premier jour a paris

After four years I returned to Paris, to find out that the scent in the cold air still smelled the same.

My personal mission of the trip is to visit the Pompidou, after hearing so much about it and being regret not having been there last time. So I decided to seize my time and check it out on my first day in Paris, but at the end I have only stayed for an hour.

I realized I'm not as artsy as I thought I was. I was surprised by the number of locals inside the centre and that many of them were actually discussing about/studying/taking notes of the exhibits. One third of the visitors were seniors as well. I could not imagine seeing this sight in any of the art galleries in Hong Kong, so the critics about the imbalance between Hong Kong government's ambition in building the West Kowloon and Hong Kong people's art lieracy started to make a lot of sense to me.



There are two new exhibitions in the Pompidou, Dada and Big Bang. It is funny how I like to say "dadada" and in reality "Dada" does exist in reality as an importment movement in the 20th century art history.

I found out I am actually not a big fan of contemperary art, so after a quick tour, I left the centre. As I went down the 5-story centre, I found the seond and third floor packed with people, mostly people at my age. Those two floors belong to the library. And when I got to the first floor, I even found a long queue outside on the balcony. There were around two hundred people I'd say, standing in the cold. I did check with the secuity men, they WERE waiting to get into the library. I was very much impressed.

So back to myself, a superficial being, I left the centre to the Lafayatte to shop.

Paris' truely the city of fashion and gourmet. I was overjoyed when I stepped into the food department. Anyone who knows me would know. I believe I have never seen anything like that, that variety. I ended up buying a lot of ready-to-eat food, ruining my plan to dine at Champs Elysee.

Being in Paris is like being in a live fashion show to me. I believe I have never seen anything like that either. Not even in Tokyo or Milan, needless to say Hong Kong. The sense of fashion is like inborn to all Parisians, even the most unlikely knows how to dress. The only spoiler to this picturesque city would be the American tourists who had "New Your" written across his chest, or a hat that says "Yale" on his head.


Perhaps it is because of the business nature of this trip, I have grown a new relationship with my favourite city.

我的神秘小巴

我上星期趁小巴無人的時候，把握機會，終於問了司機悶在心中很久的問題。

其實我之前問了很多人，都沒有人清楚，所以我決定把答案在這裏公開，「教育」一下大家。

甚麼問題？

「究竟你能回本嗎？」我問小巴司機。

我坐的是「神秘小巴」，我以前是這樣稱呼它的，因為很難得才能遇到一輛經過，而且每次招手時，它都視若無睹，一縷煙的走了。

那就不要坐嘛，誰希罕？！非也。

一晚我下班後，在等待平日的旺角紅色小巴時，看到這輛掛著「旺角」牌子的「神秘小巴」，在不知情下上了車，才發現，它會經過我家門口！

這是一件天大事，因為除了的士，從來都沒有一輛車，會停在我家門口的！知道我家的朋友，都知道地點偏僻，像我每晚下班回家，就要在旺角轉車，而最終下車地點也只在我家對面馬路。但這小巴竟會經過我家門口，巧妙之處，是因為它是由東隧過海的！

這就是61號綠色專線小巴，由小西灣開往旺角，每晚11時才開始運作，而且半小時才有一輛。它會經過則魚涌，也會經過柴灣，所以我轉了工作後，也能繼續享受這輛「神秘小巴」的方便。

綠色專線小巴很有性格，你不在它的站牌前招手，它理也不理你。所以被紅色小巴寵壞了的我，才會產生疑問，怎樣可能東隧加價，你車上只得兩個乘客，也往往在內線直奔，一副不希罕「我的臭錢」的模樣？

對不起，說了一大堆，其實小巴司機是這樣回答我的。

綠色小巴是小巴公司向政府投標路線經營的，香港有很多小巴公司，而政府也會設計很多條路線。但一間公司不能只投標有錢賺，即多人坐的路線，有時也要投標像61號路線般，無人坐的路線，政府才會讓你經營。最終賺錢的補貼虧本的，大概就是這樣。究竟是政府補貼，或是小巴公司自己虧損，這位司機先生就回答不出來。

