Working in an office could make you lazy

The average day for an office worker, starts with:

walking to his car,

driving to his office,

parking as close as he can to the door,

taking the elevator

and sitting down for about 7 hours a day.

And then for the rest of the day, the only activity he has is walking to the bathroom, kitchen or to the copy/mail room. At the end of the day, he:

Takes the elevator back to his car, that he parked close to the main door probably,

then he drives back home and walks to his house.

I have some tips and tricks to share in order to get more activity during the day.

1) Ride a bicycle to work, even every other day if you can.

2) When you park your car, try to hunt for the farthest spot instead of the closest one.

3) Take the stairs - elevators are not good for you.

4) Every hour of sitting or less, stretch out and take a walk in the office (don't end up in the kitchen in these walks, if you don't want the opposite results)

Good luck!

This is my 30th post

Hey,

I am happy to inform you and myself, that this is my 30th post in my blog.
This occasion can only happens to a blog owner once, and therefore it is a special event.
When I first started to write, I wasn't really sure if I want to expose my posts to "all the world and his wife" (Hebrew slang). I named my blog "nicorga" after switching the letters of the word "organic". I knew that I wanted to share my eating habits and ideas with people in my class, friends and family. However, I didn't end up blocking my block from others, since I believe that I have got some good stuff here. My blog is mostly about a greener environment (is greener a word?). I hope it will give other people ideas, and maybe help some others to consider a healthier food, even vegetarian/vegan.

Enjoy...

IM programs

Instant Messaging programs are very popular these days.  They had started as small softwares in our personal computers, and have become more powerful, and even a formal way of communication in many businesses. They have definitely made a revolution in the communication world. It's so easy to use, that we find ourselves chatting with our coworkers from the next cube; which is a shame since it keeps us sitting for longer time, where before we had had to walk to the person that we wanted to talk to. However, using instant messaging programs have made my life easier when I want to speak to my family in Israel. It is easier to stay in touch, also when I'm too busy to call.
So A++ to IM programs...

Speaking vs. Writing - second language

As a second language, it's unbelievable how different it is between speaking and writing.
When writing, there is much more time to organize and style your sentences before the end results, unlike speaking when it's real time. If it takes too much time to organize every sentence and try to find the "right" words, the person who listens can get bored. There is also a bigger chance that he may get confused and won't understand what you are saying. I find writing easier than speaking, even chatting in instant messaging program is easier. Time has a big impact on the end results.
When speaking to someone, pace is very important. Also because you have to respond to the person, which includes listening, understanding, thinking and responding; the process includes all the components of a conversation, and if any of them is slow, it will affect on your respond's pace.
This also depends who you are speaking with. When speaking with someone who speaks fast, usually it has an affect on you as well. And since you don't want to slow him down, you try to catch up with his pace; what can cause a disaster...
Patience is very important from both sides; speaker and listener. If you speak to someone patient, it helps you relax and be more focused in the conversation. However, the more you speak, the better and faster you get. After all, knowing more than 1 language is powerful and a big advantage.

Bottom line, there is no better one between speaking or writing; it all depends on the situation...

Last class - E.S.L 142 Fall 2008

The last class was good and relaxed. We had some interesting presentations about the environment. The interactive one by Carmen, Tess and Estefania was very successful; and funny too. Bogie and Maria had some interesting information about the Danube river.
The exam was pretty easy, I have to admit, or maybe I really improved my English skills. At the end was very tasty with all the foods that people brought from their culture. Tess, your veggie plate was very appreciated, you really made my evening :)
M.K thanks for sharing your apartment with us for after party.
Now, I am going to take a little break, and try to absorbed the material we have learned. I believe that I'll take the next level, and hopefully I'll see some you guys there again.
Robert, Thank you for your effort and your dedication, I think you are a great Professor. I really had fun studying with you.

For any of you who want/need to improve your reading/writing English skills, NCC is hardly recommended. And if you are lucky, you'll study with Robert Emigh.

Junk mail

One of my favorite things, is to come back home after work and check the mail.  I open the mail box, and I grab all bunch of papers and advertisements, where my real mail is hidden in between.
It is unbelievable how much junk they send here in the US.  They keep sending catalogs, magazines - sometimes 2 copies of the same one and lots of advertisements. I do recycle all these junk, but there are still people who don't, and it is such a waste of paper. They probably cut so many trees every year just for those type of mail. This is should be illegal these days as part of the deforestation issue.

