Thursday, August 30, 2012

My New Website

I will keep uploading positive content here. I have spent the week working out a couple of websites.

One site is for an awesome client...

And the other site is for myself...
I need many outlets!
CHECK IT OUT HERE
(content, themes, and design are still in progress, BUT ENJOY)!

www.beefalie.net63.net


Thursday, August 23, 2012

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

What to do and which choice to make?

I AM STARTING A NEW PHASE IN LIFE, AND I HAVE SO MANY OPTIONS; Which path do I take?

People have been asking me this question a lot lately. My advice would be

1) Find the outcome that is most important for you (such as attending the same church, keeping in touch with peers, saving on rent, etc.)

2) Stick to any path that leads to your desired outcome. There may be some minor compromises or cons that you may have to face, but so long as you get what you really want, things should be fine!

3) If the path you have to take is too treacherous or is not worth it to get what you desire, then you may have to change your path as well as the desired destination.

4) Basically aim first for what you really want, and then change things along the way.

But sometimes you will face obstacles and barriers that will seem to high to cross.


Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Untitled: Quote

"The greater their sin
And the deeper their misery,
The more earnest and tender will be your efforts
For their recovery."
-EGW

Monday, August 20, 2012

Untitled

Sometimes your mind can produce crystal clear thoughts while other times you can barely stutter out a sentence...

Why is this?
Is it just me?

Maybe sometimes there is just so much jumbled clutter that all the energy used to sift through the mess is spent; this results in output that is minimally lucid.

Right?

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Profit and Charity

I HOPE THAT THE MANY THOUGHTS FROM THE BIBLE ARE NOT OFFENDING ANYONE! I am trying to stay as impartial as possible, but I have to give credit where credit is due. And for that reason I have to mention where a lot of my ideas are coming from when I write.

My daily routine is to begin most days with a reading, which is usually from the Bible or commentary writings. And other days I honestly fail at this practice, miserably.

Most days I continuously think on the topics I read about that morning.

I understand that not everyone believes in the same thing. AND THAT IS GREAT AND PERFECTLY FINE BY ME!

But I am determined to focus on UNITY and COMMON GROUND much more than our differences.

That being said...

Today I read the following:

James 4:13-17

13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. 

We are often put in a situation because it is where we belong. 
But then over time, as we develop, we are given the opportunity for forward movement. Possible even for upward mobility.
We are given a choice to use your blessings for helping others or for our own personal profit.

Now, is profiting wrong? No.
But is selfishness wrong? Perhaps.
When do we "pay it forward" 
and when do we bask and revel in our own abundance?
How much stuff is enough?

If we are given a gift then is it fully ours? Or is it still partially the property of the giver? What is our obligation towards blessings?

And what are blessings anyways?



Who are you, REALLY? PART 1

Catch Me if you Can
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio
positions a con artist in a philosophical debate of
GOOD versus EVIL.
Or at least this is how I viewed the movie.

QUESTIONS

Good: If you are not hurting anyone, is it okay to pretend to be someone you are not?

Bad: Is it bad to pretend to be someone else?

Is it bad to steal someone's identity?

Is it the amount of GAIN you receive that determines if the pretending is GOOD or BAD?

Is lying always bad?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Suppose  you want to test a new setting.
You have your new apartment in a poverty stricken part of town.
You have your new job in the part of town where the wealthy reside.

You make friends in your apartment and you realize that due to the new job you landed you are quite well off in comparison to the other residents. You lie to them about your income and you tell them that you poor. They accept you.

Your new job brings you posh clients. You want to obtain more clients, so you reveal to both your clients and your boss and colleagues that you are from old money. You are a baron (or baroness) from abroad. You have a fat bank account, vast landscapes, and an incredibly deep savings, not to forget the association of your name. All the ladies or gents seem to love you. They adore you for the leased car which you claim is your third Ferrari. People flock to be with you.

