Sienna (red) and Lila (blue), on their favorite blanket. We play hide under the blanket together, but when I'm not around, they love playing hide the poop and pee in the blanket too.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
The Countdown
Wile on vacation in Thailand and Vietnam this past winter, I found out that my company was being acquired by Symantec. At first, the news appeared unbelievable, considering that we were larger than our acquirer. However, as the months passed, the speculation turned into a very real merger experience. Bit by bit, the pieces have fallen together, the SEC approved the merger, the stockholders voted, and our CEO announced this morning that the merger was completely approved.
Everything has been counting down to Day 1 (July 5th). For me, the merger hasn't taken on the reality it has for others in my group. But today, I received a shiny new Symantec badge which even comes with a new Symantec boss. Throughout the pre-merger process, I've been impressed with the thoroughness to align the departments and the careful consideration that both companies have shown to its employees. I can't say for sure how others were treated, but my director asked me where I would like to work, and what I would like to do when he was deciding on where to assign my position. Not quite the same treatment I've had in other companies. Veritas has been the best company I've worked for. They move like a startup, with fresh ideas and innovation, but they have the stability and leadership of a large corporation. My supervisors and peers have protected and supported me, and have never set me up for failure. Management here wants their employees to succeed, but in return, they expect a lot. I think that's quite a fair trade, and my experiences here have revitalized the moral that my previous (startup) company depleted.
Everything has been counting down to Day 1 (July 5th). For me, the merger hasn't taken on the reality it has for others in my group. But today, I received a shiny new Symantec badge which even comes with a new Symantec boss. Throughout the pre-merger process, I've been impressed with the thoroughness to align the departments and the careful consideration that both companies have shown to its employees. I can't say for sure how others were treated, but my director asked me where I would like to work, and what I would like to do when he was deciding on where to assign my position. Not quite the same treatment I've had in other companies. Veritas has been the best company I've worked for. They move like a startup, with fresh ideas and innovation, but they have the stability and leadership of a large corporation. My supervisors and peers have protected and supported me, and have never set me up for failure. Management here wants their employees to succeed, but in return, they expect a lot. I think that's quite a fair trade, and my experiences here have revitalized the moral that my previous (startup) company depleted.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
"FREAKONOMICS a Rogue Economist Explains the Hidden Side of Everything"
Book Review:
This book by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner caught my eye while perusing through the book piles at Costco. I've never really been a fan/student of Eonomics. I believe that has everything to do with the teacher and not the student. It was the only class in high school where I received anything less than an A. My one downfall, and my teacher was the principal who was replacing another teacher. And it was a terrible introduction to a subject that can be quite fascinating.
This book is bringing me back to the interest of Economics... not necessarily the numbers, but a more in depth look of what causes the phenom of the numbers - ergo; the incentives that creates the force behind the numbers. It's a more humanistic and psychological dig through human nature and what motivates us.
Levitt is a heralded young economist, graduated from Harvard undergrad, PhD from MIT, MBA from University of Chicago and won the John Bates Clark Medal (awarded very two years to the best American economist under 40).
He begins the book with 5 fundamental ideas (that are intriguing):
1. Incentives are the cornerstone of modern life
2. the conventional wisdom is often wrong
3. dramatic effects often have distant, event subtle, causes
4. experts (from criminologists to real estate agents) use their informational advantage to serve their own agenda
5. knowing what to measure and how to measure it makes a complicated world much less so
First of all, I love the title... how can Freakonomics sound boring? This book is exceptionally well written, with difficult and sometimes complex ideas explained clearly and with fun examples and analogies. For example, Levitt begins many of his discussion with riddles: "what do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? What kind of impact did Roe v. Wade have on violent crime?
Finally, an economist who attempts to understand the driving motives behind what makes humans tick, ergo the economy with it, not just providing graphs and numbers with mathematical equations to explain it. Excellent read!
This book by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner caught my eye while perusing through the book piles at Costco. I've never really been a fan/student of Eonomics. I believe that has everything to do with the teacher and not the student. It was the only class in high school where I received anything less than an A. My one downfall, and my teacher was the principal who was replacing another teacher. And it was a terrible introduction to a subject that can be quite fascinating.
