Today is World AIDS day

AIDS is a leading killer globally and the number one killer in Africa. It is no longer a virus that affects high risk groups, in fact globally more women have AIDS than men, and the trend in the United States shows that women are increasingly at risk of contracting the disease. This is a problem that devastates families across the globe and has left countless children orphaned in Africa. Let's join the fight and do what we can to help. Pass it on.

Inspired by a fat panda!

I saw Kung Fu Panda for the first time a few weeks ago and loved it! It sure was funny, like every Jack Black flick, but I was actually inspired by its message; "There is no secret ingredient." If you haven't seen it yet I'm not even going to explain it to you, go see it! When Poe realized that the blank Dragon Scroll was the secret, that there was no secret ingredient and that he was good enough as is to be the great dragon warrior, I realized that is really how life is. At times we are all tempted to think we are missing something, that we just don't have what it takes to do great things, be successful, or measure up to whoever it is we compare ourselves to, but I think we are all wrong and the fat panda is right! There is no secret ingredient!

Why I love Google

This month google celebrates its 10th birthday. I still remember using the google search engine for the first time as a high school student and loving it (to bad I didn't invest!). Since then I have become a big time googler. I'm sure I spend an average of at least two hours a day using some google product whether it is gmail, google docs, or the google search engine. But all of this only makes me like google, I love them for stuff like their latest birthday project, 10 to the 100th. Basically they are asking us, people from around the world, to submit innovative ideas to solve the worlds biggest problems and they have set aside $10 million to make the best five ideas happen. I believe socially innovative ideas started and executed by socially conscious businesses and business minded people are going to be the key to changing our world, and I love google for being part of it. Here is google's video to explain the project, check it out.

Why getting robbed sucks

I'm currently a student in Provo, Utah at a private religious university with strict moral and ethical standards. The area has, deservingly or not, become known as "happy valley." But I happen to know that in this valley of happiness you're still living in the real world. It's easy to forget this at times, but every once in a while something happens that brings you back to reality: Somebody stole my bike seat!

My wife and I only have one car, so naturally I have taken to cycling as a means of transportation. For some time I kept the bike inside our apartment, but as it was always in the way I took it outside and chained it up in the bike rack outside our apartment. This afternoon I took the garbage out and realized something was different about the bike, and then it hit me, there was no seat. I unchained the bike and took it back in the apartment and started voicing my frustration with my wife, and I even called my dad. But in the end it was to no avail, I still had no bike seat. That is when I realized, getting robbed produces a frustration that isn't easily overcome. Initially you think, "where are they? I wonder if I can find them and get my (blank) back (in this case bike seat)." However, after cooling off you realize tracking the perpetrators down is not likely. Then you, or me in this case, demonstrate anger through words and expletives, or substitutes thereof. Following this verbal attack on the vanished enemy you, or once again I, attempt to rationally understand why someone would do something like this to me of all people.

However, I realized and so will you, there is no explanation. You don't know why they took your bike seat, and for now you just have to ride standing up, and that is why getting robbed sucks.

Impossible? Not in America!

I'm a sucker for the feel-good inspirational movies, I tear up when they start chanting "Rudy, Rudy" and I am inspired when Wallace rings out "FREEDOMMMMMMM!" There are a number of stories, books, and movies that make my inspiration list, and thanks to the U.S. men's 400 Free Relay performance in Beijing I've added another to the list. My wife and I were watching the race live and listening to the announcers from the clip above. As Lezak began the final stretch of the relay I couldn't believe what was happening. First, I was sad that Phelps wasn't going to have the opportunity to try for 8 gold's in a single Olympic games, but second and more importantly, I was angry that the French had talked trash saying they were going to "Smash the U.S." and that they were actually going to do it. Then every thing changed. As Lezak made his final turn and started gaining ground on the French I was on my feet jumping and screaming. As Lezak somehow came from behind to pull off an unbelievable comeback and upset the French I got those same Rudy watching happy feelings. The feelings that come from watching someone endure strife and exhibit unnatural strength and discipline to achieve victory. The feelings that come from watching someone do the impossible.

After I cooled down from my own celebration Jesse and I couldn't stop talking about what we had just witnessed. In the course of our discussion I realized that comebacks and impossible victories like the one we just saw are the American dream. That is what America is all about. I'm not saying other countries don't produce athletes with similar drive and an uncanny ability to perform under pressure, just look at the Chinese divers and gymnastics teams. But there is something about being an American that breeds the thoughts and feelings that anything is possible. It's in our blood, we are all the product of people who had the courage to do the impossible. Somewhere up our ancestry line someone did the impossible. They left their countries, families, and professions to set out for a new land. They weren't sure exactly how they would do it or what would become of them, but they had a dream that life could be better so they came to the land of opportunity. Nothing comes easy, not even in America, but at least here anything's possible. All around us are stories of people rising up and becoming better, escaping and becoming more, believing and achieving what was previously considered impossible. As I watch the games I have found myself cheering along with Visa, "Go World." But when it is all said and done I'm proud to be an American!

