Wind knocked out

I finally know what "Getting your wind knocked out" feels like.  While running along the West Side River today, I tripped when jumping across some benches.  My knee hit the pavement and my chest the park benches hard.  In fact, the impact was so hard that I could barely talk for the next couple of minutes.  I wasn't extremely hurt, but I could only nod and give a half smile when passerbyers asked if I were okay.  Even now, my chest still slightly aches.  I've never been in any fights, so this my version of understanding how having your wind knocked out feels.  

A second learning from that run is that New Yorkers -- three people stopped to ask if I were alright.  We're all busy individuals in our own personal worlds, and I was very grateful for these strangers' concern.   Thank you strangers who I do not know, just receiving your acknowledgement made me feel better.  Runners code.  We stick by each other.

Felicitations

Two good friends of mine just got engaged and I am so excited for them!  They are the first couplet of which I know both the guy and girl relatively well.  Though they won't be tying the knot until the summer of 2010 or 2011, it's still very happy news.

I've know the guy since elementary school and I still remember how how he was one of 5 guys in our class of 15 girls.  I remember how he was a math wizard and was in his own special match level -- how he was the short and funny kid -- and how one of my friends confided in me her crush on him.   

He and I parted ways in middle and high school, but got back in touch in college.  Though much has changed since our 5th grade year, he now studies history and has grown over two feet, he's still as friendly and fun as ever.

I am very happy for them.  M and D, congratulations!

Subways explored

While waiting for the subway today, I saw the strangest "Not in service" train.  It was two cabins flanking a two long dumpster trains filled with tied black garbage bags.  It reminded me of an article a friend shared with me about the untold stories of the NYC subway system.

Forinstance, NYC transit has a monstrous sized vacuum that it deploys to suck up all the dirt and trash accumulate on the tracks.  In the past, they found things from mattresses to shopping carts.  The quirks of the subway.  I can't imagine NYC without it--it would be a completely different place without it.

The lady next me just turned on her kid sized keyboard and began singing a Spanish ballad.  A pretty good voice might I add.  I love street performers, and try to support noteworthy ones whenever I can.  This lady was really cute, she sang "thank you" "thank you" when people donnate to her.

Oh it's a long wait for the F to the D to Brooklyn.  Why am I going all the way to the end of the D line again??

The subway article:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4136/is_200401/ai_n9353492?tag=content;col1

reality is beautiful

Should reality TV characters reflect everyday folks? 

Girls are some of the harshest judges of other girls, "How did that girl get on TV?"  "She's ugly." "What happened to her?"  In my opinion, those simple comments, many of of them from my girl friends, undermine the advances that women's rights activists have fought long and hard for.  Aren't people on reality TV suppose to represent "normal" people, our average Joes and Janes -- it's "reality" TV.  So we shouldn't judge them on the same standard on which we hold celebrities.  I think normal people deserve kudos for having the courage to go on TV, to put themselves out there before the world.

On another level, constant judging of TV personalities become habitual and we as a society will begin to carry that judgment into our everyday lives and on to the people with whom we interact. Thus the societal standards for normal people reach unreasonably high celebrity standards.

Society is superficial.  We are a judgmental society, whether it's judgment by physical appearance, educational schooling, or family background.  I won't pretend that I'm above it all by claiming that I'm unprejudiced, because I'm biased as well.  

Meaning of a post grad life

Every weekday, every weekend is the same variation on a theme, the same basic blocks of "work," "eat," "sleep," "drink," and "party" shuffled around over and over again.

[(work, eat, sleep) x 4 + (work, eat, drink, party) + (sleep, eat, eat, drink, party) + (sleep, eat, eat, sleep) ] x 52 weeks x ??? years = a young post-grad life

Though I don't ascribe by this straight equations as I don't have the tolerance for drinking nor the time to party, this is one of the quintessential leitmotifs of many yuppie lives.   

What more is there to do?

Volunteer -- For what cause?

Learn -- What?  there's so much to cover

Read -- Which books?  Blogs?  etc.?

Exercise -- Which sports?

