McDonald's Ichiban Curry Sauce

I really like it, and here's why:

Its nothing like Japanese style curry, which is often sweet. It actually tastes just like the curry sauce you get with pub style curry chips. I didn't think it would taste good in the beginning. I have been a strict Barbeque sauce guy when it came to chicken nuggets, so weird sauces have never attracted me.

Next time you decide to indulge yourself with cheap, fatty foods, try the curry sauce with fries or nuggets. If you feel guilty, have a salad as well.

Otaru to Sapporo

Video from a recent vacation to Hokkaido. Otaru is an approximate 30 minute train ride from Sapporo. The view while on the train is breathtaking. Aside from some houses and rocks, all you see is ocean. This was taken on the way back from a relaxing two days in Otaru. Everyone was asleep, and the train ride was extremely pleasant.

Chinese people suck again...

I have come to the conclusion that Chinese people are the most impolite, irresponsible, messy, and uncaring people in the world. These facts were concluded naturally while I cameoed as a sardine being packed into a airplane. These facts were accentuated by that airplane being the one coming back from Japan. The confinement of economy class and the contrast of clean and polite Japanese people made a plane full of Hong Kong people look abysmal.

It all started with lining up in the terminal. Wait, let me think about that... I meant to say, no one really managed to form a line. Once on the plane, I had to fight for storage space. This family of five managed to fill up three compartments (one compartment is meant for one row aka three people), and they were about to take over mine! I slipped my carry-on in the overhead compartment just in time. The father gave me this odd look as I sat down. They they proceeded to surround my bag with their own stuff.

I wasn't worried that I wouldn't be able to get my bag though. I just knew that they'd be in such a hurry to deplane that I would probably be the last one to get stuff from that compartment. Well, I was right. Even more ridiculous though, was this pair of girls sitting next to me. As soon as the wheels of the plane touched the ground (plane still moving at 90mph), these two girls unbuckled their seatbelts and put their purses on their shoulders. The plane nearly stops at the terminal, and they dart out from their seats, charge down the aisle to be the first to exit the plane.

From the moment the plane landed, all the way through immigration, the baggage carousel, to the parking lot, there was non-stop mobile phone chatter. I'm guessing that since phones are banned while in flight, these people needed their fix. To make sure they fed their addiction properly, they spoke at a loud volume.

Back in Hong Kong, I felt sad to see trash all over the place, after just coming back from a relatively clean Hokkaido. I applaud the Japanese for their dedication to cleanliness, quality, and pretty much everything they do. I'm pretty ashamed that my people have so little class.

The New Legend

Lenovo should thank their lucky stars that the URL for Legend dot com was already taken. Originally, they wanted to call themselves "Legend" (after the Legend Group) instead of Lenovo. However, when Legend dot com was already owned by someone else, they went with Lenovo instead. See the wikipedia article to see what Lenovo stands for.

Anyways, I say they're lucky because Lenovo sounds 1000 times cooler than Legend. In fact, Legend sounds so outdated and uncool. It is just like those silly names Chinese car manufacturers have given themselves (see: Chery Automobile, Dadi Auto for starters, and check out their model names). Calling themselves Legend would have instantly branded them as a Chinese company, as opposed to a global company.

Info-tech stuff is so cutting edge. Products need names that stand for tomorrow, not yesterday. I guess I'd still buy a "Legend computer" because it's an IBM, but I'd feel so cheesed out by the name. Lenovo sounds much more up to date. It will also wear well because the word is original and pleasing to the ears.

Whoever insisted on continuing to use the name Legend needs to either get in tune with the marketing department, or not work for Lenovo any longer.

Fascinated by food

I think I was destined to love food. When I read books as a child, I was always fascinated by the food that the characters ate in books. There was this creepy sci-fi book that I remember nothing about, except that there were two kids on the run. Yet, I remember clearly that they ate smoked rabbit as they fled whatever they were fleeing from. Another book was called, A Boy and His Bike. I remember more about that book, but again I cannot forget how the boy had fish and chips at one point in the story. Funnily, I read only a tiny bit of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The only thing I remember about it is the ever famous Turkish Delight.

