Sorry!

Sorry for the lack of recent updates, but we're on break. Break for us means nonstop gaming with videogames such as Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne, Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour, and whatever else that will occupy hours and hours of our time. Hope you had a Merry Christmas and have a happy new year! (We'll try posting stuff before 2009, but don't hold us to it).

Hope everyone got what they wanted, we know this kid did:

BLASTOISE! and Here We Come 2009!

Day Five and Six: The Last Days

The fifth and sixth day will be combined since there wasn't much sleep involved anyways, heh. We began the day with 'dim sum' which "is the name for a Chinese cuisine which involves a wide range of light dishes served alongside Chinese tea" (source: wiki). The brunch occurred around 11 which was later than normal during our break because it was our last full day. The food was good, and you could tell who was more seasoned (pun intended) when it came to dim sum. The newbies seemed to enjoy it though. You have to open up those taste buds to new and exciting things!

We then grabbed some pastries to-go as we drove to Jack London Square, where we took many pictures of the dock, boats, rocks, ducks, etc.






"Pictures are always more enjoyable with friends"











After our extravaganza with cameras, the girls went to a salon or something like that to talk behind our backs (haha), while the guys wasted time at a Barnes and Noble. A "Would You Rather?" was purchased during our time at the bookstore, and some of the questions in that book are downright ridiculous. We went to the girls' place to organize the photo album about our NorCal expedition (these girls are lighting fast when concerned with pictures, not a bad thing at all).

Our last dinner in NorCal took place at Pyzanos which is known for its famous pizzas. The pizzas weren't a let down, and the hot wings were no slouches either. After our final dinner, we played way too much SingStar for the ps2 than you can imagine. We sang pop hits like: Hit Me Baby One More Time!, On The Way Down, Honestly, and many others.







We did this and other random nonsense until 330 A.M. The problem there was that we were waking up at 815 A.M. which was less than 5 hours away?! (I can do math!).

After our little 'nap', we woke up and left for our final meal in NorCal. The place that was chosen was 'Doug's Place' known for their omelettes. A couple of our group of nine left because of the flight time being at 11. And then there were 7. Everyone enjoyed their respective meals, and I went custom with mine (sausage and bacon omelette!). After the meal, we left our two remaining NorCal buddies to return to our SoCal homes. And then there were 5. Just four guys and a gal on the road trip back (we were gentleman on our best behavior! For most of it anyways).

Before we dropped off everyone, we had a very special and significant pit stop at Fort Tejon in the Tehachapi Mountains. There was snoooooooooooooooooow!! It's what I had been asking for this whole time! We were all overly excited and you can guess what happened next! Snowball fight! It got pretty violent, but all is fair in love and war, so no hard feelings.

After our stop, our group started to decrease in size. The gal went first, as ladies should, then one guy, and we were finally in Riverside. And then there were 3. Two stayed in Riverside, and then there was 1. I left for my hometown, and then there was none. Thank you to the ones in NorCal for everything and for being such great hosts. It was an awesome experience, and I can't wait for next time! Thank you for the driver and the others in the car. Without you guys, the car rides wouldn't be as satisfying, comical, ridiculous, and just super fun. Thank you and have an amazing break!

Day Four: Monterey Bay

We started the day with our super hot showers to awaken us from our deep slumbers, but the difference today was that it was even earlier than usual. Early as 9 am because a big day had been planned out in the city of Monterey. We left our home base to navigate across freeways and hills to get to another friend's house, where we all got into one car (a behemoth of an SUV). Onto the Monterey Bay Aquarium we drove and it was about an hour drive, so most people slept on the ride there.

The aquarium was enjoyable because it made us feel like little kids again. Also, little kids were touring the aquarium along with us. We even played in the 'Kids Only' and 'Babies Only' areas and got warned for it, oh well, let us act like kids! The aquarium is equipped with a plethora of aquatic creatures for onlookers to observe and comprehend.






The animals ranged in size and color from octupi, sharks, otters, and tuna to jellyfish, anemones, birds, and many other water loving creatures.





We hadn't eaten all day, so we looked for food down the road (not on the road literally, silly!). We came across, I kid you not, every chocolate place known to man or woman with the basic format of Chocolate-(insert place here). Some of the names were factory, emporium, land, etc.











