Jaydizzle's Blog

Nano nano?

2008-09-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

Jack Handey #1

2008-09-12T12:59:00.000-07:00

"If I ever get real rich, I hope I'm not real mean to poor people, like I am now."

Flash Photography

2008-07-24T15:40:00.001-07:00

Good Buy

2008-07-07T09:29:00.001-07:00

Exercise Log: updated: 6/30/08

2008-06-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July: week off from training
________________________ week 14

6/25/08: 70 minutes: treadmill, lunges, squats, push-ups
6/26/08: 1 hour @ home: treadmill, 70 push-ups
6/29/08: 1 hour @ home: treadmill, 40 push-ups
________________________ 3/3, week 13

6/22/08: 1 hour @ home: ~1 hour on the treadmill, push-ups
Used 2 sick days: got a nasty rash from something I ate.
________________________ 3/3, week 12

6/10/08: 1 hour @ home: ~1 hour on the treadmill, push-ups
6/11/08: 1 hour @ home: ~1 hour on the treadmill
6/13/08: 1+ hour @ gym: Squats, Seated Row machine, Static Lunges, Ab Roller, Bicep Machine, DB Press, Incline DB Press
________________________ 3/3, week 11

6/5/08: Sick day; irritated stomach
6/6/08: 2.5 hours playing basketball
6/8/08: 1 hour @ gym: "Custom Fat Loss Workout A" (Squats, Cable Seated Rows, Static Lunges, Assisted Pull-ups, Ab roller, Bicep Machine), 8 miles on Stationary Bike
________________________ 3/3, week 10

5/30/08: 1 hour @ home: 2.3 miles on treadmill, push-ups
6/1/08: 1 hour @ home: 2.1 miles on treadmill
6/1/08: 1 hour @ gym: "Break-in Workout A", modified (DB Press, Lunges, DB Row on bench, Biceps machine, Ab roller), Elliptical for 17 minutes
________________________ 3/3, week 9

5/25/08: 1 hour @ gym: "Break-in Workout B" (Deadlifts, Step-up, DB one-arm Shoulder Press, Close-grip Lat Pulldown), 1 mile on Treadmill
5/24/08: 1 hour @ gym: "Break-in Workout A" (Squats, Static Lunge, DB Row on bench, Push-ups, Swiss-Ball Crunch), treadmill
5/20/08: 1 hour @ home: 30 minutes on treadmill, 2 sets of 15 push-ups, 2 sets of 15 crunches, Squats with no weights x 3 sets of 15, 3 sets of 10 reverse crunches, chair step-ups no weight
________________________ 3/3, week 8

5/12/08: 1 hour @ gym: "Break-in Workout B" (Deadlifts, Step-up, DB one-arm Shoulder Press, Close-grip Lat Pulldown, Reverse Crunch)

Weekend at Reno for Birthday; Vacation

________________________ 3/3, week 7

5/7/08: 1 hour @ treadmill; 3 sets of push-ups
5/9/08: 1 hour @ gym: squats, lunges, dumbbell lat pulls, push-ups, ball curls
5/10/08: 1 hour @ gym: 20 minutes ellipticals, "Break-in Workout A" DB press, Tricep pull, Ab roller, barbell curls

________________________ 3/3, week 6

Hip-hop CD 2001

2008-06-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

I found this old CD in my collection. I forgot how dope this mix was. So I never forget the playlist, and for your viewing enjoyment, here's the track list:

1. Deltron 3030 - 3030
2. Slum Village - I Don't Know
3. A Tribe Called Quest - Stressed Out (remix)
4. Jurassic 5 - Concrete Schoolyard
5. A Tribe Called Quest - Oh My God
6. DJ Shadow - Organ Donor (remix)
7. Nike Commercial where the Basketball sounds make beats
8. Pharcyde - Runnin'
9. Deltron 3030 - Positive Contact
10. A Tribe Called Quest - Electric Relaxation
11. Latyrx - Lady Don't Tek No
12. A Tribe Called Quest - Find a Way
13. Latyrx - Balcony Beach
14. Jurassic 5 - Swing Set
15. Latyrx - Changed My Mind
16. Slum Village - Climax
17. Pharcyde - Passin' Me By

Double Workout and Diet Change

2008-06-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

Worked out twice today. Hit the treadmill for 2.1 miles around 11:00 AM this morning. Then after lunch, I hit the gym for weight training. This is the first time I can remember where I had two separate workout sessions in one day. I feel great.

