A new start

Yup, I start my new job tomorrow. Which means I should probably be going to bed early instead of typing here, but anyway...

I guess I am a bit nervous, but also very keen to get started. Of course, it would be nice to have a long break between jobs, but I don't really mind having to start right away, I guess. For one thing, I have less time to worry about it. Although I don't really feel too nervous or worried about the first day, I'm sure I have some underlying stress. I mean, last night, I had a dream where I forgot to go to the first day of work. You can imagine I woke up with a "phew, it's only Sunday" feeling.

A friend told me that often law firms give their employees extra days off during Christmas. That would be awesome. Then I won't have to suffer through the bragging of my old co-workers, who get the whole week off at Christmas. I guess it's nice to start at the end of the year, because people are more relaxed, there's a more fun atmosphere, and there's the office party :) Although the office party could also be awkward if I don't know people there...oh well, take it as it comes, right?

Yes, this is a very unstructured posting. Because it's Sunday night. And because I'm listening to the Cranberries, whose songs are somewhat unstructured, I think.

The way

"The way that can be spoken (understood) is not the eternal way." Thus begins the Tao Te Ching.

The whole universe is in unity, and the way to tap into that harmony is to look beyond the little tasks and concerns in life and to go with the flow. Life, death, success, failure, all merge into the same thing in the greater picture. Taoism is a wonderful philosophy, but not really a way of life. It promotes passivity and detachment, which is great as a relief from daily life, but not so great for practicality. But then, Taoism isn't about practicality, is it? The thing is, I would not be able to accept Taoism as a religion or a way of life, but I can totally understand it as a philosophy.

My 2nd year Taoism course was probably one of the best courses I took in university. Imagine a class where all you do is listen to the professor read a passage, then to think and meditate upon it. How often do we get a chance to just sit and think? But sometimes I find that if I think too much inwardly, I loose the connection between my mental/spiritual self and my physical self. That's when I can look in the mirror and really fail to see how that person could be me. Or when I look at my hands and fail to grasp how I can make my fingers move just by thinking. Then I realize that my past has no tangible value, and that my future is totally unknown, and that the present is all I know. I usually stop myself before I go too far down that path, because it actually gets a bit scary.

Why this topic? My brother's blog post on Nov 11
(see TingKong -> )

Guidant's woes

Okay, for those of you not in the medical device industry, here's the background:
Guidant's one of the three big manufacturers of pacemakers and defibrillators. Johnson & Johnson, maker of tear-less baby shampoos, is also a huge medical device company. The two had been planning for almost a year now to walk down the aisle, and had just been cleared to merge last week. But....

A design flaw in one of Guidant's defibrillators was revealed this past May. Apparently, the insulation used on the wires can degrade when in contact with body fluids, leading to a short and device failure. This has resulted in something like 0.1% failures, one of which was fatal. Which is fine (though quite damaging PR-wise), if the company addressed the problem and recalled all units. BUT apparently, Guidant had known about this problem as early as April 2002. The flaw was corrected in all new models, but this was not publicised and they continued to sell their old inventory. Hence several class action lawsuits, including one from the New York Attorney General. Add to that allegations of insider trading in the month leading up to the May disclosure and what you get are plummeting stock prices.

Which takes us to the impending nuptials. J&J basically declared the merger contract void because of significant changes in Guidant's long-term material worth, leaving Guidant at twenty minutes to nine, with only one shoe on (for those familiar with Great Expectations). As the tainted, jilted bride, Guidant's natural action is to sue J&J for breach of contract. Shed a tear also for J&J, who is now left without any candidate for expansion. As for the other two major pacemaker companies, they can look forward to a horrible hounding by the public and the government in the foreseeable future.

Business - it's like a very slow sports game, but way more fun.

3...2...1...

So....3 days of work left. Said good-bye to the boss today, since he'll be on vacation for the next couple of weeks. Just the usual "glad to have had you, good luck on your future" talk, which of course was a bit awkward. But thinking back on it now, it does make me kinda sad. Maybe it's just getting a good luck wish from someone I'll probably never see again ;_;

Doing nothing

Nothing doing....