This was spurred by a best friend of mine exclaiming to me that Awkwafina won the Best Actress by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. In his words... "Why is this film a comedy?!"
Let's ignore the fact that the nominations are actually submitted, and hence could be "decided" (see also: gamed) for the maximum chances of winning.
Side note: going up against Saoirse (sur-sha) Ronan or Scarlett Johansson is daunting to say the least.
I have noted that out of the times that I've been to see this movie, there were scenes that elicit different emotions from the audience.
Minor spoilers
The funeral home scene to me stood out.
There was a juxtaposition between the end of the last scene, with the mother saying that they employed people who cry... straight cut to a woman crying extremely loud and tearful in front of a funeral in progress. Seemingly to showcase the absurdity of the situation.
People laughed.
Then...
People laughed at the family burning paper iPhones, credit cards, cash.
People laughed at the peeling of the fruits, the opening of the chip bags, the idea that ancestors can't peel themselves in their corporeal form.
(The directors' real grandfather btw)
Honestly, I was a little taken aback. I mean, I also chuckled at removing the petals from flowers to prevent thieves. I have done it myself, and honestly, didn't think too much of it. It was until I saw some people taking the flowers and food from a grave. They picked out the good looking stalks, and then walked to the entrance of the funeral home to add to their existing flower bouquet.
Those... were for sale of course.
I stopped my chuckle. This... well.
The Farewell is, to me... a drama written and shot like a comedy.
While what's on screen is comedic, the events that trigger your own emotions is... drama.
That's easier to digest for people, and for repeated viewings. Pulling punches if you will.
Still, I don't see the fault in that, the film provides an interesting premise, and delivers.
They are designed as an escape, an outlet.
I wrote more about this film here.
This quote keeps floating back to me:
“你把生命看成是个体的。这正是西方和东方文化差异的问题。
东方人是把生命看作为集体的。家庭,社会。”
"You think one's life belongs to oneself. But that's the difference between the East and the West.
In the East, a person's life is part of a whole. Family, Society."
I think perhaps then... the hardest part for me, is to juggle between the two worlds. To be selfish... and be okay with it.
I do hope you find a balance as well.
______
P.S. While we are on this dramedy train, Fleabag is a good recommendation as well, more Brit dry wit, less ancestors.
Showing posts with label Thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thoughts. Show all posts
Monday, January 20, 2020
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Becoming Steve Jobs
I'm blanking where I came to hear about this book, I just remember reading somewhere that this book would be good.
Turns out, for me, it was a much much better read than Walter Isaacson's version of Jobs. As a preface, I might suffer from confirmation bias from my previous article of Isaacson's book.
I won't cover much of the book contents, there are the usual bits of history, but not as much as the Walter Isaacson (I mean, one being a biography, I'll attribute it to a style choice).
Instead, I would describe this book as a compilation of mini stories throughout his years starting from 1979. This isn't a retelling of history that you can find on Wikipedia. (Well actually you can now after this book is published.) As a journalist covering the industry, Schlender has a lot of notes from different eras of Steve Jobs life. Moreover, he interviewed various people that crossed Steve's path. They say that wounds heal with time, and remembering a figure that has been passed on has made a lot of people being interviewed a little more candid and opinionated about things.
Schlender interviewed a lot people in the inner circle including both Tim Cook and Lauren Powell Jobs for this book during 2013 to 2014. Constructing stories that we know with these interviews brings more life and passion to the stories, and also to the people.
There is an entire chapter devoted to much shared/retweeted 2005 Stanford University commencement address. The trials and tribulations of getting to the stadium, Steve Jobs panicking at the last minute. The entire speech is reprinted in its entirety. Something even which Isaacson's book does not have. (It was used with permission from Apple and Lauren Powell Jobs.)
Continuing with the mini-stories, the last chapter wasn't something that summarizes the feelings of everyone interviewed, or having an title that is . It was titled "Just tell them I'm being an asshole". It came from a conversation that Schlender had with Jobs about not being able to make it to an important roundtable due to his health. Without wanting to tell the others the real reason for his absence, he simply said:
"Just tell them I'm being an asshole. That's what they'll probably be thinking, anyway, so why not just say it?"I felt that was the best representation of Jobs' attitude at his age. He's owning up to that part of his history, embracing the arrogance of his youth, perhaps poking fun at it a little.
