Random Thoughts of JS

Dog Don't Care

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 05:16:00 +0000

Day two in Tianjin China...

After spending most of the day with my wife's college-mates wandering the shopping district ducking in and out of different shopping establishments to avoid the biting cold of the winter breeze, we meet up with the in-laws for dinner at 狗不理(Gou Bu Li; Literally translated Dog Don't Care) . This is what we ordered:

传统猪肉包子 (Traditional Pork steam buns)
三鲜包子 (Pork, sea cucumber, and shrimp steamed buns)
蟹黄包子 (Crab meat steam buns)
野菜包子 (Wild herbs steam buns)
百年酱肉包子 (Hundred years marinated pork steam buns)
红烧驮掌 (Braised Camel Paw)
蝴蝶鳝鱼 (Butterfly Eel)
龙井牛蛙 (Dragon Well Bull Frog)

Gou Buli steam bun is one of the local speciality of Tianjin. It stands out from other steam buns because the stuffing is particularly smooth and oily and the dough is not fully leavened. This place is a bit of a tourist trap, but I'm a tourist and I'm told by everyone that if you go to Tianjin you have to try its Gou Buli steamed buns. That I did, it is very good, but quite pricey. The traditional pork steam bun was my favorite flavor.

The other dishes were quite interesting. Take the Braised Camel Paw - I didn't even know camel was edible. It's actually very soft, smooth, and silky. If you enjoy pig knuckles or pig feet, you will definitely enjoy camel paw. Yeah, I know how strange that sounds. Just trust me. It's good.

The eel and bull frog I've had before. It's my understanding that you can't get fresh eel in the States so I knew I was going to order something with eel while in China. The Butterfly eel dish is very similar to the Unagi you find at a Japanese restaurant. The difference is it's not sweet like its Japanese counterpart. The Dragon Well Bull frog is a twist on a traditional Zhe Jiang dish called Dragon Well Shrimp. It's good, but I still prefer the Dragon Well Shrimp.

Overall the experience at Gou Buli was enjoyable. It's one of those you must do it once restaurant because it's so famous.

Our second dinner in Tianjin has made one thing very apparent to me - Chinese people eat every animal under the sun. In the two days I've been here I've eaten donkey and camel - things that I didn't think was edible. I've still got 2.5 more weeks here, who knows what else I'm going to try...

For an explanation of why this restaurant is called 狗不理 (Dog Don't Care) go to http://www.tjgoubuli.com/ and read it for yourself.

More Dumplings Than You Can Shake A Pair Of Chopsticks At

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 05:06:00 +0000

Sorry for the long layoff. I had a bit of the blogger's block (I'm too busy to blog on the consistent basis). Anyways I'm reinvigorated and reinspired because I'm in Tianjin China; a 2-hour bus ride southeast of Beijing.

Day one - We went to a place called 百饺园(Ba Jiao Yuan; Literally translated as hundred dumpling garden). There couldn't be a better place for our first dinner in this part of China. This restaurant has a seemingly endless variety of dumplings to choose from. This was what we ordered:

五香驴肉饺子 (Donkey Meat Dumpling)
红籽银鱼饺子 (Red Fish Roe and SilverFish Dumpling)
蟹上皇饺子 (Crab Roe and Crab Meat Dumpling)
羊肉黄瓜饺子 (Lamb and Cucumber Dumpling)
鸭肉香菇饺子 (Duck and Mushroom Dumpling)
津味素饺子 (TianjinVegetarian Dumpling)

That's no typo - we ate donkey meat. "Getting some ass" has a totally different meaning in this place.

Each of the dumpling dishes are simply served on a plate. No frills just dumplings. Each order has about 5-7 pieces. There is a window from the seating area into the kitchen that shows 10-12 chefs preparing dumplings. Everything is freshly made.

Bai Jiao Yuan, hands-down, has the best dumpling I've ever had. If you're ever in Beijing or Tianjin you must make a stop at this place. Oh god, I died and went to dumpling heaven. There's other stuff on the menu, but why bother. It's a like going to a burger joint and ordering a salad. That's just all sorts of wrong bro. Do the right thing and DO THE DUMPLING!

