Posts Tagged ‘education’
Reflection: Why grade inflation (even at Harvard) is a big problem
Recently, I read an article arguing why grade inflation (even at Harvard) is a big problem.
From the perspective of a student,
having good grades is essential for securing jobs and admissions for further / graduate studies (MBA, PhD, JD, MD, etc).
The median grade for undergraduates in Harvard (and possibly elsewhere) is A- and its most frequently awarded grade is A. So, how can we distinguish excellent and good students?
Being students, we need to take extra efforts to distinguish themselves. Get involved in leadership / voluntary activities, take extra courses / majors / minors / online courses (and complete them!), spend a semester / a summer overseas / undertaking internships, if possible, set up a company (be an entrepreneur!)
From the perspective of an employer / a judge / a recruiter,
it is highly important to be aware of the grade inflation.
Compare students in the same batches. Minimize comparing students across batches.
"At a minimum, a college education should develop in graduates the knowledge, skills and character to lead successful lives. It should identify a student’s strengths and weaknesses, seeking to augment the former and diminish the latter. Grade inflation is harmful because it cheats students of the opportunity to understand what they do and don’t do well."
DO what you LOVE, LOVE what you DO
Do what you love and love what you do sound simple, but appear complex in practice.
How many of us do what we love for most time of our lives?
How many of us love what we do for most of our doings?
For many people across different ages and roles of life, here are possibilities:
Dreams change.
Goals change.
Plans Change.
Do you love a doing because you are good at the doing?
Would you still love the doing if you are not (yet) good at the doing)?
Would you still love the doing if you are not (yet) good at the doing (even after 10,000 hours of practice)?
A quote by Steve Jobs shared by Jeff Moore:
"The only way to do great work is to love what you do.
If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.
Don’t settle.
As with all matters of the heart,
you’ll know when you find it."
When I was in high school,
I love (or perhaps prefer) science subjects because my linguistic skills are limited (reason #1).
Apparently and consequently, I did better in maths, chemistry, biology, physics than in language subjects. People love doing things whereby we have a sense of mastery, do you feel so as well?
My native Chinese-speaking classmates who have learned writing and reading since early age, are at ease in the Chinese class.
My Eurasian classmates who have a native speaking father / mother, or those who have English-educated parents, seem to write English so fluently.
They had read thick novels / non-fiction books and easily won the essay writing and elocution competitions.
For me,
to write an essay in English or Chinese,
I had to start from simple structures.
When I have an exam topic of essay to write,
I would quickly jot down some ideas in point form and elaborated on them later as my writing progressed.
Normally, I would write explanatory or argumentative essays, and very rarely narrative essays, simply because of my limited vocabularies.
Reason #2
There are high certainty in science subject exams.
1+1=2. If the answers are right now, they will be right tomorrow.
We love things that we do well.
But in real life (including the real scientific fields as my scientist acquaintances point out),
the rules of game are uncertain.
The rules are not constant; change is the rule of the rules.
That’s why life is the only known example of infinite game is life, according to James P. Carse.
On contrary, examples of finite games are debates, sports, schools, receiving a degree from an educational institution, belonging to a society, or engaging in war.
The surprise in infinite game is the triumph of the future over the past.
So, when you are uncertain about what to do next, an easy step is to
always choose infinite games.
Winning should not be the final goal because after winning, the game stops.
Life is a game that is meant to be continuously played.
Aunt Florence shared some profound advice on how to play the game of life, you may want (and I need) to revise and remember them,
as resilient shortcuts in the moments of negative feelings and events.
Although I honestly feel that my writing is still not up to standard (set through social comparisons with people of similar professional credentials to mine and authors whom I admire),
I will continue writing.
I think this is an example of "DO what you LOVE".
Sometimes we may have to do things that we are not interested, so it is hard to love what we do.
However, the good news are interests are malleable,
they are formed through our past experiences (including education),
so we can change them through learning and unlearning.
Revealingly, you can re-program your minds and interests through conscious efforts,
this attempt will also beneficial to discard some preferences that we would not want to have if we think carefully about them but others manage to incept on us — think of the 2010 science fiction film entitled Inception.
For example, I know a number of people who have focused greatly on their careers,
hate doing house chores or parenting tasks,
but I believe that if they want to,
with right conscious efforts to shift their interests,
they can love what they do.
How to continue love what you do (even if you feel tired / bored / disappointed / frustrated) ?
My friend Tracy suggests using positive feedback loop.
You can establish positive feedback loop when the rewards / pleasure of your doing outweigh the sacrifices / pain.
To DO what you LOVE, you need willpower and courage.
To LOVE what you DO, you need positive feedback and inner security.
Inner security that I means here is not worrying so much about achieving certain levels of success.
