Pens

Ok, so I got lazy a little while... but I'm back.
I'm on a quest for a good pen. I have a pretty strict set of criteria in qualifying a pen as a good pen. Now, I'm not really one of those serious collectors of pens. These guys prefer expensive fountain pens (I think). I'm more practical in my taste. Here is my list of criteria:

• Multi-function ball-point pen including a PDA stylus
• Large diameter
• Heftiness
• Good balance
• Smooth mechanical feel
• Good craftmanship

I have not found a perfect one yet. A few came close. The one that I bought from www.styluscentral.com is pretty good, but I dropped it on the floor and it crushed the tip of the ball-point pen. I should get the replacement cartridge, but I have temporarily retired the pen. I have purchased a few more pens from the same vendor. One is a small pen which I though was supposed to be much bigger. The other one had a laser pointer and a flashlight in it. Really neat, and it's a great conversation piece, but it's too big, too top heavy and the battery ran out too quickly.

I recently got another pen from Levenger for $24. The appearance is almost perfect. It seems a little too light than my taste, but the balance is good. The craftmanship seems pretty good. When you click, it OFTEN gives me a smooth, addictive feel. I say OFTEN, because sometimes it gives me the metal-to-metal grinding feel. And the sophisticated mechanism (it's a 4-in-1 gravity-utilizing pen) seems too fragile. It's my favorite pen for now.

I will continue with my search for the perfect pen. I wonder if it's out there...

Dreams

Andre was talking about opening a recording studio in Vincennes. I was pretty excited for the prospect that I would have a studio connection in the vicinity. A recording studio is one thing, but what I don't find around here is a good live house where you can enjoy a good live music of all kinds. Since Andre talked me about the studio, I've been fancying the idea of opening a live house.

Then, last weekend, I was talking to Miho about this fantasy while I was trying to fix her computer, and somehow the idea merged with my long-time dream of running a coffee shop: why not a coffee shop-live house? This is great! I'm now imagining a comfortable sitdown place where you can enjoy a coffee and a conversation while a rather quiet live music is played on a small stage.

Now, Naomi tells me about this place in Evansville called "Seekers" which is very similar to this concept. I was at first happy that I would be able to check the place out before I am to open my place (help me materialize my fantasy). I was reading their website, then I realized that this is a Christian-emphasized place... Well, the concept is still good, I just have to make sure that my music does not include Christian music.

Goro joins my grand master plan, and says that I should make this an internet cafe. I do not have a first-hand experience with any internet cafe, but I figure that it's a place with bunch of computers lined up with a broadband connection. OK, so that's a little bit off from my concept, but I guess I could make the place a "Wi-Fi Hot Spot" where a paying member can bring his notebook computer or a PDA and connect to the Internet while he enjoys the coffee and music. Goro wants to make the place really modern and hi-tech, but I really don't know about that. I was thinking of wooden-motif rather dim place... but perhaps, I should consider all possibilities, anyway.

So, my own coffee shop-live house plan is kind of shaping up. Getting close to reality? mmm... Not really. But I would like to continue planning in case the 'right time' comes pretty soon.

First week survived

So a week has passed since 2005 has started. I don't mean to make this blog my new year resolution tracking log, but I want to summarize how I am doing:

Workout

Monday, Wednesday, Friday

• Crunch: 20 straight reps, 10 each side reps
• dumbbell Butterfly: 25 lbs each, 10 reps, 1 set
• dumbbell Curl: 25 lbs each, 10 reps, 1 set
• Tricep Pushdown: 50 lbs, 10 reps, 1 set
• Lat Pull Down: 80 lbs, 10 reps, 1 set
• dumbbell Military Press: 30 lbs each, 10 reps, 1 set

Tuesday, Thursday

• Crunch: 20 straight reps, 10 each side reps
• Squat: 95 lbs, 10 reps, 1 set
• Leg Curl: 50 lbs, 10 reps, 1 set
• Toe Press: 60 lbs + body weight, 20 reps, 1 set

The first week was supposed to be the warm-up week, and I think it served its purpose. I feel that my body has adjusted to the actual physical work and is ready for more strenuous training. I am taking creatine and amino acid to help me build muscles effectively. I wonder if these things are actually working...

traveling

I started looking around on the Net for options. I'm currently considering a train trip through Europe. Target timing: Spring. I need to look more seriously.

Spanish

I have a text book at the bedside, but I have not been able to pick it up all week long... I really need to create a daily or weekly schedule to allocate specific time for Spanish (and everything else) so that I will make a point to pick up the book.

CODE 58

Plagued by the computer troubles, no progress has been made this year. Hopefully, the hardware issues will resolve next week, and we will finish up our long over-due project.

Blog

Hey, I am keeping this up, aren't I? CODE 58 blog is also kept up. So, I think this has been OK.

Not too bad, I think. I just have to organize my life a little better so that I can achieve/maintain all these goal during this year. I will do that this week.

So Far So So

4 days into the new year, I guess I'm feeling OK with what's going on. I worked out on yesterday and today. Sure, I'm getting pretty sore (and I didn't lift that much), but this was expected. I can actually see me continuing for a while.

My musical activities have not been as well because the studio computer has decided to fall ill. Nothing seems to be working right. I have ordered some parts and perhaps things will improve when I receive them, but until then, CODE 58 project has been put on hold.

This is my 3rd entry in this blog, and I have made 2 entries into CODE 58 blog, so I'm keeping up with my blog resolution.

I have not started on the rest of the resolutions, but hey, it's only 1/4 (1/5 technically, I guess), so I have plenty of time to catch up. No sweat.

I did it!

Hey, how about that, the second entry!!

I'm waiting for the dryer to finish its thing so that I can start ironing. Yeah, I'm going back to work tomorrow. I must say I had a pretty good rest over the break. I pretty much spent all my time at my parents tinkering over their computers. I took my spanking brand new notebook computer (Sony TR3AP1), and I enjoyed using it anywhere in the house browsing the Internet, chatting/video conferencing with Naomi (until the morning hours...), and just simply feeling cool being wireless! (...Yeah, I'm a hopeless geek...).

So I'm back to the grind tomorrow. My resolutions are effective tomorrow as well. Let's see how things will turn out.

A Happy New Year!!

Well, it is the first day in 2005, and it seems like a good day to start a blog (as good as any, really). 2004 has been pretty hectic for me prefoessionally and left very little time for me. I hope 2005 will be more fulfilling for me personally. The following is a list of my resolutions:

• I will work out regularly;
• I will travel to Europe;
• I will travel everywhere else I can;
• I will learn to speak Spanish;
• I will release the long over-due CODE 58 EP; and
• I will keep up this blog.

Whoa... I guess I will have to keep myself pretty busy...

Well, there goes my first entry. I hope there will be a second.