After my girlfriend and I found out what dogs go though at pounds, shelters, boarding facilities, etc… thanks to Patrick’s Miracle,  we decided we needed to help a poor soul that had been suffering an entire lifetime. That’s when we started looking into adopting a Pitbull. Why a Pitbull? Because they are the most misunderstood breed out there, and the abuse towards them is just beyond what anyone can imagine.

HOW DID WE FIND FIONA A.K.A FIFI? 

My girlfriend and I went wine tasting on May 29th to feed my alcoholic needs because we needed to get away on a little vacation. She insisted I didn’t bring my computer, but like the stubborn average guy good boyfriend that I am, I decided to go a different route and brought my computer. The second night we were there I saw a friend of mine (that until today can’t remember who it was) that got tagged on a “rescue picture”. Apparently this doggie, named Chica, belonged to a US Soldier that had been deployed to Iraq and had to leave her dog at a high kill shelter because he didn’t have anyone to take care of the pup. Thank GOD someone was there at the high kill shelter when he took her there, and instead of letting the pup get killed she took her elsewhere and boarded her while she found her a forever home. These are the two pictures I saw on facebook of her:

After seeing these pictures on Facebook I decided to contact the woman that posted the pictures and asked her if I could meet Chica Fiona and we agreed to meet her on Tuesday, May 31st 2011 at the boarding facility where they had her. At the time I didn’t know anything about the pup. I had no idea if she was aggressive in general, aggressive towards dogs, aggressive towards other animals, children, etc… but I didn’t care. I wanted to give a “baby” a new chance at an awesome life. So after agreeing with the woman about the date, place, and time to meet up to get to know Fiona I had the difficult task to tell my girlfriend about it and as always she was very understanding and totally agreed that I should meet her and if everything seemed ok with the dog then she would go meet her too and go from there.

THE DAY I MET FIONA

Of course the wine tasting trip was over and it was finally time to meet this baby. I had no idea what to expect at all! At that point I only saw 2 pictures of her on Facebook and was told that she was “sweet” but the person that had her wasn’t completely sure about it. I had to drive for almost 2 hours to get where the dog was boarded, so I woke up very very early in the morning and left 3 hours before to go meet her. I felt like I was going on a “first date” because I was so nervous. I got there an hour before and waited. The nice lady finally arrived and asked me if I was ready to meet “Chica” and I said “Of course”.

We went inside of the boarding facility and she told the lady in charge that I was there to meet Chica. The lady went into the back of the place, opened a cage, and I heard a dog running wild like crazy out of there. I was so nervous but excited at the same time to meet whatever was going to come out of that door, and then finally I saw this MASSIVE Pitbull just charging full speed towards me! I was so nervous but played it so cool (at least in my head). She had to be the tallest Pit I’ve ever seen in my life and it was running full speed towards me! And when she finally got to where I was standing, she decided to just glide through the floor and hugged one of my legs with one paw and with her head!!! I’ve never been really “hugged” by a dog before, and of course it immediately broke my heart to see this wonderful beautiful girl so desperate to get some love.

After she was done “hugging” me she became extremely excited and began running back and forth inside of that room. I asked the lady if I could take her out for a walk and she said yes. Then I asked her if the dog knew how to walk on a leash and she said “not really”. Fine! Who cares if she can’t walk on a leash… I’ll teach her! So I put a collar on her and walked outside with her. She was pulling like crazy, like she hadn’t been out in a long time so I decided to “test” her and pulled the leash on her. She instantly stopped, looked at me, and sat! I was blown away and thought to myself that this wasn’t a coincidence. This dog knew exactly what she was doing! So by the time we made it to the end of the street I decided to ask her if she could sit for me and guess what!? She did! I was blown away by her being so obedient right off the bat, so I then asked her to “lay down” and again.. she did! I walked her for an hour and noticed how eager she was to please people and how loving she was so I took some pictures to use as ammo to send my girlfriend and a video, and here they are:

Well… I said to the lady “Thank you very much and I will bring my girlfriend whenever she gets a chance to meet her”, I drove back to my office and got to work…. well…. that lasted for about 20 minutes and then I called Belen (my girlfriend) and asked her if it was OK with her, I wanted to go back and get the doggie! Even though I wasn’t sure if she was aggressive towards other animals, kids, etc… I wanted to save this girl from being in a cage for 9 straight months! Yep, she was boarded for 9 months and barely went out on walks! (I found out about that after doing some research online). Thank God Belen was all for it so I drove back there and got her! This is a picture of Fiona tasting sweet freedom in the back of our truck!

