很少有人能定义一个时代，但Michael Jackson就是这样一位王者。一位灵光闪耀的天才，在人世间走一遭，经历横扫全球的辉煌，娈童调查的耻辱，滑落巅峰的失落，万众瞩目的回归。在史无前例的50场告别演出前，以这样戏剧性的方式离世 -- 也许这才是王者最青睐的安排？带着黝黑的皮肤来到这个世界，带着苍白的身体离开，一个用音乐打破种族、语言、国界、时间的传奇，悄然逝去，留下一声叹息。

18年前，这位流行乐之王以他在录影带里对抗地心引力的舞步，时若百灵时若狮吼的歌声出现在中国时，我立刻成为一位忠实的簇拥。在我看来，他是一个不断挑战不断创新，永不疲倦的力量之源，从Jackson 5里带着稚气的嗓音唱着Ben的小男孩，到轻柔摇滚着Rock With You和动情吟唱She's Out Of My Life的青涩少年，到锻造无数经典的Thriller专辑：Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough里MaMa Se MaMa Sa Mama Coo Sa至今仍响彻舞池，Thriller引得数千人在监狱里共舞，Billie Jean中展示的里程碑式的月球漫步影响Usher等一众男歌手。

到Bad专辑时，Michael Jackson已略显成熟，从动人心扉的情歌对唱I Just Can't Stop Loving You（结尾时有三个非常华丽的鼻音Hee Hee Hee）到引人深思的Man In The Mirror（这首歌的旋律和唱腔实在太优美了！），再有舞姿令人眼花缭乱的Smooth Criminal，都堪称引人模仿的经典。还记得那时和同班几个同学每到课间就尝试着学习45度角的倾斜，而像Bad里面一样钉着铆钉的黑色皮衣也是潮人的必选。随后的Dangerous专辑，流行之王惊人的创造力仍未衰落，不论是旋律性感的In The Closet，还是录影带充满幽默感的Remember The Time（有几个歌手能想到用大舌音来唱歌？），还是关注种族问题的Black Or White，悲悯世界的Heal The World，都以横扫千军之势，征服了一代代的年轻人。

流行文化是一种奇怪的现象。我们热衷于塑造偶像，然后再将其一点点地打败。不幸的是即使是犹如Michael Jackson这样的天才也不能幸免。我无意也无从判断娈童案的真假，纵然最近当年的原告不知出于何种原因声称自己当年撒了谎企望原谅。可我始终相信天才都是很纯真的，因为他们太有才华，不需要经历尔虞我诈的污染就能取得成功，而只有保持这种纯真和投入，他们才能不断的进步。Michael Jackson就是这样的天才，以他在歌里时时可见的悲天悯人的纯真情怀，以少有人能忘其项背的投入，帮助这世界上的孩子。在当前这个物欲横流，被某些文人称作“满嘴仁义道德，满肚子男盗女娼”的年代，有几个站在世界顶端的人，能与其媲美？

于是Michael Jackson失望了。They Don't Care About Us也许就是写给世界的歌。这位引领着无数追梦的孩子，跳着永不重复的舞步的王者，终究意识到对抗世界只是螳臂当车。也许他早就懂；不然他也不会把自己一点一点地漂白，在以一个毫未威胁的sexless的形象出现在众人面前。

人无完人。我从不是一个盲目崇拜的人。但这位才华横溢，不断挑战，永不疲倦，心灵纯真的流行音乐之王，以其怒放的人生折服了我。

Goodbye, my King.

最近感触很多。但就像装满了水的杯子不容易摇出声，心里装的满满的反而什么都写不出来。好几次提起笔想写点东西，却觉得拙劣的文字不能准确的反映此时的思想。小时候的绘画老师总是说我，一落笔就想画一幅传世名作，看来这个坏毛病还是没改。今天晚上做完几个IRR模型，脚踝莫名其妙的像扭伤一样疼，不能去跑步，就想无论如何涂两笔，玩玩。

IQ/EQ，book smart/street smart，换来换去的名字却说的一个道理。最近的管理工作中每天面对着无数大大小小的决定，可供参考的信息却少之又少。有时候想破脑袋，却被别人一点，恍然大悟却又懊恼不已，明白自己陷入细节而忽略了整体，只见树木不见森林。有时候做决定到最后仅仅需要常识，迪迪是个大处着眼的人，可即使天性如此也难免陷入细节的圈套。面对着大量的决定，人难免倾向于尽量把一些不确定性去除，close some loose ends and cross out a few items from to-do list。可很多时候，keep options open确是最好的选择，过早的对事物下判断、草率的决定往往反映了心态的不成熟。

再者，在一个象牙塔般的单纯环境里待了三年，离开后才发现外面的世界远比其复杂、现实。理想主义虽好，但脱离现实的理想主义往往沦落为自欺欺人，坦诚面对现实方能在生活中进退自如。一天晚上看了一部很轻松的chic flick - he's just not that into you，记下了其中Justin Long对Gennier Goldwin说的一句话：you are not the exception, you are the rule!虽然每个人各有不同，但牢记绝大多数人交往的基本原则在绝大多数情况下是保险的。概率的美妙和令人沮丧之处就在于任何人都逃不脱。一帆风顺的长大，从某种程度上丧失了简单的辨别可能性的能力，也失去了一些面对挫折和拒绝的勇气。

