The Essential Me

bloglovin.com - I blog and Im lovin' it. Great tool to create your own daily news feed.

Noticed bloglovin the other day and though would give it a try. The idea of being able to assemble my only daily blog blast has always been attractive.  I believe that the idea online is to create value and interest and that if someone discovers that in what I produce then they can subscribe.  Mailing lists are great if you want to monetize the people who read/follow you on the basis of the volume - but for those who have something to say I believe they can create money from the content and let people choose to follow.  "Indirect" following using tools like bloglovin are less overhead for the creators of content than "direct" tools like mailchimp, RSS, feedburner, etc. 

Indirect tools also give me more choice on when to view.  I dont live for a connected world. Love having the internet at my fingertips when I want it, but also quite ok with telling it to go away for a few days.  So my bloglovin feed comes in as daily emails and I can just wait for a quiet evening, or Saturday morning to savor my coffee and my blogs in peace and at a leisurely pace.

Perhaps my view is incorrect because i do not try to make a living from my blog - its just stuff I think about, discover, or just plan need to vent/rant about, and if the world likes or dislikes I really dont mind.  if it stimulates new connections with other people around the world with whom i would never have otherwise cross paths then all the better. The fact is that I like to write but I like to procrastinate even more.

So Im encouraging everyone I know to get themselves on bloglovin cos it works for me. There are probably equivalents out there but the fact that I found this one, and i work in teh tech space and spend hours every week looking for productivity enhancing tools, suggests that this one hit a unique space and message with me.  If it works for you then Im pleased for you.

Vegetarian restaurants in #Guangzhou - slowly "testing" them all. The first 2 in Tianhe close to home and Im a regular.

收藏广州素食地图。李志强提供

广州的素食馆地址与电话！为自己的健康加分，为地球母亲的环保加分！
[天河区]
>>文星素食馆
天河区龙口东路161号020-3885 4008
>>一天一素素食连锁
天河区天河路383号太古汇商场大食代美食广场 020-2808 6209
>>普天缘素食
天河区天河直街天河汇运动商城2楼(近时代广场) 020-2202 3068
>>怡新素食(总店)
天河区林和西路161号中泰国际广场4楼020-3831 0703
>>绿园健康蔬食料理
天河区龙口中路175号-197号华天国际广场2楼 020-8520 1211
>>莲慈素食馆
天河黄埔大道西668号赛马场汽车城东区02-1号020-

2222 3969 2222 3830
>>AGO从前自在文化素食餐厅
天河区体育东路48号020-8551 0726
>>素成斋素食会馆
天河区珠江新城临江大道57号南雅中和广场3楼020-3807 8083 3807 8820
>>香巴拉素食馆
天河区珠江新城华穗路172号星辰大厦2层020-28869000 28869111
>>一天一素素食连锁
天河区珠江新城金穗路28号华忆丽晶广场4楼406铺020-3820 8923
>>康怡园健康素食料理
天河区中山大道西86号(暨大师大BRT站) 020-3849 8329
>>岭南素味相逢素食馆
广东岭南职业技术学院大观中路492号020-2821 9913
>>食为天原素馆
天河区天河北路614号金海花园首层020-3873 6555 3873 6999
[越秀区]
>>素和敬素食餐厅
越秀区东风东路750号广联大厦三楼 020-8761 8853
>>怡新素食(东山店)
越秀区东风东路808号华宫大厦3楼(近东峻广场西侧) 020-3830 0047
>>莲花御品
越秀区观绿路16-18号020-81849866
>>雅韵轩(越秀公园店)
越秀区解放北路越秀公园内镇海楼旁020-8354 0377
>>素会
越秀区流花路1号流花公园西苑内020-8182 7180
>>大佛寺素食阁
越秀区西湖路大佛寺内020-8330 2126
>>宝香厨素食
越秀区寺右新马路41号佰盈商场2楼020-8738 4073
>>赛萨格尔素食印度餐厅
越秀区麓景路黄田直街1号广信商业中心酒店三楼020-8349 6911
>>菩提甘露坊
越秀区光孝路109号（光孝寺内）020-8890 1279
>>水云天素食馆
越秀区净慧路38-42号西边首层020-8107 2463
>>众生斋素食家庭厨房[需预订]
越秀区解放北路588号2楼020-8332 6940 133 0230 4604
>>慈生素食菜馆
越秀区净慧路76号020-8107 2976
>>素琴轩素食[需预订]
越秀区中山六路惠吉东17号020-83318729 186 7663 6360
>>梦幻花园有机素食餐厅
越秀区二沙岛清波路38号广东美术馆江堤首层020-8732 0368
[荔湾区]
>>佛有缘素食馆
荔湾区荔湾路幸福新村福儿路1号020-8125 0619 020-8125 0428
>>西来有缘素食
荔湾区康王南路293号(康王路与长寿路交界处) 020-3102 2522
>>恒素素食
荔湾区中山七路72号020-81028579 136 0977 7676
[海珠区]
>>多宝厨素食
海珠区海印桥南建基路24-25号(近红树湾家私) 020-3428 1251
>>紫竹林素食
海珠区南田路西77号 020-8426 3131
>>生机树素食
海珠区宝岗大道498号广百新一城3楼北区 020-8439 2338
>>佛世界素食社
海珠区同福中路牛奶厂街二圣宫前2-8号020-8424 4376
>>雅竹居素食体验馆[需预订]
海珠区江南西路99号侧入青葵大街23号 020-3440 1093
>>又一汤素食馆
海珠区东晓南路瑞南新村公交车站旁（由南往北方向）020-8407 9532
>>天水-精致蔬食料理[需预订]
海珠区工业大道中313号东方红艺术公社13580470717
>>慈香素食（自助餐）
海珠区南华中路247号020-84414391
>>禅意茶素
海珠区前进路晓港公园正门（旁边）020-84400079
>>天香养生素食[需预订]
海珠区艺洲路29-61号琴海居B座1101室18666014816
[白云区]
>>中庸素香阁
白云区机场路111号建发广场首层东侧020-6263 9886
>>海涵居素食
白云区乐嘉路和健二街10号020-8634 5360
[番禺区]
>>缘缘堂素食馆
番禺区市桥镇西城路30号铺020-8480 9198
>>行深素食馆
番禺区市桥富华东路180号二楼020-3480 5577 2913 1869
>>楷翔健康饮食料理
番禺区大石丽江花园渔人码头3楼305号020-2917 5793
>>天一素食
番禺区钟村屏岔道五羊茶城B132-138号137 1173 7426
>>嘉贤纯素美食(素食快餐配送)
番禺区大学城赤坎桥公交车站旁020-8235 2497
>>善缘素食
番禺区莲花山风景区内020-8486 5281
[花都区]
>>圆玄道观素食馆
花都区迎宾大道西广东圆玄道观内020-3686 1222
>>素之美养生餐厅
花都区百寿路与紫薇路交界金泰利大厦1-3层020-3771 2855

