Thriller!

I just had to share this video with you. I was a huge MJ fan back in high school, back when he was still ebony and not ivory. I ran across this video (don't ask me how) and just about died laughing! The performers are real inmates in a Philippines prison. This is what I call rehabilitation!

I grabbed this video off of YouTube and posted it back onto YouTube but under my account. Now why would I do that? YouTube freely allows you to embed other people's videos onto your website. But the problem with that is that the video displays all the pages that are linking up to it. So if it's a popular video with a million visitors, those million people may see your link and visit your page. Some people might like that but I don't want the extra traffic.

YouTube to my computer
So how did I get the video off of YouTube? I found this awesome website called vixy.net. If you go there, you can just enter the URL of the video you want, then select how you want the file converted (mp4, mov, avi, 3gp), and voila. It will convert the video and then download to your computer. The above 5 minute video took about 5 minutes total for me to download my own personal copy. Real fast. Real easy. No software needed. No account to register. I wish everything was this simple.

I'm a blogger and a poet, betchu didn't know it

We hosted dinner recently. It was taco night – a crowd favorite. During dinner I spilled some beans (har har) to the unsuspecting audience. And being the classy guy that I am :) I delivered it in poetry form. Today as a treat to all my readers, I'll share it with you.

Greetings to you all, gathered here today
A few choice friends, mahjong is what we play
I'm so blessed, surrounded by people we love
A strong familiar scent I sense floating above.

I have some good news, of great magnitude
Please cover your mouths, so you don't spit out your food
As we're jammed at the table, kids eating off the floor
I often wondered if we could fit just one more.

So let me say without any further ado
We're excited that there will be somebody new
Someone that'll cry, but also sing and play
We expect this someone Martin Luther King Day.

Yes January's the month that this baby is due
So what will it be, will it be pink or will it be blue?
A girl would be nice and a boy can't be wrong
But one thing for sure, it won't be a Fong.

If you still need a clue, it's Mary and Ted
There had to be a reason why they finally got wed
Their love is perfect, a match made in heaven
This is their first child, on the way to seven.

Mary and Ted, my heartfelt congrats to you
We've so longed for you to walk in our shoes
Being a parent, you can't help but smile
I trust your child will exceed 50 percentile.

So as you dress your tacos with green and white goop
Come January you'll be faced with sticky black poop
So eat up today, while you're still without a child
Because come next year, you'll be filming Babies Gone Wild.

40

Yep. I woke up this morning and it definitely felt like 40. No lie. I felt much better yesterday morning. Thanks to my well-wishers for reminding me that my downhill spiral starts today.

My mind is already going because I can't think of anything to blog about. I have to resort to telling a joke. Sorry.

Sleeping Beauty, Tom Thumb, and Quasimodo were all talking one day.
Sleeping Beauty said, "I believe myself to be the most beautiful girl in the world."
Tom Thumb said, "I must be the smallest person in the world."
Quasimodo said, "I absolutely have to be the most tacky, rude, crude, gross disgusting person in the world."
So they all decided to go to the Guinness Book of World Records to have their claims verified.
Sleeping Beauty went in first and came out looking deliriously happy. "It's official; I AM the most beautiful girl in the world."
Tom Thumb went next and emerged triumphant,"I am now officially the smallest person in the world."
Sometime later, Quasimodo comes out looking utterly confused and says, "Who the heck is Rosie O'Donnell?"

May I have your autograph?

Many of you don't know that Mrs. Owen Lee was prominently featured in an indie film in 2005. (The link is on the sidebar with the rest of my friends' websites.) The film was highly rated and won several awards. Up until recently, the only place to see it was at a film festival or special screening. But now it has finally been released on DVD.

This week I was able to watch it for the first time thanks to a surprise package from the star herself. The documentary interviews many people, but mainly focuses on the lives of six women that share the same name. Three are Chinese and three are Korean. And the ages range from a teen to an 88-year old. Their stories are unique and moving, but some are also very stereotypical. I especially liked how it combined the stories of the two "active committed Christian" women which allowed each of them to share an evangelical message. Very cool. Mrs. Lee, you've done us proud!

