Steve Job's Biography

I just finished reading Steve Jobs's biography. It was even better than I thought it was going to be. He is definitely someone I wish I had met but it will never happen because he's gone.

I've been thinking a lot about death and legacy. What will I leave behind when I'm gone? What will people have to say about me? Will I accomplish everything I hope to? I'm not trying to change the world, but I do want to change the course of my family's history and help others do the same along the way. However, I find myself unable to get out of my comfort zone to do what I need to do.

I remember reading the following quote from his Stanford Commencement speech the day after his death:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

I still think about this quote every day wondering when I'm going to muster the courage to just say screw it and get it done already. I'm surrounded by people who are too scared to step outside of their comfort zones to do something, anything to make a difference in their lives and the lives of their families. How many generations of their descendants will remember who they were?

I can only know small tidbits of information about my maternal grandmother's father. I loved my maternal grandmother, but there isn't much of anything to really remember her by. She married a man who didn't want a family and with six children, lived in poverty because my grandfather choose to spend his paycheck chasing women.

I don't want to pass down a legacy of poverty and poor choices. Which leaves me to ask how much of her history will I choose to share with my children, if I have children. I want do much better in life because I don't want to be forgotten, especially by my descendants.

Steve Jobs won't have to worry about that. The whole world will remember him. His children's children's children will know who he was or at lease his accomplishments. Those are some big shoes to fill.

I'm not trying to change the world but I want to make a difference, even if it is on a small scale.

Momentum

Momentum Principle:

A body at rest tends to remain at rest, and a body in motion tends to remain in motion.

I've been having some really, really lazy weekends these past couple of weeks. For example, I spent all day in bed watching movies on Netflix. It felt great but now I feel guilty.

I did get some work done. I sent out invitations to the Christmas Extravaganza. Hopefully everyone I invite will be able to make it. I could use some new clients. I need to start making some money and recruit some business builders.

I have to make phone calls tomorrow to get the emails of people I don't have emails for. I hate calling people but I have to get used to it if I'm going to get more clients and recruit business builders.

Now, I need to get my schedule booked and keep busy. I don't ever want to be this stagnant again. It's depressing.

I bought this guy I used to be friends with MeMe the blowup doll for this belated 31st birthday, Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year present. I expect 1 of 3 reactions: silence, anger, or humor. I'm hoping for the latter. I miss his friendship. Plus, he was nice to look at.

I'm hoping I have something better to blog about in the future. I'm bored just typing this. Maybe I should start dating again just to have something to blog about.

The Storm

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were fill with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him.” Mark 4:35-41 (ESV)

I haven’t been able to keep a clear mind for the past couple of days. Last night really sent me over the edge. My Bible study topic was Mark 4:26-41. In particular, we discussed the storm the disciples experienced while Jesus slept on the boat. The tossing boat on the sea and the wind did not wake Jesus but terrified the apostles to the point where they felt the need to wake Jesus.

I haven’t had a storm yet. There have been times where what I’ve experienced would have appeared to be a storm. In fact, I’ve met people who’ve been through similar experiences and to them, the situations were unbearable. My reaction was like that of driving a little too fast over a speed bump and feeling jostled inside my truck. It was uncomfortable but I kept driving on being a little more cautious of my speed when approaching next speed bump.

I cried and I hate crying. It’s one of my most embarrassing reactions to something emotional because my nose tends to do more shedding of fluid than my eyes. It happened nonetheless and I received great support and encouragement from the women in my Bible study group.

But it was just the thought of the inevitable storm that I will experience that had me upset. My mom is leaving for a cruise tomorrow and I began to worry about her safety because she will be cruising through the Caribbean, where I had read a news story about Hurricane Rina. Was this going to be my storm? I certainly hope not but the thought of something happening to my mom was upsetting.

I did get something out of the lecture that I will hold onto if I ever experience my storm, faith will not get me out of the storm, but it will get me through it.

Then there was the doubts in my head about my ability to accomplish the things I want to do in my life. I had been praying to God for answers about the direction my life was taking. I’m not particularly happy with my job. I hate the commute and though the people are nice, I don’t care for their outlook on life. Striving for mediocrity is not what I want to do. The strive for perfection and exceptionality is more desirable.

