Author Archive

Admitting Failure

admitting-failure

I would like to take a few minutes and apologize that this blog has been a failure.

I have been distracted by other things and have not had the time to get other 20 somethings to blog for the site. While it might have been a collective failure; I will bear the blame, as it was my idea — the one that brought into fruition and ultimately did not motivate those already listed to follow up on their word and commitment.

With that said, I am going to take some time and see if there is anything that I can do to remedy this failed blog. I will evaluate and see if there needs to be new bloggers, new admins, editors, etc. Or, if there just needs to be an end and shut down of the site.

While the last option is a bit harsh, I need to recognize when things are over my head. This could very much be one of those things.
I do not have as much time as I originally hoped for when I started this side project. Taking online classes, working and trying to learn new skills on the side, while still trying to have a social life is difficult, not to mention trying to fit in some decent sleep from time to time. Maybe handing the project to someone else that could handle, manage and nurture the project would be best.

If you are reading this and would like to contribute in any way and are in your 20 somethings, you can contact me at kenn@20somethings.me.

Renaissance Man

renaissance-man

This year I have set a few goals for myself this year. I understand that a lot people do this; some, but not all, fail at keeping annual goals. I want to share them to have some type of accountability and try to ensure keeping my goals.

I have an interest in taking an actual Photoshop class to develop  my skill in the program and to become better at it. The second goal is to learn Object-C, the programming language that is the foundation of Cocoa for the Mac OS X platform and Cocoa Touch for the iPhone/iPod Touch. With this knowledge, I hope to develop an application for the iPhone platform and maybe for Mac.

This is a very big undertaking as I am not very knowledgeable in this type programming language: HTML — somewhat, PHP — a little. Compile code, once in a while with step-by-step guide but to build something. This will be a big undertaking. To compile things from scratch is not as easy at it seems. I understand that it’s not going to be easy, but a part of me really wants to do this even though I might not succeed.

This is something I’ve wanted to do, to develop an app, since the original SDK was announced in 2008 but never got around to it. I think what has changed since then is not that I more knowledgeable about the platform or anything, but that I have accepted that I will fail… a lot.

This is not to boost or brag about how smart or awesome I am in order to build an application but to learn new skills and adding hobbies. This is to challenge myself by doing something different and breaking routines.

I try not to create routines. Creating routines leads to being a rut, being predictable. While that makes some people happy… it makes me mundane and miserable.

For the time being, I am considering attending SXSW in March and WWDC in June in order to accomplish my goals. I’m going to try to take this fairly serious and go for it. It seems like I’m becoming a bit of a modern renaissance man, well-rounded. I might actually have to thank my parents in instilling so much of it unto me.

Although the term Renaissance man is taken from a past period in history where men were knowledgeable and good at many things of their time including the arts, the sciences, philosophies, war craft, and other labors of the mind, I attempt to become something of a modern day Renaissance man completing myself with the knowledge of a digital world.

Christmas?

christmas

I don’t know about you but this holiday season has not felt like so. Let me explain a bit.

Around this time of year my parents throw a little Christmas party with some of their friends and some relatives. But I have found out it didn’t happen because this was a thing my father planned each year. For those that unaware, my father has been away since late June, after I decided not to go through an arranged marriage. I don’t know where he is, but I have some belief that he has some contact with my sister and mother.

Some of my friends are Jewish and for the past few years I’ve been invited over to Hanukah (Chanukah) for food and celebration, that has been this year. I understand that I might not share the same belief, but that has not been impedance in our friendship before. Maybe we’re just all drifting apart. I don’t know.. it could have been that they where going for a more intimate setting.

It’s been a hard year, not just for me, talking to a lot of people, that seems to be the consensus. This year I have nothing to give my mother for Christmas. It’s rather hard to get my mother something like jewelry when your father has designed and made a ring for her. It’s difficult to get her something because she can usually afford anything she wants. It’s also a bit of a blow to me because last year I was able to give them a bottle 1945 Bordeaux, this year… that will not be the case.

The weather has not helped. Last week it was in the low 80 high 70 and not until yesterday or the day before has it been a bit colder. It’s kinda hard to think about Christmas in such warm weather. Well, at least in my case.

I didn’t even put a tree. In my parents home we alway used to buy the tallest tree possible and cut the top as to make seem like it went through the roof. That didn’t happen this year. It seems like traditions are starting to unravel and no one, including myself, is trying to make Christmas special.

Either way, I will be spending “Christmas” (Christmas Eve) with my mother and sister. I’m sure there will be more rum in the nog that anything else. Maybe it’ll feel more like Christmas when I finally get to Rochester.

20Somethings

20somethings

Welcome to 20Somethings. Before I begin I would like to share the back story of how it came to be.

A few weeks ago I started using AdSense my personal blog (I have since stopped for aesthetic reasons) thinking of making some extra cash. The more I thought about it I noticed hadn’t written something in some time. While thinking of what I could do to write more to make money the idea about asking a few friends to guest write and so forth came up. That would have been acceptable, but the more I dwelled on the notion, the more I disagreed with it. It’s my personal journal… it would have weird to ask someone to write were I have written for the past few years. Yet, it lead me to this.

To help solve that problem I decided that there should be another site base around community, people that know each other and others not so much. To this end I tapped on the shoulders of a few friends. They agreed that it would be a great idea, not only would we be writing in the same place but would make us closer as friends by sharing what going on in our lives. Most of us are in our 20′s but have different upbringings, some of us are in different parts of the country/world. I hope that this will be not just about us writing about our lives but open discussion for people in our age group.

This may have started as a way to make money but became something completely different. I am happy how this has turned out. I really am excited that this will be more focus on sharing and community that anything else.

So I think that introductions are in order, and will let each author introduce themselves.

I’m Kenn. I’m from Southern California and currently working as freelance, basically in any type of creative work.

You can read my short bio in the About Me section on the Navigation Bar up top.

So, I have no real clue where this is headed but like all things… just hope to write and share experiences and aspirations.