A son asked his father, ‘Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?’ The father who, despite having a heart condition, says ‘Yes’. They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying ‘Yes’ to his son’s request of going through the race together. One day, the son asked his father, ‘Dad, let’s join the Ironman together.’ To which, his father said ‘Yes’ For those who didn’t know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the coast of the Big Island . Father and son went on to complete the race together.
If that’s not determination and love, I don’t know what is.
Inevitably, with the change in economy and the environment, the world is becoming more green. It is time that D&T becomes a part of the revolution….or in the words of Trace….an eco-lution!
However, becoming green can sometimes use up a lot of gr$$n…if you know what I mean (I should be a rapper). We don’t have the funds to buy a solar panel or a hybrid…yet. For now, we will have to start small.
We started by using a recycling bin so that it’s easier to throw away recyclable products without having to walk to the recycling bin in the backyard every time.
The next step was buying a reusable bag. This prevents having to use plastic bags every time we buy groceries. And yes, the bag carries a pretty good amount of items.
Our most recent contribution to being green is buying a Brita Water Pitcher. One pitcher holds ten 8 oz glasses of filtered water. This will keep us from having to buy bottled water, which prevents the waste of plastic. For $25, the pitcher comes with 2 filters and a “green” water bottle.
Oh and did you know that there is now a channel called Planet Green which is solely dedicated to promoting a healthy environment? I am totally addicted to the channel! If you have Time Warner Cable it’s on channel 216. If not, check out their site: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/
So the well anticipated iPhone is coming out on July 11 and many of my friends are actually switching from their old carrier to AT&T just to get the iPhone with the 3G feature. I myself have considered it as well, especially since you can get an iPhone for $200. You also pay less if you’re a new customer! This video that I saw from another blog (that my friends shared…gotta give them credit) shows how to prepare yourself if you do decide to get the phone. A lot goes into purchasing the phone especially if you’re planning on transferring your current phone number. If you’re not prepared…there will be delays.
Click below to see the rate plans for the iPhone (includes minutes and data plan):
When life hands you lemons, you make the best damn lemonade you can possibly make. In other words, everyone is blessed with something, no matter how bad things may seem.
Four years ago, I graduated from college with a degree in Marketing and a minor in Computer Science. I didn’t know I wanted to be a web designer until after I graduated. Although my knowledge in Marketing and Comp Sci comes in handy, those four years would have definitely helped. While working full-time as a Campaign Manager and also as a Tech Support I took night classes that pertain to web design (Flash, Dreamweaver, SQL Database, etc.). This was the only way for me to build my skill and my portfolio. This was a struggle knowing I was working at jobs that did not pertain to the career I wanted. I’m sure many can relate…
It wasn’t until recently that I was finally able to get a job as a Web Designer…well…Junior Web Designer. Although this is not exactly a step up income wise, I am now at least on the right career path. I will be broke for the next few months, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices in order to achieve your dream. I wrote this blog because I feel that this is a new chapter in my life, a new beginning. I want to document it so that when I finally get to where I want to be, I can look back into this chapter and see how it all started.
The Non-Profit Org Africa Aid has decided to team up with a company called Maatiam to make online shopping part of a humanitarian effort. Now, when you shop at major websites such as Amazon, Bestbuy, and Target, a portion of the purchases will be donated to Africa Aid, at no cost to you. See for yourself:
Trace and I would always try to buy items where a portion would go to charity. Now, anything we buy online will contribute to a good cause. If you’re interested in donating to other charities, you can also go to:
So my friends and decided to eat out late Friday night at this boba place called Tea Station in Clairemont Mesa, San Diego. All my friends ordered their usual boba drink, while I just wanted milk. The lady who waited us already had that bitchy attitude so when I asked for milk she straight up said, “we do not have milk!” which was fine that they don’t have milk (although everything on the menu says “milk tea”) but it is another thing to be a bitch about it. I then decided to ask for water and she gave me that look as if I’m wasting her time making her get water.
A few minutes later, everyone got their drinks, but where’s my water? They forgot about it! How difficult is it to get water?! So I called her and asked for water and this is what I got:
What is this?!! A shot of water!?! Who gets a shot of water?!?! How shady is that? The least they could have done was put water on a regular glass like my friends’ boba drinks. Well…at least it’s free. OR IS IT?
50 cents for a shot of water! Great way to end the experience.
Honestly, this would have been a better experience if we had a different waitress because the other waitress was really nice. The bitchy waitress who served was named Sisi. She hates her job and needs to get laid.
I finished my work early so I decided to create a new header for my blog site. I applied everything I learned so far as a Junior Web Designer so I’m actually pretty proud of it. Click here to see the banner. I used Photoshop to create it. Let me know what you think!
In order to ensure that I have a productive year, I always create a list of goals for myself. This list can be anything from financial and career goals to fitness and “x-treme” goals.
FINANCIAL GOALS
My main financial goal at this point is to be able to pay off my debt. This is my most difficult goal right now since my career is not (yet) high enough on the income ladder. Right now, I’ve managed to avoid using my credit cards which has helped bring down my debt.
