Bloggin'......

San Francisco Big Air 2005

I had some time off this week from work, so I road-tripped up to the city for today's San Francisco Big-Air 2005 Competition. Short of being lost in SF, the competition was on a section of Vallejo and Green Streets, I had never been to before.

There was a lot of controversy over this event because many neighbors were worried about the crowds and the fact that they were going to dump a couple tons of ice in their streets and driveways! The event was already postponed from August, so this event was not a stranger to these complaints.

It was hot and it was crowded! I did manage to get around and take some pictures. I even got some great sequence shots. So I'll post those a little later.

On Loan....

All the way back during the Spring, Warren had asked me to hold on to his bike and not to let anyone use his bike (it's his precious). Six months later, the bike is still here, and to show him that no one has touched his bike, the bike still has the same bottle of Aquafina water in it's water cage that he left since he moved to Southern California.

As for everyone else, this bike has been immaculately maintained by me! If you know how I am with bikes, you'll know this bike is in excellent condition. any offers? =P

The saddest part is, I cannot complain too much, because I have not ridden my own bike this entire year either!

My new Favourite Car

I don't know where I have been, but I just discovered my new most favourite car! It's car that is made by a little firm in Somerset, England and is powered by a supercharged Honda 4-cylinder Civic Type-R engine that does 0-60mph in 2.9 seconds, is capable of track times on the scale of a Ferrari Enzo and Porsche Carrera GT, and can literally flatten and remove wrinkles from your face! It is called the Ariel Atom, and even if you don't like to drive fast, I think it's just cool look at! You can see all the almost all the moving parts and pieces while you are driving.

The BBC Top Gear video clip is very much worth seeing! Warning: 50MB!

Marin Headlands

Last night, Sabrina and I went hiking up in the Marin Headlands just north of San Francisco. We first stopped at Battery Spencer, where guns were first installed to protect the San Francisco Bay from the 1840's to the 1940's from foreign invaders. We hiked in and around the battery, before driving down towards Black Sands Beach and Rodeo Beach. We tried to make it to the Point Bonita Light House as well, but it had already closed for the day.

We had dinner at a great restuarant in downtown Sausilito, Poggio Trattoria, next to the Casa Madrona Hotel. We had an Alaskan Halibut (excellently seared) and a Dungeness crab Risotto, both of which were unbelievably delectable. It's amazing what they can do with good food these days. =)

Passing through Taipei, Taiwan

I'm home! I finally got to wrap up my trip and fly home today. I was only away for a little more than a week and a half, but this trip really felt much longer than any trip I've been on before!

I had an almost two hour layover in Taipei, so I decided to visit the Taiwan National Museum of History center in the airport. it's just a little peek at Taiwan's natural history, so maybe the next time I visit Taiwan, I'll visit the actual museum.

Home was where I was heading today! =)

Happy Trails!

Even more Hanoi

Just more commuting to work and shopping at night sights and scenes! We did explore a little more around Hoan Kiem Lake after work. I passed up a night of drinking with the local engineers, because I had to prepare for a project I was working on for a customer in Singapore! Work has become a real drag!

I did find an amazing painting I want to get, but at the last momment turned away, because it costed a little more than I xpected. IN VIETNAM! But then I thought, if I had bought it, I wouldn't know how to get it home, especially in the short amount of time I had there. I could have the hotel ship it home for me, but that would kill my credit card. So alas, I just captured a picture of it, so one day, maybe I'll come across it again.

More Hanoi

Luckliy I snuck my camera in my bag to work, so I could snap some pictures on the way back from work, today. Our work-site is out in the countryside of Hanoi, but I caught a beautiful picture of the sunset over the Red River in Hanoi. he city didn't seem like it was very crowded, but people do ride a lot of scooters! it seems every person rode a scooter like they were riding in a harley davidson gang!

Anyways, we all cleaned up after work and then took a taxi to Hoan Kiem Lake, in the center of the city. It's a pretty touristy area, so a lot of the shops and resturants cater to travelers, and well, us english speaking people. Surprisingly, I could't find anything I wanted to buy.

Hanoi, Vietnam

I just arrived in Hanoi today, and it's been surprisingly been pretty easy to get around. Despite the language barrier, people seem to be genuinely friendly and courteous. We didn't have anything wierd for dinner, like all of my friends have been warning me about in Vietnam. We simply had steamed fish, chicken, and a steamed qua (a local melon-type vegetable).

The pictures above are the views out my window from the hotel. No time for any sight-seeing, yet. I have to prepare for work!

Views of Singapore, from the hotel

It's my last day here in Singapore, though I'm sad to leave this beautiful city, I'm just as glad I'm closer to going home. I'm catching the 10:05AM flight to Hanoi, Vietnam today, so that will be a new experience. I'll be spending three days there, and for work, of course, but hopefully I'll get to go out at night and see the city.

Anyway, more food pictures, this time breakfast at the hotel. =)

Happy Trails!

Eating on the East Coast (of Singapore)

I flew into Singapore Wednesday night on the second leg of my trip. Work hasn't been too difficult but it is physically and mentally draining to stand in front of a group of people and try to give a complete and comprehensive presentation all day long.

It's friday, so with the little energy I had left, my colleagues and I went to dinner at the East Coast Seafood Center. It's funny, we drove across the country, from the west coast to the east coast, in about less than an hour of traffic! My favorite restuarant, the Red House, was closed for renovations, but to my surprise, one of Singapore's other famous seafood restuarants, No Signboard Restuarant, opened a new store in the same center.

We had steamed bamboo clams with black bean sauce, seafood stuffed bean curd, stir fried chicken with dried chili pepper, and of course, a white pepper crab. It's not the black pepper crab I crave, but they're still pretty famous for their crab dish.