Promoting Myself

I am having a hard time figuring out how to promote myself as a photographer. I don’t even know what to say about my experience. I have done engagement and other events. I even work for free just to get recognize. It is just where do I promote myself as a photographer? Do I mention myself on Facebook or Craigslist?

I have a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTI and a Nikon D60. Both cameras are excellent. I use both of them. There are days that I would bring both of them to see the results of the photos that I have taken.

I have done photography for nearly 15 years. I would love a job where I would do photography. At least show off my work. Don’t get me wrong. I do work in photography (Sam’s Club) but that doesn’t show off my talents. I just produce pictures but it is someone else’s work. I want to get people’s attention.

I have experience in film and digital. I’m willing to work around either one of the two things that I am an expert at. I’m just having a hard time where to begin.

Wedding and Aftermath

I went to a family wedding last week (I was the groomsman). It was an OK event.

The wedding was held in Fremont. It was an old church that was there for a long time. What was funny is that outside the church there was a cemetery. It is spooky to hold a wedding with a cemetery creepy nearby.

The reception was in San Jose. I had a good time. There were a few flaws that I did not like. Don’t get me wrong but I love attending a wedding but I don’t feel comfortable fitting into the crowd where people would drink and not be aware that they are having too much.

My experience with alcohol has been worse. I have seen people that I have known that lose control of themselves. It is that if you’re drunk you should be aware of it. You should know how to get out of the situation. At least know who is going to bring you how if you are drunk.

My past events with alcohol I have seen people get drunk in which they say things that they don’t mean to say. Put it this way I have seen my co-workers get drunk and it was a sad thing to see. I have seen people falling down hurting themselves or fighting with someone getting beat up. It is just something that I refuse to do.

I chose not to drink because of those situations. I’m a loner that needs to know my way out of it. If I get stuck into that then I am stranded. Luckily that I know how to get out of situations like that.

December December

I been having hard time posting up a blog. I just don’t know what to talk about. A blog should be a weekly diary for me but I just don’t know if it would be interesting for people to read. I want my blogs to be interested to be read. It is just hard to think of something to post up.

A week left until the semester is over. I could finally oversleep without worrying. Luckily this semester I only had to commute to San Francisco Monday and Wednesday. What suck was that I had to spend the entire day on Monday and commute from San Francisco to Concord on Wednesday. Luckily the car I drove got a good gas mileage.

What is my plans for my break from San Francisco? I want to promote my photography. At least aware people that I am willing to take pictures for them. As of 2010 I only done two events. Both of them turn out to be a great success. I got people that appreciate me that I was willing to do it for them. I want to do this more. I feel that I got people that believe that I could do this kind of work for them. I’m not sure how much I want to charge them. I am willing to do it for no money if that is the cost.

Thanksgiving Week

Last week there was suppose to be a blog but I didn’t feel well. I’m still not fully recover. I been having a horrible cough. Taking cold medicine does not helping me out. I am afraid that if I take Nyquil it will make me very drowsy. It is a strong medicine for me to take. I do not like being sick.

I am off from San Francisco the entire week for the Thanksgiving Holiday. The first time in a long time that I am off from school for a week. It is probably the first that a university give a week off instead the normal Thursday and Friday off for Thanksgiving.

What are my plans for the long week off? Of course work at Sam’s Club. Actually I need to prepare for the finals for my classes. Two of my classes I need to get with my groups to figure out what we are going to do for the final. None of us have gotten together to figure out the project. I want to pass all of my classes but the only way to do so is to be on the same page with the other people in my group.

The other thing that I need to be doing is uploading the pictures that I have taken. I been so busy that I have not posted up any new photos. Hopefully I will find some time to upload.

Next blog Friday November 26 (Black Friday)

Crazy Shifts

My job owes me a big thank you. I have done a split shift two days straight. I open and I close which I had a four hour break in between. Why did I do it? Reason being is that I am a dedicated hard worker. I have to do it so the store gets business. If I don’t put my hard effort at Sam’s Club then we lose business and a lot of people would be upset. I refuse to get yell at by members. Failing is not in my vocabulary.

My supervisor is going to thank me big time. She is amazed that I put a lot of effort on making sure the store gets business. I’m on top of everything when I am at work. I don’t slack off and I do my work. I work until I get everything finish which includes me being exhausted. Heck whenever my supervisor doesn’t get finish I end up getting it done. It is my duty to make sure whatever needs to be finish even though it isn’t my job.

My supervisor has faith in me. She relies on me to make sure that the two new trainees are doing a good job. That is also the main reason I am doing a split shift. I have to make sure that the new trainees are doing alright. I told them that they can call me for any help. I am willing to take my time off to help out a fellow worker.

I’m going to describe what I do at Sam’s Club. I am a photo specialist. I basically just make prints. I’m skilled in cameras and camcorders. I know my basics on cameras. I sell cameras and make prints. From 4X6 prints to poster size up to 20X30 I can make. My number one priority is to make sure members leave Sam’s Club happy. I take my time to make sure members are doing alright and answering any questions that have.

