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I've set my sights on my 1st Certification in my journey to the Data Analytics Realm.  With the Microsoft MTA Exam - 98-381 - Intro to Programming with Python . My Preparation Books Intro to Python 5th Edition - Mark Lutz Programming in Python - Mark Lutz Self Practice Writing Python Apps Timeline 180 Days (Dec 2017 ~ May 2018) Tentative Exam Date - Early May 2018 NOTE I won't feel competent in Python until I've spent at least a full year writing serious code.  For now I want to understand the basics and apply them at work.  I have some small projects in mind to 'cut my teeth' with Python and plan to apply them in 2018.  I consider this the 'foundation' step to at least tuck Python knowledge under my arm. Update 2/1/18 Got busy @ work and have to push back the Python thing.  Still studying, but progress is slower than I had hoped.  But keep plugging away...   Update 7/4/20 Such is life...I never got around to taking this certificat

It's time to start studying again and I've decided against pursuing .NET/Web Programming in favor of Data Science.  I've only begun researching what I need to learn to get better acquainted with 'Data Science' and for now I'll study Python Programming. I'm already pretty good with SQL and Relational Databases (SQL Server, Oracle), but there is much more and beyond Math & Statistics, I wanted to understand how to play around with unstructured data. I. Subject List So my initial study list (subject to change as I learn what I need; and in no particular order): Python Language R Language MongoDB / noSQL Big Data (Hadoop, Hive ) Cloud Tools ( Amazon S3 ) I'll also need to brush up on my Math & Stats skills (it's been a few years since Uni). II. Reading Estimate 4,000 Pages [ 5 ~ 6 books * 500 ~ 800 pages ] 10 months [ 100 pages / week ]  // ETC = October 2018 III. Resources Python Intro to Python 5th Edition - Mark Lutz P

The 4th and last book of Yukio Mishima's - Sea of Fertility - Tetralogy.  It was meant to be his masterpiece and while I was only able to read the 3rd & 4th book, I can honestly say they are quite good, but not on the same level of Tolstoy's War & Peace. I'm not going to attempt to be a Critic and will immediately say I loved this book and was a welcome read.  It posed very interesting questions on how to live life and preparing for one's inevitable death.  Another reader made a good comment...The Sea of Fertility can be summed in Mr. Honda's realization that we have just 'one shot at life'. Sadly, I need to go find Book 1 & 2 to complete the Tetralogy, but in comparison to the 3rd book I would say the 3rd is better as it includes glimpses into Yukio's interpretation & analysis of how life was like in Japan during & after WW2.  Very insightful and interesting notes. This was a far quicker read clocking in at barely 140 or so pages.  B

I wanted to broaden my palate beyond just Whisky and after some Research discovered the delightful world of Brandy's.  There are probably just as many if not more types & brands of Brandy's as there are Whisky's and some of the most famous are the French Cognacs. There are also several grades starting from lowest: VS (Very Special) VSOP (Very Special Old Pale) XO (Extra Old). There are several major brands of Cognac and for my initial foray I selected a VSOP from the House of Hennessy (LVMH) for about $18 USD on a 200 mL Bottle. Initial Reaction It is flavorful, sweet and a nice nose (fragrance).  In terms of 'taste' its about par with a Johnnie Walker Black, but only half as interesting as a Highland Park 12. For sweetness, its almost the same as a Macallan 12 and honestly, the viscosity & taste reminded me of the time I added a teaspoon of Maple Syrup to a bad bottle of Macallan 12...the Hennessy VSOP was almost identical in that experience!  Not saying i

People must know I like Whisky, a friend gave me the small 200 mL Bottle of Johnnie Walker - Blue Label.  Pretty cool and now I have a way to sample Blue Label without popping open the big bottle. I'll save it for something special.  Probably will open it for New Years.  

