Ryu2.mind

Back in the Bay Area from 7/14 morning - 7/17 afternoon.  Hope to see a lot of you!

Other than that, just wanted to say that I'm still alive out here... suffice it to say that we're in the final stretch now in our project which means motoring along on a minimum amount of sleep (and blogging) -- and World Cup  matches taking place at 3 AM local time aren't helping much either! =P

Back from three days back home and into the final stretch of work -- a proper update and pictures to come later. 

Besides the usual "how's Shanghai" and "are you dating anyone yet" FAQs, folks usually wonder: if games are our work, then what do we do in the office for fun during these 80+ hour/week crunch times?  Well, here's some new ummm... gameplay footage from our title:

Yes, this is what my coworkers manage to come up when I'm not around... who says we don't have a sense of humor? =)

Getting into the swing of things...

Congrats, sis!

Special guests...

My meimei is married!

My uncle striking a pose... =)

Being an uncle is fun... =)

My dad, sister, and bridesmaids.

When I first saw this sign, I immediately thought Warcraft III -- sad, huh? =P

In that time, I saw my dear sister -- almost one year apart exactly, with whom many a childhood triumph, squabble, and experience was shared -- get married (and it seemed, wearing down my voice answering "so when are you...").

I managed to hit most of the food staples of Silicon Valley young adult life -- In N' Out, Coco's, Joanie's Cafe, Dynasty Seafood, Hobee's, Pluto's, Verde, and last but not least, the Google employee cafeteria, and share, if only too briefly, life on life.

And my time back has managed to give me a new impetus to do some thinking and reflecting in a way I've not done for a while.

It seems odd, but for me, in all my previous "re-entries", I never really felt overwhelmed with "reverse culture shock" (except perhaps on the initial drive down 101 from SFO to the Valley and seeing motorists with a clue!) or any heart-pounding expectation at seeing friends and experiencing fellowship...  it seems that all my friends, my community, my favorite communal hangout spots haven't changed a bit.  True, there are a few new babies here and there and a new Sunday service location, but in many ways, it's the same Bay Area when I left.

And yet, it's dawned on me -- that very sense that nothing has changed... the feeling that everything was just as I left it -- is what's been missing.  In an international city, where even foreign imported foods aren't a problem to get... where I've met more interesting folks than I ever could imagine... the mundane, ordinary predictability is the biggest missing piece in life here.  Was that a bad thing?  Yes in its absence I've learned much about depending on the only One unchanging.  And even so, with this realization, a question beckons...

What next for me?  The MO that I've been under has been to take things day by day, and living by faith, but I realize that it's really about doing both, having both a strategic and a tactical mindset.

Come next February, I'll be at my two year mark here.

There's probably a reason why most expatriates here (whether in business, government, or other fields) seem to have two year assignments, and then move on to somewhere else, or at least go home for "furlough" -- not one, not three, but two years.  Could it be that two is a nice number?  I've realized that year one is training, learning the ropes, transitioning from survival to exploration mode.  It's followed by another year, working and going deeper -- but nevertheless with a finish line visible in front, acting as a goal that keeps lethargic apathy from setting in.  Inhale, exhale.  Day, night.  Attack, decay.  Ying, yang.  One, two.

What next for me?  I've learned much about myself, my strengths and my weaknesses.  To this end, I've been thinking about a lot of things lately, about indeed what I've learned... compelled to write more thoughtful entries in the near future about not just about games or travel, but about Things that really matter.

What next for me?  Is this goodbye to China?  No, it's not, that I'm sure of... if anything.  But this is a race most strange... one where the players often don't know how they ought to be equipped until they spend time playing in the field.  In the expat life of learning by doing, I've gotten a better sense of just what I need to be thus strengthened with... and that knowledge is what -- should I decide to do so -- lets me return home with a sense of accomplishment for now, ready to let myself be prepared for going back.

Stay tuned...