Sheep Shaving in New Zealand

Here is a clip of a sheep getting clipped. I have seen this before on TV, but seeing it live is something else. Enjoy.

Ikea

Our place is like a construction zone. We hit three different Ikeas in three days, got a lot of stuff. For the past few days, I have been building the furniture kits. I am still not done.

Anyway, have a happy new year...blah, blah, blah... I am still organizing the pictures from the cruise. Now, I am off to an "End of the year" party. Peace out.

I Just Got Back

We have been away for the last two weeks on our honeymoon (which is just an expensive word for vacation)...oh yeah, I got married last month. Anyway, we were on a cruise from New Zealand to Australia. That, of course, is the Sydney Opera House.

More pictures to come as I have well over 4 GB of photos that I need to go through. Over the next few days (okay, maybe weeks) I will post some more pictures. I will also try to post a lot of the pictures on some web page somewhere. Until then...do not hold your breath.

Stupid Jobs At Fry's

Hey look, I posted a picture...that I jacked from the internet.

Anyway, for those of you in other parts of the country/world, Fry's Electronics is a totally geeky electronics store where nerds from afar gather to stock up on anything from batteries to big screen televisions. If it is is geeky, it is at Fry's. (if you are a Fry's executive and you want to use that last line as a tagline, you can write the check out to me.)

Here is the situation...and this just happened today. A bunch of us were going there to get a game. Back story tangent: we went to Best Buy and their computers said they they had 18 copies of the game...yet they could not locate a single copy. So, we went to Fry's. Where was I?

Oh, before going to Fry's we called just to make sure they had the title. Needless to say, we were on hold, then transfered...then on hold again. The idiot on the other end never got back to us about the game. The phone call was terminated since we where in the parking lot.

We walked in and headed to the video game section. Right there in the front was the game we where looking at. Uh, I do not even work there and I found it in less than 5 seconds. Great job Fry guy.


But here is my problem with Fry's. At the checkout terminal, there is a line monitor. All she (and it is usually a female) does is tell you, the next person in line, which register is open. Take a look at the picture above, go ahead I will wait. Back? Notice the green and red lights. The cashier turns on the green light, then the line monitor will notify you that "register 3 is open".

This is all she does. How does this justified her salary? When you apply for a job there, can you possibly be under qualified for this position?!? She could have been looking for the game we asked for!!!

Then...then...oh, I am not finished. Then, after you pay you need to show your receipt to a guy at the door. It not like the door is across town, no! The receipt checker guy is twenty feet from the register. What is his job you ask? He looks at your merch and your receipt and marks the receipt with a pink highlighter. Yet another useless job, brought to you by the people at Fry's.


You can also see the receipt checker guy at your local Costco. Like he/she really has time to read everything on receipt and compare it to your cart. Your membership fee put to good use there.

Tips From An Asian Driver

I think I am going to start a series. It may well be a series of one. Let me start with a little introduction.

I am Asian...and when I am driving my Asian Import car, that makes me an Asian Driver. So, I am an expert on the subject. I really do not care about the stereotypes of Asian drivers...actually, they are all true. With that in mind, I will give tips to other drivers. Like you, I usually give these same tips to drivers on the road as I am driving. Because we all know that the best driver on the road is yourself and everyone is stupid or crazy.

Without further delay, I present you with...lane changes.

First rule, LOOK BEFORE YOU CHANGE LANES!!!

Signal before you make a lane change. Give at least three clicks of the signal light before making your move. Then, look again and make sure you have enough space and driver in other lane gives you the opening. Make your lane change, thank the car behind you with a simple wave. Pretty simple.

There are other factors involved. When merging into another lane, do it smoothly. If I can see through your driver's side window and through your passenger window, you are doing it totally wrong. Move back two spaces, lose a turn.

You should also only cross one set of lane dividers. If at any time your vehicle crosses more than one set, two things happened. You did not look, and you most likely did not signal. Lose a turn.

Conversely, if it takes you more than five cars lengths to merge into the lane. You are moving way too slowly. Drivers in said lane have the right to honk at you and flip you off. You also must stay in the lane and let the car behind you pass you and give you a dirty look.

Now that you know what to do, keep an eye out for other drivers that may want to merge into your lane. Hey, let them in. You can afford to be one car behind.

One more thing, when you have settled into your desired lane...TURN OFF YOUR SIGNAL LIGHT!!!

Remember, you may not be Asian, but there is a chance that other drivers are.

Sony 52" XBR

We just got a new TV. That, in combination with the Wii and PS3...you may never hear from me again (not like anyone really reads this crap I write).

