Thoughts on doing jury duty

Nothing like starting off 2012 with a glorious two weeks of jury duty. Yes, unlike most of my peers, my first work day of the new year did not occur until the third week January - all thanks to that little piece of paper that comes once in awhile in the mail to remind you of your civic duty as a United States citizen. The timing of it all perhaps could have been better (my boss was certainly not a fan of seeing his employee not show up for work post Christmas break for another two weeks), but of course my usual nonchalance failed to notice on the jury summon just how awkward the date turned out to be.

For it was not until that first Sunday of 2012 that I remembered I had jury duty that week, and as fate would have it, I had to report on in person on that Monday (I was desperately hoping for one of those chances where I wouldn't have to show up at all the whole week.) In hindsight I really should have requested for an alternate date because I was all ready to go back to work and other stuff with the kind of renewed rigor that comes with the turn of a calendar year. Instead I was stuck in a room with the same people for two straight weeks listening to the same story, while getting "paid" a pittance.

LIKE GOING THROUGH AN AIRPORT

Of course I have been summoned before - and narrowly escaped serving the duration. It still amazes me the level of efficiency the State has in processing the sheer number of people each day going through the gates (so to speak) and sitting through the selection process. Makes me wonder just how on earth they managed such a feat before the days of computers and databases. Judging by the state of the jury reception room at the Hall of Justice where I went to serve, that place was definitely in use before the digital revolution. Must be just insufferable back then.  

Before we even get to that, I must direct your attention at the front door of the building. Being a public building of significance, of source the Hall of Justice would have the robust kind of security checkpoint with the common scanners and metal detectors, not unlike those at Airports these days (except they haven't got full body x-ray scanners - yet). Obviously getting hundres of people into one building but having the need to check everybody for dangerous materials created a natural choke point. For the first couple of mornings I was actually late even though I was on time (?) because I had waited a good 15 minutes to go through security. 

I did however find it amusing each morning seeing people who sag there pants take off their belts so not to trip up the metal detectors. It is like really, what are the belts for? Clearly not holding up your pants because after all they have been down to your knees ever since I started noticing you walking along with me to enter the building. So is it all in ironic fashion then? A fashion statement? Because clearly that belt serve no practical function. Now I am certainly not against the aesthetics of sagging pants as a subset of the greater fashion culture (I have certain done it myself in my previous ages), but to then wear a belt at the same time just screams stupidity. It appears to the outsider that the person sagging his pants does not have the cognitive ability to use a belt (and these are adults!)

A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE WHO DON’T WANT TO BE THERE

It really is an interesting dynamic that goes on at the jury reception room - the room where everybody that is summoned on that day for that time slot get packed in together to await for their call to specific court rooms. Now on the positive the room is big, airy, and has comfortable tables and chairs. It even has lavatories and vending machine should you fancy some snacks.

The positives ends there of course, because there nothing quite like the mood a room full of people who really can't be bothered to be there in the first place. You can sense it and see it in everybody's face. They are all projecting the same message: I have got better things to do than to sit here (potentially all day) and waste my time. Small talk is virtually non existent, because everybody is just trying to get it over with and get out of that place with as little mental and physical exertion as possible. Is this the kind of attitude the Justice Department wants for something as important as determining another person's destiny? Well too bad, because that is exactly what they get when you pluck normal citizens out of their busy lives and routines. 

I would hate to imagine the time before we all got smartphones, laptops, and mobile internet. How did we survive the long agony of waiting? Thank heavens I live in such an age of interconnectivity. My iPhone certainly made the wait for my name to be called a much less painful process. And probably for the lot of people in that reception room, mobile broadband alleviated much of the pain of the jury selection process (one can conceivably even get work done.) 

Of course they would then show us the motivational video on why it is so important to perform jury duty. The Hall of Justice really need to upgrade their AV equipment because the television they used to show the video is so old and small that in the large room that is the jury reception, me sitting in the back could barely see anything (which ended up being a good thing.) Perhaps they realize no one pays attention to the video anyways (and the showing of it is just part of the process to just say they did it) so it makes no point to upgrade the television to something bigger. 

I would however welcome the option for those who have seen the video already (meaning have been summoned before) to just skip it. Sadly, there wasn't. 

THE JURY SELECTION PROCESS

My name gets called along with something like 30 other name, and we were then directed to go to courtroom number 13. This is of course the heart and meat of the selection process. Upon walking into the courtroom one thing was immediately clear to me - the counsel the District Attorney's office has sent is brand spanking new straight out of the bar exam (turns out I was right - not even a year this guy has worked in the DA office.) I give him kudos though, as he exuded confidence, and not of the arrogant quality either. Though my advice to him is please don't stand right in the sight line of the court room door and stare right at the lot of people that was coming in for jury selection - it just makes them uncomfortable. 

