WORKS IN PROGRESS
Ramayana
(datedate) I thought War and Peace was the ultimate epic about profound human struggle and drama until I listened to Mahabharata - the longest epic in the world about 2 related families who went to a bloody war over the control of a kingdom. It blew me away - the depth, the grinding agony, the tormented souls, and the tragic loss of loved ones. I would have started a blog on it, but I came upon its twin epic, an earlier story - Ramanaya which talks about righteousness, morality and duty. Somehow, I was drawn to start on Ramayana to begin 2025....more »»
The Holographic Universe
(December 30, 2024) I have long been fascinated by Michael Talbot since I saw him in an interview. I found him intelligent, coherent, logical and articulate. I also agree with him. Finally, I get to read his book. Rest in Peace, Michael....more »»
Kundalini Yoga
(November 1, 2024) I have done an exhaustive study of Kundalini awakening with Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Swami Shivananda Saraswati authored Kundalini Yoga and I'd like to find out the overlaps and new things I can glean from this book. My practice in the past many years has been focused on Kundalini awakening. This book adds another layer to all that....more »»
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
(August 3 - xxx, 2024) Sapiens has been a runaway bestseller in the NY Times and launched Yuval Noah Harari as one of the world's most sought-after provocative thinkers. When I first stumbled into Yuval Harari's presentation about man creating fiction from thin air and then lives his life according to the dictates of that fiction, I was hooked. Finally, I get to read his book...more »»
The Lessons of History
(December 1, 2024) I don't know anything about this book but in a Lex Friedman podcast with Elon Musk, Lex thanked Elon for recommending this book. Coming from Elon? That's all I needed to know. Reading this book is now added to my 'to read' project....more »»
Taking a Free Online A.I. Course
(May 18, 2024) I was having lunch with Kat when she deliberated on the many ways AI is more relevant and compelling - including having AI be the 'teacher' for home-schooled kids. I was blown away. I thought I was already proficient with AI, but now I realized I had to level-up my game. Where to start? From the bottom - what is AI?...more »»
Yoga Upanishad
(December 12, 2023) The Yoga Upanishad is a collection of ancient philosophical Hindu text that talks about the principles and practice of yoga - meditation, breath control, and subtle energy channels...more »»
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
(November 30, 2023) Benjamin Franklin became a recurring name thrown at me. First, while watching an interview of billionaire Charlie Munger, he said he kept 2 busts in his home of 2 people he admired the most - Benjamin Franklin and Lee Kuan Yew. On a '19 Recommended Books to Read in your Lifetime', I saw Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography. And while watching the American Revolution, Benjamin loomed larger than life. While watching an interview of celebrated author Walter Isaacson who was promoting his recent book about Elon Musk, I learned that he also authored a Benjamin Franklin biography! In my world-view of a benevolent universe blazing a path for me, this is a strong statement that I should roll up my sleeves and get to know Benjamin Franklin in an intimate way - by reading his autobiography...more »»
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
(Aug 8-???, 2023) The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali have been the classic reference and standard in the practice of Raja Yoga - yoga of the mind. Beyond asana, this book underscores the importance of ethics/morality (Yama/Niyama) and meditation. In this book, Sri Swami Satchidananda gives his commentary...more »»
The Complete Book of Vinyasa Yoga by Srivatsa Ramaswami
(datedate) Srivatsa Ramaswami was a direct one-on-one student of the legendary Tirumalai Krishnamacharya for 33 years. His experience with the Master encompassed yogic elements of asana, breathing, mindfulness, and therapy. With so many neo-yoga versions by self-styled revisionists nowadays, this practice takes us back to the source. A true gem!....more »»
2024: A Year in Review
(Dec 31, 2024) 2024 started out with me wanting to leave Siquijor for interaction and stimulation in a small city (Cebu? Dumaguete? Bacolod? Iloilo?) - one year in an isolated island living a monk's life was enough.....more »»
My MTB Baptism Of Ice
(December 30, 1996) I was at Silent Sports and saw a flyer about an event called Icicle Tour...a mountain bike ride in snow and ice at a forest in Durham...where's Durham? I was really interested. At that point, I just purchased my first rigid mountain bike...all $350 worth complete with kickstand and reflectors!....more »»
Death by a Thousand Bites
(November 12, 2024 Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines) I've heard of death by a thousand cuts, which the ancient Chinese warriors used to inflict to their most hated nemesis. But I've witnessed something perhaps just as cruel. I've seen a worm swarmed by red ants - hundreds of red ants covering the worm from head to tail. The poor ant was contorting in agony as the ants bit chunks of flesh. It was an excruciatingly painful sight. Finally, the wriggling stopped as the worm succumbed to a slow death. The worm slowly disintegrated as the ants finished the job. When I was young, I would complain that, "Life is harsh and life is not fair." As a grown-up, I just say, "That's life".