Diet is changing for June. I'm cutting out sugars like chocolate and ice cream this month. We'll see how it's going and modify my diet in July if necessary.

Break-in workout Backup

2008-05-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

The other day I left my workout notes right by the treadmill in 24 hour fitness. I had to drive back and get it. If I lost it, then I would have no notes on what weights I was lifting recently and would have to start all over again trying to figure out what the ideal challenging weights are. Therefore, I think it's best to make a backup of the last session I had just in case I lose it again.

Zeus!

2008-05-23T11:26:00.000-07:00

My Values

2008-05-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

Right now, I'm listening to the audio book "Today Matters" by John C. Maxwell. He states that it's good to be clear about your values that way you can pay attention to how well your daily practices match up with your values.

Values (in no particular order)
1. Family
2. Personal Relationships
3. Spirituality
4. Knowledge
5. Occupation
6. Health

Calorie Log: May 2008

2008-05-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

Week 6
Monday: 1508
Tuesday: 1801
Wednesday: 1523
Thursday: 2370
Friday: 1389
Saturday: 2212
Sunday: 2611

Average calories/day: 1916.3

I love Coffee

2008-05-08T15:58:00.000-07:00

I'm such a nerd. I'm all happy about getting the T-disc carousel for my Tassimo coffee maker. I also got a little container for the Splenda and a new metallic trash can.

2 monitors, guise!

2008-05-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

SLUTTIER = + points

2008-05-05T08:33:00.001-07:00

Check out this 131 point word I made on Scrabble using both triple word score spots! It's good to have the right letters.

Exercise Log: April 2008

2008-05-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

So my goal so far is to consistently exercise 3x a week for 1 hour each session. I've given myself 3 passes (VC points) from now until the end of June in cases of vacation, like trips to Reno or whatever. Starting in May I plan on paying more attention to what I eat using Fitday.com. Here's my progress so far:

4/30/08: 1 hour @ treadmill; then push-ups
5/1/08: 1 hour, 7 minutes @tennis
5/3/08: 1+ hour @ gym

________________________ 3/3, week 5
2 VC points left

4/23/08: 1 hour @ gym; half ellipticals, half weight training

4/26/08: 1 hour @ gym; all upper body; 10 mins treadmill
4/27/08: 1 hour @ gym; 2.6 miles on the treadmill
________________________ 3/3, week 4
2 VC points left

4/15/08: 1 hour @ Treadmill; got some good sprints in
4/16/08: 1+ hour @ Treadmill, push-ups, sit-ups

Weekend: Modesto, used 1 VC point
________________________ 3/3, week 3
2 VC points left

4/8/08: 1 hour tennis
4/10/08: 1 hour treadmill, sit-ups and push-ups

4/13/08: 1 hour gym
________________________ 3/3 for week 2

4/1/08: 1 hour treadmill

4/3/08: 1+ hour tennis

4/5/08: 50 minutes @ gym (upper body)
4/6/08: 1 hour @ gym (lower body + cardio + biceps)
________________________ 3/3 for week 1

Isaiah 40:31

2008-04-24T14:31:00.001-07:00

“But those who wait on the Lord, shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

Diet and Exercise

2008-04-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, that does it. Seeing those family pictures of me at the BBQ weekend sealed the deal. My belly was sticking out like there's no tomorrow.

So it's time to get back to diet and exercise. I think the problem I've had in the past is that I did too much too soon; like I would hit the weights and cardio really hard and then get on a really strict diet all at the same time, then after a couple weeks, I'd fall off.

This time, I'm going to set up a plan that's more manageable and more realistic. So far, I've been working out 2-3 times a week for the last 4 weeks. Here's how the next few months are gonna go:

Last week of April: continue strength training and cardio, including tennis. Restrict diet to about 2000 calories for now. Avoid simple sugars.

May: Increase weights and # of sets when strength training; do longer periods of running; restrict calories to 1800. Still avoid simple sugars.

June: More emphasis on cardio, but maintain strength training. Restrict calories to 1600.

July: More emphasis on strength training, but continue cardio. Restrict calories to 1600.

