What I’m listening to
“I grew up in the rock and roll era and like songs from The Beatles. The more I listen to their songs, the more I realize how really talented they are as musicians, particularly John Lennon and Paul McCartney. My favourite song would be I Should Have Known Better. I like the harmonica introduction and this was the first song I ever heard from The Beatles.”
– Joseph Wan FCPA, retired
What I’m reading
Survival in Auschwitz: If This is a Man is a memoir by Italian Jewish writer Primo Levi, who was prisoned in Auschwitz – the largest German Nazi concentration camp. The book discloses the harm, annihilation, starvation and hopelessness that Levi witnessed and experienced. What impressed me most is the calmness of Levi’s writing style, which is even more striking, given the horrific nature of the events he describes throughout the book. You can really feel the “weight” of his words. It also reminds readers to live well and live honestly, and to believe in kindness.
– Chan Yuen Lam CPA, Assistant Manager at KPMG
I recommend The Gray Rhino: How to Recognize and Act on the Obvious Dangers We Ignore, by Michele Wucker. A gray rhino, as Wucker explains, is a highly probable, high impact yet neglected threat. The book lists out examples in different aspects, including climate change, cybersecurity, debt, water scarcity, economic inequality etc. to explain the psychological tendencies and social influences that often cause us to ignore and deny these obvious threats in favour of short-term gains or savings. The book leads readers to rethink and acknowledge some existing threats and their own biases, and to work to overcome them.
– Margaret Hui CPA, Senior Manager at ICBC (Asia)
Greenlights is an extraordinary memoir from the Academy Award winning actor, Matthew McConaughey, which depicts his life story and how he turns some of his “red” lights in life into “green” lights. Both in traffic and in life, green lights let us know whether or not to go ahead on our path. We also inevitably come across red or yellow lights, both of which can stop us from progressing. However, it all depends on how you see these challenges and how you cope with them. During this difficult time, this is just the right book to read.
– Derek Lo CPA, Senior Consultant, Deloitte China
