Dreams

A few months ago I watched the ending Derry Girls on Netflix. Commenting on their growing up and the future of Northern Ireland, Erin had a monologue that went something like this:

There’s a part of me that wishes everything could just stay the same… No matter how scary it is, we have to move on and we have to grow up because things might just change for the better… And if our dreams get broken along the way, we have to make new ones from the pieces.

This post is dedicated to the 20th anniversary of this site. Despite some of my humble achievements throughout the years, I’ve certainly done things I’m not proud of. Some juvenile comments I’ve posted in the earlier versions of this site were the best examples. That’s why in 2012, the year of my graduation and the official start of my adult life, I rebooted this site and got rid of all the old posts which were potentially embarrassing at best. At first the site looked so empty, but another 11 years has passed and now we have about 100 posts in this site. Not too many, but I guess not too bad either. Some of them (1, 2) are in fact my favourite of all time.

So, the evolution of this site, which reflects my personal growth, partly fulfilled Erin’s insights. Growing up was indeed scary for me, but at the end, I ended up in a position that’s not bad. This year is that it’s going to be my second graduation (hopefully). What will this take me into? How will I, this site and everyone else evolve? That’s another question. I’m glad that things turned out OK for Erin and Northern Ireland. But what about me and our beloved city?

Second-hand craze

For some reasons I’m addicted to buying second hand gadgets lately. I still can’t break the psychological barrier to buy/sell second hand Apple products though – after all part of the Apple experience is the unpacking process itself – but for other stuff, like camera, lens, etc. second hand ones are good enough.

Many “professional” users in the second hand market tend to keep their products in excellent shape, even better than how I keep my own stuff. Perhaps that’s because they’ve anticipated that one day they’d sell their products. So if you know what you’re looking for, you’ll for sure find great stuff at a reasonable price.

So, what’s my story? I need a DSLR for taking decent clinical photos lately. In that case, I’ll need 1) a macro lens, 2) a DSLR body for that macro lens, and 3) a ring flash. The old-day K.Chan will opt for the best in class — 5D Mark III, first-hand macro lens, preferably a Canon 100mm f2.8 L macro, and Canon first party ring flash. But then I thought: if I’m dedicating the set-up to taking clinical photos only, I don’t really need to get a beast/beasts for that. So my set-up changed a bit:

“Ideal” set-up Cheapo 2nd hand set-up
Canon 5D Mark III $21500 Canon 450D $1200
Canon 100mm f2.8 L macro $6300 Canon 60mm f2.8 macro $2000
Canon Macro Ring MR-14EX $4300 Apliu Cheapo Ring Flash $500
Total: $32100 Total: $3700

Provided that the second hand goods are in good shape, they’ll be enough for taking decent photos. In fact, I got some to share:

IMG_1249

IMG_1252

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That’s not the end of the story, though. You know, I’m going to Osaka/Kyoto at the end of March, hoping to see some cherry blossom. My initial plan was to take both my m43 and my cheapo clinical set-up so that I have a wider range of focal lengths. On second thought: instead of bringing a heavy DSLR with a prime lens, wouldn’t it be great if I got an extra mirrorless body and fit my lenses onto it, so that I don’t have switch lens from time to time? That’s why I finally decided I’d get a second-hand m43 body, GF1. In that case, we’re talking about a $650 body. $650. I could have just dump it at Kansai Airport right after the trip.

[This made me think of the American astronauts who went to the moon. It was reported that they brought fancy (at that time) Hasselblad film cameras to the moon, but left them on the lunar surface due to weight concerns. Well, I’m not going to do that, but I’d definitely want to try the way “Pro Togs” shoot.]

Btw, this year Anzyme has passed its 11th anniversary without me saying anything. Well, let’s just say, Happy Birthday. And I’d like to thank you all.

Never give up

還記得七年前,在準備高考的黑暗歲月,放學途中收聽電台節目成為我的唯一娛樂。當時卓韻芝在節目中以廣播劇形色說出幾個虛構人物的故事。故事中的主角儘管在多年來的情人節均有不幸遭遇,但沒有放棄人生,繼續向目標邁進,最終苦盡甘來。

當年的情人節,我都有一段小故事,七年後的今天,我總算成為一個牙醫,當年在自修室的日子總不算白費。驀然回首,許多艱辛往事已經過去。情人節將至,我也想和大家分享當年的往事:

07年2月14日, Anzyme.com:
情人節 – 有人說這是個不應光顧自修室的日子,
因為在這天出現,等於告訴全世界,你今日將會獨自度過。
這亦是我最初的想法。
但見到你孤然一人的人,自己又何嘗不是?
 
