Deactivated....

I did something for the first time and it happened only the second day of the new year. I don't normally do it and I am tolerant of what people post and what comments lately, but something set me off. It was not just one person, it was some people during the course of a week and a half. I could blame people for me to do it but in the end, I needed a break. There are at times I don't know how to deal with it and that has been a struggle for me for years and years. I listen to what people say because I respect them even if they are blunt to a point or there was something to be point out. But in the end, I deactivated my Facebook account.

One of the things that I really struggle with is, being too sensitive of what people feelings are. I know that some of these should not bother me but at times when I respect people, I don't say anything bad. I rarely say anything bad to anybody. But at times when I feel negativity toward me of what kind of a person of what I say, I get withdrawn and not talk to anybody. I know that is not really a healthy way to do it but at times I need a break. I could blame Facebook and blame people but I can't. I blame myself and the struggle to deal and to understand is confusing.

During the years of bowling, at the time when any team gets in first place, I put pressure on myself that you can't believe. There were people that criticize my game but I let me game do the talking. I could say, Well other people have an opinion and it is theirs but some people get pissed because you are saying something back to them. There are times which I don't know what to do. There are times when I don't want to talk to anybody out of fear they will get offended and hurt. I don't know if being myself is a good thing to people. The more that I think about it, the more I get mixed up. It doesn't bother me of what people post and I never have a problem with it. If it doesn't bother me, then it shouldn't bother anybody of what I post. But in the age of Facebook, people post anything and even take offense of things of what you post.

After 6 years of being on Facebook, maybe it is a good way to step back and have my privacy back. I am still on Twitter so I will keep that open. I don't know when I will be back on Facebook though. It could be next week, next month or next year. We will see.

Back at it...again...

I haven't bowled in over 2 weeks. This month has really took a toll on me. I had the flu for 5 days and it really took a wind out of my sails. When bowling again, I have to rebuild my strength of not only how to roll it but get it back when I used to before I got sick. I have to admit it is no easy but being away from the game for over 2 weeks, I have a itch to practice. I miss the game and bowling is a way to relax and get away from things. Now I need to get ready for some tournaments. Looking forward to go back to Reno for the USBC's. Bowling at the stadium there is a experience to believe. It is good getting back into the game. Happy New Year everyone!

It felt like a 1 and 2 punch....

December 14th will be the day that I will remember the most in a long time. I never felt this way before on any day. When I heard the news, you could probably stab me in the back or the stomach. It was so wrenching and so heartbreaking that I really couldn't fathom how someone would have the mind would kill innocent kids at a elementary school. Yes! An elementary school! I have a one year old daughter and thought in my mind said, this can't be happening. Then I said, yes it is happening and it has happened before but no action.

Every blame that I see is about everything from the movies that is out there, music lyrics, violent video games and some peoples (including politicians (smh) ) says the answer is not let guns but MORE guns! Really! Is that going to solve anything? I don't think any children want to go to school that feels like a prison. As an American I do belief that it is okay to have a gun, but NOT an assault weapon. In my childhood, I went through my dad's dresser near the bed and I saw a small gun there. I didn't ask and I didn't tell. I was scared to death seeing that. I should have asked about that but I don't think my dad was willing to tell or just say "Get away from that dresser."

What can we do? Can you say mind illness? Could be however I am not saying. Our decaying culture of what great it used to be? Maybe. Something has to happen from our president to our congress. Our congress is decaying and it is not going to get anything done unless something happens and I hope this is it. Something has to happen. This was a new low in my nation.

What to do..what to do...

Well today, my contract with my carrier is up and now it comes to decide what to do. I have been using both of these phones during my tenure. I gave my wife the Android phone due to my impulse reaction on charging the battery all the time due to the apps and my persistence to check out on a normal basis. These are both Nokia phones and they always the best when it comes to call quality. The one on the left is a E71x that my wife bought from a friend to replace a Blackberry Flip that she had issues. The one on the right is a N97 that we got in the Philippines back in 2010.

