Back in Business

Hi Everyone! Sorry for my long absence of posts but for the past half year I was busying working at Google. But today is the first day that I am back doing my photography, social media AND Adwords consulting business. I promise to do weekly (and hopefully) daily updates on my blogs and twitter accounts. I will also be adding my Google+ as it is one of the newest social media websites this year. Thanks and its great to be back, JP

latest update

Its still a hot one this week. Hope all my friends affected by this heat wave are staying cool. 8)

jp

Photo update

I've been playing around with a new "look" for my recent senior portrait photos. I wanted to get more vibrant colors especially when I'm backgrounds with nice textures (i.e. a colored wall, the sky, a field, etc). With a combination of taking good solid photos, some photoshop actions and a little adjustment, Viola! Here's the first samples. You can compare them with the images I posted on Sunday/Monday.

jp

Photo update

Here are the latest photos from a Senior Portrait photoshoot I did on Sunday. I had a chance to work the lovely Lauren who will be an ag major in college. I have to admit she is one of the best models I've had the pleasure of working with.

jp

political commentary

I just read this article today, "GOP fails to turn off light bulb standards
House Republicans fail to ban rules setting new efficiency standards for bulbs" which just abouts infuriates me. At this point, I am so disenfranchised with my Republican Party. None of their actions or speeches even remotely resonants with me. I feel like they are just trying to ruin the economy and the nation just to say that it's the other party's fault. Instead of working together to solve our country's party, they are still playing partisan politics. I think Thomas Friedman is right. We need a third political party to clean up the mess in Washington DC!

jp

Cool Websites for the day!

Songza
Comment: Make social radio
http://songza.com/?utm_source=GoogleAdwords&utm_medium=CPC&utm_campaign=Songza

BetterFly Beta
Comment: Social Media marketing
http://betterfly.com/

Mac Game Store
Comment: Games for Mac
http://www.macgamestore.com/

Writers Literacy Agents
Comment:
http://www.wlwritersagency.com/

HP MCloud
Comment: self-publish
https://www.magcloud.com/welcome/design

Boater's Club
Comment: cool boat site
http://www.boatsreservation.com/CLUBHOME.asp

Jacada
Comment: Peruvian Cruises
http://www.jacadatravel.com/?jacadaSid=954af62ac0dc2b77709f6bb6070833e1

San Jose Limousine Service
Comment: premiere bay area limo service
http://www.sanjose-limo.com/contact.html

Barker DZP
Comment: Social Media marketing
http://www.barkerdzp.com/

Jenny's Free Coupons
Comment: free coupon site
http://jennysfreecoupons.com/

Daily Entry

I blogged about this topic awhile ago but here's a recent article about how intelligent crows are.

Hitchcockian crows gossip about mean humans

jp

Happy 4th of July

I know its late but here's the photo I took of the fireworks at the Google campus near Shoreline Ampitheater on Monday the 4th of July.

jp

4th of July article

As a Filipino-American, I found this article a bit sad. On this day, let's hope our government will remember those who died serving their country especially on foreign soil. They gave up all their tomorrows so that we could have ours.

'The veterans' cemetery that America forgot'

jp

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone is having a good 4th with BBQs, fireworks and hangout out with family and friends. 8)

jp

Cool Websites for the day!

Phanfare
Comment: Photo and Video hosting
http://www.phanfare.com?invite=2009_video_sharing

Clearly Lasik
Comment: Enter to win free Lasik surgery contest
http://clearlylasik.com

Parature Chat
Comment: Communicate with customers via in-game, chat, etc


Method Factory
Comment: NET Web Content Management


ITT Night Vision 20/20
Comment: Night vision gear


Hughes
Comment: Digital Signage


Lime Green
Comment: Biz helps setup a digital home or business using the latest audio & visual technology


Employ Test
Comment: Free Excel Skills Tests

Daily Entry

I just saw a MSNBC video about a new startup that has a photography technology that could revolution the camera the way digital cameras changed photography less than 20 years ago! Lytro's technology (which will come out on a retail digital camera in the near future) allows a user to change the focus on the picture after the image has been taken. One obvious advantage is that a photo with a blurry image can potentially be fixed. For any photographer this is amazing. For a professional photographer this could be a life saver! You can check out their website here

http://www.lytro.com/picture_gallery

Here are some samples Lytro's living pictures. You can see more on Lytro's photo gallery on their website.







jp

Daily Entry

I finished a senior photoshoot last Sunday. As usual my senior also brought along some friends for the shoot. Here's a few quick edited photos. I'm working on spicing up the other photos with some vibrant colors and some washed out backgrounds. I'll post them up in a day or so.

jp

Cool Websites for the day!

Dolphin Expeditions
Comment: Swim the Dolphins in the Bahamas
http://www.DolphinExpeditions.com

Expos2
Comment: virtual expo software
http://www.expos2.com/platform.html

Flying Toys
Comment: RC stuff, kites and more


Nerdkits
Comment: Cool tech stuff for anyone who wants to learns the basics of technology
http://www.nerdkits.com/

Solar Website

I found this site while researching at work recently. Since I am a big Solar geek, I found the information interesting.

http://efficienthomeenergysaving.org/how-a-portable-solar-power-supply-can-save-your-life/

jp

Cool Websites for the day!

