8/28/00: Invitation to APEX/NAAAP Conference & Puzzle

Hi,

I want to personally invite you to come to LA over Columbus Day weekend,
October 5-8, for the APEX/NAAAP conference. I'm helping to organize the
conference and would love to see you here. The early registration deadline
is August 31, so please read more about the conference below and register
online. If you need a place to stay in LA, you are welcome to crash on the
futon in my living room. The conference should be really good!

This week's thought provoking question is: "If you were given $5,000 to
spend in one store in the world, where would you do your shopping?"

This week, I'm including a cool logic puzzle forwarded by Christine Wu
instead of a piece of humor. Let me know what answer you come up with. I
solved it by drawing diagrams that I learned when I studied for the LSATs.
I'm not going to have an inspirational story this week due to length of
this email.

Enjoy!

-Josh.
______________________________________________

APEX/NAAAP Conference

HURRY!! EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS AUGUST 31, 2000. SAVE $$ BY
REGISTERING EARLY! SPACE IS FILLING UP QUICKLY!

Early Bird price is $149/$169 (Member / Non-Member). See below for normal
rates.

Come join Dustin Nguyen (VIP), Lisa Ling (The View), Tamlyn Tomita (Joy
Luck Club), Brook Lee (Miss
Universe 1997), Dion Basco (City Guys)& Dante Basco (Hook), Michelle
Krusiec (One World), Rick Yune (Snow Falling on Cedars), Garrett Wang (Star
Trek Voyager), Rosalind Chao (Joy Luck Club), George Takei (Star Trek) and
more at the:

2000 APEX-NAAAP Convention: Imagine...

October 5-8, 2000

Hilton Universal City & Towers, Los Angeles, CA

The Asian Professional Exchange (APEX) and the National Association of
Asian American Professionals
(NAAAP) are proud to host "Imagine", the 2000 APEX-NAAAP National
Convention from October 5-8, 2000 at the Hilton Universal City & Towers. In
its fourteenth year, the four-day event will feature panel discussions and
workshops featuring dozens of top industry speakers and celebrities.
Participants will also attend the star-studded "Ammy Awards", co-presented
with aMedia, and the 4th Annual APEX Career Fair, Southern California's
largest Asian Pacific American career fair.

Here is a small sample of the workshops offered:

The Asian Entrepreneurial Spirit: Blueprints for the Successful Startup
Economic Opportunities in Asia
Media: Asian Americans Behind the Scenes
Legislative Reform Update: How Far Have We Come?
Asian Pop Culture
Redefining Asian America
Diversity Training Day and much more!

*** Ammy Awards ***

Participants of the convention will attend a star-studded VIP reception
prior to the Ammy Awards, co-presented with aMedia, Inc., publisher of
aMagazine: Inside Asian America and developer of aOnline, the Asian
American Digital Network. Hosting the ceremony will be Dustin Nguyen (VIP)
and Tamlyn Tomita (Joy Luck Club). Nominees for this year's awards include
actors Lucy Liu (Ally McBeal), Jackie Chan (Shanghai Noon), Jet Li(Romeo
Must Die), Chow Yun-Fat (Anna and the King),Keanu Reeves (The
Matrix) and Bai Ling (Anna and the King). A full list of nominees can be
found at www.aOnline.com. For more information, please contact Jean Chan
at 310-234-8689 or jchan@amediainc.com.

*** Career Fair ***

Saturday, October 7, 9 AM - 4 PM

[Do you work for a high tech company that is looking to hire talented
people? If so, encourage your company to participate in the career fair.
-Josh.]

Are you an undergraduate or graduate on the verge of graduating and moving
on up into the "real world"?
Maybe you're tired of the same old routine and are looking to seek out a
new, exciting position. Instead of sending out resumes one by one, the
Career Fair will bring the companies to you.

*** WEB INFO ***

To find the latest information on the 2000 APEX-NAAAP National Convention,
go to
http://www.apex.org/content.cfm?content_id=81

For registration information, go to
http://www.apex.org/content.cfm?content_id=90

*** Accommodations ***

[I cut this section out because you're welcome to stay with me. But if you
want to stay at the Hilton Universal City Hotel, look at the website above
for more info. -Josh]

*** Registration ***

Registration prices include all Friday, Saturday and Sunday meals and
activities including the VIP reception and Ammy Awards. Thursday night
social mixer to be paid separately. The Friday Night Event At West
Hollywood's hot spot, the GATE, will take the first 250 people on a first
come basis. The career fair is a public event open to all registered and
non-registered guests for free.

