A Manger is His Throne

As keeping with tradition, here's the CIBC Children's Choir Christmas performance.

Happy New Year everyone.

Welcome to iOS

Thanks to Bank of the West and Christmas gift giving, many of you received either an iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad. For many of you, this will be your first Apple product ever! Congratulations! You are about to enter the Apple ecosystem known as iOS. So get ready, as your life is about to change dramatically for the better. And for those of you who opted for an Android or a Best Buy $299 peecee craptop, good for you too, because you truly got what you deserved.

Free Apps
The biggest appeal being on iOS is the iTunes App Store. There are over 300,000 apps available, both paid and free. Many of the free apps are trial versions that have limited functionality or perhaps just the first few levels of a game. The apps you really want are the full version apps, but for free. Most full version paid apps are only offered free for a very limited time. The best website to find out what paid apps are free daily is freeappalert.com. Bookmark it and check everyday, or subscribe to the RSS feed.

Best Stuff
Engadget recently had an useful article "Just got an iPhone?" It's a brief summary of what's available for the iOS products. Another place I like to go for research is iLounge.com where you can research how-to's or sign up as a member to post questions where tons of knowledgeable people can answer. The apps I personally use the most are iBART (BART schedules), WhatsApp (instant messaging via wifi), and Tango (Facetime/phone over wifi and 3G). And of course, Navigon MyRegion for the iPhone or iPad 3G.

Accessories
If you go to the Apple Store or visit the kiosks inside the mall, you'll find that cases and screen protectors will cost upward of $15 and $7 respectively. If you go on ebay you'll find cases and 3-pack screen protectors starting at 99¢. These products are shipped from China so you can take comfort that you're keeping some 11-yo girl employed at the sweat shop. It will also take two weeks to arrive. If you need it sooner, select a US seller, pay an extra dollar or two, and you should receive in three days. So shop the kiosk and touch and feel the one you like. Then come home and find the exact item on ebay for 1/10th the price. Same applies to chargers and cables. Get a few to leave at the office, car, and each computer.

Jailbreak
Jailbreaking will allow you to customize the icons, background and broadcasting (tethering) your 3G signal. It will also allow you to unlock your iPhone for use on T-Mobile. And it will allow you to install unauthorized and pirated apps. So unless you're on T-Mobile or tethering your unlimited data plan for your iPad to piggyback on, I would not recommend jailbreaking. With the latest 4.2 iOS, some of the jailbreak-only features (background, folders, etc) are already included. If you really want to jailbreak, contact me offline, as there are many different procedures for the many different configurations. iPhone Hacks is one of the sites I subscribe to for jailbreaking instructions. For Mac users, iClarified has some great tutorials. If you want to try, here it is: Instructions for jailbreaking iPod Touch 4g

Halo Effect
Back during the days of the iPhone infancy, many industry pundits spoke of the Apple Halo Effect. It states that non-Mac users with first time Apple experience are causing them to purchase a Mac for the first time also. They realize Apple products just work, and work well – a far departure from the peecee environment. For the last five years, Macs have outpaced the entire computer market in terms of sales growth. So obviously many many people are making the smarter choice to switch. My question to you is: Will you see the light and switch too?

Merry Christmas from Bank of the West

Yesterday, along with many of my faithful and happy readers, I received my free iPod Touch from Bank of the West – just in time for Christmas!

I blogged about this in July and many of you jumped on it immediately. To you, you are welcome! You know a great find when you see it and your sense of urgency is to be commended. To the others who ignored my warning that they might pull the promo early only to find out that that's exactly what happened… well sorry, but I TOLD YOU SO!  You know, I can only lead a horse to water… Bottom line, this is a great freebie that required very little effort.

I also predicted at the time that we would receive the then-not-yet-announced 4th generation iPod Touch with dual cameras ($229 value) rather than the 3rd generation ($199). And again I was right! (Well, maybe I was half-right). Last week, people around the web forums were complaining about receiving the older model, including one friend in Alameda. But the latest batch of iPods delivered yesterday were all reported to be the latest 4th generation! Woohoo! Yep, good things do come to those who wait!

Rumor is that the people who both set up direct deposit and used the card for 20 debit transactions were rewarded with the newer model for being potential excellent customers. But who really knows? Maybe it just comes down to us being special and them being not. Who said life was fair?

So far, online banking at Bank of the West is pretty straightforward. I have yet to walk into a branch office because I don't need to. I can cancel my direct deposit, stop doing direct deposit and bill pay, and it still will not incur any fees. The checking account is really free! My only gripe is that there is a $3 fee to wire money out to another bank. Other than that, I may keep this account for awhile, or until the next great promotion :)

Merry Christmas to all of you.




Photo credit: Bryan's FB

Lumber for Slumber, Part 3

Over the weekend many of you inquired about the status of my loft bed. Well it's been completed since Thanksgiving, but the room was a total wreck and I was too lazy to clean it up for the photos. Plus it took me longer than expected to install the handrail. So here it is (and please excuse the mess).

