$8500 Sneakers!

Sometimes I just can't understand how things can possibly cost as much as they do.. take for instance this Nike sneaker that costs $8500!!!
Expensive Sneaker

2007 TED prize winners

As you can probably tell, I'm a fan of the TED prize. Scientist James Nachtwey, photographer E.O. Wilson, and President William J. Clinton are the 2007 TED prize winners. It will be interesting to see what their wishes are!

Countries I've Been To

I found this neat tool that lets you create a world map of the places you've been. Pretty neat.. here's mine:


create your own visited countries map

Road Trip Part 5: Greensboro & Raleigh, NC

We ended our road trip visiting our friends in Greensboro and Raleigh. The first stop was Greensboro, NC to visit Juan and Eleina. I grew up in Greensboro, and it always amazes me how much it has grown. Part of me sees progress and jobs being created, but another part of me hates to see all the trees being cut down for shopping centers. It was a nice relaxing couple of days, and we caught up on everything, and reminisced about the 'good ole days'. One night we rented the movie 'Click', that had an interesting theme beneath all the humor. It showed how people try to fast forward through the tough times in their lives, and are focused on how happy they will be when they reach their next goal or get that next promotion. Soon we realize that we've fast forwarded through most of our lives, never stopping to enjoy the moments that really matter to us.

Then we headed down to Raleigh, and stopped at the NC State Fair. For those of you who have never been to a state fair, it is a huge affair. We pulled up to a small parking lot that was charging $10 for parking. The attendant standing said, "All the front parking is full, but you can park in the back and its only $5." How nice of them to cut the price just because we had to park 20 yards further away! The fair itself was quite a sight, full of animals, food, and people. We decided to try the infamous 'Deep Fried Twinkie', which was pretty good at the first bite, but then started getting way too sweet for our taste buds.

After the fair we met up with Jose, Tanya, and Alex. Alex was his usual excited and entertaining self. I was constantly amazed at how much he has learned at the age of 5. He showed me all of his Power Rangers, and we had an exciting lightsaber duel outside the house. In the evenings after Alex went to bed, we would break out the Karaoke game, and have our singing competitions. Jose and Tanya pretty much kicked our butts, but it was alot of fun. On Monday we hopped on our plane back to California, and the road trip was over. Thanks everyone for letting us stay at your houses, and we hope to see you soon!

Road Trip Part 4: Asheville, NC

We're currently in Asheville, NC, a city in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Its home to UNC Asheville, and has a great little downtown. Last night we had dinner at a restaurant called, "Laughing Seed Cafe". Its a vegetarian restaurant (with tons of Vegan selections), and it was wonderful. I think the highlight of the meal was the Pineapple/Tofu sushi appetizer. Downtown Asheville is full of little shops, no chains here, and tons of art galleries. We've also found a nice general store, and a great independent bookshop called Malaprop's where we're sitting right now. I've ordered the Deepak Chopra, a white and dark mocha drink that is awesome. All their specialty drinks here are named after various authors. We've also found out that Asheville is ranked as the "Best vegetarian friendly small city in America". I could definitely enjoy spending more time around here hiking some mountain trails and enjoying downtown Asheville.

Road Trip Day 3: The Road to Damascus

We drove from Charlottesville through the amazing mountains of Virginia. The fall colors are in full effect, with yellows, reds, and oranges throughout the hillsides. After a five hour drive, we pulled into the tiny town of Damascus, VA, known as "Trail Town USA". I had made reservations at a small B&B called Apple Tree Bed and Breakfast, a cute country home owned by a retired couple. After "checking in" to our bedroom upstairs, we headed out to find some dinner. The town is basically a single street, with small shops and trees lining both sides. The only place open was an Italian restaurant where we had some decent pizza before heading back to the B&B. We had a big day ahead of us, biking the Virginia Creeper Trail.


We woke up early the next morning to catch our breakfast, a delicious meal provided by our hosts. At the breakfast table we enjoyed conversation with the other guests and our hosts. One retired couple had biked across the country 10 times! After breakfast we headed for Damascus Adventure Tours, a bicycle tour outfitter. They hooked us up with a couple of mountain bikes and a shuttle ride to the top of Whitetop Mountain for about $25 each. The ride up the twisty mountain roads took about 30 minutes, and then we were surrounded by gorgeous views of the area. We were in the SW corner of Virginia and could see mountains which were in Tennessee and North Carolina as well. The Virginia Creeper trail rides along an old railway line and gently slopes downhill the whole way back to town. The scenery was breathtaking, with the fall foliage and a small river running beside us. We'd stop occasionally and only hear the sounds of leaves falling to the ground, or running water. Sometimes my bike felt like it was racing the water down the mountain, and at others, slowly gliding down like the leaves. This was one of the most gorgeous trails I've ever biked on and I'd highly recommend it to anyone. The whole route is along a nice trail, nothing tricky to bike through, and almost no pedaling required. I would definitely like to come back and bike it again sometime. At various points along the trail we would intersect the Appalachian Trail, another trail I'd like to tackle someday in this area. After what seemed to be a very quick 17 miles, we pulled back into town, returned our bikes, and headed off for Asheville. Of course, there are pictures to be seen, and you can view them here.

