Update. I am sure you have seen those old movies where a family sits around a table and asked “How was your day?”. It’s a time for all of us to gather as family and/or friends and update/evaluate what is going on in each others lives. It’s a time in which we can de-brief each other on the days happenings. When I have meals with my family and friends, I make a rule to never answer my phone. I want them to know they have my full attention. I will usually, very briefly, talk about business. Just like the “Godfather”, I don’t like to discuss business at the table. I love to hear what my sister, brother, niece, father, and friends have been up to. I like to hear about the things that interest them. It’s a chance to really connect with the ones we love.

Company. Doesn’t it feel good to just be surrounded by the people that you love? Doesn’t it feel good to enjoy the company of others that feel the same way about you. It’s nice to sit down with friends and family, set distractions aside, and just “Be”. Some of the best meals I have had with family and friends have been mostly silent. Not because we hate each other and are planning our attack on the other, but because just being there feels good. Sometimes, just like the song goes, “You say it best, when you say nothing at all.” It’s true. It’s true.

Vent. Sometimes we need to vent. What better people to vent our frustrations to then our family and friends. You never know. Sometimes, the vent session will turn your frown upside down. It’s healthy. It helps strengthen the family relationship.

As I grow older, I try to revive the art of the meal at the table. I feel it is important to help a relationship grow. Anyone else feel this way? Anyone got a story? Comment? You know what to do.

The FIRST contest. I like toys, especially Mr. Potato Head. So the first contest will be for Darth Tater and Spider Spud Mr. Potato Head. Anyone can join. Entre Card members get a little extra if they win. Contest will end 9-01-08. Here is how to join:

Email Subscribe to the feed in the sidebar.

Comment: 1 thing you are grateful for.

That’s all. Simple.

Prizes:

1st. Choice of Darth Tater or Spider Spud + 1000 Entre Card Credits for EC members.
2nd. Whatever 1st winner didn’t choose + 500 Entre Card Credits for EC members.
3rd. 250 Entre Card Credits.

Winners will be choosen at random. Good Luck!

Economy worries are grinding out the fun in life these days. And in an effort to reduce fuel and general consumption, more and more Americans are spending time at home. While there’s no arguing against the environmental and economic gains that a little frugality can make, no one wants to count the hours by the TV Guide. Here’s some ideas for keeping yourself active, entertained, AND frugal through this economy.

1) Get out and R-U-N. Cardiovascular exercise is consistently linked with lower cholesterol, improved heart function, and a sunnier disposition. Running is also a great way to burn calories, enjoy the sun, and get to know the area around your house. Take the dog with you too. You’d be amazed how many people you can meet on dog walks.

2) Bring out your inner Chef. Nothing saves more dollars than home cooking. Learn to make your own tasty treats the old fashioned way…from scratch. Invite family and friends to participate. Ever wonder what coriander goes well with? Want to make some dip for the football game on Sunday? Break out the utensils and get to work!

3) Start a Website. Domain names are still going for around $8, if you’re fortunate enough to find something you like, have a go at it. There’s a plethora of web applications that make site management a cinch. Get your ideas up and out there. Everybody’s doing it anyway.

4) Board Games. If you’ve got ‘em (and you know you do), break those old board games out and get the competitive juices flowing. Call your friend, who works in real estate, and tell him you’ll destroy him in a game of Monopoly. Study the dictionary and memorize all the 2-3 letter words to outsmart your Sister in a game of Scrabble. Board games are terribly fun and get everyone talking and involved in the conversation.

5) Get to Knitting. If you think the economy is tough now, wait until the heating bills start rolling in. You can get yourself a jump start on the cold by knitting like fiend on the weekends. Start out with ugly scarfs and work your way to flashy cardigans. Soon, you’ll be to toast of the town…inside and out.

6) Play that instrument. Somewhere in your house is an unused instrument. Whether a clarinet, a flutophone, or an old guitar, that instrument is begging to be played. Give it a whirl. There’s dozens of sites online that can teach you to become a closet rockstar. Go and find that instrument and unleash your inner musician.