Anyways, the list goes on. I can't even count how many adventure books I read as a kid where food was involved, but I can probably tell you about the names of those foods and in what scenario the character was eating them. Those kosher corned beef sandwiches Jack Ryan ate in the Tom Clancy novel, The Hunt for Red October, sounded so good. It's just corned beef, but it sounded like it tasted great. There was one sci-fi adventure book that featured futuristic, flavored "food cubes". Even in the book, the food cubes tasted like crap. They were described as "tasteless mush". Yet somehow I really wanted to try food cubes! A character was eating some cubes with the flavor of "Virwat Duck". I will never forget that name. I really wanted to try "Virwat Duck" flavored food cubes.

I'll tell you right now that I really wanted to try smoked rabbit, and I wondered whether the newspaper enhanced the flavor of fish and chips. I wanted to see what salt and vinegar tasted like on top of fried battered cod and thick cut fries. Whenever it came to food, my imagination ran wild.

Nowadays it's a bit different. I base my imagination much more on experience. I know exactly what fish and chips tastes like because I've had it before. I have tried smoked rabbit, and I find the thought of Turkish Delight unappealing. Corned beef is just corned beef, but I will occasionally have a reuben sandwich. My taste buds are stimulated by aroma and flavor, and less by imagination. Here is where experience takes away from the bliss of ignorance.

I still look forward to the year 2045 when they come out with Virwat duck flavored food cubes. I'll be the first in line to buy them.

I hate you Rafael Palmeiro

You don't deserve to be in uniform Raffy, this suit is all you'll get.

I was never a big fan of Rafael Palmeiro, and now I have grown to dislike him. After reading Buster Olney's blog, I am mad. Mad that clean, honest players like Will Clark, one of my favorite childhood players, had to bow out at 36 with good but not hall of fame caliber stats. I am mad that cheaters like Rafael Palmeiro get to extend their careers and greatly surpass honest guys like Clark through the use of chemistry.

I'm not going to throw out stats because that's all in the article. It talks about how Clark and Palmeiro were college teammates. They both entered the majors at the same time. The difference was that Palmeiro was a good player, but Clark was a great player. The difference in numbers and scouting reports was obvious. Palmeiro was a good major league player, but it certainly looked like he was destined for mediocrity. He certainly was not a power hitter or HOF material. Clark looked like he was destined for greatness from the start.

The sad part of the story is that as Clark's body was breaking down, Palmeiro was starting his "new" career. His numbers suddenly made a jump. Suddenly, he was a power hitter at the age of 30. When Clark reached his 30s, nagging injuries costed him games. His numbers dipped due to his inactivity.

Now Palmeiro has been caught. I'm glad he was caught, but he has already done too much damage. All the stats that he generated after using steroids, and all the records and players he surpassed after using steriods will stay in the books forever. He always complained about Clark overshadowing him throughout his career. Now through steriods, he has overshadowed many great players before him.

Clark was an honest player with tons of talent.

Note: I have an equal amount, if not more, of hatred for Barry Bonds. However, he hasn't exactly been "convicted" yet. I certainly hope he doesn't break Hank Aaron's record. I hope he just abruptly ends his career and fades into obscurity. Damn cheater.

House vs. Grey's Anatomy

To be honest, I have only seen half an episode of Grey's Anatomy, but that was enough to convince me that its a chick flick disguised as a hospital drama. Here is part of TV dot com's summary:

Today they're doctors and, in a world where on the job training can be a matter of life and death, they're all juggling the ups and downs of their own personal lives...It's the drama and intensity of medical training mixed with the funny, sexy, painful lives of interns who are about to discover that neither medicine nor relationships can be defined in black and white.

