pursuing meaningful things according to their values, rather than things merely for survival or wealth accumulation.  

Jin continues his Waldorf education, transitioning from Starhill kindergarten in a farm to IWS primary school in the city. He is thoroughly loving his new school and making many new friends. He was also excited to receive gifts from the tooth fairy for the first time. At home, Jin enjoys conducting STEM experiments, performing and inventing card tricks + magic tricks, solving various types of rubik’s cubes, making a lot of handicraft and arts works. Irene and I take joy in doing all these activities with Jin and are learning so much ourselves, I have discovered an artistic side of myself that I didn’t know existed. The perks of living in a small village continue to enable us to go cycling, swimming in the river/club house, hiking up the mountain, planting on the rooftop. Low density neighbourhoods have continued to shield us from the worst effects of the pandemic. 

Our desire to live a secluded (隱居) life continues to guide us towards simpler village life. I finally summoned enough courage to uninstall social media apps from my smartphone at the beginning of the year, but stopped short at deleting the accounts. Not surprisingly, some friends have been seeking my advice on how I did it. I feel like a former social media addict sharing his experience on how to beat an addiction. 

This year, I did something for the very first time. I passed my Hapkido belt exam. I always wanted to learn some martial arts, I used to be a regular gym-goer to do simple exercise and now Hapkido has become my twice a week activity. It has been a very long time since I last took any kind of exam, apart from the general medical examination which I also thankfully passed. My smartphone, smartwatch and my smart bathroom scale are monitoring many of my health signs and seem to conclude that I have a body of a 32-year old, and a resting heart rate of 55 bpm. 

Workwise, since the covid19 situation is well under control within Hong Kong, my classes at CUHK have resumed face to face mode and I have taken up more classes than before, it is such a pity that all overseas field trips are still cancelled. My client work has returned to normal and thanks to technology, my overseas engagement has in fact increased. 

For Irene, 2021 has passed so quickly that her highlights are all about taking care of all aspects of the well-being of the family during the current pandemic, Jin transitioned to primary school, and matters related to our home. Out of her already very busy schedule, she managed to squeeze in a few Waldorf parents and teachers courses throughout the year. Her quote of the year is 我們不一定知道我們人生的使命,做我們現在必須要做的事便是我們生命的使命。 (We do not necessarily know what our life mission is, doing things that we must do in the present moment IS the life mission). She is content that she is able to practice Tai-chi-yoga almost on a daily basis. 

It has been almost 2 years since we last travelled, but less air-traffic globally means more blue-sky, and at the same time, we observe more pollution in other forms, such as masks, disposable packaging and utensils. We hope the pandemic situation will be resolved in 2022 and we continue to protect our environment and reduce pollution. 

We wish you and your family a very joyful and prosperous 2022!  

Love,

Jin, Irene and Dominic
——

 

Books read/ listened this year

  • AI 2041 - Kai-Fu Lee Chen Qiufan
  • A thousand brains - Jeff Hawkins
  • Why the allies won - Richard Overy
  • Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life (And How Anyone Can Harness It. Even You.) - Jennifer Aaker , Naomi Bagdonas
  • Red Roulotte - Desmond Shum
  • Competing in the Age of AI - Marco Iansiti, Karim R. Lakhani
  • Civilized to death: The Price of Progress - Christopher Ryan
  • Quiet - Susan Cain
  • 2030 - Mauro F. Guillen
  • Surrounded by idiots - Thomas Erikson
  • Hype machine - Sinan Aral
  • Weapons of Math Destruction - Cathy O’Neil

 

Favourite timely quotes of the year

  • If you can’t beat them, join them. If you can’t join them, claim that you are an even better version of them.
  • I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned. - Professor Richard Feynman

 

Movie/Documentary watched this year that I would recommend

  • The Guilty
  • Money Heist
  • Age of Samurai

 

Work - CUHK highlights

  • Face to face classes have resumed since August. It has been a while since we last saw so many people on campus. We also welcome exchange students to Hong Kong.
  • Won the Faculty Teaching Merit Award, 2 years in a row
  • Involved in launching the first Corporate Innovation Index in Hong Kong
  • Make a DASH Greater Bay Area entrepreneurship programme
  • CUHK I-CARE supporting social enterprise

 

Work - others highlights

  • Corporate training and business consulting
  • INED of one UK plc and one HK company
  • HKSTP incubation panel, Elevator Pitch

 

Public speaking highlights

  • 20210709 Ricoh Executive Seminar 2021 Summer (Japan): Transforming students from professional mindset to entrepreneurial mindset
  • 20210811 FEW Female Entrepreneurs World Incubation Programme Workshop - Business Model
  • 2021 Talking to CEOs《與CEO對話..轉危為機》: 20210919 Talking to CEOs, Ms. Mary Huen, CEO, Hong Kong, Standard Chartered; 20211031 Talking to CEOs, Mr. Bernard Charnwut Chan, GBM, GBS, JP,Chairperson, The Hong Kong Council of Social Service
  • MBA/EMBA Sample Classes, AI Model Discussion; Unintended consequences of digital transformation

Embrace 2022!

Live a secluded life (photo taken outside our home)

Jin’s STEM experiments

Jin’s STEM experiments

Hapkido Belt Exam

Goodbye Starhill Waldorf

Dominic discovered one of his artistic talents

Enjoying the river near our home

Talking to CEOs 2021

7 March 2021 Dominic's 10 Reasons To Smile Today

20210307 Dominic Ten Reasons To Smile Today

20210307 Dominic Ten Reasons To Smile Today

Dominic annual 10 Reasons To Smile Today - Always think positive!

