South of the Golden Gate

2009-05-14T20:26:00.000-07:00

It's been exactly one year since my last post on this blog. I wanted to share my outstanding dinner last week for our Mother's Day celebration. Even through the decline in the economy it's good to know that some restaurants still uphold great standards in service and food quality. Hours of operation of Oola, the restaurant I am giving praises to, facilitate a late dining find as we had our dinner at 10:30 in the evening with reservations fulfilled from Opentable.com. A great dinner of Washington and California oysters, a gourmet burger, foie gras, parmesan cheese fries, and ribs.

2008-05-13T16:54:00.000-07:00

Why should the pros have all the fun? I recently updated my trusty 5200 with some aero-wheels. The wheels look great on the bike and they feel good up above 18 miles per hour. Below that speed, the wheels just feel like regular old wheels. I plan on climbing Old La Honda road this weekend with these wheels on my bike. Will take some pictures at the top near Skyline.

2008-05-13T16:50:00.000-07:00

I just decided to throw some cycling shoes on and ride out on my fixed gear with Gabe in tow. Unlike the rest of the crowd in spandex, I had jeans and a t-shirt along with my helmet. It was good to just go out and ride on a weekend. I haven't done that since focusing on my two accounting classes and the whole school thing. I miss riding on the weekends. But more importantly, I realized how my son now will wear his helmet throughout the entire ride (if I ask him beforehand to put it on and keep it on)!

2008-05-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

My Langster with the trailer today on Canada road. Pulling a trailer with a fixed gear wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, even with the different gearing.

2008-04-19T05:57:00.000-07:00

Please lower your volume before you start the video. I haven't shot a weapon in about 4 years. I got to shoot 27 rounds off 3 magazines. This video is of the second magazine.

2008-04-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

Base running with Gabe on my back. What a great day at the Coliseum. The A's lost that day but it was a close game and we had fun. Notice how the grown-up is the one having all the fun running the 270 feet from first base to home plate, yahoo!

2008-04-04T23:52:00.000-07:00

Even though I love to watch SpongeBob, this is proof that television rots the brain. I took him to an outdoor park immediately after the show, promise.

2008-03-07T23:19:00.000-08:00

I rode up Old La Honda today for the first time in 2008. It was a good ride with Mike and Jose, climbing up 1300 feet of elevation within the 3 miles to Skyline road. Mike had his altimeter and informed us that we started at 250 feet above sea level. Starting the ride at Alpine Inn in Portola Valley was nice on our Friday off. Nine o'clock and we were off to see the road. The first mini hill right out of Alpine Inn up Alpine road to get to Portola Valley road is a good warm-up and we all three spun our gears to get the blood in the legs. I didn't even realize I was using my big ring for the first part of the ride. Turning right on to Portola Valley road is a nice fast mini descent to lead up to the entrance to Old La Honda road. I decided to stretch my legs a bit and sped away from the two and met back up with them at the intersection of the hill. Climbing Old La Honda road was gorgeous today. It was sunny with high clouds so the sun was still warming up the trees. The redwoods were as grand as I remembered from last year. Jose was glad to have his triple chainring and Mike was trying out his new sports drink gu2o. We got to the top and had our snacks: I had a mint chocolate clif bar, Jose had his chocolate chip clif bar, and Mike had his accel-bar. Descending was the usual, riding the brakes while trying to navigate the potholes. Getting back to Alpine Inn, we had our celebratory beer. Afterwards, we parted ways and Jose vowed never to do Old La Honda until next year. We'll see...

2008-02-25T17:22:00.000-08:00

I love the Cookie Monster! this came out about two weeks ago and I saw it on yahoo. there are great facts about the psychology of the cookie monster that come up during this interview that are important to note to all adults, especially if you have children--like the fact that he (Cookie Monster) will not trample over anyone or anything to get to his food. Some other interesting facts are given in this interview but I won't spoil it for you.

2008-02-19T16:15:00.000-08:00

I cut my hair to be donated to Locks for Love, a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. It took me about two years to grow this hair and I'm proud to say that it's all natural color. Thanks to Millbrae Hair Salon for cutting my hair and securing it with appropriate bands so the hair wouldn't separate.