No food places in sight, so we drove to the wharf and ate more clam chowder. I ordered popcorn shrimp and traded for some friend's calamari. It was alright to say the least, and the friends favored the clam chowder from the other day.

We wandered onto the beach and it was quite the sight. People got their kicks from writing outlandish statements about certain teams and people (the Lakers are the best and Ivan is not lame!). It was entertaining nonetheless and no one got wet, even though one person could of, haha. The drive back was filled with random what if's and which would you rather questions, so I stayed awake, lol.









The climax of the day would probably have to be at Fenton's Creamery where they served heart attacks in a cup or bowl. Every bite was oh so lovely though, and definitely worth the price of admission. I'm sharing with someone next time though because it's hearty enough for two!
You should come to expect this, but after Fenton's we went to the same house we've been going to. Once again, we had what if's and which would you rather questions, while watching Gremlins 2.We also found out that 15 crab cakes is the dealbreaker to end all dealbreakers, plus a quizno's sub, of course.





Good night and tomorrow is our last full day here!

Day Three: Coastal Adventures

We start everyday early, and I've come to expect it, as should you. Nothing better than hot showers to wake you up. We spent predominantly most of our time near masses of water, so it was cold. I decided not to wear thermals, which, later, solidified that I'm a complete and total idiot.

We crossed the Bay Bridge to get to the Golden Gate Bridge, and the view along the way way was breathtaking with the sun parting the clouds. In the words of a friend: "The heavens know that there is a calm before the storm" or some cheesy stuff like that, haha.

After parking our cars, we wandered across the golden gate bridge. I was freezing, but it was fun. Pedestrians looked at our little group because we were weirding them out. Oh well, we're all weird, just got to deal. Some of the weirdness showcased upon the bridge had people taking off their shirts, piggyback rides, spitting on each other, etc. you kind of get the picture.

After the Golden Gate Bridge fiasco, we drove to Fisherman's Wharf.
We were famished, so we made a beeline for Chowder's at Pier 39(a section of the wharf). The clam chowder was amazing and it cured our colds from the gusts of wind we were experiencing outside.

After our feast, we braved the winds and explored the various shops scattered throughout this section of the pier. Notable shops we scoured were the: sports memorabilia shop, every chocolate shop we saw (you know because of who), crazy hats store, and some others that don't come to mind at this very moment. When the darkness fell upon us, the cold was blistering, and it didn't help when gusts of wind decided to pick up at the most inopportune times.

To finish the night, we went to Sushi House in Alameda. Crunch sushi rolls there are oh so yummy! Stories were shared and jokes were delivered, some funny, some not (you know who you are! haha).












To put the icing on the cake to end the day, the Lakers won, even though it wasn't remotely close to a convincing win. A win's a win, and Stu Lantz is a great commentator. Oh yeah, it was the same house, and we watched the X-Men and Jackie Chan cartoons while planning for tomorrow.
Good night and here we come Monterey!

Day Two: The BART

Day two basically began and ended with the BART which stands for Bay Area Rapid Transit. We got on the subway bright and early at about 1030 AM, and rode BART into San Francisco. We passed such mainstays where the Golden State Warriors and Oakland Raiders play.

We traversed the Westfield San Francisco Center because of its '13' stories of escalators, while taking pictures, of course, then we took the elevator down.

After, we headed into the Metreon, where a robust playstation store was, but we didn't venture in. Instead, we went outside and played with a waterfall, while my adventurous companions tried to capture seagulls and pigeons.
After this little escapade, we headed to Chinatown, where we went into multiple Chinatown bazaars. People can buy anything for cheap at one of these. We even gave back to the community by reading with little kids.

Our real reason in Chinatown was to eat some chinese food, which was great. Shrimp fried rice never lets you down. Rain was on and off the whole day, switching between pouring and sunlight.

To finish our trip in San Fran, we went to a combination of stores involving: Macy's, Apple Store(where we played kiddie games), and Virgin(listened to music, played guitar hero, and looked at funny porn titles).

Then, we finally ended up back on the BART, where it was packed like a traffic jam because of rush hour. We were knocked the eff out.

"It's definitely the holidays! Snowman donuts!?"

