How to learn faster

This was a really good video about learning faster.

To sum it up, the following are tricks to learning something faster:

1. Skip the laptop - write notes with paper and pencil
2. Study - Sleep - Study
3. Modify practice
4. Exercise
5. Use mnemonic devices
6. Say it out loud
7. Stay hydrated
8. Reward yourself

I learn Japanese while I'm walking, so that satisfies no. 4 and 6 (don't laugh if you see me saying Japanese words while I'm walking).  I should actually walk just before I go to sleep, drink water, and reward myself with chocolate ice cream to maximize the effects.

The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

I lost a very dear friend, Shirley, to cancer in 2015.

When we first became friends, back in 2001, she had given me this book to read.  A few months later, she gave me another book, "Tuesdays With Morrie".

In hindsight I didn't think much about those two books and their significance to our friendship and what was to come.

Both books have the theme of a person, learning about life through a close friend who passes in the end.  It's a little eerie that the books she gave me so long ago were in a sense, a premonition of our friendship and her passing.

I haven't touched either book since Shirley passed away, until now.  I decided to re-read The Little Prince.

It's a beautifully written and illustrated book, though it's so crazy that it almost seems like the author wrote it while on drugs, in the same way that the Beatles wrote Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds on LSD.

But underneath the weirdness is a lot of philosophy, with the primary theme being that adults lose sight of what is important.  "What is essential is invisible to the eye".

Thought the story spans the brief relationship between the author and the Little Prince, the story revolves around the Little Prince's love of his flower, and the journey he takes in the realization of this love and the ephermal quality of his flower.

There are lots of things to ponder in reading this book, and I can (and will) read it over and over.

It's one of my favorite books of all time, given to me by a very special person that will be dear to my heart forever.

The author will forever look up to the stars and see them all laughing and he will smile.  I'll forever look to the stars and remember Shirley, and I'll smile too.

Milk and Honey - Rupi Kaur

This is a really beautifully written and illustrated book of poetry.  From the description of the book:

milk and honey is a
collection of poetry about
love
loss
trauma
abuse
healing
and femininity
it is split into four chapters
each chapter serves a different purpose
deals with a different pain
heals a different heartache
milk and honey takes readers through
a journey of the most bitter moments in life
and finds sweetness in them
because there is sweetness in everywhere
if you are just willing to look

This book was so different from what I typically read (especially as I read it in between reading Bill Nye's highly scientific book), that I really, really enjoyed it.

Here is a passage that I really enjoyed:

"you said.  if it is meant to be.  fate will bring us back together.  for a second i wonder if you are really that naive.  if you really believe fate works like that.  as if it lives in the sky staring down at us.  as if it has five fingers and spends its time placing us like pieces of chess.  as if it is not the choices we make.   who taught you that.  tell me.  who convinced you.  you've been given a heart and a mind that isn't yours to use.  that your actions do not define what will become of you.  i want to scream and shout it's us you fool.  we're the only ones that can bring us back together.  but instead i sit quietly.  smiling softly through quivering lips thinking.  isn't it such a tragic thing.  when you can see it so clearly but the other person doesn't."


I will definitely read this again.

Imitation chocolate ice cream (raw vegan)

I found a recipe for imitation chocolate ice cream using all natural, whole and raw ingredients.

The ingredients were avocado, fresh coconut meat, raw cashews, cacao powder, and dates.  That's it!

It came out really good, but not like ice cream.  It was more like a fudgsicle, and because I didn't churn it (I think that's the reason), it came out rock solid.

Ornish Living has a great article on the benefits of cocoa/cacao.

Having said that, I won't make this again, for two reasons.  First, it was really expensive.  A fresh coconut is $5, as is a bag of raw cashews.  With the dates and the avocado, it was about $20 to make about two pints of ice cream.

Second, it was really difficult to extract the coconut meat from the shell.

If I was Tom Brady (who I got this idea from), I would be able to afford not just the ingredients, but a personal chef to make this for me.  But I'm not.  So I won't.

