As you probably guessed, that was Abraham Lincoln’s path to the presidency. Lincoln was likely one of the greatest presidents of all time. Considering what he had done during his presidency (preserving the nation through the civil war and ending slavery), who would have thought that his path to the presidency was full of what many could describe as failure.

Abraham Lincoln’s presidency was not an easy walk in the park, to say the least. He led the country through the worst internal crisis in American history, the Civil War. That was the only time in history that the country was torn apart and we were forced to fight and kill one of our own countrymen to resolve conflicts. It was a sad time, indeed. But as we have seen time and again, there is always the right person at hand in the midst of difficult situation. Through his close supervision, selection of top generals such as Ulysses S. Grant, and uniting leaders into cooperation, victory was accomplished. It brought about the end of slavery and the nation was preserved. Under the hands of a lesser man, the outcome of the Civil War could have turned out differently, and life in the United States could be totally different today.

Looking back at all of his unsuccessful attempts, they seem to serve as a way to prepare his character and mental capacity for difficult situations ahead. In the same way that muscle gets stronger the harder we work it, our character gets stronger the more we face and overcome trials and tribulations. Trials and tribulations are in our life for a purpose. They are there to build our character. They will continue to be there until we learn the necessary traits needed to overcome the challenge. When we finally develop the character traits to overcome them, those same trials and tribulations would seem to go away on their own. We would then be ready for even greater challenges. In Lincoln’s case, it was the challenge of historic proportion. To conclude, the next time we face a difficult situation in our life, one question we could ask ourselves would be “What can I learn from this today?”

Five-Dollar Bill featuring Abraham Lincoln, from Wikipedia. Lincoln was one of the most important figures in our nation’s history and our life. We carry him with us on a $5 bill in our pocket.

My girlfriend is going back to school right now and she will have a week break at the end of March. Work has been hectic these past few months for me and we both could really use the time away. We settled on a road trip rather than flying somewhere to save cost. The selected destination is Grand Canyon National Park. We both have never been there before and we heard from those who had gone backpacking there that it was definitely a memorable experience.

The timing could not have been better. During the end of March is a good time to do a Grand Canyon backpacking trip since the temperature down in the Canyon Valley would be just right, ~ 70°F. It gets too hot for strenuous hikes in the middle of the summer (>100°F). We already have some gears like a good pair of hiking boot and warm clothing in case it gets cold at night. We asked around and were able to borrow a backpacking tent and stove from a friend. The backpack, sleeping bag, and the rest of the items can be rented or purchased at low cost from the outdoor recreation store where my girlfriend works part-time. We spent some time planning our route and filling and faxing the form to reserve the campsites. Things are coming together nicely.

As you may have already guessed from the title above, things did not work out as we had hoped. We got a letter in the mail from the national park services several weeks later that there were no campsites available down in the places where we wanted to hike. We found out that Grand Canyon is extremely popular and people usually reserve up to four months in advance for the campsites. Since it would be the first time backpacking there and we are not experienced hikers by any mean, we did not want to go off the planned route to camp. We also did not want to go later in the summer since it may be too hot to do backpacking. So it was, the trip was cancelled and both of us were kind of sad we could not go.

A few days later, my girlfriend came home all excited. She said that her sister and brother-in-law heard what happened and suggested another option for us. They had been to Arches National Park in Utah and just felt in love with it. In fact, that was where he proposed to her. You guess it, we could not have been happier about this. This whole event just goes to show that second (or third, forth, etc.) option can really come in handy. Definitely, we should plan and pursue the first option that we really want. But it doesn’t hurt to have other plans just in case things don’t go exactly the way we hope for. Sometimes, second option can be a good thing after all.

Picture above: Park Avenue – Arches National Park – Photo from National Park Service Photo http://www.nps.gov/arch/photosmultimedia/index.htm?eid=400940&root_aId=602#e_400940

It was the first time I’ve gone to a dermatologist and I was quite impressed at the professionalism of the doctor and the clinic staff. Let’s think about this for a moment. Imagine we were sick and needed to see a doctor. The usual thing to do is to go to the local clinic, answer all the questions, and fill out all the forms. After waiting the usual 15-30 minutes in the exam room, what if the doctor walking into the room was wearing his pajama. How confident will you be at his skill and ability to treat you? What if this is not just some common cold but something rather serious? Would you judge his ability from the clothes he was wearing?

