May 28th, 2006 - 11:53PM - E3 Day 1 - Beverly Hills Hilton, Sony Playstation Party
We stayed at the Beverly Hills Hilton for E3...such a nice junior suite. I like the mirror frame...I'm still unsure about the whole raised sink thing. Emily hates it...I like how it looks but functionally, it seems different for whatever reason. The in-bathroom TV was cool. Nothing like listening an episode of the Simpsons while taking a shower.
The room setup was also neat...I liked the big LCD TV that could swing all the way out on this really long arm.
Even the sofas/Chaise longue were comfortable. That's right longue not lounge...for an explanation, see here
Who's that hot chick reading the E3 Daily?!!!
Maxine stays at the Bonaventure every year...apparently they leave a daisy in the toilets of the VIPs. Very interesting. To be honest, I don't think I could take a dump with that there.
Off to the E3 Sony Playstation Party!!! We took a picture just like this last year so tried to duplicate it again. Unfortunately, the focus was off...this year, something new appears in the pictures.
The decorations this year were much better than previous years (I've been to 3 of them). Quite spectacular entrance.
Vina, Maxine, Priscilla, and Emily look ready to start partying.
Everything surrounded the central tent which was a great idea...last year, you could totally get lost. A DJ played in the middle area.
If I wasn't around, it would be highly likely Emily would have been picked up by any of the roving packs of single men out there that night. I even saw Martin Sargent there trying to pick up 2 Japanese women (one was a reporter for Vogue Japan). hehehe his attempt was quite funny.
Hehehe I find this pic very funny. Maxine has got to be the coolest mom ever. She was even able to get Tony Hawk to sign a skateboard deck for her son at E3. She certainly is hip.
Apparently, one side of the party is Hell and the other is Heaven. You can guess which one this shot was taken in.
They had like 10 Bravias in there just showing weird images....like worms for example.
Is that a fire?!!!
Of course it is!!! The BBQ pit was in high demand this year. People would just circle like hungry hyenas waiting for freshly cooked meat to be brought out.
I think the middle tent is really really cool for some reason. The idea of a DJ performing in the middle of a circular bar just seems so right.
The food there was definitely not as good as last years which had Chinese AND Japanese food. Nothing better than Edamame as a snack food. They did have a few different sauces (since it was Brazilian BBQ) but the meat just wasn't the best.
Fajitas...sigh. After ACR's parties, these all pale in comparison.
We had our little table where we conducted our food reconnaissance missions.
Ohhhhh...none of them are very red. Everyone seems sober.
The House/Hip-Hop room....very loud in there.
The rockin' MC Salad, here to "shake" things up!!!
Don't mess with me...or else you're going to have to "toss my salad". Hahahaha
Yeah we had a lotta fun...
This was at the Bonaventure...didn't notice these the last few times there...It's a constant stream from one pool to the other. I thought about interfering with the stream but only for a second. Oh yeah, you can see one of the OGIO luggage that Sony gave us as party favors. I've got a slingbag, a duffel, and now a luggage from them. At the end of the night, we ended up hauling 4 of these babies since 2 of them were filled with E3 gear that Maxine/Vina had us take home for the rest of the crew. People from the party actually saw Emily with 4 of them (I went to get the car) and asked her how they heck she pulled that off.
Downtown LA is quite cool at night since the freeway is so close to the buildings. In SF, they are separated by at least 5-6 blocks.
Looking around, Emily and I noticed that hotels nowadays really like unstable flower arrangements. The more likely to collapse the better.
The Da Vinci Code/Google Quest finally ended last Saturday...over the last few weeks, I completed daily puzzles in order to be 1 of 10,000 people to win a mini cryptex. Fortunatly, for the final puzzle I was able to figure out most of the puzzle the day before using deductive reasoning and probability. I forwarded that info to Angela and Cathy. Angela and I both made it to the Final 10,000 but Cathy alas didn't. The final quest last Saturday was finished in about 10 minutes...but I believe the winner will get it done in 7 or less. In any case, that's that. Angela got her cryptex already but I'm still awaiting mine. Apparently quite a few people got them lost in the mail. Sucks...
After watching 20+ episodes of Karekano in English, it's very very weird to start watching it in Japanese because the voices are so different. It's not a recommended experience.