Purple snack

My mid-morning snack is all purple!  Okinawan sweet potato and blueberries.  I think I'll try to eat sweet potato snacks a few times a week, to stave off the mid-morning hungries.

Guitar improv

One of my favorite guitarists ever is Eric Gales.  He is a super human guitarists with incredibly clean ripping technique, a funky sense of time, and a jazzy chordal sensibility.  In researching John Page Guitars, I came across this video of him jamming with Greg Koch, who is absolutely amazing in his own right.  Their styles are different, with Gales being very funky and jazzy, while Koch being a lot more country with the chicken picking and Travis style...  but they both overlap in the blues.

This is the first time I've been blown away by two guitarists, improvising with each other, in a long time.

In fact, the first time I was ever absolutely blown away by two guitarists improvising off of each other (and the last time before the above video) was when I saw Al DiMeola and Paco DeLucia playing Mediterranean Sundance.  I was about 13 years old at the time, eating a frozen pizza, and I was staring so intently at the TV that I bit my tongue.  But the video below was hugely influential to me, and still is.  Though I haven't developed nearly the harmonic knowledge nor clean technique of these guys, it is nonetheless a milestone that I would love to achieve.

Daily minimums for physical activity

I've set for myself the following minimum daily activity:

Steps:  11,000 per day on weekdays (15,000 per day on weekends)
Active time:  30 minutes on weekdays (70 minutes on weekends)
Stairs climbed:  15 on weekdays (variable on weekends)

I'm still working on figuring out workouts for my upper body and midsection, but walking takes quite a bit of time already.

Gibson SG Special 2016 T

This is a cool guitar at a pretty cheap price.  I love the 70s styled block inlays and the mini-humbuckers.  The satin finish looks really nice too.

Skervesen Tamandua

I love this guitar.  It's a Skervesen, built in 2016, on sale at The Music Zoo for $2199.  It's like a super modern take on the classic Telecaster, but obviously geared towards heavier music.

 

Unstoppable: Harnessing Science To Change The World - Bill Nye, The Science Guy

Bill Nye wrote this excellent book about how utilizing science can change the world.  It's not explicitly about climate change, but climate change is a central theme.  Above all else, he is promoting doing less with more, and living responsibly while exploring ways to increase efficiency in all aspects of life.

He starts by talking about how climate change is affecting the planet, and about how climate change deniers need to be educated into understanding exactly what climate change is, and how it affects our everyday lives.

Subsequent chapters deal with alternative energy, and he explains with great zeal all of the technology behind things like nuclear power, photovoltaic energy, harnessing the wind, battery storage, etc.

As an engineer, I read this book with a lot of interest in the technical aspects of his discussion, but the social, political and economic impacts are quite compelling.


Nye finishes the book with a lengthy discussion of the technical aspects of space exploration, as well as the implications of discoveries in space.

I really enjoyed this book and it was in contrast to other things I've been reading.

Terry Kath

I've always listened to Terry Kath.

Growing up, my mom's stereo would blast a constant stream of diverse stuff like Dave Brubeck, Vince Guaraldi, and more rocking stuff like Chicago, Blood Sweat and Tears, and Three Dog Night.

Chicago always stood out to me because they had such great songs, but I never appreciated the fact that they had such great singers other than (obviously) Peter Cetera.  Robert Lamm had a great voice, but the most "rock" singer was Terry Kath.

I also never appreciated Kath's guitar playing other than his guitar solo in "25 or 6 to 4".  I think he was as good, if not better than, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, and in fact, Kath was Hendrix's favorite guitar player.  His playing was still rooted in the blues, but he incorporated a jazzier approach that made him sound (at least to me) more musically intelligent.

Sadly, Kath's life was strife with health issues and drug abuse, and he died by a self-inflicted accidental gunshot to the head.

Top 10 tips for staying healthy and active

From the American Heart Association, this was written for caregivers, but I see how it applies more universally for everyone.

