今天真爽！

 

首先是火箭赢啦！大家都不看好火箭，不过我早说过姚明这个强点要在湖人身上爆发。加索尔这根油条加拜纳姆那个小孩，通通给打爆！

 

我中午回到家里看了最后一节，姚明太棒了，受伤了还回来比赛。主场的观众也为他鼓掌。我可能也被他鼓舞了，下午上班很有动力。

 

快下班的时候老板说：“（既然你连去海南的机票和拖鞋都买好了）你27号可以放假，1号也去吧。”终于成全了我去海南的美好愿望。真是个大好人！

 

晚上为了庆祝一下，吃了顿烤乳猪。

 

回到家看了会儿世乒赛的男单决赛。明天有空的话去公司试试手。

 

今天太爽了！

上回说到：

... what could be more romantic?

 

The answer: a cosy weekend with Pi-kid in Shanghai.

 

(I will write a good one on our Langkawi story some time later, by the 1-year anniversary. I promise.)

 

The good thing about Shanghai is that I can find anything when it comes to food. The better thing is I can find many good food in the neighborhood. The best thing of course, is that, recently, I discovered that we can find the best food at home. My darling cooks! I was as surprised as she was. I guess some people are just gifted, and I won't be hungry for the rest of my life. :)))

 

Besides food hunt in the kitchen and in the city, there are just so many fun things we can do during a weekend. Swim in the pool to shake off the stress, and once, even yoga (yes, me and yoga, never thought possible but it did happen! I am Adidas' living evidence that impossible is nothing). Shopping for random stuff to fill up our apartment. Meeting friends for coffee. Or just stay home and do nothing. I am happy.

 

The hard part is to see you leave. I want you to stay but I know it is not your dream here. Neither of us has a real sense of belonging here. I probably feel more home in a spaceship than in Shanghai. Oh well, separations make reunions sweet. I should know better.

 

What I seem to understand less and less is my job. Maybe there are more known unknowns as there are more known knowns now. But crap aside, I can't help but begin to search for the "point" again. Well, there is none. Why can people live with such hypocrisy? Since it is about making money for money, why do we still pretend there is a greater good? I am sure I am ahead of many people in the race for a soulless, meaningless and unprincipled career. And the nightmare is I can't be bothered. I think my real passion was to become a lawyer, a defense attorney. Then ironically, I would truly become the absolute leader in that race. Well, maybe I can only thrive in the absence of ethics. Bad boy.

 

Year 2009 ... and Lunar Niu Year is coming. Anyone coming back to China for holidays? Drop me a note if you swing by Shanghai. Last month, I met li hao, liuhang, sheep, pig, xiaodong and co, haidong, ding'an, laoda and co, selina and xuxiao. This month, so far, I know Qingyue will be back.

 

I am suddenly having the hots for soccer again.

I am troubled with words lately. Must be the weather. It's too cold. Living in a tropical country for some years, I guess I still need some adjusting. The more I write, the less it sounds like a blog to me. Just some random thoughts put together.

 

I am still in Shanghai. Moved to a place only 5 minutes walk away from work. well, that didn't change my working hours. But living close to work and knowing that you can be in office within 5 minutes in times of emergency does add some comfort and peace to my inner world (and my boss's maybe).

 

What else does the change of address change? oh, no more need for taxis, so my most frequently used form of motorized transpotation is the D-train now. Very frequent visits to hangzhou lately. Met this guy sitting next to me on a trip back home - him in shanghai, girlfriend in hangzhou - guy making most of the trips, just like any guy should. When we got off the train, I saw at least one of his legs is artificial. Bless him. From then, the distance between the two cities seem ... considerably shorter.

 

Travel was fun. Langkawi, being a less well known island, was a good experience. To top it off with the locals in their own homes celebrating the hari raya festival, it felt like all the beautiful streets and beaches of the island were just for the two of us. Come to think about it, there were other tourists and people, but it was all blurry, didn't matter. In an unfamiliar world, two P-kids got each other. What could be more romantic?

 

To be continued

How do you know if you are a grown-up? Well, try going to a hair salon and see what magazine they give you. 16 - sports illustrated; 21 - car and driver. And today for the first time, I got my FHM... yup, no more sports illustrated, not even car and driver, there you go, For Him Magazine. What's more, it's from a female salon assistant. Well, why wouldn't she? Straight out of a workplace with way too much testerone and way too little sleep, I guess I do look classic with a preference for busty women. But hey, here is a silver lining - maybe my pimples are finally retrieving into the past. "Oh come on! Get even with your adolescent tantrum. It's just an FHM. You are an adult now. Deal with it."

 

So after the haircut, I took a cab home. I sat in the backseat, told him where to go, and was about to hibernate. But the driver was feeling chatty. So "ok, you go first." I thought to myself, "what do you want to talk about?"

