21 Precepts of the Samurai - something to live by.

I came across the Budo Sai (21 Precepts of a Samurai) a few months back and I find them somewhat enlightening.

The 21 Precepts of the Samurai are:

1. Know Yourself (Jikoo o shiru koto),


2. Always follow through on commitments (Jibun no kimeta koto wa saigo made kikko suru koto),


3. Respect everyone (Ikanaru hito demo sonke suru koto),


4. Hold strong convictions that cannot be altered by your circumstances (Kankyo ni sayu sarenai tsuyoi shinnen o motsu koto),


5. Don't make an enemy of yourself (Mizu kara teki o tsukuranai koto),


6. Live without regrets (Koto ni oite kokaisezu),


7. Be certain to make a good first impression (Hito to no deai o taisetsu ni suru koto),


8. Don't cling to the past (Miren o motanai koto),


9. Never break a promise (Yakusoku o yaburanai koto),


10. Don't depend on other people (Hito no tayoranai koto),


11. Don't speak ill of others (Hito o onshitsu shinai koto),


12. Don't be afraid of anything (Ikanaku koto ni oite mo osorenai koto),


13. Respect the opinions of others (Hito no iken o soncho suru koto),


14. Have compassion and understanding for everyone (Hito ni taishite omoiyari o motsu koto),


15. Don't be impetous (Karuhazumi ni koto o okosanai koto),


16. Even little things must be attended to (Chiisa na koto demo taisetsu ni suru koto),


17. Never forget to be appreciative (Kansha no kimochi o wasurenai koto),


18. Be first to seize opportunity (Hito yori sossenshi kodo suru koto),


19. Make a desperate effort (Issho kenmai monogoto o suru koto),


20. Have a plan for your life (Jinsei no mokuhyo o sadameru koto),


21. Never lose your "Beginner Spirit" (Shoshin o wasurubekarazaru koto)

I some-what am embarass that I fail in some of the obvious things for living life and I can hear the doom-sayers saying, "Easy said but you fall short."

But, as Precept 1 ask of us to Know Yourself, the process of knowing oneself is always a walk into the valley of darkness. For one may learn more by standing in the dark then when in the light.

Can I ever live up to the ideals stated in these 21 precepts? Some I can and some I may never attain. But a start is a start and better than those that do not start at all.

Others may ask me, does this compromise your religious stands? These are precepts, as much as the Chinese are called to be filial and respect their parents, which is one of the central teachings of Confucius in The Analects of Confucius or Lun Yu (Chapter 1 verse 2,6,7 & Chapter 2); yet readily accepted by the Chinese regardless of religion. Precepts are sayings or guides for living life, often times universal ideals that transcend religion.

What other precepts that you know of that form universal ideals every man/woman can live by?

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Mind Mapping my organised mess - working well for less

My desk is a mess, a collection of memos, letters, reports and print-outs. My organized mess of work. You sure can't lose anything when you throw it on top of all that and somehow I like it that way.

To a certain degree, my thoughts are often jumbled up like that. Meshed together in a mess that at times may not be organized. And it is this chaotic string thoughts that I plan to organize in the coming weeks.

In my search for Mind-Mapping tools, I came across Get-It-Done's article "Manage Life with a Personal Dashboard" and it struck me with its simplicity and ability to organize chaos.

I've been using mind-mapping to map out ideas and minute meetings but I've yet to use it to manage my life by organizing thoughts and events and tasks. In my initial mind-map, I found that putting down my tasks and everyday work items into a visual form is fantastic. It allows me to see the amount of work, the number of tasks and relationship the tasks have with each other. Anything can be thrown into this mix and then organized into its own section or category. For now, I am trying hard not to complicate my current mind-map with unneccessary nonsense. Most projects start off well but get swallowed up in un-needed complexity that it grinds to a halt and ends up dead in the water.

Give this a try and see where it takes you. Free mind-mapping toosl you can use are FreeMind (Mac OS X, Windows) or MindNode (Mac OS X) or iMindMap (iPhone) or VUE.

Cheers!.

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Idiots do Multitasking, Geniuses Single-task.

"Multi-tasking". Say it...say it. What the hell does it mean? Seriously, take time, now, to just ponder the meaning of that word. "Multi-tasking", what does it mean and imply?

Seriously, I don't do multi-tasking because it's for idiots. The smart people in the world single-task and that's really the natural order of things. Human beings were never made to multi-task. Multi-tasking in the office was a cheap way to cut down on employing more people and to enforce a form of slavery in the modern office. Yup, slavery is not confine to third-world countries, you can find it in modern air-conditioned offices. And the slaves are those of us who ever got slap with the "you-can-multi-task" stick on note.

Single-tasking is the way we were meant to be. Because we are single-track-minded beings. Our linear minds are most efficient handling a SINGLE train of thought instead of jumping from track to track. It's just the way we are hardwired in the nugging.

Leave the multi-tasking to computers and machines, why? Because that's why we invented them. Computers have multi-threaded capabilities embedded into their CPUs. They are built to handle several data streams at one instance. Multi-tasking was meant for the computers. How on earth, did this virus jump from the computer to human species is beyond me. But I bet it was some idiotic HR manager who wanted to save on paying for an extra employee.