Kits US
Comment: Robotics Kit
www.kitsusa.net

eDealinfo.com
Comment: online e coupons
http://www.edealinfo.com/coupons/

Rtist
Comment: Buy/Sell your own art
www.rtist.com

Starting a Business
Comment: Info on how to start a company in California
http://www.sos.ca.gov/business/be/starting-a-business.htm

Cool Websites for the day!

The Safety Award Store
Comment: Like it sounds


Treetopia
Comment: The ultimate custom Christmas tree store
http://www.treetopia.com/

Android Tablet Forum
Comment: Great site for finding out about 'droid tablets
http://www.androidtablets.net/

Adobe Photoshop Elements Techniques
Comment: free sample


Tour West
Comment: Grand Canyon and other adventure vacation website
http://www.twriver.com/

Daily Entry

I went to Metcalf Shooting range with a couple friends last Sunday. I couldn't upload the files because I left them on my work laptop yesterday. So I'm posting them today. What was really cool is that I was finally able to fire my Smith & Wesson MP-15 .22LR rifle since I purchased it last summer. Although Jason, Sandy or I couldn't hit the paper target at 25 yards initially, I finally figured out that the red-dot after market sight I had added to the rifle was not sighted. So I took it out and replaced it with the original iron sights that came with the rifle. After that we all hit the target pretty much in the center. Both Jason and Sandy said they had a good time. It must be true since we spent over 3 hours shooting on sunday. 8)

P.S. I'm posting photos of Jason and Sandy but none of me since I was taking the photos and also instructing the two on how to shoot safely. Hopefully the next time we go, I can get someone to take photos of my awesome shooting skills. lol

jp

Cool Websites for the day!

Here's the cool websites from Thurs & Fri. I forgot to post them since I got home late Friday night. I was playing local host to Edwin, my friend from Ireland who is visiting the bay area this week.

Military Patches
Comments: If you need a military patch, this is the site
http://www.vanguardmil.com/

Checkbox Survey
Comments: Software that allows you to do surveys for all MS Platforms


Youtube
Comments: Robin Williams does impressions 1 1/2 minutes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u5wVGngD_c&feature=related

Cases
Comments: Website for cases
http://www.guncruzer.com/

Magazine Pricesearch
Comment: good search engine for magazines
http://www.magazinepricesearch.com/cat/history.html

Ink Gard
Comment: Environmental Saving Ink
http://www.inkgard.com/home.aspx

AlphaTrust Electronic Signature
Comment: e-signature
http://www.alphatrust.com/home/

MVIBO
Comment: Korean TV with sub-titles (i.e. like Hulu)
http://www.mvibo.com/index.html

How Life Works
Comment: Cool resource website
http://www.howlifeworks.com/

jp

Daily Entry

My friend Glen met someone who has an interesting website called the Parent Directory. If your a parent (especially with a new baby), you may want to check it out.

http://www.theparentdiary.com/

jp

Daily Entry

I'm taking advantage of all the extra activities at work (free gym, guest speakers, sports activities) especially Toastmasters! I attended a Toastmaster session in Milpitas last December. So it piqued my curiosity what it would be like at one of the 2 Toastmaster clubs at work. My first impression is majority of the attendees are already good at public speaking. I'm a little intimidated but I do plan on going back next week. In the meantime, I did meet a nice chap named Joel who was offered some friendly information about this particular club. In fact, I also made the acquittance of two other people once during a break and the other at the gym on my campus. For the record, Rachel is the name of the girl I met on my break and Ashley is the girl whom I had a discussion about my B&N Nook at the gym.

Although its only the middle of third week, I am already starting to feel like a regular at work. When things are more settled, I'll start posting photos or videos from work.

Cheers,
jp

Cool Websites for the day!

How To Draw A Portrait
Comments: Great for budding artists
http://www.fivepencilmethod.com/

Integrating Social Media
Comments: Social Media resource
http://www.aprimo.com/ppc_.aspx?id=607&cid=paid_search|google|B2B_B2C_Services|Social_Marketing|xsm1000140&omnikwd={keyword}

Candy Crate
Comments: If you have a sweet tooth, this is the website for you!
http://candycrate.com

The Carder Method
Comment: Painting method
http://www.thecardermethod.com/

Best Discovery
Comment: Good site for finding products
http://www.bestcovery.com/best-led-lcd-tv&sem=3884548238ei

Code Baby
Comment: Web avatar
http://codebaby.com/web/

Schedule Cafe
Comment: web based scheduler with free version up to 5 employees


Cash4YourPix
Comment: Site that lets you sell your photos
http://www.sell-my-photo.co.uk/index.asp

Cool Websites for the day!

Architecture design
Comments: Some of the best home photos I've seen!
http://www.gregoryphillips.com/

Youth Ministry Zone
Comments: Nice site for young people interested in youth ministry
http://www.teenlifeministries.com/thezone/

World 3D lenticular printing
Comments: cool printed product
http://www.world3d.com/index.html

Uncle Jim's Worm Farm
Comments: There Worms what more can I say....
http://www.unclejimswormfarm.com

Stock Music site
Comments: Way to make revenue selling your music
http://www.revostock.com/AfterEffects-G

Fix Your Traffic Ticket
Comments: Nice
http://2fixyourtrafficticket.com

Solid-Ideas
Comments: Turn your ideas to real models
http://www.solid-ideas.com/

Solar Power Products
Comments: Solar power stuff
http://www.instapark.com/solar-panel-solar-powered-products/

Cool Websites for the day!

