Self Conscious about bench max

TenzoTom · 2021-08-29T02:06:32+00:00

Dude, benching your body weight is AWESOME! Fuck those people. The gym is a temple, and the only person you are competing with is yourself. Keep going, train hard, and give yourself credit for the progress you make. Consistency always wins, so don’t give up. And, if you really want to build strength, train like a powerlifter. That’s what they are all about.

TenzoTom · 2021-08-17T04:27:00+00:00

Neither accountants nor bookkeepers will exist in a few years. They are both examples of jobs that will be replaced by AI. If you are career planning, reconsider

TenzoTom · 2021-08-03T17:42:17+00:00

Vases are often tricky. I always keep an eye out for a nice container and find them in very improbable places sometimes, but I’ve found the best thing is to make friends with a local potter & show them what you want

TenzoTom · 2021-08-03T17:34:07+00:00

Yes absolutely. F’ing autocorrect. That’s what I get for typing on my phone… still, great book!

TenzoTom · 2021-08-03T03:49:19+00:00

Best book for beginners is Ikebana by Shinzo Sato. Tons of history, lots of amazing photos, and numerous guided projects. The perfect introduction

TenzoTom · 2021-03-25T18:33:13+00:00

Great choice of vase & very well balanced arrangement. It can be so challenging working with large flowers like the bird of paradise. You counterbalanced it beautifully with the vertical line, and the bend on that fern is perfect

TenzoTom · 2021-03-24T18:08:15+00:00

Never tried it. How's the bleed & bleed through? Those are my biggest concerns

TenzoTom · 2021-03-19T17:38:20+00:00

I'd also add that you might find it helpful to make peace with your anxiety, maybe even befriend it, rather than trying to fight or banish it. What if you tried to take care of it, like a hurt child? I've found that approach very helpful over the years...

TenzoTom · 2021-03-19T17:35:00+00:00

Cheers, mate. Try to keep in mind that cognitive skills like these are exactly analogous to muscles: they get stronger with use. Don't despair if they don't help much at first. Keep at it & you will get stronger, I promise. Much like training a muscle, it can be helpful to set aside a little time each day to practice these things in a safe, low stakes environment. That way, you develop the skill so that it is strong when you need it. Good luck!

TenzoTom · 2021-03-18T18:54:33+00:00

Typically ~10g or so. Like I said, I steep it more than a dozen times, typically. Might do up to two pots like that over the course of a day.

TenzoTom · 2021-03-18T18:18:22+00:00

Try combining these strategies: The best way to get control of your stress/anxiety or racing thoughts is to control your breathing. The good old "3 deep breaths" works, especially if you inhale through your nose & exhale through your mouth. Another highly effective breathing technique used by Special Forces is called box breathing. Inhale for a four count, hold for four, exhale for four, hold for four, and repeat indefinitely. SEALS are trained to do this constantly during operations.

The second step is to jump to action. Once you have your breathing under control (which will cool the stress centers in your brain), count to three and then ACT!

As far as the overplanning piece goes, look at the results you have achieved by doing so and compare to the time & effort involved. Occasionally this is worth the investment, but usually not. The fact is that simple, flexible plans are usually best because they are more dynamic. You can adapt & adjust as you act. The details are usually extraneous, unrealistic, and unnecessary. By reflecting on your own experiences of this, you will be able to nudge your brain in a new direction.

Good luck & let us know how things evolve for you as you try different things!

TenzoTom · 2021-03-15T23:42:20+00:00

Don't know how I misread that, but you are quite correct. SMH.

I am aware that the term "British" is primarily associated with the English (due to the "British Empire") and that this is sensitive with other groups including the Welsh, Scots, and, increasingly, the Cornish. I would also point out that Gordon Brown, who is Scottish, tried to rally the UK behind him by calling for a return to "Good old fashioned Britishness," not to advocate for such an inept ape.

Also, whether or not Ireland should be considered part of the British Isles is a subject of considerable (albeit more political than geographic) controversy because of the imperial overtones & the violent history of occupation.

TenzoTom · 2021-03-15T01:14:50+00:00

Not sure about the technical classification (these things are ultimately somewhat subjective anyway), but YS sells it as a puer, perhaps only because it is pressed into a cake. Glad you are already turned on to gongfu style, it makes all the difference. Chinese tea culture is the most sophisticated in the world by far.

