Friday, 9 July 2010
Thursday, 8 July 2010
The other weekend, I ran into a woman who worked for the Illinois State Police in the human resources department. She told me that she had gotten her doctorate in psychology and since I have some interest in it, albeit from a more spiritual bent, we had a nice talk about Jungian archetypes, personality types, self-understanding and self-knowledge. One thing we agreed upon, since we're both in public service, is that the the bureaucracy is broken and that how we deal with it is dependent upon understanding who we are dealing with. In addition, we both were in agreement that you can't ever change anyone; instead, you have to change your response to that person. We both laughed because we finished each others' sentence. And that we both talked about how we seemed to know ourselves pretty well.
I thought I'd take the time to post a thread about the topic of self-knowledge. In my younger days, I use to think that psychology was too theoretical, cold and clinical. And a lot this self-help pop psychology was pure crap. I suspect that some of it really is crap but that there are some things that really are useful and helpful. But I think it's actually rather helpful in the work place, which I'll get to a little later. The best part is getting to know yourself---honestly. So what does that actually mean? It means knowing how and why you react the way you do to certain circumstances. You can lie to others but you cannot lie to yourself.
A good place to start is http://www.personalitypage.com/html/info.html. It has a nice Jungian view of personality archetypes and the Myer-Briggs types. They describe 16 personality types: http://www.personalitypage.com/html/portraits.html
Carl Jung
But keep in mind that the personality types described are not set in stone. There is no cookie cutter mold. Rather, these are general tendencies that people have and they can also have traits from other personality types. Most people think of personality types in terms of introvert and extrovert but there's much more going on inside people. It's actually kind of fun to look at the list of personalities and find the one that best describes you. Of course, it's equally as interesting to take a personality exam. When I did this some years ago, I was actually surprised by how accurately the personality type described me.
It's good to know your personality type because you can therefore confront the weaknesses you might be afraid to address. It forces you to examine yourself in a different light. At the very least, you have an awareness about the things you might want to improve upon as an individual. And this is important in the workplace because you can anticipate and prepare for being placed in a work situation or project which will exacerbate your weaker qualities.
You might work on a group assignment in the office where some people are naturally the take charge types. And that might rub you the wrong way if you're a more creative, intuitive type and you have some people telling you what to do---and you think it's all wrong. But assessing your co-workers personality type, you can sort of figure out where the conflicts will be and how best to avoid them. Remember: you can't control or change someone but you can change the way you react to them. If you know a certain co-worker will not understand a certain viewpoint because it clashes with how they view and process the world, change the way the viewpoint is presented so that it's something that fits in with how they do see the world. This is especially good to know if your personality types will fundamentally clash, if they're polar opposites. The point here is to avoid conflicts and confrontations.
I once had a supervisor who was quite possibly the worst I've ever had. He was spiteful, he gossiped about and bad mouthed the staff behind their backs, he couldn't give you guidance and was impatient all the time. He made life hell for me and my co-workers. He was someone you could never quite please. Had I known more about personality types back then, I'd have certainly defused situations by having more than one draft assignment to turn in. I would've anticipated that he might not like the product so I would have had several other products to turn in if he didn't like the original one. Furthermore, I'd have accepted that the problem isn't me, wasn't me, but that it's him. If I'd had pegged his personality type, I would have been better equipped to engage him on a much different approach to problem solving that would have lessened the impatience, the quick judgments, and him being dismissive of my work. Still, it wouldn't have made working for the guy any less of a hell, but you take your workplace victories where you can.
I thought I'd take the time to post a thread about the topic of self-knowledge. In my younger days, I use to think that psychology was too theoretical, cold and clinical. And a lot this self-help pop psychology was pure crap. I suspect that some of it really is crap but that there are some things that really are useful and helpful. But I think it's actually rather helpful in the work place, which I'll get to a little later. The best part is getting to know yourself---honestly. So what does that actually mean? It means knowing how and why you react the way you do to certain circumstances. You can lie to others but you cannot lie to yourself.
A good place to start is http://www.personalitypage.com/html/info.html. It has a nice Jungian view of personality archetypes and the Myer-Briggs types. They describe 16 personality types: http://www.personalitypage.com/html/portraits.html
Carl Jung
But keep in mind that the personality types described are not set in stone. There is no cookie cutter mold. Rather, these are general tendencies that people have and they can also have traits from other personality types. Most people think of personality types in terms of introvert and extrovert but there's much more going on inside people. It's actually kind of fun to look at the list of personalities and find the one that best describes you. Of course, it's equally as interesting to take a personality exam. When I did this some years ago, I was actually surprised by how accurately the personality type described me.
It's good to know your personality type because you can therefore confront the weaknesses you might be afraid to address. It forces you to examine yourself in a different light. At the very least, you have an awareness about the things you might want to improve upon as an individual. And this is important in the workplace because you can anticipate and prepare for being placed in a work situation or project which will exacerbate your weaker qualities.
