As I was running out the door this morning, I reached over to grab a hard copy of my ORIENTED business plan to work on some revisions during my free time today. It's been a really long time since I've touched it so when I pulled "it" out, I was reminded of just where the past two years of my life went. Let's just say that it was... an emotional moment.

My first thought when I saw this enormous pile was --> What are you NUTS?! What is WRONG with you! I don't even want to state the number of revisions the business plan has gone through and I'm not even sure why I bothered to keep all the copies! To torture myself further perhaps? Yes that's it. Perfectly logical.

I kept trying to justify in my mind that I'm on the right track and that I should be thankful that we didn't go for funding with the previous business models since other community websites that we followed are now GONE and that I have the unusual opportunity to revise and that we DO have a great name and that the timing couldn't be better with China and Taiwan's entry into the WTO and that I did the right thing to slow down and try to lead a more balanced life than I did last year when I was REALLY psycho about ORIENTED and blah blah BLAH!

But then I sat back and reminded myself of why I got involved in this project in the first place -- .ORG, .COM, all of it -- so for my own SANITY let me humor myself here and spell out again *why* I am so committed to this. Sigh... once again:

International professionals/corporations/organizations from the West have a lot to offer to this region. Their influence -- whether in small local firms or with large multinationals, or in public office, NGOs or as start-up companies or as English teachers -- is of great value as Greater China endeavors to upgrade their local economies and living standards.

With fewer expat packages being offered, taking the plunge and moving over is never easy. Basic services, from finding housing, employment, and information in general, to simply acclimating to a whole new way of life and meeting others who have similar interests in being here, are needed. Can ORIENTED help itself (as a revenue-generating and sustainable business model) to help them (international professionals/businesses/organizations), to help THEM (local economies)?

YES? NO?

Anybody? Anybody?

I think I'm losing my mind. As Ben said yesterday in my Guestbook, either I am onto something... or I am ON something. Me thinks it's the latter of the two, and yet given the state of affairs as I type this, do I even have a right to complain? Or is this a sign of my getting back to 'normalcy'.

Actually... I am the last person to know what 'normal' is.

Never mind.


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