English with an American Corporate Accent - 019

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.

* The issue is very clear. Let's go out and execute. [The issue is very clear. Let's get started and work on it.]
* Our boss likes big iron and let's give him that. [Our boss likes big machines, and let's give him that.]
* Any questions? Shoot me an email. [Any questions? Send me an email.]
* Let me move right from the gecko (get go). [Let me move right from the start.]
* Paul, thanks for letting me pipe in with my concerns. [Paul, thanks for letting me have the opportunity to express my concerns.]
* Because our key developer left the job, we lost six months of runway here. [Because our key developer left, we are six months behind now.]
* Do you have a call-out for what we have to track for this issue? [Do you have an explicit reminder item for what we have to track for this issue?]
* The rub now is that they insist on an earlier software release. [The difficulty now is that they insist on an earlier software release.]
* Let's cut to the chase and get to the point now. [Let's cut it short and get to the point now.]
* "Joe, you have any more to add to this discussion?" "No, I am good." ["Joe, you have any more to add to this discussion?" "No, I don't have anything."]
* That piece of news is critical to our project. Let's have a hallway huddle about this. [That piece of news is critical to our project. Let's have a quick meeting in the hallway about this.]
* It is a slippery slope. If you lose the rope, I cannot imagine what would happen. [It is a slippery path. If you run into any problems, I cannot imagine what would happen.]

English with an American Corporate Accent - 018

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.

* One can surmise that they would not commit to that. [One can guess that they would not commit to that.]
* I can always be trumped by Joe and Bill. [I can always be overruled by Joe and Bill.]
* I can only keep them at arm's length for now. [I can only keep them at a short distance for now.]
* We need more input from testing. I like to see testability is a "fore-thought", not an "after-thought". [We need more input from testing. I like to see testability is considered beforehand, not as a thing thought of afterward.]
* These technical nuances got be totally boiled down; otherwise, Joe will be lost. [These technical details have to be explained thoroughly; otherwise, Joe will be lost.]
* Let me try to dial down a bit; otherwise, it will be too complicated. [Let me try to simplify a bit; otherwise, it will be too complicated.]
* Is it OK for me to tell Amy that we have connected the dots here with her back-door request? [Is it OK for me to tell Amy that we have figured out the relationship and connections here with her sneaky request?]
* I suspect that they'll come out of the woodwork if we decide to present the case to the council. [I suspect that they'll come out of hiding if we decide to present the case to the council.]
* I am up to my eye balls now. I cannot handle any more new request. [I am completely occupied now. I cannot handle any more new request.]
* I understand the general statements of performance improvement, but I am still teasing out the concrete cases. [I understand the general statements of performance improvement, but I am still trying to figure out the facts for the concrete cases.]
* I got busy with something else, and I am still working head down. [I got busy with something else, and I am still working hard.]
* So you are running tests and kicking tires for that new delivery. [So you are running tests and sanity checking for that new delivery.]

Reading "Pride and Prejudice"

Nothing beats reading a good book, or in my case, finishing listening to a good audio book. I recently completed the classic "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen. I previously watched the movie, but movies have real difficulty in capturing the subtleties, complex emotions and reflections in the limited 2 hours.

It will be difficult for me to judge how much prejudice I have. This introspection process will not be easy. But, I can see that I have prides in me, various sorts. Some are good to keep and some are not. Some prides help us to build trust and character, but some are making our own lives unnecessarily complicated and convoluted. At this stage of my life, empty nested, having peace of mind and going easy with life along with its demands is a good thing. I don't want to have too many of those unnecessary "principles".