You might work on a group assignment in the office where some people are naturally the take charge types. And that might rub you the wrong way if you're a more creative, intuitive type and you have some people telling you what to do---and you think it's all wrong. But assessing your co-workers personality type, you can sort of figure out where the conflicts will be and how best to avoid them. Remember: you can't control or change someone but you can change the way you react to them. If you know a certain co-worker will not understand a certain viewpoint because it clashes with how they view and process the world, change the way the viewpoint is presented so that it's something that fits in with how they do see the world. This is especially good to know if your personality types will fundamentally clash, if they're polar opposites. The point here is to avoid conflicts and confrontations.
I once had a supervisor who was quite possibly the worst I've ever had. He was spiteful, he gossiped about and bad mouthed the staff behind their backs, he couldn't give you guidance and was impatient all the time. He made life hell for me and my co-workers. He was someone you could never quite please. Had I known more about personality types back then, I'd have certainly defused situations by having more than one draft assignment to turn in. I would've anticipated that he might not like the product so I would have had several other products to turn in if he didn't like the original one. Furthermore, I'd have accepted that the problem isn't me, wasn't me, but that it's him. If I'd had pegged his personality type, I would have been better equipped to engage him on a much different approach to problem solving that would have lessened the impatience, the quick judgments, and him being dismissive of my work. Still, it wouldn't have made working for the guy any less of a hell, but you take your workplace victories where you can.
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Saturday, 3 July 2010
So I was watching Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle the other night. There's an elevator scene where Harold has approach anxiety. Harold can't think of a thing to say to this beautiful Latina girl in the elevator. In fact he doesn't say anything at all.
Many people, regardless of race, will have approach anxiety when they are put on the spot. Women have a hard time empathizing with this, because socially they're not required to make the initial contact. Sure they send the signals, but sending a flirtatious body language cue is much easier than approaching an attractive stranger and gaining their interest.
I know 2 guys with 2 very different approaches to women. I've written about guy #1 before. We'll call him Mr. Bohemian, since he lives that type of lifestyle. He is the most unassuming man you will meet, but he is a friendly and passionate person. He likes what he likes and he doesn't care what people think about what he likes.
One thing that he likes a lot of is women. Just by looking at him, you wouldn't think that he was some suave debonair Casanova. He's an average Asian guy, if there is such a thing. And yet he routinely dates and lives with attractive women ten years younger than him. I don't think he's been without a woman or two (or three) for longer than a few months. In fact, at one point, he was practically begging his last girlfriend to move out of his apartment and hit the road.
His latest girlfriend is a young attractive 20 something. I remember meeting her for the first time at the coffee shop she worked at. I could tell by the rolling of her eyes that she was annoyed with Mr. Bohemian when he flirted with her. But he just kept at it. He kept going to that coffee shop, drinking that crap watered down coffee day in and day out.
Then one day he and coffee girl showed up together at a department function, and we were all astounded that coffee girl relented and was now head over heels for him. Now they live together in his cramped studio apartment, and he's complaining that she's too clingy and calling him too much.
The other guy I'll call Mr. Musket. Mr. Musket didn't date until he was in his 30's. You would think with all the smack that he talks up with the guys that he dated around. But then I noticed he would freeze up whenever there was an attractive woman around. He had classic approach anxiety. He was a good guy overall, but Mr. Musket just didn't know how to talk to women. Didn't matter how much prompting by the other guys he got, he would just freeze up like a deer in the headlights.
Eventually though, Mr. Musket did find somebody and is now happily married. Bottom line is he ended up happy and that's what counts. So what if you're a virgin until your 40. Maybe it just takes you a little longer you to mature and find the right person.
A lot of Asian guys are down on themselves, because they feel like their Asian-ness is somehow holding them back in the dating scene. Or they feel like nice guys finish last, so they start acting with a false sense of bravado.
But I can tell you that both of these guys are 1) Asian and 2) extremely nice guys. The only difference is one tries repeatedly and the other didn't try much at all. The only cure for approach anxiety is to try, and if you fail, then keep failing forward.
Many people, regardless of race, will have approach anxiety when they are put on the spot. Women have a hard time empathizing with this, because socially they're not required to make the initial contact. Sure they send the signals, but sending a flirtatious body language cue is much easier than approaching an attractive stranger and gaining their interest.
I know 2 guys with 2 very different approaches to women. I've written about guy #1 before. We'll call him Mr. Bohemian, since he lives that type of lifestyle. He is the most unassuming man you will meet, but he is a friendly and passionate person. He likes what he likes and he doesn't care what people think about what he likes.