1. Get regular physical activity. Regular, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is a good energizer that reduces stress, helps keep blood pressure and cholesterol at heart-healthy levels and helps maintain a healthy weight. You can break it down to 10- or 15-minute sessions. Walking is a great way to get started, even if you only walk around the yard.
    
2. Maintain a heart-healthy diet. Doing so will give you more energy and help prevent other health problems. If you've got to “eat on the run,” choose nutritious snacks.
    
3. Take time every day for an activity that you enjoy such as reading, walking, listening to music, crafts, cooking — whatever makes you happy and relaxes you.
    
4. Keep humor in your life. Laughter IS good medicine. Find the humor in your situation when possible, watch a silly TV program or pop in a comedy movie. Find things to laugh about with your loved one. They need joy too! If you've forgotten how to laugh, try to be around people who still know how. Laughter's contagious!
    
5. Get out once a week and go somewhere enjoyable. Visit the local coffee shop, attend church events, take a class, visit a friend or just wander around the mall or a park. If your loved one needs constant attention, ask for help. You can find someone to give an hour a week to let you get out.
    
6. Treat depression and stress. Recognize signs and symptoms and do something about it as soon as it starts. If you think you may be depressed, get professional help. Talk about your feelings.
    
7. Take care of your business. Keep your checkbook and accounts balanced, work when you need to, spend time with friends and family and don't stop planning for the future. It's out there waiting for you. If you live totally “in the moment” of your caregiver responsibilities, you'll find it more difficult to re-integrate into life later on. Keep living.
    
8. Keep all your medical and dental appointments. Do all you can to keep from getting sick. If you're sick, you won't be able to do what your loved one needs. Ask for help when you need it to get away and take care of your health.
    
9. Think positive. Take time every day to refresh your mind. Admit your limitations. Let go of guilt. Pat yourself on the back for the job you're doing. If you're feeling guilty or angry, take a break.
    
10. Stay connected with the outside world, even if it's just by phone or online. Don't isolate yourself. Talk to friends about something other than your situation. Stay interested in what would be going on in your life if you weren't caregiving. It's still there and you're still a part of it.

Troublemaker - Leah Remini

Written with honesty and humor, Troublemaker is Leah Remini's account of her time in the church of Scientology.  She prefaces the book with an explanation of how the Church of Scientology will try to discredit her with the publishing of this book.

She starts by saying that the Church of Scientology demands large sums of money in exchange for attaining the highest levels within the church.

She talks about her upbringing in New York, and her Jewish mother's Italian boyfriend, who guided her into the Church of Scientology.  She wrote of how she and her older sister Nic followed their mother into the church, which led them to Florida, and then Los Angeles.


The following chapters discuss different facets of her life - the birth of her daughter and motherhood, her acting career and run on King of Queens, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' wedding, and her post King of Queens shows, The Talk and Dancing With The Stars.  Throughout these chapters, she interweaves her falling out with the Church of Scientology.

The end of the book is great, where she talks about not being angry at the church and extracting the positive things from it, and improving and humbling herself.  It makes me happy to hear how she is on a voyage of self discovery, kind of like how I am - and because I related well to this and to her message of critical thinking, I really felt a personal connection to this book.

Plus, like me, she swears like a sailor.

"Belief and faith are great, but very few people have been led astray by thinking for themselves.  In the end, change is never easy.  Living with a core set of beliefs that completely unravel is unsettling to say the least.  We all have do decide - do we want to live in regret, suffer pain and demonize ourselves for believing in and carrying out the tenets of the church, or do we want to look at what we gained.  The bad had to happen.  If it didn't, we would still be walking around with blinders on, not seeing the world at large.  We wouldn't have been given the gift to explore new ideas, new ways of being, thinking, open to the possibilities that there are other beliefs, different paths that can bring us closer to others.  We would not be able to be more solid than ever in our belief that what is true for you is true because you yourself have observed it to be true.  We all have a newfound strength in that we will never again believe, just because.  For most of my childhood and adult life, I thought I had the answers and most of the world was just lost.  As I've grown, I've learned that I know almost nothing.  And so, in that, I feel reborn in a sense.  I'm reading, I go to therapy, I do things that bring me joy.  Learning to love the one person I didn't like very much - myself.    I am a combative, inquisitive, argumentative person, and I will never allow anyone to change that.  I still have anger, but I'm okay with that because it fuels me to continue to right any wrongs I may see.  And it's because of that, and the support of my true friends and my family, that I was able to fight my way out of Scientology and see the world for the first time.  Without judgement or pressure not to think the way I do or to have a different faith.  Our lives have begun, lessons are being learned and we are healing.  It's never too late to begin again, better, stronger, more evolved.  And to all my fellow troublemakers I say, carry on."

