Meditation for Dummies

Posted on June 2, 2011 by sinyaw

I have been meditating since I was about 10 years old. I found an Yoga book and simply followed the instructions. It was cool as if I was practicing some advanced Kong Fu. I don’t know whether meditation changed my life or not, since it has been always part of me. I knew that it was not easy and I lost my ways frequently. But I also never knew it is a big deal or a mystery. Of course everyone can do it, even I did.

Diamond Sutra said once one can control one’s mind, he becomes a Buddha. With total mind-control, the Buddha can change everything with his thoughts. Everything! The universe, lives, deaths, atoms, energy, time travel! Most importantly, mind-control is nirvana: eternal happiness.

For millenenia, Buddhists searched ways to gain mind-control. In fact, that defines the denominations of Buddhism. Common to all of those denominations is the practice of meditation. Since one cannot come back from the Buddha-land or Nirvana country, there can be no proof if any of those methods actually work. But the general conclusion is absolutely clear.

No meditation, no Nirvana.

This is how I do it:

  • Find a posture that you can remain stationary for about 30 minutes. There are really only few ways: sitting cross-legged is probably the easiest for beginners. It really does not matter. The point is once you start, you become very aware of your body. You need to minimize that.
  • Keep your eyes slightly open and look down at a point several inches in front of your naval. You should see your nose in the path. Once you are used to this “looking at a point in the space” thing, you can close your eyes and do the same. There is really nothing in front of your naval so there is no need to your eyes slightly open. The point to look, but at nothing.
  • Breath slowly and count. It does not matter how you count. I count one for both inhale and exhale and repeat at ten. So: inhale, exhale, one; inhale, exhale, two; …; ten; one; two; etc.
  • I always breathe with my stomach when I meditate. When I inhale, I lower the diaphragm and extend my belly outward. At the same time, I imagine a flow of energy from my nostril down to the belly and reaching all the way to the tip of my spine. When I exhale, I imagine that flow coming up through my spine, reaching to my skull, and then exiting from my nostril. As I imagine this, I can feel that energy flowing in my body. I am not sure this is part of the meditation, but it keeps me focused.
  • Except for counting, do not think of anything. Do not think of not thinking of anything. Keep your mind blank. Focus on that point in the space, keep the count going. Keep the mind blank. You will find this extremely difficult and you will work to drive those thoughts out of your mind. But you will get better. Gradually, you will enter a state that you are not sleeping, but not awake either. The more advanced you are, the longer you can stay in that state.

And this is it. Try it.

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Global Entry

Posted on May 30, 2011 by sinyaw

If an US citizen wishes, he or she may volunteer to give up a lot more personal information than the laws require. In exchange, this citizen can zip through the custom without waiting. In other words, as a democratic country, Homeland Security found a way for citizen to let go their privacy, plus parting some of their money, for convenience. The process involves filling up a lengthy online form and an arranging an in-person interview at an international airport. With it, I flew through SFO in about 30 seconds. No wait, no questions.

As I walked past the custom I felt superior to those “regular” people who queued behind the line. I realized the cornerstone of this program is its scarcity; it works only when very few people use it. Had all of them signed up the program like I did, we all will be waiting behind the kiosk instead of the border guards. Is this a self-defeating program, that I am simply lucky to be an early adopter?

The obstacles for the mass is the application fees and the lengthy online form. There are people who do not travel enough to justify the extra costs and those who distrust the government with even with their employment and residence history. These barriers kept the subscribers low enough to be beneficial but high enough to justify the operational costs. It seems the government is finally smart enough.

When I arrived at the empty luggage carousel, I realized the joke is on me. The whole process is as fast as the slowest link. For international travelers, it is the luggage. I spent money and let go of my personal information for naught. The crowd that were in queue now picked up their luggage. I ended up nearly the last that exited the airport.

Global Entry does not work for crossing Canadian borders. For those, Nexus Card is the equivalent solution. The application went through the same web site. The second step is an in-person interview at one of the Nexus offices, most easily found at a border town airport such as Toronto. There is a third step of getting your iris scanned. I did it when I traveled to Canada the very next trip.

Nexus process requires you to carry the card when you are using it, but you will need it only when an officer requests it. Otherwise, you walk up to the kiosk, stare into a mirror to wait for your iris scan confirmation, get the receipt from the machine, and proceed to the exit. Unlike Global Entry, you still must fill out the custom declaration form.

Toronto airport is notorious for its long custom line. Forty-five minutes are the norm and 90 are common. With Nexus card, I zipped through in less than 1 minute.

