Sorry for disappearing these past few weeks. The adult life is kind of limited when you submit the majority of your waking hours to The Man. This is the progress report and update to the New Years resolutions I submitted back in January. I guess most people forget about these kind of things once the year gets underway, but I've been establishing some metrics to get a feel for how successful I've been. Things have changed a bit since January, so things have been added and things have been removed. Things that have been removed are no longer here because either I've accomplished the task, the task is no longer applicable, or the public domain status of the item has been placed under scrutiny. Now that the boring talk is out of way, let's get to the meat of the discussion:
1. Sleeping Hours
Done. Pared my sleeping hours back to a regular 8 hour nominal per night. Things get a little messy when accommodating for taiko practice since I get home from practice around 11 and need to be up for work the next morning at 6... but things are working out atm.
2. Study Goals
Stalled. I'm long overdue on ALL of the 600 kanji that I managed to shovel through the Heisig method. I hope to be starting that up again. Pimsleur is also stalled somewhere around the second lesson set. GRE hasn't gone anywhere either. =/ I'm hoping to get Heisig and Pimsleur back off the ground. The good news is I found some good Japanese language partners. Now I need to work on my Chinese so that I'll have more things to offer to the discussion table.
3. Physical
Starting to get back underway. My arms have completely recovered from the pull-up death I experienced a few months back. I gotta get back into running and work on the abs. The latter is kinda important for playing Yatai moreso than aesthetic appeal. The pull ups are purely aesthetic though ha ha... as long as the lats don't get in the way of taiko I should be good.
As for running, there seems to be a good running community at work. Part of it is because I work in one of the most beautiful (and exclusive...) parts of San Diego ^__^. Might as well make good use of the area.
4. Weight
Stable is good.
5. Daily Planner
FAIL. Fortunately the calendar system is still up and running. That is getting me through my day to day.
6. Meditation
This has kind of fallen on the back burner. Things have been super busy since work started but maybe in the near future I can find a few good spots at work to do battle with my mind.
7. Eating
Things have been much better especially with the structure of work. I kind of have to eat at specific times otherwise I won't get much of a chance to eat at all and have to deal with being hungry. One thing I need to do is cook more... and by cook, I mean properly cook as opposed to my usual task of making raw foods not raw anymore.
8. Taiko
I'm nearing the end of this unexpected Taiko Month. I kinda got tossed into it where I interacted with the taiko community like 9 days straight which then tapered off into into something like 4~5 times a week from practices to concerts to attend. The best part... I don't have to perform so the pressure is real light. Things are looking up for me in the Taiko world. I found a fue mentor. My goal with fue is to be able to play it like the way I whistle and sing. That will probably take a long long time... but... it should be good. The taiko part should be just as good too.
Project 59... my first song... Hopefully I can actually pull through with one this time ha ha! Maybe I should try writing something a little easier first... =/
I finally have a good practice pad. If anyone wants one, I can make them one. I think cost in terms of material and labor should be around $5.
9. Writing
heh... that's suffered lately just as much as my studies. I really need to get these letters and packages to Japan. I also need to re-establish contact with people not only over there... but on this side of the Pacific as well. Sigh...
I guess a part of that will be stabilizing my operating systems both on my blackberry and my laptop.
10. OS
Finally found a pretty decent solution to my computing. CCRMA on Fedora 10. I have to compile SAGE from source, but hey... if I can get everything under one roof... It means I'll be far more likely to actually use all the software I want to use. So what if the nay-sayers think Fedora is an unstable and experimental POS. Atleast I can do what I want and not have to worry about latency issues and configuration issues... and the show stopper of them all: random kernel freezes. I don't think i'll ever go back to windows for my personal computing. Not when I can get thousands of dollars worth of software for free without the whole pirating issue nagging my back.
So I gotta get Fedora into a more permanent set up configured to taste. My Blackberry also needs to be upgraded. Hopefully I can get Japanese input working on the damn thing. We'll see though I guess.
11. Recording
I've gotten into the habit of recording all my expenditures. Its helped me determine where my weak points are in terms of finance and has increased the transparency to the whole 'where the hell does all my money go' conundrum. Mint.com and relegating most of my expenses to credit cards help a lot... but the use of cash is also an issue which is why I do the recording by hand. I need to figure out a good system for dealing with receipts (keep them? or shred them? How to organize?). I'm trying to do this with taiko as well so that I can monitor the minutes that I throw at various aspects of the artform. I don't know what I'll get out of recording the amount of practice I toss at something, but I'm sure it'll be useful at some point. Just the act itself should be sufficient because it prioritizes my intentions.
