Author Archive

Photographer’s eye-catching image of an eyechart

Posted on January 6th, 2012 by Andy G.

As an amateur photographer working at VSP Vision Care, I was delighted when I stumbled upon this photo.

eye chart within an eye

The image by professional photojournalist Scott Sommerdorf of the Salt Lake Tribune was recently featured in one of the photographer blogs that I follow: wearephotographers.com.

Scott creatively captured an image of an eye chart reflected off the cornea, a perspective that is not usually thought of. (At the risk of stating the obvious: great photographers do that.)

This has inspired me to go make even more creative and uncommon images.

File under: Fun | Tagged: closeup, eye catching, photo, photographer, photography, scott sommerdorf
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VSP Asian Pacific Islander Employee Group Attends Competitive High Tea

Posted on November 9th, 2011 by Andy G.

Top: Andrea H, Caryn N, Courtney M, Lisa M; Bottom: Gabrielle H, Chelsy P, Tina R, January V

A high tea? I didn’t know that tea was an event, like a swim meet, a concert, or a meteor shower. It seems I need to increase my awareness.

VSP’s Asian Pacific Islander (API) employee resource group recently participated in My Sister’s House 4th annual High Tea event.

The event is a fund-raising effort to increase awareness in the Asian Pacific Islander community that domestic violence is not limited by ethnicity or culture.

VSP’s API employee group invested its efforts as lead sponsor for My Sister’s House because by supporting a non-profit that largely supports the needs of very diverse Asian and Pacific Island women and children, we are able to connect with the larger local Asian and Pacific Island community.

The competitive part comes to play where each table’s decorators work to outdo each other in designing the most elegant centerpieces and table decorations.

Chelsy P from VSP took the lead to design our table. Our table was elaborately decorated to provide a showcase for our Marchon and Altair eyewear lines and created quite a conversation piece. It was an important opportunity to network and encourage others in our community to speak out against domestic violence.

To read more about diversity at VSP, click the “diversity” tag below.

File under: Diversity, VSP in the Community | Tagged: API, asia pacific, asian, competitive, diversity, domestic violence, high tea, My Sister's House, pacific island, tea
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10 English Words with Asian Roots

Posted on May 31st, 2011 by Andy G.

Andy Gee, Member of VSP's Asian Pacific Islander Employee Resource Group

When I learned that May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I wanted to blog about it without turning it into a geo-political sermon, a cultural diversity lecture, or an American history lesson (yawn).

As we say good-bye to May, I wanted to leave you with this. I thought it would be interesting to examine common words used in the English language that had their roots in Asian cultures, sort of the weaving of Asian cultures into America’s gingham, er, fabric.

I’m going to skip the too-obvious food-related words (wok and ramen), or martial arts terms (ninja and judo) that retain their cultural link.

Instead, I highlight ten words that you might not have known had Asian origins.

word	origin	meaning
boondocks (n.)	Tagalog (Philippines)	from a word for “mountain,” adopted by American soldiers to refer to any far-off or wild place
gingham (adj.)	Malaysian	borrowed from Malay into Dutch into English
gung ho (adj.)	Chinese and Korean	from words meaning “work together,” motto first used by U.S. Marines in WWII.
honcho (n.)	Japanese	from a word meaning “squad leader”
ketchup (n.)	Chinese and Korean	from a word meaning “tomato sauce”
launch (n.)	Malaysian	type of a boat
taboo (n.)	Tongan	appeared for the first time in Captain Cook’s journals
tattoo (n.)	Tahitian	introduced to European sailors who brought the custom worldwide
tycoon (n.)	Japanese	from a word meaning “great prince,” attributed to Matthew Perry’s visit to Japan in 185os, used as an affectionate nickname for president Abraham Lincoln.
typhoon (n.)	Chinese and Korean	from words for “great wind”

Now, back to my work as a technical communicator. And somehow today, I’m going to fit this sentence in:

“The gung ho honcho with the tattoo tripped, spilling the ketchup on the tycoon’s lap.”

(For more Asian words in English, see “Gung Ho, Tycoon, Amuck” from InfoPlease.com.)

File under: Diversity | Tagged: diversity, monthly observance
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Green Guardians help VSP do things the Green Way on Earth Day

Posted on April 22nd, 2011 by Andy G.