 

Much to my surprise, for the opening line, he said, in shanghainese, "ge mao jing ji lor ver hor, nong gong si yor tzai yuo var?" (Economy is bad. Any job cuts at your firm?) ... How did he do that? Has he shrewdly detected the wall-street misery on my face? Damn, shanghainese are sharp (and I like his candor)... Well again, dude in suit, spiky hair, reads FHM - I got that, it's career profiling. So I responded, in broken shanghainese, with all the humility I could summon, "wai hor, a la gong si mer dor ter, wai whuo ler hai." (Still ok, our firm is still alive.) So for the remaining journey, I very much enjoyed myself chatting with this cheerful guy in my self-deprecating shanghainese dialect. It's fun living here.

 

This particular taxi has a sign that says 优质车 (premium quality car), and by the way I think the driver fully deserves it. Before I got off the cab, I asked him what prize he would get for being a star-analyst-equivalent in the taxi world.

 

It's money.

 

But anyone wants to guess how much?

 

Rmb80/month.

 

Yes, get that. Less than USD150 annualized bonus for working hard every month. It's a tough world out there.

 

So better work hard, you are an adult now.

I don't know where to start. We would have to backtrack to the 80's for a full account of our story. Maybe I can start from the split-seccond that you captured my heart. I thought you are way out of my league for me to stand a chance. So I feel truly lucky every time you stand by my side, and every time we do the simple things together like explore a small town or mix our own wine. You touched me in so many ways that I just lost count. So the clock striked 12 my dear darling, it's your birthday and I feel like the happier one. Thank God that I found you, my beautiful angel. I don't know what your life is, but I know you won't be lonely again.

 

Leaving on a jet plane~~~

 

Life~~~ is in the jungle of Malaya~~~ under the stars~~~ on the white sandy beach~~~

 

 

这次回上海坐了一趟N478。D(动车), T(特快), K(空调)开头的都卖完了。因为车票上写着"新空调软座快车", 我猜N代表的是New, 不过整趟旅行完全没有新的感觉. N478是那种古老到能唤起我童年记忆的列车。高企的车厢，虽没有动车那种流线型的车身，可是大气，像一辆正宗的火车。两边的车窗高大方正，蓝色的椅套配上白色的枕巾，简单朴实。上车后，广播里传来了悠扬的民族音乐。"欢迎各位旅客朋友，您的列车生活就要开始了。。。" 一位乘务员的声音娓娓道来 -- 曾几何时，坐火车也是旅行的一部分，也是生活的一部分(想起好几年前和李浩一起去济南看永鹏还睡卧铺哩，那车更慢)。这还没完，一路上乘务员还会推着小车卖方便面，车厢里弥漫着方便面和茶叶蛋的香味，这在来往沪杭的其他列车上也很少见到了。整次旅行历时两个半小时，是动车的两倍，让我睡了个饱。从杭州的家庭生活，到上海的工作生活，中间有这一段慢车生活看看书，睡睡觉，想想事情，美哉。

 

但愿在比动车还快的高铁建成通车以后，N车组不会被淘汰。追求效率和丰富生活，我两者都要。试想在动车和高铁上肯定碰不到像《天下无贼》里傻根那样的人吧？

What's the point... to make predictions on how much money others are making? That's pretty much my job description by the way. I was almost ecstatic when I was told to research into carbon credits next month. Well, that's something different - something closer to sanity. In this 2-Dimensional life between work and you, the only way to find that grip is to lose curiosity on that very question - what's the point?

It is unbelievable but we are kindda running out on the list of island destinations. See below for the places that we have vetoed:

 

Palau - too much diving...

Maldives - too honeymoony...

Bali - a bit too far, just a bit...

Phuket - a bit crazy right now...

 

So our pick is Langkawi. We are going to fly to KL on Sep 27, but we can't find a flight between Langkawi and KL (on Sep. 28 and Oct. 2). Can anyone help? Or any car rental available? Is it like a 5 hour drive or something? Need your help here, i assume there would be some local or pan-Malaysia friends reading my blog!

今天中报出到了第十家。i.e. 赛程刚过一半。接下来的还得写几个报告。这一拨儿总的会忙到个九月中旬。其中不知道还有多少个不眠之夜和加班周末。

 

亲爱的，下周你就去培训了。可能有几周见不到你，要好好照顾自己，有空一定来看你。我也会趁这段时间多读点书。等你培训结束了我们就去旅行。我爱你。

 

Listening to this song again. It was the tune for my morning alarm through the hard winter that was last year. I was (and still am) on a 7-12 working hour, living in a kindda empty apartment about 15 minutes walk away from work. Still remember getting out of bed when it's still all dark out there. Still remember the piercing wind and the dark yellow light at the doorway when I drag myself back into the kindda empty apartment. And then it all goes on like the song goes - it's not easy to be me...

