"Welcome to Quinevere" Quinevere's Profile

Dear VT friends,

When I was a little girl, it was always a fantasy for me to see the world outside my little city Hong Kong. It may sound silly, but I did stick my face on the window during the whole flight for the first time I got the chance to fly. I can feel the peace above the white clouds and the energy from the sunrise. And everytime when the plane landed on a new place, I would get more excited and couldn't wait to see and whisper from my heart,'Wow, here is......'

The fantastic views along the way; the wonderful moments with lovely species like koala and sea dolphins in Australia; wild penguins, ostriches, and lion babies in South Africa; tropical fishes in Sabah; python baby around my neck and elephant trekking in Phuket; Green turtles, whitetip reef sharks of the Great Barrier Reef and many more; the delicious food and wine; crazy free falling and hi-tech games in Japan; adventure travel in Europe; paragliding in Interlaken; cultural exchange in San Francisco...not only all these captured my heart, but also the people I met and problems I faced. Life is short. To make it more colorful and unforgettable is my destiny which keeps me to push forward each day. As the famous chinese poet Libai wrote in 'Parting at a Wine Shop in Nan King' that 'Oh, let a man of spirit venture where he pleases. And never tip his golden cup empty toward the moon!'
I would like to share my beliefs that I always keep in mind for everyday's journey. Cheers!

My favourite one is the 'Three friends in winter' in Taoist wisdom including the dignity of the pine tree, the wisdom of the plum blossom and the endurance of the bamboo. These attitudes are needed as a wise person to overcome all obstacles. The upright and evergreen pine tree stands undisturbed regardless of adverse weather. The plum blossom ables to bloom in cold winter. The bamboo has the resilience to bounce back from prevailing winds. So in order to be a brilliant survivor, someone has to stay calm, relaxed, unruffled by circumstance, irrespective of the nature of the situation. He or she strives never to take offence, but instead cultivates good humour and is rarely overwhelmed either by small hiccups in life or by major adversity. The tranquillity of mind leads to attitude of forbearance. Flexibility introduces goodwill into every potential situation of conflict or hostility. The other one is about love: All love, at first, like generous wine, ferments and frets until it's fine, but when it's settled on the lee, and from the impurer matter free, becomes the richer still the older, and proves the pleasanter the colder. There are times when love seems to be over, but these desert times are simply the way to next oasis which is far more lush and beautiful.
'Sensual love is easily extinguished once satisfied, though capable of becoming enduring when mixed with affectionate components. Affection, rather than sensual love, is more likely to produce lasting ties. - Freud' This also reminded me what Giorgio Armani said about fashion: 'I've tried to find a new elegance. It's not easy because people want to be shocked. They want explosive fashion. But explosions don't last, they disappear immediately and leave nothing but ashes.'
'Tenderness, care, idealisation and empathy reflect the integration of the libidinal and aggressive self and object relations and the tolerance of ambivalence. That represent the psyche pulled between the desire for fusion and consolidation of difference. Love is, therefore, frequently about the capacity for integration. This capacity for fully experiencing concern for the loved person (which underlies an authentic, deep human relationship) presupposes the integration of love and hatred, i.e. the tolerance of ambivalence, the characteristic of stable significant human relations, is activated in sexual intercourse when sexual and aggressive excitement are blended. - Kernberg'
'When you feel loved, nurtured, cared for, supported and intimate you are much more likely to be happier and healthier. You have a much lower risk of getting sick and , if you do, a much greater chance of surviving...While the evidence on the relationship of psychosocial factors to illness is controversial, most scientific studies have demonstrated the extraordinarily powerful role of love and relationships in determining health and illness. - Ornish'
The creative scientist has an extensive reservoir of self-esteem; and he can give to others because he does not fear their surpassing him or their envious retaliation. Often, he does not take himself seriously, but he is deeply involved with his work. He has projected his inner world into the reality he is changing or making accretions to it in the form of the creative product. One might say, as he is moving into reality, he is bringing himself, that is , his mind, on the journey and shaping certain segments of the external milieu according to his unique viewpoints. - James W. Barron

According to the Chinese horoscope, I born in the year of Pig and if you want to know more about me, here you will get the hint:

