Dana's Blog

A Little Time For Myself

I'm sitting here -- somewhat restlessly now, considering it's been over 90 minutes -- with my eyes starring at the table in front of me. There's a copy of the Wall Street Journal newspaper and a half cup of coffee sitting gently on the table, beside each other like they belong together. The coffee, however, is already too cold for my liking.

Michel's Bakery Cafe, while located in a mall at the food court, it is in a separate autonomous section that gives you the feeling that you're not in a mall at all -- a respite from the loud and crowded atmopshere at this shopping centre.

This place harbors a special significance for me because I've always brought my friends here for coffee -- where we would devote a hour or so to slow things down from the hustle and bustle of life and reflect on our recent experiences.

Not so much anymore, though. 

Haven't been here for awhile, but it feels good being back. After a long day at work, and one in which I felt under the weather, I suddenly feel restored, fortified in a way -- and I don't think it's the coffee.

It's more about finding time alone to deliberately meditate on the day's thoughts, feelings and experiences -- and kicking them around to gather insights and direction. To get away from the battleground and look at things from 10, 000 feet above ground -- to gain a sense of the forest, not just the trees.

Russia, Putin, and the West

This past weekend I watched a documentary by one of my favorite film producers of that genre: Norma Percy. Her documentaries covered most of the crises of the late 20th century - from the fall of Milosevic to the Iran's relationship with West.

Her latest one -- and very timely, indeed -- is about Russia, Putin, and the West. It's a four part series that aired on the BBC not too long ago, and it was completely fascinating because it adopted the style that Norma Percy fans are accustomed to: She interviews the important people involved in the events from both sides and allows them to tell their story of what happened.

There's no doubt that Putin will return as President -- and possibly until 2024. What's less certain is whether the increasingly authoritarian tendencies of the Putin era will continue. Or whether he will initiate much-needed reforms, a so-called Putin 2.0. And finally, how the recent mass protests will pan out in the nect few months ahead. All of this remains to be seen.

Lin As An Ambassador To The Game

With the massive coverage of Jeremy Lin in recent weeks, much of what could be said about him has already been said. One could touch upon his remarkable abilities, his faith, his ivy league background, or his race.

And much could be said about all of the above. But this has all been covered extensively by many, - if not most - media outlets.

What intrigues me, though, about the Linsanity phenomenon is him bringing an interest to the sport of basketball - especially to people who previously had little knowledge or interest in the game. 

I've always been in love with the game of basketball since I was a young child playing with my brothers outside my elementary school. And the game is still a part of my life.I don't see that changing anytime soon.

It would have been nice, however, to have a Chinese role-model to admire while I was growing up.

Succumbing to our worst selves

The Civility In America survey can make for some gloomy reading: two-thirds (65%) of people think that the US has a major civility problem, and 55% expect a lock of civility to become the norm.

All of us, I'm sure, can readily think of instances of being on the receiving end of incivility: be it while driving, shopping on at the workplace. So I doubt that these statistics would truly surprise anyone.

This being the second annual nationwide survey, we don't have enough data to tell if this trend has been on the uptick historically, but I reckon that if there were such data, it would be more or less similar to the numbers we have now.

Civility training should begin with parents and continue in the educational system, turning the tide of incivility and restoring respect back into society.

What I've been reading

This past weekend I started two books that I've been itching to read for a long now - not surprisingly, both are nonfiction. The first book is about Introverts, called Quiet, and is written by Susan Cain. In recent years, there has been a proliferation of books about Introverts, and I've read most of them because I'm very introverted. So it will be interesting to see how this is different from the rest. She wrote a fantastic op-ed piece in the NYT that is worth reading, whether you're introverted or extroverted.

The second book is called Poor Economics, written by Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee. It won the FT's award for best business book for 2011. It's about fighting poverty: what works, and what doesn't. There is, for me, a moral imperative to do what I can for the less fortunate - regardless of whether or not they are far across the world or in your own city.

A quick end to January

It is hard to fathom that a month has already pretty much ended. It seems so fast. Maybe it feels fast because I haven't really made much headway with my New Year Resolutions. Very disheartening, indeed.

But it's good that I'm pausing now to take a moment to reflect. To take back control of things by thinking of the resolutions that I committed to not so long ago and hash out the next steps I can take towards achieving them. 

Did I already forget about them? No, I will not allow myself to...

Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrated in Toronto

Today I will not be getting my Financial Times newspaper thrown on my front steps because the US is celebrating Martin Luther King Jr Day, to commerorate his leadership and commitment to justice, equality, and the elimination of racism. So the FT's US edition will not be published. 

Interestingly, as a resident of Toronto, I noticed that it is one of the only cities - if not the only one - that actually observes the day, as well. It began in 2010, with a message from the former mayor, David Miller. And last year, Mayor Ford had the following message to celebrate the day:

WHEREAS Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy to society is his leadership and commitment to justice, equality and the elimination of racism.

After visiting India in 1959, Dr. King adopted Mahatma Ghandi's principle of non-violent persuasion as an instrument of social protest and resistance. Dr. King strengthened the American civil rights movement by building upon the actions of grassroots activism, leading drives for voter registration and campaigning for desegregation. Focused on the elimination of barriers faced by people of African descent, Dr. King worked to achieve an inclusive society that embraced the differences amongst people.

Dr. King was a remarkable man who achieved great victories for African Americans in his lifetime. His passion and commitment to making a difference resonated around the world and translated into the great successes and accomplishments of Black communities everywhere. In 1964, at the age of thirty-five, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. became the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

The residents of Toronto remember and honour the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in January of each year and reaffirm their commitment to the basic principles of human rights, equality and justice.

NOW THEREFORE, I, Mayor Rob Ford, on behalf of Toronto City Council do hereby proclaim January 17, 2011 as "Martin Luther King Jr. Day" in the City of Toronto.

I look forward to reading this year's message; although I cannot seem to find out when Toronto is celebrating the day this year.

Basketball In Adulthood

Yesterday night I was surely in my element; in fact, I was in my natural habitat: the basketball court. I've played basketball since childhood and it has always been a big part of my life - and my identity.

Countless hours could be devoted to building my skills - and honing and refining them. But as I reached adulthood, the opportunities to play the sport I love has tailored off. And, to my dismay, so have my skill and athleticism.

That's normal, you would probably say. And I get that! It's just frustrating when you cannot perform actions and move your body like you did before; I've become a shadow of my former self.

From January to June, however, I'll be playing once every week, so I'm looking forward to see how much of my abilities I can get back. That remains to be seen.

Willpower's secret weapon

Aan interesting article in the Globe And Mail caught my eye; it's about how our glucose levels affect our willpower:

“Glucose is the chemical in the bloodstream that carries energy to the brain, muscles and other organs and systems. In simple terms, glucose is fuel for the brain.” Acts of self-control reduce blood-glucose levels, Prof. Baumeister explained. “Low levels of glucose predict poor performance on self-control tasks and tests. Replenishing glucose, even just with a glass of lemonade, improves self-control performance.”

So as your working towards achieving your New Year Resolutions, keep your glucose levels from depleting.

Quiet time gives us perspective

Pico Iyer reminds us that we allowing quiet time in our lives can remind us of what's important:

The urgency of slowing down — to find the time and space to think — is nothing new, of course, and wiser souls have always reminded us that the more attention we pay to the moment, the less time and energy we have to place it in some larger context. “Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for our miseries,” the French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote in the 17th century, “and yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries.” He also famously remarked that all of man’s problems come from his inability to sit quietly in a room alone.