可以再補充一點資料：綠色小巴的路線一般競爭較少，加上司機都是「打工仔」，所以他們也用不著「爭客」。相反，紅色小巴司機自己是「老闆」，所以不客滿不開車、在禁區搶客（、不高興、沒有客、被炒牌時講粗口）的情形時常發生。

就是這樣了，知道了吧。

milestone to globalization

I had tarot card reading before I started the new job. Now that I have been on the job for a month, I could say that it was right about the improved working environemnt and the massive workload I was going to have, and wrong by saying that the job was far from my expectation and I would stay on the job for less that a year. Apparently I don't know about the second part yet, but I would say I'm enjoying what I do, though not to the extend of liking it, or maybe put it another way, I like the responsibility I have now.

"It's a milestone for you", Helen said. Helen's been extremely supportive on what I do, and even, she's the only friend who's enthusiastic about my job as much as I am.

So if she's correct, yesterday was a milestone for me.

I interviewed the Minister of Trade Negotiation of New Zealand, Jim Sutton, yesterday. Not that anybody would know him in Hong Kong, but he's a politician in the highest rank I have ever interview so far.

The interview got me so nervous the night before and in the morning. I stayed up doing last minute research to finalize my questions till three, and then I had to get up at 7 to attend this WTO workshop at HKU. Everything was in rush that day and my heart was beating fast the whole time from anxiety. (even after work when I had to rush to CWB to catch a movie)

It turned out, writing down every complete questions on the notebook, something I rarely do, saved my axx. The writing process enhanced memorization, so even though I left my notebook in the workshop, very unfortunately, I didn't miss any questions, not even one figure, in the interview. =D

"That was impressive, you're a great asset to your company", New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Regional Director (North Asia) Merv Stark, who accompanied the Minister, told me after the interview. I know he said it out of courtesy, but it made my nervousness end with a good note.

Now I think I'm more prepared for the interviews in France.

I have been thinking about the issue of globalization. I studied it in college, but then I forgot, what are the arguements against it?

Besides posing a threat to the local culture of all countries and exploiting the labor in LDCs?

The Australian Consul General remarked sarcastically in the workshop yesterday, if WTO is so evil, why do the underdeveloped countries still choose to remain in the institution after 10 year time has passed?

Of course, what's good to be excluded from the game, at least you get a say, even though no one listens. And after all, it's better off to have an unfair trade than a sanction.

So did the consul general have a point?

WTO director general Pascal Lamy once said in Hong Kong, WTO's core business is not distributing wealth, it's creating wealth. In other words, it's creating wealth in a distorted manner, the rich gets more, the poor gets less. So it's well true that WTO is not distributing wealth, because it's deepening the imbalance in essense.

But what about, if WTO's really creating wealth and making the economic pie grow larger, then as the rich gets richer, the poor also gets richer?

Anti-WTO advocates accused WTO of exploiting LDCs, but how can the labor and farmers in LDCs be protected if there's WTO? What other solutions do they provide?

Trade is inevitable, WTO's not perfect, but one cannot deny it altogether. What is needed is a set of regulations that will open the world to fairer trade. Of course, fairer trade does not equate fair trade, just to be realistic, a country cannot expect fair trade until she has the bargaining power. And more importantly, nothing is really fair in the world.

I know this is getting long and boring, but I need to share one more thought.

When I was researching on the trade between Hong Kong and New Zealand, I found a ppt explaining why NZ needs to put more resourses in developing trade in China. (another point is that they need HK as a springboard, but that's another issue) The ppt states out China vast population size, trade figures and all those, to sum up, it's a market not to be missed, they have to act quick in order to get a share of the pie.

It sounds like a deju vu. Wasn't it the same theory when the West first invaded China at the beginning of last century? (or was it the century before? forgive my inadequacy in chinese history) Only that now physical force has turned into economic encrochment, and thus became more civilized and legitimate.

I only hope, China is now strong enough to ward off any form of aggression.