11 Small & Big Things I Thank God for 2011 and 12 Things I Wish God will give us in 2012

11 Small & Big Things I Thank God for 2011 and 12 Things I Wish God will give us 2012

The Astro Family of Lemoore is so thankful as usual - almost every year, there are so many things we want to thank for - a joy for us, a blessing and grace from God, our Father, here are just 11 of them that we can randomly think of:

1. Sam excelling in every level of school: reading, writing & sports. Thank you my Lord for my son’s talent & gift.

2. Myla for staying strong inspite of her dad’s emergency situation. Tatay (Father in Law) has been struck by Alzheimer's and recent health failure that Myla has to be with him for a month for what we thought would be his last days. Thank you my Savior for endurance of Myla and her family.

3. Gaining momentum in our MVOSS Creations Business inspite of this sagging economy and tough competition we were able to be on the black. Thank You Father for opening doors for us and guiding us in managing and running all aspect of the business.

4. Passing every physical training in the Navy. In spite of my addiction to rice (there you go I said it, I am a Riceoholic) I was able to maintain the weight standard required for my duty. Thank you my Provider.

5. Mom finally got settled to her new and better home. 300 miles away from her nearest relative & son - alone in a nursing home is a tough call for us to manage. Finally getting her Medicare and Social Security back is a great praise. Thank you Father for giving us our needs.

6. Dad surviving a medical miracle. Papa can finally walk again at age 84 and do most of the things he use to do. This is only possible because of intensive prayer and the people around him patiently taking good care of him the past 2 years since he have that health failure and went back to health. Thank you my Heavenly God for the miracle.

7. Phoenix, Oahu - Hawaii, San Francisco, Dallas, Los Angeles and other road trips. For 7 years now we have the traditional annual road trip and monthly getaway that continues to prove that God’s playground is all around us and we just need to find the time and set our priorities straight - we only live once and we must capture the beautiful around us. Thank you Jesus for giving us time & opportunity to travel.

8. Healthy prostrate, heart & allergy free. Though some medication can help ease some of the pain, a doctor’s visit confirm that I am physically healthy and hopefully will continue to be with right attitude, right diet and right lifestyle. Thank you my Savior for lifting me up from all the discomfort and pain.

9. Debt settled, free from bondage. With a drastic lifestyle change, cutting back on some unnecessary expenses, shopping at thrift stores, recycling, and more we can live comfortably without resorting to many wants & tempting luxuries. Thank you my Provider for your grace and humbling us with your wisdom and total control of our life.

10. Daisy. Ever since we adopted this Terrier-Dachshund mutt chihuahua looking dog - we never look back and she became a big part of our human family. We never had a pet because we love to travel and we thought we will have to change our lifestyle - we did not. Instead Daisy joined our lifestyle and travels (except Hawaii). Thank you my Counselor for the comfort and joy that you gave us through Daisy.

11. Local Community. Not only the Navy community and housing gave us convenience but able to contribute or volunteer our time with the community. My Eternal Father, thank you for giving us opportunities to serve you and your people and giving us a great community.

In my 12 wishes, I would like to be practical and realistic instead of world peace or saving the world, in no particular order, we ask our Father for the following in 2012:

1. Perfect location Next Year. Negotiating for orders takes skill and luck, today I applied for Instructor duty in San Diego although I am 3 months early on my window. We love Lemoore, but the Navy have to take us some place else, hopefully get a place were we can live permanently and at the same time a good place to educate Sam and establish my new career and Myla’s business: East, West or Overseas - we leave it all to my Provider (just like we did from Connecticut to California - 3 years ago).

2. New MVOSS Business Equipment and more plus in our business with new clients

3. Up surge of profit and contribute to employment in South Valley and future locations.

4. An excellent health

5. 10 pounds less

6. European Tour

7. Overseas duty

8. Complete my 1st Dissertation

9. Certificate Credentials

10. 10,000 Likes on my Navy Career Wise Facebook Page

11. Better Apps & Gadgets: GPS, Tablet & Computer (hint, hint)

12. A Bike

Top 10 of What I Could Learn from Steve Job's Biography: Book Review Part 1 of 3

I am currently reading 3 books at the same time: Googled (The End of the World as We Know It) by Ken Auletta, I Never Thought I'd See the Day by Dr. David Jeremiah (Culture at the Crossroads on Christian perspective) & Steve Jobs Biography by Walter Isaacson (Audio). More than halfway through or 25 Chapters so far, I am learning the life of the iconic Apple co-creator Steve Jobs. I thought I ought to share this because I think we can all pick up something from some people considered to be the Edison or Benjamin Franklin of our time but based on his biography - he seems ordinary, just a little cocky, stinky, Machiavellian and just a good salesman. Here is what I remembered so far:

1. He was an adopted child from an educated Syrian immigrant by a Coast Guard Petty Officer turned carpenter. Although he felt abandoned and was aware that he was adopted at an early age, he felt loved by his adoptive parents from the Bay Area.

2 He learned from his adopted father Paul the attentive craftsmanship that even the most unpractical part of cabinet, that is the back should be made at its best.

3. Steve Jobs have a strong body odor for not taking regular shower that we was often get kicked out from meeting from his early stage. Sometimes in his barefoot and many of his fellow managers thinks he is rude and ruthless some people thinks he is just being upfront.

4. He is a vegan, all the way through and believes that he don't need to take shower as often because he does not eat meat. He consider himself spiritual but turned away from Christianity at an early age of 14 (i think) after showing his pastor a picture of malnourished person claiming how God can do such thing.

5. His sister was a New York author that writes novels based on Jobs and his family. His sister hide the secret from his birth father about their accidental meeting from his fathers Bay Area restaurant. His father know Steve Jobs but never knew he was his son, he just know him as a big tipper. At the end he did not recognized his birth father as his dad.

6. He lives in a humble house with no security until the end of his last moments as influenced by his belief that money or material things are destructive. His motivation was not money but living with a legacy.

7. He was fired from Apple during the invention of Macintosh and was considered a failure by the standard of Windows, Dell Computer, Compaq, HP. 11 years later, his best friend Larry Ellison of Oracle (that Steve Jobs's son considered him as their rich friend) convinced him to return to Apple by buying over 40% of its stock but Steve declined his offer. Based on his strong spiritual Zen or Buddhist belief that he will return to Apple in a clean way.

8. He dropped out of a community college to work at HP and later Xerox and that is where he "stole" some of his ideas with the help of his partner Wozniak.

9. Like one of his insecurities of being abandoned, he also "abandoned" his daughter from wedlock - Lisa that he later on named his next major computer invention before the Macintosh: LISA. They later lived together with his current wife and two other children from his only wife who was a Stanford graduate student he met while Steve was giving a lecture. Steve also had relationship with rock star Joan Baez who was an ex-lover of Bob Dylan- Steve Jobs idol.

10. Bill Gates thinks that Steve Jobs is not technically adept on software & a poor manager in the 80s during the Windows boom and advised the Apple Board not to take him back after he was ousted for over 11 years. Steve on the other hand thinks Bill Gates products was inferior and was "stolen" from him. While Steve was out of Apple he created Pixar (after the movie Toy Story's success which Disney thinks it's their product) which was his actual first big success financially before Apple's biggest success in the late 90s.

So far, this book is highly engrossing and lots of vivid anecdotes and life of an inventor, manager, father, son, husband, enemy, designer, artist and more. I couldn't stop listening to finish the other half of the book. I am still in the part where he returned to Apple after being ousted and he presented himself in the stage at the board and became popular again after being considered ruthless and a bad manager in his early days at Apple - way before the birth of iMac, iPhone & iPad.

I highly recommend the book and will be back to finish the rest with another review and what I actually learned personally and professionally from Walter Isaacson's Biography of Steve Jobs. This book actually inspired me in a lot of ways to enhance my creativity and at the same time be humble in trying to accomplishing our goals - so far.

Top Ten Tech That Taken me over in Two Years Time (What's IN and What's Out to Tony)

Wow, I am back to school again and so my writing brain is pumped again. I started using some gadgets I never used before that I find it more efficient now than before (2 or so years ago) here is 10 of them – so far:
1. Microsoft Office is OUT, Google Documents is IN: I stopped using Microsoft Word in saving my papers and actually to write my paper and I now use the web based Google Documents. I can do and save my homework anywhere I go.

2. Telephone is OUT, Facebook Message is IN: I know phone call and face to face has many advantages but let’s face it, the way we communicate has drastically change but for me even more connected because as soon as you feel like saying something, 300 of my friends already know what, when, how, where and why I live.

3. Email is OUT, Facebook Feeds is IN: Alright now, why would Goldman Sachs would invest billions of dollars on Facebook? They saw that potential that some of us are still struggling to accept the Facebook fact. I remember some folks struggling to use email and would rather type a memo on a typewriting machine. Yes to some FB may be a bad tool, it is how you use it to your advantage.

4. DVD Rental & Purchase is OUT; File sharing via Torrent is IN: Common, it is not stealing, it is sharing. If you have a DVD or music you wanted you download them from those who uploaded them for free. Free is good. It's the E-conomy - get it?
5. PC is OUT; Laptop is IN: Why get a desktop when you can get the same power in a more mobile laptop.

6. Laptop is OUT; iPhone is IN: Well, what is more mobile than a laptop that can do as much: iPhone (I probably disappoint some BB & Droid users but you get my grip).

7. Cable is OUT. Roku / Streaming is IN. Common sense baby, it's the ECONOMY.

8. Video or pocket camera is OUT. iPhone is IN: Not only you can share them right away (that is photos are meant for) but you carry them in most “Kodak” moments.

9. CD listening is OUT; Pandora & Torrent is IN

10. Internet Explorer or Firefox is OUT; Google Chrome is IN: Reading and surfing with a click on an Apps was refreshing and breeze.

Just my 2 cents, you can check it out yourself.
Tony Astro

5 Things We Did and 5 Things I Learned from a 5 Day Las Vegas

We recently took a week off for an opportunity to attend a Business Expo in Las Vegas without our son to take advantage of 5 things: couple’s night (a break from kids stuff), get samples or learn new products, network with fellow businessmen and see all the fuss about the “Adult Disneyworld”: Las Vegas. I have so many observations but here is just 5 of my random thoughts about our 5 days there in the city known as "what happens there stays there" - with Blog, Facebook and iPhone, I don't think so.


1. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. The best buffet is not in Vegas. We tried 4 of the most popular buffet including the Mandalay Bay for $29.00. On our last day we tried the $19.00 buffet in Todai (with branches around the world) – we were more satisfied. Do your homework and go beyond just reviewing sights, sushi, shows in Vegas but compare it to other cities - you may be better off doing it there. Vegas are all lights but may have no real brights.

2. SELF CONTROL. When something is too good to be true, it’s probably is. Those Time Share salespeople that offer you a free ticket to best show like Lion King are sharks and it was a tough fight. What does a furniture club, RV, Price Club (or Sam’s Club), Vacation Club (also known as Time Share) has in common? – they are all BAD investments or worst deals. Imagine after we attended a time share presentation to get a free show ticket in Vegas for the first time, we were offered a vacation condo that we can own for $42,000 at a $700 monthly for 3 years to pay and 1 week of vacation for $175 on 5 star resorts. For one hour, the investment wisdom - after we do the math - doesn’t make sense. So we went through 3 levels of sales presentation ending up at $4,000 at $200 monthly (imagine how much mark up they have) BUT we stil decline for that vacation home because we thought it is still the worst deal you can make (for those who had, maybe it is more suited for you - good luck). We ended up with just having a free Lion King show and mortgage-free.

3. BE HONEST. You don’t have to keep a secret to stay in Vegas. Take advantage of the “worldly fun” and use it to learn how materialistic we are in terms of classifying what is cool and what is bad and expose them.


4. SEEK GUIDANCE. With so many worldly temptations like gambling, sex, and alcohol around you in Vegas – if you don’t have the guidance of the Holy Spirit – you may be tempted to roll that dice or check out one of those blinking light establishment. We had a sip of Tequila, Bud light & dance our night at LAX and use the $50 cash on a roulette - we have for free from the Time Share but we know we are playing with fire – but we seek and know His presence in our life.

5. PLAN & TAKE ADVANTAGE. I would not go to Vegas unless there is a symposium or EXPO or event because there are some good things here that you want to taste like the best show The Lion King (according to them & honestly I wanted to watch something else more adult but thanks to my wife – she has more self control) - but I would not ever plan of coming back unless I have to.

Like I said on my FB comment:Enjoying the 3 day weekend at home- after 5 day in Vegas, if you ask me, I'd rather be home - the simplest living gives more joy. It's true, the "Best Things" in life are simple & sometimes free. Thank you Lord for the Vegas trip - though we enjoyed some worldly fun we "in joy" more of Your presence in our home.

To rate our stay from 10 (awesome) to 1 (ouch) star we would say it is a 5 star and 10 star for staying home or camping with Sam in the Sequoias.