2E Child (Twice Exceptional - Autistic / Profoundly Gifted)

A Middle Aged Man's Advice To Young Couples - II

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:46:00 +0000

Song: New Horizons

Group: Moody Blues

----------------

This advice is intended for young couples who
are thinking of starting a family.

It is general in nature...
and there are plenty of exceptions.

It is meant to give those who have time to steer their lives
in a direction they may not have considered...
a full look at their options...
that such important decisions need not be rushed.

-----------------

Always remember, once you decide to have children...
their lives must become the center of your life.

Should you not think so...
know that you are simply not ready to have children.

For young couples...
in order to not feel left out of life's other great experiences...
you must experience life together as a couple first.

Children won't cement a relationship.

That is not their function.

Before having children...
you should have a rock solid relationship already
(not that my wife and I never argue...
but we have no underlying regrets for having started a family...
it was what we had really wanted because the time was right...
we had lived our lives already).

Why?

Because your children deserve parents who can give their all to them.

How?

Know each other first.
Spend a few years of traveling and thoroughly enjoying each other's company...
explore the world together...make solid memories with each other.

Then, when you decide to have children...
you may commit yourself to your children without regret.

I was 40 years old when my wife and I decided to start a family.

We had already had our fun as a couple...
and I wanted to start a family.

Although my wife had wanted a family earlier...
I knew that both of us had to know that the time was right.

We had already seen some of Japan together...
and for our honeymoon
(we delayed it for a year so I could save up my vacation for an extra good one)...
we spent two weeks in Japan at her parents' house
(they showed us around their island of Shikoku...
and took us to Kyushu so I could meet my relatives from
my mother's side)...
and when we returned to the U.S. ...
we rested for a couple of days...
and then went on a 4 week motorcycle trip around the perimeter of the U.S. .

I ended up giving this motorcycle to my brother in law

shortly after Alex was born ...

years later.

Although I loved riding it...

as my family depended on me for its economic survival...

I stopped all risky endeavors...

including any risky sports.

This mindset happens naturally when children come into the picture.
You naturally modify your life for their benefit.

We traveled along this basic route...
stopping along the way to enjoy famous sightseeing spots...
and eating in nice restaurants for dinner
(we had traveled approximately 10,000 miles on this trip).

We later had also taken long car journeys together.
One was a 10 day trip to Las Vegas...the Grand Canyon...
the Painted Desert...Meteor Crater...Arches National park...
Grand Tetons National park...
North to Canada to see the Canadian rockies...
and on the way back...
Crater Lake.

Other times we took off for shorter day trips to the ocean...
to the mountains...or to any other place that we had fancied
for that week.

Before I retired...
I got 3 days off every week...
and every other week...
I got 4 days off.

I also got 6 weeks of vacation a year
(which I could also save up for extra long vacations should I wish).

We used these free days to explore and enjoy the world around us...
to get to make our memories first...so when we started our family...
we would have already lived our lives as a couple...
and we could then dedicate ourselves to our future child wholeheartedly...
without personal regret.

Now...
don't get me wrong...
there are plenty of couples who decide to wait to see the world as a family
(you may also do this later after having enjoyed yourselves as a couple)...
others because of circumstance...decide to have a family early...
and are perfectly happy.

However...
I have seen plenty of others who had felt resentment...
not realizing the amount of dedication necessary to raise children...
to ensure their happiness.

Although I am very free spirited...
I am only so because I have things preplanned...
so I may enjoy them with a free heart.

When we became a family...
we went everywhere as a family.

We have never used a babysitter...
Alex was always with us.

Our main enjoyment was seeing our son's enjoyment.

Now...
while I am pretty impulsive with the small things in life...
with the major ones...
I plan them out years, or even decades, in advance.

Having a family is one of those extremely serious matters.

A child deserves to have a family that is financially stable...
and whose parents can devote themselves to his care.

In short...
enjoy yourself while still single...
it will make enjoyment with another even greater.

Enjoy yourselves as a couple...
it will vastly multiply your enjoyment when you have children.

When you don't feel that life has passed you by...
you are naturally happy inside...
and it will show once you have children.

Once you have given to yourselves...
you may more freely give to others.

A feeling of freedom from unfulfilled desires...
opens and enlarges the heart...
your wanderlust is sated...
your deepest desire is to then share your happiness
by being able to guide a young innocent life to one of great happiness.

--------------

I have also been prepping Alex in one of the greatest
choices in life he may eventually make...
the choosing of a mate
(Alex has always liked certain girls in his grade at school).

I have, of course, stressed that while one cannot control love...
one can control marriage.

Alex may end up meeting the right girl while at University...
and he may wish to get engaged...
but the well thought out path would be to put off marriage until
he has established himself in a profession.

Hopefully, he will also heed my advice on enjoying life as a couple first...
before launching his family.

Alex's MAP Testing Math / Reading Comprehension Scores

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:51:00 +0000

Song: Yet Another Movie

Group: Pink Floyd

Alex's school is going through MAP

(Measures Of Academic Progress)...for one week.

Alex took the Math portion yesterday...

and the Reading Comprehension portion today.

He had greatly improved in both areas.

Tomorrow he will be taking the Science portion...

and on Monday...he will be taking the Language portion.

These tests are designed to see where the child tops out...

and in how much he has improved over his last test.

In Math (Alex's strongest area)...

He went above the accurate measuring threshold of even the 11th graders

(above the 99th %).

He had scored 290.

Neither his raw score, nor his improvement over his last test...

had surprised us.

However, his steady improvement in Reading Comprehension

gratified us greatly (Alex's weakest area).

Alex had scored 249...

which is in the 97th percentile of 7th graders...

and in the 92nd percentile of 11th graders.

We have been steadily working on Alex's

Reading Comprehension on a daily basis.

Although his rate of improvement is less than in his strongest area (Math)...

it is to be expected. He has still made a sizable gain in his weakest area...

and with our continued daily work with him in Reading Comprehension...

we fully expect that he will just keep improving.

Alex reads every day...

usually his AR books and then takes tests at school on them.

His mother reads selected books with him before bedtime...

and questions him on the salient points of the passages.

I have him read a portion of famous criminal cases...

and then read one witness testimony at a time for our daily discussion.

I have Alex play the opposite attorney of which ever witness affidavit

is presented and to have him first, write down the salient points...

and then to present them as if he were addressing the jurors.

I will then play the opposing side...

and hope to initiate a debate.

Alex is getting a grasp of the legal system...

and while he is still new to the value of evidence...

and to, especially that of forensics...

he is learning them (I explain them as we go).

His mother had bought us our next court case book...

this time on famous Supreme Court cases.

I will have Alex refer to his books on the Constitution...

and the Bill of Rights, to try to decide the validity

of the claimants' position or of the Supreme Court's decisions.

I will, of course, take the opposing side...

and we will enter into our debate from there...

portion by portion.

We do this on a daily basis to have Alex improve his Reading Comprehension...

and to improve his ability to rationally discuss issues in a group setting

through intelligent interjection and involved participation

(another formally weak area).

I have found that our debate sessions have improved all of these areas...

as he has to support his assertions using his critical reasoning skills.

I had initially attempted to use an online world news source for our

discussion issues...however, as I am sure most of you have noticed...

the news doesn't report on all of the necessary information

in order to come to a rational decision.

It is also so frequently heavily biased...

and has so many inherent conflicting implications...

as to render it almost unusable.

I have found that using famous court cases to be a great way

to have a child exercise his critical reasoning skills.

This particular book is a starter

(we are discussing the Lindbergh kidnapping as of now).

I will be getting more in depth case studies for our future discussions.

I plan to intermingle our discussions with famous passages

of the teachings of the West's most famous Philosophers...

and we can then discuss the value and validity of each

(I will ask Alex to fully support all of his positions).

The ability for Alex to rationally discuss issues in group or individual settings...

to be able to fully support his assertions through effective recitation

of empirical supporting evidence and/or through the use of supported rationales...

is going to be one of his most used skills in University...and in life.

As time goes on...

we will be increasing his studies in this extremely important area...

and it will be primarily through the above exercises

(which will become increasingly more in depth)

that we shall constantly improve his weakest areas...

day by day.

Concept Of Looking Into The Future

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Tue, 14 May 2013 08:03:00 +0000

Song: Look Into The Future

Group: Journey

To look into the future...

is to have a concept of time...

of how limited it is for us...

and of how important it is to use ever so wisely.

It is to correctly place the greater value

on the long term over that of the short.

It is the desire to guide one's life on a grand adventure of self exploration...

of the inner drive to discover a prime passion in life...

to lay out an efficient and effective plan to fulfill that passion...

and to forego the pitfalls and false comfort points in life

which would derail you from that path.

While childhood is the time to do this...

often times in life, it is done in later stages.

Sometimes...

there are those who don't realize, until their death bed...

that they have deep regrets in life for not having discovered...

and followed, their passions in life...while there was still time.

Whether they had simply chosen a safe, but unremarkable path...

or had allowed others to dictate to them a later realized undesirable path...

this is frequently the number one regret in life...when faced with death

(as compiled from hundreds of dying hospice patients from an earlier
noted author who had been one of their caregivers in their last moments).

To not realize a life's passion...

and the path to achieve it, while one is still young...

is to fail at one of the prime objectives of youth.

To wander through life...

unaware that opportunities pass you by the more that time passes...

is to be a fool.

To never realize a prime passion...

or perhaps, even worse...

to realize it, and to forego the pursuit of it...
at least minimally during free time, or in retirement...
is to be a Grand Fool.

So...
what kind of fool am I?

I like to think of myself as a reformed partial fool.

You see...
although I had a deep passion in life early on...
being a samurai warrior or a medieval knight
is simply not a viable occupation :)

All through my early life...
I was a romantic fool
(I know some who know me will laugh at my use of the past tense :)

I had spent all of my early school years... daydreaming.

I was constantly (in my mind) living a life of high adventure...
of listening to great symphonies as I wandered the lands
in search of great adventures...
of slaying great beasts with my lance and sword...
of defeating opponents in life and death duels...
of rescuing princesses and saving kingdoms.

Of course...
as a result...
my grades all through K - 12...
were atrocious.

I had neither studied...
nor had I paid any attention while in class.

It was only after entering the Army that I had started to mature.

I was 17 years old...
and just two weeks out of High School that I had entered
Basic and Advanced Individual Training in the Army.

I went into the Army because, while I was immature...
I, at least, knew I was immature.

I knew I had to live out my wanderlust before I could even
attempt to pay any attention to my studies.

I also realized that the old G.I. bill would pay for my University
after I had gotten out (and it had...and I did graduate).

Anyway...
it was during Basic Training that I really started to
look into the future.

It was precisely this song...Look Into The Future...
(one of my favorites)...which had played over and over
in my head during our long early morning runs in Basic Training.

Basic Training, for me, was a great adventure.

I loved every minute of it.
I knew that I had to search for my passions in life...
and for a way to achieve them...
and in order to do this...
I had to get to know myself by going all out in life...
to not hold back because of fear or pain.

As this song played to me...
the steady rhythm of our pounding boots in the pitch black of the early morning
had matched the rhythm of this song
(and through the most beautiful sunrises I have ever witnessed...
a mesmerizing blend of violets, reds, greens and blues...all giving way to yellows...
everything seemed to be in synch with this song...even the heavens.
Of course...I was matching the music in my head to what I was seeing...
but the effect was still magical :)

All during our runs...
I would be looking at the sky with a smile on my face.
I knew that by looking into the future...I would find my answers.

My goal for the next 4 years...
was to not only discover a prime passion...
something which made me deeply happy no matter
the circumstances of my immediate surroundings...
it was also to leave childhood behind and to become a man
through the acceptance of challenges without hesitation...
to learn the essence of courage and endurance in the face of fear and pain.

During Basic Training...
I was at a crossroads...
one that would have far reaching effects on my direction in life...
should I have chosen to take the path afforded me by the Army.

I was asked to forgo my initial commitment to the Army of 4 years...
and to instead...attend USMAPS...
a Military Prep School (in the case for the Army)...
for West Point.

The ONLY reason I was being asked was because of my
initial military test scores (ASVAB).

Had they considered my abysmal grades all throughout my
earlier school years...or had they known of my lack of maturity...
I would not have been considered.

I knew that common sense will only get you so far in life...
and that I greatly lacked in the academic background and
the study habits necessary to succeed in such an environment...
and especially the lack of will to sit in classrooms for endless hours.

I was still greatly immature...and I knew it.

For me to have accepted would have been a grave mistake for the Army...
and for me.

Only after maturing in the Army did I regret not having studied
much more than I had while still young.

Still, I had made up my mind that I would put myself through University
after I got out. However, to not have been ready in life to take advantage
of a life changing opportunity because I had lacked appropriate foresight
much earlier in life...is what had stung so much.

This brings me to a very important point.

Although I had looked to the future early in life...
it was of an unrealistic future...
there simply isn't a great market for...
Dragon Slayers or Wandering Warriors :)

I was passionate about an unrealizable path.

Truly looking into the future involves...
finding a true (and plausible) dream...
a viable path to the realization of that dream...
and being able to synch it to your other goals in life...
as well as being able to make it a monetarily viable option
(absolutely necessary if having a family is also a desire)...
and doing it while young enough to reach it in a timely manner.

This brings me to another crossroads in my life
in which I had to take a realistic look at my goals...
and to put them into synch with my other desires...
or to forgo them.

After graduating from University...
I worked in Japan for 1 year.

I had met my, later to be, wife there.

After I had gotten back to the U.S. ...
I went on a job hunt and I had found, what I initially
had envisioned as, a temporary job until
I secured one in which I had a passion for.

After a few years...
my future wife had visited
and started attending a college in my city.