The case at hand was 14 misdemeanor counts (a mix of disturbing the peace, trespassing, and resisting arrest) against the defendant, who is being represented by a public defender (He haven't even got enough cash to post bail - he stayed upstairs in jail for the duration of the trial.) Now typically for a case like this, the counsels are looking for juries who haven't got any police biases, whether it be in a positive or negative light. Sure enough, during the questioning process, anybody that revealed any strong opinions about police ended up getting excused (lucky!). 

They also excused those that formed conclusions too quickly and would not budge. Before the questioning of potential jurors, the judge read out all counts and charges - so we were all cognizant of just some of the details. It is all too easy then to formulate in our mind, applying ingrained prejudices, a sort of vague conclusion of just went on with the defendant and the charges. It is not wrong of course, just human nature. One does not need to be Sherlock Holmes to begin deducing from the facts (however little it might be) and form some conclusions. However there was those amongst us that kept to those conclusions, which is also not wrong, just not the correct fit for a jury trial. They were dismissed.

I was amongst the first 12 that got to sit on the "jury chairs" - meaning if I was not dismissed by either counsel for being unfit, I would serve for the entire duration of the trial as a member of the jury. My feelings about this was ambivalent: sure I wanted to get out of there as fast I as humanly possible, but I was not about to lie to do it (many casual discussion I have had with people about how get out of jury duty - consensus was lie about your police affiliations because more often than not a case would involve them.) I got one question asked of me, and it was whether or not a man raising his voice and cursing in public is reasonable. I answered that it of course depends on the situation, but if under the right circumstances I don't see how anyone can expect anything different. 

And that was satisfactory enough for both counsels to not kick me out of the jury lot. And so begins the two weeks of listening to evidence and deliberating. 

THE DYNAMICS OF A TRIAL

Nothing shows the beauty of the "innocent until proven guilty" idiom quite like an actual trial. And thank the heavens that I live in a country where such as concept is so. I cannot imagine or even want to know what it is like in countries where it was the opposite. Sure it may ultimately let some that are guilty fall through the cracks (looking at you Casey Anthony), but the main point it to prevent the innocent from being wrongfully charged. After sitting through the trial I came to have a newfound appreciation for the concept. 

Not to disrespect the what has to an enormous workload of the defense attorney, but having the single burden to prove all the charges meant the prosecution had to cover everything, from all angles. I know I am diminishing the task the defense has, but sitting there as a jury made it pretty obvious to me - all the defense have to do is to poke little holes in the prosecution's arguments. It was up to the DA to construct and describe in minute detail exactly what the defendant allegedly did, with witnesses and evidence to support. Cross examination by the defense was brieft and to the point, for all he had to do was introduce doubt about what the DA had just presented. 

Of couse the DA would do well not to torpedo his own arguments. Now I did mention the DA for the trial I sat in was new, barely a year on the job. In one particular witness presentation, he asked a cop on the stand whether or not he thought a crime was committed. The cop said no. That right there completely wiped out any chance of a guilty verdict on the count that it pertained to. During deliberations, almost all the jurors agreed that as soon as the cop said a crime has not been committed, a not guilty verdict popped into our heads. After the trial when speaking to the counsels, the DA lamented and agreed that it was the wrong question to ask. 

Speaking of questions, the most common objection heard from the counsels regarding each other's line of questioning is hearsay, and speculation. Hearsay is when a witness presents testimony in which he or she has no first hand contact or knowledge of, and relied only on what he or she had heard from other parties. For example one of the cops on the witness stand was giving testimony based on a report written by his partner, and not himself. The defense naturally did well to point out this fact and to us, the jury, practically everything the cop said turned to nothing. 

Speculation is when a witness gives testimony on what he or she thinks another person thought about a situation - even if it seems like a reasonable deduction. One cannot speak for what another person thought or felt. Anyways, objections of hearsay and speculation came up so many times throughout the trial that by the second week of testimony, I was able to anticipate the objection even before the counsel spoke up.

I can see why trials can take such a long time now that I have served on a jury: lining up witnesses and asking questions takes a tremendous amount of time. Like jurors, witness have their own lives and work to attend to, and often times have trouble showing up to court to testify at moments notice. If they can't make it to a specific time slot, the trial will just have to be adjourned until a time they can. Questioning takes a long time because while tedious, the prosecution (and the defense for that matter) must be meticulous so not to leave anything out. Something as blatantly obvious as the occupation and duty of a witness must be clearly spelt out - not only to create a clearer picture for the jury, but for the record.

