Higher

The chef remained silent for a while, and, then, he said, "Why is it necessary to become famous and get a higher ranking in your Tire-Man's Guide?"

"Two reasons there. First, you can attract more customers... em... so that more people could have the chance to enjoy your ramen!"

"Sir, my shop is small and seats are limited. There's really no way for me to serve any more people. After all, I am no financial tycoon and have no ambition of running a chain store. All I want is to have a handful of people enjoying my cookery and become satisfied every evening."

"Alas, look, even if you don't want a big business, you certainly need a good one. If you have a higher rank, you will attract more big spenders and make a better profit."

"That may be true, but, if I have to give up my character and flatter those thick-head terayaki or curry lovers in order to make a big money, I shall be another Faust!"

K shook his head and left the shop. He could never imagine what money can't buy.

Rank

K decides to continue with his speech, "The problem is, not everyone from that 1000 experts are interested in ramen. Some of them know only Italian cuisine, and some only French or Chinese. Even if they know about Japanese food, some are specialized in tempura and others sashimi. To impress all - or the majority - of them, a restaurant must be all rounded in every aspect."

"What do you mean?" The chef asked - he was fully awake now.

"What I'm getting at is, to make your shop rank high and be famous, you must not confine yourself to ramen. Let's formulate a strategic plan to enrich your menu - how about including udon and soba as a start? A few weeks later, we can add sushi and teriyaki, followed some months later by Canton and Thai cuisine."

"Em... May I ask what's the point of being all-rounded if that means losing my own edge?"

"My friend, having an edge does not help you outshining the others in this ranking business."

In no time, the chef thought of the story of Mao Sui (毛遂).

Guide

To the surprise of K, the chef sounded confused, "Is that the case? So...?"

"Oh, no big deal. I just think a ramen shop of such an outstanding quality should receive an appropriate recognition. Em... let me introduce myself. I am K. Yes, the food critic. If you may allow, I can give you some little suggestions so that you could get a higher rank in the Tire-Man Guide."

"Yes...?" The chef said. He did not appear interested, but, rather, he just didn't want to prohibit his guest from speaking.

K moved closer to the chef, "My friend, to begin with, you must understand the rule of the game. The ranking of a restaurant in the Guide does not only - and, to a large extend, does not at all - depend on the quality of the food being served. It is, on the other hand, a voting system. The editor of the guide seeks the opinion from one thousand food critics around the world and asks each and every one of them whether they think a restaurant is good or not in their own perspective."

The chef nodded - or, was he dozing off?

Ramen

A moment later, K's nightfood was served.

And... K was not satisfied - not only satisfied; he felt he was in heaven. The noodle, the broth, the spring onion, the bamboo shoot, the thin slice of pork, the egg - the heat, the grease, the texture, the saltiness, the fragrance - every ingredient in the bowl and every stimuli that ends up in his parietal cortex was - just right. There was no criteria for a perfect ramen in K's mind before he pushed open that little wooden door. The chef showed him the way and made a live demonstration of perfection.

The only thing that K would have to complain was, for the rest of his life, he would never enjoy any other ramen.

***************
K could not remember how long he stayed in heaven before he finished with the noodle and returned to reality. Probably no more than 15 minutes - but, against the theory of Einstein, it appeared an eternity. When he looked around, the other customers had gone. The chef was quietly wrapping things up - trying not to disturb his last guest of the day.

K sipped some cold water to clear his taste bud and said, "I must take my hat off, sir. Your ramen is amazing!"

"Oh, that's my honor." The chef blushed a little and bowed.

"Em... but, please do not be offended - may I ask a question? Why couldn't I find your name in the Tire-Man's Guide?"

Menu

K was surprised to find the ramen shop was even smaller than what he expected. There were no more than a dozen of seats, and only two were occupied.

He took a chair close to the chef - a short middle-age man with much grey hair. There was no waitress. The chef gave K a glass of ice-cold water and said, "Good night, sir."

K nodded and put the water aside. He knew that traditional ramen shops serve only cold water - no green tea, soft drink, or other fancy liquid. He cleared his throat and said, "Good night. Em... May I have the menu?"

In no time the chef gave the late customer a dingy sheet of paper.