As far as the book goes, I realized that the usage of the English language is not modern-day American. Instead, it is from the world of early 19th-century Britain. I like the language and many words employed in that period. I decided to jot down some of the less familiar words when I could. Some of them are not in use today in America by the populace. But, many of them are the words used by the better educated and more articulate individuals. So, it is a list to let us see how many we know the meaning of and how many we actually incorporate into our conversation and writing ;-)
-----------------------
abominable
affability
anecdote
balm
casino
countenance
conciliatory
condescending
consolation
dejection
elopement
formidable
felicity
forbearance
fortnight
frivolous
gaiety
grandeur
governess
glazing
gentile
impertinent
imprudence
insipid
insulin
lamentation
magistrate
mortification
obsequious
perusal
purview
reconciliation
reproach
rupture
trifle
trepidation
twelvemonth
odious
parsonage
rousing
scold
sickly
shew
vestibule
vex vexation
vulgar
----------------------

My first Caltrain rides - Sunnyvale to San Francisco

I went to the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) 2010 at Masconi Center in San Francisco. I have attended the IDF in Taipei and Beijing in the past. But, this was my first time attending the Forum in San Francisco. The conference had a different feel to it, because the crowd and culture are different. I did not want to drive to the city and have to worry about parking and traffic congestion. I decided to take Caltrain. In part, I wanted to have the first-hand experience of riding public transportation from the South Bay to San Francisco. Here is a photo of the ticket booth for Caltrain.










From Sunnyvale to San Francisco, the one-way fare is $6, which is not bad compared to how much I would have had to spend for the gasoline if I had made the one-hour drive. The daily parking cost me $3 at the Sunnyvale station.

The next photo is the Sunnyvale station on that early September morning.









The train is quite sleek and nice. This is one of them on that early morning.









Inside this double decker, the construction is sturdy, functional, comfortable, and quite pleasant to look at. From the photo, you can see that the train is not too crowded at all. That's a big problem in the US. Mass transportation is not popular because it is not convenient enough. This is a chicken-and-egg problem. Our society and various levels of government should address this in a serious way. We could not be competitive at all in the future world that mandates an energy-efficient society.






There is a car for people to transport the bicycles. It is quite neat, isn't it?


















When I arrived in the city, I took a photo of the San Francisco station. The walk to the Mascone Center took me only 15 minutes with ease. What a pleasure to do this!

Getting a BFR - Bi-annual flight review

I got real busy when I became a manager two years ago in Beijing. All my trips to the US were swamped with meetings. Even if I did find time to fly with my instructor, I would not be relaxed and sharp enough to do a good job. When I transferred back to the US in April of this year, my medical certificate expired and I was in need of a bi-annual flight review. Here is what I had to do to become legal to fly again. A few friends were interested in this topic and here is the short journal.

On August 5, 2010, I went to see Dr. DWK and had my FAA medical exam done in about one hour. It included a urine test (for drugs for the most part), and vision, hearing, general reflexes, blood pressure and other tests. I received a second-class certificate. A second-class airman medical certificate is required for commercial, non-airline duties (e.g., for crop dusters, corporate pilots) and is valid for 1 year plus the remainder of the days in the month of the examination.
For a private pilot, a third-class medical will suffice. The third-class medical is good for two years. My second-class certificate can be used for two years for my non-commercial flying. The office assistant, YLD still remembered me. She mentioned proudly again about her grandson in Chicago, who is fluent in Chinese. We have had a good chat, about every two years over the last decade ;-) It cost me $100 for the exam.

A private pilot license/certificate never really expires once you have it. In order to exercise your airman privileges, you have to meet certain additional requirements, typically a current medical certificate and a bi-annual flight review. Certain flying clubs will add more requirements to make sure that you are not just legal to fly, but have recent flight experience and have been checked out by a club CFI.

My bi-annual flight review was completed on Sunday, August 29, 2010, with my CFII (certified flight instructor - instrument) instructor AS at Reid-Hillview airport (RHV) in San Jose.

I used to be a member of the Squadron 2 Flying Club before I left for Beijing 4 years ago. This photo was taken in front of the club office. And another one was taken in one of the classrooms with a big poster of a Cessna 172 control panel and Northern California FAA sectional charts.


Legally, we had to do one hour of ground instruction, mostly on the required equipments for flying and the required protocols for entering various air spaces around the San Francisco area.
The actual air time was 2.7 hours, which is a long time, because normally the time is only 2 hours. The air time included slow flight, steep turns, power-off stalls, power-on stalls, and simulated engine-loss emergency procedures. The extra time I had was take-offs and landings. I was quite rusty (and probably more tired than usual due to the summer heat) and did 15 of them in South County airport and Reid-Hillview airport. After this, I was good for 2 years of flying. The cost for the instructor was 2.7 hours plus one hour ground instruction, which came to $296 total with an hourly rate of $80/hour. The airplane cost wet (gas included) was $288.36 based on the $106.80 per hour rate. This is typical for a Cessna 172. I had the N65658 from the club.

