Why I Love My Gucci Bag

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I bought my first Gucci bag as a reward for finishing my NP program.  It was a little preemptive since I have not solidified a nice NP salary, but the bag was to provide inspiration and motivation.  I was always eyeing a good Gucci bag, but with such a big accomplishment behind me, I decided it was time. I needed an over-the-shoulder bag that could fit all my essentials - wallet, iPhone, makeup bag, keys and sunglasses.  Turns out the Gucci travel & business / medium messenger bag fits all that plus an occasional water bottle.  It’s the perfect travel bag because not only can it hold the essentials, it hugs close to your body so it’s secure and on your person at all times.  The lady who sold me the purse told me to use a stain protector all over the fabric part of the bag because dark colors can easily rub off on it.  I listened to her, after I wore a pair of new navy blue pants and got a nice hue of blue on the back side of my bag.  I was able to get the blue out of my bag and immediately grabbed a bottle of Scotch Guard and sprayed my bag accordingly.  Since then, I’ve spilled coffee and Jamba Juice on my bag without any new stains.

Overall, although on the pricey side (it is a designer bag afterall), this is a great bag that is comfortable to wear, fits everything, and gets compliments all the time!

Here's the description pulled straight from the Gucci website:

  • beige/ebony GG fabric with brown leather trim
  • nickel hardware
  • adjustable shoulder strap in green/red/green signature web
  • zip-top closure
  • front flap pocket with magnetic snap closure and inside zip, cell phone and pda pockets
  • 12.6"L x 1.2"W x 10.6"H
  • MSRP: $730

Steve Jobs' Reading List

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Today, October 24th, 2011, Steve Job's first and only "authorized" biography comes out.  Originally slated for a 2012 release date, it's printing was fast forwarded and from what I gather reading some of the early reviews, it's quite an eye opener.

Within it, Walter Issacson manages to create a list of influential books that helped shape the legend. Here's that list. No fluff, no reading in between the lines, just a list.  I've included Amazon links for you just incase you want to be like Steve and shape your mind. I'll have a review of Steve Jobs by Walter Issacson as soon as I finish this week!  I can't hardly wait!  Now to add these books to my personal library.

The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business by Clayton M. Christensen

"Secrets of the Little Blue Box" by Ron Rosenbaum - published in the October 1971 issue of Esquire Magazine.

King Lear (Kindle Edition $0.99)

Moby-Dick by Herman Melville (Vintage Classics for Kindle)

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shambhala Library) by Shunryu Suzuki

Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism (Shambhala Library) by Chogyam Trungpa

Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda

Remember, Be Here Now by Ram Dass

Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe

Mucusless Diet Healing System by Arnold Ehret

that should be all of 'em (via huffingtonpost)

AT&T vs. Sprint iPhone 4S

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Here it is, my 32GB White iPhone 4S on AT&T vs. my mother-in-law's 16GB White iPhone 4S on Sprint. The location is San Diego and the video is crappy (so sorry). I rushed this to the internet and will try to upload better quality videos later. This was shot on my Canon S90 in low light.

Testing the new iPhones in San Diego, California, I have two brand new iPhone 4S working on their perspective networks, AT&T and Sprint. Both caches, cookies and histories were erased and I loaded up Briam Lam's The Wirecutter and from there navigated to various parts of the site (MacBook Air Review) as well as load up a link to Jason Snell's MacWorld Review.

TED Talks: Abraham Verghese: A doctor's touch

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Once in a while (alright, on many many occasions), TED Talks posts an inspirational video from past events and this week, and I've finally caught up with their video podcast that was posted on September 26, 2011. Filmed in July at TEDGlobal 2011, Dr. Verghese speaks of today's exchange between doctor and patient while comparing it to times of past where a physical interaction was more prevalent. During the last year or so, not a day has gone by where this field has been more and more intriguing to me and videos like these truly provide great inspiration. I hope it finds you well.

Garmin's new Triathlete Watch: 910XT

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Garmin just released a video showing their latest device for triathletes calling it the 910XT. I've been waiting for Garmin to replace their Forerunner 310XT for sometime, but now, I'm not so sure that I'd be all for spending $399. If it was exactly like my Garmin Edge 500, then I'd be all for it but it's missing a temperature sensor. Yea, small things like that matter to me and I don't see why they couldn't have included it. We'll see. At least it works with Garmin's footpod where the Edge 500 doesn't which would help me track my indoor running at the hotels I stay.

Peep commercial video is down below, but if you have sometime (read: 15-30 minutes), check out Ray Maker's In-Depth Review. There is no other review like it!