Back to the past machine

We all have it. We can go back in time, we can recall special moments and events. Even being a little kid again...
It's called sense of smell/taste/hear. By smelling a some certain flowers or perfume, I can go back in time and be in the same moment again. By tasting certain type of foods or listening to an old music, I can go back in time and feel the nostalgia. If I listen to Elvis Presley, I can remember moments when I was a kid, where my father used to play his records on the weekends. If I smell certain spices, I can recall flavors of meals that my mom made when I was little. When any of these happen, I also start remembering other related events too. It's a great feeling, isn't it?

Puma – the treat

One day, after about 3-4 months that Lexi had died, my family came back from my cousins with a small, light brown, ball of fur. She was a mix bread of Pekinese and Pomeranian. My cousin had brought the Pomeranian mother and the Pekinese father from the US, and the 2 beautiful puppies were born in Israel. At first I was upset to see another dog in our home, but when the little fur started chasing me in the house, I fell in love… Her name was Puma, since she looked like a little puma puppy. Puma was a great treat for my family, especially after the lost of Lexi. She was a very smart puppy and full of energy. I also taught her all the special tricks that Lexi knew and more…
Puma's favorite game is a tennis ball, she can smell it from a large distance, and would do anything for getting it.
Since Puma is a family dog, I didn’t take her with me when I moved to the US. She is living with my sister in Tel Aviv.

42nd floor in Miami

I went down to Miami this weekend. It’s great to leave the cold weather for a little bit, even if it’s only for a weekend. I was staying in a place called Sunny Isles beach, at my friend’s apartment, on the 42nd floor that is located on the beach. When I first got there I was shocked by the height; everything except for the beach looked so small. The cars looked like a toy cars, and the people like Playmobil. We drove to south beach on the following morning, and we got there around 11. At that point, the streets were kind of empty of people, and most of the stores were closed. Afterwards we realized that the reason was that most of the people were still asleep from partying in the night before. It wasn’t exactly as I was expected, maybe because I didn’t see all the roller bladders chicks on the beach. However, it was nice, and I took a deep in the ocean even though the water was very cold. The day after I went running on the beach for about 45 minutes, I passed some interesting sections of the beach; one of them was marked with 2 rainbow flags…
When I got back, I climbed the 42 flights of stairs as a treat; that was fun…
At night we went to a club called Mangos, located in south beach; the waiters and waitresses dance on the bar to Latin music. It was very sexy…
On the last day we took a walk on the beach, and I found some Coconuts that I was able to break with a rock. It was very tasty and fresh; I love Coconuts.

My first dog Lexi

We got her at the age of few weeks; she was light brown and very active. At that time, the TV show, Dynasty, was very popular, and my family wanted to call her Alexis; on the name of the famous actress in the show. I didn’t like the name, so we ended up naming her Lexi, as a shortcut for Alexis. Lexi was my first dog and she was a Pincher. I was 12 years old at that time. She brought a big happiness to our life, and I believe that she liked me the most from all of my family, even though my sister wouldn’t agree. Lexi had a brother called, Dex; on the name of another famous actor from Dynasty; I believe that Dex was Alexisis’s brother on the show, but I’m not sure since I hadn’t liked the show. I was too young for it. My cousins that had lived close to us got Dex, so Lexi and Dex used to see each other very often. It was definitely a great time. When I used to come back home after school, Lexi was jumping on me from happiness. And I used to take her out for a walk in the neighborhood. After about a year, Lexi had 4 puppies; 3 males and 1 special female. We eventually found homes to all of them, and one of them was given to my friend from school, but unfortunately after a few months he was hit by a car and died.
I trained Lexi to do tricks, like jump over my hand, or search for item that I had hidden, roll on her back and more. After 11 years Lexi got sick; it was a cancer of the bladder. The vet gave her Chemotherapy peals and she was fine for a little more than a year. Unfortunately the situation became worse after about 5 months, and we tried everything that the vet had recommended. However, the last month was too hard for her, and it was the time to put her to sleep. There is no way to let your dog suffer if he is very sick. Even though it’s hard for you, it’s even harder for him. Lexi was buried in a park close to where we lived. However, knowing that she had a great life helped us to get over it; I believe that some human beings would have wished to have a life like hers.

