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Showing posts from October, 2008

Vote for Your Favorite Alpha-Asian T-Shirt Design

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You know the saying, "Behind every great man there's a great woman." Well, that's definitely true in my case. My wife and I always joke that had we not gotten married, I'd be lying in the gutter right now. You know you've met the love of your life when a woman transforms you into a better version of yourself. So I was playing around with the idea of a having a T-shirt for this blog. I had this vision of what I wanted, but it was really my wife who translated my vision into some really cool T-shirt designs. But I'd really like to know what YOU , the reader think. I need your help to determine which designs to put in print. Here are the choices: #1 #2 #3 #4 I also thought about having 5 different shirts, each with different element: #5 "Earth Element" #6 "Fire Element" #7 "Metal Element" #8 "Water Element" #9 "Wood Element"

Are You A Social Networking Slut?

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Are you a social networking slut? Do you scour the “Activity Partners” and “Groups” sections of Craig’s List in the hopes of reviving your near dead social life? Are you a member of at least five MeetUp groups? Have you started your own dining group, hiking group or movie group? Have you joined a book group, come to the meetings and not read the book, because you were busy attending other groups? YOU, my friend, are a social networking slut. I should know. I’m a recovering slut. People join social networking groups for various reasons: 1) They just moved to the area and are looking to meet new people. These folks are usually pretty normal and open to trying new things. 2) They just got divorced and are looking to meet new people. Needless to say, these folks have emotional baggage. They’re OK. They just need three years of therapy. 3) They’re socially awkward and are looking to meet new people. These aren’t bad folks. They’re just dorks and embarrassing to hang ou

The Biggest Distractors in People's Lives

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Distractions. Everybody has distractions in their lives that keep them from achieving their goals, whether it be physique goals or any other goal in life. Some "distractions" really aren't distractions but obligations, such as family ("Damn it, woman! If wasn't for you and the kids, I'd be Mr. Olympia by now!") and career ("Hey, you want to join the office lotto pool? If we win, we're sooo outta here.") But some things are just a big fat waste of time. I'm guilty of all three of these: TV- I used to watch lots of TV, but now I can't stand to watch any more than 2 hours a day. It has to serve a purpose for me to watch it, which is why I watch History Channel documentaries a lot. I do watch comedy standup to decompress, and reality shows to observe human behavior. "I Survived A Japanese Game Show" is one I've been watching lately. Bottom line is not to watch TV during the day, because it will just chew up your

Recommended Books for the Alpha Asian

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Back in college I majored in psychology and minored in Asian American Studies, so I've always had a thing for self-improvement. The key to improving all aspects of your life is improving your mindset and decision making. Here are some life coaching books for the Alpha Asian: Awaken the Giant Within - This book by Tony Robbins was the very first self-help book that I ever read, and to this day it still has very profound effects on my mindset. Tony takes neurolinguistic programming to the next level and goes over how you choose your words can shape your beliefs and how beliefs will steer your course of actions. Tony goes over the mechanism of change, and how to use it to make yourself a better person and to make your life better. The great thing about this book is that it goes over SPECIFIC actions to change your mindset, and not vague bullshit philosophy. The Secret , a.k.a. The Law of Attraction- Do yourself a favor and just rent the DVD "The Secret."

Reader Mail: Asian American Activism

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So I got a question from another blogger: Q: "Are you an activist? Do you do stuff outside of the blog? I heard your Better Asian Man podcast . Good stuff." My Answer: I am for "The Cause" (my friends and I use this code term for Asian American causes), but I am not an activist. I dislike the terms "activism" or "activists," because hard core activists make The Cause too personal. They become so shrill, that nobody listens to them anymore. I would rather put my faith in an Asian American who is for The Cause and has a background in marketing, business or psychology than an activist who has extreme dedication to The Cause but no persuasion skills. People are moved by stories (particularly ones that offer hope at the end) and talent (see previous post), and they are not moved by theoretical lectures, no matter how rationally the points are laid out. A really good book to read on this topic is Influencer . In a sense, this blo