 

Promise me there is something special.

 

Superman (It's Not Easy)

I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
I'm just out to find
The better part of me
I'm more than a bird...
I'm more than a plane
More than some pretty face beside a train
It's not easy to be me
Wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I'll never see
It may sound absurd...but don't be nieve
Even Heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed...
but won't you concede
Even Heroes have the right to dream
It's not easy to be me
Up, up and away...
away from me
It's all right...
you can all sleep sound tonight
I'm not crazy...
or anything...
I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
Men weren't meant to ride
With clouds between their knees
I'm only a man in a silly red sheet
Digging for kryptonite on this one way street
Only a man in a funny red sheet
Looking for special things inside of me
It's not easy to be me
inside of me, inside of me, inside of me
I'm only a man in a silly red sheet
Only a man looking for her dream
I'm only a man in a funny red sheet
it's not easy ..........
it's not easy to be me

今天奥运闭幕了。真是难忘的16天，成功的16天，令所有中国人骄傲的16天。我相信奥运后的中国会更团结，更强大，经济也不会衰退，股市或许也会好起来。

 

今天在上海滩会了回国出差的小蔡。从他那里获悉了最近新加坡的江湖轶事，人间冷暖。还有就是最近新加坡虽然就业市场不景气，单身市场绝对牛市，能钓到钻石级的好男人。不管发生什么，大家都要好好的。新加坡把我们从四面八方汇集起来，又把我们投向更广阔的天地。这是缘分。到今年这个缘分已经持续了十年了。在新加坡的朋友们月底会搞个活动。可惜我不能去参加，但我想也一样会得到共鸣。

从来就没有这么早开始计划旅行的，不过我相信这次是非常特殊的，所以现在就开始准备。

 

今天给几个旅行社打了电话或发了邮件，搞清楚了大致的行程，基本符合我们的以下要求：

 

- 白色的沙滩，安静的海面，躺在海滩上有潮汐陪伴入眠

- 慵懒松散的行程，潜水做一次就够了

- 去一个盛产彩虹的小岛游泳

- 夜晚出海看整个半球的星空

- 旅途时间要短，连续飞行不能超过5小时

- 回来的时候去香港买东西

- 只有蓝莓，没有黑莓

 

暂时不透露目的地，不过要感谢steve兄的推荐~

05-06赛季: 加州

06-07赛季: 新加坡

07-08赛季: 北京

本赛季: 上海

 

Four cities in four years. That's what a college grad should do when he is in-and-out of school. That's the golden time to travel and to see the world. I haven't done enough. Those are about all the countries I have been to (if Canada is part of the US and ASEAN is too boring to be counted). I haven't been to Europe, Japan, Australia, UAE, Alaska and South America... I must do that soon.

 

So I had my 25th birthday. Thanks for all the people who sent their blessings.

我想象中丽江古城应该是个村落，躲在大山背后，消息闭塞，去了与当地人沟通要靠手比划的那种。去了才发现还真不是那么回事。第一印象：那个“大严古城”，坐落于丽江市内，交通便利，古时候据说应该是当地白族文明的汇集地。而今，除古城中心保留了当地王室的一座宫殿以外，周围俨然已经发展成为了一个生机勃勃的餐饮娱乐城。如果放在北京，就好像把养心殿保留原样，然后在故宫里盖900个餐馆，酒吧，茶楼，客栈，小商铺和自动取款机什么的。总之看上去“很商业化”，顿时明白其实消息闭塞的不是他们，而是我们。就好像有些外国人说中国人还很落后无知，其实是在打自己耳光。

 

 

 

第二天一早我们就上路去了香格里拉。一路上小导游反复给我们打预防针，告诉我们香格里拉和想象是有差距的。不过相比于丽江，我对香格里拉的期望要简单的多 - 安静的大自然 – 仅此而已。一路上，随着海拔的增高，迎风袭来的就是这么一种宁静中夹带着原始的味道。听小导游讲述当地的风土人情就有那么种原始的味道，比如在当地如果你看重了别人的女朋友，就直接和那个人单挑唱歌，跳舞和摔跤，三局两胜，可见在当地有房有车不算什么优势。

 

 

 