It gets mounted tomorrow above the fireplace. I will post some pictures of that later...maybe.

One Year....

I have had this blog for one year as of yesterday. Also, yesterday (27 November) would have been Bruce Lee's 67th birthday. Wait, this is also my 67th post. Did I plan that???

Where Have I Been?

To put it simply...I just received a PlayStation 3 as a gift.

New Dave Gahan Album

Dave Gahan's second solo album is out. Hourglass was released on 22 October in the UK, 23 October in US. I just got mine. Why did I wait a week to get it? Actually, I had pre-ordered it months ago and since I get everything Depeche Mode related from UK, it took a while. From what I have heard, it is pretty good. Need to listen to it a few more times to really get the feel of the new album. Check it out.

It Is That 'Time'...Again

I totally think setting clocks back and forward is a waste of time.

NHL Network

There is an NHL Network. Twenty-four hours of nothing but hockey. Why did no one tell me about this??? This is the best thing to happen to television since Philo Farnsworth.

Flames Set NHL Record

The Calgary Flames set an NHL record for having a player score two goals since the start of the season in their first seven games. Here is the break down:

Game 1: Daymond Langkow scores twice against Philadelphia.
Game 2: Daymond Langkow, again, scores twice against Vancouver.
Game 3: Kristian Huselius scores twice against Detroit.
Game 4: Matthew Lombardi scores twice against Dallas
Game 5: Kristian Huselius scores two against Nashville
Game 6: Jarome Iginla scores two against Colorado
Game 7: Daymond Langkow scores twice against Los Angeles.

The streak ended last night as four separate Flames scored in a 4-1 victory over Edmonton. Jerome Iginla and Dion Phaneuf both as a goal and two assists in the game. Bad news is the streak is over, good news is they are playing well. After a 0-2-1 start, they are now 4-2-2.

Flames Get First Win of Season

Nearly half way into October, the Flames get their first win of the season, a 3-2 OT victory in Dallas.

Adventure Plex

Tuesday there was a brainstorm session at work. I was asked to join. The first part of the day was to get physical into the theme of the brainstorm topic. We all met at Adventure Plex in the morning. Anyway, we got suited up in crotch enhancers and germ headgear.


The venue offers a full gym, some wire walk thing, and rock climbing. I had a blast, the wire walk was sketchy, but fun. We were about fifteen feet above the ground, walking across some wires along an obstacle course. As usual, being the graceful guy I am, I almost ate it on the criss cross wire.



The course is designed to teach teamwork amongst participants, but if you try not to analyse it, it is pretty fun. Rock climbing was my favourite...because, it did not require said teamwork. Plus, I have always wanted to crawl like Spiderman.


If you have never rock climbed, I recommend it. It is a lot of fun and a great workout at the same time...and you get to be like Spiderman.


Now, I want to get climbing holds and mount them on the wall in my garage so I can do this at home.

Why show ID?

I used to work in a record store. Great job, got discounts on all my Depeche Mode stuff. Anyway, one of my responsibilities was cashier. Did not like it too much, but hey, it was a job. A Job I sucked at. I much rather walk the floor and rearrange the CD's and help out the customers.

Where was I? Oh, the cashier part. As with all retailers, we as cashiers were told to ask the customer for valid identification upon use of a credit card. A debit card, on the other hand, did not warrant such procedure since the PIN would confirm your relation to your card. This practice was strictly enforced. I once caught a guy who used his mom's card. The name on card did not match the name on the license. The manager on duty canceled the transaction and the guy left frustrated...without his CD's.


What is my point? There is a flaw in the system. Like many out there, I hardly carry cash. Most of my purchases are made by credit card. That being said, I noticed that the cashier only asks for your ID when you are buying things. This rule does not apply to restaurants.


You can buy something for five dollars at, for example, Target, using your credit card. They will ask you for valid form of identification. Then go to a restaurant like Islands, order twenty or a hundred dollars of food, pay for it with the same card...they will just run it through, no questions asked.

This process of verifying documents is to protect the card holder of fraud and basically the unauthorized use of said card. But why check it only at retail and not at restaurants?

On a side note: Most cashiers, if anything, only look to see that the name on your ID matches the name on your credit card. Some do not even look at the picture to see if you match the photo. To prove my point, I had one of those credit cards with my photo on the front...they still ask for ID!?! Even when I pointed out that there is a photo of my on the credit card, they insist on proof of identity.

Leaky Pipe

Sorry about the lack of updates, but this damn drain pipe had been leaking since day one. Luckily, day one was a little over a month ago. Still, I had to take apart a cabinet to get to these photos. As you can see, we also had a mold problem. The mold is now clean, but the drain pipe still needs to be fixed.