Building the stairs took quite a bit of research and planning in determining the length and amount of steps. They needed to be strong enough and wide enough to support adults in case my mom needs to get up there to administer first aid – that's why a ladder would not have worked. The angles could get quite complicated if you wanted a proper descent, but seeing that I don't have the space for a long stairwell, I just stuck to a simple 45 degree cuts. Cutting the stair stringers were surprisingly easy once you get the hang of it. A portable sliding compound miter saw was all that I needed to go through the 2x12 beams (Thanks Larry!). Without that saw, it can get quite tricky. In fact, I could have built 90% of the entire loft with just that one saw! Other tools I used was a table saw and a router. The tools that could have made my life easier were an impact driver, a jig saw, and a dado blade insert for my table saw – all on my future wish list.

Whoops, excuse me, I didn't mean to disturb you two... Fact: The loft bed they built for their daughter was the inspiration for me to attempt this project. I figure if they could do it, I can do it too. Plus I wanted all of their leftover lumber :) The carpet remnant is leftover from my office when I installed the laminate flooring.

Hey, no girls allowed! Now you know what moms really do when us men are at work.

Grace is thinking: "Wow, had Myron built us one of these love-nest hideaways, I can totally see ourselves with nine kids!"

Being seven feet up, adult supervision is paramount when young children are up here. As you can see, Snow White and the dolls were all jumping overboard under the watchful eyes of this responsible family.

After the busting Patty and Glenn up there alone as well as the Snow White incident, I had to install a gate and impose some basic house rules.

The view from above. I originally was planning to build a floor-to-ceiling bookcase, but instead I found a used Ikea Pax wardrobe at a garage sale around the corner. I also raised Colby's bed 4 inches so that I could squeeze his dresser under the bed to save space. Now I can't wait until the boys move out so I can convert this loft into my man-cave. A wall-mounted tv and a mini fridge is all I need!

On Black Friday Home Depot had 50-ct LED Christmas lights for $1.98 – I should have bought more!

Now whenever anyone comes over, they always want to check out the loft! During the cold weather, it's especially quite cozy and warm up there. We hope to enjoy the loft for years to come. Who knows, now that I know what to do, I may even attempt another one in the other room...

Lumber for Slumber, Part 2

Since I've been talking about woodworking for the bedroom, I'll tell about the franken-bed I built at the beginning of this year. Yes you, my blog reader, get a sneak peak into our master bedroom… Oooooo!

Now last year, had you peaked into our bedroom, you would've witnessed me tossing and turning in the middle of the night, unable to sleep because my mind is focused on too many things. Things like: how to better discipline my kids, how to be the best husband ever, and what to blog about next… all while trying not to disturb my wife. What you'll also witness is my wife finally bouncing in at 1:30 a.m. after catching up on six hours of television, waking me up... What you won't see is us snuggled together with my arm under her neck because I'll get a cramp and frankly I don't like anyone touching me when I sleep. I NEED my own twin space and I've long outgrown the 14-year queen we shared. Problem is, I would never buy a king size bed because it's too expensive and she's we're both too picky. What to do?

So with the scrap wood in my garage, I decided to build a king bed that fits two twin mattresses. The total dimensions of two twins is 78x75, which means it's a little wider and shorter than a standard king (76x80). Wider is always good. And since both of us are under six feet, 75 inches is just fine.

Construction of the bed was super simple. The four sides of the bed are actually rails from two disassembled Ikea twin beds (Robin and Brekke) that I bought as scrap in Ikea's scratch and dent section for a few bucks. Together they form a square. The corners are screwed into a 2x6 post. To eliminate any possible squeak and provide the ultimate solid foundation, I laid not one, but three 4x4 support beam. Because who knows, maybe someday Chris, Greg and Wayland will want to do a sleepover here. This acoustic trio may rattle the nightstands, but this bed WILL NOT be shaken.

 

If you're like me, still defending your space on an outgrown queen bed, here are a few reasons why two twins are the way to go. Forget getting a king mattress set:

• I toss and turn, I don't wake her. And vice versa.
• A clear division of space. She stays on hers and I stay on mine.
• My wife likes a thick plush mattress. I like firm. We both get our wish. 
• She can upgrade her mattress every seven years, I can upgrade in 20.
• When we upgrade, we simply pass down old mattresses to kids. No kid wants a king, and dumping a king set is no easy task.
• Twin sheets are cheaper and easier to wash – although trying to find a second Pokémon fitted sheet to match your existing one may be challenging.
• No box spring means plenty of room below for storage and hiding. Seriously, is there anything more useless than a box spring??
• If ever we go through marital difficulties, I can install a partition between the two mattresses.
• King bedspread covers everything and no one knows (except you) that I have Pokemon sheets on a franken-bed. 

This bed is awesome! Needless to say, I've been sleeping a lot better this year. I only wish I had done this ten years ago. Just think what kind of person I could've become with a good night's rest every night… 

If you're interested in building franken furniture with Ikea parts, I get a lot of inspiration from Ikea Hacker. If you were to build this bed from scratch, it would only cost $100 in lumber. And with the additional money you save not buying a king mattress set, you'll have enough to take me out to dinner several times!

Later this month, Part 3, when I hopefully will have the loft bed done.

Lumber for Slumber, Part 1

Last weekend was the one weekend I look forward to every year: Family Camp weekend. Our church has family camp every year with attendance around 450. There are lots of fun activities for children and adults and great food and exceptional teaching and everyone comes back having a blast. But we never go.

Instead, I view it as the one Sunday a year I get to sleep in. Man, living the life of an atheist is pretty relaxing! No yelling at the kids, no stress selecting their clothes (and yelling), no rushing to get them breakfast (and yelling)… Just peace and quiet. My kids even discovered there's actually cartoons on tv on Sunday mornings too! And did I mention east coast NFL games?? Ahh, such a tempting lifestyle as we sample the path toward delinquency.

So what to do on this totally free (and stormy) weekend?

This was the weekend I decided to embark on my most ambitious woodworking project thus far: a loft bed. Or rather a loft with a bed. So instead of building kid furniture, I'm going to attempt to build a structure for the very first time!

After inheriting scrap lumber from numerous friends throughout the year, my garage was getting full. I needed to build something, anything. And with the boys growing older, they'll eventually outgrow the room they share and need more separation of personal space. I had been combing craigslist for months trying to find the perfect loft bed/bunkbed, but none worked the way I wanted it to work. So with the stockpile of lumber and machinery in my garage coupled with inspiration from a friend's recent loft bed project, I decided it's best to do it my way. Yep, I am the master designer!

The bedroom is an unusual shape with a pitched ceiling going up over 13 feet. What's even weirder is that there's a 16" ledge on top with electrical and cable tv outlets (like anyone would want to crane their neck upward to watch at such an awkward angle). I saw this as premium usable space. I wanted a loft that not only fit a twin mattress, but also have a little area to sit and play games.

The whole project is a like a plan-as-you-go kind of thing. I was figuring out how to do things as I progressed. Even my wife was a little skeptical wondering if I knew what I was doing. I had to gently reassure her with some kind words, "Don't doubt me woman!" The main objective was to avoid having a center support beam in the middle of the room.

Once the platform was secured, the kids couldn't wait to get up there! Just like magic, we instantly gained over 50 sq. ft.! They treat it like a little clubhouse and are already demanding I add more "features" to it. I need to work on the ladder asap because Dustin is dying to sleep (and play) up there. The ladder will be another plan-as-you-go thing as I've never built one before. Stay tuned.

Next week, part 2, when I let you venture into my most private space. Ooooooh.

Cardpool.com

Today as a treat to my readers, I have Cez as a guest blogger. Her and her husband have been fans of my blog from the very beginning. They send me tips and gentle reminders whenever I'm lagging on the blogging (as I have been lately – sorry). If you want to share something that my readers would enjoy, and you don't mind spending some time writing it out, you too can be a guest blogger! Please feel free to send me a note. Enjoy.


I was honored when WhoFongPaid asked me to write on his blog..  "become a guest blogger" he says. Now I feel sick... due to the pressure to write up to his professional level. He couldn't write this himself since he didn't experience it. But I felt that this was an important consumer tip that can not go unnoticed. So okay.. here it goes.

The holidays are just around the corner and if you're like me, I start making out my list now.. checking it twice.. and thinking of what to get for my family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, the mailman, newspaper lady (mine is a lady and I've been sending her a Christmas gift for the past 5 years) etc.. I really try to get something that that particular person would like and appreciate so it takes some time. Now, others may not take the effort and time I do to put some 'thought' into a gift and they go out December 24 to hunt for whatever is left on the shelves.  The easiest gift to get are.... drum roll.. gift cards! Who hasn't gotten any? Or too many? Especially from places that you never shop, eat or visit! What were they thinking?!?! What will I do with $50 worth of Peet's Coffee when I don't even drink coffee?? What a waste.. you say. You should have given me cash. I always take cash!! But they didn't and you're stuck with a $50 worth of coffee bean money.

Or are you like me.. that have a huge stack of gift cards waiting to be spent but you always forget to bring them with you when you get to the store so they never get used.

Here's a solution.. sell your gift card and get CASH back! Okay you can't get the full amount of the gift card but hey.. you didn't spend any money for it so technically you aren't losing any money. Getting some cash for an unused gift card that'll be sitting in your dresser for who knows how long is much better don't you think? And like I said before, CASH is good.. you can buy ANYTHING with cash!!

I had received $75 worth of Regal Theatre gift cards (from generous school parents.. last day of school teacher gifts) and since I'm in Fremont I never go all the way to Dublin to see a movie.. so I decided to sell them. You can't get the full price but what I got was better than nothing. I sold it to cardpool.com and they offered me $52.50 cash or $55.13 amazon gift card. I took the amazon since I shop there all the time. Within 24 hrs of them receiving my gift cards, I got my amazon card emailed to me. I didn't want to bother with ebay and I didn't want to regift the cards so I went this route. It was perfect and I got to spend it on what I wanted. Oh happy day!

You could also buy discounted gift cards from cardpool.com also. So check it out and get some good ol' cash for those unwanted gift cards!

Cardpool was created by two Asian guys who wanted to solve the problem of having unwanted gift cards. They are based in San Francisco and were recommended on the Today Show (which was where I saw them promoed) and on various other TV stations. It's a service that lets you buy gift cards up to 30% off or sell unwanted gift cards for cash. All orders and transactions include free shipping ( they'll send you a shipping label to print) and are covered by their extensive Purchase Guarantee Program which is if you're unsatisfied with your purchase for any reason, you can return it for a full refund. They guarantee that when you purchase a gift card from them it will be valid at the merchant to the dollar amount specified in your order. Guarantees are honored up to 100 days from the date of purchase.

Now to sell your unwanted gift card, you click on the "Sell Gift Cards" on the top menu, find the merchant of the card ( and they list ones from 76 Gas to CVS to Yankee Candle). If you have a card that they don't list, just contact them directly and see if they would buy it. After you find your merchant, type in the gift card amount. If you don't know the amount or balance on the card, just look it up on the website that should be listed on back of the gift card. Click on "Get Offer" and they will automatically tell you how much they will give you Cash for the card or if you like Amazon, they'll give a few dollars more if you choose a Amazon gift card as an exchange. If you choose 'Cash' they will send you a check via USPS First Class mail within 24 hours of receiving your gift cards. If you choose an Amazon.com gift card, they will send you the gift card via email within 24 hrs of receiving your gift cards. And since they are local, I received my Amazon gift card the day after I sent my cards.

If you're interested in buying discounted gift cards, just click on the "Buy Gift Cards" on the top menu and scroll down to see what they have available. It lists the value of the card, how much you pay and the percentage you save. It's that easy.

So happy shopping!
www.cardpool.com

Adoption Auction

Just when I thought I was going to retire from blogging, an incredible story comes along that just has to be shared: a story of faith, joy and creativity.

Our good friends Hebron and Kitty (the ones that cheat in mahjong) are planning to adopt a girl in China in December. To close the $13,000 shortfall of the $35,000 adoption cost, they've decided to host a silent auction. They've collected items and services donated from their friends and have listed them as auction items. Hebron, the impressive java whiz that he is, stayed up to 4 a.m. the last seven nights hand-coding the entire auction site!

The auction just started this morning and will end October 30 at 3:00 p.m.

I encourage you to help support them through this auction. And if you would like to support in another way, you can also donate new/newish items to the auction. So if you have something to offer, get it to me this weekend as Hebron will be adding more items on Sunday night.

You can read more about their story here:
http://maksters.blogspot.com/

You can visit the auction site here:
http://tinyurl.com/makauction

Watch movies and sports online for free

Lately I've been watching Veetle.com for the latest movies. It's a great place to find still-in-theater first run movies (Expendables, Salt, Machete), as well as older classic high school and horror flicks. The newest movies will tend to be handicammed "theater quality" but as the weeks go by, it will be replaced by a newer, cleaner HD version.

The movies are constantly running and chances are you'll miss the beginning. But after a few tries, you can catch all the parts and reassemble the movie in your head like a Tarantino film. Yeah, it's not the ideal viewing situation, but it's kind of fun when you stumble across a great film you haven't seen in ages. A few weeks ago they were showing the three Sinbad movies back-to-back-to-back. And last night I was switching back and forth between Lord of the Rings and the latest Freddie Kruger movie.

And for those of us in the Bay Area that will never be able to (or want to) see another Raider home game again, you can find it on veetle too (although I prefer atdhe.net for sports). You can also catch the latest pay-per-view fights and overseas soccer games. So be sure to catch the Raiders in the closing seconds snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the comforts of your own home where you can cry in private.

Yesterday, San Diego ran an article about the blacked out NFL games on atdhe.net as well as a few other sites I haven't tried (channelsurfing.net, justin.tv, my2p2.eu):
Web users finding ways to evade NFL blackouts
I guess the Chargers are reaching the same woeful status as the Raiders.

Navigating around on Veetle will take some patience. The channels don't necessarily tell you what's on, so you'll need to click around. Also, you'll need to install a plugin for HD quality streams. And if you have lowband DSL like me, make sure no one else is surfing on your network or else your movie will be choppy. Veetle is also viewable on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, but not all the channels are optimized for it. Still fun though. Enjoy.