Loving Batman The Dark Knight

We have been working really hard at Gruvie, so hard in fact that we all took the afternoon off yesterday and went to the 2:10 showing of the new Batman movie. When we were done a couple of us had a rather interesting discussion about the film, but before I get into that I have to say I thought the movie was amazing! However, I'll be the first to admit that I'm not cut out to be a critic, I am too easily entertained, regardless of the quality of the acting, storyline, or special effects I usually walk away happy. But this movie was especially intriguing because the complexity of the storyline and the characters was riveting. I'll try not to go into too much detail for those of you who have not seen the film yet, but if you are the type that likes to go into a movie knowing nothing this is your warning, read no further.

For starters the acting was impressive, I was not fond of Maggie Gyllenhall who played Rachel, but otherwise the characters were flawless, and as for the Joker, he was superb. But the underlying themes and the way the story twisted our conceptual understanding of society and good and evil was thought provoking. The idea that good can win over evil was challenged over and over as Joker had his way with Gotham and turned the city against Batman and attempted to turn people against people. He was always very creative as he forced Batman and the citizens of Gotham to make decisions between two evils. This was demonstrated most powerfully when he wired two ferries full of people with explosives and delivered the detonator of each to the people on the opposite ferry. One was full of regular citizens and the other was full of prisoners, but each had the opportunity to detonate the other ship before midnight and whoever blew up the other first would survive. This scene was one of my favorite parts in the whole movie and I'm not going to ruin it for you, but hurry up and go see it because I want to talk to you about it!

I guess that is enough for now and I'll have to do a follow-up post later to discuss the film in more details. If you have already seen it please tell me what you thought about it in the comments section.

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An Irish Drinking Song Better Than The Drink

I don't know what it is about the Irish that is so captivating, but they've got me. The title to this post is really quite relative and up for discussion seeing as I don't drink, but I do believe it is the perfect introduction to this song. I discovered this song years ago when I was watching Waking Ned Divine, a funny film about a small Irish town that cons the Irish Lottery, really a must see. The song is called The Parting Glass by Shaun Davey.

There are certain songs that each of us turn to when we need a pick-me-up. When the world is on our shoulders and it feels too heavy to bare, music offers needed hope. I remember lots of late night drives in my 1984 mustard Land Cruiser during my high school years. I would be alone with the windows down, the music up, and the subs bumping and somehow it always brought a smile to my face. I'm sure there are explanations, not exactly sure of the psychology or physiology behind it, but I do know it works. Something about the music helps me to forget whatever it is that seems so daunting and allows me to feel at peace.

There are a couple of different songs that are personally powerful enough to brighten a dark moment, but this is one of my favorites. Both the music and lyrics set me at ease and bring comfort when it is most needed. Please click on the comments link below this post and let me know if you like it!

The Trouble With Parked Cars

A little over a week ago I was sitting in the office working away when a man walked in and asked me, "Do you have a Camry?" It took me a minute to realize that I did because I was only borrowing my father-in-law's Camry. He told me that I should come outside because there had been an accident. I couldn't believe it! I walked outside and this is what I saw.

At first it is difficult to understand exactly what happened so let me walk you through it. The secretary from a neighboring business was asked to go outside and move the truck that you see in the picture. However, she was not aware of the trailer that was attached to the truck. As she turned the trailer caught the black Honda Civic, but it didn't stop there. She kept going and dragged the back fender of the Civic into the front fender of my father-in-law's Camry. Basically it was a bad day for the secretary. It tore the bumper off of the Civic and scratched the whole passenger side resulting in $3,500 of damages. As for the Camry, we were lucky to escape with a dented fender costing a total of $1,400 to fix. Pretty crazy story, right? But it gets worse. The truck and trailer belonged to the company, but they were not insured. The owner of the company took responsibility and paid the $4,900 in damages out of pocket, so basically a bad day just got worse for someone.

Almost one year ago from the day of this parking lot trailer rampage my Cadillac was totaled, and yes it was parked. It was in front of my house when a woman driving a Lincoln on her way home from a bad day was crying, veered off the road, and hit my Cadillac going 30mph. Other than sore ribs she was ok, but the Cady was not. The back end was destroyed and the insurance company deemed it totaled and that was the end of the Cady. That was a bad day. I loved the Cady, but life went on and one year later here I am again...talking about parked cars.

So what is the trouble with parked cars? You aren't in them! I consider myself a pretty good driver. I've never been in an accident on the road, but that's two parked cars in one year. In the end there is only so much you can do. Drive defensively, drive responsibly, but if someone decides to hit your unmanned vehicle, laugh and take a pic!