One thing that he likes a lot of is women. Just by looking at him, you wouldn't think that he was some suave debonair Casanova. He's an average Asian guy, if there is such a thing. And yet he routinely dates and lives with attractive women ten years younger than him. I don't think he's been without a woman or two (or three) for longer than a few months. In fact, at one point, he was practically begging his last girlfriend to move out of his apartment and hit the road.
His latest girlfriend is a young attractive 20 something. I remember meeting her for the first time at the coffee shop she worked at. I could tell by the rolling of her eyes that she was annoyed with Mr. Bohemian when he flirted with her. But he just kept at it. He kept going to that coffee shop, drinking that crap watered down coffee day in and day out.
Then one day he and coffee girl showed up together at a department function, and we were all astounded that coffee girl relented and was now head over heels for him. Now they live together in his cramped studio apartment, and he's complaining that she's too clingy and calling him too much.
The other guy I'll call Mr. Musket. Mr. Musket didn't date until he was in his 30's. You would think with all the smack that he talks up with the guys that he dated around. But then I noticed he would freeze up whenever there was an attractive woman around. He had classic approach anxiety. He was a good guy overall, but Mr. Musket just didn't know how to talk to women. Didn't matter how much prompting by the other guys he got, he would just freeze up like a deer in the headlights.
Eventually though, Mr. Musket did find somebody and is now happily married. Bottom line is he ended up happy and that's what counts. So what if you're a virgin until your 40. Maybe it just takes you a little longer you to mature and find the right person.
A lot of Asian guys are down on themselves, because they feel like their Asian-ness is somehow holding them back in the dating scene. Or they feel like nice guys finish last, so they start acting with a false sense of bravado.
But I can tell you that both of these guys are 1) Asian and 2) extremely nice guys. The only difference is one tries repeatedly and the other didn't try much at all. The only cure for approach anxiety is to try, and if you fail, then keep failing forward.
Friday, 2 July 2010
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Monday, 28 June 2010
Before the Asian American blogosphere, there were Asian American discussion boards. You had Model Minority, Yellow World and the Fighting 44's. These sites were extremely popular for a time, because they provided platforms in which Asians all over the Anglosphere could connect, discuss and vent on everything from the personal to the political.
Eventually blogs came into prominence, and the Angry Asian Man became the first to aggregate news stories of interest to Asian Americans. Now we have tons of AA blogs, everything from Channel APA to the Minority Militant to Slant Eye for the Round Eye to Big WoWo.
The rise of AA blogs brought about the demise of AA forums, because blogs address a need for self-expression. Although forums do allow for individual expression, what usually happens is that a core group of posters dominate the threads. Cliques form and what was once a very open forum now becomes a private cyber hangout for disaffected intellectuals who snipe at those they disagree with. It's almost as if forums have a built-in mechanism to limit their growth so that they don't get too big.
Blogs appeal to the narcissist in all of us. For some, the blog is more about the blogger than the audience. But there are so many AA blogs out there, that you have to focus on a niche. You have to meet a need other than your need for attention and external validation.
I think what AA blogs do well is to expose their readers to AA artists and AA news. Much of the AA community doesn't support AA artists and films, because the community isn't exposed to these artists and films in the first place.
But what I think AA blogs should also start doing is to give its readers a sense of direction. If you're running an AA blog and all you're doing is commenting on the same videos and stories that every other AA blog is commenting on, then what's the point?
Don't get me wrong. If you have a personal blog, then treat it as your online diary. If you have a business blog, then treat it as a business tool. But if you identify your blog as an Asian American blog, then you should probably identify your target audience within the AA community, because as of now the AA blogosphere is getting pretty crowded. If you're looking to burst on to the AA blogosphere and yell, "TA-DA!" then you've got to distinguish yourself:
1) Write something interesting or do something interesting to write about. Your readers are either looking for information or for entertainment. But sometimes they can get caught up in the story of your personal life, IF you have an interesting personal life. Your entire life doesn't have to be on display for all to read, but providing snippets of who you are and where you're from makes your blog posts far more personal. People place more value on information when they know who's providing the information.
2) A blogger has to have an opinion. If you're a blogger, then you better damn well have an opinion. Otherwise there is no reason to read your ramblings. What's the point of being a blogger if you don't say what's on your mind? Most AA bloggers are just bland: they don't comment on controversial issues, and when they do, they give the most tepid lukewarm opinions. Then to top it off, they ask the readers, "What do you think?"
I already know what I think. I'm reading your blog to find out what YOU think.
If you are a blogger, then people expect you to have a strong opinion on things. This is what distinguishes you from a journalist, who has to remain objective. You may be afraid of what readers may say if you truly expressed your opinion, but as long as you are honest, then who cares what other people think. Screw political correctness. Screw dogma and pseudo-intellectual rhetoric. Grow some balls and say what's on your mind. This leads me to the next point:
3) If you call yourself an Asian American blogger, then you should advocate for the Asian American community. You don't have to tackle every AA issue, because then you'll just develop compassion fatigue. But if you take on the mantle of "Asian American," then you should advocate for the Asian American communities, especially when a current event sheds light on a racial injustice. It puts a bad light on your Asian American blog if the mainstream news media is covering an Asian American issue and you're silent.
