Interests:Lookin' for friends to have a good time. Sense of Humor. Knows a good joke. Check in ego at the door. Open mind. Traveling partner. Not afraid to be embarassed. Old School Pals. New School Buddies. Basketball Game Companion. A's fans. Christians. Non Christians. Fresno You know. All about You. Expertise:Wannabe surfer, Insistent Entrepreneur, Money Maker, Famous Sports Marketer, Dancing Machine, Bartender, Taiwan Pride, Forever Christian, World Traveler, Hawaiian Dreamin', Down to Earth, Prankster, Jokes, Laugher, Imagination, Music Lover, Only Son, Older Brother, Momma's Boy, Student, Sports fanatic, Baseball Fan, Hopeful Romantic, Movie goer, Average baller, Buffet Eater, Toyota Driver, Beach Bum, Shop-a-holic, Athlete, Kareoke king, your Friend. Occupation:Executive Industry:Hospitality
For many, school's started. For both my teacher friends and for those youth in Jr. High, HS, and for College people (depending on Semester or Quarter) should begin soon as well.
As for you career folk. Well, sorry, I guess there wasn't ever an end. That's one thing I wont miss when I'm back in school. Mundane-ness and repetition of the career.
10 things from Summer 2008. (Chornological Order, Not by Importance)
1) Weddings 'till you turn blue in the face. Congratulations to everyone! (Anita, Elisa, Frank & Beverly, Leonard & Streis, Peter & Ali, Lolo & Tania, Charles & Steph, Ra, Kim & Joe) 2) Cambodia Missionswas amazing. I want to go back. 3)Finding love in surprising places, but enjoying every single minute of it. 4)The Dark Knight. 'Nuff Said people. 5)John Mayer Concert, the man is a guitaring beast. 6)Beijing Olympics, I doubt I'll follow them this closely ever again. (And does anyone else feel like all they caught was a butt load of Gymnastics, Swimming and Usain Bolt everywhere? I didn't try very hard to find Tennis, USA Basketball or other sports on tv. Sorry to anyone that I told the Closing Ceremonieswould be better than the Opening. Forgive me, cuz it wasn't.) 7) God has a funny way of providing for me when I need it the most. 8) Being a speaker at a Youth Retreat helped me remember the joys of
working with young people and the raw faith and passion that we all
seemed to used to have. 9) Moving out to a new home in Fremont. Stoked to live with friends from Church. 10) One last trip down to LA before Academy of Art Commences.
2009. I think I've found my next car. Been saving now and I think I've seen the light.
Here's a good look
at the next-generation Toyota Prius. The inside word from Japan is that
the '09 version of the landmark hybrid will deliver both better fuel
economy and more power.Engine size increases to 1.8 liters. New
batteries and refinements to the Hybrid Synergy drive — maybe even a
solar panel on the roof and eventually plug-in capability — could up
city economy to 80 mpg. It may not look it, but the body will be
all-new, growing 1 in. wider, but getting 1 in. shorter in overall
length.
Still, the third generation Prius will be a
little bigger, faster and 10 - 20 percent more fuel
efficient than the second generation Prius. And could mean a body 3 to 4 inches
longer and an inch wider.
The new Prius will move from a 1.5-liter inline 4
to a 1.8 inline 4 engine that adds 25 extra horsepower for
a total of 100 hp. Combined with a new, advanced electric
motor that new Prius will offer as much as 160 hp compared
to today's 110 hp.
In 2 days, the Summer Olympics in Beijing begin. I remember when they first made the announcement about the games going to China, my parents had a number of things to lecture me about. 1) "See, Alvin, China is really coming up now. Aren't you glad you are Chinese? 2) "China, is clearly a superpower, and you should take full fledged advantages of your heritage." 3) "You should brush up on your Mandarin, and go to Beijing and sell Haggen-Dazs Ice cream, you'd make a killing. That's what Sean is doing." 4) "You should definitely consider going to China and doing business." (A more direct way of saying #2)
P.S. How many of you guys have friends who are there to watch the games?
I have a few, and aside from the envy of watching USA Basketball, I really don't care about the other sports... sure synchronized men's swimming is pretty cool... I don't envy anyone going to the games. I think its going to be chaotic, nasty hot, dirty, congested and not all that enjoyable.
He argues, that since the fall of the Soviet Union, the games lacked that "US" vs. "Them" competition, there wasn't as much controversy and debate. With China, we definitely get that again.
An excerpt:
"And here is where Beijing comes in.
