Buying A Car in America - the Online Way

Michael will graduate from Trinity College May 23rd, which is next week, and will be home this summer before he starts graduate school at UC Irvine in the fall. We need a car soon. I need it to commute. We don't need it to haul the whole family around any more. We are in a different period of our family life. The result is a humble Honda Civic LX with automatic transmission. Its impressive 36 miles/gallon high way mileage is definitely key in choosing this car. Actually Joseph bought the same model two years ago. Our general impression is not bad so far.

We have been a Toyota and Honda family for a long time. We have been un-American since 1980. With the historical context of World War II, we have been un-Chinese as well. The reliability of these Japanese cars and their design for small-frame drivers like me in the early 80's made me a loyal customer to Toyota and Honda.

Toyota's unintended acceleration fiasco in 2010 affected this purchasing decision. The most disappointing aspect of this incident is the alleged management coverup. Our foundation of the trust and loyalty was seriously shaken. The so-called defect was actually statistically not a big issue to me.

We have never been a big fan of showroom shopping. We never liked the car salesmen/saleswomen and their pitches. We bought cars through online/Internet portals for the last 10 years. This time, we did more than just research and comparison shop online. We even closed the deal through emails by responding to one of the email quotes. The basic information and options are available directly from Honda as well as from Edmunds.com, an Internet portal. Jeanet spec'ed out the model, including features such as manual transmission and color, then the portal did the rest by sending out emails to nearby dealers for quotes. We liked Larry Hopkins Honda best as they responded quickly with a few models from its Internet manager. There were no phone calls like others who really wanted to "talk" and haggle with you in person. We were surprised to see the so-called "manufacturer's rebate" of $1000, and that made their deal super attractive. We could not find the manual transmission (stick shift) we liked, but automatic transmission would do since the price was right. Once Jeanet confirmed the deal from Davis (west of Sacramento), I called the manager to see the car since I was in the Bay Area. Actually I had a chance to drive the "exact" car from the overflow lot a few miles away back to the dealership. This was the test drive we needed, and that was all. The rest was paperwork. Like always, the finance department tried to sell us something. Years ago, they used to sell extra under-coating, an alarm system, an extended warranty, and so on. These days they like to be in the insurance business, e.g., in this case, $2100 for 8 years or 120,000 miles, whichever comes first, for a full warranty of all defects and repairs. Jeanet turned that down in no time over the phone :-) Here is the cost information.

Honda web site data for 2010 Civic LX model
Manufacturer's suggested retail price: manual transmission $17605.00 and automatic transmission $18405.00

For the car I got, the sticker has the manufacturer's suggested retail price of $18405.00
Destination and handling: $710.00
Total Vehicle Price: $19115.00

Final cost breakdown data for us
Internet manager's offer: base price $15966.00 (it is $3149 off sticker)
Document Preparation Fee: $55.00
Sales Tax: $1481.94
DMV Electronic Filing Fee: $29.00
Subtotal: $17531.94
Amount Paid to Public Officials: $278.75
a) License Fees: $183.00
b) Registration/Transfer/Titling Fees $87.00
c) California Tire Fees: $8.75
Grand Total (for my check): $17810.69

What about auto insurance? It sure took another bite out of the family budget. My Farmers insurance agent was quick to provide all necessary paperwork while I drove the new car around with a temporary sticker for the license plate. Here is the auto insurance coverage for the new car:
1) comprehensive coverage with $1000 deductible,
2) collision coverage with $1000 deductible,
3) liability, each person bodily injury $500,000, each occurrence bodily injury $500,000, each occurrence property damage $100,000,
4) uninsured motorist, each person bodily injury $500,000, each occurrence bodily injury $500,000,
the half-year insurance premium is $294.20. It is about $1.60 each day.