Highland Park released New Packaging & Branding for their 10, 12 and 18 Year old Single Malt Whisky's.  I picked up the 12 Year old - Viking Honour to replenish my stock as it's been almost 2 years since I last had a dram of HP12.  Eagerly waiting to give it a try later in the Month. Original Notes: HP 12 Year Old 2015   Update 9/30/17 Popped it open and had two pours.  Both were phenomenal and I'm very happy I picked up the Highland Park 12.  It's not as Sweet as a Macallan, but perfectly easy to drink neat. Update 10/13/17 Already drank half the bottle!  Have to slow down...particularly what is amazing about Highland Park 12 is the nose.  I can't get enough of the aroma and drinking out of a proper curved glass I can really take it all in.  

My current interest is in my nascent Fountain Pen Collection and I've been planning how best to proceed over the next 12 Months increasing my Collection to a total of Six (6) Pens.  Presently, I own only three (3) Pens; all Metropolitan's and feel it necessary to add some variety & quality. Current Inventory Pilot Metropolitan Classic (Black) Retro Pop (Turquoise) Retro Pop (Purple) Iroshizuku Ink Kon-Peki Murusaki-Shikibu Future Desired: Pens Pilot Custom 74 Black -- $75 -- Mar 2018 Platinum 3776 Blue -- $75 -- Aug 2018 Platinum 3776 Red -- $ 75 -- Dec 2018 Accessories Pen Case (3 Pack) -- $25 -- Aug 2018 Estimated Outlay -- $250 Update 12/31/17 I've delayed my planned purchases and will make them contingent on successfully passing my Certification Exams for Python and R respectively.  The dates can vary, but more or less I want to 'win' these pens by passing the examinations. The Metropolitans have held up well and are being reinked every few days due to my s

I ordered two (2) Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pens from the Retro Pop Collection in Turquoise & Purple.  Both are Fine Point Nibs and with exception of the Color & Design patterns on the cross section they are identical to the Metropolitan Classic Collection. I'm Glad I purchased additional Metropolitan Fountain Pens as it does make life easier having several pens to choose from rather than rely on a single pen. Contents The pens come in the same standard packaging as other Pilot Metropolitan's and includes both a single Black Cartridge & Con-20 Style Ink Converter.  It makes the Metropolitan's probably the best starter pen as it has everything you need to begin writing.   Nib Both pens were a bit scratchy after their first inking of Iroshizuku Ink.  I grabbed my Metropolitan Classic and confirmed it writes smoother and I'm guessing these just need to be used a while to adjust & align the Nib's.  I vaguely recall the Classic was very scratch

My notes as I research and learn about the various models of Entry Level Pilot Fountain Pens. Criteria for 'Entry Level' Price Range $ 10 ~ $60 MSRP Normal Refillable (Converter / Cartridge, etc) List 78G Cavalier Cocoon Ecrino Kakuno Knight Lucina Metropolitan Classic Retro Pop Animal Print Minuet Penmanship Petit1 Plumix Prera

It appears I've misplaced and possibly lost my beloved Platinum Century 3776 Fountain Pen.  This is a bummer as it cost me quite a bit of money; estimating $75 ($65 Pen + $10 Converter). While I have my Pilot Metropolitan, it's not the same as having a Gold Nib Pen.  I'm not ready yet to invest in another expensive Fountain Pen and will have to think about how to better ensure I avoid misplacing and losing such an expensive item. A real bummer....

Made a short stop in Las Vegas for a few days.  Stayed on the Strip and was quite fun to see the old town again.  Haven't been here in years and mostly just had a few beers and did some sight seeing.  While it was great to see Vegas again,  it's just not the same unless you go there with a bunch of friends to party. The Old Fashioned wasn't half bad...but to be honest for $17 in Las Vegas it should have been spectacular.  I get better Old Fashion's back home and that's part of the reason I'm no longer impressed or amazed by this City.

