Kempton “new-style royal watcher” – Globe and Mail

For the record, I am in the article, I watch the royals, I am young at heart (not sure about “celebrity-obsessed”. :)

The new royal watchers: young and celebrity-obsessed (emphasis added)

by TRALEE PEARCE

From Friday’s Globe and Mail (with correction)
Published Thursday, Jun. 30, 2011 5:01PM EDT
Last updated Thursday, Jun. 30, 2011 8:49PM EDT

As the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge peer out at the crowds during their nine-day royal tour, it won’t be wall-to-wall grey-haired monarchists waving Union Jacks back at them.

Among those diehards will be a younger crew of spectators waving nothing more conspicuous than a digital camera or cellphone above their heads. They will be there to unabashedly cheer on the glamorous young royals – just don’t call them monarchists.

孔子學院 – 教育或政治 ?

Is it a question “孔子學院 – 教育或政治 ?”

Or should it be a statement that 孔子學院 (Confucius Institutes), which has international presence (even in Canada), is mostly a political tool for the Chinese government with some educational elements.

Here is a long list of Confucius Institutes’ controversies. you have a read and decide.

法律比國家更重要 – 李怡

For the record.

法律比國家更重要 – （李怡） – 2011年06月28日

羅拔列福導演的《驚殺大陰謀》，講的不是刺殺林肯的陰謀設計，而是林肯被殺後美國對兇嫌和同謀者的審判。電影原名《 The Conspirator》即同謀者之意。同謀者，是指一個開設旅舍的寡婦，刺殺林肯的參與者，包括她在逃的兒子，就住在她的旅舍中。她和其他參與者在刺殺案發生後被捕。當時正是南北戰爭結束不久，社會主流聲音認為應從重從快處理案件，應把所有兇嫌和同謀者判死刑。一位參議員獨持異議，認為必須有人為這個同謀者辯護，並找到了一個年輕的律師愛肯。愛肯是南北戰時為北軍作戰的英雄，他說：「為何是我替她辯護？她是全國的敵人，也是我的敵人。」參議員說：「你必須替她辯護……任何人都有證明自己是無辜的權利。」
這一幕真實的歷史，就圍繞着控辯雙方的爭鬥展開。愛肯忠於法律，以身心投入案子中，冒着被主流社會杯葛、戀人無法諒解等種種犧牲，為這位被指為同謀者的寡婦辯護。並不是因為他相信她真的不是同謀者，而是他執着於必須要有一個公正的審判，不能因全國輿情或為了穩定社會的政治需要而把一個證據不足、可能無辜的人處死。
有人對愛肯說，如果不迅速判死，無法遏制南方的暴力，國家都無法存在，還講什麼法律。愛肯的回答是，如果沒有了憲法和憲法保障的人民權利，這國家的存在有何意義。
愛肯終於沒有辦法力挽狂瀾，寡婦還是處死了。但他的堅持，帶來了十多個月後美國通過法令：任何罪嫌都必須經過公正的審訊。這等於否定了早前的軍法審判。美國的司法公正，就是這樣由對憲法權利的堅持，一路走過來的。

旅程最難忘的事 – 李怡

for the record.

旅程最難忘的事 – （李怡） – 2011年06月27日

六月中旬，與兩女兒全家參加了一次阿拉斯加郵輪之旅。最難忘的，不是冰山、鯨魚、黑熊、印第安工藝，而是我狠狠地摔了一跤。
走山坡、上下階梯，很小心，都沒事。摔跤是在阿拉斯加首府 Juneau的陸上遊時，走在平路上，踩空一腳即仆倒，想立刻站起來，結果再摔第二次。第一次擦傷手腳，第二次頭着地，額上不僅擦破還腫起一個雞蛋大的疱。
接下來的事就是破壞了大家的行程，全都回到船上，全程由兩女兒扶持，外孫洗傷口，貼膠布，敷冰袋，然後卧床休息。
這過程，我在胡思亂想：有個故事說，一個無自知之明的女子自稱是天使下凡，旁人說，你下凡時大概是面孔先着地的。在我的臉着地那一刻我竟想起這故事，慶幸我已是老男人，不在乎臉着地啦。又想到魯迅的詩「運交華蓋欲何求，未敢翻身已碰頭」。我已好久未碰頭了，不是運交華蓋吧。
當然是痛，但又覺得痛是對生命的感覺，人若無痛覺，還有生命嗎？然後一天天過去，痛就一天天減少。劇痛的感覺只一下子，但好起來的感覺長得多，好日子多於壞日子，很不錯。又想到，意外幸而只是皮外傷。若是體內出了毛病，那就不是痛一陣了。所以是大幸。不過，最重要的是從此得了一個教訓：走險路人人都會小心，但走平路常會掉以輕心，於是摔跤常在平路上。想想人生是不是也總在走平坦路時最容易摔跤呢？
還有，摔跤使親人更親，天倫更倫。當然，若有美人懷抱可以依傍就更好了。這可是做夢了。
摔一跤想出這麼多美事，可見阿 Q的精神真是不死，在我這個自認為通達的人身上也能復活。