The cost for a similar car in China is slightly higher. The 2009 Civic LXi automatic transmission is about $20,200 (137,800 RMB). This one is actually "made in China" with a Japanese design. This is not an apple-to-apple comparison since the exact details of what the LXi model entails can be different from that of US LX model. There is no 2010 model on the Chinese market, which I attribute to cultural differences. The US market sells 2010 cars from September 2009 to about August 2010. It focuses on the year it gets sold and used, a forward-looking attitude with a spin of "newness". The Chinese consumers seem to focus on the year the car is manufactured, a realistic attitude with a spin of "truthfulness".

Buying a car in America is easy and efficient, and it is a good experience for me. When I get more money, I'll treat myself nice next time with a slightly more luxurious model :-)

English with an American Corporate Accent - 014

This is another collection from recent meetings and trips. It works best if you can find a native English speaker with exposure to corporate America to elaborate on the finer points that I cannot cover well here.

* As we move to the new environment, we have to deal with shifting sands in our strategy. [As we move to the new environment, we have to deal with the fast-changing conditions in our strategy.]
* I don't want to spend extra energy for this one-off release. [I don't want to spend extra energy for this special one-of-a-kind release.]
* I don't want a bastardized thing for this product. [I don't want a low-quality rushed version of this product.]
* Let's not jump in and analyze this thing to the n'th degree. [Let's not rush in and study it in unnecessary levels of details.]
* I am drawing a blank on that guy's name. [I simply cannot remember that guy's name.]
* That is the main impetus to do this project. [That is the main reason to do this project.]
* It really depends on whether there is anyone who would rat hole with silly questions. [It really depends on whether there is anyone who would change the course of the meeting with irrelevant questions.]
* The release date becomes really murky now when that additional requirement is added. [The release date becomes really questionable now when that additional requirement is added.]
* You'll find the new manager a lot more draconian in dealing with project slippage. [You'll find the new manager a lot more strict in dealing with project slippage.]
* You have dependency on that project, but you did not call out explicitly for that. [You have dependency on that project, but you did not explicitly spell that out.]
* What I want to prevent is a management edict from above. [What I want to prevent is a management mandate from above.]
* I know that this page is an eye chart, my apology. [I know that this page is too hard to read, my apology.]

English with an American Corporate Accent - 013

This is another collection from recent meetings and trips. It works best if you can find a native English speaker with exposure to corporate America to elaborate on the finer points that I cannot cover well here.

* COMPA and COMPB are really neck and neck in the server market. [COMPA and COMPB are really close in competition in the server market.]
* Let me switch gears to a different topic. [Let me change to a different topic.]
* You can put back pressure to the device driver to get some resources back. [You can reverse the direction to get the device driver to return some resources.]
* We have to be careful not giving customers too many knobs to turn. [We have to be careful not to create too many ways to make adjustments.]
* At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I would like to ask that question again. [At the risk of sounding like a broken record that plays the same thing over and over again, I would like to ask that question again.]
* We'll try to plan better to align better, not to leapfrog you by any chance. [We'll try to plan better to align better, not to get ahead of you.]
* They learned a great deal in the previous go-arounds. [They learned a great deal in the previous failed attempts.]
* Now the logjam of all the attempts I made broke loose and got processed through the system. [Now the logjam of all the attempts I created finally broke loose and got processed through the system.]
* My approach is to line them up and knock them down one by one. [My approach is to list them one by one and work on them one at a time.]
* We need a project plan that has clarity for the roles and for the deliverables. [We need a project plan that has clear definitions of the roles and deliverables.]
* We need to continue to flesh out the details of this project. [We need to continue to expand the details of the the project.]

Grandma Update from Davis, California

I have been back in the Bay Area for almost three weeks now. I have spent all the weekends in Davis with my mom and my sister. I am glad that Jeanet is there as well to feed us all good and different food. Grandma has stabilized so much that we take her out every day for a walk to a nearby pond. She is still weak and has to be in a wheelchair most of the time. Here is a picture of her with my wife Jeanet, my sister Maria and my youngest nephew Yong-En.

