Message: No News? Not Really, Just Not Interesting Enough

Image from Samsung

No news? Well, not really, the most exciting one for me is the launch of the Samsung Galaxy SIII, but too much of it will definitely turn off my other non-SIII-interested readers, so I decided to shut up... at least for awhile, about the SIII... or maybe a little bit more before I do actually shut-up, and that is I have finally found a good excuse for me to wait a little longer before I splash out my cash to get it -- I will wait for the Pebble Blue colour one to come out first and compare which colour I really want to get. Then again, I will go to New Century Plaza in Mongkok before the 3rd June to try out the phone myself.

I might even make a hands-on video review myself! If that is the case then it would be my very first video on the internet. I'll see how it goes. It might just be fun!!!

I have added one additional video in my last entry just now for those of you who want to hear what the professional software developers from xdadevelopers have to say about SIII.

**********************

And you should have noticed the change of theme from House M.D. to SIII on our blog.

No sure if you consider this a news or not but I have just realised that I have left my USB flash drive in the evening school which contains a piece of homework which I am currently working on and the class note for the class I did tonight. Not sure what the night school will do to it and I will go back to reclaim it tomorrow morning. (What a bummer!) Fingers crossed!

**********************

And then there was this solar eclipse which I missed, but actually, everybody in Hong Kong also missed. I will just let Kai help me tell you more about it!

Epic fail? Indeed!

Subscribe/Like to our English Playground if you want to hear me talking about my own stuff rather than reading more research stuff, or subscribe if you want to read more research stuff.


Vocabulary:
launch -- (n) [C] an event to celebrate or introduce something new
splash out (sth) -- phrasal verb UK to spend a lot of money on buying things, especially things which are pleasant to have but which you do not need
reclaim -- (vb) [T] to take back something that was yours
bummer -- [C] [S] offensive something that is very annoying or not convenient
Fingers crossed --  cross your fingers (also keep you fingers crossed) to hope that things will happen in the way that you want them to
epic -- (adj)  informal  extremely large



Resources:


Hands-On with the Galaxy S III: UI, Gestures, Web Browser, and USB Host @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6idNXrjfAo


Technology & Event: Samsung Galaxy SIII Reviews @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2012/05/technology-event-samsung-galaxy-siii.html

How to Take Photos of an Eclipse (EPIC FAIL?) @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/lL2kR1EJKkw

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/launch_1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/splash_1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/splash-out-sth#splash-out-sth__2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/reclaim
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/bummer
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/cross-your-fingers_2#cross-your-fingers_2__1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/epic_2

Technology & Event: Samsung Galaxy SIII Reviews

Image from Samsung 

This time, it is serious! Samsung Galaxy SIII has already begun selling in Dubai and it is available for pre-ordering today!!! Let's have a look at what it means by "designed for humans".

What do you think about the commercial? I think the concept is pretty cool!

Here's my interpretations of the commercial.

The first shot on the ripple lockscreen is really the most eye-catching selling point -- "it understands you" when you swipe across the screen, the water pattern follows.

The "hands-on-heart, phone-to-phone, palm-to-palm-separated-by-glass-wall" airport scene "shares what's in your heart" with S Beam and is really touching! Wedding and running hand-in-hand "keeps track of loved ones"? That's the Social Tag, a glance at yourfriends’ photos will show you their current SNS status..

The baby touches mummy's finger and "recognises who you are" is brilliant and warm! And of course that is referring to the Face Unlock function which is available on Android Ice Cream Sandwich v4.0.

The orchestra conductor swinging her hands left and right follows your every move, could refer to several functions, in particular the S Voice, which you can tell it towake up, answer, even take a photo

Girl running with scarf and the jumping wedding group with "sees your best side" refers to the Best Shot function which intelligently select the best photo for you.

Waves and sunlight -- "connects with nature" with the Pepple blue and marble white choices.

Smart Stay "waits till you are asleep".

Samsung Galaxy S3 pop-up shop @ London
Image from recombu

In fact, there are many more functions then the TV ad can say, check this following video out!

A more detailed review on words can be found here, written by The Verge : http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/25/3042640/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-review

Additional video by the xdadevelopers, a website for professional programmers, who were testing this amazing phone, see what they have to say about the phone from a programmer's point of view.

