Tips to Avoid Post-holiday Burnouts

With holiday season around the corner, we are all looking forward to time off to relax and rejuvenate. However, coming back to the office post break could be a toll for both our physical and mental health. It is not uncommon to feel exhausted and unmotivated after a break from work.  To dissipate these feelings, check out some of these tips below to avoid the post-holiday burnout this season!      

1. Eliminate burdens:

While the holidays are a time to wind down and relax, spare some time to take care of personal business at home. Prior to the start of the holiday, avoid over scheduling upon your return. Do not inflate other’s expectation of what you can deliver. Overestimating your capabilities would only lead to a let-down for all parties involved. 

2. Reset internal clock:

For most, it is incredibly difficult to snap back into work mode immediately. In order to avoid missing your dreaded morning alarm on the first day of work post-holiday, consider going easy on your schedule on the last few days of your holiday break. Adjust your bedtime hours to your usual work week schedule to ease your internal clock for an easier transition; this is especially important if you have traveled abroad during your holiday!

3. Ease back into things:

Upon returning to the office, it is important to prioritize your tasks and schedule accordingly. It is also helpful to take regular breaks throughout the day. Continuous working could in fact result in less productivity as exhaustion can hinder our judgment and perspective.  

Japan's Lesson of Responsibility

More than two decades ago, schools in Japan began carrying unicycles under the request of the Ministry. While one might confuse an elementary school playground with an amateur circus, it is in fact the country’s effort in instilling a sense of independence and responsibility in children. 

In an educations system where there are virtually no janitors, students are taught to be self-sufficient from a young age. Similarly with unicycles, students are responsible for tire maintenance and stowing away unicycles after use. Children receive almost no formal instructions and are left to learn on their own. A blend of fun and grit, kids are encouraged to take on challenges despite rocky paths to success.  It is said that the government hopes to replicate realities of modern life through training, promoting confidence and independence in their young citizens.

Consistently ranked as one of the best education system in the world, it seems like this unique method of teaching is sure paying off. 

Astounding Growth of Snapchat

When the photo and video messaging app first debuted, it was shrouded in controversy. Three years later, it has created a brand new way of communication and has become one of the most popular social media platforms.

Although the app received a less than enthusiastic response among Spiegel's college peers at Stanford, it began spreading like wildfire when the newcomer successfully targeted three major growth motivators. In the age of hyper connectivity, many new users learned about the app through word of mouth before even downloading the app. Whether they took part in a group selfie or saw friends using the app, many
prospective users have experienced it in some way or another. Another integral part of the company's growth is attributed to our ever decreasing attention span. Knowing that the message will disappear quickly, the app fuels curiosity and demands undivided attention from users. Lastly, the company has successfully targeted the teenage market by creating a sense of privacy through the self-destructing nature of the content. Leaving no evidence for the rest of the world, they can comfortably communicate with peers without the worries of parental control and intervention.

While it is unclear whether Snapchat's growth is sustainable in the long run, there is no doubt that it will retain its huge fan base in the near future. Although security breach is not completely avoidable, the app offers an exclusive experience that none of its social media predecessors can provide.

Yet Another Milestone for Google Translate

Notorious for its embarrassingly inaccurate translation, Google Translate has taken a huge leap in its recent upgrade. Utilizing the neural system, the software now translates based on a sentences’ context, as opposed to phrase-based algorithms translations in the past. This technology, which made its debut a few days ago has been made available to languages such as English, Chinese, Spanish, French and German.

Take for example, a German quote from Albert Einstein was previously translated as “No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that they have arisen.” With neural machine translation, the improved version becomes “Problems can never be solved with the same way of thinking that caused them.” As seen, it produces a much more fluent result with proper grammar usage.

Since its release, the improvement has received an overwhelmingly positive response from users all over the world. As of now, the translation app only offers eight language pairs. In the future, Google hopes to eventually roll Neural Machine Translation out to all 103 languages. 

5 Ways to Improve Your Performance at Work

Maintaining and enhancing productivity in the workplace is not an easy task. Check out some of the concepts below to mitigate factors that dampen efficiency.

1. Employee recognition:

• Employees are more motivated when they feel valued. Lack of appreciation could hinder participation and lead to sub par performance. However, be sure to not give overly vague recognition to prevent from coming across as insincere.

2. Set clear measurable goals:

• This goes hand in hand with transparency at a workplace. Communicating openly will prevent misunderstandings and promote cohesive team work.

3. Use technology responsibly:

• Technology no doubt increases productivity in a workplace. However, there is a thin line between increasing efficiency and over consumption. 

4. Provide training/ skills development:

• Aside from having a great understanding of their own role within the organization, every employee should be familiar with the company culture and expectations. Employees should be encouraged to seek challenge and not stay stagnant in order to keep abreast with the latest trends and innovations.

5. Communicate effectively:

• Communication is one of the most important aspects of operating a business. Be conscientious about email usage and take advantage of platforms and applications available to enhance internal communication. 