The keywords here are "personal lives", and "relationships". Women love this sitcom/soap because it is all about relationships and it is all about women. It has three female lead characters. Then men are only there for relationship fodder. The show is obviously not about them. The storylines are drama heavy, and naturally it is unrealistic as expected. Also expect lots of extended dialogue that has very little to do with medicine and more to do with "people stuff".

After careful consideration, I must say that House is almost the complete opposite of Grey. Its a drama about a genius doctor who also happens to be an asshole. Dr. House acts like an ass and he is always right in the end. Through confidence and bravado, he solves medical mysteries on a daily basis. He is surrounded by people who hate his attitude, but simply cannot ignore his genius. Naturally, the show revolves around him.

Okay, so what's the point?

Women love Grey's Anatomy because it is basically a chick flick in a hospital. It has all the CF elements, which I won't go through now because that's another blog entry. Men hate Grey because they gag and immediately change the channel when the relationshipy-mushy stuff comes on. Guys tend to love House because the guy is a genius, and an asshole, yet he can do whatever he wants without repercussions. Plus, he is always right. Women will likely shun House because they can't stand a guy like Dr. House.

For the record, I'm beginning to like House and I just can't stand Grey's Anatomy.

Is it really really that bad?

Note: this is a comment I made to the last blog entry. I decided to post it here... Because it's my blog! [uncontrollable laughter is followed by awkward silence due to the realization that this blog's readership is approximately five people] Anyways, reply to this entry instead, and you can see the comments that preceded this one here.

Re: knockoutgirl

You are absolutely right about you comparing yourself with your peers and feeling that your life sucks, but what is stopping you from comparing yourself to people less fortunate than you? There are soooo many of them, that I think you should be able to find a few that you can relate to, and compare yourself to.

The thing is... You have to think of it from a different angle. Don't look at things from the bottom. Instead look at things from the top. Why? Well, cause it is more realistic. What's unrealistic is that Forbes article and those rich dudes. They are the top 1% of the world's population in terms of wealth. I would actually believe it if they all said they can't relate to everyone else. That's just because they are at an ultra extreme end of the scale. They're also way too narrow minded to be able to relate to something as trivial (to them) as poverty.

The world is huge and there are so many people that surround us who are less fortunate than us. I am by no means at the top of the food chain, relatively speaking. However, all I have to do is take a peek out of my social circle and I discover that pretty much everyone around me is less fortunate than I am. It is pretty easy for me, since I deal with these people everyday. I've mentioned the cleaning lady, but there's also all my colleagues, the people that sell me breakfast and lunch, those guys who work at McDonald's, the "UPS" dude (its not really UPS), and more...

We have to broaden our views to see reality. I'm surprised that someone so concerned about the world isn't able to see the world as it is. I understand how and why you feel like your life sucks, but I just don't agree.

The "human nature" you describe is a type of "nature" created by people with wealth aka people like us. We think that it is only normal for one to be jealous of thy neighbor and strive for even more success. Yes, this is most prevalent in American culture: the illusive American Dream, the struggle to move up the social ladder, etc. However, I believe that it is NOT human nature to be this way. If you look at other cultures, you'll see that "being content" is a big part of life.

People who can't see out of their own circle of life are either being narrow-minded, or selfish (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). Broaden your horizons, and you might just feel better about yourself in the process.

Is it really that bad?

Recently, I've been reading and hearing a lot about how people are having bad days or how life just sucks. Sometimes there's a story behind it, and sometimes there isn't: life just sucks without reason. Perhaps some people don't feel like sharing their problems. They just need a place to vent. Maybe life doesn't suck, and the person complaining is simply over-reacting to a bad incident, or that person is exaggerating something that isn't such a big deal.

Whatever the reason for these bouts of unhappiness, I urge my friends to take a look around you. Look at those less fortunate than you and take a moment to think about those people. Think about what you have that they don't. Think about the life you have lived which they can't even dream of because they don't have the slightest opportunity.

