Snooker and entrepreneurship

I quick though on a seminar I attended last night on entrepreneurship. Starting a company is like playing a game of snooker. Your first shot is often defensive since you have no way of knowing what is to come next. As the balls started to spread out, it is much easier to plan your next move. To win, your lead has to collide with target first before you earn the right to pot your prized color ball. Your ability to plan, skill of where the lead ball will land after the collision determines your next move. And when the going gets tough, you need to somehow make it difficult for your opponent to proceed by placing obstacles in the right place.

外婆

王瑾！幫我引個針吧！外婆最常叫我做的事就是請我幫她引線，小小年紀的我一直都不了解為什麼引個線有這麼難。

外婆給我的印象永遠是疏個巴巴頭穿了一身唐裝，小腿裹著肉色的襪子再套上一個小到不能再小的布鞋。外婆的鞋都是自己做的因為市場上的鞋都不適合他那對三寸金蓮的腳。

外婆的房間幾乎整個都是一片挑高個榻榻米，如果下頭生個火的話那就跟她老家的抗沒什麼差別。外婆大部分的時間都坐在她的炕上，不是做他的鞋子，縫補衣服嘛就是幫我們縫被套。小的時候我們的棉被是沒有被套的。每一個棉被套都是用兩塊布組成的。外婆會先在炕上鋪一大塊白色的布，再把棉被放在正中間，另一塊布比棉被稍微小一點但質料柔軟也有花色，這個是放在棉被的上方。外婆會把底層多出來的布往上折，把棉被四邊都包覆著，再跟上層的布做一個交疊。被的四個角落都美美的折成45度的對角。外婆然後會用線一針一針的把他們全部縫和起來。我如果記得沒錯的話媽媽被是紅色的我的大概是綠色的吧。

外婆對被單是非常講究的，每一個被單都先要漿過，也就是把洗好的被單上塗一層米湯調出來的漿糊。再用電熨斗把它燙平。可惜那個時候的熨斗沒有蒸氣孔，市面上也買不到噴霧瓶，外婆會在口裡含一口水，憋著嘴，把水從嘴中逼出來，這道也達到了噴霧的效果。現在想起來外婆還真有一套，但這方法是乎有點不衛生。

記得我第一次出國的時候外婆總是嘮嘮叨叨的一直叮嚀我一定要好好讀書不要貪玩，但是等我一年以後回國又出國的時候，外婆卻哭得好傷心，外婆說他有個預感他再也見不到我了。我當時只能掐著他散出微微菜味的手安慰的跟他說我會很快地回來看她的，但是他卻哭得更傷心。外婆的預感的確沒有錯，我再一次見到外婆的時候確是在木柵的墓園裡。外婆墓碑的照片就像是我27年前的記憶一樣還是疏個巴巴頭。看著看著也不知道為什麼突然心頭有點緊，鼻子有一點酸，眼淚就溢滿我的眼眶，外婆嚴肅的照片可能也因為眼淚折射的的關係變柔和了甚至於還帶著淺淺的微笑，好像是跟我說：王瑾，我們又見面了。

買油磨刀麥芽糖

小的時候賣油的是拉著車子一路叫賣，外婆一定會給我一點錢和一個油瓶叫我去買油。賣油的會拿一個長長的勺子往他的大油桶裡頭把油舀出來，小心翼翼地用漏斗把油放進我的瓶子中。

賣油的不但賣油他還幫我們磨刀，他有一個轉動很快的磨刀盤。磨刀的時候總是會發出桔紅色的火花。刀磨完以後他還會用一組丁字型的銼刀把刀面的班銹銼光打亮。

如果家裡有多餘的玻璃瓶，我也會帶給他換取麥芽糖。麥芽糖的多少要看瓶子的大小，每一次給他的瓶子以後我就迫不及待的想知道他這一次會給我多少糖。沒錯，他的麥芽糖是很大很大一塊，每一次他會用那一隻髒髒的手捏一小塊麥芽糖出來，麥芽糖的尾端會呈現出細細長長的絲狀，在微微的夜風中翩翩起舞。賣油的會拿一根竹棍輕輕的把它接住，轉呀轉呀把所有的麥芽糖都繞在竹棍上，有時候他的指紋還可以清晰的印在麥芽糖上，但小時候的我只顧吃糖哪還管他有多髒。

