My Strengths according to StrengthsFinder

Input
You are inquisitive. You collect things. You might collect information—words, facts, books, and quotations—or you might collect tangible objects such as butterflies, baseball cards, porcelain dolls, or sepia photographs. Whatever you collect, you collect it because it interests you. And yours is the kind of mind that finds so many things interesting. The world is exciting precisely because of its infinite variety and complexity. If you read a great deal, it is not necessarily to refine your theories but, rather, to add more information to your archives. If you like to travel, it is because each new location offers novel artifacts and facts. These can be acquired and then stored away.
Why are they worth storing? At the time of storing it is often hard to say exactly when or why you might need them, but who knows when they might become useful? With all those possible uses in mind, you really don’t feel comfortable throwing anything away. So you keep acquiring and compiling and filing stuff away. It’s interesting. It keeps your mind fresh. And perhaps one day some of it will prove valuable.

Context
You look back. You look back because that is where the answers lie. You look back to understand the present. From your vantage point the present is unstable, a confusing clamor of competing voices. It is only by casting your mind back to an earlier time, a time when the plans were being drawn up, that the present regains its stability. The earlier time was a simpler time. It was a time of blueprints. As you look back, you begin to see these blueprints emerge. You realize what the initial intentions were. These blueprints or intentions have since become so embellished that they are almost unrecognizable, but now this Context theme reveals them again. This understanding brings you confidence. No longer disoriented, you make better decisions because you sense the underlying structure. You become a better partner because you understand how your colleagues came to be who they are. And counterintuitively you become wiser about the future because you saw its seeds being sown in the past. Faced with new people and new situations, it will take you a little time to orient yourself, but you must give yourself this time. You must discipline yourself to ask the questions and allow the blueprints to emerge because no matter what the situation, if you haven’t seen the blueprints, you will have less confidence in your decisions.

Communication
You like to explain, to describe, to host, to speak in public, and to write. This is your Communication theme at work. Ideas are a dry beginning. Events are static. You feel
a need to bring them to life, to energize them, to make them exciting and vivid. And so you turn events into stories and practice telling them. You take the dry idea and enliven it with images and examples and metaphors. You believe that most people have a very short attention span. They are bombarded by information, but very little of it survives. You want your information—whether an idea, an event, a product’s features and benefits, a discovery, or a lesson—to survive. You want to divert their attention toward you and then capture it, lock it in. This is what drives your hunt for the perfect phrase. This is what draws you toward dramatic words and powerful word combinations. This is why people like to listen to you. Your word pictures pique their interest, sharpen their world, and inspire them to act.

Maximizer
Excellence, not average, is your measure. Taking something from below average to slightly above average takes a great deal of effort and in your opinion is not very rewarding. Transforming something strong into something superb takes just as much effort but is much more thrilling. Strengths, whether yours or someone else’s, fascinate you. Like a diver after pearls, you search them out, watching for the telltale signs of a strength. A glimpse of untutored excellence, rapid learning, a skill mastered without recourse to steps—all these are clues that a strength may be in play. And having found a strength, you feel compelled to nurture it, refine it, and stretch it toward excellence. You polish the pearl until it shines. This natural sorting of strengths means that others see you as discriminating. You choose to spend time with people who appreciate your particular strengths. Likewise, you are attracted to others who seem to have found and cultivated their own strengths. You tend to avoid those who want to fix you and make you well rounded. You don’t want to spend your life bemoaning what you lack. Rather, you want to capitalize on the gifts with which you are blessed. It’s more fun. It’s more productive. And, counterintuitively, it is more demanding.

Learner
You love to learn. The subject matter that interests you most will be determined by your other themes and experiences, but whatever the subject, you will always be drawn to the process of learning. The process, more than the content or the result, is especially exciting for you. You are energized by the steady and deliberate journey from ignorance to competence. The thrill of the first few facts, the early efforts to recite or practice what you have learned, the growing confidence of a skill mastered—this is the process that entices you. Your excitement leads you to engage in adult learning experiences—yoga or piano lessons or graduate classes. It enables you to thrive in dynamic work environments where you are asked to take on short project assignments and are expected to learn a lot about the new subject matter in a short period of
time and then move on to the next one. This Learner theme does not necessarily mean that you seek to become the subject matter expert, or that you are striving for the respect that accompanies a professional or academic credential. The outcome of the learning is less significant than the “getting there.”

Many years of research conducted by The Gallup Organization suggest that the most effective people are those who understand their strengths and behaviors. These
people are best able to develop strategies to meet and exceed the demands of their daily lives, their careers, and their families.
A review of the knowledge and skills you have acquired can provide a basic sense of your abilities, but an awareness and understanding of your natural talents will provide
true insight into the core reasons behind your consistent successes.
Your Signature Themes report presents your five most dominant themes of talent, in the rank order revealed by your responses to StrengthsFinder. Of the 34 themes
measured, these are your "top five."
Your Signature Themes are very important in maximizing the talents that lead to your successes. By focusing on your Signature Themes, separately and in combination,
you can identify your talents, build them into strengths, and enjoy personal and career success through consistent, near-perfect performance.