SO WHAT NOW?

I decided that the best thing to do at this point was to take this girl to a vet to make sure she was perfectly healthy and to get her all of her shots. (Normally when you rescue they have all of their shots taken care off, but this was a “special rescue” so she didn’t have them. But before I took her there I had to make this official and introduce Fiona to Belen, so we stopped by our home and made that happen (And yes, it was love at first sight again!):

After making sure Belen and Fiona liked each other we headed straight to the vet/overnight boarding facility. I explained to the vet everything that happened and he agreed with me about getting all possible tests done, so she had to spend the night there.

After I left Fiona at the vet that night to make sure she was healthy I went back home and thought about my 2 other little girls (Bella and Zoey), who have been in our lives for almost 5 years! Wanted to make sure that Fiona was going to get along with them perfectly fine and didn’t want to risk any “accidents” so I called a couple of rescue friends and they referred me to people that do “Temperament tests” on dogs. After picking the right person to work with we decided to go get Fiona and bring her home for a night before she met the trainer. We are lucky enough to have a “dog room” in our house so we had the chance of leaving her in there for the whole night, and then for me to take her to work with me the next day before the trainer picked her up to take her to his facility to make sure she got along with everyone there.

That entire night and next morning Fiona didn’t see or meet Bella or Zoey at all. We wanted to make sure that the first time they saw each other (depending on the temp test) we were doing a proper introduction so that we didn’t cause them any problems, so really early that morning I took Fiona to work with me. She got to meet my friends and some people that work at the office with me and she was very shy but very friendly and sweet to everyone. The trainer was picking her up at 1PM so I was just playing with her the entire time she was there. Here are some pics:

FIONA GOES TO MEET OTHER DOGS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 9 MONTHS

So 1 o’clock came that day quicker than ever and the trainer came over to pick her up. From the moment he met her he said she seemed to be a very good dog, but better be safe than sorry so he took her with him. That same night he was supposed to let me know if Fiona got along with other dogs or not at around 8. So 8 PM came and still no word from him… then 9 PM cam and still nothing… then almost at 10 PM I got a text message from him saying that he was gonna need another day but he had a great start with Fiona. I was excited but not too excited, I mean… why did she need another day? Did she have a problem? What’s the deal!? All of that and many more things were going through my mind.

Finally Saturday came. The trainer called me at around noon and said that Fiona was very very good with other dogs and that he was going to send me a picture. He also said that he couldn’t make it that day back here to LA (he is an hour away from where I live), which I totally understood but still was getting anxious to have Fiona back and for her to meet our girls. Finally I decided to let it go and accept that she was coming the next day, but I was still waiting on that picture. I waited for hours before I heard back from the trainer. He said the pic was coming at around 7 PM and it did! When I saw the picture (I hate to admit it) but I almost cried from happiness! Here is the pic that I got of the dog that I just rescued that was in a cage for 9 months and didn’t interact with any other dogs for that long time:

FIONA MEETS OUR GIRLS!