“塑膠” $100 – 廣東話分析

加拿大十一月推出新的 “塑膠” $100，Bank of Canada 今日提早向市民介紹。以下是我的廣東話分析。英文原稿及科技分析另見”Canada New Polymer $100 Notes in Nov 2011 – Now your money is smooth & will bounce!”。

李怡的外孫 Scott MacIsaac – Portrait of a Young Award-Winning Classical Pianist

我很高興於2009年認識和有機會聽到香港名作家/社評人李怡的外孫 Scott MacIsaac 的鋼琴演奏。前幾天我在 Scott 去 Yale 跟 Boris Berman 教授讀 Certificate in Performance program 之前，訪問了Scott、他的父母和外公。(The following text are copied here from the original English version for your convenience. See original English version for additional readers’ comments and further updates.) [July 5, 2011 Update: Here is 李怡's Chinese newspaper article "機會與性格" about Scott.]

***

If you spend some time with Scott MacIsaac, the first thing you will notice is that he is an easy going & sweet young man. And if you are lucky to hear him play the piano in a concert, you will discover he is a talented classical pianist and has also won many awards.

When I first heard Scott performing in 2009 at 16, I knew that Scott was talented but I only knew him as a person through the eyes of his grandpa Lee Yee 李怡, a famous Hong Kong writer/editorialist. In order to write about Scott in an informed manner, I spent an afternoon plus an evening chatting with Scott and his parents Doug, Wendy and grandpa Lee Yee. And conducted two extensive over the phone followup interviews with Scott and Lee Yee. I appreciate their time very much especially since Scott is leaving Calgary soon (in August 2011) to enter Yale‘s Certificate in Performance program to study piano with Professor Boris Berman.

The Portrait

After some careful considerations, I decided the best way for me to share my insights about Scott is to divide this article into three sections: 1) Impressions, 2) Two Q&As, and 3) YouTube videos (my “Portrait of a Young Classical Pianist” short video, Scott’s TSO Competition videos, and his recent Calgary performance) allowing you chances to see Scott plays the piano and to listen to him and his parents in their own words.

Impressions

I am not a piano/classical music expert, but judging from the multiple awards Scott has received over the years, I can safely and objectively say he is very talented! :) And the two performances of Scott I attended in the last few years, I thought the music were played beautifully and many pieces were performed full of passion. In chatting about piano music with Scott, I often saw his eyes lit up and his face filled with a big smile. And in our chats, he, even at his young age, recognizes a perfect performance doesn’t really exist and there are always things to improve in every performance.

When I raised the observation/fact that the career of a concert pianist can be tough and classical piano music isn’t exactly rising in popularity, I sensed he truly sees piano as his calling and willing to work very hard to overcome the challenges faced by concert pianists everywhere. And he even aspires to try to reengage the younger/newer generations to love classical piano music more. Scott clearly knows this is not an easy task so I really admire him for wanting to try.

As a person, Scott is very easy going, nice and considerate. I feel Scott truly appreciates & treasures the teachings & insights from his first piano teacher Beverly a few blocks from his home and his current UC teacher Marilyn (see photos below).

Scott’s parents, and grandpa Lee Yee shared with me the story of Scott’s concern when his piano skill advanced and it was time to transition from Beverly to Marilyn. I was deeply touched to hear that Scott, at the young age of 14 (?), didn’t want to hurt his first teacher’s feeling. The mark of a nice and considerate boy.

The following is how Marilyn described her first encounter with Scott in a December 2010 UC article “Gifted pianist plays for U of C“,

“Engle describes the first time she met MacIsaac as being like a scene from a movie. “I still remember. I was eating my sandwich, he started to play a Chopin concerto, and the sandwich got slower and slower as it approached my mouth, and then it stopped completely and I realized, that’s talent.”“

Scott emphasized to me that Marilyn‘s teaching was curial in his improved and refined piano skills, winning multiple awards in recent years, and ultimately for his skills to be recognized by Boris which lead to his acceptance to Yale.

In my mind, I think all great teachers understand their talented student will one day reach a new level of maturity/sophistication in skills. And when that day comes, a different teacher may arrive to try to assist the student in reaching a new level.

