Posted 10:42 PM by Andy
Number 2. I was viewing NBA highlights on Youtube recently and was reminded how Pippen's game is so sweet. He is arguably the best all-around player in NBA history. He doesn't overwhelm you with his scoring, isn't known to shoot particularly well, suffered many judgmental lapses in his career, didn't get the best coaching early on coming from Central Arkansas, but became a critical piece of the Bulls' championship runs in the nineties next to a certain player number 23. In temperament and outlook, I resemble Scottie much more than Mike. I will step up when I need to, but I don't need or want the limelight. I love Pip's versatility. Sergei and Larry of Google fame are accosted everywhere they go. A certain executive named Kordestani probably flies below the radar of most folks, but is hugely influential within the organization. Likewise, I don't care about the recognition because the guys who need to know will know about me. I want to be the guy who can hack a server, write a sonnet, sing in harmony, ball with the brothers, twirl you around in salsa, charm a girl in Japanese and bench-press twice my weight. Okay, so I'm not quite there with the last two skills, but I'm working on it. I'm looking for a language partner to learn oral Japanese since I'm planning to visit Japan later in the year. I think I'm fairly strong pound-for-pound considering my scrawny frame. I probably will never lift that much, but I can absorb a lot of contact since I've restarted my workout regimen. Since I don't have that much mass, the best I can hope for is Bruce Lee's physique.

Work. We are still wrestling with the challenges of managing a local business on a global platform. A minor change on a page in the critical buying flow of our site requires extensive integration and regression testing. That's both our strength and weakness. We have a strong brand and franchise in the US, but unfortunately our competitors here are much more agile. It's similar to the Nationalist vs. Communist war last century. Chiang Kaishek focused on the main cities while Mao targeted the small rural villages in China. It's the same situation eBay is facing with Taobao now. We know how history turned out. The guerrillas won.

Social Life. The complementary strand to knowing a little bit about everything is knowing a few people everywhere. My time in Shanghai may be limited, but while I'm here, I'm going to try and meet as many people as possible. Forge new connections, but keep the old ties. Next weekend I'm throwing a house party, this time for everyone I know here. In the meantime, I'm always up for going out with the boys to meet and greet.