So I got it in my head that I would go to beauty school to get my esthetician license. But when the funding finally came through, the school I had chosen no longer offered night classes. With no other schools in the area to cater to daytime place schedule, I will have to go with the plan I already have and just make it work. Or shall I say work the plan.

I went to someone’s retirement potluck today at the daytime place. It was a good day for someone who’s put in all those years, but it immediately got me thinking about all the answers God had given me from the questions I had asked to him in my prayers. Beauty school would only distract me, so that door was closed. The door that’s been open to me, I haven’t yet walked through because of my fear of rejection. I hate it when people say ‘NO’ to me, but if I’m going to work my plan, then I will have to get used to hearing it.

Rejection has been absolutely terrifying. Though I find it easy to be outgoing when I’m at work and around people I know, I’m sad to say that I’m not as friendly when I’m in setting where I don’t know a soul. The only way to get over this is to continually place myself in situations where I don’t know anyone.

I just need to act now, so that I won’t pay later.

Iran set to execute Christian Pastor

I know Muslims in the USA have freedom to practice Islam in a way that Christians or people of other faiths are not allowed in Muslim countries. I would never want to live in a Muslim country. The Army tour that I served in in Afghanistan was enough of Islam for me.

I'm not afraid to say I would prefer Muslims stayed in Muslim countries. The thought of them here, where I live, spooks me.

ClamCase

As I mentioned yesterday, I want to get the ClamCase for my iPad. I found another keyboard case (Crux 360) but I don't like the shininess of it and it leaves Apple logo on the back of the iPad exposed. I don't want any scratches on my Pad.

I'm not ready to buy yet but and even if I were, both are sold out. ClamCase says they are releasing a new version of the ClamCase for the iPad 1, which is the iPad I have, early to mid-October. I can't wait to get it. My early birthday present to myself.

It will cost me a pretty penny. I'm guessing around $150 but it will be better than buying a new laptop, which I do need. It will also be a better case w/keyboard than all the other cases for less money I've seen out there.

I haven't seen my Powerbook G4 in months. I should get it back from my mom. That thing is so ancient, I can't really do anything with it other than word processing. I just hope my desk top computer doesn't become outdated anytime soon. Though with the software upgrades I have to get (I'm running Leopard) I'll have to upgrade to Snow Leopard then to Lion. Once I'm upgraded to Lion, I will have to get replacement software for VMware Fusion. VMware does not work with Lion OS X. Plus, a new mobile device compatible template for my blog. I'm looking at another $200 to $300 dollars get myself mobile blogging for my next 366 project. Yay! For someone like me, blogging isn't cheap. I prefer hosting my own blog for the control it gives me. I've had to block way too many people from reading my blog. You'd think if they didn't like what they read here, they would read elsewhere. Some people just like flaming.

I'm glad what I had originally planned to post today didn't make it to my inbox. I'm thinking it is a sign...to just stop watching tv if I don't like what's on. I'm taking my own advice that I give to people who don't like what I write about.

Twenty Twelve

I’m really excited about 2012. There’s nothing like the leap year to get my juices flowing for blogging. I’ll be doing another 366 project. If you don’t know what that is, it’s contributing to my blog at least once a day in 2012. I tried it in 2008 and had a blast despite being in grad school. The coming presidential election will leave me with plenty to blog about.

I still don’t know who to even consider voting for. I’ve heard about a few candidates I want to look into but it’s too early in the game to narrow the list down to two prime candidates. I don’t want to invest my time into promoting a candidate if they end up dropping out of the race.

Until then, there are a few things I’m looking for in a candidate:

1. Believes in free enterprise
2. Understands it’s not the president who creates jobs, but entrepreneurs.
3. Wants a flat tax
4. Less government involvement
5. Fiscally conservative
6. Less spending more production

That’s all I can think of for now. That means I wouldn’t be looking for anyone on the Democrat side. I’m sure as I start to really look into the candidates, I’ll be able to find someone who I’ll be happy to endorse. Until then, I’ll be trying to gather all of the tools I’ll need to become a mobile blogger.