So next time someone pushes the "You can multi-task" line into your face, do the smart thing. Reply back, "I'm single track minded, so I work best on a single-tasking model."

Cheers!

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My FaceBook Persona is not Me.

Listening to Prof. Bibo White talk on the future of social networking, where FaceBook leads the way with over 400 million members, actually making it the 3rd largest country in the world (in terms of population); I started thinking how my FaceBook account has taken over my life.

Every morning, I open FaceBook before my office email. I run TweekDeck; which allows me to update FaceBook and Twitter; without the need to visit the websites and browse through the status updates sof my friends. Yup, I am part of the FaceBook nation but how much of what I put on FaceBook really represents me?

FaceBook is my online persona, and it may or may not be true to who I am. I can safely hide behind a digital mask and none would be the wiser to me. And I am beginning to catch myself telling people I meet to search me on FaceBook. I don't carry name-cards anymore, choosing instead to ask people to Google my name and it will lead them to my blog.

But FaceBook is not me. It represents me, yet it is not me. It doesn't capture me as a person. Instead, you read what I want you to read. And I can make up whatever I want you to read. I can be a hard-convict in prison and online, I can make myself to be the granny that lives next door you to you.

And looking at my FaceBook account, I have almost 500 friends yet in everyday life, I tend to talk to only 3 people. And these 3 people know me as I am, not the FaceBook persona but me as a human being.

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The Best Wristwatch for A Man - 3 Rules to choose a wristwatch.

Men are such unfortunate beings. We don't go far when it comes to fashion. How many ways can you fashion a white button down shirt? And how many ways can you wear khaki pants? Or that faded coduroy blazer you got hanging in your ward-robe?

And we can't wear make-up. Though I've seen some metro-sexual friends attempt nail-polish but I just don't dig that style.

Now, the one accessory that would truly show your status among men is the humble wristwatch. Trust me, a good wristwatch says a lot about you; just ask James Bond. How many times has his wristwatch saved his back? And wristwatches come in several flavors, though you may want to put some thought into it before splashing out serious money for one.

So here I lay down my watch inspired rules to choosing the best wristwatch a man can have (if you don't agree, shoot me).

Rule 1: Go for function

Watches tell more than just time, they come with a lot dials and tell you stuff from dates to temperature, to alttitude and tidal cycles. So ask yourself, What will I use my watch for?

Raymond Weil Freelancer Chronograph

A favourite watch to have is a chronograph and almost all watch brands have a version of this form of watch. A chronograph is a stop watch and on some models, you can tell how face your car is moving by running the chronograph. Now, chronographs are great watches to have (I have two of these) yet, when would you actually use one? After a while, you'll realize you dished out serious money for a function, you only used the first few days of owning your watch. The rest of the time, you're just looking at your watch to, well, tell time. So buying a chronograph may not be real value for your bucks, unless you fly a small aircraft every other day.

So what do you get, in terms of function?

Seiko Premier Perpectual Calendar

Here's my suggestion - a perpectual calendar wristwatch. I own two of these watches and boy do I love them. Why? You only have to set the date once and the watch will take care of the rest. And it even count leap years. Most brands carry a version of this type of watch and it makes more sense then a chronograph. I currently own the Seiko Premier Perpectual Calendar and its a time-less elegant watch. I purposely went around looking for the above model, it was release in 2007 and is the first model of this kind in the Premier line, making it a collector's item of sorts.

Rule 2: Go Automatic


Seiko was the culprit that broke the back of most european wristwatch makers when they introduced quartz technology back in the 1969. Basically, it meant that watches can now run in little batteries, making them more realiable and durable. And cheaper to produce. This revolutionized the watch industry and the wristwatch became standard issue apparel (much like underwear). Heck, James Bond wore a Seiko in four movies and I think it was Sean Connery who wore a digital Seiko in Never Say Never Again.

I own several quartz, yet any chance I get; I'll but automatic. Why? Better resale value. Collectors love automatics and they are willing to pay for it. So if ever you feel like off-loading a watch, automatics will get buyers.

Quartz watches do have revalue but unless you own the following quartz watches, selling them would be hard.

Seiko Holo - only 2000 sold, can fetch USD1000 on eBay

Seiko 7a28 - worn by Lt. Ripley in Alien. Extremely rare.


This one sold for USD410

So in short, buy automatic. They sell well and you can pass it down to your grand-children.

Rule 3 : Buy metal bracelet and leather


Wristwatches come in metal bracelets and leather bands. Have both. Why? A metal bracelet watch can be your everday wear. A leather band is for those moments you need a subtle touch, like going for a dinner or meeting.

Switching watches around can be fun and it shows off your character as someone who's not monotonous.

There you have it, three (3) rules you can apply to choosing a wristwatch. I did not mention brand nor size (wristwatch normally come in 3 sizes) or shape. These factors are very subjective and really depends on individual taste.

If you have any more rules we all can apply to buying a wristwatch (especially for men) do drop me a comment.

