Hello, H-QTs! - Modern Internet or Age of Dystopia?

Have you come across the latest game show "craze" that allows you to instantly play right at your fingertips?! Yes, every day at 12pm PST and 6pm PST, you will find a quick run through of some "rules,"  a 2:00 minute countdown, another 3-2-1 countdown, and FINALLY the “quiz king” Scott Rogowsky, appears LIVE on your screen at the HQ of HQ (usually on the east coast somewhere), gracing his punny presence to an average of 800K players on their daily 12 question path to glory. Trivia + winning REAL money?? YESS. Sounds easy enough, right?

Well, truth be told, I haven’t been part of any winning groups (yet), but every time HQ reminds me to try my luck at winning part of the daily prize (which amounts to around $2500), I find myself tapping through, hopeful to win.

HQ (what does it stand for anyways?) is heading towards the direction of innovation and advanced technology, with a modern twist on the traditional game show. HQ was developed with the technology combined from Vine and Periscope to bring everyday users into a brand new experience where everyone can be a winner.

The blend of technology and live video streaming breaks down the 4th wall, creating a whole new user experience. I first found out about this new app at the beginning of January, right after I read up about it from another blogger who writes about different “ways to make money online” (yes, that is a thing if you didn’t know already) - but what got me was the $16,000 jackpot that was up for grabs on the last day of 2017. The idea that I could play for free, with no money on my end, for the chance to win real money?! HELL YEAH.

But first...

Stay Chill In The Chat 

At the bottom of your mobile device screen, there is a free-for-all chat for lurkers, trolls, and basically everyone who signs on to the app to type and send whatever their hearts desire throughout the entire game - which I believe is just a way for HQ to gain the most instant feedback from their H-QTs.

Everybody Loves Scott. 

Read up on the Apple App Store Reviews for HQ and you will come across the name “Scott” - The Annoying Try Hard. But honestly, if you like puns as much as I do, he’s HI-larious - inserting puns here, there, and pretty much EVERYWHERE.

But, a couple of weeks ago, Scott disappeared from HQ and the show decided to feature a couple of different hosts but the feedback was BAD. “Bring Scott Back” “Where’s Scott?” filled up the chat. And to be honest, I wanted Scott back, too. It just wasn’t the same with the other hosts filling in - but I continued playing and finally - Scott appears back at it again AND THE CROWD WENT WILD. The force of a collective belief or following is strong with this one.

Jimmy. Kimmel. 

The best HQ surprise EVER. While Scott was still MIA and the H-QTs were still sour, Kimmel made a GRAND guest appearance and it was amazing. It was as if he teleported from his late night show, right into the palm of my hand. I hope HQ will bring more guest hosts to entertain and switch things up in the near future. Here are some of my suggestions: Millie Bobby Brown, James Corden, Neil Patrick Harris, and maybe even Ellen Degeneres. #yourewelcome

Tricky Trivia 

Think you can make it to the 12 questions answered correct mark? These questions are tricky. You have 10 seconds from the time the question pops up on your screen to answer correctly from 3 possible answers. Tap an answer, but want to change it? TOO BAD. You can't. What the HQ team does really well, pretty much every time, is choosing relative answers within the pool of possible answer choice that instantly knocks out the majority during the early rounds. One question can crush the hopes and dreams of 300K+ people in one go! SAVAGERY! I believe my highest as been 6/12 questions right. Not. Too. Bad..right??

Play Alone or Play With Your Besties

If you “invite" friends to play with your unique username code to sign up - you get an extra life which automatically boosts you to the next question after an incorrect answer. One of my favorite moments IRL when playing HQ was when Andy and I were riding on the Disneyland Railroad for the first time in forever since they rerouted a portion of it (and yes, it is amazing and you all should go sit and ride it - day or night), and the notification popped up to play! The struggle was real when both of us launched the app and I was tethering off of his data while we were on route around the Happiest Place On Earth - but we ain't even mad about it. I think we barely got through 3/12 questions but IT WAS FUN, ok!

Play Everyday, Every Other Day, or Just On Weekends 

As long as you have the app, you can play every single day. If you don’t win the 12pm game, try your luck again at 6pm! If you’re a weekend H-QT, try your luck during the 6pm live streams! HQ is also great with sending out LIVE notifications to your phone whenever game times are shift or when they are indeed LIVE.