The Nokia N97 was good at the time but now since the apps are taking more memory and install on the phone memory rather than the mass memory, I can't use much apps and it is slow due to the apps taking over most of the phone memory. The speaker on the phone loses volume no matter despite being on maximum volume. Despite all of this, I have to keep rebooting and hard reboot just to clean apps up that I decide not to use. I plan to keep on using the phone as a GPS since I do like the Nokia Maps as a GPS.

The question is now, what phone to get next. I have looked around at places and checking out phones what to get. When we bought the Nokia N97 in the Philippines, they had a lot of selection that we didn't get. Anything from Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson are there at your fingertips. I haven't seen any Sony Ericsson phone in the US for years. If we get a iPhone, then we have to think about if we really want to switch to a difference carrier since only AT&T, Verizon and Sprint offer iPhones or stick with T-Mobile and get any Android or Windows Phone that is out there even those 3 carriers sell them too. We will see.

One week later....

It has been close to one more week since the election, and I really can't get over the feeling since. It is the first time in my life that I felt a sense of something that I never experienced. Call me crazy but America is changing and it is not going to be the same anymore that I used to see it as. Lets face it, we are a multinational, multicultural nation with ever person believing in different religions and ideas. People come all over the world just to make a dream and to live it. Just like my mom who came from Germany when she was 4 years old. How about that?

It has been over 10 years since 9/11 and I am weary about war. I am weary of people hating people just because of a different faith or race. I am weary about the Republican party due to their extreme and bigot statements and not able to compromise. I am weary of people that go on hate crimes just because they are "not American." I am weary about people saying that the election was a "tragic day" and "America died." Pearl Harbor was tragic, 9/11 was tragic but this election was kind of historic in a way.

The world is changing and America is on to something new. I don't know what it is but that song by Bob Dylan is in my mind. We will survive. We will be okay.

Decisons....decisions...decisions.....

Time to get new phones. Our contract with our carrier is almost up and now we are planning to switch. With all of the new smartphones out and different operating systems, it is getting hard to choose. With so much competition, it makes it very hard to figure out what phone is the best and to the one that represents you. What could that be...

iOS?
Android?
Windows Phone?
Symbian?

I have a Nokia N97 that I bought in the Philippines back in 2010. I was in love with the cellular stores since they have every company that makes them. I got Nokia because it was a maker of my first cellphone that I ever had. They had the reputation of great design and good phones. Over time now, Nokia has an agreement with Microsoft to handle it's Windows Phone OS on Nokia phones, and it has become a 2 horse race with iPhones and mostly Samsung phones.

All through out my feeds on FB and G+ these days, you have people that live and die with Apple and then you have the people that are all about android. Each one is taking jabs over each other and it is deja vu. This case of Apple Vs. Samsung reminds me of the Apple Vs. Microsoft court case. I am neither a fanboy when it comes to this saying on which is the best these days. If we do get a iPhone, I can be happy by saying that I have bought a iPhone. Nothing less, nothing more.

Taking the plunge to...Windows 8

I have read a lot press on Windows 8. I have been using Mac's in the home for the last 6 years. I still have a PC around and I am using it today. I downloaded the Widows 8 Preview and installed it to my PC. There was a problem booting it so I though "Oh boy." It worked on my iMac using Boot Camp. So I played around with it. It was a completely different experience than I was used to when it comes to Windows.

I finally made the plunge and put it in my old PC. I have to say I do like the look of it and the experience, it will take time getting used to. That said, I do enjoy it and I do like what Microsoft is doing. They are making a all round tablet and not only give their OS a fresh look.

My Windows 8 Screen

The more I use it, the more that I like it. Although for people that are really used to the previous edition of Windows, it will take time getting use to. There are not much apps to speak of but that will depend if more people sign on. It will take a extra click to get where you want to go, especially if you still want to run programs via desktop. It boots fast and it take less amount of time to get everything ready.

But the one thing I was most impressed with is IE. Yes, IE. I am mostly using Chrome or Firefox but I was impressed how IE is fast and the vivid look of the web pages. It is a good thing that Microsoft made something with different in mind but give it a fresh new look.

I don't know if Windows 8 is going to be a big splash and not sure if more people will make the jump, but it is a good start. I am more curious about Windows Phone 8. If Windows 8 looks promising, then the phone operating system is. Who knows what goes on from here though.