Sunday, February 18, 2007

Wonderful! Check out these responses to 沙士重臨 必襲長洲

Well, as you all may or may not know, I was a sell side equity analyst.

And when you are a sell side analyst, you get to meet clients who you want to entice into making certain actions such as buy, sell or hold.

Sometimes, depending on the client, your pitch will vary. As some clients are more prone to certain types of suggestions.

For example, I have sold PetroChina back in 2004 as

1. A never expiring call warrant on oil price
2. Proxy for betting on an ever more powerful People's Liberation Army
3. Dividend play

Three different types of clients, three different pitches. There is no point arguing against the bias of the client. If the client didn't care about dividends but was a clear fanatical patriot who believes in a rising PLA, well, you can't make him buy PetroChina by talking to him about dividends yields...

Anyhow, I wrote a piece recently, titled 沙士重臨 必襲長洲 ...

And boy... did I shock these people...


First up... Was Mr. Market himself
市場先生... Who can't believe, just CAN'T BELIEVE that anyone could be THAT ignorant, and claim that because the integrity, purity and operational freedom of 太平清醮's 搶包山 was compromised, it will lead to pestilence on the island of 長洲. That no god could be that wicked and vengeful...

Then... There were
小混混Cory, 珀塞爾 and Rampei

1. 小混混Cory - Thinks that my column helps Apple Daily as an inclusive publication to "regress to the mean" by providing the counter balance to 方卓如.

2. 珀塞爾 - Well, he thinks that MPF is "德政"... Which basically reduces all desire for me to critique his comments. But he is a fan of my silver analysis, so I do bear grudging admiration for him. Anyhow, he says I was mean to make fun of those who took a vow of chastity. I shall address that here...

Being chaste is a personal choice. Being public about such a vow is nothing but a publicity stunt. Such a stunt can then be construed as a judgment on those engage in premarital sex - that it is WRONG to do so. Then having this one guy at the event who says "after succumbing to the temptation, I fell in love with pornography" Does that make everyone who watches porn a sexual deviant? Sad... If you want to judge others do it like me, publicly, openly and be ready for people to challenge you and defend yourself on reason. And not some holier than thou event...

3. Rampei - Thinks that I am 嘩眾取寵... hahahaha of course! I didn't quit being an equity analyst because I enjoy bland style of writing. I work in the media after all... Inform others while entertaining them too... keep reading my friends...

Ok, now that I have summed up all of that views. Here is my response on why I wrote 沙士重臨 必襲長洲

搶包山 is an example of how a private event has been hijacked and rendered completely sterile by our anally retentive "school prefect run" government.

I have written in Apple Daily's editorial expressing my disappointment in the HK govt not letting "boys be boys" even "girls be boys". It is highly insulting to the people of 長洲 that the government thinks they do not know how dangerous 搶包山 is.

The point is this, if people knowing how dangerous an activity is, but still CHOOSES to participate, as long as they are adults, LET THEM BE!
搶包山 is a prime example.

Anyhow, I was thinking to myself... how can I help push along the people of 長洲 to resist further sterilization of 搶包山? If telling them to resist for cultural freedom doesn't work, then maybe appeal to their superstition. If resisting not for the personal freedom of Hong Kong, then resist the government for their own health, for the gods to protect them. Just like when I was selling PetroChina... There are many ways to sell "resist advances in government controls!"

So thats why I wrote that piece. And thats why I think I won't be travelling to
長洲 for a while. Just in case I get beaten up hahahahaha. So 市場先生, 小混混Cory, 珀塞爾 and Rampei don't be mad, I wasn't trying to curse them... I was just trying to protect the people of Hong Kong from the onslaught of the Hong Kong Government = )

10 comments:

  1. Pakman, if it is really your intention to write such of article, I could only say it is "譁眾取寵" in which the style I'm really dislike.

    I just like something wrote in plain text. If I made you mad, I say sorry. Calm down and stay back. Is it really necessary to write such "counter-argument"?

    I have nothing to say. Kung Hei Fat Choi and I wish you have a prosperous year of pig.

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  2. Cory my man,

    You are a classy guy.

    I shall try to tone down the language in the future to avoid making people emotional.

    Sometimes, being 譁眾取寵 is a tongue in cheek attempt to make more people care about an issue.

    What I wrote wasn't a counter argument. It wasn't even an argument. I was just trying to clarify as to why I wrote those two pieces. That apart from the show, there really was a real message behind those articles.