E.S.L class - Fall 2008

One of the best educational things that have happened to me.
First of all I have met so many great people from all over the world; Ecuador, Romania, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Peru and more.
I improved my second language writing/reading skills dramatically. If I hadn't taken this class, I wouldn't have improved my English so much. Now if I make some English mistakes, it would probably make some native English speakers laugh. But it's OK, as Robert (the teacher) always says: "Your advantage is that you know 2 languages..."

Robert Emigh, one of the best teachers I have ever had. It is amazing how he made us all feel so comfortable in class; from the first class, playing the stupid game, later with interviewing each other for the first essay, and today with our presentations. He really cares about his students and it is so easy to see. Personally, it motivates me a lot. There is only one thing the I would recommend him to improve, his handwriting...OMG, it's the worst I have ever seen. I was just trying to read his comments on my third (3.2) essay, and I was laughing with my wife, since she couldn't even understand it; and she has good English skills and native English speaker. However, eventually we figured it out - Thank you Robert for making us laugh :)

Next week is going to be the last class, and everybody is bringing something. I'm gonna make a home made Hummus. I'll try my best to make it authentic...

Virtual life

Time is expensive, if we think about life expectancy.
There are so many virtual things to do these days with your free time, and it's better to use the time more efficiently. However, there are many "Time Killers" that we need to be aware of; watching TV, Surfing the internet, video games, playing with "stupid" cell phone and more...
I can't really remember special moments when I used to sit for hours in front of the computer or TV. But I do remember good times when I used to take my dog for a walk in the park. Therefore, I feel that the virtual life kills the time, and you only think that you enjoy the moment; however, this time won't even stay in your memory later.
I do think that it's OK to do these things every for a short amount of time. On the other hand, we better be careful and look at the time. We may miss the real life that is passing if front of our eyes. Taking a walk in the nature, spending time with family and friends and more.
Technology is cool, but let's not become the machines...

Mountain biking - winter

 
So the winter is here, and we even got some snow, but I can't give up riding. I got a full helmet to help with the cold, and so far so good. It's a little hard in parks, where the trails are covered with dried leaves. It makes it slippery and hard to see the trails. One time I found my self off the trail, so I had to hike with my bike since it wasn't doable. I also ride to work, it actually feels good with some fresh air and few jumps before I get to my office, unlike driving the car, especially when there is traffic. It is a great experience, and I definitely recommend trying if you have the chance. After all, it's like snowboarding or skiing...

The 80 20 rule

When you use only 20% of your clothes but for 80% of the time, or let's say you have a set of keys, out of 20% of the keys you use for 80% of the times. This is the 80 20 rule. The rule was invented by the Italian economist, Pareto, that observed that 80% of income in Italy went to 20% of the population. The principle rule is that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. I learned this rule in micro-economics class during my engineering studies, and I find it to work in many situations. For example, from all of my clothes there are some that I like the most, and therefore I wear them more often than the rest. Try it yourself...

Happy Tofu day

So Thanksgiving was good and healthy this year. I made a delicious vegan meal with Barley and Lentils; both Barley and Lentils are high with protein and fiber, and taste really good together. I added some chopped parsley and fresh tomatoes, paprika, pepper, and few drops of lemon. There was also a turkey on the table for those who eat meat, and roasted Salmon that my father in law made. There was also steamed veggies with tofu, and the table was full of vegetarian/vegan meals since there were many vegetarians. I have to tell you that even though I ate more than I usually do, I didn't feel sleepy afterward like every turkey eater feels; I actually heard that the reason for this is in the gravy and not only from the turkey.
After all the atmosphere was good, and was great to have a day off from work.

Portable music players

Almost every person today is owned a portable music device. It became very popular, therefore music players are everywhere, and are not so expensive.
Most of the devices today come with very large capacity of memory that can keep all of your songs, so when you carry your portable device with you, you are actually carry all of your songs.
There are 2 main technologies; small devices use a flash memory, which is an electronic chip of memory, and larger devices use a magnetic disk. Devices with a magnetic disk have larger memory than devices based flash memory. However, flash memory devices are much smaller, and are very comfortable to use when exercising.