More real-world examples:
# Joanna: becoming a mother at age 48
# My friend Leo highlights that people rule out the possibility of great change, because it appears unrealistic.
Finally,
"Do what you love, love what you do & deliver more than you promise!" ~ Harvey Mackay
How not to feel bad about doing dirty work?
Sometimes in our lives,
we have to do dirty work for others,
cleaning the mess that others have made.
How not to feel bad about doing dirty work?
Once, S was sharing with me that her tenant used their common toilet and left stains of shit near the toilet seat.
S had to use her hand and toilet papers to clean the toilet bowl.
S told me that if she complains to her tenant,
she may lost her rental income.
S shared that she just reframed her perspective that cleaning the toilet bowl without bad feeling means securing the rental income to support her family living.
S can also pray that a better tenant,
who is willing to pay more and practising more personal hygiene will come in the future.
Currently I am living in Singapore.
Here, I have encountered a number of elderly (about my parents’ age or older) works as janitors / toilet cleaners.
Although the public toilet condition in Singapore is much better than in China in general,
sometimes I encounter dirty toilet cubicle due to previous inconsiderate user.
It is easy for me to move on and go for a cleaner toilet cubicle or go to toilet at other levels.
However, these elderly cleaners have to clean them, e.g. removing stains of shit left by inconsiderate users.
Without these cleaners, we will not have clean toilet; they are really our heroes and heroines!
Then, I think of main motivators of why people choose or end up with (if they have not other choice) a particular job.
Quite often, money is an issue, although not always the issue.
To people who have no money,
they have less choice on what work they can do.
Sometimes, people find satisfaction from doing a job that others may dislike.
Chip Conley illustrates a story of Vivian Van Quach who came to San Francisco from Vietnam in 1987.
She has been working as a main in an inner-city motel in San Francisco owned by him.
According to Chip,
Vivian had sort of a joie de vivre (a French term for the joy of life) in how she did her work.
Although Vivian did not find joy in cleaning toilet,
Vivian has formed the emotional connection that she has built with her fellow employees and the motel’s guests.
Vivian is inspired to take care of people who are far away from home, as she herself is far away from home.
The story sounds like we should try our best to discover goodness in every job, including a mundane one.
When we seek, we will find.
When we seek joy, we will find joy.
However, to some people,
after working some time at a particular job,
they seek a room to grow.
People’s need varies from survival, success, to transformation.
We need meaning in our life.
If one wants to change a job / undertake a new career,
it is important to be educated and skilled for the next job / career.
Preparation matters.
While you are preparing,
affirm the followings:
1. I am grateful for my current position / job that gives me an income.
2. I am grateful for the environment of my jobs (the bosses / the colleagues / the food court / the toilets).
3. I am aware that my current job is only a stepping stone on my pathway of life to contribute to this world through my work.
4. I am happily releasing my current job to the next person who will be delighted to have it.
5. There are people out there who are looking for what I can offer (my skills, my service) and the universe will match us.
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All the best!
Bluerosesolady will not pay for her children's college costs
Tamar Lewin of The New York Times wrote that "the more college money parents provided – whether in a absolute terms or as a share of total costs — the lower the children’s college grades."
Lesson 1:
"Everybody has always assumed that the more you give, the better your child does."
Blueroselady thinks that everything popular is not always right.
Lesson 2:
Do not give a blank cheque to your children.
Professor Laura Hamilton (UC Merced) suggested that "students who get a blank cheque from their parents may not take their education as seriously as others."
Blueroselady: Children are the ones who should write a blank cheque for their parents.
Lesson 3:
Both capital / cash and connections matter. Education alone is insufficient, especially if one’s grades are mediocre.
"Affluent families are not hurt most by the lower grades, because they had the connections to get their child a job."
Blueroselady personally hearts those middle-class parents who had worked hard, scrimped and saved, borrowed from family members, taken out loans, used up their retirement funds.
Lesson 4:
Parents, never use your retirement funds for your children’s college costs.
If they really desire to learn and go to college, they have to fight their own battles.
Lesson 5:
Setting goals is highly important.
Professor Laura Hamilton shared that she planned to pay for her children only after they talk about how much it costs and what grades she expect her children to achieve.
Blueroselady: It is important to set goals from early age, perhaps babyhood.
For more info:
More is More or More is Less?
Professor Laura Hamilton, UC Merced.
Is PhD really a waste of time?
I just finished reading an article in the Economist.
In life, we are facing multiple choices and making decisions. According to the Pareto’s Law, 20% of our decisions will affect 80% of our life. My decision to embark on a graduate study did significantly affect my life, I have learned things that I want to do and things that I do not want to do. I think the most important is, no matter what decisions you make, you tell yourself that you will enjoy opportunities to grow and contribute. It is not like decision A is wrong, decision B is right. It is more like decision A will bring you particular good things, decision B will bring you another kind of good things, so you will never fear in making decisions and regret whatever decisions you made.