最近公司里忙得一塌糊涂，换供应商、炒人鱿鱼、催应收账款、花钱买设备。第一次代表公司决定供应商、下一个100万的订单时，着实有一些压力。第一次炒人，也意识到了劳动法的规定却是给雇佣者出了很多难题，一个一无是处的员工，却不能轻易的拿掉，不得不对其晓以利害、调查起底、精神上折磨施压，用尽各种手段。工作繁忙，压力之下遇到不顺心的事不免脾气暴躁，可想到对一份工作应当由恰当的期望值，心态便平衡了很多。有时工作迷茫之时，便想到在MCK时大家常常提到的role model，用我们小时候朴素的语言来讲，就是榜样的力量。遇到一个能力出众、个性相合又愿意提携的老板，真是职场的一大幸事。

话说到此，不再赘言。长期外驻在杭州，上海的家似乎已经荒废，变成了无人搭理的weekend home。这个周末回去好好收拾收拾，做一锅美味的汤犒劳犒劳自己。

朱自清先生的散文《背影》，可能大多数看官在学生时代都读过。“父亲”那肥胖、蹒跚的背影形象，至今提起，仍记忆犹新。提起这篇文章，我并无抒情之念，而是想请各位看官欣赏一下国宝熊猫的背影 -- 大家有没有注意到，熊猫总喜欢用背对着大众？



孤独哀怨的背影



贵妃出浴的背影



这就是著名的S形……



XX，卡住了！



最后一个引体向上 -- 一定要拉上去……



我长得像熊猫，但我内心是一块抹布，我只想把自己晾干



要掉下去了！！



太没面子了



（撞墙）这日子没法过啦……



哥们儿，撑住，一定要撑住！

过去四年虽然工作会议覆盖了全国大大小小的城市，但休假时却清一色的在国外。今天和朋友为了曾梵志的画展去苏州一日游，惊喜的发现这座城市个性如此鲜明。

下了火车，不知去哪儿吃饭的我们叫车直奔Sheraton，咨询顾问的生活智慧：以熟悉的酒店为坐标。临近苏州盘门的Sheraton大概是我见过最有当地特色的Starwood酒店了 -- 开车抵达位于仿古城墙上的入口，整个中式园林风格的酒店层叠错落的展开，虽然原来酒店的房间比较老旧，但如世外桃源一般的设计使我在欣赏之余也不得不佩服当年GIC投资的眼光；据说今年初Sheraton又开了一个新翼，在保留中式园林风格的基础上充分加强了自然采光和借景，尤其是能享受清晨第一缕阳光的浴室对我这样热爱自然和早上起床淋浴的人来说非常有吸引力。

在小桥流水间找到苏州朋友推荐的老字号的面馆同得兴，墙上精致的竹艺和扬琴布置与服务员周到的照顾打破了我在上海和杭州对老字号形成的恶劣印象。出乎我意外的是在整个苏州老城区里没有看到一家Starbucks,老式的江南建筑像水墨画般点缀在新式建筑间，连公交站都是古代凉亭风格，城市的Identity强烈的存在于街头转角的细节之间。

画展在苏州博物馆新馆。苏州博物馆免费向公众开放，每天限制进入人数，在这样的情况下，虽然还是有不少游客在管理大呼小叫，但整个博物馆的管理还是相当的有秩序。贝聿铭设计的苏州博物馆新馆，自然的与邻近的忠王府融合，屋顶大量的采用了竹质隔栅天窗，自然光优雅的投入博物馆，大落地玻璃窗让参观者在博物馆中也时时可欣赏到现代园林的美景，本身就是一件艺术品。贝聿铭的父亲曾是中国银行的director和中国央行的governor，苏州世界文化遗产中的狮子林也曾是他们家族的私宅。作为Pritzker Prize的获得者，贝聿铭modernist的设计作品往往与当地的环境文化自然的融合在一起，虽然也有Pyramid Du Louvre这样比较provocative的作品，但从其位于Colorado的成名作National Center for Atmospheric Research，到JFK Library，到香港的中银大厦，到Ohio的Rock&Roll Hall of Fame，再到最新的位于多哈的Museum of Islamic Art，无一不在大胆的几何形体线条应用中，很绅士的向周围的邻居问好。这让我想起了前段时间读到一位美国建筑大师Frank Gehry的一句话：一座新的建筑，不应该对着它的邻居竖中指。这又让我想到了被昵称为“大裤衩”的CCTV大楼……

曾梵志的画展比我想象的规模要小很多，展出了他最近几年的作品（大概早前的作品都在艺术品市场的疯狂中卖掉了）。展览的中文名叫“与谁同坐”，英文翻译很有意思：Narcissus Looks of Echo。Echo and Narcissus是罗马诗人Ovid著作Metamorphoses中的一首诗，故事情节大概是：

In Greek mythology Echo was a wood nymph who loved a youth by the name of Narcissus. He was a beautiful creature loved by many but Narcissus loved no one. He enjoyed attention, praise and envy. In Narcissus' eyes nobody matched him and as such he considered none were worthy of him.