I think by the time August hits, I'll be in pretty decent shape.,

Does anyone still read this?

2008-04-10T14:17:00.000-07:00

This is my general blog. Anybody even read this anymore? I'm sure anyone who subscribed to this feed has already unsubscribed.

Best poker weekend thus far

2006-11-26T17:18:00.000-08:00

Had my most successful poker weekend in Reno thus far. I won a net total of $1300+ dollars!

The crowning achievement was winning the $40 buy-in tournament at Grand Sierra. Beat 30 players to take the first place prize of $465.

2006-10-31T13:01:00.000-08:00

Future UCLA Bruin Spencie

2006-10-31T13:00:00.000-08:00

Pocahontas Avery

Halloween hairdo

2006-10-30T15:46:00.000-08:00

Halloween hairdo.

With blue shades.

2006-07-18T13:01:00.000-07:00

Me and Spencer.

Michael Jordan quote

2006-06-27T16:10:00.000-07:00

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." - Michael Jordan.

Helen Keller quote

2006-06-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature,
nor do the children of men as a whole experience it.
Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.
Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.
To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits
in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.

- Helen Keller

Marvel Civil War cover

2006-06-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

This comic series looks hot. It's premised on superheroes vs. superheroes with opposing political views. Apparently a superheroes Act gets passed by the Federal government, and Captain America is against it, but Spiderman and others aren't. In this pic, Spiderman's got Captain America's shield under web lockdown. Thanks to Jay Go for recommending this series to me.

Law office of Vic R. Redula, esq. and associate Jason Redula, esq.

2006-06-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

Law office of Vic R. Redula, esq. and associate Jason Redula, esq.

http://www.redulalawoffice.com/

Our law office is working on a website in order to attract new clients. Due to Senate Bill 899, injured workers, especially low-income workers, are feeling discouraged to seek legal remedy through the workers comp system. For those of you out there that are voting for CA governor, vote against Arnold Schwarzenegger please; he has "terminated" a lot of innocent workers' lives.

If anyone needs workers compensation assistance (if you were injured at work), give us a call at (831) 753-9127, visit our website, or stop by our office if you are in the Monterey Bay area - we're at 1187 N. Main St. Suite 115.

Holy cow

2006-06-20T10:23:00.000-07:00

Turns out 39% (THIRTY NINE PERCENT) only passed. That's the lowest pass rate on a bar exam that I have ever seen or heard. I initially thought 54% passed the CA bar exam, but it turns out I misread the statistical data - 54% of the first time takers passed it.

Usually the CA Bar pass rate is around 50% overall. Because I thought it was 54%, I figured that maybe I got lucky and had an easier version of the test. Turns out it might have been one of the most difficult.

Not tooting my own horn here. Just ... holy cow. Okay no more bringing up the Bar Exam. It's in the past. I passed. /golfclap

Me and the drooler

2006-06-19T12:09:00.000-07:00

My and my nephew, Spencer. Or: Drooly Mcdroolerson for short.

Objective opinion

2006-06-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

You know how when you're a kid, you're like... i'm never gonna become one of those older people who say "music today sucks!"

But i think we're the only generation that can OBJECTIVELY say that.

The hat makes the outfit

2006-06-13T20:12:00.000-07:00

My brother Jr. after losing 70 pounds! Oh yeah, that's my nephew Spencer too who was recently baptized this weekend.

I swearrrr

2006-05-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

Got sworn in to be an attorney for the state of California by Judge Maldonado at the Monterey Courthouse.

I was put on the spot to make a speech of what being a lawyer meant to me. I did a quick brainstorm and came up with something like this (beware it's cheesy):

