Anyway

A Final Posting

2007-09-16T22:30:00.000-07:00

Yeah, that’s right. This is the final posting for this blog.

And to end it, I won’t go into much detail about what happened during my last few days in Canada before returning to Shanghai (where I am currently residing). But I will paint a few brush strokes.

The evening of Thursday, August the 31st, ended up being a good final meeting of salseros (salsa dancers) and a few non-salseros that just wanted to say goodbye. It was a long night, but some goodbyes take longer than others.

On Friday, I had a great phone conversation with a professor at UBC (referred to me by the venture capitalist I had spoken with earlier) about entrepreneurship, academia and my goals (he said for me, “it’s a close call”). I spent part of the evening with a former coworker playing pool. We shared each other’s stories of how we got to where we are now, and as normally happens when I learn more about a person, I developed a newfound respect for him. Remember what I said about the people I worked with?!?

On Saturday, I spent the first part of the day with my two youngest brothers and my dad. In the evening, I met with two friends for coffee and then drove home to pick up my brothers to go to a good friend’s restaurant where I was to have my final goodbye party.

There were about thirty or so people there. I felt I had to give a little speech once everyone had their orders served, and so I did. As time went by, one by one, and then in groups, they came to say goodbye. I left with my two brothers there and two friends that needed rides. We got home by midnight.

The next day, I was in semi-panic mode to get all the things I needed packed. With the help of my brothers, we got the job done. We made it to the airport with enough time for some pictures, and from that point on, I felt I’d be more alone than I had ever been before. As the story goes, I was right…

But this is not the right posting, or the right blog for it. “Anyway”, as I mentioned before, was a test for me. A test to see how well I could focus and be concise, at least in my writing if in nothing else.

How well did I do? I’m not sure. I have a feeling I’d be a tremendously bad judge of my own efforts if I were to do so myself. What I can say, is that it’s easier said than done. In a way, I think more importantly what happened was that the aim of my focus and efforts at being concise kept changing, leading to confusion not only for myself, but for those who earnestly wanted to help. For this, I am a bit ashamed. However, as result, I’ve come to learn first-hand a lot more lessons during this period of my life. In an effort to remain true to the aim of this blog, I will state them as points:

- The past is the past. (I know I’ve said this before, but it needs repeating, at least for myself).

- What people say can be very different from what they actually do or think. Today or tomorrow.

- Focus on one thing at a time, and you’ll have a better chance of doing it right.

- Really try to understand your motives. Then you’ll be better prepared to make wise decisions.

-Things happen in circles. History repeats itself. If it’s working for you, great. If not see the last point.

- Your reality can change. In the words of the Alchemist, so long as you "… pursue your personal legend the universe will conspire with you to make it happen."

And last, but not least:

- Dreams can die. This need not be bad news however. All it means is that once again, timing is everything. You may have missed a great opportunity to further your quest in life, but it’s far from the only opportunity.

And on that note, I will close this posting and this blog by saying “Take your blessings”, but also, don’t forget to ask for them too.

Take care everyone,

Tim Singh

P.S. For those curious about my next stage in life, I will soon start a new blog called “Life is”, but with no promises as far as content or frequency go.

Challenging times

2007-08-30T16:47:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened from last Wednesday to this one.

I’ve had two bank appointments, more dealings with the Italian consulate, the Politecnico di Milano itself, Alberta Health, and World Financial Group (looks like I’m finished with them), and had a phone conversation with a venture capitalist I met in Winnipeg.

To keep myself sane (but I guess that’s a relative statement) I: did another little art project; spent an evening with a friend from high school, went to the MC Hammer concert (“2 legit. 2 legit 2 quit!!!”); went to a fundraiser for the Peru (and did a little car window-shopping with two of my danceteammates); went to see a psychic; visited the university and went on a bike trip.

In the interest of time, and to make up for my partial efforts at being concise and focused, I will only talk about the last two days here.

Tuesday started out rather slow. And that’s actually how I wanted it to be. My intention was to read for most of the day, call the Italian consulate to find out about my visa status (they had had my passport for almost two weeks by this point) and then go collect it (assuming it would be ready). After that, I’d buy some Chinese yuan, and see a psychic. As usual though, it didn’t quite happen that way.

I started reading around 8:30am after breakfast and called the Italian consulate about an hour later. The guy on the phone said my passport was ready to be picked up. Because purchasing my flight to Shanghai depended on that, my mom insisted that I go to the consulate right away. Still, almost acting like I had all the time in the world, I made my way downtown by LRT (the local train, for those of you not familiar with the city) and then to the bank to get some money I would later exchange for Chinese yuan. I met a friend from design along the way, and we ended up talking, delaying the unexpected event that would happen not long after that. She accompanied me to the consulate, and we waited for a good half an hour to be seen. No matter, I thought. I’ll get my passport and be on my way. Nope. My visa hadn’t even been processed yet! What?!?!?

Apparently, I hadn’t paid for the first semester of school yet. They didn’t say that was a requirement for a visa! Anyway, I was told to pay for it first and then come back the next day. I’d have my passport ready in “a few days”. What did that mean? Oh, Friday, maybe. Ah!!! There’s the word again! Like in China! I wanted to leave on Monday! I had already been making arrangements, granted I hadn’t pay for any flights at this point.

So, I continued on from there. I ran into another friend, got my Chinese yuan and made my way back to my mom’s. When I got there, I told my mom about what had happened, and needless to say, she wasn’t too impressed. She insisted I pay for school right away and give the consulate the receipt ASAP. After trying to pay online (and realizing in the process that I didn’t understand nearly enough Italian to deal with an Italian bank), my mom and I drove to the bank here to get them to wire money over to Italy. On the plus side, it was a surprisingly easy process.

From there, I drove back downtown and got the receipt to the consulate with just enough time for the guy who was helping me to say it should be ready by the next day or the day after. Good! That meant Thursday latest. I drove back to pick up my mom, and do a bit of shopping with her. When we got back, she looked a lot more relieved.

Later that afternoon, I took the LRT back downtown to see a psychic. A friend of mine from high school had recommended I see her. When I arrived at the Russian Tea Room, I had forgot her name. No matter, I made an appointment. She’ll know I was coming. Nope.

I ended up almost getting a reading from another lady (which I guess might not have been so bad had I not hesitated from the start). She almost seemed insulted when I asked her to name off all the psychics that worked there, hoping I would remember who it was I was supposed to see. I told her it wasn’t anything personal, but I don’t think she believed me. I called my friend to ask what her name was, and sat back down to wait for Teri. A few minutes later I heard her voice. “Are you ready?” I hoped I was.

I moved to her work corner, probably the darkest in the building, and after a few matters of business, she got right into it. Now, I’ve never “really” had my palm read or had taro cards tell me about myself (read: I’ve never paid someone to do that before), but I was surprised at her findings. She really did seem to know me very well. She spoke of my thoughts, travel, relationships, friends and family, and a bit about my future. The one thing she said I definitely should do however, is complete my masters. I was having doubts about it until that day, and still do, but I figure what happens in Shanghai will help me make up my mind. We’ll see what happens.

I spoke to my dancepartner from Shanghai on the phone that evening. She said she should be able to meet me at the airport when I arrive.

The next day I woke up before 6am to talk to the Politecnico di Milano once more. I spent a large portion of the rest of the morning with the email and internet. I got a message on my phone saying my passport was ready, so I finished on the computer, got on my bike and headed downtown once more. I rang the doorbell to the consulate office (yeah, it has it’s own doorbell) right at 12 noon. What timing I thought, considering I was told I couldn’t pick it up any later that day.

After that, I made my way to the university campus to visit my old department. I had arranged to meet a professor in quad (a large green space), and upon arrival, I was awestruck. I had forgotten next week is the week of welcome (WOW). But the campus had already started its celebrations with hotdog and hamburger tents with lineups like there was no tomorrow, and music that proves Russel Peters’ argument that “Americans have culture”. The weather was perfect for it (unlike the last week or so, which had really felt like fall). I walked up and down the lines looking for my professor friend and finding baklava servers instead. Man, I love baklava. Anyway, I ended up finding the professor and we chatted about design and my plans to go abroad once again. I accompanied him to his office, met his assistant, and then after a phone call from the friend who had recommended the psychic to me, I ventured over to the industrial design studio.

There I met my old shop technician and a few of my old professors. I told them about my travels and experiences, and plans for the future. The shop technician told me he thinks it’s “cool”. One of the professors told me of his plans to go to Shanghai too! I said I’d meet him there.

