Miyamoto Musashi’s Dokkōdō

October 2, 2022
by Kenna
Uncategorized

Japanese samurai Musashi Miyamoto retreated to a cave, Reigandō (Spirit Rock Cave) and spent his final months living to meditate and write. He wrote The Go Rin No Sho (Book of Five Rings) and the Dokkōdō (Japanese: 獨行道) (“The Path of Aloneness”, “The Way to Go Forth Alone”, or “The Way of Walking Alone”).

The Dokkōdō consists of 21 precepts:

  1. Accept everything just the way it is.
  2. Do not seek pleasure for its own sake.
  3. Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial feeling.
  4. Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.
  5. Be detached from desire your whole life long.
  6. Do not regret what you have done.
  7. Never be jealous.
  8. Never let yourself be saddened by a separation.
  9. Resentment and complaint are appropriate neither for oneself nor others.
  10. Do not let yourself be guided by the feeling of lust or love.
  11. In all things have no preferences.
  12. Be indifferent to where you live.
  13. Do not pursue the taste of good food.
  14. Do not hold on to possessions you no longer need.
  15. Do not act following customary beliefs.
  16. Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons beyond what is useful.
  17. Do not fear death.
  18. Do not seek to possess either goods or fiefs for your old age.
  19. Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help.
  20. You may abandon your own body but you must preserve your honour.
  21. Never stray from the way.

As someone who is hard on herself and has high expectations, the rest of this year will be dedicated to understanding and learning no. 4.

More Miyamoto Musashi Quotes

Understanding the World

March 27, 2022
by Kenna
Uncategorized

“Consider a culture in which people believe it is wrong to eat cows. This may even be a poor culture, in which there is not enough food; still, the cows are not to be touched. Such a society would appear to have values very different from our own. But does it? We have not yet asked why these people will not eat cows. Suppose it is because they believe that after death the souls of humans inhabit the bodies of animals, especially cows, so that a cow may be someone’s grandmother. Now do we want to say that their values are different from ours? No; the difference lies elsewhere. The difference is in our belief systems, not in our values. We agree that we shouldn’t eat Grandma; we simply disagree about whether the cow is (or could be) Grandma!”

The Elements of Moral Philosophy by James Rachels

Taking Your Email Design Seriously Pt.2

June 21, 2019
by Kenna
Email Marketing

In Part 1, I talked about how consistency while being creative is important to make your emails suck less. In this second installment I will talk about fonts, colors and spaces!

Top to Bottom

It’s important for your recipients to know who the email is coming from (not just abide by SPAM rules). Instill brand familiarity by adding a logo or name on your header and your footer.

And don’t forget to include your value-added links at the bottom of your email, along with ways to contact you, social and unsubscribe links and other legal information. Keep your header and footer simple and subtle, let your main content stand out. You can play around with colors and text with colored-backgrounds to create a separation between blocks.

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Taking Your Email Design Seriously Pt.1

June 21, 2019
by Kenna
Email Marketing

Whether you own a brick and mortar store or sell completely online, chances are you’ve heard of Email Marketing. If you already have one in place, good for you. If you haven’t, you’re missing out on a lot of sales.

Email marketing is more than just increasing your sales, it’s about promoting your brand, building relationships and maintaining them.

In this two-part series, I’ll try to cover all the things that will take your emails to the next level. I’m not saying this is the right and only way. These are best practices based on my experience for the past 5+ years of designing emails. You can read the second part here.

Behavioural, Inaugural and Transactional Emails

There are a lot of different types of marketing emails. Behavioural, inaugural and transactional emails are some of the most common emails you should be sending to your prospects and existing customers.

Each type has a specific purpose and trigger. It only follows that they’re designed and presented differently, but don’t stray too far. Notice how while Casper has different styles, it keeps the same header and footer for most of its emails below? They have no-menu style for behavioural emails like asking for reviews.

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Anthony Bourdain

June 10, 2018
by Kenna
Personal

I was having a late lunch by myself when I got a message from a friend, “Anthony Bourdain died”. I couldn’t believe it… I still can’t. He was a huge influence in my life and while I didn’t know the man personally, he was a friend.

I first found out about him through No Reservations, which aired through Discovery Travel & Living and travelled to different places, places I wouldn’t even imagine going to, weekly, with him. I religiously followed the show, envied his work and the perks that came with it.

Through the show, I got to visit strip clubs, dine with interesting people and didn’t have to disrespect nor politely reject anyone who tried to offer something I cannot eat like the Icelandic fermented shark or the raw seal with the Canadian Inuits. 

And since his death, the show’s loud music introduction is stuck in my head, along with his voice. His voice was extremely recognizable, soothing and reassuring. It was after binge-watching all The Mind of a Chef episodes that I realized, “I would listen, eat and watch anything this man talks about and creates.”

