I'm at Narita Tokyo Airport right now. I have no powerful and insightful observation other than that it is more diverse than Taipei's airport.
How can I detest yet miss dad? I'm worried about his health and I'm already making plans to return to Taipei soon.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Mullets in Taipei?
I'm upset about my current visit to Taipei - and it's not just about the mullets I see all over Taipei's young hipsters. I'm unhappy about this visit because I'm here to probably see my father for the last time. He's got brain cancer and his chances aren't good.
Since I arrived three days ago, I've spent virtually all my time with my dad. It's amazing that even in his current state, he can still manage to infuriate me. He just has that special skill to be disagreeable. But never mind my conflicted relationship with dad. I must see him through and make sure his remaining days are as comfortable as can be.
Our days involve daily visits to the hospital for radiation treatment. Mother and I try to take him on daily walks in the park with his dog Patjiang, and special trips to Danshui, a seaside town within an easy commute on the Taipei Metro. Our Friday trip was especially meaningful for my parents since Dansui was where they went to boarding school and got married. I wish time could have stopped for my parents while we were at their alma mater.
During this Taipei trip I'm witnessing an interesting donnybrook between the pro-Taiwan independence political parties (greens) versus the Nationalists (blue). The greens, who control the government, unilaterally renamed the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial the Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall (TDMH). The blues, naturally against everything green, have been protesting the move. Further, since the blues control the Taiwanese Legislature and the Taiwan City Hall, refuse to harmonize the name of the metro station that services the TDMH. IMHO, since Chiang was a fairly despicable dictator and didn't even like living in Taiwan, I'm all for the renaming of the memorial and the metro station. But what do I know, I'm just an American in Taipei . . . .
Since I arrived three days ago, I've spent virtually all my time with my dad. It's amazing that even in his current state, he can still manage to infuriate me. He just has that special skill to be disagreeable. But never mind my conflicted relationship with dad. I must see him through and make sure his remaining days are as comfortable as can be.
Our days involve daily visits to the hospital for radiation treatment. Mother and I try to take him on daily walks in the park with his dog Patjiang, and special trips to Danshui, a seaside town within an easy commute on the Taipei Metro. Our Friday trip was especially meaningful for my parents since Dansui was where they went to boarding school and got married. I wish time could have stopped for my parents while we were at their alma mater.
During this Taipei trip I'm witnessing an interesting donnybrook between the pro-Taiwan independence political parties (greens) versus the Nationalists (blue). The greens, who control the government, unilaterally renamed the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial the Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall (TDMH). The blues, naturally against everything green, have been protesting the move. Further, since the blues control the Taiwanese Legislature and the Taiwan City Hall, refuse to harmonize the name of the metro station that services the TDMH. IMHO, since Chiang was a fairly despicable dictator and didn't even like living in Taiwan, I'm all for the renaming of the memorial and the metro station. But what do I know, I'm just an American in Taipei . . . .
Monday, November 12, 2007
The Rockefellers
We had a family dinner at Blue Hill at Stone Barnes, a restaurant sited on an old Rockefeller estate in Sleepy Hollow. It was good to see Julie, Mom, and the Dyes. The food was fantastic. It was the first all-you-can-eat fine dining experience I think I've ever had. We had 19 courses and three bottles of very good wine. However, I'm not sure if the meal justifies the $1,200 bill, paid for by Bob and Julie. Maybe I'm just stingy.
But through the 6-hour meal (and for the rest of the weekend), I found it difficult to have a detailed and rational conversation about business school. Mom and I had very little substantive conversation about the subject and about my immediate future. It seems as that she/they will be happy as long as I relocate to NYC and finish B school in the city during the next three years. While Stern is definitely my top choice, I'm still entertained about applying to INSEAD, HEC Paris, or even somewhere completely off the subject like the Brussels School of International Studies.
Grrrr . . . I need to focus! I'm not 25 anymore!
I spent most of the weekend finishing a take home exam for my finance class. I am confident that I did well on the test, but am still not sure what I'm learning from the class. As I've been telling my friends, I feel like I'm getting the good grades without learning the subject, and most importantly, the context.
