My Life

混日子

2011-04-10T22:19:00.000-07:00

又是两个月。没什么长进。不能这样下去。 Time for a change. A positive one.

Shen Zhen

2011-02-20T09:44:00.000-08:00

Last time I was here was the Summer of 2007. I had not seen my parents for 3 years at that point, so for the very first time I booked a personal trip to China to visit them. It just so happened that a recruiter for Tencent contacted me for some interviews in Shenzhen that Summer. Long story short, I was a different person back then.

Compared with then, I'm now more conscious of what I eat, about working out and maintaining a balanced mindset. Compared with then, I'm now also more familiar with the China work dynamics.

Shenzhen is a quickly commercialized city. This time around, I haven't found anything unique about it. It's natural qualities would quality it for a Singapore-like city development, but unforunately everywhere you turn, it's business signs. I can't imagine myself living here.

I'm typing this because of severe jetlag. It's 2am. Wish me luck in getting some sleep!

work smart series

2011-01-30T01:15:00.000-08:00

not at peace with myself lately. By nature, I'm a conflict avoider, despite my straight talk style. the business process and structure at work doesn't make much sense. my peer is granted way too much power and budget resources and he's not shy from wielding his power. he's poached my key stakeholders with his money behind my back.

finally i'm starting to understand what it means when people say business is a game.

went to a seminar. the speaker said for women to be more successful, we've got to work LESS. work less so we have sometime to manage the right relationships and our career. join the right circles, go to the right after-work parties, hang out with the right people who can help you.

i accidentally bumped into one of the relatoinship leaders in this country. i had a follow up call with him. his comment on relationships were very revealing.

one of my advisors also said similar things to me.

work with the willing. build personal relationships with those decision makers first. they can help you influence others if necessary.

long ways to go for me. but i know i can do it.

wish i knew all this when i was in my late 20s. but better late than never.

met a woman at the above-mentioned seminar. we hit it off immediately. she turned out to be the wife of one of my former co-workers. fairly successful. good contact to have.

need to go out and meet more people.

The Year 3000

2011-01-22T12:58:00.001-08:00

in year 3000, i come back to the US of A. The cities in this once wonderful country look like the Beijings and Shanghais in the 21st century. What has gone wry in human's over-abuse of Earth?

...

Meditation

2011-01-20T00:36:00.000-08:00

found myself happy tonight. Then realized it was the group meditation that did the trick.

Lesson learned: do more meditation. :-)

I enjoy these moments of self-reflection. So quiet. Alone with myself. I like it. Very lucky to have the time, space and health and spirit to do this.

I wish Mom had the opportunity to experience meditation. Unfortunately she is so caught up in the manifest world and hasn't seemed to find her path to spirituality. The living condition in China also doesn't help much.

Will call her tomorrow.

New Year's Resolutions

2011-01-20T00:25:00.001-08:00

CNY is around the corner. Feb 2, Beijing time to be exact.

F, my GF from Seattle, will be in town with her significant other and daughter. We'll have a New Year's dinner together.

Time for my New Year's Resolutions.
1. eat breakfast. (i'm good with this when i'm traveling. with the crazy work hours these days, hard to get up at the right time for breakfast, but i'm resolved to eat something after i get up vs. wait till late afternoon)
2. work out for one solid hour per day, at least 3 days a week.
3. do a hike at least once every 2 weeks. ideally once a week.
4. blog at least once a week. need to come back to writing.
5. eat well and healthy. reduce greasy diet. eat more salad, fruits.
6. learn to cook and clean.
7. travel to at least 2 new places this year. i think this one is easy to accomplish.
8. focus more time on family.
9. work smart, meaning be more strategic about my time.
10. training. last year, didn't get to participate in any training due to budget cuts and too much travel. this year, it's a must.

silence

2011-01-20T00:21:00.000-08:00

Went to the first session of the 7 spiritual laws of success.

Too bad F didn't seem to be into this sort of thing and he had to leave a few minutes into it. Sometimes I worry about his fear for interacting with others.

It turned out to be a good session. Learned a few tactics I should practice, for example, practice silience, don't judge, meditate.

I like the way the instructor makes the class flow. I'm planning to go back next week.

Power

2010-11-21T15:15:00.000-08:00

reading a book on Power. So far, it's a very enjoyable read. The theories, examples, tips are easy to follow and accept. Of course, to really use the tips in the book to attain power, you'd have to practice, practice and practice.