I was instrument rated, but I am not current right now. This means that I cannot legally fly in the clouds. No one in his/her right mind will be really eager to fly alone in IMC condition with minimally equipped airplanes. But, having the rating and currency provides an extra boost of confidence and additional skill to avoid accidents. The next thing I need to do is some under-the-hood work and some instrument approaches, in addition to some just-for-fun cross-country flying.

Ethical Dimension of Genetic Research

Listening to audio books is something I missed quite a bit when I was in Beijing. I have been hooked on "reading" books since late 1990's. My good friend JN heard of my interest in mythology and loaned me a deck of tapes, "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" by Joseph Campbell. I enjoyed listening to this book while driving to and from work. I did not read anything further by Joseph Campbell. But, I ventured into local libraries to start my audio book journey. I still remember that the first one I picked was "Robinson Crusoe." That was one of the few translated non-textbooks I read. I read very little for enjoyment when I was young. The number of books I actually finished reading in English is small. I can remember one, "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck. Three or four years into this new new hobby, I kept a record of the books I "read", and even gave them a score from 1 to 10. I have to thank JN for leading me into a life of reading and enrichment.

The most recent book I finished is Michael Crichton's "Next", a book about genetic research, corporate greed and legal intervention. He is probably most famous for "Jurassic Park", because it was turned into a successful series of movies. It surprised me to learn that this prolific author, Dr. Crichton, died of lymphoma in 2008. There are two interesting characters/animals in the novel, a transgenic chimp, Dave, and a transgenic African grey parrot, Gerard. This is fictional, but it is not too far from what we might run into these new breeds in the future. We need to consider the ethical and moral responsibilities of our actions.

"Next" is overall a good book with a bit too much on the side plots, and thus it is hard to focus on the main plot. The odd part is that the audio CD ended with an interview with the author. Dr. Crichton actually felt very strongly about the ethical dimension of the genetic research and its ramifications for our future. Indeed, I was happy to have that extra segment on the CD. It let me know that the book is not just a novel to him. I took a refresher class in Chemistry 1A at West Valley community college in 2001 and another class in human genetics at the height of human genome news and the cloned Dolly the Sheep. It was and still is exciting to see molecular biology making such progress, but it requires us to ponder the ethical and moral issues of genetic research.
After I came back to the States in April, I read "Christ the Lord: the Road to Cana," by Ann Rice; "Treasure Island," by Robert Louis Stevenson; "Saving fish from drowning," by Amy Tan; and "Next". I am now in the middle of "Op-Center - State of Siege," by Tom Clancy. Listening to a thriller while driving is questionable. I was so involved in the book and I had no recollection of going through the toll both with my FasTrak sticker.

Shanghai was mentioned several times in the book as a heaven for generic research and gene therapy. Is this really true? For lack of any ethical concerns and social responsibilities in the regulations? I have to ask my good friend in Nanjing who is leading a genetic research institute there. Nanjing is about 100 miles from Shanghai.

English with an American Corporate Accent - 017

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.

* I don't know whether Joe has really drawn the line in the sand or not. [I don't know whether Joe has really made the clear-cut decision or not.]
* I'll talk to Joe first, and then I'll circle back to you. [I'll talk to Joe first, then I'll come back to you.]
* At this point, I don't want to change horses. [At this point, I don't want to change directions.]
* When it comes to supporting that product, they basically don't check out. [When it comes to supporting that product, they basically cannot fulfill what they have promised.]
* I hear you. Let me pow-wow with my team next week to get the product requirements you need. [I hear you. Let me have a meeting with my team next week to get the product requirements you need.]
* At the end of day, it all comes down to whether we'll commit to support that product or not. [After all the discussions and meetings, it all comes down to whether we'll commit to support that product or not.]
* Anyone need to take a bio break? [Anyone need to take a restroom break?]
* I have to punt on this one question, let me get back to you on that next week. [I have to skip on this one question, let me get back to you on that next week.]
* The desire of the testing is to go full battery. [The desire of the testing is go for a full set of tests.]
* There are other features added to that wad of code changes in addition to the one we really need. [There are other features added to that collection of code changes in addition to the one we really need.]
* According to the POR, that feature is not included in this release. [According to the plan of record, that feature is not included in this release.]
* Where do they stand in the pecking order? [What is their ranking order in the decision-making process?]
* They don't know what to do. They are in a holding pattern and waiting for marching orders. [They don't know what to do. They are waiting for commands on what to do next.]

