雜崩能閱讀報告
JBL Reading Report

First, go to this site to view the trailer of the upcoming "Ten Commandments" animated movie.

Then, read this comment from a Hong Kong blogger who work in the animated movie industry:

這樣子的水平，找死嗎？鬼佬影音使團策劃？為求宏教，不惜功本？

Then, also read the following commentary for a recent drama production in Hong Kong:

中英劇團製作的《同行四分一世紀》，成功迎合了市場效應，無可厚非。使我感慨的是，香港近十多年，不少舊戲院已經變為教會佈道場，影壇還曾湧現絕症片和福音傳教片（福音片又經常拍攝絕症），想不到回歸十周年的現在，話劇壇亦多了絕症死亡和福音傳教，創意毫無提升。

全劇強調友情和愛情，更重要是對上帝對耶穌的信仰，顯然適合教徒觀看。不過作為描述知識精英的作品，這類絕症傳教題材難免知識水平有限，對宗教及精神上的問題缺乏較深刻的探討，和一般教會團體宣揚福音差不多。

留意最後一句。真慘，教會production成為了低水準製作的同義詞和指標。榮耀神？

(Disclaimer: I do not agree with either of the above comments. But we should really think about them.)

Labels: Discontent, Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/31/2007 02:51:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Last Sunday Lorraine and I taught a workshop at AFC Production Conference.

The workshop is called "Cultivating a prevailing worship team." It aimed at educating participants the importance and methods to minister to artists and musicians (worship team). [...]

While the participants were impressed by the depth, breadth and importance of the subject, some were skeptical on whether all these could be accomplished in real life. For some it sounded like fantasy and to others it appeared unachievable because it seemed to require much resources.

Here is one written feedback we have received:

Can you add some success stories or struggles in cultivating a worship team? It's all too idealistic with all the high standards & expectations (E.g. professionalism), but I want to hear how it actually worked out in church life.

I sighed (at the skepticism) as I read the feedback.

If I had a chance to respond to the feedback, here are the three advices I would give:

• Vision
  
• Babysteps
  
• Discipline over a long period of time...

The above is a sharing by Wilbur. I can share his feeling with him. Somehow I also sense that there are a lot of disappointments and discouragements out there that blinded people. They thought that there isn't much hope for improvement and people feel stuck...

Never lose hope. The things that we talked about are achievable. We do have success stories, whether in Jubilant or in local churches. The problem is that we do not have greater expectations for ourselves and others and therefore we set limits for our own growth. Hold on tight to the vision. Advance one step at a time. Do it long enough and you'll see a lot being done. It is not simple, I know, but it is not THAT difficult either.

Call me naive. I'm proud to be naive. And I'll be consistent.

Link

Labels: Reflection, Worship

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/30/2007 01:59:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

繼十四歲女孩上大學讀醫後，九歲小男孩也上大學了，社會上掀起天才兒童熱。然而，過去我們的傳媒、考試制度製造出許多神童，但這些神童長大後哪裏去了？不再是「童」,還是那麼「神」嗎？

所謂神童的悲劇，是現代的神童共同命運就是逃不開被傳媒吹捧，甚至過了某一段時間，當這些兒童長大，而他們的天才魔力消失或是他們後來的發展不如大眾所望，很可能即成了被取笑的對象，十分殘忍。傳媒往往報道的焦點是這些兒童的豐功偉績，至於他們如何成為「天才」的過程，就給「留白」，讓大家以為神童都是石頭爆出來的。

傳統教育講求「五育」，所謂「德、智、體、群、美」，但是，硬要九歲的所謂資優生進大學，着眼的只是智的一部分，其他一概不顧，埋下日後成長痛苦的種子。我們不苛求傳媒分析「天才」為何成其「天才」，但是父母應該試着理解「天才」的謎，放下自己的妄想，給兒童一個自由健康成長的機會。

前教統局長說，讀書不是求分數，難道只是一個笑話？「德、智、體、群、美」我們還看重嗎？抑或已變了「智、智、智、智、智」？在21世紀，我們社會前所未有地更要求全人發展方能成功，神童們，祝好運，遇到名／明師。

2007年8月26日明報星期日副刊

Labels: News, Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/29/2007 12:01:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Every marriage is a risk. [...] And this is in part where God comes in. We need God in order to believe that the risk is worth it, that this isn’t some exercise in denial, that despite what can and does happen in this world, love is worth it. [...] Love never ends. Paul can make such an audacious claim, not because he believes in fairy tales, but because he believes in God—a God who is love. [...] Nothing testifies as loudly to how risky loving is like the cross. Loving us resulted in crucifixion. But the reason Paul dares make his bold claim is because the cross cannot kill the love of God. In addition to a cross, there is an empty tomb. Nothing testifies as loudly to the power of love as Jesus’ resurrection. The love of God is stronger than death.