Contrary to its rather negative reputation in the West, the Pig of Chinese Astrology may be the most generous and honorable Sign of the Zodiac. Pigs are nice to a fault and possess impeccable manners and taste. They have so much of the perfectionist in them that others may be inclined to perceive them as snobs, but this is a misconception. Pigs are simply possessed of a truly luxurious nature, one that delights in finery and riches (in surroundings, food, lovemaking and otherwise). This Sign believes in the best qualities of mankind and certainly doesn't consider itself to be superior. Pigs also care a great deal about friends and family and work hard to keep everyone in their life happy. Helping others is a true pleasure for the Pig, who feels best when everyone else is smiling. A Pig with no one around to appreciate its giving nature is a sad sight. Pigs are so magnanimous they can appear almost saintly; this can lead some less-than-well-intentioned souls to stomp all over this Sign, and the bad news is, the Pig will take the blows! Pigs make great companions in part because of their refusal to see the more negative or base qualities in a partner, but that rose-colored view can lead to this Sign's allowing itself to be taken advantage of. Contrary to their seemingly benign dispositions, however, Pigs can be quite venomous in response to being crossed by a lover, friend or business partner.
Pigs are highly intelligent creatures, forever studying, playing and probing in their quest for greater knowledge. They can be misinterpreted as being lazy, however, due to their love of reveling in the good stuff; this Sign could happily spend hours on end making love, napping, taking a long bubble bath or dallying over an incredible spread of rich foods. Pigs tend to make wonderful life partners due to their hearts of gold and their love of family. Even so, Pigs can be rather exclusive, choosing to spend time with those who will appreciate them most and ignore the rest of the populace. Pigs would do well to realize that there's more to life than being needed. When they open up their world to a diverse group of people, they will truly bloom.

Being a Libra, harmony and balance are the keynotes. Libra instinctively understand the need to accommodate other peoples' interests and desires, and always fair and willing to meet the other person half way. Tactful, diplomatic, and with considerable social awareness, Libra do all she can to avoid conflict and discord. She express a spirit of cooperation, compromise and often achieve through charm and discretion what would have been impossible to achieve by a direct, forceful approach. Getting along with others and pleasing them may be TOO important to her, for her can be too dependent on others' approval and opinions to make her own decisions. She will rarely act without getting the counsel and feedback of other people. She prefers sharing and doing things together rather than on her own. Being alone feels very unnatural to her, and she has a strong need for a partner and intimate one-to-one relationships. She invests a great deal of her energy in personal love and she is very idealistic and romantic about marriage. She seeks a partner who is her equal intellectually, and who is capable of a mental relationship as well as a physical and emotional one. She makes a thoughtful, considerate friend or lover, and she enjoys the traditional symbols of love - courtship, flowers, etc. Relationships are like an art to her, one that requires time, attention, and creative effort. She appreciates a partner who is subtle and polished, never coarse or dull or blunt. Fairness and equality, both in her personal life and in the world, are extremely important to her. If she fights about anything, it is often about something she feels is unfair and unbalanced. Balance is very important to her and she believes in moderation in all things, avoiding fanaticism and extremism of any sort. She also has a strong need for beautiful, harmonious surroundings and a natural sense of artistic style and grace, which is reflected in the way she dresses, furnishes and arranges her home and worksplace, etc. Everything must be aesthetically pleasing and appropriate. Either working with people as a counselor, advisor, consultant, or negotiator - or in an artistic field such as design or photography, would be fulfilling to her. And yes, I work with people! I'm sure I did give lots of advice to my patients for nearly a decade. Although I'm not a designer, the interior of my lovely home was designed by myself and I really enjoyed it!

My favourite novel 'Doctors' by Erich Segal was the first novel I bought from a local bookstore in Central in 1990. I never get tired reading it and I can't even tell how many times I read it all over again. Since then I loved foreign novels, movies, culture and the most: TRAVEL.
'Yachts on Canvas' by James Taylor is one of my treasured arts book for the best collection of the world's leading maritime artists since 17th century. I am still learning the arts of sailing and I hope one day I can sail with the accompany of a Blue Whale. :)

Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand: a very inspiring non-fiction about the famous racehorse in 1938. It's a book for people who like horses, speed, miracles.