7) Volunteer. Working for free won’t put you in the driver’s seat, but it will make you feel better about how you spend your life. Offer to walk dogs at the local SPCA. Tutor kids at your neighborhood school. Provide reception assistance at the local non-profit. You’ll work hard, but you’ll feel great. One note though, make sure that volunteers aren’t the mainstay of the organization’s workforce. If they are, the organization is not employing sufficient personnel (and could be padding management’s pockets instead)

Go out on a date. If you’re already with someone, go out with them as if you just met (and were actually trying to impress one another). Have wine and cheese in the park. Go for a bike ride. Take a lesson in Tango. Do the things that daters do, and get to know the next layer of someone you’re in to.

9) Read, read, read. Libraries are vastly underrated. You can get books, audio books, and DVDs…all for FREE!!! Honestly, there’s not much reason to buy books, considering the sizable caches of materials at the local library. Borrowing is free, but the knowledge can benefit you for a lifetime.

10) Go in to work. Not that I recommend it. But if you want to occupy time, and you want to make more money. Get another job. Tack on another couple thousand dollars to your take home pay. Just make sure you map out some clear financial goals for yourself. 16 hours of work is a quick way to burn yourself out. But it can be beneficial…with the right planning.

And that’s the list, folks! Start Living!

The moment I walked in, my mood changed. The demographic of this club was 35-60 and up. Seriously. And why not? 70’s and 80’s music is what the older crowd would listen to when they were my age. The dance floor was packed with people of all ages dancing the night away. There were no expectations on that dance floor. The only thing anyone cared about on that floor was having the time of their lives. There were people who danced stiff like a robot. There were some god awful dancing, especially in the cage (yes, this place had cages.). Finally, there were people of all shapes, sizes, and ages dancing together all smiling at each other while dancing. Nothing mattered but having a fun. At that moment and 3 apple martinis later, I learned something:

I need to stop standing on the side and watching others enjoy life. I need to get out there have some fun.

Just like life, go out there and do your thing. Do the things you want to do. Don’t be let let anyone or anything get in your way. Forget that people may think you look silly or foolish. You shouldn’t care what they think. The ones standing on the side are the ones that will tell the “I wish I did this” story. You will tell others the “I DID this” story.

I DID = 50% of success.

I WISH I DID = 100% FAIL.

I could use any sort of sayings and or slogans (Just do it!) to drive home my life lesson, but I won’t. At the end of the night, my legs were a bit sore, the dj gave me a shout out for my moves, and I the smile on my face was ear to ear baby. I DID. Success.

Tell me your story. Comment.

Today, I was filling out a job application for a Desktop Technician. I am pretty tech saavy and felt that I could do the job. It pays better than the current job that I have now. By the way, I hate filling out the experience section just to find out that at the end of the application process, they also want your resume which has all the information the experience section would need WORD FOR WORD! But, I digress. While filling out my experience for present employer, I was to answer the question why I wanted to leave my current job. Then it hit me…

I DON’T WANT TO LEAVE MY CURRENT JOB! The pay sucks, but I like what I do. I work in television. It has always been my dream to do stuff in film. But why was I trying to apply for something that I am good at? In today’s society, I believe it was mean trying to get ahead in life. Everybody is trying to find a way to get ahead in life and many do so at the expense of their dreams. We put our dreams on the back burner to pursue things that will “pay the bills”. Paying bills are a good thing. Some of us have kids to feed (not me). If you can and or if you have the will, you should not settle for anything less than pursuing our dreams. Here are a few reasons why I feel this way:

Happiness. Surprise. surprise. Whenever I talked about dreams with my friends, I would always say “Dreams is what makes life tolerable.” I believed that at one time. Not so much now. Your dreams is what separates you from having a good life and having a happy fulfilling life. Sure, working as a desktop technician is decent pay as well as secure. Everyone is going to need a desktop guy. Is doing that going to make me happy? I’m sure on pay days, but I know I would always have the “I wish I did…” conversations with my friends. I love working in television. It’s a step in the right direction of pursing my dream in film. It’s progress. I love movies and I would love to do at least 1 movie. Just one would fulfill me.

Control. If anyone saw that mediocre of a movie called “WANTED”. The book was better but the message was still strong. The message in the movie is to take control of your life. Do what you want to do. I have a friend that wanted to be a professional wrestler. Wrestling was all he would talk about. He was small. He wasn’t very strong. He didn’t have the greatest job in the world. But this bad mofo knew what he wanted in life. He worked his job, he lifted weights, he joined a local wrestling association. Sure, it wasn’t WWE or TNA, but he enjoys every moment of his wrestling career. In his mind, he saw where he wanted to be and he didn’t let anything stop him. He does what he loves while others do what they can.

