Give them bread and circuses, as the ancient Romans said. To distract the citizens from the more important issues at hand.

Similar to Americans; just give them Krispy Kreme and Netflix!

I’ve noticed that in the developing world, places like Phnom Penh, etc., it actually makes sense to have an SUV or a truck. Why? All of the crazy random rain, coughing uneven roads, or just being able to park on the curb or sidewalk.

However, assuming you’re in the states or in the west, having an SUV or a truck makes no sense. Why? The roads are already so nicely paved!

People with great health are friendlier?

People in poor health are standoffish, and cowardly?

Have the balls to be punished, reprimanded or disadvantaged in saying what you care for or believe in.

For example, it is my suspicion that whenever you say or blog about anything ANTI-GOOGLE (Google is Spam)— I am certain your website loses some SEO SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, loses some Google Ranking.

Just install the Google official app for iPhone — see all those spammy “related stories, related content, things you might be interested” stuff. The ethical thing is turn this off by default, and ask the user — “Would you like to turn on suggested stories?”

How Apple is very respectful — asks whether you want to turn on personalized advertisements or not.

The genius of the original MacBook Pro Touch Bar, getting rid of all the standard USB outlets, and replacing them with only four USB-C outlets; insanely for thinking, great longevity.

PODCAST

AUDIO

My thoughts:

ESSAY:

A CRITIQUE OF LIFE IN AMERICA

My personal critique of living and life in America:

Too many distractions

I feel like when it comes to life in America, 99.9% of the time we are thinking about buying a new car, getting that dream car, upgrading your car, upgrading your Apple devices, or iPhone, getting the new Tesla, or other random consumerist things. 

Why is this? My theory is that consumerism, capitalism, marketing, and advertising is so advanced in America, and we have access to too many choices and options. For example, toothpaste. As a kid growing up, I just knew one. Now as adult, I’m learning about all these new strange hippie toothpastes, without fluoride, as fluoride is supposed to somehow control your brain or whatever. Having to decide what type of toothpaste to buy is another distraction in my life. 

What do I desire?

For myself, the thing I desire, the most, is philosophical introspection, focus on building my physical and muscular strength, my photography and art, writing, blogging and thinking. And also my health. 

The difficult thing is that in America, it is very difficult to be healthy. Why is this? There is no really good city which allows you to walk around a lot, and live without a car. Even San Francisco is not really that walkable. Even in New York City, you’re stuck in the subway 90% of time. And no, I don’t like Brooklyn. It is essentially a suburb, and you have to still take the subway to get into the city. My thought is either you live on the island or off.

I don’t like being stuck a car

Europeans love to comment, and critique Americans for being so fat, lazy, and just driving their car everywhere. But have you ever tried to live in Orange County, Southern California, where there are literally no sidewalks? 

My thought is this: if I had the option of having the worlds most expensive hyper sports car, the most exotic Lamborghini or McLaren, or a Tesla model S plaid, or having the freedom to just walk around everywhere, I would choose the latter. 

Why? Even if you’re in a Rolls-Royce, Bentley or a Hyundai genesis, etc., you’re just sitting on your butt all the time. No matter how comfortable the seat is or the car is, it is not good for your back or your health. Cars weaken you. And anything which weakens you is bad.

How have I been able to be so much more powerful in Phnom Penh Cambodia?

For me, the only real power is physiological power, physiological strength, and physiological well-being. For me power and strength is for the sake of lofty thoughts, thoughts, and a zest for a living, walking, playing with your kid, shooting photography and street photography, and attempting your one rep max in your deadlift and squat. 

For me, power is not money, power is not territory, power is not political, power is not economic, nor social. For me, pure power is freedom to do what you want, when you want, and how you want. 

Think about your digestion

A funny thing is that in traditional Korean, you don’t ask people just “how are you“. You ask them how their digestion is. This might sound very strange to an American or westerner but Asians are all about digestion. In fact, health is to abstract of a notion. Digestion is concrete. in Asia and in the east, traditionally, digestion is health. 

