Randomness of my Mind

A cheating heart

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 02:45:50 -0400

Is it cheating if I am actually considering exploring Google services on the Android platform…? Must all love affairs come to an end…? Come on Apple, keep me unwisely addicted to you! Other’s ridicules are my own private pride and joy.

Ideas, ideas...and then there are ideas

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 09:16:38 -0500

ideas seem to be all the rage… I got tons new ideas everyday. I can tell you they are worthless because none of these ideas came into being. How about a TED forum for those doer…not just ideas!

lovely products

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 13:02:00 -0400

Since my income has dwindle as of late, I cut back on some fancy stuff…namely Apple products. This allowed me rediscover and rekindle my love for a less technologically fancy but equally well designed product…namely Nokia. It has been years since I owned a Nokia phone. Particularly a simple call and text only phone. What simplicity and pleasure it is to know that my phone last 4-6 days on a charge and doesn’t do too much.

Falling in love again with simpler things. Will try to uncomplicated more gadgets in the coming months.

14 months later...

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:51:03 -0400

Without knowing, 14 months quietly sneaked pass my notice. So much has changed about my life. So many dreams and ideas that I held as truism only 14 months ago now seem childish and idealistic. Changing the world, an idea so prevalent only few months ago seems so far far away that I hardly believe I thought of those grandiose ideas. What I realized instead is that the world has changed me. China has changed me. I feel calm and more at peace with the knowledge that now I just want to make a living and enjoy living. I have much more friends now, from much more interesting tales that those I have encountered in America. All are lives incomplete somehow, yet have the bravery to toss caution aside to seek whatever may complete them. The journey may not begin here or end here, but it certain pick up pace right around here.

I don’t hold out idealistic hopes about relationships, a lesson that I keep having to relearn with each new affair. Love can not withstand the test of time. Perhaps that is why songs and movies of love move us so much. In those great stories, we imagine we can be just as strong, passionate, brave and patient as the characters. But then reality hit us like a brick when the lights are turned back on and the song ends. Promises broken, dreams shattered, like a house of card come tumbling down. But then there is the release. A moment of clarity follow by both fear and exciting of new possibilities. But I am only 32. How would I feel at 40 at 50 at 60. Would I become like those old people in Florida who can relive old memories and not create new ones? Scarry…

I am still gripping with the idea of being a chinese yet not chinese. But I feel at home here. Sure I complain about the air, the water, the food, and everything in between the troposphere like every other expat. But deep down there is a sense of belonging. I am no longer a minority. This is my turf. And it is beautiful! Even if this is not the greenest turf around, it is still my turf and my people’s turf. And this is something that no amount of organic food, facebook, instagram and all the other BS can give me. All that seems so shallow and superficial now. I realize now that we give all these trivals things great significance in America because we have nothing real we can held onto or call our own. For the longest time I could not figure out why people from ancient parts of world are so comfortable and secure with who they are. Why they don’t take such strong stance and points of view on every subject matter like Americans. Now I understand. Because they feel they are part of something that transcend themselves. So they don’t need harley gangs, and hipster friends, or multicultural exchange to feel complete.

So with great joy and sadness I begin and end each day, knowing what I have haven up and what I have gained by being here. Hoping that life will be kind to me, let me open my eyes without breaking my heart too many more times.

Languages of Our Mind

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 08:03:15 -0500

I love languages. I somehow knew that a person’s language is the key to unlock his mind. Being a child of two cultures, I reflected often how my manners and thoughts changed whenever I travel between the USA and China. However, I did not undergo these metamorphosis while visiting other parts of the world.

The 4 languages I can understand has shaped who I am today. Had I not learned German, I would never have lived in Europe and learned that the John Wayne way of running a society may not be in the best interest of everyone. Have I not learned Spanish, I would probably never have felt the turbulence of my heart, the feeling of being so alive.

So I cringe when I hear people in Shanghai say they learn Chinese so they are more employable. At the dawn of 21st century, you only really need to know English to conduct international business. As a foreigner in any country, even if you speak the local language, you are still an outsider because of your looks, your accent, you cloth, your smell, even the way you move. Cultural and genetic barriers will hinders a foreigner from climbing up, especially men. Simply mastering a local language will not give you access to the backroom where real action happens.

Conclusion: learn a language because you love it, not because it is useful, even if indeed it is useful in so many unimaginable ways. We can only keep learning something that we love.

