Crushing: An Observation

Posted on 09/19/2011 by n2n

The idea of him, of being with him,
seeps into the gaps of your train of thought.

You keep busy, overwhelm your brain,
Try to stop thinking about him, about being with him.

It’s not healthy, you tell yourself, inside your head.
No way he’d ever be interested in you, you wonder.
Maybe he has a girlfriend, you assume.

You don’t want him, you yell at yourself, inside your head.
He is only perfect because he lives inside your mind, you reason.
He plays with his booger and scratches his crotch, you pretend.

Enough! I said, not inside my head.
You know how you can stop this craziness?

Stop thinking!

59 Seconds to Happiness!

Posted on 09/12/2011 by n2n

Why doesn’t positive thinking ever work for me? Something wrong with me? As it turned out, Richard Wiseman, the author of 59 Seconds, by research results that positive thinking doesn’t work.

But why? Let’s try something, trust me it wont’ hurt.
Don’t think of the pink elephant.

Are you NOT thinking of the pink elephant? Of course you are. That’s why suppressing negative thoughts doesn’t work. You see, for us to NOT DO something, we first have to FOCUS on the something for us to not do. There is no way our minds can get away from it.

So, what can I do to be happy? Prof. Wiseman provides the solutions in the “Happiness” chapter of 59 Seconds.

One suggestion is to behave like a happy person, then the happiness will come — smile (thinking happy thoughts helps); sit-up; act happy (walk/talk like a happy person). Wow, who knew pretending to be happy can make us happy!

The 5-day journaling method is my favorite, being a writer and all. Each day, he gives you something to write about. You only need to write for 59 seconds but I just wrote until I felt like stopping. He says the happiness will last a few months and it does!

Before my first entry on 7/25/11, I was frustrated with myself and how things in my life just won’t move forward. Now, almost 2 months later, the frustration hasn’t returned, even though things are still moving in a leisurely pace.

59 Seconds to Happiness? Yes, it can happen!

Weekly Planner, Design + Trial

Posted on 09/06/2011 by n2n

While visiting old friends (a couple) at their new house, I gave out my NeedsToNote imperfect notebooks. The husband doesn’t find SmartPhone as easy to use as a notebook, since it’s easier to change things on paper and it doesn’t require a battery.

So, I designed this for them with their Chinese initials on the covers and 1st inside pages (to avoid accidental mix up.) I knew I can always work through the technical/software challenges, and after a week of testing and tweaking, it’s finally done.

My friend wanted something he can put in his shirt pocket, so it’s about 4″ x 5″. Since everyone is getting on in age, the fonts and spaces are as large and I can make it. As a trade off, it’s a pretty thick planner.

As far as production concern for sale on the NeedsToNote online shop… I think I’ll offer a larger size planner (about 8″ x 5″). The smaller size makes more sense only if I can sell 2 at a time, otherwise I will have 50% waste, which is against the NeedsToNote mission – produced with least waste while easy to recycle. The larger size planner will be bi-weekly so it’ll be thinner and more mobile.

So, the next step is to design a larger size planner and then offer to personalize it with a Chinese character from the customer’s name or of a word of customer’s choosing.

Best Yet Non-Toxic Bug Spray

Posted on 08/12/2011 by n2n

Since spring, some mysterious tiny bugs moved into my basement. I resisted in using the bug bumb. 1. Hoping that they’ll leave so I don’t have to kill them. 2. If I have to kill them, I don’t want to poison people by come in contact with the poison that’ll be everywhere in the room.

Then I heard about CedarCide, 100% natural, non-toxic, people/pet safe, and made in Taxes, USA. Out of desperation (since the bugs didn’t hear my plead for them to leave), I bought a Best Yet 32 oz spray bottle to try.

I started by cleaning the shelfs and carpet, then sprayed along the base of the wall. It didn’t work so well. Before I gave up, I sprayed the ceiling (a wood encased compartment for recessed lighting). That did the trick.

The effect was immediate. No more feeling that some things are crawling up my legs to hide in the seams of my cloth and ready to bite.

According to CedarCide, Best Yet kills bed bugs and their eggs. They also say that it is safe on pets and human skin as a bug repellent, and since it is oil based, it won’t be sweat off easily.

There is also a gallon size available for refills or bigger jobs but so far I’ve only used up 1/4 of the bottle for a 200 sf room.

Although the scent is not too strong but if you spray a large amount at once, I suggest you leave the area closed for a day or over night. I also covered electronics with newspaper, just in case the droplet go into the machines, but I’m just being paranoid.

So, thumbs up for CedarCide Best Yet Bug Spray!

Saved by Intuition

Posted on 08/06/2011 by n2n

Sat out to explore an unfamiliar park in the morning, walking on the path along the lake, happy to see families already setting up food and drinks for the day. I felt safe until I saw a guy in a dark tracksuit walking toward me then settled at a picnic bench.

intuitions + cautions saves people He said hi when I walked by, I replied then walked on like I knew where I was going. For some reason, I told myself to be aware of my surrounding. Maybe because he didn’t look like someone who needs a break even though he did have a protruding mid-section.

Not knowing the path and unwilling to head back his way, I picked a trail that MIGHT lead me to the sand dune where a few groups of men where fishing. The trail has many sharp turns so my only defense was to speed up and listen for his movements, not sure if he was indeed following me.

Lucky for me, I made it out to those people who were fishing in a few. I watched the old man closes to me clean his fish. After a while, we started chatting. A few words into the conversation, the tracksuit guy showed up on the sand dune.

