Alone

I am alone now. My Girl has returned to her parents', so have my friends. After all, this is a precious union time--a 7-day holiday celebrating the establishment of our People's Republic.
I chose to stay. Though I miss my mother and father badly, I feel obligated to stay here. Father and mother will forgive me.
This month passed rapidly. In hindsight, I had done nothing really worth mentioning. I read a few books, saw a few movies, dealt with a few trivialities. The days seemed to have been idled away.
I spent a quite huge chunk of the time surfing the net, which proved to be an effective way to kill time. I was constantly excited with new foundings: ebooks, videos, tutorials, and motivational bloggs. I really want to immerse myself in them. And they are surely a vast sea for me to swime and I even got drowned sometimes. When reading and surfing, I forgot the meals and sleep, let along the natural call to pee. The act would engender my health!
I still like the feeling of being devoted to the readings, a sense of belonging. But as days pass, I found I didn't afford any more to do that any more. Health complained. My sense of time was even twisted. I began to fear sunshine outside. (Sun cannot throw light into my dorm.)
Once more, I was reminded of the value of plan. I must make a plan to read those countless stuff. Otherwise, I only learn less, not more.

The bold one

This morning I met with one of my dearest friends. He has been a employer for 2.5 years though 1 year younger than me. Comparing to his life, mine has been quite simple.
We became close when we were still high-schoolers. And the time we spent together was mainly during the high school period. He drew me with his boldness which was real recklessness sometimes, and his persistence.
At first, his credit was good but later became quite unsatisfactory. The reason I years later know was because of his family. His father and mother were having a bad time and his father endured physical damage and turned to alcohol. To complement for his bad academic performance, he intended to get more chance to enter a university by practicing running. If he could be accepted as a competent runner, he would get a better chance. I saw how he ran. It was a rather moving scene. He ran without any hint of tiredness like a robot even after several miles.
But he was not lucky and finally accepted by a less known college. During that time, he changed a lot and became more determined in his boldness. He would intrude into the zoo through the wall, an action that would be severely punished if caught.
When he graduated, he got his job by walking into the company and asked for an interview, which was not adopted by most graduates as the way was a rather imprudent one and could readily incur rejections.
He is now confused about his future. He is not so close with his girlfriend. He cannot see his prospect in his current position. He is trying to find a new breakthrough.
Comparing to him, I am more prudent and focused. I told him to be careful in his actions and find his own goal. Other than that, I have noting to say. I love his boldness which has helped him through all the life struggles he had to face personaly. He was not happy with his poor family. But now he is supporting it. He didn't expect to be in his position and now he is not satisfied by the bureacracy there and seeks a change. He had been nice to girlfriend but was treated badly by his girlfriend's parents. Now he is confident to seek their apology.
Whatever his future will be, he certainly would not be willingly constrained by his status quo. His boldness is great weapon. He believes in his ability to make his life right. The miserable past and inequality he endured only fuels his determination to explore a better future.
Good luck.

The Plan

Life with a goal was desirable for some but not for me. I have lived my life with a purpose: self-realization. The purpose was not definite, which can be as bad as none if no passion and enthusiam for expooration is there in me.
In the last month, I am constantly lost in my expoloration. As to my career objective, I have taken that it is best for me to continue in a peopole business, the area aboundant with opportunities and excitements since I will be able to contact different lifestyles. My strength in this business is my communication skills and personality, i.e. I am good at dealing with people, socially and linguistically. I have made a few lifelong friendships. The friends I have are very devoted in me. They know that I am trustworthy and valuable and inspirational, with a great vision in this life. I major in language, which have facilitated my communication process.
Now, I am decided to be more invovled in social activities. And the commnication skills I have always been proud of seem not adequate. I must learn and practice more.
Books are books. What's in them are worthless if not applied in real world. I like philosophy and psycology and novels. Those three terms are interchangeable for me because they are all about human life, which is the ultimate truth of my existence.

Moonlight of the Full Moon

When the moon is full, its bright light transports a sense of peace, unity, harmony and intimacy to us. Tomorrow is a big day for the traditional Chinese. It's Zhongqiujie, the Mid-Autumn Festival, according to the lunar calendar. On this day, those who are away from home shall return home and unite with their family. When the evening arrives, the moon is bright and full like a round jady plate. The family would place a table in their garden, and fruits and dishes would be served. Mooncakes are indispensable. The scene is fantastic with the family, the dishes, the moonlight, the moon, the night sky and the amiable air. Chinese love this day because we are family-oriented. Adults work hard to raise the family and children are raised to honor the family. Ps.
Interestingly, YUEGUANG, 'moonlight' in Chinese, also means that the salary is spent in the month without any left for deposit. And 'moonlight' in English is also used to mean to work at another job, often at night, in addition to one's full-time job.

