25 Random Things About Me

I just posted this as a note on my Facebook account.  One of my friends tagged me in his list saying "GNP confuses me. He rocks very hard though."  I can't imagine my list will leave him any less confused.

Once you've been tagged, you are invited to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 (or so) people to be tagged. Please tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

*To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, then click post. Go onto your 'profile' page, and open the note. Then 'tag people in this note'.

1. I never used to understand people who were deeply religious - and secretly looked down on them. Now I'm one of them and can't get God out of my every thought (nor do I want to).

2. I'm a pretty serious perfectionist and wish I weren't so mediocre at being mediocre - but I'm improving over time.

3. I'm serially obsessive about stuff - being totally focused one something for a couple of hours, days, or weeks and then moving on to something new to focus on.

4. I've always wanted to dunk a basketball and do an unassisted pull-up. Perhaps I can get obsessed about working out and make those things happen.

5. I believe that everything happens for a reason. Others disagree. So even though I'm still dogmatic that everything in *my* life happens for a reason, I'm willing to acknowledge that chaos may rein in other people's lives (or at least appear to).

6. I love my wife more and more each day - as if that were possible. She's my soul mate and a true blessing in my life.

7. My wife refers to me as "Yahoo Serious" sometimes - because I'm too serious, not because I have long hair.

8. I hate the parable of the Prodigal Son. I identify with the responsible elder son.

9. I've always wanted to be more eccentric. Perhaps my eccentricity can be wanting to be more eccentric.

10. I miss having a creative outlet at work. I need to figure out how to justify having a creative department or a talent show at a biofuels startup.

11. I get along well with people but generally consider myself anti-social.

12. People have trouble figuring out my ethnicity. A co-worker calls me an International Everyman.

13. I have a fear of being stung by bees/wasps, getting burned while taking things out of the oven, and using toilets in public bathrooms. In my own defense, though, who in their right mind isn't afraid of using toilets in public bathrooms?

14. The Dallas Cowboys played in the first football game I watched as a kid. I was about 6 years old and living in Germany at the time. They've been my favorite team ever since - although I don't watch much football anymore.

15. I voted yes on Prop 8 but continue to go back and forth on whether I still agree with that decision.

16. Sometimes I lament the amount of stuff I've learned in my life that I've since forgotten. But perhaps I need to make space for new stuff to learn.

17. I aspire to being an early-bird but continue to be a night-owl.

18. I look forward to wearing magic underwear (GC's term, not mine) - not because it's magic but because of the commitments it would represent.

19. I enjoy spooning with my wife but sometimes her body-pillow gets in the way.

20. In the last couple years, I discovered I have the parents I always wanted.

21. I just met my paternal grandmother in India for the first time in my life. It was my best approximation of what it will be like to be reunited with family members in heaven.

22. I want to travel to lots of places around the world during my life. As a kid, I traveled all over Europe and the US/Canada with my family but don't remember much of it now. 

23. I've been writing in a blog for almost three years now (http://gnp30.blogspot.com/).

24. My favorite number is 24 and my favorite TV show is 24. Coincidence?

25. I hope to be the father that my kids deserve.

Random event or message from heaven?

This morning, I was up in San Francisco for a conference.  Right after parking my car and walking out of the parking garage (at about 7:45am), I noticed a person walking towards me carrying a sign.  I couldn't quite make out what it said but one of the words appeared to be "Jesus".  As I looked up a bit, I noticed that the person was wearing a bright yellow shirt that said "Jesus Christ Loves You".  He walked by very matter-of-fact and didn't say anything to me.

Here's the question that's been going through my head since then.  Was that a random event without any meaning or was it a message from heaven?  I'm inclined towards the latter but I could certainly see people arguing for the former.  I'm of the opinion more and more these days that God is sending us messages all the time but we just don't pay attention or attach significance to them.  We convince ourselves that God wouldn't take a personal interest in us. But I just don't think that's the case.