BionX e-bike

Green Guardians encouraged VSP employees to celebrate Earth Day. We had a chance to:

test-ride the BionX e-bike, an integrated motor that assists a cyclist, extending the bicycle commuter’s range.
check out the latest hybrid vehicles (did you just spend $60 filling your tank?) and sign up for alternative transportation (carpooling, cycling, light rail).
taste and buy some fresh, locally-grown strawberries, feel the heat from Solar Cookers International, and learn about Soil-Born Farms’ efforts to help discover healthy living and grow a sustainable community.

Reducing e-waste, using water efficiently, actively recycling our e-waste, increasing our energy efficiency, and reusing office products are just some of the weapons that the Green Guardians wielded today, with the help of local vendors.

Who are the Green Guardians?

VSP employees who volunteer to educate and motivate coworkers on ways we can be responsible guardians of our planet, every day at work are known as our Green Guardians.

It’s not coincidence that one of our corporate values is: “We positively impact our communities and environment in ways that truly make a difference in people’s lives.”

What ways do you participate in Earth Day activities?

File under: Environment | Tagged: BionX e-bike, Earth Day, increase energy efficiency, recycling e-waste, Soil-Born Farms, Solar Cookers International, VSP goes green, VSP Green Guardians, VSP Vision Care
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Heart-healthy and Eye-healthy

Posted on March 2nd, 2011 by Andy G.

Andy Gee a.k.a. GeeWhizKid

I love trying soups from different chefs (especially because I don’t seem to have the soup-making gene). So the other day I found a “winter cabbage and cilantro” soup on a menu.

I’ve learned from our GetFIT program that the more colorful the vegetable, the better it is for me, so just to be sure, I looked up red cabbage.

Sure enough, I found several sources that stated the vision benefits of red cabbage, including World’s Healthiest Foods and Buzzle.com, which state the following:

“…other important health benefits of cabbage are, providing relief in constipation, improving vision, lowering the level of serum cholesterol, prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and inhibiting the growth of tumors”

That article listed sulforaphane , so looking up that word lead me to discover that it’s found in cruciferous veggies such as brocolli, brussel sprouts, (and of course, cabbage).

red cabbage soup

Who knew? GeeWhiz!

File under: eye health, Get Fit | Tagged: eye healthy foods, get fit, GetFIT Program, healthy foods, healthy soup, red cabbage soup, soup, VSP, wellness
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Health Fair & Forum touches volunteers

Posted on February 22nd, 2011 by Andy G.

Andy Gee a.k.a. GeeWhizKid

At this past weekend’s Health Fair & Forum in Sacramento, 14 VSP employees volunteered their Saturday to staff an information booth, provide low-level vision assessments, or assist doctors Elisabeth S. Swan, O.D. and Thomas R. Swanson, O.D. who were also volunteering their services in SeeLia, one of the VSP mobile clinics.

Several of the VSP volunteers share their thoughts from the experience.

Marian H. assisted patients in the screening:

“The vision assessment showed that both a man and his daughter were in need of our services. The daughter is in the second grade and wants to be a teacher or a scientist when she grows up. She was having trouble seeing at school so her teacher moved her closer to the front of the class.
He knew they both needed corrective eyewear but had absolutely no way of providing for himself and his daughter.
I explained the importance of annual comprehensive eye exams and set him up with a VSP Mobile Eyes voucher and a doctor directory.
I couldn’t believe the change in his demeanor. He was so happy he started crying and it took a few minutes to get him calmed down. I assured him we were happy to provide this service.”

Judy M. assisted patients in low-level vision assessments and discovered:

“My most memorable moment was when I realized the young man I was talking to was having a sight-threatening issue, knowing time was so important to saving his eyesight.
Sure, I could be at home or going to a movie, you know, comfortable things. But for so many people there is little comfort. The people that come to these events come for a very real reason. It’s a need.”

Juliet C. manned the information booth, educating visitors on health risk factors prevalent in the African American community.

VSP Employees (L to R): Koi R., Juliet C., Cynthia S. and Doris B. volunteering at the VSP information booth

“I volunteered for this event because of the importance of educating the community on various health risk factors such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension.”

Cynthia S. helped educate visitors on what makes up a comprehensive eye exam.

“I volunteered at this event because I grew up in the neighborhood, and this was a way of giving back to the community. I met parents of people I went to school with and it felt good to be able to educate them on the many diseases that can be detected through the eyes. It was amazing how many people didn’t understand the difference between their perception of an ‘eye exam’ and a ‘comprehensive eye exam’ from a VSP doctor.”

