Tech Talk

Fireside Is Dead To Me

Wed, 1 May 2013 03:37:45 +0000

Looks like the whole gang is here...don't mind if i chime in. Indeed that was a gutsy review by bateman, dishonoring our beloved lmu gem of a bar;gutsy but justified and i wouldnt expect it from anyone but baitman, who tends to put all his cards on the table regardless of how they may play out, an admirable quality in my opinion. I can only hope this review is half as gutsy yours bateman. Back to thompkins square, not fireside, but thompkins square, lets not confuse the two, that is my only qualm with bateman's review. Those of us who are old enough to truly remember stepping foot in the old dingy fireside will never confuse such a genuinely unique dive bar aura for thompkins square. Fireside may not have had the best furniture or the nicest bartenders or the most delicious artisan bar food or even the finest selection of liquor, wine and draft beer. But do you know what the fireside had that thompkins square never will? Character. Bateman said it best when he refered to it as unspectacular. Thompkins square is just another cookie cutter wannabe gastro pub trying to cater to a small community of wealthy westchester citizens all the while ignoring the massively profitable elephant in the room that is the university student body all because they are to proud to alter their beloved upscale concept which is painstakingly sandwiched between a sketchy liquor store and a kfc/taco bell combo. To all of you faithful thompkins square lovers i would say this: I feel pity that you are forced to hang your hat on such a dreadfully average establishment and i hope that someday someone will return the corner of lincoln and manchester to its former glory. Godspeed bateman. The fireside is dead to me.

Apple Inc. Quick Tip by RabidChihuahua

Thu, 7 Feb 2013 23:56:26 +0000

First of all, I'd like to say that I'm NOT a fanboy for Microsoft and PCs, I just hate Apple.

I don't like Apple for many reasons. One of them is for the fact that for what you get in the products they sell, you get horribly price-gouged. I'm not joking, I have an Alienware Aurora gaming desktop with an i7 Quad Core 2.66 gHz processor, dual 1 GB graphics cards, 9 GB DDR3 RAM, a 1 TB hard drive, a 21 inch 1080p monitor, and a keyboard and mouse specially made for gaming for a total of about $2500. A friend of mine got a Mac Pro that has about 80% of the computing power my Aurora desktop does, yet that Mac Pro cost $3500 (this measurement took place in early 2011). At least in this respect, you're paying $1000 on a name.

Also, I think from a business point of view, Apple makes a lot of stupid decisions. This company maintains a totally empty "elite" status symbol with its niche customer base, and they'd sell a hell of a lot more computers if they'd drop the prices to the point of making them competitive with PCs. They'd make even more money if they'd license their operating systems and exclusive software to people that don't own Apple electronics.

I should also point out that if you're into playing games on your computer, there aren't nearly as many games to choose from on a Mac as there is for computers with Windows on it.

Even if I ever start making over $100K a year, I won't give Apple a penny of my money because they'll still be the same hipsters price-gouging people getting a totally meaningless status symbol in return.

Banyan Tree Bangkok Quick Tip by Sharrie

Sat, 8 Sep 2012 08:43:23 +0000

It would have been in negative territory if not saved by a few of its friendly and hospitable staff!
The hotel is in subpar standard and not well kept. Unfortunately, Banyan Tree precedes its own reputation in the past and that has created a letdown experience.

Too many frustrations during check-in and leave a bitter aftertaste. Other than that, there are something in the hotel that's worth applauding too! Considering the prices it's charging, it is not forgivable for it to make such mistakes!!!

Moo Business Cards Quick Tip by Sharrie

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 12:53:22 +0000

I gave Moo another trial after the last undelivered order as I like some artwork by one of its designers and there was a discount of some 30%. From order to arrival, it takes some 3 weeks from London to Hong Kong. That is taking a tad too long as far as I'm concerned. The discount was only a few dollars after deducting the shipping cost. I'm generally happy with the cards, especially the postcards and the stickers. It'd be better if the shipping time could be a little shorter without having to incur too much in shipping cost!

Hence, I'm upgrading the rating from a -1 to +2. I do like the printing quality and the flexibility in the designs. It'd probably be a better deal for those who resides in US and Europe!

If you'd like a discount, email me and I'll send you a code for a 10% discount!

Gold Quick Tip by Sharrie

Tue, 9 Aug 2011 03:03:41 +0000

In just less than 2 months, it has moved from a low of around $1500 to $1750+ (as of this writing) Gold is said to have become the unofficial reserve currency of the world! Uptrend intact with minor corrections along the way. Investors are loading up gold despite the fact that it's very much overbought at current level. Goldman Sach has put an immediate price target of $1860 while I do think that it'll hit at least $2000 in no time!

Gold rules! Staggering losses in stock markets around the world! More bloodshed if governments are unable to calm the markets!

Reuters News Pro for iPad Quick Tip by Sharrie

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 04:13:57 +0000

One of the most useful business news reader for me, where the iPad is concerned. In fact, it now covers U.S., Canadian, UK, India and China's financial and top news! Considering what my office used to have to pay for its services, getting it for free (naturally not the full version) is a steal. For most users, this app will suffice!

There is also a real time currency converter on this one!

The See's Candy Rules of Engagement

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:09:47 +0000

Among the many benefits of living on the west coast, one of the perks that is often overlooked is the availability of See's Candy from the Southern California local. It is so easy to obtain out here, that we sometimes take it for granted. After recently witnessing some cavalier attitudes towards the mixed chocolate box of deliciousness, I felt it might be time to introduce the See's Rules of Engagement.

When you decide to take a piece of chocolate from a See's box, you are entering into a contract. You are blindly taking a leap of faith that the piece of chocolate you pick will be of your liking, but even if it's not, you are obligated to finish that piece of candy. Throwing a half eaten piece of candy away is wasteful, and even worse, the offender is usually quick to back into the box to their luck again (once again without any qualms about tossing another half-eaten piece of candy into the trash). This is chocolate we're talking about. It's not like there's a poison chocolate in there, or a chocolate covered brussel spout. Worse case is you get nuts when you wanted nugget or a cherry when hoping for caramel. Suck it up and finish the piece of chocolate.

Some people try to sidestep the rule above by cutting the chocolate in half to see what's in the middle. That defeats the whole purpose. Forrest Gump didn't say, "Life is like a box of chocolates... stick a knife in it and see what oozes out". No one wants to grab the discarded half piece of chocolate that's already been passed over more times than a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. Unless you go in with an accomplice who's willing to eat the other half of your butchered chocolate (while adhering to the rule above), then put the knife down.

In the case where you receive a double decker chocolate box, no one is permitted to "go downstairs" until the top layer has been completely finished. There's nothing worse than taking one for the team by taking the last remaining "nuts and chews", removing the dividing layer and finding nothing but a collection of empty grave wrappers down below. I'm sure as technology advances, we will eventually have a See's chocolate box with some sort of laser protection seal which prevents people from accessing the lower level until the top level has been finished, but until then, we will have to rely common decency.

See's chocolates are a privilege, not a right. By adhering to these rules of engagement, the experience will be even more enjoyable for all.

Banyan Tree Macau Quick Tip by Sharrie

Thu, 7 Jul 2011 09:11:44 +0000

It opens its door to visitors just over a month ago and yet its spa business is thriving so much so you ought to make your appointment before arrival or check-in! By far the most expensive hotel in the newly opened Galaxy World, a gigantic complex comprising of 3 mega hotels, the Banyan Tree, Okura from Japan & the Galaxy very own hotel.

Personally, I prefer Banyan Tree in the resort style setting. This one though is a city resort. It's pricey as far as Macau goes.

The World is GREEDY!

Thu, 7 Jul 2011 07:09:38 +0000

This review was originally published on Feb. 3, 2010 on Lunch.com.

Is it Sports or is it simply a mechanic of capitalism?

Tennis, Football, Basketball, Golf… they are all multi-billion dollar businesses and a lot is at stake for the players and audiences alike. Games could be rigged. Coaches could be replaced depending on how the games were being played.

Rigging aside, there is also the question of underground gambling and betting. It seems they do go hand in hand. To deny all these are existing in the background is to deny the existence and influences of capitalism. Authorities may institutionalize the gaming of sport games. That in essence is the most obvious case of capitalism functioning at its grassroots level.

We are too far into the world of capitalism to deny its existence & its vices. The world can simply be easily classified into a "no money no talk' kind of societies. It is so deep rooted now that it even penetrates families and the institutions of education, hospitals and leisure (or should I say, especially so?).

Milton Friedman on Capitalism

Education
Well, how many families need to be financially sound to send their children to a private school and then tutoring from the early stage of life? Can you get a good education in the later stage of life if you didn't go to a good one to lay down the foundation? I very much doubt it as with many parents as well. So, what did they do? Charity works simply so that their children could get into a specific or choice of school (or even day care for that matter!)? Voluntary work too, am I not right? It is more rampant in the developed cities than the developing ones, I do believe. Think Harvard, do you think anyone could simply go to Harvard? I very much doubt it. Same for Cambridge, Yale or MIT.

Dalai Lama on Capitalism & Education

Health Care
Hospitals need funding and the best hospitals in L.A., New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong or Singapore are among the most pragmatic in the world. They do not even allow you to enter the hospitals if you do not have a medical insurance policy in place or a fat bank account. Talk about the medical field's intention of saving human lives. I'm not being cynical, just pragmatic. Look at health care in California State; plenty of people with cancer are dying at home simply they don't have the funds needed to even get the medication to alleviate pains, let alone treatment and chemotherapy or surgery!

Bill Gates on Capitalism

Ronald Reagan & Barack Obama on Capitalism

Like it or not, Capitalism is here to stay. How we choose to deal with it is up for discussion, I'd say. And how the world choose to balance the power of money & greed is up to the world's largest economies & governments. I do believe we're seeing a change. Good or bad? I'm not so sure. What work before may no longer work in the future. Globalization has brought about such a big gap in the have and the have not that the world is destabilized, imho. We are up for a major change in how we conduct our lives and businesses.

Can Slim?!

Tue, 5 Jul 2011 07:55:02 +0000

This review was originally posted on May 4, 2009 but since no one has rated it and not a great deal of people have read it, I'm reposting it today.

Written on May 4, 2009
Today, I found out about Can Slim. By the way, it's a registered trademark. Sure, I need anything that helps! I've been putting on way too much weight after my 2 year stint in Shanghai, China. Food is great in that city and for now, still cheap. But, the world doesn't simply stop today and with time, it gets more and more expensive by the day! I can attest to this after having visited the city of Shanghai since 10 years ago. Inflation is high! So, I certainly need anything that can slim me down!

Can Slim is not a diet pill, nor is it a diet drink. It is something I still need to know and keep in mind. It is an investment strategy. To make my life simple, I don't plan to repeat what others have done. Instead, I'm just going to quote what Wikipedia has written. In case anyone of you have not come into close encounter with wikipedia, this is your major discovery today. I love Wikipedia, it is the best tool I've ever found on the net, other than Google, that is. Try it and find out what it can do! I know most of the English speaking world has come across Wiki many years ago. But since I am assuming some of my readers will be from China, I can quite safely say today, most of them have not used Wiki before. In fact, even on Wikipedia home page, Chinese language is not highlighted; instead I've to search high & low before I can find it. So, I'm assuming there aren't many pages uploaded in Chinese although that'll likely change in the future. What the Chinese knows well for now is Baidu (百度). And I'm sure many parts of the English world have not discovered Baidu yet. Baidu is what someone in China has labeled as Chinese Google. It is the most popular Chinese search engine. & it has the most good looking & young CEO I've come across (who happens to be bilingual too!)! When Baidu was listed on Nasdaq, his networth was as high as $1 billion! Amazing, isn't it?