2008-02-16T23:19:00.000-08:00

The Golden Gate Bridge is always a good ride and this time I rode with my friend Jose up to the lookout. The top of the lookout was cutout to put cannons facing the Pacific Ocean, done by the US Army during world war 2. It was so early in the morning that taking pictures facing the bridge caused washed-out shots so we opted to take pictures facing the Point Bonita Lighthouse. The Marin Headlands climb up to the lookout was a good workout and we were there early enough that there weren't a lot of tourists with their cars, or bicycles for that matter. Jose rode all the way up on his double chainring front!

2008-02-16T23:11:00.000-08:00

My friend Josie recently celebrated her birthday. I took the opportunity to celebrate with her halfway around the globe with a beer for her. Cheers Josie.

2008-02-13T22:36:00.000-08:00

I don't believe I posted my new wheel for my Langster yet. I was so caught up in the excitement to ride it that I totally forgot. Deep-V rim, Surly hub, Soma fabrications 14-tooth cog. I love the anodized red look of the rim.

2008-02-13T22:33:00.000-08:00

What the my car looks like when i do my "honey-do" list at costco. Take note that I can still see out my side mirrors, which is the minimum requirement here in California.

2008-02-10T23:12:00.000-08:00

my ride last week from 92, on canada road, to 84 and back. tried the new gearing of 42x14 on the road and it was great! I even paced with some roadies that happened to be on this ride as well. looking forward to ride the velodrome again.

2008-02-04T23:52:00.000-08:00

SHELDON BROWN 1944-2008

I feel that I needed to post something about Sheldon Brown on my site because though I only had the chance to encounter him through email two weeks ago, his site is truly one that all cyclists have gone to, need to go to, and will continue to go to for all their cycling needs because of the wealth of information. It was Sheldon's articles about fixed-gear riding that actually convinced me to try fixed-gear riding out for myself. When I got the bug and started riding my fixed-gear exclusively because of my joy I emailed him immediately. He responded and I got the connection with him. I found out through the flicker website through a contact - richardmasoner. This is an extremely HUGE loss to the cycling community. I for one, hope that someone will continue his web site.

God speed and rubber side down friend.

2008-01-20T20:17:00.000-08:00

Rode the Hellyer velodrome for the first time yesterday with Marsha and Parker. We did the beginner session and performed a few drills to familiarize ourselves with the way velodrome riding is done. There were 22 riders present. I had a lot of fun riding the velodrome and learned a lot from the pacelines, ribbon ride, sprint interval drill, and the flying 200. My favorites have to be the sprint drills as well as the flying 200 meters. My time was 16.5 seconds on the flying 200. Kinda slow but we only had one chance to do our flying 200 since there were so many people present at the session. Oh, I almost forgot about the team time trial drill as well. That was pretty fun. For the team trial I rode with Marsha, Parker, Chris, and Michael. Chris had a sweet Yamaguchi frame. I rode my Langster while the other three had rented bikes for the session. I had my new deep-V rims with Surly hub and my new gearing as well. I am excited to try another flying 200 to see if I can improve my technique. 20 days into 2008 and I'm still flying on the fixxie. Parker brought a camera but we were having so much fun that we forgot to take pictures.

2007-12-31T11:04:00.000-08:00

Last ride of the year. Jose and I decided it was a good idea to use our day off to ride at 7 a.m. in the morning of December 31st. I have to say that it was pretty cold, and I didn't bring any leg warmers. Anyway, we started at 92 and Canada (much like yesterday's ride). But today was Jenny's maiden voyage. Yes, I've named my fixed-gear bike Jenny. Temperature according to the CRV's in-dash said 41 degrees fahrenheit but based on my wind-chill estimate plus relative frozen roadside puddle observations, I think it's safe to say that we started at about around 30 degrees for the ride. The temperature dramatically improved thirty minutes into Canada road and we were greeted by more cyclists towards the end of our ride. The fixed gear topped out at about 27 miles per hour downhill and my legs didn't feel so bad uphill. I am thoroughly convinced that this bike will be one of my favorites from now on. Happy new year to all.

2007-12-31T10:22:00.000-08:00

Second to the last ride of the year for me. Gabe was with me on the ride, sleeping no less :-)

2007-12-17T16:53:00.000-08:00

saturday was a good day for a ride with some old friends and some teammates from other years. good ride and even better company, portola valley california.

