Project 365: Day 39-41 Part 2

Woke up the next morning and immediately headed out to Mission Bay to go beach hopping. We walked along the shore and PP posed for many pictures. During the picture taking, we were so intent on getting good shots that we completely missed the massive wave splashing onto the beach. PP's shoes were totally soaked from the experience but she eventually walked it off! After the beaches, our next target was Balboa Park. This place was pretty cool with very unique architecture and lots of nice scenic spots. If there is one thing that sucked about San Diego, it was the parking. It took forever to find parking anywhere and the best example was during our lunch at Fish Market Restaurant. The parking lot was completely full, the valet was completely full, all the lots close by were full. I ended up parking about a mile away in a paid parking lot. The food was totally worth it though. I had the lobster while PP had the Tilapia and both dishes were perfect. The lobster was fresh and juicy and the Tilapia was wonderfully flaky and seasoned. To cap off the meal, the restaurant even gave out long stem roses since it was Valentine's Day. After a wonderfully tasty lunch, it was off to Sea World to see Shamu and friends. Even though we got there relatively late in the day and only had about 5 hours, we managed to see pretty much everything in the park including the Shamu show and Sea Lions Live. PP was pretty tired after Sea World so we headed back to the hotel. While PP rested, I headed on over to Kiratomato's place to visit Kira and Lemon. Kira took us over to a hotpot hosted by his Dragon Boat racing crew then back home where I took this nice picture of Kira's bookshelf.

Project 365: Day 39-41 Part 1

Our trip to the West Coast was pretty awesome. Got into San Diego on time and the weather was just fantastic: 76 degrees and sunny. We had quite a bit of frustration waiting at the Avis car rental counter. There was a huge long line and only 2 people helping. This lead to almost an hour wait just to get into our rental vehicle (They really do care...)
Our hotel room wasn't ready yet so we headed off to Tofu House with PP's MBA classmate for some lunch. After lunch, we checked into our room at Travel Lodge and were pleasantly surprised. We had read some nightmarish stories of conditions at Travel Lodges, but this one was clean and organized. After changing into some shorts and a T-Shirt, it was off to the beach to see some pregnant seals. They were rather.....unimpressive and mostly just laid there basking in the sun. The view was fantastic though as we walked up and down the beaches near La Jolla. After the beat, we went to see Old Town which was a replica of the classic original settlement point for California. The highlight of Old Town was a candy shop where I ended up splurging on salt water taffy and assorted chocolate and fudge. We ended the day by walking around the harbor while viewing a random assortment of stuff including skateboarding chicken, rock balancing, singing parrots, and even an aircraft carrier!

Project 365: Day 38

I decided to try out Edible Arrangements today and ordered their Sweetheart Bouquet. It turned out fantastic as the strawberries looked wonderful while the chocolate coating was delicious. Wish the picture turned out better though.

Project 365: Day 37

三国杀 is the latest and greatest craze going on in China right now. Essentially it is just Bang! set in the Three Kingdoms era with the addition of a "counter" card. There are loyalties and many different special abilities but the basic gameplay is very much the same as Bang! I think I'll bring it to SD and the next VO to see if we can have some fun playing it. The Chinese characters and rulebook may pose somewhat of an obstacle, but with Catnip and jOrange's help, this shouldn't be a problem.

Project 365: Day 36

I took my camera to work this morning in hopes of catching the sun rising over Houston. It was really hard trying to not get my reflection on the glass. This was the best one I could get.

Project 365: Day 35

PP swears by her secret concoction to help her skin stay smooth and beautiful. While I was able to capture glimpses of what it looks like, the hidden ingredients may never be known to man.

Project 365: Day 34

PP sometimes gets a snack attack and wants sweet things. No, she's not pregnant. Anyhow, this particular Superbowl Sunday, she suddenly had a craving for cookies. We created a list of possible candidates: Oreos, Chips Ahoy, Shortbread cookies, vanilla wafers, and animal crackers. I went down to the local Walgreens and found that they had snack packs of cookies on sale for 99 cents! Needless to say, I purchased every single kind and PP enjoyed a glorious Superbowl!

