It’s a funny thing about coming home. Looks the same, smells the same, feels the same. You’ll realize the only thing that’s changed is you.
Tamy (kissesxoxo)
March 22nd, 2012
A Lesson in Humility
A few days ago, I was asked to interview an intern for the Google diversity program, aimed at providing diverse students with relevant work experience for a better future.
I have seen many resumes for this program, Harvard 4.0’s Stanford 3.8’s etc. All with very impressive previous internships. My assigned candidate was a boy from Detroit. His resume was mediocre at best, but overall, unimpressive. No evidence of analytical skills or critical thinking abilities. When I interviewed him, I grilled him with some relatively difficult questions, and while his answers were satisfactory, I was by no means impressed. I recommended a “no hire” in the evaluation.
The recruiter followed up to ask why I had recommended a “no hire”. I explained that the candidate was not qualified - he did not have previous relevant experience and he did not show ability to think strategically. The recruiter confirmed that this is all very true. In terms of his past, the candidate did not have any shining experiences that would match our standard.
But he never had the opportunity to shine.
The candidate comes from a family of “diversity.” The family size is large, and the family income is low. He is the first of his family line to ever graduate high school and attend college. He is the oldest of his siblings so he works two jobs to feed his family. He pays through tuition all by himself, takes care of his family, works two jobs, and still maintains a 3.8 GPA. These qualities do not (and should not) show up on his resume, but it does speak to his ability to fight through adversity and overcome hardship.
The morality of affirmative action and the positions large companies should play in equalizing the playing field is beyond the scope of my blog. Nevertheless, this was a lesson in humility:
I’d like to think that I worked hard for my success and I developed into who I am today through my own choices, values, and talents. But the truth is, I was given many opportunities to shine. And unlike the boy I interviewed, nothing was holding me back. By no means were my parents wealthy or well connected (I was actually quite poor growing up), but I never had to make sacrifices to make ends meet.
I was provided all the opportunities in the world. I just had to be good enough to seize it. For some, even if they are good enough, they will never have the opportunity to shine.
My family is proud of me for what I was able to accomplish. I can’t imagine how proud his family must be of him :)
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“Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that not everyone in this world has had the advantages that you’ve had.” — The Great Gasby
March 8th, 2012
The Businessman and the Fisherman
I was having dinner with a fellow Google colleague. She wants to work with the Google team that goes to Africa to provide the local residents with internet access. She believes that having access to the world wide web would improve their lives.
Her boss asked her, “why would providing the local Africans access to the internet improve their lives?” After a few rounds of “information exchange,” “connection with the rest of the world,” “idea sharing.” her boss told her the story of the businessman and the fisherman.
He told her this story, which she shared with me, which I am now sharing with you.
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The Businessman and the Fisherman:
A businessman took a vacation to a small Brazillian village to escape from the turmoils of his busy job. He woke up early and went to relax on the beach.
As he sat, he saw a local fisherman rowing a small boat towards the shore having caught quite few large fresh yellowfin tuna.
The businessman was impressed and complimented the fisherman on his catch. He asked the fisherman, “How long does it take you to catch so many fish?”
The fisherman replied, “Oh, just a short while.”
“Then why don’t you stay longer at sea and catch even more?” The businessman was astonished.
“This is enough to feed my whole family,” the fisherman said.
The businessman then asked, “So, what do you do for the rest of the day?”
The fisherman replied, “Well, I usually wake up early in the morning, go out to sea and catch a few fish, then go back and play with my kids. In the afternoon, I take a nap with my wife, and evening comes, I join my buddies in the village for a drink — we play guitar, sing and dance throughout the night.”
The businessman offered a suggestion to the fisherman.
“Well I have a Harvard MBA in business management. I could help you to become a more successful person. From now on, you should spend more time at sea and try to catch as many fish as possible. When you have saved enough money, you could buy a bigger boat and catch even more fish. Soon you will be able to afford to buy more boats, set up your own company, your own production plant for canned food and distribution network. By then, you will have moved out of this village and to New York, where you can set up HQ to manage your other branches. Soon you can manage a whole corporation.”
The fisherman continues, “And after that?”
The businessman laughs heartily, “After that, you can live like a king in your own house, and when the time is right, you can go public and float your shares in the Stock Exchange, and you will be rich.”
The fisherman asks, “How long will all that take?”
The businessman replies, “Well about 15-20 years.”
The fisherman asks, “And after that?”
The businessman says, “After that, you can finally retire, you can move to a house by a small village, wake up early in the morning, catch a few fish, then return home to play with kids, have a nice afternoon nap with your wife, and when evening comes, you can join your buddies for a drink, play the guitar, sing and dance throughout the night!”
The fisherman was puzzled, “Isn’t that what I am doing now?”
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Recently, lots of friends have been asking me that they don’t know where they’re going with their lives and they feel lost.
Truth is, no one REALLY knows where they’re going. We’ve all been engraved in the idea that success is landing that prestigious job and earning butt-loads of money. Then, you work your ass off to be in a high level position for a fancier car or a bigger house.
