San Fran Part II - Paying to go to a Jail

Our plan today:
1) Wake up early and bus to SF.
2) eat dim sum in Chinatown
3) go to Alcatraz
4) bus back to Palo Alto
5) night plans: club in SF?

1) Wake up early and bus to SF.
So today was my first experience on the local bus system -- the Caltrain and SF muni (electric buses). Very good system and pretty on time. The first bus we took in San Fran, you would not believe I was in the USA if I hadn't told you. See for yourself!


2) Chinatown dim sum
First time going to chinatown... how do we when we are there? Answer: Just follow the waves of asians leaving the bus! So 10 minutes later, we saw the wave of asians flood out of the bus, and knew we had hit chinatown (also, when 'young grasshopper' can no longer read the titles of the stores, that's a good indication we had found it.

We walked around quickly and found a place to eat dim sum. Not that great a dim sum place I have to say; was pretty expensive as well. We taught 'young grasshopper' the ways of the chopsticks, as well as introduced him to 'phoenix claws'. Brave grasshopper did very well at his first outing. Very good, young grasshopper! Very good!

3) Go to Alcatraz
The tour to Alcatraz was very nice. I have to say that is was the best $20 I spent thus far in the USA. The audio tour was terrific. The background sounds they put in really painted a vivid image of the jail cells there. There was also a tour guide afterwards talking about the story of the Birdman of Alcatraz; which was told in a very nice manner as well.


The only bad thing was that there were ALOT of flies on the ferry. Still not sure why they are there, but didn't really make the experience any worse since getting to see the SF skyline was well worth the flies sharing our ferry ride.

After Alcatraz, we went to Lombardo St - the famous switchback roads built in the old days to allow horses to go up the steep ascent. Walking from fisherman's wharf to there was a loooong walk; and consisted of very very steep hills. Then after having made it up there, we walked back down!...

4) Bus back to Palo Alto
So logically, this was suppose to be the most uneventful part of the trip... but always looking out for a challenge, we decided to spice up this little adventure.

Event 1: Bus Chasing
So we see the bus, maybe 200m away, and its the bus that would take us back to the train station. So rushing and running, we started going after it! 2 confused taxi drivers, and 2 streets J-walked later, we reach our destination. Bus #30: Stockton!...

Note that this bus comes every 5 minutes! Bus driver must think we are idiots! Running to catch a packed bus that comes every 5 minutes. Duma55 Canadians! heh heh.

Event 2: Permaturely Getting Off
So following the same strategy as when we searched for chinatown, we got off the bus when a wave of people got off the bus. Only this time, this plan completely failed! After walking for a few blocks, we looked at our map to realize we were 7 blocks away from the train station! So gracefully we walked ahead to the next bus stop, and waited for the bus that comes every 5 minutes. 2 minutes later we got on and 5 minutes later, we have gotten to the train station.

Lesson of the day: Transfers are the best thing to have on a public transit. Keep it close to you and never let it go!

Event 3: Safeway (my favorite!)
Now an exciting adventure is never complete without a visit to Safeway. Having 0.5 hr to kiil before the train departs, we went to the local Safeway and thought about buying some groceries.

Result:
I walk out w/ 750mL of Merlot for $4.00.
Young grasshopper walks out w/ 6 cans of Heini.

Great groceries we picked up eh?

5) SF clubbing?

So having gotten back home after the 5 minute bike ride after leaving the train station. I checked my battery-less phone and realized that clubbing is a go. So got showered and changed and was picked up to go clubbing... back in San Fran!

At the club, same old same old... yadiyadiya... did try this drink called the AMF. Very nice drink, strong but very good tasting; this might become my favorite drink from now on!

The day began very sunny and nice, but like all trips to San Fran, it seems like I brought back the clouds with me. Guess that's the price I pay when I venture out of Palo Alto to San Fran.

To come: Part III of San Fran: Japanese Tea Garden and MoMA

Sandwich of the Gods

So today I made my usual sandwich in preparation for tomorrow's lunch. I opened up the first bag of deli meat I bought from yesterday... and went... wtf?! Where's the rest of the it???

