Last month my friend @EmilysPearl sent me a link to a flickr meme showing a photo of what was in her bag that day and asking what was in mine. I love stuff like that and am finally getting around to sharing.

This is what I carried to work most of this week.  You see my Speck case, my VAIO, even the flavor of gum I like chewing these days (It’s sweet mint gum by the way). Click on the picture to see notes on all the contents.

This idea comes from a group on Flickr called “What’s in your bag”. If you have a minute, check the conversations in the group. It goes beyond just picture of purses, the comments and discussions are worth a read. I’ve gotten excellent advice on how to wear a red purse and have learned a from threads debating between sleeve over laptop bag. My Speck case, by the way, has lightened up since I started carrying my new VAIO.

You may also notice the box at the top. I’ve been carrying around a brand new Cyber-shot TX-7. I’m so excited to use this camera but I really want to do an unboxing video with it… I’ve just been too busy, so I’ve just carried it back and forth from work to home for the last couple of day. Stay tuned for a closer look at the TX-7, I’ve seen it in action (of course at the Sony office) and have read user reviews and it is getting a lot of love.

Here’s a look at what some of my friends are carrying. (Note*  guys, how do you travel so light!)

@disposablepal

@emilyspearl

@sanjay_maharaj

@cadiou

SO.. what’s in your bag? Why not take a picture and add it to the flickr group. Or send me a a link in the comments below or tweet me @sukhjit. Of course gold star goes to those that have Sony gear in their bag or pocket!

This is the finale to my mini cooper tire saga! Thank you to everyone who helped me figure out what tires to get. Also big props to Tire Rack and to the shop I went to called Best Auto Repair on Turk Street in San Francisco. They were very professional and helpful… I saved money and I got the tires I wanted… with help from my friends. By the way, I ended up calling the 800 number on Tire Rack instead of following the site menues. I was just easier for me. Also the tires took several days to get to the shop but that was because I ordered right before a holiday weekend. So all in all it was a good experience. If you have questions about it, please ask!

It’s almost one in the morning and I can’t sleep. Why?! Because I had to do one last video blog post while I’m in Hawaii. I’m flying out tomorrow, but before I go, here is Puka Dog. It’s a hot dog shop in Waikiki! It came highly recommended from my friends Adam and Eileen so I made a point to go. Adam, in fact sent me a few messages about it so I knew it had to be something interesting.

If you’ve watched the video, you probably have a few questions… like “what does Puka mean?”, “why make the buns like that?” or “what makes the sauces so special?” Well friends, gotta tell you, I was so taken by the dog that I didn’t think about any of that stuff. My teenage niece told me later, “puka” means hole in Hawaiian… hole dog, dog hole, what ever you want to say.. it was delicious and I will be eating there again on my next trip to Hawaii! I wish I could go back for another puka dog right now. Enjoy the video.. and try Puka Dog if you’re in town!

When I first started using social media, I kept hearing about something called a tweetup… and it sounded like the funnest thing ever. Let me tell you now that I have been to a few tweetups, they ARE the funnest things ever. What is a tweetup? Tweetups are a spontaneous gathering of people sparked and organized on Twitter. I decided to do a video to help explain this phenomenon while at a tweetup recently in Honolulu! I was lucky to have a moment to catch up with Tom Merrit whose podcast Buzz Out Loud is listened to by tech, gadget and social media junkies all around the world… (Tom and his lovely wife, Eileen are old friends of mine from TechTV) I also got some great tips on a ways to organize a tweetup from the man who organized my first ever tweetup, Ryan Ozawa. And since it’s all about logistics, there are some tweetup best practices from the organizer of this tweetup, Burt Lum. Ryan and Burt, by the way, have a great radio show in Honolulu called Bytemarkscafe.

Watch this video and get tips on throwing a tweetup, best practices and useful tools. Thanks to Ryan and his jailbroken iphone we also have a great behind the scenes and bloopers video!

