itsd news issue no.37 june 2004 - experience sharing€¦ · coding language was c/c++ developed...

21
! ===Experience Sharing Back in mid-2003, when the Information Technology ervices Department was arranging a training ttachment programme for the Mobile Business olutions section of the Hong Kong Productivity Council nd inviting nominations, I jumped at the chance. It S a S a seemed a golden opportunity, not only to enhance and build on my technical knowledge and skill, but also to expand my personal network of technologists in the Mobile and Wireless Technologies arena. The attachment started in mid-August last year, and the duration was around six months. At first, I was assigned to participate in a joint-organisation Location-Based Service project. The project was funded by the Innovation and Technology Fund operated by the Innovation and Technology Commission, with the aim of developing an accurate low-cost “Mobile Location Estimation System” using existing mobile phone infrastructure. The outcome of the project may serve as an alternative to the Global Positioning System in location positioning. The major local research parties included the Hong Kong Baptist University and the Vocational Training Council. The project schedule was tight, and I was glad my experience in Geographical Information Systems helped to speed up the project. The system was successfully integrated, and demonstrated to the press at the end. During the second half of the attachment period, the team offered me exposure to various Mobile and Wireless technologies. This arrangement gave me more benefits than just participating in a single mobile computing project. Under this arrangement, I gained exposure to the technologies applied in the existing mobile computing projects being carried out by the project team. Besides trying to master those proven technologies, I also reviewed the latest developments of various mobile and wireless technologies as they evolved every day. I started by studying a project about building applications to be run on Palm operating system (OS) devices. The coding language was C/C++ developed using CodeWarrior IDE (Integrated Development Environment). The “central database” was Open Database Connectivity- compliant, synchronised with UltraLite “remote databases” in the Palm devices using MobiLink software. Barcode scanning functionality was added for faster data entry and retrieval. I believe this project was a typical example of mobile computing, with a proven configuration, and should be no surprise. In recent years, the prices and market share of Palm OS devices and Pocket PC devices have been getting closer, and the supported functionalities for both platforms are getting similar. It is common to require an application to be built to run on both platforms. Do we need to develop from scratch - and perhaps pick another programming language to rewrite almost everything - if we just want the existing application to run on another mobile device platform? Smart mobile phones are emerging. How about moving the application to smart mobile phones running Symbian OS? Apart from barcode scanning, mobile applications sometimes need to support more modish features - such as photo and video clip viewing and capture, music playing, integration capability with built-in Personal Information Manager, and external device communication capability via a new standard like Bluetooth - or requires more advanced communications settings for security reasons. 52 fqpa

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Page 1: ITSD News Issue No.37 June 2004 - Experience Sharing€¦ · coding language was C/C++ developed using CodeWarrior IDE (Integrated Development Environment). The “central database”

52 fqpa ��

� � ! ===Experience Sharing

Back in mid-2003, when the Information Technology

ervices Department was arranging a training

ttachment programme for the Mobile Business

olutions section of the Hong Kong Productivity Council

nd inviting nominations, I jumped at the chance. It

S

a

S

a

seemed a golden opportunity, not only to enhance and

build on my technical knowledge and skill, but also to

expand my personal network of technologists in the

Mobile and Wireless Technologies arena.

The attachment started in mid-August last year, and the

duration was around six months. At first, I was assigned

to participate in a joint-organisation Location-Based

Service project. The project was funded by the Innovation

and Technology Fund operated by the Innovation and

Technology Commission, with the aim of developing an

accurate low-cost “Mobile Location Estimation System”

using existing mobile phone infrastructure. The outcome

of the project may serve as an alternative to the Global

Positioning System in location positioning. The major

local research parties included the Hong Kong Baptist

University and the Vocational Training Council. The

project schedule was tight, and I was glad my experience

in Geographical Information Systems helped to speed

up the project. The system was successfully integrated,

and demonstrated to the press at the end.

During the second half of the attachment period, the

team offered me exposure to various Mobile and Wireless

technologies. This arrangement gave me more benefits

than just participating in a single mobile computing

project. Under this arrangement, I gained exposure to

the technologies applied in the existing mobile

computing projects being carried out by the project team.

Besides trying to master those proven technologies, I

also reviewed the latest developments of various mobile

and wireless technologies as they evolved every day.

I started by studying a project about building applications

to be run on Palm operating system (OS) devices. The

coding language was C/C++ developed using

CodeWarrior IDE (Integrated Development Environment).