Having got a couple (4) lbs of deli meat last time, I thought to myself that I will go back to the usual and get 1 to 2 lbs of deli meat (which should last me a week or two I hope). So trying out the different kinds of meat... this time it was turkey roast. Now I didn't really pay attention when the lady put the meat in the bag; but summary:

Turkey Roast 0.52 lbs at $7.99/lb = 4 pieces ... (will last me two days). All I have to say is...that turkey better be dammmm good

So tomorrow, my MBB special (Meat Bread Butter) sandwich will cost a whooping $2.00+. For that price I could buy some fries AND chips at the PARC cafe!

Lesson of the day: Stick w/ ham, they are salty, tasteless, but they are light and cheap!

Palo Alto Goal Number 1 Completed: Spending was never so much fun

Today I achieved one of my goals of being down here in the US. Having brought my lifelong collection of US coins ($0.56 USD) from good ol' Canada, today, combined with my stash of coins collected in the first month and a half, I finally had enough coins to buy something with it...

So armed with $0.31 in pennies + $0.20 in dimes + $0.25 in quarters, I set out early today for lunch to the cafe and got myself a bag of chips (Ms Vickies -- imported from Canada!). Bye bye US coins collected for the past 10+ years! I swear, the cashier lady who took the coins was about to burst out laughing; guess she had to be professional and hold her laughter till later.

In other news, Europa is looking very good. 6 weeks of vacation, unlimited speed limit on the road (in Germany), good tasting beer (everywhere), culture (everywhere), slightly advanced tech (compared w/ Canada), 'futball' (UEFA), and not to mention the british accents (UK)!... I think I will start looking into the possiblity of going to Europe to work! It might actually be feasible, since I am british I think afterall... wuhahahahaha

Hillsdale Mall

So once again, today was a Sunday... and a planned surfing outing became a mall shopping experience... aiii.... seems like me and the active life here doesn't match.

So anyway, every work term, I've managed to work out and burn off the layers of fat accumulated during my hibernation in waterloo. It's worked out pretty well over the years... but this term... one and a half months in, 8 months of school later, I am still sitting on my a55 in front of a computer.

But this *might* change very soon. Today I was told that I dress and look like a FOB. Reason: I look very skinny. WTF?!?!?! Nothing against fobs and all, but since when did I EVER look like a fob? Anyway, guess this is a wake-up call for me to get off my a55 and head to the gym. I will see how far I get with this.

Personally, I've always believed that to 'work out', you should be using it to help you be better at another sport/activity. I always felt that purely working out just for 'looks' doesn't get me very far; I would never have that drive to push myself hard. However, if I have a reason to work out, then I usually am able to push myself wayyy harder and the results will follow.

Oh, on another note, so I mentioned I played those midway games at 6 Flags... I did the 'guess my age' game and the guy guessed I was 25 years old +/- 2!! I was sooo happy to lose that $5 :) . Afterwards, he said he actually thought I was 30! Dam, either school has done its magic making me into a zombie or he just made my day!

This didn't stop them from carding me for signing my own mastercard though... this is the first time that has ever happened in my life! I've been carded for alot of things, but for my own credit cards?... only in America... only in America!

6 Flags Wkend.. at Valleyjo

Saturday me and the 'city boys' went to 6 flags Marine World (aka an amusement park). The suprising thing was that the lineups to the rides were very very short. Longest wait of the day was 30 minutes MAX. Not much different than the one's at Wonderland I find. The most SCARY ride is the Boomerang...

The 'boomerang' was really just the Wonderland equivalent of 'The Bat'. At first, this ride was closed when we got to it. Then 20 minutes later it opened; so naturally, me and Odogg went on it. Now as we were waiting, I noticed it was strange how the cart is pulled up at varying speeds (ie. the motor doesn't seem to be putting out constant torque)... but at that time, didn't find anything unusual about that - since the kart is pulled up, then released, yadiyadiya. So the ride seemed to work fine while the line progressed.

