Personal

Dreaming of the bi-coastal life

I have talked to some of my friends about this and they think I am insane for even thinking this. It might make sense to just pick a city to call home and live there. However, I really love Brooklyn, New York and San Francisco, California. I don’t want to choose, I want to live in both.

My dream is to live in San Francisco for a week or two each month and have most of my stuff in New York. When I want to stay longer in San Francisco, I can just bring my cat with me.

Here is how I think I’ll make ends meet:

I do not have a car so I don’t pay for gas, maintenance or car insurance. For what I was paying before is comprable to a plane ticket to NYC to the Bay and BART pass or Uber.
When I am not at the other place I can have a friend help me out with house sitting or using AirBNB to rent it out to absorb some costs.
Go on a spending freeze for new electronics and unnecessary products.
Rent a small one-bedroom or studio in San Francisco.

How it would work:

Saturday night: I spend the day relaxing by having brunch with some friends and doing my thing. It’s a typical weekend like everyone else. The thought of flying five hours to San Francisco is not intimidating because it’s flying to another place, not planning a trip.

Sunday morning: I take an Uber or the A/C subway to JFK airport and jump on Virgin or JetBlue to catch my flight to SFO. Since I already have the other apartment, I do not need to pack any clothes or computers—just one simple small bag or even nothing.

Sunday afternoon: By the time I land it is probably the early afternoon or evening—still plenty of time to get to the apartment, take a nap and relax, or go see friends. I greet my girlfriend who lives in SF or call the one in New York City to see how it’s going. Please note that I mean one or the other (or neither) but not BOTH!

Sunday night: I go have a drink with my SF friends, check work emails or watch some sports. At this point my body is already adjusted to pacific time and I’m ready for the work day tomorrow.

Monday through Friday: Just another day of work. I get on my iMac at the apartment and field our typical Monday meetings. With Dropbox I have everything synced so I just pick up on the latest project seamlessly. Depending on the work load I can work a full 60-70 hours during the week. If it’s slower, I can go network with startups and companies in the Bay Area and find some new leads. I go have drinks with the prospect and really pitch to him and her about presence—the fact that we have a team physically bi-coastal. I can spend a week out of the month working on site.

Saturday and Sunday: I choose which day I want to take the flight back to New York, hop on a red eye flight. By the time I wake up, I have a full weekend or have a full day left to go back to my New York life.

I’d love to hear what you think. Don’t tell me I am crazy because I know I am, but if you have some insights or advice I’d love to hear it.

+ david
P 04/28/2012
t Blog, Personal
Cbi-coastal, Lifestyle, New York, San Francisco
9 1 Comment

Why the Super Bowl needs a Beastie Boys halftime show in 2014

I’ve been talking about this for years but wanted to write down some words expressing my thoughts about why the Super Bowl needs the Beastie Boys to perform for a future halftime show. Every since Janet Jackson popped her 87 year old titty it seems like they have been going for a “safer” performance: Tom Petty, Prince, The Rolling Stones, (oh God) the Black Eye Peas and Madonna. It has gotten so bad that I’d probably enjoy seeing Creed, Nickelback and Pitbull performing together just to see a huge train wreck.

The answer is simple: The Super Bowl needs three MCs and one DJ. The Beastie Boys. Here are some reasons why the B Boys are perfect:

They don’t have titties that can accidentally pop out.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted, they span generations and everyone can enjoy them. Younger people might not be as familiar anymore but I can assure you their parents would love this performance.
The Super Bowl in 2014 is in New York, where they are from.
Their music can easily be mixed and mashed with other artists so you can have a pretty fresh sound—see video above.

What do you think? Would you enjoy a halftime show performance by the Beastie Boys?

Also, the last song needs to be “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” and have Jay-Z come on stage and sing this with them.

+ david
P 04/15/2012
t Blog, Personal
CBrooklyn, Halftime show, NFL, Opinion, Super Bowl
9 No Comments

Building the LEGO Super Star Destroyer Executor

After waiting about two months to find a good block of time to put it together, I finally built the LEGO Super Star Destroyer Executor. I did not realize how massive this thing was. This was probably one of the funnest projects I’ve done in a while.

