Category: Other Topics

This weekend isn’t a “lost weekend” because I remember it. But it ranks close.
One pearl of wisdom that I painfully remembered (around 0330 Sunday AM) was to “never mix alcohol”. That’s not a ban on mixed drinks; instead it’s a ban on mixing types of alcohol. The rule is to stick to one kind of booze for an evening’s carousing because mixing will make you hella sick.
If you drink cocktails, stick with that for the evening. If you drink beer, best to do that all night. Same with wine. But it’s a very VERY bad idea to drink beer for 6 hours then move over to liquor and beer at the same time!
This weekend in San Francisco was Fleet Week. Except Fleet Week is a bit of a misnomer. It’s only five days long this year, but I’d think that “Fleet Work Week” is a bit awkward. Also tomorrow is a fake holiday, Columbus Day which only the government and the banking industry gets off. In theory, it’s a school holiday so kids can check out the ships that are here for “Fleet Work Week”.
The highlight of Fleet Week is the arrival of the Blue Angels. Every year, they do the same show with the same stunts and every year it’s cool! All last week, it was crappy, cold and cloudy. Then on Saturday, it got gorgeous. Blue skies and warm. Perfect timing yes?
I went over to a friend’s place to watch the Blue Angels from his roof with a bunch of other people. Then we watched football and played the “debate drinking game” during the Schwarzenegger/someotherguyrunningforgovernor debate. Then I went to dinner. That whole time was about six hours of beer. One to two an hour. Then around 2300 or so, my friends and I went down to Anu down on Sixth Street near Market. Cool place in a sketchy area. That’s when the mixing began. *shudder*

This, my friends, was a sign of what to drink!!!
I started with a Guinness. But somehow drum n’ bass (which was being spun by the resident DJ) puts me into the mood for clear drinks. So I moved over to Chopin Martinis. There were a couple of those. Then another Guinness showed up when rounds were bought. Followed by a Sapphire Tonic and other drinks/shots. All served up by a very kawaii bartender who hails from Eastern Europe. She just got hired a few weeks back! Must visit out there soon…

Hmm. I think i take better photos inebriated…
All of this wrecked me around 0330 while in the four-point stance against the wall in the Denny’s men’s room. At least I know that my aim is good…and I didn’t drive. And the next morning, there was Country Fried Steak and biscuits in a styrofoam take-out in the fridge.

Anu
43 Sixth Street
San Francisco 94103
415-543-3505
http://www.anu-bar.com

Yeay!
I’m in Los Angeles (again) for yet another conference. This one is hosted at the Hyatt Century City, a definite improvement over where the last conference that I attended was! My room is on the 15th Floor in the remodeled wing of the hotel.

See those buildings in the middle shrouded in smog? That’s Downtown LA!


Famous fountains on Avenue of the Stars
Of course, before the meetings begin, there’s debauchery. There was a big BIG cigar suite last night. Spent most of my evening there. It involved handrolled cigars, an open bar and lots of silly people. And a cigar hangover due to the Churchill I finished off last night…

It’s more like the smallest police cruiser I’ve ever seen! Tripped over this in Chinatown. Just imagine this rollerskate in “hot pursuit”!

So what do you do when he hits you with light and siren? Continue pedalling?
And for those of you who may be thinking that this is some community patrol vehicle, check out the plate on the back!

Yup, it’s a police car alrighty. Guess i’d better pull over.

according to the result of this silly quiz,

I’m a Chevrolet Corvette!

You’re a classic – powerful, athletic, and competitive. You’re all about winning the race and getting the job done. While you have a practical everyday side, you get wild when anyone pushes your pedal. You hate to lose, but you hardly ever do.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

I’ve got a car. A Nissan SE-R. It’s getting old. 14 years old! And 155K miles on the clock.
If it were a kid, it would be going to high school now…
Anyhoo, I’ve always had a thing for sports cars. And cars that can go topless. Being raised in a 1966 Mustang convertible may have something to do widat. But living in San Francisco, a convertible is not always practical. But this is!

The best thing is that the Miata MX-5 is affordable to start with and this option is projected to be only US$2000 more! Not baaaad. Here’s more info from Mazda.
Except gotta wait until Spring 07! Then they’ll be the rush where the dealer markup is hella high. Then it’ll come down eventually. Maybe 2008. Of course, Alfa Romeo is supposed to be returning to the US by then…hmmm.
UPDATE: But, if you live in Japan, there’s no wait! Roy from Q-Taro.com is an avowed Roadster owner and he got to check out a Hardtop Roadster in the flesh! Lucky…

Here’s a page that’s fun (in an intellectual way) if you ever ridden the MTR, MRT, Eidan or the Tube. Because it’s important to under the linguistic background of those three little words…
“Mind The Gap”
It’s an old page and a lot of the links are dead, but if you are trying to learn Chinese, Putonghua or Japanese, this page can be helpful…

It’s Sunday afternoon here and I’ve finished all my chores. Washed, claybarred, polished and waxed my horribly dirty car, did laundry, vacuummed, cleaned the bathroom and kitchen. Whew.

Guess it’s time for a mindless movie! I watched UltraViolet on DVD.
The acting was not that good and the story was not much better. Five things saved this movie. Milla Jovovich, great wire work, BMW motorcycles, Shanghai location shoots and Milla Jovovich. I wouldn’t have paid US$10 to see it in the theater, but it would’ve made a good in-flight movie.
Much better than that horribly-PC flick, Aeon Flux (the old animated shorts are MUCH better), that they’re showing ad-nauseam on most of the mainline carriers…

I’ve got a flight leaving soon and I’m at the airport an hour early!
Waaaaaaah!
No stress (helps that the airport is kinda empty today) and a lack of screaming rugrats helps this tranquil scene along. Until I walk by the overpriced restaurants and see the prices for snacks.
Hmmm. I think I can wait until I get to LA! It’s only an hour away…

Went to the late late first showing of Superman Returns last night.
Yeah, I actually went to a movie!!
The movie was done well, with lots of inside nods and winks and great special effects. If you’re familar with the Superman legend, you’ll find some funny bits. It’s also a good idea to watch the first two Superman movies before watching this one, because it’s connected. Supermans 3 and 4 thankfully no longer exist!
There wasn’t a lot of warmth in this movie though. And the best way to describe the movie is “edgy political correctness”. It reminded me of what Syndrome said in the Incredibles: “..if we are all special, then none of us are”.
Also, definitely watch what you drink before the movie; it’s over 2 hours, 40 minutes long!

I received a care package from Singapore! Yeeeeeah! (thx M!)

Because this is how I get World Cup info!
Some local magazines and cookies from Bengawan Solo. Now I’m craving for some kaya toast…