A few days ago when I was discussing a new project with our favourite young artist Evan, I couldn’t help but show my gratitude to him. It is Evan who helps us to visualize our ideas and concepts. He responded in his usual, humble manner, saying that the inspiration was mutual; the ideas between us act like an echo in a deep valley, bouncing back and forth to create an almost-infinite concerto.
Our discussions always hold an intensity, with new ideas sparking subconsciously, ending in great excitement and expectation. What makes it happen? I think it all boils down to a sharing of ideals. We both treasure and have great curiosity in seeking new knowledge.
Similarities attract. My best friend Haha sent me a photo last week, in which she donned her new school jersey whilst standing in front of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She will spend the next two years here pursuing her Master of Science in Business Management, seeking new knowledge. Ever since she was a college student, she has been in the spotlight for her outstanding academic performance. She explained the choice she has made to me, a choice that would tighten her already busy schedule of juggling new motherhood with her position as a Senior Executive Assistant. Haha is surrounded by talent; she has a big impetus to continuously improve and upgrade herself.
As the text arrived in my inbox, I suddenly remembered a Monet exhibition that I encountered in Vienna. Monet turned to Impressionism because he found that even in a glimpse, the lights and shade on this planet had already changed substantially. In the eyes of an artist, the world never stays still. But, in the eyes of us people, is the answer different? Is there a moment that we finally become satisfied with what we know, what we have learnt?
Me? I still benefit from the knowledge I learnt at school. When I was pursuing my doctorate, frustrations were a-plenty: designing an experiment, collecting the data, finding non-relevance. My tutor was encouraging enough, and always said there are more solutions than there are problems. Magic doesn’t happen overnight. Through repetitive preaching, I was able to inherit the mindset. It is now applied to all daily operations.
Nowadays, technology makes access to knowledge easy. When my colleague, Ziqian, first joined us, he could hardly greet our foreign customers in English. Last weekend, our Indian barista, Krish, arrived back from Bombay and as we were catching-up on his holiday, Krish began experimenting by adding some cocoa into his protein powder. Ziqian strolled in, smelled it, and said “Oh, Jesus!”, an injection that came straight from thin air. Krish and I were both shocked! When did he learn to use English phrases? How could he learn so quickly? But, it made sense, too. Ziqian has never stalled his effort towards learning English. He has his own unique way: reading English newsletters on his Kindle many times. No courses, just his own dedication.
Passion is our best teacher. I always see Tokyo as my home city. There’s very few things that don’t interest me in Tokyo. From the well-presented Tempura to the meticulously-designed shopping windows, to the extremely-punctual train timetable, the more I discover, the more I want to know how the community runs. This is also the reason why I have included learning Japanese in my daily schedule.
In this Back to School season, we again pay tribute to great knowledge. LOCK CHUCK is a community that allows knowledge to flow. Be is a new technique, language, or book, the limits of your world get expanded by knowledge.
Where does your world end?
几天前，在和我们最喜欢的本地年轻艺术家Evan探讨一个新的项目时，我忍不住再一次向他表达感激和钦佩之情。在Evan的创意和帮助下，我们的想法和概念能够以可视化的形象展示于公众面前。他一如既往谦虚地说灵感是相互的，两者之间的思维碰撞像是深谷中的回声，来回撞击，协奏成一曲余音绕梁的乐章。
我们的讨论总是特别深入，在不经意间，新的想法迸发而出，带来既期待又兴奋的结果。是什么让这样的讨论发生？我想是基于一个共同的信仰：非常珍视知识的力量，又对新的知识保持极大的好奇。
相似的人互相吸引。我最好的朋友“哈哈”在上周发了一张照片给我，她穿着学生制服站在香港中文大学的校门前。在接下来的两年，她将于此攻读企业管理科学硕士学位，汲取新的知识。从学生时代开始，“哈哈”就一直因为极其优异的学业表现而备受瞩目。虽然已经驾轻就熟地频繁切换新晋妈妈身份和企业高级管理身份，重返校园，意味着她的时刻表变得更加繁忙。 她说她的身边有太多太多才华横溢的人，这也激发了她想提升自己的斗志和勇气。
收到“哈哈”的信息时，我突然想起在维也纳看到的莫奈个展。莫奈转向印象派的原因之一是他发现即使眨眼之间，这个星球的光和影已经发生了天翻覆地的变化。在艺术家的眼里，这个世界没有停止过半秒；在我们的眼里呢？答案会不会有所不同？有没有那么一个时刻，我们觉得已经知道得够多，了解得够多，而把进步的需要定格？
你要问我的答案？时至今日，我仍旧受益于在校园里学到的知识。当我在攻读学位的时候，沮丧总是接连不断：设计一个试验，收集数据，却发现没有任何相关性。我的导师一直鼓励说办法总比困难多。魔法当然不会一夜实现。导师的鼓励一而再再而三地重复，我也终于把这个想法植根脑海。现在遇到挑战，同样的想法总会最先浮现。
科技让新知识的获取更加便利。我的同事子谦加入团队时，他甚至不知道怎样与外国客人用英文打招呼。上周印度小同事Krish从孟买暑假归来，我和他兴高采烈地聊着假期趣事。聊天中，Krish突发奇想，往他的蛋白粉中加了一勺制作热巧克力的可可粉，子谦刚好经过，闻到了味道，突然插入一句“Oh，Jesus!”。我和Kirsh顿时愣住，空气如同凝固了一般。子谦是什么时候学会用英文短语的？他怎么可能学得那么快？不过，这也完全在意料之中。子谦在工作的间隙从来没有停止学习英文。他有着自己独特的学习方法：用一颗坚定的决心，一遍又一遍小声跟着Kindle上的英文文章朗读。
兴趣总是最好的老师。东京是我最喜欢的城市，从摆盘精美的天妇罗到精心布置的购物橱窗到极其准时的列车运营时刻，探索越多，热爱越多，越想深入了解这座城市到底是怎样运营起来。也正因此，学习日语变成了我的日常任务之一。
在这个重返校园的季节，我们再一次用崇敬之心致意伟大的知识。LOCK CHUCK是一个鼓励知识流动的社区。无论是新的技能，新的语言，还是一本新的书籍，知识总能把你的世界无限扩展。
你的世界，边界在哪？