I love me some El Pollo Loco

Something cheap every day this month. Gotta love it!

http://www.elpolloloco.com/30thAnniversary/index.html

New iPods and Apple TV - Keynote Recap

As predicted, today Apple announced the newest updated line of iPods, including the iPod Touch with front/rear camera, HD video and retina display. So for those of you who signed up for the Bank of the West iPod promotion, chances are, you'll be receiving this latest model come December – I can't wait!!

For those of you still waiting for me to find you an unlocked iPhone, I would recommend going for the new iPod Touch instead. Sure, it may mean you'll have to carry both an iPod and a cell phone, but the new Touch is soooo much nicer than an old 3G/3GS, which lacks the hi-res display and Facetime. And the new Touch comes with the same superfast A4 chip found in the iPhone 4. Couple that with a battery that offers up to 40 hours of music or 7 hours of video, this is by far the most significant iPod upgrade in Apple's history.

With the new iPod Touch, street value for older models will drop big time. Here is my estimate for fair prices for used iPods and iPhones in good condition:

1st Generation iPod Touch – $80 generally avoid because it lacks a speaker
2nd Generation iPod Touch 8gb/16gb – $100/$125 (533mhz, 128ram)
3rd Generation iPod Touch 16gb/32gb/64gb – $150/$175/$200 (800mhz, 256ram)

iPhone 2G 8gb/16gb – $100/$120 (412mhz, 128 ram, no GPS)
iPhone 3G 8/gb/16gb – $150/$175 (412mhz, 128 ram, GPS, video with jailbreak)
iPhone 3GS 16gb/32gb – $225/$275 (600mhz, 256 ram, GPS, video)

Sure, you'll find plenty on Craigslist asking for way more than the above prices. But just because they are asking those prices doesn't mean they are selling at those prices. And the longer you wait, the cheaper they will get. Remember, iPhone 4's are still selling briskly (according to the keynote, Apple is activating 230,000 iOS devices a DAY), so more and more older 3G(S) will constantly be hitting the market. Just be patient.

In case you missed the keynote today, I've listed a recap of items covered:

Apple has shipped 120 million iOS devices.
Apple is activating 230,000 iOS devices daily.
6.5 Billion iOS apps have been downloaded.

Apple is releasing iOS 4.1, it includes fixes for proximity sensor, Bluetooth problems and fix for iPhone 3G performance issues.
iOS 4.1 will allow users to take HDR photos.
iOS 4.1 will also debut Game Centre, Apple's social gaming network.
iOS 4.2 is coming to iPad. It will allow you to print wirelessly.


 iPod Shuffle.

iPod Shuffle will be available for $49.

iPod Nano.

It will cost $149 for 8GB model and $179 for the 16GB model.

iPod Touch.

The iPod Touch comes with iPhone 4's Retina display.
It includes Apple A4 chip, has a 3-axis gyroscope, iOS 4.1 with Game Center and a front-facing camera with FaceTime.
8GB model will cost $229, 16GB model will cost $299 and the 64GB model will cost $399.

Apple will be releasing iTunes 10. It also gets an all new logo, ditches the CD in the logo.
Steve Jobs has introduced a social music network called Ping, which will be integrated with iTunes 10.
You can follow your friends and artists. You can follow and be followed. It allows you to create a circle of friends.
You can post your thoughts and opinion. It will be open to 169 million iTunes users immediately.
Steve Jobs is demoing Ping. A social network all about music.
It is available on your iPhone and iPod Touch and is available now.


Apple TV

The second generation Apple TV is the fourth of the size of the first generation.
Apple TV is all about rentals, no purchases so you don't have to store it so you don't have to worry about storage management.
You can stream movies, TV shows and music.
You can rent first rent HD movies for $4.99.
You can rent ABC and Fox TV shows for $0.99.
You can stream content from Netflix, YouTube, Flickr and MobileMe.
You can also stream content from your computer.
AirPlay feature which will be available in iOS 4.2 can be wirelessly streamed to Apple TV. Apple TV will cost $99, which is $130 cheaper than the first generation Apple TV.

Gilroy Gardens for $12

LINK: http://www.gilroygardens.org/schoolspecial.html

Betty & Patrick

Last Saturday I was among the privileged to witness the marriage of Betty and Patrick. They were married at the same church we married at 14 years ago. It brought back many memories, including the fact that I met my wife at that very same church playing volleyball. If I just look among my circle of friends, I can easily identify seven other couples that either met or started dating during their volleyball days. Yep, volleyball is like a bar hangout for single Christians. My favorite pick up line was, "Would you like to bump with me?"

Anyway, back to Betty.

