Days of My Life

My powered wheelchair, which was custom purchased 6 years ago in Hawaii when I was still attending school, uses a gel-based rechargeable battery.  It’s dying slowly.  It used to last about a week after a full charge, but now it lasts only a few hours.  And the wheelchair is pretty heavy to push.  Hope it won’t die on me too suddenly.

I’ve contacted the Providence Home Services Repair Center yesterday, and they’ll give me a call once they get an approval from my primary care physician.  I think they’re taking their time, though.  Oh, well.

I thought I’d do a follow-up to this post. That is, what was your favorite childhood television show when you were around, say, 16? As for me, I liked Knight Rider, but I loved “Star Trek: The Next Generation” much more than anything else.

Out of all the Star Trek series, this one had the most technologically advanced storyline and characters, such as Data, Borg and Q, in my opinion. Needless to say, I was fascinated by Data especially because he started off as a mere robot and became more human as episodes progressed. It was more intriguing because of the possibility that it’s not too far away from becoming a reality — at least in my opinion. Maybe not in my lifetime, but it’s certainly not that far from now. Eventually, humanity will die out and machines will replace us as our descendants.

And personally, I’d have loved to see more of Q. I liked the character, because he was quirky with a little of humanity in him. He claimed that he was an omnipotent god, but I think he just belonged to a race with an ability to travel through time and space; as such, I’d have liked to see his real homeworld and not a manipulated reality. Oh, and I wished for abilities like his. You know, just snap your finger and you are instantly at the other side of the galaxy and even change your reality to your liking. That would definitely rock!

Aside science fiction, I also loved “The Wonder Years” which I thought was very cute. Probably because I didn’t have a “normal” childhood.

So anyway, what were your favorites?

I used to love watching Knight Rider when I was little. I think I was watching re-runs in the ’90s, because I wasn’t here in the U.S. until 1988, and I doubt it was airing in Korea. Anyhow, I think that’s when I got into science fiction stuffs like Star Trek, etc. I can still remember the original opening music and the voice of KITT.

Now they are planning to bring it back, which I definitely hope they do, and a two-hour pilot was aired by NBC this month. If you have a broadband connection, you can watch it here. If you ask me, it’s very promising!

I’ve spent nearly 7 hours yesterday e-filing both of my federal and state taxes using an online service. To my surprise, it looks like I’ll be paying a little over $1,100 for both with no refunds. It’s quite high mainly because of the income I earned through PayPerPost, which the government is taking 30% of. Since the federal tax is high, it affects the state tax as well since it’s based on the federal one. I’ve read that I’d pay less tax if I get a small business license which costs $150 for registration and $50 thereafter for annual renewals, but it would be a waste of money now that I’m not making big bucks as I was before the Google PR drop.

Since the state tax is based on the federal tax, they aren’t only taking 30% if you think about it. After all this, I don’t think it’s worth the time and efforts I put in for it, not to mention all the stress from promoting this blog / site; therefore, I’m considering getting off the PayPerPost bandwagon at least for a while… perhaps my PR would increase if I don’t do any paid post.

If you are making money online through PayPerPost and/or other companies, do you have a small business license? If so, how much tax do you pay for your online income? What’s the percentage of the tax?

On top of this, the ol’ man thinks annual car maintenance, such as oil change, tire rotation and other regular check-ups, is a waste of money.  But I disagree.  Such maintenance is done to prevent abrupt downtime, like getting stuck in the middle of highway, and to reduce potential repair costs.  This is more important to me, because if my vehicle breaks down in the middle of the road, I’d be stuck since I can’t just ride in a regular taxi.  My vehicle is equipped with a ramp system for wheelchair users.

To use an analogy, why do you have an annual physical?  It’s to find out if there’s anything wrong with your body, right?  Well, it also applies to your car.  Even if it costs a little, it’s worth the money if it prevents further damages.  He just can’t see that… he’s the “don’t fix it if it ain’t broke” kind of a guy.  But it’s not like he’s able to do the maintenance himself even when he suspects something is wrong — even with his own car which has had numerous problems.

I just don’t understand his way of thinking…

According to this article, a 39-year-old man tried to disguise himself as a high school girl with an uniform and a wig that he purchased off the Internet in Japan.

Talk about stupidity!  I mean, it would have been successful if a teenage boy tried something like that, but this guy is almost 40 for crying out loud.   He must have some missing screws in his head or something…

Most of my good friends were/are Cancer, and people with this sign are generally compassionate and kind in my opinion. However, they tend to be forgetful of important dates, such as your birthday, anniversary, etc., and they aren’t able to take subtle hints. Coincidentally, they seem to lack the consideration of others’ needs and wants. So while I love my friends, past or present, I don’t generally like Cancer people. Keep in mind, though, that this is a broad generalization made from my personal experiences.

How about you? Which astrological sign do you hate the most and why?

About a month ago, I launched a Viral Linking Campaign as you can remember. I’m writing this as it seems to slowed down significantly compared to when it first started. Anyhow, I’d like to thank everyone who participated and made it as far as it did.

Personally, my Google PR wasn’t affected at all by it, but my Technorati rating, as well as the number of incoming links, has improved dramatically. My authority went from around 42 to above 160 as of yesterday, and my rating went up 2 figures to around 32,000. Combined with traffic from EntreCard, my Alexa traffic rating went up 3 figures as well. A little more traffic, and I’ll be in due 100,000 range!

What benefits have you gained from this campaign if any?

In Tampa, Florida, there was an incident where a quadriplegic man was arrested for a traffic violation and was taken to a sheriff office. The man was asked to stand up even after being told that he was paralyzed from the chest down. When he couldn’t comply, one of the deputies tipped him over by lifting up the rear end of his wheelchair, causing him to fall down to the ground which could have caused serious injuries. Fortunately, all these were captured by their own surveillance camera, and it was reported officially two weeks later after he had spoken to a reporter about the incident. As you can see in the video, there were several other people around who apparently found it amusing, which I find more appalling than the “act” itself.

What are your thoughts on this?

Continue reading ‘Police Brutality on an Individual with a Disability’ »

This isn’t about me; this is about people I despise.

Apparently, there are people with no plans for their future, and they don’t give a damn about their own children’s future, either. These people are either selfish and/or hedonistic to the extreme, and they don’t know/care to save for the rainy day. These people usually work just enough to get by, and they spend like there’s no tomorrow. That is, they spend what they earn in a day on that same day, and they often take out loans with their paycheck as collateral. I don’t mean to sound like a racist, but I’ve heard that a lot of first-generation Mexicans are like that at least here in Oregon. But then, there are other nationalities who are even worse… like my ol’ man. Continue reading ‘No Plans for the Future’ »