Road Trip part 2: DC and Charlottesville

Our next day of road tripping took us to Washington, D.C. for a quick stopover and the on to Charlottesville, VA. We did a really quick tour of the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument in DC, then walked over to see the White House from afar (tons of security). We were having a tough time finding some food in the area, and decided to go ahead and push on to Charlottesville, home of the University of Virginia. As we pulled in, we drove through the gorgeous UVa campus, and arrived at our hotel for the night. After checking in, we walked to the nearby downtown for some pasta. The downtown was pretty nice, a walking plaza full of little shops and restaurants. Quite a few of them were pricey, high class type places, but we ended up eating at a small pizza/pasta place. We ended up sleeping in pretty late the next morning, so we didn't get to explore much more of Charlottesville, but on to Damascus!

Road Trip pt 1: New York

We started our road trip on Friday in NYC, one of my favorite cities in the world. Leena was nice enough to let us stay at her apartment for two nights, giving us a couple days to enjoy the city. As with any trip to NY, one of the highlights is the food. We actually strategized our meals, to make sure we could eat at all of favorite spots. By the end of our stay we had eaten at Kati Roll, Buttercup Bakery, Chinese Mirch, Rays Pizza, and Red Bamboo. Aside from the food, we went to Battery Park, where they were having a culture festival, and we enjoyed views of the Statue of Liberty. We also ran into a street fair, full of stands selling mostly food and scarves. Leena decided to add to her scarf collection with a new green $5 scarf from one of the vendors. On Monday we bid our goodbyes and headed off for Charlottesville, VA. Thanks Leena for letting us stay!

Last day of work!

The day has finally arrived, after 1pm today I'll finally be done with work until January! I can't wait! The fun will begin in NYC, one of my favorite cities. I fly there tomorrow morning, and will meet up with Shveta. We're going to be staying with our friend Leena for a couple days (thanks Leena!), enjoying all the great food and fun. If anyone has any suggestions on some interesting things we should do in NY let us know!

Better Off

"Our chief comforts often produce our greatest anxieties, and the increase in our possessions is but an inlet to new disquietudes." -Oliver Goldsmith

I just finished a book titled, "Better Off: Flipping the Switch On Technology" by Eric Brende. It was an interesting book about a couple who decide to give up modern technology and live in an amish community. The couple does this as an experiment to see how much technology is too much. They give up everything from washing machines (they use a hand crank one), to refridgerators. As a techno-geek myself, it really made me start to wonder how technology is too much in my own life.

In many circumstances the couple found that doing chores without the aid of technology became more enjoyable! Also, there was a greater reliance on the community, creating a much stronger bond between neighbors than most of us feel today. I will definitely look at all the technologicial wonders I fill my life with in a new light, and hopefully find a better balance. It appears to me that even though technology is a wonderful thing, sometimes it can be more trouble than its worth. We can easily end up spending too much time paying for and maintaining things.

Hanging in Hilo

After our cabin stay, we did a loop around the volcanic crater. It was pretty amazing, it looked like a martian landscape and there were steam vents all over. One of the most interesting stops along the rim of the crater is down into the Thurston Lava tube, where you can walk down into a dark underground tunnel. Its pretty amazing to think that lava had created this tunnel, and that we were walking through it. When we had finished checking out the park, we headed to Hilo, a town on the east side of the island.
From Hilo we took a day trip up to some waterfalls nearby, and had lunch at an excellent little cafe with organic food. You can find pictures HERE.

Aloha From the Big Island

We're hanging out on the Big Island of Hawaii, and have been having lots of fun. On our first day we took a kayak out on the sea to what is considered the best snorkeling place in all of Hawaii. The water was amazingly clear and the fish were spectacular. We also were helped by a nice local who helped us get our kayak out the dock, and then gave us tips on where to go. After we returned he gave us a hand getting the kayak on top of our car. Granted, he wanted a tip, but it was still really nice of him to help tourists like us.
The next day we had breakfast at a great little place called Aloha Cafe and found it to be well stocked with vegetarian friendly food! We sat out on a small balcony with little lizards running around everywhere. Then we hit Greenfield coffee plantation for a short tour of the plantation and had some really great coffee. The Kona coffee is much less acidic and we found it more enjoyable than what we usually get back home. After that we headed on to the Volcano. The big thing we wanted to see was some lava, and the best time to see it is in the evening when the glow is more visible. So we drove down to the end of the park, where the road is closed due to a lava flow. From there you are allowed to hike for a few very uneven miles to a roped off area where you can see the flow hitting the ocean. The steam plumes coming off were unreal, and as the sun set we could the bright red glow of the lava from afar. Occasionally there would be big splashes of lava like fireworks in the water.
After a flashlight led hike back to the car, we moved into our cabin for the evening near the national park.