I feel like I am my own person when I work in photo. It is like that I get no kind of help what so ever. One of my co-workers does her own thing. I feel like she is not educated in working there. She’s always chit chatting with people and not getting her work done. I have to pick up the slack on what she does not get finish. There have been complaints about her which nothing is getting done about it. I shouldn’t be suffering. I want team work instead of a one person job.

Let hope that I get a big recognition on my hard work. Sam’s Club should be thankful that I am a big help.

Next blog Friday November 12

October

Halloween is on Sunday. Am I going to dress up on that day? NO! I didn’t find any time to find a costume plus I am getting too old to be dressing up. Yes I am admitting that I should not be dressing up for a yearly event. It is not like I am going to win a huge costume contest. My job had a contest to see who has the best costume or dress up in their best Giants attire. It is not worth going all out crazy just to win NOTHING! Beside dressing up is for little kids. They dress up to get adults attention. I’m not even going to pass out candy to trick or treaters. My neighborhood does not get kids walking around anymore. Each year since I been growing up the time that people go out to trick or treat has become late. It started out at 6pm then it went to when it became dark outside. Last year people went out at 9pm. I don’t think it would be worth passing out candy.

The month of October went by quickly for me. I didn’t pay attention how fast this month went. Im happy that I am 30 year old. I have not posted any photos from my birthday. My friend was going to post them on Facebook but she is taking forever editing the pictures.

I’m going to see A Chorus Line in Walnut Creek with my friend on Saturday. I never seen the play nor the movie. I heard it is a great musical to watch from people that work in that theatre. As of late I been watching musical. They are not bad to watch live. It is much better than watching the movie which they not exactly like the actual play. The movie leaves out a few scene/lines.

See you in November.

Offer, No Time, and Tiring

A few days ago I got offer from my co-worker to help her start a magazine business. The magazine that she wants to do is cover local Bay Area residents. The main focus is to talk about up and coming people that want to be recognized. She wanted to hire me to be her photographer. It was a nice offer that I have to turn down. The problem is that I am swamp with San Francisco State University and Sam’s Club.

I attend San Francisco Monday and Wednesday and I work at Sam’s Club daily except for Monday (I have two evening classes). My schedule is hectic. I barely have time to myself just to relax. As of late my friend finds out when I am off from both work and school and she would find a way to hang out with me. It does not bother me that people want to use my free time to hang out with me. It is just that I need to have time to myself to study. If I don’t use the time that I have then I will fall off track and fail my classes. I refuse to fail in any of my courses.

It does get exhausting commuting daily. My body got use to waking up early in the morning and beating traffic. As long as I get enough sleep then I’ll be alright. Luckily I am still in good health.

30, Classes and Photography

How does it feel to be 30? I feel great to be 30 and I have not complaints about it. 30 is just a number that makes me feel old which is alright with me. Some people think that it is an end of a era for them. I just think it is a beginning for me. A new chapter in my life.

My classes are going alright. I manage to get B’s in two of the four courses that I am taking. I have a mid-term coming up Monday Night which I have not prepare for. I do want to get a high grade on it. My goal is to go beyond a B. Getting a B was not a fluke. It was more on putting my focus on it which I did. I follow direction on what the professors wanted it to be. Hopefully my hard work will pay off by the end of the semester.

I been trying to get my photography up to date. I haven’t found anything interesting to take pictures of. My friend help me edited the photos that I took. They came out better than expected. I might have her do more editing photos for me since I am totally busy with my life.

I can’t of anything exciting beside the three that I mention. More to come next Friday October 22.

My 30th Went Alright

My 30th Birthday went OK. The plan that I wanted to do didn’t go as I expected. I did go to Berkeley, Sausalito, and San Francisco as I planned. Luckily my friend Jenny came along with me to celebrate my birthday.

I had breakfast at Bette’s Diner in Berkeley. I had the big fluffy pancakes that are famous for. It was very yummy and I manage to finish it. Afterward we just walk along Berkeley checking out stores. One store had lots of reptiles. We saw a snake engulf a rat. It was totally awesome. Another store gave us free My Jones drink.

After that we went to Bay Model in Sausalito. It was a total rip-off. The place was under construction. The model of the Bay Area did not have any water. The only thing that we saw was a short document about the museum and two fish tanks.

Since we did not stay long at the Bay Model I did the unexpected. I finally face my fear to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. It was the craziest 90 minutes fear that I took. I drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and even bike along the sideway but I did the ultimate test by walking along the bridge. Luckily my friend Jenny was along with me on this journey. We saw the planes/jets from Fleet Week practicing. Every time a plane/jet flew above us Jenny would stop me by pointing them which I hated since I am on a shaky bridge. Luckily I had my camera on me so I could take pictures of the plane/jet that flew above me.

