Trip it Tuesday Episode 5: Hole in the Wall

 

Buenos Aires, Argentina.  After attending a percussion party held monthly at the Konnex by La Bomba de Tiempo , one of the locals took me to this hole in the wall type of place that serves choripan.  Although I don’t have picture of the sandwich, I do remember it being really good.  There are not seats inside – just a small kitchen and 2 ladies working.  Looking back at my previous blogs, this picture is a repost from September 2009.

Trip it Tuesday Episode 4: Do-Re-Mi Stairs

 

This picture was taken in Salzburg, Austria where The Sound of Music was filmed.  The Do-Re-Mi steps are not as big as they are portrayed in the movie.   They are very short steps and not as wide as they looked.  Hollywood did a great job making the stairs look extravagantly large.

Trip it Tuesday Episode 3: Lake Como, Italy

I’ve attended over 25 weddings.  Of all the weddings - not being bias - the most beautiful wedding that I have attended was my sisters wedding (2006).  The general location: Lake Como Italy.  The ceremony was in a little church in Varenna.  After the ceremony, we took private water taxis to the opposite side of the lake where the reception was conducted in the city of Bellagio in the Grand Hotel Villa San Serbelloni.  Along the way, the water taxis took a detour.  We cruised around the lake to see the palace where Star Wars Attack of the clones was filmed (which is also the same palace where Casino Royal was filmed - years later) and George Clooney's estate. To say the wedding was posh would be an understatement.  The food, the location, the church… it was just absolutely perfect.

Picture above is the view of the lake from the Hotel.  In the picture are my sister, brother in-law, best man, and maid/man of honour.

Trip it Tuesday Episode 2: Train Ride to Madrid

This snap shop was taken on the train to Madrid from Barcelona.  I was seated with these patrons.  I wish I could remember the exact details of our conversation.  I’ll have to find my old travel journal entry. But what I do recall is the little girl’s curiosity was entertaining.  She tried to converse with me but she spoke Catalan and I don't understand nor speak Catalan.  As a fix, she asked her grandfather questions. In his broken English, he relayed and translated them to me. 

Trip it Tuesday

I started a new hash tag today on Instagram.  I hope to use it every Tuesday, on a consistent basis.  It’ll be based on photos that I’ve taken while on a trip.  The hash tag is #tripittuesday.   This photo was taken while I was riding on a canoe in Thailand.  I purchased a bowl of noodle soup for less than one US dollar.  The weather at the time: Sweaty Humid HOT.  Even while sitting down in the shade, I was sweating profusely.

Bali 2013

I went to Bali, Indonesia in May 2013 to attend my cousin's wedding.  Aside from the wedding, I had 7 days on the island in which most of it was spent lounging poolside and on the beach.  I guess depending on how one travels on their vacation, it's either a good thing or bad thing:  you're either the one who likes to go out and do stuff, or one who likes lounge all day in the sun, or one who tries to balance both.  I personally try to balance both and was able to do various activities such as parasailing.  In the end,  I had a blast on this trip due to the fact that I spent this vacation with my cousins.

Bali Locations : Benoa, Jimbaran, Kuta, Nusa Dua, Ubud

Australia 2010

Australia from Wackymango on Vimeo.

I’ve abandoned it and have returned to it.  It’s kinda like that toy you had as a kid: you play with it for a while, get tired of it, then when you find it after time passes, it becomes fun again.  But in reality, I didn’t get bored with it, I just didn’t know what to do with the material I had.

It took me two yeas and needless to say, its finally done. 

The links below are the previous posts on my trip to Australia.

http://wackymango.blogspot.com/2010/06/australia-day-2.html

http://wackymango.blogspot.com/2010/06/yarra-valley.html

http://wackymango.blogspot.com/2010/06/day-2-part-2-downtown-melbourne.html

http://wackymango.blogspot.com/2010/07/sydney-bound.html

49ers Post Season Begins

For the 3^rd consecutive year, the San Francisco 49ers are playing in the Post Season.  It was a nail biter as the 49ers closed it out and move on to the next round by scoring by a field goal in the final seconds of the game.  I watched it at my friends’ house in San Jose.  The video above was how it went down and was complied by the host of the party - JP Nebres.

First Post of The Year: 2014 NYE

Here it is, my first official post of the year.

In the previous 3 years, I’ve celebrated the New Year away from home: 2011 Naples Italy, 2012 Costa Rica, and 2013 New York. This year, I welcomed the New Year at home in San Francisco with a few friends. We had a 4 course dinner at Buritt Tavern. For starters we had a Salmon with caviar and crème fresh. The second dish was a cauliflower soup with a roasted rabbit. The next dish was a deep fried tongue with braised beef cheeks and mashed potatoes. I added a NY steak with the dish. For the last dish, desert, a blood orange with a tart pastry.