I had to hurry on my way back to the northside of the city for another appointment at the bank, of which I made on time. To my surprise though, I couldn’t meet my regular banking advisor because she had “emergency meetings” with other clients. So I had to deal with her assistant. I can’t stand her assistant. We just don’t know how to talk to each other. Anyway, we did what we could, and I ended our meeting with a “On the positive side…”. You have to be politically correct sometimes.

I made it back to my mom’s condo for quick change, and then head off again for a bike ride (not like I hadn’t been riding enough that day). I rode back to the southside and made it to the store “Petalhead”. In the back, I met a guy I originally met through salsa who was also the “petalhead” who had invited me out. Altogether, there were about 20 of us ready to take on the challenges of off-road biking. I thought I knew what I was doing, but still went with the beginner group.

It was a good experience on the whole. I got to discover a lot about the river valley I didn’t know before. I also discovered that I would really need a new bike if I were to do that again. In the words of the group leader, I’ve got “more rider than bike”. I made it home late that evening, and was completely exhausted.

This morning I woke up after a relatively intense dream, of which I can’t fully recollect, nor want to expand on here. But it was good.

I spent most of the day on the computer again today (hence, why I could get this done). Soon, I’ll be driving my mom to the airport for her trip to Germany, and later, I’ll be going to On the Rocks one last time before I am on my next journey abroad once again. However, this time I don’t intend on coming back anytime soon.

An Unemployed Life

2007-08-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

I find it amazing how life can happen. One minute you think you have everything figured out, and the next, you feel like you’ve lost all control and can’t see past a month, or worse, you can see two paths but don’t know which to take. Such is the case with me.

Back to the road not taken.

I’d say at least since I finished my undergrad, every summer has been a turning point. Summer 2004: what route to take after convocation; Summer 2005: try my career luck in New England or my romantic luck in Edmonton; Summer 2006: work choosing between four jobs. And now, Summer 2007: grad school in Milan or straight entrepreneurship in Shanghai (although I think I may have figured it out now (thanks to the manager of the Alberta Scholarship Office)- combine the two! Do research for companies in Shanghai wanting to achieve the same goals as me (there are many), build the connections and learn from their experience, and then use it to my benefit when I return to Shanghai once I finish. But the idea is still just an idea.).

The heart of my confusion, lies partly in defining what exactly it is I want to do for work (see my lasting posting on my last blog "The Road Not Taken" for more on that). More recently, I’ve been told that at least the goal I want to achieve (cars that don’t pollute) is “a tall order” and that I’m vying for leadership positions, like CEOs and the like. Of course, my natural position at this point in my life hinders me in two ways: I’m young and I’m inexperienced. And to top it all off, I am still easily influenced by girls that distract me from my goal or I guard myself against those that actually would help me achieve it. Sometimes I wonder whether or not I really am growing up.

Anyway, here’s the update on the happenings of an unemployed life.

First off, it’s actually not too bad, considering I’m keeping busy trying to get organized for a trip back to China I have delayed for too long.

August opened with a trip to World Financial Group, to see if I could learn something about investing from them on the 1st (don’t ask); a patio party on the 2nd; a b-boy fundraiser on the 3rd; a going-away party for one of the danceteam’s members on the 4th; dancing at Heritage Days (my favorite festival in Edmonton) on the 5th.

Monday the 6th was the beginning of a busy “work week”. I researched all the scholarships I could find that I might be eligible for (that was hard), traveled to the university to get the related papers in order. I filled out forms for visas, got my passport photos taken, and got a computer technician to look at our computers. I met up with an old friend that Wednesday, and two more on the 11th, and my brother in Calgary made a surprise appearance that weekend, which was nice. That Saturday was a salsa night social. I didn’t dance much, but still had fun. The building wasn’t opened on time, so the dance lesson started in the parking lot. That was definitely a first.

The next Monday started out with a trip down to Calgary to get my Chinese visa (apparently I didn’t provide a return address). The following few days consisted of more dealings with the university, the Italian consulate, the employment insurance and health care offices, signing a contract to be a business liasion for an Argentinian design firm, and World Financial Group (it was around this time that I realized the major benefit I would get out of them would be eligibility for my visa (I need to show I’m “working”)). I ended the week completing an art project with a friend, watching dragon boat racing in misty air (that reminded me so much of Shanghai), going to see a live band, and having my final dance practice with the danceteam.

This “work week” began with catching up on reading material I had collected on China, design, and everything in-between since I got back from California last year. Monday night was a going-away dinner for another dance teammate who’s going back to Peru early because of the earthquake that recently hit. On Tuesday, a group of people I used volunteer with on campus with had a going-away dinner for me. It was then that I realized I’ll be on my way sooner than I thought.

Although I was told just yesterday that my application for unemployment insurance was rejected on the grounds that I’m leaving the country and am not “willing, able and looking for full-time work”, I have to confess that choosing the next road to take is a pretty hard full-time job.

Puerto Rico and The Return Home

2007-08-02T22:23:00.000-07:00

Just past 3:30am on July 21st, I was waiting by the road for one of my danceteam partners to show up, almost ready for our trip to Puerto Rico. She picked me up, and we were on our way to the airport.

Our first flight took us straight to Denver, Colorado. A quick cruise down the moving sidewalks of this very straight airport, some of Auntie Anne’s pretzels, and we were on our way to our second stop in Washington D.C.

We had more time between flights in D.C. My first trip to the city in 2005 had really impressed me, so I wanted to see it again. After a bit of window shopping and lunch, I managed to convince my partner to take a shuttle bus to the main terminal where we could then take a train into the city. By the time we got there though, a quick look at the departure screen showed our flight was already boarding. A bit of running, and we made it back in time, but my partner didn’t seem too impressed with me.

We took a longer than expected route to Puerto Rico thanks to a storm on the ocean, but we made it by 11pm the same day. When I stepped out of the airport, I was greeted by the warm, dense, humid air, as it fogged up my glasses. We stood in line for a taxi, and not long after that we were in our condo room with our team director and the rest of the team that had showed up earlier that week. In even less time than that, we were given our options of things to do that same night. My flight danceteam partner decided to tour the pool and check out the opening dance. I just stayed back and rested. The day had just been way too long for me already.

With only a couple of interruptions that night, I managed to get enough rest to start my week in Puerto Rico without the headache I had before the trip.

The following morning, we were woken by the team again and told of plans to travel around the island. The two of us couldn’t get ready in time, so we stayed behind and made our own plans for the day. After some brunch at Burger King, and waiting in a bus shelter while heavy rain fell, we managed to flag down a bus with the help of a retired American and made our way to Old San Juan. In less than half an hour, the sun had come out, and we were walking along the docks by the old city. We wanted to cross the bay to get the Catano were there was supposed to be a festival, but being Sunday, the ferry we needed to take wouldn’t get there for another hour or so. So we took a quick tour of the old city in the meantime.

Once we caught the ferry, the rain had started again. And once we got across, it was too heavy to leave the docks. We ended up spending our time talking with the other stranded passengers, starring at the rain, trying to find a bus that would take us to the Bacardi tours (my partner’s motive for going to Catano), and stumbling across a couple’s anniversary celebration. We eventually found out that the buses weren’t running anymore that day, and that the festival wouldn’t start until later that evening. This brought an unexpected end to adventure to Catano, and had us travel back through the rain to Old San Juan. There we went searching for umbrellas and getting into an interesting conversation with a Singaporean shop owner who felt “close to us”. I didn’t end up buying an umbrella until only after venturing to the other coastline of the peninsula, and discovering the “sketchier” side of town and getting drenched in the process. The umbrella I ended up buying had the colours of the Puerto Rican flag and was big enough for two people. As losses happened in previous trips of mine, I lost the umbrella later in Washington D.C.

After some Puerto Rican fast food, and deep discussion on purpose and reason (don’t ask), we were on our way back to the condo. And naturally, we had to get lost. Using two common fast food places as our markers of where to get off the bus, we only realized we were in the wrong place after buying a bunch of groceries, and my partner stated that she didn’t recognize “the broken phone booths and random vagrants”. We taxied the rest of the way back, and ended up waiting for the last two members of our team to arrive that night, since they were to stay in our room. After venturing to get some more food, turning back half way to get our umbrellas, and then actually getting the food, we parted ways. She back to the condo, and I to the dance that night. One of our teammates eventually wrote to say their flight had been cancelled, and that they’d be there the next day. So, I went to get my danceteam partner, and we went to the dance together. There we met the rest of our team, and some other salseros (salsa dancers) from Edmonton, and danced the night away.