Always Remember Him

A week ago, one of my home-teachers gave a great talk at church about what it means to always remember Jesus Christ (see PDF).  My favorite part is the following excerpt:

The word remember means to bring an image or idea from the past into mind. It implies a keeping in memory that may be effortless or unwilled. To witness to the Father in the Sacrament prayer that we will always remember Jesus Christ implies that we have memories, knowledge of, or a relationship with Christ on which we can think back, otherwise, what else are we remembering? In other words, we cannot maintain an active memory of Christ if we know nothing about him, his life or his teachings. In order to remember him, we must know him.

That last sentence really hit me: "In order to remember Him, we must know Him." To know Him, we must be willing to have an active dialogue with Him through prayer and we must read about Him and His teachings in scripture. Reading this again makes me more motivated to want to do those things.

Recording dreams

I've often thought that it would be very cool to be able to record dreams and then play them back and analyze them later. It appears that maybe that will be possible at some point. Awhile ago, I saw this article about how scientists have been able to extract images from the brain. The beginning of the article says:

Researchers from Japan’s ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories have developed new brain analysis technology that can reconstruct the images inside a person’s mind and display them on a computer monitor, it was announced on December 11. According to the researchers, further development of the technology may soon make it possible to view other people’s dreams while they sleep. The scientists were able to reconstruct various images viewed by a person by analyzing changes in their cerebral blood flow.

I was a bit skeptical of whether this could be for real so I consulted a friend of mine who has done research in a related field. Here is what he said:

The research is certainly for real, and I can see why it would work. That said, I'm a little bit skeptical about some of the extrapolation (say to reading dream images). The optic nerve heads into the visual cortex, and I think the individual nerves in the optic nerve bundle maintain a geometric configuration similar to the rods and cones on the back of the retina. So when the electrical signals for an image hit the visual cortex, there is going to be a fair amount of spatial localization. I'm guessing that there is then a pretty distinct brain activation footprint in the visual cortex when these stark black-and-white images are shown, yielding a strong correlation between an images shape and the "shape" of the activation pattern in the visual cortex. And that's what they are exploiting. Very cool.

Now take the case of extracting images from memory. I don't know how much involvement there is from the visual cortex in calling up an image from memory. If the visual cortex is involved in the same way as when the image is actually being viewed, then I believe it might be possible. If other areas of the brain are involved and not the visual cortex, I doubt there would be such a distinct "footprint" on an fMRI scan. (In other words, it isn't clear that thinking about an image of the letter "n" would activate a section of the brain in a distinct spatial pattern different from thinking about any other letter). (But maybe this has already been proved---it's not my area.)

On applying fMRI to the "reading" of people's emotions, that can totally work. There seem to be pretty distinct activation patterns for different rough emotions across the brain. As the technology gets better, we'll see a lot more of that.

Very cool stuff.

So perhaps I will be able to record my dreams someday. Not sure if that will be a blessing or a curse but it would certainly be very cool technology.

Mindfulness

About a month ago, a friend of mine sent me this true story.

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin. It was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousand of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds - and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping - continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention, was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried - but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk - turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world - playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

This is a good reminder to "stop and smell the roses" as we do not know where blessings may come from unexpectedly.

Bengali bag

Yesterday, AJ and I went up to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. I backed some supplies and put them in a bag I brought home from India (see photo to the right). The writing on the bag is in Bengali - one of the many languages spoken in India. While I was pushing AJ on the swing at the large children's playground, I looked down at the bag and realized that most people wouldn't recognize the writing as Bengali. Without knowing better, they might have thought the writing was Arabic and assume that I was Muslim - I am an International Everyman after all (see prior post). All of a sudden, I became very self-conscious of what people might be thinking and kept expecting parents to pull their children away from me as if I were a terrorist. That feeling persisted for the rest of the time we were at Golden Gate Park - a couple of hours. I'm not proud of my response and, as far as I could tell, no one noticed the bag or thought anything of it if they did. But it did give me some small appreciation for what it must feel like to be a victim of racial profiling and the assumptions people sometimes make based on little or no information.