Now for that, I almost got suckered into buying a leather case with a built in keyboard for my first generation iPad. I’m glad I didn’t make the purchase as I found something I believe would be better for me.

I won’t get into the specifics, but in December, I’m hoping to make the final purchase. I also have to buy a new template for my blog, one that is iPad compatible. Graph Paper Press is a good source. That’s where I purchase my current template. It was an awesome buy. I think this time I’m going to go for the Modfolio template if has the features I want.

I also plan on getting the new iPhone when it comes out. That would help me out a bunch as the camera on my 3G is outdated and I can’t shoot video. I don’t know how much video I’ll be producing, but I at least want to take better pictures, especially of myself without needing a second person.

Cooking

I had a pretty lazy weekend. I’m so ashamed. Everything I had set out to do outside the house, I didn’t do. I’m not going to beat myself up about it either. I’m just going to focus on making the next week as productive as possible.

I did get to try out the Pure Indian Foods Organic Ghee I ordered. It tastes amazing. I made shrimp scampi using the ghee and Wildtree’s Shrimp Scampi Blend. I don’t think the blend is 100% primal as it contains dextrose but the seasoning blend flavored my shrimps just right. I only wish I had taken a picture of the quick dish as it would have been perfect for documenting a primal dish cooked my moi.

I ordered the flavored ghee 1 oz sampler pack of 6. I liked the Italian and Herbes de Provence ghee the best. I can’t wait to try the Italian ghee in a recipe. I’m not fond of the niter kebbeh, digestive or Indian dessert ghees. Not sure why but I don’t think I’ll ever order the 7 oz jars of those flavors. I was afraid to try the garlic ghee. Garlic by itself doesn’t taste good to me if the other flavors had a strong taste (some delightful, some not so) I decided to hold off on tasting the garlic ghee Plus, I like to avoid garlic as it makes my breath stink, but I don’t mind garlic when I’m on a date. I hate dating.

I just don’t see what the fuss is over coconut oil. I hate coconut. The Pure Indian Foods coconut oil reminds me hair grease. In fact, I’ve always associated coconut oil with hair grooming not food consumption. I suppose I should try to use it in a recipe to see how it makes my food taste. I’m dreading that day. I don’t like the taste of coconut except in my pina coladas.

Dating and coconut. Combine those two on the same day and I could go mad! Or toss my cookies.

I also tried to make roti canai with the sweet potato flour I had purchased from Zocalo Gourmet. I tried adding an equal amount of Now eggwhite protein powder to the flour to see if it would give the flour the same consistency as regular flour. It was a failure. Sweet potato flour is just very heavy. Even after sifting it a few times it was still too heavy of a flour once water had been added to it. Grain-free-gluten-free.com has a recipe for using coconut flour. The website says that to use 100% of a fiber-rich, non-binding flour like coconut, use 1 medium egg to 30g or 1 oz of flour. I should try this mixture next time to see if I can get the flour doughy enough for stretching.

Then I came across a recipe for roti canai which uses milk in the recipe. This recipe reads like it will taste absolutely divine. I can’t wait until this weekend.

I made some sweet potato pancakes. They were alright. I don’t like the heavy orange color or the texture of the pancakes. It could have been my batter (I didn’t exactly follow the recipe but added to what I had mixed for the roti) but the pancakes weren’t as fluffy as I like my pancakes. Again, sweet potato flour is heavy. I’m not sure I’ll ever get it right.

Finding recipes for this flour has been very difficult. But I’m not giving up. I still have a bag and a half of flour to use and I’ll use it all before I chuck it in the garbage. At least I’ll be able to say I used it.

I know this isn’t primal at all but roti canai would be a nice once in a while kind of treat. Foods like this are what I like to call my desert. Maybe I should try this with coconut flour…

Christian Giving

I came across this article in the web today “It’s not ‘class warfare,’ it’s Christianity”. I just had to blog about it. What particularly caught my attention is the following quote from the article:

“This is what the Bible actually says about the economic practices of Jesus’ followers: “Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common... There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles feet; and distribution was made to each as any had need.” Acts 4:32-35.”