"Well, I'm glad I prepared for something like this." (Reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out nothing.) [Laughter] "First of all I'd like to thank the Monterey College of Law for having me here today. I graduated at California Western School of Law, but you all have made me feel so welcome. Almost makes me want to start law school all over again in Monterey." [Laughter] "Growing up, I knew both my brothers were going to become doctors, which put a lot of pressure on me. I had no idea what I wanted to be. I think I wanted to be a fireman." [Laughter] "But I remember distinctly the day I wanted to become an attorney. My father came to pick me up at the mall and he came in wearing a suit and a tie, and I remember how proud I was of him and how well he carried himself. So I inquired into what he did for a living. He explained how much he helped the injured worker and how much suffering there was and how he helps them to become compensated. My father was my inspiration. He uses his talents, his kindness, and intellect to do a lot of good. In a profession like ours, we have the power to do a lot of good and a lot of bad. I don't know how many of you saw Spider-man..." [Laughter.] "But with great power, comes great responsibility. This holds very true for our profession. I wasn't even sure I'd be up here today because the Bar was so difficult for me. My floppy drive had problems during my first essay, then I caught a really bad flu. But, I think destiny has led us all here today. It was no coincidence that the person sitting directly in front of me had a spare floppy drive. I believe that we were meant to be here in front of you all today. I just hope we live up to your expectations and make you proud. Thank you."

I think if you're ever put in a situation where you're put on the spot to make a speech, the best thing to do is to take a deep breath and speak from the heart. I don't think you can ever go wrong, even if you somehow weave Spider-man into the speech.

I passed!

2006-05-20T00:15:00.000-07:00

Great. Just what the world needs. Another attorney.

(I passed the California Bar Exam!)

2006-04-07T23:44:00.000-07:00

I like da coffee.

Movin' on up

2006-03-23T21:55:00.000-08:00

Go bruins!!! What an amazing 2nd half! ELITE EIGHT HERE WE COME.

2006-03-21T12:12:00.000-08:00

Plus Jay

Time to relax at last

2006-03-14T19:33:00.000-08:00

Had fun with my best friend in San Mateo this weekend!

Black costume

2006-03-14T19:31:00.000-08:00

Black spidey costume for Spiderman 3... Just in case you haven't seen this yet.

Uber cute

2006-02-15T09:36:00.000-08:00

Just about the cutest thing that's happened ever.

Oh my God! Children.

2006-02-15T09:34:00.000-08:00

My Godchildren.

Sum of bands!

2006-02-13T16:22:00.000-08:00

I think 50 Cent, Nickelback, and Sixpence none the richer should form a group called "SIXTY-ONE CENTS TOTAL".

Spencer's birthday

2006-02-07T18:16:00.000-08:00

Meet the first Redula boy of the next generation! His name is Spencer Evan Redula.

In the Bar Exam's mouth

2006-02-07T08:42:00.000-08:00

The bar's making me feel like how this cat is feeling.

Woot! Superhero quiz!

2006-02-01T08:48:00.000-08:00

Your results:
You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man		75%
Green Lantern		65%
The Flash		60%
Superman		60%
Iron Man		55%
Catwoman		55%
Hulk		50%
Robin		45%
Wonder Woman		45%
Supergirl		30%
Batman		25%

You are intelligent, witty,
a bit geeky and have great
power and responsibility.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test

MUHAHAHA! No, I didn't cheat this quiz. I really am the webslinger.

Headlock

2006-01-31T11:16:00.000-08:00

Bar studying's got me in a headlock.

Hiatus / Peter Parker the cat

2006-01-31T11:09:00.000-08:00

I won't be blogging until after February 23rd (The last day of my bar exam). Until then, wish me luck and enjoy another pic from stuffonmycat.com

The "Short-stack formula"

2006-01-02T11:57:00.001-08:00

I've been playing a great deal of sit-n-go's in my spare time and I've come up with a little formula that helps me determine my strategy in the end game when I happen to be the short stack:

H = (S/TB) * P

H is the number of hands I have left; basically, the number of hands I will be dealt before I'm blinded out. S = my stack, TB = total blinds (small blind + big blind), P = number of players left in the tournament.

For example, If I have 1000 in chips, and the blinds are at 100 and 50 with 5 players left in the game, I will have approximately 33 hands before I run out of money (assuming blinds aren't increasing at a tremendous rate). At this point, I think to myself what kind of hands will I go all-in with in an attempt to stay alive? Well, you only get AA 1 out of 220 hands - so I can't just sit around waiting for AA. You get AA, KK 1 out of 110 hands, so I can't wait for that either. You do get any pocket pair 1 out of 16 hands, so I can safely throw away hands until I get some sort of pocket pair (or better) and put all my money in the middle. Even if the person who calls me has AK, i am still a 12:10 favorite! The worst situation is if I get called by a higher pocket pair, at which I'm a 4:1 underdog.

