Memory

A slew of papers has shown that the best chance of rating an experience happy is to create peak moments. Rather than spending a fortune on a fortnight holiday, we should probably try splitting into smaller chunks.

The thing is when we recall an experience, we tend to ignore how long it lasted. We focus on few mental snapshots, so-called peak moments, and craft them into a movie memory.

Think of what I did today. Being the invigilator of an international examination means a day chock-full with humdrum sitting. You ever been an invigilator? So, okay. That means you need a bum Velcroed to a chair for six to seven hours without whining.

To sprinkle in a few memorable experiences, I attempted the professional examination questions like a candidate. That works for me. An even better mix, I must say, is learning to enjoy a day off. Out of the six-hour stretch of examination, I didn't have much peak moments. The right mix, to my delight, was the free time before proctoring examination, when I could have a stroll with my wife at our alma mater, listening to chirping laughingthrush, photographing black-crowned night herons.

An hour of break but a peak moment indeed.

Pause

The school term is beginning. And, strange as it sounds to me, my daughter's summer holiday ends at the very height of summer. The day is still simmering like a freshly made hot dog, and it's intermingled with rainy spells, the way it can be in midsummer.

Before her school starts tomorrow, I have taken a day off to let our brains enjoy downtime. We had a short waterfalls hike to fuel up and to cool down. Downtime gives us the pause button, making us maximally effective. We toggle between full attention at work and free-form attention. If we fly out of the town (like what we usually did before the pandemic), we can get the sense of you-can't-reach-me freedom by putting our phone on airplane mode.

It's funny to consider short break - like a day off now and then - one of the least chaotic ways to switch on and switch off. So now, people have every reason to find me when I have short break - and no excuse for seeking complete solitude. All of this means that we aren't categorizing our time into binary opposites - much as we like to do so - and won't be completely on or completely off. It's also one reason why I like the short break. For one thing, I don't have to cram extra work at the last minute before vacation. And then, no more stressful return-to-office "mountain of work".

And there, with a simple swipe of working mode and downtime, I have my perfect way of family holiday.

Connection

I recently came across this quote from James Wallman's book - and I think it sums up perfectly my family holiday this Sunday: "There is no Wi-Fi in nature, but you'll get a better connection."

Ten miles adrift of Sai Kung, in the northeastern New Territories, is a tiny island called Port Island. We picked this location as summertime temperature leaves us few options to escape the city; we'd better opt for the nature at coastal margins. This Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark is a true gem, with its rare geological landforms beside the seaside.

What makes Port Island special is the bright red hue of the sedimentary rocks, thanks to the rich iron oxide. Think of the joy you feel when you are busy packing the snorkel gadgets and wearing your swimsuits at home. We were told there is no changing rooms, no facilities, no Wi-Fi signal. Nothing except the natural sights and sounds, and underwater marine life. 

In fact, I could think of dozens of reason why we don't need signal on this breathtaking island, unless you need Instagram to show your friends its beauty.  

Questions

Having signed up to a study involving Delphi method, I had to sit in front of computer answering bunches of questions this afternoon.

Now I should mention: that's a rather boring exercise when we're supposed to mull over a set of questions over multiple rounds. Delphi studies can - by their very nature - be repetitive. And downright time-consuming too. We do have opinions, of course, when we are being asked about judgment like "important uncertainty", "possibly important uncertainty", "probably no important uncertainty", "no important uncertainty", and so forth. But we will have to amend each round after gathering the anonymized views of others. The process of answering and modification of answers is long, that much is known, and we can't chicken out. And yadda yadda, we will come to a consensus step by step, round by round. Structured, systematic, and ah yes, stodgy.

After spending time on the Delphi study, I went home and decided to pick up something more witty and enjoyable. I was so happy finally to read some questions that differ from those "important" stuff. That's a pair of questions constructed by Dan Gilbert. Answer them and you'll see what I mean:

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 refers to no change at all and 10 refers to drastic and complete changes, by how much have your ideas, beliefs and preferences changed in the past ten years?
2. On the same scale of 1 to 10, by how much do you expect your ideas, beliefs and preferences to change in the next ten years?

Do you have higher score for the first question or the second question? Hey, if you have a higher score for the first question than the second, think again. Go and read up about the "end of history" illusion.

Mackesy

When my wife waited for the release of Harry Potter series previously, she didn't pause after each chapter once she got the new novel. The miracle happened more than twenty years later, when our daughter devoured the pages-turned-yellow handed-down novels avariciously. And I have to admit, she's tethered to the pages. So much so that I believe in a gene named Hogwarts-fans.

I wonder what it would be like to find a book that captures the shared attention of our whole family. Across all ages. A book that we rush to read and finish on the same day of borrowing from the library.

Ta-da! We've got one today.

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse.

Instead of chronicling three BFF like Harry, Hermione and Ron, this book is a warm journey of four fictional characters reminiscent of those on the yellow brick road.

Nothing beats the wisdom gleaned from the conversation of the foursome.

"Is your glass half empty or half full?" asked the mole.

"I think I'm grateful to have a glass," said the boy.

Well. I'm grateful to have a family of three, all queuing to read an inspiring picture book this evening.