Here are things that I am grateful for from my PhD days:
Fulfilling a dream. Idealistically, PhD is an abbreviation for People Have Dreams. Not everyone has the opportunity to pursue a PhD. One needs good undergraduate records. Honestly, I meet many people who have higher IQ than me (I know that based on how fast they understand concepts / think of answers), but I was diligent and committed to do well in my academic study. None of my parents had enjoyed college or even the basic education, so being able to complete a study until the highest level is a personal and family dream for me during my school time. Then, after I passed my viva, I learned that there are Doctor of Sciences beyond PhD. The person who told me that is one of my supervisors, a professor with Doctor of Sciences. Like the saying, there will always be a higher mountain. However, completing my PhD makes me believe that I can fulfill any dream that I have in life.
Note: some universities may award very prominent leaders in business / government an honorary degree, this is another path to PhD.
Learning to trust my intuition. I made a crucial decision in the beginning of my study, though I had to say sorry to some people (in order not to upset them), I know deep inside I made the right decision. Those people kept on telling me that I would regret, but I have no regret now. I agree with Tim, regret is past-tense decision making. I am glad now that I made the audacious decision at that time.
Meeting friends of lifetime from around the globe. You can also meet international friends if you work in international firm, but PhD students are ‘slaves’, at least according to the Economist article and suffering people find consolation in each other. We have been super good friends.
Living frugally. I could survive without meat for a week until the next free meal opportunity. I managed to save a little from my PhD stipend for my parents. Unlike a senior MR who straight away went to set up her business and honing her sales skills, of course my earning was not comparable to my senior. After all, PhD stipends, if not self-funded, are often from generous donations of charitable organizations, philanthropists, and tax payers money. It does not seem right to be rich from stipend money, whereas it is laudable for my senior to earn 6 digits in her first four years of business.
More academic learning somehow enhanced my analytical and writing skills. It was during my PhD study that I produced writings that won me tickets to inspiring meetings not related to my thesis topic, but more on global issues. I met a friend of Warren Buffett who is so friendly and inspiring. I listened to so many enthusiastic entrepreneurs, decision makers, world leaders. Those are my happiest holidays. I seldom took time off, because I did not know how many days per annum I was allowed to take vacation. In fact, I could be considered over-worked.
Unleashing my courage and becoming a calculated risk-taker. I did some activities that I would never want to take before, I did not know how I managed to gather my courage but I know it has to be from within.
Surviving a hardship. As mentioned in the article, seven-day weeks, ten-hour days, and low pay are for PhD students. It takes great mental and physical strength to survive life like this. But what does not kill you, makes you stronger. Is it always true? But I witnessed how some surviving PhD students, with their white hair, wrinkles at merely 30s moved on to post-doc and continued the hardship, with greater responsibility and demands from their bosses. Indeed, I am concerned with a friend continuous fatigue just after completing his PhD with a supervisor whose interests are to squeeze as much juice as possible out of his students. The article also mentioned that the misaligned interests of academics / universities versus those of PhD students. The academics need cheap labors (PhD students and postdoc). Ideally, these academics play a mentoring role, but in real life, they are like slave drivers. Seeing how a mentor of mine do things, I do not want to be like him, squeezing poor PhD students. Fortunately, I also encounter two nice mentors.
My beautiful alma mater, an open space museum and garden. For the reputation of my alma mater, people like to "wow" in words or eyes, sometimes I feel like carrying an LV bag, that is why I swear not to buy any LV bag. I prefer high quality, non-branded, sometimes ethnic bags, with their own identity. I want to be regarded based on my character and the quality of my work, not based on the bag I carried (the school I went to). A matter of brand aside, I love the fresh air, the grass, the flora and fauna, the romantic architectures, the history, and many people whom I encounter there.
Thank you!
Thiel Fellowship allows you to bypass top schools to pursue big dreams
Dreams are extremely important. You can’t do it unless you can imag(in)e it. — George Lucas
If you are so smart, why are you not rich?
If you are so smart, why are you not changing / saving the world?
About Thiel Fellowship
$50,000 / year for 2 years ($4,167 / month)
gives you easy and quick access to the most successful business people in America
aim: to skip college and focus on work, research, and self-education (LEARN BY DOING)
mentors: network of visionary thinkers, investors, scientists, and entrepreneurs, who provide guidance and business connections that can’t be replicated in any classroom.
founded by a VC Peter Thiel (PayPal, Facebook)
Examples of descriptions of the Thiel Fellows:
On experience
"leave Harvard after a single semester and extend his horizons, first by traveling around the world and climbing Kilimanjaro, and now through his start-up"
"has lived and been educated in England, Singapore, France, and the USA."
