Gmail's new look..

I'm sore all over from all the tennis and martial arts I've been doing the past week. I'm pretty glad it's Friday night now.. I'm looking forward to the weekend. My weekdays are so hectic now. Yoga and meditation keep me going happy, and Sammy. :D

I love the new look(s) of Gmail!

Spice up your inbox with colors and themes
Wednesday, November 19, 2008 12:21 PM
Posted by Annie Chen, Gmail engineer

Gmail fans have been building unofficial extensions to spice up their inboxes for a while, but up til now themes haven't been an integral part of Gmail. We wanted to go beyond simple color customization, so out of the 30 odd themes we're launching today, there's a shiny theme with chrome styling, another one that turns your inbox into a retro notepad, nature themes that change scenery over time, weather driven themes that can rain on your mailbox, and fun characters to keep you in good company. There's even an old school ascii theme (Terminal) which was the result of a bet between two engineers -- it's not exactly practical, but it's great for testing out your geek cred. We've also done a minor facelift to Gmail's default look to make it crisper and cleaner -- you might notice a few colors and pixels shifted around here and there.

As you can see from these photos taken around our office in Zurich, Switzerland, themes have made their way into more than our inboxes -- that's a character from the ninja theme made out of pixel blocks, customized laptop decals, and a giant Zoozimps character on a beam next to my desk:

To customize your inbox, go to the Themes tab under Settings. We'll be rolling out themes to everyone over the next couple of days, so if you don't see them yet, check back soon. As for which theme to choose, don't ask us. We're neutral ;)

Source

Atheist Billboards, Up for Christmas

I'm disgusted to see this. Whatever these people do, they will not be able to convince everyone in the world to become atheists. Thankfully, there are still Christians and other people in the world who are intelligent enough to believe in Christ.

Atheist Billboards To Debut During Holidays
Message Questions Existence Of God
Russell Haythorn, 7NEWS Reporter

POSTED: 9:22 pm MST November 13, 2008
UPDATED: 10:38 pm MST November 13, 2008

DENVER -- A controversial billboard will likely be popping up in a neighborhood near you, just in time for the holidays.

The billboard is paid for by a Colorado atheist group. The message sits against a blue sky backdrop and says, "Don't believe in God? You're not alone."

Ten billboards will pepper metro Denver, while one will be put up in Colorado Springs.

"And we're putting them up in November and December because of the holidays, when church and state issues tend to come up a lot," said Joel Guttormson, with Metro State Atheists. "To let non-believers, free-thinkers and atheists know that they are not alone, especially in a country like ours that is predominantly Christian."

Pastor Willard Johnson of Denver's Macedonia Baptist Church called the billboards a desperate effort to discredit Christianity.

"The Bible is being fulfilled. It says that in latter days, you have all these kinds of things coming up, trying to disrupt the validity of Christianity," Johnson said. "If they don't believe in God, how do they believe they came about? We denounce what they are doing. But we do it with love, with gentleness, with decency and with compassion."

Bob Enyart, a Christian radio host and spokesman for American Right to Life, said it's hard to ignore the evidence.

"The Bible says that faith is the evidence of things not seen. Evidence. If we ignore the evidence for gravity or the Creator, that's really dangerous," said Enyart. "Income tax doesn't not exist because somebody doesn't believe in it. And the same is true with our Creator."

The billboards will go up Nov. 17. The atheist group, called Colorado Coalition of Reason or COCORE, also wanted to put up signs in Fort Collins and Greeley, but a billboard company there refused to carry the message.

Johnson said atheism is a rebellion against Biblical principals and the billboard will likely offend many Christians.

COCORE said this is about First Amendment rights.

"And I've read the First Amendment up and down and nowhere does it say that I have to care about your feelings. We're either 10 to 16 percent of the population, and the reason we don't really know is because people are scared to come out because they're ostracized by the people around them," said Guttormson.

Source

House pollution

Here's an interesting article on health:

Got Gas?

Your house sure does—and it's bad for your health.

By the Editors of Women's Health

More on this in Health & Fitness 100+ Tips to Stay in Shape 15 Ways to Save the Planet Best Powerfoods For Women

We humans breathe in 3,000 gallons of air daily—65 percent of it indoors. Not exactly great news. Why? Because indoor air pollution can be two to five times as high as levels in the great outdoors, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Blame building materials, fuel-burning appliances, and stuff you use to clean your castle: They all emit pollutants that, over time, can contribute to health problems like asthma, headaches, fatigue, heart disease, and even cancer, says Helen Suh MacIntosh, Sc.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health. Snuff out these bad guys and breathe easier:

Carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and tiny, sootlike floaters called particulate matter can seep out from improperly maintained stoves, fireplaces, and chimneys. Low-level exposure to carbon monoxide leads to headaches and nausea; high levels are deadly. Nitrogen dioxide can cause eye, nose, and throat irritation. Particulate matter can damage lung tissue.

