Year in Review: 2007 recap, & thoughts on 2008

Well, there are only 2 more working weeks left in 2007! It's hard to believe that the year is almost coming to end! Heck, the decade is more than halfway over! It's that time when Time Magazine does their "Time Man of The Year" issue. It's also a time to focus on what took place in 2007. For G. Ripley, it was a year of experiencing some good & bad situations which trained him for the future. The good was mostly working in the IT industry for almost 90% of the year, checking out some cool things (wine tasting in Oregon, seeing Maria Sharapova play tennis in LA county, etc.), and making new & old connections sweeter! The bad was being out of the workforce for a short time, which later turned out to be a blessing in disguise. For 2008, it's about trying to live the Good life! Yet, it depends on what you call "The Good Life." Of course, that's a reference to the great Hip-Hop artist/producer, Kanye West. It's a great track by a renowned musical genius! Here are some final pictures of 2007.



That picture above is Maria Sharapova serving away at the East West Bank Classic. Here's a picture of some stingrays! G. Ripley fed some stingrays!

Two Reviews: American Gangster CD & Movie

Well, G. Ripley has a couple of reviews for his audience. First, G. checked out "American Gangster" at a movie theater. The movie is an incredible combination of great acting, spectacular cinematography, and tons of jaw-dropping action. It's worth the 157 minutes of run time. Second, G. Ripley bought Jay-Z's new cd, American Gangster. Shawn Carter is back with another great album. There are fifteen tracks on the cd, and G. thinks ten of them are solid. It's a must buy!

Great NY Collapses!

Well, this post is about sports teams collapsing in New York. It's not about the Empire State Building falling down or the NYSE crashing. First, let's talk about the NY Yankees. They lost in the AL Division Series to the Cleveland Indians, 3-1.

Heck, Joe Torre may lose his job. But, it's not the right move. Joe Torre should leave on his own accord. Let's hope that the Boss (aka George Steinbrenner) doesn't get rid of the perennial Torre. Next, the Knicks coach Isiah Thomas is found guilty of sexual harassment. David Stern should suspend the coach for the first five games of the year, for his ridiculous comments to a former MSG employee. Finally, the Dallas Cowboys beat the Buffalo Bills tonight in MNF. The bills lost by 1 point. The cowboys came from behind to win the game. The 'Boys were down 24 - 13, and they pulled off an incredible victory. Now, the Romo led Cowboys are undefeated. Romo had a really bad night, yet he shined in the end by throwing 11 out of 14 completions for two late dallas scores. On a side note, G. Ripley hopes that you like the images in this post. Last but not least, the stock market endured its last big crash in October 1987. It'll be 20 years later (at the end of this month), and a lot of financial upheavals have occurred in Wall Street since that day. The market is now past 14,000 on the DJIA, while the Nasdaq has seen some good trading days of late also. Finally, financial enthusiasts should pick up the latest book by Alan Greenspan. In his book, Alan criticizes the current president of the US and it's shocking. Long live Alan and G. Ripley is fortunate to have met you! Good night & Good luck!

Darth Federer wins another US Open title!

Well, the US Open is over as Roger Federer won his 4th consecutive men's title. He beat Novak Djokovic in a whirlwind three sets. In the first two sets, Novak had his chances to win. But, he could not make the most of his opportunities. Even though Maria Sharapova and Robert De Niro were in his corner, Novak could not register the victory. For Federer, it was another day at the office. He was dressed in all black, and his new nickname is "Darth Federer." He was splendid the past 2 weeks. As for the ladies, Justine Henin won her seventh grand slam title by beating Svetlana Kuznetsova. It was a lopsided victory for Justine. Now, with the grand slams done for 2007, the season ending championships is the last major even for both men & women. How quickly 2007 is coming to an end? Too fast for many people including myself.