The reality: You are neither poor nor rich. You are average. Sometimes you are broke. Sometimes you are well off. Sometimes your account is negative. You are just the Average Joe.

Your pretending has won you friends. But can you tell the truth? And if not, why not?

Forget that you lied and betrayed the trust of your new social networks. Supposing they never cared about that aspect of the scenario, would they accept you for who you are? Would the poor accept that you are more well of than they? Would the rich accept you as possibly less wealthy or equal?

Why or why not?

And what makes it okay to be of one status in one situation while in a different situation you may not be able to get away with people knowing those same things about you?




Who are you, REALLY? PART 2

Q: Supposing you have nothing, are you still somebody? Or are you then a nobody?

While viewing a documentary about the elite upper class of the USA, (Hiltons, Trumps, etc.),
I was introduced to the topic of identity and status.

A rich young man asked
"Why is it that in our country so many people first ask you 'WHAT IS YOUR JOB? WHERE DID YOU GO TO SCHOOL?' In so many other countries these questions are only asked once you actually know something about someone."

American society focuses heavily upon status which is often times associated with job titles and educational degrees and affiliations.

But how important is this, really?
Who are we, really?

If you are the owner of a Fortune 500 company, are you any better than the person who cleans your office?

If you make enough $$ to own a home, are you more important than the person who comes to your door to sell you AVON?

What is in a 
job?
title?
association?
promotion?
university name?
PhD, Dr., MD, MA, MS, BA, BS, AA, AS, etc.?
salary?
Per Diem?

IS THIS WHO YOU ARE?
Are you what you accomplish?

I have a hard time knowing when to, and when to not, divulge details about my accomplishments.
I tend to be quite a private person. So I do not enjoy even sharing educational or professional information about myself. Nor any other details for that matter. But I am working on getting better at that.

What I do like to share are goals. To me, my goals are a huge part of who I am. My ambitions are a large part of my being. My existence strongly relies on my future plans and what I am currently doing to reach those targets. I know that this is just me and my own outlook on life, for now.

Judgement from peers is unpleasant to receive. As for myself, I don't want to really get into that topic, but towards other people I have often heard of and witnessed people harshly criticizing their choices related to academics and work.

Why is it important that John Doe went to Harvard but decided to work at a pet shop on the store floor?

What difference does it make if Jane Doe cannot decide on her major and is on her third academic course path?

Does it really matter that Dr. Bobby decided to stay home and be a stay-at-home parent while his high school diploma wife is supporting the family?

Isn't happiness the key? If no one is being selfish, is it not important that they are doing what they want?

A: Do people need to do what we expect of them? What determines potential? Is potential the capacity or the input or the output?

Friday, August 17, 2012

Take My Life and Let it be...


"Take away my eyes, I can still see. Take away my arms, I can still hug. Take away my tongue, I can still speak. Take away my voice, I can still sing. But there is one thing you can never take away-my mind!" ~ An Anonymous Friend "M.M."


Thursday, August 16, 2012

Q: How can the bad be weeded out and turned to good? PART 1

Q: How can the bad be weeded out and turned to good?

Paraphrased from the movie The Believer.

BOY: Unlike Group-B, Group-A loves to separate everything!
CAPITAL from lowercase letters,
dirt from rocks,
meat from veggies,
... it's as if any little bit of this will contaminate that?

GIRL: Who is it that gets contaminated? Group-A? Or Group-B?

BOY: Good question!



Q: How can the bad be weeded out and turned to good? PART 2

Q: How can the bad be weeded out and turned to good?

Based on
Parsha Re'eh- "behold, look, see" 
Chabad of South Bay
 
The people wandered in the wilderness.
They faced the trials and tribulations introduced by harsh nature.
Little natural shelter was available for protection of the weak, young, and elderly.
There were no common comforts, but they still pressed on.

Slowly but surely they were taught new ways.
A new culture. 
One that broke the chains of their past slavery
and provided them with a new outlook on life:
-focus
-devotion
-rest
-honor
-peace
-honesty
-contentment...