So finally it was time we went on, and the motor pulled higher and higher and higher... then at the top, expecting that drop to start off the ride, we heard a 'clunk' and instead of plunging, we were suspended in midair!...

So we were suspended in midair for a good 5 minutes, and being in the 2nd row, we saw first the operator calling some dude, then a mechanic popped out of nowhere... then ANOTHER mechanic popped out of nowhere... all the while we were suspended in the air. Not a word of news from those at the bottom - though I did see people leave the line, deciding this ride was too scary for them. .... The view was nice though, sort of reminded me of being at Yosemite! Then a few minutes later, clank, and off we went! (phewf). I think that after we safely landed, they closed the ride. Guess we didn't have to pay that $10 extra for the haunted house attractions to be scared at 6 flags!

Scary ride aside, as always, had to try out the funnel cakes here. Conclusion: mmmm.... so good; it was Halloween themed I believe, so they shaped it like a brain...

Also played ALOT of those midway games. Though not really successful, did get myself a hat out of it ...



Also saw animals... penguins, elephants, tiger, shouka (killer whale), sea lions... I thought they were all pretty neat! Almost made me wanna visit a real zoo, until I remembered why I try to stay away from zoos in the past. (hint: it has something to do with the smell.)

Shocks at Palo Alto

Shock #1 (bad shock):
30 days since I've been here, and the unexpected happened... it rained in Palo Alto today! For some reason, I didn't expect it to ever rain here. Everyday the sky is blue, who would have thought... who would have thought...

Shock #2 (good shock):
House cleaning: It's official. There is a mystery person who comes in once every 2 weeks to clean up the place. I think the person even mopped the floor today! Talk about good service. This place is pretty decent! The person even did my dishes... too bad they were clean though, but still, the mystery person stuck it in the dishwasher, came out even more sparkling clean!

Shock #3 (good shock):
Magic Braun shaver... So today I was shaving, and having not shaved for awhile, the hair was growing long. Now in the past, as those who read this know, I would resort to a complex series of scissors + shaver combo to get rid of it. But without a pair of scissor and thinking of calling upon the trusty titanium knife to help me vanquish this evil, a hidden blade appeared in the magic braun shaver... AND it was electric. It was one of those razor blades that barbers use to cut your sideburns... so easily I was able to shave those long hair off. Of course, I now have slightly shorter sideburns since I got too excited and shaved a tad of them by mistake!

Reflection 1/4: Soccer avec PARC a lundi

So today I played soccer for the 3rd time in 3 weeks. Once again, it was pretty fun.

Now a couple things happened today...

Event 1: Almost losing it in a friendly game!...
So here I was, playing the usual mode for me at these pickup games; and then this guy, in full gear (shin pads, cleats, etc.) decides to detch me. This is fine of course, since it is a soccer game... The outcome was that he was unsuccessful in this attempt, as I saw right through the crossover BS he was attempting, but then as he lost the ball, he decided to imprint the memory of this encounter by placing his 4 cleats on my left ankle! Now without shin pads, it f*cking stung! In my rage (which rarely happens if you know me playing soccer), I just shot the ball, clearing the fence of the field when we were playing 'below the knee' as goal. VERY VERY unsportsmen-like... lucky it was just a friendly, otherwise I would be yellow carded for sure! I did go climb the fence and get the ball back though...

Now I am actually feeling pretty shameful about this. I mean, getting 4 cleats on my ankle, this stuff happens in soccer. Sure its been eons since I've gotten cleats to my leg anywhere, but this was no way to play in a friendly. What made it worse now that I think about it was that I was considering decking him on the next play (legally of course - with the zi-wun-tad special [a character from a comic book]) -- now for those who don't know me and my bible for soccer that I devoutly studied in french class back in gr. 8 :), you would have no clue what I am talking about!

As for credentials, I've pulled this move off enough times in matches, and the playing style that this guy had would have sent him doing somersaults if I pulled it on him. But since it is a friendly afterall, I decided to calm down for the next 5 min so that I would get this vicious intent out of my system. I mean, the guy probably didn't do it on purpose (he did stop playing after he landed his cleats on my ankle), AND I do like having more people playing soccer during this time. But vent today on the blog I must!