Vietnam Facts

1. The country's name was originally spelled as two words, Viet Nam.

2. The star on the flag represent farmers, workers, intellectuals, youth and soldiers and the red background pays tribute to the bloodshed during wars.

3. The famed Bin Chau Hotsprings are hot enough to boil eggs.

4. Vietnam is home to the world's largest cave, Son Doong.

5. Vietnam is also home to the Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

6. The country is one of the biggest producers of cashew nuts in the world.

7. Vietnam is also the world's second largest coffee-producing nation after Brazil.

8. Motorbikers are the most common form of transportation.

9. Pho is the most popular food in Vietnam after rice.

10. Despite being a developing country, it has a literacy rate of 94%

Doing the Unconventional

At age 11, he taught himself how to code. At age 15, he dropped out of high school with the support of his parents. Now at 30, David Karp is the Founder and CEO of the billion dollar empire, Tumblr.

Launched in February 2007, Tumblr is a short-form blogging platform, somewhere in between Twitter, Facebook and Wordpress. Aimed to create a space to publish content for those who don’t enjoy or have the leisure for conventional forms of blogging, Tumblr allows users to curate pictures, videos and texts in one single place. Offering users endless ways to personalize their online home, it soon attracted a huge fan base of those who wanted to express their creativity. However, Tumblr has not always been smooth sailing. Set on escaping the traditional investor-funded model, the start-up experienced user growth rapidly yet struggled to scale up due to a lack of investors. Immediately after selling 25% of his company during the first round of funding, Karp went from being able to see everyone’s computer screen in its New York office to now having a two floor workspace with over 393 employees.

Despite being one of the most successful technology firms, Karp is relaxed about the company’s growth. Tumblr held off from being acquired by media firms until 2013, when it reached an agreement with Yahoo for $1.1 billion in cash. Determined to not follow the predictable path of a start-up company, , Karp has remained CEO and the company is unlikely to relocate to the West Coast in the interest of retaining their start-up spirit. From a technology firm that lacked a traditional business model to now a network with big name users such as President Obama, Tumblr is truly a story of doing the unconventional.  

"Free" Beverage?

The convenience store staff intervened, when he saw a shopper openly drinking from a beverage from which he had taken from the shelf. Bewildered at the situation, the non-Japanese shopper demanded an explanation. After a heated argument between the two parties, it became evident that the confusion was due to a lost in translation. The foreign man explained that the bottle had a "Free Tea" label, prompting him to take a sip of what he thought was a complimentary drink. However, the confusingly named Free Tea was in fact a brand by the Japanese beverage giant Pokka Sapporo. 

This account was taken to twitter by a passerby, who witnessed the encounter. Almost immediately, it garnered over 34,000 retweets and 18,500 likes. Many twitter users took the opportunity to share their own experiences of linguistic confusion. One particular tweet explained that in Japan, the word "free" is more commonly interpreted as a lack of rather an item that is available without charge. While some locals empathize that travelers could indeed be misguided as Japan does distribute an abundance of freebies, such as pocket tissues and drinks on the streets, others were not as forgiving, pointing out that there was clearly a price tag on the beverage shelf.  

According to the official website of the beverage company, the drink is marketed to "encourage people to be free from a stress-filled society". Ironically, it has caused quite a stressful confrontation for the traveler.

Soaring Air Pollution in Delhi

One of the most polluted cities, wintertime pollution in Delhi has always posed a threat to the inhabitants of the metropolis. However, the government is largely unprepared for the unprecedented levels of soot in the air that began choking New Delhi residents for the past few weeks.

Last week, levels of particulate matter, known as PM 2.5 have reached 700 micro-grams per cubic meter with some areas of the city recording an all-time high at 1,000. Usually shrugged off as fog, the alarming levels of pollution is more than 16 times the limit of India’s government and 30 times the guideline set by the World Health Organization. To understand the health consequences, health experts said that exposure to such eye-stinging and throat-burning smog is equivalent to smoking more than two packs of cigarettes a day. To mitigate, schools have been cancelled and the workforce has been advised to work from home. The toxic air has left many cowering by air purifiers at home and thousands waiting in line for hours to purchase face masks in in hopes to protect themselves.

While the state has taken emergency steps, the persistent problem is largely attributed to the high volumes of traffic and industrial activities. In order to ease emissions, environmentalists advise that strong political will is required in order to impose lifestyle changes and solve long term consequences. 

Revolutionizing the Radio Business

A cash-strapped start-up during the end of the dot-com boom, Pandora’s path to success is largely a story of commitment and perseverance. Founded in 1999 by Tim Westergren, Pandora Radio, or simply known as Pandora is a music streaming program that utilizes algorithms and technology to personalize online radio stations. Originally a B2B company, the start-up pursued technology licensing and sold their services to businesses like Best Buy, AOL and Tower Records. Struggling to bring investors on board, the company soon exhausted their initial funds by the end of 2000. For two years, Westergren struggled to keep the lights on and begged employees to work unpaid.