Venice & Tennis: Two weeks ago

Ah, what would you do in Venice? Well, first let's be specific about which Venice (California or Italy)? Two weeks ago, G. Ripley was in Venice, California for some home buying! No, that's a major joke because I could not afford to buy a home in the venice canals. This home is practically a modern day castle from the canals in venice, california. The canals in venice are awesome. They are located a couple of blocks from venice beach. Besides seeing the homes in venice, G. Ripley checked out some women's tennis matches in carson, california. Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva were in the quarterfinals of the East Bank tennis classic. It was great to see this match. Sania Mirza was playing doubles before the battle of russia (sharapova vs. dementieva) began. It was fun to see sania in action. As for the rest of the trip, G. Ripley was doing some karaoke (sung "where the streets have no name" by U2) at dell's bar in west LA. Doing karaoke was a lot of fun.

Mixed Signals!

For all of those people who think they can figure out humans, there is another topic called mixed signals which sets human relationships far apart. Here's an example. A man seeks a woman as a companion, and the woman seeks him as a friend. But, there appears to be chemistry at odd times between the friends. The male and the female agree that they are friends. The male feels that there are times when the friendship goes above & beyond that (into possibly a relationship). The female laughs this off, and thinks that it's friendship only. When the male senses that the female is playing hard to get, it opens up another door of mystery. What is the male to do? Play the game with one female or look at another as a rebound. Why is that males pursue females, and females pursue males? It's a question that has many answers and did it really start with A & E, Romeo & Juliet, etc? The author writes this story from past experiences which his friends have gone through. Also, he speaks from his own experiences. This story reminds one that there is a Carrie Bradshaw in all of us. Props to the ladies of SEX & THE CITY!

Hollywood shining bright!

Well, it's the first picture on the blog of the Talented G. Ripley. This picture is up because this is another post on movies. This past weekend, Hollywood G. saw "harry potter and the order of phoenix." It was another great potter flick in the one of the most lucrative movie franchises in film history. Did you know that the harry potter movies have grossed more than $3.5 billion in profits over the past 6 years? Its is utterly amazing. Last night, I saw "fast food nation" on dvd. Greg Kinnear plays a fun loving marketing VP for a huge fast food chain, Mickey's. The movie also stars Wilmer Valderrama, Bruce Willis, Rosanna Arquette, and Avril Lavigne. Avril has a small part. I think she better stick to singing "girlfriend" or other good tracks. So much for her happy movie ending. What else? This past week, Ganpuleone was spotted on Buddystumbler and on the internet in a cool video. That's all for now.

"Live Free or Die Hard", Update on Harry Potter

Today, Hollywood G. checked out "Live Free or Die Hard" at the movie theater. This movie is a great flick. This past weekend, the movie was the no. 3 movie at the box office. It was behind "Transformers" & "Ratatouille". Nonetheless, this fourth die hard movie is a great movie with tons of action. It lives up to its solid "B" rating. Justin Long & Bruce Willis are a dynamic force to be reckoned with! Next weekend, it's Hogwarts mania as "Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix" hits theaters. Hollywood G. will definitely be at the theater to check out J.K. Rowling's fifth book (turned into a movie). As for J.K. Rowling, her final Harry Potter book comes out on July 20. The book has already sold 1.6 million copies online. That's magical!

Venus Shines, Roger F. makes it five straight at All England Club!

Venus Williams shocked the world at Wimbledon with four straight upsets en route to her fourth wimbledon title. Venus shined like none other on 7-7-07. On the men's side, Rafa Nadal pushed Roger Federer to five sets before surrendering the title. Twice in the fifth set, Rafa was up two break points yet it was to no avail. As for the Wimbledon tournament, the rain caused way too many delays for all players. Andy Roddick lost a grueling five setter to Richard Gasquet. The young frenchman was down two sets and 4-2 in the third, before he registered one of the biggest upsets in the men's bracket. Next up for the tennis world, it's the US Open Series. Let's see if Maria Sharapova can defend her titles in the summer plus at the US Open in Flushing Meadows.

Latest Reviews from Hollywood G.