The prof seems to be disinclined to make additional efforts to get to know the students and our questions. The times when I emailed him with questions, he came off as standoffish and declined to either answer my questions or provide an alternative time to discuss the coursework. Perhaps this is why I should have finished my undergrad at GWU rather than trying to earn my degree during my 30s with an online program like UMUC?
But through the 6-hour meal (and for the rest of the weekend), I found it difficult to have a detailed and rational conversation about business school. Mom and I had very little substantive conversation about the subject and about my immediate future. It seems as that she/they will be happy as long as I relocate to NYC and finish B school in the city during the next three years. While Stern is definitely my top choice, I'm still entertained about applying to INSEAD, HEC Paris, or even somewhere completely off the subject like the Brussels School of International Studies.
Grrrr . . . I need to focus! I'm not 25 anymore!
I spent most of the weekend finishing a take home exam for my finance class. I am confident that I did well on the test, but am still not sure what I'm learning from the class. As I've been telling my friends, I feel like I'm getting the good grades without learning the subject, and most importantly, the context.
The prof seems to be disinclined to make additional efforts to get to know the students and our questions. The times when I emailed him with questions, he came off as standoffish and declined to either answer my questions or provide an alternative time to discuss the coursework. Perhaps this is why I should have finished my undergrad at GWU rather than trying to earn my degree during my 30s with an online program like UMUC?
Monday, November 5, 2007
Hopeful faces
I know I'm in trouble when I'm excited about applying to graduate school. As Isser Gallogly said tonight, it probably means that I'm looking for more fulfillment than what my current job provides.
Perhaps "trouble" isn't quite the word I'm looking for. But the last two years were rough and I am very excited about finally taking positive steps for my career and my life.
Two years ago I made a gamble with my career by accepting a job in a completely unfamiliar field. After all, what could go wrong? I was young (age 32), looking for a new challenge in a new city, and was becoming less than charmed about my daily grind on Capitol Hill. Off I went to Los Angeles to join the IW Group, a boutique public relations firm based in West Hollywood.
With girlfriend and two dogs in tow, I failed spectacularly! I arrived in LA right after Labor Day, and handed in my resignation on December 23, 2005.
There were a number of reasons for my failure to transfer from politics to PR. I was overconfident, I intensely disliked my Hill job and took the first job that looked good, and I fell for the sweet song of a higher monthly paycheck. I could go on about how unfair my old boss was. But at the end of the day it was he who was still standing. Two years, a few temp jobs, and some soul-searching later, I broke my engagement to JH, Jack passed away, and I'm back in school to finish my undergrad degree.
What next? The road ahead is unclear. But when I looked around an auditorium full of hopeful faces steadying themselves for B school, I was very excited about the prospect of going to Stern (did I not mentioned that before?).
Perhaps "trouble" isn't quite the word I'm looking for. But the last two years were rough and I am very excited about finally taking positive steps for my career and my life.
Two years ago I made a gamble with my career by accepting a job in a completely unfamiliar field. After all, what could go wrong? I was young (age 32), looking for a new challenge in a new city, and was becoming less than charmed about my daily grind on Capitol Hill. Off I went to Los Angeles to join the IW Group, a boutique public relations firm based in West Hollywood.
With girlfriend and two dogs in tow, I failed spectacularly! I arrived in LA right after Labor Day, and handed in my resignation on December 23, 2005.
There were a number of reasons for my failure to transfer from politics to PR. I was overconfident, I intensely disliked my Hill job and took the first job that looked good, and I fell for the sweet song of a higher monthly paycheck. I could go on about how unfair my old boss was. But at the end of the day it was he who was still standing. Two years, a few temp jobs, and some soul-searching later, I broke my engagement to JH, Jack passed away, and I'm back in school to finish my undergrad degree.
What next? The road ahead is unclear. But when I looked around an auditorium full of hopeful faces steadying themselves for B school, I was very excited about the prospect of going to Stern (did I not mentioned that before?).
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