busterbuster's posterous

Asian American entrepreneur who lives in London

Fire in the back of our building - Brentwood

Was woken up at 4am by a massive fire behind our apartment building in Brentwood which spread to a few units in the back of our structure

Luckily firefighters stopped the fire's progress before it got to our unit at the front.

First shot is of the fire as viewed from the alley where I exited. Scary, but no one was hurt.
Houses & one car burned out.  Some coverage & video here (click here): 

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Being embarrassed and vulnerable

I have recently read two separate items (referenced below) that relate to both business and life in general - having the courage to open yourself up to possible embarrassment.  

Reading the excerpts below made me relate it to what I have been thinking a lot of about recently - new career choices, and inspired me to write the following in my Kindle notes:

"In general starting a company, or getting behind an idea is making yourself vulnerable - to criticism, failure, ridicule.  There is likely to be initial rejection, doubt and even mockery, but by making yourself vulnerable, you exhibit the courage and humility to learn and iterate. Learn from it. Get stronger. Be all in. Besides, being passionate is better than being dull and non-committal - and passion definitely increases the chances for success."

The quotes below were what inspired this blog post:

“You have to be embarrassed by your first product...If you’re not embarassed, you’re taking too long to get it out there.”  “Done is better than perfect.”   - from nymag article Bubble Boys

Choosing vulnerability means leaning into the full spectrum of emotions—the dark as well as the light—and examining how our feelings affect the way we think and behave. Vulnerability is equal parts courage, mindfulness, and understanding—it’s being “all in".  -noted vulnerability researcher Brene Brown in the book End Malaria

Black bottled water? A new product called blk that was in an Emmy gift bag

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I just discovered a new bottled water called blk black water which is water infused with fulvic acid.  I was shocked to see black water being marketed, but apparently it has a bunch of claimed benefits (see the label shot above).  I guess companies have run out of ideas on how to make water more interesting...

The water is actually black!  Tastes like normal water, and the bottle has a hidden message when you pour out the liquid.  Unfortunately, the liquid does stain...oh well.

Found this product as a free sample in an Emmy gift bag