July 2010 Taipei Stint

I stopped over in Taipei, Taiwan, on my way back to San Francisco in a recent business trip to Beijing.
I grew up in this metropolitan city until I graduated from college. Then I went "abroad" to study, which led eventually to my emigration to the United States. I remember that when the economy started to take off in Taiwan forty years ago, the traffic was a mess and people were crowding up everywhere with no waiting lines or signs of civility anywhere.

Things are different now. I was impressed by the Taipei subways a few years back when I attended the IDF conference. This time I took a few snapshots during this short visit.

To the left are photos of waiting lines for Taipei subways. Waiting lines are marked to avoid the out-going passengers. These two were the "before and after" pictures with people waiting for subway train to arrive.



Now, what ushered in the civility and good manners? Is chaos a necessary step on its way to civility? What are the necessary conditions to lead to this path? There are many places in the world today that have not gotten out of their chaos in recent memory. Why are they stuck?

Subway station signs now are in the PinYin romanization system instead of in the traditional Wade-Giles system used in the island. My name "Tzongyu Lee" would have been "Zongyu Li" in the new schema of things. But just as "Taipei" and "Tsinghua University" do not get converted to "Taibei" and "Qinghua University", my name is not going to change. The Pin-Yin system is only 50 years old, while the Wade-Giles has 150 years of history. Established names are not going to change for the sake of change and uniformity. Subway train announcements were in Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese, English and sometimes even Hakka Chinese is heard.

Taipei scooters are popular. They offer something motorized and fast, and they are easy to park and can squeeze through the traffic.

There are many foreigners and laborers from abroad including overseas Chinese returning from North America. Foreigners are so common and often go unnoticed. Some of my friends told me that they enjoy this atmosphere of anonymity, and do not have to worry about being cheated one way or the other.


I took the opportunity to visit Danshui (Tamsui) via subway after I took care of some personal business.
Danshui is situated at the mouth of the Danshui River on the northwestern side of Taipei. I bought the ferry ticket pack to Bali (across the river) first, to Fisherman's Wharf next, and back to the old town for 120 Taiwan Dollars ($4 USD).


To the left is the Bali ferry terminal with Mount Goddess of GuanYin (Goddess of Mercy) in the background. I rented a bike for a short round-trip 6 miles ride to visit the ShiSanHang (Thirteen-Shops) Archeological Museum.
The distance is not far, but the scorching heat with stifling humidity was hard to bear.


The museum is right next to a waste water treatment plant. The plant is actually housed in 6 giant jars. I thought they were the ThirteenShop Archeological Musuem at first because of their artistic design ;-)








The museum was designed with Italy's leaning tower of Pisa in mind, from the look of its main building. It has some interesting artifacts and history. The material dated way back, much earlier than 1600's Dutch Formosa, which was quite interesting to me.















My last stop was the Danshui Fisherman's Wharf, which offered a nice boardwalk and a relaxing atmosphere. It was quite commercialized, though.










I learned to stay indoors next day because of the heat. I ended up finding a nice exhibition on the "Legends of Heroes - the Heritage of the Three Kingdoms Era" in Taipei's National Museum of History. This turned out to be a surprisingly nice visit. It had a good collection of paintings, crafts, artifacts, stone rubbings, and so on from many different museums in China.
I happen to be listening to the story-telling version of the MP3 "The Romance of Three Kingdoms" on and off during my travels in the last year or so. It was really a treat to me to see this exhibit in one place, with some level of analysis between history and legends.

Colonel Sanders is very popular in China

I had a 2-week business trip in the second half of July and could not help but write about this KFC phenomenon.