Pre-order in Hong Kong is almost over, as the phone should be on sale pretty soon. For those of you who are interested in trying it out before you buy, such as me as I want to see which colour suits me best, you can check out the following website,

http://www.samsung.com/hk/galaxys3/

Or simply, see the following poster,

Resources:
Samsung Galaxy SIII
http://www.samsung.com/global/galaxys3/
http://support-hk.samsung.com/galaxys3/

[GALAXY S III] Official TV Commercial @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/OsP-S2nETCc

Samsung Galaxy S3 gets pop-up shop @ recombu
http://recombu.com/news/samsung-galaxy-s3-gets-pop-up-shop_M17810.html

Samsung Galaxy S III Review @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/L4l8zhx6TeA

Samsung Galaxy S III review @ The Verge
http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/25/3042640/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-review

Hands-On with the Galaxy S III: UI, Gestures, Web Browser, and USB Host @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6idNXrjfAo

Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III @ GSMArena
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i9300_galaxy_s_iii-4238.php

Technology & News: Samsung Galaxy S3 Has Finally Arrived!!!! @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2012/05/technology-news-samsung-galaxy-s3-has.html

Rising star: Samsung Galaxy S3 @ TODAY Online
http://www.todayonline.com/Technology/EDC120528-0000079/Rising-star--Samsung-Galaxy-S3

Song: I Started A Joke -- Bee Gees

Image from Billboard.biz

Definitely deserves more entries from our English Playground and my late sleep tonight just to finish this entry, Bee Gee's slow songs not only live forever, but also provide huge opportunities for learners to practise their listening skill.

Mainly sung by Robin Gibb, "I Started A Joke" is a song with two interpretations, one as a outcry of social alienation, and one as a self-reflection of the devil.^[1]


Simply and wonderful melody, beautifully sung, magically magnetising the deepest of the listeners' heart.

I started a joke Which started the whole world crying But I didn't see That the joke was on me, oh no I started to cry Which started the whole world laughing Oh, if I'd only seen That the joke was on me Running my hands over my eyes Image from Jeanetics: Blink I looked at the skies Running my hands over my eyes And I fell out of bed Hurting my head from things that I'd said Brave heroes started the whole world living @ Tyne Cot Military Cemetery, Passchendaele Image from photo.net Till I finally died Which started the whole world living Oh, if I'd only seen That the joke was on me I looked at the skies Running my hands over my eyes And I fell out of bed Hurting my head from things that I'd said Till I finally died Which started the whole world living Oh, if I'd only seen, oh yeah That the joke was on me, oh no That the joke was on me, ohh

Thank you Robin once again, for all your great songs and music.



Vocabulary:
outcry -- (n)[C] a strong expression of anger and disapproval about something, made by a group of people or by the public
magnetise -- (adj) to make an object magnetic
alienation -- (n)[U] the feeling that you have no connection with the people around you

Resources:
People: Thank You, Robin Gibb!!! R.I.P. @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2012/05/people-thank-you-robin-gibb-rip.html

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_started_a_joke

Bee Gee Robin Gibb Mourned and Hailed in Britain @ Billboard.biz
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/record-labels/bee-gee-robin-gibb-mourned-and-hailed-in-1007110352.story

I Started A Joke @ elyrics
http://www.elyrics.net/read/b/bee-gees-lyrics/i-started-a-joke-lyrics.html


http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/outcry?q=outcry
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/magnetize?q=magnetising+#magnetize__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/alienation_1?q=alienation

People: Thank You, Robin Gibb!!! R.I.P.

Tribute to Robin Gibb

Robin Gibb
Image from wikipedia

Thank You Bee Gees, for bringing extraordinary songs to this world!

Number 5 / Johnny 5
Image from hexus

For creating romance in your magnificent falsetto songs!

For making my childhood filled with hope, decency and love!

For bringing disco music to this world!

You didn't start a joke, you started the whole world loving! You started my loving your songs even before I was born, when I was in my mother's womb!!!

Robin Gibbs, R.I.P.

