China Life Insurance 2008 result

Finally have some free time to read China Life Insurance 2008 annual report. Basically the profit drop is caused by the decrease on investment income. Insurance business is still attractive and growing.

The insurance income increased 20.8% while the insurance and operational cost decreased 1.5%. On the other hand, the investment income dropped 61.4%. The total net profit of 2008 dropped 45.2% to 21B RMB.

Look into the financial asset distribution. The ratio of fixed income asset increased from 75.4% to 89.4%. This category includes bond, time deposit, and cash. The stock asset dropped from 23% to 8%. This change reflects the group investment direction. The asset pool created a 3.23% return on 2008, which is 6.03% lower than the fantastic year - 2007.

I still believe China Life Insurance is a good investment. Its insurance business remains strong growth and keeps a stable cost on running the business. The management team manages its asset well and makes good and fast decisions on global and local investment.

BTW, this stock has the highest chance to be the fastest “back to town” stock in my portfolio.

Key chord

Last weekend I told Angel what chords should belong to a key in generally case. She asked me why. That is really a good question. I just listened from jazz guitar teacher but never think the reason behind. I pick up my pencil and draw out their relationship. Finally got the reason (actually the guitar teacher should explained in class, just I forget).

Take C key as example, the following chords are basically match with it.

Cmaj7 Dm7 Em7 Fmaj7 Gm7 Am7 Bm7b5

Why? Let list out the note in each chord.

Cmaj7	Dm7	Em7	Fmaj7	Gm7	Am7	Bm7b5
C	D	E	F	G	A	B
E	F	G	A	B	C	D
G	A	B	C	D	E	F
B	C	D	E	F	G	A

This seems not much special. However, you may notice that all elements in these 7 chords are belonging to C major scale. It would be more obvious if showing their so-fa name in C key.

Cmaj7	Dm7	Em7	Fmaj7	Gm7	Am7	Bm7b5
Do	Re	Mi	Fa	So	Li	Ti
Mi	Fa	So	Li	Ti	Do	Re
So	Li	Ti	Do	Re	Mi	Fa
Ti	Do	Re	Mi	Fa	So	Li

So, that's means?

All these 7 chords are made by C major scale, so their sound would be match with a song in C key. However, this is just generally correct. In some cases a half-step tone would make the song much more interesting.

伊坂幸太郎 - 蚱蜢

睇完《名偵探的法則》了，之前話呢本書玩反高潮玩到好悶，睇到中段就無左呢個感覺，因為作者已經唔再刻意去製造查案的高潮，全力去玩偵探小說的經典橋段，盡數當中的不合理，幾有趣。

之後便立即開始看伊坂幸太郎的《蚱蜢》了，看了兩部由他的作品改編而成的電影，終於正式看他的書了。

這是一個關於殺手的故事，看了數十頁，感覺十分良好，描寫得很有電影感，很緊湊，人物性格亦很立體，一大班出場人物由無關係慢慢講到背後原來好多關連，令人有一直追看的感覺。

游水阿伯

今個星期無跑步，昨天早上去了城門谷游水，因為主池維修，只能夠去室外的細池游，細池只有25米長，最高的水深亦只有1.2米，每游一個直池便休息一次，游了大約45小時，總共游了14*25＝350米。

池水太淺的最大問題，便是休息的時侯唔可以企直，否則便大半個上身伸出水面吹風。

最值得一提既係，我落水剛游了一個池，便給一位阿伯捉著，佢好熱心咁指出我動作上的錯誤，更捉著我的手和頭去教我，佢亦親身示範了給我看。隨後他亦有“跟進“我的改動，並再作出指導。

我未夠十歲就係市政局既暑期班學自由式（到現在我也只是識自由式），從來都未試過有專人教授，自己亦唔知自己既動作有無問題，今次遇上這位阿伯真是不錯，所以我都對佢講左好多次唔該。

記低佢既重點：

• 吸氣的時侯，頭應該只水平轉動，下巴唔應該抬高
• 後手上水的時侯，全隻手都應該放鬆，手掌、前臂和上臂要成一個三角形，應只用膊頭的力向前推
• 手入水的時侯，應用手指入水先
• 呼吸的時侯，唔可以停踢水
• 踢水的時侯，兩腳要緊貼

Altered tension

Last night Jazz guitar lesson taught altered tension. The altered feeling is funny. Listed what I understand here for reference. This is pure music theory and could apply to all musical instruments.

II-V-I is a progression which has a relax-tension feeling.