    Think of this blog entry as a "behind the scene look at the making of 金手指" = )

    In fact, usually the seemingly more trivial subject I write about, the more serious the message behind it.

    I am glad that we had this conversation. I hope that this will only be the first entry in a long and fruitful conversation.

    Shuen
    PS Hope you will 豬籠入水 this year!

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  3. 恭喜發財呀


    燒完炮仗呀?
    咁大陣火藥味既~


    多謝你關於 The Wizard of Oz 的留言
    嘿!
    我睇完 wiki 覺得好爆笑囉
    d獅子呀蹈草人呀咁可愛,可愛到呢

    又又
    我條supply curve 呀
    嘿!
    好 flat 架
    慘慘慘

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  4. 七十樓小姐, 你未免太敏感啦, 小弟與世無爭, 又可會有火藥味呢? 只不過誤會孫兄而失言, 亦在敝blog 道歉.

    看來小弟亦要重新閱讀孫兄各篇大作, 才可作深入了解和討論.

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  5. hahahahhaa

    Cory is a good man. And I am glad that the wikipedia entry amused you 70/F

    shuen

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  6. YOU OWE CHEUNG CHAU INHABITANTS AN APOLOGY & NOT AN ALIBI!

    What have Cheung Chau residets done wrong that they deserve such a curse? I know an eye-catching headline can draw a lot a attention but this is not a proper way of getting soundbites.

    If you dont try to 'explain' I would just treat your column another sacarstic one and let go. However you always make the same mistake again and again - JUMP TO THE CONCLUSION, and this time a wrong one.

    Apart from whether government's intervention is bureaucratic or not, your point "If SARS strikes again, it will be on Cheung Chau" simply just doesnt make sense. Following your logic, it is government officials who have done wrong, I fail to see why the curse is not on the governemnt side but need to be suffered by the CC residents.

    Looking back at the history, there are times when there is tradition where child is sacrified alive when there is a large contruction (usually bridges) for the sake of good progress and safety of the workers. Will anyone/the place be dammed when they abolish this ritual?

    I think you are young enough that fail to recall the "bun monutain" has once collapsed. According to your logic, people should reck their life using the bamboo mountain to prove their dedication to god rather than the improved one, otherwise they'll (oh it should be CC according to your logic)be dammed.

    I am your regular reader cos your view and idea makes me look at things from other perspective. More often than not I agree with you (but not always!). I myself is also a market believer and hope least intervention from government. However this time you have go over the line.

    Dont make yourself a clown. A sincere apology is what you need - not an alibi.

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  7. Hey tintinbright

    As an atheist who doesn't believe in god yet.

    I apologize. I apologize without reservation to the people of Cheung Chau.

    Never, not even for one moment, not before I wrote it, not when I was writing it, not after I wrote it, do I believe at all, that if they didn't do bun mountain that SARS will strike their island.

    I do not believe in god (yet), gods or vengeful gods. And I think why this piece made a lot of people angry, and made this piece so tasteless, was there were people who believed in vengeful gods on the island Cheung Chao. And I manipulated their superstition to my own libertarian end.

    I wrote that piece to increase resistance from my fellow citizens to our government's interference and our government's nanny state. I did write it in sarcasm. Never meant to be taken seriously.

    I agree that the collapse of the bamboo structure should never happen again. But after the structure is replaced with steel, shouldn't the competitors be allowed to climb freely?

    Without Harness if they choose to.
    Without Assistance if they choose to.

    The previous HK govt had the same attitude towards bun mountain (BM). The participants KNEW that they could be kicked off the bun mountain by other competitors (so the govt was ok with BM) The participants knew there were no harness and a fall can be bad (so the govt was ok with BM)

    What the HK govt was not OK with... Was the fact that participants NEVER expected the BM to collapse. And it did. Thats why I think it was banned.

    Anyhow, I know where the limit of taste is now. I thank you for reminding me that there are things even I shouldn't be writing about. I really appreciate this. Next time if I forget, remind me with a soft nudge in the ribs... or failing that, a swift kick to my ass so that I remain vigilant.

    Finally. One last time.

    I apologize.

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  8. PacMan

    Great! To err is human, and the courage to admit it divine. Let's move on.

    Please treasure your column. Apple Daily is the last fort that defends the freedom of speech in HK, so dont abuse it.

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  9. btw when i read BM, i always feel it's body massage :-P

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  10. hahahahahaha

    Body massage...

    hahahahahhaa

    Shuen

    ReplyDelete