Coaching Businesses and Life, a view from Long Beach

Earth Day

For Earth Day, I encourage you to go to a few sites and call GM, Toyota, Ford and the likes to ask them why don't they have nice electric cars. And don't take their hybrid hype for an answer.

Here is the Tesla website. I made mistake in my previous post, 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds, 135 mpg, 13,000 rpm, less than 2 cents per mile, that pretty much says it all against any hybrids. Check out the AutoBlog video ">here. And another one on YouTube.

Here is Plug In America and please watch the cartoon and videos, they are very interesting. It's an overall very informative website.

On a strange note, Green Grand Prix are obviously going to be a fad sooner or later but wood burning?

Finally go and check out AutoBlogGreen for a comparison of hybrids and how far do you have to run them before you get your returns on investments.

There Is A Shift Coming

There is a shift coming. For those of us who have felt it since birth, there is something coming.

I've always felt something coming for a long time. Though at times it feels like a tease, and at other times it feels right there, the signs are clear. This might sound a little out there but to me, and I know others, it's a recurrent feeling.

And so pops yet another empowering movie, The Shift. I like this phase of movies we have had since What The Bleep Do We Know, then The Secret, etc. The Shift seems like a gathering of like minded people getting together to move awareness in a future based direction. I'm only hoping the brash, over the board marketing doesn't kick in and the true message actually gets through: "Who are you and what do you want to do?"

It feels good being asked those questions. They are the fundamentals of coaching.

An invasion of armies can be resisted but not an idea whose time has come (Victor Hugo)

Downtown LA Parties

I assigned a lot of categories to this post because last night's party at my fellow friend and Coach colleague, Priya was quite an event.

Even though I live here and call it home, I was raised in an international setting, meeting people from different countries and cultures. Last night's party reminded me of my past. It was in downtown LA and the setting reminded me of our New York years and my youth spent in international school in Paris, fun, fun and rich. There was an incredible assortment of people, Americans, Europeans, South Americans and Asians. I had a blast and felt so at home. I forgot how much I missed engaging in talks with people from all walks of life.

Somehow, on my way over I knew I was in no mood for trivial conversations. The weather wasn't going to cut it. And all I had were one conversation after another, all deep and juicy. In fact, I even neglected my party duties to mingle and take pictures. My first talk was with an interesting couple who also have been together for ten years. We talked about arts, traveling and different cultures. Slowly the conversation turned more subtle and they were telling me about climbing the Sun Pyramid in Mexico City. And after telling them I was a Reiki Master and practiced healings, the flood gate opened to what seemed like hours of deep talks. It was followed by yet another person and eventually we were talking ancient Celtic mythology and visions were popping up in our minds.

I ended the talk with another person, half Brazilian, half Japanese. It was an interesting conversation because those two cultures are so different but blended together offer a great "package". We got into a pretty deep conversation defining what is mind, what are religions, what is Truth, etc.

All in all, I had a very stimulating evening. The first person I spoke to hears things, the second saw and the third person is a listener. I feel and sense things. It was a loop of sorts. We each contributed something to our communal knowledge and wisdom. I will keep in touch with these people. It was an interesting evening.

It also reminded me that coaching is in everything we do and certainly has become an integral part of me. I wasn't coaching, per se, but coaching techniques helped me dig deeper into conversations. It also made me understand another layer of coaching, a deeper "wholistic" approach to listening to people, to give them the space and permission to talk about such things. I found that people still hesitate to talk about their "visions" and still fear being ridiculed. I found most people I am meeting are very deep human beings with very rich and fulfilling experiences. I found people had a lot of depth and certainly weren't taken in by the cheap talk of modern politics. Everyone either dismissed the current political scene as pathetic or raised their eyebrows talking about the candidates.

It was a wonderful evening and it certainly has given me much to think about and what direction to take the next steps of my coaching practice. More on that later...

Star Trek Tour in Long Beach

You are not a Star Trek fan in Long Beach if you don't go see the Star Trek Tour at the Queen Mary!

I went with my two friends Claudia and Jordan, both trekies and had a blast. OK, just to get it out of the way, $15 to park is steep. And also, when you are the check out lines for your pictures, they make you stay in one line to see the pictures, in another to pay and yet another wait to pick up the pictures. That is a buzz kill. Nonetheless, it's Star Trek.

I got to talk, albeit briefly to Robert Picardo, the Doctor in the Voyager series. It was interesting to have his point of view and I got a signed picture from him. I am currently watching the series over and at the part where his role really takes off. I find he went further than Data did in their quest to become more human. The Doctor went from an ill-mannered Doctor to almost human. I told him I am starting to love the series a lot as I watch it over. He said it was interesting because most people like The Next Generation better. Yes, TNG was good but a Klingon on the bridge was a little too weird for me. Then again, I was raised on the original series.

I find that Voyager doesn't get the credit it deserves. The ship is a logical evolution of technology interfacing organics with computers, something we are starting to test today. Captain Janeway does a splendid job at being stoic yet still showing her vulnerability. And the Doctor shows us again how a machine strives for his role amongst humans. I think it is a brilliant show and probably my favorite series at this stage.