This book is bringing me back to the interest of Economics... not necessarily the numbers, but a more in depth look of what causes the phenom of the numbers - ergo; the incentives that creates the force behind the numbers. It's a more humanistic and psychological dig through human nature and what motivates us.
Levitt is a heralded young economist, graduated from Harvard undergrad, PhD from MIT, MBA from University of Chicago and won the John Bates Clark Medal (awarded very two years to the best American economist under 40).
He begins the book with 5 fundamental ideas (that are intriguing):
1. Incentives are the cornerstone of modern life
2. the conventional wisdom is often wrong
3. dramatic effects often have distant, event subtle, causes
4. experts (from criminologists to real estate agents) use their informational advantage to serve their own agenda
5. knowing what to measure and how to measure it makes a complicated world much less so
First of all, I love the title... how can Freakonomics sound boring? This book is exceptionally well written, with difficult and sometimes complex ideas explained clearly and with fun examples and analogies. For example, Levitt begins many of his discussion with riddles: "what do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? What kind of impact did Roe v. Wade have on violent crime?
Finally, an economist who attempts to understand the driving motives behind what makes humans tick, ergo the economy with it, not just providing graphs and numbers with mathematical equations to explain it. Excellent read!
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Live Techno
My crazy Russian buddy David M dragged me out to a live techno event tonight. I enjoy music like everyone else, and every once in awhile some music moves me to flight, other times it's just nice and enjoyable. I haven't been out to bars/clubs in a long while. I'm at the age where dinners with friends and intimate gatherings is more preferred. But I did enjoy the event tonight.
David M brought several friends with him, and I'm horrible with names and can only remember Nate and his girlfriend (gosh, can't remember) and another girl. They picked me up and when I got into the car, I liked them instantly. They were younger, but had a great sense of humor, very witty and it was easy to have conversations with them. We went to one of the first live Techno event in SF (so I'm told). I'm not an expert at all in the differences between all the electronical music genres, but there seemed to be quite an A list of dj's there who are passionate about techno including David M. www.KONTROLsf.com/
Event: [KONTROL] presents Bruchstuecke Records (Zurich, Switzerland) Style: LIVE PA, minimal techno and avant-house Location: Rx Gallery / 132 Eddy St, San Francisco.
I'm not much of a dancer either unless the music really moves me - but I do enjoy listening to trance and techno. The music was very good at some parts, particularly 10 minutes before the event ended. But the energy of the crowd and the venue was fantastic. I'm also not the easiest person to break the ice with, but I met several people who were so excited about the music, they needed to talk about it. One guy is a distributor and opened his company called Iris, another dj named Arrain Wheeler traveled all over the world to dj - he just returned from New Zealand, had traveled all through S. America etc. to play. He told me this is the first time he's heard good techno and live techno in SF and he was super excited. He even tried to explain to me the difference between good techno and house. When he dj's he uses 3 turntables, each one with a separate beat and merges it together to create music that flowed. I guess an analogy would be having three different instruments creating melody and harmony. He says with really good techno, if you try to listen to the seprate beats, you won't like the music, but if you stop listening to the beats individually and try to listen to all three as one beat/rhythm then you can understand the music. It's interesting, and I'm interesting in getting a better understanding. So I got his email and can't wait to get one of his cd's. Sapna will be so jealous, she's been looking to find such people to hang out with.
The energy there was fantastic because people were there to hear the music. They wanted to share in it, it didn't feel like a meat market. Everyone talked to you. Unlike psytrance parties where everyone is so high and in their own heads, no one is talking. This event was more participatory and sharing and talking - so in that sense, I really enjoyed it. It's truly unbelievable how music can affect people.
David M brought several friends with him, and I'm horrible with names and can only remember Nate and his girlfriend (gosh, can't remember) and another girl. They picked me up and when I got into the car, I liked them instantly. They were younger, but had a great sense of humor, very witty and it was easy to have conversations with them. We went to one of the first live Techno event in SF (so I'm told). I'm not an expert at all in the differences between all the electronical music genres, but there seemed to be quite an A list of dj's there who are passionate about techno including David M. www.KONTROLsf.com/
Event: [KONTROL] presents Bruchstuecke Records (Zurich, Switzerland) Style: LIVE PA, minimal techno and avant-house Location: Rx Gallery / 132 Eddy St, San Francisco.