After we finished dinner, my mother-in-law asked me which flavor of dumpling was my favorite. This was unexpectedly difficult to answer because I thoroughly enjoyed all of them, but if I had to choose - it would be the donkey dumpling. I've never had donkey meat before and I never thought it would taste so good. It is in fact very very tasty. It actually taste a bit like mutton. If you think about it that's not too surprising. I'd never thought I'd say it, but it's true Ma, I like eating ass.

Contact Information

Name: 百饺园
Address: 天津市南开区长江道23号
Tel: 022-23719000

Bill Gates retires as CEO from Microsoft

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 00:48:00 +0000

Here's a hilarious video on Bill Gates' last day at Microsoft:

Early Candidate for 2008 Darwin Award

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 21:29:00 +0000

I couldn't believe it when I saw this picture. If it's not a fake, then these folks are definitely candidates for 2008 Darwin award:

Yet another "We didn't start the fire" spoof

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:34:00 +0000

Here's yet another spoof based on the "We didn't start the fire" song by Billy Joel. This one seemed appropriate since it's a comedic review of year 2007.

Ooey Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cakes

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 23:03:00 +0000

October through December is great time for enjoying food. The holiday spirit kicks in and there's always someone making something special and sharing it with everyone. Jason, my good friend, and his wife recently made a dessert they refer to as "Ooey Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cakes" - apparently they make this every year during the holidays. I've never had it before since I'm not a fan of anything with pumpkins in it, but Jason's description of this dessert made me check my disdain of pumpkins. I gave it a try and all I can say is, "Thank you Jason! Can I have seconds, thirds, and fourths please?"

So I had to ask for the recipe thinking it was some super-secret family recipe. Well, it wasn't - he just sent me a link to the recipe at Food Network. God, writing about this dessert really makes me hungry...

Wife, I'm itching for something good. I busy blogging and I demand that you make me some Ooey Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cakes.

Umm, let me re-phrase that...

Honey, my friend's wife just gave me this great recipe for Ooey Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cakes. Maybe we can spend some quality time together making it this weekend? Here's the url to the recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_20677,00.html

Our 24 Hour Christmas Special

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 03:27:00 +0000

My wife and I didn't have much planned for ourselves this Christmas. We were following whatever plans our relatives had. Once we got that out of the way we realized we didn't have all that much to do. It's Christmas Eve so we though maybe we can do some special. Maybe go Salsa dancing or catch a movie, but none of that felt right so we decided to keep it simple and stay home.

We went to our neighborhood Blockbuster to rent the first 3 discs of 24's season 6 and picked up a late-night snack at Jack In The Box. After we got home, my wife warmed up some chicken soup and I opened up a couple of boxes of chocolate truffles for the 24 marathon that we were about to embark on.

So there we were, just the 2 of us, at home on Christmas Eve huddled together on our couch watching 24. Accompanying us are a steak and egg breakfast burrito combo from Jack In The Box, some homemade chicken soup, and a good amount of Lindt and Godiva chocolate truffles. As it turns out, season 6 was extremely captivating. We ended up staying up all night watching all the DVDs we rented and finishing up all the food except for the truffles. We didn't go to bed until pretty close to sunrise on Christmas morning. We slept just enough to give ourselves enough energy to rent the last set of DVDs for season 6 and finish watching them before Christmas day was over.

Sometimes the special moments are the simplest. My wife and I (appropriately enough) for 24 hours felt like teenagers - free from any of our regularly responsibilities completely captivated by the moment. This sounds cheesy, but true - Saint Nick was real for us this Christmas. He gave us a very special Christmas that both of us will cherish for years to come.

Shiraz Restaurant

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 03:51:00 +0000

Shiraz is a Persian food restaurant that I regularly have lunch with my friends. This place makes the best Beef Koobideh I've ever had. Koobideh is a Persian kabab of minced lamb or beef. It is usually served with rice and some grill tomatoes. Ordering the same thing over and over again is not my M.O., but the Koobideh at Shiraz is so damn good that I don't bother with anything else.

My friends and I went to Shiraz yesterday. The waitress recognized us and said, "You don't need the menu, right?" We all nodded in agreement until I changed my mind and said, "Not unless you have something new on the menu." Good thing I asked because she had some recommendations for us: Ash Reshteh and Fesenjoon

Ash Reshteh, I'm told by the waitress, means noodle soup in Farsi. The noodles and soup are complemented with lentils, dill, and few different types of beans. It is vegetarian dish, but the way Shiraz makes it I can taste lamb in it - that's a good thing in my book. This dish is so beautiful I don't even know where to begin. I'm so glad the waitress recommended this dish to us. I think this is my new "go-to" dish at Shiraz.

