Author Archives: sinyaw

A Fable

Posted on July 9, 2015 by sinyaw

You lived in a upper-middle class neighborhood and Bob, the neighbor, was living well: kids well provided for, unstressful job, eat out and vacation regularly, good clothes, new cars, manicured yards, well cleaned house, nice pets. Not that you didn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Peek into my mind | Leave a comment

又讀射鵰

Posted on July 1, 2015 by sinyaw

當然是全三部: 射鵰,神鵰俠侶,倚天屠龍記. 上次讀金庸,有數十年了. 當年,好得武俠是在報紙上連載的.作家的習慣是一次寫一周. 其他武俠,也都是論字記酬. 因此寫越長稿費越多. 當年看得過癮.今天讀來, 自然感覺故事的拖延. 當年看的是武功. 現在人物和情節反而是重點了. 金庸能在當年寫人物,今天尤感清新,個個性格鮮明,躍躍欲生,活在腦裏. 以前遇到歷史詩詞都跳過,現在心靜了點,能欣賞多些了. 當年讀小龍女,日思夜想,恨不得飛到書裏見她一面. 今天反覺得郭襄寫的最好. 從小說的角度,人物的重點是他們的缺陷. 情節的重點是不落成套. 射鵰的郭靖黃蓉,神鵰的楊過小龍女,都有他們的性格缺陷,讀者能有共鳴. 倚天的張無忌,唯一的問題就是對”好看女人”抵擋不住. 殷素素死前說的,其實就是重點. 這個”共鳴點”不夠深. 趙敏,及其她女角,也描畫粗淺. 好在倚天情節寫得最好,全書還是好看. 我極少重讀書,下次看射鵰,大概不會了.

Posted in Books & Reviews, Witness to my life | Leave a comment

Musician and Butcher

Posted on June 21, 2015 by sinyaw

He loves music since childhood. He went through vigorous trainings and entered a renowned music academia. Upon graduation, as life had it, he became a butcher. Decades ensued. Now he is a middle-aged and successful butcher. He has a happy … Continue reading →

Posted in Management Thoughts | 1 Comment

Sixth Extintion

Posted on June 12, 2015 by sinyaw
Posted in Books & Reviews | Leave a comment

Sea of iPads

Posted on June 3, 2015 by sinyaw

I was expecting the standard and boring rows-of-seats at the gate for my flight. Instead, this Minneapolis-St. Paul gate area is a news stand, bar, fast-food, and a Internet café all rolled into one. Seriously, there are hundreds of iPads … Continue reading →

Posted in Witness to my life | Leave a comment

Paper Money

Posted on May 26, 2015 by sinyaw

This is my second Ken Follett (after Hammer of Eden) and I am adding his other books to my queue. He published this book in 1977. The version I read included a new preface that was quite entertaining to read … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Reviews | Leave a comment

How to do Beta?

Posted on May 20, 2015 by sinyaw

To have high enough confidence that the product will be good enough. When company thinks they are done with the development of a new product, be it a new car, kitchen detergent, lipstick, or a piece of software. They would … Continue reading →

Posted in Management Thoughts | Leave a comment

Olympic Penisula

Posted on May 10, 2015 by sinyaw

Few people realized that Seattle is probably more than 100 miles from the Pacific Ocean. On her west is the magnificent Olympic Mountain that, on clear days, I can see from my balcony. The snow capped shines brightly in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Reviews, Seattle, Tour guides, Witness to my life | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Should I try to become a CS major?

Posted on May 4, 2015 by sinyaw

Got a question from a frosh in UCLA. It turned into an email conversation. Q: As of right now, I am studying Math/Econ, but I was also considering pursuing Computer Science along with math because I feel like it is … Continue reading →

Posted in Management Thoughts | 2 Comments

Droughts are Political Problems

Posted on April 24, 2015 by sinyaw

California and Taiwan, two places that are close to my heart, are both suffering severe drought this year. Governor Jerry Brown is imposing mandatory water reduction. Taiwan is rotating water supply: two out of seven days will have no running … Continue reading →

Posted in Peek into my mind | Leave a comment