"began taking college courses at Worcester State in Massachusetts in 3rd grade, and received a certificate in computer science by the time he was 12."
"taught himself programming at the age of 9"
"a home-schooled prodigy who learned calculus at 11, started working in a biogerontology lab when she was 12, matriculated at MIT when she was 14, and now at 17 plans on disrupting the current research paradigm by changing the incentives embedded in today’s traditional funding structures."
"started doing research in a pathology lab when he was 10. By the time he was 12, he had matriculated at the University of Washington. Soon after, he graduated with honors degrees in neurobiology, biochemistry, and chemistry. He was a 19-year-old 4th-year neuroscience Ph.D. candidate at Stanford University when he left early this year to pursue his start-up"
"has worked for Microsoft, Stanford, and Mozilla"
"Has previously worked at iRobot’s Research Group and as a Program Manager at Microsoft."
"In his teens, he built products for companies such as Coca-Cola and Universal Music"
"has designed web interfaces used by millions of people around the world"
"has previously worked for D.E. Shaw & Co., several social enterprises, and a few start-ups"
"founded a vacation rental portal as a high school freshman"
"starting his first business when nine years old"
"co-founded the Electric Vehicle Club at Purdue and was president of Purdue Innovations, the university’s entrepreneurship club."
"began developing her social enterprise when she was 15"
"first worked in a lab when he was 11, interned at Dupont as a teenager, and won the grand prize at the 2009 International Sustainable World Energy Olympiad in Houston."
"run non-profit dedicated to helping the vision-impaired around the world"
On goals / aims
"aims to radically improve our approach to the one thing we all do – shop." / "e-commerce start-up that will revolutionize price comparison on the web" Keyword: radical
"passionate about equipping people with the information to make better decisions." Keyword: information, decision
"interested in helping people protect the wealth they create from the harmful effects of inflation" Keyword: protect
"to help emancipate information around the world" Keyword: information
"to decentralize banking in the developing world with a mobile payment system"
"to create and share online lessons designed to be viewed at home by their own students, leaving class time free for more engaging activities"
"to revolutionize how we develop and demonstrate talent in the twenty-first century."
"to leverage web-based videos and mobile apps to bring the classroom into the twenty-first century"
"to build efficient motor for electric vehicles." Keyword: energy
"to commercialize an invention that enables low cost dual-axis photovoltaic module tracking" Keyword: energy
"to invent a walker-wheelchair hybrid that can provide power to assist its user according to how strong she feels at any moment" Keyword: aging, physically-disabled
"to extract valuable minerals from asteroids, comets, and other planetary bodies" Keyword: resource
Blueroselady thinks that they are very impressive and inspiring. How many people, before reaching 20 years old, have done so much and dreamed do big like them?
The people whom you have worked for also matter.
Reflections by Blueroselady:
Those on Thiel Fellowship seem to have a head start in their childhood (e.g. well educated parents, attendance of high schools that teach akin to college / attendance of college – so why would they still want to attend college again), but many children from less privileged backgrounds will find a college education still essential and enlightening.
Personally, I have met people of the possibly equal calibre to the Thiel Fellows, they started businesses / attended university / led beyond school organizations at early teen, while most teens are worried about growing up, peers, relationships, and juggling schools. The formers are ambitious, lucky, talented, hardworking ((they have built their CVs while other kids probably do not know what CVs are for), and most importantly have the right nurturing environment.
To illustrate this point, I shared my own example. When I was 12 years old, I found that the school was boring. My teacher suffered from diabetes and she was often absent. I could read the textbooks on my own. I told my mother that I did not want to go to school. I was happier reading newspapers and books.
When I was 13 years old, I found that some my school (male) teachers are irresponsible. They taught students bad words, touched female students’ hands / arms (and please do not ask me what else). If my parents had to pay for the school fee, I would probably quit schooling. To make matters worse, some of my school mates went astray. Girls were so cruel with words, I was helpless seeing them bullying a not-pretty girl sitting in front of me. My school mates were more interested in gossips (about seniors, juniors, peers, celebrities), hanging out wasting their lives, than in learning. Few years later after I left the school, I heard about a school mate who died from drug overdose, a school mate who got pregnant in early teen and turned into less beautiful (premature aging) than she was, a school mate who died in motorbike accident.