Power is an over-studied topic in China, but not so much in the US. Partially because the benefits of having power are accenturated in China than those in the US. Reflected in my personal life, I stopped paying attention to the "discipline" of power acqusition right after I came to the US in my mid-20s. After all, the belief is your professional skills would help you succeed, not power in this democratic country.

The theories offered in this book bear some surprising resemblence to the things I used to hear my Mom talk about, when I was growing up. The main difference is the author talks about it in a fact of matter way and as something anybody aspiiring to succeed should pay attention and ultimately attain; whereas when Mom used to talk about it it was more in a cynical "i know the game, but i don't want to play the game" type of way.

So in that light, it may not be a bad thing that for 13+ years, I didn't get to learn much on Power. 13+ years is enough years for me to unlearn the negative connotations associated with Power, as influenced by my Mom.

This is in no way a criticism on my Mom. Given the social environment and the few select ways to attain power in her times and in her environment, one should be able to understand where her sarcasm may be coming from.

I'm in the thick of reading it. Will share some key takeaways next time.

Power to me. Power to those who want to make a difference.

New New Life

2010-11-20T15:56:00.000-08:00

Really not happy about Microsoft discontinuing its Live Spaces offering. It was my platform to blog, and keep in touch with a few friends. I appreciated the self-reflective nature of blogging there. Plus it was a place for me to store my pictures and it was integrated with Live IM etc.

Oh, well.

I'm back here.

It's been at least 1.5 months since I last wrote something.

A lot has happened inbetween. I spent 1 week in HK and 1.5 weeks in Beijing. I enjoy being able to explore different cities/locations, sans the tiring flying aspect of travels. However, on my way back from Beijing, I sat next to a somewhat intriguing character. He's "invented" some drug in China and in an odd way I had a somewhat engaging conversation with him. So I didn't get much sleep at all on the 11-hour flight back to SFO.

Something happened in Beijing. I finally came to the realization about my relative position in the organization and I approached my boss to validate my observation. It was a shocker to him to some degree. I guess things all had been evolving so fast and he probably didn't realize what he had intended to focus on could have such an un-intended byproduct in terms of team dynamics and folks' feelings. At least we put things on the table.

Note to self. Always be clear with what I want.

I had some notions in my mind and I'm questioning if this all is worth a potential major cross-continent relocation. I guess naturally pepole saw that I appeared pre-occupied.

Note to self. Be discreet with showing my emotions.

Thanks to Ms. King who helped me sort out my thoughts and provided invaluable advice.

Another person at work, though a friend, ended up doing some damage to my situation. She brought up what I shared with her in confidence to my VP, who in turn made the comment that I'm smart but don't know what I want.

I know what I want. I am just frustrated with not being to get what I want.

Note to self. Share my thoughts strategically with people. Anticipate what they may do with my thoughts.

Quite frankly, I'm both a bit upset at her and a bit upset at myself for having told her my situation.

Need to watch what I say to people. I can't seem to keep a secret. Yuck.

My expectations of a manager

2005-02-20T09:32:00.000-08:00

1. provide clear directions
2. make the employee feel included in decisions that direclty impact their livelihood or at least let them feel that you understand the impact on them and you care enough to help them chart out next steps
3. show that you care about their career

What it means to be a leader?

2005-02-11T18:30:00.000-08:00

Steve is not afraid to articulate his need for the IW Advertising team to consider Small Biz.

1. He's very action-oriented. While people were debating whether SB can be incoporated given the launch is 1 month away, he said let's make sure we do the reserach before launching. I don't want this launched without considering the SB needs.

2. When the Ad team pushed back saying you guys feel free to do your own research. Steve captured that quickly and responded assertively that SB team's job is to raise awareness, you, the IW Ad team, should take on teh onus to do the research.

3. He iterated very clearly that if you guys don't want to include SB, we will not push all the units for you. If you do want to consider, then we'd like to have SB represented in the Ad.

I respect Steve's courage to speak his mind and be firm with this team on what needs to be done. He's a real driver.

It was one of the best learning experience this week. The others are more around specific initiatives done by certain Subs such as Israel.

The Power of Impossible Thinking

2005-01-30T13:32:00.000-08:00

Great book. Here are my key learning.

What you see is what you think; What you think is what you see.

What you think is what you do.

Your mental models determine your behavior.

Beware of your mental models, i.e. the way you look at and make sense of the world, the way you think, the way you believe

Need to build a portfolio of mental models and actively assess their approrpirateness to address the world currently around you.

The world is more malleable than you think. Your potential is limitless.