2007-12-13T21:18:00.001-08:00

Flipping the stem of the trek made a world of difference this week during the weekly lunch rides. I didn't realize how different the position would feel after I completed the procedure last Tuesday. The bike felt completely different to ride. I felt as if it was a smaller bicycle, just from the lower hand position. I also felt as if my legs were a little more bent during the crank revolutions. I raised the seat about a quarter of an inch today before lunch and felt better with my legs. I think I will keep this new position throughout the winter riding season and see if I feel like riding like this in my next century.

2007-11-29T17:45:00.000-08:00

I'm boycotting safeway.

I decided to do my errands today by bicycle after I got home from work. Went to the Wamu to do my deposits, Trader Joe's for some salad, and safeway for some hot sauce. Two out of three places let me in with my bicycle. Can you guess which one didn't? I talked to the manager and he wouldn't even let me grab the hot sauce after I explained how I just came out of two perfectly good establishments, one much like his safeway, and they didn't even bat an eyelash at my bicycle being inside their premises. After asking the manager for a written policy, they couldn't produce one and informed me of how it was "just a policy". I am convinced that the south san francisco safeway is biased against bicycles. I am not setting foot in the south city safeway ever again.

2007-11-27T18:28:00.000-08:00

typical look outside of my cube at work. all these bikes are used on our lunchtime ride. good vibes...

2007-11-25T10:06:00.000-08:00

my coworker's masi. i'm sure Tim (The Masiguy) will appreciate this...

2007-10-31T09:27:00.000-07:00

a sad time in southern california, not just for cyclists but for everyone there. my thoughts and prayers are with everyone there.

2007-10-27T23:07:00.000-07:00

i'm posting this picture i thought was amusing. i never thought of the bicycle crowd i frequently encounter as the "people in spandex", even though the concept of me wearing spandex has been a topic once in a while at work, just tossed around for a few jokes, ha ha hee hee. rode the trainer the other day and i made a decision today, i'm going to run whenever i feel like riding the trainer indoors. so there, i'm splitting my time between riding and running. but i still love riding...

2007-08-08T11:33:00.001-07:00

JOKE FOR THE DAY
Mr. Kamaka lived alone on the East side of Oahu, in a place known to all as Kahalu'u.
He wanted to dig his taro patch, but it was very hard work because he was elderly and the ground was too hard.

His only son, Kimo, who used to help him, was in Halawa prison.
The old man wrote a letter to Kimo and explained his predicament...

Dear Kimo,
I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my taro patch this year.
I'm just getting too old to be digging up this hard soil.
I know if you were here you would be happy to dig the patch for me and it wouldn't be a problem.
Love, Dad

A few days later he received a letter from his son...

Dear Dad, No dig up the dirt in the taro patch. That's where I buried the bodies. Love, Kimo

At 4 A.M. the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and an army of men dug up the entire area without finding any bodies.
They apologized to the old man and left.

Later that same week Mr. Kamaka received another letter from Kimo...

Dear Dad,
You can go ahead and plant your taro now.
That's the best I could do under the circumstances.
Take care of the taro.
Love you, Kimo

2007-07-30T20:55:00.000-07:00

i'm on the web! at about 7 minutes 20 seconds into the video and a few seconds of screenshot anyway :-)

2007-07-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

oh my gosh! that's all i have to say about stage 1! Robbie McEwen just came out of nowhere. he looked like he was out of it kilometers back, shaking his wrist looking like he wasn't going to even jump to the front where the sprinters were going to battle it out! Robbie is my idol.

2007-07-08T07:05:00.000-07:00

today i set my alarm to watch the live feed of stage 1 of this year's tour de france. i watched the prologue last night and it was good to see David Zabriske, Levi, & big George. if you're reading that last sentence you can tell i favor an American win in the tour but it was amazing to see Cancellara blow everyone away in the time trial. i get inspired when i watch the top riders do their jobs. 126 miles of relatively flat stage 1. go team Discovery!

2007-07-07T18:18:00.000-07:00

today i rode old la honda road for the third time in my life. i rode it with two of my old teammates from team in training, Kanani Chun and Barbara Gibb. we all started cycling at 92 & canada, working our way south through canada. we all went through mountain home road, took a right on portola and viola, old la honda road. the game plan was to climb at an easy pace since Kanani still hadn't climbed old la honda. i started my timer at the bridge, the start of the climb and timed our ascent at 39 minutes! i was very proud of the girls for doing such a great time up the very well known peninsula climb. we all plan on doing the hill repeats on wednesday and will probably do more climbs together. i will post less default pictures next time.