I'm not much of a dancer either unless the music really moves me - but I do enjoy listening to trance and techno. The music was very good at some parts, particularly 10 minutes before the event ended. But the energy of the crowd and the venue was fantastic. I'm also not the easiest person to break the ice with, but I met several people who were so excited about the music, they needed to talk about it. One guy is a distributor and opened his company called Iris, another dj named Arrain Wheeler traveled all over the world to dj - he just returned from New Zealand, had traveled all through S. America etc. to play. He told me this is the first time he's heard good techno and live techno in SF and he was super excited. He even tried to explain to me the difference between good techno and house. When he dj's he uses 3 turntables, each one with a separate beat and merges it together to create music that flowed. I guess an analogy would be having three different instruments creating melody and harmony. He says with really good techno, if you try to listen to the seprate beats, you won't like the music, but if you stop listening to the beats individually and try to listen to all three as one beat/rhythm then you can understand the music. It's interesting, and I'm interesting in getting a better understanding. So I got his email and can't wait to get one of his cd's. Sapna will be so jealous, she's been looking to find such people to hang out with.
The energy there was fantastic because people were there to hear the music. They wanted to share in it, it didn't feel like a meat market. Everyone talked to you. Unlike psytrance parties where everyone is so high and in their own heads, no one is talking. This event was more participatory and sharing and talking - so in that sense, I really enjoyed it. It's truly unbelievable how music can affect people.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
New Toy
Yesterday proved to be quite an exciting day. After attending the Leadership seminar, I received my new toy, the Blackberry 7100t. I purchased this little gadget over the phone, based on the reviews found on CNN and other noteworthy places. I did not have the opportunity to check out how it actually worked and felt until yesterday.
I am not a proud owner of Tmobile's Sidekick 1. At the time, it looked great and had the keyboard that I wanted/needed for txting and writing in my PDA. But, as confirmed by the reviews on it, the voice quality was poor and after checking the Treo, it felt like a kid's toy. I finally lost it one day when all my data was lost (yes, this includes all calendar and contact info).
So I went online and began searching for the next gadget to replace the doomed Sidekick. The voluminous amounts of options were dizzying. I had to backtrack and strategize. I needed to determine whether to stay with Tmobile or move on to another carrier. Unforunately, as I made my comparisons against the plans provided by Verizon, Cingular and Sprint... none could compare to the plan I had with Tmobile. It also helped that I had switched from Verizon to Tmobile in early 2002 when Tmobile initiated itself in the marketplace. My plan is 5,000 whenever minutes for $99.99. There is nothing close to that anywhere. Why do I need so many minutes? I looked through my bills to determine what my minutes and usage hours/times were. Because I truly believe that the landline is the thing of the past, I use my cell phone for everything. Why have a landline? It's truly unnecessary in my book.
I decided that I would begin my search with Tmobile's choices and if I could not satisfy myself with a phone supported by them, I'd move on to a different carrier. Fortunately for me, the Blackberry 7100t was just recently released and at a great price to boot. I've used Blackberrys before. I also needed a phone that could sync up with my outlook calendar and contact. This gadget appeared to have almost everything I need (no camera though - bummer). So it came yesterday and I began playing.
After reading through the manual and trying to set up my accounts, I began having concerns. The keyboard was quirky and was set up in a mode that proved frustrating and irritating, called Suretype which allows you to type one letter and you would have to select (adding an additional button) to accept that letter. I preferred the "tap method" where you hit the key (which has 2 letter possibility) and you tap once for the first letter and twice for the second. Once I understood that there was an option, I realized that it was a keeper. What other choice did I have? I would have preferred to purchase the Treo 650, but Tmobile doesn't support it.
Today, life has been easier. I've installed the Blackberry desktop which syncs up my information from Outlook. The phone also has bluetooth capability, a good web browser, IM capabilities, and it's a lot lighter than the brick I was carrying around.
I am not a proud owner of Tmobile's Sidekick 1. At the time, it looked great and had the keyboard that I wanted/needed for txting and writing in my PDA. But, as confirmed by the reviews on it, the voice quality was poor and after checking the Treo, it felt like a kid's toy. I finally lost it one day when all my data was lost (yes, this includes all calendar and contact info).