It took no more than ten seconds for K to read it through - for the menu was unbelievably brief and there was nothing much to choose. There was just one kind of broth and one type of noodle. No dumpling or other appetizer. Texture of the noodle was fixed by the chef, and apparently customers were not allowed to add extra spices into the broth. The only thing that he needed to decide was whether he wanted an extra egg.

And K picked yes.

Nightfood

Midnight.

K was walking alone in the street. He had just excused himself from a banquet, but he had no intention to go home yet. There was a full moon to appreciate, and the breeze of early autumn was addictive. But, above all, he was hungry.

As a food critic, having an empty stomach is not a familiar feeling to him. Unfortunately, all food that he poured down his throat a moment ago in that exquisite steak house seemed to have stuck in the back of his spine.

He had a gut feeling that he needed some night food to comfort his soul. Yes, that's all the reason for his wandering.

Soon, something caught his eyes. Around the cul-de-sac there was some fuzzy but inviting light from an old wood-frame window.

It was a small ramen shop.

K walked closer and took a deep breath. A familiar smell. Yes, a broth of pig bone, enriched by the flavor of chicken, further highlighted by some soy sauce.  Oh, it's Kantō (関東) style.

"What could be better than having ramen at this time of the day!" K said to himself as he pushed open the door.

王安石

Yes, the second story of Sima Guang is his relation with Wang Anshi. In fact, the story of Sima makes no sense if we do not mention Wang.

The incident was, once again, well known to most of us: The Song empire was weak and faced an immense thread from her neighbours. When appointed by Emperor Shenzong (神宗) as the prime minister, Wang attempted a series of drastic socioeconomic changes - widely known as the Xī Níng Reform (熙寧變法).

Although the intention was good (for example, the Song government was running a huge budget deficit, and Wang proposed a new taxation system - the idea was actually very similar to what the Democrats of the States are now doing), Wang was more or less an idealist and did not pay sufficient attention to work out the practical details of his new system.

And here enter Sima Guang: When the Reform was first announced, he wrote to Wang and suggested the existing system should not be changed so quick and drastically. Unfortunately, self-confidence blinded the eyes of Wang, who considered Sima too old-fashioned and retorted in a lengthy letter. The two of them, used to be good friends with mutual esteem, broke off that and there. The new policies transformed and became a continual political struggle between the reformists and conservatives.

And the rest is history.

司馬光

A historical character who keeps flashing through my mind recently is Sima Guang (司馬光).

For those who have some background knowledge on the history of China, there are two famous stories related to this famous scholar of the Sung dynasty, and, what may skip your eyes is, they are self conflicting and should not happen to the same person.

The first incident took place when Sima Guang was a child. (Many of you may also have read it in the primary school days.) On one occasion, he was playing in the backyard with other children. There was a large water tank in the yard. One of the children climbed up to the tank and fell into the vat by accident. The tank was very deep and full of water, and the child soon drowned. The other children were all scared, crying and shouting. The only exception was Sima Guang, who was quick-witted and calm enough to pick up a large stone, hit the tank and break it. The poor child inside was saved that and there as the water was drained.

The lesson is simple: Sima Guang was kind of a person who conformed to no fixed rule and was willing to break a tradition.

In that case, why couldn't he get along with Wang Anshi (王安石)?

Title

I must say LS was surprised not only because I was so brief in presenting my qualifications, but, more importantly, I gave very little information on my job title.

Let me show you a typical name card as an example:

Professor XY Zi
Professor of Molecular Ethics
Department of Alternative Philosophy
Director, Center for Clinical Theological Research
President, Kowloon Society of Atheism
Secretary, Mongkok College of Supernatural Science
Council Member, Temple Street Old Professions Foundation
Specialist in Colourful Linguistic Practice

And the list could be endless - or, to say the least, as long as one's full curriculum vitae.

PS. The principle behind all these is actually simple: Most of these "titles" are voluntary work that take up little time of ours. To me, it seems logical to focus on the single job that I earn my living and worth my salt.

Qualification

(Our corridor discussion went on.)

"Szeto, I suppose that's not all the qualifications and positions you hold?"

