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By Johnny, August 12, 2009 12:16 am

Finally! All the image uploads is complete and all the tagging is done. I’m so happy. Only thing left to do is create my own custom banners. I do like what this theme comes with but I need some images that represents my own personal touch. One thing I found interesting was that I had alot of posts about finance and poker. Priorities now are so much different than before.

Hopefully this will encourage me to blog more often. At least the Twitter hook is helpful for people to see that I’m still alive.

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By Johnny, June 25, 2009 12:53 am

A brief status update on the site reconstruction.

1. Started on retagging all the past post. It’s going to take awhile to get through close to 200 posts. I love the Tag of Popularity cloud. So neat to see what my writing is focused on.
2. Removed calendar widget and added a Flickr Badge and a Live Update via Twitter widget.
3. Upgraded my Flickr account to Pro so I can add and create previous albums.
4. Removed the Comment RSS feed. Kind of silly if you ask me.
5. Installed a cool plug-in so that I can display photos on my post easier with my Flickr photos.

Here’s one for the road!

I like Flocks of Seagull. And no. That’s NOT a wig!

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By Johnny, June 23, 2009 1:00 am

So if you haven’t noticed things have changed around here. Really it’s not because I wanted to but due to some unusual circumstances, I am forced to. Not that it’s a bad change. I really enjoy the new look and feel as well as the cool blogging software. For those who have visited around the neighborhood, you’ll notice a few things missing:

• Albums and Pictures
• Ad banners
• Header images (those are not my pictures but rather part of the cool theme)

I even hired a guy to help me migrate my old content over from the previous blog to this one so that I still have a good archive. I’ll be spending the next few days/weeks/months adding images to my Flickr account so that I can get all the images on here. I’ll be creating my own header images as well. Finally, I’m going to implement some way to put some Ad Sense stuff in as well as affiliates banners (not that I’m even close to capitalizing on that).

I also need to start tagging my posts so that I can get my tag map working right. Let me know what you think so far. I encourage you to come back when the dust settles or while everything is under construction.

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By Johnny, December 28, 2008 11:10 pm

I just got back from helping my sister move and had to post on an amazing invention that caught my attention a few weeks ago. When my new washer and dryer was delivered, I noticed that the delivery guys had these straps they used to move the washer and dryer. They easily moved both items in a matter of minutes without much struggle. I was so impressed I went online the next day to see if I can buy myself a pair. Upon further research, I found that people were complaining that the arm straps are bad for moving things up and down stairs. Through the magic of Amazon’s related item query, it pointed me to the Shoulder Dolly. This was supposedly a better version in which 2 movers straps on a harness and use a single strap to lift a heavy item using their legs and shoulder. I HAD TO HAVE IT!

With my Amazon credit I ordered one and finally had the opportunity to use it today. There was a bit of skepticism in the part the moving party but I was able to convince a friend of my sister to help me move the refrigerator down a flight of stairs. Lifting the thing was a amazing. But when it came time to bring it downstairs, we struggled a bit. The person going down the stairs had the bulk of the weigh on him. We then continued moving both washer and dryer which was much more successful. Especially the dryer since that was light. We easily moved it down the stairs without any struggles. It was a matter of adjusting the straps properly so that item was evenly distributed and high enough off the ground so it doesn’t interfere with the steps. My dad even asked for it when we were moving the heavy items out of the truck! Unfortunately, I didn’t bring it because we had a heavy duty dolly and the place we moved to had no stairs.

Check out their website for more information. This will certainly come in handy when I get into woodworking (hopefully). And now an instructional video to go over how to really use the thing.

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By Johnny, September 29, 2008 11:27 am

I came across this list today and I would have to completely agree with their pick of “Saving Private Ryan” and maybe “Moulin Rouge” (I was teary eyed but I don’t think anybody noticed). For “Saving Private Ryan”, I saw it on TV a few years back by myself and was sobbing like a little baby at the end when Tom Hanks uttered the sentence, “Earn This.”

Other movies that got me was “Beaches” and “The Notebook”. Both chick flicks and both was so sad. “Beaches” on the value of friendship. “The Notebook” is the fact that a disease like Alzheimer completely erases a person’s memories. There is a Korean movie that similar in plot, but the victim was much younger. The title escapes me but that got me too. Something about losing your memory is sad to me. Perhaps that was my inspiration for creating this blog. In the event if I ever lose my memory (which is highly possible since my grandmother did), I can come back here and read about them. I’m very interested in seeing the “Iron Giant”. Haven’t had an animated movie make me cry but the description sounds good.

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By Johnny, August 22, 2008 10:14 pm

We’re down to the last week of summer. Again it went by real fast. Seemed like it was just last week since we took Memorial Day off. I haven’t done anything but ride around LA with my bicycle. Reminds me of the summers I used to have during high school when my friends and I would ride to the mall on our bikes because no one had a drivers license.

