to discover what I think

Living life with a sense of urgency

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Wed, 08 May 2013 03:47:00 +0000

feeling so energized tonight! it doesn't always take something bad to happen to make you realize how short life is and that if you have a vision, you've got to have a sense of urgency in making it happen. we have capacity to do so much that to take no action (or to put it off for too long) is to waste the gift.

Make that "Someday" be Today

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 19:33:00 +0000

As I was reading Running the Edge, by Olympian Adam Goucher & Tim Catalano, I was reminded that so often we like to save a goal for another day, or to vow to make a change later. It's time to make that day today. The book quotes an inscription on a tomb in Westminster Abbey: "When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country. But it, too, seemed immovable. As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas, they would have none of it. And now, as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly realize: If I had only changed myself first, then by example I would have changed my family. From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country, and who knows, I may have even changed the world." As Gandhi famously advises, "Be the change you want to see in the world." To make that more digestable, it's time to be the change we want to see in ourselves. Call it a permanent resolution, or just simply a mindset. Making a change is your choice. Choose to make that someday happen. Starting today, starting right now.

Kudos to Missy Franklin, Rising Star in USA Swimming

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 17:47:00 +0000

In a day and age when athletes are known more for their ego than their craft, Missy Franklin is a breath of fresh air. Full of optimism and spunk, the world watched as she set a new record in the women’s 100m backstroke final, and was moved to tears as her country’s national anthem played atop the Olympic podium. All that, and she’s only 17! If London 2012 is a glimpse into the post-Phelps world, then it’s looking like a bright future for Team USA!

Weighing-in on Blade Runner & the Olympics

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 20:37:00 +0000

Oscar Pistorius is a South African sprinter known as the "Blade Runner" and "the fastest man on no legs." Pistorius, who has a double amputation, is the world record holder for sport class T44 in the 100, 200 and 400 metres events and runs with the aid of Cheetah Flex-Foot carbon fibre transtibial artificial limbs by Ossur. In 2007, Pistorius took part in his first international competitions for able-bodied athletes. However, his artificial lower legs, while enabling him to compete, have generated claims that he has an unfair advantage over able-bodied runners. (Source: Wikipedia)

Call me a purist, but I believe the Olympics should be for those good enough to compete as they were born, without any technological enhancements whatsoever for any reason.

Once you get into the case by case basis, medically-approved or not arguments, it gets into a dangerous gray area and people will ultimately try to take advantage. For example, if you say that Pistorius is allowed to compete with his unique story (however inspiring it is and however hard he has worked), then what's to stop you from allowing an athlete who ran over his own legs on purpose so that he can replace it with titanium legs to run faster? That may be an extreme example, but perhaps not if strict standards of qualification are not enacted and unenforced.

I don't buy the whole net advantage/disadvantage thing that analysts have "supposedly" pegged on Pistorius. To say that he has an advantage validates the idea that no technological enhancements should be allowed. To say that he actually has a disadvantage just shows that current technology is not up to par (though at the rate of innovation, will surely be compensated in the near future.) Furthermore, to leave the decision of whether or not he can compete in the Olympics up to medics/scientists would be a denigration to his talent.

To those who say that he has had a lot of courage and heart to make it this far, I don't disagree. To those who say that he should be allowed to compete in the Olympics because of it, I caution to think hard about the precedent being set. That's why the Paralympics were started, to allow athletes with physical disabilities like Pistorius to compete in a similar environment/setting. (Besides, if you wanted so bad to see if a physically disabled person could beat an able-bodied person, then why don't you hold a separate competition where the Olympics champions compete against the Paralympics champions?)

When a blind runner decides to enter the Olympics, he should be able to do so, only if he does so without aid. When an amputee decides to enter the Olympics, he should also be able to do so, but only if he does so without aid.

