NFL Week 4: Chargers vs Chiefs final score prediction

Kansas City Chiefs - 10
San Diego Chargers - 17

I <3 NY

Today we spent our day on the east side of the Lincoln Tunnel a.k.a. Manhattan. After getting some work done, we had some really crappy (read: americanized, whitened, nouveau) Indian food at a restaurant called Bombay Talkie. The didn't even have Kheer. WTF.

We headed back to the office, and played a bit in the game room. Both of my co-workers throw like girls. My boss pushes the ball instead of slings it, and my peer lets the ball go about a second late. We played 2v1 dodgeball with the balls you get from the chuck e' cheese ballroom:



Since there was no Kheer at the Indian food place we searched the Google building (pun? haha) for ice cream. We took a break and hung out on the patio which has an awesome view of Manhattan:



The NY office is really awesome. It's in the Chelsea district, which is the artsy area (lots of gay people). I'm pretty pooped, again. But at least tomorrow is football day --- AND --- I have tickets to the Eagles vs. Giants game! The stadium is right outside my window =))) pics to come.

My Gear

I've already received some positive feedback from a couple of folks about the YouTube videos and some have expressed their interest on what kind of camcorder I use so they too can record their own. Before I get into the gear details, the video editing is really simple and I wish I had a Mac before I tell you how I really do things around here. I'm almost embarrassed to say that I use Windows Movie Maker. Haha. Anyway, onto the gear:

The webcam I use is a Logitech 960-000111 QuickCam Orbit AF Webcam. If you are willing to pay a little more than a standard webcam, this is a really good one. The picture, sound (background noise cancelling), is really crisp and it's HD!

Specs
- Motorized Tracking Carl Zeiss optics with autofocus
- HD video Up to 8 megapixel images (enhanced from natiuve 2MP sensor)
- RightLight™ 2 image enhancement
- Logitech Video Effects
- Embedded mic with RightSound™

Sample of the photo quality:

The camcorder I use is a Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder - which received stellar reviews from Amazon.com. It's compact like a cellphone so you can take it with you wherever. Comes with a little pouch like an iPod.

Specs
- Simple to use, pocket-sized camcorder with one-touch recording and digital zoom
- Holds 60 minutes of full VGA-quality video on 2GB of built-in memory; no tapes or additional memory cards required
- Convenient USB arm plugs directly into your computer for easy viewing and sharing
- Built-in software lets you easily e-mail videos, upload to YouTube and AOL, and capture still photos from video
- Watch videos instantly on TV with included cable

Video quality sample:
(Please don't mind the date on the video - it's incorrect. =\)


Last but not least, a mini (tabletop) tripod from Sunpak. No complaints so far. Works great, sturdy, and small.

Happy Shooting!

Hola from NY/NJ or whatever.

So now I'm in NJ/NY for the final leg of my work trip. I'm getting really sick of working 12-14 hour days.

Today our flight was delayed two and a half hours *on the tarmac*. I guess they had some problems in Newark. We were flying out of Washington/Dulles. Too bad, I didn't get time to get check out Washington D.C.

Once we landed we stopped at the hotel to drop off our crap, and head in to the data center. It gets really cold in there. One particular Colo provider that we work with has the coolest data centers. They are all fancy and dramatically designed, i swear they are straight out of the movies.

I'm here until Thursday. We're flying on Virgin America Airlines. It should be a comfy flight; except for the fact that I will be without my 280$ headphones that I bought a week and a half ago and lost in chicago =(((

There's no place like home.

The Office Season 4 Premier (not a spoiler)

Thursday is officially my favorite day. Last night, the one hour season 4 premiere of The Office was on. Same cast, same laughs. Watching it really makes me miss the work force even more.

Unemployment Part II: The Post-Interview

My feelings on unemployment

It's seems to be the theme on this blog nowadays.

thecoachiskillingme.wordpress.com

ouch.