Success

If success is not morally and meaningfully defined before striving for it, it could already be failure from the start. ~ Stonepeace

"Live each day as if your last; Learn as if you will live forever" ~ Gandhi

"Yo napot, pacak!" Which, as somebody here must surely know, means "What's up, guys?" in Magyar, that peculiar non-Indo-European language spoken by Hungarians for which, given the fact that cognitive diversity is at least as threatened as biodiversity on this planet, few would have imagined much of a future even a century or two ago. But there it is: "Yo napot, pacak!" I said somebody here must surely know, because despite the fact that there aren't that many Hungarians to begin with, and the further fact that, so far as I know, there's not a drop of Hungarian blood in my veins, at every critical juncture of my life there has been a Hungarian friend or mentor there beside me. I even have dreams that take place in landscapes I recognize as the landscapes of Hungarian films, especially the early movies of Miklos Jancso.

via www.ted.com

Brilliant and unusual talk.

This Is All Your App Is: a Collection of Tiny Details

Fair warning: this is a blog post about automated cat feeders. Sort of. But bear with me, because I'm also trying to make a point about software. If you have a sudden urge to click the back button on your browser now, I don't blame you. I don't often talk about cats, but when I do, I make it count.

via www.codinghorror.com

Bias Lighting - coders prefer dark rooms, indirect light

I've talked about computer workstation ergonomics before, but one topic I didn't address is lighting. We computer geeks like it dark. Really dark. Ideally, we'd be in a cave. A cave … with an internet connection.

via www.codinghorror.com

366 Days, or How I Tricked Myself into Being Awesome

Back in 2007, we learned Jerry Seinfeld's productivity secret. Since then, more than a few of us have employed Seinfeld's trick to become more productive, and we're not alone. Here's how developer Chris Strom used Seinfeld's productivity secret to trick himself "into being awesome."

via lifehacker.com

I need to stop reading and start doing. But this story is hugely uplifting and inspiring to me personally.

real geeks die early // Good read. Done my own fair share of it. But work-life balance is about passions and impact of the outcome..

every once in a while i stumble upon an article from someone pointing out the dangers we geeks live in in terms of unhealthy work hours and our very own unhealthy mind set.

via norbu09.org

I used to do same sort of thing and partly what made me leave R&D - to get my life back on track. Subsequently have learnt that if you are engaged in what you are passionate about then you are never working. And you will have a healthy mindset.

Need for work-life balance comes about when the person is not really passionate about their outcomes. They may be obsessed with money, glory, image, but not about something that really matters.

It is amazing to see the difference when people are passionately engaged in "putting a dent in the world" and it os worthwhile. These people look after themselves, their loved ones, the environment, and all the while working what seems amazingly hard and focussed.

