It’s really hard to figure out what day we are on after some time has passed. I think I got it rite but I wouldn’t bet on it.

I’m leaving for Australia, Tokyo, Seoul, and Bangkok in 4 days. I will be seeing those places over a span of 40 days. There’s no doubt I am totally excited about it, but some nerves are there too. Not knowing the language, the transit system, etc. But alas, I’m sure it will be the experience I am hoping for.

Once I get back I have about 2.5 months until university starts. I having been thinking about this project a lot lately and I am not one to give up. I have been considering some ideas lately and will probably elaborate on them when I get back to Canada.

Bentobox has been siting for some time now yet the daily hits are higher than ever. I don’t know why. I am going to look into it.

I have also cleaned out rickuyesugi.com. I have a couple posts there. I will be writing there occasionally and be posting my Asia trip reports there. So if you are interested, have a boo.

Something that I find interesting, is that over the last 217 days, there has been some changes in the internet IMO. Myspace is not what it used to be, and Facebook has taken over in many cities. I have been thinking how I can use this to my advantage.

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed the summer as much as I did. It’s coming to an end with school almost back in session for the fall, but there will still be more to come from me and 500DTF.

;)

Rick

Hey ppls!

Lots of time until Day 500 rite? Well some things have changed…First I have no idea what’s up with Marica. I haven’t had a chance to see her lately cuz of her full time school/work/party schedule XD. Secondly I have decided to head back into university for awhile. I guess I will have to get my writing style back on track. U cant use this kinda stuff on an essay! I may divulge some school info later on but lets just say its somewhat of a different path than broadcasting and entertainment.

It’s pretty exciting though, I know that there won’t be as much luck involved reaching my goal. That’s what’s really tough for anyone trying to break into showbiz, you need luck. Who knows maybe I will still find some in the next year. I probably won’t blog as much, something like you’ve been seeing as of late.

I won’t really have time for Daily Bentobox blogs once I get back to classes, but I might try to keep it going. That was a really fun project. I think a lot of ppl enjoyed reading it and it was a small success. I think I proved that I could provide daily content that was good enough to keep hundred’s of readers coming back.

Anyways check in on me once in awhile.

Wow there is a lot of time left with this project huh? Let me just recap where I am at.

I started this whole thing thinking it would be easy to find people who were as eager as I to make it big in the biz. Well this hasn’t exactly been disproved but I will tell you that the only real person you can rely on in this world is really yourself. Everyone else has to look out for themselves and won’t always be there for you. I am not being negative, just realistic. I am not frustrated by this, I am just now more informed.

I guess that is why I have been writing here less and less, simply because it is difficult to do video blogs, or maybe I should say, difficult to do good ones. If I wanted I could just use my webcam, but the quality of video and sounds lacks. Since Marica started working full time it is hard for her, and I feel bad that she doesn’t have more time to work towards some of her dream goals.

I guess that is a problem with life, there just isn’t enough time or resources for everyone to do what they want. I think everyone has to find a happy ground in which they can live day to day without regrets.

I have had some auditions lately. My agent Dylan is pretty cool. I think I am improving my audition skills. You know, you may be a good actor and such, but to get a job you need an audition skill set. It is different. It is hard to get into the moment as the person you are reading with will never be in character and you will find it difficult to feed off them. There is also the problems with memorization. Often times, audition sides are given the night before and you won’t have time to learn them all. So reading during the audition while at the same time allowing the casting agent to see your face can be tough.

Hopefully I can make some headway with these auditions in the coming months.

It is freakin hot today in my apartment, but a small price to pay for such fantastic Vancity weather. As most of you know I have been working hard on my blog the Bento Box Review. It is actually doing really well. I am getting a solid amount of traffic considering it hasn’t even been six weeks and I really am no expert when it comes to building a community around a website.

I have been thinking a ton lately about what I am going to do in the coming months career wise and how I am going to make the next big step. I mean I am a realist, do I think I can go somewhere with 500DTF? Sure its possible, but unlikely. The internet is just so big these days that you can’t assume you will always get what you want out of something like this.

With that being said, I still have a lot of travelling to do and things to see so I really don’t want to commit to anything huge at this time. I think I mentioned it before that I am booked to go to Austrailia and Japan in November which is quite a big trip. I plan to go to Europe in 2008 with some friends and probably hit south Asia as soon as I can. When you want to do those types of things you need time, freedom from commitments, and money.

So this brings up a ton of questions for me. How do I accomplish all of this in such a short time? Will I be passing up bigger job oppurtunities if I wait? I don’t think I am too concerned about these things. There will always be time to develop a career. Right now it is time to develop self awareness. I guess just be more clear about what I want for the rest of my years, and how can I leave my mark on the world.

I am pretty sure you will see changes in my though process as day 500 rolls around, but for now these are really my only thoughts. There is still a decent amount of traffic coming here daily, so I thank you for your support and curiosity of my successes and failures. If no one was reading, I wouldn’t write.

Thanks,

Rick

I got a call from someone today from a certain show in development. Basically they are looking for Asian-Canadians to host some segments on a series that is about bringing Asian culture to Canada. I can’t say it’s a lock, but the phone interview went really well. Details are useless at this point unless I know for sure I am getting the gig. I think BentoBox had a lot to do with it as they are looking for someone to review things from Asian pop culture.

I am with Trisko Talent Management now. Dylan made me ring this gong after it was all final, kind of a funny tradition. So those are two things I am looking forward to right now.

