After four years and a little over a month, my Dell Axim X50v pocket PC has finally died. No warning signs at all, and one day it just stops working. None of the buttons worked, so I couldn't even turn it on. It still charges when I plugged it into an AC adapter, but that did not do much. It's suppose to automatically turn on, whenever I eject and then reinsert the SD card, or when I manually reboot it, and you know what, it actually turned on when I tried those. But that fleeting moment of going "It Still Works!" was thrashed when I found out that the touch screen is also kaput. I can't really do too much without the touch screen and without the buttons. The clock seemed to still be running properly though, so that's a little bit of something. So I dunno what happened to it. It's like all it's hardware features just decided to call it quits, because I'm pretty sure the software itself is still viable. I can't even get it replaced or fixed, because Dell officially discontinued this product almost two years ago.

The Dell Axim was such a useful device too. It acted as my music + video player, it was also a word processor, and I even had an NES emulator for it to play some 8-bit games on the go. I could get on the internet if I wanted to as well, although using the wi-fi function ate up so much of the battery that I hardly ever did that. It simply was a very useful device that I actually used almost every day, especially when I was at work. I will definitely miss it, but I admit that it lasted a good while for a portable pocket computer.

Now I need a replacement device that can do the functions that I used the Axim for. I do have my Blackberry Storm that technically does the same basic things the Dell Axim did. In fact I'm currently using that as my temporary mp3 / video player at the moment, as well as a word processor by using memopad or "word to go." However, besides the word processing function that I'm satisfied with, I'm not exactly thrilled by the no-frills media player that the Blackberry Storm has.

Sure The BlackBerry Storm can play all the music and video I want, but there's a simple functionality that I wished it handled better, which the Dell Axim blows it out of the water. An easy way to fastforward/rewind music and video, would be very welcome to have on the Storm. With the Storm, I have to tap the middle of the screen which brings up the time line bar, then I have to click on the bar and then slide it to the time i want to rewind/fastforward, then click on that again to go to that time. On the Axim, I just had to press "back direction" to rewind and "forward direction" to fastforward, and oh was that ssooo ridiculously useful and convenient. The way the Storm has it right now, there's no way I can really use the Storm as a media player while driving, unless I don't care about rewinding and fastforward, because I you know want to avoid getting into an accident. This is important for me too, because when listening to my mp3s of the Kevin & Bean show while driving, I WANT to be able to rewind and fastforward. Then to top this off, I can't put videos into the playlists on the Storm. I tend to play some concert music videos that I have, along with the mp3s, which I then put all together into one playlist on the Axim. The fact that the Storm can't do that is a huge disappointment.

So it looks like the Storm is definitely just a temporary replacement for me, and now I need to actually jump into the portable mp3/video players that I've been able to avoid all these years. So my question is this, is there a portable media player out there, that is able to do what I'm looking for, at a price that's around or below $100? Rewind/Fastforward on the fly and that videos can be included on  playlists. I can live with using the Storm for my word processing needs, but those other two functions are what I'm really looking for. So I am open for suggestions. Sony's Walkman and the SanDisk Sanza Fuze seems to be possible contenders, besides spending the big bucks on an iPod or a Zune.

Are You a Lover or a Fighter? You Are a Lover

You think that there's no use in fighting, even if you know you're right. No one wants to hear that they're wrong, so you try your best to compromise. You have love in your heart for almost everyone. You focus on what you do have in common with people. Life is so much nicer when everyone gets along. For you, that harmony is the most important thing.

What I've been listening to lately...

1) Green Day - 21st century breakdown
2) Coldplay - left right left right left
3) Leah - i'm not goin' nowhere
4) The Audition - self titled album
5) Death Cab For Cutie - narrow stairs
6) Metallica - ...and justice for all

Alright Alright, despite what I said before, I am going to start using my Twitter account more regularly. I figured that I may as well treat it like I do my Facebook status updates, which pretty much shares the same concept as Twitter does. There are two factors that made me decide on this action, and the first one is the most obvious, I actually know people who update their Twitter more than their Facebook accounts (don't care about MySpace or Friendster at this point), so I figured that I may as well follow them. The second reason is something my friend brought up, I could use Twitter as a sort of mini-blog. At first I wasn't sure how that's going to work as my blog posts have usually been more wordy than the stock 140 characters that Twitter only allows per post. Then I realized that there have been some potential blogs that I never posted, like a general comment about a movie or TV show that I've seen, or a fleeting experience that is worth mentioning but does not demand a full blog post. I could also just use an abbreviated version of a xanga blog post I did, and just use Twitter as sort of an "advertisement" for what I wrote on my blog. Those are definitely things I can put on my Twitter. In addition, with a big event like the San Diego Comic-Con coming up, I can see tweeting being something worthwhile to use, as I can just use those tweets to fill up my usual recap blog posts. Of course the one thing I do not want to do; which is what I've been criticizing Twitter for, are post stupid things like "I'm eating a hamburger right now." At least I hope I don't end up going down that route.... So there you go, I am going to start using my Twitter account, and just like this blog, I do plan to update it at least once a day. So we'll see how this goes.