12. Math and Physics
I really need to brush up. This might couple into 'Study' but this kind of warrants its own point. I've spent too much time outside of the math world... Granted I never really completely stepped into it, I think there is a lot to gain from modelling. This doesn't just apply to work and my technical expertise, but stuff like Taiko too. If I could model the way a drum head vibrates (it uses a 2 dimensional J-Bessel function for an infinitesimally thin membrane if I remember right) and parameterize the strike point, you can predict the different types of sounds you should be able to hear. This would be pretty useful for Kris' whole theory behind Shime... or heck... any drum... becoming a sort of melodic instrument.
13. Graduate School
For anyone that's talked to me about work in any sort of depth... I've probably been flipping back and forth between a buttload of general issues regarding career path and graduate school. The latest argument seems to predict a return to UCSD for a PhD. I don't know when it will happen and how Taiko will fit into the picture then... but it looks like I'll be in San Diego for a LONG LONG time.
All in all... life is starting to stabilize again. With this stability comes the ability to branch out a bit more and re-establish those niche parts of my life that got uprooted when I left for Japan and subsequently got a job. I sorely miss the experience that I had over there... but there are plenty of adventures to be had on this side of the Pacific too!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
24?
Had this crazy dream last night where Ayano was killed by a letter bomb... except the bomb was embedded in a high school text book because for some reason we were all in high school. I forget who else was there now... but it was crazy nuts cuz then we fit like 3~4 people on a street bike and rode around for a few nights being chased by some syndicate that had done the deed. Then time reset and I told Ayano about how she was murdered right next to me.
Oh dreams....
Oh dreams....
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Remember OLPC?
No... its not some new drug... but it might be. One Laptop Per Child.
It kinda fell off the media radar awhile back especially with Obama taking up the front pages of everything.
Here's what happened to that project:
http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/columns/bittersweet_facts_about_olpc_and_sugar
It kinda fell off the media radar awhile back especially with Obama taking up the front pages of everything.
Here's what happened to that project:
http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/columns/bittersweet_facts_about_olpc_and_sugar
Friday, May 15, 2009
Where the whole joke back in the day was 'I'll bring a camera' ...
Guess we really were just at the cusp of the digital age.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8043490.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8043490.stm
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Death and Decay Reprise
Last night was odd... I don't remember most of it anymore, but there was one point where I felt I couldn't move. The last time something crazy like this happened... well... nm. Things aren't looking good...
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Lenovo
God I hate this company so much. The 4 times I've dealt with them has always been bad. My personal laptop got sent to the wrong address... TWICE. The thing almost got sent back to the manufacturer in China. Had I been a day late in calling and asking why the heck my laptop got delivered in norcal instead of san diego it might have ended up on the ship back to its maker. My work laptop almost had a similar issue... The laptop got delivered to the wrong office and I had to jump through a bunch of different hoops to get it delivered to the right office. Lenovo has a special account with UPS such that only Lenovo can make changes to the delivery system.
Then when I was in Japan... I discovered my warranty didn't cover Japan because Lenovo in Japan (and presumably other parts of the world) are not the same company at all and are not able to share parts or specs. So in order to get my laptop fixed... I'd have to ship it back to someone in the states, have them deal with the warranty, and ship it back to Japan. UGH... So I went 6 weeks without a computer at home.
My latest issue with lenovo is in replacing a battery that suddenly died (it went from being able to charge to about 80% to holding a 25% charge in a week.. its prolly less now and the damn thing isn't much more than a year old). I bought a refurbed battery straight off of Lenovo's outlet only to find out that the battery for the 14" and the 15" inch version of my model are different... WTF. After talking to the Lenovo folks about it they were like... we'll give you a refund. But I'm still left with a dead battery.
I am never buying from this company ever again. ugh... Unfortunately... I really like their laptops... just their customer service and the way their business is structured bear few benefits for their customers.
Then when I was in Japan... I discovered my warranty didn't cover Japan because Lenovo in Japan (and presumably other parts of the world) are not the same company at all and are not able to share parts or specs. So in order to get my laptop fixed... I'd have to ship it back to someone in the states, have them deal with the warranty, and ship it back to Japan. UGH... So I went 6 weeks without a computer at home.
