Before the Morning - An Encouragement

This song has been such an encouragement for me and I hope it could be to you too. No matter how defeated or discouraged you feel, drag your heavy-heart out of the bed because in God, there is always a reason to sing. Get up and fight the good fight!!

Check out the story behind this song, super awesome - and the YouTube video.

Before the Morning - Josh Wilson

Do you wonder why you have to

Feel the things that hurt you

If there’s a God who loves you where is He now

Maybe there are things you can’t see

And all those things are happening

To bring a better ending

Someday somehow you’ll see you’ll see

Would you dare would you dare to believe

That you still have a reason to sing

Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling

It can’t compare to the joy that’s coming

So hold on you gotta wait for the light

Press on and just fight the good fight

Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling

It’s just the dark before the morning

My friend you know how this all ends

You know where you’re going

You just don’t know how you’ll get there

So say a prayer

And hold on cause there’s good for those who love God

But life is not a snapshot

It might take a little time but you’ll see the bigger picture

Once you feel the weight of glory

All your pain will fade to memory

It’s just the hurt before the healing

Oh the pain that you’ve been feeling

It’s just the dark before the morning 

"They say of some temporal suffering, "No future bliss can make up for it," not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory" - C.S. Lewis

My Touch 3G Slide - Part 2

This is the part two of my entry about my new phone (view part 1)

Hate it
1. Battery lifetime
I think people are too busy developing awesome apps and forget to come up with battery that will at least last more than a day. Yeah, the apps are freaking cool and I'm loving all of them but what's the point if you have no battery to run the apps. It's like manufacturing a car, only later to find out that you have no fuel to run it. Pretty pointless don't you think?

2. Oversensitive screen
It's a neutral ground for this one actually, coz I know I'll be bitching too if the screen is not sensitive. But I just resent it if in the middle of a phone call, it accidentally drops dead simply because my cheek hit the "end call" button. It is also very likely that I dial somebody's number unintentionally. One particular number is this restaurant that I frequently patronize. I put its direct dial on my screen, and I don't know how many times the restaurant's server pick up the call, only to be disappointed and annoyed at the absence of response

3. The not so 'genius' button
This phone takes pride in its newest genius button which promises voice recognition feature. The premise is to make it safer and easier to navigate the phone while you are driving; you can do Google search, type message, dial contact with your voice. However, all of those fail miserably. The genius button rarely catch what you are saying or sometimes it is off due to limited connectivity, and then you have to press "start over" button, look again at the screen if it is ready, say it again, fail again, then your screen is locked, then you have to drag the screen down, check the screen again and the last thing you know is you miss an exit or hit the car in front of you. I think it is engineered in a way that will increase your chances to get into accident - so I would suggest to ignore this genius button, they're far from genius.

4. Inconsiderate to certain skin-type
The screen is huge and if you see it in the ad, it is glossy and clean and clear. But in this perfect real life, this almost never happen. Imagine a typical summer day, it's hot and humid out there, your face is an active oil producer and you are sweaty and filthy, and you pick up a call, gently place that massive screen on your cheek and voila, all you get is an oily and greasy screen; nothing like what is shown in the ad, nothing like a glossy, clean and shiny screen. That's a problem in itself, but the real disaster is if you try to clean it or wipe it. Imagine smearing a butter on your laptop monitor, yeah, that's what you get. No matter how strong or persistence you wipe it, it gonna stay that way until you leave it for couple of minutes and wipe it with clean and half-wet paper towel. That's, ladies and gentlemen, how you do it.

My New Phone: MyTouch 3G Slide

After more than a year since my post on Blackberry, I should admit that my old Samsung flip-phone is no longer user-approved (or even culturally-approved). The battery case is missing so I have to tape my battery to keep it intact. And worse....... hmmmmm (thinking hard) ....... , no animation maybe, or no email, and no camera? Well, there is actually not that many valid justifiable reasons to begin with beside the fact that I just want to have a new phone. It's starting to get lame when "ringg ringgg ringggg" is what you hear when you get a call, I want Jason Derulo or Taio Cruz singing for me!