Fesenjoon is a dish that comprises of chicken chunks smothered in a dark brown sauce made from primarily pomegranate concentrate and walnuts. It is served with a side of rice. It looks very similar to the Mexican Chicken Mole Poblano, but it couldn't taste anymore different. The walnut in the sauce gives it a very rich texture similar to seasame paste or peanut butter and the pomegranate concentrate brings an unexpected, but welcomed tartness to the sauce. A very interesting dish. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to the adventurous foodie in everyone.

Whether it's the Koobideh, the Fesenjoon, the Ash Reshteh, or anything else on their menu they never disappoint. Shiraz has proven to be an outstanding restaurant. It is my favorite in the Tri-Valley area. I only wish there's one closer to where I live. If you're ever in the Pleasanton/San Ramon/Danville area, make sure to stop by Shiraz for a meal. You can thank me later.

Address and Contact Information:
Shiraz Restaurant
21314 San Ramon Valley Blvd
San Ramon, CA 94583
925.829.5558
www.shirazr.com

Yetnal Jajang - Noodles! Noodles! Noodles!

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 22:45:00 +0000

My love affair with noodles began when I was able to eat solid foods. I enjoy noodles in all shape, size, and form. Wheat, rice, vermicelli, pasta, in soup, in sauce, stir fried, baked - it doesn't matter, I'll try it at least once so I'm always on the lookout for a good noodle shops.

I recently found one near the Berkeley/Oakland border. It's called Yetnal Jajang. It's a Korean noodle shops. There are no frills at this place. Their menu isn't awfully complex and that's a good thing. They stick with what they're good at - noodles. It's comfort food. The experience is just beautiful.

I highly recommend the Ja Jang Myun from Yetnal Jajang. Most Asian food has it's own version of this famous dish which I believe is all based on the Chinese Zha Jiang Mian. In a nutshell, this dish is basically noodles served with fermented soybean sauce. Though the sauce can vary significantly in look and flavor, the key similarity is the sauce is always soybean based. The Korean version (Ja Jang Myun) of this dish is very distinctive because of it's dark brown, almost black, soybean sauce. It's one of my favorites because of its elegant simplicity. The smoothness of the sauce and well-balanced flavor just blends so well with the noodles that it's hard not to order it every time I see it on any menu. The soybean sauce and the noodles are typically served separately so that patrons can decide how much sauce they want with their noodles. There are a couple other choices for noodles at Yetnal Jajang, but I believe it is an absolute mistake to go there for the first time without ordering their Ja Jang Myun.

Address and Contact Information:
Yetnal Jajang Korean Noodles
4390 Telegraph Ave
Oakland, CA 94620 (510) 652-3900

Leap in the Mouth

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 00:05:00 +0000

I was recently in Palo Alto's Il Fornaio having dinner with a couple of friends. We were looking over the menu trying to decide what to order. I saw Saltimbocca Alla Romana on the menu and I said, "Saltimbocca...I had this before. It's good." One of my friends chimed in, "Yeah, that's good. Saltimbocca...means leap in the mouth."

Well, I can't pass up something so good that it leaps in the mouth so I ordered it. When the dish came I was expecting the Saltimbocca to leap in my mouth by itself, but to my disappointment that didn't happen. Luckily my disappointment ended there - Il Fornaio's Saltimbocca Alla Romana was absolutely amazing.

Saltimbocca Alla Romana is classic Roman dish. It's veal topped with prosciutto and sage. Here's is the recipe. Honestly, any dish with those things as the key ingredients has no reason to be anything less than delicious and Il Fornaio's Saltimbocca is one of the better if not the best I've had. So take advantage of the holiday season - take your family or friends to Il Fornaio for some Roman "leap in the mouth".

Address and Contact Information:
Il Fornaio
520 Cowper Street
(at the Garden Court Hotel)
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Phone: 650.853.3888
http://www.ilfornaio.com

What's your Traveler IQ?