Ooops, too much sidetrack. Back to the main topic, Can Slim. According to Wikipedia, "CAN SLIM refers to theseven-pronged mnemonic publicized by the American newspaper Investor's Business Daily, which claims to be a checklist of the characteristics performing stocks tend to share before their biggest gains. It was developed by Investor's Business Daily editor William O'Neil who has reportedly made several hundreds of millions of dollars by consistently using its approach."

C - Current earnings
A - Actual earnings
N - New product/service

S - Supply & Demand
L - Leader/Legard ?
I - Institutional sponsorship
M - Market Indexes

The way I see it, well, it's the Micro (CAN) + Macro (SLIM) Combo. I was joking with another colleague that there ought to be a third dimension to this strategy. There is that most important element, PSYCHOLOGY! A good understanding of human nature (weaknesses & strengths) will make the added dimension a 3-D powerplay. That possibly is what the world markets are all about! So, what do you think?

Money Quick Tip by Madpenguin

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 19:12:29 +0000

This is the one color no one is prejudice against, and the one entity that can move mountains. Some folks say you can't take money to hell with you. Perhaps. But you can send a lot of people you don't like there with it. Where's my checkbook?

Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age Quick Tip by Sharrie

Sun, 12 Jun 2011 12:42:37 +0000

Lots of potentials with regards to how we use our time & participate in this virtual world of ours. However, I much prefer Shirky's 2008 book HERE COMES EVERYBODY to his latest. We are in transition as regard to our roles in the new world and Shirky didn't quite spell out where we should focus our energies on, imho. He did bring in some interesting observations with regards to what's happening in the world of ours. As with us, this book seems like a transition, more like a series which I'm quite sure he'll follow up with a sequel.

Entertaining, interesting but not too enlightening!

Skype Quick Tip by Sharrie

Mon, 23 May 2011 02:34:21 +0000

Skype makes life easy and with it I can keep in touch with the rest of the world for free or at an affordable price (for those who still use landlines). A great communication tool!

Singapore Airlines Quick Tip by Sharrie

Sat, 21 May 2011 16:57:56 +0000

Newest fleet of planes & the most on-time airline I've traveled on. Commonly known as SQ or SIA in Asia, Singapore Airlines is the most profitable airline in the world. It holds a good safety record and good value if you buy your tickets outside Singapore itself! Don't ask me why but it certainly feels like dumping to me for some reason. Never mind that, as a customer, you can be rest assured you've the very best of it all when you are on SIA!

Money Quick Tip by Sharrie

Mon, 16 May 2011 04:28:20 +0000

As with time, spending it I had and guess what, it's now in short supply. In essence, we may think too much about making money & too little about how to spend it wisely. Our generation and the next needs to save more! Ok, I'm guilty of not doing so and I'm living dangerously! Money management is the key to success in every corporation and individual!

Gold Quick Tip by Sharrie

Mon, 16 May 2011 04:19:24 +0000

It amounts to cash, need i say more? It's called Yellow Gold in the Orient but when it comes to Gold, I prefer White Gold :-) When it comes to cash, I don't really care which form they comes in as long as it's valid!

Robin Li Quick Tip by Sharrie

Sun, 1 May 2011 10:17:45 +0000

He could have stayed in the U.S. Instead, unlike many of his predecessors, he flew home to China and began his influences in the world-wide-web. We are referring to his search engine and company, Baidu. Baidu is the most popular Chinese search engine which even supersedes Google's influence in this part of the world.

Robin Li may have been criticized for many things but I do believe he has made the world a better place for some 1.5 billion Chinese both in China and the world! He also proves that one doesn't have to be an American to be highly successful! He lives the dream of many Chinese youths and entrepreneurs! Both fluent in English and Chinese, Robin Li is one of the most successful person in China!

Business Week Quick Tip by Sharrie

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 03:40:10 +0000

I hardly buy Business Week but at one time I could get them on airline lounges or on the plane itself. That's when I begin to read about its articles. These days, I visit Businessweek.com occasionally to see what's up in the business arena. It's sufficient for my needs and is still a very good source of information. It's free too!

For those who like the entire magazine, you can now get them on Zinio.com for as low as $1 an edition!

U.S. Dollar (USD) Quick Tip by Sharrie

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 02:30:55 +0000

Since my last quick tip on Nov 10, almost 6 months ago, the US$ has & is still heading further south. I'm expecting to go another 10% at the least before it stabilizes. The worst scenario? Quite easily 20% if some joker ends up being the new president!!! Of course, I may be wrong ;-)

Inflation Quick Tip by Sharrie

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 07:41:05 +0000

Interestingly, the only way to beat inflation is to spend those worthless money if you still have any of them left! Otherwise, be prepared for devaluation (if it's not already in progress!)!

August Status

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 14:36:21 +0000

By Dr. Joseph S. Maresca

April 2010 BP Gulf Oil Spill- Mid-August Status

The Skytruth Oil Spill Tracker showed the following improvements from a visual inspection of a map depicting the major areas of the spill with both small and large red dots. During May 2010, there were 3 large red dots on the map in the New Orleans area, 1 large red dot in Sarasota, Florida and a smaller dot just North of Havana.

By August, the initial 3 large dots in the New Orleans area were reduced to much smaller red Padre Island National Seashore - Kemps Ridley Sea Turtle (Wikipedia)dots. The large red dot in Sarasota, Florida was reduced to a smaller one and the small dot just above Havana disappeared. There are still some scattered smaller dots throughout the Gulf region.

John Amos of Skytruth indicated that 1 subsurface of oil washed ashore on Alabama beaches 8-12-2010 nearly 1 month after the well was capped. Currently, BP continues work to finish the relief wells in order to seal the gusher for good.

Scientists from NOAA’s Damage Assessment Remediation and Restoration Program (DARRP) mobilized resources quickly in the Gulf. The NOAA team collected data from pre-oiled and oiled natural resources. This information is critical to the natural resource damage assessment (NRDA) process.

Data collected in the Gulf will help determine whether or not natural resources have been injured and what human uses have been impaired. Once the injuries and losses have been quantified, NOAA and its partners will work to compensate the public by restoring, rehabilitating, or replacing the natural resources damaged by the oil spill.

Work by federal and state partners under the Oil Pollution Act is currently in the preassessment phase to determine whether or not injury to public natural resources has occurred and the extent of the same.

Species with essential fish habitat near the oil spill include: scalloped hammerhead, shortfin mako, silky, whale, bigeye thresher, longfin mako, and oceanic whitetip sharks; swordfish, white marlin, blue marlin, yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna, longbill spearfish, and sailfish. Other important fish in the Gulf include red snapper, grouper, gray triggerfish, red drum, vermilion snapper, greater amberjack, black drum, cobia and dolphin (mahi-mahi), coastal migratory pelagic (open water) species, such as king and Spanish mackerel, and pelagic sharks. Shellfish in the Gulf include oysters and several species of shrimp and crabs. Of the 28 species of marine mammals known to live in the Gulf of Mexico, all are protected and six (sperm, sei, fin, blue, humpback and North Atlantic right whales) are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

At least four species of threatened/endangered sea turtles (Kemp’s Ridley, green, leatherback, and loggerhead) are residents of the northern Gulf of Mexico and are represented by all life stages. A fifth species, the hawksbill turtle, can be found in the southern Gulf. The only nesting beaches in the world for Kemp’s Ridley turtles are in the western Gulf of Mexico.

Marshes in the Gulf of Mexico provide extremely important habitat for feeding and nesting of several species that can be found in offshore waters, such as royal terns and gulls. Species of concern include near shore and marsh birds: brown pelican, diving ducks, wading birds, piping plover (a threatened species) and pelagic (open water) birds such as shearwaters, northern gannets, and frigate birds. Marine mammals, fish, and birds depend on clean, healthy habitats to provide food, shelter, and breeding grounds. These habitats include salt and fresh water marshes, mangroves, mudflats, beaches, coral and shellfish reefs, water column and bottom sediments. (ADAPTED FROM DARRP, NOAA)

Currently, BP claims that they are doing everything possible. "We continue to seal the Macondo well permanently, clean up the environment, and make sure that people are compensated for legitimate claims." BP Completed a Well Pressure Test with results under review right now. More than 23k people, 3k vessels & 800 skimmers are at work responding to the oil spill. Following comprehensive FDA testing, the Louisiana Dept of Wildlife & Fisheries reopened some state waters to fishing.

Offshore Drilling, Disaster Planning Response

After The Cleanup: Future Clean Energy Sources

2011 And Beyond: Contingency Oil Rig Disaster Operations

Oil Spill 2010: Disaster Recovery Plan Needed

Oil Spill 2010: Planning For Hurricanes, Tsunamis, Cleanup

Oil Spill 2010: Clean Up And Recovery Patented Ideas

Joseph S. Maresca Ph.D., CPA, CISA, MBA: His significant writings include over 10 copyrights in the name of the author (Joseph S. Maresca) and a patent in the earthquake sciences. He holds membership in the prestigious Delta Mu Delta National Honor Society and Sigma Beta Delta International Honor Society.

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Grand Hyatt Macau Hotel (Cotai) Quick Tip by Sharrie

Sun, 3 Apr 2011 05:37:31 +0000

Stayed here again some 2 weeks ago. Check-in is darn slow and truly tested my patience. We booked through the phone about half an hour before arrival for a spa package (with rooms included, MOP 2500++) and yet the reception couldn't find the reservation! Concierge, Randy, was great and helpful. Room was spacious and nice as with the Spa services. However, TV and broadband were not working well and staff attitudes aren't great!

Four Seasons Hotel Macau Quick Tip by Sharrie

Sun, 3 Apr 2011 05:30:05 +0000

Opulent, elegant and massive, Four Seasons Hotel in Macao is one of the most luxurious accommodation in the world's capital of the gaming industry. Like any Four Seasons in the world, FS Macao embodies the finest of living and entertainment. It boasts some 360 guest rooms (over 80 of which are suites) and 5 swimming pools (which I happened to like very much, though I didn't swim when I was there 2 weeks ago)! Yet, the Four Seasons at Cotai Strip is intimate and serene amidst the bustle of an energetic city. I shall return! Rates are better if booked through travel agency upon arrival at the ferry terminal.

Westin Grande Sukhumvit Bangkok Quick Tip by Sharrie

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 14:58:09 +0000

A reasonably old hotel across from Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit which is more luxurious and has better choices of facilities. Westin has friendly staff but the hotel makes you pay for almost everything, ie. breakfast and internet access!

Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi Quick Tip by Sharrie

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:52:11 +0000

Good location and services. Breakfast is excellent. Room is a tad small and twin beds are exceptionally small for a 5* hotel!!! Hyper expensive too!

All Seasons Sathorn Bangkok Quick Tip by Sharrie

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:47:55 +0000

Great location (next to France & Malaysia Embassy on Sathorn Road; within walking distance to Sala Daeng BTS) and nice room decor. I do not like the feel of the hotel though. Old building with a dorm feel to it. Certainly lacks the hotel quality.

Passing with flying colors

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:44:49 +0000

This is the first All Seasons by Accor hotels that I'm staying in and reviewing. I must say it has surpassed any expectation I've of it! Coming out of Westin Sukhumvit (a 5* hotel, you know, it's Westin! Review coming soon...) and checking into a "budget" (presumably 3*) hotel can be a daunting experience. But, it is NOT and that's the best news of the day!

