Wow..it’s been a while since I’ve posted on this blog site. I’m actually putting together a new blog site (will you posted)…but this is too important not to share with everyone…with the world! My boy Del…is the one of the most talented musicians I know. JASON MRAZ FAN OR NOT, YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS VIDEO. I GUARANDAMNTEE IT!!! Enjoy!!!

Last weekend, I was able to meet two Marvel greats Jim Lee and Greg Pak. Jim Lee was a comic book artist for X-men during my childhood days and is now a Creative Director for DC’s online JLA game. Greg Pak is a writer/filmaker for Planet Hulk, World War Hulk, Magneto Testament, etc.

I’ve always been a Jim Lee fan since I was a kid and only recently was I able to get a picture of him (and signed my Wolverine Mighty Mugg) at SD Comic Con. He’s one of the best comic book artists in my opinion.

As for Greg Pak, I only became a big fan of his after reading Planet Hulk (introduced by my good friend Patricio). In the past, I’ve always seen the Hulk as a big, angry, dumb, green character of Marvel. Greg Pak definitely brought a whole new perspective on how the Hulk is portrayed. The Green Monster is now smarter, stronger, and more of a hero. He still has anger issues but that’s totally understandable because that’s where he gets his strength. Since then, I’ve been wanting to get an autograph and picture of Greg Pak.

That opportunity came when I was able to join a live panel between Jim Lee and Greg Pak at the San Diego Asian Film Festival. The discussion was on “ the comic book creation process and the adaptation of comics for the big screen from an Asian American perspective.” (wanted to make sure I got that right! ). It was definitely worth seeing. J Lee and G Pak were both down-to-earth and humorous. As star-strucked as I was, they did not act like big time celebs. They were chill and talked to us like a couple of comic book fanatics. Really cool guys.

After the live panel, Greg Pak had a book signing at Barnes & Nobles I was finally able to get a picture of him. He signed my Hulk Mighty Mugg and even drew a comic bubble that says, “Hulk Smash!!!”

Now my Marvel Mighty Mugg Avenger collection is half complete! Leading the team is Iron Man with Stan Lee’s signature. With second in command is my fave Marvel character, Wolverine with Jim Lee’s signature. Recently promoted is Hulk with Greg Pak’s signature.  Spider-Man is reserved for Todd Mcfarlane who’s also a childhood fav of mine.  I’m still researching Thor and Capt. America.

       ]]> http://dntsoulutions.com/2008/10/20/jim-lee-and-greg-pak-san-diego-asian-film-festival/feed/ Jim Lee and Greg Pak Jim Lee Signing Heroes art by Jim Lee Den with Greg Pak Greg Pak Memorabilia Greg Pak at book signing Signed Mighty Muggs The New Avengers http://dntsoulutions.com/2008/10/01/marvel-mighty-muggs-silver-surfer/ http://dntsoulutions.com/2008/10/01/marvel-mighty-muggs-silver-surfer/#comments Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:21:28 +0000 Den http://dntsoulutions.com/2008/10/01/marvel-mighty-muggs-silver-surfer/

This Mighty Mugg was probably the easiest to make but he does come with a cool surfboard that the toy actually connects to. It makes sense that this would be another one of Trace’s favorite Marvel characters. Trace loves to surf and this is the only Marvel character that surfs. Welcome to the D&T Mighty Muggs Family Silver Surfer!!!!

Sony Ericsson announced a new handset model they’ve dubbed “The GreenHeart”, built with the intent of being as green as possible from birth to dissolution…

click on link below to continue:

http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2008/09/29/sony-ericssons-eco-friendly-greenheart-handset-photographed/

Trace and I have been reading a book about Greg Mortenson called Three Cups of Tea. Dr. Greg was a Mountaineer who finds a small village hidden within the mountains and was touched when he sees children literally using the cold ground to learn their studies. From there, he dedicated his life to buildings schools in different towns all throughout Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He had a book yesterday at San Diego State Univ. so I took this opportunity to meet him in person. As he was signing our book, I told him that Trace and I were aspiring humanitarians and wanted to know if there was any advice that he can give us. Without hesitation Dr. Greg said the following:

1. Start small

2. Learn to listen

3. Follow your heart. Do what passionate about

His humanitarian acts are an inspiration to both Trace and I as well as many other people around the world.

When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade.

This past Wednesday I was laid off my job. The day after my 3-month probation ended, my company decided to restructure and lay off pretty much all the new hires. So now, I’m on unemployment looking for a new job. I wasn’t sure whether to post this on my blog but this struggle is part of my life as a Web Designer and so I had to include it. I never expected this to happen to me but it did and that’s life. I have to deal with it; keep my head up and deal with.

Mighty Muggs New Releases, originally uploaded by Slow Bizzel.

T-Mobile

Human Torch and Galactus are now available! Trace found them here at Target.Human Torch and Galactus are now available! Trace found them here at Target.

I’m sure most people know what a reusable grocery bag looks like. Most stores sell them. But I found a few that actually stick out from the rest:

Ralphs Grocery Bag

When you apply for the Ralphs Rewards Club Card you can actually get points (on top of every dollar you spend on groceries) for using reusable grocery bags.  When you accumulate 500 points, they give you a $5.00 gift certificate which pays for the reusable grocery bag.

Target Bag

before

after

This bag that folds to a compact size, actually expands to a bag that’s bigger in size than the bags mentioned above.  Definitely easier to bring around with you.

Commissary Bag

This bag actually contains insulation to maintain the temperature of frozen foods. Toss your frozen ground meat in there and then zip that sucker up!

As of today, the 3-month probation at my work is now over..which means from now on, I will be receiving regular yearly income and more money. Woohoo!!! It was a difficult 3-months trying to pay off bills. I had to resort to using my credit card to buy food and other necessities. Now that I get regular income, I can begin working on my financial goal which is to lower my CC debt by 2k.  To add some excitement to this goal, I decided to create an Excel graph which tracks the progress of my goal:

I will post a new graph at the end of each month to update my progress.  Hopefully, it will be all green at the end of this year!

As for the rest of my goals for the year, here’s the update:

1. Get certificate in Motion Graphics (EDUCATION)
- I have only one class left but it wasn’t available this semester so I’ll have to wait until next year

2. Get Six-pack (FITNESS)
- I put together a workout bet and came close to getting one but didn’t.  I have 3 more months to get it!

3. Pull-ups: 3 sets of 10 reps (FITNESS)
- I’m up to 3 sets of 8 last time I did pull-ups. If that is still the case, then I should be able to reach it by the end of this year.

4. Read 2 novels (PERSONAL)
-I get to meet Greg Mortenson in a little over a week so I’m definitely planning to finish Three Cups of Tea by then. As for the second novel, I’ve read the whole Marvel Civil War Series, Planet Hulk, World War Hulk Series, and the New Avengers Series. It’s not exactly a novel, but I’ve read enough of it to count it as one.  So once I finish reading Three Cups of Tea, then this goal is achieved.

5. Learn CSS (EDUCATION)
- I’m building my friend’s website which is coded in CSS. Once that website is up, then this goal achieved.

6. Finish J-ricz Website
- see previous goal; We plan to have the site up by October.

It’s been a productive year!

It’s Monday and it’s back to work again…so…

I thought I’d make everyone’s Monday a little brighter by posting this funny clip from the Flight of the Conchords:

Enjoy!!!