Maybe Walter Isaacson was caught in the Steve Jobs reality distortion field that was so famously described in his book. Don't get me wrong, his book is still the way to go for people who wants a historically accurate version of Steve Jobs. However, it is missing that spark and passion that Jobs himself embodies. In engaging/courting Isaacson for his biography, he rises to the list of people that Isaacson has wrote biographies about: Einstein, Franklin, Kissinger. The Isaacson story is a story that was essentially told by Jobs. Reading that book and this book has told me a lot about how Jobs' wanted control. Control over product announcements, control over leaking bad news, control over how his story is written. Even when he didn't interfere with Isaacson's version, the side/version that Jobs told Isaacson was essentially what he wanted the world to see of him, of his legacy.
It is sad then, that that book is the official biography of Steve Jobs. There are so many things that can be inferred, so many anecdotes from the interviews of Lauren Powell Jobs, Bill Gates, Ed Catmull, Tim Cook and Jony Ive, that complete the picture of Steve Jobs.
I recommend this book to people who have read Isaacson's book and came away feeling that they've missed parts of the story. Reading this book will not tell you the entire story of Steve Jobs, but you'll leave with a very good idea of who Jobs is and what he stands for.
PS: After doing some wikipedia reading which links to the articles, seems like Apple endorses this book as well. That's great to know. Maybe that's where I remembered it from.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
变
改变不是坏,也不是好,是环境所逼,是内心革命,是排斥,是适应.
只能说, you are different. Different from what I thought you were going to be. Maybe that's who you truly are, which would make me wrong.
Listening to: Everybody's Changing - Keane
Sunday, May 6, 2012
So... what do you want now?
一部连续剧里的一段话,形容男人:
有才华的长的丑
长的帅的不挣钱
挣钱多的不顾家
顾家的没出息
有出息的不浪漫
浪漫的靠不住
靠的住的又窝囊
Some words in a series describing men: (translated)
The talented ones are ugly
The handsome ones don't earn money
The money earners don't care about family
The family orientated have no ambition
The ambitious ones are not romantic
The romantic ones are not reliable
The reliable ones are useless
Yay.
Monday, April 9, 2012
v 4.0
在KTV唱歌,浏览的是别人的辛酸,别人的故事。他/她装的越若无其事,越是感触深刻。
不点却想点的歌,往往是让人忘不了的一段故事。
有些人,不是自己点的歌,也推掉了拿麦的机会。
在别人在唱的时候发现,其实嘴上是跟着唱,不会唱的很大声,因为不想被别人听到。
就像别人在Facebook上面,post的youtube链接,每次看到“会呼吸的痛”,就知道有什么事情发生了。
这样好吗?
呵呵,应该不是这样问。应该是这样轻松了吗?
歌曲:男人KTV - 胡彦斌
不点却想点的歌,往往是让人忘不了的一段故事。
有些人,不是自己点的歌,也推掉了拿麦的机会。
在别人在唱的时候发现,其实嘴上是跟着唱,不会唱的很大声,因为不想被别人听到。
就像别人在Facebook上面,post的youtube链接,每次看到“会呼吸的痛”,就知道有什么事情发生了。
这样好吗?
呵呵,应该不是这样问。应该是这样轻松了吗?
歌曲:男人KTV - 胡彦斌
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
定点 | 动点
我已经很累了。累的是精疲,不是力尽。
我意识这次的严重性,但是我可能不想去面对坏的打算。
我知道,这是不能避免的担忧。
明天不是我的重大日子,但是我可能会因此而决定许多的事情。
不管怎样,我知道我必须勇敢。
所以,妈妈,你明天加油!儿子不能在你的身旁,但我会给你鼓励,勇气。
你会一切都好的!
歌:我想更懂你 - 潘玮柏 & 苏芮
我意识这次的严重性,但是我可能不想去面对坏的打算。
我知道,这是不能避免的担忧。
明天不是我的重大日子,但是我可能会因此而决定许多的事情。
不管怎样,我知道我必须勇敢。
所以,妈妈,你明天加油!儿子不能在你的身旁,但我会给你鼓励,勇气。
你会一切都好的!
歌:我想更懂你 - 潘玮柏 & 苏芮
Monday, January 2, 2012
2011
Pardon from my regular programming.
2011
There's so much to say, yet...
Thank you.
I have much catching up to do for 2012.