Yes You Do | Colipera

We can’t pretend that people’s opinions don’t matter, because they do, especially when we have responsibilities larger than ourselves: wife, husband, children, employees, business partners, and the like. What we all must continue to do is to seek the advice, support and input of those whom we respect, but we should not yearn for the approval or permission of “the world”. There is a big difference.

via colipera.com

Gunnar OPTIKS Eyewear – Benefits of wearing Gunnars | Gunnar Optiks Eyewear

The Problem:You spend most of your waking hours glued to your computer screen, smart phone, tablet or TV monitor. As the hours go by, you subject your eyes to harsh, high intensity blue light and glare from your screen. Constant viewing of digital screens can create visual stress, eye fatigue, dry eyes, irritation, and even headaches, leading to an obvious conclusion – staring at a computer for long hours can take a toll on your eyes.

via www.gunnars.com

Beautiful web site and looks like cool products. Blogged this as a reminder to revisit this when next need new glasses.

An Angry Father | Seeing Red in China via @seeingredinchina & iChinadian

Earlier last week, I was on the phone with an artist friend of mine in Beijing. We talked about the documentary he was making, my ideas about a story, and we chitchatted a little about our children. He too has two children and the older girl was a fourth grader, a couple of years younger than my daughter. The next day I received the following email from W:

via seeingredinchina.com

How to Send Anything to Your Kindle for Later Reading via @lifehacker

So you've loaded up your Kindle with free books, but you have a few other non-book documents you'd like to read on it. Here are some easy ways to send any web article, PDF, or document straight to your Kindle (or smartphone with the Kindle app).

via lifehacker.com

The Children's Voice

When a child cries it is a warning to us that all is not well in the world and we ourselves need to take action to change that for the better.  Whether it is attending to the child or dealing with what caused the child to feel fear, loneliness, hurt, it is our responsibility, all of us, to do what is within our abilities to make positive change happen.

When a child laughs we should rejoice that we are hearing the true music of the soul in its glory and being released through a child's heart to refresh and awaken us to all that is good in the world. And on hearing the laughter feel it in your heart, and go forwards and see if you can make more children laugh through joy, generosity, and compassion.

 

» An Autodidact’s Schedule :zenhabits

While I’m not as big on goals as I used to be, I do get excited about learning new things.

via zenhabits.net

Sounds like my ideal life.....something Im saving for retirement when I can indulge myself in days full of learning and fun.

We, the Web Kids - Alexis Madrigal - Technology - The Atlantic

1. We grew up with the Internet and on the Internet. This is what makes us different; this is what makes the crucial, although surprising from your point of view, difference: we do not 'surf' and the internet to us is not a 'place' or 'virtual space'. The Internet to us is not something external to reality but a part of it: an invisible yet constantly present layer intertwined with the physical environment. We do not use the Internet, we live on the Internet and along it. If we were to tell our bildnungsroman to you, the analog, we could say there was a natural Internet aspect to every single experience that has shaped us. We made friends and enemies online, we prepared cribs for tests online, we planned parties and studying sessions online, we fell in love and broke up online. The Web to us is not a technology which we had to learn and which we managed to get a grip of. The Web is a process, happening continuously and continuously transforming before our eyes; with us and through us. Technologies appear and then dissolve in the peripheries, websites are built, they bloom and then pass away, but the Web continues, because we are the Web; we, communicating with one another in a way that comes naturally to us, more intense and more efficient than ever before in the history of mankind.

via www.theatlantic.com

Describes my kids.....and me at heart given that Ive been coding since 1979 and in (most of the time) IT industry since 1982.

My awesome Aunt Pauline

Got an email today from my Aunt in UK.  Just decided she should be on email to stay in touch with friends and family. I had written a snail mail dead-tree letter to her a few weeks back. Im so hopeless at writing letters but really want to get back into it as a more personalised way of staying in touch. Especially given that computer has been my "office" and "gateway to the world" for most of the last 30 years.

She is in late 80's - just shows never too late to get online.  A very impressive lady, worked as missionary doctor in Africa and then in India for most of her adult life. Retired back to UK. Always busy with travel, hobbies, or something.  Certainly not a person who "lets the grass grow under her feet".  Speaks multiple languages and doesnt know the meaning of the word "Can't"!

Aunty Pauline - this is a blogged shout out to you!   You're Awesome !

Must be something that runs in the family - helped my Dad get his first pc when he was 71.

World Community Grid - get on it for free and use your spare computing power for humanity.

Why not donate your unused computer time to World Community Grid and the Global Online Fight Against Malaria to help find new drugs that can stop the spread of malaria infections and help cure drug-resistant strains.

via www.worldcommunitygrid.org

Support Wukan

Help to promote a peaceful and equitable solution to this dispute.

Avoid retweeting, reblogging of unverified information or rumor.  Dont give the Govt ammunition to discredit the message !

Share facts, messages, data.

Fortis B-47 Calculator Watch - slide rule in a watch..... awesome!