Smores
There are many ways to prepare smores. For this one, I grated the local cacao tableya and layered it on Graham crackers topped with marshmallows
Yoga $10 Pay-Videos 
Beginner Yoga at Fox and Firefly
(December 13, 2024) Joan has been keeping me in mind whenever there's a need for a yoga teacher at her resort in Loboc, Fox and Firefly. I try not to disappoint the newbies and inspire them to pursue the practice after the session....more »»
AI Conversation: Sentience
(December 10, 2024) I interact with AI almost daily, often asking questions to widen my knowledge base. But on this occasion, we had a meaningful conversation....more »»
Xmas Party with Attys. Al and Heidi Tinampay
(December 7, 2024) I received another invite for a Christmas gathering, this time from the lawyer-couple, Attys. Al and Heidi Tinampay. Some of the Old-Airport Walkers were there but mostly it was for the staff of their 3 companies. Programs and great food were there, as expected....more »»
Starting all over with String Theory
(November 30, 2024) My jaw just dropped when I saw a podcast with Leonard Susskind saying, 'I can tell you with absolute certainty that String Theory is not the real world that we live in, so we need to start over.'. Whoa! This is a bombshell. For decades, I have been enamored by the predictions of String Theory. I've romanticized it in my head a zillion times. 54 years of promising research down the drain? Now, we have to start all over again? What the F#%K!...more »»
Nov Food: Pizza, Smores
(November 2024) November was overwhelming with pizza. I can't get enough of it. But on the side, I took a liking to smores. I would prepare some at Bantawan and share it with the vendors....more »»
November Snapshots: Garbage, Vote-Buying, Hair, Beach, Ants, Park, Tire, Banana-Q
(November 1-31, 2024) After being in Ormoc and Cebu, it's good to go back home to Tagbilaran despite the garbage episodes, the ruined good roads and the slow cashiers. Oh well, I should really just leave the place if I can't stand it....more »»
Nov Learning: Archetype, Game Theory, Starting with A.I.
(November 2024) Whenever I get curious about something, I look it up and learn it beyond its dictionary meaning. AI is indispensible this way. For November, I learned Archetype, ...more »»
Philosopher King
(November 18, 2024) Ever since I saw the movie Captain Fantastic where the archetype 'philosopher king' was idealized in a dysfunctional political system, I couldn't get the thought out of mind especially in this day and age where politics have become synonymous with power, wealth and control. Who do we have now who can be 'philosopher king'? And who have been philosopher kings in humankind's history?...more »»
Quantum Field Theory
(November 13, 2024) As I was watching a podcast between Sir Roger Penrose and Federico Faggin about Quantum Physics and consciousness, a few words were bounced around - quantum field, wave function collapse, special relativity and quantum gravity. I have a vague sense of what they are, but to pin them down? I had to ask AI and embark on a new learning curve about the quantum realm....more »»
US President Donalld Trump
(November 7, 2024) It's now clear - Donald Trump won the race for US presidency against Kamala Harris. What now?...more »»
Generations: Baby Boomers to Gen Alpha
(November 4, 2024) I'm a Baby Boomer. With so many generational names being thrown around describing how they function and shape society, I needed a clearer map of this Peoplescape. I asked AI and referred to other podcasts....more »»
Christopher Langan: 200 I.Q.
(November 3, 2024) If someone who worked as a ranch hand, laborer, and bouncer starts talking about his version of the construent essence of reality, what might make you believe him? If his IQ was 200 - the highest ever recorded! Christopher Langan is heralded as the smartest man in the world - and he's still alive today....more »»ARCHIVE 2024:
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