Keep your eyes on the prize

Black Friday started at 3:15 a.m. when my alarm went off. I left the house at 3:40, following two other cars on my street seemingly headed in the same direction. Chrissy sent me to Mervyn's to get a set of pots, a set of frypans, and a blanket. Here's the plan: be the first 250 customers, get $10 giftcard. Spend $50, get another $10 GC. My list added up to $55. Perfect. So I thought.

As I arrived at Mervyn's at 3:55 a.m., there must have been 150 people lined up at each of the three entrances. As we move toward the door, a group of 6 women just cuts in line to join their friend. And of course, they run out of gift cards 5 persons in front of me! Arghh!!

Once inside, I go straight for the kitchen wares but cannot find the pot set nor the frypans. I grab the closest salesperson to inquire about the pots and she says, "Oh, those didn't come in." What??!! Okaaaaay, how about the frypans? "Oh those must've sold out already. I say hello, excuse me, it's 4:08 and it's sold out??!! A stinkin' T-Fal frypay? How many did you have?? Sensing my frustration she called the mother ship with her transponder and authorized an additional 20% off any frypan of my choice. Thank you. Now I won't have to hurt you.

So I get my frypans, but without the pots, I don't have $50! Should I buy 6 blankets to make up the difference? Yeah, that's exactly what retailers would want you to do, but I resisted and went straight to checkout with just two items. I get in line the same time (if not just a split second faster) as this women with an arm full of 12 boxes of toys. She glares at me and says, "Excuse me but I was here first." "Um, no you weren't!" There I stood behind her for 20 minutes fighting the urge to whack her in the back of the head with my frypans. But then I realized that if I get detained by security, I would miss the Staples opening. Yes, I needed to focus on the bigger prize ahead.

I arrive at Staples at 5:00 with 40 people already ahead of me. I lined up behind Joel from CIBC. He wanted the Navigon also (great...). While in line I get a call from Winnie, she was there earlier and essentially tells me my chances are slim and none. Also no more good video games at KB. Then I get a call from my coworker who lined up at the San Leandro Staples for me saying all their Navigons are gone. Then Karen called saying that Andy ordered one for me online! Then I get a call from Machella saying that Wenna wants a Navigon too.

When the Staples employees came to me passing out tickets, all the front page doorbuster items were pretty much gone. But they were not passing tickets for the Navigon. And they confirmed there were only 10. Well it's like 50 degrees and I have no place better to go, so I decided to just try in case my online order gets canceled. Plus they were serving donuts.

As we filed into the store, everyone just swarmed in on the electronics counter as if Barry Bond's 756 ball was there. I was trying to count how many Navigons were being handed out but it was too crowded. I quickly befriended this lady in front of Joel. I asked her to get me a Navigon since she wasn't getting one herself. Amazingly there were still a few left so we all scored. I'm probably the only person to walk out with 2 Navigons! You're welcome, Jerry!

After Staples I visited Kohl's, Target, Old Navy, and Best Buy only to walk back out because of the insane lines. I met my friends at Toys R Us where I stood in line for them. The checkout line was 50 minutes long. The line to just get into the video game section was over an hour. I offered to share my cart with the lady behind me and in returned she monitored and pushed our cart along freeing us to shop. After finally getting into the video games section, we find out all the good titles are gone. At around 9:00 my knees begin to wobble from sheer exhaustion. Time to go home.

So this is what Black Friday is all about. Can you believe this was the first Black Friday I ever shopped? Ever? Really. It was exhilarating, stressful, tiring and a sorta fun in a demented way. Although if I came home empty handed, my views would be a lot different. I'm already looking forward to next year.

Here's what I did right:

1. Ordered my LCD monitor from BestBuy online Wednesday night after 9 p.m. (midnight EST). $10 shipping. I went to BestBuy at 7 a.m. and EVERYTHING good on the ad was gone.
   
2. Ordered my webcam from Circuit City online Thursday. Free shipping
3. Met up with friends and made friends with strangers. It is extremely difficult to shop by yourself. Being stuck in line is like being stuck in traffic, a strong sense of helplessness sets in.

