why linkedin is down?

Amazingly, I found blogspot.com works in China now, and I could reply the comment on my blog finally. That's good.

But Google Cache is still down. And if someone could tell me why the linkedin.com, one the most famous social network, is also down? It worked pretty well before as I remember.

Investor Relations "Fundamentals"

When the market goes up and down but not based on the company fundamentals, there are usually some bubble in. Seems Hong Kong and mainland markets are doing so these days. The same company may have different valuation in two markets, while finance-related stock seems so hot among investors.

But one thing Amy always believes is the fundamentals, not only the fundamentals on the financla report, but the "fundamental" for a company to treat its investors, both big ones and small ones. I just wonder how many percent of HK investors, excited on the mainland's financial stock these days, have really called the investor relations offices for mainland financial companies, such as banks, insurers. etc. The response from the difference company will at least give them the credit being a good or bad listed firm.

The only way for individuals to beat the institutional investors is to believe in the fundamentals. And I always believes so.

run across the familiar face

Hong Kong is small. This is the conclusion I have come with after living here for almost three years. I always run across some familiar faces, either friends or strangers or someone I know but will never say hello. For the last circustmance, I always wonder if I could meet him again and then I always will, and still just pass by without saying anything.

Today in the crowds on Queen's Road Central, I run across a familiar face again. A girl with a big hat, but her face, especially her eyes, is just so familiar. I know she is a model, but couldn't remember she has done commercials for whom. We just passed by and I know she is looking at me too(or maybe staring is a better word).

Bearing the question in mind for the whole aftertoon, I went back home looking through all my fashion magazine. Bingo, here she is, the jewllery model for Chow Sang Sang, (the girl in the yellow skirt). CSS is a Hong Kong jewllery maker. But I still couldn't find her name.

When could we have the search engine matching keywords in pictures? That will at least help me solve a lot of my questions for the passers-by.

Do you want a iphone?

Just having dinner with friends. A friend who will go to U.S. this March said she wanted to go there in June to buy the latest iPhone. "It is just fashion; imagine how people envy you when you use the iphone on the street", she said.

Steve always brings miracles, from Mac book to the lovely iPod. Using Apply products is just a brand of fashion. But if iPhone will succeed this time remains a question.

When iPod was born, not really many electronic gadget makers were dedicated to making mp3 players. In a Hong Kong electronic store such as Fortress, you could really find a hard time to pick a right one as there are many brands but not any very very famous ones.

But for mobile, it will be hard. As the big producers such as Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola have been dominating the market for a long time: they have reputation among customers and more importantly, have a good sales network and relations with mobile operators. iPhone will face stronger rivals compared with iPod's situation a few years ago.

Will Steve bring miracle this time? at least the stock market seems agree with a 7 percent increase on the stock when the annoucement was made. Let's wait and see.

big handbags, health hazard

I like big bags a lot, with everything I need inside. but seems it is really a serious health problem from this Reuter story.

wow, really scaring. i will carry a small bag today.

Finally merging between blogger.com and Google

Today, I switched my blogger.com account to Google account under the suggestion from the website when I logged in. so now I could use my Google account to write on my blog on the Blogger. com. Seems Google will not waste its money on blogger for a longer time. But would be more than happy to do it. but if someday who could merge my accounts in the paypal.com and Google Adsense, I would be shocked, but also excited. That's always the amazing thing of Internet. You couldn't imagine what will happen next.

Culture execution

Not sure if "culture execution" is the right word for the things Blogbus.com meet. Hengge, the founder of blogbus who dedicated to provide the best experience to Chinese bloggers, said in his blog that his company had to pay several tens of thousands of yuan several days earlier to a government agency named "the cultural execution agency" in Shanghai as Blogbus don't have a so-called "Internet multimedia license". Because several Blogbus users only uploaded some music as the background of their blogs, so Blogbus violated "the rule" and had to be fined for that, even if they could delete those music.

As Keso commented, it's the hardest thing to "don't be evil".

In most successful countries, the growth of economy is created by millions of small companies with enthusiasm to try anything and to sacrifice at last. See Sillicon Valley in U.S., where lots of companies have free cultures to do everything they want. In China, it is also true, with small companies making up of the country's 80 percent of the GDP, though they are suffering from a not-favortable policy. China, due to its traditional scheme, has some big "monopoly" giants such as banking, oil and telecom carriers. So when the country opens, people think investment in those companies will bring them great benefit. But in fact, the country has been boosted by many more smaller and unknown companies whose leaders are working hard to improve their business. Blogbus is one of the many examples which just want to do something, but unfortunately, they have to bear more pressure. According to Hengge, the government officer in Shanghai told them that the companies with more financing from venture capitals should be fined more. Is that fair? if more financing means more fines, then how about those monopoly which have a billions-of-U.S. dollars IPO? hoho, I guess the offcials willl not dare to fine them, as they are "big companies" with "big background".