2007-06-29T20:07:00.000-07:00

wine drinking at home with my favorite twins in the world. jibe pinot noir, columbia crest merlot & jacob's creek shiraz.

2007-06-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

it has been three weeks since the big ride. this is the first writing i have begun to do about it. by big ride, i mean the Lake Tahoe Century, better known as America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride. there have been so many great experiences leading up to and during this first century ride of mine. i can't forget to mention the great turn-around of my training starting with riding a strong 80-mile ride three weeks before the Tahoe ride. also, my favorite twins in the world flew down to visit which helped me relax a bit before the big event. i was very tense and worried about climbing hills in excess of 2000 feet, not to mention cycling 100 miles while climbing at elevation (South Lake Tahoe is approximately 6000 feet above sea level). i did the entire ride in five hours and forty-five minutes. i could not have done it without the help of my teammates and coach, they were a tremendous help throughout the training season. i have to mention the support given to me by my wife and son, the two people i was most happy to see at the finish-line. the climbing on the ride was not as bad as i had played-out in my head: the climb to Emerald Bay, climbing back from Truckee, Dollar Hill, the rollers at the end, & finally the climb to Spooner Junction. what i remember most from climbing this route was that i shifted early and made sure that i took my time and relaxed myself. thinking about riding and training gives a longing for early Saturday mornings again, listening to our team Manager Courtney and head Coach Kevin blaring off instructions to the entire Silicon Valley Team in Training Chapter. i have to say that i miss being with the team, riding with them has had a great impact on me.

2007-05-31T11:13:00.001-07:00

i thought this was very very cool

2007-03-31T19:17:00.000-07:00

alpine road to canada road team ride! that's me in the front directing our paceline team, yeah baby! i bonked hard on this ride but it was a good learning experience and was the first time i rode with the rest of the guys in my paceline team

2007-03-31T19:12:00.001-07:00

it's me snitches!!!

2007-03-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

last saturday was a 30-mile buddy ride at gilroy with a steady hill that i really didn't feel like climbing. my legs weren't as fresh as i thought they would be. i tried to get a good breakfast in my stomach the morning before the ride but my teammates, Rob and Mike, were walking away from me on the hill. i ended up pacing up with these two ladies: Lauren & Shelley. Shelley's bike bag was left open and she lost her innertubes as well as her co2 cartridges :-( . but these two were great company and my mentor (Alexia!) said it the best when she said, "Now that's a smart man - why chase a couple of fast guys when you can have the company of a couple of nice girls? : )." Thanks ladies, you guys rock...plus keeping the 24mph pace! ;-)

2007-03-06T14:03:00.000-08:00

the boys hook Lance up!

2007-03-04T00:24:00.000-08:00

Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Team in Training, my paceline team 2007 (left to right): Mike, Todd, Vince, Tony, Coach Matt, Mike, Rob, & Paul. 35-miler today and the weather was perfect. i did not bonk! hahahahaha...

2007-02-27T15:15:00.001-08:00

2007 tour of california

2007-02-23T12:27:00.000-08:00

the majority of asians in Daly City, CA

2007-02-21T14:51:00.000-08:00

my visit to new york for a weekend in 2007 with the old crew Joe, Midge, me, & Mike...

2007-02-06T15:07:00.000-08:00

You Are An ESFP

The Performer

You are a natural performer and happiest when you're entertaining others.
A great friend, you are generous, fun-loving and optimistic.
You love to laugh - and you like almost all people equally.
You accept life as it is, and you do your best to make each day fantastic.

You would make a good actor, designer, or counselor.

What's Your Personality Type?

2007-01-25T17:46:00.000-08:00

when this commercial came out, i fell in love with it because whenever i saw it, i wanted to ride...thanks to youtube now i have my own copy of this piece of art from nike...it still works everytime i watch it...ok, talk to you guys later i gotta get my Trek out of my car so i can ride!

2007-01-23T13:24:00.000-08:00

i modified my "ride to work" because i couldn't get a good shot in my car when it was so dark so i have a "ride at work" video to post a-la-masiguy...

2007-01-20T17:53:00.000-08:00

sawyer camp trail...ground was wet and we only did 12 miles...Jim had a good push on his mountain bike at the top of the hill now that he has road tires on it...a couple of more outings on asphalt and i think Matt and I will eventually push him over the edge to join the dark side...felt better climbing the mini hill today...crazy Matt tried to sprint on a low gear up to the pay phone--p'shaw! you got spanked hommie! hahahahahaha...it looks as if i still need to burn off the holiday eating spree...teehee...oh, and Jim didn't hurl today (then again, he didn't hurl on the last one either)...