Music devices organize the music by artist, genre, album, personal playlists and more. When I find time, I create play lists of different types of music. For example, workout music, 90s, 80s, trance "shmans"... However, having so much music is often confusing, and it's not easy to choose what to play. Therefore, what I really like the most is to just to play the entire list, after all, it contains all the songs that I am supposed to like.

Rock climbing

The day after Thanksgiving 2008, I went rock climbing with my brother in law Evan. I have done it once before, but this was my first official one.

There are 2 types of climbing, one is usually a very tall wall, and you need to tie yourself to one edge of the rope while the other person that with you is tied to the other edge. It is very important to communicate with the other person since he is supposed to hold the rope in case you fall. Once you get to the top (if you do), you have to signal the person at the bottom and make sure he is ready to get you down; he can do it by releasing the rope slowly while still pulling the rope down which makes it still partially locked. The second type is climbing on low walls without ropes. An individual climber places a thick mattress at the bottom in case of a fall. It is usually more technical and if he gets to the top he can dab the X and then he jumps on the mattress.

All the walls have little rocks, and each rock has a piece of colored tape underneath that indicates the track that you are climbing on. There are different levels of tracks; harder tracks require you to use different technique since the rocks are spread on the wall and are pretty far from each other. On the other hand, easy tracks have more rocks and the rocks are closer to each other; what makes it easier to climb since you don't need to make big steps, and you have more options.

It was a fun experience and very challenging. However, there was something that made me feel uncomfortable. Using certain muscles that I normally don't use, caused me some kind of weakness in my arms, and it felt scary being up high without being able to hold myself close to the wall. But eventually I got used to it even though it was hurting from time to time. But like in every sport, practicing improves your abilities.

Are you a rabbit? He said...

It was lunch time, I was eating with a group of people from work. Everybody got his food and of course me, I had a salad; a good one actually with lots of greens and good stuff. the guy in front of me had pizza and cola. After not more than 10 minutes he swallowed 2 slices of fatty juicy triangles with some kind of dead meat on top, the cola was gone too I think and he already had the look of a "food coma" on his face. I was still eating my salad since it was huge. Then he said to me: "Are you a rabbit or what??" I was not surprised by the comment and immediately responded to him: "Are you a garbage can or what??" At first he didn't get it, but then I explained to him that if eating some greens makes me a rabbit then eating junk(food) makes him a garbage can...
I would prefer to be the rabbit in this story, and you?

Spices

 

Something smells good here...
Spices are great addition to make your food tasty. It's a whole world of flavors that can be on your shelf.
When I started using spices in food I had a hard time choosing the right one that fits the meal. Since they are all different it's not so easy to know how to choose the right one and when. Some spices go well with cold meals, like Gazpacho soup or a salad, and some go better with warm meals; it doesn't always work if you don't use the right one. It may take a while to get to know better about which spices to use and when. However, if you start with some basic ones like paprika, pepper, chili Basil it will give you a sense of idea and then you can start "getting crazy" and try some spices that nobody has heard of...

I found that using rosemary and basil on a chopped salad gives your salad a refreshing taste. Also, using cinnamon on a sweet potate can make a great sweet and healthy side dish; and please don't ruining it by adding sugar.

Spices are the tools of the chef. If you made a mistake by using the wrong spices you can always "fix" it by adding others.

Bon appetit...

Free food is NOT Fat free

Think about this phrase for a second...
We all like to get free stuff. It almost feels like winning a lottery or something. However, when the free stuff is food, we barely think twice and it's already in our mouth; even if we are not hungry. We tend to forget that our body is not a garbage can, but we are happy because it's free.
This is when my phrase comes into picture, when we get free food, it has the same amount of calories and fat as if we would have paid for it. So we shouldn't forget it, and for the next time when somebody offers you any kind of food or drink for free, whisper to yourself: "Free food is NOT Fat free... and think twice if you need it or not; and It's OK to say "no thank you", leave it for the next garbage can in the area.


"Free food is NOT Fat free" - Created by me...

Heart rate monitors

I have recently started using a watch that can read my heart rate while I'm exercising.
There are two types of watches: One that has a chest strap, and one that doesn't. The watch with the chest strap measures your heart rate continuously unlike the one without it; I have been using the one with the chest strap. I found it very motivating and helpful. It's very important to know your heart rate per minute in order to improve your shape. The watch tells you the range of the rate that you want to be in, based on the selected exercise; so if it's below the lower range, you would know to increase the exercise and vice versa.