Apparently the MPAA is training dogs to sniff out pirated DVDs. Specifically the chemicals used in DVDs (presumably the DVDs you buy at CompUSA) not the stampable DVDs that the legitimate movie industry uses. Still how can the dog sniff out movies/music/software on them...they could be documents/photos...yeeeeeeeaaaaaahhhhh...
Somtimes, I make food that takes a little bit more time to prepare. Here's my current take on fish...trout with sesame sauce seems to be a winner.
Aromatic mushrooms and zesty greens are great additions
Finally made it out to the Irvington Farmer's Market to take a look at the wares...
I went during the last hour of the market so the selection wasn't that great. Ended up getting a back of these for 4 dollars (1 dollar cheaper) but so many of the bages had bruised oranges in them. I tried to select a better bag but still got a few in there.
Osha's Soy Sauce Shrimp Noodles are quite tasty. I'm liking the tomato thing...I can feel an urge to eat more cooked tomatoes now. Just recently, I ate at Delica RF-1 in the Ferry Building and their beef curry used finely chopped carrots and tomatoes in it. VERY TASTY. I'm going to have to try and copy it. Just need to get that bullet blender.
Outback!!! It's been quite a while since I've been at Outback...I can't even remember the last time I was there...in any case, this is probably a first appearance in my blog. During college, I used to go there much more often. Now, it's like once a year. Emily says that she's never been to Outback so I think I haven't been to Outback in well over a year...anyways, Outback bread is amazingly good. So soft...
This is Emily's chicken dish...she's just not that into beef. At least she didn't just get a salad (we split one actually).
Hmmmmmm.....mouth watering prime rib. Sigh...I have no idea when I'll eat something like this again. Probably at least 3-4 months. I used to enjoy little bits of the fat but they really scare me now.
Mouthwatering food at Naan and Curry for William's birthday. You just can't get any better than this...when you go back to work, you're all stinky from the curries but your stomach is SATISFIED. So interesting that during college, I positively avoided Indian food. Darn Madras...that place really screwed me over.
Microsoft held a CIO Forum in Santa Clara a few weeks ago...the presentation was pretty interesting since they talked about products that I'm very interested in leveraging. The food wasn't that bad either. Last year's shindig definitely did not have Salmon...this one had salmon, chicken, and quiche. Plus the special broccoli that I love.
The fruit tart was good but the pastry cup was wayyy too hard so I gave up on it.
Outside of the CIO Forum, I caught a goose sunning itself next to the fountain...even geese need baths every now and again.
Either the world just ended or I just lit a fart...the whole car is empty! hahhaha actually I had to go to work very early one morning, so when I got on BART, it looked like this. Don't everyone rush on at once now...I even got to park in the Number 1 best free spot in the parking lot that day.
May 20th, 2006 - 6:45AM - Maggiano's, Bang!, Los Gatos Brewing Company
We had a get-together at Maggiano's at Santana Row...Angela looks like she's going to backhand me or Emily...not quite sure which but knowing Angela, probably me. The little monster is quite protective of the bigger monster.
Maggiano's
3055 Olin Avenue San Jose, CA 95128
Phone: 408-423-8973 Fax: 408-423-8959
We got the Family Style Menu where it's pretty much all you can eat of the items that you choose from the menu. One of the dishes we got was the Chopped Salad with Chicken. Someone wanted the Garlic Bread which I thoguht was nuts...how much Garlic Bread can you eat?
So thankful that we got the Calamari...battered very well. We also got the spinach salad.
Baked Parmasan Chicken...Rigatoni with Chicken in a Mushroom Marsala Sauce...Veal & Mushroom Ravioli
All on my plate! The Ravioli (which I chose) was a hit. Loved them...very tasty.
Tiramisu
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Playing Bang! for the first time...Angela is getting a little carried away shooting everyone in sight.
That's not how you play...I liked Bang! If anyone gets bored of Mafia, they should check out Bang!...here are the rules
Tripe at B&M...I like tripe...Emily doesn't. More for me!!!
Walked around Vasona Lake Park in Los Gatos
Afterwards, we got hungry so I took out my laptop. Hooked up my cellular connection. Found a restaurant nearby using Opentable and made reservations 15 minutes in advance. Ah the joys of the Internet.
They don't have a flight but have a sampler where you get 5 full-size beers. I introduced Emily to the Hefeweizen, which is a German wheat beer. Probably my favorite beer. Emily ended up liking it too. I ended up drinking about 4 beers that night which is some kind of record for me.