And here is a bonus video! Meet the tweeters and see the entire interview uncut with Tom!

Front page featured image courtesy: Burt Lum

This is what you’d get if you went on a walk with me and my Sister =) She’s lived in Hawaii for many, many years and she’s kind of a plant nerd… so her knowledge of foliage is outstanding. Also, my nieces dog, Pua is a really feisty and funny. I sometimes think I should produce a show just about her day to day it would be hilarious. Of course I added a little Bhangra music to it all. I decided against searching for an appropriate Hawaiian tune in lieu of playing for you, something I might actually listen to in my ipod. =) Balle.

Hope you enjoy the walk in Nuuanu.

Alright fellow video bloggers…. I got us something very important…. something I think will give guidance to us in this new universe of video and the web. I got us a patron saint.

What’s a patron saint? Well, from what I gather, it’s a guide and defender…. typically followed by Catholics, I think. But regardless of religion or belief I think it can’t hurt to have a little video blogging luck via a Patron Saints, can it?

So here is how it happened… during a stellar day of adventuring in New Orleans with my friend Rachael Joy, we discovered Regis Scott an artist set up just outside St Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square. Regis is a very talented painter and her specialty is patron saints.  So, is it any surprise that I asked her for a patron saint of video blogging? There is certainly a great need for a guide…  an overseer in this new direction of video communication. It’s my wish for those of us traveling this path of social media, video and web communication to have some luck and guidance as we find our voice… our audience… and of course, find the money. I hope Saint Gabriel – Patron Saint of Video Blogging gives us what we need to find happiness and success.

If you’re interested in Regis and her art I hope you’ll have a look at her site. Now that I am back in San Francisco and have shared this vlog, I am putting in an order for my patron saint, St Gabriel.

*UPDATE* Saint Gabriel arrived! See the patron saint of video blogging here!

I was one of a lucky few to get last minute tickets to see Green Day this week at the Independent. It was a great show. Billie Joe and the boys are true rock stars and entertainers and the smiles on their faces the whole night just showed how much they love what they do. They played for about 3 hours, both new and old songs… even taking requests at the end.

If you’ve been to the Independent in San Francisco, you know it’s an intimate venue. I think there were only about 500 people at the show. The staff is super nice and organized, in fact after the show a staff guy was outside personally saying, “Thanks for coming to the show, get home safe..” as everyone exited the building. I give 2 thumbs up to them for a great night.

My only disappointment (and this is the case with other live music venues) is they don’t allow cameras in the house. Since I started video blogging, I shoot and post all the time and it’s disappointing not to be able to share pictures and short clips of a show I am really excited about. That being said, with iPhones and smart phones, it’s impossible for anyone to control all the crowd and the images and last night was a prime example of that… as soon as the Green Day boys got on stage, the phones came out. So much so that, Billie Joe stopped the show to address it by posing for a minute.

Last year I went to Outsidelands Festival where media sharing was encouraged. They worked with Crowdfire to create a great virtual experience powered by people like me. I shot little videos about the music, my friends, the things happening at the festival and I got to share them. It made my experience that much more fun. I can’t understand why sharing isn’t encouraged. If you want to build community isn’t encouraging your fans to spread the word the way to go???

Soooooo…. although it wasn’t “allowed”… I did shoot a couple of short clips with my little Samsung phone and here they are. Sorry, Billie Joe… you might not want me to shoot video of you while you’re playing, but I did it anyway.. and I’m glad. =)

This video is my attempt to express how I feel about US Airways after the terrible experience I had today trying to get back home from DC to San Francisco. I’m not sure why I’m posting this on my blog, except for the fact that I felt and feel really helpless as a traveler in this situation… and I’ve discovered since I started blogging.. that I have a voice and something to say regardless of anyone wanting to listen. In any case, I’m mad, and I want to tell you why.