The “central database” was Open Database Connectivity-

compliant, synchronised with UltraLite “remote

databases” in the Palm devices using MobiLink software.

Barcode scanning functionality was added for faster data

entry and retrieval. I believe this project was a typical

example of mobile computing, with a proven

configuration, and should be no surprise.

In recent years, the prices and market share of Palm OS

devices and Pocket PC devices have been getting closer,

and the supported functionalities for both platforms are

getting similar. It is common to require an application

to be built to run on both platforms. Do we need to

develop from scratch - and perhaps pick another

programming language to rewrite almost everything -

if we just want the existing application to run on another

mobile device platform? Smart mobile phones are

emerging. How about moving the application to smart

mobile phones running Symbian OS? Apart from barcode

scanning, mobile applications sometimes need to support

more modish features - such as photo and video clip

viewing and capture, music playing, integration capability

with built-in Personal Information Manager, and external

device communication capability via a new standard like

Bluetooth - or requires more advanced communications

settings for security reasons.

52 fqpa ��

Page 2: ITSD News Issue No.37 June 2004 - Experience Sharing€¦ · coding language was C/C++ developed using CodeWarrior IDE (Integrated Development Environment). The “central database”

53ITSD NEWS

All these factors need to be considered when choosing

application development tools for mobile and wireless

applications. Furthermore, apart from those standard

tools like CodeWarrior, Rapid Application Development

(RAD) tools are now emerging. I discovered that there

are some RAD tools on the market which can help to

shorten development time significantly, especially for

supporting multiple mobile device platforms, building

attractive user interfaces and providing plenty of

multimedia features.

In the near future, it is foreseeable that wireless elements

will play a key role in mobile applications. New Wireless

Fidelity (Wi-Fi) communication standards keep emerging

and improving - in terms of higher data transmission

rate and better security features. More and more

manufacturers are introducing Wi-Fi certified products,

making different wireless devices interoperable. Along

with the increase in network throughput by the

introduction of the Third Generation (3G) Mobile service,

future mobile applications are moving along the road to

seamless wireless solutions.

by William Chan,

Analyst/Programmer II[B]1B

53ITSD NEWS

Page 3: ITSD News Issue No.37 June 2004 - Experience Sharing€¦ · coding language was C/C++ developed using CodeWarrior IDE (Integrated Development Environment). The “central database”

54 fqpa ��

� � ! ===Experience Sharing

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Taking just hand luggage and a notebook computer, I

said goodbye to my wife and children and boarded a

Cathay Pacific plane at Hong Kong International Airport

on the last morning of February. A short while later, I

arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur is not unfamiliar to me. On my way to the

city centre, the sky suddenly turned black, and rain

poured down heavily. I remembered that years ago, 30

of us (classmates and instructors), under the guidance

of the University of Malaysia, visited the transportation

system of Kuala Lumpur and learnt how the Malaysian

Government helped the natives to improve their living

standards. At night, we visited Chinatown and tried a

dish called Iron Rooster (which was in fact fried chicken

wings with chilli). We were amused by the funny names

of the dishes and one of our classmates was later

Titbits about CIO Asia 2004

Page 4: ITSD News Issue No.37 June 2004 - Experience Sharing€¦ · coding language was C/C++ developed using CodeWarrior IDE (Integrated Development Environment). The “central database”

55ITSD NEWS

n i c k n a m e d I r o n

Rooster too. That was

more than 20 years

ago, and some of the

i n s t r u c t o r s h a v e

already left us.

After I checked in at

the hotel and put

down my luggage, I

immediately tried to

connect to the office

e-mail network with

m y n o t e b o o k

computer. Thanks to

the I TSNET ( I TSD

Network) Support

Team, the connection

was very smooth. No

matter where we are,

w e a r e a b l e t o

communicate with

each other via the

Internet. In the two

following days, it was

as if I was in the office; I just checked and replied to e-

mails as usual, and handled the office work with other

colleagues just as normal.

In the morning of 1 March, I checked in for the two-day

CIO Asia 2004 conference. There were about 40

participants and the conference conveniently took place

at the hotel where we were staying. Participants mainly

came from South and South-East Asia including: Saudi

Arabia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia,

Singapore and of course also Malaysia, as well as Hong

Kong where I come from. Most of them were unit heads

o r h e a d s o f

i n f o r m a t i o n

technology divisions in

b a n k s a n d l a r g e

e n t e r p r i s e s . T h e

conference focused on

three subject areas:

information security,

outsourcing, and the

r o l e o f a C h i e f

Information Officer.

