Some people said, business trips are wasting of their lives. Some people enjoy their lives during business trips, the open world, and the freedom of running away from the daily routine. To me, I always wonder why people are even trying to make their judgements? During your time in the trip, on the roap, inside the airplane, and in the hotel, how many things can happen? In a slightly over 3 hours flight, what did this do to me? In the flight I was taking, how many different stories were there? Up 40,000 from the ground, just by looking outside the window, how many planes did I see? Each one of them took people just like us, and how the story went with them?

Reading comes to my mind first. While so many people in Taiwan say the newspapers are bad, boring, source of problems, I feel the newspaper in US help me a great deal in mingling into the local and American lives. I am learning things everyday from the newspapers, if any of you remember my "Real or Fake? It is all about Christmas tree", you would know.

"New York Times" The newspaper I love to read, but barely find time to finish it everyday. Sunday paper is even more interesting, but the bulky bunch really kills me, and makes me feel guilty if I don't get to scan through it.

In this issue of the New York Times Magazine, one issue it discussed was the living wage. What is the nature of fighting the minimum wage? Why people are fighting the over all minimum wage while others go for more effective way. Fighting the minimum wage in particular cities, states, in order to well compensate people. The bottom line, a full time worker should not live in poverty. How about Taiwan? Should we make our voice heard? How could a job pay less than NT$30,000 still available in Taiwan? Where is the ethic for those business owner? Or, are we working in a business that is not even successful? Whether a wage campaign was winnable turned out to be a more complicated matter. Keep something in mind, nobody should think of whether you get what you deserve. You get what you negotiate for.

Korean news: Koreans Find Prime Property Near the DMZ The story started reporting the LG Philips LCD are starting to produce liquid-crystal display screens at a new $5 billion plant. Nearby, apartment buildings are on the rise. And in the shadow of an old hilltop machine-gun nest, a cheery blue and red billboard announces that English Village, a new 65-acre language-teaching theme park, will open in March. .... South Korea's industrial production grew 12.2 percent in November while its stock market rose 51.2 percent in 2005, and South Korea's government now forecasts 5 percent growth in 2006. Unemployment, already a low 3.5 percent, is expected to fall further, pushing South Korean wages in the direction of Japan's.... How is Taiwan compared to Korea? Are we all working together as a unity for our long term happiness? The article finsihed with "In the geographical gap where North Korean tanks once rolled south, South Korean bulldozers may soon be rumbling north." :=)

In the sports session, there was one article about Darrell Russell, the player who made a wrong turn of his life, and never returned. He was invited to the rookie symposium talking about how the life is if you make the wrong turn. So many of us read successful news about the pro-players. Look how many of them didn't make it. Russell signed the biggest contract for a rookie with Oakland Raiders in 1997, and went to one pro-bowl. He died in a one-car accident in Los Angels, with his friend driving, going 100MPH in a local street. Finally was killed. It was a waste of talent. A story not been told often enough to the young athlete.

In the business session: Two topics were most interesting:

"Energy Trading, Post-Enron": Energy trading? It might be new to many people. This is a typical American way of making money. You just go, find something that others need, but fail or hard to get. "But this is no Enron. Created by John D. Arnold, Enron's former wunderkind trader of natural gas, Centaurus is part of a new breed of low-profile hedge funds that dabble in energy. ....

When Mr. Arnold, 31, created Centaurus in 2002 with $8 million of his own money, the energy trading industry was on its knees, incapacitated by the fraud and irrational exuberance at Enron. Since then, Centaurus has amassed $1.5 billion in assets under management and has hired big-name traders like Greg Whalley, a former Enron president.

The industry that Enron made infamous - energy trading - is springing to life again.

Now, do you know where lots of your money goes to?.

"He Likes Challenges. But Time Warner? " It is about Bruce Wasserstein "People just have no idea what they're talking about," he said of his critics, who most recently have lit into his new effort to break up Time Warner. "No idea at all. I mean, most of these people I've never met."

Over the past three decades, as he worked on a string of headline-grabbing takeovers, including Texaco's acquisition of Getty Oil and the battle for Paramount Communications, Mr. Wasserstein, 58, has become one of the biggest names in finance. Is he a polarizing figure? To some, he is an arrogant publicity seeker; to others, he is self-effacing. The critics, and there are lots of them, contend that he is more out for himself than he is for his clients or colleagues, but none will say so on the record because of his enormous power in the industry.....

"Economist" my favorite magazine when I take airplane, I can always take my mind off the daily staffs and think deep. The cover of this issue is Sharon. What is the life/Iseral without Sharon? "SO HISTORY repeats itself after all. For the second time in the modern history of Israel, a tough and popular leader who had come to see the need for compromise with the Palestinians appears to have been cut down in mid-stride. Ariel Sharon may yet survive the massive stroke that felled him on January 4th.…"

One of the topics in this issue: "The impact of decreasing in population." So many talks about increasing of population. Economists are looking into the potential impacts of losing people in certain countries, Russian, Japan, etc. Japan was discussed in details.

Dialog, when you feel tired of reading, talking to the passenger next to you is another treat for a long flight, as long as he/she is friendly enough. Meeting Jessie was one of those lucky treat. Jessie was a original Californian now a Texasan after he married to his flight attendant wife. He served in Air-Force before went to Arizona State. Now he is a sales for one of the biggest semi-conductor equipment company to one of the biggest semiconductor companies in the world. He told me how New England Patiots lost the play-off game by the blown called from official. Then to his kids, where he goes dirt biking, how great his friend's house was, with flat panel TV in front of their outdoor spa, etc.

After you are even too tired to talk, music become the savior. My IPOD is getting the job done these days. I chose one of my playlist, "Hospital Board", "This is the moment" "Once upon a time".... from the Opera "Jekyll and Hyde", to Janos Staker's play of "Kol Nidrei"to the complete "God Father III" album. When it started to play "Two Room", a tribute to Elton John, I realized that I never really sit down and appreciate the whole album. I remember why I bought the CD, again. The energetic way Eric Clapton sang the Border Song, Kate Bush's clean, and high-key version of the Rocket Man, Sting's sentimental tone on "Come Down in Time", Beach Boys' special fake voice on the Crocodile Boy, the beautiful Wilson Phillips and their sweat voice on the Daniel, rock star of our age Jon Bon Jovi's Levon doesn't need more writing, and Sinead O'Connor's "Sacrifice" reminded me the first time I heard about this song during the Gulf War in 1991, O'Connor's voice made this song even more intriguing, and highly dedicated to those who gave their lives to the wars.

Aging:, Forgot the mentioned that Jessie and I started to chat because I spilled my cranberry-apple juice. My nimble arm is killing me recently in the flight. Then, upon getting off the plan, I forgot to put my newspapers, and my magazine into my bag, while Jessie and I were still talking about how much fun dirt biking was. Amazingly, Jessie guessed right about the bag I was bringing with me. What a smart guy who could make lots of reasonable guesses with little clue.

Oh, so now here Iam, in this huge Gaylord Hotel in Dallas, easting my room service, writing my blog. My whole week of reading materials are now gone, but the experience of this flight will stay in my memory. Jessie, who know whether I am going to run into him again. I guess I am going to end my night with George Michael sining Elton John's "Tonight".