Chapter One: Meet the Most Important Living Person
Concepts:
- You are the most important living person in the world. Don't forget it!
- Everyone has an invisible talisman with PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) on one side and NMA (Negative Mental Attitude) on the other. In any and every situation, but especially in difficult times, take a moment to make sure the PMA side is face-up.
- Inspirational dissatisfaction is the idea of using PMA to turn a negative result into the fire that drives hard work in the future.
Quotes:
- Every adversity has the seed of a greater outcome.
- Keep your mind on the things you want, and off the things you don't want.
- You have everything to gain and nothing to lose by trying.
Tuesday 19 August 2014
Saturday 16 August 2014
Project Home: Update 4
Looking for our next home, somewhere to settle for a while, I had a busy couple of weeks in San Francisco. I've been applying to jobs, meeting recruiters, making new contacts and catching-up with friends.
Overall, the trip was productive, and I hopefully have a couple interviews coming out of it. But, having to head to NYC after only two weeks in SF is a bit soon. The more I think about it, a month would have been ideal, but that's not how it worked out.
Anyway, next week is a high probability opportunity with my previous bank. My boss from London set me up with the interview, so I'm prepping hard and getting ready to impress. Actually, the more I think about this opportunity and being back in NYC, close to family and friends, the more excited I get. Also, Natsuko has been watching Gossip Girl, so I think she's ready for the big apple!
Up to this point, I've been REACTING to everything and just chasing opportunities. But, no more. After the upcoming interview and meeting some recruiters in NYC, Natsuko and I will choose east or west coast, and I'll focus only on that area. It's just too distracting to try the back and forth.
As for working out, it's been sporadic since leaving Hawai'i. No swimming, but got some trails in! NYC will see my first Cross Fit session. Stoked!
 |
| Golden Gate Bridge |
 |
| Lombard St., crookedest street in the world |
 |
| Alcatraz, def a bucket list tri! |
Anyway, next week is a high probability opportunity with my previous bank. My boss from London set me up with the interview, so I'm prepping hard and getting ready to impress. Actually, the more I think about this opportunity and being back in NYC, close to family and friends, the more excited I get. Also, Natsuko has been watching Gossip Girl, so I think she's ready for the big apple!
Up to this point, I've been REACTING to everything and just chasing opportunities. But, no more. After the upcoming interview and meeting some recruiters in NYC, Natsuko and I will choose east or west coast, and I'll focus only on that area. It's just too distracting to try the back and forth.
 |
| trails at the Claremont Canyon Conservancy |
 |
| beautiful |
Saturday 2 August 2014
Weight Management
The topic of weight management came up in a discussion with a friend, so I figured I'd share my experience and thoughts here.
Even at 5'9"/ 174cm, 140lbs/ 63kg, I think about weight management everyday, almost all day. In a world with "good tasting", cheap, high calorie food at our finger tips, this is a topic that is critical for everyone.
For me, I love to eat! For a while, I considered myself part of the recent 'foodie' trend. So cool, right? That is until Natsuko pointed out, "You don't appreciate quality, you just love to eat." A bit harsh, I thought, but after considering it more, I realized she was right.
Thinking back more, from my high school days where I put on 45lbs/ 20kg by sneaking extra slices of pizza or snacks at night, to university where I reached close to 200lbs/ 91kg by downing beer after beer, I had been unhealthy for a long time. But, I was active and lifted weights a lot, so I thought nothing of it.
Then, one summer, working an internship in NYC, it hit me, "I used to be just like you. Fit, lifting weights, running around. Ahh, those were the days." This was a manager at the company where I was working, a rather overweight and out of shape guy who I realized I would become if I didn't change. So, slowly, over 5yrs, I changed.
Maintaining a healthy weight is a simple idea: eat less or the same amount of calories you burn. Simple, right? Yeah. Easy to follow? No.
Below are a few ideas that I followed and still follow today that got me to and help me maintain my weight.
1) "Being hungry is okay."
I recently had this revelation, that seems simple, but I wasn't following. At the first sign of hunger, I'd reach for a snack to fill it. Then, when it came to meal time, I'd eat because it was meal time, not necessarily because I was really hungry. Not healthy.
So, the next time you're feeling hunger pangs, check the time and see how long until your next meal. It's probably not that far away, so remind yourself that being hungry is okay and in a few minutes, you'll probably forget all about it.
If really necessary, I find something with little to no calories to fill the void. Usually, that's black coffee or tea (fresh brewed tea, not Snapple or Nestea which are filled with sugar and calories).
2) "Veg and fruit are my main dish."
When thinking of meals, I think of veg and fruit as the mains and the protein and starch as sides (probably opposite to how many people think).
