損友 - 容祖兒

我曾伴你通宵 飲過酒
亦曾被你燻得滿身煙臭
何時與你成為摯友
同走過寂時候
而難與你成熱戀的對手
寧願留下友情 情份更是永久

*誰更清楚 清楚你的風流　
纏住你手 只怕熱淚會流
和你能扮演好友　
男士那般搭膊頭
和你牽手 只恐怕太荒謬　
還是當你一位損友
沒寄望 沒強求
若我離開 你不曾內疚
(縱使找到新歡 你也會笑著不內疚)

願能在你失意熱情慰問
未能被你酒後趁機一吻

誰人與你成為愛侶
能保證絕無掛慮
談情說愛 何日都可告吹
寧願留下友情 傷心都只可鬥咀

Repeat*()

誰昨晚共你一起
用情如像遊戲
我沒福氣去責備你　
無謂曷露誰在妒忌

就怪我太清楚 清楚你的風流　
明白你 一世亦貪新厭舊
我寧願當好友 無愁無慮地碰頭
和你牽手 只恐怕太荒謬　
還是當最終生損友
沒寄望沒強求
若我離開 你不曾內疚
是友情 沒強求
永開不到口 愛戀有沒有

喵~~~~~~~~~

The downside of changing jobs frequently

ANNIE LIM STARTED to change jobs last year as the local economy improved. She had been in the same position for almost five years and it felt like the right time to make a move.

As a young accountant, Ms Lim (not her real name) got her first big break in 1998 by joining a company she liked and which offered a good salary. But, when the dotcom bubble burst, the work environment markedly deteriorated. Many of her colleagues were laid off and although she was lucky enough to keep her job, she had to work long hours and accept a pay cut.

A tough five years followed, but now she has her reward. In the past 18 months Ms Lim has changed jobs three times and her salary has almost doubled.

She is still working long hours and is already contemplating a further move, in view of the many tantalising opportunities now being advertised.

But according to Alison Chang, managing director of COREsearch, Ms Lim may be ruining her chances without even realising it.

"People think, now that the market is doing better, I have to go'. So they change jobs - probably for a higher salary but with a similarly heavy workload. Will that make you happy?" Not according to Ms Chang.

In her experience, there is no shortage of unhappy employees wanting to change jobs, regardless of the state of the economy or their level of salary.

The main problem in such cases is that people have no clearly defined career objectives and no strategies to reach them, said Ms Chang, who will be the moderator at a readers' seminar organised by the Classified Post to be held on August 23 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

"I find people don't know what they want. They always blame the company or their colleagues but don't know their own strengths and weaknesses, and 99 per cent have no career plan at all," she said.

"They just take a job, then sit back and say it's not what they want, or make themselves victims by comparing how much they get paid with what they contribute."

Initially, it may seem that switching jobs at the drop of a hat has few consequences. However, there can be several drawbacks, some of which may only become apparent when it is too late.

For example, employers are wary of job hoppers and reluctant to hire them. They will conduct more extensive background checks and make detailed inquiries with previous employers about the productivity of such candidates.

At managerial level it is even more important to show a degree of commitment, and companies will automatically have doubts about anyone who has held a series of positions for no more than a few months at a time.

In addition, people who are promoted to senior positions too early in their careers often find they are not ready for the responsibilities that come with the job. The money might be good, but they have to work extra hard to hide their inexperience and cover up the mistakes that are bound to happen.

Another problem they encounter is not knowing how to manage the expectations of their boss, subordinates and peers. While a competitive salary makes a difference, it is more important to find a position which offers the chance to develop new skills, get valuable work experience, and keep the possibility of promotions open.

The seminar will explain why careful career planning is necessary. It will also deal with how to avoid the pitfalls of getting into the wrong job, or one which is uninteresting and makes it difficult to take the next step up the career ladder. Apart from career planning, job seekers also have problems with the way they change jobs and Ms Chang and the various panels will discuss in detail what goes wrong and why.

"[Applicants] don't actually ask what the job is about," Ms Chang said.

She added that in some cases companies do not know exactly what they are looking for and expect too much from the candidate. Because hiring executives is becoming more expensive, employers are looking for "all-in-one" managers.

"Middle management positions are so hard to fill. Salaries have been skyrocketing," she said.

"If there were five people before, companies are now looking to hire two to do the same amount of work, so as to be able to afford their salaries."