The next day we were only given a few minutes to get ready to make our first practice of the trip at 9am sharp. It apparently wasn’t one of our best rehearsals, but that was apparently ok. The afternoon was filled with dance workshops, meeting up with the rest of the team that had just arrived, going to the gym with our team director, and eating at Church’s Chicken (a fast food place like KFC, but instead of fries on the side, you get corn. I know, weird).

This part gets kind of confusing for me, because I’m not sure the order in which some of the things happened after this until the Wednesday. I believe on Monday my new roommates and I had our first “home cooked” dinner, and I spent the rest of the evening up until the dance that night alone in our room trying to catch up on writing about my experience so far, but ended up getting distracted by the Disney Channel instead. Yeah, so what?

Tuesday was the same routine in the morning and afternoon. After that, I think I went to the beach until 7pm, when the first performances of the congress were to start. Surprisingly, I found the skill level of the performers to be a little more varied than I had thought there would be in one of the top salsa congresses in the world. Nevertheless, it was good to watch. At night, there was another dance to take part in.

After our morning practice, and only one workshop on Wednesday, a group of us from the team got together to take a trip to Old San Juan. The girls naturally wanted to go shopping, and the guys, well I guess we went because of the girls (Actually, the plan was just to go have lunch there, but sometimes it makes for a better story to say otherwise). We waited for the bus for what seemed to be a very long time in the intense Puerto Rican heat, but eventually made it to a nice little restaurant in Old San Juan, had some food, and then went our separate ways to explore the old city. I went exploring with another guy from the group who seemed to be on a mission to get to one of the city’s most historic sites: El Campo del Morro. A large green space of small rolling hills with the old city wall on both sides, a beautiful cemetery (can I say that?) on one side, and a castle at the furthest point. The wind was strong there, and people were flying kites. The view of the ocean and the coastline reminded me a lot about Monaco. When we returned to the meeting point, we took a group picture and then made our way to the bus terminal, where we again had to wait so long in the Puerto Rican heat and the contained bus terminal heat, that I resorted to making abstract short films with my camera and my flight danceteam partner. But it didn’t stop there. On the bus ride back, the movies continued, and the laughs slowly spread to the rest of our group. I love it when that happens.

After a quick change in our room, we were off to watch that evening’s performances. This time, there were a lot more people watching, and the crowd took on a more sports event fan base. It was amazing. A lot of us ate out at Ponderosa (a salad bar buffet restaurant), and then headed for the dance that night. It was supposed to be a big night since the Latin singer Hector Lavoe was to be performing, but the bigger part of that night for my roommates and I, was that we would end up spending the night in one of the other condos the team had rented because one of us left our only key in our room. Actually, because of our team’s performance the following day, this event might have happened the previous night, but because our days were so filled with activities, it was hard to find time to write and keep track of what was going on. The rest of the trip I remember well.

On Thursday, I spent the morning watching most of the team practice for our first performance that afternoon. We were supposed to perform on Friday as well, but the second routine wasn’t quite confirmed yet. I was slotted for the second performance. Practice, workshops and the team’s first performance in Puerto Rico all finished before 5pm. The team did well. A bunch of us headed for the beach thereafter, where we did everything from swimming to beach model photo shoots (I wasn’t part of that in case you were wondering). The water was warm and very salty as it had been since the first day I experienced it. So much so, that it ended up deterring me from swimming to an island that was just off the coast (also, due to the fact that no one wanted to go with me). I quickly went to the other condo to pin my performance pants for the next day, and then headed to Ponderosa and the dance afterwards. I called it a night early, so I could get enough rest for the performance the following day.

After the morning routine on Friday, I made it back to our room for a quick lunch and nap before making it too the ballroom where we would be performing that day. After a few quick warm-ups and taking pictures with some of the other salseros from Edmonton, we watched their performance and then made our way outside to prepare for ours. I have to admit, there’s something about not being able to see your audience due to the dimmed lights that makes performing in front of hundreds of people a lot less frightening. I didn’t feel nervous at all.

After that, we took group pictures out by the pool and tossed up ideas of what to do to celebrate now that our performances were out of the way. A group of eight of us decided to explore more of the island. So, after renting a Jeep, we took off to Fajardo in eastern Puerto Rico to see a bioluminescent bay. With a quick stop for food, we made it there by night fall.

The sound of Merenge music from a small concrete shelter not far from the parking lot drew the four girls we were with. They danced with each other as a number of guys stood there watching. Within moments they grabbed them and my heart started to pound hard. This didn’t look like a friendly dance. Thankfully, the girls were able to break away themselves before anything could happen.

From there, we made it to the dock, got instructions on kayaking, got partnered up, and made our way to the bay. It was an interesting journey there, swimming among the luminescents once we got there, and the journey back. My kayak partner (also my flight danceteam partner) got pretty annoyed with my paddling and attempts at conversation by the end of it. Like one of the kayak instructors said, kayaks have also been known as “divorce boats”. I guess we got one of those. My partner also got bit by bugs that gave her what could have been “chickenpox herpes” according to a nurse in Washington D.C. (she only found out today that they were just sand fly bites. She’s doing better). A couple of us got some ice cream before heading back to San Juan.

9am Saturday morning was slated for a back to back workshop by Eddie Torres, the originator of On-2 style salsa dancing (for those of you who don’t know anything about that, don’t worry). I had never seen him before, so it was a little exciting for me. He turned out to be a rather large New Yorker probably in his 40s, who could easily have fit into a gangster movie from the 1950s. For the workshop, he wore an oversized black t-shirt with a large golden image on the front that included the words Legend in the bottom right-hand corner, and relatively tight pants. It was an interesting workshop. His dancepartner was his wife, and they flirted throughout it all.

I finished the workshops that day doing Cuban rumba. Very different from the ballroom rumba I learned in university. After that, our team and a few other salseros from Edmonton got together at a Mexican restaurant for lunch. From there, it was to the beach one last time; watching the final dance competition; a final meal in Puerto Rico with my roommates; a trip to the other condo to look at pictures and videos of our performances with some of the other salseros from Edmonton (probably the highlight of all the group time in Puerto Rico for me), and then off to the final dance that night. I called it a night around 3am, did a bit of packing and rested on my bed while the rest of my roommates packed their things for our trip back home later that morning.

At about 5:30am Saturday morning, the four of us got our things together into a taxi and left for the airport. Our first stop was in Washington D.C. once again. After some of Auntie Anne’s pretzels, we decided that five hours until our next flight was enough to go see the city. So we took the train, and toured as much as we could. When we got back to airport, we were told our flight was delayed, because the pilots were in Baltimore. Ok. So, we got some food and waited. When we realized we would miss our next connection out of Chicago, we inquired about staying the night there. Once we got to Chicago, we were all very tired, but managed to get a night in the Holiday Inn.

The next day, we had until 8pm to tour the city and make it back to the airport to catch our flight to Edmonton. We went up to the Skydeck of the Sears tour, ate Chicago deep dish pizza, and rode around the downtown loop in the CTA train. For not much planning, it was a pretty good tour of a city we all had never been to before.

We caught our flight which was on time, and were taken by surprise that we were given first class seats. I’ve never sat in first class before.

When we got back to Edmonton, it was about 11pm. I didn’t bother unpacking much or even talking at length with my mom, because I needed to wake up early the next day for work, but I wasn’t prepared for what would happen when I got there.

…

In Chicago, I received an email from my general manager saying he had left the company after only arriving in February. I wasn’t sure what to make of that until arriving to work this past Tuesday.

While I was away, the company reported a loss of $100,000 over the last few months, and with low purchase orders despite an apparent “hot” Alberta economy, layoffs were called. I was one of them.

It actually got to me harder than I thought it would. I said my goodbyes, and drove away (I was glad to have drove to work that day). I took the long route to Kingsway, where I indulged in a few purchases of comfort music and food, and then visited my dad and brother. I worked in our garden a bit and then headed with my brother to the unemployment office. On the plus side, the process for application is surprisingly easy.

Like August of 2006, I am now starring at my options for the future. However, this time the difference is that I am more focused. I am already making plans to go back to Shanghai next month, and with my article published I hope to find something there before I leave. As a backup, there is always Milan. As I mentioned before, I would love to live in Italy, but as an acquaintance once told me bluntly, “don’t confuse grad school with Italy”. Point taken.

