Author / yojeanyi

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water-ver makes you happy
by yojeanyi

Are we becoming computers? Use the CCC: Chocolate Chip Cookie method

Sedentary multitasking is what machines do, but ever since the pandemic, that’s all WE do. Are we becoming computers? Do we exist just to perform knowledge-systems labor?

We are:

1. Synchronizing activities

2. Entering and exiting schedules

3. Perfecting chocolate chip cookie recipes

⭐⭐⭐Let’s begin:

  1. When doing all life activities in one place, such as a domestic setting, synchronizing everything into one master schedule is tough. Your perception of time stretches and contracts depending on the task… writing a project proposal versus nodding dutifully in an online meeting. Did they said three or five? What’s the topic now?

We’re balancing multiple time-scales:

🌞❄️🍂 long term: years, phases, seasons…

🗓️ short term: weeks, days…

⏱️ immediate: hourly, minutely, unexpected events…

2. Our work-life reality has flattened. To transition between tasks, we must re-expand space with our bodies, not just our minds. Reset and prep for the next task by walking around the house. 5x across the room. Go down the street. Remember to come back. Take an object you will use later—a remote, pen, measuring spoon—and deposit it in the mailbox. When it’s time, retrieve it. This “commute” reboots intentionality. Can a computer do that?

Put a chocolate chip cookie in the mailbox and take a nibble out of it each circulation for dopamine. Can a computer byte? I mean bite? Can the sugar dissolve on its tongue binding to receptors T1R2/T1R3s giving that sweet sensation?

3. There’s no such thing as an imperfect chocolate chip cookie recipe 🍪 as the CCC is perfection itself.

🍪CCC = Perfection🍪

Chocolate : loved and consumed by millions of humans who are not computers.

Chip : you can add any kind of chip into your cookie: nuts, sprinkles, dried fruit, cpus, gpus, ram, or despair that is not made by computers.

Cookie : round, a great and popular shape loved by millions of humans across time but possibly also computers.

by yojeanyi

Leave that mess; sweat equity & creative making with your hands is really really good for you, an obvious human








Make something, and make it with love. 
Or destroy something, and destroy it with relish.







Do yourself a favor and clean up later. I mean, wayyyy later. Let the sweat equity show, look at the mess and materials behind the final product…pencil shavings, paint sploshes, apple cores strewn among the date pits. Striving for the end result is great for follow through, but is it sustainable? There has to be some appreciation, dare I say, enjoyment, in the process, production, labor.





If there is no visible sweat equity in your work, do a thing that does have it (counterbalance). For people who can’t seem to restore their energy, it’s important to balance intellectual/mental labor with physical/emotional labor. Make something, and make it with love. Or destroy something, and destroy it with relish.





An aside: What’s the difference between a task and a project? While tidying up after a task is always good for workflow, don’t confuse a project as a task. Set aside the appropriate space(s) for a project to inhabit. Subsequent “messes” of work-in-progress projects might be unsightly, but necessary. The small amounts of energy spent putting away and taking out projects adds up. 





Leave projects out in the pasture to live their lives. 





Another point: don’t overlook the small things, but don’t let the small things run the show. While micromanagement is good for detailed analysis of net efficiency, once it is built into the workflow, it is appropriate to break it occasionally. In fact, it is necessary to break it. 





Back to replenishing energy: Make a physical thing…with an emphasis on “make”. Get your hands involved. Since we have to eat, a classic one is cooking–either your favorite recipe or a fun new one, but it’s important that it delivers pleasure for you. Maybe cooking or baking isn’t your form of enjoyment, then make a different thing.





I will expand on this for a moment.. “Making” is a creative act, which will be different for everyone. Playing music is a creative act for some, playing a sport is a creative engagement for others. (We can argue that one “makes” the shot into the basket or “makes” a play.) 





Find a making that requires a few muscle groups. It is easy to fall into an avoidant style dynamic with screens so save video games for another area of life. 





Another thought: positive and productive activities that replenish are : self initiated, intentional, and helps you be “present” with yourself and your body. They are responses, not reactions. Many times I have witnessed people reacting to stressors by using the screen to “tune out”. This is not a restorative act and alienates, thereby turning off the ability to be truly present.





So go hang out with your body and make something! 💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫





















			





			
				


	
	
	

				

			 by yojeanyi		

		
		
Hydrating Tip (boring but essential)💧💧💧
	


	


	


	

		

So the thrill of rating bottled waters according to taste, alkalinity, electrolytes, distillation is gone.