After years of her going back to Japan...
and returning to visit...
I was faced with the crossroads of life once more.

I was then self studying to be an Airline Pilot...
while awaiting an opening in an academy.

As I was still single at the time...
although I had researched the Regionals...
factored in the time necessary to work my way up to being
a viable candidate for the Major Airlines
(which is in no way guaranteed)...
and how very little money is made as a Regional Pilot for quite some time
in their careers...and the fact that I was already in my thirties...
I knew that the only way I could do it was to remain single
for many years as I lived frugally.

At this point in my, then career, I was making very good money
(many times what a Regional Pilot would make for many years
...and even where the regional pilots topped out at...
I was still making much more)...
and had I great benefits...
including retiring at a very young age with full retirement.

This was a job in which I could raise a family on.

I knew I would eventually want a family.

Would I have taken the Airline Academy path...
I would have had to forego having a family
(while I could live in bare conditions...
I wouldn't drag a family into that existence).

Had I had greater foresight...
I would have seen it as my path in Elementary School...
and certainly by High School...
and worked relentlessly toward it.

No excuse...
I had failed to do that.

Although I had made the right choice of staying with, my then, career...
and having a wonderful son...
I wouldn't have been in that position in the first place
had I looked realistically at my future as a child...
had reversed planned my future starting from my dream...
working back and plotting the path and all of the requirements
involved and conquering all of the necessary objectives
to achievement of that goal.

In the end...
(thankfully)
I had chosen the long term over the short.

I had chosen to have...
a good woman...one who had become an excellent mother...
an absolutely beautiful and pure hearted son...
a comfortable retirement in which I may spend lots of time
with my son while I am still relatively young...
and the time to pursue my other passions in retirement...
and for the rest of my life.

It is because of my son, Alex, that I had a renewed sense
of faith in the potential for goodness, pureness...
and selflessness in humans.

It was through his inherent...
sweet and kind heart... compassion...
innocent and pure thoughts and actions...
love of life and of all those in it...
that had given me one of my greatest passions...
the guidance of Alex...
of being one of his great teachers and guides in life.

My son, Alex, is the greatest love of my life...
and it is because of him...
that I may die without regrets.

So...
while I am a reformed partial fool...
and my life is so very great now...
the far greater path is to realize your passions early on...
by realistically looking into the future...
and pursuing it with whole hearted abandonment.

The real trick is to get a child to look into the future in the first place.

What we have done with our son...
besides giving him the love of learning through
Positive Reinforcement:

Instilling A Sense Of Time

To truly know this...
is to know the great beauty, yet the great fragility of life...
and the certainty of death...
forever more...forever more
(sorry Poe :)

To have him understand that life is relatively short...
and that we have but one shot at it...
instills a sense of urgency...
a sense of commitment...
of enjoying his trek...
yet striving to reach the peak of his chosen mountain in a timely manner...
so he may enjoy the expansive views from the top...
before the sun sets.

We have shown examples of this in all life forms...
plants, animals, and people.

I constantly reinforce that it is not death that should be feared
(barring unnatural and preventable causes)...
but it is in not having lived your life well.

Life is something which should be lived
running toward goals and driven through passion...
and not running from it through fear.

I have also stressed the basic timeline of life...
in years...and in achievements.

As Alex, and I, love to eat...
I have often used the metaphor of a great feast
to that of living life to the fullest.

Only through great planning is the feast well laid out and timed...
and is the meal anticipated with great yearning.

Only through its proper preparation is the food delicious...
and is it savored and greatly remembered.

Only through the effort necessary to prepare this feast...
that dessert may be enjoyed...
the appetite sated...
and the person is ready to leave the table...
all without any other desire...
but to sleep.

-----------------

The Establishment Of Cause And Effect

We have constantly reinforced that life is the result...
not of providence or of destiny...but of choice...
of what he does or does not do...

not merely what he thinks...
but what he applies...

not merely through the amount of effort...
but through the positive results...

that reality is transitory and malleable...
that our dreams can be made into our new reality
through efficient and effective planning...
through properly guided effort...
as driven through passion.

I have discussed with Alex...
my failures in life, and how he may do things differently...
of how he may start correctly from the beginning.

I have shown him examples of people who...
either through their poor decisions or their lack of decisions...
have ended up destitute...drug dependent...extremely unhappy...
and because they consistently choose short term thrills
over long term happiness...
how they are keeping themselves imprisoned...
while the whole time...
the key to their cell is in their pocket.

However, most of our reinforcement consists of
positive examples of those who have led exemplary lives...
the ones who have lived their lives well.

We have pointed out their paths to a great life...
and how he may also reach great happiness in life...
by following their lead.

-----------------

By Having Him Play To His Strengths

The path to excellence in a child's strengths...
is the same for the conquering of his deficits.

By concentrating on what not to do in life...
is to take the mind off of what to do correctly.

By concentrating on the strengths of a child...
the passion for life and learning...
the daily study habits...
the learning of deferred gratification...
of long term over the short...
coupled with success in his strengths...
forms the winning pattern for him to achieve any goals.

He will realize that a winning pattern in one area applies to all.

Alex used to have great difficulty in reading comprehension...
especially in areas involving motives of others.

By consistent and incremental daily studying...
he has gone on to improve greatly in this area.

His pride grows with each improvement
because he already knows the taste of victory
in the areas of his strengths...
and he has the confidence that the same formula for winning...
is the same formula for overcoming any deficits...
that it just takes a little longer.

--------------------

Giving Him Viable Options For Future Professions

By opening a child's eyes to possible professions...
especially ones which are a play to his strengths...
he will start dreaming of his potential life with starry, yet, realistic eyes...
he will begin to look into the future...
with great gusto...
with great hope.

Surround your child with the greats of his chosen passion...
give him the paths they had taken...
map out how his life may also follow that same path...
constantly feed the flame of his passions by exposure
to the professionals of his path...
and of examples of the great happiness they exude...
in how they lead their lives...
and in the necessary lifestyle to lead
in order to achieve what they had achieved.

--------------------

As I have said time and again...
it is DRIVE
that is the single greatest determining factor of success in humans.

Through these fundamental concepts...
the stage for drive shall be set...
for once they have a true passion...
a true goal to reach...
a viable path to its achievement...
there will be no stopping them...
and you will have achieved one of the greatest goals of any parent...
the ignition of your child's main thrusters of his great rocket ship to the stars.

Alex Celebrating His Mother's Special Day

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Mon, 13 May 2013 07:38:00 +0000

Song: 1 Hour Epic Orchestral Montage

Alex started the day by making this Mother's Day card

(Alex is giving his mother a bouquet of flowers in his picture).

Alex did some studying...

and then we went sitting at a nearby fishing pond

(we caught no fish...therefore...we just sat :)

We just traveled for 15 minutes to Crystal Peaks Park...

in the town of Verdi...

which is just West of Reno.

We only stayed for a couple of hours.

As this is our 4th time out and we have yet to catch any fish...

I must conclude that...

there are no fish!

Ok...

perhaps I must read up on how to be a better fisherman :)

I, of course, have been turning our lack of results into a lesson for life...

that of patience :)

The park is next to the Truckee river.

We departed with enough time for Alex to do his Sunday weight training at home...

and to grab a shower...and then we were off to a new restaurant

that his mother had chosen for Mother's Day.

His mother had chosen a newly opened Sushi restaurant in downtown Reno.

It offers dining inside or outside on the lanai with a view of the Truckee river.

As it was a little windy...we elected to eat inside.

Sunday through Thursday...it stays open until 10 PM.

On Fridays and Saturdays...it is open until 1 AM!

We had given our name...

and we had to wait for 20 minutes.

Alex patiently waited for our name to come up on the list...

while his iPad kept him busy.

The Truckee River flows through the center of Reno.

Their appetizers were excellent.

These were crab stuffed mushrooms...

and all of the crab they served was real crab!

Alex had eaten the crab cakes

(which were delicious).

They had taken out the attachment points and had cut the mussels

in half for easy eating.

Alex tried 5 different types of food today...

the crab hand roll...Maguro...Tekka Maki...the Mickey (right most pieces)

(he still won't try the Unagi - the center pieces in the photo)

and the 5th and final one...

we had to really convince him to try...

however, he finally relented and tried...

the Strawberry Parfait

(Ok...no begging or pleading necessary :)

We plan to eat outside on our next visit.

His mother had a good time.

She always works very hard in her research

for ways of improving Alex's opportunities in life.

She is also halfway through an online University level Coursera course

on neurotransmitters and their effects on

impulsive / compulsive behavior...

along with ADHD and other

non neuro typical states of being.

She claims that this course allows her to understand ME more! :) :) :)

Alex has less than 3 weeks until the national ARML competition.

He is preparing himself for it everyday.

He says he can hardly wait for our trip to Las Vegas for the competition.

Alex is so unique in his bright outlook in life.

Everything in life is beautiful to him...

and he is always looking forward to the future.

THAT is the way to live life...

by looking into the future

(I will explain myself in my next article).

Alex Helping With Our Container Garden Set Up

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Sun, 12 May 2013 03:33:00 +0000

Song: Journey To The Heart

Artist: Kitaro

After Alex's studies for the day...

I took him to a local swimming pool so he could just free swim.

Later in the evening...

he helped me set up our Container Fruit Garden.

Once Alex finishes University...

and settles down to his profession...

we will find some place to live relatively near him...

and get our final home in the country (preferably in the mountains)...

one where we will have room to spread our wings

(I would love to have at least 10 acres).

At that time, I plan to have a large garden...

lots of fruit, nut, shade, and decorative trees...

and I will spend a lot of time landscaping the property

(meandering walkways, gazebos, fire pit...etc)...

so not only may we enjoy it...

but Alex may also, when he inherits it.

In the meantime...

I still want plenty of fruit for us to enjoy.

I picked some cold hardy plants which will give us

at least half a year of continuous fruit...

and which will survive our winters with

a minimal amount of winterization.

As there are a lot of rabbits and birds throughout our area...

I had to use containers to ensure we may enjoy the (literal)

fruits of our labors.

I still must drive metal stakes around the perimeter of our little garden

to hold the wire rabbit fence, and the bird netting.

Alex helped me place the containers.

We had to ensure plenty of spacing with the mature plants in mind.

I shopped on line for ...

25 strawberry plants...

4 blackberry bushes...

2 blueberry bushes...

and I bought 4 elongated cherry tomato plants.

They should keep us in fruit most of the year.

Alex loves these fruits...

and whatever we don't eat right away...

we will freeze in bags for frozen treats all year long.

We are tired of paying ridiculous fruit prices at the stores...

as well as getting relatively flavorless...

and sometimes, moldy pieces.

Our fruit will be grown with no pesticides or herbicides...

so we can ensure healthful and nutritious treats for Alex.

I am also growing various types of sprouts indoors for our salads.

I will soon grow some selected vegetables indoors also

(using the auto plant light from Alex's science experiment).

Eating fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis

is SO important to strong long term health.

I still must put together our new Bar-B-Que.

I am looking forward to using it a lot.

Alex loves Bar-B-Que...

especially foil wrapped Salmon or Trout on the grill.

Although I must learn to Bar-B-Que without overcooking...

I am looking forward to cooking Sirloin Shish Kabobs...

and grilled Salmon and Trout in a couple of weeks

(when we get Alex's SAT results).

Tomorrow...

Alex, and I, will once again...

try our hand at catching some trout at a new place just 15 minutes away.

I am going to go shopping tonight (24/7 Walmart)

for trout specific bait and hook set ups.

Yeah...

the bait and hook set up was the problem...

that must be it :)

(right now...I'll try anything :)

Hopefully, tomorrow...

I'll have pictures of Alex catching his first fish.

Alex's Thinkwell Calculus I Final

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Sat, 11 May 2013 05:38:00 +0000

Song: Tao

Artist: Kitaro

Alex has just finished his Thinkwell Calculus I course (advanced at home training).

He initially started Calculus I about 5 months ago.

He will now move on to Calculus II.

He took his end of course exam and got 27 out of 30 questions correct (90%).

Earlier this night, as part of our weekly night out at one of our favorite restaurants...
I had questioned Alex as to the 3 problems which he had missed.

I was concerned that Alex may have misunderstood a fundamental
Calculus concept since he had missed 3 problems on his exam.

After taking his exam...
his mistakes were shown in the program...
and he was guided back to the portion of the program
which had originally covered the particular concepts.

Alex had explained that on one of the questions...
he had made a careless mistake...
and that on two of them...
he had misremembered an application of a particular concept
that he had initially learned near the beginning of the course.

As always...
he had gone over the concepts and understood where he had gone wrong...
so, he now has 100% understanding (necessary before moving forward).

Thinkwell has been our favorite homeschool math program for years now.

Alex thrives with Thinkwell.

Below is the content of his Calculus I program.

I simply cannot recommend enough...
Thinkwell's math programs...
especially for Home Schooling.

It is a spectacular program.
Alex finds it thoroughly interesting...
the concepts are explained very well...
and his understanding of the material is assured
since the program shows the mistakes...
and then redirects the student to the concept involved...
for review and more practice.

Although Alex also goes to a public charter school...
he does much of his advanced math learning at home.

Alex is looking forward to Calculus II...

which he will begin tomorrow.

Alex is a true Intellectual Warrior.

He self initiates his studies...

he seeks to expand his knowledge...

and he seeks perfection in performance.

Alex is a hybrid of Sir Lancelot and Merlin...
as he is such a fierce and passionate learner...
and his rate of learning is almost magical.

Our home life is filled with great happiness...
as Alex just keeps improving in all areas.

Our lives are straight out of Camelot...
as the future is bright, and the atmosphere
is well structured, peaceful, and light hearted.