小時候的記憶總是片片段段的。有時候是清晰的有時候是模糊的。想起來的時候如果不把它馬上記起來，過一會兒就忘了，再想把它找回來卻是一點頭緒都沒有，只留下一個退不掉的傷感。

Even Americans Cannot Spell

For those of you who study English as a second language, you must find spelling a really pain. Unlike Spanish that spells as it reads, English spelling is without definite rules. Here is an example of a "public display" of bad spelling. The picture was taken from a stretch of road leading to Southern Guilford High School in North Carolina. It proves that even Americans cannot spell.

Foxcomm Suicide Spree: an Organization Point of View

Dr. Chen of my organization sociology class gave us his opinion on the Foxcomm suicide spree. He attributed the problem from organization point of view, which he pointed out as extreme Taylorism.

Foxcomm, in its pursuit for efficiency and cost reduction might have purposely refined the entire production line into simple but monotonous steps that any non-skilled labor can perform with least amount of training.

Employee quarters were built close to the factory so the deployment of extra labor can be mobilized in a whim. Securities are tight in these compounds in fear of industrial espionage. In the sense, these employees are merely paid captives of the company whose only goal is to produce.

He further added that workers are isolated socially, emotionally, and physically. The isolation lent its way to magnify any personal problems within which caused enough despairs that lead to eventual suicide.

My buddy Freddie found me in Facebook

The biggest present I got for the New Year is hearing from a long lost friend. My friend Freddie contacted me on Facebook couple of weeks ago. I have not heard from him for almost 14 years. I knew Freddie when I was 17. We were roommates.

I remembered contracting German measles and had to be confined in isolation for a week. I reacted to measles badly; I didn’t have any appetite and was too weak even to stand up. Thank God Freddie was there, he was the one who nursed me to health. He brought me water and food and helped me to walk about in my room. I remembered seeing him seating by my bed, praying for my recovery. In between my sleeps, I often hear him reading the scripture to me. I believed that God spoke to me through him and it was because of him I became a Christian.

We were in touch all the way through my early working years in the United States. I couldn’t even remember how we lost touch of each other. I did try to look for him couple of times on the internet but with no avail. But now I know he is in Singapore so it’s time for me to plan my next vacation to meet him. So Freddie, my buddy, I am coming soon.

Software as a Service

The first time I learned the term SaaS was when I attended a service science seminar in the Raddison Hotel in Taipei. SaaS stands for Software as a Service. SaaS is a model of software deployment whereby a provider licenses an application to customers for use as a service on demand.
Sounds complicated? You shouldn’t feel this way; if you have a gmail account than you are already the benefactor of SaaS. Gmail is basically an email service (an application) that you subscribe through your internet browser. There is no software to install or program to update even though Google upgrades its software almost once every quarter.
The advantages of SaaS are tremendous:
1. There is no upfront cost to buy the application software, which could run up to thousands of dollars.
2. You pay a monthly fee, kind of like paying for your phone bill
3. Application can be accessed anywhere and anytime as long as you can log on to the Internet.
4. Data is securely saved in a professional data center, backed up daily in several locations
5. Software upgrade is completely transparent
Salesforce.com, one of the pioneers in the adaptation of SaaS made millions with its CRM systems. Smaller company like Armorize Technologies is able to sustain its revenue growth without the aid of venture capitalists or banks. Could this be the next disruptive technology in software evolution? Would Microsoft follow Google’s footstep by launching its Microsoft Office in SaaS format? Let’s us just wait and see.

