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.