negotiate with terrorists? or not?

I dunno about you, but I’ve lost count of how many times I’d visit a news website and see a grainy photo of a hostage in an orange jumpsuit knelt before her hooded captors (is it me or does the graininess of the photo give it more shock value or realism, similar to how amateur porn is more ‘believable’ than the kind from Van Nuys) . But in almost every article pertaining to the kidnapping, without fail, you’ll run into this hillbilly quote: “We do not negotiate with terrorists.”

You then start to wonder if the person talking tough would be saying that if he had a knife pressed against his jugular. Why is it that there are fewer female hostages than males? (I wonder what Dave Chapelle has to say about this…). But what’s perhaps more amusing is how tough talk like that relates to game theory. According to this article written by Alan Dershowitz that appeared in The Guardian some 3-4 years ago, giving in to terrorists’ demands begets more terrorism. He argues that the prisoner’s dilemma heuristic model is evident in many cases and because some nations have caved in to terrorists’ threats (apparently he’s not shy about calling them out) in exchange for its citizens’ security, while their neighbor’s lot gets torched, which culminated in the events of 9/11. While we can all appreciate Mr. Dershowitz’s take on the etiology of terrorism, I feel that this excerpt is too dogmatic in its assertions (from the reader’s perspective, it appears that he’s simply picking and choosing which events to use to corroborate his statements and not being entirely objective) and assumes that all situations ought to be viewed with the same lens. As with games of strategy, the players need to adjust to the situation and each other, chip counts, the degree of predictability, patterns, etc.

In the three years since the article’s publication, have these tactics worked in our favor or have they backfired? More discussions on this topic can be found in The Strategy of Conflict by Thomas Schelling (the 2005 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences). It’s collecting dust on my desk at work, but I’ll have to review the related chapters.

In my vain attempt to comprehend the situation in the Middle East and the terrorist threats, I should probably read up on the essays on Guerilla Warfare by Lenin, Mao, Che Guvara, etc. And why Bin Laden hasn’t been caught or identified yet is baffling. Must be more frustrating than waking up in the middle of the night and could’ve sworn was aiming straight but instead started spraying in three different directions for 36 seconds before your legs and feet tell you that perhaps you’ve missed the target and just about run out of ammo. And now you’ve gotta clean up the mess.

There is no worse feeling than that.

Of course, it depends on who you believe is really winning the ‘war on terror’. All I know is that the insurgents continue to pose a danger or else the war would’ve ended by now.

And also ask myself why civil disobedience or active nonviolence isn’t widely discussed as a means to curb terrorism? Hmm…

the pros and cons of pros and cons

One thing I’ve learned from poker is that it’s often more correct to play out different scenarios in your head than to compare the pros and cons of a situation. This is directly applicable to Business where making the right decision is king. While listing the pros and cons make for a good starting point, how many times have you wrote down your list of pros and cons and not seem to be getting anywhere? If pros and cons don’t seem to be helping you in your decision, then start playing out the different scenarios in your head (best case, worst case, and most realistic scenarios).

hand injury

Last night, I was practicing a Chopin Etude (Op. 25, No. 12) at full tempo for maybe 35 minutes and about an hour or so later, my wrist started to feel a bit tight. I guess that’s another reason why I should heed my professor’s advice on ‘agonizingly slow practice’ lest develop carpel tunnel’s.

hand injury

Last night, I was practicing a Chopin Etude (Op. 25, No. 12) at full tempo for maybe 35 minutes and about an hour or so later, my wrist started to feel a bit tight. I guess that’s another reason why I should heed my professor’s advice on ‘agonizingly slow practice’ lest develop carpel tunnel’s.

“why, thank you (ma’am)”

Yesterday, a coworker wrote on my dry-erase board:

“You are weird”.

Which was quite amusing because she’s gotta be like 8th female to have told me that in the past couple years. The only pattern I see is that they tend to say this after I make a remark or joke that they just don’t get. Puzzled, they’re faced with a choice to either 1) just give you a weird look and say nothing, 2) fake a laugh, or 3) say something along the lines of “you are weird”, which is not as awkward as 1) and 2).

Maybe one day, I’ll date someone who makes a similar comment(I dunno, maybe the 21st girl who says this?) and hopefully I can get her to spill the beans on the thought process behind those words. You can learn so much about human behavior that way.

Then again, another characterization I get, among other things, is that I “think too much.”

Pretty cool, eh?