The four other
finalists for the 2008 Olympics were Paris; Toronto; Osaka, Japan; and
Istanbul, Turkey; each is a fine, attractive city, and all are most
certainly less controversial than Beijing. We would not see "Free
Saskatchewan" protests leading up to Toronto. But that's precisely the
point: Whether it was the IOC's intention or not, due to all the
surrounding sagas, Beijing has made the Olympics interesting again.
Don't
misunderstand. This is not at all to say China is the new Soviet Union.
But the controversies over Tibet and Darfur, the concern over free
speech, pollution and working conditions, along with the tragic Sichuan
earthquake (imagine the nonstop media coverage and finger-pointing if
an earthquake killed more than 70,000 in the U.S.), put China in the
sort of spotlight normally reserved for Angelina Jolie's baby bump.
China not only rekindled interest in the Olympics, it even made people
care about the Olympic torch relay for the first time. Truly, an
Olympian achievement."
One of my favorite sports journalist personalities wrote a great pieceon his sentiments on how athletes, in today's modern era, seem void of opinion when it comes to matters greater than themselves. Whether its issues over war, peace, poverty, disaster, politics, the environment, perhaps its because they are far too comfortable in their own worlds, their million dollar contracts have changed them but American athletes simply have "no comment".
"...to participate in the Beijing Games, athletes are now required to sign
waivers promising that they won't engage in any kind of protest or
demonstration at Olympic venues. It's ironic at the very least. Not to
mention pathetic, weak and un-American. That's right, I said it!" -Stephen A. Smith
They may argue that as an athlete its not their place, to make statements, I think its exactly their duty to stand up and be a voice that the world will listen to, their blessed talents scream for attention and its a just question of what you will do with that crazy attention that can define you, and an entire generation.
(Did you know one of these guys went to San Jose State? 1968 Olympics in Mexico they stood up for the Civil Rights movement and for greater strides for Black rights. The Black Glove on the Right hand stood for Black Power. The left handed Glove for Black Unity. The man took off his shoes to symbolize the poverty of Black America, where they made up 19% of the populace but made up 29% of the poorest in the U.S.)
(1960 Rome Olympics, Cassius Clay wins the Gold Medal in the Light-Heavyweight competition, when asked about his stance on America and the Civil Rights movement, Clay defends the U.S. but upon returning home to Kentucky and being denied resturaunt service at a "Whites only" establishment and getting into a fight with a White Gang, Clay throws his Gold medal into the Ohio River.)
(1961, Roberto Clemente, one of the greatest players of all time that lead his 1960 Pirates team to the World title, finishes 8th in MVP balloting. His white teammate Dick Groat, wins the award and Clemente refused to ever wear his World Series Ring)
(1985 Arthur Ashe, one of the world's Tennis Greats, befriended South African "Terrorist" Nelson Mandela in his struggle against Apartheid and was arrested while protesting in Washington. Was arrested in 1992 for protesting the treatment of Haitian refugees.)
(2003 Steve Nash of then the Dallas Mavericks wore a T-shirt to the NBA All-Star
Media Day that said: "No War: Shoot for Peace." The backlash was
immediate, with one commentator writing that he should "shut up and
play.")
(2007 LeBron James would not sign a letter written by a teammate, Ira Newble,
criticizing China for its Darfur policy, according to news reports.
James said at the time that he needed more information. He has a $90 million
endorsement contract with Nike. In 2008, James decided to finally speak up on the Darfur Genocide) A few weeks back I went to the John Mayer Concert at Shoreline Amphitheater. Great show. Great Company. But one thing that kept sticking in my mind as I waited outside the gates was the ungainly sight of this guy: What a !#($)&%! moron. He and this other guy stood outside the lines just yelling, pointing, and at times screaming about people who are sinners destined to burn in hell, Christian God fearing loving people wouldn't go to a concert like this. If he had any realization, this is probably about as tame a concert going crowd as there is, other than a Miley Cyrus concert or Teletubbies Performance. If there was any person to resort to violence with, I'd take it out on idiots like this guy who defame Christianity and fuel the world's hatred for Christians and ruin it for the rest of us.
Ironically I think he pointed at me saying "You go in there, and your going to hell". Right.
In the history of these guys who frequent concerts, events, and college campuses 2 things are certain: 1)These losers have WAY TOO MUCH time on their hands, literally. and 2) The only converts they've brought forth has been themselves. Rihanna's "Take a Bow" might be the most annoying song of the summer. Anyone else notice the nasal-y sound of when she says the word "PLEASE!"
