Intution

Listening is one of the most important skills that we learn as we grow up.  Leadership requires listening skills, good counselors are good listeners, and good relationships require good listening skills.  But how about listening to yourself? That must be one good skill to have.  I always thought good critical thinking involves figuring out what is logical? I thought it only involves what makes sense and not what your intuition says.  Each day, I learn my assumptions are wrong.

Daily in my life, I am learning some times my intuition is the sixth sense I never thought I have.  I still haven’t learned to obey my gut feeling yet, but I am seeing so many reasons why I should have listened.  I’m left with dealing with the consequences of not listening to my ‘gut feelings’.

 

In an article on Psychology Today, Carling Flora says, “Intuitions, or gut feelings, are sudden, strong judgments whose origin we can’t immediately explain. Although they seem to emerge from an obscure inner force, they actually begin with a perception of something outside—a facial expression, a tone of voice, a visual inconsistency so fleeting you’re not even aware you noticed.” 

I think that is the problem for most of us—at least for me – the problem is because I think gut feelings just arise based on our fears, or preconceived ideas.  We consider them being baseless so we discard them.  In fact, according to the article they do possess some of the qualities of pre-conceived ideas.  She says they are like a brain’s matching game where the brain search through a file and matches to the best analogous experiences.   After all, they do have a logical source.

Decisions, of course, should not be made simply based on gut feelings.  We have learned from our infamous president the result of that; however, putting your intuition in consideration when having to make a decision, will save you a heartache that arises in dealing with the consequences.  It sucks to have to say, “Darn it, I knew that would happen.”

 

 

California Struggles as President-Elect Obama Promises Aid to States – US News and World Report

This is a crisis within a crisis.  California’s budget short fall is ridiculous.  Ultimately, Californians need to do deep soul searching to figure out the root problem and curb it.  

California Struggles as President-Elect Obama Promises Aid to States – US News and World Report

Nuns Forgive, But Can’t Forget, Violent Parishioner : NPR

I’m always amazed how people can find solace amid chaos. I look into the depth of my soul, and all I see is weakness. Stories of those strong men and women who can easily forgive those who did them wrong and move on, exaggerates my weakness. I’m not religious person; it has been forever since I went to church. Yet, I have strong beliefs of the most high. I refuse to just live my life thinking such beautiful world was just created by accident.

I believe God (whoever you believe s/he is) speaks to us daily with what we can understand. Understanding if it’s God’s voice is another story. I think that takes practice and paying extra attention to what we ‘hear’. It requires ‘listening’ with all our senses and not just our ears. For what we think is an object can be a voice that is speaking to us, providing life long lessons.

I don’t like superstitions, but I think if you believe in superstitions, your God can use your believes to speak to you with them. That is why most people believe in them, because they appear to come ‘true’ most of the time.

There are those who pay attention to what surrounds them: those who admire the beauty of the world, the greatness of their surroundings—those who ‘hear’ with all their senses– They find meaning of life in their surrounding. They listen to their God through whatever surrounds them. For them, the voice of their higher being is always near by.

As I was driving by from Gym today, I was listening to NPR’s day to day. I heard a story, which has stuck, on my head – a story of nuns — who showed a great courage to forgive a man who committed one of the most brutal crimes they (hopefully) will ever witness. On the interview what sister Perko said, really touched me…

“When I was living in Rome, at the Basilica, they’ve got this big bell that moves on big occasions like Christmas and Easter. You could see it was starting, and then all of a sudden — bang, bang, bang,” Perko says. “And I always took that bell as my sign, because it must hurt the metal to be struck, but yet it makes this beautiful sound. So I took that as the symbol of my life. No matter what, you know … no matter how much you’re struck and how much it hurts, make it seem joyful, make a nice sound.”

How many of us, are willing to make the pain, and suffering make seem joyful? Not me.

Nuns Forgive, But Can’t Forget, Violent Parishioner : NPR

Feeling Blue … I need my Music

It’s been a while since I visited… too busy with school, work and family.  I sat down to study, but I am just not in studying mood… my mind won’t stay focus… I think I need to turn on my music and relax a little… Too bad I cannot play one, but listening will do…

When the past catches up with the present, and the present retreats to the past and future seems too far ahead, my head spins with confusion.  My heart feels heavy and I retreat to my shell: the smiley yet melancholic shield I have contrived. 

