Taipei’s Sunflowers

Posted on March 31, 2014 by sinyaw

March 29th, 2014

One of the best features of this hotel is the jogging path. It is close to the “Freedom Square” (used to be known as Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Park). I enjoy the run around the perimeter and come back for a nice 3-mile (5km) circuit. I geared up and went, only to smash right into the mob.

Twelfth days ago, about 1500 college students stormed into and occupied the congress, right next to the hotel. They demanded complete revocation of the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement (兩岸服務貿易協議). I jogged around the peaceful crowd. There were speeches, singing, and chanting. There were also discipline-enforcers, medical station, stages with jumbo-tron screen and concert-quality AV equipment, t-shirt booth, foods distribution, and “refreshment stations” for people to take showers. They called themselves the “Sunflowers” and were very well organized for the long haul. My casual exercise became a tour that also included barricaded government buildings and many TV mobile units. The palpable emotions were ready to explode and some seemed eager to kindle.

Around 7pm came a thunderstorm of poring rain and gusty wind. It passed quickly, but drenched everyone. I thought of those protesters and wonder how would this dampen their spirit.

March 30th, 2014

Both sides put out propaganda, PR blitz, and various tactics to present a strong support base. The media was ridiculously biased and offered no value in furthering the understanding of this matter. From my chatting up with those kids, the opposition came in four main points:

  • Protectionism: many fear that they wouldn’t be economically competitive against China. This seemed to be the smallest faction, since most in Taiwan understood it is about global competitiveness and not about China. On the other hand, there are always groups that will experience hardship and they don’t like it.
  • Dirty Political Procedure: the government kept people in the dark, passed the agreement in an extremely under-handed way, and abused its majority position in the congress. This angered many righteous students.
  • Party rivalry: Taiwan’s political landscape is nearly 50-50 split between two parties. The opposition side smelled blood and was all too glad to see the whole thing escalated.
  • Threat to sovereignty: China’s agenda was blatant — money for your independence. Yes, the price was lucrative. But is the sovereignty for sale? Even the mentioning of this topic angered many.

Calling President Ma a traitor is probably not justified. If, however, he truly believed the agreement’s merits, he failed miserably in communicating them. When pressed, many admitted that they did not really know much about the agreement itself and took up position based on media sound-bites. On this front, the government’s PR campaign lost by a landslide.

March 31st, 2014

The emotion crested during the protest that lasted well past mid-night. My morning jog met many tired kids sleeping on the covered side-walks. Their number dwindled and those stayed seemed tired and spent. No one knows how will this ends. Everyone wishes no more people get hurt.

Posted in Peek into my mind, Witness to my life | 1 Comment

Lasagna, an Adverture

Posted on March 28, 2014 by sinyaw

Kids, and many, knew that I love watching cooking shows. They also knew that I am a theorist, not a experimentalist, of culinary arts. For that matter, I am not even a good enough critic. Heavy smoking during my youthful years irreversibly damaged my taste buds.

Why did I, then, attempt to make Lasagna? Something reserved exclusively for restaurants and experienced cooks?

Kids gave me the birthday present of American Test Kitchen and expected something delicious, from me I read the Lasagna recipe three times, cross-checked with allrecipes.com, made sure that I understood the concept, and picked the time when I am guaranteed to be the only victim of the outcome to experiment. Oh, they gave me the book slightly over a decade ago.

Lasagna has three parts: the sauce, the cheese, and the noodles. Clearly the key challenge is the sauce, therefore I chose the most traditional one: meat sauce.

Kid said it is a 3-hour process, so I shopped in the morning and began cooking at 2:30pm for a 6pm dinner time. I chose Wife’s Le Cleuset, trying to get every possible edges that existed. I kept on sampling the sauce until it tasted like a standard meaty pizza. Hey, if the noodles and cheeses are OK, I might have something edible.