CAREER GOALS
I GRADUATED FROM USF WITH A BACHELOR IN MARKETING AND A MINOR IN COMPUTER SCIENCE which I am definitely proud of. Only problem is that after I graduated from college, I realized that I wanted to do web design. I basically had to start over from scratch. I took on full time jobs as a Campaign Manager and a Tech Support while taking web design classes at night. Four years later I am proud to say that I can finally call myself a Web Designer….well…Junior Web Designer. Yes, it’s an entry level job but at least I am on the right career path and the only way from there is up. In the words of my homie Nick, “stepping stones!”
FITNESS GOALS
My fitness goals have varied based on what I needed to work on at the time. Early this year, I did the P90X program to help me get back into shape. Now, I am on a workout bet with my friend where my goal is to get six-pack abs. This is my hardest goal yet.
X-TREME GOALS
You can’t go through life without doing some activities that are intense, breathtaking….x-treme! My definition of “X-treme” is any activity that is done out of the normal, everyday repetitive stuff that people do. And of course, there has to be risks! X-treme activities I have done in the past include shark diving (but in a cage surrounded by sharks!) in Hawaii, getting a tattoo, paintball, ziplining, etc. This year, my extreme activities include holding an Albino Burmese Python, snowboarding, and bungee jumping.
HUMANITARIAN GOALS
It’s always nice to be able to help those in need whether it’s within your community or in other parts of the world. Achieving these goals have always been life changing for me.
FIRST HALF COMPLETED
CAREER: Get a job in Web Design – attained job as Junior Web Designer for marketing company
HUMANITARIAN: Care for a Cause Auction – over $800 donated to charity (One.org,Save Darfur, Africa Aid, Hurricane Katrina)
FITNESS: P90x training – four-pack abs, improved pull-ups: 3 sets of 6 reps, yoga, stretching
HUMANITARIAN: Africa Aid – volunteer as Web Designerfor a non-profit org
PERSONAL: Snowboarding – learned how to snowboard (heelside and toeside)
PERSONAL:Celebrity Meetings – met celebrities (Stan Lee, Julie Andrews, Ladanian Tomlinson, Joe Montana, Gene Wilder, etc.)
XTREME – 130 foot bungee jump at Del Mar Fair
XTREME – picture with Albino Burmese Python (was holding the head)
2008 goals I still need to achieve:
Get certificate in Motion Graphics (EDUCATION)
Lower debt by $2000 (FINANCIAL)
Get Six-pack (FITNESS)
Pull-ups: 3 sets of 10 reps (FITNESS)
Read 2 novels (PERSONAL)
Learn CSS (EDUCATION)
Finish J-ricz Website
I am proud to say this has been a very goal-oriented year!!!
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!
What happens when Kung Fu is mixed with Dreamworks animation? A dose of awesomeness!!!! One of the best animated films I have ever seen (if the not THE BEST)! I’ve always been a big Pixar fan but this movie definitely put Dreamworks on top of my list.
Plot: I can totally relate to this story because the movie is about destiny and how everything happens for a reason. There are no accidents.
Cast: the best pairing of voices/characters I’ve ever seen:
Jack Black - “Po”
Angelina Jolie - “Tigress”
Jackie Chan - “Monkey”
Lucy Liu - “Viper”
Dustin Hoffman - “Master Shifu”
Seth Rogen - “Mantis”
David Cross - “Crane”
Ian McShane - “Tai Lung”
Michael Clarke Duncan - “Commander Vachir”
Dan Fogler - “Zeng”
James Hong - “Mr. Ping”
Randall Duk Kim - “Master Oogway”
I love Tigress (Angelina Jolie) and Po (Jack Black) in the movie, but my most favorite character would have to be Master Oogway. He’s an old turtle who’s all about finding the meaning of life and the peace within one’s soul. Yet, he’s also a badass mofo with a stick.
Effects/Art: For an animated film, there were a lot of parts that looked almost realistic. The animation was very smooth and very detailed. I was amazed at how they incorporated Kung Fu in the movie. The Kung Fu animation was excellent. They couldn’t have done it any better.
Also keep an eye out for the artistic background of China. In the words of Jack Black, “Mesmerizing!” Then, the Kung Fu sound effects of the movie made it perfect! Keep an eye out for the Prison and Bridge scene!! Wow!
After watching the movie, I decided to watch the sneak preview of Kung Fu Panda on OnDemand and they mentioned how each animal represents a fighting style in Kung Fu. How did I not catch that!?!?! Very clever!
Tiger style - all offense, all attack no defense; requires strength
Monkey style - sloppy yet acrobatic, very quick
Crane style - defensive style of fighting; deflection
Viper style - smooth and deadly, deceiving
Mantis style - “whip-like/circular motions to deflect direct attacks, which it follows up with precise attacks to the opponent’s vital spots” (I had to research this one cuz it was not mentioned in the sneak preview)
Overall, this is one movie I will definitely add to my collection and would watch over and over again. You have to watch it at least twice to really see the Kung Fu choreography, art, and detail of the movie. SKADOOSH!!
