Hills of Hayward

A friend of mine recommended this beer to me, unfortunately, this was one of our final conversation topics.  I don’t think I was able to tell him that I enjoyed it.

I found a case of it at Trader Joe’s and tried it one afternoon.  It is  dark beer with a big complex flavor –  it also knocked me out for the afternoon with its unexpectedly high alcohol % for a beer.

I met Cui Wei through a dinner where a group of female Cisco co-workers drag along their significant others or boyfriends.  Usually the guys let the girls chat it up, but Wei and I actually were able to have conversations of our own.  He is a low-ego, high substance type of person that are rare to find.

Both Christine and I knew of his zest for ice climbing; however, we were both shocked to hear of his demise coming down the summit of Ama Dablam.  It is a peak close to the legendary K2 and Everest.

Our hearts go out to his surviving wife.  This is a lesson learned to myself to make sure I treasure my time with people around me, and to develop relationships further.

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I received a couple emails from friends about my last post.  I want to clarify that although it is true that severances for technology workers are quite substantial, the Business Week figures reflect the average US worker.  In my own work experience, I have nothing to be unhappy about; however, I feel uncomfortable for the pain suffered by loyal workers in other non-technoogy sectors.

It also concerns me that the national trend seems to be that employee rights are ebbing in strength.  Pensions? Health Care benefits?  Employment Perks?  All of these have been cut back when the stock market was up as well as recently when the stock market is down.  I don’t see these cuts as a short-term response to the recent financial disaster, but a long-term corporate trend.

The solution?  How do we do both?  How do we protect and encourage the innovation of US corporations without sacrificing the dignity and rights of employees who have given their time and labor.  I may never see the benefits of these changes, if they do happen to occur, but I feel warm that some other deserving employees may.

I have been quiet lately on the blog.  Having come out of a bout of pessimism, then a whirlwind trip to Taiwan, then getting our website concept ironed out, and now recovering from some mysterious illness which left my stomach nauseous and numb from hunger, the best thing that happened was that I lost all the weight I gained from food binging in Taiwan.

I am now back to my 179 lb from a year ago.  Maybe this lack of gastronomic sensation is a good thing for my life.  My taste buds or palate work just fine, but I do not feel the pain of hunger or the contentment of being full.  I am able to enjoy good food without the constant gnawing “want” of hunger.

Speaking of stomach woes, our credit crisis and slowing economy has decimated the American worker.   Not only are nest eggs halved, many workers are also losing their livelihoods.  A recent data point from Dec. 22 Business Week points out how well US companies treat our workers:

How Severance Stacks Up

Average number of weeks of salary paid per year of service

“We’re number 1! We’re number 1!” This is probably an inappropriate time to chant this given the pain of so many people across the nation who received pink slips this holiday season. It is figures like this that make me concerned about what part of the capitalistic system looks out for employees. Now many people would consider this viewpoint to be anti-capitalistic and maybe even socialistic, but it seems that the US position on protecting its workers is at an extreme compared to other developed nations.  Can the American capitalism regain a heart for its employees that drove record profits for them barely a year or two ago?

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Press play below.

Next year, I expect Asians to be portrayed as not intellectual enough for American society.

我給寶寶買了幾個手指玩偶想演戲給他看，才洗好呢，他就拿來當糖果，還大演特技呢！