At 5pm, the oven, at 375°F, received my dinner. Forty minutes later, I took out the Lasagna and let it cool for 10 more minutes. Then I dived in!

It did not taste half bad! I would even let other people try this.

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An Episode…

Posted on March 13, 2014 by sinyaw

March 11th, 2014

Woke up early, it’s a sunny day in Seattle. Dealt with email, luggage was packed last night, I headed for the airport. Wife has been in California for the past two weeks. Yay! I was about to see her.

Checked in, passed security, and arrived at the gate 10 minutes before the incoming plane landed. Good timing, I thought and waited.

Wife came out from the gate, we hugged and kissed. She gave me some snacks that she bought from California. We chatted as we walked away from the gate. Bags hung on all four shoulders.

One more hug and kiss, she walked past the sign that said, “You must exit past this sign.” We waved at each other. I went to my gate, just in time to board the plane, and left for Texas.

This episode was titled, “Encounter at the Airport.”

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Starbucked

Posted on March 2, 2014 by sinyaw

picture courtesy of MIT

Professor Samuel Cate Prescott, (picture from MIT) published the “Report of an Investigation of Coffee” in 1927 and definitively described how to brew the perfect cup of coffee in 3 simple steps:

  • Use one tablespoon of freshly ground coffee for every eight ounces of water.
  • Force these grounds through water that is a few degrees short of boiling, inside a glass or earthenware container.
  • Never reheat coffee, and never reused the grounds.

With the method perfected, the only matter left for discussion is the selection of the beans. Fortunately for us consumers we can simply go down to the supermarket or our favorite coffee house and pick up a bag.

Or, we can go to our favorite coffee house and order a cup. These days, it is almost guaranteed to be brewed correctly. Largely thanks to Starbucks.

The story of Starbucks began with Alfred Peet who opened Peet’s Coffee at Berkley in 1966. Then in 1971, Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker founded Starbucks with Peet’s coaching and supply of beans. In 1982, they hired Howard Schultz who later became the VP of marketing.

In 1984, Starbucks acquired Peet’s coffee. Two years later, Howard Schultz left and opened Il Giornale that specialized in Italian styled coffee drinks. Two years later, Il Giornale acquired Starbucks. But the original owners retained Peet’s as an independent company again.

Here we have two different philosophies at war: selling coffee beans to home brewers or selling caffeinated drinks at stores to consumers directly. Alfred Peet and the original Starbucks owners were the former and Howard Schultz latter. We do not need to choose, we can buy beans and brew coffee at home or order a cappuccino from the store. The price differential, however, is huge.

This book, Starbucked: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerce, and Culture by Taylor Clark, is really about coffee than the company. He practiced what he wrote: in the coffee industry, Starbucks is King Midas. If you managed to get touched, you get golds. A coffee house next door to Starbucks usually enjoys a much better sales than the one farther away. When Mr. Clark chose to write a book about coffee, naturally he devoted many of the pages on Starbucks.

Mr. Clark offered some very practical advices us coffee drinkers should heed:

  • When at Starbucks, buy a milked drink. That’s what they do best. Cappuccino is really a drink that cannot go wrong anywhere. If asked, order it “dry” (less milk, more foam).
  • If you are certain about the high quality of the coffee house, order espresso.
  • Buy Coffea arabica beans and not Robusta for home brewing (If you buy whole beans, you are pretty much OK.) Choose a dark, but not extra dark roast (French roast is too dark).
  • Don’t buy pre-ground coffee in the can.

Oh, by the way, coffee is addictive, but harmless. To cleanse yourself from this dependency, you need about a week. In that week, prepare to take medicine for your headache and be drowsy all the time.

But why would anyone do that?

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Dear Terry

Posted on February 22, 2014 by sinyaw

Dear Terry,

You said that you had lost passion for your job and had been thinking of quitting. In various meetings, you would lose your concentration and drift away. You are not learning much and don’t care to figure out the minutiae.