Description: Camping Gear
Comments: I'm a big fan of REI which this site reminds of. The price is actually nice especially if you don't have a local REI to visit!
http://www.maxpedition.com

Description: Camera, Video and Stuff
Comments: Again, I'm a tech head. When I see cameras and video gear, its like being a kid who just walked into a new toy store. 'nuff said!
http://www.tadibrothers.com/

Description: Make your own mobile app
Comments: As a social media user, I'm always looking for features that will draw visitors to my website and blog. Having your own mobile app can only get you attention. 8)
http://www.widgetbox.com/mobile/

Description: Spray Seal
Comments: Ok admittedly I am not the most handy person in the house but with this Spray Seal, you don't need to be a Bob Villa to fix a leak and stuff.
https://www.getflexseal.com/?rtag=myflexseal&

Description: Ad revenue website
Comments: Who doesn't want to make money from their website?!
http://www.infolinks.com/

-jp

New Feature

So part of what I do every day is reviewing business websites. I've noticed in the last few weeks, I've found very interesting and useful websites. This is in regards to my personal taste as well as useful to anybody. With that being said, I have decided to post these websites every day. Some are techie, some practical and most just downright cool. Let me know what you think.

jp

Daily Entry

Cool Technology!

Imagine The Terrifying Potential Of E-Ink Shirts



jp

Daily Entry

Don't forget to remember our nation's fallen today who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country....

jp

Daily Entry

Survived my first day at the new job!

jp

Daily Entry

So I am a big tech geek and tree hugging, eco-friendly environmentalist, solar loving guy. With being said, I was pretty happy that solar-light maker announced some new products in their D-Light series. I already have 2 of their older D-Light solar lanterns that I use for general purpose lighting and a night light. The best part is they are affordable compared to other solar lighting products. The average world cost for the new D-Light lantern is $15. The reasoning for this low price is the makers of the D-Light want to make their products affordable to 3rd world country who least can afford solar technology. That's a very noble endeavor which is why I support their product. I plan on picking up 2-3 more of the newer model soon.

Here's a great blog article with more info: d.light S1 - the little solar lantern that will do BIG things.

jp

Daily Entry

I found this article yesterday that I really believe describes one of the things that defines me. The title of the article is, "Self-compassion may matter more than self-esteem". Being kind to yourself may be the most important life skill - imparting energy, resiliency and courage, researchers find.

The article goes on to describe its difference between self-compassion versus self-esteem. To quote, '"It is not this nimby, bimby stuff," said Paul Gilbert, a researcher at Kingsway Hospital in the United Kingdom. "Compassion is sensitivity to the suffering of self and others and a commitment to do something about it."
Self-compassion, as defined by Neff in the academic literature, has three aspects: mindfulness, common humanity and kindness'.

If this sounds like something you can relate to, I recommend you read the full article.

Here's a similar article you can also read up more on this topic, "Being kind to yourself".

jp

Senior Grad Video

Here's a sample of a photo video I'm putting together from last weekend.

Martin Class of 2011

jp

Daily Entry

Ok this is really bizarre. After just posting my latest entry, when I went to review my blog Yesterday's entry is missing! I saw it yesterday. Heck I just checked my blog entries and noticed there's a mention of it (see image) but when I click on the link it says its missing! Must be a bug. Weird.

jp

Free Software website

One of my friend's told me about this website. They give away free license software once a day. The catch is you can only get it that day. So check it out daily to see if there's any software you like.

http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/

jp

Daily Entry

So I did a senior photo shoot last Saturday. Although we were supposed to shoot early morning, the shoot got push back to 1pm in the afternoon. Not exactly the best lighting condition of the day but we may do by shooting in the shade or using fill flash. Here's a few photos from the shoot.

I have to say its much harder shooting with high school guys than it is with a bunch of high school girls or even a mix of girls & guys. Guys by themselves aren't quite as creative or dramatic as the girls. But thats probably obvious, isn't it?

jp

Daily Entry

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers!!!

jp

Daily Entry

Wow! I saw the The Top Gun 25th Anniversary experience at AMC last night. What an experience. Since I never saw the original when it came out in 1987, it was a chance to experience the movie in a theatre. And, man, oh man it was something else. The best way to describe it is it was like going back in time to 1987. The music, the action, the sounds, the memorable quotes like "Great Balls of Fire!" or "I feel the Need, the Need for Speed". It was well worth every cent I spent on that movie. One of the best parts is I was able to get 3 of the TopGun movie posters. I'm going to put one in a frame, hang one on my room and keep the third for backup.

