In 2007, I was managing a call center that had Apple as a client. We took tech support calls for portables, iPods and customer service calls for customers following up on their repairs and replacement units. There was one time that a happy customer sent an email to Steve Jobs expressing his delight for a call he just had with one of our agents. Steve forwarded that email to one of his managers to pass the good word along down to us. You know what he wrote on that email?

:)

Yep. That's it. But I was happy because at least I have something from Steve Jobs. That he appreciated what we did. Although it is highly likely that Steve's assistant may have been the one who forwarded that email but I think that's not the case (Steve's known to handle his emails and reply to customers personally). Although I didn't really get the direct email from Steve since it has been forwarded several time before it reached me. Although it was just an email from sjobs@apple.com and not really something I could touch - I was happy.

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When I was a kid, I remember I read in a science book in our school library that a human being's life expectancy is 80 years old. The first thought that came to mind was, "Gee, that's too short." I know that today, it is much lower than 80.

When I graduated high school, it occurred to me that normal human beings are going to spend about 90% of their adult life working for some company. Monday to Friday, 8 to 5. "That's just not fun." Is this what life supposed to be?

Today, Steve Jobs passed away. He was only 56.

Yet, he was able to "put a dent in the universe." I know now that life isn't really too short. We have enough time to change the world.

Always had been my inspiration, always will be. Below is the iconic commencement address he gave that I always watch from time to time.

"Stay hungry. Stay foolish."