Unboxing of Amazon's Newest Kindle ($79 No Touch)

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Immediately after watching Jeff Bezos introduce the latest addition to the Kindle Family, I took to Amazon.com and bought the latest and least expensive Kindle e-Reader with Wi-Fi for $79 (with ads). There was an option for one day shipping only costing an extra $3.99 and said to myself, "Why not?" Waking up early this morning, the shipment came in around noon and viola! Here's the unboxing of the latest and greatest, did I mention cheapest, from Amazon!!!

VW Passat Commercial

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It's not that Adelle or I need a new car, but I just love automobiles and VW's latest commercials make them so intriguing! Walking around town, Adelle has taken a liking to the new Jetta TDI Sportwagon and I'm all for it. Maybe it just might be the ticket in trading in her Honda Civic and my BMW 5.28iT Wagon? Of course, this is just all wishful thinking! The VW Passat also looks amazing traveling just under 800 miles in one tank!!! AMAAAA-ZING!

The Arts: Sleeping Beauty Wakes

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It's been around eight years or so since my wife and I have attended a play/musical at the renowned La Jolla Playhouse. I can't even remember which one it was it's been far too long?! I guess you can say that we've taken it for granted but we've gone out to see other plays/musicals at Balboa Park's Old Globe and the San Diego Civic Center so we're not entirely out of the scene. Just a week ago on July 19th, a new play debuted at the La Jolla Playhouse and what a better way to get back into the arts by starting off with the new hit, Sleeping Beauty Wakes. Due to our overly conflicting schedules, we won't be able to catch a showing until August 5th, but if you're interested in coming along, hit us up! Drinks, dinner, and a play?!?!!? So much better than a movie! Here's a synopsis followed by the trailer.

When a father brings his sleeping daughter in to a sleep disorder clinic, staff and patients mysteriously find themselves sharing the same dream. With beguiling characters, hypnotic lyrics, and a rocking score from GrooveLily, this musical about a father, a daughter and an unlikely suitor dives into the magical space between dreaming and waking.

If that's not enough, listen to the wonderfully composed music.

You can always hit up www.lajollaplayhouse.org for more information.

Sleeping Beauty Wakes at La Jolla Playhouse Performances start July 19 Book by Rachel Sheinkin Music by Brendan Milburn Lyrics by Valerie Vigoda Directed by Rebecca Taichman Co-production with McCarter Theatre Center

San Diego Chargers 2011!

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The season has officially begun...training camps starting up this week, free agency signings as well as contract signings with current players all happening in a 3-5 day window, it's time to get pumped up. I'll admit that I wasn't particularly sad but I'm glad that it's going to happen. With 3 out of the first 4 games happening at home at Qualcomm Stadium, (Minnesota, Kansas City and Miami) I'm hoping for a 3/4 with the loss at New England. Who knows, we might go 4 and 0? Check out the schedule below!

Video Friday!!! By My Side - David Choi

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I know it's been a while since the last update, but over the past couple of days, I've been missing my other half a little too much. Perfect timing as David Choi's awesome new music video just hit the interwebs! Produced by the amazing Wong Fu Productions, check out the video below! Now only if I could play the guitar like him.

Extra Day in NYC!

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Adelle: fishing on long island sound is cool. adelle 2, everyone else 0. my delicious 12 lb stripped bass fed 6 people! Elijah: Being stuck in NY for an extra day isn't that bad of a thing especially when you have a great friend who lives in Long Island and a good AMAZING friend who lives in the city. Grabbing some brunch and hanging out with Esther till the last minute worked out. Like I already said, extra time is a good thing! We walked pass the cafe that Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan met in "You've Got Mail," and got to see the top of the Metropolitan Museum.

Next up was taking the Long Island Railroad to Huntington via Penn Station. It's a normal thing these days that I've come to learn over the last five years and upon arrival, we had a good cookout with some of Matt's friends. It's been a long while in the making, but Adelle finally got to hang out with me in Northport which has become one of my favorite little towns. We grabbed some ice cream at Lic's then went to bed early. Matt's family has always been more than hospitable and once again, great hosts!

Up a little late in the morning, we headed down to Northport Harbor and boarded up the Reverence II with Matt's family! Another "event" that I was excited about. Bruce, Barbara, Chris and Matt, along with Adelle and I departed the Harbor and motored to 11B where we waited for the tide to turn. Matt's poles ended up catching 90% of all the fish. Two bass and a couple of blue fish. An exciting day that also included a great breakfast prepared by Matt's mom, Barbara. It was quite on the bay. Maybe a little too quiet as we ate but definitely proving to be very relaxing and enjoyable.

I shot the video on the iPhone 4. Unedited, enjoy it below!

Here's lunchy!

Happy 29th + 1 to Adelle!!!

