you should watch the speech...don't allow my synopsis to stop you. it's 15 minutes of your life, which is a small investment to watch one of the great innovators and entrepreneurs of our times. it doesn't matter if you like Apple or even care about the whole tech industry, because the things he shares are pretty universal.

in his mind, it all came down to three things:

• you can't connect the dots looking forward, only backwards. as a result, follow your heart or intuition, even when it leads you off the well-worn path.
• you've got to find what you love, in life and in work, and you'll know it when you find it. do not settle for less.
• your time is limited...don't waste it living someone else's life. have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

one anecdote that i found powerful was something he did every day. he'd wake up in the morning, look himself in the mirror, and ask, "if this was the last day of your life, would you really want to be doing what you're going to do today?" if he answered no too many times in a row, he realized it was time for change. this mindfulness, the ability to step out of the river that can often push us downstream in life, is key.

deceptively simple messages. on the surface, they may seem naively idealistic, but are they? really? follow your heart, realizing that you've got limited time. one chance. no do-overs. this is your one-and-only life. make it count.

thanks, Steve (and Rita).

in summary, i'd have to say that during the 12 days we were in China, i probably ate better, and more continuously, than i have at any other point in my life. each meal (most of which were orchestrated by my father-in law Eric) was an adventure, filled with surprises and delights at every mouthful. from banquets in imperial palaces, to hot pot at a college student hangout, it was all amazing...this culinary journey was just as much a part of our adventure as the places we visited.

after a tragicomic series of mishaps, elaine and i finally managed to see Sunshine, the latest effort by director Danny Boyle (Millions, Trainspotting, 28 Days Later). i was a huge fan of both Trainspotting and 28 Days Later, and so have been very eager to experience Boyle's take on the sci-fi genre.

and so, after all our trials and tribulations with seeing this film, was the wait worth it?

during our stay in Beijing, we visited the spectactular Summer Palace, playground for the emperors. it's a massive complex, with more than 200 buildings, scattered around several man-made lakes.

five days in Shanghai wasn't nearly enough to sample this huge metropolis, but it was enough to get a sense of things. we had an absolutely fantastic time here, ending our trip with a stay in the Grand Hyatt Pudong.

of all the segments of our trip to China, i have to say that our visit to the mountain region known as Huang Shan was the most memorable. Elaine, Bernie, Eric, Debbie and I spend a total of three fantastic days in this indescribable place. i hope these photos can help convey what we experienced.

We had a terrific New Year's Eve with Joe, Betty, Trevor, Pam, Tony, and Roberto. Cocktails led to dinner led to cocktails led to celebration led to more cocktails led to hangover. Dinner was at Citron in Berkeley, and cocktail hour(s) were held at Joe and Betty's in the Oakland hills. of course, photos of the festivities are available.

Happy New Year's wishes from us to everyone else out there!! we hope you have a fantastic 2008. We're looking forward to lots of fun and adventure ourselves.

Photos from the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, including shots like this where Elaine impersonates a Russian fashion diva.

The latest set of photos from our China trip has been posted, this one a collection of shots from our tours of the Beijing hutongs.

i was trying to plan a movie night with friends to watch it here on my new big screen HDTV (aka Wank-o-vision), but i had to wait until it was out on rental. i figured a month or two after our aborted attempts to see the film, we'd be munching popcorn, having cocktails, and watching the gorgeous vision of Mr. Boyle. not so.

i waited. and waited. and waited. and amazon didn't post a DVD release date. and now i check back, and it's January 8, 2008. are you kidding me? from a theatrical release of July 20, 2007? this is the modern age, people. digital means everything is faster, mmkay?

i am certain, now, that when i get this movie from netflix, the disc will be scratched, and i will send it back for another one, and before it comes back, my house will be struck by lightning and burn to the ground. i will never see this movie.

I've posted photos from high-speed jaunt Elaine and I took in the Forbidden City. as usual, i'm filled with intentions of writing a blog post about it.

last week i was in New York for business, and manged to finagle a few extra days so that i could hang out with my friend Chookyfuzzbang and see my childhood buddy Michael. i spent all of my time in manhattan and brooklyn and generally had a fantastic trip, despite being a bit cold and getting totally soaked with rain one night. new york remains one of my favorite "places-to-visit-but-you-wouldn't-want-to-live-there."