4) A balance of levity and purpose. There are plenty of blogs which aggregate viral videos and articles on how insane the Japanese are, but those blogs are a dime a dozen. Everybody has access to the same LOL/WTF videos, so what's the point other than a good laugh? What distinguishes your blog from Buzzfeed, for God's sake?
You have to have a balance in the tone of your blog: the frivolity of cute cat videos with the seriousness of "60 Minutes."
Sunday, 27 June 2010
Saturday, 26 June 2010
Thursday, 24 June 2010
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
Here's an interesting podcast from NPR on the rise of Asian Americans in the military: "More Asian-Americans Signing Up For The Army" by Lonny Shavelson
In the U.S. Army, Asian-Americans have typically volunteered at the lowest rate of any ethnic group. They make up 4 percent of the population, and only 1 percent of military recruits.
But that seems to be changing. Something is suddenly drawing Asian-Americans in California into the Army at a remarkable rate. And there have been similar increases in other Asian-American population centers, like Seattle and New York.
In Los Angeles County last year, 22 percent of Army recruits were Asian-Americans — almost twice their proportion in the population. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the sign-up rate is also spiking. The proportion of newly enlisted soldiers who are Asian-Americans this year is nearly double that of last year.
Army Pays For College
Army officers at the Bay Area's Richmond Hilltop Mall recruiting station teach incoming soldiers to march. The recruits, still in high school, will start basic training after they graduate.
Of 15 incoming soldiers at the recruitment station, seven are Asian Pacific Islanders, including Albert and Barry Huang. They're 18-year-old twins who speak Cantonese at home and English outside of home. They tend to finish each other's sentences.
"It affected me. When I decided to join the military, I was like, 'I'm not going to kill anybody; I do not want to kill anybody. I do not want to have a person's death on my conscience.'" - Barry Huang
"My parents always pushed the idea of, 'Go to college, go to college,' " Albert says. "And so this is a start of how we're going to ..."
"Do what our parents want us to do," says Barry. "Which is go to college, get an education."
Barry calls the marching orders for the recruits. This is his route to college.
"Now that the economy has gone down and the tuition's gone up — the Army, they can pay for my college, so I was like, might as well do it," Barry says.
The military's education benefits have become particularly appealing in this stumbling economy with skyrocketing college costs. That's one reason Asian-Americans, with their traditional emphasis on education, are increasingly joining the Army.
But Ken Mochizuki, who co-authored a book about Asians in the military, says new Asian-American recruits are motivated by more than education.
"In the present war, they're not fighting against Asians like in WWII or Vietnam," he says.
Mochizuki says today's young soldiers were born after World War II, Korea and Vietnam — all wars in which the U.S. fought Asians. So this generation of Asian-Americans "want to prove their loyalty to this country and [that] they're as American as anybody else," he says.
Asians In Noncombat Jobs
Yet increased recruitment of Asian-Americans doesn't mean that more are on the front lines.
The majority are in combat service support, technical support or computer support, according to Betty Maxfield, the chief of personnel data for the Army.
She says Asian-Americans more commonly go into noncombat jobs rather than become front-line fighters. Soldiers who focus on the military's education benefits, she says, train in jobs that can translate to civilian life — like technology or medicine rather than rifles or sharpshooting.
The Huang twins say that for them, finding noncombat roles is also cultural and religious. Their mother is Buddhist.
"It affected me. When I decided to join the military, I was like, 'I'm not going to kill anybody; I do not want to kill anybody. I do not want to have a person's death on my conscience,' " Barry Huang says.
Asian-Americans — like four-star Gen. Eric Shinseki, the secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs; and Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, who led the investigation into abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq — have also become more visible in the Army. The most potent reason that young Asian-Americans are increasingly joining the Army may just be because they now see prominent soldiers who look like them.
Sunday, 20 June 2010
Pastor Tony Kim is auditioning for a new Morgan Spurlock documentary, COMIC-CON® EPISODE FOUR: A FAN'S HOPE. Director Spurlock will be following and showcasing the lives of several self-professed nerds and their experiences at Comic-Con. You can find more info at Spurlock's website and let him know we want Tony Kim featured in the movie. Nerds rule!
Saturday, 19 June 2010
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
Saturday, 12 June 2010
Saturday, 5 June 2010
Since I keep getting inquiries on my previous article Strength and Bodybuilding for the Asian Lifter, I thought I'd write up a follow-up:I’m a bit of a bodybuilding purist. I normally don’t write my exercise articles from the angle of “develop the muscles that drive her wild in bed!” Men’s Fitness, however, interviewed me one time for an article titled Sculpting Her Five Favorite Body Parts. The interviewer picked my brain on how to develop muscles so that a woman, as she put it, “couldn't keep her hands off you.”
