Canada Day Fireworks @ Calgary – 2011

Check out the Canada Day Fireworks @ Calgary – 2011 if you didn’t get a chance to see it live. Love the use of Katy Perry’s Firework in the show!

Stay Curious, Be Random, and Learn

May be it is the blogger/freelance reporter in me, I am often very curious about people and things. So this morning, while I researched and wrote an article about often being mixed up with Kempton Park (the UK race track) on Twitter and checking my tweets, I ended up following three people I don’t know at all. My “philosophy” is that I believe I can often learn something new and interesting from people I don’t know and often in unexpected settings.

Looking forward to reading some tweets from Vera @w3rkaholic (Vera and I love good interviews),  Simon @SimonPMoriarty, (I am cheering for his firm‘s horse Dawn Story to win at Kempton Park), and Sphhia @SophiaWetherell (M&C Saatchi looks really cool plus I am a long time fan of Kevin Roberts & KR Connect. Thanks @SimonPMoriarty for the serendipitous & unintentional intro.)

Give it a try yourself, follow a few random people on Twitter and try to learn from them.

Note: This idea isn’t by me, I forgot who I learned it from. Also, who you “follow” on Twitter or blogs you read may also change over time, so don’t worry too much of picking the wrong person to follow or read, there isn’t really a right/wrong.

Dream and Day Dream @Kempton – My name is Kempton 錦堂 #cool #UnabashedSelfPromo

Tweet: Dream: Lucky @Kempton re Horses&Money! Day Dream with open eyes: Betting my life & savings @kempton to live a productive & meaningful life!

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Tweet: Since my twitter id @Kempton is same as famed UK horse racing track Kempton Park, I couldn’t resist some wordplay with a Thomas E. Lawrence quote I love.

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A short note about my name

First of all, my name’s origin is not UK and really have nothing to do with Kempton Park even I am (as @Kempton) often confused on twitter with Kempton Park. (see here, here, and here just to name a few)

My parents actually named me “Kempton” after their American boss (his last name) because, according to them, they liked how the name sounded. And my Chinese name “錦堂” is actually a phonetic translation of ”Kempton” which sounded nice. You see, “錦堂” turns out to be a very traditional name in its Chinese thinking. (see next section)

One way to “literally translate” the two words “錦堂” is “glory to the family”. Yes, a friend with much cooler sounding abstract Chinese name once noticed this literal translation and explained to me and reminded me how “traditional” (implying “not as cool”) sounding my Chinese name is. (big smile)

My twin brother (in name), the famed Cantonese Opera singer

Well, how traditional is 林錦堂 as a name? You see, a famed Chinese opera singer’s name is also 林錦堂! (no relation) How cool is this?!! Being a 林錦堂, I am happy to receive the undeserved deep admiration for skills in operatic singing, teachings, plus many adoring fans (see video as proof)! Very cool.

Have a watch of the following cool videos with 林錦堂 for his performance in 2010 Shanghai Expo and his time in Shanghai with fans and hear him speak!

原創越界音樂劇場《情話紫釵》上海世博會演繹現代愛情故事 (廣東話)

林錦堂上海演出情話紫釵及世博會遊蹤

Here is a brief intro, 林錦堂先生簡介

“林錦堂先生自八歲起踏上粵劇舞台，多年來在粵劇、電影、電視和電台等媒介積聚經驗，建立個人演出風格。至今觀眾除經常懷緬其豪邁矯捷的武場演出外，更為他近年改變戲路，在文場戲的細緻演繹而動容。”

P.S. If my memory serves me, my “operatic twin-brother in name” originally used a different name “林錦棠” in the industry. I remember having to explain to people & friends the slight difference in the last word of our “phonetically identical but different in writing” names. His name being “棠” vs me being “堂” (I like to say “上堂 嘅 堂” meaning “going to school”).

P.P.S. Speaking about names, I also like to mention the famed Chinese/Taiwanese writer Mr. Lin Yutang. His name 林語堂 and my name differs also by one word. In Yutang‘s case, I have been interested in Lin Yutang‘s humourous and deeply insightful writings all my life since I was young in my secondary school days.

