Photo courtesy of turtlemom_nancy @flickr

Like many others I was shocked by the news of Steve Job’s passing away when I woke up this morning. Sure, the writing has been on the wall for quite some time and his publicized resignation more or less paved way for what is to come, but that doesn’t make the news any easier to swallow when it strikes.

The world as we know it will never be the same. For many years to come, people will still be discovering how much they have truly lost, and occasionally pondering how Steve would have done things differently if he is still around.

Most people weigh upon his contributions by the products he helped to create, his innovative visions or business acumens. Those are impressive, but I’m more touched by the more human side of the man. His relentlessness in pursuing true greatness. The drive to create works of wonder that are in harmony with nature, people, the world. His refusal to be let down by the status quo. His eagerness to shine among the flock. And the sense of proudness and satisfaction when he sees people appreciating his work. To that end, this mentality is no different than that of a fourth grader at school striving hard to win the praises of parents and teachers.

Some people singled that out as a fault in Jobs’ character. That his biological parents put him up for adoption created a vacuum in his heart he spent a lifetime trying to reconcile. In my opinion, that aspect was a gift rather than a fault. It was probably one of the greatest source of strength in Steve’s life, and as a result the single most important aspiring quality contributing to the high levels of standard carried forward to most of Apple’s products.

If only could more people in the world retain this child-like innocence and act upon it in everything they do, the human race would benefit from more amazing breakthroughs than an array of new laptops and mobile phones every year. That, would be the greatest legacy that Steve Jobs could have left behind.

steve jobs 1955-2011

http://bit.ly/g48mDq
http://bit.ly/ij35i9

…a pile of plastic awards?

Image by Banksy. Behold Apatheism.

On the cab today, my casual remark of the evening traffic was met with a lengthy self confession from the over enthusiastic driver. As if feeling a need to defend himself, he went on for the entirety of the 20 minute ride about how the June 4 Tiannman massacre incident should be regarded, twenty-one years later.

“Leave it to the authorities.” he began.

“To be honest, we all know what that was all about…but these people out there marching on the streets, they don’t have a clue what they’re doing it for.”

The scenery of thickening lunch time crowds hurriedly making their ways flew past outside the speeding car.

“They’re fighting for a lost cause, and are being taken advantage of by low rate, votes-scurrying politicians.” he went on.

“And as a matter of fact, those were troubled times. And under extreme conditions, extreme measures have to be taken. It’s too bad that someone got hurt, but hell, everyone who was involved got hurt one way or the other.” So went his rational analysis on why bloodbaths and human cruelty are tolerable.

I stayed mute.

“If there wasn’t a crackdown, China would become fragmented, just like Russia. People would still be as poor as they have been 20 years ago, so there was no other way. No other way, man.” He said as if reciting the most natural phenomenon of nature…how the hell could this kind of fuzzy logic became regarded as fact? Violent suppression as an effective glue for holding a country together. I started glancing at my watch.

As an effort to answer to his conscience, or for the fear of being pigeonholed as a susceptible backbone-less coward, the cab driver made his verdict:

“When the dust has settled, by which I mean twenty or thirty years later, when the officials related to the event were long dead, there could then be a vindication. Until then, it is impossible for them to step up and admit to their own mistakes…..Hey, can I drop you off round the next corner? It’s a tricky area to stop.”

And within seconds, the vehicle got swallowed in the sea of afternoon traffic. A perfect analogy to the tale of the malleability of human nature and susceptibility to opinions popular to the minute. The most pathetic thing is how human would go to lengths to defend their own apathy and ignorance. The arguments they put up in maintaining that last bit of self-righteousness are often incredibly thin and contradictory in itself. If extreme times called for extreme measures, wouldn’t every involved be victims of the times, and if so, why would there be a need to apologize and vindicate?

“Democracy passes into despotism.” – Plato.

…Democratic self-government does not work, according to Plato, because ordinary people have not learned how to run the ship of state. They are not familiar enough with such things as economics, military strategy, conditions in other countries, or the confusing intricacies of law and ethics. They are also not inclined to acquire such knowledge. The effort and self-discipline required for serious study is not something most people enjoy. In their ignorance they tend to vote for politicians who beguile them with appearances and nebulous talk, and they inevitably find themselves at the mercy of administrations and conditions over which they have no control because they do not understand what is happening around them. They are guided by unreliable emotions more than by careful analysis, and they are lured into adventurous wars and victimized by costly defeats that could have been entirely avoided.

Excerpt from http://faculty.frostburg.edu/phil/forum/PlatoRep.htm

At the end of the day, tyranny, one-party states and dictatorship are not the most evil inventions of human nature. Apathy and Ignorance are. May shameful history whitewashing be condemned.

The desperation stemmed from the fact that those decisions were final and terminal, right from the get go. With no second chances and no rooms for negotiation, you feel that the basic rights of these people have been deprived. Those long-standing rumors and statistics took on a whole different meaning when translated into the flesh and blood of the people around you who are being devoured. Fairness did not even enter the picture. People speak of the place becoming “fitter” after the event. Quite the contrary. What remains is an array of confused and betrayed individuals, wondering what to plan for themselves when the asphalt that kept them from falling suddenly turned into quicksand.  