Something I’ve noticed is that whenever I eat something country to my digestion, whether pork, Indian food, dairy products, coconut products, etc., it negatively affects my sleep, and my mood and well-being for the next day. When I have poor digestion, and I don’t sleep well, I feel a lot more weak the next day, with less power and physiological zest. 

I have a theory: poor digestion, poor mood.

Therefore health should be this: simply get rid of things in your diet which runs contrary to your own personal digestion. 

And this is different for everybody, depending on your genetics or personal ancestry. For example, I’m Korean, and being of east Asian descent, historically there has not really been much dairy products, or wheat products in our diet. Even all of the alcohol is fermented from rice. And all of the Korean sweets are rice-based, no bread, gluten, wheat, etc.

For cooking, it seems that sesame oil is preferred. I wonder even if east Asians shouldn’t be consuming so much olive oil, which is more hereditary to Mediterranean areas. 

Also, a random suspicion; Asians haven’t been drinking coffee for a very long, however we have been drinking tea, and green tea forever. One of the theories is that the synergy between the L THEANINE and caffeine present in green tea is superior to that of coffee alone.

So essentially what I say is this: 

> be very very strict about what you consume, whether drinks or food, and consider your personal ancestry. 

Also, what others may digest well, may not digest well with you. We all agree that “everyone is different“, yet we seem to try to prescribe the same rules for everybody? 

For example, the Vietnamese notion that this is difficult to digest. For me it is not. My suspicion is that Vietnamese people only say that, because traditionally Vietnamese peasants have been too poor to afford beef, and thus, instead of just indulging on delicious beef belly, poor peasants will say rice is better for you. 

Stairs or elevator?

Just optimized for what is more convenient right now.

We spend so much money on our cars and things, why not ourselves?

I don’t like it when the striving towards optimization changes the way I want to do things!

For example, would you rather be a perfectly happy Buddhist monk, destitute, with no possessions or power, or would you rather be on unhappy American entrepreneur? I think I would prefer the second.

I prefer the scenario where you have more power.

Buddhism works. For happiness. A Buddhist country like Cambodia, cheer in Phnom Penh, I can see the Cambodians are actually very very happy. The only unhappy ones are the ones who are in touristy areas like Siem Reap, becoming corrupted by foreigners and degenerate expats.

Or another example, would you rather be a perfectly happy cow, or the hungry wolf? Or the juicy lamb, or the eagle?

The upside of vlogging; greater information density.

More health will make you happier, not more money.

In fact, when you are “happy“, it is just a reflection that you are healthy. Therefore, in order to augment your happiness, augment your health.

Also, the lesson is this: health is supreme. Optimize your life, and world, to keep maximizing and improving and upgrading your health.

This means, no pork, no Indian food, no alcohol, no marijuana, nothing that will impair your digestion, sleep, or well-being.

Also, I’m starting to get suspicious of eggs. Most eggs seem too industrialized now, no taste. Just eat more beef.

Daily log book.

Another reason not to eat Indian food.

We consider it virtuous to defend others, but for some reason, not ourselves? For example, to be seen defensive as seen as bad?

Old car, new components? Or old things, retrofit them with new components. For example, the joy just getting an older Prius, and getting you blocked out headlights and tail lights.

Just eat more meat, red flesh, creatine just means flesh.

Don’t take the pre-workout powder, just drink black coffee, steaight, no sugar or no additives

Poor digestion, poor sleep?

For example, don’t frame your purchases or expenses, in accordance to other standards of cost. Rather, best to just look at your entire net worth, or entire savings, or entire value, and US dollars, and lump it all together, and see all of your expenses coming from the one source. Do not sequester, or segment your expenses, or your money.

for example, imagine your real life like Diablo two; all of your expenses coming from your one gold stash.

Why I don’t really like taking Seneca to the park anymore; parks are not natural. Parks are not the real world.

What holds back, slows down (retards) or retro (rolls backwards) progress?

Anti clubs. Don’t try to fit in.

They feature too much on new specifications and tech, not the aspirational qualities (Americans).