So I went online and began searching for the next gadget to replace the doomed Sidekick. The voluminous amounts of options were dizzying. I had to backtrack and strategize. I needed to determine whether to stay with Tmobile or move on to another carrier. Unforunately, as I made my comparisons against the plans provided by Verizon, Cingular and Sprint... none could compare to the plan I had with Tmobile. It also helped that I had switched from Verizon to Tmobile in early 2002 when Tmobile initiated itself in the marketplace. My plan is 5,000 whenever minutes for $99.99. There is nothing close to that anywhere. Why do I need so many minutes? I looked through my bills to determine what my minutes and usage hours/times were. Because I truly believe that the landline is the thing of the past, I use my cell phone for everything. Why have a landline? It's truly unnecessary in my book.
I decided that I would begin my search with Tmobile's choices and if I could not satisfy myself with a phone supported by them, I'd move on to a different carrier. Fortunately for me, the Blackberry 7100t was just recently released and at a great price to boot. I've used Blackberrys before. I also needed a phone that could sync up with my outlook calendar and contact. This gadget appeared to have almost everything I need (no camera though - bummer). So it came yesterday and I began playing.
After reading through the manual and trying to set up my accounts, I began having concerns. The keyboard was quirky and was set up in a mode that proved frustrating and irritating, called Suretype which allows you to type one letter and you would have to select (adding an additional button) to accept that letter. I preferred the "tap method" where you hit the key (which has 2 letter possibility) and you tap once for the first letter and twice for the second. Once I understood that there was an option, I realized that it was a keeper. What other choice did I have? I would have preferred to purchase the Treo 650, but Tmobile doesn't support it.
Today, life has been easier. I've installed the Blackberry desktop which syncs up my information from Outlook. The phone also has bluetooth capability, a good web browser, IM capabilities, and it's a lot lighter than the brick I was carrying around.
Principles of Leadership Seminar: from Effectiveness to Greatness
Yesterday I attended a leadership seminar with my boss. The speakers included Rudy Guiliani, Jack Welch and F. Covey (live via satellite, not in person). I thought it was extremely well organized. I'm cynically weary of many self-help seminars and books; but secretly take guilty pleasures reading "Chicken Soup for the Soul" from time to time on a dreary depressing afternoon.
However, the seminar provided insightful variations of theories and points that resonated with me.
Guiliani began his discussion with 8 qualities of leadership:
1. develop and communicate strong beliefs/goals
2. be optimistic
3. be accountable
4. relentless preparation
5. be courageous
6. be ethical
7. have teamwork
8. communicate effectively
most of these points are intuitive, but the ones that stand out to me are: being accountable, relentless preparation and having strong beliefs/goals. Many people want to lead but aren't accountable and don't prepare.
Jack Welch is a fantastic and charismatic leader and speaker. He has a raspy Boston accent that's direct with a no-nonsense attitude. It's not only humerous but refreshing. He worked his way up from GE and he doesn't have too much love for the "shiny MBA's". He gave his speal about stratesphying the group - top 20%, middle 70% and lower 10%. Wtih the top 20% he says to reward and motivate these people to their highest potential. These people have the values and provide results. The middle 70% can be broken up into two categories: (a) having the values but not providing the results or (b) providing the results but not the value. He cautions that group b are employees that take the company/group down b/c results oriented alone does not build a strong team, and that these people are not team workers. And the last 10% - has neither the values nor the results and should be fired. I liked his arguments that good leaders/managers should care about the people that work for them. That employees should always know where they stand in the stratesphere. If they don't , their managers/leaders are providing a disservice to the company and their subordinates. Finally, he discusses the issue of firing someone and how traumatic it is for both parties. More importantly, the manager should be there AFTER letting someone go. That's where the manager can provide his worker the most benefit. Welch provides an analogy that if you had a choice to go to a wedding vs. a funeral, always choose the funeral, b/c that's where you are needed most. I like his philosophy. I like his directness, and I like his down to earth, blue-collar Boston accent.
Surprisingly, I walked out of the seminar feeling inspired; and I'll admit, a lot less cynical about these seminars and self-help books.
However, the seminar provided insightful variations of theories and points that resonated with me.
