Quotes from Management

"You don't get rewarded for activity. You get rewarded for results"
"Do more with less" (less people, money, time, etc.)
"Everyone's replaceable"

~Quotes from upper management at department meeting.

My reaction to quotes: ....

Anyway, although I myself would have not have publicly said those things to my employees, I'm sure those quotes are basic principles of any business (across probably many industries).

The principles in the workplace are actually the exact opposite of those of God's Kingdom.
The workplace is all about performance. Results. Effort counts a bit, but not really. It's really all about performance. But don't work too much because you're supposed to "do more with less" time/people.  Oh, and you are always replaceable. 

Man, all these false principles just hit me these past two days. Quite a depressing realization actually. Made me think about how awesome God is , as my heavenly Father. I thought about all that throughout small group yesterday. That I'm so so glad I don't have to perform to get daddy's approval. I always know that he always accepts me. That I am valuable and unique and loved, his beloved daughter. Just that confidence and knowledge is so precious and sweet to the soul, like honey. Really. --and lucky for me, this applies to both my earthly parents and my heavenly father (though of course no human is perfect)

Sure, there are still some things that look the same. Like teamwork, being joyful, being humble, peace-making, covering for each other's mistakes, encouraging each other, changing the culture, etc. So, on a day-to-day basis, it is really great. But deep inside the veins of every business is money and performance.

Grateful & Generous

Two words that I would like to have characterize my life.
with respect to God, of course.And because of Him

what does love look like?

What does love look like? is the question I've been pondering.
What does love look like, if all of life comes down to love.
~arms wide open

What does love look like?
 man, love does not look like me.

I'm so glad I caught the message at Light (at cornell). Yes, indeed the gospel message is so beautiful and so real. For a while now, i have been really sucked into other aspects of my life, getting caught up with doing stuff, being good at stuff, looking good, being right, being respected, being cool, accepted, friendly. It's all so, so selfish; it's all about me. Who am I? I am nothing, a vapor, a mist that is here and then gone. I am nothing. I am so, so weak (and I feel that reality more so now that I am beginning to get burnt out). Yet, though I am weak, I am strong. Though I am a vapor, I can move mountains. Though I once was lost and orphaned, I am now God's beloved and chosen.His precious daughter, equipped with all power and authority, with His love that transforms me and His truth that renews my mind each day. I have everything.

So blessed this weekend, visiting Cornell. So much love shown to me. Really needed the message and the people. Thank you for showing me love and sharing your life with me. Pray for me please.

Becoming a jerk

Colleague:

"Why do you think I have the reputation for being a jerk? That's how I get my work done"

Lol... this is a job where people-pleasing will burn you out

Uprooted tree

Probably one of our tallest trees. Uprooted just like that.

Just like that.

I wonder how long my parents are going to leave it like that. Probably until next year

alright that's like what. 2 analogies to life right there? lol.

NJ Power Outage

Lol, i know it's like serious and people have died, but every time I call my mom, she's like "HI!" and at some neighbor's house chilling out and having fun. Kids are playing ipad games, or board games by some fire place. They think it's exciting. (Actually, I think my parents think it's exciting too..).

On the phone, I overhear my dad ask my mom if she manually closed the garage door when she drove out, and my mom was like: No. of course not. I'm already so scared that it's so dark. Why would I go and close the garage door?

-___-.... (requires stepping out of the car). lol....and then she's like: don't worry; no one is going to rob the house.. lol..

I'm like trying to find some inconvenience or suffering that the storm has caused my family, so I keep asking questions, like : ... how do you eat? She's like oh! We can cook.

-__- Apparently we have gas stoves which don't run on electricity -__- sigh.

So, my family is good. End of my amusing-family story

Fall

Fall is like the transition season. School starts for K-12, and you transition into school mode.  Now that I'm out of college, it's like I'm more in sync emotionally with the K-12 school schedule than the college schedule. Sometimes I see high schoolers waiting for the school bus when I drive to work. Sometimes I play tennis at the high school courts, and I see the football players practicing, and the tennis team playing matches. Someone starts singing the Star-Spangled Banner at the football game and everyone stops in respect. You can tell the Asian international guy on the courts is kind of amused at us all stopping and taking off our hats.

So much American culture, growing up here. Born and raised man. Born and raised. Yet, I've never been to a Corn maze until this Saturday. Didn't know about apple cider donuts until college. Didn't know Hot Cider was more than just heated apple cider--supposedly they put extra spices in it too! I don't look at pies on magazines and go "ooo. that looks so good. Look at that texture!" In fact, I've never made a pie before.

Okay, this totally sounds like an Asian American identity crisis, but it's not. Just thoughts. Just saying. Culture, family background, how you grew up, is a very strong part of what you know and think and kind of who you are in a shallow sense at least. Your standard/ idea of what is a "good job" comes probably from a mixture of family, family friends, college friends, people you know, where you grew up, etc.

So, now what? Who cares? What in this life is worth living for?  Okay, now this sounds more like a quarter-life crisis. Kind of restless sometimes.