Happenings

2007-07-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

Please bear with me for this posting. It’s currently 8:44pm on the Friday before my big trip to Puerto Rico with the Salsaddication dance team. I should be excited by this point, but after a few weeks of 30+ degree nights, going to bed around midnight only to wake up all sweaty by 5am, not to mention everything I’ve been trying to get done during the days, I am actually looking more forward to at least one day of rest amidst what I imagine I could be one of the wildest places I’ve ever been too. I think I’m beginning to associate myself more with Meursault from the story The Outsider these days.

Speaking of books, before I get into what has happened over the last almost three weeks, the third book I started to read not long ago, I finally finished. Last weekend I deliberately took some time for myself to sit through it. To my surprise, it has honestly been one of the better reads I have ever had. I think mostly because I feel it has a strong message for me. I won’t get into it here, but if you haven’t already read The Alchemist, get it right now! I owe my youngest brother for that one.

Now for the rest. I’ll try to brief.

First off, The Possibility of Shanghai, has finally become a magazine article, and by default, I have officially become an author.

It was quite the source of excitement, when on July 10th, my dad called to leave me a message that the magazine had finally arrived. The next day, and the following, I stayed up late emailing people with the article attached. It finally feels like the chance I’ve been waiting for- to show people just how much I really want my dream to come true.

The rest of my time has been largely spent practicing or performing salsa, and doing more research into what places I can contact to tell them about my article.

On July 7th, I met a “financial educator”, who the following week would introduce me to the wonders of the financial world. I have always been weary of these kind of people, but the opportunity to learn has always intrigued me, so I’m taking what I can out of it for now. We’ll see what happens next month.

On Wednesday, I decided to take a break from it all and go to one of the last U-20 FIFA soccer games here in the city with my mom. It was great to do something like that again.

However, the most exciting moment come when an old friend from university emailed me out of the blue earlier this week. We met for dinner yesterday. She’s one of those people I really respect and has always seemed to know me very well. This time when we met, things were a little different. While she was still for the most part the wonderful person I have known for all these years, but she seemed to be a little frightened about the path she is taking in life. Once we started to talk about it, it felt more and more like we were both the same person, and when she would talk, I would be there listening to myself. Quickly, the associations with The Alchemist, and so many other readings, lectures, and life experiences began to show themselves. I cannot even begin to describe my thoughts at the time, and the ones I have now (partly because I really need to get ready for my trip tomorrow), but as I mentioned earlier this year, I think I’ve realized something important once again that's difficult to put into words. All I can say is something that relates to something another good friend of mine said not long ago either: “Take your blessings”. If you understand this, please don’t forget it.

That night I rode with her tandem on my bike to On the Rocks (the place to go to for salsa on Thursday nights here), and we danced the night away. We had some really good gelato thereafter.

Today, I had a headache all day and tried really hard at work to get two projects done before I left, since I won’t be here next week. I almost did it.

Anyway, time to get some rest.

To Winnipeg and Back

2007-07-02T21:49:00.000-07:00

The first thing that really hit me when I got off the plane in Winnipeg two Sundays ago, was the humidity. Waiting outside for the first bus going downtown reminded me in an odd way of my last trip to southern California. The morning had started out with a nice surprise.

On the bus, the driver notified me when we reached the intersection with Maryland street, and from there I headed about six blocks south to get to the hostel. Along the way, I passed by a number of houses with front yards that could have easily fit in my Edmonton neighborhood, however, the main difference that set them apart was that every 10th house or so had a painting on it. This was something I would end up finding out wasn’t unique to this street at all. It was a nice touch to the city’s streetscape.

After taking a bit of time to settle my stuff into the hostel and share a few laughs with the owner who I had made my reservation with (as a quick note, this quick welcome-to-the-hostel experience was one of a few very important moments of trust-building realizations that I had during this trip), I was on my way to the hotel where the conference would be, taking my own tour of the city as I went along.

Because it was Sunday, and because I passed by three or four churches on the street to the hostel, I couldn’t help but stop by. As an ethnically mixed boy who grew up in mainstream Canadian culture, schooled in a Catholic education program while attending a Sikh temple on weekends, I don’t really hold any strong feelings for or against any place of worship, but I do take special interest in churches for the poor (and also cathedrals, but I didn’t think I’d find any here). So I entered the New Life Ministry hoping to hear a really good story of survival or something like that. And in a way, I did.

I don’t remember the pastor’s name, but he was about my age, and had just come back from a white water rafting trip with some fellow Christians down south. On his trip, he realized that he had many different opinions of bible interpretation than one of his southern brothers of faith. They debated and at the end of it he realized something else. In almost his words, “Sometimes the right thing to do is with others, but not to be done by you yourself”. An interesting point, but his story lead to another point that he would stress again and again. “Speak the truth in love, or shut up”.

Once again, simple and straight to the point. A good lesson. I thanked him at the end of the service and went on my way.

The heart of Winnipeg’s downtown is actually quite nice. An array of contrasting turn of the century-esque and International Style/bauhaus (read: boxy) buildings. The area where the conference would be is called the Forks: Winnipeg’s rendition of Granville Island in Vancouver. I’m not actually sure which came first, but the layout and choice of colored exposed beam structures is hard to believe as coincidental. The skatepark and restaurant on a bridge however, are definitely unique.

When I got to the hotel, I was early enough to attend the pre-conference tour of downtown. And am I ever glad I did. It was only a few other people and myself, but they turned out to be some of the more influential people within the community of entrepreneurs that I would end up getting to know. Our tour guides never showed up, so we kind of winged it ourselves, and had a great time doing so.

The conference itself opened with a sort of meet and greet cocktail. Thanks to the aforementioned group of individuals, I was well on my way to getting to know the rest.

And yes, it just so happened that the Winnipeg Jazz Festival was going on at the same time as the conference. And, yes, that night was the salsa night. And, yes, I danced the night away. I even got to dance with probably the best girl there. And man, after dancing with her and getting a hair caught on my head, I took the hair off with my hand and all I could think about was The Lord of the Rings: All I asked her for was one dance, and she gave me… a hair with it.

I walked the 45 minute walk back to the hostel, and got to my bunk bed around 1am. The bed was really creaky, and it didn’t help that I hadn’t brought toothpaste, so I ended up tossing and turning the whole night in fear of my teeth rotting. In the morning, the Jamaican guy under me seemed really upset when he told me he couldn’t sleep that night.

I took the bus to the hotel that morning. The bulk of the conference was to begin. There’s too much information that I got out of that day to put in this posting, but here’s a few highlights:

“There is no one standard for the commercialization of new technologies” – Derek Gratz, President of Westlink Innovation Network Ltd.

“Entrepreneurship [like baseball] is about fear and arrogance” – Dawson Reimer, President of HCPAM

“People who invent publish more than those who don’t” – Wayne Embree, Managing Partner of Cascadia Partners (I think this is his quote)

“There are six questions that need to be addressed when approaching Angel Investors” (read: super rich people. I have yet to find out what the questions are.) – Randy Thompson, General Partner of Argon Venture Partners

Many researchers don’t want to become entrepreneurs, but those that do should be provided the support to pursue their endeavours (summarized point) – Janis Machala, Founder and Managing Partner of Paladin Partners

By the end of the day, I had met a lot of people and exchanged many ideas and business cards. It was pretty exhausting, but the jazz festival was still on, so after dinner at the Manitoba Museum, four of us ventured to see Winnipeg’s own Swing Cats. We were kind of mislead on the way, ironically by the only person in the group who lived in Winnipeg, and ended up touring “the other side” of downtown. Nevertheless, we made it to the show, albeit only in time to hear the last three songs (and get in for free).

I had one swing dance with the girl from our group and then walked back to the hostel with a Chilean-Canadian who was also attending the conference and staying in the same hostel. After some down time with the hostel owner, I managed to get a room to myself. It was a nice way to end the night.

Tuesday morning, it was back on the bus, but this time with my Chilean-born friend. Here are some highlights from that day:

A realization: I’m not really passionate about the way things work (the science or engineering), rather I’m passionate about what they can be (their potential).

“What are we doing? [Pursuing] the successful development of the application of knowledge… that creates wealth through increased quality of life… bringing innovation to life (not an exact quote).” – John Clarkson, a Deputy Minister for the Province of Manitoba

Provincial competition for iniatives involving technological innovation are Mickey Mouse in comparison to places like Shanghai (summarized point, but I loved the reference) – Jim Murray, Senior Advisor of Westlink Innovation Network Ltd.