KFC is a yuppie place in China. It carries status and often is a favorite place for young people to meet. You can search on "KFC in China" and find many interesting write-ups and observations of this incredibly vibrant fast-food chain, which is uninteresting in the United States.
A book with this as the title can be found at Amazon.com.

To the left is a snapshot of the ordering line in Beijing's WangFuJing shopping district in late July 2010. The hustle and bustle is an envious for any business.
















Colonel Sanders and his sepia pictures of the young and old times are familiar scenes in many of the KFC restaurants in China. I can only remember seeing one such display in the United States.


















KFC is innovative in its product lines for the China operations. In addition to the traditional Kentucky fried chicken, nuggets, and fish burger, it offers traditional Chinese breakfast like rice porridge and fried double-twisted dough. There are other new ideas and inventions in drinks and burger/bread packaging, and ingredients. Small, popcorn-shaped fried chicken nuggets packaged in a popcorn container is one of the new inventions I like.


KFC does a great marketing job, including this Beijing subway line 2 advertisement in the connecting pathways.

What can you do at 100 Farenheit (38 Celsius) in Davis?

What can you do if the outside temperature is 100 degree? Although it is not humid in inland California, the feel of oven heat with ultraviolet light coming down straight on you is not easy to bear. Swimming is my cure in this hot weather. When I visited Davis over the weekend, I swam at the Arroyo Pool for about an hour, 20 laps totaling 1000 yards. I am slow, but I enjoy the workout. Single entry admission for this facility is $3.50.There is a summer pass, which is whole lot cheaper if you come often. There is a water slide and a huge wading pool. It is a favorite for families. See the two shots of the pool on the left.


















I paid special attention to the temperature difference between Davis (Sacramento Valley) and Campbell (Silicon Valley). That confirms what I heard about the 10-degree difference in Fahrenheit between the inland and south San Jose.

Near my work place at Menlo Park, I often stopped by the Mountain View Eagle Park swimming pool after work for a good swim. The single entry fee is $4.25 for non-resident. I had a 20-use pass I bought in 2005 and they are still honoring that pass. I was quite impressed and happy about that.














Other times, I swam at the Campbell Community Center swimming pool near my home. This one is expensive. The single entry fee is $7.00, and with the 20-use pass, each time averages out to $4.00. I wrote about Beijing swimming experiences and obserevations before. I have a couple of shots to capture the facilities including the locker room and shower. This is quite a paradise to have swimming as a workout option in the US.

English with an American Corporate Accent - 016

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.

* It looks like the meetings will be as regular as clockwork, so just show up at 11am. [It looks like the meetings will be quite regular, so just show up at 11am.]
* I added Steve and Paul to round out the answers. [I added Steve and Paul to help to provide more for the answers.]
* That procedure works for me. I am a happy camper now. [That procedure works for me. I am a happy person now.]
* We have to brief our manager on this. He likes to have that information in his back pocket. [We have to brief our manager on this. He likes to have that information ready at any time.]
* When I heard that that test failed, I knew that the release date for this project is hosed for sure. [When I heard that that test failed, I knew that we would miss that release date for this project for sure.]
* George, that is a really good suggestion. Let me sleep on it and get back to you. [George, that is a really good suggestion. Let me think about it and get back to you.]
* Joe said, "That 6 am meeting ruined my whole Thursday." Susan answered, "Amen to that." [Joe said, "That 6 am meeting ruined my whole Thursday." Susan answered, "I agree."]
* The jury is still out on whether we'll select that product. [We still don't have any conclusion yet on whether we'll select that product.]
* The tests are all good modulo that configuration bug. [The tests are all good except for that configuration problem.]
* A customer who is not tech savvy could ask that question. [A customer who is not too technical could ask that question.]
* We did not make any headway in that issue. [We did not have any progress on that issue.]
* Susan, this is just FYI. [Susan, this is just for your information.]

Technology, Reverence, and Justice

Technology, Reverence, and Justice. What do they have in common? The combination had no meaning for me until recently.

I don't watch TV very often. Instead, I enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking and swimming. Most of the TV news and programs are too superficial for me. Casual entertainment from TV programs is OK. But, gluing oneself to the TV and believing whatever it conveys is detrimental to our intellect and to our judgment. We need to be able to read more and to think more. I find it depressing that TV, and media in general, is shaping our value systems and moral guidelines. We are easily misguided by the media. And the noise of media have drowned our senses and reduced our abilities to act properly. We can easily lose our peace and senses in this fast-paced world of constant media bombardments.