This, of course, makes his mother Guinevere...
and me, by default...
King Arthur! :)
(sounds good to me :)

Tomorrow...
after Alex completes his daily studies...
I will take him swimming.

I will then have Alex help me put together
a small container garden in our backyard.

This Sunday...
Alex, and I, will go fishing for Trout
(I learned of another fishing area which should prove productive).

Afterwards...
we will take his mother out to a Mother's day dinner.

I also bought a much bigger Bar-B-Que.

Yes...
I am forever the optimist...
I bought one large enough to grill many fish at once :)

Alex's 25 Minute Essay On Failure

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:59:00 +0000

Song: World Of Dreams

Group: Future World Music

Alex had completed this SAT practice essay a couple of weeks ago.

He had done it in under 25 minutes...
and he had generated some very thoughtful insights
into human nature.

I especially enjoy reading Alex's essays...
as it gives me much insight into his mind...
and how quickly he is maturing into a very fine young man.

Below is the assignment as given by one of Alex's practice SAT books
(the Japanese is my wife's...
she has a blog for Japanese readers.
I copied her pictures of the assignment from her blog).

What was most gratifying about this particular essay is that
all of his thoughts were realizations he has come to understand
from his 12 years of life experience.

Alex doesn't merely spout lines from his mind...
he shows his beliefs in his actions...
he lives his thoughts.

That is why he doesn't suffer from performance anxiety.

He boldly strives to conquer objectives without fear...
and he handles less than perfect performance with
a renewed sense of vigor towards his studies or practice.

He merely works with a deeper sense of passion...
putting in more concentrated effort...
and makes steady gains toward his goals.

Alex knows that while he may be advanced academically...
others who dedicate themselves whole heartedly to excelling...
can surpass him in academics...and in life...
should he not also dedicate himself whole heartedly...
and so, he studies with sincere effort on a daily basis.

Alex also knows that there are plenty of children in the world
who are just as intellectually gifted as he...or even more so...
and so he studies daily.

He knows that if they are better than him at the moment...
so long as he out works them...
and continues to accept challenges in life...
without allowing the fear of failure to stunt his growth...
he can eventually surpass them.

It is this winning attitude in life
which continually spurs him forwards, upwards, and onwards.

Simply stated:

The heart sets the drive...
the mind...the path.
So long as they are in synch...
the destination is a foregone conclusion.

Alex At The Pre-National ARML Competition

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Mon, 06 May 2013 09:59:00 +0000

Song: Northern Pastures

Group: Two Steps From Hell

The Northern Nevada Math Club

had a pre-national ARML competition today.

It was about 4.5 hours long and involved

multiple individual and team math problems.

This allowed the team to know individual capabilities...

as well as to work out last minute tactics before the national competition

in a few weeks.

I served as the competition's grader and scorer

(No...I cannot keep up with these kids...

I had the answer sheet :)

Another parent served as the time keeper and proctor.

The founder of NNV Math club...

was the overall coordinator and proctor.

Team 1 - 4 High School students...and 3 Middle School students

(Alex and two others).

Many of the students from both teams...

come from the Davidson Academy.

Team 2 - 6 High School Students...and 2 Middle School students.

Both teams are discussing their team tactics just prior to the competition.

Both teams are awaiting the problem sheets which will signal the start

of the first phase of the competition.

The competitors then went into the main conference room

for the individual section and the remaining team competitions.

Alex had done very well.

He had tied for 3rd in the individual competition
(4 way tie).

2nd place had beaten him by 1 point...

and he is a high schooler.

1st place had beaten Alex by 2 points...

and he is another middle schooler.

He and Alex always go back and forth in math competitions...

and they had both gotten the same AMC 10 math scores.

Team 2 had won this competition...

even though Alex, and the top 2 individuals, had come from team 1

(Alex's team).

Alex now feels very confident in being able to contribute

to the math club...especially in the future.

As Alex is in the 7th grade...

he can compete for the next 6 years in ARML

(including this one).

He knows that his knowledge will continue to grow...

and that he will be a very strong competitor in a few years.

We had arrived at approximately 4:15 PM...

and we left after 9:15 PM.

This was a busy weekend for Alex.

He took this year's SAT yesterday...

and today...

the pre-national ARML competition.

Alex is excited about going to Las Vegas in a few weeks

for the national ARML competition

(one of four locations in the US for the simultaneous competition).

We will be spending 3-4 days in Las Vegas.

We are going to see the sights and take in a show while there...

and of course...

eat plenty of delicious and memorable meals :)

As it was almost 9:30 PM before we got on the road...

and most of the restaurants were starting to close (it was Sunday)...

we went to our old 24/7 restaurant of choice...

The Purple Parrot...

in The Atlantis Casino.

Alex got one of his favorite dishes...

grilled Salmon.

As Alex already had his once a week dessert yesterday...

we just had the meal...

and departed.

What a great weekend this has been for Alex.

He learned a lot...

he accomplished a lot...

and he had a great time doing it.

That is...

in my book...

a GREAT weekend.

Alex's 2013 SAT Day

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Sun, 05 May 2013 06:31:00 +0000

Song: The Song Of The Golden Dragon

Artist: Estas Tonne

Alex had taken his first SAT one year ago.

He had done very well for someone who had just finished the 6th grade

(710 Math - 1760 total score).

Now, as a 7th grader, he just finished his 2nd SAT (today).

He has been getting 800 in math and over 2000 total scores in practice tests...

so, we expect all of his scores to have risen dramatically over that of last year.

We will be getting this test results in approximately 3 weeks.

We use the SATs, not only as a motivational tool for Alex

(he loves practicing for them, and then seeing his improvement)...

but they are also a fine educational diagnostic tool for us to

identify areas of weakness for which we may then focus his studies.

I had dropped Alex off at a local High School for the testing early this morning

(check in time 7:45 AM and pick up was at 1:00 PM).

Alex after his testing.

We picked him up and we then went out to a Sushi lunch as a special treat for Alex.

Alex waiting for his meal.

Alex loves California rolls...

and Gyoza.

As Alex's mind is always very active...

we have always allowed him to play a game while eating.

He will usually be on his laptop while eating dinner at home...

and he will be on his iPad while eating out.

As he doesn't have the free time that many other children have...

we allow him to treat his meals as a break time also.

He has earned his game time...many times over.

Besides...many of his games are educational...

and even when not...

they serve to keep his mind active...

and he learns many lessons from them... even the fun games

(he learned the basics of business from SIM business games).

Alex had a special treat today...

a tempura banana and ice cream dessert.

We limit his desserts to once a week...

except for special occasions like today.

Otherwise...

he isn't fed sweets at home.

This is not just for ensuring a taste for a healthful diet...

it is to allow him to realize that something which is special in life...

is only so because it is not made into the mundane through normalcy.

After we got home...

I asked Alex about his SAT and how he thought he had done.

He first broke down the sequence of the testing for me:

Essay (25 min time limit)

He said that he thought he had demonstrated

a major improvement over last year's SAT essay.

He said he had illustrated the essay question in three different ways...

and that he had filled two pages worth while keeping everything logical...

and concluding it appropriately.

1st Math section (25 min time limit)

He thought it was very easy.

We know he can max out the math portion...

he had the capability to max it last year.

We just fear that he rushes too much and makes careless errors.

Hopefully this year, he slowed down and rechecked everything.

1st Writing section (25 min time limit)

He said that he thought he had done well here also.

2nd Writing section (25 min time limit)

No real problem here either.

1st Critical Reading section (25 min time limit)

This was his weakest area last year.

He said he thought that he had done much better this year.

Hopefully so, his mother has been concentrating on this area all year.

2nd Math section (25 min time limit)

Again, easy for him...

and again, hopefully he hadn't made careless mistakes.

2nd Critical Reading section (25 min time limit)

He thought he had done well.

3rd Math section (20 min time limit)

Again...

and again :)

3rd Critical Reading section (20 min time limit)

His toughest area...

but, he again thought he had done well.

3rd Writing (10 min time limit)

He, again, said he had done well.

And that was it.

He felt happy with his testing.

Alex wants us to hunt for more tests he may take.

He always gets excited at finding out where he stands academically...

not just in his strengths...

but in his weaknesses.

He has such a good attitude with his studies...

and in life.

Alex knows that there is nothing to fear in failure

(so long as he had prepared as well as he could have...

and then had an honest failure).

He also knows that in order to correct a problem in life...

you must first identify the problem...

and that it then becomes an area for you to subsequently conquer

with more focused study.

I think that Alex loves learning...

not only because we have always positively reinforced learning...

and greatly praised his successes in his conquering of objectives...

it was in our concentration of efficient thinking and always
having a fertile ground of learning all around him...
which had given him an effective head start in life.

From the very beginning (infancy)...

his mother had stressed basic cause and effect...

and a logical progression of thought through basic puzzles...

and through more and more formal logic as he matured.

Our main objective has always been on conceptual understanding...

on having him understand the basic principles of which underlies

all of the subjects...

on efficient ways of thinking, and of efficient methods of study.

It is through conceptual understanding...

as well as the efficient linking of the concepts

in the logic tree of the mind, which allows a child

to categorize his new information in a manner which allows

for efficient retrieval and the logical application of the information.

It not only allows the child to keep everything in perspective...

it allows him to predict outcomes...

to know what should be.

By teaching Alex, from an early age...

to think logically

(as well as through conceptual understanding through parental guidance)...

he learned how to learn efficiently...

which kept frustration low...

and results high.

With effective results...

and through the naturally resulting positive reinforcement

(success breeds success)...

a child develops the drive to succeed.

As I have stated many times before...

this attribute (drive)...

is the single greatest stimulus for...

and predictor of...

success in life.

With drive...

whatever he doesn't know...he shall learn.

Whatever he cannot, at first, conquer...

by giving unrelenting effort...

by never giving up...

he shall eventually emerge victorious.

By allowing his passion to drive him forth...

he shall enjoy his journey as much as his destination.

With this...

he shall enjoy all aspects of his life...

and he shall always be looking forward to new territories to explore...

to new adventures to experience...

new goals to conquer.

This not only leads to success in achieving the tangible rewards in life...

it allows the achievement of the greatest success of all...

having led a life filled with the deep love of it.

Justifiable Confrontation: A Matter Of Mental Health - II

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Wed, 01 May 2013 11:09:00 +0000

Song: Heart Of Courage (Extended Version)

Group: Two Steps From Hell

There are those who espouse that there is never an excuse

to have to go to the physical level in any confrontation.

Some even go so far as (non)thinking that all confrontations should be avoided.

Besides being foolish in their expression of their non thought out views...

it is a fallacious argument...purposely deceptive...

for NO thinking person who has the slightest

experience in life could possibly think that.

And NO...

going monkey

(see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil)

is NOT an option.

Along with fundamental rights...

there lie within...

fundamental responsibilities...

to ones self...and to others.

There ARE those whom will attempt to covet...

everything you have...
including your self respect.

Those same ones also attack others.

There is sometimes simply no option but to confront them...

in order to protect the innocent and the good.

Of course...
when faced with a possible deadly force scenario...
and it is avoidable...especially when you are with your family...
and you have the choice of confrontation...
or of departing the area in all haste...
without question...
you must get your family to safety.

I also well know that sometimes one must hold ones tongue...

and that ones actions must be restrained...

if you are to not sacrifice the long term good for the short term
in a lesser scenario.

No matter how much you truly wish to respond in kind to an aggressive person...
when you are faced with the sacrificing of your long term happiness
for the short term satisfaction of soundly defeating an opponent...
you simply must not.

The natural impulse to metaphorically sever the head of your enemy
and to hold it high on the battlefield with a cry of victory...
although supremely satisfying to our primal urges as men...
in most instances, it is usually frowned upon in society...
and in most cases...must be resisted.

Especially in most modern workplaces...
to not do so would be to endanger the economic
survival of your family.

To not get fired from an otherwise stable and well paying job...
one in which has a generous and early retirement...
one in which allows you to build, and ensure, a base of safety and happiness
for you and your family... the choice of long term
over the short simply must take precedence.

As men, our toughest opponent is usually the beast that lies within.

Now...
it does not mean one has to never confront another in society...
it just means that one must temper his response to a socially accepted level.

It all lies within the realm of Assertion vs. Aggression.

Assuring you are in the right...
and are accurately portrayed as the Asserter...
and not the Aggressor...
takes forethought.

It means knowing the laws...
the policies and procedures...
knowing the rules of the game before hand.

It all boils down to assuring you are correct...
and are always the Asserter...
and never the Aggressor.

In general...
so long as one stays within the parameters of accepted behavior
and appropriate responses by never being the aggressor...
you may respond to unjustified attacks through justifiable confrontation.

Everyone has the right to self protection.

Especially when it comes to the realm of the physical.

It all comes down to knowing what the parameters
of socially acceptable behavior are...
the rules of engagement...
and this is extremely important...
BY LAW.

In the U. S. ...
you always have the absolute right to physical self protection...
so long as you never cross the line from that of being an Asserter...
to that of being an Aggressor.

Your responses must be the minimum necessary to prevent
an imminent attack...and once the situation de-escalates...
so must the response.

(There are some exceptions...
some State laws protect occupants of dwellings.
Just by an intruder being in your home...
his mere presence constitutes a threat so high...
that you may assume him to be a deadly threat...
with no other signs of aggression or threat).

I've had many physical altercations in my life

(often times in the defense of others)...

dozens actually...

however, I have never been punished for any of them...

not as a youth (my father praised my assertive acts)...

not when I was in the Army...

and not afterwards.

Mine were always an appropriate assertive physical response

to the physical aggression of a bully.

I have always been in the moral and legal right.

I was always able to explain the conditions in context...

and witnesses have always confirmed my innocence in the affairs...

as I was always the asserter...

and never the aggressor.