Echo's passion for Narcissus was equaled only by her passion for talking as she always had to have the last word. One day she enabled the escape of the goddess Juno's adulterous husband by engaging Juno in conversation. On finding out Echo's treachery Juno cursed Echo by removing her voice with the exception that she could only speak that which was spoken to her.

Echo often waited in the woods to see Narcissus hoping for a chance to be noticed. One day as she lingered in the bushes he heard her footsteps and called out “Who's here?” Echo replied “Here!” Narcissus called again "Come", Echo replied "Come!". Narcissus called once more “Why do you shun me?... Let us join one another.” Echo was overjoyed that Narcissus had asked her to join him. She longed to tell him who she was and of all the love she had for him in her heart but she could not speak. She ran towards him and threw herself upon him.

Narcissus became angry “Hands off! I would rather die than you should have me!” and threw Echo to the ground. Echo left the woods a ruin, her heart broken. Ashamed she ran away to live in the mountains yearning for a love that would never be returned. The grief killed her. Her body became one with the mountain stone. All that remained was her voice which replied in kind when others spoke.

Narcissus continued to attract many nymphs all of whom he briefly entertained before scorning and refusing them. The gods grew tired of his behaviour and cursed Narcissus. They wanted him to know what it felt like to love and never be loved. They made it so there was only one whom he would love, someone who was not real and could never love him back.

One day whilst out enjoying the sunshine Narcissus came upon a pool of water. As he gazed into it he caught a glimpse of what he thought was a beautiful water spirit. He did not recognise his own reflection and was immediately enamoured. Narcissus bent down his head to kiss the vision. As he did so the reflection mimicked his actions. Taking this as a sign of reciprocation Narcissus reached into the pool to draw the water spirit to him. The water displaced and the vision was gone. He panicked, where had his love gone? When the water became calm the water spirit returned. “Why, beautiful being, do you shun me? Surely my face is not one to repel you. The nymphs love me, and you yourself look not indifferent upon me. When I stretch forth my arms you do the same; and you smile upon me and answer my beckonings with the like.” Again he reached out and again his love disappeared. Frightened to touch the water Narcissus lay still by the pool gazing in to the eyes of his vision.

He cried in frustration. As he did so Echo also cried. He did not move, he did not eat or drink, he only suffered. As he pined he became gaunt loosing his beauty. The nymphs that loved him pleaded with him to come away from the pool. As they did so Echo also pleaded with him. He was transfixed; he wanted to stay there forever. Narcissus like Echo died with grief. His body disappeared and where his body once lay a flower grew in it's place. The nymphs mourned his death and as they mourned Echo also mourned.

结合曾梵志极其抽象却非常有力量的作品，画、诗与历史的艺术效果互相加强。其实音乐、建筑、雕塑、绘画、文学、舞蹈乃至美食美酒，都是人通过不同的感官形式对艺术的探索。视觉、听觉、嗅觉、触觉、味觉这五感中，看官用了多少种？

斜靠在沙发上，淡淡的埃塞俄比亚香料的味道弥漫在房间里，窗外淅淅沥沥的下着小雨。就着一杯红酒，我悠闲的读着一本随机拿到的书。突然感到一种久违的快乐。

没有目的，忘记时间，忘记自己，投入的做一件事。Lose myself in something。

我们花了太多的时间在寻找“我”，“我想要什么”，“我是谁”，但是这种抛开自我的轻松感，一种莫名的一切皆有可能的希望，带给我持续的单纯的快乐。

Sometimes, we should just let go and let life take control.

Africa is a scar on the conscience of human race. It has exuberant resources: the mineral resources that everyone vies to get their hands on and a great variety of "cash crops" that fill the shelves of super markets across the world; it has beautiful landscape: seductive beaches, lush rain forests, mighty rivers and the ultimate attraction of all - the great savanna; it is where human kind started and many people here are optimistic despite all the wounds, hard-working amongst all the challenges and educated defying all the odds - also some of them are good looking and have quite nice body:). Additionally, international community has been pouring money and resources into this region.

However, this continent is torn apart again and again before it even has time to heal from the last catastrophe. Genocides and tribal conflicts are nightmares many Africans want to forget but some have to live in even today; regimes collapse because corruption and mismanagement have reached a level that the economy can no longer be sustained even through foreign aid, only to be replaced by new regimes that continue on the downward spiral before long. The results? In many countries, more than 10% of the population are infected by HIV/AIDS; more than 6 million children are suffering from severe malnutrition; animals are killed by poachers as well as guerrillas; some more than 40% of international aid goes directly into accounts of corrupted officials.

The numbers are boring? To learn how fascinating this continent is, watch BBC's new documentary Planet Earth, Mel Streep's Out of Africa for Kenya, or read Gorillas in the Mist from Dian Fossey about Rwanda, who spent 13 years living on the slops of volcano mountains to study gorillas and was murdered in 1985 mostly likely by poachers. To learn how brutal the reality is, watch Hotel Rwanda on Rwanda, Last King of Scotland on Uganda or Blood Diamond on Sierra Leone.

What is needed to save the continent?

