【怪你過分美麗？介紹 Ocean Vuong ‧ On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous】🌈

一看書名，已覺得「文藝」吧？我不算文藝，更不懂文學，但近年不少亞裔小說家在美、英等國家嶄露頭角，剛好我留意到作者的名字，和他大獲好評的首本小說作品，就看看吧，感覺一新。

說是小說，其實是作者的回憶，以「給母親的信」方式寫成，以自己、母親和祖母的一連串經歷和感受，穿插而成，像紐約時報書評形容，本書並非帶領讀者「以思想達致感受」，而是「從感觀令我們思考」。的確，在短短兩百多頁的「信」，讀者完全進入了作者的感觀和思想世界。

Vuong 非常年輕，1988年生，2019年出版本書前，已經是位年青得獎詩人，在美國大學任教。他在出生於越南，與母親、祖母等家人途經菲律賓，以難民身分在美國東北康涅狄格州 Hartford 市定居，中學後去紐約升學，讀了幾個星期「市場推廣」，不能接受這教「對人講大話」的學科，結果改為學習英文寫作。本書內容也是他的成長回憶，他母親和祖母的故事，還有他的初戀男孩。

Vuong 顯然是一個個性內向、溫柔甚至纖弱的小男孩，自己和家人連英文也未曉，就到了美國這個東北中型城市，就是面對種族歧視、貧窮環境下，也許都不太清楚在發生什麼事。他說，從母親那裡學到，因為言語不通，對任何人打招呼的第一句話，是「sorry」（對不起），不是「hello」什麼，但這也不是因為自卑，就是這樣習慣罷了。（有點像我們係唔係都先說「唔好意思」？）

母親和祖母飽受戰火傷害，都有她們傷痛的過去，影響一生。書中比喻，帝王蝶每年由加拿大遷徙去墨西哥，有些中途停了下來，不能完成，就離開世界了，就是完成了的，他們短短生命中，也永遠不會能回家。至於書中下半部較多描述他發現和探索自己的性別身分，及十分深情和細膩地描述他的愛人，一個與他自己一樣溫柔，但更不幸運的美國男孩。

作者在書中於文體上作了多種不同嘗試，包括部分以近似詩詞（poem）方式表達，而且在文字上對不少字語給他的個人感受，都描繪得很仔細。即使他很小時候已經學習英語，始終英語對他是第二語言，不知是否因為這理由，他對英文甚至個別詞語像是比英語為母語者更客觀地、更敏感地感受，溶入他的思想中。

例如，他問，文字和藝術，為什麼要充滿毀滅，不能以「重生」（regeneration）正面地形容？

//You kill that poem, we say. You're a killer. You came into that novel guns blazing. I am hammering them out, we say. I owned that workshop. I shut it down. I crushed them. We smashed the competition. I'm wrestling with the muse. The state, where people live, is a battleground state. The audience a target audience. "Good for you, man," a man once said to me in a party, "you're making a killing with poetry. You're knocking 'em dead."//

真的，過往沒留意，英文裡，「成功」、「做得好」的代名詞、助語詞等，多是充滿暴力和殺戮的。只是英文這個語言，還是反映人性的一面？為什麼要這樣？還有，我們有沒有留意或想過：

//It's not fair that the word laughter is trapped inside slaughter.//

「Trapped inside」。如此的形容！

Vuong 寫的是感受，但在書中有兩個地方突然「認真」地點出兩個社會問題。第一個是問，為甚麼多種族混血的著名高爾夫球手 Tiger Woods，多數人都只說他是位黑人（非洲裔美國人），而不提他也是亞裔美國人？原來，他父親的經歷和把兒子命名 Tiger 的背後，也有個與越南不可分割的感人故事。另一個他提出的問題，是美國藥廠以混有海洛英成分的止痛藥導致的嚴重公眾健康、成癮和吸毒問題，藥廠大賺，政府管理無方，變相官商勾結，大量民眾成為「北美病夫/婦」。這兩個，都是他身受其害，割肉之痛的問題，也許他也想用他的文字，引起多一些關注。