These two words lie at the heart of this concept.

Asserter: The one who protects from Aggression.

Aggressor: The coveter or attacker without the virgin rights.

There is one extremely important point which you simply MUST understand...

SELF PROTECTION IS A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT OF ALL.

It is sometimes necessary to employ force upon another

to prevent force from being employed upon you.

To not have this fundamental right is to have to forfeit

everything one has, including self respect...

even that of life itself...

to anyone who merely raises the level

of an engagement to that of violence.

To not have the right to self protection is to be in automatic loss default to evil.

Just by raising the act to one which goes beyond your threshold

of possible responses...they win...and take all...

and all without a fight.

Common sense...

yet, there are still those who mindlessly condemn all who

are participants in a "fight".

They don't care to investigate into who was...

the Asserter...

and who was the Aggressor.

When it is a parent who automatically condemns all participants of a fight...

no matter how righteous their child as the Asserter...

it is a betrayal of not only the child...

but of all that is good and right.

It places the child in an unjustifiably untenable position.

The child must then live in constant fear of having to make a choice between...

the pain and humiliation of submission to a bully...

which with each escalating act...

further diminishes the child's self respect and deepens his self loathing

(of which leads to depression)...

or that of facing the loss of his parent's love (at least in his mind)...

and facing punishment from those who should be protecting and supporting him.

You must realize that this is forcing him into making a "Sophie's Choice".

An Asserter is one who should be praised.

He is the one who had shown great...

courage...

temperance...

love of justice and respect.

It is the Aggressor...

and all those who had played monkey...

who are to be condemned.

In Conclusion:

To stand for that which is good and right is...

to live life without being enslaved to fear and self loathing...

to know the great beauty of love and life...

of which is only made possible

by living a life of respect, honor, and justice.

If a person "believes" that violence is never the answer...

not even as a righteous asserter...

while he may choose to live life with no self respect...

no love of self...no love of others...no love of life...

a canary in a cage of his own making...

instead of an eagle with the freedom of all the skies...

what is he to do when he becomes a parent...

and his family is faced with imminent harm from physical aggression?

There is simply no possible rational response to defeat this argument.

Check mate :)

Justifiable Confrontation: A Matter Of Mental Health - I

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 04:26:00 +0000

Song: Heart Of Courage (Extended Version)

Group: Two Steps From Hell

Why am I talking of confrontation as related to child rearing?

Because...

of all the various influences in a child's life...

the parents are the most influential

(or at least...should be).

If I can convince you...

your actions will teach your children...

and they will then be able to live life with a free heart.

First of all...

I am not espousing confrontation as an initial method...

if it is avoidable.

However...

some instances simply are not avoidable

if you are to live the life of a free man...

one whom is free from fear and self loathing...

one whom has a love of self...

and so...

of others.

Basic human respect...

as I have said in previous articles...

is a fundamental right of all.

Just as all those who treasure justice and respect for others...

so must they treasure it for themselves...

for they too, are persons...

and so, are just as deserving of it.

This precludes the notion of having to respond to every slight.

This is also under the assumption that you are also correct...
that it is a justified confrontation.

The very first thing I do when I feel wronged...
and it takes but a few seconds...
is to run through possible reasons...
and to determine if my stance is, in fact, valid.

Also, if something is a first time offense...

especially if I don't know their motive...

I usually forgive them.

I do, however, make solid eye contact with them...

and through my body language and facial expression...

let them know that I had forgiven them this ONE time.

This is to not only give them a chance to correct themselves...

but it is to let them know that future transgressions shall not be so tolerated.

Often, however, I find the person was merely frustrated.

They had not meant to be evil...

they had just boiled over.

Believe me...

I know the feeling.

I am very forgiving of this type of instance.

It is the person with whom I have no doubt as to their motive...

to whom I usually react.

There are two basic kinds of confrontation that people usually classify

situations as being:

Verbal

Physical

In this article...

I shall focus on the Verbal / Passive Aggressive actions.

In the following article...

I shall focus on the physical.

I will first illustrate the verbal...

as well as that of indirect action or inaction

(passive aggressive acts)

as these are the most frequent forms of attack on basic dignity and respect.

One VERY common attack on the intelligence and respect of people...

and most commonly done in the service industry...

is that of purposely inferior service.

Always remember...
you are PAYING for service.

It is their JOB to provide it.

It applies to, not only the quality of their product...
but in the delivery of it...
and in the case of restaurants...
you are also paying for the overall ambiance...
as well as for your booth.

What many waiters...
managers...
and even some owners do not realize...
when you sit down at their table...
it then becomes yours
(so long as you follow the established rules of conduct).

You are the king of your realm...
and you are sitting down to a royal feast.

Before you think of me as an arrogant fool...
a case in point:

Quite a few years ago...
I had gone to a new restaurant in town.

As it was a high end chain steak and seafood restaurant...
I don't know if it was an overall company decree...
or that if it was an over zealous manager or owner who
had simply not thought through their policy, but...
when I sat down with the menu...
and after a few minutes when the young waitress came to take my order...
she SAT down opposite me in MY booth.

She looked at me and asked me what I had decided on.

Well...
I had immediately decided that I didn't like her uninvited intrusion
into my sacred realm :)

I looked at her to see if she was joking.

Nope.

I asked her if this was official policy.

She had stated that it was.

I had gently told her
(I knew she was only doing what her buffoon of a boss had told her to do)
that I thought it was an incredibly presumptuous policy...
that it was in fact...MY table...
that my wishes for my realm came before their policy...
and that I would order once she una##ed my realm.

The rest of the dinner went very well.

When I returned a few weeks later...
they no longer carried on with that particular policy.

No doubt many of the customers had also complained.

They had gotten the message...
and it became one of my favorite places in which to eat.

Only because people were willing to speak up for themselves did
positive change come about.

Also, just as importantly, to have accepted this behavior...
and to pretend that it did not matter...
would have been a betrayal of the self.

To betray the self is to not respect the self...
and without self respect...
true love of self...

of others, and of life...
is impossible.

You will have clipped your own wings.
You will have imprisoned your soul in a cage of your own making.

When establishments are lacking in quality...
I definitely let them know.

To not, is to sheepishly accept substandard treatment...
and nothing speaks louder than actions...
or a lack thereof.

In one particular instance...

I had actually told one of the waitresses of a Korean restaurant

(which subsequently went out of business)...

and who was originally from Korea...

the meaning of the word/s - Bulgogi / Bool Kogi... among other names.

She had tried to tell me (after I had complained about their Bulgogi)

that many customers liked their dish (a flat out lie).

I told her that their Wok cooked meat and vegetable dish

was not only inedible...

it was not Bulgogi!

It means...

Fire Meat...as in FLAME broiled...Korean Bar-B-Que...

not pan fried...and especially not cooked in a Wok with a multitude

of vegetables which renders the unappetizing mass into a gelatinous

goop with no flavor...and with the meat tasting as if it had been boiled

(and yes...in those words).

She tried to tell me that it was the way it is normally done!!!

I informed her that I had spent a total of 3 months in Korea...

and that I had eaten many a delicious Korean meal.

I had told her that the reason the cook had done so was because he was LAZY...

and I had told HER, as being from Korea...that she knew better...

and that the shame was hers

(It was simply too much! I simply could not believe it!).

And no...

we never went back :)

I can forgive ignorance

(although I try to educate them).

What I don't tolerate...

is deceit

(without good reason).

I simply LOVE good food...

especially the highly stimulating and varied ethnic dishes

with their wonderful spices and food combinations which

simply energizes my body to the bone

while simultaneously sating the gnawing craving from my nervous system

for the tastes and textures...the soothing flavors which put my mind and body

into a state of well being, calmness...and feeling as if I am on top of the world!

It is these feelings I wish for my family to fully experience.

We research as much as possible beforehand...

but with profound expectations...

sometimes come profound disappointments.

This I realize.

Before anyone thinks that I am a cheap tyrant...

NO...

I regularly tip 20% or more for those deserving of it

(I am a benevolent ruler of my realms :)

I have also not left any tip...

and at the register...

I tell them that while I normally tip 15 - 20%...

I wouldn't be tipping that particular transaction...

and I tell them why...

in front of the customers waiting to enter.

You must remember...

I was not the insulting party.

They had sought to insult all who had entered.

I had merely called them on it.

Yes, there are numerous accounts I could go into here of restaurant malfeasance

(yes...I think it is that serious :)...

but before I move on to other areas for fear of making you think that somehow...

I am the problem...

first know that I have spent a total of 4 years in Japan.

The customer service there was nothing short of spectacular.

I was so impressed with, not only their customer service...

but the amount of respect given in their culture.

Where ever I went in Japan...

I felt so comfortable...

so welcome...

and in their stores and restaurants...

I felt as all should in all restaurants...

like a King!

Never forget...

while cultures may differ...

basic human nature does not.

Would the establishments here in America only practice what is done in Japan...

well...

people would spend a lot more time and money in them

(how is that for an economic stimulus? :)

Make the customer feel special...

he WILL return...time and again.

Now...

on to purposeful rudeness.

I do not tolerate this.

It is profound disrespect to people.

It is meant to injure the soul of the recipient.

It is an attempt to belittle...especially in front of others...

and because they think that by using "socially safe" methods

that the recipient is bound by a code of social conduct to not point it out.

(Usually anything but verbiage. They will use body language...facial expressions...

withholding of necessary information...dismissive attitude...

implied meanings through timing, intonation, or other modifications

to their previous speech patterns...etc).

WRONG!

Just last month...

I was at the checkout stand of one of the major sports stores here in Reno.

After I had placed my items on the belt...

and pulled out my debit card...

the cashier looked me with assurity in her face and demeanor...

and had said in a matter of fact tone...

"What is your phone number".

Notice I did not use a question mark.

Her intonation was one of expectation of an immediate answer...

without any resistance...

one in which was designed to imply a moral right to her utterance.

Now...

had I been of quicker wit...

I would have said with a smile...

"Hey, I am a married man!"

Instead...

I simply said that I don't give it out.

She replied that she appreciated my not being snippety with my reply...

and she went on to say that some customers get upset at the "request".

I pointed out to her that I understood why customers felt upset.

I went on to explain that I was a recent transplant from California...

and that it is, in fact, illegal to even ask for personal information

when paying by credit or debit card there (other than validating I.D.)

(it is so in 10 states in the U.S.).

She then said that it was company policy.

I asked her if she was certain that it wasn't also illegal in Nevada.

I explained that many times in California I had to educate store managers

on the laws...and that company policy in no way trumps law.

I then helpfully suggested that she double check with her manager...

again reminding her of it may being illegal...

and she rudely interrupted with what she meant to be

a derisive and dismissive retort, "in California".

I again asked her if she was absolutely certain.

I smiled, nodded politely and left for a 15 minute drive home...

where I printed out the law prohibiting it in Nevada...

drove back, and called for a manager.

I must admit...

I was hoping to show the evidence directly to the cashier also...

however, she had already gone home for the day.

I knew that the manager was merely ignorant of the laws.

I explained them to him...gave him the laws...

and then I went to the other cashiers to explain them and to tell them

that their manager would be changing the store's policy soon.

Of course...

I had wanted to let the other cashiers know that I was the one

who had brought in the laws...

and I had asked them to tell the cashier whom I had dealt with

that I was the one who had done it.

It was important to me that she knew that I knew...

and that she knew I knew that she would subsequently know.

When I got back home...

my wife was kidding me by saying...

"You are evil...

you enjoy doing that (sort of thing)".

I simply replied that the fact that I had enjoyed it immensely was immaterial :)...

and that what I had done was not only valid...

it was necessary to improve them...

and for me to not feel as someone who had allowed himself

to be taken advantage of...

without a peep.

I have given one of the least confrontational instances

I've had with various, and numerous, stores in California and Nevada.

I've forced changes in their ill thought out policies...

especially in the quite illegal practice of attempting to stop

and detain customers leaving the store until they show their receipt

while they do a quick check for big ticket items not on the receipt

(Costco may revoke your card if you refuse...

however, they may not detain you in any way).

They do this as a measure against EMPLOYEE (checker) theft.

Some checkers run a scam of not charging accomplices for items...

and then splitting up the booty with them later.

They try to inconvenience the customers to improve THEIR security.

Electronic stores are especially bad about this.

I don't go out of my way to confront others...

I merely do not do what I know stores cannot ask for.

I look clerks, who try to stop me...right in the eye...

and I walk right past them.

It is when they try to impede my progress...

that is when confrontation is justified.

I also justifiably confront passive aggressive bullies...

in all their many forms.

One example of this type of situation I have frequently found myself in...

especially in cities, malls, amusement parks...etc...

where ever there are large groups of people...

is one of the claiming of territory.

One thing that really bothers me...

is when...

especially when I am walking with my family...

another person or persons walking to their left on the pathway...

instead of walking on their right (as we drive)...

all the while pretending that they don't see

all of the others having to move out of their way.

As I walk in public...

I am always scanning for a break in patterns...

the anomalies which signal possible danger to my family.

I usually see these arrogant beings from quite a distance...

and no...I do not alter my course.

I get especially, and justifiably, upset when I see them

force families aside as they attempt to plow their way through...

especially when they walk two and three abreast.

I let them know from far away that I shall not be altering my course...

by locking my eye contact with theirs.

They almost always then pretend that they are focusing on a distant sight

beyond me...as if to say that our inevitable collision will be MY fault...

as they were simply not aware.

Well...

you see...

if they can play that game...

so can I.

On males...

I will usually shoulder check them hard...

then with a look of mock surprise...

I will apologize and exclaim that we both must have

not been watching where we were going.

Of course...

with my eyes...

I am telling them that I just called them on their bluff...

and that it is then their move.

I simply turn the tables.