SPEAKING ON THE RECORD

Anything and everything about a trial: procedures, instructions, questioning, testimony, cross examination, etc must be recorded on paper. Every little detail has to be recorded. That burden falls upon the court recorder, who types on what I would like to call a Stephen Hawking machine. The machine allows the recorder to type way faster than any human can with an ordinary keyboard because a few keystrokes on the it will spell out the entire word.

That being said, it is still a lot of stuff to record, and often times the recorder had to ask people to talk slower so that she has time to write down everything. It does get tedious too because paper hand outs such as instructions to the jury by the judge must be entered into the record. The judge had to read every instruction out loud, and the recorder must enter it all (I guess they could not just copy paste.) At one point there was 20 pages of words that the judge read out loud even when half of it was just repeats of the same; all for the sake of entering it into the record.

Which brings me to my point - with all the video recording technology that is available to us, why not film the court sessions instead of typing it down the old fashion way? To think that before the Stephen Hawking machine was invented, people had to type on typewriters and traditional keyboards! I don't think anything will capture the entirely of a trial quite like a video camera. Sure people may worry about the the authenticity and the security of such medium, but if court house are as secure and safe as we like to think it is, then it should be no problem right?

Perhaps clarity of the video and audio may be the concern, but in this golden age of high definition recording, those concerns are unfounded. Now I am not trying to bust court recorders across the nation out of their jobs (though it will probably save them from the displeasure of carpal tunnel syndrome), they certainly have my respects, having to type ceaselessly with such detail. But it would certainly make reviewing records easier. During deliberation when we wanted to hear testimony again, the court recorder comes in and READS it to us out loud. A video footage of the same testimony given would be so much more interactive and easier to view, not to mention you can see the actual emotion of the witness as he or she answers the questions (something you just cannot get from a person reading off a manuscript.) 

YOU’RE PAYING ME HOW MUCH!?

I have gotten plenty of questions about how much do they pay you for jury duty (the stipend, if you will.) Unfortunately, it is not a lot. 17 dollars a day is what the State of California pays its jurors. For me, it ends up breaking even. Parking everyday near the Hall of Justice cost 10 dollars, and the rest of that $7 pays for lunch at the local fast food joint of choice. We do get an hour and a half for lunch, but when you car is impounded at the lot with no in and out privileges, my food options amounted to how far I am willing walk.

Consider yourself tremendously lucky if your employer will pay your salary while you are on jury duty. I am not one of those people.

THE DELIBERATION PROCESS

Jury deliberation process is another marvel to itself. Keep in mind that in a criminal trial, in order to pronounce a verdict (does not matter if it is guilty or not guilty), agreement amongst the jury must unanimous. Otherwise the jury is hung. In my case, we had 12 jurors and 14 counts to all agree on. That task was not easy to say the least.

If you heard they lock the jurors in a room until they come up with a verdict, you would be right. The room is tiny enough just to fit all 12 jurors, with a sink, fridge, microwave, water, and restroom access. Basically no one should have  the need to venture out of that room lest breaking for lunch. A sheriff deputy is on the watch the whole time outside so there is no funny business. Of course this is done to prevent outside tampering, but being inside that room for myself, I think it is also incentive to just get on with it.  

Remember earlier when I said that all the defense had to do was poke holes in the prosecution's case? That concept comes to light in the deliberation process. In order to come up with a guilty verdict, there must be zero doubts that the defendant did that crime. if there is even an inkling of doubt, you the jury must find him or her not guilty of that charge. More often then not the doubt is introduced by the defense; but sometimes doubt also shows up if the prosecution did a poor job of coming up with enough evidence. The often heard "guilty beyond a reasonable doubt" sums up this important point.

It is an important point because it made things so much easier during the deliberation process. The judge gives the jury a packet of instructions outlining each count and what points must be satisfied before you can give a guilty verdict. The evidence presented by the prosecution must prove ALL the points as outlined - if anyone one is not proven (or there is doubt that it might not be true), then you must return a not guilty verdict. This material that helps the jury deliberation was a bit of a surprise to me because, and I am sure all the other jurors also (speculation!), I thought we just have a grand old chat about everything based on our notes!

I am glad there is such a system in place, because it really forces the jury to think about everything and not leave anything out. We took a vote before any deliberation had started on the verdicts of all the counts; needless to say after going through the process, practically all the opinions have changed. The process really impose upon the fact that there must be zero doubt for there to be a guilty verdict. 