Heroes Season 2 Premier (not a spoiler)

Okay. If you haven't already watched it on your TiVo, I'm not going to mention what happens. Season 2 looks like another exciting season based on last night's episode. There were a couple of holes in the story that I'm sure will unfold as the weeks go by. There are a couple of new characters, since some of them died off in season one. The producers are doing a good job keeping everyone wanting more and making sure the story remains unpredictable. I love it. Especially when every episode ends with "to be continued." Ahhh! Can't stand it. Now there's something to look forward to on Mondays.

And for the ladies, here's some photos of Milo Ventimiglia handcuffed in episode one, season two (taken in my basement, I wish).

(Images borrowed from NBC.)

Hola from Miami and other places!

I've been doing a lot of work-travel lately and I thought I would post up some pictures for you all to enjoy. Last week I was in Miami and Dallas. Right now I'm in Chicago. I'll be in Ashburn in a few days, and New York next week. A few of my observations? If you look mexica- ... er.. hispanic, and dont speak a lick of spanish; people will look at you funny. Miami's south beach is almost entirely spanish speaking. I was so lost. There isn't a place quite like it!



The beach has its pluses. It's a lot warmer than San Diego's beaches - but the waves aren't nearly as nice. Its the kind of beach where it goes from shallow to 'omg you're drowning' in 2 yards.

In Dallas, I had some authentic Texas BBQ. I've noticed that in Dallas people are very friendly. It's not uncommon for someone that pulls up next to you at a light to ask how your day is going. A small, 2 minute conversation; but its something that just doesn't happen in so-cal.



In Chicago, I got a nice shot of the skyline and got to see some interesting architecture in our building as well -- the detail was amazing and the picture just doesn't do it justice. This was an old, old library in what used to be a publishing company.




I'm staying at the W hotel in Chicago. Its fairly posh, hip, and all that jazz. I haven't really noticed anything about the people here in Chicago yet - but I have had some excellent chicago-style pizza! MMMMMM!

Kaileelicious

Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-tastay-tastay.

Odd Jobs

Today marks a very historical day for me. It's the first time I've experienced rain here in the Bay Area since the move. It's a nice day to just sit and contemplate suicide.

So anyhow, I am currently unemployed - as most of you may already know. And remember that job I mentioned a few weeks ago that I interviewed for and really wanted so bad? The good news was that I did get an offer with the company. The bad, they didn't offer enough. Mucho sucko. For several days I was in limbo with this company. I didn't know whether it was worth the drive because unlike my old job, where it was a 10 minute commute, I would be doubling that and then some. The drive is not that bad, but it's not good either. And typically when my mind starts working up a storm because of a simple commuting issue, instead of dealing with it, it's already an automatic "no." And by the time I made up my mind, it was already too late.

I applied at a temp agency to see if they could get the ball rolling with this employment thing that I've been dealing with for the past month and a half. I've used a temp agency in the past and they were all positive experiences. Plus I wouldn't have to commit to something right away.

Being unemployed sucks ass. I miss wearing my nice shoes and my slacks. I miss doing my hair and makeup in the morning. I miss deadlines. I miss the smell of coffee in the breakroom. I miss being social. And like Leo, I miss being a corporate tool.

Lately, I haven't expressed my feelings about work. Just because Leo has been on travel and someone has to be here to hold down the fort. He will be leaving again on Monday to New York. *sigh* And will return not the same Wednesday, but the following Wednesday.

When you have lots of time on your hands, you start to contemplate the possiblities of working odd jobs. For example, I applied for a job with a gay porn film company to do the casting/recruiting. How hard can it really be to find gay people in this part of the state? San Francisco is the mecca for gays and liberalism. It's like trying to throw a rock on the ground. You can't miss. My cover letter to the company was quiet interesting. I'm not going to go into verbatim, but it was somewhere along the lines of "Although I do not have any previous experience with the adult film industry, I did create my own once and was very successful." Haha. No, I didn't say that. However, I did consider it just to make someones day. Humor is vital in the adult film industry. How else do you think they come up with cheesy scripts?