I've no idea what All Seasons hotels are like, except that it's one of Accor's many brands. It's actually in the same category with Ibis (on Accor's website) and I had stayed in Ibis when in Europe. They are clean and affordable so I've a little idea of how All Seasons might be like (esp. since i've also been in many budget business hotels in China; mostly chains by local entrepreneurs who have listed these companies on Nasdaq!). I saw the many All Seasons in Bangkok and decided to try one of its newest (if I remember correctly, there are no All Seasons in US yet, most are found in Europe and Australia). From the pictures online, it looks great and knowing the quality of furniture in Thailand, I know it's not going to be bad. The only concern is location (as you well know, if you had been to Bkk, the traffic here can be horrendous!). I spotted on the website All Seasons Victory Monument and the site said it's only 2 mins walk from a BTS train (station is not Victory Monument but one stop north of it). I know this would be it! After checking out the price (with tax included, it's only THB 1200 a night!). That's just very tempting offer, isn't it? A mere US$40 (everything inclusive, SC+taxes which amounted to 17% & a buffet breakfast)!

These days, 5* hotels are overcharging its customers. Hotels like All Seasons will capture quite a bit of business from the gap between prices and services. So, before we get on to what's wrong with 5* hotels, let's dwell on what is right with All Seasons.

Location
It's not on Sukhumvit or Silom or Sathorn. Where it is is north of Siam, about 4 stations away and tucked in a quiet neighborhood. I like it because there aren't so many vendors and people loitering around it like those hotels on Sukhumvit. Traffic is less and you don't see prostitutes around either although I can't vouched for other guests who might bring them back. On the neighborhood though, it's quiet and clean. There's a 7-11 store around where one can get SIM cards to call home or friends in the city.

[Phone cards are usually 99b with stored value of 33b. You may want to get a top up amount of 60b which would allows you to use the SIM card for a period of 1 month.]

Services
I don't know about other All Seasons, this one in Bangkok is on par where services are concerned with those in Westin. Granted, their exposure and training may not be all encompassing but their attitudes are what I'm concerned with. The Thai has great attitude when it comes to the hospitality industry. This makes it such an advantage to the industry as a whole. On my first night here, I was made to feel welcome and at home.

Check-In
I check-in in this particular hotel twice. The first time was perfect, albeit a little slow. The next night, I decided to switch hotel (just for the sake of checking out another on in Sathorn area, embassy strip, which was a little older but from the website, things look perfect. I found out otherwise after a night there). I came back on my 4th night in Bangkok (my first was at Westin).

During my 2nd time checking into this hotel, the new staff is not good in English. I found out in my first night that on the odd number rows of rooms, it's facing a construction site. I didn't want that even though it didn't disrupt my sleep (it's probably because it was a weekend night and they don't work on Sunday!). I specifically told her to give me a room not facing the construction site. I'm now assuming she didn't understand the word "construction" or she didn't know which room faces what! Anyway, it's just a minor problem and after getting to the room I had managed to get it changed quite quickly (assuming the bellboy tells her what the problem was after I pointed out to him the construction site!).

Another strange thing about check-in process in this hotel is this. I reserved under two reservation for my 4th and 5th night. Same hotel but 2 different online bookings as there is a special on the Monday night. During check-in, I told the staff that I'd be staying in the hotel for 2 nights in the same room. Normally, in other hotels, you can either pay everything upfront or pay everything later. In this case though, they made me pay every morning instead. They don't even want to take authorization. Everything is settled daily. Not the usual practices in most foreign hotels.

Lobby
Lobby is nice spacious and bright with a wine bar around it where you can order something to chill off. It's a nice color theme and I do love the look of it. Drinks are reasonably priced and delicious!

I didn't see any group tours around the few days I was there and I hope it stays that way too. Most are independent travelers from Europe and Hong Kong. Didn't see any Americans either. Understandable since they are usually found in Starwood hotels or Marriott and Holiday Inn chains of hotels. This one belongs to Accor so the Europeans are most familiar with it.

Rooms
Bed is king sized and very comfortable. I love the fact that it makes full use of spaces and the floor is not carpeted which translates to better upkeeping. Bathroom is much bigger than most budget hotels and nicely decorated. No toothbrush provided unless you ask housekeeping for it.

No CNN but Fox News is available.

Rooms are equipped with mini-bars and safety deposit boxes. Mini bar items are reasonably priced and laundry facilities are available.

Facilities
This hotel has some of the best facilities with swimming pools and exercise rooms. I was surprised but I suspected it'll upgrade itself to a 4* hotel when it has a stable occupancy rate.

Restaurant
I was impressed with the food quality of this particular hotel. The Thai food is even better than some of those in-town restaurants like Cabbages & Condoms. I love it so much so I had spent almost all my meals here! In addition, the prices are reasonable and if on extended stay, I'd have consider making this my home! Love the curries (130-140 thai baht) and fresh Mango, Lychee and Strawberry juices (90 baht) here! Tom Yum Goong is excellent too. Stay clear of the noodles though.

Just one tiny tip, if there are many people and they have not been served and you're very hungry, try eating somewhere else. Service is a little slow at night (I suspect there's only one chef in the night!).

Prices
Value for money. Couldn't ask for better! If one intends to eat in a lot and stay here for an extended period of time, Accor does provide further discounts with its Accor Advantage Plus Program.

Ease of reservation
Quick and simple. Credit card is essential.
Official Site: http://www.all-seasons-hotels.com

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Las Vegas Quick Tip by vegaslove

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 22:46:45 +0000

The rooms are actually pretty modern but the service is nonexistent. From check-in, to check-out every experience I had with the staff was a disappointment.

Land O' Lakes Quick Tip by OrganicAWA_farmer1

Thu, 3 Mar 2011 15:57:05 +0000

Doing the Devil's bidding; One of Monsanto's little helpers
By Tim Koegel www.organicpasturedpoultry.com

Long before now, everyone in the organic community as well as most of the conventional community, have become thoroughly familiar with RoundUp Ready Alfalfa (RRA). Of course there have been countless outcries against Monsanto, and it has been Monsanto's name in virtually every print and web article as well as radio and TV show. But if Monsanto is the devil as many would say, then there has been little if any mention of those doing the devil's bidding here, in this case that disciple being Forage Genetics International (FGI). FGI is a wholly (or rather "unholy") owned subsidiary of Land O' Lakes. While Monsanto owns the patented RoundUp Ready (RR) gene, FGI is the developer of RR Alfalfa and licenses the patents to do so from Monsanto.
Many have asked, "Why the big deal now? After all this is only one more in the string of GMOs." Perhaps one of the most significant points in this case is that genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa is the first perennial GMO. It can cross breed with wild alfalfa and provide a rogue GE gene pool, greatly increasing the probability that eventually all alfalfa will become contaminated. Alfalfa is also considered "insectary" due to the large number of insects it attracts, which will also accelerate the genetic contamination. If GMO alfalfa follows the same path as GMO soy and corn, then within 15 years we should expect to see 80-90% of the 21 million acres currently planted in alfalfa to be of a GE variety. This means a serious challenge to producing organic alfalfa, vital for organic dairy. It also means a substantially increased environmental human exposure to the herbicide RoundUp, a known endocrine disrupter.
Plant pathologist Don Huber, PhD, professor emeritus of Purdue University, says the repercussions of introducing Roundup Ready technology to another crop, like alfalfa, could be disastrous. "If indications hold true, we're set up for the greatest disaster that this country or the world has ever seen, that will dwarf any major famine or drought that has ever been recorded," says Huber.
Should consumers choose to take their own action against this assault on human health, we wanted to point out some of the Land O' Lakes brand names & licensees so that you can contact them and tell them what you think about their grand "little" experiment on mankind. Here are a few of the most well known names:

Land O' Lakes
- http://www.landolakesinc.com/utility/contact/default.aspx
- http://www.facebook.com/LandOLakes
- (800) 328-9680

Purina Mills (Livestock feeds)
- http://cattle.purinamills.com/ContactUs/default.aspx
- (800) 227-8941

Dean Foods (Owner of Horizon Organics) packaging LOL products under license
- (214) 303-3400
- Dean Foods Consumer Response P.O. Box 961447 El Paso, TX 79996
- media@deanfoods.com

White Wave (Owned by Dean foods) packaging LOL products under license
- Land O'Lakes products: 800-878-9762
- jarod.ballentine@whitewave.com
- http://www.facebook.com/pages/WhiteWave-Foods/108451807072

Alpine Lace (Lowfat cheese products)
- http://www.alpinelace.com/contact/other.cfm

Of course you could also contact Forage Genetics directly at:
- Forage Genetics International, P.O. Box 339 Nampa, ID 83653-0339
- (800) 635-5701 info@foragegenetics.com
- Mark McCaslin, PhD, President - mccaslin@foragegenetics.com

If consumers let these food giants know that they will NOT buy their poisons, they WILL have no choice but to eventually listen

Go here to get this file in a PDF: http://www.windyridgepoultry.com/GMO_alfalfa1.htm

Grand Hyatt Macau Hotel (Cotai) Quick Tip by Sharrie

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 15:41:21 +0000

Grand Hyatt, Crown and Hard Rock Hotels are 3 hotels that comprise the City of Dreams in Macau; newest entertainment and gaming block in Macau. We stayed at Grand Hyatt this week and Sands Macao last weekend. The rooms are much bigger and better for value in Sands Macao although Grand Hyatt is newer. For the same room rate, one gets a suite in Sands Macao while merely a room in Grand Hyatt. Location wise, they are both good depending on what and where you intend to go and do. Grand Hyatt is just next to The House of Dancing Water theater if you're interested in the HK$2 billion production (US$300 million). Sands Macao is nearly to the downtown area.

Outstanding All Around

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 21:11:04 +0000

My husband and I travel frequently for leisure, and Cedarbrook Lodge is one of the best hotels we have ever experienced. They are a ten minute drive from Seatac airport - they offer a free shuttle to and from the airport.

The staff is very professional and service all around is excellent. We dined at the Copperleaf Restaurant and were very pleased with the service and food quality. There is an emphasis on local food and drink, which we appreciate since one of the main reasons we travel is for the "foodie" experience.

The free breakfast buffet is without a doubt the BEST we have ever had the pleasure of enjoying. Items offered include house-made granola with dried fruit, hazelnuts, and almonds; smoked salmon; an assortment of breads, rolls, and bagels; boiled eggs; oatmeal; cold cereal; coffee, juices, hot cider, hot cocoa, and my favorite (and not a cheap item, either!) - a selection of Mighty Leaf teas!

While we were walking the outdoor paths along the protected wetlands area, we saw a few garden beds and several fig trees - we were later told that the restaurant grows some of its own fruit, vegetables and herbs. The landscaping is beautiful; we enjoyed just being outdoors and were amazed at how clean and crisp the air is, even though the hotel is close to an airport.

We stayed in one of the suites with a fireplace. It was more spacious than we expected, and very clean. Each building has a common area with a fireplace and free snacks such as potato chips, malted milk balls, yogurt, string cheese, bottled water (usually NOT free at hotels!), and mini containers of Haagen Dazs.

We received an incredible deal as AAA members (about 2/3 off regular price for staying 3 nights), so I hope that they continue offering AAA discounts. We will certainly return to Cedarbrook when we visit Seattle. The value for the price is hard to beat.

"Get Motivated!" -- borderline bait and switch and a motivation killer

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:42:33 +0000

Ordinarily, I have a strict rule not to review something I have not finished. However, the “Get Motivated! Business Seminar” isn’t a movie or book whose plot might right itself before the end. It is essentially a mislabeled bottle of wine. It also requires comment from someone (me) who believes that a reviewer’s primary purpose is to warn others not to waste money and time. Don’t get me wrong, I love to praise things, but explaining why something is a waste of time in particular is usually more helpful to a wider audience than saying that a movie is a must-see or similar praise. “Get Motivated!” is not just a colossal waste of time, it is very close to a bait and switch scheme.