Vocabulary:
falsetto -- (n)  [C] (plural falsettos) a form of singing or speaking by men using an extremely high voice
decency -- (n) [U] behaviour that is good, moral and acceptable in society


Resources:
Short Circuit (Johnny 5) - More Than a Woman @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/kOWYVT5xABA

bee gees - more than a woman @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/2ZCtgFmQvjQ

Bee Gees - How Deep Is Your Love ( Original ) HQ [ NO CONCERT / NO KARAOKE ] @YouTube
http://youtu.be/BBMriOspUvA

Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive [Version 1] (Video) @YouTube
http://youtu.be/I_izvAbhExY

Bee Gees - I Started A Joke and First Of May  @YouTube
http://youtu.be/0QTQdAKUZmA

Movie: Short Circuit @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/03/movie-short-circuit.html

Song: How Deep Is Your Love -- Bee Gees @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2012/02/song-how-deep-is-your-love-bee-gees.html

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/falsetto_1?q=falsetto+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/decency?q=decency

Academic Research: Corpus-based Analysis of Whatsapp Group Chat

Image from thewp7phones

Title: Author: Descriptors:  Publication Date:  Pages:  Last Updated:

Learner Corpus Mini-research: Corpus-based Analysis of Whatsapp Group Chat Law, Locky English, ESL, EFL, Corpus, Corpora, Multimodality, Internet, Smartphones, Grammar, Chat room, Group chat, Learning, Teaching, 2012-5-21 76 2012-7-11

Introduction:

In Hong Kong, adult learners of English rely heavily on face-to-face classroom instruction, which is the mainstream mode of learning. As the internet and computer technology advance, authentic resources have become highly accessible (Law, 2011) and corpora boom, data-driven learning (DDL) gradually proves to be a viable self-learning alternative to traditional one-to-many face-to-face spoon-feeding pedagogy. Computer-mediated communication has not only changed human behaviour (Law, 2011), but has gradually shifted learning paradigm. Through the use of online web-based corpora, learners are able to explore patterns, regularity and trends of any lexical items by inductive method through the internet. In this paper, a Whatsapp chat room chat log of 9 adult learners of English is analysed and three selected errors will be bombarded by corpus data to demonstrate the benefits and practicality of DDL. Towards the end of the paper, I will suggest a corpus-based pedagogy, discuss the limitations of this project and conclude by advocating DDL in cities with high mobile phone and internet penetration such as Hong Kong.

Opinions:
For those of you who would like to read academic papers written by me. Hope this will be useful for those of you researching in related areas as well.

Resources:
Learner Corpus Mini-research: Corpus-based Analysis of Whatsapp Group Chat @ Locky's English Playground
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B9emHQBd5COmZW1EMEhwMUxyck0

News & Opinions: Bothering Steve Jobs Again, Knocking At Heaven's Door!

Image from lareducere

Earlier on, on our English Playground Facebook page, I just couldn't stand but to write a message

What??? Steve Jobs was working on everything from iPhone 4S to the 4-inch screen iPhone 5?
How about iPhone 6, 7 and 8?
Will we still hear that he was working on the designs of these?One moment rumour has it that "Apple's reconsideration of the iPhone's size wasn't a post-Jobs epiphany and that the company's longtime leader had himself seen the value in enlarging the handset to better compete in an evolving smartphone market."
But anyone remembered "how harshly the late Apple co-founder criticized larger smartphones in 2010, when he declared that "no one's going to buy" such devices"?
Apple, you make me think that you can't sell a thing if you don't bother Steve Jobs in heaven!!!

Tim Cook
Image from Tablet Roms.com

I mean, this is so true! It is ridiculous and even unethical to use Steve Jobs' name to keep promoting the iProducts, continually knocking on heaven's door hoping that Steve Jobs will bless the company with more earnings!

iPhone 4S was already dubbed as "iPhone 4 Steve", and before that I have already mentioned in the article dated 20th October 2011, titled News & Opinions: iPhone 4 Steve? Siri-ously? What about iPhone 5teve? I said,

One "iPhone 4 Steve" has triggered the best iPhone buying spree ever, what would their selling line be when they sell iPhone 5? iPhone 5teve? I'll surely take all the credit if they really do this, but my point is, they can basically do this forever! iPhone 5teve, iPhone 5S (iPhone 5teve JobS), etc.

I can't believe they are really going to use this method again!!!

They have fooled people once with the iPhone 4 Steve, now they want to fool people again!

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me! -- Idiom

I will not be fooled! I'm not an Apple fan and I think the iProducts are way too expensive for users, but I do have great respect for Steve Jobs, knowing that the company keeps using his name as promotion strategy really pisses me off!!

Image from applematters

Wanna continue earning big money and not miss your earning, impress us with better phones and tablets!!! Cut the (fake) rumours!! You know how much more you earn compared to Steve Jobs!

