There has been a long long time that I have not written any entry in xanga. 
Most of my xanga friends cannot get in touch with me for that reasons. 
Some people even believe that I do not use xanga anymore.  However,
the fact is that, I think the place of Xanga cannot be subsituted. 
It encourages cultural, knowledge and idea exchange among people.
And I can benefit a lot from it by reading others' blogs.

The reason for me not writting anything in summer is not because
I have nothing to write.  It is because I have so many many things to
write and I do not know how to start.  In this summer,
I have finish my final year project,
with title "Black Carbon and Adverse Climate Effects on China",
and my engineering communication and design report,
with title "Kai Tak Cruise Terminal and Associated Development".
I have learnt a lot from these two projects,
and I start to taste what a real engineer should do in their working life.

Besides, I have joined "China Synergy Programme for outstanding Youths".
I have been to Guangzhou, Xian, Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai to have
cultural exchange with local people and government. 
I have made friends from different parts of the world in different fields of study.
However, all of us are just like brother and sister. 
Most of us are complete sad and brust into tear on the day we departed.
We promise each other our friendship should be last forever,
and we should find chance to visit each other in the home country to have a big reunion.
It is really fantastic!  I now recall a proverb, "Blood is thicker than water".
Yes, it is true.  Especially for those foreign born people,
they have strong feelings that they have found their roots in these 17 days!

When I come back from the trip, I work every day and night to catch up with my projects.
So, I have no time to organise what I have learnt. 

Later, I have been one of the volunteers in Beijing Olympics. 
This is a meaningful event that containing special meaning to China. 
I feel particular impressed when looking back to China 20 to 30 years ago.  
China has acheived so much in these few decades!  It is really a miracle!  
Although people have blamed China for a lot of different things,
the truth is that, under the planned economy,
the wealth and power of China has rised without fall. 
Compared with the free market proposed by the west,
Chinese system seem immunes to any economical crisis.  
Western people believe everyone has their right. 
The world will become bright and everyone has satisfying life if everyon's desire can be satisfied.
However, they have omitted one point.  Although everyone is given the same right,
not everyone is provided the same amount of power.
When people become selfish, the uneven distribution of power can cause a lot of problem in society.

In addition, I am in the organising committee of CSR project. 
We have organised different kinds of acitivites including leadership adventure camp,
teaching programme, exhibtion, and challenges. 
Although this project has added a large burden on me in such tight-schedule,
I enjoy every moment there as I really can experience what I will face in business world.
This experience cannot be obtained without working there.

Last but not least, I have been with family to have family travel to Japan. 
We have visited a lot of place and taken a lot of photos. 
We have tried different kinds of seafood and experience the true hot springs.
I love that place very much as the air is totally fresh, and flowers are booming. 
With the shining of the sun, you can smell and enjoy the color of differnent flowers. 

After all, that is what I am doing now.

I am now in Los Angeles.  I have my exchange study here for 1 year. 
I have made several plans here and I really hope to acheive them all! 

Time is limited and not all people have this opportunity to go studying abroad.  
So, I should take my time to experience the US life and US culutre. 
And also, building up my english skills.

I am so glad that the camp has run smoothly and participants all enjoy the CSR project.

I believe many of them will become future leaders.  The impact of the project can thus be last to affect our offsprings.  I am happy to meet all of them, such enthusiastic and excellence students!

I will type the post regarding the CSR project camp later.  I have really had a lot of feelings and thinkings, and need quite a lot of time to write.

Thank you all!  OC, Faci, Participants, Externals....

I am going to join China Synergy Programme for Outstanding Youths.  Although it is about to begin, I do not have time to sleep... it is 5:40 am already and I have to get up at 7am.  Anyway, I have no choice.

I have slept less than 4 hours for a few days... and today no exception.  I have just finished the first draft of the final year project interim report.

