I'm alive.

Sometimes, you gotta declutter.  Decluttering your life, your responsibilities, your thoughts will relieve a lot of unnecessary stress.  Spring cleaning was awesome.  It was therapeutic.  I bet I could get rid of another one-third of my belongings if I really wanted to invest more time in the cleaning process...but I am satisfied with what organization I've already accomplished in decluttering material junk.  Any more time spent spring cleaning would not produce that much more joy.  Now I have less things to keep track of and more time to devote to whatever it is I want! 

Business activities and productivities have increased.  It is a never-ending process to simplify what I know in order to convey the information effectively to multiply production (whether it be knowledge transfer or cashflow).  I used to think the more I know, the more information I share, the more they will listen to me.  It is not about what I know, even though I may know a lot; I just need to be simple and honest.  The rest takes care of itself.  20% of the work produces 80% of the results.  Focus on the 20%!

Have you decluttered your life lately? 

I resumed house hunting ... it is my biggest distraction.  Instead of being productive or devoting time to doing something spectacular (like playing Scrabble or touring Point Reyes, CA!), I spend about an hour a day looking at new listings and double checking my decision making process.  My agent is getting annoyed with his diminishing rate of return as he spends more time gathering me information and taking me on home tours.  I think by the end of this ordeal, he will make a whopping $5 per hour. 

What's up with you?  Let me know...

Written by Tim Ferriss

Specialization isn’t always a good thing.

Are the days of Da Vinci dead? Is it possible to, at once, be a world-class painter, engineer, scientist, and more?

“No way. Those times are long gone. Nothing was discovered then. Now the best you can do is pick your field and master it.”

The devout specialist is fond of labeling the impetuous learner–Da Vinci and Ben Franklin being just two forgotten examples–”jack of all trades, master of none.” The chorus unites: In the modern world, it is he who specializes who survives and thrives. There is no place for Renaissance men or women. Starry-eyed amateurs.

Is it true? I don’t think so. Here are the top five reasons why being a “jack of all trades,” what I prefer to call a “generalist,” is making a comeback:

5) “Jack of all trades, master of none” is an artificial pairing.

It is entirely possible to be a jack of all trades, master of many. How? Specialists overestimate the time needed to “master” a skill and confuse “master” with “perfect”…

Generalists recognize that the 80/20 principle applies to skills: 20% of a language’s vocabulary will enable you to communicate and understand at least 80%, 20% of a dance like tango (lead and footwork) separates the novice from the pro, 20% of the moves in a sport account for 80% of the scoring, etc. Is this settling for mediocre?

Not at all. Generalists take the condensed study up to, but not beyond, the point of rapidly diminishing returns. There is perhaps a 5% comprehension difference between the focused generalist who studies Japanese systematically for 2 years vs. the specialist who studies Japanese for 10 with the lack of urgency typical of those who claim that something “takes a lifetime to learn.” Hogwash. Based on my experience and research, it is possible to become world-class in almost any skill within one year.

4) In a world of dogmatic specialists, it’s the generalist who ends up running the show.

Is the CEO a better accountant than the CPA? Is Steve Jobs a better programmer than the iTunes VP of Engineering? No, but he has a broad range of skills and sees the unseen interconnectedness. As technology becomes a commodity with the democratization of information, it’s the big-picture generalists who will predict, innovate, and rise to power fastest. There is a reason military “generals” are called such.

3) Boredom is failure.

In a first-world economy where we have the physical necessities covered with even low-class income, Mazlow’s hierarchy of needs drives us to need more for any measure of comparative “success.” Lack of intellectual stimulation, not superlative material wealth, is what drives us to depression and emotional bankruptcy. Generalizing and experimenting prevents this, while over-specialization guarantees it.

2) Diversity of intellectual playgrounds breeds confidence instead of fear of the unknown.

It also breeds empathy with the broadest range of human conditions and appreciation of the broadest range of human accomplishments. The alternative is the defensive xenophobia and smugness uniquely common to those whose identities are defined by their job title or single skill, which they pursue out of obligation and not enjoyment.

1) It’s more fun, in the most serious existential sense.

The jack of all trades maximizes his number of peak experiences in life and learns to enjoy the pursuit of excellence unrelated to material gain, all while finding the few things he is truly uniquely suited to dominate.

The specialist who imprisons himself in self-inflicted one-dimensionality — pursuing and impossible perfection — spends decades stagnant or making imperceptible incremental improvements while the curious generalist consistently measures improvement in quantum leaps. It is only the latter who enjoys the process of pursuing excellence.

—

Don’t put on experiential blinders in the name of specializing. It’s both unnecessary and crippling. Those who label you a “jack of all trades, master of none” are seldom satisfied with themselves.

Why take their advice?

Here is a description of the incredible Alfred Lee Loomis, a generalist of the highest order who changed the course of World War II with his private science experiments, here taken from the incredible portrait of his life, Tuxedo Park:

Loomis did not conform to the conventional measure of a great scientist. He was too complex to categorize — financier, philanthropist, society figure, physicist, inventor, amateur, dilettante — a contradiction in terms.

Be too complex to categorize.

Look far and wide.  There are worlds to conquer.

###

I am now a proud owner (yet again, for the 3rd time) of an IPHONE.  *jumping with joy*  Many people are questioning me on how long I'll be able to keep this iphone...how will its fate differ from the other two iphones I had in the past two years?  *looks down with shame*   I don't know...I hope I can keep it!