Another problem is that young job seekers only target positions with large brand-name companies, but do not investigate whether the corporate culture or the job itself will suit them.

Ms Chang cited an example of someone working for a small bank and being responsible for a whole business process.

If they move to a larger bank and handle only one small part of a process, they will inevitably find it tedious, and will not be able to see where their future lies within the more complicated company structure.
- Andrea Zavadszky, South China Morning Post (Saturday 13th August, 2005)

朱古力解碼

朱 古 力 家 族
Truffles （ 軟 心 朱 古 力 ）

人 稱 「 松 露 」 ， 外 層 多 是 可 可 粉 或 糖 霜 ， 餡 料 則 是 朱 古 力 忌 廉 醬 ， 部 分 會 在 中 間 加 入 酒 和 其 他 口 味 。

Praline （ 夾 心 朱 古 力 ）

最 傳 統 的 一 種 ， 朱 古 力 外 殼 內 有 果 仁 、 乾 果 、 酒 或 牛 油 忌 廉 等 不 同 材 料 。

Dark Chocolate （ 黑 朱 古 力 ）

含 70% 可 可 成 分 ， 主 要 成 分 是 可 可 豆 及 糖 ， 甜 味 中 滲 透 陣 陣 苦 澀 ， 未 必 人 人 接 受 得 來 。 黑 朱 古 力 分 為 特 苦 、 苦 味 和 苦 甜 多 種 層 次。

White Chocolate （ 白 朱 古 力 ）

主 要 由 可 可 油 、 糖 和 牛 奶 製 成 ， 沒 有 可 可 那 分 香 濃 ， 口 感 較 滑 ， 奶 味 重 但 較 甜 膩 。

Milk Chocolate （ 牛 奶 朱 古 力 ）

含 30%~40% 可 可 成 分 ， 加 入 煉 奶 或 奶 料 製 成 ， 以 煉 奶 製 成 的 較 優 質 。

品 嘗 的 藝 術
下 次 食 朱 古 力 ， 別 不 顧 一 切 的 塞 進 口 中 ， 品 嘗 朱 古 力 必 須 心 、 眼 和 鼻 並 用 。

以 鼻 去 聞 ： 好 的 朱 古 力 會 有 一 種 新 鮮 濃 郁 的 香 氣 ， 若 太 香 或 太 甜 ， 可 能 朱 古 力 已 加 入 防 腐 劑 。

以 眼 觀 察 ： 靚 朱 古 力 表 面 應 顏 色 均 勻 、 有 自 然 光 澤 而 沒 有 氣 泡 。

用 口 品 嘗 ： 必 須 留 意 味 道 和 質 感 ， 新 鮮 朱 古 力 會 有 強 烈 而 清 純 的 香 味 ， 質 感 細 緻 精 巧 ， 外 層 是 半 硬 狀 態 ， 咬 落 更 會 「 啪 」 一 聲 ！ 此 外 ， 品 嘗 時 應 讓 朱 古 力 在 口 腔 內 自 動 溶 解 去 感 受 質 感 ， 應 嫩 滑 細 致 而 無 微 粒 ， 味 覺 應 從 堅 果 開 始 ， 然 後 是 烘 過 的 朱 古 力 味 ， 最 後 是 甜 味 或 其 他 香 味 ， 優 質 貨 色 才 真 正 做 到 齒 頰 留 香 。

朱 古 力 萬 歲
別 只 記 多 食 朱 古 力 會 蛀 牙 ， 其 實 適 量 進 食 ， 可 收 到 抗 氧 化 效 果 。 皆 因 朱 古 力 可 可 液 中 含 有 的 類 黃 酮 成 分 ， 有 助 防 止 游 離 基 受 到 破 壞 ， 對 預 防 血 管 硬 化 和 心 血 管 疾 病 有 幫 助 。 有 研 究 更 指 黑 朱 古 力 的 抗 氧 化 功 能 比 士 多 啤 梨 、 藍 莓 和 蒜 頭 更 高 。 不 過 ， 朱 古 力 畢 竟 是 高 脂 和 高 糖 食 品 ， 同 時 含 興 奮 劑 ， 會 誘 發 偏 頭 痛 ， 孕 婦 、 糖 尿 病 患 者 和 減 肥 人 士 不 宜 多 吃 。
from: Oriental Daily News 10/08/05