2011
There's so much to say, yet...
Thank you.
I have much catching up to do for 2012.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Outliers
Outliers
by Malcom Gladwell
Outliers are expressed in this book as people who are successful in business, born into the right race at the right time and the right place.
Now to me, the idea of being an outlier is inherently crazy. Being in the chinese culture (which incidentally is covered in this book), I had a long standing idea that success cannot be waited on and through hard work up the ranks will somehow yield success. That part might never change unfortunately because of my upbringing.
The Part One (titled Opportunity) of the book however, provided me with some insights that while yes you cannot change the race, place, time where you are born. You can get definitely get yourself or your children ready for the opportunity when it (if) comes by. Summarized below:
1. To bred a sportsman, have a child whose birthdate is as close to the eligibility date as possible.
2. Show the child that one part of hardwork equals one part of success, the idea of putting in effort means getting some form of return. This becomes a achievement cycle, on how success breeds basically more success.
3. Teach the child to learn numbers in a language that processes numbers fast and have a rigid structured number system (an inherent Asian advantage). The faster they process numbers, the more they can remember said numbers.
4. Even if the child is clever, without the right (encouraging) environment to grow up in, it would be a wash.
The chapter I was most interested in is the idea of "concerted cultivation". I initially had problems with grasping what exactly concerted cultivation meant. At first I understood it as needing to expose the child to anything and everything that the parent could get their hands on. I thought that it was a contradiction with the 10,000 hours theory proposed earlier in the book. (The author says it as the amount of time it takes to be excellent at a said task) I posed the question: "how it could be possible for a child to get exposure to everything and also get 10,000 hrs into a single task?"
Turns out I just understood the idea while re-reading over the chapter. I believe the important part of concerted cultivation isn't exposing the children. It was to teach the children to exert themselves in the society. This sense of "entitlement" as expressed in the book. Simply put, it's confidence.
The rest would be just compromise then, perhaps there is not a huge overlap between people who are doing everything at once and people who spend 10,000 hrs into a single task. I do believe though, in that overlap, a person would at least be well off, if not immensely successful.
Part Two (titled Legacy) deals with things are mostly not in our control. How each different culture operates and how it affects being an outlier. This is where the programming of each of our cultures affect an individual.
Having an ancestry from hunters in the Scottish regions means people can kill each other in the name of honor 400 years later (1800s) in Southern United States.
Having coming from cultivating the rice paddies in China means the Chinese believe "一份耕耘一份收获" (direct translation to: "one sowing of seeds equals one harvest", or in the current generation "hardwork equals reward")
Being from a culture where seniority structures are deeply enforced means a estranged way of communication with a superior can cause serious problems in a cockpit.
These advantages/disadvantages are things we can't change. What we can do is realize the said advantages and exploit (used here in the nicest of terms) them further, while alleviating the disadvantages.
_____________________________
One thing I would hope that anyone that reads this book not take away from, is that the idea of complacency. Just because you feel you're not born into a "right" family, you're not of the "right" culture, did not get the "right" education, means you can just give up and supposedly "let nature run its course".
Yes I concede that being an outlier means you will be successful in business faster or easier, but what the book also says is that having the right attitude and the right skills will make one better off than its peers.
You won't be too far away from the crowd, but... wouldn't you be an "outlier" as well then?
by Malcom Gladwell
Outliers are expressed in this book as people who are successful in business, born into the right race at the right time and the right place.
Now to me, the idea of being an outlier is inherently crazy. Being in the chinese culture (which incidentally is covered in this book), I had a long standing idea that success cannot be waited on and through hard work up the ranks will somehow yield success. That part might never change unfortunately because of my upbringing.
The Part One (titled Opportunity) of the book however, provided me with some insights that while yes you cannot change the race, place, time where you are born. You can get definitely get yourself or your children ready for the opportunity when it (if) comes by. Summarized below:
1. To bred a sportsman, have a child whose birthdate is as close to the eligibility date as possible.
2. Show the child that one part of hardwork equals one part of success, the idea of putting in effort means getting some form of return. This becomes a achievement cycle, on how success breeds basically more success.
3. Teach the child to learn numbers in a language that processes numbers fast and have a rigid structured number system (an inherent Asian advantage). The faster they process numbers, the more they can remember said numbers.