The “seminar” in Birmingham had 8 scheduled speakers (one was added after the slate was set and billboards posted--I will get to that in a moment): Rudy Giuliani “America’s Mayor”, Gen. Colin Powell “World-Famous Soldier Statesman”, Laura Bush “Former First Lady”, Rick Belluzzo “Legendary President of Microsoft”, “Zig Ziglar “America’s #1 Motivator” and Krish Dhanam “Top Sales Training Expert” (the other two were Nick Saban Alabama’s football coach and Gene Chizik, Auburn’s football coach I have them listed parenthetically for both symbolic and structural reasons that will hopefully be clear in a few paragraphs).

I am a liberal who doesn’t really care about football, so I am either hostile or indifferent to all but Mr.s Ziglar, Belluzzo, and Dhanam about whom I knew little until looking them up which then put them in either hostile or indifferent categories. I didn’t want to hear any of them speak but the ticket to the event was presented to me and my co-workers in such a way that it seemed attendance was required. Realizing I was baited with something I didn’t like that was switched to something I didn’t want or need, I decided I needed to go to the office and do the work I’m paid to do. Glibly, I was motivated to leave but rather than go home and veg, I did in fact go back to the office to work.

I want to continue the bottle of wine metaphor. The promise on the label is a dry red valued at let’s say $100 discounted to $10. I read the label very carefully thinking there has to be a catch, but I find none. It turns out that the bottle is only half full, is watered down altar wine and comes with a special prize—a crucifix falls into the glass. I wish I was kidding.

Here’s what I mean. The ticket says “Get Motivated!” I assume that the people listed will speak on the topics that appear under their names in the material. Rick Belluzzo “Business Skills” reminded us many times that he worked for Hewlett Packard (he mentioned Microsoft exactly once) and that when the market changes, your business has to change; he makes no mention of how. So cross that off as ineffective. Next was General Powell “Leadership.” He was funny and personable but spent more time talking about his ties to Birmingham through his wife than anything even close to leadership; all I could take away was that I needed to be nice to parking attendants and that if I had grandkids the only way to keep up with them was to get a twitter account. So cross that off as ineffective. Laura Bush was given the vague sobriquet “Special Guest.” Unlike the others she had a podium and written speech which she delivered in the same way any of us would after just half a semester of Public Speaking 101 and with a very heavy drawl. Apparently she was given no assignment to write/read a speech to motivate or inspire. She spent her time giving us an update on her family—I have never liked her family … ever; I didn’t want to know anything about them when any of them were in office let alone now that they are all, hopefully forever and ever, out of the public eye. I left after her speech. But there were two other speakers—one on the billboard, the other not—between General Powell and Ms. Bush, and they are what made me (and make others I will get to in a moment) very angry.

The one not on the billboard was the first of two men I’ll call the “Timeshare-Hardsell” dudes. I don’t want to name them or their “products” here from principle alone, but what they are and do is the issue not who they are. He spent an hour pushing a website/service for buying and selling stock. To retire in a couple of years with a cool two million, all I have to do is follow the red and green arrows on the website to advise me on when to buy and sell; literally all I have to do is click when the arrows say to. But wait, there’s more. The site/service runs a 2 day seminar on how to use the tool and it usually costs $2300. But since we are motivated enough to brave traffic, rain, cold, and hard seats, “Get Motivated!” leaned hard on this company and we can get all of that for the low low low low price of (you guessed it because it is the magic number) $99. The problem is that “Get Motivated!” didn’t expect as many people as showed up, so there are a limited number of slots so better sign up fast. Before more specific comment I want to say I am very proud of the fellow sufferers in section 4U of the BJCC Arena, only about a dozen of the 200ish people took the bait. Though we had been sitting in uncomfortable spots, too close to one another, we stayed where we were – our school of fish lived to swim another day with our finances in exactly the same condition now as before.

First, bullshit. “Get Motivated!” has known for at least a couple of weeks how many people would show up. They would have to get up way earlier than I did – and I got up at an obscene hour in order to get there early enough to get what I call escape-parking (easy in but more importantly, easy out) – for me to fall for that old saw. That offended my intelligence, but what happened sandwiched on either side of Timeshare-Hardsell Dude 1 offended me personally.

Krish Dhanam was supposed to speak on “Communication.” He sort of did, but only the extent of it was to tell your wife and child every day that you love them. For his first turn on the stage about a third of the words he lilted were his own the rest were quotes nearly all from the early days of the American experience. He ran through Patrick Henry’s “Liberty or Death” speech, the whole thing, in about 8 seconds sounding like an Indian auctioneer selling mislabeled bottles of wine (and he forgot to name the actual speaker of that famous quote). I learned his wife’s and son’s name, that he loves them, his father’s birthday, and that he loves him and he can memorize long quotes from other people. So cross that off as ineffective.

The emcee claimed, twice, that when “Get Motivated!” polls people like me, the number one thing we want to hear about are spiritual matters “with finances being second, of course.” Ok, bullshit. Not everyone wants to hear about the Christian God anyway, let alone on a Monday, let alone at a “business seminar” that doesn’t say the first thing about spirituality, but most people going to a business seminar would be interested in hearing about money … I mean business is money, so context tells me that.

However, since most of us want to hear about spiritual matters, they call back Mr. Dhanam to make a second pace around the stage. He explains that, though he had everything he ever wanted, he still had a gaping hole in his heart. Then he went to a seminar very much like this one where he heard what he called a “motivational aphorism.” The short version is “Come into my life lord Jesus Christ and be my number one.” I wish I was kidding, but those are the first words of this motivational aphorism. I sat there totally agape for 10 minutes as 18,000 attendees at what, to all the world looked like a secular gathering, were witnessed to.

This ultimately means one thing, which I will use as a bridge to a wider angle. It means “Get Motivated!” has done the focus studies that tell them people who speak about a personal relationship with “The Living God” as Mr. Dhanam called Him/It connect with other believers making them slightly more likely to agree to whatever is said, even if it is counter to core tenets of faith. That they can afford to offend a wider audience, most of whom were there under the same circumstances as me. Please understand I am not saying that all believers behave as sheep and many around me were offended (and became even more so, apparently when Timeshare-Hardsell Dude 2 used the word “God” in every other sentence pushing his financial brilliance—I cannot speak to that directly since I had already left; but based on what I heard, my head would have exploded had I stayed).

More broadly, “Get Motivated!” uses almost exclusively white men, roughly half are Republicans or openly support conservative candidates. For Birmingham and the next 4 cities (Fresno, San Diego, Portland, Memphis) there are only 2 African Americans—both male—and three women—all white. Of these 5 people--General Powell, Bill Cosby, Laura Bush, Julie Ziglar, and Leigh Ann Tuohy—none have run a business. Ms. Bush and Ms. Ziglar are famous by marriage and Ms. Tuohy is known only because Sandra Bullock played her in a movie. There are people of color and women who have run businesses and can speak specifically to that matter, why are they not on any of the billboards or anywhere in the “Get Motivated!” pipeline?

One telling clue to this is the other people that fill up the billboard: football players and coaches. Joe Montana seems to be a standard for the western sites, Terry Bradshaw and Lou Holtz for the middle of the country (I can’t speak to the east coast at present). And in Alabama? January of 2010 Nick Saban led the Alabama Crimson Eleph…oops Tide to a BCS National Championship. So “Get Motivated!” has him apparently to speak about “Teamwork” but while Alabama began the 2010 season as #1 in the polls, two embarrassing losses ended the hope of a repeat. The slate of speakers would probably not have changed except for the fact that Alabama’s rival, Auburn, took over the #1 spot and a year after the Bama win, Auburn won the same title. Realizing that if Jesus was a Tide fan, the Auburn crowd would become Hindu, “Get Motivated!” had to add Mr. Chizik.

Why?

“Get Motivated!” is structured to do the hard sell to white, straight, married, conservative, Christian men who know a thing or two about football. They also seem to focus on these men living in B to B- cities (Birmingham, not Atlanta; Fresno, not San Francisco; San Diego, not Los Angeles; Portland, not Seattle or again SF; and Memphis, not St Louis). Cynically (and I believe totally realistically), putting a person of color or woman who has or is running a successful business (other than pushing “Get Motivated!” or “Get Motivated!”-lite services) would tend to put off their target audience. Glibly, and again I think realistically, people of color and women who have or are running successful businesses realize that shilling for Timeshare-Hardsell dudes is beneath them.

If they happen to snag a woman, person of color, single, gay, moderate or liberal, religiously-other … I can’t finish that conditional because if that was true the world would probably grind to a halt from the absurdity.

If your company is considering or has paid for tickets to any of the events, please just enter the following into a Google search: “Get Motivated” either the first or second automatic fill-in will be “seminar scam.” Take a quick look at those and realize that taking the office to play paintball is a far better way to motivate people than having them deal with apocalyptic parking problems and sitting in hard seats for 8 hours.

No straight, white, conservative, married, Christian, football loving men were harmed in the writing of this essay. Having been born in Georgia the essayist is allowed by the rococo Alabama Constitution to remain neutral on the Alabama vs Auburn war. And he is a firm believer in the bon mot from Dave Matthews that it isn’t “where but who you’re with that really matters.”

The Strand Quick Tip by Sharrie

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 10:20:38 +0000

An excellent historical hotel in the heart of Yangon. There is a touch of the elegance and the 50s in this hotel. Excellent service & spacious room. If you're around this hotel, make sure you at least try the high-tea here! Yum!

How to bring a little of the Jobs magic into your work and life...

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 03:50:22 +0000

Not too long ago, I had the pleasure of reviewing Carmine Gallo's book The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs. Based on how much I learned from that book, I jumped at the opportunity to review his latest book... The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs: Insanely Different Principles for Breakthrough Success. I wasn't disappointed, either. I found a number of interesting insights on innovation here, and I had more than a few strips of paper marking pages of particular interest. I came away with a greater appreciation for what Jobs has accomplished, as well as some mindsets that are good takeaways for my own areas of interest.

Contents:
Introduction: What the World Needs Now Is More Jobs - Steve Jobs
Principle 1 - Do What You Love
Chapter 2 - Follow Your Heart
Chapter 3 - Think Differently About Your Career
Principle 2 - Put a Dent in the Universe
Chapter 4 - Inspire Evangelists
Chapter 5 - Think Differently About Your Vision
Principle 3 - Kick-Start Your Brain
Chapter 6 - Seek Out New Experiences
Chapter 7 - Think Differently About How You Think
Principle 4 - Sell Dreams, Not Products
Chapter 8 - See Genius in Their Craziness
Chapter 9 - Think Differently About Your Customers
Principle 5 - Say No to 1,000 Things
Chapter 10 - Simplicity Is the Ultimate Sophistication
Chapter 11 - Think Differently About Design
Principle 6 - Create Insanely Great Experiences
Chapter 12 - We're Here to Help You Grow
Chapter 13 - Think Differently About Your Brand Experience
Principle 7 - Master the Message
Chapter 14 - The World's Greatest Corporate Storyteller
Chapter 15 - Think Differently About Your Story
One More Thing... Don't Let the Bozos Get You Down
Notes; Index

Gallo has taken an in-depth look at the life and career of Steve Jobs, and from that he distilled seven main principles that appear at the core of much of the innovation that Jobs has driven. For each principle, he takes two chapters to flesh out the details. The first chapter of the pair focuses primarily on Jobs and how the principle plays out in how Jobs works and what he's accomplished. The second chapter then moves on to others who have displayed the same principle, as well as how you can instill that attitude and character in your own life. Given that Gallo is basing his principles on observation of actions, they are not some ethereal pie-in-the-sky platitudes that don't play out in real life. The principles are solid and down-to-earth, and they are things that you can distill and apply in your own life.

