The View From Space

Celebrated our son’s college graduation by having dinner at the Crab Pot in Bellevue.  Here are some before pics:

Crab Legs, Shrimp, Corn and Potatoes

Crab Legs, Mussels, Clams, Shrimp, Corn and Potatoes

Salmon Fillet (This was oh so good!)

And ….. Steak???? (Didn’t have the heart to take a pic of a steak in a seafood restaurant)

The Aftermath! Only a few potatoes survived the onslaught.

The numerous natural disasters that have occurred recently have really taken it’s toll on organizations providing relief.  As large as they are, the Red Cross is not immune to the overload of support efforts.

Managing these massive endeavors require an enormous amount of coordination, communications and computing power.  To provide support to those supporting others, the makers of Drobo are giving away 100 Drobo units to the person/organization that can best use them.

So how can you help?  Visit the 100 Drobo Contest link and enter the following submitter code:  424023

Or you can simply email the submitter code to:  [email protected]

Oh and did I mention that you can win a Drobo for yourself just by voting?

Help the Red Cross help those in need.

I am constantly amazed by those who write for a living. Reading articles and blogs from those that do this on a daily basis makes me green with envy. Being able to articulate your thoughts in coherent sentences, then graft them seamlessly into paragraphs is truly an art form.
Unfortunately we engineers are not naturally adept at transferring thought to written word (as all 3 of my blog readers will attest to). The biggest reason I took up blogging was to try and stimulate my right brain to higher levels of creative thought (ok I’m really just trying to advance my writing skills past the level where I last left them, which I believe was the 6th grade).
Perhaps I should approach writing like I do my martial arts, advance a little everyday until it becomes natural and flows without effort (wow that sounds really zen doesn’t it?). I sure hope it works that way, I’m getting tired of being the embodiment of the phrase “Engineer, can’t spell it but I are one!”.

Prior to my leaving on a trip to attend my 30th class reunion, my buddy (?) @geewhy requested, nay challenged me to a scavenger hunt while in sin city. Even though I had much higher priorities to tend to, I nonetheless endeavored to fulfill this noble quest … request … um ok.
See my results (or lack there of) over at @geewhy ‘s blog

In my defense I must say, some of his items were outside the realm of normal people (a dude ranch? Seriously?).
Here’s my feedback (or excuses, replace as you see fit) on the quest (legend: * my response, ** @geewhy ‘s response)

1. Three pictures of food he’s scarfing down (buffet or not).
*Those who follow me on Twitter and Facebook know I’m all about food and eating. However in an effort to be efficient (ok, more like in a rush to return to the casino) I usually forgot to snap pics of my food until it was too late. (I did manage to send him a pic of my partially eaten breakfast one morning). Feedback on some of the places I’ve eaten:
a. Stratosphere buffet, nice looking but the food wasn’t anything to write home about.
b. Southpoint Hotel and Casino (our regular haunt) Coronado cafe good food, nice atmosphere, but the big draw is the late night menu 12 – 6 am, most items $2.95 with a 7 oz steak and eggs plate for $3.95. Highly recommend.
c. Southpoint Steak and Shake, a nice 50′s cafe setting. Burgers and shakes that’s surprisingly affordable.

2. Two pictures of major sights on the Strip. We’re talking the fountains of Bellaggio, the rides of the Stratosphere, the Sirens of Treasure Island, or even the Eiffel Tower of the Paris hotel.
**Two pictures of major sights on the Strip. Close enough, I’ll count the picture of the bowling alley and the sideways picture of the Stratosphere. Complete.
* in my defense I felt that the normal tourist pics would be cheesy and not show the true Las Vegas, the one the every day resident encounters. (Ok truth be told I didn’t get out much and all I had were pics of the inside of a casino)

3. A Foursquare or Gowalla check in at Caked Las Vegas. Bonus: Picture of the goodies.
** Not sure if what to make of this since it ain’t Caked.
I’m at Nothing Bundt Cakes http://4sq.com/hB8uWc
April 11, 2011 7:27 am via foursquare Reply Retweet Favorite
@abaggy
* Hey Bundt is a form of cake right???

4. A check in at a shopping mall.
** A check in at a shopping mall. Complete (close enough).
I’m at Target (9725 S. Eastern Ave., Silverado Ranch, Las Vegas) http://4sq.com/dXQhE7
April 11, 2011 7:14 am via foursquare Reply Retweet Favorite
@abaggy
* ok I’ll have to concede that this item was a stretch and was only satisfied because @geewhy is kind and benevolent.

5. A report on the weather.
**A report on the weather. Complete.
@geewhy haven’t had too much by way of special food and it’s been fairly cool 40-50′s
April 10, 2011 12:54 am via twidroyd Reply Retweet Favorite
ToNced* As my luck would have it the temperature was in the 80′s the week prior, dropped to the 40′s-50′s while we were there and suspiciously jumped up to the 70′s when we were leaving. I’m suspecting @geewhy had something to do with it, there were numerous dead chickens littered around his desk and strange chanting emanated from his cubicle the day before I left.

6. A tweet about his winnings or losings.
** A tweet about his winnings or losings. Complete.
Heading home, wallet much lighter. (@ Hawaiian Airlines Flight 5) http://4sq.com/gqKqtA
April 11, 2011 1:33 pm via foursquare Reply Retweet Favorite
@abaggy
* Was there ever any doubt as to the results of this item? Again I suspect @geewhy had something to do with it (see item #5).

