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.