Apple's Tim Cook could top CEO pay list in '11






Vocabulary:
unethical -- (adj) not ethical (= based on moral beliefs)
dub -- (vb) [T + noun] to give something or someone a particular name, especially describing what you think of them
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. -- (Proverb) After being tricked once, one should be wary, so that the person cannot trick you again

Resources:
President Bush -- Fool me Once @
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ux3DKxxFoM

News & Opinions: iPhone 4 Steve? Siri-ously? What about iPhone 5teve?
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/10/news-opinions-iphone-4-steve-siri-ously.html

Steve Jobs' death clears way for rumoured 4in 'iPhone 5' screen @ The Register
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/05/17/iphone_5_4_inch_screen/

Report: Steve Jobs 'worked closely' on new iPhone design @ MSN
http://www.technolog.msnbc.msn.com/technology/technolog/report-steve-jobs-worked-closely-new-iphone-design-779931

Apple's Tim Cook could top CEO pay list in '11 @ MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45935345/ns/business-us_business/t/apples-tim-cook-could-top-ceo-pay-list/#.T7nWeNxOAlE

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/unethical?q=unethical
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/dub_1?q=dub
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/Fool+me+once,+shame+on+you%3B+fool+me+twice,+shame+on+me

News & Vocabulary: Mayan says December 2012 NOT the End of the World

The Washington Post has the following news reporting National Geographic's findings:

Tyrone Turner/National Geographic Four long numbers on the north wall of a ruined house related to the Mayan calendar and computations about the moon, sun and possibly Venus and Mars; the dates stretch some 7,000 years into the future. By Brian Vastag / The Washington Post The ancient Mayans were masters of time, keepers of good calendars. And now, we have one of their timekeepers' workrooms to prove it. In a striking find, archaeologists in Guatemala report the discovery of a small building whose walls display not only a stunningly preserved mural of a brightly adorned Mayan king, but also calendars that destroy any notion of the Mayans predicting the end of the world in 2012. These deep-time calendars can be used to count thousands of years into the past and future, countering pop-culture and New Age ideas that Mayan calendars ended on Dec. 21, 2012, (or Dec. 23, depending on who's counting), thus predicting the world's end. The newly found calendars, which track the motion of the moon, Venus and Mars, provide an unprecedented glimpse into how these storied sky-gazers -- who dominated Central America for nearly 1,000 years -- kept such accurate track of months, seasons and years. "What they're trying to do is understand the large cycles of cosmic time," said Boston University archaeologist William Saturno, who led the expedition. "This is the space they're doing it in. It's like looking into Da Vinci's workshop." Before the new find, the best-preserved Mayan calendars were inscribed in bark-paged books called codices, the most famous being the Dresden Codex. But those pages hail from several hundred years later than the newly found calendars. Mr. Saturno said researchers have long assumed that the Mayans had worked out the cycles of the moons and planets much earlier, but no evidence of such work had ever been found. But in 2010, undergraduate student Max Chamberlain, working with Mr. Saturno, stumbled onto the house as the team began a huge job -- starting excavations at a Mayan city, Xultun, which, despite being known since 1915, had never been professionally excavated. Instead, over the decades, looters had dug deep trenches to access buildings. One day at lunch, Mr. Chamberlain announced his intention to find paintings by crawling through the trenches. Mr. Saturno scoffed. The buildings were too shallow -- any paint on their walls would surely be long gone, erased by water, dirt, insects and encroaching tree roots. But sure enough, Mr. Chamberlain stumbled onto a wall, open to a trench, showing two red lines. A quick excavation revealed the back wall of the building -- replete with a mural of a resplendent Mayan king, in bright blue, adorned with feathers and jewelry. Mr. Saturno's team brushed off the wall and, "Ta-da!" he said. "A Technicolor, fantastically preserved mural. I don't know how it survived." Mr. Saturno immediately emailed contacts at the National Geographic Society, which agreed to fund a full excavation of the building. The discovery is detailed in this week's Science magazine and in the June issue of National Geographic. The mural is the first Mayan painting found in a small building instead of a large public space. And it's also the oldest known preserved Mayan painting. Next to the king, a scribe -- perhaps the worker who scribbled the calendars on the wall -- holds a writing instrument. Three mysterious figures wearing black also march across the wall. One of them is named "older brother obsidian." Mayan experts have no idea whom these mysterious figures might represent. Once the team uncovered several columns of red and black dots and dashes -- the Mayans' numbering system -- the meaning of these figures was almost immediately evident to David Stuart, a University of Texas art history professor, and one of the world's foremost experts in Mayan hieroglyphics. It was a lunar table, showing a 4,784-day cycle of the moon's phases. The table is broken into 27 columns, each representing six lunar months. Each column is topped by the face of one of three moon gods -- a jaguar, a skull and a woman. These repeat. So by consulting the table, a priest could tell which moon god would preside over a particular date. Want to know whether the king's birthday falls under a jaguar moon 10 years hence? A hundred? A thousand? Just check the table. "It's really cool because it shows us the tools the ancient astronomers and priests were using to do their calculations," Mr. Stuart said. On another wall sits a smaller set of four columns of figures. Eventually, the all-star Mayan scholar team assembled by Mr. Saturno figured it out: This second table was filled with huge numbers relating to how long it takes Mars and Venus to cross the sky and come back again. This calendar spans some 7,000 years -- heading much farther into the future than the supposed doomsday date. "Like a lot of ancient cultures, they were able with naked-eye astronomy to calculate the paths of the planets," said Mr. Stuart. "We tend to forget that, before telescopes, people were able to analyze the movement of planets in a lot of detail -- and figure out exactly, to the day, the length of a Venus year and a Mars year." Tulane University's Marc Zender, a Mayan expert not involved in the work, said, "It's about as exciting as discovering lost manuscripts of a famous mathematician like Archimedes. It's an amazing, privileged glimpse over their shoulders." With the virtually unexplored city of Xultun containing hundreds of buildings stretching across at least 16 square miles of jungle, Mr. Saturno guesses that plenty of other surprises await excavation. "It might take another two decades," he said. He expects the world to still exist then, and said he'd bet anyone a million dollars it will. The Mayan calendar does start a new "long cycle" later this year, but he equated that with a car's odometer rolling over from 99,999 miles to zero: "You go, 'Yay,' but the car just doesn't disappear." First Published May 11, 2012 12:00 am

