Mr. Gary Lee

I’m sure a lot of you have been getting tagged in your facebook accounts from friends who have just revealed 25 random things about themselves and would like for you to do the same. I’ve been trying my best to resist, since I rather just write for my blog than some notes section in my facebook. Then came the forehead smack - My facebook notes is tied to my RSS feed of this blog, so anything I put on here goes on facebook anyways.

So, here you go . . . .Check below to see who I’m going to tag in the blogging world:

Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page. If you don’t see “notes” you’ll need to add it by clicking on the “+” sign and add “notes.” Paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

1. I believe in Ghosts, but don’t think they’re all bad. This probably is a result of growing up with Casper and Ghostbusters.
2. I watched Titanic 7 times in the movie theatres, but not on purpose. This is really hard to explain, so I’m not going to try.
3. I believe having over 10+ dogs in my life has given me committment issues.
4. As competitive as I am, I’m glad I’m not a sore loser . . . . I think.
5. With that being said, I’ve broken golf clubs over my knee.
6. I have the memory of an elephant and probably the thighs of one, too.
7. I was raised in an italian household as a baby for a few years.
8. I am amazed and proud of my friends accomplisments every day.
9. My first concert was a New Edition Concert at the Arrowhead Pond where I was drugged by secondhand smoke of some sort, which led to hallucinations on the drive back home.
10. I’ve been on a one week road trip from LA to Chicago and Back, so that I could attend summer school in time.
11. I think about my funeral and wonder who would give my eulogy.
12. I don’t think I have a best friend, but I have a good idea of who my groomsmen would be.
13. Some of my closest friends are the ones I speak to only a few times a year.
14. I love thinking outside of the box and throwing out ideas, even if they suck.
15. I only played volleyball in High School.
16. I’ve been hit by a truck on a freeway while riding my motorcycle and didn’t break a bone, but broke down when I told my sister.
17. I’m the oldest for those of you who think otherwise.
18. I didn’t vote in the 08 elections.
19. I went to a new school in 2nd grade and spent recesses alone in the corner all year.
20. I learn better by visualization.
21. I don’t like fortune tellers because the last one told me my life would suck.
22. I like Star Trek more than Star Wars.
23. I feel I was cheated out of Honors English in High School.
24. I need at least 7 hours of sleep or you’ll notice.
25. I’m only 5 lbs heavier than I was in 8th grade.

Editorial

The recession is hitting everyone hard, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any opportunities to take advantage of. Case in point, Suze Orman scored a feature on Oprah’s Website to showcase her new e-book called 2009 Action Plan. It’s a free download until January 15, but the reason I said Suze missed her chance is because of the fact that she forgot to put any kind of links in her e-book. Those links could have:

• sent traffic back to her site
• help her sell some of her other books
• give her an opportunity to track how many people are reading her book

Suze might be great at keeping money and sound, but she’s obviously lacking in knowing how to make money online.

Editorial

Remember when everyone was looking forward to 2008 because of they myth behind the lucky number 8?All the resolutions, hopes, promises and expectations?

I started off the year living in a new west side culture of Santa Monica ready to start a new sem consulting business. We had a plan to build our client list and give ourselves a solid foundation for us to work on our own projects such as PinkDeals.net. A combination of active and passive income was the plan that would make us rich! We’d live the entrepreneurial life of late mornings and and even later nights chatting away with other bloggers we’ve met over the years. Working when we want and how we want with no one to tell us what to do. 08 was gonna be great!

Next thing I know, I’m back in corporate america working for a company that I just couldn’t pass up. Being young and single, I had a real problem leaving “money on the table.” If there was a project that could be done, a job that I could take and a new client that could be signed, then I was all over it. One of the best pieces of advice that was given to me when I was in my early 20’s was not to waste my time lounging on a couch, watch tv and becoming a zombie. So, along with my 40 hour a week job, I was doing consulting on the side along with building and running my own businesses. I thought I could do it, but I was wrong.

As the year went on, the economy was just getting worse. Rising gas prices and then the market crash just sent signals that major decisions needed to be made in my life if I was going to survive this turbulent future. Bearing down and understanding what gave me the best return on my time invested was what I needed to concentrate on.

The 9-5 job was going great, so that’s checked. I learned that I do like a 9-5 job with the hustle and bustle of fire drills and working with a team. One thing aspiring entrepreneurials don’t really talk about is the lack of social interaction during the day. Some people need it and some people don’t. I think you should really look at yourself in the mirror and think about what work environment you work best in.

Consulting - The biggest lesson I learned was to do a better job interviewing the client and seeing if they’re going to be the type to demand more than what they’re paying for. No matter how much you get paid, once one of the parties feels that they’re getting taken advantage of, it’s the beginning of the end. At the end of the day, I realized that I needed to optimize my client list so that everyone at the table was happy.

Projects - Forget about bartering services. Just pay for what you want. It gets done faster and you don’t have to worry about hurting anyone’s feelings. I promise you that you’re going to save yourself a lot of heartache at the end of the day.