After dinner we headed to the Grand Hyatt located across from the restaurant and hung out at the lounge bar One Up. No cover charge and open to the public all of the seats appeared to be taken. As we stood and conversed near the bar entrance, one of the hostess came up to me and asked if we were all together. I said yes and she offered if we would like to take a look at a room where they can accommodate us. I took a look and immediately agreed. We ordered drinks and snacks. The room had a TV in which we were able to watch the Dick Clark countdown. With a few more friends that joined us, although public, the room became a private party as we took over the room with 15 people.

With public transportation (BART) running till 3 am, I took BART into city. The ride home was quite interesting. I got on the train with no problem. A few stops later, madness occurred. When the doors opened on the train at the stop, people stormed into the train pushing, shoving, and screaming. A few people caused a delay in the departure by holding the doors open. Seeing a family with young children, I gave up my seat to them as the kids looks scared and tired. I’ve experience more packed trains internationally, but the pushing and shoving was a whole new story as it was unnecessary. All said and done, I made it home safe and sound.

New Year in New York

New York from Wackymango on Vimeo.

I visited my cousins in New York earlier this year. I've done Times Square in the Past, so we decided to hang out at a pub instead. I ate my way through New York and had an incredible bowl of Ramen from Ippudo. The pork bun in Momofuku was really really good. Known as a San Francisco's sports team bar in New York, watching the the 49ers game at Finnerty's was an experience(which is not shown in the video).

There's nothing like being away from home and enjoying a sporting event while rooting for the team from your home town; with complete strangers who are fans of the same team. The camaraderie is amazing.

Camping at Jellystone

Jellystone Camp from Wackymango on Vimeo.
I went camping this past weekend at Jellystone Camp located at Cobb Mountain. Cobb Mountain is just north of the Napa Valley and near Clear Lake. The location was chosen for my niece and nephews as it was a kids friendly site. It was their first time camping. The site had a mini golf course, small swimming pool, a small pond for canoeing, a stream, and an amphitheater that featured shows for the kids. In the 100+ F degree temperatures, some of chose to lounge at the ice cold stream that was fully shaded.

From the extra curricular activities that started at 11am on saturday, my cousins passed out at 3pm and didn't get up till next day. As far as what activities had them knocked out so early in the day, I'll let your imagination run.

For comfortability and because of her pregnancy, my sister rented an RV. The camp site has a complete RV hook up which includes power, water, and sanitation for the RV. My brother in law drove his recently acquired VW bus. Overall it was a great experience for the kids and I can't wait for future camping trips with them.

Mash Ups

Messing around with mash ups on turntables are fun. Not all mash up work together but when it does, it puts a smile on my face. But what makes it even better is when its properly done live. The video above is a performance by Phoenix and R. Kelly at the recent Coachella event. I stumbled into it surfing the web.

Max: Testing for Brown Belt III

MaxBB3 from Wackymango on Vimeo.

On April 3,2013, my nephew Max tested for his Brown Belt III.  The testing portion was unedited and shown in its entirety.  He turns 9 years old in the end of May and is now is training for his Junior Black Belt.

I Am Back

March 14, 2013

Well, it totally seems as if I’ve abandoned my Blogg.  The truth is, I’ve been lazy in posting items. I hope this post kicks off the next several posts to come, including my trip to Cambodia, Spain for Thanksgiving, and New Years celebration in NY. 

Last year was a full year of travels.  Although I’ll be going to Arizona for spring training next week, this year will be the quite opposite.  I’ll be home based for most of the part. 

The picture is a photo taken with my phone while on the Queensboro bridge.

Japan

Japan from Wackymango on Vimeo.

October 17-28, 2012
10 days in Japan compressed to 12 min and 21 sec. 
This was my first trip to Japan.  I've only passed through from connecting flights; earlier this year, I spent a night in Japan due to a flight delay.  With the airport located about an hour away from Tokyo, I didn't have a chance to explore.  

My main purpose of visiting Japan was to attend a wedding. Meeting new friends, a visit to Kyoto, a congregation of all night drinking events, an elimination baseball game in the Tokyo dome, and a Halloween party in the district of Roppongi, was a bonus and made this trip memorable in more ways than one.  I can't wait to return.

Cambodia Bound

I’ve been away from home for 3 months, July 7^th to be exact; but on a technicality August 11.  I was home for less than 20 hours - just enough time to sleep for 8 hours and to switch the contents of my luggage.  In a few hours, I will be departing Singapore and will be heading to Cambodia for a quick holiday lasting 3nights.   Afterwards, I’ll be home for a week and preparing for my next excursion.  

