Jo's Precious Thoughts

Wordless Wednesday: Sunset

2009-11-24T11:30:00.000-07:00

Picture taken at Universal Studios, Florida in February 2009

Check out other Wordless Wednesday entry here.

"You don't take a photograph, you make it!" by Ansel Adams

2009-11-22T15:20:00.001-07:00

Taking up photography classes makes me look at my pictures in different light. What I thought was a perfect shot [at least for me] turns out to be not. And now, the critique of my instructor stuck with me. I still liked my photos, but I see all the mistakes now.

One important thing that I learn is that it is NOT in the camera, but it lies on the person taking the picture. You could have a very expensive camera, but if you don't know how to use it, it's useless.

This is the main reason why I decided to take photography classes even though I know there's not much money [income] in it. If I can make money from it, the better, but if not, then at least I am taking good photographs from now on. And I can maximize the use of my Nikon.

I wish to see some changes in the pictures that I will be taking from here on...

Photo Hunt: Bird

2009-11-21T19:38:00.008-07:00

Universal Studio, Florida

Northshore Beach, Alberta

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The sun will come out tomorrow

2009-11-17T22:04:00.001-07:00

I just had a very stressful week at work. You all know that I only work twice a week and the past two days was the worst days of my life. It happened Sunday at approximately 6am, and I honestly don't know how it happened, but it did. It's a good thing that they can review the camera/video for that incident.

All I know is that I am doing my job, with no distractions around me. How it happened? I cannot explain.

You can just imagine my whole day Sunday at work. I don't really have the energy to work thinking how that incident could have happened without anybody noticing it. I wrote my report that day, spent more than 1 hour in the manager's office, and they still couldn't make a decision even after watching the video.

That night, I had some friends come over to cheer me up. It was an instant party organized at 5:30pm. Hubby was understanding enough to buy take out food for dinner and some Smirnoff. I don't drink, but my friends did the drinking for me. I'm so glad I have them with me that night!

Monday at work was a really slow day for me. I was there waiting for the decision to come down, expecting the worst. And almost at the end of my shift did one of the Manager came down to tell me that "no disciplinary action" is necessary since they now know that I was just doing what the SOP said.

I ask the Manager as to what they saw on the video, and he just said that he didn't see it personally. And that he couldn't say. This made me think -- maybe I didn't make any mistake? maybe it was a mistake on the part of the person who reported the incident? or maybe there was no incident at all and they are just covering it up?

Bottom line is I am just glad that it's over. I didn't realize how much stress I had until I got home yesterday and went to bed at 7:30pm! I didn't even hear the kids, nor did I even notice my husband going to bed. I am a light sleeper and these things do wake me up, except last night.

Sorry, but for security reason I couldn't elaborate on the incident itself. But I thank GOD that it is finally over!

PostSecret

2009-11-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

I found this cool blog... it shares some cool photos and some secrets that you may or may not be aware of... Go check out postsecret.blogspot.com/. Definitely another interesting blog.

A web-based notification system

2009-11-17T09:58:00.000-07:00

For a big corporation, it is hard to maintain contact with your hundreds of employees, especially those who are on the fields most of the time. And since almost everybody has their own cellphone or company provided cellphones, it gets easier with the help of a text alert system by AMG. It's 100% web-based notification system and setting it up is as easy as 1-2-3.

Medical coverage

2009-11-17T08:59:00.017-07:00

I can never stop emphasizing how important it is to have medical coverage for my family. Either through work or through personal coverage. This is one of the major reason that I stayed part-time with my current job. The benefits are good.

If you don't have any coverage at work due to being casual or temporary employee, you might want to check out BCBSNC website. [BCBSNC is short for Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina].

Gary and Martin in AS1

2009-11-12T14:50:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, me and my friends went to watch the concert of Gary V and Martin N. The concert was great!!! No front acts that normally delays the show. And they started promptly at 6pm.

Concert lasted 3 hours... and even though we were seated at the second to the last row, it was still worth it. The sounds didn't came out right during the first few numbers. I took videos, but as you can see in the pictures below, we were quite far and the videos didn't really turn out quite good.

I have never watched any Gary V concert, but I have been a fan of Martin N since his Penthouse Live days. In this concert, I believe it was Gary V's fans that filled the huge Jubilee Auditorium. He is still very energetic especially when he did Michael Jackson songs and dance moves. He really rocks! And he made Martin dance!!! It's very rare for me to see Martin dance... and he is really funny. But Martin will always be my favorite!

Wordless Wednesday: New Moon

2009-11-11T00:12:00.014-07:00

Watch out for the release of New Moon on the 20th of November!

Today is also Remembrance Day. Let us not forget those heroes who fought for us...

"Remembrance day or Veteran day is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War."

Check out other Wordless Wednesday entry here.

My little cookie monster

2009-11-10T09:11:00.005-07:00

My son is a growing boy! He is turning 13 in 2 months! He just can't seem to stop eating while at home. Take for example we just finished eating dinner and he had 2 servings. As soon as he is done, he will start opening the cabinet and fridge in search of something else to eat or munch.

When we went for his volleyball tournament last week, I bought him 2 cheese burgers with large fries. He ate at around 3:30pm on our way to the tournament. Once there, after they played their second game, at approximately 6:00pm, he was again begging for more food! He claims that he ate over 2 hours ago and is hungry again. But then he did get some snacks in between games too.

I had my lunch at around 1pm, just one sandwich, and haven't eaten anything till that time. And I'm not hungry. So how could he be hungry? I told him to wait till the end of the game before eating anything heavy, but he was throwing tantrums already. So I bought him a corn dog. I don't really think he is hungry, I think it's more of I'm-bored-I-need-something-to-do/eat. Anyway, after the game, at 8:30pm, he managed to find $2 on the floor, and decided to grab himself another corn dog.

He had gained so much weight already, he is actually overweight for his height already. What should I do? Does your teenage boy eat like this too?

Do you think I should start locking up food around the house like the one that could be bought at www.FridgeLocker.com? I just can't help but think about obesity when I see him eat like that.

I need a vacation!

2009-11-09T16:26:00.000-07:00

And because I am so stressed out [see entry below], I need a vacation! Wouldn't it be nice to go to the Riviera Maya Resorts for the weekend? Have you ever been to Riviera Maya? I heard that it's one of Mexico's romantic vacation destination. I just need to figure out where to leave the kids, or if we should just bring them with us? And I need to figure out if I could fit this getaway into my budget.

Stressed out!

2009-11-09T16:21:00.001-07:00

I am so stressed out at work! It's a good thing I only work twice a week. I wish I could work more but if management doesn't stop giving stress to all it's officers, I can make do with my income for working twice a week. One of the major reason why I decided to keep this job is because of the health insurance lead that it provides. Second major reason are my friends!

Self Portrait

2009-11-06T16:11:00.002-07:00

These were drawn by my daughter... a self-portrait and a couple of horses... she really has the talent to draw and I wish I could find a drawing school for her soon...

Thursday Thirteen #61: Movie Marathon

2009-11-05T00:25:00.001-07:00

Last 13 movies that I've seen and my rating

Up *****
The Proposal *****
Changeling ***
Star trek ***
The day after tomorrow ****
I love you man ***
State of play ***
Untraceable ***
11:14 **
Mysterious Skin **
Soloist **
Surrogates ***
The Family Stone ***

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Related entries: Please click here.

Question of the week

2009-11-02T15:22:00.001-07:00

Which side will you take?
The left side where there's nothing right?
or The right side where there's nothing left?

Time to organize

2009-11-02T15:11:00.003-07:00

I went shopping last week. I wanted to organize my living room because I have been having guests from time to time and my living room is basically empty except for a couch and a center table.