Attempt. Why not try for your goals? At least you can look back and say you attempted your dream right? I’ll keep it short and simple. “Better to try and fail, then fail to try”. Seriously, at least if you try there is 50/50 chance of succes. When you don’t try at all, it’s 100% fail and 100% chance you will be giving the “I wish I did this” spiel. I’d rather have the “Remember when I made a movie and it wasn’t very good?” At least I made an attempt. The movie may suck but least I fulfilled my dream. I can look back and smile and state that I actually did it.

My dream is to make a movie. What’s yours? Comments.

5. Coach Carter


Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It’s not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

4. FREEDOM WRITERS

You know what this is? This is a Fuck You to me and everyone in this class. I don’t want excuses. I know what you’re up against. We’re all of us up against something. So you better make up your mind, because until you have the balls to look me straight in the eye and tell me this is all you deserve, I am not letting you fail. Even if that means coming to your house every night until you finish the work. I see who you are. Do you understand me? I can see you. And you are not failing.

3. AMERICAN BEAUTY

I had always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all, that one second isn’t a second at all, it stretches on forever, like an ocean of time… For me, it was lying on my back at Boy Scout camp, watching falling stars… And yellow leaves, from the maple trees, that lined my street… Or my grandmother’s hands, and the way her skin seemed like paper… And the first time I saw my cousin Tony’s brand new Firebird… And Janie… And Janie… And… Carolyn. I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me… but it’s hard to stay mad, when there’s so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I’m seeing it all at once, and it’s too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that’s about to burst… And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can’t feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life… You have no idea what I’m talking about, I’m sure. But don’t worry… you will someday.

2. SCENT OF A WOMAN

Out of order, I show you out of order. You don’t know what out of order is, Mr. Trask. I’d show you, but I’m too old, I’m too tired, I’m too fuckin’ blind. If I were the man I was five years ago, I’d take a FLAMETHROWER to this place! Out of order? Who the hell do you think you’re talkin’ to? I’ve been around, you know? There was a time I could see. And I have seen. Boys like these, younger than these, their arms torn out, their legs ripped off. But there isn’t nothin’ like the sight of an amputated spirit. There is no prosthetic for that. You think you’re merely sending this splendid foot soldier back home to Oregon with his tail between his legs, but I say you are… executin’ his soul! And why? Because he’s not a Bairdman. Bairdmen. You hurt this boy, you’re gonna be Baird bums, the lot of ya. And Harry, Jimmy, Trent, wherever you are out there, FUCK YOU TOO! Now I have come to the cross-roads in my life. I always knew what the right path was. Without exception, I knew, but I never took it. You know why? It was too damn hard. Now here’s Charlie. He’s come to the cross-roads. He has chosen a path. It’s the right path. It’s a path made of principle that leads to character. Let him continue on his journey.

1. ROCKY BALBOA.

The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!

Whats your favorite inspirational quote? You know what to do. Comment.

picture credit: thedailygreen.com

Cheaper Cellphone Plan. Now days, it’s hard not to have a cell phone around. Most, like me, use a cell phone as our house phone. But plans can be outrageous. I was paying close to $60 a month on a cell phone I hardly used. 500 minutes on my plan, only really used 150 minutes. Answer? I changed to a lower plan. Now, if you are like me and like to hunt for a bargain, check cell phone forums. They can give you the heads up on all sorts of great cell plans. Howard Forums is where I would start. This is the forum that I used to find Sprint SERO Plan. This plan consisted of 500 anytime minutes, Free nights and weekends after 7pm, unlimited mobile to mobile, unlimited text messaging, and unlimited data. All this for $30. Serious. Karate chop on the savings.

Brown Bag Lunch. This maybe a no brain er for most people, but Hawaii has LOTS of great cheap eats. Every job is near some sort of plate lunch place selling an ahi special or hamburger steak. 5$ a plate doesn’t seem to bad considering how much food they put on the plate. But if you get a plate every other day, the bill starts to add up. I now buy a loaf of bread $3 and some sort of cold cuts (whatever is on sale normally baloney for $3) and or peanut butter and make me sandwiches for lunch. A loaf usually last the whole week and cold cuts normally will last me two. There are other healthier alternatives like salad and air biscuits (just kidding), but I like my sandwiches and so should you!

