October 2019 - You Write

Win or Lose - just a toss of a coin, head or tail? 输赢-丢硬币，开的是头还是尾啊？

October 28, 2019 FLAI40 Leave a comment

This is a Chinese version of the previous article posted entitled “A Fall, A Rise” with a slightly cultural difference in presentation. 这是前一篇文章的标题为“ A Fall，A Rise”的中文版本，在呈现方式上略有文化差异。昨天（10 月 27号），当我在奥克兰的购物中心（Slyvia Park，277，Botany，Lynn Mall，Manukau Shopping，St Luke’s）逛逛时，我看到的一个明显的表情是极其悲伤。没错，全黑队输了一场比赛，但是大多数新西兰人都没有接受这个事实。我听到一个观察者对他的朋友们说的话，“一定是日本人。”前一天晚上，日本酒太浓了。” 另一位评论者说：“好吧，骄傲是跌倒的前一步。” 请阅读我希望能直接向我们的ALL BLACKS 发表一篇小小的安慰性演讲： https://lnkd.in/gDP5Cij Yesterday (October 27th), when I was at various shopping centers (Slyvia Park, 277, Botany, Lynn Mall, Manukau Shopping, St Luke’s) in Auckland, I saw sad expressions all around me。 Yes, the All Blacks had just lost a game, and most New Zealanders did not appear to accept this fact. I heard an observer said to his friends, “It must be the […]

A Fall, A Rise 一下降，一上升

October 27, 2019 FLAI40 Leave a comment

All good things don’t last. All we can hope for is that the good things can return, in the not too long future. That is the message I would like to share with the entire five million kiwis all over New Zealand. Being beaten in the semi-final of the world rugby event is not the end of the world. It is just a temporary set-back. Watching the game on TV, I must say that we did play badly right from the start. There can be no excuses. We had played badly. So, take up the bitter pills just for today […]

On Gambling … 赌博

October 27, 2019 FLAI40 Leave a comment

My wife and I were attending an Asian Family Services’ concert at Potters Park when we met volunteers who were working for Gambling Helpline. Visit: https://www.gamblinghelpline.co.nz/Home_452.aspx This meeting and a brochure entitled ‘Real People, Real Journeys’ made me reflect on the life of my Dad. 我和妻子在波特公园参加亚洲家庭服务音乐会，当时我们遇到了为赌博热线服务的志愿者。访问：https://www.gamblinghelpline.co.nz/Home_452.aspx这次会议和一本名为“真实的人，真实的旅程”的小册子使我对父亲的生活进行了反思。 I do not know my Dad as he was taken away from me when I was only eighteen months old. He was a victim of the Sook Ching Massacre in Singapore during the Second World War way back in December 1941. Read this article at http://www.u-write-read.com/2018/10/14/to-hell-back-operation-sook-ching/ 我不认识我的父亲，因为他被日本兵带走。那时我只是18个月大。他是在1941年12月的第二次世界大战期间曾是新加坡素正大屠杀的受害者。读有读以下的本文：http://www.u-write-read.com/2018/10/14/to-hell-back-operation-sook-ching/ I was told by my Mum that […]

Maoridom - 毛里文化

October 22, 2019 FLAI40 Leave a comment

We started at the Marae. [Marae = community meeting place where formal greetings and discussions take place in front of the village elders, not unlike the Chinese village meeting house in an olden Chinese village.] 我们从Marae开始。 [Marae =在村长们面前举行正式问候和讨论的社区集会场所，与古老的中国村庄中的中国村集会场所一样。] We had the karakia (prayer), the mihimihi (acknowledgments and thanks), and waita (songs) at the Marae. Then we went to our respective classes. 我们在 Marae (乡村会所）举行了karakia（祈祷），mihimihi（致谢和感谢）和 waita（歌曲）。然后我们去了各自的班级。 I was at the first basic level (Tahi) of Te Rao Maori evening course and on Wednesday 16th October 2019, I was attending the second of ten once-a-week class at the Unitec campus, Carrington Road, […]

The Hong Kong dilemma 香港困境

October 19, 2019 FLAI40 Leave a comment

There are many opinions already expressed on this topic recently, and these are readily available from the internet . This article is just my own impressions of the situation, primarily for the purpose of telling our younger readers that leaders of a country, or even of a company need to be ready to make tough decisions that they are committed to, decisions that they know will do the most ‘good’ for the most number people they govern. 最近已经有很多关于该主题的观点，这些观点可以从互联网上获得。本文只是我对形势的看法，主要目的是告诉我们的年轻读者，一个国家甚至一家公司的领导者需要准备好做出他们承诺的艰难决定，他们知道的决定为他们管理的人数最多的人做最“好的”事情。 Before expressing the six lessons that I would like to part with, I would like readers to take a look at the […]

Goodbye, HCC188 我向 HCC188 说一声再见。

October 13, 2019 FLAI40 Leave a comment

HCC 188 is a beauty. She is a Yaris happily coasting along Auckland roads. She is six years old plus another month, having been registered in September 2013. HCC 188是一部美车。她是一个Yaris，愉快地沿着奥克兰的道路航行。她现年6岁，外加一个月，于2013年9月注册。 She is still drivable even today, still making a soft beautiful humming as she sails along. 即使在今天，她仍然可以驾驶，在航行时仍然发出柔和优美的嗡嗡声。 But, sad to say, she was pronounced technically dead on Thursday 10th October 2019 by State Insurance. “She had to be written off,” so said State. “But, I am still driving it and she is still a beauty to drive,” I protested. 但是，很可惜，她被宣告死亡技术上周四二零一九年十月十日由州保险。洲保说：“她必须被注销。”我抗议说：“但是，我仍在驾驶它，而她仍然是可以驾驶的美车。” Yes, she did have an accident that fateful, cloudy Monday afternoon, […]

What’s the Value? Property Valuation. 有什么价值？财产评估。

October 11, 2019 FLAI40 Leave a comment

The address is 217 St. Johns Road, Meadowbank. This property is for sale under a system like a tender but described by the marketing agent as “Set date of sale on 22nd October 2019 at 4:00 pm”. The details of this property can be viewed at https://rwremuera.co.nz/auckland/meadowbank/217-st-johns-road-rmu27732/ 地址是 Meadowbank 的 217 Johns Road。该物业可以通过招标等方式出售，但被营销代理商描述为“定于2019年10月22日下午4:00出售”。可以在https://rwremuera.co.nz/auckland/meadowbank/217-st-johns-road-rmu27732/查看此产业的详细信息。 I have never been a fan of any tendering system for the sale of a property. This is totally unfair to a would-be purchaser. Let me explain. Firstly, the system has never been properly explained to buyers and the marketing agency has to do the explanation for […]

Solving Hard Sudoku’s 解决困难的数独

October 4, 2019 FLAI40 Leave a comment

I have been doing the daily newspaper’s Sudoku Challenge since the turn of this decade and have written three books on the topic of Francis’ Rules for Sudoku in the years 2006 to 2008. My one advice to those who are doing the daily Sudoku is: Do not believe in the level displayed underneath a Sudoku Challenge. What I find often is that often enough an “Easy Sudoku” may be tougher than “Easy” and similarly a “Hard Soduku” can often turn out to be an “Easy” one of a “Medium” at worse. Therefore, never give up in trying to solve […]