Well, G. Ripley turned into his alter ego this past friday night. G. Ripley saw "knocked up", and here's a review from his associate. Doing his review, here's Hollywood G! Hollywood G. recommends "knocked up" as a great date movie. After seeing the movie, Hollywood G. thought of his friend, TAV. TAV is an old friend who reminded me of Leslie Mann. Leslie Mann plays the unforgettable part of "Debbie" in this hilarious summer flick! Knocked up has all this raunchy humor about sex, drugs, and various topics (like pornos, etc.). Anyways, Hollywood G. gives the flick a solid B+ rating. On Saturday night, Hollywood G. saw "Ocean's 13." The movie was hilarious and full of subterfuges! His good friend, Matt Damon, played a great role as Linus. Linus has this humongous nose and he is the womanizer in the movie! Hollywood G. gives the movie an A-. As for his rating system, Hollywood G. does not have a well defined one! He sees a movie, and tells his fans about it!

Meeting celebs!

This post has to do with celebrities in Sports, Entertainment, and Politics/Business. G. Ripley has met celebrities, but it is very hard to get their autograph! I have met at least one celebrity every year since 1999. Some of the celebrities are sports oriented (Shawn Marion & Andre Agassi), while others are entertainment superstars (Emma Watson and Tony Shalhoub). Others are politicians/business leaders like Alan Greenspan and Newt Gringrich. Around celebrities, you have to keep your cool! You can seek an autograph or a conversation, but it has to be done in a nonchalant manner. The best way is to be appropriate and diplomatic. It sounds simple, but it is far from it. My final word on celebrities is accept them for who they are! They are not superhuman, and they are not perfect. One day, you may step in their shoes!

Attaining mission impossible!

As one reads the title of this post, the last two words (mission impossible) seem to be ordinary. These words come from a popular TV show and a well known hollywood trilogy. Yet, this post is not fiction but reality. This is a true story of how G. Ripley dealt with an anomaly through the support of friends and family. As humans live, we deal with various medical conditions. A few posts ago, I wrote about testicular cancer. People like Lance Armstrong and Joe Torre were the true inspiration for that part of the post titled "Shock Therapy." For this specific post, I need not look no further than within myself to speak the truth. After surviving an aberration (i.e. lymphadenopathy), a human being's perspective changes and it boils down to "survival of the fittest." It was Charles Darwin who wrote this phrase in his ideals on Natural Selection. As humans, we should live by this cliche. As this post comes to an end, my closing remarks are that you must continue to monitor your body. Anything is possible and you are responsible for your actions. When you feel there is a problem, find the power within yourself to seek help. The more knowledge you can absorb, will help you attain mission impossible (a very healthy body).

Adventures in the .com world!

This entry is not about the Dot Com (.com) world per se, yet it touches upon entreprenuerial ventures. Earlier this year, a new social networking site was started online. It is Buddystumbler. It is a site designed by my associate, r. bhatia. My associate is a friend who has started this business with one intention. His main intention is to spread the idea of meeting people online through instant messaging. It is a brilliant idea and one that sticks like glue! Actually, I have been friends with this entrepreneur for a handful of years. Many technology entrepreneurs start businesses (or a company) as a side project of sorts. But, is it really a side project or a fun way to make some extra cash? As an entrepreneur in the 21st century, there are many risks and rewards for starting your own venture. First, there is the true business idea. Second, there is the idea of making a profit. Third, there is the stellar idea of "going public." The first two ideas are necessary for keeping the business afloat. What about the third idea? The third idea (going public) was the Mantra of the late 1990s technology boom. Now, there are social networking sites which are not public. The common examples are MySpace, Friendster, and Facebook. All three are "the heavy hitters" for people who want to expand their social network. What's the next big idea in social networking? G. Ripley wants you to go to Buddystumbler. Please support my friend and try something new. Au Revoir, mes amis! Bon chance!

Who can beat Rafa (aka Rafael Nadal) on clay?

Today, I read that rafael nadal won his 72nd straight match on clay in barcelona. It is mind blogging to see that no one has beaten this champion in his past 72 matches. He is the clear favorite (in my mind) to win the 2007 French Open. At Roland Garros, Roger F. has a date with the 20 year old spaniard. I think the French open finals (for the 2nd year in a row) will be Roger F. vs. Rafael Nadal. Head to head, Rafael has the edge on Roger on the clay surface. Is Rafa the best? On his shoes, "Rafa Vamos" is the cliche which is splattered on the left & right arch of his quick feet. As for the sport of tennis, it is one which I started playing at the age of 9. I have had the fortune to meet players (like Tracy Austin, Ivan Lendl, and Andre Agassi) at various tournaments. Seeing Agassi & Sampras play in 1993 was a highlight in my world of tennis. I never saw one of my favorite players, Boris Becker, at a tournament. But, I did see Andre Agassi play a couple of matches in phoenix. Long live the Vegas Wonderkid!