"Em... maybe, but no big deal...." I murmured and went on to say to myself, "Why do we have to tell a new acquaintance every minor detail of ourselves? We judge a person by what he does and how he behaves, less to what he says, and certainly not what he claims to be on his name card. I hope the others also judge me by the same criteria. If they are more interested in what's printed on my card, I don't give a damn."

For obvious reasons I kept this argument to myself, and I told my friend, "You know, I just follow the traditional way of description. For example, if we got an MD, there is no need to write MBChB - or MBBS. Similarly, there is no point to mention MRCP(UK) if you have FRCP(Edin). Yes, many local authorities insist that we should put our first medical degree - that is, MBBS or MBChB - at the beginning of our list of qualification, but I consider it an unfortunate and silly requirement."

You won't ask the sex and age of menopause for a patient in the obstetric ward, will you?

Card

While we were discussing about the new logo (and mission statement!) of our faculty, WM, our department executive officer, sent us an email and asked if we want to print new name cards with the new logo.

Of course, the card of all faculty staff would have the same design and layout.

In that afternoon, LS met me in the corridor and asked, "Szeto, are you going to have some new name cards?"

"Sure. I am running out of my old ones anyway. How about you?"

"Yes, and that's the point. I can't really figure out what titles to put on my new card." The professor of rheumatology said.

"I don't understand. What's the problem?"

"Alas, there are so many qualifications and positions to fit into that tiny little space. How could you do that? Can you show me your old card?" She said eagerly.

I remained puzzled when I opened my wallet and took out a card of mine. There are only 20 alphabets to summarize my qualifications, and my job title is a single word - the empty space is more than enough for all angels to dance on.

月詩

I must say I was surprised, "What poem did you choose?"

"Em... We picked Chang'e (常娥) of Li Shangyin (李商隱)," my friend said slowly.

"雲母屏風燭影深，長河漸落曉星沈。嫦娥應悔偷靈藥，碧海青天夜夜心。" I murmured, "It is really a good choice. Short, simple, and very famous!"

WY nodded and blushed a little, "That's all the reason."

"Alas, although I am a fan of Li Shangyin, I must say the first piece that comes to my mind is by Nalan Xingde (納蘭性德): 辛苦最憐天上月，一昔如環，昔昔都成玦。若似月輪終皎潔，不辭冰雪為卿熱..."

That's Butterfly in Love with Flowers (蝶戀花).

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.

PS. Although Li's poem is about Chang-O (嫦娥), the formal Chinese title is Chang'e (常娥). In the Tang Dynasty, many similar words were used interchangeably - it was an era of flexibility and receptiveness.

Ci

During a casual lunch time discussion, my friend WY sighed, "I used to think the teaching of Chinese language in secondary schools has deteriorated a lot over the years, but it is really not the case - not even for international school!"

She was talking about her elder daughter, who is studying class 8 in an international school. I smiled and asked, "What's up?"

"You know, the recent poem that she studied in the class was Shui diao ge tou (水調歌頭) of Su Shi (蘇軾)."

"Alas, that's not too bad. Although it may not be too easy a piece for a 14-year-old girl, the poem is very well known and I believe entirely reasonable to include in the syllabus."

"Yes, but the problem is her homework," my friend went on, "She was asked to prepare another poem, or Cí (詞), about moon for presentation and explanation in the class - and A Quiet Night Thought (静夜思) of Li Bai (李白) is not allowed!"

PS. The proper name of Su's Cí should be Mid-autumn of the Bing Chen Year (丙辰中秋). Shui diao ge tou is the name of the melody.

Younger

Many of you may know our faculty has changed to a new set of logo. It's meant for brand building and improving cohesiveness amongst our colleagues.

Although there are quite a number of hidden meanings (our chairman actually took close to ten minutes to explain to us about all the cryptic messages), the basic idea of this new logo is simple: It's two pieces of apricot leaves.

"The new logo is brilliant. It looks fresh and energetic," one of my friends says, "That suites well with our new dean. You know, our deans are getting younger."

"Do you mean our new dean is younger than the previous one, or our dean looks younger and younger with the years?" I smiled.

Quiet

My recent leisure reading is Susan Cain's Quiet.

