2Week #7 March 22nd - April 4th: Scavenger

This next 2Week is focused on broadening our knowledge of our neighborhood. It is so easy to stop exploring, especially around where you live. Often times meals consist of rotating through convenient restaurants even when you know there is something better to be found.

For this 2Week, you may not eat food from any restaurant you have previously visited. You are to go out and find the places you have been missing, uncover the hidden gems, peek down the alleys, and peruse the plates.

As this 2Week has some potential to restrict you in unwanted ways, we have made some stipulations. Use your discretion, but try and follow the essence of the 2Week.

1. Everyday items such as water/milk that don't vary from shop to shop can be purchased at any location (although we encourage you to find alternative places as well)
2. Social obligations such as team dinners or work events are allowed
3. You may take a fellow 2Weekster to a restaurant if one of you has not been. It's a community - share the wealth!
4. The 2Week is for restaurants only, but bonus points if you expand it to all types of shops.

This should be a great 2Week to expand your options around your home school or work, and by the end of it you should have quite a nice list!

Good luck, and happy hunting!

2Week #6 Tom's Review

In my opinion, this was one of the best 2Weeks that we have had yet.

When first beginning this 2Week, I was immediately reminded of my experience before learning meditation. I found that If I was in the right mindset, that these 5 minute breaks were wonderful for self-reflection. I gained a lot these past 2 weeks through this 2weeks, and I found myself looking forward to my breaks.

Where this 2Week became difficult for me was actually when I had free time. I enjoyed breaking up my busy work days, but when I had time, my schedule of the 2Week became fuzzy, and I wouldn't fully concentrate. I had no problem waking up for sunrise after a night of drinking, but I did find it difficult to keep my prayer schedule when I had a free day. I think the difference is that when I was busy, the 2Week became a time for myself, when I had no work, it became a chore.

I got out what I put into these prayers. If I relaxed, and focused my thinking, they were endlessly valuable. If I was not in the right mind, it was wasted time. It was a learning experience for me to punctuate my day with prayer the way a Muslim might (although nearly not to the same extent). I did well with the 2Week, but alas abandoned it during a rugby tour in Manila. Even thought I did not complete this 2Week, I am still taking much away from it.

2Week or Too Weak?

Too Weak

2week #6 Spencer's Review

This 2week was by far the most difficult. In theory, it sounded great. It sounded deep, immersive and life changing. Exactly what a 2week should be.

But, it was exactly these elements that made it tedious and difficult. After the first three days of effort I began to lose it. I got up at 6:05 AM every morning to pray with Tom, but after that I lost track of time and found myself making up for the prayers in the last hours of the evening. I would get caught up in my life and totally space making time for the prayers. Or, when I did remember it, I was pressed for time to complete it. This was not the way I imagined the 2week working. Furthermore, when I sat down to pray I could not keep my mind from wandering- planning my day and thinking of other things. Perhaps this is mental weakness on my part. Either way, I failed miserably actualizing the goals of this 2week. Both in doing the prayers and keeping my mind in the right space.

If I learned anything it's the sheer commitment of doing something 5 times a day. I am in awe of devout Muslims who make this practice a daily ritual. To reaffirm your faith on a daily basis is one thing, and to do it 5 times a day is an astounding commitment. I only prayed for 5 minutes, while actual Salat takes much longer. Maybe it is easier when every one around you is also doing the same thing and you grew up doing it. Regardless, I am humbled by how much dedication this tradition takes and am glad I at least tried to experience it for a mere 2 weeks.

2week or 2weak?
Weakend

2Week #5 Tom's Review

When first starting this 2Week, I had planned on picking up many new activities so that I could have fun while exercising. My schedule was thrown off a bit by a new contract for work though, so I missed out on regular fun things through out the week like rock climbing or sprint training. I could really tell the difference between enjoyable exercise, and forced exercise.

Doing something with a friend made it so much easier to follow this 2Week. Running alone versus running with Spencer was like night and day for me. I did much better workouts when we did them together. It felt good to exercise everyday - it really filled up my schedule, but I felt more accomplished because of it too. Some of my exercises were better than others, and there were a couple days where I did minimal exercise. Even so, I do feel that I accomplished the 2Week. Perhaps it was not with flying colors, but enough so that I felt the benefits of an active lifestyle.

2Week or 2Weak?

2Week Complete

2Week #6 March 8th - March 21st: Prayer / Meditation 5 times a day

This 2Week was inspired by a professor of Religious Studies from Occidental College. During his Islam 101 class he suggested that we, as students learning about Islam, experience the commitment of praying / meditating / taking a moment of silence five times a day following the times of Salat. (Salat is the practice of praying five times a day and is one of the five pillars of Islam. As such, it is an integral part of a Muslim's faith and religious practices.)

More information on the practice can be found here

The times of prayer are:

• Salat al-fajr: dawn, before sunrise
• Salat al-zuhr: midday, after the sun passes its highest
• Salat al-'asr: the late part of the afternoon
• Salat al-maghrib: just after sunset
• Salat al-'isha: between sunset and midnight

(During this 2week these times are not set in stone but we are going to try to get it as close as possible without it adversely affecting our work and studies) Here's a cool website that can help with specific times if you want them

This is a significant commitment in one's life and we want to experience what it is like to organize your day around five set times as well as recognize the devotion required of this traditional Muslim practice.

This 2week is NOT Salat as practiced by Muslims and we don't intend it to be. It is meant to be completely secular and is not advocating for Islam or any other religion. The "prayer" can take the form of silent meditation, reflection or any other in way in which you feel comfortable using that time. All we recommend is being in "the right state of mind" for those five minutes. We will not be using prayer rugs, wudhu (washing the body before prayer), prayer movements or facing Mecca, etc. We will simply find a place for about five minutes during the above times to sit and pray in our own way.

Through this 2Week we hope to gain a partial understanding of what it is like to organize our thoughts and day around these five times and to reflect on ourselves and those around us.

We pray for a 2Week complete!

2Week #5 Spencer's Review

Exercise every day. That sounded pretty easy, especially after the month of exercise I got in in Thailand. But that was a different animal. Living in the urban jungle with all the stresses Taipei residency has to offer wears down on the mind and soul. Getting home after a grueling day makes going to the gym a heroic feat. These past 2 weeks were especially hard given that I started a new semester of school and I'm doing more extracurriculars on the side. All added up and it became a little overwhelming. (That and I got a new, sweet computer this weekend and I of course had to build it and play on it for an excessive amount of time. That didn't help my motivation either.)

I did exercise every day of this 2week, though. I pushed it pretty hard on most days and definitely felt good about most of what I did. In fact, I note this as the fastest 2week yet. But, I do not feel satisfied with the amount of exercise I did every day. In one day it was just a 7-minute ab workout (the day I got home from Thailand) another day was a measly set of wall-push-ups and ab rolling. In my book these don't count. So, even with the personal pressure of a 2week staring me in the face I still didn't finish it to my standards. Alas, with a heavy sigh I need to say this was a personally failed 2week. I could have done better.

2Week or Too Weak?
Weakend