I am going with Trisko Talent Management. I got a referral from Gail Simpson (Thanks Gail!) to meet with Dylan who was a totally cool guy and was really easy to talk about the industry with. Like I said, I had some bad experiences before with agents but I think this one will provide some realistic opportunities. It’s just a matter of signing some papers and then I will be out and about on some auditions for commercials. It is pretty clear to me now that this is the way you must start out. You need to build up your resume by booking some of these gigs and then you can make your way to bigger and better things. But don’t get me wrong, I would be ecstatic if I could get some of these commercial jobs. They pay good and you build up contacts this way.

People have been asking me a lot lately how “500 Days to fame” is going. I think they read the site and know that it has been slower lately, but I always remind them that there is a long way to go. I am happy with my progress so far and I think the early rush of enthusiasm is normal in a project like this. I am still confident this will take me somewhere and I am glad you are all along for the ride.

Should be interesting. I had an interview last year with one and it kind of turned me off from the whole thing for a bit. I realize the industry it tough and I can handle rejection, but some people are so arrogant you begin to wonder if that’s the kind of people you want to be working with. I have high hopes for this agency and I will give a report on it tomorrow.

When I wrote day 108’s post, I wasn’t looking for people to get behind me and give me confidence or anything. I am an extremely strong willed person. I rarely give up on anything and perform well in everything I work hard at. Sometimes I just write to remind myself. I love how people jump in and give me support right away, but I also want readers to know that I don’t write those posts looking for sympathy or support. I write them because that is what is going on with me at the time. As most blogs do, the focus has changed over time here. As the writer, I can’t exactly fight that, I just have to let it happen.

Debating people is really one of my strongest skills. When I get negative comments and such I relish the moments of retort. I can be a little harsh at times but I think my points are always validated by evidence and support. Negative comments also means the blog is growing and people are really reading the words I write here. They disagree with me or have their own opinion on some posts and thats great! Keep firing away, but realize it’s hard to come out on top against me :p

Rick, I have to say, nobody’s life is perfect. There are always going to be obstacles you’ll need to overcome along the way. I can understand that you would be afraid of failing, because in the long run, who WANTS to fail?! And yes you have to put all the effort you feel needs to go into a project or dream in order to succeed, but sometimes that isn’t even enough. Sometimes I feel it isn’t fair for those who work work work and end up not getting to where they want to be in life. But you know, people have to realize that that’s life and I guess you just sort of have to take what you have, work with what you got and go from there. Just stay positive….it’s the least you can do. Don’t get me wrong…you ARE talented, especially in this field/industry. And yeah, you are right, things won’t just fall into your lap and life won’t seem like the fantasy people often perceive it to be, but again you just need to take what you have, work with it and hope that someone along the way will recognize what you have been blessed with. You can only hope and never lose faith in yourself, because if you don’t have faith and believe in yourself, then nobody else will. At least that’s my stance….

Anyway, I apologize for not being as faithful to this project as I promised. It really is a lot harder than i thought to juggle multiple things in life that really matter to you. Personally, I find time management to be a pain in the butt for myself. Sometimes, i want to be able to do everything, all at once….and just hope that things roll smoothly. But then i realized, it could never happen. Inside, you want to be able to do well in everything you do or aspire to do, but really, it can never really turn out that way….or else you would live a perfect life in a perfect world….and what’s the point of living a perfect life?! Things would become mundane….boring. There would be no challenges, which I feel is what’s great and needed in life. Without challenges, how do we learn? Without challenges, how do we grow? And I realized with this project, it is going to take a lot more effort and dedicated time to actually get something out of it. No i am not giving up, because to be quite honest, I feel this project truly has potential to capture a lot more readers interests…it really is just a matter of how much I’m willing to put into it. I know Rick has been doing a lot of work and has even started his own website, which I am supporting 100% and will hopefully draw more readers in the long run. However I know we have a certain amount of followers for 500DTF who are checking back every now and then and it is our duty to keep you entertained.

Now that I have completed my exams for the spring semester. I have about 2 weeks and a half before summer school begins and within that time, I will definitely make the effort to meet with Rick and discuss future plans for this project. If the weather allows, hopefully we will have some “fun in the sun” video blogs to let you guys know what we are up to. Can i just remind readers that although we created this site to help further our skills as tv personalities/hosts, we have also created this site to please you…to entertain YOU…to make you feel you need to come back. So if there are any things in particular you’d like to see us do and we feel are quite feasible, then we’ll lay it out on the table and go from there. We are only 100 days into the project, so there is still plenty of time  to carry out and experiment with what the entertainment industry has to offer. =)

On that note, have yourselves a lovely day and hopefully because things have been a little slow, we haven’t lost many of you. But thanks to those who have kept following us and are continuing to support us through this project.

Much Love,
Marica

PS - I’d just like to extend my condolences to those who suffered and are suffering through the incredibly unfortunate incident that occurred at Virginia Tech University this week. Perhaps this can spark an idea for a future video blog on campus safety….

Things have been very weird lately. Family, career, random luck. Nothing is quite in the right place right now. I have to find some balance in my life and create some more positive energy. No matter what you do, you will always have times where you don’t have all the answers or you won’t know the next step to take. I haven’t been posting much lately, because there is nothing to discuss regarding my efforts to get work on TV. I am going to call some agents tomorrow and set up some interviews. I am also going to make some calls regarding me getting on some TV sets to do some production work. The truth is, you need to pay your dues. You need to get out there and give it everything you’ve got for a decent amount of time.