The Godfather, by Mario Puzo

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 00:32:00 +0000

cannot believe I hadn't put this higher up on my reading list. three days of spellbound misery (read: pure enthrallment) later, I'm itching to get my hands on the film trilogy...

irony, capitalism, and crime - three images this saga brings to bear. if agatha christie had an italian son, his name would be mario puzo.

not unlike the dear friends of the don in this novel, who couldn't bear turn away from their godfather, readers will not be able to turn away from the page.

from robin hood to the western cowboy to the "godfather"-led mafioso, this novel marks a turn in american pop culture. out of the wit of puzo comes a new rogue hero. a criminal in the legal sense yet still a man of principle - who knows what he believes in, what he does not, and is steadfast to his word.

many a second generation immigrant can identify with his own michael corleone within - of wanting to break from traditional ties to the homeland and becoming thoroughly american, of striving to be accepted and respected in upper echelon society, of building a foundation for his offspring such that they would never have to face the same hardships of their forebears.

while the story is an obvious commentary on capitalism as much as it is a narrative about underworld crime, what's most curious is its own ironic trajectory. that it quickly rose to acclaim and ultimately became an icon in american life and literature is something its author perhaps did not intend. (or perhaps that was woven into the outcome all along, who knows?) but for the don and his consigliere, puzo and his audience, the message is clear - reason is, and has always been, the engine. friends and family, the power behind its construction.

Rating: 5 / 5

Amélie (Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain)

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Mon, 07 May 2012 23:40:00 +0000

Amélie est la personnification de la joie de vivre. Le directeur Jeunet est un expert sur la représentation de la jeunesse. Normalement, on recule à la simple description - deux heures de temps, de dialogue minimal, de film étranger sous-titré... Pourtant, dès le générique d'ouverture, qui montrent les pitreries d'un adorable jeune Amélie au jeu, à voir l'esprit imaginatif de l'adulte Amélie au jeu, ce film tout à fait rivets et sans effort charmes. C'est un must!

Rating: 5 / 5

Never chase love, affection, or attention.

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Sun, 06 May 2012 21:14:00 +0000

Never chase love, affection, or attention. If it isn't given freely by another person, it isn't worth having.

A Pre-Boarding Announcement from the Steve Harvey School of Practicality

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Sat, 05 May 2012 10:20:00 +0000

Welcome to Think Like A Man Airlines, flight 24/7.

Prior to boarding, please make sure to check your baggage, as there is no space on board for skeletons in the closet. All eligible, non-crazy bachelors are now welcome to line up on the right-hand side for pre-screening.

There are two exits on this aircraft: one friendly, the other, not so much. All passengers seated in an exit row must be over the age of 18, be willing and able to assist in the event of a real or non- emergency, and must do so in a drama-free manner. Smoking, drugs, and violence are strictly prohibited in the cabin. Any individual who violates proper treatment code will be immediately ejected from the aircraft.

We ask you now to turn off all Blackberry's, blueberries, strawberries, and any other electronic device that may or may not get in the way of date night conversation. In compliance with relationship regulations, I will now demonstrate the following safety briefing while we invite you to sit back, relax, and enjoy your flight to Happy Coupledom, USA!

Camping in Trees in Germany

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 03:43:00 +0000

tell me this doesn't look like the coolest...

XTERRA Malibu Creek Trail

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 01:53:00 +0000

Runners are a friendly crew, especially to other runners. We may be crazy in doing what we do, but we take pride in caring for our own. And never have I realized this more than today.

This morning, I competed in the XTERRA Malibu Creek Trail run, and after all that hard work of climbing up and over the mountain, I sprinted perhaps a little too fast down the other side. Right at the 2-mile marker on a hairpin turn, I mis-stepped and sprained my left ankle. Story of my life. Up until then, I was on pace (or so I thought) to win my age group. "Wow, maybe I will actually finish dead last for the first time ever," I thought. I was wrong. Turns out, I wouldn't finish at all. A mile and a half later of limping down the single-track path, I had to be lifted out by the paramedics.

What really amazed me, though, was the camaraderie and caring shown today by my fellow canyon climbers. After I fell, almost every person who passed me slowed to give a slap on the back or words of encouragement. Several even offered to stop their own race and walk with me to get help. The shooting pain in my ankle might have had something to do with it, but their collective gesture moved me to tears.

Yes, it sucks that I'm going to have to rehab for awhile. "Maybe it's a sign," a friend suggests in consolation. "Maybe that race wasn't meant to be." At first, I wondered how it could be possible that I wasn't meant to compete well today, given how prepared I was both physically and mentally. But then, I thought, "maybe it is a sign. I've put in a lot of miles over the past few months, and maybe I do need a breather." In any case, I've gained a renewed appreciation for the sport and for those who participate in the sport, and am ever more excited to get back and fit and ready to race! (Mental note - this one's definitely getting stored in my training arsenal as firepower.)

Philly Marathon, beware. Come November, you're going down.

