Escape

Lately I've been taking Mini-vacations at work. It's easy and it only takes a few minutes when the phone isn't ringing you just let your mind drift away... here's my latest trip:

I look out the window in my boss' office, today I can see the ocean; it glistens in the distance like a mirror. It doesn't always look so beautiful or clear but today is a treat. I can see the cars bustling about, going in all directions. The light reflects of their windows & mirrors... it looks like an erratic sea of cars, with each reflection being its own wave crest. The 405 looks like a healthy flowing artery, much unlike the clog it'll experience when we all decide to go home; nonetheless, it looks sane, purposeful and in working order. To the right there's the lush Veteran's memorial, such a nice site amongst the sea of cars & concrete.

Time to come back... work needs to get done... it was quick yet relaxing. Till next time...

Where did my Funnies go?

It's been a long time since I wrote a more-funny-than-usual post. In fact, I can't seem to make fun of situations... b/c I am actually happy - not that I wasn't happy before... but now, I'm just contently happy. Wow... that doesn't sound happy at all. In fact, it seems that we must be ecstatically happy, or not happy at all, but contently happy is good. It's stable and slightly predictable and it allows us to really enjoy the ride. Bring on the C-happy!

Here's the paradox in funnies, in order to be funny the 'funnies' have to be witty, sad, tragic, mean spirited, negative and/or make fun, in any combination, of the aforementioned; possibly adding a hint of other 'stuff' I've forgotten to mention.  

However, despite this oxymoron... I have found something rather amusing in the last couple of weeks - and no, it's not people on the freeway. It's Politics! Oh god no! Even I know not to go there... it's, it's the fact that the more positive thinking I try to do, the less I can make fun of people. Though this may not sound funny, it actually is! It requires tremendous amounts of energy to dedicate mean spirited thoughts to any given subject/individual. Not to mention the possible retaliation one must be prepared for. In fact, ignoring it is much easier and possibly even selfish; it boils down to: I just don't care - now there is a funny remnant. Ok... so maybe it's not that I don't care... but then where did my funnies go? Somehow I feel like this is ominous... is this C-happy here to stay? Have I completely lost my witticism? Ah! ghastly thought and yet it's a catch 22, so long as you miss your funnies, they are not gone for sure.

Here's a catch 22 quote:

" He (Yossarian) had decided to live forever or die in the attempt"

Being hungry

Lately I've been pondering what 'being hungry' means. Finally, I had a mini-epiphany... I was eating this chocolate chip scone and it tasted sooooooooo good. Then I had lunch, as if breakfast hadn't been enough, and that also tasted sooooo good. Not being 'starving' hungry, could it be possible that the food was absolutely delicious today although in past times it hasn't been? And then it hit me (slap your forehead with the palm of your hand for added effect) somedays things are just better. Not only food, work, driving, weather, career, etc... Pause for a second... career? are people hungry in their careers? Is it safe to assume this hunger is in pursuit of success? Is that why we crave good-work days? Or even better... is that why some people crave job status... is it sheer hunger? Not too long ago I would've answered 'Yes' - emphatically so. In fact, I would've also said, not only do we need to be hungry but we need to be seeking out opportunities to be hungry and demonstrate what a voracious appetite we have. Now... now I'm not so sure. I'm hungry, yes... but just hungry to do things well and although I think that's enough to prepare you for opportunities, I'm not so sure if it necessarily makes you successful. (Success being a discussion for some other time... 'cause that's going to take a while)

Back to sheer career hunger. So, some artists are hungry to express their art; some executives are hungry to make 'things' happen; sales people close deals; academics publish papers - and all these people share one common thing - Targeted Hunger. So, what happens to the rest of us who are hungry but don't have a set goal just yet? I used to feel like such a loser b/c I absolutely believed that I have it in me to be better and yet I couldn't seem to focus on any one thing for too long. I am now trying a different strategy - hunger rationing. Ration hunger to satisfying doses, which will keep you hungry longer and ultimately more focused. In other words, that same fueling hunger sometimes burns us up. Wow! I guess sometimes eating those not-good-for-your-body scones turns out good for your mind. 

