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, 19 March 2011
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.
Education Education Education - Part 3 University
The Third encounter I have is related to University. Every year near the end of the year, I always get a phone call from my old universities asking for money. What they do is that they get a bunch of volenteer students and they start cold calling alumni and hopefully a phone call will yield some kind of return with a donation. The amount of money going to High Education is huge in the UK but still lacking behind other countries like US.
Universities have to find some way to raise the necessary fund. For the established Universities in UK like Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Imperial etc... they charge a large amount for Overseas student fees but they still have to carryout some fund rising events like cold calling.
Only some months ago, the director of LSE Sir Howard Davies resigned. LSE came under pressure to explain itself the links between LSE funding and Libya Dictator Gadarfi .A recent enquiry also highlighted that a judgmenet of error was made by the sir Howard. The lack of govenance was also to blame. The truth is that it is difficult for the cash straped University simply ignored a large some of donation eventhough the source of the donation may be called into question.
Universities have to find some way to raise the necessary fund. For the established Universities in UK like Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Imperial etc... they charge a large amount for Overseas student fees but they still have to carryout some fund rising events like cold calling.
Only some months ago, the director of LSE Sir Howard Davies resigned. LSE came under pressure to explain itself the links between LSE funding and Libya Dictator Gadarfi .A recent enquiry also highlighted that a judgmenet of error was made by the sir Howard. The lack of govenance was also to blame. The truth is that it is difficult for the cash straped University simply ignored a large some of donation eventhough the source of the donation may be called into question.
Sunday, 28 November 2010
Education Education Education - Part 1 Kindergarten
Kindergarten -The first encounter took place while I was on holiday back in my homeland in Hong Kong. One day my father,wife,daughter and I were taking a afternoon stroll along the park. While in the park we saw these elderly couple walking along with a toddler (I later found out the toddler was their grandson). Like many other parents, I grabbed every single opportunity for my own toddler daughter to interact with other children. I approached the elderly couple and their grandchild with my 2-year-old daughter. "My name is Sophia I am 2 year old", I spoke on behalf of my daughter. The boy was shy and didn't reply. "Oh why don't you reply to this man", said the grandfather to the little boy, "staying quiet like this and not replying to question will not get you to kindergarten". I must admit I was puzzled with what the grandfather said to his grandson. The grandparents probability realised I don't live in Hong Kong and explained to me the situation. Their 2 year grandson went to an interview for kindergarten education and he was rejected. The main reason was that during the interview he was too shy to reply answers.
From what I heard so far, in Hong Kong getting into kindergarten involves three thing: Money,waiting list, and interview. Has the education system expected too much from our toddler? Shyness is a sin for a 2 year old?
From what I heard so far, in Hong Kong getting into kindergarten involves three thing: Money,waiting list, and interview. Has the education system expected too much from our toddler? Shyness is a sin for a 2 year old?
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
Education Education Education
What happen to the education system of today? The education system has changed so much since I was at kindergarten, schools and universities. I come up with the previous sentence base on three total separate encounters in recent days. I will break it into 3 parts within my blog. More to follow...
Friday, 1 August 2008
How to live your life-from an IT guy prespective
I work in IT and don't worry you are not getting advice from me about how to live your life. Today I have been introduced by one of my work colleague to watch "The last lecture" on youtube by a computer science professor called Randy Pausch. Sadly he died of pancreatic cancer couple of days ago on July 25th, 2008.
Before his death he delivered a very powerful lecture called "Achieving Your Childhood Dreams". The content of the lecture use his own life experience and his own childhood dreams to explain how one can inspire others (as well as oneself) to achieve their dreams.
He has covered many items within his presentation, He also uses some very good quotes to emphasis his points. "We cannot change the cards we were dealt, just how we play the hand" to describe how he tries to cope with his final months of his life and not in self-denial about his cancer. Some techi humor quotes "I have experienced death bed convergence.. I have just brought an Macintosh" . There is even advice to young ladies getting into a romance relationship “Just Ignore everything they [men] say, only pay attention to what they do”.
Anyway I better stop here , just click on the youtube image below...
Before his death he delivered a very powerful lecture called "Achieving Your Childhood Dreams". The content of the lecture use his own life experience and his own childhood dreams to explain how one can inspire others (as well as oneself) to achieve their dreams.
He has covered many items within his presentation, He also uses some very good quotes to emphasis his points. "We cannot change the cards we were dealt, just how we play the hand" to describe how he tries to cope with his final months of his life and not in self-denial about his cancer. Some techi humor quotes "I have experienced death bed convergence.. I have just brought an Macintosh" . There is even advice to young ladies getting into a romance relationship “Just Ignore everything they [men] say, only pay attention to what they do”.
Anyway I better stop here , just click on the youtube image below...
Friday, 11 July 2008
On 1st July 2008 looking back on 1st July 1997
July is one of those months which reminded me about certain event. For me it is the handover of Hong Kong from British to Chinese sovereign. Nowadays I live in Cyprus, not only I don't get my 1st July holiday, I rarely hear any news about Hong Kong. The only way I keep in touch with what's going on is via the Internet and the weekly conversation on the telephone with my parents.
In my own way to commemorate the Handover , I watched the BBC Documentary series "The Last Governor" on youtube. The documentary series consists of 5 parts, each series with very catchy names. "A Democratic Time-Bomb", "Restraint in Difficult Circumstances" ,"Lewis Carroll Country", "Loosening the Screws" and ,"Another Balls-Aching Week".
For me watching the series is like going back in time and seeing the entire event unfold again. Yes it is documented from Chris Pattern perspective and yes Pattern has been portrayed as the hero of the day and the Chinese PRC is portrayed as the bad guys. In reality politics are never that simple.
I remembered in 1995 Legislative Council not only I went to vote on the, I even went to help pulling votes for one particular candidate. Even though the candidate I support lost his seat, it was a very beautiful day for Hong Kong.
Even up to today, critics are still divided on how Chris Pattern handled Hong Kong in the final days of British Colonel power. I think people should also think that what Chris Pattern did was what he thought was for the good of Hong Kong people at that time, against very aggressive opposition from China, as well as within some part of Hong Kong community, he stuck with what he believed in rather than taking a easy way out. He genuinely tried to help Hong Kong through those uncertain days. You can doubt his ideology but shouldn’t doubt his good intention.
In my own way to commemorate the Handover , I watched the BBC Documentary series "The Last Governor" on youtube. The documentary series consists of 5 parts, each series with very catchy names. "A Democratic Time-Bomb", "Restraint in Difficult Circumstances" ,"Lewis Carroll Country", "Loosening the Screws" and ,"Another Balls-Aching Week".
For me watching the series is like going back in time and seeing the entire event unfold again. Yes it is documented from Chris Pattern perspective and yes Pattern has been portrayed as the hero of the day and the Chinese PRC is portrayed as the bad guys. In reality politics are never that simple.
I remembered in 1995 Legislative Council not only I went to vote on the, I even went to help pulling votes for one particular candidate. Even though the candidate I support lost his seat, it was a very beautiful day for Hong Kong.
Even up to today, critics are still divided on how Chris Pattern handled Hong Kong in the final days of British Colonel power. I think people should also think that what Chris Pattern did was what he thought was for the good of Hong Kong people at that time, against very aggressive opposition from China, as well as within some part of Hong Kong community, he stuck with what he believed in rather than taking a easy way out. He genuinely tried to help Hong Kong through those uncertain days. You can doubt his ideology but shouldn’t doubt his good intention.
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