https://twitter.com/optimum5

Where Did I Lose Your Random Love

Divorce Songs of the ‘80s (video)

SNL Clip: Jeopardy All-Star Edition (video)

Tom Cruise replaces Christian Bale in Batman (video)

Deluxe Hugs (video)

Don't Stop Your Screaming (video)

Cracked LCD Screen Prank (video)

how to lose your cell phone (video)

manzai (video)

Emergency landing caught on tape (video)

Play Him Off, Keyboard Cat (video)

After spending a few hours at the "Hearts for Paws" Pet Expo in Orange County, CA, I found myself driving to Huntington Beach for Meg & Dia's free concert at "The Strand." This past day was also going to be the "boardie prom" so the theme was for us to be dressed up for the event. I went in a suit and tie, but I wasn't sure if I was still going to look over dressed for the occasion. Now originally I was first going to go to the hotel where the boardies from out of town are staying at, for a pre-show party. However, I got the impression that I was going to be too late for it and should just meet them all at the Strand. Well it was a little after five and there I was sitting in my car inside the parking structure at the Strand. I decided to call one of my boardie friends and ask him where they are. He told me that they are still at the hotel, and that I *should* go to the hotel as well, because they are waiting for a certain someone to show up. D'oh! I got the hint, and realized that there's going to be a "boardie surprise." I quickly called two of my friends who are also Meg & Dia fans who I knew where already at The Strand, because I'm pretty sure that they would like to be there for that surprise as well. We met up at the intersection and went straight for the hotel, luckily finding a parking spot without too much hassle. We entered the hotel and we thought it was a coincidence that there was a wedding happening there, because since we were dressed up, we did not look out of place at all. Anyways, we got ourselves in the elevator and went to the room the boardies were staying at.

Me and my two friends were at the front of the hotel room and who do we see walk out? Dia herself. I was literally dumbfounded and blurted out an "eehh, are we at the right place?" Dia said hi to us, and went on her way. Once we got inside the hotel room, a lot of the boardies were partying it up, with Meg, Nick, Jon, and band manager Mike. For the first minutes, there was a lot of hi, long time no sees, shake hands, hug hug, and all that. I should have been there sooner because clearly it was already towards the tail end of the pre-party, as some people were already visibly drunk, and the boardie gift that we gave the band was already handed over to them. Meg gave a speech and toast thanking us boardies for being such awesome fans (as we only should be), and saying how surprised and happy she was that we all dressed up for the event. Afterwards they had to leave to prepare for the show, and being that I was one of the few persons who drove to the hotel AND haven't drunk any alcohol yet, I was given the task to help transport the band to The Strand. Wow, I was honored to do so, and as my wife told me later, "see, there are benefits to not drinking."

Nick, Carlo, and Meg got in my car, with Nick taking shotgun so that he can give me direction to where I need to drop them off at. Nick noticed I had my Dream Theater - "does Metallica's Master of Puppets" CD, so I went ahead and put it on. Nick and Carlo I wasn't surprised liked what was playing, but Meg also enjoyed the heavy metal. I was thinking "cool," as Meg was singing along the riffs to Master Of Puppets (unless that was my imagination). Then Carlo and Meg had a small talk about playing Metal music on the guitar, and then later discussed about extending the intro or outro to one of the songs they were going to play. After I dropped them off at their tour van, I was thinking "if somebody told me that I would have Meg, Carlo, and Nick sitting in my car, I would say that person is crazy." Then I thought to myself how blog worthy this experience was.

I drove back to the hotel afterwards and picked up a few more of the boardies. We went straight to The Strand, tried to look for free parking until settling to just go to the parking structure. By the time we got to where the concert was, there were already a lot of people in the crowd. The bulk of the boardies were settled towards the front right of the crowd, so we made our way near there. Meg & Dia performed eight songs total and they looked like they really enjoyed themselves on stage. I'm sure it was partly because of the energy coming off from the boardies singing along, "summoning the guitar gods," clapping along, chanting USA USA USA (which the band got the inside joke from the last time we did that), and even twirled neck ties in the air (since we were after all dressed up). "So-Cal Hype" indeed. It was a very fun show, and I'm hoping that the people in the crowd that was just there to see The Maine, have discovered what a great live band Meg & Dia is.