But then I need you because my shield cannot cover my morose unsociable manner.  My shield can only put fake smile on my face; I find solace only in your presence.  My stoic manner is only mirroring the deep darkness within me.  I need to feel and romance, the euphony that you generate to my ears.  You are the nectar my soul needs to taste.   My heart dances to your beat, my ears rejoice with your harmony.   A wise poet once said, “Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife.”

 

When I hear your harmonious sound, I feel in love again.  My soul’s thirst is quenched.  The cacophony in my world disappears.  My face fills with smile.  You help me put my shield where it belongs…

 

Come to me; let me hear your sweet sound again, let me dance to your flawless beats.  Let me feel you caress my soul again; let me feel you in my heart.  Come and help my feet move; make me elate and swim in euphoria.  Let me be in peace… One more time, I need YOUR PEACE!!

 

Resumes Come under Fire in the Hiring Process – MarketWatch

This is interesting. Often times we hear people who feel they are very qualified for a position, are not called for the interview.  It is important to have our resume stand out in order to be picked for an interview.  this article, points out with the concept of using resume to choose candidates…

Resumes Come under Fire in the Hiring Process – MarketWatch

Study: Employees engage in risky computing – SC Magazine US

Twice I was treated like a jerk when I wouldn’t let an employee enter in to our building without a badge.  I told him to go to security and get temporary badge.  Both times they tried to convince me they work there.  They probably do, but I do not know them.  My explanation to them was if anything happens, I am liable since I let them in; these guys have done it before.  Some people let them in either because they know them or because they don’t care.  Or most likely they don’t know the security threats out there by letting someone they don’t know in to the building.  However security starts there not just when you log into a computer.  Organizations need to make sure they educate their employees on security at all time – periodically.

I think corporations are making themselves at risk because they don’t spend time teaching their employees the impact of their action.  It is the toughest thing to do in my company to be able to have an admin right to your computer.  We don’t have a local IT group, everything is done remotely from head quarters.  In order for one to have a right, there is too many red tapes one has to go through.  So the chances of installing anything on your computer is limited.

In an organization the value of information is measured by its share-ability and  scarceness.  Employees have to understand that the information should be sharable within the organization so that the company can reach its goals with open communication through out; however, they also have to learn that information have to be scarce outside of the company otherwise it is worthless (Except of course the information company wants to release for marketing and other purposes)

Protecting the organization’s information does not only mean not letting people know what you know, but it also means that you have to make sure you don’t create a way for others to access this information. 

Organizations are responsible for

- making sure the security policies and procedures are always adhered by enforcing the rules at all time

- Teaching employees regularly what the cost of their actions are.  Many employees (especially those at the bottom end) don’t know the company’s security policy and procedures, and they do not think they are doing any harm by visiting some sites that pose security threat.

- Automating their security measures by installing software that monitors in coming and outgoing activities, installing firewalls that block certain web sites from being accessed by employees

- Making sure mobile employees are taking the right measures against security threats.  One can easily look at what happened to TJMAX and others to understand what kind of threats are out there with wireless technology.

The main thing is TEACH YOUR EMPLOYEES AT ALL TIME AND AN ANY COST, and do it PERIODICALLY not just once.

Study: Employees engage in risky computing – SC Magazine US

Dan Walters: California budget relies on sham revenue – Inside Bay Area

As I was coming back from my mailbox, my negighbor and  I chatted about work. He told me he ‘took some days off’, but now he was going back. “Thank God”, he said “our budget is finally passed, did you hear” I smiled and nodded and went back to my house. As many other state workers here in Sacramento, my neighbor is relived that he is back to work. Bills are finally going to get paid, and the state has already begun scrambling to send out checks of back pay.

Is this really something to cheer about? I don’t think so. California tries to become innovator in many sector of our economy. We want to have stringent rules for the environment; we want to be pioneer in funding stem cell research etc… yet we cannot manage our spending. This budget does disservice to many part of our economy. Many social services suffer cuts. Schools’ spending limit is curbed. It still borrows money from future lottery revenue. Basically it puts a temporary band-Aid on our problem and defers solving the real problem for next year. More agony awaits next year as Democrats and Republicans battle it out over taxation and cutting funds from school. How a state, that cries over its poor performing schools, prides itself as a hub of technology is beyond me, but to not even have a budget that improves our schools that produce future engineers and scientists is a shame.

According to Sacramento bureau chief John Meyers, there are not many apparent winners from this budget. In fact, he says the winners are corporations.