2007-01-13T16:00:00.000-08:00

stop driving sign...picture i took last year on my birthday...i've been wanting to post this and i finally found it on my phone...caught the stopsign on the way back from lunch from one of my old haunts--Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe in emeryville, ca...

2006-12-30T16:48:00.000-08:00

Your results:
You are Iron Man

Iron Man		85%
Hulk		75%
Green Lantern		75%
The Flash		75%
Wonder Woman		60%
Catwoman		55%
Robin		52%
Supergirl		50%
Spider-Man		50%
Superman		45%
Batman		35%

Inventor. Businessman. Genius.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

iron man? cool...

2006-12-26T12:04:00.000-08:00

i've been watching a lot of the ninja for a while...being from the same trade for hire, i for one am not against meaningless advertisement...

2006-12-23T01:43:00.000-08:00

2006 bicycle messenger through san francisco...notice the bay bridge shot and a previous entry on this blog with a similar view ;-)

2006-12-19T22:32:00.000-08:00

2006 tour de france final lap
just trying some new things on the blog...

2006-12-04T01:45:00.000-08:00

2december2006 Burlingame Lodge No. 400 Public Installation of Officers

2006-11-27T20:04:00.000-08:00

Dancing Bull zinfandel 2004 california...uncorked the bottle tonight with the idea that this zinfandel would prove a little more intricate than the Barefoot zinfandel that i've been accustomed to drinking at my house...the color is as i expected from a zin, light (for a red) compared to cabs or merlots that i've been drinking...the nose is spicy with the usual fruitty smells that i have associated with zin..my weekend cold is gone so i'm trying to be more expletive with any smells/flavors that i may encounter with my bottles...after swirling the Bull around the glass a bit, i could have sworn that i smelled a hint of sardines in the nose...another swirl around the glass confirmed it!...reminded me of the texture of sardine skin when it is in the mouth, not harsh scales mind you, but melting fish skin around the palate...this is definitely a more sour zin than the barefoot...very light on the tongue and easy on the throat...after moving it around in my mouth, stronger woodsy/leathery flavors (along with strong peppery spices) are present for a few moments until the tannins from the skin of the grape are revealed leaving a flavor of bitter/sour grape that has not ripened...i seem to like this zin more than the Barefoot even if the price is a little more for this zinfandel...my conclusions were correct about this zin: more complicated but still a bargain...

2006-11-25T23:45:00.000-08:00

tonight i have a bottle of 2005 Smoking Loon cabernet sauvignon...had some sushi an hour before tasting this wine and i have a slight cold so my perceptions toward this wine might be off---okay, way off....but the fact that it still had a good nose on it might say something about this vintage...i have read a few things about this wine in other websites and was aching to try this "Loon" out for myself...i first bought a few bottles of this vintage for our lodge meetings and was actually anxious to try it, but didn't get to as most of the Loon was accounted for by the rest of the brethren...strong dashes of fruit are met with the first taste of this cab with a suprisingly light finish (for a cab, also because of my cold)...am currently having some roasted duck with my Loon, the skin still is very rich and this cab is a good meld with the flavor of the duck...chewing on the duck meat while taking in a good swallow of Smoking Loon is pleasant and makes me think of why the picture on the bottle shows a swimming duck smoking a cigar---hmmm...great combo with this rich dish...anyway, happy thanksgiving to all!

2006-11-07T21:50:00.000-08:00

....Burlingame Lodge no. 400 F&AM....thanks to Gale Dreisbach for coaching me in the long form proficiencies....left to right: Brothers Vince Chan, Gale Dresibach, and Kit Santana...

2006-11-05T13:43:00.000-08:00

i've been on a whim lately, wanting to ride after work and essentially riding at night. at first we velcro'd my old mountainbike commuting light to my helmet while matt stuck a pen flashlight inside the vents of his helmet. we have pictures to prove this night cycling outing as evidenced by our picutres below. we had so much fun that the next day we bought some proper helmet lights and have been riding at night since. it's just as well seeing as daylight savings has brought darkness upon California as early as 5:30p.m.---not cool for riding, but good if you've got lights :-) anyway, here are our shots of cycling at night with our improper helmet lights...