Models are your subjective way of making sense of the world and it is at its best a reality made up by both your mind and the world itself. Therefore, need to beware that models have a time value, models need to be assessed against current situation.

Use experimentation, drawing inter-disciplinary insights, networking with others and being open and having intellectual curiosity to reinvent your models.

Model shifts are a two-way process, more of a process of evolutaion than revolution.

Build up suprior intuition & rigorous analytical systems

Disconnects are a reflection of people having different mental models. Find common ground and build bridges.

What I learned working here

2005-01-03T13:00:00.000-08:00

1. Style is equally important as substance. How to interact with people, how you project yourself in public (presentations, meetings, etc.)

2. People skills critical. It doesn't just mean teh ability to get along well with people as most of us do. It means, in a corporate environkent, the ability to sense the mood of a group, identify what motivates people, have the ability to influence the group mood, motivate people to achieve a common goal.

3. Focus. Success is hard work. Got to focus. Do one thing and do one thing well and right is more important than do 2 things and do a mediocer job in both. I'm still lack of focus. Got to hone in on this in 2005.

4. If you don't have formed an opinion yet, say so.

5. Acknolwedge that there are things you don't know, yet.

6. Listen for merits, not status.

7. Leadership can be a lonely thing to do. Be sure you know that before taking on a leadership role.

December, 2004--Helicopter Tour

2004-12-24T10:47:00.000-08:00

My brain is expanding, my eyes popping, my breath holding back. I am in a helicopter hovering in the World's Wettest Spot-- the Waiale ale Crater in Kauai. Watching from above the flowing waterfalls, the wandering clouds, feeling like a bird... The first time I saw the Louve, I had the same feeling. The first time I arrived at Heathrow, I had the same feeling. The first time I arrived in the US, I had the same feeling. Back in Oct when I was in Copenhagen and Milan for the first time, this feeling didn't come. I worry that my brain has become a bit idle and then here I am, feeling this feeling of being alive and this feeling of learning and growing again, in the bewilderness of Kauai.

Travel a thousdand miles and Read a thousand books. Indeed.

This was Friday.

Saturday. We went to the West Coast again to cover some of the spots I missed. Got to see some beautiful waterfalls, 2o f them were esp. impressive. So peacefully nestled in the middle of a quiet and serene mountain.

Sunday we went back to the North Shore. It's a bright day. We stayed at the northenmost point and sat down on the beach to watch Sunset. There was a TV crew shooting some Oceanic programs, the misty cliffs and waves in the distance, all under the Sunset. Beautiful. reminds me of the Key West sunset we saw back in 1998, with the additional benefits of this nice ambience of romance, cleanness and warmth. I've achieved since I moved to the states in 1997 and I'm in a more mature state of mind.

This is a great vacation. :-)

the previous times I went to Hawaii (Maui and Oahu), I was busy thinking I'm luckier than many people, busy figuring out how to sustain this lifestyle and also I was under some stress from work during one of the visits, as a result all the comparative thinking, I wasn't able to enjoy the vacation as much as I could have. This time, I took a more peaceful approach. I'm not here to let myself feel I'm better than others, I'm here to enjoy some quiet time off. Part of this is also the fact I'm surrounded with well-travelled people and I have come to know that this is no big deal to many people. Important thing is I've learned to have a good time, to relax and know how to take a vacation without rushing myself. Took me 6 years since my first real vacation to realize this.

Learning on many fronts. Learning more about the earth, the universe, learning more about self and about human emotions. Learning and growing are very exciting things to do.

I value experience. I do. I want to continue to travel a thousand miles and read a thousand books.

Why says you can't do it?

2004-11-13T09:22:00.000-08:00

Often times, we set boundaries on what we can and cannot do. In some cases, we don't think we have the experience or ability. Other cases, we don't think we have the permission.

The Appentice had an episode where 2 teams were asked to sell wedding gowns/accessories. The team with an experienced wedding planner started off with full confidence. However, the other team was intimidated by competition and felt like they didn't have teh right expertise to win. Self-fulfilled prophecy. They ened up losing the game. The lessons: believe in yourself. Wedding gown or orther business, you'll always face new problems, new issues, new situations in business. How do you maintain the confidence in having the framework to solve the problem is critical to your success. Wedding gown or funeral business, it's business. It requires product assortment, sales/marketing, merchandizing in some cases etc.

Most of gain confidence by having had similoar experience or having seen others do it. The real confident ones see a new problem and face it with full steam b/c she believes she has the creativity and confidence that a problem can be solved using expereince that's not 100% a repeat.