Another job I applied for was going on a food tour with a chef from city to city. Why? Because where there is FOOD, there is ME.

I also applied for a job with a very big named company that would have me traveling to Europe and South Africa quiet often to market the software. But the thought of Europeans not taking daily showers or contracting mallaria in South Africa has put a damper on my decision. But I applied for it anyway. Just beacuse it's cool to act like an international spy for a day or two.

I applied for a marketing job to test out a website that claims to be the next big thing to drain the minds of the youth. Basically the candidate would have to be knowledgable with social online networking, YouTube, blogging, and the like. I was like, "are you kidding me? I breathe this stuff." The most crazy thing about this job is that they want to know if you have a MySpace, Facebook, Blog, or use YouTube. Seriously, I've never met an employer who asks "so do you have a blog or a Myspace?" as part of the skills and experience. I was ready to reply, "is this a trick question? Because if it is and I say yes, I might not get the job - seems very unprofessional. If I say no, I know you know I would be lying because I'm in my early twenties and the only reason why any person in their early twenties would not have one is because they're either Amish or dead."

I can list a few more jobs, but I'm drawing a blank. Once I start applying again, I'll try to keep an interesting list. There are so many companies here than there are in San Diego and even LA and they are insanely dynamic. Many successful startup companies were conceived here. It's like the Holy Land for geeks and thinking! The skies the limit!

I should of majored in journalism

I was reading an article from a journalist (mind you - from MSNBC) who claims that the San Diego Chargers are not an elite team in the AFC. OKAY. You must be high on dope. Are you sure you were watching football and not "futbol"?

Sure Chargers have yet to win a Super Bowl. Sure it's easier to bash the team who lost to the Patriots (mind you - ON WEEK TWO). Sure it's easy to gather information from the past. But we are talking about current shit here, Mr. Byrne.

Dear Mr. Byrne,

Where are your cold hard facts you speak of? Your bias opinions has lead me to believe that you are a disgruntled closet Patriot fan, trying to justify that your beloved Pats didn't cheat in the past seasons. You're a fucking journalist read by millions of sports gurus, paid to bash on the most well-rounded team in football today, yet, you fail to make your point on how the Chargers are not an elite team? ON WEEK TWO?!? Oh please, oh please write more.

And FYI, internet and e-mail existed in 94, you moron.

This man is from coldhardfootballfacts.com. In my opinion, they seem to be a bit luke warm.

Blogging: A lose/lose situation

On the previous post, Erin had left a comment on which really motivated me to type up this long post about "blogging." So motivating, I went to Jamba Juice in my pajamas to pick up a drink with a double shot of energy boost at 8:48am. The place opened at 9.

So let's get really real here.

I started blogging since the age of 15 - which is a fact that I'm really proud of. I never had an actual notebook type of diary because I was an attention whore. I always had friends I confided to about life because I found it easier to never deal with problems alone.

About the time I was 16, I was going through a shit load of changes. Hormones, boys, being a jock, high school dances, conservative/traditional Asian parents, rebelling. You get the picture. Finding out the various platforms to use so I can publicly speak my mind, I found Blogger. Before Blogger, I used FrontPage and other free crappy publishing programs that served it's purpose but failed to appeal. Apparently, some things never change, do they?

During the time I began blogging, I lost several of my "best friends" due to irreconcilable differences (our periods never failed to synchronize). Yes, plural. Really defeats the purpose in the "best" part - but you know how it is. This really struck a social hole in my teenage life. That's when I discovered that blogging always seemed to fill that "friend" void. I would rather not mention any names at this point in time. I have only the utmost respect for my friends. For confidentiality sake, lets refer to these people as "The Fucking Bitches Who Ruined My Life" or "T.F.B.W.R.M.L." (TFBWRML)

Sadly, I found the blogging experience better than any friend I ever had. To put it in a better perspective, it's like when a lesbian realizes she prefers vagina over penis afterall. Same revelation.