Sunday was here and we were so excited for our girls to meet Fiona and to see what they thought of her! We went to the store and got fiona a bed, a crate, food, toys, etc… everything you can possible imagine and waited at home for the trainer. At around 2 PM he called me to let me know he was outside with Fiona. So I went out to get them both. I asked him if it was better for all the dogs to meet outside or inside the house and he said: “It’s a bit more difficult for them to meet inside, but I’m confident she’ll do great” so we decided to do it inside. We opened the door, and of course Bella and Zoey were just waiting by the door and Fiona came in running through the door. They all stared at each other for a second and started playing like they knew each other for years! They all got along so well and we were so very happy! We couldn’t think of a better outcome for this situation! Here is a picture of all of them after 30 minutes of meeting each other:

3 MONTHS LATER

We have a very happy family of Bullies! All the girls get along perfectly, no “incidents”, they all play together, sleep together, lay down together, and best of all take care of each other! I can’t believe a dog this good was gonna be put down and I’m glad she had another chance at life. She makes us extremely happy and smile every day. She is so grateful for being here, always by our side, and so sweet it melts your heart! Here are some random pics of FIFI that I love!

I just wanted to share this with everyone so that as many of you can give a dog like Fiona a second chance and a better life!

I must admit that today is an incredibly sad day for me as the HUGE BLACKBERRY FAN that I still am (I know… champagne problems)…. Today after using my new Blackberry 9930 (Bold Touch) I decided that Blackberry OS is not the platform I want to use anymore (or at least for now), and there are plenty of reasons why but before I get to them you have to realize that these are not “right” or “wrong” reasons. These are personal reasons that took me to make that desicion and all of us are different, so read and appreciate them for what they are: Notes written by a very handsome Mexican guy Just my own thoughts out loud.

Before you get to read the WHYs you should know that I’m using iOS 5.0 in my iPhone.

Facts about the Blackberry 9900/9930:

•  The Blackberry 9900/9930 is the best Blackberry ever made no question about it.
•  This phone is an incredible upgrade for anyone that has a Blackberry and would like to stay with the platform.
•  Imagine if your good old 9650, 9300, 9700, etc… were perfect. That’s what the 9900 series is.
•  The size and weight of the phone couldn’t be better for a keyboard touchscreen phone.
•  Blackberry is still #1 as far as e-mail and messaging goes.
•  Best physical keyboard in the world.

Reasons why it’s not for ME:

•  It’s a touchscreen phone, and that puts it in immediate competition with any other touchscreen devices, including my iPhone. The touchscreen response is not even close to the one on the iPhone. There are “dead points” on the screen all the way on the bottom and all the way on the top.
• Although the screen is so much better in this Berry it has no comparison to the retina display screen that the iPhone has.
• After all the OS in the Blackberry is still really close to OS6, which is really close to OS5 and those are extremely primitive OSs. Everything is really basic, not pretty but functional, which is not a problem at all but I’m also not a robot… I like good looking apps, emails, etc…
• BBM was a HUGE plus for me before, but after getting over my BBM WITHDRAWALS when I first left my BB I now find it kind of “invasive”… everyone expecting me to read their messages right away, with that little D next to them and then that little R. Also, if someone doesn’t have my phone number and won’t go the extra mile to text me or call me then I don’t really want to talk to them. (this one is very personal and it was extremely liberating for me). Although it’s extremely convenient and cheap to use BBM it’s not anymore a MUST in my life and it feels good.
• I don’t want to carry an iPod with me at all times, like in the mornings and night when I take my dog out with me, plus my phone. It’s way easier to have an all in one device.
• The new BACK UP method, UPDATE method, and RECOVERY method in the iPhone (with iOS 5) is just the greatest thing ever made! The fact that if I download something in my computer and it immediatly sends it OTA (Over the air) to my phone is amazeballs. The fact that my pictures sync immediatly with my computer and library is awesome, and the fact that if I lose the phone and I’m in another country and I just hit RECOVERY (connected to a WiFi network of course) I can have my entire phone, pics, music, contacts, etc… in less than 10 minutes!
• Sharing between my iPhone, Apple TV, iTunes, and my computer is just flawless and easy as hell!
• The virtual keyboard might’ve been horrible the first 2 to 3 weeks, but now its easier to use than a physical one.
• Stock battery life is way better in the iPhone (unless you watch movies in it, but I don’t).
• Updating my phone OTA instead of plugging mine into a freaking PC is like eating candy off a stripper’s rack. SWEET.
• 2 cameras, but overall the camera in the iPhone is just way better. (I know this is lame, but why not have the best there is).
• Native apps in the iPhone are incredibly useful. Something as stupid as the weather one for example…

Overall its just easier to have 1 phone that does a million things at the same time than 1 that does 2 things better than everyone else. Yes, I hate not being the first one getting my e-mail at meetings but I can 100% can live with it.

