Wednesday, December 9, 2009

leadership and responsibility

I have been believing that leadership and responsibility are inseparable.

Once a person volunteers to take the role of leader, he or she should take the responsibility for that group. There is no way to be a great leader while being irresponsible for the group.

People say the Management School is to develop future leaders. We also say we are here to learn.

I'm hoping we can see more and more great leaders with their responsibility and courage to make the world a better place. This may sound silly and idealistic, but that's one of the evidence showing I am still young enough to hope, right?

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Inspiration from Drucker Centennial Week

The Drucker Centennial Week celebration finished with Drucker Centennial Day yesterday. We had Jim Collins, Charles Handy, and many other great guest speakers coming to Claremont and share all kinds of insights with us, especially about "Why we need Drucker now, more than ever"!

I was really excited that we have the chance to meet Jim Collins and can hear from him about Drucker's philosophy. And he didn't disappoint me at all! One sentence that really touched me is this, "The great leaders are extremely ambitious, but not for themselves!"
People tend to think the basic stuffs are not as important and new thoughts or innovations. Although some new ideas are pretty excited, the sincerity, honesty, trust, etc, are still the most important characters for a successful leader. And people usually forget these things because they are simply too basic.

There must be reasons that great leaders/thinkers are always talking about the basic things. However, many people focus only in narrow field and ignore the importance of the big picture. Human beings have unlimited capability, but we like to limit ourselves all the time.

One advice that Jim Collins offered was to "build your own personal board of directors. People selected not for their accomplishment, but for their character. The people you will be embarrassed talking to if you are thinking if this is really a right thing to do."
Every of his suggestion is just so deeply touching my heart, and I almost agree with every of them sincerely.

When Jim Collins talked about the first meeting between him and Peter Drucker. When Drucker left his advice for Jim Collins, Peter was not worried about Jim's survival in academic, nor about Jim's career or financial success, but Peter asked Jim to think about how to be useful. And as Jim Collins recalled, that 10 seconds conversation changed his whole life.

This week truly reminded me how great Peter Drucker is. The week also convinced me once again that I am extremely lucky to be in this fantastic school. Thanks for Jim Collins, I again listened to a speech with tears in my eyes.



As a co-director of Marketing Club in Drucker School, I was proud that I really have some trustworthy partners to work with now. The result can be so easily seen as we presented the club booth. On that booth, we had the collaborative work of many people in marketing club. The booth was beautifully designed and decorated. We had Prof. Darroch's new book presented on the booth. The certificate of being one chapter of American Marketing Association was so shining. I am also grateful that members designed different materials that make our project successful. To present the business card the member designed in the booth, I felt really proud.

This semester, the Drucker Marketing Club is having many activities and events going on. We are having guest speakers coming in next two weeks, too. I am really glad we are having members keep joining our events!



The final part I'd like to share is about the conversation with Masatoshi Ito, the founder and honorary chairman of the Ito-Yokado Group. His friendship and working relationship with Peter Drucker spanned more than three decades. Ito San is an amazingly humble person and a great leader in Japan. I am so honored to be in the school named Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito School!

Ito San was really kind and took time to meet Drucker School students. Because this event was decided at the last minute, we were worried that we could not broadcast the information fast enough to draw people to this event. However, we soon found that the worry was so stupid. Ito San is such a great leader that his appearance drew attention by nature. We ended up with a room full of people, and crowd even outside of the room.

Ito San talked about his relationship with Peter Drucker and how he learned from Peter. In fact, Peter insisted to have Ito's name on the school because he believed Ito San is a practical side of himself! Seeing the true friendship with two great men, I was deeply touched and felt so proud to be associated with them.

Non-surprisingly, the values that Ito San deeply embeds in every aspect of his thought totally match what Peter and all other great thinkers believe. They all value social responsibility, honesty, and dignity. They all dislike the "money centric" and "profit-only" ideas. Just like Jim Collins said, "The great leaders are extremely ambitious, but not for themselves." Ito San is a great example and role model for us, which I truly appreciate!