After 348 pitch attempts, the company successfully secured a $9 million investment in March, 2004. The team was able to return to its initial vision of producing customized radio stations to consumers and subsequently launched an iOS application in 2008. The new mobile interface mimicked the convenience of traditional radio stations, allowing consumers to stream music from their cellphones on the go. Within a day, the service generated 35,000 new users, doubling the number of daily subscriptions. Over the past decade, Pandora has established itself as one of the world’s most popular online streaming service. With 80 million users tuning in an average of 15 hours monthly, it has truly revolutionized the radio business and the way the public consume music.    

Mistranslated Voting Pamphlet Draws Criticism

To be eligible for presidential voting in the state of Washington, residents must be 18 years of age, a United States citizen and state resident, and not under Department of Corrections supervision for a Washington felony. However, those convicted of a misdemeanor are still eligible to vote.

While the original brochure in English language made the requirements clear by distinguishing the differences between felony and misdemeanor, the Spanish version misinterpreted felony as “delito”, which translates to “crime”.  As a result, it has been brought to the attention of the Washington State Democratic Central Committee that many potential voters have been led to think that they are disqualified to vote due to the inexact translation in the voter pamphlet.

Since then, Secretary of State, Kim Wynman has announced the reissue of the Spanish pamphlets in order to clear up the confusion on voting eligibility requirements.  

Maintaining a Work-Life Balance

In this digital driven world, it is becoming harder to maintain a work-life balance. Follow the tips below to see how to juggle your career and personal life simultaneously! 

Unplug

While technology is useful at times to enhance work performance, device addiction can seriously impact your productivity. Unless absolutely necessary, try to refrain from reaching your devices. Doing so allows you to shift your focus to other aspects of your life, be it spending time with your family and friends or simply relaxing on your own. Moreover, research shows that the blue light emitted from device screens creates a mental stimulus that prevents us from winding down at the end of the night.

Allocate

Whether it is a 30 minute break during the workday or a week long vacation at an exotic resort, schedule regular vacations to spice up the usual mundane work routine. A break will allow you to recover from the accumulated stress and you will be able to return to work refreshed, both mentally and physically. If a break is not permitted, try taking on a new hobby in your downtime!

Say NO!

Although you feel obligated to lend a hand to those who need assistance, it is important to assess your capabilities and tasks on hand before taking on additional responsibilities. It might be tempting to take on more duties to impress but failure to complete them or sub par work would only backfire on your reputation. 

Hong Kong Women Surpassed Japanese Women in Life Expectancy

Those in Hong Kong live longer than any other people in the world, says a recent study considered by Japan's Welfare Ministry.

Since 1985, Japanese women have enjoyed the title of the world's longest average life expectancy. However, in the wake of the massive earthquake in March 2015 and increasing youth suicide rates in Japan, Hong Kong women have overtaken. In the year 2015, it was announced that the average Hong Kong woman's lifespan is 87.32 years, while also ranked first in the study are Hong Kong men, who reach an average of 81.24 years of age.

Officials at the Japanese Ministry of Healthy, Labor and Welfare have attributed Hong Kong's extended life expectancy to the advancements in medical procedures and treatments. With breakthroughs in medical technology, the major cause of death-illness has significantly diminished. Meanwhile, local health experts asserted the main reason as Hong Kong's immense reduction in tobacco consumption compared to 30 years ago. Nevertheless, experts have also cautioned that these statistics should be taken with a grain of salt. While Japan is a whole country, Hong Kong is merely a city state. Since inhabitants in
cities generally have better access to education, nutrition and any necessity needs, the rural population in Japan is at a disadvantage.

Although it should be celebrated that life expectancy has gradually increased over the deacdes, scholars have expressed concerns that Hong Kong is facing a trend of high life expectancy yet low fertility rate. As a result, government policies should be implemented to lessen the negative impacts on the labor force in the long run.

The Underdog that Disrupted the Diary Aisle

A Turkey native, Hamdi Ulukaya was disappointed by the selection of yogurts when he arrived in the United States in 1994. One night in 2005, Ulukaya came across an advertisement for a fully equipped yogurt plant formerly owned by Kraft in upstate New York. On a whim, he purchased the facility and began his business with a small sum of grants and a handful of employees. While many doubted the company's lack of venture capital partners, Ulukaya refused to outsource, fearing that he would lose control of the product. 

Shortly after hitting the shelves, Chobani became an instant success. The diary start-up prompted a Greek yogurt craze across the nation, leaving established industry titans like Yoplait and Dannon in shock. Its impressive achievements within a short period of time even had large corporations knocking on their door with buyout offers, only to be refused by the founder who wished to remain independent. 

Over the years, Chobani has remained its focus on highlighting the taste and making its product available to consumers. Overturning some long-held prejudices that premium yogurts are only offered in specialty aisles in upscale grocery stores, Ulukaya thought otherwise and insisted on delivering his product to mainstream customers by placing Chobani in diary sections of local grocery stores. With the Greek yogurt craze in full swing, Chobani has risen to become one of the key players of the industry and the company is expected to experience even more growth in the future with a rise in health trends around the world. 