May the bright and passionate minds who left be blessed and do manage to come through as fast as they could. Keep up the faith and hold out.

It’s not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it and to work for it and to fight for it.”

Barrack Obama’s Iowa Victory Speech 4th Jan 2008.

For someone who lived his life depending on hope more than anything for the past five months, this is a passage that reads like all great inspiring texts. Although in a totally irrelevant context, words have powers that heal, and add new fuel to a withering fire at a time when somebody’s faith has been put repeatedly under the test.

At times of atrocity the power of hope and dreams become most apparent. The greatness in Obama’s speeches lies in how he reminds people the importance of believing in hope again, that entire nations were built upon the foundation of hopes and dreams, that civilizations were propelled forward because individuals dared to hope and acted accordingly.

If only we could all share a bit of that belief and faith, we probably would become stronger and more apt in dealing with the miseries and challenges that drag us down.

I’ve never been a Jerry basher and I have a lot of respect for him for sticking two fingers up the ass of Steve Balmer. Although not often rightfully praised by the media, fact is, he and Filo did create the biggest and greatest establishment on the net and changed the lives for millions.

In flesh, he’s actually more easy-going and friendlier than you’d expect. Yes, there was the expected yang style blabbing of mission statements that we have heard so much before. And Yes, I don’t think it made much of a difference in terms of boosting morale and all (he probably wasn’t trying to do that anyway). But in the end of the day, it felt good to have a living legend coming to tell you that he’s proud of what you’ve done. Phew. Try to top that.

While not a direct influence, their vision and achievement do remind me of why I went down this path in the first place – to create something meaningful and leave behind a legacy of inspirations.

Thanks to Alex for snapping this pic for me. It does make me seem a bit closer to that ideal.

Today, I’ve come back to Hong Kong to stand before you and account for myself. I’ve never escaped from my responsibility.

During the past a few weeks, I’ve been with my mother and my family and loved ones to show support and care, and, at the same time, have their support and care for me.

I admit most of the photos being circulated on the Internet were taken by me. But these photos were very private and have not been shown to people, and were never intended to be shown to anyone.

These photos were stolen from me illegally and distributed without my consent. There is no doubt whoever obtained these photos had been uploading them on the Internet with malicious and deliberate intent.

This matter has deteriorated to the extend that the society as a whole has been effected by this, and in this regard, I am deeply saddened.

I would like now to apologise to all the people for all the suffering that has been caused and the problems that have arisen from this.

I would like to apologise to all the ladies and to all their families for any harm or hurt that they’ve been feeling. I’m sorry.

I would like to also apologise to my mother and my father for the pain and suffering that I cost them during these past few weeks.

Most importantly, I would like to say sorry to all the people in Hong Kong. I give my apology sincerely to you all, unreservedly and with my heart.

I know young people in Hong Kong look up to many figures in our society, and in this regard, I have failed, I have failed as a role model. However, I wish this matter would teach everyone a lesson. To all the young people in our community: let this be a lesson for you all. This is not an example to be set for you.

During my time away, I’ve made an important decision. I will wholeheartedly fulfill all commitments that I have to take, but after that, I’ve decided to step away from the Hong Kong entertainment industry.

I’ve decided to do this to give myself an opportunity to heal myself and to search my soul. I will delicate my time to charity and community work within the next few months. I will be away from Hong Kong entertainment indefinitely; there is no time frame.

I’ve be assisting the police since the first day that the photos were published, and I will continue to assist them. After this press conf., I’ve obligations to help them with their investgation, and hope that this case can end soon, as everyone, I think, has the same wish.

I would like to use this opportunity to thank the police for their hard work on this case. Thank you.

I believe everyone’s priority now, my priority now, is to stop the suffering and the pain. For not letting this … we do not want to let this situation become more out of control. We need to protect all the innocent and all the young for matters like this. In this regard, I’ve been instructing my lawyers to do everything possible within the law to protect all the innocent victims of this case.

I believe that the press statements that are being issued as we speak are what my lawyers had advised me to do.

Lastly, I would like to thank everyone for coming here today, and listening to what I have to say. I would like to also apologise once again to all the ladies and their families, my family, and to everyone in Hong Kong and everyone in our society. I’m deeply saddened by this, and I apologise to everyone that has to go through this.

I would like to also thank you for giving me this opportunity to say what I’ve wanted to say all along in my heart. I hope, after today, I can have your forgiveness. With regard to this case, with everything, everything that had happened, I’m deeply sorry.

I hope you all would accept my apology, and give me a chance. Thank you.

Time is never time at all.

You can never ever leave without leaving a piece of youth

Faces old and new came and went. Gained a little at the expense of giving up a lot. Convinced the choices you make would take you one step closer to where you want to go. Wary of the thought of being tied down. Haunted by insecurity and inconfidence.

Sounds gloomy but these have been great times, in terms of activities and schedules. Somehow I just haven’t been able to strike a balance between working aggressively and having a healthy life. Admittedly, the concept that both can be achieved at the same time is a bit alien for me.