The Cuil Search Engine

As many of you know, and for those of you that may not, a new search engine was officially unveiled earlier this week called Cuil (pronounced “cool”). The search engine has received quite a bit of media attention as expected, but one thing that really surprised me was the fact that on Monday, the day of the official launch, I was playing with some random search queries to see what would display and I got an error response. This was very surprising. I’m not sure about you, but if it were me and I was launching something that I aptly named “The Google Killer,” I would make sure I had enough bandwidth for my visitors.

Now I’m not talking down about the engine, I like Cuil, but I just think that rolling yourself out as “The Google Killer” is a bold move. I think the engine will be around, but taking a chunk of Google’s pie may not be the easiest thing to do.

Juilliard School for Music and Drama

A buddy of mine who was interesting in becoming a musician and told me about The Juilliard School for music, dance, and drama in New York City. First of all, I never even knew of music schools like this. I think it’s awesome that schools specialize in such artistic fields of study for aspiring performers and recording artists. Needless to say, I did a little bit of research on the school. The Juilliard school was founded in 1905 as the Institute of Musical Art by Dr. Frank Damrosch who was convinced that American musicians should not have to go to England for their training.

The school changed it’s name to The Juilliard School in 1969 to reflect its broader artistic scope while keeping the values and principals fully intact. I think this is a great school for anyone looking to get into the field with it’s rich history and promising curriculum. I am all for my friend going to the school and would suggest the program to anyone looking to become an musical artist or performer. Plus, visiting the school is just another excuse to go to New York. The school website even lists out lodging options near the Juilliard campus. There are also travel recommendations on the page regarding distance and bicycle rentals in the city. I would like to go back out to the school just to see one of the many performances from the students.

Puppy Check-up

What a crazy week it’s been at home.  Nike and Biscuitt both got fixed last weekend so needless to say, it’s been a zoo at home.  The dogs have been running around and crashing into everything with their protector cones.  The cones have even cracked from their rambunctious play.  I try to get them to calm down but geez, they’re labs. I should be a better at keeping them calm, but when they see each other they just want to play and I hope to give them plenty of time outside of their kennels because they’re cooped up all day while my brother and I are at work.  Wow, was that a run-on sentence or what? Anyway, the stitches look good and we go in today for the check-up. Let’s hope they’re good to go because I want to take Nike to flag to see his brother and run-around in my buddie’s backyard.

Disney World in Florida

So my girl keeps bugging me about visiting the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. We took a trip to Orlando last year but didn’t have time to check out Mickey’s kingdom. I wouldn’t mind visiting the park though because I’ve heard the property is ginourmous, but what I really want to do is go back to Sea World in Orlando. I can’t bring that up though, I just dragged my girlfriend to the Sea World in San Diego on the weekend of HER birthday. She is so good to me. Our weekend trip to San Diego was so great that I think it would be awesome to plan another weekend getaway with just the two of us. I’m pretty sure we won’t have any trouble finding any Hotels near Disney World with that place being as big of a tourist attraction as it is. It will be fun regardless, but I think I’ll be able to con my way into a day with Shamu.

I’d really like to take this trip to make her happy, but I think it may have to wait. We are already going to be taking so many trips this year with my sisters wedding in Vegas in August, a visit to Denver in September, and my buddies college football game in the Twin Cities in October. It’s going to be a busy year, but I’m looking forward to every second of it. Until then, I’ll just go out and watch some Disney Movies.

Sarasota Blues Festival

If there is one thing I like about traveling, it’s going out and checking out live entertainment in cities that I visit. One that I would like to check out, is the Sarasota Blues Fest in Sarasota, Florida. Whenever I think of Florida, I think of nice white sandy beaches and crystal blue waters with a cool breeze tickling my skin. It’s just a quick daydream out of this Arizona heat. With the blues fest though, I’d be able to enjoy some live entertainment mixed in with the relaxation of Sarasota bay.

The Blues Festival is going on it’s eighteenth consecutive year this year so I’m sure this is a pretty big gig for blues players in the area. I’m not too into blues music like I should be. I don’t know artists or songs, but I can definitely appreciate the tunes and melodys the songs project. I really want to check out a blues concert sometime. One blues player I have been lucky enough to see live is Eric Clapton. He rocked the house in Phoenix when he played here last year. The sounds that blues guitarists make on their six-strings are unforgettable and innovative.

I don’t know if I’ll make the blues fest this year, but when I do I’ll want to get a Hotel in Sarasota close to the airport. That way, everything will be centrally located and easilly accessible. Seeing as though the Blues Fest in Sarasota is going on it’s eighteenth year and pushing on strong, I’m sure I’ll have plenty of chances to go out and enjoy the brisk breeze with some good tunes.

Choice Sports Travel???…Ya learn something new everyday!