Major Milestone for Speech Recognition Technology by Microsoft

On October 17^th, 2016, Microsoft announced the most advanced speech recognition software to date. Behind the breakthrough are deep neural networks that utilize a large amount of data to train the software to recognize patterns from inputs. These processing units are specialized in sounds as well as graphics, allowing computers to process algorithms and deliver results at speed not previously possible.

Originally reported a Word Error Rate of 6.3% in the month of September, Microsoft achieved a 0.4% improvement in just a month, lowering the percentage to 5.9. Although the error rate is far from perfection, it is reported that this speech recognition software recognize just as well as humans who were asked to transcribe the identical conversation. Created by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the test is comprised of a set of telephone conversations in English, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese and has been used as a benchmark to test speech recognition technologies by many tech giants since the 1990s.

Moving forward, the team hopes to transition from recognition to understanding. Now, the next challenge for Microsoft is to be able to employ speech recognition technologies even in complex situations such as heavy background noises and multi-party conversation.  

Reducing Email Traffic

Between company-wide updates and marketing emails, we have all experienced our fair share of email overload. Check out the tips below to whittle down the endless number of emails awaiting you every day!

1. Encourage workers to group non-urgent information in one single mailing. Perhaps, a weekly or daily department newsletter would be sufficient. 

2. Utilize corporate Intranet rather than email inboxes. By replacing email broadcasts with any form of social platforms, everyone will be able to access information.

3. Gather for group meetings to address daily agendas or matters that require back and forth discussion to avoid lengthy threads.

4. Reduce incoming email by adopting email management systems that filters spam mail, turning off notifications from website subscriptions and encouraging face to face communication within your organization.

5. Establish designated time block to address emails. There may be occasional expectations but this routine will prevent email from consuming too much of your time at work and affect productivity.

6. Organize your email but filing and deleting appropriate emails. Keeping your inbox at zero would declutter your mailbox dramatically.

7. Do not rely on your inbox as a to-do check list. Limiting the number of times you revisit each email will increase productivity. Jot down important information elsewhere and only revisit an email when absolute necessary. 

Financial Incentives as Japan Faces Aging Demographic

Already the world’s oldest country, Japan continues to confront aging demographic challenges. As a result of exponential increase in life expectancy coupled with an all-time low birthrate, its population has fallen by nearly one million in the last five years. Although the government is seeking extreme measures to lift the country out of stagnation, experts expressed that avoiding implications from this population crisis is virtually impossible.

Since in office, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made this pressing issue a priority. However, policies such as urging businesses to increase employment and advancement opportunities for the female workforce have shown limited success thus far.  Recently, a program is launched where new parents are offered a monthly payment of $300 for every newborn until they reach the age of 15. In conjunction with the economic inducement, the government is also providing additional state-supported day care and tuition waivers, in hopes of increasing the appeal of parenthood. Unfortunately, fiscal policies can only go so far.

Deeply rooted are cultural issues that are discouraging family expansion. Traditionally in Japan, there is a heavy reliance on mothers to perform household duties including but not limited to child-rearing.  With fear of isolation from society and overwhelming pressure to maintain a household, women are increasingly choosing career advancements over child bearing in today’s society. With that being said, until domestic burdens are lifted from the roles of mothers, financial compensations might not be the most compelling incentive to bring the declining population to a halt.

5 Ways to Counter Monday Blues

“Monday Blues”, used to describe a set of negative emotions that many people experience at the beginning of the work week. Whether it is the overwhelming feeling of stress, or the sluggish feeling due to a lack of rest over the weekend, this phenomenon contains a sense that work is unpleasant and unavoidable. Naturally, this emotional state can have a huge impact on your performance in the office. In a certain degree, the negative effects of Monday Blues can even extend beyond an individual’s productivity to even those around them. Check out the tips below to combat the beginning of work week anxiety.

Plan ahead of time: Predetermining your schedule before Monday could greatly reduce the stress of going into an unplanned day. Prioritizing more complex tasks to be completed in the earlier hours of the day will further ease your anxiety. Once those tasks are completed, it will be much easier to breeze through the rest of your day.  

Stressed but well-dressed:  This is a classic example of when you look good, you feel good. Rather than avoiding the dreaded Monday Blues, face it with confidence by wearing an outfit that you’re comfortable in. Not only could it boost your self -confidence, you might even get a few compliments from your colleagues!

Have something to look forward to: We often think about all the tough tasks ahead of us. Do the opposite and list out things you’re looking forward to reward yourself at the end of a long work day. Be it a night out with friends or just staying in to catch up on a TV show, it’ll be sure to help you power through the tasks during the day.

Prepare mentally: Go in with a positive attitude on Monday will set the tone for the rest of your work week. Although Monday Blue is most likely a result of dissatisfaction of work environment, focusing on the positives would prevent the negative energy from taking over.