2006-10-05T22:58:00.000-07:00

today i witnessed something that i had not, to the best of my memory, seen since i was in kindergarten---someone misspelling their own name...it cracked me up so much that i had to write about it in my blog...it may not humor you too much but seeing as the individual that did it was a newly graduated mechanical engineer was even more humorous to me....anyway, i'll take more pictures to post because it seems almost dry without a picture to post...

2006-10-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

Oakland fanatic in San Francisco...Red's Java house by the waterfront on Embarcadero...

2006-09-09T22:18:00.000-07:00

these are the daytime pictures of the trail for Crystal Springs. i should correct myself for calling it "Crystal Springs trail" in the last post. according to these pictures the southern portion of the bike path is called Sawyer Camp Trail, though the bodies of water i mentioned in the previous posts are correct :-)
from my photos, not much justice is done to the tops of the hills where the fog is trying to push over them. i tried to take shots of my bike with the body of water i was riding next to. instead, what i recommend is to come down to sunny California and try this trail out for yourself, you won't be disappointed---and afterward, i've got some recommendations for some great Asian restaurants down the hill from the trail...

2006-08-29T13:46:00.000-07:00

extreme road cycling has taken on a new meaning for me and a cohort. these pictures are to illustrate how dark the bike path had become after 7:30 p.m. the picture with the streetlight (one of the three that were on the 12-mile roundtrip path) is the marker for the start of our journey through the middle section of Sawyer Camp Trail, operated by the San Francisco Water Department & State Fish and Game Reserve. the trail skirts the San Andreas Lake and the Crystal Springs Reservoir. both bodies of water are a ten minute drive south of San Francisco but still on the peninsula, so are relatively close to the major population. the trail is the starting point to a vast array of back roads frequented by roadies that take to the peninsula. i don't recommend riding this trail, even though it is paved, at night without a light. we survived but took roughly 59 minutes to do the relatively flat loop. our only indication that we were still on the trail were the outline of the asphalt in the moonlight as well as the lane dividers painted white. not much to say about pedestrians during the night, as most have chosen the warmth of their homes to the chill of the trail. various wildlife were meandering about the trail like deer, racoons, & squirrels (luckily no mountain lions). though the trail provided dangers because of the low-light condition, the bodies of water were still a sight to see in the moonlight, giving a different glimpse of how this habitat "comes to life" without all the human traffic. i have done this trail before in the day but have a new perspective of how the smells, sights, & sounds come alive in the night. next time, i will bring a helmet light though...

2006-08-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

my weekend braids. while playing poker, one of the cousins braided my hair. i lost 17 dollars but got some pretty slick braids. what do you think?

2006-08-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

gettin ready for the ride in Reno, Nevada. here's matt with his specialized allez comp with speedplay zero pedals. thanks to the guys at REI and the Reno Bicycle Police that gave us directions to the sweet bike route from Kietzke, through downtown, ending at Mayberry. rock on roadies!

2006-08-20T23:01:00.000-07:00

always good to be with old friends: Derick, Jamela, & Vince hanging out after Jamela's hula show in Marin. great show, full of emotion and history.

2006-08-18T19:45:00.000-07:00

Shebest is the Best in 17th Vineman Triathlon

the man that got me back into cycling: thanks Bob

2006-08-15T23:06:00.000-07:00

tres amigos galavanting around San Francisco...

2006-08-15T22:58:00.000-07:00

Nicky, Aaron, & Vincenzo painting the Bay Area red...

2006-08-15T22:49:00.000-07:00

chillin at Tribu: lilVince, Raffi, Steffi, & Siri.

2006-08-15T22:41:00.000-07:00

pictures from Helms PG&E Powerhouse @ Shaver Lake, CA

2006-08-15T22:35:00.000-07:00

learning about infrared is fun. (left to right) Armando, Curt, Angel, & Vince. Academy of Infrared Training, Portland, Oregon. Not in picture: Paula Bowie (Instructor).

2006-08-13T16:26:00.000-07:00

taking the summer off
ok, ok...so things have not been updated recently and more especially---no pictures of what has been going on in and around the house of water....this will eventually come to an end with my recent developed hate for statistics class....anyway, hope to see all of you soon, online...

2006-05-11T23:46:00.000-07:00

wednesday night Japanese sushi dinner selection in Portland, Oregon....California roll, soft shell crab roll (spider roll), edamame (boiled soybeans), and tako/ebi salad (octopus and shrimp)....