Lord of the Ring by Tolkien

Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond; The Journey of Man by Spencer Wells

Renaissance Art: all paintings by Raphel, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Botticelli; works of Vincent van Gogh, Tsui Tin Yun and Norman Rockwell.

Photographers like Hulton Getty, Ansel Adams, Andre Kertesz, Gary Braash who's actually a science photographer for global warming and Jock Sturges. The best cinematographer Christopher Doyle for most of Wong Ka Wai films, e.g. IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE which is one of my favourite local film.

What I've learned from 'Living History' of Hillary Rodham Clinton:
1. self-reliance not self-indulgence;
2. listening to what people in other countries are saying and trying to understand how they perceive their place in the world is essential to a future of peace and security at home and abroad;
3. a person was not necessarily bad just because you did not agree with him;
4. if you believed in something, you had better be prepared to defend it;
5. the more time we allow for the defenders of the status quo to organise, the more they will be able to marshal opposition to your plan, and the better their chances of killing it - James Carville;

My favourite albums:

The very best of Jacques Loussier: a brilliant jazz interpretator for Bach's music;

Stan Getz's Getz for Lovers compiled in 2002, very sensuous saxophonist playing the romantic love songs; he's also the first musician to combine Northern American cool jazz with Brazilian rhythm (Samba) to form Bossa Nova like the famous song The Girl From Ipnema.

Miles Davis Live Around the World: one of the album collected at the Montreal Jazz Festival in Switzerland. It's the real jazz that makes you love it more and more as time goes by.

Patricia Barber nightclub recorded at Chicago in 2000; she's my favourite jazz vocalist.

Academy Favourites including musics of Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Mozart by Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields. It's the album being played in the Hampton Court Palace.

Cafe'Del Mar Vol. Siete (7) is a good chill out album. I can say I fancy all music of Cafe' Del Mar and that dragged me to visit Ibiza for the beautiful sunset outside this cafe of the sea;

The Best of Chet Baker Sings;

All songs of Rosemary Clooney;

Valentine by Jim Brickman, my favourite pianist and composer who born in Cleveland Ohio. I can say his music really touch the heart and soul.

The Phantom of the Opera;

The Butterfly Lovers: It's a Chinese love classic about a beautiful young girl, Zhu Yingtai, who dressed as a boy so that she could go to school where she met Liang Shanbo and became close friends. A midsummer rainfall unveiled Zhu as a girl. They fell in love with each other, but Zhu was arranged to marry a man of wealth. Devastated, Liang pined and died. Zhu mourned by Liang's graveside. Suddenly and as if heaven were abiding by their wishes, they turned into two beautiful butterflies, reunited and fluttered out of the grave.

Eugene Onegin

Carmen

The Lady of The Camellias by The Hamburg Ballet

The Far Side of The Moon by Robert Lepage

Madame Butterfly

Miss Saigon

Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio by Stuttgart Opera

Recent high rated movies:
'City of God' filmed at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil by Femando Meirelles in 2002. Absolutely a great movie that reflect the dark side of the world. It's also amazing to have a camera for anyone could become a photographer in journalism to document the most 'important' scene of life! Just wondering who dare to go to Rio after seeing this movie?

Don't miss the upcoming Hong Kong Arts Festival from 3.2 - 7.3.04. Concert by Jane Birkin, Afro-cuban music by Orchestra Baobab and Romeo & Juliet by English Touring Theatre are my pick of this year.

The first Asian Ikebana Exhibition in Hong Kong will be held from 30.1-1.2.04 at the Exhibition Hall, Low Block of Hong Kong City Hall.

Join an expedition as organised by Earthwatch to help in scientific field research for a sustainable environment.

The world's tallest building at 460 m, 95 storey will be the World Financial Center in Pudong, Shanghai in 2008 which is designed by architects Kohn Pedersen Fox of New York.

2008 Olympics in Beijing:
broadcasting headquarters of CCTV will be a 511,000-square-meter structure in the form of continuous loop with a huge opening in the middle created by Netherlands architect Rem Koolhaas; the $500 million main Olympic stadium will be designed by Switzerland architect Herzog & de Meuron in the shape of a gigantic bird's nest.

I hope you will enjoy reading a part of my journey. :)

Kindest regard,
Evelyn