Taking my Final International Trip for the Year and visiting Seoul, South Korea via Incheon Airport (ICN). Was a brief trip for a few days and stayed with relatives. Hung out at the Mall and ate at various Restaurants around town. Uneventful, best kind of trip. Day 1 - Flight to ICN Sat in Economy and it's quite good the Service & Amenities.  Free Beer, Free Movies and a palatable Meal. The Meal wasn't half bad and generally I've found anytime Airlines do a Chicken & Rice Meal Combo it warms up nicely.  The Kochujang Sauce was a brilliant idea and made this a fairly delicious meal. A few hours later in the flight they served Shin Ramen.  Was first time I had that on a plane and while it was okay, was too salty and I just ate the noodles and skipped the soup. I just stuck with more beer! Day 2 - Seoul It was a Delivery Food Party and stayed in all day and ordered four (4) different meals (sadly, only remembered to snap a pick of the Tonkatsu Bento): Chachamyun + T

I've begun preparing for MCSA Exam 70-480 - Programming in HTML5, JavaScript and CSS3.  There are a total of sixteen (16) chapters.  I already was skimming as quite a bit of this stuff I already know, although they go into greater detail into certain things like lossy vs. lossless which was something I never really paid attention to before on why choose JPG, GIF, PNG or SVG; so in that sense this book has been quite useful.  6/3 - Chapter 1 & 2 -- VS2012 + HTML5 Yeah, I know sometimes it actually helps to study with a Pint of Beer. 6/4 - Chapter 3 -- JavaScript Sidecar + JavaScript! Update 12/17/17 // Cancelled! As is life...giving up my studies in Web Apps.  Well, for now.  I do wish I know where my Platinum 3776 Fountain Pen went...this book was the last one I studied while writing with that pen!

I'm happy I waited and just learned that Microsoft has created a new MCSA certification for Web Applications that is more closely tailored to what I do.  It basically a trimmed down version of the MCSD that eliminates the 70-487 Azure/Web Services Exam and limits scope to: 70-480 - HTML5, JavaScript, CSS3 70-486 - ASP.NET MVC I had already purchased the books last year and was going to start diving into an MCSD after completing the MCSA in SQL Server 2012/2014, but as always the case life got in the way and I had to focus on other priorities.  I'm now ready to resume my Technical Studies and excited to go for this new MCSA Certification.  The Certification itself is not my goal, but is just helpful as a way to focus my Studies. Budgeting about $460 in Exam Fees and Six Months Training Time so estimating if I stick to it I can get the MCSA Certification by Nov/Dec 2017. Update 12/17/17 // Cancelled... As is life...have to push this one back and maybe pursue in 2018

I was in Shibuya and decided to check out Tokyu Hands Department Store.  They had a modest, but decent selection of Fountain Pens and Inks on the 5th Floor.  Prices are fantastic @ 1500 Yen and I picked up my 2nd Iroshizuku Ink - Murusaki Shikibu (Purple).  I always wanted this ink and its actually cheaper here than on Amazon. The name is a play on words as its both the name of a famous Japanese Author and a Japanese Berry.  The Author was fond of wearing Purple and the Berry is also a Purple Color, but then it could be that the Berry was named after the Author and they made this ink the same color, so who knows... It's not as vibrant as Kon-Peki, but that subdued characteristic is what I like.  It flows better, but then that could also be because I left a few drops of water in the Platinum Pen after rinsing it out before Inking.  I'm quite pleased with this color and happy I took a chance with it. Tokyu Hands was also fun and they let me try a variety of Pens and Colors.  They

Took advantage of the 3-Day Weekend and went to Tokyo via Haneda Airport.  I hit up six (6) places in my short blitz: Shinjuku / Kabukicho Akihabara Shinagawa/Sengaku-Ji Ginza Shibuya Haneda I had several objectives for this Trip: Indulge in my Hobbies (Headphones, Fountain Pens, Shoes, Coffee & Reading) Finish a Novel Stay within Budget Have Fun I was able to achieve all three, but the best part that made this trip Fun, was I stayed within Budget and got to do most of the things I wanted. Budget (Rough Approximations) Took 66,000 Yen with me and only used Cash so it was easy to tell how much I spent as I had 50,000 Yen remaining (5 x 10k Yen Notes). 3,600 Yen -- Lodging 2,000 Yen -- Transportation (Trains) 8,900 Yen -- Food, Drink, Misc 1,500 Yen -- Iroshizuku Ink 16,000 Yen -- TOTAL I am quite pleased by this as that is roughly $ 75 USD / Day and only in Japan can you enjoy traveling that cheap.  The reason being anywhere else I would have to factor in $200 USD / Day Hotels + $1