Preface

I am Bernard Chan, 22 years old. I live in Hong Kong, China. I graduated from the University of Hong Kong with the Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering in 2003. I am not sure why I spend so much time constructing my home on the Internet, yet I hope it is a wise decision for me to do so. I determined long ago that I should put my personal profile on my homepage. Unlike many others who have very interesting or extraordinary backgrounds and many photos at different stages of their lives, I only have a somehow boring personal profile with a few number of photos to be posted on my homepage. With my awful flair in art and computer graphics, the problem gets even worse. Therefore, I know my homepage will not be appealing to many --- it is mainly targeted at my friends who would like to understand me further, and here it is. Updated in December 2003, this is an up-to-date and true account of myself, and I hope you won't find this too boring.

Hobbies

I am very interested in computer technologies. From PC BASIC in early 90s to Visual Basic .NET nowadays, I have witnessed series of revolutions in the computer industry at an exponential rate, as from text-based OS like MS-DOS to GUI OS like Windows XP we are having today. Development in the computer industry has undergone a drastic change, thanks to the immense popularity of the Internet. I have developed applications in QBasic for quite many years, until the whole stage was relocated to Windows since the release of Visual Basic 1.0. It was simple enough to use even by an "idiot", as was claimed by Microsoft. Many more features are being incorporated as newer versions were released. I enjoy the bustling activities in the computer industry, and to see how the industry expands with the injection of innovative ideas every day.

I started to develop an interest in computers when I got my first computer in 1991 as a present. I used it mainly for word processing and playing some little computer games. As a curious and ambitious person, obviously I was not satisfied with merely using it - I wanted to find a sense of achievement in myself. I started to learn computer programming in 1993. I started with Microsoft QBasic, then Visual Basic. After I entered university I learned C/C++, Java and Perl as well. Programming has always been my hobby and I hope I can, in one day, turn my hobby into the foundation of future success.

My 3-year studies in the university have changed quite a lot of my views. I thought programming was a major element in computing, but I was wrong. Computer science studies involve a wide variety of disciplines and programming is just a tool for implementation. I have also learned a lot of new things. For example, I would not have learned and used Unix if I did not study Computer Science (Linux is just a buzzword that appears more often on the media recently). Recently I have also developed more interests in technical writing and information security analysis. In a long term, these are the areas that I would like to specialize in. When I have time, I also join some online technical forums to learn more from experts and help the others.

My languages are not pretty bad (I hope you agree), especially my writing skills. For this reason, I am interested in writing on my own. In high school I was taught to write discussion and argumentative essays, and in earlier years I wrote some short stories. I have been an editor for the students' school newspaper and undertaken the responsibility as a secretary for several clubs in school for a year. I have written on quite many issues, and I am planning to organize them and post them on my homepage later, in the "Articles" section.

It's a regret that I didn't read many books in the past. In school I had access to some literature from some contemporary writers, yet I am finding more texts on the Internet, thanks to the continuation of the Project Gutenburg. With concerted efforts from the editors, I have access to the greatest literature library online, and I can download the texts and read them offline. Reading texts from good writers can substantially improve my vocabulary as well as the way I present my ideas to my fellow readers.

Listening to music has long been a favoured hobby of mine. I have been a staunch supporter of classicals for many years. Some years ago I started listening to golden oldies from 60s-80s. Oldies can relieve my exam pressure while I was revising for the forthcoming public examination. I enjoy some love songs and movie soundtracks in particular. I don't have many CDs or vinyl records for oldies, and I listen to oldies primarily through listening to oldies radio programmes.

I enjoy learning new things, and I uphold the principle of "Learning for life". I have interests in anything unfamiliar to me, and when I have time, I will allocate some time reading books on natural surroundings, spiritual development and science. I am particularly interested in languages. Though I don't have too much talent in languages, I am interested to improve my English and learn a new language. I hope that by doing so I will be able to widen my horizons and understand more about foreign cultures.