And that makes this an occasion for celebration. It’s worth getting dressed up for, taking lots of pictures, making toasts and feasting. We are witnessing something beautiful. You could even say that we are catching a glimpse of eternity. Why eternity? Because [...] love never ends. Thanks be to God. It never ends.

Link

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/28/2007 02:25:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Hey, did you hear about the church meeting we had last night about Pastor Jesus?[...] Well, the whole thing is about his sermons. Truth is, we just can’t take it anymore! Haven’t you been frustrated too?[...] Actually, you can hardly call most of his ramblings sermons anyway. All the guy does is tell stories, really! [...] Actually, the real problem is not so much the stories—I think we could handle some of that stuff—it’s that he hardly ever explains what he’s talking about! [...] Don’t you see, he’s isolating everybody in the church with this stuff! Haven’t you noticed what’s going on around here? We’ve already lost several families. We lost a whole load of people after Jesus preached that freaky sermon about “eating his flesh and drinking his blood” or whatever. [...] If this keeps up, there’s going to be nobody left. And the worst thing is, he isn’t at all apologetic about what he’s doing. [...] I’ll tell you right now, this whole attitude of his is just plain wrong. [...]pretty quick here, Jesus is going to be looking for his next church.

Story by Clint Heacock

Labels: On the light side, Reflection, Worship

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/26/2007 12:52:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

6周不梳洗 皮膚健康變靚
英紀錄片製作人親身測試
現代女性每天都注重使用清潔液、護膚品及化妝品，英國紀錄片製作人泰勒反其道而行，效法《不瘦降之謎》進行人體科學測試，連續6周不洗澡、不洗頭、不刷牙、不化妝、不使用任何化學清潔劑，以證明美容產品的社交與心理效應大於實際作用。
[...]兩周後，兒子聲稱她身上有異味，不敢再與她擁抱。[...]4周後，她的身體出現明顯變化，皮膚發生「蛻變」，看上去「比10年前更青春」。[...]但在另一方面，她的心理壓力卻日益增加。在實驗的最後階段，她因怕遭人排斥而缺席友人婚禮。[...]
實驗完畢時，她再度驗身。研究員測出她身體的細菌數目增加5000倍，但仍屬「正常」水平，這印證了她的想法，即多日不用清潔液亦不損身體健康。但實驗亦證明保持口腔衛生極重要——由於6周沒有刷牙，她需要進行人生首次補牙手術。

爛瞓媽媽累女兒曠課36天
英國一名母親因「太累」無法起牀，竟拖累6歲女兒在半年內曠課36日，最終被罰款兼做1年社會服務。市政局還考慮每日早上準時致電，提醒她湊女上學。[...]她辯稱，自己「十分認真」地對待女兒的學業，但「我在家中做很多事」，早上實在起不了牀。

最騎呢999電話：召警捉蜘蛛
英國埃薩克斯警方舉行別出心裁的荒唐求救電話選舉，紀念999緊急求救電話服務系統成立70年。在十大濫用999服務的荒唐電話中，高踞榜首的是一名女子召警幫她捉蜘蛛。警方指出，去年接聽的逾1300萬通999電話裏，虛報或濫用服務的佔了十分之一。

以上新聞全部來自今日明報國際版。今日，整個世界，就真的只有這些事值得報導嗎？

Labels: Discontent, News, On the light side, Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/25/2007 02:15:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

a person's personal feeling = his feeling

are you experiencing any pain? = does it hurt?

with the possible exception of = except

due to the fact that = because

he totally lacked the ability to = he couldn't

笑死我。我是將簡單複雜化的高手。無他，寫paper時要填字數。哈！
還有這個：

a missile impacted with the ground prematurely = a missile crashed

如何寫出好文章

Labels: On the light side

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/24/2007 12:42:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

What does community mean? What is design? Why aren’t we as picky about our architecture as we are about our fashion? How can we leave the world a little better than it was when we got here?

May be not what you think they will ask. But be prepared to answer them.

Link

Labels: Discontent, Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/23/2007 01:23:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Many people tell me that they find the article on how to say no that I posted here a while ago very useful. So here is another one that may be useful as well.

14 Essential Tips for Meeting a Deadline

1. Care about deadlines.
   
2. Keep a list of projects and deadlines.
   
3. Communicate a clear deadline.
   
4. Work in a cushion.
   
5. Have a clear outcome.
   
6. Break down the project.
   
7. Focus on the first step.
   
8. Block off adequate time.
   
9. Have a start and complete date for each step.
   
10. Communicate with each step.
    
11. Don't overcommit.
    
12. Learn from mistakes.
    
13. Stay up late.
    
14. Negotiate and meet a second deadline.

When I was in architecture school, one thing that I learned was very detailed schedule planning in order to meet deadline. Producing an architectural design presentation is by itself a very complicated project, and it requires a lot of discipline and organizational skills. While I was called Mr. Organized by my classmates, I have seen many fellow students who had beautiful design in their mind but could not finish the presentation materials on time and ended up with a fail grade. This is such an important lesson that has helped me steer through my hectic life without losing my mind.