Among the speakers,

those from Singapore

were pa r t i cu l a r l y

outstanding. They

succeeded in capturing

most of the attention

and generated a lot of

discussion.

We chatted about all

sorts of things during

our lunch gathering,

including qigong, yoga

and the Petrona Twin

Towers in Kuala Lumpur, as well as the comparison

between the former and present prime ministers of

Malaysia. A gentleman attending the lunch was getting

married and I took the chance to introduce to him the

online wedding booking service of the Electronic Service

Delivery (ESD) Scheme, and other services of the

“Wedding ESD”. It was interesting that everyone agreed

that the views of the future mother-in-law are the most

important when deciding on the date of the big day.

The two-day conference ended successfully and I took

the morning flight back home the next day.

By WP Tse, Senior Systems Manager [G]1

55ITSD NEWS

Page 5: ITSD News Issue No.37 June 2004 - Experience Sharing€¦ · coding language was C/C++ developed using CodeWarrior IDE (Integrated Development Environment). The “central database”

56 fqpa ��

� � ! ===Experience Sharing

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District Council Elections 2003 –People, Power and Paperwork

Page 6: ITSD News Issue No.37 June 2004 - Experience Sharing€¦ · coding language was C/C++ developed using CodeWarrior IDE (Integrated Development Environment). The “central database”

57ITSD NEWS

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The Chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission, Mr Justice Woo (second from right) visits a polling

station on the election day.

Page 7: ITSD News Issue No.37 June 2004 - Experience Sharing€¦ · coding language was C/C++ developed using CodeWarrior IDE (Integrated Development Environment). The “central database”

58 fqpa ��

� � ! ===Experience Sharing

Background

On November 23 last year when the 2003 District

Council Elections was held, I worked as an Assistant

Presiding Officer at the polling station. I was assigned

to a polling station in Sham Shui Po where the two

candidates were from two major political parties.

Everyone expected that there would be fierce

competition.

The main duties of an Assistant Presiding Officer

(Statistics) are to compute the elector turnout and

turnout rate, as well as to distribute and compile

statistics on the number of ballot papers given out,

the number of bad votes and invalidated votes. In

addition, we need to supervise and guide the Polling

Officers on the proper procedures to give out and count

ballot papers.

Presiding Officers normally do not have time to

examine all the various forms and statistics, and the

work is usually done and validated by Assistant

Presiding Officers. The statistics are then endorsed and

signed by the Presiding Officers. As an engineering

graduate, the computation of statistics is a piece of

cake to me. When I had time, I also assisted the

Presiding Officer and other colleagues, guiding the

electors in the proper voting procedures, monitoring

and maintaining order in the polling stations and

nearby area, and also handling complaints from

electors.

Grievances from the Public

On the day before the election, we were required to

set up the polling station and get everything ready. On

the election day, we reported for duty at the polling

station at 6.30 am. During the election, we heard many

grievances from the public. One gentleman of middle-

class appearance was really mad after he found that

his details were not registered at the Registration and

Electoral Office (REO) meaning that he was unable to vote.

We could do nothing except acknowledge his complaints,

although we could fully understand and empathise.

Occasional grievances and grumbles are normal; the most

important thing is to avoid any untoward incidents. In the

end, we asked the gentleman to register and update his

details again, and passed on the REO’s hotline so he could

lodge a complaint.

Voter Registration

On election day, we found that many people had been

unable to vote because they had not notified the REO of a

change of address, and therefore did not receive polling

cards. In such cases, we would explain patiently to the

voters and ask them to register their details or update their

addresses on the spot, so that they could vote in the next

election.

An old woman said she was assigned to a different polling

station from her son, even though they shared an address.

She wanted to vote at the same polling station as her son

because she preferred a candidate in that constituency.

However, since it is impossible to suddenly change to

another polling station, we could only try our best to

explain. She could seek assistance from REO if she was

still not satisfied with the arrangement.