As a blogging veteran, I've learned to keep my mouth shut about certain subjects. In a few minutes, I'll elaborate on the details as to why things are better left unadvertised. For example, politics, Kailee, my health, the domestic front, family, etc.

A few years ago, my mom and older brother found my blog on the internet. Life has a funny way of timing things, don't you think? Well, it was during a time when I thought publicly putting people on blast was a better idea than saying it in their face. For me it was a better way to cope than it was to deal with confrontationally. I was a teenager who didn't want to deal, bottom-line. The end result of publicly bashing my family members was not a pretty one. I got punched in the stomach by my brother and a total ass beating from my mom. Had I known that child abuse was such a huge offense back then, I would of probably called 9-1-1. But what did I really know? I lived under an Asian household where beating your kids was as normal as white person eating turkey on Thanksgiving. I can't name one Filipino person who has never been hit by their mom's flip-flops or father's belt. Experiencing the wrath of a Filipino parent is like being held captive in a concentration camp. The torture - it never ends. What's even scarier than that was, how anger really brings out the speed and accuracy in my Mom's throw. WTF?! She can't even pronounce "spaghetti" without the "es" before "paghetti." Who would of known a slipper would be that lethal? HI MOM!

WHY DO YOU KEEP TALKING ABOUT YOURSELF ON YOUR BLOG?

Another incident happened a few years ago which I can recall so vividly, a TFBWRML called me on my phone regarding my blog, bawling in tears, saying, "WHY DO YOU KEEP TALKING ABOUT YOURSELF ON YOUR BLOG?" Before you start laughing, let me justify her reasoning as to why she would even ask such a bizarre question. BECAUSE IT WAS OBVIOUS I DIDN'T TALK ABOUT ANYONE ELSE. This was the same girl who threatened to burn my parents house down and also the one who tried to convert me and Leo into democrats with e-mails (in her defense, it was worth a shot), this was the same person who said I was a bad mother, same person who messaged me on MySpace to tell ME(can you believe that?) to grow up on MySpace (because telling people on your MySpace account to grow up is not hypocrite at all), same chick who said that my very own family dislikes me and my atittude.

Oh. Btw, I wanted to share a photo of my parents, my sis and I in San Francisco last weekend. Can you see the hate in my dad's embrace? Very mean and very nasty.

This was the same girl who threatened to call Child Protective Services on me. She claimed that she had all the evidence she needed to take me to court. Of course, no course of action was taken because when people aren't well, they like to make-believe. I spoke to my parents about TFBWRML and they seemed as perplexed about the whole situation as much as I was. But I reassured them that she was on medication and going through therapy, because afterall, she did advertise it on her blog. Isn't that where everyone finds their reliable sources these days. The internet? Leo and I learned to brush her off like stubborn piece of shit on our lawn. It's been years now that she finally stopped harrassing us. Maybe she just needed time to grow up or work out her personal issues or time to discover Midol. Who knows. Maybe we can finally call truce on this whole thing.

You see boys and girls, there's absolute logic behind this. And I've been through hell and back to finally realize what it takes to be a vigilant blogger.

"If you don't talk about your kids, you're judged as a bad parent. If you talk about your kids, you're parenting is judged."

I don't go into detail about what Kailee does day-to-day. I don't even mention that she likes to play outside with another girl. Call me paranoid, but they don't have shows on Dateline MSNBC about pedophiles for nothing. I don't mention what time she gets out of school, the color uniform she wears, our street address, what time she is in bed, the address of our condo we're trying to sell, and the nearby places we live. I post a moderate amount of photos and info about her for confidential reasons. I was a bit apprehensive the other day to even mention that Kailee and I were home alone and Leo was out of town for work. Believe me, it was a well thought out decision that I made. Kailee and I don't even share the same last name! So the next time anyone has a fucking problem about me not being a mommy blogger just because I'm a mom (Captain Fucking Obvious), please think before you judge. You don't even know what the fuck my intentions are. You don't even know the extra precautions I take for my families safety. The only thing I ask from you is to acknowledge that I love my family as much as you love yours.