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 20:06:00 +0000

Ever wonder how many places you are familiar with. There's this game that gives you a name of a place and challenges you to mark it on a map - speed and accuracy matters. It will display your "Traveler IQ" once the game is over. My wife and I wasted a good amount of time on this game. Find out how many places you can place on the map. Follow this url to play the game:

http://www.travelpod.com/traveler-iq

It's not Sorbet, it's Sorbetto

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 08:03:00 +0000

I'm shopping in Walnut Creek, CA. I've already walked past Gelateria Naia a few times now and each time I thought to myself I will give this gelato joint a try the next time. I finally did it this time.

Conclusion; Gelateria Naia is place where someone can get some really great ice cream. I ordered Kiwi flavor and I asked the clerk, "So the Kiwi...it's not gelato it's sorbet right?" and the clerk responded, "Sir, it's not Sorbet, it's Sorbetto." Oh, I'm sorry, didn't mean to push you off your high chair Mr. Sorbetto, but isn't Sorbetto just Italian for Sorbet? Well, my lack of familiarity with Italian language forced me to bite my tongue and not be my usual smart-ass self. Turns out there is a subtle difference according to this article - glad I kept my mouth shut.

Gelateria Naia is definitely not your run-of-the-mill great ice cream joint like Loard's or ColdStone. Their gelato and sorbetto are very true and pure to the flavor - meaning the kiwi sorbetto at Gelateria Naia practically tastes like kiwi and their chestnut gelato actually tastes like chestnuts. But the thing that stands out the most for me is the variety of unique flavors offered - here are some examples: Kiwi, Green Apple, Nutella, Chestnut, and Pecan.

If you're expecting traditional ice cream here, you'll probably be caught off guard, though I'm sure their vanilla or chocolate gelato are awesome too (I don't usually get traditional flavors so I don't know first hand). If you're looking for something a little different, Gelateria Naia will knock your socks off.

Gelateria Naia
1245 north broadway
walnut creek, ca 94596
925.943.1905
http://www.gelaterianaia.com/

Hotels do not wash their cups and glasses

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 08:01:00 +0000

My friend came across an investigative report that shows hotels do not wash their cups and glasses. Hopefully such exposure will get the hotels to change this practice. In the meantime, please watch this video and take the necessary precaution when traveling. Here's the video:

[ Original Article: Don't Ever Drink From Hotel Glasses ]

A very unique perspective about the Story of Oedipus

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 08:09:00 +0000

You have to read the essay titled Planes, Trains, and Plantains. It's apparently about the story of Oedipus. The author brings a very unique perspective. Just read it because I don't know how to explain it any other way. It's too funny - the author must have been high.

[Planes, Trains, and Plantains: http://static.scribd.com/docs/iyf3q21g5duht.swf]

Spelling properly - possibly overrated?

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 08:00:00 +0000

According to the folks at Cambridge University, it doesn't matter the orders of the letters in the word. It only matters that the first and last letters are in the right place because the mind does not read every letter, but just the words as a whole. According to this, we should be able to read the following paragraphs:

Paragraph 1 - Gnearel Koenbi: Yaers ago, you srveed my fetahr in the Conle Wras; now he bges you to hlep him in his srtgugle anaigst the Epmrie. I rgreet taht I am uanlbe to persnet my ftaher's reeqsut to you in preosn; but my sihp has faelln udenr aattck and I'm aiarfd my msisoin to Adlraaen has flaied. I've paceld ionfrmtaion vatil to the svurival of the rbeeiloln itno the momery stsyems of tihs R2 uint. My fthaer wlil konw how to rtireeve it. You msut see tihs dirod sfealy dielvreed to him on Arleadan. Tihis is our msot daeseprte huor. Hlep me, Obi-Wan Knoebi; yuo're my olny hpoe.