7. One picture inside a dimly lit night club.
* Although I did attend a reunion event at the Level 108 club, I completely spaced out and didn’t get any pics. The club itself is rather small as it is in the observation area that surrounds the stratosphere tower. It does afford you a great view of Vegas, and you can watch the brave(?) souls do the skyjump off of the tower.
And yes, with the majority of people in their late 40′s and from Hawaii there was the obligatory Electric Slide. Not surprisingly it was the most danced to song.

8. A picture of tickets to a Vegas show.
* Here again I was in a quandary, originally the group had set up tickets to see “Bite” at the stratosphere. Now I’m no prude, but topless vampires? And they wanted $50 for the honor of watching. Ummm no thanks. In fact I was too embarrassed to even take a pic of the poster as people would think that I actually attended.

Bonus: A visit to a dude ranch. I might have to count this. Sounds like codespeak for kicking it with a bunch of Asian dudes.
Hanging at the asian casino (@ The M Casino) http://4sq.com/fgGG5E
April 10, 2011 7:22 pm via foursquare Reply Retweet Favorite
@abaggy
* After thinking about it, I should have taken pics of the “cowboys” at the Southpoint. Most definitely a Dude ranch, especially after a concert. Tons of designer cowboys waiting in line for a $3.95 steak. The real cowboys usually show up only during rodeo season.

So there you have it, was I successful in my quest? About as successful as I was in the casino. But that didn’t matter, I had a hell of a time.

Based on the recommendations of the highly regarded IT Guru @ryankanno and Social Media maven @GeeWhy I purchased the Yubikey and LastPass security system.

While the added layer of security is well worth the cost ($45  for 2 keys and a 1 year subscription to Lastpass), the biggest benefit for me is the fact that Lastpass encrypts and remembers all my login passwords, so I dont have to!

Will provide a review once I have a few days of use under my belt.

Is it possible to take a great candy such as the Whopper malted milk ball and make it even better? You betcha! Reeses Peanut Butter Whoppers, what better combo could there possibly be?

Having been a steady customer since it opened, I finally decided it was time to blog about the dining experience at one of my favorite Ramen shops, Ichiben.

Located in Waimalu, this slightly hidden ramen shop offers a cozy nook where you can have a nice lunch or dinner. 

The staff there is wonderful, they are attentive and very accomodating.   In fact the owner/cook makes it a point to come out and talk with the customers on a regular basis.  They make you feel welcome and very comfortable eating there.

The food is, quite simply, very good.  The ramen is simple but delicious and is offered with 3 different types of broths (shoyu, miso, paitan).   The other offerings (Chicken, Kal bi, fried rice) are tasty without being overly salty or “over spiced”.   The best way to describe the food is clean and fresh with natural tastiness (is that even a word?).

Here’s my review on Yelp.  You can also see others there too.  They rate a 4 out of 5 stars.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/ichiben-pearl-city#hrid:O3ywz2x3fy7VOL3GExYTQQ

The Chinese New Year brings about a chance for one to start anew with many things in their life.
To help folks start improving their health, my Sihing (Older martial arts brother) has started a new Qigong school in Pearl City.

The school is called Hawaii Wild Goose Qigong and Kung Fu Association.  It’s associated with the Tse Qigong Centre (run by our Sifu, based in England).

Also check out the article on the school at K5 The Home Team and the associated video

As we near the midpoint of the first month of the year it will be interesting to see how many of those “New Year Resolutions” have already been broken.  The “I’m going to lose weight”, “get healthier” or “find a new job” intentions are all fine and dandy.  But they lack one important ingredient for success.  Focus. 

As any personal/process  improvement guru will tell you, the best way to accomplish your resolution goal, or any goal for that matter, is to be S.M.A.R.T. about it.   S.M.A.R.T. stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant (some use Realistic), and Timely.

So how does this help you move towards your end state? 

Be Specific about what you want to attain.  Have a clear goal.  “I want to lose weight” is too general.  Have a number in mind.  This allows you to focus more clearly on your target.

Make sure the progress is Measureable.   You’ll keep yourself motivated by seeing incremental and measurable progress towards your goal.  Figure out how much progress you need to see on a consistent basis to accomplish your goal.

Ensure your goal is Attainable.  This ties in with the next piece of the puzzle in being Realistic.   While it is fine and even recommend to set lofty or stretch goals, your immediate focus should be on targets that you are both willing and able to accomplish.  Nothing dampens the spirit more than to trudge away only to look up and have your goal appear no more closer than it did on the day you started.  Having smaller, closer goals will allow you to celebrate accomplishments along the way and keep you motivated.

Timely.  Set a time frame to accomplish your goal.  This forces you to plan your path out and sets a end point for you to aim for.

So dont just set another wishful resolution that you’ll break and reconstitute next year.  Set one and be S.M.A.R.T. about it.

P.S. So what is one of MY goals for this year? 

One is to complete one Taiji hand and one Taiji weapon form this year.   How to attain that? 

Specific/Measurable:  Practice my forms at least once daily.  Keep track of how many forms and how many times I’ve run through them.  Attend weekly class.

Attainable/Realistic:  With daily practice I can learn the forms well enough that I feel confident about passing my tests on them.

Timely:  A year might be longer than I need but if I complete it sooner I can always set another goal.

There is a story about a dying kung fu Master.  Everyday his students gathered around him to learn the secret of this high level skill, and everyday he said nothing.  Until at his deathbed he called his students to him and said that he would reveal the secret to his skill.  As they came to him they asked, “Master please tell us your secret”, with that he beckoned them to lean closer, then he whispered ….. “Praaaaccctiiiiccce!”.

So what does a Geek Dad get for Christmas?

A gift card from Best Buy.

A descriptive T-Shirt

And a talking Captain James T Kirk talking Bobble Head.

From a wonderful family that knows me all too well.