My quest for self-improvement

I really love learning about the Blue Zones, Ornish Living, the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Emotional Intelligence, A Force For Good and anything that the Dalai Lama teaches.

I think about the best way to move forward and progress in life in a positive way, and think that there are three main facets for me to work on, which are all intertwined.

Physical health
My physical heath benefits from three things - exercise, food, and sleep.

Exercise
I've been walking a minimum of 5 miles a day.  There are studies that show that walking has great health benefits.  My Fitbit Alta HR helps tremendously - not only does it tally my total steps so that I can achieve 11,000 steps daily, but it reminds me to get up and walk at least 250 steps every hour.  There's an article in the Washington Post that talks about the health risks of sitting all day, so it's good for me to get up and walk around the building.

Regarding intensity - I know that about 4,000 of those daily steps are routine things like walking around the house, or walking to the printer at work.  And in fact, some studies have indicated that 10,000 is not as important as getting a solid block of exercise that gets your heart rate up.  So I have to make sure I get in a good 1/2 hour minimum medium intensity walk after work.

I need to get some strength training in too, something that is lacking in my workout routine.  There are articles that say that strength training is important along with cardio workouts.  I used to do the Hasfit workouts on YouTube, and I think I'll try to get into these again along with my walks.  I like Coach Kozak - I wish he was my personal trainer!

Food
I've been reading a lot about different approaches to changing your diet.  I don't like "diets" - I always end up wondering if the advocates are ignoring the problems associated with what they are proposing, and generally don't propose long term dietary changes.

For example, Dr. John McDougall seems to promote a plant-based diet with no animal products, which I think is good, but he doesn't necessarily recommend reducing the total amount of carbs eaten, and in fact recommends eating a lot of rice, like the first generation asians that he worked with at Hamakua Plantation did.  At first I thought that he seemed correct, but I think eating as much carbs as you want probably isn't the best thing for you.

Other diets support eliminating carbs and eating high proteins, but there are obvious dangers in that - particularly things like links between red meat consumption and cancer, or heart disease.

I have never seen a study suggesting that increasing the consumption of vegetables and fruits is bad for you, so it makes sense to have the majority of your meal one or both of these, and to have just enough carbs and protein and fat to make you feel full.  Blue Zones has an incredible recipe for vanilla cherry nice cream, and I could eat this every week - it's just cherries and bananas, but it's smooth and creamy like soft serve!  Eating a lot of fruit has reduced my cravings for refined sugar things, and I've been making some really tasty vegetarian things like ganmodoki (tofu patties), wood ear stir fry, and yuba.

Eating well can be easy when I take the time and exercise some creativity!  I want to incorporate this creativity into the philosophy of healthier eating through increased plant-based food consumption, reduced carbs, and the focus on certain anti-inflammatory foods like berries and green tea.

Sleep
Sleep is so important!  I try to balance sleep with competing interests - and at home, that seems to be spending quality time with my kids.  That's pretty much the reason why I might not get as much sleep as I need.  I used to set a goal of 8 hours a night, but that's pretty unrealistic.  Now my goal is 7 1/2, but that still means I need to get to bed by around 8:00, an almost impossible task.

I've managed to incorporate a really good mantra when I wake up at night - I repeat to myself "My body is relaxed, my mind is clear, I am centered" and I usually fall back asleep pretty quickly.  Managing my mental calmness and center has helped in this regard.

