生意上遇到挫折之餘，不要冒這些風險，不如安安定定找份工作算了

http://hk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/060817/323/1rkw4.html

小時候想過要做的事，造過的夢隨著年紀漸長而煙消雲散，人愈大似乎愈遠離夢想。究竟有多少人能夠，把心中的理想維持到今天，而且還實現出來？麥雅端(Prudence)就是能夠得以讓夢想飛翔的其中一位幸運兒。然而這個美麗的夢，背後卻是建築於殘酷的現實。

跌進人生低谷

年輕人有無限的拚勁，也有自負的表現，Prudence以為出身於廣告公司，能設計出精美的產品，就可以成功建立品牌。原來這個一廂情願的幻想，差點令 Prudence不能自拔。Prudence說:「還記得六年前，還在一間約200呎的漏水店裡，不停接freelance做手飾。因為生意不俗，頓時燃起了雄心壯志，第二年便搬去尖沙咀開設樓上店。但原來真正做生意的經營模式，與之前所做是完全不同，單在租金方面已經有很大差距，以前是3000元現在是 10000元，再不只要接夠工作就可以解決問題。」Prudence表示，工作開始吃力，後來為了省錢就索性「前舖後居」的形式繼續經營。

Prudence 感歎地說：「以為產品設計得別緻一點，精美一點，就一定會有人垂青購買，但原來不是等號。在香港要經營一個品牌和維持經營是兩碼子的事，我每日不停問自己 有沒有行錯這條路呢？」Prudence坦言每天都會躲在一角地哭，整天也想過放棄，不斷懷疑自己的能力。

Dark chocolate 的生活味道

開店只是艱苦時期的開始，接著的事情可以用驚濤駭浪來形容，而第一個難題就是拍擋離開了自己。Prudence說：「由於收入不多，而且做得很辛苦，有一天我的拍擋便跟我說這盤生意做不成的，不想和我『攬住死』，更加不想放棄當時那一萬元的高薪厚職，二話不說就捨我而去。」Prudence一個人 獨力經營，幸好在潮流的帶動下，樓上舖突然應運而生，有不少歐洲、日本賣家前來買貨，才得以扭轉劣勢。可是好景不常，當生意上軌的時候，另一個難關又隨之 而來。Prudence說：「一場SARS令生意一落千丈去到最低點，幸好在這段期間，那些買家對我依然不離不棄，才能安然渡過這個難關。」

生意上遇到挫折之餘，父母也在身邊提醒不要冒這些風險，不如安安定定找份工作算了。雖然，曾經也有灰心的時候，但是沒有令Prudence的夢幻 滅。她說：「很多人都以為夢是美好甜蜜，但其實也可以是有苦澀，就像我公司的名字叫chocolate，這不是牛奶巧克力而是黑巧克力，入口一刻可能是有 一點苦味，但吃後卻會細膩品嘗當中的餘韻。」

繼續造夢

能夠有不死的精神，而且能繼續開心地造夢的Prudence，可能跟她的成長環境有關。Prudence說：「小時候生活環境不是很好，住在木屋區，父親是公務員，媽媽是工廠女工，沒有多餘的錢去享受物質，唯有靠想像來娛樂自己，而且很多玩具都是由廢物，東拼西揍做出來。」

小時候的一事一物，都對Prudence影響深遠，亦造就了其作品的獨特風格和味道，成功在本地及歐美、日本創造了自己的品牌。好像 Prudence最近忙於參加紐約一個著名展覽會，而她就是唯一一間香港公司成功入圍。Prudence表示，要進入這個展覽需經過考試評核，幸運地我們 是繼日本之後的亞洲參展隊伍。

Prudence最新的「發夢」作品，是創造了一個fatina的布娃娃，這個布娃娃不是像愛麗斯般的夢幻童話，反而帶點糜爛的味道，很原始卻充滿親切感。同時，又把過往的經歷編成一本圖文並茂，名為《Chocolate Rain Story》 書刊，與其過往一系列時尚飾品於PageOne 展出。

Lunch Menu (Monday to Wednesday)

Lunch Menu (Monday to Wednesday)

Monday

• 白汁蜆肉墨魚汁天使麵
• 法式洋蔥牛扒配炒飯/意粉
• 凱撒烤雞沙律配蒜蓉濃湯

Tuesday

• 香草三文魚配七色意粉
• 砵酒牛柳配炒飯/意粉
• 鮮果沙律配忌廉蘑菇湯

Wednesday

• 蜜糖芥末雞翼配長通粉
• 焗鮮茄豬扒飯
• 燒帶子意粉沙律配法式洋蔥湯

Bloody - No one would like to join the Government

To be very honest - although you might really say that I have morality problem, because of this its really not my choice of entering the Government.