In this photo, the person in the center who had the great smile on his face is one of our professors. He is teaching self-management in our school, a field that is very important for knowledge workers, but are not addressed by most "B-schools" at all.

I have been studying in Drucker School for more than 1 year. Of course, this school is not perfect, and it's small with limited resources.
However, where can you find a school that all the professors are really passionate about teaching and students' success? Where can you find a school that everyone is so friendly and so tightly working together, even as volunteers? In what kind of business speaking sessions, you can find your eyes wet all the time while listening to different great speakers talking about their dream and Peter's dream.

The Drucker School is great. I am extremely lucky to be here and to share all the great thoughts with many many great people.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Crazy (Fun) Week

The midterm week finally finished. Since I had only two classes in 1st module and only one of them had midterm exam, this week became crazily fun week for me!

During this week, I played golf 4 times, One time in regular course, three times in short course!
Also, I played poker at the night before midterm exam, and although I was so lucky that I won the most at that night!
After the midterm, we went to golf (I almost got a hole-in-one), 燒肉, and then Karaoke. "Tamaen" in Torrance was so dili. Singing with friends is still one of my favorite activities!
Other than these, finally, my car has run more than 30,000 miles, and I went to car service, Ontario Mills (while waiting for my car,) and Costa Mesa (Book-off & Mitsuwa).
Finally, I bought the driver that I have been wanted to buy, and a pair of golf shoes. Although I have no idea how much time I need to practice before I can use the driver well, I am motivated by the purchase and eager to play golf more!

We also went to go-cart racing. This is really fun and tiring! I still can't move my arm even two days after playing this. However, I do find I am not a competitive person in this game. Although I was the 1st place in the 2nd tier group, because I bumped other people during the race, I felt a bit guilty at the end...

Well, it's still a great experience though. I enjoyed racing with so many friends. I am glad I went there!

I renewed my Disneyland annual pass in this week, too.
It's a pity that we didn't go with Disneyland expert this time, but we found we learned something from her. Even though it's Friday night and the park is extremely crowded. We took several rides and had a nice dinner in the park without waiting too much. I was still scared while taking Splash Mountain, and still feeling good while taking Pirates of Caribbean.

Today, thanks for the invitation from A & H, we went to Little Tokyo restaurant together. Luckily and surprisingly, we met K's family there. Of course, with this group of people, the meal would be amazingly good. We had not only nigiri sushi but also a lobster sashimi+nabe. This meal is so good that I almost couldn't stop eating even I was so full...

With this happy ending, I finished the happy week. And from tomorrow, the 2nd module will start, and I will be crazily busy again with tons of homework to do. However, I am glad to have so colorful life here. Claremont is the best! Drucker School is the best! My friends are the best!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Apple's new lineup for the holiday season 09

Apple just announced their quarterly report yesterday with profits surge 46% and record breaking Mac & iPhone sales.

Today, Apple released the new products for the holiday season 2009.

I have always been amazed by the way Apple introduces their product in a short video.
This iMac is a refinement of previous product.
On contrast to other computer companies, Apple is not trying to put a touch screen on the iMac, but build a multi-touch mice instead.
The reason is simple: "To add meaningless feature is never a good thing."
Differentiation is not just being different. Whether consumers perceived the value is the key of product success.

The following is the introduction video from Apple:


NSHMBA 2009



This is the 2nd time I attended NSHMBA career fair.
The event is one of the biggest for MBA in the US, and I have always learned a lot by just struggling in the career fair and talking with people.

Finding a job under this economy is really difficult even for Americans, not to mention for the international students.
As international students, it's just the reality we are facing.

In fact, I do think going back to Taiwan is also a good option. However, I also want to learn more in the US, since I really feel the diverse cultures here in California inspire me a lot.

Last year, the NSHMBA conference was in Atlanta and I went there with many classmates. Senior students taught me how to network with people, and we even debate whether trying to make friends with strangers is a necessary thing to do. The experience really shocked me because I had't understood how difficult for me to find a job in the US.