My latest issue with lenovo is in replacing a battery that suddenly died (it went from being able to charge to about 80% to holding a 25% charge in a week.. its prolly less now and the damn thing isn't much more than a year old). I bought a refurbed battery straight off of Lenovo's outlet only to find out that the battery for the 14" and the 15" inch version of my model are different... WTF. After talking to the Lenovo folks about it they were like... we'll give you a refund. But I'm still left with a dead battery.
I am never buying from this company ever again. ugh... Unfortunately... I really like their laptops... just their customer service and the way their business is structured bear few benefits for their customers.
Toothbrush and toothpaste
So I went to the dentist yesterday for my overdue 6 month check up. I had such a great experience with my dentist in Japan that I figured I'd continue the tradition over here. I got more or less the same experience I had 2~3 years ago when I was forced to go in from teething pains (I had a wisdom tooth coming in and coincidentally forced to go again in Japan from gingivival pains most likely associated with said wisdom tooth). The result was basically this "wow... you have no prosthetics in your mouth" and then after looking at the x-rays with scrutiny finding borderline shadows that MIGHT be cavities.
Going to the dentist makes me conscientious about my oral health so getting home I renewed the research on the topic... here are my findings:
The toothbrush has been around for freaking ever so it really doesn't matter what you get on the shelf as long as the bristles are soft and the head is the right size (not ridiculously huge but not so small that you'll forget to cover everything)
http://www.sheldoncomics.com/archive/090503.html
Sorry, that was just a useless comic illustrating the useless evolution of the toothbrush. Here's something a bit more involved:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/fashion/20SKIN.html?ref=health
Which basically states buying anything more than ol' reliable is an effort in futility (because your brushing technique doesn't require all the bells and whistles) or catering to sloth or ignorance.
Here's a bit of news (well kinda... it IS the onion) that makes me think the toothbrush industry in this country would do well to get their noses out of their own design books and look elsewhere for inspiration...
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/32636
because it was disappointing to come home to america and find that the toothbrush I was quite happy with over in Japan to be non-existent on this side of the Pacific. I suppose it was a pretty rare brush over there because the dentist said you could only get it from a dentist office. The imitations off the shelf (that have also made it here at the asian supermarkets) don't quite have the same zing... the slim brushes are too long. The brush is called Ruscello III, while the stuff you can find here are something along the lines of mooble mooble and Dentek.
Prior to toothbrushes, I was looking at something a bit more involved... toothpaste. Because I don't want the hassle of dealing with fillings and the constant fear that one might fall out. I had one fall out when I was a kid and while picking food out of the hole was fun at first... it became really annoying after awhile... and breaking in a new filling with its sharp edges sucks too not to mention the idea of having mercury stuck in your mouth or having to compromise with with structurally inferior resin composites for those superficially aesthetically appealing pearly whites.
so there are a number of flouride options, which some debate to be bad for your health because of some claim that putting flouride in our water and toothpaste was a good way to get rid of some of our WWII toxic waste.
http://www.aroma-essence.com/research-reports/fluoride.html
And here's a bit of info on flouride pastes... you gotta scroll past all the generic info that you prolly know already to get to the statistics
http://www.dentalgentlecare.com/toothpaste.htm
The basic on flouride... it kills bacteria and prevents the bad stuff from forming for awhile... and it supposedly promotes remineralization, which hopefully means fixing cavities.
Unfortunately the popular belief (or fact depending on who you ask) is that the only way to fix a cavity is to fill it with crap but that's something I want to avoid for as long as possible.
And then there's some cool new crap called Novamin which is some water-activated bio-glass that one dude claims to have cured his cavities. It can be found in toothpaste form through a company called Oravive. Unfortunately a 6 pack costs freaking 40$ T.T
I guess Sensodyne is pretty up there too...
http://www.dentalfearcentral.org/forum/archive/index.php?t-1309.html
Another note: aside from the dietary changes... one useful thing is his take on dry-mouth. I get it from time to time and its gross... so it might be a useful product.
So what's up with all this info about Dental care? Sitting on the bench with my mouth wide open, it always feels like the Dentist is digging around in a treasure box looking for lucrative tidbits to pillage. I figure as long as my teeth work and aren't taking a nosedive in health, I don't need to get any major dental work done. Sure they're a little imperfect, but I kinda hate that unnatural rack of pearly-white look that hollywood tends to shove down our throats. And my family in particular have had a bad run with the dental industry harassing us with phone calls about our need to get our teeth fixed. Yeah... Right...