Mass Transit (The Bus). I love my car. Though it may not show when you look at it’s dirty black exterior, it is a joy to my heart. Gas for my love is out of this world. Right now the lowest gas price is $4.29 and that is in the middle of downtown Honolulu. The last time I filled my tank full, the price was $71. HOLY CRAP! I have finally decided to attempt to catch the bus. I say attempt because the bus is full of crazies and it’s crowded. But, I will try. Right now, I am getting my bus passes for free! That is a savings of immense proportions. $71 for gas to free? Alright! But, even if I had to pay for the bus pass for $40, It would still be cheaper. Many Honolulu Businesses support mass transit by giving discounts to employees for bus passes. click here to see if your business is on of them. Go bus!

These are not all the changes that I am making, but it is a start for financial freedom. What one really needs to truly kick start change is the will to WANT TO make a change for the better. You have any financial changes to share? Comments are always welcome.

Note: Please do not find this as me being “A Happiness Guru”. What I am writing are things I have found out about myself and would like to share with others.

Circa 2004. That year was the start of the toughest years of my life. I had so many things to deal with and I didn’t know how to deal with them. There came a point in my life where I just didn’t care about anything…and it showed. I alienated my friends, my work suffered, and I was depressed. Many times, I looked at myself in the mirror and would try to convince myself to get out of this funk that surrounded me. It wasn’t bad enough that my life was in a funk, my co-workers told my boss that I started to smell funky at work. That’s how much I just didn’t care about myself. I was an unhappy person and it didn’t help that I was a smelly unhappy person.


Circa 2006. The year that changed my life. The year my mother passed away. She meant a lot to me. Before she left me, one of our last conversations was about happiness. She told me that for me to be happy, I need to be happy with myself. Before I can fix anything in my life, I need to fix myself. If I was ever going to help anyone in my life, I first need to help myself.

Admit. I stood in front of a mirror. I looked at myself and admitted to myself “I AM AN UNHAPPY PERSON. I AM UNHAPPY ABOUT MY LIFE” Just like an AA meeting, you have to admit that you have a problem. What’s wrong? I acknowledged that a problem exist. I now knew I had a problem that needed fixing.

Understand. I now knew that I was unhappy. Now, I needed to understand why I was unhappy. What were the chain of events that got me to where I am now? Write it down. When I wrote down why I was unhappy, the list was long. I was upset that I was not doing what I dream of doing. I was upset that I was so fat and out of shape. I was sad that I didn’t see my friends and the list went on and on. After I was done writing, I realized that there was a lot of things that made me unhappy with my life.

Plan. Now that I had everything written down, I would plan out how I am going to reverse every reason I was unhappy. Simple.

Execute. Now it’s time to put your plan into action. Rome was not built in a day nor will the execution of your plans. It will take time to get the ball rolling. Sometimes the plan may not go to plan. Revise and keep going. I am a lot closer to my friends now, I got me a job that I like doing, but I am still fat and out of shape. I am working on it though, but it takes time. I also still moving forward, slowly, doing the things I dream of doing. Going slow is better than not moving at all, it’s still progress.

Today, I am a happier person. There are things that I am still working on with my plans, it’s not easy. No one said it was going to be easy. But if you have the will and the drive to want to change, the sky is the limit. Don’t ever give in and/or give up. Surround yourself with the people that make you happy and will support you. I never said it was going to be an easy road. I am saying that you can do it. Take control. Happiness begins with you. Comments?

“It ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward.” - Rocky Balboa

Frugal vs Cheap

Living in Hawaii (The most beautiful place on earth!Yeah, I said it!), is very expensive. Under normal circumstances, things will cost more here than in the continental United States. You pay a price to live in paradise. I go through this everyday. My spending would pretty much go to the limits of my bank account and sometimes go into my credit card. I finally decided to put an end to the shenanigans.