Again, he didn’t look like he was at the park to exercise or enjoy the site. Besides, he was back tracking by coming my way. He didn’t get out near all of us, just hang around the trail head, all the while looking my way.

I informed the nice old gentleman that I was being followed. We carried on the conversation until the tracksuit guy gave up and left.

Although my intuition only whispered, not screamed, I listened and escaped the situation unharmed. And by the grace of the divine, someone friendly and chatty was out there.

Still, if I haven’t learned to trust my instinct, I’d be wondering about my reaction and dismissed it instead. Then, who knows, I don’t even want to go there…

So today’s tip for daily life is practice listening to your intuition now so you’ll be able to hear it when you need it.

Bandages, Not Made in USA?

Posted on 07/09/2011 by n2n

Check the bandages in your first aid box, are you sure they are made in USA?

People all over the world trust the quality of US brand because products made in the States are usually safer and better. But on a trip to drug stores for bandages, I realized, even with first aid items, US brands might not be US made.

I started with the brand that took up most of the shelf space, none of this brand was made here. Next, I moved to the 3M Nexcare, thank havens, these are made in USA. Then I got curious about “green” bandages.

From the bandages I found at Whole Foods, it looks like “latex-free” is the feature, since some people are allergic to latex. These are what I ended up getting.

Nexcare Waterproof Clear Bandage

Nexcare Waterproof Clear Bandage is made of a clear material that lets the air in and keeps the water out. At first sight, I thought, how can this thin, clear layer handle my frequent hand washing. It also took me a while to figure out how to put it on. (see this application demonstration, 28 seconds into the video.)

As Nexcare advertised, it stayed on until I decided to take it off a few days later. My cut was healed and it didn’t leave a ring of stickiness.

Nexcare Soft’n Flex Bandage

If you would rather have the traditional bandage, Nexcare Soft’n Flex Bandage is the pick. It is latex-free, comfortable to wear, and flexible to the movements. It stays on well but I must say the waterproof ones did much better.

Before you run out to the store for these US made bandages, make sure to visit Nexcare’s Coupons & Rebates page and save some money!

[NOTE] Please see the 2015 update on more USA made options.

Show Your Inner Colors

Posted on 06/29/2011 by n2n

This set of notebooks has been longtime coming. It was the first few ideas I had for my NeedsToNote shop but something about it just won’t let me list it online.

When Linda did her reviews on a large version, she mentioned that she couldn’t tell which side is the front. I listened and put a notch on the front. It not only solved the usability problem, it lets the color inside show through. That’s when I knew it’s ready.

I also had a lot of fun taking the product photos!

These notebooks come in 5-pack or 3-pack, both offer you the choice of color combinations.

I love colors so I’d go with the 5-pack combo but feel free to be yourself and don’t be afraid to show your inner colors!

Hand Stitched Notebook Test Result

Posted on 06/25/2011 by n2n

Miss Linda, a friend, has been testing my notebook since Jan. 2011. This week, she allowed me to record her review to put on YouTube. As I did with Marielle’s review, we did not prepare for the video, just went straight to recording.

The notebook Linda was testing is smaller than the final product because the cutter had an imperfection and I had cut the sides once more with the new cutter.

With the new notebook, Linda noticed that it wasn’t easy to tell which side is the front. I’m so glad she noticed it, otherwise I’d hear it from my customers.

My solution is to put a notch on the front cover. This worked out great, now you can see what color is on the inside! And with this fix, I’m ready to make the notebooks for my shop. I’ll post again when they are ready!

I like to thank Linda for doing this! I’m so happy the hear that she didn’t want to be without it, hope it goes the same for all my customers. It’s a small way to make someone’s day better and I am lucky to have the chance to bring that to every NeedsToNote owner.

Rapid Cooling A Hot, Parked Car

Posted on 06/14/2011 by n2n

The sun is blazing out there but you couldn’t park your car under the shade. Blasting A/C isn’t a good option since you first have to endure the hot air. Wouldn’t it be great if you can cool down the car before you get inside and give your poor A/C a little help?

A friend found a clip from a Japanese show with this tip from an air dynamic professor.

What do you do?

Roll the driver side window all the way down
Close all other windows
Open and close the front passenger door at least 5 times (you don’t slam the door shut, just close and open normally)

In the video the car went from 41.6 C (106.88 F) to 33.5 C (92.3 F) , with the outside temperature at 30.5 C (86.9 F).

How does it work?

It works not by pushing hot air out the driver’s window but by sucking cool air in with the passenger door.

Notes: (from the video)

Be careful not to jam your fingers under the door lever
Make sure there are enough space for you to open your door fully
Be sure other cars and people are in a safe distance

A friend tried it and said it works well. Let me know if it works for you, too!

Progress Journal

Posted on 05/25/2011 by n2n

The original idea was for a custom request for a person ready to go on a pilgrim walk in Europe.

The flip book element that fades “Fog” into “Enlightenment” is to represent progress. And since more often than not, we learn and grew a little bit at a time, so if you look at the element one page at the time, the change is very small. But if you fly through the pages, then you see the transformation taking place.

So, whenever you found yourself in frustration, trying to push something through, just look at the upper right corner and remember that every little effort counts, even though you may not see it right now.

To purchase this notebook or see my other handmade paper goods, please visit the NeedsToNote Esty shop.

Needs to Note

Quests to Satisfy My Curiosity, Metaphysical and Otherwise