Funnies

Generally speaking my blog is a bit... blah?.... just b/c there's no pretty pictures to look at, and we all know that pretty pictures make a world of a difference (my 4yr old nephew can attest to that). So today I'll 'spice' things around w/ 2 pics I found cute & 'oh-so-perfect' for those really, really slow days. Here we go:

(credits: Anneke's gallery from Picasa web Albums... and no, I don't know her (I think it's a her) but I loved this picture)

Isn't this one just perfect?.... 

Olympics

The Olympics are almost over. There was a chinese frenzy, all over the world, over this momentous event. Not that there wasn't a Greek frenzy for the last Olympics but let's face it, there's a lot more chinese than there are greeks. This commotion has got me thinking... thinking about what it is like to be an Olympian. WOW.... doesn't that just give you thrilling goose bumps? Imagine being able to call yourself an 'Olympian'.... wow.

Funny enough, they are not that different to the rest of us; except, of course, for their record setting feats. They get married, they have children, they go to school and work-out (if you can call it a workout). Above all, they have fierce determination & incredible work (or workout) ethic. And, despite scandals of some athletes using drugs to enhance their performance, we think of Olympians as very honorable individuals. Yes, along w/ the Nobel Prizes, medalling in the Olympics is generally regarded as having achieved a rare pinnacle reserved for the 'honorable' few. 

So, this got me thinking even more... why? After all they are just athletes. That, was the catch! I came to the conclusion they are not just athletes. They are held to a completely different standard than the rest of us. The Olympic Spirit carefully details in their mission: "Building a peaceful and better world... in the Olympic Spirit which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play." In essence, Olympians are ambassadors, of honour, integrity, kindness, etc... But, somewhere in the unspoken they also represent THE hard-work of their nation. It is the latter that makes us most proud and for a brief 2 weeks we root for them, cheer while watching swimming or track & field events, thousands of miles away. We just hope that through them our country might be perpetuated in history, and with that our heritage will be also. For those who care, and it's not everyone, it feels that we share in their glory when they win... and frankly it feels nice. It's a bunch of people putting their best foot forward, everyday, for the 2 weeks they are under public scrutiny and they show us, admirably well that this can be a better world. Then, we're back to the grind, the news about how politicians can't make up their mind with the state budget, how Russia invaded Georgia under some bogus excuse, how Obama & McCain are going at it again, etc... we drown our are senses with negative news for another 4 years... until the Olympics role around again. Ok, so it's not that bad, but I make it sound good, don't I?

Talk about dreams Jay...

You are walking along side a creek... alone. There is no rush; you hear the leaves crinkle as you step on them. It's a cool autumn afternoon and the sun will soon lazily set. The stream of water next to you soothingly bubbles & turns it's way to the ocean. You won't walk that far, soon you'll turn to go home but for now the walk feels great. No worries in the world, you just left all that troubles you behind. Nothing is due anytime soon little things like the breeze caressing your cheek, distract you. It's absolutely beautiful; it's quiet & peaceful; it's not perfect and yet it is.

You keep walking, you feel warm but not hot. Leaving the creek behind, the path leads you to the top of a hill from which you can see the neighboring town. Thin streams of smoke creep from the chimney of some houses in the distance. You stare and absorb it all in... you hope you'll never forget how little and insignificant you are and how wonderful that feels. Life has a wonderful way of unfolding in front of your eyes.

End of July

Oh my!!!! it's the end of July and I haven't posted anything this month. To be honest, there's been a lot on my mind. 