Their mussels are not as good as Left Bank although I like the spicyness
Emily go the special Ahi Tuna with Asparagus
I went for the Sauteed Trout Stuffed with Spinach and Crab...Basmati rice, broccolini, lemon tomato caper beurre blanc...
....we debated the two entree's merits over and over...I'll have to say...if we ever come here again, I'm definitely coming to get this again.
Emily's favorite dish at Ay-Chung, this bean noodle with squid soup. She doesn't really like the squid but she REALLY likes the soup.
I actually like goose a lot...maybe an after-effect of playing a lot of "Duck Duck Goose" as a kid.
Ted bet Michael 2 bucks that he wouldn't eat the hot sauce cup. Michael won the 2 bucks.
Beforehand we were at Jujubi...didn't think I'd ever be back there again...we had the crispy chicken which is the only thing you should ever get there food-wise.
It was a pretty good sized group...but that was probably due to the draw of free drinks and prizes. Engineers are drawn by free stuff like Michael Jackson with kids. ooooo...I didn't just go there.
A Naan n' Curry opened near work...I've been there 2 times already. I should be an honorary Indian.
Huge fly on my windshield...my fly remover (wipers) got rid of it in a hurry.
My new Dyson Animal DC14 vacuum!!! Suddenly vacuuming isn't such a chore anymore...
Emily Vegetables...I know the kids will just love this...
The shrimp at Lion Market hasn't been the best quality recently...the fishmonger even told me that they were good...whatever.
The food court next to Office Depot is closing down with a pizza parlor taking its place. Bad decision if you ask me...anyways, I need to get my Filipino food fix in before the end of the month.
Emily and I got the Wow Card at Great America so we go there whenever we want to walk around and can't think of anything better to do. Ours are upgraded so its free parking. This is the new Survivor ride. It sucks that they moved the Stealth ride to North Carolina (where they've converted it to a Star Trek Borg ride). That was my favorite ride ever. I think the only other flying dutchman ride is at Magic Mountain.
Psycho Mouse is our current favorite but I'm hoping we'll be going for upside down rides soon. :-P
The immigration protest marches packed Market street up and down. I've never seen anything like it.
Just soooooooo many people from all countries. Asians weren't well represented though. We typically don't associate ourselves with other immigrants.
That's pretty inventive.
This flag was just huge...
I watched from the office...some of them down there were doing the wave.
I'm back from E3 already but I still haven't caught up...will try harder!
San Francisco commemorated the Centennial of the Great Quake with a lot of festivities during the week. Here we have an old fashioned fire truck
I wonder what this guy is thinking..."How long do I have to wear this weird hat?"
Looking for good bathrugs at Ikea...came across these in the children's section. They're too thin though...I like mine soft.
During the Earthquake Parade down Market St., Mayor Gavin Newsom walked down it instead of riding in a car. Off camera, women are seen swooning...
He shook a lot of people's hands...even I shook his hand. I like people who stand up to the federal government for what they believe in.
It also doesn't hurt to do it in a good looking clothes either...his hair looks like it could have withstood a hurricane.
The parade was quite festive even though it commemmorated such a terrifying event in history.
Not everyday you get to hear bagpipes...or see men wearing kilts. I wonder what Emily would say if I showed up at her door wearing a kilt.
Osha's Seafood with Chili Sauce is now my current favorite there. Prawns, squid, scallop and calamari stir fried with chili sauce, onion and bell pepper, served with steamed jasmine rice.
Ever wondered what the inside of a wired mouse looks like? Here you go...little did I know that the middle click wheel is so fragile. It's quite easy to break if you know the exact place and angle to do so.
May 9th, 2006 - 7:02AM - Bistro Burger, Misc, HT Fast Food
Burger Bistro has so so burgers but whats really good is their strawberry shakes. So creamy and tasty. They have 4 different locations in SF for your heart-clogging needs.
Bistro Burger
333 Bush St.
Phone: (415) 434-3754
Fax: (415) 955-8922
I've been going on BART from Fremont to work almost every day now. Usually there are musical acts at the Montgomery Station. Sometimes it's a singer...or an erhu performing...this was my first encounter with a full-on quartet.
Leroy brought in donuts for Easter...bad Leroy! But good donuts.
Emily likes this kitchen and I have to agree although I find it weird because there is no overhead fan so the smoke just goes to the ceiling. You get more cabinet space I guess...weird design.
