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
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Monday, 3 May 2010
Sunday, 2 May 2010
In response to the recent violent attacks against the Asian American community in the San Francisco Bayview and the city of Oakland, we are organizing a peaceful rally at the steps of SF City Hall on Tuesday, May 4 @ 6pm.
This rally is first and foremost an opportunity for the Chinese and Asian American community, particularly immigrants and elders, to speak out about their experiences with violence in their communities and to demand that San Francisco city leadership act immediately to address this crisis.
We will demand that city leaders take immediate actions to address the issue of violence against the Asian community. We believe that long-term solutions are needed to address violence in all communities, however in the short-term, immediate actions must be taken.
We understand that violence happens in all communities but we, the Chinese/Asian American community, have been silent on this issue for too long and need to make our voices heard and join with other communities of color.
Please come join us at this rally to demonstrate your support!
What I find disturbing is the tendency for people to downplay the anti-Asian racism of late, despite the pattern that is emerging: the Muni attacks, the Oakland death, the South Philly High incident and countless other acts of violence and disrespect that are not even reported on the news. In fact there was not any coverage of last week's rally at SF's City Hall by the Chinese American community protesting the violence. 500+ people showed up, mostly older Asian Americans, who came out in the rain to meet with the Mayor. And yet nobody reported it on that day.
No coverage at all of this rally by the Bay Area news channels or by any of the Asian American blogs, including mine because I found out at the last minute. No coverage by the AA blogosphere and no outrage. This is appalling. What is the use of calling yourself a blogger speaking on behalf of Asian Americans if you don't advocate for the safety and respect of your community? What use are you as a journalist if you do not present all the facts and all viewpoints?
There is clearly a big disconnect between Asian Americans indoctrinated in Anglo American culture and sentiment (whether conservative or liberal) and those Asian immigrants who live and work in poor urban neighborhoods. This disconnect between ABC's and immigrants is apparent, because the only Bay Area media platform that immigrants have is the Chinese language radio station. Every since the YouTube video showing the altercation on Muni, Chinese immigrants have been calling into the radio show, voicing their frustrations over the assaults on their safety, property and respect that have been going on FOR DECADES. I've seen 40 years worth of assaults, muggings and racist microaggressions perpetuated against Asians in the Bay Area, and yet white liberals and their yellow Uncle Tom's want to paint San Francisco as a Shangri-la free of racism with the moral snottiness to judge other cities and states (like Arizona).
Here's an excerpt from a local column on SF Gate that best illustrates the frustration on the part of Asian Americans living in the City:
African Americans attacking Asians is a reality, said Young Kong, a local talk radio show host on a Chinese language station.
"This is a hate crime," he said. "The supervisors don't want to say it because they don't want to exacerbate the tension. They are too chicken, too politically correct."
Cheng says she has a long-term relationship with her neighbor, who is black, and the people who rushed to her aid were all African American. This isn't a race war. But something is happening here.
"Let's face it, if older black men were being killed by marauding groups of kids, we'd be going crazy," said Lynette Sweet, a lifelong resident of District 10 and candidate for supervisor there. "We in the black community have to take responsibility for our kids."
The concern, however, is that the discussion is too polarizing. No truly great city can allow this. It is time to take a break from debating boycotting Arizona for its immigration policy and look at our own streets.
"This is the immigrant's voice not being heard in a city of immigrants," said Yvonne Lee, a former police commissioner who helped translate for Cheng. "This is years of frustration and fear that has burned into anger."
People downplay the anti-Asian sentiment and rationalize the violence as crimes of poverty. Plenty of poor people are law abiding citizens and do not commit crimes. And yet people who don't even live in these neighborhoods have the audacity to lecture you on how statistically there is more Black on Black violence and crime, quoting studies that don't even bother including Asian Americans in the statistics in the first place.
SF Gate: Dirty secret of black-on-Asian violence is out
That's what community organizer Carol Mo calls the realization that Asian residents are being targeted for robberies, burglaries and intimidation by young black men.
"It is San Francisco's dirty little secret," said Mo, a former Safety Network Community organizer in the Sunset District. "It's not news to us."
Hundreds of people marched into Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting to express their fear, frustration and outrage. But so far the response has been disappointing, particularly from the San Francisco Police Department. It seems intent on downplaying the role of race and its impact in the community.
The recent incidents of black violence against Asians is the perfect opportunity to open a dialogue about racism. Instead, they are attempting to close the door.
City officials, including the Police Department, say these assaults are part of a larger crime picture where gangs of kids take advantage of a vulnerable group of small stature. But Mo participated in a 2008 survey by the Police Department in which about 300 strong-arm robberies were analyzed.
"In 85 percent of the physical assault crimes, the victims were Asian and the perpetrators were African American," she said.
The squeamishness city officials are experiencing about confronting those numbers doesn't reflect well on anyone. No one is saying the entire African American community is violent. But ignoring the legitimate anger and frustration from Asians is disingenuous and unfair.
"We love San Francisco," said the Rev. Norman Fong, a Presbyterian minister. "And we don't want to do anything to divide the communities. But at the same time, our community is hurting and we feel like our voices are not being heard."
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