Challenges and Eternal Optimism

Troubles everywhere. Bought a Seaside property at low price but condition is bad.  New roof, stove, windows.  Stock dropped significant because of Europe debt crisis, venture is over budget and running short of cash reserve. Key employee is demanding higher salary. New master program at Monterey Bay is about to start but no funding or support from the state government.  Collaboration with China is promising but still facing storming water.  Young brother is moving to Silicon Valley.  To do list growing fast...

But maybe because the cold crisp air, or the new leather jacket, or precisely because of all the challenges, I felt energized and in high spirit today.

The eternal optimism is a blessing and a curse.  It is contagious, it boost the morale of the people around me.  It turns the impossibles to possibles.  It makes me exhausted often but waking up every morning asking for more.

Move forward and seize the day.  Since not many have left, might as well make it exiting!

Spending time helping the new univ

New office, "Faculty Room" in the startup university, where I spent many Saturday preparing and reflection how to make my lecture as engaging and effective as possible.  Of course, some time I even infuse a little bit of humor, since my class is at the end of Sat afternoon, most students are tired.

Helping the new university is exciting but can be controversial, since it is not accredited yet.  However, I remember my early days at the CSU, before it was accredited,  so many people, including other universities, were willing to help out.  I felt it is my obligation to help other young colleges and universities.

The room is bare but comfortable.  On the way to San Jose, I often treat myself a luxury item: Peet's Coffee, extra hot venti Macchiato with soy milk, the will sustain my work to the whole day, since I usually have meeting during lunch hours.

The door opens to "Monterey Classroom", which is the large classroom in the San Jose campus.  It is scheduled every weekend, so I have to close the door.  It felt good to occasionally hear students laughter from the classroom.

I stay in the faculty room, still 3:00 PM, teach my class in the Monterey Room till about 5:30 PM.  At the end of the class, I often get so excited that I can not sit down and have to walk around the block.

Overall, a bare room, simple furniture, provide me a quiet corner in the hectic Saturday at the new university.

Busy academic rhythm

During the summer, days are filled with travel, summer Programs, friends and relatives. It was hard to imagine how to get back to the 14 hours work days. Now it is in the middle of the busy semester, classes, breakfast updates, ITCD meetings, iied meetings, faculty reviews, fund raising, lectures, emails, many articles to write... It is hard to imagine how do ease into winter break. I enjoy the rhythm of academia, even often it drives me crazy.

Has been sitting next to Yuan and Fang for the last five years listening and coaching them every night.  Enjoyed the music, their talent and the precious time together. From twinkle twinkle little stars to Chopin Waltz e-minor.  From humid summer, to bitter cold winter.  No more.  So sad, so sad.
Have to give up something along the years, swimming, cello, tennis.  Each time is hard, but this one is the hardest.

Predictably irrational by Dan ariely

An interesting read. I devoured it with the level of enthusiasm as I did freaconomics. Both books discus the dark and the unknown sides of human behaviors that have strong social impacts. As the new discipline that integrates economic and psychology, the behavior economics explore scientifically the unknown part of social behavior. Some of the experiments described in books are intriquing, many of them flawed, but nonetheless reveal many undiscovered truths.

Also worth noting, when I met Dan in a book signing event in L.A. I am impressed by his speech. Very enjoyable.

So what are so irrational about us?

We can only compare and analyze similar items. So when choosing among many is difficult, we choose the better one among a similar and much smaller group, omitting the much better option that is harder to contrast.
We are so affriad of losing something, a fake scarcity will boost up the price significantly, like the drak pearls.
There are high prices, low prices, but when the price is zero, the whole rational economic behavior break down.
Without a clear deadline, we all procrastinate. Trust is so important in a sociaty, yet it can easily fall victim to the tregidy of the commons, we all have to be vigilant.