Paragraph 2 - Terhe's a psasage I got moemrzeid. Ekeziel 25:17. The ptah of the rgithoeus man is bseet on all sdies by the iqeniuites of the sieflsh and the trynany of eivl men. Blsesed is he who, in the nmae of carhity and good wlil, sehhpreds the waek thourgh the vlaley of the drankess. For he is turly his botrher's kpeeer and the fniedr of lsot chlidern. And I will sritke dwon uopn tehe wtih gerat vnegaecne and fuouris agner tsohe who attmpet to pioosn and dstreoy my bortehrs. And you will kown I am the Lrod wehn I lay my vnegaence uopn you. I been syain' taht siht for yaers. And if you eevr haerd it, it maent yuor ass. I nveer ralely qesutoined waht it maent. I toughht it was jsut a clod-boolded tihng to say to a mtherofckuer bferoe you ppoped a cap in his ass. But I saw smoe siht tihs mrnoin' mdae me tihnk tcwie. Now I'm tinhkin': it culod maen yuo're the eivl man. And I'm the rgithuoes man. And Mr. 9mm hree, he's the sephherd potrcetnig my rghietous ass in the vlaley of drkanses. Or it culod be yuo're the rghitoeus man and I'm the shpehred and it's the wrlod taht's eivl and slfeish. I'd lkie taht. But that siht ani't the tutrh. The turth is yuo're the waek. And I'm the trnnayy of eivl men. But I'm tyrin', Rnigo. I'm tyirn' rael hrad to be a shpheerd.

Original Article: http://www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/%7Emattd/Cmabrigde/

Be a man! Do the right thing!

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 08:30:00 +0000

I'm told by a friend that Russell Peters' "Be A Man" routine requires that you have an ethnic stake in it to enjoy it; you must either be Indian or Chinese. Well, I do have an ethnic stake in it. I found it hilarious the first time I saw it probably because Russell's imitation of the Chinese accent sounds exactly like my mom. Sorry Ma, I know you told me stop making fun of you, but I just can't help myself. Anyways, back to the main point - Is an ethnic stake required for someone to find this routine funny? Here's the video for you to decide for yourself:

Darth Vader and The Death Star according to Eddie Izzard

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 08:16:00 +0000

What does Darth Vader do when he's not kicking Jedi ass? Does Darth Vader eat? Does anyone on the Death Star eat? Does the Death Star have a cafeteria? George Lucas never answered any of these questions. Why? Because he knew Eddie Izzard would tell us:

My Favorite Linebacker, Terrible Terry Tate

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 08:02:00 +0000

I know the Terry Tate Office Linebacker commercials are old and I've watched them a million times, but I find still them extremely hilarious. Here are all the ones I know about:

Terry Tate Office Linebacker - One-Minute Version

Terry Tate Office Linebacker - Full-Length Version

Terry Tate Office Linebacker - Sensitivity Training

Terry Tate On Vacation

Terry Tate Draft Day

OSPN's Office Athlete of the Century - Terry Tate

Terry Tate Takes Out Streaker

My ridiculous British accent reminds me of a comedy routine by Russell Peters

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 08:01:00 +0000

My coworker told me that from time to time they can hear a slight British accent in my speech. I told them, "Dude, that like totally doesn't make sense. I like totally grew up in California, Dude." If anything it would be a Californian accent. They disagreed. They then thought that it was maybe because of the time I spent in Hong Kong. I straighten them out again, "Dude, you're smoking pot. Spending 3 summers in Hong Kong would not give me anything close to a British accent." So they proceeded to ask me to say a whole bunch of phrases hoping that my slight British accent would appear. That's never going to work. Everything they throw at me at from this point on won't work because I'm self-conscious now. I personally think my coworkers are working too hard. Anyways, this exchange reminded me of this Russell Peters comedy routine about the British accent:

Greenwashing: Is it really green or it is just marketing?

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:01:00 +0000

It's hip to be green these days. More and more businesses are providing consumers with green products. Slap the green eco-friendly label on it and it'll selling like gang-busters. Unfortunately this leaves truly green-conscious folks with a dilemma:

Is it really green or is it just marketing?

I recently heard from a radio show that we as consumers can go to TerriChoice at http://www.terrachoice.com/greenwash to determine for ourselves if a product is truly green. Here's an executive summary of the 6 criterion they suggestion we use:

Hidden Trade-Off - Paints a product greener than it really is
No Proof - Green claims that cannot be substantiated
Vagueness - Green claims so poorly defined that the real meaning is lost
Irrelevance - Green claims that are true, but are unimportant
Fibbing - Making false green claims
Lesser of Two Evils - Green claims that misleads consumers away from the true issue.

These criterion are what they call the sins of greenwashing - the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service. To get more details on each of the 6 greenwashing sins, download their PDF from their website. You can also report a greenwashed product by mailing greenwashing@terrachoice.com which also can be done from their website.