Live User Experience 

When I think of game shows, I think of “The Price is Right,” “Jeopardy” or “Wheel of Fortune” where contestants must audition in order to fit the show’s personality. Ain’t nobody got time for that! No need to audition to become a contestant because HQ is for everyone (with a mobile device). But, unlike traditional game shows that are broadcasted on TV, HQ takes it a step further towards instant interactivity and live streaming on your mobile phone. There’s no time to cut away or any room for much mistakes. Recently, while I was trying my luck at winning during one of the 2pm games, right after Scott had read the first question and all users submitted their answers, instant technical difficulties ensued, leaving Scott to fend for HQ in hopes of settling down frustrated players from leaving the game until everything is resolved.

Nowadays, I do find myself playing HQ less frequently, but the initial excitement of this app was so fun. A group activity that I could do by myself? SCORE. Riding the waves of the angry HQ community, seeing the evolution of live video + user integration, and having that chance of winning some extra money in my Paypal account is intriguing enough for me to call myself a casual H-QT.

All in all - this is an app that will drain your battery if you’re not plugged into a power source and WILL LAG. I’m personally not much of a gaming app person (still living on that 2GB data life), but if I have a power source and stable WI-FI connection, you bet I’ll be on HQ-ing it, right in the comforts of my own home.

Join to be an H-QT today! (iOS & Android) - and user my code "tiffyama" for that “extra life” :)

Do. Or do not. There is no try.

Hello family, friends, internet browsers, lurkers, and all the like. Here I am, yet again, to accomplish a goal that I have long been trying to achieve. Wait - let me reiterate the most important part of my previous statement - “...to accomplish a goal that I have long been TRYING to achieve.” Trying - the action (or non-doing) of a specific goal or idea, but never fully committing. I have been setting resolutions ever since I could remember, always TRYING to be a better person than I was the previous year, feeling good just by thinking about TRYING to accomplish them.

It Was Enchanting to Meet You

On August 25, I attended one of Taylor Swift's EPIC 1989 world tour shows at the Los Angeles Staples Center, and it seriously was one of the best concerts I had ever seen. I wasn't too big of a fan of TSwizzle before her 1989 album, but I still admired her music and her overall persona. Fast forward to when her first single "Shake it Off," which was soon followed by the release of her 5th studio album, I was hooked.

I am still experiencing some 1989 post concert withdrawals. She performed all of the tracks from 1989 along with some old school favorites AND she even invited John Legend as one of her special guests for the night. They sang "All of Me" together and it brought tears to my eyes. EPIC. Wishing her the best of luck on the rest of her tour and I hope fans around the nation and world will all get to experience the power of T.Swift, live in concert.

URBAN OUTFITTERS: ROMPER (similar) / BOOTS: SAM EDELMAN (similar)

What's the last concert you attended?

"No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind." - Taylor Swift

SUMMER: Viva Las Vegas & Shake Shack (Part 3)

Another road trip that happened this summer was at the beginning of August when my family, MR.MR. and I drove to Las Vegas for my sister's annual basketball tournament. I always remembered Vegas being a fun place as kid where arcades would scream out to your inner child so that you could have a chance to win the big ticket jackpot that could be redeemed for the biggest teddy bear ever! Who knew all of those stuffed animal prizes would have prepared you for slot machines and card game tables. Pai Gao, anyone?

All games aside, one aspect that I really enjoy while visiting the city that never sleeps is how Vegas gives you the Cliff Notes version of some of the world's most popular sites such as the Eiffel Tower, the Venice canals, and so much more.

But the highlight of this trip was when we stumbled upon Shake Shack, located right next to New York, New York. I always look forward to eating their cheesy fries and their burgers every time I happen to come across a location, and this time was nothing short of tasty. Now that I look back at this trip, all we did was really eat on this trip. Not complaining though!

We ordered the Smoke Stack, the Shack Burger, the Shack-cago Dog, and of course, cheesy fries, a strawberry shake, and a black and white shake (vanilla + chocolate). Food for days!

New York, New York also has a huge Hershey's Chocolate World for visitors to explore. Every chocolate lovers' dream! Even after that massive lunch of ours, we...may or may not have left this store with a chocholate cupcake. #sorrynotsorry

What are your favorite places to visit in Las Vegas, Nevada?