This year, Drucker School had much fewer students going with us even school is aggressively trying to send us there by sponsoring hotel fee. Several of us still went, and I felt it's totally worth it. The event is actually a bit smaller than last year. Companies are offering more internship but maybe not as many full time jobs. I practiced talking with recruiters again, and I realized I improved. My improvement really makes me happy, although it may be very little.

Also, this year, my brother joined me in job hunting in the US.
It's great to share with him and try to help.
The NSHMBA event itself may not be too much fun, but going there with friends, learning from practicing, talking with all kinds of different people, and confirming my own understanding of myself all are really useful for me.

I am glad I joined again this year. And I really enjoyed this trip with friends and my brother.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Parents' visit

The 1st week of semester, my parents came to visit me after their trip in Boston with my brother. Although they stayed 5 nights, I feel we couldn't have enough time to talk.

We played two golf games. The weather was a bit weird because of the huge fire in the West. However, we did enjoy and I have never felt so nice while playing golf with them. Even I still played terribly, we enjoyed playing together. That's the most important thing, right?


I took them to Solvang, a small Danish style town near Santa Barbara. Although my dad does not drink alcohol at all, while we tried a bit wine tasting, he smelled the wines. I appreciated that. Also, I missed the days we traveled together with my brother.



Of course, we ate some good food. In Solvang, the dinner in hotel was so delicious that we were a bit surprised. Also, we went to Ojiya, Shin-sen-gumi, Mitsuwa for all kinds of Japanese food. I am really glad to see them enjoyed here.

I am so lucky to have them visit me, and I am looking forward to meeting my brother in Oct. when we attend some career fairs together.

Well, I do love my family. I do.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Claremont 真的是個很威的地方...

今天意外看到US News Best Colleges 2010的美國liberal arts colleges排名 連結在此:

結果證實Claremont Colleges裡面的學校各個都是赫赫有名的Liberal Arts 學校
所謂Liberal Arts College 根據US News的定義是
"The Nation's 266 liberal arts colleges emphasize under-graduate education and award at least half of their degrees in the arts and sciences. Most are private institutions."

這個ranking 中 全美前20名就有三間是Claremont Colleges (總共也才七間) 底下的學校
Pomona College - No. 6
Claremont McKenna College - No. 11
Harvey Mudd College - No. 14

簡單說 就是這個小小的Claremont City 其實是很威的
大家應該好好利用這邊其他學校的資源 以此共勉

Monday, August 3, 2009

OXford Program: Global Strategy & Trade




I Just finished the trip in Oxford, UK. This is a nice trip with all kinds of different experiences.
Although it's an interesting and fun trip, I did go there for a class: Global Strategy & Trade.

Many Drucker School senior students recommended this class to me, and after taking it by myself, I would like to recommend this class to everyone in Drucker School & CGU, too.

This class does not only open to MBA students in Drucker School, but also accept PHD students in CGU and, of course, EMBA students. This structure of students makes the program more diverse, and I appreciate it.

There are two professors and many guest speakers giving lectures during the two weeks in Oxford. We had either lecture from professor in the morning and guest speaker in the afternoon, or vice versa. The assignments were heavy but helpful, we needed to finish all the readings and writings before we arrived Oxford so that we can enjoy the time being there.

All the social events and tours arranged in Oxford were interesting. Although I could not understand the Shakespeare play, I did enjoy watching it. We visited Wembley Stadium and Mini car plant, and both were pretty informative and fun.

The best part is the interaction with classmates and professors. Every student stayed in the same dorm and we were all having the same schedule for classes, events, and meals. Thus, we could know everyone at the end and had closer relationship. I did enjoy knowing different people, especially when everyone is interested in Globalization.

Anyway, this is a really nice program that opened my eyes. The classes and speeches were from all different kinds of perspectives, and having class in Oxford is a totally different feeling from having class in Claremont. I strongly recommend everyone take this class if possible because I found it really valuable!