4. Even if the child is clever, without the right (encouraging) environment to grow up in, it would be a wash.
The chapter I was most interested in is the idea of "concerted cultivation". I initially had problems with grasping what exactly concerted cultivation meant. At first I understood it as needing to expose the child to anything and everything that the parent could get their hands on. I thought that it was a contradiction with the 10,000 hours theory proposed earlier in the book. (The author says it as the amount of time it takes to be excellent at a said task) I posed the question: "how it could be possible for a child to get exposure to everything and also get 10,000 hrs into a single task?"
Turns out I just understood the idea while re-reading over the chapter. I believe the important part of concerted cultivation isn't exposing the children. It was to teach the children to exert themselves in the society. This sense of "entitlement" as expressed in the book. Simply put, it's confidence.
The rest would be just compromise then, perhaps there is not a huge overlap between people who are doing everything at once and people who spend 10,000 hrs into a single task. I do believe though, in that overlap, a person would at least be well off, if not immensely successful.
Part Two (titled Legacy) deals with things are mostly not in our control. How each different culture operates and how it affects being an outlier. This is where the programming of each of our cultures affect an individual.
Having an ancestry from hunters in the Scottish regions means people can kill each other in the name of honor 400 years later (1800s) in Southern United States.
Having coming from cultivating the rice paddies in China means the Chinese believe "一份耕耘一份收获" (direct translation to: "one sowing of seeds equals one harvest", or in the current generation "hardwork equals reward")
Being from a culture where seniority structures are deeply enforced means a estranged way of communication with a superior can cause serious problems in a cockpit.
These advantages/disadvantages are things we can't change. What we can do is realize the said advantages and exploit (used here in the nicest of terms) them further, while alleviating the disadvantages.
_____________________________
One thing I would hope that anyone that reads this book not take away from, is that the idea of complacency. Just because you feel you're not born into a "right" family, you're not of the "right" culture, did not get the "right" education, means you can just give up and supposedly "let nature run its course".
Yes I concede that being an outlier means you will be successful in business faster or easier, but what the book also says is that having the right attitude and the right skills will make one better off than its peers.
You won't be too far away from the crowd, but... wouldn't you be an "outlier" as well then?
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Airport
机场是一个很寂寞的地方.
相聚分散的地方, 就算人不在, 思念总是在空气中蔓延. 喝喝咖啡, 手机一人一个.
自己也一直飞来飞去, 可能是为什么我喜欢Up in the Air这部电影吧.
家是哪里我自己也不是分的很清楚了. They say "Home is where the heart is". They're probably right.
我和很多朋友都说我能什么时候回来, 定了个时间. 就到2天前还是这么在说, 但是, 现在的我不知道了. 妈妈这次很需要我, 有很多的考量.
说别的, 人总是在理性与感性之间徘徊. 这次我也是对号入座了, 我该说的和我想说的就在理性与感性之间徘徊. 有些事情, 不敢奢求.
Self-control还是很重要的.
是时候离开了, 这里有好多我留恋的人, 但是这次我也只能这样了.
就像我堂妹说的: Timing is everything.
Andy
多伦多Pearson国际机场
相聚分散的地方, 就算人不在, 思念总是在空气中蔓延. 喝喝咖啡, 手机一人一个.
自己也一直飞来飞去, 可能是为什么我喜欢Up in the Air这部电影吧.
家是哪里我自己也不是分的很清楚了. They say "Home is where the heart is". They're probably right.
我和很多朋友都说我能什么时候回来, 定了个时间. 就到2天前还是这么在说, 但是, 现在的我不知道了. 妈妈这次很需要我, 有很多的考量.
说别的, 人总是在理性与感性之间徘徊. 这次我也是对号入座了, 我该说的和我想说的就在理性与感性之间徘徊. 有些事情, 不敢奢求.
Self-control还是很重要的.
是时候离开了, 这里有好多我留恋的人, 但是这次我也只能这样了.
就像我堂妹说的: Timing is everything.
Andy
多伦多Pearson国际机场
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
23
老爸:
我:
If 4 months ago, someone told me the current me would be reading books, running regularly, playing fitness games instead of actual games and doing something I thought I would never do again I would've told him he was crazy.
Yet here I am, after a whirlwind of everything, I did all of the above.
Thank you
歌曲: 情非得已 - 庾澄庆
“生日快乐!23岁了!明年将又是龙年了,生日时在想点什么吗!”