I do find some exceptions. I don't find that the latest breaking news is important. I can only watch CNN for 20 minutes, and after that, it becomes repetitive. For an in-depth look and no-hype news, I find that PBS's NewsHour is acceptable.

Since my return to the US in early April, I did watch some TV - mostly PBS programs, in Davis, California when I visited my mother. By the way, she is doing so well now that she "graduated" from the hospice program last week. We are all quite pleased with this news.

One evening, I happened to tune in to Bill Moyers Journal, a PBS program dedicated to public affairs. This used to be my all-time favorite program before I left for China. That program ended Friday, April 30, 2010, and I happened to be there to hear the news. Mr. Moyers is 75 now and it is unfair to ask him to continue on.

That was the evening I learned how technology, reverence and justice are related :-). It is so relevant to modern-day China, and I have to share this with my friends. For the last 100+ years, the Chinese government, and many individual Chinese, have believed that the serious lag in science and technology is the reason that China was repeatedly defeated by the imperial and colonial powers, and that is the reason that China has to play catch-up to be a world leader again.

I have always tried to find what other elements are essential to a successful and sustainable civilization. Technology is essential, but that is definitely an incomplete answer to me. In this episode of Bill Moyers Journal, the following excerpt from Barry Lopez filled in the missing pieces in my puzzle.

(quoting Barry Lopez)
I don't remember the philosopher, the Greek philosopher who told the story of Zeus and Prometheus. Which really stuck when I first heard it, is that Zeus said to Prometheus, "Okay, you stole fire. Great for you. Now your people have technology. Wonderful. But here's something you don't know. You lack two things. And if you don't take these two things that I will give you, this will be a failure. Technology, you know, fire, all your magic, it will fail completely. It will be your undoing. And the two things that you need to make it work are justice and reverence. And if you have these two things, you won't get in trouble with this third thing that you thought was the be all and the end all."
(end of quote)

Is this that simple? Reverence and justice are the missing pieces? History and Greek mythology can have such foresight? Justice is a serious problem in China and many other parts of the world. Inequity is prevalent and might eventually bring serious changes to the social and political systems. Reverence is profound respect, and it is definitely a virtue for individual and society as a whole. I remember that there are good examples of reverence teachings in the Chinese history. Right now, Chinese society has been pressured into modernization with materialistic goals. It is a society with impatience, disrespect, and hatred at times.

It is not easy to get to a harmonious and reverent society. We have to bring back justice and a deep sense of reverence to each other so that technology will be good for us.

English with an American Corporate Accent - 015

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.

* They have not called my boss yet, but they are definitely waiting in the wings. [They have not called my boss yet, but they are definitely ready at a moment's notice.]
* We plan to put that feature in this release, knock on wood. [We plan to put that feature in this release, if all goes well.]
* Alpha version code is ready now, but gated by the licensing agreement. [Alphas version code is ready now, but being held up by the licensing agreement.]
* That item is interesting, but contentious. [That item is interesting, but controversial.]
* I am on the hook to deliver that document for the project. [I am responsible for delivering that document for the project.]
* I have to cancel lunch because my daughter has pink eye. [I have to cancel our lunch appointment because my daughter has an eye infection.] [pink eye: eye inflammation (conjunctivitis) ]
* FYI, I am still "dead in the water" for regression testing until the hardware problem can be fixed. [For your information, I am still completely unable to perform regression testing until the hardware problem can be fixed.]
* We are working heads down to get that done first. [We are working with complete dedication to get that done first.]
* I think my Mac is acting up. I might have to reboot it very soon. [I think my Mac is not working right. I might have to reboot it very soon.]
* If we can get this whittled down to only two teams, that would be ideal. [If we can get this narrowed down to only two teams, that would be ideal.]
* I can kick the can forward since I see better now. [I can move this thing forward since I have more information now.]
* These are some of the take-aways I have from that meeting. [These are some of the lessons I learned from that meeting.]
* We need to know the cadence of the technology offering. [We need to know the beat and rhythm of the technology offering. ]
* We'll do an one-off agreement with them, the rest should be all based on boiler-plate agreements. [We'll do a special agreement with them, the rest should be all based on a generic template.]