💧It’s time to decide on the one true water source tasked to keep you alive. 





This is a negligible task, but that skin is not going to elasticize itself. You need continual water because you sweat, pee, and cry it out.





It’s a project that can be the difference between “always” and “sometimes.”





Excellent Integrated Hydration (EIH) begins at the source might sound like hype, but it’s the holy grail. Whether the water is tap or filtered is up to the One Who Hydrates (OWH), but if you choose distilled, you still have to find an alternate source for electrolytes and minerals. 





💧Drinking water that tastes good means drinking more of it.





💧Choosing your container:





There are too many reusable water bottles with impractical designs and laughable capacity. Hydration isn’t 12 ounces while you’re out driving, errand running, working, schooling. (And the bottles with narrow mouths are hard to refill >:/ $*#$&$&*# ). But if there’s one true vessel that you swear by, good.





While stuck at home, I found myself drinking less water once I switched to the Brita water pitcher…Before I was doing fridge filter —> Hydro flask. I wondered why. I like the taste of Brita. I already considered the inconvenience of pitcher refill.





Turns out, that extra step between pitcher and my cup each time was just annoying enough.





Fridge –> Hydro flask (container)–> user [2 steps]





Tap–> Brita pitcher–> cup (container) –> user [3 steps]





Solution 1. Change container to one with larger capacity





In conclusion / learning opportunity? : minute changes to how you daily activities seems negligible but aren’t. Identify issues and solutions to the banal stuff too.





💧In efficient systems, one step makes a huge difference over time.





Now the 💧 you’ve been waiting for. A look at the exhausted choices of containers to use when you’re on the move:





Bladder backpack – camelbak- true to the name, you carry a bag of water wherever you are bothered to go. A straw gives you quick access to that life giving elixir.





Original Nalgene / Nalgene inspired bottle: this one is practical and ideal for a number of reasons. It has a wide mouth easy for refilling, and it holds 1 liter (33.8 ounces) which means less frequent refills. (2 for men, ___ for women.) 









Webmd





But you hate plastic? While this one has a narrow mouth, it at least has a good capacity at 1.4 liters. When using at home, I use a funnel to fill it. 














💧💧💧HAPPY HYDRATING 💧💧💧💧💧

			





			
				


	
	
	

				

			 by yojeanyi		

		
		
Good tip: sweat before showers
	


	


	


	

		

We brush our teeth twice a day, shower every other day, groom ourselves, and eat with some semblance of regularity. Hygiene and health are part of life — they get done with regularity (otherwise we can get sick.)





Exercise, on the other hand? Not always so automatic. Even if we know it’s good for us, it might not come naturally. Stick to the same low-stakes, noncompetitive activities — the elliptical, a fitness video, running loops around the block, or a weekly yoga class — and it can start to feel like a chore. Motivation wanes. 





Here’s a simple trick: sweat before you shower. Make the act of exercise an unskippable part of clean, refreshed skin. You’ll feel the reward immediately afterward. 





If you want to make movement more habitual ritual, try these:





    

  • Rally with a friend — sanitize a tennis ball or badminton birdie and get competitive. 
    • 




  • Swim in the ocean — snorkel, explore, wave to marine friends. If you can’t find a calm cove, swim along the wave breaks. Survival instincts kick in and heart rate rises naturally.
    • 




  • Hike and immerse yourself in nature — choose a trail with elevation gain (1,000–2,000 feet) or varied terrain: stream crossings, chaparral, alpine meadows, boulder fields, canyons, or desert trails. Diverse landscapes challenge differently and connects you with the environment.
    • 




  • Home movement — if you’re stuck indoors, dedicate ten minutes to movement before getting clean. Jumping jacks, push-ups, dancing to a few songs. Spike energy and support immune health.
    • 






(This is similar to habit stacking, for example, one can Exercise + Brush Teeth – Do a set of squats or stretches while brushing teeth.)





So next time you’re about to jump in the shower, ask yourself: did I sweat before shower?






			





			
				


	
			
	
	

				

			 by yojeanyi		

		
		
ICED tips : ICED hibiscus date tea
	


	


	


	

		






If you’re like me, you like your liquids. They’re hot, iced, and everything between. Savory or sweet. Caffeine, cocoa, cinnamon, cider, mulled, cream, alcoholic, grassy, fruity, tropical. And then there’s tea. Tea is water boiled in the good essences of organic matter like leaves, bark, roots, fruits, you name it. The beauty of tea is that there is no end to the possibilities. Even before the world closed, finding good affordable tea wasn’t easy. Artisanal was expensive, and many were sugary or bland. I lost interest when hype flooded the drink market.


