Journal : OpenRoadWorks

Ms. Robinson on our wedding day Just as the world and South Africa will be forever grateful for Nelson Mandela - or Madiba, as he was affectionately called  - I will be forever grateful for Ms. Gruine Robinson. She also passed away this week at 95 years of age. Ms. Robinson was another who lived for ideals greater than herself. She gave voice to those who had none and amplified their words for all to hear. She did so without regard for acclaim, and for this she earned her place in the hearts of friends who came to accept her more like family. This was how she became an honorary grandmother to my wife, teaching her English upon arriving in the US from China. Patiently and dutifully, Ms. Robinson was there weekly after school, with exercises and games to bring life to the rules and grammar of an often befuddling English language. Sometimes, those sessions included Disney movies like Aladdin , which explains why the regular trips we take to the Magic Kingdom are a kind of pilg...

Time as colored on the Helmsley Building Time is all we have. Never more realized than walking to New York Penn Station when I'm trying to catch a train.  At some point on my walk earlier this week from Grand Central Station , past Bryant Park , down Broadway , and over 34th at 8th where I got an unobstructed view of the Empire State Building , I contemplated about time. Of course, there is the classic novel  " In Search of Lost Time ", by Proust, who documented in excruciating detail his day-to-day living, transcending the mundane to reveal the humanity of our existence. Or so I have gathered from reading Alain de Botton who wrote about his discoveries of Proust in his popular philosophical wanderings . These thoughts caused pause, at least inside my head, as I briskly traversed the streets and avenues to make my train. I was walking in NYC, after all. It takes time to write this post. It could have been time spent on other pursuits: a deliverable for wo...

136 days since the last time that I posted something to this blog. I've been busy, I suppose - all of us are busy living to varying degrees. Figured it was time to check in and leave a note, a reminder of sorts to get on with more public writing.

Our mothers are as varied and complex as espresso According to an interesting article in The Economist , scientists reckon there are over 1,200 various chemical substances that reside inside a single-roasted coffee bean. Espresso, of all coffee preparations, releases more of these chemicals than any other preparation. So, too, does motherhood involve more of the human senses than any other act or bond. For a variety of reasons, we are most attached to our mothers, more so than our fathers, siblings, or relatives. Mothers always seem near, even when they are not physically nearby. Mothers always seem to "know", even when they don't understand what might really be going on. Mothers always seem to care, even when it is hard to do so on our behalf. In some way, these and other factors contribute to the attachment that makes mothers top of the family heap. Thanks to Anna Jarvis , Mother's Day is now a thoroughly recognized holiday in the US and beyond, althoug...

A wonderful birthday surprise included weekend time with UCLA nieces and nephews! The wonders of social media sometimes outweigh the burdens of interconnected living. Birthdays are a good example. Before Facebook, birthdays were an affair requiring planning to gather friends and to share the moment. For those who have lived in different parts of the world and have friends scattered about, this is difficult to accomplish.  Perhaps my reflection is intensified by the fact that my wife is also traveling for business on this day, but I don't feel entirely alone. Starting early in the morning, birthday wishes started to arrive - first from Asia, then Europe, then rolling into the US (east coast, central time, west coast). By noontime here in DC, I had a collection of messages from friends near and far, close and distant, that comprised my own journey through family, school, work, and interests. The wonder comes from reflecting on the fact that all these people and all the memori...

My impulse comes with iPad, espresso, and old-fashioned pen-and-paper Writing is a romantic pursuit - at least, according to the literature and the biographies of the great authors. The idea of a bolt of lightning striking someone with the ability to produce volumes of prose that captures the secrets of the human experience - it's a wonderful dream (and brings to mind Xanadu , which was an aside in work emails last week). Sometimes, that dream comes true, when the impulse to write manifests in a feeling or motivation to capture story ideas, characters, plots, or quotable passages that are worthy of preservation. Most of the time, however, writing is work. So much so that the work, drudgery really, is the the majority of what constitutes writer's journals, notes, and manuscripts. Buried in the pile of hard drives, papers, and words can be the next great American novel - but is mostly proverbial chain-yanks to start the motor of creativity. On a rainy morning, I start th...