I think I need a vacation.   But a vacation is only a temporary escape--and many times, you can't completely leave your current life as you remain constantly connected through email and phone.  Leave and come back within a 2 week vacation window.  When one returns from vacation,  everything is the same.  Same job (hopefully still there), same routines, same relationships, etc.

You must face the same troubles, the same fears.

I am grateful for my life -- that I have freedom and support.  But I also need something more.  This is human nature, to want to better oneself, to want to improve, and to want to do something more.

laughter is contagious

Do you ever find something more funny because someone else is also laughing?

A guy sitting across from me on the E train today was twitching to his music.  As it was a relatively empty train, a girl a bench to my right also noticed. Turning towards her, I caught her smiling.  Our eyes matched and we shared knowing smile-nods.  Glancing back at the guy in front of me, his shoulder was still moving to the beat, his lips half parted to reveal as set of yellow buck teeth.  A normal enough, probably nice enough, guy.  Looking back at the girl, she had broken out into and even larger smile-- which inspired me to do the same.  I could barely control my chuckles.  The situation wasn't even that comical, but sharing with my compatriot that moment, that subway train scene, was great.  I felt so inspired that I started typing this post on my bbery on the subway.

2/19/09

2m walk + dance

2/28/09

5m walk

...

2m walk + dance

Stenography

On the subway this afternoon, the lady next to me was working on exercises in a language workbook.  However, unlike normal languages, the letters on these pages were stacked in random orders with spacing of various sizes interspersed in between.  It used the Roman alphabet, but was neither a romantic nor a germanic language.  My curiosity piqued, I asked her what she was studying.  Though I'd never seen it before, I hypothesized that it could potentially be court room stenography.

My hypothesis was correct!  She was studying to be a court room typist.  As a stenographer she would use this shortform langauge to type upwards of 200 wpm.  Wow.  She also showed me the small typewriter that she had with her -- it had half as many keys as a typical keyboard.  She said that the left hand side dictated the beginning of the word and the right hand side typed the end, this way, an entire word could be typed at once.

She said that a typical course of study takes 3 years and she was about halfway through.  Her goal is to work to become a close caption typist to  make upwards of $140,000 a year, but that would take another year of two of training.

So very interesting!  Learned something cool over the course of short 3 subway stops! 

2m walk + 3 m run + dance

Understanding firms

Most people who are not in consulting and have few friends in the industry have neither idea of a consultant's job nor of the major firms that operate in this space. 

Why is there a Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in New York City -- isn't it suppose to be in Boston? Same reason that HSBC, Deutsche Bank and UBS are in the US and that Bank of America is in Europe.  Note to entrepreneurers, picking a suitable firm name is vital, and having a location in the company name will invite a lot of questions down the road.

One industry that I'm unfamiliar with is law.  Most law firm names are long concatenated names of their founders.  I'm slowly starting to recognize some of these names including Skadden, Wachtell, Cravath, Allen Overy, etc.   It's still a process to figure out the differences among the firms.  So thus far, I've gotten the large banks and the consulting firms straight.  Now, I'm working on law firms and further down the road, hedge funds and PE shops.

2m walk

Dim sum

Dim sum for the 3rd weekend in a row.  And 3 different non Jing Fong places--very exciting.  I think my favorite so far is Golden Unicorn as it's very nicely decorated, also bright.  Dim sum go go is nice too -- better service and cleaner than most chinese places.

Watched "He's Just Not That Into You" with a few friends this weekend.  Even though it was a movie, there was truth in some of its messages.  Though I give the girl major props for being forward. 

Celebrating differences

A couple of my friends who are in relationships constantly constantly bemoan an underlying problem that their bfs are of a different cultural backgound.  My friends want to speak Chinese at home.  They want to celebrate Chinese Holidays.  They want to raise their children to speak Chinese and retain the Chinese background.  Therefore, their current bfs of different ethnicities throw a slight wrinkle in otherwise perfect relationships.

Yet my take is that having parents of different backgrounds provides a richer family culture.  Instead of just English and Chinese, the family can share in Arabic+English+Chinese, or Polish+English+Chinese or Hebrew+Spanish+English+Chinese+XYZ languages, etc.  Isn't that even better?  The family can observe all holidays (as long as neither is super religious). Isn't this the American Dream?  The reason for immigration, and the mixing of cultures?  I find beauty in diversity, and wonderment in differences.  So rather than view their varied upbringings as a concern, their distinct perspectives should be a point of celebration.  It should make their relationships all the stronger and exciting in the long run.  We all share a passion for learning, and learning about each other is one of the easiest ways to do so.