Either way, I think it's a good formula to set up what you want to do late in a tournament with a short stack. You also want to think about how tight the player with the blinds is so you can make a few steals to stay alive. Note that Phil Gordon suggests that you move all-in every single time if you're heads-up, short-stacked, and already have 30% of your chips in pre-flop in the blind, the correct move is always to go all-in, even with 7-2. He proves this with mathematical equities in his article "the right move" (link on the right side of my page).

I haven't read any articles regarding my shortstack formula, and it came to me after I came back multiple times in one night in several mini-tournaments. When I'm playing online, I often bust out my calculator and plug in the numbers really quick to figure out my best options. Any comments or criticisms would be appreciated.

Quad Kings

2005-12-29T08:05:00.000-08:00

By popular demand, here's the story of the best hand I've been dealt up to date.

I'm on the dealer button, and I look down at KsKc - pocket Kings. Seven... Yes, seven players limp in to me. I raise and make it two bets. All seven call. The flop comes AcKd10s, I flop a set but there's also a straight draw on the board. Someone forgot I raised preflop and bet again instead of checking to the raiser - more money for me. I raise again when the bets come to me. Everyone calls except one guy who folds. The turn card... the K of hearts! That's the case king in the deck. I have quad Kings, and with no straight flush draw on the board or paired aces, I know I have the nuts.

I try to contain myself. I look at the Laker game playing on TV to calm myself down; to keep myself from jumping out of my seat yelling, "QUADS MOFOS". They all check to me. I bet, they all call. River card is a blank. They all check, I bet, they call. I flip over my two Kings and say "Quads." I rake in about $100 in chips. The dealer shouts "High hand!" Minutes later, the floor man comes and has me sign something and hands me the bonus for the high hand: $300. Boo yah, baby.

Net $350 in Vegas

2005-12-28T11:22:00.000-08:00

"I can't lose what I don't put in the middle." - Rounders

Most profitable Vegas trip to date. won $110 the first day, lost $70 the second day, won $400 the third day, and lost $90 the last day. I ended up netting $350... wish I stayed away from blackjack though... got crushed for $75 within 5 minutes. Poker all the way next time. (I always say that).

Harold V. Melchert

2005-12-21T10:09:00.000-08:00

"Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance toward the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point. Climb slowly, steadily, enjoying each passing moment; and the view from the summit will serve as a fitting climax for the journey." --- Harold V. Melchert.

Hermit for 71 days

2005-12-12T08:03:00.001-08:00

"I love pressure. I eat it for breakfast." - Nicholas Cage, The Rock
"But I'm a champion so I turn tragedy to triumph." - Kanye West, Through the Wire

I was in San Fransisco for the weekend for my weekly bar review with BARBRI Essay Advantage. 9 hours of review... only 1 hour break for lunch and 2 15-minute breaks. In some respects, that review was harder than one of the bar exam days in terms of length of time. It's a strange feeling, walking into a building at 8:45 am and walking out at 6:00 pm and seeing how dark it is outside. It's as if time has lost meaning.

Anyway, the good thing is, my determination for the bar has been tripled. I'm not going to go through crap like that every week just to take the bar a third time. So, see you all in 3 months! I'm going to turn off AIM except at night and study 8-10 hours a day including weekends. Here's my schedule:

6:45 Wake up
7:00 Shower
7:30 Leave for office
8:00 Essay
9:00 Study model answer and review outlines
12:00 Lunch
1:00 25 MBEs
2:15 Review MBEs and review outlines
6:00 Go home and rest

If I brush you off, or you don't hear from me until 70 days from now, then I hope you understand! I have the rest of my life to chill and relax, but only 2 months to master the law.

Wish me luck.

UCLA pride leads to success

2005-12-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

Ever notice that any person who is going to UCLA or graduated from UCLA has an enormous amount of pride? That's because from the moment we step onto campus, they brainwash us to hate USC and to love UCLA with all our hearts. As soon as I see a UCLA sweatshirt, I think "Go Bruins!" and remember all the good times I had there.

