Domain Registration (reverting)

It was a good run playing around and sharing the self-hosting of my work blog. But experiments eventually have to end. Everything new on the personal front will now get updated here.

Blog Updates?

I've recently been playing around with domains and self-hosting. Everything (well almost) from this starter blog has been moved over but this will continue to stay up for now. All newer updates will be at:

http://jamz.yaneza.me/

See you there!

Hotel: Road Runner Business (SoCal)

We got a good rate at the Quality Inn and it came with broadband internet. To compare what they offer in terms of business travelers I set out to measure their wired speed.

The room was spacious and had a nice quiet pool, unfortunately I'd left my swim trunks back home.

Honda CrossTour, whats that song?

If you're like me watching for nice cars, you've probably already stumbled across the new Honda CrossTour ad with a subliminal message not to be "square". Its also got a very catchy song in the background sung by Miriam Makeba which to my astonishment was recorded in 1967. What can I say, but good songs last. :-)


Pata Pata (Album Version) - Mi...

Travel Tip: Card Charges and International Trips

This realization hit me just recently, and this is all based from painful experience (one of which is just happening to me right now). This is in regards to weekend check-outs.

Accounting and/or finance offices are usually closed in most places. They are even closed perhaps seen earlier in Asia given that they are ahead sometimes a full working day. As such, initial holds will show up in your credit card but will only really transact first thing Monday during office hours.

So if you know you're checking out the weekend, the best is to either settle your bill in full on Friday before the close of business hours; or settle the partial you can manage and just go on cash for miscellaneous towards check-out.

This way you'll avoid the annoying wait and the preliminary one-day check-in while waiting for the previous transaction to go through. Its not a great feeling to be on tenterhooks your first night at your next hotel destination. :-)

But for now, wish me luck!

*I'd also like to thank and commend the front-desk at the Hyatt Regency Kyoto for their patience in helping me track what's going on. Great hotel, you rock!

Hotel Nikko Kansai (JP)

After checking out of the Hyatt Regency Kyoto, a bus tour, train ride on the Haruka 41, and arriving back at the Kansai Airport, I walked across the bridge to Aero Plaza and stepped into the convenience of the Nikko.

I'll be adding more stories later [ here ]

There isn't any internet in the smoking rooms at the South Tower and your best bet is free wifi at the first-

(1st) floor lobby or walking into the Business Center with your own ethernet cable. I didn't even attempt wifi given that line speeds (shockingly) for a full service hotel in Osaka which has an airport compared to Kyoto which doesn't is:

To be honest this was disappointing given to comparing the Hyatt at 35 Mb/s downstream. And hey, I was willing to pay for bandwidth but never given the option.

Guitar: Return to the Passion of Music

Remember the very first time you picked-up a guitar? In my case it was a Yamaha nylon acoustic my mom used to have lying around in a green soft case. It wasn't used much except when I took it down and gave it a few strums.

(the rest of the story later, got something more exciting here below ...)

I was updating FaceBook today and came-upon this post of a kid holding a guitar linking to YouTube. Curiosity of course ... but lo ... behold ... and be ashamed at not trying harder. Sungha rocks and makes me proud!



No news yet if he's coming out with an album, but I'd buy it and put it next to my other favorites like Laurence and Ilsey Juber (my thanks again to David Perry for bringing me along for sushi and the show at Santa Monica which I previously blogged about).

Frappr Map

Frappr