本書據說正在改編電影，始終關於同性戀、移民、亞裔美國人等熱門字眼，荷里活有興趣也無可厚非，但相信電影難以影像代替作者文字的效果，但希望可以表達 Vuong 眼中的美麗吧。On earth we're briefly gorgeous -- 在這世界我們總能短暫美麗。令我不禁想起，只怕《怪你過分美麗》。

#OceanVuong #OnEarthWeReBrieflyGorgeous
#和你讀
#光讀書 #書評 #讀書

🌻另一個Zoom會議(第二次貼......有補上一些內容)
繼上次的年報導讀會議後, 讓我們再做另一個會議! 這次很榮幸邀請到一位對估值很有見解的股友前輩來帶大家了解估值(恩, 這次我會是主持人, 不是主講人).
主題: 估值(valuation)分享會(Cat: 這不算基礎的估值會議)
主講人: 小揚(from安泰價值投資)
https://www.facebook.com/antaiinvestment　(此為小揚的粉絲頁)
參與者: 具基本估值能力. 若打算參加者, 請事先跟我(請私訊)提出一個關於估值的case study, 到時候可在會議中分享(最好是以投影片形式呈現, 這樣到時候好跟大家分享). 若有估值的問題, 也可以提出.
Case study可以是美股, 也可以是台股.
時間: 台灣時間07/10 (周六)晚間９點.
預計一個小時(不會像上次那樣冗長了😅): 前30分鐘由小揚做分享, 後30分鐘大家分享估值案例&提問
進行方式: 以Zoom進行(之後會私訊會議資訊給參與者)

🌻Morgan Stanley Mid-year Investor Outlook: A tricky transition

https://www.morganstanley.com/ideas/midyear-2021-global-markets-outlook

🌻在您投資生涯中, 有沒有一些觀念讓您受用很多?
下面這位投資名人的好觀念影響我很深. 他的意思是, 一般投資人, 只要能説出三個買一家公司的理由, 就很夠了. 這也迫使我, 每次在買股票時, 問自己對這家公司的了解有多少. 也會去衡量公司的優點與缺點在哪裡.

"It is vital (重要的) that you know what you own, that if I asked you on the street why you like a certain stock, you can give me three reasons. If you don't know how they make their money, who their key clients are and what they make if, then I will tell you that you are over your head and should not own individual stocks."

全文在此:
Jim Cramer: In Times Like This, Go for the Easy Money
Look at the stocks you own. Can you tell me why you've got them? If you can't answer the following three questions, then have a look at several I like right now.

We've endured the meme stock craziness, with all of its love for heavily shorted stocks. We have watched the collapse of bitcoin to levels viewed as shocking, even if they are still more than double where they were not that long ago. We've dealt with Fed officials making it clear that they are no longer on the side of the bulls or the bears. They are on the side of job growth, but are wary of inflation. We've seen the end of the rush to get vaccines, which means that millions of people are going to get the new COVID variant, because there is no natural immunity to it. We've watched as the hopes for an infrastructure bill have collapsed. We've endured shortages of everything from chips to plastic to imported goods and labor.

And we're still standing, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yep, we are in one of those halcyon moments, where the masks are off -- even if they shouldn't be -- and Americans are back doing what they do best: consume, spend, go out to eat and then consume and spend some more.

There are times in the stock market where the collective mindset is revealed. This is one of those times: Things are cool, it's not a big moment, there's no real news for a bit, it's the historically strong period and we can reach some conclusions about where we are.

When things are like this, it is important to remember that buyers like to revert to tried-and-true companies that thrive no matter what. These are companies that have an edge and are better at what they do than other companies.

You know that I am a great believer in index funds, that the average person doesn't have the time or the inclination to research individual stocks. It's a difficult barrier. I think you need to make time to read the quarterly report and listen to the conference call, to Google articles and, if possible, get some research about the companies you own. It is vital that you know what you own, that if I asked you on the street why you like a certain stock, you can give me three reasons. If you don't know how they make their money, who their key clients are and what they make if, then I will tell you that you are over your head and should not own individual stocks. I am reminded by this, because, once again, without a mask, I can be recognized and if I am not holding "Nvidia the Second," I can carry on a conversation.

