It is no surprise that entrepreneurs and big businesses would be against any significant levels of government regulation. After all, it is the nature of businesses to want to innovate and compete without hurdles adding cost to their operation. However, while at work, I still find myself slightly annoyed that my colleagues often crack anti-regulatory jokes about governmental efforts to protect consumer welfare and rights. Since I work for political interests representing the health care sector, individuals frequently express dismay about FDA proposals and regs (as well as foreign regulatory authorities on the same subject).
Having worked on the Hill, I'm quite aware that government agencies have a nasty little habit of imposing unwarranted burdens on citizens and businesses. But I also wouldn't want the FDA to disappear and return to the 1920's, when Chicago slaughterhouses were putting out bad meat to the consumers. I'm sure my colleagues wouldn't want to expose the public to unnecessary health risks.
I don't have a point here. I'm not even sure if I'm making sense. I'm just venting because I'm one of the few Democrats in an office full of adamantly pro-business people.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Serious vs. fun blog
I'm seriously torn between my serious (NYU/biz school app. blog) vs. my fun and travels blog. I have a lot of thoughts to jot down on both but I'm conflicted on what information to write down on which blog. I suppose if I am to apply and become successful in management school, I should sort out something this simple.
I'm sitting in Aqaba on the Red Sea right now. I came to Jordan to see a very good friend and really don't want to return to the States. But first, I need to document the experiences and thoughts of my past two weeks before I lose them.
As a short summary, I left Washington for Taipei on March 15 to see my parents. I made a short 11 hours transit stop in Bangkok on March 23 and made my way to Jordan to visit L. I'm leaving to return to the States on March 30 via Doha.
Dad is still very sick and pretending to be brave. He knows that the cancer in his brain is growing and is trying to face the certain end with courage. I applaud him for his efforts but wish to see his humanity. How can any normal person not just break down and lose it? But I suppose that dad is simply wishing to make his last go with dignity.
On March 22, I went to the polling station with mother for Taiwan's presidential election. I have conflicted feelings about her participation in Taiwanese elections.
First - I think she should pick a country and only vote in that country's elections. Perhaps I am a little pig-headed on this matter. While I think a person's identity is multi-faceted and I also feel the pull between my American and Taiwanese side, I think a person should only have loyalty to one sovereign power and stick to it. For me, my home is America.
Second - IMHO, mother's attitude about Taiwanese politics exemplifies the problem they have in that country's body politics. The public discourse in Taiwan is often poisonous and does not easily lend one to find the room to agree to disagree with one's neighbor. So, for the fourth presidential election since Taiwan's democratization, the presidential campaign is waged with a heavy dose of mudslinging Taiwanese style and the further widening of the political fault line between the "Taiwanese" and the" mainland Chinese" communities.
I made a brief transit stop between Jordan and Taiwan. Perhaps more on that in another time (if I get around to it).
Jordan has been quite an education. The culture here is so different from anything I have experience on. If I am in the Americas and Europe, I can always rely on my western liberal background to get by. If I am in Asia, I have my ethic Chinese side. But in the Middle East, I find myself in a strange and fascinating environment.
The fantastic side first - the Jordanian desert is a lovely place to be. L. and I spent three nights in Petra and Wadi Rum. I will always remember the night walk through the Siq and being welcomed into Petra with the sight of hundreds of farolitos and Bedouin pipes and flute.
I will also treasure my time in Wadi Rum. While the desert sand ate my camera, my time at the Rum is as vivid now as when I first laid eyes upon that valley - L. and I rolling and laughing our whole way down a bloody red sand dune, the Bedouin meal M. prepared for us, sharing Taiwanese tea with our host, the sight of the Seven Pillars of Wisdom and Arabian tales of T.E. Lawrence and his exploits (and some would say deceit), laying down and looking at thousands of competing stars in the sky, and the personal stories of N., an American woman who came to Jordan to study and ended up marrying a Bedouin boy at Wadi Rum.
Now my conflicted thoughts about Jordan - I hate that L. can't walk down the street without feeling uncomfortable. For a land where men are suppose to be pious and women virtuous, the sexual tension is so thick one can slice it with a knife. For example, while having dinner in Aqaba last night, a group of Saudi boys stared and giggled at L., and acted like they have never been in the company of a woman before. Traveling gringas seem to be fair game for their harassment. I know there is a cultural gulf between what I am used to and what they think is normal behavior. But rude is rude and polite society should not behave that way. I expect that they wouldn't like it if I ogle at their mothers or sisters.
I don't want to end my entry on a negative note. I adore Jordan and my time here with L. I have one more day by the Red Sea and I look forward to future visits to this fantastic country.
I'm sitting in Aqaba on the Red Sea right now. I came to Jordan to see a very good friend and really don't want to return to the States. But first, I need to document the experiences and thoughts of my past two weeks before I lose them.
As a short summary, I left Washington for Taipei on March 15 to see my parents. I made a short 11 hours transit stop in Bangkok on March 23 and made my way to Jordan to visit L. I'm leaving to return to the States on March 30 via Doha.
Dad is still very sick and pretending to be brave. He knows that the cancer in his brain is growing and is trying to face the certain end with courage. I applaud him for his efforts but wish to see his humanity. How can any normal person not just break down and lose it? But I suppose that dad is simply wishing to make his last go with dignity.