我:
"老爸,
我在想,想未来,想工作,想阿娘,想你,想妈,想某个人,想我现在还能做点什么来更进步自己,想怎么努力去争取我要的,想我应该怎么更好的对待人与事物。
想时间快不算快,慢不算慢。
还在想呢。别的,不知道怎么说了。
小宇”
If 4 months ago, someone told me the current me would be reading books, running regularly, playing fitness games instead of actual games and doing something I thought I would never do again I would've told him he was crazy.
Yet here I am, after a whirlwind of everything, I did all of the above.
Thank you
歌曲: 情非得已 - 庾澄庆
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Steve Jobs
Part 1
Written 15th October 2011 - 6 days after Jobs left
I always respected Steve Jobs, for the way he pursued perfection. How he left, came back and brought a company from the brink of failing back to the current leader of digital entertainment and devices.
That was until I saw "Pirates of the Silicon Valley". My friend who was an Apple diehard showed it to me, he told me to see it for the brilliance of Jobs. It was a great film sure, but one thing caught my eye.
During the development of the Apple Lisa, Steve was seen in the parking lot arguing with a woman, about things relating as I remembered about their daughter. I thought maybe the film amped it up a little, adding this fictional scene just for dramatic effect to show Jobs' persistence and pursue for perfection. But, alas, apparently this did happen. Looking over the Wikipedia page for his daughter Lisa Brennan-Jobs, Steve Jobs denied paternity, even going as far as to declare infertile in court. Seriously, how badly does he want to get out of it?
Yes he was a visionary for a generation, the 3rd apple that revolutionized the world, leaving behind his legacy for all to enjoy. I'm not complaining, I certainly felt his vision through all the Apple products I go through.
Yet, what about his personal legacy?
When this wave of mourning passes, who will be there to remember him?
Will the millions of people including me who wrote Facebook posts about him remember him 20 years down the road?
Will the Apple fanboys remember their great spiritual leader/founder or just be concerned about the next product the company is going to push out?
Seriously, how many people are already upset at Apple for the iPhone 4S?
These thoughts has been running through my head for a bit now, even before Jobs passed on. Then I read this article, which the title heading I was... well, just shaking my head: "Steve Jobs agreed to biography so his children could know him better" I asked myself this question, do I have to write a book just so I could pass on my values and views of the world to my own children? That to me, is ridiculous, as a parent, you should be there personally to teach your children, to nurture them, letting them know you through conversations, actions.
Yes in a sense by not being there for his children, he helped create a company, took it to greater heights than ever before. But... at what cost? Was it all worth it?
I'm very interested in this book, and which is why I'm going to write Part 2 after I finished reading the biography.
__________________________________
Part 2
Written 19th - 20th November 2011
I've finished the book.
But let's not talk about the book first, let's talk about this generation of people. This generation is like the internet, the internet as I've learnt in this world, is fast, and unforgiving.
General consensus for people on the internet about Apple right now:
- iPhone 4S does not have great battery life.
- iOS 5 drains a lot of battery.
- Siri doesn't cater to all accents.
- Where is iPhone 5?
- Where is iPad 3?
All of them are so craving for the next in-thing from Apple.
Who still remembers that the Apple founder has passed on?
Now let's get back to the book.
From a structural standpoint, the author splits them into distinct chapters, chapters that deals with the founding of the company, the creation of Apple II, the ousting of Jobs from Apple, the founding of NeXT, the creation of iPod so on and so forth. This is interspersed with chapters about his life, his social life, his relationships with specific people.
The first part of the book mainly deals with his early life at Apple, which, as much as the author tries to keep it in line, constantly deviates from the chapter heading. This seems to stem from the rebellious streak of Jobs at Apple too.
The second part deals with after the ousting and subsequent return to Apple. These chapters are I assume people would find most interesting about. The creation of the new Macs, the iPod, the iTunes store, the iPhone then the iPad, iCloud and so on and so forth.
It was as if the author was caught in the reality distortion field in the first place. No, not during the composition of the book, but I certainly felt he was compelled by Jobs' charm to write a book about him. This, along with the fact that the author has written biographies of Einstein and Benjamin Franklin, makes Jobs feel like he's reached a plateau of greats.