I have had many in the last two weeks and when I have asked this litany of questions, I find myself at a loss as to why almost no one knew what they owned. But they thirsted for individual stocks, because they, like me, think things are better post pandemic. No, that's not a facetious comment. Many, many stocks did better with a stay-at-home economy. A huge number.

So what do I do? I revert to what others do when you are stumped about how to stay in touch with stocks, but want to do less homework. That means buying stocks that are accessible, not stocks like Unity (U) or Snowflake (SNOW) or Twilio (TWLO) or Okta (OKTA) .

I revert to normal businesses people know and I suggest they Google some articles, peruse the conference call, but, above all, like the company's products so you can buy more if it goes down.

Here's some that I have been telling people I like:

First is Ford (F) . I think the Ford lineup is amazing. The electric F-150 series will be incredible. I am eager to get a Maverick for my family, because it is a smaller pickup that will get the job done for the myriad little things I need to do with this farm I bought from that crazy bitcoin foray. I like the competitive edge of the CEO, who says he is going to bury Elon Musk when the Lightning comes out. I even think the Bronco is cool as all get out. Most important, though? I think the chip shortage is ending. My semiconductor friends are telling me the foundries are producing more feature-rich chips and that means Ford can pump out the trucks small business people love and need. Plus, the used car prices at last have plateaued, according to their most important pricing index. Halcyon times.

Second, Costco (COST) : The samples are coming back. Tell me you don't love the samples. You need things in bulk. You want low prices. You want to get all of the things that people don't think of with Costco, like insurance, hearing-aids -- hey, they are a fortune -- jewelry, things around the house. You go and you will buy far more than you first came for. My kind of store.

The kids love this American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) , which we just bought for my charitable trust, which you can follow along by joining the Action Alerts PLUS club. Jay Schottenstein, the CEO, came on "Mad Money" recently and it's clear that his Aerie model has real staying power: 26 consecutive quarters of double digit growth. No flash in the pan, that one. Number one brand in jeans for the 15 to 25 year old group. The best in the mall. How did I know this? I see the credit card bills.

I got up this morning to do my physical therapy. I have been doing it ever since I hurt my back in February. I have this really cool pair of sneakers that fit me perfectly and I love them, but I am fortunate enough to have a vacation house and I am always taking those shoes with me.

So I went on Amazon (AMZN) this morning and lo and behold I saw them for half price. I bought two pairs. Then I went over everything I have bought in the last year and got a bunch of those things. Then I bought a pair of binoculars, because mine were stolen. I paid half price.

Yep, Amazon's universal. I was talking to Alexa, while I was ordering, getting some new music on, asking questions. I saw that despite all of the Sturm und Drang of Amazon being late with things, all the delivery dates were within range. I didn't click on any ads, and I didn't need the speed of Web Services, but the whole thing reminded me about how special the darned company is. I don't care if it's ahead or behind plan for the moment. I would just buy some more when it goes down.

Finally, Apple (AAPL) . I think people who don't own Apple should look what they are holding at this very moment. Yes, right now. Or look at what's in your lap or on the table besides your fork. And then think about the bill you paid last night without knowing it. Think about what you bought in the App store yesterday. Think about what would happen if it would break or get stolen or, left in the Uber (UBER) , or heaven forbid, be dropped into the pool or in the, yes, toilet.

There, that's what you buy in halcyon times. Stocks of companies you know that if they go lower, because things get less halcyon, you are fine with it and buy more. If things go up, believe me, you will participate.

So accept the moment. Don't try for the hard money. Go for the easy kind. That's the best kind.

https://realmoney.thestreet.com/jim-cramer/jim-cramer--15692051

Picture: 牡丹(peony)花開. 恨不得院子裡有一塊地是牡丹園.