Now trying to get all 12 jurors to have consensus on all counts took quite the effort. It got to a point where one side had to convince the other side (based on logic and evidence of course) to see it their way. Sometimes in the process of doing that those on one side will switch to the other! Even on counts where it seems as clear cut as day to you, someone will have a differing opinion. By laying out the facts, and carefully thinking it through logically, our jury returned verdicts on 11 our of the 14 counts. We hung on 3 of them because there was one person (the SAME person on all three) who just would not budge on their stance, even though it became blatantly obvious to the rest of us that we were correct on our stance. Oh yeah, things did get a bit heated because the rest of could not fathom just how on earth that one person can see it the other way. But it the end we just let it go because at the end of the day it does not really effect us, whatever the verdict may be.

IN CLOSING

While I do lament the time taken away from my real life, I think serving on a jury duty is something everyone should do once in their lifetime (granted you wouldn't ever want to do it again) It really shows you just how our judicial process works, and gives you a newfound appreciation for it. Consider ourselves lucky that we live in such a country where we get due process (lest you have terroristic aspirations, then you can throw due process out the window!), considered innocent until proven otherwise, and get judged by our peers, not some high reaching overlord.

For sure there has been times I have complained about just slow our judicial process is and how wasteful it is our taxpayers' money. I still stand by it to a degree (looking at you the entire appeals process), but I think ultimately it is worth the time and effort to get things right. 

My tech top 10

One of my favorite tech blog Apartment Therapy Tech (formerly known as unplggd) has an ongoing series where they feature a person and the top 10 technology related things that he or she owns. Each person's list sort of serves as a inner look into their daily lives because our generation is so intertwined with technology and gadgets.

Now the problem is, I am not big enough of a blip on the blogosphere radar to warrant a feature on that website. So to channel my inner Stephen Colbert, I would like to present my own tech top 10 list (and it is going to crush all other top 10 list.) In no particular order of significance:

1. Canon EOS 7D - My DSLR of choice. This 18 megapixel semi-pro photographing device is everything i need in a camera without robbing Peter to pay for it. Its magnesium body is practically indestructible, and with 19 cross focusing points, I might never have a shot out of focus ever again (haha!) The fact that it shoots video in HD 1080p is just icing on the cake. This thing will perform the bulk of my photographic assignments for years to come. 

2. Apple iPhone 4 16gb - What in the world would I do without my smartphone. It is definitely one of those things where before you had it, you cannot even imagine why you need it. Sure nobody makes phone calls anymore, but the ability to text, check social networks, and surf the web on the go is an enormous time saver (and the accompanying neck pain from looking down all the time.) The iPhone also has an awesome camera that will suffice for non-serious picture taking. I can't leave the house without it, heck I can't even roam within my house without it.

3. NEC LCD3090WQXi-BK 30in LCD Monitor - A photographer needs the largest and best monitor he can possibly afford in order to most efficiently (and accurately) edit his photos. I did just that by purchasing this 30 inch. 2560x1600 pixel monster. Having a such a large canvas makes editing photos a breeze - no need to zoom in and out or hover around in order to see every little detail. The fact that it is a display from NEC's professional line means quality will be top notch, colors will be accurate, and the thing will last. 

4. Corsair Vengeance K60 Mechanical Keyboard -  For Internet writers and bloggers like myself that have to hammer out 2,000 word articles on a regular basis, there is no peripheral more important than the keyboard. We need something sturdy, quick, accurate, and feels awesome to type on. Mechanical keyboards are the answer. Unlike the common keyboard, A mechanical keyboard uses actual, physical switches underneath the keys to determine when the user has pushed a key. The feel is much more tactile. I actually look forward to typing on the K60 because it a such a pleasure to use.

5. Apple iPad 16gb - It is against custom for me to purchase the first generation of anything (you know, let them test all the bugs out and wait for the second-gen), but the iPad absolutely suckered me in with all its "revoluationary-ness." The majority of what people use a computer for is now available in a one and half pound device. For me the main function of the iPad is book reading (thank you Amazon Kindle) and bedridden Internet surfing.

6. Sony Playstation 3 - I gave up PC gaming many many years ago due to the fact that chasing the lastest and greatest in computing/graphic technology in order to build PCs that can handle the games was just not financially feasible. Console gaming offers something more constant that therefore less draining on the pocketbooks (though price for games are still absurd - tip: buy used.) The reason I side with the Playstation colors instead of Xbox is due to one game franchise that is only available on the Sony console -Gran Turismo.

