I was born in Berkeley, California, then moved to Taipei, Taiwan when I was two and then moved back to California seven years later in 1988.  I went to UCSD and USC for my studies and eventually I became a Mandarin teacher.

I was the youngest child in a very large extended family, and since Chinese mostly emphasized the father’s family even in recent times, I was closer with my cousins on my father’s side.  Since Chinese are also quite hierarchal in our approach to treating family members, I learned to subdue my outgoing personality and my tendency to yell and tell people what to do since my family members took care of those responsibilities.  In the classroom I tend to prefer discussion and dialogue rather than yelling and put-downs due to this reason.

My goal for my students is for them to develop into human beings who are aware of the difficulties and processes of compromise, but are willing to go to their wits’ end to do so rather than fighting or becoming militant.  This is part of the purpose of multi-culturism, but extends greatly beyond simply enrichment or enjoyment of another culture.

I like to listen to popular classical music (not the type music professors listen to, just the common ones):

Here is one of my favorite movie scenes from Immortal Beloved:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qWbcosJdtU&feature=related

It’s my favorite because it shows how Beethoven turned the negative past of his childhood into an inspiration  (the abuse by his father, I’m told, was likely exaggerated – likewise his motivation for the piece is also conjectured).

I am also a proud father, this is my son at 5 months old.