Nespresso Trieste - worthy companion to morning emails Another rainy morning makes me happy - it means more sleep and no need to water the new landscaping. I celebrated by trying the other new Nespresso pods that showed up on the doorstep - the Trieste . After a late night, I wanted something that would be a delightful bounce-back to get going for the day. The tasting notes of this beauty included a "round texture" with "fragrant chocolate" and "fresh hazelnut notes". I'm not sure if that full explosion blew up my taste buds, but it was very good and lingered nicely on the palate.  Who knew that a morning break could taste so good?

The cup looks innocent enough. On a quintessential Spring afternoon, I fired up the Nespresso machine to try out a new pod that arrived at my doorstep this morning - the Napoli .  Limited edition cru, it is a Marketing event in a pocket-sized cylinder that screams buy me and try me now. So I did.  I popped the pod into the machine and let the commercial-grade pump do its work to force a bolt of steaming hot water through the tiny pierced opening poked in the pod by the machine; as usual, it created that just-right crema-topped single shot of espresso. Lingering over the cup on an afternoon that would be better spent outside, I reflected on that tiny moment, waiting for transportation to another place. I remembered the Nespresso commercials with Penelope Cruz , which embodied the branding and experience for which Nestle was aiming.  Then I thought of Spinal Tap, and the classic 11 scene . Since this espresso registered 11 on the 10-point intensity scale. Perhaps I wa...

I've never tried it until yesterday's lunch. It's called the Elvis , a fully American concoction consisting of peanut butter, in a sandwich, with bananas. Recently, I read this was a great comfort food, which seemed appropriate since I am trying to finish my recovery from from a cold. So I tried out the sandwich. Turned out it was a creamy sensation more bland than my taste buds appreciated (there is a variation that includes bacon, which I believe would produce better results). I followed up the Elvis with another American classic, peanut butter & jelly - that turned out more satisfying, what with the smooth savory cream of the peanut butter mixing more successfully with the tart sweetness of preserves.  It was a fun study in American comfort food, and I can now cross this particular sandwich, the Elvis, off my bucket list. Not bad, though, for finding another way to get rid of those bananas which somehow always end up in the pantry ( bananas have been a top-selling ...

Blossoms in full bloom It's a great time of year to be in the DC area. Ruby's walk this morning was divine.

Finally, Spring has arrived. The glorious blue sky and explosion of flowers and buds has painted the landscape. Too bad that my parents missed this sight in their time here last weekend - more for me to enjoy, I suppose. Here's to hoping that the blossoming we have finally experienced means that cold days are finally behind us for the season.

My personal Masters news room, courtesy of Masters.com Bobby Jones is one of my heroes.  Arguably, he is the greatest golfer of all time and the only golfer to win the "grand slam" of major golf tournaments in a single year back in 1930 (you can read about it in a well-written book by Mark Frost  and in an intriguing account from this curious gentleman ). But that's not why he is a hero . He was known as a Southern gentleman, whose grace and humility belied the greatness that he achieved. Later in life, he maintained the same characteristics when he faced a neurological disease that crippled and later paralyzed him after 22 agonizing years. Herbert Warren Wind wrote about Bobby Jones, "as a young man, he was able to stand up to just about the best that life can offer, which is not easy, and later he stood up with equal grace to just about the worst." When Spring rolls around, it is signaled by the playing of the the Masters , the perennial tournament i...

How and where these words originated I am no longer a privileged flier. Call it premier, advantage, select, platinum, elite - I am none of those, these days more of a standard flier. Which leads to more middle seats when flying and the feeling of resignation that accompanies the struggle for elbow room - window and aisle seats have access to the extra space their positions can afford. I can think of the symbolism of this middle seat, seat 21B to be exact. Sure, it's an exit row, which means more leg room. But it does not accord privileges that spend, flight segments, and miles do - likely what led my row companions to capture the window and aisle seats flanking my position. The work and sacrifice to accumulate what becomes currency is worth it in the end for that seat over, right? Maybe even moving up a class to Business or First? To gain a different level apart from others, even though we are all ultimately heading to the same place on this flight. That's O...

