我的文化大革命

This is not the first book that I have read on "Cultural Revolution". What makes this book interesting is that it is written by a "professional writer" and through a series of short articles, the author described the happenings when she was sent to the farms to learn from the peasants.

The learning was never meant to be insightful because it usually involved a lot of political struggle, torture and punishment.

Yet, the author has managed to describe even the slightest insights in a somewhat humorous way. This is important because people have to learn to be positive.

At the time of writing, the economy is undergoing a tremendous turmoil and the overall business environment has become very tough. I used to call this "nuclear winter" but I also learn to be more positive so the current challenge can be described as a 6-month downturn and adjustment which is good for the future.

Oxford University Press
黃慶雲
ISBN 0-19-596496-9

實用營銷學

This is an entry-level marketing book with 30 Hong Kong case studies. I completed this book very quickly with an aim to collect new case examples for my students.

This book serves as a good reference book for readers who have no formal training in marketing. It starts with fundamental framework and concepts and then illustrate these concepts with the cases.

The one feature of this book that I like most is the quote from renowned marketers at the beginning of each chapter.

"In the factory Revlon manufactures cosmetics, but in the store we sell hope." -Charles Revson, the founder of Revlon.

ISBN 978-962-8960-27-9

Chasing Daylight

This special book talks about how Eugene O' Kelly, ex-CEO of KPMG, came to know about his brain cancer and his "management of the path to death".

The first part of the book introduced how he came to know about his suffering of the cancer. He stressed that he was a healthy man. He then wrote about the illness and the treatment. Then it turned sharply to describe how he decided not to take the treatment such as chemotherapy etc which would make him weak. So the trade-off was either to length his life to about 1-2 years with therapy but end up with a very weak body or not to take any intrusive treatment but can only to live for about 3 months.

He was glad that he chose not to have treatment but had a stronger body so that he could do things that he planned: preparing to leave this world.

The rest of the book described in great details how he carried out his plan and this is the most touching part of the book as he described how he would end his relationship with family, friends and business partners by different means: meeting in nature, phone call, writing and etc. This is not ordinary hospital visit but he carefully thought about those who would continue to live. What's the best way to say goodbye? Revisited an enjoyable moment in the past, significant event, wrote about how he would think of his friends.

And last but not least, he could write a book to describe all these together with his wife. His wife wrote at the end of the book the significance of this for their daughter: 浑浑噩噩过日子就不算真正活着，漫不经心地生活，对这个世界、对自己都没有好处。

This reminds me a lifestyle that I don't subscribe to. Some youngsters like to "hea" whenever there is free time or choose to not having a direction, or give up too quickly. I recommend this book to everyone.

ISBN 986-124-664-9
Chinese edition

一公升的眼淚

Ironically, the first post is a book that I read with emotions but not joy. I read this book with mixed feelings because on one hand I know how vulnerable human being is, on the other hand, I saw how strong the mind of a person can possess.

The "One Litre of Tears" describes how the young girl lived a meaningful life by not giving up though there were lots of tears and sufferings.

What is really scary about this disease is that it gradually takes away your ability to live as a human being. And as time goes by, one will feel weaker and weaker. What it normally takes 50-60 years will become 10 years in A ya's life.

In this book, I found how the will to survive gives strength to a person and the love of the mother. It's with the non-measurable love that encourages the patient to live, and live a meaningful life.

ISBN 986-7088-29-8