Sure, it can be helpful to feel disappointment at failure. Failure and unhappiness can be a motivator for some people. They thrive on never being satisfied, which in turn fuels their drive towards success. What puzzles and disappoints me is how people often don't realize how fortunate they are.

Let's not even venture into the Third World nations or people who don't have food or shelter. A lot of less fortunate people are closer than you think. I think of the lady who cleans my office. She has never left the country, and likely never will. She will never own a car. She will never own a house. She will never come close to trying half the things I have tried and/or enjoyed in life. I am in absolutely no position to say my life sucks or feel unfortunate while coming in contact with this person day in and day out. To about 90% of my friends: more than half the people that you pass by in the street would trade places with you in an instant. Just think about that sentence for a minute.

So next time you feel you have a bad day, think of these little points:

1. Don't worry, there are tons of people who still have it worse than you. To prove it:
   
2. If they had there way, there'd be billions of people in this world lining up to trade places with you.
   
3. Look at the guy on your left, is he better off than you? Would you trade places with him? What about the guy on your right? Are you so sure?
4. Think of where you stand in the long ladder of society. Take a deep breath. Now slightly tilt your head downwards and ask yourself, "does my life really suck?", "is my day really that bad?", "does it suck as much as that guy down the street?".

Naturally this is geared towards my friends, who I know are living decent lives and who really have no right to moan as much as they do. I'm not criticizing, just giving a friendly reminder, and at the same time hoping they'll realize that life isn't that bad. Now on the other hand, if you're reading this and you're living in (fill in third world country here) and have no roof over your head, no food on your plate, etc... ignore this entry. I am truly sorry, and I wish you the best of luck. Don't give up.

Bitching about work or something bad that happened is fine. But the next time you feel that your life sucks, stop for a moment and really think hard about what you just felt. Then ask yourself, "is it really that bad?".

Be well.

Gray air

Haven't been too diligent with the updates. In fact, I haven't been reading much in terms of weblogs. Here's a tidbit I swipped from The Sports Guy's Mailbag session:

Q: To what would you compare the scene in the randomly placed smoker's lounges in the Las Vegas airport?
-- Marcus Guerriero, New York

SG: Hmmm ... you're talking about the most hopeless, desperate, depressing social setting on the planet -- everyone in that room has hit rock bottom and doesn't seem to care whether they live or die, but they're so addicted to nicotine that they're willing to share this smoky, cancer-ridden, glass-enclosed space with 10 other complete lowlifes. And that mere realization ruins their will to live even more than it was already ruined. It's like the spirit in the room has been collectively broken. And there's no going back.

That's exactly what I thought during a recent trip to the airport! I got jitters all over just imagining myself stuck in that room. Yeeesh! What a nightmare!

Asian people always think they're in a hurry

While landing on a recent airplane trip, the whole plane full of Chinese people stood up while the plane was still taxiing. They didn't wait for the seatbelt light to go off, and they didn't wait for the captain's signal. As soon as the wheels touched the ground, you could hear that seatbelt unbuckling noise clickity-clack. The stewardesses had zero reaction as if it was normal. On a U.S. carrier, they'd go ape-shit. I just sat there in my isle seat, and the woman sitting next to me literally climbed over me without saying a word to unload her luggage from the overhead compartment. Needless to say, all those people ended up standing in the isle for at least five minutes, waiting for the airplane doors to open. In the meantime, I was snickering as I waited in my seat because I just knew I'd get through customs and out of the airport faster than them anyways.

It was the same situation in the immigration hall. Even in the super fast Hong Kong Resident lines, people were still jockeying for positions in the shortest lines. It was funny, and dangerous. I think it is stupid. Of course, the same shit happened at the luggage conveyor belt. People were crowding at the opening that spits out the luggage. I was standing further down the line and allowed a foot or two between me and the belt. Lo and behold, some idiot slips right between me and the belt! So when my suitcase was coming around the corner, I had to give him a purposeful shoulder to get my "position" back. Was that whole scenario entirely necessary?