When it comes down to it, Asian men want the same thing everybody else wants when they exercise: to look good naked! Women don’t give a crap how much you bench, but they will notice the tone in your arms when you’re wearing a T-shirt.
A lot of Asian guys feel that their Asian genes are somehow holding them back when it comes to gaining muscle. But guess what? Whether or not it is true that Asian men have a harder time gaining muscle, most women don’t care for the big beefy types anyway. They prefer a trim well-chiseled physique.
In my experience and from what I have seen in others, most women don't care that much about your body. Most women value other traits in men aside from physique: how safe and comfortable you make them, confidence, humor, how you dress, etc.
I do find, however, that 2 out of 10 women will also be highly attracted to the athletic look, so much so that they would casually or in an obvious manner touch your arm.
Don't underestimate the power of a powerful looking physique. Most women are not attracted to the buffed out strong man, but they definitely notice the V-taper (wide shoulders, muscular arms, trim waist).
Asian guys who aren’t into the weightlifting scene, however, go about exercising the wrong way to achieve their ideal body. Oftentimes they engage in a physical activity, hoping that they’ll sport ripped abs and muscular arms as a side effect of that activity. This is why you will often see Asians jogging.
Jogging, however, doesn’t do jack shit for your physique. You will not chisel a rock hard body from jogging alone. A hard physique is developed from hard work, namely weightlifting. Jogging is, by definition, half-ass work. If you put in half-ass effort, then you will get a soft physique as a result.
Some exercise is better than no exercise, but if you want a specific result, then you need to have a specific physique goal in mind and the appropriate method to achieve that goal. If you think you can play a sport and that this sport alone will get you the hard body you find on TV and the magazines, then you will be sorely (no pun intended) disappointed.
Even when a sport or a physical activity does transform your physique, the look you obtain is indicative of the physical demands of that sport or activity. The sport does not give a rat’s ass how your muscles end up looking.
In other words, you can tell what sport or physical activity a person practices just by looking at the development of his muscles. Runners have great calves, wrestlers have enormous trapezius muscles and male bicyclists are just plain skinny. Hell, if you just look at the different positions in football, you can see clear differences in the physiques amongst all the players.
This is why recreational bodybuilding is the ideal activity to transform your look, because it’s sole purpose is aesthetic. This doesn’t mean you can’t engage in other physical activities, like kickboxing or yoga. If you’re looking to have a beach body however, then bodybuilding should be your main activity and all other forms of physical activity should be complementary.
Some Common Mistakes and Issues
Having dealt with a lot of Asian men looking to gain muscle, I’ve noticed the following are some common issues:
1) Too much emphasis on cardio- As I mentioned before, jogging is a horrible way to attain the lean hard body. I see lots of skinny Asian guys jogging in the park, and I just want to clothesline them as they run by and yell, “Cut the cardio and hit the weights dude!”
Most people think, “I don’t want to bulk up, but I want to have muscle definition and tone. I want to look lean. That’s why I do cardio.”
Don’t get me wrong: cardio has its place. If you need to lose weight and don’t care what type of weight you lose, then by all means jog. But for young skinny Asian guys, cardio is not needed. If anything, it is counterproductive to gaining muscle. Steady state cardio, whether it’s jogging or elliptical machines, is going to raise your cortisol levels and diminish your testosterone levels. High cortisol and low T will make you lose muscle tone.
If you’re a skinny Asian guy, then you actually have an advantage over other guys. You can build a lean hard physique quite easily if you train with heavy weights and cut the cardio. If you’re a skinny Asian guy and want to get big AND muscular, then that is going to be harder because you have to do a lot of heavy eating and heavy training. But building a lean toned body that women notice is actually easy for skinny Asian guys if they simply trained appropriately.
2) Too much emphasis on machines- Free weights beats machines for developing size and strength, period. Machines stabilize the weight for you, so you end up using less muscle to push or pull the weight. Free weights, however, force you to perfect your form and stabilize your body while pushing or pulling the weight. This greater engagement of your muscles means greater activation and greater growth.
Most people choose machines, because they choose the easy way out in everything. But if you want an uncommon physique, then don’t take the easy way out. Quit the machines and do free weights: barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells and bodyweight.
3) Posture and Height- For those of us who are smaller in stature, we have to be very careful as to what we exercises do. Most newbies tend to overemphasize the importance of the bench press and the pectoral muscles in their training programs. They put the bench press first in their workouts. They focus on getting stronger on this particular lift, because everybody asks, “How much you bench?” as if the bench press is an accurate indicator of real world strength.