Two Questions & Answers

In my extensive interviews with Scott, we touched upon many topics. Here are two Q&As that I personally find particularly interesting and illuminating.

Kempton: Classical piano pieces were created long long time ago. [Many people considered the creativity/act of creation done and finished years ago.] Do you see your each performance as a new “act of creation” [in itself]?

Scott: “Every performer has their own interpretation of a piece. Their own way, in which they view a piece, on how it should be played. Even the composer, the one who actually created the work, even he does not have the, as you say, the “correct” interpretation of it. Cause there are, in music, an infinite ways that one can interpret a piece. Even the creator of the piece himself plays it differently than everyone else. Everyone plays it differently from each other. Thats what makes music unique and creative is that everyone has their own way in which they feel [a certain piece should be played].”

And here is the second Q&A. This one is about the creative process, my attempt to understand how Scott thinks during the first moment of creation.

Kempton: When you first look at a printed music score, are you [simply] “hearing” how it sounds [in a basic and straight forward manner as the music is written/specified on the printed pages], or are you already thinking about how to manipulate it [that is, to add your artistic and creative touch to it]? The creative process, does it happen during even the first look [of the music score]?

Scott: “It actually does happen during the first look. The first time you actually see or hear a piece is when the piece is most clear to you, the most fresh. Because thats when its the first time you are ever going to see it. It’s like if you watch a movie for the first time, and there are little shock elements in the movie that surprise you on the first time. The second time its is not going to surprise you as much, because you already know that it’s going to happen.

In music, it is the same deal. The first time you see it is when everything is fresh. When all the little shocks in the music which most people or non-musical audiences wouldn’t understand fully but you can make it more understandable for them if you actually know where these shocks are. And if they do sound fresh to yourself, they will come across fresh to the audiences too.”

YouTube videos: “Portrait of a Young Classical Pianist” short video, TSO Competition videos, and a recent Calgary performance 

Here is my short video “Scott MacIsaac – Portrait of a Young Classical Pianist (English & Chinese version)“. I hope you enjoy it as much as I in creating it.

Here is a link to the English version of my short video “Scott MacIsaac – Portrait of a Young Classical Pianist” (including interview footage with Scott’s dad Doug).

Have a listen to Scott’s recent award winning performance at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra Competition (here, here, and here).

Here is a short video clip of Scott performing “Franz Joseph Haydn: Sonata No. 39 in D major” a few days ago at University of Calgary‘s CONTRASTS Chamber Music Festival (June 7th, 2011).

Special thanks

Special thanks to Scott, his parents Doug & Wendy, and his grandpa Lee Yee for spending time with me for me to write this article and to create the video.

Concluding Thoughts

I really enjoy interviewing & chatting with Scott. I know Scott will grow muscially in the coming years under the tutelage of Boris at Yale and for years to come with his hard work and determination. I hope to stay in touch with Scott and update you on his progress and achievements.

If Scott can find time in his busy schedule (this may be tough) and together with some creative use of technologies (possibly Skype & advanced audio recording tools, etc), may be I can even bring you some interesting updates & insights bi-occasionally. :) Will see about that.

Postscript

In the interview, Scott mentioned he has read Professor Boris Berman‘s “Notes from the Pianist’s Bench” (via Amazon), if you are interested, you can read a few sample pages of the book via Amazon.

蘋論：為何參選門所有涉事人全變偉大啞巴 – 李怡

For the record.