I quickly want to say, It’s understandable that things go wrong with an airline, I think safety should come first… but from what I experienced today it was just a bunch of disorganization and cheapness on the part of US Airway. I went in hopeful that they would get me home and now I just feel upset and worried. US Airways delays caused me to miss my connection. Now I’m stuck in a town I don’t know without my bags in a hotel I had to pay for that I is freaking me out. I know there are many worse things in te world that can happen, but I think if there was even an ounce of caring from US Airways I would be ok with this just being an extension of my journey. Instead, I feel like I paid money to be mistreated and now stuck. Phheww. Please watch the video and let me know your thoughts. Nothing may ever come of this rant, but it would be nice to know I have friends who I can commiserate with. –sukhjit

PS the thumbnail above is a dead bird I found outside the US Airways terminal while I was waiting for the hotel shuttle to pick me up. It’s a dead bird. That’s a sign of a bad airline if I ever saw one.

Help celebrate the end of the line for Sukhjit & Rachael’s SXSW and Beyond roadtrip! We made it from San Francisco to Austin to Washington DC. If you’re in the area come out for “whiskey and wireless” on Wednesday.

Where: Busboys and Poets @ 14th & V, 2021 14th St, DC (202) 387-7638

Date: Wednesday March 25th, 2009

Time: 7PM

No host bar.

We’ve had a marvelous time meeting tweeters, seesmicers and all kinds of social media (and non social media) folks. There’s been an adventure at each stop, hugs, food, live music and good times. Here are some quick highlights:

Happy endings & end of nachos… on 12seconds.tv

Visiting @pogobrian. Pogo-ing is good for you! on 12seconds.tv

best coffee in phoenix is at ground control. on 12seconds.tv

This is real BBQ at County Line!! and the REAL Chimentos! #sxsw on 12seconds.tv

New Orleans

Atlanta

Talking about PeopleBrowsr in Atlanta! on 12seconds.tv

Raleigh

Washington DC

Our average Thursday in New Orleans has turned out to be quite magical. I hope you got a chance to see yesterday’s video with the street jazz too!

This is part 3 of the SXSW and Beyond road trip. And this part involves getting my friend Rachael Joy to Washington DC. She is moving there from Oakland. If you’ve been checking out my blogs or tweets, you know that we stopped in Austin for SXSW interactive conference. Now we’re off for the last section of our journey. We stopped in New Orleans for some food, drink and magic. New Orleans has been full of unexpected adventures. Art and music are just part of every day here. I tried to capture some moments to share with y’all.

So many friends, recommended Cafe Dumonde for coffee and a plate full of French pastries called beignets… so that’s how we started today. I must admit… it was a little late in the morning for me to get my first cup of coffee, so I was cranky and scattered, but once our order arrived, the universe was right again. Also want to shout out to Bob from Alaska for letting us share a table with him.

My dear friends Fatmeh and Adam had me over for afternoon tea. She is an excellent cook of all things Lebanese and runs a blog called Lebanese By Heart. We decided to do a live show that day to share the event on my site sukhjit.me. A lot of my friends around the globe came around for it.  This is the cut down of that video.

The shawarma Fatmeh made was so delicious. In fact, so much so that I didn’t record much of me eating it. If you follow my video blog, then you know I record all the time, so that shawarma was so good it stopped me from vloggin it!!! The meat was so flavorful and tender. I hope if you’re interested in Middle Eastern cooking you will try Fatme’s shawarma recipe or any of her other dishes.

Find the Shawarma recipe and others from the talented chef, Fatme at Lebanese By Heart.

On a side note, I want to point out that this year Adam and Fatmeh have become good friends of mine and I met them because of social media. Adam is a web wiz and use to post to Seesmic when I worked there. He, among a handful of social media friends, helped me get this video blog started after I left Seesmic. When I think about the connections I’ve made since joining the legions of web2.0 addicts I am reminded of why I am such a social media advocate.