The free exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world - John Steinbeck 

Incase you missed it, here are my previous Summer series posts:
Part 1: Cruisin' Together
Part 2: Sedona, Arizona

SUMMER: Sedona, Arizona (Part 2)

My first road trip of the summer in July was to to Sedona, Arizona. My family, MR.MR, and I went to visit family and spent some time away from LA which was definitely a nice breath of fresh air (literally.) I didn't even have any mobile reception over there, which turned out to work out just fine. (Goodbye, technology...)

Sedona is known for its beautiful red rocks that have "healing" properties and it's reputation for being a place where visitors can meditate. We didn't do much mediating, but we did do a bit of hiking in what looked like the real life Carsland. The views were seriously breathtaking. Even though we did not make it through the entire hike, seeing some of Arizona's natural landscapes was awesome.

I rarely get to see the sites in Arizona even though my family visits every year (my mom was born in Arizona; heck, I haven't even been to the Grand Canyon yet), but it was great seeing family again and having our traditional barbecues with freshly caught and fried fish along with some beer-butt chicken. Yum! 

F21 TRIBAL TOP / JEAN SHORTS / SUN GLASSES (similar)

Which desert spots have you visited?

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. - George Bernard Shaw

Incase you missed it, here's Part 1 of my Summer series - Cruisin' together 

SUMMER: Cruisin' together (Part 1)

Road trips have always been a favorite past time of mine during all seasons of the year. Whether it be to Arizona to visit family (my mom was born and raised in Tucson), or to San Diego for a quick day trip, to Vegas for my sister's basketball tournament, or even to NorCal just because it was more cost efficient, road trips have always given me a sense of family and togetherness.

You sit in the same car with your enthusiastic parent(s), annoying siblings or cousins, and your ever so patient friend or s.o. for hours. You switch off drivers to lessen the amount of driving fatigue. You try to find the best music to play for your road trip, but find out that T-Mobile's data service really does suck and you are left to play the songs you downloaded onto your phone. Pitch Perfect OST for the 3rd time? Heck yeah! And you start playing the name game, having you start of with the letter "A' for a boy's name. "Aladdin!"

But there's that special feeling when driving and/or riding in a car with people you love, from point A to point B - towards that final destination you all had been waiting for. These are the same type of people who are your best supporters in life, sticking by your side through all of your highs and lows of life. Looking out the window makes you see life in a different perspective and all of the opportunities that await. Feeling overwhelmed and need to take a break and fill up that motivation or creativity tank? No problem. Take a class. Join a club. Volunteer. Start a blog (heh heh). But most importantly, surround yourself with the people who love and support you. As long as you keep your goals alive and actively seek to pursue them, you can do no wrong. That's where I am today, and I'm loving every bit of this journey.

It's been about two years since I last left on a plane to travel, but road tripping and spending time with family and friends during these past few months has definitely filled my void of traveling and inspiration in more ways than one. But even after all of the fun and traveling, there's nothing like that feeling of coming home to your own bed. You know it's true.

What's one of your favorite road trip memories?

Hope you enjoyed the first part of my SUMMER 2015 series. Stay tuned!

All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost... - J.R.R. Tolkien

You're invited

I love having a reason to celebrate all occasions, big or small, so in celebration of my birthday, I have decided to start something new as a present for my future self. Writing has always been my passion, but if you know me personally, I'm quite the soft spoken type. But give me any topic to write about and I'll show you what's up.

So, with that being said, after about a year of hemming and hawing of how I was to go about this idea and whether or not I would stay committed to this personal project, I am proud to officially reintroduce my blog to you.

I started this blog in February of 2011 and originally thought about starting a brand new blog on a brand new platform that I have little to no experience with, but decided that the quickest and easiest way to get back into the swing of things would be for me continue to post my writings here because this is where I feel most comfortable.

These past few months have been challenging for me in having to adjust to a few new life changes, but after many family vacations, good food, good company, some "soul searching," and bit of research, I am more than ready to let loose this drive of creativity in hopes of pursuing something I truly love to see where it may lead me.

I am super excited to embark on this very special journey, where I will be sharing everything I love and all things that make life worth living for. And guess what, you're invited.

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. - Walt Disney