蘋論：為何參選門所有涉事人全變偉大啞巴 – (李怡) – 2011年06月11日

特區政府連續爆出醜聞，而且看來還會醜聞不絕。或者可以說，沒有最醜只有更醜。現在不僅施政上每做一件事都錯；明明所做應該得到掌聲的事，也辦到滿城罵聲。現在不僅是多做多錯、少做少錯、不做不錯，而且是不做也錯。比如僭建門，就跟施政無關，純屬高官的操守，從特首起拖出大串名單涉僭建。新揭發政務司司長唐英年的參選門，也與施政無關，卻是更大醜聞，被捲入的還有市民一向相信是中立的公務員，以及親共政團民建聯。連串事件，可以說特區政府的公信力已破產。
更不可思議的是：所有涉醜官員，面對傳媒或公眾示威都扭扭捏捏，或刻意迴避，或用怪異手法遮擋。被問到醜事時，所有官員總是先推托，然後像擠牙膏似的一點點被擠出事實來。比如特首僭建，先是說不知道，未必是僭建，被屋宇署認定後才說會拆。環境局副局長潘潔被揭發天台僭建屋後，一直拒絕回應僭建物是否購入單位後才興建，直至根據地政署的高空圖片，證明她的僭建屋是在她任副局長期間興建的，她才被迫承認責任。
擔任政府高官其實不應該這樣扭扭捏捏。有承擔的官員，如果能不待傳媒揭發，就主動表示自己物業也可能涉僭建，而且不管是否被認定僭建，也先自行拆去了斷，這反而會得到掌聲。然而特首及眾涉醜高官就是一副能拖就拖、混過去就是神仙的死相，連普通人都會有的承擔都欠奉，實在丟盡了香港人的臉。
最新爆出的參選門更離奇，大面積的涉事人全部變成偉大的啞巴。主角唐英年只發表聲明，表示「對政府資源的運用均符合政府相關規定」。對於有 iProA高層參與他的競選班底，令人懷疑他是否與政府在「上網學習支援計劃」上「明益」 iProA有關，他嚴正聲明自己沒有參與該計劃的工作。但不參與不等於不干預，唐不敢公開會見記者答覆有關問題，所有在有關競選網站會議文件中提及的人，包括唐的新聞秘書陳維民、政府新聞處的洪曉敬、 iProA會長鄧淑明、 iProA秘書長楊文銳、委員區瑞蓮、立法會前秘書長馮載祥及其妻馬潔嫻，不是迴避躲閃，就是閃爍其辭。他們能不能一起開個記者會說清楚事態呢？不敢向公眾講清楚，就讓人覺得必有見不得人的事。人們不能不聯想到事件與本報前天報道的中聯辦牽線有關，循此推論，葛輝指控由比財政司司長更高的人交帶的政治任務，也就順理成章啦。而唐英年聲明自己沒有參與「上網學習支援計劃」，又如何取信於公眾？
所有這些見不得光的事，似乎都與中共直接插手香港內部事務有關，而插手的手法也在在破壞香港公務員中立與處事公平公開的法制傳統。政府受背後的政治黑手擺佈，在政治文化上也實行中港融合，這種取向不僅使市民對這屆政府的信心盡失，而且對來屆政府也不存希望。看看三位來屆的疑似特首候選人，無一不是要在政治上加緊中港融合的人。他們對香港人的看法與利益根本全不在意。香港有 58%的人支持平反六四，現政府和來屆特首候選人有誰重視這個民意呢？

最近許多年輕人在他們的網站留言，談六四集會的感受。不少人平日都是只顧扮靚和吃喝玩樂的，他們說今年第一次去維園，是因為覺得再不去以後怕沒得去了，因此要珍惜這個還可以點燃燭光、呼喚中國民主的時刻。
這反映香港市民固然對這屆政府沒信心，對來屆的可能特首也不會信任。民無信不立，在這種情形下，政府又怎麼立得下去呢？從現在到普選的 2017年，政府肯定會不斷做錯事和不斷出醜聞。香港若要政局穩定，目前這樣的政治體制恐怕已難再拖下去，看來 2017年才實現普選還是太久遠了吧。

勤有功、懶無益 – 林燕妮

For the record.