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Celebrating Adelle's 30th birthday in New York City with great friends and family! Thanks for coming out and making it oh so special!!! We hit up all the spots starting with the High Line, Ippudo NY, Momofuku (Milk), Please Don't Tell & Crif Dogs

2012 BMW M5 in Action!

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A couple of years from now when the BMW F10 M5 is "affordable" as a pre-owned vehicle, and the universe aligns itself financially speaking, this car will most definitely be invited into the garage. I'm still a fan of the E39 M5 and haven't found a good one just yet in the right price range but if you know of one or someone that wants to pick up a 1999 BMW 5.28iT (sports wagon), I'll take the trade. For now, enjoy the video below. All I can say, A-WOW!

Refresher: The 2012 BMW M5 is powered by a 4.4L V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo (consisting of Twin Scroll Twin Turbo Technology) making 560-hp between 6,000 and 7,000 rpm with a maximum torque of 502 lb-ft from 1,500 rpm. Mated to a 7-speed M Double Clutch Transmission Drivelogic (with steering wheel mounted paddle shifters), the 2012 BMW M5 goes from 0 to 62 mph in 4.4 seconds, 0 to 124 mph in 13 seconds with a top speed of 155 mph or 190 mph with M Driver’s Package.

via egmCarTech

Drifting in German

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...is "treiben". I'm all about driving abilities and talent. Watching one of my favorite automobiles perform...exhilarating! Check out this Mercedes Benz C63 AMG and his driver, Mauro Calo, set the world record for the longest drift. Now officially set at 2,308 meters (1.44 miles!) he completed a full eight laps around Mercedes-Benz World’s Handling Circuit before tiring. Sure looks like he could have kept on going!

Mercedes Benz C63 AMG

“The car was so balanced. I was relaxed and only had to make small corrections to the steering and throttle,” said Calo. “Then the tyres let go after lap seven, but I kept on going until I knew I’d beaten the record. I’m absolutely chuffed.”

Check out the machine in all its glory when coupled with a talented driver. This one is for you boneout ben!

gnonstop gnome attempts to color the social photoscape

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A couple of months ago, Color launched with millions in funding but almost zero in positive feedback. Since then, updates have been pushed making the app friendlier and even neater, a cofounder has left and I'll admit that I have abandoned it. It was a fun and great way to see random pictures of those around you but only if there was someone using the app which in my case was rare. Alas, it's draw faded quickly and it has since been filed away in a folder on my second screen. gnonstop gnome

Today, gnonstop gnome populated the iOS and Android Market introducing yet another creative way of capturing photos and "socializing" them. You start off with either a free gnome or for $0.99, customize his hat, eyesbrows, eyes, nose, beard, clothes then name your gnome. You share the journey and create a timeline titling as well as geo-tagging each picture.

The adventure really begins when you use your phone's camera lens and "lyft" a gnome from a friend or even that new guy/gal you met at the hotel bar. Maybe a little weird at first but pretty cool right? Anyone that has "lyfted" the gnome can follow it's photo adventures across a map.

It's definitely an exciting start. Will it succeed where Color failed? Only time and users will tell but who would have thought that taking pictures (of what does seem to resemble the travelocity gnome) at random places with a little person was exciting?

Here's my first pic, yes it's boring, but it is a customized gnome!

Catch a demo of the app in the video below when it was presented by Churn Labs' Omar Hamoui at Disurpt NYC. You can also check out the latest blog post on here.

Gnonstop Gnomes is available for download today in both the iPhone app store and Android app market. After creating a gnome, you can transfer it to a friend, and then follow its adventures across a map as it moves from phone to phone. People who receive your gnome can make travel entries, including photos, which you will also be able to browse through as your gnome makes its journey. The application is free on both iPhone and Android.

Have an iPad 2 yet?

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Apple just posted a new iPad video demonstrating the diverse uses of the iPad 2, and it's awesome! Entitled "Now," after watching the commercial, we all can expect that life from this time forward will be different and done on an iPad. (not a Galaxy Tab =) ) If you haven't succumb to buying the latest and greatest tablet computer from Apple, watch this commercial and tell me you don't want one. I know I do.

Ever since selling my iPad one a little prematurely last November, I've been itching for a new tablet. You ask why I haven't bought one yet...it's because I'm waiting. I'm waiting like I always do when it comes to tech toys but be rest assured, I'll be in line or online at day 0 for the iPad 3.

Best Commercial Ever!

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I first saw this ad the other day on television and it struck a chord. I freaking was about to break down and just tear some good old happy feelings! You watch and don't tell me it's not a freaking awesome idea / commercial. If you don't come up with any emotion, you're a robot!

It's kind of reminicient of Michael Keaton's movie "My Life," but on a more happier note. I'm going to steal this idea next July ^_^