I have a problem. You see, as a child I was very successful. When I graduated from elementary school, I was named the top scholar and top athlete. This set the standard for the rest of my life. After breezing through high school, I started to wonder what I could do with my life. What could I do to keep up the same standards. I have since graduated from BCIT, a tech institute, and I feel confident in saying that I was among the top students there as well. But what now….Well my problem is that I developed a fear of failure. I was scared to really go for anything in the chance that it would be a flop or not go anywhere. It was easier to just lower my own personal standards. It was easy just to let the days go by without really making headway in my career.

When it comes to careers, nothing will come easy. It can’t just fall into our laps. I have been floating for awhile now waiting for something to come along. I think that has to stop; I need to focus. According to a few, I am very skilled in the media industry. I guess it’s true. I have a lot of potential. But so do many other people in this world, so I am going to have to outwork them. I am going to have to take that extra step.

I still want to be on TV. That is my dream. But I have to be realistic and I also have to develop a career. I just hope that if I can stay close to the industry then I will still get some chances. Even though I hope to get an agent, I might not be able to give it my all, because going on auditions doesn’t pay the bills. You need to catch a break. There are many actors out there who never get a single role. I may be contradicting myself, in that if I truly want to be on TV then i need to give it my all and just go for it. But it just isn’t smart.

So those are some of the things I have been pondering lately. Some people say that this blog is a waste of time for me….but I enjoy writing it. I just wish I had more content for you guys. You visit this site because you care about me, and I care about you readers. I hope you can gain some inspiration from this post. It is really coming from a deep place inside of me.

Rick

Well I made it this far. As I said I would launch a my premiere podcast episode of Bento Box where I am reviewing various dishes of pop culture. You know what is crazy, bentoboxreview.com is already getting more hits than this website. It’s only been up for 5 days. I really hope I can turn it into a success and create a decent following. People are asking me what is going on with 500DTF and am I still doing it? I say of course! This is simply a log for people to follow along on my quest to accomplish a goal. A goal that I am still striving for. I am hoping to get an agent this month and go to some auditions, meanwhile, working on my video podcasts to get my face out there and other small gigs here and there.

I guess because I was doing video blogs before, people considered 500DTF to be a “show” in itself. But I was just doing that to get familiar with video blogs. Now I am focusing that attention in a different direction but I will still keep you guys updated. I am 1/5 the way in this adventure and I think i have done well. But in the back of my mind, I know this is only the beginning and things will only get better.

So check out my new site - The Bento Box Review

Rick

bentoboxreview.com

The domain for my new site. Check it out. Let me know what you think. I haven’t updated here lately because I have been focusing a lot of my efforts there. I am still aiming to launch the first full video podcast epidode on Day 100. Only the viewers of this site know about Bento Box but in about two weeks after I have some decent content there I will be pushing as much traffic there as possible. I am really exciting about this project because I believe in it and it is fun! I am hoping to make a name for myself with this project and I want to take all of you along for the ride!

I will still do a DreamStreet episode if it presents itself, but I think I am going to leave it up to Marica to organize the guests. I had 4 different guests that all cancelled on me at the last second. I am not mad about that, but it is frustrating. I gave them oppurtunities to rebook, but I suppose they feel there is nothing really in it for them. I can understand that, but maybe if more episodes were occuring it wouldn’t be that way. Disappointing for us all!

But I have learned a lot from that project and will be making use of my new found knowledge into this project….THE BENTO BOX REVIEW!!

See ya there ;)

Rick

Congratulations to Jenny who top the charts this month with a grand total of 20 comments, one better than young David Wilkinson. Many thanks to all of those who are participating in this blog and hopefully you will be sticking with me to the end.

Jenny will receive a spa package from Trinity Salon and Spa! Again gratz!

With only 9 days before I launch my newest project, I suppose I can reveal some details. It turns out, I was able to come up with a decent name on my own. So maybe I might have to buy myself an iPod Shuffle. Either way, like I said in previous posts, I will have a weekly vodcast, that not only will be published to iTunes, but also on the main site. I’m sure I will link to the videos from here as well. I will also do some radio shows throughout the week. No set schedules but there will definitely be content. I will also blog everyday to keep the content fresh.

So what will my content be? Well, I am going to be going at this project full time, so I need to be able to monetize it. I will be pushing this site hard in an attempt to get my name and face out there, as well as, hopefully making it profitable. No huge surprise, I will be reviewing various products, news, and interests.

For example, on the video show, I will review some products such as; electronics, books, dvds, household items, clothes, anything that I feel has some pop culture following. I am hoping to get out of the house as well to do some restaurant reviews, retail store reviews, and on a bigger scale, country reviews! Yes, when I travel I want to give my best efforts to review what I come across and the things I see. Also, should I review say a trendy boutique, I will not only review their store and products, but also get them to converse on today’s hottest buys.

For the radio portion, I will continue to review blogs, websites, and most likely some current events. I will give my takes on them and keep all the readers, listeners, and watchers more informed.

As for the daily written blogs, I will simply review things that I will not be able to get my hands on.

I am happy with the idea and think I will be able to make this happen. I won’t have to rely on people too much and as long as I stay motivated and can keep up with it, things should work out.

Rick

[See post to watch QuickTime movie]

Wow March has gone by so fast. I will be doing a video blog tomorrow FOR SURE, but today I was just thinking about some life goals. I was thinking about what I am really striving for. To be honest I am not too sure. It is really tough sometimes to know what you want. Maybe a generation ago, it was a simpler time, a house, a car, and happy family was considered a success. I really think my generation is different though. Most likely we will be changing careers between 2 and 5 times. Seeking out happiness in different locations. Having kids and getting married will not be the top priority for many. It is all a blur to me at this point.