Prepare physically: Get enough rest over the weekend. Whether or not you are heading into the office on Monday, it is highly unlikely that you will feel good about going anywhere when you are running on a couple hours of sleep the night before. Waking up early the morning of could also improve your mentality. While most would prefer to sleep in for another 30 minutes, that little amount of time could actually prevent you from feeling trapped in a time crunch.

ABA Pass Motion for Uniform Spanish Language Translation

On the occasion of the 50^th anniversary of the Miranda Rights, the American Bar Association (ABA) passed a motion calling for a uniform Spanish language translation. A right to silence warning given by police in the United States to suspects in custody, it is used to preserve the admissibility of their statements against them in proceedings.

Each year, about 800,000 native Spanish speakers are detained yet law enforcement authorities around the country have failed to communicate effectively with those in custody. Examples of non-verified version of Spanish translations have surfaced and results have been “woeful” as described by the ABA’s Special Committee on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities. The report suggested that many authorities either relied on their limited knowledge in Spanish attained from high school or depended on unqualified interpreters such as those related to the defendant. In other cases, translations include made up words such as “silento” while some takes on a completely different meaning from the original source. As a result, a Texas State Representative stated that many had “made decisions incorrectly due to the way it’s explained.”

50 years later, many are now demanding a uniform translation as they fear that their rights will be jeopardized. By removing the language barrier, ABA hopes to not only ensure the rights of those in question but also to reduce tension between criminal suspects and law enforcement authorities. 

3 Ways to Improve Workplace Efficiency

1.      Two-way open communication:

By promoting constant interactions between colleagues, whether it is between co-workers of between subordinates and supervisors, it can lead to various benefits. While communication enforces a sense of trust among those in the organization, it could also eliminate communication barriers and resolve problems. With frequent communication, unity will naturally follow and the overall workplace culture will be improved.

2.      Training and development:

A company-wide training program can ensure consistent practice throughout the organization by making aware of expectations and mission within the company. Aside from having a structural training program, individual training can also expand an employee’s knowledge while building confidence as a result of better understanding of his/her responsibilities and duties. Overall, continuous training should be encouraged. In this day and age where developments are rapid, it would be beneficial to stay on the cutting edge of newest innovations and the changing standards.

3.      Positive reinforcement:

        Everyone feels valued and appreciated when recognized, consequently, employees are no different. Rewards come in different forms. Whether it comes in a form of traditional employee recognition or just simple verbal acknowledgment by the management team, it would greatly assist in solidifying relationships, and instill loyalty to the organization. Furthermore, it would also indirectly lead to higher retention rates as employees are more invested and engaged.

20 Bizarre Facts on Japan

• The raised floors in indoor areas indicate where you should remove your shoes
• There are designated bathroom slippers so as not to contaminate other areas of the house
• Slurping loudly when eating is an indication of approval
• Japan has around 5.5 million vending machines, found on almost every block
• Vending machines contain anything from books, umbrellas, to live seafood
• You must shower before taking a bath since most family share the same ware for bathing
• the population of pets is larger than that of children
• A trip to KFC on Christmas day is a tradition as fried chicken serves as an alternative to turkey meat which is not available in Japan. Pre-orders are accepted as early as two months in advance
• Many companies hand out packages of tissues on the street as a form of advertising
• There is a special railway staff designated to cram passengers onto the trains
• It is uncommon to use tissues in public, handkerchiefs are used instead
• It is rude to walk and eat in Japan
• Crooked teeth are considered attractive and many undergo procedures to have their teeth un-straightened
• Napping in the office is encouraged. It implies that an employee has worked so hard that he/she is forced to rest at work. However, one must sleep upright!
• There are over 130 voice acting schools for Anime voices
• 98% of the adoptions involve adults aged 20-30
• Time is set aside for children to clean their own classroom. They also take turns to serve food in the cafeteria. 
• Hikikomori is a phenomenon where people lock themselves away and become entirely isolated from society. The population with such condition is estimated to be around 1 million
• Japan is known for its novelty items from soy sauce flavored Kit Kat to Ramen flavored soda
• Many companies have morning exercise sessions for their employees
• Toilet seats in Japan have endless functions, from air dryer to deodorizer and even waterfall sound (for additional privacy!)

Starbucks: Reinventing Coffee Culture

A small local café that began its journey in Seattle, Starbucks Corporation has since grown into a billion dollar business. Over the years, its name and logo has even become synonymous with coffee for many Americans. However, the business model was far from what it is today.

Started in 1971, the original Starbucks Corporation did not sell brewed coffee but rather coffee beans. Presently CEO and Chairman of Starbucks, Howard Schultz became a part of the original team in 1982. After spending some time in Italy to seek inspiration, he proposed the idea of serving coffee to boost the business. Unfortunately, his vision received less than enthusiastic response from his fellow business partners. Determined to reinvent café culture in America, Schultz left the company to pursue his own coffee business.

After a huge success with the launch of his business, he later acquired Starbucks from the original owners for an estimate of $4 million. In less than five years, the company went under massive growth after introducing serving beverages by the cup. Today, Starbucks operates in 23,768 locations worldwide and is considered the main representative of the coffee industry. Although Schultz’s role in the expansion of Starbucks came in at a later stage, his story has once again proved that success is largely a product of perseverance and passion.