Anyway, recently this turned out to be a good thing and it actually increased my chances on passing the Bar in February. My brother, a pediatrician, usually doesn't admit parents whose children just have a cold. However, this lady named Cari was wearing a UCLA sweatshirt and my brother, being brainwashed, admitted her. Anyway, turns out she was a UCLA Law School grad and a BARBRI representative (a bar review program rep) and she offered to give me free advice for the bar exam, a free analysis on my past exam, and a direct line where I can ask her general questions! I talked to her today and she told me my multiple-choice skills were strong, meaning that I have the black-letter law pretty down. But I'm weak when it comes to the essay sections. She gave me advice on what to do over the next 3 months to work on my essay skills.

That's just amazing. That's a huge advantage I have for the February exam. God answered my prayers, but just in a different way than I expected. I expected to pass the bar in July. When I didn't, I was depressed for a few days until I accepted it and knew that there was a reason for all this. I was so sure I passed the first time, that I almost made business cards with "Jason Redula, esq." on it (haha!). I couldn't believe that I had it in me to just move on and accept failure - because I really haven't felt this kind of failure before. I'm more humble and stronger than before and that's the truth.

The most annoying bad beat I've ever had

2005-11-28T14:03:00.000-08:00

I'm playing $3-6 kill at El Dorado. During a kill pot (in which the stakes are $6-12), I raise in a late position with 8c8s. I get two callers, one of which is an IDIOT holding 7s2d. The board comes Jd, 5s, 3d. I get checked to, and I bet out $6. Both call me! The guy with 7s2d has a 7 high! Anyway, the next card is an 8d, giving me a set of 8's. I get checked to, I bet out again, this time $12. One folds, the other calls and chuckles with his 2 of diamonds flush draw. The river comes and he hits his last diamond! He caught a running flush against my set! With 7-2 of all things! He laughs out loud and says "Look at the card I'm going to beat you with." and shows his 2 of diamonds. That was sooo annoying. Not only did he win with the worst hand in poker, but he actually had the audacity to laugh at me. In the end, he went broke and lost $300 really quickly... like within 30 minutes. Sadly though, $80 of that was mine.

From Lederer to Duke

2005-11-22T13:35:00.000-08:00

I've been playing a lot of no-limit lately... online tournaments, home games, and my actual home home game with my parents and I've done pretty well for myself. I think I've stepped up my game a little more today after watching Annie Duke's "How to Beat the Big Boys" dvd tutorial. If you know basic pot odds, basic positional advantages and general aggressive-tight play, then this dvd is supposed to take your no-limit game to the next level. I'm going to try out what I've learned at the $100 buy-in at the Peppermill in Reno.

It has cool little tidbits and techniques that an average player wouldn't think about. She uses FBI profiling techniques to get a read on your opponent. For instance, it's generally known that a fish will act strong when he's weak and acts weak when he's strong. This is known as "hollywood" bluffing. But there are subtleties that may give more clues. Like rapidly blinking, or grasping the back of the neck both indicate a bluff.

She also gives additional betting techniques like consistent check-raising and the "bluff-call", both of which I'm going to try tonight on my dad.

Anyway, to the non-poker player, I'm super babbling. But if you're into poker, watch the DVD and call me up so we can talk about it.

Attorney, minus 3.7%

2005-11-21T08:48:00.000-08:00

"Why do we fall? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up." - Batman Begins

My total scaled score on the California bar exam was 1366.38; passing scores must be above 1440. In terms of percentages, this means that I got a 68.3% when I needed 72%!

3.7% stood between me and my license to practice in California! 3.7% close to conquering the most difficult bar exam in the nation. If I had gotten 6 more multiple choice questions and 10 more points on an essay I would be an attorney right now!

But I'm not as depressed as I thought I would be. For sure, when I found out on Friday, I was a mess. But today, I am renewed with hope. Frustrating as the score may be, it is also encouraging to know that I am capable of passing. I know a lot of you had little doubt that I would pass, but I was seriously doubting my own intellect.

I also know there's a reason for all this. I know retaking the bar will make me stronger, more humble and in the end, I'll know the law better than I would have had I passed the first time around. I was very tempted to hide the fact that I didn't pass to everyone (although that would be really hard to do), and I was tempted to make up excuses as to why I didn't pass. But I realize that is counter-productive. I realize that I have to get over myself, just pick myself up, study hard, and kick some serious a*s.

Law Office website

2005-11-03T15:51:00.000-08:00

Our law office has a new website if you want to check it out here. Joe Kwon designed it, I helped with the content, and my dad paid for it teehee.