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?]

English with an American Corporate Accent - 010

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.

* We'll consider all things together and determine what falls off the plate. [We'll consider everything together and determine what has to be dropped.]
* Oh, I'm sorry that I lost my train of thought. That should come back to me later in the meeting. [Oh, I'm sorry that I forgot what I wanted to say. I should remember it later in the meeting.]
* We are worker bees, we cannot change the process. [We are supposed to follow the orders, we cannot change the process.]
* Nothing comes to mind off-the-bat. [Nothing comes to mind at this moment.]
* I will need the driver team to help in explaining this. I have never been able to wrap my head around this. [I will need the driver team to help in explaining this. I have never been able to understand this.]
* I have been on my soapbox on this issue for more than two years. [I have been voicing my concerns on this issue for more than two years.]
* We are just looking for a smoke test and your swag on whether or not any code change is necessary. [We are just looking for a simple sanity test and your estimate on whether or not any code change is necessary.]
* At this point we have gone full circle on this item multiple times. [At this point, we have not been able to get to anywhere on this item multiple times.]
* It is just a one-off. They are not going to do that again. [It is just a one-time special case. They are not going to do that again.]
* I was being facetious with that comment. [That comment was a joke.]
* Those are not insurmountable problems. [Those are not problems that cannot be solved.]
* We have to do that better and different. That has to be part of our DNA. [We have to do that better and different. That has to be part of our traits and characters.]

The Pursuit of Happiness - Owning a Home in Beijing

[Home, Sweet Home]
Although China is still a socialist country in name, people already found ways to express their personal desires and aspirations. Having a home is a dream for many Chinese. And having a home tailored to their tastes is reflected in a big way by the plethora of choices in furniture, home decorations and essentials. Owning a home is a very basic element of happiness. This pursuit of happiness is happening in China everywhere. I cannot help but to compare this basic inalienable right of the pursuit of happiness to the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

[A Typical Home - an Apartment]

A typical home is an apartment unit in the city. A suburban house in the U.S., with a nice backyard and two-car garage, is not practical for the typical Chinese. That type of home is referred to as a "villa" or "resort".
Housing prices are one of the hottest and the most discussed topics in people's lives. The dream of owning a house certainly adds to the demand side in the emerging Chinese economy. But the opportunities of making quick and large short-term profits in the housing market attract many speculative investments. Government interventions are frequent, but it is hard to to be sure that the new regulations and polices achieved what they were intended to. It is sad to watch the middle-class in anger and in despair.

[What do you get as a new Home Owner - the Phase I Home Project]
One thing really unique in China is a so-called "bare-bones apartment" delivered to the purchaser of the new home. Let us say that the Phase I home project is completed by the developer and the new owner must hire contractors to do the Phase II work.
To enumerate a few of the must-do items: the ceiling has to be leveled, conduits have to be planted into the walls for desired plumbing and electrical wiring, and then walls need to be painted. The frame of the apartment is concrete. The 2x6 frames and plaster board/sheetrock that are common in many American homes don't exist yet. After that work is completed, work can continue: laying floors with ceramic tiles or wood panels, and installing doors, moldings, switches, electric plugs and light fixtures. The kitchen and bathroomare bare. All cabinets and basic elements of a bathroom have to be added, including a water heater and natural gas plumbings.

The picture to the left is a typical new "kitchen". It is bare-bones and looks quite devastated. It has radiator heating elements, a sewer line and some water pipes.











This picture to the left is what you get for a bathroom: a radiator, two electricity outlets, a water pipe, and a sewer line receptacle for the toilet on the floor.

It is very difficult for a new home owner to start from that point. But the Chinese take this as the norm these days. You might wonder about how much time and energy is spent and wasted along the way, because every new home owner must go through the second phase of home building to create a reasonable place to live. Only then can the homeowner begin to decorate.








The third photo of this primeval series to the left is a picture of the guest bedroom leading to a small balcony for drying clothes. It is easy to see that you need to wire for electricity, and to provide a door, molding, and flooring.