They are then forced to either accept their loss at our little game...

or they will have to up the ante to the physical...

at which point they will know that I will have won once again...

for I will have positioned myself as the asserter...

and they, as the aggressor.

Check mate.

Of course...

in such instances...

it could very well get physical...

but I never bluff...

and in my eyes...

they can see that.

I am willing to accept physical confrontation when necessary.

One simply must... if you are to not have your soul tread upon.

Does this mean that I am a rigid robot demanding

that all before me must part the ways?

Of course not.

I always...

and gladly move...

halfway.

They must also make an effort.

I am also gauging motives through their body language...

especially with what I see in their eyes.

In very crowded conditions...

I fully realize that people must break patterns in order to navigate

their way through the maze before them.

I do not get upset at this.

It is when I know they know what they are doing...

that I engage them.

Some of the worst offenders are women

(untouchable queen bee syndrome).

Now, while it would take highly unusual conditions for me to shoulder check one...

it had happened once in my life.

There were 2 young couples (19 or 20 years old)...

walking 4 abreast, with the males on the outsides...

on a fairly crowded San Francisco street.

My wife was on the right...

and she was pushing Alex in a stroller.

I was to her left to guard against intrusion from that side.

I saw from a distance, an undulating pattern of the people before me.

I saw the 2 couples walking 4 abreast...

with the males pretending to be oblivious to the other

pedestrian's plight as they forced everyone all the way to the right.

It was, however, what I had seen in the females eyes that had

spurred me into action.

When a person is using their periphery vision...

their gaze is slightly off center and unnaturally fixed

(to the side they wish to monitor)...

their blinking rate is dramatically slowed...

as they are concentrating so intently...

that what is usually unconscious...

becomes a conscious act.

The females were monitoring their surroundings...

loving the reactions of those whom they had

forced aside with their youthful arrogance.

In combination with their boldly exaggerated strides...

and wide smiles...

it was the following action by both of the females not 10 feet from us

that had spurred me into action.

They had looked right at my wife with her baby stroller...

just for a split second...and continued on their path...

an inevitable collision course should WE not move...

and it was done with glee.

It was this one action and the conscious choice they had made...

to initiate an aggressive act against a family...

especially one in which was transporting a baby(!)...

that had made the situation unbearable.

I immediately sped up my pace, lengthened my stride...

and vectored in for an early intercept.

I had shoulder checked the near outside male so hard...

that all four of them were knocked aside with such force

that they had almost lost their footing

(remember, they were walking abreast).

The resulting domino effect and their dumbfounded gazes were...

well, just plain delicious to see :)

In this particular instance...

I did not apologize.

Through my steady gaze into the nearest male's eyes...

I had told him that my act was purposeful...

and that I was ready to carry it to the next step.

It was not in the then silent and stilled motion of the

members of the arrogant 4 which made me simply walk away...

it was not in the mock insulted stare of the stupidly

posed females standing with their hands on their hips...

and their mouths frozen agape...

as if demanding an apology from me.

It was in the eyes of the nearest male...

who had briefly caught my eyes after they shifted

from the females...back to him.

His gaze had then diverted down...

not in submission...

not in fear...

but in shame.

He had seen the disgust in my eyes for him.

He, at that point, had not only realized that they were all wrong...

he knew that I had known his real plight.

He was a drone...

enslaved to his queen bee.

He knew that he was allowing himself to be manipulated

by his "Queen Bee"...

and, he had seen in my eyes that

I knew that he was not a man for allowing it to happen.

For that... he was profoundly ashamed.

And when I had seen his shame...

I was genuinely sorry for him.

With that...

I turned and walked back to my family...

and we simply walked away without another look back.

Hopefully the shame of the boy was enough to

spur him to free himself from his cage...

and to grow the wings of a man.

Am I an aggressive brute for applying physical force to the arrogant 4?

If you think so...

first think that they had threatened my family...

my wife...and my young son...

with physical force.

No one...

absolutely NO ONE physically threatens my family

(PC does not apply in the realm of the physical).

In most of my cases against the passive aggressive...

wrong side of the walkway...

pretending to not see other people's plight...

making all move out of their way...

arrogant bullies...

I just turn the passive aggressive tables on them.

Just prior to an inevitable collision...

I will simply stop and turn to my right...

and pretend that I had just seen something profoundly interesting

on the building to my right.

I will simply stop dead in my path and stare up...and wait.

I will make remarks to myself as to the beauty of the building...

of how interesting the structure is.

I will smile and sigh with delight at birds in the sky...

I will then turn toward them...and then pretend that I

have focused my gaze beyond them...

having seen another interesting sight.

This is, of course, to let them know that I couldn't have missed

them standing there.

It is to let them know that the game had begun...

and that I shall win.

They will then move around me...

usually with a loud sigh accompanied by a shaking of their head

as if I had been the one at fault.

Am I the small minded person

who delights at dominating a situation...

and so, others...

taking great delight in their frustration?

No.

I am a person who simply refuses to be dominated.

And it is in this...

that I take great delight.

Big difference.

One quick example of a social bully.

Almost always passive aggressive in actions.

They seek to dominate by seizing early political control...

and by simply not doing something that which is necessary...

and that which would negatively affect others...

all the while professing their complete innocence.

This is usually not a problem...

and is actually fun to counter with some imagination and ingenuity.

These type of people, in the long term...

actually keep people sharp.

In order to not be under their control...

they provide the impetus for change in many.

People grow in their knowledge and skills.

The social bullies provide the motivation to get revenge

through living a superior life...

to get so good at something as to leave them in the proverbial dust.

Now...

I know many people think that by now that I am simply

an old malcontent who is miserable in life...

and so, is looking for ways to make other's lives miserable too...

a man who is small of mind...

is bothered by small things...

kind of thing.

Quite the opposite.

I simply LOVE life.

I love the simple pleasures in it...

and the good and innocent people in life especially.

It is precisely because I stand for principles...

that I don't allow my soul to be tread upon...

that my heart is so light and free.

I simply do not tolerate Bullies.

To do so, emboldens them...

and threatens all who come into contact with them.

Worse still...

is the effect upon the person who allows himself to be bullied.

Just by standing up to the bullies...

you will have won your self respect...

the respect of others...

and of that of the bully.

The effect they seek...

is for you to hate yourself...

to become submissive...

one who, in their eyes, is not worthy of respect.

They wish to enslave you in fear.

They seek dominance at your expense.

For someone to allow this

is someone who loses all self respect...

and whom eventually becomes that bitter and sour old person.

They hate themselves...

and so, they hate life.

This is why it is SO important to teach

what is right to your children...

and to teach them to stand up for that which is right

(so long as it will not immediately endanger them...

a case of sacrificing the long term for the short).

I will go more into this in the next article.

Rule number one:

Never sacrifice the long term good for the short term.

Rule number two:

Ensure you are absolutely correct in...

not only your principle...

but in your application of it.

There is so much more I wish I could go on about this subject...

but I fear I will bore too many.

This must suffice:

It all starts, and ends, with respect.

With it...

you shall know a deep love of life...

and it is through this deep love of life

that you shall know a profound sense of happiness

and satisfaction in it...

and in yourself.

Preparations for NNVMath Club's ARML Competition

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:25:00 +0000

Song: Santorini

Artist: Yanni

The founder of

The Northern Nevada Regional Math Club

is introducing the problem solving tactics class instructor.

He went over efficient modes of problem set up, and solving...

using a logical thought process.

This is the parent's lounge area.

Today, the parents were signing travel and competition waivers...

as well as press releases...

in preparation for the ARML competition in Las Vegas next month.

The instructor (on the right) is having one of the High School students

explain how he had solved one of the problems.

The problems in most math competitions are not mere calculation problems.

They involve real life word problems in which the competitors must think logically

in order to even know where to start in problem set up.

They must explain the plausible assumptions on which they base

their further calculations, the reasons for determining their probability calculations...

and their explanations of their logical thought process in arriving at their answers...

in prose, as well as in mathematical notation.

The instructor used to judge various math competitions and he explained

what the judges look for...and highly value, in the team's answers.

This was a highly valuable, and productive, session for the club.

Alex had said he had learned a lot from this class.

This Saturday...

Alex is going to be taking another official SAT at one of the local High Schools.

Then on the next day (Sunday)...

Alex's math club is going to have a full mock competition (4 hours)...

to ensure the team functions well in problem distribution and performance

under official time constraints and conditions...

as well as giving each team member a feel

for what is in store for them during real competition without her leadership

(only the children will be in their competition rooms...along with their proctors).

Even though Alex's finals are upcoming...

as he always studies everyday...

he just needs to review...

and not cram...

and so, he may concentrate on his SAT and the ARML.

After his math club session...

we went to a new Casino...

The Grand Sierra.

We ate at an Asian restaurant...

called - Rim

(I would assume as a shortened name for Pacific Rim).

Alex had a Chinese dish of sweet and sour chicken.

He thought it was very good.

I had Thai soup (Tom Sum Goong)

and Korean short ribs (Kalbi).

The meat was tender and good overall...

however, the spices were tamed for American tastes...

especially in the assorted accompaniments.

As I have spent a total of 3 months in Korea...

and I have eaten truly delicious Korean food...

I am a hard customer to please.

Yes...

I have talked with many an Asian Restaurant owner or manager

about how they can improve their restaurant

(especially the Korean and Japanese ones)

and no...

I don't think any of them actually headed my advice :)

Anyway...

Alex really loved his Mango Parfait.

Well...

this talk of food, and the sometimes subsequent disappointment...

has given me an idea for my next article:

Justifiable Confrontation: A Matter of Mental Health

I will illustrate this concept through various real life (mine)

examples of justifiable confrontations I have had...

and have not had (and the reasons behind them)...

in not only restaurants...

but in other instances.

It applies to children...

and I will make an argument for its necessity

for a happy and healthful outlook in life.

Alex - River / Boca Reservoir Fishing / A Funny 911 Call

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 06:14:00 +0000

Song: Sky Becomes Water

Group: City Of The Fallen

Alex, and I, decided to go to the river feeding Boca Reservoir to do some fishing.

We told his mother where we would be going (the river and Boca Reservoir)

before we left.

Alex always tries to Face Time his mother every so often while we are on the road...

and when we reach our destination.

Alex had tried just prior to our stopping here...

but he had discovered that there was insufficient signal strength.

After 15 minutes of casting...

I realized that it was much more suited to Fly Fishing as it was fairly shallow...

and faster moving...

so we then went back to Boca Reservoir to fish.

Remember this...

as it shall factor into later events.

We arrived at a location I thought was perfect to fish.

As the water level was low...

a spit of land about 100 yards from the high water mark protruded.

In fact...

I had asked Alex to look around him and to reason why the land looked so different

from where we were standing and the line of plant growth about 100 yrds. away.

I told him that since the water level was low...

the area where we were standing was, at certain times of the year...

normally underwater.

Another point to remember :)

After we had cast our lines...

Alex started playing with a large rock as if he were putting a shot.

Alex then started digging for different colored rocks.

The rock that he was holding was a reddish-goldish color.

He immediately exclaimed that it was bronze and that it was for sale

for x amount of dollars (he was fooling around :)

We recast the lines every so often.

He then picked up some driftwood...

and claimed they were magic wands...

and he then proceeded to have them battle each other :)

Alex then started digging for rocks at the edge of the water.

As there was no action in the water...

time for another diversion.

I had taught Alex how to skip rocks

(by this time we were about ready to go...

we weren't worried about scaring any fish :)

We were almost packed up and ready to leave.

We were ready to leave...

thinking that it was a nice few hours...

and that it was then the end of our day...

with no prospect for any more fun.

How wrong I was...

the fun was just about to begin.

I got back on the road...
which was just a few miles from the main highway...

and less than 30 minutes from home.

After a couple of miles...

a Deputy Sheriff's vehicle started following me.

I, of course, immediately looked down at my speedometer...

and to my dismay...I realized I was going 5 miles per hour over the speed limit.

I slowed down to the appropriate speed...

and continued driving.

After another mile or so...

the Deputy put on his lights.

I, at this point, tried to remember how much

a speeding ticket in California would set me back

(yes...it has happened more than once :)

I pulled over, and the Deputy walked up to my car.

What I hadn't known at this point was what my wife had set into motion

half an hour prior to this.

My wife often stays home when Alex and I go places together.

However, Alex always has his iPad...

and as he has 4G connection...

and a GPS function...

besides Alex contacting his mother on her computer using Face Time...

his mother also tracks us on the computer using the GPS on his iPad.

She does this to not only have fun imagining what we are doing at the shown location...

she is an emergency backup in case we don't arrive, or return, at the estimated times.

This is the picture of what she had seen from her computer:

Of course, you probably realize what had happened.

Shortly after Alex had tried to Face Time his mother through his iPad...

he had gotten through...

but my wife was not at the computer at the time.

By the time she had tried to call back...

a while later...

we were out of cell range.

So...

she tracked us using the GPS function on his iPad...

and she saw the above picture.

She said that at first...

she rationalized that we had rented a boat and was out on the Reservoir...

and she waited about half an hour...

but when she saw that the dot had not moved...

she researched Boca Reservoir...

and called them to ask if they rented boats.

When they said they did not...

she remembered that we first stopped at the river (upper right)

near the road.

She said that she imagined that Alex had fallen in...

and he had used his iPad to call her as he was being swept away by the current

towards the reservoir...

with me swimming frantically behind him :)

She then had another scenario in mind in which

we had run off the road and were then floating in the reservoir

300 feet from shore...and that Alex had tried to call her ...

before we sank :)

So...

she immediately called 911 in Reno.

They contacted the Deputies in California who patrol the reservoir.

She gave one of them a description of our van...

and for Alex and me.

She also told them the area in which she was tracking.

