E-Portfolio for Fall 2008

Print Design

Sweet Delight

Audio Podcast

Video Podcast:

Photoshop Assignment

Early in the semester, we had an assignment to create a Halloween avitar. I've included a picture of my avitar as well as my Halloween scene. Below is the different elements I imported to make the final picture.

Ice Skate in Downtown San Jose

Since the festivals are dying down for the holidays, that's no reason to just stay inside all winter. From now until January 11, all are welcome to come ice skate at the Circle of Palms between the Fairmont Hotel and the San Jose Museum of Art. For those of us over 13, the cost to skate is $15, but there are no ins and outs.

Don't forget to take public transportation, or at least find out where to park ahead of time. It's the shopping season and no one likes to be in bumper to bumper traffic, not sure where to go.

For more information, go to:
http://www.sjdowntown.com/DowntownIce.html

Harvest Festival in San Jose

If you'd rather not be in the malls on Black Friday, then go to the Harvest Festival at the San Jose Convention Center the weekend after Thanksgiving for the art and craft fair. There will be over 200+ artisans and a raffle for a trip to Paris.

This year, the festival is putting on a Charity Parcel Check, which is basically like a coat check for all of your purchases, but the money raised will be going to a local charity. It's a great way to give back, and not have to carry all your paintings, gifts, etc. throughout the event all day.

The festival begins Friday, November 28th at 9am and goes through Sunday. Tickets for adults are only $9.00 for all three days. There will also be a grab bag which includes items from local artists and companies.

Hours are as follows:
Friday 9:00am- 6:00pm
Saturday 10:00am- 6:00pm
Sunday 10:00am-5:00pm

For more information or to purchase tickets go to: http://www.harvestfestival.com

Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot

The 4th Annual Applied Materials Turkey Trot is only weeks away, but the anticipation is building. I'm an event coordinator for this year's Turkey Trot and have been very busy preparing for it.

This annual event is on November 27, Thanksgiving Day in downtown San Jose between Autumn and Hwy 87 at the Confluence Meadow Park. The event was founded in 2005 by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. Last year there was 6,160 participants and more than 475 volunteers.

It's an event the whole family will enjoy, and a great way to kick off the holiday. The money raised will be given to three local charities. Second Harvest Food Bank, the Housing Trust of Santa Clara County, and the Santa Clara Family Health Foundation's Children's Health Initiative. These charities help valley families meet their most basic needs, for health, hope, and a home.

Registration:
Oct 17-Nov 26 Registration will be $35.
Day of registration on November 27 will $40.
Registration for Kid's ages 2-9 is just $10.

Online registration for the event ends at midnight on Monday, November 24. After that, you may register in person at the Runners Factory in Los Gatos, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 26. All race participants will be offered a 20% shopping discount at the Runner's Factory on November 26.

There is the 5K and 10K race for general participants. The races within the race include:

• Fry's Electronic Quickest Cop/Fastest Firefighter
  
• Akeena Solar Mayor's Cup
• Synaptics Elite Athlete Invitational
• Perkins Coie CEO/Celebrity Challenge
• Running/Tri Club Challenge
• Wells Fargo PA/USATF Open Men's 5K Championship
• Kaiser Permanente PA/USATF Open Women's 5K Championship
• Fairchild Semiconductor Fittest Firm Contest- Team Spirit Contest
  

The family fun zone opens at 9am with the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Kids Fun Run begins at 10:15.

VMware Can Do Community Challenge is for everyone coming out on Thanksgiving Day to bring 10 pounds of canned food to the race venue to make sure everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving.

• Meals-in-a-can: Stew, Chili, Soup, Spaghetti
• Protein: Tuna, Chicken, Salmon, Spam, Vienna Sausage
• 100% fruit juice
• Fruit
• Vegetables
• Peanut Butter: plastic, no glass please

Website for more information: http://svturkeytrot.com

Email: turkeytrot@svlg.net

Social Networking: Search Facebook to add the event. We're also on Yelp.