First Zero Energy Home in NC

From Treehugger, builders are finishing up on the first Zero Energy Home in my home state of North Carolina! We're not all backwards rednecks! :) To me, this is an awesome step in the right direction. I hope to someday build a house that uses these kind of efficiencies. Here's a clip from the posting:

utilizes a solar water heating system, a fresh air ventilation system, and a geothermal heat pump. Furthermore, energy efficient practices such as advance framing and spray foam insulation were employed during construction. The house is also equipped with recycled tile, high performance windows, and energy efficient appliances. This impressive list of features makes the home capable of producing more energy than it uses.

Zero Energy Home in NC

Room to Read

Tonight I went to listen to some stories from John Wood, the founder of a non-profit called Room To Read. He was sharing some stories about some experiences he's had in setting up schools in developing countries, and what kind of impact education can have. One of their main goals is to provide scholarships for young girls who would not otherwise get an education. By teaching girls, they not only improve their lives in the short term, but it makes them less likely to be subjugated later in life by their husbands. Also, educated women are likely to educate their children, which means the impact grows exponentially. Mr. Wood recently published a book about his journey, from a Microsoft exec to a nonprofit leader, and we received free copies. I'm looking forward to reading some inspiring tales of doing good, and would encourage everyone to check out Room to Read.
Room to Read

MEC to use biobags at their stores

Mountain Equipment Co-op (i.e. the Canadian REI), is now going to use BioBags at their stores. These are plastic-like bags made from corn and are biodegradable! I've been seeing more and more "plastic" stuff made from corn, I hope that more people start using these alternatives.
Biodegradable Shopping Bags

China to build the world's first eco-city

A great step in the right direction by China. They are working with a british architectural company to build an eco-city near shanghai that is extremely environmentally friendly:

None of the buildings is more than eight storeys high. Turf and vege­tation cover the roofs, a natural form of insulation that also recycles waste water. The town has six times more space for pedestrians than Copen­hagen, one of Europe's airiest ­capitals. Pollution-free buses, ­powered by fuel cells, run between neighbourhoods. An intranet service forecasts travel times and connects people who want to share a car. ­Traditional motorbikes are for­bidden, replaced by ­electric scooters or ­bicycles. The roads are laid out so that walking or cycling to work is quicker than ­driving.

Up to 80% of solid waste is re­cycled. Organic waste is burned in an incinerator, catering for part of the town's electricity requirements. Other burners consume rice husks, which ­produce a lot of heat and are plentiful in China. On the outskirts giant ­windmills, driven by the sea breeze, produce electricity too. Each building is fitted with photovoltaic panels and its own, smaller windmill.
-Jean-Pierre Langellier and Brice Pedroletti
Guardian Weekly

Eco City

Seva Cafe, Long Beach

After the Walk for Hope, we payed a visit to the Seva Cafe, which is an experiment in "pay it forward" taking place in Long Beach. It is a really interesting dining experience, where there are not prices on any of the menu items. The staff is made up of volunteers who are serving you, cooking the food, cleaning the dishes, etc.. and when your bill arrives it is for $0, since your meal has already been paid for by someone who ate there before you. You can then pay as much as you choose to buy a meal for the next group of people to eat at the cafe.
In addition to this already wonderful dining experience, we were fortunate enough to meet up with our favorite monk, Rev. Heng Sure, who happened to be in LA and stopped by for a visit. Then to top it all off, we celebrated our friend Guri's birthday! It was a night full of great converstation, wonderful company, and an unbeatable dining environment. The food was great too! If you're ever in LA on a Saturday night, definitely give it a try! Here's some pictures: Seva Cafe.

Walk for Hope

This weekend a bunch of us drove down to LA for the Be The Cause Walk for Hope which was a 5k walk through a park with inspiring quotes, thought provoking activity stations, and amazing people. It was a really fun time, and we left with tons of inspiration and warm feelings. Thanks to all the volunteers and sponsors who helped put on such a great event! Pictures from the event are HERE

Is Bob Dylan a poet or songwriter?

There is an article on poets.org about Bob Dyland and whether or not he should be considered a poet.. something that I've kinda wondered about with a few songwriters like Dylan. Some interesting excerpts:

Christopher Ricks, who has also penned books about T. S. Eliot and John Keats, argues that Dylan's lyrics not only qualify as poetry, but that Dylan is among the finest poets of all time, on the same level as Milton, Keats, and Tennyson. He points to Dylan's mastery of rhymes that are often startling and perfectly judged.

Dylan has been nominated for a Nobel Prize in Literature every year since 1996, and the lyrics to his song "Mr. Tambourine Man" appeared in the Norton Introduction to Literature.

So he is a poet? I'd say "yes".

Richard Branson to fight Global Warming

Great news fromo across the pond.. billionaire Richard Branson is going to invest all the profits from his travel related businesses to fight global warming over the next 10 years! Its really great to see these billionaires giving their money help solve some of the world's problems.

Branson makes $3 billion pledge