Sunday, July 5, 2009

My second 4th of July in the US



Last 4th of July, thanks to I-Place in Claremont College, I attended the parade and watched the fireworks in Claremont. That was an amazing experience that I could see the real Independence day traditions in the States.

This year, thanks to Nick, several friends gathered in Santa Monica and had a wonderful BBQ party in Nick's house. I was really glad that Kazuma and Yoshi both could come and bring their families. Also, it made me happy that Edward and Julie joined us and we walked around the beach and shopping area. The weather was perfect. The food was home made (Nick-made) and really delicious(I love the chicken!) After not seeing all these friends for a while, it's a pleasure to play with everyone and having such a nice day together.

Thank you, Nick, for hosting the great party for us!
Happy Birthday to the United States!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Drucker School Golf Competition



Before my internship started, this is my last social event.
It's really fun to play golf with professor, EMBA student, alumni, and school director/dean, especially under the Spring weather of Southern California.

If you ever wonder whether this golf competition is worth to join, it is strongly recommended!
I was teamed up with MBA director, our OB professor, and an EMBA student. They are all very very nice partners(Drucker's culture!) The rule of this game is basically based on the team performance. We played only "the best ball" in each team each shot, so every team seemed to have really good score and people had little pressure on individual performance. It's a relaxing game, really.

Since I came to California, golf has really became enjoyable to me, and it's my pleasure to attend Drucker School's social event. It's so lucky to study here and to find out the fun of golf. Thanks to everyone who has played, talked, practiced golf with me!

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Movie: Departure(送行者-禮儀師的樂章,おくりびと)


Last week, there was finally a chance for me to watch this movie, Departure(送行者-禮儀師的樂章,おくりびと).
After seeing the movie, I could totally see the reasons that this movie could receive so many awards, and I recommended this movie to everyone.

Departure(送行者-禮儀師的樂章,おくりびと) reminded me to use a totally different perspective to observe things,
and it also contains many heart-touching stories. The family, the friendship, and the love between couples are all showed in the movie.

Among movies I recently saw, Departure is definitely an outstanding one, with impressive story, great actors(actresses), and deep meanings.
If you are waiting for a movie that may change your feeling about life, this may be the movie to watch.

Monday, April 27, 2009

New Get a Mac Ad: PC easy as 1-23.

Funny ad sharing!


Sunday, April 19, 2009

Info Sharing: The Annenberg Space for Photography

This is a post of my friend. He is an expert in photography, font, and design.
I am planning to visit The Annenberg Space for Photography.
Here is the article about it in WSJ: Annenberg's New Gallery Space
Please let me know if you are interested in it, too.

Author: Paul Hung


想要知道快門,光圈,相機,王鏡的人士請止步,因為這個組織的重心並非在儀器,但是展示的作品都是用傳統的 C-print。很多都是印在 Fujiflex Supergloss 上面,所以有 Cibachrome 的感覺,很有生命的影像。

The Annenberg Space for Photography 在 3/27/2009 於 Century City 開幕。位於 Century Park 的南邊,The Annenberg Space for Photography 是著名的 USC Annenberg School of CommunicationUniversity of Pennsylvania Annenberg School of Communication 背後的 Annenberg 基金會主辦的一個專門為視覺/攝影而設的展示館。

Century Plaza
2000 Avenue of the Stars, #10
Los Angeles, CA 90067
tel: 213.403.3000
fax: 213.403.3100

Wed-Sun: 11am - 6pm

Century Park 的主要建築是
Century Plaza Towers,是由 Minoru Yamasaki 所設計的。一眼望去,可以看到 NYC World Trade Center (WTC) 的影子。沒錯,WTC 也是 Yamasaki 設計的。多年來成為洛杉磯法律等行業的第一選擇。律師的住址要不是 Century Plaza 的話,就無人問津。因為如此,幾年前 Century Plaza Towers 以南的空地加建一棟新的大樓,命名為 2000 Avenue of the Stars。在同一個時段,Century Plaza Towers 的大廳也重新裝修,與新的建築的風格呼應,成為一體。南加州沒有多少代表性的建築,而 Century City 因為離高速公路有一段路,所一一般觀光客不知道這棟大樓在七零年代曾經是最大的立體停車場之一,而且規劃完善,直到今天,還能夠讓擁擠的汽車出入方便。