Piano Lesson-January 23, 2006

We began the lesson by sharing perspectives on the Jody Graves recital. I made the comment that I felt that there was something sacrilegious about conversing with the audience during the recital. With Powerpoint slides to boot. Because the performer spent time talking about the composer’s history (it would’ve been better to just include all of that in the program notes, IMO), she didn’t have time to perform some of the pieces that I had been eagerly awaiting (e.g., Rachmaninoff Prelude in B-flat Major). While some may argue that the audience has changed over the years, I sort of view it as “selling out”. I may sound like a complete snob by saying this, but I think most of those who really got a kick out the Borge-esque routine were probably the ones who showed up primarily because they had to write a report on it for their music class. You’re catering to the wrong audience that way. In some way, it’s related to how because most kids nowadays care more about what they wear and who they socialize with than what they’re learning about in school. To quote one of my high school teachers: “The reason we don’t have AP Chemistry or AP Biology because not enough students have showed enough interest. ” So those who actually are in school to learn are held back by the ‘mainstream’ audience.

I think a post-recital talk would’ve been better. I went to a Garrick Ohlsson piano recital at Mandel Hall (Chicago) in 1997 where he gave a post-recital talk (Q&A session). The reason it was pretty neat was that traditionally speaking, the performer onstage has a supernatural quality to him/her and when s/he takes off the coattails after the recital and talks with the audience–truly ‘down to earth’, so to speak.

Spent the first 35 minutes or so on the Bach Prelude and the last 25 minutes on the Brahms Rhapsody in G minor. Happy to say that this was one of my better lessons (I think that my self-imposed break from poker is helping).

Bach Prelude XXI in B-flat Major (Henle edition)

Dr. N thought I played the piece well. It was for the most part rhythmically precise, the notes played clearly, and she liked the overall style. A couple things she wanted to focus on were the overall dynamics structure and bringing out the second voice (top notes in right hand in main motive). While we want to start the piece with forte, the bottom note should be played somewhere between mf and f, the top right hand note be played mf. We added some cresc. and dim. markings throughout the piece. Much of the dynamic markings correspond to the melodic contours.

-There’s a dynamic progression in b.4 (starts out mp while decresc. –> b.5 starts out mf while descresc.–> b.5. starts out f while decresc. So the trend is to get louder with each passage work for these bars.

-The trend is reversed in b. 11 –> b. 13, –> b. 15 leading up to the chords.

-watch rhythm in b.17. (the dotted rhythm should be played faster).

-b.19. watch rhythm after the mordent.

-start practicing with the B-flat major Fugue.

Brahms Rhapsody No. 2 in G minor (editor: Gebhard; Schirmer Edition)

Played the piece at an acceptable tempo (acceptable = the tempo at which this is played in most recordings) with some mistakes here and there. But overall, decent playing. I’d say it’s about 33% memorized after maybe 4-5 hours of total practice on this piece thus far. Some tips for improving the piece:

–Don’t pause in b.5

–Dr. N mentioned that she had heard someone say that with Brahms, the bottom note of a chord is the more dominant note if the chord progression is downwards (e.g., b. 14); top note if going up (e.g., b. 22, 23, etc).

–Make sure your triplets in right hand are rhythmically sound. Because so much emphasis/attention is left hand melody, it’s easy to forget about the right hand rhythm. In the Gebhard edition, there is a tre corde in b. 27; Dr. N is using the Sauer edition which doesn’t have a tre corde in b.27, but rather, in b. 29. Dr. N and I agree that it makes more sense to have tre corde in b. 29 instead of b.27 to give the performer room to crescendo from b.27 until the climax in b. 31-32.

–b. 65-83. The notes played by m.s. should tail off. In other words, play the b-flat (mp), and d (p). The dominant notes in the passage are in the top note of the octave chord.

-b.123. Last chord is held for only two beats with no fermata. Lift hands and feet at the same time.

On Student Loans, ugh!

There’s a good article in the latest issue of Businessweek magazine (January 30, 2006) that talks about Student Loans: “Outflank The Hikes Ahead”. They say that rates are going up on June 30 and there are ways to cushion the blow. Their advice is that “if you’ve already graduated and haven’t consolidated all your loans–or are graduating this spring–be sure to do so before June 30. That allows you to lock in a 4.7% rate for the life of your loan (if you’re still in school, ask your lender if you can consolidate now.).