Diligence? African peasants are already working hard although climate change is gradually edging out their cropland. More ironically, some governments are pushing for "cash crop" production while heavily relying on import for basic food. Many people are starving from lack of basic food and the situation is exacerbated by the sky rocketing food price globally. Why are they doing this? Because export of "cash crop" and import of rice and potatos give governments tax opportunities, contributing to the governments' financial reserve and enabling some government officials to get their cut. Working hard doesn't help when the policy makers are pulling the wrong strings.

Money? Not so long ago, some African dictators would just call their corporate sponsors to pay the hundreds of millions of dollars they spent on luxury toys after a trip to Europe - shame on those luxury goods companies selling without basic concern on the source of money - so green back never really seems to be an issue. In a desperate race of pumping money into Africa, some NGOs even have absurd guidelines such as "never sponsor the same local organization twice". So local agencies flock to harvest this one-off windfall bonus with short-sighted, if not completely made-up, programs. 

Democracy? The entrenched autarchic regimes show no will of letting-go. America's war against Irap and Afghanistan has proved that while it's easy to undermine a bad government, it's a formidable task to build a good one. In countries where a certain form of campaign takes place, it's hard to find one election without being heavily rigged by bribe and violence. Darkening the depressing picture, Mbeki, the elected president in South Africa, delivered performance far more than disappointing. 

Religion? Admittedly many people cling to it to gain strength, but it has been the culprit of many conflicts and wars. Tribal conflicts, thanks to the divisive tribal policies imposed by the developed countries during their colonial reign, had historically evolved into horrid genocides. Dividing and governing people based on their ethnic groups or religions are just different forms of apartheid. By the way, the encouragement on the independence movement of some regions, including Tibet, under the name of religion is ill-judged, if not ill-natured because the decrease of tolerance towards people of different religion/race/ethnic groups living in one country would cause more problems instead of solving them.

Education? I definitely believe that education is an indispensable pillar to Africa's prosperity. Actually, search and appreciation for truth and beauty in the form of science and art are the corner stone of any civilized society. However, a successful education system takes more than good will and financial support to build - it needs visionary leaders, effective management system & process and execution ability, just to name a few. This also applies to the NGOs, not just the ones making ridiculous decisions.

Rounds of searches for solutions ended up in vain, prompting me to seek inspirations from how people usually save a fallen and tortured soul. Iron-fisted intervention is applied first to stop "bleeding", being it drug addiction, criminal acts or psychological wounds. Then measures to help them become self-reliant and make sure that they no longer have nothing to lose are adopted together with mental counseling  to rekindle their hope, if not passion, and rebuild their idealism for life. This approach may well be borrowed in helping African countries: after stopping what is devastating the country, providing financial aid and expertise to help them become financially sustainable themselves, imbuing a sense of pride for the culture, building a national identity and creating an ideology that can withstand the test of history may be the three pillars to support African countries' path back to prosperity.

Raj has left for a 10-day vacation - he is coming back for a short while and then will take off for another month when his girlfriend comes. Stella is leaving for Rwanda next Wednesday and is gonna stay there till she goes back to the U.S. for business school. Dominic is a genuinely super-nice German guy but he usually goes directly home after work because his girlfriend is here. Rumor has it that there are new volunteers coming in a short time - again, Africa time; although Atiba and Kumburu, our Tanzanian experts, are very hospitable and will join us for a drink from time to time, they have their families in town as well.

As I am such an extrovert person and I get recharged from interacting with people, the only way for me to maintain my sanity is getting really local.

Martine, our receptionist, is determined to help me on this front. "Mungbu*?" he always tries to ambush me every morning when I enter the office. "Boa**!" or "Salama***!" I am supposed to answer. After a few rounds, I found attack is the best defense: so I always "Mungbu" him first.

At this critical point of equilibrium, Noel, the project manager appointed by the investor, arrived.

Most volunteers come from a consulting, or strategy planning, background, but Noel is an exception: she was a dancer till 16 and then she moved into theater and performance management business, touring with bands and performers in places like Cuba, Europe, the Philippines, etc. She was seriously ill last year, came back to health with a spiritual nirvana and started exploring opportunities to give back. Once she set her mind on this project, she was really determined: reading any book related to the non-profit sector she could possibly get and learning Swahili words to get ready for wining-and-dining with the first ladies. When she arrived yesterday she found her effort well paid-off: she started asking for directions in Swahili and then got swamped in a raw and original Swahili conversation.

Noel didn't just stop there; she kept amazing me with her incredible ability to merge into local culture. Stella and I were having dinner at Slipway - by the way, very nice crab meat and house wine indeed at the Terrace Restaurant - because Noel told me that there would be live music tonight. We were halfway into dinner when Noel called me to change the location to Ocean Road. "There are more locals there - not just expats!" And her friends kindly offered to pick us up - how can I refuse such a nice invitation?

When Noel mentioned her "friends", I was expecting some people from the Clinton Foundation. So when Simba (nice to revisit the Lion King, isn't it? It literally means "lion" in Swahili), a back-street local artist with braids like the Dutch soccer star Gullit, showed up with her in a rumbling cab, I was more than amused. Some friends of mine think I am good at making conversation with strangers; but Noel is just 1000 times better - Simba was trying to sell her some paintings this afternoon and now we are going clubbing together. "You have to get local", Noel told me, "sometimes they are just artists looking for a little extra money". True - as fun as he is, Simba always asked for large notes to buy drinks for us and never gave any changes back.