• II – Relaxation chord (minor seventh chord; 1-b3-5-b7)
• V – Tension chord (dominant seventh chord; 1-3-5-b7)
• I – Resolution chord (major seventh chord; 1-3-5-7)

There are two kinds of tension could apply to the V chord.
Nature tension: Adding 9 or 11 note of the V chord to rich the sound
Altered tension: Adding b5, #5, b9 or #9 note of the V chord to make an altered feeling

Play altered tension by chord (key = C major). The G7b9 would make an altered feeling in the chord progression.

Dm7	Dm7	Dm7	Dm7
G7	G7	G7	G7b9
Cmaj7	Cmaj7	Cmaj7	Cmaj7

For scale, we can substitute the V scale by scales which contain those alter notes (b5, #5, b9 and #9). For example, we can replace G scale by Ab major scale or F# major pentatonic scale. Both of them hit the alter notes and chord tones. There are more than two possibility scales for substitution in reality.

Ab major scale	Ab	Bb	C	Db	Eb	F	G
Relevant position of G	b9	#9	4	b5	#5	b7	#7

F# major pentatonic scale	F#	G#	A#	C#	D#
Relevant position of G	7	b9	#9	b5	#5

Note: while substitute the scales, remember to let the solo in tension part walking close to resolution part. Otherwise the sound would be too odd when changing back to the resolution chord. For example, putting C/F/G as the last note in the solo of Ab major scale (C/F/G belongs to C major scale).

五月九日早上的跑步

回Callets，再戰舞林係一個好主意，但跳得多其實都幾悶，又唔係跳得好，完左course之後又好快唔記得哂。另外我現在比較想練氣，所以一些長時間的運動比較適合。

回O Steve，做gym都係一個好主意，如果係，我會希望係朝早同中午做，但又驚無力做公司野。如果半年後我既現行計劃唔掂，才做gym吧。

說回五月九日早上的跑步，以下便是當天的路線圖。

黃色是跑步，藍色是步行。那天一開始便跑了一條大直路，之後便覺得胃部有點不適，行了大約大半個元朗公園，便再開始跑，但很快又痛過，所以過了元中後便又行過，行到返屋企。

和以往不同，今次未開始無氣和腳累，已經再跑唔到，係因為胃痛。但那天我明明只是在出發的半小時前食了兩塊方包，完全無飽既感覺，還在家中做了一輪熱身運動。下次要試下行到去元朗公園才開始跑，如果身體無異樣，可以試下跑加行混合地走數圈。

跟進一下減肥者的守則，九點半那條簡直係難到爆，有一晚我九點半才開始晚餐！還有勁多來自零食既吸引力！

番查一下才發現，原來我之前寫小左一條守則，現在要補回，就係只食一半份量既雞皮﹝不包括雞亦﹞，例如去飲，有炸子雞食，如果我總共食四件，那麼便有兩件不可以食皮。其實我之前已經有咁做，只不過沒有一半那麼多。

減肥者的守則

要開始收身了。

頂著一個大肚腩始終唔係咁好睇，加上面部兩邊在這兩年確實是脹了不少，手腳都不是太粗，但可以講得上完全係肥肉。

其實對比舊年高峰期的150磅，現在已經少了大約十磅，我的目標也只是要求 130-135磅，重量相對地不是重點。重點是減去肚腩，次要是收緊手臂的肥肉。

計劃其實已經開始，主要打擊的是改變飲食集慣及保持定期的運動，我稱此計劃為“減肥者的守則”（為了紀念那本我看了很久都未睇完既《名偵探的守則》）。

飲食篇

• 晚上九點半後不進食，不飲湯
• 在公司只吃生果作零食
• 減少雪糕、薯片、朱古力和甜品，只吃好味的，仲要少食多知味。
• 兩星期只可飲一次可樂
• 和飽到要死的感覺說再見
• 正餐後的十五分鐘唔可以坐
• 只食一半份量既雞皮﹝不包括雞亦﹞

運動篇

• 一個月最少打一次羽毛球
• 一個月最少行一次山
• 一個星期要有一小時跑步或打籃球

今天早上便去了跑步，斷斷續續跑了數段，總共跑了不足廿分鐘，已經感到胃部扭作一團，連埋步行的時間，連一隻《海角七號》OST都未聽完，希望數月後可以做到連續跑二十分鐘吧，畢竟這也是一個可以靜靜地聽歌的好機會。

飲食篇應該不難達成，除了九點半那一項，始終有些時侯是真的很晚才吃飯，和朋友外出時也經常在晚餐後有糖水節目。

Oracle acquired Sun

Just read an interview of Larry Ellison about Oracle acquired Sun during lunch. Few points about the hardware stuffs.