Then, a macro event happened that changed my life forever. I went overseas for the first time and attended much better schools (in term of quality). I learned about things that were forbidden / not taught before and revolutionized my thinking. I changed for the better, I unleashed my inner characters of hardworking, perseverance, and humility. Like entrepreneurs who focus on generating profits, I had clear focus: I was determined to earn the money required for college education through excellent results because my parents would not be able to support me after high school. My hard work and perseverance paid off, I received my college education (in 3 continents, East and West) with full scholarships. Every stage is like climbing to a higher ladder, I meet people who are more talented, creative, diverse than ever (many of them have better a head start childhood than me), and college education allowed me to learn from them. It is true that the higher you move to, the more you can see, understand, and do. As a result, I evolve into what I am today. At the end of my formal college education, I read analytically, write convincingly, think from multiple perspectives, converse fluently in multiple languages (I can mimic American, British, French, Indian, mainland Chinese accents), had traveled to more countries than the years of my lives, understand myself better, and most importantly have germinated the strongest urge (that I have ever had) to better our world.
From another point of view, colleges worldwide are getting very expensive. Students take loans, enjoy their college experience (sadly some focus on hanging out with friends, buying the latest gadgets), and postpone their sufferings of having to pay their loans while working and struggling to meet an end meet after the honeymoon period of college days. This sounds to me like an upcoming education bubble, which is akin to the housing bubble. To make it worse, colleges seem to mass produce workers (who are happy with the good enough), and to produce (in much less proportion) thinkers, innovators, agents of change. The latter are those that refuse to be entirely submissive and driven to the system. Colleagues and acquaintances are complaining to me about the drop in the standard of recent college graduates.
Nothing remains the same because lives are dynamics. My future generations will do things differently from what I did. If they are academically inclined, they can start learning the college materials (through online courses or immersion in labs) at early teen. If they are artistically inclined / entrepreneurial in nature, they can start interning at early teen. I still view traveling as essential, I learned a lot about independence, responsibilities, management, self-control, and survival while traveling and living in foreign countries far from my family. I made strangers my friends and family. I appreciate the values of every place and person. Get more exposure, discover more, and you will discover what your destiny is.
What’s next?
I will be reviewing my plan on progeny.
To research on things kids need (to learn) to be successful in their lives.
To research on homeschooling curriculum (what are not taught in school).
More about the Thiel Fellowship:
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/05/25/finding-the-next-mark-zuckerberg/
http://www.creators.com/opinion/john-stossel/the-college-scam-11-07-06.html
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jmaureenhenderson/2011/06/20/meet-the-teen-who-got-paid-100-000-to-drop-out-of-school/
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203960804577239253121093694.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
http://www.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/bs_collegeROI_0621.html
I no longer want to visit Tibet in China
In 2006, I was greatly inspired by the photos of Tibet taken by LD (2004) in travel and documentary style.
Then, I seriously put time and efforts to learn photography on my own and from good photographers around me.
The blue sky, the white clouds that seem touchable, the colorful flags, and the gold-covered Potala Palace make Tibet sounds like a heaven on earth.
You can be so close to the sky (and heaven) in Tibet.
For the new year of 2007, I told one of my best friends KS that as a traveler in my life, I want to visit 1 of 3 main destinations.
We dream and set goals, then we realize our dreams.
Do not entirely believe photographers.
They are a combination of artists, engineers, scientists and magicians.
Those who are madly in love can make mundane places look so dramatically beautiful.
A friend of mine told me that the photos of magic hours that I took look more beautiful than real scene.
The simple secret is long exposure.
To me, this is “seeing beyond seeing”.
How I wish I know the secret of “living beyond living”.
We are all on journey.
In 2011, HM – a charming girl from Sichuan whom I like, visited Tibet.
Her SLR-produced photos of Tibet appear normal to me.
In summer 2012, I firmly decide to substitute my dream to visit Tibet with a better dream – a better destination, according to my perspective.
I review the photographs by LD that inspired me. They were fresh to me because of his style of using wide-angle lens, again allowing me the possibilities of “seeing beyond seeing”.
But now I am uninspired.
So what?
What has happened to me?
I wonder if my global wandering for the past several years to multiple countries, my diligent research and reviewing on how to produce beautiful photographs that the professionals achieve, have driven myself to be so perfectionist.
Being perfectionist is tough to live, I do not mind to raise my standards of work, but I feel that we need the act of balancing.
Tibet is situated on high altitude, beyond 3000 meters (risk of altitude sickness).
Honestly, I am concerned of altitude sickness.
Health and lives are the most important.
Though I am a risk-taker, I am a calculated risk taker.
The longer one lives, the more fearful one can be.
I have always attempted to overcome my fear.
See https://blueroselady.wordpress.com/2012/05/26/how-to-overcome-fear
While we visited Zhongdian, we had our first encounter with a Tibetan. He is our tour guide. He could be funny and cruel at the same time.
He force people to pay $ to join a dinner of RMB 260 per head.