Judging a Book by Its Cover

The other day I told my wife that I found a certain celebrity exceptionally pretty. She laughed and said because she has an educated look. Then I told her I also like a newscaster from ET Today, she smirked and said she is simply a good looking brainless bimbo.

Come to think of it, you can, to some degree, judge a person’s culture background by his or her looks. Here are my personal observations:
1. Highly educated people tend to have more elegant manner (with an exception of our past minister of education who seems to take pride in picking his nose in public).
2. Construction workers are usually tanned, muscle bound, and red faced (excessive alcohol consumption?). Their teeth are stained with betel nut juice and the facial muscles are marred with harshness and brut.
3. People who dress nicely gain more respect from others

I am particularly puzzled by my last statement because choice of clothing can easily upgrade one’s look without too much of an investment. A simple but well pressed shirt, a color coordinated pair of pants, and a nicely combed hair makes all the difference.

Protesters or Mobters

When I was overseas on vacation, I was kept in touch of the news events of Taiwan from BBC World News and CNN. Apparently, the world sees the signing of the free trade agreement between China and Taiwan as a landmark event that will change the once tension ridden cross-strait relationship to a point of harmony. I smile with the gratification knowing we have finally emerged from the shadow of formal president Chen.

But when I returned home and turned on the TV, I was greeted with news clips of violent clashes between the police and protesters. Angry protesters were in a brutal frenzy, hitting the police with their fists and feet. Rocks and homemade petrol bomb were thrown aimlessly. I quickly turned off the TV thinking just what went wrong with our nation; those are not protesters, they were but bunch of mobsters.

To make matter worse, TV commentators, instead of condemn the act of violence, were quick to blame the government of not handling the situation democratically. “The implementation of the marshal police policy is the root of violence,” said one of the commentators. But in my opinion, it’s simply the blatant disrespect for the law and order.

The Chinese delegates have gone back to China and it’s time to find those who incited violence and throw them in jail. After all, we have enough footage to nail these mobsters, don't we?

I Create, I Own, I Love

A friend of mine sent me a set of photos he took from a trip to the ancient Angkor stone city in Cambodia. They were very nice pictures indeed. I downloaded all of them to the collections of photos that I have but labeled the folder Angkor+ the name of my friend. I did this because I felt the photos are not mine; I did not take them on my own.

Come to think of it, that has been my attitude towards photos all along. I remember purchasing slides from NASA on several celestial bodies, but I never got to really enjoy them because they were not my personal work. Ironically, to own a picture of Saturn and its ring at that magnification is not possible even with the most expensive commercial equipment.

Now I know why people will risk their lives rescuing old pictures, paintings, or letters in a blazing fire; we simply value things that we created.
I guess this is why it’s easy to divorce your spouse but hard to disown you children.
It’s easy to change your job but hard to throw away your career.
After all, our love for all things, inanimate or living, is merely a manifestation of our own creation.

The Irony of Adulthood

When I was a little boy I crave nothing more then just food sold in the street cart or a simple ice cream cone from the local store. Food seemed to taste much better in those days. I guess it had a lot to do with lack of pocket money. A simple night market visit was considered as more of a treat then norm.

In my late teens, I used to envy those who could afford to eat in a restaurant, drive a car, and own a color TV. I was denied all of those amenities in life because I was living alone in United Kingdom with very limited budget. The scholarship money, although paid for all tuitions, catered to only the modest needs of my daily living.

As an adult, I have acquired almost everything that I longed for in the past and yet I no longer have the time to enjoy what I have acquired. My healthy appetite for food is tinted with fear of gaining weight. I ate at restaurant because I didn’t have time to cook meals at home. I have a big screen TV but I rarely find entertainment channels amusing. I drive a car but it is merely a vehicle taking me from A to B. My desire to rid the world of corruptions and evil is replaced with endless responsibilities at work.

Isn’t ironic that when you had all the time and energy as a young adult you didn’t have the wealth or the maturity to take the advantage of them but when you’ve acquired the wealth and wisdom you become encumbered with responsibilities and old age.