This case is easy to resolve. Just keep reminding yourself the universe is all connected and a new problem can be solved by recognizing familar patterns and using frameworks.

The 2nd case is more mental and cultural than anything else. As such, it would take a while and take quite some repetition for you to overcome. I know that b/c I fall into category. I often defer decisions to others either b/c I think they are more senior or b/c I think organizationally they are the ones on-point. Hard lesssons I learned are if you defer decision-making to others, you lose your value-add. I'm thrilled this past week that I took the initiative, forgot about who owns what and developed 1) an implementation plan 2) BOM for a launch 3) provided thought leadership to a BG's request 4) I got so caughtup and in the evening I provided some business suggestions to the mgmt team. Think and act like a CEO and you'll more likely become one thatn the next person who thinks within her scope of responsibilities.

Good week after all.

Post-Mortem

2004-10-22T21:06:00.000-07:00

Despite the fact that I didn't get to present, the fact that I addressed audience questions smartly and in a well-informed way got me great exposure.

Have received quite a few emails from the field and BGs with kudos.

D did an excellent job in helping me with the approach. He's really good at this. I learned something from him. He doesn't present all the loose-ended evidence to the mgr and have them figure it out for him. Instead, he does his thorough thinking and then presents a proposal to the mgr. This way, he effectively manages the manager's time and focus on more strategic things.

Don't let your manager do all the thinking for you. Do all the thinking yourself and then present your proposal to get your manager's strategic views. D is really good.

Had a long week. Right now, I'm soooo tired.

Alexandria's on 2nd

2004-10-14T22:43:00.000-07:00

Southern food. Not bad.

Evening was ok, a bit tired.

Guy is nice. Confirmed that he is indeed gay.

The 2 Program Mgrs together with their big boss do not seem to have good people skills. They are a bit oblivious and appear to be a bit inconsiderate and rude at times. But accordingly to Guy, these folks are strong and smart with technology and product dev. So at least that's good.
The 2 guys both wear trendy hairstyles and clothese. Behavior-wise, a bit young to me. Realize the maturity of the young folks on my team and I have to say I like my team persona better. I guess I'm probably not used to dealing with program mgmt folks.

The release mgr Charlie and his wife seem ok. Release mgr's got strong sterotypical views on Canadians, which I don't appreciate. You don't have the right to say others have inferiority syndrome, just b/c you think so. That comment from him left a bad taste in me. His wife seems friendly, but more reactive than reaching out to others. They are ok.

Elyn took a seat, not next to me, but a couple of seats away from me. Interesting that she did that. You observe how people behave around you and you'll learn where you stand on their perceptual maps.

The PMs all walk around a lot duing the dinner session. They apparently were trying to talk to folks they know. That is a good practice. I need to learn that.

Overall fine dinner. Busy but good day.

I helped bring Yvette up to speed big time. She acknoleadged that. It will pay off, although that's not why I was doing that. I wanted to build a good relationship with her and also the BG to help drive some of the key initiaitives.

I guess I can call it a day now.

I came, I saw, I conquered.

2004-10-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

Rampart Ridge. 1 hr drive away from Mercer Island. 4.6 Miles hiking trail. Took us 7 hrs.

Breathtaking waterfalls, serene lakes and cute creeks at every unexpected turn, colorful fall leaves, carefree clouds wandering at the middle of the cascades. What a great way to spend your weekend.

The sense of achievement is huge for me.

On the way back, G pointed to another equally high mountaina nd said she would never have thought she'd be able to climbe that mountain, but she did. Indeed, you can run faster than you think. You can climbe higher than you think.

Just do it.

Name it, Want it and GET it.

Lead a Conscious Life

2004-09-11T07:19:00.000-07:00

Success through inspiration. A well-carried out theme in this year's Women's Conference.

If I were to have one key CTA, it's to "Lead a Conscious Life".

-Plan your future consciously
-Plan your network consciouslyy

Networking is not chatting
Networking is just to serve a current need, it's ongoing
Networking has 3 types (career, personal, skills)

-Manage your self-awareness
-Manage your communication styles

Be a partner communicator, using the equal respect
Know what a predator and prey communicating style means
Have both Competence and Likeability (I respect me and I respect you.)
Body language (smile, stand square, use downward inflection, use asymmetrical body language)

-Manage up
-Manage career changes

This is a big revelation for me this year. The power of being self-aware allows one to be more assertive and confident when dealing with others and dealing with tough situataions.