On March 22, I went to the polling station with mother for Taiwan's presidential election. I have conflicted feelings about her participation in Taiwanese elections.
First - I think she should pick a country and only vote in that country's elections. Perhaps I am a little pig-headed on this matter. While I think a person's identity is multi-faceted and I also feel the pull between my American and Taiwanese side, I think a person should only have loyalty to one sovereign power and stick to it. For me, my home is America.
Second - IMHO, mother's attitude about Taiwanese politics exemplifies the problem they have in that country's body politics. The public discourse in Taiwan is often poisonous and does not easily lend one to find the room to agree to disagree with one's neighbor. So, for the fourth presidential election since Taiwan's democratization, the presidential campaign is waged with a heavy dose of mudslinging Taiwanese style and the further widening of the political fault line between the "Taiwanese" and the" mainland Chinese" communities.
I made a brief transit stop between Jordan and Taiwan. Perhaps more on that in another time (if I get around to it).
Jordan has been quite an education. The culture here is so different from anything I have experience on. If I am in the Americas and Europe, I can always rely on my western liberal background to get by. If I am in Asia, I have my ethic Chinese side. But in the Middle East, I find myself in a strange and fascinating environment.
The fantastic side first - the Jordanian desert is a lovely place to be. L. and I spent three nights in Petra and Wadi Rum. I will always remember the night walk through the Siq and being welcomed into Petra with the sight of hundreds of farolitos and Bedouin pipes and flute.
I will also treasure my time in Wadi Rum. While the desert sand ate my camera, my time at the Rum is as vivid now as when I first laid eyes upon that valley - L. and I rolling and laughing our whole way down a bloody red sand dune, the Bedouin meal M. prepared for us, sharing Taiwanese tea with our host, the sight of the Seven Pillars of Wisdom and Arabian tales of T.E. Lawrence and his exploits (and some would say deceit), laying down and looking at thousands of competing stars in the sky, and the personal stories of N., an American woman who came to Jordan to study and ended up marrying a Bedouin boy at Wadi Rum.
Now my conflicted thoughts about Jordan - I hate that L. can't walk down the street without feeling uncomfortable. For a land where men are suppose to be pious and women virtuous, the sexual tension is so thick one can slice it with a knife. For example, while having dinner in Aqaba last night, a group of Saudi boys stared and giggled at L., and acted like they have never been in the company of a woman before. Traveling gringas seem to be fair game for their harassment. I know there is a cultural gulf between what I am used to and what they think is normal behavior. But rude is rude and polite society should not behave that way. I expect that they wouldn't like it if I ogle at their mothers or sisters.
I don't want to end my entry on a negative note. I adore Jordan and my time here with L. I have one more day by the Red Sea and I look forward to future visits to this fantastic country.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Guns
What is it about Americans and our inclination to pick up weapons to shoot innocent people? As someone who studies on an university campus and will continue to be in school for the next few years, school shootings are obviously very concerning. We can't go for a year without a deadly incident on university grounds. Other countries have guns for hunting purposes. But they don't have the firearm death rate of that of ours. Yet certain segment of our society insist on Americans' right to bear arms......
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Purpose of this blog
What I previously neglected to mention is the purpose of this blog. I know I can place this in the profile section but I haven't had the interest to explore this blog software and find out the various tricks I can do with it.
Anyhow, I'm writing this blog as a journal to my business school application process. It isn't school-specific but I am hoping to gain admissions to NYU and Columbia's MBA programs.
Cross my fingers! Life working full-time and attending University of Maryland is pretty challenging.
Anyhow, I'm writing this blog as a journal to my business school application process. It isn't school-specific but I am hoping to gain admissions to NYU and Columbia's MBA programs.
Cross my fingers! Life working full-time and attending University of Maryland is pretty challenging.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Chinese Takeout
Since the closing of the Chinese BBQ place on 7th/H Street ( I can never remember the place's name) in Chinatown, I haven't had much Cantonese BBQ. I finally broke down last Wednesday and stopped in at Szechuan Gallery (their food definitely is not Szechuan cuisine) to grab some BBQ duck and roast pork. I've hesitated from frequenting this place of late. Ever since the change in ownership a couple years ago, this place has been utterly incompetent. They no longer sell my favorite Taiwanese dishes and the new management and wait staff 1) speak Mandarin in an impossible accent, 2) cannot ever get their order straight. But, I stopped in nonetheless because I was hungry for BBQ.
But, what I wanted to note here isn't the quality of their food or the restaurants competency. I would give them low marks on both counts. However, what amazes me is that every time I stop at one of these Cantonese BBQ places they never fail to offer their acceptance of cash in exchange for not charging taxes. Nobody likes taxes. But I think these Cantonese BBQ places take their distaste of the tax man to a new level. It's like they're back in Hong Kong, a city famous for the lack of taxation.
But, what I wanted to note here isn't the quality of their food or the restaurants competency. I would give them low marks on both counts. However, what amazes me is that every time I stop at one of these Cantonese BBQ places they never fail to offer their acceptance of cash in exchange for not charging taxes. Nobody likes taxes. But I think these Cantonese BBQ places take their distaste of the tax man to a new level. It's like they're back in Hong Kong, a city famous for the lack of taxation.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Narita Airport
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.
How can I detest yet miss dad? I'm worried about his health and I'm already making plans to return to Taipei soon.
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 . . . .
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