LOL. It was like being a teenager again in 80's. 8)

P.S. To me, TopGun is one of Hollywood's greatest movies. Its definitely an icon of the 1980's. It will be a icon of that era as Casablanca was for the 1940's.

jp

Daily Entry

a key moment in modern world history. the annoucement of usama bin laden the mastermind of 9/11 is dead.

jp

Daily Entry

Here's a recent Nook Color Review article. Though Amazon's Kindle is #1 in the ebook market, the Nook and Nook Color are 2nd in popularity and growing.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20056488-1.html

jp

Daily Entry

My nook came in yesterday when i was out of town for the day. I got back around 2:30ish AM PST (around the time the Royal Wedding started fyi). I charged the Nook up. After a short charge, I uploaded some of my favorite books in PDF format. I've got about 50 books uploaded so far. Then I saw Barnes & Noble has a Free Book Friday offer. So instead of reading the 50 ebooks I've been waiting for for so long, I ended up downloading a free ebook from B&N called, "Soft Apocalypse". From about 3am til 8am I was too busy reading off my new Nook to get some sleep.

All in all my first impression of the Nook is positive. Worked right out of the box. Easy to setup (including the Wireless) within minutes. Started reading my first ebook in less than an hour after opening the box. I love how I can have dozens (with room for hundreds more) of my favorite ebooks in my Nook. As my friend Warner told me, the convenience of having all your favorite reading material in a small ebook reader (he has a Kindle) far outweights the inconvenience of lugging and reading dozens or hundreds of paperpacks or hardbounds. Plus my Nook has 3G feature. Even before I setup to connect to my wireless network at home, I was able to browse B&N's online store. Very, very cool. I am very satisfied with my Black & White Nook 3G model. I highly recommend anyone looking for an ebook reader to consider getting a Nook.

Kudos to Barnes & Noble for creating an affordable, cool ebook reader.

jp

Daily Entry

Top Gun anniversary

This is like my favorite movie from the 80's! AMC announced the 25th anniversary with a special viewing and a TopGun poster for every ticket purchase. Check out the link here.

Great balls of fire!

jp

Daily Entry

Nook Color gets apps, email, Flash and more

Argh! I just bought the B&W version of the Nook. Had I known they would have had an upgrade of the color version with these new features, I would have paid the difference. Oh well, I can always sell my B&W on craigslist and get the color version after.

jp

Daily Entry

There's a nice tribute piece by Sebastian Junger in Vanity for his fellow photo journalist who died covering the Libyan conflict, Sebastian Junger Remembers Tim Hetherington

The article caught my attention because it covers interests that are pretty close to my own: photography, military and journalists who cover these type of events. Without their effort (and sacrifice), we would not know whats going on in places like Libya, Afghanistan and Egypt to name a few.

jp

Daily Entry

Happy Easter to all my friends and family!

And a special shout out to those CEO (its an inside joke I heard at church today).

jp

Daily Entry

Happy Good Friday!

jp

Daily Entry

Talk about your frivolous law suits in Sue-Happy-California!

McDonald's vs. mom in Happy Meal lawsuit

Normally I'm not on the side of Corporate America just because they usually are more concerned with making a buck rather than caring about the average consumer or the environment but....

In this article, "A lawsuit seeking to stop McDonald's Corp from offering toys with Happy Meals must be dismissed because parents can always choose not to buy the meals for their children, the hamburger giant said in a court filing late on Monday" which was brought by a parent from California I thought her argument pretty flimsy. Her claim that McDonald's unfairly uses toys in Happy Meals to lure children to their food chain. Or that rising childhood obesity rates are to be blamed by McDonald's and other fast food chain for "weak anti-obesity efforts".

Excuse me but why are you blaming McDonald's for selling your kid a toy in a Happy Meal or even getting fat. Hasn't this parent ever told their children "NO"?! If you can't as a parent tell your child no when they cry/whine/beg or simply throw a tantrum, don't blame the restaurant or store. Look in the mirror and you may find the person at fault is YOU. Geez when will we as Americans start owning up to our own actions rather trying to blame much less sue someone else.

That's my rant for the day....!

jp

Daily Entry

A friend sent me a link to this video. Its an incredible view of the milky way from Spain. From a photographer's/astronomy point of view, its spectacular!

The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

jp

Daily Entry

Talk about a coincidence. Ask for and ye shall receive.

"Barnes & Noble NOOK 3G + WiFi eReader $99.99"

Yup its not color but it has all the features that I need for an ebook. Ordered and hoping to get it by next week.

jp

Daily Entry

I found this article today on MSNBC. Since I've been keeping up on Japan's Earthquake/Tsunami situation, this was a very good read. Its too bad the US, especially those of us living on the West Coast/California, don't have a similar system in place.

Japan’s warning system gives seconds to prep for shake

jp

Daily Entry

Amazon selling Kindle with ads for $114

I’ve been on the fence about buying a Kindle or Barnes & Noble’s Nook but this price is really attractive. The secret sauce is that Amazon reduced the price on this version of the Kindle because it will come with advertising. Here’s some examples:

The offers are pretty nice. In the first few weeks, Amazon says, “examples” of offers include:
$10 for $20 Amazon.com Gift Card

$6 for 6 Audible Books (normally $68)$

1 for an album in the Amazon MP3 Store (choose from over 1 million albums)

$10 for $30 of products in the Amazon Denim Shop or Amazon Swim Shop

As the articles continues with this could only get better when the Kindle goes under $100 or free when you buy a bunch of ebook.

jp

Daily Entry

I don't know why but this caught my fancy: Top 10 hottest new travel gadgets. When I start traveling again, I might by the Gaga glasses or the Earthmate GPS. 8)