[NYTimes Article]The Key to Wedded Bliss? Money Matters

IF you ask married people why their marriage works, they are probably not going to say it’s because they found their financial soul mate.
But if they are lucky, they have. Marrying a person who shares your attitudes about money might just be the smartest financial decision you will ever make. In fact, when it comes to finances, your marriage is likely to be your most valuable asset — or your largest liability.
Marrying for love is a relatively recent phenomenon. For centuries, marriages were arranged affairs, aligning families for economic or political purposes or simply pooling the resources of those scraping by.
Today, while most of us marry for romantic reasons, marriage at its core is still a financial union. So much of what we want — or don’t want — out of life boils down to dollars and cents, whether it’s how hard we choose to work, how much we consume or how much we save. For some people, it’s working 80-hour weeks to finance a third home and country club membership; for others, it means cutting back on office hours to spend more time with the family.
“A lot of the debates people have about money are code for how we want to live our lives,” said Betsey Stevenson, assistant professor of business and public policy at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, who researches the economics of marriage and divorce. “A lot of the choices we make in how we want to live our lives involve how we spend our money.”
Making those choices as a team is one of the most important ways to preserve your marital assets, and your union, experts say. But it’s that much easier when you already share similar outlooks on money matters — or when you can, at the very least, find some middle ground.
The economies achieved by pairing up are fairly obvious. However, the costs of divorce can be financially devastating, especially when children are involved. And, not surprisingly, money manages to force a wide wedge between many couples.
“Most people think people break up over sex issues and children issues — and those are issues — but money is a huge factor in breaking up marriages,” said Susan Reach Winters, a divorce lawyer in Short Hills, N.J.
Not everyone is married to a financial twin, and that’s not necessarily a problem. There are several ways that you and your significant other can become more compatible, and ultimately more prosperous, when it comes to money.
These guidelines are compiled from the successfully married and from experts on psychology, divorce and finance:

TALK AND SHARE GOALS
Before walking down the aisle, couples should have a talk about their financial health and goals. They should ask each other tough questions: Do we want children? When? Who will care for them? Will they go to public or private school? What kind of life do we want? When will we retire?
“In my ideal plan for couples, they would have a meeting every week on their finances,” said Karen Altfest, a financial planner who runs the New York firm L. J. Altfest & Company, with her husband, Lewis. “That way, they are in sync with each other’s goals.”
Set those goals together. Jerry Ballard, 58, a former insurance executive in Houston, said that he and his wife of 36 years, Susan, also 58, managed to avoid money clashes because they share a savings philosophy. “The cardinal rule was that we don’t interrupt our savings,” he said, adding that they saved between 10 and 20 percent of their salaries each year. As long as they did that, they were less likely to disagree about spending.
Eric Gundlach, 53, of Owings Mills, Md., who has been married for 29 years, said he and his wife, Ann-Michele, “made our expectations explicit.” These included sending their son to private school and having big experiences, like traveling, in lieu of purchasing things.

RUN A HOME LIKE A BUSINESS
Make a budget and keep track of earnings, expenses and debts. And structure your business as a partnership; when it comes to making big financial decisions and setting goals, do it together. “When they are making the decisions together, they really have ownership of those decisions and any results of those decisions,” said Mary Ann Sisco, national wealth adviser at JPMorgan’s private wealth management division. “Even if you have negative results, you tend to weather the storm better.”
Share responsibilities, too. Though one partner tends to control the finances, advisers recommend rotating tasks. One person should handle investments for a certain period, while the other pays the bills; rotate and repeat.

BE SUPPORTIVE OF CAREERS
Having a supportive partner helps you professionally, which should trickle down to your mutual bottom line. “Marrying the right person helps you succeed in your career through encouragement and support, the only kind of support that comes through a supportive, intimate relationship,” said Mr. Gundlach, whose wife backed his decision to start a management consulting practice after 22 years as a human resources executive.

ENJOY, BUT WITHIN REASON
Create a cash cushion, and live a lifestyle you can sustain. Many people who were working at hedge funds that went bust or financial firms like Bear Stearns are learning these lessons now. Ms. Sisco, of JPMorgan, said that because her younger clients haven’t experienced a downturn, they assumed the money would keep pouring in.
She said she is working with one couple in their early 30s who have two young children. Right before the husband lost his job on Wall Street, the couple had ordered $35,000 drapes. They had to move to a smaller apartment in Manhattan and had to sell their vacation home.