Assembly bill to support translation services for Medi-Cal Patients

On August 30^th, the assembly gave final approval to a bill by Assembly Speaker, Emeritus Toni G. Atkins. Representing the first step towards state-funded medical interpretation services, the bill aims to provide translation services to Medi-Cal patients with limited English proficiency. Now, the bill is just awaiting Governor Jerry Brown’s signature.

With more than 200 languages spoken in California, there is a pressing need among low-income communities for translation services at medical institutions. Currently, many rely on unqualified interpreters who are not familiar with the medical field. In some extreme cases, patients even rely on their English-speaking children for assistance.

If passed, the bill will invest $3 million for the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to research the most efficient way to provide medical interpretation services for those in need. Although Governor Brown has previously vetoed similar measures, Atkins stressed the importance of the bill as it would greatly benefit approximately 7 million residents in California who have a very limited English proficiency.  

The Man who Revolutionized Technology

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart." ~ Steve Jobs

An entrepreneur and innovator, Steve Jobs was the role model for many in and out of the technology industry. Often praised for his unique intuition, the former CEO of Apple’s Inc. was also admired for his stand out work ethic. Centered on focus and simplicity, his management style has led his company from near bankruptcy to becoming one of the most valuable companies in the world. Job’s extraordinary vision not only guided Apple to unprecedented success but has also attracted an immense following among his many other accomplishments.

Jobs was a firm believer that pure perseverance is what sets those who are successful from their non-successful counterparts. The words of wisdom from him serve as reminder that passion is the source to your motivation.  As he notes in the quote, his tenacity and belief has truly transformed consumer technologies over the years. Although his passing marks the end of an era, the pioneer’s work mantra has definitely left an indelible mark on the industry.  

Mid-Autumn Festival

Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is an annual celebration observed by ethnic Chinese. An official holiday in Hong Kong, Taiwan and China, it is held on the 15^th day of the 8^th month in the Chinese lunar calendar. With that said, it takes its name from the fact that the moon is at its roundest and brightest around that time of the year. On this day, families gather together to enjoy traditional holiday foods and moon watch, a symbol of harmony and unity.

One ritualistic staple is the making and sharing of Mooncakes, a thin crust pastry enveloping a lotus seed paste filling. In some variations, the round shaped cake might even contain a whole salted egg yolk in the center, as a symbol of the full moon and the reunion of a family. Due to intense market competition, the compositions of Mooncake have greatly diversified over the years. From fat-free Mooncakes to ice-cream Mooncakes, brands from virtually every industry have introduced endless contemporary options in order to adapt to the evolving taste of consumers.

Another notable part of the holiday is carrying around brightly lit lanterns. Traditionally, lanterns are handmade from papier-mâché, often of figures from traditional folklore. Today, handcrafted lanterns are replaced by mass produced plastic lanterns, and are often influenced by global cultures. On the night of the festival, it is a common sight to see children roaming around with Disney characters to Hello Kitty shaped lanterns.  While the historic purpose behind lighting lanterns is unclear, it has become a symbolic children activity.

In South Korea, a similar harvest festival named Chuseok is also observed on the same day as the Chinese festival. As a celebration of good harvest, Koreans visit their ancestral hometowns and share a feast of traditional holiday food such as songpyeon, rice cakes with shapes that resemble the half-moon and Hangwa, a cookie made from diverse grains and honey.

Linguistic Diversity Boosts Brain Power

In today’s increasing globalized world, speaking more than one language can create job opportunities, facilitate travels and many more.  However, practical benefits aside, there is ample evidence from research that demonstrates the profound effects of linguistic diversity.

Contrasting the predominant assumption that introducing multilingualism in children could hinder intellectual development, collective evidences from a number of studies have shown that the interference can in fact strengthen cognitive abilities. Among many, one key difference between monolinguals and multilinguals is the heightened ability in the brain’s executive function. Having to switch between languages often, the process trains the brain to be highly attentive and efficient while performing mentally demanding tasks. Even when only one language is used, the brain persistently stays alert. As a result, those who speak multiple languages display increased concentration, better memory, and superior decision making skills by focusing on pertinent facts while disregarding irrelevant information.

An exceptional performance to mental flexibility is of course appreciated but the most appealing benefit of linguistic diversity occurs later in life. In a research led by neuropsychologists from the University of California, San Diego, bilingual experiences measured greater resistant to onset of dementia and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease when compared to their monolingual counterparts. It appears that the higher the proficiency, the better the protection against cognitive decline. This goes to show that mastering multiple languages offers benefits that go beyond the obvious. Perhaps, multilingualism’s incredible side effects could serve as a motivation to acquire a new language!

Localization Gone Wrong

Globalizing a business entity is a demanding task. While localization is vital when expanding internationally, translation discrepancies could lead to considerable losses if not done correctly. Check out some of the most notable blunders from high profile companies.