"I rather fail on my own terms than succeed on someone else’s"

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 06:45:13 -0500

“I rather fail on my own terms than succeed on someone else’s”

- Leon Li

Amazing footage of lifeforms in slow motion.

Fri, 27 May 2011 22:17:24 -0400

Amazing footage of lifeforms in slow motion.

Individualism and Communalism

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 10:00:06 -0400

How can we make best use of the goods of Western Individualism and Eastern Communalism to create a better society? I feel the pull of both idealisms within me. A struggle perhaps every westernized Asian has to confront.

It is ironic that in reality, westerners are more communal than easterners in their private lives. They are much more apt to crowd source, share information, pool resources for basic daily activities. There is less barriers to socialize with westerners than easterners. However, on a society level, when business and politics are concerned, Easterners are much more communal in their actions and decision. The longevity of organization and civilizations trumps individual rights and the pursuit of happiness.

Meaning of the word Heart!

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:27:26 -0400

http://thesaurus.com/browse/heart

- A word no other word can complete capture its essence.

"Intelligence gives plan to our actions, the heart gives them the reason. Don’t neglect..."

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:11:36 -0400

“Intelligence gives plan to our actions, the heart gives them the reason. Don’t neglect developing your heart, it is more important than developing your intelligence. - Leon Li”

A new insight into East and West

Sun, 03 Apr 2011 15:15:24 -0400

There has been much noise made about cultural differences between East and West. I keep going back to this theme not only to explore the external world around me, but also to better understand myself, which has both sides constantly competing for my attention like an angel and a devil sitting on my shoulders.

My latest insight came from reading Malcome Gladwells book “The Tipping Point”. According to the book, children from well to do family learn from a very young age to question authority, to speak up for themselves, for what they want, to be persistent in their demands when they encounter rejections, and most importantly, to develop a sense of entitlement for making their own choices in life.

From my own observation of different layers of society in the USA, I have to agree with Mr. Gladwell’s assessment. However, this is not the case with all the families raised in middle and upper social level of western culture. Many Asian families still practice a culture where youth yield to the wishes of elders, women yield to the wishes of men, children yield to the wishes of parents. Although western idea of independent will does weigh more with each suceeding “Americanized” generation, Asian Americans and Asian Europeans are more inclined than their White counterparts to yield to the wishes of others in order to keep peace or to please others. They are more willing to sacrifice their own pleasure or ambition to maintain social status quo.

This is a cultural habit that is deeply ingrained into every Asian person, whether he values or rejects his/her Asian heritage and identity. Sometimes, the more an Asian person reject his/her Asian identity, the more internal conflict he/she battles internally.

It this social appeasement behavior a weakness? In my opinion, It is a weakness if this person lives in western society. Western society does not value appeasement as much as the John Wayne type of man that is ready to take up arms to defend his interests. However, if this mentality is practiced without proper discretion in Asian countries, this person will very quickly find he/she ostracized from general society.

If anyone has a similar or different opinions, please share them with me.

A rare glimpse into part of shanghai that has not been torn down...

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 10:00:08 -0400

A rare glimpse into part of shanghai that has not been torn down to make ways for ubiquitous high rise apartments.

Ren Min Guan Chang Station during rush hour, Shanghai Style....

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 10:42:49 -0400

Ren Min Guan Chang Station during rush hour, Shanghai Style. With 20+ million inhabitants, even the most modern public transportation infrastructure is put under tremendous strain. Watch as millions of Chinese are moved from area of the city to another in matters of 1.5 hrs.

Generational Gap

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 23:51:56 -0500

Have you ever notices the difference between post 80s and post 90s generations?

80’s generation had hotmail, winamp, and Microsoft. Yahoo was the search engine of choice, along with Excite, Lyco, other “has beens”. Text message was something everyone had on their mobile phone, but no one used. Oh, yes, and the cell phones had black/white screens, and you can only store up to 200 names on them. Real Player played videos. Winamp played audio And Napstar sucked all of my free time because for the 1st time I can listen to music free.

Post 90s grew up on Google, Gmail, iTune, iPhone, Facebook, and Twitter.

Despite a difference of less than a decade, the two generations could not have been more different. As much as technology has disconnected me from my mother’s generation, I now feel the same disconnect with the post 90s generation.