Who knew literally boiling water and adding some stuff you have around the house would yield satisfying results ? Here is one I really came to love: Iced hibiscus date tea.


    

  1. 

      

    1. boil for 15 minutes:
      
hibiscus (1-2 tea bag)
      
ginger (1/3 cup matchsticks)
      
2 lemons
      
2 banana peels (cleaned with baking soda, organic)
      
1 banana flesh
      
dried asian dates (5-8)
      2. 

    2. agave syrup (to taste)
      3. 

    3. use a frozen drink to cool down the hot liquid without diluting it
      4. 

    4. add ice
      5. 

    5. Sip and
      6. 

    6. Enjoy
      7. 

    7. Under
      8. 

    8. The
      9. 

    9. Balmy
      10. 

    10. Festival
      11. 

    11. Solstice
      12. 

    12. Light
      13. 

    13. 

    14. tip: freeze unused bananas, extra lemons, and ginger for easy tea making
      15. 

    

    2. 


			





			
				


	
			
	
	

				

			 by yojeanyi		

		
		
Get 17 laughs a day : A-musing on sardonic and humors
	


	


	


	

		
a musing on humor


laughter comes from a place deeply human, so they say.


for example, the Ancient Greek and Roman physicians believed the 4 humors- bodily fluid type yuckies- affected human health and disposition. there were only 4 of them: choleric, melancholic, sanguine, phlegmatic–and they were tied to seasons or elements, similar to Indian Ayurveda medicine doṣas, (pañca-bhūta): earth, water, fire, air, (and space).


They typology is as follows:


    

  • 

    Blood (sanguis) → associated with air, spring, and a cheerful temperament (sanguine).
    

    • 

  • 

    Phlegm (phlegma) → linked to water, winter, and a calm, sluggish temperament (phlegmatic).
    

    • 

  • 

    Yellow bile (choler) → tied to fire, summer, and an irritable, aggressive temperament (choleric).
    

    • 

  • 

    Black bile (melaina chole) → connected with earth, autumn, and a melancholic, depressive temperament (melancholic).
    

    • 











Greek Medicine: GREEK MEDICINE AND CHINESE MEDICINE


But what do the humors have to do with ha-ha humor? 


I first became interested in the forms of humor like sarcasm and parody in 90s TV shows and literature, wondering how we humans developed a sense of humor. it’s a very subjective and human / biological activity– like crying or compassion, but I find it more elusive than other emotions. just as diverse as our personalities, what we find funny differs- from farts, Ren and Stimpy, to Mr. Bean and cats. 


but do we only laugh because something is ha ha funny? no. 


because after some click-clacking, i found sardonic as a form of humor that comes from the Greek “sardónios, refering to someone curling their lips at danger, laughing in its face. 


from wikipedia: “a sardonic action is one that is ‘disdainfully or skeptically humorous’. a form of wit or humour, being sardonic often involves expressing an uncomfortable truth in a clever and not necessarily malicious way, commonly with a degree of cynicism.[3]”


an uncomfortable truth you say? So one has to be devoid of humor to face a truth but at the same time hold an incredulous expression to convey the inhumanity of it all?


furthermore look at this grim and dark origin of sardonic: “among the very ancient people of sardinia… it was customary to kill old people. while killing their old people, the sardi laughed loudly. this is the origin of notorious sardonic laughter (eugen fehrle, 1930).”


violence is a natural response to structural oppression of many forms. language, cultural, social, political, institutional, but killing our elderly? what could be the reason for this? is it an act of mercy knowing that the end of one’s material existence should be relieved of suffering and indignity? one could not mercy kill without having an incongruent reaction to it, like laughing. this idea is supported by the following:


    

  • “laughter accompanies the passage from death to life; it creates life and accompanies birth. consequently, laughter… nullifies murder as such, and is an act of piety that transforms death into a new life.”
    • 



from the author of dune: “the person who experiences greatness must have a feeling for the myth she is in. And she must have a strong sense of the sardonic. This is what uncouples her from belief in her own pretensions. The sardonic is all that permits her to move within herself. Without this quality, even occasional greatness will destroy a human.”


So the sardonic helps ground people and prevents them from abstraction and inhumanity. laughter is guttural: irrational, physiological, and VERY HUMAN.