I bought a TV stand/console that has enough storage to hold some of my photo albums. What's my theme? It's all about rocks. I'll share a picture of my living and dining room once delivery has been made. I guess that's what you call modern furniture these days?

* Picture from Leons.ca website.

Video Cards

2009-11-02T08:31:00.021-07:00

I got a huge collection of "downloaded" movies and even TV series on my laptop and our server. I believe we have approximately 300+ movies already. I also got the Star Wars Episode 1 to 6 in HDTV format. And it will only play on my laptop, not in the other computer due to its large file.

Of course, on of the setback on downloads is that I don't get to see the movies in their 3D format. So I was thinking of getting one of those video cards. It might enable me to watch those 3D movies in 3D even at home. Did I understand this right? Do you think I should get one?

Weekend Snapshot: Trick or Treat

2009-11-01T12:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!!!

Wordless and Watery Wednesday: Fountain and Rainbow

2009-10-28T00:01:00.003-06:00

Islands of Adventure, Orlando, Florida

My adorable kids

2009-10-24T12:52:00.005-06:00

Picture taken in December 2005, Toronto

This is one of my favorite pictures of my kids... I just love it when they are sweet and loving to one another.

My son actually doesn't want me to share this picture with anyone... he claims "its embarrasing." To me, it was a sweet gesture and I love to share it!

I'm planning to delete my scrapping blog since I don't really have the time to scrap anymore... so I just thought I'd re-post some of my favorite scraps here.

Cable ties

2009-10-24T12:50:00.000-06:00

In this age of electronics, one just has to have too much wiring around the house. And you really need to hide them so that nobody will trip over it, especially if you have kids and hurt themselves. And even those who travel with their laptops or DSLR cameras, there's too many wiring too. So my husband bought some cable ties to solve our wiring problems.

ReidSupply.com

2009-10-24T12:43:00.000-06:00

Have you ever shop at ReidSupply.com? They've got some really good stuff for industrial hand wheels to assist you in adjusting a variety of machine functions. And these hand wheels can also be used as handle. They also have a free CAD library to help you find their free CAD drawings in several methods throughout the site. So go check them out if these are in your field of work.

Thursday Thirteen #60: Famous Quotes

2009-10-22T00:10:00.001-06:00

Just thought I'd share some quotes for this week's T13...

"The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice." ~ by George Eliot
"That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well." ~ by Abraham Lincoln
"The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score." ~ by Bill Copeland
"I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead; I lift my eyes and all is born again." ~ by Sylvia Plath
"Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective
and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment." ~ by Mahatma Gandhi
"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt." ~ by Bertrand Russell
"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth." ~ by Albert Einstein
"The only devils in this world are those running around in our own hearts, and that is where all our battles should be fought." ~ by Mahatma Gandhi
"Life is short, break the rules, forgive sooner, love with true love, laugh without control and always keep smiling. Maybe life is not the party that we were expecting, but in the mean time, we're here and we can still dance....."
"Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness." by Oliver Wendell Holmes
"Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within the reach of every hand." by Mother Teresa
"Son, when you add it up, the cost of my love is: No Charge." A quote from A Mothers Love

"There is no difficulty that enough love will not conquer." by Emmet Fox

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Continuing education

2009-10-22T00:07:00.001-06:00

I never thought I'd go back to school. But because of this "hobby" of mine, I decided to go back to school to acquire sufficient knowledge on how to use and maximize my DSLR. And after 6 weeks of lecture, I am now more knowledgeable with aperture, shutter speed, metering, bracketing, white balance... and much more. I tried self-studying at first, but it's just not getting me anywhere.

But if you are one of those people who can self-study with good time management, and you want to acquire a university or even master's degree, you might want to try taking courses with an online university like Western Governors University. They are a non-profit online university offering you a convenient, flexible education online specifically designed for working adults like you and me.

Wordless and Watery Wednesday: Beach and Sand

2009-10-20T15:24:00.003-06:00

North Shore Beach, Slave Lake National Park