It is only when we lose something in life, do we truly understand its significance. This could be our cell phone, car keys, health, or even a loved one. Cell phones or keys can easily be replaced, but how about health, a limb, or a dear friend?
The feeling of gratitude and appreciation has hit Dino pretty hard recently. He has been fortunate enough to experience the quality of life in poverty struck nations such as Africa, where clean water, electricity, and a good night's sleep is considered a privilege. On the other hand, living in Japan, US, or Singapore, where even if we lose our broadband or cable connection, all hell breaks lose in our life. Again, these are all external things, but just simply being aware of this can bring a world of difference to our awareness. We never appreciate the electricity when it's always on, but the moment it switches off, we realize its importance. As soon as the -conditioners, fans, computers, televisions, radios, refrigerators switch off. We begin to feel uncomfortable and the food in the refrigerator begins to stale.
Now, imagine if we lost an arm or a leg? Have we appreciated our organs for the years of service offered without ever asking for appreciation or even complaining.
Our arms have helped us eat, drink, drive, hug a friend, and even pick our nose. How would we pick our nose without fingers? Would someone do this for us?
We can try a simple technique that will increase our awareness and transform our attitude into one of gratitude. Simply, close your eyes and move your awareness to your palms, then do the same for your feet, head, or any other organ. You will be amazed how your organs respond to you with a tingling feeling. As if saying, "Thank you for acknowledging me..."
It's very simple, go ahead and try it. You'll experience the phrase "energy flows, where attention goes."
A few words on Appreciation
Dino is back!!
Dino had last posted on this blog sometime in July 2008, when every moment in life was absolutely wonderful. Then, slowly but steadly as the economic concerns continued to rise so did his stress levels. There was always the fear that he might be the next one "out" in order for the company to cut costs. As he sits quietly today remembering those days, he realizes how insignificant his fears were, and the constant need to strive for an amazing future that isn't promised to anyone. He does not believe that it was a bad idea striving so hard, however doing so for an unknown tomorrow? Yes, it was quite a dumb move.
Dino has been resting for several weeks as a result of an eye surgery. Dino was fairly frustrated as his mind has a constant need to be productive at every moment, an idle mind was considered a complete waste of time. Time - which he believed was a gift from God and must be invested wisely. Meditation was also considered being productive, as it would allow him to sharpen his mind so that it would perform at maximum potential at all times.
Even though he considered all that 'idling' as unproductive for his career, he has now realized the productivity that is hidden during the idle stages of those days.
Dino will return each day to post the inner most thoughts that were born through this frustration. Was this frustration worth it? Absolutely! Stay tuned to this blog to learn why.
An Enchanting Experience at the Gym
As Dino visits the gym and notices the members tirelessly working out on the treadmill, cross trainer, and rowing machines, he often wonders if all this energy accumulated could be recycled one way or another. It may not be to power up the building, but at least the water-fountain or the workout machine itself.
Quoted from the website – “The River Gym concept is a human-powered floating gym that will provide the user with the one experience that no other gym can provide: floating your workout around
“The River Gyms are, in essence, floating gyms designed to provide health amenities while floating along the Hudson and East rivers. Each gym is programmed with a specific path set on a 15 minute loop moving from one point to the next. This means that each one of these devices can function both as a gym with a view and as a transportation system.”
An Organic Pair of Jeans…
The ‘Ayurveda Herbal Organic Fabric Jeans’ designed by Make Your Own Jeans, uses an ancient technique of dyeing textiles in medicinal herbs as a means of practicing Ayurvedic medicine.
Ayurveda treated fabrics exposes medicinal herbs to the body through the skin, the body’s largest organ. In contact with clothing, the skin absorbs the medicinal qualities of the herbs. Depending on which herbs are used in the dyes, Ayurveda treated fabric may treat a broad range of medical conditions including skin ailments, diabetes, arthritis, and high blood pressure. Each dye may contain up to 50 different herbs.
A few of the benefits that can be noticed are treated skin infections, weight loss, improved diabetes, immune system boost, eczema, energy boost, psoriasis, mood enhancement, hypertension, overall well-being, improved blood pressure, calm feeling, asthma, blood purification and cooling, improved digestion, relief from insomnia, arthritis, rheumatism and general body aches
Are You Still Searching for a Parking Spot?
Not sure about you, but Dino clearly remembers the days when he used to circle the city or large parking lots for a spot close to his destination. At every turn into a new lane, he would pray “Please God, may there be a parking spot here…” Eventually, his good karma would kick-in and he would find a spot.
Thanks to high-tech, finding a parking spot is going to get a lot easier. According to a recent article in the NYTimes, “This fall, San Francisco will test 6,000 of its 24,000 metered parking spaces in the nation’s most ambitious trial of a wireless sensor network that will announce which of the spaces are free at any moment.”
A 4x4” inch sensor, called a “Bump” is glued to the ground and senses once a car has arrived and departed. It then sends a signal to a central database that notifies drivers through the web or a smartphone about empty spots in the area. The “Bump” is battery operated and expected to last from 5 to 10 years without service – assuming that it has been run-over more than a hundred times by the cars trying to park.
The technology behind this innovation is called ‘Smart Dust’. Basically, it’s a tiny, low-powered wireless sensor that detects other sensors within its distribution network, and sends the data back to the centralized server for analysis. Smart Dust can detect motion, humidity, light, CO2 levels, or anything thing else worth sensing. Imagine the possibilities of this – detection of bio-hazards, forest fires, parking spots, or even detecting your vital signs such as your temperature, heart-beat or blood pressure.