If you’re in the mood for something gloomier, you may want to read the article on Sallie Mae and in the Fortune 2006 Investors Guide.

Also, according to an article in the latest Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, “Young workers should save 15% of their income for retirement”.

13 conversations with myself

Thirteen Conversations About One Thing (2002) is one of those films that makes the obvious seem profound. No, I didn’t mean that the last couple hours would’ve been better spent doing nothing, but by my choice of words and its arrangement, you probably read my first sentence to mean that I viewed the film as an imposture when I actually thought it quite, uh, what’s the word I’m lacking, clever? Which I gather is the central theme of the movie: phenomenological ontology. The metaphors used (e.g., winning lottery ticket, the purchase of a sports car signifying midlife crisis, guilt in its varied forms, Newtonian physics–including the fourth law relating to entropy, social settings such as a pub) are rather predictable, but how the story’s told makes the movie worth the [deleted funny, yet implicating phrase]. So everyone is connected in some way–at least more than we realize. Would it be an oversimplification of our 13 conversations by saying that the infinite possibilities of outcomes is the summation of all the different people and things in the world and the element of time (what if everyone was thinking the same thing at the same time?). From a scene in the movie, I wondered what’s the significance of two people being at the same physical location but have different reasons for being there (for example, a bar patron may be there to drown his sorrows, whereas another may be there to celebrate)? A couple lines resonate from the move: “Faith is the antithesis of proof”, and “May you get what you want.” So Mr. Sartre, is Nothingness really not the antithesis of Being? Fuck guilt, I’m just too tired rigth nwo.

no team left to root for

No disrespect to the teams still left in the NFL Playoffs, but I can’t say that this season’s playoffs have been a joy to watch. The teams that I feel some allegiance to–the Tampa Bay Bucs, Chicago Bears, and the Indianapolis Colts (whoever doesn’t want Tony Dungy to win is a callous SOB)–are all out.

Maybe I’ll root for Carolina because I like Steve Smith’s game (IMO, one of the most underrated wide receivers in the game). Or the Seahawks, because they won their first playoff game in over 20 years? Well, the Steelers look really tough on both ends of the field and are probably the favorite (not mine, though) to win the Super Bowl this year.

Piano Lesson January 9, 2006

The first piano lesson of 2006 was a good one. We began the lesson by discussing this semester’s repertoire, a strategy for practicing, performance opportunities, etc. I told Dr. N that 2005 was not a good year for me, in terms of my practice, due to certain ‘distractions’.

But 2006 is an opportunity for me to start fresh. Dr. N recommended that I practice at least an hour daily (but not to overdo it early on) and to learn maybe 4 pieces at a time–alternating 2 pieces every other day. So may Bach and Beethoven on Monday, Wed, and Fri. Chopin and Brahms on Tues, Thurs, Sat. Sunday could be my ‘free’ day to play anything I want. That way, you can feel the relationships between pieces from different genres or eras, allows sufficient time to focus on a particular section of a piece without having too much of time lapse between practices (1-2 days). It’ll make my practice more exciting too.

So Monday, Wed, and Friday will be devoted to practicing Bach (Prelude and Fugue in B-flat Major from The Well-Tempered Clavier Part I) and Brahms’s Rhapsody in G minor. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays will be devoted to re-polishing the Chopin Etude in C minor Op. 25, No. 12 and Mozart’s Sonata in C major K545.

As for performance opportunities, Dr. N encouraged me to play the Chopin Etude and possibly the Brahms Rhapsody for Rebecca Penneys, a concert pianist, Steinway artist, and Professor at Eastman School of Music, in mid-March at her masterclass. Dr. N mentioned that Rebecca Penneys is very frank about what’s wrong with the interpretation of a piece and is a stickler for rhythmic/tempo consistency. She’ll catch someone taking too much liberty (unconscious) in some of the rhythms/tempo. So it should be a valuable learning experience for me.

I’m also going to attend more piano recitals and masterclasses this semester. This Friday evening, there’s a piano recital by Jody Graves. She’ll also be giving a masterclass on Saturday morning. I plan to attend both events.

For the second half of the lesson, I sight-read the Brahms Rhapsody in G minor at a moderato tempo. There were a couple sections where I goofed on the right-hand and left-hand rhythms (the two against three), that I need to work on. Dr. N emphasized slow, metronomic practicing (less than 60) and playing through the entire piece. She advised that the practice needed to be ‘agonizing slow’. Also, watch the pedaling and making sure all the notes are pressed down and played clearly. Bring out the melodic notes in the main motives and pay more attention to the sotto voce and mezzo voce. Much of the melody’s in the bass register, which gives the piece a ‘dark, yet gorgeous’ character. That’s the main idea of this piece.

