2014年的生日選擇在澳門渡過，為了遠離人群，酒店選了十六浦索菲特酒店（Sofitel Macau At Ponte 16），享受沒有賭場一面的澳門文化。因為生日關係，酒店貼心地把房間upgrade至Suite，並送上半磅的生日蛋糕到房間。
酒店只有室外泳池，而十一月的天氣已經冷得無法下水，只能躺在池邊看看書。另外也有健身室，不過必須穿著運動服及運動鞋才能使用。
因為房間不包早餐，因為不想花時間出外搵食，所以便自費吃酒店的自助早餐，不過老實說，水準很差，令人有失去食欲的力量，雖然有多款鮮果汁，但當問侍應時，回應是全部都售完，只有橙汁，$132一位的自助早餐，極有被騙的感覺。
另外酒店也有Spa，跟酒店是獨立運作。
酒店：Sofitel Macau At Ponte 16 澳門十六浦索菲特酒店
地址：Rua do Visconde Paco de Arcos, Macao 澳門巴素打爾古街
生日除了要跟心愛的人和朋友相聚，還是扮靚的好時機，於澳門十六浦索菲特酒店內的So Spa (Sofitel Macau At Ponte 16)享受Aroma Massage。星期一至四的價格比其他日子平宜$100，另外再加送15mins的body scrub。之前還可享用jacuzzi，sauna及hot steam。
酒店：Sofitel Macau At Ponte 16 澳門十六浦索菲特酒店
地址：Rua do Visconde Paco de Arcos, Macao 澳門巴素打爾古街
未來沖繩之前，還以為沖繩是個很落後很沒味的地方，昨天剛從四日三夜的沖繩自駕行回來，這次實在令我對沖繩完全改觀了。
由計劃沖繩開始便打算租車，也開始上網找有關沖繩租車的資料。無論身邊的朋友，又或是網上的介絡，80%都是選擇OTS International租車，勝在支援中文。這次四日三夜的沖繩之旅(2014年9月6日至2014年9月9日)，八月開始便始比較不同租車公司的價格，最後選擇ORIX Rent-A-Car，因為價格實在比較平宜。未出發前實在有擔心過，怕ORIX只租車給日本本土人。
按人數及行李數目，於ORIX Rent-A-Car官方網站選擇租車方案，我們沒有要求指定車種，只選擇了SA車方案，還以為會是Toyota Aqua，到取車才興𡚒發現是最新款的Honda Fit Hybrid！還選擇GPS和保險。
乘坐Hong Kong Airlines到達沖繩那覇空港Okinawa Naha Airport，因為之前忘記補回航機到達時間，步出International Arrival機場後，問過Information Desk，需要步行兩三分鐘至隔鄰的domestic airport的Car Rental Shuttle Bus booth，那裹集齊所有租車公司的booth，而ORIX Rent-A-Car的booth在比較後的位置。雖然工作人員不太懂英語，但溝通完全沒有問題，而且服務好，不會因為不是日本人而不一樣，事實上巴士上只有我們俩不是日本人。工作人員幫我們把行李抬上旅遊巴士，車上女服務員用日語講解，雖然完全聽不懂日語，但只看動作，還是能明白點點，車上會依名字派表格以及號碼籌，需在車上填好，之後女服務員會收回表格一到步便一個箭步交到櫃枱，那時我們還在等著工作人員從巴士抬出行李。如果不懂填表格，只要填上名字和酒店地址便可，因為到達ORIX公司也會要求photocopy駕駛許可證International Driving Permit/License。
從沖繩那覇空港，巴士大約15-20分鐘到達ORIX公司，一拿回行李步入ORIX office，還未坐下便看到我們的號碼，步向counter，交上駕駛許可證International Driving Permit/License作photocopy，然後付款，便可以步出ORIX泊車場取車。
當工作人員知道不懂日語，英語也可，工作人員會用簡單英語講解車的操控。連行李的話，其實Honda Fit Hybrid足夠三人，沒有行李的話，足夠五人，而是次旅程只有兩人，所以很鬆動。
車上的GPS只支援日文，一般只需輸入景點電話號碼便可，否則先目前位置，然後再找附近車站或地標，到附近後再找。不過因為日文，語音提示便失效了，所以很需要身旁朋友的提示。
沖繩車速是40-50km，也有30km及60km，就算上highway最快也限在80km內。行highway，沒有ETA的話，到Toll「一般」取票，Highway尾，向工作人員付現金便可。
Honda Fit Hybrid很慳油，行足四日，Naha上中部來回，Naha上北部來回，再到機場，也用不到一半油，而ORIX那覇空港Office旁便是油站，還車時可以駕車到達ORIX那覇空港分站才入番滿油才還車也可以，不需要特別找油站。還車效率不用五分鐘，一個工作人員幫忙從車上抬出行李，另外兩人查車，然後把表格交還櫃枱，便可以上巴士前往機場。十五分鐘車程便到機場，只要跟櫃枱工作人員說要到International Airport，便可車到Domestic Airport的一下個站International Airport了。
租車(四日)：20,250円（税込）
油費：2,621円（税込）
Daiwa Roynet Hotel NAHA-OMOROMACHI泊車（每日：1,000円）：三日3,000円（税込）自由出入，7am-12am會有工作人員安排出入車
ORIX Rent-A-Car 網頁: http://car.orix.co.jp
Keep a food diary
While many of us might try to pin the blame for our wobbly bits on a slow metabolism the truth is that if we’re overweight it’s because we’re eating too much. Take the time to write down everything you’re eating – chances are you’ll underreport but at least it’ll help you to get a handle on where you’re going wrong.
Low fat diary helps you lose weight
The calcium found in dairy binds itself to fat creating a combination which cannot be digested by the body, and therefore has to be excreted. Your body says so long to unwanted fat, and you get to munch on some tasty dairy snacks to boot. Result.
Soup fills you up for longer
Research has shown blending your meal into soup is an effective way of staying full for longer. Soup takes up a far greater surface area in the stomach, and therefore stays in there for longer compared with solid food which can be digested within an hour or two.
Protein keeps hunger at bay
By adding an extra 10% protein to your breakfast you’ll stave off hunger pangs for much longer. When you eat food the hormone PYY is released to suppress the Grelin hormone which tells the brain you need food. Protein releases far more PYY than any other food, staving off hunger for longer.
Count your calories carefully
Until you begin to tot up how much you’re taking in each day you won’t be able cut out the foods which are leading to problems. Swapping favourite foods for low-cal alternatives is a quick and painless step on the right path and can halve your daily intake in an instant. Sounds obvious but it’s surprising the number of people who don’t count healthy foods as part of the daily calorie count – big mistake.