Dan Walters of the Sacramento Bee says “ Nobody could have dreamed up a less responsible, more gimmicky, sure-to-backfire state budget than the one California’s political leaders cobbled together and were jammed through the Legislature on Monday night to end a months-long stalemate.”

Well, we finally have a budget. I hope our leaders have learned some lessons and they will be prepared to balance our budget for next year… Yet I’m not so optimistic…

Should voters take some of the blame? …

Dan Walters: California budget relies on sham revenue – Inside Bay Area

collider shut down…

 

After spending 8 Billion dollars, and spent 20 years building the collider, I think it is a shame that they suffer such a set back, and to claim such an incident is “a minor setbuck” doe not make anysense to me at all…

“If you keep an eye on the big picture, we’ve been building the machine for 20 years. The switch-on was always going to be a long process,” James Gillies, Cern’s director of communications, told BBC News.
Atom-smasher down for two months: CERN…The world’s largest atom-smasher has been shut down for two months following a helium leak, just ten days after it was switched on amid great fanfare to probe the secrets of the universe.

My ‘parent moment’…

 

Last night when my daughter said she was about to lose to of her bottom teeth, I didn’t believe her.  She told me that many times before.  Ever since she saw a program about tooth fairy on PBS kids show, she couldn’t wait to loose her tooth so she can get money from tooth fairy.   She told me about my wife’s baby cousin who just lost her tooth and got money from the tooth fairy.  I asked her if the tooth fairy left her $1.00 she didn’t know, but she wishes she would get a dollar.  I said, I’m sure she will…

I am happy for her because she is excited.  I am excited because my baby is growing, but deep down, I am worried.  I can’t explain why I am so worried, but I am.  This year she started kindergarten; I was so psyched.  I was happy to see her in her uniform.  She said, “hurray I’m going to real school”, but after the first day of school, it was one of my toughest morning trying to get her up early… all that excitement, vanished.  It is funny how tired she is when she comes back.  It is not hard to put her to bed at night anymore, it is harder to wake her up and take her out of car so she can eat her dinner. 

 

Every year there are moments that cause my face to radiate with joy: when one of my daughters says or does something unexpected.  When my daughter started to tell me what vertebrae and in vertebrae animals were for example.  I said wow… I tried to fool her and said butterfly is called ‘not vertebrae’… she laughed and said daddy “it is called in vertebrae, don’t let anyone here you say that.” She cracked me up.   I call them parents’ moments.  Every time they happen, I feel more and more like a rookie dad.  I guess I will be a rookie at every stage for every milestone.  I asked them what life meant, just because I wanted them to talk, my youngest one (she is 3) said life … means family! She made her mom’s day.

New York Offers Drivers License with RFID Tag | Gadget Lab from Wired.com

  Slowly but surely RFID is creeping up in our daily life…

On March 2007 issue of IEEE’s Spectrum magazine, Kenneth R. Foster and Jan Jaeger explain the advantages of RFID as follows…“an implantable RFID chip, which is durable and about the size of a grain of rice, can hold or link to information about the identity, physiological characteristics, health, nationality, and security clearances of the person it’s embedded in. The proximity of your hand could start your car or unlock your front door or let an emergency room physician know you are a diabetic even if you are unconscious. Once implanted, the chip and the information it contains are always with you—you’d never lose your keys again”

There are several disadvantages to RFID of course, but mainly security/privacy is the biggest issue. When RFID started to appear in the market, we read how great it is going to be to retail business. Inventories were going to be easier, shop lifting was going to be harder, and the list continued. We imagined in a year we were going to wait at the cash registers only for few seconds because our shopping carts were going to be scanned before we know it, yet no explanation was given about its security. How hard is it to hack into one of this chips that might be implanted in me? Can someone just walk by and scan your information? RFID’s can be read with RFID within certain range of chip.  This makes them very risky.

Despite the privacy and security risks RFID brings, it was clear that manufacturers and government agencies are considering RFID for several applications. Its advantages are tremendous. There are several applications from shopping to airport security where RFID can play a big roll. Perhaps recognizing this, in May 2007

“The National Institute of Standards and Technology describes some potential dangers of implementing RFID and offers guidelines and best practices for mitigating the risks. ”

New York City’s move to offer RFID tag on driver license is just one of the proves that RFID are going to be part of our daily life.

New York Offers Drivers License with RFID Tag | Gadget Lab from Wired.com