勤有功、懶無益 – (林燕妮) – 2011年06月09日

今時今日，創業難，守業也難。不過，如果你有生意頭腦，在足夠經驗下，創業也不失為踏上成功路的捷徑。
唐唐勸諭八十後九十後，不要自怨自艾，不要怨社會沒有給他們機會，不要妒忌其他人的成功，何不學學做另一個李嘉誠。前段勸諭，合情合理，社會怨氣太多，令不少年青人不敢嘗試，不肯嘗試，甚至說不屑嘗試，因為他們已經有個雖然不是李嘉誠，卻也可以供應他們三餐一宿的父親。於是，在沒有推動力下，平平穩穩又是一天過渡，哪管天塌下來。
生意人並非人人都可以成為李氏掌門，一百個中有九十個是失敗者，東山再起的是另一個傳奇，怕只怕商業社會是一沉百踩。
做生意要成功，先要儲蓄，儲錢雖然也重要，不過一定要儲蓄經驗，不熟不做，正如自己在 TVB工作那些年，儲蓄了做廣告公司要有的基礎，機緣巧合下，便拍拍心口，與拍檔合組二人公司。當然，其中的辛酸也是個好過程，辛酸也要儲下來，辛苦也得存在心，還得加上小心、細心、用心，千萬不要三心兩意，否則你得到的只剩下憂心與擔心。
創業成功，天時地利外，我的成功因素是膽子要夠大，思想要快，那是在電視台工作的時候儲下來的籌碼，許多時候時間緊逼，資金不夠，什麼也要一試，膽博膽的，也許自己的貴人人緣不錯，好多事也就逢凶化吉，人和也真是個成功原因之一。
不尋常，做生意要盤算的也多，每個月的支出，瑣碎卻又不得不步步為營，我相信好老闆自有好伙記的道理。肥上瘦下，遲早成了個倒三角，捱不了一陣子，自會傾斜倒閉。所以，伙記是每間公司的寶貴資產，公司賺了大錢，便不要虧待他們，風水輪流轉，有一日你的伙記可能自立門戶，山水相逢時，笑話當年總比針鋒相對好。
世上有的叫良性競爭，你跑一步，我追三步，大家互相追逐下，成績自會進步，千萬不要意氣之爭，那只會兩敗俱傷，惡性循環下，大家都成了受害者。
有些老闆會認為，跳槽別往的員工永不錄用，因為他覺得他們不夠忠心，對公司不利。其實也不能一竹篙打一船人，也許該名員工有他的苦衷，他需要那份薪金去養家，之後兜兜轉轉下，他仍想回歸你旗下，為你效力，那又何妨為他將門打開，一個能夠替公司賺錢的員工，沒有出賣公司的資料，那也是一位不錯的員工。
有時候，是你的公司沒能讓他有發展機會，龍游淺水，始終困他不住，倒不如將他放回大海，讓他有伸展機會，這是工作的自然定律，員工不要覺得不好意思，老闆也不應為他的離隊而不開心，反要為他的成功送上祝福。
從前的人說好馬不吃回頭草，但我認為好馬吃回頭草又如何，明明前面已沒有草可吃，難道真要餓死街頭。
好職員與好老闆是一個循環，你好我好，你吃飯我吃草那我自然另謀高就他去，有些老闆愛遮掩自己的盈利，說穿了，員工大多心裡有數。
有些力有不逮的員工，那是能力問題，如果公司真箇容納不了他，辭退他也是唯一方法。千萬不要抱着慢慢教他的規則，你是開公司，不是開學校，所以見工時，千萬不要說自己是來「學嘢」，「學嘢」那就要得交學費而不是收人工。
我相信人總有成熟進步的一天，作為老闆的不妨暗示，如果日後有什麼急切要幫忙的，也不妨找自己，畢竟，有時候是公司沒有適合他的職位，也許到外面闖過之後，腦筋通了，思想成熟了，脫胎換骨的，超出意料之外。不少人就是腦筋塞着在某一點之間，打通之後，彷彿一理通，百理明，這樣的例子，倒也遇過不少，不足為奇。

打工與當老闆，始終有着不同的想法，總之，心清目明，別讓雜事將自己弄得頭昏腦脹，同時必須弄清楚自己的身份，不在其位，不謀其政。
做生意自然有他的吸引力，那成就感可以令人飄飄然，不過得意莫忘形，你今日的成功，可能已埋下他日失敗的伏線。看看今日成功人士，大多是謙遜內斂，絕少盛氣淩人，還有的是，如果要學李嘉誠，首先是不可以懶，未學行先學走，學偷懶更是做事的大忌，老闆可以隻眼開隻眼閉，但同事間蜚短流長的說話，已經是你的致命傷。需知道公司是一個群體，一扣連一扣的，不可能因為一個懶人而拖累整間公司的計策。
給年青人的最佳勸語，勤有功，懶無益，偷懶其實是偷走成功的武器。

Scott MacIsaac 卡加利大學鋼琴表演 (6月7日)

Time flies and it has been two years since my first report of the talented Scott MacIsaac (香港著名作家李怡的外孫) playing at the 2009 Winners of the Calgary Concerto Competition concert. This past weekend, I had the pleasure to video interview/chat with Scott in depth to get to know him a little bit more before he leaves Calgary in August to study piano at Yale School of Music plus I also interviewed Scott’s loving parents. It will take me some time to write the article plus edit & process the interview video clips, but I hope to post the interview soon.

For those that loves piano & classical music, Scott will perform once more at University of Calgary, Department of Music‘s CONTRASTS Chamber Music Festival (June 7th, 2011)  before he leaves for Yale to study with Professor Boris Berman. Hope you have time to attend CONTRASTS.

By the way, here are YouTube videos of Scott MacIsaac at Toronto Symphony Orchestra Competition: Final Round (May 29th, 2011) performing Sergie Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto no. 2 in c minor op. 18. Scott won second prize at the TSO competition. Enjoy.

TSO Piano Competition: Concerto no.2 in c minor op.18, I. Moderato

TSO Piano Competition: Concerto no.2 in c minor op.18, II. Adagio sostenuto

TSO Piano Competition: Concerto no.2 in c minor op.18, III. Allegro scherzando