That one wooden wall, yeah, the one with the water stain on the bottom, is holding up a granite counter top. Thus, it cannot be removed. This make is quite difficult for one to work on said pipe. Looks like I need to cut a hole in the back wall of the cabinet, repair the leak and reassemble the cabinet. Damn it!

Bat with Woodie

I do not really like baseball, but this is pretty cool.

Ich liebe Kinder...Die Süßigkeiten

Kinder is a candy from Germany. I first these in the summer of 1999 while in Europe. On a limited budget, I only brought back about four. "Kinder" means children in German, like Kindergarten or garden of children.

First you unwrap the foil. I am not a big fan of chocolate, but this is good chocolate. It is shaped like an egg, which makes it really hard to transport while backpacking across Europe in the summer.

Crack open the egg and you see white chocolate on the inside of the shell. The best part is the surprise inside.

Inside each capsule is a toy. Like this one, the toys require some sort of assembly. Sometimes they cheap out and just give you stickers. Most of the time it is a cool toy like this.

This toy is some sort of grasshopper character, nicely sculpted and painted. It also has a magnet on the bottom. All this and candy for about €1.70, about $3.00 US. Little steep, but everything in Europe is.

Last year, I returned to Europe. The first thing I was looking for when we got to Germany was Kinder. the candy is long gone, but I still have the toys. I also have the toys from my first trip to Germany. The one above is from friends who just got back from Paris. The candy from this patch is gone too.

It's Alive!

As promised, picture of the Frankenstein track bike that Jun helped my put together. Yeah, it has pink bar tape. Feels great, but it is like learning to ride all over again. I finally got the trackstand down...only on one side. Next, I got to learn how to slow down and stop. Here are the specs if you are interested:

- Frame and fork: Bicanch Pista 53cm, Gang Green - bought from SwarmLA
- Headset: Cane Creek - bought from SwarmLA
- Handel bar: Hack-sawed-and-flipped Sakae Custom road bar - gift from SwarmLA
- Stem: Kalloy Uno - bought from SwarmLA
- Crankset: Andle Track/Fixed Gear 46T - bought on eBay
- Bottom Bracket: Shimano BB-UN54 - bought on eBay
- Wheels: Weinmann Dp 18 Areo - bought on eBay
- Chain - Sram PC-1
- Chain tensioners: MKS Chain Adjuster
- Sprocket: 16T - gift from SwarmLA
- Seatpost: Laprade - gift from SwarmLA
- Saddle: WTB Speed V
- Pedals: Shimano 600 with custom caps - gift from SwarmLA
- Bar tape: Deda pink with custom end caps
- Tube and tires: Cheap Performance stock

Thanks Jun!

Track Bike, Almost Complete

Frankenstein is almost alive. All I need is one more part, rear cog, and my new bike will be complete. I will take a picture of it as soon as it is fully operational. Thanks again to Jun for the hook ups. Looks like I owe him a few more cars.

New Bike, Coming Soon...

Thanks to SwarmLA, I will soon have a new bike. The Bianchi is a track frame....which means it will be a track bike. I am really excited. Parts are coming in from all over the world. I should have a complete bike by the end of the week.

Sorry about the crappy picture, the frame is just sitting on top of my cubical at work. I have no idea what the paper rocket thing is for. That is on the other side of the wall.

The Future Is A Thing of the Past

Universal Studios Hollywood closed down the Back to the Future ride on Monday. Universal Studios in Orlando had already closed down their ride earlier this year. The ride is being replaced with Simpsons themed ride. I guess you cannot have two great franchises existing in the same...time.

New Uniforms Are Here

The Calgary Flames unveiled their new uniforms today. Check it out. Looks pretty good. Love the Canada flag on the shoulder, not too crazy about the Alberta flag. Sad to see the stampede flaming horse head go away. The Flames had to get permission from Canada and Alberta government for the shoulder patches. There is a one year "contract" on the flags. The stampede horse may make a comeback next season.

Anyway, I like the new look. I am glad they did not go too crazy with the design and stuck close to what worked. Yeah, I am going to get one.

Heroes Season 1 DVD Out, Season 2 Starts 24 Septmber

Yeah, I got the DVD...and I cannot wait for season 2 to start. Do you think they could have spent a little more time designing that DVD cover?

New Uniforms, Coming Soon...

