Doh... Recording vs. Taping

I am privileged to experience new things and for the most part I embrace change.

To me, relevance is all about being malleable and adaptable to the changes happening around your environment. Change is the new constant unless one wants to live off the grid. I have an international appetite so being a locavore is out of the question. Having said that I do my little part to support the local farmers. Also, I may not be a social butterfly, I love technology that connects people.

I love my iPAD. It revolutionizes the way I do things — consume information, read on Kindle or iBook, play the piano or drums on GarageBand, video conferencing using FaceTime or Skype (depends on my boyfriend's network connectivity) and my latest fav is "Flipboard" where I feast my eyes with beautiful pictures around the world and also read the news too. I brought "the experience" from my iPAD and I love every moment of it. 

At work, I have finished recording a presentation on PowerPoint. The audio quality is subpar so I used the recording app on my iPhone to complete the recording and then attached the recording onto the PowerPoint presentation. I had asked a co-worker, senior person and veteran to review the presentation. He heard a blip on one of my slides and suggested that I re-TAPE it. I thanked him for his feedback and planned to redo the recording. That very same evening, I may not recall the context of the conversation with my roommate but I vividly recalled that I had suggested him to TAPE the TV program on the DVR.  Doh...  While my roommate comprehended my response, I might be totally incomprehensible for an individual who has not lived during the Tape -era.  I am just a tiny bit baffled that I made such a blunder.

I forgot to practice what I preached

I am happily occupied with an interesting project. One of the initiatives includes developing learning modules for the global team.  I decided on the training curriculum and assigned different members as video content creator.  I am also the creator of the first learning module.

I work closely with P on his presentation as his module is key because his presentation content builds on the knowledge acquired from the past learning modules.  He needs to weave all the knowledge learned and presents to the audience in a simple and engaging way.  At the end, there is a call to action for the global teams to present the information to their customers.  He has created a very personable and engaging presentation that I believe will be well received when we rollout his learning video.

Consistently, I always tell my team that I prefer to hash out details and make adjustment accordingly before sharing information with the outside the team. I have established a good rapport and understanding with my team that they can voice their opinion and share their positive or negative or neutral feedback.  I asked P and was respectfully told that I was regimented and stiff after he had listened to my video recording. Since then I have made adjustment to my video. Now, I am anxious to hear the feedback after it is released at the end of the month.

The irony is I have been pounding at P to create an engaging presentation and to avoid coming across as a factoid overload type of technical presentation. Yet, it only donned to me much later that I did not practice what I preached.  I did not lead by example. Shame on me as a leader!

Try and bonne chance

I am reading "Stupeur et Tremblements" by Amélie Nothomb for french class. It is about a bi-lingual Belgium lady who lives in Japan and speaks fluent French and Japanese. She works in an established Japanese firm where she encountered many inconceivable challenges from the beginning of her career at this firm. She understands the hierarchical order and to be submissive to the higher ranking employees in Japanese culture. Though she is tasked to perform dull and repetitive menial jobs, she took the challenges in good faith. I am only part way through the book, until this point,the book is entertaining. 

One of her responsibilities was to photocopy many copies of the rules of golf. Upon completion of this task, she knew in high degree of confidence that her superior will find fault in her work and she was destined to redo the task . The reason given was her copied document was not aligned. She was instructed to copy one page at a time over using a well engineered auto paper feeder that produces consistent and precision results. C'est un incroyable! 

Somehow, Jackie Chan's Kung Fu movies came to mind where Jackie was set out to learn from a master. For most of his movies that I have seen as a child, his master started him off with routines to build his foundation for Kung Fu. For example, he performed very basic squats and stayed still in the squat position while he balanced weigh on his shoulders for a long time.  Jackie's master guided him to be better in martial arts while Amélie's superior was being ridiculous for not leveraging her strength for the betterment of the company.

At some point in our lives, we encounter people that truly want to help us move forward and some we wish were just a figment of our imagination. One must be smart to distinguish the two extremes and make the best of the situation. I am a firm believer that success is sweetest when you have worked hard and overcome road blocks before fruition.  

I listen to "Try" by Pink especially on a trying week and the song keeps me motivated to go on. 