Here's what I did wrong:

1. Get out of bed. I should've just ordered all electronics items online. Staples started accepting online orders at 1 a.m. with free shipping. Sure enough, my order got canceled because it was placed too late (2:55 a.m.), but everyone else I know got theirs delivered already. And need I mention someone's greedy brother that ordered 6 (yes, six) Navigons??!!
2. Think even for a moment that I can beat the crowds. You can't. You would need to line up immediately after dinner.
3. Get angry. Does you no good (although I did get that extra 20%). Be friendly and offer to help others if possible. You may even get rewarded. Either way you'll go home feeling much better.
   

Black Friday Strategy Guide

It's been a busy 3 days IM'ing people to plan out our Black Friday shopping ventures. I know where I'll be and who I'll be with and where my buddies will be. It's like Ocean's Eleven. Amazingly, I've narrowed my list to just ONE item I absolutely must have, this $99 GPS at Staples. This week I've been researching GPS units and comparing the models of what's become the hottest item this holiday season. Just 2 years ago, GPS units cost $400-1000. Now they're under $100.

So what makes this Navigon 2100 so great compared to the others? From what I've read, this particular model (only at Staples) has live traffic built-in, which is normally a $99 option. With my sticky commute to San Jose, those traffic alerts will come in very handy as I look for alternative routes to get around. To me, that feature alone doubles the value of the GPS in terms of real-world usage. The live traffic feature is usually only found in the top-of the-line Magellan and Garmin models, costing well over $400. But Staples has it for only $99. What a killer deal!

And if the Navigon turns out to be crap, I can easily list it on ebay where it's selling for around $200. So buy two (if you can), sell one, and it will pay for the other. Can't lose.

Reminder: if you participated in the Amazon Customers Vote, be sure to check tomorrow to see if you've won the chance to buy a $79 Wii. And if you do win, be sure to thank me and invite me over for dinner :)

Lastly I just want to share this Black Friday Strategy Guide I found online. Some good tips, like buying online first, looking for secret bargains, and avoiding junk TV's and extended warranties.

So Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Be thankful for all that you have. Be thankful for your family, your friends and your health. And when you're tearing through the stores on Friday, remember it's better to give than to receive.

Black Friday, Next Friday

The biggest shopping day of the year is just around the corner. I'm so excited! Thanks to the internet, we no longer have to wait for the Thanksgiving paper to see and plan our shopping ventures. Nowadays, all the print ads are leaked online weeks in advance. There are a bunch of different Black Friday websites, but this one, tgiblackfriday.com is my favorite. It's simple and categorizes all the items. So for instance you're shopping for a new digital camera, you click under "Electronics" and then "Digital Camera" and it will list all cameras from all the stores. Super convenient for price comparison, and sure beats getting your fingers dirty flipping through newspapers.

Many of these early-bird bargain items will be on limited supply, so you may need to show up at 5 a.m. depending on how bad you want it. I have these 3 wonderful friends that split up and hit ALL the stores at the crack of dawn every year. Armed with a fully-charged cell phone, they're able to snag all the deals for everyone. What a great plan! I'm gonna have to invite myself into their little club (or at least have their phone numbers handy–heehee).

Another option is on Thanksgiving day (Black Thursday), some stores (Staples, Circuit City, BestBuy) will let you order the deals online. This may exclude "doorbuster" items and shipping may apply, but it's a good alternative in case you eat too much Thursday and can't get up Friday. Here is a handy Black Friday calendar for when the ads are officially released.

Nintendo Wii for $79?
This year Amazon is again having a special "Customer Vote" promotion. You vote on an item. If the item wins, you MAY get offered to purchase it at a ridiculously low price. This year there are 6 rounds of voting and they're selling a Wii for $79 to 1000 lucky voters. (Disclaimer: If any of you win instead of me, you'll be obligated to buy it for me :0) The rules are listed. Good luck to you (and me).