With advice from the doctor when discharged from the hospital, my mother signed up a Hospice Program. We were told that average life span was about 6 months in their program. We have learned a lot about this program quickly. We are still not very sure that this is right for her. Normally terminally ill cancer patients will go through hospice because there no treatment is available. Providing care and comfort in the home is dignified and appropriate for those patients, and is often the preferred way for the last few months. My mother is weak, is diabetic (no need to do injection), and has high blood pressure. She is prone to complications, but not literally terminally ill in my definition. I have to admit that the end of a precious life might really happen in the next few years. Although I struggle to understand and accept this, I try to be with her often, holding her hands, pushing the wheelchair around, and hugging her like a baby. My mom is quite happy to have me around. I try to cherish the times together and take care her the best we can. It is a struggle to think of when she might pass away. God gives and God decides when she will be back. I just don't want to be sorry later.
We are planning to hire a live-in or a 9-5 caregiver for 6 days a week. With this, my sister's family and my family can have the time and energy to take care of other business.

Davis is a college town of 60,000 people. It is relatively quiet and is a carefree place to live. The nearby drainage pond has a few different varieties of ducks, Canada geese, and turtles. See this picture of sun-bathing turtles on a piece of floating deadwood.











Spring is a great time to have a new family. The goose family has quite a few new members in the afternoon water cruising with a fleet formation on the left.












Spring in Northern California is really beautiful. I had a chance to drive through Niles Canyon following Route 84 to the Dumbarton Bridge to Menlo Park. Mid April's plush tender green on the hills really soothes your eyes. The tranquility of the windy road and the sweetness of the air is a treat to me.
I am trying hard to capture this awareness and sense of appreciation after almost 4 years of absence from California. After a while, I'll take everything for granted and be spoiled again in America.


It is also time to work on the yard. I helped my sister trim the bushes to provide more sunlight to the rooms and to grow grapes and vegetables in the garden. Yard work is fun and rewarding.





Only during the week, I am in Campbell at "home". I have not completely unpacked yet. But, the azaleas started to bloom and blossom in the backyard. It is a pleasure to be back in Spring time.

English with an American Corporate Accent - 012

This is another collection from recent meetings and trips. It works best if you can find a native English speaker with exposure to corporate America to elaborate on the finer points that I cannot cover well here.

* Looks like that you want get feature parity with Linux in the power management area. [Looks like that you want get a comparable feature set with Linux in the power management area.]
* That design is to ensure that we stay within the thermal envelope of the system. [That design is to ensure that we stay within the thermal design constraints of the system.]
* It would be helpful to measure what each feature will save and to identify the top hitters. [It would be helpful to measure what each feature will save and to identify the most significant ones in terms of saving.]
* I certainly don't want to put a smiley face on all the numbers. That would be too optimistic. [I certainly don't want to be too optimistic with all the numbers.]
* That feels like a set of hodge-podge numbers, but they are actually informed estimates. [That feels like a set of miscellaneous numbers, but they are actually estimates based on good information.]
* After we plug the measurement data into the spreadsheet and add them up, bingo, that is exactly what we expect. [After we plug the measurement data into the spreadsheet and add them up, hurray, that is exactly what we expect.]
* Those future new components are not on the radar yet for our designers. [Those future new components are not yet a part of the design choices for our designers.]
* I have tried hard to fly under the radar in the past. [I have tried hard to avoid attention in the past.]
* This thing came out of the blue and caught us all off guard. [This thing came from nowhere and surprised us all.]
* The question is how to resource that project. [The question is how to find resources for that project such as personnel, funding and equipment.]
* Please be aware that the ubiquity doesn't necessarily translate to profit per se. [Please be aware that having a product name everywhere doesn't necessarily translate to profit by itself.]
* The centrality of your message could not be made clearer. [The focal point of your message could not be made clearer.]
* If we can line up our ducks on a row, we definitely can deliver that project on time. [If we can line up our required resources appropriately, we definitely can deliver that project on time. ]
* There will be project adjustments: some will be dialed up and some dialed down. [There will be adjustments on various projects: some will be emphasized and some will be de-emphasized.]
* The road show includes combined portfolios of both companies. [The road show includes combined product offerings of both companies.]