Also, this is not a permanent goodbye to Blackberry. I will give it a shot once they make QNX their platform, but for now it’s an “I’ll see you later!”

I guess, that if there’s something to learn here is: Give other things a try… who knows, you might like it! (this is not meant to be sexual at all).

What’s your reason to either stay with Blackberry or to abandon ship?

I’m a HUGE car aficionado, so I couldn’t think of a better post to do to officially start blogging here. I’ve been working since I was 16 years old in putting together the perfect car collection (at least at that time in my mind). I’m NOT saying in any way that I’m already there, but I’m getting closer every day. I’ve been putting this “mini-collection” together for almost a year now and I’m just going to walk you through what made me pick each one of these beauties.

- Mercedes Benz S63 AMG: I remember when I was 12 years old and my best friend’s dad had an awesome big-bodied S-500. We used to sit on the back seat of it almost every single day on our way to school and I remember thinking to myself “Whenever I make it… I’m gonna get a car just like this one”. Of course, I’m NOT saying I MADE IT, but I did get the car after all these years and it feels damn good! Not only I’ve been dreaming about this bastard for many many years, but for my business I this is exactly what the doctor recommended (along with a healthier diet and quitting smoking). The mixture of comfort, speed, and elegance along with the nice flat-gray paint job on the outside and the nice “camel/orange/brown” interior, goes along perfectly with my business needs. Yes the Maybach and the Rolls are more expensive and exclusive, but do I really wanna look like the driver and not the owner of the car? HELL NO! Specially because of my gorgeous mexican looks LOL.

- Ferrari 599 GTB: You can’t really love cars and not love Ferrari, but what’s better than having the engine of the fastest Ferrari (Enzo) inside of a true Ferrari GT? Well a few things… but maybe not in the car world. That’s why I had to get a Ferrari 599! A big/comfortable interior along with a true GT experience makes this car my favorite to travel in when covering long distances. For those weekend trips to Vegas or Palm Springs this car makes the drive nothing less than a smooth incredible experience. Having a small trunk in the back and some extra space on the back of the cockpit will give you the perfect excuse to tell your girl “You can’t bring anything more than your 1 bikini on this trip” (which just makes your trip that much sexier better). While the 599 is not the most fun Ferrari to drive around the track it truly makes for an awesome road trip ride and that’s why I needed this bad-boy.

- Ferrari 458 Italia: Don’t we all have a wild side? Well this is it on wheels! The mid-engine Ferrari experience has always been the best, and this bad-boy just reached perfection!  For you to understand my point here let me put it this way… Driving this monster around the track to your own limit (because its impossible to reach the car limit) is just like when Lindsay Lohan does blow off stolen jewelry being able to fly like Superman, run faster than Flash, and losing your virginity before all of your friends to their hot moms! YES, it’s that awesome! I had to have this one for those days when I’ve had a long/busy week and I just want to forget about everything and just drive around the track or Mulholland Drive. It also doesn’t hurt that this is the best looking Ferrari ever made! I don’t like to bungee-jumo or skydive, so excitement and adrenaline would be why I had to get this one.

- Audi R8 v10 Spyder: A super-car you can easily driveevery day almost  everyday! I live in Los Angeles, and the weather here has been shitty as hell lately is usually wonderful. I must confess though… I did buy this car when a few months ago I was watching Iron-Man 2 while having a couple of drinks in bed and of course I went online and did what had to be done… and got myself a Tony Stark vehicle! LOL (Don’t drink and e-Bay kids). Aside from the impulse-purchase factor, I’ve always wanted a beautiful convertible that I can really use in the city without getting tired of driving in traffic, and this white-bastard does it perfectly!

So that’s it! Those are my excuses the reasons as to why I wanted to get these. Let me know on the comment section below which are your favorite cars and why?