Stan's Top 10 Bargains:

1. KB Toys: All video games, Buy One Get One Free (4 games max.)
2. KB Toys: Free $10 Bonus Buck for $50 spent
3. Staples: Maxtor 500gb External Hard Drive $79
4. BestBuy: Envision 22" LCD Monitor with Speakers $149.
5. BestBuy: Envision 19" LCD Monitor $99
6. BestBuy: TomTom One GPS $119.99 (also at Staples For $124 + $20GC)
   
7. BestBuy: Dynex 100-pack DVD-R $6.99
8. Circuit City: Logitech Quickcam Pro 5000 $9.99 (after $30 rebate)
9. Babies R Us: Value Pack Diapers $10
10. Sears: Nikon D40 DSLR $449
    

Oh and I can see Daniel waving goodbye...

Those are the lyrics from the Elton John song "Daniel." If you attended the special appreciation dinner for the Kims last Saturday, you would've learned that Pastor Jason's first name is actually Daniel (Jason being his middle name). Also that he never leaves his house without his fishing pole (although now with the oil spill, that may change).

The Kims will be shipping off to China next year so the evening's theme was All-American red, white and blue. Dinner consisted of prime rib, ham, potatoes, apple pie and vanilla ice cream (no ethnic food except rice). Thanks to the Fongs and the Chans for the great food. And thanks to Ken for the photo.

If you would like to download the full resolution photo (1.4mb), click here.

Friday Fun

It's Friday and yeah I'm bored as usual. Here's a Retail Alphabet Game I found that's kinda fun and challenging (and a great way to kill half an hour). As a graphic designer I have a trained eye to see details in design elements, but even with that, I still only managed to get 19 correct. If you're still bored, there's an even harder one below with no answers available (unless you pay them). But you can pay me instead :) because for once, I have all the answers.

Halloween Past and Present

I dug up this photo taken in 1985. At that time all three of us worked for Safeway. A few of my current readers also worked at Safeway during that time (Al, Linda and Patrick). And Burt is still there this day! Back then that was the dream job, making $4.75/hr. bagging groceries and pushing carts while getting full medical and dental coverage. But I think half my paycheck was going to auto insurance and car stereo upgrades.

That picture was taken on the 3rd floor at CIBC. We were dressed up for Halloween at Ichthus. As you can see, even Uncle Harry and Wingate participated (yes, that really is him!). I don't know what our church policy is now, but back then we treated it just as a night of dress-up. The next year I was dressed up as a heavy metal headbanger with crazy hair and eyeliner (unfortunately I don't have that photo – we had gym night at Mills College if any of you remembered). I even won the prize for most originality!

So last week my anti-Halloween friend emailed me (she reads my blog). She said that I got them all wrong. They DO celebrate, sort of. They won't let their kids dress up or go out, but they do stay home and pass out candy (so their kids won't eat it). They say it's better to give than to receive anyway. I say good response. And like every other loving wife, she blames her husband for all the rules in the house. (BTW, I enjoyed all the comments received. But for those of you who asked about their identities, I'm not telling. So stop asking. They're nice people. Really they are. I'm not kidding. Really...)

Then I have another reader that always comment to me via IM because he wants to stay anonymous. We'll just call him Matt :) Anyway, he says Halloween is an opportune time to pass out tracts and get to know your neighbors better. I think that's a great idea! Unfortunately we have too many unfriendly Asian buddha-lovers on our street that don't talk to anyone. Not that I'm using that as an excuse, but um yeah, I am.

My ancient Chinese coworker says this is how you can tell if your buddha-loving neighbor hates you. They will install a little mirror facing your house, that way all the evil spirits will bounce off theirs and into yours. The way you counter is to install a bigger mirror facing back at them. The ultimate deflector is to install an actual wok. That's what he said...

Back to Halloween. Colby was Superman this year. Unlike last year, now he's actually tall enough to ring the doorbells so I can just wait by the sidewalk. Here's what we do. I carry an extra bag to empty out his candy because it gets heavy fast. Then when he shows up at the door, they see his empty bucket so they give him more! Score! Works all the time!