Version - 7th March 2021

10) Amazing people like you in my life

9) Just uninstalled Facebook & Instagram 

8) Enjoy interaction with my students

7) Appreciate what mother nature provides on our rooftop farm

6) Only mildly disrupted by the pandemic

5) Embrace Starhill Waldorf family, sharing a common vision on child development

4) Quality father & son bonding, still writing letters to Jin 給晉晉的家書

3) Jin can express emotions using words, no more friction with us

2) In good shape, have hair, no glasses. Irene & Jin healthy & happy. Mom is content in her new home. Sisters enjoying grandmotherhood

1) 3 of us together as a family on this wonderful journey called LIFE


Long Version - 7th March 2021

(10) Blessed with having many wonderful people in my life

(9) Finally had the determination to uninstall Facebook and Instagram from my phone a few weeks ago (in any case, I have not been using them for a long long time) 

(8) Continue to enjoy interacting with my students of all levels for education as well as personal development

(7) Enjoying the produce from our rooftop garden taken care by Irene, Jin and Roma, appreciating what mother nature provides for us

(6) Our family had fairly mild disruption by the COVID-19 pandemic, largely thanks to the secluded lifestyle of living in a very low density rural neighbourhood

(5) Blessed to be part of a very caring and supporting education community called Starhill Waldorf, a big family that shares a common vision on healthy child development

(4) Enjoying a lot of quality time with Jin through multiple father and son bonding activities such as taking Hapkido classes together, cycling, swimming, playing chess etc, still writing letters to Jin (給晉晉的家書)   And in particular, I enjoy the martial arts classes as a beginner at such a mature stage of life.

(3) Irene and I are feeling moved and much relieved as Jin achieved a significant milestone in life, he becomes a bit more mature and is able to process his emotions more properly through words and appropriate actions, which means less or virtually no friction with parents when handling his anger or frustration

(2) My mom is very happy with her new elderly home. My sisters are enjoying lifes as a grandmother. And I still have good health and hair, and wear no glasses. Irene is improving her fitness. Jin is very healthy and has been keeping the doctor away since he was 3 years old 

(1) Having Irene and Jin together during this wonderful journey called LIFE

Version - 7th March 2020
(10) Having YOU as a friend or relative to share this list
(09) Feeling appreciated and encouraged when some friends and students say I made a difference in their lives
(08) Rerooting ourselves to be close to nature and live a simple secluded life in Tai Po (大埔). Continuing the journey to attain harmony with nature, family, friends and people in general, to have more sympathy and empathy towards others.
(07) Enjoying a high degree of freedom in spirit, time, location and financial. Loving my 'work-life integration' and 'Education' as my 'ikigai' (Love to do + Good at doing + The world needs + Get rewarded for doing)
(06) Understanding being wise and kind is a choice and is far more important than simply being smart or clever, our actions have consequences to others as well as ourselves. Knowing that wisdom can only grow with experience, sometimes by accumulating our learning from mistakes and from observing how wise people make important decisions. Also our wisdom can grow ONLY if we have a humble heart.
(05) While reading a re-interpretation of the 'David Vs Goliath' story, I have a strong realization that reinforces our beliefs of finding our own way of life, creating and leveraging our own strengths and advantages instead of just following what other people and the system expect us to do and behave.
(04) Living a meaningful life with principles. Still finding new enlightenments through life-long learning and new purposes through writing letters to Jin (給晉晉的家書)
(03) Appreciating that mother and sisters are still relatively speaking in good health.
(02) Maintaining good health, still having lots of hair and not wearing glasses ('yet'), though I was excited when I found a new and more convenient way to dye my hair. The results from a recent and very thorough medical check-up indicate all is well. Picking up regular exercise again and lost 2.5 kg to hit my ideal weight. A certain health monitoring device consistently put my body age in the 30s (hit 31 occasionally).
(01) Being married to Irene, grateful and blessed that Jin is healthy and happy, enjoying lots of family time.

Version - 7th March 2018
(10) Having YOU as a friend or relative reading this sharing
(09) Picking up on travel again including global study trips learning from great professors around the world
(08) Looking forward to living a simple life in Tai Po (大埔) soon, close to nature and desirable school for Jin (孟母三遷之一)
(07) Living a meaningful life with principles, finding new enlightenments and purposes through writing letters to Jin (給晉晉的家書)
(06) Continuing the journey to attain harmony with nature, family, friends and people in general, to have more sympathy and empathy towards others, understanding being wise and kind is a choice and is far more important than simply being clever
(05) Enjoying a higher degree of freedom in spirit, time, location and financial
(04) Striking a better balance in 'work-life integration'. Confirming 'Education' as my 'ikigai' (Love to do + Good at doing + The world needs + Get rewarded for doing)
(03) Appreciating that mother and sisters are still relatively speaking in good health. Extremely glad that Jin got to see his grandma, cousin Janet + Brian and Jin's first cousin once removed Everett (表外甥) from Canada very recently.
(02) Maintaining good health, still have hair and wear no glasses ('yet' still)
(01) Being married to Irene, grateful and blessed that Jin is healthy and happy