Basically, that means, sorry, it is not the end of the world, you don't have to sell all your properties and go into crazy spending, and yes, if you have read this entry, you can still pretend that the end of the world is near and make a fortune out of others who still believe so.

“Doomsday is just a bunch of make-believe" -- Master Peter So

Read more to learn more vocabulary!! I'm a bit busy this week, hope next week I can write more!


Have a nice weekend!!!!


Vocabulary:
striking -- (adj) very unusual or easily noticed, and therefore attracting a lot of attention
archaeologist -- noun (mainly US archeologist) [C] someone who studies the buildings, graves, tools and other objects of people who lived in the past
Guatemala 

View Larger Map

notion -- (n)  [C or U] (a) belief or idea
unprecedented -- (adj) never having happened or existed in the past
glimpse -- (vb) [T] to see something or someone for a very short time or only partly
gazer -- (n) [C] from gaze -- [I usually + adverb or preposition] to look at something or someone for a long time, especially in surprise, admiration or because you are thinking about something else
cosmic -- (adj) relating to the universe and the natural processes that happen in it

stumble across/on/upon sth/sb -- phrasal verb to discover something by chance, or to meet someone by chance

excavation -- (n)  [C or U] removal of earth that is covering very old objects buried in the ground in order to discover things about the past

encroach on/upon sth -- to gradually cover more and more of an area of land

mural -- (n) [C] a large picture that has been painted on the wall of a room or building
scribble -- (vb)[I]  to write or draw something quickly or carelessly
obsidian -- (n) [U] a type of almost black rock that is like glass
astronomer -- (n)[C] someone who studies astronomy
the naked-eye -- If something can be seen with the naked eye, it can be seen without the help of an instrument
manuscript -- (n)[C] an old document or book written by hand in the times before printing was invented
virtually -- (adv) almost





Resources:
Discovery in Guatemala shows that Mayan calendar goes on @ post-gazette.com
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/world/discovery-in-guatemala-shows-that-mayan-calendar-goes-on-635382/

Living: Master So VS Mayans' Doomsday Prediction @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2012/04/living-master-so-vs-mayans-doomsday.html

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/striking?q=striking+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/archaeologist?q=archaeologist+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/notion?q=notion+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/unprecedented?q=unprecedented+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/glimpse_1?q=glimpse+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/gaze_1?q=gazes#gaze_1__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/cosmic?q=cosmic+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/stumble-across-on-upon-sth-sb#stumble-across-on-upon-sth-sb__2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/excavate?q=excavations+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/encroach-on-upon-sth?q=encroaching+#encroach-on-upon-sth__2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/mural?q=mural
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/scribble_1?q=scribbled+#scribble_1__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/obsidian?q=obsidian
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/astronomer?q=astronomer+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/the-naked-eye?q=naked-eye#the-naked-eye__1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/manuscript?q=manuscript+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/virtually?q=virtually+

Business Vocabulary: Dealing with Bosses Who Don't Let You Go

Image from ©2011 Warner Bros. Ent.