Can a lover ever be a friend??

So this question was posed to me by an ex-co-worker ... and at first I was thinking usually not except in those cases where kids are involved. Yet it's not true, one of my most true friends is unbelievably an old lover. We were both younger, with me being around 26 and she being 21. She worked with me and through some twist of fate, she and I became close.

I think that we were completely honest, that there was never any deception between us concerning how we felt, what paths our life was taking, and bitterness. We went our separate ways and yet there were times that we came back together. Interestingly to this day, she remains a friend with whom I can trust my feelings and deepest thoughts.

She was wonderful and down to earth, amazing personality, and had a beautiful smile. It was good that during this tough time I was able to call her and see her and get consoled and counseled by her. Life is funny like that, the friends who are truly your friends will be there to pick you up when you fall down.

Time to start packing

Another trip to take care of some business in China. The burden of everything is certainly weighing me down and I am beginning to wonder when will the challenges end and the good stuff begin. I guess this is just the first step of many to clean up remnants of what we call life.

Well here we go again ... long ass pain ride and into the unknown.

Tonight was a party to remember

I went over to Patrick's house for a party and Daniel, Lily, and Hana came along. We were drinking mojitos, Whiskey shots, and beers. We ate, we talked, and we had a good time. Just as we were all leaving the cops pulled up and said a neighbor had complained that the noise was too loud.

I saw them as I was about to leave so I jumped out of my car and went back inside the house. Then the cops gave some bullshit excuse as to why they were there at the house.

I waited a while for the cops to leave before heading home. What a night, the mojitos, the whiskey and the party that was good for the evening.

The summer that began

I guess it is time to recap the last several months because so much has happened that it almost would make a good script for Days of our Lives. Many changes have occurred, in my professional life, my personal life, and my love life. Each started shifting and changing with the inclusion and removal of stimuli. Luckily in life, love, and happiness, the key to sustaining yourself begins with yourself.

To begin with, Lulu and I decided a divorce was the only option, (at least in each others eyes). It was something that was decided in clarity but yet in a haze because this most difficult of choices is not an easy one to follow through on. The decisions were made, Lulu went back to China to have the baby and get some personal peace.

My personal views of this difficult decision makes it seem that maybe I do not understand the way a relationship should function but in a way I just do. This means I am hoping for the best, plan for the worst, and continue to live life, bringing my kids up as best as I can.

So to begin with, after Lulu left for China, the time was filled with school and work. Friends and family supported me during this difficult period. Family tried to make sure that everything I did was to make sure the right decisions were made, friends made sure that I was handling everything ok. I had friends that I could count on to help me through but I had a friend who was supportive and tried to make the rough times easier. Well unfortunately through some rather bad decisions on my part, the friend who helped me through the tough times is no longer around.
I am not sure what happened, but I misunderstood a lot to loose my friend.

During the summer I drove out to Vegas and stayed at the Monte Carlo for several days. It was a fun trip. The trip was eventful with us seeing several shows like David Copperfield and Mama Mia and going out to several nice dinners. We even went to see a timeshare thing hoping to cash in but due to a technicality we were disqualified. It was my most enjoyable trip out to Vegas yet.

The last week has been tough, I have been stuck in bed with a badly sprained neck. I was on muscle relaxants and slept for basically several days. Wake up take drugs, eat, sleep, then more drugs. Finally today I was able to feel normal again.

I was lucky enough to have lunch with an old friend I have known for more than 8 years now. She worked with me back in the day at San Diego Transit. After all that we have been through, we still remain good friends. These are the types of relationships I treasure, friends that are there through thick and thin.

As I end this note, I am planning to go back to China to pickup Vince and Lulu. This way Vince will be an American Citizen and get his US passport to come back to the US. This whole summer did not go the way I had planned, the events that took place are beyond my control and even though I wish I could bend time and rollback the hands of time, I know that is not possible. I hope that one day I will mend fences, that my kids will grow up fine, and that I realize that anytime a person offers happiness to you, do not look at it with curiosity but grab it with both hands and don't let go.

Some people come into our lives, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never the same.

The above quote is quite fitting as I end this note. Amazing the people who can leave the footprints on our hearts are not who we always expect.

Vince Quach is born June 16 at 8AM

Lulu gave birth to Vince (8 lbs) & 21" at 11:55 China time. (8:55 AM USA) Mother and baby are fine. Labor was fairly short so amazing. She did it with no epidural which is amazing.

Its a boy

Friday we went for the ultrasound and discovered the next one popping out is another boy. So his name will be Vince, Lulu likes the name, it is the same name as Vince Flynn who writes those great Mitch Rapp books, and the names means conquering. We shall see if it fits.

Firestorm 2007

So for the last 3 days we have been evacuating from house to house avoiding the fires that hit San Diego. Amazingly our house survived and we were able to return home today. Several homes were burned in the neighborhood but it was quite the adventure ... anyways what a couple of days this turned out to be.

Good news ... Lulu got a job offer from RSM and possibly another with EY.