China Synergy Programme for Outstanding Youths Schedule:

1/7/2008
Hong Kong
Registration for all delegates
Orientation
Welcoming Dinner
 
2/7/2008
Hong Kong
Olympic-related activity
Being a Hong Kong Citizen
Group Discussion
 
3/7/2008
Hong Kong
Visit in Groups
Commissioning Ceremony
Visit Victoria Peak
 
4/7/2008
Guangzhou
Hong Kong to Pan-yu by ferry
Seminar
Visit Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre
 
5/7/2008
Guangzhou
Olympic-related activity
Being a Guangzhou Citizen
Group Discussion
 
6/7/2008
Xi-an
Guangzhou to Xian by flight
Visit Terracotta Warriors and Horses
Being a Xian Citizen
 
7/7/2008
Xi-an
Visit the Agricultural Hi-tech Industries Demonstration Zone
Group Discussion
 
8/7/2008
Xi-an
Seminar
Visit Shannxi Provincial Museum
Visit ancient city wall
Xian to Beijing by train
 
9/7/2008
Beijing
Visit the Great Wall
Being a Beijing Citizen
 
10/7/2008
Tianjin
Beijing to Tianjin by Bullet Train
Visit Tianjin Bin-hai New Area
Visit the Ancient Cultural Street
Group Discussion (Beijing)
 
11/7/2008
Beijing
Visit the Palace Museum (The Forbidden City)
 
12/7/2008
Beijing
CSP Forum
Olympic-related activity
 Group Discussion
 
13/7/2008
Shanghai
Visit Military Camp
Beijing to Shanghai by flight
Visit the Bund / Pudong
 
14/7/2008
Shanghai
Seminar
Olympic-related activity
Group Discussion
 
15/7/2008
Shanghai
Visit in groups
Being a Shanghai Citizen
 
16/7/2008
Shanghai
Group Discussion and Reflection
Closing Ceremony
Farewell Party
 
17/7/2008
Hong Kong
Shanghai to Hong Kong by flight (HK and Overseas students)

I am one of the Hong Kong delegates.  It is a great time to make friends with people all over the world!  It is also a great challenges to communicate with people with different cultures!

GPA 公布了!

今個 Semester 的 GPA 總算滿意, 可以放心去加州讀書了! 

其實, 今個 Semester 的 GPA 對我來說可謂有重大影響,
我有加州大學的Conditional Offer, 必須過三,
而沙地阿拉伯獎學金的 Condition 也是過三。
而且, 今個學期有 48 Credits 的比重, 法律和工程各佔一半,
語言能力為最大弱點的我, 當然十分擔心。

我曾想過不考 Tort, 那便可以放心去 Exchange,
但最後我沒這樣做,
因為我相信, 只要盡自己最大的能力, 沒有任何困難會難得到我,
假如最後結果不盡如意, 自己亦無怨無悔。

Course	Course Description	Credit/Unit	Grade
LLAW1005	Law of tort I	6	C+
LLAW1006	Law of tort II	6	C+
CIVL2004	Hydraulics and hydrology	6	A-
CIVL2006	Soil mechanics	6	A-
CIVL2007	Theory and design of structures II	6	A-
CIVL3021	Water resources engineering	6	B+
ECEN1602	Writing solutions to legal problems (English)	3	C+
LLAW1012	Legal research and writing III	3	A-
PHIL1005	Critical thinking and logic	6	A

Semester 2 GPA: 3.25                         
Cumulative GPA:  3.26

Civil Engineering CGPA: 3.59                       

Law CGPA: 2.13

Broadening CGPA: 3.83

我曾對自己許下承諾, 要把所有事情做到最好,
一件事情的完結, 同時也是一件事情的開始,

許多事情不是必然, 無論日後的路變得如何,

都要堅持自己信念, 克服一切困難。

天行健, 君子以自強不息;
地勢坤，君子以厚德載物。  
共勉之。

Excel Data Treatment Problem Solved

As I have said in the past entry, the most difficult part of doing my final year project is to find the source of data. 
At the time when I started to feel frustrated, I tried nearly every mean to get data from any source. 
Luckily, after I registered in the national climate center of China, I am able to get access to the database of the
temperature and rainfall records of 160 cities.  The records are avaliable for every month from 1951 to now.

However, at the very beginning, I got stuck because the raw data is really really too raw.  I find very difficult to
transform those data into the format we usually use in excel. 

The problem I encounter is as the following.

The data I got is merely number with 20 figures on each row.  However, there should be 160 data for an year. 
So, this means the first 8 rows represent the data of an year.  The next 8 rows represent the data of the next year. 
Although the problem seems striaght forward, since copy and paste is an obvious method, it is impossible for me
 to use this method since I have totally 160x57x12x2, which equates 218880, data to handle.

I ask nearly all my friends studying computer, none of them can suggest a simple way to solve the problem.

Today, when surfing the net, I discover the solution.

Here is the code in Visual Basic.