There were so man pieces—thousands, literally. However, there are some parts in the SSD where you can build pretty quickly based on routine.

If you’re wondering how long it took me, I measured time by watching the original trilogy 1.5 times. I believe it was somewhere in the middle of Empire when the construction was complete.

Next up, LEGO Millenium Falcon.

+ david
P 03/24/2012
t Blog, Personal
CLego, Personal, Star Wars, Super Star Destroyer
9 No Comments

Paper’d: What does your wallpaper say about you?

If you told me that “get an app I worked on to be featured on the iTunes app store” was a goal of mine, you are wrong. Well, I guess things change.

~~Get an app I worked on to be featured on the iTunes app store~~

Paper’d is an iPhone app that allows you to browse through beautifully designed wallpapers for your phone and download them. Jamie and Nicole came up with the idea and connected with Adam and I to work on the Experience and Code. When Adam and I saw the idea, we knew this was a great idea that would go somewhere.

Week one has beyond exceeded our expectations. We were featured on the iTunes App Store, ranked #11 on top lifestyle apps and have had more than 40,000 downloads in one week. We were even featured on Mashable.

It was a lot of hard work and dedication to get this app out, but in the end it was so worth it. I couldn’t be happier to work with my best friend and a pair of new friends on an iPhone app.

I remember when Steve Jobs died, I told Adam that we should dedicate our work on Paper’d to him—really think about how to push this and make this a great app that people will love and want to keep using. It is amazing how much we have pushed the app together from the original idea.

We are very proud of what we have done, but want to make it better, make more apps and keep living, keep designing.

We passed Starbucks on the top Lifestyle Apps!

Number one might be tough to knock off. Note to self, don’t buy any Macs from your iPhone. We’re going for the top though—occupy app store!

We even got some BFF love from Alyssa

Download the app now!

+ david
P 03/17/2012
t Blog, Design, Personal, Products
9 No Comments

Trying to make time to draw

For those of you who remember me in a past life, I used to make a lot of art and draw. I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and drawing. For a while, I was motivated to go back to grad school to get my Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Painting and be a university professor.

My life has since moved in a very different path.

I absolutely love what I do now, and part of me feels like I am a better designer than artist. The biggest difference between an artist and designer is that an artist will create usually for the self and it is an expression of that. Designers, on the other hand, typically create for an audience or people…the users. I love designing for the users.

I still try to make time to draw a bit here and there. I did a little Valentine’s Day sketch of a Skrillex card. If you don’t know who he is, this probably isn’t funny at all.

Perhaps I should open a store on Etsy and continue to do doodles…if I have time.

I’ll make time.

+ david
P 03/01/2012
t Blog, Personal
CArt, Drawing
9 No Comments

Level Up. Unlock More (Job) Opportunities

It is amazing how many skills I’ve learned from playing video games. So many hours playing StarCraft and Command & Conquer: Red Alert taught me to monitor everything in project management and multi-task. The SIMs taught me that if I drink too much water I might piss myself in the living room floor in the middle of a party.

Just kidding. Seriously. I don’t pee my pants at parties.

I have recently been playing Star Wars: The Old Republic where I play as a Sith Bounty Hunter. I am a freelance contractor, it only made sense to be a bounty hunter, right? The game is your standard Role Playing Game (RPG) where you start with a basic character. From there, you go on quests and do missions to earn experience points. Once you acquire a certain amount of experience points, you level up and can add certain skills to your character, making him or her more powerful (than you can possibly imagine). You can also gain credits on the way to purchase new items, combining your skills with weapons to become even more effective.

Uh…this sounds like real life. The reality…it is very similar.

This month marks a full year that I have been working with my mentor. When we met, I was still pretty junior and had a lot to learn from her. There were certain tasks she assigned me that took me some time to finish, and she usually gave me a lot of revisions. Not after leveling up, baby! After doing a lot of these projects, I learned and gained experience. My dexterity, knowledge (but not resistence to lightning, unforunately) increased and I became more effective at what I did.

It is amazing how much has changed in a year, and what I’m able to do. I emailed Marie a few days ago and asked her to give me feedback on what I can do better and areas I can focus on. I think it made her really happy to hear that.