[商業寫作技巧] Jeff Bezos Final Shareholder Letter as Amazon CEO

今天又來分享Presentality的商業英文寫作技巧~

★★★★★★★★★★★★

看貝佐斯致亞馬遜股東的最後一封信，學一些英文寫作小撇步!

上禮拜4月 15 日，亞馬遜創辦人 Jeff Bezos 發表了他 CEO 任內最後一封致股東的信。 歷年來亞馬遜的 shareholder letters 都廣受好評，甚至被許多專家封為美國最會寫股東信的企業之一。

這封信到底寫多好？我們就一起來看看。

★★★★★★★★★★★★

我們先看信的內容架構。大概只有五個部分而已：

1. 回顧：1997到今天，一路走來的成就
2. 價值：計算亞馬遜對社會各方創造的價值
3. 員工：亞馬遜其實對員工不錯，而且承諾未來會更好
4. 環境：亞馬遜對環境永續做的貢獻
5. 結語：世界要我們平凡，但我們要堅持獨特

★★★★★★★★★★★★

這封信的內容架構簡單清晰，聚焦回應股東對亞馬遜的主要批評點。

🎯 針對「亞馬遜對世界是好是壞？」：貝佐斯列出公司對社會各界— 使用者、新創公司、小商家等等 — 所做出的貢獻。

🎯 針對「亞馬遜如何對待員工」：貝佐斯列舉證據，表示亞馬遜其實對員工不錯，但又反過來說：我們未來一定會做的更好！

🎯這兩個寫完，他又加碼闡述亞馬遜對環境永續的貢獻

這就是我們的第一個寫英文文章的重點：

✍️ I. Make it simple & focused

What are the top things your audience is thinking about? Focus on that. Don’t add a lot of other complicated stuff. Simplify and focus.

你的讀者心裡在想什麼？他們對你最大的質疑點有哪些？你的開頭就直接切入重點，回應他們的疑點。

寫英文 — 尤其商業英文 — 最重要的就是簡潔、明瞭、聚焦。

其實呢，我們從貝佐斯用的文字上也看得出來：好的英文是簡單到大部分的人都看得懂的，就像這一段：

If you want to be successful in business (in life, actually), you have to create more than you consume. Your goal should be to create value for everyone you interact with. Any business that doesn’t create value for those it touches, even if it appears successful on the surface, isn’t long for this world. It’s on the way out.

沒有什麼很艱澀，高學歷的人才會用的字。大部分都只有一個音節而已。可能只有 “isn't long for this world” 有些人會需要查 (就是不會活很久的意思)。

★★★★★★★★★★★★

✍️ II. But… Be Conversational

但你有沒有注意到，內容有一點點重複？那一段的最後兩句：“isn’t long for this world” 跟 “It's on the way out” 根本是完全一樣的內容啊！這根本就跟英文寫作老師教我們的原則 — 可以刪的字就刪掉 — 相反對不對?

沒錯。因為這封信的語氣 (並非所有商業寫作)，就像是聊天一樣。我們在聊天的時候，是否會為了強調一個重點，用稍微不同的方式，重複同一件事？

所以呢，如果你想要寫出輕鬆一點的語氣，可以適當的「重複」。參考以下的兩種寫法：

•She is the corporate group’s top-ranked sales representative
•She’s by far our best sales rep, just insanely good. Like, nobody else comes close.

第二種比較浪費篇幅，但是否比較親切呢？

★★★★★★★★★★★★

✍️ III. Make it about PEOPLE

當然，除了語氣之外，還有另一個層面非常重要 — 就是說「人」的故事。

貝佐斯在這封信放了非常，非常，非常多的數字：亞馬遜雇用130萬人、超過二億人使用 Prime 服務、近兩萬商家使用平台銷售、亞馬遜為股東創造出1.6兆美元的財富，等等等等的…

看了這些數字，你是否覺得有點無感？

貝佐斯也知道大家看了太多龐大的數字，會漸漸無感，所以他文字一轉，從冰冷的數字，進入到溫暖的故事：

...more than 7/8ths of the shares, representing $1.4 trillion of wealth creation, are owned by others. Who are they? They’re pension funds, universities, and 401(k)s, and they’re Mary and Larry, who sent me this note out of the blue just as I was sitting down to write this shareholder letter:

