things that I like #7

1) the feeling I had the winter of 2002. I would listen to blackbird by the beatles and drink lots of green tea. Somehow in my little room in New Jersey, I could escape that world and dream of a grand life ahead of me.

2) being finally friends with my mom.

3) my room being clean.

4) being somewhat ok with loneliness again.

5) reading stories of people who have achieved great things.

things that I like #6

1) sunshine

I like sunshine a lot. I like it when the sun hits my skin and I am lying down on my back in a park somewhere.

2) a moment of random connection

Yesterday, I was at the park and there was a dog who I played catch frisbee with. He seemed quite cheerful and happy to catch my frisbee.

3) the word pleasant

pleasant is halfway between peace and adventure.

4) good conversation

I like hanging out with smart people and talking about smart things. Ugh, what a guilty pleasure.

5) feeling a sense of expansion

phoebe once said, dont you think gravity is weird. It feels like its pulling you down and dont you just want to escape it.

something I don't like:

An awareness of the current frame of my life. Isn't it lame to realize that the connections you have with people and your frame of yourself is only a sad reflection of who you are. Also had a discussion about the push pull between awareness, philosophies and a reflection of the current state of society. an example of this is: how in your youth was a staunch communitarian but when grow up and had a taste of individuality, and so then realize the beauty of capitalism.

I liked the discussion about the origins of the western mindset of individuality.

advertising is a great distillation of cultural values.

things that I like #5

1) the show the office

it is funny. that is all.

2) things that are done well.

for instance, I really like the website of this illustrator. It looks like he really know what he is doing. Or the work of the video guys we were talking to today.

I just like things that are done well.

3) rest and sleep
I dont do enough of this really

4) the song "angel won't you call me" by the decemberists

well looks like its just 3 for today

things that I like #4

1) good quotes and books:

for instance:

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Beginner's Mind" -- Zen proverb, as quoted by Steve Jobs

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
- Theodore Roosevelt

Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them, quote them, disagree with them disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing that you can't do is ignore them.

Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward.

Maybe they have to be crazy. How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that's never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?

While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.

- apple
good books:
seth godin's the dip

2) panoramic vistas of san francisco

they sure are beautiful

3) when someone dies, on their tombstone, no one ever talks about what they have achieved, but in their relationships with other people.

thats not really something i like but something i heard someone say

4) good technology, like cellphones and podcasts

5) books and smart people. like Cornell West... or any of the random people on Iinnovate.

things I like #3

1) the laser light on the star wars building on folsom
I wasn't sure what the point of the little "landing pad" looking part of the
building was for, but I like the laser
2) the weather
I like the weather right now. It feels like spring.
3) muni fast pass
what a great idea. I'm glad I bought one this month
4) the Stanford on ItunesU podcasts
I love it! Best selection of lectures ever! I didn't really have a chance to
listen to these great lectures when I was in college because I was too busy
to do it, but now I can!
5) great conversation
When I talk to someone and it feels like I have a genuine connection with
them. That stuff is really hard to come by though.
6) cherries that are ripe
I like them.
7) tea and milk
I like this too.

things that I like #2

1) Starbucks Coffee Frappuccino
It tastes good and makes me feel good. I don't know why. Its just that good. Too bad its actually bottled by Pepsi. Co. Stuff like "it tastes good, makes me feel good" can't really be marketed either though. Rats.

2) Pho
The broth is light and delicious and reminds me of childhood meals with my grandparents. I douse the meat with Hoisin sauce and it is so.damn.good.

3) Guy Kawasaki
He's so smart and amazing and "revolutionary". Too bad truemors is kind of lame. Thats what happens when good marketers try to develop products without good engineers.

4) My friend Jolly
She always calls me on my bullshit and I think she cares about me. She's quirky like I am. She's just a good friend.

5) Being in a state of Flow
Flow is when you are given the appropriate challenge to your skillsets.
according to wikipedia:

Flow is the mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing, characterized by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity. Proposed by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the concept has been widely referenced across a variety of fields.

As Csikszentmihalyi sees it, components of an experience of flow can be specifically enumerated; he presents the following:

1. Clear goals (expectations and rules are discernible and goals are attainable and align appropriately with one's skill set and abilities).
2. Concentrating and focusing, a high degree of concentration on a limited field of attention (a person engaged in the activity will have the opportunity to focus and to delve deeply into it).
3. A loss of the feeling of self-consciousness, the merging of action and awareness.
4. Distorted sense of time - one's subjective experience of time is altered.
5. Direct and immediate feedback (successes and failures in the course of the activity are apparent, so that behavior can be adjusted as needed).
6. Balance between ability level and challenge (the activity is neither too easy nor too difficult).
7. A sense of personal control over the situation or activity.
8. The activity is intrinsically rewarding, so there is an effortlessness of action.
9. When in the flow state, people become absorbed in their activity, and focus of awareness is narrowed down to the activity itself, action awareness merging (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975. p.72).

Not all are needed for flow to be experienced.

things that I like #1

this is the first of a list of things that I like. I will be posting 5 things that I like on a semi-regular basis.

things that I like list 1:

1) Seth Godin.

ok this is not really a thing. Seth Godin is one of the most inspiring people I know in the business world. He has a way of distilling things into believable and inspiring chunks. His books has taught me that the only way to go in life is to be remarkable.

I just got his other book called "the dip. a little book that teaches you when to quit (and when to stick)". Its pretty small. I look forward to reading it.

2) Barack Obama.

he has a sense of authenticity about his words. he seems like he lived his entire life thinking life realistically. he seems real. note the stress on "seems".

3) POM tea

purchasing POM tea is a bit of an indulgence unfortunately. But it tastes so good.
The graphic design is awesome also, packaging is great. Homerun packaging designers of POM tea. You get a golden star.

4) Vitamin Water

unfortunately they just got acquired by coke. I hope that doesn't reduce their quality. I really like the graphic design and the taste of this beverage. The side comments on the packaging has also been surprisingly quite inspiring and entertaining to read.

5) Resting my head on the BART when I am going home.

I like to rest my head on the window of the BART when I am going home. The window isn't 100% sealed so when the BART runs, a rush of air goes through and it feels like I am riding through open air.

Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth