As some of you might know, I’ve been talking and writing about going car-free for sometime now. With the emergence of my new xtracycle, I can easily take that step forward. I will be going completely car-free for the next 2 months as a trial period. This is a trial because I will still have my car on stand-by should I need it. Only reason I may need it is for emergencies. It’ll be like renting a car in my trial period. I’m hoping to keep track of places I go and methods of transportation. I’m also not ruling out carpooling so for those who can drive me, I’m planning on treating them to a meal. In addition to that I’m going to try to keep a ride and finance log to do a comparison to driving in the same period.
This is going to be interesting and challenging. I’ve told some people and they’re saying I’m crazy for doing this. Especially in a city like Los Angeles. I’ve read and met people who have been doing this for decades so I’m very confident that this could be done. This was unofficially kicked off this Monday, September 14, 2009. That was 1 day after my triathlon so I didn’t need to think about driving to training for a few months now. Everything else, I am adjusting my schedule to accommodate. If it all goes well, my car will be on sale after November 14, 2009. Wish me luck!
I’m so glad this week is over. It’s always hard to get back into the groove of things after a vacation. But luckily I was able to do so this week. I’ve been trying to sleep early and wake up early. I’ve been somewhat successful. I’ve gone to sleep around 11 a few times but most of the time I’ve been turning in around 12 to 1. Waking up at 6:30 to 7 has been consistent.
Why the sudden shift in habit? Over my vacation, I had the opportunity to finish a book called SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE: 100 WAYS TO SLOW DOWN AND ENJOY THE THINGS THAT REALLY MATTER by Elaine St. James. This book had suggested many interesting ideas which I wanted to practice. Her book came highly recommended by a blog I’ve been following over at Zen Habits. I realized that I need to do some simplification in my life which would include some decluttering as well as keeping things simple. I believe this will help me focus more on what really matters to me the most.
I realize I’m pretty fed up with the way we Americans consume. We over consume and we’re not ashamed of it. We waste things in the process and we still complain that we don’t have enough. So by simplifying I will get rid of everything until I am left with the things I am happy with. I am not going to let the media dictate my lifestyle and what I “need”. Many people know I am planning to be car-free in the near future. That would certainly help my simplification cause but I’m still working some things out before I pull the trigger and sell my car. The plan is to try to get rid of it by the end of year.
Just to digress, I got to ride my bikes from Tuesday to Friday. Yes even through the smoggy conditions but I promise I took it easy until Friday. I took the fixie out to work on Friday morning just to discover that I suffered a flat about 1/4 mile away. I ended up walking back and instead of driving my car, I just hopped on my next bike and rode into work. I was a bit late but no later than when I went into work after 9am. I was sweaty and hot but I freshened up when I got to work and was enjoying the a/c. Because of Labor Day holiday, we were allowed to leave early. I ended up leaving around 3PM and rode in the blistering sun. Came home sweaty of course but I immediately changed into shorts and went back out to the grocery store to buy oat bran. I was going to bake muffins but needed oat bran. Again I chose to go by bike instead of car. It only took about 30 minutes to go to the supermarket and back. Well worth my time in the setting sun.
I finally got to wash my car when I got home because the sun had set and the temperatures began to fall. I was so ambitious that I spent more time fixing my flat, clean my bike, and oil the chain. The fixie is running like new. I made dinner and baked my muffins. It felt like I did so much today! If this is what they mean about doing things that matter then definitely sign me up with this simplification movement.
The other day, I was checking on the comments on this blog and inadvertently received a message which I interpreted as spam. The message read, “Your a good, but lazy blogger.” Some might think that maybe a legitimate comment but the link provided with the message went to some obscure spam site. Well, they’re right! I am a pretty damn lazy blogger. Not to make excuses, lots of things are happening in my life. I’ve got maybe 5 projects at work. I’ve been working hard in starting one and maintaining the other one. You think with this economy, work would be slow. Not where I’m at.
I became a charter member and and officer for my company’s Toastmasters club (first one on the list). Sorry guys, this is only opened to employees of the company. I’m actually really excited about this one. For awhile now, I’ve been to join Toastmasters but with this opportunity, I can hone my public speaking skills. That’s one area I feel I need the most improvement on. Hopefully this will instill the skills I need.
I’m still settling in at my new home. Worked out a weekly routine now in which I pick a day to visit the folks and spend the rest of the week riding into work (if weather permits). I have my laundry day and my grocery shopping day on the bike. I’m definitely been car-lite. Only filling up twice a month. Riding about 50+ miles a week to work and running errands. I had a roommate who stayed for 3 months and moved out at the end of March. Although she was cool, it is definitely nice to have the whole place to myself. I am able to leave stuff all over the place as I choose. It is certainly one of those benefits where you couldn’t put any amount of money on.
My file-server died recently. I had to rebuild and recover the machine this past week. Upgraded to Slackware 12.2 for 10.0. Not much difference. I finally switched from a Dual Celeron computer to a P3 500Mhz . Yes very impressive. If you haven’t already realize, I don’t buy the latest and greatest when it comes to my computers. Heck, the computer I’m typing on was given to me by a co-worker who decided to buy a laptop when her hard drive died. It’s a P4 3Ghz w/HT Dell Dimension 4700. Decided to put Ubuntu 8.10. Main reason to see what the hype was all about. I have to tell you, I like it alot. I am able to do everything I can on a Windows or Mac system. I’m able to use virtual machines to run Windows for free using VirtualBox. I haven’t tossed my other systems away. Still using the laptops to portable access and the Mac for my home theater system. It’s nice to see how Linux has finally evolved to something that is useful and can compete with the likes of Microsoft and Apple.
Another thing I want to mention is that I’m thinking about doing 2 things that are going to be life changers. No, not get hitched! I’m thinking about going car-free. I read, “How to Live Well Without Owning a Car: Save Money, Breathe Easier, and Get More Mileage Out of Life” and got me thinking about a car free life. It is very doable considering I’ve already being car-lite. Even if I have to rent cars twice a month, I am not paying more than I am on car related expenses every year. I’ll be sure I’ll post up when that happens. The second big thing I am going to do is cut my hair. Not just cut it for my own selfish need. I am planning to donate my hair for a good cause.
See even guys can donate their hair. I’m thinking about giving it to this cause. I may or may not make a video like this guy but definitely some pictures will be required. Again, I’ll make sure to post up here. For more information on hair donation, check this page out.
I just got back from helping my sister move and had to post on an amazing invention that caught my attention a few weeks ago. When my new washer and dryer was delivered, I noticed that the delivery guys had these straps they used to move the washer and dryer. They easily moved both items in a matter of minutes without much struggle. I was so impressed I went online the next day to see if I can buy myself a pair. Upon further research, I found that people were complaining that the arm straps are bad for moving things up and down stairs. Through the magic of Amazon’s related item query, it pointed me to the Shoulder Dolly. This was supposedly a better version in which 2 movers straps on a harness and use a single strap to lift a heavy item using their legs and shoulder. I HAD TO HAVE IT!
With my Amazon credit I ordered one and finally had the opportunity to use it today. There was a bit of skepticism in the part the moving party but I was able to convince a friend of my sister to help me move the refrigerator down a flight of stairs. Lifting the thing was a amazing. But when it came time to bring it downstairs, we struggled a bit. The person going down the stairs had the bulk of the weigh on him. We then continued moving both washer and dryer which was much more successful. Especially the dryer since that was light. We easily moved it down the stairs without any struggles. It was a matter of adjusting the straps properly so that item was evenly distributed and high enough off the ground so it doesn’t interfere with the steps. My dad even asked for it when we were moving the heavy items out of the truck! Unfortunately, I didn’t bring it because we had a heavy duty dolly and the place we moved to had no stairs.
Check out their website for more information. This will certainly come in handy when I get into woodworking (hopefully). And now an instructional video to go over how to really use the thing.
Today I’m taking my first steps in being “Green”. I’ve completed my plan on commuting to work without the need of my car. Here’s how the plan will pan out: I will be riding my bike to Cal State Los Angeles. Leave my bike in a bike locker which I will rent from the school for $10 every quarter or 10 weeks. Take the Metro line 484 or 490 bus from the campus to Downtown LA. Transfer over to the Red Line train which stops directly across the street from work. This will cost about $50 a month.
It will probably take some getting use to following a schedule to leave from home and work, but I will have more time to enjoy some music or read. I’ll start on a Tuesday and Thursday only schedule. If I enjoy it, I’ll probably do it more frequently. The only problem is carrying stuff to go to the gym and my lunch. That is the only reason why I would drive. That can simply be rectify by adding a pannier. I can’t wait to put this plan into play. I’ll be saving money, helping the environment, and getting exercise (not that I don’t have enough).
If you’re interested in doing the same go check out the LA Metro site. They have a great trip planning tool to tell you what buses to take for your destination.
So I was surfing around the 123MacMini site and found a reference relating to a software called Synergy. I was in the photo gallery for Mac Mini Setup and came across a person’s setup. Apparently there is a way to control multiple computers with multiple monitors using one set of keyboard and mouse. Further investigation yield an article from from LifeHacker describing on how to do this. You basically use the network connectivity between all your machines and setup a client-server with Synergy. You can also copy and paste clipboard items in between each system.
This is going to be perfect for work! I have a Dell Dimension and a Mac Mini at work with 2 huge monitors. One CRT 21″ and one Apple cinema display. I’m using 2 keyboards and 2 mice. The PC is strictly for work while the mini is for personal and when I need to do Internet research. According to the people who replied on LifeHacker, it has improved the productivity to those who used this software. Exciting stuff to say the least. This will be the first thing I’ll do when I get in tomorrow. What a good start to a Monday morning.
*10/23/2007: Synergy worked like a charm. I am now using 1 keyboard and mouse across 2 machines. This is so cool!
As mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been reading Timothy Ferriss’ book “The 4-Hour Workweek”. I’m half way done on a 300 page book. It’s only amazing since I don’t read that much or that fast for ANYTHING.
What peaked my interest was his section on Automation. He proposed that everyone should have a VA – Virtual Assistant. You’re probably thinking what I was thinking, “I can’t afford an assistant.” Yes you can. According to Tim, the productivity you get from an assistant far out-weighs the time spent doing things on your own. He sited examples of using a VA to basically do the nitty-gritty work for you and you use the fruits of their labor to do what you need to do. For example, researching for a project or even researching for various things like blog posting.
The cost range from $5 – $20 an hour. The more expensive ones are located in the US or Canada. The middle of the line and cheaper ones are located off-shore in India, China, or Shanghai.
I think I can afford to pay someone to do some of my work and reclaim some of my time back. This realization is almost as big as the time I realized, “Hey! I can learn to ride a motorcycle and not worry about what my parents thought.” Exciting stuff!
As our society steer themselves away from being dependent on gasoline, I find myself wondering if there was a 2 wheel alternative than the ever popular hybrid cars on the roads. Apparently there will be a fully electrical motorcycle available for my fancy. The company Bammo Motorsports created the first cool looking electric motorcycle called the Enertia. The bike has similar power to riding a Kawasaki 250 motorcycle but without the noise, feel, and smell of a standard motorcycle. You can drive 40-50 miles between charges and charging takes only 2 hours for a 80% charge and 3 hours for complete charge.
Obviously, you would not try to take it out on a major highway. This would be so cool to ride around town locally. A much better alternative than a scooter with their beefy suspension and fat tires. The price ranges from $12-15K and will be available next year.
Ever feel that your life is so disorganized and you don’t know where to start or end? Not a problem if you follow the Getting Things Done (GTD) method. Ever since reading/hearing this book, my life has been more calmer and I’ve actually “gotten things done”. David Allen sure knew what he was talking about when writing this book. Not only have I’ve been productive, I am feeling much less stressed for the last month. I also feel I am using my Palm Tungsten to its full potential using The PigPog method approach to GTD.
GTD gives you a way to collect, process, organize, review, and make choices on what to do. When done correctly, one can unload all their thoughts and ideas in one bucket, whether it being a Palm Tungsten or a sheet of paper. The idea is to have all things that you are stressing over out of your head so that you can deal with it as you go so that you’re not constantly stressing over it. This system allows you to organize and deal with your issues in a calm manner and keep thinking about the next steps for all your tasks. I urge those who feels overwhelmed with all the daily tasks and stress of life to give this a try. I have both the paperback and CD-ROM for those who want to borrow for a read. Please share any ideas you may have. Also visit 43Folders, and entire blog developed because of GTD.
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As some of you might know, I’ve been talking and writing about going car-free for sometime now. With the emergence of my new xtracycle, I can easily take that step forward. I will be going completely car-free for the next 2 months as a trial period. This is a trial because I will still have my car on stand-by should I need it. Only reason I may need it is for emergencies. It’ll be like renting a car in my trial period. I’m hoping to keep track of places I go and methods of transportation. I’m also not ruling out carpooling so for those who can drive me, I’m planning on treating them to a meal. In addition to that I’m going to try to keep a ride and finance log to do a comparison to driving in the same period. 
by Elaine St. James. This book had suggested many interesting ideas which I wanted to practice. Her book came highly recommended by a blog I’ve been following over at
” and got me thinking about a car free life. It is very doable considering I’ve already being car-lite. Even if I have to rent cars twice a month, I am not paying more than I am on car related expenses every year. I’ll be sure I’ll post up when that happens. The second big thing I am going to do is cut my hair. Not just cut it for my own selfish need. I am planning to donate my hair for a good cause.
they used to move the washer and dryer. They easily moved both items in a matter of minutes without much struggle. I was so impressed I went online the next day to see if I can buy myself a pair. Upon further research, I found that people were complaining that the arm straps are bad for moving things up and down stairs. Through the magic of Amazon’s related item query, it pointed me to the 
Themocracy