My favorite (and not-so-favorite) Super Bowl commercials of 2013

Even though I watch football, I can never stand to watch it for too long. One of the reasons is that it drags on and on. For it being a hardcore contact, action sport, it can be lame on the action (this article shows how 60% of a broadcast can be spent of non-football action, excluding commercials). Of course, add to the fact that you have TONS of commercials in football, and you can understand how I can't help but feel sometimes like I haven't watched an actual football game and have just wasted my time, even though I just spent 3+ hours watching something that was supposed to be a game. You can understand then why I like seeing Super Bowl commercials. It's one of those "once a year" things that make football more bearable (but just a little :P). I always like to grade these commercials, as some of them take some real marketing prowess and genius, which is something I can relate to for grading these commercials. True marketing skills are something I can really appreciate.

You don't need resolutions to make a difference

"The future is no place to place your better days." - Dave Matthews

Well, happy eve of the year 2012. We survived the end of the world on December 21, 2012 (the end of the Mayan calendar b'ak'tun) and survived frivolous (but just a bit more frivolous) days like 12/12/12. Whew! Good thing that's all over. We can get all the lunacy and craziness out of the way...wait, what's this? All of a sudden, I'm being bombarded with resolutions on my feeds in Twitter and Facebook. Yowzers! All these resolutions make me almost wish the world already ended as planned.

Friday's forecast: Great day for a barbecue!

So I come across all these resolutions, and they're superficial things like "I want to lose weight" or "I'm going to have a relationship." I think these resolutions are missing the point (Rule #1: Focus on mastering the correct technique, not the end results. Once you master the basics, the good results you seek will follow on their own). The whole point to make resolutions is to become a better person, don't you think? If that's the case, why wait until the new year to make that change you need in life. In fact, 92% of all people ultimately never keep their resolutions. I say it's because people are doing things for the wrong reasons. Maybe it's just me. This is the reason why I NEVER make any resolutions at the end of the year, as I think it's ridiculous to wait until a pre-determined time to "make things happen."

The confidence of an Angel (and how ladies can get it)

With the Victoria's Secret Fashion being shown this Tuesday, I'd figure I'd dedicate this post to all the women out there who wish they could be as "perfect" as the models that make up the Victoria's Secret Angels. Believe it or not, something can be learned from them and be used to make each and every woman out there just as uniquely attractive as any Angel.

It's my mantra that good looks can only get you so far when it comes to dating, especially when you have no personality to back it up. It's always good to be well-rounded (see Rule #2). It makes me wonder sometimes when some women peruse countless issues of Glamour, Cosmopolitan and other women's magazines for tips on how to find that ever-elusive "perfect man" when it's really not that complicated. Well, allow me to give my insight as a man who enjoys the company of a woman who's attractive in not just the physical aspect, but personality-wise as well. Ladies, you too can take some pages out of the Victoria's Secret playbook and use it to your advantage.

United We Succeed, Divided we Fail

"I don't mind being wrong, as long as I can correct my mistakes." - Cable from X-Men

It's exactly one week after the Election Day. Obama won a second term as President, gay marriage was cleared for legalization in 4 more states (in addition to the 6 existing plus the District of Columbia), and government-controlled marijuana for recreational use was legalized in Washington and Colorado. It seems like a great deal of progress was made during this past election, right? Not according to some certain people like this, who apparently can't even define what a communist exactly is:

This prompts a few questions for me? Have people REALLY done their homework when it comes to important political issues, or do they just resort to name calling for something they don't like and/or not understand? That's like making fun of a person with Down syndrome because he/she is retarded. What IS a communist exactly? It's nothing a dictionary can't fix so let's get started!

The end of the world as we know it?

Whew! It's been a minute since I've updated this blog, huh? Between planning my next move with careers and possible business ventures, trying to relax from what was a few rough weeks (aside from the Florida vacation), and taking in so much I need to learn. Oh, and a hurricane almost blew my house away (well not quite, fortunately).

Now that I'm sitting here at my computer writing this piece, I'm here all cozy, high above any inundating waters and dry. Of course I'm talking about Hurricane Sandy in case you didn't know about the severe weather that struck the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. I'm actually enjoying my "time off," getting things done that needed to be done now that I'm basically stranded indoors until the disruptions of the storm are over. However, I can't help but wonder why some people take this so seriously. Okay, I can understand that people should be prepared, but as long as you're careful, you should be fine. I think some people take it too far and prepare like it's Y2K again.

Never forget: the best part of falling is getting up again

"You can try again and again if you have to" - Forge from X-Men

Whew! Been a rough past few weeks. I've been slowed down a bit thanks to mental walls and getting sick (which may have been a result of mental walls). Finally, I'm able to get back to posting.

As I sit here writing this post on 9/11, thinking of stories and ideas to deliver through this piece, I'm thinking about the future and what needs to be done in order to get myself to the next level that I want to hit. I'm wondering how I got here, where am I headed, and how will it all work out? It's funny how life works out. I didn't exactly plan to be at this spot. It seems like not too long ago that I moved out of the protection and auspices of my parents. In fact, many things are unexpected in life. Who could've seen 9/11 coming? What could we learn from unexpected events such as that?

Privilege: it's not there for you to feel perfect

"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both." - Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States

I know I touched upon this subject before here, but I'd figure I'd go a bit further. It seems to me that nowadays, everyone is starting to feel privileged without even having anything to back it up or even having a reason to be. It's getting pretty bad. It seems like the attitude is everywhere, especially when I see some posts on Facebook with the words "be jealous" (I talk about the whole bane of Facebook's existence here). From Wall Street to Main Street, privilege is bringing down people instead of propping them up. Here, I'll show you to get over yourself so you can really get the things you want and show what exactly derivatives are (it's not what you think).