Light Up The Row: Christmas Tree Lighting at Santana Row

The leaves are falling and the air is getting chilly. Start off this holiday season with Santana Row's Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony. This is an event for everyone in the family. Hosting this event is NBC Bay Area's Brent Cannon and Laura Garcia-Cannon from 6:30-9 p.m. There will be live holiday music, hot chocolate, carolers, and performances from local theatre groups like the San Jose Repertory and Children's Musical Theatres.

For more information, go to: http://www.santanarow.com/events

The 13th Annual Bay Area Ski & Snowboard Show

The Bay Area Ski and Snowboard Show will be at the San Jose Convention Center on November 14, 15, and 16. Some snowboarders and skiers favorite brands and resorts will be at the show. Heavenly Resort and Any Mountain will be giving free ski lessons at the show and Jeep is sponsoring a 25 foot high climbing wall.

Of course there will be some prizes to win and contests to enter.

Ski Dazzle and Sway Adventure are offering the chance to win an Alaska Helicopter skiing trip to Valdez-Peninsula and another winner could get a trip to Lake Tahoe's back country for an all day adventure between Squaw Valley and Sugarbowl.

Jeep presents the "Tire Chain Installation Contest" and the chance to win $200 in cash, but one catch- you must beat the best record of 18.04 seconds.


The 2008 sponsors include:

• Any Mountain
• Jeep
  
• Bear Valley Mountain Resort
• Northstar-at-Tahoe
  
• Dodge Ridge Resort
• Heavenly Mountain Resort
• Sierra-at-Tahoe
• Sierra Summit Mountain Resort
  
• Kirkwood Mountain Resort
• Wave Magazine
• Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe

The manufacturer reps for this year's event:

• Burton
• Roxy
• Smith
• Nordica
• Giro
  
• Atomic
• Dalbello
• Forum
• Tecnica
  
• K2 Skis
• K2 Snowboard
• Ride
  
• Volkl
  

Retailers

• Snowbunny: Snow Gear for Girls
• Any Mountain
• Mammoth Sporting Goods
• Nor-Ski & Sports
  

Hours:

Friday - 3 pm to 10 pm
Saturday - 10 am to 9 pm
Sunday - 10 am to 6 pm

Tickets:
Regular admission tickets are only $15 and include a Free SuperLift Ticket. Children 6-11 pay only $3 and children under 6 are free.

San Francisco Green Festival

The Green Festival event is a movement towards a just, inclusive, and sustainable economy. On November 14- 16, the Concourse Exhibition Center, located at 8th and Brannan in San Francisco will host this year's event, sponsored by the Project of Global Exchange and Co-op America. The event tour will stop in five cities across the country, starting with Washington DC on November 8 and 9. San Francisco is next, followed by Seattle in March, and Denver and Chicago in May.

The festival is a stroll through a sustainable community. First, the festival shows what people can do on a personal level. Next, it shows what can be done on a business level and in the community.
There will 125 renowned authors, leaders, and educators and 350 eco-friendly businesses this year. To get more involved, there will be workshops, green films, art, activities for kids, live music, and more. Of course, there will be yummy organic and vegetarian dishes and all will be from brought to you by local organizations and businesses.

Some of the featured speakers include:

• Dr. Cornel West (Speaks of racial justice)
• Van Jones (President and founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in Oakland, CA)
• Winona LaDuke (Native American and environmental activist)
• Riane Eisler (Social scientist, attorney, social activist, author of The Chalice and The Blade: Out History, Our Future)
• Chuck D (Leader and co-founder of rap group Public Enemy)
• Greg Palast (NY Times Bestselling author and journalist for the BBC)
• Lawerence Lessig
• Daniel Pinchbeck (founder of Open city, an art and literary journal)
• John Perkins (runs Fungi Perfecti, an environmentally friendly company)
• Rickie Byars Beckwith (Music and Arts Director for Agape International Spiritual Center in Culver City, CA)

The hours are the following:
Friday 12pm-7pm
Saturday 1am-7pm
Sunday 11am-6pm

This event is all ages. For more information, click here or call 800-58-GREEN. Tickets start at only $15 per day and I recommend buying tickets as soon as possible because last year's event was sold out.