I call this a Phase II home project to distinguish it from Phase III. Phase III is the actual furnishing of the apartment, such as adding a dresser, bed, dining table, sofa, TV stand, refrigerator, stove, sink, washer, and other essentials. This Phase II work is unique in China. Most people have to spend 3+ months haggling with contractors to get things done correctly. And many spend a year or more to really complete the Phase III furnishing projects. Many are short of funds and are completely exhausted after Phase II work is completed.

I observed the following list of priorities in Beijing (from high priority to low priority): living room declarations, sofa, TV, guard rails (for windows), refrigerator, kitchen stove, sink, master bedroom essentials, dining table set, washer, bathroom toilet and shower stall.

[After the Hard Work of Phase II Home Project]

To compare the “before and after” of basic room finishing project, see the photo at the left. Here is a kitchen after flooring, ceiling, countertops and shelving are installed. Remember that the new home owner does this by selecting the materials and then subcontracting the work out. Notice that a range/stove and a sink are also in place in this photo. An 11-liter natural gas water heater is on the left wall with the gas meter at the end of the narrow kitchen. The long, narrow kitchen is typical in city apartment/house units. An open-space kitchen design is considered outrageous and unthinkable for the Chinese. Chinese cooking involves a lot of stir-frying and quick flame and smoke, so the Chinese usually like to keep the kitchen separated from the main open space of the apartment and house as a practical matter.






As a comparison, a remodeled bathroom is shown here to the left. It is quite a nice sight with the ceramic siding and a flushing toilet. The heater is slightly relocated to the front and closer to the door, and thus not quite visible. The glass shower stall and the sink are close to the door and to the right, and therefore are also not visible in this picture.














The guest bedroom is shown with built-in bookshelf and a computer table on the left and a closet on the right. A door opens to a small balcony that is curtained and normally used for hang-drying clothes.

[Furniture Shopping]
IKEA is big in China. It must have been an eye-opening experience for the Chinese when it first opened. Today it still attracts people who just come to look. I think that following are some of the reasons:
1) Comprehensiveness in terms of home furnishing needs. It is one-stop shopping.
2) No price haggling, so there is no negotiation required.
3) The modern and utilitarian designs are from the Scandinavia. These designs especially attract the new middle-class young couples.
4) There are places in the store to sit and rest, and even to eat.

To the left is a photo I took in one of the weekends when the place was packed.



IKEA is a new concept, but there are many other ways to meet home furnishing needs. There are furniture shopping malls in which a homeowner can find a great deal of name-brand furniture.
LanjinLijia is a furniture mall frequented by the middle-class in the northwest corner of Beijing. The variety and selection are good, so that this store could be a one-stop shopping place for people who wish to complete the modeling/remodeling and furnishing of their new apartments in one trip. These types of furniture malls are scattered throughout the city. It is difficult to see how smaller outlets can survive in this competitive environment.



To the left, you can see a nice 90 cm by 90 cm shower stall for 1200 RMB in the furniture mall. But many Chinese apartment owners place bathroom amenities at a low priority. Very often you can expect to see only a simple shower head over the toilet. People in China probably cannot imagine that American bathrooms receive much more attention. The room is even often carpeted outside of the shower stall and/or bathtub area. The same mentality prevails over the treatment of restaurant restrooms in terms of their importance and appearance. It is all too common to find lousy restrooms in nice Chinese restaurants inside and outside of China.











[Furniture City]
There is a giant Furniture Super Mall southeast of Beijing, the XiangHe Furniture City.
The picture to the left shows one of the many gates to the warehouses of furniture stores. As is typical in Chinese government planning and organizations, similar types of furniture are grouped in nearby parcels. That is convenient to the shoppers, but difficult for the merchants in differentiating product offerings and prices.















Free bus transportation to this super mall on weekends and major Holidays is available in 20+ locations of the Beijing city. I once took the bus from the east gate of the University of Geology in northwest Beijing. It took about 90 minutes to travel the distance of close to 80 km.
The picture to the left shows a converging bus depot for all the buses to come together. Some reshuffling can be accomplished to pack shoppers into different buses for the sake of efficiency.