YouVersion: The Bible Meets Web 2.0

I must admit, there was a time when the only bible I read was the online bible at Bible Gateway. The features I loved most were the search by topic and search by keywords. As I helped a preacher friend with his teachings, I would need to search for verses that would fit into his sermon topic. For the way I was using it, the site was perfect!

Then I started writing spiritual reflections and I would constantly refer to bible verses in them. Bible Gateway still helped me write these so I was very content with using it, and quite honestly did not know how it could be improved from how it was now.

I was reading through the review series at Read Write Web about Religion and Web 2.0 and came across the site lifechurch.tv. That site itself was overflowing with great resources, but I stumbled upon their YouVersion application and was immediately impressed.

It took the bible reader to a dimension I never even thought it could go - it built a community around it. Web 2.0! Wow! What a great concept - imagine having your bible study group on there, posting their reflections on the verses - sharing it with others. Or you can keep an online journal available only to yourself.

I actually found a really wonderful article link while I was browsing the site and wrote to the author. She wrote back to me thanking me for my kind email. I think YouVersion is also a great way to promote your ministry to bible readers looking for study guides on the site.

It's the bible for the modern Christian community - making bible study groups more convenient because it removes the barrier of common availability and location. Great job!

Meeting Herschel Walker

I went to the 11 AM service at the Crystal Cathedral last Sunday to lend my support to the dedication of the project we've been working on for several months now. My coworker, who is a Dallas Cowboys fan, mentioned that Herschel Walker was on campus, that he passed by a few minutes before we came.

The name sounds familiar, but I had no idea who he was. Apparently some people consider him one of the best running backs ever to play college football. He won a Heissman trophy, played for the Dallas Cowboys and now runs a company with about 500 employees. In the service he said he had been blessed with multiple personality disorder. Wow! Now that's positive faith!

I bought a copy of his book and went to meet him after the service - at his book signing party. He was very soft-spoken, very dignified, and very friendly. He was funny too!

My husband did not join me in the service, but when I told him Alonzo Mourning was coming by on October 12 - he said we'll go to another service then. Very Pinoy - eternal basketball fan!

NYT Diagrams Heavy Losses in 29 Firms

The New York Times posted a treemap graphic of the market capitalization of 29 selected firms. The information about my bank made me want to withdraw all my money and transfer it somewhere else. Well, at least I read up on what FDIC-insured really meant.

All the losses depicted in the diagram are scary... So this is what it means to be in a recession. This is what it means when they say the markets are falling - really tough times ahead.

Say a prayer for our economy and the people who are feeling the brunt of what's happening tonight. God will surely provide what's best for us.

Please Take Part in the Great American Dine Out

Poverty is complex; feeding a child is not.

I saw this ad when we ate at Joe's Crab Shack last week. I didn't think much about it until I logged into Foodbuzz and saw the ad again.

I clicked on the ad. The campaign is called the Great American Dine Out, it is sponsored by American Express.

By the end of this year, an estimated 12.6 million children are at risk of hunger in America. If you want to prevent this from happening, please dine out at participating restaurants on September 21-28, 2008 and a portion of your check will go to feeding these children.

If you're not the go-to-a-mission-and-feed-the-poor type (or even if you are) and you like dining out, this is your chance to dine out and help others at the same time. Take that extra step of finding a participating restaurant and help out! This may not solve the problem of poverty, but it can help feed a hungry child.

So please remember, on September 21-28, 2008 - take part in the Great American Dine Out!

Tony Bennett at the Greek

We watched Tony Bennett's concert at the Greek Theatre last Friday. Tony Bennett's is one of the cds I found in my husband's collection when we got married so I had a notion that my husband liked his music.

I love old songs, my favorite crooner is Frank Sinatra - I have bought his cds as "gifts" for my dad, but I actually listened to the cds more than my dad did. Tony Bennett was a close friend of Frank Sinatra it turned out - and he sang a couple of songs that Frank sang, which I loved of course...

He sure knows how to entertain an audience! It was obviously a "date night" type of concert, most of the people there were in pairs just enjoying the beautiful night and Tony's beautiful voice.

I must admit I didn't know some of the songs he sang, but his voice was so relaxing, it really didn't matter. He made people comfortable. He made them smile with good memories from his songs. They laughed at his anecdotes. And he even got away with a little campaigning.

It was truly well worth the effort of getting there, parking and hiking to the amphitheatre!

The Antics of Modern Day Delivery Men

I've had packages delivered to my door twice a week for three weeks now. Finding these packages have been a source of amusement for me.

The first two packages were sample greeting cards, which were left on my doorstep laying flat on the mat. The fourth package which were sample material from a giclee printing firm was left the same way, laying flat on the doorstep.

The third package was a photo book that we had to pick up at the post office, the mailman left us a card with instructions on how to pick it up. The moment the man at the counter saw my green card, he called me over and found my parcel for me. I was able to get ahead of maybe six or more people before me in the line.