You can check out the slideshow here.

jp

Daily Entry

As shutdown looms, agencies brace for impact IRS could stop issuing refund checks, national parks may close

I can't imagine what is wrong with the politicians in Washington, much less my own state and local governments. The way things are going, I am utterly contemptuous of members from both political parties. Whats going appears to be a total lack of cooperation. Simply partisan politics which is hurting the average American. I don't think these incumbent politicians ever feel the pinch or pain of losing a job, having no medical coverage or worrying about paying the rent. If things continue the way they are currently going, I think we need to a change in all levels of government. Lets get rid of these useless people and bring in politicians who care about helping the people. Not ones who are only concerned with lining their own pockets.

jp

Daily Entry

Gah! It feels like summer has arrived early today. I hopped into the car around 1pm earlier and my car thermometer showed the temperature at 89 degrees F. Just the last couple weeks it was freezing and raining. The weather just seems to get more wacky every year!

jp

Daily Entry

Boy its been tough! In the last 5 months I've submitted my resume to dozens of companies and have had 3 interviews but no job. The economists say the job outlook is getting better but I can't tell. I'm hoping to get something before summer starts. Today I'm going thru another round of sending out my resume. sigh.

jp

Daily Entry

My friend Brenda, the author of "Hope The New Financial System Emerging After The American Economic Crisis" has come out with a Youtube interview describing some of the recent patterns of abuse in our financial/socio-economic system. If your concerned about whats going on AND want some insight on how fix the problem for your personal financial situation, check out her video and read her book.

Addendum: Here's some recent news articles that underscore the problems that Brenda reports.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42260137/ns/business-us_business/

http://www.newsweek.com/2011/03/20/a-looming-disaster-europe.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42258668/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/

http://militaryadvantage.military.com/2011/03/where-to-turn-if-shutdown-happens/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40795080/ns/business/

-jp

Daily Entry

I saw this interesting afticle in MSNBC, How G.E. made $5.1 billion in the U.S. tax-free.

"General Electric, the nation’s largest corporation, had a very good year in 2010. The company reported worldwide profits of $14.2 billion, and said $5.1 billion of the total came from its operations in the United States. Its American tax bill? None. In fact, G.E. claimed a tax benefit of $3.2 billion.

....Such strategies, as well as changes in tax laws that encouraged some businesses and professionals to file as individuals, have pushed down the corporate share of the nation’s tax receipts — from 30 percent of all federal revenue in the mid-1950s to 6.6 percent in 2009.

....A review of company filings and Congressional records shows that one of the most striking advantages of General Electric is its ability to lobby for, win and take advantage of tax breaks.

....Since 2002, the company has eliminated a fifth of its work force in the United States while increasing overseas employment. In that time, G.E.’s accumulated offshore profits have risen to $92 billion from $15 billion."

And you wonder why all the tax revenue for the gov't is drying up. The middle class whom a significant percentage are out of jobs can't pay as much taxes as in the good years. And, of course, you have all the people who foreclosed on their houses. You can't collect taxes on that either. With the upper 1% getting tax cuts and the corporations getting tax breaks, no one should be surprised that we're in a financial crunch now. When everyone pays their fair share of taxes, the system works. When they don't, its like the Titanic. Anyone see an iceberg?

jp

Daily Entry

My friend IM'd me this link. My first reaction to him was that scientist have not been able to accurately predict earthquakes. But when i watched the video in the link, I think this guy may be on this something. Doesn't hurt to be prepared!

http://thegentleawakening.ning.com/forum/topics/geologist-jim-berkland

jp

Daily Entry

It feels like its been raining forty days and forty nights here. Well actually its been raining over a week but geez! this is California not Seattle. 8)

Since I have a new HD video recorder I decided to test it by recording it raining today.

jp

TGIF

Thank God Its Friday! On my other blog, I've been following the UCLA Alexandra Wallace Asians in the Library drama. Out of the many, many responses I found these 2 the best. In fact, I was amused so much that I've added them to my youtube favorites. 8)

http://www.youtube.com/user/DavidSoComedy#p/p

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zulEMWj3sVA&feature=player_profilepage

jp

Daily Entry

Apologies for the lack of updates but I've been down and out with a cold the last several days.

jp

Daily Entry

Wow! I just got the XBox 360 add-on Kinetic which lets you play games, dance, etc by detecting the motion of your body movements. I'm having so much fun playing the rallyball game all the while getting a good workout. I'm looking to pick up some sports and dance games. Its amazing how far games have come. I remember growing up as a kid playing the original pong. Who would have imagine they would have games that can mimic body movements. Pretty soon it'll probably some holographic game environment just like in the Star Trek Generations TV series.

jp

Being Prepared in an Emergency

With all thats been going on in Japan, it reminds how we in California could face the same situation should a catastrophic similar to Japan hit our region. As a witness to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake I remember the damage we survived in the Bay Area. Ever since that event, I've planned and prepared in case it happens again. Just like in parts of Japan, parts of the Bay Area after the '89 earthquake were isolated by the damage. Social and Emergency services like Police and Fire were overwhelmed by the amount of calls. I distinctly remember the power being down for a time. I recall on the first day traffic lights not working. Fortunately for us in San Jose, power and civil service was back within a few days. There were places like Santa Cruz, San Francisco and Oakland that were out for much longer. Even now, the major news networks are reporting a shortage of food and water in Japan. Japan's emergency crews are having difficulty reaching some areas hit by the quake and tsunami due to water damage.