Project 365: Day 33

It's almost Chinese New Year and as per tradition, we made dumplings this afternoon. However, there was an added twist in the dough was made from whole wheat! M and PP made the dumplings while I was in charge of rolling the dough and making the wrappings. Needless to say, because of my awesome wrap-making abilities, none of the dumplings broke in the water and they tasted uber! Oh and I guess the people who made the dumplings deserve some of the credit too....

Project 365: Day 32

PP and I went to a Chinese New Year celebration at the local Chinese Civic Center today. We chatted with a lot of M's friends and even met the local District Councilman. The food was pretty sweet with these awesome jalapeno/pepper gulf shrimp and delicious slow cooked brisket. I caught one person taking a stealth snack before everyone arrived.

Project 365: Day 31

A penny saved is a penny earned! For a cute gift, M got us matching piggy banks. This one is totally cute and sweet and represents PP. The one that represents me...is...not as cute.

Project 365: Day 30

Our team went out for bowling during lunch today. The bowling alley has a deal where you pay $10 and get lunch and a game. This was my attempt to capture a sweet strike...unfortunately, 1 pin stood afterwords.

Project 365: Day 29

Ever since I stopped drinking sodas, I have been on the lookout for something to act like a substitute. I tried vitamin waters, teas, various fruit drinks but they were all either too expensive or too dull. This is until I found these wonderful drink mixes from Walmart. Three bucks lets you make 5 gallons of the stuff and it comes in so many different flavors. Now, when I get bored of the usual water, I use this to add some sweetness.

Project 365: Day 28

The theme for the next 2 weeks is "sweetness." I think this is a fitting place to start. While EA hasn't always produced the best games, the Battlefield series have always been sweet. From the first time =VGI= stormed Omaha beach to the last time we destroyed the Titan on Verdun, the Battlefield series has always been a nest of fond memories. Now that everyone has their own lives, those times may have passed forever, but...we will ALWAYS have Wake Island.

Project 365: Day 27

My wrists had been getting kinda sore at work from using a cramped Dell 104-key keyboard. It was small and I had to bend my wrists at an awkward angle to type. The ergonomics department of my company were amazing as no sooner had I sent a request, as someone came by and dropped off my brand new MS ergonomic keyboard. My wrists now feel way more relaxed and the keyboard will probably delay my impending carpal tunnels by another 10 years or so!

Project 365: Day 26

I am watching the Grammy awards for the first time in a long time and I must say that Catnipped is totally right about Taylor Swift's inability to sing live. She missed a lot of notes and her voice seemed strained through most of her performance. The tribute to MJ was pretty awesome and Bon Jovi brought back a lot of Rock Band memories!

Project 365: Day 25

Visiting friends is always fun and today in the midst of apartment hunting, we again visited our friend from Kazakhstan who decided to cook a homemade meal for us. I am not sure what it was called, but they were these Russian meatballs mixed with rice with a wonderful glaze served with made-from-scratch mashed potatoes. They were so good that I wasn't able to take any pictures before they were all gone. Instead, here is a picture of what was left of the desserts. One highlight of the meal was when I was asked to open a bottle of wine with a can opener.

Project 365: Day 24

Tochi suggested that I take pictures of signs we don't follow. While this picture is probably exceptionally uncreative, I feel the irony speaks for itself!

Project 365: Day 23

Since the introduction of PP, I find myself spending a lot more of my time in the malls..curiously enough. I am sure everyone has had this experience at one point or another. You have 5 or 6 bags of all different sizes and weights and as you struggle with carrying all of them, the bags slowly dig into your hands, tiring them out a lot faster than usual until you cannot feel the circulation at all. Well, I had a great idea to create an ergonomic handle where you can simply string all the bags together and carry it with the handle. This was supposed to be my ticket to fame and fortune. Unfortunately..someone apparently invented it first...sigh. Now I know what Lemon feels like with his accelerometers.

Project 365: Day 22

The yogurt in China is so different from the ones here in the US. Especially the yogurt that is sold in little stands in Beijing. Just a bit sour but oh so good! We were shopping one day at Welcome Food Market when I noticed this little girl with these in her shopping basket. We bought 2 ourselves and they taste JUST like the ones in Beijing...soo good. Now this is pretty much the only yogurt we keep around the house.

Project 365: Day 21

My trusty mouse. It has been with me through so many years. The good games, the horrible games. Now we embark on the journey known as Mass Effect 2. Am I just a little weird talking like this? Yes, but Mass Effect 2 will do that!