I've known Betty since high school. In 1986 I helped her negotiate a great deal on her first new car at the SF Autocenter – a Mazda 323 just like the one I had myself. Ever since then, I've NEVER stepped foot inside a car salesman's office again! (Thank you Craigslist!) And considering Betty's been a subscriber to my blog from the very start, I can honestly say that even after 24 years, I'm still helping her save money! Hey, what are friends for??

For those of you fortunate enough to know Betty as long as I have, you'll agree that this wedding was a bit sweeter and happier than your typical wedding. I for one, am overjoyed for her and I look forward to knowing Patrick better (I hear he's a Mac user so I already like him).

This is the first wedding I've attended since my Scott Robert training. As much as I wanted to go nuts with the D300s, I resisted. With all the other photographers firing away, I didn't want to add to the constant annoyance of rapid-fire shutter clicks everywhere during the ceremony. Plus, I think it's rude to get out of your seat to shoot if you weren't asked prior to do so. But let's say if my child was up there with the wedding party, well then I may not be able to control myself… (Mmmkay, C & B?)

So with Betty's permission, I would like to share these memories with you. Congratulations Betty and Patrick!

The pastor (and all the non-asian people) were from Ohio.

Does Hung seem a little TOO happy in this pic?

Steve asked me, "Where do you find all those great deals??"
The money I help them save will put their daughters through college.

I haven't seen Rita and Elaine in over 15 years. Both are married. They sorta still recognize me.

Well fed and rested.They brought their kids so they had plenty of leftover food on their table.

Kandace is happy because she drank four bowls of sharkfin soup.

Jerry tried to sneak off to the bathroom so he wouldn't have to speak.
Unfortunately he came back too soon and still got stuck with the microphone.

A little blurry – exactly how I remember Anna. It's been 30 years since I last teased, um saw her.
She refused to believe it's really me. I had to assure her I'm the real deal!

Kidvantage: 7 for the price of 1

This morning on the way to a memorial service, with 30 minutes to kill, I decided to swing by Sears in Downtown Oakland. I found plenty of metered parking, even one with 19 minutes left! I looked in my wallet and only had 15¢, which bought me another THREE minutes! So with 22 minutes, I ran into Sears for another Kidvantage exchange.

It's been a while since I blogged about Kidvantage, skipping the last two exchanges. So if you count those exchanges, we've exchanged Dustin's size 2 Skechers SIX times! That means we've gotten 7 pairs for the price of one! If you do the math, at $35-40/pair, we've gotten over $200 worth of additional shoes with the initial $30 purchase. And that's not even counting the many times we exchange for Colby, plus all the pants too! Today I exchanged Dustin's size 3 and Colby's size 12. We seem to do an exchange every 3-4 months.

So a little bit of news, the Kidvantage program is changing a little. Last time when Chrissy exchanged the jeans, she was told that now they require a receipt – she didn't have one. But they know the policy is new so they exchanged it anyway. Perhaps she'll need one next time. We save all our receipts.

Today's exchange went quickly without a hitch, and I was back at the car with 7 minutes left on the meter. To expedite the transaction, find the replacement shoe that's the same size and sale price as the one you are returning. It doesn't even have to be the same brand. And having a receipt will eliminate the use of the Jedi mind trick.

As repeated on my previous post, I know some of you still refuse to shop at Sears. You continue to buy your kid shoes at Footlocker, Kohls, JCPenny, etc., totally ignoring my valuable advice and unnecessarily spending all your hard-earned money... Well that's ok. I truly admire your deep pockets and tremendous spending power. I always say, if I myself can't be rich, the next best thing is to have rich friends!

But a warning to you parents, if your kids refuse the shoes at Sears because they don't like the "style" or what not, and make you spend more elsewhere for a better "style", then your kids are slowly developing an attitude that can easily lead to being high-maintenance as a grown-up. Our kids wear what we buy them and that's that. And when they get older, I'll warn them to stay far away from high-maintenance people – that is, unless they want to be broke the rest of their lives.

When I got home with the new shoes, my boys were thrilled! My mom, fully aware of all our Kidvantage savings said (in Chinese), "Isn't America great?"

From their website (http://www.mysears.com/kidvantage/details.html):
There’s no limit to the savings you can earn with KidVantage Club!

Kidvantage wear-out guarantee
You want the kids’ clothes and shoes you buy to last—especially in today’s economy. That’s why KidVantage Club members get this great guarantee: if the kids’ clothes or shoes you buy at Sears wear out before they’re outgrown, we’ll replace them for free. You’ll get an identical item, whenever possible, or a similar item of equal value in the same size. Please note that you must present your receipt to replace worn-out national brand clothing and shoes.

