Amateurs vs. professionals

"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur."

Red Adair (1915-2004)
Legendary oil well firefighter, who was fighting fires well into his 70s

Couldn't agree more with the man. His advice is applicable to all industries.

Expo 2010 fever

Everyone here is talking about Expo 2010. Tickets aren't cheap, coming at 200 a pop. To help them make even more money, or to recover the cost, depending on your viewpoint, there are the day-pass and week-pass options.

I'm just thankful that the construction madness is almost over. Traffic isn't that congested as before. But I suspect the relief will be short-lived. The regime will need something else to generate public interest, distract attention from social injustices etc. Peking 2008, Shanghai 2010. What next? Canton 2012? More city governments will be clamoring for a huge event to stir the local economy.

The human nature behind disasters

So airlines are demanding compensations and questioning the need for the closure of airspace over Europe.

Read this article --> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8636439.stm

Funny how we react to disasters, actual and potential.

Nobody saw the need for stringent security measures before 9/11. Something happened, then we reacted.

Nobody knew what might happen to modern civilization at the stroke of midnight on Jan 1, 2000. But the millenium bug turned out to be an entomological and technical non-entity. People questioned the time, effort and money spent on preventing nothing.

So now, because nobody was injured or killed, and no plane was as much as scratched by volcanic ash (due more to the flight ban rather than actual flying), airlines and passengers are up in arms.

To anyone who's making noise, I dare them to sit in a plane flying through volcanic cloud.

Nobody is going to use my tax dollars to pay for the lost profits and bonuses of airlines and their CEOs.

For more than once, the right decision was made and nobody saw the need.

Human nature, it's a curious thing.

Nicer weather now

Went out with the family to a park that charges RMB100 per person...to view flowers in bloom. Was sulking about the price and 1.5-hour car ride but it was nice. Environment was nice, mainly because of the lack of the ubiquitous Chinese smoker and spitter. Of course, the occasional idiot existed but with the fresh Pudong air, all was forgiven.


Kids loved it too, with nice food (Mac's), ice-cream and nice lawns to trample play ball on.

And Faith even gave that rare smile for the camera...



All in all, a good weekend of spring-summer weather.

@gfw

The Great Firewall of China is truly keeping out foreigners, like its brick-and-mortar counterpart built centuries ago. Only this modern wall keeps out ideas. What a reflection of the small minds that exists in the powers that be. Narrow minds I can tolerate, at least there is a path. Small minds? They're not going anywhere.

Imagine the Internet Archive being blocked. This is so wrong. And ironic too that there are so many libraries in Shanghai. So are they promoting or restricting access to information?

Small minds aside, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina looks like an interesting place to work...