caring

The week before we had a guest speaker, Tom Mollenhaur, from a non-profit organization called Big Brothers Big Sisters. They focus on helping children through personal relationships with mentors. It was a great perspective from someone who worked in the corporate side before making a transition into the non-profit sector. I'm sure at one point in life you might have learned enough and achieved enough that you actually stop and think about what good can you do to help others and lend out your hands, your experience, your guidance. Interestingly, Tom mentioned that working in a non-profit org is a further challenge to him, perhaps tougher than corporate america. Funding, resources, and all forms of support, although sometimes abundant, do not just come knocking at your door. They need to know where their help is of most benefit. His job is to find ways to communicate to those people how their involvement is making the difference to the children, the community, the society, and give them the reason why they should help through his organization and not others'.

One question was raised, whether he found it hard to work for and with these children. The response: it's always hard when you care. So little I am involved with non-profits, I think it is so true. Look at how you handle your everyday life - if you don't care much then life is all smooth and great. Once you begin to care about something or someone, perhaps starting with yourself and build up to many things and many people, you go through much more thinking, trying, wondering, and seeking answers or solutions. True, not caring is always easier on yourself. Yet I don't see the point in life without it. When you care, it becomes important.. it becomes valuable.. it 'matters.' When you don't, it's all empty.. blank.. meaningless.. Perhaps once in a while it's worth taking a pause to think about what it is you really value in life. Something worth caring for.. something that makes you feel appreciated.. embraced.. fulfilled..

Abracadabra

"Secrets, are my life.."

people have secrets. and people want to know other people's secrets because they ARE secret.. had it not been secret, it would lose that only mystery behind..

but what if somebody lives his whole life with secrets.. that even the people closest to him cannot see through him.. is it illusion.. is it reality.. how do you see the difference? how do you know the difference?

i have just watched "The Prestige" - a new film directed by christopher nolan of Memento and Batman Begins. do not confuse this with The Illusionist which was released a few weeks earlier.. (i haven't seen that one so i can't really compare.. but reading the synopsis gave me the idea that the stories are totally different) my reaction after i watched prestige was.. wow, i liked the movie a lot! attention grabbing, scenes after scenes you keep discovering something behind. and then you start putting all the puzzles together.. leaving you with that one missing piece.. of course i won't tell you and spoil this favorite movie of mine.. see 'til the end.. you might find it, you might not..

"Every great magic tricks consist of three acts:

The Pledge..
when a magician shows you something ordinary
but of course, it probably isn't

The Turn..
when he makes that ordinary something
into something extraordinary

Now you look into the secret, but you won't find it

That's why you have The Prestige..
where things twist and turn
and you'll see something shocking you've never seen before."

autumn in my 'evanston'

took a walk around campus with the gang the other day.. here are some of the shots of evanston in the fall.. the leaves are not as colorful as it should yet, maybe have to wait a bit.. it is part of our plan to go photo taking every now and then, just to capture our last 'seasons' here.. once we go back, seasons don't change much anymore.. jing ma? ^^

good to great

"All companies have a culture, some companies have discipline, but few companies have a culture of discipline.
When you have disciplined people, you don't need hierarchy.
When you have disciplined thought, you don't need bureaucracy.
When you have disciplined acion, you don't need excessive controls."

from "Good to Great" by Jim Collins

Interesting quote from the book I'm reading for my leadership class. The book basically tries to compare good companies with great companies, and how you can become great instead of just good. I kinda like this discipline idea, and I really think ideally it would improve the health of organization.. thought some of you might find it interesting and thought provoking as well :)