Use a smaller plate
Using smaller plates really will help you to lose weight. Experiments have shown that people given larger portions will eat more before they realise they’re full, as much as 22% more. Restrict your portion sizes and there’s a far better chance of avoiding over eating.
Eat three square meals
Although logically you may think by skipping meals you’ll lose weight, the truth is by doing so you’re more likely to worsen the problem. When you’ve fasted the body produces a hormone called Grelin which tells the brain your stomach is empty and to seek out the unhealthiest, fuel-laden food around to fill it up.
Small changes make big differences
No one can be expected to go from couch potato to marathon runner, but making small changes to your routine can have a huge impact. Get the bus instead of driving, stand up throughout the journey, get off one stop earlier and walk, and take the stairs instead of lifts. It all adds up.
Exercise is vital
The effects of exercise may come as a surprise – did you know you burn more calories in the hours after a workout than during it? The reason for this is that in exercise the body burns up your store of carbohydrates, meaning afterwards it has to use the reserve energy supply to keep you going: fat.
Slow down when you eat
When you’re eating larger meals take your time – rather than wolfing down a big portion, savour it. Not only will this make the dining experience more enjoyable but will give your body a chance to let you know when it’s full, and stop you overindulging.
This is a prepared text of the Commencement address delivered by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, on June 12, 2005.
I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.
The first story is about connecting the dots.
I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?
It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: “We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: “Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.
And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents’ savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn’t see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.
It wasn’t all romantic. I didn’t have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends’ rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:
Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn’t have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating.
None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it’s likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.
Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
My second story is about love and loss.
I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.
I really didn’t know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down – that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.
I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.
During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple’s current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.
I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.
My third story is about death.
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been “No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn’t even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor’s code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you’d have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I’m fine now.
This was the closest I’ve been to facing death, and I hope it’s the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960’s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.
Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
Thank you all very much.
TOASTIES MONSTER 吐司怪獸 