Yesterday we had the good fortune of having Ethan (my cousin Peter’s son) visit my grandmother. Peter’s family is visiting the US from Taiwan; Ivy, Jack, and I were over at my grandmother’s house to see Peter & Ethan… and to eat my grandmother’s amazing beef noodle soup.
Ethan hasn’t been in the United States for a couple of years now, and my grandmother was ecstatic to see him. My grandmother is always happy to see her grandchildren, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen so much joy and engagement in my grandmother’s eyes. Ethan and my grandmother are 3 generations apart… which must be even more special for my grandmother. She carefully and patiently observed Ethan’s every single action and actively talked to / questioned him as he was busy drawing.
It was a special moment for me. Not only because my grandmother was over-joyed to see Ethan… but also because it reminded me of how my grandfather used to look at Jack and me. My grandfather’s eyes were always filled with joy, love, and amazement. Everything that Jack and I did, my grandfather saw significance. He made us feel amazing. His confidence in us led us to have confidence in ourselves.
I started considering why grandparents and grandchildren have such a special relationship that is uniquely different than the relationship parents/children share. Having been raised by my grandparents in Taiwan until I was three, I’ve always known how unique the relationship is. Some thoughts on why:
I’d be remissed not to mention that I also felt some sadness watching Ethan. I wish my grandfather could have seen Ethan. He would be so happy to see that his great grandchild is beautiful, smart, and thoughtful. He would look at Ethan with the same eyes he lovingly looked at Jack and me with.
“I’m not a solution to your problems. I’m another problem.” — Joan Holloway in Mad Men: “Chinese Wall” (Season 4, Episode 11)
Today I joined Salesforce.com’s Service Cloud Product Team, focusing on Chatter Answers and their future mobile products. I’m super excited about this opportunity and about the company. There is such an amazing opportunity to help companies improve their relationships with customers; as people increasingly use mobile devices to receive customer service… the possibilities are incredible.
I’m also really loving working at The Landmark @ One Market on the Embarcadero in San Francisco. A huge thank you Antony for referring me to the position as well.
“Not every decision is an economic decision,” “…it’s a free country. You can sell your shares of Starbucks and buy shares in another company.” — CEO of Starbucks Howard Shultz in response to a shareholder “disturbed” by Starbucks support for gay marriage
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“The reason you haven’t felt it is because it doesn’t exist. What you call love was invented by guys like me, to sell nylons.” — Don Draper, Mad Men
I was deeply deeply deeply saddened to hear that Betty passed away today. I think that Ivy said it best: “She was a beautiful, fearless, and strong woman… and we are grieving.” When I heard the news, I immediately was in disbelief that something like this could happen and was very emotional. I just spoke with Betty 2 weeks ago and she seemed ok. I could never have thought that it would end up this way.
While I wasn’t close with her, the most lasting memory that I have of her was the huge hug that she gave me when I went to her going away party around June of 2012. She will definitely be missed.
I haven’t posted in a while! It’s been a super busy couple of weeks but coming out from it now.
This week I gave my 2-weeks notice at Saba and began the process of putting my home in Mountain View on the market. Lots of changes, a bit of sadness, and most importantly a great deal of optimism. 2013 is blowing by so quickly and I’m excited to see what the rest of the year holds.
“When two people decide to get a divorce, it isn’t a sign that they “don’t understand” one another, but a sign that they have, at last, begun to.” — Helen Rowland
I miss Taiwan… haven’t gone back in a few years. (Photo Credit)