So if you know anyone in need of an applicant attorney in workers comp and is in the Salinas/Monterey area, check out the website or give me a call.

2005-11-01T09:41:00.000-08:00

Avery, post trick-or-treating.

I <3 Smallville

2005-10-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

Anyone else loving Smallville lately as much as I am?

It seems around the middle of the 4th season, the writing has just improved by leaps and bounds. After the whole "Lana is a witch that fights Kung-fu" episodes (which I kinda hated), the storyline just took off like crazy. Filler episodes became less frequent; less eps where some random powered nobody that Clark has to outsmart. And all of a sudden the main characters are becoming more of a main focus.

I loved how the theme of season 4 became identity. Lionel and Clark switch bodies, Lex splits into two people, Chloe gets taken over by a spirit, Clark gets amnesia. All of course are cliches, but it revealed a great deal about their characters. When Clark got amnesia, he still acted with morality. But hands-down, the best ep of the season was Onyx when Lex's evil half is separated. The evil half learns of Clark's powers and his weakness. Evil Lex offers Clark a chance to join together to rule the world. When Clark refuses, Evil Lex says something like "you will join me, or everyone you love will suffer!" and socks him with a kryptonite ring! I was like whoa whoa whoa dude. I even replayed it on my dvd player seconds later cuz it was such a dope scene.

Last night's ep was alright. Filler vampire halloween episode. The best part was when Clark talked about how he hated costumes. He said he loved the cape but hated the mask. Friggin awesome. Other than that... eh. Okay episode. But I love how Spike from Buffy is playing Brainiac. That's a great pick. I will never miss another episode again for that reason alone.

Clocky

2005-10-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

Man this thing is ugly. But it might be one of the best things for me to buy when it comes out on the market.

Anyone else have trouble getting out of bed in the morning? Are you like me and hit the snooze button several times until you have like 10 minutes to get ready and drive to work? I know myself so well, that I even set my alarm 1 hour ahead just to allow myself to snooze.

Apparently, the best thing to do is to not hit the snooze button and just get up and be active. Hitting the snooze button does not effectively stimulate the "wake up neuron" and all it does is reinforce the same pattern of sleeping in and then finally rushing in the morning to get to work/school.

A student from MIT invented this clock named "Clocky". What it does is when the alarm goes off, it rolls off and runs around and then tries to hide. This gets you active in the morning trying to chase it, effectively stimulating your wake up neuron.

For now, I'll just concentrate on getting right out of bed when the alarm hits. I think I'll also wait for a better looking version of Clocky to come out. Full article on Clocky here.

Fairy princess

2005-10-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

My niece dressed up early for Halloween.

No limit... to the potential losses

2005-10-25T13:36:00.000-07:00

Ugh... what can I do? I get all my money in the middle with AA and get beat by an 88 hitting its straight on the turn. The problem with no-limit hold'em is that at any given moment, even if you play perfect poker, there is potential to go broke.

Therefore, I vow to this day to stay away from No Limit cash games. Limit hold'em and tournament structures are fine, but man... my bankroll cannot handle the swings of no limit. I won about $1000 or so last month, maybe more. In no-limit I dropped around $700 within a week. It's crazy! I was watching some pros play a cash game last night, and they were throwing around thousand dollar pots like it was nothing. I mean, they buy in for like 10 grand and just play with it. Sometimes they play multiple tables at one time online, buying in for $10k each! That's insane.

I read somewhere that a poker professional can spend around $500,000 in tournament entries alone a year. And that on average, a professional has a bad track record when it comes to no limit cash games. How do people afford that kind of action?

Whew. Anyway, I intend to reread Super System 2, Sklanksy's Hold'em for Advanced players, and continue taking classes at that poker school online. I think it's the best way to deal with the slump; just bone up on the knowledge and stay away from the tables while on tilt.

See my vest

2005-10-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

My niece Avery wearing her new vest. Everyone says she looks like my mom.

Movies-to-buy-soon-list

2005-10-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

Quick list to myself on what movies I intend to buy within the next couple weeks:

1. Batman Begins
2. Sin City (on PSP)
3. Star Wars ep III
4. Rounders special edition
5. Crash
6. Unbreakable
7. Signs

Also: Arrested Development season 2

From Hellmuth to Lederer

2005-10-20T11:13:00.000-07:00

I've decided to leave ultimatebet.com and move to fulltiltpoker.com.