If you'd like to volunteer for the event, the Green Festival hopes you will commit to at least one 4 1/2- 5 hour shift. By clicking here, you can find out the volunteer opportunities are available and more information. Did I mention you get to attend the festival for free and you receive an exclusive organic t-shirt?

7th Annual San Francisco Indie Film Festival: DocFest

The San Francisco Indie Fest's Documentary Film Festival has been going since October 17th and will continue through October 30th at the Roxie Cinema and then will be moving to the Shattuck Cinema in Berkeley. The festival features 60 films from around the world. Some of this year's selections are a bit quirky, like Bigfoot: A Beast on the Run directed by David Thayer, which follows a search for Bigfoot, and Come on Down! The Road to 'The Price Is Right directed by Jeruschka White and Caryn Capotosto, about game show culture.

Tickets are $10.50 and there are no service fees. The BerkeleyDocPass is still available for $100 and gets you in to all the screenings at the Shattuck.

Roxie Cinema is located at 3117 16th St in San Francisco. Shattuck Cinemas is located at 2230 Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley.

For more information about the festival, click here.

Six Flags: Fright Fest

It's almost Halloween which means you've got to make it to Fright Fest at Six Flags Marine World in Vallejo. Fright Fest is going on every weekend leading up to Halloween.

If you're like me, it's probably been awhile since you've been to a theme park and feel you just don't have the time or energy. Well, if you want to feel young again, make some time and head to Six Flags to ride the rides and prepare to be spooked.

The following was taken from Six Flag's website to give you an idea of what the park has in store for you this year:

Thrills by Day:

• Twick or Tweet Trail featuring Bugs Bunny and Friends!
• Shouka's Halloween Celebration
  
• Merlin's Haunted Harbor Dolphin Show
  
• Super Spooky Sea Lion Show
  
• Bird Drop Inn (Bird Theater)
  
• Witch's Brew and Island Zoo (Wildlife Theater)
  
• Dracula Magic Show for Kids
  
• Daily costume parades
  

Chills by Night:

• Two spine-tingling haunted mazes: Kamp Khaos and Tinseltown Terror (additional fee)
  
• Harley Newman's Scandalous Side Show - you'll be amazed!
  
• Themed scare-zones filled with demonic clowns, ghouls and other freaks of nature
  
• Twilight Funeral Procession parade
  
• Halloween-themed live stage shows

Other attractions include:

• Wheel of Fright
  
• Zombie Zones
  
• Witches Lair (cookie mask and miniature pumpkin decorating)
  

Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival

This weekend, if you want to see who won the pumpkin growing contest head to Half Moon Bay for their 38th annual Pumpkin Festival sponsored by Safeway. Last year, the winning pumpkin was 1,524 pounds! Not your average-size Halloween pumpkin. I wonder how much pumpkin pie you could make out of that pumpkin. Probably a LOT.

As any festival, there will be arts and crafts booths from locals, as well as food, drinks, and entertainment. Shana Morrison, Dub FX and Manicato are headlining the event.

Half Moon Bay Brewery Company made a Mavericks(R)  Pumpkin Harvest Ale specifically to honor the event and will be served at the Take 5 Lounge. The Brew Co. actually started serving the beer on October 6th and I was lucky enough to eat and have a drink there a few days later. Guess what I had to drink with the calamari appetizer? Yup, Mavericks(R)  Pumpkin Harvest Ale and it was tasty. I definitely recommend it.

Festival is on October 18 and 19 from 9am-5pm. For more information click here.