Here's the chorus that truly inspired me to go further:

Where there is desire
There is gonna be a flame
Where there is a flame
Someone's bound to get burned
But just because it burns
Doesn't mean you're gonna die
You've gotta get up and try, and try, and try
Gotta get up and try, and try, and try
You gotta get up and try, and try, and try


For those who are having a trying week —make the right sacrifice , pick your battles, take baby steps,  internalize Albert Einstein's definition of insanity and have the courage to have the difficult conversation. Bonne Chance!

My Pet Peeve In The Ladies' Room

My pet peeve is to find a fellow co-worker chatting away on a cell phone in the ladies' room.  I happened to bump to one earlier this week. I suspect she may had forgotten to flush after she is done with her business. Sigh!

While I appreciate the convenience of modern technology, I deplore someone taking advantage of it in the restroom.  The intruder on the other side of the wireless device has somehow invaded the privacy of the temporary sanctuary, the public restroom.  It doesn't matter whether it is a tiny pop or a prolong machine gun like fart or even low thumper. The ladies' room is a shared private space where an individual could fart to her heart content  and is poised to create her own Pompeii in the privacy of the tiny cabins. Who cares whether the stream is flowing fast or slow or even just a squirt. I don't think someone beyond the four walls of this sanctuary should be allowed to tap into the happenings in here.

Perhaps, we have ourselves to blame as we do not confront these offenders face-to-face. I have co-workers that send a message by flushing incessantly to make conversation impossible. As for me, I typically take the path of least resistance and will retreat to a different restroom on a different floor.

Perhaps, it is alright to have a private phone conversation in public restroom for certain cultures. But it is still not acceptable to me.  Wait —technology has advanced way ahead of toilette etiquette. We have revolutionized the way we communicate and yet we are still catching up on simple toilette etiquette. Whose responsibility is it to renew the toilette etiquette for all to follow ? Video conference will be the next common medium of communication.  What is going to happen next ? Audio invasion might be a thing of the past and we would usher in the video era. Perhaps, the next best thing is to have sound proof cabin.  Just a thought.

Sonoma ... my casual plan

It is a known fact that most asian do not have the enzymes to breakdown alcohol quickly.  As I have very little tolerance to alcohol, it shows with a nice red hue all over my face whenever I consume a little alcohol. I would typically stick to one glass of wine or beer the entire night. Frugality is not at play here but self preservation as I am too shy to make the headlines among my friends.

Last Saturday, my friend ST has organized a wine tasting tour to Sonoma in celebration of her boyfriend's birthday.  It was a well thought out trip to the wine county. Besides wine tasting, she also included olive oil and chocolate tasting. My favorite part of the day was the food and wine pairing at Mayo Family Reserve Tasting Room.  I tried at least 12 tastings that day and enjoyed the over indulgence. Believe me it was hard work. 

If I were to plan a day trip to the wine tasting county and a trip that takes serious consideration on my low alcohol tolerance,  I would start of with an olive oil tasting. Why ? I want to put some oil in my stomach to dilute the effects of alcohol.  Then I would indulge in food and wine pairing. It was a fun experience at Mayo Family.  Although there were 7 courses, they were served in hors d'oeuvres style and there was sufficient time between courses to savor the wines and have lively conversation among friends. Then I will head to another tasting room to savor more wines and lastly end the day with chocolate tasting at the local artisanal chocolatier. While I may still end the day with a red hue on my face, I just might prevent a hangover the following day. All in all, it was a great experience.

Mayo Family: Winter Menu

The first 3 courses and wine pairing

The next 3 courses and wine pairing

Happy Belated Valentine's Day

Being in love is amazing and must be reciprocal. Simple gestures make the occasion memorable and uniquely ours. Love fosters creativity and desires to make our significant other happy.Despite being physically apart, I feel emotionally whole in my relationship with a very charming dutchman. Since he does not observe Valentine's day, I am proud that he made an effort and romanticized the occasion to make me feel special.

From me to him:
I am probably the most economically savvy girlfriend this year. I sent him a Valentine's day card with 7 post-it notes: one for each day to tell him how much I appreciate and love him.

From him to me:
He sent me valentine's e-card the day before Valentine's day because I was going on a road trip with my girlfriend the very next day. On top of that, he translated a poem from Toons Herman to English as to declare his love for me. I returned on President's day morning to receive a bouquet of tulips at my door step.

Last but not least, we FaceTime-ed to wish each other Happy belated Cupid's day.  

I am sharing the full translation of the love poem by Toons Herman from Dutch to English courtesy of my dutchman.