Let's recap the month in just a few words:

• Lang Lang, Tchaikovsky & Fireworks: Sooooooooo much fun. We went to the Hollywood Bowl, had a terrific picnic with waaaaaaaaay too much food left over. Some delish Empanadas, Chicken, Chinese food, champagne (or was that wine)... and of course great music. 
• Julie Andrews concert: Again we went to the Hollywood Bowl (I was on a roll when I bought the tickets). Although she didn't sing much it was still nice to see her MC her event. I'm guessing that might be one of the last time she sings in public so I'm really glad we got to see her.
• Viewsonic Dragonboat Tournament: Yay!!!! We had a blast of a weekend. Although Alpine didn't medal this year (and we were close... oh so close) We did medal with KG. Just bronzes... but SF.... (pause for effect) HERE WE COME!

So, I hope to write more often... but for now, that's July in a nutshell :-)

Excessive Drama Anonymous (EDA)

I'm drama-free and so can you! - Join the EDA Now!

Seriously, we all have friends who have waaaaaaaaaaayyyy too much drama in their life. We wonder, Why? It's not as hard from our perspective... just make a decision & stick to it, whatever it may be.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about this 'drama' is that it is increasingly negative. We offer good advice, or so we think, often times our friend agrees with us and yet nothing changes. Some time later the same 'drama' arises and we innocently offer the same advice, perhaps with a different spin, and again nothing happens. After repeated offenses, we get tired and stop caring. Our attitude changes from a caring-one to a really-don't-care about this problem. What's worse, we feel like bad friends b/c we still like this person, we just don't like their problems. We can see that our friends do the same thing and mysteriously expect different results. Let me tell ya, not gonna happen!
The Excessive Drama Anonymous club allows friends and drama queens/kings to communicate openly. Friends can be honest about how excess drama is damaging their friendship and moreover our kings & queens are exposed, in a friendly environment, to situations MUCH MUCH worse than their own. Let us use a classic example: World Hunger. There are people starving to death in some countries. People who's biggest worry is what they will eat next and not what they'll do about a relationship they don't want to be in, a bad boss, or the horrible service they just received at a restaurant. We want to illustrate that this type of drama is actually a luxury that can easily be done away with. Of course not all drama is of the same nature, and we don't intend to eliminate drama altogether, this might put reality TV producers out of a job and in increasing hard economic times, we don't want to do that. However, we do want to reduce the amount of excess drama due to selfish, egocentric thinking by exposing our friends to problems much greater than theirs.

Stay posted for the soon-to-be formed EDA: Where people meet to find out how their problems are actually really small when put in perspective.

(Definition of drama-free: Overall positive attitude and positive problem solving skills. Ex: like fat-free milk still has a little fat in it - life will always have a little drama.)

Music

Can someone explain this to me? I simply don't understand... We listen to music, we make music (or at least what we call music), some can't live without out it, others don't need it but I can't think of anyone who hates music. People hate genre's of music but everyone likes music somewhere, somehow. But WHY???
It transcends, cultural, ethnic & age barriers. It always touches us somehow... and it's not only the lyrics, it's the whole package. I fact, it doesn't even have to have lyrics. We listen to music when we are happy, sad, celebrating, mourning, bored, exercising... pretty much anywhere... and WHY?
Music truly permeates every aspect of society and yet I don't know why we need it. It's as if the frequencies resonate within our bodies and almost massage our hearing sense. And like with any massage, people have different preferences in this case Classical, R&B, Rock 'n Roll, etc... So, is it possible that our hearing sense is the most overindulged? I mean, how often do you get an eye massage for your vision (if there is such a thing)? or take the time to stare at something beautiful? Or how often do we touch things that 'feel' good? Of course there is the taste sense, but hey! if you don't eat you die, so that one doesn't count. Which brings us to our final sense, smell. In any given day, how many times do you seek those 'good' smelling things? You know, like bring an orange to work and sniffing it? (hehe, I like orange smell, obviously)
But still I am not convinced... any better ideas out there?

