Being with and around locals and getting a sense of what they're like is as important as seeing/experiencing the major sites when travelling to a new place.

When it comes to being juiced, baseball players and wrestlers have nothing on cows.

U.S. Cattle producers have about 30 products at their disposal to beef up their beef. Some are estrogens, androgens and progestins, and according to a University of Minnesota study, these steroids contribute an additional 700 million pounds of beef per year. Poor cows. If only we all knew what the producers are doing to them.

Trashion: any wearable item or accessory that is constructed using all or part of materials that have been recycled, including clothing that has been thrifted and reconditioned.

We need to take a pair of wet jeans and beat him with it until it's dry.

- GC

A desk is a dangerous place from which to watch the world.

- John le Carre

On nostalgia -

"Once a things been done it's been done, so why all this nostalgia? I mean, for the 60's and 70's, you know, looking backwards for inspiration, copying the past. How's that rock and roll? Do something of your own. Start something new. Live your life now."

- John Lennon

"You should create your own icons and way of life, because nostalgia isn't glamorous. If I had one thing to say it would be, live your life now."

- Marilyn Monroe

At practice a new student said she couldn't figure out my accent and thought at times it sounded a bit Scottish. That's a first.

You know you've lived in the US a long time when you feel it's odd that people in Hong Kong are ordering orange juice with their DINNER (and hotels are charging over US$10 per glass). For me it's become a strictly breakfast/daytime beverage.

Better than bold statements are bold questions.

"How great life would be just to eat and sleep."

These are translated words from a t-shirt I saw in the Philippines. The sad thing is, a lot of people here think that. It's a perversion of the old-fashioned view that work is low and those with means would really want a life of leisure. I say perversion because 'leisure' encompasses so much more than eating and sleeping. The shirt promotes laziness as the ideal, which is bad. It's meant to be a joke but here in the Philippines the work ethic is already weak.

4 people are born every minute in the Philippines, a Catholic country where 54% of pregnancies are unintended. Are 4 jobs being created every minute? No way! This is extending the poverty and stunting socioeconomic growth. The government should make contraceptives more widely available, provide sex education, and make abortion legal - there are an estimated half million of them happening every year anyway.

Science/Tech jobs need to pay better for the amount of education & work they require. The fact they don't is why in the last 10 years, too many people have been interested in entering finance & consulting after college. Before that the hot trend was to study computer science and/or join (or start) a dot com. People take the path of least resistance, and, in the words of Jerry Maguire, paths that "SHOW ME THE MONEY"

I dislike it when I'm told about conferences or webinars that are really just sales presentations.

We spend a LOT of money to keep certain people out of society.

At regular prisons in the US, it costs about US$120/day to house each prisoner. At federal prisons, the cost is roughly twice as much.

Is it worth it? Is the prison system effective? Are we rehabilitating those people?

What does money buy? One of the things is venereal disease.

The tenfold growth in the number of syphilis cases over the past decade in China has been driven by the country's rapid economic growth.

Sexually transmitted diseases re-emerged in China in the 1980s after being virtually eradicated for two decades.

Prostitution, worker migration from the countryside to cities and poor health care systems means cases are now increasing 30 percent a year.

- From the World Health Organization's monthly bulletin

The #1 factor that determines how well you perform under stress is your ability to cope with it — not specific job conditions or the amount of pressure you face.

If you cut a starfish in half, both pieces will generate into a whole new starfish.

What's a spice? A spice may be the bud (clove), bark (cinnamon), rhizome (ginger), berry (peppercorn), aromatic seed (cumin), or flower stigma (saffron) of a plant.

What's an herb? An herb is generally defined as the leaf of a plant (rosemary, oregano, thyme, coriander) in cooking, but any other part of the plant, often drie, can be a spice.

One teaspoon of cinnamon has the disease fighting antioxidant power of a full cup of pomegranate juice or half cup of blueberries.

Red peppers, even milder sweet red peppers, boost your metabolism so you burn a few more calories.

Oregano has the highest antioxidant levels of the dried herbs because of its rosmarinic acid content. Used heavily in Mediterranean cuisines, oregano has antimicrobial powers that can help fight bacterial growth and may help inhibit the bacteria associated with ulcers.