The Deputy then started his search.

Our van had the sun behind it as you look from the road...

so I am sure he would not have been able to see it well.

Anyway...

there I was thinking I was getting a ticket...

when he came to my open window...

and asked for me by name!

I looked at him closely...

thinking that the only way he would know my name was if we had worked together

at some point in time before I had retired...

or if he had run my plate (which was from a different State).

He then handed me the phone and said I needed to call my wife...

because she had called 911.

Now...

at this point, I thought something terrible had happened to her.

The Deputy then said that she had been tracking our GPS signal...

and it had shown that we were in the reservoir...

and that it hadn't moved for some time.

He said that he knew the water level was low and that we had probably

driven near the shore and that the map hadn't reflected the change in water level.

I called my wife and we all had a laugh.

I thanked the Deputy...

and we both went our separate ways...

with smiles on our faces.

I remarked to Alex that his mother had done the right thing...

and that it was good that she had the presence of mind to rationally

put together possible scenarios with the information she had.

She had weighed everything by a risk/cost/benefit ratio...

and had acted appropriately.

When we got home...

my wife had said that while she had felt nauseated with fear...

she had remained calm in relaying information to 911 in Reno...

and with the Deputy at Boca Reservoir.

I have a renewed sense of confidence in my wife.

She keeps tabs on us to ensure our safety...

and she acted when she had researched and deduced...

what she determined to be, with her available information...

a plausible and potentially dangerous situation.

Ah...

what can I say...

she is a true Helicopter Parent (as am I)...

always on standby...

always ready to react.

This is exactly one of the life skills in which I wish to instill in Alex...

to be able to gather all available evidence from his surroundings...

to be able to know in an instant if it warrants further investigation...

if it is a potential danger to life...

and for him to react appropriately on the side of safety first.

So...

while, once again, we left without a fish...

I came back with a story that is better than any fish story :)

Feeding Drive Through The Rewarding Of Objective Completion

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 09:45:00 +0000

Song: Zephyrus

Artist: Jo Blankenburg

As I have stated before in earlier articles...

we are constantly expanding Alex's palate to accept

new ethnic cuisines, each of which which often involve new tastes and textures.

Although Alex is still very picky as to what he will eat...

by us trying new restaurants and dishes...

we are expanding his tastes to include a much wider variety of foods.

We always try to keep it healthful (minus new desserts :).

We wish for him to be able to enjoy one of the great pleasures in life...

that of a varied, and highly stimulating montage of tastes from which to choose...

a new adventure in taste, textures, and ambiance that is for our choosing

in the many restaurants that are available.

One of the great rewards for great effort in life... is a grand adventure.

While many may not think of a meal as an adventure...

Alex, and I, love to eat...

and we love exploring new places, and dishes, to try.

We treat each new restaurant as a grand feast to savor.

I love being able to expose Alex to new experiences...

so life will always be an adventure for him.

Although we always stress the long term goals...

and the long term pleasures gotten from them...

we also realize that with the completion of the short term objectives

on the way to those goals...there should be an associated short term reward.

Today...

we went to the Nugget Casino.

All of the different Casinos are just a short drive from the hills of home...

and with each Casino having many restaurants inside...

and with each having many different dishes...

we have many years of exploration to come.

Near the entrance to our restaurant pick for the night...

Trader Dick's...

there is a huge salt water aquarium on display.

We were seated inside in this picture.

Alex, and I, loved the subdued lighting in the cobalt blue theme.

Alex had the Coconut Encrusted Halibut.

This was his first time to have this particular fish.

He loved it from his first bite.

I have Alex write up a restaurant review on ones he particularly likes...

or dislikes.

He will be writing one on Trader Dick's tomorrow.

For dessert...

we had gotten the Baked Alaska.

Although Alex knows that childhood is a time of deadly serious preparation...

and that his serious study shall reap great rewards

for him throughout the rest of his life...

we also want him to know the great joys of childhood to be had.

Childhood is also a time of golden memories...

a time of light hearted laughter...

of great trust and love of family...

and of all those near to his heart...

a time of great adventures earned...

and of great adventures had.

Alex knows that true freedom of the heart only comes

through the knowledge of goals to strive for...

through the steady treading toward those goals...

and the conquering of the objectives along the way...

the great milestones in life which allows one to truly savor

life as one looks into the future...

and of life in the moment.

Simple pleasures in life take on deep meaning.

A day of fishing in the mountain lakes and streams

and enjoying the setting sun over the mountains...

camping, mountain biking, hiking...

a day on the slopes skiing...

a new dining experience...

and heart to heart talks around a campfire

about the grand adventure upon which your child is embarking.

These are the memories which shall live forever in his heart...

and shall serve as a grand meal from which upon his drive shall feast.

Time and again...

in study after study...

and even more importantly...

throughout each of our observations and experiences in life...

the greatest controlling factor, and predictor, of a successful adult...

is a happy and productive childhood as experienced through

a close and loving family.

Through the leadership of the child's parents...

goals, and the objectives to reach those goals...

are set, and actively pursued.

When the child experiences the rewards of a free heart

on a grand adventure...

it is forever remembered...

and strived for.

As I constantly reinforce with my son, Alex...

life is a marathon.

It is the highest sustained rate which wins the race

(as fueled by the frequent simple pleasures in life).

It is a person who starts too fast

(all work with no shorter term rewards)...

who eventually burns himself out.

A person who doesn't realize that he is in a race...

merely walks...

and so, never finishes the race in time.

A person who quits...

never finishes the race at all.

This may sound heartless...

but I have purposely pointed out the occasional homeless drunk

asleep in the middle of the day on a park bench

(out of earshot of the poor fellow)...

and I had explained to my son that so many of them

(minus the psychologically affected individuals)

were in their predicament because they had chosen

short term pleasures over the long.

They had NOT chosen a goal in life...

and so, had nothing but short term diversions...

and long term suffering and misery to look forward to.

In the free world (and for most of us)...there simply is no excuse.

It is a simple cause and effect relationship.

By exposing a child to some of the great simple pleasures in life to be had...

and with the explanation of the ever greater pleasures to be had from his

longer term goals coming to fruition and of the whole world then being open to him

to fully explore and to fully experience with a free and open heart...

he will experience a fire in his soul...

one which will forever burn hot and shall be forever inextinguishable.

He will have a wanderlust for adventure...

and a deep love of the simple pleasures in life to be had

for those who keep conquering the objectives on the way toward his goals.

So far as Alex's more immediate objectives

(besides studying and doing well on a daily basis)...

Alex is preparing for another official SAT (which he will take next week)...

as well as preparing for a nation wide High School math competition...

which will take place in a little over a month's time, in Las Vegas...

we just found out today that Alex was accepted

to a Stanford University study

of profoundly mathematically gifted children (age 12 or younger)...

who are also in the Autistic Spectrum.

Sometime during the summer...

we shall be taking him to Stanford while researchers will have him

solve many mathematical problems while they observe his brain functions

in an MRI machine

(I will write an article more fully explaining it in a few days).

Besides helping with basic research

(as well as Alex being excited about seeing Stanford University)...

we will have a greater understanding of Alex's unique thought patterns...

and, as a big plus...

they will note any medical anomalies and refer him to a doctor...

who will then determine if it is medically relevant...

should there prove to be a need.

While this medical preventative measure may seem far fetched...

a child with whom Alex used to have peer play with in CA...

had participated in a similar study in Sacramento...

and they had discovered a benign brain tumor...

which the parents had monitored by specialists ever since.

Alex is excited about all of these upcoming immediate objectives...

because he knows that each will bring him closer to achieving his goals.

And yes...

we have some special rewards planned for Alex...

upon each objective completion.

Alex's Weekend Math Club - A Typical Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 06:14:00 +0000

Song: Terra Mirus

Artist: Jo Blankenburg

Well, this was a special occasion on this Sunday.

Barnes and Noble Bookstore had sponsored an essay contest

for Middle through High School students.

Although a High Schooler had won the contest...

Alex had done well.

They had only announced the winner...

and there were no other placement announcements.

Alex got his contestant certificate...

which he will show to his English teacher for extra credit.

Usually, on Sunday morning...

Alex gets up and studies his advanced math and his SAT practice.

He will also work on any long term projects at this time.

He then goes to a 2 hour Math Club practice session in the evening hours.

In the above picture...

Alex is part of a 3 man team.

For this segment...

each member works on a different portion of a math problem...

with each member depending on the previous member's answer

to solve his portion of the problem.

His math club (Northern Nevada Regional Math Club)

is preparing for a synchronous nation wide

High School student contest late next month (ARML).

The Western States competition site will be in Las Vegas at UNLV.

Alex's Math Club is unique as it accepts very advanced 7th and 8th graders

(Alex is one of the youngest on the team).

They are a math competition team...

not just for ARML...

but for other prestigious math contests as well.

Alex is looking forward to the coming competitions.

Math is his passion.

He gets to mix in with highly talented children who are also passionate for math.

In his math club...

they compete with one another...

and they also work as a team.

Alex enjoys working with the other children...

and he always has a good time there.

He is learning important lessons in math...

and in working and communicating with others...

all of which are extremely valuable lessons for children to learn.

On this day...

they practiced 2 of the 5 separate segments of the competition.

Alex then became part of a 4 person team for the next segment.

There were 10 problems the teams had to work on.

As soon as a group had gotten an answer...

they had to write it on the board (Alex at the board)...

so effort was not duplicated by the other groups

(although another team must verify the first answers to validate them).

In the contest for this segment...

the 15 person math team will operate in this manner.

Alex has fun every Sunday at his math club.

He says he is always learning new solving techniques

from the High Schoolers.

After every Sunday practice...

I take Alex out to a new restaurant.

Alex works hard...

so Sunday is our day of culinary adventure

(Friday is our favorite restaurant day).

Today...

we went to a Casino (The Peppermill) to try one of their restaurants.

Every week, we will try a new Casino to see what they have.

Alex enjoys Sundays, as he...

works hard...

learns new techniques at his math club...

then gets to enjoy a new place to eat a well deserved meal.

Alex loves studying everyday.

He often tells me how good he feels when he sees

progress in his understanding of new material...

in all of his subjects.

He is looking forward to the higher grades in school...

because he knows that he will get to learn more advanced subjects.

Learning is exciting for him.

Therein, I believe, lies the key.

Alex's SAT Practice Essay - Great Improvement

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 05:41:00 +0000

Song: Rise

Artist: John Dreamer

We have Alex practice for his SAT everyday

(Reading Comprehension / Essay / Math).

He will be taking the SAT again in a couple of weeks

(we expect to see great improvement over his last official SAT

when he was in 6th grade. Even though he did fantastically well

for his age - 11 yrs. old - we have been working with him on his weak areas).

He continually does well on the Math portion...

however, he has made the largest strides in his

Reading Comprehension...

and in his Essay writing.

Before, it was harder for him to generate ideas...

and then to put them down in a succinct manner...

all within 23.5 minutes.

When I had last graded his SAT essay...

I could only give him a 3 out of 6 possible points.

On today's essay...

I gave him a 5 out of 6 points.

He had come up with original ideas...

had expressed them adequately...

had structured it correctly...

and although he had made a couple of simple errors

(subjunctive mood, a couple of punctuation errors)...

they were nothing which he does not already understand...

he simply had not fully proof read the essay before time ran out

(there is a time constraint...he practices as if it were a real SAT).

I was most happy with Alex's basic beliefs.

I think this particular writing assignment was easier for him

because he had merely written what he already knows to be true in life.

Alex has a great attitude in life...

he has always had.

He readily tackles challenges with great enthusiasm and energy.

He has great perseverance and drive.

He is starting to understand human behavior...

motives, and the ramifications of those motives...

as applied to actions, or inactions, in life.

The more he understands about himself...

the more he will understand about others.

The greater understanding he has of others...

the greater he will be able to predict outcomes

of various social scenarios.

It is with this knowledge that he will be able to better

navigate his way through life...

as so much of it depends on basic interactions with others.

As a child on the Autistic Spectrum...

this can sometimes be the most daunting task...

the understanding of, and the relating to, others.

As with so many other subjects that Alex learns...

he picks them up quickly...

and he applies them well.

This is just another area where we fully expect Alex

to eventually excel in...

as it is, after all...

not an impossibility...

but just another subject in life to learn and master.

Basic Survival - Bug Out Bag Essential - Medical Handbook

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 07:14:00 +0000

Song: Asturias

Performing Artist: Alejandro Carrillo Gamboa

The Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook

An extremely important book to have in your Bug Out Bag.

For those who have not read my article on the importance of a Bug Out Bag:

Bug Out Bag

This is the one put out by the U.S. Department of Defense.

It costs a little over $11.00 at Amazon.

There are other books...

of the same or similar name.

One costs more than 5 times as much.

I bought this one...it is a MUST HAVE.

This book is over 800 pages of extremely useful information.

It is a compilation of medical procedures from diagnosis through treatment...

even preventative, as well as after care...

as submitted from some of the top medical doctors

from all of the branches of the U.S. Military.

It was originally designed as the handbook for

U.S. Special Forces Medics.

They had to be able to handle medical emergencies with

what they carried, by what they could get...
even by what they could improvise
(for instance...it is a relatively simple matter to devise an emergency
hyperbaric chamber with many common items).

Although they list medications and methods commonly used

by trained medical staff...

the terminology is common to most everyone.

Even were someone not able to understand much of this book...

the value lies in having it to be able to use it as an emergency reference...

to learn what to prepare for when venturing in certain terrains or conditions...

and, to be able to give to even moderately trained medical personnel as their guide

in an emergency situation should you need treatment

(Nurses, EMTs, Paramedics, Former Combat Medics...etc.).

Many of the procedures can be done by untrained personnel by following

their extremely organized and concise descriptions of them.

