海棠

According to Eileen Chang (張愛玲), the second regret of life is: Begonia has no smell (海棠無香).

Yes, the flower has an exceptional charm on the look; too bad it has no odor.

Is that a pity ?

I would say no.

We are attracted by her bright red flower because it gives us a sense of lust. Similarly, we are impressed by the smell of sandalwood (檀香), and the taste of sugarcane.

Do you see the point ? They catch our attention because each of them has a certain aspect being outstanding - not that they are all-rounded.

The same should also hold for selecting medical students: This boy is aggressive and has a pair of good hands, he would make a good surgeon; this girl is introverted but has sharp eyes, she would be an excellent pathologist; this man is autistic and keeps talking to plants, let's make him a malicious nephrologist ...

And, in fact, I shall be highly suspicious if anything or anyone is all-rounded and outstanding in every aspect.

As Philo Vance said: Nothing perfect is natural or genuine.