Mr Woo vs Mr Woo

A citizen called Mr Woo could not vote because his name

could neither be found in the registered list nor with the

REO, perhaps because he had moved to a new place and

had not updated his details. Mr Woo was not at all satisfied

with our explanation and questioned why we had the right

to forbid him from voting. He said though he had to walk

with a walking stick, he had come all the way to the polling

station just to vote. We tried to explain the situation to

58 fqpa ��

Page 8: ITSD News Issue No.37 June 2004 - Experience Sharing€¦ · coding language was C/C++ developed using CodeWarrior IDE (Integrated Development Environment). The “central database”

59ITSD NEWS

him but it was in vain. He demanded to see the Chairman

of the Electoral Affairs Commission, Mr Justice Woo, and

also the Legislative Councillors.

He said, “I am 80 years old now and I am even older than

Mr Woo. We share the same surname and I can be

regarded as his senior. I have to ask him what is going

on.” We could only pass on the REO’s hotline number.

Mr Woo had no intention of leaving after he had lodged

his complaint: instead he asked us to sit down and listen

to his stories. He told us about coming to Hong Kong by

sea, the riot of 1967, the drafting of the Sino-British

Joint Declaration in the 80s, the reunification of Hong

Kong and China in 1997, and continued on to recent

government policies. We could understand that he might

have been bored at home and hoping to go out and share

the excitement of the election day. We all stood near

Mr Woo and listened to his stories in case something

went wrong when we were not nearby. He talked for

more than an hour.

Since Mr Woo could not walk well, I helped him to the

exit. When we were near the entrance of the polling

station, Mr Woo saw two policemen on duty and began

chatting with them, repeating his 50 year personal

history of Hong Kong all over again. The policemen were

polite and they kept listening and providing feedback

every once in a while. I was worried that Mr Woo would

go on talking for another half an hour, so when he began

discussing his hard times during the pre-handover years,

I interrupted him and said, “Mr Woo, we shouldn’t really

hold up the police officers. They are on duty now.” The

officers agreed, “Right. You must be tired standing here

for such a long time. You had better go home and take a

rest.” Mr Woo went home reluctantly. When I returned

to my post, my colleagues at the polling centre teased,

“Good boy. You should have taken your grandpa home.”

I grinned and said, “Oh right. It’s your turn next.”

Fierce Competition

At the polling station I worked, there was fierce

competition between the candidates from the two major

political parties. Many reporters began gathering on the

opposite street at around noon. We were required to

post the aggregate elector turnout on the noticeboard

outside the station every hour. The turnout rate recorded

in our polling station was quite high (over 50%). Towards

the end of the day, whenever we went out to write down

the elector turnout, cameras flashed non-stop. All the

officers including me had to make sure that the

calculations were really accurate before we went out to

avoid making a fool of ourselves.

The Presiding Officer

The Presiding Officer was prudent and cautious. When

we were counting the votes at the end of the day, I had

to stand next to him to record the final number of votes

for the two candidates and also to count the number of

bad and invalidated votes. While the polling assistants

were busy counting, I noticed that the Presiding Officer

took out the guidelines for distinguishing questionable

votes to do a revision. I knew that he must have been

under great pressure at the time, because he had to make

decisions on such matters in front of all the candidates,

cameras and other people at the polling station. I really

admired the way he made these decisions in public so

confidently and with no fear or hesitation.

Going Home

After we finished counting the votes, we began packing

things up and restoring the venue to its original

condition. It was already 1.30 am when the REO endorsed

the calculations of votes. The officers left one by one

but the Presiding Officer still had to take the ballot papers

and documents to the REO. After I had helped him put

59ITSD NEWS

Page 9: ITSD News Issue No.37 June 2004 - Experience Sharing€¦ · coding language was C/C++ developed using CodeWarrior IDE (Integrated Development Environment). The “central database”

60 fqpa ��

� � ! ===Experience Sharing

everything in the car, he asked me where I lived. I pointed

at a building nearby and he said, “Thanks, you don’t need

to assist me then. Go home and rest.” So I finally went

back home being exhausted, having worked for over 20

hours.

Conclusion

What I saw at the polling station greatly improved my

understanding of elections. I gained knowledge on the

arrangement and operation of elections. In a democracy,

an election really answers the needs of the citizens. If

you still have not registered as a voter, you should

register as soon as possible at the REO. I hope you will

exercise your rights and carry out your responsibilities

as a citizen in the Legislative Council Election this

September!

by Tony Lo, Analyst/Programmer I [A]24

60 fqpa ��

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The experience working at the polling station greatly improves the author’s understanding of elections.

Page 10: ITSD News Issue No.37 June 2004 - Experience Sharing€¦ · coding language was C/C++ developed using CodeWarrior IDE (Integrated Development Environment). The “central database”

61ITSD NEWS

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Saying Goodbye . My Retirement Life

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The author visits the Fa Men Temple in Xian.

