Swag Bucks Goodness

If you don't know what Swag Bucks is, you should. It's a great way to earn prizes simply by searching. and it doesn't cost you anything. I'm usually very suspicious about claims of cool stuff for nothing. They're usually scams, but I have used Swag Bucks for almost a year now, and I feel very comfortable promoting it.

Click the banner to join & get 30 SB to start:

It's for real. In less than a year of using Swag Bucks, I have received about $40 worth of Amazon e-cards / gift cards, and another $25 worth of restaurant gift certificates. All I did was use Swag Bucks as my main search engine, instead of Google, and I kept collecting "Swag Bucks". As soon as I collected enough, I redeemed the Swag Bucks I earned for prizes - gift cards, and other cool gadgets. If you're patient, you can bank your Swag Bucks until you have saved up enough for bigger items like game consoles, etc.

You have to be realistic about this when you first join in. You won't automatically get anything right away. It takes time, and it also depends on how often you use the Swag Bucks search engine in place of Google, Yahoo, and etc. Swag Bucks also gives you plenty of opportunities to earn more through Swag Codes, which appear randomly at a limited time. If you find a Swag Code, enter it in and you will earn more Swag Bucks.

Check it out for yourself by clicking on the banner below, and we can all start earning more Swag Bucks together. ^_^

Living, Quitting, & Childhood Dreams

The Last Lecture (by Randy Pausch)

I just finished reading this book, and it was great. Randy imparted so much useful and practical wisdom that would definitely come in handy for anyone. I benefited a lot from this book. I was inspired by how he lived his life. Although his life is shortened, he has done so much more than someone who lives up to a hundred. He fulfilled his childhood dream and more.

I seriously cannot remember many of my childhood dreams. I know for sure that I haven't fulfilled many or any of them. Like many, "life" got in the way of fulfilling many dreams. A couple of dreams I do remember were to be an astronaut and to be a professional athlete. At this point, I don't think I'm in any position to be either of those, but I'm still hopeful for the latter dream. I just need to get off my butt and start exercising.

I feel like I have wasted a lot of time doing nothing and doing things that do not matter in the long run. I was really challenged by how he approaches a brick wall. For most, the natural reaction is to complain and even quit. Randy brought up a very good point... "The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something." Because if we really want it badly, that brick wall, whatever it is, will not stop us from getting to the other side.

I'm ashamed to admit that I have the tendency towards quiting when things get tough. I also find myself complaining a lot when things are not going my way. This book made me rethink how I approach things in my life, and it's the fuel I need to get out of complacency and mediocrity.

"We don't beat the reaper by living longer, but by living well, and living fully — for the reaper will come for all of us. The question is: what do we do between the time we're born and the time he shows up." (Randy Pausch)

New Year. New Resolve.

This year will be a year where I attempt to accomplish as many of my goals as possible, and to experience and do as many fun and exciting things as I can. I want to do the things I always wanted to do but never got to do the past few years because of laziness.

Some of the things I want to do this year includes…

• Reading more books
• Learning new languages (or at least one new language)
• Traveling more
• Visiting more museums and landmarks
• Watching concerts, plays, parades, etc
• Attending festivals, conferences, etc
• Exercising
• Getting out of debt
• Volunteering
• Painting, drawing, building, etc

It’s a long and ambitious list, especially with work and everything else standing in the way, but this year is the year to get off the couch and start doing things. I will frequently document my progress in this blog as well as wisdoms, epiphanies, and other random thoughts I get along the way.

Snowmageddon / Snowpocalypse

I survived the snow blizzard this past weekend. Power went out Friday evening and right before panic starts to set in - how are we going to stay warm tonight? - power came back on about 2PM on Saturday. I knew others who had to endure the whole weekend without power, and driving somewhere with heat and warm food was not an option - or it's too dangerous - because the roads weren't plowed.

The weekend was a new experience. I had to dig the Lancer out from under the snow. Shovel tons of snow from the road to get the car out, just so I can drive out in case I had to work on Monday. It was hard work, and there were some challenges. The car got stuck a couple of time where Taan and I attempted to push the car. It was not successful. Cars are pretty heavy. After a lot strategic digging, we managed to get the car out of the snow and into a clear space on the road, which we decided would become a parking space for Lancer.

Lancer parked on the main street completely buried in the snow, and the main street wasn't plowed at all. A lot people were walking by going to the local grocery store or McDonald's because driving was not safe. Many cars got stuck.

Standing beside Lancer - knee deep of snow

Started cleaning the snow off and digging a path for Lancer to come out - it took at least 2.5 hours, just Taan and I. The street behind me was still covered in snow.

Lancer's finally free and out of the snow - we moved it to shoveled path in front of the house. The only reason the road in front of the house was clean was because the neighbors all came out and started shoveling. The rest of the street? It was barely plowed.

First Day at My New Job

My first day was fun. It was a lot of paperwork to fill out, and a lot of documentations to go through and study, but I got a new laptop to work with. My co-workers were very helpful in assisting me solve a lot of the technical obstacles I encountered as I learn the system. Everyone's very approachable and friendly. I got free pizza for (early) dinner. I have an "endless" supply of tea and coffee.

I have a lot of stuff to learn, but I know that this job will not be boring where I would be stuck in the same place. I know I will learn and grow my skills as I continue to work here. I'm surrounded by smart people, and it's great.