i just went to ling-chi wang's retirement dinner, sponsored by ethnic studies and the CAA (Chinese for Affirmative Action). he's really inspiring, he's done so much... his politics are definitely not my dad's type, though. i think i remember my dad mentioning his name once... he didn't like him.

one thing i learned: the KMT sends (or they did) assassins to kill people they don't like in the US, like Henry Liu.

during his speech, he talked about how being awarded for doing good deeds isn't so much an award for yourself but a sort of recognition of everyone involved. he said he thought of himself as a catalyst. I guess it's true, if you want something to get done, it's really best to get lots of people on board, which kind of goes against the "if you want something done right you have to do it yourself" adage.

the other things is to have lots of contacts. you can't meet with the A.G. unless you have contacts.