This is supposed to be a book on psychology for layman and the idea is simple. It discusses the difference between extrovert and introvert people, how the modern society favors the former and squeezes out the latter, and the value of preserving and cultivating introverts to become successful people. Being an introvert herself, Cain certainly emphasizes throughout the book on the value and positive side of her kind of people. I find it difficult to object her argument as I am nothing less than a typical introvert by Cain's definition.

However, I must say any one-dimensional classification of human behaviour is risky and over-simplified. Not everyone who are not extroverts are introverts. Not everyone who do not make friend with us are our enemies. Not everyone who turn away from the crowd could work efficiently alone - they may be playing on-line games.

PS. A considerable length of this book is used to describe physiological experiments that aim to determine the biological difference between introverts and extroverts. Since there is something called alternative medicine, I suppose these experiments should be classified as alternative science; they are probably analyzed by alternative statistics, and should be interpreted by alternative logic.

Boss

You may ask: How did the other side respond to my teasing?

No. Nothing. Noted and thanks.

I was wrong: If they could understand what I mean, they would not ask that very question at the very first beginning!

********************
But, when I come to think of it, I do miss my (previous) supervisors.

The first one I had, when I first became a medical officer, is now one of the most busy private gastroenterologists in the city.
The one I had when I sat for my membership examination is a respiratory physician with a terrific business.
While doing my specialty training, I had two supervisors. One changed his specialty and became a full time administrator (now retired and is doing part time job to teach risk management). The other is... Oh, I shouldn't say what the man who used to have a moustache is doing.
And, my last supervisor - when I was doing overseas training - became the dean of his own medical school.

I still remember his warm smile when he welcomed me in his laboratory.

Supervisor

I am recently invited by another department to give a talk for a postgraduate course. Soon after I accept invitation, a remarkable email arrives:

***********************
Dear Professor,

Could you please send me the name of your supervisor for your outside practice application.

Yours Sincerely, et cetera.

***********************
(I cannot resist the temptation of replying that and there. Here you go.)

Sir,

I'm afraid I am too old to enjoy the privilege of having a supervisor. My outside practice is endorsed by our department chairman.

CCS

Learn

I must say I was probably slight harsh to that unfortunate student. Nonetheless, I am still convinced that very last comment of mine remains valid.

And a old saying suddenly come up to my mind:

• The one who does not learn after committing the same mistake repeatedly is an idiot (蠢才).
• The one who only learns after committing the same mistake repeatedly is a mediocre (庸才).
• The one who learns after committing the mistake once is average (中才).
• The one who learns after seeing the others making a mistake is clever (聰明).
• The one who could foresee and avoid a mistake although no one has ever fallen into that trouble is a genius (天才).

By the way, the traditional meaning of being clever (聰明) in Chinese is the ability to stay alert and look around - so that one could learn from the others.

Seen

One of the recent activities that many of our colleagues have to do is the OSLER assessment with our final year students.

(For those who are not familiar with our system, OSLER is a kind of practical test for our students. We bring each student to see a real patient, observe the process of history taking and physical examination, follow by a short viva voce.)

The process is, by and large, rather boring to us. This time, one of the students was not doing that well. He spoke perfect English, had excellent bedside manner, could bluff on any topic - but knew close to nothing. When the examination was done, I sighed, "Boy, this is no good. Although you could pass by the skin of your teeth, you really have to study hard."

"Sir, I'm sorry to make you disappointed, but I must say I have not seen such a case before..." he said apologetically. (He was correct. The patient that he saw was not common - I have such a case once or twice each year. Nonetheless, the disease is life-threatening but potentially treatable. That's why it is important to make a correct diagnosis.)

"That's not an excuse if you miss such a case and come up to the court," I shook my head, "But, the more important lesson is, if you can only learn something after seeing it, you could learn very little!"

Purpose

To the surprise of K, the rower nods eagerly to the comment, "Very true. Too true - bitterly so. But a dream is something we should pursue on our own. There is little point to let the others know."

"Very well said," F says. He seems to have forgotten their difference in opinion,

"Agree." K is happy to see the other two men are in harmony again, "Nonetheless, may I ask why do you want to go to the North Pole?"

"Very simple for me. I wish to appreciate the aurora." The adventurer says.