Dr. N isn’t the type to sugarcoat, but she’s also very encouraging and believed that ‘the sky’s the limit’ for me if I just invest more time and patience in my practices.

Next lesson will be two week’s from now (MLK day’s a holiday). We’ll review the Bach Prelude in B-flat Major and the Brahms’ Rhapsody in G minor.

the folly of understanding art/music

The most skilled surgeon on the planet can’t operate (the procedure that only he can pull off) on himself. What makes one think he can get inside an artist/musician’s head, then?

Gasoline Smell when A/C turned on

Date: 1/9/2006

Observations: Noticed gasoline smell while driving (more pronounced when the A/C is one). Thought it was because I hadn’t changed the oil filter in over 8,000 miles (gas smells like motor oil). Switched out the oil filter last week but the smell’s getting stronger.

Good thing I’m not a smoker.

Current mileage ~ 51,000 miles. Called up Subaru dealership to have them service the vehicle. Towing service costs around 62 bucks 185 bucks! Most likely due to a leak in the fuel system.

Update: Canceled towing service. Signed up with roadside assistance for one year (90 bucks/year). But will have to wait three days for my account to process.

Sit-N-Go’s (SNG)

Today, I played 10 SNG’s today (each SNG takes about 40-50 minutes on average to complete). No, not all 10 at once. But two at a time. Started off making the money in the first 4 SNG’s I played in (three 3rd place finishes, one second place finish). Then I didn’t hit in the next four. Finally, getting third again in the last SNG. Why no first place finishes? I got outdrawn 2 or 3 times (one one hand, I’d have AA, the other person’s got 88. He raises me all-in preflop and he hits his set). I think I played well for the most part, and the results may suggest a regression towards the mean. While I haven’t played enough SNG’s for the results here to be of any statistical value, it may be inferred from this that playing SNG’s, at least for me, is not very profitable. Still, it’s a lot of fun and I’ll probably play on average of 5-7 SNG’s per week. I’m keeping track of my SNG win/loss records so I’ll have better idea of where I stand in a month or so.

2006 NFL Playoff predictions–Week 1

Bucs 27 Redskins 24

These teams are pretty much evenly match. Home field advantage is what it is.

Patriots 31 Jaguars 24

Leftwich returns from injury? His rustiness will show. Patriots are peaking at the right time. Foxboro is not sunny Florida.

Panthers 35 Giants 14

The Giants are inconsistent. The Panthers will crush the Giants.

Bengals 21 Steelers 17

Chad Johnson’s banned from performing TD dances after this one.

New Year’s Resolutions

They say that if you write down your New Year’s Resolutions, you are more likely to stick to it. Hence, this entry. Well, the themes for 2006 are “achieve” and “balance”. Or together, “achieve balance”.

Personal Goal #1–Piano: Must practice at least 10 hours a week (ideally, 14 hours/week). Average 1.5 hrs per day and 2.5 hrs on Saturday and Sunday. By January 14th, you should have learned and memorized the Brahms Rhapsody in G minor (started learning January 5).

PersonalGoal #2–Poker: Reduce the time spent playing poker by a third. Be patient and don’t overdo it. Remember, it’s preferable to play 6 tables in 2 hours than to play 2 tables for 6 hours (given your strategy). Must play mistake-free poker. Keep a spreadsheet/log of your playing to accurately track your progress and time spent.

Last year, I spent way too much time playing poker and as a result, 2005 felt more like 8 months than 12 months. And miss out on other things. Yeah, poker tends to do that to you.

Personal Goal #3–Rock the GMAT. Start studying 1.5 hrs per day (~10 hrs per week). Double the study time starting Spring (until
you take the test late Spring/early Summer).

Personal Goal #4–Exercise 5 days a week (1 hour sessions). Eat right (take in lots of fiber), more veggies and less meat.

Personal Goal #5–Improve your Chinese reading/writing. Spend on average, 1 hour per day on your lessons (on weekends, 2 hrs/day). Don’t bite off more than you can chew. One lesson per week.

Every month, I’ll write a status report to help me stay the course. Of course, the above assumes that if I miss a day, I’ll have to find a way to make it up for the remainder of the week.

Bring it.