Watching the cars go by at the 2008 Long Beach Toyota Grand Prix!
After early service, couple of my friends and I went to watch the car races at 2008 Long Beach Toyota Grand Prix (one of my friends, Audrey, had free tickets). Supposedly, it was to be the last of this kind in Long Beach. The event is to be called something else next year due to some merger. Nevertheless, it was my first car racing event. I must say, it's not as easy to spot who is on first when sitting from the bleachers and watching the cars zoom by. The plasma screen helped a little, except that it was a bit off to the side and back and too many people were standing in front of it. Doh! Not that it would've helped very much. I always wondered why they never do it simpler like the PS2 style of showing the entire track with dots to represent their position. Nevertheless, I had much more fun watching the Drifting Competition. The more "showy" stuff. I was able to capture some videos on my camera.
One can smell the newly burnt rubber on hot asphalt...
Only cool cars are allowed to park on this lot.
"Ma' other car is ma' trailer home."
A feeble attempt to hitch a ride on that thing...
These guys are supa-fast!
Drifting competition was my favorite.
I didn't finish watching the 2nd race.
Food and booths and supplies.
"Dare you to drive this to the Burger King drive-thru..."
And, now... the videos I took from the Drifting Competition!
Short clip -- Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!
Longer clip -- Three cars do a doughnut. Very cool!
Meeting ol' friends....and a thought.
Few weeks ago, a high school friend, Dave, from East Coast came to town with his wife and kid. Me and couple of other friends (also from the same high school) went up to LA, and over some urban-style Korean food, we had a nice ol' time of catching up, talking about old times and life. Dave, being a lawyer (and a Harvard grad at that), and having met many people of all kinds of prominance and affluence, gave an interesting observation. He said he knows somebody who makes $50 million a year and another person who makes $50,000 a year. The observation he made was that, despite the discrepancy of their wealth, they generally lived the same kind of lifestyle. They both drove a car, went to work, wore a tie, and played golf (I'm paraphrasing). The only real difference was that one guy's car was much more expensive, the tie was a much more expensive tie, and the course he played at was a much more expensive course. But, other than that, they were pretty much the same. This idea sort of got me thinking. We often say to ourselves that "if we have more money, we will do more" (for ourselves, charity, or whatnot). Yet, when we look at ourselves and people who make less than us, are we really living differently? Are we making the most of the "wealth" we do have already? Or, are we merely buying more expensive cars, expensive clothes, and expensive hobbies? Do our actions actually contribute to something significant? It is true that people who aren't really doing things now won't really do anything later even if situations do change. The lesson? If you need to make changes, do it now... don't say you "will" do it. Start taking small steps... it will eventually lead to bigger things...
L.A..... it's almost like a Michael Mann film with this kind of lighting... minus the lack of blues.
Um, it's a hard grape to grow, as you know. Right? It's uh, it's thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. It's, you know, it's not a survivor like Cabernet, which can just grow anywhere and uh, thrive even when it's neglected. No, Pinot needs constant care and attention. You know? And in fact it can only grow in these really specific, little, tucked away corners of the world. And, and only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it, really. Only somebody who really takes the time to understand Pinot's potential can then coax it into its fullest expression. Then, I mean, oh its flavors, they're just the most haunting and brilliant and thrilling and subtle and... ancient on the planet. -- Miles Raymond, describing why he likes Pinot, Sideways (2004)
Over the Easter weekend, I used my vacation time and with a few friends, we drove over to Buellton and Solvang for some Sideways-inspired wine tasting tour. My friend, Dan, being a HUGE fan of the indie-flick Sideways, wanted to follow the movie and hit all the locations that were in the movie. We even stayed in the same inn that the characters stayed in. We rented a couple rooms and Dan was my roomie. Luckily, neither of us was like Jack (from the movie), so one didn't wind up playing golf while the other got all the hot chicks. Not that we didn't bump into some hot chicks in one of the wineries (scantily-clad, rowdy college girls from UCSB). I tend to go for the more dependable, less rowdy, Asian girls, however. We hit about half of the wineries from the movie and even got to meet the guy who served wine in the movie (sans the cowboy hat)! Another treat was we saw the exact same car Miles' (from the the movie) drove parked at the inn that we stayed in. For lunch, we ate at Solvang Restaurant (where Jack, in the movie, declared his one goal for the week). We also had one of the best ribs in town at AJ Spurs, where Miles and Jack had dinner and Jack started hitting on the waitress. Of course, a dinner course would not be complete without some red wine to pair up with. BBQ beef and pork ribs were paired up with a bottle of Cabernet Noir. Awesome! Haven't had such great BBQ all year.
My flying hand!
Hey, that's Miles' car!
Passing by the Ostrich farm... just like the movie.
Solvang Restaurant is where Miles and Jack go first..
A decision is made!
Nojoqui Falls in Solvang
Some great, rolling hills in Solvang..
A nice little hike to the waterfall..
Ah, such beauty...... watch out for them pesky hobbits!
