My Miata turned 40....K

Yes. My 1990 first year in production Miata turned 40,000 miles just now. Perfect timing too -- rolling into the garage at exactly 40k miles. I guess I really have not been driving it too much each year.

Making Tea

How do you make tea? How about using a microwave and a coffee maker....:

1. Filter water using Brita
2. Pour water into glass carafe from coffee maker
3. Boil water by putting carafe into microwave, on high for X minutes where X = 2 + number of cups of water
4. Warm Beehouse tea pot with boiled water
5. Put in tea leaves, add water
6. Keep tea in pot warm by placing pot on warming plate on coffee maker

2001 Year in Review

2001 is a year of both being global and of returning home. I began year 2001, the real new millenium, in Hong Kong, and ended 2001, also in Hong Kong. It was my returning to my birth city, Hong Kong, after many years. In fact, that was the first time after the SAR became the SAR in 97. Same year brought me back to London. I had only been back once before, many years ago, after leaving my English boarding school and college days. I was amazed that I felt right back at home in London after the long absence. I travelled around the globe a few times this year, partly because it is cheaper to fly that way when visiting both of our offices. My passport now have stamps from Hong Kong, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Berlin, Caymen Islands, and London. The misses are I did not go to Finland nor Korea. First real vacation in CI. First time out of Tokyo city after all these years.

Of course, there is 9/11. I was scheduled to fly from Frankfurt to Boston that day. I changed my plans and was home 3 days earlier. I watched it live on TV from home. That day was spent answering a few emails and phone calls from friends and family who are concern of my whereabouts, trying reach friends in New York city, and had a long dim sum lunch with a few friends from work. On a personal side, my grandmother died this year, but I was fortunate enough to have just visited her in Hong Kong just before 2001 new year. I was also able to visit her grave soon after her death as I was returning to Hong Kong at that time.

I started on a few new technologies this year. installed wireless network at home, started using PGP (my PGP key) for encrypted emails, changed to a GSM worldp hone so that I can use the same phone in Hong Kong, United States, and Germany, and upgraded most of my computers to run Windows 2000.

What is installed for 2002? Stay tuned:

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.

Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.

-- Goethe

You have not lived until....

You have a life size cardboard cartoon of yourself created for you. Thanks everyone at AdvisorTech Boston for the late birthday party. Note: I forbid the use of Perl. Python is my language of choice. And I do not like Jakob Nielsen's writing either. Hence the inside joke.

Mortality

Visited Grandma's grave today. She was almost 92. Almost exactly 10 months ago I managed to visit her in person after many years. Today -- it is in a peaceful cementary with a ocean view.

Leaving

Gray October dawn,Bright smile waving goodbye I see blue sky

Atoms and Bits Interfaces

Three japanese companies are going to test a "returnable" digital camera + printing service in Japan. You pick up a camera to take some pictures, return to a processing center to select what to print, and leave the camera afterwards. About $16 for 24 prints. This only works in Tokyo, maybe HK -- where there is a well developed convinience store front network (atoms) to capture and convert bits between the real and data world. Does this mean that atoms can't live alone, and bits can't live alone? USA is missing the atoms network, due to the physical size of the general landscape. But how about metropolitan cities? They are still not city enough?

Back of a SF Card

Have you looked closely at the back of the prepaid subway card (SF Card) for Tokyo subway? It prints out each journey, with month, date, from and to station, and money left. Interesting points are: the month is coded using a letter. X = Oct. Stations are only 4 kanji wide, at last so far on this card. There are stations that are 5 Kanji wide. What will happen? Makes me want to get off at one of those stations just to see. When can't someone host a scanvenger type game, to see who can collect a full set of station names for a fixed set of subway line, on one ticket?

Haiku

Tea cup falls on leaves covered rock,Shattering into ten thousand pieces; Pain in broken heart.

Effortlessness

In a Mark McCormack newspaper column. Ultrasuccessful performancers -- sport figures : "they seems to intuitively know how to minimize distractions and focus their energy at the precise level required, no more, no less. They handle themselves so well it seems effortless."

Actually that is the characteristics of a good tai chi practitioner. Relax and Calm. Intent and Focus. No wasted movement, no wasted power. How many thousand years of wisdom?

I made it, I made it

No, nothing to do with birthday. But I finally accumlated enough points on my Yamano Music Store member card to get my free CD. 50 points for a 3000 yen CD. Not bad. Now I have to start again. Only took two years... CD are so expensive in Japan. The thing is that a lot of them have bonus tracks. For example, right now the Cranberries CD, Wake up and Smell the Coffee, which is not even released yet in the Status, is available here and has a bonus track. Same for the Beautiful Garbage CD, with 2 bonus tracks. But they are 3000 plus yen.

Happy Birthday (JST)

My first birthday greetings arrived 9 hours ago, which is 6:40pm JST the day before. Being here I guess I can celebrate all the way across the time zones. (Okay, technically that is not true. But I am excluding the ones that are obviously early BDay greetings ). I am trying to think of something deep to say but I think I am fresh out of deep thoughts. Must be a mid life crissis -- not. A birthday week thought from GWW, with full hand guestures: Here, is your goal. Here, is where you are. You always use logic to go from here, to here, with a short cut. This time, you have to take the long route. But you have to reach your goal by the time you leave. Everyday that goes pass from the date of this GWW, it holds more and more truth.

Beginning of a new Day in Shibuya

Watching this city coming into the daylight is an interesting experience. It really does not stop. Party people changes mode from night to day as the sun rises and the cycle continues.

My Grandmother just Passed away

My Grandmother just Passed away She is either closed to 100 or passed it. I have lost count. She lived a very full and productive life. Lots of hard work, but I think she had fun also with the families, in her own grandmother sort of way. I am glad that I saw her just before the New Years, since I live literally half the world away. Did not think that would be the last time though. It is still nice to have that fresh image in my mind, her eating chicken wings, telling and retelling the same stories.

This George Bernard Shaw quote on life and living is quite appropriate for her, having lived through war time, peace time, bringing up children and grandchildren, all in her days work:

This is the true joy in life...being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one...being a force of Nature instead of a feverish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making your happy....I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die. For the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It's a sort of splendid torch which I've got to hold up for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.

We have your torch now, Grandma.