We were hungry again, and we went to Barney's, who are known for their killer burgers. Barney's lived up to their accolades that were plastered all over their walls. To end the day, we headed to the same friend's house as yesterday, and watched 'Get Smart' and the last fight scene of 'Incredible Hulk' which lived up to the hype bestowed upon it. We did all this while playing Texas Hold Em' of course. See you tomorrow Planet Earth.

Day One: The Arrival

Woke up at 5:40, wow, that's early. Got ready and all that jazz in 30 minutes. Left for riverside at 6:20, I'm late. I need to get to riverside by 7, time to go 90 mph. Geez, people are passing me, hah. Just got to riverside at 6:55, and we load up, now we're off to San francisco. I'm probably going to nap the whole time. ZzZzzZ...

Nothing like waking up to dollar chicken nuggets from mcdonalds, yum. Back to sleep. ZzzZzZZzz...

We finally arrive in Oakland at 3:30 p.m. and we're starving, so we drive over to Popeye's and chow down. Now, while the others are nap, a few of us watch Dewey Cox and Sunday Night Football. I want the Cowboys to lose, so the Eagles can overtake them in the standings. Woot, woot!

Stupid giants lost, ugh. The Eagles better win tomorrow against Cleveland!

After the game, we were taken out to dinner by Jason's parents. Mhhmm, chinese food, not that cheap panda food we usually eat at school. This is actually legitimate chinese food, take a look:

YUM! I KNOW!

We get to Starbucks to meet up with the girls and to warm up, and we end at another friend's house to plan the rest of the week. I planned everything, haha nah. The girls did most of the planning, while the guys watched Survivor: Gabon. That show is completely real! HAH! I'll leave day one with this:

Stay classy Oakland! We're heading to San Francisco tomorrow, whoooo.

Randomness: Boom Chaka Ah!

We finally know who wins the color war between green and blue, thanks Shaun.

Check this out: Scribblenauts

Another friend, Jason, pointed me to this game, and I was intrigued by what my eyes saw. It piqued my interest because the concept and excecution are truly original. The basic idea behind the game is that the player is given objectives to complete to finish the level, like retrieving an item from a tree. The player doesn't control the character, but simply gives the character an item to use by 'writing' a word in (the stylus is used). The video included gives three examples. This game is brought to you by 5th Cell, the same makers of "Lock's Quest" which I've been meaning to check out for some time now. "Let your imagination run wild!" is the tagline for this game, and you should let it. My only fear is that some participants will input obscene words to see what happens, but that won't ruin the experience, since it's not online. Enough with the talk, go watch.

Check this out: Auditorium!

I was directed towards this little gem by the Penny-arcade guys, and I was immediately hooked. The music doesn't show its face until you start playing the game, but when it is heard, it is great. The objective is the manipulate the stream of light in a manner that directs itself towards the column of bars. Only then will the music appear, and it is quite satisfying when one completes a level. The beginning goes by pretty quickly, but it slows down when the levels get more complex with the different angles the light must make. Enough talking about it, play it now! Enjoy it for yourself.

Pioneer shows off 16-layer 400GB Blu-ray Disc!

Here's an interesting article that my friend, Stan, pointed me towards earlier today. 400GB is a plethora of space, that's even more than my Ps3 right now, hah. With a TB(terabytye) looming in our near future, I don't know what our limits will or can be. Here's the article:

When Pioneer first introduced its unicorn-like 16-layer 400GB Blu-ray Disc, we weren't sure if the thing would make it beyond the drawing board, let alone be compatible with existing BD decks. Over at the IT Month Fair in Taipei, Pioneer showed up to showcase the capacious disc, and better still, a DigiTimes report asserts that these are indeed compatible with Blu-ray readers already on the market. Currently, the 400GB disc is slated to hit mass production sometime between now and 2010, while rewritable versions won't hit until 2010 to 2012. Not like it really matters though -- a 1TB disc is on track for 2013, and you know you'll be waiting for the latest and greatest.

Click here for more and a special treat as well.

Randomness: Watch out! Who's next?

We haven't been posting much lately *Cough* Calvin *Cough* We still have a pulse, so don't worry, we're not dead. Here's an oldie, but a goody that was shown to me by my friends in Riverside. Try not to enjoy because what you're about to see can be graphic, disturbing, and just plain wrong. Don't laugh, you don't know who's next.