說到停車,因為這裡是辦公大樓,所以週末毫無人煙。因此平日 8:30—16:30 (M-F) 三個小時 $3.50 (蓋章後的優惠價)的
停車費用在 16:30 之後入場,或者週六/日全天的三小時停車費用是 $1.00。

第一梯次的展示已經開始,6/28/2009 截止。這一次的展示可以看到以下駐於洛杉磯的攝影師的作品:

Julius Shulman
Tim Street-Porter
這兩位的作品大家可能都很熟悉。他們的作品多半與建築有關係。Julius Shulman 的處女作與多數的作品是 Richard Neutra 設計的建築,而 Tim Street-Porter 以他的現有光源與 'lived in' 風格,改變了大家對建築攝影的刻板印象。

Douglas Kirklnd
Greg Gorman
這兩位攝影師出名於他們與明星的融合力。在他們的快門前,明星可以毫無顧忌地流露真情。
以下幾位是駐洛杉磯時報多年的攝影記者
Carolyn Cole 在多次的戰地攝影融化了敵人與戰友的界限,也讓她多次得到了 Pulitzer Prize。
Lawrence Ho 在 1992 年的洛杉磯大動亂作品也為他帶來了 Pulitzer Prize.
Kirk McKoy 是洛杉磯時報的資深 Feature Photo Editor,也得了兩次 Pulitzer Prize
Genaro Molina 也是洛杉磯時報的資深攝影記者。

Catherine Opie's 的 "In and Around Home" 將她特殊的親身經驗經過視覺淋漓盡致地表達。

John Baldessari 的社論式的重點(黃/紅/藍) 塗鴉博人一笑。

在這個建築的正中心有兩個面對面的光面,後投射的螢幕。非常高的品質,把多有展示的照片用多媒體的方式呈現在觀眾眼裡。不過也因為如此方式,大家可以親身體會,沖印在 C-print 上面的畫質還是無法被投射式,甚至 Quad-HD (3840 x 2160) 所取代。

每個星期四的晚間 18:30 開始有攝影師的演講與示範,要事先預約。


微軟是贊助這個組織的成員之一,所以裡頭有兩個大螢幕 (42 吋) 的 Surface。不讓我驚訝的,就是工作人員說,那兩個電腦的作業系統承受不了使用者的正常使用,整天當個不停。更妙的是,研究室裡頭有兩部電腦,一部 Windows Vista,一部 Macintosh,可是都用 23" 的 Cinema Display。就算 Cinema Display 的影像品質普普通通,整體上來說,這個空間對設計的風格要求嚴格,所以只有 Cinema Display 通過考驗。對了,那兩個 Surface 的玻璃桌子也設計得非常漂亮。

最重要的,不要看 MapQuest/Google Map。我告訴各位一個捷徑。

I-10, exit at National
Turn west at Manning
Turn north at Motor
Turn east at Pico
Turn north at Avenue of the Stars
Turn east at Constellation

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/7761/annenbergspaceforphotog.jpg


當你出來的時候,千萬別看路標,跑到 Robertson 去(E),或者跑到 Overland (W)。照原路回高速公路。照路標往東走,上 I-10 東向的話,會跑到 Robertson 去,那就毀了。上列的那些路徑會碰上五個 Stop signs,但是路上都是西洛杉磯的正點住宅區。非豪宅,但是非常高雅的住宅區,很養眼。在上下班時間很快的就能夠到達高速公路出入口。這個是電影界與當地居民才知道的路徑。

Monday, April 13, 2009

Info Sharing: Dell Adamo review - Engadget

It seems that the beautiful design is only skin-deep.
Although Adamo is even thiner than Macbook Air, the weight is not lighter.
Also, the performance and battery life are not as good as people expected.