到了自修室,今日不比平日冷清。但明顯地,
平日打得火熱的情侶,今日不復存在。
今夜,在自修室留下的我,見到的,盡是扒兒。
各位,情人節快樂。

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如果陳奕迅的 “Lonely Christmas” 是聖誕節的代表歌,那麼Twins的 “雙失情人節” 必定是情人節的代表歌。

各位,情人節快樂。

Call me doctor :)

“It’s a moral responsibility.”

OK, I have to admit that I’m quite excited about my latest status that I have to write one more piece on that. In addition, this is a totally new site, so it’s understandable that I’d like to write more. Well, life after graduation is not simple at all. After we got the exciting results yesterday, we went to the Dean’s Reception, which served champagne. I got one of the cocks and asked Cathy to kindly keep that. Well, she’s a better collector than I am.

And afterwards there was a perio lecture to attend. No one intended to go initially, but then they said they’d give out a $1,000+ electric toothbrush, so why not?

Originally I thought there’d be no surprise yesterday — I would pass, so would everyone. Some surprises did surface, but let’s just talk about the happy surprise. Well, I’m honoured to pass with honours, which I didn’t really expect (I mean, we weren’t told how well we did in exams for the past five years). And of course I feel happy for everyone else who spent my BDS life with me, in one way or another.

And then we’ll have to register for many things (at least three). 1) Register with the dental council; 2) get x-ray licenses; 3) get insured by MPS. And thanks to bureaucracy, they will in no way be done under one roof (unlike Apple’s services). And everything needs to be paid, in cheque, which is very annoying. If we’re truly to contribute to the industry, the first thing should be to fight for more convenience for dentists. Why isn’t a place that can help dentists get what they need from all parties? And, before we expect that, let’s talk something more fundamental. Henry Ho was right — no one at the faculty tells us what to do after we get the temporary certificate. All things we heard are rumours. So..

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And then I have something about this site to talk about (since it got a new design, and a new system). The first thing you’ll notice is the term “theone”. Well, it’s our new codename, “the one”. I have no intention to associate this site with Big Lau’s mall. I just hope to emphasize that this site is “the one” we’ve been waiting for, after all these years. And I want to show my passion for blogging. This blog is not going to be temporary, not to be abandoned. Instead I’ll keep blogging and blogging.

The reason that I’m so into this is because after more than nine years of blogging, I sense the moral responsibilities bloggers hold. Whatever you write, whatever you publish, someone must read that and get a certain message. And in the age of mobile cyberspace, information flow is so fast that people start to take whatever they’re told without ever digesting the information, differentiating right from wrong. What we write may have a lasting impact on individuals or even the wider community. So we must continue to write, but in a cautious manner. One thing that struck me a lot happened when I exchanged email with some lower year dental students. “‘[email protected]’? Are you from LSC?” He asked. I didn’t expect my site is so well-known among LSC, that even a guy four years younger heard of it. And because of this, I know I must continue to do this, with more studiousness and attention than ever. It’s a right thing to do to blog things right.

Please accept my apology that this article is a bit unorganized. It’s been a long time that I haven’t written so much. Maybe a short summary for today? 1) I love my blog; 2) call me doctor; 3) both being a blogger and a dentist mean great moral responsibility.

A fresh start

This post is published on July 5, 2012. This is a special day because our BDS V finals results are released. Yes, we’ve all become dentists. And I think this day is a right occasion for updating my beloved site, Anzyme. This site has quite a history:

  • opened on February 13, 2003, it has been continuously updated for the past nine years;
  • three revisions in between, with codename “buddy” layout in service since 2005;
  • close to 100,000 visits;
  • recorded our (I mean it, our) daily lives in LSC, HKU, and beyond, …

Many of you may think a new layout with modern web page features, such as search, interaction, tags and RSS is necessary. I agree with this to a great extent. However, I have always had a strong emotional attachment towards the previous system. A simple HTML web page made from scratch means maximum freedom for layout; simple, controllable file system management; and most importantly, the ability to troubleshoot should problems arise. My learning in dental school has really reinforced my belief that if you are not 100% sure about what you’re doing, don’t do it. In fact, even though the previous model enabled most freedom in layout, I abided by strict rules, which is part of the reason contributing to this site’s subtle beauty.

Nevertheless, in light of the revolution happening on the Internet over the past few years, most notably the advent of social networking, the previous model of this site no longer serves the best purpose of information dissemination. Twitter and facebook has replaced this site as the best way to share short, random thoughts and photos. Blogs are only suitable for sharing structured thinking, and memorable events. And honestly, the convenience of facebook and twitter has really diminished my motivation to blog (in the traditional way). It’s time for a radical change in the way I blog.

So this site, powered by WordPress, is the answer to all that. Code-free, online editing, social networking support, convenient search, auto-saving, etc., are all available. It is hoped that with a fresh start of this site, the bits and pieces of my new life as a dentist can be recorded here in this site. Meanwhile, I assure you all that the previous memories recorded by this site will be preserved, as the core idea, the founding idea of this site remains — record my thoughts in plain text.

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