The big difference in this scripture quoted is that those early Christian believers willingly gave. Government did not force this type of giving through taxation, which is how the author of this article wants Christian giving to be carried out. Government stealing (and that is what government does through taxing the population for social programs) from one man to give to another is not Biblical-Old or New Testament.

I like how the author, Susan Brooks Thistlewaite, conveniently left out 2 Thessalonians 3:10-13 which talks about how if people don’t work, they don’t eat. I know plenty of people who don’t work but want everything under the sun. I happen to be related to a few. The concept of working for the things they want is foreign. Why should they work for their necessities when the government can steal it from one man to give to them?

I’d like to also argue how the author conveniently left out the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). Let me sum it up for you. Those who are good with God’s resources will be given more and those who are wasteful will have what they have taken away. I’ve read countless blogs, news articles, and books about the widening gap between the rich and the poor. Rarely do these sources of misinformation discuss the differences between how the rich amass their fortunes and how the poor manages to stay poor or how the rich think about work versus the poor. One set of beliefs and practices leads to great fortune and the other to poverty and servitude.

Primal Blueprint 30-day Challenge

I've committed myself to the Primal Blueprint 30-day Challenge.

I actually started eating primal on Sunday. I made eggs and bacon for breakfast and fish and vegetables for dinner. I didn't eat a lunch. I did eat some red seedless grapes. Not sure if they are considered primal but the sure satisfied my sweet tooth.

I've been posting to my blog from a mobile app and it won't allow me to choose where I want to post the picture. My preference is just before the text starts like all of my previous posts. Sorry if my blog looks dorked up.

Remembering to the Point of No Return

I spent Labor Day at my cousin’s house in Torrance, California. I don’t know what I was thinking when I let my mom talk me into going. I knew nothing was going to be different from the previous holidays I spent with them. I was hoping it would be different. Just hoping, but the older they get, the more they stay the same.

I’m not sure if other black families have this issue, but it seems the older members of my family like talking about slavery and racism. It’s almost as if they can’t forge an identity without it. I can’t identify with being a slave because I’ve never lived through slavery. I’m not sure how they identify so well with it considering they never lived through slavery either. But nonetheless, they love talking about it, reminiscing about the good old days (I never could consider them good), and berating the younger generation for forgetting their roots.

Is slavery worth remembering to the point where that’s all you have to talk about? Is there anything wrong with wanting to live in the present and looking forward to the future?

Is there anything wrong with appreciating the opportunities available to me today?

Going Primal

About a year ago, I was very low on energy, had skin rashes, and was having asthma attacks left and right and the blood tests my primary physician had done hadn’t revealed what was causing my ailments. I’m grateful for the Internet because I came across several blogs written by people who had the same symptoms I was having. They all had allergy tests done and it turned out they had food allergies and it was the food they were eating that triggered their asthma.

I was miserable and thought it wouldn’t hurt to see if I was allergic to the foods I was eating and had an allergy test done. It turns out, it was my environment but also the foods I was eating that contributed to my misery for the first half of the 2010.

I highly allergic to many of the plants that grow in the Mojave desert. But the biggest contributors to my symptoms were the foods I was eating. Here’s a typical rundown of the foods I’d eat throughout the day:

MORNING

A bowl of corn flakes or whole grain Cheerios with almond or soy milk

Snack- raw almonds

LUNCH

Wonton soup or frozen dinner

Snack-raw almonds (I love almonds)

DINNER

Frozen dinner or anything that could easily be microwaved

Snack-chocolate covered almonds


Here are the foods I’m allergic to:

Peanuts

Corn

Walnut

Almonds

Oranges

Soy bean

Green pea

Cantaloupe

peaches

As you can tell by my snacking, I love almonds. They just don’t love me. The frozen meals I consumed didn’t add to my health as a lot of frozen meals use corn or soy products as a preservative. So I was literally poisoning myself with the foods I was eating. My diet overall wasn’t healthy. It’s still not healthy. I may have cut my allergens from my diet and stopped eating frozen meals, but I still don’t get fresh fruits and vegetables in the quantities I should be eating daily.