Oh... and please don't feel offended when I say people that buy into expensive brushes and the like are tools because I'm guilty of doing the same... I have that mace looking 360 brush sitting in my cup right now and don't follow the proper brushing/flossing/rinsing schedule I should half the time. Whatever gets you to brush the amount you need to get the job done and keeps you healthy is the important thing. Although I hear you shouldn't brush more than 2 times a day especially with a hard bristle brush cuz you'll erode the dentin under the gumline... which is essentially the same thing as sawing your tooth off at the neck (enamel stops at the gumline).
Going to the dentist makes me conscientious about my oral health so getting home I renewed the research on the topic... here are my findings:
The toothbrush has been around for freaking ever so it really doesn't matter what you get on the shelf as long as the bristles are soft and the head is the right size (not ridiculously huge but not so small that you'll forget to cover everything)
http://www.sheldoncomics.com/archive/090503.html
Sorry, that was just a useless comic illustrating the useless evolution of the toothbrush. Here's something a bit more involved:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/fashion/20SKIN.html?ref=health
Which basically states buying anything more than ol' reliable is an effort in futility (because your brushing technique doesn't require all the bells and whistles) or catering to sloth or ignorance.
Here's a bit of news (well kinda... it IS the onion) that makes me think the toothbrush industry in this country would do well to get their noses out of their own design books and look elsewhere for inspiration...
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/32636
because it was disappointing to come home to america and find that the toothbrush I was quite happy with over in Japan to be non-existent on this side of the Pacific. I suppose it was a pretty rare brush over there because the dentist said you could only get it from a dentist office. The imitations off the shelf (that have also made it here at the asian supermarkets) don't quite have the same zing... the slim brushes are too long. The brush is called Ruscello III, while the stuff you can find here are something along the lines of mooble mooble and Dentek.
Prior to toothbrushes, I was looking at something a bit more involved... toothpaste. Because I don't want the hassle of dealing with fillings and the constant fear that one might fall out. I had one fall out when I was a kid and while picking food out of the hole was fun at first... it became really annoying after awhile... and breaking in a new filling with its sharp edges sucks too not to mention the idea of having mercury stuck in your mouth or having to compromise with with structurally inferior resin composites for those superficially aesthetically appealing pearly whites.
so there are a number of flouride options, which some debate to be bad for your health because of some claim that putting flouride in our water and toothpaste was a good way to get rid of some of our WWII toxic waste.
http://www.aroma-essence.com/research-reports/fluoride.html
And here's a bit of info on flouride pastes... you gotta scroll past all the generic info that you prolly know already to get to the statistics
http://www.dentalgentlecare.com/toothpaste.htm
The basic on flouride... it kills bacteria and prevents the bad stuff from forming for awhile... and it supposedly promotes remineralization, which hopefully means fixing cavities.
Unfortunately the popular belief (or fact depending on who you ask) is that the only way to fix a cavity is to fill it with crap but that's something I want to avoid for as long as possible.
And then there's some cool new crap called Novamin which is some water-activated bio-glass that one dude claims to have cured his cavities. It can be found in toothpaste form through a company called Oravive. Unfortunately a 6 pack costs freaking 40$ T.T
I guess Sensodyne is pretty up there too...
http://www.dentalfearcentral.org/forum/archive/index.php?t-1309.html
Another note: aside from the dietary changes... one useful thing is his take on dry-mouth. I get it from time to time and its gross... so it might be a useful product.
So what's up with all this info about Dental care? Sitting on the bench with my mouth wide open, it always feels like the Dentist is digging around in a treasure box looking for lucrative tidbits to pillage. I figure as long as my teeth work and aren't taking a nosedive in health, I don't need to get any major dental work done. Sure they're a little imperfect, but I kinda hate that unnatural rack of pearly-white look that hollywood tends to shove down our throats. And my family in particular have had a bad run with the dental industry harassing us with phone calls about our need to get our teeth fixed. Yeah... Right...
Oh... and please don't feel offended when I say people that buy into expensive brushes and the like are tools because I'm guilty of doing the same... I have that mace looking 360 brush sitting in my cup right now and don't follow the proper brushing/flossing/rinsing schedule I should half the time. Whatever gets you to brush the amount you need to get the job done and keeps you healthy is the important thing. Although I hear you shouldn't brush more than 2 times a day especially with a hard bristle brush cuz you'll erode the dentin under the gumline... which is essentially the same thing as sawing your tooth off at the neck (enamel stops at the gumline).
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