We went to a club called "Sweet Easy" with a cool live band. Having been heavily influenced by Arabic and Latin music and mixed with a raw Jazz and R&B flavor, the music scene here in Dar is quite interesting. After a few rounds of "TUSKER" beer - each letter in the name stands for a country in this region - and a small glass of local liqueur Amarula (made from Marula tree and more creamy than Bailey's), we were dancing with our feet off the floor.

I bowed out around 11pm - still want to go jogging tomorrow morning. Also, as there are so many moving pieces involved with setting up a plant, I have developed a large issue tree putting them in a logical structure and want to go through it with Hillary early tomorrow morning before she leaves for an important meeting. Honestly I thought some issue trees we developed in McKinsey were a little over-academic, but on this project I've found it's really an useful tool to organize thoughts and prioritize work. Now I am starting to miss my friends in McKinsey a little bit - although I might be a little cynical sometimes, the people I met there were incomparable. Sorry if you work for Bain or BCG...I am sure you'll understand my feelings:).

Footnote:
* Means "how are you".
** Means "good".
*** Means "fine".

"Why Africa?" many friends asked bluntly. Before I even started explaining, came all kinds of suggestions:

"Whatever it costs, get Whisky; promise me don't drink local alcohol!" (as you can imagine, this was from a Russian friend)

"Talk to Vlad (another Russian guy) - he shot a lion before!"

"Have safe sex."

"Don't waste the truffles and caviar - you are not going to get them in Africa!"

Of course I ended up spending all my time showing my appreciation for these wonderful suggestions and never got down to talking even a little bit about what I was actually going to do.

Now I finally get the chance: please go to www.cbsnews.com, click on 60 minutes and search for Plumpynut - Anderson Cooper has a 10-min coverage from Niger on one kind of the therapeutic food I am trying to produce here in Tanzania. Called Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), it is an effective way to treat severe malnutrition in a community based approach, which is opposite to clinic based approach, and means lower cost and mothers able to spend more time at home with all the kids instead of just guarding the sick kids in clinic for 4 weeks - critical for the survival of many African families.

Most ingredients for RUTF can be sourced in Africa, creating thousands, if not more, of employment opportunities. Also as it contains very little water (usually less than 10%) and is held together by lipids, it can remain in good quality without refrigeration for 3-4 months, thus making it much easier to distribute in Africa.

"Why not Sichuan? It needs help as well!" some friends challenged me. I completely agree; but if you are offered the opportunity to plan building the very first RUTF plant in Tanzania and almost responsible for the whole research and preparation phase, wouldn't you jump at this opportunity?

Sexy, isn't it? At least it turns ME on.

A TechnoServe colleague from DC office and I were talking about China's relationship with Africa today. I am never an advocate of pure idealism - I think the world has overestimated the levers that China can pull over Darfur and China does need to diversify and secure its energy supply (by the way, I think the $139 crude oil price is definitely a bubble, mostly driven by speculation, pressure to hedge over seemingly ever-rising oil price, weak dollars and stronger-than-expected Euros). However, I do see the mportance for China to exert positive influence as it grows its presence in Africa, simply to contribute to the ideology in the world and to build one for itself.

And I want to find out how, in my own way, with my own eyes.

Inevitably to gain something I need to be prepared to lose. I am now staying in a room of 18 square meters, with the bed taking three quarters of the floor and me squeezed into a corner working without internet connection - I was assured that I would be "upgraded" into a new apartment one month ago. Things do happen in Africa; they just take time - Africa time, not my time.

I was forced to reminisce last night when the water stopped running in the middle of the shower - last time it was in high school. I still remember that my furious roommate, fully naked and with all the foams on him, stormed out of room and started cursing the utility company - just an example to show why I always think my high school is much more open than Fudan. Another example: a classmate of mine, for lack of a better word, an exhibitionist, always got naked before he arrived at his own room in summer.

OK, enough naked guys. Work has been good so far and I really like Hillary, our country director and the person that I report to. I am planning to go jogging on the beach tomorrow morning to kick off another exciting day.

I didn't make it to the party last night. The crazy travel schedule and frequent changes of time zones were finally catching up on me - I went to bed at 4pm and didn't wake up until 6am although African pops went on and on just outside my window till 4:30am. I didn't think that I missed much - people who were there said it was just OK. And I didn't think this is an opportunity to redeem my reputation after I was called "party pooper" in San Francisco.

Margaret told me that there are two other volunteer consultants staying at Trinity Guesthouse, the temporarily lodge before we move to an apartment shared with other volunteers. "Stella is from Uganda; and Raj is an Indian born in Australia." Well I bumped into "Stella from Uganda" over breakfast - only to find out that she is from southern California and was a BA in McKinsey New Jersey office. Having been on this continent for 9 months, Stella is a sweet, warm-hearted African veteran - she looked at me like I am an English-speaking chimpanzee when I told her that I didn't know where Zanzibar is. To her credit, Zanzibar is an archipelago one and half an hour away from Dar by boat.

