Hojin's Southwest Orlando Real Estate Scoop » Inspirations

Friends of Lake Apopka

Hojin Chang — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:47:14 +0000

Friends of Lake Apopka (FOLA) has been working fastidiously to restore Lake Apopka from its pollution since the signing of the Lake Apopka Restoration Act in 1996. The groups was formed with the guidance an environmental biologist, owner of Biosphere in Winter Garden, and former president of the Friends of Wekiva named Jim Thomas and the West Orange Chamber of Commerce. It’s a much needed citizen advocacy group for Lake Apopka’s restoration.

I often get the question from home buyers that come from outside Central Florida, what that large lake in the distance is. My answer to them is that it’s the second largest lake in Florida and it’s also the most polluted with the only thing living in the waters there being mutant alligators. It’s a constant reminder of how quickly things can deteriorate if we don’t respect and nurture our environment.

I don’t believe I’ll see it cleaned up in my lifetime but organizations like FOLA are attempting to make strides in that direction. Recent residential projects such a Bella Collina, Oakland Park, Westyn Bay, and Sugarloaf Mountain have destroyed much of the natural filters that lead into the lake and will make restoration much more difficult. Who wants to live on a polluted lake anyway. When the sun is gloaming at its most majestic state, the water resembles the color and consistency of antifreeze. Yuck!

Although far from its former glory, Lake Apopka is starting to show signs of recovery. A recent report by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reports that largemouth bass populations have been returning. Marty Hale of FWC recently reported catching 12 in an hour with one being this 7 pounder pictured on the FOLA site although I’m still not going fishing there. The commission says they will be stocking 600,000 bass in Lake Apopka this year.

Property values along Lake Apopka have been skyrocketing for no apparent reason and it’s hurting recovery efforts. It’s a polluted lake folks. There’s plenty of other pristine lakes to build on around here. You’ll be better off financially and probably medically. Kudos to FOLA for taking on such an important task and I’d love to check out the waters of Lake Apopka one day.

see photo gallery: Lake Apopka by the Orlando Sentinel

download pdf: Report on Lake Apopka by the St. John’s Water Management District

Inspiration From a Grocery Bagger

Hojin Chang — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 15:35:39 +0000

Today is the last day of 2007. As with many years, it was filled with a lot of ups and downs. I’m a firm believer in having goals but times when things aren’t going according to plan make it difficult to keep your focus. Many of us set out on our working careers believing that we’re going to contribute to making the world a better place. Then life happens and it weakens our belief. Every once in a while though, you experience a genuine act of kindness when you least expect it. It reminds us that there is good out there and ultimately that’s how you’d like to live.

A friend of mine shared this video with me and it was a wonderful inspiration to bring in the new year. It’s a true story about a grocery store bagger name Johnny with Down Syndrome who made a remarkable difference at work by sharing his heartfelt wishes with his customers. The story goes to show you that if you genuinely just try to help people and act with good intentions that things somehow take care of themselves. Karma baby. The story is quite touching and definitely will provide a great inspiration for the coming year. I definitely got some chicken skin when I watched this. Enjoy.

Happy new year everyone.

watch video: Inspiration from Johnny the Grocery Bagger

Words of Inspiration from Steve Jobs

Hojin Chang — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 03:42:46 +0000

I noticed this speech made by Steve Jobs at a graduation ceremony for Stanford University on the Phoenix Real Estate Guy blog and just had to share it although it’s a little on a tangent. We all get sidetracked by things that happen in our lives and at least for myself, speeches like this one remind me of the important things in life and revitalizes my passion and focus. He really does provide some inspirational words that’s worth the few minutes to watch.

Click here to view the embedded video.