Posted 7:23 AM by Andy
The last month has been filled with momentous events as I have reached some milestones so let's get right to it.

Christ. In one of our small group meetings, I shared about the resurrection of Christ. Most of the members are either new believers or still seeking. I spoke from the Scriptures to verify the historical accuracy of the miracle. I can say without exaggeration this is the single most important event in the history of mankind. It can be proven from a number of angles. Prophecies from others and Jesus Himself foretold of its eventuality. Historians outside of the faith testify to its occurrence. The Roman soldiers guarding the cave where He was entombed had every incentive to ensure nothing went awry, and would have suffered severe punishment for their dereliction of duty that led to the disappearance of a controversial figure. Christ Himself appeared to many disciples and others after His resurrection to assure them of His victory over death. Lastly, millions around the world have been changed because of this singular miracle that connected them to God. I can only hope my presentation was clear because Christ's testimony stands by itself.

Work. One chapter of my life is about to close soon to my great relief. After countless instances of frustration and numerous days of tedium, I can finally see the end of my tenure here at SMIC. Just two weeks ago I had a shouting match with my manager over a disagreement on the methodology in calculating royalties, but that will all be a hazy memory soon. I had already been agitated and antsy since late last year when I had realized much of my job is administrative in nature and my creative abilities were stifled. In March I nearly imploded during an audit with a major vendor. In May and June, I handled most of the execution of my group’s work when Situ took a two-month leave of absence. In July I was sick of Shanghai and pined for good old California. In September out of the blue a headhunter contacted me. I almost brushed her off because the job description she sent me didn't pique my interest. She was insistent and then revealed her client. Almost two months and 5 rounds of interviews (1 via phone, and 4 in person) later, I was granted an offer. The sense of elation is indescribable, a mixture of relief at my impending departure from a horrific environment and excitement at the learning and growth potential of joining a winner. I have received an offer from a multinational Internet services firm. I will evaluate the offer and hope to close this in a week or so after minor negotiation. Should I accept the offer, I will still work in Shanghai but in a much more exciting industry and revert back to my product management function. On its face, the offer is reasonable although my main purpose in any move is to equip myself with actual execution ability and raise my business acumen rather than solely compensation. I thank God that He is faithful because Lord knows I have prayed about this many times. To help me put this opportunity into perspective, a verse I've been pondering is Proverbs 22:29, “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He who works diligently will serve before kings and not before obscure men.”

The big 30. So I turned 30 and bade my twenties goodbye. A decade ago I was still trudging around the hills on the Berkeley campus wondering why I had chosen to torture myself in the EECS program. Five years ago I was taking an extension class in operations management after leaving an Internet startup and wondering where to go next. In the intervening five years, I spent a couple years at Autodesk, one of the best-managed businesses around, did a stint in the freezing throes of Syracuse for grad school, picked up the vice of poker, moved out to Shanghai and lost my innocence at SMIC. For the weekend before my birthday, I arranged to hang out with different groups of friends. On Saturday, I had lunch with Jolia, Xiao Yan, and Joly at Babaiban. I sang with Maggie and our mutual friends at Haoledi to celebrate her birthday. I gorged on Japanese buffet with Jeff K, Jeff C, Peter, and Phil. I suggested going to a lounge to hang out after dinner, but the boys declined. On Sunday, I took Jenny, Jewel, and Joly to sing at Cashbox. I jetted to afternoon service, gave my tithe to a guy who assured me he was a deacon, and then rushed back to the courts of SMIC. I shot around outside with Jeff and Ivan before darkness enveloped us. That night I had dinner with a group of expat friends. Gid, Mark, Pui, Julia, Deborah, Florence, and Suzy came out to Azul. One cool revelation was finding out Suzy was ministering to Jet Li's children. I had seen the job description when the actor was looking for a personal assistant/event planner. To make a long story short, it was amazing to see the person who actually took the job has such compassion for her employer's family.

Social Life. The second annual company athletic competition was held a few weeks ago. I ran in the 100-meter relay. I kept pace with my competitors but the handoff slowed the team down when my teammate took the baton from a standstill position. On another weekend, I volunteered to chill with a group of kids with cerebral palsy. A few of the boys I hung out with had more serious disabilities and were strapped down. A few others were relative more mobile and dog-piled me without inhibition. Another night I kicked it with King and his guests when he held a house-warming party. Gid taught some swing dance moves that I practiced on a few female counterparts. Of course, as basketball season kicked off recently, I participated in the fantasy draft with some friends. My team was 6-2-1 after week 1. I chose Kobe with the ninth pick. I also have Shaq Diesel who is injured. I'm trying to unload Kenyon Martin and Stephen Jackson. I love Richard Jefferson. I had him last year for two weeks before he was undercut by Chauncey Billups and was sidelined for the season. In football, I'm a respectable 5-4. That's fairly impressive considering I knew diddly squat about the players before the season. I picked Peyton Manning in the first round (a bit high in hindsight), and Marvin Harrison in the second (also overvalued, traded to Gid for Larry Fitzgerald). Great pickups and steals include getting Joey Galloway off waivers and Stephen Davis in the seventh round. Fantasy sports are pure fun.

Next time: Preparing for next phase of my career and vacation.