I initially joined UB because Phil Hellmuth's "Play Poker Like the Pros" book pushed the website so much and at the time, Phil was my favorite player despite his table antics. But now that I've seen him play in several big tournaments, he no longer is my favorite player. I'd say Howard Lederer, the "Professor" of poker and Phil Ivey are my top 2 favorites now. Although Phil Gordon and Doyle Brunson are tops picks too. It just so happens that Lederer, Gordon and Ivey are all Full Tilt .com supporters.

One of my biggest complaints about UB is that, although you get big sign-up bonuses and referral bonuses, you do not get the money right away. You have to earn "UB points" to get the bonuses. This is pretty standard for poker sites; however, they limit the UB points to ring games only! Meaning, if I play in sit-and-gos most of the time, I don't see a dime of the bonus points.

Full Tilt is different. They award points for every real money game you play. This is great for me because I grow tired of $3-6 tables, and I hate seeing only $5 a day of the $100 "bonus" that I was supposed to get on UB.

Anyway! Moving on! Not that any of my readers really care about online poker... not that I know of anyway (BECAUSE NONE OF YOU LEAVE COMMENTS)... but to Howard Lederer I go! If there was any one player that I could totally emulate my game after, it'd be him. He's very sportsmanly, calculating and selectively aggressive. If there's any opponent I would avoid though, it'd be Phil Ivey. Okay, now I'm babbling. Better cut out.

25 hours of poker; $20 profit

2005-10-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

Just got back from Reno last night; I played sooo much poker and I only made a profit of about $.80 an hour. Most poker pros will tell you that good players should average 1 big bet an hour profit at the tables, meaning that if you play $3-6, you should be making $6 an hour (in the long run). I didn't meet that quota this weekend.

I blame El Dorado - I mean, look at their blind structure! It's a $3-6 table, but the blinds are $1 and $2?? To raise it up, you make it $5 to go?? That makes no sense, and no casino ever has a structure like that. Oh, and I guess I played horribly too over at El Dorado, but that's not the point.

So I won about $250 over at Peppermill, but dropped about $230 over at El Dorado. Let me tell you that the sharks in Reno have moved to El Dorado. So if you're looking to make some money, I suggest you stick to $3-6 over at Peppermill. I actually am becoming quite fond of $4-8 kill. Seems the players are more predictable and they tend to respect your bets more.

The hand of the weekend went as follows. I'm dealt KK under the gun at $4-8. I raise it up and make it two bets to go. The guy directly to my left calls, someone else calls and the rest of the table folds. The board comes down A36. Now when you're holding pocket Kings, any ace on the board is supa scary. But I bet out hoping that someone doesn't raise. The guy to my left raises. The other guy folds. Now I'm at a decision: should I fold and save myself about $30 or is this guy bluffing me? I tell the table "time" meaning I get time out to consider my decision. I close my eyes and the guy to my left waits impatiently. I've never seen this guy play, so I'm not sure if he's a bluffer or if he's tight aggressive. Somehow I knew he was just raising and bluffing his position. So I call. I check-call it down and he only has 77. I sweep in about $70 worth of chips while he complains like crazy. "This guy calls me down, even though he knows he's beat!" Which is completely untrue - I didn't know i was beat; in fact I had a feeling that this guy was full of crizzap. I just smiled at that guy and said "nice hand." But in my head, I'm like "what a call, Jay! Nice try, ya jerk."

Music owns you

2005-10-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

"It's just something, like, when you get in there and the music, like, owns you. It's like that house music. It's like bomp, bomp, bomp,bompbompbomp, boom boom boom boom! You know, you start dancin'... " - Matt Damon, Good Will Hunting

From www.stuffonmycat.com

Avery the flower

2005-10-11T16:07:00.000-07:00

My niece Avery dressed up as a flower.

First the Third

2005-10-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

Dang, I was considering naming my Blog: Third 2nd, b/c Joe Kwon already named his Third as a sweet reference to Ender's Game... but I decided against it. Jaydizzle's what I been using for video games and whatnot, so decided on that instead. It's what Turk called JD a few times on Scrubs and it's a quiet pat-on-the-back for getting my Juris Doctorate recently in San Diego.

Welcome to my new blog.