Here are some RPG realizations that will help you in the work world:

Maybe I don’t have the skills to complete this quest? If you’re in a job search and wondering why you have not got that offer for the dream job…it could be you do not have the skills for it. This is not a shot at you, but a possible truth. Think about not just what skills are required for this job, but what skills can make you destroy the competition.
Experience points matter, even in areas you are highly skilled in. Experienced developers unlearn and learn code again to make sure they stay relevant in their field. Never say to yourself “I don’t need a refresher”. As a designer, I look for unexplored areas to see if there is a nugget of information I can take to become even better at what a do. A great example is when I learned to start using smart objects in Adobe Photoshop.
Focus on your quest. Don’t be a PK. Don’t be a Player Killer. There is a bunch of low-hanging fruit in work, and we all can get our own. There really is no need to be so invested in what other people are doing.

In life, you can never stop leveling up. Acquire new skills constantly, sharpen your old skills and you will find bliss in the work world.

+ david
P 02/05/2012
t Blog, Personal
CCareer, Professional Development, RPG, Star Wars, Work
9 No Comments

My Ten 2011 Moments Told by Instagram

I was looking through my Instagram photos of 2011 and was blown away by so many great moments I’ve had. One thing I like about Instagram is your ability to try to manipulate the essence of the moment, not just taking a photograph of what was exactly seen. Here are ten moments that I really remember. This is by no means a top ten list, but just some to share.

Empire State of Mind. Emerald City at Heart.

A view from the Top of the Rock. This city is amazing…so many people here doing great things. I hope I can contribute something.

A New Hope

It was this photo that I was able to connect with someone I really care about. Whatever one believes in, there is something surreal about the way things align for people to meet each other. The photo itself is in front of Buckingham Palace in London.

New Beginnings

As I was unpacking in my new apartment in New York City this December, my cat Wilson (MegaKitty) looks out, observing. It was this moment that I realized this is new beginnings for the both of us. Crazy to think this little guy has been part of 1/3 of my life.

Happiness in Spain

This year I randomly decided to quit my job and book a one-way flight to Europe. I spent 4 months abroad and had time to think and really reflect about who I am and who I want to be. This photo is of my friend Nasim and I in Figueres, Spain. While in Europe I lost about 25 pounds and happiness was re-introduced in my life.

European Reflection

The beginning of my European trip in Croatia. This photo is taken by my friend Vivian. I looked out to the sea, facing Seattle, reflecting.

A Parisian Promise

I decided to leave a lock of love here for myself too…in hopes for someone in the future. Here is the post about it.

Paris

Spent months in Paris this year—only to realize I absolutely love it and it is a place I want to live someday.

Raiders Game in Oakland

In October, my best friend from college Mike and I flew down to Oakland to see a Raiders game. It was the first home game since Al Davis died. The Raiders beat the Browns and was the best sporting event I have ever been to. Silver and black until the day I die.

In Europe with My Brother

My brother and his wife was able to join me in Paris. It was the first time we hung out together in Europe. I hope there are more moments like this.

Star Wars Exhibit

+ david
P 12/24/2011
t Blog, Personal
C2011, Europe, Instagram, Photos, Star Wars, Travel
9 No Comments

My First Week in New York

This photo of my cat Wilson, looking out the window in the undiscovered Brooklyn street is probably fitting of my experience so far. Everything is new. There is so much to see. So much to explore.

It is a bit unreal to think I have lived in New York City for a week already—seems as if I was just lifted up by a tornado and dropped over here. There has been no time to rest, but there’s no rest for the wicked. The last week in Seattle was hectic. My parents, aunt and uncle came to help me move the rest of my stuff. Knowing me, I did not finish packing until the night before I flew out.

The Flight

The flight to New York City itself was probably the most stressful part for me. One reason…the cat. This was the first time I’ve flown with my cat Wilson. He is VERY loud and I was extremely concerned about him handling the flight. I gave him some sedation pills and he was such a good sport. He slept the entire time on the plane, including takeoff. The most difficult part was taking Wilson out of the bag and carrying him through the TSA x-ray, which is a requirement. I was afraid he was going to flip out, scratch my face and take off running. Again, he was such a good sport about it. Big ups to TSA for being so cooperative too. They held the line up while I carried Wilson through the x-ray and made sure I had him in the bag before resuming.