Either way, I can look back at the last 20 years and think that I did alright. All I can do is work hard now so I can say the same thing when I am 40. As long as you are careful not to get too caught up in yourself, and you can say that you have given back in some way, then I think you will be alright.

On day 100 I will launch the first video episode of my currently untitled show. Don’t forget to read that post and have the chance to receive an iPod Shuffle.

Also, if you want to keep in the loop about my upcoming projects make sure to grab my rss feed.

Rick

PS. Now that I think about it, it wouldn’t be too bad to strive for a place like this:

The Sheer Kitchen is an fully-functioning kitchen enclosed in a Vader-esque sphere. The bottom half is made of carbon fiber and sports a double sink, four burners, three bottle coolers, a retractable table and trolleys. The upper half functions as a lamp when closed, giving off a soft, ambient light, and when open pulls double duty as both an aspirator and lamp. Paired with a wall unit designed to hold the appliances as well as provide cabinet space, storage, and extra seating, the Sheer Kitchen is a complete modern cooking solution.

Top commentors is coming to and this month, and I have no time to waste on this next contest.

I am going to giveaway an iPod shuffle to whoever can come up with the name of my new show. This show is the main sub-project of 500 Days to fame, along side of DreamStreet.

Here are the details:

The show is going to have a weekly video cast. This video cast will be uploaded to various directories such as iTunes and yahoo, as well as being hosted on the main site. There will be the visitors who come to the site everyday for the various content, and there will be those who only download the weekly video podcast.

I will also be doing audio podcasts throughout the week.

On top of that, I will also have written content, just like any other blog.

The object of this project is to deliver my opinions, ideas, and personality through the webcasts and blogs. I will be the sole host. I will have guests on when possible. I will talk to people on the street occasionally. Think Saturday Night Live, combined with Ellen, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

There will be comedy, news, and lots of entertainment. I essentially want to become a commodity of the web and bring my on-air personality to the top. There is no better way to do so then to create a show that really has no boundaries.

I need a show title that is edgy, modern, yet not restricting of content. I also need to be able to grab the domain name.

So keep all of this in mind. Post as many name ideas as you like in the comments section. You will obviously know if you are the winner as it will be the name of my show/podcast. As soon as I select a name and get the domain name, I will gather your info and send you your pretty new iPod shuffle - the color of your choice!

This is exciting and I am looking forward to all of your ideas. You might think I should come up with something myself, but this sub-project is critical and I need the name to be perfect. I have some ideas but I am fighting my brain to come up with something great.

For those in the blogging community, if you can let others know about this contest so I can get as many ideas as I can. Thanks everyone!

Rick

Got lazy…didn’t update, my bad.

Just want to give a shout out to all those who have been commenting lately and making an effort to be apart of our blog community. Don’t forget about the contest where you can win a spa package from Trinity Salon and Spa.

I guarantee you will see some good content from me this week. My apartment is so freakin cluttered right now that shooting is really not an option. I need to take care of that. I also need to get my taxes in order. So some important goals right there!

It’s late, time to go. I will be on task all this week so be ready!

Rick

If you enjoy this blog, make sure you grab our RSS feed.

Its officially Marica’s Birthday in the east coast so I suppose there is no harm in posting this now. Happy Birthday Marica! Or should I say Chanel? Tasha? Shan? Those are all pseudonyms for Ms. Morales. So just so you know, when shes famous and your thinking about going to introduce yourself and she reveals her name as Chanel, well you probably don’t have much of a chance of getting a date.

I was talking to someone today about plans for summer 2008. I then realized that 500DTF doesn’t end until then. That is a long time! I always feel like time is passing by so fast, but really I think we are on a good track. If I use day 100-200 to get some work done on my show then I will be on a good pace. So things are looking up.

I will also be traveling a fair amount during the next 400+ days so you will get to hear some of my thoughts on other cultures.

Well, time to party!

I think I can speak for most of the blog readers in saying, we wish you a great birthday Marica and all the best :) <3 xoxo

Rick

*sigh

I feel the worst is over. 10 chapters to read and TWO 10-11 pg papers due within the last two days. I’m BEAT.
I look and feel like a zombie. Nonetheless, i can look forward to writing just one more paper + my final exams. I can also look forward to a great party week planned as well as a relaxation getaway. I am completely aware of my MIA status with this project, but I have to remind myself that even though this isn’t my life, it is still a goal I would eventually like to achieve. However, this has always been a project I look forward to contributing to when i DO have time and it is almost a place of sanctuary for me where I can just let loose, be myself and do what I actually enjoy doing. And as things loosen up and die down at school over the next month or so, I am hoping to bring a lot more into this project.

As of now, I have just been going to school…and when im not at school, im working. Speaking of work, I am now serving at Earl’s (on Kingsway) so for those of you who live in the area and are big Earl’s fans, come stop by. =) I also decided to go for this singing audition over the weekend and wow, did i completely mess up. haha. I laugh about it now because it’s funny how you can think you’re ready for something, when really, you aren’t. You think you’ve given something your all, but REALLY, you know you could’ve done SO MUCH BETTER. I’m not a professional singer, but I DO enjoy singing and I thought I’d try my luck for this one audition that will be holding a huge production in August featuring the Flowethics dance crew and NoPlanB Music. You can only take criticism and construct it into something positive for your future. At least that is how I see it. Nonetheless, it was fun, yet nervewrecking. But be on the lookout for this production.  www.SOUNDTRACK07.com   

They are still working on the website so it may not cover much information right now.