Academic Integrity - for professor's grading

A student came to my office asking for his grade. He has worked hard on our several projects that are not related to the course. I appreciate his contribution to those projects. For the course, he completed all assignments several months late and the final report was mediocre. Even his final presentation was pretty good, to be fair to other students, I gave him an B, not good, but definitely a passing grade.

After realizing he received an B from me, he was upset, "I worked so hard for you, the B is such an insult!" and stormed out of the office. I tried to explain to him that as an academic, I have to keep the academic integrity. If I assigned a better grade to the course because of non-related projects, that will be an insult to me, him and the university. It simply won't happen in an ethical environment. I can only wish he will learn the lesson that a grade, a degree meant so much in the society precisely because it is objective, not because if a professor appreciate a students help or have great working relationship with him, or his father gave a large donation to the university, etc.

Beautiful things and Trump 101

Reading the book on Trump 101. Most of it is Trump's self promotion of how successful his real estate, the Apprentice TV show and his Trump university. But there are nuggets of wisdom that I appreciate. He mentioned he likes beautiful things, making something good is not enough, making it breathtakingly beautiful should be the goal. He mentioned dreaming big but be patients, for example, his acquisition of 44 Wall St.

Making thing not only good, but beautiful. Noteworthy.

Biking in Angel Island

Went for a 3-hour biking/hiking and visited the historical site of immigration office on the island. Was a great day-trip for relaxing, culture and exercise purposes. Should have brought my own bike, since the rental is very low end and worn. Stopped by Tatami Japanese seafood buffet. Unlimited sashimi and oyster, don't know if it is healthy or not, but mighty enjoyable. Now it is hard to go to work on Monday!

Dark Day in Spring

The day was much darker today.

Suddenly clouds moved in,

rained terribly, mood sank.

Meetings were filled with useless arguments.

Emails rebuked with little reasons.

Nascent news from far away turned to lament.

Passion came back demanding retribution.

The price we have to pay, when we realize we are all just grass, bending unwillingly to the wind.

It was a dark day today.

A Whole New Mind or Out of your Mind?

A nice grad student brought me a set of books on innovation. "This is a must read", she pointed to Dan Pink's "A Whole New Mind".

Pink's articles in Wired and other places were entertaining to me so I picked the book and started. A great read. But the book falls into the similar trap of most books by professional reporters and writers: they write the book mostly based news reporter's observations. The mind set of the news reporter is to create information product that people are welling to purchase, not science backed up by research. It made entertaining read but if anyone will shape their values or career strategy based on these types of books, they will be misled and very disappointed.

The book, like the famous "Flat World" book, if read by someone already have a strong and sound believe system and intellectual maturity, should provide invaluable pieces of information and insights that can be very beneficial. For someone who does not have a firm knowledge foundation, those books can be misleading and down right dangerous since the scattered pieces of news and a few author's "revelations" usually are not coherent and can not stand the test of time. And by the time, I don't even refer to generations or centuries, I mean just a few years. Pick a best seller 10 years ago and try to read it, most of them are whimsical and laughable now. Remember "Dow at 30000"?

Back to the "New Mind". I completely agree the holistic, long term, creative, emotional capability (the L-directed mind) is as important, if not more so, than the analytical, logical, test taking capability (R-directed). The author's pitfall is to declare this is a new phenomenon starting 2000 A.D. while it is the case through out the human history. The best among us have both, even some don't show one side as much as the other. Use both sides of your brain!! That is the old, the new and the only mind. No recognize that is, well, out of your mind!!

Sisyphus is my middle name

Often I am driven to pick difficult challenges knowing at the end of it, all will turn to nothing but dust in the wind. But the struggle itself provides meanings.

Yes, I sweat, weep and bleed. Yes, I have many visible scars and more invisible ones. Oh, Yes, many times I am crushed and humiliated.

But No, no regrets; and Never, Never give up.

Secretly I smirk at the unbearable hardship and often openly enjoy the horrible circumstances. Many despise me because of this. I just tell them my middle name.