The lesson to be learned about these type of events is to be prepared to deal with the aftermath. You should have at least a weeks worth of water, perishable food, battery powered radio/flashlights and/or portable generator to run electrical appliances like microwave, oven, etc. Obviously if there is a medical emergency, you should try to contact 911 asap. If emergency services are unable to respond, common sense dictates using your own transportation to get to the hospital. Being prepared for a major emergency can save a life including yours or a loved one. Don't wait until something happens. Be smart, be prepared.

Interested in books on preparing for an emergency? Check out this this book or this one.

Also including a link to the Red Cross to help the victim of Japan's earthquake here.

jp

Daily Entry

So my buddy, Elemenohpee, is okay. He and his family had to evacuate from their house near the beach in Hawaii. They ended up staying with his brother on higher ground until the all clear was signaled. He mentioned that it was pretty unreal what with the sirens every hour and the evacuation. Thank God! Hawaii was not affected by the tsunami.

jp

Daily Entry

Good Lord! The video footage on CNN really shows the devastation of the Japanese earthquake. As a witness of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, I am in total sympathy to the people of Japan. My prayers go out to them in their time of need.

jp

Daily Entry

So I'm doing my daily news junkie routine. I can't help but see all this news about Charlie Sheen over and over again. This does pique my curiosity though. I click on the link to Sheen's Korner Ep 3: Torpedoes of Truth Part 2. And Good Lord! but watching his diatribe is sad. Sad because prior to his recent breakdown, I've always admired Charlie Sheen for his acting ability. From Red Dawn to Two and a Half Men. But they only thing I can say about his recent video is it seems to be just a drug addict spewing random thoughts on the camera. Either that or its his best acting performance in his career. Honestly, though, I think the guy really needs some psychiatric help. And Fast! I think if he was anyone but Charlie Sheen, he would have been locked up in a mental ward for evaluation. I would hope that his closest friends and family would be trying to get him some medical help. Unfortunately it looks more like the people around him (not to mention the Media) are just trying to cash in on his famous/infamous behavior. Sad, very sad. It's even more deplorable in that this is at the top of the news. 8(

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Daily Entry

Today is Ash Wednesday. For Catholics, today is the start of Lent season. As part of Lent season, Catholics are asked to sacrifice or give up something during Lenten season. For me, I've decided to give up soda and sweets (not that I do much but I do like them occasionally), From now until Easter Sunday, I will abstain as well as no meat on Friday's.

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Daily Entry

Good Lord! When I went to pick up my niece from Santa Clara Univ, I went to fill up my tank at a gas station near the school. I think it was a Shell. I haven't been paying attention to the last time i filled up but $4.12/gallon for mid grade?! I ended up putting just enough to get me around but I plan on going to the local Arco which is about 20 cents cheaper. If prices keep going up, things will get worse. It really makes you think about doing what you can to save at the pump. Even it means driving less or spending less on other non-essential purchases. I wonder if prices (not too mention the good times from the 90's/pre-2007 era will ever come back)?

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Daily Entry

I found this quote from one a novel of one of my favorite authors. I sincerely believe if we, the American people, upheld these ideas we would have a more effective government versus our current inept, corrupt system in place today.

"The deadliest enemies of nations are not their foreign foes; they always dwell within their borders. And from these internal enemies civilization is always in need of being saved. The nation blessed above all nations is she in whom the civic genius of the people does the saving day by day, by acts without external picturesqueness; by speaking, writing, voting reasonably; by smiting corruption swiftly, by good temper between parties; by the people knowing true men when they see them,, and preferring them as leaders to rabid partisans or empty quacks. -William James"

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Daily Entry

Well today's interview went very well. I felt confident and on top of my game during the entire interview. As well as the position I applied for, the recruiting company also submitted my resume for two other marketing positions. Here's hoping I land one of them. In fact, I hope I get the first one I applied for because it sounds like a good environment for a person of my background and experience.

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Daily Entry

The credit union that I belong to is having a contest to win a scholarship. If you also belong to TechCU, I recommend you enter the contest just like I did today.

Click on this link:

You have the opportunity to win a full scholarship to Singularity University's Spring Executive Program!

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Daily Entry

So this past's weekend anticipated snow in the bay area was a bit of a dud. While San Francisco, Daly City and a few of the north bay's cities experienced flurries on Friday evening most of the South Bay did not. I checked outside at 11am Friday but witnessed a clear star filled night sky. When I woke up at 8am the next morning, it was also a clear, no-cloud-in-the-sky and no snow on the hills disappointment. Oh well, maybe Mother Nature will give us another chance before the Winter's grip turns into Spring showers.

P.S. Oh and beware the Ides of March!!

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Daily Entry

Apologies for the absence of entries the last 3 days. Got some cool news: there's a 50/50 chance of snow on valley floor starting from Friday thru the weekend. This hasn't happened to the Silicon Valley since 1976! I've got my camera ready to take some awesome photos of this rare event.