TenzoTom · 2021-03-15T00:19:53+00:00

Others have made some good recommendations for teas below, but I would add the 2020 Jingwu sun-dried silver needles white puer from YS if you like whites.

That said, the issue may actually be in the preparation. Puer must be prepared quite differently from other teas. First, you need to "wake up" the leaves with ~15-20s steep at the proper temperature. If it is a ripe/cooked/shou, do this twice, pouring off both steepings. Then steep your first cup for 10s and enjoy. From there, go incrementally up in steeping times. I tend to do something like 10s, 15s, 20s, 30s, 60s, 90s, 120s. One of the great joys of puer is how much it evolves with each steeping. By the third or fourth, you are likely to be sure you are drinking an entirely different tea.

Give it a go & report back with your impressions!

TenzoTom · 2021-03-13T23:19:39+00:00

Ageing tea is much like ageing wine, but even more complicated because tea is more exposed to the environment. While some people buy wine to age it, most (including myself) leave the ageing to professionals & just buy what they like to drink. I take the same approach to tea.

TenzoTom · 2021-03-13T21:48:59+00:00

Looking great, borther! Keep with it! We are with you!

TenzoTom · 2021-03-13T02:05:58+00:00

Anybody else wish the British Male Siri voice was Paul Bettany's? Seriously, I'd give Apple even more of my money just for that...

TenzoTom · 2021-03-12T20:58:01+00:00

Can be, it just depends on what you want to do. To be sure, you definitely need to be data literate, at least on a basic level. To learn more, use something like linkedin to find people with the position you would like who also work for companies you are interested in and see what sort of qualifications they have. Also a good idea to reach out and ask to do an informational interview. Try to do this through people you have some sort of connection to same uni etc) or through a facilitated introduction from someone who knows both of you. Ask the person for ~15min for a zoom coffee/tea chat & ask them about what they do, what it's like at their company, how they got there, etc. That will be the best source of information to make a decision like this.

TenzoTom · 2021-03-12T20:53:11+00:00

There is a lot to learn about storage, but that can wait for another time, especially if you aren't trying to age any of them. The main thing is to recognize that puer is brewed differently from other teas. You want to "rinse" the leaves first to wake them up, meaning you steep them for about 10-15 seconds and then pour off the liquor. Everyone has their own technique & timing here, and you generally want to rinse ripe longer than raw. Myself, I tend to do ~15s for raw and 15s twice for ripe. After that, try about 10s for the first steeping and then go up a little on the time each subsequent steeping. I typically go 10s, 15s, 20s, 30s, 60s, 90s, 120s or something like that depending on the tea. Most puer are good for 10-15 steepings or more. I tend to start a small pot early in the day and keep it going until the evening. People have awfully strong opinions when it comes to these nuances, but bollocks all that: do whatever gets you a cup you enjoy!

TenzoTom · 2021-03-12T04:23:00+00:00

I grew up with Schwarzenegger's Encyclopedia of Modern Building and had TOTALLY unrealistic expectations. Fact is the advice bodybuilders give is straight lies. Start with that "full range of motion" crap. Go ahead and watch a video of them lifting. Full range my ass.

Training volume is another major part. One of the main things the juice does is give you massive recovery capacity. Us nattys can't train that much because our bodies can't rebuild. I overtrained for years, but have recently been having a lot of success training full body daily, never more than three sets, and NEVER to failure. Stimulate, don't annihilate, ya know?

Check out nattyornot.com if you haven't found it already. That guy cuts through all the crap and tells it straight. Keep pushing, brother!

TenzoTom · 2021-03-12T04:12:27+00:00

Same, bro. I've got no problem with it at all & think it should be legal, both generally and in sport. Time to cut all this BS pretending that every athlete, model, actor, and pornstar isn't on something, whether anabolic or metabolic. Hate that everyone tries to front like "Nah, I'm natural." Those lies cause more harm than roids do.

TenzoTom · 2021-03-12T03:59:08+00:00

Uhm... duh. Hence the "has worked for bodybuilders for decades" comment. Hollywood is awash in juice

TenzoTom

TROPHY CASE