Current top tennis players, at age 35 or less, say very similar things – they want to get better and practice make them better. It does not matter the ranking, these top guys have such motivation to simply get better, and the belief that hard work will play off. I love that attitude.
Do you carry the same attitude, regardless of the ranking? Do you keep inventory of areas that you want to improve and block time to horn skills? Do you have the right “rivalry” or friends to motivate or push you?
This past week, I took a one-day course on “presenting da
ta and information”, taught by Mr. Edward Tufte. Mr. Tufte is a professor emeritus of political science, statistics, and computer science at Yale University. He is a pioneer in data visualization. With hundreds of “adult students” in attendance, he brought his unique perspective on data and gave us highlights of the rich content of his four books on data visualization. It was back to classroom lecture and had reading material that took more of the brain bandwidth and really needed focus. Over the years, we build the habit of the right “messaging” in our presentation with data filtering; we worry about complexity to our audience, and cherry pick “easy” and relevant information to our target audience; our challenge becomes less of a mental and content but more of a political and presentation. It is a day of reminder that rich content is superior to beautiful slides; a reminder to not distort data; and the expectation that communication could be clear, precise and efficient at the same time.
At age 73, Mr. Tufte is energetic, passionate to teach and “fearless” to disagree (with PowerPoint or with IT).
Over the hill at age 40, qualify for AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) membership at 50, become a senior citizen with senior discounts at 60 (sexagenarian), then a septuagenarian, an octogenarian to hit the average life span. There are almost always that unknown number of years between now and the end.
What can we make the most of these in-between years, to best the chance of being so admirable at age 73?
That is a lesson by itself.
any things convenient, efficient and improves the well-beings of many lives; and it is winning the race with non-technology alternatives. Yet, it is hard to wholeheartedly embrace a complete victory of technology.
ikely way lower than the gasoline consumed in getting to shopping malls. It is as great a thing as free Wi-Fi.
ng a hundred times will give a deeper understanding than the first attempt. After writing 100 blogs, I have learned or “relearned” a few things.
not there, nor do I want to be there. They may just make it look easy.
dset brings more inspiration. Three years have gone by between the 1st and the 100th. There are changes every day, let alone three years – mindset, parents, children, friends, career, workload and health. When we are relaxed and happy, the same thing looks more interesting and the world looks wonderful; no wonder the tennis players p
g nature that goes well with peanut butter, or ice cream or fruits or other companions. There are fries or pastries that are presented in the shape of a mini-waffle, which alone, improve their appeal. My best and worst waffles were both at a hotel near university campus. My best experience happened nearby the Harvard campus at Cambridge. The hotel was upscale where the ingredients were organic and carefully selected; the restaurant was filled with Harvard students with their families. It could be the ambiance, it could be the vacation appetite – the waffle breakfast was absolutely delicious. Fast forward a couple of years, I arrived at Ann Arbor near University of Michigan, just off a red-eye flight. Tired with little appetite and much time to kill, I was at this buffet-style breakfast served at the hotel. It could be the sleep deprivation, it could be the lack of diners, and it could be the waffles have been waiting for a diner for days, the waffle tasted so poorly that it was hard to reproduce. Waffle continues to be my favorite choice, though its carbohydrates make it a challenge now.
nforgettable. The best, in my book, is served in this modest and absolutely cramped 
the highest priorities at some stages of our lives. If we can earn money, can we earn happiness? There was a song about “happiness” by the Canto pop superstar Sam Hui in Hong Kong years ago. Many of the lyrics still hold true to this day. The lyrics translate into:
“Happiness is driving a car with a full tank”
re time, it was impossible to avoid extra persons in the background. Many desserts were on display at the refreshment tables, from brownies, macaroons, cupcakes, banana bread to different types of cookies. The sugary booster was fitting for the graduate students as they got ready for a night-out. The school bus would take them to a secret place and they would not be home until next morning. Is this also an experience for families to be ready for the many more nights ahead without the child sleeping under the same roof?
There is no lack of encouragement to ask many questions. That sometimes translates into effort to overcome a self-inflicted intimidation factor as people around are smart and young. The laissez faire culture nurtures self motivation and some never-enough sentiment though freedom also breeds insecurity and alignment issue. In comparison, the status report and weekly progress report, adopted in traditional companies, give more gravity, even it becomes counter-creative over time. A majority of hard-core engineers in a house don’t make much of a social environment, nor business-savvy organizations.
The longing of a dream is gone at the same time when the dream is realized. Friendly co workers warned, with certainty, a plateau would be ahead, and likely a sense of disorientation for a period of six to twenty four months (or forever). It is a new cycle to start from somewhere again. And one tends to morph into similar species of the surrounding. It reminds me of the beginning in another high-tech company many years ago.
be a stressful month for college-bound students and their parents – a month to choose which college to spend the next four years. Such a decision is weighty for a teenager and more so for the parents. College is expensive in US, the four years of education involve hundreds of thousands dollars even for public school. We don’t make such decision often in our life.
f the ‘site’ visit, there is the financial planning. College in US is outrageously expensive with 5-digits spending annually to cover tuition and boarding. If the parents do not provide, the students will be in a six-digit debt the day they graduate from a 4-year public college education. The more economic way to get a degree would be attending a 2-year community college, then transfer to a state college. Or they can crawl through thousands of scholarship opportunities, and that requires a level of motivation and hard work not often found in the teenagers of this generation. For parents who can afford to provide the 4-year, the debt-free students may not empathize the many years of parents’ hardwork to just afford their education.
decision making in the same way as their parents who are thirty more years older. The beauty of a youth is that they can afford some costly decision. In between supporting a teen’s decision vs dictating a decision, a final decision will be made by May 1st.
ne of my life to-do lists was checked-off. After many years of talking, we finally went to Indian Wells, California to watch the tennis master and to watch Roger Federer while he is still playing. Indian Wells are sometimes considered as the fifth slam in tennis, though not as well-known as the four major. The crowd was no less and this year more audience than that of French Open in Paris. It felt like Disneyland theme parks just two hours away from Indian Wells. There were lines to the food booths, lines to the stadium, lines for water refill; and things were pretty expensive. The whole atmosphere has been festive.
for his win and sad if he loses. This was unusual when we are used to root for underdogs in sports. The weather was in the 90s, so it took some physical strength to be an audience, as matches went from 11am to beyond 9pm. We were able to watch Federer both days, plus many other stars Williams, Djokovic, Nadal, Nishikori…. We are looking forward to a return trip next year and yet to decide whether we go for the early rounds or finals.
that the virus back then was more to take you down totally for a day or two days, then we were good again; now the virus seems to be more causing you discomfort
re, not lack of confidence, just more devices; we look ‘forward’ often to our computer. We look around less. And even less to stop and smell the roses.
oliviatamccue 