The Mommy Blogger Camp - a growing epidemic of moms who have yet to find their parenting identity

I've been asked by several moms why, why, why don't I talk about being a parent. Well first of all, my occupation right now is being a mom. I worked outside the home not too long ago. Even then I didn't mention my job or my co-workers on my blog. Frankly, that is the last thing on my mind when I get home. And if you're smart and want to keep your job, it's probably the last thing you would ever want to mention on your blog. Some people won't understand that being a stay-at-home parent is a job. And that's totally fine with me.

People don't realize how young Leo and I really are - or understand that the age difference/generation matters when comparing us to other parents - say over 35. We are probably the coolest parents by far in this fucking suburban neighborhood. I can guarantee that. I can't even begin to compare the coolest gadgets and clothes she gets to wear that most kids can't have. Her bedroom is larger than ours! We don't blog about how proud we are, or gloat about the coolest most amazing thing she did today. We just shower her with love and affection, praise her for her efforts, buy her cool crap and even have her grandparents visit her on special days.

Recent changes on MTTP

If you noticed, my lovely friend Erin mentions "stalkers" quiet frequently on the comment box. Why? Because it's been issue in the past.

For example, a recent incident happened last month. A guy from San Diego did a Google search on me after he noticed I was no longer taking my lunch break where he worked. Not knowing I moved to the Bay Area, he found me online. Typically when people ring you up on the register, they need to verify your credit card with a corresponding ID. Somehow I think that's how he knew my name and how he was able to track me down. He e-mailed me, asked me if I remembered him, and that he allegedly stumbled upon my blog after recognizing my face on the profile. If you noticed, I took down my photo, my e-mail address, mybloglog.com profile on the right column AND even added Leo as a guest blogger.

Unlike her, I've blocked several IP addresses in the past year who inappropriately comment on the photos. Haven't you noticed that it's never the same person who comments unless they're my friends or online friends? There's an absolutely perfect reason for that. And never before had I ever or ever wanted to mention what really happens here on MTTP. Honestly, I want to make new friends who laugh at my jokes or give me actual feedback. It's harder for me to be discreet about these things when people judge me for what I do or don't write. Plain ignorance is what it's called. And I hope in some way or form this has enlightened any of you to think twice about blogger's like me.

Monthly self-portrait: "New webcam"

If you saw how horrible the previous webcam's video quality turned out, then you know exactly why we got a new one. And plus, Leo's working and travelling across the country from city to city and I figured it would be super rad if Kailee and I could send our love with videos. It sure beats talking on the phone. And since I've been toying around with the webcam lately, I figured I'd give it a go with YouTube. Afterall, this is the next generation in blogging... or should I say "vlogging." Because OMG, typing with your fingers is so last season. (*In my very best Chris Crocker impersonation*)

NFL Week 2: Our team didn't show up for the game

If any of you got the chance to watch the Chargers vs. Patriots game last night, you probably experienced the biggest upset loss for the Chargers in the past few seasons. What the hell were they doing? Where the hell were they? Because the team I saw on the field last night was way out of character. Rivers fumbled the ball once, was sacked a couple of times, intercepted the fucking ball twice, and makes the worst fucking call on the 3rd and 1 to pass the fucking ball when you have the best backs in the league. Hand the ball to Turner or Neal. If you want extra yardage, give it to LT. It's not fucking rocket science. Despite the many errors he's made because it's easier to bash the QB for not executing fast enough, the offensive line was horrible. No protection and time for Rivers at all! Okay, if Bill Belichick can't use cameras and mics to cheat his way into victory, there's gotta be something else illegal he's using, like spiking our player's water or putting fleas in their jock straps. I don't know. All I know is that they were way out of element. It was almost like replay from the Ryan Leaf days. God help us.

LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!