I apologize I haven’t been putting in as much work as I’d like into this project right now, but I’d also just like to give Rick many props for carrying much of this out on his own. As one can see, he is a very talented being (and as for that acupuncture rick, OUCHIE! But i hope you feel better soon).

So hopefully, we’ll have some new material up for you guys soon. And HOPEFULLY, i can be a part of it. Keep in mind the top commenter will receive that spa package, so get POSTIN! =) The Spa looks incredibly hospitable and inviting by the way. And this is quite the way to win that package…..nothing too complicated.

All the best to you guys this week! Enjoy!

Much Love,
Marica

Ugh I had acupuncture today. As you can see from the photo (the photo that looks like I have no pants on), I have lower back problems. I’ve had them for quite some time now and have tried lots of different things to get better. Well today, I found someone who I really think can help me. Normally I leave the office feeling unsure or dissatisfied with the therapy. Hopefully this can put me on the road to recovery.

The needles are much longer than they appear in the picture. I would say that maybe half of them were painful on insertion the others were minor pinches. Every 5 minutes though they need to be twirled. Not a great feeling. Nonetheless, I will see what the results are in the coming days.

I did a bit of window shopping today for some set pieces for my next show. On the show I will be really able to showcase my skills as a host. I will try to have guests when I can, but hopefully I can bring you some entertainment on my own. I will be podcasting and videocasting, but also writing like a blog. The cool thing is that this will be a separate website and therefore I can do somethings that I don’t do here. Like review other peoples blogs/websites; thanks to all those sending me some link love. This site I really can only talk about my personal projects and such, as that is the aim of the blog.

My new site will teach you things, entertain you, make you laugh, and guide you through the massive mish-mash we call the internet.

That’s enough for today, I have to go do some back stretches…

Rick

Don’t forget, This month’s Top Commentor will receive a spa package from Trinity Spa and Salon.

Normally I don’t post things like this but it made me laugh and you might enjoy it.

Lesson 1:
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbor. Before she says a word, Bob says, “I’ll give you $800 to drop your towel.” After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob. After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves. The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, “Who was that?” “It was the next next-door neighbor,” she replies. “Great!” the husband says, “did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?”
Moral of the story:
If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

Lesson 2:
A priest offered a nun a lift. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After controlling the car he stealthily slid his hand up her leg. The nun said, “Father remember Psalm 129?” The priest removed his hand. But, changing hands, he let his hand slide up her leg again, “father, remember Psalm 129?” The priest apologized, “Sorry sister but the flesh is weak.” Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way. On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129…It said” Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.”
Moral of the story:
If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.

Lesson 3:
A sales rep, an administration clerk and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out. Genie says,” I’ll give you each one wish.” “Me first! Me first! says the admin. clerk. “I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speed boat, without a care in the world.” Puff! She’s gone. “Me next! Me next” says the sales rep. “I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.” Puff! He was gone. “OK, your up,” the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, “I want those two back in the office after lunch.”
Moral of the story:
Always let your boss have the first say.

Lesson 4:
An eagle was sitting on a tree resting , doing nothing. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, “Can I also sit like you and do nothing?” The eagle answered: “Sure, why not.” So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.
Moral of the story:
To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

Lesson 5:
A turkey was chatting with a bull. “I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree,” sighed the turkey, “but I haven’t got the energy.” “Well, why don’t you nibble on some of my droppings?” replied the bull. They’re packed with nutrients.” The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree. He was promptly spotted by the farmer, who shot him out of the tree.
Moral of the story:
BullS*** might get you to the top, but it won’t keep you there.

Lesson 6:
A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was cold, the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy. A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung and promptly dug him out and ate him.
Morals of the story:
(1) Not everyone who sh*** on you is your enemy.
(2) Not everyone who gets you out of sh** is your friend.
(3) And when you’re in deep sh**, it’s best to keep your mouth shut.

Hey!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone, hope you all enjoyed the weekend and are ready to get up for Spring season! The blog has definitely been slow this week. I have been working a lot. Trying to earn a living you know!

Today my good friend Jessica took me to a Hip-hop dance class. A great workout and a challenge at the same time! It wasn’t exactly a beginner class, but at the same time I was able to follow along at a decent clip. Maybe I will post a clip of me doing to routine. @@

Anyways, Jessica Mori, is not only a fabulous dancer, but she is also training in the fashion world. Schooling at VCC in downtown Vancouver, she is taking all the necessary steps to follow her dreams of making something of herself in the ever elusive fashion industry.

She has agreed to let me interview her sometime this week for DreamStreet. I thought it was a good choice since last time when I interviewer Maya, I knew very little about fashion. Well Jessica has filled me in on lots of things and I think it would be great if she could open up some of my viewers to the industry.

David at Techzi, emailed me about my podcast at dailyblogspots.com. Never fear! I will still podcast, I just need to setup the program in such a way that is easier for me to broadcast in a more scheduled manner. I also want to incorporate more content rather than just great blogs. I have more to talk about than just that! I plan to hit Day 100 with a full head of steam.

Hopefully Marica can chime in tomorrow with what she’s been doing, I know that she has some funny stories from her new job.

ttyl,

Rick

Okay don’t forget….this month’s top commentor will receive a package from Trinity Salon and Spa! I love these girls! They run a great spa and I did a video blog to show you just how well they will take care of you. Watch the video to see what packages they are sponsoring me with for you guys to win!

