I'm very thrilled to finally get the Samsung Galaxy S3. It will take some getting used to especially when it comes to texting. So far I am learning a lot the last few hours. And this is my first ever blog texted from this handheld device. Here's to more exciting things to come!

PSY - GANGNAM STYLE (강남스타일) M/V

This latest dance craze hitting the world and B96 FM in Chicago is already playing the song in heavy rotation. Love it! PSY is --- awesome!

9/11

We remember....the fallen on this day AND the heroes that were made.

It has been crazy the last few days. My '01 Honda Civic EX finally gave out on me after 2 major costly repairs in the last year alone. At 117,522 miles, it ends here for our adventures together and it is with profound sadness that she's likely headed to the nearest junkyard to be dissected and sold as parts (as a way to still live vicariously inside someone's 2001 or 2002 Civic) ... Holding my emotions back, I look forward to the future with my newly purchased metallic-silver colored 2012 Nissan Sentra 2.0 S (pictured above the Civic in this photograph), which will carry on the duties that the Civic has given to me all these years. She's performing well so far and I'm grateful to have her in my life. Like my Civic, I hope to take care of her BUT I promise this time, no more long out-of-state trips. My Civic and the car before that (the 1992 Ford Escort) have both suffered transmission problems and have driven to different states on a couple of occasions. If me and Rizz move to FL next year, the Sentra will in fact be transported there ... And so the great Civic passes the 'driving buddy' torch now to the Nissan Sentra who will now be helmed by yours truly here.

From my Uncle Phillip in the United Kingdom. He said it well. Let's all adhere to this message:

"Whatever country you live in and the colour of your skin, whoever you pray to at night, we all need the breeze, the flowers and the tree's, we all need the darkness and the light, we all need to breathe the air and show how much we care,the sun shining in the sky above, our hearts all beat the same, for in health as well as pain, what everybody needs is love."

RIP Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)

Credit to the original photographer as well as the person who posted this on Tumblr.

RIP Neil Armstrong - the first US Astronaut to walk the moon, in 1969. His feat will be forever remembered in NASA history, and space exploration as a whole. Truly an American hero and an important icon in our culture.

It's been a while since I've listened to the Def Leppard's greatest hits CD titled 'Vault.' To this very day, the quality of this band's hard-rocking, technological sounds of vocals/instruments never seem to age through the test of time. It still rocks just like it did back in the heydays of the 80s when they were very prominent among the metal/hair bands that were in existence ... My young brother, Jeff was given a chance to see them perform in Virginia Beach, VA recently. And from how he describes the concert, it seems that nothing is slowing them down and that they continue to show what they're made of recapturing the magic with loyal followers as well as winning a legion of new-generation fans......This 'Vault' CD rocks and I will continue jamming to it on the stereo deck as it's past 2AM now on the wee hours of early Friday morning.

(taken from my Facebook posting)

During a recent retail inventory, I was partnered with a young Chinese lady named Eunice who works as a sales associate at the nearest Bath and Body Works...She will be going back to school in Champaign for her sophomore year. She was born with a hole in her heart, had operations and is living through a pacemaker device. I feel so sorry for what she experienced in regards to her condition but its good to know that she's been continually blessed. I thank God for giving me the chance to meet individuals like her. It comes to show that we must make the most out of life while its there and not take anything for granted. I am very honored to have teamed up with her as well as giving the utmost respect. We had fun in this assignment. She seemed to be very friendly expressing a lot of enthusiasm and was most certainly a joy to have worked with :)

Music Track of the Day: Alex Clare - Too Close (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

I gotta admit I was hooked to this song when it was first featured on the Internet Explorer 9 TV commercial. And it stuck with me ever since. A masterful mix featuring powerful vocals, acoustic guitar and technological sounds.

Frustration mounts on the latest job search results (with most of these e-mail messages noting that I'm under-qualified for positions I applied for) but I strongly believe that the ode of opportunity in working for another company is still within reach in spite of it all. What I have to continue doing is maintain the consistency in applying and believing in the ratio that 1 out of 10 employers can be the opportunity presented to me. Its still early in the game and any moment can be a gamechanger. I'm hoping for something that's office-related in which I can wear a suit-and-tie again as well as going for a career in sales, real-estate, and/ or financial.


Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

A HUGE CONGRATS to my SFC (Singles For Christ) brother, Cromwell E. on finally making it to the United States Navy after successfully completing boot camp in Great Lakes, Ilinois. May God continue blessing him on his budding Navy career. What's next for him is submarine school in Connecticut.

Courtesy of my You Tube channel - Jonnyroobs TV, here's vintage footage of Crom singing and playing a guitar, taken back in 2010.

It just came to my knowledge that I work alongside Taylor Lautner. His disguise of eye glasses, facial piercings and big holes in his ears couldn't fool me. LOL. Just kidding, folks. Actually, he's a dude named Vince and we all jokingly call him Taylor Lautner because he has such an uncanny resemblance to that actor/idol many 'tween' girls would die for. His facial looks and hairdo are so spot-on! Now, that part I'm not kidding. Even his best friend Josh would agree with me.