7. Sony NEX-5 + 16mm f/2.8 Prime - For those times when lugging around a five pound camera kit (plus another four pound worth of tripod) is just not feasible. This tiny camera allows me to take similar quality of shots as the bigger 7D (due to it having a DSLR sized sensor) and it fits in my (bigger) pocket. The NEX-5 has become my "point-and-shoot" camera that I take with me everywhere and anywhere I am not on photographic assignment. 

8. Sennheiser HD 555 Headphones - Being a nocturnal being and music lover like most of my peers, I needed headphones so I can listen my music at normal resonance without disturbing my neighbors during the evening hours. Of course, the headphones needed to be high quality and comfortable as well. These HD 555s are one of the best rated for the price point. Along with listening to music, I also use them to watch movies and play video games at night without awaking anyone. 

9. Apple Macbook Pro 13in Mid 2009 - If I had to choose a favorite out of the 10 things listed here, this Macbook Pro would be it. My entire digital lifestyle is sustained by this little five pound machine: web, music, movies, photos, and creative stuff. I may have another PC that is much faster, but this mac remains my main computing device. Not to mention I also take this to work with me so it pulls double duty and it never skips a beat. Admittedly it is a bit long in tooth, so I look to upgrade it later this year.

10. HiVi Swans M10 2.1 Speakers - These desktop speakers plug into my Mac for infinite amounts of aural pleasure during the day time hours. Supposedly built with high quality innards made in Germany (and you know the Germans make good stuff), but I didn't care because it looks so awesome. Honestly though these do sound great and I would recommend it to anyone who needs something compact for their desk.  

And all that good stuff - 2011 reflections

As another wondrous year winds down to an end, it is time once again for me to write my insanely long year end reflection blog post to commemorate the glorious year that is about to end in less than eight hours as of this writing (hello run on sentence!) 

First things first, this time of the year is all about people planning their New Year’s resolution to better themselves as a person for the year ahead. Now, I can easily beat the dead horse in rambling about how most resolutions go to die when the second week of January rolls around, but that defeatist attitude is apparently not welcome at a time like this, so I shall not. 

2011 RESOLUTIONS

Instead, I will brag about the enormous success that was my own New Year’s resolutions for 2011. Granted some may call it cheating to only have THREE resolutions to keep, but whatever, do not lay the blame on me for being actually responsible enough to set goals that is somewhat achievable. My advice is instead of having a list of resolutions a mile long (think I saw on the social networks someone working on a list of 50+ (!?)) and being satisfied you will only hit a few in the new year, have a few that you know the likelihood of achieving is great, so that when you do succeed in all of them, it is a much greater satisfaction.

Anyways, here are the thee New Year’s resolution for 2011 that I victoriously accomplished: 

• 1. Blog consistently
• 2. Be able to read Korean script (한굴 hangul) at normal speed
• 3. Stop being lazy - most of the time

sidebar: if you think I am just pulling these out of my ass, I kindly refer you to my  blog post, in which all of the above was proclaimed.

Allow me to elaborate further. If you are reading this right now, you would undoubtedly know that this is a my personal blog. For the year 2011, I wrote a grand total of 42 blog posts (and my posts are not short by any stretch of the imagination). While this may not challenge the output of blog articles of my previous years (a post a day was pretty common back in my Facebook notes days), when accounting for the amount of work and other stuff I had to do, overall I am pretty satisfied with 42 blog posts for the year. Of course I aim to break that record next year (2012 New Year’s resolution #1!)

I happen to have another blog - my photography blog, and that also got updated frequently in 2011 with pictures and articles related to my photographic endeavors. So it is indeed fair to say the 2011 New Year’s resolution of blogging consistently have been quite successful.

As for reading Korean script at a normal pace (I feel like I must reiterate, this is read and read ONLY, does not mean I understand it completely), well it was a just a natural growth process as I continued to watch Korean tv shows. The more I watched, the better I got at it. For sure I could have just completely ignore the Korean and instead read the Chinese subtitles that accompany the videos (Chinese subtitles because my brothers and sisters over in the great nation of China sub the shows usually by the day after it broadcasts in Korea), but why rob myself of the educational opportunity if I don’t at least attempted to learn the orignal language of shows that I watch every week all though the year?

Sidebar: the best thing about Asian television programming as compared to American is that there are no such thing as reruns. There is fresh material and new episodes week after week. Makes you think what kind of bull shit it is that you need to wait months between seasons of shows (or even when they take their usual holiday breaks throughout a season’s run). 