Arrival

We landed in Newark, and to my surprise, everyone in New Jersey sounds like…well, what you think everyone in New Jersey would sound like. After 25 minutes, I arrived to my apartment in Brooklyn Heights and was greeted by my roommate Michael and his girlfriend Gabrielle. Yes, this Gabrielle who I met earlier this year. Wilson and I finally made it home, and here is our view.

What I’ve learned so far:

Shopping at IKEA in Brooklyn SUCKS!
Just because subways run normally during the week does NOT mean it will on the weekend.
When the waitress comes to take your order, you better know what the Hell you want.
People don’t even begin eating dinner until about 9pm here.

As much as I love it here in Brooklyn I definitely miss my friends and family in Seattle. The first week was quite the struggle, just getting adjusted. I am getting used to it and feel like this is where I should be.

+ david
P 12/13/2011
t Blog, Brooklyn, Personal
CBrooklyn, New York, NYC
9 2 Comments

Mom’s New Mac

I’m moving to New York in eight days. Wow. My mother and I are very close, and I know she’s having a hard time accepting the fact that I will be so far away. We went shopping today and I decided to buy her a MacBook Air so we can talk on FaceTime and Skype. It’s not the same as in real life, but hopefully it’ll help her.

Mom bought me so many things for me when I was a kid. Now that I have money, it’s time for me to return the favor.

+ david
P 11/27/2011
t Blog, Personal
CApple, Family, Macs
9 No Comments

I’m moving to New York City

I have some bitter/sweet news to share with everyone. It is bitter because of how much I will miss everyone but sweet because of the fresh opportunity and adventure. After living in the Emerald City, a place I’ve called home for the last five years, I have decided to move to Brooklyn, New York.

My desire to move to the Big Apple was not a quick decision, but rather one brewing over the course of many years. In high school, I always talked to my art teacher about dreaming about New York to see Warhol paintings in real life and photography all the urban landscapes. After college I had the hope of going to grad school at The School of Visual Arts or Hunter College in which the opportunities did not pan out. Finally, I went to visit NYC with my college roommate Scott and it blew me away.

It was everything I hoped for and imagined…and more. I absolutely loved the pace there, and the people were so nice. Yes, I said New Yorkers were nice. After a few days in New York I realized, “you can ride the wave of energy or just get totally consumed by it.” I decided I want to choose the latter. There are so many people here—the best in the industry.

Dreamers are here. Hopeless romantics are here. Yeah, creeps are crackheads are here too, but you see where I’m going.

After returning from Europe I had this realization about Seattle. At first it was negative, but then it revealed it’s true self. My desire to move from Seattle is not “to get away from Seattle”, but rather, “to experience the rest of the world.” There is so much in the world I want to see.

My recent visit in September confirmed that I wanted to be in Brooklyn, New York. The place fits me like a glove and I feel like I’m in my element there.

So what’s next? Well, I’m going to sell everything and get rid of all my posessions, then move. The only thing I’m bringin: A bag of clothes, my Mac and my cat. I will continue to work with Xhatch Interactive and am excited about us having our presence in New York.

This is not an easy move for me. Five years of my life, important years, have been here in Seattle, Washington. I was raised in the Northwest, and I will dearly miss all of my friends I have made here, it it is a bit emotional for me to think about leaving everyone. Seattle may not be the city where I was born, but it was indeed the place that defined my identity and took care of me. I will be forever grateful.

The bitter is leaving my dear friends, but the sweet is the potential and opportunity. I am looking forward to people watching on the subway and long walks through the neighborhoods. Everything will be seen through a fresh lens. Let’s not forget I can easily go watch the New York Yankees play next Spring. I see New York as a place I can make a career here, meet new friends, converse with passing strangers, and hopefully meet that special person and fall in love.

There is much work to be done before I leave. No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn.

P.S. Here’s a clip of Mike Doughty performing “The Idiot Kings”, one of the songs that inspired me to move to New York.
P.P.S. What’s that saying…”If I can move a 23 pound cat to New York, I can make it anywhere”? I think Sinatra said it.

+ david
P 10/29/2011
t Blog, Brooklyn, Personal
CBrooklyn, Change, New York, Seattle
9 4 Comments