Below is a 2-minute clip of the film. If you've noticed, I purposely make no mention of the film's name both on this blog and the YouTube clip. Even with Mrs. Lee's permission, there are copyright issues, so it's best that these items remain unsearchable and shared just among us friends. But for now, enjoy the teaser. It will no doubt leave you wanting to see more. If you want to see the rest, contact me. You can also view the official trailer at gracelee.net.

Neighbor's house still for sale

I need to repost this because it's been over 2 months and my neighbor's house is still unsold. Maybe it's the high price tag, or maybe it's my kids riding their bikes in their driveway and screaming during open house, who knows? We're just praying for some normal, non-crappy people to move in. Again I must mention that the house is huge, 3400 sq. ft. It has a big bonus room for that pool table you (and I) always dreamed of. So for those of you looking for an upgrade for your growing family, look no further. Yes, it's a bit expensive and property tax will be killer, but think of how much money you'll save living next to someone like me. I'll totally change your lifestyle as we go craigslist shopping together. And there are so many other perks to mention, but I'll narrow it down to 10:

1. Carpool - ...to school, church, parties, San Jose, etc. With the cost of gas going up and up, no better way to save money (and sanity) than to let someone else transport your kids. We have a minivan. You should too.
   
2. Babysitting - Go ahead, send your kids over when they start driving you nuts (of course we'll do the same).
3. Petsitting - Our boys love dogs. Take off for a day and they'll play with (terrorize) your dog. Your dog will probably get fat too because we'll frequently throw food scraps over the fence.
   
4. What's that smell? Yep, that's my BBQ. My smoke will always blow right into your yard.
5. Safe Haven - Are you in the doghouse with your spouse? Come on over, we have an extra bed. I'd be happy to talk about your problems, then we can play boxing on the Wii where you can really vent.
6. 24 hr. monitoring - My mom is home at all times. If your alarm is going off, she'll call you to complain that it's disturbing her tv shows.
7. Zit bombs - My mom often makes gin duis (sesame balls), eggrolls and other deep fried greasy delicacies. She always makes too much. Come over for leftovers.
   
8. Free lemons and kumquats - You want them? We got them. If you like loquats too, I can steal them from my other neighbor.
   
9. Mahjong anyone?
10. Free internet - Yes, you can leach off my wifi no problemo. But if you start feeling guilty, feel free to subscribe yourself, then I can leach off yours!

Dusting off the old bones

On Saturday we dug out the old volleyball net and unearthed the few remaining volleyball players still alive in our area for a nice reunion. It's been over 2 years since we last played.

Back in the Spring of 2005 we played in the Hayward league with the Cheungs, Lims, Winford, Dave and Mr. Chan. And that was our first time playing since 2001 when we were still in San Leandro. We started out the season 1-8, but finally found our groove and won the next 15 games to be 16-8. We went into the playoffs and the finals, coming out in 2nd place overall. Not bad.

But to go back EVEN FURTHER, I would like to tell you about the significance of volleyball in our lives. If you look at most of the people in the photo: Chad, Dean, Libby, Oliver and myself. We ALL met our spouses while playing volleyball. Yes, collectively we all give new meaning to the name, "Pick-up sport." Volleyball is like the bar scene for Christians. My favorite pick-up line was, "Hello, will you bump with me?"

So back to Saturday, we were able to get some doubles, 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 action with our ragtag bunch. Too bad Winford had to work (he's a paremedic). If not, he could've driven his ambulance over and then we could've invited Dave (Robo-leg) Fong too! Anywho, I think we played surprisingly well considering the time off and rusty joints. We had some really good rallies going, even up against the pros (my inlaws), as we dug, dove and crashed the net. Hmmm, we might need to play more often.

Afterwards, we all had a nice BBQ dinner (even for the non-players) and of course, Mario Party on the Wii continues to be a big hit at our house.



After we kicked the kids off, us adults had some serious tennis and bowling competitions going too. You could really tell who the avid bowlers were, as Oli and I bowled while laying on the couch. Great fun! Everyone needs to own a Wii. Although Sunday I was REALLY sore.

God Bless America

Colby's been singing a new song that he's learned from school, God Bless America. Growing up I never learned the words to this song. And thanks to Colby, I still don't know the words to this song! Oh well, I applaud him for enthusiasm and effort. Enjoying the music is Justine, who is 9 months today.