Our conversation today was a sharp contrast from a year ago when you interviewed for this job with me. You were full of excitement to build a career. You even took some classes to learn the ropes and the jargon.

Imagine 10 years from now, you are successful beyond amazement. What are the odds that whatever you are doing then is something you already know now? Well, if you already know it, you would already being doing it. Since you are already amazingly smart and passionate. They clearly are not the only factors for success. You will need at least two more things: luck and tenacity.

Tenacity is the phase that is no longer fun, interesting, or instantaneously rewarding. It is the trough of the dark valley, the hot sun on your back, the fatigue of your muscles, the gasping of your lungs. If you stop, they go away and it feels so good. But what you are going toward will also vaporize. Tenacity is the decade before the over-night success.

Terry, think forward 10 years. You don’t even know what that “amazingly successful” thing is that you want to do, let alone getting yourself prepared to do it well. What is worth having in your life will get harder and harder to obtain. If you don’t get ready, you simply won’t reach them.

Wish you the best on your next venture. Hope to see you in 10 years.

Sincerely,

Posted in Management Thoughts, Peek into my mind | 1 Comment

Rancho San Antonio

Posted on February 19, 2014 by sinyaw

January 25th, 2014

This is probably the favorite hiking destination for those in Silicon Valley. It is also where Kid chooses to run up to the vista point on Saturdays, that weekend with her old Dad. Start at the trail at the lower parking lot, follow the Lower Meadow Trail to the Deer Hollow Farm (1.3 miles). From there, find the Upper Meadow Trail up to the vista point (0.8 miles), with way too many hope breaking switch-backs. I was breathless at the end and could hear my heart pounding above the safe range for my age.

The view was spectacular up there: the southern tip of San Francisco Bay, pretty much the whole of Silicon Valley, and all the way to the east bay. Experience expected the soreness to come and did not disappoint.

Near the upper parking lot is a small field for battery-powered model airplanes. Used to those gasoline-powered ones, I was surprised at their quietness and agility. Pilots, on the ground, demonstrated mesmerizing, stunning maneuvers. These Styrofoam planes can start flying minutes after opening the box — and crash to pieces in minutes at inexperienced hands.

Better get my Advil ready before I go to bed. Sigh, old age.

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David and Goliath

Posted on February 14, 2014 by sinyaw

I think I have read every book Malcolm Gladwell has written, starting with Tipping Point. I remembered enjoying What the Dog Saw, but also thinking he was running out of good ideas. David and Goliath was probably 50% too long. I read through this book quickly and was not inspired or entertained.

How can the underdog win? They would need to try very hard to find an unconventional way in which they have an unusual advantage over the opponent, the favored. Why would the favored side lose? They underestimated the weaker opponent, was over-confident in their strength, or was unaware of one of their fatal weak points. Malcolm Gladwell found seven or eight historical examples to illustrate these points. The conclusion? Sometimes, the underdog wins and the favored loses. Really, Malcolm? You needed to write a book for this?

Everyone must still work hard to become the favored. A soldier should drill. A basketball team should practice. A student should study. A nation should try to build its armada up larger and bomb shelters stronger. A company should try to be more profitable, more competitive, and more prepared for environmental surprises. These are conventional wisdoms that are tried and true.

No one should strive to be the underdog with insurmountable odds. More importantly, no one should count on being the David to beat the Goliath. For 1000 of those Davids, 999 died quickly and one lived to tell the amazing story.

The true lesson of this book is for the Goliaths. Those who were over-confident and unaware of their weaknesses may face their demise. History really punished the arrogant big Goliaths. The well-prepared giants really never lost.

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Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park

Posted on February 5, 2014 by sinyaw

Remember those fairy tale movies where nymphs and fairies fly around in the lush, watery, moss-covered enchanted forest? I think I spotted one of those in the trails of Cougar Mountain, on this Sunday and Seattle-foggy morning. The air was a bit chill and damp, the dirt trails were clean and well kept. I walked alone on the gentle trial. Joggers grunted “how are you doing this morning” as they passed, some accompanied by their dogs.