I mentioned that I bookmarked a number of pages. These pages had statements and thoughts that resonated with me, and that I wanted to make sure to revisit. For instance, in the chapter on following your heart, Gallo pointed out that you don't always know where you will end up when you do that. "Dots do not connect looking forward, Jobs would say. Dots only connect when you look backward. You must trust that, by following your curiosity, the pieces will ultimately fit." How very true. The future is unknowable, and often it only makes sense looking back. But you can't live your life looking backward. Another instance is in the chapter on thinking differently about design. All too often we want to do everything and include everything in our products and life. But that doesn't lead to a productive and disciplined life... it just leads to a busy life. He suggests that you follow the example of Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great, and think through a "stop doing" list. Focus on the things that produce value in your product (and your life) and eliminate the chaff that distracts from that. Once done, you stand a much greater chance of truly making a difference.

You could probably spend time looking at the life of Steve Jobs and come up with a different list of "secrets" based on your own observations and viewpoints. But Gallo's material is excellent, and I can't argue with any of his conclusions. While not a perfect person by any means (and nobody is, anyway), Jobs has arguably made a significant different in our lives, and we could do well to incorporate some of his "secrets" in our own lives.

Disclosure:
Obtained From: Publisher
Payment: Borrowed

Telecom Digital Wireless Data Quick Tip by Sharrie

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 03:37:41 +0000

One of the cheapest way to get a connection when in Hong Kong. The monthly fee is HK$8 for 300 mins talk time. There is a min. 6 month subscription which one needs to sign up for. In addition, all telcos in Hong Kong charges a HK$12 monthly service fee (regardless of what type of plan). All in all, we are talking of some 1800 mins during a 6 month period for HK$120 which is about US$15! That's US$2.50 a month! I also like the idea of simply topping up of HK$30 for long distance calls which actually is a steal! Oh, you also get a choice of numbers to pick from.

Happy New Year to All Chinese!

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 06:29:33 +0000

I’m NOT a typical Chinese. I’ve had American friends who claimed that I’m more American than Americans. So, having said that, I think I’m still in a good position to write about Chinese since I do speak the language, live in the country and have had lots of experiences growing up under Chinese households.

Over the years, as we age, my cousins and I are lamenting on how different we are from our parents. There are many obvious differences and yet as they say, there are also chips off the old blocks! My cousin lives in Hong Kong now and is educating his daughter slightly different from the way his parents educated him (more or less, the correct term should be, disciplined).

So, let’s begin with the word DISCIPLINE.
This is one very obvious difference between the Chinese and the American as well as the European societies. Discipline is something that many Chinese households observe. Remember, whatever that’s being discussed about Chinese here is literally generalization, a common thread among most Chinese, NOT everyone.

From young, children are taught to observe discipline. Some families are very strict, while some less strict on this. Depending on how much western education influences the parents to begin with. So, it is quite safe to say if the parents are those that have had higher education abroad or studied in English schools, they’d be less strict on this front.

There are often household rules that one has to observe. Say for example, the young in the family should always greet everyone first before eating and should be the last one to take the food on the table. Adults will have the first dip into whatever that’s on the table. You shouldn’t start eating until the most senior person (say, your grandparents or your parents or relatives) has begun. Manners are being taught from a young age. I do believe this is the same among many Asian families. In many ways, Chinese children are often restricted in terms of movement and freedom of speech. It is taught to be very disrespectful if you rebut a senior. Also, one will never dream of addressing one’s parents or older relatives by name!!! There are many more instances of unwritten rules that one will have to abide by, as some of these practices will ultimately fall into your work place.

OBEDIENCE is the result of “training” under the principle Discipline. It is one of the end results. Being obedient is treasured and highly looked upon in society. That’s why you do not see much creativity or innovation in the Chinese Society. It is not encouraged and prized for one to be the odd one out or to be unique. Parents will never encourage individuality in their children. If they do, it is because there is something that they couldn’t accomplish when young and hope to see it accomplished by their off-springs. It is usually not because their kids are born different! Chinese parents see their children more an extension of themselves rather than individuals with their own destinies. That’s why you see parents planning so many things (in terms of education and extra-curriculum) for their kids in the hope that they would be ahead of others in life. Chinese will always have this fear, that they’d be left behind by societies (since there are no social welfare nor is anyone going to care if you die in the streets; too many Chinese in China and the world that even if you’d like to help, there are just too many of them and there is no decent way to help!). Hence, from young, Chinese are being told and ingrained in their subconscious that one is on his/her own. The only possible support one may have is from one’s own family. That brings me to the 3^rd observation and principle. Family!

FAMILY is the backbone of every Chinese society. It is where one gets support and affirmations. If your family is powerful, your life is much more pleasant than most as long as you follow the rules and doesn’t mess it up on your own. Family reputation is being highly looked upon. If your family reputation is good, you get lots of societal approval and hence life is made easier. As you may have known, each Chinese has a specific dialect he/she speaks, depending on which area of China his/her heritage is. If one is from Shanghai, one speaks Shanghainese. If one is from Canton (present day Guangdong, in south China, near to Hong Kong) then one speaks Cantonese. Most Hongkongers are descendents of Chinese from the Guangdong province and hence speaks Cantonese. There are others like those from Taiwan have had grandparents from the Fujian province, hence speaking Fujian or Hokkien. Some Chinese presently living in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore are descendents from Fujian. Hence if one can speak these dialects, one can converse with Chinese in these countries, ie. You don’t always have to speak Mandarin! Most of those Chinese you see in Chinatowns in L.A., San Francisco, Toronto and Vancouver are descendents from Guangdong (Canton) province who speak Cantonese or Taishan (another variation of Cantonese which I do speak too). All in all, I can speak 4 dialects on top of Mandarin. Hence, I’ve had no problem conversing with most Chinese :-)

Now, why do I explain about these dialects? Well, you see, in the past, there are clans. Clans are formed among people either with the same family name or come from a specific village. Businesses are built around these clans. People from the same clan with do business with those they know. Hence, reputation comes into play and thus trust and ultimately credit! In other words, strangers are frowned upon in these relationships. There are no way for one to check on reliability if one is not known. That is why Americans find it hard to do business with the Chinese. Unless, one has the reputation of Coca-Cola or McDonald! Now, there are good and bad from this kind of reasoning. Sometimes, if your reputation precedes you, you’d find that you’ve an easy way doing business with Chinese. Many times, your reputation is your asset, you don’t even need to supply any collateral! It is of course, a double-edged sword too.

Hence, it is WHY many Chinese are afraid of failing. Once a Chinese fails, he finds it hard to pick himself up from that society. Many doors are closed and no longer will he has a fair chance at success. Now you get it, don’t you? Why Chinese mothers (& fathers) are so hard on their kids. Why all the disciplines and training. Why it is crucial for their children to observe all the unspoken rules. It is afterall, for their own good! It is also why you can never tell them they are wrong and insane to do so to their children. They do know what children don’t know (in terms of what’s out there awaiting them) and what the Americans and Europeans fail to grasp! It’s not hard though, when you begin to live in Chinese society for awhile, you’ll begin to see the light and the way! At times, some think it’s good to adopt the middle ground, ie, be a little stricter to their kids. At other times, they merely leave because that’s not their kind of lifestyles. Like it or not though, you’d have to content yourself with such ways as with more globalization and partnerships around the business world, more will be demanded of your children and their free-thinking and leisure life will be changed forever and ever.

When a country is filled with a generation unable to compete in the world arena (say, if their math is bad, then the engineering students will be lesser and lesser, then a country will be losing competitive edge as a result), that spells the end of a great nation! If you’re in tune with what’s happening in China (and to a lesser extent in India), you’d know that China produces some 3-5 million graduates a year! That’s the population of Singapore. Imagine… how a small country like Singapore or many small nations in Europe are going to compete with China in the future. That’s a scary thought. I’m awfully glad that I’m not the future generation and am at this age I’m at now. It’s a grim future for many nations! And, if one lives in China, one will think of ways and “tricks” to make sure one’s kids have a fair advantage over others!

Next, LOSE FACE. This is one of the big things in Chinese mentality. Do not ever make someone lose face by either insulting or challenging another’s belief, especially if the person is senior, either in terms of age or ranking or position in life (be it real or corporate). It is a no-no among the Chinese. I do believe it is also the same with Indonesians, Thai and Japanese. Hence, you will find yourself an enemy if you do what you are doing in America. It is best not to try to challenge someone in a way where he/she will “lose face” in public where a Chinese is concerned. That will encourage the other person to retaliate and have unforeseen consequences which you might find it hard to deal with later (even if your intention was a good one to begin with). Act tactfully in a Chinese society and you’ll be rewarded with a pleasant and smooth ride!

Well, these are just a few of what makes Chinese a Chinese. There are a lot more and it’s impossible to cover them all in a review. For Chinese as a language, you might find my review on Chinese Language interesting or alternatively, my last year review on Chinese New Year. The Chinese will celebrate the Year of Rabbit beginning this Feb. 3 and it lasts for 15 days to Feb. 17.

Happy New Year to all Chinese & and all those born under the Year of the Rabbit!

P.S. Some of the Chinese concepts are based on Confucius teaching. One of which is filial piety. If I'm not mistaken, it is illegal for Chinese to abandon one's own parents too! So, the principle of one has to take care of one's family does not apply just on immediate family but also one's own parents! Children are expected to be respectful (hence, no rebuttals and talking loudly to someone more senior or older!) and examplary. In fact, being Chinese can be pretty stressful ;-)

The Spot To Stay In Pittsburgh

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:56:24 +0000

The Fairmont did a great job with this downtown Pittsburgh hotel that opened in March of 2009. Here are some of the highlights of why I wouldn't stay anywhere else while in the Burgh:

Location - It is perfectly centrally located in the heart of downtown with views of the river, adjacent to the Heinz Hall (concerts/shows), an extremely short walk to PNC Park (home of the Pirates), to Heinz Field (home of Steelers) and many restaurants, bars and retail..

Rooms - What you would expect from a Fairmont 2010 opening hotel, high quality through and through. Very nice furniture, comfortable bed, high end bathroom fixtures. I received a free suite upgrade which was huge, but imagine regular rooms are good size as well.

Amenities - Everything in the hotel is state of the art, featuring one of the nicest health clubs/gyms I have ever seen in a hotel, including a steam room and dry sauna. There is also a full spa.

Food/drinks - The lobby features Andy's, a lounge that has become a happening happy hour spot that serves casual fare. A full restaurant, Habitat, offers cuisine focused on local, sustainable ingredients. I did not end up making it to Habitat, so I can't shed any light there.

Cost - The two room, upgraded suite I had, with "river view" was $204/night. This was over MLK weekend in January, Steelers playoff game.

Quote - I'll leave you with this. The opposing team, Baltimore Ravens, were staying at the hotel while I was there. Heading from gym back to the room, i was greeted in elevator by six of the Ravens players. Talking about the hotel, one of them said, "This is the nicest hotel we've stayed at, the only other one maybe as nice was the Ritz Carlton in St Louis".