� � ===Leisure

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The author (thirdfrom left) attends an

elementary courseon Buddhism after

he retires.

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63ITSD NEWS

Saying GoodbyeFirst of all, I must thank you all for your understanding

for having me, a non-IT (information technology) grade

officer, lead a team of some 200 or 300 IT-grade officers

in the department.

I was transferred to the Information Technology Services

Department (ITSD) in January 1999. A few days after I

took up the post, the director asked if I could lead a

team of 20 IT-grade officers to implement a series of

initiatives to promote the use of IT in the community. I

took up the challenge boldly. The project was still in its

infancy at that time, but thanks to the then bureau

secretary’s active participation and directives, we were

able to put together a policy, a work plan and a series of

publicity campaigns. Knowing that the awareness and

usage of IT has significantly increased over the following

few years, I am reassured that our work has been

successful.

In May 2002, as there was a reorganisation in the

department, I was asked to take over the E-government

Projects Development Branch 1 (Branch C) which

managed computer systems, with 200 more IT-grade

officers in my charge. I was a bit anxious at that time

and I was worried whether I, a non IT-professional, could

do the job well. I thought that as the director believed in

my ability, I could not disappoint him. Fortunately, there

was no serious computer incident in 2002 or 2003; and

with the support of a team of responsible, diligent and

committed colleagues, I did not let the director down.

The department underwent another reorganisation in

April 2003 and I was put in charge of more than 120 IT-

grade officers who provided support to departments with

no Information Technology Management Units (ITMUs).

I was again a bit worried whether I could lead so many

professional staff. I told myself my main task was to set

up ITMUs for departments before 1 April 2004. With my

experience and networks in the Government, I should

be able to accomplish the task. Moreover, I thought I need

not worry too much as I was backed by a team of

colleagues.

In these five years working in the ITSD, the most

memorable event was the setting up of the Hong Kong

Domain Name Registration Company and acting as one

of its board members, as a government representative.

The administration of domain names in Hong Kong was

previously managed by the Joint Universities Computer

Centre. To catch up with the rapid development of the

Internet and cater the needs of the community, the

administration of domain names needed to be jointly

conducted by the Government, the industry, users and

service providers. Therefore, we had to negotiate with the

Joint Universities Computer Centre to take back the right

of administration, and set the related compensation. We

also had to set up a non-profit organisation and appoint

suitable candidates as the first batch of directors. I was

really happy to oversee the whole transition, from merely

an idea, through consultation, infancy and growth, to the

company’s healthy development now. What we

experienced in overcoming all the obstacles of finance,

regulations, politics, organisation and personnel, will

remain a part of my memory for a long period of time.

I am a lucky guy. I was born in a peaceful era, worked

during the golden age of Hong Kong, and reaped the

benefits of Hong Kong’s prosperity. If there is no change

in the pension system for civil servants, I should not have

any financial difficulty after I am retired. As I am worry-

free, I should be contributing to the community and

participating in volunteer work, turning to a new chapter

in my life.

Buddhism promotes a happy-go-lucky way of living,

meaning that we should not insist on anything but just

let it be. However, it might be too pessimistic to be happy-

go-lucky. Meanwhile, Confucius says one should do one’s

job well. These are the two principles I have been following.

February 2004

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64 fqpa ��

� � ===Leisure

My Retirement LifeTime flies, and it has already been nearly three months

since I retired. I can still remember vividly the former

Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr David Lan, advising in

the pre-retirement seminar that we must exercise

appropriately and live a relaxing and fulfilling life. I

thought that was just a cliché at that time, and it would

not be too difficult to put it into practice. However, after

I retired, I found that it was not as easy as I thought to

lead a relaxing and fulfilling life. It was only after a period

of exploration, trial and adjustment that it could be

fulfilled.

In these two months since I retired, I have been feeling a

sense of loss and emptiness. It is not the loss of status

or power, nor is it the loss of wealth. It is the loss of

satisfaction and achievement from work. I have never

been obsessed with fame and wealth and have just been

trying my best at work. As the Chinese poet Li Bai says,

“If fame and wealth can last, the east-going Chinese river

should go west.” Over these 33 years, I had been devoting

my whole self to my job and I have no other hobbies.

Now that I have retired, I need to fill the gap in my heart.

