A Blue Day

After two final exams, I finally got a week off to take a rest. However, I still have homework to finish. I am burn out now. Once I am frustrated and under pressure. I become addicted on sex. To get rid of this, I would go to library tomorrow.

MBA Summer Reception in Taipei

To attend an MBA Summer Reception in Taipei held by a renowned consulting firm, I took a coach to Taipei this Wednesday and returned home next day. Although I had to spend about 4 hours for each trip and only stayed in Taipei overnight, it has been a rewarding participation because it ignites my interests in management consulting. I may put consulting as my priority of job search.

The host of this presentation is the firm's partner, who is in charge of the great china region and is very charming and even look like Jude Law. In the Q&A session, I forced myself to ask one question, something I require myself to do so that I can train myself how to perform in front of the public. To pursue an MBA, I have to challenge myself and change my personality to become more talkative, eloquent and logical. Looking at him, I realized that I need to talk with more confidence, articulate each word, and exude my feelings and passion to each person in the room. This would be a big challenge for me because I don't think I am good at speech and interview.

After the reception, this company treated all attendees a delicate dinner in Shin Yeh 101. It was a luxury meal with abalone, lobster, etc. Two consultants sat next to my in turn and I was able to understand more about consultant career life. Via such an event, I also got to know more MBA admits and later kept in touch with them by networking website.

The American Dream of Bruce Lee

I've heard a lot about Bruce Lee, but I have never try to seriously understand who he is and what he has done until today I watched the movie called "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story" starring Jason Scott Lee. This movie gave me a rough idea of Bruce's life and stimulated my interests in his story. This movie shaped him having an American dream and saying himself as an American. However, he did not succeed in the U.S. until he turned to star in the Hong Kong movies. The discrimination did limit his career development in the U.S. and eventually it is his birthplace that brought him to be a superstar. This story line reminds me of my current situation. Will I succeed after leaving Taiwan for the States?

Furthermore, Obama defeated Senator Clinton to become the first African-American candidate for the American president election. Some critics said that the U.S. has gone through a big change after Martin Luther King's speech about "I have a dream" in the 1960s and that this result has proved that nowadays no matter the white or black both have the opportunity to run the presidential election. I am kind of suspicious of this conclusion.

Memorable Quotes

Linda: "Its okay, Im awake"
Bruce: "I was working on game of death, lost track of time. The kids okay?"
Linda: "Dont you ever get tired of asking that question?"
Bruce: "Linda, we've been through this before - I dont have a choice"
Linda: "You might not, but I do. Im taking the kids and going home for a while."
Bruce: "Home is here for now!"
Linda: "No... here is where we watch you work!"
Bruce: "What do you want me to do?"
Linda: "I want you to come with us"
Bruce: "I worked in America for 10 years - and what it get me? It got me nothing!"
Linda: "It got you me"
Bruce: "Oh man... [pause] they got such a good line of bullshit. 'Come and get it! America! The mountain of gold! Its for everybody! Yeah! its for everybody white but they dont tell you that! You gotta read the small print [pause] if you can read"
Linda: "I am not America! Your kids are not America! Dont push us away... Were going... I want you to come with us... I want the kids to have a father again."
Bruce: "Dont lay any guilt trips on me! Im NOT taking any guilt trips!"
Linda: "This place is eating us up, cant you see that Bruce!?"
Bruce: "This place has given us a life! Im SOMEBODY here, Im SPECIAL. Back there Im just another GOOK! Just another.. wet back.. Charlie Chan.. low payed dishwasher in a stinky stinky restaraunt!! - Starch your shirt Mr. White man! Pleasee! No ticky, no shirty, a one from colum A, and one from column B! Me happy to build the railroads! Me happy to dig the mines for you Mr. WHITE-MAN!!!" [visibly distressed] IS THAT WHO I AM? IS IT? TELL ME, TELL ME THATS WHO I AM!!!"
Linda: "I DONT KNOW who the hell you are anymore! [pause] Do you?"

The First Birthday Gift for My Father

Yesterday was my father's birthday. Although it had been raining all day long, I took my bike to a supermarket in the downtown to buy a shaver and foams as president for him. This was the first time that I gave my father a birthday gift. I was embarrassed to do so. Thus, I gave a red envelope with $3,000 inside, a mission that my brother asked me to execute and he would pay me back later. My father asked me how my brother could arrange this because my brother was in Taipei. To prevent my father decline this red envelope, I said my brother gave the money to me earlier when I was still in Taipei. To my surprise, my father didn't say much and accept this red envelope. Therefore, I promptly gave him the birthday gift to him. I noticed he always used a plastic shaver and had to clean the razor after using it each time. I think he needs a better shaver. Today, my father unpacked the shaver but had some trouble to put the razor into the shaver. I helped him with this and answered his question about where to buy these razors.

My father didn't ask why my brother gave him red envelop and why I gave him a gift. That means he actually remembered his own birthday. I feel shameful that so many years had passed and I had not given any birthday gift to him before. I think it does not really matter what I prepare for him on his birthday. What counts is that at least I should express something to him. I did not say "Happy birthday to you!" words that I felt difficult to spell out. I should try to enhance our mutual interaction and communication this summer because I don't think I will return home in 2 years after my departure from Taiwan.

Dinged by a Top MBA School

Waiting for the final notification all day long and unable to concentrate on anything, I finally got the result just now. Sad… I was rejected by the top MBA school. So, this notification concluded my MBA application and I will start to pack my baggage to move back Taiwan.

Last night, a serious argument and debate first on Skype and then in email happened between my business partner and me. I tried to point out his weakness that made him work overtime again and again but my words incurred his discontent and prompted him defensive. I was doing so to ensure the company can run smoothly after my leave. I don't want the company collapse after my quit.

Falling In Love at the First Sight

Yesterday, waiting right from the Starbucks in the malls of Oriental Plaza for quite a few time, I eventually saw the face similar to the one showed online. Lisbon ordered an espresso for himself and treated me a Latte. We then had a casual talk. His blue eye was shining.

Unable to pick up a decent restaurant for our lunch, I guided him to Chamate, a Taiwanese chained restaurant. We ordered too many dishes. While I was doing my best to each as much as possible, he only ate a few. He said he wasn't hungry. While he spoke, I stared at his blue pupils. He explained that his brothers and sisters have different colors of pupils from green to orange brown. He was born in Mozambique and his father somehow moved back to Portugal at the age of 40 with nothing, no property and money. Sometimes I still missed some information from his talk, but I think I caught the code behind his eyes.

He said he wants to be along with me.

He said he loves me.

He said he will call me.

At 5:00 p.m. I just left him, and got a text message from him telling me that he already missed me and was glad to have meeting me.

After more than 2 years' single life, I seem to be falling in love with Lisbon. Oh, and one thing I didn't tell him: sometimes when I stared at him, I felt his eyes and face resemble my ex so much.

 

 

Taiwan Presidential Elections Reveal a New Age

The opposition party National Party Candidate Ma Ying-Jeon won the presidential election, opening a new age for Taiwan's future.

I am proud of the peaceful process of the entire presidential elections.

Decline an Offer with $51,730 Dollars

Urged by Lu, I eventually wrote an email to notify the B-school in Boston that I won't join its program. This school provided me first offer and a fellowship up to $51,730 USD, which is very attractive for me. However, I have decided to attend another B-school which gave me offer on March 7.

I recommended Lu to the School and suggested the school to add more amount of money to support Lu's study in this school. I also expressed my intention to introduce some admitted students in Taiwan to Lu.

These days, I am perplexed by the process of applying I-20 form. Getting the proof of financial support is troublesome and complicated for me, especially when I still live in Beijing. Therefore, I am considering to move back Taiwan in April, to expedite the application of VISA.

My First Offer

Before noon, somebody was knocking my door heavily. I turned off my loud stereotype and opened the door. Then, I see the angel!

It is my first B-school offer!

I am so excited all day long although my physical body become exhausted because of the cold I got and the busy work ( I worked overtime after middle night!).

This afternoon when I took bicycle to Carrefour for dinner, I laughed. America, I am coming!

[Shared] Bent - Introduction

Martin Sherman's best-known work, Bent, fits in both the categories of gay literature and Holocaust literature. Prior to Bent, there had been virtually no inclusion of gays in discussions about the Holocaust. Therefore, it had a groundbreaking impact when it was first staged off-Broadway in 1978; an impact that continued when the play was performed in London the next year and then finally brought to Broadway. Although the play has flaws, the uniqueness of the story line and the strength of its message about tolerance, love, and human dignity made the play successful. In fact, it was nominated for both a Pulitzer and a Tony in 1980.

The time period of the play is also different from most other Holocaust literature. Rather than being set during World War II, the story begins in 1934 when Hitler's purge of his Storm Troopers (SA) coincidentally led to the persecution of gays since the head of the SA was gay and his fall provided an excuse for going after other homosexuals. The play continues into 1936, when most of the world still had no idea that any concentration camps existed.

The subject matter, nudity, and verbal sex in the play were controversial enough, but Bent ignited further controversy with its suggestion that the gays suffered more than the Jews during the Holocaust. Debate continues among historians about the situation of each group under the Nazis. In the meantime, the play was staged in more than thirty countries during the 1980s and continues to be produced by community theaters across the United States. As a book, the play is available as a 1979 publication of Samuel French, Inc.

Bent Study Guide, by Martin Sherman

http://www.enotes.com/bent/

[Shared] Really Bad Powerpoint

I wrote this about four years ago, originally as an ebook. I figured the idea might spread and then the problem would go away--we'd no longer see thousands of hours wasted, every single day, by boring PowerPoint presentations filled with bullets.

Not only has it not gone away, it's gotten a lot worse. Last week I got a template from a conference organizer. It seems they want every single presenter to not only use bullets for their presentations, but for all of us to use the same format! Shudder.

So, for posterity, and in the vain hope it might work, here we go again:

Really Bad Powerpoint

It doesn't matter whether you're trying to champion at a church or a school or a Fortune 100 company, you're probably going to use PowerPoint.

Powerpoint was developed by engineers as a tool to help them communicate with the marketing department—and vice versa. It's a remarkable tool because it allows very dense verbal communication. Yes, you could send a memo, but no one reads anymore. As our companies are getting faster and faster, we need a way to communicate ideas from one group to another. Enter Powerpoint.

Powerpoint could be the most powerful tool on your computer. But it's not. Countless innovations fail because their champions use PowerPoint the way Microsoft wants them to, instead of the right way.

Communication is the transfer of emotion.

Communication is about getting others to adopt your point of view, to help them understand why you're excited (or sad, or optimistic or whatever else you are.)If all you want to do is create a file of facts and figures, then cancel the meeting and send in a report.

Our brains have two sides. The right side is emotional, musical and moody. The left side is focused on dexterity, facts and hard data. When you show up to give a presentation, people want to use both parts of their brain. So they use the right side to judge the way you talk, the way you dress and your body language. Often, people come to a conclusion about your presentation by the time you're on the second slide. After that, it's often too late for your bullet points to do you much good.

You can wreck a communication process with lousy logic or unsupported facts, but you can't complete it without emotion. Logic is not enough.

Champions must sell—to internal audiences and to the outside world.

If everyone in the room agreed with you, you wouldn't need to do a presentation, would you? You could save a lot of time by printing out a one-page project report and delivering it to each person. No, the reason we do presentations is to make a point, to sell one or more ideas.

If you believe in your idea, sell it. Make your point as hard as you can and get what you came for. Your audience will thank you for it, because deep down, we all want to be sold.

Four Components To A Great Presentation
First, make yourself cue cards. Don't put them on the screen. Put them in your hand. Now, you can use the cue cards you made to make sure you're saying what you came to say.

Second, make slides that reinforce your words, not repeat them. Create slides that demonstrate, with emotional proof, that what you're saying is true not just accurate.

Talking about pollution in Houston? Instead of giving me four bullet points of EPA data, why not read me the stats but show me a photo of a bunch of dead birds, some smog and even a diseased lung? This is cheating! It's unfair! It works.

Third, create a written document. A leave-behind. Put in as many footnotes or details as you like. Then, when you start your presentation, tell the audience that you're going to give them all the details of your presentation after it's over, and they don't have to write down everything you say. Remember, the presentation is to make an emotional sale. The document is the proof that helps the intellectuals in your audience accept the idea that you've sold them on emotionally.

IMPORTANT: Don't hand out the written stuff at the beginning! If you do, people will read the memo while you're talking and ignore you. Instead, your goal is to get them to sit back, trust you and take in the emotional and intellectual points of your presentation.

Fourth, create a feedback cycle. If your presentation is for a project approval, hand people a project approval form and get them to approve it, so there's no ambiguity at all about what you've all agreed to.

The reason you give a presentation is to make a sale. So make it. Don't leave without a "yes," or at the very least, a commitment to a date or to future deliverables.

Bullets Are For the NRA
Here are the five rules you need to remember to create amazing Powerpoint presentations:

No more than six words on a slide. EVER. There is no presentation so complex that this rule needs to be broken.

No cheesy images. Use professional stock photo images.

No dissolves, spins or other transitions.

Sound effects can be used a few times per presentation, but never use the sound effects that are built in to the program. Instead, rip sounds and music from CDs and leverage the Proustian effect this can have. If people start bouncing up and down to the Grateful Dead, you've kept them from falling asleep, and you've reminded them that this isn't a typical meeting you're running.

Don't hand out print-outs of your slides. They don't work without you there.

The home run is easy to describe: You put up a slide. It triggers an emotional reaction in the audience. They sit up and want to know what you're going to say that fits in with that image. Then, if you do it right, every time they think of what you said, they'll see the image (and vice versa).1

Sure, this is different from the way everyone else does it. But everyone else is busy defending the status quo (which is easy) and you're busy championing brave new innovations, which is difficult.

Note: Original Article from: seth godin's BLOG