• Larry raised Apple and CISCO as examples of company having success software and hardware bundled product
• Oracle would increase the investment on SPARC
• Oracle has no plan to move Exadata to SPARC and would continue work with HP on Exadata

Actually my concern is on the future of Open Office. Its future is quite danger. It's totally can’t link up with any Oracle hot product.

Java should be no problem as both IBM and Oracle rely on it very much. MySQL may be used to fight for low-medium market and link up with Oracle DB related products. Adding a “upgrade-to-Oracle-able” value to MySQL would be not bad too.

真正能夠令到香港地位動搖的，只有香港自己。

五月份既《讀書好》有一篇好值得睇既訪問，訪問對象係蔡東豪，講香港價值。hardcopy/softcopy都好難搵，我簡單咁記得重點。

近排社會上成日有人講，話大陸要打造上海成國際金融中心，香港地位遲早不保。蔡東豪係年幾前，曾經明言，係佢有生之年，上海都無可能取代到香港。佢係呢篇訪問，再一次確認呢一番說話。

佢認為要成為一個國際金融中心，包容度十分重要，係政府既指引下形成的，最多只可以是國內甚至地區的金融中心，絕無可能達到國際性。只有係健全法則下的自由市場，才可以吸引到最好既人材。

再一次，蔡東豪強調香港應走溫布頓路線，以一個最好既平台，去吸納世界級人材。香港作為一個小地方，追求本士天才有難度，但吸引天才來到，搞旺本地消費，那麼市民的生活便有保障。

最後，我覺得佢講好好，短期而言，真正能夠令到香港地位動搖的，只有香港自己。

破硬紀緣

我想今年可以破紀緣吧，只是五月頭，已經看了24部電影，以住最多那年都只是看了30部。

幸好到現時為止，我的影評還是追得上。

酒席資料收集

坐言起行，為左結婚，我們已經準備了一個行動清單，附上所需lead time，以便逐一擊破。

昨天我們便去了酒店拎酒席資料，我地首先去中環係文華東方和四季，之後轉去金鐘既萬豪和香格里拉，再過海去尖沙咀馬哥索羅、太子、朗庭、半島、九龍、喜來登、洲際、萬麗、香格里拉、帝苑、富豪、海景嘉福和日航，最後去埋旺角既朗豪。

唔駛咁驚，我地去文華東方、四季和半島等超高級酒店，都只係諗住見識下所謂既最好係點樣。但係世事無絕對，世事既發展好難講。

我地兩條友行到腳都斷，由第一間既勁緊張，去到之後完全唔緊張，拎埋超多酒席資料。酒席既種類好多，最貴同最平可以差足足一倍以上，有些包酒水，有些包名車接送。場地既形狀亦都個個唔同，有些真係睇見都覺得怪，最後個幾圍事必要睇電視。

之後我地會首先進行filter，再約酒店睇場地，傾細節，到時再update。

咳咳，等我清一清喉嚨，再同大家宣怖

聰明既你可能一早就估到（其實我好懷疑，呢個你係唔存在既，唔係話你唔聰明，只係我覺得呢個blog其實係無人睇），無錯，我無端端咁走去學咁多鑽石既知識，就係因為我要買，買既原因亦都好咁簡單，因為我要用。

咳咳，等我清一清喉嚨，再同大家宣怖，我地結婚LA！！！

係大約十日前既一個晚上，我向獎門人求婚了，除左介指，鮮花和我自製的蛋糕，加上我既愛意（請自盡嘔吐袋，BYOVB - bring your own vomit bag），獎門人答應了我的要求，從此，我地可以同大家講，我地係engaged。

因為一個我地覺得好重要既原因，所以我既婚事應該會係冬天進行，如果要０９／１０既冬天，可能太趕了，所以我地暫定既婚期會係１０／１１既冬天，摘日亦都會選擇這段時間。

我假設你會恭喜我地，所以我首先同大家講聲多謝，同埋到時早Ｄ到。如果我搵你做兄弟姐妹，伴郎伴娘，亦都希望大家盡量唔好托大掙。

由而家開始，我地兩條友，就要準備好多結婚既事，重有搵新屋，到時講唔埋又要大家幫幫手，希望大家幫到就幫ＬＡ，thank you thank you!