In reality, if you’re an Asian guy of smaller stature looking simply to improve your overall appearance, then you really don’t need to do the bench press. Doing the bench press and overemphasizing the development of the chest leads to poor posture, especially when the lifter doesn’t do an equal number of overhead presses and back exercises.
I have seen lots of short Asian guys with great pec and trap development, but they walk around looking down at the floor because of poor posture. The caveman look is not appealing to anyone, let alone women. Poor posture also takes inches away from your height, because your shoulders are rounded and your head is leaning forward. Height is a far better attraction switch than muscle.
When an actor gets ready for a role where he plays an action hero or superhero, the studio hires a trainer to assess his physique. Regardless of the starting physique or start point, it is the end result, the physique demanded by the role that counts. For such roles, the actor must have a tall muscular look that is also wide in the shoulders. Thus the training usually involves a lot of overhead pressing, not bench pressing. Overhead presses (whether military presses or kettlebell presses) develop the deltoid muscles that add to shoulder width. Done correctly, overhead presses fix bad posture and will bring your shoulders back into alignment. Overhead presses also develop the lateral head of the triceps, the part of your upper arm that displays muscle tone when you’re wearing a T-shirt.
If you look at Jake Gyllenhaal, you can see he developed tremendous shoulder and triceps development for “Prince of Persia.”
4) The Butt- Yes, a lot of Asian guys are concerned with putting more junk in the trunk, because we tend to have flat butts. Shoulder width and the butt are the 2 most common places women look at when they’re sizing up a guy’s body sexually.
If you need more glute development, then a great way to develop your glutes is to do 20-rep breathing squats. As long as you squat all the way down, then you will develop the glutes. If you cheat and do half squats or stop when your thighs are parallel to the ground, then you will not stress the glutes at all.
20-rep breathing squats should only be done once a week, since it’s very traumatic to the nervous system. They will, however, help the skinny Asian lifter kill 2 birds with one stone. Not only do 20-rep squats develop the glutes, they also stimulate muscle growth all over the body. A sure sign you’ve done 20-rep squats right is when you are extremely hungry later in the day. This is your body telling you that it needs amino acids and carbohydrates to build muscle and replenish its glycogen stores.
Putting it altogether…
Here’s a rather simple abbreviated program that addresses the need for lean muscle mass without compromising one’s posture:
1. Pull-ups (perform 20 reps in however many sets you need to do)
2. Wide grip barbell upright row (4 sets of 15-12-10-10 reps)
3. Standing barbell military press (4 sets of 10-8-6-6 reps)
or Kettlebell clean and press (4 sets of as many reps as possible)
4. 20-rep breathing squats (1-2 sets)
or Lunges (4 sets of 15-12-10-10 reps)
Friday, 4 June 2010
Friday, 28 May 2010
Sunday, 23 May 2010
Sometimes people ask me, "How do you find the time to do all the things that you do?"
I have a job that's a little more demanding and stressful than the usual 9 to 5. My wife and I have a daughter who's quite a handful at the moment. In my spare time, I run 2 blogs, write for various bodybuilding magazines and author strength training books you can buy on Amazon. And yet I still find time to exercise.
Here are some of my guiding principles as far as time management:
Kill 2 birds with one stone- When you choose activities or interests to engage in, sometimes you want to choose ones that serve multiple purposes. For example, everybody needs to exercise or be physically active. Now if you're single or just very social, then physical activity is also a great way to meet people. The gym, yoga class, team sports, hiking groups, martial arts, etc. Whatever floats your boat. So even if you don't meet anybody interesting, then at least you got a good workout.
Tennis anyone?
BTW, off-topic, this is a much more natural way to meet people. When you go on a date or go to a club or bar, everybody's focus is on socializing or pick-up. That puts a lot of anxiety on people, so women will have their guard up and men will feel more pressure to be socially engaging.
But if an activity or common interest is the focus, then people tend to let their guard down and they have something else to talk about other than, "What's your sign?"
Argh! The negs aren't working!
Do an 80/20 audit- 80/20 is the idea that 20% of what you do or have produces 80% of your results. Conversely 80% of what you do or have is wasting your time or holding you back. So every once in awhile, you have to do an 80/20 audit. In other words, look at how you're spending your time and determine what's counterproductive.
For example, I try not get too involved with forum discussions or commenting on blog posts for other sites. Don't get me wrong, I like reading interesting threads. But I know if I throw my 2 cents into a heated debate, then there's always a possibilty that some smart-ass with a lot of time on his hands will post an argumentative response just for the sake of arguing and sounding smart and smug. Next thing you know, I've got to respond, furiously typing some well-thought out but emotionally charged comment. Of course this just leads to a downhill spiral.
A hundred comments later, and what's been accomplished? Entertaining stuff for people reading? Sure. But I just wasted a lot of time and emotional energy on some nerd with a chip on his shoulder.