The chef

He was not your ordinary chef, in fact, he stopped considering himself a chef after leaving Les Halles. He inspired me, among many others, to cook. We both admired Jacques Pépin.

“I feel that if Jacques Pepin shows you how to make an omelet, the matter is pretty much settled. That’s God talking.”

– AB

He taught me the significance of food in our daily lives and how we can trace history with it. He made me taste food without physically eating it, which I believe is an amazing talent. I don’t think anyone can do it like him. 

The writer

I read most of his books, from the infamous Kitchen Confidential to his only recipe/cookbook, Appetites (if we don’t consider the Les Halles cookbook). He was, for me, an amazing writer more than anything else. I saw one of my favourite writers in him, Hunter S. Thompson, the founder of the gonzo journalism movement, who, sadly, also ended his own life. Later on, I found out, Anthony’s writing was inspired by him. Even his cookbook is a great pleasure to read because just like everything he does, his cookbook was not just a book of recipes, it was filled with stories. And he’s is a damn good storyteller. 

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I Fear for the World the Internet is Creating

January 28, 2018
by Kenna
Personal

Have you tried watching your favourite TV shows of the 90s or early 2000s lately? Have you noticed how it has drastically changed and most importantly how your opinions and humour have? For example, I have watched all seasons of How I Met Your Mother and Friends countless times before but I’m watching it again lately and I’m surprised how not only do I no longer laugh at their jokes but I cringe at most of them, and they leave me offended. Okay, maybe offended is not the right word. But I’m definitely not happy.

The World the Internet is Creating

It seems like a lot has changed in a very short period of time and I believe like many others, that the new internet as a whole is contributing to this cultural and knowledge consumption shift. Ellen Ullman describes it perfectly in “Life in Code“, she said,

“I fear for the world the Internet is creating. Before the advent of the web, if you wanted to sustain a belief in far-fetched ideas, you had to go out into the desert, or live on a compound in the mountains, or move from one badly furnished room to another in a series of safe houses. Physical reality—the discomfort and difficulty of abandoning one’s normal life—put a natural break on the formation of cults, separatist colonies, underground groups, apocalyptic churches, and extreme political parties.

But now, without leaving home, from the comfort of your easy chair, you can divorce yourself from the consensus on what constitutes “truth.” Each person can live in a private thought bubble, reading only those websites that reinforce his or her desired beliefs, joining only those online groups that give sustenance when the believer’s courage flags.”

And it is scary.

The last time I watched How I Met Your Mother and Friends and laughed was around 5 or 6 years ago. The only thing that has changed for me since then is my consumption of information from the internet and social media platforms. I used to think that people who aren’t active on the internet are losing so much great information. It looks like they aren’t. They most likely have the most genuine curiosity and thinking out there, free from any bias other than their own.

We’ve heard about Silicon Valley, and technology expert’s fear of smartphone dystopia and Apple investors call for action over iPhone ‘addiction’ among children. It seems that the darknet should be the least of our concerns. What we should worry about is the shallowest part of the internet which is easily accessible to everyone and is highly controlled and manipulated by algorithms.

Is this the price we have to pay for convenience? I don’t think so.

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Name One Genius That Ain’t Crazy

January 14, 2018
by Kenna
Uncategorized

How’s your 2018 going?

Kanye West said, “Name one genius that ain’t crazy, I can’t let these people play me”. A couple of days into 2018 I cried my first tears of the year. My PMP application was audited, and while I submitted my signed experience to them, I got a reply that they closed my application because my experience wasn’t enough. I received the e-mail late at night, while I was studying. I couldn’t help it, I cried and felt defeated.

And then immediately comforted me that everything is going to be okay, it is a minor hiccup that I can fix quickly anyway. It is true, that I have to do some more extra work like freaking reading the application guidelines thoroughly (which I should have done first), but it’s nothing more than that. I need to stay focused.

“You don’t have to turn this into something. It doesn’t have to upset you.” – Marcus Aurelius

Interestingly, the Week 1 reflections on The Daily Stoic Journal included things like “What things are truly in my control?” and “What am I learning or studying for?”, which might seem like basic reflections but these are things we often take for granted. I have to say I feel more relaxed, calm, and light lately. So much of what we hear, read and consume daily are bullsh*t, you have to either cover your nose or learn to live with the smell.

In other news, I finally made perfect poached eggs and I think we should start celebrating these small achievements!

In more Kanye West News

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZgJyhKEZ8QU%3Ffeature%3Doembed

Agree or disagree, Kanye West is a genius and one of the best musicians alive. The video above is about how West’ uses the human voice as the ultimate instrument. #mindblown

Happy Holidays!

December 26, 2017
by Kenna
Uncategorized

The beginning of a new year has always been a motivation for me to better myself. And 2018 will be a great, stressful year for me. I just finished writing down my 2018 Milestones and plan and boy. I really need to stick to my schedule to make sure I achieve my goals for the year.