Then I had my music books delivered. The box was placed partially hidden by the three tiered planter we have by the side of the front door. The black dress was left like this as well, as though the planter offered it some measure of protection.

The most amusing so far was the costume wig I had ordered. When we came home for lunch earlier, my doorstep mat had a little bump in the center near the door. It was so funny, they actually tried to conceal the package under the mat, the package was in a rectangular box so it was too obvious to actually be hidden. It looked so weird and out of place under the mat that it got me laughing when I saw it.

Do you get parcels delivered to your doorstep? Have delivery men ever made you laugh because of where they actually left your packages? Please feel free to share your funny stories with me.

Two-Week Frenzy: Rewarding Myself

The past two weeks have been really really busy for me. We're buried at work with preparations for a big launch. We're preparing for a fundraising show where I'm supposed to perform something on stage. I've gotten tons of orders in the online store I manage - it must be peak shopping season this month. My days have been filled with work, practice, side work and brainstorming for fundraising ideas for our show.

But because it is a show I had stuff I needed to buy, costumes and music sheets mostly. And I have absolutely no time to go and hunt for the things I need - though my friends have been helpful. So I went online and after filling out a few forms, I got my music sheets last Tuesday and my black dress yesterday (perfect fit, thankfully!). I ordered my costume wig online yesterday from a shop in North Hollywood, hopefully they are true to their word and I get it by Monday. Boxes are being delivered to our place every other day now!

I still need black opera gloves and that cigarette holder Audrey Hepburn had in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's, but I'm sure we can find those in downtown LA tomorrow. A friend is letting me borrow a gown, but just in case that does not fit, I have the gown I wore for my in-laws' 50th anniversary still.

On top of all that, my boss went on vacation and I'm left in charge in the office until Wednesday.

I literally have had no room to breathe at times that's why I agreed to having a massage last Saturday and bought concert tickets for Tony Bennett's concert tonight (which was at 2 for the price of 1 when I got them). I think rewarding yourself with these little extravagances make the week slide through a little bit easier.

Of course my eye is on a really big perk next month - after the show, the big launch, and everything else that's going on - the D90 is available in stores already! And I'm still thinking about that mobile broadband in the new laptops that are coming out - imagine being able to work while waiting for people in choir practice or while waiting for sports fest games - or while at my mother-in-law's place doing chores and stuff for her. Imagine how much blogging I could do in all those wasted waiting hours I have. And of course that vacation in December that my boss has already approved...

It is always good to look forward to something during very stressful times. It makes the work go smoothly and allows you to relax more so you can perform at your best.

Redesigning the iPod Nano

When my youngest sister was here, brandishing her iPod everywhere - I almost bought an iPod Nano. I had the color I liked all picked out - red, of course!

But when I saw it in-store, I thought it was (1) too small, (2) too cumbersome to keep spinning the wheel to get to the song you want, (3) too small capacity for music even I could fill it up easily, and (4) too limited in color choices (I was considering orange too!).

Well guess what? They reengineered the iPod Nano - and do you notice how brilliantly they listened to all my complaints about it? It was almost as though Steve Jobs was reading my mind... Creepy!

My favorite feature is the accelerometer - I know I have no patience, sorry

clipped from www.readwriteweb.com Nano: The Nano received a major design overhaul, with a curved glass front and a larger screen and a built-in accelerometer. Thanks to the accelerometer, you can now just shake your nano and it will automatically go into shuffle mode. The nano can now play 24h of music and 4h of video. It's available in a whole rainbow of colors:blue, purple, orange, green, and pink.

Flickr's Formerly Hidden Social Features

Did you know the Flickr had social networking features? Their redesigned site might just help you find them.

I've personally just used flickr to store and share pictures - their old site design was a little to vague to me - that's all I could find to do. Apparently they have a few social networking features that they've been hiding in the old design.

From the screencasts on Webware, the Flickr site is looking pretty good! And it was all a matter of changing the site's look-and-feel. Great job on this!

clipped from news.cnet.com Many people just use Flickr to store and share their own photos, but the site also has social features including groups where like-minded people can share photos, a contacts list to share with particular friends, and comments that can lead to a discussion thread. Much of the redesign aims to spotlight these social features, making them more visible and easier to use, said Kakul Srivastava, Flickr's new general manager.

Remembering How to Play Popular Piano

I could barely climb up our piano bench when my mom first brought me to piano lessons. I think I got through a few beginner's books where I learned how to play Old MacDonald Had a Farm and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Stars for my recital. But I didn't really wanted to sit and practice for an hour a day when I could be playing outside with the other kids.

My mom tried to get me interested by changing piano teachers. My favorite was Tito Ning who taught me how to play popular piano. He taught me how to play using chords so that the first piece he taught me was Lara's Theme from Dr. Zhivago - imagine having a movie theme as the first piano solo you ever learned! But my mom wanted me to learn classical piano so we changed teachers after I had learned my third piano solo, Somewhere in Time.