Rick

[See post to watch QuickTime movie]

Trinity Salon and Spa

A great day in Vancouver! Woke up to sunshine and warm temperatures. I have been trying to blog everyday for awhile now, I realize how important that is to keeping a steady flow of traffic. I think readers respect bloggers who take the time to write everyday. After all, they visit the blog for a reason, because they care about the content!

Having said all that, I think a lot of blogger suffer from burnout because it just isn’t that easy to work that hard for long periods of time. Don’t think blogging is difficult? Think again. The last four days I have been thinking hard about some things unrelated to this blog. When personal stuff begins to consume you, it’s easy to let go of some tasks that just don’t seem that important in the grand scheme of things.

Another issue for me right now is, trying to figure out which of my side projects I want to push forward with. I spent a week working with dailyblogspots.com and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But while working on it, I start to wonder if it’s the right move to put that much time into it.

I have some thinking to do this week. But right now I am off to see XTINA and the PCD in concert. My ride is here, gotta go.

________________________________

Back from the concert, Christina A. was very good. PCD, not so much. I good show overall.

I was thinking a bit while out tonite about today’s post. I think I should make it clear that I am not burning out on this project whatsoever. I just thought I would let all the non-bloggers out there know that it can and will be difficult to keep your readers informed on a daily basis as to what is going on.

For me personally, I tend to dabble in lots of projects and startups just to see where they will lead. This can be a poor approach as often times, you need time to allow things to grow. As I said, I need to really think about what I want to focus on in the coming months. I am thinking that I need to allow for a broader spectrum. Meaning that instead of just podcasting about great blogs, or just interviewing people who have great ambitions, I might need to relax on the specifics and allow for an all encompassing new media project. Something that people can visit for different reasons. Something that can still transmit my opinions and thoughts.

I want to sleep on this. G’nite.

Rick

Ten weeks in it occurs. I was recognized by someone I didn’t know who has been to this site. It was rather exciting. I felt like I was actually getting out there, people are becoming aware of what I am trying to do.

Her name was Gloria, she works at a Gelato place downtown. I walked in and she said, “Hey! I know you!”

We laughed, she was very nice. Thanks Gloria for making Day 70 one of the better ones of 2007. ;)

Rick

I went to see the uber-hyped movie 300 today. Opening night, IMAX theater, 4th row…..actually not too bad. The more dramatic parts are all in the commercials, but still a good epic flick. The battle scenes leave something to be desired but I enjoyed the cinematography as well as the acting from the main characters. This is definitely worth watching in the theaters because of the filmic detail and the score.

A few weeks back Marica and I were playing around and asking each other some weird questions. I finally got around to cutting it. Have a look and a laugh if you feel it necessary.

Two Minutes with Rick and Marica

[See post to watch QuickTime movie]

Rick

So i woke up this morning to exciting news that a childhood friend of mine had just won the Miss BB Pilipinas World pageant. Winning this competition, she will go on to representing the Philippines in the Miss World pageant that will take place in Warsaw, Poland in October 2007.

Believe it or not, this girl was one I collaborated with when I used to organize and host variety shows back when I lived in Saudi Arabia. She was a girl FULL of talent and passion and at a very young age, she was just incredibly determined to get to where she wanted to go. Being 17 years old, her passion and hard work to make it big in the entertainment industry has paid off. She is also an MTV VJ, model and an aspiring actress in the Philippines hoping to make it big in the Asian movie industry as well as the European movie industry as she was born with Scottish roots.

The reason why I am writing about her in this blog is because she is someone young girls can look up to. She decided to make that move to the Philippines hoping to fulfill her dreams. She put herself out there, displayed her talent and was discovered. I believe she took in criticism, turned it around and kept on going…..she really believed in herself. Being born with Philippine roots I am extremely proud of Maggie. She’s done really well and though I have not been able to see her in awhile, I have been able to watch her grow into this beautiful talented young woman. She chose to be active about pursuing her dreams and look where it has brought her.

Maggie, all the best to you! I am so very proud of you and I see HUGE SUCCESS in your future. =)
I’ll be rootin’ for ya!!

For more on Maggie visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Nales_Wilson

Good afternoon all!

Despite the fact that my goal is to get on TV, I am still going to work hard on this radio style podcast. If you visit Daily Blogspots you can see what I have done in the last two days. To sum it up, I am trying to give a little back to the blogging community and bring in a little revenue for myself. Each day I will pick 7 good blogs and talk about them briefly during my podcast. I will not work on Saturdays, simply because I will be prepping for the Top 25 show on Sunday. So visit the site and let me know what you think.

I spoke to Lynn, my contact at Trinity Spa, and she said there would be two prizes for this month’s top commentor, depending on whether they are a local winner or not.

If you are from town, you will get a facial and massage package.

If you are out of area, I will send you a hair packages by AG, containing a shampoo, conditioner, and one other thing that I can’t remember. I am going to go see her tomorrow probably and take some pics, maybe even do a video blog from there.

Rick

Sup everyone!

Hopefully Lynn calls me today to let me know what her workplace can offer me for the monthly prize. Looks like David is out to an early lead! Thanks David for your support.

I am going to be trying a lil’ something for awhile. I am going to be doing a daily podcast on the webs hottest blogs. Basically I want to give people that are new to the blogging community, a better idea of what the best blogs out there are doing. There are over 50 million blogs. I intend to find the best ones and bring them to my listeners. It will probably like a top 7 of the day thing. Then on weekends, I will do a summary show with like the top 20-25 as well as include interviews with the best bloggers that I can find. So many of them have great stories to tell.