Sleep is for the weak, and goodbye to social life!

I procrastinated for almost a year to taking my PMP exam, and now I have only a month to prepare for it. It isn’t enough, but I have to sacrifice a lot of things to make sure I meet my deadline.

2018 is also the year I’ll be putting one leg out the door of the UAE, which is exciting and equally terrifying. I am writing this all down and sharing it with you so feel free to check up on me to whether I’m still alive and whether I’m progressing how I should be.

January

January is solely dedicated to PMP preparations. February until mid-March is for the setup and launch of Ambisyosa Phase 1. March until the end of April I will be studying for my IELTS exam and hopefully get the score I want. When May kicks in, I will be studying for TEF. I honestly have no idea how long I need to consider TEF since the only French words I know right now are basic greetings. And words related to eating and food. With or without TEF in the bag, I will be submitting my immigration application to Canada by the end of September.

The rest of the year

I will keep studying, focusing on revisiting CSS, HTML (I’m such a nerd), and the Fundamentals of Design.  Phew!

163 - HOW TO MAKE 2018 YOUR BIGGEST YEAR EVER!!!
Listen to the HOW TO MAKE 2018 YOUR BIGGEST YEAR EVER!!! podcast here.

Resolutions are making a comeback!

I cannot remember the year I deliberately stopped making New Year’s Resolutions. In primary and secondary school we were always made to write and think about them. This year, I’ve written down my resolutions for 2018, and I tried my best to make them as SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely) as possible.

  • Ditch multitasking completely, starting today. I’ve read so many articles about why we should ditch multi-tasking, and I agree with this. My primary reasons for giving it up are: it’s exhausting, I don’t get to reflect and optimize my work, and it’s not ideal if you have multiple projects and you commit more mistakes. If you are interested in some tips and articles on this, read this or this.
  • Purposely unplug for at least half of the day. While I have been somehow successful in detaching myself from my phone this 2017. I still believe I need to be offline more. This 2018, I will not be using my phone before I leave home for work. I shall remain online until 8 o’clock in the evening. I’m purposely unplugging, and turning off data on my mobile phone. I initially thought of switching it to Airplane mode.  But living far away from my family, and everyone is in different time zones, I thought I should at least keep the communication line open for calls.
  • Wake up at 5 am, every day, including weekends. Since I will be on a rigorous schedule starting in January, I need to wake up at 5 am. This is to make sure I have enough time to hustle and study outside of my full-time job. This also means I can enjoy some time to myself and prepare myself for the rest of the day. While I do like sleeping, I don’t mind waking up early. The only problem is waking up early during the week and not having any sleeping schedule during weekends. It ruins my sleeping cycle. Hence, I have to get out of bed at 5 am even on weekends.
  • Write in the morning. Writing has always been a passion of mine, and it works for me as therapy. I want to write more and go back to journaling.
  • Record at night. Last year I was given a voice recorder which I barely used this 2017 and hope to use more this 2018. I realized it is perfect for when I couldn’t sleep at night. Sometimes my brain works too much and gets a lot of ideas at night, and I forget them in the morning. I tried keeping a notebook on my bedside table, but it doesn’t work for me. Because then I have to turn on the light, and then I couldn’t sleep even more.

More resolutions to keep…

  • Do yoga again, in the morning before breakfast. Yoga and stretching are something I enjoy and an essential part of my workout plan which I’m trying to get back on.
  • Keep Paypal money untouched. I earned quite a bit from my freelancing work this 2017. And it was disappointing to me when I saw the total and then did not have a clue where all the money went. So, instead of using my freelancing money on silly things, I will keep it as extra savings.
  • No Spend Year. Over the years, my shopping habits have changed drastically. Until two years ago, I will spend between 2-3,000 dirhams a month on clothes without having any second thoughts. There’s still a lot of room for improvement though, and since I also most likely will need to get rid of most of the things I currently own before moving to another place, I’ve decided 2018 is a No Spend Year.
  • Take more photos.
  • Read a minimum of 22 books this year. I barely read anything this year, shame, and I’ve already listed down the 22 books I want to read this 2018. But, as I was organizing my things last night, I found my other pile of books to read. The pile includes Little Flies Everywhere by Celeste Ng, You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me : A Memoir  by Sherman Alexie, Sourdough by Robin Sloan, 300 Arguments by Sarah Manguso, The Disaster Artist by Greg Sestero, and Exit West by Mohsin Hamid.

Oh, sh*t.

I have no other choice but to try and succeed this year, no matter how stressful and tiring my plan looks. 2017 was definitely not my year, I’ve been depressed and lazy all year, and this can’t go on. To be honest, all of these are just the tip of the iceberg for what’s in store for me and everyone this coming year. I wish you all the best (a bit of luck won’t hurt) this 2018!