I need to learn how to cook.

Now that I’ve got my asthma under control and my skin has cleared, I’m still tired all the time. And bloated! So, I’ve turned to the Internet for research on what could be causing my bloat.

The bloating seems to only happen when I eat breads. I get bubbly gut when I eat rice. Since returning from Korea, I don’t eat much bread unless it’s naan or tortillas and lately I’ve been eating more whole wheat products and brown rice to go along with whatever meat I’ve cooked for dinner. Vegetables are still rare in my meals but I’m working on it. A friend of mine (a Paleo dieter) once mentioned how grains can contribute to bloating because human digestive system hasn’t evolved to help us properly digest grains. I can see the logic in that. Grains are relatively new compared to how long modern man has been around and early man lived just fine without grains. Just because we can eat something doesn’t mean we should. But I do love rice, especially white sticky rice, however, if the rice one of the culprits for my bloat and bubbly gut, then I can live without it.

In my search for a diet to follow and cookbooks to compliment the diet, I’ve come across three different types of diets: Blood type, Paleo, and Primal. I found the blood type diet interesting. I’m type O which is the oldest blood type. It pretty much says to avoid grains and diary and eat lots of meat. Apparently four of the foods I’m allergic to are on the avoid list for my blood type.

The Paleo and Primal diets are similar. The diets say to avoid legumes, diary, grains, refined sugar and processed oils . The Primal diet is much more forgiving when it comes to grains like rice and the consumption of some dairy products. I’m thinking of trying a diet that is a combination of the three. The foods on the avoid list for the blood type diet are foods I’m either allergic to or don’t like eating anyway. It turns out the Paleo/Primal diets advocate avoiding the foods the blood type diet says I shouldn’t eat.

Makes me wonder if there is any truth to the claims made by the different diets. I’ll be trying out a couple of recipes from one of the Primal cookbooks I purchased last weekend. I’m thinking of doing a cook my way through the primal cookbook and blog about my experience like that movie Julie and Julia. Should be fun.

Labor Day Trikke Ride

It's been a long time since I’ve posted to my blog. I thought now would be a good time to update it.

I've discovered a way to exercise without it feeling like punishment. What’s my new favorite way to work out? Trikking. What is trikking? Well, it’s a body powered vehicle on three wheels, and no, as you can see from the picture, it’s not a tricycle. Tricycles have seats and don’t work your core muscles the same way a Trikke does. Trikkes cost more than a bicycle but you burn more calories and it’s much more fun.

I went on a 13 mile ride on my Trikke down in Long Beach on Saturday. I was introduced to some other Trikke enthusiasts and I met the creator of the Trikke and won a signed t-shirt.

My body hardly ached on Sunday. I was expecting very sore wrists and leg muscles but they only bothered me early Sunday morning. I was mostly tired and wanted to do nothing but read a good book, nap, and read some more of a good book. Instead of my planned reading, napping, and reading cycle for Sunday, I went to my cousin’s house for a bar-be-cue. I wish I had stayed home. It would have been less stressful and relaxing had I stayed home. I’ll blog about that experience on a later day.

Network Marketing

You never know who might be interested in an opportunity. I sometimes write people off when it comes to showing the business. As it turns out, someone I'm friends with on Facebook is thinking about starting her own business after seeing a presentation. My loss is another persons gain. But I'm excited nonetheless, as it is a good thing to know folks actually think about their future.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone!

I don't know where to begin. I had my disappointments last year. I'm praying this year will be better.

I have my goals for this year and one of them is to be fluent in Spanish by the end of the year. I got Rosetta Stone for my birthday and I've been practicing every day.

I'm going to be more bold this year about everything because I'm tired of things being the way things are. Of course, I'll be asking for help from the Almighty and I know he will answer my prayers.

As for the blog, I want to up update the look of it but I want to earn the new template I want to use. I need to practice some delayed gratification. I didn't do that last year. Need to try this year. And instead of trying to blog everyday, I want to at least blog once a week. That should be easier to do than trying to keep up with a blog everyday. I don't have the time for that.