#18

Eight years ago this month, I bought a magazine in a computer store and it’s the first issue of that magazine. Since I was / am a collector of Premiere issues of magazines, I bought it without skipping a heart beat. Themagazine is called “NET”, the magazine talked about how to buy a 14.4 Kbps modem for US$ 200, about how to connect to a thing called “Internet”, aboutinstalling a new kind of software called “Browser”.

I learnt something new from that magazine, and dumped my Compuserve account (the de facto standard about bulletin board eight years ago) almost immediately and got an Internet account. One year later, I developed my first homepage … well, the rest is history.

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Indeed, another reason I write this newsletter earlier because today is the Thanksgiving Day. Just in case you don’t know, the Thanksgiving Day has almost 380 years’ history (http://www.calendar-updates.com/Holidays/US/thanksgiving.htm).

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Saw a big sign posted just above the entrance of Tunnel :

No one can recall what you said, just the impression you left behind.

Very true indeed, as you will not have second chance to leave a good first impression – so, try your best in everything you do.

#17

I have completed many appraisals of yours last week and it was a very rewarding exercise to me. Many of you told me how you want to make the services better, others told me ideas of making our process more efficiently. And above all, you told me how the bonding among the team members have already built. Many of you told me you belong to a unique and worthwhile group. In addition, you also have the belief that we are more effective working together than apart.

Yes, that’s what we called TEAM – Together, Everyone Achieve More.

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I will take a two weeks’ sabbatical break – I will join the Usability Week 2002 in London (http://www.nngroup.com/events/uw2002/london/agenda.html ) and then stay behind to discuss with some of my friends there aboutinformation architecture and usability. I have told you before that I am a firm believer of information architecture but I don’t have time to spend two years in Montreal to study that like Fiona. The trip costs me a fortune but I know that I have to take it. As I understand if I don’t make things happen, I will simply watch things happen or wonder what happened.

It is your call, you can make things happen.

Throughout that two weeks, I need you all to work together closely. A lot closely then now and the ESD rely you all to provide a good services.

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The following link point you to a poem that has been widely spread a couple years ago as chain-email in Internet.

http://www.godswork.org/inpoem53.htm

DayTrip – The Peak, Hong Kong

OK, now is the first day trip available. Have not put it in a database and searchable format yet, but at least it is a good start.

This day trip suggest you to visit the Peak, Star Ferry and a high tea in a 5-stars hotel …

  • First thing first, have breakfast in your hotel. Or you can travel from your hotel to Central and try a Dim Sum breakfast in one of the many Chinese restaurants in Central. Ask your hotel conceige about it.
  • From Central walk to the Exchange Square bus terminal and take the bus number 15. Along the way, you can check out various small shops in Li Yuen Street East. Quite some cheap stuff there. The bus to the Peak cost you around US$ 1.25.
  • Arrive the Peak and get your camera loaded. First go to the Peak Tower and have a magnificent view of the Victoria Harbour. Then walk across to the Peak Galleria, the top floor will give you a view of the Hong Kong Island South. Some light shopping there as well.
  • Have lunch in the Peak Cafe. US$ 25 per head.
  • Take the Peak Tram back to Central Peak Tram terminal (US$ 2.5). And ride the free shuttle to Star Ferry Pier.
  • Take Star Ferry (US$ 0.25) across the harbour to Tsim Sa Tsui.
  • Walk to the New World Inter-Continental hotel and have an afternoon tea (High-Tea) in the lobby (US$ 15 per person). Enjoy the beautiful view of the harbour again.
  • Leave the hotel, and have a 15 minutes walk back to the Harbour City shopping arcade, where there are over 700 shops !! Along the way, take photos in the world famous Peninsula Hotel, HK Science museum and HK Cultural Center.
  • Have some good shopping and then a dinner in one of the restaurants there – e.g. Bistro Le Fauchon, San Francisco Steak house.
  • You can call it a day or explore more about Hong Kong in Temple Street.

#16

It is obviously to me with so many things happening together, keeping any schedule is very difficult. In one of my favorite web sites (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/), it says this is a problem of always connected, never focused.

Do you remember the last time you were really focused on doing just one thing? Have you noticed that it has become much harder to stay focused, because we are that much more connected now than before. Mobile phones, SMS, e-mail, wireless e-mail, Instant Messaging, Internet access, PDA and so on.

It is an indisputable fact that I can be reached almost anytime and anywhere, and I am. I can also reach almost anyone of you the same way, and I do.

So, if you recognize the feeling of being scattered all over the place, that it’s hard to stay focused. However, the web site suggested:

  • have the mobile phone turned off a few hours every day
  • if you are in the middle of a conversation, and the phone rings, don’t always pick it up
  • if the phone rings, don’t always pick it up period.
  • every once in a while, sign out from Instant Messaging even if you are connected and working at your computer
  • sign out from your e-mail application a couple of times every day, so that you won’t be tempted to check e-mail every two minutes
  • plan at least one weekend every month without going online
  • don’t bring your PDA with you every time you leave the house
  • go back to the habit of giving flowers or [insert nice thing here] regularly to your partner
  • spend more time with your family, and while you do, don’t think about other things
  • take a walk every now and then, not to get things but just to take a
    walk

Personally, this list is really a challenge to me. But may be many of you can do this, focus on delivering good things, one at a time.

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Again, no book recommendation this month as I have passed around a few good books already “The design of sites“, “Code Complete“, “Homepage usability” etc.. But if you do have time to focus in reading books, pop in to my room and I will show you some new ones – “It’s Your Ship“, “Good to Great“, “Design for Community“, “Design from both sides of the screen“, “A Pattern Language“.

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As long as you’re going to be thinking anyway, THINK BIG.

~ Donald Trump ~