It is an expensive dinner by the standard in China.
The Shanghainese middle-aged lady sitting in front of me was not aware of the “compulsory” dinner as her tour agent did not tell her about this.
Lesson: when we travel, we have to do research, at least check the travel forum for safety precaution or “compulsory” things.
At a foreign land, we are at the mercy of the locals.
I witnessed how our Tibetan tour guide purposely elbowed her head after she refused, he forced her to call her tour agent, and he moved on to collect $ from us.
The Tibetan tour guide declared that anyone who did not pay for the dinner had to get down of the bus immediately.
He said every Tibetan tour guide will do the same thing.
OK, perhaps tour guides worldwide are in tough economic situation (due to increasing competition, economic recessions that make people less keen to travel).
Really?
For that dinner alone, the Tibetans collected
4 buses x 50 people x RMB 260 = RMB 52,000 ~= USD,8,200.
Now, I understand why our tour guide can afford to wear foreign branded sport shoes. Branded things (in particular foreign brands) are luxuries in China.
According to our Tibetan guide:
1. The Tibetans can carry knives around, including at schools.
2. The Tibetans can freely and are given money to attend schools. He once studied in Kunming and no matter he scored 100 or 0, he would graduate.
3. The Tibetans marry at the average age of 13. Our guide said he was late for marrying at the age of 14.
4. The Tibetans do not have to pay taxes.
But based on my limited observations, the Tibetans sell same products more expensive than the shops in Yunnan.
I am curious on the Tibetan medicine and spiritual teachings.
Most likely, I will learn them outside Tibet, through the perspectives of overseas Tibetans, Westerners, and Chinese.
I succeeded to learn on using chopstick in Canada, so I believe that I do not have to be physically present in Tibet in order to learn all these.
Tibetans living at high altitudes have no more oxygen in their blood than other people, they have 10 times more nitric oxide and double the forearm blood flow of low-altitude dwellers.
NO = blood vessel dilator.
Bye Tibet!
What is really important?
A mentor of mine (Uncle Carlson) suggested that I asked myself EVERYDAY,
"What is really important to me?"
Many times I ignore what I have already had, yet desire so much things that I have not achieved or contributed.
This is not very good for my inner life because I am always feeling of LACK.
I started to write a gratitude list, the contents can be very simple but include things/people/acts that touch my heart.
So, what is really important to me (in May 2012)?
1. My life (Dad always warns me to be careful, e.g. when I go travel to watch out for traffic). As long as we are still alive, we can love, learn, laugh, and make others’ lives happier. I love my life. My life is my amusement, the most interesting drama I have watched.
2. My health (I need my good health to be able to live in fullfilling ways). This means I will eat well, rest well (not overwork though I have such a tendency), and spend time for my inner health. When people are healthy, people often take health for granted.
3. My dream. To kick start is the project T2 to change lives and touch hearts. This is not about me, but for others whom I care and love. I have been given a lot, it is time for me to give something to the world. I believe that my dream is God’s purpose for me in this life.
4. My family. Currently, my family comprises my man. Everyday (every morning after I wake up and every night before I sleep), I tell him that I love him, and I really mean so. Having withstanding my worries for the past decade, I strive to make my parents to be at peace about me, knowing that I am an independent person. Indeed, this year I celebrate half of lives living away from parents who love and protect us. I love and protect myself.
The followings can be important at some phases of my life:
1. education. I completed my formal education. I feel relieved, after years of being a humble student. I refer to humility in the sense that a student normally has no earning power, and now as a working adult I can earn a living. However, I still keep the humility in learning, to keep on learning from every possible individual. Now, I do not intend to pay for any tuition fee to get any degree, I would rather to use the available fund to provide bursaries / scholarships. Most importantly, my formal education has allowed me to believe that I CAN LEARN ANYTHING that I am interested and committed to, on my own, from anyone / any expert in the fields.
2. career. Once, I thought that my current job and career was what I want for my entire life, but everyone has the need to grow, no matter how much productivity, knowledge, income, and network that he or she has at this moment. In 2012, my boss and his boss do not impress me. I do not mean to be an ungrateful chap. They are kind towards me and have helped me, but years down the road, I do not want to be like them. Sadly, some people associate their worth to their career / job. When they lose their career / job, they lose their meanings of life.
3. money. Money is important, but not everything. I need money to eat, to have clothes, to have a shelter, and to travel (Chinese people called these 4 basic needs YiShiZhuXing). I believe that I will have enough money throughout my life, to support myself and my children (until they reach the age of 18). I also believe that I will have abundance of wealth that I can share with others.