There is something comical about just how busy Fortis made this B-47 Calculator watch. Even the name is silly. When you hear the term "calculator watch" you immediately think of something digital quartz, and Japanese. I've had calculator watches when I was a kid. I loved those. I wouldn't wear them today as I am a grown up, and I don't know if I would wear this comically designed watch either. With enough stuff going on to make a weak-minded person tremble. "I just wanted to know what time it was.

via www.ablogtoread.com

Ok so yes I do own (somewhere) a circular slide rule so this watch makes perfect sense. For the scientist willing to spend a lot of money on a timepiece, especially those who do a lot of field work, this is a whole lot better for quick simple calcs than burning batteries in your HP calculator or whipping out that expensive tablet/smartphone which you might just accidentaly give an unintended dipping into the Amazon. There are many placesd where a simple and non-electrical calculator will be handy. This, unlike all the gimmicky 'flight' or 'aviator' style watches is one that pilots and astronauts more like to really use.

Well done Fortis - nice watch. I cant afford it but applaud you for producing!

Need a new bike? Enjoy speed on 2 wheels?

Introducing the new S-Works + McLaren Venge

Magnificent!

Anybody out there with too much cash please buy me one for Christmas.

Fear of Dragons

BEIJING — Lord Ye, it is said, loved dragons so much that he had them carved on his wine vessels and personal accessories and even made them the theme of his interior decoration. One day a real dragon came down to check things out, pressing its nose up against Lord Ye’s window while its tail swished about outside. Lord Ye, scared out of his wits, turned around and fled.

via www.nytimes.com

Apple Co-Founder Wozniak Remembers Steve Jobs - Video - Bloomberg

Oct. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak discusses his work and friendship with fellow co-founder Steve Jobs, who died yesterday. He speaks with Emily Chang on Bloomberg Television's "Bloomberg West." (Source: Bloomberg)

via www.bloomberg.com

Google's Schmidt on Steve Jobs's Death, Career - Video - Bloomberg

Oct. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Google Inc. Chairman Eric Schmidt talks about Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs, who passed away yesterday at age 56. Schmidt spoke yesterday in an interview with Charlie Rose. Erik Schatzker reports on Bloomberg Television's "InsideTrack." (Source: Bloomberg)

via www.bloomberg.com

iSad

antikano10 photos · 13 followers

via instagr.am

RIP Steve jobs

Innovator, Artist, Icon and a hero to me for how he lived.

From the first Apple IIe on which I programmed thru to iPad2 and the truly wearable Nano - the man and his legacy was the essence of simplicity and cohesion of the complete digital experience.

» How to Read More: A Lover’s Guide :zenhabits

Reading a good book is one of my favorite things in the world.

via zenhabits.net

I second that!

I think is also important for you to find a medium in which you enjoy reading. For some the ereader like Kindle is best, and for some like me, i can spend the first 30 seconds of reading just smelling the paper (ok so Im a bit weird that way but hey....we all have weakenesses!). I like the physical form....but seriously looking into Kindle simply to save space and trees as world moves to epublishing.

I have always read since my parents encourage us kids to read every night (even getting rid of the tv for a few years). Will pick up anything printed to read and look at it.

Something else that can help with reading is appreciation every aspect of what you are reading. For dead-tree format you can appreciate the quality of the paper, the typeface, the size, the cover design, binding, and of course the smell. For e formats you can appreciate the fonts, the page structure, indexing.

But most important of all....to really enjoy a book...is get into it.....literally. Put your mind into the story and let the characters and colors over you like the ocean. Be "in" the story.

Happy reading!

New Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 holder comes with bike attached -- Engadget

SAMSUNG UNVEILS THE ULTIMATE WAY TO TRANSPORT THE GALAXY TAB 10.1

via www.engadget.com

Makes for good ad copy but a fairly silly place to hang a tablet on a bike. If you are using it then put on handlebars so you can read the map and ignore that semi hurtling towards you,or else just put the tab into your bag, and get lost on your way home.

But then again if you need a stunning and unusally avante garde surround for your regular doses of tablet tv, then this is an excellent choice to park on your mantlepiece. Looks nice in white.

How To Be a Better Person: 101 Ways - from @celestinechua

by Celes | ShareThis  Email to friend

via celestinechua.com

This is not your average "101 Ways to...." list. It a list of things you can do, and should do at least 1 of, to improve the world one person at a time. I hope readers of this list take the time to mentally thank Celes for writing the list, and then put all their energy and presence into doing the one thing from the list that you wish to make part of your life.

Have a great journey.

How Yoga Won the West - introduction to Vivekananda

THE party planning is in full swing throughout India. Never mind that the big day, Jan. 12, 2013, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Vivekananda, is more than 15 months away. Not too long ago, Vivekananda, a household name in his homeland, was famous here as well, as the first missionary from the East to the West.

via www.nytimes.com

Im thinking, and rashly assuming, that his emphasis on sitting meditation was on vipassana, a technique which is gaining popularity worldwide thanks to the efforts of G.N. Goenke and also the spread of Buddhism.

With Deaths of Forests, a Loss of Crucial Climate Protectors

Across millions of acres, the pines of the northern and central Rockies are dying, just one among many types of forests that are showing signs of distress these days.