Link to full article

Labels: Learning, Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/22/2007 12:33:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

潮流興最緊要正字，可惜歌星唱錯歌詞的情況越見新穎，聽得人毛管直戙。歌詞唱錯，歌手的「水準」演繹固然抵鬧，但有時填詞、監製同樣難辭其咎。以前港台有《聽歌學英文》，小記也為大家送上《聽歌學中文》——讓大家從錯誤中學習正確讀音。撰文：蘇芬妮

王菲《郵差》

填詞：林夕 監製：梁榮駿
錯處：「塵埃（音哀）」唱成「塵i」
淨聽此歌旋律已充滿哀怨，王菲絕對不需要再將「最後一雙腳惹盡塵埃」唱成塵「i」來強調當中淒楚。雖然王菲來自北京，讀廣東話難免有點吃力，而她唱歌時獨特尾音也一直為人津津樂道，不過塵「i」一詞讀錯卻是鐵一般事實，身為監製的放任歌手唱錯也實在難辭其咎。

王菲《暗湧》

填詞：林夕
錯處：「煩囂（音僥）」唱成「煩燒」
王菲另一首由林夕填詞的hit爆歌曲《暗湧》，同樣唱至街知巷聞，可惜因為一句「在這煩囂城中」唱成煩「燒」城中，而慘成笑柄。不過最離譜是連MV的字幕都要跟隨王菲的錯誤版本煩「燒」城中，令人怒火中燒。

容祖兒《逃》

填詞：黃偉文 監製：陳奐仁
錯處：「駕馭（音預）」唱成「駕勞」
祖兒早前在無線廣告頒獎禮上穿bra top獻唱新歌《逃》，視覺和聽覺同樣震撼，事關她唱的一句「但我不想再被駕馭」竟唱成駕「勞」，當堂令小記語塞。有人聲稱歌詞上寫的是「駕駑」，請恕小記孤陋寡聞，從未聽過「駕駑」一詞。

容祖兒 《我的驕傲》

填詞：黃偉文 監製：陳光榮
錯處：「閃爍（音削）」唱成「閃瀝」及「up high」唱成「笠high」
祖兒的《我的驕傲》動聽毋庸置疑，不過其語文能力似乎不太值得驕傲。其中一句「為你閃爍像最初」，她卻唱成閃「瀝」像最初，礙耳之極。「爍」字不懂，其中文程度也很「削」。順帶一提，祖兒唱副歌一句「I’m proud to fly up high」，無端端學人玩link-up，唱成fly「笠」high，徹底蹂躪聽眾耳朵。

陳奕迅《天下無雙》

填詞：林振強 監製：王紀華
錯處：「不削（音爍）」唱成「不肖」
已故填詞人林振強鬼斧神工之作《天下無雙》，一句「有你我方找到生存來源」，道盡千萬戀人的心聲，Eason也能演繹箇中神髓，堪稱經典中的經典。誰知Eason唱「不削我對生命眷戀」時竟唱成不「肖」，真是一粒老鼠屎壞了一鍋粥。

側田 《Kong》

填詞：林夕 監製：雷頌德
錯處：「不屑（音薛）」唱成「不肖」
側田唱的《Kong》，前半段抑揚頓挫，節奏起伏，可惜到了末段，甚有創意的側田竟將「不屑」唱成不「肖」，形成反高潮，帶聽眾由山頂跌落谷底。唱錯歌詞壞了一首好歌，側田確實「不肖」兼愧對填詞人，還好他說「寧願天去收我」！

Soler《海嘯》

填詞：黃貫中 監製：S.Suyama
錯處：「星宿（音秀）」唱成「星叔」
Soler憑《海嘯》一曲成名，可惜兩兄弟唱「仍繼續尋找這片星宿」時，竟震住音唱出星「叔」，刺耳得令人發瘋。不過這又難怪Soler，首先他們是澳門出生的意大利人，不諳廣東話並不出奇，何況硬將該句唱成「星宿」，與歌曲的音調完全不夾，也許填詞黃貫中誤以為星「叔」才是正確讀音。

古巨基《感情真相》

填詞：潘源良 錯處：「驀（音默）然」唱成「墓然」
基仔就算忘記辛棄疾的《青玉案》，也應該讀過白先勇先生的《驀然回首》吧，不明白他竟將「在路上驀然遇上」唱成「墓」然遇上，令小記一頭「霧」水之餘，也「冒」火三丈。

