Perhaps it’s the notion of belonging to a clan of some sort — a wolf pack. I now have identity within the family tree. I know where I fit and understand what it means to be a kuya.

Perhaps still.. being granted this Filipino title has reconnected me back to my roots. While my citizenship identifies me as an American citizen (of which I proudly value the priviledge) where I grew wings and took flight my roots reach firmly and deeply into Filipino heritage. It is a heritage which I know very little of and admitedly was not to fond of. Nevertheless I can’t deny where I came from. I am Filipino after all and as such I also bear the identity of kuya and all that accompanies it. It’s still something to get used to and I’m certain it’ll get to a point where it’ll be as natural as my American siblings calling me big brother.

1. remove the dude in the background
2. clean up the spots
3. enhance the photo without looking to Photoshop’d

Before & After

After about 30 minutes worth of work this is the final result. For the most part I used the cloning tool to remove the background person, the spot healing brush for spots and blemishes and levels to give it more pop. The original photo was plagued with scratches and spots, although you probably can’t tell since this is reduced version.

The most challenging part was putting the shelving back. I’ve decided for sanity’s sake to clone it from a shelving piece already there and adjust for color and contrast. Came out better than expected.

Valu-Vision's Finest

Maybe next time I should actually spend the few gazillion dollars to buy decent glasses. In the mean time who’s got duct tape?

“You can’t change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying over the future.”

– Yvonne O’Neill

Had breakfast with JC at Starbucks before heading to church. It was nice to be relaxed enough to enjoy some coffee and read a newspaper. Plus we were actually at church on time. I guess Hell must’ve frozen over.The sermon was about sexual immorality — and not just with gays and cheating spouses but also sex outside of marriage. In other words… outside of God’s plan. I bet the congregation was a little on edge about this one — myself included. Even more difficult was preaching such a sensitive, highly unpopular topic. I wonder how much hate mail Pastor Brunson is going to get as a result.

This guys sucks.

After service, we met up at one of my favorite restaurants: Bowl of Pho. I must’ve been really hungry as I’d forgotten to take a photo of the food. I did manage to take a snapshot of the strawberry bubble tea though. Unfortunately, it wasn’t nearly as tasty as P18.

We had a very open conversation about some of things that “irked” me about JC. I’m sure she was a little surprised. But I am a firm believer in open and honest communication. Any relationship worth fighting for depends on it. I just hope that she takes whatever was said to heart.

First impressions as we entered the front door was that this place is going to be laid back, yet upscale. A young lady in a red dress greeted us as she opened the door and within minutes we were seated. The table, in my opinion, was too large for just two people and throughout the night I felt I had to yell just to say anything to JC. Plus it was situated right in the middle of the restaurant and in front of where the wait staff came in and out of the kitchen. With all the high traffic from guests and wait staff the only place worse would have been next to the bathroom.

Our waitress was very friendly and smiled often. Overall she was very tentative, but near the end when we were ready to go she had gotten bogged down by a large party at a table adjacent to us. I worried she had forgotten we were there.

The decor was somewhat interesting although I have to confess my preference has always been that modern, clean look. I really thought it was tacky to have the salt and pepper shakers sitting on the table in their original store bought container.

The calamari was quite delish and nicely tendered.

I ordered the grilled garlic salmon. For the most part, it was pretty tasty. Occasionally the garlic was a little overwhelming… but nothing a little rice couldn’t fix. The broccoli looked as plain and unappetizing but it had a surprisingly nice flavor with just a hint of sweetness to keep you interested. JC and I agreed that it was probably the best thing on our plates.

Jen opted for the shrimp and scallops. The shrimps were nice and plump but overcooked — giving it that tough, rubbery texture. The scallops lacked flavor.

I’d say overall on a scale of 0-10 I’d give it a 5.5. JC on the other hand, wasn’t as impressed. She gave it a 4. Karma really wasn’t all that impressive. If anything, it reminded me of a glorified Apple Bee’s — but for rich people.

They have either been answered, filed into appropriate project folders, filed for reference, or simply deleted. I leave the office everyday stressed free and with some sense of accomplishment.

I credit these high performance habits to David Allen’s Getting Things Done. When I rooted his methodology into my daily life I was transformed. Gone are the days of which the inbox is a daunting mess of disparity. Instead, I dare any email to show up in my inbox. I guarantee it won’t be in there long.