From the mountainous Southwest deep into Texas, wildfires raced across parched landscapes this summer, burning millions more acres. In Colorado, at least 15 percent of that state’s spectacular aspen forests have gone into decline because of a lack of water.

The devastation extends worldwide. The great euphorbia trees of southern Africa are succumbing to heat and water stress. So are the Atlas cedars of northern Algeria. Fires fed by hot, dry weather are killing enormous stretches of Siberian forest. Eucalyptus trees are succumbing on a large scale to a heat blast in Australia, and the Amazon recently suffered two “once a century” droughts just five years apart, killing many large trees.

 

With Deaths of Forests, a Loss of Crucial Climate Protectors - NYTimes.com

If you are reading this I ask you to consider 2 things.

(1) Where can you plant a tree? Go and do it or pay someone else to do it.

(2) The article mentions not enough land due to need for food and not enough money. Both are false. Global food production is more than enough and there is plenty of $ locked up in things that dont sustain life. You want to eat and breathe or watch TV commercials - your choice.

» The Half Step That Will Change Your Life :zenhabits

You’d be surprised to know how many emails I get where people are stuck in their lives.

via zenhabits.net

Used it. Believe it works. Even when those days when has me glum and unable to even get out of a chair or think anything constructive, this works!

That half-step, microstep just has to be something to overcome the inertia of nothingness. For me even just willing myself to stand up is enough to break the trance-like state of a deeply depressive episode. And as Leo says, if you can do one thing, you can do another, and another, and....... life gets better.

Go do something, now.

» Riding Butterflies: 25 Insights on the Art of Extraordinary Creativity » by Satya Colombo

via satyacolombo.com

Pick one, any one, use it.

What is the ONE thing you MUST do every second of your life.

Do less and do more
Do it once....and get over it.

What is the ONE thing you MUST do every second of your life.

Why is it we end of up with long to do lists that seem only to ever grow, and it is taking us longer and longer to get things done. Why it is that sometimes we seem to totally zone in and get something really creative and complex done smoothly in a amazingly short period of time?
The idea is to touch everything once.  Somebody suggested that one should only ever read and email once and then deal with it, as the most efficient form of inbox management. Gets it done and out of mind immediately. If you dont have time to deal with then dont read it.

So I got to thinking and this is the also a core facet of software development, especially maintenance of systems.  One should only deep dive into code if you need to do something with it, and once you have your head right in there, that is the best time to do the work you need to do, and also to fix bugs.

More dwelling on this and I thought about applying this to as much of my life as possible. When cooking how many times to we touch stuff that really doesnt need to be touched. Or we go check something out of habit.  So why not set of goal of touch everything only once. Do everything from washing, to cleaning, to dishes, even to taking a shower, in a process where each item is used only once.

So where was this all heading?  In a word:  mindfulness.

When one has full awareness and concentration on doing things then amazingly most things get done in shortest amount if time.  And once done they are 'gone'.  EVen when one locks the door at home you never worry again "did i lock the front door tonight", "did i hang out the laundry" etc.  Things are done, sorted, out of mind.  And this in turn brings less stress, freedom in terms of getting back the time and energy that was previously spent on just the touching, moving, looking, testing actions that gave you no value.
When you bring full mindfulness to every action, every conversation down to each movement and each word, you will find that suddenly a lot of waste is removed.  This is "lean manufacturing" meets "zen" meets "productivity" means "better living". 

The one secret to getting more for less, doing less and achieving more, is mindfulness.

You dont have to believe me.  Go and give it a try.

Reading:
Recent blogs by Seth Godin and Mary Jaksch www.goodlifezen.com, and also some prior blogs and emails by Leo Babuta of Zenhabits fame www.zenhabits.com  have really started to gel with me.  There was also good stuff from Ev Bogue last year on mnmlst (minimalist living) which is now archived.  Seth Godin writes frequently on his blog sethgodin.typepad.com  http://sethgodin.typepad.com about productivity.

Ask Celes – How Do You Know If Your Life Purpose Is For Life (and Not Short/Medium-term)?

Ask Celes – How Do You Know If Your Life Purpose Is For Life (and Not Short/Medium-term)?.

This is a helpful, and timely, read for me.  Nice tie-in to Eckhart Tolle whose work I am reading at the moment.

Aboriginal Australians the oldest culture on Earth

The first Aboriginal genome sequence confirms Australia's native people left Africa 75,000 years ago. Aboriginal Australians are the oldest continuous culture on Earth, confirms a new genetic study. (Credit: Getty Images)ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIANS ARE descendents of the first people to leave Africa up to 75,000 years ago, a genetic study has found, confirming they have the oldest continuous culture on the planet.

via www.australiangeographic.com.au

This fascinating angle to human migration. Everyone should read "Seven Daughters of Eve" by Bryan Sykes which used mitochondrial to trace human migrations. One of the best books I ever read. if you are curious about where you and your loved ones originated its a must read. This new finding adds to the story.