A yi

Had planned to go skiing this weekend with a couple of friends, but wasn't sure if I would be over my cold by then, so I had to cancel.  Instead, I'll be staying put in the city.  There are few fun things going on, but nothing super crazy.  Regardless, a relaxing long weekend is better than an over tired one in the cold in which I will probably get worse.

It's one of my really good friend's bday today (midnight)!  23!  The song that Blink 182 alluded to when we rocked out to their songs back when we were in middle school.

It really hit me that I'm an adult a few weeks back.  I was visiting a second cousin.  In the past, I've always been introduced as "jie jie," (older sister) to friends and family.  However, when I began to do so this time, my second cousin intervened, refering to me as "A yi," (auntie).  It would be weird for her if I were considered "jie jie" she stated.  Wow.   Though "A yi" doesn't have the old stuffy connotation that it does in English, it's a general term equvalent to "Ms" or "Miss" in age, it was a bit of a shocker to be "a yi" for the first time.  The first one hits hard.

Its true.  I'm now one of the ones giving advice to college students.  I'm the one on the alumni panel. Woah, it's like seriously... next steps in life!

2 m walk.

Reset

Hacking away the day.  Some must have been sick on Sunday.

4 mi walk + 1 mi run

Costco run = blarring bass, Kanye rap, windows down, rotiserie chicken, traffic light and groceries on everyone's lap = memories

Idea blog #1

I was inspired by a girl I met this weekend who had made it her resolution to come up with a new creative idea every day.

I don't think I'm quite up to that yet, instead I hope to share a entrepreneurial idea here each week.  They my be half-bake or more thought out, solutions to the problems may already exist, or there may never be an ideal solution ever, it all depends on the idea/problem itself.  Consequentially, I'm going to make this site private (in about a week) should I one day decide to take any of these ideas public.  Email me if you would like to get the access to this site.  I trust you as the reader to give me your feedback and hopefully join me in one of these ventures.

Cheers,

A

Idea #1

Title: Engagement ring selection

Problem: Guys spend tens of thousands of dollars, the girl wears it her entire life (hopefully), yet it's usually completely concealed process in which the girl has no say.

Girls are picky about their styles--I have friend who wouldn't be caught dead in my jewelry, and me the same for my friends.  However, the in a typical situation, the guy chooses the wedding ring without consulting the potential fiancee.  How can a poor guy select a ring?  How can a poor girl have a say in a ring that she will wear "forever"?

Potential solutions:  

*Engagment ring or jewelry online consultant -- guy posts pictures of the girl and her current fashion style.  Consultants give recommendations on rings based the perceived style.

*Faux websites that the guys sends the girl on in which she inadvertantly reveal her ring preferences.

*Amazon-esque gift registry, problem of decreased element of surprise

*A placeholder ring -- the guy presents the girl with a diamond and a band, then they go to a store and "build a ring" together as in "build a bear"

Forever stamps

One of the most frustrating things about sending mail is that you never know how many stamps to put on an envelope. The cost of postage increases every couple of years and one constantly needs to buy 1, 2, and 3 cent stamps to make up for the difference. An ingenious solution to this issue is forever stamps--stamps that can be use on a 1oz regular sized envelope regardless of postage increases. Thank you USPS.

Past remembered

I just found these writing samples from emotional periods many years past--one's most powerful writing definitely emanates from the heart. In a content state of being, but seeking reasons to create again.

Unnamed Sonnet

Four heartfelt jewels roll down my sunburned cheeks,

With gentleness he wipes away these tears,

A glaze so silent yet so warm, he seeks,

For any signs from whom he holds most dear.

A pensive face returns his profound glance,

The thoughts that plague within remain unknown,

That mutual silence, craving thus enhanced,

Of parted future, distance, they bemoan.