After the show, we boardies just hung out off to the side for awhile, and eventually went on our way to go eat or go back to the hotel. I joined along with the group that wanted to go eat, and maybe close to an hour later we made our way back to the hotel. By the time we got in the hotel room, it was clear that a lot of people were simply exhausted from such a long day. That didn't stop some people from playing beer pong, but that's just how it is. I had a time limit to how long I could stay, because I was at the metered parking, so almost two hours later of just hanging out, I said my goodbyes and headed home (after dropping off one of my friends at his home).

Yet another successful, entertaining, and fun time with the Meg & Dia band.

* videos I took from the day *
- ...from the Meg & Dia pre-show boardie party
- Roses
- Black Wedding
- What If
- Cardigan Weather
- Inside My Head
- Are There Giants Too, In The Dance?
- Monster
p.s. they also did their cover of Blind Melon's "No Rain," but I chose that song to rest my arms from raising the camera up so long.

* click here for photos I took & video stills from the day *

I somehow feel compelled to blog about the whole Miss California Carrie Prejean thing now. I wasn't going to, but there's one thing that's been bugging me about all this, and I just got to mark my opinion here. First off, I don't care that she spoke her mind about Gay Marriage at the Miss USA pageant. That was her choice, and she has the right to say that, because of you know, free speech and all. Don't care. All the people out there who are vilifying her for her stance on Gay Marriage, should simply just knock it off. It's all opinions and beliefs, so there's no need for people getting all heated about it, like some people already have. Speaking about people getting all heated up, there's the other side of this controversy who are up in arms defending Miss Prejean, saying how "she just spoke her mind," or "she has the right to say what she believes in." Yeah, that's pretty much what I'm saying right? That's where it should stop right? As things goes though, it's not that simple.

Just because Carrie Prejean was being "Biblically Correct" by publicly stating her stance on Gay Marriage, does not absolve her from all the other acts she has commited. She should not be the poster girl for Christianity, because she's simply a lying lier that lies. That first scandalous photo where she was topless, and she claimed it was the only one she took, and that she was 17 at the time? Lies. By now it's known she took a lot more of this risque photos, and she was in fact of legal age (according to former pageant sponsors). She even goes on to say that it wasn't semi-nude (violation for the pageant) because it was for a lingerie shoot. C'mon now, really? Then on the other pics where she actually showed nipple, she claims that it was "because of the wind." Really? You know what they say about "Once you start lying..." Let's not forget that she got a boob job too, to better her chances of winning the pageant. Vanity anyone? On a professional level, she has been ignoring a lot of her responsibilities as Miss California, which is why she almost lost the crown and sets a bad example for how people should treat their jobs. Good thing the person in charge of that decision (the one and only Donald Trump) liked Prejean's semi-nude photos ey?

Those are all facts from just a quick browse through the internet, and it just makes Carrie Prejean come off as your stereotypical pretty girl with questionable moral decisions that goes to parties all the time. Is that the kind of person you want representing your religion? Yet there are still tons of people out there defending all her faults, as if she was just being sabotaged or misjudged for her actions. Not only that, but they are using Christianity as the reason she should be defended. Stop that! It gives a bad name to Christianity, by trying to make excuses for this lying lier who lies. All the people defending Miss Prejean, should just stick with the Gay Marriage thing, and not go on defending her for all the other sins she's commited. That's simply embarassing.

After All These Random Years

maxim hot 100 (pix)

Chuck Liddell sings Journey - Don't Stop Believing - NSFW (video)

Kanye West takes on Twitter in web rant (link)

USPDF 2009 Championship Highlights - NSFW (video)

Craigslist shuts down Erotic Services section (link)

My Favorite Sci-Fi Movie - Star Trek vs. Star Wars (video)

Sony Suffers First Annual Loss in 14 Years (link)

Mentos Trek (video)

PlayStation3 SLIM? (pix)

DeathStar blows up Enterprise (video)

Movies I've seen recently...