The Mayo Clinic has an excellent article with tips for getting better sleep.


Intelligence
I feel pretty happy with my routines for keeping my brain stimulated.  I do this through learning, puzzle solving, and exercising my creative side.

Learning
I think I've always enjoyed learning, but while there was a steep learning curve when I got my bachelors of science in Engineering, and my subsequent job training and obtaining my professional engineering license, I managed to let my brain relax a little after that.  Now that my career is pretty settled in, I've developed a desire to learn again.  In fact, I wish I could go back to college!

I wasn't an avid reader before last year, averaging about a book every two or three years.  In the past year, I've read over 30 books.  I really love non-fiction - I love learning about history (perspectives on World War II on the Japanese and American sides), North Korea, and psychology books that talk about the nature of man.  I also love reading anything by the Dalai Lama.

I am interested in catching up on the classic fiction that I overlooked as I grew up, maybe Moby Dick and 1984, but I also want to re-read some books that I loved throughout my life like The Little Prince and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  And I could probably also get into Harry Potter, but of course, these aren't for learning - they're just pure entertainment.

I have also been focusing on learning Japanese.  I do this through the "Learn In Your Car" series of audio recordings - I have about 150 words and phrases memorized, through DuoLingo, where I'm learning to read and write - I have a dozen or so Hiragana characters memorized and a handful of words, and (not as often) through Japanese POD 101, which immerses me in conversational Japanese for more of the grammatical structure.

Though I play rock guitar about as satisfactorily as I'd like to, I would someday love to learn to play jazz guitar, but that's definitely not within my time constraints right now.

Puzzle Solving
I never thought that my obsession with Candy Crush was a good thing (many a time have I wasted an hour or two at home playing it), but I think problem solving is a good thing and helps to keep my brain stimulated.  I much prefer games that make you solve problems, like Candy Crush, Sudoku or Crossword, than to shooting or fighting games.

In fact, I love using analytical thinking, and this helps me to do things like troubleshoot my appliances, or install a new faucet, or add coolant into my car's AC system.  Self sufficiency is something I strive for, and hard to do without having the puzzle solving side of my brain constantly stimulated.  Or maybe that's just an excuse to waste more time on Candy Crush.  :)

Creativity
My two primary outlets for creativity are cooking and music, and to a (much) lesser degree, art.

I love cooking, and always try to learn new recipes, sometimes to the chagrin of my kids, who have to eat some of my failed attempts anyway.  I love learning about culture through food, not only about what things people eat, but how they prepare it.  I also love exercising my creativity to come up with something different and unique, but still harmonious and that makes sense by thinking non-traditionally.

I also love everything about music, and went through a lot of different periods - from learning to play lead guitar, to memorizing 4 sets of music to play in clubs, to learning how to write songs, learning how to record, learning how to produce a band, repairing guitars, building guitars, teaching guitar and bass playing, and now, fronting a band singing and playing guitar like my heroes - Max Cavalera and Nergal.

Emotional wellness

Emotional wellness is a facet of my life that I never fully worked on until this past year.  I work on several things - having a proper perspective and control of my emotions, having a positive support network, and exercising gratitude.

Perspective
Instrumental to my journey to emotional wellness was what I consider to be my "bible", The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama.  This is a seminal book for me, that, like eating lots of vegetables and fruits, doesn't have any real downsides.  Being positive, empathetic, and embracing the idea of making the world a better place, all while developing inner peace, makes this book more of a lifestyle philosophy rather than a self-help book.  While some books that I've read (Jen Sincero or even Deepak Chopra) suggest or even advocate for some degree of self empowerment and "getting what you want", the Dalai Lama is more interested in achieving inner peace through empathy and compassion.

That's the "what" in the equation.  The Dalai Lama certainly explains the "how" in terms that are easy to understand, but the relate-ability does have some limitations, given that his monk lifestyle is so far removed from my lifestyle.  Still, his message is universal and I can definitely relate in the sense that inner peace makes the world around me a better place.

