Since B has been getting a lot of requests to help save lost data on memory disks and hard drives, I thought it was a little ironic to get emailed a video from CNET for recovering deleted files. Here's the link! It provides a nice general high-level explanation of how file disks work as well as a quick tutorial of how to use the recovery software. Recovery tool of choice here is PhotoRec, but also PC Inspector File Recovery.

posted by che @ 11:02 AM [[ 0 comments ]]

My cousin Mary gave birth to her first daughter this past Sunday morning. Welcome, Baby Malia! Here is a scrapblog I quickly whipped up using pictures B took when we visited her yesterday :)

posted by che @ 11:16 AM [[ 2 comments ]]

I started to become a regular watcher of Oprah recently so I've been recording the shows and watching them when I get a chance. The other week she had a show that was presented as "The World's Smartest Kids", but really it was the world's most talented kids. One of the kids is someone who apparently has become very popular from YouTube but I've never heard of until I watched the show. She's a 14 or 15 year old singer who can belt it out as good as Whitney Houston herself! Her name is Charice Pempengco and she is AMAZING! I'm particularly interested because she comes from the Philippines! Yay, I'm so proud :P Here is the clip from Oprah.


And this is the video that made her famous:


I can't wait to see where her talent brings her!

posted by che @ 7:07 PM [[ 0 comments ]]

I love to play with image editing software, and I used to be an active user of Photoshop when I was more motivated to design my site. I haven't used it in a while and since I don't want to deal with price or licensing issues, I'm always open to better alternatives... particularly FREE ones :) CNET TV did a video promoting three good alternatives.

Photoshop is great but way too much editing power for the average user and way too expensive. Try one of these three free alternatives.

In short, try paint.net, fotoflexer.com, and GIMP! I've played with fotoflexer as well as picnik a little before (fotoflexer seems to be incorporated in photobucket now too!), but I've always wanted to try GIMP :)

posted by che @ 10:32 AM [[ 1 comments ]]

It's always funny to watch different renditions of the show "The Office" :)

posted by che @ 5:26 PM [[ 0 comments ]]

Wow. Two of my favorite things married into one. The tokidoki line AND Asics Onitsuka Tigers!!! Be still my heart, haha! I still have yet to invest in the perfect Tigers (they can be a bit pricey unfortunately) and I don't really wear the ones I have, but wow! What a great combo :) I like all the low-tops in this collection, but I think all but the pink ones are wearable. The hi-tops look a little too wrestler for me :P But I love the soles! It would almost make me not want to wear them out, haha ;)

posted by che @ 8:46 AM [[ 1 comments ]]

I saw this on another site and thought it was right up my alley :)

What gender is ‘computer?’

A SPANISH Teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine.

‘House’ for instance, is feminine: ‘la casa.’
‘Pencil,’ however, is masculine: ‘el lapiz.’

A student asked, ‘What gender is ‘computer’?’

Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether computer’ should be a masculine or a feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.

The men’s group decided that ‘computer’ should definitely be of the feminine gender (’la computadora’), because:

1 No one but their creator understands their internal logic;

2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;

3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and

4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.

(THIS GETS BETTER!)

The women’s group, however, concluded that computers should be

Masculine (’el computador’), because:

1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;

2. They have a lot of data but still can’t think for themselves;

3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem; and

4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model

posted by che @ 4:05 PM [[ 0 comments ]]

When I say better than Pinkberry, I'm not talking about my homemade brew (which reminds me, I haven't made that in forever!) :P

Anyway, I had another dentist appointment today and because my dentist is a bit far from home, B and I always try to make the trip worth it by hanging out in the area to shop and/or grab a bite. We got to the area a little early today so we grabbed some lunch in one of the plazas. After we ate we still had some time to walk around and shop. I had my heart set on boba, but then I saw this cute store with bright colors in the corner. Nubi Yogurt. Mmm, yogurt! What a great idea for dessert :) I think the name is so cute, too. The nerd in me loves that it looks like it sounds like "newbie", hehe.