THEY WERE COMMANDED TO LIVE IN THIS WAY NOW. 
NO MORE MASTER-SLAVE MENTALITY. 
THEY WERE HUMAN
NO LONGER ANIMALS.

Separation was key: Those who could follow and change were allotted more freedoms, 
and those who were stubborn were to be 
cut off. 
THERE WOULD BE NO FURTHER CONTAMINATION.

Blessings were obtained through learning and doing.
Curses were brought on by deviating from what they knew was the right path.
Those who were blessed were separated from the cursed ones...
THERE COULD BE NO MORE CONTAMINATION.

Many people suffer from their past. From the troubles passed down.
Q: How can the bad be weeded out and turned to good?
A: Focus on the journey
-fast
-meditate
-pray
-"wander"
-learn
- and then begin to prune away the bad from what is good. Separate it out slowly.
-DO
IN THE END, THERE WILL BE NO MORE CONTAMINATION.





Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Original Art Work

Created with Inkscape software.


"Control of Relax and Panic" by Grace Ncube


Oh! What a Beautiful Morning!

This morning LOOKS PERFECT!

But is it? Will it be perfect?

Who decides? Do you and I decide?

Does the sun decide? Is it the weather?

Can a perfect day become disastrous? How?

What makes a morning perfect for you?
-plans...
-new beginnings...
-the end of a time...
-someone special...
-something special...
-birds chirping...
-being well rested...
-having a light workload...

Of course perfection is relative. But think about it a bit. Do you ever wake up some mornings and say to yourself

"TODAY IS GOING TO BE SO AWESOME!"

I do!

And other days I say "TODAY WILL SUCK!"

What percentage of my day is determined inwardly? And what percentage is determined by outward circumstances? Is it 50/50?

Some days we can really drive ourselves....
...one way or the other.

And for those difficult outward circumstances, which of those can be changed? Which are due to the natural course or life? And which are we holding on to?

Monday, August 13, 2012

Hindsight is NOT 20/20: Elizabeth Loftus

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/hamdi002/blog/2011/10/where-were-you-when.html
CHECK OUT A TALK BY  
DR. ELIZABETH LOFTUS HERE

We have all heard the saying: "Hindsight is 20/20."

WELL, IT IS NOT!

 FLASHBULB MEMORY
was one of the coolest topics I had to learn about in my Cognitive Science Sensation and Perception course.

Dr. Loftus of UCI

talked of car accidents and crimes.

An honest person can be interviewed and led to provide false information.





(BLOG UPDATE) added topic

FIRST, I SHOULD APOLOGIZE. MY RECENT WRITING IS NEARLY INCOHERENT. SOMETIMES I GO FOR WEEKS WHEN I HAVE TROUBLE MAKING SENSE OF THINGS. AND IT SHOWS A LOT WHEN I WRITE AS WELL. I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON EDITS, BUT IT IS STILL HARD. I THINK MY NEW SLEEP PATTERN HAS A LOT TO DO WITH THIS. AND A SIGNIFICANTLY LESSER AMOUNT OF CAFFEINE AND SUGAR INTAKE. CAFFEINE FUELS ME. AND IT HAS ALSO BEEN VERY HOT. AND MY BRAIN IS FUZZY FOR A LOT OF DIFFERENT REASONS. BUT SUCH IS LIFE. I WILL EVENTUALLY BE BACK TO NORMAL SO YOU NEED NOT WORRY, PLEASE.

HERE IS A RECAP AND UPDATE:
Previous Topics:

-Poetry
-Art

-Positive Thinking
- Social Psychology
- Applying Social Psychology

Current Topic:

-Health and Fitness

Possible New Topic(s):
- Challenging Western Cultural Ideas
-- Mental
-- Social
-- Traditional
-- Diversity

IF THERE ARE ANY PREFERRED TOPICS OR INTERESTS
PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
I AM NOT JUST WRITING THIS STUFF FOR MYSELF!
I AM WRITING FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU... OR ELSE I WOULD NOT HAVE STARTED POSTING AGAIN.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Giving Up? Or Moving On?

http://erinzam.com/blog/2011/12/13/new-mini-planners-for-2012/
Sometimes your master plan may not work out so easily.