"Em... I want to compare the effects of true north (正北) and magnetic north (磁北) on Feng Shui..." The rower murmurs reluctantly.

"Alas, in spite of your brilliant tactics and exceptional skill, I must say your goal is rather disappointing!" The adventurer smiles - he has his full sense of pride returned by now.

Wait

K senses the air is not going in the right direction between the other two men and decides to divert their attention, "By the way, L, I know that you have been living on the other island for some years. When did you begin having the idea of going to the North Pole?"

The face of the rower turns slightly red, "I determined to go there when I was a boy. You know, I was born in the Easter Island and, to follow my dream, I took the advantage of the South Pacific Gyre and arrived at this part of the ocean three - or four, I'm not sure - years ago. Yes, after travelling thousands of miles!"

"How admirable!" K is really impressed, "But I must say I am confused. If you know of the Kuroshio Current, you can continue with you journey that and there. Why do you have to stay on that island for so many years?"

"The sight on the island is gorgeous! Oh, but seriously, I have been waiting all the years. I've got to check on the details and make sure how and where the current will be bringing me to, and I need some preparation - a strong canoe, sufficient amount of fresh water, and some food, just in case. Weren't these also the considerations when your ancestors brought you people here centuries ago?"

"I see," the aborigine nods, "However, may I ask one question? Say, if you die unexpectedly before you set off to Taipei, nobody would know you have a dream. Wouldn't you be considered as another inferior creature living without a purpose in this part of the world?"

Current

The adventurer seems annoyed with the rower's response, "Of course there are many other ways, but you are missing the quickest and most direct one."

"Am I?" L says with an indifferent tone, "Have you heard of the Kuroshio Current? I plan to catch it at the shore of Taipei, and, at this time of the year, it will bring me to the Tokyo Bay. No, it's not the North Pole yet. But it is a significant move, and the effort is minimal."

F feels sore. He has never thought of such a clever plan. But he decides to defend his obsession with the Polaris, "So, all you know is how to get to Tokyo. Have you considered how to get from there to our destination?"

"No, I don't, really. I shall think along the way and see if there is any opportunity for - I don't know what."

"I must say I shall not go with you but would have to continue with my own way," F shakes his head, "You have no strategy. Or your goal is blur and illusive."

"On the other hand, you have a clear goal but no tactic,"  the aborigine fancies he hears such a reply from the rower.

PS. The Kuroshio Current is also known as the North Pacific Current.

Direction

K is dumbfound to hear such a reply, while F is certainly excited to encounter someone who has the same goal.

"That's brilliant! We can go together. How are you going to start from here?" The adventurer says.

K frowns. He is not sure why F asks that question if he has the Polaris as the answer. But the rower does not seem to notice the facial contracture of the aborigine, "Alas, that's exactly why I'm here. I am sailing to Taipei."

The other two men look at each other. For sure they are no idiot and know their whereabout on the Earth. F breaks into laughter, "Hey man! That's not to the north - you're heading west!"

"I know," the rower looks calm, "Although my destination is the North Pole, it doesn't mean that I have always to go north - there are many alternative routes."

Rower

While the adventurer and the aborigine on the island are exchanging their opinion on a distant dream, a low pitch hissing comes from the coast.

The two men turn to the noise. A canoe is approaching.

K rubs his eyes, in an attempt to see a bit more clearly in the starlight. There is a man on the little boat. Alas, K recognizes the face. It belongs to L, a young man who lives on another small island near by. K knows L for some time as they occasionally meet while both are fishing outside the shore.

"Hello!" K waves to the approaching rower, "Long time no see! What brings you here at this time of the day?"

"Nice to see you, my friend," L smiled, "It's good luck I could say goodbye to you. You know, I'm setting off to continue with my journey to the North Pole."

Dream

F feels the tinge of disapproval from the reply of his new acquaintance. His sense of pride forces him to blush a little, and, then, he shakes his head, "My friend, you have no dream."

The aborigine considers this remark for a while before he replies, "Maybe you are right. All I concern is how to stay on this island and pass the days. I worry about where to fish, how much wood to gather for a fire over night, and things like that. North Pole seems so far away and has little to do with me."