Stella felt it was apparently necessary for me to catch up on the basic knowledge and generously lent her Lonely Planet on East Africa to me. This was the start of a disaster: the 6-day trekking to the summit of Kilimanjaro, the great migration of wildebeest at Serengeti, stalking gorillas in the tropical jungle of Rwanda, rafting at the source of Nile starting from Lake Victoria, enjoying the breathtaking beauty of Lake Malawi*, tasting coffee in tribes and mingling with locals in Ethiopia**...I am seriously considering prolonging my 4-months stay here. And if this is still not enough to attract you to make a little detour, let me add the last straw: June to Sept is the best season to visit East Africa: pleasant weather and almost no mosquitos.

Much to my delight, there is a nice gym 5 minutes walk from my office. And 20 minutes down the main road there are some nice restaurants, a decent book store and a grocery store in the Slipway neighborhood. Don't get me wrong - I am able to carry a 30-kg bag and walk 11 hours a day for 3 days, I enjoy rolling up sleeves and getting into the field with local peasants and I will start eating local food once I ease myself into local conditions. But it is irresistable to indulge yourself a little bit once in a while.

I know I haven't talked about my project here at all but today is Jumapili***. I will meet the team and kick off the work tomorrow - very exciting work ahead.

Footnote:
* Planet Earth mentioned in its Fresh Water Lake episode that Lake Malawi is one of the lakes with richest fresh water species.
** Ethiopia is the country that produces best coffee beans and local tribes have very old tradition of drinking coffee together as a social event.
*** Jumapili means "Sunday" in English.

As some of you may know, I worked in Tanzania as a volunteer consultant for 4 months in 2008. I kept a journal for the first couple of weeks there but work, parties and beauty of nature lured me away from my laptop after that. Regardless, I want to post what I wrote to share with you a slice of my amazing Africa days.:)

======================================================================================================

"The raining season is just over. It was raining heavily only a few days ago. Too much rain this year. Now is the winter time." Joseph, the cab driver who picked me up at the airport, told me this as he was trying to figure out how to put my 80 liter hiking bag in the trunk. 28 degrees Celsius, with giraffes on the billboard as the advertising model for mobile roaming service, this smells like Africa.

Here I am, in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania. My 4-months Africa journey starts today.

20 hours ago I wasn't even sure that I could get on the plane. While all the Chinese travel agencies insisted that I need visa to enter Tanzania, Margaret, the office manager of TechnoServe here in Dar, told me that I could easily get visa on arrival at the airport. "We have very good relationship with the Chinese. There are a lot of Chinese people here - you'll see them around." This is undoubtedly true - my mom remembers all the majors cities of Tanzania while she couldn't even remember how long my program in McKinsey would last.

You must be wondering why I couldn't just apply for the visa while I am in the States or back in Shanghai. You are such a P*, Jevan would simply dismiss me like that. Three reasons: 1) Only if I apply for visa in Tanzania, I can get multi-entry visa that allows me to travel freely to other countries and exempts me from applying for Tanzania visa again coming back. 2) I thought that Margaret would help me take care of it at first. When I found out that was not the case, I was already on my national park grand tour and getting ready to party in San Francisco. And of course, many important business meetings in Shanghai. 3) Damn it, you are right - I AM a P.

So I showed up at the airport, explaining to the immigration officers that I was not trying to enter Tanzania illegally. This was such a familiar feeling - while I was struggling to pass the driver license test in Houston** and the Democrats were in a heated discussion about whether the government should issue driver license to illegal immigrants, there was one moment when I questioned my legitimacy of being in the States. Fortunately, it didn't take long for me to convince the immigration officers after I showed them valid visas for the States / Singapore / India, the invitation letter demonstrating that I was going there for a noble reason and alas, I work for McKinsey.

18 hours later, it turned out entering Tanzania was not a problem at all: $100 for American and Irish, $200 for Pakistani, $20 for Burundian and $50 for all other nationalities. It puzzles me that Irish and Pakistani are picked out - of course I don't think any nationality should be picked out but there are understandable reasons. I gave Joseph 2000 Shilingi*** as tip after he dropped at Trinity Guesthouse and he cheerfully said "This is money for Coke!" - this amazed me no less than the moment when I saw a 5-year-old Cambodian girl wearing a Britney Spears T-shirt.

To my surprise, Margaret dropped by to say Karibu**** later in the afternoon. I liked her immediately - wearing a pair of round-glasses with her hair nicely done -like the aurora around her round face, she speaks with such a gentle tone but meanwhile her eyes are glittering with energy and determination. She told me there was a party in the guesthouse tonight - supposed to be THE party this month - with non-stop music for 24 hours. I was overwhelmed by the news - with all the vaccination shots and warnings about difficult living facility, a party probably was the last thing I would expect on my first night in Africa.

Hakuna Matana*****. No problem, this is not a problem at all.

Footnote:
* A person who tends to be disorganized and has high tolerance level for uncertainty and ambiguity. Refer to MBTI test for more information.
** Long story. Basically I was unfairly treated by the Hispanic female examiner because I challenged her authority by questioning why I couldn't use a rental car for driver license test.
*** 1 USD = 1200 Shilingi
**** Karibu (Swahili) means "welcome" in English
***** Hakuna Matata (Swahili) means "no problem" in English. Can be used as an answer to "thank you".