This book, besides being extremely informative...

is a very interesting read.

This book covers about everything you could think of concerning

the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of...

Injury...

Diseases...

Various Medical Emergencies...

Dental Issues...

and yes...

even basic Veterinary Medicine.

Some of the specialized information given in this handbook...

even of which many doctors are unaware how to adequately treat ...

involve maladies from extreme enviornmental exposure

(pressure extremes from Diving, or High Altitude...

Radiological, Chemical or Biological exposure...etc.).

Now for a very basic breakdown of this magnificent book:

Part 1:

Operational Issues

This includes emergency triage and the preparation of the injured for evacuation.

It also gives basic diagrams in the setup of an improvised

emergency helicopter landing zone.

While this may not seem important...

you must remember, non-specific rescue helicopters

usually are not equipped with any specialized extraction equipment.

In the event of needing rescue from an area which prohibits the touchdown

of a helicopter...such as mountain ridges...heavily forested areas...etc...

this will give you an idea of what type of terrain to keep in mind as an emergency

extraction point...so you may preplan them on your map while hiking...

or a place to establish your base camp.

An emergency helicopter landing zone set up will be seen from far away...

and will allow rescue to be far more assured
(especially when a universal - in need of rescue - sign made of rocks
or other visible material is also placed on it).

Part 2:

Clinical Process

Medical History and Physical Examination

"Efficient, focused, problem-oriented medical care is the goal of the

Special Forces Medic. The S-O-A-P note format is a primary tool

used to efficiently organize a concise, focused, problem-oriented

medical examination and treatment plan."

This format is how each injury, illness, or malady is described

and how an appropriate medical strategy is applied.

S: Subjective - Patient Complaint

O: Objective - Physical Exam / Tests

A: Assessment - Defined and prioritized list of problems

P: Plan - Management and Treatment

This format is what makes this handbook so easy to understand and apply...

even for a person with no previous medical knowledge.

Part 3:

General Symptoms

This is an A through Z description of the most common

injuries, diseases, or maladies in the S.O.A.P. format.

Part 4:

Organ Systems

This is S.O.A.P. formatted by body category.

Chapter 1 - Cardiac / Circulatory

Chapter 2 - Blood

Chapter 3 - Respiratory

Chapter 4 - Endocrine

Chapter 5 - Neurologic

Chapter 6 - Skin

Chapter 7 - Gastrointestinal

Chapter 8 - Genitourinary

Part 5:

Specialty areas

Chapter 9 - Podiatry

Chapter 10 - Dentistry

Chapter 11 - Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Chapter 12 - Infectious Diseases

Chapter 13 - Preventative Medicine

Chapter 14 - Veterinary Medicine

Chapter 15 - Pediatrics

Chapter 16 - Human Nutritional Disorders

Chapter 17 - Toxicology

Chapter 18 - Mental Health

Chapter 19 - Anesthesia

Part 6

Operational Environment

Chapter 20 - Dive Medicine

Chapter 21 - Aerospace Medicine

Chapter 22 - High Altitude Illness

Chapter 23 - Cold Illness and Injuries

Chapter 24 - Heat Related Illnesses

Chapter 25 - Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Injuries

Part 7

Trauma

Chapter 26 - Trauma Assessment

Chapter 27 - Shock

Chapter 28 - Bites, Animal and Human

Chapter 29 - Burns, Blasts, Lightning and Electrical Injuries

Part 8

Procedures

Chapter 30 - Basic Medical Skills

Chapter 31 - Nursing Procedures

Chapter 32 - Laboratory Procedures

Should ever an occasion necessitate the usage of the Bug Out Bag...

this Handbook is simply a must to have with you.

With it...

you will be surprised at what treatment you will be able to give

in the event of a medical emergency... with a minimum of equipment

(hopefully already stocked in your Bug Out Bag)

or by what you may improvise with what you can get.

The most valuable aspect of this Handbook is in the

arming of you with the knowledge of how to quickly navigate from a symptom

to a viable treatment plan using this book...

in a very efficient and effective manner.

With the ability to have such a valuable resource...

and at just over $11.00...

there is simply no excuse to not get a copy.

Jiro Dreams Of Sushi...An Example of Living Life Well

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 06:56:00 +0000

Movie Trailer: Jiro Dreams Of Sushi

I had seen this film a couple of times last year on Cable.

Besides making me so hungry for Sushi

that after watching it, I went out to eat Sushi...

this film illustrates so much of what defines living life well.

To...

have a deep love and passion...

be able to make it a career...

make a good living from it...

be able to innovate...

use creativity...

strive for perfection...

help or serve others in the process...

teach others your successful path in life...

is living your life well.

You know it when...

you wake up energized...

full of enthusiasm and anticipation for your day's work...

you love what you are doing...

you feel supremely and deeply satisfied after work...

you look forward to going back to work...

you dream of it.

It affects all aspects of your life.

You love so many of the simple joys in life.

When you look at the mountains...

the lakes and streams...

the trees...

the sky...

the sunrise and sunset...

the clouds, the stars and the moon...

great symphonies play in your mind...

they are yours...

they take on a deep meaning.

Their permanence...

their stability...

the way they stand out from the rest...

they way they exude pure translucent colors...

the way they shine...

they are all metaphors for life.

There simply is no other way to live life

than one filled with a deep passion and love

for everything pure and good...

for your work...

for the simple pleasures all around us.

This concept is the one I stress most of all...

with my son, Alex.

You don't have to be wealthy to live life with a passion.

But, you simply must love life...if you are to live your life well.

Jiro fell in love with his work.

To be in love...

is to know something of which you value

more than anything else.

It is something in which you wish to fully immerse yourself.

It is all consuming...

yet, filled with the freedom from fear or dread...

for you have found something which no one can take away.

A true love gives one courage...

energy...a deep sense of purpose...

for you will do anything to fulfill it.

This feeling is what drives people toward perfection...

for they then become true artists.

I tell my son, Alex...

that should he ever feel any other way about life...

then there is something wrong...

that it is indicative of a need to correct something in his life.

To always have an inner sense of deep happiness should be the norm in life...

and not the exception.

To be in love with life means that you are on the correct path in it.

It means you are steadily working toward your goals...

that you have a sense of future...

a sense of adventure.

To live in this way...

is to be light hearted...

to be able to see humor in life...

and to be able to be happy in solitude

(rather than needing others to make you happy).

Alex has seen this documentary...

and I have discussed his views of it.

He understands the concepts illustrated within...

and how they apply to everyday life.

Alex admires Jiro's passion and drive...

his striving for perfection...

and, of course, his success.

He knows that Jiro took great care with every aspect of his profession...

that he had sought to master his art

because of his great passion and love for it.

He also knows that the key to his success

was his determination and commitment.

Jiro bravely went forth and conquered

because he coupled his dreams to positive action...

rather than merely dreaming about it...

and living with the regret of unfulfilled desires.

And so, Jiro dreams out of passion...

coupled with the satisfaction that he had

chosen a way of life which has deep meaning for him...

and which has given him deep meaning in life.

This is a very good documentary to watch with children.

It takes the sometimes negative notion of the word "work"...

and gives a positive perspective to the word...

and changes it to the concept of...

one's calling in life.

A child may see, in Jiro's demeanor...

a somewhat stern appearance...

however, you may wish to explain that true inner happiness

is so sublime that it transcends outward expression of momentary happiness.

It is so profoundly deep...something that changes lives forever...

that it is considered extremely private.

This is especially true in the Japanese society.

To show outward happiness without apparent cause...

is considered to be rude in many occasions because it is

not taking into account that others may not be feeling the same way.

Some look upon it as rubbing salt in open wounds...

or the person may be accused of displaying happiness

in order to falsely give an impression of being greatly fortunate in his life.

The older generations of Japanese practice subduing most emotions...

especially in public...as it is considered to be in poor form otherwise.

One warning...

BEFORE watching this documentary...

have a high quality Sushi restaurant already picked out.

You will wish to eat Sushi after seeing this.

Believe me...

if you don't...

you, too, will be dreaming of Sushi :)

Spring 2013 Resource Materials For Parents Of Gifted Children

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 21:03:00 +0000

Song: Where Do The Children Play?

Artist: Cat Stevens

My wife had gotten these great resource books from

Prufrock Press during their Spring Clearance Sale.

These books are on sale for .99 cents to a couple of dollars.

My wife had bought these because of the information they give...

NOT because they were on sale.

However...

at pennies on the dollar...

it was time to get many of them at once.

We, as parents of highly gifted children...

know our main challenge is

keeping up with our children's voracious intellectual appetite.

We, as parents of highly gifted children know...

we must engage our children in a very deep and meaningful way...

or we may lose them to boredom and apathy.

One book in particular came just in time for Alex's debating practice.

We were running out of material...

so my wife had gotten us this great book:

The courtroom...

where intellectual combat is played out on a daily basis.

Our laws are built upon moral principles

(although the spirit of the law often gets corrupted

by either the letter of the law taking precedence...

or by the willful manipulation of the system to effect

an immoral result).

This book will be our next discussion and debate resource.

Alex will learn about morals and reason...

about assertions and supporting evidence...

about rationales and conclusions...

about our legal system...

and critical reasoning.

Although this book should provide many hours of discussable material...

what we will do upon completion of the book...

is to set up our own scenarios...

in a manner similar to this book's...

and further discuss them.

My wife is very good at researching Alex's resource material...

and securing them...

ON SALE! :)

One other VERY important point...

create an educational portfolio for your child.

Keep evidence of all of your child's educational achievements...

all transcripts...

all special testing...

all educational contests...

all special on-line courses...etc.

These will provide support for admission to

following opportunities.

My wife...

from the very beginning...

was highly driven and astute enough to thoroughly research

ways to support our son, Alex.

She researched possible future educational opportunities...

researched their requirements...

went on to educational chat rooms to learn from mothers

who had successfully navigated the system to get their children

to greater educational heights.

She had sought out the valued testing and courses...

prepared Alex through daily studying...

compiled his results into a portfolio of achievements...

and she has successfully presented this as supporting evidence

for entrance into further educational opportunities.

One piece of supporting evidence adds to the next...

which then opens more doors.

It is an ongoing process involving constant online research...

compilation and cataloging...applying for and going to testing...

but one which has extremely important ramifications.

Always remember...

you and your highly gifted child's competition...

is with the other highly gifted children and their parents.

The more highly organized are the parents...

the more plausible the positive results for their children shall be.

Alex Fishing At Pyramid Lake / Alex's Restaurant Review

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 06:04:00 +0000

Song: Give Me Love

Artist: George Harrison

Upon our arrival at Pyramid Lake.

We first tried casting...over...

and over....

and over...

and over.

At Pyramid Lake...

you can only fish for Trout with barbless lures.

You may also only keep Trout 17" - 20" and over 24".

The limit is two trout per person...

with only one being over 24" in length.

We had nothing to worry about :)

We eventually switched to bobber fishing.

Alex ran up and down the shore line...

just because :)

Every so often we would recast the bobber.

Alex is washing his hands after playing in the sand.

Just on the other side of us...

people were enjoying a campfire.

It only costs $9.00 per night for a camping permit.

We will camp here next time...

and spend a lot more time fishing.

We are heading home after our two hour fishing experience.

I know...

two hours...

and no fish...

no wonder we hadn't caught anything :)

We are less than 30 minutes from home here.

There is a cattle ranch just 20 minutes outside of Reno.

We are nearing Reno here.

Mount. Rose is visible in the background.

As we had no fish to grill...

we settled for our back up plan...

Naan and Kabab.

This is one of our favorite restaurants.

It has delicious Mediterranean food.

Alex always orders the Salmon Kabab.

I usually get the Gyro: Kabab Koobideh...

along with the appetizer: Cilantro - Jalapeño Hummus.

As Alex usually doesn't eat desert unless we eat out...

he had a Persian Chocolate cake.

Naan and Kabab is on the main strip just opposite the Peppermill Casino.

We are going back home after another absolutely delicious meal there.

Alex also loves this restaurant...

he had written a review on it after we had gotten home.

I will be including it with my review of this excellent restaurant on Yelp.

Alex will be posting his review under Alex T.

This is what he had written...

he did a very good job!

Alex loves writing reviews...

I will have him do more on other restaurants every so often.

Alex's Steady Improvement In His SAT Practice Test Scores

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:38:00 +0000

Song: Felitsa

Artist: Yanni

Although we have both Kaplan and College Board SAT practice test books...

we have found the College Board test books to be

more aligned with the actual tests than is Kaplan.

We are using both as material, to not only gauge Alex's improvement...

but to extract essay and discussion material for my debates with Alex

(momma has just bought a lot more books for us to use also).

These are the results from Alex's last SAT practice test

(he had taken this test a couple of days ago).

Although this is spring break...

Alex still studies everyday...even on days we go fishing or skiing.

Alex gets up early and studies...and when we come back...he finishes up.

As this is Kaplan's test...

we are using it to gauge Alex's improvement over time...

as we had initially used Kaplan exclusively early last year.

Alex also uses the College Board SAT books.

Alex's main area of improvement has come in his reading comprehension...

and in his writing scores.

We are going to see how accurate these practice test scores reflect

the real SAT scores on his SAT coming up in a few weeks.

Alex looks forward to taking a real SAT a couple of times a year.

He loves seeing how much he has improved under real testing conditions.

It is such a treat for him, and for us, to see a payoff in scores for his

many hours of studying.

This gives him even more incentive to study well throughout the year.

Of course...

we are not just having Alex learn the SATs just to

be able to test well.

We use the practice and real test scores to tell us in which areas he needs more practice.

We will then use various other texts and alter our lesson plans to

fit the areas we wish to improve in him.