But when do you move on to something else?

I am an extremely determined person. I do not believe in giving up or quitting.
But if Plan A isn't working out... When do you give up on that first plan and move on to Plan B?

Sometimes all the signs point you towards moving on from A to B. But other times you may start on Plan B and then Plan A begins to work out...

IT'S VERY CONFUSING.

Maybe it's all just about taking a leap of faith in a new direction. Doing the same thing over and over again and not receiving results is frustrating. But none of us knows the future.

Does quitting really matter?

For me, I like to see results. If I don't see things moving forward then I push even harder until I do see results. And as I said before, I don't like to quit. I at least like to see things all the way through before I can make a decision to move on. For me, quitting should happen once I know for a fact that I am in the wrong place.

How can you tell if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time? What I mean is, what makes it so that sometimes you have a sign to move forward, and then almost instantaneously you are given a sign to take a step back?

And is quitting really bad? Do you stay away from quitting BECAUSE OR YOURSELF? Or BECAUSE OF OTHERS? Who do you do it for? Maybe that is what determines if quitting is good or bad... and then again, maybe not...






Friday, August 10, 2012

Blaming the Victim PART 3

http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/rak/earlylxx/jewishpap.html
To not leave the story on a bad note...

For those who do not know,

towards the end of the book, Job is praying and asking God basically
WHY ME?
I DID EVERYTHING I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO...
WHY ARE YOU LETTING THIS HAPPEN?

God basically responds
WHO ARE YOU TO QUESTION ME?
I MADE EVERYTHING.
I KNOW AND SEE EVERYTHING. 
AND YOU DO NOT.

We cannot have all the answers.
We did not create ourselves.
We did not create this universe.
WE DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW THE HECK OR WHY WE ARE HERE!

But we sure like to try and figure things out.
It is one thing to try and figure out our own lives.
But trying to figure out another person's misfortune should not be our place at all.
God says
I KNOW AND SEE EVERYTHING. 
AND YOU DO NOT.

If we cannot even figure out our own lives, how on earth will we try and figure out someone else's?

DO YOU WANT TO HEAR THE END OF THE STORY?
JOB GETS MORE KIDS
MORE MONEY: MORE CROPS, MORE ANIMALS
MANY MANY MANY TIMES MORE THAN HE EVEN HAD BEFORE ALL OF THIS.

I bet his friends were then asking:
HOW CAN WE GET WHAT JOB HAS?
Instead of the previous
HOW CAN WE AVOID WHAT JOB HAS?

Kinda funny, huh? I think it's a little bit funny.

Blaming the Victim PART 2

At the same college as my first Research Design course was my first Bible as Literature class.

The public college offered some very exciting courses on PHILOSOPHY, LOGIC, AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION as well. Of course I took them all!

The Bible as Literature class was all about the Bible as a literary text in Western society.

We purchased the Oxford New Revised Standard Version with annotations, maps, notes, and historical explanations of every little detail.

THAT WAS MY KIND OF CLASS!

I grew up with a church youth leader that helped us to develop our own thinking. He never gave us straight forward answers such as
THIS IS WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS- THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS.

Actually, he would test our thinking by ARGUING EVERYTHING HE BELIEVED. He played the devil's advocate and challenged us on every term. We did this every Friday night and Saturday morning
SINCE I WAS 12 YEARS OLD!
This continued until I was about 19.
7 YEARS OF LEARNING LIKE THIS!
And at the end, I basically had more questions than I had answers. WHICH WAS GREAT!

With that background in mind, I went to college and began taking non-religious courses about Christianity. HUH???!