To help understand the mind of people around me and myself (thereby increasing my capacity for empathy and compassion), Daniel Goleman's "Emotional Intelligence" and Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences have helped me to understand things with more clarity.

Control
With understanding and perspective comes the ability to recognize when, as Daniel Goleman states, one is prone to emotional hijacking.  Having a sense of inner peace definitely helps to downplay aggravating or frustrating events, and allows the control of emotions that could potentially spin out of control.

I've undergone enough times recently where I allow other people to spin my emotions out of control, so it feels good to be in control of my thoughts and more important, my reaction to antagonism.  This control has extended to every day things like staying calm in traffic!

Positive Support Network
I am very fortunate to have a positive support network of friends, medical caregivers, and family, and I strive to cultivate those relationships as much as I can.

Exercising Gratitude
I try, when I'm not too tired, to make sure every night to reflect on the people and things that I'm thankful for.  It helps to keep perspective and to keep me grounded.

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I want to strive to develop all of these things, continuously.  These kinds of personal development items are in keeping with Blue Zones, Ornish Living, and the Dalai Lama, all of which have been positive influences in my life.  I know I can always do better, but I feel like I'm on the right track to wellness and inner peace through thoughtful and peaceful pursuits.

Ornish Living

I can't remember how I stumbled across Ornish Living, but it is a way to improve your health through 4 things - Diet, Stress Management, Exercise, and Support.

These are all things I've been working on for the past few months, so I'm really excited to hear about how this works!  I'm going to subscribe to the magazine and read the articles.

I've been trying to eat a lot better - more vegetarian, and less carbs at night.  I've been managing my stress through meditation and therapy.  I've been exercising through walking, and get my support from good family and friends.  Crossing my fingers and hoping for lots of benefits!!

Kakigomi

This was a fun thing to make for Labor Day weekend.  It's a watermelon shaved ice.  It's so easy - you just have to process a watermelon in the food processor until it's liquid, then freeze in a bag, massaging every so often so that it remains slushy in texture instead of icy.  You then serve it back in the hollowed out rind, and top with condensed milk and chocolate chips, to simulate watermelon seeds.

It was light and refreshing!

Mediterranean diet

I would like to try to incorporate more Mediterranean diet into my repertoire.  This weekend I made a Mediterranean chicken with eggplant.  It chicken breast and eggplant, sauteed in olive oil with onions and garlic, and coated with a tomato red wine reduction and seasoned with oregano.  It was really good!  I had this with a bean salad.

New faucet installation

I installed a new faucet this weekend after finding a leak under my sink.

I had a "new" faucet sitting around the house - bought years ago and uninstalled.  I think having sat around for years, the gaskets all deteriorated.  I believe that's what happened because after I installed it, water came shooting out from all over the fixture.  That was too bad, because this was a Hansgrohe faucet and I thought otherwise, the quality was really top notch.

I went to Ace Hardware and bought their "house" brand Oakbrook Collection.  This one was pretty high quality as well, but much cheaper (and made in China).  Installation was pretty easy.

Labor Day walking

I did a lot of walking this long Labor Day weekend but fell short of a marathon distance.  I still managed to walk 24.41 miles.  Walking is so easy when I have audiobooks, Japanese lessons and music.

Every day, I started my walks listening to Daniel Goleman's "Emotional Intelligence", learning about how emotional intelligence (or lack thereof) impacts your interaction with people.

Next, I moved to "Learn In Your Car Japanese", and I now have a catalog of about 100 words and phrases memorized, and I'm starting to understand the grammatical structure of Japanese sentences.

Finally, I moved on to music.  When listening to songs for my band, I lightly mime the guitar playing and mouth the lyrics (ever so slight to not look too weird to passers-by).  It helps me with the independence between my guitar playing and my singing.  Or, I just put on All Time Low, which energizes me to walk.

I love walking!

Band practice

We had band practice on Friday night with our new drummer, who is really good!  I didn't practice the songs before Friday night very much, but found it relatively easy to play and sing the four songs we learned.  This band could be really good!!