Alex is, at this moment, studying his SAT vocabulary using his iPad.

Alex five years ago...

at the Exploratorium in San Francisco...

just one of the many hands on type of museums in which we try to expose him.

We try to expose Alex to as many examples of applied science

as possible. I also stress his observational and reasoning skills

whenever we go out.

Again, we are not having Alex learn to just regurgitate information.

We have him learn concepts so he may apply them in real life.

Alex finished up an outline for another Comparative Analysis

he is doing for his Social Studies class earlier today

(he fears some of the other children in his class

are going to try to break his record over Spring Break...

for the most reports done :)

As a Father...

I cannot help but absolutely love his competitive spirit.

Alex, And I, Skiing Mt. Rose Together

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 01:53:00 +0000

Song: Promise

Artist: Brian Crain

Alex upon our arrival at Mt. Rose.

Alex, and I, going up for our first run of the day.

We are headed down on our third run of the day.

Just down this slope...

you must turn right 90 degrees to start your run.

Alex had only fallen a total of 3 times all day...

and, he had gone on far more runs than I had.

Most of my falls were during high speed turns

(were supposed to have been).

I don't Pizza Slice or Snow Plow.

I used to be able to carve a turn at will...

and for the most part...

I can still carve a turn.

It was just during the times that I couldn't quite do it right...

well...

I just remember seeing white...

then seeing sky :)

I must say...

for an old guy who hadn't skied for almost 30 years...

who had gone right to the beginner slopes without any warm up

on the bunny hills...

who, on his first run of the day, was keeping up with his 12 year old son...

until his (my) first fall...

and on his subsequent runs...

regaining more snow experience

(falling in it :)...

all in all...

................

well...I am still a mediocre skier at best :)

My son, however, is improving at such a great rate.

He was really moving down some of the hills...

and he was handling the turns with ever greater skill.

This old dog, however, is not going to be left behind by a young pup :)

Starting next season...

I am going to drop off Alex at school...

and sneak up to Mt. Rose for some slope time before I have to pick him back up.

We are, eventually, going to experience the long runs from the top of the mountain

(elevation at almost 10,000 ft)...

together.

Mt. Rose is the highest Ski Resort in the Lake Tahoe area.

During the normal ski season...

they will get over 30 feet of snow in total.

However, this year they had only gotten half that amount...

and so...the ski season will be short this year

(they close for the season in a couple of weeks).

Their long run is presently at 2.5 miles in length...

and they are working on extending it to 3.5 miles.

Alex said he wanted to try some runs on his own.

He loves striving for independence.

He got on and rode the ski lift alone...

and skied down all by himself.

This is Alex going back on the ski lift right after he had completed

one of his runs.

We are leaving after having had a great time on the mountain.

In a couple of days...

we are going to go trout fishing at Pyramid Lake.

Alex is maturing at such a great rate!

He has an adventurous spirit...

he loves learning new things...

and he is constantly extending the limits

of those things which are known to him.

As Alex fully realizes...

It is the only way to truly live life.

Alex's First Day Fishing - Stampede Reservoir

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 03:08:00 +0000

Song: Dream Of Flying

Artist: Brian Crain

This is to be our first time fishing together...

and Alex's first time to ever fish.

Stampede Reservoir is at 5,949 ft. in Elevation...

and but 45 minutes from home.

Alex is carrying some of the gear from the car to the shore.

The parking is right near the shoreline at this spot...

making off loading easy.

Although Stampede Reservoir is stocked with many varieties of Trout, Salmon...

and many other types of game fish...

we will have to experience actually catching one of them

on another trip.

I had purposely left late in the day because, on this first day of fishing...

I had wanted him to experience casting and reeling in...

and a couple hours of the outdoors without boredom.

This is just one of many lakes and reservoirs within an hour from home.

I didn't wish for his first experience to be a long boring day.

I rigged up Alex's fishing pole.

Alex is holding an optimist's fishing net

(it is for fish up to 50, or so, lbs :)

I demonstrated how to cast...

and I then walked Alex through the motions of casting.

I then had him cast.

I had Alex cast out, and then reel in, a few times to get the hang of it.

I then showed him how to brace the pole in the holder...and wait.

The wind started to pick up some...

and the waiting soon led to Alex picking up some sticks...

and playing Swordsman :)

After a couple of hours...

we departed for home...

empty handed...

but not empty hearted.

It was a very beautiful and peaceful day.

We enjoyed watching the birds fly overhead...

and the blissful quiet of this mountain lake.

I had told him that while fishing in the future...

we could practice the flute...

read...

or just enjoy the ambiance while free writing

or picnicking.

Being in the great outdoors is very inspirational...

which in turn...

allows one to be especially creative.

We are only 20, or so, minutes from home here.

In a couple of days...

we are going to go skiing again

(this time, and from now on, I shall be skiing with him).

Next week...

we are going to try fishing again...

this time...at Pyramid Lake.

We should have much better luck for Trout there.

They have a Trout hatchery at the lake...

and many fishing contests take place there.

Strangely enough...

although we live in Nevada...

I have no need for a Nevada fishing license.

Stampede Reservoir and many other nearby lakes...

are in California (we live just 15 minutes from the California border)...

and so, I bought an annual California fishing license

(children under the age of 16 don't need a license).

As Pyramid Lake is on an Indian Reservation...

I just need to buy a one day Paiute Indian Reservation fishing license

whenever I fish there...for a few dollars

(if we end up fishing a lot there...I will just get the annual license).

As Pyramid Lake is a little over 30 minutes, or so, from home...

I plan to do some scouting for good fishing spots.

I will drop Alex off at school...

fish at Pyramid Lake...

and then pick him up from school.

I hope to be able to find some good fishing spots while there

so I may be able to take him on the weekends...

so we may enjoy some great fishing together.

I still need to buy a much larger Bar-B-Que grill.

The Trout at Pyramid Lake are regularly caught

in the 10 to 20 lb. range...

and one was caught there which had weighed in at over 41 lbs.

I know...

optimistic thinking...

but...

without optimism...

there is no reason to even try :)

I can hardly wait to see Alex's face light up

when he catches his first fish...

and when we have our first catch on the grill for a grand feast

(one of many... hopefully).

I will also use our time at Pyramid Lake to teach Alex some more Field Craft.

I will show him how to dig a Dakota Stove...

how to lash a spear with our Bushman knives...

how to lay an alerting perimeter with black multifilament line and clip on bells...

etc.

This will be in preparation for our future camping and hiking excursions.

What I teach him...

he will be able to pass on to his children one day.

These are just some of the many great things I had always dreamt

of doing with my future child, or children, when I was much younger.

Life is far too short, and far too precious...

to not experience the great things in life...

with those of whom are...

the greatest loves of our lives.

Ah...

these are just some of the great privileges of being a Father.

#1 Reason Chinese Students Out Perform Most Of The World

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 04:24:00 +0000

From the VLOG of Keith Ballard

"Chinese students will continue to outperform American students academically regardless

of the amount of money that The United States Government throws at the Educational System.

The family structure of the Chinese is far more intact than the American family structure.
Without a strong family structure - there can not be a strong Educational System!"

It all starts with parenting.

You set the tone which shall reverberate for the entirety of your child's life.

Parents who value education...

make it a priority in their child's life.

Respect for education...

Respect for others and their property...

and, most of all...

Self-Respect...

these are necessary components for true education to take place.

A child without respect...

feels he has nothing to learn from others...

and so...

he doesn't.

Public Education: U.S. vs. China

One of the questions asked by the interviewer...

"Do we want a 14, 13, 12 year old deciding what they want to do with their lives?"

My thoughts:

It is precisely because so many children don't think ahead...

don't look at the horizon and plot a course...

that they don't feel the need to ever set sail.

There is no sense of urgency...

no sense of direction...

no need to stock provisions...

no sense of adventure...

no sense of future.

This is the reason that so many feel lost.

They feel that being a cork in the ocean...

being at the mercy of the tides...

is fine.

To know a direction in life...

is to have the inner desire to learn

all that is necessary to excel as the Captain of his vessel.

To strive for his destiny

(as determined by him...not the currents)...

puts the value of his education at the forefront of his mind.

With the knowledge that his education will be a prime factor

in his ability to choose his destiny...

he will automatically start to truly listen and observe...

to truly think and reason...

because it is important to his life.

True learning will simply not take place without this happening.

A goal for which to strive...

focuses the drive.

If merely focusing the sun's rays can melt steel...

what do you think the focused drive of a child can do?

Correct eating is taught by correctly eating where they learn...

at home...AND at school.

Ketchup is NOT a fruit or a vegetable.

Pizza (American style), Corn Dogs, Hot Dogs...

are an occasional treat...

NOT a healthful meal.

Soda machines at schools?

SHAME ON THEM!

What children are fed early in life sets the pattern for what they shall later eat.

What a person eats in life determines much of his health for life.

Your child need not be part of the poor U.S. World standings

in K - 12 in ALL of the major subjects.

Homeschool them AFTER school...

everyday.

Start as early as possible...

make it a daily habit...

he will excel.

Now...

you will notice I said...

K - 12.

We are still known for the quality of higher education.

I am sure you can see the reason that many of the children

in our country from our K - 12 public school system

never attend higher education...

or drop out.

They simply are NOT prepared.

IT IS NOT THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY

OF SOCIETY TO PREPARE CHILDREN

FOR HIGHER EDUCATION.

IT IS THE PARENTS' SACRED DUTY

TO ENSURE THEIR CHILDREN ARE

PREPARED TO TRULY LEARN...

AND ARE GUIDED IN THEIR STUDIES...

AT HOME.

WHY?

BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT IT TAKES...

THAT IS WHAT WORKS.

Don't believe me...

look at what successfully works around the world.

LOOK...

LISTEN...

LEARN

(analyze and reason...grasp the universal concepts)...

APPLY.

This is what it takes to truly learn.

One thing I have noticed...

time and again...

from other parents I have overheard

(yes...I eavesdrop...you learn far more from others

when they do not know you are listening :)...

so many are more concerned that their child's coach or teacher was

verbally stern with their child...

instead of them being concerned that their child was not truly

OBSERVING AND LISTENING!

(I am talking from the general...

and not the anomalies)

They are so concerned that their child was shown disrespect!

Of course...

they hadn't thought of how their child had shown

disrespect by not truly observing, listening, and applying.

RESPECT...

is more shown through correct actions...

and correct inactions...

than through anything else.

I am SO grateful for the adults in my life...

especially the ones who had to occasionally yell...

or had to physically check me when I needed it.

I was not so embarrassed at being corrected...

as I was ashamed at having made it necessary for someone to do this

in order to correct my actions.

I was the cause of the necessity of the correction.

I saw the need...

I appreciated the person caring enough to correct me

by what ever means necessary.

I felt a strong urge to make them proud of me in the future...

to show them that I was better than my past transgression.

This is RESPECT.

My self-respect came after seeing my self growth over time...

through my conquering of my fears and inner demons

(anger / laziness...ok...work in progress :)

SELF-RESPECT IS EARNED.

(and NO...it doesn't mean that you are a target of abuse until

you earn it. Everyone deserves basic human respect...

however...self-respect must come from the concerted efforts of the person).

So much of today's disrespect comes from the free disturbing of others' peace.

So many youths feel free to talk and banter loudly in areas occupied by others.

They, incorrectly, feel that "free speech"

allows them to say what ever they wish...when ever they wish...

and in any manner they wish.

When youth lacks respect for others...

it means that they think THEY know everything.

A child who knows everything...

learns nothing.

Respect is a primer for learning.

It is taught...

AT HOME.

A parent who respects education...

teaches his child respect, and guides him in his studies.

A child who respects his parents...

truly listens (most of the time :)...

and will do anything to make them proud of him.

When he sees the results of his concerted efforts in his studies...

he learns self-respect.

A child who has learned respect...

learns to truly listen and observe.

A child who truly listens and observes...

truly learns.

A child who truly learns...

then learns how to apply.

A child who applies...

excels

(this pattern applies to everything in life)

A child who excels...

eventually achieves his goals in life...

whether it be in love, enough wealth, creative goals...etc.

So why is education SO important?

Because...

it allows the child to experience true and deep happiness in life.

Why?

Because it allows him to pursue that which makes him the most happy.

He is free to walk through any of the open doors of opportunity

which are presented to him because of his efforts...

not just the left over doors presented to those

who had not applied themselves in life.

Alex's Favorite 2013 SAT Vocabulary iPad Apps

noreply@blogger.com (Shiroi Tora) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 20:30:00 +0000

Song: Midnight Blue

Artist: Brian Crain

Alex main study guide for his SATs.

He practices daily with these guides.

He reviews the Math portion...

does Essays...

Reading Comprehension...

and we use the guide for discussion and debate practice

in conclusion to each daily study session.

After Alex finishes his daily reading...

he usually likes to practice his SAT vocabulary on his iPad.

These Apps make SAT vocabulary learning fun.

Alex loves learning using different applications...

as he may just relax on the sofa in comfort while he learns.

Alex finds the differing learning methods, all of which...

are presented in an interesting fashion...

to be highly stimulating...

as well as fun.

There are simply so many learning Applications on the iPad...

and so many of them being free...

that for these apps alone...

the iPad is such a valuable learning tool.

Should Alex become bored with one learning App...

he just downloads another.

There are numerous ones on each subject, or area, of learning.

Alex likes the interesting backgrounds used to illustrate the lesson.

He thought the fish dying when an answer was incorrect...

or when time had run out...

as being very funny.

While in many subjects...

it is the concept which matters...

there simply are some which must be memorized

(of course, when the roots of words are known...

association plays an important part).

When memorization matters...

making it a competition (such as these Apps do)

is a key to doing the necessary repetition...

while keeping it fun and very interesting.