1.      KFC: While their “finger lickin’ good” campaign received great response state side, the infamous slogan was not so appetizing when the company opened its first chains in China as it was accidentally translated the phrase to “Eat your fingers off”. Although the blunder did not lead to any significant consequences to the restaurant brand, the slogan definitely did not appeal to the public.  

2.      Coors: When American beer makers, Coors brought their “Turn It Loose” campaign to Spain, the tagline was mistranslated to an expression that is commonly interpreted as “Suffer from diarrhea” in Spanish. Far from resonating with consumers, the campaign attracted the attention of many for all the wrong reasons.

3.      Ford: To feature the distinctive mechanics of its automobiles, Ford launched a campaign in Europe meant to suggest “Every car has a high-quality body”. Problems arose when the translated slogan turned out to amount to “Every car has a high-quality corpse”. This horrific translation was definitely not the best way to make a sale.

4.      HSBC Bank: In 2009, HSBC extended its “Assume Nothing” campaign to a number of countries overseas. Unfortunately, the message was translated into “Do Nothing”, not the best image to be associated with. Since the blunder, the company has resorted to a more translation friendly tagline: “The world’s local bank”. 

5 Key Business Lessons from Mark Zuckerberg

1. "Find that thing you are super passionate about. That's the guiding principle for me. On hard days, I really just step back, and that’s the thing that keeps me going." –Mark Zuckerberg

Passion: Having the passion will keep you moving even amidst adverse situations. Every obstacle in the way then becomes a learning experience, a stepping stone to advancement. Passion is what fuels perseverance and is one of the key ingredients to success.

2. "I think as a company, if you can get those two things right--having a clear direction on what you are trying to do and bringing in great people who can execute on the stuff--then you can do pretty well." 

People: Establish a culture that encourages creativity and empowers action. It is important to select employees who are the right fit for the company’s culture. Skills could be acquired over time but passion and interests cannot be trained. 

3. “Hackers believe that something can always be better, and that nothing is ever complete. There's a hacker mantra that you'll hear a lot around Facebook offices: Code wins arguments " 

Product: Innovations will bring continuous improvement. Don’t be afraid to experiment and execute your vision in the most effective way. In Mark’s words: “Move fast and break things. Unless you are breaking stuff, you are not moving fast enough.” 

4. “At Facebook, we're inspired by technologies that have revolutionized how people spread and consume information. They encouraged progress. They changed the way society was organized. They brought us closer together."

Purpose: A company built on purpose instills a sense of belonging in both employees and its customer base. Rather than merely building a product, creating a movement, an experience and a mindset amass a much greater following in the long term. 

5.“Sheryl has been my partner in running Facebook and has been central to our growth and success over the years." 

Partnerships: When operating a business, consider it a team sport, where teamwork is incredibly crucial for output. Diverse talents could boost                     capabilities while balancing out weakness. Whether they are investors or consultants, a team would help make more appropriate decisions than any one individual would. 

Singapore: One Fine City

With its reputation for impeccable cleanliness and safety, the city-state is also home to some of the most bizarre laws around everyday activities. Although many of these could be considered harmless in your home country, remember to think twice before acting next time you’re in town!

1. Chewing Gum

One of the most well-known laws among foreigners, Singapore strictly enforces a ban on importing chewing gum. However, as a result of the US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, the ban has been partially lifted. Since 2004, licensed professionals are allowed to sell “therapeutic” gum to those with medical prescription.  

2. Late night public drinking

 Due to an increase in cases of rioting linked to consumption of alcohol, a recent law effective as of   April 1^st, 2015 prohibits drinking in public places from 10:30 pm to 7am. Under the new law, sales     of takeaway alcohol are also banned. Those convicted could be fined up to 1,000 SGD while repeated offences could face up to 3 months in prison.

3. Not flushing the toilet 

It is against the law to not flush the toilet after use. Random spot checks are conducted from time to time. If you are caught failing to flush a public toilet, it can cost you up to 500 SGD.

4. Littering

 “Accidentally” dropped your candy wrapper? Litterers can face a 1,000 SGD fine as well as community work orders, where they have to pick up trash in public while donning a “CWO” vest, intended to publicly embarrass convicted offenders. Along with littering, spitting is also banned in Singapore.

5. Tapping into unsecured internet connection

Trying to “borrow” your neighbor’s Wi-Fi? Violation of the Computer Misuse Act could lead to a 10,000 SGD fine and up to three years in jail. Make sure to ask for permission before accessing an unsecured wireless network!

                    

Google Launches Crowdsource on Android

On August 29^th, 2016, Google launched the Crowdsource application on Google Play. Despite being known for its artificial intelligence team, its newest pilot project is looking for a human touch. Targeting user contribution to improve the quality of Google’s services, the pilot project allows users to complete brief tasks such as text translation, image transcription and validate image recognition.

Described as “simple tasks that have a huge impact”, the tech giant urges users to take a couple of seconds during their spare time to “make the internet a better place” or more precisely, enhance the quality of services such as Google Maps and Google Translate.  Those who are multilingual can assist in creating and verifying translations. As for those who are not as language savvy, participation is still encouraged through the forms of image transcription and handwriting recognition, which mostly consist of blurry images of street signs.

Already known for its history of rewarding those who test drive their services, this app currently does not offer any sort of compensation to the surprise of many. In response to the negative criticisms, Google has expressed that the app is not the final form factor. Perhaps, we could expect some perks later down the line. 

5 Hacks to Boost Productivity at Workplace

Check out these few simple tips to increase productivity in workplace.

1.      Create to-do lists:
Prioritizing is greatly beneficial especially when there are a lot of tasks at hand. Time allocation will not only keep you on track thus preventing procrastination, but also provided needed motivation to get through a long to-do list.

2.      Take breaks in between:
Productivity is not measured by the number of hours you are glued to your desk. Instead, getting out of your work environment can reduce mental fatigue and refresh creativity. For maximum enjoyment, refrain from setting a strict time limit when taking breaks as they are more effective when taken as you see fit.

3.      Minimize potential distractions:
In this day and age where our society is becoming increasingly hyper-connected, distractions are everywhere. While taking short breaks from work could help you regain focus, moderation is key. As distractions are some of the biggest productivity killers, implementing measures to help you control these unnecessary disturbances is crucial.

4.      Set ambitious yet within-reach goals:
Whether it is personal or professional goals, you are more like to perform productively for the sake of personal challenge. Goal setting provides self-discipline as well as a sense of accomplishment when these goals are met.

5.      Reward yourself for motivation:
Incentives can come in various forms whether it is time off from work or a purchase that has been on your to-buy list. Rewards can drive motivation as it offers more strive to power through daily mundane tasks. 

Why you are older in Korea!

In Korea, attention paid to relative ages is much more accentuated than Western culture as it dictates the nature of interactions between two people. In a culture where the language reflects the relationship between the speaker and the subject, it is nothing out of the ordinary to be asked about your age in the first few seconds of meeting one another. One thing to note is that Koreans determine age by the East Asian age reckoning system. A concept and practice originated in China, the system was traditionally adopted by various cultures in East Asia. While, Korea is one of the remaining nations that still practice this custom.

With the East Asian age reckoning system, one year is added to a person’s age at the beginning of each calendar year. This puts newborns at 1 year old. Hence, no matter what day of the year you were born on, you are essentially the same age as everyone else born in that same calendar year. Depending on the time of the year, a person’s age could differ from the conventional age counting system by as much as 2 years. For instance, in Korea, if a baby happens to be born on December 31^st, he/she will be turning two years old on New Year’s Day, when in fact the infant would just be turning two days old based on their biological age from birth. Nonetheless, there are exceptions to the use of this counting system. As a matter of fact, the Western system is designated for all legal procedures and regulations regarding age limit. So to save yourself the trouble of calculating your Korean age next time you are visiting Korea, it is always acceptable to tell someone your birth year as an alternative! 

Tokyo 2020: a tech-filled event

Japan, a nation known for its technological innovations, is setting out to host the most futuristic Olympics we have ever seen in 2020. From robots directing visitors around the stadiums to self-driving cars criss-crossing the streets of Tokyo, the country hopes to launch ambitious tech ventures that will help boost local economy and leave lasting impressions.

One of the most automated nations in the world, Japan aims to continue its reputation by launching an instant translation app for visitors during the 2020 Olympics. Designed by Panasonic, the application is programmed so that when one speaks into the mobile device, there audio will be translated into a different language.  Although there are already an abundance of translation applications on the market, this specific proposal boasts instantaneously translations and is intended for use on a more complex level. It is anticipated to provide great assistance even in medical emergency situations. Moreover, the electronic giant hopes to add to the software a function for visitors to scan Japanese signboards and translates them on the spot. The software will be available for download on mobile devices as well as on computers and phones at tourist dense spots like train stations and tourist attractions.

Already setting the tone with Japanese prime minister’s jaw-dropping entrance at Rio’s ending ceremony, it is highly anticipated what Tokyo has in store for the 2020 Olympic games. 

Confucius

A prominent figure in China, Confucius’s legacy extends beyond East Asia. Born on September 28^th, 551 BC, Confucius was most commonly known as Kongzi among those around him. Aimed to make education widely available, he devoted his life to mastering and teaching the purpose of social improvement. As a firm believer of self-cultivation, he pioneered teaching as a form of character building, rather than mere knowledge acquisition. Confucianism upholds itself with practical aspects of life, specifically social interactions. From personal manners to family relations, his method of teachings revolves around self-improvement and is built on the basis of moral and ethical grounds. Despite not making significant impact on Chinese culture during his time, Confucius’ teachings were made into an elaborate set of rules by his disciples and grandson, Zisi after his death. Continuing his philosophical school, ideals of Confucianism continued to spread and eventually reached the royal courts of China. To this day, he is widely considered as one of the most influential teachers in Chinese history.