2006-05-11T23:43:00.000-07:00

tuesday night Thai dinner choice in Portland, Oregon...chicken satay, mango curry with white chicken meat, Thai iced tea, and white rice....

2006-05-11T23:40:00.000-07:00

i forgot to post this after the girls left for their vacation... here it is, a silly picture of silly girls on vacation....silly girls: JV, Alex, and Steffi....

2006-05-08T08:31:00.000-07:00

these are some of the peeps working hard at the new restaurant. Raffi, Steffi, and Siri worked their butts off last night with the Sunday crowd in full force at the restaurant. they even served a table for 15! fortunately, i work in the kitchen so i don't have to deal with the customers :-)

2006-05-08T08:22:00.000-07:00

pictures from helms pg&e for 2006. we were working mostly on the breakers and didn't have a lot of time to go out and walk around as much. the snow was still on the ground beside the road going to HQ. waterfalls were also forming all over the place over rocks on the side of the road. it was nice to stop and watch the water flow over these rocks every once in a while on the trip up to HQ. the girls are still serving the great food in the dining facility there. Pam, Mary, and Julie are still as delightful as ever.

2006-05-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

check out these pictures from the seats we had during the angels series. i brought my nephew with me and he got a foam cowboy hat. of course, the A's won the game against the halos so the hat is now dubbed "the lucky cowboy hat". the seats were great, right behind vip with a great view of the pitches because they are right behind the catcher. Rich Harden did not disappoint.

2006-04-11T23:29:00.000-07:00

good to be back inside the Coliseum for the 2006 baseball season. the A's were looking a little off on opening night but made it up to the yankees in the next two home games. the third deck of the Coliseum will be missed but the crowd seems a bit more packed because of the absence of the third deck. the east bay couldn't be nicer if not for the Coliseum. Let's Go Oakland!!!!!

2006-04-11T23:26:00.000-07:00

jengga...one of the most fun and cut-throat of all games ;-)

2006-03-27T23:05:00.000-08:00

the first signs of spring and i'm off on the road to the Golden Gate Bridge. only a few miles from the BART station in downtown San Francisco, i had to stroll through busy fisherman's warf (a.k.a. pier 39) and Crissy field. got to the bridge and i just had to take a picture of Georgiana with the bridge as the backdrop. oh, and the new shoes worked well too...

2006-03-27T23:03:00.000-08:00

greek salad for lunch last friday. it's lent and i'm trying ok?

2006-03-27T23:01:00.000-08:00

burger and onion rings ...good thing i ride a bicycle...

2006-03-14T21:38:00.000-08:00

dog is copilot. you've seen the bumper stickers. last night i had to pick up two special guests in the truck. scooby and max sat up, looked out the window, asked for directions...just kidding. these guys are great, perfect road companions. two hours on the road and they were great. scooby as shotgun and max in the back seat.

2006-03-14T21:33:00.000-08:00

texas holdem with the boys. top three left. shuffle, deal and play. connector cards are great especially if one of them's an ace ;-).

2006-03-14T21:30:00.000-08:00

windmills on the hill beside Vasco Road, Brentwood, California.

2006-03-08T19:06:00.000-08:00

look what i found at the REI store today. these are Pearl Izumi road cycling shoes. the model is "Flow Road" and they were on sale for $28! what a steal! i went on the Pearl Izumi website and they are listed as $149.99 ( http://www.pearlizumi.com/product.php?mode=view&product_id=617&type_id=1&sport_id=2&category_id=7&color_code=671 ). who likes to shop at REI? i do. :-)

2006-03-06T22:33:00.000-08:00

the golden gate bridge southbound from the truck.

2006-03-04T00:09:00.000-08:00

chicken and ribs i found on the side of the road, literally, while working in Fallon, Nevada. i was forced to choose between the usual meal from the fast-food joint or something else. i opted to drive on to the next job site (70 miles away) and find something in between. the angels were listening to my thoughts. a tent and a smoke-pit came into view and i had to stop. two pieces of chicken and four pork ribs with a side of beans later, i was feeling full and contemplating on how extraordinary this lucky find was. in the middle of the desert, on the side of a highway, out of nowhere, these people decide to produce some high quality bbq! good eats...

