Anniversary

I can hardly believe that I really wrote on this blog throughout the year. This is something I have never tried before.

It would be a lie to say that my writing is not influenced by Szeto. In fact, one of the major reasons for me to start writing is because Szeto’s Blog is so much fun. On the other hand, although I started my blog shortly after his article 'Anniversary', that particular piece made me hesitate. He explained that after reading hundreds of blogs of all kinds, he thought he could write better things. [http://ccszeto.blogspot.com/2008/12/anniversary.html]

I do not have the privilege to write such a statement. As Brahms said, who would dare write another symphony after Beethoven? The fortunate thing was he did, and it was not bad at all. One cannot do anything if he has to compare with others all the time.

Friends reading this blog would realize that I am not as knowledgeable as others may think. My repertoire is actually very narrow. This creates problems in my social life. In Hong Kong, one cannot join a conversation if you know nothing about stocks and the local media. When you talk, you are out of context.

A couple of months ago, I tried to tell a joke on brown fat when I was having lunch with my colleagues. As you may imagine, the response was a concerted "Huh?". After a while, DS finally asked what brown fat was. I briefly explained its role in newborns, and the conversation went dead. It was not fair. The identification of brown fat in adults was one of the big news in medical science this year!

With this background, I kept writing. Deep down I also agree that it is quite silly to tell jokes about brown fat, but it is comforting to think that there must be somebody out there who shares the interest.

Happy New Year, my friends.