So I just learned that Choice Hotels has a Sports Travel website for all of those sports enthusiasts of the world. The site is designed to help out anyone from the kids and young adults who can only make one game per season, to the parents who follow their kids for every road game. Little league coaches can even book rooms for their entire team. Being a former high school athlete for football, basketball, and track, I can definitely appreciate what this site is about. I thought this was a pretty cool concept and I’m still seeing family friends who can benefit from it. I have a buddy who plays basketball at Stanford and he has teammates who have road warrior parents. I am definitely going to let them know about the sports site that Choice Hotels offers. I’m not sure if the site is very old but regardless, it’s still very helpful.

New York City

One place I really want to visit again is New York City. I haven’t been there in quite sometime and although I can only take that humungo city in doses, I do miss the different culture. I had actually considered going out and studying for my MBA at Columbia University but those plans changed when I got a dog. I just think our pups would be happier in a more open area but still, I’d like to visit sometime. My girl agrees. I think she’d like it, she’s a total city-girl.

I want to go and check out the Rockefeller Center again, and catch a show at the Radio City Music Hall, and if it’s during summer, I have to take a jog in Central Park. There’s also Times Square, the Empire State Building, The Statue of Liberty. Geez, the list goes on and on the more I think about it.

The problem is that I’ve been there twice, once in summer and once in winter and I can’t decide which time was better. The great thing about the East Coast is the fact that they actually have four seasons unlike Arizona, where it’s only warm, and as hot as poop. I think the trip will actually need to be an extended one. I would like to go long enough to be able to show my girl all of the interesting sights and such. The next problem, would be finding affordable lodging. Hopefully I can stay at a pretty nice hotel in New York city at a decent rate. One thing is for sure though, the trip will cost a pretty penny but it will be worth it to make my girl happy.

Chinese Kid

So my buddy Lance, the Guru of SEO, decided he wanted to throw a link to my blog and I was completely ok with that idea. The only thing was that he threw “Dorky Chinese Kid” into the link text and now look what happened:

Sure it’s funny, but man…the dorky Chinese kid???!!!…. I’m the first result out of 26k. Now if I really wanted to be dropped for the term then I wouldn’t add the keyword into my content, but all in all, I think it’s pretty humorous.

San Diego, here we come…

My girlfriend and I are bombing out to San Diego tonight to get away for a weekend. It’s kind of our weekend alone and her birthday is tomorrow so it’s shaping up to be a good time. We have planned this out for awhile and I’m pretty excited. We both took Monday off of work so we’ll be able to relax and enjoy our time without any rush. We’re staying downtown near Horton Plaza so I’m sure my girlfriend will enjoy every second of that. It’s great timing for her too, we’re escaping the Phoenix monsoons for the weekend. I’m a bit bummed about that but if she’s happy, I’m happy.

Akron, Ohio – The Birthplace of AA

So here is an interesting tid-bit of information I just found out: Alcoholics Anonymous, or AA as others know it, was founded in Akron, Ohio in 1935. Most other people know the Akron and nearby Canton area for other great attractions such as the Pro Football Hall of Fame or the World Golf Championships – Bridgestone Invitational, but AA, now that’s interesting.

The birth of Alcoholics Anonymous is great and has done great things for many people. The only requirement to join is simply to have a desire to stop drinking. The meetings are set-up in a collaborative environment so those that are wishing to quit have the support of not only the faculty, but also peers who are in the same position.

I have heard of the Akron/Canton, Ohio area for various reasons including the two above and the brand-new Cambria Suites Luxury Hotel which opened up in April of this year and also the University of Akron which competes in the NCAA Division I-A in the MAC. But the birthplace of AA, now that is something to brag about.

Thank goodness I am Chinese and alcohol does not mix into my bloodstream well. I hate the taste, and believe it or not, I hate the feeling but it is all a blessing because I have seen what it can do to some people, especially being an ASU graduate and having been to my fair share of parties and seen what addicts do when they have consumed more than their portion of the alcohol. I just think it is cool that AA was started to help those that realize they have a problem. I’m sure it will continue to great things for those seeking help.

The end of a long weekend

The Independence Day weekend has just passed and I couldn’t be more pleased with how it went. I spent some time with my good buddy who had just gotten back from a study abroad in Germany, I saw Wall-E which was a great flick, and above all, I just got to relax and spend some quality time with my girlfriend. I got some much needed rest and I’m at it again for the week. I’m also heading out to San Diego this weekend for my girlfriend’s birthday. Busy, busy, busy…I’m definitely not complaining though.

Continuing The Path of SEO Knowledge

Search Engine Optimization has been an exciting career for me. Ever since my internship after my commencement from the Arizona State University school of business, my knowledge and curiosity of the online world have grown simultaneously. Who would have ever known that by changing a few words around in your content and getting a few people to link to you could make your site show up higher in Google?

It’s been great, but I know I still have a lot to learn. Coming to Choice Hotels International has only accelerated that path. I have many valuable resources and my team is great. In fact, one of my team members just received a promotion yesterday. After working in the department for a few years, she attained the title of “SEO Senior Search Analyst.” Things are going great that’s for sure and the SEO Guru, Lance Faulkner, has been a huge contributor to my knowledge. He continues to show me little tricks and such that the search engines seem to love. I know the field is always changing, but armed with the resources that I have I look forward to the years to come in search engine optimization.