How to Live a Life With No Regrets

When I think of someone who lived a life without regrets, I think of my mom. She only had a sixth grade education because she quit school to take care of her own mother.

Her first husband died from a brain tumor and she was left with three small children. Soon after, she married my dad and together they raised ten children.

via goodlifezen.com

This is truly inspiring and timely for me as I reflect daily upon what I do in work and life to be a meaningful and productive presence.

Cafe of Joy - love reciprocated

I look around the cafe this morning at the early birds here and see so many are parents here with the small (< 7yo) kids.  The joy of their parentage and the kids of being here and being treated in a more adult way, shines out of them all like sun on a warm summer's day. It is beautiful to see in this city that is so full of nastiness, dishonesty, and the epitome of "i dont care" , that there are still people having lovely normal lives and being able to appreciate the pleasure of being part of the process of a child growing up.

Through my own faults, ignorance, and over-riding selfishness i missed a huge part of both my kids growing up.  The parts I was there for were full of the kids love and unconditional acceptance of parents peculiar ways, and were also times of curiousity, funny, challenge , and I remember a lot of it clearly in my mind like it was yesterday. Maybe cos for past 7 years I have not been there in their lives.  It is one of my profound regrets that I did not fulfill the role of a father as properly as I should have, or should do (we are all still alive!).  There are  reasons, but not excuses, as to why and I will expound on these in other post(s).

Anyway today just wanted to share with you that it is a wonderful thing to see the joy in a parent's face, and the reciprocated love from a child. 

Auckland is #10 most livable city in the world.

After almost a decade at the top, Vancouver has been bumped by Australia’s second largest city and the home to two of the world’s biggest mining companies, Melbourne, in a survey of the world’s best cities to live in.

via blogs.wsj.com

If you live there, you are in paradise.

If you havent been there - find a way to go.

Now

Post written by Leo Babauta.I’m a big proponent of slowing down, simplifying, doing less, and being less busy … but what if you can’t?What if your life can’t be made less busy — are you doomed to a life of anxiety and unhappiness?No. I’m going to share with you a very simple tool that might just transform your life. It’s something I’ve been trying in the last few months, and I can attest that it works brilliantly.This one little method will help you to:Be more present, so life doesn’t rush past you without you noticing.Enjoy every activity you do more, so life is better all the time.Feel more relaxed, so every day is as good as a vacation.Be ready to handle anything that comes your way.Not bad for a very tiny method, no? Let’s dive in.» Continue your journey »

via zenhabits.net

I am actively using this method when Im not in the office - in fact i find it easy to do so. When i walk outside i notice the wind, the tones of the fragrances in the air, the humidity, sounds, taking it all in like a smorgasboard of experiences that are the NOW. Next step is to make this part of my work down to task level so I feel more while doing.

Like my prev re-blog of a zenhabits about Slowing Down, this one does also paradoxically allow me to get more done.

Slow Down

It’s an irony of our modern lives that while technology is continually invented that saves us time, we use that time to do more and more things, and so our lives are more fast-paced and hectic than ever.

via zenhabits.net

Great article to help provide more focus to what you are doing and also to what is happening around you. Be more present in the moment. End result is you will (1) get more done and (2) enjoy it more while you are doing.

Now go do it.

Merrick Watt's postie bikes

via news.drive.com.au

A seriously clever dude who has matched the humble Honda stepthru C90 with the usual uses for a bike - given me a lot of ideas now for what i could do for a bike in Shanghai ;-) I was looking at a Rmb40,000 imported Kymo 250cc street machine, and the MOno 50cc "tube" but getting a C90 and re-styling looks like a whole lot more fun !

Geoffrey West: The surprising math of cities and corporations

Cities are the crucible of civilization. They have been expanding, urbanization has been expanding, at an exponential rate in the last 200 years, so that by the second part of this century, the planet will be completely dominated by cities. Cities are the origins of global warming, impact on the environment, health, pollution, disease, finance, economies, energy -- they're all problems that are confronted by having cities. That's where all these problems come from. And the tsunami of problems that we feel we're facing in terms of sustainability questions, are actually a reflection of the exponential increase in urbanization across the planet.

via www.ted.com

Please watch. This is fascinating.

Little girl found ..... a mother's love in Shanghai

One might easily see such a thing in a Shanghai alleyway and think nothing of it: a bundle of fabric tied up with a rope. Except that this particular bundle was screaming.

via www.ft.com

A very moving and touching recount of both the finding of an abandoned child, of a western mother adoption process for her own two girls, and of the expression and understanding of what a mother's love really is. Have your tissues handy when you read this.

So where to go for your next holiday? Go Star Trek style....

A dark alien world, blacker than coal, has been spotted by astronomers. The Jupiter-sized planet is orbiting its star at a distance of just five million km, and is likely to be at a temperature of some 1200C. The planet may be too hot to support reflective clouds like those we see in our own Solar System, but even that would not explain why it is so dark.

via www.bbc.co.uk

Wont be too long before we will be able to tour virtually through 3D reconstruction of remote places. In my lifetime i look forward to being able to experience this at least once.