4. friendship. All of us human beings are social animals, including the most introvert people whom I have ever encountered. I am grateful for my friends, they add color to my life. Most friends have been nice to me, few ones hurted me yet I learned from them not to do things that they did towards othes. I have many friends who confide in me. They believe in me because I do not gossip around, I am a good listener, and I can give effective advices / solutions (when they ask for). My list of friends goes beyond 4 digits, also thanks to my nomadic life. I am a friend of people from multiple corners of the world: North and South America, Asia, Middle East, Europe, Africa, Oceania, and a friend even went to visit Antarctica. One day, a friend of mine will be a traveller beyond the earth. I love my friends, irregardless of their socio economic status and their personalities. I believe that my friends comprise people of 16 personalities of BMTI indicators, though I have never really studied them in such a way. My approach was to understand them. I am helpful. No matter how, I am always available for my friends whom I can help best. If not, I would refer them to someone who is best to help them. Given the numerous friends I have, who can be awake at different timings as I do, I accept the fact that I cannot keep in touch with them very frequently. Most importantly, I pray for their well beings, happiness and health.
Travel: Asia (2012-2014)
If you are living in Asia at this moment, let us travel around regionally.
To travel the world is one of the best education. We are happy to be eternal students.
Tips:
Check budget airlines, discount coupon websites.
Watch documentaries for pre-trip virtual travel experience.
Check the right timing / season to visit.
Some destinations to consider:
@ Jiuzhaigou, China 九寨沟. Reminds me on the beautiful memory of Plitvice.
This documentary allows you to see underwater of the Five Flower Lake of Jiuzhaigou Valley, which you may not be able to do so even if you are physically there.
I watched this documentary twice in the beginning of 2013.
@ Chengdu: an ideas is to volunteer to take care of panda. Safety?
@ ZhangJiaJie 张家界 / WuLingYuan
Inspiration for the movie Avatar.
It seems to be a much more spectacular and dramatic than ShiLin in Yunnan, ZhangJiaJie has forest, rivers, valleys.
In order to greatly appreciate ZhangJiaJie, one must use not only eyes but also minds (imagination).
The foggy nature of the ZhangJieJie reminds me on the 淡 nature of Chinese paintings, which use less color and saturations than most Western paintings.
Must appreciate ZhangJiaJie from different view points and at different hours and weather condition (sunny, rain, after rain).
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTAxMTY5MzY0.html
@ Pingyao, Shanxi. Why do I want to visit Pingyao?
1. the movie “Raise the Red Lantern”, set in the 1920s, directed by Zhang Yimou. Warning: though this movie is visually artistic, I find the message is negative, i.e. hopelessness for women.
2. a former financial hub.
As a financial investor, I plan to pay a tribute to PingYao. This ancient town reminds me on the Venice of Italy, in the context of economic prosperity and the subsequent downturn. We need to constantly innovate.
@ Nanjing. Plum blossom festival (mid Mar – early Apr). adjacent Plum Blossom Garden (inclusive of Zhongshan Plum Bonsai Garden), Red Chamber Garden. Purple mountain. Plum = symbol of birth and perseverance in the face of adversity.
@ Guilin, Guangxi. Beguiling Guilin. Elephant Trunk Hill (Universal Benevolence Pagoda from Ming Dynasty). Folded Brocade Hill. Reed Flute Cave. Lijiang (Li River). Must watch: Zhang Yimou co-directed Liu San Jie.
Must eat: Li Pu yu kou rou (braised pork). Guilin rice vermicelli.
Must buy: San Hua Liquor, thick pepper sauce from Chaotian and Niujiao peppers.
If visit Guilin, please also visit Yangshuo / Longsheng, which are less commercialized and have cleaner water, according to Trip Advisor.
If possible, also visit Bama, Guangxi.
@ Shanghai. An international assessment of students showed that as China’s economic power has risen, so has its educational prowess. The survey, which rated the aptitude of 15-year-olds in 65 countries, shows teens in Shanghai far outscoring international peers in reading, math, and science. Yet, Shanghai is a magnet for China’s best students and does not represent the entire nation. For its part, the US lags behind countries like Finland and South Korea. Time. Dec 20, 2010. Would you consider sending your offspring to learn in Shanghai?
Metersbonwe Costume Museum @ Shanghai.
@ Beijing. I have been to Beijing twice, yet I still want to come back, to visit, study, or work if I have any good opportunity. It hardly snows in Beijing, can we still see the Forbidden Palace covered with snow? Huaibei Ski Resort (www.hbski.com) – surrounded by mountains that are topped with the iconic Great Wall of China. Mutianyu Greatwall. Don’t expect to buy real antique things unless you are with an art expert. Shopping at Zoo Market – must bargain (9am-4.30pm). Eat Beijing copper hot-pot e.g. http://www.donglaishun.com.