February 5th is my friend Liz’s b’day. Last year (2008), we were traveling in India with my cousins. Among the extended family was a group of Colombian sister’s who kept us in good spirits and song. (Which is why, Liz is getting a birthday serenade in Spanish while we are in a village in India!)

This video “A Day In Amritsar” does not make much sense alone, like my last video “My Punjabi Mela” you’re getting a glimpse of my trip. To fill in the gaps somewhat, I’m writing this post to convey the importance of going to Amritsar and the Golden Temple. To tell you the truth, I’m overwhelmed with how to tell the story of a place that has such great significance. Part of it is growing up a “California Punjabi Girl” and having a distant knowledge of this aspect of my culture.

The Golden Temple, what we call Harmandir Sahib in Punjabi, is the holiest site for all Sikhs. People travel from around the globe to visit and pray at the Golden Temple. It has been the place of worship and peace, as well as the ground of death and massacre when Sikhs have been forced to defend it. The water surrounding the Golden Temple is sacred. Sikh’s, young and old, healthy and hurt, make the pilgrimage to Amritsar. Some come to be baptized in the lake and I’ve often heard of the water’s healing powers.

Harmandir Sahib is filled with Song. Passages from the Guru Granth Sahib, which is  revered by devout Sikhs as a teacher and enlightener and more than a holy book, are sung 24 hours, 7 days a week. Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, believed deeply in harmony and song and used it to share his teachings with the world. I did not get a chance to show the inside of the temple where the song and prayers are being preformed because video cameras are not allowed inside. The song I used in this video is actually from a Sikh Temple in California:

Sikhs cover their heads as a sign of respect. Part of the Sikh Religion is to keep your hair, no haircuts. Sikh men wear turbans, like my Dad, because they don’t cut their hair. A Sikh’s turban is generally a very tidy one. That’s another aspect of Sikhism, to have pride in your appearance. So, although there’s no visits to the hairdresser, there is great care in being clean and tidy. I actually got in trouble from an older cousin that day, for not having my hair tied back! I felt terrible after I realized I hadn’t even thought about it and I didn’t bring a hair tie with me! It’s serious business!

Next door to the Golden Temple is Jallianwala Bagh. It’s one of the few quiet places in the middle of the very busy city of Amritsar. In 1919 a peaceful gathering of Punjabis ended after a British commander had the park surrounded by troops and without warning began shooting into the packed in crowd of unarmed people. Needless to say, this was a pivotal point in India’s struggle for Independence from the British and the park remains a memorial to that day and the thousands of people who died or were injured.

If any of you are worried, that my friend Liz’s birthday was a bummer because we went to such serious places… I want you to know Liz chose to spend that day going to Amritsar! It’s an amazing experience not just for Sikhs but for anyone who is looking to be immersed in a proud and independent culture, to feel great joy and sorrow for the history and sacrifice made by generations of people for their faith and tradition… and of course, we ended the day with cake.

Here, I want to invite any of you who have something to say about Amritsar & Sikhism to share your thoughts. I’ve asked my friend Kulpreet Singh, AKA @KulpreetSingh, to add to this blog post when he has time. He already helped me to get some of my facts straight in this post! As, I’ve gotten a chance to get to know him via his tweets and blog posts, I’ve come to respect his knowledge and view of Sikhism. As I said earlier, it’s an overwhelming task to try and convey the importance of Amritsar, but with various voices and experiences we can share and learn together. Also, wanted to note that the featured image and thumbnail photo is by @lizpayne. Thanks everyone!

This time last year I was in India. It was a monumental trip for me. Not just because I was on “holiday”, but because I was in need of a shakeup both personally and professionally and India took me by the shoulders and gave me a really good shake. I’m compelled to share my “vacation videos” with you to remember the images and feelings that effected me so deeply and helped me get started in a new phase of my life. There is no way a video or a blog post could convey that trip completely and to be honest, this is a fraction of the video I shot. This is only part of my time in my family’s home state of Punjab. The rest of my trip including Amritsar, the Taj Mahal in Agra, the busy streets of Delhi and the Palaces of Rajasthan will come later. For now, it’s important to me to share images of where my family comes from.