The caveat of “most of the time” that was stipulated in the stop being lazy resolution was that old habits are indeed really hard to die. My entrepreneurship teacher always say that entrepreneurs by nature are lazy, so with that obvious flawed logic I take with me the entitlement that I can be lazy once in a while and everything will still be completely alright. Of course the resolution was to stop being so lazy that it will be impede me in whatever I was trying to accomplish, and on that front I think I did pretty okay. Though It is incredibly hard to quantify and show just how not lazy I was in the year 2011, merely spewing off a list of accomplishments would seem highly narcissistic. But alas resolutions are ultimately for the person himself, so my own satisfaction in a non-lazy 2011 shall suffice.

My emotions in regards to my 2011 New Year’s resolutions can be best summed up by this well known internet meme: 

MUSICALLY SPEAKING

Like most people of my generation (the most awesome generation for sure), I am a big part of the whole music fanaticism and how music is my life kind of thing. 2011 saw my iTunes library swell past the 12,000 mark. While that pales in comparison to the true music packrats of the world, I am still young so eventually I will be in the league of those people because as each year roll past the collection will only swell further.

Having 12,000 plus songs at my finger tip (not in my pocket, because my old 5th generation iPod can’t possibly hold that much songs, even if I compress them to hell) makes for a great personal juke box for the man cave, but that’s about it. I honestly would be lying if I told you I actually listened to each and every song (some haven’t even got one play!). Out of the 12,000 plus songs, only about 1,400 of it gets into the regular rotation. 

Since this blog post is about reflecting on 2011, how to do it for music? Well this year I discovered the wonderful app that is Last.fm. It allowed me to keep track of all the songs I have played for the the entire year, no matter on my Mac, iPod, or iPhone. This newfound convenience and power allowed me to discover just which songs throughout the year have been most played. If music connects with the feelings of a person like we all think it does, then the most played songs of 2011 ought to reflect pretty darn well the overall vibe of my 2011. So here is my top 10 most played song of 2011:

• 1. Owl City - The Saltwater Room
• 2. SHINee - 누난 너무 예뻐 (Replay)
• 3. Girls’ Generation - Echo
• 4. 4minute - Bababa
• 5. SHINee - Hello
• 6. 周杰倫 (Jay Chou) - 她的睫毛 (Her Eyelashes)
• 7. 4minute - Huh
• 8. f(x) - 피노키오 (Danger)
• 9. f(x) - Hot Summer
• 10. 鄧紫棋 (G.E.M.) - All About U 

Just a whole mess of K-pop, two Chinese songs, and surprisingly an American song made it to the top spot.

PHOTOGRAPHY

2011 was a big year for my photography “hobby”, as I easily doubled the amount of the photography I have done in all the past years combined. One big factor was that I finally finished all forms of schooling (for now) back in May so half the year I was much more freed up to pursue photographic endeavors (I mainly do landscapes so having time to travel to different locales was a must). The other big factor was my work. Since March I have been doing marketing stuff for this eco-friendly stationery company called O'BON. There were numerous opportunities at work to utilize my photography skills such as product and model shoots.  

Unfortunately, for much of this year I had to use the same amount of kit I started the year with. I was so hoping I would have a new camera body and few more lenses to mess around with by now. But the whole can’t find a job in this economy for recent college graduates really screwed up the financial situation. But a photographer must soldier on, and by no means was what i already have crappy equipment (I do own the best lens money can by for my particular kind of Canon DSRL). But next year I do hope to save enough money to get at the very least a new (and better) camera body (New Year’s resolution #2!). 

I did get a new lens this year - finally getting a prime lens to go along with my walk around zoom (if you don’t get it by now, a prime lens is one that does not zoom). A new Sigma 50mm prime lens will do wonders for me in low light conditions and most importantly, portraiture! Sadly I did not get this lens until December, and have only gotten the opportunity to use it on one assignment. But I am very excited for the things I will do with it next year. Most of the stuff I have been shooting so far have been landscapes and objects, and I really hope to branch out to shooting people (the only time where it is absolutely okay to shoot people is with a camera. Oh right, New Year’s resolution #3!).

For 2011 I also did the most popular project amongst photographic hobbyist - the 365 challenge. As the name suggest, I must take a photo a day, every day for one whole calendar year. On paper it sounded like a piece of cake, but the discipline required to actually remember and continue take a picture a day was way more than I have ever imagined. Many a days I was dangerously close to forget taking a picture (a few 11.59pm shots was shamelessly accomplished). Hard to imagine that today will be the last day and the end to the project.

I am incredibly happy that I did the 365 challenge, because now I have a set of 365 photographs to look back on and reminisce about the song and dance of 2011. Those set of photographs really becomes sort of like a year book compilation. That is exactly what I plan to do with the photographs - make a book out of them. As I continue to do the project year after year (yes, the project will continue on indefinitely until I physically cannot shoot photos anymore), I will have a bookshelf full of year books, chronicling my life. 

GRADUATION

This year I finally completed my undergraduate education from San Francisco State with a degree in business entrepreneurship. It was perhaps one of the proudest moments of my life (yet) standing up there on stage during the entrepreneurship commencement celebration, giving my thank-you speech. A culmination of two years of the hardest schooling I have ever gone through absolutely paid off in the finest of ways. Most important of which I have a circle of great entrepreneurship friends that I know will keep in touch and hang out with for the longest of time, sharing battle (and success!) stories.

The goal of the entrepreneurship program at SFSU is for everybody that is tough enough to graduate from the program to start their own business. While I still have aspirations of attending MBA graduate school (partly to appease my ultra orthodox Asian parents), I have decided in 2011 to start my business anyways. Because there will most likely be a two year gap between undergrad and grad school, it seemed prudent to start the business now, at an extremely small level, and grow it up slowly but surely. And since my business is mainly photography, I have the ability to keep it on the side and not cost me an exorbitant amount of money. Thus, junction industries was born in 2011.

The ultimate vision of junction industries is to be a digital media company, spanning photography, videography, digital design, and music. But of course that is many years ahead in the future. For now the main focus is photography, as that is that one thing I am most brilliant at (not to mention it is still a one man show at the moment). Like I said, the company will grow very slow and steady from small to hopefully someday enough of a size to fit in a warehouse loft. For now, it is just a photography blog, and a registered .com domain name. At least no one can possibly steal the name from me (knock on wood). 

As previously mentioned, 2011 was a big year for my photography in terms of volume and skill advancement. I also happened to monetize a few projects, and sold a few prints as well. Overall it was pretty satisfactory, because the goal since graduation in May was not to start making money with my photography, but rather doing as much of it as a I can and improve, without the barrier of school to take precious time away from me to do so. But I do want to start monetizing more and more projects and sell quite a few prints next year (New Year’s Resolution #4!). 

SPORTING INTENTIONS

Can’t reflect on the year without my favorite past time (of all time) - sports. I am an avid fan of my local sport teams, especially the San Francisco Giants. 2010 saw them winning it all by taking the World Series Championship, thus for 2011 there was a large amount of expectations for the team to do well and challenge for the title once again.

I have never gone to as many baseball game as I did during the 2011 season of San Francisco Giants baseball. I am too lazy to count right now, but the number of games went to is easily above 20. Anytime the tickets was reasonably cheap, it was to the ballpark I went. For baseball there is nothing quite like being at the park and watching it live (gives some modicum of truth to the traditional 7th inning stretch jingle), and now that I have gone to so many games in a season, I will never go to any less per season for the rest of my life (when possible.)  A very special shout out to the small group of friends that joined me in the fabulous entertainment that is Giants baseball. Let’s do it again in 2012 (New Year’s resolution #5!)

Unfortunately the Giants did not fare so well in 2011. The pitching was still absolutely fantastic, but the offense was just too anemic to give them enough support to win games. The lost of Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez turned out to be unrecoverable, and towards the end of the year half the team was on the disabled list one way or another (What will forever be known as Black Tuesday). The Giants scored the least amount of runs in the National League, and missed the playoffs after winning the whole thing year before. As a fan it was a really sour note for me because the potential of the team was so great (and tangible, not just some made up hope of a fandom). 2011 season was a spectacular failure, and the great pitching was wasted. 

Still, going to so many games at the ball park was just awesome. Even when the team loses, the margin was so close that the games were for the most part always exciting. 

On the other hand, 2011 was a great season for the San Francisco 49ers, carrying with them a 12-3 record (and NFC West Division title) to the new year as one of the top Super Bowl contenders. It was a complete turn around from the previous decade of losing. New coach Jim Harbaugh was the final piece to the puzzle of a team filled with so many talented players that just needed proper guidance. I was never one of those people that railed on quarterback Alex Smith, and am happy to see him doing so well this season. NFL football Sundays have not been this exciting as they were in 2011 for the longest time.

Nothing like 49ers football in glorious high definition to highlight the weekend. Because unlike last year, I did not go to a live game this year. Hate to say it, but the 49ers’ stadium at Candlestick Park is an absolutely dump (it is the oldest football stadium in the league) and not a pleasant experience (world famous Candlestick weather patterns). No need to pay expensive tickets to see a football game when I get a better view from my couch at home.