Bajofondo Tango Club

Just last night we went to see this group and they were AWESOME. I fact this video doesn't do them as much justice as the live performance. Enjoy!

Crackberry

Apparently people addicted to Blackberries are said to be on Crackberry. I've heard of this term before and it actually makes sense when you hear it. But to see the actual addiction is actually quite... what should we call it... entertaining?
Just the other day I was waiting for the elevator with 3 other people from my same floor, but different offices. Except for me, everyone else had Blackberries and all were looking, very attentively, at their little devices. It struck me as funny, that only minutes after leaving their desk, they felt compelled to check their Blackberry.
I kept thinking about this as we waited for the elevator and decided to look at this from a different perspective. Giving them the full benefit of the doubt, let's assume that they were not checking e-mail. Well, what are the other possibilities - surf the web? check their calendar? check some document? hum... OK, I'm running out of ideas. Of course the aforementioned are all, most likely done better, quicker & more efficiently at the computer YOU WERE JUST AT.
Let's again step back and give them even more benefit of the doubt... maybe they just had a meeting and they are not leaving their office but rather going back to their office. It is obvious that you MUST check your e-mail, personal e-mail, voicemail, calendar, road trip itinerary, other people's calendar, etc... while waiting for the elevator. Those 2 minutes that it takes for the elevator to arrive will really allow you the time to focus, execute & deliver! Because, don't forget to maximize your 'elevator' time... while wasting those 2 hrs surfing the web when you are back at work.
The truth is that you don't want to talk to anyone. You don't want to accidentally make eye contact - why would you? you do after all live in a society. Be honest and look at the oh-so-interesting rug if you must, because both you and I know that those 2 min of checking your Crackberry really don't make much of a difference.

duh... Nuting...

Uf... the long weekend is over and man.... it was good! Right away images of what you did over the 3 day weekend pop into your head. Perhaps a BBQ? or cold beers? or both? ... some family time and/or a movie. 

Regardless of what you did, your understanding today is permeated by what you did yesterday. This, of course, explains why violent criminals tend to act in recurring violent ways. Or people who have been discriminated feel a constant sense of persecution. But... what if you did nothing? What if this past memorial day weekend you spent one of these days doing absolutely nothing. What would you feel? what would you think? I kindly volunteered myself to conduct this experiment. Although guilt did at some points try to assault me, I skillfully and masterfully avoided it, becoming the ultimate couch potatoe. For those of you who know me, my motto is very simple - "If you must do something, do it well." Here are some thoughts that went through my mind in those 8hrs of nothingness. 

• Wow... life is short... and all I've done is watch 'Law and Order'. (this was an instance of guilt)
• I'm hungry
• hum... NCIS... is that any good?
• I'm sleepy
• Nah... back to 'Law and Order'
• I'm thirsty
• I should do laundry... nah...
• Ouch... I can't feel my butt... is that normal?
• I'm hungry again... too lazy to stand up (thankfully)
• Phone rings - pick up phone - short 2min conversation doesn't affect my 'nothingness' experiment

The preliminary conclusion of my study seems to point towards a very 'primal' reversal of the mind. Sleep at night, however, remained undisturbed. Eating habits were slightly affected - mostly a slight reduction of food intake due to an unprecedented increase in the laziness factor. However, the most important observation presented itself today. I actually looked forward to coming to work. I know! Incredibly... crazy. There is an underlying sense of accomplishment we get from doing things and nothingness stripped that away. It was good... good to appreciate what we have all the time and what we think we are giving up. The aftermath of a day of nothingness turned out fuller than I imagined.  