Sub 轉換()
Dim numcol As Integer
Dim numrow As Long
Dim i As Long
Dim x As Integer
Dim numperrow As Integer
numperrow = InputBox("請輸入每行要填的資料行的數目:")
Range("數據").Select
numrow = Selection.Rows.Count '數據區的行數
numcol = Selection.Columns.Count '數據區的列數
x = numperrow * numcol
Range("a1").Select
For i = 1 To numrow '以資料的每一行為單位進行剪切
Range("數據").Rows(i).Cut
ActiveSheet.Paste
Selection.Offset(, numcol).Select
If (i Mod numperrow) Then '判斷是否要換行
Else: Selection.Offset(1, -x).Select
End If
Next i
End Sub

After finishing the inception report of Kai Tak Terminal project, I have to begin my interim report of the final year project. 

Although I have already solved the problem at the time being, I am very glad that David has made this
wonderful programme.

David, add oil in your study in computer science!  Wish you success in future career! 

自考試以來, 每天 MSN 的狀態是忙碌, Gmail 的狀態也是忙碌。

開始之時, 人人都不以為意,

有趣的是, MSN 忙碌了三個星期, 越來越多人質疑其可信性,

按捺不住主動問候一下。

其實, 自去年暑假開始, 我已不斷計畫今年暑期活動,

打算延續去年探險精神,

於神州大地背包行, 也找到不少志同道合的朋友。

唯最後工作繁重, 被逼取消計畫, 請各兄弟見諒。

現在, 我基本上有五大任務, 必須在這個暑假內完成。

雖然有大部份人會對我的行為會大惑不解,

並質疑我有否能力好好一一完成,

我只知道, 這一個暑假,

我會得到不同種類的智識經驗, 發展不同的技巧能力,

為達成日後理想, 邁進一步。

如有共同興趣, 歡迎討論和合作 =)

1.        Final Year Project

我要寫一篇有關 Climate Change in China 的論文,

主要研究的是 Black Carbon 和二氧化硫對環境的影響,

我已看了十數篇論文, 過百篇 Short Reports,

並大致上研究或總結出變化機制,

現在唯一困難的地方是欠缺有關數據,

例如中個某城市的空氣情況, 降雨量, 氣溫等數十年內的資料。

因為欠缺數據, 我現將焦點放在香港珠三角,

雖然數據充足, 但卻因為沿海以及受季節風影響,

得出的結論和自己所想的機制有點不同。

現階段, 仍不斷找尋各樣關係。

眼見中國內地近日的氣候不斷改變, 華南暴雨成災,

真希望自己能研究些成果出來, 解釋這些現場!

2.        Engineering Design and Communication Project

相信工作比較貼近日後 Client 和 Consultant 所做的東西,

主要是研究啟德機場發展的問題。

我們的焦點放在新的郵輪碼頭和附近建設,

會探討各項 Impact Assessment 和 Ordinance。

真想不到, 原來一個啟德機場,

建與不建, 填海, 性質等風波已延續了十數年。 

風波漸漸平息, 不知以後的啟德機場會是怎樣?

上網搜查過啟德的資料, 原來啟德機場很受外國人歡迎,

有外國人為它成立 Fans Group,

原因是享受飛機在城市大廈上空飛過的感覺,

是全世界獨一無二的。

做這個 Project, 看著啟德的舊照片,

想起一事一物, 包括現在做的這份 project, 均為時代之過客,

倍感唏噓。

3.        Corporate SR Project

我是 Project 的 OC, 掌管財政和參與programming 的工作,

活動包括 Leadership Adventurous Camp, Teaching programme, Funfair, Forum。

由於活動之大, 牽涉事物之多, 時間之少, 大大提升本人決策和應變能力。

4.        CSP

身為香港其中一位代表, 當然要盡一分力,

工作是負責制作紀念品給中國和香港的首長級官員。

在工程和法律的訓練下, 腦部的創造力有一段時間消失了,

這正是爆發創意的好時候。

5.        Equestrian

不足兩個月, 便要開始服務了。 

但現在的智識和能力還是遠遠不夠, 真有點擔心,

而且, 因暴雨關係, 已有幾堂課沒上,

希望能夠努力學習趕上進度吧!

無論如何, 由於我是 Accommodation Team,

我學到了許多 Hotel Management 的智識。

這個暑假, 對我來說充滿挑戰,

無論如何, 要好好珍惜這些機會, 嘗試不同的東西。

日後的世界沒有人能預料,

有人說, 人許多東西都可以奪去, 唯獨奪不走的便是智識,

有人說, 智識就是力量,

所以,

一個人永遠不會喪失的力量便是智識。