Dustin no longer joins us. He's a big second-grader so he goes out with his buddies straight after school. I didn't even get to see what he wore this year. Hopefully the other parents took photos. Colby went with a classmate from his preschool so he had a nice companion. At this age he still doesn't mind hanging out with girls. We'll see what happens next year.

Club 40

Today the last and final holdout from the Class of '85 turned 40. Welcome to the club, Goff!

(Photo: CIBC Praise Dinner, 1985)

Trick or Treat?

On Sunday a friend asked me if I allowed my kids to go trick or treating. Their family does not celebrate Halloween at all. They say to start them young. If you never let them celebrate to begin with, they'll never miss it. After all, we are Christians and we should not glorify a holiday that clearly has satanic overtones.

In a way I agree with them and wished that my boys were as mature as their kids, willing to refrain from such tempting secular traditions and peer pressure. But Dustin attends a public school where Halloween is a big deal – complete with parade – so it would be unnecessarily cruel to not let him participate with his friends (plus since we both work, we would need Mr. Al Young to take him home). On the other hand, Colby's preschool is run by one of the biggest Christian churches in the bay area and they celebrate also. They may not call it Halloween, but kids are dressed up and I'm sure he'll come home with candy. Their only requirement is that the costumes should be of biblical or positive characters. Colby is dressed as Superman this year (we'll see if he gets sent home early).

So are we bad parents? Are we tempting our children down a path of darkness disguised with fun and candy? Are we blessing an activity that reflects poorly on our judgement? Honestly we've had this debate when deciding whether or not to pass out candy.

I think it's much more than just Halloween. We need to have faith in our children. We need to trust that they will make the right decisions in life and to discern right from wrong. To be selective of what friends to have and to know what is acceptable and non-acceptable in the eyes of God. But of course to do that we must constantly fill them with biblical teachings, honesty and love. Fortunately for us, our boys really love church and cherish the friendships they've developed. And Colby especially loves to pray and sing everyday. Unfortunately, this won't last forever. As they get older, they will be exposed to much more of what's evil in this world and neither I or Chrissy will be there to monitor them. So for now we can only steer them in the right direction and hold them accountable for their actions. This will train them toward a more independent life which we pray will carry on to adulthood.

So back to Halloween. I've been searching the web and 90% of them say Christians should not be celebrating it at all. They suggest offering "alternative" celebrations such as Harvest Festival but I know of none around here. Also these people warned more about embracing parties focused on wickedness, rather than just little kids dressing up to get candy. As you know on the web, views and beliefs run the full spectrum, but for a more contemporary viewpoint for our own situation, I'll end with a quote from Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family:

Whereas it can be argued that Christmas is a Christian holiday with Christian origins that has suffered the effects of growing secularism, Halloween can be traced to distinctly pagan sources. It is reasonable, then, that many believers would find some aspects of its celebration disturbing. I agree with them in that regard. The traditional emphasis upon the occult, witches, devils, death, and evil sends messages to our kids that godly parents can only regard with alarm. There is clearly no place in the Christian community for this “darker side” of Halloween.

Even here, however, there is a place for some harmless fun. Kids love to dress up and pretend. If the Halloween experience is focused on fantasy rather than the occult, I see no harm in it. Make costumes for your children that represent fun characters, such as Mickey Mouse or an elderly grandmother, and then let them go door-to-door asking for treats. This side of Halloween can be thoroughly enjoyable for the little ones.

Let me add, again, that I’ve given you my personal opinion. I realize that the topic is controversial among committed Christians, and I’m sensitive to the reasons for their misgivings. My final word to parents on the subject would be “Stay true to your own convictions.”

Fastest Vista Notebook Ever

According to PC World. And just in time for the holidays!

Free Taco today

At Taco Bell today only between 2 and 5 pm. A bit inconvenient for hard working folks like myself. But great for you moms after school and before soccer practice.