The Pain That Inspires

No, this blog is not about Tiger Woods or golf. However, his recent performance and the timing of my last post have necessitated a short follow-up on Tiger's mental toughness. After four days of golf it came down to a sudden death on the 19th hole. Rocco Mediate, his competition, could have finished him off with a long putt on the 18th whole, but he missed and Tiger sunk his 15 foot putt to force a sudden death which proved too much for Rocco. Tiger proved his resilience and his mental toughness in this Open that might be the most exciting of his career because of his physical condition and the way it went down to the wire.

Tiger's recent knee surgery left him in a lot of pain that could be seen from time to time on his face after he swung. But he managed to perform under pressure and to not let the pain get to him. This is one of the most impressive demonstrations of mental toughness. There is nothing more distracting than physical pain, but somehow some of the greatest moments in sports have been when athletes overcame pain to deliver incredible performances. I'll never forget Michael Jordan's 38 point game five in the 1997 finals. Jordan was bedridden with the flu and somehow managed to play one of his best games ever which eventually led to another title.

More recently Paul Pierce delivered a similar performance in game 1 of the NBA Finals when he went down with a knee injury that appeared to be the end of his season. However, later that same quarter he came back and inspired and led his team to a comeback victory outscoring Kobe Bryant and rejuvenating the Boston fans.

We all love the stories of people overcoming pain. Our favorite movies are often stories of people who achieved the impossible by overcoming the trials and difficult circumstances they faced. Why do these stories and performances warrant so much attention and admiration? Because they give us hope. Life is tough, and nobody has it easy regardless of background, social class, or education. Every one of us will face something that we think we can't handle sooner or later if we haven't already, and deep down we doubt our ability to overcome. These stories and examples give us hope that we can do it to. So Tiger, thanks for the example because seeing you put up with the pain and deliver down the stretch was inspiring.

Mental Toughness

No matter what it is we are trying to achieve in our individual lives, competition stands in our way. From as far back as I can remember competition was part of my life. As a child I wanted to be the best soccer player on the team, then I wanted to win first place in the spelling bee, after that I wanted to get a 4.0 GPA, then I wanted to start on the Varsity team, then I wanted to get the scholarship, etc, etc, etc... The list never ends. Now I want to present myself better than the competition and get into Harvard. Tomorrow I will want to be the most impressive candidate interviewed and get the job. Some of us thrive on competition and some of us hate it, but regardless we all have to deal with it.

I saw the new Tiger Woods Nike commercial this morning and I haven't been able to stop thinking about mental toughness since then.

http://www.nike.com/nikegolf/index.htm?takeoverDirect=usOpenVideo_takeover&cp=usgf_061008

The commercial shows clips of Earl Woods, Tiger's dad, coaching him as a child and it is narrated by Earl Wood's. His key phrase in the video is, "Tiger, I promise you, that you'll never meet another person as mentally tough as you in your entire life. And he hasn't. And he never will." Something about those words got me thinking about how important mental toughness is. I think some of us are born with more of it than others, but I also believe it is something we must develop in ourselves. Earl talked about how he purposely distracted Tiger in order to train him to be mentally tough, and I think we all need that kind of training in order to become mentally tough. But in the moment Tiger didn't like the training much. His dad said he would grit his teeth and glare at him, but was it worth it? I 'm sure Tiger would say yes.

I am tempted by the easy road just as much as anyone else, I think it's natural. But I try to force myself to dig in and devote the time and effort it takes to develop mental toughness, and I think it will be worth it.

(My June 16th post is a follow-up on this post. This is the link to that post: http://levibelnap.blogspot.com/2008/06/pain-that-inspires.html)

That Sexy Apple

I'm currently working at an internet startup company, and as a result I'm more in touch with the technology news and happenings than ever before. The biggest news this week was the announcement of the newly released 3-G iPhone by Steve Jobs, just looking at it gets me all excited. Steve Jobs sure is something special, especially when you consider the history of his love affair with Apple. He started the company and was then forced out of his own company by someone he hired. Apple then had a dry spout and nearly destroyed itself. The company needed help and it crawled back to Jobs who lovingly took it back, and now Apple is king.

The iPod put Apple on the map for all the Windows people out there. I personally was fortunate enough to grow up in a Mac family, but somehow my dad didn't invest in Apple twenty years ago even though he considered it...too bad dad! Twenty years ago in June Apple's stock was selling for $11.18, today it's at $183.01. That means if he would have bought just $1,000 of Apple stock in 1988 it would be worth $16,369 today, not too shabby. Live and learn right dad?