Convention Special - APEX/NAAAP membership (1 year)-$25

If you're not already a member, join your nearest NAAAP chapter at this
special discount rate (APEX is the Los Angeles chapter of NAAAP). If you
join today, please use the member rates for registration.

Adult (APEX/NAAAP Members) Students (Members)
Early Bird $149 Early Bird $109
Regular $179 Regular $119
Late $249 Late $149

Adult (Non-Member) Students (Non-Members)
Early Bird $169 Early Bird $119
Regular $199 Regular $129
Late $269 Late $159

Early Bird - On or before August 31, 2000
Regular - On or before September 23, 2000
Late - After September 23, 2000

For more information on the 2000 APEX-NAAAP National Convention, visit us
online at www.apex.org or contact Helen Hua at helen@apex.org or call
626/285-3853.

For corporate sponsorship information, please contact Leonard Chen at
leonard@apex.org or (626)-359-8111 x5283.
___________________________________________________

Riddle: Are you part of the 7%?

Legend has it that this puzzle was put together by Einstein who said that
93% of the world population would not be capable of finding the solution.

5 men live in 5 different colored houses, they smoke 5 different brands of
cigarettes and drink 5 different types of beverages. They each breed/tend
different animals.

Answer this question: who farms fish?

Clues:
1) the norwegian lives in the first house
2) the englishman lives in the red house
3) the green house is on the left of the white house
4) the dane drinks tea
5) the camel smoker lives next to the one who breeds cats
6) the one who lives in the yellow house smokes dunhills
7) the german smokes marlboros
8) the one who lives in the house in the middle drinks milk
9) the camel smoker has a neighbour who drinks water
10) the pall mall smoker breeds birds
11) the swede breeds dogs
12) the norwegian lives next to the blue house
13)the horse breeder lives next to the yellow house
14) the newport smoker drinks beer
15) in the green house one drinks coffee

Let me know if you come up with an answer.

Humor 8/21/00: Short Quiz & Lifeline

Hi everyone,

I went to the Getty Center this weekend and also went to the Hollywood
Bowl to hear John Williams' movie music. I took a lot of pictures of
the Getty Center and the surrounding views. I'll upload my pictures in
the future so you can take a look. The Getty is an amazing place, so
you should definitely go if you have not visited before.

The responses to last week's question were "Ally McBeal, Married With
Children, and Sex in the City".

This week's thought provoking question is: "If you could have been the
author of any single book already written, which book would you want to
have penned?"

This week's humor was forwarded by Evelyn Lau (I worked for 6 years at
Andersen, and don't remember taking this quiz! ?), followed by an
inspirational piece forwarded by Monica Quock.

Enjoy!

-Josh.
_________________________________________

The following short quiz consists of 4 questions and measures whether
you are qualified to be a "professional". Scroll down for each answer.
The questions are not that difficult.


1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?












The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe and
close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things
in an overly complicated way.

2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?













Wrong Answer: Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant and close the
refrigerator.
Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the
elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think through
the repercussions of your actions.

3. The lion is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend
except one. Which animal does not attend?



















Correct Answer: The elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. This
tests your memory. OK, even if you did not answer the first three
questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your
abilities.

4. There is a river you must cross. But it is inhabited by crocodiles.
How do you manage it?
















Correct Answer: You swim across. All the crocodiles are attending the
animal conference.

This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes. According to
Andersen Consulting Worldwide, around 90% of the professionals they
tested got all questions wrong. But many preschoolers got several
correct answers.

Anderson Consulting says this conclusively disproves the theory that
most professionals have the brains of a four year old.
__________________________________________

After a few of the usual Sunday evening hymns, the church's pastor once
again slowly stood up, walked over to the pulpit, and gave a very brief
introduction of his childhood friend. With that, an elderly man stepped
up to the pulpit to speak:

"A father, his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the Pacific
Coast," he began, "when a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to
get back to shore. The waves were so high, that even though the father
was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright, and the
three were swept into the ocean."