Jenny B. assisted in the vision assessment process.

“..to see someone’s face when they realize that VSP isn’t expecting anything from them, that the exam and glasses given to them are free just so they can see better! I met a 52-year old woman who had never had an eye exam in her lifetime, making do with $2 ‘cheaters’ that really didn’t fix her vision problems!”

Me? I got to merge my photography hobby with my desire to volunteer in the community and work alongside VSP employees who I don’t see everyday! Check out the photos from the event at VSP’s Flickr gallery.

File under: VSP in the Community | Tagged: eye exam, eye health, eyecare, healthcare, SeeLia, VSP Mobile Eyes
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Three year old Maggie Romeo is discovered in Regis & Kelly’s Most Beautiful Baby Contest

Posted on March 18th, 2010 by Andy G.

VSP Regional Vice President, Frank Romeo and daughter Maggie Sue, winner of Regis & Kelly's Most Beautiful Baby Contest.

“It all started with a random photo taken by my wife Dana in our backyard,” explains VSP’s Frank Romeo as he shares behind-the-scenes events that unfolded over the course of a whirlwind week in New York.

LIVE! with Regis and Kelly was holding a baby photo contest, looking for one child to appear on the cover of Parenting Magazine for the 2010 Beautiful Baby Search.

“Our goal was to just have the photo posted on the Regis and Kelly photo gallery with thousands of other photos. My wife Dana checked the Web site weekly but never saw the photo.” says Frank, a VSP regional vice president in Georgia.

The photo that started it all.

Then, the week began to unfold…

Monday, March 1

The top 10 semi-finalists were revealed on the show, and Maggie Sue Romeo was in the Top 10!

“The online voting started immediately and with the help of friends and family [and thousands of online voters] Maggie made the Top 5! The show producers called Dana right after the show and [according to the contest rules for the week-long event], gave her four hours to get to the airport to New York. I was traveling on business, so my mother-in-law made the trip with Dana and Maggie. Read more »

File under: Fun | Tagged: beautiful baby search, Gerber, Parenting magazine, Regis and Kelly, VSP Employees
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Funnel vision

Posted on October 9th, 2009 by Andy G.

Andy G. is a member of VSP's Sales team.

Do you have problems applying eye drops? Do you tend to miss your eye and waste several drops down your cheek?
Then, you need the funnel vision frames.

OK, these frames aren’t really available under your VSP vision care benefits. They are just one of many Chindogu creations by Japanese inventor Kenji Kawakami.

The Japanese literal translation of Chindogu is “unusual tools.” Read more »

File under: Frames & Lenses, Fun | Tagged: Chindogu, eyeglasses, eyes, eyewear, frame, funnel vision, innovation, Kenji Kawakami
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Share. Play nicely!

Posted on July 14th, 2009 by Andy G.

VSP audience in a facilitated training session

This past week, I participated in a VSP training course on how to be an effective facilitator. At the start of the class, we quickly reviewed some ground rules for participants. The rules are designed to aid facilitation, to ensure that everyone is equally heard, to make wise decisions with our time, and ensure we all get the most benefit from the course.

Allow and encourage others to contribute.
Appreciate the other person’s point of view.
Enter into the discussion enthusiastically.
Feel free to ask questions.
Follow established timeframes.
Give freely of your experience.
Keep confidences and assume others will.
Listen attentively.
Practice learned skills.
Provide constructive feedback and receive it willingly.

These groundrules aren’t rocket science. The rules are common courtesy, just gentle reminders of social graces.

I couldn’t help but notice how similar these rules are to the rules we give preschoolers. All right, they’re worded differently, for us grownups. But they are preschool rules nonetheless.

andy-preschool1

It’s refreshing to be reminded, as adults, of the things we first learned as kids.

So, with a tip of my hat to all those preschool teachers and parents, here are VSP’s ten ground rules for training participants, grouped under the three rules for preschoolers.

“Share.”

Give freely of your experience.
Allow and encourage others to contribute.
Feel free to ask questions.

“Play nicely.”

Appreciate the other person’s point of view.
Provide constructive feedback and receive it willingly.
Keep confidences and assume others will.

“Do what I say.”

Practice learned skills.
Follow established timeframes.
Enter into the discussion enthusiastically.
Listen attentively.

Hm, now that I see these ten rules in this new light, maybe we should just use these three?

File under: Uncategorized | Tagged: culture, people, training
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