- Carolyn O'Neil, registered dietitian

In guarding their fortune men are often closefisted, yet, when it comes to the matter of wasting time, in the case of the one thing in which it is right to be miserly, they show themselves most prodigal.

- Seneca, from "On the shortness of life"

"Free range," "cage free," "natural" and "organic" are nearly meaningless when it comes to animal welfare.

Turkeys have been so genetically modified they are incapable of natural reproduction.

- Jonathan Safran Foer

In 2008 the number of people with a net worth of US$1 million or more in China overtook the number of people with a net worth of US$1 million or more in Britain.

To gain something we have to give something up.

Watching "Tsotsi" (2005) and reading "Disgrace" (by J.M. Coetzee) are probably bad ways to prepare for a trip to South Africa.

According to the US Census Bureau, the average commute time in the US is 25.5 minutes.

For people who work in New York City, it's 36.9 minutes - the second highest average in the country.

Mine happens to be the US average. If the subway system here in NY was better, it'd be shorter.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, a U.S. nonprofit organization of researchers, patients and health-care facilities, 20% of Americans reported getting six hours of sleep or less in 2009, compared to 13% in 2001. Similarly, 28% of Americans reported getting eight hours of sleep or more in 2009 compared to 38% in 2001. These findings, based on a telephone survey of 1,000 Americans, echo concerns about the economy as well, where about one in six (16%) reported that their weekly sleep was being disturbed due to financial concerns.

Someone's job title is "Manager of Strategic Projects". I think that's a bit gratuitous. Shouldn't they just be "Project Manager"?

What project at any good company is unstrategic? Is there ever a "Manger of Unstrategic Projects"? Everything a company does must be aligned to their strategy.

I wore my Bruce Lee t-shirt (with him in an intimidating pose) to the dentist to send an implicit message not to cause me pain. It worked!

Baby photos might get your lost wallet returned

When researchers left 240 wallets scattered around the streets of Edinburgh, Scotland, they inserted an equal number of cute baby, puppy, family, and elderly pictures in them, along with a relevant mailing address. They received 42 percent of the wallets back overall, but 88 percent of the wallets with cute babies in them came back. The researchers suggest it has to do with an evolutionary instinct to preserve the young, so if it's not terribly embarrassing, keep a cute baby in plain sight in your wallet or purse. If you lack for your own adorable tyke, it's a great reason to call that aunt you never speak to anymore.

- from Lifehacker

Obama says that each American taxpayer pays about US$1,000 each year for the emergency medical care of people who don't have medical insurance.

A recent study has shown that just anticipating something funny, like a comedy show on TV that you are going to watch later on in the day, increases endorphins and reduces stress hormones.

Money doesn't make you happy. I now have $50 million but I was just as happy when I had $48 million.

- Arnold Schwarzenegger

Mongol General: Hao! Dai ye! We won again! This is good, but what is best in life?
Mongol: The open steppe, fleet horse, falcons at your wrist, and the wind in your hair.
Mongol General: Wrong! Conan! What is best in life?
Conan: To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.
Mongol General: That is good! That is good.

- from Conan the Barbarian (1982)

They don't make movies like this any more. Conan's answer is an abbreviation of a real quote attributable to Genghis Khan.

"How To Kiss A Man - www.LifeScript.com - Top Kissing Tips For Women. Browse Our Free Articles Now!"


This is the banner ad displayed at the top of my gmail account right now. The internet robots don't know my gender. I guess that's a good thing.

The history of beauty is one of dissatisfaction and transformation.

Urinating while you're in the shower saves drinking water. There's an ad campaign in Brazil that's asking people to do this to conserve water.

A lot of adults seek status and money.

It makes sense why that's the case. Having more status and money helps us to live better on this planet. Also, it's been shown that when we anticipate receiving more money, our brain experiences stimulation similar to when it's receiving a hit of cocaine. The centers that get activated are identical. We get a chemical high when we anticipate or receive a boost in our earnings. Does that make most of us junkies?