Red Bull Soapbox Race

If you aren't at the Oktoberfest in Campbell on the 18th and will be in San Francisco, maybe you should stop by Dolores Park and watch the Red Bull Soapbox Race. There will be 39 teams participating in the race and starts at 1pm on Dolores Street and 21st Street in the Mission District. The park will be set up like any other festival with drinks and food stands. It's a first-come first serve basis with finding spots to watch the race so you might want to get there a little early. As with any other event in the city, try to take public transportation so you don't have deal with the hassle of parking and you're doing your part to be "green."

What exactly is a Red Bull Soapbox Race? Their website says:

Not to be confused with the youth soapbox derby, Red Bull Soapbox Race is a national race for amateur drivers, which is fueled by creativity and competitive fun - not to mention the need for speed. This unique non-motorized racing event challenges both experienced racers and amateurs alike to design and build outrageous, human-powered soapbox dream machines and compete against the clock in a downhill race.

For more information go to www.redbullsoapboxusa.com

Date: October 18th, 2008

The sidelines open at 11am and the first race is at 1pm. The award ceremony is scheduled to be around 3:30pm so you might still have time to make it to Oktoberfest Day 1.

Below is a clip from this year's race, thanks to YouTube user decroan.

Local Oktoberfest, October 18-19

Although most of us will not be at the real Oktoberfest in Germany, downtown Campbell is putting on one of their own on the 18th and 19th. Festival hours are from 10-6 on Saturday and 10-5 on Sunday. If you can spare a few hours from studying, then I suggest attending Campbell's Oktoberfest because it's local and only happens once a year. 

Spaten Beer is the beer distributor for the weekend and look for traditional Oktoberfest food like Bratwurst. Yum. 

Free parking, but remember to have a designated driver if you will be drinking. Visit the Campbell Chamber of Commerce website for information on the event.

If you'd like to learn more about the history and origin of the Oktoberfest celebration, click here.

LoveFest this weekend in the City

What is it: a parade & dance party festival

Where's it at: 2nd & Market in San Francisco

When is it: Saturday, October 4th at 11:30am

How to get there: take public transportation. Bart. Muni. Just get there.

Still recovering from a few too many Fog Cutters (see previous posting), I am bracing myself for the upcoming weekend. This Saturday, October 4th, San Francisco is hosting their 4th annual LoveFest. The festival is to celebrate diversity, music, love, acceptance and tolerance, and peace.

The parade is not one that you want to stand on the sidelines and just watch. You want to PARTICIPATE in this festival. Everyone is encouraged to dance the streets and have a great time. The music and parade start at noon at 2nd St and Market.

If this is your first LoveFest, you may want to check out the website to see what you are getting yourself into. The outfits are crazy, the floats are colorful, the people are happy and excited to be there. Here's a video I found on YouTube from LoveFest 2006.

This year, over 100,000 people are expected to show so my tip is to stay with your buddies and keep a cell phone on you in case you get separated.

Parade Route taken from the LoveFest Website:

• Floats will stage on 2nd st between Market and Howard streets Float and press check in will be at 111 Minna beginning at 10:30am. Floats to check in no later than 11am
  
• Floats check in at 111 Minna. It is open to the public and all 21+ are encouraged to come in and start the day off with one of their famous Love laced Bloody Mary's.
  
• Music starts @ 11:30am, parade begins ~12 Noon!
  
• We are asking for a donation to enter the festival site. Please help us continue to bring the love! With your donation you will receive some goodies (to be announced). The gate donation is absolutely crucial to the survival of the event – please support!
  
• All float sound systems will face the passenger side of the vehicle (north as they go down Market St.)
  
• Please don’t litter! Let’s keep the streets clean so we can be back next year.
  
• Have some class, use a porta potty!
  

For more information about this year's LoveFest, go to www.sflovefest.org.

I missed it last year when I lived in Santa Barbara. There's no way I'm missing it this year!

If you're by the coast this weekend...

This upcoming Saturday and Sunday, Pacifica is holding the 23rd Annual Pacific Coast Fog Fest. Pacifica is a small coastal town between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay, and it is actually my hometown. 