“You find that as you go on, you never hit a brick wall, rather it just keeps moving back.” – a statement directed at me by Rick Tofani, a director of Red Deer College

“Don’t invent the wheel, but also don’t be generic. (Find one part that could be better, and then make that your competitive edge)” – Robert Foster, Executive Chairman of Isotechnika Inc.

… and too many good points to go through here by Dr. Roslyn Kunin, part of the order of Canada.

The conference ended, and I felt enlightened once again.

I took a different route back to the hostel for the last time. I passed the Manitoba Provincial Legislature (oddly similar to the Capitol in Washington D.C.), and more houses with paintings. I caught my flight not long after that, and made it back home around midnight.

The next day it was back to work, and then a long phone conversation with my dance partner from Shanghai. I had a lot to update her on. I really miss her.

Thursday was dinner at a good friend’s restaurant after dance practice. Friday was a short workday, due to a company barbeque and the Canada Day long weekend. Goofy and another guy who wants to follow his dream to be an actor had their last day at work.

Saturday, two high school friends got married, and the day was like a mini-reunion of a lot of old classmates. It was nice to catch up, and dance.

Sunday was Canada Day. I missed my dance practice, but more importantly I got to spend more time with my family here, and attend to gardening matters. Yes, I garden. It’s manly, like dance.

And as of today, I am now reading three books at the same time. Not to mention reading, writing and researching online. In fact, today I spent most of the day skyping with the president of a design firm in Argentina. It’s a crazy world we live in, ain’t it?

Going Round and Round

2007-06-23T18:56:00.000-07:00

Since writing my last posting, I’ve changed my mind on a few things, and furthered my thinking on others. Hence, this time instead of “getting carried away”, I’m “going round and round”. All in the effort to pursue my dream.

After reconsidering school in Milan, I also decided to re-look at a few other options I have had in mind since finishing my degree. One of them is an internship program through an organization based in Calgary called Westlink. It’s self-stated purpose is “to facilitate communication, collaboration and technology development and commercialization in Western Canada”. Unfortunately, to go back to one of my former points, my timing was off. I missed the deadline for application by almost a month. Fortunately, I know the president of Westlink. While that still wasn’t enough to squeeze me into the program this year (of which I respect and am actually grateful for), it was enough for me to find a new focus for my career.

In keeping with my efforts to see how concise I can be, I won’t go into detail about why finding a focus for my post-undergraduate career has been so difficult, although I could indeed talk at length about it. The main thing is that now I know there actually is a “field” of professionals out there that seek the same kind of answers and connections as I have. They just don’t call themselves designers.

So, because I don’t know much about these people, and what they do, I’ve taken it upon myself once again to take another trip out of the city for a conference. This time though, I don’t need to go as far as Monaco. In fact, I don’t need to leave the country. Come tomorrow morning, I’ll be in the middle of Canada: Winnipeg, Manitoba.

…

Just a few other updates to end this short and concise posting (Tim smiles that he was able to do this):

Edmonton’s biggest salsa event (www.spiceproductions.ca) kicked off on June 15th with salsa superstars from all over North America, and I got to be in one of the performances with Salsaddiction. The night of performances was mixed array of excitement, dance politics, and confusion, but nevertheless worthwhile. The real joy for me came from social dancing at the end of the night and driving home a friend’s Jeep. Don’t ask.

This past week, I was officially included in my company’s plan to revise our engineer drawing standards. For once, it actually felt good to be assigned more responsibility and be given the opportunity to show my abilities as a designer. Odd that it should come at a time when I am thinking about my next step after this job though.

And just for kicks, add two more characters to my workplace experience: Jerry Seinfeld and Frodo.

Getting Carried Away (aka: obsessed)

2007-06-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

I’m not sure why, but I think I like getting carried away with things. (Read: obsessed. Something a good friend of mine once said not to become). You know, cars, girls, salsa, “saving the world”, that sort of stuff. Maybe that’s just been my way of keeping busy over the years. Anyway, how this relates to anything, has a lot to do with the past two months or so.

After returning from my trip to Monaco, I went back to my regular post-conference routine of emailing everyone I had collected the business cards of, in an attempt to establish some kind of working relationship with them. That I’ve learned, takes a lot of patience and persistence, but in my opinion, is worth the struggle. My day job, albeit not nearly as exciting, has been a similar story.

I approached my boss near the end of the forth month (my extended probationary period), and told him that I was serious and committed to my work, despite my lack of “mechanical aptitude” and incessant asking of questions. To my surprise, he seemed almost glad that I brought the issue up to him, and told me he realizes that I was “never completely trained” and that he “expected that it would be a steep learning curb for me”- which it has been. Things at work have become oddly comfortable since that time.

At the end of April, my department moved into the company’s main building. Quite the experience itself, and definitely a nice break from 8 hours of computer work. As I may have mentioned before, I actually quite like manual labour, so long as it’s not back breaking.

Since the move, I have acquired: a nicer desk; a sort of better computer; and peace of mind (read: no longer having to listen to my boss’ blaring radio play K-Rock the whole day since he now has his own office). However, I have also acquired: an officemate that doesn’t like to talk much, and not-so-secretly was getting annoyed by my humming and tapping of the feet (I think he’s used to it now); more awareness of, and by default involvement, in company/department politics; a heavier work load and the responsibility that comes with it.

The really nice thing about the move however, is that it has allowed me to see my workmates in a different light as well. I have equated most of them with TV characters. For instance, we have a Goofy, a Chipmunk, a Captain Kirk, a Mark Messier, a Burt, a Mr. bean who thinks everything is boring, a next-door neighbour, an American with a southern accent and clueless tendencies, a guy who loves laser tag and keeps following me around, and a bunch of people looking for every chance to show how great/smart/funny they are. It’s quite the show.

The not so nice thing, is that I think I’m realizing a thing or two about the “real” world here. One: that it’s pretty hard to fake an engineer (Not that I am. Most of the engineering work is still not done by me. I’m usually just the guy people go to once a project is in its final stages, and it needs to be organized and checked for errors. Plus, I think they as well as I know that I couldn’t pull it off, even if I tried). Two: this is a "real" job. No more “I’m just doing this for the experience, or to make money after of school.” At least in my department, it’s kind of expected that I’ll be hanging around for a while. My boss even alluded to that in the interview I had with him before going to China. But again, honestly, I can’t see myself doing this work for too much longer. I made a promise to myself to follow my dream, so when I see the next opportunity, I’ll have to move on.

Luckily, the new general manager (our Mark Messier) says he can understand my ambitions. I talked to him just yesterday about it. His only suggestion was that I find and train someone to replace me before I leave, as he had done for his past employers. Fair enough.

That being said, here’s a quick update on my side projects. I am now in a sort of bi-monthly contact basis with some of the industry contacts I made while in Shanghai, and elsewhere. The big thing for me that I will be advertising to them once it comes out, is my magazine article on Shanghai. From that exposure, I hope to capitalize on the opportunity for more work. In my mind, the best would be to go back to Shanghai for further research for a specific company or organization. I would love that so much, but anything could happen.

If nothing happens, I have a different plan: go back to school. By the time I started to think about that this year, I had already missed almost all the application deadlines for MBA programs- except one. The Polytechnic University of Milan. While the program I had written an exam for is not officially an MBA program, after reading the current program description and receiving an email reminding me of my admittance, it started to look more appealing again. The description of their Masters Program reads like this:

“Strategic Design is a design activity concerning the product-system; the integrated body of products, services and communication strategies that either an actor or a network of actors (e.g. companies, institutions, Non-profit organizations etc.) conceive and develop in order to obtain a set of specific strategic results.

It is often claimed that technological innovation, cultural and economic globalization, and the transition to environmental sustainability generate problems and opportunities. It is also repeatedly stated that the possibility to avoid the former and exploit the latter necessitates the development of three core skills not only by companies, but also by different types of institutions and/or social actors: vision, sensitivity to innovation signs and ability to formulate solutions. In other words, the ability to design products and services, whose success is the anticipation of what will be, or should be, the norm tomorrow.

The social demand for a new generation of products and services, coherent with current socio-cultural transformations and their sustainable development, becomes an opportunity for companies that are able to operate in the context of this new design mentality, this unique meeting of design and company strategy: strategic design.

The Master[s] in Strategic Design is addressed to young graduates who wish to initiate or re-direct their professional careers on the frontier between design and management.”

