Jorge and Vicky’s Wedding

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I haven’t met Jorge, but I personally know Vicky who works at Einstein Industries where I used to work too. I was supposed to go to the wedding. I was all dressed up and prepared and ready to go, but some things just came up that one thing started to get connected to the other and I just could not get out on time. Sorry.

Anyway, I hope you like what I got you as my wedding gift.

Helping out people by blogging

Blogging for some people gives money, but it does not mean once you have a blog, you earn money right away. You also put some heart into it. Pushing the original content. Looking for what is catchy, what is sticky, what has viral effects. Adding some ads and you are on the way to go. It will start slow, but just do it and try to improve at it. Making more pages, more content, and just try to build your audience and let contextual ads do the trick as well as some affiliate marketing.

It is not really that easy as it sounds, but it is also not rocket science.

So far I have been helping out

Websaytko – Geri
InformaticsStudents.com – Meena Bhavina
Isulong – Seoph Martinez

And I am guiding them build more traffic and hopefully create a regular readerbase.

New Shipment, Good Exercise

Spent half-day at work as many other employees did and others were simply not there that Friday. Mainly for a longer weekend vacation, but for me it was because I needed to receive this shipment at home that is 397 pounds all together. And they did not fit the apartment complex door and was left in the parking lot and I needed to go back and forth bringing each shipment in.

I moved these:

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To here:

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Some boxes were real heavy. But it was still good exercise. 😛

Before and After – New Table

I just got a new table, and I am not done fixing everything yet. I bought the same table I have at work. Not because I love that table, but I found that it is the cheapest of it’s kind. But instead of the gray finish, I for the wooden finish.

The table before

Table Before

The table now

Table Now

Table Now

But not everything is working yet, the monitor on is set to extended desktop on my Laptop. The 21″ monitor will be for my desktop that I have not reformatted yet eversince the hard disk got burned during the San Diego September 2005 Lightning Storm. The panel monitor with the mounting arm is for the Mac Mini that I still need to plug together.

Monitors

Not everything is fixed yet

Aside from not being done with the computers, I got…

…junk on the bed…

Junk on the bed

…junk on the floor…

Junk on the floor

…junk on my end table…

Junk on the end table

And tons of projects to finish. 🙁

But they will all be done.

Broken Site? Check it right now before it get’s fixed! LOLz

After browsing around, I just landed at the website of Brown College in Altanta, Georgia for some reason. And I got to this page

Brown College Medical Transcription Coding

This is a Medical Transcription course at Brown College and they teach Medical Coding. Look at the code, this looks real hardcore coding right there. Some kind of encryption algorithm they teach for their transcription. And did you know it is legally fine to use stock photos even if you did not buy them? The only requirement is you leave their watermark on the photo. A closer view below.

Closer View of Encrytion and Free Stock Photography

Very high-tech education on encryption algorithms, this must be a very good school! Check the page on Brown College now before they change the page.

Tour of San Diego

Today is Cinco de Mayo, here in San Diego is it also party time in some areas. And our company president, Robert C. Silkey of Einstein Industries may this day a special day to all employees. He opened up what he calls it a town hall meeting. Where we were all in the parking lot and talked about the future plans and present actions being taken by the company. He also answered all annonymous emails from the anonymous board and takled them very well. I believe he has please everyone and seemed honest about what can be done, what cannot be done and what will be done at Einstein Industries, Inc.

This meeting ended early as everyone was invited to the Cinco de Mayo party at his house. And after printing out some maps, and stayed for a while to wait for Mook work on some Flash stuff, we drove away heading to Robert’s place as Mook followed where I went. I rarely get lost with a map, but that day, I got lost a lot of times and I think I was passing the streets I need to turn in to. Maybe it was also because I was also keeping an eye on Mook if he was also still following behind, while I also paid attention to where we were going and I did not seem to see the right streets i needed to turn to.

After driving and we stopped for a second at 7-11, and asked the UPS guy that was there on how to get to Robert’s place, it was already 4pm and Mook also needed to pick up his wife after work. And I felt sorry for him and guilty since he was following me and I got lost, and so we both got lost. And we decided that I will go to the party and he will go and pick up his wife. Mook told me to tell hi to everyone and enjoy myself telling the story.

That time we were past Sea World already, and we drove following the instructions that I still can remember given by the UPS guy. Sea World Drive, just go straight, you will go over the bridge going over the 5 highway and once you get down, that is Morena Boulevard. I got to Morena without any problem, now, as I drove along Morena, I just didn’t see where I had to turn and I got to a point where I drove until it seemed the end and drove back. I noticed Morena and West Morena and I just gave up using too much gas already.

Sorry Mook also for the gas and time. If ever you were late for picking up your wife, tell her sorry also.

Well for me, it was another tour of San Diego.

Another Version of Pachelbel’s Canon in D

Canon in D has been used many times as I have mention in my previous post. And good friend of mine Louie Morales has decided to send me an mp3 of the song but it does not seem to be complete, but good enough. And I did not listen to it right away since I though I would feel like I have listened to this song to much already that any version may not sound that impressive compared to the first time I heard the song Canon in D by Pachelbel. But this acapella version of Pachelbel’s Canon in D is just different that it still find this song very nice to listen to over and over.

