Brian Chan's blog

Al dente is a fancy term for pasta that’s fully cooked, but not overly soft. The phrase is Italian for “to the tooth,” which comes from testing the pasta’s consistency with your teeth. [wikipedia]

How does one cook pasta “just right”? According to the National Pasta Association:

1. Boil 4 to 6 quarts of water for one pound of dry pasta. (You can divide this recipe depending on how much pasta you are cooking.)
2. Add the pasta with a stir and return the water to a boil.
3. Stir the pasta occasionally during cooking.
4. Follow the package directions for cooking times. If the pasta is to be used as part of a dish that requires further cooking, undercook the pasta by 1/3 of the cooking time specified on the package.
5. Taste the pasta to determine if it is done. Perfectly cooked pasta should be “al dente,” or firm to the bite, yet cooked through.
6. Drain pasta immediately and follow the rest of the recipe.

So next time you can appear to be cultural at an Italian restaurant by saying to your waiter, “May I have my pasta al dente please?” … Um… actually nevermind.

FRONTLINE “Flying Cheap” | Sneak Peek 1: Who’s Flying Your Plane? | PBS

Watch the full video (about an hour long) at:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/flyingcheap/view/?autoplay

If you ever shop for cheap air tickets, I would highly recommend you to watch the full video. You really need to know who are the people who are actually flying your plane.

http://www.pbs.org/frontline/flyingcheap/ In this revealing sneak peek from “Flying Cheap,” FRONTLINE provides glimpse into the lives of regional airline pilots—from low pay and long hours to nights in cramped “crash pads.” “Flying Cheap” airs Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 9PM on PBS (check local listings).

One year after the deadliest domestic airline accident in seven years, FRONTLINE investigates the crash of Continental 3407 in Buffalo, NY, and discovers a dramatically changed airline industry, where regional carriers now account for half of the nation’s daily departures. The rise of the regionals and arrival of low-cost carriers have been a huge boon to consumers, and the industry insists that the skies remain safe. But many insiders are worried that now, thirty years after airline deregulation, the aviation system is being stretched beyond its capacity to deliver service that is both cheap and safe.

Watch “Flying Cheap” on air and online beginning Tuesday, February 9 on PBS (check local listings) and at http://www.pbs.org/frontline/flyingcheap/

How do you lead a healthy team dynamic? In this episode, Bill Hybels and Jim Mellado revisit a classic interview with Carly Fiorina at The Global Leadership Summit. During the interview, Bill asked her about the dynamics within her board. Bill and Jim then identify the dynamics involved in healthy teams.

Um… very insightful.

Don’t Seek Happiness. If you seek it, you won’t find it, because
seeking is the antithesis of happiness

– Eckhart Tolle

香港電台 :「我未成年」第十集【生生不息】

Jump to 5:08 !!!

節目簡介：

有人認為90後青年是愛打機，追潮流，不用憂柴憂米，想做就去做，甚至對政治冷感。科技資訊快速發展，網絡成為90後青年的主要社交媒體，從互聯網了解最新潮流動向，追日、韓新星，八卦新聞。但亦有90後關心政治議題，在網絡大談政見，甚至走上街頭，用腳步表達自己訴求。究竟現今的90後青年對政治冷感還是過激呢？

黃之鋒，十四歲，中三學生。一向慣於留連網絡，不愛讀報，和政治一向扯不上關係，為何有機會接觸社會運動？因反高鐵運動大量利用網絡進行討論、宣傳和動員，之鋒在互聯網上上接觸到不少反高鐵的資訊，引起他對社會議題的興趣。另一方面，在基督徒家庭成長的他，小時曾跟父親探訪基層家庭生活，了解社會中一些人是被忽視及遺棄。自己雖然不用憂柴憂米在安定環境中成長，但看見社會不公義，貧富懸殊嚴重，大企業壟斷，小小年紀亦走上街頭，用筆桿、用鏡頭表達自己的不滿。

司徒子朗，16歲，中五學生。14歲開始投身社運行列，曾加入政黨。
最初他是在偶然之下收聽到網上時事討論，引起興趣，了解到社會很多政策、民生問題。心中的一團熱火被燃點，從反高鐵、政改，五區公投、財政預算案，每次關乎民生、政策有爭議，他都和朋友走上街頭。他認為自己是一個理性的抗爭者，在社運活動當中使他學到很多學校學不到的知識。未成年的他現階段不是要推倒什麼，反而是要吸收多些經驗準備自己。

播出日期：2011年6月4日星期六晚上八時，亞洲電視本港台
監製：鄭恵芳
編導：黃辰美
助導：莫允鏊

Jim Rogers‘ Keys to Success (taken from the titles and sub headings of each chapter of the new book, “A Gift To My Children“):

1. Do not let others do your thinking for you

2. Focus on what you like

3. Good habits for life & investing

4. Common sense? not so common

5. Attention to details is what separates success from failure

6. Let the world be a part of your perspective

7. Learn philosophy & learn to think

8. Learn history

9. Learn languages (make sure Mandarin is one of them)

10. Understand your weaknesses & acknowledge your mistakes

11. Recognize change & embrace it

12. Look to the future

13. “Lady Luck smiles on those who continue their efforts”

14. Remember that nothing is really new

15. Know when not to do anything

16. Pay attention to what everybody else neglects

17. If anybody laughs at your idea view it as a sign of potential success

有五隻猴子關在一個籠子裡面，籠子上頭有一串香蕉，實驗人員裝了一個自動裝置，如果偵測到有猴子要去拿香蕉，馬上就會有水噴向籠子，把五隻猴子淋成落湯雞。

當第一隻猴子去拿香蕉時，猴子們立刻都被淋濕了，不明就理的他們覺得很奇怪，可是當每隻猴子去拿香蕉時，都被淋得全身溼透透後，他們就取得一個共識：千萬不要去拿香蕉，否則就有水噴出來。

後來實驗人員就把其中的一隻猴子換成一隻新猴子，這隻新猴子一看到香蕉，馬上要去拿，其他四隻猴子立刻狠狠地打了他一頓，因為他們知道拿香蕉的後果，所以制止新猴子拿香蕉，這隻新猴子嘗試了幾次，每次都被打，也沒拿到過香蕉，當然，猴子們就沒有被水噴到。

後來，實驗人員又換了另外一隻新猴子，這隻新猴子看到香蕉，當然也是要馬上去拿，結果也被其他四隻猴子狠狠地打一頓，這隻猴子試了幾次，總是被打得很慘，只好作罷。

慢慢地，所有的舊猴子都換成新猴子了，噴水裝置也關掉了，可是大家都還是不敢去動那串香蕉，雖然牠們誰都不知道原因是什麼，可是牠們都知道，誰要去動就會被打。

很有趣的故事，不是嗎？但是您知道，這就是所謂「傳統」的由來，很多時候我們固守一些傳統、習慣，卻不去深刻地去想為什麼要去守，很可能我們所守的完全沒有什麼意義呢！