i have heard of this ambitious project(or is it another ego trip to proud French in response to the omnipresent and god-like super google search engine) so today after listening to BBC report on the latest progress and noise over this project, I googled the word: Quaero, and got some mixed comments, some people thought it was a lovely idea—to combine visual, audio, text and other media formats in one platform, as an European google (sorry I guess there is no other more appropriate word to make the sense equivalent ), where much less powerful language users could input key words and voice bits or pictures in their own mother tongue , and voila! There could be pages in their tongue…

Chirac said in his address this project meant to create a balance to the de facto monopoly status enjoyed by google, created by two young American guys, who still wear jeans and t-shirts (if only VO could also practice it in terms of dress code..) but when looked deeper, I could not help wonder why Americans can beat those constellation of continental talents in search engine biz? What makes google stand out? And why its position is so hard to challenge? Similarly why MS calls the shots for so long, despite loss of monopoly suit in European court and heavy fine? I know a guy in Sina who so much admires free software does not think favorably about MS. And Richard Stallman certainly takes MS as an arch-rival. But the blessed ignored public just take offers from it without thinking about the biz rationale before the seemingly free lunch.

Are there fundamental differences in business philosophy across Atlantic? And across Pacific? When Americans command the vintage point in so many fields?

While my ordinateur has become google dominated, I still prefer some diversity, in life, and in food. J that French gentleman’s so-so comments on starbucks makes me smile  

 

Attended a classmate’s wedding ceremony yesterday, and found out marriage was not such a heavy topic among them, since it seemed to me that they all had some plan for it—or it is only a matter of time?

Tradition is one the wane, which is understandable, since so many of the Beijingers have been uprooted from the origin, where customs were kept and observed. But even in those villages of birth of those intriguing customs, the soil that they feed on is becoming barren. At the same time, mass media has successfully brain washed many young minds. And bouquet, ring, vows…best man, etc. if my mother had ever described her wedding to me, I could ask more question. But in absence of any reference, this is how far I could go.

Tomorrow I shall sit the last formal exam held in school, finals in every sense of his word. It is a bit like the Millennium, because they are all artificial markers on the wheel of eternal time. Since after the exam, after the bye-bye dining and winning, after the commencement—after all those emotion-choking (will it be so to me?) moments and events, we still are what we are. Scattered in different corners of a city, or within a country, or in this small world.

It is being too cool, detached? Or I never feel I am a part of the whole thing?

 

My new room mate told me she couldn’t pay the wideband bill today, that means my initial plan has to be changed, so while my colleagues are still out having their lunch, I feel that I should write something. Because since now on, I have moved out of BFSU, into another part of Beijing,

It is a premature farewell to my school years, and right now in the middle of a big office, I could not collect my thoughts, so I would do it when I am back in that new den, a small place of my own.

Made a major decision to tune again to BBC, and it was good, to find myself still comfortable with the British accent, and still care weapon sales, and farmers’ subsidies. And I told myself I must keep on reading, in English and in Chinese. Talking can be exhausting in terms of what one can express, I need recharge.

Went to Longqing Gorge at weekend with classmates, a very relaxing and inexpensive treat, next time if someone comes, I will take u there J

Guess I was in the lap of Fortune , after my return from Shanxi.

Passed the thesis defense, after 1 hour grilling, taking some good after thought on the design of the experiment, and something about cross-referencing.

Met Bovic and had some candid talk about education in jiaotong.

had one E-C class, SI , health insurance, TPA.Mr Wang commented excellent. :) a pleasent discovery that the skills did not rust despite long absence of any practice.

Today I signed the internship contract with VO.

I made a formal conclusion with Youdian, and was a bit shocked at the HR’s restrained response, since I was expecting some merciless reprimand.

Thank to Flamingo, I found a house, 5 min walk to yonganli.

And got two calls one day, from the States, despite all the ambient noises, I could make out the thrust of the message.

And in the house seeking process, I got to know some kind people, that convinced me honesty is the best policy.

latest Nanfang Weekly covered stories about senior three(gaosan) students, with a pic of mountains of books and exam papers--only too familair to u and me who have gone thru it. the memory of it is simply too strong, too vivid to forget.

that period saw a numb but defiant january struggling with maths and physics, recording the angry feelings in Chinese class toward the dull teacher who rendered a wonderfullly written passage into frgmented rubbishs...diary pages flooded with cynical comments, on anything but not exams, and by then how many choices could we afford? for students living in proviences whose shreshold to any university/college was way higher than many other proviences, let alone those fortunate enough to be born in BJ...and sad stories never cease to appear, many never made on headline, those silent desperation, and those whose whole life pinned on one Exam...

fairness apart, about the new recuiters from HK, a totally differnt approaches on education--putting freshmen in the best location of a university , rather than putting them in some god-forsaken corners, and international stds...a new window of oppotunites to those who think independently, and creatively.. not those who beat others only in exams and were idiots in interpersonal relationships.

the report said in 20 years, those HK universities would not do better in attracting talents, beida and qinghua still call the shots , answered by many a high schools and reverved by many parents and awed by many students. despite so-so comments who were close to the schools, their reputation is too well established.

u and i have been thru it, and million more will have to, in a matter of 8 or 9 days, and billions more if the whole system does not have a shakeup, and more family, filled either with joy or sadness, may wait for another 4 or 5 or 7 years to discover whether college worth the cost.

at least, HK universites' entrence in this Game does make a small difference, to those creams of the top, for the time being, and to many more in the days to come.

while waiting 4 the bus to come, after leaving the subway in gongzhufen, i asked myself if one should really try hard to secure a seat in some university, i said yes. but now when i asked myself again, i am not sure.

my elder sis told me her little daughter was simpply overjoyed at one cup of iced sweetie, on her Day...and in contrast, how many would find that very small thing a gift and feel grateful for it?

if u ever rejoiced in very small wonders... a touching phrase, a warm hug, a understanding smile from a stranger...the lsit goes on, then celebrate this day..

and the world is a better place with the chubby babies...and toddlers...