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To Those That Don't Understand, It's Spelt 'DEPRESSION'

"Let it go." "Get over it." "Move on with life." "I don't like the change in you." "Just think happy thoughts."

I've heard my fair share of comments. The comments are fair and spoken from well-intended motives. The people are sincere and trying their best to nudge me along.

But they got it all wrong.

I often dismissed this form of positive-emphaty as being the inability of the commenter to understand the true nature of the condition that has gripped me. For in all fairness, only those who suffer would know how it truly feels.

It's spelt DEPRESSION and here are some points a care-giver should know:

1. 
   
   Understand the condition and then the person. It is a condition the sufferer may not fully comprehend themselves (I sure did not) and in most cases, they do not know why they are in the condition they are in. So do your homework. Study the condition and use that knowledge as a platform for reaching out.
   
   


2. 
   
   
   
   • 
     
     Depression: Beyond Serotonin
     
     
   
   
   • 
     
     The Evolutionary Reason for Depression
     
     
   
   
   • 
     
     Exploring The Links Between Depression, Writers and Suicide
     
     
   
   
   • 
     
     The Cantopher Document
     
     
   
   
   
   


3. 
   
   Stress. Stress plays a key role in the on-set of a depressive spiral. We all face stress in some measure through out our lives. Unfortunately, the sufferer has lost or lack the mechanism to handle stress. DO NOT add to the stress they are already facing. Stress could come in the form of a simple question such as, "Why are you feeling this way?" Yes, finding the answer to why is stressful. DO NOT push them over-the-edge by unnecessary questions and fact-finding activities.
   
   


4. 
   
   Trauma. An overwhelming blast of stress causes trauma and this broke the brains natural ability to cope and thus begins the onset of depression. Studies have shown that exposure to a traumatic experience in early child-hood makes the brain hypersensitive to stress which contributes to the onset of depression in adults. Understanding the traumatic experience in the life of the sufferer will help. In some cases, it was a series of traumatic and stressfull incidences that hit the individual at the same time that caused the depressive spiral.
   
   


5. 
   
   Personality Change. Understand that once depression has set in, the person's personality and character has change. They will not be the same person, you once knew. Why? The body compensates and adapts itself to the new condition. The body is trying its best to cope. These changes are in itself, confusing to the sufferer. Don't stress them out by pointing out the change, instead accept it and allow the sufferer the space to reconfigure themselves to their new state. In some cases, the changes do not stick and the sufferer reverts back but in some, these changes are permanent.
   
   


6. 
   
   Walk with us. I cannot emphasis more on the importance of this point. Walk with the sufferer. Don't merely say, "I understand." but instead add, "We'll walk through this together." There is a deep sense of hopelessness and loneliness in the sufferer. Leaving them alone or on their own enforces this prevalent feelings. Most sufferers commit suicide, not because they are stupid or attention-seeking, but rather because they want the pain to end. If you are sincere and genuine, walk the talk. Don't just say you want to help but be the help. If a care-giver does not owe up to what they say, it would merely push the sense of hopelessness and loneliness deeper into the sufferer's psyche. Walk with us, show us that someone cares and trust me; change can happen.
   
   


7. 
   
   Antidepressants. I am NOT an advocate of this form of treatment. Why? To me, it merely mask the condition. It represses the condition into a dormant state and really doesn't help the sufferer. In all the readings, I've read; I've come to the conclusion that antidepressants do not cure the condition. It merely brings it down to a manageable state. Problem with that is, without the antidepressants, the condition may return with a vengence.
   
   

Once broken, can this be fixed?

I am incline to say, NO.

The scars are buried deep in the psyche and mind. The brain has changed and this is not something that can be fixed that easily. Yet, there is hope. The brain is a wonderfully flexible organ and it can re-wire itself to work-round the handicap. A sufferer can start these processes along but they cannot do it on their own. They need care-givers around them to help them along, until the brain has rewired itself, well enough for the sufferer to manage on their own.

This is a plea for all to understand because only through understanding can one help to beat down this condition. For sufferers, I know it's hard but we too need to understand as best as possible what we suffer from.

Sun Tzu wrote, " It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle."

Understand this condition called DEPRESSION, understand yourself and we can win this battle.

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There's a story in every moment

You can sit on a plane or at a (boring) meeting and there may be a story lying in wait. All you have to do is turn, smile and talk to those around you. Every one has a story, has a phrase that sticks, has a tale to tell and places they've been. All you need to do is turn, smile and start talking. Do not be afraid to strike up a conversation with the ones near you. And above all, after asking, listen to what they have to tell and take note. You never know when that phrase would seem appropriate when you are writing conversation or laying down a plot.

There's a story in every moment.

Too many times we try too hard to fomulate a great story. We labour over ideas that HAVE to be spectacular, mind blowing and out of this world. We fashion large words and create outlandish worlds to plant our single dimensional characters.

But stop and talk to those you meet on the bus or a plane or sitting at a coffee shop and you'll gain a wealth of stories. Real stories with real people, living real lives with real problems and moving in real time. You then take on the role of scribe and thus, chronicle the lives of everyday people. It doesn't have to be outlandish or spectacular, just honest and true.

Try it. talk to someone and listen to the story, yet untold.

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