Although it doesn’t say anything about our ability or knowledge, outward appearance does matter. As much as we hate to admit, we still make the initial judgment from what we see. And first impression really does make a difference. Many times when we look in the mirror, we don’t see ourselves. What I mean is that we don’t really think about how we look. We humans are a creature of habit (I can attest to that) and we tend to go with what’s easy, comfortable, and something that worked in the past. And we wonder why sometimes we feel not so confident in ourselves and why things don’t go as smoothly as we had hoped. We are what we wear indeed.

Below is a scene from a show called “What Not To Wear” from TLC. It’s a makeover show that helps the average everyday person look better through more appropriate clothing and personal styling (haircut, make up, etc.). Not only do people look better, they feel so much more confident, more energetic, and more attractive. We don’t have to spend a fortune like in the show to do this. We can do the same for a lot less.

What it comes down to is the way we see ourselves. For if we see ourselves like the person who is worthy, attractive, and deserving of a better life, we will start to take better care of ourselves. And when we do that, the real us will simply shine through.

But as I learn over the years of living here, weather can get us down IF we let it (notice the capital “IF”). People here continue their daily life with or without the rain. They still go jog in the park, do a bicycle ride on a trail, and other activities. Some minor adjustments are needed, like wearing a rain coat and water-resistant shoes for outside protection or going to the gym for some indoor workout. Exercise can make a big difference in our mood and, believe it or not, our brain functions.

I came across a book called “Brain Rules – 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School” by Dr. John Medina a while back. Dr. John Medina is a developmental molecular biologist and affiliate Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Washington. His book describes, in a simple way, how the brain works. One of the things he found was that exercise can really boost brain power. He mentioned that our body are built for a lot more physical activities than what most of us typically do in a given day. Remember how our ancestors had to farm, hunt, and build shelter, etc. All those activities take physical work and it can do wonders to our mind, body (heart, brain, muscles, etc.), and reduce all kinds of risk to diseases like Alzheimer, Heart disease, etc. Below is a video presentation that John Medina gave at Google if you’re interested to hear more on this (more info also at www.brainrules.net). Note: No benefit or connection with this author.

Despite all these good stuffs we get from exercising, I still managed to not exercise for the past few weeks. Well, it was raining again yesterday and I felt so down that I just had it. I got off from the couch, changed, and went running for ~ 3 miles. It felt so good afterward. Quite rejuvenating, indeed. So if you ever feel down and out from whatever situation in life, try exercising. It may not solve all of our problems, but at least it will help us look better, feel better, and be more ready for whatever may come.

“No man is an island”

from “Meditation XVII,” by the English poet John Donne

As human, we are all interconnected. We are a social creature and we need one another. We are also influenced by our environment. This includes the country, the town, the neighborhood, and most importantly, the space we live in.

Whether we live in a home, an apartment, a condo, or a loft, our living space, believe it or not, our surrounding environment can influence our mind a lot more that we realize. Ever visited someone’s place and wonder how that person could ever live there. You know. A place where there is no room to walk, stuffs spread out everywhere, and not enough lighting. And what’s with the weird smell that seems to suck the life out our every breath? How did you feel being there? Could you live in a place like that? Ever wonder how the owner of the place manages to live there?

The truth is that the place probably did not start out that way. The chaos just slowly builds up overtime. After a long day of work or school, family, and all the extra things we have to do to live a life, who has time and energy to clean and organize? I mean, what harm is it to just let things be for now? We all can probably agree to that. But as we already know, we pay for it later on. Our living environment get worsen overtime and we wonder why we could not think straight or get anything done in our life. It takes constant efforts to keep things in order. But the reward is so worth it. We get to live a more productive life. You probably wonder what the deal with the picture above? It’s my garage. This was taken after a few days of cleaning and organizing it, and there were two of us doing this. I know, it’s not the neatest garage you’ve seen, but it could be worst (notice I didn’t post the “before” picture). So, what do you say? Ready for a clearer and more orderly life? Let’s pull up our sleeves and get started.

For me, the answers were yes, yes, and yes. I had a heated argument this past week with someone I am very close with. I won’t go into detail of what the argument was, who was right, and what was said. All I can tell is that I completely lost it in the heat of the moment. I turned into a completely different person and it wasn’t a nice one. Things were said that should not have been said. The whole event caused quite a stir in my relationship with that person. It also affected my interaction with those unfortunate enough to witness it. The whole thing was a mess, to say the least.

