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!

Something you may not know about her is that before she retired, Frieda owned a school where she taught computers and technology. I’ve often admired her Entrepreneurial spirit and find it no surprise that she is starting this new business. She is doing something she loves and is known for, so I like to think Frieda’s Hat is bound for success.

If you’re in the market for a fabulous ladies hat, visit her site. I love my beautiful wide brimmed camel colored hat. The quality is great and it’s really fun to wear! The hat bands are handmade by Freida and as you can hear my Dad say in the video, “This one hat with different ribbons it’s like wearing different hats all the time.” The hats are a great value at just around $40 and the bands are just under $6 each.

And last but not least, if you don’t know them yet, the special studio audience in this episode of Unboxing are my Mom & Dad! I decided to open up the box while we had afternoon tea at their farm.

The designs at Birdhouse Jewelry are very unique and most everything there was affordable. I bought this necklace and earrings for about $40, which I think is a good price. There was a nice variety of “Twitter Jewelry”… birds in various forms on necklaces, earrings and bracelets. Check out the Birdhouse Jewelry website for the newest collections and let the designer, Amy know that I sent you! She was to shy to be interviewed the day I was there!

I also want to add that the Brooklyn Flea Market is a sold thing to do when you’re in NYC. I went on Saturday AND Sunday and had a great time. There is a huge variety of vintage buys but also a great selection of local designers. I also got some lovely home made ice cream from a vendor at the Sunday market. If you’re in NYC over a weekend, save a few hours to go to the Brooklyn Flea!

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.

I’m curious, what do you think about when buying shoes for walking and activity. I’m a sucker for a good price and a unique look. So far, the Ahnu shoes are working for me. Watch the video below and see for yourself.

@Kevsong I like the shoes. on 12seconds.tv

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?

*

#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.

*

#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.

*

#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!

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.

While the glamor and gilts is all good I actually have a soft spot for a room outside the main stage called the Demo Pit and that is where I spent my days. The innovation was good but in many cases the stories behind sites were even better. This video has some of the highlights. Watch this space in the weeks to ahead for full pieces on the companies I talked with.