@ Moganshan, China where Chiang Kai-shek once honeymooned
@ Haikou, Hainan. Watch the Impression Hainan, directed by Zhang Yimou. Sun. Sea. Sand. Seafood.
@ Taipei. Beitou – Taipei’s hotspring district. Taipei 101 new year eve fireworks. I have visited Taipei as of 2013.
@ Tibet, China. 青藏高原 by 雪莲三姐妹 Qinghai Tibet Plateau by Three Snow Lotus Sisters does represent the spirit of Tibet. Later, I decided that I am uninterested to visit Tibet.
@ Ubud, Bali
rice field terrace.
Perhaps, I will watch “Eat Pray Love” movie, stars Julia Robert, before visiting Ubud. I think I watched partially on a flight but I could not remember at all, perhaps it is boring.
A documentary can also be entertaining:
@ Komodo National Park: are komodo dangerous to humans? Are domestic flight from Denpasar to Labuan Bajo safe?
@ Lake Kelimutu, Flores.
@ Pulau Macan, 90 min from Jakarta. Recommended by TIME.But, In Feb 2012, I checked their rate, the cheapest rate is USD 155 / night / person. It is expensive for a budget traveler like me, especially where you can expect a better bargain in Indonesia.
@ Malacca, Malaysia.
Peranakan : dishes, beautiful shop houses
Malaka Jonker Street Chicken Rice Balls
UNESCO
@ Luang Prabang, Laos (a Unesco Heritage Site), entry from Thailand or Cambodia. In January 2013, I browsed a photography book on Laos and suddenly realized that I do not have the strong desire to visit Laos, unlike Vietnam in the past.
@ Angkor Wat in Siem Reap (1x is enough). Be careful if you decide to cross the Cambodia border to Thailand from Sihanoukville as there are widespread scams that victimize tourists.
@ If you consider backpacking in India, imagine yourself without a bath for a week while travel endless nights and days on Darjeeling express. By Jofelle P. Tesorio, Asia News Network.
@ Philippine has the best dive sites and beaches in the world. Knowing how to dive is an avenue to appreciate God’s creation. Please add this to the things-to-learn list.
@ Palawan, Philippine. Coral reefs. Feed the fish by hand.
@ The Maldives. Expensive. If you have been here once, better spend your $ on some other destinations that are cheaper and better.
@ Bangkok. River taxi – be careful not to fall into the heavily polluted klongs (canal). See orchid at Chatuchak weekend market. Madame Tussaud: pose with the Obama couples.
@ Tokyo. You can find the world’s highest standards in food, fashion, and toilets. SPECIALISATION is part of their culture as skills are handed down through generations from master to apprentice. No tipping.
@ Brunei
Do you want a royal free lunch?
For 3 days each year, at the culmination of Ramadan, the Sultan of Brunei opens the Istana Nurul Iman Palace to meet and feed his public.
@ Rangoon. Eat MOHINGYA: a fish soup touted as Burma’s national dish.
@ New Zealand: Lake Tekapo.
References: AsiaNews, Time, CNN Traveller, Picasa, Flickr, JetStar magazines.
FOOD
@ gado2 : vegetable, egg, potatoes, rice cake, tofu with peanut sacue.
@ Penang laksa: sour and spicy
@ Yangon shan noodle: tasty broth, lots of egg noodles, interesting spices.
@ Khao neow ma muang: mango + sticky rice.
@ Crabs in black pepper / Padang sauce.
What I do when time and money are insufficient to fulfill my travel dreams?
Read National Geographic or other travel magazines.
Watch documentary program (e.g. National Geography) on Youtube, Tudou.
Daydream
minimize watching sad / horror / violent movies
It is OK to watch movies as a form of entertainment or education.
It is not OK to be too involved while watching movies.
I love to watch movies. Life is like movie, movie is like life.
Before you watched a sad movie, you were happy or in an equilibrium state (neither happy nor sad). After you watched a sad movie, you might absorb negativity (worries and sorrows) of the story, the characters, and all these are not good for you.
Absorbing too much from horror movies are not good for your heart. They incept in your minds things for you to be fear of. Fear creates fear, quoting Elizabeth I. Even a priest told us that he decided not to watch horror movies because he stayed in haunted places, instead he focused on praying.
Violent movies can be classified according to the violence. Physical and mental violence. Physically violent movies contain a lot of scenes where some characters are bullied / tortured physically. People are potential to be more violent after watching fighting movies. Some even go to find problems with others who share similarities (in backgrounds) with the villains portrayed in the movies. Similarly, movies full of quarrels / arguments may inflict mental violence. Words can be swords.
Well, a sword itself is merely an object.
For your own goodness, please minimize watching sad / horror / violent / conflict movies
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