Wow! If that doesn’t sound exciting, I don’t know what is (ok, I know, sometimes I can be a geek too).

Anyway, so I’ve been admitted and have submitted my CV. We’ll see what happens.

…

The rest of the things that have happened since my last posting, deal with getting carried away perhaps a little more directly.

In early May, a good friend of mine here in Edmonton, called to say he wanted to talk after having a stressful day (possibly week). We ended up walking down to the river valley, as I jabbered away (that seems to happen to me when I haven’t seen someone for a while, and feel I need to update them on, well, everything. Yes, I know, I am trying to work on being more concise). Our discussion (yes, he talked too) covered a lot of ground, as I guess most of our conversations do, but at some point, we talked about timing. Timing, as I wrote in a 27-point letter to myself in high school about “The Way” to pursue a romantic relationship, is the most important thing in any kind of relationship. As I wrote, “Even for first impressions, timing is everything”. I still swear on that, but wish I could be more conscious of it in practice.

Sometimes I feel like I do things based on older assumptions or justifications on why I should have done that thing, even when I no longer believe it. It’s like there’s some kind of delay between my thoughts and my actions. Like my timing is off.

I don’t want to dwell on this too long here, but I think going back to Shanghai after a visit back home during Christmas, may have been a better choice to make. The professional relationships and experiences I could have made in Shanghai may have been more valuable than those I am now building at my day job. Even the non-professional relationships, not to mention the extra skills I could have gained (learning Mandarin for one), would have also been invaluable. Maybe I’m wrong on this one, but it seems like without good relationships, your work will never be good enough. But then again, I know that had I gone back, I would have had other reasons for thinking I should have stayed here.

Over the past two months, I have also been taking glimpses back into some of my activities of past: attending a lecture on architecture, attending a reunion for a group I used to be part of, and going to a classmate from high school’s birthday party. In a sort of sad way, I have realized from just these three events, how the times have changed since I last was really a part of those people’s lives. On the other hand though, I met someone who practices Psych-K (you got to look this one up), and got in touch with an old friend who both helped me see I wasn’t the only one feeling like this.

People have told me before to look out for the signs in my life that can help me guide it. I have noticed this a lot when I read. So despite my dislike for it, I’ve started to read again. Yes, books in fact. The first of many I plan to read, is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephan Covey. I only just finished the first chapter, but the wealth of knowledge I have gained so far has been tremendous. This is definitely something on my list of books to read (yes, I have one) I should have read years ago. For any of you entrepreneur types, or others following a dream, definitely pick it up.

On May 6th, a wonderful article came out in the New York Times titled “The greening of the red, white and blue” by Thomas Friedman. Great writer and researcher, in my opinion. The article talks a lot about the reasons why America thinks itself as green, yet hides from

“…the really inconvenient truth: [that] we have not even begun to be serious about the costs, the effort and the scale of change that will be required to shift our country, and eventually the world, to a largely emissions-free energy infrastructure over the next 50 years”

It also talked about something that I have been having some difficulty putting into words. “The China price… the fundamental benchmark that everyone is looking to satisfy.” Basically, no alternative fuel technologies will have a significant effect on the world’s total pollution, unless there is the real possibility of a green China, and for that matter, India and Brazil. And the way to get that? In the words of Freidman himself “The only thing as powerful as Mother Nature is Father Greed”. Globalization has to work in favour of clean-tech industries. In fact, in some ways, it already has. As Friedman notes, the seventh richest man in China, Shi Zhengrong, is China’s leading manufacturer of solar panels- 90% of which are made for export. However, despite the greed that money brings, government, according to Friedman, should set the standard on what that money can produce. In terms of going green, it needs to set efficiency standards to help foster technological innovation. I think he’s right.

About a week or so later, Severn Cullis-Suzuki, daughter of none other than David Suzuki, was interviewed on the radio and a lot of what she said echoed things I’ve often heard in my activist-esque undergraduate days. The thing that didn’t, and that really got to me, was a simple statement of identity. Of Canadians, she basically said: “If we can’t do it, who the hell can!?” I’ve had similar thoughts to that before, but never one so blunt.

On a lighter note, salsa continues to be my dominant social activity, although being on a dance team has changed my perspective of it slightly. I still like it, but I feel I have to be a little more cautious with who I dance with and how I dance with them. Ah, the politics of dance.

I took part in my first 10km run on May 5th. Running is starting to become a weekly endeavour now, despite the fact that I think I already do enough cardio activities, including biking to work and everywhere else that I can.

And lastly, Sean Aiken is me in a different body. He’s the guy behind the website http://www.oneweekjob.com/, where he is keeping track of his one week job endeavours, in an attempt to find his “passion, not just a career”.

To Monaco and Back

2007-04-04T21:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know it’s been quite a while since my last posting, but as I kind of expected, my life back in Edmonton has put me back on the busy street. I find I have a lot less time to reflect or even really be present nowadays. I feel like I have to focus on the future now. The only thing that is really keeping me grounded, is salsa. (You knew I was going to say that didn’t you?)

A lot has happened since I last wrote… in February! Wow, it has been a while. The main thing I want to write about here is about my trip to Monaco, which I just got back from, but first a few updates:

- I had my first performance with the Salsaddiction dance team last month, and have since been getting more comfortable with the idea of performing dance. Oddly enough, I actually didn’t feel nervous at all. I’ll be sending an email out to those in Edmonton with info on our first big performance of the year soon.

- My first attempts at publishing my research on Shanghai were successful. I was given some space on one of North America’s biggest designer’s websites: Core 77 (http://www.core77.com/), and will have an abstract in the U of A’s Work of Arts Alumni Magazine.

- I had my three month evaluation at work, and while my biggest “area in need of improvement” is technical knowledge, the most interesting was a request to refrain from singing, humming, and tapping my feet to the music on the radio. I’m trying.

Anyway, I have a lot to say about my trip to Monaco, so here goes.

I did all my final packing the same day I was leaving (last Tuesday), and the same day that I had to stay late at work trying to get at least one of the four projects my boss had put on my desk to finish before I was to take the rest of the week off. I almost finished the first.

I had scheduled my flight connection to go through London so as to take advantage of England’s cheap flights, but that proved to be more of a hassle than I expected. Changing airports, eating lunch, making some phone calls and buying a few travel necessities to fill up the more than five hours between my flights cost me ₤50 (~$125). Little tip for those thinking about doing the same,… don’t.

By the time I made it to my hostel in Nice, it was already 11pm. I don’t think my roommates were too happy about that. Oh yeah, why Nice? It was a lot cheaper than staying in Monaco, even with the travel. Believe me on this one.

I woke up to my wake up call at 7am, took advantage of the hostel’s €4 petit déjeunez (breakfast), and made my way by train to Monaco with relative ease. The ride took about half an hour. The contrast between the climbing rocky southern France terrain to one side and the vastness of the Mediterranean to the other was quite beautiful, but my mind was a bit unsettled, unsure of what to expect at the conference.

Once I exited the Monaco station, I was approached by an older Tunisian guy going to the conference as well. We both managed to find the venue together, and over the course of the event, we would continue to help each other out.

The conference began with two presentations, “focus sessions” with a coffee break in between, and then lunch. The breaks were where I think I got the most out of being there, discussing everything from renewable energy to vehicle design, and languages to the benefits of competition (a favorite of a retired MIT professor). I also started to get back into the mindset of going back to school for business.

However, of all the discussions and presentations that day, none was as inspiring and full of optimism as that of Matt Christensen- the executive director of Eurosif (a venture capital company out of Paris). He talked a lot about why now more than ever, the renewable energy and automotive industry are growing together, and of course, why it’s now the best time to invest in these areas. Marketing aside though, he did use a lot of facts and figures.

After his presentation, I just had to go up to him and ask him about his work, and how I could get involved. As much as I was impressed by his work, he seemed even more impressed with my own enthusiasm and efforts. His most comforting remark was that despite having not yet really worked in the industry, my approach to networking and doing work for free is actually the right way to go about it. The way I understand it, is that because work to do with sustainable development (at least for the automotive industry) is driven by future needs, and not current market demands, to really get into the industry requires that you be this persistent, and should I say, crazy.

The rest of the day was filled with exhibitions, cocktails, mixes of French, German and English, and greetings from the Prince of Monaco. The trip back to Nice was late enough in the evening, that after moving into another room in the hostel due to cleaning requirements, I was once again able to upset my roommates.

