About two years ago I saw my first Roomba and I have had it on my wish list ever since. So when I saw this iRobot Roomba 550 on sale at Costco, I knew it was time. Even more, my schedule has been the busiest it’s ever been and even if I wanted to clean the floors (which I don’t) I don’t have the time. So, Roomba to the rescue. I don’t have to do anything, but make sure it’s charged, there are no loose things that could get caught in it on the floor and I press a button. Roomba roams around and finds dirt and cleans it. It’s so wonderful. It really is. I’ve had it for just a week and so far, my floors are the cleanest they’ve ever been. I’ve heard some complaints about Roomba not picking up dust on hardwood, but I haven’t experienced that problem at all.

I hope you enjoy the unboxing video. Of course I had to score it with some Bhangra music and if you made it all the way to the end of the video, you’ll have seen a little bhangra dancing by my new iRobot!

This video is from the last time I was in India in 2008, a trip I took with my dear friend Liz. This was before I started blogging and the first time I really picked up a camera to start capturing stories myself.

We traveled to the far western city of Jaisalmer, a remote desert city close to the India – Pakistan border known for a huge fort where, within the walls, a functioning town still exists.

From the beginning, this trip was an adventure starting with a 19 hour train trip that had no food, no real stops, and we had 3rd class tickets. (I’ll save this story for another time). In any case this video is on was of one of  the incredible moments we had on this trip. The gentleman playing the music wandered over to us and just started playing. There are a lot of street musicians in India, just trying to make a few dollars… it’s kind of amazing to know that is how they get by. At the end of the video he explains that the instrument is an “algoza” and it is very popular in Rajisthan. It has both male and female sounds, which explains why it’s two flutes in one instrument.

I hope you enjoy the video. I can’t believe I’m just editing it now after having it on my drive for 2 years! Yes I’ll be taking a camera with me again and look forward to showing you India 2010.

If you haven’t heard, I’m working at Sony Electronics now as their Social Media Evangelist. It’s a great opportunity and I’m very excited about what is ahead. Make sure to check the Sony Electronics Community Blog, as that’s were I will be on a regular basis! I’ll explain more about my job and what I’m doing there at a later time… today I wanted to make sure to say hello, and thanks! Thanks to all of you who have kept up with my transition and have offered friendship and support. Looking at the calendar I realized that I started this website one year ago! Look at how much life has changed in one year. I almost can’t believe it.
At some point I want to tell you all about how this happened. Many of you who know me from Seemic know much about the trials, tribulations and celebrations of the past year. It’s all been quite fantastic.

I’ll be seeing some of you at Blog World tomorrow. If we haven’t met in real life yet and you are in Vagas for Blog World, please make sure to say hello!

Here is what was happening in my life last year…. this video makes me laugh now. I called it So What Are You Doing Now, Sukhjit?

In the many years I worked in television Sony has maintained it’s standing as one of the most coveted brands with a reputation for quality equipment. I’m proud to be chosen by a company which sets the standard for quality. I’ll have many more details about the job and my move in the days ahead. I plan to blog and vlog my way down to San Diego where I will live and work very soon!

Special thanks to my former TechTV colleague Patrick Houston who introduced my blog to Sony a while back. I also want to extend a heartfelt thanks to many of you who helped me get www.sukhjit.me off the ground. Tony Chimento, Michael Silverton, Alan Chaess, Eric Ways, Adam Helweh, Larry Heim, Owen JJ Stone and of course the head ninja in my team, Giannii Calvert. Those of you who come to this site, watch my content, leave comments, give me shout outs on twitter and facebook, you’ve kept me going! My biggest reward has been getting comments from people who have taken the time to participate in my content, thank you. I hope you’ll visit me on the Sony site and support me there too.

I think it’s probably easier to hear it than to read it so here’s a fantastic video done by my friend Derek Overbey with a collection of awesome friends saying it correctly! (I’ll be adding everyone’s name here shortly!)

My dear friend Otir made a video with her two son’s! Otir is French, so her annunciation has a certain French flair! Hats off to her boys too.

See! It’s not so bad, now you try… press do a video response on the viddler video player! Press the + in the bottom right corner of the featured video at the top of the page to add a video comment.

Last but not least, here is a “vintage” video of how to say sook-jeet. This video is from my first week on Seesmic!

If you’re interested in seeing video from the rest of the conference you can find it on Justin Kahn’s Blip Page. I suggest watching the news gathering panel with Ann Curry of the Today show (for back story read Massucchi’s Take: and Curry steals the show), Twitter, Media and Chaos Theory and Twitter for Social Good. Those were my favorite discussions. I also want to add that my fellow panelists, Christian Payne and Steve Garfield are 2 video bloggers who have influenced the way I blog. If you have a chance, do check out some of their work.

Last, I want to thank Kodak for asking me to be on the video panel. By the way, Jeffrey Hayzlett, the moderator and  CMO of Kodak,  if forgiven for butchering my name. Misproununciation of it is something I live with everyday and don’t mind helping people say it right. (sook-jeet… sook-jeet). I know he practiced before the panel, so he tried! Some of my friends think it was probably a barrier from the audience pushing my twitter follow (cause they couldn’t figure out how to spell my name) but it is what it is, right? Hope you enjoy the video and if you have questions about the conference or about video blogging leave me a comment and I’ll do my best to answer!

Step one… I have researched the numbers.

SO what happend? See the finale to the Mini Cooper Tire Saga here!

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.