USE A MEDIATOR
Perhaps both of you have strong yet divergent opinions about how to invest. Or maybe you are a saver while your spouse prefers to hand over a big piece of earnings to Bavarian Motor Works. An independent third party, whether a financial planner or a therapist, can help you find a middle ground.
Marc B. Schindler, a financial planner at Pivot Point Advisors in Bellaire, Tex., recently did this for a client who complained that his wife spent a thousand dollars a month on her wardrobe. Mr. Schindler then contacted the wife, who said her husband spent just as much on dinner with his buddies. So the husband asked Mr. Schindler to show how much they would save if they invested the $12,000 she spent each year. Mr. Schindler — careful to title the report “Clothing, Dinner or Invested?” — ran an analysis and found that the couple would have $1.6 million after 28 years, assuming a 9 percent rate of return. “They are going to try and compromise,” he said.

MAINTAIN SOME INDEPENDENCE
Pooling resources is important, but so is maintaining a degree of financial independence. Carve out some money for both partners to spend on things that make them happy. And when paring back, it’s essential that each person make sacrifices.
INVEST IN YOUR MARRIAGE Spend it — time and money — together. Go on dates. “What that does is enliven the marital foundation,” said Gary S. Shunk, a Chicago therapist who specializes in wealth issues. “It’s a kind of investment into the heart and soul of the relationship.”
Think of it as dollar-cost averaging your marriage, where you make small investments over time. If you wait until retirement, it could be too late.
Melanie Schnoll-Begun, a managing director in the Citigroup Family Office, worked with a couple that waited too long. The husband had amassed great wealth for the family, and his wife kept a beautiful home. But once the husband retired, “they found out that over the years they grew so far apart that they didn’t have enough in common,” she said.
“They had this magnificent wealth, and it was the building of this wealth that ultimately led to their divorce.”

Innocent Mentor

I spent the night with my Mentor. Present were some other students who were also in the Charge of my mentor. We had a great dinner, talking about the Olympics and Paralympics, Campus activities, work and translation.

We all translate. My Mentor is the most passionate. He translate to be promoted, to buy a really big house, to raise his family and status. He works hard and enthusiastically. I admire that. I sometimes hope I can be so immersed in translation without thinking about all the trivialities in life like the cost of living, the house, and the car. But I haven't been able to do that like him. He just works and everything common fellows desire comes to him natually and 'easily'.

I admire him not for his reputation, but for his passion and wisdom and knowledge. He talks with thought. He ususally admits that without embarrassment: "This is my thought right now and may be confusing to you. I myself have already been confused." He's candid, and hesitant when making such decisions. The desicion making process is just like what happened in his translating. He would think carefully about the usage of one word for one hour without coming up with a definite resolution. yeah, he is obsessed with the thinking itself.

Really innocent when considering the social facts that people are crasy chasing money and power, fun and leisure. He works. That's it. And for this reason, I deem him my best mentor.

[An article from AskMen.com] How To Make Your Name Professionally

Think of yourself as a product on a grocery store shelf: Do you want to be a popular, sought-after brand like Kraft or do you want to be a generic, lifeless brand?In many ways you’re viewed in your professional life like a brand in a grocery store. Without a shiny packaging, you’re just another cheap commodity that anyone can buy anywhere. But as a powerful and recognizable brand, you can charge more, appear more valuable, and ultimately get chosen over the generic guy next to you.Much like popular brand names don’t appear overnight, making a professional name for yourself and raking in huge checks doesn’t happen incidentally. It takes a ton of work and requires you to leverage every possible outlet to get your professional name out there. Fortunately, making your name professional doesn’t require a huge marketing budget or a big name PR firm. You can do all the hard stuff yourself.Follow our tips for how to make your name professionally and you'll be that much closer to finding success.

Be known for something

Defining your "brand" is the cornerstone of how to make your name professionally. You want to be known for something specific, such as the “web marketing guy” or the “outside sales closer.” You want to be the product that people want to buy -- design your message around that concept.Developing your brand and professional name is like developing a political platform, which means that you’ll want to say the same thing over and over in slightly different ways. Seth Godin has written nearly a dozen books on marketing that all tell you what you already know and he packages them all around the Seth Godin brand, which is “the bright marketing guy.”

Leverage the web

Long before you’ll appear on Good Morning America and start riding the national speaking circuit, your first stop is to pimp the web. An easy way to get started is with a blog that centers on your area of expertise. Since you’re looking to make your name professionally, you’ll want to be professional and update your blog at least once a week, hopefully more.Even if only a handful of your friends are reading the blog initially, the practice of updating the content around your topic every week will allow you to refine your theme and your message.Don’t limit your exposure on the web to just spouting your own brilliance. In an effort to perpetuate and build their professional names, experts often leave comments on other blogs and participate in online discussions. Your participation will serve to educate you and promote your professional name as an expert in the field.