Based on your age, height, weight and gender it also tells you during or after the exercise the amount of calories you burned and the maximum and average rate of the workout. For example, I used it when I was mountain biking for about an hour and a half; it was pretty amazing to see that you burned about 600-700 calories.

And what makes it more like a personal trainer, is that every midnight on Sundays it puts an icon of a trophy if you reached the goal that you previously selected.

Pumpkins

Fall is normally not my favorite season; the weather gets colder and it's the end of the summer...
However, it's the pumpkins season which is really nice. Many people use them for decoration for Halloween, and then cook them; they are really tasty and are good source for Calcium (good for bones), Potassium (good for the brain and nerves), vitamin A and C; pumpkin is also low in calories, so you don't need to worry if you are on a diet. I simply like to cook it in the oven and then put some spices on it; it's a great side dish that can go with almost anything. It can also be a great dessert with some cinnamon on top. Enjoy...

First Aid

Yesterday I attended a first aid training class. It was held at my office from 5pm to 9pm. Unlike CPR class, first aid is very basic, and in most of the incidents they teach you that you should call 911. However, I found it very useful for me, since the last time I took a CPR course as a Ju-Jitsu trainer was 13 years ago, and it's good to refresh the knowledge about it. I would recommend everyone to take a basic first aid course or even CPR if you can. You never know when you need it...

Little things…

I sometimes find myself doing things in a different order; I am talking about little things that we do during the day. For example, if I forgot something in the room while the light is on, I would turn the light off and then walk in to grab what I need. I just did it recently and noticed that it wasn't the first time. As a result I walked into the room can hardly see anything and I almost spill the glass when I reached it. The thing is that after I did the first step I wouldn't go back to turn the light on, since I already passed the switch; weird…
I know that if I take another second or 2, just to plan or think about those little events during the day, I would do it in a better way.

Before I leave the house, it usually takes me forever to me make sure I took everything I need, and turned off all the lights, heat, closed all windows and debating with myself: "do I need my mp3 player?, do I need sunglasses? Hat etc…

When I get out of the car and too many personal items to carry, instead of just taking some and come back for the rest, I would try to carry all of them at once. For most of the times I make it home safe without dropping anything. However, it's not so comfortable to walk out of the car with mail, sunglasses, phone, bag, keys and whatever I have to take with me and then lock the car, and then try to open the door of the house while I'm using my chin to make sure things won't fall…

There is must be a better way; I guess I haven't found it yet...

My first computer

In the late 1980's, my father bought us our first computer from one of his coworkers. Atari 800 XL, was the model, and it came with games and even books of how to create little programs. At that time, internet was not for the public, and without a modem it was impossible to communicate with each other, so it was harder to get new games. However, I was lucky to have a few friends with the same computer, so we were able to share and copy games to each other. Having a first computer was a special experience, and the games were way more simple than today's games. There were no special computer monitors at that time, and computers from those types were plugged into televisions; we had a little 14" color TV that was served us as a TV and a monitor. Some of the games were made for a single player, and some for multiple players. I remember how my sister and I used to play games together after school. Even though the graphic of the games was simple, the games were fun to play with. Unlike many games today that are very sophisticated and hard to operate, that the player loses the interest of the playing. After about a year, I bough a printer from a friend. It had a little black pen that you could actually see how it draws every single letter.

Today, Atari computer is a nostalgia in the computer world, and can be easily be an item in a Hi-Tech museum.

Mountain Biking

This summer I have started a new hobby; Mountain biking...
I ride on off-road trails and parks. In addition to off-road riding, I also ride on the road/side walks to some places. Back in Israel I used to ride a scooter (50cc and then 125cc). It was fun and convenient but riding a bicycle is something else; to everywhere you go, you have to use your legs, and the more you ride the better and stronger they get. In the parks it feels great and powerful to be able to ride on rocks, logs and anything that is on your way. If your bike has full suspension, that means that you have springs in front and in back; it makes the off-road softer and allow you to jump off things and land softly.

Power breakfast!!!

Good morning everybody...

