Monthly Archives: April 2009

The Way Children Are

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Sometimes it's frightening seeing how some children behave.

As easy as it would be to blame them, often enough it's the parents that let things go awry.  And who's to blame anyway?  Everyone wants to make lots of money, have a perfect life and balance both in a subtle way.  It takes a lot of thinking and sacrifices to have children, I realize.  And no, I don't have any but I tutor a few kids and I realize how different this new generation is.

It isn't easy.  I many ways, the generation after me, by less than 20 years has already had children who are old enough to speak.  But what I notice is that what most want to do is play and have more toys.  In itself, it is normal but when you read the news and see how kids from under-developed countries are studying hard to get out of their situation, it sends shivers up your spine.  It almost feels like a tragedy to happen for our kids.  It's unfair in many ways to give them all without a clear system of earning.

These kids in our societies are brought to want more, more toys, more fun, more playing.  This works well, or should I say worked well for manufacturers.  And why not, their parents have to indulged due to their heavy work schedule and lack of being there with them.  As these kids turn away from doing their homework with less and less guidance, the other kids elsewhere are learning with a vengeance.  What will happen when these kids hit the workforce not well prepared, wanting the big bucks with minimal critical thinking and less than stellar work ethics?  It's not hard to figure out who will get the better jobs.  Those who've had it harder and are used to hard work, willing to get paid little, since compared to back home, it's a lot.

Maybe I'm too alarmist but the way it looks, it seems like kids are being catered to not be interested in working, wanting more, the easy big bucks, whatever that means and not the work that come with it.  They have no idea that you need to give and take before you bring home the bacon.  This is something those kids from less fortunate societies know all to well.

And Another Client

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Isn't it the truth, when it rains, it pours.

OK, so it really isn't pouring but I have two new clients and they are proving to be very interesting.  I spoke of the first one who already knows what they want.  The second one doesn't but knows what they don't want.

p.s., I use the plural third person in order to completely hide their identity but it is one person each.

When someone doesn't know what they want, it is a little harder to get them to find what, what they really yearn for.  In some cases, you have to go to square one and ask what it is they don't want to do anymore.  It's a bit of a run about way of doing but eventually you get there.

What Does Being “Green” Mean Anyway?

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It's funny how we sometimes jump on the latest fad and go head to toe in. 

We've all noticed lately everything is green, even petroleum companies are re-branding themselves as green, as perfect a marketing oxymoron can get.  Yet, I think being green is a state of mind, not what and how you say it.

I read in the Business Week that green products found no slumping economy last year and so far this year.  In fact, it was going up in trends.  Buying green products is overall a good thing if we consider why and if these particular products are really green.

Organics A La FDA.  Ever consider how organics some of those products are?  According to the FDA, organic products are any products with over 50% organics elements in it.  Get the loophole here?  A product that is even 99% "organic" really isn't.  Read the label, of course.

Natural Flavors.  This was also a shocking one for me but natural flavors mean the flavor tastes natural but is not.  In fact, it's chemical.  Another loophole.

So buying green, bio-degradable bags, soaps, etc, is a good thing but it's not because it says green that it automatically is.  Read the labels, always.  Being green is a state of mind.  Buy what you need, think things through, and don't waste.  You could do more this way than just buying green.

More On Useless Fear

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From sometime now, I have been receiving emails from the Kaballah center and I have been amazed at how on queue they are.

Remember our post from yesterday about fear?  Well, here is the email I got today:

"Here is a technique for banishing fear that comes from a great
kabbalist who lived during the 16th century, Rav Isac Luria (The Ari, the Holy Lion.)

Light
a candle and sit down with a pencil and a small piece of paper. Write
down your fear on the paper, and meditate upon it. Summon forth the
feelings and symptoms associated with the fear. Then write down all the
emotions and feelings that this fear causes you. Acknowledge to
yourself that your own reactive nature, from this life or a past life,
is responsible for the manifestation of this fear.

Now take the paper and burn it!

Find time to do this today. Many people get great relief from this simple technique."

Great coincidence, no?  However, there are no coincidences.  Things happen so that you may continue learning whatever you started.

Being Afraid But Not Fearing

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A client reminded me of a lesson we sometimes forget. I know, I did forget.

She said to me that she had learned to understand what it is to be afraid but not to indulge into fear.  When I asked her to clarify, she said that she was OK being afraid about something, real or not.  However, she was taught early on not to be afraid.

I thought this was a great idea.  After all, how many times being afraid leads us into being fearful of something.  The idea here is to recognize that afraid is good but fear isn't.  Being afraid of snakes and spiders makes sense, since some can harm you but fear of all snakes and spiders is ridiculous.  Instead, once you have discovered you are afraid of something, learn to either find alternatives to it or reason it out.

Fear is an inhibitor.  Being afraid is just a warning message.

Happy Earth Day!

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Earth  Happy Earth Day everyone,

What are you doing to make this a special day?  Awareness alone is probably the best thing anyone can do. 

I wanted to ride my bike to my consultations, which I often do but realized they were too far apart to do it.  Besides that, we posted a few tings on Electricnick.com, one of which is a quick look at what people are doing worldwide to celebrate the event.

It's little by little, brick by brick that we can build a better society.  It's through awareness and a continued growing understanding that our most precious resource, the Earth has to be taken cared of right now that we will make a difference.