Laughter is also social. According to the following source, we might laugh when there is “shared relief at the passing of danger. And since the relaxation that results from a bout of laughter inhibits the biological fight-or-flight response, laughter may indicate trust in one’s companions.” (https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/emotions/laughter.htm)


“Provine has also noted that laughter is highly behaviorally contagious…like yawning, contagious laughter is modified by social factors.”


Laughter as catharsis:


There is a link between laughter with better pain tolerance. In an experiment those who induced / forced  laughter had a drop in blood pressure and cortisol levels in comparison to those who did not simulate laughter.


All of this supports the argument that laughter and humor are complicated emotions that can relieve as much as it can reveal what lurks in the dark (in order to relinquish it). 


So ask yourself,  if the average adult laughs 17 times a day, are you getting your daily dose of laughter? 




z. Find more opportunities for laughter  surround yourself with funny people or places (see t. grandmas below)
y. Induce or simulate laughter even if nothing is externally funnytrick your brain
x. diversify your humorweird/absurd humor > 20%  
random or joyful laughter > 50% 
sarcastic/self sabotaging < 10%
animals = 100%
w. eat something beyond your spice tolerancecry if you can’t laugh
v. consider being alien, other, or animalif you aren’t already
u. let your own sense of humor driveeven if its bad; especially if its bad
t. hang out with some grandmasthey gave birth to the jokers





















			





			
				


	
			
	
	

				

			 by yojeanyi		

		
		
Pro Tip: Throw a Tantrum (how to get relief when you’re overwhelmed)
	


	


	


	

		

1: It was always you





Family, friends, community — they’ve been there at times, and completely absent at others. Your mom nursing your flu, your dad explaining the same math problem for the fifth time, your brother laughing after you tumbled from the tree, fracturing a foot. There were the friends who waded with you through awkward growing pains and heartbreaks– who you could laugh with years later.





School was to glide us into work, life, and the trimmings of adulthood. When that didn’t quite happen — and the inherited world clashed with our lived reality — who carried you through the confusion?





You.





It was always you. The “support network” was training wheels, sometimes swapped for another set on a fancier vehicle. 





Relationships matter — they keep us from becoming an echo chamber. But there’s a point of diminishing returns when social exchanges become wholly transactional or obligatory… it’s time to move on or take a break. We require self-preservation, especially if we were the responsible one, a parentified child, running interference to keep peace.





Unfortunately, the most in need of self-awareness are ones pushing uninformed agendas. So if it’s always been you, then what’s your obligation? To carry yourself when no one else can. Sometimes that means retreating.





A: Permission to retreat; throw a tantrum





The polemics and lightning polarization in today’s world make the sentiment of a tantrum unsavory. The “tantrum” here is inward-facing, not outward-destructive. If you had to keep your composure while people around you do un-people things, you deserve space and time for letting go. 





Retreat, decelerate, and when you hit zero, see what’s left: tired, sore, sad, pissed? Do what you need to recoup — even if it means throwing a tantrum with admission for one. Think about it like a complete acceptance of all the debase emotions we are told to keep under a rock. 





Contemporary society issues adults a behavioral script expecting stoicism and discouraging engagement with so-called “inferior” emotional states. These would be: bitterness, anger, resentment, melancholy, envy, fear, shame, self-pity, loneliness, despair, frustration, etc. They are socially coded as unproductive, unattractive, and regressive, even though they’re just as biologically hardwired and meaningful as joy, love, or excitement.
So suppressing natural affective responses — some of which may present as petulant or deflective — we risk long-term emotional ossification. This has demonstrably backfired. 





How many people do you know who never nurture their inner child, live it shamelessly in public?





B. Methods of tantrum/self-indulgence





Toddlers are well documented for their sophisticated tantrums, directed outward for attention. Adults, however, rarely deploy such techniques for personal welfare. Bask in glorified self indulgence because who will do it for you if not yourself? 





Personally, I conduct a full-day incommunicado: digital blackout, emptying of emotional receptacles while performing floor-based kinesthetic movements, such as rug angels. Whatever your method, make it 100%. Pay attention to every feeling on the “feelings spectrum” and tantrum responsibly. For example, anger points to boundaries crossed. Envy reveals what we secretly desire. Shame shows us where we’ve confused mistakes with identity. Melancholy and grief remind us of what we’ve loved.





Let them breathe responsibly without weaponizing them at others, and they become signals, stepping stones for a decluttered forward path.





So call it whatever you want. Let you reclaim yourself. It’s always been you, and it still is.





-Noon Mul 😉





 






			





			
				


	
			
	
	

				

			 by yojeanyi		

		
		
HOT TIP: go. to. therapy. or something equivalent you big baby
	


	


	


	

		

(xз」∠)一





Therapy? But I’m not messed up, you say with your well practiced straight face. 