Fireproof

Last night, my wife and I watched the movie Fireproof (see official web site along with Wikipedia entry).  I heard about the movie the other day while listening to Catholic radio and was able to get it at a local DVDPlay location.  The movie is super-cheesy and a bit predictable but it has a great message regarding marriage and God.  In particular, the movie speaks to the need to never leave your marriage partner in a fire (much like firefighters in a real fire). Also, making something "fireproof" doesn't mean that the fire will never come.  It means that the object (in this case, marriage) will be able to withstand the fire when it does come.  As a follow-up to the movie, there is a Web site called fireproofmymarriage.com.

My wife tells me that I'm too serious - and that's certainly true.  But one thing that I'm incredibly serious about - and hope I never get less serious about - is my marriage.

In the name of Jesus Christ

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post wondering why people say the word "amen" at the end of their prayers.  Tonight, I was wondering why members of the LDS Church say the words "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen" at the end of their prayers.  The short answer is that we're directed in scripture to do this (see 3 Nephi 18:19 and the topical guide). The longer answer is that we're acknowledging and accepting the authority of Jesus Christ - seeing this great article from the 1985 Ensign entitled "Taking upon Us the Name of Jesus Christ" for a very thorough treatment of this topic. So, combined with what I wrote before regarding the meaning of "amen", saying "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen" is morally equivalent to saying "by the authority of Jesus Christ, so it may be".

Lunch Bag Art

A friend of mine just turned me on to a very cool site - Lunch Bag Art.  Apparently this guy makes a new bag each day for his kids during his lunch break.  Very cool to look through all the designs.  Too bad I don't have this talent but hopefully I can find other special things to do for my kids over time.

Sri Siva Vishnu Temple

This morning, my parents and I visited the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in Lanham, Maryland.  It's a really impressive Hindu temple in this area - see pictures from our visit.  The architecture and attention to detail were amazing.  My dad said that the facility and the deities are more reminescient of South India than West Bengal.  We also tried to visit the Washington Kali Temple but it turned out to be closed when we got there (too bad).

Ghost Town

On my way back from India, they were showing the movie Ghost Town on the plane.  It's a reasonably entertaining movie about an obnoxious guy who has a near-death experience and can then see ghosts afterwards - more in this movie review. There was a quote in the movie by Albert Einstein that I really liked - "Only a life lived for others is worth living." I would certainly agree - and wanted to save the quote for future reference.

one night @ the call center

While I was in the Kolkata airport, I bought a book called one night @ the call center by Chetan Bhagat (later turned into a movie called "Hello").  Here is the description on the back of the book:

In the winter of 2004, a writer met a young girl on an overnight train journey. To pass the time, she offered to tell him a story. However, she offered to tell him a story. However, she had one condition: that he make it into his second book. He hesitated, but asked what the story was about. The girl said the story was about six people working in a call center, set in one night. She said it was the night they had got a phone call. That phone call was from God.

Given the description, I was expecting a much more spiritual book than it turned out to be.  So I was a bit disappointed but the novel was still entertaining.  Probably the most interesting part of the book was an exercise the author has readers go through at the very beginning:

Before you begin this book, I have a small request. Right here, note down three things. Write down something that (i) you fear, (ii) makes you angry, (iii) you don't like about yourself. Be honest, and write something that is meaningful to you. Do not think too much about why I am asking you to do this. Just do it ... okay, now forget about this exercise and enjoy the story.

At first, I was at a bit of a loss on how to respond.  As I thought about it more, here is what I wrote down. I fear not living up to my potential and not doing what God would have be do in life.  I later amended this to also include a fear of being stung by bees/wasps and using toilets in public bathrooms.  What makes me angry is illogical and irrational behavior.  And what I don't like about myself is my shortness of temper with my kids sometimes and also being "yahoo serious" most of the time (well, really all the time).

British Idol (Punjabi Style)

This is a great video that my mother pointed me to - Michael Jackson meets Bollywood is the best way to describe it.

This video is their first performance on the show.  They later went on to the semifinals (see video) and the finals (see video).