Just found this freebie:
Free Car and Driver Subscription

Capturing the Moment

This past Saturday we attended Hailey's 3rd birthday party. Unlike other kids' birthday parties, there was no junk food (except cake), just lots and lots of meat. Short ribs, steaks, sausage, and plenty of it. So much in fact, we had to invite ourselves over for dinner to help them eat the rest! And I heard a rumor that there's more uncooked leftovers to eat again this weekend! Woohoo!

As with any party, all the parents come equipped with cameras to capture the occasion. I'm no different. Thanks to my job, I have access to a digital SLR, a miniDV camcorder, and 3 point and shoot cameras. In the past I used to bring at least 2 of the cameras for maximum flexibility. But with all the kid and baby gear we now have to pack, I'm always looking for ways to downsize on the equipment.

The camcorder is great for video, but absolutely horrible for still pics. I have a pocket point and shoot camera which can record video, but you can't zoom and it's mono. The SLR is great for photos (especially fast motion), but no video, and it's HUGE to lug around.

Recently I discovered the perfect compromise to an all-in-one solution. The Canon Powershot S2IS. A 5 megapixel point and shoot with an incredible 12x optical zoom lense. My new best friend.

The S2IS is larger than typical cameras, but smaller than most camcorders. It shoots video at 640x480, 30 frames per sec, which is standard television resolution. And unlike other cameras, the large 12x zoom is actually operable while shooting video. (Smaller cameras disable the zoom during video because of motor noise.) Also, with its separate buttons for video and photos, you can both shoot and film simultaneously at any time. In video mode you can take a full 5mpix photo and vice versa. All the photos shown here were taken while I was filming. In the video you'll hear the retro shutter sound and display a momentary still. Really cool!

Of course nothing is perfect. Video can take up tons of space quick. Unlike a MiniDV tape holding 90 minutes of video, the size of your memory card will dictate space. A 2gb SD card ($22) will hold 12 minutes of video at 640x480 or 48 minutes at 320x240 (perfect for YouTube). So I would say recording a concert is not its best use. But following your kids snapping and recording the funky stuff they do – it's downright perfect. Most of my video clips rarely exceed one minute. It's just to capture the essence/goofiness of the moment. And besides, people's attention span is short so it's nice to keep the clips short anyway. Once all the clips are downloaded, I easily assemble them in iMovie (sorry, PC users), editing out all the boring parts, and output to a Quicktime movie which I can either upload to YouTube or burn on a DVD. Yes, the quality is that good.

The S2IS has been replaced by the S3IS which is 6 megapixel. Click on the highlighted links for specs and review. The S3IS sells for about $300, but you can find a S2IS used on ebay for about $150-$200. It's a bit chunkier than your typical pocket camera, but I guarantee you'll LOVE the 12x zoom! Hey, good excuse to buy a new bigger purse ;) Shooting video is very addictive. You'll especially love it at amusement parks where it's hard to get a good pic of your kids on the rides. And unlike a camcorder, getting the videos to your PC is super easy as it downloads the same way the photos do. Give it a try and send me links to your latest vids. Just remember to get a large memory card.

Free Squishee Today

Every year I look forward to today, July 11. Because today only, 7-11 stores are giving away a free 7.11-oz. Squishee sample to all customers. Slurpees have been renamed Squishee during 7-11's Simpsons Movie promotion.

The Phang 5

On Sunday we celebrated July 4th early with our traditional BBQ dinner (I'm still eating leftovers as I type). Our special guests were the Phangs, along with their entourage of Chan's and Kwok's. We only get to see the entire Phang family once a year. Last year we all gathered at Jimmy's to celebrate my birthday. We always have a great time.

The 4 boys were in heaven, as they played the Wii all night! Look at the picture, they're still holding the wiimote! Too bad it was a school night and all the moms were scooting the kids to bed. Sheesh, it's only 10:30! But right now I can only think of poor Jared as he's probably going through major video game withdrawals back in Singapore. Sorry Jared, no more Mario Party for you! You'll have to play "real" games like soccer and tennis, and get all sweaty and dirty. Or even worse, play with your sisters!! Yeah I know, it sucks. Your parents should've had another boy... But look on the bright side, you get your own room, right? Cheer up buddy. We'll see you next year.