Shortly after I moved from Changchun to Beijing in 1998, I began studying one on one with a Chinese professor at a local teachers college. On the first day of class he told me, quite matter-of-factly that, since he was not a member of the Chinese Communist Party, we could talk about anything. He wasn’t […]
A Chained Beetle
I was in the Los Angeles area last week for meetings. During our Friday afternoon lunch break, we walked to nearby restaurant called Spitz. Along the way I spotted what I thought was a quintessential California scene. An oversized apartment building in faux-Spanish architecture. Palm trees. A 1960s VW Beetle. But wait….what’s with that chain? The […]
A Rearview Mirror
Ten years ago today I had knee surgery in Hong Kong to re-align a knee-cap. A couple of friends from the US happened to be in town that day and accompanied me to the hospital. Both of them have had more than their fair share of surgical procedures so they had lots of advice and […]
Where the Grand Canyon Begins
Yesterday, for the third time this year, I found myself on a flight to Los Angeles. And because I am a map and geography nerd, I always make sure to nab a window seat. I am fascinated by watching the geography and topography change as we make our way southwest across the western half of […]
The Wall Falls
Today marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Seven weeks later, the Soviet Union Collapsed. At the beginning of 1989, no one could have imagined these two events. Last summer I had the opportunity to make a super brief visit to Berlin. On the street in front of the Brandenburg Gate, […]
9/11 Boatlift
It was late at night on September 11 in Beijing when my mom called me from the U.S. to tell me about the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Internet was super slow back then and the local Chinese stations were not yet covering anything. I ran next door and woke up my teammate, […]