The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two
teenagers who were, for the first time since the service began, looking
somewhat interested in his story. He continued, "Grabbing a rescue
line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his
life.... to which boy he would throw the other end of the line? He only
had seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a
Christian, and he also knew that his son's friend was not. The agony of
his decision could not be matched by the torrent of waves. As the father
yelled out, 'I love you, son!' he threw the line to his son's friend.

By the time he pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had
disappeared beyond the raging swells into the black of night. His body
was never recovered.

By this time, the two teenagers were sitting straighter in the pew,
waiting for the next words to come out of the old man's mouth. "The
father," he continued, "knew his son would step into eternity with
Jesus, and he could not bear the thought of his son's friend stepping
into an eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son. How
great is the love of God that He should do the same for us." With that,
the old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled the
room.

Within minutes after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the
old man's side. "That was a nice story," politely started one of the
boys, "but I don't think it was very realistic for a father to give up
his son's life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian."

"Well, you've got a point there," the old man replied, glancing down at
his worn Bible. A big smile broadened his narrow face, and he once
again looked up at the boys and said, "It sure isn't very realistic, is
it? But I'm standing here today to tell you that THAT story gives me a
glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up His Son for
me. You see.... I was the son's friend."

Humor 8/13/00: Physics Exam & Story of Life

Hi everyone,

I watched several movies this past weekend at home with some friends. I
would like to recommend two: "The Emperor and the Assassin" and
"Spanish Prisoner". Spanish Prisoner is a suspense/drama, a slight bit
like "Usual Suspects", but not really. "The Emperor and the Assassin"
is a Chinese movie about the first Chin emperor who united China. It's
directed by the critically acclaimed Chen Kaige, and Gong Li is one of
the main characters. It has strong character development and some
interesting plot twists. It's in Mandarin with English subtitles.

The only response to last week's question was "refrigerator".

This week's thought provoking question is: "If you had to pick the
worst television series ever made, what would win?"

This week's humor was forwarded by Brent Chinn (I especially like this
because I started out as a physics major in college, before switching to
East Asian Studies), followed by an inspirational piece forwarded by
Anna Man.

Enjoy!

-Josh.
_________________________________________

The following concerns a question in a physics degree exam at the
University of Copenhagen:

"Describe how to determine the height of a skyscraper with a barometer."

One student replied:
"You tie a long piece of string to the neck of the barometer, then lower
the barometer from the roof of the skyscraper to the ground. The length
of the string plus the length of the barometer will equal the height of
the building."

This highly original answer so incensed the examiner that the student
was failed immediately. The student appealed on the grounds that his
answer was indisputably correct, and the university appointed an
independent arbiter to decide the case.

The arbiter judged that the answer was indeed correct, but did not
display any noticeable knowledge of physics. To resolve the problem it
was decided to call the student in and allow him six minutes in which to
provide a verbal answer that showed at least a minimal familiarity with
the basic principles of physics.

For five minutes the student sat in silence, forehead creased in
thought. The arbiter reminded him that time was running out, to which
the student replied that he had several extremely relevant answers, but
couldn't make up his mind which to use. On being advised to hurry up
the student replied as follows:

"Firstly, you could take the barometer up to the roof of the skyscraper,
drop it over the edge, and measure the time it takes to reach the
ground. The height of the building can then be worked out from the
formula H = 0.5g x t squared. But bad luck on the barometer."

"Or if the sun is shining you could measure the height of the barometer,
then set it on end and measure the length of its shadow. Then you
measure the length of the skyscraper's shadow, and thereafter it is a
simple matter of proportional arithmetic to work out the height of the
skyscraper."

"But if you wanted to be highly scientific about it, you could tie a
short piece of string to the barometer and swing it like a pendulum,
first at ground level and then on the roof of the skyscraper. The
height is worked out by the difference in the gravitational restoring
force T = 2 pi sqr root (l/g)."

"Or if the skyscraper has an outside emergency staircase, it would be
easier to walk up it and mark off the height of the skyscraper in
barometer lengths, then add them up."

"If you merely wanted to be boring and orthodox about it, of course, you
could use the barometer to measure the air pressure on the roof of the
skyscraper and on the ground, and convert the difference in millibars
into feet to give the height of the building."

"But since we are constantly being exhorted to exercise independence of
mind and apply scientific methods, undoubtedly the best way would be to
knock on the janitor's door and say to him 'If you would like a nice new
barometer, I will give you this one if you tell me the height of this
skyscraper'."