My post on the Orlando Magic Facebook page:

We've all seen changes happening in the weeks already. And for us, we're still dealing with the loss of Dwight Howard who decided to find greener pastures and his version of happiness elsewhere. But I think it's time for us to move on as the Magic Nation with what we have in front of us and it is this latest version of the Orlando Magic. Many of us are already basing negative judgment or reactions on the latest acquisitions (because they are not too well-known) and some names still remaining in the squad from last season. But we haven't even seen them mesh or gel yet, especially with a new coach. Who knows what kind of season they'll be facing because it's still too early to tell what they can do. Most certainly they are no big-names but clearly what's the emphasis here is teamwork and skills (and experience). And that's what win championships. True fans have allegiance to Magic Nation. And they'll go through any challenges that the team and management faces. I like the template that Hennigan is working on and that's to rebuild. He's a good guy. Hang on Magic Nation. Keep believing!!! Don't hold out hope just because we don't have big names acquired :)

adidas Basketball: The Return of Derrick Rose Launch Video

I felt so sorry for what happened to D-Rose when he fell to injury during the middle of the playoffs between the Bulls and the Sixers at the United Center....I'm happy to know he's doing okay since then and has been rehabbing during the offseason with intense workouts. This is a great adidas basketball ad especially coming from an athlete who's so focused and determined to come back - and not the 'other adidas guy' (Dwight Howard) who had been whining all year about wanting to be traded, probably faking rehab appointments to his back so he won't go back to his old team (Magic) or city (Orlando)...D-Rose is the real deal. It's all about going out there on the court and giving it all for a chance to win the championship and making a legend out of himself. D-Rose will rise. Expect him to be at his best, that's for sure!

Music Track of the Day - La Bouche - Sweet Dreams (Lane McCray Rap vocals version) US video edit ...

Ahhh, 90s music. Those were the days. The infectious vocals, hard rhymes and pulsating sounds. La Bouche was a group that defined that dance genre for what it was. I can still dance to it like it was yesterday, probably not as fast like I used to be (LOL)....The downside to this group is that the lead singer (Melanie Thornton) later died in a plane crash in 2001. She was only 33 years old.

Last night and this morning - it is relatively cool. The first time in a long time! And I love it!

I feel happy for Dwight Howard. If I were in that same similar situation to go for another opportunity elsewhere, I'd be excited, too. He finally got his wish to leave the city of Orlando and their team - the Magic. After months of questions and speculation from the media as to where he will go, the destination wounded up to be Los Angeles and their team - the Lakers. I respect Dwight, but not as much like before. Had he handled his free agency business properly as well as saying his own remarks carefully (especially when he mentioned about his 'supposed' loyalty for the Magic -- remember that?), maybe I would respect him to the highest, like 100%. Dwight going to the Lakers is a great business deal in sports, especially for his former team - the Magic as well as other teams that made this trade happen. However, as an Orlando Magic fan, I think this team got the short end of the stick. We had no big-name stars coming from this and I'm sorely disappointed like any Magic fan out there. GM Rob Hennigan didn't do a good job delivering one awesome superstar in the now. But maybe I'm judging too early as the season hasn't started yet. Perhaps these unknowns can really play ball like to the level of (let's say) the Indiana Pacers, who almost knocked the Heat out of the East Conference playoffs last season. At least the Magic have finally moved on from this - but haven't learned from the Shaq situation from years ago. If this persists, then perhaps Orlando needs to be under new management and get someone who knows the organization so well (like, uhm, Shaq!). He'd be a great consultant to the team and I'm happy he's still a resident in the Orlando area ... Going back to Dwight, I wish him the best and I hope he continues to be happy. I'm a Dwight Howard fan so I am keeping the Orlando Magic jersey (like I did with Shaq's years ago).

I'm still stoked about driving through South Bend, Indiana yesterday and seeing THE University of Notre Dame right in front of me. I didn't expected to see it that day, but I loved the moment. Never thought I'd ever see it in my life, but I'm glad to add that to my highlight reel in life :)

Life continues on for me, Rizz and my co-workers as we live to see the light of day today....and this near-death experience from yesterday is now giving me the focus, motivation and determination to start fresh. I'm yearning for bigger and better things now! I want to see everything constantly changing and progressing in my life and not remaining on the same stationary path going forever on borrowed time. I want to see goals happen. I know I can bring out the best in me and not hold myself back any longer. It's time to be a game-changer and turn things around setting the bar higher than where things are now. I want to be the best motivator to myself. Every day is a gift and I plan to make the most of every opportunity that is available (when work isn't always around).

Thank you Lord for giving me 5 seconds to react to a situation that happened right in front of me while on I-88 (four miles from heading to the exit home). A red-colored 4x4 pickup truck suddenly lost control after blowing the left front tire causing it to spin 360 degrees (almost taking over the left 2 lanes). The company van I driven was the next vehicle right behind it. Listening to Rizz's advice (as well as relying on my own instincts), I was able to brake slowly moving towards the 3rd lane and maneuvering out of the way from the truck....those 5 seconds alone made a huge difference and was a life-saver for me & my work crew. But to the dude that was on the 4th lane talking on the cell phone - you could've been nice enough to let us in and end your call....Glad to be alive! And being fortunate of not being in the hospital facing injury or even death along w/ my passengers. Thanks again Lord for protecting us from harm's way.