• The KidVantage® program is not available for purchases made at sears.com. The KidVantage program is only offered through our Sears’ retail stores. Simply provide your phone number to the Sales Associate at the time of purchase.
• KidVantage Club applies to children’s clothes, sizes infant to 20, and children’s shoes, girls’ to size 4, boys’ to size 6, sold by Sears’ retail stores in the U.S.
• Kids’ Lands’ End® merchandise, Great Price Items and clearance merchandise count toward your $100 total and the Wear-Out guarantee. The program does NOT include infant furniture, accessories, electronics and toys.
• After you spend $100 in qualifying purchases, look for your coupon printed on your receipt. The 15% off sales receipt coupon may not be applied toward the purchase of Kids’ Lands’ End® merchandise, Great Price Items or clearance merchandise. The 15% off sales receipt coupon expires 6 months after the date of issue.
• Wear-out guarantee excludes stain-damaged clothing. Your receipt may be required at the time of exchange.
• Sears reserves the right to modify the benefits and incentives or cancel the KidVantage Club at any time.
• All brands are not available at all stores.

What others are saying about Kidvantage:
http://www.viewpoints.com/Sears-Kidvantage-Membership-Club-Childrens-clothing-reviews

Related Links:
1st exchange
2nd exchange
3rd exchange
4th exchange

Talk to Facebook friends for FREE on Vonage

I just found another reason to LOVE my iPhone! Vonage Facebook App!!

Everyone that has an iPhone/Android and Facebook MUST ABSOLUTELY install this app! Especially people like me.

Why I like:

• I'm on prepaid, so using my phone via Vonage does not cost me minutes
• My home got no cell phone coverage, but wifi always on
• I like almost all my 200 Facebook friends and don't ever mind them calling me 
• You don't have to give out your real phone number
• Works with most countries, so no roaming charges
• It's FREE

Props to Will for alerting me to this and being my first Vonage friend. Talking to Will was surprisingly clear on wifi (voice over IP). I looking forward to seeing (and hearing) the rest of you on my Friends list!


Link: NewsFactor Network | Vonage Offers Free Mobile Calls for Facebook Friends

Vonage is getting into the mobile-apps game with a social-media twist, combining two of the tech industry's hottest trends with a new service for Facebook. The Vonage Mobile application lets users make free mobile calls to Facebook friends who also have the app. 

Vonage customers can download the mobile app from the iTunes Store, Android Market, or the Vonage Facebook fan page. The software is free. Then users enter their Facebook ID and password. This only has to be done once.

The software automatically loads the user's Facebook contacts and groups them according to who can be called for free -- that is, those who have also downloaded the Vonage Mobile application for Facebook -- and which friends are available for instant messaging on Facebook.

Finally, the user can touch a friend's name from the Call Free list to make a free call. When the user places a call, the friend's profile picture and status update display on the screen. The phone will ring for incoming Vonage calls from Facebook friends, even if the app is closed.

The app also invites the user's friends who don't have the app to download it on the Vonage Facebook fan page. The service works over Wi-Fi as well as 3G and 4G networks in most countries and essentially eliminates traditional dialing.

Birthday meals

Another good thing about your birthday is the free meals. Above is my Rooty Tooty Fresh N' Fruity meal at IHOP. When you sign up for the Pancake Revolution you'll get a free birthday meal. This sure beats fighting to get that free Denny's Grand Slam with a million other people early in the morning. I just went to my local IHOP within a two-week window of my birthday and got my free meal. And for the month of August, kids 12 and under eat for free every day, 4-10 p.m.

And speaking of Denny's, I just found out that they also offer a free birthday Grand Slam. I'm signing up for Denny's Rewards here. And just like IHOP, kids also eat free at Denny's from 4-10 p.m.

Every year I also go to Red Robin to get my free overpriced burger. Their $10 burgers come with endless fries, and the $4.45 kid meals come with endless chocolate milk or lemonade. You don't necessarily have to order the hamburger, so I opted for a Teriyaki Chicken burger. It was so good that I went to a second Red Robin for a second free meal two days later! But at my second visit, I wanted what my friend had at my first visit, the Ensenada Chicken platter. Since my coupon was only good for a burger, I ordered a burger for my friend, and my friend ordered the chicken platter for me! Plus I get to mooch off their endless fries! Also at the second visit, I got a free hot fudge ice cream sundae! (I'm guessing this depends on your waiter). Sign up for their E-Club here.

And don't forget about the dessert. You can sign up yourself, spouse, kids, parents, etc. for birthday clubs for both Cold Stone Creamery and Baskin Robbins.

Happy birthday and happy eating!

It's my birthday and I'll buy if I want to

June 30 is the end of our fiscal year. Every year at this time we attempt to spend every last dollar of our remaining budget. Yep, it's like a birthday shopping spree or like Christmas in the summer. Woohoo! And unlike last year when the Major squandered the entire pot on her $2700 word processor, this year I was able to secure a few nice items.

And speaking of her Macbook, I have not seen it since I blogged about it last June. And get this, the Major only has dial-up at home!!! Don't get me started!