供大家笑一笑:)

楼主：通过海南矿泉水喝死人事件，可以看到中国的食品安全堪忧，矿泉水也能喝死人？不是有QS标志吗？：
回复：弱弱的问一下，QS是不是去死的意思？

楼主：一学生，成绩年年倒数第一，常与人打架，按领导要求老师想给学生好听一点的期末评语，怎么写啊？
回复：该生成绩稳定，动手能力强。

楼主：今天见男网友对方一直暗示想上床，想问：难道现在网友见面就是为了上床？
回复：网友见面不上床？你开什么玩笑，大家都这么忙。

楼主：揭露同学聚会的真实面目。
回复：战友见战友，就是喝大酒，同学会同学，就是搞破鞋。心眼多的钻被窝，心眼少的在唠嗑，不多不少在乱摸，一个心眼在唱歌，缺心眼的在死喝。

楼主：怀疑老婆红杏出墙，但苦于没证据……
回复：如果你没本事做陈冠希，那就做谢霆峰吧

楼主：该死的理发店把我头剪坏了！大家出点损招，要求破坏性越大越好，动静越小越好，因为是我一个人去。
回复：半夜三更，月黑风高，静静地、轻轻地，一个人吊死在理发店门口……

楼主：听到一特好听的歌，歌词只记得是"一个芝麻糕，不如一针细"，求歌名啊！
回复：你可知Macau，不是我真姓……－_－

楼主：我诅咒你们这些在天涯装B的死于各种车祸！！！
回复：自从看了楼主这句话以后，害得每次我上公交车前都要先向车里问一声："车上有装B的没？"

楼主：请问北京是如何体现本次奥运会为绿色人文奥运的？
回复：不是请谢霆锋来唱歌了吗？

楼主：新闻播完后主持人一边摘耳机，嘴里在说什么？
回复1：
——晚上我一个人
——我也是....
回复2：
：嘴皮快点动否则就不自然了不自然了12341234
：我是在动啊在动啊字幕上完了没阿12342234

   过年时恶补了好几部一直想看的电影，其中便有李安的《卧虎藏龙》。这部李安的回归之作当年在国内很不受待见，有批评打斗设计陈腐的，有讽刺演员口音奇怪的。我看后倒颇为喜欢，李慕白与吕秀莲行走江湖多年隐忍含蓄却默契深沉的爱，玉娇龙与罗小虎狭路相逢干柴烈火任性炽烈的情，穿插以简洁真实的动作场景、轩扬的鼓点和哀婉的提琴，将出世入世的诱惑与无奈在低调中渲染得淋漓尽致，早已超过一般功夫片的意境，更非张艺谋陈凯歌后来功利虚伪的东施效颦之作可比。抛开别的不谈，看完这部片子便会明白章子怡为什么会红：骨灰大师级的李慕白和智慧隐忍的吕秀莲固然令人扼腕，不计后果的玉娇龙确是片中最出彩的角色，从她与罗小虎由冤家打成情人，到与吕秀莲翻脸刀剑相向，再到从武当山纵身一跃，鲜活一个敢爱敢恨的女子。

   幸运当然不消说，但章子怡如被水一战的努力和高开高走的野心木头都能感受到。几年时间下来她已给人脱胎换骨的感觉：从不堪回首的英语致词到在东西制作中的自由游走，颇有当年张曼玉拍 Cleanse 时给人的眼前一亮之感。其实人生的边际有一部分是可以自己定义的，更高更快更强的体育精神在人生的竞技场上也同样适用。有好奇心、胆识和毅力把自己置身于完全陌生的环境，在不断自我挑战间，“提升自己到一个新的境界”（《卧虎藏龙》台词）。即使天生很酷的人也需要这样，Angelina Jolie 要没经历过 Alexander the Great 中与蛇共舞的妖媚和古怪的马其顿口音，A Mighty Heart 中孕中被恐怖分子夺去丈夫的愤怒悲痛和 Changeling 中的柔弱无助，纵然有 Original Sin 中难抵的诱惑和 Wanted 中弧形的弹道，最终也只会沦落到像 Sharon Stone 一样人老珠黄了还在镜头面前拼命摩挲肌肤松弛的大腿。

   成功需要有强烈的愿望以及平和的心态，有了后者才能胜不骄败不馁，以大将风度面对起起伏伏。一直很青睐Nadal的比赛，这个86年的西班牙人打不死的韧劲颇有当年张德培的风范。昨晚欣赏了他与Dervasco之间的西班牙德比，五个小时马拉松式的鏖战，除了有几局被突然发飚的对手懵外，Nadal提前判断和迅速移动的能力都超出了观众的想象。同样天赋出众的Safin已被自己爆烈难控的脾气判了死刑，当年将如日中天的Federer斩于拍下的沙皇如今已经沦落到与司线口角的地步，让人不禁感叹其江河日下的悲凉。年前和一位以前的领导午餐，谈到很多成功的人都有“成功综合症”：认为自己的成功全在于优于常人的秉赋。其实在苍茫的历史中，任何个体都不过是微弱的一份子；很多时候，除去个人的努力外，成功，要靠“势”。顺势则昌，逆势则亡，聪明人是不会在不明就里的情况下与整个社会较劲，和自己较劲的。不管是被Sean Penn演活的当年同性恋政治家Harvey Milk，还是新当选的第一位非洲裔美国总统Obama，纵然胆识才华超人，但也是在认准大势后运筹帷幄推波助澜，才得以改变历史。

