Sunday, 20 May 2012
Sunday, 13 May 2012
My appointed Barber in Limassol
When I was a child living in Hong Kong, my mum used to take my brother and I to some back passage alley way for a hair cut. This back passage effectively was a narrow gap between two buildings. At one end there was a wooden bench where customers would sit waiting their turn for a hair cut. At the other end of this narrow gap was a row of hair cutting chairs with mirrors and there was a drainage system right in the middle of the ally way. Despite being quite run down, the barbers in this alley always perform a 10 out of 10 perfect cut.
In my first few years in Cyprus, I have my haircut near a hair saloon near where I live, the hair saloon was sold off to a young female "hair stylist".She wasn't bad but she just can't get it right. There is always something which is not quite right
One lunch time during a work day, my colleague and I went for a drive round the old part of the Limassol town. I saw this barber shop and I knew I have to give it a try. My colleagues at work were laughing at me saying that the barber most probably couldn't speak English and I would end up having a haircut I didn't like.
My colleagues were correct the barber didn't speak English but I did end up getting a perfect haircut.
In my first few years in Cyprus, I have my haircut near a hair saloon near where I live, the hair saloon was sold off to a young female "hair stylist".She wasn't bad but she just can't get it right. There is always something which is not quite right
One lunch time during a work day, my colleague and I went for a drive round the old part of the Limassol town. I saw this barber shop and I knew I have to give it a try. My colleagues at work were laughing at me saying that the barber most probably couldn't speak English and I would end up having a haircut I didn't like.
My colleagues were correct the barber didn't speak English but I did end up getting a perfect haircut.
Monday, 16 January 2012
Internet shopping
can't sleep tonight so I have asked popo (my daughter's teddy bear) to pose for me. Popo is doing some Internet shopping using my computer.
Friday, 6 January 2012
The best Christmas photo of 2011 women shoes
Every year I do a photo shoot of Christmas decoration around Limassol. Anexartisias Street in Centre of Limassol usually provides the best photo opportunity.
I have took hundred or so photos but the best and most interesting shot is this photo of a women shoes shop's window!
The white contrast very well with the rainbow colours of the shoes.
Not really what I have in mind regarding Christmas decoration photos!
Sunday, 1 January 2012
Greeks - Voices from the Edge
Despite I am working in IT and having easy access to online resources at home or at work via IPAD, netbook, laptops etc; I still like reading paper based media. Being an Alumni of LSE (London School of Economics ) I received my copy of alumni magazine "Connect" twice a year. In a cold rainy New Year day in Cyprus, what's better then reading a snap shot of world view from LSE.
One article stand out the most in the 2011 winter issue is written by a researcher, Paul Strong, about the rural Greeks.The article fascinates me because I am living in Republic of Cyprus, a country which is next door to Greece, where majority of the subjects share the same Hellenic culture and language. For some (or many) even consider Greece as their "motherland".
The article basically try to give a brief overview of his approach of how he try to benchmark the social-economic history of the rural Greece during a field research work he carried out. The problem of trying to make Greeks to speak about their painful past. How he used a motor-cycle (moped) to get into town so that he could make others to talk, the gossipy nature of the villagers, the coffee , the peanuts etc. make the article very interesting
The article didn't really go into any lengthy detail in term of findings (my weak vocabulary in Economic History terminologies would not allow me to understand a detail written report anyway) but it did mentioned some main points, one main point stand out the most: who is the biggest enemy of the Greeks? Answer Greeks themselves. I ask the same question to my Greek relatives,friends and colleagues, they all give exactly the same answer.
anyway the article can be found in the following link
http://www2.lse.ac.uk/alumni/LSEConnect/LC_winter_2011.aspx
A youtube introductory, looks cool but doesn't say much can be found:-
http://youtu.be/qPDB10o_YcA
If Dr Strong is reading this blog, good luck with your research may be I see you in this part of the Mediterranean.
One article stand out the most in the 2011 winter issue is written by a researcher, Paul Strong, about the rural Greeks.The article fascinates me because I am living in Republic of Cyprus, a country which is next door to Greece, where majority of the subjects share the same Hellenic culture and language. For some (or many) even consider Greece as their "motherland".