So anyway, I upgraded my old Samsung to MyTouch 3G Slide; quite wordy don't you think? Why can't you say like iPhone, or Nokia, or Blackberry. Why it has to be like "Hey, I just bought a black MyTouch 3G Slide smart phone?" Well, but that's the way you should say it, lacking one word will be disrespectful since every word conveys a special meaning. 3G: Geez, you have a 3G signal, must be blazing fast? Slide: Yeah, it's the new one dude, it actually slides. My Touch: say bye bye to old keypad, touching is the trend now. So, please share what phone do you have, mine is actually (drum roll please) a MyTouch 3G Slide. Hah. 

Well, I applaud you for still persistently reading my hogwash until this point. Of course and as always, I have something better to offer you. Here, I would like to share things that I like and don't like from this Droid phone. Of course as someone who just switched from old flip phone to this smart, touch-screen, camera-capable, 3G slide phone (Oooops, I'm doing it again), it's kinda hard to find the drawbacks, but I'm pretty confident my complaining and criticizing nature will come in handy this time. 

Love it

1. Impressive arsenal of apps. 

From zero application to now thousands of downloadable application in my grip, I am almost estatic. The Google Sky Map is awesome. Planning a romantic date? Just download this app and let your imagination run wild. My favorite is the Coupons App; Go cheap and check available coupons everyday - it's two for one pizza at Dominos today!! 

2. GPS Navigation System

Can we say that GPS is obsolete now? I lost count of how many times I was saved by this feature, especially when I have to travel around Columbus for work. It does feel really peaceful when you are almost hysterical finding your way out and suddenly you hear the all-knowing lady's voice uttering the most melodious sentence "Turn left, your destination is on the right"

3. Link link link. 

Link your friends' profile with their Facebook, Gmail or even Linkedin account. Now you get all their contact number in one place. Their birthday is automatically in, their Facebook updates are only a click away, and the best part is, their Facebook / Gmail pic is incorporated to your phone book. So, it is completely unnecessary for me to take pic of every single contact I have, not that I would ever do it but it certainly makes my life easier. 

(to be continued) ......

Three Utmost Important Twitter Tools

I've been using twitter pretty heavily this last few weeks because my company is jumping into this social networking bandwagon, and as a avid users myself, I am getting the privilege to manage it. For this purpose, I've been looking for several twitter tools that could make my twitter experience easier, like managing followers, deleting mass followers, looking at trends, etc. And in this post, I'd like to share with you three tools that I consider are the utmost important.

1. Refollow

I really think this is the most comprehensive twitter tools ever. You can search and filter your followers based on several variables like who haven't tweeted in the last 90 days, those tweeps who do not follow you back, and even those who have no profile picture. You want to do mass follow / unfollow? Piece of cake, just "select all" after you do the filter, and then "delete" or "unfollow" or "block" or whatever your like. So, it is a very fun and helpful application to use, especially if you have more than 1000 followers. For good complementary reading on refollow, click here.

2. Twitter Analyzer

Don't let the word "analyzer" scares you off, it sounds a bit geeky admittedly, but this is a very fun tool to use as well. First, unlike many other twitter tools, this one does not require you to sign up or to follow them on twitter etc, just type in your username and let them do the trick.

One distinct feature that I like from this tool is that it can find who are your closest tweeps, who mention you the most, who you interact the most and, to be fair, who you disregard the most. Thus, you can either keep your friends close or, identify who seems less influenced by your tweet, and start building relationship with them (keep your enemies closer right?). If you are a data-driven type, or wanna still sound smart although what you do is tweeting all day, justify your action and impress them with Twitter Analyzer.

3. @unfollowr
This is not even a twitter tool, but this twitter account really provides solution to the pressing question - who are those people who have the audacity to unfollow me? I used Qwitter before this, which worked pretty good until it started getting drunk and sending inaccurate report.

Nice thing about @unfollowr is you don't have to log in or whatever, just follow the account and it will send you DM whenever someone decides to unfollow you. Yes, it is heart-breaking when someone does that, that's why I need this tool to know whose names I should write-off from my Christmas list.

Visit to Passion Works Studio

Around two months ago, we had an opportunity to visit Passion Works, a social business entrepreneurship located in Athens, OH. Basically, Passion Works is about doing a collaboration between artists with and without disability problems. It is originated from the belief that every humans are innately precious and are capable of doing something valuable to society. Patty Mitchell, its owner and founder, sees beyond their disability, and started to use this opportunity to help them restoring their sense of self-esteem while at the same time building her own company . Thus, you have the term Social Business, a for-profit company with a social vision.

