Bus 44

Most people would have know by now that The9 lost the World of Warcraft China franchise to NetEase.

Last week, I found out we have a new neighbor in Zhangjiang, two story below us. We are located in the building behind The9.

There is this big sign board outside the building by NetEase recruiting people with experiences with World of Warcraft, strategically place so that staff from The9 can see it across the window :-)

One of the hottest vids going around in China right now.

I am happy that the saga with Aware so far (it is too early to say it has ended). My wife and me watch the whole episode with great interest, although our position on various issues are different. She is pro-family and I am pro-choice but we are both against the ex-new Exco of Aware.

Whether it is bad PR or lack of experience or bias of the media, the following remains:

1. They were telling half-truth in an NGO, an environment that requires and values transparency. In some cases, they either out-right lie or they changed their position often. The appearance of the puppet master, a feminist mentor, and the church (please don’t give me the BS that COOS is not involved) behind all these is the last straw for us.

2. (1) is not about whether they are christian or their views of homosexuality, which I disagreed but my wife agreed. As I said, she is pro-family – but at least she don’t see people who disagreed with pro-family as anti-family.

3. Their action so far in Aware speaks volume of their modules of operation: shutting down all sub-committee, firing long-time staff members, changing locks, security cameras, and uncontrolled spending of reserves.

This is not how you takeover a society. This is not even the way you handle a hostile takeover of a company. NGO is a totally different beast, and far more political and sensitive for you to run it as if you own it.

4. If there is one thing the ex-new Exco would be disqualified to run Aware, it is their value of Pro-Family they wear with pride. Aware is not just about helping woman to be successful (and by that count, the ex-new Exco is fully qualified) but build upon Suffrage movement.

Pro-Family oppose abortion. Pro-Feminism, on their first agenda list is reproductive rights, including abortions. Pro-Family and Pro-Feminism have a lot of things that don’t see eye to eye.

Don’t get me wrong: There is nothing wrong with Pro-Family values, although it is not one I subscribe to, but there are decent people (like my wife) who believes in it. But that value has no place in Pro-Feminism group.

via mrbrown

When we read about successful people, we often read about how capable he is in certain field of specialty.

Warren Buffet, the Oracle of Omaha, world’s greatest stock market investor.
Bill Gates, Billionaire Computer Genius, world’s richest man.

We tend to overemphasis on the man and overlooked the fact that successful men are successful because they are surrounded by a team of talented people.

Warren have Charlie Munger. Bill have Steve Ballmer.
Liu Bei have Zhang Fei, Guan Yu and Zhao Yun.
Sun Quan have Zhou Yu, Zhang Zhao, Zhang Hong, Cheng Pu.

Empires are not build by one man. 江山不是一个人打出来的。

As a leader, people skill, of recruiting and retaining talents, is far more important capability than his own capability.

So there was this news that Google is still hiring after layoffs, which I normally won’t consider a “news”. I don’t find it unusual; any company would have fat is some portion but always desperately looking for talents in others, layoff or otherwise.

But speaking to one of the staff recently, I just realized how bad it could be for the moral of the company, esp the company is small in a close-nit group. He reminded me that it is sending a very wrong signal when his friends are being let off and a new one is joining at the same time. Worst, a good talented new staff may end up being ostrichized by the rest of the company, even though no fault of his.

One of the few things that makes managing a Chinese company quite different; “Relationship” is stronger than anywhere other company I used to work in.

Try to explain why PVG-PEK-SFO ticket is CHEAPER than PEK-SFO ticket. Same airline and even same flight code.

No, I am so silly to fly back to PVG (Shanghai) only to take a PVG-PEK-SFO cheaper ticket.

Anyway, back in SFO yet again. 3rd time this month. The guy at the immigration was puzzled. Me too.

RMB 10 each from Wofo Temple…hand-made from leaves.

Dragon

Phoenix

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Stuck with day-to-day fire fighting, I finally got around to read the excellent article by Michael Lewis.

It is a wonderful article of how the whole financial sector breakdown, to the world we have today, in simple terms of how CDO and CDS adds to the mess we are in. (I understand CDO, but I never fully grasp the implication of CDS until I read this article)

Actually, I was made aware of something called “sub-prime problem” in US in late 2006 by a very smart investor I worked with. He told it is going to be the biggest problem the world going to face and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how a lending problem in US could lead to a worldwide breakdown. I also remember sitting down with some analysts over lunch in mid 2007 trying to make sense of this subprime thing, and we never got it except to get out of the market.

I remember asking “If something going to crash, then someone somewhere going to made money”. I don’t know how back then and wasn’t smart enough to figure it out. I didn’t bother to dig further either (not my field anyway).

But it all make sense now and I wish I did ask a lot more questions then.

—
[I wrote the following and then deleted it, and then wth, I am not giving out anything that is important anyway]

While I lost money in the crisis, I am a little proud I wrote the following in 15th Aug 2007 for an investment report I made for my investor.

“The other risk is timing of the IPO. Many market analysts believe that the US market has being growing for too long and the housing loans problem will bring a major correction to the US market within this year. We must be prepared that the (COMPANY) may not be able to go IPO in 2008 as planned.”