最近胡燕菁在時代論壇開專欄講教會中文的謬誤，小傳道魏發耿卻撰文說要教會中文正確的要求是太沉重。
我只想說：如果政府公文的語文水準不及格會給人鬧，為甚麼我們會以為教會的語文水準低會受到包容和接納而不是丟假？我們又憑甚麼要求孩子學好語文？

來自07年8月18日蘋果日報C12娛樂名人版玩斗城專欄

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/21/2007 12:03:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

「捐了33年血，捐血已經是我生活的一部分，我常提醒自己日常生活要保持健康。」高誌樫12歲時因意外失去右臂，並曾經接受大量輸血；縱使身體傷殘，他這33年來一直捐血救助其他有需要病人，昨日他便在新旺角捐血站第128次捐血。[...] 曾獲傑出殘疾人士獎的高誌樫說，多年來一直捐血，全因為一份使命感，捐血對自己健康也有幫助，「為了捐血，我會早睡早起，較注意飲食健康，而捐血也有助新陳代謝」。

我想捐血，但不能捐。你若可以捐血，不要放棄救人的機會。

來自明報07年8月20日港聞版

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/20/2007 12:33:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.

- I Timothy 6:17-19

Nooma / Rob Bell

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/19/2007 02:44:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

9歲入U, 在香港確是新奇事. 這社會求才若渴, 最好盡快給他入大學裝備好, 然後短期內學有所成蜚聲國際, 就為之獅子山下的一個新傳奇了. 然而這樣的一條成長路, 對這位小朋友來說, 就會是好路嗎?

我估他一定會說好希望能立刻進大學. 然而我卻想指出一點, 智商可以比別人高, 情商EQ 卻未必同時高人一等. 人生經驗更是沒得跳班的, 他是9 歲就是9 歲, 再老積也只做了9 年人.

功課應付得了, 其他範疇就應付得了? 連青春期發育都未開始, 自己一套價值觀應該遠遠未及成形, 然而大學不是為意識形態打造基礎的好地方, 卻是容讓不同的信仰價值思潮衝撞激碰的反應堆. 根基未穩, 他在這些衝擊中能如何自處? 待人接物, 表達技考和情緒控制等, 中學階段還未掌握好就已經太遲, 因為一進大學門檻, 已經要懂得靈活運用了.

其他的知識: 語文, 基礎科學, 地理, 經濟, 商業, 政制, 通識都不用學了? 結果他識做數不識做人, 五穀不分, 政治冷感, 和社會脫節... 又算不算另類的高分低能?

又會讓他參加迎新營的時候舔奶油麵包嗎?

延伸問題：讀大學是一回甚麼事？

Link

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/18/2007 12:38:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

記者很關心男藝員在新戲中與眾索女有否親熱戲，雖然男藝員指親熱場面少得可憐。

戲，都是真的。記得我一位演藝朋友說的話。

你飾演陳大文，她飾演張小珠，但陳大文吻上的，不只是張小珠的唇，或者他認定是張小珠的唇，但吻上張小珠的不只是陳大文，是他。

如果一場戲要床上激情，就是對白是假的，他感覺到她的柔軟、彈性和微熱，卻是真的。

男女藝員總是在拍戲後傳緋聞，有些還結了婚，有些之後離婚。

那不是因為男男女女真假不分，誤墮情網。在戲裡的眼神交流、擁抱和愛撫都是真的，假戲都是真做的。只是，沒甚麼禁慾的理由，男女都很難忘記真正發生過的柔情和激情。

鈴明美在超時空要塞裡，跟馬輝說：來，我們演那場戲，她唸完對白吻上他的唇。有趣的是，假戲又不等於真做。有假戲，才能真做。

在地鐵擁吻，那對男女，自覺被看，好像要表現得像某場愛情片。

自覺，不就是戲嗎？

不要以為肉體能與靈魂分開。

Link

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/17/2007 12:14:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

8月5日，在溫哥華市中心一帶有支持同性戀人仕的「引以為傲游行」(Pride Parade)，個別政客亦有份參予。[...]屆時他們又是否會衣不蔽體，大搖大擺地在街頭上走動？[...]