Calgary Flames will unveil their new uniforms on 4 September 2007. Looks like I will be getting yet another jersey soon. I have home jerseys from each era/of the flames (except for that white one in the middle in the picture). Oh yeah, I got a new digital camera...I can take pictures now. And, we have internet now.

Calgary Flames home jersey 1980-1994. This one has Theoren Fleury's name and number, plus the alternate captain's "A". Yes, I know that the font on the back number is wrong. It should look like the shoulder numbers...and the "A" is wrong too. At the time I got this the Flames were changing their look to this:


Home jersey from 1995-2001. I got this one via mail order from the official Calgary Flames Shop. So, it is exactly what Fleury would where on the ice until he was traded. This jersey was also to commemorate the team's 15th anniversary in Calgary.


I also have this Fleury jersey from his time with the New York Rangers. But, I do not think Starter was making the Ranger jerseys during his time with the team. If you look closely, it is signed by Theo on the bottom of the "1".


I got this one because it was cheap, and I got to represent not only SoCal Hockey, but my fellow Asian as well.
Back to Calgary. Home jersey from 2003-2007. This one too was purchased from the Calgary Flames Official Store. I decided to get Dion Phaneuf's name and number, since Fleury does not play for the Flames any more. One of the best looking designs in the league. Hopefully the new RBK Edge uniforms will look this great. I think I will get captain Jarome Iginla's name and number on my new jersey.

Internet...coming soon

Sorry about the lack of updates. Not like anyone reads this anyway. I should be getting my internet service by the end of the week. We have been busy with lots of stuff. I got a new camera, which means there will be pictures of my very own. Stay tuned...

Finally got back on the bike

After a month, I finally rode the bike again. I guess it is "like riding a bike". Anyway, I will keep this short.

I only rode about 12 miles. But it was 12 miles in Chino Hills. They call it Chino HILLS, because of the damn hills. My first 1.5 - 2 miles was pure climbing. Not a smart thing to do if you have not ridden in a month. To add to the difficulty, it was 100 degrees out. No, really. It was 100 degrees in Chino Hills on Saturday. Check the weather.

Of course, with hills like this, descending was fast. Even with my top speed of 38.8 mph, the ascents made my average for the day a whopping 11.1 mph. I only rode for about an hour and a half, the heat was killing me.

Anyway, I was on a business trip last week. I will get into that later, as the subject may be top secret. Also, we are still internet less at our new place. Once we get that, I will (hopefully) be updating this a bit more.

3 weeks and counting...

I have not been on my bike in three weeks. I can feel myself getting out of shape. We are in a middle of a move. I guess I am getting my exercise from hauling boxes from one place to another. One never knows how much crap one has until said person has to move. I have a lot of stuff. Once I get settled, I will start to sell some of my junk. I doubt anyone will want any of my crap.

This week I am on call for jury duty.

Next week I fly to Stamford, CT on a business trip.

More on that later, I think it might be "Top Secret".

I got the move going on for the past three weeks as well as "supervising" our contractor in our remodeling projects...when am I ever going to get back on my bike?!?

...maybe I should sneak out this week and get a few miles in...maybe.

What is it about In-N-Out???

No photo, too lazy to steal one from the net. Besides, it is not worth my time. I hate In-N-Out, I really do not see the appeal of this chain.

First of and most important, their fries SUCK! It is a sorry excuse for french fries...and they are called french fries, not freedom fries. I am a (self proclaimed) fry expert and I know fries. French fries should not be soggy! The outside should be crisp and golden brown, while the inside is soft. That is a perfect fry.

What does In-N-Out do? They make these pale yellow sad looking limp potato strips. WRONG!!! If you want good fries, goto MacDonald's. This is the pinnacle of fast food fries. Also check out Wendy's, Burger King, pretty much any fast food joint except In and Out.

Other menus items, they have hamburger and chess burger...that is it. Oh, they have "veggie burger" which is just a cheese burger with no meat...I call that, and so the rest of the world, a grilled cheese sandwich with a slice of lettuce and tomato. WRONG!!! And this hidden-easter-egg menu thing like 'animal style'...please, give me a break. Cheap gimmick, and it is not "what a hamburger is all about".

Any fast food establishment is no complete without their drive-thru. The In-N-Out drive -thru SUCKS!!! Why is there always a long line for the drive-thru like it is rush hour on the 405? On a side note, it is easier and faster to just walk in and order your meal. Cars just get stuck in the drive-thru, causing chaos not only to In-N-Out drivers, but to anyone just trying to get by in a car.

They try to make it 'more convenient' by having a guy take your order so when you get to the window your food is ready. This is another scam to make it seem that they are an efficient running machine. Bottom line, their food is average. I know you may think it is healthier than Micky D's and other joints, but it is fast food, they are all unhealthy.