So anyway, go and see the Tour. It is well worth it. Just don't mind the mess and the exorbitant parking fees. And, you will see a lot of people wearing uniforms and dressed as aliens. Somehoe, it always reassures me that I am not that far out ;)

Le Cirque Du Soleil Will Change Your Mind About Circus, Long Beach

How could I have let it slip past!

Virginia and I were invited at the premier of Le Cirque Du Soleil in Costa Mesa last week. We had the Tapis Rouge invitation (the red carpet) and I was absolutely blow away.

Let's put things into context. I must betray my European roots but I do not like musicals or likewise entertainments. Simply don't! I love concerts, modern music and art performance, some Theater but not circus. Circuses reminds of those dingy old and sad people hauling miserable looking creatures, both humans and animals from town to town. It makes me sad and I never enjoyed it.

When I heard of the invitation, I thought of passing it along to someone else. Reluctantly, I accepted to go. Boy, what a surprise. I had no idea what Cirque Du Soleil was. As with anything that is overhyped, I was very skeptical. The truth of the fact is, it was simply amazing.

These people have redefined what a circus is and should be. These people were amazing acrobats, musician, singers with gravity defying tricks. Many times I expected a splat on the hard wooden floor but these gravity defying humanoids thumbed their communal noses at Newton for the entire evening. I was so excited it took Virginia all her marital experience to muster patiently; "We'll see." when I asked her if we could buy a trampoline. OK, OK, I am enthusiastic by nature but it has almost been a week and I still want my trampoline! Anyone has one?

All in all, I highly recommend Cirque Du Soleil. Despite the abundant advertising and recommendations from everyone, it is a class act. These folks have redefined what a cricus should be. I was taken from laughter to emotional, to appreciating true beauty like a raged doll tossed in the air. They were tossing my emotions back and forth and it is the only venue I would go see again, in a heartbeat.

Thanks iShares.

Happy Halloween, Long Beach

Happy Halloween Long Beach!

This is a great fun time and there is more than meets the eye here. Halloween actually takes its roots in old, ancient Celtic myth, it originated from the Pagan festival Samhain. Samhain is the Celtic New Year and marks the end of harvesting. It also marks the time when dark and light are equal in power. The Celts halved the year in half, one dark, one light. All Saint's Day, the Catholic interpretation of Samhain is the time when souls visit the Earth. It is also a time when spirits can talk to us. It is a time of balance when light and darkness are even, a portal between both worlds are opened, if you wish.

There is much more than meets the eye on this day and night. It is the perfect time to relax and review what you have been doing. Much like any new moon is a great time to reflect on last month's actions and project, this is the big yearly one. When both polarity energies are equal and balanced, it is a good time for reflection and project into the future.

It is of particular importance to me this year as I venture into what seems to have been a life time crescendo of professional experiences, I am opening my coaching practice. I have finally found my calling. I know everything I have done before had a thread, now I know what it was preparing me for. This will be my "special" prayer for this year. I am not quitting real estate. I love working with people too much.

Here is a good place to get the low down on Halloween, Wikipedia.org.

World Rugby Cup, Long Beach

The reason why I bring this up is that our very own Rugby team in Belmont Shores is a great team that makes to the US championship every year.

Right now you can go see the World Championship here. It is amazing to see a true world championship with teams from all over fighting in their own unique styles. The contenders are always the same, Australia, France, New Zealand and England. It will boil down, most likely to those four teams. Each has it's own style. English are hard players, sometimes too much. The All Blacks are strong players. Australian, I feel are a mix between the All Blacks and the English. The French team is still my favorite, probably because I learned rugby there. They play fair, they play well and play rugby like soccer can't be played, without drama!

Someone told me one day, soccer is a gentleman's game played by hoodlums, Rugby is a a hoodlum's game played by gentleman, and that gentle people is truly what I believe. Go and check it out and hopefully get turned on. Discovering this sport will give you something else to watch than what we are being forced down our throats with local channels and papers. Plus, we have our local champion team to cheer in our backyard!

Happy Equinox

Yes, Happy Equinox.

I want to start the real religion, the Earth religion where people worship our planet and the heavens above... No, just kidding, we've already had too much of that stuff. Real religion is in the heart, the every day-to-day living, the doing good while no one else is looking, kinda stuff.

Belmont Shore Won The Rugby Super League US

If anyone wants to see the official result and hopefully spark more interest in our local champion team, you can check it here.

Long Beach's Rugby Team

Anybody who has ever played Rugby can tell you, it is a beautiful, fun and gentleman's sport.

Even though Rugby doesn't get the coverage it deserves in our country, it is growing. In fact, we are lucky in Long Beach because we have the team that makes it to the top.

So far, it looks like our Rugby team is still in the lead with a furious last game against Santa Monica.

Check them out and show your support at their next game on the 19th.