So I decided quite some time ago not to engage in heated Internet discussions unless some moron needs a severe beatdown. I found that eliminating this activity allowed me to devote more time and energy to my more productive and positive Internet activities, like running this blog.
Automate, habituate, delegate- To save time, your operations have to be more time efficient. They have to run smoothly. If you have a routine, whether it's automated or not, then you tend to save time. You have to invest a lot of time in the beginning, however, to set up routines and automation.
For example, every morning I have my coffee and check my feeds for blogs and sites that I follow. I scan through the material and if some article or video catches my eye, I'll check it out. If I find it interesting or entertaining, then I'll post it here on the blog or on the Facebook Fan Page.
So as you can see, this process is both automated (feed reader) and habitual (part of my early morning routine). It doesn't take too long to do all this, because I've streamlined this process over the years.
Now you also want to delegate duties and responsibilities when you can. Sometimes there are menial tasks that can be outsourced or areas where you don't have expertise. In this case it's better to delegate to qualified people who have your back. Compensate and reward appropriately, of course.
Let the fields lie fallow, but not for too long- The most creative people tend to be people who know when to work and when to play. If you play all the time, then obviously you're a loser. But if you work all the time, then you really aren't working and producing optimally. Who cares if you work 12 hour days, 6 days a week if you produce shitty work? If I can produce the same amount of quality work at half the time, then isn't that more effective?
The longer you work, the less creative you will be. Your brain can only be engaged in one project for so long. This is why when people call meetings to brainstorm, nothing good comes out of it. People come up with the same tired answers to problems. You cannot force creativity. You can coax it out and run with it, but you cannot force it.
People need time to decompress and relax. They need to goof off every once in awhile. Once the tension and pressure to be creative is released, guess what? An idea pops in your head. The solution to your problem becomes clear.
If your creativity or efficiency is grinding to a halt, then stop what you're doing and walk away. Sometimes you have to be unproductive to be productive. Just don't do it for too long.
I have a job that's a little more demanding and stressful than the usual 9 to 5. My wife and I have a daughter who's quite a handful at the moment. In my spare time, I run 2 blogs, write for various bodybuilding magazines and author strength training books you can buy on Amazon. And yet I still find time to exercise.
Here are some of my guiding principles as far as time management:
Kill 2 birds with one stone- When you choose activities or interests to engage in, sometimes you want to choose ones that serve multiple purposes. For example, everybody needs to exercise or be physically active. Now if you're single or just very social, then physical activity is also a great way to meet people. The gym, yoga class, team sports, hiking groups, martial arts, etc. Whatever floats your boat. So even if you don't meet anybody interesting, then at least you got a good workout.
BTW, off-topic, this is a much more natural way to meet people. When you go on a date or go to a club or bar, everybody's focus is on socializing or pick-up. That puts a lot of anxiety on people, so women will have their guard up and men will feel more pressure to be socially engaging.
But if an activity or common interest is the focus, then people tend to let their guard down and they have something else to talk about other than, "What's your sign?"
Do an 80/20 audit- 80/20 is the idea that 20% of what you do or have produces 80% of your results. Conversely 80% of what you do or have is wasting your time or holding you back. So every once in awhile, you have to do an 80/20 audit. In other words, look at how you're spending your time and determine what's counterproductive.
For example, I try not get too involved with forum discussions or commenting on blog posts for other sites. Don't get me wrong, I like reading interesting threads. But I know if I throw my 2 cents into a heated debate, then there's always a possibilty that some smart-ass with a lot of time on his hands will post an argumentative response just for the sake of arguing and sounding smart and smug. Next thing you know, I've got to respond, furiously typing some well-thought out but emotionally charged comment. Of course this just leads to a downhill spiral.
A hundred comments later, and what's been accomplished? Entertaining stuff for people reading? Sure. But I just wasted a lot of time and emotional energy on some nerd with a chip on his shoulder.
So I decided quite some time ago not to engage in heated Internet discussions unless some moron needs a severe beatdown. I found that eliminating this activity allowed me to devote more time and energy to my more productive and positive Internet activities, like running this blog.
Automate, habituate, delegate- To save time, your operations have to be more time efficient. They have to run smoothly. If you have a routine, whether it's automated or not, then you tend to save time. You have to invest a lot of time in the beginning, however, to set up routines and automation.
For example, every morning I have my coffee and check my feeds for blogs and sites that I follow. I scan through the material and if some article or video catches my eye, I'll check it out. If I find it interesting or entertaining, then I'll post it here on the blog or on the Facebook Fan Page.
So as you can see, this process is both automated (feed reader) and habitual (part of my early morning routine). It doesn't take too long to do all this, because I've streamlined this process over the years.
