Between a full time job, some side work, and mandatory showers, I don’t get to see Chad very often. Heck, Chad even works half the weekend. But when we do make time to play, you can bet your pretty penny that we have a whole lot of fun. Grands of fun.

This is when $165 tickets per person for front row seats is worth every last penny.

Yes, that’s from a Cirque de Soleil show in Vegas. I came home raving about it for days, and every time I look at the previews, I’m reminded of the soul lifting music, the amazing engineering that went behind the rotating 75,000 pound stage, the 35,000 fucking hours it took to make the stage costumes, the dangerous acrobatics performed, and the incredibly creative kung-fu influenced dance moves. Even the preview of that show can make one feel incredibly unimpressive.

And ladies, just one tidbit before you decide to date a YC guy though: Any vacation the two of you have will be inclusive of at least 5 other YCombinator members.

I can hardly believe it’s already 10PM. Again.

Every day, little tasks become a battle against the clock as we slowly learn to surrender our sleep, diet, and exercise. And as technology makes us more readily available, the seemingly unimportant quiet time driving can be taken up by a phone call from a colleague or a customer.

There is hope though. Thanks to New Scientist, you can finally Teach Your Brain to Stretch Time. What lovely timing.

All sarcasm aside, if there’s anything you can take away from the article, it’s that many things come before a job — simple things such as soaking up sun and cozying up next to a fireplace with a cup of hot tea with a person you love dearly. Because I’m not so sure we’re supposed to watch 40 hours a week fly by and let the stress of it spill over to the other 40 you have left. Because maybe that’s why we get fat with age and not because aging causes us to get fat. Because, shit, I’m twenty-ish and each proceeding year seems to spin faster than the last.

I think Robert Levine was most accurate when he said this:

“Time is our most valuable possession. Until the biomedical people can make us live forever, the closest thing we have is to stretch the moment.”

Another thing to consider is the universal fact of how a shorter work week and frequent breaks can actually increase productivity. From an article in Zenhabits:

“This no-rush attitude doesn’t represent doing less or having a lower productivity. It means working and doing things with greater quality, productivity, perfection, with attention to detail and less stress. It means reestablishing family values, friends, free and leisure time. Taking the “now”, present and concrete, versus the “global”, undefined and anonymous. It means taking humans’ essential values, the simplicity of living.”

With all this in mind, here are a few ways to help you slow down, increase productivity while simultaneously increasing enjoyment you can get out of our short little lives:

1. Can’t get out of bed in the morning? Purchase an alarm clock that gradually wakes you up via your favorite tunes or morning radio program. During my college years, I had mine tuned into NPR. It was a great way to jump start my brain while staying in touch w/headline news, and a great alternative to the standard obtrusive alarm clock beeping.

2. During business travel, I always request a free room upgrade with a jacuzzi. 4 out of 5 times, I get what I want because I’m one of their elite members and you can too if you’re a member of their hotel. When that’s not an option, simply soaking in a bathtub at home is a surefire way to relax.

3. Clean as you go. Every time my brother leaves our apartment, he takes trash bags with him and throw them along the way. There is never more than a couple dishes in our sink. We take a few minutes out of our every day to clean our clutter. Containers are your friend. Space is peace. And your mail (and email) should always be sorted. I learned this the hard way.

4. Take a tea break, and eat lunch outside and away from your desk if you can.

5. Cook in bulk. If your cooking is good enough, you’ll enjoy having it three consecutive nights a week. Hey, the boyfriend doesn’t seem to mind.

6. Listen to something stimulating when you’re stuck in traffic. Audio books, NPR, Forum, and itconversations rank pretty high on the list. At least for me, it makes sitting in traffic a pretty exciting time of day. (Sometimes, when i’m parked outside my apartment after sitting in traffic for the past 30 minutes, I’d continue to sit in my car in order to finish a program)

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Other fantastic links on living slow and simple:

Think Simple Now shows you the basics on how to live an uncluttered and simple life.

Zen Habits shows you how to take control of a crazy life.

Slow Down Now says multi-tasking is moral weakness. (Stay in bed! Get that extra hour of sleep!)

There are words in Cantonese that can be understood universally, and pictures which evoke the same emotions from every man and child. There are little things we can do every day to show that we care.

So, I’m letting this one spill over to my public blog. Thanks for taking care of me these past couple days, Chad… and pretending to enjoy my lecture about the mathematics behind music.

Here’s one I think you and readers will appreciate more.

Okay… I went to a Black Spirits (african blues) concert last night and there is no doubt in my mind that I’m going to take off for Africa someday. Zimbabwe even. Who knows what for, but if the music and those cool moves on stage can reflect the spirit of the people, I’ll be there! So this is the part where I have to become a little more creative…

Edit: Due to complaints about my numbers being too generous.

This letter was recently written to my friend Dave to confirm his fears about the seemingly miniscule number of available females within the Bay Area. Upon demand, I have published it here so all can have a good laugh and possibly a good cry after reading it. G’luck.
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Dave is a perfectly smart, handsome, well-educated, and generous young stud, yet he can never seem find a (perfect) date. Probably quite like you, his expectations are high– too high. And like most geeks who are virgin to the dating world, most of his interactions with women consists of checking out “hot and geeky babes” pages on digg or oogling over Natalie Portman in Star Wars. Geeks expect their next girlfriend to be a Natalie Portman in brains, wealth and good-looks, and to have bodies of victoria’s secret models. This is a terrible assumption. I’m not telling you to settle for less than what you deserve, but I’m also suggesting that dating a Natalie Portman is a tad bit out of line. Here is why.

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