How words feel to me, courtesy of onestopenglish Words fascinate me. As a child, I would dream of writing the perfect sentence, later embellishing phrases with verbal delights.  These tendencies later turned into verbosities, as I started to master more words.  Latin helped - I practiced the "dead language" in high school.  Studying Italian helped some more, a noble pursuit in college.  I've won "awards" from peers along the way for using dense terminology and profundities, most of which proliferated in passages which consumed a collection of journals now stacked in the closet (work and digital publishing has significantly decreased my output via paper). Words are important as they convey to others what we think and feel.  To me, words are like breathing. I find words impactful, fleeting, exacting, and triumphant. Words are also intoxicating - I need to control their use, lest I became mired in their convolution and densi...

I'm sitting at an empty airport cafe.  Evening rush hour in the terminal is perking up.  A finished espresso cup sits on the table.  The moment feels lonely and right.   I have a couple of hours until takeoff. My mind stutters on the words that want to claw to the page.  My attention drifts into a subterranean state; I'm grabbing for the trigger that connects this moment to a feeling of deja vu.  Coldplay rotating on my smartphone releases the trigger.  I feel lonely because I am pensive and alone, which heightens my attention to all else that surrounds me besides myself. This feels right because I am able to reflect, think more deeply, capture the moment in my mind's eye.  The trigger pulled, I have a feeling of lightness.

Siri at your service? I've finally made the jump to using a tablet.  An iPad , to be exact.  It took me awhile to appreciate the benefits of this form factor, particularly in relation to its price, but now I understand the value (to some degree - it's less valuable when one publishes quite a bit, particularly for work and particularly for doing a lot of typing and creating Microsoft Office documents, but I digress...). My wife also got an iPad, more precisely a mini .  This suits her well, considering she likes smaller things (witness our dog ).  My wife has taken longer than myself to embrace a tablet, due to the issue of publishing quite a bit, particularly for work and particularly for doing a lot of typing and creating Microsoft Office documents (but I digress...).  But little by little, she has started to adopt it as well. The other night, we were sitting on the couch, and my wife made one of the latest steps towards tablet adoption, by holding dow...

The far reaches of bungalow island destinations (those blue pins) on Google Maps Vacation planning often mimics the same anxiety, frustration, and exhilaration of the trip itself.  Case in point - today my wife is trying to work out a trip to Japan with her brother that coincides conveniently with a remote beach destination.  Of course, we encounter a couple of hiccups: Remote beach destinations are quite remote - literally in the middle of the ocean, thousands of miles from anything Traveling in and out of Asia with US airlines is not as well networked and connected as Europe (read: multi-stop flights are difficult to arrange) Airline award flights are challenging to book, particularly with "saver" awards, for lack of seats available to use those miles Rewards points and status with particular hotels get you quite a bit with those hotels - but only with those hotels, which leads to a search through a particular hotel's directory for attractive destinatio...

Here comes Mad Men - but which direction goes Don Draper? The coming spring means more than flowers - it also means the return of my favorite TV show of the last decade: Mad Men .  For the uninitiated, Don Draper is an " ad man " from the 1960's who sweeps through a meticulous recreation of the time period 's dress, furniture, decorum, and issues.  Entering the start of its sixth - and penultimate, according to show creator Matt Weinert - season, a couple of time gaps have brought the show to the precipice of the 1960's.  I can only imagine what the volatile last year of the decade will mean for the drama enveloping the series. Counting down the days until April 7, when the two-hour season premiere hits the airwaves. 

Ragu' alla bolognese, tipicamente Italiana The beauty of travel, trade, and the internet is that home can offer most of the wonders that trips reveal; of course, one still needs the experience from learning other cultures to know what to look for, but with that knowledge acquired, a new vista opens to the everyday in one's hometown. Case in point - I had a craving for "Italian spaghetti" this weekend.  The kind that Italians debate in terms of recipe origin and what constitutes tipicamente lo stile .  According to most Italians, the simple spaghetti with meat sauce is pasta bolognese , which supposedly originates from Bologna (a great city, by the way, and well worth a visit when you make your way to Italy).  As is customary, Italians like to officiate these debates with a sanctioned version of the food, usually sponsored by a group of local artisans or the chamber of commerce; once that is done, all can go back to disagreeing as to which is official and which...