So what do we learn from this little story? Well, I guess it is to watch out for those people who are innovators. Steve Jobs is a guy with a vision and his vision has carried him and Apple through the hard times and to the front page of every paper, not too mention the pocket of every teenager. He has an ability to make his vision reality that very few people can match. I don't know what the future of Apple and Steve Jobs is, but in the meantime I'm content with just appreciating the beauty of that sexy little phone.

To see a short slide show summary of the history of Steve Jobs visit: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gallery/2007/aug/03/stevejobs?picture=330299368

La Passeggiata

Two years in Italy taught me a lot about life and convinced me that the Italians have more than just darn good food over there, they've got a lifestyle. I think about some aspect of my experiences in Italy and the wonderful Italian culture everyday, and today that was La Passeggiata. La Passeggiata is the Italian tradition of taking evening walks. In smaller cities there is a common street or piazza where the locals gather nightly to stroll and chat about everything from the meal they ate that night to the political scandals surrounding their local government officials. One of my favorite memories of La Passeggiata took place on the Island of Sardinia in a city by the name of Sassari. We were in the old part of town near the main piazza and the old men were fully engaged in their nightly Passeggiata. However, in this small Mediterranean city the piazza was a little too small and the old men had their own way of dealing with it by pacing the piazza. They would walk to one end of the piazza, turn around, and walk back. Then they would do it again, over, and over. I loved it. I even think I have a picture of it that I'll have to dig up.

Tonight Jesse and I had our own little Passeggiata. We made it a goal to walk together every Sunday. Actually, we first made a goal to walk together everyday, but after we failed to meet that goal we set something a little more realistic. It was so nice to walk and talk, and Jesse even stopped to smell the roses. She said they smelled so good she just couldn't pass them by. We didn't have a beautiful piazza in the middle of an ancient Italian city, but we had the Passeggiata. We walked and talked and when we got back to our apartment we both felt relaxed and happy about life. God bless those Italians, the pasta and the Passeggiata are divine!

The GMAT

A little over two weeks ago I took the Graduate Management Admission Test, better known as the GMAT. Taking the GMAT was one of those experiences you just gotta talk about.

Roughly five months ago I received an email inviting me to attend an informational lecture about a new program Harvard was offering called HBS 2+2. The program was created to encourage non-business major undergrad students to consider an MBA from Harvard Business School. To qualify you had to be majoring in something other than business and had to have at least one semester left following this summer. If you get accepted you still work for two years before you enter the two year program, hence the 2+2, but you know you're accepted at the beginning of your final year of undergrad. As a Political Science major with Arabic and Italian language skills I was really excited when I heard about the program because I felt it was perfect for me. The application is due by July 1, 2008 and that includes taking the GMAT. So back in January I ordered a handful of manuals and test prep guides from Amazon and went to work.

For the past four months I have spent between two to four hours a day studying Algebra, Geometry, logical reasoning, sentence structure, and everything else that makes up the GMAT. Sometime I will talk more about the different study materials and methods I used to prepare, but I'm still too burnt out to return to that topic right now. The highest possible score on the GMAT is 800, and the median at Harvard is about 700. From everything I've read and all the people I've talked to I've learned that getting into a top business school like Harvard or Stanford is much more than just your GMAT score or your GPA, but those are also a big piece of the pie. After researching the admission process at Harvard and what types of candidates are typically admitted I decided that my GPA and international experience make me a potentially competitive candidate, but that to really be competitive I needed to do well on the GMAT and the overall application, especially the essays. I decided to focus on the GMAT until May 14th when I would take the test. My goal was to get a 700 on the test, but I didn't quite reach that. I scored 680 which puts me in the 88th percentile. I wasn't jumping for joy when I saw my score, but I was relieved. It is a good score and it puts me in the ballpark of where I need to be to have a chance at getting accepted to this Harvard program. Now it's the essays that are keeping me up at night!

Beginning of a blog life

As this is my first post on my first blog it seems only appropriate to explain the title of this blog and my motivation for entering the world of blog. For the later, the time has just come to begin. There are lessons learned, experiences lived, and topics pondered that I want to share. But really it's because I'm quickly approaching the crossroads between predictable life and the unexpected. I know there have been plenty of surprises, adventures, and Aha moments in my first 24 years, but much of what I do now and in the near future is going to determine the trajectory my life will take for the next 50 years. Basically this is where I'm really gonna make it or blow it, and regardless of which one it is I think it's worth writing about.

As for the name of my blog. I'm going to say "Beating the rat race" is the purpose of life, but in my definition "beating" doesn't just mean to take first place in their race. For me it means beating the race in whatever way I can. At times that means running the race and beating the rats at their own race, but at other times beating them by not even running their race is just as good. At least that's the approach I'm taking as I join this race that I will later look back on as my life. I guess we'll see how it goes.