Do this: Snag a carbon monoxide detector ($20, lowes.com). Use a fan when cooking with a gas stove, and make sure the flame tip is blue. (Yellow indicates that pollution emissions are too high; call your gas company to adjust the burner.)

Phthalates are chemicals used to disperse scents and make plastic flexible. Found in detergents, air fresheners, vinyl flooring, and vinyl shower curtains, they're linked with reproductive and developmental problems and, studies indicate, an increased risk for asthma and allergies.

Do this: Switch to phthalate-free detergents (like Seventh Generation products), use baked lemons as natural fragrance, and hang hemp or cotton shower curtains (from $35, greenhome.com).

PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers), flame retardants added to plastics, foams, and fabrics, are found in some TVs, computers, and furniture. Exposure can cause brain and reproductive problems in developing animals.

Do this: Clean with a damp rag to avoid stirring up dust (which may contain PBDEs) and cover or replace exposed foam pads in cushions.

Radon is an odorless, naturally occurring radioactive gas. It arises from the breakdown of uranium in the bedrock beneath your home. Among nonsmokers, it's the leading cause of lung cancer, resulting in about 20,000 deaths in the U.S. annually.

Do this: Measure levels in your home with a certified home test like the Kidde Radon Detection Kit ($17, lowes.com).

VOCs (volatile organic compounds) are chemicals that are gaseous at room temperature; they're in paint, all-purpose cleaners, wood preservatives, carpet glue, and dry-cleaned clothing. Possible health effects range from eye, nose, and throat irritation to headaches, nausea, and cancer.

Do this: Look for cleaning products that have simple ingredients (such as those by Seventh Generation and Ecover), and avoid products made from pressed wood, such as particleboard—it contains the VOC formaldehyde, a probable carcinogen. Find low-VOC paints and flooring at ecologo.org. ID perc-free dry cleaners at findco2.com.

Taken from: MSN

Simple tips for stress relief

Meditation always goes a long way. One thing Sam and I agree on (or at least, one of the things) is that we start our day with meditation. We both do hatha yoga too, but he's way better than I am at it. Anyway... here's a little article I found helpful.

Dr. Mao's Secrets of Longevity
7 Ways to Slash Stress Posted Mon, Oct 27, 2008, 1:29 pm PDT

Chronic stress seems to be our national disease, especially these days. Millions suffer from symptoms of stress: nervous tension, restless sleep, difficulty focusing and remembering, irritability, and health complications. Generally speaking, stress speeds up aging. Learn the ways to manage stress, and you will look and feel younger.

1. Start your day with meditation
Spend time every day in meditative relaxation, with calming music if you desire. Start with five minutes and work your way to 15 or 20 minutes each day. Meditation is your number one way to reduce the output of stress hormones and avoid adrenal exhaustion, serious threats to your health.

Try this Stress Release Meditation: Breathe consciously, relax, and with each exhale focus on relaxing each area of your body in sequence, starting from the top of your head and moving all the way down to your toes.

2. Manage your mood with diet and herbs
Chinese Medicine considers the liver to be the center of your emotions. To allay stress and balance your emotions, keep your liver healthy and happy:

• Every day, eat lots of green leafy vegetables, barley grass, seaweed - anything high in chlorophyll - to keep the liver in good health.

• Take 500 mg dandelion daily for a month or longer to cleanse the liver and help release built-up anger.

• Take 400 mg white peony root daily for 1 to 3 months to soothe the liver and balance your mood.

• Schisandra berry protects the liver from chemicals and calms the spirit. For emotional anxiety, take 200 mg daily for a month.

Take these herbs anytime during the day and before bed in tea or capsule form. All the herbs are available from health food stores and Eastern medicine practitioners. Many of my patients have had remarkable results with Calm-Fort Elixir, an all-natural formulation of herbs to calm your spirit. For more information, click here.

3. Suppress stress with positive thinking
Instead of letting your thoughts run wild with anxiety, say affirmations to yourself, such as "I can handle the tasks I have ahead of me. I enjoy my responsibilities and fulfill them well." In fact, repeating positive affirmations can actually suppress the cortisol that the adrenal gland releases in times of stress - leaving you peaceful and calm.