Oh, one more thing, they do not have a kids menu and toys. Screw you, In-N-Out (pun intended).

Thriller

Best version of Thriller since the original by Mikey.

Apparently, they are real prisoners somewhere in the Philippines. They also do other dance moves from different music videos and films. Awesome!

You too can learn the dance, step by step, at Thrill the World.

First Flat

Thursday, another one of those rides that had Dorff lead us to parts known. Although I did this same route two weeks ago. Here is a map of the area we take. We start of in El Segundo, head south to Palos Verdes. Usually, we turn around at the mouth of PV, giving us about 23 miles for the day. That is the "Thursday Ride".

This time we went around PV. It is mapped out on my GPS (Ghetto PhotoShop). You can see this is a big loop. At the end the route give you about 45 miles, that is almost half a century. Dorff, Chris, and Nathan wanted to stop at a 7-11, about a mile out of the way for carrot cake. I stuck to my Sport Beans.


The last time I did the route, I only had one gel pack and one bottle of water. This time I wisely has two bottles and multi GU and Sport Bean packs. Tip: Always carry more food and water than you think you need.

We climbed up the 'switchbacks' and proceed to zip down the crazy turns in PV. I was more familiar with the turns so I was going faster this time. Then, it happened. I got a flat in the front, at the worst possible place. Coming down at about 30 mph and taking this sharp turn was hard enough. The speed limit was 20. Luckily, there were no cars behind me and I took the main road instead of the tiny bike lane.


I was losing grip on the the turn, I did not realize I had a flat. At first, I though there was some gravel on the road, no big deal. Then, as I leaned in to the turn (again going about 25-30) I felt my front tire drifting. I am sure it must have looked really cool in slow motion as I drifted, almost wiped out and corrected myself. Still not knowing there was a flat, I noticed that the guard rail was coming towards me at an incredible speed and the big blue truck coming up the other side of the street did not help the situation either.

I tapped the brakes, by then I figured that I had a flat, and eased into a stop. The whole ting happened in about 5 seconds. By this time the rest of the group was way ahead of me. I got off the bike, made a call to Dorff and started work on the bike. Luckily, the group turned back and helped my change the tube and we were on the road again. The experience was fun, exciting and scary as $#!+. I got lucky and did not get a 30 mph road rash or became one with the guard rail.

Until next week...

I am a Wii-Junkie Part 3

Super Paper Mario, this is a great game. In a nutshell, it is a basic Super Mario game. You start out in a flat environment, but you have the ability to flip into 3D mode.


Above: 2D mode or regular play...


...flip into 3D mode. You can see that there are things 'hidden', which can only be seen in 3D. Really cool concept.

There is one major problem with this game. THERE IS WAY TO MUCH READING INVOLVE!!! You have to 'talk' to some characters to move along. There are mini levels where the characters just talk. Before and after each level, you have to 'listen' to other characters yap and yap.

Enough already...I leave you with this image of "Mario"...

DAMN IT!!!

I found this in my mail box the other day. Do I really need to say anything more?

Born on the Third of July

Tom Cruise is awesome. No, really, I truly think Tom Cruise is awesome. Anyway, it is his birthday today (born 3 July 1962, Thomas Cruise Mapother IV). Funny that he starred in a movie called Born on the Fourth of July.

MacInnis to Be Inducted to Hall of Fame

Al MacInnis will be inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame on 12 November 2007, along with Mark Messier, Ron Francis, and Scott Stevens.

The 2007 HOF class is very impressive, probably the most decorated inductees ever.

View From Palos Verdes

I rode about half way up Via Del Monte in Rancho Palos Verdes. Above is the view. Actually, I jacked this image from the internet, but this is pretty much the view.

I should really get my own digital camera for situations like this. Any ideas of what to get?

Pringledome

I love munching on Pringles.


The chips remind me of the Calgary Saddledome, and you all know I love them Calgary Flames. The Saddledome in Calgary is of course the home of the Calgary Flames. It was built to host the 1988 Winter Olympics and was know as the Olympic Saddledome for the first 15 years or so. In 1996, it was renamed the Canadian Airlines Saddledome, a lot of the locals disliked the omission of the Olympic from its name. Since 2000, it has been known as the Pengrowth Saddledome.

I think Pringles should buy the rights to the Saddledome. They could reinstate the Olympic moniker, and call it the Olympic Pringledome!

Random thought: If your hand gets stuck in the tube while reaching for those last few chips...it is time for you to stop eating so much junk food.