The CEO of YWCA says it well
-Study hard
-Have a bank account of your own
-Make a difference in whatever you do.

Be the best you can!

Liason Role

2004-09-08T23:38:00.000-07:00

Get under the skin of the Corp strategy, put value on the info, position is as value, share it with the Sub in a format that's official, formal. Make a big deal out of it. ---You win.

Support the field's initiatives, per Sub's request. -- You get some traction.

Do both.-- You really win.

If I ever get to do the Liason role again, I would take the above to heart.

On Negotiation Strategy (Excerpts)

2004-09-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

What negotiation strategies have been most useful to you?

First, determine the problem. The problem is agnostic and doesn’t bring any values with it, but everyone has to agree on what the problem is.

Second, understand everyone’s agenda. You need to recognize that another person’s objectives may be different than yours. Acknowledge that, and use it as a resource for innovation.

Third, if you can get consensus, great — that way more people are involved and have bought in. However, not every situation can be solved by consensus, and recognizing that is important. Come up with the best solution for the company, rather than any one individual or group.

Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office

2004-09-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

Women need to be advocates for themselves by playing up their strengths - like being nurturing, accommodating and good listeners - while also adding complementary behaviors.

"You don't have to be like a guy to get ahead in business, but you do have to be an adult woman," said Frankel. One common mistake Frankel sees women make is couching statements as questions. By doing that, women hand over the power of decision-making to someone else, like the boss.Instead of using phrases like, "Would it be all right if . . .," she suggests saying, "I just want to let you know ..." or "I've got this great idea that I'd like to move forward with, and I want to give you the heads-up on it."

Women, who tend to react more quickly than men, need to instead take some time to think about how to best handle a situation, said Maureen McCormick, director of the learning and development unit in the human resources department at the University of Iowa.

Frankel's other suggestions for women include:

- Don't explain ad nauseam. Women look for clues like "mmm hmm" and head nods to ensure that the message they're trying to convey is getting through. When women don't get that reinforcement, "We make our point, we make it again, and make it again," she said. "The more words you use, the more you soften a message."

- Don't use minimizing words. If someone compliments you on a job well done, steer clear from saying, "It was nothing," or "I was really lucky." Instead say, "Thank you, I'm proud of what I achieved."

- Do go to meetings. Women often think that poorly run meetings are a waste of time, and that they can skip them in lieu of doing more productive tasks, Frankel said. Instead, meetings should be seen as a place to network and build relationships that can benefit you in the future.

- Don't apologize for other people's mistakes or misdirection. The boss gave you minimal instructions for a project. Once you've completed it, the boss says that it wasn't what he had in mind. Instead of saying, "I'm sorry," and minimizing your position, Frankel suggested, "Well, the instructions weren't clear to me. Tell me how you want it."

- Do get involved in office politics. Replace the word "politics" with "relationships," Frankel said. "That's what politics is - it's about building a relationship before you need it."

What I learn today

2004-09-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

There are 5 types of career models in the new world of work

Experts --depth, driven by security and expertise
Traditionalists--political savvy, go for the executive suite
Portfolio Managers --breadth/variety
Planful entrepreneurs--learn and then do it on their own
Spontaneous entrepreneurs --passion for their own ideas, little dependency on security(Bill Gates, Michael Dell)

2. Professional identity

New managers have to manage 1) the team 2) the context her team operates in
New managers experience changes in 1) how they get gratification. no longer from the immidate outcome of the act of a doer, more from see things done right thru others 2) willingness to develop others 3) negotiating interdependencies

3. career planning approach: trial and error v.s. plan and implement

The emphasis is on testing alternatives by going out talking to people thru informationals or volunteering or doing side projects to learn about a new field, a new area, and to learn about yourself.

4. Network, network, network

Task network
Career network
Social network

Get the paradigm right. Networking is about fair exchange of value, give and take. It's about doing research so as to make well-informed decisions.

What do you do when the unexpected happens?

2004-09-04T08:55:00.000-07:00

2004 Athens Olympic Marathon game. When an attacker came out of nowhere and pushed him off the running course and into the crowd, the Brazilian Marathon runner collected himself and moved on quickly. Not only did he finish the game, he ended up winning a bronze medal. He was also gracious enough to do a plane run right before the finish line. That was a moving moment.

When the audience protested the judges for lowscoring the Russian gymnast's routine for a long few minutes, Paul Hamm remained focused on his own game and eventually won the gold metal.