For people who are interested in buying this machine, maybe checking the review out first is a good choice.


Sources:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/13/dell-adamo-review/

Taiwanese

Nothing can change the fact that I am a Taiwanese.
No matter which language I am using or trying to use, no matter what kinds of events I am trying to attend, no matter how hard I am trying to be not only a Taiwanese, I am and will always be a Taiwanese.

Sincerely, I am hoping Taiwanese can achieve more and collaborate more.

When can I step out and do something?
Really, I am so weak... Taiwanese is so weak....?

Thursday, April 2, 2009

News of Drucker School of Management



The Drucker School Named One of the Nation's Top 15 Business Schools by the Princeton Review
Published on Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Entrepreneur Magazine: Drucker Graduate School of Management Named One of the Nation's Top 15 Business Schools by The Princeton Review



Claremont, California — The Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University has been named one of 15 top business schools for General Management in The Princeton Review’s Student Opinion Honors for Business Schools, a recognition that was highlighted in the April 2009 issue of Entrepreneur Magazine.

“We are very honored to be among the top schools named in The Princeton Review’s top business schools list as published in Entrepreneur magazine,” said Ira Jackson, Dean and Professor of Management at The Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management. “We have always been committed to teaching our students the importance of effective management and ethical leadership across all sectors of society. To receive this recognition by the prestigious Princeton Review offers external validation of the quality of our faculty and the benefit of the general management education that we deliver. ”

The Student Opinion Honors for Business Schools identifies MBA institutions whose students overwhelmingly agree that it offers extraordinary preparation in six core business areas including: accounting, finance, general management, global management, marketing and operations. Fifteen schools in each category were selected based completely on surveys conducted by The Princeton Review and completed by more than 19,000 MBA students attending the 296 schools profiled in its book, “Best 296 Business Schools: 2009 Edition”. The 80-question survey asked participants to rate their experiences in the classroom and on campus, and how they rate their MBA program in preparing them in all six categories.

“This national recognition from Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine comes on the heels of the recent success that the Drucker School student team achieved in winning the national NetImpact case competition at the LEEDS School of Business in Boulder, Colorado,” added Dean Jackson. “Competing against some 85 other business schools, Drucker bested the teams from the University of North Carolina, Harvard, Stanford and Kellogg, and the team from MIT in the finals, for first place honors, the national title, and the $6,000 prize. The NetImpact award is billed as ‘the premier case format competition built around businesses facing sustainability challenges while succeeding financially.’ These two recent honors underscore the unique quality of our students and our faculty and our approach to management education.”

Drucker remains in impressive company as part of the top schools in the General Management category, and are listed beside other top business schools across the nation including Dartmouth, Harvard and INSEAD. Observed Dean Jackson: “General Management is undeniably the most important single category of an MBA education. This is where students put it all together – finance, marketing, accounting, organizational behavior, strategy, leadership – and where values are taught. This is the essence of a Drucker MBA – approaching management as a liberal art, integrating all the core disciplines in an approach that emphasizes effectiveness, innovation, ethics and responsibility. It is really thrilling for us to receive this honor, which speaks so centrally to our purpose.”

In addition to being featured in the magazine, the lists are also posted on entrepreneur.com and on princetonreview.com.

About The Drucker School: With a strong commitment to research, values orientation, and an intimate graduate-only curriculum, The Princeton Review recently ranked the school fifth in the nation in faculty quality. The Drucker School offers a variety of professional and doctoral degrees, including MBA, EMBA, MSFE (jointly with CGU’s School of Math), MA in Arts Management (jointly with CGU’s School of Arts and Humanities), and MA in Politics, Business, and Economics (jointly with CGU’s School of Politics and Economics). Named for both a pioneering thinker (Peter Drucker) and an accomplished doer (Masatoshi Ito), the school produces graduates who have a strong sense of social responsibility and a deep desire to make a difference by doing well while also doing good. This year marks what would have been Peter Drucker’s 100th birthday. The Drucker Centennial is designed to make Drucker’s principles and practices relevant for the future and is being guided by a committee co-chaired by (among others) AG Lafley (Chairman and CEO of Procter and Gamble), CNN commentator David Gergen, author Jim Collins, social entrepreneur Wendy Kopp, and Rev. Rick Warren.


resource:

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

最近一直接收到同樣的訊息, 我從哪裡來, 又該往何處去?