Morning walks, Tai-Chi, music, hiking and tennis can all

kill time, but there is still a sense of fulfilment missing.

In the past two months, I have tried to figure out a new

direction for my retirement life, to move it forward and

make it a more relaxing and fulfilling one.

By chance, I attended an eight-week elementary course

on Buddhism. Buddhism is a profound philosophy and

learning experience. Some of the theories, for example

those on after-life, are too vague and distant for me to

learn and practise. However, Buddhist studies also teach

us ways of living, and life’s values. We benefit a lot if we

can apply them to our daily life. The teacher says: after

we retire, we need time and effort to adjust our pace

and way of living; we need to reset our attitudes and

values; and discover that the sense of satisfaction derived

from work can be replaced with other things in life. The

teacher also says that religion can enrich your life; but

religion can also mean hobbies - for example, art, flower

arrangement, cookery, sports, literature, volunteer work.

Buddhism promotes giving to others and obtaining a

sense of satisfaction from giving. Since volunteering at

the centre for the elderly, I can truly appreciate that

giving is more satisfying than receiving.

I know that the department will be reorganised and

restructured in July and all of you will experience a certain

degree of anxiety. However, change is inevitable in this

ever-changing world. As Roman Tam’s song plays,

“Change is perpetual.” We just need to try our best and

do our jobs well. As I said before I retired, if you follow

the two principles of “happy-go-lucky” and “do one’s

job well”, you will have no worries and everything will

go well.

April 2004

by Simon Yan, former Assistant Director

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65ITSD NEWS

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`�� !"#$%Fun and Laughter at

Branch C Picnic

Page 15: ITSD News Issue No.37 June 2004 - Experience Sharing€¦ · coding language was C/C++ developed using CodeWarrior IDE (Integrated Development Environment). The “central database”

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The Annual Picnic of Branch C (E-government Projects

Development Branch 1) was held at Po Leung Kuk Pak

Tam Chung Holiday Camp on 29 November 2003. The

weather was fine on that day and the temperature was

just right for a picnic. At around 3.30 pm, about 100

colleagues, families and friends arrived at the camp in

Sai Kung Country Park. After attending a briefing given

by the staff members at the camp on the activities

schedule and facilities available, the participants went

to their favourite spots to enjoy various group activities.

The camp provides a wide array of recreational and sports

facilities, including a rope course, artificial wall climbing,

archery, ball games, trampolining and boating. There was

no need to worry whether the kids would be bored

because apart from the children’s adventure playground,

the committee organised a game called “Find the

Treasure”. Participating families were given maps of the

camp and the kids and their parents were required to

find four spots on the map and search for “smiling uncles

or aunties”. At the end of the trip, all the kids returned

with a big smile because each “smiling uncle or auntie”

had lots of funny presents to give.

At sunset came the climax of the event – the barbecue

and lucky draw. The barbecue area was located next to a

river and it was really enjoyable having a BBQ dinner on

that scenic spot. While participants were busy grilling

the food, the lucky draw started. On one hand, you could

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Participants all have agood time with the many

recreational and sportsfacilities at the camp.

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67ITSD NEWS

see people who had won going up delightedly to collect

their prizes. On the other hand, you could see the rest

busy picking up and eating delicious food. The event

‘ended sweetly’ with desserts being served, and all

participants left with full stomachs.

Here is some feedback from the participants:

“We did really enjoy the wonderful evening.”

“Congratulations on the great success of the branch

picnic! My daughter said it was the happiest one she

had been to.”

“Mum and I ran really fast! Faster than ever! Finally we

reached the finishing point. I wonder whether I win the

game or not... Yes, I am the winner!”

“I had lots of funs running in the Camp and finding the

treasures with my Dad and Mum. Thanks for all the

smiling uncles and aunties who gave me gifts. I ran slow

since I am small, but I enjoyed it the most!”

“My daughter loved the event very much. When she woke

up the other day, she kept saying ‘Trampolining is really

fun! I want to play again!’”

“I won the Guessing game - How many male/female. It

came to my surprise when I opened the prize. Guess what

it is? Yes, I love it... It is a yellow heart-shaped snowbean

cushion.”

“I couldn’t believe that I won the first prize in the Lucky

Draw. All my team members shared my happiness too

because I had treated them to afternoon tea.”

“I was responsible for the game Find the Treasure

which was very impressive. I saw kids running flat

out in order to win the game. When I saw their lovely

and innocent faces, I was really delighted to pass the

presents into their hands.”