"Smart" TVs

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:14:00 +0000

in a world of phones that talk back, it may be possible that one day soon, our TV sets will be able to do the same. never having had to stream through the internet, I recently connected through to Crackle and Hulu on my PS3 for the first time, as I've decided to cancel cable due to the fact that I'm never home. while the content streamed quickly and with few glitches, I was unaccustomed to the standard definition, as HD has now become the default choice for most. notwithstanding, it served my purpose of content surfing, and for no cost, I certainly couldn't beat the price.

which leads me to wonder - with only 14 million or so American households now connected (Parks Associates, market research), at what point will the value proposition of "smart" TVs be more attractive to consumers (on the whole) than what they currently use/have?

Behavioral Economics & Michael Lewis

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:08:00 +0000

humans, at the individual level, are behaviorally inconsistent. to a certain extent, such individual inconsistencies are smoothed out when aggregated. traditional economics, whether micro or macro, seeks to explain market dynamics driven by behavior at this aggregated level. for such inconsistencies that aren't explained in classical theory, behavioral economics seeks to explain the discrepancy between actual opportunity cost and its (psychological) perception based on the framing of alternatives.

what makes michael lewis an effective writer is not his subject matter expertise, but rather his framing of the particular stories he chooses to tell. what's fascinating in moneyball, the big short, and liar's poker, namely, is that his exploration of the idea of value seeks to bring light not only to various characters and their inconsistent actions in imperfect markets, but also to the psychological motivations of the players. as such, lewis is a master chronicler of behavioral economics. to paraphrase joan didion, he writes entirely to find out what he is thinking, what he is looking at, what he sees and what it means.

Los Cabos, Mexico

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:57:00 +0000

In Cabo this past weekend celebrating the wedding of two of my good friends. And as I was heading out to the beach to watch the sunrise that morning, I had a thought...

The world is more beautiful than a photo can capture, but photograph we must, for it is our inherent inclination to preserve the moments that take our breath away. Just as is with a lasting relationship, a lasting image (whether digital or hard copy) most captivates us in its natural, undoctored state. Authenticity, an original state of being, is a solid foundation for a journey in both photography and love.

How to Become an "Outlier"

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 04:55:00 +0000

reading Malcolm Gladwell's 'outliers' makes me wonder if reverse-engineering success is possible by simply taking stock of one's personal and environmental 'legs up.' I suppose this is what some people equate to truly getting to know oneself. the earlier we realize that whether or not we become successful is a matter of choice and efficient preparation, the easier it is to take initiative and the sooner we find ourselves 'lucky' to take advantage of the many opportunities available (yet many fail to see).

Gladwell had the reputation to leverage promotion of this book. we, a self-selected group who were piqued by its concept, are fortunate to ponder his observations. so how does one go on to achieve success of 'outlying' proportions?

of the traditional passion + talent + hard work axiom, perhaps passion bears further decomposition:
a) passion for doing something (e.g. playing basketball), and arguably more important,
b) passion for success itself.
in other words, the level of passion (read: one's desire, determination, and innate drive) becomes, effectively, one's own competitive advantage—his or her 'secret sauce,' if you will. that can be something we're born with, choose to have, or both.

and as we (theoretically) have the capability to be in full command of our passions, we can increase our level of success simply by knowing what we're good (and not so good) at and working hard at it. bottom line, love what you do and love who you do it with. easier said than done, of course, but nonetheless a digestible roadmap to 'outlier'-land.

My Life in Mad Libs

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 06:26:00 +0000

sometimes I imagine that we all live our lives in the context of a mad lib story... where your preset mad lib is a result of a roulette, and after the ball lands - no matter what choices you make in the allotted noun, verb, adjective, or expletive space - the ending is the same for you and every other person who also happened to get the same mad lib... the only thing making your life different from theirs being that you've chosen a different set of words to complete your story. and the specific people you meet you do because at certain somewhat similar or convergent points in their mad lib, they just so happened to choose the same word as you. yet through it all, we derive amusement from the uncanny (and often absurd) choices we ourselves and others make, all for the simple pleasure of - at the end of the day - sharing our mad libs with each other.

Unexpected Moment Mid-Air

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 05:32:00 +0000

just witnessed the most magnificent sunset by plane this evening...

a striated, volcanic horizon and fields of cream-puffed peaks and valleys - perfectly punctuated with a gleaming sliver of moon overhead. the leisurely descent through sinewy cotton blankets is an experience quite unlike any other - until the sky has faded to opaque sapphire and the dreamlike backdrop has been discreetly replaced by a robotic grid of familiarity

an unexpected, welcome respite from the everyday - one of those moments uncapturable by any photo save the thousand mental panoramas frozen in memory

sometimes, the most marvelous part of traveling (whether for work or pleasure) is simply looking out the window and taking note of what's changed. the best part is - it's absolutely free.