Star Trek (2009)  A-

Trying to "reboot" a well known franchise is the big trend to do nowadays. In the case of "Star Trek" as directed by J.J. Abrams and written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, it is a welcome reboot to a franchise that has honestly gotten stale. What works surprisingly well with "Star Trek" is that it caters to the fans and to the regular uninitiated viewers. The story is also typical to what is usually associated with Star Trek, but the way it's told as an action adventure with some comedic flair makes the movie very accessible and enjoyable to everybody. To top off what's good about the movie is the main cast which takes these iconic roles and makes them their own. Besides Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto as the titular James T. Kirk and Spock respectively, it's Karl Urban as Dr. "Bones" McCoy and Simon Pegg as Scotty that stole the movie for me. It's not without it's flaws though as the movie relies too much on coincidences, conveniences, and a leap of faith on how the main cast finds themselves in their familiar roles on the bridge of the star ship Enterprise. In the end "Star Trek" succeeds in what all "new" franchises try to achieve, it makes you want to see more right away.

G.I. Joe : Resolute (2009)  C+

If you remember watching the G.I.Joe cartoons of the 1980's, then you will be in for a treat when you see "G.I.Joe : Resolute." This is an animated movie that spiritually continues what is familiar with the old 80's series, but makes it feel like a Japanese anime that is not afraid to actually show violence and even the deaths of some main well known characters. Making things "more serious" seems to be the main goal of this movie, by making Cobra more like an actual terrorist group and G.I.Joe being more as a whole military organization as opposed to just focusing on the characters with the colorful code names. Some fans might complain about the short length of time (under 1 hour), the rather simple plot, as well as some liberties the movie takes on the mythology of the franchise. Over all though this is a promising and welcome take on G.I.Joe and only makes me want to see more.

Journey To The Center Of The Earth (2008)  C

As a fantasy adventure tale, "Journey to the center of the earth" is quite enjoyable. Sure it's not that inspiring, it's rather a simple kid friendly story, and the special effects are just enjoyable enough to watch, but it's still an entertaining movie. The main cast in Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, and Anita Briem are also good for their roles. It's really important to have a suspension of disbelief when watching this movie, because there's a ton of logical flaws in this and are meant to just be ignored to move the plot along. Despite the "leave your brain at the door" suggestion, the movie surprisingly has a lot of educational scientific information from volcanoes to paleontology, that is included in the dialogue. I never did get a chance to see "Journey to the center of the earth"  with it's 3D effects, but the movie itself is a nice diversion to watch.

What Happens In Vegas (2008)  C

It's easy to dismiss "What Happens in Vegas" as an uninspired, cliche filled, not as funny as it should be kind of movie, and you wouldn't be blamed for doing so. The film really is nothing special with plot points that you can see coming a mile away. However if you are looking for a simple movie, some humorous situations, with a nice message at the end, and a relatively appealing couple as played by Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz, then go ahead and see "What happens in Vegas." It's harmless enough for what it is suppose to be, and it's at the least worth a viewing as a TV movie. Just lower your standards when watching this.

Who Do You Want to Impress? You Want to Impress People You Know

You want friends and family to think you're beautiful. You mostly focus on inner beauty and being a good person. You want your friends and family members to think you're smart. You like been seen as insightful and wise. You are at your most playful when you are around family and friends. You are more serious around people you don't know well. You have no problem letting strangers see the real you. You are upfront about who you are. You don't become close to many people. You only let people you've gotten to know very well in.

What I've been listening to lately...

1) Meg & Dia - here, here and here
2) Kerli - love is dead
3) NOFX - coaster
4) Silversun Pickups - swoon
5) The Bird And The Bee - ray guns are not just the future
6) Dream Theater - metallica's master of puppets

- Okay, it's been on folks. No more Mr.Nice Guy for me on Facebook. If you send me an app that I don't like participating in, I'm not just going to ignore it, I'm going to BLOCK APP it. So long to passing a drink and good riddance to pillow fights.

- Remember my issue about dust getting under the screen of my Blackberry Storm? It's gotten worse. A good chunk of dust has finally gravitated towards the center of my screen, and it's very obvious now. I'm going to attempt a couple of the DIY videos that I saw on youtube when I get the nerve to do it. Hopefully I don't break my phone.

- A song and video that I'm a big fan of is Eve6's "Here's to the night." It's probably my favorite song of that band; who hit it big in the late 90s early 2000s. I find it to be a very melancholy type of song though, singing about the good times that was had in the past (emphasis on "in the past"). The video even shows what it was like hanging out with friends, just casually, but lively, in somebody's house. At my age, I found myself rarely doing that anymore. Sure I still hang out with people, but it's not like it used to be. Lately however, I've been trying to recapture those types of moments, especially when I hang out with my fellow Meg & Dia fans (boardies). I feel like I'm cheating though, because most of them are after all much younger than I am, and logically "that kind of hanging out" is still very much the present for them. So I'm relieving my past through them I suppose. Is that wrong?