To be honest, I am starting this project for two reasons. To work on speaking skills, and money. I really think I can turn this idea into some income for myself, and I won’t be shy in stating that fact. I will have more details on this project asap as well as I will post my podcasts here for you to listen in.

ttyl,

Rick

Technorati Profile

I interviewed Maya Washington yesterday for DreamStreet. It went pretty well considering I had no crew. Just me and a camera :)

I feel like I am getting comfortable interviewing people with no notes or prepared material. During this interview, I wondered if I was letting her talk enough. You be the judge.

[See post to watch QuickTime movie]

Episode 3 - 17mb - 8m40s Guest: Maya Washington

cliffnotes - Maya talks about her work in fashion photography, acting, the move from east coast to west, and her upcoming gig as Janet Jackson’s stand-in.

For more episodes visit thedreamstreet.com

I spent most of the day fixing a few things with the site. I have been talking with few bloggers about allowing me to interview them. Some of them are really cool people and have great stories. In particular, an expert blogger by the name of David Wilkinson. There is a link to his site in the sidebar. He has given me some great tips on optimizing this site and building the community around the blog.

Sometime this week I am going to be interviewing David over Skype. It will be in video form, but we will only hear his voice. It gives me an chance to improve on my interviewing skills and allows him to let us all know what he up to and he is free to plug anything he likes. Hopefully he can throw in a tip or two about blogging as well.

So I want to take this time to offer a good opportunity for all you bloggers out there. If you would like me to interview you just send me an email and let me know about what you are working on. I am looking for people with big aspirations, dreams, and have something to offer the community. Knowledge, stories, a laugh or two is okay as well. Contact me now!

Also, I spoke to Lynn over at Trinity Spa today. I think she is going to get back to me on Tuesday regarding the package details for this months top commenter prize. I hope they can come up with something cool for you guys. Thanks Lynn!

Marica is coming over tomorrow to produce some content for the site tomorrow. Maya will be here to do an interview for Dreamstreet. It will be a blast! Check back tomorrow.

Rick

So the top comments has been reset for the month. On March 31st whoever is at the top of that list, besides Marica or myself, will receive a package from Trinity Salon and Spa. They have great stuff for guys and gals, but I will provide more information as soon as I have it. If you are local, the package could differ to those who are not from Vancouver. Marica and I are planning to visit a someone tomorrow to shoot something for DreamStreet, as well she will provide a summary for the last 30 days.

Take it easy,

Rick

I’ve been working on the odd Indie film here and there. Basically so I can have a wider range on my demo reel when I visit agents/producers. The entertainment industry requires people to be more multi-talented than ever before. In this film, Kyoko, I play the husband of a woman who must avenge her families death. Here are some photos from the shoot.

Some pretty decent special effects. According to the director, my death looked crazy on the monitor. The screening of this film won’t be for probably two months or so, but hopefully most of you will still be around by then.

Hope you guys are all signing up at Mybloglog, it only takes a few mins.

Also, do you know about RSS Feeds? If you click the link and subscribe to it, you will be able to use your selected reader to see when my blog has been updated! This is great if you have 3-4 blogs that you always visit everyday. Subscribing to the RSS Feed can save you a lot of time.

I was thinking about the content of this blog. I suppose everyday I could ask myself what I did to try and ‘get fame’ and simply report it to you. As of the last week or so I have really been working on building up this blogs community and readership. It does me no good to write here if no one is reading. Hopefully though there will be some more exciting things as we work our way into month 3.

Talk to you later,

Rick

Hey all,

If you noticed on the side of the site you can see a little widget that shows the latest viewers in mybloglog community. I really think that you should sign up for this if you enjoy reading blogs as it allows us bloggers to get closer with those who are reading our sites. Also, if you have a blog, it is much more likely that people will check out your site if you are seen in my community, or any other blog community for that matter. So sign up with mybloglog.

Talk to you tomorrow :)

Rick

I didn’t accomplish any of the goals I set out to do. I feel extremely bad about it. Nothing seemed to be going our way this time around. Everytime we had a lead on an interview, it just wouldn’t work out for some reason. Not too mention being sick and lots of ppl catching the flu. With two days left I am not too sure what I can salvage but I need to have something positive come out of the last 28 days.

Remember how I was talking about my new show. I had a really good idea for it, but I realized something. I need it to be more marketable. Dreamstreet for instance is a great way for us to work on our skills and allow our viewers into the lives of some really talented and amazing people. But in reality, the show would never make it on tv or create a huge following. Why? For multiple reasons, both technical and creatively speaking.

The new show that I had in mind was solely based for video. This whole project has got me so focused on TV TV TV, simply because that is my goal, that I wasn’t thinking straight. I have decided to take that idea and form it into something more marketable. I will keep the video clips shorter in order to allow for more “youtube” effect. I will also have written articles and audio podcasts. They will all be featured on a different website and hopefully I can make that website as popular as this and more. I will still try to display my hosting skills as much as possible on the site, as that is still my number one goal. But at least this way I will have something that may create a stronger base of followers.

More to come in the next day or so.

This week I am going to try and start getting new traffic to the site. I have basically just been using myspace so far to tell people, but now it is time to start looking for back-links and higher search rankings. I came across a really cool site today, bla.st - no dot com, but dot st. I think it is catchy and maybe for your next site you could look into a creative domain name similar to that. Anyways the site is very unique. It is basically a catelogue of business cards ranked based on the amount you pay per day to have your card there. I spent $12.50 to spend .25 cents for the next 50 days. It has given us a pretty high rank and hopefully some more international traffic will stop by.