Shock Therapy

So, why is that people are shocked when the incredible happens? Let's give some examples. Let's say a man goes from earning $25 K in one year to $49 K about 2 years later. That's a good example of a change in fortune. It's one reason why people would think it's an incredible feat. Here's another example. Let's say a man is diagnosed with testicular cancer and surgery is required. The tumor is removed and then the tumor is found to be benign. By the way, both examples are true stories. In this writing, both examples show that shocking events take place and people find it incredible. No matter what happens, people live to shock each other. What is defined as shocking though? You decide. The bottom line is G. Ripley has been through shock therapy. The first example in the paragraph is the true story of one man's income, plus the shock behind the vicissitude. The happiness of that man can be seen in his writings. Shock therapy is simply defined as therapy (or positive actions) that is meant to change one's lifestyle in exorbitant ways. In the words of Matthew McConaughey, "just keep living." Kudos to hollywood's own longhorn!

A New Endeavor

As of today, the year is approximately 78 days over. On this day, G. Ripley started a new endeavor. This new endeavor is a shift in companies, cash flow, and lifestyle for me. So, what did the first day at a new job entail? Well, it entailed "learning about a new business" and "managing one's focus on acquiring information about their new functionality (role)". About 7 years ago, G. Ripley worked at a job, in which, surfing the web for 3 hours was "the norm." Now, if you surf for one hour, it is considered to be lucky. Why? Times have changed for the author of this posting. Now, your time at a company is measured by productivity, and not by what websites are cool. Information is the most expensive commodity! The more knowledge you acquire about your job equates to a more positive end result in the game of life. I know a few people who live to work, but working to live is better! G. Ripley chooses the latter one, because life cannot be planned. The good & the bad take place at inopportune times. The first day involved no network access which means no surfing the web. In a past life, Professional surfing (websurfing, that is in this scenario) used to be my job function. Years later, the web is inundated with too many sites to see. This leads a person to focus on doing one function well. That one process is working! Carpe Diem!

Academy Awards Recap: Departed takes home 4 awards!

Well, the 79th Academy awards are over and "The Departed" won 4 awards. First, Martin Scorsese won the coveted award for best director which was elusive until tonight. Little Miss Sunshine brought home 2 awards, as Alan Arkin won for best supporting actor. Babel, Letters from Iwo Jima, The Queen, The Last King of Scotland, and Dreamgirls were also winners. Pan's Labyrinth was a big winner as the foreign film won 3 awards. Before the Academy Awards, G. Ripley saw "The Queen" at a movie theater. It was a good flick, and Helen Mirren was a sure nod for best actress. As for the awards show, Ellen Degeneres got up, close, & personal with the stars in the audience. It was hilarious. The Academy Awards were worth every minute.

Mid-season thoughts from an nba fanatic

Hello, I am back with another post. This one is all about the ballers! I am talking about the NBA. I love the Lakers and I like the Suns too! I live in phoenix so I have to root for the home team. But, the suns have played like hurt ballers lately. The team has lost 4 in a row! They need to thank god that the all-star break is now. The team needs to regroup in the 2nd half. I know that Nash is injured and so are kurt thomas and boris diaw. But, the suns need to look for other leadership to help them in the 2nd half. Nash, Diaw, and Thomas will be back for the suns. The team will have to concentrate on the present team and win games without the 3 injured players. That's about it for me, tonight! Hope everyone had a good valentine's day! Remember that valentine's day is part of february, and february is the month of love. So, keep spreading the love for 2 more weeks. Enjoy the rest of february!

The Super Bowl, plus latest flicks

Ok, First, I want to dedicate this post to my homie, Primo. Primo is one of my many fans who enjoys to read about the talented g. ripley. Ok, so here's the scoop.