I find riding so therapeutic. It let’s me wander away on my own free wheel without burning any fossil fuel or getting stuck in the mass of gasoline driven vehicles. Riding in the heat isn’t so bad. There’s constantly a breeze when you’re moving slowly and gradually. Of course, sun-block is a must. I’m not bound by the impact on gasoline prices. I find myself feeling guilty for driving. Especially if it’s a short distance. My limit now is to take the bicycle if I’m going somewhere 5 miles or below. Ridiculous driving otherwise. I even bike to the park to run and then bike back. My trips to the local store and bank are by bike now. I look forward to picking up mail in San Marino because it’s an adventure each time I jump on the saddle. In short, I’m so glad my love for bicycling has sparked such a different and new lifestyle. I am so much at peace with myself. I’m not ever in a rush anymore. Bicycling has taught me to sit back and enjoy the ride and not focus so much on the destination.

As a result, I have enlisted 2 others on a San Diego to San Francisco bicycle ride next year. Here are the break down of the cities we’ll be at:

• Day 1: Imperial Beach to Cardiff-by-the-Sea
• Day 2: Cardiff-by-the-Sea to Newport Beach (camp)
• Day 3: Newport Beach to Santa Monica (motel/hotel/hostel)
• Day 4: Santa Monica to Sycamore Canyon/Point Mugu (camp)
• Day 5: Sycamore Canyon to Carpinteria (camp)
• Day 6: Carpinteria to Santa Barbara – our day off to hang out there (motel/hotel/hostel)
• Day 7: Santa Barbara to Lampoc (camp)
• Day 8: Lampoc to Pismo Beach (camp)
• Day 9: Pismo Beach to San Simeon Village (motel/hotel/hostel)
• Day 10: San Simeon Village to Big Sur (camp)
• Day 11: Big Sur to Monterey (camp)
• Day 12: Monterey to Santa Cruz (motel/hotel/hostel)
• Day 13: Santa Cruz to Half Moon Bay (camp)
• Day 14: Half Moon Bay to San Francisco

It’ll probably happen around June, July, or August when the weather is less likely to be stormy. We still need to figure out what to buy to prepare for this trip. I’ve checked out several guide books that should help us get started. Actually, the destinations was from a guide book. I’ve also purchased Adventure Cycling maps for this trip as well. This is going to be such a great experience. I can’t wait to do it!

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By Johnny, June 20, 2008 11:10 pm

I finally removed 4 of my wisdom teeth this morning. The experience was very interesting because apparently, when I was sedated, I didn’t even realized it. One minute I was looking up at the light in the ceiling, the next I’m waking up with gauze in my mouth and ready to go home. The pain did not set in until I got home and had to change the gauze. Nice and bloody ordeal but still not as painful until I began drinking water and eating. The good dentist prescribed some antibiotics and and trusty ole’ pain-killers. I’ve been taking them round-robin as the time is required by the prescription.

Last week I went to the doctors to do some further testing on my HDL and triglyceride level. 6 months ago in my annual check-up I was told my HDL (good cholesterol level) was too low and my triglyceride level (fat that you burn for energy) was way too high. It made me more proned to getting metabolic syndrome which is a bad thing. So as part of my new life changing goal this year, I exercised more. This time, I’m not just doing your run-at-the mill weight training and cardio. I asked to participate in a marathon and a spring triathlon competition. I took it on myself to prepare for these events by being very persistent and running and now bicycling alot. To be honest with you I enjoy running and bicycling so much that it was almost natural for me to be doing this. At the same time, I rediscovered my love of bicycling and prompted me to be car-free during the week. Not to mentioned adding 2 more bicycles to my stable. I must digress. The results of this time’s check-up was everything was back to a healthier level just because I did one thing different, exercise. And this time I’m not going to stop.

Edit: I realized that I didn’t mention this but I did buy a new roadie for the triathlon training and for my greedy self. Pictures to come once I have a chance to take them.

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By Johnny, May 30, 2008 11:29 am

Anyone on Twitter? Follow me!

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By Johnny, March 13, 2008 10:24 am

Funny Sticker
Originally uploaded by jonthelam

I saw this on a car this morning and took a quick shot of it using my camera phone. This is also a good test of blogging from flickr.com. I think I’ll be using flckr for camera phone pictures and my blog album for more personal things.

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By Johnny, January 15, 2008 9:49 pm

I didn’t have any formal New Years Resolution. Instead, I formed some really good habits. The first thing I’ve been doing frequently is flossing my teeth. Ever since my first visit to the dentist a couple of months ago, I’ve been flossing every single day without stopping. It may not seem so ground-breaking but if you know me, it is HUGE! Considering I haven’t taken care of my teeth for 13+ years. I’ve been bad about oral hygiene. I feel I’ve talked about this before, but whatever!

The second thing I’ve been doing is keeping up with my work-out regime. I’ve been running about 6-12 miles a week. Shon and I are training for the LA Marathon 2009. I have over a year until that event takes place. We’re gonna run in some 5K, 10K, and half marathons. I think at this point, I can easily do a 5K. But I’m about 9 weeks away from doing it non-stop. All this running is making all sorts of places on my body ache.