独游欧洲

看到加州的阳光，我才相信自己是真的已经坐在了bay area 的土地上。

在过去的半个月内转展了太多个地方。先是在拿到法国签证后的两天飞进了巴黎，从巴黎一直坐火车到日内瓦，再花了一天做进了巴塞罗那。然后就是在西班牙这片神奇的土地上每天的奇遇。同是火车，让我把西班牙的南北部都走了一遍。从马德里飞回北京的两天内踏上了台湾的土地。在这片宝岛上尽享美食，美景和酷暑。三天后就飞入了旧金山。简单一算，过去的17天里，去了6个国家，访问了10个城市，做了差不多58个小时的飞机。真是还没有开始工作就把travel当成家常便饭了。

终于结束了一天一个城市的走马观花，结束了每天换床的流浪生活。可是最终也没有回到家，而是来到了隔着一个太平洋的土地。也许这就是喜欢看世界的代价吧。游子总要以四海为家阿。

这是我自己第一次独自旅游。想想当时的胆子也真是蛮大的，拿着机票，订好hostel，背着包就上了飞机。想想看，很多时候旅游是一个很简单的决定。果断一下，就上路了。而犹豫只能永久的留下遗憾。这次走出去，感受很深。总结一下有几点：

1 要有很快的作决定的能力
大到合适进入和离开某个城市，小到在哪里吃饭，哪里住宿，整个旅行的过程都在检测我做决定的能力。在法国，就因为晚了10秒钟定旅馆，我就在马赛几乎到了无地可住的状态。

2 提前做计划
整个欧洲火车系统就是提前计划最好的反应。由于我第一次用这个系统，都没有提前订票，导致很多直达的火车全都爆满。

3 世界上还是好人多
火车上，hostel 里，city walking tour 各个地方都充满了对旅游狂热的人们。虽然彼此都是陌生人，可是大家会热情地分享旅游心得，结伴出行或是交换语言。走在路上，让我看到了一个彼此交流，互惠互利的世界。

后悔在欧洲的时间是如此的短暂。今年又游到墨西哥。却又感叹时间太长。不同的文化，不同的心境阿

6 steps to designing your own career

Posted by Greg McKeon

Step 1: Review 2012. Review the year, month by month. Make a list of where you spent your time: include your major projects, responsibilities and accomplishments. No need to overcomplicate this.

Step 2: Ask, “What is the news?” Look over your list and reflect on what is really going on. Think like a journalist and ask yourself: Why does this matter? What are the trends here? What happens if these trends continue?

Step 3: Ask "What would I do in my career if I could do anything?"Just brainstorm with no voice of criticism to hold you back. Just write out all the ideas that come to mind.

Step 4: Go back and spend a bit more time on Step 3. Too often we begin our career planning with our second best option in mind. We have a sense of what we would most love to do but we immediately push it aside. Why? Typically because “it is not realistic” which is code for, “I can’t make money doing this.” In this economy—in any economy—I understand why making money is critical. However, sometimes we pass by legitimate career paths because we set them aside too quickly. 

Step 5: Write down six objectives for 2013. Make a list of the top six items you would like to accomplish in your career in 2013 and place them in priority order.

Step 6: Cross off the bottom five. Once you're back to the whirlwind of work you'll benefit from having a single “true north” career objective for the year.

Step 7: Make an action plan for January. Make a list of some quick wins you'd like to have in place by January 31 2013.

Step 8: Decide what you will say no to. Make a list of the "good" things that will keep you from achieving your one "great" career objective. Think about how to delete, defer or delegate these other tasks. Emerson said, "The crime which bankrupts men and nations is that of turning aside from one's main purpose to serve a job here and there."

Many years ago I followed this process and, without exaggeration, it changed the course of my life. The insight I gained led me to quit law school, leave England and move to America and start down the path as a teacher and author. You're reading this because of that choice. It remains the single most important career decision of my life.

Two hours spent wisely over the next couple of weeks could easily improve the quality of your life over the 8760 hours of 2013--and perhaps far beyond. After all, if we don't design our careers, someone else will.