HOPE

I'm about to check whether I'm the 166 Million dollar winner of last night's MEGA. Notice how I'm hoping for the best! not the 10mil prize that maybe 20 other winners might have gotten. Nooooo, I'm greedy and want it all to myself. Funny thing is that part of me DOES NOT want to hope. The part that will be irreparably crushed once I find out that my $1 or $3 investment did not pay off after all. It truly is puzzling that we might think this way... we call it jinxing or bad luck, but the truth is that we HOPE all the time. We hope the girl putting on her face in the car next to us, during rush hour, will not hit us as her car dangerously swerves into our lane. We hope our favorite team will not mess up, in those last 40 seconds of the game, the small 2pt lead they have. We hope that all our environmental problems are someone else's. We hope that the tire around our waist will magically disappear in the middle of the night. We hope that tales such as Starwars, Harry Potter or even the old Arabian Nights are true somewhere. We hope... hope... hope... and then I realized how important it is to hope, to believe in something outside of ourselves. Perhaps it's not the most realistic and it might never happen but it keeps us happy to believe. Hope does keep us alive and now that I'm about to check the results you should feel how my heart is beating; for once I'm hoping, without restraints, that I might be the lucky winner... wish me luck!

PS: word of advice - not all we hope for is so unrealistic.... those 'hopes' that can come true are called dreams and they are yours for the taking.

On Writing a Blog

I'm sitting in front of the computer wondering what I should write. I have this urge to write but I'm coming up with some really bad ideas. In fact... I can't even type straight today, and no, I'm not drunk. Plus, the keyboard is pissing me off b/c the keys are really hard and I'm messing up - A LOT!
Perhaps this comes easy to some people. They find inspiration in things in their life and are able to quickly write something... today I feel like writing.... let's write:
So I ask myself, "who is my intended audience?" and I realize that it's everone and also no one. I realize that we truly write for ourselves. There is just something magical in being able to put down in words what we are thinking and partly what we are. It is part of our legacy, like painting or sculpting; it is our footprint. It is not our actions that last through time, it's the impact of these actions and their physical representation that endure that test. So, what this post offers you today - you are reading it and though the only physical thing you can touch is your screen - you are seeing words imprinted with 'me'.

Alma Mater...

Has it ever happened that you meet someone who knows more about where you live than you do? It has to me and it was awfully embarrassing, mostly because they knew even more about the area in which they live in. I often wonder about our thirst & hunger to travel around the world to see & experience exotic, romantic, historic or simply naturally beautiful places.
My oversimplified reasoning is as follows: We value based on what we know. We know that Gold is valuable b/c it's scarce. We value time b/c 1- we get paid for it & 2- it's also a limited resource. However, what makes us value these things most is the fact that we KNOW where they stand in the big scheme of things. Therefore, assuming the premise above is correct, can we then really appreciate the magnificence, or lack thereof, of other places if our own understanding of the place we should know best is very limited? Redundantly, could we really value gold if it weren’t scarce?
As some of you may know I live in LA, but not the glamorous part. I don't live within walking distance to Disneyland (thank god!) or any famous restaurant like Nobu or Sushi Roku. In fact, in my life it takes at least 20min to get anywhere decently fun and that's if you don't hit traffic on the 405. In response to this driving headache I started to explore my neighborhood and found a few cozy restaurants that are now sponsored by the Shojo salary. I also found a wonderful artery-clogging old-fashioned Foster Freeze that still serves the traditional soft serves dipped in that unremarkable chocolate that is just crunchy but flavorless. And, although I can't compare our local soft serve to Italian gelato in some cozy street in Venice, I'm proud it's in our neighborhood and that I now know where it is. So, I'd say to you fellow reader - GO... go beyond your front door but not past your city line and explore your area; for once you understand the beauty, or lack thereof, in your neighborhood will you truly be able to appreciate new destinations.