My goals are 3-5 fruits a day and as many vegetables as I can stomach (usually 10-15 servings). After this, there's not much room for anything else! I often start with yogurt and fruit or veg and fruit juice or smoothie in the morning (not one with whipped cream on top!). Then, it's a multi-veg salad at lunch and dinner or boiled or stir-fried veg. On top, I'll throw some eggs or a small piece of fish with some rice or bread, and I'm all set!
3) "Always go small."
Eating out or treating myself to something isn't a terrible thing, but it's limited and when I do, I ALWAYS order the small. Likewise, when I'm serving food at home, I serve a little less than I think I need, and after finishing, wait 15-20mins and see if I'm still hungry.
When ordering or serving food, I always tell myself, 'you can always eat more later,' after which I almost never do.
4) Exercise!
Last but not least, move! It doesn't have to be a full out, red in the face, heart-pumping workout, but I make a conscious effort to exercise. How often, you ask? Well, I tell myself, 'Do it more often than you don't.' Simple math: there are 7 days in the week, so to lose or maintain weight, I exercise at least 4 days a week.
Also, for those 35 or above (I'll be joining you soon :), without any weight lifting, you're losing about 1% of your muscle each year. Even with a high level of cardio exercise, i.e. running, cycling, etc, you're losing muscle mass. The only way to fight this is to find some weight lifting exercise that you enjoy.
Even at 5'9"/ 174cm, 140lbs/ 63kg, I think about weight management everyday, almost all day. In a world with "good tasting", cheap, high calorie food at our finger tips, this is a topic that is critical for everyone.
For me, I love to eat! For a while, I considered myself part of the recent 'foodie' trend. So cool, right? That is until Natsuko pointed out, "You don't appreciate quality, you just love to eat." A bit harsh, I thought, but after considering it more, I realized she was right.
Thinking back more, from my high school days where I put on 45lbs/ 20kg by sneaking extra slices of pizza or snacks at night, to university where I reached close to 200lbs/ 91kg by downing beer after beer, I had been unhealthy for a long time. But, I was active and lifted weights a lot, so I thought nothing of it.
Then, one summer, working an internship in NYC, it hit me, "I used to be just like you. Fit, lifting weights, running around. Ahh, those were the days." This was a manager at the company where I was working, a rather overweight and out of shape guy who I realized I would become if I didn't change. So, slowly, over 5yrs, I changed.
left: 2006 at c. 180lbs
right: 2014 at c. 140lbs, my weight for about 3yrs
Maintaining a healthy weight is a simple idea: eat less or the same amount of calories you burn. Simple, right? Yeah. Easy to follow? No.
Below are a few ideas that I followed and still follow today that got me to and help me maintain my weight.
1) "Being hungry is okay."
I recently had this revelation, that seems simple, but I wasn't following. At the first sign of hunger, I'd reach for a snack to fill it. Then, when it came to meal time, I'd eat because it was meal time, not necessarily because I was really hungry. Not healthy.
So, the next time you're feeling hunger pangs, check the time and see how long until your next meal. It's probably not that far away, so remind yourself that being hungry is okay and in a few minutes, you'll probably forget all about it.
If really necessary, I find something with little to no calories to fill the void. Usually, that's black coffee or tea (fresh brewed tea, not Snapple or Nestea which are filled with sugar and calories).
2) "Veg and fruit are my main dish."
When thinking of meals, I think of veg and fruit as the mains and the protein and starch as sides (probably opposite to how many people think).
My goals are 3-5 fruits a day and as many vegetables as I can stomach (usually 10-15 servings). After this, there's not much room for anything else! I often start with yogurt and fruit or veg and fruit juice or smoothie in the morning (not one with whipped cream on top!). Then, it's a multi-veg salad at lunch and dinner or boiled or stir-fried veg. On top, I'll throw some eggs or a small piece of fish with some rice or bread, and I'm all set!
3) "Always go small."
Eating out or treating myself to something isn't a terrible thing, but it's limited and when I do, I ALWAYS order the small. Likewise, when I'm serving food at home, I serve a little less than I think I need, and after finishing, wait 15-20mins and see if I'm still hungry.
When ordering or serving food, I always tell myself, 'you can always eat more later,' after which I almost never do.
4) Exercise!
Last but not least, move! It doesn't have to be a full out, red in the face, heart-pumping workout, but I make a conscious effort to exercise. How often, you ask? Well, I tell myself, 'Do it more often than you don't.' Simple math: there are 7 days in the week, so to lose or maintain weight, I exercise at least 4 days a week.
Also, for those 35 or above (I'll be joining you soon :), without any weight lifting, you're losing about 1% of your muscle each year. Even with a high level of cardio exercise, i.e. running, cycling, etc, you're losing muscle mass. The only way to fight this is to find some weight lifting exercise that you enjoy.
These are the basics that I follow, if you've got some of your own, it'd be great if you shared them in the comments below.
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