- 出差儲起的飛行哩數，須優先用於公幹
- 禁止員工購買公署內的舊物資

Actually I really could not imagine that.
For me, I'd rather abandon Asia Miles. It's my choice to enter this scheme. Why I have to enter the scheme for the benefit of my employer? I guess I do not have incentive for that.

It'd just give some adverse effects:

- To get rid of the trouble of marking down which miles are from business trips, I would not enter into the mileage programmes. Therefore the Government would never get the benefit of this kind of scheme.

- 禁止員工購買公署內的舊物資: then these materials would be thrown away (a waste) or they have to be sold to general public. I just wonder how much admin cost it'd incurr.

私隱署亡羊補牢 外訪須知會民政局
(明報) 08月 17日 星期四 05:05AM

【明報專訊】林永康事件曝光後，私隱署曾檢討資源運用的措施，如出差儲起的飛行哩數，須優先用於公幹﹔專員外訪，更須事先通知民政事務局(相關新聞 - 網站)長，避免濫用公帑情況再現，局方至今已批出6次申請，但立法會(相關新聞 - 網站)議員張文光(相關新聞 - 網站)認為，現行的津貼申報制度仍有漏洞，偏向依賴個人操守執行及監察，建議加入更多行政手段，如實報實銷制度，改善機制。

出差飛行哩數 須先用於公幹

民 政事務局稱，已通知公署注意申報外訪開支，及收發出內部福利金的標準，暫毋須檢討公署的架構﹔另外，私隱署已採取多項改善措施，如規定有實際需 要才可宴請客人，並設定每餐的費用上限，至於出差所儲的飛行哩數，亦規定須優先用於公幹，甚至禁止員工購買公署內的舊物資，並設立小組處理棄置的資產。

其實涉及公職人員的違規或不法行為，近年屢見不鮮（見左表），至於林永康事件，議員張文光形容涉及「罕有的個人操守問題」，坦言難以想像首長級的人也會「諗縮數」，廉署起訴亦是合理做法。

張文光倡憑單實報實銷

張文光續指，長遠需進一步完善津貼申報制度，例如出外公幹時，先發出一筆過津貼作為日常的「零用錢」，不用再「開單」﹔至於機票、酒店等「大數」，則必須憑單據實報實銷。

城市大學公共及社會行政學系教授張炳良則相信現行的制度尚算「有效」，但申報津貼或政府部門外判招標等，涉及利益的程序，透明度仍可提高，方能堵塞漏洞。

How to be a manager?

If you have something urgent but your staff do not really understand what you want, or they understand but they are not thinking step forward to meet the needs but to insist on some principle things, what'd you do?

You might just do it yourself.

What if the business partners have some queries but your staff do not understand and you have to be the messenger? You can't just scold at them at get them do it.

It seems that that's the problem of setting the goals :

• To get the things done
• To get the staff to do the things (even if you know how to get it done) and leave them incompleted if your staff could not manage it

What do you think?

Should I tell the staff to get the staff to understand what's in his/her manager's mind or simply tell him/her to do what he/she has to do? It's pretty different because they could do things in many different ways and present the result in many different ways... I guess the principle is to ask them to present the info in a sensible way. But that's the most important part.

Probably I should ask them to think more before they call me.

Trim the fat

It's from my daily horoscope forecast from astrology.com but I found it applicable for many of us:

Trim the fat. That means burdening yourself and others with much less than you think you can take on. Less is definitely more. Use the extra time to treat yourself to some blessed silence. Relax.

Hope it helps. :)

50th Anniversary

Today I went to a banquet. It's different from all the ones I have been to. It's a banquet for the 50th anniversary of wedding of a fren. A fren from the Church Choir.

It was organized by his 4 children, all have their own celebrated social status and achievements. Its not easy to have a 50th anniversary like this, not even mentioning to organize a banquet for that.

Just like his niece said, in his generation, they're not as good as their fathers & uncles in maintaining good marriage like this. Good wife, good children.

You'd have good children, but your partner might not be able to accompany you for 50 years, or vice versa. If you have a 50-year marriage, your children might not organize a banquet for you to celebrate.

It told me what is 福氣.

God Bless Robert and his family.