俗語說「一樣米養百樣人」，社會上不同人仕存在著不同的喜惡、不同的價值觀、不同的生活方式及對事物有不同的看法，應該是最自然及正常不過的事。復雜的問題是關於政府保護「少數社群」(minority group)免受「歧視」這重要議題，尤其「少數社群」及「歧視」都屬於比較模糊的概念。簡單的例子是吸煙者為社會上的少數，但是否應被看為「少數社群」而要予以特別保護？保護「少數社群」又是否要給予一些其他人享受不到，例如在公眾地方「全裸上陣」的額外權利？反歧視的其中一樣原意是要叫我們不要以標簽看待個人，但過份強調「少數社群」的差異會否反而高舉了相關的標簽而模糊了個人的獨特性？

自1996年起，性取向被包括在本國的人權憲章的保護傘下，歧視某種性取向遂與歧視種族、宗教及性別等同屬違反人權憲章。[...]根據國際人權公約，對種族、膚色、語言、宗教、信仰及性別的歧視均被提及並被視作有違人權，但性取向(sexual orientation)則沒有被包括其中--性取向似乎未被國際社會一致認定為遭受歧視的一族。

對事物持不同意見是否等同「歧視」？總不成對社會上所有的議題都唯唯諾諾吧！喜歡與否，我們總得承認基於個人經歷、家庭背景、文化以及信仰等理由，社會上不同人仕對同性戀的生活方式會存有不同看法，甚至包括對該種生活方式持有不予認同的意見。我們在界定何謂「歧視性」言論方面要非常小心，個人之見是現時加國的法律定義仍未算清晰。社會上流傳一種想法，以為對同性戀生活方式提出不支持的意見便自動成為歧視行為，似乎有「上綱上線」之嫌，而這是不必要的?有立場與歧視豈可以隨便劃上等號？[...]

我的好友陳心田在加中時報發表的評論文章

Labels: News, Recommend, Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/16/2007 01:40:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

湖南湘西鳳凰縣一座預定本月底通車的石拱大橋前日下午突然坍塌，逾百名正在進行拆除橋架工程的工人被壓在橋下，目前至少已造成29人死亡，21人$&，30人下落不明。這是繼99年1月重慶綦江彩虹橋坍塌造成40人死亡以來，內地發生最多人死亡的塌橋慘劇。總理溫家寶已要求有關部門全力搶救。有消息指該石拱橋內根本沒有鋼筋，有網民更懷疑大橋是「豆腐渣工程」。
[...]據中國人權民運信息中心消息指，沱江大橋在瞬間坍塌，坍塌後赫然發現橋裏完全沒有鋼筋，事故可能是施工單位偷工減料造成。

沒有鋼筋的塌橋廢墟

﹣圖片及文章來自明報8月15日中國新聞版

千年古國貧愚弱
一代新邦假大空

﹣來自明報8月14日副刊陳惜姿專欄

Labels: News, Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/15/2007 12:57:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

諾曼第戰役發生在1944年，是第二次世界大戰中盟軍在歐洲西線戰場發起的一場大規模攻勢。這場戰役盟軍計劃在1944年6月6日展開，8月19日渡過塞納河後結束。雖然這場戰役離現在超過六十年，但諾曼第戰役仍然是目前為止世界上最大的一次海上登陸作戰，牽涉接近三百萬士兵渡過英吉利海峽前往諾曼底。
在諾曼第戰役中作戰的盟軍主要由加拿大、英國及美國組成，但在搶灘完成後，基本上自由法軍及波蘭軍也有參與這場戰役，而當中的士兵也有來自比利時、捷克斯洛伐克、希臘、荷蘭和挪威。
入侵諾曼第在登陸的前一天晚上展開，空降兵乘滑翔機降落、進行大規模的空中轟炸、海軍軍艦砲擊，而兩棲登陸戰則在6月6日早上開始。在登陸前，「D-Day」的軍隊主要部署在英格蘭南部沿海地區，尤其在樸茨茅斯。諾曼第戰役持續了超過2個月，最終，盟軍成功建立灘頭堡，並在8月25日解放巴黎，宣告結束諾曼第戰役。

自1941年德國入侵蘇聯後，蘇聯紅軍便一直單獨地在廣大的歐洲大陸上與德軍作戰，史達林就向邱吉爾提出在歐洲開闢第二戰場對德國實施戰略夾擊的要求，但當時美國尚未參戰，英國根本無力組織這樣大規模的戰略登陸作戰。對於蘇聯的建議，英國的回應只是派出小部隊對歐洲大陸實施偷襲騷擾。
1943年5月，英美華盛頓會議，決定於1944年5月在歐洲大陸實施登陸，開闢第二戰場。盟軍立即開始制定登陸計劃。幾經權衡比較，盟軍選擇了諾曼第，於1943年6月26日起制定具體計劃。
為實施這一大規模的戰役，盟軍共集結了多達288萬人的部隊。陸軍共36個師，其中23個步兵師，10個裝甲師，3個傘兵師，約153萬人。海軍投入作戰的軍艦約5300艘，其中戰鬥艦隻包括13艘戰列艦，47艘巡洋艦，134艘驅逐艦在內約1200艘，登陸艦艇4126艘，還有5000余艘運輸船。空軍作戰飛機13700架，其中轟炸機5800架，戰鬥機4900架，運輸機滑翔機3000架。
戰略欺騙，使得德軍統帥部判斷錯誤，不僅保障了登陸作戰的突然性，還保證了戰役順利進行，對整個戰役具有重大影響。盟軍通過海空軍的卓有成效的佯動，成功運用了雙重特工、電子干擾，以及在英國東南部地區偽裝部隊及船隻的集結等一系列措施，再加上嚴格的保密措施，使德軍統帥部在很長時間內對盟軍登陸地點、時間都作出了錯誤判斷，甚至在盟軍諾曼第登陸後仍認為是牽制性的佯攻，這就導致了德軍在西線的大部分兵力、兵器被浪費在加萊地區，而在諾曼第則因兵力單薄無法抵禦盟軍的登陸。
由於登陸作戰是一種極為複雜的作戰樣式，盟軍在登陸前對參戰部隊的組織和行動進行了反復多次近似實戰的模擬演練，以使部隊儘快掌握相關的作戰技能，提高了部隊戰鬥力。戰後參戰人員對戰前訓練及訓練基地給予了高度評價。