Something pretty funny happened through U.S. security as well. Some dude forgot to take off his shoes to be x-rayed, so he tried to put them in my tray, on top of my laptop at the very last minute. I gave him a half stern, half joking, "hold on there, buddy". He just stood there for a whole minute, shoes in hand, not knowing what to do. Err...

Greetings from Chicago

I don't think my feet have ever been this tired. The combination of nonstop walking and uncomfortable shoes has made it a tough two days of attendance at the Housewares Show.

I know nothing about Chicago. Been through O'Hare many many times, but I've never been to the city at all. The area around my hotel is great. There are so many shops and restaurants. I haven't been to anywhere spectacular, but I'm just glad to have good bar food again. Went to Rock Bottom last night. I always liked that place because the food is great and the home brew is excellent. A top notch chain restaurant.

And on the 8th day...

...God created the perfect swing, and bestowed it upon his most talented disciple, Eldrick.

We'll always have the Cineplex...

I remember back in the day I used to go watch movies alone. There were a few reasons for this. The main reason why I went to a movie theater alone was that my friends usually had no interest in the movies I wanted to see. I also enjoyed going alone because I could pick the time and place and not have to wait for anyone or buy their tickets or have to wait for them to give me my tickets. Those were good times. I would go at awkward times to empty theaters so I could avoid the sucky moviegoers. Now the only time I go to a movie theater is when I'm on a date.

These days, theaters just suck. Most of them are related to stupid people doing stupid things, or dumb managerial decisions ruining the movie experience. Pretty much every time I go to the theater I experience something that bothers me. Here are some of those things:

People related
Mobile phones - Oh the humanity! These little devices that have made life so much easier have wrecked such havoc on it. Theaters are naturally a prime victim of careless or uncaring patrons letting their phones ring, or even going as far as to take calls during the movie. Recently, I don't think I have been able to sit through a single movie without hearing a phone ring. I hate how this has become somewhat of a norm for the moviegoing experience. I have no solution for this. We need built in "private" communication devices implanted into our brain like in Ghost in the Shell.

Food - Popcorn and a soda I can stand, but occasionally there'll be some people who bring their entire lunch into the theater. This is often made up of fast food, and the greasy smell travels far and fast. Naturally, these uncaring people tend to be litterbugs as well, further destroying the theater experience. That's Hong Kong people for you man. Just have to save time and eat on the go.

Yapping - The oldest rule of moviegoing is, say it with me, "don't talk during the movie"! Some people still have trouble obeying that rule. I am so good at "shh"ing people. I can't give the longest "shhs". However, I will soon resort to popcorn throwing and flicking soda droplets which may result in a fist fight. Perhaps I should just call the attendant. Will that actually work?

Dumb Behavior - I'll keep this one short. From coming in late, to standing up too early, moviegoers do the dumbest things. 1) Come in early and get your money's worth! Added bonus: you won't annoy everyone else. 2) You know how movies show funny unused takes of the movie during the end credits like in Jackie Chan films? Well, some people like to watch them, but they stupidly watch them while standing. Why?

Theater related
Advertising - I recently read on Roger Ebert dot com about how a guy had to sit through 40 minutes of ads before the movie even started. How ridiculous is that? You pay what is slowly becoming a fortune for a movie ticket, and still have to sit through nearly an hour of ads. Thankfully, Hong Kong is not yet plagued with this epidemic that has already spread across America.

On a side note, the ad epidemic had spread to DVDs soon after DVDs were invented. I can't fathom having to sit through or fast forward through ads after having forked over $20 for a DVD that I now own. What about that stupid government warning that I can't even skip over? It almost makes me want to buy the pirated version so I don't have to watch through that stupid warning every single time.