Guiliani began his discussion with 8 qualities of leadership:
1. develop and communicate strong beliefs/goals
2. be optimistic
3. be accountable
4. relentless preparation
5. be courageous
6. be ethical
7. have teamwork
8. communicate effectively
most of these points are intuitive, but the ones that stand out to me are: being accountable, relentless preparation and having strong beliefs/goals. Many people want to lead but aren't accountable and don't prepare.
Jack Welch is a fantastic and charismatic leader and speaker. He has a raspy Boston accent that's direct with a no-nonsense attitude. It's not only humerous but refreshing. He worked his way up from GE and he doesn't have too much love for the "shiny MBA's". He gave his speal about stratesphying the group - top 20%, middle 70% and lower 10%. Wtih the top 20% he says to reward and motivate these people to their highest potential. These people have the values and provide results. The middle 70% can be broken up into two categories: (a) having the values but not providing the results or (b) providing the results but not the value. He cautions that group b are employees that take the company/group down b/c results oriented alone does not build a strong team, and that these people are not team workers. And the last 10% - has neither the values nor the results and should be fired. I liked his arguments that good leaders/managers should care about the people that work for them. That employees should always know where they stand in the stratesphere. If they don't , their managers/leaders are providing a disservice to the company and their subordinates. Finally, he discusses the issue of firing someone and how traumatic it is for both parties. More importantly, the manager should be there AFTER letting someone go. That's where the manager can provide his worker the most benefit. Welch provides an analogy that if you had a choice to go to a wedding vs. a funeral, always choose the funeral, b/c that's where you are needed most. I like his philosophy. I like his directness, and I like his down to earth, blue-collar Boston accent.
Surprisingly, I walked out of the seminar feeling inspired; and I'll admit, a lot less cynical about these seminars and self-help books.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Wedding Bells for CP
I received this email this morning from my ex - I thought we were closer and I would get more announcement than just an email about his wedding. I suppose we haven't talked in months, but this is big news and it feels a little funny to get such an email.
"Ola! Hope this email finds you all well!For those who haven't heard - Katherine and I are getting married this week.It will be an intimate ceremony here in Brazil. We look forward to celebrating with our friends north of the 14th parallel in the future.love e beijosColin e Kathe"
When we broke up, he was so adamant that we stay friends and I was more practical stating that we would be friends but not immediately. After that initial 6 month of resetting boundaries, I thought I had been a really good friend to him since, but the friendship has not been reciprocated; and friendship has evaporated as quickly as his words.
There's much to be said about someone whose words mean something. I had hoped our friendship would blossom into something nice, like mine and Helsley's. But my frienship with Helsley is rare indeed - how could I have thought CP could be half the man Helsley is?
How funny life is - all the little twists and turns one finds oneself.
"Ola! Hope this email finds you all well!For those who haven't heard - Katherine and I are getting married this week.It will be an intimate ceremony here in Brazil. We look forward to celebrating with our friends north of the 14th parallel in the future.love e beijosColin e Kathe"
When we broke up, he was so adamant that we stay friends and I was more practical stating that we would be friends but not immediately. After that initial 6 month of resetting boundaries, I thought I had been a really good friend to him since, but the friendship has not been reciprocated; and friendship has evaporated as quickly as his words.
There's much to be said about someone whose words mean something. I had hoped our friendship would blossom into something nice, like mine and Helsley's. But my frienship with Helsley is rare indeed - how could I have thought CP could be half the man Helsley is?
How funny life is - all the little twists and turns one finds oneself.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Home
Just a thought as I'm lying in my new bed and drifting towards beautiful dreams, feeling so heavenly. Looking at this place, and can't believe it's mine. Hasn't completely hit home yet that I own something so expensive. A little box of heaven, worth an astronomical fee.
Sienna and Lila
My little girls -
Sienna is a little fiesty, stubborn and tom-boyish - but so smart and so loving. She adores having her belly rubbed.
Lila is the shy pretty girl and loves cuddling and being held. When they wrestle Sienna dominates most of the time, but Lila pulls some good punches now and then.
Can you tell which one is which?
Sienna is a little fiesty, stubborn and tom-boyish - but so smart and so loving. She adores having her belly rubbed.
Lila is the shy pretty girl and loves cuddling and being held. When they wrestle Sienna dominates most of the time, but Lila pulls some good punches now and then.
Can you tell which one is which?
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