Decades went by and I had forgotten all about the piano keyboards and had gone on to work hitting computer keys instead. But I had always been curious if I could still learn to play the songs Tito Ning had started teaching me - plus I needed some kind of talent that will not cause our little stage to collapse at our fundraiser:)

So I bought this inexpensive Yamaha portable keyboard for studying to play - it has a portable grand piano setting that actually sounds a lot like our piano at home. I searched Amazon and found the book shown above - and was able to play Silent Night, Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars, and a folk song that goes, "Drink only with thine eyes and I shall drink with mine..." - using the right hand to play the melody and the left to play chords! It sounded really great - didn't sound elementary at all!

If only I could get away with playing those three songs for my talent then I'd be set! But I did order a few music sheets that have more adult-appropriate songs - hopefully I can learn them in less than 12 days - ack, talk about pressure!

I spent an hour and a half learning how to play last night. I spent most of the evening finishing up my chores looking forward to playing. Now if only I had this kind of attitude when I was four years old, maybe I would have gotten into another type of high school altogether... But I don't really think so - I just like playing popular piano I guess.

So if you ever want to learn how to play a musical instrument - don't be daunted by the piano - remember, you can make great music on it!

A Weekend Spa: The Cup Massage

We went to a Spa Fundraiser last Saturday - with a licensed massage therapist who does the cup massage. We were welcomed at the door by our friend who had perfectly shaped round bruises on her upper arm and shoulders. She said the number of round bruises would depend on how many parts of your body need fixing.

What exactly is a cup massage? The cup massage is part of ancient Chinese Medicine where they use small glass cups. A cup massage helps release the rigid soft tissue through negative pressure and suction, it also helps drain off excess toxins and fluids your body may be retaining, it can help to loosen adhesions and lift the connective tissues. This helps increase the blood flow to the skin and muscles that may have problems with partial atrophy. The cup massage procedure is a simple treatment that gives impressive results.

Jade was very professional, she learned the techniques from her grandfather who was a doctor in China. She has been practicing this type of therapy for 21 years. She said I needed more sessions to fix everything that was wrong with me and I do plan to call her for another session soon.

Personally, I really thought that it would be painful when she pulled out the cup from your skin, but it wasn't I actually felt relieved. When she attached it, you felt like you were being pinched then it would hurt for a little bit. After the cupping, she would glide her forearm onto the injured area until you felt all better. I have had numbing pain in my hands from my work with computers and she applied hot compress to my arm, found the source of the problem in my shoulder and forearm, cupped the areas and massaged them. She fixed a couple of problems on my back, the back of my neck and actually found several places she needs to fix to cure me of falling hair, high blood pressure, lower back pain and clearing my back of impurities to make it smoother. A lot of work for a one-hour session, huh?

I felt great - it was like going on a vacation and relaxing the whole weekend. Thanks, Jade!

Blogging on Chrome

Today I am blogging on the Google Chrome browser. The first thing I noticed immediately after the easy installation is the speed of the browser. I thought the time it took to load web pages were all due to the speed of my internet connection - but I am on the same internet connection and yet it loads my pages faster.

Also I had problems with my multi-tabbed browser freezing when I close a video page while the video was still playing. Guess what? No such problem here. I guess this is the multi-process concept they had implemented - when you close a tab, even if the video is still playing all the elements that has to do with that tab is gone. It does not affect the other tabs, therefore no slowing down or freezing.

I went to all the image-laden, slow-loading pages I knew and it took no time at all - even pages full of widgets! I'm not very good at crashing applications, but with the little I've tested of the Chrome browser I am completely satisfied!

The Google Chrome Comic

I found this very entertaining comic strip about the Google Chrome that is supposed to be available for download today. Google Chrome is the search giant's new browser, which, as they extensively explained in the comic strip, is built for today's web applications. From the screenshots around the blogosphere it looks like Opera and has the tab structure much like IE and Firefox.

In the comic strip it explains how each tab is a process instead of a thread - making it a multi-process application and not a multi-threaded one. What does this mean? It means when you close a tab, you close the process and all memory allocated to this tab is released (I would guess that other browsers do not do this or they wouldn't have emphasized it). Also when you navigate from domain 1 to domain 2, it releases all cpu assets used up by domain 1 and begins anew with domain 2.

This was the predominant theme of the comic strip, discussing the improvements they made to the browser and trying to make it appear less technical than it actually is. I wonder who their intended comic audience was - because the comic really did seem too geeky to me. Although maybe I'm underestimating the YouTube generation a bit by saing that. The comic did do a great job of promoting Google Chrome - I certainly want to download it now.

So after reading page 14 and having my browser refuse to go to the next page, I wanted to see and experience Google Chrome for myself. So I googled "Download Google Chrome." The results were a lot of blog articles with download links that led back to the main google page.

Where is the Chrome? Is it really ready for download or as they claimed, did they just hit the send button too quickly... I guess we just have to be patient...