The next day proved to be interesting for different reasons. Not to go into much detail, I spent a lot of time conversing with my Tunisian friend and his fellow researchers, listening to the technical critiques of a French professor, sitting through all-French presentations (with and without translation ear-pieces), and browsing through the exhibition area once more.

I spent the late afternoon and early evening taking my own tour of Monaco, walking along the pebble beach and main roads, and counting the exotic cars all around (not as many as you would think). It seems as though most people there prefer massive yachts to expensive cars. I guess that’s the next step up.

Later that evening, I made my way to the Fairmount Monte-Carlo Hotel for the conference’s official dinner. I met my Tunisian friend near the entrance, and later sat down to eat with the retired MIT professor, a guy from Brussels, and a young pair of Germans who worked for one of the electric car companies that took part in the exhibition. Needless to say, I spent the rest of the evening switching between English, French and German. The food itself was really good. I thought of taking a picture of it, but that, nor more text would do it justice either. It was just really good. The steak (and I don’t usually like steak) was the most tender meat I can ever recall eating, the vegetables more than just decoration but less than filler, and the dessert was, as my junior high school French teacher would say “to die for”. The night ended with me running to catch what I thought was the last train to Nice, and almost missing my station as I feel asleep.

The weather on the first day of the conference (last Thursday) was really nice, mild and lots of sun. By the time Saturday came around though, the air had a chill in it, and the sun was weak. I had my breakfast in a small café near the hostel where I boar witness to “slow food” (a movement if you will, by the French and Italians that started a few years back to reclaim that portion of the quality of life that so many in the industrialized world have forgotten). I felt almost obliged to slow down and savor my food as well, even if it meant coming late to the last sessions of the conference.

I spent the rest of time in Monaco test-driving alternative energy vehicles and saying my goodbyes. Upon leaving I was taken by surprise by a CBC reporter who stood outside the conference area, reporting on the event. I really didn’t expect that.

I arrived back in Nice around 4 in the afternoon. It had started to rain, but I knew this was my last chance to tour the city, so after exchanging some money in preparation for my trip to the airport the following morning (this by the way was a bit of a freaky experience itself. Not only did I spend $60 to get €30 (for a taxi!), but one of the guys who worked at the currency exchange booth had the most conniving smiles I have ever seen. Think of a cross between Disney’s Gaston and Jafar as the old man with the golden teeth trying to take your money. I had to get out of line and deal with the other guy in the booth just to make the transaction bearable). Apart from this experience, and the construction projects going on right in the heart of the city, I could imagine how the city would stand up to its name in English.

I traveled as far as the coastline when the rain began to let up. I continued along the pebbled ground picking up some for my own collection. There was a rusty staircase that climbed up a stone wall that I was walking towards which intrigued me. So climbed half way up and then followed a path to rocky area around the wall which had warning signs all around. I went further around and found some rocks jutting out of the sea (the last of which reminded me of that which Ariel sat and sang on after she rescued her prince. Ok, I know. Enough with the Disney references!) I hesitated for a long time to venture out that far. The tides were a little too rough and the water a little too cold. Nevertheless, after studying the pattern of the waves, and remembering what I had written about regret, I decided to go for it. The first step took the most, but I managed. It felt good to do that. There was another stretch I would have liked to cross, but not knowing what time it was (due to my not taking a watch with me on this trip), I figured it was time to head back.

I climbed the staircase up to the main road and started my return to the hostel. I passed through the “old town”, where I stopped to eat dinner at the sound of a simple waiter’s greeting: “Bon soir monsieur”. We carried out our conversations in the same three languages I had been speaking (or at least trying to) since I had arrived in France.

I woke up the next morning at 5am to catch my €30 taxi ride to the airport (I still can’t believe that). Once I got to London, I was once again surrounded by its excessiveness. There are just too many people passing through Heathrow, and way to much security. I even had to take off my shoes to get them x-rayed! My shoes!

Once I got back to Edmonton, I finally noticed how town-like it is here. I really do have to move if I am to pursue my dreams.

P.S. So much for short postings, eh?

The Possiblity of Shanghai

2007-02-15T19:44:00.000-08:00

This posting is going to be a little different than those I have made before. For those who are new to my blog site, welcome. This posting is mostly for you.

As mentioned, I want to share the research that I did in Shanghai with as many interested individuals as I can, in the hopes of contributing to something significant in the end. For those who haven't read how this research was carried out in context, please feel free to visit http://theroadnottakenbytim.blogspot.com/ starting from "The Rest of November" onwards.

So, without further ado, here it is: The Possibility of Shanghai.

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The Possibility of Shanghai

Upon embarking on what would be a 3 month long adventure working at a language school in Shanghai, China, I decided I would do more with my time than just sight-see. Once there, surrounded by the entrepreneurial spirit of the people I had become acquainted with, I was encouraged to pursue my own investigation into what business opportunities there really are for me, an aspiring industrial designer. My research led to some revealing and insightful discoveries of current domestic and international attitudes towards the industrial development of the “new” China.

I have had a passion for personal transportation and ideas relating to environmental sustainability, specifically the challenge of commercializing alternative energy technologies, since grade school. Thus, most of my research focused on this topic. Shanghai, being the new hub of East Asian automotive manufacturing, and part of a country that can still afford cheap production costs, only seemed like a logical starting point.

My journey started with fifteen pages worth of contact information I put together while there, of firms with some relation to the automotive industry. Although I had few leads on who to talk to, and in some cases did not even know what some of the firms did (due in part to a language barrier), I was nevertheless fortunate to secure meetings with vice-presidents, managers, and senior designers of domestic Chinese and foreign firms, who for the most part were happy to engage in lengthy discussions, some of which I will expand on here. Because these meetings were made with relatively little prior contact, many of the questions I asked were impromptu and varied from meeting to meeting. My intention was to open up discussion to its fullest extent to provide for a meaningful dialogue on both sides.

My first meeting, and probably most important of all that I managed to arrange, was one on one with Dr. Ma Jun, the Vice Dean Deputy Professor of the Automotive College of Tongji University, and a subsequent meeting including the Production Technics Department Manager of Shanghai Volkswagen (SVW) Powertrain Co., Ltd. These two meetings sparked the imagination of our minds, and energy to follow through with this research.

Tongji University, being one of the nation’s largest universities, receives substantial funding from the Chinese government for the development of new energy technologies, automotive manufacturing policy and development feasibility research, in China. In the words of the College of Automotive Studies information booklet, the college “is an important base in China that offers academic courses, conducts innovative research and provides technical support for the automotive industry”. SVW, a subsidiary of SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation) Group – is part of China ’s largest automobile manufacturing chain, and one of the world’s Fortune 500 companies. Like many other German companies, SVW had an early start in supporting the industrialization of China and as such maintains a lot of influence within the industry. The collaborative efforts of these groups, Tongji University and SAIC, along with their guanxi (relationships) with provincial governments, make them some of the bigger players in China’s rapidly growing economy.

In my meetings at the univeristy, mega projects, those on the scale of hundreds of millions of dollars, with massive production targets, were the major topic of discussion. Can an entire factory chain dedicated to the low cost production and exportation of remanufactured automotive parts be made? It’s possible. Can research and development facilities for testing hydrogen fuel cells and other forms of alternative energy propulsion methods be produced? It’s possible. Is there the ability to experiment on the use and acceptance of new energy/automotive products in the Chinese market, before selling elsewhere? It’s all possible.

The university, as I learned, is an interested financial and manufacturing backer for new venture ideas that relate to the development of the Chinese automotive industry (mainly in the areas of new energy technologies and automotive part remanufacturing). A common arrangement would see products sold through one of their affiliated companies (such as SVW), but the possibility of forming new joint venture partnerships (a common method of conducting international business in China) is also there. The major point stressed in our meetings, was that business and social relationships are interconnected in China. Those that are serious enough to make a commitment to China with the long term in mind, can look forward to a loyal, long-lasting relationship for years to build upon. This is essentially the idea of guanxi. The rest of my meetings echoed a similar sentiment.

The former Senior Design Manager of the SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation) Interior & Exterior Section of the Product Engineering Department, a native of England, also expanded on the topic of guanxi and the drive to undertake venture projects. Matched with the ability to “find the contacts” needed through these relationships, it seems most anything is indeed possible.