To better argue my point about a previous post, here's a video of what I would look and sound like if this were a video blog. LOL.

COO-GLE!

Hey folks. My sis, Leo, and I are at the infamous GooglePlex (Leo's work). Just wanted to type this up so you can bask in the glory with me.

It's 11:42.

Goodnight!

Lies, all lies

And no, I'm not talking about the reccent allegations of the New England Patriots violating league rules (which has been the hottest topic in recent sports news, and because the that whole Britney Spears is a joke thing is so last week. I will probably get into it later once I'm in full fledged football mode).

So I've lived in the Bay Area for about a month and a half now and honestly, I really like it up here. Before our initial move, a lot of our friends and family had told us that it's not a huge leap from San Diego, because afterall, you're still in California. I've never heard so much crock of shit in my life. I understand that friends and family are suppose to be supportive about these kinds of things so it's normal that they lie or even exaggerate a little. And not because they know any better. But because it would save us from blowing our fucking brains out. Here's a list of comments Southern California folks say that I can dispute about the Bay Area:

"The weather is much colder up there." = BULLSHIT

"Traffic is worse." = EXAGGERATION

"The beaches suck - you can't surf anywhere." = BULLSHIT

"You will start to say "hella" hella a lot." = BULLSHIT

"You'll probably convert to a 49er fan within a year or two." = BULLSHIT, THAT'S BLASPHEMY

"The kind of lifestyle of work is fast paced like Los Angeles. Bigger cities tend to make you work your ass off." = BULLSHIT

Those are just a few examples of the bullshit I was fed with a teaspoon. I could probably list a spoonful more, but it's early and I'm "hella" tired. LOL.

My Folks

My folks will be visiting the Bay Area tomorrow with my Aunt from Japan. It's Kailee's 6th birthday this weekend so it will be a special treat for her. I'm really excited because this would be the first time family ever came to visit us at our new place. Yay!

We might need to drop by Target and pick up an air mattress because the last time we bought one for our house guest, Erin and his chick "friend" broke it when they spent the night. Haha. True story. What were they possibly doing to our air mattress that would cause it to break? Perhaps they were clipping each other's toe nails and accidently punctured a hole with the clippers. Yeah, that's it.

In defense of something very insignificant although blogworthy since everyone and their mother's and mother's cousins are talking about it

I don't really care about this. But here's my quick opinion about Britney Spears' VMA Performance 2007 which was supposedly a total bust.

I do not know any other mother who has two kids and still can look that good. And even have the audacity to do what she did in front of everyone after being scrutinized by the media in ten-fold. She has the biggest balls I know as an entertainer who's career and personal life has been under the microscope. Sure she can't dance like she use to, sure she can't sing for shit, sure she's not the perfect traditional mother everyone expects her to be. So tell me, is this right? And for the mother's who talk down on her about her parenting skills, you guys can go to hell. You don't know her. The media emphasizes on bad news and never the good. How else do stories sell? You morons.

New Roommate

I have a roommate on this blog. His name is Leo. After several months of no updates on his blog, he decided it was time for his blog to go kaput. Which works out well, since his friends and our family know this web address, we can keep them informed about our lives up here instead of individually e-mailing everyone who ask how we're doing.

I have so much to blog about and so many photos to post. I wish I can find the will to write but so much change has occured in the past few weeks. Besides, my favorite season has arrived. No, not fall. Football season! We actually have something to look forward to during the week! And I would really like to talk football on my blog as weeks roll out. Yay!

Go Chargers!

NFL WEEK 1

San Diego Chargers clobbers Chicago Bears...barely. Final Score: 14-3

Not only does LT slices and dices. He throws too. Watch out for that one. Oh. Too late.

By popular demand..

Hi guys,

Sorry for the lack of updates! There's still just so much to do around the house, getting Kailee started with school and all that jazz. I'll demand that my better half update her blog sooner rather than later to appease the masses. We took a lot of pictures this weekend, so maybe I can also twist her arm and get her to post something.

Leo