Version - 7th March 2017
10) YOU are reading this
09) Have a firm moral compass and know that I am not alone
08) Have sympathy and empathy towards others at times of sadness, happiness, anger, excitement, and look beyond people's faults
07) Understand that being wise is far more important than being clever
06) Believe in fate and karma
05) Enjoy a certain degree of freedom in terms of spiritual, time, location and financial
04) Passionate about everything that I am currently doing, be it work or leisure
03) Mother and sisters are, relatively speaking, in good health
02) Thankfully in good health, still have hair and wear no glasses (yet)
01) Married to Irene, grateful that Jin is healthy and happy

Version - 7th March 2015
10) Still have hair
09) Still have good eyesight without wearing glasses (no contact lens, no lasik)
08) Still living in Hong Kong (now in our own flats)
07) Can now 'claim' to be a writer: published two books in Chinese (one on Cambridge and one on World Travel) and working on a third book.
06) Have you as a friend or relative to send this list to (or shown to on Facebook)
05) Still enjoying things outside and at work. Working on things COMPLETELY different from 10 years ago.
04) Still cry when seeing/ hearing a touching movie or story. Become more mature and more in harmony with life, people and nature.
03) Mum is alive and well (Dad has gone to a better place sometime during the last 10 years)
02) Still healthy and feel young
01) Raising my son Jin with my dear wife Irene

Version - 7th March 2005
10) Have hair (suggested by Irene)
09) Still not wearing glasses
08) Living in Hong Kong with great food
07) Still travelling for leisure and work and fascinated with new things
06) Have you as a friend or relative to send this list to
05) Enjoying things outside and at work
04) Still cry when seeing a touching movie (suggested by Irene)
03) Parents are alive and well
02) Healthy and feel young
01) Married to Irene

Leglessbird Newsletter Dec 2020

If this page isn't displayed properly, please visit my blog Leglessbid.com




Dear Family and Friends,


Dec 2020 (Click for larger image)

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone is keeping safe and healthy. Just when we thought Year 2019 was a very turbulent year for Hong Kong, little did we know a year ago that covid19 pandemic was going to be added to the already long list of crises and made Year 2020 an even more depressing year. Under such circumstances, we are grateful to say that we have managed to stay safe and well. Adapting many new measures such as wearing masks, keeping social distance, reducing group activities, purchasing online and eating more at home. Thankfully, living in a very low density neighbourhood means social distancing has fairly minimal disruption to our quiet daily life.

Most of my teaching/training has switched to online platforms since February, my numerous overseas study trips were understandably cancelled. This is the first time I have not travelled for the entire year since my very first experience of stepping on an aeroplane in 1984 heading to a boarding school in Jersey. As for my client work, things have almost returned to normal since August, thanks to all the online tools, there is in fact more work from overseas clients. As a tech-savvy independent professional with 15 years of experience, working from my well equipped home has always been the norm. The real challenge this year, however, is to conduct online meetings and classes with a young child at home. I actually spent more time in my office this year than all my office hours combined from the last 15 years.

One very serious family matter occurred coincidentally during the most depressing time of 2020, it was largely resolved and seems to be making good progress in the right direction but inevitably leaving behind some impressions on family members. The Chinese saying [家家有本難念的經] certainly rings true. (Every family has their own problems that cannot be understood by others).

According to the conventional Chinese wisdom, this year I am supposedly to have reached the age of [knowing one's destiny] (知天命). I doubt that I know my destiny, but whether knowing or otherwise, I am certainly enjoying this journey with Irene and Jin, and I'm hoping to help my students to find their destiny. My medical exam and health monitoring devices are telling me that I am of the age of [establishing] (立), let's go with the scientific evidence... 

I'm still writing 給晉晉的家書 (home letters to Jin) totalling 204 letters so far, hopefully, I will publish all the letters into a book in 2021.

Overall, Year 2020 reinforces our belief that life is full of surprises and packed with unexpected changes that can be good and bad. Embracing change proactively is the only way forward, no matter how hard it is. A quote that I like very much serves as a very good reminder, [When life gives you a choice, always take the most difficult path]. The meaning of the word [difficult] becomes nothing. It is especially during challenging times like this that we have to continue to think positive, count our blessings and maintain hope for a better future, at the same time we must learn from our past mistakes, treasure the memories of all our losses and move on. With that spirit, we are going to share some of our happiest moments in 2020 below!

We wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2021! Please drop us a few words to share how you are getting on! 

Love,
Jin, Irene and Dominic
December 2020
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2020 Highlights of happy moments

Rooftop plantation (and elsewhere)
We (mostly Irene, Jin and Roma) have been doing a lot of farming this year, on our rooftop as well as in some farms. Thus, we were able to consume and/or appreciate a great variety of vegetables, fruits, rice and flowers. We were most delighted to enjoy 4 pineapples grown from our rooftop, each took almost 2 years to grow, living in a city like Hong Kong, that is a small achievement that deserves some celebration. Jin had his first appearance on television in a programme covering the story of his rice plantation class.

Jin's education
Jin continues his journey on a Waldorf Education path. We believe it is very important to have the right environment that reinforces traditional values and virtues, cares about the well being of the child and enhances harmony among people and between people and nature, it is also very important to be with a community of families and teachers who share the same concept and vision of child development. We are very fortunate and glad to be part of the Starhill Waldorf family, watching Jin growing up and enjoying his childhood is such a blessing.