Fascinating? Yes, and this is just the beginning!
2000 Gallons of Water to produce 1 Gallon of Milk
In reference to saving the planet and conserving its resources, an interesting article has been published in Natural News regarding the amount of water needed to produce milk – 2000 gallons of water for 1 gallon of milk.
Besides this, there are several health and ethical reasons to avoid consuming milk. Look out for a future post on this topic. Meanwhile, you may consider browsing through Dino’s previous posts about the environment.
Almost 3 months – A Reflection…
Dino’s Words of Wisdom blog has been up and running for almost 3 months now. When it was created, Dino had planned to post one entry every single day. This goal seemed a bit far fetched at the time; however, his enthusiasm overpowered his limitation.
The first entry was posted on March 16, followed by almost one post for each day. As April came along, so did laziness and procrastination, which led to one post every other day. This month couldn’t be worse – 6 posts, including this one.
Why does this matter? Why does this blog even exist? To answer the latter question first, the purpose of this blog was, and still is, to share Dino’s perspective on anything and everything that strikes his interest and triggers his curiosity. There were posts on empowerment, appreciation, health, alternative medicine, technology, environment, wisdom, or an odd story that caught his attention.
Now, to answer the former question – Why does this matter? It doesn’t.
Yeah, right. Of course it does. In order to have meaning and value in our life, we need to constantly strive for something. Dino hasn’t reached a point in his life yet where nothing matters any more. Therefore, the reason this matters is that if the number of posts decrease, so will the number of readers; but besides that, Dino will once again get lost in the illusions of the outer-world and not have a chance to internally reflect (and share) what is being portrayed. In addition, this also helps Dino become more disciplined.
The goal for the next three months is to post an entry every other day, however, quality does matter over quantity, so if you don’t see a post for a while, just keep checking, and eventually there will be one.
Thanks for reading and your comments!
Boxers or Briefs?
Philips has just applied for a patent to develop blood-pressure sensing underpants – yes, you read that correctly, underpants!
The underpants come equipped with sensors that measure the electrical impedance of the tissue beneath it. A pair of such sensors can calculate the speed of the pulse wave by timing how long it takes to travel from one sensor to the other.
Dino wasn’t able to obtain too much information about this, but assumes that the sensors will also include a wireless feature that would allow you to transfer the readings to an online log (for monitoring and analysis) or directly to your doctor, keeping you safe at all times. It may even have an alarm that sounds if your blood pressure rises too rapidly.
It’s quite an odd invention – Dino wonders if Philips would collaborate with a garment company such as CK to distribute this, and the different colors that would be available. What about laundry, would the sensors be water resistant? Would it be safe to have a wireless transmitter so close to your…you know what.
Dino will keep you posted once more information is available. Meanwhile, you may want to check out a previous post about an ice shirt that helps you cool down in the summer.
Polly Want a Cracker?
Apparently, Yosuke flew out of his cage and got lost in a city near
Yosuke kept quiet while he was with the cops, (guess he was taught not to say anything until his lawyer arrived) however, after a few days with the vet, he revealed his full name and address. “I’m Mr. Yosuke Nakamura and I live at
The cops checked out the address and found out that indeed the Nakamura family lived there. Yosuke was returned in good health and the Nakamura family lived happily ever after.
Until Yosuke decides to fly out again…
Boost your brain power
If the procedure in the previous post freaked you out, then I’m sure you’ll be very glad to read this. As promised, Dino has decided to share a few natural techniques to boost your brain power.
Use dead time. This is time that is otherwise wasted or just under-utilized. Driving time, time spent in waiting rooms, or even time spent raking your yard can be included in this. Pick up an iPod/MP3 player and start listening to audio books.
Learn a language. Learning a new language has been shown to halt the age-related decline in brain function. It also introduces your mind to new concepts and new ways of looking at things.
Write. Writing is good for your mind in a number of ways. It is a way to tell your memory what is important, so you'll recall things more easily in the future. It is a way to clarify your thinking.
Listen to Mozart. In a study at the University of California, researchers found that children who studied piano and sang daily in chorus, were much better at solving puzzles, and when tested, scored 80% higher in spatial intelligence than the non-musical group.
Exercise. Research shows that cognitive function is improved immediately after just ten minutes of aerobic exercise.
Consume alcohol in moderation. In a study at the University of Indiana School of Medicine, elderly light drinkers (fewer than 4 drinks per week) scored higher on tests of thinking abilities than non-drinkers. Those who drank 10 or more drinks per week scored lower. It is known that alcohol can kill brain cells, so moderation seems to be the key.
Just whistle while you work...
A new study published in the journal of neurology suggests that the length of our arms and legs raise the risk of memory loss.
According to the report, the women with the shortest arm spans were 50 percent more likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer's disease than women with longer arm spans. And the longer a woman's leg from floor to knee, the lower her risk for dementia. While in men, only a shorter arm span was linked with higher dementia risk.
If your body type does fall into this category, fear not. Another experiment that implants electrodes in your brain has been proven to reverse memory loss.
The electrodes are implanted under local anaesthesia while the patient is awake. Before the operation, the neurosurgeon performs an MRI scan and establishes the target location for the electrodes. He then carries out a craniotomy – lifting a section of the skull – and inserts the electrodes and leads.
During the experiment, the patient recalled a scene from 30 years earlier. More tests showed his ability to learn was dramatically improved when the current was switched on and his brain stimulated.
Just in case this procedure sounds too invasive for you, stay tuned for Dino’s next post, as he shares a few natural techniques on boosting your brain power.
It’s gettin' Hot in here...
The temperature in
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