Most people have a sense that the grass is greener on the other side. It could be for anything - for status, money, abilities, skills, a better place to live, a better place to work, more free time, a title, a degree, fame, luxury, etc. In my limited experience, this is forever receding. What that means is however many steps we take to getting to the other side, even if we get there, there's always something else we identify in the distance that we want. We never ultimately get to a side that we're perfectly happy with - though maybe a few select people do/did, like the Buddha. It makes sense that this is the way we are - we will forever be striving. It keeps us motivated and active. If we were to fully arrive at the other side, we'd have no purpose left. We might as well vaporize.

I recently saw a film, "Depeche Mode 101" (1989). At one point the band members talk backstage. The lead singer, David Gahan, says that he used to work at a supermarket, stacking shelves. He said he made a lot less money then, but was happier. Was he joking? I don't know him well enough to tell. He said that there's a lot more pressure now.

As time goes on our responsibilities tend to increase. The higher we rise, the more pressure there can be. As our bodies age we become less physically capable and resilient. The conclusion: look around and be happy where you are.

Ants do not sleep.

What's in a name?

A lot.

It would probably help my career in the Western World if one of my names was Western or Western-sounding.

Ralph Lauren, the American fashion designer, changed his name from Ralph Rueben Lifshitz. I don't think his brand would be so famous if the labels read Ralph Lifshitz...

I just read about a South Asian who was named one of the 25 most influential South Asian executives in the media and entertainment industry (in the US). His name is Sharad Sharma, but he goes by Bobby Sharma. Would he have the status he has now, and the relationships he has now, if he always went by his Indian name?

One of my close friends has 5 real names, with a total of 50 letters. He goes by Kris, and the surname he uses has 5 letters. He works in finance. I can just imagine what it'd be like if he went for that job interview, or any business meeting, and introduced himself with his full name. It'd be so odd by most people's standards that it'd be a distraction. Everything would be derailed - maybe temporarily, maybe permanently.

I've been watching Mad Men lately. I'm struck by the name Don Draper... it sticks in your mind, it sounds good, it's short & simple, it's not common, it's strong.

Your name is your brand. What does it represent?

There are many things we're not responsible for and have no control over that are thrust on us when we are born in this world. Should we live with our name, or should we change it in order to optimize our circumstances? If we do, what does that mean about how we view our family and our circumstances?

We should work like the rain. The rain just falls one rain drop after another. It doesn't ask: Am I making a nice sound down below? Will the plants be glad to see me? Millions and billions of raindrops, only falling.

- Jakusho Kwong (1935 - ), American Zen Buddhist Monk

Young men's love is like pinecones seeming sound,
But when the wind blows, they fall to the ground.

- from Arirang
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arirang

Absorb what is useful, Discard what is not, Add what is uniquely your own.

- Bruce Lee

If you look good and dress well, you don't need a purpose in life.

- Robert Pante

I am not a regular caffeine user. I may have 1 caffeinated drink per week. I only drink tea, not coffee.

Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system by inhibiting the action of a neurotransmitter that produces an inhibiting effect. It reduces the ability of a natural 'break' on neural activity to do its job. It can also increase heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, and create dependence. It can also slightly enhance physical endurance and delay fatigue associated with vigorous exercise in some people. Americans are consuming more varieties of coffee and coffee drinks than ever before. It's estimated that 50 percent of Americans drink coffee every day - as many as three to four cups each.

Energy drinks are relatively new. Red Bull was introduced in the US in 1997. Hot caffeinated beverages tend to be sipped slowly, while energy drinks tend to be consumed quickly, thus leading to more rapid absorption of caffeine and the other chemicals (and a more rapid buzz). The caffeine concentration in these energy drinks is about the same or a bit less than coffee.

- From "Buzzed: Straight Facts About the Most Used and Abused Drugs"

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single punch.

When a human who isn't possessed by the devil projectile-vomits, is the projection due more to what the person has eaten, or more about strong abs?

The average American golf course drinks up some 50 million gallons of water a year — comparable to the yearly usage of 1,400 people. In the West Coast the figures are higher.

1000th post

In the USA a "high-end" home is regarded as one that costs over $750,000. In New York City you'll get a tiny and/or very mediocre place for that amount...

At Morgan Stanley, compensation paid to employees last year was more than seven times as large as the bank's profit. In 2004 and 2005, when the stock markets were doing well, Morgan Stanley spent only two times its profits on compensation.