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Your Debt-Ridden Neighbors

Posted on May 25, 2011 by sinyaw

Your neighbor appears to be doing fine: nice parties, good cars, well-maintained yards, private schooled kids, leisurely vacations, etc. You did not pry much. It is none of your business, until the day he comes over for a loan.

It turns out he has been debt-financing his lavish life-style. Over the years, his debts has mounted to the point of hopelessness. If you don’t lend him money, he will go bankrupt and foreclose his house. That’s not good for your own house value. Furthermore, he borrowed money from the same bank that your hard-earned money is deposited. He owed the stores that you have a stake in and also the restaurants that you frequent. If he really bankrupts, these bank, stores, and restaurants will lose money; so will you.

Then you learned that he is not the only one. Two other neighbors have been doing just about the same and the third one made some bad investment decisions and is now financially stressed. Your community is in trouble.

Fortunately, not everyone was irresponsible. Many saved and worked hard. They have strong earning power and can come up with money to bail those weak ones out. Emotionally, though, they don’t want to. Particularly when the life-styles of those irresponsible are not really changing. You saw them drinking good wines at the restaurant and kids are still in private school. Yes, they did not take vacation this year, but the good cars are still in the garage and parties are still going. They had you.

What are you going to do?

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Not so random walk down the Wall St.

Posted on May 22, 2011 by sinyaw

There are golden rules on investing:

  • Allocate your assets:
    Divide your investment into piles that have different risk and reward structure: real estate, cash, equity, insurance, etc. Think of their relative proportions and keep them.
  • Diversify:
    Within each pile, have enough diversification to cancel out the volatility. This is the proven way to get return without the risks. You can go to extreme with this and just buy Index Funds, or you can do your own mix. If you’re looking for convenient ways to manage and diversify your investments, it can be helpful to Compare Investment Apps in the UK to find the platform that best suits your needs.
  • Cover your risks:
    If you buy a stock, you can, at the same time, buy a put option. If the stock goes up, you make less money since you need to subtract the cost of the option. If the stock falls, however, you lose less since the option protects you.

There is only one problem: investment strategies are self-defeating. If there is a proven sure way to win, everyone will do it. Since all transactions must have a buyer and a seller, someone must lose. The winning strategy, therefore, will cease to work. All three methods mentioned above have been practiced by millions of investors. They just differ by details. If you follow these strategies, you will get exactly what everyone else’s getting: the natural return of the market. This is the foundation of the efficient market theory: that the market price has reflected all relevant information already, there is no one any investor can beat the market consistently. Those did were just lucky.

Many, including Warren Buffet, disagreed. They claimed that although the market is quite efficient that average investors cannot beat it, but they possess certain strategies that did and will continue to do so. Naturally, they cannot divulge such strategies. If you park your money with them, you shall be rewarded. Just look, those who did were. Handsomely too.

Then came Enron, Bernie Madoff, and other crooks that simply used the shroud of secrecy to steal people’s money.

Sebastian Mallary’s book revealed those secrets. Of course, the very fact that he was able to do so mean they are no longer useful. He was able to reveal only after those hedge funds have failed; either by too many learned and copied their secrets or by the market closing down the arbitrage they were exploiting. (The chapter on Soros destroying foreign governments with money was scary.)

I believe the market is efficient enough to punish those who do not do their homework. Any reasonably intelligent investor can beat the market if he or she is willing to do the hard works for tracking trends and studying the fundamentals. It is definitely possible to win, just takes disciplines and strong nerves.

Kind of like life itself. Isn’t it?

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Athens

Posted on May 18, 2011 by sinyaw

Lake Vouliagmeni (vol-jia-MEN-i) is “sunken” like a gem that local would hide from tourists. Swimming in it was magical. One side is shallow and bright, you see rays of sunshine piercing toward the deep end, following your every motion, and make you feel as if you are stationary. The other side, close to the cliff, is deep and dark. I felt a giant sea monster was lurking in that black abyss. There is a mysterious warm current that teased me into a small cove protected by fallen rocks that cut sharply into the water and were covered with slippery green moss. Someone hung a piece of rope on the cliff to give swimmers a break. I grabbed it and found myself facing a pigeon. “You are in my space,” the bird gave me an accusing look before flying away.

Local believe the water is therapeutic and work to keep the lake clean. The water is salty and at constant temperature of 75°F. No one knew the source of the warm spring and adventurous divers died looking. No soaps or shampoo allowed here; bring your own towels too.