How insightful and “cool” is Lin Yutang/林語堂 ? Well, as I quoted extensively here in Chinese “再遇幽默大師林語堂”, Yutang burned his marriage certificate on his wedding day! What?! Yes, he burned his marriage certificate on his wedding day because he said the certificate is only useful in a divorce and he would never divorce his wife so the certificate is useless to him! And yes, he and his wife stay married their whole long life.

Here are some very insightful Chinese quotes by 語堂 (unfortunately unverifiable),

• 我們並不是愛一個女人美麗的外表，而是她的行為舉止，音容笑貌。
• 能夢想，這是非常重要的，而同樣重要的是有時能嘲笑一下自己的夢想。
• 未寄出的信只是一段獨白，而蓋了郵戳的信，卻是談話。

Business Strategy: Apple, with its Final Cut Pro X, lets Adobe & Avid refight their Battles of Waterloo #fail

People don’t usually win by betting against Apple as Apple has shown the world so many great products in recent years. But I am going to join a critical Oscar editor and take my chance and bet my $1 against Apple. I say Apple may have materially damaged its Final Cut Pro brand/lovemark by giving Adobe and Avid some meaningful chances into retake some of the long lost market share. Assuming Adobe and Avid have good products and execute their plans well.

In fact, I am willing to go out on a limb and say Apple is giving “losers” Adobe and Avid new chances to refight their Battles of Waterloo in the field of video editing software. In the battlefield, your opponents are usually not too kind in letting you fight again and learn from your previous mistakes.

I think Apple has very much underestimated the influence of professional editors on prosumers and new beginning editors. For me, I remember years ago one of the reasons I took Final Cut Pro seriously and bought into it was because of FCP was being highly regarded and used by the professionals.

OK, NBA players have been locked out, but imagine if a brand of basketball shoes have been founded to restrict certain shots/moves by NBA players thus making them unable play their best games, will you still buy the shoes?

As my friend like to say, the following is my brand of poison/observations. Readers beware.

1) Adobe SWITCH Campaign

Adobe is smart and quick to launch a Premiere SWITCH campaign (note: press release here, 50% off Production Premium or Adobe Premiere Pro “if you own Apple Final Cut Pro or Avid Media Composer with offer code SWITCH. Offer ends September 30, 2011″) making its Production Premium software costing $850 and Adobe Premiere Pro software costing $400 respectively after discount. [HT Apple Insider] Update: See also PC World review of software.

2) Full function Production Premium group of softwares at significant discount

The Production Premium software has quite a number of useful & powerful softwares and can be a good fit for professional/prosumer FCP7 users. Given Apple‘s willingness to give up its professional users, it makes sense for professional to buy and learn it for risk mitigation/management purpose. Of course, at $850, it is a bit out of reach for people who can only afford the FCPX $299 prices.

3) Adobe Premiere Pro on SWITCH discount at $400. Why $400?

Now moving on to Adobe Premiere Pro, if Adobe is smarter, they should just lower its price to $299 to match the FCPX price for new purchase!

We are talking about business strategy to regain long lost market share! A market that has been dominated by Apple Final Cut Pro for a long time. I don’t understand why Adobe

Defending and Welcoming Will & Kate – The Will & Kate in Canada Special – Part 1/8

I’ve no official “qualification” but I am happy to be interviewed and be called a “new-style royal watcher” in today’s Globe and Mail article. As I have some of Canada Day celebrations to do and fun to have, I will keep this article short.

note: I hope to write a few article about Will & Kate’s visit to Canada (which explains the “Part 1″ bit).

Defending Will & Kate

Will & Kate don’t need me defending but I feel a bit sad to see my fellow Canadians, just because they have open forums and online platforms, to be rude and uncourteous to Will & Kate. (e.g. see here on FB) Remember, invited Will & Kate to come to Canada and as our guests, and we should treat them with respect. And Canadians who don’t care as much for Will & Kate should at least treat other Canadians, who care and love Will & Kate (the 300,000+ Canadians, many spending hours getting a good spot and waiting for them), with respect. Make sense?

Sure, my fellow Canadians may have valid concerns re serious issues like healthcare, welfare of the disadvantaged, but why can’t we all have fun first? Why do we have to be serious all the time?

Happy Canada Day 2011 – Celebrations on P-Hill

Happy Canada Day everyone! Check out the latest news and live broadcast from CBC.