Let me show you how this is done. First thing, hold the glass up and examine the wine against the light. You're looking for color and clarity. Just, get a sense of it. OK? Uhh, thick? Thin? Watery? Syrupy? OK? Alright. Now, tip it. What you're doing here is checking for color density as it thins out towards the rim. Uhh, that's gonna tell you how old it is, among other things. It's usually more important with reds. OK? Now, stick your nose in it. Don't be shy, really get your nose in there. Mmm... a little citrus... maybe some strawberry... -- Miles Raymond, Sideways (2004)
Ah! a celebrity from....
Yes, it's the guy in the hat!
I didn't meet Sandra Oh here..but, OH well!
And, now a toast!
Welcome to AJ Spurs... excellent BBQ
...where Miles and Jack ate last.
The Hitching Post.. where Maya works.
A baby miniature horse!
Must...resist...temptation..
Awesome Danish breakfast!
Posing with creator of Little Mermaid, Hans Christian Anderson...
We came back on Sunday night, but I still had Monday off, so I hung out some more. Actually, I had some tickets to a taping of Mad TV, so me and my friends hung out in LA area... We hung out at the Brea Tar Pits and LACMA. It's interesting I never really noticed how cool the architecture was. Pretty neat stuff there....
So, on the first Thursday of the month, bunch of my friends from small group went to Laguna Beach Art Walk and looked at some art pieces while drinking free wine. I had a nice ol' time, as we took our time really soaking in the artwork. It is always fun when you're not trying to see everything or rush anything. Trying to "see" everything, as opposed to "experiencing" is generally a common touristy attitude. I was reading this book (which I had gotten a while ago for $2 at Borders) called The Best American Travel Writing 2001." It generally said that we often go to another place (let's say, another country) purely as a consumer. We don't go there to learn or to "live" how people live. We often bring our junk with us and look at everything with our own set of "glasses," if you will. We go there to be entertained, not to discover. Downside of that is that you will usually come back tired and not very well rested. In fact, it probably was stressful. And, since you spent money on the trip, you feel a need to get everything out of the trip, which is understandable. I guess this would mean that the first thing you need to do is to not spend too much money on traveling. It could also mean not spending on expensive hotels or only hanging out in touristy places. Anyways, the book was saying that it's often about changing of one's perspective. It's also said one will notice how much similar people really are. Although that idea particularly wasn't overly applicable since I didn't particularly go to any place far, just hanging out with friends and soaking in the atmosphere was rewarding just from the social aspect of just hanging out within a different context (wherever that may be). As for the artwalk, it was good. I also did other things throughtout the month, such as a preview hike at Palomar Mountains, close to San Diego. Soaking in nature is also quite good.
Laguna Beach Art Walk
What made this art walk more pleasant than the previous ones were probably the fact that we took our time and knew we could be happy just seeing few things, but enjoying it.
This is a two-floored nifty little museum..
Good breakfast places around here...
Feeling the waves....
Hmmm... she looks available...
Palomar Mountains....
This was a preview hike for the actual hike that's coming up on the fourth week of Saturday. I went with Dan and Dave to take a look at the trails first. It's a common thing we do for the hiking group so we know what to expect. Earlier this year was that big fire in this area, but it has grown back quite well so it's been looking good. It's noteable that the script for the comic I was given takes place in the forests, so this was a good way for me to take reference photos. As for my comic-on-the-side thing, it's purely based on percentage of profit, so I'm drawing it more for fun and experience than payment (for now).
This cedar is supposed to be 100 years old or so..
Plenty parking over here...
When I see stormdrains, I think of Stephen King's "It"
The lake is extremely serene...
There used to be a big fire early this year...
Always go with people in the woods...
Eating at Pat & Oscars in Temecula
Making the French Peasant Dish
There was a housewarming party (Sharon and her hubby) to attend to, so I felt a need to make something a bit more unusual. As it turned out, I wanted to make something French again, and so, I decided to go for something of a recently popular French peasant dish.. Yes, it's none other than Ratatouille. One has to note that the Ratatouille that was shown in the Disney animation is actually a variation of the actual dish, which is normally not eaten by itself, but it's often used as part of a sauce or stew. Nevertheless, I had to try making it if only for the educational purpose to know how it tasted in real life. As it turned out, I noticed the real flavor is in the ingredients used. It tasted almost like a pasta sauce, but fresher and complicated. Quite interesting. I made sure all the vegetation (it's a vegetarian dish) were of good quality and they were bought from Whole Foods.
Ingredients I used...
Egglant grilled with garlic, then zuccini overlayed..
Then multiple layers of tomato, peppers, and cheese
Cooked in the oven for 45 minutes or so...
And, thar she is....
And, happy b-day to the birthday gals...
With the leftover ingredients, I used it for next day...
... for my Curry!!!
I always go home for lunch between office hours...
Due to my infrequent updates, I should probably call my photo sets, "Monthly Photos" instead of "Weekly." February was pretty cool...despite being busy, which is much better than "not." Last weekend I got to attend Kollaboration (Asian American talent show) once again, this time in downtown LA. My "connections" friend Helen got some of us discounts to the show, which was really neat. Great dance and vocal talents throughout, and the big winner was this one swing dancing group. Jamie Foxx made a video appearance praising Kollaboration, which was nice. Lots of good performances this year. A good number of actors and celebrities attended this year, which was pretty neat.