That's pretty much how much I spent on gas at the pump this week filling up my tank.
If I drove a blinging SUV I guess at least I'd look cooler while burning all my money but my 17+ Gallon Toyota Camry tank does plenty damage already. I'm like on the verge of riding a bike. Everywhere.
Reading a news article from GQ this month on PEAK OIL. Very interesting read.
WORLD WITHOUT OIL, AMEN
Think $4 for a gallon of gas is screwing with your summer? Wait until you hear about something called peak oil.
According to a growing number of experts—and we’re not just talking
about conspiracy wackos here—we’re on the brink of an economic crisis
that could lead to, well, the end of life as we know it. Benjamin
Kunkel investigates just how scary things are about to become...
-Of course, neither Shell nor any of the other oil companies (which these days prefer to be called energy companies)
are going to come right out and tell you what Hofmeister probably
already knows: that you’re likely to look back on $3-a-gallon gas as
the end of a golden age.
-Häagen-Dazs vanilla retails for $28.72 a gallon, Starbucks House Blend
for $18, Evian for $7.16, and milk for $3.49, while a gallon of Shell
regular costs—or did then—only $3.08. The first thought inspired by this
list was that even now gasoline is a bargain and nobody should
complain. A second and less happy thought was to wonder what would
happen to the cost of the ice cream and beverages listed if the oil
burned by the trucks and planes used to transport them were to multiply
in price?
-In simplest terms,
peak oil refers to the moment when global oil output reaches a maximum
rate—measured in millions of barrels per day or billions of barrels per
year—and then goes into decline. The main questions surrounding peak-oil theory concern exactly when we
will reach Hubbert’s peak and what happens when we do. Hubbert himself,
who died in 1989, predicted in the early ’70s that the peak of global
production would arrive by 2000. While this prediction was obviously incorrect, if
it landed within the ballpark of the truth, as a number of researchers
contend, we could be in for some trouble.
Lastly, check out this Story... Jesus in China Thankful this week for:
My Sister is back from China. (She was there during the Earthquake) 21 Days of Morning Prayer. Special Someones. Short films of Redeeming Value to draw inspiration from. WIDEAWAKE
a temporary disruption of the body's normal biological rhythms after high-speed air travel through several time zones.
Also, jetlag. [Origin: 1965–70]
I was so starved from boredom that my friend Rich and I killed 4 hours at Borders perusing and spent a good portion of the time debating and reading two books:
Asian Girls: 95% of white males have at one point in their lives, experienced yellow fever.
Many factors have contributed to this phenomenon such as guilt from
head taxes, internment camps, dropping the Nuclear bomb and the Viet
Nam War . This exchange works both ways as asian girls have a tendency
to go for white guys. (White girls never go for asian guys. Bruce Lee
and Paul Kariya’s dad are the only recorded instances in modern
history). Asian girls often to do this to get back at their strict
traditional fathers. There is also the option of dating black guys, but
they know deep down that this would give their non-english speaking
grandmother(s) a heart attack.... READ MORE HERE -----> ASIAN GIRLS.
- Does Batman always do right? The Dark Knight's virtuous hatred -Should Bruce Wayne have become Batman and could he have become the Joker? -Alfred: The Dark Knight of Faith and Kierkegaard -The Wild Card: Can we hold the Clown morally responsible? -What would Batman do? Is Batman/Bruce Wayne a Moral Exemplar? -Why Batman is better than Superman -Leaving the Shadow of the Bat: Aristotle, Kant, and Dick Grayson on Moral Education.
68% on R.Tomatoes is misleading... they must have meant. 0.68%.
And check out my cousin's HOT fashion Social Site... its really picking up steam... hundreds of thousands of viewers daily from around the world. LOOKBOOK.NU
Say a Prayer for my Friend Jen. She may have Malaria. o_0 I really hope she don't.
I have decided to blog again. Now I just have to figure out what it is I'm meaning to say.
I'm going to Film School, I think... (o_0) Off to Cambodia 6.20~6.30 Hong Kong 6.30~7.3 Looking for work. Watched Music and Lyrics, what a great movie. Did i just say that? Speaking on "Mercy for the Poor" July 6th, GrX Fremont I have too many "wants" and not enough ---> ($_$) I'm filming lots of Shorts, Commercials, Weddings, and random Foto shoots...
Facebook me. To see more fotos. (Thanks to the Fitzgeralds for being such great models)
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