Big Tony

Thinking about what to write, I keep on wanting to make coffee. Coffee my friend just brought back from Columbia. I don’t know if it would have made a difference on focus, but I have a feeling that this entry is going to be all over the place.

So, my new virtual office is up. BasecampHQ accessed through www.paiholdings.com
Everything is so convenient now a days, that only when you lack ADSL, do you feel frustrated. Red pill, blue pill. which one will you choose Neo?

Simon told me about the 100 USD laptop, and sat linked wireless syndicater in a 40 feet container developed by google that hooks third world countries up to the net. The topic, brought on by the conversation we had with the Kenyan folks who are talking about rep ping our ModuFab customized flatpack houses to the South Sudanese. Rebuilding 3rd world countries. (Sudan  N & S) have been having their internal war due to disputes over oil resources.  The nice Kenyan dude just spent 9 years in Texas studying @ TU and then KPMG. I think there is potential there. He talks to the 7 feel Sudan warriers, and we deal with the Chinese manufactures. Hopefully, I won’t have to go try to collect money in Africa. Lord of War, seem a bit too exciting for my sensibilites.

This week, I will be flying down to Hainan for the YEO retreat. Friday night, and back Sunday afternoon. My friend just told me about hot springs in Sanya. I am looking forward to checking out potential spa locations overlooking the beach or mountains which can support a SPA built from sustainable ModuFab designs for tourists. 3 hours from Shanghai.  Maybe prices per square meter won’t be so bad.

Classic P-Scan story. For a previous biz, I was asked throught the grape vine to transfer shares to another shareholder without being offered compensation. It’s the strangest thing, I guess they must be waiting for a counter offer. On top of that, we been told rumors upon rumors, upon rumors that this particular shareholder had been pushed out of her previous company from taking kick backs. Typically, shares in a consulting company  really are not worth very much if  the consulting partners  and clients  do not stay with the company. So in all reality, the transfer is probably not worth much now, but it’s strange that nothing was offered. 

In anycase, I think a test I will run next time, is to see if someone will give up money for their principles, and to see if they will rationize their principles.

I will put 20 rmb on the table and ask the person to order food, without giving them the money.
1. see if I get change back.
2. see if they pay, and ask me to compensate.
3. see if I am paying for their food.
4. see if they don’t ask for money at all.
5. see if they just take the money.
6. see if they make a pt to ask if the 20 is for the food.
7. see if they take the 20 without asking.

Note: Just learned about Google Adsense today. Strange little biz, but definitely don’t mind getting some revenue from it to supplement marketing cost/site.  Guess it’s the easiest way to track and monitize SEO per site.

BTW: I have been strangly attracted to reading my online horoscope made up of truisms and encouragement over the last 8 month. It’s a strange batch of double talk that seem to try to encourage a certain direction, thought process, action or provide warning. Irregardless of how illogical it may seem, I am still strangely attracted to the hallow encouragement it provides. Maybe  I am online way too much.

Still I think about getting a Sat card for my laptop, so I can be on anywhere.

Tech: I’ve realized that the next movement for html is toward wml. WAP enabled sites won’t be the future, but it will provide that slight edge to allow for word of mouth to help spread about a site. So, one of the few things I want to do, is to make sure that our intranet, and e-commerce sites are converted to wml. Wouldn’t mind setting up a server just to test this inhouse.

Love life: Have met several nice young ladies (all under 30, and one about 19) the last 6 month. I feel validated that I did not resort to using Game PUA tactics nor try to use thug life/ triade / fat cat / abc or boss personal to meet them. Something about post 30 life, you worry that ppl aren’t seeing the real you, and you keep on trying to bare your soul, expose your insides, and even joke about your faults. All in the name of true and real interaction. Anything that could be misconstrued as false pretenses eats @ you, you feel you have to disown hype and exhibit humbleness, or is it a manifistation of insecurity embedded in your 30s resulting from a lowering of testastrone, and realization about the realities of life.

For once, I feel like I can be in a real relationship. Tho, I still have problems picturing someone telling me what to do. Perhaps that will always be the case, but wanting a better half is beginning to out weigh the resistence to being nagged.

Life: I was just asked again during conversation, what my number was to retire.

Originally, I used to say a total worth of 10 mil USD, but now I am beginning to realize that if I was to stop working, I must have liquid assets of 10 mil USD. Half of that being managed by one of the large asset management groups that provide 8-10% guaranteed returns, and the other half used as Angel and seed investments and regular investments.

Reason being is that it’s too easy to be comfortable with owning a business worth 5 mil, thinking that it’s convertible some time in the future and spend all your cash. The truth is that most SMEs have a hard time being converted to cash. Unless, the business is  not time intensive, not labor intensive,  and realitively recession proof and stable,  it smaybe differcult to run after one retires. (speaking from someone who is deciding on what to do with the family biz for the next 3-10 years.)
Best is still to convert into cash when possible, rather than having your bet constantly riding.

I’ve been pondering about the difference between dating and seeing someone lately. I use to think that the distinction really is like switching gears for an automatic transmission, or like deciding to have desert after a good meal, but in reality,  it’s really like studying for the SATs.  You would really like to already be in accepted to Harvard, without having to study, party like a mad man, and earn bookoo bucks even before graduating. No stress, all fun.

However, coming back down to earth, really @ this pt, you are really only about to take the SATs and you still have to apply for admissions, and then in a blink of an eye, one day you will look around you, and you will’ve been out of school and working for 5 years.  It was an okay school, you make okay money, you partied more after school then in school, and there was always lots of stress.

So, in a nut shell. should I be cramming for my relationships? or just enjoy the moment, because I may miss it, if I looked too hard?

I think perhaps I will opt to take my own brand of SAT this time. My terms.

And choose a school and career of my own liking, rather than one to appease the family.

Or am I just rationalizing? After school did not turn out so bad.

Although I was 17 at the time, and now I am turning 32.

anyways, I am determined to have more fun and enjoy the moment this time. But I am not against working @ it. (I think that is a well adjusted attitude about relationships, don’t you)