I sing you, I refrain you
I sherry you, I wine you
I piano you and I flute you
I Rembrandt and I Monet you

I coffee and I tea you
I beach you and I ocean you
I spell you and I paper you
I mother you and I father you

But I so much want to ask you
Something much beyond a kiss
I so much want to request you
To do something for me:

Spring me, Summer me
September me and Winter me
Because I incessantly love you
Morning me, Midday me
Evening me and Night me
In other words;
Stay with me, hold on to me please

I want to see in your eyes again
the blossoming of the apple tree
And your summers I want to sense on my cheeks
I want to see leafs drop on my silent dream
And lights of Christmas dance on the wallpaper

Spring me, Summer me
September me and Winter me
Because I incessantly love you
Morning me, Midday me
Evening me and Night me
In other words;
Stay with me, hold on to me please!

My dutchman and I may be miles apart yet we found a way to make it a special occasion for us.  For folks who are in a long distance relationship, I hope you had a memorable V-day in spite of the distance and time zone differences. Happy belated V-day to all!

The Grand Canyon State

Finally, I made it to Grand Canyon National Park, one of the seven natural wonders of the world!

I have planned for the road trip to visit Sedona, Flagstaff and South Rim of the Grand Canyon. My friend, PG came along with me and was my faithful driver throughout the trip.

Day 1:
We flew into Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, rented a SUV, and started our journey late Thursday afternoon. We took 17 North from the airport then 179 North to Sedona, AZ.   There are beautiful red rock landscapes and shopping outlets along 179. The scenic beauty of Sedona just took my breath away.  The view was spectacular.

In the evening, we attended a flute presentation by Wolfs Robe at Los Abrigados Resort and Spa. He is a Native American Flute Maker/Player. He played with different kinds of flute: Finger Flute, Ancestor Pueblo Flute, Grandfather Flute and etc. He said that every performance is unique and is a gift to the listener. He doesn't know how to read music notes yet he played beautifully and mystically too.

Day 2:

View from Mather Point

We continued our journey on 89A North then 180 West. Along this scenic route, we stopped at Midgley Bridge, Slide Rock State Park and Native American Craft Market in Oak Creek Canyon.  Then we  continued on 64 North to the South Entrance of Grand Canyon. We took in our first canyon view at Mather Point, a short walking distance from Grand Canyon Visitor Center. The pastel-streaked skies and the hazy silhouette of the canyon is just magnificent.

The goal was to soak in the vistas along the Desert View Drive, a 25-mile east bound drive. Either we were totally immersed in our conversation or the signage is non-existant until Moran Point. We came to realized that we have missed 4 recommended viewpoints and then decided to go to Watchtower next, turned back to Moran Point then end the day at Lipan Point as it is a magnificent spot to watch the sunset. It is free to climb the Desert View Watchtower so check out the 360° east view of the canyon and Colorado River.

View from Lipan Point shortly before sunset

Day 3:
Our first stop was Yavapai Point. There we popped into the Yavapai Geology Museum and Observation Station then headed on to the second scenic route Hermit Road Drive on the west end of South Rim.  Our timing was impeccable as we were there when Hermit Road Drive is accessible to private vehicles which is from December to February. This time, we stopped at almost every overlook/vista and feast our eyes with the exceptional views along this drive. My favorite was Mohave Point because the Mohave Desert seemed to be visible from a distance on the west side.

In the afternoon, we left Grand Canyon and headed south via 64 South then the scenic route 180 east. Since we are facing San Francisco Peaks as we headed east, in my opinion, the view was much prettier when I compared to the journey heading west. I had the intention to hike inside River Lava Cave which is 10 miles north of Flagstaff however the route FR245 was closed to traffic. It is a pity, I did not get to experience hiking in a lava cave. We stayed in Flagstaff and had dinner at Alpine Pizza which is a local joint for the NAU students.

Day 4:
We went back to Sedona, the scenic red rock beauty and the spiritual town. We promenaded along Sedona Uptown,  took an old-time portrait at "Pistols & Petticoats" then hiked Bell Rock Pathway.
I got to see these famous monuments: Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock and Courthouse Rock from different angles and at the end of the day, I am thrilled that I could easily distinguished them.

I am glad to experience a little piece of Grand Canyon and learn a little bit about Arizona.
I feel positive and calm. Perhaps the vortex energy in Sedona has energized me. Thank you!