Have unexpected things happened to you before? How did you react? Did you let it affect you in a negative way? Were you so engrossed in your emotions about getting even? Were you so stuck about the why why why that you lost productivity?

Or
Did you collect yourself quickly and remained cool and focused on the task at hand?

I'd vote for the latter.

I want to know what went thru Paul's mind? What went thru the Brazilian mind when these unexpected and often potentially negative things happened to them.

I'd like to model my thinking after them.

Managing Your Life

2004-09-04T08:23:00.000-07:00

We are all architects of our own lives.

We need life management skills to live an effective life.

Some people have an innate talent for management. Whether it's their personal finance, a team, their daily activity plans. While others leave the management to others.

Where are you? Do you have the tendency to allow others to take the lead on things? Do you feel uncomfortable when people look at you for directions? Can you recognize the moments where you need to step in? Can you detest the orgnizational nuances? Can you assess what drives people's certain opinions?

These are all good skills to have.

It takes some self-evaluation and self-reflection to know where you are.

I did mine and I realize I'm on the verge of becoming a manager. I used to defer everything to others, probably because I had not really proactively managed things when I was growing up.

You need to know where you want to go, where you want the team to go with you.
You drive hard for the team to work towards that direction while making necessary adjustments along the way.
You are not afraid of being firm.
You are not afraid of giving directions.
You are open to others' opinions, but you are brave enough to synthesize and pull people back on track.

This is my 18 months of learning as a first time manager. (manager of 2.5 virtual teams.)

Creativity is intelligence having fun

2004-09-02T23:14:00.000-07:00

Competencies

2004-08-19T22:51:00.000-07:00

Review with the management duo revealed a few improvement areas. 1) Desire for excellence 2)Drive for results 3) organizational agility 4)cross-group leadership.

Are these really just competency issues? What's the relationship between competencies and motivation? How much of what one delivers is actually because one is highly motivated vs. actual skillsets?

One has to be motivated to achieve all those things. Can motivation be primarily self-driven? How much of one's movitation actually comes from the external affirmation vs. internal inherent confidence. Essentially, I believe these are just symptoms. Real drivers are your desire to succeed and the support you get from people that matter. Swimming upstream tends to be hard.

Harvard Biz Review once had an article talking about the ambivalent affirmation women professionals get from the society and how that has caused partially the lack of women execs.

This is just one more piece of evidencet.

Life in August

2004-08-19T20:33:00.000-07:00

Since the last big milestone at work in July, I have been taking it easy. Deep down in my heart, I know this is just temporary. My yearning for achieving something will pick up very soon. Looking back at the past 18 months since joining the best software company on earth, I have to admit that I've err-ed and I've learned. The learning aspect of my life makes any mistakes, unexpeted detours all meaningful and somewhat less painful. Below are some of the topline learnings.

Lession #1: Be quiet when you first join a company. We all have the tendency to prove ourselves, esp. in a new environment. The smart thing to do is actually the opposite. Take your time to observe, listen and get your bearings in a new workplace before calling your shots. It will make others around you more comfortable to absorb your ideas. It would also make it more feasible for you to make your impact.

Lession #2. Build a strong network. Expand your network to include people from the field, from other groups you directly work with and even groups you do not work with on a day to day basis. This network can come handy when you need extra perspectives on things and it also provides a good information source for you, esp. considering lots of what really goes in a company is never written down, i.e. there are lots of unwritten rules that your network can help you expedite your learning process.

Lession #3. Don't be ashamed to tout your own horn. This is a hard one. I have struggled with it and I'm still struggling with the notion that I'll have to brag about what I do. Coming from a culture where one is discouraged to speak up, esp. about themselves, this one took me a while to come to terms with. Rationally, you know your work the best. If you don't adverse yourself, nobody can do a good job for you. I'm seeking for proven tactics to make this work. So if anyone of you out there have good ideas, please share.

Lession #4. Hone your communications skills. Learn the ability to explain complex ideas with simple words.

Lession #5. Time is money. Use it wisely. Plan ahead.

Lession #6. Take action when things don't work out. Doldroms happen. Keep your mind sharp and your eyes open. Make that a first move to mentally make a note that you need to change.

Lession #7. Nurture your support network, spend time with your family and friends.

Lession #8. Travel internationally. See the world.

Lession #9. Be true to yourself.

Lession #10. Keep learning.

First timer

2004-08-19T14:55:00.000-07:00

Blogs have been around for a while. Like most of other things in life, I tend to be a late mainstream adopter. So here I am, writing my first post in my first Blog.

Wish me luck in this journey.