There is the concept of success where you comparing your achievements with those of others, and then there is the other concept of success where you are happy with yourself.
March 1st, 2012
My Future Baby
One of my closest friends recently just had a baby.
When I have MY baby, I’m either going to take embarrassing pictures and make famous memes out of them.
Or I will take super cute pictures of them that even when they’re old, they can impress hot chicks (or boys) with their baby pictures.
…not like MY baby needs any help impressing hot chicks…
(just kidding!)
December 30th, 2011
Tamy (kissesxoxo)
December 29th, 2011
This scarf was a Christmas present from my mom.
I come from a pretty humble family background. Neither of my parents are particularly wealthy, and they never buy lavish things for themselves.
This was a really nice scarf, something they would never buy for themselves.
Me: Mom, it’s great, but why did you get me something so expensive? You never even buy nice things for yourself.
Mom: Michael, I know you’re making lots of money now and your standard of living has improved since moving out. You’re used to nicer things. I just wanted to get you something that matches your standards, I wanted to give you something that was good enough.
Me: …Mom…
I felt like I couldn’t accept, but at the same time I felt like I HAD to accept. I kinda just stood there for a few minutes like an idiot.
When I was younger, I never cared about making lots of money. I just wanted to be successful to make my parents proud.
December 23rd, 2011
Currently on the plane to New York - with free WiFi thanks to Google Chrome + Virgin!
It’s been over a year since I’ve been home and to be honest, I’m kind of nervous.
Nervous to go back to the place where at 16 years old, I made promises to myself about the man I would be by now.
Nervous to read letters, notes and gifts from friends who I lost touch with.
Nervous to face all the people who expected me to come back super successful only to tell them I am not there yet.
My old taekwondo master told me to call him when I’m back. In my response, I wrote:
“Actually, I have to thank you for much more than just that. You’ve developed my taekwondo techniques, but you’ve also developed me as a person ever since I was young. Teaching me not only to be physically strong, but also in character. Long ago, you told me: I am not training you only to become a champion amongst fighters, but also a champion amongst men”
I hope everyday to live up to your expectations”
December 5th, 2011
Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.
*In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?
*Do we stop to appreciate it?
The questions raised:
*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…
How many other things are we missing?
(Source: Washington Post, via xsupervillain)
November 23rd, 2011
I always see people posting pictures of all the adventures they’d like to do one day. And too often, these dreams of adventures become nothing more than just a picture on a wall.
Just like “Paradise Falls” in the movie “Up.”
One thing I’ve always wanted to do was to go under a waterfall. To get to the big waterfall, I had to climb this mini-waterfall, which in hindsight, was not the smartest idea. The place was off-limits, the rocks were slippery, and I had no harness in case I slipped. You can hear my friends yelling at me to come back.
But we live our lives pursuing the things we want, not dwelling in the fear of all the things that could go wrong.
In the end, the scary climb made it all the more satisfying.
“I always wondered why birds stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on the earth. Then I ask myself the same question.”
October 14th, 2011
Everyone tells me to “Just Be Yourself”
This is me being myself VS me being the myself that other people like to see.
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I guess it’s time I reach out to my readers (aka don’t want to do real work). To be honest, I’m surprised that I even have anonymous readers, nevermind messages from them. I’ve ignored most of you (all of you) for a while (forever), so I apologize. Here we go!
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Anonymous asked:How’d you get interested in Google and what do you do there?
To be honest, Google was originally just one company in my long list of companies I applied for. However, as I progressed further through the Google interview process, I knew that if given the job offer, I would choose Google over the other companies on my list. For its culture, the brilliant people, the work, the salary, the famous perks, its reputation, etc etc. Let’s be honest “Google” is a pretty bad-ass name.
I am a financial analyst. The official job description is: I analyze financial data to support strategic decision making. My personal description is: I run this shit and make dreams come true.
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Anonymous asked:blog more! your perspectives and writing is very interesting =)
Haha well thank you! But:
“How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.” - Henry David Thoreau (American Essayist/Poet/Philosopher)
With that in mind, I will try to write when I can, but I still have a lot more to live.
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Anonymous asked:Pretty sure you’ve always wanted to see me naked.. Well.. I’m feeling pretty adventurous today so go to datelink2[dot]com (switch [dot] with .) then sign up and find my profile under the username ‘lolsummer69’. I hid my face in the pictures. but I want you to guess who I am and then hit me up on Facebook lol. Good luck.
Oh trust me lolsummer69, if I wanted to see you naked, you’d be naked right now in my room, waiting for me with a panini (with sliced zucchini)
Just kidding. Anyways…
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Anonymous asked:why are you so ridiculously good looking?
Please refer to picture 1
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Anonymous asked:this isn’t a question but a response on how to appreciate beauty
you should try and take time away from your busy life style and look at the sunset and colors of the sky. Sunsets are always beautiful and calming. =]
The context of this is probably an old post about learning to appreciate beauty.
Thanks for the reminder, and I guess we don’t really need to look too hard to FIND beauty, the tricky part is being in the right mindset to APPRECIATE it.