At Passion Works Studio with founder, Patty Mitchell

So, how does the collaboration actually work? Sketch is drawn by disabled people; they are the one who come up with ideas which then being actualized by full time artists. Tons of wonderful ideas and drawings sprung up from their creative mind, one of them is the Passion Flowers which is now being recognized as the official flowers of Athens, OH. The products that they carry range from decorative item to functional items like guitar or even luggage.

It was unfortunate we didn't take more pics

As my eyes observed all the amazing artworks before me, my mind can't help to wonder. It doesn't take a special set of eyes to look at these people and realized that they are uniquely created. It doesn't take a master or Phd degree to acknowledge that they possess certain kind of abilities which often times are being overlooked. Patty sees through that, and I believe we can also see that. However, it takes a tender and courage heart to go beyond what we see or believe or acknowledge and actually turn that into an action. Often times, doing is much harder than believing, because doing is another level of commitment, and that is why people who are actually a doer, are those who are able to bring huge impact to the community. Patty Mitchell did this several years ago; starting with only a strong determination and bold courage, she brought her vision to reality, and thus has become an inspiration for lots of people, including me.

Learn more about Passion Works:
Follow them at Twitter http://twitter.com/PWStudio
Be their fan at Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pwstudio
Click here for video, and here

My Birthday Gift

This post is one month due, but I'm gonna write it anyway because it concerns me and anything concerning me is absolutely essential to be posted. I've written one post about the kind of untypical birthdays greetings that I got for my 23rd birthday, and I think to be fair, I need to write about the gift that I got as well, which is equally untypical. They're unprecedented.

I have received a watch, gift-card, clothes, electronic-stuff or even Gundam as my birthday presents, but this kind of gift, like what I alluded, is unprecedented. I guess it takes a strong urge of determination and mountainous efforts to even set the project in motion, let alone finish it in a meticulous fashion. Thus, hail to my good friends for spending hours creating this scrapbook, and for effortlessly lying to me regarding their whereabout several days before my birthday. I certainly appreciate the thoughts and energy that you guys have put into this book.

Bits and pieces of the scrapbook, displayed nicely before being binded together

One of my favorite pages, I like how the bird hovering over my head.

Road trip to Boston, beaten by the mad crab

My dark and secret desire, massage gift card!! haha. Ecstatic. 

 Thank you guys, really appreciate everything. (setting: at our secret study center, dare to guess??)

Places To Visit in Columbus - Part 2

I posted the part 1 several days ago, and here is the continuation of my visit to several unpopular but worth visiting places in Columbus. 

Franklin Conservatory - If biology is your favorite subject in high school, this is the place you don't want to miss. Showcasing various exotic plants and botanical gardens, this is a great place to learn and also to take pictures. 

Alum Creek Dam - again, a collection of the beauty of nature:  beautiful dam, green and vast pasture, clear blue sky, and the lake. Enjoy the breath-taking scenery or be active and do some kayaking, fishing or even windsurfing. 

That's all for now folks, I will post more pics if I get more chance to go around Columbus. As of now, I look forward to visiting Amish County which I haven't get the chance to visit. So, stay tune and anticipate more postings. 

Places To Visit in Columbus - Part 1

When you think about Columbus, you and maybe the other 95% of people will think about the renowned Ohio State University, which is good because that's what Columbus, OH is well-known for. However, it is unfortunate that places like Goodale Park, Hoover dam, or Hayden Falls, beside their pristine beauty, remain untouched by visiting tourists, locally or nationally or even internationally. That's what prompted this post; I've had the chance to visit these places and I truly believe that their beauty should not be overlooked. Below are some pics which I hope will convince you to visit these places right after you're done visiting Ohio State University.

Goodale Park - With its natural beauty, this park is perfect for picnicking, jogging or even for playing around with ducks. 

Santa Maria Boat - I did not go for the tour so I have no idea what this boat is all about. I'm pretty sure it has some interesting historical stuff if you're really interested. For me, this pic is enough. 

Hayden Falls - I was so close to sending this pic to several magazine editors out there. I'm sure the splendor of the Falls plays a bigger role aesthetically, but surely you can't dismiss that guy right there. 

Topiary Park - a very beautifully landscaped park, with a pond at the center of the park which provides you with a very comfortable place to chill and appreciate the art of topiary. Where's the picnic basket?

to be continued....