I’ve been thinking about my trip more than usual because it was one year ago exactly that I was there and because of President Obama’s Inauguration and the hope and pride we’ve regained as Americans. As much as I love India and identify with my Punjabi heritage, last year I swelled with gratitude for the decision my parents made to build a life in America. My life & freedom would not be possible if they hadn’t made the journey out of their village to the New World.

I’m calling the video My Punjabi Mela. There is no real story line, it’s just a sampling of some of the things I experienced over the course of a few days in Punjab. The song is called Mela, by Sukshinder Shinda (mela means party in Punjabi). I traveled the first half of the month in India with cousins, my cousin-in-law Patty’s sisters who were visiting from Florida & Columbia and also, the petite blond girl is my dear friend Liz, who traveled with me the entire month.

The opening shots are of the streets of Punjab and then a sampling of one of our many trips to the bazaar. This shopping is in a very hectic city called Jalandhar. I included some pictures from my Aunt and Uncles home & village…my Aunt & Uncle are no longer alive, but my cousins have done an incredible job keeping the village home in great condition and the memory of my dear Aunt & Uncle alive. One of the ways they do that is by giving back to the community. My cousins all live full time in the US, but they spend time and money building schools and colleges in the area. The Sant Baba Bhag Singh Institute is one of those colleges. It’s special to me because it is a college that makes an effort to educate girls as well as boys. To my surprise educating girls is still an issue in parts of India. Again, my gratitude for those who made it possible for me to be born and raised in California.

Thanks for coming to my blog and watching My Punjabi Mela. I’m glad to take friends along on my travels in Punjab and if you have any questions about this video I hope you’ll ask.

I’m roaming around Mac World today. Thought I’d bring y’all along. I’m meeting some great vendors with fantastic apple related products… videos to come. For now leave a message and let me know what you want to see here! Also, if you’re interested in the keynote click here!

Here’s a super quick Unboxing with guest host Adam aka @secretsushi:

The end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009 has been an adventure. My holiday started with a 15 hour drive to Las Vegas for New Years. Tomorrow I go back to SF and get ready for Mac World!

Mobile/E-Mail Post on 12seconds.tv

Mobile/E-Mail Post on 12seconds.tv

Mobile/E-Mail Post on 12seconds.tv

Mobile/E-Mail Post on 12seconds.tv

That’s what I’m doing. Here are some highlights from the trip.

What are you up to?

I’ve been hit in a game of virtual tag by my friends Andrew Fielding and Ryan Graves and now one more time by my friend Phil Baumann. I never  knew that such a thing existed, but apparently it’s an online phenomenon and this is how it works. When you get tagged, you’re supposed to share 7 things about yourself that people don’t know. I’m a pretty open book so it’s very likely that if you know me at all, you probably already know these things. I have to say thought, I’ve really enjoyed learning the 7 things each friend has shared. So here goes my 7:

1. As you can probably tell, family is really important to me. I’m the youngest of 4 kids and the only one born in the United States. My Dad immigrated to California in the late 60’s and after getting settled he sent for my Mom, brother and sisters. I was born years later. We’re all adults now, but I’m still treated like a little sister. I usually don’t mind, but sometimes I do.
2. I’m a big fan of 60’s and 70’s Hindi films. My favorites are Kabhi Kabhi & Silsila (even thought it’s early 80’s) and in my opinion, Rekha is by far the most glamorous actress ever. My parents get some Indian television stations, so when I’m home visiting them I get a major fill of Desi video content. I think both my parents are addicted to Indian soap operas.
3. I love chocolate and ice cream and eat one or both every day ( but only a little bit =). Sticky chew chocolate from Swensen’s is the ultimate ice cream flavor and salted caramel from Bi-Rite is second.
4. Basketball used to be my favorite sport. I even played in high school. Now I prefer yoga, running and when I can, hitting the slopes with my snowboard.
5. Green is my favorite color. My birthstone is emerald and my Mini Cooper is British Racing Green.
6. For quite a few years I worked as a local Bay Area traffic reporter.  I was myself on the TV morning news shows but when I did radio reports I had other names! I was Liz Green and Liz Brown. My reports sounded something like: “Heavy traffic at the the MacArthur Maze, especially west bound on the Eastshore Freeway. Bay Bridge is light and the metering lights are off and Bart is reporting all trains on time this morning. For the Bay Area’s best traffic coverage, I’m Liz Green, KGO radio news!”
7. I’m really good at parallel parking. One time I parked my Brother In Law’s rental SUV at night,  in a storm on a steep hill without a problem. It’s not unusual for me to pass up a big parking spot for a smaller more challenging one. It’s crazy, I know, but I like the challenge.

Part two of this game, is that I get to tag 7 other people and ask them to share 7 things…. I’m not usually one to respond to chain emails or forward things that are meant to be spread. I just don’t do that… but in this case, I think it’s actually a great way to get to know people. So now that I’ve shared my 7 secrets, now I ask these 7 friends to do the same:

Kiki Valdes

Phil Moneypenny

Wanker Girl

KeeptheFunkAlive KDFA!

Ohdoctah

Mayjah

IamKat

Here are the rules of the game as copied from Andrew’s blog:

• Link your original tagger(s), and list these rules on your blog.
• Share seven facts about yourself in the post – some random, some weird.
• Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
• Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter.

Since this is the time for gift giving I thought I’d help steer some confused gift givers in the right direction, at least when it comes to something I know about, and that’s chocolate. I created the “5 Great Gifts for the Chocolate Lover in your Life.” I’m adding new gift ideas for chocoholics here for the next few days. These gifts are not your run of the mill box of chocolate. These are gifts I’ve gotten and really appreciate. It’s also a combination: gifts you can buy and gifts that are DIY, or do it yourself. I did that because I know this is a tough time for many but there are ideas here that are a little easier on the budget, but still great for people with an addiction to anything cocoa. So far I’ve added 3-5 of what I think are the 5 great gifts for the chocolate lover in your life. Gifts 2 and 1 will follow soon, so please check back… the last 2 gifts are my favorite!

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#3 is Chocolat by Stephan Lagorce
This is the featured video above. I know what you’re thinking. This is a book, Sukhjit. I know you guys. But it’s a great big book that looks like a chocolate bar. Inside this handbook you’ll find tips on chocolate tasting, pairing and recipes. This book is a little hard to find. If you have a problem let me know, I may be able to help.

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#4 of 5 great gifts for the chocolate lover in your life on 12seconds.tv

#4 Hot Chocolate in a jar
This year is a good year for DIY gifts. That means instead of buying, you make something.
Get some jars. Fill them half way with powdered coco mix then top it off with marshmallows and candy canes. Put a ribbon on it and you have a great gift. Prices will vary. My favorite hot coco, by the way, is Trader Joe’s sipping chocolate. I tried to find a link to it online, but TJ’s doesn’t do that… so if you want some, let me know and we can work something out.

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#5 Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

This is another DIY gift. Chocolate cookies. You can make all kinds. I just happen to have this because my sister made them for me and besides being really rich and chocolaty, they’re just so pretty. The ingredients are below and the instructions are on the Modesto Bee website where my sister edits the Taste section.

Recipe:
Cookies
3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg

Filling
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 drops red food coloring. 1/2 cu crushed candy canes or peppermint candy

Remember the directions are on the Modesto Bee website.

So there you have it. Feel free to leave your favorite gift suggestions, or comments on these gift ideas. And don’t forget to check back for all 5 gifts! BTW, if you haven’t noticed I’m planting these ideas in different social networks, so #1 and #2 may be out there already! Gold star for anyone who can find them before I post them here! Happy holidays friends!