Sorta like Pocahontas with all the colors of the wind and rocks and otters and mountains and shit.
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Anonymous asked:
What specific department/group do you work in at Google Finance? And can you give some tips/advice and elaborate on how you got a job at Google? I want to work there so bad!!!
Wow umm, this has a long answer… when I was studying for the interviews, I had 20 pages of notes/powerpoints/articles, etc. (which if you msg me I don’t mind sharing). It’s just hard to answer this when I don’t have any context of who you are.
But honestly, conceptually it is not complicated, and there’s no secrets. We all know the formula for success: Get good grades, know your shit, work hard. (And be kind)
The hard part is the tenacity and discipline to follow through with what you already know.
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So this is taking longer than I thought, sorry if I didn’t get to you, send me a non-anonymous message and I’ll respond faster.
And thanks for reading.
September 15th, 2011
I am actually 100% opposed to this. I think it’s cowardly and stupid.
People only say this because they don’t want to put themselves out there and risk get hurt. But that’s essentially saying “don’t follow your dreams, don’t try to go for the best thing in the world, because you might (and realistically most likely) fail.”
There will always be people in this world who will let us down, break our hearts, and/or betray us, and when that happens, our natural inclination is to toughen up and become independent so we won’t be hurt again.
We build up our walls, learn to be skeptical, and become wary of who we trust. After all, the world is a big bad place and we need to protect ourselves.
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But we don’t make the world a better place by being independent and tough. We make the world better by being dependable, and finding others whom we can depend on.
Independence and strength is the formula for wars. Dependability and trust is the formula for a community.
By closing yourself off to the rest of the world, you’re doing the rest of the world a dis-service; your cowardice and fear of getting hurt deprives yourself and the rest of the world for the chance at something better.
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“People say love hurts, but that’s not true. Loneliness hurts. Rejection hurts. Losing someone hurts. Envy hurts. People often get those things confused with love. Love is the only thing in the world that covers up all the pain.”
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So My Suggestion?
STFU and spread the love
(Source: leilockheart.me, via kissesxoxo)
August 19th, 2011
August 4th, 2011
On Mistakes
Wow, sorry I’ve been so MIA on tumblr, I’ve been dying at work!
It’s about 3 am and I finally finished.
After working at Google for about a year now, I’ve learned it’s that it’s ok to make mistakes (though I’m not sure if this is exactly the “right” lesson to learn).
When I first started at this job, I double/triple checked all my calculations/assumptions to make sure the output was flawless. Still, mistakes happened.
One year later, I find that in basically everything I do, as careful as I can be, there are just too many holes for error, and mistakes WILL happen.
I guess this is true for the rest of life. You can try your best and your hardest to make sure everything goes the way you want it to, but life is just full of uncertainties, and at the end of the day, life rarely turns out the way you had planned.
Regardless, you’d still have to keep going making decisions based on your best guess.
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I guess Harry Potter says it best:
Hermione: What? We can’t do that! We’ve got to plan! We’ve got to figure it out!
Harry: Hermione, when have any of our plans ever actually worked? We plan, we get there, all hell breaks loose.
(starts on 0:41 in the video below)
June 30th, 2011
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
How to Love - Lil Wayne (girl version) by CEEJ
A cute song and a cute picture.
This is ultimately the goal right?
(Source: ceejofficial, via apeacefultime)
June 23rd, 2011
This was my response today,
when someone told me that my calculations were wrong.
Now I’m going to spend my time at work posting cute pokemon pictures
June 19th, 2011
I recently started training with M-Team.
These guys are really world class athletes in terms of accomplishments, ability, and attitude. There are kids half my age with double my skill. I feel honored to even have the chance to train with them.
M-Team’s mission is very simple - to spread the spirit of taekwondo.
Taekwondo has become too much of who I am and it’s the only commitment I know of. So many times I have thought about quitting. When school gets busy or life gets stressful, taekwondo is the most obvious choice to give up.
“When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long.”
When I first joined taekwondo, my old master told me (in a very Korean accent):
“Michael, we are not here to make you a great fighter amongst fighters, we are here to make you a great man amongst men.
Power without justice is just violence. Justice without power is feeble and weak. Both united form the noble character of a righteous man, and lays the surest foundation of usefulness in mankind.”
That (as I understand) is the true purpose of taekwondo. And it’s certainly not a message exclusive to taekwondo. There are many identical themes in various academies, military groups, and other martial arts.
As MMA is becoming popularized, there’s lots of criticisms against taekwondo as not being the most effective martial arts in street combat, or just full of flash. Which, as the video shows, is admittedly quite true.
But we don’t need to be the strongest men in the world. We just simply need to be the men who have the resolve (justice) and the capability (power) to make the righteous choice, and inspire others to do so.
Through M-Team’s mission of promoting the spirit of taekwondo, they are also promoting the values of courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self control, and indomitable spirit.
“When you close your hands to make a fist, you can’t hold onto anything. Not your friends, not your family, not your dreams. Open your hands, and you can hold the world.”
