I was cleaning my room earlier today and I realized how much useless junk I have. Everything from packaging, old letters, movie tickets, birthday envelopes, little toys, etc. Throughout the years of collecting, I've developed many ways of storing them efficiently around my room which has turned out to be a great skill. As much as these things mean to me, I need to cut the emotional connection and get rid of them.

I have a vision of living in a home that's modern, uncluttered, and open. After putting some thought into this, I've come to the conclusion that the origin of this "problem" is my home environment. I have an extremely small desk (3 by 1.3 feet), with a 24" iMac. I would love to get a larger desk, but there are two twin size beds 2 feet behind where I sit, and one queen size right next to them.

Soon, I plan to do a bit of remodeling in my room by getting a new shelving system, and possibly getting bunk beds to gain some floor real estate. Some time in the coming weeks, I would like to go through all of my belongings and clear things out. The future always has new things in store for us, so there won't be a shortage of things to reminisce later on in life.

Being sentimental can be a good thing where I can "go back in time" by finding an object with historical meaning to me. I always say that it's important to remember the past, and being sentimental is just one of the ways. Now I must ask; Are you sentimental, or not? I'd also like to know why, and the things you feel when you do or don't get rid of something that that's technically worthless.

A couple of weeks ago, I added a button to my sidebar linking to the hundred pushup challenge. Last night, I proudly began my 4th week of the 6 week program, and things are moving along quite nicely. Naturally, I have noticed increased mass and definition on my upper body (pectorals, arms).

The goal of this is for me to be able to execute 100 consecutive pushups. Now, if that isn't something you can boldly boast about, I don't know what is! Most people can't even do 10 pushups, shamefully. After canceling my gym membership, this is one of my stay-at-home commitments that's easy to follow.

If you want to start getting in shape and require some direction, this is the perfect way to begin. You will increase your core strength by a tremendous amount, while working out your chest, arms/shoulders, and abs. Remember, always stretch before and after working out. Stay hydrated at all times and eat right!

After I complete this program, I will attempt to reach a point where I do 100 consecutive pushups each night. Then I will move on to conditioning the rest of my body, including abs and back.

Visit the Hundred Pushups website and join the challenge!

Classes are back in session, professors are great, and things are looking pretty bright with academics. After taking the first part of a physics course last semester, I know now that the reason why I got a C was because they couldn't teach well (to me, at least). This time the professor's method of communication is superb and actually makes things interesting. It all depends on the instructor, after all.

If you noticed in the column below the categories, I added a button confirming my participation in the Hundred Pushup challenge. This is a 6 week workout plan designed to help you achieve the goal of doing 100 consecutive pushups. I've always wanted to do this so I jumped right to it and started the next day. Tonight, I completed my 3rd week of training and things are going well (I can now do 50!).

Continuing on with the idea of staying fit, a friend and I have been looking into a gym with a swimming pool. Swimming, as you may know, provides a workout to your entire body, and we figured it was the best bet. I must admit, after watching Michael Phelps during the Olympics, I'm all hyped up about getting back in the water. Continue reading for more...

1. Life Management
Moving away to college usually means that you're gonna have to make some changes in your life. Whether you move into a dorm or an apartment, time management is going to be more essential than ever. If you live on your own, you will be responsible for cooking all the meals throughout the day, studying, homework, cleaning, laundry, and paying the bills (most of the time).

All of a sudden, managing and taking care of things become a requirement that you're probably not used to after living with Mom and Dad. Having a job while away to college also makes things more difficult to keep up with. I know some people who got it pretty easy with all this stuff, but a lot of them said it took some getting used to. Continue reading for the rest...

In about 12 hours from now, I will be making my departure into the real world, once again. The fall semester at the university starts tomorrow, and the struggle to gain back a tight grip on a busy life makes its way onto the to-do list. Being jobless for 5 months while having minimal income has definitely taken a toll on me, but that will be changing soon enough. I've reworked my resume and they'll start flying out all over the place by the end of this week.

Throughout the summer break, I told myself that I was going to get a lot accomplished, but things didn't exactly turn out that way. Of course, I worked on a lot of personal developments, projects, and just having a real vacation for the first time in a few years. I spent a lot of time time with friends and family and now it's time to get back to what needs to be done.

Financially, you can imagine what not having a job can do to a person. Thankfully, the little savings I put together stood strong. It's unfortunate that I wasn't able to do all the things that I wished to do, but that's life, and sometimes things just need to happen at their own time....

What does it mean to be a fanboy? Is it a good thing, or a bad thing? And most of all, are you one? Lately, these are the questions I've been asking myself and others, young and old. Now, let's get into the juicy stuff.

I am a fanboy, and chances are, so are you. Whether you like it or not, it's natural for humans to prefer certain products from preferred companies. For example, my father is a hardcore Sony fan. No matter what you tell him, he will tell you that Sony makes the best TVs, camcorders, stereos, DVD players, and so forth. Why? Simple. In his lifetime, he clearly had great experiences with Sony products so getting everything with the Sony brand would lead him to believe that he's getting top-notch quality.

Is it wrong to be a fanboy? No, but it's certainly wrong to be an asshole - And this is something a lot of people confuse. In any given conversation, I've witnessed the expressions on people's faces change because one person preferred a product or service that wasn't the same as everyone else. Read on for more...

This will be a series of posts that I am going to be working on from now on, every so often. I keep a text document open with random things that come to mind, and they will be made into a list. Let's see what interesting thoughts get recorded here.

• So now people in the Olympics are faking their age in order to complete. Wonderful. What's next?
• I wonder what goes on through people's minds when they talk to themselves very loudly in public places.
• I wish rechargeable batteries weren't so expensive.
• I need to go out and shoot more often - my photography skills needs sharpening.
• On top of shooting more, maybe I should try to get a couple of gigs and make some quick cash!
• I need new speakers. These are crapping out.

Continue reading for the rest of today's list...

Humans are born to be mind readers. It's a trait of the species that is as helpful as a parachute attached to a freefaller jumping off a plane, but as damaging as a kick in the gut by an angry horse. By the slightest change in the tone of someone's voice, we are able to figure out that something is not right. The strange transition of one topic to another, you question. One may ask himself if it's a lie, expression of distrust, or an uncomfortable subject matter.

Everyone performs both of these tasks on a daily basis: You see others doing it around you all the time which often leads you to some type of suspicion. You change your speech and tone in a conversation for various reasons when you're either uncomfortable or nervous. How does this come in to play with real world (and serious) situations? More after the jump...

What is it about a luxurious lifestyle that makes it so desirable? We all want the latest technologies, the coolest and fastest cars, and the biggest houses. But why is it like that when living a mediocre life can provide us with all we need to be happy? I think it has a lot to do with our social environment; What we see on TV, magazines, movies, and the expectations set upon us by society.

Now, I'm not rich nor am I wealthy so you can choose to take my thoughts with a grain of salt. Before I go on, I think it's worth mentioning that this doesn't apply to everyone. I am expressing these ideas simply as food for thought. Would you achieve happiness* in life faster if you're trying to become rich, or if you're aiming for financial stability?

Continue on to read the rest...

I just upgraded to a Flickr Pro account since I couldn't have more than 3 sets of photos. My trip to the Bronx Zoo a few days ago resulted in some decent pictures. Click the image below to view the Bronx Zoo set.

Last month, I took a bunch of pictures when I went to China Town in New York City. Click here to view the China Town set on Flickr.