在跟当地人交谈的过程中，我发现不管是导游也好，活佛也好，都喜欢把游客统称为“内地人”，无论你来自何方去向何处。在他们眼里，我们“内地人”完全是另一个极端，很势利，只会拼命赚钱，却不懂得孝敬父母，一开始听上去好像很无知很粗鲁甚至很愚蠢，可这些形容词恐怕都不贴切，最贴切的应该是很天真。所以我非常希望他们能一直用这种天真的观念去生活，用这种天真的眼光去看待世界。因为当我们内地人再回到城市的时候，会记得在那个叫香格里拉的地方，你还可以找到并享受天真的人生；会记得在那个叫香格里拉的地方，天空还只有蓝和黑两种颜色；会记得在那个叫香格里拉的地方，大地还只有绿和白两种颜色；而对我来说，更会记得在那个叫香格里拉国家公园的地方，和她牵着手走过偌大的公园的那个清晨 -- 那是一种虽然忘了走了多远，也不在乎要走多远，目的地是什么样子，虽然冬天的寒冷把时间都凝固了，而握在手心的温暖却依然慢慢的流到心里面的感觉。所以说去香格里拉不是为了看风景，是去看心中的日月，我觉得很有道理。

 

 

 

第三天晚上我们回到丽江古城，然后第四天在丽江的古城里足足发了一天呆。在这个街角吃碗米线，在下个路口买草莓吃，逛逛小店，坐在发呆免费的小茶吧里，她看着奶瓶里的小野花，我看着她那张我深爱的脸。就这样从日升到日落，陪在爱的人身边度过了慵懒的一天。古城外看透或没看透的风景，07年渡过或没渡过的光阴，此时都是那么的遥远，而丽江古城是不是我所想像的那个躲在大山背后的世外桃源也已经不再重要了。

 

 

她说临走前很多同事叫她把辞职信准备好，说到了那里说不定就找个人嫁了不回来了。我觉得对于工作上进，又是从杭州过去的她来说不太可能，而对于我这种比较懒惰，又是从北京过去的人来说就很有必要了。不过幸好不够冲动，没有在丽江开个私募不回来了。度过了这一年最轻松的一天以后，我们与第五天返回，结束了难忘的丽江之旅。她说丽江值得每年都来，我也是这么想的。

Happy new year!

from Shangri-la

It's like playing a game with yourself. You have to beat yourself hard to win.

 

For this X'mas, I want my inner peace back!

 

我很小的时候（婴儿期）最喜欢玩的一个游戏就是让我爸抱着，让他用胡渣挠我痒痒，然后在嘻嘻哈哈傻笑的同时让我妈跑过来把我救走。虽然后来不玩了，但是大致上讲，这个家庭传统倒是沿袭至今。比如有时我提出的一些要求在老爸那里被拒了，可在老妈的几句颇具建设性的批示之后就顺利通过了 -- 小到玩个把小时的电脑游戏，大到交个女朋友（在我爸那里可能是被定义为“早恋”） -- 我妈都保持了作为通情达理，与时俱进的新一代家长之典范的仁治作风。更可贵的是，不光是对我和我爸，妈妈在别人眼里也是很有亲和力的人，情商很高，人缘很好，以致我每次去她公司都要看望很多的叔叔阿姨，哥哥姐姐，爷爷奶奶。我妈说这一点上我比较像她。或许是吧，也或许这是一个只要有她在身边就会产生的自然过程吧，逐步戒掉骄躁，积累美德的过程。其实我觉得这种转变在我爸身上更明显，而我爸也一定会说这都是我妈的功劳。总之，多亏我妈，这个家出了一个成功的男人，加一个走向成功的男人，圆满。

有个说法是儿子在人生不同时期对父亲的评价。具体是怎么说的不记得了。主要就是少年时视父亲为无所不晓的偶像，青年时开始对父亲不以为然，中年时重新认识起父亲的睿智，老年时想起父亲有些后悔。我很小的时候就听过这个说法了，对第一句话自然是非常认同，也一直希望第二个阶段不要到来。不过，后来还是用自己的轻狂证明了成长是一种自然规律。幸好这个阶段不算太长，特别是最近，工作前后，对老爸的言传身教有了越来越多的领悟。他有一种用调侃的语气解释大道理的天赋 -- 工作上，感情上，学习上 -- 比如什么冲锋陷阵的小兵啦，拿着手枪的连长啦，拿着望远镜的师长啦，男人是山，女人是水，还有树啦，藤啦，风啦，沉入水底的石头啦。。。（此处省略1500字，不想做太多的解释，爷俩儿的术语）总之，老爸身上还有很多我要学习的，永远是我的榜样啊。

 

前几天一个30多岁的人说还没有要小孩，因为怕教不好。想想无奈中也颇有道理。育人可能是人生最难的事儿。它不和你自身的优秀成正比，不和你投入的精力和资本成正比，也不和你有关教育的知识多少成正比。讲求配合，战术，会调整期望值，要把握好细节，还不能急于求成，还要非常非常的无私。难啊，想想就怕。到时候还是要依赖父母的指点，显然这一点上他们很权威 <--- 臭美的话，但期望通过自己带给父母些许欣慰之意愿始然，也是我生命的一大动力。

 

爸，生日快乐。