faith matters

as i got off of airbart on friday afternoon as i have done so many times in these past several years, i had to stop in my steps even though i had less than 20 minutes until my flight. in between the row of cabs that waited outside the terminals hoping to catch some post-thanksgiving traffic was a man on his knees.

with his head pointed east — towards mecca — he was praying with a well-worn rug beneath his knees.

as i started to pull out my camera, i caught myself (but now wish i had still taken the shot) and was simply thankful to have shared this moment, however indirectly, with a man living out his faith, no mater where he was.

.

when people used to ask me what i did, my automatic response would be “transfer pricing.” realizing that no one had any idea what that was even after i tried my big mac example, i resorted to “economic consulting.” much more satisfied nods followed.

and then i began to pause – as i contemplated saying “freelance journalist” or “economic consultant.” these days, there’s not much reason to pause anymore – really, i’m just another writer / dreamer at heart.

growing up

and looking for the spirit within

a blast from the past

part of an anthology of short stories i used to contemplate writing … crazy. as inspired (i think?) by “spring subway”

——-

“good morning, sunshine. this is your flight destined for the golden road to happiness. please fasten your seat belts and let us take care of you for the rest of this flight. we know you have many choices when you fly, so thank you so much for choosing and trusting us. Let us know if there’s anything we can get for you, and know that we will always be there in the end.” this is the way it should be, she thought silently to herself, at last, mutual compatibility with timing that was just perfect. she opened her eyes and found herself not in the plane of the newest model that the silky voice over the intercom so suggested, but in the familiarities of a plane she had already been abroad, many times — the plane where she became a part of the mile-high club, a plane which brought back a flood of memories that brought tears to her eyes. how did i end up here? she murmured to herself. ＂六年了，　还有爱情吗?”

she woke with a jolt from this phantom-dream; i really need more coffee, she told herself as she stared at the mockups her assistant had just brought in. the phone on her glass desk showed two missed calls; one from a client and one from him. even after six years, she still remembered his number as if it were yesterday. “it was just a dream,” she told herself as she picked up the phone. he had left her a voicemail in a way only he could — californian to the core with the same childish enthusiasm she had loved so much about him. he was in town for the weekend and wanted to see if she would be free to just hang out.

“it’ll be just coffee …” she told herself as she dialed back. but in her heart, she knew it never was just coffee.

circa november 2006

books to read

more of a personal note than anything else:

“The Art of Giving: Where the Soul Meets a Business Plan” – Charles Bronfman & Jeffrey Solomon
“Love in the Time of Cholera” – Gabriel Marquez
“Brida” – Paulo Coelho
“The Handmaid’s Tale” – Margaret Atwood
“Wuthering Heights” – Emily Bronte
“Three Cups of Tea” – Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
“Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen” – Christopher McDougall
“His Dark Materials” Trilogy – Philip Pullman

any more suggestions? book recommendations always welcome!

lessons from google

at dinner the other day, someone said something that really stuck with me and that i’ve been thinking about ever since. we were talking about google and my friend had commented that while he didn’t understand google’s commercial model at first — giving away very cool and incredibly useful applications for free — it all clicked when he realized that the simplistic brilliance behind google, from a business perspective, wasn’t that it aimed to profit off these products, but rather to draw the user in.

google realized (or at least that’s the way we’d like to believe in our brilliant speculations ) that the only way it could truly monetize its online advertising machine was by building superior products that would create a larger user base and make it so that they would use not only google services for as much of their 24 hour day as they could, but also the internet.

by going open source with tools like google documents, it expanded this concept even more — giving users the ability to freely use powerful word processing and spreadsheet tools that had once been virtually monopolized by traditional software giants like microsoft.

and when you really think about it, this general lesson of giving freely is one that extends beyond the business world as well. oftentimes, the most successful people are also the most resourceful — the connectors, the helpers, the enablers of the world. they realize that success isn’t about turning short term profitability — it’s about delivering value, laughter, and happiness over an extended period of time.

besides, it makes the journey all the more enjoyable.

college app season

in the spirit of college application season, here’s a story to remind you to double-check those college apps!

“Dear Uncle Ezra,

I applied early decision to Cornell and was excited (and a little surprised, to be honest) to be accepted. I am planning on visiting with my family soon, since I have never been to the campus, but we’re a little confused. I always thought that Cornell is in upstate New York (which is what the web site says.) But the little info sheet about planning your visit gives directions to Mount Vernon, Iowa, which is hundreds of miles away from New York. What’s the deal? Please respond quickly – I’m really excited about visiting and can’t wait to start at Cornell!

Dear New Student,

Your misunderstanding is a common one. Cornell University is indeed in upstate New York, in the town of Ithaca.

Cornell “College”, is a completely different place, also a good school, and it can be found in Mount Vernon, Iowa.

I’m not sure which place you were accepted to, but I’m sure you will figure that out soon.

Uncle Ezra”

happyness

sometimes things happen that just make your day and remind you of all the good things.

thanks for making my day so much brighter, whether you know it or not ^_^

reminders

… a quote i’ve been re-running into several times in completely random places. a great reminder.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work… is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking, and don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” –Steve Jobs

peruvian epiphanies

awhile back, my friend lei had commented that “… seeing our country from another one gives you a realer picture of it.”

i think that certainly was true for me in the two week adventure in peru — rafting down the rapids of ollyantamba, taxi-ing up the slopes of the pisac ruins, hiking the historic 48 kilometer inca trail, standing at the gates of an ancient civilization, sailing on the blue waters of lake titicaca, (attempting) biking down the slopes of mt. misti, flying over the mysteries of the nazca lines, sandboarding down the dunes of an oasis in ica, and strolling down the streets of cosmopolitan lima.  while these may seem on the surface the adventures of any traveler on vacation, these experiences also gave me an added appreciation for the united states of america and understanding of the values and the power behind the words: “… life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

in words that have now been immortalized by president obama during his 2008 campaign, my story may never have been possible in any other nation. for this nation, for all its imperfections, is one that at least in my experience, truly does value the individual, that individual’s right to pursue a path of his/her own choosing, and affords social mobility.

as i’ve said before, travel is a means for me to discover myself and an attempt at finding purpose. this trip, perhaps more than ever, made me realize that what i would like in a purpose-driven life is one with service, humanity, and an inquisitive spirit at its core.

sitting for the foreign service exam a few days after returning, i realized just how much i wanted to have this opportunity to serve a country that has given so much to me and others.  to the next adventure, and added shared memories.

update: i just passed the foreign service exam! so now it’s on to essay-writing and hopefully, oral assessments …