We tried to find out where the planes/jets along the Pier in downtown San Francisco which we were unlucky. The walk along Fishermen Wharf and Pier 39 was good. We had dinner at a pizzeria which had a small buffet and a nice view of the city in Pier 39.

My birthday turn out to be good. I don’t like that I turn 30. I will accept the facts that I am old and past my prime rib era. My journey in my 30’s begin.

Why Is This going Downhill Before 30

Thursday October 7 will be my birthday. I will be turning 30 year old. I have feel that I have not done any achievement while I was in my 20’s. Put it this way. I still live with my parents. Am I ready to become 30? I’m starting to get the grey hairs.

As of late I am going through a crises. Some reason I can’t keep up with any of my friends daily lives, meaning what been going on with them and also keeping friends, losing interest in me or them. I feel like I am a boring person. I try to keep myself entertain by keeping up with the conversation but I don’t know what I could talk about with them if I have to think of something to talk about.

Here what’s upsetting me a lot. When I am friends with someone are both parties suppose to keep in contact with each other? If you want to be friends with me then try your hardest to stay in contact with me. I do the same thing by sending messages to people while I am still working or at school. I take the time from my busy schedule to keep in contact with people.

Here is my goal for October. I am not going to keep in contact with anyone that has not been keeping in contact with me for the entire month. I feel upset at the people that I am trying my best to keep the friendship going but in return I don’t get any support. Maybe I should be finding someone that I am comfortable with. At least find a connection. No connection means not a good future in a way that I see it. Let hope there is hope for me. I hate feeling negative.

Thirty Is The New Beginning in Life

I have a huge confession. I don’t want to turn 30. I am still enjoying my adult life in my twenties. I felt that I have not achieved anything in my life. I felt that when I am still in my twenties I have not gotten married, graduated from college, and live in a beautiful house in a nice neighborhood. I luck in to get into San Francisco State University after the long years of struggling. I’m still in a job that is hard to do with the crazy environment. I’m still in a stage where I felt that nothing has been accomplished in my life.

I see turning 30 a new stage of life that I am not ready yet. It is a age that means settling down. I’m not a parent or have a great job. What is sad is that I still live with my parents. Try finding someone that are in their thirties still living with their family. I’m still young where my bedroom is still a mess plus I play video games system.

When I saw my parents in their thirties they were working non-stop. The only time that I would see my parents was on their days off which all they did was relax. They couldn’t afford taking me out due to the struggle that they did for the family. The only parent that would be raising me would be my grandparents. It also a stage that I don’t want to be in.

I feel that getting old is ending my life. I still think about the 1980’s and 1990’s. I go through flashback about my past. Some reason I am thinking 1988, 1992, and 1996. My mind is probably not accepting me getting old. It is putting me in a world that is refusing me to get old.

I got two weeks until I turn 30 (October 7). I have to accept that I am turning to a new leaf in life. Plus I am starting to get grey hairs. Now I need to know what I want to do for my 30 birthday.

Three Different Asian American Studies Courses in One Semester

This semester I am taking three different Asian American Studies Courses (Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese). You must be wondering why I am doing this. First off I am an Asian American Studies major, well not officially yet. San Francisco State University still has me as a Journalism major. I need to boost my GPA this semester for me to change my major from what my advising counselor told me. I chose Asian American Studies as my major because it was the only course that I past. I felt that studying Asian American would be a good challenge for me. Also the other reason is because I am Asian myself. It would be great to know the other Asian nationality in America.

The three courses that I am taking are interesting. We’re learning the struggle of refugee leaving their country, how they settle in America, and knowing how Asians are. All three instructors are great. They’re giving the class the chance to earn extra credit points, which I will take full advantage of. They seem to know the subjects very well plus they’re the nationality that they are teaching.

I am trying to know the students that are in my class. Most of my classes are assigning us to work in a group project. Most of us don’t know how we’re going to work as a team yet. Hopefully all of us will get along and work together.

I hope that I do not lose my mind in passing all three courses. It can be a struggle to keep up with three different nationalities. As long as I keep all the nationalities in separate categories then I’ll be alright.

Zambur Bar & Grill

Zambur Bar & Grill open next to Brenden Theatre in Concord a few days ago. It is a nice Mediterranean restaurant. I would say better than Daphne’s Greek Cafe in Pleasant Hill. I was getting tired of eating I Love Teriyaki & Sushi. The first time I tried it was on Sunday. I got tempted to try this place by the hot woman that was sitting outside the place. I found out that she works there. Her service was WONDERFUL. I even talk with her while I was enjoying my plate. What was funny was that she ask me to add her on Facebook. The first time that I had a woman give me her name to add her on Facebook. My plate was great. I had Chicken Kabob which was OUTSTANDING! I tried it out a second time Thursday evening. What surprise me was that it is a family run restaurant. I ended up talking with the entire family especially mentioning how good their daughter was great with me Sunday. Now I have a favorite place to go there after the movies or work.