Habitat for Humanity

Yesterday, I spent the morning installing vinyl siding in a house being built by  Habitat for Humanity. I was the cutter guy, cutting the siding with a circular saw after getting measurements from the team who hammered them into the side of the house. There was a window on our side of the house and an exhaust pipe, which required us to cut areas in the siding to accommodate these peculiarities. This work slowed us down as compared with the other team on the other side of the house, which did not have any windows. So installing the sidings did not take too much time.

I liked using the circular saw when cutting, following the wood guides set up to allow the circular saw to move in a straight line. Measuring was also fun as I had to cut the length based on these measuremenst so accuracy was important. We worked from 9:00 am to 1:15 pm in the afternoon. The day was cold at 9 degress Celcius, so we tried to work in the sun to warm ourselves. I worked with Bob, who was an experienced tradesman who worked in various roles in coisntruction including carpentry. I learned many things from him, from tying an extension cord, laying out the area in a manner that would make movements easier, not ripping into courses of or building materials.

The team that installed the siding also had one amateur and another experienced builder. The siding has to be done right, as layer upon layer fills the wall from top to bottom, and the team hammers the siding into place row by row. This is the most delicate work, according to the builders, as a mistake in the lower row discovered late would require the disassmeblng off the row back down until the incorrect row is fixed. So each row had to be measured and checked if it was level or straight using a leveling ruler.

This is the second time I participated in a Habitat for Humanity build onsite. I volunteered to be a task leader and attended one training session in December, where we learned how to use a nail gun and to measure the wood used to build a door frame. Most of the people joining these sessions are well-experienced builders, capenters and tradesmen who have been inthe industry for many years, even decades. The person I worked with said he has been a builder for over 30 years.

I liked working with them in an activity that required focus, a familiarity with tools, and to put one's attention in the task at hand, working with your hands and talking with tradesmen and telling simple stories and learning from their experience. I want to get the knowledge and skills to be able to build a deck in my backyard this spring and summer. To know what tools are needed, the type of wood to buy, and the organization needed to lead the build.

January Surprise

The country of Valenzuela was attacked and the president and his family was 'arrested' and brought to the United States for trial on drug running. It's a bold and unprecedented move that herald a new age, driven by a imperial point of view akin to the old world powers of history. One wonders if there is a plan in place or is it driven by the visions of one man. The world will find out but the action did not feel as a surprise considering the personality of the president. Unfortunately his action affect us all especially with high tariffs that may cause inflation, high medical cost, etc. that there is uncertainty that everyone will experience the consequence.

To prepare for the coming year, I mind mapped my work and personal projects and incoming actions that are needed. I looked at last year's mind map which did not look as well-thought or planned as compared to this year. The last months of 2025 felt like a blur, as if I was sleepwalking into work and just responding to whatever came up. In fact, my mind is focused on the present that yesterday's events done leave a trace. Where has all the time gone? Is this mental mode as result of my meditation finally coming to fruition or is it the aging mind that is finally catching up with my age.

The tool to fix this feeling of malaise, of an impending doom that no one can control is obviously to be optimistic and rise above one's negative thinking. I am working on a 'Shadow Journal' inspired by Carl Jung's work to surface these fears from my unconscious. Mind mapping and externalizing one's thoughts in white board also bring out and reduce the mental chatter. But the key tool is artificial intelligence where one can have all the answers that one needs and even cultivate an AI buddy where long conversation can be had with this artificial being. An interesting project that one can undertake.   

I have installed in all my devices : Pixel 10 smart phone, Apple Mac, IPad and Mini plus Ubuntu workstation all the latest AI tools: Perplexity, Comet, Gemini, Claude and Chat-GPT; in preparation to do battle with my internal demons, achieve my work and personal goals. I have been studying AI for quite some time and finally the tools and infrastructure is available. Will this whole exercise turn out to be bubble or a dream?  

I outlined my life in a spreadsheet starting from the year I was born; listing out my education, the places I lived and the events I experienced during this lifetime up until the present. The activities that I have done for many decades are: swimming, journal writing, blogging, Toastmaster and Project Management. It's been a long road and there are more years left to continue. The technology and my experience allows me to leap into greater achievement if I keep myself focused and my mind evenly tempered.

Aside from these preparations, I will ad new activities such as gaming, volunteering and new sports like racquetball, pickle ball and playing musical instruments like Ukulele. There needs to an element of play to keep the mind in good humor. Play gives space to the mind and important to grow cohesively. I am just afraid that there is too much activity that I am stressing my self out  and give myself more anxiety. The key is not to think but just to do.