Our plants showing some color From winter storm to wonderful sun, it's been a week of weather extremes. Now we "spring ahead" and lose an hour instead of waiting for the next storm warning. Soon enough we will experience the cherry blossoms again - spring is coming.

My wife has jury duty this week.  Not just the court summons but a jury selection and trial case that has ended up consuming the week.  As of 10pm on a Thursday, my wife is finally home after a lengthy deliberation that has not reached conclusion; she will have to return to the courthouse on Friday.  Without knowing the details (she is sworn to secrecy in her service), this case seems headed for a mistrial.  Unless something crazy happens (makes me think of the movie Twelve Angry Men ). How this case turns out, it has been a frustrating yet instructive experience for all involved.  No doubt the plaintiff and defendant but also the jury and even, in this case, Ruby and myself.  We will be happy when this week is over and jury duty comes to a close.  Then, we can return to "normal" family life.

It's nice to have a snow day .  The forecasts saw it coming.  And then it actually happened , at least in the suburbs.  Somehow I was able to make it home from a business trip, when flights were getting cancelled as the storm roiled across the country. Luckily, we still have power (fingers crossed we avoid the fate of storms from prior years ).  So I wrote an entry to celebrate working at home with my wife on a snow day.

Nostalgia can be a powerful sensation. A feeling of longing, ghosts real as persons filling the senses of what recalls a place. These things are lurking just beyond reach but perceptible nonetheless, often palpable to the blood coursing through veins. I remember this same hotel, a room similar and a brisk night when I met my wife for the first time. I remembered the same last year when I visited then, and this feeling is fitting. After all, nostalgia is powerful like that.

Random but befitting - traversing the long corridor to the light  in the ground floor of ATL I've been away from this blog for a month, since remembering a friend .  Life, as we know it, moves on, and so return my words.  Back and ready to resume another fresh start this year.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/toddity/sets/72157632685156824

http://www.flickr.com/photos/toddity/sets/72157632680706207

"As a young man he was able to stand up to just about the best that life can offer , which is not easy, and later he stood up with equal grace to just about the worst." -Herbert Warren Wind on Bobby Jones Occasionally, we meet people that leave a mark.  It can happen in a few short moments or over a long period of time, but that mark becomes pronounced when it is real and meaningful.  That mark is often imperceptible until life events reveal its depth and breadth.  At which time, clarity emerges as to the impact that people can have in our lives. I met Rok in the first days of our MBA program at IMD  in 2005.  Our initial connection was his Slovenian background and the fact that I had visited his home country in 1998 when I studied abroad in Milan; we became fast friends.  This relationship deepened when we were lucky enough to work together in "G7", our first group in the program.  Deep relationships means something more than pleasan...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/toddity/sets/72157632478126341

http://www.flickr.com/photos/toddity/sets/72157632470182463

Sometimes a good espresso helps to unblock things I have "writer's block" at work.  I'm trying to generate reams of documents that describe the next release of the product of which I am describing, and the forward progress is laborious and stunted.  Walk away, come back, check some email, surf the internet, pen a few lines, then scratch my head on how to jump in.  It's a similar process and exercise to creative writing, only the subject matter and technical details is different. Here's to hoping a quick blog post helps to unblock my creativity, which would be handy for the big push needed to get these requirements documents over the finish line!

Weekends are sacred time, particularly with hectic work schedules. My wife loves shopping, and I love spending time with her, so out shopping it is. At least I have a fancier smartphone to jot posts like this while sitting outside the dressing room!

A fresh start is aided by good food, like my in-laws cook up in spicy Chinese form A New Year's resolution is a fun promise to break.  It feels good to make one, and the expectant mood of great things for the new year allows everyone to fool themselves into believing that some hoped-for aspiration will become reality.  This mood allows us to believe that life will be different somehow, and it will be good and better since a triumph over will, fear of failure, or some other impediment is just around the corner. More often, a resolution takes years to accomplish.  For instance, my goal of achieving 100 entries in 2012 (which I did ultimately accomplish ) was five years in the making.  A quick search through my blog timeline produced reference to a "fresh start" in several entries (ie. jump-starting a regular writing schedule) across  2007 , 2009 , and 2012 , with the outcome a sputter of output.  It was not until this past year that journaling ensued,...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/toddity/sets/72157632417367050