Month: March 2017

Some time ago, I found myself on a long stretch of deserted highway with no sight of state troopers. My foot pushed down on the small pedal to command power, and the cylinders complied joyfully to reach maximum velocity. I laughed out loud from the exhilarating acceleration. To go fast without consequences is a rare privilege that a few of us get to experience.

Mercedes is making SUVs with V12 engine for a cool $500,000. On average, that’s 3x the size of a typical engine. Imagine how fast it could go. The beast purrs as it revs. The marvels of modern engineering is rather cool. If I could afford a car like this, I must have worked hard to earn it. This is a toy that I get to show off.

But…

Half a million dollars for a moving liability when someone else is living hand to mouth, working multiple jobs, with no sight of stable income? Most don’t even have jobs. Homeless. Mentally ill. Addicted… $500,000 could buy 5 homes for five families in need. Or, it could feed 40 families of 5 (mom, dad, 3 children) for 7 years. That’s 200 people fed over 2500 days, based on an average living expense of $2 a day.

Whoever wants this particular Mercedes must have net worth of at least $10million, if not more.

We can choose to uphold the status quo, while muttering in disbelief: Life isn’t fair. Or berate ourselves by thinking, I’m just not driven enough. But I am not convinced that the majority of the population living below the poverty line are plain lazy and/or stupid. I’m not convinced. Are you?

Until recently, I hated moving. To be honest, I have yet to fully embrace it. I don’t always succeed. Often, I fail. It still knocks the breath out of me. I don’t hate it anymore. Change has become the status quo, a way of life.

I am acutely aware of my limited time in this wonderful world filled with infinite possibilities. Yesterday is already a distant memory.
If tomorrow comes, I will do my best to do the I’mPossible.

Today, I choose to fill my precious time with people and experiences of my choice.
Today, I choose me.

They’re having a girl, so we must buy pink onesies!
It’s a boy, so let’s decorate with blue balloons!

Pink for your sister;
blue for your brother;
it’s just how it is, you see!

Barbie for her;
truck for him;
Oh no, my little general. Only girls play with dolls! You’re a boy, so let’s get rowdy!
Oh no, my porcelain doll. You’ll get dirty! Girls are supposed to be prim and proper!

Kitchen set for her;
Legos for him;
Oh no, darling. Go and play with your blocks! Be a man and build something great!
Oh no, darling. Be a good girl and fry me an egg with your super stove and take care of me!

Now, run along children!

Bo’s favorite color is pink.
Bo wants to become a fashion designer and homemaker.
Bo plays with his sister’s Barbie when no one is around.

Gail wants to break things down. Build new things.
Gail’s finger nails are already full of dirt.
Gail creates tracks with her trucks and bulldozers.

No, no, no, no, NoOoOoO! Put that down! That’s for girls.
No, no, no, no, NoOoOoO! Put that down! That’s for boys!

I write to get happy. This is about me. We spend all our time packaging and refining to sell. An idea. Action. Decision. Status quo… I’m tired of selling someone else’s product! I just want to get happy! What do you do to get happy? My thoughts dance out of my mind as the never ending troupe of words, sentences and paragraphs groove to the sweet melody of my fingers hitting the small spring-loaded keys.

I write to own my weird.

I once reviewed an evaluation sheet in which someone took an average of an average. For those mathematically savvy, average of an average is a non-number with no value-add. You may as well call it imaginary.

To the average, you cannot add, subtract, divide, multiply or expand it exponentially.

When we say someone is average, do we mean the same thing? The person is just the sum of everyone’s characteristics divided by the population…? With no distinguishing characteristic of his own? Nothing can be done to make the person better or worse?
How tragic? How insulting! Have you ever been called average?
Average is the norm. Average is rather dull. I’m not a fan.

It used to offend me.
Now, I’m ecstatic to be called weird.
Getting older has its benefits.

It’s raining outside. I welcome the chance to walk with an umbrella. A light drizzle that changes its intensity throughout the morning.

I get a lot done today. The holding cost is too high… duplicate purchases of things I don’t need. Couldn’t find it or forgot about it. About a hundred little bottles of skin products I won’t use. Little knickknacks of clutter. I spent all day throwing stuff away. I need to sell a bunch of good stuff (clothes, electronics, and Wii?).

This year, I won’t be buying anything except vegetables and delicious food.

A brief explanation of my pseudonym below.

• 한 Han: 1) Korea; 2) One. This is the last/surname.
• 나 Na: 1) Nation; 2) Syllable from my legal name; 3) I or myself
• 길 Gil [k’il]: 1) Road; 2) Syllable from a loved one’s name

I came across: “Top 7 things most successful people do every morning”

And I resisted from hovering my mouse over the article.

Successful people don’t have time to read click-bait. They’re busy creating. Doing. They forego small pleasures to get to the things that matter. All good things take time. Quality endures.

They do the work. There are no shortcuts.

They say no. They keep their promises. They don’t over-commit to the outside world. They have clear boundaries. They don’t cheat themselves. They stopped doing the things they outgrew.

They take care of their mind, body, heart and soul. They’re kind to themselves. They don’t just do seven things. They do so much more. They do so without thinking. They’ve engineered out decision making into everyday habits.