“Thanks to the committee for giving me the chance

to take up the role as the MC for the picnic. To me,

the most memorable moment was when I saw the

smiling faces of the lucky guys and kids at the Lucky

Draw.”

“Thanks to all participants. It was your active

involvement that made this event so enjoyable and

unforgettable!”

Finally, we would like to thank the Assistant Director,

Chief Systems Manager, Senior Systems Managers and

Chief Management Service Officers in Branch C for their

sponsorship and financial support. We must also thank

all participants for actively taking part in this event, which

went so well.

by Organising Committee of Branch C Annual Picnic 2003

67ITSD NEWS

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Children playing the “Find the Treasure” game all receive lots of presents.

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68 fqpa ��

� � ===Leisure

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The Magic ofFamily Constellation

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69ITSD NEWS

This March and April, I attended Mr. Bert Hellinger’s

workshops on Family Constellation and I was deeply

impressed by Mr. Hellinger’s healing magic on people’s

souls. In the workshops, I learnt how to deal with

different kinds of emotional problems, such as the

sadness of losing my beloved dog and the anxiety of

having a sick family member. Let me now introduce you

to what Family Constellation is.

Systematic Constellation

Systematic Constellation is a branch of learning created

by the German psychologist Mr Bert Hellinger, under

which there are two main applications: Family

Constellation and Organisation Constellation. Through

Systematic Constellation, he has successfully dealt with

many complicated family/organisation problems.

69ITSD NEWS

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The German psychologist Mr Bert Hellinger

host workshops on Family Constellation inMarch and April this year.

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70 fqpa ��

� � ===Leisure

What Are Systems?

We do not live alone in this world. We all belong to some

kinds of systems, such as family, company and

organisation. We play different roles in these systems.

One might be the mother of a family, another a supervisor

or an employee of a company. Members belonging to

the same system influence each other. When a person

comes home being angry or upset, his family members

are also affected.

Factors DeterminingRelationship of SystemMembers

A system can only work well and

its members feel contented if the

members develop a harmonious

relationship.

There are two kinds of factors

that determine the relationship

between members of a system:

external and internal factors.

External factors include laws, traditions, culture, customs,

ethos and rules set by the system itself. However, Mr

Bert Hellinger found that what really determines the

relationship of members in a system are the internal

factors. The system can work well if the following three

main internal factors are satisfied:

1. the eligibility of each member is being respected;

2. the give and take between members is balanced; and

3. the position of each member is being respected.

These three factors govern the feelings of all members.

If the three conditions are fulfilled, the members will

feel contented and secure. If not, the members will feel

an urge to conform. This “inner drive” might even make

us do something we should not do and yet feel blameless.

As Mr Hellinger points out, during the Second World War,

many German soldiers killed a lot of Jews and still

thought it was the right thing to do, while those Germans

who secretly helped the Jews thought that they had

betrayed their nation.

How SystematicConstellation Works

Systematic Constellation has

to be conducted under the

guidance of a facilitator. The

c l ient wi l l inv i te other

participants to represent

certain roles in his/her system.

All participants will form a

circle and those role-players

(representatives) will step into

the circle. When the representatives relax their minds,

they will experience feelings that do not belong to

themselves, but feelings as experienced by the members

in the client’s system. The facilitator will act according

to the reactions of different persons and guide the

members to deal with their problems with a view to

reaching a balance in the system.

During the workshop, I had represented the grandmother

of the client. The grandmother is schizophrenic and I

could really feel the chaos in my head that a

schizophrenic patient feels.

���� �� !"#$%%&'()*+,-�� ��

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The author (right) is deeply impressed by Mr Hellinger (left)’s healing

magic on people’s souls after attending his workshops.

70 fqpa ��

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71ITSD NEWS

Counselling Work

In the workshops, Mr Bert Hellinger guided many

participants to solve their complicated family problems.

One of the participants was homosexual and one of them

even had mental illness.

Mr Hellinger also helped me handle a family problem.

My mother had a stroke 10 years ago, and since then I

have been distressed and could do nothing except feeling

upset. Mr Hellinger guided me to accept my mother’s

fate and thank her for everything she gave me, so that I

could then go back to my own road in life.

Reference Resources:

www.hellinger.com

“Acknowledging What Is” and “Love’s Hidden Symmetry”

(Author: Mr Bert Hellinger)

by Celia Cheung, Analyst/Programmer I,

Housing Department

71ITSD NEWS

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