One more observation: while the 80s generation of Chinese sees the world remarkably differently from their western counterparts, the 90s generation of Chinese are much more worldly. They dress, behave and display similar attitudes like 90s generation from US or Europe.

Will my kids one day laugh at me for not knowing how to activate a “holodeck” program, like I laughed at my mother for not knowing how to attach a doc file to an email?

hmmm, sometimes I wish we can all slow down just a bit.

Facebook Vs. Kaixin001

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 21:28:23 -0500

Do Chinese people really need facebook? I used to believe they do. Until I discovered Kaixin001.com. It is facebook on steorid. Not only does it have almost all the functionalities of facebook, but it has also integrated new website trends like groupon.com, paypal, other popular US commerce website. I can’t say that it is not a good competitor of Facebook. Sure it does not have the user base of FB, nor does it look as pretty or as dynamic, but essentially it is a fully functional social network platform for the Chinese. It is as entertaining and as meritless as any postings on FB.

Now if only Kaixin001 made a English version so people outside of China can use it.

You should really watch this…I am going back to tap.

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 04:35:40 -0500

You should really watch this…I am going back to tap.

The Price of Love

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 22:22:56 -0500

A recent TV show asked young Chinese women how much money it would take for them to leave their current boyfriends/lovers/husbands. Hands went up by the droves when the offering price reached 1 million RMB. I wonder if this question were put forth to American women what the price would be.

Chinese girls in big cities are notorious for being pragmatic and realistic. Living in Shanghai for a few days, I begin to see why. Below the enormous and glamorous European luxury stores are ordinary chinese citizens who are barely scraping by. However, unlike most American women, Chinese women freely admit that money is of utmost importance in a quality man. They dream of one day owning a European bag or a dress that could cost almost their entire yearly salary.

Do Chinese men and women really measure their individual worth by the brand of car they drive, the quality of make-up they use, or the exclusivity of the dresses they are donning?

There is a Chinese saying that I learned from my cousin 2 days ago - “it is better to cry in a BMW than laugh on a bicycle.”

I am deeply disappointed, no, disgusted, by the state of chinese “love”. But then again, I did grow up in a country where basic materialistic needs were met at an early age. Western cultures taught me the limitations of money because as a whole America and Western Europe have always had money. So it is unfair for me to thumb down at China which until just a decade years ago was still considered an poor country.

It just feels so empty when you measure every experience in life by its price tag. I guess Goethe was right when he said: Most people measure things not by what it worths, but by what it costs.

The most important things in life can’t be bought. I hope for my race of people that spiritual and emotional developments are coming soon. Otherwise, no matter how much money China possesses, it will never ever be respected or trusted by other members of the world.

e

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 22:14:00 -0500

Chinese girls in big cities are notorious for being pragmatic and realistic. Living in Shanghai for a few days, I begin to see why. Below the enormous and glamorous European luxury stores are tiny ordinary chinese citizens who barely scraping by on their meager $500/mo salary. They are helplessly overwhelmed by the power of global marketing and advertising dollars to ever have time to decide on their own what is happiness and and what is value. Chinese women freely admit that money is of utmost importance in a quality man. They dream of one day owning a European bag or a dress that could cost almost their entire yearly salary.

Do Chinese men and women really measure their individual worth by the brand of car they drive, the quality of make-up they use, or the exclusivity of the dresses they are donning?

There is a Chinese saying that I learned from my cousin 2 days ago - “it is better to cry in a BMW than laugh on a bicycle.”

I am deeply disappointed, no, disgusted, by the state of chinese “love”. But then again, I did grow up in a country where basic materialistic needs were met at an early age. Western cultures taught us the limitations of money because as a whole America and Western Europe have always had money. So it is unfair for me to thumb down at China which until just 10 years ago was still considered an poor country.

I guess to me it just feels so empty when you measure every experience in life by a price tag. I guess Goethe was right when he said: Most people measure things not by what it worths, but by what it costs.

The most important things in life can’t be bought. I hope for my race of people that spiritual and emotional developments are coming sooner than later. Otherwise, no matter how much money China possesses, it will never ever be respected or trusted by other members of the world.

"Be yourself. Everyone else is taken. — unknown"

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 21:34:05 -0500

“Be yourself. Everyone else is taken. — unknown”

"It is cheaper to pay more for quality. —Leon Li"

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 21:26:00 -0500

“It is cheaper to pay more for quality. —Leon Li”