2006-03-03T23:56:00.000-08:00

seven o'clock in the evening on a saturday night doesn't need to look like this. unfortunately, it does. i could be somewhere else. traffic sure makes you think though. i was thinking of how stress makes people do things. motivation to do things is more of what i'm thinking about. i wonder sometimes what really defines us as people. is it the reaction to stress? this may be it. can we define a person from what they do when stress is present? labels? labels used to categorize? hmmm....

2006-03-03T23:43:00.000-08:00

here's a bunch of Hooters pictures from the past week...
obviously I was not by myself when these pictures were taken. it has circulated among men that other men frequenting these establishments by themselves are incorrect by doing so. but what really does draw us to these places? we all know the girls are just there to earn a living right? i actually talked to a few of these girls and most of them are college students just trying to earn a buck.
anyway, i've discovered a new flavor of wings that they serve here---the Daytona, as the girls call it. a mixture of all the sauces, this wing delivers a softer kick and has a sweet twang to it. one positive about this flavor of wing is that it can not be served with batter and has to be grilled. healthy Hooters food? i think not. At any rate, the food is getting better at these places and it's a hoot to see families with small children eat here. i mean , come on, who brings seven year old kids to these places, hahahaha.
Matt K., that first picture is for you buddy.

2006-02-13T01:40:00.000-08:00

one of the old hommies from Guam came to visit last week. it was a treat to have Julius come out to visit us Guam folk here in the bay area. he had never been to San Francisco before so we had to show him around a little. these pictures are from one of the restaurants that we brought him to in little italy. present were: Art Julaton, Derick Gapuz, Julius Tibay and yours truly. good to see you Juls.

2006-02-13T01:27:00.000-08:00

...more pictures from Minnesota...

2006-01-30T22:46:00.000-08:00

Kristi got married this weekend and she took it quite well. for one thing, i thought she would be freaking out. i think everyone around her freaked out more than she did. i flew up for the wedding and was given the job of videographer and impromptu reception usher....as usual, the ninja for hire did not fail. more pictures to post tomorrow.

2006-01-30T22:30:00.000-08:00

these are my friends, Brad and Karen, from Texas. they flew in for a show in san jose that they were going to see so i spent the afternoon with them before i had to go to work. i haven't seen Karen for about two years and Brad since last year during the superbike races in july. hopefully we can all hang out again this year when the races happen in the summer at laguna seca...

2006-01-18T13:37:00.000-08:00

pictures from Donner pass on interstate 80. snow was about to fall and the snow on the ground was still powder. not a good place to ride bicycles/motorcycles...

2006-01-10T21:22:00.000-08:00

this is what my bikes do in the wintertime in the bay area....can't wait for spring, or at least when the rains stop...even my motorcycle can't wait....don't they seem lonely on the wall? i heard that some bikes will lash out on their owners the first ride of spring....i know my girls aren't like that...how are your bikes holding up in the winter?

2006-01-03T00:16:00.000-08:00

poker nights in Emeryville... will update for the new poker table. gosh, i should just manage a casino. maybe when i'm done with my major, hahahaha!

2005-12-30T00:38:00.000-08:00

jeez, been a while since i posted on the web....anywhere on the web for that matter. i just read that humans can help their memories by writing what their thoughts are. i wonder if the same is true with typing since typing seems to almost be a shortcut, like when the mind jumps past certain thoughts to come to other thoughts in our processes.
wow, that was kinda deep...

2005-10-17T20:38:00.000-07:00

dinner tonight was at the "Can't Fail Cafe" in Emeryville. i had a serving of the hot wings and some fish tacos for dinner. yummy stuff. also, i had to order the Peet's coffee...i think i had five cups of this stuff :-) located just a block away from where i live, i think i've found a new place to hang out.

2005-10-12T03:12:00.000-07:00

this marks a 30 hour, sleep deprivation test for me... the last time i had almost no sleep for more than 30+ hours was in Australia :-D . today was not as fun. went to work at 9pm 2 nights ago, got off at 630am the next morning(yesterday), then drove to fullerton(south of los angeles) and back to get back in time for the new day---wednesday....jeez, i think i need some sleep...

2005-10-09T21:10:00.000-07:00

this is me with my coffee for my after-dinner walk in the woods, around the reservoir. the dam stretches around the western part of the reservoir and leads to more campgrounds. a lot of wildlife found in the mountains: deer and mountainlions---i really wanted to see a bear though.

i will definitely go back up to the mountains for some vacation time next year.