4. Get stress out of your head and on paper
Writing in a journal every day can help you release thoughts and emotions that are causing you stress. Write from the position of an observer, recording your thoughts without any judgments. Just write it down so that you can see clearly what is going on inside. The next step is to identify the source of any anger or stress so you can begin to make changes. Looking into your thoughts give you the opportunity to gain insight into your feelings and reflect the underlying issues.

5. Unblock tension with exercise
The constant pressures of your job and family can lead to chronically elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which is a direct cause of muscle and joint pain. Clenched jaw? Lump in your throat? Chronic back and neck pain? These can all be manifestations of stress in your body. Release physical tension and clear these emotional blockages by using massage therapy, exercise, yoga, tai chi, or qi gong to get the circuits moving.

6. A Retreat to Avoid Burnout
Overloading your brain is a recipe for stress and health problems. Information overload is particularly harmful at midlife because we have less tolerance for stress, which can contribute to high blood pressure and heart disease. Press the "reset" button on yourself. Give yourself a retreat from the stresses of modern life. Take one day out of the seven-day week to minimize "screen" time. Don't watch TV, don't check email, and don't look at the news - it will be there tomorrow, and after a day of rest, you will be refreshed and ready to look at them.

7. Perspective from the Natural World
Use nature to reduce stress. Go outside, hike in the woods, walk on the beach, anything that puts you in contact with the natural world. It is difficult to feel stressed when you are surrounded by nature's abundance of vitality and wonder.

I hope you find the ways to have less stress! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.

May you live long, live strong, and live happy!

-Dr. Mao

From: Yahoo!

Life's essentials

It should be mandatory for every household to have Calvin and Hobbes :D

And .... new favorites:

more animals


more animals


more animals

Cell phone dangers

Here's a short video clip on the dangers of cell phones. It reminded me of one of my teachers, who died when he was 52, - of brain cancer which the doctors believed was caused by his use of cell phones. He was always traveling and because of his business, he was always using a cell phone. 6 months after he was diagnosed with brain cancer, he died... his brain was already half eaten away.

For most of us, our days aren't quite complete without using cell phones, computers, maybe even watching television. It makes me wonder what type of deaths people in our generation will suffer from. Just like the scientists did not tell people about the dangers of cigarettes - I think we may have the same dangers/side effects of using cell phones.

It's especially dangerous for young children.. tbc

The ocean

Days are good in a sense that each day we’ve each got the choice to change. Each day we’ve got a choice to make things better, keep them about the same, or make them worse. I’m happy to have the chance to make things right after making so many wrongs, and I’m happy to have the guidance of family and friends which pushes me and makes me want to do better all the time.

The years have gone by so quickly. It seems only just yesterday that I was a 12 year old, much affected by the influx of puberty, wanting friends, and wanting so much to be accepted. Now, 10 years later, I’m still studying, but I’m also a teacher to many now. It’s hard to believe my mom was a mom at this age.

Things change so much, and people change so much all the time. The beautiful ocean is a great reminder of this. From a young age I loved water, I loved the ocean- and it’s only in the past few years that I’ve finally lived right by it. I just got back from a swim and it was so beautiful and clean out there- and no shark sightings again - so it was good.

As that saying goes, “the ocean of ever change” - ah, it’s so true. Yet despite its changing all the time, in a sense it’s somehow calm. I seem to find a sense of calmness in the ocean, a kind acceptance of its sometimes cruel, crashing waves- which on other days is so calm and unmoving that it seems to be more like a lake than the ocean. Calmness. Beauty. Water is so powerful. Nature is so full of beauty, splendor, wonder. Yet not a speck of nature crows of arrogance. It is all just like a manifestation of Supreme Beauty and Supreme Acceptance.

My fun surf trip

Well, Me and a few friends decided to go on a camping trip to Hot water Beach on Friday night. It's about an hour away from where I live. It's called Hot water Beach because hot springs come out of the sand. You can literally see the sand boiling in spots. All you need to do is dig a hole in the sand at low tide and voila! You have a hot pool. Pretty cool yea?

Anyway we went up there because it has a really fun surf break. It turned out to be pumping! As you can tell by the pics. We actually went up there not expecting too much but it turned out to be so much fun. The wind was pretty hard offshore but then it died down. We camped there on the beach that night then got up at 4:00 am (low tide) and dug a hole. It was so nice to lie in a hot pool looking up at the stars feeling the cold wind sweep across your face. The surf break is just behind us in the pic. After we were too hot we went out and caught some more fun waves! It was an all around good camping trip topped off with good waves and really hot, hotpools.

Ni Hao

Da jia huan ying! Zhe shi liang ge ren de blog.