- NY Times

In Berlin, a brothel will give a discount to patrons who arrive on bike or by public transportation. Offering a 5-euro rebate off the 70-euro fee for a 45-minute session, the Maison d'envie officially joins the green revolution. And according to the brothel's owner, Thomas Goetz, the benefits are sweeping: they'll do more business despite the sluggish economy and help make Berlin more eco-friendly.

Many countries around the world have legalized so-called "sex work," but to varying degrees and often with restrictions. In England, for example, in-call prostitution is allowed, but only one girl per-flat at a time. Apparently Canada has always had legal prostitution, though in 1850, the government outlawed soliciting sex in a public place. In Thailand, sex work is officially illegal, but tolerated (or perhaps, ignored). It's said that most Thai men pay for their first sexual experiences.

- from the Huffinton Post

According to a government survey in Japan, more than a quarter of men and women between the ages of 30 and 34 are virgins; 50 percent of men and women in Japan do not have friends of the opposite sex.

70% of all antibiotics used in the US are given to healthy farm animals. They are added to animal feed to encourage growth and reduce infections caused by overcrowding and stress.

Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something.

- Robert Heinlein

Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.

- Plato

I've eaten apple wedges that smell of onions.

The trick (though I doubt you'd want to experience this kind of apple) is to slice the apple after you've been chopping and cooking lots of onions. It's amazing how much of the smell transfers - even if you don't eat the apple right away.

Sometimes when you look at a word it seems strange to you. Not because it's misspelled. Today it's:

Certified

I just put on an Indian DVD and saw that in the SUBTITLES menu I could choose between "English" and "English for the hearing impaired"...

Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I'll understand.

- Chinese proverb

Personal liability has a way of concentrating the mind.

Genitalia is not an Italian airline. And an algorithm is not a quote by a former US vice president.

- CC

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

- Robert A. Heinlein

HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY, my blog.

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.

- T.S. Eliot

Strangers are usually made magnificent with your imagination, it's after two years with them that they have more fact than fiction.

- Friend

If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.

- Abraham Maslow

The fear of heights sometimes involves the urge to throw yourself over the edge.

If your problem has a solution then... why worry about it?
If your problem doesn't have solution then...why worry about it?

- Chinese Proverb

Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities.

- Aldous Huxley

"What is the F-Bomb? I've been in the [Belgian] Navy for many years, but I haven't heard about that bomb."

- KD

US tax laws and requirements are way too complicated for their own good.

The instructions for how to fill out the New York State tax return form is 100 pages!

If you don't believe me, here it is -
http://www.tax.state.ny.us/pdf/2008/inc/it150_201i_2008.pdf

A good plan violently executed right now is far better than a perfect plan executed next week.

- General George Patton (1885-1945) US Army General

Just as real events are forgotten, some that never were can be in our memories as if they happened.

...

It is a triumph of life that old people lose their memories of inessential things, though memory does not often fail with regard to things that are of real interest to us. Cicero illustrated this with the stroke of a pen: No old man forgets where he has hidden his treasure.


- From Memories of my Melancholy Whores, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

In the end, it is impossible not to become what others believe you are.

According to a study by researchers at the University of Ohio, french fries account for 25% of vegetable consumption of children. Juices make up 40% of fruit intake. This wasn't the case for me - I ate lots of fruit & vegetables. I also ended up much taller than my parents. I'm convinced that's because I had better nutrition than they did.

The US Government's definition of a high-speed train is one that goes 90mph. That's a joke. I wonder how they'd define the speed of the train in Shanghai that can attain a speed of 259mph. Transport infrastructure in the US is poor. I believe it's because the auto industry has been too powerful.

Income tax returns are the most imaginative fiction being written today.
- Herman Wouk

I wish I had an office that I could do a handstand in. An office that I could do a cartwheel in would be even better!

"Why did you tell them what I told you in confidence? That was private."

"It's ok. They are my [taekwondo] team mates. We touch each other with our feet."

You know you're in a position of significance in an organization when you can start engaging in insider trading.

"How do we get Zumbi to come back to capoiera?"

"We should take a pair of wet jeans and beat him with it until it's dry!"