First and foremost, the Nikon D300s. This is a good consolation for my inability to get a D90 last year. I got this a couple months ago and have been loving it. Haven't done much with the video features yet, and haven't tried HDR photography yet, but knowing it'll be another five years before I get to upgrade again, I'll have plenty of time to learn.


With the new heftier camera, I needed a sturdier tripod. This I had the hardest time selecting. But after consulting with a few seasoned photographers, I selected the Manfrotto 7301YB with 3-way head. This guy is rock solid! Much better than that $35 Velbon I was using.
At my previous job, we had the greatest paper cutter ever. Since then, nothing I used even comes close to ease of use and accuracy. The one we currently use is small and lousy so I upgraded to the Rotatrim RCM24. This is hands down the best cutter you'll ever use. It comes in many sizes but I think the 24 inch is perfect for our needs.

I'm always in search of a better mouse. The other designers opted for the Apple Magic Mouse, but I selected the Logitech MX Mouse. I like lots of buttons that I can independently program for different applications to speed up my workflow. But the best thing about this mouse is the turbo scroll wheel! There is a button that releases the friction on the wheel, so instead of scrolling and scrolling with your finger, you can just whip the wheel once and it will continue to spin for up to 20 seconds! They call this "hyper-scrolling." This is great for those looooong web pages where you are reading hundreds of comments, or for those long Word docs with hundreds of pages. You can go from top to bottom in no time! Plus, the rechargeable battery system, the thumb button for Exposé, and the tiny USB receiver complete a feature set unmatched by any other mouse!
In our attempt to cut our budget, we killed all the contracts of our freelance photographers. All photography jobs will be done inhouse now. So that means I am now in charge of shooting our monthly portrait sessions of our employees of the month. Of course this task was given to me after buying the D300s. Had I known earlier, I would've fought to buy the D3. But I'm not complaining too much, I think it's a great opportunity to work on my photography skills. Better to screw up shooting strangers than on my own family/friends.

I purchased this Cowboy Studio 750w lighting kit along with a gray muslin backdrop. I opted for continuous lighting over strobe because I really don't know what I'm doing, and it seems the umbrellas let me adjust the lighting more easily. Hey, I'm still learning. And they get what they pay for.

We also got some larger memory cards, card readers, extra batteries, photo paper, etc. All in all, we spent close to $3000 – a pretty nice package of goodies to enjoy for a while. So a big thank you to all you tax payers for supplying me toys to enjoy on my birthday! I'm already making my list for next year!

Have a nice weekend!

Free iPod Touch

Here's an easy way to get a free iPod Touch. Start with $100 deposit and set up direct deposit of your paycheck. Be patient because your iPod won't be delivered until December 15, but that is a good thing. Why?

Apple has consistently updated the iPod line at the end of every summer. That's why during the summer they offer free iPod Touches with Mac purchases for educational buyers – they want to clear out the old stuff before the new one arrives. So come December when the Bank of the West starts shipping the iPod Touches, chances are you'll get the latest 4th generation model, which is highly rumored to include a camera and Facetime like the latest iPhone 4. Even in the fine print it states, "The iPod touch® shipped may differ from the iPod touch® shown."

Sign up deadline is September 3, but I wouldn't wait that long in case they decide to pull the promotion early. Now I'll have to get my wife to close her Citibank account, which by the way, we opened five years ago just to get a free iPod Mini. Prior to that, I opened and closed a Citibank account to get the Sony DVD player we currently use. Don't you just love it when banks compete?

SIGN UP HERE


Fine print:
Open any new personal checking account and either establish minimum monthly recurring direct deposit of $500, or make 10 bill payments with Bank of the West Online Banking or make 20 debit card transactions. Direct deposit must be payroll, Social Security, pension or other government benefits. Qualifying debit card transactions include signature, or PIN-based purchases only. Qualifying transactions must be completed by 10/31/10. Offer valid for new personal checking accounts opened from 07/19/10 – 09/3/10 with $100 or more from a financial institution other than Bank of the West. Offer cannot be combined with any other offer and is subject to change without prior notice and may be terminated at any time. Offer valid for qualifying accounts opened at participating branches in CA, CO, UT, WY, and NV or opened online. Offer does not apply to second or multiple checking accounts. Limit of one new checking account bonus per household per calendar year. iPod touch® will be shipped to your account address of record by December 15, 2010. You must have a U.S. mailing address on 10/31/10 to be eligible. Accounts overdrawn or closed as of 10/31/10 are not eligible for this offer. The iPod touch® shipped may differ from the iPod touch® shown. To the extent required by law, Bank of the West will report the value of the iPod touch® to the IRS on Form 1099. Any applicable taxes are the responsibility of the account holder. All accounts are subject to the Bank’s standard terms and conditions and fee schedule. Apple, iPod and iPod touch are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple is not a participant in or sponsor of this promotion. ©2010 Bank of the West. Member FDIC.