從小對於出國唸書就有著一個幻想: 想著在國外唸書, 英文變超強, 然後在美國找到很好的工作, 之後頂著光環回到台灣, 之類的種種不切實際幻想...

儘管許多長輩不斷給我建議: "你終究不是美國人, 還是要知道自己的根是在哪裡, 誰會提拔你, 誰會給你機會, 不要不切實際" 但我總還是抱持著原本的想法, 從申請學校的essay, 到美國來之後找的intern, 一個個動作都表明了我想在美國找工作, 想證明自己在這邊是有辦法生存的...

經過了八個月

可以說我終於漸漸夢醒了

姑且不論我實力根本就不夠, 就算在這邊找到工作又如何? 能有多大發展, 學到多少東西?

和我在學校的mentor聊過, 一些台灣來的前輩聊過, 自己花了好幾個月找尋工作之後, 漸漸我發現, 我必須要承認, 在這邊找尋工作的難度, 尤其在這個經濟狀況下, 實在是不容易實現的目標, 而且, 即使真的可以在這邊找到工作, 能夠為自己增加多少能力, 我真的是相當懷疑...

亞洲才是我的根

但 即使是和台灣人最容易相處的日本人 語言依然是個隔閡 文化依然是道牆
要如何跨越? 是接下來我應該好好思考的問題

anyway, 繼續學習日文吧!

Saturday, February 28, 2009

日本語先生

This week, as usual, I had three sections of Japanese classes with my dear friends.

After the three lessons, in fact, my strongest feeling is guilty.

My poor memory and limited performance are really not enough to be a good student.

Please tell me I am too lazy. I will study harder because of your words.
Thank you very very much. All my dear friends...

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

海鮮丼を作った


Finally, Michie, Sean, and I made the "Seafood Don." The materials were all bought in Marukai supermarket.(map is attached) We bought the sashimi seafood, such as salmon, scallops, sea urchin, etc. Michie cooked the 玉子燒 and I put everything on the rice. After Sean made the sauce, we had a great dinner. It's so lucky that we can even make 海鮮丼 here!



Monday, February 23, 2009

Meeting old friend is always a pleasure.



Coming back from San Francisco, the pleasure of meeting Edward still makes me feel good.

It's been a year since we met in Philadelphia. Time goes fast and we are at an age without certainty. No one knows he will be in the US or in Taiwan at May, and no one knows I will be here or somewhere else in summer. We both are struggling for our future. Because of a career fair, I found a reason to go and meet him. It's a nice trip, we went Napa, Stanford, and Apple headquarter. Of course, we did try hard in the career fair, too. I am really glad I went on this trip. Although we grew up together, now there is few chance we can meet and understand each other more.

This time, we met in San Francisco. Last time, we met in Philadelphia. Where will I see this guy next time? I have started looking forward to it!

Drucker School Classmates Won 2009 Net Impact Case Competition!

This is a part of the letter from our Dean, Ira Jackson:


I couldn't resist letting you know right away the good news that our Drucker School team won the national NetImpact case competition yesterday at the LEEDS School of Business in Boulder, Colorado. Competing against some 85 other business schools, Drucker beat out the University of North Carolina and the team from MIT for first place honors, the national title, and the $6,000 prize. This NetImpact award is billed as "the premier case format competition built around businesses facing sustainability challenges while succeeding financially." Way to go, Emi (Makino), Tyler (Burrell), Jay (Hinton) and Sarah (Shwald)! You make all of us proud. This is a truly magnificent achievement.

feel proud that although Drucker School is small, our students are outstanding enough to compete with those huge schools. Also, I have classed with all of these classmates, played golf with Tyler, and discussed QM project with Emi. It's a pleasure to work with these brilliant people.