Home: where your heart is

I am back to the Bay area for now. I need to be home. My family needed me.
My mother moved to Davis, California, with my sister Maria again in February. My mother stayed in Taiwan with my younger sister for about 4 years.
I have never got a chance to be so close to my mother in the past. Now with my wife's support and with an easy 2-hour drive, I can get to Davis from my Campbell home comfortably. It is a blessing to be with her, as she is frail and weak and in her 80's. The picture on the left was a gathering in Davis last February celebrating her arrival.









Joe had a snowboarding accident in March 2009 that caused an acetabular fracture. He had to take a 3-month leave from his pediatrics residency program at Harbor UCLA Medical Center. Residency without injury is hard enough in the American medical educational system. Residency with a crutch is not a realistic proposition at all. For a full recovery of his injury, Joe took time off, at least six months, to focus on his rehab so that he can be all together again physically and mentally. This is a picture we took in February when we took a day trip to the Getty Center in LA. I need to offer my moral support and I need to be with him often to get him through this. As a parent, this is the least I can do.








I had hard time leaving Beijing, my work, and my friends.
In particular, the SpeakEasy@SunBeijing Toastmasters Club was dear to me. The picture to the left was an outing with the current members to the Beijing Botanic Garden. I had a venue to practice my public speaking and presentation skills. We got to share our lives and experiences with other members through the reviews and dry-runs of the speeches. I gained hope for an emerging society and got to know the aspirations of this new Chinese generation. It is a difficult journey for many in China to create a new social and political order that will all prosper together. The club was also a venue for everyone to come together to build trust, confidence and fellowship. I will miss this community, because I grew along with each one of them in the last 3-1/2 years.


I took on a challenge October 2008 to manage the storage driver team of eighteen people with one junior manager assisting me. I have always been on the technical track at work, so it was quite an opportunity for me to grow professionally. I enjoyed every bit of it. It tapped my other potential, and it gave me a chance to hone my project management skills and interpersonal skills. I learned to communicate and to negotiate better. I learned to be patient when I had to and to be aggressive when it was time to do so. I liked my team a lot. They are energetic, eager, and dedicated to work and their profession. I have no regrets about taking on the opportunity to lead them. Although I worked hard, I enjoyed every bit of it as a team. I miss them.

English with an American Corporate Accent - 011

This is another collection from recent meetings and trips. It works best if you can find a native English speaker with exposure to corporate America to elaborate on the finer points that I cannot cover well here.

* This is one of my gripes, please fix that. [This is one of my complaints, please fix that.]
* You really don't have visibility into that space when we take the jump into that new technology. [You really don't know enough when we take the jump into that new technology.]
* I heard the same thing in my neck of the woods. [I heard the same thing in my organization.]
* Oracle in red should be exactly (255,0,0), not an iota less in shade. [Oracle red should be exactly (255,0,0), not a single shade less.]
* This is just a motherhood and apple pie talk. [This is just a straightforward and common sense talk.]
* They are going to provision for peak demands. [They are going to provide the capacity for peak demands.]
* That was the over-arching concept for that presentation. [That was the main theme and concept for that presentation.]
* That is a good segue, I guess. [That is a good transition to a new topic, I guess.]
* We want to make sure that the idle power number is up to scratch. [We want to make sure that the idle power number is reasonable comparing to others.]
* Under the hood, there are two implementations for that feature. Above the hood, customers should see the same thing. [Beneath the surface, there are two implementations for that feature. Above the surface, customers should see the same thing.]
* How much head room do we need to cover the spikes in demand? [How much buffer do we need to cover the peaks in demand?]