Write a book

Before you skim over this one, let’s talk about why you would even write a book. Nothing confers authority like being the author of a book that discusses your area of expertise. Remember that the title and authority you see given to authors has nothing to do with how many people actually read their book, just the fact that they wrote one.You don’t even have to try to find a real publisher. These days you can easily publish your own paperback for the price of a couple of movie tickets on sites such as Lulu.com. All you need is something to say. Plus, while you make your name professionally as an expert in, say, marketing, you'll also make a name for yourself as a writer -- if you seek out that particular path.
Your book doesn’t have to be Atlas Shrugged, it can be a 20-page Word document that has been stretched to make a 100-page paperback (sounds like what you did on your college term papers). Simply write the book and make it available for purchase, and once it’s complete, it’s the ultimate resume item.

Write for your local

paperContrary to popular belief, you don’t need to be a seasoned journalist to pen a story for your local paper. Mind you, you’re probably not going to be published in the Wall Street Journal, but for your local paper to put you in print you’ll only need to have something intelligent to say and some basic writing skills.News editors are always looking for smart, fresh perspectives to publish. The best way to approach an editor is with a few article ideas around a central theme.A published story conveys credibility and gives you a built-in audience. It also gives you a platform to parlay into other writing opportunities for bigger papers and magazines. Getting this kind of exposure not only showcases your talents, but it helps you to make your name professionally.

Get speaking gigs

The beauty of speaking opportunities is that the producer of the event is effectively promoting you and your professional name on their dime. When the event does take place, all the attention is on you and your message. Another advantage is gained by the fact that people naturally assume that if you’re standing in front of the room with something to say, you must know what you’re talking about and, therefore, you must be the expert.The path of a professional speaker is the same as a garage band: You start off doing local gigs for nothing so you can build a name, and you gradually work up to bigger gigs that pay.

presto! you’re an expert

Going from marketing intern to marketing guru isn’t just about what you know -- it’s about how you prove that you know it. Simultaneously becoming a blogger, author, columnist, and professional speaker on any topic quickly graduates you to the rank of “resident expert” without requiring you to become a national celebrity.When building your brand, it’s not just about what you have to say, it’s about how you get people to listen. Remember: The packaging sells the product before the product ever gets tested.

http://www.askmen.com/money/career_150/173b_career.html

[Journal Review] Attitude

We cannot control life, the joy and the sorrow of it, the achievement or otherwise, but one thing we ought to be able to control and that is our attitude to it. We can, I believe, make a work of art out of our lives, a song or a beautiful melody, even though that song may clutch at the throat and bring tears to the eyes. No one can deny us that artistry of living if we are ourselves capable of it - if we are capable . It is a big if! Not to reject life but to accept it in all its fullness, and yet to go throug it finely and with light steps and refusing to allow it to besmirth us. That is a worthwhile ideal, a difficult undertaking, and the very few who may have the good fortune to approach it can never regret the choice. Success if it comes, comes with no tinsel or vulgarity; failure itself approaches with noble and tragic mien. (An Excerpt from Jawaharlal Nehru's letter written to his sister from Naini Central Prison, Sep. 12, 1934.)

【Journal Review】The Wise Sherlock Holmes

I am a Holmes fan. I have taken some notes which are very insightful. Indeed, Holmesian.

You see, but you do not oberve.

Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories instead of theories to suit facts.

The interplay of ideas and the oblique uses of knowledge are often of extraordinary interest.

By what it has accomplished while still teething, one may forecast what marvels it will do in the strength of its maturity.

Nobody could infer the mastermind in the top of that ediice from the edifice itself.

Work is the best antidote to sorrow.

I cannot agree with those who rank modesty among the virtues. To the logician all things should be seen exactly as they are and to under-estimate oneself is as much a departure from truth as to exaggerate one's own powers.

Quality is not negotiable.

Virtue is its own reward.

It is a capital mistake to thoerise in advance of the facts.

No chain is stronger than its weakest link.

No rose without a thorn.

Belief is not proof.

Astonishing things can be done with the human memory if you will devote it faithfully to one particular line of business.

When you get into a dangerous place, don't turn coward. That isn't going to help matters any.

Constancy in love is a good thing; but it means nothing, and is nothing, without constancy in every kind of effort.

If you had the abilities of all the great men, past and present, you would do nothing well without sincerely meaning it, and setting about it.