Next logical step after that will of course be teleportation to various parts of the universe..... somehow I think that will take a little longer to come to fruition given that sub-atomic 'teleporting' is only just being experimented with now.

Travelling light and to the full.

The Tao of Travel

I’m not the world’s most seasoned traveler, but I have made a number of trips lately and have learned a few things that work well.

This year I’ve traveled to Guam for a month, to Portland, New York City, Las Vegas, London, Paris, Southern California. They’ve all been beautiful trips, and I’ve never taken more than a small backpack.

Travel lightly, with no set agenda, and you’ll have an amazing, stress-free trip.

via zenhabits.net

 

I agree with this entirely. Just spent 5 days on trip to HK with no real fixed schedule. Just an intention to meet up with friends and enjoy being there.

Each day was spent just wandering the backstreets enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of familiar places.

So why take a holiday to somewhere I had lived for some 8 years? Because there is always something 'new'. In this trip a dear friend took me to Samkatsuen (三家村） which is a tiny village further around the coast from the famous seafood eateries of Leiyuemun. The other amazing thing is how clean and clear the water is, no more than 200m from the brown of Leiyuemun. Spent a lovely Saturday afternoon there in a place even I didnt know existed and I have to say i know a lot of out-of-the-way places in HK most locals have never heard of.

And of course did it all on foot.

Personally i prefer to carry a 500ml metal thermos - light and tough and can use for cold drinks and hot. Morning coffee, afternoon slushies, evening tea - all catered for in one item.

I purposely dont carry books when travelling - too easy to ignore what is around you. But do keep one for plane journey - essential way to stay sane amid the madness of airports, bus stations, railways.

I have the privilege to grow up in a family that was well travelled, with parents and relatives who regarded travel as an investment in mind expanding experience that was infinitely more valuable than flash cars, fasionable clothes or gadgets - they were so right.

return to the mat

Have made a recent return to Yoga. Body hasnt been quite right, especially the legs, since a small operation late last year followed by business trip to Chicago.  An entire week of sitting on planes and in meetings, followed by interrupted sleep for 2 weeks, did nothing good for me, especially as not able to exercise at that time.  Had to stop the TaiChi for a while as well.  3-4 years ago started an erratic attendance at Y+ for Hot Yoga. Stopped it about 2 years ago out of laziness, inconvenience, expenses........blah blah blah.......actually just lots of meaningless excuses that told the world I cared more about my laziness than my health.

So i eventually ran out of excuses this month and signed up for 6 month "all you can eat" membership at the local U+  (no link to Y+). Have been twice in 3 days. Each class has same title "Yogantherapy" but different teachers and totally different methods and moves - bit unsettling but what the heck...go with the flow!  Being close to the apartment (5min walk) i have no excuse not to attend - I can even see the place from lounge window!

So far so good. Muscle pain in back and legs but is good pain. Doing the exercise is painful in the extreme, i sweat like a pig in the process and turn my mat into a childrens water slide, but 1 hour after class i feel like bliss. Neck and shoulders so much better already than have been for 2 years.

On twitter i follow @celestinechua to send out a message about "what will you change today" and for some reason that resonated as a call to action. So here I am....on a 6 month mission to change my body and life via yoga.  I may not become a second Leo Babuta or Everett Bogue but i do  aspire to being as mnmlst as I can.

 

Submission to McKinsey-HBR M-Prize

My good friend Marcus, with a modicum of input from myself, has been working on systems and processes that can revolutionise management processes, information sharing, and equity. This has been submitted to the McKinsey-HBR M-Prize for consideration.  It needs comments and i hope that you may like to offer a comment and opinion on this. Not seeking "up" votes - just want your honest and considered opinion on the approaches advocated in the submission.

You can review them by clicking here ( http://www.managementexchange.com/users/kntedh8gdj ). The competition outcome is influenced by traffic and ratings.

Marcus (with my 100% support) in his words:

......is passionate about applying social networks to financial markets and economic development. However, I also need to make sure I have a clear value proposition that I can earn an income from. The "5 Day Central Brain Template" offers a low risk approach to explore the possibilities ( http://www.marcuscake.com ). The M-Prize community will also provide me with an honest view of my idea and whether I am on the right path.

About the McKinsey M-Prize ( http://www.managementexchange.com/about-the-mix )

• The Management Innovation eXchange (MIX) is an open innovation project aimed at reinventing management for the 21st century. The premise: while “modern” management is one of humankind’s most important inventions, it is now a mature technology that must be reinvented for a new age.
• The MIX helps to accelerate the pace of management innovation by energizing and organizing the conversation around the most critical challenges facing managers today — and by providing a practical platform where they can document,share and develop their leading-edge ideas and practices.