AND ALL THAT GOOD STUFF

If there is one thing I take away from 2011, is that the the four pillars of family, friends, person, and work must all be in balance with each other. Meaning you can’t afford to neglect any one of them for the sake of another. I don’t think one can be happy that way, at least not at the stage of life where I am at. Sure you can solely concentrate on one aspect for a significant amount of time, and in some ways you should (some of my pals trying to start a business haven’t got the choice but to invest all their time into it), but please make sure you make it up to the other areas in due time. Especially your family. 

Anyways, 2011 was the best year of my life. That is how it is suppose to be right? I am at the point of my life where every new year should be the better than all the previous. The Chinese have saying during new years - 新年進步 which loosely translates to how you should improve with a new year. That is what I strive to do in 2012 and all the other years beyond it (insert joke about end of the world). 

Twenty four

For me, turning 24 years old has much more meaning than the much vaunted 25, also known as the quarter century mark. Granted when I do turn 25 next year, it will occur on the very special numerical date of 12/12/12, and it is going to be awesome (not to mention my automobile insurance will take a plunge to the cheap side.) Nonetheless, I turned 24 years of age yesterday, and with the usual lack of fanfare that is my birthdays over with, it is time to write down some random thoughts on the significance (if any) of turning 24.

Well, my parents can no longer claim me as a dependent (goodbye tax deductions, sorry Mother). So while turning the age pf 21 may traditionally signaled the beginning of adulthood and all the boozed up debauchery that goes along with it, in America nothing informs you of your adultness quite like having to file your own taxes. Here is to a life long tenure of paying annual tributes to "the man". Good thing we live amongst the age of great technology where there are programs that will allow me to file my own taxes no matter how complicated things get (right, like I make enough money to even begin to talk about deductions and itemizing). You know what would have been the perfect birthday present? Turbotax. 

Being patently Chinese (it annoys me when people say something is "patently" false), I am infinitely familiar with the Chinese zodiac. In Chinese culture, each new year is represented by an animal from the zodiac, in which there are 12. Thus every 12 years the rotation starts all over again. Birthdays in multiples of 12 are quite significant because the year of the particular zodiac in which you are born will repeat itself. I was born in 1987, the year of the rabbit. During the year when i turn 12, it was the year of the rabbit once again. No surprise, 2011 is the year of the rabbit, when I turned 24. Though sadly you certainly don't receive more Lunar New Year money for being the same birth zodiac animal as the current year (disregard nearly 3000 years of culture and start a new tradition anyone?).

Age of 24 also have educational ambition implications for me. According to the what now seemed highly naive plan, I was suppose to finish graduate school at 24, because that was the plan right? Graduate from high school at 18, four years of undergrad makes 22, and 2 years of graduate school leaves us with 24 (I can only laugh). So much for that, as I am just barely past half a year finished with my undergraduate studies. Whether it was due to personal failure of character (note: lazy) or economic situations (because having enough classes to take was never a problem during my tenure at SFSU..), things just did not work out as plan. 

Not only did I finish undergrad a year late, but to make matters worse I probably won't start my graduate studies for at least another year and a half (not like I am just sitting at home twiddling my thumbs - it is a matter of the application's necessities). So at this point it looks like I won't be done with the original plan at 24 until I am 28! Now on appearance this makes it looks like I am taking up something major like anything related to a hospital or an science lab - disciplines that naturally take a relatively long period to accomplish. But no, all I am going for is a Masters in Business Administration (MBA). So perhaps I am just a bit behind the curve?

Honestly, I don't think so. As I often tell my peers, our generation will live a really long time. The natural positive progression of medical technology, dietary (well, some of us) and hygiene means barring catastrophic acts of god (that would be natural disasters for your atheists) or nuclear annihilation, me and you will be seeing plenty of each other for decades to come. This means it is perfectly okay for me to be behind schedule on my educational goals set many years ago. So what if by the time I get my masters I will be at the twilight of my twenties? My asian genes promise that I will look just the same I do today (maybe even better). 

All the being established, for me being 24 years old  means one of those life transitions (though it kind of started a bit before that.) I am indeed done with undergrad, and have joined the workforce (99% in the house). No longer do I have to slave through a day of books sand numbers and come back home and still have to think about it some more. Something inherently liberating about leaving work and not have to think about it until the next day. Time is the thing that returns a bit to you, allowing me to spend more time with important people (or you know, watching lots of television).

The perspective and focus changes a fair bit. It may be incredibly cliche, but people do start to look at and wonder about what to do with the rest of their life once they have finished their undergraduate work. It is somehow that innate sense of boundary of what is planned for you and what you will plan for yourself. Having typical Chinese parents means education all the way up to undergrad is a given, but anything after that is entirely up to me. 

So that has been the meaning of turning 24 years old. Most importantly, 24 it is just a nice round and even number - much better looking than 25.