Emily did the city of Mountain View a huge favor (bribes) and got the city to name a street after her. Unfortunatly, it was a small bribe so she landed a street in a crack neighborhood of Mountain View. I shouldn't talk though cause Andy Dr. in Cerritos, isn't that great either. The closest Andy I could find is way out in Santa Rosa...
Emily and I went up and down Castro St. to see what it's like to live in Mountain View. These turtles are demonstrating that in Mountain View, you can get down in broad daylight...noooooo problem.
The new Toyota Hummer wannabe, the FJ Cruiser. I believe its trying to take market share from Land Rovers.
HT Fast Food is what I believe to be the place in Milpitas that Eric was telling me about. Can't beat 99 cent Dim Sum especially when it's good Dim Sum.
HT Fast Food 1470 Milpitas Blvd. Milpitas, CA 95035
I hate spiders but I can't help but be fascinated by them. This one has just caught a ant...
Emily took this picture of a rainbow from the car...it has been awhile since I've seen a rainbow.
May 7th, 2006 - 5:09PM - San Diego - Last Day...
Apparently, people are stealing gas from parked cars due to the high prices in oil...back to $3.20 around here. If you have a car with a gas tank cover that you can open from the outside, do yourself a favor and get a lockable gas cap. Makes a whole lotta sense.
A few days ago, I went to a Korean restaurant in Fremont that has gotten many good reviews called 4 Season Tofu House...I went by myself and realized that you're almost rewarded for eating by yourself in a Korean restaurant because you get to eat all the small dishes by yourself. The tofu stew at 4 Season had 2 shrimp in it (as opposed to the usual 1)...plus the waitress was really nice and asked if I wanted any other extra small dishes (something that hardly happens to non-Korean people up in the Bay Area). I'll have to try some more Korean places in San Jose to see if it's just a North Bay thing.
As I was driving on the freeway yesterday, we saw a guy driving on wrong side of freeway towards us. It was pretty scary.
Oh yeah, we got VIP Cards at Great America recently...we've been twice already!
Hmm...I love the bathroom at the hotel...sconces are really the "IT" thing now.
What got me was the Roman-style bathroom tiling on the ground....very nice! Emily wasn't that into it though...
The door to the bathroom was a heavy cherry wood sliding one. Pretty neat too...
The LED light array in the lobby...would change colors periodically...
Love the flower arrangement...this pic is definitely a keeper.
I had some time to do a little exploring...seems every city has some memorial to Dr. Sun Yat Sen.
Evangeline Lilly's take on the Asian Squat. You know what the Asian Squat is right? This was on the cover of the official armed services magazine. San Diego is a big Navy town.
As you see, this guy doesn't quite pull it off with the grace that Evangeline can....hahahaha
As much as I hate the Asian Squat, you gotta recognize the physics of it...
Here's what Cafe 222 looks like...pretty Miami Beach-ish...Art-Deco style
I quickly took this picture of Horton Plaza because Bill told me that he had tried to take pics previously and a security guard had told him to stop taking them. The design of the plaza is pretty funky since it's very hard to get from one side to the other, which can be very annoying.
You can't imagine all the different conventions going on...the Oil Change convention? I saw the people for the Inflight food services...all the airlines had their own color polo shirts...pretty cool to see.
Had Mongolian BBQ for lunch...hmm hmm!!! The concept is that you go around and you can eat as much as you can fit into the bowl. This time I made sure to jam in those frozen pieces of lamb....they purposefully cut them and freeze them in a specific way so that they are in cylinders which means more volume, thus less meat in your bowl.
Consequently, I had tons of goodies...
Large clock at Horton Plaza...fun to watch the gears turn round and round...
So early that morning, I had gone to the front desk to ask where I could get a haircut without going to fancy salon type place. After a lot of searching, they directed me to this place. This turned out to be an adventure of sorts for a number of reasons. First, it was the first barbershop I had ever been to that had a Playboy prominently displayed on the reading table. Second, the barber used shaving cream and actually gave me a shave around the jawline and nech. I was so surprised when he applied it to the back of my head cause I had never had it done to my before...I was a little frightened when he got the blade out but it actually turned out to be rather relaxing. Third, the guy said $7, but I misheard him (thought he must be saying $17)...gave him a 20 and he gave me $13 back. I was like,"Wow!!!" I ended up giving him a $3 tip. If only this guy was in the Bay Area...I'd definitely be a loyal customer. As I told my co-workers later, the last time I had a $7 haircut, it was from this woman in Oakland who watched a movie on TV while cutting my hair. He doesn't do haircuts everyday...only 3-4 days of the week.
3rd Avenue Barber Shop
(619) 702-6377
518 3rd Ave
San Diego, CA 92101
Flying back home from San Diego, I could see Orange County to my right...waved at home.
Here's 880 near the Hayward area...pretty cool watching all the cars go by while in an airplane.
Duck duck...no goose. We had dinner at ABC seafood that day.
Yummm yummm good!
Duck is sooo tasty...yet so bad!
Adam was in town for Jesse's wedding so Chris, Adam, and Lori met up with us at Q Cup in Milpitas. As I pointed out, they were the only non-asians there that night. Protection in numbers. hahaha
May 4th, 2006 - 6:30AM - San Diego - Masala
The last night in San Diego was spent at the VIP grand opening of an Indian restaurant called Masala in the Gaslamp. It's run by the same guy who owns Monsoon. I had passed by earlier in the week and I went earlier in the day to make a reservation. When I got there, I noticed that people were outside and inside preparing for what looked like a party. I asked the hostess what was going on and she said that they were preparing for a private function. I said,"Shoot...I was hoping to get a few of my friends and have dinner here tonight" and then the hostess told me to give the organizer a call. At first, I thought that they were just going to put us in a room away from the party but I called them up and they said that they would put me and my co-workers on the guest list. Sweet!
When we got there, there was red carpet and champagne at the door.
Packed with a bunch of people...it was definitely a popular event...
It got kinda boring so one of the guests decided to meditate. This guy just sat there the entire time...no kidding...didn't move at all. Kinda freaky really...wonder how you market yourself in this line of work..."Will Medidate for Money!"
Especially since, he was perched right next to the stairs...there was also a roving camera crew documenting everything...probably for a promo or something...
LOTS of good food...they didn't skimp on the lamb or anything...very well done!
Yummmmmm!!!
It was the first time I had encountered "party" plates like these. You can put your wine "glass" inside this little notch in one of the corners. That way you can eat standing up! Normally, I wouldn't post a picture of a plate with eaten food on it, but I had to make an exception so that you can see what I'm talking about.
There was a contortionist in the front area performing...as well as a guy playing a Dholak.
She's got an incredible sense of balance...
...and flexibility to boot. Anjee said that she saw camel toe but I can't vouch for that.
Afterwards, Megan, Anjee, and I went to Altitude. This time I was able to get some pictures of the bar...
Pretty neat decorations...that glow in the back is from Petco Park.
May 3rd, 2006 - 7:05AM - San Diego - Weather, Kansas City Barbeque, Blue Ginger
The rain was pretty bad for a few days but after it let up, SD became all bright and sunny again. Reminded me of Miami really.
Kansas City Barbeque is where a few of the bar scenes in Top Gun were filmed. It's pretty close to the convention center, so we went there for one of the lunches.
Among all the things that are collected in the place, there are tons of old bras...
The piano that Anthony Edwards "Goose" played on is in the back.
I got the sliced beef...
...and the sliced pork...the pork was much better than the beef which was too dry and entirely depended on the sauce for flavor. Next time, I'd go for the ribs.
bleu ginger seafood combo...
Blue Ginger
715 4th Avenue
San Diego, 92101
(619) 232-3888
straw mushroom and spinach...has to be one of my fav vegetarian dishes...
Grilled Seafood platter at Tin Fish...definitely get this instead of the fried stuff...much better. The scallops are a little TOO beer infused though.
In youth and beauty, wisdom is rare. Keep true to the dreams of your youth. You have a natural poise and potential for fame. Diamonds are as cold as ice unless they are given with a warm heart. Reasonable people endure; passionate people live. Soft words can carry much power. The only normal people are the ones you don't know very well. Others appreciate your good sense of humor. You are next in line for promotion in your firm. Treat others as you would treat yourself. Wisdom is only found in truth. There is a prospect of a thrilling time ahead for you. Opportunities surround you if you know where to look. Listen attentively. You will come out ahead in the coming week. A gathering of friends brings you lots of luck this evening. The only way to have a friend is to be one. Your dream will come true when you least expect it.
