One to look out for

There are three classical Chinese novels that enjoy immense popularity in present-day Japan, having been adapted or parodied into numerous novels, comic books, animation, drama series, and video games. In Mandarin, they are ”Shuihu Zhuan” (水滸傳); “Xiyou Ji” (西遊記）; and “Sanguo Yanyi” (三國演義). So I wasn’t at all surprised to learn that this film starring Andy Lau and Maggie Q has been stirring a buzz of excitement in Japan (as well as China, etc.) and I too will definitely be paying a visit to the cinema, even though I hardly ever go nowadays.

Say my name..

Girls’ names have a huge effect on their affinity for math and physics. From the Guardian:

Parents are being warned to think long and hard when choosing names for their babies as research has discovered that girls who are given very feminine names, such as Anna, Emma or Elizabeth, are less likely to study maths or physics after the age of 16, a remarkable study has found.

Both subjects, which are traditionally seen as predominantly male, are far more popular among girls with names such as Abigail, Lauren and Ashley, which have been judged as less feminine in a linguistic test. The effect is so strong that parents can set twin daughters off on completely different career paths simply by calling them Isabella and Alex, names at either end of the spectrum.

Hmm, I wonder if this phenomenon carrys over to non-English names, or to people with English nicknames as do many Chinese, Taiwanese, Singaporeans, etc.

p.s. Always good to see you, Shuhui. You did look fabulous today