To get here, find the Red Town Trailhead Parking lot (47.534979,-122.128855, as Newcastle Golf Club Road turns into Lakkmont Blvd. SE). Go to the right end of the parking lot and get the trail map in the booth. Trails are well marked and generally wide enough for two people side by side. This park needs many days to explore. Capable hikers may spend a whole day. For light exercise, Red Town and Wildside trails form a circle of roughly an hour’s easy walk.

As I ducked under the canopy of green lattice of strangely formed branches, I realized that parks like this are the best of Seattle. It is clean, unspoiled, well marked, and full of natural serenity. Seattlites respect the land, enjoy nature, are friendly to each other, and pick up after their dogs. I felt the familiar warming up from the mild exertion, but the hint of euphoria is different from the normal gym work-out. I should get out more.

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$10.10 Minimum Wage

Posted on January 31, 2014 by sinyaw

Thirty years ago, I earned minimum wage working for the school computer lab and took home about $600 a month. My newly wed wife did the same, but less hours, and earned about $300. We shared an apartment with another couple with similar situation. Between classes and jobs, we enjoyed simple parties and weekend activities common to young people. I was grateful to have a job and quickly moved on after graduation.

Obama wanted to raise federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10, a nearly 40% increase. According to the computation, this is the wage that a family of 3 with one full-time worker will stay above the poverty line: an income for food, water, and shelter to survive. That family will be worse off if the full-time worker lost his or her job.

Economists do not agree if minimum wage affect unemployment or not. Paul Krugman, a prominent economist, thought not. Others cited studies elsewhere in contradiction. They also disagree whether raising minimum wage will trigger inflation.

Leave politicking alone, the real debate is who work for the minimum wage: teenagers who need supplemental pocket money, the second income of the family getting extra discretionary spend, or the sole providers without upward mobility. There is no one solution to these three problems.

Why not keep the minimum wage low to encourage full employment. For those stuck below the poverty line, we can provide them with social welfare. Note that government has been dispensing social welfare for a very long time and raising the minimum wage won’t stop it either.

Posted in Peek into my mind | 2 Comments

Earphones, Saga Continues

Posted on January 24, 2014 by sinyaw

Loyal readers knew my obsession with earphones. In addition to delivering good sound. I learned that I have two requirements that are hard to meet with the same product. I need a pair for running, on treadmill or on the road. The key requirements are sweat proof, comfort, and fit. The earphones must not fall off during the exercise, no matter how sweaty I become.

The second need is for long distance flights. I need a pair that are comfortable and reasonably noise insulating. I have long chosen those ear-buds, instead of the fancy noise cancellation but over-the-ear bulky kind. This means the earphones must work similarly to the ear plugs and not just loosely hanging.

For years, I use the Phillips ear-hook kind. They were inexpensive and work reasonably well for both purposes. I tried the Jaybird wireless earphones. They were better fit, but the wireless connection was not reliable, at least not with my iPod Touch. Then my Phillips died.

I went back to Target to get a new pair, only to learn that Target dropped Phillips and went for Sony. I considered going Internet when I spotted the Adidas Sennheiser sports earphones. The fitting style was similar to Jaybird, which I liked. The price was OK. So I went for it. (Kid also helped me to make Target price-matched the Internet. Very sweet.)

Three things I like:

  • They stay in the ears. Running and sweating do not affect the fit.
  • The plug has a 90° angle, instead of going straight out. This suits me better since I tend to bend the cable.
  • Good sound.

In the mean time, I also acquired a pair of simple Beats. I felt the bass is strong but treble somewhat weak. But they are very comfortable and provided very good sound insulation on the air planes. In an interesting way, I now have dedicated pairs of earphones for two activities.

I have a feeling that this won’t be the last blog I write about earphones. Stay tuned.

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