No picnics, movies they together go,

No laughs, no secrets they together share,

Of conversations, sweet memories both no,

A separation many leagues to bear.

Still left with questions, thoughts unvoiced from both,

The dismal future, clouded period loathe.

Betrayal “Peering into her eyes, I witness the raw lashes—results of the whipping my actions have brought her. Her feelings of betrayal, of lost hope, and of pure suffering leave me feeling so stupid and so cruel. We were in the mist of a crisis, and I, I loaded even more suffering upon their already sagging shoulders. I am inane, I am inept, I am worthless. I wasn’t thinking. How could I have foreseen any of this happening? Did I even bother to look, to think, to consider consequences? I hear her now—her sobs permeate the house. Like whispers, their ubiquitous presence leaves me questioning. Why? Why? Why? They demand to know. Ironic how tears catch on like laughter. Grief is contagious. I too fight back convulgens, I too try to swallow my pain. I tore her heart, I tore her soul and I tore the sacred relationship of mankind. I took all that we had, I trampled and shattered it to pieces. Now, I deliriously try to tear out my own heart to mitigate the suffering of hers. I want to present it to her, humbly with all my useless apologies. Yet she will never hear my silent pleas —but no matter, I am sorry. Please. We were connected—and we still are. Please, I beg of you. Forgive me.”

Oceanic Wonderment A hazy streetlight illuminated the beach with a soft misty glow. A cool, yet gently breeze whispered through the trees and across the sand, softly blowing waves into my hair and playfully tugging at the helm of my dress. My bare toes grasped the still warm sand as the gleaming white crystals parted at my touch and caressed the sole of my worn feet. The cool air chilled my body but could not douse the fire burning within my heart. The snow-white foam ebbed with the inundating tide; the crashing water lapped against the shore and the ocean fell into a steady rhythm. Back and forth, back and forth it rocked, matching perfectly with our synchronized steps. The ocean sang for us- she vocalized the silent song that hummed within our souls. So vast, so power yet so comforting, she wrapped her arms around us. Her misty embrace sheltered us from the peeping eyes of a thousand starts and she presented us with the gift of detachment from the world. Together, we accepted her offer and drifted contently into her welcoming arms.

Major life hurdles

As we enter each different phase of life, we tackle issues critical to each stage. Here are what I believe to be the major topics of each phase in life (in pseudo order of importance).

Middle school/high school
Social
○Finding a group of friends to hang out with
○Wearing the right clothes, watching the right shows, saying the right things and working hard to be part of the in crowd
○ Persuading parents to let you go to the movies, the dinner, the school dance
○ Asking and getting asked to the formal dances
Emotional
○ First experiences of love and lust
○ First rejections and losses
○ Learning to understand the opposite sex
Physical
○ Dealing with body image and physical changes from puberty
○ Coping with social pressures on the range of bulimia, anorexia, body building, etc.
Intellectual
○ College application and decision processes
§ Doing well in school
§ Succeeding in extracurricular activities (sports, community service, leadership, music, arts, etc.)
§ Mastering standardized tests (SATs, APs, etc.)
○ Future life questions
§ Deciding concentration/college major questions
§ Addressing issues of what you want do with your life

College
Intellectual
○ Concentration issues become more paramount if one is still undecided
○ Considering careers and graduate school options
§ Recruiting process for jobs
§ Applications for graduate school
○ Having productive summer vacations
§ Internships, study abroad, research programs, volunteer causes
Physical
○ Learning about your body and understanding it's needs
○ A continuation of body image questions
Emotional
○ Engaged in more serious relationships
○ Or less serious exploration and one night stands
Social
○ Finding a group to explore bars and clubs
○ Finding a group of life long friends

Post-College/First Job
Emotional
○ Pressure to start finding your long term partner in life begins--this becomes the topic of conversation for friends and a concern of parents/family
Intellectual
○ Keeping that first job (esp. during recession) and doing well
○ Living independently by securing apartments, paying bills, filing taxes, creating savings, etc.
○ Deciding on graduate school and applications if applicable
Social
○ Friends mostly set, not too much angst anymore
Physical
○ Learned to appreciate body, though not necessarily happy with it


Aside: I'm so sick of hearing about the depreciating asset theory.