This city of Vouliagmeni is a favorite local hang-out. Clubs and restaurants line the street. Expensive ones monopolize the beach, but not the view. Foods are delicious, particularly when the menu shows no English.

Greek have seawater in their blood. Anywhere you turn, there is an expanse of blue water ahead of you. It is magical to look out to the horizon and watch the play among waves, sun, and sky. It is transfixing and soothingly relaxing. It makes every problems fixable. It also makes you wear sandals, and seek friends to enjoy some foods and wines together. The debaters will find solutions to worldly problems. The less philosophical simply go play in the sea. Islands provides variations and some physical excursions, both are invigorating. The athletic will never go home again. There are water-ski, jet-ski, wind-surfing, para-sailing, sail boating, motor boating, yachting, kayaking, fishing, snorkeling, scuba-diving, and, of course, just plain swimming.

Among those ruins, one cannot escape a sense of sadness. The golden era of Greece lasted less than 100 years about 3 millennia ago. Its influence on western civilization was profound, yet discontinued. After Alexander the Great, Greece lost its independence for thousands of years and fought it back from Ottoman empire only about 200 years ago.

Four to five days will be perfect for an Athens vacation: a day in the city for Acropolis and museums; a day for an out-of-city destination, we picked Delphi; a day or two for sea faring; and a day just to hang out on a beach. Hiring a tour guide, or join a group, would worth your money; there are too many stories and legends to study up.

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A phrase to remove from my repertoire

Posted on May 15, 2011 by sinyaw

Recently, I had to deal with a member of the law enforcement. I did not break any laws; it was simply a mundane approval process that the US government choose to use a uniformed personnel to administer.

While waiting for the computer to complete the transaction, the officer, since he was uniformed, felt obligated to engage a conversation. He knew a lot about me from the application. “This place you live in California a couple of years ago,” he said. “I heard that’s an affluent neighborhood.” “Kind of,” I replied. “Silicon valley is an expensive place to live.” “I heard it had become an Asian town. Like California is now full of Mexicans.” I did not know how to respond and he kept on. “That’s why I felt this country (the US) has no hope anymore. So I moved.” This conversation took place in a border town, within the United States, near Canada. This officer went on to say that he now live in Canada and commute into Washington to work. “The US has been taken over by…” Upon hearing what came out of his mouth, I vowed never to use this phrase. “You people.”

“My people,” he said. “Came to the US before there was an US.” “On the May Flower?” I asked. “Not exactly,” he said. “But close.” He continued. “I knew that you people had an immigration mind set, but there are non-immigrants in this country, lots of them, like me. You know.” Yes, I was stung again with that phrase and left speechless one more time.

He ruined my day and made me feel less hopeful for this country. He stopped short of telling me to go back where I came from. And I bit my lips telling him that we will be better off with more people like me than him.

He eventually rubber stamped on my application and we parted way, hopefully never to cross again.

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My First Baldacci

Posted on May 14, 2011 by sinyaw

He seems like a prolific writer and I enjoyed the movie “Absolute Power.” Political thriller is really not my usual genre, but I was on a Kindle binge and in exploration mood. So, with a click and its whisper net, I started reading my first Baldacci. Would it be my last?

There was a brilliant and gripping scene, if this is a movie. The climax was clearly the mastermind’s plan and careful execution. There were lots of difficult sacrifices, and they were moving. There were some lectures, but I enjoyed their educational purposes. Like a good book, even for novel, I felt a bit deeper and broader after reading it. I am officially made a fan now.

Unlike the movie there was no Clint Eastwood. Instead, there were about 4 or 5 main characters and it took me a while to figure out heroes from villains. Maybe I have been brainwashed by all those simple-minded plots, but a third into the book and I was wondering where the book was going.

Baldacci was not kind to the US foreign policies and I am, for the most part, in agreement. In general, the policies cost the government billions and the result is, at best, waste of money and usually many lives perished unnecessarily. The US government liked to create conflicts to keep some small wars going in the world. Those small and regional wars are useful. They keep those regions poor and dependent on the US dollars. They create market from the US weapon makers. They also keep presidents re-elected.

I don’t think I will get my next Baldacci in several months and he is not likely to become my favorite. He is, however, a good writer and probably among the bests in this genre. Just that, well, political thriller? I will still go SciFi.

