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  • Everyone wants to be near Family

    Posted on August 28th, 2006 dabao No comments

    Today I found a piece of paper on which I scribbled one of my last conversations with Grandpa last year That day, I asked him about his father and mother (my great grandfather and grandmother). He described great grandpa as “yi dian yi hua” meaning that he was straightforward and that he was “hen zhe xing” meaning that he had a warm heart referring to his work for the YMCA (for which he actually traveled to the US). Great Grandma was more difficult to describe for Yeh Yeh. “I guess you could say she was very ‘lao shi’ Yeh Yeh finally said smiling out of the corners of his mouth. Then after a few minutes of silence, he let out a deep sigh and commented out of the blue that grandma “hen ke lian” (is very pitiful) referring to my grandmother’s paralysis.

    I asked one final question that day, “Yeh Yeh, do you ever regret leaving great grandma and grandpa in China?” (Grandpa never saw his parents again after he left Shanghai for Taiwan). At this, yeh yeh chuckled and said to me “why would I have any regrets?” I’ve worked hard to put all of my children to college.

    Yet I could not help but think to myself as I helped Yeh Yeh across the room through the doorway to the kitchen where we would share one of our last meals together, “did Yeh Yeh ever get lonely in the months and years between visits by my father or me eating by himself?”

  • I did a good job! :)

    Posted on August 9th, 2006 dabao No comments

    I finally gave my presentation today, the sum of probably over 150 hours of hard work, staying up late at night, going home in the afternoons for 2-3 hr naps and then waking up to stay up through the next working day . . . all to create a 30 min presentation on Asian investment opportunities for a roomful of 15 people, many whom I met for the first time.

    It was well received! Not only did I get a round of applause but I had people coming up to me afterwards talking to me (a lowly intern) and telling me to keep in touch with them. It was fun!

    I guess I am trying to capture between yawns just why this feels so good so that I can hopefully feel more of it. I guess its a combination of exceeding my own expectations, bringing out the best in myself and delivering. That last word means a lot to me these days because it takes some imagination to be able to “envision” a goal but to actually execute it and overcome ones fears along the way . . . that’s a different matter altogether.

    The critical thing is that I feel a sense of accomplishment, a sense that I did a good job in something I set my mind to. I didn’t need to do this in order to complete my job, it was totally my own initiative to ask for this research project, work as hard as I did and deliver the results at the end.

    Of course, it helps that Dave and Ashish, both people I respect and admire (and am even intimidated by to some extent) complimented me as well as all of my mentors here supporting me along the way. Today I feel really fortunate to have met these wonderful people, proud to have done some hard work and surprised at myself in a good way that I was able to deliver the way I did. Best of all, this was REALLY FUN!!

  • At the Office on a Sunday night . . .

    Posted on August 6th, 2006 dabao No comments

    At least I’m getting paid to be here.

    One thing I’ve realized this summer working and living by myself. I really miss being a kid. Yup, I look at the aspects of my character: I like people who mentor me, I like lounging around eating what I want, traveling where I want to, absorbing things, wide-eyed like a child. I don’t have a very long attention span at all. I like reading books and watching movies about a boy and his father, the good ones always make me cry . . . (btw, good book – Kite Runner, good movie – Together) yup, I am like the living embodiment of the Toys R Us line, “I don’t wanna grow up, I’m a TRU kid . . .”

    I guess there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, I think this probably is the root of what makes me a good listener, good learner, polite, curious, always forward-looking. In fact, maybe that’s one of the reasons I like venture capital so much. We talk here at JNJ a lot about the “Future of Medicine” or future of healthcare where things like stem cells can cure diseases like diabetes or where we can prevent cavities by ADDING good oral bacteria to outcompete the bad. Just thinking about these things give me good bumps . . . like when I was a kid and used to imagine what it would be like to be like a comic book superhero

    Anyway, enough reminiscing . . . I have a very “grown up” deadline coming up!