A rainy day today, sharp contrast to a beautiful sunny day yesterday. Many people complained yet it depends on how you looked at it. Yesterday was a nice day for ‘people’, today is a good day for ‘trees’; actually water/ rain are important for all creatures and nature. Everything has 2 sides and we can …
Category Archives: Kindness
Straw
A few weeks ago I attended the Green Festival in Boston and one of the stand gave away a ‘straw kit’: a bag with a stainless steel straw and a thin brush (cleaner). I read that Starbucks is working a ‘strawless’ cap. Today I sipped a cocktail at happy hour through a ‘paper’ straw. The …
Just Ask!
I arrived at airport and found out there is an earlier flight so I asked the agent if I can change. He looked at my check-in monitor and said changing option didn’t appear. There might not be seat left but I could ask the gate agent. I went to the gate and the agent told …
Work Around
In the first meeting to discuss the new initiative ‘code name’ and structure with key stakeholders, we encountered strong resistance (A expressed the objection and B walked out of the meeting). Later, I talked to A, a senior executive, privately to seek her support and advice before gathering the core team. I didn’t get a …
Roller Coaster Ride
A roller coaster ride this week for the A initiative. We achieved the milestone target ahead of schedule. Before having time to celebrate or take a break, we ran into system performance and capacity issues, on top of that, accidental system shutdown. No question of the stress to teams and long hours of works yet …
Buffer
I have a conference starting at 9AM today. Compared to a normal (working) day, it’s 1hr later start and I don’t need to make breakfast at home yet I decided to get up at 6AM as usual. When I took out the vest I plan to wear, there were 2 big folding marks on the …
Customer Service
I love Trader Joe’s, not only for its unique and often-refreshing selection of goods but also (more) for its excellent service/ staffs. Let me share with you 2 recent experiences… A few weeks ago, I was at a store and overheard 2 young staffs talking about a colleague who got promoted and will be moving …
WoW, What a Fortune!
I went home opening the fridge…WoW, a food truck just landed with 10 boxes of food. My roommate said his company had a welcome new employee party; nobody wanted to take the ‘left-over’ food home so he did. I was at the restroom of a public library. A young woman came in and left her …
9/11
I noticed flag half way while having lunch with 2 young colleagues A and C. I asked why and was suggested (A guessed) in memory of 9/11. It has been 18 years yet it’s still vivid. A and C said 9/11 had ‘forever’ changed America. They were in elementary school then. A remembered worrying about …
Do the Right Thing
There was a big pine tree in my neighborhood. Somebody digged the roots out and left it there for weeks. Half of the leaves was brown/ dried out, the other half was still green and fighting. I walked pass it many times until 8/25, a week before I’ll move out. I got to do something… …