The article basically try to give a brief overview of his approach of how he try to benchmark the social-economic history of the rural Greece during a field research work he carried out. The problem of trying to make Greeks to speak about their painful past. How he used a motor-cycle (moped) to get into town so that he could make others to talk, the gossipy nature of the villagers, the coffee , the peanuts etc. make the article very interesting
The article didn't really go into any lengthy detail in term of findings (my weak vocabulary in Economic History terminologies would not allow me to understand a detail written report anyway) but it did mentioned some main points, one main point stand out the most: who is the biggest enemy of the Greeks? Answer Greeks themselves. I ask the same question to my Greek relatives,friends and colleagues, they all give exactly the same answer.
anyway the article can be found in the following link
http://www2.lse.ac.uk/alumni/LSEConnect/LC_winter_2011.aspx
A youtube introductory, looks cool but doesn't say much can be found:-
http://youtu.be/qPDB10o_YcA
If Dr Strong is reading this blog, good luck with your research may be I see you in this part of the Mediterranean.
Saturday, 19 March 2011
The Limassol Carnival
This year Limassol Carnival, I was well geared up to take some photos with my Nikon camera and my recently purchased 18-200mm Sigma lens. Definitely the lens make a large different.
Saturday, 26 February 2011
Education Education Education - Part 2 School
"書中自有黃金屋,書中自有顏如玉" - "within Books you will find gold plated house, within books you will find precious jade", my grand-mum always told me these 2 phases when I was young. As long as I study hard, a world of opportunities are waiting for me to explore.
Education is definitely one of the way to get one out of poverty but in reality the cost of education are huge. The so call "free education" is actually not that free at all. Books, uniform, transports all cost money and not to mention school trip, school assignment, after classroom activities. (I will mentioned school trip and school assignment later.)The irony is you need money for education and if you don't have money in the first place you will not get the opportunity to be educated to get out of poverty.
Couple of months ago, I was having the above conversation with one of my cousin when I was in Hong Kong. She worked in the government, in one of those department that address everyday people concern on a daily basis. She gave me an example on that some of the school assignment involve going to museums for research. Not all museums in Hong Kong are free. Getting to the museum by public transport is not free either. An MTR trip (Hong Kong underground) vary from a few dollars to thirty something dollars (for some trip like Lok Ma Chau to Cental). In Hong Kong the minim wages is around 20 Hong Kong dollar per hour (aprox 2EURO). The cost is significant for low income household. How about the digital camera you need to take photos of the assignment which cost around HKD1000 for a low end entry? Is that mean a low income family need to stave for a week to get the assignment done? For some courses you even need to create a portfolio,how can you create a portfolio without money.
Recently I am working out how much I need to fund my daughter through to university. she is 2 yrs old now. I need to have a hard look at my finance.
Education is definitely one of the way to get one out of poverty but in reality the cost of education are huge. The so call "free education" is actually not that free at all. Books, uniform, transports all cost money and not to mention school trip, school assignment, after classroom activities. (I will mentioned school trip and school assignment later.)The irony is you need money for education and if you don't have money in the first place you will not get the opportunity to be educated to get out of poverty.
Couple of months ago, I was having the above conversation with one of my cousin when I was in Hong Kong. She worked in the government, in one of those department that address everyday people concern on a daily basis. She gave me an example on that some of the school assignment involve going to museums for research. Not all museums in Hong Kong are free. Getting to the museum by public transport is not free either. An MTR trip (Hong Kong underground) vary from a few dollars to thirty something dollars (for some trip like Lok Ma Chau to Cental). In Hong Kong the minim wages is around 20 Hong Kong dollar per hour (aprox 2EURO). The cost is significant for low income household. How about the digital camera you need to take photos of the assignment which cost around HKD1000 for a low end entry? Is that mean a low income family need to stave for a week to get the assignment done? For some courses you even need to create a portfolio,how can you create a portfolio without money.
Recently I am working out how much I need to fund my daughter through to university. she is 2 yrs old now. I need to have a hard look at my finance.
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