Raredog’s Website

Raredog, jumble that up, and you can form the real name of Geri. Geri goes a long way back in 1989 I remember. During those days he was riding a BMX with a small plastic skull above the handle post. I was a BMX quarterpipe newbie that time and just barely goes over the coping. As my front wheel passes the top of the ramp, I turn back in. And Raredog used to fly above and during those years when backflips, flairs, tailwhip airs were not yet invented, Raredog was pulling of X-ups, Candybars, common one-footers and other tricks that are classics today. And since we are from the Philippines, we do not really think of safety that much, so we have minimal gears, most of the time without helmets. For some reason, I think even i considered knee pads and shin guards more important than a helmet since pedal grinds on your shins are really painful.

1989, such a long time, I do not ride the way I used to, and Raredog is all into scooters. Now he’s a blogger too! He has a new website.

Paying HSBC Credit Card for Nothing

After signing up for a Best Buy Credit Card, where they teamed up with HSBC to offer the service, I was also asked to sign up an optional HSBC credit card application. So ok, I signed it up, pass or fail their credit check, they said it was a no obligation thing.

I never received my credit card in the mail. But I think this is a California issue since I had the same problem with a Target card before that I needed to call them several times and all they said is that the California post office has block the mail and that I have to confirm the information by phone calling them up and keep complaining I never received the Credit Card.

And here comes the HSBC Credit Card bill. And I never even received the HSBC Credit Card! Duh, bill me for nothing. I did not even buy anything yet, but this card had annual fees. And they are billed first before getting the card. This card only had a credit limit of $300, it is not any special card at all. It is good as not having this HSBC Credit Card, it has no value to me at all and I needed to pay them an annual fee for an HSBC Credit Card with only a $300 Credit Limit? And I never even received the HSBC Credit Card?

That is like paying for something I never received! What is that called? Charity? Donation?

Now someone in India calls me saying I have to pay my bills. So I said I will cancel the account, and the only reason I did not cancel is because, this guy in India says I will receive the HSBC credit card in the mail soon, and it is nice to have some credit card even just for emergency. Well I said, since my application is in, ok, and that was last February. I paid a partial balance of $40 for the annual fees.
Up to now I never received my credit card. And my fees increased for non-payment of my HSBC Credit Card with a low $300 credit limit, billing me for something I never got!

I got a bills and I got a phone call from the HSBC Credit Card Call Center and this time, looks like an American, not from India, but who knows, he might be in the Philippines who are good in copying accents as compared to India Call Center agents. Again reminding me of the bill to pay. And I said, didn’t I call up to close this account already?

And they checked it out and yes it is closed and I still have some balance to pay. Funny, I have to pay for something I never have received. But the credit card system in the US is so connected and automated that this gives a red flag on your credit report. And here in the US, where there is Transunion, Experian and Equifax for the credit report, these are not like the Philippine companies: Philippine Credit Reporting Alliance Inc., CIBI Information Inc., Asian Credit Consultants and Business Services, Equifacts Information Inc., First Asia Corporate Business Connection, Excellent Credit Information Inc. where everything is connected together it one large database that businesses just subscribe to and check the credit information of anyone online.

It was like a no choice thing, that I had to pay this HSBC Credit Card annual fee just to keep my credit report nice and clean to avoid any denials in other subscription services or installment payments I may have in the future. So that’s it, I paid for the HSBC Credit Card service for something I never had.

I paid $40 last Feb 13, 2006, and another $140.15 total balance today, for this now closed HSBC credit card that I never used, and never received in the mail. I haven’t even gone through the activation thing, where I call up to activate the HSBC credit card. All I was charged was annual fees for having the HSBC Credit Card service.

After my transaction was done over the phone, I said just a few words before I end my conversation with you. I said I paid this bill, but I never received my HSBC Credit Card. And just right after I said that sentence… I was already thinking of telling him more how displeased I was and I wish it does not happen to others and that they should make it a point the HSBC Credit Card is received and activated, then they bill the client for the HSBC Credit Card annual fee. But the moment I thought of that, I did not tell it to him anymore, since I said nevermind, what will happen if I talk to you. You are in a call center, and what kind of heirarchy structure this message has to go through to get to the person involved in the system? So I just said ok thank you and byebye. And I just thought that I will just blog about this Hongkong Savings Bank Corporation Credit Card service that I was displeased of not receiving the service since I never received the HSBC Credit Card and was required to pay the annual fees. Instead of complaining and nothing happens to the complaint against HSBC Credit Card, then I will just blog about them and do some SEO magic.
So what credit card company do I recommend? Maybe any company listed in the links above this article or on the side that is not HSBC. I actually have a Direct Merchants Bank Platinum Credit Card and a Best Buy Credit Card and are happy with them, even if they are both powered by HSBC. Check the links above for other credit card companies.

What credit card do you recommend? Low APR and no annual fees. Tell me which one you like in your comments below.

And now that I have mentioned 3 credit cards here, phishers are everywhere. So those planning on doing phishing attempts, please do not bother my inbox with all the trash emails.