Projector Bulbs - I have heard of and read about how cheap ass theaters purposely dim the projector bulb in hope that it will save them money by prolonging the life of the expensive bulb. This has already been proven to be a false theory, yet many theaters in the states stubbornly continue to do it. Not only are they being stupid, but they're also cheating the customer from a full flegged cinematic experience which the customer paid for. Unless you charge me less money and put up a sign that says "film will be poorly projected", please turn up the lights. Fortunately, this does not seem to be a problem in Hong Kong... I think.

What I do like about theaters in Hong Kong
Assigned seating is cool. It rewards people who plan early, and you don't have to sit in the theater for 30mins just to save your seat. I think having no assigned seating is a ploy used by US theaters to get people to watch the ads. People tend to behave a tad better in Hong Kong theaters, plus they're not allowed to own guns in case we get into a row over something trivial.

The Bottom Line
I'm not stepping into another theater until the next date night. When you add up the parking, meals, theater snacks, and time constraints, it is a much better deal to watch DVDs at home. Invest in a decent home theater system, you can have a private, comfortable film experience without all the yuck yuck involved in going to the movies in this day and age.

Writer's Blogk strikes again!

Yes, that's my excuse. Please wait a few more hours.

Actually, I've been working on a few topics (as I have about ten for backup). All I have to do is write them and sprinkle in some witty humor to keep everyone satisfied. Now that's the hard part.

Woo Hoo! Sucks to be a Knicks fan!

Yup! I think that pretty much sums it up. Larry, Isiah, Steph, Stevie... GOOD LUCK and GOOD NIGHT!

What is your malfunction, Koizumi?

Dear Prime Minister Koizumi,

Why must you insist on making your neighbors mad? Do you enjoy pissing off Chinese and Korean people? Must you visit the war shrine that honors war criminals while you are still Prime Minister of Japan?

I know that you said you visit the shrine not as PM, but as a normal citizen. Surely you aren't so naive to believe that you can suddenly escape from the role of PM whenever you please. You claim that while you visit the shrine, you do not represent the people of Japan. Surely you aren't stupid enough to believe that the rest of the world isn't watching or paying attention to your every move while you visit the shrine.

Well let me be one of the hundreds of millons of people to tell you that you are hurting the relationship between your people and the rest of the world. You are especially hurting those people who were hurt by your ancestors less than a century ago; many whom are still alive today.

Here is my suggestion for you. It is very simple, and it won't cost you a thing. Move the war crimminals out of the shrine. I don't know how you're supposed to do that, and frankly I don't care. You being such a smart guy, I'm sure you'll be able to pull it off. Cut ties with the war crimminals before you cause even more trouble than you already have. Rest assured, you will still be able to visit your precious shrine.

On that note... you being such a bright fellow, I'm sure you've thought of my idea before. I'm sure you've surrounded yourself with intelligent people who have thought of, and suggested that you might consider this plan to soothe international relations. So what I don't understand is: why you haven't done it.

Prime Minister Koizumi, that leads me to ask you with the utmost sincerity: what is your malfunction?

Best regards,
IsThatABear dot com

Z Gundam III: Love is the Pulse of the Stars

The trailor to the third and final episode to Z Gundam A New Translation.

Kudos to Google Chat

I had my doubts about Google Chat. I actually never use programs like ICQ, AIM, MSN, or even Trillian anymore because I just don't have the time. I love how Google Chat is integrated into Gmail. It saves space, it saves memory, and it is perfect for me because I keep Gmail open all the time.

If this continues, Google will simply take over the world. We will be ruled by technology, and webtech will be ruled by Google. It is amazing how Google can take an existing idea and make it better.

Gmail: not only keeping email free, but giving users 1 gig of memory right off the bat was great. Gmail is no nonsense, and it doesn't waste time.

Google Maps: not only useful, but fun to use. Google Earth is like nothing we've ever seen.

Google Desktop, Picasa, Blogger... one great program after another, and they're all free.

Okay Google, you've got me. I'm a believer.

Japanese Foood

www.flickr.com