The funny thing is
I WAS GREAT AT IT!

I could ask intelligent and insightful questions. I was able to see both sides of the fence extremely easily. In a class of so many different faiths and belief systems I was able to sit in any group and just hang and not take things personally. But this got me into trouble with the other Christian folk in the classes. 

THEY ALWAYS ASKED ME: HOW CAN YOU TALK TO THEM ABOUT THE BIBLE LIKE THAT? WHY DON'T YOU TELL THEM THAT THEY WILL GO TO HELL? WHY DON'T YOU TELL THEM THEY HAVE TO GO TO CHURCH?

My answer was: Because they didn't ask me those things...

...and also because I do not believe that just because something is right for me, it should work for everyone else. My life path is MY LIFE PATH and not the path I should expect or require of my friends. Our differences are a blessing and I don't believe I need to fight against others, even if I don't always understand their ways.

THE STORY OF JOB GENERALLY FOCUSES ON A VERY WEALTHY MAN. He had children who were party animals. But he was righteous. Within a short amount of time (about all in the same day)
all his wealth
children
livelihood
HEALTH ...
EVERYTHING WITH THE EXCEPTION OF HIS WIFE WAS TAKEN FROM HIM DUE TO NATURE (...windstorms causing houses to fall onto the family, etc.)

AND THAT IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK OF JOB!

The middle of the book is about his "loving" friends and wife.
What do they do to comfort him in all of this time of need???

THEY BLAME HIM!!!
Okay okay okay, they don't say JOB THIS WAS ALL YOUR FAULT.
But they do get all up in his business and ask things like:
What did you do?
You must have done SOMETHING!
How did this happen?
You must have sinned SOMEHOW!
How did you lose the favor of God?

...hmmmm, I have got to be honest. I have found myself asking troubled friends 
THOSE SAME TYPES OF QUESTIONS.

Back to my Bible as Literature class,
we looked at Job 2:9
Where Job's "loving" wife exclaims:
"Are you still holding on to your integrity? Bless God and die."

THE WORD "BLESS" HERE CAN ALSO BE "CURSE." Because the culture would not want to say "curse God" many wrote "bless God."
She says this while her husband is grieving his lost children. Broke and broken. Covered in boils. Using broken pottery to scrape away at his skin! THAT'S JUST A LITTLE HARSH!

But how many times do we do the same thing to people? Of course they may not look as bad off as Job, but we kick them while they're down. And we think in the back of our skulls-

I need to know how to avoid this hell they are going through;

I need to know what the heck they did so that I can avoid this kind of pain.

Right?

Blaming the Victim PART 1

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/240578-War-On-the-Obese-aka-Blaming-the-Victim
While getting some light cardio this morning
I remembered a paper I wrote during my undergrad as a baby psychologist.

My research questions was

Do people with HIGH SOCIAL MORALS tend to BLAME THE VICTIM more than people with LOW MORALS?

I vaguely remember how I tested this.

I believe I tested morals based on a scenario involving a lost wallet or a found item.

I tested blaming the victim based on responses to the amount of fault a participant placed on a person in a scenario who got injured or hurt in some way.

I ran my very first t-test. (Basically comparing the averages of high and low moral people and the amount of fault placed on the victim).

THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE.

I WAS ASKING MYSELF AS I WALKED AROUND THE PARK THIS MORNING:
WHAT WAS I THINKING?
For some reason I once believed that it was a person's morals that made them blame others for their problems. Wow! That was quite narrow minded thinking on my part. But the professor let me run the experiment.

Troubles come and troubles go.
I think it is awareness of this that distinguishes those who do and those who don't blame a person for their own misfortune.

Yes, sometimes people do bring trouble upon themselves.

But who are we to judge them? We have all had ups and downs. When we think about all of our downs, we would likely not say YUP, THAT WAS ALL BECAUSE I DID THING X FOLLOWED BY THING Y, WHICH ALL RESULTED IN THING Z. There are an infinite amount of factors to consider. And sometimes everything just lines up at the right or wrong time I guess.

Fiber

http://www.motherearthproducts.com/dried_vegetables.htm
Eating vegetables is hard for me.

I literally have to keep track of my veggie and fruit intake.

Eating carbs is easy (breads, rices, noodles, etc.).

Strangely I lose about ONE POUND per week if I don't workout and I just eat healthy.
Like if I eat a big salad for lunch every day of the week, and I eat relatively regularly, then that's about all it takes for me!

When I work out I do gain weight before I lose pounds. Maybe it's muscle and maybe it's because I tend to pound proteins when I work out a lot. But results are noticeable for me anyways.

I have targeted my "problem" areas. The areas where all my fats seem to build up and not want to leave.

I'm am sure that no body cares, but I am quite regular. So I don't tend to need a lot of fiber to help me out. But I did eat a few FIBER ONE bars one day... kinda a big mistake for me! But they tasted yummy!



Thursday, August 9, 2012

Motivation 3 (The Snooze Button)

Sleeping can also relate to motivation. Have you ever noticed that when you have something new to do:

new job
new date
new schedule
new running route
new work task

WAKING UP IS SIMPLE! You feel excited, motivated, and ready to begin this new plan!

But once the plan becomes routine, you may want to hit the snooze alarm just a few times before you have to get up and perform that


SAME OL' THING.


...HOW CAN WE MAKE EACH DAY SIMPLE AND EASY TO APPROACH?!


1) One way is to count your blessings! If you HAVE a job, or class or event that you have the gas and car to get to

YOU ARE QUITE WELL OFF!


Gas and jobs and classes and reliable transportation and money in the pocket...
...these things have become almost scarce and rare these days.


If you have them
BE GLAD!


2) Incorporate new things into your schedule.


3) Start your day off right! For me, I LOVE A GOOD BREAKFAST! I love thinking about what I will have as my first meal of the day! And I love eating the meal with time to spare
as I watch Chris Pirillo and Golden State Saga VLOGS and read flipboard techy posts on my iPhone.

Motivation 2 (Sleep versus Laziness)

In addition to the conference, my schedule has flipped!

I NOW SLEEP AT NIGHT AND WAKE UP IN THE DAY!

I have been up since 6 am like a normal human! But we will see how long it lasts. It has been very difficult for me to keep a routine for about 4-5 years now since I have not needed to do that. Most of my work schedules (with the exception of 2) have been afternoon to night, or night shift. During school, after my BA program and during my MA program I did not have to wake up early but 1 quarter. There was the first quarter when I had an early course, but I lived about 20 minutes from campus counting both my commute and my parking walk.

But I always have just 1 question out of all of this:

WHY DO SO MANY PEOPLE ASSUME THAT NIGHT-OWLS ARE LAZY?

For example, if you say up all night long writing and working and preparing for things, and 
you 
sleep at 6:30 am and 
wake at 10 or 11 am ...
YOU HAVE ONLY SLEPT 4.5-5 HOURS TOTAL!
But for some reason people will say WOW! You must be lazy because you sleep in everyday!

When in actuality, most people sleep twice as much!

Does THE AMOUNT OF SLEEP make a person lazy?
Or is it THE AMOUNT OF WORK that equates to laziness?

I'm not judging, but I do find it funny that people say those comments a lot.

Maybe if a person sleeps for a long time they may seem lazy, but they may also just naturally require more sleep.

We have all overslept before. But that usually happens when you NEED the sleep, right? Your body wants to catch up on all the sleep it has missed. Your body wants to recover from all the stress by adding more deep sleep. Even if it may be inconvenient for your rushed morning schedule.





Motivation

I have written on this topic. Don't worry. I know.

This week I was blessed to attend a graphic design and animation conference called SIGGRAPH.

CHECK OUT SIGGRAPH EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES HERE!
And it was amazing! We did not get to see every little thing because that would have taken a LOT of funds and likely more than 1 day. But it was motivational.