6英哩寬的奧馬哈灘，是所有登陸地點中面積最大的搶灘地點，也是德軍防守最嚴密的據點。此灘不但海中和岸上滿布地雷，有高30公尺的峭壁盤踞，更由作戰經驗豐富的德軍第352步兵師把守。
負責搶攻這個灘頭的美軍第1步兵師，可說是諾曼第登陸中戰況最為慘烈的一旅，29輛水陸戰車中竟有27輛遭擊沈，而當資深官兵踏上這片沙灘時，不是當場陣亡就是身負重傷。雖然傷亡率高達50%，盟軍倖存的殘餘部隊仍然在重新集結後繼續奮戰。
在海軍艦艇的重砲火力掩護下，步兵終於得以穿越灘頭開始攀登峭壁，加上空降敵後的傘兵部隊從後方包夾德軍，盟軍終於在當天中午時分攻破德軍的防線。
美軍於6月6日在奧馬哈登陸時已有2,400名官兵傷亡，但在入夜時，盟軍登陸人數也已達到34,000之多。

諾曼第登陸的勝利，宣告了盟軍在歐洲大陸第二戰場的開闢，意味著納粹德國陷入兩面作戰、腹背受敵的困境，徹底粉碎了德軍企圖以西線部隊挫敗美英登陸後再抽出50個師轉用於蘇聯戰場的如意算盤。到了1944年8月，稍有軍事常識的人都清楚，德國的最後失敗已不可避免。而諾曼第的勝利，就是敲響了納粹德國的喪鐘。

Information from Wikipedia

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/13/2007 11:58:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

有些巡遊花車的佈置非常簡單，主要是一塊大底板上插幾根鋼管，然後有幾個近乎全裸的肌肉男在上面熱舞。這種熱舞平日非常罕見，因為只容許在成人色情場所上演。但在同性戀自豪巡遊中，他們卻可在大庭廣眾，在細路仔面前自豪地瘋狂扭腰，自豪地勁歌熱舞。

令我不解的是，本來是兒童不宜的節目，點解在這一天會成了家庭活動的環節？

只因為冠上了同性戀這銜頭，所有理智都要被凌架了。可悲。

Link

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/12/2007 01:37:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

[...] 大部份會眾期望牧者去「牧養他們」，相反，牧者的期望是「去傳福音」。

教者/教會領導與會眾間的期望落差，也許是所有「運動」(movement)的現象，走得最前的人去了做宣教士或基督教機構(我以前是其中一份子)，步伐慢一點的在教會事奉或作帶領(現在我的崗位)，走在後面，死下死下，拖泥帶水的則在後面等人照顧(我將來的境況？)。最後面的人總想前面的服侍自己，走在前面的又總覺後面的人唔生性、無心。

我曾說過，對基督教會侵蝕最深又不太維意的就是消費主義。期望牧師牧養你正是一例。期望聽道有得著又是一例。幾時有人問下自己為教會付出了幾多？

Link

Labels: Reflection, Worship

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/10/2007 02:55:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

想起Rev. Stephen Knights當日獻身中華，從英國-->四川-->印尼-->加拿大，是源於一個感召，一個夢想。再想起：六十年代Winnipeg CCF，七十年代Ontario CCFs的崛起，80年代未Vancouver CCF的復興，90年代全國學運的串連......yes, it is still the same dream that drive us on our knees!