---

熟 悉我的朋友都知道, 我是很喜愛吃朱古力的... 這要追溯至我小時候, Nestle Crunch chocolate是我的最愛! 會考時期, 讀書苦不堪言, 那時媽媽時時說: "減價呀, 買比你食架!" 正是Kinder chocolate bars.... 到大學, yr4 的生涯長期留守proj lab中, 朱古力自然成為我的必備食糧~ 有一盒吃了很久的朱古力, 數個月了, 這就是我吃dark chocolate的習慣吧... 這陣子沒有再吃了, 希望到我再拿出來時還未過期吧~

Facts of Life

ROMANCE MATHEMATICS

Smart man + smart woman = romance

Smart man + dumb woman = affair

Dumb man + smart woman = marriage

Dumb man + dumb woman = pregnancy

OFFICE ARITHMETIC

Smart boss + smart employee = profit

Smart boss + dumb employee = production

Dumb boss + smart employee = promotion

Dumb boss + dumb employee = overtime

SHOPPING MATH

A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.

A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need.

GENERAL EQUATIONS & STATISTICS

A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.

A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.

A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

HAPPINESS

To be happy with a man, you must understand him a lot and love him a little.

To be happy with a woman, you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all.

LONGEVITY

Married men live longer than single men do, but married men are a lot more willing to die.

PROPENSITY TO CHANGE

A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.

A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, and she does.

DISCUSSION TECHNIQUE

A woman has the last word in any argument.

Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

HOW TO STOP PEOPLE FROM BUGGING YOU ABOUT GETTING MARRIED

Old aunts used to come up to me at weddings, poking me in the ribs and cackling, telling me, "You're next." They stopped after I started doing the same thing to them at funerals.

The Rules of Work - Templar, Richard

Rule 2: Never Stand Still

“Yes, you have to do the work. And yes, you have to do it supremely well. But your eye should already be on the next step and every activity you indulge in at work should be merely a cog in your plan to move up.”

Rule 4: Carve out a Niche for Yourself

“… spotting a useful area that noone else has spotted”

Tuesday with Morrie - Mitch Albom

The First Tuesday - We Talk About the World

“Well, I have to look at life uniquely now. Let’s face it. I can’t go shopping. I can’t take care of the bank accounts, I can’t take out the garbage. But I can sit here with my dwindling days and look at what I think is important in life. I have both the time - and the reason - to do that.”

The Second Tuesday - We Talk About Feeling Sorry for Yourself

- “Mitch, I don’t allow myself any more self-pity than that. A little each morning, a few tears, and that’s all.”

- “It’s only horrible if you see it that way. It’s horrible to watch my body slowly wilt away to nothing. But it’s also wonderful because of all the time I get to say good-bye.”

The Third Tuesday - We Talk About Regrets

“the culture doesn’t encourage you to think about such things until you’re about to die. We’re so wrapped up with egotistical things, career, family, having enough money, meeting the mortgage, getting a new car, fixing the radiator when it breaks - we’re involved in trillions of little acts just to keep going. So we don’t get into the habit of standing back and looking at our lives and saying, Is this all? Is this all I want? Is something missing?”

The Forth Tuesday - We Talk About Death

- “once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”
- “The things you spend so much time on - all this work you do - might not seem as important. You might have to make room for some more spiritual things.”

The Fifth Tuesday - We Talk About Family

“Love each other or perish”

The Sixth Tuesday - We Talk About Emotions

- “…….. Learn to detach”
- “But detachment doesn’t mean you don’t let the experience penetrate you. On the contrary, you let it penetrate you fully. That’s how you are able to leave it.”

The Seventh Tuesday - We Talk About the Fear of Aging

“The truth is, when our mothers held us, rocked us, stroked our heads - none of us ever got enough of that. We all yearn in some way to return to those days when we were completely taken care of - unconditional love, unconditional attention. Most of us didn’t get enough.”

The Eighth Tuesday - We Talk About Money

- “These were people so hungry for love that they were accepting substitutes. THey were embracing material things and expecting a sort of hug back. But it never works. You can’t substitute material things for love or for gentleness or for tenderness or for a sense of comradeship.”
- “The truth is, you don’t get satisfaction from those things. You know what really gives you satisfaction?”
- “Offering others what you have to give.”