This pattern is repeated throughout the book, the desire of not for money, but more for the fame, for the recognition (or what the lay-man calls "ego boost"). Requesting more stock options at Apple, Disney/Pixar, Sony with the iTunes store etc.
You will notice that what saved Jobs after being ousted by Apple was not NeXT, but Pixar. Pixar essentially helped to calm Jobs' attitude and nature down to an "accepted" level. The way he dealt with Disney with Pixar, how he envisioned Pixar as a brand that should exist outside Disney. He applied the same principles after he was back at Apple.
Frankly, I think it would suck to work with/under/above the guy. But I admire what he's done, or what he had to do to get what he wanted through. I liked more of the other ancillary characters, Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Lee Clow, Jonathan Ive, Ron Johnson. Other than Gates, theses are people who Jobs handpicked, people who are able to do what he wanted them to do well. That's what's special about Jobs, instead of having the skills, his skill was able to find the right people with the right skills. With those people, he was able to successfully start and later, turn Apple around.
The chapters on iPhone and iPad are short, mostly talking about facts one Google search away, and not a lot of the technical details. I bet Apple has things under their sleeves that the author was not allowed to write. Personality takes a back seat here, and focuses on the product.
Problems with App store guidelines are briefly mentioned, the antenna problem with the iPhone (dubbed "Antenna-gate") is an interesting look at what happens when the design takes a misstep, and how arrogant Apple (or more accurately Jobs) had become at that period.
_______________
Of course, while all the above was interesting. I wasn't particularly interested in them. I came for something else, I wanted to know how he handled his personal life.
Truth is, to me, he didn't. As with his skills in running the company, he picked a great wife (Laurene Powell).
Excerpt from the book:
"I'm very lucky, because you just don't know what you're getting into when you get married," he said. "You just have an intuitive feeling about things. I couldn't have done better, because not only is Laurene smart and beautiful, she's turned out to be a really good person." ... ... He also reflected on how selfish and demanding he could be. "Laurene had to deal with all that, and also with me being sick," he said. "I know that living with me is not a bowl of cherries."
While tensions with his first daughter Lisa is very much intact, he made good with the rest of his kids. He was especially proud of his (and only) son, Reed. Reading the book you can see it, the pride he felt of his son succeeding in school, helping with Jobs' cancer treatments. The other two younger daughters had their mom for support. Lisa however, was much older, missed much of that boat unfortunately, having to grow up under the early, more violatile Jobs.
By the end though, and nearing his passing, he realized that family was important enough to reconcile with. That was possibly the time where he realized he didn't have time to share his stories with his kids, and commissioned the author to write this book.
Its easy to see I was taken aback, if not outright angered, by the comment back in Part 1 about how this book "was going to let his kids know him better". Over the course of reading this book, I realized he knew he didn't have much time left. Somehow I also felt that maybe he was more comfortable acknowledging his weaknesses to a stranger than telling it to his kids directly.
Well, something about his ego. That quote, presented in its entirety here, means much more:
"I wanted my kids to know me," he said. "I wasn't always there for them, and I wanted them to know why and to understand what I did. Also, when I got sick, I realized other people would write about me if I died, and they wouldn't know anything. They'd get it all wrong. So I wanted to make sure someone heard what I had to say."
This book would be special, and the only "Apple" product that Jobs did not actively participate in (during his tenure at Apple of course).
He had never, in two years, asked anything about what I was putting into the book or what conclusions I had drawn. But now he looked at me and said, "I know there will be a lot in your book I won't like." It was more a question than a statement, and when he stared at me for a response, I nodded, smiled, and said I was sure that would be true. "That's good," he said. "Then it won't seem like an in-house book. I won't read it for a while, because I don't want to get mad. Maybe I will read it in a year-if I'm still around." By then, his eyes were closed and his energy gone, so I quietly took my leave.
The last chapter was well... aptly titled: "Legacy". I would read it just for the author's own opinion on Jobs. At the same time, the author fits in some material that wasn't applicable in the other chapters.
There are two things that represented Jobs and why I think he is so successful (edit: success in work). First is his innate ability to focus on whatever he's doing at that current time and (unfortunately sometimes) defocus everything else. Second is his intuition for everything design related, what worked and what didn't. He left much if not all of his legacy to Apple, new campus, new CEO, a booming mobile market. This also meant that he didn't leave much for his kids, which I believe is what this book was meant to do.