While in Singapore – this time around – I was able to experience F1 Singapore.  A colleague of mine had a room at the Marina Mandarin.  The hotel sits in the middle of the racecourse.  With Balcony views of the race, the experience was one that will be memorable. 

Summer Is Done

I’ve been on a whirlwind. Summer has gone by and I have not one post. Since my last post I’ve been to Arizona for baseball spring training, LA for some softball action, Cabo San Lucas for a Family holiday, and Portland for work. Which is what brings me here in Penang Malaysia - Work. But in between Penang and Portland, Singapore was included in the mix as well. I’ve been here in South East Asia for 3 weeks now and it’s been interesting. It’s my first visit to Penang and It’s definitely different. A predominant Muslim population with a mixture of Chinese and an expanding population of people from Bangladesh, Penang is growing. Picture above is the Penang Bridge from the Main land to the Island

Night At The Roxy

I haven’t posted in awhile as I’ve been busy and lazy all at the same time. I’m back in Singapore for business. I’ve been here for a week now and I took this photo on my way back to the hotel where I’m staying. Exotic sports cars parked in front of the Hotel. Today must be, “If You Own An Expensive Sports Car, Take Your Mother Out To Dinner At The Roxy Night.” To own one of these cars in Singapore runs roughly in the half a million US Dollars range. I don’t know why any one would want to own one here because you wouldn’t be able to drive it faster than 40 MPH in Singapore. But If you can, that I guess you must.

Pontian and Asian Gorilla Juice

Posted for January 25, 2012
After work, I had dinner at the Marina Parade Hawker center. It’s located directly across the street from the hotel. I went to a Stall called Pontian. It was Hella good. Chili and Black sauce with pork and Bok Choy, 2 fried wontons, and Asian egg noodles that had a bite like Italian pasta. It was also served with 2 more wontons in a clear vegetable broth on the side. Total cost for the meal.. $2.20 SGD. Next to the stall was a juice stand. I had Star Fruit Juice to go along with my meal. Star fruit – found in Asia - tastes similar to a green apple.



After dinner, I went back to the hotel. Not being able to find Ice Machines, I went to the Lobby bar and asked for a cup of ice. I still had my cup of Star Fruit Juice, but most of the ice had melted and it had diluted the last of my drink, which measured about 3 spoons. With the hamster wheel turning in my brain, I came up with an idea of creating a new variation of Gorilla Juice. For those who don’t know what Gorilla Juice is, it’s taking a new 40oz bottle of Olde English Malt Liquor Beer (OE) and topping it with Orange Juice. With the ice obtained from the bar at the lobby, I took a few cubes and put in the cup with the diluted Star Fruit Juice, then filled it with the OE. Baddah Bing, Asian Gorilla Juice.

Breaking In My New Flip Flops With Old Gawkers

Posted for January 24
Before I had arrived, I had set my mind on my first meal in Singapore - Hainanese Chicken Rice; and that’s exactly what I had last night for dinner. With the majority of all businesses closed, from the Lunar New Year celebrations, I was able to find a Hawker stand. It was ok, but good enough.

I woke up at 5 am and had breakfast at the hotel. After cruising the Internet, I got ready and walked the neighbor hood to the Geylang district. Not knowing how far of a walk didn’t concern me since I had the whole day to myself. I left the hotel at about 10:30 am.

After an hour of walking and with no map in hand, I reached the Geylang district with no issues. I saw a conjugation of old men and was curious to see what was going on. As I got closer to see what was going on, I quickly realized they were all gawking at the “working women” who were posted along the sidewalk adjacent to the main street. Just like the men who were ogling, the “working women” were old and dirty looking.

Feeling hungry from walking, I ate across the street. I had chicken rice and Tiger Beer. The chicken rice wasn’t that good, but it didn’t really matter as I was hungry and thirsty for a beer. After the meal I explored the area a bit more then headed back to the hotel.

I got back at about 3:30 pm. My feet were hurting and I had a small gash (strawberry) on top of my left foot caused from the sandals rubbing on my feet. I wanted to break in my new slippers/sandals, so I wore them and walked in them for a total of 10+ miles. The pain was so intense, that even walking bare footed in my hotel room caused pain. I sat in one of my chairs with my feet raised for half hour then decided to go swimming. I figured dunking my feet in the pool would help alleviate the pain, and cleansing my sweaty self in the pool would be refreshing.

After 2 hours in the pool, I cleaned up and had dinner at a place called Ajisen. I’ve never heard of it but found out they’re a global chain famous for their ramen. I was tired, thirsty, and was craving for Ramen. I ordered the Aso Volcano Ramen, which was a spicy soup base with pork, egg, and other good stuff. After dinner I walked for just a bit – with shoes this time - and ran into a bar next to my hotel. I took a peak inside and found it filled with old service girls. I closed the door right away and headed back to my to my room.

I went to bed at 9