The Changing Car Scene

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I've been reading the news relating to the automobile industry and it is obviously in complete turmoil.  

I went to the Long Beach Grand Prix yesterday and met a friend, Mary Lou Long with her electric Miata.  Mary Lou and her
husband are there, next to a reproduction Porsche Speedster, all
electric.  Just off behind is another reproduction, this time of a
beautiful Daytona Coupe, all electric and all decked out for racing. 
Next to the Electric Cutie is the original Zero Motorcycle dirt bike.  
Lastly, we met the Tango folks, from Commuter Cars and owner, Rick
Woodbury.

I had some very interesting conversations
with the Patron Acura LMP1 team who told us there might be an all
electric sports prototype that should be racing next year.  I also spoke to car
restaurateur FastCars from Redondo Beach, who specializes in Ferraris.  I asked one of their technicians/engineer what he thought
about the electric drive, he clearly said it was the future.  And this
is in the midst of a see of Ferraris, a 250 GTO worth multi-millions, a
1958 and 1967 F1s, an Abarth 200 racer (ultra rare) and some extremely
rare 250s.  Coming from them, it was good to hear.

Why am I excited about all this?  I am an old car fanatic.  I very much enjoy sport prototypes.  To see electric cars at a Grand Prix is amazing. It is the future, there is little doubt about it.  We are witnessing the changing of guards, sort of speak.  The old polluting gas engine is on its way out, ushering the electric engine.  It's a fundamental paradigm shift.  technology companies are making indents in the car industry.  No longer car makers can be simple mechanics.  They need to be technology centered and that technology is based on the electric motor.

If you ever drive an electric car, you will know what I mean.  I drove an AC Propulsion eBox and let me tell you, I was, and still is very enthused.  Once you have driven one, you definitely feel how bad we have it with gas engines.  Anyway, it's all fun.  I am one of the middle generation.  I have grown up seeing Bugattis, Alfa Romeos and Ferraris making loud gas engine noise.  Now, I am witnessing even more performance from whisper quiet electric motors.  Can't imagine what my nephews and nieces will ask me when they come of age!

Acapulco

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P4010303Hum, Acapulco, mio.

I have to be honest, we were kind of disappointed with the city itself.  Blame on decades, if not over a century of tourism but the city just didn't live up to the idea we had of it.  Maybe it's watching too many old 60s movies partying in sunny Acapulco, but the city left us no lasting impression.

                                    

P1010157

However, we were roomed at the Grand Mayan, and let's just say that it was an experience.  A five star hotel is not always a five star one anywhere but the Grand Mayan mostly was.  It was amazing walking in and seeing the inner pond giving the illusion of stretching to the sea.  The style was obviously "Mayan" and you really felt there.  It wasn't a cultural Mexican experience but was mostly a tourist place.

                                                       

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                                                            Well, somebody had to do it!

There isn't much to say besides we just hung out and chilled.  Oh, yes, we went to see the famous cliff divers.  In itself it was impressive but it felt like a tourist rat trap.  What was supposed to be a certain amount all the sudden doubled and became a special show.  Nonetheless, it was impressive seeing these young kids diving like that.

One thing that struck me as being a potential problem for some touristy parts of Mexico is the sticking it up to the tourist.  It felt that since we were tourist, we automatically got the higher rate.  I am particularly sensitive to this because I saw my own cities, Nice, Cannes, Antibes, etc in the south of France make the same mistakes.  Now, tourist mostly agree they are beautiful but too expensive.  And if you live there, you'd say the same thing. 

It seems places like Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta and Cancun, the last one I have no desire to go, will probably have to re-invent themselves one of these days when tourists finally turn away from them.  In the meantime, I still keep wonderful memories of Guanajuato. It felt more "real".

The Grand Mayan accommodation were good, but I couldn't vouch for it.  We slept on couch pillows on the floor with covers meant for single beds that rolled into a bunch during the night.  It wasn't comfortable and our backs took a hit.  The other rooms looked cozy.  Go figure.

I had an amazing and life changing experience on the beach.  I woke up early one day and did a cleansing in the sea, prompted by my good friend in Mexico City.  It was amazing.  And this is the impression I will always keep of Mexico.  If you know what to look for, it has very powerful healing energies.

Sometimes, I wonder why we don't live there…  who knows.

Don’t Know What You Want? What About What You Don’t Want?

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When you can't find what you want, at least know what you don't want.

I have a new client who is proving to be an interesting challenge.  She knows what she wants, we only need to get there.  It's interesting because most clients usually have little to no idea what they want.  It can be difficult getting them to a place where they find out what they truly, deeply want.  Sometimes it takes some reversal logic, such as; "What is it you don't want?"  Finding out what you don't want can lead to what you really want.

For those of you in this uncomfortable situation of knowing you want to do something but just what, there is hope.  Start by making a list of things you do not want.  At least that will get you going on what you will not do and hopefully open up an window to what attracts you.

Finding what you want takes a little bit of disengagement from wanting to know, a little knowledge of what it is you don't want and the rest is all about relaxing so that it comes to you.

Easier said than done?  Not if you have a good coach.

Writing About Electric Cars

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It's been a whirlwind of action here.  The practice is still doing good despite the economic crisis, whatever that means.

On the the other hand, I was picked up from the editing and writing I have been doing for the Electricnick blog by the Examiner.  Check out the articles I wrote.  Fun stuff!