I probably shouldn't blog this, but the following is an excerpt from an e-mail written to a friend of mine by his Chinese mother. The last three sentences contain perhaps the best mid-stream change of subject I've ever seen:

Did you watch the American Idol once? Why is Simon loved and hated by the viewers? He tells people the truth. He tells them they can't sing so that they can stop and think about it and pursue other interest or talent. You need to be your own Simon sometimes. You can't do everything very well (No body can) You need first of all having the talent, then you need formal training. NO one has the time to go to every trade school to be trained to do everything. But you can certainly displine yourself on your leisure time for pure personal satisfication and enjoyment. And if one day you get to be good enough to be recognized, that will be great just like icing on the cake. But you must eat regular meals and have dessert on the special occasions or on the weekends. Or your body will not be in good shape.