At the heart of it all, Jobs was a extremely successful entrepreneur, but he was a crappy relationship handler. He realizes it at the tailgate of his time, and tries his best to redeem himself, repairing burnt bridges in the best way he can.
And hey, everyone could use a little redemption sometimes.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sleeping Mix 可以睡着的歌
I've always had a on and off relationship with sleep.
Sometimes it comes easily, sometimes it like that philosophy article that you thought you understand but when the final rolls around you struggle to get it.
These days the problem isn't it, it's me. I'm having trouble finding time to sleep. I mean the daily routines of a internet savvy computer science graduate does take up copious amounts of time, and I'm caught between books, games, videos, programming and internet.
I remember periods in my university days where it was just things that was bothering me, making me unable to sleep. This is where these songs helped me.
I chose a mixture of english and chinese songs, well cause that's what I am, Bilingual. I tried to avoid drums lines or tracks with heavy bass, well, I found them to be the opposite of therapeutic. Tracks with piano lead-ins, and or mixed with acoustic guitar was what I was aiming for.
Maybe I find the female voice to be more soothing, but the mix contains only one and a half (group) male artist (though not one you would expect). Nevertheless, the vocals are what I would call.... drifty, angelic if you will.
Sleeping Mix
1. 牡丹江 - 南拳妈妈
2. Can I Wait - Jason Harwell
3. 宝贝(in the night) - 张悬
4. The Best Day - Taylor Swift
5. Like A Star - Corinne Bailey Rae
6. Singalongsong - 方大同
7. 时间停了 - 赵薇
8. 夏夜晚风 - 伍佰
9. 你在烦恼什么 - 苏打绿
Bonus Track: 10. 暗恋 - 陶喆
I recommend that the volume be turned down when listening. I also like to picture somewhere peaceful and relax my body into it.
Hope you guys like it! Get some sleep while you're at it now.
Sometimes it comes easily, sometimes it like that philosophy article that you thought you understand but when the final rolls around you struggle to get it.
These days the problem isn't it, it's me. I'm having trouble finding time to sleep. I mean the daily routines of a internet savvy computer science graduate does take up copious amounts of time, and I'm caught between books, games, videos, programming and internet.
I remember periods in my university days where it was just things that was bothering me, making me unable to sleep. This is where these songs helped me.
I chose a mixture of english and chinese songs, well cause that's what I am, Bilingual. I tried to avoid drums lines or tracks with heavy bass, well, I found them to be the opposite of therapeutic. Tracks with piano lead-ins, and or mixed with acoustic guitar was what I was aiming for.
Maybe I find the female voice to be more soothing, but the mix contains only one and a half (group) male artist (though not one you would expect). Nevertheless, the vocals are what I would call.... drifty, angelic if you will.
Sleeping Mix
1. 牡丹江 - 南拳妈妈
2. Can I Wait - Jason Harwell
3. 宝贝(in the night) - 张悬
4. The Best Day - Taylor Swift
5. Like A Star - Corinne Bailey Rae
6. Singalongsong - 方大同
7. 时间停了 - 赵薇
8. 夏夜晚风 - 伍佰
9. 你在烦恼什么 - 苏打绿
Bonus Track: 10. 暗恋 - 陶喆
I recommend that the volume be turned down when listening. I also like to picture somewhere peaceful and relax my body into it.
Hope you guys like it! Get some sleep while you're at it now.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Random Blurt
1. A person can be motivated, can be pushed. But they cannot be told what they can do and what they cannot do. It is up to the person him/herself to find out.
2. I hate being sick. I should stop eating what my mum feeds me. Splitting headache and grumbling stomach ongoing.
3. A song in your iPod might not mean anything when you added it to the music library, but a few years down the road the song comes on and you feel exactly what the song is singing.
4. Macs are hard to use. I know, I'm typing this on a Mac now.
5. I can't believe how much I changed, even just 2 months ago. I am motivated.
6. To miss someone is _______
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Something to think about...
在医疗中心的我, 看过许多许多病人的毛病.
这些我都ok, 因为我不认识他们. 没有与他们上过班, 吃过饭...
但是这次... 有点太近了.
I feel like JD in that Scrubs episode about Ben.
I hope its wrong, I want it to be wrong.
有时候想想, 会不会太扯了吧.
还是好好照顾自己的身体啊.