此時此刻，仍然有夢：
天父復興一代又一代的加國華人學生，從校園的歲月開始，成為一生跟隨基督的門徒！

百載長征，一夢相承！

多謝老細睇得起，對我們的小小slogan加上深遠意義。是的，不可停止發夢，像那些停止慣了的人一樣。

ps. 突然發現，這句小小slogan，原來嵌了我兩個兒子的名字在內。巧合。希望他們也能一夢相承。

霹啪959連載《一夢相承》見證集

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/10/2007 02:39:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

馬力英年早逝，五十有五。神童笑看前程，年方十四。颱風捲至台灣，漁人苦惱。股巿跳升六百，股民開顏。

有悲、有喜、有生、有死。三十分鐘的新聞，讀每一段消息，都像品味一個生命階段。

尤其，馬力遺照對比小狀元的笑臉，更顯功名富貴如水月，英發雄姿皆虛空。大限一到，就煙消雲散，一切不再重要。

Link
Photo from Ming Pao

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/09/2007 02:54:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Thank you 中 for posting this video on his blog. From one of my favourite Christian teacher Brian McLaren.

A lot of us think that the purpose Jesus came was to try to help us get to heaven, after we die. Well, I'd like to raise some serious questions about that base on the New Testament. I'd like to suggest Jesus didn't come here to tell us how to get to heaven after we die; primarily he came to talk to us about how the Kingdom of Heaven can happen here on earth, while we're here...

Link

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/09/2007 02:47:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Wow, this is useful.

1. Try saying “yes” first. This may sound counterintuitive, but I think of it as a form of mental judo. You say “yes” to the request (assuming you want to do it but don’t have the time to do it now), and then do one of two things: 1) you say “Sure, but I am swamped right now — can you get back to me on this in a month or so? I don’t want to commit to it unless I can actually do a great job on it.” or 2) you say “Sure, but can you do x, y and z first, so we can analyze if this is going to work before we set it into action?” In both cases, you are not turning them down outright, but are putting the action back in their court. I think you should only say these things if you are sincere about wanting to do it, but can’t do it right now. This takes the burden of action off of you for the moment, without having to actually say no.

2. Know your commitments. In order to know when to say no, you need to know what’s on your plate. You should have a running list of all your current projects/assignments, as well as an action task list, made up not of projects but of concrete action steps you need to complete in the next week or so. Once you see this list of all your commitments, you can decide whether the request can fit into your schedule, and if it’s of high enough priority to place on your list of commitments. Guard that list carefully, and only add stuff on there if they are essential.

3. Value your time. One reason a lot of people can’t say no is that they (subconsciously, perhaps) feel that their time is not as valuable as someone else’s time. For example, if someone asks you to do something that they could easily do themselves, and you say yes, you are in effect saying that their time is more valuable than yours — or else why would you do it instead of them? Learn to value your time — you only have a finite amount of it, and it’s perhaps your most valuable asset — and learn to show others that you value it by not taking on requests that don’t actually need to be done by you.

4. Defer. Similar to Strategy 1, this strategy calls for you not to actually decide on something, and not to say yes or no, but to ask the requester to ask you later. For example, you might say, “My plate is really full right now. Could you ping me in two weeks on this?” If the requester is good, they’ll put a reminder in their calendar to ping you in two weeks. If not, they might forget about it. Sometimes, if you defer twice in a row, the other person will give up. But it’s not good to defer too many times on a single request, as it makes you look bad. After two deferrals, on the third request, you should give a definite answer.

5. Be polite, but firm. One mistake a lot of people make is being too nice, and too wishy-washy. They might say no but make it sound like they are wavering. If you respond like that, a strong person will continue to press that request until you say yes, because they think there’s a chance you are going to change your mind. You have to make it clear, if you say no, that you’re not going to change your mind. But don’t be rude about it. A simple, “No, I just can’t right now” will suffice.

6. Pre-empt. If you think that a request is likely to be made, it’s easier to tell people you’re busy before the request is actually made. If you’re meeting with someone, you could say something like, “Before we get started, I have to let you know that my schedule is booked solid for a month, so I won’t be taking on any new projects for at least 30 days.” That will warn the person about to make a request, and they cannot blame you if you say no to a request.

7. “I’d love to, but”. Similar to Strategy 1, this strategy sends the message that this sounds like a great project to you, but you just can’t because of your schedule or other commitments. If the project sounds genuinely interesting, I’ll often say something like, “That sounds like a great project, and I wish I could be a part of it.” I’ll also suggest alternatives if possible, giving the person other people or ideas that might work. Some people will actually appreciate this kind of rejection, as it helps them out.

8. Never say you’re sorry. Again, you have to respect your time. If you apologize, you are sending the message that you are doing something wrong by saying no, that somehow you don’t have a strong right to say no. It’s very tempting to apologize, I know. We often say things like, “I’m sorry, but …” or “I wish I could, I’m so sorry” just because we’re uncomfortable giving an outright no. But again, you are sending the wrong message. See Strategy 5 for a better approach.