Hapkido (合氣道)
Jin and I started taking Hapkido classes together in August, a very good father-and-son activity indeed, we often practice at home as well. In addition to the good exercise and useful self-defence techniques, the lessons on respect and discipline are the more important reasons for taking martial arts classes. We observe very noticeable changes in Jin. The 1st ever examination of any kind that Jin took was in fact the Hapkido belt exam in December where the master also awarded him a special prize for making the most progress and exhibiting the right spirit and attitude. (We are with the Spain Hong Kong Martial Art Association, search for keywords DojangMusado or spainhkmartialartassociation)

Swimming
Irene and I bought full body gear to enjoy swimming with Jin in the river stream near our house in a very quiet and beautiful hidden place, something we should have done more often since we moved in during 2018.

Board games
Jin learned to play Chinese Chess and has been enjoying the game ever since. We even took the chess set to play in our village park. There is a stone table with Chinese Chess board engraved on the surface, a common feature in many Hong Kong parks. He also enjoyed and learned to play a number of other board games such as reversi, arena chess 鬥獸棋, flying chess 飛行棋, and Code.

Cycling
Jin and I continued to enjoy cycling around our neighbourhood, this year we expanded our range to 50 minutes each way, reaching a club house, enjoying an afternoon tea set before heading home. Jin said he didn't feel tired at all.

Travelling
What travelling?

Cambridge University
This year we have also switched our mentorship programme online, we ran three career workshops: Investment Banking, Management Consulting and Entrepreneurship. Because of the pandemic, we didn't receive any visitors this year.

I had a few public engagements this year, speaking at or hosting business panels.
20200520 CUHK Business Webinar Series: An Introduction to Angel Investment
20200603 CXO Forum, Covid-19: Implications of Effective Leadership in a Time of Abrupt Disruption
20200920 Talking to CEO with Professor Dennis Lo
20200924 CXO Forum, Fly up or Fade out in the Era of Disruption
20201025 Talking to CEO with Mr Stan Tang
20201030 Innoport Happy Hour, AI Business Model
20201125 CUHK Global Alumni Forum with Mr Shih Wing Ching and Mr Ricky Wong
20201126 CUHK MBA Sample Class - Management Consulting 

Quotes of the year

  • At the end of the day people won't remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel. - Maya Angelou
  • A leader is best when people barely know he exists. when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will all say "We did it ourselves.  Lao-Tzu, an ancient philosopher and founder of Taoism" 當人們幾乎不知道他存在時,領導者才是最好的...當他完成工作,實現目標時,所有人都會說: 我們自己做到了。 -老子,古代哲學家和道家創始人
  • Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music. - George Carlin
  • 小時候,微笑是一種心情。⻑大後,微笑是一種表情。- 豐子愷
  • 沒有絕望的處境,只有對處境絕望的人。

Books read/listened this year

  • Delivering Happiness
  • What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful!
  • The Art of Negotiating the Best Deal
  • Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills
  • Targeted: My Inside Story of Cambridge Analytica and How Trump and Facebook Broke Democracy
  • The Everyday Parenting Toolkit: The Kazdin Method for Easy, Step-by-Step, Lasting Change for You and Your Child
  • The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations
  • The Pig that Wants to be Eaten: And Ninety-Nine Other Thought Experiments
  • On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century
  • Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts
  • The Story of Human Language
  • The Infinite Game
  • Range
  • Talking to Strangers

Movies/ TV Drama/ Documentation recommendation

  • The Social Dilemma
  • David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet
  • Queen's Gambit
  • Dark
  • Money Heist (La casa de papel)
  • Altered Carbon

Some photo highlights:

Anticipate Challenges!

Jin's rice plantation class

Starhill Waldorf

Starhill Waldorf

Enjoying the river in our neighbourhood

The age of 知天命"Knowing one's destiny"

Happy moments

Happy moments

Happy moments

Never thought I would have a trampoline at home

CUHK Public Engagements

2020 CUHK Global Alumni Forum

2020 CXO Forum

Leglessbird Newsletter Dec 2019

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Dear Family and Friends,


Dec 2019 (Click for larger image)

Happy New Year!

2019 is coming to an end and time seems to pass even faster than 2018. In 2019, to say Hong Kong went through some very turbulent time would be a serious understatement, it is unprecedented for our generation. We have been staying safe, and I wish my home city where Jin, Irene and myself were born will eventually emerge better and stronger. I wish those with a strong sense of duty (使命感) also at the same time possess true wisdom (智慧) , because only wisdom can lead us to light, hatred will lead to a very dark path of no return.

We moved in March 2018 to Tai Po, the rural part of Hong Kong, after months of adjustments both physically and mentally, we have settled down and we are loving it. The desire of living a secluded (隱居) life is stronger than ever. As I really wish I can 不問世事,與世無爭 (be carefree of world affairs and desire nothing from the world).

It is a blessing for Jin to be able to grow up in an environment where he can catch frogs, fish, shrimps and bugs; climb trees; feed farm animals; plant and pick rice, fruits, flowers and vegetables. I enjoy cycling and swimming with Jin right in our neighbourhood, I have not cycled much since I left Cambridge more than 20 years ago, Jin was so happy when he got his own bicycle and helmet. Jin is certainly having a very different childhood from Irene's and mine. In Oct, Jin kept a caterpillar at home for 2.5 weeks and it turned into a beautiful butterfly and flew away, our turtle probably enjoyed the companionship of the caterpillar too. Jin said his highlight of the year was to spend his 5th birthday in Tai Chung, Taiwan where we stayed in an isolated part of a mountain, went to a sheep farm, enjoyed a horse riding show and visited a paper church.