Congratulation.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Welcome my brother in Claremont

Last week, Sean came to the beautiful city, Claremont, to visit me. He will stay here for a while and apply school as well as lean English here. It is not common that two brothers are staying together for a long time at this age, but I feel I am lucky. Since I regard the experience being here would actually develop and help Sean in certain way, it is my duty and pleasure to make it happen. 

There is one thing that I am happy about. Sean told me he is surprised that I got so many great friends who are eager to help me in many ways here. It's impressive to him, and, in fact, to me also, so I still want to say thank you to everyone who helps me and is being my friend. I love you all. Thank you!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Skiing & Super Bowl

Thanks to Paul, my first ski experience was so nice. He picked the Super Bowl day, knowing that no body will go skiing on that day, and we almost didn't need to wait for the lift. Although my balance was not so good and this was really the first time I put on the boots and skis, I enjoyed a lot and did not fall in the last time. 
One of the most amazing was that I can even ski without my gloves and it was totally not cold. To ski with such few clothes on was so special and memorable, not to mention this was my first time!

After skiing, I joined all the friends who were watching and betting on the Super Bowl game in Dan's house. This was also a nice party with exciting game which made me understand how interesting American football can be. That was a long day, but it's worth it!
I wish I can go skiing again soon!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

ありがとう 私の日本語の先生たち

きょうから、毎週水曜日は、ぼくの日本語の勉強日です。
先生たちに感謝することが、たくさんあります。これからも、おねがいします。

ありかとうございます!

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Documentary : Objectified


Apple's SVP of industrial design Jonathan Ive will show up in this documentary.
I want to watch it!  Please enjoy the trailer following:

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Long Trip

I just finished a long trip. To where? Back to my home, and my most familiar foreign country: Japan. Now, I am in beautiful Claremont, California again. This time, I felt totally different emotion from 8 months ago.

May, 2008, I was a stranger to Claremont. The traffic here was terrifying, the sun was amazingly shining, and the language and culture were so special and interesting. Jan, 2009, I am a returned student. The traffic here is more acceptable than Taiwan, the sun is so warm and charming, and the language and culture are not so fresh to me anymore. The biggest difference, surprisingly, is that I miss Asia much more than last time.

In Taiwan, many friends were so nice that they arranged to meet with me even they were busy. The period I stayed in Taiwan was very short and I was almost meeting friends every day. Finally, I could play games until sunrise with them again. Finally, I could sit in the noisy tea shop and chat with them. Finally, I could lay on the sofa in Scott's home and watch movie with them. Finally, I talked about all kinds of stupid words and gossip all night again. It is somehow meaningless, but I miss it a bit.

My family and I went to Japan again. This time, we had four people together, no one missed. I could finally take the photo for them again, for three of them. 
Japan is still such a nice place to go for vacation and hot spring. This time, finally I tried a new Onsen hotel, 藏群, which is in Otaru and has a bar with free drink(including  kinds of alcohol). We revisited Otaru and ordered sushi with my poor new learned Japanese. As a result, we had one of the most amazing experience of eating sushi in Japan.

Thanks for Michie, the Tokyo part of this trip was enjoyable as well as tiring. Kamakura(鎌倉) and Yokohama(橫濱) now have different images in my mind and these two places are really really beautiful. The dinner, Isakaya(居酒屋), and cafe we went with Sean's friend, Mariko, and Michie were all special. I am glad to have some different experience and places to go in Japan.


In this long trip, I did a lot I have wanted to do for a while, but there were also many things I could not do. I met some people but I also missed some people that I could not meet or talk with this time. There is always no perfect trip. That's why the trip is always beautiful in memory and perfect in planning.

My wish in the beginning of this year: my family can be healthy and happy, my brother can get admission from the school he wants, my friends can be successful and cheerful, and I can get an internship.