My thoughts... - simplyuniq's Blog - Bakotopia

To all the Bakotopia PEEPZ....

We hope you all can join us in Delano Cecil Avenue Park for some food and entertainment! Thanks. Come and Join us at Philippine Weekend.

The HOT 94.1 Central-Cali Showdown is on Saturday night....

And at the park on July 26 and July 27, 2008...

On Friday night, some good cookin' Pork Adobo contest... Try out the best adobo cooked!

Are there any Dance Crew out there?

Hey all, I'm just checkin' if there are any dance crew out there interested in competing in our event Central Cali Summer Showdown? I know there are a lot of talented dance crew out in Bako and around. If you are interested in competiting, let me know...

RED SHIRT FRIDAY'S?

I'm just checkin' if anyone else knows about the RED SHIRT FRIDAY? My work now will support it to wear Red Shirt on Friday. Boss got a hold of the message yesterday. We were out finding red in our closet or puchasing new ones. :-) It is good to support the troops... I'm glad he is all for it.

http://www.redshirtfriday.org/

The Top of the Class - NEWSWEEK

CONGRATZ Stockdale High School...

www.newsweek.com/id/39380

The complete list of the 1,300 top U.S. high schools...

Public schools are ranked according to a ratio devised by Jay Mathews: the number of Advanced Placement, Intl. Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2007 divided by the number of graduating seniors. All of the schools on the list have an index of at least 1.000; they are in the top 5 percent of public schools measured this way. If you have 2007 data showing that your school should be on this list, please contact Mathews at challenge@washpost.com. Note: Subs. Lunch % is the percentage of students receiving federally subsidized meals. E and E % stands for equity and excellence percentage: the portion of all graduating seniors at a school that had at least one passing grade on one AP or IB test. For more information on methodology, see our FAQ; please leave your comments on the list in the comments box below.

RANK SCHOOL LOCATION STATE INDEX SUBS. LUNCH E&E

904 Stockdale Bakersfield Calif. 1.454 13.6 27.9

GooG 411

Add this number to your cellular or landline for a free 411 with no ads. Save ya some bucks on INFO...

1-800-GOOG-411

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Change you can XEROX!

It was interesting to watch the Democratic debate in Texas last night on TV.

I just had to laugh when Hillary is acting like a 6 year old. O well... The battle continues. I'm glad the Republicans are well set on their candidate while the kids still try to fight out their differences in the other side. Grow up!

A cup of coffee....

Every morning, we go to the same routine in the office in which one of us will make the regular coffee and the flavor coffee. The office is hooked on the Columbian Beans as some of us are into the flavor coffee such as Hazelnut, French Vanilla and so on in which rarely it ever finishes in the morning.

This morning is different. I made the flavor coffee and printed a label of Starbucks and taped it to the pot of the regular flavor coffee that they all drink each morning. Wow, what a response from the office and the field personnels that came in just to have the coffee and the news spread out back as the pot of coffee were gone in minutes.

I let my co-worker in the switch and how we are so cultured as we crave for the name rather than the taste of the coffee. Just to show how powerful Starbucks has a hold on us, the switch in label from flavor coffee to Starbucks has the consumer thinking it is better than just a regular cup of Joe. They say, it taste better than the regular flavor coffee we usually make.

HAHAHAHAH! I guess I'll have another Starbucks. :-) I had to share this with you all.

Proposition 8...

If you purchased your home during the boom and now the market value had declined, proposition 8 may help you all on your property tax.

Contact the office of kern county assesor - recoder at 661.868.3240

PROPOSITION 8 (DECLINE IN VALUE):
Proposition 8 allows the Assessor to review both the factored base-year value and the current market value of a property as of January 1 of each year and enroll the lesser value. When the current market value replaces the higher Proposition 13 value, that lower value is commonly referred to as a "Prop 8 Value". In no circumstance can the Assessor value a property higher than its Proposition 13 factored base-year value.

Although the annual increase for Proposition 13 values is limited to no more than 2%, the same restriction does not apply to values adjusted under Proposition 8. Actual market value must be enrolled as a Proposition 8 value and any subsequent increase or decrease in market value is enrolled regardless of its percentage. However, when the current market value of a Proposition 8 property exceeds its factored Proposition 13 base-year value, the Assessor simply reinstates the factored Proposition 13 value.

Property owners who feel that their assessed value exceeds current market value should contact our office and request a Proposition 8 review. The last day to request a Proposition 8 review of the assessment on the current tax bill is October 30. Requests made after October 30 will apply to the upcoming tax year. Owners may also elect to file a formal assessment appeal during the open filing period.

Voice Over IP - My Experience...

VOIP Phone Service

Vonage? Packet8? Skype? Viatalk? Hmmmm, so many choices. I moved to the VOIP for about a year 1/2 now at first with Packet8 then now to Viatalk. Landline? Really, is it needed since we have mobile available at all times, still we have a home line for the purpose of just having one. AT&T is the main provider for landlines and paying for the amount of close to $60 for limited long distance and the used of local service, it wasn't logical to stay with the service. So, there I was one evening after seeing an advertisement for VONAGE and decided to research more about it. I figure, Vonage is not the only company in play around the area and come to find out that many other companies as good as Vonage or even better can offer the same service for a better price. I jotted down my main interest and researched some more. Having cable broadband at home makes a difference since DSL might not be able to cover the bandwidth that is required for the service and leaving you with calls that are not suitable for used which are the main complaints of some customers. As for my experience. The calls are clear and with the benefits of having all the options available for one price. I couldn't be much happier. Just an example, my line dials the same time to my mobile, my voicemail is emailed to me, I can talk unlimited nationwide in the USA and Canada for free, I can customize my caller id that calls me, call waiting, call forwarding and so on....

Technology today are coming in fast and I guess if you don't research and try it. You'll be left behind. Brighthouse offers the service also with their packages. Quite expensive though.

Recently, I am with viatalk. I'm paying for a 2 year service that is costing me about $11.00 a month that includes unlimited long distance and all kinds of options for it. That's just a deal that I signed up for 2 years. You pay for a year and get another year free.

VOIP works! You can keep your local number too. Well, do your research and save! There are plenty of companies out there you can use. That's a little tech info for now.

CALIFORNIA FRONT LICENSE PLATE LAW

Well, with the hot topic in the Californian today. Here is the break down of this law.

If you purchase a vehicle from a dealership and did not have a front license plate bracket. They are breaking the law. I'd go back and get these installed. Unless they have a signed form stating you refused the bracket installed. Then, they have nothing on you.

$25 for a ticket if you do not have a license plate up front. After a while, it will add up.

Front License Plate Bracket

11713.17. (a) Following the retail sale or lease of a motor vehicle for which the department issues two license plates, a dealer may not deliver the motor vehicle unless either of the following occurs:

(1) The motor vehicle is equipped with a bracket or other means of securing a front license plate.

(2) The dealer obtains a signed written acknowledgment from the person taking delivery of the motor vehicle acknowledging both of the following:

(A) The person expressly refused installation of a bracket or other means of securing the front license plate.

(B) The person understands that California law requires a license plate to be displayed from and securely fastened to the front of the motor vehicle and that the hardware necessary to securely fasten the front plate is available from the dealer.

(b) A manufacturer or distributor may not sell or distribute in this state a new motor vehicle for which the department issues two license plates, unless that motor vehicle is equipped or provided with a bracket or other means of securing the license plates.

Added Sec. 1, Ch. 365, Stats. 2004. Effective January 1, 2005.