thirstythong

“But the most significant derivation from the meaning of as ‘water’ is the concept of people who have gathered near a body of water to grow rice for one another, and founding a stable community, sharing rain and drought, plenty and famine, peace and war: from ‘water,’ its basic meaning, has come to designate ‘the homeland, the country, the nation.’ It is in this ultimate exception that the monosyllable nuoc reverberates throught the deepest and farthest recesses of the Vietnamese collective unconscious and stirs there the most potent feelings. The nation’s fateful course, marked by ups and downs, is figuratively rendered as a ‘tide of water’ (van nuoc) with its ebb and flow. The highest virtue demanded of a Vietnamese is that he or she ‘love the nuoc‘ (yeu nuoc).” –Huynh Sanh Thong (no relation)

On 5 Things you are too old to be doing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7-yO9GgOgk&feature=player_embedded

Brailling this. Allow me to add, these are things I’ve realized and not directed towards anyone in particular:

6. It’s okay to want to learn. A lot of folks try to make themselves sound invincible on resumes, fair enough, given the competition is higher than ever for the small amount of jobs that are out there. In the end, the people/company that you want to work with are people who appreciate sincerity. I would rather be working with the person who wants to listen and consider to find out the right answer than someone who doesn’t listen, thinking they know the right answer.

7. Related to grudges, if you got something you need to say about a person, say it to their face. Put it in a compliment sandwich (compliment-criticism-compliment), but most importantly, say it to their face, and say it immediately. Beef is not like wine, it doesn’t get better with age.

8. Write everyday. Being a better writer helps you become a better communicator because it helps you become a clearer thinker. To be more project oriented about it, start a blog and blog with purpose, publicize some posts, privatize some posts.

9. Clean out the closet. There are a lot of say, shirts and books you will never wear and will never read so give it to folks who need it. Whittle down your possessions to what you truly need and more importantly, use. You’ll find yourself lighter because of it, and it’ll feel good.

10. Be mindful and efficient with your language. Just because you are talking non-stop, doesn’t mean you are having a good conversation. On a related tangent, if you say you’re going to do something, then do it, otherwise don’t say it.