Classes have started

So I started my classes for Boston University and so far the class is going pretty well. I received an A for my discussion and A- on my homework assignment. Not bad considering I messed up and thought I had an extra day to turn in my homework. As far as the course content, I am reading a bunch of articles from the Harvard Business school and MIT Sloan school.

Some of my classmates are pretty good but others are well ... not the best at explaining themselves. Anyways onto week 3 so only 4 more weeks to go. Learning quite a bit .... who knows maybe an MBA in the future.

Classes have started

Well I am back to being a college student. On Tuesday I started my first class Information Technology and strategy management. It is rather fast paced with lots of reading and writing. There are quite a few assignments that have to be completed in such a short amount of time. The whole process of online learning requires that you have quite a discipline and perseverance.

Anyways gots to do the home work ..

Accepted

Yup it happened. Yesterday at 10:02 am I received an email from Boston University saying welcome. I guess all the hard work with the resume, goals statement and letters of recommendation did it. Not sure but as a Coleman College graduate it was hit or miss as far as being accepted into the program.

So Dang Tired

I went back to work this week and I have discovered two things, 1. It's a whole lot harder taking care of a baby. 2. I am so tired it's not even funny.

Anyways I am trying to get back into my normal routine. Unfortunately for me, I cannot run as well as I did before, I don't have the same energy from before, and I still have so much to do as far as completing my application for school.

I should be mailing out my application by early next week to Boston University. I am hoping that they see me as the type of student they want and accept. We shall see...

Oh check out the pics of Justin at the other blog.

The Big Cut

Yesterday poor Justin never knew it but he got circumcised. It turned out to be a quick 15 minute procedure that he may or may not remember. As for me, apparently the last time a father was inside the operating room, he passed out. Imagine that haha well that's all we need to say about that.

Other news, I got moved up another division in racquetball to the blue division. Not bad for someone who has been playing for about a year. I like the sport and the exercise it gives me.

Also trying to get into a masters program right now. Unfortunately due to some unforeseen decisions 7 years back, my BS is not as acceptable as one from National University. What a crock. Well all I can do is hope that my plea for conditional admittance will be acknowledged by the powers that be.

Pretty Tired

Well it seems like its any day or probably closer to hours til Justin Quach comes into this world. Lulu has her several contractions come and go but so far nothing so steady that we would be heading to the hospital. I guess its a matter of time ... just waiting, so that we can grab our things and head on to the hospital.

Picked up Mother-in-law

Today we picked up my Mother-in-law from LAX. She took a 12 hour flight from Beijing to Los Angeles. It was quite a journey for her to travel from her hometown by train for 10 hours, then flew on a place for 12 hours. We are rather excited ... More on this later.

Dinner at Rancho Valencia

This week is restaurant week in San Diego. So for the restaurant this year, we chose the Rancho Valencia at the Rancho Valencia Spa & Resort. Talk about a nice and swanky place. The menu was pretty good, filet mignon, crab cakes, grilled ahi, and vanilla creme brulee for some of us.

The trip to get there was quite stressful to say the least. Sometimes, having gps may help or not. GPS systems know that roads exists but they don't realize sometimes those roads have gates on them. Anyways what should have been a 20 minute drive turn into the 40 minute boondoggle. After much tension between my dad and I, we finally arrived at the restaurant.

Luckily the food was pretty good and we all had a pretty good time. The final bill came out to 320 with tax and tips. I guess next year, we should really map out the roads a little better.

Finally 2007

Well it's been awhile since I have put any new blogs up. Well just a little update, sometime in February/March we will be getting a small addition to the family.

Yup Justin Quach will grace us with his presence. So these last couple of weeks we have been busy with getting Justin's room setup. We purchased for him furniture from Babys R Us. Turns out we got a really good deal from the place. Pictures will be coming soon.

On January 28, we will be picking up my mother-in-law from LAX International. I look forward to her cooking and presence. Finally someone who agrees with me instead of Lulu.

Next month will get busier with Lulu trying to get all her grad school applications turned in. She has applied at UCLA, Stanford, USC, and SDSU. It will be tough while she is in school but we'll tough it out til she comes home in 2 years.

Almost there

Well it's almost time for the days to come to hours to minutes. We will get to start the beginning of the Quach family story and see how far it takes us. There are so many preparations and things to do before the time and hour but it will all be done and then well I think we can just smile and laugh about it. OK soon you will want to read the other blog ....

Birthday Dinner

We went to Lucadia pizza to have dinner for my birthday and well even though I received an free entree, it was not exactly a great meal. I ordered an Italian sampler was so so but first we tried to order their seafood pizza on thick crust. Turns out that the Carmel Mtn Ranch restaurant does not have them for whatever reason. Then my dad tried to order a Samuel Adams and they were out. Then to top it off, they did not have hot sauce, not even tobasco .... what a drag. Luckily one of the cooks had the good old asian hot sauce and the family platter was really good. We ended up with enough leftovers for 2 meals .... so damn need to stop eating and more exercising to loose some of the weight I have gained in the last week.

Our Wedding Announcement.