I like to see other people doing the things that I want to do. I am just a hobbyist in that field, but just seeing people do things motivates me.



Saturday, August 4, 2012

3 Quick BEGINNING Workout Tips

http://www.rahuldesai.com/blog/tabid/3310/bid/61044/5-Workout-Tips-That-Work.aspx

(1) A common problem with working out is that many times people want a quick fix.

5 day buns of steel
10 day six packs
Lose 30 pounds in 30 days...
THESE MAY BE POSSIBLE IF A PERSON IS ALREADY IN TOP SHAPE, BUT FOR THE REST OF US IT JUST AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN! 

At least it won't happen in a HEALTHY manner.

The first realization that I can stress is DO NOT PURCHASE OR GIVE IN TO QUICK FIXES. They are scams and they are not usually healthy for you.

INSTEAD try to make small lifestyle changes one at a time. Then you will be living a healthier lifestyle. The problem with trying to get fit quick is that once you actually get fit, if it works, you will go back to how you normally were due to an unhealthy lifestyle.

(2) Another common theme THAT IS MOST HELPFUL is
ACTIVATING THE AFTERBURN EFFECT

Some people may want you to pay to learn this. DON'T PAY! I WILL TELL YOU FOR FREE!

WHAT IS IT? It refers to how and why weight loss can be efficient.

As I understand it, and as I have experienced, your body will respond best to regular and routine workouts.

If you want to work out 5 hours a week, you will be better off stretching out the segments over the full week. Maybe one hour each day. BUT YOU WOULD NOT WANT TO DO 5 HOURS ON SUNDAY ONLY! Does that make sense? You want to active the afterburner. Meaning within about 24 hours your body responds best to the next workout. You will see results quicker if you workout regularly.
AND DO CARDIO!
CARDIO IS A MUST, ESPECIALLY IF YOU WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT IN YOUR CORE REGIONS!!! (your middle, like your belly)
CARDIO CARDIO CARDIO.
And you also want to strengthen the muscles you use during cardio so you can push yourself more and more
AS DAFT PUNK SAYS: HARDER, BEST, FASTER, STRONGER.
Scooby says it best here http://scoobysworkshop.com/afterburner-effect-melts-away-fat/

(3) The last tip, which is actually most important is DIET! But I do not mean stop eating. Diet is just a couple of things:
-portion control
-regulating the ratios of FAT/ PROTEIN/CARBS that you eat.
I will talk specifically of this later, but to keep it basic...
CARBS: should always be like :brown rice, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta...
NO SUGARS (like in coffee and tea and soda and basically any drink, CAKES, COOKIES, DONUTS ETC=NO NO NO
FATS SHOULD BE VERY LOW (unless it is like avocado or something natural) FATS SHOULD BE ABOUT 4-5%. ANY FATS IN THE DOUBLE DIGITS IS USUALLY A NO NO.
Keep meats lean and stick to fish, turkey, and chicken IN GENERAL.
PROTEINS: low fat, NOT FRIED OR DEEP FRIED, nuts/ some veggie meats/ legumes/ beans= GOOD!

Here is how I see it:

If you can find it in nature or make it from SCRATCH from something you can pick outdoors someplace then it is generally okay and likely good for you. 

If it ain't natural like instant ANYTHING ALMOST... if it comes preserved and it has chemical names in the ingredients then those are the things to put right back on the grocery shelf and keep on walking to the organic or fresh produce aisles. 

GOOD STORES TO SHOP: Whole Foods, Sprouts, Trader Joes. If you want an item that comes in a box or a bag you should likely get the organic version.







Workouts (INTRODUCTION and FREE VIDS THAT I LIKE)

IN THE SPIRIT OF THE 2012 SUMMER OLYMPICS, LET'S TALK ABOUT ATHLETIC TRAINING.

I have not fully committed to writing about working out, but just in case, here is a quick starter.