The Super Bowl is in 13 hours mountain standard time. The big game is going to be a great one, because it matches the best offense (Indianapolis) against the best defense (chicago). The bears will show why their defense is the most high scoring machine in the nfl. We know that REX (aka sexy rexy) is going to have his inconsistent game. But, his inconsistent game was great for the bears in the playoffs. He can shine and that's what he did in the playoffs this year. As for my dog, peyton manning (aka the quarterback that deserves to win), he has his work cut out. In the end, I am picking the colts by 7. G. Ripley is not good with giving final scores, but he's rooting for the Colts.

Back to my other hobby outside of sports, watching and critiquing movies. This past weekend, I saw "The last King of Scotland" and "Notes on a Scandal". In the former movie, I saw a talented actor, forest whitaker, who does a stupendous job as the ruthless Ugandan ruler, Idi Amin. In the latter flick, I saw two talented actresses, Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench. Cate does another magnificent job while The Dame (judi Dench) shows why she is an academy award winner. Remember that both ladies have won oscar gold once before. Will they do it again in 3 weeks at the academy awards in hollywood? WE SHALL SEE! Cate, I'll be rooting for you to win your 2nd academy award for best supporting actress. Note: Cate Blanchett won the academy award at the 2005 academy awards for best supporting actress for her dazzling portrayal of Kate Hepburn in the Aviator (a great Scorsee movie). The Dame won the academy award at the 1999 academy awards for best supporting actress for her beautiful performance in Shakespeare in Love.

As for Forest Whitaker, he did a fine job of playing the ruthless Ugandan uberdictator (is that a word? Yes!!). He showed the world that he deserves the chance to be in the same category as Leo (Blood Diamond); Big Willie (Pursuit of Happyness); Peter O'Toole (Venus); and Ryan Gosling (half Nelson). Will he win on Sunday, February 25? Right now, he's the clear favorite. Personally, G. Ripley wants to see Leo win for Blood Diamond. Go & See Blood Diamond because Leo deserves to win the oscar Gold!

Golden Globes are over! (My thoughts on Hollywood's biggest party of the year!)

Last night, The GG (Golden Globe) awards took place in the SWANKY, Beverly Hilton in BEVERLY HILLS (that's where I want to be, LIVING IN BEVERLY HILLS!) Ok, that is from Weezer, a great american rock band. Let's get back to the Show! Dreamgirls was shining as the movie took home 3 awards. I am glad that Martin Scorsee won Best Director for the Departed. I am happy that Babel won for Best picture. I am not surprised that the Queen won 2 awards. As for Forest Whitaker's win for best actor in "Last King of Scotland", he may win for best actor in 6 weeks. Yes, in 6 weeks, it's the real AWARDS show known as the OSCARS, BABY! I really like to sit down and watch the Academy Awards with my scoresheet. I enjoy tallying the winners and if the movie won most of the awards which it was nominated for. So, get ready for the big show on February 25 at the KODAK THEATER on HOLLYWOOD & HIGHLAND (H & H, one of my favorite streets in the FILM CAPITAL of THE WORLD)!

Movie Review from RSG

Today, I saw "Babel", and it was worth the price of admission. It is a movie which connects stories in an incredible fashion. Since I like to put all the pieces together in the puzzle (movie), it was good to pay attention to almost every detail in this flick. Brad Pitt does a stellar job and lets hope the Academy gives him a best supporting actor nomination later this month. As for Cate Blanchett's performance in Babel, she seems to show her true colors. Cate is in 3 movies (notes on a scandal, the good german, and babel) as of recently. If you have seen 21 grams or Amores perros, then you will like Babel. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Guillermo Arriaga collaborate a third time, and this one could be the masterpiece.

Introductory post

Welcome to a story of one person who has various aliases and identities. I have lived various lives in various cities in the planet known as earth. In my first life, I lived in california (specifically SoCal) close to cerritos. It was an interesting childhood, which had a segue into the small asian nation of taiwan. That was an interesting journey into asia, which involved learning chinese, how to use chopsticks, and getting lost in Hong Kong. Getting lost in Hong Kong is another post that I will discuss.