Major changes for me in 2019 (1) I started to drive on a regular basis in Lam Tsuen area (I didn't need to drive before in HK nor in UK); (2) I have stopped using Facebook since 6 Dec 2018 and it has been so great. Sure, I had enjoyed in the past posting events photos, family photos and also my 給晉晉的家書 "Home letters to Jin" as well as reading many updates from friends and family. But these benefits do not out-weight the wrongs that this platform is conducting behind our backs. I feel in some way, I have freed myself from social media to regain my precise time and sanity from being manipulated by some algorithms attempting to persuade me to buy things or to vote one way or another, or to lock myself into a cocoon of confirmation bias, though at the same time I wish I could continue to be someone who contributes positive energy into that very same platform. Again this reinforces the idea of living a secluded life not only offline but online also. For my friends who have been enjoying my "Home letters to Jin", I am still writing and as of the time of this newsletter, I have written 194 letters.

This year, I continued to travel and brought my various groups of CUHK students to Cambridge, 2 x Berlin and Silicon Valley, I enjoyed the companion as well as the lessons during these trips, and often incorporate new ideas into my own teaching and corporate training.We also enjoy leisure trips to Taiwan. Irene is glad to be travelling again!

I want to share a Mandarin song that Jin recently loves to sing (often with other kids):
「世上光」(Light of the world)
我是世上光, 純淨又明亮!(I'm the light of the world, pure and bright!)
像一枝小蠟燭, 在夜裡發光!(Like a little candle, shinging in the dark!)
要將黑暗世界照耀輝煌!(Gloriously light up the dark world!)
我是世上明光, 純淨明亮!(I'm the wise light of the world, pure and bright!)

With the current HK situation and looking at Jin singing this song with an innocent voice, Irene and I cannot hold back our tears. We must continue to move forward in 2020.

We wish you a healthy, happy and prosperous 2020! Please drop us a few lines to share how you are getting on!

Love,
Jin, Irene and Dominic

December 2019

Work
The combination of teaching at CUHK, overseas study trips and outside practice of consulting projects as well as corporate training is keeping me happily occupied.

Cambridge
We welcome Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Toope visiting Hong Kong in April. In addition to visiting Cambridge in May, there had been a number of alumni events. and the Trinity College alumni group has become more active.

Favourite quotes this year
Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace - Nelson Mandela
為了和平,勇敢的人不會害怕寬恕。納爾遜·曼德拉

Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
那些可以使您相信荒謬事情的人,可以使您犯下暴行。-伏爾泰

It is easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled. - Mark Twain
矇騙別人要比說服他們被矇騙了還容易。-馬克·吐溫

Travel
I took 4 different groups of students to Cambridge, 2 x Berlin and Silicon Valley, we visited Taiwan 4 times this year (5 for Irene).

Books
These days I enjoy listening to audio book rather than reading books.I have subscribed to audio book club to listen to at least one book a month.
"Start with why", "David vs Goliath", "Time energy and talent", "Algorithm to live by", "Sapiens", "Why we sleep", "21 lessons for 21st century", "The selfish gene", "Conspiracies & Conspiracy Theories: What We Should and Shouldn't Believe - and Why". "You, your child and school", "Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction"

Movies
炸雞特攻隊, "Official Secrets", 

Some photo highlights:

Atitude determins altitude

遇見巨人 ("I am strong, when I am on your shoulder. You raise me up: to more than I can be " - Lyric from the song "You raise me up!")

201908 Taiwan

Jin the painter

Eat your veg, Jin!

Happy Birthday Jin!

Leglessbird Newsletter Dec 2018

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Dear Family and Friends,


Dec 2018 (Click for larger image)

Happy New Year! Another year passes so quickly. It has been a very eventful year for us, for a start, we made a very bold MOVE (literally) - We moved from a building in Pokfulam, South of Hong Kong to a village house in Lam Tsuen, Tai Po. We now fully indulge in nature, being very close to a Waldorf school for Jin and CUHK where I work part-time since 2016. Moving to the country side is not without challenges, we managed to overcome them all and I'll start driving soon. Our life style has changed dramatically as a result: More meals at home, fewer visits to the "city", Jin enjoys picking fruits from trees, playing with shrimp and fish at a river in the neighbourhood, eating cheese cake at a cafe where he can climb trees, turning our roof top into his playground. We found a few farmers nearby to buy fresh vegetables.

I asked Irene what was her personal reflection of the year, she said she was surprised that she was in Hong Kong everyday this year.

I continue to enjoy writing "letters to Jin Jin" (給晉晉的家書). As of today, I have written 165 letters to Jin (since new year day 2015). I hope to find time to publish it as my 3rd book. Thank you to everyone who expressed how much you like these letters and those who provided valuable feedback, your words are very encouraging to me, especially those who came talking to me at various events.

Another big change of the year is that I have been contemplating to quit some of the social media platforms, namely, Facebook and Instagram, even though I am a very heavy user of social media and it has been a very useful medium to connect to friends and family, and express my thoughts. However, I detest the way it makes money by using our private data in such an abusive manner and constantly violating our privacy. I cannot be a willing accomplice in the crime against myself. I have decided to significantly reduce my time spent on these social media, I challenged myself to stop using Facebook and Instagram, and have not checked in since 6 Dec 2018. The day I stopped using it, I started to draw a list of friends who I want to see in person and can enjoy a coffee together. I would like to share this article to everyone who are thinking about abandoning some of the social networks - "The year social networks were no longer social " https://techcrunch.com/2018/12/23/the-year-social-networks-were-no-longer-social/

We wish you and your family a healthy, happy and prosperous 2019.

Love,
Jin, Irene and Dominic

Jin is now 4 years old, fluent in English, Mandarin and Cantonese. Growing up so fast and healthily. Teacher says he provides a lot of "entertainment" to the class (whatever that means!). Fire engine is still Jin's favourite, so is using Lego and other wooden building blocks to make his own structures/toys which shows a lot of creativity, especially the stories that he makes up while creating the structures. Reading books and/or telling stories every night before going to bed. He often turns himself into a cat which makes communicating with him a lot of fun. His ability to reason and making logical argument/ conclusion has surprised as well as amused us on numerous occasions. His career aspirations has changed from (1) A firefighter (2) An engineer (3) A Chef and (4) A pilot to (a) A scientist (b) An engineer (c) An archaeologist and (d) A Professor.

Family

Jin was very happy to see his aunt Agnes (Canada) + uncle Richard, aunt Bibiana (Australia) and his cousin Janet (Canada) + Brain + Jin's little 2nd cousin (表外甥) baby Everett in Hong Kong and stayed with us. Jin's another cousin Jonathan becomes father in Dec, that makes Jin a 表叔 and me a 舅公 again. Jin also enjoys talking to Grandma (Canada) through video conference. 

Travel
In 2018, I have only done a few trips along with EMBA and MBA students to Taipei, Berlin, Cambridge and Beijing.

Education
Entering 3rd year of teaching at the Business School of CUHK covering courses such as entrepreneurship, management consulting, venture investment, from startup to reality. I have taken one of the EMBA courses on I-ching (易經). To refresh as well as learn something new, I took a number of courses on the Coursera platform including Blockchain, "Machine Learning", Cryptography. I appreciate the learning opportunities from the 4 study trips with the EMBA and MBA groups covering social innovation, Industry 4.0, Hidden Champions, Stakeholder leadership and China Economy & Finance. It was fun making various public speaking including one on the topic of "To P[hD] or not to P[hD]", "Nurturing young children to speak multi-language", "Introduction of consulting industry" and "Entrepreneurship"

Consulting and angel investment
Due to my other commitments, I am doing less consulting engagements, typically conducting strategic planning meeting, and more corporate training and coaching. Innovation, entrepreneurship, strategic thinking and critical thinking are the most in demand topics. For Dark Horse angel investment, this year we sold back our shares in one of the companies to the founder and had an IPO for another.

Cambridge:
We had numerous formal halls in Hong Kong, a Biennial dinner and Cambridge Campaign Event hosted by the Vice Chancellor of Cambridge. Established a Trinity in Hong Kong group; The visit in July included a surprise visit to the Trinity college clock tower.

Books I read/ am still reading: "Brief answers to the big questions", "AI Super-powers", "讀易經,通管理", "Mindfulness", "Parenting for a peaceful world", "Mistakes were me, but not by me", "Give and Take", "Misbehaving", "Thinking fast and slow", "The art of strategy", "How to raise an adult", "Black Swan", "The billionaire who wasn't".

Movies/ Shows that I enjoyed: "Black mirror"(Season 4), Bodyguard" (2018 netflix)

Favourite quotes heard in 2018 that I find inspiring: "It is not how well you can fight, it is what you fight for!" "別活得太舒服" (this one is a self-realization)

December 2018

HKUST 20180501

Jin's 4th Birthday 201808

Ginger Bread House 201812

Fireman Jin 201804

Starhill 201810

Starhill Walk 201810

CUHK 201812

Leglessbird Newsletter Dec 2017

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Dear Family and Friends,


On Jin's 3rd birthday (Click for larger image)

Happy New Year! Time flies when you're having fun. 2017 has been another good year for us. Hope this greeting finds you and your family well and that year 2017 has been kind to you.

Watching Jin growing up is the biggest highlight and blessing of 2017. There have been many enlightened moments for me in terms of parenting and principle finding, and I have put my realisations into my "letters to Jin" (給晉晉的家書). Writing to Jin about my values, my view of the world and his growing up is now my favourite hobby. The world in 2017 as we observed had taken so many wrong turns, events unfolding in Hong Kong are simply worrying, to say the least. At times like this, it is especially important for us to guard and defend our values. I can only hope things in the world in 2018 will be better.

2017 is the beginning of the boom of Artificial Intelligent, while we are enjoying the benefits of technology advancement that brings ever higher efficiency and effectiveness, we are losing the very precious human touch, my biggest concern is that the future generations without having what we experienced cannot even comprehend what is lost. I had engaging conversations with a new friend who is going to launch a global forum on world issues in Cambridge.

In order to be closer to nature and better education choices for Jin, we have decided to move to Tai Po in March 2018. You are most welcome to visit us.

We wish you and your family a healthy, happy and prosperous 2018.