I FINALLY started to budget money, making home lunch, and all the other things to save money. I was trying to be FRUGAL. I recently started to buy all things that are cheap. And then one by one, it all went sour. All my cheap products started breaking, cheap food tasted awful, and I was not a happy camper. I came to realize that in trying to save money, I became CHEAP not FRUGAL. I didn’t help my situation at all, I made it worse. I now had to go buy all new products. The buzzer I bought for 8 bucks broke after it’s first use. The FM transmitter I bought for 10 bucks fell apart. The bread I bought went stale on me after a couple days. Cheap is cost effective. Frugal is cost effective with value. I was being cheap. Epic fail.

Once you realize your failed ways, one needs to find a way to make those ways better. Here are a few things I plan to do to get better.

Buzzer. I am currently looking for an industrial hair clipper (buzzer). I do know someone who is a hair stylist who does own a pair of good buzzers. It may cost a pretty penny, but at least I don’t have to keep buying a new pair every time I want to shave my head.

FM Transmitter. I bought this so I could listen to my Zune (shut up ipod fan boys!) in the car. This was a total impulse buy. I saw it very cheap online and couldn’t help but buy it. Little did I know that when reading the reviews on the product, everyone hated it! So not only was I being cheap, I was also not doing my due diligence to ensure the product I purchased was even good. My bad. I have found that FM Transmitters are not very good in general and that it would be better, price wise and quality wise, to hook up my zune to my AUX in my car stereo. Take it from me. Reading is fundamental. I’m just mental. But I digress.

Bad Bread. Yeah I think I am just going to buy the good bread and leave it at that. Wonder bread totally rules. Sorry Safeway, your bread makes me want to not eat bread anymore. I’m not trying to pimp out Wonder bread, but seriously, it’s awesome. What I am trying to say is, be frugal, check for value, and make sure you like it before you buy it.

Here are a few links on frugality that I liked. You might like it too. Just read it! Please. =)

The Cheapskate Guide: 50 Tips for Frugal Living

All Things Frugal: Being Frugal Without Being Cheap

Home School Oasis: Frugal Vs Cheap

As always, questions and comments are welcome.

P.S. Remember folks cheap and frugal are kind of the same, but adding one little thing called “value” will make all the difference. Or as my friend put it:

It’s a difference between, I had to help my uncle Jack off a horse and I had to help my uncle jack off a horse.

Honest Abe Lincoln: Never Forget

Being honest is a trait that everyone expects from everyone else. It’s something your mother, father, and religions try to instill in you. Honesty is the human quality of communicating and acting truthfully related to truth as a value. This includes listening, and any action in the human repertoire — as well as speaking (Wikipedia). But sadly, many of us are not honest enough or at all. Why? Why are there dishonest people? Here are my ideas.

Being the Asshole. Or the lack thereof. For the most part, no one wants to be the asshole. No one wants to hurt someones feelings, especially, if you care about the person. BOY A does not want to tell GIRL A that he does not want to go to the prom with her, so he makes up some sort of BS (Bull Shit) excuse to not go. It’s not that his parent grounded him because of bad grades, it’s because he doesn’t want to go to the prom with GIRL A. For BOY A, being straight forward may hurt GIRL A’s feelings. Hence, he will become, the asshole. The jerk that shut her down and then kicked her in the groin and laughed. He may not mean it, but it’s all about perception.

Accountability. accountability is the acknowledgment and assumption of responsibility for your actions. When things are going well, it’s easy to WANT TO take responsibility for your actions. What you did made things better. Congratulations. But when IT hits the fan, it’s a ghost town. No one wants to be apart of anything gone wrong. When a boss asks who won the contract that saved the company, and it was Max, Max will be point himself out, and bask in the glory. But if the boss asks who lost the contract that ended the company, Max will be as silent as a whisper, and find a rock to go hide under. There is a lack of accountability in our society today. We only want to be accountable for the good. We want to point fingers when things go bad. That needs to change. God help us all.

Just Don’t Care. To totally just rip of one of the greatest movies every made, Some people just want to watch the world burn. The only thing they may care about, if anything, is self preservation. They just care about themselves. They will say and do whatever they want to do, as long as its in their best interest. It’s a sad revelation to know that there are people out there like this. All we can do is have faith that we do not cross paths in life.

I’d like to hope and have faith that we can see past these reasons and learn to be more honest with everyone. I feel it could make this world a lot less harder than it already is. You got any ideas? I am all ears. Comments and emails are always welcome.