My three ‘Hacks’ or management designs for the 21st Century :

• Economic Development 4.0: A ‘Central Brain’ to organise community innovation, collaboration, wisdom and effort to prioritise and achieve global outcomes
  
• Equity Market 4.0: A ‘Central Brain’ to organise community innovation, collaboration, wisdom and effort to achieve a global capital market
• Management 3.0: The Web 3.0 “Central Brain” to coordinate innovation, collaboration, workflow and outcomes across industry and across the world

If you can only do one, I am hoping you could review Economic Development 4.0.

 

We would appreciate your time, ratings and comments!

 

Quantum Physics, Teleportation, Chaos Theory - Unification around the corner?

Quantum coupling and teleportation – recent studies that show the interaction and 'teleporting' of a quantum state from one particle to another physically distant raises questions and possibilities. No longer does the StarTrek teleporting seem so totally unreasonable (impossible at present but not unreasonable).

And what of the nature of matter. Einstein showed E=mc2. Assume for the moment that this is still true then our body is similar a collection of states of energy – change that energy temporarily into a different state, but with memory of its original state, then it is not unreasonable to imagine teleportation.

Still with me or closed the browser in dismay and disgust. Good. So take this one step further and ponder if you will that if the body is only energy then one can can consider what happens to the body after death. It simply changes state at a gross level, not at a quantum level. So that said then is the body preserved after life? Do we die? Were we actually born? Is recincarnation just a label for an as-yet unexplained change of state in a cycle of decay, construction, decay, construction. If we look at the cell we see that pattern of organised destruction-construction that is present in cell division. In cooking we make use everyday of destruction-construction through application of energy, to move foodstuffs at a gross level from one state to another. So what about us, the human body? If you are still with me in pondering this then consider where do we start and where do we end?

Do we exist in isolation? I suggest that we cannot be in isolation, because if one looks at the laws of mechanics, thermodynamics, we see the common concept of field effects. These are in varying strength according to distance, but never are completely absent. So.....remember Chaos Theory and the adage a Buttefly flaps its wings in Brazil and then it rains in London? Is this impossible? No (statistically nothing is totally impossible, merely unlikely to occur to some degree). It begins to make sense. The energy changes in the immediate vicinity of the butterfly will not have a ripple effect (as previous thought in earlier more primitive science that considered the transfer of energy) but now we seeing the emergence of proof that the effective is instantaneous.

 

This is something upon which I am pondering.

 

Personality - Myers-Briggs results - INFJ

INFJs focus on possibilities, think in terms of values and come easily to decisions. The small number of this type (1 percent) is regrettable, since INFJs have an unusually strong drive to contribute to the welfare of others and genuinely enjoy helping their fellow men. This type has great depth of personality; they are themselves complicated, and can understand and deal with complex issues and people.

via victor.site0.com

I have done the Myers Briggs tests a few times in the past and thought nothing of it. At this juncture in my life where I seek to readjust, re-evaluate and re-tune my mind and behaviouir to new directions it has been instructure to do the test again.

Find the test at http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

And then read the analysis. Of course these are generalised - take what you wish and leave the rest. If nothing else this test is an opportunity for honest self reflection and introspection.

Enjoy (and learn).

Caffeinated inspiration

I am wondering why is is that when I blog or write in a coffee shop, I am filled with energy, focus and creativity.  This level of energy just doesnt arise in the office, or working from the comfort of my own home. 

It is not excessively high levels of caffeine - because, counter-intuitively it may seem, when in the coffee shop I drink far less coffee (or anything else) than when at office or home. Seems I have longger periods of intense reading and writing as a result.  Also I take fewer breaks and are much less distracted by things around me.......and again this is counter-intuitive because there is so much more busy-ness and visual stimulation.

This is a phenomenom that has been noted by other bloggers from whom I take inspiration, and I feel is a subject worthy of some scientific study. I am inclined to think there is a link between those who write for others to read and the environment of a coffee shop. It is a placed infused (pun intended) with social moments, emotions, creativity ..... as many things as there are reasons for people to go to a cafe.  The whole 'vibe' of the cafe seems to suit the writers amongst us.

Someone like to take up the challenge and write a research paper about this?

Translation tools online & mobile

Living in China, and having an appalling lack of reading knowledge of Chinese characters means i frequently resort to online translation tools. Especially handy when one is needing that improtant word with which to talk to somebody, or get directions, or to unlock the meaning of what you are trying to express when other words just wont do.

So far my favorite has been Google Translate  - it is fast and accurate to the point where when chatting online with friends and they inject Chinese into the chat stream I can copy and past and get translation and respond in real time. Its seamless to my friends that I have used a translation tool. Douglas Adams would be pleased and means i dont have to insert small fish in my left auricle.

Baidu has launched a translation tool fanyi finally and first glimpses of it shows it seems it has the legs to give the others a run for their money.  Not sure if this will bring more users to Baidu but they are losing street cred in their search space ..... this tool may bring user numbers back for a while. Wait and see on that.

On my Blackberry I also make use of m.nicku.com as handy portable tool for translation when Im literally on the street. So far been very useful again when im searching for that one word that will unlock the meaning of what I am trying to say.