If you’re reading this and you don’t live in San Francisco or an urban area like it, the laptop/bike bag may not mean to you what it means to people like me. Here, your bag not only is a sign of your fashion sense… it’s also truly an important way to get your stuff between home and work. I don’t mean this to be funny, because the truth is that we have limited ways of getting around this crowded town. Walking, biking and busing are great, but when you’ve got a lot of stuff, including a MacBook to schlep around, your bag takes on a whole other level of importance. Beyond that, my Mac is one of my most valued possession and when I take it out I want it to be safe.

I do believe Rickshaw is filling a big niche, creating a quality, custom laptop & bike bag. I’m going to send Mark a note and get that tour he offered of the Rickshaw office. Who wants to come along?

Any of you have an Iomega and do you recommend it? What external drive do you like and why? More importantly, do you want the shot glass I got from Retrospect? I don’t need it and I’ll mail it to you if you like! =)

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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!

PeopleBrowsr has just about any tool you can imagine for social networking power users. It’s still in alpha, but it’s open to the public and integrating feedback with every upgrade. I’ll be working with the community and creating short videos about how it works. This video is just a tiny fraction of the site and what it can do. I can’t wait to show off some of the advanced features.

I’m setting up a new twitter account called @PBsukhjit to handle the updates I’ll have as the PeopleBrowsr community grows. If you haven’t tried PB, I hopw that you will, and make sure to let me know what you think. Also, check out the article written by Brian Solis recently about PeopleBrowsr… ditto what he said!

Last but not least, not much time left to take the eye glass poll. Check it out here.

This is Episode #1 of Unboxing (the Sukhjit3.0 version) sponsored by my friend, Chris Hadley who sent me this box of goodies. Inside was a great little gift for a geeky girl like me, it’s a USB drive that’s been customized with the logo and info for Hunt Construction Group. This particular drive holds 1GB, but it looks like you can get anywhere from 128MB to 4GB. The drive is made by USB People and from their site it looks like you can customize it with logos, facial expressions and clothing. I tried to customize one for myself and I’m a little sad because you can’t make girl drives, I wanted to make some as gifts for Sukhjit 3.0. Even though, I can’t do exactly what I want, the drives are still really cute and a fun gift. I’m just transferring some info on to the one Chris sent me and it works great. Prices and basic info are a little sparse on the USB People site so I’m guessing it depends on what you get.

I want to thank Chris Hadley for sponsoring this episode of Unboxing. Chris has a great site of his own called Now Boarding at the Gate where, among other things, he does fun and informative product reviews. He also began a weekly show on Seesmic called Candle Talk. You should chat with him if you get a chance, he’s a great guy.

If you’ve got something you want to have unboxed on Unboxing drop me a line! You can send me a video or email.

If you haven’t tried 12seconds.tv yet, you should. It’s a site that lets you post 12 seconds of video using your webcam. I think of it as the video equivalent of twitter. Once you start posting, those videos live on your channel. Friends can tune in and comment on your video with either text or a 12second video back.

It took me a little while to finally post a video to 12seconds.tv, but once I did, I found it to be a great tool to express and have fun. What can you do in 12 seconds? That’s what I thought at first but 12 seconds is longer than you think. I like doing a series of videos that all add up to a story, I’ve got a few of those on my channel. For the most part people are there to have fun which is one of the reasons I keep coming back, the community. Beach, Sol, Jivebotic, and David give a lot of attention to the site and the community, and I think it’s paying off. Even before I met any of them in person they made the effort to get to know me better, by watching my video’s, commenting and actually listening and paying attention. Sounds like a small thing, but it’s not. When you’ve got a growing community like they do it’s hard to keep up. But they’re doing it.

I’ve mentioned to a couple friends that are interested in video blogging that 12seconds.tv is a great entry. You can make a few video’s, have some fun and get warmed up to the idea of talking to your webcam! In addition, if your cel phone records video, you can 12seconds with it too.

If you’re reading this blog I want to know if you use 12second.tv? What do you think of it? If you haven’t tried it what’s holding you back?!

One last thing, thanks to the guys of 12seconds.tv for inviting me to the party. I hope you like the video!

Online community building is a growing field. As more companies get savvy to crowd sourcing, using social sites for customer relations and brand building it’s an opportunity for social media geeks like me who enjoy working with people to use their twitter, facebook and other web skills to get paid. If a company or brand decides to enter the online social scene, they better do it right otherwise, they’ll run the risk of being an uninvited guest to a cocktail party. From what I could tell Connie’s experience and philosophy for being successful include two things I believe it whole heartedly; listen and take care of your people, both your community and your employees.

I met Connie and her husband Stuart for a cup of coffee at Cheesecake Factory on top of Macy’s in San Francisco’s Union Square. We had a great talk and Connie was kind enough to let me film a quick interview. She shared some tips for anyone who would like to be a part of the social media and community building world.

I must also note, that I met Connie initially on Twitter. She pushed my follow after I left Seesmic and thru some very nice 140 character (or under) direct messages, lifted my spirits and helped me feel excited about the opportunities that are ahead. I in turn gave Connie and her husband a crazy Punjabi taxi ride in my Mini Cooper on their first night in SF! For me it is another online friendship that has lead to a real world bond.

I’ve signed up for the site and am going to give it a try starting with completing a quiz to test my “political temperature”… this concept makes me smile a bit, but it’s all part of putting me in touch with groups and people who feel as I do about the issues. So Friends, take a look at the video, if you want to know what I think of the site feel free to ask and check it out for yourself too! Most important if you are in States and able to vote… please do.