貝佐斯把焦點帶到一個散戶小股東家庭身上，並且用他們寫給他的一封信，來強調亞馬遜對「普羅大眾」的貢獻。這個很值得大家效法：別只是一味的丟出數據 (理性)，也要不時的回到「人」的故事 (感性)，才能打動別人。

他用的轉折也很值得學習：列出一個清單，但把你下一段要寫的焦點，放在清單的最後一個，如：

There are many ways to improve your life: eating better, sleeping more, worrying less, and saying NO.

然後轉換主題：說一個有關 saying no 的故事。

★★★★★★★★★★★★

好啦，上述都有點簡單對不對？

💡還需要貝佐斯(或是他的寫手)更高段的一些寫作技巧嗎? 需要的同學請按個讚和留言「It’s all about PEOPLE.」。

完整信件: https://bit.ly/3v9P1a9

王君馨以獨立歌手(G.Racie)身份推出首支單曲Casada
與SHIMICA攜手作曲，並參與填詞
創作了這首香港少有的熱情Reggaeton style的曲風

「Casada」在西班牙文是已婚的意思
婚姻是人生中一件重大的事情，
亦是一個新階段的開始
兩個人由相知 相識 相愛到步入婚姻
是何等浪漫、甜蜜的旅程
願這歌能成為每位期待婚姻或是已婚的人的一個祝福

主唱：王君馨(G.Racie)
Rap: MC Goose
作曲：G. Racie , SHIMICA
作詞：G. Racie , 朱琳, SHIMICA
混音：John Benedict Pereira
編/監：SHIMICA

MV :
導演：Heison
攝影：Quinton
監製：G. Racie
Choreographers: Danie and Gaho
Dancers : Olivia , Jolin, Monbiella and Jocelyn

Casada

Casada baby
Casada baby
你是我的 Papi
我是你的 Mami aye

Verse 1
清晨睜開眼睛就是你
你是我的 Baby
一個俏皮眼神
兩人同時會意

期待那一天 說我願意
來開一支香檳
註定的人 是你
永不停歇 對你好奇

Pre chorus
來呀來呀 擺呀擺呀
甩啊甩啊 要的是你
你是我想像 那個 唯一
不可以離開 我的懷裏

來呀來呀 擺呀擺呀
甩啊甩啊 要的是你
怪不得 自然的 跟你一起
證明 我愛你

Chorus
Casada baby
Casada baby
你是我的Papi
我是你的Mami Aye
X2

Verse 2
熱鬧派對 包圍我和你
音樂放個不停
不管去到哪裏
你是我的風景

Every night I’m thinking about you
進入你的世界快一步
夢裏的 我們 也 那麼幸福

Pre chorus
來呀來呀 擺呀擺呀
甩啊甩啊 要的是你
你是我想像 那個 唯一
不可以離開 我的懷裏

來呀來呀 擺呀擺呀
甩啊甩啊 要的是你
怪不得 自然的 跟你一起
證明 我愛你

Chorus
Casada baby
Casada baby
你是我的Papi
我是你的Mami aye
x2

Bridge
G. Racie
What’s up
Vamos pular hoy mi gente
Uh yeah, G. Racie
Estamos aquí para celebrar, vamos
I’m bout to show you another side of me
Let’s get it now
Shimica like that
I know you wanna

Chorus
Casada baby
Casada baby
你是我的Papi
我是你的Mami aye
X2

#Casada #GRacie #王君馨


The video was taken in 香港美利酒店 , The Murray Hong Kong with their support and facilitation. A very special thank you to their hospitality.

OP : Musechic Ltd / Warner Chappell Music HK Ltd / b2 Tracks Publishing
All rights reserved c 2020
This MV is owned by G2g Creative Ltd . Any publication is copied, distributed or exhibited in any form for non/ commercial use without the prior permission of the Owner is prohibited
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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