Link

Labels: Learning

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/08/2007 12:08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

事實上，頭等甚至是個褪了色的概念，唔潮，商務才潮，cheap & chic也潮，連帶經濟位也潮了起來，反而顯得頭等有種華麗而頹唐的美感。而且當中最吸引我的，卻是「高級」的概念。這是每一個喜歡研究高價消費品（包括Hi fashion）的人都想研究的問題。10萬港元一張歐洲來回機票，你會怎樣招待我才有10萬元的樣子呢？你能提供甚麼「高級」的東西給我呢？不用排隊優先check-in與登機不在話下，國泰頭等請你吃魚子醬（但主菜的選擇包括雲吞麪喎？）也送你上海灘設計的睡衣；英航的豪華餐前小點雖然不敵鱘魚子（但位子卻設計成可招待親友面對面用餐的），也貼心地送上國家良品級Anya Hindmarch的護理包（呢個都環保，都靚，都限量，但唔使排隊）；新航則給你最闊的座位與23吋闊液晶銀幕；阿聯酋還會給你兩道自動屏風間隔開你的座位，讓你更有privacy，維珍的upper class則是提供機上美容按摩師，隨機出發……由此可見，對於高級的定義，有人覺得是對待口腹的慷慨豪氣；有人注重矜貴的小禮物，有人以為甚麼都不及肉身的舒適；有人深信「私隱」與寧靜才是最千金難買的享受；更有人的「高級」定義就是「你估唔到的」（例如修甲揼骨）那麼簡單。綜觀以上種種，我反而最感興趣的是那碗三萬呎高空上夠膽擔當主菜的雲吞麪，究竟怎樣可以做出值回票價的高級感。

思考：The implication of the above on:
1. Evangelism;
2. Apologetics;
3. Church hospitality;
4. Worship.

Link

Labels: Reflection, Worship

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/07/2007 02:37:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

夜市有亞媽會同個小朋友買完野後, 亞媽會對小朋友講
"拿, 買左野就盡量唔好用咁多膠袋, 保護地球人人有責呀...

又有另一亞媽同小朋友買野, 努力講價後明明件野15蚊賣到13蚊, 但點知叫個仔拎住貨先扮攞錢. 最後掟低10蚊就走.

小朋友看在眼中不知會什想?

Link

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/06/2007 05:34:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Webster Dictionary:

A message issued in behalf of some product or cause or idea or person or institution.

Promotion is a message. What message are you giving?

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/05/2007 01:38:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Everyone designs, even you

First, what is designing? Before I write a dissertation to answer that question, here’s a concise definition from Nobel Prize winner and Carnegie Mellon professor, Herbert Simon:

Everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones.
The intellectual activity that produces material artifacts is no different fundamentally from the one that prescribes remedies for a sick patient or the one that devises a new sales plan for a company or a social welfare policy for a state

—The Sciences of the Artificial

In other words, designing is an activity that everyone does. You design everyday, from planning a vacation to laying out your living room to creating a Powerpoint presentation. The difference between so-called non-designers and professional designers, is that the latter happens to do it for a living.

So, you are already making a lot of design decisions. Do it well, please.

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Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/04/2007 01:49:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

上星期日晚在主持《霹啪959》節目，訪問我們的嘉賓﹣來自Open Door Ministry的Kenneth時，一面聽他講他所遇到的年青人的故事時，心裡面其實真的有點痛。

我想，我們都不太明白，也沒有確切地對年青人的各種痛楚感同身受。在他們的嬉笑或憤怒背後，其實是許多的破碎。我們可能只看到他們的反叛行為，只懂批判他們的墮落，但又可有聽到他們沒有說出口的渴求？

如果年青人得不到愛，得不到關注，得不到保護，得不到鼓勵，那是我們作為上一代欠他們的。

努力的帶著痛去愛他們，努力的活一個充滿愛與精彩的生命去inspire下一代，努力經營自己美好的婚姻和家庭生活，就是我們能給他們最大的禮物。

互勉之。

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/02/2007 10:44:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

今次去Seattle，主要是陪太太去公幹，兼趁機閉關寫Paper。星期一早上5:30am就要出發啦！八點前我已去到我的目的地：Starbucks！

太太放下我便走了，我原打算在此消磨一天做功課，點知...我搵蘊成間Starbucks，係無插蘇架！我架laptop去邊度搵電？


點知，抬頭一睇，居然見到有一個電器工人，打開了天花板，又鑽牆，原來他在：安裝新插蘇！結果，大半個小時後，我便成為了這個新插蘇的首名使用者！感謝神！

這就是我的做功課架步。

我前後幫襯了兩大杯飲品：一杯chai latte和一杯瑪其朵（哈哈，被棒棒堂影響），但都不好喝。

我帶了一整皮箱的書去做功課！

木凳很硬，坐了10小時，勁辛苦，不過完成了兩份功課，很productive！

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Labels: Personal

Posted by Alan Yu at 8/01/2007 01:03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments