Tag: Russia

Dilemma called Life

30+ Chinese women start protesting the label of “unwanted” goods.

Tunisian Topless Jihad set a World Religion on fire.

Men teetering on retirement seeking work and love in the wrong place.

A friend in search of affordable physical therapy and health care coverage.

Dilemma called Life.

If it’s easy and smooth, it wouldn’t be called Life.

Life is difficult.

Just as we thought we got it well handled, it slips out of our control.

A Russian astronaut ended up traveling outside of Earth orbit, to never return to Mother Russia.

A death uninvited and unforeseen.

This morning, I saw people rushing to get their turn at  a public hospital. They did not look like they were in need of examination at all.

I have lived and learned as much as I could about life itself.

My findings and takeaways are:

– you can’t win all

– you should choose your battle, but often times, it chooses you

– while you are thinking about life, life goes on regardless of your opinion

– we flow in the fourth dimension (Time), while everyone thinks travel from place to place (3 dimensional world) is big deal

– we can learn in an instant what takes years to grasp

– people who like us will always like us. People who don’t, won’t no matter what we do to try to “earn” their trust and like

– it all boils down to passages or phases (growth, discovery, regret, decline)

– love yourself.

I have put down almost 1,000 blogs. And I think by now, I begin to see a pattern: there is stuff hidden from view. And unless we force it to come out, it will play hide and seek, influence our sentiment and decision.

Rely not on externalities and seek not approval.

Try to understand rather be understood.

I begin to see, to feel, and hopefully understand.

Why women over 30 have to fight multiple battles in China and Vietnam.

Why Tunisian young girl wants to take off her clothes and in doing so gets herself a death warrant (Rushdie of the 21st century).

And why Life itself can only be understood viewing backward.

If only had I been told that Life itself is a dilemma, not a direct line.

churning, down the river

The foreclosure process has still been at work, churning homes back on the market in CA or FL.

Behind the statistics are people bewildered and shattered.

As a nation and the world, we are faced with two choices:

– pretend it never happened, and rush out to shop

– acknowledge that it happened, and rush out to shop.

Kid Rock on American Music Award a few years back sang about his hometown Detroit.

Something about “bringing us to our knees”. I realize that technology and market , when in sync, offer us convenience and low costs. When collided, as in collateral obligation, forces us on our knees.

It makes you feel like you have just been eliminated from being America’s next top model.

Pack your bag, and leave the set. Now!

Do you have some place to go?

Of all the misfortunes  that beset this country e.g. Dot.com burst, 9/11, Katrina and the two wars, lower our confidence a bit: an Ireland with lost pride, China with deep pocket-book, and Russia asking, hey, dance anyone?

First thing first, Covey advises us. A nation, as a people, needs to learn good habits.

Focus on the most important and work everything from that core (rocks first, then pebbles into the jar).

We have put out big and small fires. That leaves us too exhausted to do what’s next and necessary. The rules of law, the checks and balance etc… help protect us from abuse, but not in the realm of economics.

When do we see you hungry and not feed you? Or without a roof over your head and take you in. Rolling down the river.

 

Decoding America

It’s a grand title. But the intention is put up some guide posts to mark the new (Lonely) American trail

Or else, new comers to America, reading Orientation web sites only, would end up like the Oregon couple who trusted solely on GPS readout, without consulting paper maps.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100102/ap_on_hi_te/us_stranded_motorists

We learn and continue to refine our learning by decoding the multiple stimuli and messages thrown at us.

America is turning into a giant swap meet, and price doesn’t matter much. It’s our time, attention and labor.

If I were to advise incoming students, from China, India or Vietnam, I would point out that:

– In America, neighbors while living close by, are really far from you (proximity has nothing to do with social grouping)

– Inter-racial relations have improved a bit, but precisely in the cities, where one finds a higher concentration of people from various ethnic origins, that a higher rule takes over: survival in the urban jungle.

(Vietnamese students abroad, like in Russia, and recently America, should be vigilant about their own safety).

– clothing has been defining people since the beginning of time. Now, more than ever with cheaper imports (I spent more money on suits/ties but wore them the least. Invest on your informal clothing, which got more wear per dollar spent : 80/20 rule).

– when they start addressing you by your last name, watch out for the pitch. Not all sales pitches are bad. Just bad salesmen.

– American love their gadgets: it started out with horseshoes, guns and knives. Now everyone’s garage is like a pawn shop.

– People are always searching for another Gold Rush. But it’s those who sell picks and shovels who end up reaping the windfall.

Buffet is investing in railroad again, because of the high price of oil. Tools=treasures.

– Company’s parties are controlled environment. So are all parties, including the ones in your house. Neighbors love to dial 911.

– Cooking is not cool. Cleaning is.(German influence: efficiency. Cleanliness is next to godliness). Huge grills, small hamburgers and hot dogs. (once again, tool rules).  No place to buy your meals on New Year Day or Christmas Day. Be prepared.

– Respect your prospect’s time by being over-prepared. Remember the tip of the iceberg: every day is presentation day. And this means controlling your weight, your appearance, your speech and your up-to-date knowledge.  America has been and will always be a Revolution-in-origin, Evolution-in-progress Nation, where the best of everyone is expected. It’s a society with built-in obsolescence. Today’s best invention is tomorrow’s laughing-stock (Boom Box, VHS, IBM, MS, Kodak).

– Nobody seems to take anything personally. They can disagree all night and then achieve consensus in the morning. Unlike other countries (Korea or Italy) where disagreement led to violence in the legislative chamber. (J Kerry is now Head of State).

– And finally, America values your contribution: the President said he opened to all ideas, big or small, to help create jobs. Hope he doesn’t drop the ball, just because of one Nigerian brat trying to put something in his underwear in flight. American leaders are so secure that they are willing to have those “teachable moments”. They know that pride (know-it-all) comes before the fall.

Good luck with your visa application to come to the US to study. Your future is bright, because you don’t get in your own way. So will everyone else, who is busy with their social network, and backyard grills. Remember, virtual neighbors are the best. They can’t knock on your door and borrow some tools, albeit you only use it occasionally (80/20 rule).