A website like this is good for everyone - the consumers and the corporations - because it allows the consumer to become more aware and educated. It also allows corporations to be held accountable and to understand what it takes to make a truly green product.

In any case, stuff like this starts always starts with the consumers. Educate yourself. Demand more from the corporations. If they fail the live up to your demands, report them so that they can improve.

Who do you think you are?

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 08:03:00 +0000

A friend forwarded a "Personality Test" to me. It's titled:

What type are YOU?

Follow the above url and you will find a series of shapes. Click on the shape you find most appealing. It's supposed to tell you what type of personality you have. Give it a try. The key is to be instinctive, don't think too much. Just choose. This will give you the most accurate result. Most of you will probably go through each shape one by one using a friggin mathematical equation to determine what is the most logical choice. Don't do this. You're only lying to yourself. This is a touchy-feely thing - not friggin quantum mechanics! Go with your instincts.

I took the test first and then I forwarded it to my wife. We both ended up choosing the same shape. Now before all ya'll give me your, "Awww that's so cute you guys must be soul-mates" nonsense (I will puke if I hear you say something like this) know that we chose the brightest and therefore the most eye-catching form. It's hard to imagine how anyone would choose any other one. At least my wife and I both stayed true to the point of the test. We both picked our choices within a few seconds after seeing the shapes. Anyways, the shape that we both chose shows that we are carefree, playful and cheerful.

Really? You think? I never would have guess...

Give it a try and tell me your results.

My Buddy's Theory: Bars play 80's music when it's about to close because...

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 09:15:00 +0000

I was in San Francisco's Sunset district sorta bar hopping with my 2 buddies, Wanger and Chang. I say "sorta" because we went to a grand total of 2 bars and I did not have any alcohol because I was under the weather. I know - sounds lame. Stuff like this happens after you're hitched, but not all was lost. You see, the 3 of us haven't seen each other in a while and Chang made a rare visit from SoCal. I couldn't pass up a good chance like this to give them a nice Christmas gift; MY FLU. Only the best for my buds.

As I said, I couldn't have any alcohol, but I could definitely live vicariously through them so I bought them a round and watched them enjoy it while I had my Coke with no ice. After catching up with each other for a good while, the bar suddenly started blasting Michael Jackson's "Beat It". Wanger immediately cut off whatever random conversation that was going on and said to me, "You know bars play 80's music when it's about to close."

I've never done much bar hopping so I didn't really understand his point - I had to ask, "Why's that?" Wanger explained, "They want to everyone to start singing." Chang interrupted, "It's like the climax of a show. They play 80's music." Wanger continued, "It's like those Irish pubs with their soccer songs."

They didn't answer my question; Why 80's music?

So I proceeded to ask, "So 5 to 10 years later they'll be playing 90s music, right?" Wanger replied, "Nah, there's just something about 80s music that gets everyone to sing along."

You see, just about every conversation with my buddies are of this nature - circular and inconsequential. What else can I do? Whip out my iPhone and pull up Google to find out why? It was a perfectly senseless and meaningless point that had already gone on too long. Any further effort to discover a rhyme or reason on this matter was just a waste of time. Whatever, I'll bite....

And just as I was about to buy into this BS, Wanger continued, "Yeah, bars were doing this even during the 70's. They were playing 80's music to call it a night even back then."

Alright buddy, hand over the car keys...

It's Not Soda Pop. It's Java Pop!

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 20:07:00 +0000

During one of my trips to Whole Foods, I saw this drink called Java Pop in the drink isle.

According to the Java Pop, Inc. website, Java Pop is the world's first USDA Organic Fair Trade Certified Coffee Soda.

Huh? Ok USDA Organic - I know what that is. Fair Trade Certified? I didn't know that this applies to something like coffee soda. So I assume I can purchase an unfair trade certified version? how about a fair trade uncertified version? oh oh or maybe even an unfair trade uncertified version?

Dude, it's just coffee soda.

Anyways, sounds funky doesn't it? Funky enough for my wife and I to give it a try. My wife loves coffee. She must have her morning cup of coffee. I don't drink coffee, but I love everything coffee flavored, particular any type of coffee ice cream.