A representative from Shanghai Automobile Import & Export Co., Ltd (SACO) “an affiliated foreign trade company to SAIC Group… [with business including] the export of vehicles, automotive parts and accessories, and other mechanical and electrical products; the wholesale, retail, maintenance and repair of imported vehicles, as well as the import of technology, equipment, CKD parts and raw materials for [the] automotive industry” (SACO Profile Booklet) further taught me of the importance of the SAIC Group. The SAIC Group is a parent corporation that controls a large portion of transportation development activity within China. SACO alone, being the Group’s major exporter of OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) parts, works with more than 20 of SAIC’s subsidiary companies to manufacture and assemble auto parts. In 2005, SACO had RMB 200 million (US$25 million) of registered capital, exporting RMB 960 million (US$120 million) of product in 2004, a 100% increase from just four years prior. The SAIC Group has 49 similar subsidiary companies, of which only a hand full are joint ventures with foreign companies.

A meeting with the International Business Department Manager of Shanghai Huizhong Automotive Manufacturing Co., Ltd. provided another example of the scale of the undertakings of these companies. Shanghai Huizhong exports automotive parts through the SAIC Group to 80 countries worldwide, with a production volume of no less than 50,000 units.

The Research & Development Manager of Shanghai Valeo Automotive Electrial Systems Co., Ltd., a native of France, expanded on the topic of SAIC Group. Like the automotive industry’s own central government, the SAIC Group has the authority in China to approve or disapprove foreign companies from entering or taking part in the Chinese market. Even decisions over what products may or may not be marketed is largely determined by the Group.

Despite the seemingly heavy-handed control of the corporation, a meeting with the Vice General Manager of Shanghai Shuanghua Automobile Air Conditioner Parts Co., Ltd (Shanghai Youshen International Co., Ltd), in one of Shanghai’s newest office buildings in the PuDong district, revealed the eagerness of members of the Chinese automotive industry to help companies gain approval by the Group. Part of the reason relates to the increased demand for Chinese manufacturing and assembly. Shanghai Shuanghua alone grew to 80% of its current annual 2 million unit production by its third year of operation, in 2000. Since then, the company has grown to include a marketing division, which now sells 70% of their product to North America and Europe.

Though most of my research focused on these kinds of business opportunities, I could not overlook the concern for human rights in China. A meeting with the Commercial Department Supervisor/Export business of Shanghai Koito Automotive Lamp Co., Ltd. gave me a glimpse into the working conditions of their engineers, and a meeting with the Production & Technic Department Manager of Shanghai Ogihara Dies Co., Ltd. revealed the working conditions of their labourers.

My degree in Industrial Design and 7 years of professional and educational manual workshop experience, provided a broad knowledge of North American manufacturing facility standards, with which I felt able to critically inspect these workplaces. My end analysis showed both environments to be safe, clean, well organized, and the workers content. While I acknowledge these are only single observations, and cannot be used to represent the general manufacturing working conditions of Shanghai, let alone China, it was a relief to take note of.

Upon leaving Shanghai, my general impression of the greater Shanghai manufacturing community, both Chinese and foreign, was one of an ability and desire to make possible business that would otherwise be difficult to set up elsewhere, possible. They are risk-takers and willing to take on the challenges of new venture business. The fact that I alone was able to meet with some of these people surely says something about the ability to shrink the corporate ladder. For entrepreneurs and idealists, this is wonderful news. Despite China’s reported poor regard for the environment and human rights, China, if not at least Shanghai, has the potential and eagerness to really take some innovative steps towards setting an example of how to obtain sustainable economic and environmental development for the rest of the world. All they really need, and seem to be asking for, along with the common request for technological and financial support, is to be heard and seen.

My final meeting, and probably the best example of this need, came only a few days before returning to North America. A PhD student from the School of Economy & Management at Tongji University who had helped me set up my first meeting with Dr. Ma Jun, asked to meet with me individually. Over lunch, I he told me of his own plans to make Shanghai better known for its possibility. Since that time, he has managed to enlist a business consultation company in Shanghai to provide an entrepreneurial training program for companies wanting to operate in China that desire the necessary cultural skills and market information to engage in successful enterprises there. The hope is that by providing this service, foreign companies in Shanghai will be better prepared to take on these projects of possibility.

While this research summary only touches the surface of what is truly possible there, my hope is that it provides inspiration to others who have the same entrepreneurial spirit and just cause. In late March, I plan to attend the Ever Monaco Ecological Vehicles and Renewable Energies International Exhibition and Conference to further share this information and what I have found since my time in Shanghai.

For those who have any questions or comments about my research, including references, please leave a message on this site, or contact me directly at tsingh@ualberta.net.

Have a wonderful day.

A First Posting

2007-02-01T19:05:00.000-08:00

So, what can I say to start this blog off? First, I guess, is that this is a test. A test to see how well I can stick to telling key points about my life as it progresses, and not get caught up in the details, as I so often do when I speak. In other words, I’m working on being concise. Also important, is being able to be reflect on the things I’ve done, or plan to do, more clearly, so that I am more confident with the decisions that I have made and will end up making. So, I’m working on being concise and being focused. Two things I really feel I need to improve on. Or, as an in-flight magazine that I picked up on my way to Germany last year said “a change that is long overdue”. I’m sure a lot of people I’ve known can attest to this.

So, here goes.

January 2007 was a very different month compared to that of January 2006. Last year, as I mentioned in my earlier blog, was quite hard. This year, it’s not really any easier, but it feels that way. I think I’ve learned something since then, although I can’t quite put it into words yet. Of the major things that have happened: I started a new job; I started contacting organizations I thought might be interested in the research I did in Shanghai, and will be having some of my research published soon (I know, crazy eh?); I made the Edmonton Salsaddication Dance Team.

Here’s a little more on each:

Work – It’s going well. My job is primarily a desk job (with my own computer), and I work directly with my boss most of the time. I’m really not used to the whole “serious office job” thing yet, so it has been a bit irritating to start, but compared to what I’ve been doing this week (working on the shop floor and building some of the product our company sells (My boss’ idea- so that I can get a good feel for what we create and where the problems are (I think this is a great idea by the way.))), it seems more like the experience I need to ultimately make it in the automotive industry.

This past week, working on the shop floor, has given me the opportunity to almost interview some of the workers in a way, and their stories have been amazing! It’s not my place to speak about their lives here, but I just wanted to say that despite the fact that I’ve been trying not to judge others from first impressions, when I did find out more about these people’s lives, and why they do what they do, it shocked me. As it still so often does, whenever I don’t expect a person to be or think a certain way.

Research – My sister was the one who gave me this idea, so I owe her for this, but over the next few months, including this one, I will be writing a bit for some online and traditional magazines about my research and experience in Shanghai, regarding the automotive industry and related ventures. Who would have guessed? Here I am, a guy that doesn’t really like reading or writing, especially on a computer screen, and now I am doing it “for fun”, and for professional reasons. It’s funny how that happens, isn’t it?

I’ll mention the names of the magazines, and where you can find my articles once they are produced. To me it’s not really a big deal, but as I’ve learned, it can carry some weight when meeting with people in your industry and to say you’ve published something. Personally, I just look for people’s sincerity. If you look like you really believe in something, and want to do it, then I’m all for it too- even if I don’t understand why. But then again, I’m sure I’ve been fooled many times before because of that.

Salsa – Yeah, I’m on the team. This was something, in hindsight, I really wanted to be a part of last year. 2006 was the first year this group got together, and I would have loved to grow with them as dancers and friends. Now, it feels a little different. Despite the fact that I made the team, and I feel more or less welcomed by the other members, I have mixed feelings about it.

This might come out wrong, but if I had to put it into words, I guess the best way for me to describe how I feel, would be like coming out of a prison. You’re free, and accepted by the world again, but it and you have changed. I am happy I made the team, and can share my love of dance with them, but it’s different. Maybe a part of it has to do with the switch from dancing in Shanghai, to dancing in Edmonton. It’s also hard to describe this difference, but it’s there.

Nevertheless, it remains in my mind, self-development and the joy of life, in the best way I know how, shared with others.

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So, what’s in store for the somewhat foreseeable future? Well, I can’t say for certain, but the best preview I can give is this:

- a trip to Monaco in late March for the Ever Monaco International Exhibition and Conference (http://www.ever-monaco.com/), where I hope to make some more contacts in the automotive industry (and maybe even start securing some business- let’s keep our fingers crossed).

- A trip to Puerto Rico with the dance team. That would really be amazing!

- A trip back to Shanghai. Not sure when yet or for how long, but there are a lot of reasons to go back.

- A scooter or motorbike for the summer? I don’t know, but it would be great.

We'll see what happens.