So we went in and were a little disoriented. The "menu" on the wall wasn't really a menu, but more just a sentence. I can't remember what it said but I do remember it saying "38 cents/ounce". I'm not very good in estimating size or weight or whatever, so I figured I'll prepare myself for the sticker shock. I stood near the counter for a while just staring at the employee not sure where to begin, then I saw a bunch of people on the other side gathered around. I figured I'd start from there, so when I got there, there were a ton of yogurt machines! I quickly figured out that this place was a self-serve establishment. That's the first benefit over Pinkberry! I grabbed a cup and was faced with Nubi's second plus, the number of different flavors to choose from! It was really hard to choose but since I was in the mood for something rich rather than fruity, I got the peanut butter and cafe latte swirl. Yummm... Then came the toppings and fruit. Again, we were faced with so many choices! Benefit number 3. After adding a topping then discovering there were others we wanted to add, we ended up stopping at 3 toppings: Andes chocolate, Reese's peanut butter cups, and chocolate chip cookie dough. Sooo rich and bad for us, I know! I tried to keep the serving size and toppings to a minimum since we just had lunch and were seeing a dentist right after, haha.

So when it was time to pay, I got a little nervous because I didn't know what to expect. It seems that every time you pay by the ounce, the total comes out to be pretty outrageous. So when the girl rung us up, she mumbled the price. We both said, "What?!? 17?!?!?", thinking that it was more outrageous than we thought. Then she said, "No, 72 cents." 72 CENTS!!! Keep in mind that this was enough to serve both B and me. We couldn't believe our ears. And neither could other customers because they had the same reaction as we did when they got their total, haha.

Anywho, if that last added benefit doesn't have you convinced that this place is better than Pinkberry, I don't know what will! I hope they start opening locations near here!!! And if you want to know if the yogurt tastes good, the answer is yes... and they are almost all fat-free!

posted by che @ 9:06 PM [[ 1 comments ]]

I've been selected as the first Fawn Fan of the Month for the Gentle Fawn Fan group on Facebook :D I was a little surprised to see the email in my inbox, but it's pretty cool! I get $20 credit on the merch! :D You can see my interview on the site but I will provide the text here ;) (If you read closely enough, I reveal some news and my 'secret'! :P)

GF: Where do you call home?

CB: I grew up a Navy brat, so I've lived in a few places throughout my life. Our family settled in San Diego, CA and even though I don't live there anymore I still consider this to be "home" since my parents and sister still live over there. I hope to move back someday! San Diego is so beautiful!

GF: What's your age? What age do you wish you were?

CB: I'm 27 years old, but wish I was 21 again! At 21 I didn't have as many responsibilities to worry about but I was old enough to have fun and do adult things :P

GF: What clothing store takes all of your money?

CB: My tastes change, but right now it's Nordstrom Rack. I can't pass up a good deal!

GF: Which URL could you type in your sleep because you go there so often (other than facebook.com)?

CB: www.google.com/reader
I'm such a nerd and I like to use Google's RSS reader to read all my RSS subscriptions in one place! I have too many favorite sites so I'm able to check them all at once :) One site that I really keep updated on is my friend's site, www.girlrobot.net. She posts some of the coolest links, tips, and deals!

GF: Where were you 3 hours ago?

CB: Just getting into work...

GF: If you could tour with any band, which one would you choose?

CB: Incubus!!! They are my all-time favorite band. And that front-man Brandon Boyd is not so bad either... ;P

GF: Who are you in love with and why?

CB: My recent fiance! We recently got engaged, and I couldn't be happier. He is so amazing. He is intelligent and sweet, and is the most generous, considerate, and GENUINE person I have ever met.

GF: What did you do last Saturday night?

CB: I was visiting my family in San Diego. I took them out for dinner to celebrate my recent promotion!

GF: Wow! Congratulations! So, tell us, where’s your next road trip?

CB: Probably Arizona to visit my best friend :)

GF: What do you heart about Gentle Fawn?

CB: Quite simply, I love the style! You can find trendy pieces as well as timeless pieces, just the right mix of clothes I like to wear :) My favorite product lines are the jackets and bags. Loves it!

GF: Thanks, Cheryl! Keep rockin' the Gentle Fawn. We heart you too!!!

posted by che @ 1:35 PM [[ 1 comments ]]