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Daily Entry

I'm like the biggest Tom Cruise fan out there. Ever since Top Gun came out in the 80's, Tom Cruise was my idol. So its really cool to find out that the movie is at the top of the list of 15 BEST GUY MOVIES EVERY MAN SHOULD SEE.

"Fast planes, hot chicks and a guy named Maverick. After seeing this movie, you know you wanted to hop in an F-14 and blow away a mig.

BEST LINE: And if you screw up just this much, you'll be flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog out of Hong Kong!"

Who doesn't remember the scene with Maverick and Goose singing, "You've lost that lovin' feeling"!

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Daily Entry

My two cousins and their parents from Australia are in town. I haven't seen any of them since 1988 (except my Uncle who visited us briefly on Sept. 11, 2011). One of my cousins wasn't even born in '88 and their older sister was about 9 when she visited us in '88. And yup they have the cool Sydney accent. Its really nice having relatives from our around the world. 8)

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Daily Entry

From an article today, "4 feet of snow in a day near Lake Tahoe: Storms have dumped up to 9 feet since Monday along Sierras". It looks like the storm we had this week has been packing quite a wallop from here to Nevada!

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Daily Entry

What a drizzly day. I heard the rain pitter-pattering last night on the roof before I fell asleep. I woke up to a gray day in the morning. When we went to celebrate my parent's anniversary at lunchtime, it was coming down in hail. However this is my favorite kind of day to read a good book indoors.

Oh btw Happy Anniversary to my Parents for making it thru 40 something years of marriage (I think its 43 years but I don't remember the exact date!).

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Daily Entry

Last post for this week. Going back to Friday night, I was watching Alaska Gold Rush. It was highly entertaining, enjoyable episode (though its the first one I've watched). I believed its the second to the last show for the season. The crew they were documenting had been working on their "Glory" hole for the last 5 months with this episode counting down to the winter season (which normally shuts down all mining). The crew finally hit the bedrock were the potential rich hit is. In the last 16 minutes, they showed how much gold was in the dirt before they sifted it thru the filtering water machine. All that being said, my biggest concern about watching all the events unfold was how destructive their methods are in the environment. In order for the crew to break even, they need to find about $275,000.00 worth of gold. Anything more is profit. If their lucky, their "Glory" hole could have millions of dollars. In the worst case scenario, they would find less than the $275,000.00. What struck me as tragic is these guys are trying to make a profit at the expense of tearing up this old river/waterfall and leaving a gaping whole when they are done. Who is going to clean up their mess when they are finished? The government? Probably not since they have more important bills to try to pay. Some concerned local citizens? Unlikely. Maybe an environmental group? Slim chance. In the end, Mother Nature will probably have to take care of the mess but it will take years and years. When interviewed, one of the crew members mentions that the jobs in his hometown have all dried up. Thus forcing him to invest his mortgage in this gold mining venture. One of the last pristine environments in North America but some people desperate enough to tear up for gold. It really looks like the past is repeating itself. The same thing happened in Nevada and California in the 1800's. From gold panning 49er's to big mining companies using hydro processing that left a devastation. I'm curious to see if any of these concerns will be addressed on the last episode. Incidentally Alaska Gold Rush claims to be the #1 rated Friday night show with I think 6 million viewers watching every week.

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Daily Entry

I am sooo pooped from last night. While my sister, mom helped my cousin out looking for wedding dresses, I was stuck babysitting my two younger nieces. Now my youngest niece is just shy of 3 years old but let me tell you she's not finished with her terrible twos! All night long it was, "I don't like you", "I don't want to talk to you", "I don't like this cartoon [it was Nihao, Kai-lan btw]", etc. And if she wasn't telling me what she didn't like, it was throwing things when I told her not to play with her juice, grapes or cereal. Or "I want to talk to Mommy-Momma". Argh! At one point, I wanted to lock myself in the bathroom like my Uncle did to me and my sister when I was ten years old. At the time I was pretty upset with my uncle but now I'm a little more sympathetic. Not surprisingly after all this activity from a pint-sized-almost-3-year-old, she ended up lying down next to me on the couch while I tried to finish Discovery's Alaska Gold Rush show. Literally about a minute after that she was sleeping like a baby. When my sister and parents finally showed up, they had a good laugh when I told them about the night's events. Me? I hope I don't have to babysit for my sister for a long while so I have a chance to recover. 8)

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Daily Entry

I finally finished the video for the TechCU Annual Party 2011 event from last month. This is the low quality version. I still am on the fence on making a higher quality unless TechCU wants it.

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Daily Entry

I've already twitter'd this a few minutes ago but for my regular bloggers, check out this deal. If your on the fence about buying an e-reader like Amazon's Kindle or Barnes & Noble's Nook, this is totally steal! Hurry 'cause there's less than 6 hours left on the sale. Who knows if they may run out of inventory.

Barnes & Noble Certified Pre-Owned NOOK™ eReader With Wi-Fi® and Crisp E-Ink® Display

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Daily Entry

Surprise, surprise. I received 2 more orders from the corporate party from the 2 weeks ago. I hope to get at least 10 more orders. In the meantime, I'm working on ordering some wedding albums I designed as display samples. The only thing is they are frickin' expensive but the potential new customers should justify the cost. I hope! 8)

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Supplemental Entry

I read this post from my friend in Chicago who has been snowed out this week. As a Christian, I thought this was a truly unique sign from above. See? Miracles can happen in our every day life!