Leading with values

Leading with values

Senior executives can benefit from codifying their beliefs and sharing them with colleagues, says 
P&G CEO Robert McDonald. In his document titled “What I believe in,” which he shares with managers at P&G and elsewhere, McDonald explains the ten principles that make up the values-based leadership model he says influences him most:

1. Living a life driven by purpose is more meaningful and rewarding than meandering through life without direction.
2. Companies must do well to do good and must do good to do well.
3. Everyone wants to succeed, and success is contagious.
4. Putting people in the right jobs is one of the most important jobs of the leader.
5. Character is the most important trait of a leader.
6. Diverse groups of people are more innovative than homogenous groups.
7. Ineffective systems and cultures are bigger barriers to achievement than the talents of people.
8. There will be some people in the organization who will not make it on the journey.
9. Organizations must renew themselves.
10. The true test of leaders is the performance of the organization when they are absent or after they depart.

Good links for Tibet/India/Nepal

http://www.mafengwo.cn/i/696566.html

http://www.mafengwo.cn/i/696566.html

http://www.mafengwo.cn/i/755455.html

Strangers on the road

On the way back from Key West, one thing Yang said really touched me. We were discussing the most memorable part of our spring break. He said "it's the people". I was shocked at first, thinking there are people everywhere in the world. Why do we need to travel 1300 miles away from Philly to find interesting people? Then, I thought of how I got my passport back from the Key West police station, how I met the freelance writer in the Cuban cafe. All these moments made me believe in the power of people and traveling. They are not common people you see in Philadelphia, or Beijing. They are the "strangers" you meet on the journey.

It's hard to give one profile about the strangers you meet on the road. They have the common traits of being interesting , but are unique in their own ways. So far, I can think of three categories: a) local artists/shop owners b) local tour guide c) travelers. In this trip, I made some contacts with the owner of a local art gallery in South Beach Miami. It's interesting how the conversation got started. (Finally, someone think I have a British accent). He was showing me some really beautiful photo shots of nature. Another guy we met in Key West was very proud of the scent pot his family made for the past 70 years. From the stranger in the first category, I am always moved by their passion for life. 

The tour guide we met in Key West had an interesting name card. His title is "Human Being". With a grateful heart, you can always live a happy life. 

Meeting other travelers on the road is always an unpredictable story. You could have hours of heart to heart talk. Then the next day, you guys are on the road again. It's strange that you can even share more with that stranger than with your friends at home. If that stranger happen to share the same interests, the conversation goes on even longer. Well, what a strange world! 

After this trip, I am more determined about my travel plan after graduation. I know that the travel mode can fulfill my curiosity and energy to the fullest. More importantly, I am learning more about myself and my ideal state of living. Maturity takes time. It really does. 

Hope this is the beginning of Spring - Trip to DC

Originally, I came down to DC for my interests in foreign affairs, but in the end it really ended up in the experimentation of public policy and the pursuit of freedom. Within the two days, I was travelling between wars in real life and potentially by means of social media. Visiting the Capitol, I was impressed by the "great compromise" and the respect for different voice but one decision. In the Newseum, the original piece of media started from 1800s and was literally a representation of world history. Although overloaded with information, busy walking between different institutions, the theme of freedom and humanity remains unchanged.

Brookings - Countering Proliferation: the challenge of the nuclear rogues.

The dome of Capitol, with the Logan "Out of Many, One". On top of the dome is the statue of liberty, which was completed during A. Lincoln's era.

This picture is taken at the Newseum. It is a special exhibition of the 9/11 event. This wall shows the front page of all newspapers around the world. If you zoom in and look carefully, you would find something different about one newspaper in the middle. Anyways, the wall still shows how powerful and unity the world of media is when such tragedy happened.

This picture is an overview of the freedom of speech in 2011. Red stands for not free where government take most control of the media and press. Yellow means partially free people still have some freedom of speech but the government would control over 50% of the media. Surprisingly, the Green part, which stands for free, is less than 1/3 in terms of size.

Overview of world religions

This is a cool website if you want to learn more about facts of religions. http://www.religionfacts.com/