So Can I Pick Your Brain?

You probably don’t realize how much people are actually willing to talk about themselves in front of other people (in most cases).

If you ask “so can I pick your brain?” to a random person at an event, you will probably get a really weird look and a firm “no”. But if you walk up to him and say, “It’s a cool venue isn’t it? How do you know about this event/what brings you here?” chances are you will find out a lot more about that person than you would have possibly expected.

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Honestly people love talking about themselves, because first of all, it’s about themselves, meaning: it’s more fun, more important, and more relevant. Second of all, you should help them to understand better how great they are and how interesting their stories are, so they will be even more willing to share their experiences, if not already. And how do you do that? First you listen, then you relate to them, you find common grounds, and you resonate with their stories.

And I hope you would call me then

He asked me, do you ever have that feeling? It’s like you have a huge phonebook filled with names in your city but you will go through your entire phonebook and there is not a single person you could call.

 

I said, yes. I used to be like that all the time. But less and less nowadays.

 

And he said: There’s someone I can call for having brunch, someone I can call for advice, someone I can call for birthday parties, someone I can call to fix my toilet…but I am lucky to have you, coz I call you for nothing.

Move On

Sometimes it is not you who decided to move on. Sometimes you just have to move on, because someone else has been staring at your spot for too long. –thoughts on the competitive job market and career path

I don’t really know you but I added you anyway

I remember when facebook first came out the second semester of my freshman year, people suddenly stopped talking to each other on phones, or after class, or even in the dining halls (that’s probably exaggerated). But the point is, people started posting on each other’s walls with the most mundane things in life you could possibly ever think: from checking which history section you signed up for, asking where you are traveling for spring break, to confirm that you will go to the same social event that evening…

And yes, she/he is your suitemate right next door.

It is amazing how people are so comfortable hiding themselves behind the computer screen even when talking to those whom they are very familiar with. And it is striking how people worry less about personal privacy than the fact that they are not popular enough. Of course there are multiple upgrades and revisions since the invention of facebook to enhance the user’s experience with privacy, but these measures have not and will not stop those who want to stalk other people, and the fascinating thing is that at least for some people, they don’t really mind others stalking.

10 Rules on Communication

Just want to share the below: (I like No.6 and No.10 the best)

1. Be passionate, but not petulant
2. Be genuine about your feelings, but not inappropriately so
3. Keep your inner child on an adult leash
4. Don’t be grandiose, period. It’ll get you in trouble more times than not
5. Always remember who you are and whom you represent
6. You may be an owner, but you don’t own people, so don’t behave as if you do
7. It’s a business; don’t take rejection personally, and if you do, don’t communicate that
8. If you’re emotionally charged, don’t say it or hit the send button; wait a day
9. You’re more likely to self-destruct by communication than any other way
10.  Maintain a sense of humor and humility

Find the original article below:

Dan Gilbert Letter: Leadership Communication 101

And finally, get it done elegantly

The first day on the job I sat down with one of my managers. After going through the major tasks and responsibilities and the organization of the team, I said, I really want to do a good job, so I’m wondering what are the major expectations you have on me as an analyst? 

My manager smiled: well there are three folds basically: get your job done; get it done well and efficiently; get it done elegantly. He said yes client relationship management and communication is, at the end of the day, an art. It is hard to explain what kind of “elegance” is involved but you will understand along the way. 

And it’s been two years since, and then finally I realized what it means to do your job “elegantly”. It means say what you have to say and do what you have to do At EASE. Never be desperate. Never freak out. No matter how dire the situation may be. 

All The Right Moves

I went to OneRepublic‘s concert this Wednesday. They are doing their world tour and only stopping in NY for one night. Ternimal 5 is crazily remote from everything else in the city and it is like a broadway show theatre except that there are no seats! Well, there are a few seats on the 2nd and 3rd floor but either you get there super early or you are some sort of secret VIP.

But I had a blast, like in a big club. I was there for 3 hours and actually OneRepublic didn’t show up until the last hour. They had Alpha Rae as the first cover band and one of the guitar players (I’m 99% sure he’s Japanese) was so into it because he was shaking his head the entire time like crazy, but he’s absolutely beautiful. And Sarah came out for another hour and her songs are cheerful and energetic and she’s definitely not afraid of cracking jokes and drinking on stage, knowing nobody down there has ever heard about her, probably.

Twenty Thousand Days

I dreamed about my parents last night. 

A close girlfriend used to work at Mckinsey Hong Kong, and she told me a while back that she was looking for another job, something more stable, more sustainable. I asked why don’t you just come back to the US?

She said, because it’s close to home. My parents are not young anymore, I want to get to visit them at least a few times every year. It may sound surprising, but we only have about twenty thousand days to live in our lives.

20,000 days, only?

Never Too Late? How about Never Too Early?

An old saying goes, it’s never too late. Well probably God gives you one chance, you blow it, then comes another you blow it again, then another…until one day God (or any kind of supernatural power) decides fine I’m done with it. Up until that day, you can say it’s never too late. But how would you know there is still a next chance? 

And even if you know, what exactly does it’s never too late mean? Today I realized it means “NEVER TOO EARLY”! It means NOW. It means you should stop procrastinating and start doing your job NOW. It means start planning your future and be FORWARD looking. Actually, it will ALWAYS be late if you compare to the past, but past is past, so what matters is what will happen tomorrow, the day after tomorrow. 

And you think there is always a tomorrow and you can always plan later for the future, and if you are not prepared enough, you can just let go of opportunities. But how could you know when you are finally prepared (at all) there will still be an opportunity waiting for you?! Probably that’s why for some people they would accept an interview that totally requires some computer programming skills while he/she does not have, but then he will cram for it in the following month to make sure he ace the interview. 

This relationship is not the reason why you’re not happy

Or at least, for most of the cases. If you cannot be a happy person single, you can never be a happy person in a relationship.

How you know you belong to Finance…

The following is from my lovely, sweet, and dearest colleague Esther Kim and I resonate with so many things she has said below:

You know you’re a true financial analyst in New York city when you know:

 
·         the late-night security guard by name
·         how to fix all kinds of printer problems
·         if you can’t fix it, you know 4 back-up printers in your building
·         that the starbuck’s staff notices when you’re taking a day off
·         your co-worker’s favorite work outfit
·         when to go get water and use the restroom to avoid bumping into people you prefer not to small-talk with while you take care business
·         which fruit stand sells the best fruit
·         at what speed to walk in order to catch your next subway when transferring
·         your cabinet has a full inventory of eye-drops, some for of Excedrin, and a week’s worth of power-bars
·         you have failed to find a way to stay away during long meetings after an all-nighter
·         which conference rooms are always freezing
·         been asked to do the Vending Machine challenge
·         you can’t use any other font style other than the one used at your firms
·         you want to say “going forward” instead of “from now on” and “month-end” instead of “end of the month” when talking with your friends outside of work
·         you don’t have friends outside of work
·         how to turn pages at rapid pace without drying your fingers

·         when to pull out your metro card and how to swipe without slowing down at the turnstill
·         know who will notice if you sat in his chair
·         when to order food to get the fastest delivery
·         quirky eating and sleeping habits of your cub-mates

Awesome Facts about China

Check this out…

http://awesome.good.is/features/010/010chinafaq1.html