Oh? 





Let’s pretend you’re trapped in a tight balloon.





why am i trapped? you ask yourself.





It’s dark, but you’re comfortable. It’s warm, but it’s getting hot. It’s accommodating, but you’re running out of oxygen. 





You’ve lost your memory, you don’t know who or what you are.





Somehow, you know that it’s time to leave, but before you get a chance to start looking for a new place, walls constrict around your body, squeezing the breath right out of you. how can a space DO THAT. AND TO YOU? Loyal tenant for all your life. You’re losing oxygen, fast, and you are powerless. An invisible hand is pulling your limp body down a small tunnel. You can hear the pained cries of a soul on the other side and panic. Your mind is racing as mouth agapes like a trout-out-of-water. You’re trying to put it all together; all you did was reside in a tight dark space for a while–sure you didn’t pay rent but, like, how could you? you don’t even know what money is. By this point you are convulsing, a lumpy mass fighting for life, air, air, and life. The screaming on the other side gets louder, and you hear…My god, they’re torturing that poor soul, and you’re next. You’re dripping in natural fluids, confused, and imagining this is what dying must be like…. Strangers pull your naked and bloody body out and you take your first breath…








WELCOME.





This is everybody’s entry into the world, and if that isn’t a traumatic experience, I do not know what is. I’m not going to go into the ineffectual coping mechanisms every other person and their moms proselytize. Coping mechanisms are just that, they help you COPE with life, they don’t help you LIVE your life. It’s part of the system of dependency that makes it easier to sell products and shit to you. So. go. to. therapy. if you tell me you’ve tried, you’ve seen a few. For a few months. It didn’t help. And then continue to lament the conditions of your life. The unhealthy relationships and roles you play out. if you tell me it’s complicated because of your insurance and never pushed through to resolve it. you can sort out your insurance or find a clinic that offers an income based pay scale. i believe in you. There’s different kinds of therapy – cognitive behavioral therapy, integrative holistic, gestalt, dialectical behavior therapy, hypnosis, just to name a few. Some research will determine which ones fit you, and it can take a few therapists before you find a good match, years of therapy before so called “turning a corner”, depending on your goals. Too many people give up before they get there. So. go. to. therapy. Self help books are okay but they are only a supplement. It’s like taking vitamins. You still need to eat food. So. go. to. therapy.   










oh if you don’t like it then go to church; go to temple; write a book; do some diversion; 






			





			
				


	
			
	
	

				

			 by yojeanyi		

		
		
3 HOT TIPS: May Edition (beat summer heat, doggy bag it, stay cool by hypothermia)
	


	


	


	

		

🔥HOT TIP 1: Late date? Doggy bag it.





The scenario: you’re waiting for your date who is running late. 
They text you: “sorry i’m omw!! (on my way)” 





Your stomach grumbles, not from nerves but hunger. So you order for two and eat for one, doggy bagging the rest.





That’s what we call “ASS”- short for assertive. Not the “ass” to be confused with the taxonomical horse, although etymologically related. Not the “ass” short for asshole, which probably came from the equine “asinus.” If someone breaks an agreement, feel and follow your gut. Rarely has a stomach led one asstray. It’s your time, which waits for no one, especially you. And for all we know, every supper is our last.





PROS:CONS:
Eat when you’re hungry
Doesn’t waste time (yours)
Doesn’t waste time (theirs)
Eliminates flakes		None





🔥HOT TIP 2: Beat the curve





You have a big poo coming up, undoubtedly. It doesn’t hurt to start training for top condition on performance day. Begin a few months early. Take it easy, once a week. Then progress to two times, three times, four…until you are comfortable with a daily brown. Before you know it, you’re a natural.





🔥HOT TIP 3: Hot, not!





It’s a fact that skin is the leading cause of feeling hot, so we tackle the problem at its source. Set aside a few days for this one.





Step 1: identify a reluctant neighbor
Step 2: detach the neighbor’s tub from its cavity and shimmy it out to the lawn, making sure to crush your toes a few times in the process.
Step 3: draw a nice ice bath. Your body will be fully distressed and sweaty from moving the tub, making this next part easy. Soak in the cold solution for 6 to 10 hours until the tingling sensation of hypothermia ceases. 
Step 4: rejoice! Neural signals no longer send the brain any messages about it being hot, or not!





 





That’s all the Hot Tips I’ve Got, hope you learned something!