It is finally morning, I can't wait to have my delicious meal which I call "Power Breakfast". What you see in the picture below made of of great ingredients with no added sugar (which is bad for you) or extra oil.

The Ingredients are:
1) Rolled oats
2) Walnuts
3) Pecans
4) Almonds
5) Blueberries
6) Goji berries (also called Wolf berries - Originally from China) - you can replace with raisins.
7) Soy milk
8) Pumpkin seeds

A breakfast like this give your body many important vitamins and minerals and enough energy to prevent unhealthy snacks before lunch. I just want warn you in case you are watching your weight. It may contain large amount of fat from the nuts, but this is a good source of fat. And you can decrease the amounts depending on your diet. However, I would recommend exercising on a daily basis, so the calories you intake are not larger that the calories you burn.

Bon Appetit...

Vegetarian, you don't need to be an engineer to succeed!

I've been a vegetarian for a little over a year now. In addition to the meat and chicken, I also gave up all kind of processed food, like white bread/rice/pasta, sugar, salt, soda drinks and dairy. It happened one day when I went to the library, and got a DVD about health by Gary Null (ph.D and nutritionists) www.garynull.com. I have to admit, my life has changed after I watched it; for the better; I've changed the way I look at food. In short, the human body needs nutrients to be healthy, strong and to stay younger for longer. Nutrients can be found, in vegetables/fruit, whole grain and nuts/seeds. Meat products are high in protein, but also high in cholesterol and fat; they also contain antibiotics and hormones that they get in their food by the raisers. The major different that I feel is much more energy during the day and my metabolism works like a clock; I exercise almost every day and I love it. I've heard stories about vegetarians or vegans that became too skinny or too fat and sick, but that's because they didn't eat the right food; those people were probably based their diet on a processed food like white bread/rice/pasta and pizza. The problem with white rice/bread/pasta is that they loose all the mineral and vitamins during the process; this is why whole grains are better for you. By almost any health book you would find that to be healthy, you need to eat veggies/fruit, whole grains and nuts; the simpler the better.

And just as a point of thought, The Gorilla is a vegetarian mammal, but still, big and strong!

In the next post I will show some photos of great meals that I make, I will try to put some recipes too.

Giant Yellows in Manhattan

Manhattan is a great place to go to. You can find anything you like there, shows, shops, restaurants of any culture from all over the world and more...

There is one thing I don't understand, Why do they use such big cars for cabs?



I understand that there are many tourists and some of them carry luggage, but 100% of them?? Those giant yellow cars take so much space on the roads, they drive like they were in a race and they all together contribute to the air pollution.
In order to make Manhattan a better, cleaner and less crowded place, I suggest to replace 50% of them with smaller cars. This way it will be much safer to drive, less crowded and more friendly to the environment.

Not everything should be BIG in America...
What about something like this?

Growing up as a Ju-Jitsu kid...

Ju-Jitsu is a martial art that was developed in Japan by the samurais many years ago.

When I was 11,  my school teacher invited my mom to talk about my behavior in class that wasn't appropriate sometimes. It turned out that the teacher recommended my mom to sign me up to some kind of sport class claiming that I had too much energy that needs to be spent elsewhere than school. Since I didn't like soccer I ended up in a Ju-Jitsu class for 50 minutes twice a week. 

I liked it a lot, I actually became one of the best kids in the class, and not less important my behavior in school was much better.

I was never involved in fights at school or elsewhere, but in the dojo I was a pretty good fighter. I also attended many compatitions beween the ages of 13-18 and won the first place for number of times. Ju-Jitsu became part of my life and I achived high self-discipline that I find helpfull in many fields and things that I do in my life.

I would recommend to every kid to join a martial class, first for self defence, and then for a great exercise.

My Passion... fruit

Yess, I love fruit from any kind, (even passion fruit).

I can't imagine a world without fruit, fruit can change your mood if you are unhappy or wake you up if you feel tired.

I like it in any color, shape or size, in anytime of the day...

Fruit are high in fiber, and contain a better type of sugar, called Fructose. It's different than the white processed sugar, since it doesn't absorbed to the blood circulation as fast as the white sugar, which is very bad for you.

Organic or Not Organic? This is the question...
Have you noticed that organic fruit are usually sweeter and smaller? And sometimes have different funny shapes.

Have any idea why?