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Min — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 17:43:10 +0000

Recently was at the annual NAMM show. My first and was just awesome. Pictures I took at the NAMM show show to the right on my Flickr link.

Been raining a lot here and very cold. Was 31 degrees this morning and my car solid frozen. Had to defrost window with hot water before leaving home.

A client ordered 22 laptops - I'm very busy setting those up.

Started a new business with a very unlikely friend of mine. Has been awesome.

Things are going to work out this year. I believe it. Ahja!

Re-tooling

Min — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:59:21 +0000

As the new year is approaching, I took a few minutes and re-tooled how I go about my business.

Out with the old is Microsoft Small Business Accounting. Though I love it for what it does, I just don't care to slow any machine down by running a SQL server. Also not being able to generate an invoice whenever wherever has turned out to be very inconvenient. I obviously don't need to keep a full detailed Accounting for my business anyway. Hence in with the new is FreshBooks. I love its simple UI and ability to hit it up any time any where. There are other awesome on-line billing tools out there but this one seemed the most polished.

I have also started to use Bill4Time for my time tracking. As a consultant who bills by time, it is very critical to track time accurately. B4T has a great UI albeit with some quirks and non-functioning widget. It may not be the most complicated solution but has everything I need with nothing I don't want.

Mint.com is something I have been looking at for a while and I have finally bit the bullet. I love how it gives you control by using categories and tags. It downloads all my transactions and I can easily now take care of receipts and evaluate my expenses much more easily.

Though I'm taking on some new expenses, it makes sense to utilize clever tools that are well made to sort things out and make daily work easier to handle.

Tyler performing a piano piece

Min — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 02:53:59 +0000

Joe Bonamassa Concert

Min — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:30:04 +0000

A few Thursdays ago, I was at the Guitar Center's King of Blues Final at the House of Blues on Sunset. I immensely enjoyed all 5 finalists but the highlight of the event, and main reason why I went, was definitely Joe Bonamassa. Most of you who know me personally know that I'm a metal head which is why it may shock you that I dig Joe. At the moment I am digging Joe's playing more than any one and literally worship the man at the moment.

The venue was awesome as it was full of liveliness and just the right size to enjoy the band on the stage. Joe had many special guests on the stage with him throughout the night performing his songs as well as those that were made famous by his guests. I especially enjoyed when Glenn Hughes joined Joe on the stage. Glenn has a massive pipe and was hitting high notes that seemed impossible for any human being to hit.

Looking at Joe's tour calendar, it doesn't look like he's coming to SoCal any time soon which made this event even more special to me. I will make sure to check him out again when he returns!

Here are some more pictures and a video clip of him and other guests jamming.

Already?

Min — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:44:23 +0000

It's quite hard to believe 2009 is almost wrapping up. I have a busy schedule from now till the year end. I will be flying out to NY next week, 'Tallica concert on the 10th, usual holiday stuff, and a special project for my daughter's class. No rest for the wicked I tell you.

I won't lose sight of the fact that this is my favorite time of the year. Though I have some challenges in my life at the moment, I promise myself to hold my head high and rise above.

Me playing Nickelback's Never Again

Min — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:11:24 +0000

Me playing T-ara's TTL (Listen2)

Min — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:46:59 +0000

One must wonder if I'm gonna stop metal-izing Korean dance tunes at some point... :)

Trivium - Like Light to the Flies guitar cover by me

Min — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:31:25 +0000

Another guitar cover

Min — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:56:56 +0000

Well this time it was yet another Korean dance tune covered on my guitar. I know many would rather see the Kara girls shake their cute little butts but my guitar playing isn't too bad on this video. Albeit some mistakes...

Check it out.

Verizon Network Extender

Min — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:27:44 +0000

Today I received my Verizon Network Extender which I ordered. My house is situated weird where it receives absolutely no cell signal especially in a room where I do most of my work when I'm home. Whether it's T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint or Verizon, I just get nothing in this particular room which made me decide to get this new extender. I figured I could return it if it doesn't work well.

Not that I was afraid, but the initial setup was a breeze. Make a few connections and the unit was up and running. GPS locked on immediately and took some time to get itself in a "normal" mode. As soon as all 4 indicator LEDs lit blue, all my phones lit up with full bars.

Out of the box, the unit is set up for "open access" which means any Verizon phones can hook on to this unit for making calls and receiving. I logged onto MyVerizon portal and was able to make it a "Managed Access" where I choose what phones can hook on to the little cell tower. This was an initial concern of mine as I didn't want my U-Verse speed to degrade due to number of open access cell connections.

All in all, I am very happy with this little investment. I spend so much time on my phone, this little thing will instantly pay for itself. Very highly recommended.