I gave a speech , titled ‘what do you remember’ – I asked the audience to think of a trip that they remember… what made it special? memorable? I’ve been fortunate to see many beautiful places and enjoy wonderful food yet what stands out is always the ‘people’. I’ve prepared three stories yet barely got …
Category Archives: Creativity
Talent by Nature or Nurture
I asked a friend who is master of humor how he does it – adding a magic touch at the right time and place. It seems so natural and easy as he talks… He said ‘since a child, he has been interested in humor, he watched Comedy Central every Saturday observing how comedians do; he …
LevelOpp
I’m working on a social entrepreneurship specialization. The goal is beyond a certificate but start a social enterprise to solve a big societal problem. I thought of what I’ve seen, heard that it’s difficult to attract good doctors, teachers to go to smaller towns. The discrepancy of resources, opportunities, etc. happen around the world, developing …
Smart Kyle
I planted some Kyle strands, unsure if they would grow without the roots. In a few days, I noticed the sides started to brown out while the center piece grew a little greener and taller. How ‘smart’ the Kyle is…They know they can’t all survive so they chose, ganging all nutritions to the one who …
Step Up
Judy* is a founding member of a Chinese cultural organization. She had an organ transplant and fought against breast cancer, now in her late 70s yet she still teaches the Chinese school every Sunday. Not only the school, but also many events, you would see judy. She is thin, petite and doesn’t walk far yet …
Success
I caught up with a friend recently and I’m excited to hear her and another friend’s success. Cindy* and Josh* both ran an interesting business. Cindy does senior executives validation, for example, private equity firms hire her to investigate on CEO or CFO final candidates, talking to people who have worked with him/ her to …
Everything will be Good in the End
Mom and dad didn’t want to come, not because they hate traveling or don’t want to see me (or my new home) but because they don’t want me to go to JFK to pick them up due to E airline destination. (Last time they visited, we had a flat tire on one way which requested …
Just Ask
I want to start a vegetable garden. I asked a neighbor who has lots of plants in her garden if she has any to spare. She said yes and gave me a tomato, an eggplant, and a flower called marigold. She said animals don’t like the smell of marigold so it works like a protection …
Serendipity
I met Todd* at recent MIT grand hack. He is a svp at a major hospital system. He gave the keynote at sustainable health track. Yet he is not like typical presenters, flashy, dramatic, or funny; he was more an ‘engineer’, reserved, soft-spoken, presented slides with lots of numbers and chart. He was a mentor …
MIT Grand Hack
After 3 years, MIT grand hack, one of the largest healthcare hackathon in the world is back in person. This time it’s held at a new location and I signed up for sustainable health track. When I hear rovena*’s problem pitch, I was shocked and hooked. Rovena is a physician and everyday when she attends …