That student was Niels Bohr, the only Dane to win the Nobel Prize for
Physics.
__________________________________________

THE STORY OF LIFE

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they
were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a
lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to
become. You never know who these people may be (possibly your roommate,
neighbor, coworker, long-lost friend, lover, or even a complete
stranger), but when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very
moment they will affect your life in some profound way.

And sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful, and
unfair at first, but in reflection you find that without overcoming
those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength,
willpower, or heart.

*Everything happens for a reason. *

Nothing happens by chance or by means of good luck. Illness, injury,
love, lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to
test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, whatever they
may be, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to
nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly
pointless.

The people you meet who affect your life, and the success and downfalls
you experience, help to create who you are and who you become.

*Even the bad experiences can be learned from. *

In fact, they are probably the most poignant and important ones.

If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them,
for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being
cautious when you open your heart.

If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because
they love you, but because in a way, they are teaching you to love and
how to open your heart and eyes to things.

*Make every day count. *

Appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything that you
possibly can for you may never be able to experience it again.

Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and actually
listen.

Let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your sights high.

Hold your head up because you have every right to.

Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if
you don't believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in
you.

You can make of your life anything you wish.

Create your own life and then go out and live it with absolutely no
regrets.

*Most importantly*!!!, * if you LOVE someone tell him or her, for you
never know what tomorrow may have in store. *

And learn a lesson in life each day that you live.

THAT'S THE STORY OF LIFE

Humor 8/7/00: Ellison' Speech & 7 Steps

Hi everyone,

I finally watched "Chicken Run" this weekend. It was fairly
entertaining. A few friends told me about a good movie rental, "Spanish
Prisoner". I have never heard of it before yesterday. But, feel free
to watch it and let me know what you think.

Thanks to all of you who checked out Leisure Planner and registered. I
waited to send you this email so that we would have a bit more of the
arts and community functionality up. In the future, when you create
your art leisure profile, we will proactively recommend art exhibits in
your metropolitan area that you may enjoy. Also, the same thing goes
for community events, especially if they are geared towards a minority
group or religious group. Our website is: www.leisureplanner.com.

Some of you sent me your answers to last week's question, where you
would want to inherit a vacation home. The typical answers were: Bali,
Maui and the Cayman Islands. However, I think John Welch's answer was
the most original:

"This one is easy: San Francisco. Then I would spend the other 11 months
traveling.
Was that cheating? ;-)"

This week's thought provoking question is: "If you could keep only one
home appliance, which would you keep?"

This week's humor was forwarded by Tina Sze (unlike Carly Fiorina's
speech to MIT, the speech by Ellison to Yale is NOT real. It is a
satire written by Andrew Marlatt. It's really funny!), followed by an
inspirational piece forwarded by Marilyn Li (it sounds like something
from Stephen Covey).

Enjoy!

-Josh.
_________________________________________

Ellison to Grads: Diplomas are for Losers

By Treat Warland

New Haven, CT - In one of the more controversial commencement addresses
in memory, Oracle CEO and college dropout Larry Ellison told Yale's
Class of 2000 they were "losers" whose hard-won diplomas would never
propel them into the ranks of the super rich.

The evangelical Ellison, noting that college dropouts Bill Gates, Paul
Allen, and Michael Dell were, like himself, on Forbes' recent top 10
list of billionaires, urged freshmen and sophomores at the ceremony to
"drop out and start up," and added that the undereducated Yale security
guards who ushered him off stage probably had a better shot at
uber-wealth than graduating seniors.

What follows is a transcript of the speech delivered by Ellison at the
Yale University last month:

"Graduates of Yale University, I apologize if you have endured this type
of prologue before, but I want you to do something for me. Please, take
a good look around you. Look at the classmate on your left. Look at the
classmate on your right. Now, consider this: five years from now, 10
years from now, even thirty years from now, odds are the person on your
left is going to be a loser. The person on your right, meanwhile, will
also be a loser. And you, in the middle? What can you expect? Loser.
Loserhood. Loser Cum Laude.

"In fact, as I look out before me today, I don't see a thousand hopes
for a bright tomorrow. I don't see a thousand future leaders in a
thousand industries. I see a thousand losers.