It was only after a few days had passed that I was able to think back on it without getting angry. Time always helps. Despite what the other person did and said that were unjustly and wrong, I had no excuse in losing it. If only I could take back what was said. If only there was a time machine. If only I was a better person. If only…

From reading the biography of Benjamin Franklin, I learned that he often wrote an angry letter to someone who had wronged him but never sent it. The process of venting it out on paper was more than enough to free him from anger. Someone once said that even though a person had pushed our buttons, they were still “our” buttons. We do have control over them. We can choose how to respond.

As long as there are people, there will always be someone who will rub us the wrong way. There will always be someone who will push our buttons, whether accidentally or intentionally. And as long as we cannot change other people (Oh how I tried…), the only thing we can do is to change ourselves. We can gain control back by choosing not to respond to the stimulus. We can “un-push” the buttons. I know, I know… it’s easier said than done. Oh how I’ve tried and fail again on this. But the only way to succeed is to try. So the next time someone pushes my buttons, I will try to remember to “un-push” it and just walk away.

To start this blog back up again, I needed materials to work with. I went to a used book store (notice the word “used”, what a cheap *&@%!). The books there are priced at about half the regular price. Most items are hardly read at all and are in excellent condition. They even have brand new older books for sale there. I browsed around and found some books on inspirational quotes and stories. There is also a clearance section in the back where items are marked down, and I mean way down. After perusing through the many titles on the shelf, my eyes caught this one item. It was a biography on Benjamin Franklin by Edmund S. Morgan, a Professor of History at Yale University. I have heard over and over again about Ben Franklin in the past and have always wanted to read both a biography and also some of his famous writings. This book was on the New York Times Bests Seller list and was on sale for $1.00!

So there I was, gloating all the way home. To me, it felt like I had just won an Olympic gold medal! It’s amazing how silly little things in life can make us so happy. In our society, we are conditioned to associate happiness with big events in life, like meeting the love of your life, getting a dream job, or traveling around the world. Many times, we fail to see that happiness doesn’t have to be just on special occasions. It can be found anywhere and anytime, as long as we look for it. Even in the midst of the direst situations, there is always something to gain, even though we may not realize it at the time. Imagine what it would be like if we were to be happy, very happy, and quite often, almost all the time. Got a used book store nearby?

With food prices today, I tend to eat out less and cook more. Cooking to me is to do whatever the fastest that I can with minimal efforts. Usually, it involves a lot of frozen food and pre-made meals. I do make something (real cooking) off and on to spice things up a bit. Recently, I began to notice the constant dullness of the one and only meat cutting knife that I have for a long time. Cutting meat would take twice as long and lots of extra effort. It didn’t bother me the first few times. But after a while, I had to do something, for it began to really stand between a hungry man and his food.

So I went to the store and thought about getting a new one. But getting a new one turned out to be more expensive than I thought. Then I saw on the bottom shelf a sharpening rock that cost $2. I thought to myself, for $2, I’ll try it. To my surprise, the rock worked like a charm. The rock was strong and it refined the sharp edges of the metal knife. A thought went through my head. There is always something better. Although a stainless steel knife was real strong, there is a stronger material like that rock. And for everything that we do, there is always a better way. There are always things we can do to improve. If my knife didn’t get dull, I would never have thought of the sharpening rock. Now my knife is even sharper than ever before. We don’t have to wait until something doesn’t work in our life before we find something better. We can do it now. Even if things are going well, wouldn’t it be great to rise to the next level?

Anyone likes to travel? Did you know that it was once believed that the world is flat? People would dare not to go beyond the known boundary in fear that they would “fall off the earth.”

These beliefs may seem ridiculous now. But they were not so at the time. One intriguing thing about these stories is how beliefs can change. The things we thought to be true at the time can turn out to be completely fault. Our beliefs system has a lot to do with the world we grow up with. If our parents, our families, our friends, everyone we know, and the world around us agree on one fact, it must be true right? It is so most of the times, but not always. We do have a choice. We can form our own belief. And when we do, our actions will also follow. So if our old beliefs are holding us back, why not try a new one for a change? Who knows, biting on that tomatoes might not be so bad after all.