For most of the year, Pacifica is foggy. And when I say most, I pretty much mean everyday unless you are in the BOV (Back of the Valley). That's Pacifica slang. However, if something good should come from all this fog, coast residents for 22 years have been putting on the this festival with the profit going back to the groups in the community that contributed. 

I encourage people to go if they want to enjoy a fun festival with lots of food and drinks (try the Fog Cutter, made especially for the festival), arts and crafts, live music, and many local vendors selling their merchandise. There are lots to do for everyone in the family. September in Pacifica is actually on of the warmer months of the year and the chance of sun is very likely.

The activities for the weekend are taken from the Fog Fest website:

• Sand Castle Contest
• Rock Climber
  
• Parade Saturday (at 10am)
• Marching Band Competition
• Petting Zoo
• Kids' Rides
• Sea Creature Booth
• Music on three different stages

This festival is free and open to everyone. 

Hours are 10am-6pm, Saturday and Sunday 27th & 28th.

Located on Palmetto Avenue in Pacifica, California.

For more details, visit: http://www.pacificcoastfogfest.com

Power to the Peaceful 2008

When and Where

Saturday, September 6, Speedway Meadows in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park was the host of the 10th annual Power to the Peaceful Festival. This free event began at 9am with a yoga session in front of the stage and wrapped up in the early evening.

History

Power to the Peaceful is a music, yoga, and arts festival that started in 1998 by activist/filmmaker/musician Michael Franti. The festival's purpose is to educate and inform those in attendance on issues like sustainability, non violence, coexistence, and social justice, as well as support Death Row inmate Mumia Abu-Jama.

This Year

There were many non-profit tents that lined the festival grounds and there were men and women walking around with clipboards to register new voters. Many event-goers brought blankets to sit on and enjoy the music. On stage, many spoke about about issues facing the country (like the environmental sustainability), local communities (like the homicides in Oakland this year), and those facing individuals (support of Mumia Abu-Jama). Many spoke highly of the importance of voting while slipping in their support to Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama. Conscious Alliance also hosted a food drive near the entrance of the festival.

My Experience

As a participant, I felt the festival was very informative and opened my eyes to issues I had not been aware of. I am always eager to attend events which promote positive energy and a peaceful world. It feels good to know that there are people out there with good hearts and good ideas that want to bring like-minded people together. Great times, good music, wonderful weather! It was a perfect sunny Saturday in Golden Gate Park.

Performers included:

Michael Franti & Spearhead

Ziggy Marley

Warren Hayes

Kev Choice & Silk-E

Rebelution

Power to the Peaceful's Mission Statement from their website:

POWER TO THE PEACEFUL MISSION STATEMENT
MUSIC. CONSCIOUSNESS. ACTION.

Power to the Peaceful is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the promotion of cultural co-existence, non-violence and environmental sustainability through the arts and music.

By bringing people together through music and art it is our goal to highlight the similarities and celebrate the diversity of all of the world’s inhabitants.

Through our many International concerts, social forums, film festivals and fundraising efforts, we invite people of all ethnicities and faiths to strive for Personal Peace, Community Cooperation, International Co-existence and Environmental Sustainability.

We work closely with grassroots organizations, businesses and other non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) to put on events that raise consciousness about the needs of the world today and inspire action that addresses those needs.

We strive to make each of our events more energy efficient than the last by constantly finding ways to reduce our carbon footprint as well as highlighting new energy efficient technologies.

Responsibilities as a Blogger

Responsibilities as a blogger:

• I believe it is really important to use your voice to start to dialogue. Someone may have the courage to bring up ideas or opinions up in a non-threatening environment where they can remain anonymous.
• Being a blogger, you can bring issues to light that may not get much attention through other media.
• There's the possibility of someone who was a passive Internet user, become more active in speaking out.
• Bloggers do not necessarily have to be writing for a cause or to cause a change or movement. Just blogging about what interests them may lure other people in to start their own blog, thus adding to the blogging community.

Good Morning

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog. 

Just to let you know, the pictures on my blog will be credited to the website I got it from, or, in most cases, as the one to the left, they are my photographs.