I ended up finishing most of the 4-pack myself. My wife did not like it at all. In hindsight, it was not unexpected since she's more of a coffee purist. I, on the other hand, enjoyed it. Yes, it is funky. Yes, it is strange. The coffee flavor and carbonation combination initially throws one for a loop, but that's part of it's uniqueness. It is indeed a very unique soda - The first coffee soda I've ever had.

Mom's Words of Wisdom

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 20:23:00 +0000

It's Friday night. My wife and I were both preparing dinner. We were also babysitting our niece. She was getting a little restless so I whipped out our secret weapon - the dancing baby video. She totally loves this video. As expected, it calmed her down. But as with any child her age, we had to keep play this video over and over and over again. Unless you've been living under rock, you already know that this video has a baby dancing to the "Hooked on a Feeling" tune. My wife and I basically listened to this song while preparing dinner. After a while I got into the rhythm and started singing along at the top of my lungs. A funny thing happened not too long after that...

My wife said to me, "Can you just be quiet?"
I turned towards her and jokingly said, "Honey, I am singing for you."
I smiled and continued, "I'm just trying to be romantic."
My wife replied, "I'm tired. I'm in no mood to be romantic. I just want some peace and quiet."

This little exchange reminded me of something my mother said to me years ago - it was during a period of my life where I was bouncing from one girlfriend to another and my mother was disappointed that I refused to settle down with one.

My mother told me that if I want to keep a women, romantic little tricks don't work. I had to show them I'm mature, stable, reliable, and dependable. She told me dad used to serenade her all the time, it was quite romantic then....

but these days anything romantic amounts to fart (in chinese pin yin: xian zai lang man suan ge pi), I just consider his songs a passing breeze (in chinese pin yin: wo jiu dang ta de ge er bian feng)

How true my mom's words ring about a decade later.

My Highly Ineffective Brain

noreply@blogger.com (JS) — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 08:11:00 +0000

I came across this article a while back:

The Ten Habits of Highly Effective Brains

and I finally understand why I'm a total tard. Here is the executive summary of the article:

Use it or Lose it
Nutrition
Exercise Your Body
Stay Positive
Challenge Your Brain
Aim High
Explore and Travel
Make Your Own Decisions
Stimulating Friendships
Laugh Often

Doesn't look good for me.

1st habit (Use it or Lose it) and 5th habit (Challenge your brain). I watch too much sports on TV and when I'm not doing that I'm blogging or watching a senseless movie like South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut. Too much passive stimulation so 1st and 5th habit are definitely out.

2nd habit (Nutrition). I love my ice cream, fat of the steak, krispy kremes, etc. No nutrition either.

3rd habit (Exercise your body). Used to be true - I used to exercise regularly, but definitely not recently.

4th habit (Stay positive). I stay positive until things get rough then I start blaming everything on my wife. Scratch this one off the list.

6th habit (Aim High). Yes! I aim high very often, but so far I'm missed badly every time I've aimed high. Scratch this one as well.

7th habit (Explore and Travel). I enjoy exploring and traveling to different places. I think about exploring and traveling to different places, but I can't miss the Patriots going 16-0 in the regular season or 49ers getting a 1st down. Still nothing.

8th habit (Make your own decisions). I don't even need to answer this one. I'm completely lost without my wife as described in a past blog entry. Still nadda.

9th habit (Stimulating friendships). At the rate I'm alienating everyone on this blog, friendship is definitely out of the question.

Only one more left...

1oth habit (Laugh often). Yes! I finally have one. I definitely laugh often, very often...at my own stupidity.

Conclusion - I have a highly ineffective brain...

Not all is lost, I did learn something from this...

Mom and Dad, you're off the hook. It's not your fault I'm a complete idiot. Don't blame yourself for my complete failure at everything I do. I'm sure your genes are great. I just never utilized them. You are great parents, but I just never listened. As you can tell, most of my retardation is due to my own bad habits. It's actually because my wife pampers me so often that I never get to practice any of the good habits describe above. So really. Mom. Dad. It's not your fault. It's my wife's fault. It's your daughter-in-law's fault. Blame it on her.

Honey, sorry to out you like this, but my highly ineffective brain doesn't allow me to realize that I'm treading on thin ice until it's too late...

The original article: http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2007/08/22/10-habits-of-highly-effective-brains/