It really doesn't take bosses like the ones in Horrible Bosses to give you a hard time. As a matter of fact, all it takes is any boss.

Recently, I am reading on the advices on the web for people who are finding it trouble dealing with their bosses. I wonder how many of these advices actually works?

Dealing with bosses is basically dealing with people, and people do come in many types, thus different personalities. If there was one general formula that works with all bosses, I would love to know it, but my guess is, there is none.

For example, how do you handle a boss who knows you are changing jobs and doesn't let you go? Even if you have submitted your resignation letters way before the commencement date of your new job, she still rejects it, giving you all those nice reasons and saying how important you are to the company when in fact she has been treating you like dirt. Now that you are running short of time for the one-month notice because of the first resignation letter rejection and now your boss is complaining about the shortness of notice time?

Of course, if you don't want to ruin your name in the field. Business Insider has an article which gives you "Six Reasons Why You Should Never Quit Without Notice".

1. Your ex-colleagues-to-be will suffer if you quit too soon.
2. It's a small world out there.
3. You may end up working in this company again in the future?
4. A bad record follows you for life.
5. You will lose money / bonuses you are entitled to.
6. Good reference letter? No way!

On the other hand, your new job's HR is saying that they won't wait for you for 30 days and if you don't want the job, they can always find someone else.

They are pushing you from both sides and you are all by yourself juggling, what can you do?

Image from ©2011 Warner Bros. Ent.

The most important action you should take in this situation is knowing your rights and Labour Law, different countries and states have different labour laws so it is important to find out what you rights you are entitled to.

For the case of Hong Kong's Labour Law, the instructions are as follows,


That means if you have signed a contract which says you have to pay one month salary as wage in lieu of notice because you have less than 30 days notice, then you must that one month salary, if so, you better decide to quit ASAP since you are going to pay one month salary to the company anyway. No point working till last working day and still pay one month wage in lieu of notice, right?

Horrible Bosses
Image Warner Bros/ Sportsphoto Ltd/ Allstar

Well, maybe, you want that good impression for that good reference letter, but from my personal opinions, if your boss doesn't like you in the first place, then your reference letter is nothing much more than a work duration verification stating from which day till which day you worked in this company. A bad reference letter can be worse than having no reference letter.

Can the boss or GM or anyone superior to you disapprove of your resignation? Well, in actual fact, no! Generally speaking, most contracts should say "either party can terminate the contract" under some conditions such as wage in lieu of notice, so as long as you have the money to pay, no one can really stop you.

Mario Ballotelli in rival AC Milan's shirt
Image from ronaldo7.net

Ask any famous international football players, if they can pay for themselves, they can quit any football club at any time, though they will normally ask for a contract termination on mutual consent, or play dirty like wearing the team shirt of a rival club like Mario Ballotelli and force the chairman to fire him by disappearing like Carlos Tevez.

Carlos Tevez
Image from ronaldo7.net

Vocabulary:
commencement -- (n) [C or U] formal the beginning of something
pay/ wage in lieu of notice -- (n) an employment law term used to describe a payment made to an employee by the employer, rather than the employee working through their statutory notice period. -- in lieu -- (n) formal instead (of)
in the first place -- in or at the beginning (of a series of events)
terminate -- (vb) [I or T] formal to (cause something to) end or stop
mutual consent -- (n)[U] agreed by both parties

Resources:

Horrible Bosses @ IMDb
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1499658/

Horrible Bosses Character Trailer - Kevin Spacey @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWtywioYgYQ

Horrible Bosses Character Trailer - Colin Farrell @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJlGdhj2mX8

Horrible Bosses Character Trailer - Jennifer Aniston  @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO_4xONQHaM

Six Reasons Why You Should Never Quit Without Notice @ Business Insider
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-02-22/strategy/30010564_1_bosses-notice-job-change

What To Do When Your Boss Doesn’t Like You @ GPB Blogs
http://www.gpb.org/blogs/working-and-career/2012/02/01/what-to-do-when-your-boss-doesn%E2%80%99t-like-you

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/commencement?q=commencement+
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_in_lieu_of_notice
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/lieu?q=in+lieu#lieu__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/first_1?q=in+the+first+place#first_1__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/terminate_1?q=terminate+