Fire in the hall! Arsonist?

It's that time of year again...

Confusism/taoism and Buddhism burn papers symbolically. No worries. Just in the fire stairwell. Chuckle...

Business idea

... replicate bad translated Chinese signs and sell them in English speaking countries...

This sign I found cute and poetic. Wonder what the Chinese actually says?

Solution to earth's over crowding...

... Is civilization! As people get more "civilized" the birthrate goes down. This happens eventually also to immigration from less developed areas. This is interesting in as much that or society are growing because of agriculture "civilization" that feeds more becomes more efficient and whale feeding yet more people!

It's according to Bertrand Russell that following rules and suppressing our acting on inspiration reduces our zest (innate happiness). The opposite of zest is grey and boring and possibly calculated. And also lacking in communication with earth. When did city dwellers last escape their cities? People who visit Hong Kong, Singapore, London, nyc may think it would be limited to just stay in the city. But when it comes down to it most are pretty content with staying put once there.

People damaged by wars find it difficult to directly return to civilization. Unnatural. Or, ahum, very different from the mind while fighting wars. They're best rehabilitated by working in a farm. I wonder of this is just a middle ground of urban civilization? Just a preparation?

A friend I meet during my travels got tired from staying in hostels. At first he displayed on his blog the pride of being able to "work-on-the-road" doing consulting. In the end he worked less than before. Had more money than before and traveled to see different places! What was lacking? I think a bit of home longing, a bit of unstableness. Now he's back in his home country to "get rich" or at least try to start making a money making machine. In order to travel again. With less impediments?

I notice that very rich people like to live on already furnished places. Or even so. Really rich people may have very "nice" admirable homes fill of simplicity. People visit and say wow! But if one looks closely one notices that it is devoid of personal details...

I often feel at home in somebody elses lived in home. It's homey and personal. Wonder if one easily could travel like that? I guess bed and breakfast once was this, before becoming institutionalized. Apartment exchanges may provide the same, as in limited extent the couch surfing and airbnb but mostly they'd be lacking in that you are still a guest with the host present.

Sanya - Chinese Hawaii...

Well. It's warmer than Shanghai. But my hotel's bed is killing me. Too hard. I like hard beds. But this us too hard. More common in south China. So I'll move to a hostel tomorrow. It's not private and bed is small. But should be OK... Even though I'm only 300km from Vietnam/da Nang it seems impossible to go there, no ferry.

So will see where I go next. Many possibilities...

Possible to stay, but when your back hurts its difficult to think clearly first instinct is to leave. I could keep practicing my Chinese here...

Made me think of google...

... What do one miss the most? The food? The tech talks? Mostly the people. People who like doing things. Therefore I like hacker spaces...

Thinking about thinking

I'm thinking about to try to more practice not to think. Not to react blindly but more follow impulses. Take the moment when it happens. Some do it all the time, it comes natural. Others hesitate. I started hesitating. In creative terms that maybe could be called to be outside the zone. In Buddhist terms - not being present in the present moment. Not sure if this is so. Not sure if I do it more now again as I occasionally do more technical thinking. Does it supress other things? Is that what science and technical/engineering mind is? Maybe just my mind.

I'm aware.

I'll see if I can test this theory...

Over and out from Shanghai!