K pauses for a moment. Seeing that the adventurer says nothing, K goes on, "Honestly I'm not sure I need a dream. Yes, my life is nothing more than fulfilling my animal need, but is it worse than pursuing a distant goal, so as to satisfy one's own pride - or, whatever psychological need you like?"

The adventurer doesn't answer. To him, as things are looked at another angle, the difference is just too obvious.

Follow

For a moment K thinks he must have misheard what his new acquaintance says.

"N... North Pole? That's far away!"

"Very much so," F nods, "But this is my ultimate goal. You know, North Pole is the dream of every adventurer!"

K wants to say he doesn't know, but his prefers to be polite, "How admirable. May I ask, sir, how can you get there - I mean, how do you know the way?"

"What a question! Look up. There..." F points to somewhere on the sky, "We call that Polaris. It shows us the direction. If you follow it all the time, it will guide you to the North Pole eventually."

"Em... sir, I know what Polaris means. May I say there is a small problem with your plan: If you follow this infallible star from here, you will find yourself in the deep water outside the beach!"

Island

(Midnight. On the beach of a small island somewhere around the Pacific Ocean.)

K is surprised to see another man at this time of the day. Well, time should not be in the equation. As a Polynesian aborigine, K always believes he is the only human being living on this island, and he has lived long enough to forget about the questions where does he come from and what is the purpose of his life here. In his simple mind, there is only one mission: to subsist - whatever that means.

But K decides to take aside his obsession and takes a careful look on the man he is seeing. Tall. Slim. Well shaved. Must not be a day more than fifty. All in green - well-fit hunting suite. An air of elegance seems radiating out to his surrounding.

And he has a friendly smile.

"Hello. What a pleasure to see someone in this part of the world! Let me introduce myself. My name is F. How do you do?"

"And mine K. Sir, what are you doing here?"

"I just start a journey - I am going to the North Pole."

Spinoza

Many of you may know the favorite philosopher of mine is Baruch Spinoza.

And my reason is simple. Spinoza made his living as a simple lens grinder. (In fact, he died at the age of 44 from a lung disease, which was most likely silicosis exacerbated by fine glass dust inhaled while grinding optical lenses.) Nonetheless, he spent most of his time writing and studying as a private scholar. In 1673, University of Heidelberg offered Spinoza the title Professor of Philosophy on the condition that can not mention god or religion. He declined.

If one cannot talk about what he thinks is right, what good is there to hold an important position?

PS. Spinoza was expelled from the Jewish religious community at the age of 23. As a head-to-toe Unitarian, ironically, he never became a Christian. Yes, he moved to a town near the Christians' headquarters, and was buried in a Christian graveyard, but he never accepted baptism or participated in a Christian mass - another reason to take my hat off.

Plot

I must say there's some truth in my friend's comment.

"He insists that this is a plot against him," I added.

"Do you think so? Who do you think the plot comes from?" L put up a curious smile.

"Could it be someone from the government - I mean the State Council?"

"Don't be silly. Just think of it: At the time when it happened, the head of the State Council was about to retire. Why should he stir up the issue if it was not absolutely necessary?"

"Em... Are you implying the plot is from the Party - as we heard from the grapevine?"

"But, could it be true? To the new Party head, isn't it better to keep everything status quo? After all, our very man at hand was raised to this position by the previous giant!"

"Alas, do you mean all the plots are imagination of his own?" I asked.

"Or, maybe his wife? In any case it is genuine schizophrenia - they have thought broadcasting. Oh, no. They are practising thought broadcasting!" L could not stop laughing.

Trial

Met my friend L again on my way home. I could not resist the temptation to ask him for the opinion on some contemporary matter.

"My friend, what do you think about the recent trial?"

"Political matter - what else could it be?" He sneered.

"Em... do you think he is guilty?"

"That depends on your definition. Well, I suppose that's not the most interesting part of the story."

"In that case, what is interesting?" I asked.

"Look. This man is arrested for wrongdoings as a governmental official. Why should his post in the political party be taken away? We are almost coming to the old question: Government and Party, which is more important?"

"But, isn't it obvious enough? Since he is guilty on a governmental issue, he is not suitable as the leader of a political party. Isn't it?"

"Alas, is it really the usual practice?"