Perfect for the Outdoor Enthusiast

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 17:31:43 +0000

The winter months in Minnesota can be unbearably long and cold. The only way to combat the weather and winter blues is to brave up, battle the cold and get outside for some refreshing seasonal exercise. Of course to do this you need the appropriate gear, stuff that keeps you warm, cozy and enables your best performance. Once of my favorite places for outdoor apparel and accessories is located right in my hometown of Stillwater.

Located on Main Street, 45˚ is the epitome of a well-equipped sporting goods store, with all the benefits that local can offer: laidback, accessible and reasonably priced.

Body & Feet:

They offer a beautiful and quality selection of men’s and women’s outdoor wear (keeping you warm and dry), innerwear (for extra warmth), and even underwear (great for all day comfort!). Brands include Cloudveil, Ibex, and Mountain Hardware that offer options such as jackets, shells, gloves and hats. They have Horny Toad, Kavu, and Kuhl fleeces (which are basically my standard at home gear), sweaters, tops and pants. What I love about their appropriately sized selection is that these garments not only do their job – keep you warm and sweat free – but are equally successful in making you look sophisticated and trendy.

Trust me, if you are looking for a gift for your man (perhaps for Valentine’s Day) 45 Degrees is a superb place to shop. He’ll love the thoughtfulness of your gift and you’ll love the way he looks in one of their beautiful Merino wool sweaters! And if you’re going all out, you can literally dress him from head to toe. From Keen hats to Cloudveil gloves, Rab jackets to handy eco-bags, Vasque boots to Superfeet insoles, 45 Degrees has full-body solutions.

In terms of footwear, they offer a selection of trail shoes (hiking boots) and daily shoes (think UGG, Keen, and Simple) that are durable, comfortable and look good.

The Adventure:

For outdoor adventures of a more intense nature, 45 Degrees provides plenty of gadget and gear options like sleeping bags, back packs, dry sacks, filtration systems, compasses, first aid kits, utensils and even furniture.

Their website is especially helpful as it provides gear lists for a variety of different activities, so you’ll know exactly what is recommended for a day hike, and a boundary waters or a backpacking trip. They also tout their staff as local and global resources, so you’re encouraged to come in, explore the store, look at maps and ask questions.

At 45 Degrees you can enjoy a fun product selection at good value, as well as a comfortable shopping atmosphere. What makes this store different is that you can tell they truly care about the outdoors and the process of experiencing it in the best possible way.

Cork's Irish Pub ~ St Paul, MN

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 14:43:14 +0000

Cuisine: American, Irish, Pub Grub, Fish & Seafood, Steaks
Restaurant Features: Bar, Flat Screen TVs, Happy Hour, Hotel, Kids Menu, Indoor Patio, On-Site Parking (pay-lot at Embassy Suites)
Location: St Paul (Downtown/ Lowertown)
Address: 175 10th St E St. Paul, MN 55101 651-224-5111 (Within Embassy Suites)
Hours: 7 Days 11am-11pm
Links: Cork’s Irish Pub Website * Cork’s Pub Facebook Page *Google Map

Embassy Suites ~ St Paul, MN

Outside Cork’s Irish Pub in Embassy Suites~ St Paul, MN

Atmosphere: Located within the Embassy Suites in downtown St Paul, Cork’s Irish pub is a fun place to enjoy a good meal or drink. As the name suggests, the atmosphere is reminiscent of the pubs in Ireland with wooden floors, a big wooden bar, and several wooden pub tables. The theme is carried out through the traditional Irish fare, “pub grub”, as well as a plethora of beers, scotches and whiskeys. There are also multiple flat screen TVs hung throughout the restaurant, giving it the slight feel of a sports pub as well.

Inside Cork’s Irish Pub ~ St Paul, MN copy

Cork’s also has a patio area that looks out into the indoor courtyard of the Embassy Suites, where you can see tropical waterfall gardens such as these. Who says you ned to go south to feel a touch of the tropics!?

Indoor Garden outside Cork’s Irish Pub in Embassy Suites ~ St Paul, MN

Menu: Appetizers at Cork’s include Scotch Eggs, Chicken Wings (Hot or BBQ), Fresh Chips (with cheese, bacon and green onion), Onion Rings, Chicken Fingers, Crab & Artichoke Dip, Fried Goodness Sampler, Crudite Platter (fresh veggies, olives, pita bread and hummus), 7 Layer Dip, Jack & Blue Sticks (blend of cheese and buffalo sauce battered and fried), and Cod Chippers.

Salad options are The Irishman (fingerling potatoes and corned beef on romaine with Guinness vinaigrette), Caesar, Grilled Salmon, Chicken Cobb, Bourbon Steak, and Country Chicken Salad.

Cork’s Sandwiches and Burgers include Club House, Hot Pastrami on Rye, Petite Steak Burgers, Build-A-Burger or Chicken Sandwich, The Downtowner (ham and cheddar on sourdough), Blarney Stone (corned beef, roast beef, and pastrami with swiss, cheddar and sauerkraut), Chicago Style Roast Beef, Asian Pork Burger with Peanut Sauce, Walleye, and Cranberry Turkey (turkey, swiss and cranberry mayo).

Cork’s also has Supreme Pizza, Irish Potato Pizza, and Build-Your-Own Pizza.

Entrees at Cork’s include 14 oz Sterling Silver New York Strip, Shepherd’s Pie, Pasta Vodka, Panko Walleye, Fish N Chips, Sea Scallops with Corned Beef and Cabbage, Fettuccine Alfredo, Grilled Walleye, Grilled Salmon, Drunken Broil (grilled steak served with a splash of whiskey and au jus), Potato Crusted Chicken, Chicken Marsala, and Bangers N Mac (penne in creamy cheese sauce with grilled lamb sausage).

Kids Menu items include Hamburger, Cheeseburger, Grilled Cheese, Chicken Fingers, Cheese Pizza, Macaroni and Cheese, and Fettuccine Alfredo.

The heavenly dessert options are seasonal and this season include Carrot Cake, Creme Brulee, Pumpkin Mousse Torte, Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae (all year), and Pear and Dried Cherry Crisp with Cinnamon Ice Cream.

Click here to see the large selection of Drinks at Cork’s Irish Pub

Price guide: Appetizers $8-10 Salads $8-15 Sandwiches $10-13 Entrees $12-32 Desserts $5-7

Happy Hour:

Monday-Friday 4-6pm
Half Price Appetizers, Rails, Calls, Martinis and Specialty Drinks
$3 House Wine
$2 Standard Bottles and Taps
$3 Premium Bottles and Taps

Weekly Specials:

Monday 1/2 off Martinis all day

Tuesday- Free BINGO 8pm

Wednesday- Free Trivia 8pm

Thursday- 1/2 off Bottles of Wine Live Music 7pm

Friday – Two 12 oz Sterling Silver Prime Rib Specials and a bottle of house winefor only $50. Hendricks and Tonic $4, All Day

Saturday- Silver Butter Knife Prime Rib served with soup or salad, veggie, potato, and glass of wine

What we ordered: My companion and I started with an order of Scotch Eggs, a must-order item for me if I ever see it on a menu. I was pleased to see six halves of the delectable sausage-wrapped hard boiled eggs in the order, atop a bed of baby greens and sweet cherry tomatoes. These eggs were some of the most delicious I have had to date! The thin layer of sausage wrapped around the eggs was slightly spicy and full of flavor and the deep fried bread crumb batter added the perfect crunch to the layers of texture. There were two spicy mustard sauces served with it for dipping. I could probably eat these for breakfast several times a week!

Scotch Eggs at Cork’s Irish Pub ~ St Paul, MN

Our entrees both came with choice of soup or salad. One of the daily soups included Buffalo Chicken, so that is what I tried. This was a hearty, spicy, creamy and chunky blend of chicken, celery, carrot, corn, and peppers. I liked it very much, it is the kind of spicy soup that is perfect for a cold day!

Buffalo Chicken Soup at Cork’s Irish Pub ~ St Paul, MN

My companion tried the other soup of the day, the Steak Ranchero. Every bite if this was heavenly! It was very similar to chili, but with more vegetables than just beans and several bites of tender beef. Savory and delicious.

Steak Ranchero Soup at Cork’s Irish Pub ~ St Paul, MN

Our meals also came with French Bread, which was light and soft on the inside and slightly crusty on the outside. I loved it even more when dipped in the Buffalo Chicken Soup

Basket of Bread at Cork’s Irish Pub ~ St Paul, MN

There were many items that sounded wonderful (mix of Irish fare, pub grub and American) but the Scallops with Corned Beef and Cabbage sounded like a unique and winning combo. At the base of this dish was the corned beef and cabbage (which on its own would be a hearty meal), then topped with at least a half dozen large, tender, seared sea scallops. When I say tender, I actually mean melt-in-your-mouth. These scallops were so good! In the center of the dish was a large serving of cooked, mashed lentils. I haven’t had much experience eating lentils but they are similar to a bean or a pea in both texture and taste, and slightly earthy. The texture of the mashed lentils was soft yet still firm enough to stay in a scoop. A nice change of pace for a side dish! This meal was also served with a slice of fresh buttered rye toast.

Scallops over Corned Beef and Cabbage at Cork’s Irish Pub ~ St Paul, MN

My companion ordered the Prime Rib Saturday Special, a 12 oz. Silver Butterknife Steak served with green beans, mashed potatoes, soup, and glass of wine for $27. I tried several bites of this beef and it was delicious! Although cooked slightly more than preferred, this cut of beef was extremely tender and flavorful. The rind on the outside held all the flavor of the seasonings, each bite doing a little dance in my mouth. The Silver Butter Knife steaks that Cork’s serves are the same as the steaks served at the best steak houses in town, including Wooley’s and Murray’s.

Saturday Prime Rib Special at Cork’s Irish Pub ~ St Paul, MN

I was almost too full to try dessert but this Pumpkin Mousse Torte was the perfect Autumn treat. The cake was light and the pumpkin mousse was even lighter, and only slightly sweet. It had just a subtle taste of pumpkin but when paired with the sweet-tart cranberry chutney that accompanied it, it was like a beautiful duet of fall flavors. The best part of this dessert was its lightness, which may be a complete opposite of the richness of a chocolate cake. Excellent!

Pumpkin Mousse Torte at Cork’s Irish Pub ~ St Paul, MN

Service: We had excellent service at Cork’s Irish Pub at the Embassy Suites in St Paul. Our server was very friendly and knowledgeable of the menu and despite my need to make my visit under an hour, the service never felt rushed. Our food was spaced just right for each course, drinks were kept filled, and we left very satisfied.

Overall Impression: Cork’s Irish Pub is a hidden gem in Lowertown St Paul, located within the Embassy Suites which is just a few blocks from other popular area hang-outs. Happy Hour is a great deal with nearly all appetizers and drinks at half price, plus the crew at Cork’s especially loves to take care of the downtown working crowd. Both the food and the service stand out amongst other establishments in the area. I’ll meet ya there after work sometime

Written by Kristi Sauer
If this information was helpful to you, please leave me a comment and let me know!

The Problem With Money- It's Not About the Money by Jane Honeck, CPA

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 03:07:30 +0000

The Problem With Money -
It's Not About The Money
By Jane Honeck CPA
Reversing Falls Press 2010

Reviewed By: Dr. Joseph S. Maresca
_______________________________

A family can never deal effectively with debt until coming to
terms with deeply held belief systems. The author provides
a simple formula for examining beliefs. First, state your beliefs.
Then, debate them with alternatives. Finally, recreate or
reshape them to come to terms with reality.

Examples of deeply held beliefs are as follows:
o We need to keep up with what next door family is doing.
o I wouldn't be seen dead in those clothes.
( So, go out and spend a fortune to stand out in a crowd.)