On the same week, my friend Joe called me up while I was having some yogurt with friends in Yogurtland... he had free aisle box seat tickets (including reserved parking) to the Ducks vs. Chicago hockey game. I've never had so much leg room in a stadium in my life. The food price at the aisle tended to be much higher than other seats, though. No need for wine. This was my second live hockey event I've attended (my previous one was a very cramped LA Kings' game at Staples Center). Despite the fact that the Ducks had an overwelming advantage, skill-wise, it was still fun.. particularly when gloves came off. It happened about twice, mostly in the later half of the game.
I finally saw Rambo (latest) this past week! Excellent guy flick. It brings some awareness of atrocities and genocide going around in other parts of the world. Very gory, though, and one can really appreciate the amount of destruction a .50 caliber mounted machine gun can do to a human. It was interesting how it raises some issues about human rights violations and what role one plays if one has the potential to stop it whether it's their own country or not.
This is Marvin in the elevator....
Marvin hangin' with the bros...
What joo lookin at?
LA, downtown, with some moisture...
My very 2nd Kollaboration event!
The foyer looks pretty classy...
It's the vereran actor James Hong!
also known as...Lo Pan from "Big Trouble in Little China!"
Asians showing off musical talent...
A shoutout from Jamie Foxx
Gerry Bednob
Roscoe Umali
Celebrate!
It was a bit late, so I was tired..
Red... metallic embroidery... or... a table in closeup by Yogurtland
Go Ducks! They're the black guys..
Go ice girls! Or, I call them "abs girls." Rarrrrrr
Next, on Jerry Springer...
Bam! Boom!
Round two! Fighting with the goalie!
Referees aren't very good bodyguards....
This amateur is from UCI... Go Anteaters!
Thus, Ducks 6, Chicago 3..
As mentioned, trying to get this comic-on-the-side thing going... We'll see where it goes..
Lots of rain as of late, so I made one of my specials, Dak Gom Tong. Not too hard to make, but time-consuming (about 2 hours to make, great with lots of garlic). Seems like my roommate liked it.
As of the last few weeks, I've had the pleasure of attending multiple birthday parties. Most of them, mine. Thanks guys!
On the third Friday of the month, my old small group took me to Havana Madness (or a name I always seem to forget) to celebrate me and Lulu's (also from my old small group) b-day. Cuban food is always good, I say. On Sunday, I got to hang out with dragonjck, southmonkey, kyosuke75, and other friends at Yard House, for the sake of, hanging out. On the following Saturday, I attended Nick and Elly's baby shower. It just happened that a friend of mine had sent me that morning an amusing email about babies, which I wound up sharing with the group. Plenty of food (Indonesian) and laughter ensued. As I was shopping for diapers, I now know what those big numbers mean on the package (a good tidbit to know for the future). Also, I learned a baby goes through 10 diapers a day. Later in the evening, my current small group took me to celebate my birthday (my fourth celebration, if I include my dinner with my parents) and Priscilla's (also from my current small group) b-day at the Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney. It rained that day, of which I personally thought was kinda neat to walk around with an umbrella, but I'm weird that way, I guess.
Cuban food! But no cigar.
Group shot!
Good eatin' at Yard House
Precursor for more things to come..
Nick and Elly's Baby Shower
Rainy Streets of Downtown Disney
Mucho eatin' at Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen
Soup for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
In other news, I may possibly be drawing some comics freelance soon.. something fun to do on the side--we'll see how that goes. At my regular work, my boss has been complimenting my 3-D work and how it can be used for the future of the company. Pretty neat since my mom's been praying for me regarding my work. I was recently at a business mixer and people have been complimenting on my minicards I've been using as my business cards. Various other projects might be popping up, but like most things, they are "potentials," which don't mean much until pen actually hits paper.
I was reading my journal I wrote from last year and I'm sometimes surprised that I wrote them. Perhaps I'll share some of that in the later blogs. :D Meanwhile, happy February!
My digital art....
Recently been honing my digital art.. Here's a recent piece. This one is called "The Jester's Throne Room."
So, I finally found that mystery song from My Sassy Girl....
For a while, people have kept asking me about this song. I would every so often hear it at a cafe somewhere. Finally, I found it! Interesting fact is that Kim Jo Han (and the rest of the Solid group) used to go to the same church I used to go to.
Um, it's a hard grape to grow, as you know. Right? It's uh, it's thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. It's, you know, it's not a survivor like Cabernet, which can just grow anywhere and uh, thrive even when it's neglected. No, Pinot needs constant care and attention. You know? And in fact it can only grow in these really specific, little, tucked away corners of the world. And, and only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it, really. Only somebody who really takes the time to understand Pinot's potential can then coax it into its fullest expression. Then, I mean, oh its flavors, they're just the most haunting and brilliant and thrilling and subtle and... ancient on the planet. -- Miles Raymond, describing why he likes Pinot, Sideways (2004)