Blogging - well, I’m writing, aren’t I? 2008 saw a big time decline in the amount of posts that I came out with. One of my 2009 resolutions is to make up for that lost time and to try and pump out focuses content, which can clearly be seen by the significant reduction in categories. I’ve also spent the last couple of days redesigning my blog with a large of the inspiration coming from one of my favorite blogs out there - DoshDosh.com

Working with Others - Everyone has a role and you need to build a team where you fill each role. The great teams are the ones where people not only know their roles, but when there is something missing, they’re able to adapt and help fill in that hole. If it’s not working on for you and someone else, then it’s best that you end amicably and wish each other the best of luck.

Education - I can honestly say that I didn’t learn as much in 2008 as I did in the previous years. With everything that was going on, I was using my existing knowledge to get by. Talking with my peers from around the world, I know in my gut that I was missing out on what was going on in the industry. I’m going to do my best to catch up and get back out there on the cutting edge of internet marketing. Also, one thing that this economic situation has taught me is to not put all my eggs in this internet marketing basket. With that being said, I’m going to explore other facets of marketing, both online and offline so if things were to get worse, I am better armed to face the challenges.

Words to live by - “Reach for the stars, but keep your feet on the ground!” - Theodore Roosevelt

What were your expectations for 2008?

What lessons did you learn in 2008?

How are you preparing for the upcoming economic conditions?

How do you like the new design and look of the site?

Editorial

Thought I’d share my comment from one of my favorite blogs - Dime Magazine

The Pitch: Who Wants the King?

Your Legacy! Your World!

Goal: To become a global icon and cement your legacy as the greatest basketball player ever!

How: Sign with the 2010 Los Angeles Lakers

Why:

Kobe Bryant will be entering the twilight of his career. He’s already showing that he doesn’t care about the stats by taking 33 minutes a game right now. Imagine what a couple of more championships will do to him. The Lakers will need someone to carry the superstar torch.

Supporting cast will be second to none. The Lakers will still have the twin towers under contract and in place with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum anchoring the posts. A small, quick guard in Jordan Farmar. A defensive specialist and perfect role player in Trevor Ariza. Everyone’s young and ready to go for a dynasty run. By the way, we also have the greatest coach in NBA history sitting on our bench.

Global Icon time. You know it as well as the rest of the world. Asia is the future. The only reason NYC has gained it’s global status is because of it’s enormous ties to europe with it’s european ties there. If you want to dominate the world, you’ll have to come to where Asia and the United States meet - Los Angeles! With the largest population of Asian Americans in the US residing here and millions flying back and forth from here to Asia, there’s no way NYC will give you the accessibility to 3 Billion people (India & China) the way Los Angeles would be able to.

Los Angeles Lifestyle - It’s always 70 degrees and 30% humidity here. We get earthquakes once a year at MOST and they’re not even that bad. The fires and mudslides only effect a few people. Just buy in a smart location and you’ll be fine. There’s celebrities galore out here so you won’t be mobbed everywhere you go. We know how to respect people’s spaces. Oh, and the most beautiful people are in LA. Sorry NYC, you can’t compete on that.

Legacy time - Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlin, Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant. All of these guys easily crack the Top 15 players of all time and a big reason is because they were part of a great franchise. This is the franchise with the highest winning percentage in league HISTORY. We’ve reached the finals more times than any other NBA team. We’ve won a trophy in every decade the NBA has existed. Dr. Buss has created an atmosphere of excellence and will take the chances necessary to win.

Lebron - the question is posed to you - you can see how serious LA is about winning, now can we see how serious you are?

LA is yours for the taking!

Editorial

With the price of a barrel of oil reaching $143 as I write this post, I’m reminded of the constant whining and moaning the mass media and general population are doing about having to spend so much on gas! I’m not gonna lie, I bitched and moaned about it all weekend as I drove a total of 350 some-odd miles, but then I realized that it’s really not that bad at all. It could be a true “blessing in disguise!”

So, these are my 5 Reasons why $5 Gas doesn’t suck as bad as we think!

1) $5 Gas is Environmentally Friendly - All those tree-huggers must love what’s going on as their wishes of less cars, more carpooling and an overall smaller carbon footprint per person is coming true. By the way, find out your carbon footprint here with this widget I found!

2) $5 Gas Helps Us Lose Weight - It looks like $5 gas is starting to make people realize that walking a few blocks to the market isn’t really that bad. More and more people are  either walking or riding their bike to help them get around. We haven’t seen this much calorie burning since the caveman days when we had to hunt and gather our own food!!!

3) $5 Gas Makes Us More Social - More and more cars are being left in the garage in favor of carpooling, trains and subways. It’s a great opportunity for you to meet new people and helps us realize that “hey, people aren’t as crazy and senile as I see on the news!”

4) $5 Gas Makes for Less Traffic Jams - With less people wanting to drive, there are going to be less cars on the road. Less cars means less traffic. I hope to gain at least ONE day back from the 2 weeks I lose sitting in traffic every day!

5) $5 Gas Improves Local Economy - I’m assuming most of us live in neighborhoods where we can walk down to the local farmer’s market or local restaurant for a night of entertainment. We can probably discover new neighborhood events going on like outdoor movies in the park. Bottom line, we’re not going to be venturing too far away from home anymore, so why not enjoy where we live?

Anything else you can think of? Feel free to comment below and let us know!

Also, don’t forget to check out this great LA Times article “Envisioning a World of $200 a Barrel Oil“

Editorial