All of these beliefs cost us dearly in the long run.
The thing to do is to examine them dispassionately.
Debate the alternatives and make the appropriate changes.

Next, the author advises us to break down goals into smaller
snippets or steps forward. In addition, we should not push goal
achievement too hard. The book articulates a good rule.
That is, we cannot change our relationship to debt without
changing how we spend and why. Ultimately, we must plan
to become financially conscious.

We need to stop associating money with power.
Instead, Americans should extol goodness over financial
resources. We need to stop excessive concerns over money.

In our relations with others, my own experience is to
limit loans to friends. Never lend out any amount that
you cannot afford to lose.

Overall, the book is an excellent value for the small
price charged. The advice is clear and unambiguous.
Reading this book will force consideration of
many deeply held views. These modes of behavior
may be holding us back from enjoying the process of life more fully
and albeit less stressfully.

Next, the author should re-write this book to
instruct governments on how to spend money .

The past is a good predictor of the future...

Sun, 9 Jan 2011 03:27:23 +0000

If the past is an indicator of how the future might play out, the openness and freedom of the Internet could well be at risk. Tim Wu does an excellent job in mapping the move from open to closed information technologies in his book The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires. We are used to a few major players controlling things like radio and television, but each of those started in a far more open way that you might imagine.

Content:
Part 1 - The Rise: The Disruptive Founder; Mr. Vail is a Big Man; The Time Is Not Ripe for Feature Films; Centralize All Radio Activities; The Paramount Ideal
Part 2 - Beneath the All-Seeing Eye: The Foreign Attachment; The Legion of Decency; FM Radio; We Now Add Sight to Sound
Part 3 - The Rebel, the Challengers, and the Fall: The Right Kind of Breakup; The Radicalism of the Internet Revolution; Nixon's Cable; Broken Bell; Esperanto for Machines
Part 4 - Reborn Without a Soul: Turner Does Television; Mass Production of the Spirit; The Return of AT&T
Part 5 - The Internet Against Everyone: A Surprising Wreck; Father and Son; The Separations Principle
Acknowledgments; Notes; Index

In the early days of radio, television, and telephony, there were few restrictions on what could and couldn't be done, as well as who could participate. Granted, it may be clunky, but you could start your own radio station or build your own telephone network. Your ability to use the technology as you saw fit was unrestricted, and there was no telling how things might advance with everyone trying to innovate. But in all those cases, a few large companies (or even a single person with a company like AT&T) started to monopolize the landscape and prevent uncontrolled access and experimentation. In the case of AT&T, they could make the case that their monopoly was beneficial because they could cover the entire country and offer a standard level of service. But for that promise, everyone else was locked out and prevented from innovating new solutions or reducing the cost of service. The group holding power, the so-called "Master Switch", could and did do everything they could to block out everyone else, using both ethical and unethical methods to maintain their monopoly. Thus, a single entity held absolute sway over how society communicated and accessed each other.

Wu uses these history lessons to bring us to the current technology that dominates our lives... the Internet. We're all used to a high degree of freedom and access when it comes to our internet usage, and it's hard to imagine that any single group could control that. But the battle lines are starting to form... carriers are looking to filter and charge extra for certain types of traffic under the guise of having people pay for different types of content. The government looks to be able to tap into any and all communications, whether encrypted or not. Vendor and content providers are looking to provide "walled gardens" where they control all aspects of a user's content and experience. Will these efforts turn the Internet into yet another victim of the cycle, with a few entities holding the master switch? Or is the Internet radically different, and not at risk for these issues? The next few years and the decisions made during that time will determine the outcome.

Wu does an excellent job in his research, and his ability to weave the information into an interesting story makes The Master Switch a joy to read. He opened my eyes to a side of technology that I never knew about, and I'll never think of television, radio, telephones, or movie studios in quite the same way again. This is an interesting read on many levels, but it's very important if you're concerned about today's fight over net neutrality. You might well see the future of the Internet in these pages depending on how current battles play out.

Disclosure:
Obtained From: Amazon Vine Review Program
Payment: Free

The Best Sushi Happy Hour in Cupertino!

Sat, 8 Jan 2011 23:09:27 +0000

$1 Sake, $3 Sake Bombs, Free Miso Soup, and 15% off every sushi roll (yes, even the specialty rolls) makes Harumi the best Sushi Happy Hour in the South Bay Area. Mondays-Thursdays keep you happy all week long with this deal. It isn't limited to one day a week or specified hours like every other Happy Hour out there.



They actually don't call it Happy Hour but, Sake Night Fever. With good reason, later in the evening, the manager will come out with a megaphone and count in Japanese "1...2...3 SAKEEEE BOMMMMBBBB!" If you've been there before and have a group, he'll happily hand over the megaphone so you can say your own drunken version of SAKEEEEE BOMMMMBBBB!



This gem is located two blocks from my house on Stevens Creek Boulevard in Cupertino aka Appleville (Cupertino is Apple headquarters and nearly everywhere you look, there's an Apple building). When we first tried Harumi's- we had a couple of Sake Bombs ($1 for a small sake and $2 for a full Sapporo draft) and the Harumi and Pink Lady- our bill came to $25. With free Miso soup, some of the most deliciously fresh Sushi I'd had in a while, sake flowing, and those yummy Mango hard candies that you can get at a Japanese Dollar Store, Nando and I were sold. Bonus points for being walking distance to our house :P

Melting Abalone                                         Most Popular- Flaming Dragon


BBQ Mussels Sashimi Combination Plate


Nando's Favorite- Harumi Sushi              One of my favorites- Pink Lady

Every single time since then, we've tried some other menu items and everything is so fresh, you'd think you were on the beach. The sauces that they drizzle over the rolls are always complimentary and never overpowering. The pieces are so beautifully arranged, that you ALMOST hate to eat them...I did say ALMOST!

Some tips before you head to Harumi's:

They do take reservations and I highly recommend them!
Get there early to get a table, especially if there's more than 2 of you (two can usually find some spot to squeeze into at this incredibly busy place)
If you actually want to have a conversation, choose to eat at the typical dinner hours, around 5p-7p
If you want to witness the megaphone sake demands, imbibe cheap Sake Bombs and get a little loud or don't mind loud conversation, head there around 8p
They also do take out, so if you're not in the mood to cook but, you're not in the mood for drunken college kids, this is the way to go.

If you're ever in Cupertino and want to have some fresh sushi and get a buzz on with sake, head on to Harumi Sushi. If you live in the area, pick up a frequent diner card and after you've had 10 meals, you get one free!

How society has changed from passive consumers to active participants...

Sat, 8 Jan 2011 19:08:45 +0000

I tend to take things like Wikipedia for granted, assuming that someone has already put information out there that I need. But what drives and motivates someone to do that, and where do they find the time to participate in that fashion? Clay Shirky covers this information (and more) in his book Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age. I found myself starting to understand how and why the shift from consumer to producer occurred, and what it means to me and to society.

Contents:
Gin, Television, and Cognitive Surplus; Means; Motive; Opportunity; Culture; Personal, Communal, Public, Civic; Looking for the Mouse; Acknowledgments; Notes; Index

The term "cognitive surplus" is what Shirky uses to describe the advances that our society has made since the end of World War II. People are more educated and spend less time on manual chores due to technology. All this free time and additional mental capabilities largely went untapped, as the growth of the TV broadcast market meant that many used that free time to be entertained, to be a consumer of content pushed out over the airwaves. That's fine for awhile, but it doesn't really move society forward. The internet has started to change that, as people can now easily produce content and actively participate instead. Those spare mental cycles and hours in the day can be harnessed to inform others and create a lasting change. For instance, Shirky uses the example of Wikipedia, a voluntary encyclopedia of information open to be updated by all. He estimates that the time spent building Wikipedia into what it is today is equivalent to 1 percent of the man-hours spent watching TV. People cut back one mindless sitcom, and look what happens? Information abounds...

The question usually crops up on these types of efforts, however. "What do *I* get out of this contribution?" There are many paybacks that Shirky covers. Some do it because they enjoy it. It's a hobby, much like collecting stamps or growing flowers. But there are also tangible rewards, such as when you choose to contribute to a site like CouchSurfing.net. You invite others into your home for short stays, knowing that you will be able to do the same if and when you need it. To make that work, you need people who both give AND take, and thus participation lets you become part of the overall group that benefits.

I too participate in many of these cognitive surplus activities (such as writing reviews of what I read for Amazon and other sites). It's something I enjoy doing (writing), and I get a personal reward when I get feedback for doing so, as well as helping people make choices. Shirky's book helped me put these things into a better context in my overall life. Looking at the book, I think I could have gotten much of the same information from a shorter book (or series of longer articles). But overall, Cognitive Surplus is a good read if you're at all interested as to what motivates people to be active online participants and content creators.

Disclosure:
Obtained From: Library
Payment: Borrowed

BP Gulf Oil Spill Quick Tip by djevoke

Fri, 7 Jan 2011 18:09:54 +0000

It's a shame that so much damage had to be done to the Gulf Coast and the environment while the government and Big Oil stood by scratching their heads. I hope that this will be a lesson to any offshore drilling to be done in the future to have an emergency plan in place.

BP Gulf Oil Spill Quick Tip by devora

Fri, 7 Jan 2011 08:39:51 +0000

It's really terrible what happened. How could anyone let this go on for so long with no comforting signs of intervention until so much oil was spilt?

Sundays just aren't that special anymore.

Tue, 4 Jan 2011 23:03:54 +0000

It is a subject that I am passionate about and the book I have always wanted to write. I suspect that the initial reaction of most folks who read this piece will be to vehemently disagree with my position. However, I am quite confident that given sufficient time to reflect many of you just might come around to my way of thinking. It might come as a shock to those under the age of 30 to discover that as recently as the early 1980's it was virtually impossible to shop on Sunday in many parts of this country. Sundays were pretty much reserved for activities like going to church, enjoying dinner with the family, curling up with a newspaper, playing with the kids, visiting relatives and friends or perhaps kicking back and enjoying a sporting event on TV. Indeed, Sundays were different and very special. It was a day to slow down, reflect and enjoy…..you know the proverbial day of rest. But sadly all of this began to change in the early 1980's and in my opinion the passage of statutes permitting retailers to be open on Sunday has been a major factor in the destruction of family life in this country. Have you checked the divorce rate lately? I argued passionately that this would be the result when these ideas were first being tossed around in the late 1970's and nothing I have observed since that time has changed my opinion one iota.

Now observing the Sabbath has been a very important part of both the Jewish and Christian traditions since Biblical times. The term "Sabbath" derives from the Hebrew "Shabbat" which means "to cease". When I was a kid everyone looked forward to Sunday. It was a day that you weren't required to do a lot of things. Most of the stores were closed and traffic was extremely light in marked contrast to the hustle and bustle we had to endure the rest of the week. But in the name of "progress" the pressure to repeal the old "blue" laws that restricted Sunday sales in many states began to rear its ugly head. I remember all of the arguments. For one thing we were told that no one would be required to work on Sundays. It would all be purely voluntary. Yeah, right. We were also fed the line that retailers would only be open for a few hours on Sundays. Initially, most retailers opened from 12:00 to 5:00 but over the years the hours have gradually expanded to the point where Sunday is just another regular business day. And yes, people are now required by most employers to work on Sunday. I have turned down a couple of pretty good jobs myself over the years because of this requirement. Sunday sales laws have also given rise to expanded business hours during the rest of the week. Allowing Sunday sales has also had a negative impact on many family-owned small businesses who are placed at a competitive disadvantage when big-box retailers are allowed to open on Sundays. I will contend until the day that I die that allowing retailers to open on Sunday and the subsequent emergence of the "24/7" economy have had an extremely negative impact on family life in this nation. I see the evidence of this everywhere I turn. Is this really the way most of us want to live??? Would you change it if you could? Think about it!