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"Something Absolutely Crazy Happened to me Today

alright... uh lemme start this by saying im pretty sure im the only christian on this server, at least so it seems, so i kind of hide my faith simply because i know people dont want to here a bunch of rambling of scriptures, and i know i dont leave the impression that i do believe in God, since i swear like a sailor at times, but no one is ever a "perfect christian" and im trying to work on watching my mouth... i just copied and pasted this from my facebook that i just posted

i strongly encourage you to read with an open mind if do read it, i wont be offended if you say something contrary to this, or if you dont say anything at all, i feel like its something that just needs to be heard

craziest thing ever happened to me today... and let me tell you, that this is not exaggerated in any shape or form. let me start out by saying i know probably 50% of my facebook friends are atheists, maybe 25% agnostics, and 25% christian/catholic... i get a text message every day from my cousin from oklahoma that has 2 bible verses, the first one doesnt really have a pattern and the 2nd one is always from Proverbs... well i was running on the treadmill at the gym and i was looking for the right song to run to, so i was skipping around on shuffle mode and i got my daily bible verse text, the song stopped on For Today - Agape, which i would have skipped because i pressed on the screen, but the text message got in the way so i couldnt change it, and whenever i get this text, no matter what im doing, i stop, read, and meditate on the message... todays 1st passage was Matthew 22:37 "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." right when i read that i felt like i just got a surge of emotions, like i just got hit with lightning... in the song For Today - Agape, the ending break down goes like this "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all mind, all your strength" and they repeat this like 4 time. some people can say, "o thats just a coincidence that the verse relates to the song you stopped on" no, its not... its definitely not, let me go over why its not, my workout play list consists of 82 songs... 1/82 1.22% chance this song comes on when im browsing... ok... now my cousin texts me anywhere from 10 am - as late as 5 pm, 7 hours x 60 minutes = 420... 1/420 = .24%... ok that slims it immensely, but here comes the back breaker... there are 31,103 verses in the bible... seriously... 1/31,103 = .003215% chance of that happening... 1.22%, .24%, and .003215% all these occurring at the same exact time is absolutely impossible in my mind... what im trying to get at is people need to open there eyes and see these signs, non believers probably think im crazy, but this is not purely coincidence, i cant even fathom how people can deny that there is a God. if you actually took the time to read all of this, please post or at least like. Thank you."

Daily Entry

Today I played some tennis with Glen at the park near his home. This is the second time we played this week. Now this normally would not be a profound, newsworthy or even blogworthy but it is for me. The last time Glen and I tried tennis was either last year or even sometime in 2009. Neither one of could last more than 15 minutes without stopping for a break (Mind you Glen is physically in better shape than me but hasn't been to the gym probably as long as I have). Tuesday's daytime warm up game was maybe 20-30 minutes. tops. Tonight was different in that we played 35-40 minutes strait. Even though it was a mite chilly, we got an all around good workout. We managed to take a 10 minute break before playing for another 10 minutes. In my mind, this is a good start for getting back into tennis. I figure if we can get our technique playable, we can do this 2-3 times a week which makes for a good workout routine. So we can have fun while still getting a workout!

P.S. I did install a Slingbox on the cable TV so my brother can watch this Sunday's Superbowl while he will be out of town coaching his team's volleyball tournament.

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Daily Entry

Nothing to report other than I ate something last night that disagreed with me. Woke up in the very early AM with intense abdominal pain. Took a bunch of meds which finally eased the pain by 11am-ish which allowed me to get some much needed sleep in the afternoon. hopefully i will get thru tonight without waking up too early. i have lots to do tomorrow without any unnecessary illness!

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Daily Entry

My buddy in Chicago posted on our forum that they are getting socketed with winter weather. Then I saw this headline on MSNBC, "Colossal storm roars across nation". While here in Silicon Valley, CA its been a typical nice California weather for Feb. Hope ally my friends back midwest, east, south, southwest weather the storm ok (no pun intended!).

I grabbed this photo from an article. It shows how massive the current weather system thats hitting most of the US! Click on this link to read the full article.

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Daily Entry

Hurray! My luck finally turned at the Cache Creek Casino last night. I got Ace's Four of Kind on the Video Poker which was the 2nd highest pot out of all the machine. Since my parent's invited me to go with them yesterday, I decided to split it 3 ways but it was still enough amount to make this a good trip. This is versus the other 6 times in the last year where I didn't get squat!!

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Daily Entry

Whew. Today is the first day since last week (Thursday to be exact) that I haven't been working on photos. This whole week past before me in a flash since I finished the TechCU Annual Dinner gig at The Tech Museum. At one point, I was editing photos and keeping track of orders that kept me up til 4am in the morning. The satisfaction I get is more than rewarding when the people order [and] enjoy their photos! As well I was kept busy until last night working on the modeling photos for Sonia. So this weekend I plan on relaxing a bit. What a nice way to end the work week. 8)

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Photo update

Here's the final (webversion, of course) edited photos from Sonia's model shoot this week.

I'm also including the video that I'm adding to all my photo packages.

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