Spirituality, Not Religion, Makes Kids Happy

My brother sent me an article from U.S. News & World Report entitled "Spirituality, Not Religion, Makes Kids Happy". Here is the opening part of the article:

The link between spirituality and happiness is pretty well-established for teens and adults. More spirituality brings more happiness. Now a study has reached into the younger set, finding the same link in "tweens" and in kids in middle childhood.

Specifically, the study shows that children who feel that their lives have meaning and value and who develop deep, quality relationships — both measures of spirituality, the researchers claim — are happier.

Personal aspects of spirituality (meaning and value in one's own life) and communal aspects (quality and depth of inter-personal relationships) were both strong predictors of children's happiness, said study leader Mark Holder from the University of British Columbia in Canada and his colleagues Ben Coleman and Judi Wallace.

However, religious practices were found to have little effect on children's happiness, Holder said. Religion is just one institutionalized venue for the practice of or experience of spirituality, and some people say they are spiritual but are less enthusiastic about the concept of God.

Other research has shown a connection between well-adjusted and well-behaved children and religion, but that is not the same, necessarily, as happiness.

No huge surprises here. My one comment - at least from my last year of experience - is that a religiously-grounded world-view can certainly enhance one's spirituality and communal aspects - which, in turn, enhances happiness.

Paul Potts

This is a really cool video.  Made me tear up a bit to see how well he performed.

Paul went on to win the competition and now even has a CD of his own (see his official site).  Dreams really do come true sometimes.

Reflections of Christ

I met briefly with the missionaries yesterday and they let me borrow a DVD called Reflections of Christ. The project generated 25 photo portrayals of different parts of the life of Christ as described in the New Testament. One is included to the right - angels heralding the birth of Christ. The other photos are available to view online here. There is a beautiful slide show set to music here. It's a little over five and a half minutes long. It's definitely worth the time to watch. I gathered the family together this morning to watch and it was a nice spiritual moment on the Sabbath.

New 2000 Year Old Insight

I'm reading through a conference presentation for work and it included this great quote:

“One thing is sure: the Earth is more cultivated and developed now than ever before; there is more farming but fewer forests, swamps are drying up and cities springing up on an unprecedented scale. We have become a burden to our planet. Resources are becoming scarce and soon Nature will no longer be able to satisfy our needs.”

-Quintus Septimius Tertullianus (Roman politician) 200 BC

The presentation says 200 BC but a quick search makes it seems like 200 AD is more accurate.  Regardless, it appears that people have been concerned about the future of the plant for a long time.  Technology (and land expansion) has always come to the rescue in the past.  Hopefully technology can save the day again this time - or at least be an important part of the answer.

Amen

I was wondering recently why people say the word "amen" at the end of prayers. I did a little digging into the subject today. From what I can tell, the word "amen" means "verily", "truly", "so be it", or "so it may be". Here is one resource from Google. Here is another from the LDS web site that gets into scriptural references and some additional insight into ancient usage.

Abraham Lincoln and Prayer

I was looking through a catalog and came across a framed print of this quote by Abraham Lincoln: "I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go."  I liked the quote - President Lincoln is a favorite of mine - and it reminded me of Ether 12:27: "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."  Sometimes people wonder why a caring and loving God would allow hardships - even terrible hardships - in our lives.  Perhaps it's so we'll turn to Him since we'll feel we have nowhere else to go.

Jesus Bobble-Head

A little while ago, I bought a Jesus Christ bobble-head for my office.  It's currently sitting on my desk at work.  I thought it would be a low-key way to let people know that I am Christian and serve as a fun conversation-starter for people who are interested in talking more about it.  It's also had the slightly unexpected effect of keeping me on my best behavior at work (see this fun video to get a better sense of what I mean).  

So far, no one has asked me about the bobble-head but it hasn't been here that long.  Interestingly, though, two former co-workers gave me holiday cards - one who is Christian but another denomination and one who is Mormon but no longer active.  In the first card, the person wrote "you are a real blessing and shine God's light".  In the second card, the person wrote "it is so great to see you so dedicated to God!"  I don't remember talking to either one of these people much about religion - some stuff here and there but nothing too extensive.  I guess people pay attention (both positively and negatively) more than I think.