If I were Hengge, I would try to check the "exact rule" for the fines, and possibly, go to court to sue them. I may not win, but I just want to show the due right of a small company in a legal country.

TVB's move in China

TVB, the bigger one of HK's citywide TV station, seems doing a good job in covering China. At least it sent a lot of reporters in China to cover spot news. Today, when I watched the news programme at 11:30 pm, it had one journalist reporting from Anhui province on the H5N1 case, and another in Sichuang province reporting the government's response on the kidnapped workers in Nigeria. If the first one has something related with HK, then the second piece is more on the nation. That's what I always love to see. If HK starts to care about the nation, it will definitely become an important zone in China.

Another interesting point in the second piece is a provincial propoganda official said they will upload the progress to save the kidnapped workers on their wbesite. Wow, my first response is "that advance?", then I realized that all their actions are resulted from the attention of the traditional media such as TV and newspaper. So in that sense, the traditional media is still playing an important role in pushing the new media development via pushing government officials. Putting everything on the website doesn't mean we will have the most accurate and fair informations. But the TV camera in front of the officials would urge them to work a little harder.
I always thought TVB is some local TV station that couldn't be compared with Phoenix TV. But now I find it is catching up via another way. I still remember one day when my friends and me watching Phoenix's report on the city people's protection on the removing of clock tower in the old Star Ferry, the "analyst" or "expert" (I couldn't remember clearly on his title) explained as of the reason related with politics.( couldn't remember how he connected it with politics). My friend, who is a local Hong Kong, said it is totally rubbish as the clock tower is just something accompanying Hong Kong people for a long time and people just have feelings of this old tower. When Phoenix is proud of its many watchers in China, it still has a long way to go to become the top TV station in the Chinese world, including Hong Kong.

In terms of that, TVB have done a better job in reporting the kidnapped workers.

financial jobs hunting in HK

Seems because of my reply on a job-hunting enquiry last time. Now I got another reader Levy asking for the investment banking job market in the city. Gosh, I am not an investment banking expert. But I will try my best to give some suggestion here.

Levy, as you graduated from a Finance major in a top 3 university, I guess your knowledge is already enough for u to work in an investment bank, though maybe hard to join the "investment banking" branch of the IB. I guess you could easily find a trader/sales position in an established IB with your undergraduate major as well as internship in a London investment bank. But you certainly needs a MBA degree to further develop your career in IB.

So my suggestion is: if you have enough money to go for a MBA, then go to a brand one and come back to HK in two years. That will save a lot of time for your career development. Or if you want to work in IB for a few years to see if you really like it, then start job-hunting in HK now.

But several tips:

(1) if you are still a student now, u will not have to pay application fee for the MBA, which will save a lot of money.

(2) HK market is bullish now, so the job market is really good now. Many IB have new openings, so great opportunity.

(3) Don't only ask financial journalist for suggestions. Try some real I-bankers, and you will benefit from an internal view.

Hope this will be helpful to you.

Wedding

One of my best friends got married today. It was such a touching ceremony, especialy when the bride burst into tears after making their wedding pledge. A nice girl now married to a nice guy, and they will have a nice life in the future. My sincere best wishes.

Joing the wedding ceremony always make me excited, especially when I am so lucky to get the bridal bouquet. Thanks, Jamine:)

I love dog

Dog is one of the loyalty annimals in the world, i always believe. Though I was biten by dog before(not my dog of course), I always think of raising dogs when I settle down some day. Today after seeing "the Eight Below", I firmed my mind.

I bought the DVD for a long time, but always wanted to watch it in a good time. Today is good, the first day of 2007, alone in home, with some fruit salad. This is the moment I enjoy.

The film is touching, and the dogs, the main actors and actresses, are so good at acting. In fact, you couldn't believe they are acting. All of those are really natural, making me laugh as well as cry. In a rugged world of cold and snow, the eight dogs help each other and try their best to survive even when people expected they couldn't make it.

Finally they made it after the death of two of the peers and fighting with stronger enemies. They learnt how to take care of each other. Though they couldn't speak human languages, I know exactly what they are thinking.

After all this, the start of the New Year seems more meaningful. I know the world is far bigger than I could imagine and there are far more things I need to cherish. I have a lot of things to do.