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Ten Days

Posted on May 8, 2011 by sinyaw

Reading requires a certain state of mind. The environment — the proverbial a well-lighted place — is usually a great help. Physical and mental strengths are also critical. That is why I did not even bother to try on this last leg of flight, a short hop from SFO to home. I am hungry but don’t want to eat. I am tired but cannot sleep. I want to stay awake but hate the thought of drinking coffee. My body does not believe the time displayed on my watch. I just want to hug my wife, pet my dog, shower in my bathroom, and lie on my bed. My god. So, so much.

It started 10 days ago at the crack of dawn. A car awaited when I came downstairs. There wasn’t a conversation with the driver. Both of us wanted this journey to the airport over with quickly. He was to go on with his day. I to start a two-day journey to Malaysia: eight thousands miles away and 40°F warmer. Just when the plane was descending, I snapped this picture from the window.

It is pathetic that most business trips involve flying thousands of miles to an exotic place only to spend the entire trip in a windowless conference room eating over-priced catered foods. This one is like that for the first two and half days. I caught some of the beautiful South China Sea during my morning walks, because I woke up too early from the jet-lag. Fortunately, there was a half-day break and we chartered a boat out for some snorkeling and sun burns. South China Sea’s light breezes are so intoxicating to this pale geek.

There were eight legs of flights during this trip: three outbound and five inbound, since I add a short hop from Hong Kong to Taiwan for some business. That created a Sunday’s “personal day” and I got to catch up with friends and had some real foods. Taipei is a seriously fattening city, those on diet should avoid with all means. Monday came and it became all business again. It felt better and worse at the same time. My jet-lag was about over, but I am also about to get a new one at home.

Day 9, 4am, woke up, pack, check-out, on the taxi at 5am to the airport. Boarded the plane at 7am ready for a 13-hour flight across the pacific ocean. This is where the math gets a bit blurry. The plane actually arrives the US on the same day. Does that begin day #10? Hmm…

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Westlake Park

Posted on May 4, 2011 by sinyaw

If there is a center of Seattle City, it is probably Westlake park, a triangular park at the corner of 4th Ave and Pine St. On a good day, the artificial waterfall will churn loudly. Somehow, there are always a group of people sitting on various ledges with their dogs. There are also always young enthusiastic people with a clipboard trying to get you to take a survey. Of course, there are street artists doing street artistic things to get you to throw a couple of dollars into their collective instrument. I like the bronze live statue guy. He painted himself as a rusting bronze statue, green and brown even with a bit bird dropping. There is this guy who startles you with a burst of “SHOOSHINE.” I never saw anyone doing shoe shining with him.

This is the favorite place for people to protest. There is a standard “The End is Now” sign; always an extreme religious one “You will GO TO HELL if you don’t love Jesus;” the nice silver-haired lady doing a modest sign of “Abolish Nuclear Weapons;” of course, today is the anti-war protest in the wake of the US’s declaration of hostility against Libya.

Funny that walkers-by paid little attention to the protesters. Cops chatting with each others, chess players concentrating on their games, shoppers checking out their stuff, and eaters enjoying their foods. It is just a nice day, let’s enjoy whatever we come here to do. If protesting is your thing, don’t let me inconvenience you.

This is a good place for urban exploration: hang out, eat, have a cup of Joe, or even do some shopping. It is always better to do this with a companion.

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The Man who Terrorized America

Posted on May 2, 2011 by sinyaw

Do we get to go back to how we lived? Is everyone safe now? Who won?

Ten years ago, Osama bin Laden led the attack on the US soil. The famed 9/11 attack brought down the World Trade Center twin towers in New York. Estimated 3,000 people died from that attack and the trauma left many scarred. President George Bush launched the war on terrorists, created Homeland Security, and changed US air travel forever. After the 9/11 attack, there were an episode of Anthrax threat, UniBomber, shoe bomber, mysterious liquid bomber, underwear bomber, etc. As we try to get to wherever via air-travel, we would submissively take off the shoes, put many things through the machine, stand with our hands touching the forehead, and imagine whoever watching the scan would see. For all practical purposes, we got used to this now. Airport security is now part of the life.

And I feel safe traveling. I worry more about my laptop getting sufficient power than someone trying to bring down my airplane. I watched the news, in fact in Frankfurt airport on my way to Athens, with a detachment. Sure he is dead, but look at that weird hat someone wore at Kate’s wedding.

Several weeks ago, I finally watched the final series the TV program 24. It was the 8th season that Jack Bauer fighting terrorists. It was still a very watchable series, but ended. I don’t think people in the US care anymore on terrorism. That was so last decade.

The conclusion is that US won. We are not terrorized anymore. We don’t even watch TV programs about terrorism. Naive we may be, bin Laden failed.

And we don’t care anymore.

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