This is what it looks like in the account area. It gives you some click through stats. All cards are free to put up, but that won’t get you anywhere near the front page. However, if you link to bla.st and write a review for them you get 0.02 cents put on your account for a year. That will get you bumped up a few pages depending on what categories you are in. So have a look, and see if it can help you out with your site.

[See post to watch QuickTime movie]

[See post to watch QuickTime movie]

Hey everyone! First of all, I’d just like to congratulate Arnold on winning those Canucks tickets! Enjoy the game tonight!! For the rest of you who have been commenting on our blogs and checking back on updates, the contests (so i was told) do not end here. So keep checking back on our website for upcoming events.

This coming week Rick and I will be filming a few more episodes for Dreamstreet, which we are both looking forward to. I apologize again for having been caught up at school and work. I’m definitely starting to feel the pressure with having to juggle everything at this time in my life, but at the same time, I am still motivated to go through with all of this and I’d just really like to accomplish everything I want to get done…not just with this project, but with school and work. I was always told though that hard work pays off. So all I can do right now, is keep a good head on my shoulders and stay true to everything I love and am passionate about and just live life to the fullest.

Also, I am looking forward to doing another photoshoot with a cousin of mine who I believe will be on one of the Dreamstreet episodes this coming week. She has enormous talent and when it comes to photography, her mind erupts like a volcano with crazy and fantastic ideas. I think this will be more of a dramatic shoot compared to the first one Rick and I shot. To see some of her work, you can visit www.mayawashington.com

Anyway, hope everyone’s weekend was a blast and wishing you all a wonderful week ahead!!

Much Love,
Marica

[See post to watch QuickTime movie]

Rick

Here is today’s video blog:

[See post to watch QuickTime movie]

Also! Here is how much this blog is worth!

Not bad considering it is only 46 days old. Don’t forget today and tomorrow are the last days to leave 3 comments for the canucks tickets. I will be drawing tomorrow around 8pm ish.

Rick

Every day passes, and I feel like there is not enough time. Not enough time to earn money, to see the world, to share laughs with your friends, to live your life. So what should I do about this? I suppose prioritizing based on current income, living situations, and age, makes sense. But even if you make something a priority, it is not always feasible to complete it. Time is truly my only enemy. Constantly battling it for position and seemingly never coming out on top. There is never a ‘time’ where everything is finished.

To make my situation even more difficult, I have been reading a lot more lately. I am currently working on Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene. A book discussing evolution and such. For awhile now, I have been giving away my books after I read them. I think this is a practice everyone should partake in. Unless you are certain you will read it again, you really should pass it on. Knowledge is a gift, and if you give someone a book, you are giving them knowledge. Do you really need to show off you library of books? You probably don’t even have all that much room on your shelves anymore, considering all the DVDs you have now. So pass on some of your favorites to people who will read and enjoy them.

Speaking of DVDs…I suppose we could create some more time for ourselves by getting rid of our television. But I can’t advocate that because then I may never get a job! And besides, with great dramas these days such as: Prison Break, Lost, House, Grey’s Anatomy, etc. It’s hard not to fall in love with these characters and put them on our Tivo’s so we can keep up with them week after week.

So what do we do about this time predicament? I suppose the only logical answer is, never waste a moment doing something you will regret. Start living a proactive life fulfilling it with things you will enjoy and things that will challenge you to be a better person. I don’t think I need to expand on that any further. Think about it for yourself. You can never get time back. You can never stop time. Time wins the battle when we look back and regret.

Okay, enough philosophical babble. By the way, if anyone is taking any university philosophy courses, please let me know. I want to come sit in. I don’t want to pay, or get any credits. Just learn something. I am pretty much obsessed with philosophy. So email me if you are taking these classes at SFU or UBC.

So, I figured it out. My new show. It is pretty exciting. I have come up with a solid concept. It is more than a simple sit down talk show. Yet it is not a variety show. It will have three segments. The show will be 22 minutes long most likely. BUT! I am not going to say anymore than that. I will have an episode produced by next week. I think you are going to like it. I think this show has a realistic chance of getting picked up. It’s up to me to make it interesting and keep the flow going. I hope I can rise to the occasion each and every episode to make it everything it can be.

DreamStreet is still going on. We will be shooting 3 episodes next week. So look forward to that. That’s all the time I have for now.
Rick

HELLO EVERYBODY! My apologies for not keeping in touch with you all. However I am still amazed with how great everybody has been to Rick and I and this project. Rick did an excellent job with the first month recap and I’m hoping new comers will be intrigued by that video blog. I can understand that it can get pretty tedious having to read SO many written blogs. We will try our best to provide you guys with more videos as we feel that is the best way to communicate with you all.

Some of you may have been looking forward to the photoshoot I had mentioned in my last blog. Due to some misunderstandings, Rick and I were unable to film a part of this newly made project in the works. Perhaps in the future we will be able to collaborate with them. My apologies again go out to you guys who were waiting to see what that was. I would just like to keep the project annonymous for now as we may be working with them in the future and surprises are always fun, right?!

I encourage everyone to take part and participate in the forums that were newly created. It is a great way to discuss about anything you guys wish to know or wish to put out there. So subscribe to the forums and do not hesitate to use them. Use it as a chat room if you like.

Anyway, we are hoping to get some new things up for all of you. It has been a little difficult to meet up with Rick this past week or so due to my crazy schedules with school and work. But nonetheless, we WILL keep on keeping on! So stay tuned for our upcoming blogsR