Bossypants, by Tina Fey

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 22:19:00 +0000

pure hilarity. snide yet self-deprecating. witty and completely charming. tina fey needs no further endorsement from me. read the book and judge for yourself. 'when it's true, it doesn't need to be said.' (TF, Bossypants)

Rating: 5/5

Romaine-Wrapped Chicken and Sundried Tomatoes

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 04:16:00 +0000

INGREDIENTS:

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (julienne cut)
sprinkle (as desired) garlic and tomato herb spice
(optional) pinch of salt
Pam olive oil cooking spray

* Spray the pan with Pam. Once the pan is warm, add the chicken (pre-cut into small cubes) and turn until fully cooked. Add the sundried tomatoes and sprinkle the garlic and tomato herb spice liberally or as desired. Break off the romaine lettuce pieces and spoon the chicken mixture onto the leaves to self serve. Yum!

Have Faith

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 17:20:00 +0000

Everything always works out the way it's supposed to in the end.

Easily Amused

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 00:01:00 +0000

My interests are all over the place. I'm starting to wonder if this is actually a good or bad thing...

2010 Resolution Evaluation

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 19:59:00 +0000

Now that 2010 is drawing to a close and I'm thinking ahead to the next year's resolutions, I've dug up this year's and saw that I actually managed to keep most of them.

2010 Resolutions:

1. Join a gym. - CHECK

2. Actually go to the gym. - CHECK? Technically, I went to the gym for half the year, then canceled my membership and found other ways to be active. That counts, right?

3. Live it up!! - CHECK!!

Other goals tacked on during the course of the year:

4. 1 month, 1 trip (out of town)
jan - china, san fran
feb - dallas, san diego
mar - mexico cruise, vegas
apr - philly
may - vegas
jun - new zealand
jul - santa barbara, simi valley, alhambra
aug - pasadena, malibu, agoura hills
sep - cabo, big bear, san fran
oct - oc, long beach, nyc, philly
nov - anaheim
dec - china, mammoth

5. Run a half marathon, 10k, and 5k.

6. Reward self for following through on resolutions. - CHECK, CHECK, CHECK... I'm going to go ahead and cap myself on this for the rest of the year...

My favorite resolution to keep this year: LIVE IT UP!!!!

Basketball Boo-Boo

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 16:46:00 +0000

So, this weekend... some guy ran into my shoulder and dislocated his jaw.

We were playing pickup, I was posting up in the lane, he cut across to the ball and rammed full speed into my left shoulder. Oh, and I also fell and scraped both my knees and had the ball bounced off my head.

Eerily enough, today, I feel brand spankin new.

"Fly" - by Nicki Minaj (feat. Rihanna)

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 23:25:00 +0000

I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive
I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise
To fly
To fly

Coconut (no chocolate) Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 23:53:00 +0000

What would a brownie look like without the chocolate? Maybe that just means it turns into a big cookie, but I decided to find out by combining the following ingredients in a loaf tin.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour
1/4 cup almond meal
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 stick butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp coconut powder
1 tsp vanilla

* Mix all ingredients and bake in a loaf tin at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and let sit for 5 minutes more. Cut into squares and serve. [Well... theoretically, you would cut into squares and serve. It's a different story if your concoction turns out to be one big gooey mess.]

The conclusion? Smells nice, tastes good, looks horrible. Turns out, a cookie recipe turned brownie is only a recipe for disaster.

Light and Fluffy Veggie Quiche

noreply@blogger.com (didihe) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 22:12:00 +0000

Here's another one of my homemade creations :)

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup almond meal
pinch of salt
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon coconut powder
1/2 teaspoon raw cane sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 cups frozen vegetables
olive oil to cover the baking dish

* Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, almond meal, and salt. Add the water, coconut powder and sugar, and whisk until smooth. Beat in the egg and gently mix in the vegetables. Transfer mixture into a metal baking dish or loaf tin, and bake for 45 minutes. Cut into quarters and serve. Goes perfectly with breakfast sausages or bacon on Thanksgiving morning!

Happy Turkey Day!