Looking Back at The Year of 2008

It's time to take a look at the year of 2008.

Money: 2008 is definitely not a good year for investors. I was lucky enough to exchange most of my security holdings and mutual funds for cash in the summer of 2008 and avoided huge potential losses. However, I still lose over 100,000 in my pension fund, as most of its holdings were European and North American financial institutions.

Health: I'm generally in good health for the year of 2008. The teeth problems were all fixed after a few trips to the dentist. I was able to exercise more regularly. However, I'm still slightly overweight, mostly due to the failure to resist fine food and snacks.

Career: Static. Considering the insecurities being felt at the tourism and service industries, I felt lucky to still hold this steady and reliable flow of income. The workload isn't very heavy and I got to spend more time with my family. I made at least a couple of enemies at the office and also at least half a dozen friends this year without trying to upset or please anyone on purpose. It's hard to please everyone. Right?

Travel: The opportunity to attend the opening ceremony of Beijing Olympics 2008 was the experience of a lifetime. The summer flowers in Hokkaido, cruising in South China Sea, sunset in Xiamen, and numerous trips to Guangdong province and Hong Kong widened my perspectives on life. Through Couchsurfing.com, I was able to meet travelers from Italy, Turkey, the U.S. and the U.K. and experience cultures right here in Macau.

Love: Despite occasional quarrels, the relationship has been quite good. Love and affection is as strong as it had always been.

Lifestyle: I bought wardrobe from French Connection U.K., Columbia, Marks & Spencer, Zara, Uniqlo, Muji, Armani Exchange and Adidas this year. I also bought a Ceska Zbrojovka 75 Standard and a Nintendo Wii as toys. Concerts of Aaron Kwok, Rene Liu, Emil Chau, Jay Chou and José Carreras brought me quite a few memorable evenings.

In Summary: 2008 is OK. I'm looking forward to a better 2009.

The Ugly Chinese Tourists

I went to a Cantonese restaurant for a family gathering on Sunday morning. Four or five middle-aged tourists came in and sat on the table right next to us. They sat down, ordered expensive dishes such as abalone and shark’s fin and Boudreaux wine and enough Dim Sum to feed an army. They bragged about their adventure at casinos, night clubs and luxury shops with a voice louder than The Three Tenors. When they finally left the restaurant with a table full of food and no tips, others at the restaurant looked at each other and felt a sign of relief. When I first heard that the National Tourism Administration of China actually launched an educational program urging Chinese tourists to behave more civilized while traveling outside the border, I thought it's just a joke. After experiencing the astonishing behaviors by Chinese tourists, I'm in full support of this educational program.

A Smile In The Sky

After a satisfying dinner, I walked to the balcony and looked up the sky. Suddenly I saw something quite strange, as if the autumn sky was smiling at me. I wiped my glasses. Yes, what I just saw was true. Two stars and the half moon formed the shape of a smiley face right above my head, as if it's a happy face. It really cheered up the rest of my evening. Or maybe when you are happy mood, everything around you will also share the happiness with you.

Birdcage Over My Head

I went into an ordinary noodle shop in the alley for a quick snack. When I finished the bowl of noodles and looked up the ceiling and saw lights surrounded with traditional Chinese birdcages. I've seen similar stuff at up-scale store such as DelayNoMore selling for over $1,000 each. Then I asked the shop owner where did she bought these lights. She told me that she picked up these abandoned birdcages on the street and thought it's cute to use them to cover the lights. I told her that I felt great just by looking at the ceiling, and her creative mind had really cheered my day and her talent had successfully turned her noodle shop into the mecca of contemporary design. She was so pleased with my words, and gave me a $2 discount on my noodles.