Now you also want to delegate duties and responsibilities when you can. Sometimes there are menial tasks that can be outsourced or areas where you don't have expertise. In this case it's better to delegate to qualified people who have your back. Compensate and reward appropriately, of course.
Let the fields lie fallow, but not for too long- The most creative people tend to be people who know when to work and when to play. If you play all the time, then obviously you're a loser. But if you work all the time, then you really aren't working and producing optimally. Who cares if you work 12 hour days, 6 days a week if you produce shitty work? If I can produce the same amount of quality work at half the time, then isn't that more effective?
The longer you work, the less creative you will be. Your brain can only be engaged in one project for so long. This is why when people call meetings to brainstorm, nothing good comes out of it. People come up with the same tired answers to problems. You cannot force creativity. You can coax it out and run with it, but you cannot force it.
People need time to decompress and relax. They need to goof off every once in awhile. Once the tension and pressure to be creative is released, guess what? An idea pops in your head. The solution to your problem becomes clear.
If your creativity or efficiency is grinding to a halt, then stop what you're doing and walk away. Sometimes you have to be unproductive to be productive. Just don't do it for too long.
Friday, 21 May 2010
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Machiavelli once wrote, “It is far safer to be feared than loved if you cannot be both.”
I disagree. If you have to choose, then it's better to be loved than to be feared. Provided, however, that there is a foundation of respect.
If people fear you, then people will do things for you not because they want to, but because they have to. But people do not like living in fear. Fear can easily mutate into resentment, and resentment can easily mutate into anger.
If people love and respect you, however, then they will do things for you because they want to. They will look after you and watch your back, whether or not you ask them to, whether or not you are there.
People who choose to be feared value power. But power has a very negative connotation, especially when power is applied to people. The connotation is that power means control, and people resent being controlled.
It is much better to exert influence over people. Power over people is a combination of fear and respect, but social influence is a combination of love and respect. Those who have power must constantly exert it in order to keep it. Those who have social influence, however, don't have to exert much effort to maintain it.
When you cannot be both, it is better to be loved than to be feared. Influence lasts far longer than power.
Monday, 17 May 2010
Saturday, 15 May 2010
Story provided by Simon Kim and Vien Truong of Green For All
May 14, 2010
The British Petroleum (BP) oil spill is an environmental, economic and social disaster that is crippling the livelihood of thousands of fishermen, and the economic stability of the entire Gulf Coast region. The Gulf seafood industry is a $3 billion economy and provides a third of all U.S. seafood. There are at least 13,000 commercial fishing vessels registered in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. With federal waters closed in southern Louisiana, fishing communities can’t make catch or income.
The oil slick moves closer to shorelines everyday, critically threatening our precious ecosystem and having the potential to wipe out businesses that have been a way of life in the Gulf Coast for over a century.
The Gulf Coast’s Vietnamese fishing community faces some of the most daunting challenges. Families are struggling to make ends meet. Many who were in financially difficult times before this crisis are now under threat of losing their homes and their source of income. Already, two families in Biloxi have had their homes foreclosed. They are asking banks for forbearance and asking elected leaders for help.
Boats will be repossessed soon if families cannot make the necessary payments. Tuan Dang, owner of a fishing boat in Biloxi says, “We are in a really difficult position right now. Lawyers...and BP are coming at us. Right now we are going through financial hardship… I don’t know what other jobs there are.”
To support the efforts on the ground, please go to:
* Mary Queen of Viet Nam Community Development Corporation, Inc.
* Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans
* Boat People SOS
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
You say "tomayto." I say "tomotto." You say crime of economic opportunity. I say hate crime:
"Hate crime" means a criminal act committed, in whole or in part, because of one or more of the following actual or perceived
characteristics of the victim:
(1) Disability.
(2) Gender.
(3) Nationality.
(4) Race or ethnicity.
(5) Religion.
(6) Sexual orientation.
(7) Association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.
People want to obscure the truth with a comfortable, easy euphemism: "economic opportunity." But if it looks like racism, acts like racism and talks like racism, then it probably is racism. It doesn't matter what your motivation is for the racism, whether its economic opportunity or hatred.
Here's an interesting comment on the Hyphen blog that puts things in perspective:
I love how everyone is approaching this as though it were a conflict with two equally culpable parties,
Regardless of how blacks feel about Asians or vice versa, I don't see any reports of systematic Asian on black violence. The conflict seems to me to be entirely one sided.
Instead of everyone attempting to skirt around the issue, I'll just state it quite explicitly. No one is willing to call out this black on Asian bigotry because in this country we have a neurotic sensibility which leads us to freak out against criticizing blacks in any way whatsoever, because my god that would make us seem racist.
So instead of calling a spade a spade, we try to concoct the most convoluted explanation for the simply fact that certain individuals in the black community are quite capable of harboring racial animus and bigotry.
Friday, 7 May 2010
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