In March 2010 author Judith Shulevitz's "The Sabbath World: Glimpses of A Different Order Of Time" was released. I have not read the book yet but according to the product description the author makes an impassioned case for the idea of restoring the Sabbath in some way, shape or form to our society. According to Shulevitz "the Sabbath is not just the holy day of rest. It's also a utopian idea about a less pressured, more sociable, purer world." I completely concur. You need not be religious to see the wisdom of observing a Sabbath. She goes on to say "If everyone has to stop working, then they have to, sort of, pay attention to their family, to themselves, to their community". I could not have said it better. In my view society has paid a very hefty price for allowing shopping on Sundays all in the name of convenience. In addtion to the negative impact on families a 2008 study by economists Jonathan Gruber of MIT and Daniel Hungerman of the University of Notre found that "repealing America's blue laws not only decreased church attendance, donations and spending, but it also led to a rise in alcohol and drug use among people who had been religious." Having said all that repeal of Sunday sales laws or the establishment of a weekly day of rest is not likely to happen during my lifetime. There are very powerful interests at both ends of the political spectrum (Chamber of Commerce, ACLU) that would vehemently oppose such a notion. Furthermore, since Sunday is considered to be a working day in most Muslim countries as well as in Israel it would be very tricky to settle on one particular day of the week in a multi-cultural society like our own. But I believe that it is an idea that is at least worth considering. Let me conclude with the observations of author Stephen Miller who has written another book on the subject called "The Peculiar Life of Sundays". According to Miller "It's fast becoming like other days, because of the commercialization of Sunday. We're losing a day of rest. We're sort of ‘on' all the time now. As a result I think we are losing something." Perhaps the Puritans were onto something here. In any event, I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject. This could make for a very lively discussion.

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING ON THIS TOPIC
"The Peculiar Life of Sundays" by Stephen Miller (Harvard University Press, 2008)
"The Sabbath World: Glimpses of A Different Order of Time" by Judith Shulevitz (Random House, 2010)

Brasa Premium Rotisserie ~ St Paul & Minneapolis, MN

Tue, 4 Jan 2011 15:19:51 +0000

Cuisine: Creole: (American and Caribbean)
Restaurant Features: Bar (Beer & Wine only), On-Site Parking
Locations: St Paul & Minneapolis, MN
Addresses & Maps:

St Paul- 777 Grand Avenue St. Paul, MN. 55105 651-224-1302

Minneapolis-600 E. Hennepin Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55414 612-379-3030

Hours: Sun – Thurs: 11am – 9pm Fri- Sat: 11am – 10 pm
Links: Brasa Website

Brasa ~ St Paul, MN

Atmosphere: The St Paul location of Brasa is located on Grand Ave, near many other popular restaurants. The inside of the restaurant is contemporary, with a mix of tables and booths. The pendant-style lighting is comprised of long, skinny, transparent light bulbs.

Dining at Brasa ~ St Paul, MN

The walls of windows inside Brasa are not actually windows, but rather garage doors that can be opened during nice weather.

Dining Inside Brasa

I saw one little nook at Brasa that contained a large round table. Perfect, cozy little place for a group to share a meal!

Inside Brasa ~ St Paul, MN

Menu: Sides of Vegetables and Salads at Brasa include Yams and Andouille, Collards with Smoked Turkey, Creamed Spinach with Jalapeno, Sweet Plantains, Fried Green Plantains with Garlic Oil, Crispy Yuca with Mojo, Romaine & Tomato Salad, Cabbage and Mozzarella Salad.

Grains and Beans include Yellow Rice and Beans, Rice and Pigeon Peas with Olives and Ham, Cornbread and Beans, Rustic Cheese Grits, Homemade Chips and Guacamole.

Side orders of bread include Cornbread with Honey Butter, Griddled Garlic Toast, and Masa Corn and Cheese Cake.

Sandwich options at Brasa are thePulled Chicken, Roasted Pork, Braised Beef, Vegetarian Bean Fritter, Smoked Sausage, Scrambled Egg and Chorizo, and Fried Catfish.

Meat & Fish Platters include Rotisserie Chicken, Pulled Chicken, Slow Roasted Pork, Braised Beef, Smoked Sausage (Mpls only), and Fried Catfish (St Paul only).

Dessert specialties include Pineapple Upside-down Cake, Chocolate Pudding, Rhubarb-Strawberry Shortcake, White Birthday Cupcake, and Big Cookie of the Day.
Price guide: Breads $2 Veggies $3.75/5/9.50 Grains/Beans $3.25/4.50/8.50 Sandwiches $6.50-9.50 Meat/Fish $5-20 (Served 1/4 lb, 1/2lb or 1 lb) Desserts $2-5

What we ordered: We started with the Corn Bread Muffins with Honey Butter ($2/ea). These were big muffins, moist and on the sweet-side from the honey butter glaze. Very tasty!

Corn Bread at Brasa ~ St Paul, MN

The Pulled Pork at Brasa was delicious! It was seasoned with Mojo, which is a marinade of lime juice, garlic and olive oil. The pork was tender and quite flavorful, the marinade was distinct yet subtle.

The Braised Beef was out of this world! The meat was very rich, tender and moist, cooked in a sweet and flavorful red sauce (made with brown sugar). A pound of this delicious beef might not go very far, depending on how hungry you are!

Braised Beef at Brasa ~ St Paul, MN

I had never had Fried Yuca before, but so glad I tried these Crispy Yuca Fries! They were thickly cut (like large steak fries) and then fried like potatoes. The taste of them was similar to potato but with a hint of sweetness and more flavor! They were served with a delicious homemade cilantro-lime-garlic mayo for dipping. So darn good! I wish more restaurants would start serving these, they are a great change-up from the usual potato french fries.

Crispy Yucca at Brasa ~ St Paul, MN

Service: We were lucky to find a parking space that was relatively close, as parking on Grand Ave can be tricky sometimes!) We sat ourselves as the sign indicated and were greeted by our server within just a few minutes. Our server was very friendly and helpful with the ordering process; you could tell she genuinely enjoyed everything on the menu! The food took awhile to be served but I have to admit I was starving and slightly impatient. Everything was excellent.
Overall Impression: I had heard about Brasa long before I had the pleasure of eating there and can honestly say its reputation is well-deserved. The ingredients are fresh, all natural and local. The Roasted Pork is delicious and the Braised Beef is phenomenal. Prices are a little high but the food is worth it! Try the Crispy Yuca Fries!

Written by Kristi Sauer

This was an exceptional book that touched me deeply...

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 03:42:42 +0000

I've followed Chris Guillebeau's Art of Non-Conformity blog for awhile, and was excited to see that he had written a book that focused on his message of living life on your own terms. I picked up The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World and started it yesterday evening. I didn't put it down until I finished, and then ordered my own copy today to take over from the library copy I had. This is an excellent book, and has me re-examining why I do what I do (and why I don't pursue the things I really want to accomplish).

Contents:
Part 1 - The Remarkable Life: Sleepwalkers and the Living World; Setting the Terms of Your Unconventional Life; Smashing Through the Brick Wall of Fear; How to Fight Authority and Win
Part 2 - Reclaiming Work: Competence Is Your Security; Graduate School vs. the Blogosphere; The Power of Your Own Small Army; The Personal Finance Journey
Part 3 - The Power of Convergence: Radical Exclusion and the Quest for Abundance; Contrarian Adventures; Your Legacy Starts Now
Conclusion: Dangerous Ideas
Postscript - The Most Important Thing; Gratitude; Partnership with Charity - Water and Ethiopia; Frequently Asked Questions; Online Resources

Chris has never been one to do the conventional thing. He went to college after dropping out of high school as a sophomore. He enrolled in multiple colleges at one time to get his degree more quickly and save money. He started numerous businesses as he didn't want to work for someone else and be dependent on them for a paycheck. He volunteered on a medical ship for four years in West Africa. He has a goal to visit all 192 countries in the world (and he's within striking distance of it). Basically, he's accomplished more than any five "normal" people put together, and it's all because he refuses to let others dictate his lifestyle because "that's the way it's supposed to be done." Rather than say it's better to ask forgiveness than permission, he figures (and rightfully so, in my opinion) that most situations don't require *either*. You simply have to make up your mind to do something, and then act. Chris shares his philosophy and experiences in a conversational manner, and it reached past my normal cynical filters and made me consider what it is I do and why I do it.

I've got some dreams and goals I haven't been pursuing with any level of commitment or urgency. The Art of Non-Conformity made me realize that I'm so much further ahead in some areas than I give myself credit for, and there's no reason why I can't build on that and start to accomplish those things that I think about when I let my imagination go. Once my copy shows up from Amazon, I'll be re-reading certain chapters and focusing on making 2011 a far different year than 2010.

Disclosure:
Obtained From: Library
Payment: Borrowed

Looking for a Baby Shower Gift? Go to Nat & Helen's!

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 01:13:10 +0000

In the last four months I’ve found out that four of my close friends are pregnant. I’m thrilled to say the least, but it did send me into a bit of tizzy thinking about finding creative and cute baby gifts. With impending baby showers on the horizon, I wanted to go somewhere other than the over-priced Land of Nod.

Luckily I found the adorable and conveniently located (East Lakeview) baby store called Nat & Helen’s. This small local shop specializes in products that are not only cute as a button, but organic and sustainable (i.e. good for the planet and good for baby).

Minimally decorated, I still managed to find quite a few unique items with cool brand stories. I purchased a silk screened onesie with the words “Mi Amore”, a Maggies Menagerie (100% worker-owned cooperative made) and got our BFF a Bum Genius sprayer just for kicks (who knows, it might actually be the perfect gift!). From bamboo wash cloths to body milk lotion, MooMe bibs to Miyim organic toys, Nat & Helens is a low pressure, pleasant shop to explore.

Items are reasonably priced and I love know that I’m gifting products that are green and promote healthy living. I also recommend checking out their blog – weegreen.com. They provide fun gift ideas and suggestions for mom’s to-be.

The Best Chinese Restaurant in Chicago

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 00:41:52 +0000

After living in Chicago for nearly five years, I finally made it to Chinatown. Excited to explore, with really no game plan or recommendations on where to go or what to eat, I stumbled upon Won Kow (the huge yellow sign was helpful and hard to ignore!).

Won Kow, is a local, neighborhood restaurant nestled on the main drag of Wentworth Ave. surrounded by stores filled with cultural Chinese knick-knacks. My friend and I hiked up the restaurants two flights of stairs (following the mouth-watering aromas) to find a vast room filled with fellow foodies and gorgeous artwork.

The menu was overwhelming, with over 300 items, making it a long (but fun) ordering process. I started with pot stickers which were enormous and tasty, followed by egg rolls (my favorite), BBQ pork, and Crab Rangoon. With ridiculously reasonable priced entrees I felt like I could order one of everything on the menu and still leave with money in my wallet. For entrees I tried the Moo Shoo Chicken and the Kung Pao Beef. Both were fresh and flavorful and the portions were huge (two people could easily split one entrée).

Stuffed to the brim and happily taking home leftovers, I am certain that Won Kow is one of Chi-town’s best kept secrets and one of my new favorite restaurants in the city. Beyond the expansive food selection, Won Kow also has a fun selection of cocktails! I recommend the Singapore Slinger, its sweet taste and potent alcohol content is serious business!