   说到认准大势和现实，就不能不说说Revolutionary Road这部电影，强烈推荐各位在严峻的经济形势下想换工作的朋友，在作决定之前都看看这部电影，再次反思一下自己是否已经清楚自己离开的是什么，选择的是什么。Leonardo DeCaprio和Kate Winslet这两位我一直很推崇的演员在其中演活了一对挣扎在幻想与现实中的夫妇：一个是一直渴望妻子认同的丈夫，一个是永不满足于现实的妻子。比较起Kate Winslet令人憎恶的、将对现实的不满倾泻在他人身上的角色，《立春》中心气高傲、目标远大、坚强独立却无路出头的王彩玲倒多了几分令人同情。顾长卫在导演时对王彩玲这个角色真是相当的残忍：有一副得天独厚的好嗓子一心想去唱歌剧却无奈生了一张丑陋的面孔，托人想调进北京打开辉煌事业的大门却被人骗财，爱上一个画家在酒后与其交合后被对方在全校师生面前控诉她强奸，心灰意冷想跳楼自杀却没有死成，好心帮助一个爱唱歌的女孩参加比赛却再次被骗……最后她向命运屈服了，开了一个卖羊肉的小摊，收养了一个小女孩取名叫王小凡。片尾那一段想象中在金色大厅中的独唱令人动容，可世界中不就是因为有了像王彩玲这样不甘现实的角色而更精彩吗？

   在理想与现实之间这条微妙的分界线确实难以把握。此刻，窗外远远近近的焰火点亮了天空，匆匆忙忙又一年过去了。我向来不屑香港人祝福新年时所说的恭喜发财，人生的境界，岂是一个钱字能够概括。我想祝福那些和我一样在追寻梦想的道路上奋斗的朋友，认准大势，忠于自己，稳扎稳打，因势利导，向着自己的梦想扎实的迈出一大步。

A quote from the Economist:

"As financial panic subsides, the prospect of huge current deficits combined with the coming entitlements crunch could cause investors to worry America will one day inflate its way out of its debt or even, in the extreme, default."

今天查看国航积分能不能换春节的机票时，才发现一眨眼一年又过去了。比较一年前，我的生活发生了很大的变化，从3个月没有进帐的航空里程就可见一斑。如今我过着朝九晚七的规律生活，下班后和朋友吃饭，健身，有时看场电影，回到家看完财经新闻后再读几页放在床头的书，时间就过去了。要是赶上周末，来了兴致，还在家里煲煲汤 -- 用一个字来形容，就是“宅”。过去在McK，十二月是休假最好的时机，既不会误了有意思的项目，也能避开上海湿冷的天气。可今年像没头苍蝇样跑了七八个国家，十月份才带着炭黑的肤色回到上海，确实无心再到处跑。那天领导说大家可以考虑休假时，我第一反应就是：请了假在家里煲汤补补身子。

原来每逢周末就往酒吧里窜，最近体检报告出来后，这个娱乐活动也削减了。原来去酒吧的精力，都用在了研究煲什么汤对身体最滋补上。发现胆里面有一个小结晶后，就立马给我妈打了个电话，咱妈急啊，立马就给我当医生的舅舅姑姑阿姨姨父打电话。回头给我说：儿子啊，你去买点金钱草冲剂来喝吧，X@#$（此处省去我没记住的科学原理若干）。正在感动之际无意问了一句：妈你确定这个对胆结石/结晶有效吗？咱妈一顿，自言自语道：哦，好像这个是帮助肾结石的……大汗。

以前工作忙，所以一旦睡觉购物运动谈恋爱，都抱着时不我待的精神，抓紧时间上，没有条件创造条件也要上 -- 一心想要多快好省建设好社会主义。现在回归到正常的作息时间，心态也平和了很多。慢悠悠的布置我的新公寓，慢悠悠的托人找木工，等朋友吃饭时慢悠悠的转到商场里去挑两件T-shirt，周末再慢悠悠的去打场网球（现在还慢悠悠的泡着脚写blog）。那天给一朋友说：我发现你以前写的文章里，我都是以一个反面角色“某人”出现的啊？这厮面对我的指责不但不胆怯，反而恶狠狠的说：你现在是不是真的很空啊？

我哪能空呢？虽然我是宅，可这个世界不太平啊，用两个字来形容，就是“雷人”。那天几个以前在McK的朋友约在一起吃饭，L和我从中山公园地铁站出来后叫不到出租，遂打电话给M，希望他们的出租车能捎上我们，被告知她和A正在公交车上；再满怀希望的打给W，被告知他正在步行 -- 经济形势不好决不是空穴来风。看如今这个形势，想到我一年前次贷危机还在萌芽状态时和某前辈吃饭。当时求知若渴的偶问道：美国经济会陷入衰退吗？持美国护照的前辈激昂道：美国市场博大，经济体制完善，自我修复能力强，不会有问题。很久没有见过这位前辈了；下次再见到，一定要重温一下这个对话。

不过身逢乱世，正是一个自我调整学习的好时机。资深如Fed格老者尚在不断自省，吾等鼠辈亦当谦逊谨慎，踏实行事也。