Cardinal Rules of Lane Changing on the 405 (plus a bonus)

1. Never, under any circumstance, use your blinkers - the pretty light might distract other drivers causing them to hit you.
2. Always STOP briefly as you change lanes. This is especially difficult to master as you might often get hit by the car behind you. The true 'lane-changer/stopper' will be able to change lanes, stop and go just as the car behind is about to hit you. An expert will be able to get the car behind their car to hit the car behind them; that's powerful!
3. DON'T LOOK! You might see that you are surrounded by a sea of drivers and this might intimidate you from changing lanes. Don't forget, it is your inalienable right to change lanes.
4. Wait until the very, very last minute to change lanes before your exit. You must change a minimum of 2 lanes. 1 lane is for rookies - it would only show an amateuristic level that every other driver will instantly recognize. You might become easy prey for those seeking 'expert' status in point 2.

Bonus:

• HONK, HONK, HONK - if you don't like how someone just cut you off. Nevermind the fact you just did it at least 5 times in the last 3 minutes of weaving. No one is allowed to drive as poorly as you and you should let them know this.

There might be more situations that I'll keep adding to my list as I continue my 'commuting' research. Otherwise known as MDV (Moronic Driver Venting).

Drive-'o-pedia I

Most of us have at one point or another driven on a freeway. If you are from California, in particular southern California and more explicitly the LA area, you know what I'm talking about.
So, in the time that I've spent commuting I've noticed certain 'characters' on the road. The following is my attempt at compiling & recording these phenomenal human traits, displayed ONLY while driving.

The peek&assault strategy:

• This car will give you the feeling they want to change lanes by the way the car swerves towards your lane. They won't signal but by now you you might think you are becoming clairvoyant due to your fantastic defensive driving skills you have acquired in the 1.5hrs you've been driving. Since you are in a good mood you'll leave enough space so that they can change lanes w/out causing an accident. Then... for a good 10min, during which you cover a whole 1/2mi, you will wait for them to change lanes. In the mean time other more savvy drivers, who you did not see coming and never used their turn signals, have moved in front of you (for some reason your clairvoyant skills are only good on that one driver). After over 10min you become aggravated that they still don't change lanes and discard your powerful psychic skills as just a glitch. You start to move close to the vehicle in front of you and as soon as your hood is right next to their bumper, they suddenly decide to change lanes. Not only do they almost hit you, but they STOP as soon as they change lanes (see cardinal rules of lane changing). At this point you are severely annoyed and your good mood has been ruined. You have now become a victim of the Peek&Assault strategy. (but wait! there is hope - the P&A anonymous group meets every Wednesday at your local overpriced gas station. Please check the website as we have ever competing numbers of gas stations willing to host this meeting).

Stay tuned for the next 'trait' I'll be posting next week. Until then, drive safe!

Workout Weekend

It's Monday morning and for the Nth time I wondered where my weekend went. Is there a vast weekend black hole somewhere between Friday & Monday? Should we appease the god of time in order to get more frequent 3-day 'feeling' weekends? (and I don't mean sucking up to the boss).
On a more practical level, however, should we rule out these fantastical science fiction notions, is it possible that time flies both quicker & slower over periods when we have have much to do? For example, has a morning ever flown by and by lunch time you've accomplished so much? (or at least it feels like it). If it really flew by then how did you get so much done. On the contrary, ever been stuck in a meeting that drags on and on? It might be the same period of time, and yet the results are completely different.
So, what is better? not remembering how the morning felt because we were so busy and so enthralled by our work that lunch time came and we didn't even notice? or, is it better to be agonizing during that long unproductive meeting? Technically we are supposed to 'stop & smell the roses' - which just means live more in the 'now'. So, is this living in the 'now' what changes our perception of time? Meaning, perhaps we are enjoying ourselves so much being busy that being bored to death at a meeting is just torturesome. I of course don't have an answer... but I sure feel puzzled by feeling good about something I can't remember well as opposed to feeling bored-out-of-my-mind in the 'now'. I'm not making fun of the 'now', I think it's very important; I just can't seem to find it attractive all the time.
This weekend was one of those puzzling times... got lots & lots & lots done... slept like a baby... worked out like crazy. Now it's Monday and I wonder... where did my workout weekend go?