Song in the video: Guided by Voices - Hold On Hope
轻微的是脚扭伤, 伤风感冒, 肌肉酸痛.
配一点药, 涂一些药膏就好了.
配一点药, 涂一些药膏就好了.
偶尔有个脊椎脱位, 应力性骨折(stress fracture), 肌肉拉伤较严重的.
顶多动个危险性较低的手术就能复原或减轻症兆的, 或者不去做那些刺激那部位的行动就好了.
最后的那么几个... 在做化疗, 或者座着轮椅进来的, 或者本人来不了了.顶多动个危险性较低的手术就能复原或减轻症兆的, 或者不去做那些刺激那部位的行动就好了.
这些我都ok, 因为我不认识他们. 没有与他们上过班, 吃过饭...
但是这次... 有点太近了.
I feel like JD in that Scrubs episode about Ben.
I hope its wrong, I want it to be wrong.
有时候想想, 会不会太扯了吧.
还是好好照顾自己的身体啊.
Song in the video: Guided by Voices - Hold On Hope
Monday, September 12, 2011
中秋
I don't understand, is everything so coincidental?
Today would mark 1 year that I'm here. Still have one more year to go.One more year.
Tomorrow, would be a day that, if gone well, would be one of the happiest days in this period.
If not well, that's what I'm preparing for now.
Today is also 中秋. Happy 中秋节! I talked to both of my parents, my grandma was... well, relatively healthy. I wished Chester happy 中秋, since we were on the same side of the globe for once.
Today is ... well, one of the days. It is nagging at me. I can't shake this feeling.
Got better after the walk... but ...
Today would mark 1 year that I'm here. Still have one more year to go.One more year.
Tomorrow, would be a day that, if gone well, would be one of the happiest days in this period.
If not well, that's what I'm preparing for now.
Today is also 中秋. Happy 中秋节! I talked to both of my parents, my grandma was... well, relatively healthy. I wished Chester happy 中秋, since we were on the same side of the globe for once.
Today is ... well, one of the days. It is nagging at me. I can't shake this feeling.
Got better after the walk... but ...
Saturday, April 2, 2011
联络
有时候想说话的时候没有人倾听
不想说话的时候却有人愿意听了
网络让许多人都变得疏远, 像隔着一层隔音玻璃, 或者对着墙壁说话
怎么说怎么听
当一个人在一百公里以外, 在别的省市, 在地球的另一端
但是... 我在说我在听吗?
这应该就是寂寞
妈妈你要好起来!
不想说话的时候却有人愿意听了
网络让许多人都变得疏远, 像隔着一层隔音玻璃, 或者对着墙壁说话
怎么说怎么听
当一个人在一百公里以外, 在别的省市, 在地球的另一端
但是... 我在说我在听吗?
这应该就是寂寞
妈妈你要好起来!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
2010
Procrastination sets in. I wanted to write this sooner, but things or laziness always gets in the way.
2010 came and gone.
I graduated.
I moved back to a place I was familiar with. But it wasn't all that familiar in the end.
Life moves on. Still a lot more time left to go.
Oh, I have 微博 now. http://t.sina.com/returners
2010 came and gone.
I graduated.
I moved back to a place I was familiar with. But it wasn't all that familiar in the end.
Life moves on. Still a lot more time left to go.
Oh, I have 微博 now. http://t.sina.com/returners
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Quiet
There are times when you want to find peace and quiet but just can't find the place.
Now that I'm here, there isn't anything left for me to sit there and brood over.
I'm left with decisions I've made, decisions I can't change.
"有时候, 有时候, 我会相信一切有尽头, 相聚离开都有时候, 没有什么会永垂不朽."
"走吧, 走吧, 人总要学着自己长大, 走吧, 走吧, 人生难免经历苦痛挣扎."
呵呵, 最后还是回想起老歌...
我在这里 08/05/2010 Lake Louise. 天气晴.
Now that I'm here, there isn't anything left for me to sit there and brood over.
I'm left with decisions I've made, decisions I can't change.
"有时候, 有时候, 我会相信一切有尽头, 相聚离开都有时候, 没有什么会永垂不朽."
"走吧, 走吧, 人总要学着自己长大, 走吧, 走吧, 人生难免经历苦痛挣扎."
呵呵, 最后还是回想起老歌...
我在这里 08/05/2010 Lake Louise. 天气晴.
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