"You're upset. That's understandable. After all, how can I, Lawrence
'Larry' Ellison, college dropout, have the audacity to spout such heresy
to the graduating class of one of the nation's most prestigious
institutions? I'll tell you why. Because I, Lawrence "Larry" Ellison,
second richest man on the planet, am a college dropout, and you are not.

"Because Bill Gates, richest man on the planet -- for now, anyway -- is
a college dropout, and you are not.

"Because Paul Allen, the third richest man on the planet, dropped out of
college, and you did not.

"And for good measure, because Michael Dell, No. 9 on the list and
moving up fast, is a college dropout, and you, yet again, are not.

"Hmm... you're very upset. That's understandable. So let me stroke your
egos for a moment by pointing out, quite sincerely, that your diplomas
were not attained in vain. Most of you, I imagine, have spent four to
five years here, and in many ways what you've learned and endured will
serve you well in the years ahead.
You've established good work habits. You've established a network of
people that will help you down the road. And you've established what
will be lifelong relationships with the word 'therapy.' All that of is
good. For in truth, you will need that network. You will need those
strong work habits. You will need that therapy.

"You will need them because you didn't drop out, and so you will never
be among the richest people in the world. Oh sure, you may, perhaps,
work your way up to No. 10 or No. 11, like Steve Ballmer. But then, I
don't have to tell you who he really works for, do I? And for the
record, he dropped out of grad school. Bit of a late bloomer.

"Finally, I realize that many of you, and hopefully by now most of you,
are wondering, 'Is there anything I can do? Is there any hope for me at
all?' Actually, no. It's too late. You've absorbed too much, think you
know too much. You're not 19 anymore. You have a built-in cap, and I'm
not referring to the mortar boards on your heads.

"Hmm... you're really very upset. That's understandable. So perhaps this
would be a good time to bring up the silver lining. Not for you, Class
of '00. You are a write-off, so I'll let you slink off to your pathetic
$200,000-a-year jobs, where your checks will be signed by former
classmates who dropped out two years
ago.

"Instead, I want to give hope to any underclassmen here today. I say to
you, and I can't stress this enough: leave. Pack your things and your
ideas and don't come back. Drop out. Start up.

"For I can tell you that a cap and gown will keep you down just as
surely as these security guards dragging me off this stage are keeping
me dow..."
__________________________________________

THE SEVEN STEPS

There is a little recipe that I use in my life that I have found to be
helpful over and over again. I call it "The Seven Steps." I use it as a
blueprint for each new endeavor or project I am about to embark on. I
have also found it useful in my personal life. I hope you can find it
beneficial too.

1. FORGIVE YOURSELF.
Many of our pasts are filled with bad choices and mistakes. We're not
perfect, and we have to admit to ourselves "That's okay". If you've hurt
somebody, by all means, say you're sorry. The important point here is to
accept the mistake, correct it if possible, forgive yourself, and move
on.

2. CLEAR THE DECKS.
There are always reasons why things go wrong. It's necessary that we
realize sometimes we do things and surround ourselves with negativity.
It can come in the form of a bad habit, or bad relationships, but one
thing is clear, if the level of negativity is not decreased it becomes
very hard to continue a forward progression.

3. CHART A COURSE.
Ask yourself, "What is it I want to do?" "Where do I see my life
heading?" It's very difficult to sail a ship without charts. You never
know where you may end up..... perhaps in a port where you don't belong.

4. LINK THE DAYS.
Don't look at your plan as a huge mountain to climb all at once. See the
days as links in a chain, that when strung together become bold and
strong.

5. POSITIVE INPUT.
I cannot express enough how important it is to surround yourself with
positive influences. They are the fuel for your dreams. Create a little
library of books you can constantly go to for reinforcement. Have a
chat with a supportive friend...it can work wonders.

6. WORK HARD.
Nothing truly good comes easy. Anybody who tells you it does....beware.
Working hard on your goals gives you a tremendous sense of
accomplishment, once they are realized. To move down a road, you need
"drive". Not too fast, or not too slow. I'm a big believer in "cruise
control."

7. CELEBRATE EACH STEP.
Each milestone on your journey, have a celebration....you have earned
it. It's okay to pat yourself on the back. Every celebration on the
ladder of success builds momentum, and you'll discover there is a lot to
be said for momentum. It creates a wave to push you further forward.

These are my points of reference I try to follow in my life. Even when
we fail, it's so important to keep trying. The effort justifies our
reasons for being.

Take the time to love.