I think I need it attached to my body at all times...like have a leash on it and tie it around my neck.  If the leash around my neck tightens, I will definitely notice how important it is to keep this iphone.  Wish me luck!

Growing up, this quote was always in my head.  It's NORMAL in my family to do more.  Anything less would be frowned upon.  It was ABNORMAL to be normal.  After talking to many people, I realize that this push to do more, to go beyond what is necessary, is really a bizarre thought.  Funny...what's normal to me could be abnormal to others.

*sob* 

I'm going to have to break up with a TV show I've just started to get involved with: Eli Stone. 

ELI STONE is just too good of a show to be canceled!  I was developing this full-on crush on Eli Stone, the quirky (but oh so lovable!) lawyer who gets divine messages with clues on which cases he should take to help mankind.  Gaaaaaaaaawwwddd my heart is breaking.  Next year's line up better be as good!  I need another male heartthrob to mull over...

I guess I can promote Sheldon of The Big Bang Theory to my addiction-worthy list (nerd on the left in picture below).  He's so intelligent and socially awkward yet I find him incredibly sexy!  You know what they say about men with big brains....  Move over Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother)...you've got competition!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28156838/?GT1=43001

Immigrant doesn't blame pilot for crash

SAN DIEGO - A Korean immigrant whose wife, two young daughters and mother-in-law perished when a military jet crashed into his house says he doesn't blame the pilot who safely ejected.

The Marine Corps fighter plane was returning from an offshore training mission Monday when it clipped a tree and slammed into homes about two miles from its base. Two homes were incinerated, and three others were damaged. Three generations of a Korean family died in one home.

The family's pastor, the Rev. Kevin Lee of the Korean United Methodist Church in San Diego, identified three of them as Young Mi Yoon, 36; her 2-month-old daughter, Rachel; and her mother, Suk Im Kim, 60, who was visiting from South Korea to help care for her daughter's newborn.

The body of 15-month-old Grace Yoon, Rachel's sister, was found in the home Tuesday, Fire Department spokesman Maurice Luque said. No one else remained missing.

The San Diego County medical examiner's office has not officially released the names of the victims.

No hard feelings
Young Mi Yoon's husband defended the pilot Tuesday.

"I don't have any hard feelings," Dong Yun Yoon, 37, told reporters near the rubble where his home once stood. "I know he did everything he could."

"Please pray for him not to suffer from this accident," Dong Yun Yoon said. "I know he is one of our treasured for the country."

Dong Yun Yoon, who left Korea in 1989 and became a U.S. citizen, wondered aloud how he would persevere after losing his family.

"Please tell me how to do it," he said, surrounded by his pastor, sister, brother and church members. "I don't know what to do."

Meanwhile, a high-ranking congressman called on the Marine Corps on Tuesday to release the maintenance records of all fighter jets of the type that lost power and crashed into the San Diego neighborhood.

Power failure
Rep. Duncan Hunter, the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, said the fiery crash Monday of the F/A-18D Hornet fighter as it approached Marine Corps Air Station Miramar was apparently caused by power failure.

"My understanding ... is that the engines failed, causing the aircraft to lose thrust," said Hunter spokesman Joe Kasper.

The crash was probably unrelated to the previous discovery of cracks in hinges on the wings of more than a dozen of the $57 million aircraft, the San Diego-area congressman said.

"It is important that we gain a complete understanding of what went wrong," Hunter said in a statement.

Marine Cpl. Travis Easter said officials at Miramar had no immediate response to the request for maintenance records.

The Navy announced last month that it was grounding 10 of the planes and limiting the flights of 20 others because of the cracks. It was not immediately clear whether the plane that crashed in San Diego was under any flight restrictions.

The pilot ejected safely and was taken to a naval hospital in stable condition. He was discovered hanging by his parachute from a tree in a canyon beneath the neighborhood.

Miramar officials declined to say whether he remained hospitalized, but witnesses said he appeared unhurt.

Neighbors said the family of Korean immigrants had moved into the area about three months ago.

Resident Choko McConnell, 85, a widow who lives down the street, said she often saw the grandmother pushing a child in a stroller.

"I cried all night," McConnell said. "A family perished, a young family."

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My best friend has moved home, heartbroken and lost.  It has been many painful nights for us as I try to coax her to sleep or distract her from crying.  This ordeal is surreal...I understand everything she's feeling and experiencing because it wasn't that long ago that I went through the same ordeal.  She holds on to me tightly at night as she cries herself to sleep.  The brightness of her eyes and smile have dimmed.  I know she is hurting but there's only one way out -- and it's through.  It breaks my heart to see it break her heart.  There are little words I can say to make things better...because the pain will take a long time to go away.  So I continue my hugs, my short greeting messages, my invitations to social events, my hope that the healing process goes as swift as possible.

I had a friend who was there for me every step of the way during my healing period from my previous breakup.  I gave him a silly nickname -- Cream Puff.  I never knew how Cream Puff did it...he was so kind, patient, nurturing.  It was hard for me but for him it must have been excruciatingly difficult, too.  For over a year, he put up with the constant crying, phone calls, depression...lol  Talk about resilience and tolerance!  And for that (and so much more), I am thankful for his friendship and love.  I hope I can be even half as good a friend to my best friend as he was to me during a very sad time.

THANK YOU CREAM PUFF!!!