Love,
Jin, Irene and Dominic

Jin
Jin is now 3 years old. He can speak Cantonese, Mandarin and English confidently and fluently, he is much more able than papa at the same age. I still find it rather amusing (and amazing) that I can have a proper conversation with this little guy. I am responsible for nurturing his Mandarin speaking ability, the methodology is known as "one parent one language". His current career aspirations include becoming (1) A firefighter (2) An engineer (3) A Chef and (4) A pilot. He has already been to 6 countries spanning 3 continents, again beating papa at the same age hands down! Some of Jin's favourite songs include "錫灑你","男兒當自強", "Canoe Song"

Dominic
In 2017, I have done a fair bit of travelling for work: Myanmar, Israel, Taipei, Shenzhen and Shanghai, and for leisure: Cambridge, Phuket, Penang, and Kazakhstan,

This year, I think I have confirmed my ikigai*, namely, "Education and Training" / "Transforming others" (* ikigai = "What you love" + "What you are good at" + "What the world needs" + "What you can get paid")

On the education side: CUHK has been keeping me very busy, apparently, despite my part-time arrangement, I have exceeded the teaching load of full time academic. I do enjoy very much teaching various courses, in particular a new course on "Entrepreneurship", also "Management consulting" and "From idea to reality". Also launched a MOOC course titled "Doing business in China". I have also taken up a new challenge, that is to teach and supervise two groups of DBA students with HKMA.

On my private practice: I have been serving more clients than any previous years. I created a new programme on data analysis and decision making. Also enhanced many existing programmes, such as change management, strategic thinking, incorporated many new things that I learned during my trip to Tel Aviv University. And conducting strategic workshops for some clients.

Cambridge University:
In July, I had my last meeting as the board member of the Alumni Advisory Board, having served the maximum of 6 years. I have been returning to Cambridge at least once a year, I am glad that I will be there again in July, taking a group of EMBA students for a 1-week study tour.

As of today, , I have written 128 letters to Jin (since new year day 2015). I hope to share my views, my values and how we can make sense of this world with others through my letters to my son Jin. It is my wish that the letters will be published into a book. I hope together with many able and like-minded people we can somehow transform the world into a better place one step at a time. Quoting Jin's favouite song 男兒當自強:用我百點熱,耀出千分光!

Books I read/ am still reading: "Mistakes were me, but not by me", "Give and Take", "Nudge", "Misbehaving", "The invisible gorilla", "Thinking fast and slow", "The art of strategy", "How to raise an adult", "Black Swan", "The billionaire who wasn't". Movies that I enjoyed (wish I watched more): "Gifted", "Ghost in the shell"

Quotes heard in 2017 that I find inspiring: "I don't have to is the reason I do it", "Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm", "腹有詩書氣自華", "世界是自己的,與他人毫無關係".

Irene

To come soon!

December 2017 (Follow us "@About.Me" Dominic Chan, Irene Sin)

Okinawa 201612-201701

Okinawa 201612-201701

Phuket 201708

Phuket 201708

Penang 201712

Leglessbird Newsletter Dec 2016

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Dear Family and Friends,


Happy New Year (Click for larger image)

 
Our travel book 夢想"侶"遊  (Dream Journey For 2) published in June 2014 (click to order

Hope this greeting finds you and your family well and that year 2016 has been kind to you. If "Time passes quickly when you're having fun!", then for the leglessbirds, 2016 has been a quick year. It's that time of the year to count our blessings and reflect on our lessons learned. We have included a summary of our 2016 below. For Irene and I, 2016 marks the 10th year into our journey of becoming our own boss as independent professional, there are no shortage of realisations. (Link to "10 years and another 10 years") The new year is just around the corner, we shall plan and prepare ourselves, and look forward to new excitements and challenges 2017 has in-store for us.

We wish you and your family a healthy, happy and prosperous 2017.

Love,
Jin, Irene and Dominic
Dec 2016

Summary of 2016

Jin Jin
In Sep, Jin started attending pre-school unaccompanied, he did cry a little at first, soon he likes the school very much where he is encouraged to explore and be creative. He can converse confidently in Cantonese, Mandarin and English; asking all sorts of funny questions; he enjoys eating, gardening, farming, fixing things (that don't need fixing), cooking and making drinks for papa/mama; observing and mimicking any sorts of worker in action. he loves running and climbing but often asks mama/papa to carry him. He can name all sorts of cars and enjoying making them with papa out of paper packages.

Jin has done a bit of travelling to meet papa's side of the family in Canada and Australia. Grandma in Ottawa was especially pleased to see Jin, and Jin was very excited to attend his cousin Janet's wedding in Toronto.

Dominic
Enjoys taking care of Jin, learning about parenting, and plenty of family time. Although travelling excessively, family reunions are always time well spent, including seeing my mother (Dec 2015) and celebrating her mother's 81st birthday (March), attending niece's wedding in Canada (Sep) and visiting sister in Australia (Dec 2015). I was also glad to have visited Cambridge twice in July as board member of University of Cambridge Alumni Advisory Board member and professor/group leader for CUHK EMBA Cambridge study tour. While I would like to reduce my travel, I do look forward to at least two EMBA study trips in 2017, revisiting Myanmar and Israel.

In addition to taking care of Jin, one of my favourite activities is writing 給晉晉的家書 (Home letters to Jin Jin), since 1 Jan 2015, I have written 70 letters to Jin, I hope to pass on my values through these letters with examples spanning from Jin's and Papa's encounters, local affairs to world affairs.

Irene and I also kept some much needed Jin-free time to enjoy ourselves as a couple and took some short holidays, I am sure other parents would understand and appreciate this. On Irene's suggestion, I started practising yoga and liked it very much, we often attend the classes together. "It's so good that your husband practices yoga with you" was the most common comments received, I wonder why it is not the other way round...

The biggest change for me in 2016 is joining the Business School of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) as an Associate Professor, and the Associate Director of EMBA Programme, spending more time in education while maintaining some consultancy as well as corporate training work. My main teaching duty at CUHK includes a course on consulting (MBA), "From idea to reality" (MSc), "Entrepreneurship in China as part of Doing business in China" (MOOC, Coursera platform), Anatomy of Entrepreneurs (Undergraduates Minor).

The books that I enjoy reading in 2016 include "Give and Take", "Thinking Fast and Slow", "Mistakes were made - but not by me", "The rule of law", "How to raise an adult", "Black Swan". For TV and movies: West World, The man who knew infinity, Star Wars (The force awaken), 45 years, Right between your ears, Planet Earth II, The Mask you live in, Mis-representation, Who should we invade next.

Irene
Jin is growing up fast, taking care of him requires Irene to constantly adjusting many aspects of her life. Here are the goals that she set for herself.
- transform myself, connect more with nature
- relationship with family, more fun and love
- hope to take care of Jin different from the conventional way, considering home school or not
- farm to supply some of the veggies to my family
- cook more together as family
- exercise to build up core and muscle strengths. Each week: 1 to 2 hr yoga, 1 fitness coach session, 3 hikes in Chi Fu trails
- meditation everyday: familiar with pointing finger exercise, heart centre meditation

Per month: cycle, countryside travel

December 2016 (Follow us "@About.Me" Dominic Chan, Irene Sin)

Leglessbird Newsletter Dec 2015

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Dear Family and Friends,

Happy New Year (Click for larger image)

 
Our travel book 夢想"侶"遊  (Dream Journey For 2) published in June 2014 (click to order)

Greetings! Hope this sharing finds you and your family well.

Time passes so quickly, especially when you are watching your young baby growing up. In January 2015, Jin was still feeling excited about simply able to roll over while laying on his back, now he is able to walk the stairs unaided and even run. He has since outgrown his baby crib and moved into a much bigger "bed" for his size. We are glad that we have been there at every little milestones he passes: smiling, rolling over, crawling, standing, walking, saying "papa", "mama", mimicking our sounds and actions, drinking from a straw, feeding himself, first playgroup visit, first overseas trip and more. Glad to say that we are very much into our new roles without much issues. We have Irene's parents to thank and also our new helper who arrived in March, we cannot imagine how we will survive without them. We have been taking advantages of working from home since 2006, it would have been impossible to continue to do so with a baby in the same flat. We are fortunate to have a home-office flat and a family flat that are just a staircase away and within 30 seconds from each other.

One of Dominic's 2015 achievements is that he started writing "給晉晉的家書" "Home letters to Jin" since 1 Jan 2015. He certainly enjoys writing them, sharing his views of life, current affairs, the world and little stories around Jin's world, and more importantly, communicating his values to Jin. Although Jin is a bit young to be able to read them yet, but we hope someday he will appreciate this is the best gift from us! Our friends seem to enjoy reading these letters too! Some have even caught on the idea of writing to their kid(s), others like to show these letters to their kid(s). One of the best/ funniest comments received from a friend, while he loves the letters, he said he wouldn't be able to write such open and "肉麻" (translation: corny) letter to his own son. :-) Dominic hopes to publish these letters as a book in the future.

While Dominic made a number of appearances on TV this year, he never thought he would be on a weekday's afternoon live show targeting mainly housewives, and actually being interviewed together with a famous alumna, such is fate.

Work-wise, Dominic has been busier than ever, apart from consulting, he is engaging in more corporate trainings, and more involvement in technology startups and angel investments, mainly through CUHK, PolyU, Science Park and Cyberport. In May, he made a very interesting trip to Israel to visit startups, VC, Co-working spaces, angel conference and government officials. In Oct, the Google CUHK EYE Programme brought him to Taipei together with 10 startup teams. He also seems to be more involved on the education front: teaching a Bachelor course in Entrepreneurship, Masters course in Leadership, and next year an elective for EMBA and another business course.

From the time of expecting Jin to Jin's arrival, we inevitably spent less time travelling. Nonetheless, between us we will make a total of 7 short trips in 2015 (including destinations like USA, Israel, Canada and Australia), and we postponed and cancelled a trip. Jin enjoyed his first aeroplane experience in June, he loved teasing the air hostresses. We are brave enough to be bringing him to Sydney for a hot December week! In December last year (2014), Dominic was saying how we have always travelled somewhere during December since we first got together, and 2014 we took a break of that tradition because Jin was only 4-months old, but the travel bug has bitten us once again, so Australia, here we go!

On the Cambridge front, Dominic enjoys co-running events such as formal halls, mentorship programme, and the biennial dinner celebrating upcoming 35th anniversary of The Friends of Cambridge University in Hong Kong and Prince Philip Scholarship (Founded by Dr David Li in 1981).

Please drop us a few lines when you have time, we would like to hear how you are getting on.

We wish you and your family happiness, good health and a prosperous year ahead!

Love,

Jin, Irene and Dominic

December 2015 (Follow us "@About.Me" Dominic Chan, Irene Sin)

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