Monthly Archives: December 2009

初到深圳

Posted on December 30, 2009 by sinyaw

初看深圳，感觉和北京上海没什么不同，一样的大街，靓丽的大楼，购物中心有国际级的奢华品牌。说起来，和东京，纽约，旧金山，洛杉矶也没什么不同。高挡公寓冲天而立，遥望城景海水。旧住家区，像旧金山的中国城：矮楼，小店，邻居。但深圳气候温暖，多了许多青青大树。深圳君悦（Grand Hyatt） 今年底开张，肯定了它的商业重要性。 深圳的“关外”，是指经济特区的分界点。香港回归后，这“关”只是虚设的个历史结构罢了。但关外比较不繁华，治安也差些。龙岗区的坂田村，几年前是农地。今天已是个新兴的边缘城市。看来是个炒楼的战略地点。 遥望香港，真是此一时彼一时，回归前和今天，天壤之别。深圳边现在一样繁华，只是空间多了太太多。朋友住在海边的高楼，能收到香港的手机和电视讯号。有通行证的深圳人，十五分钟能到中环购物，人民币一样好使。香港居民也几乎可以自由来去。想想为什么要忍受五倍以上的房价挤在香港呢？ 深圳市基本上都是外地人，文化上不能说是广东。看看餐馆，比比都是川湘菜，粤菜还少些。特别找了几家粤菜馆子，口味也一般。可能香港的粤菜还正宗地道。不是说深圳的餐馆不好，其实档次颇高的，环境，口味，服务都不输上海北京。只是没有传统本地菜。 大概因为不是个观光城，没有看到北京的秀水街，上海的襄阳市场这种外销卖点。倒是高挡超市不少。也有好几个高挡消费区，看电影，购物，吃饭，喝茶聊天，区内走走就到。问了几个深圳人休闲做什么，都答不出来。想来没有什么休闲的观念。工余就是休息罢了。这是个今天在忙着赚钱的城市，慢慢他也会走出自己的文化出来的。

Posted in China, Witness to my life | Tagged | 1 Comment

Sinners casting stones

Posted on December 24, 2009 by sinyaw

Copenhagen Climate Summit was really the show for two countries: the USA and China, the biggest two polluters in this world. It came down to a simple struggle: each wanted the other to emit less CO2 than they would like. … Continue reading →

Posted in Peek into my mind | 3 Comments

Quite Inconvenient

Posted on December 23, 2009 by sinyaw

Let’s go with the premise that Earth is warming to the detriment of human societies. Let’s further accept that human activities, producing various greenhouse gases, etc., caused this. There are then three possible courses of action: do nothing (always an … Continue reading →

Posted in Peek into my mind | Leave a comment

Saving Dolphins

Posted on December 20, 2009 by sinyaw

The Cove 2009 Documentaries are so annoying. They disrupt my normal, ignorant, and blissful life. Now I think of this cause and must deal with the emotions that this film provoked: sadness, anger, and this thing that pinches your heart … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Performance Enhanced?

Posted on December 18, 2009 by sinyaw

If athletes are allowed to compete only with whatever they were born with there will be no Michael Phelps, Tiger Woods, Joe Montana, and your favorite sport star. The ethical question is not whether an athlete can enhance his or … Continue reading →

Posted in Peek into my mind | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Earphones

Posted on December 15, 2009 by sinyaw

For years, I struggled to sleep on long flights to and from China. With many experiments, I nailed down the ambient noise to be the key culprit. That led to an iPod investment and the quest for a good pair … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Reviews, Witness to my life | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Stimulating Whom?

Posted on December 11, 2009 by sinyaw

Give an entrepreneur some capital. Of course he or she will try to make more money out of it. Infuse the whole society with money. You expect the whole would become more prosperous, since society is nothing but a collection … Continue reading →

Posted in Peek into my mind | Leave a comment

eBooks v. Paper

Posted on December 8, 2009 by sinyaw

I have been tempted by Kindle since its debut — I read reasonably avidly: books, magazines, and newspapers; I am comfortable with gadgets; I have enough discretionary income; I travel frequently; and I don’t shelf read books (they go into … Continue reading →

Posted in Peek into my mind, Tour guides | Tagged | 4 Comments

SFO to ShenZhen 深圳

Posted on December 6, 2009 by sinyaw

The trip to ShenZhen can be non-intuitive and a bit unnatural even for seasoned travelers. The spirit is to treat the ferry as an international connection that you will purchase the ticket after you have arrived Hong Kong airport. You … Continue reading →

Posted in Tour guides, Witness to my life | Tagged , | Leave a comment

2012

Posted on December 4, 2009 by sinyaw

2012 John Cusack Disaster is a well understood and typically formulaic genre. The special effects are the main draw. Audience wants realism: scary scenes that fool the brain into believing. Next the plot must could happen. Lastly, there should be … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Reviews | Tagged | Leave a comment