I love working out at home since I no longer pay for the gym. P90X, Insanity, and walking at the beach, park track, or up hills are some things I enjoy. They are free! Well, P90X and Insanity technically are not free. But if you have generous friends you can easily borrow a copy from them.

MY FAVORITE SITE FOR FREE INFO ON
-NUTRITION
-MEAL PLANS
-WORKOUTS
-WORKOUT VIDS
-TESTIMONIALS
SCOOBY'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR EXAMPLES AND MOTIVATION: http://www.youtube.com/user/scooby1961

MIKE CHANG
I LOVE THIS SITE FOR: 
-GOOD MEAL PLANS 
-NEW AND DIFFERENT ADVICE
-HOME WORKOUT VIDEOS THAT YOU CAN FOLLOW ALONG WITH FOR FREE
(THE YOUTUBE CHANNEL IS FREE, BUT MIKE ALSO HAS A PAID PROGRAM THAT I HAVE NOT TRIED).

JOSH SCHLOTTMAN 
from TRAINERJOSH.COM
JOSH HAS:
-NICE TUTORIALS FOR STRETCHING
-- SMALL TONING EXERCISES
--INJURY EXERCISES
-THIS GUYS WILL EVEN ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS
 






Update about the Blog (Work Outs???)

I will be posting random topics for now.

1. Positive Thinking
2. Psychology and Social Skills
3. ?

I want the next topic to be something relevant. I'm CONSIDERING writing about athletic training and healthy eating for about a week or 2.

Check out my friend's blog here:
http://nandmfreethinkers.wordpress.com/

She basically writes about how to NOT be consumed by consumerism and how to live healthily and by your own rules. IT IS REALLY GREAT STUFF! I have read a lot of it.

The reason I was thinking of writing about athletic training is because I trained at a gym for about 4 weeks during the summer of 2011. I still have most of my nutrition notes as well as schedules and routines. Using the tips and tricks I learned from my hot trainer I was able to see results weekly! It was really one of my most fun memories. The gym is worth the money, but training is so expensive. I can give away all the info I paid to learn FOR FREE!

Learning to Learn

Learning how to learn is important. Lectures don't work for everyone. For myself I prefer online tutorials, PPT presentations, and pretty much anything that has been archived or that I can review.

Which methods help you the most?

Or the least?

What is it about those methods that are helpful?

Sometimes it is good to know. Knowing can save you tons of time and energy if you have to study material or take notes for later use.

Also, know your interests!

I have always believed that it is easier for me to learn things that interest me.-

Friday, August 3, 2012

Luohanquan Techniques

EMILIO ALPANSEQUE

http://eastbaywushu.com/
"No cultural tradition remains identical in time."

-from an article about Emilio Alpanseque

Is this a problem? For some, yes.

In the cases of martial artists from Songshan Shaolin Temple, the spread of their style across different geographies resulted in differing points of focus:
-- interpretations -- objectives -- etc.
                                                              
http://www.facebook.com/emilio.alpanseque

When teachers of any art become scarce, with them leave manuscripts and secrets to success.

Only once the teachings are rediscovered can the students continue to learn the techniques, regardless of past cultural and traditional differences.

Living in the NOW it is simple to get caught up in all the little cultural differences.

But when all information is hidden people become more open minded. Anyone interested is willing to dig for any related piece. The rarity helps to put specific cultural importances into perspective.



Wednesday, August 1, 2012

When Nature Calls

What are your natural abilities?

Some people don't think they have any talent or anything to offer. But what drives you?

When you find something that gets your heart pumping: music, art, sports, writing, etc. DON'T PUSH IT ASIDE AND GIVE UP DUE TO A BUSY LIFE.

Sometimes it will help with stress relief, revive your spirit, and motivate you.

In my situation I have been allowed the blessing to use my natural inclinations to help others and to provide a small yet steady source of income.

Don't give up! You never know where your natural interests will be needed.