But the more important question was why I felt this urge to kick that ball. It's not something I would do usually. I only have two answers to this for now:
1) Maybe it's a sign that at the end of the day, I am a competitive person and don't like to be taken out of a game... seems pretty far-fetched but at the time, this was what I sort of thought. Hard to explain how the idea of 'competitiveness' comes out out this event, so I won't bother explaining. But if this is the case, then it is a good sign because I've been looking for that competitive spark in things that I do for awhile now; I haven't really cared to compete ever since I got into good ol' Waterloo. Personally, I believe having some sort of 'drive' is important in this world.. but that's just my opinion. Please comment if you beg to differ.
2) Maybe I was more mad at myself for not protecting my busted left ankle better. An 'athlete' worst ail are injuries. And having been through one before, I have no intention of heading back into a surgery room to fix any part of my body. So maybe that thought unconsciously triggered my more rash self, causing me clear the ball over the fence.
Which do you think it is? I for one, really don't know...

Event 2: technical flamboyance
Pulled a semi-'kolidak' (aka rainbow) on an unsuspecting opponent successfully today! Didn't get a goal out of it, cuz the pass to my teammate didn't connect perfectly, but it was a clean semi-'kolidak', followed by a decent pass. This was the highlight for me today!... haha.. No where near the comfort level I had with a soccer ball back in the day, but I am proud of this semi-kolidak; since it was pulled off SOOOO cleanly... Wished I had taken a video of it so I could youtube it to the world!

(on a side note: I did miss half a dozen simple cross over back heels today... but then I got a goal using my back heel.. kekeke)

Anyway, done my rant for the night.

Mson out

Blog Facelift

So instead of studying, spent an hour or so reading the html template code and playing around with it; then decided to centralize all bloggable things that I have. Changes below:

1) Expanded the text portion (to reduce scrolling required)

2) Still looking at quick and painless way for uploading pictures and have people be able to download them by the bulk. Any suggestions are welcome!

3) Added another section to this blog. This blog now links to another blog page that has more 'non-journally' stuff of mine. Link can be found on the right sidebar (Mson's collection). It has what my msn space used to have... and more. This page will be updated less frequently than this main page.
Enjoy!

Post Bday

So today, I woke up at a nice regular time (1pm). Then ate my lunch.

I told myself that today I was suppose to start working hard! But instead, I tried out the PS2 lying in the common room... and loaded in Dynasty Warriors 4. And it worked! Then I sat down and lost track of time...

... So I sat in front of the TV, played Dynasty for 5 hours (I didn't think I would play for that long), and am now officially dumber from mindlessly tapping that x and square button to kill fellow asians.. haha. But my character is now suped up! :) I think 3 more levels and I clear the game!

Now I am slightly groggy from this exercise (last time I did this was Dynasty Warriors back a couple of years ago...)...

Now its 9:30... almost another day. Starting next week though, will start working... I really will!

Bday 23 Completed

So after an uneventful morning, the night was slightly better.

The highlight of the night had to be the place we went to for dinner... called Todai. This was a buffet restaurant that served chinese and japanese food. And get this, it served octopus sushis. ... (of course I chowed down on that). There were crepes, sashimi of 5 differnt kinds, eel sushi, dragon roll, and even cooked stuff like king crab and clams. It was $25.95 per person (yes, a tad expensive...).. but get his, since we went on my actual bday.. it was FREE for me!!! We even got a crayfish (small lobster as I would like to call it) at the beginning for free.... only thing I missed was the bday song that some other table got. I guess being old and the store closing in 15 minutes made the waiters lazy.



Then we went to a loft party... DAM!.. That place was nice. They had a fire going up in the top floor, and the view was nice. First time I've seen San Fran not rainy!

As I am typing this, it is 3:45 am in the morning, so forgive my spelling mistakes...Pictures to come soon; once I get it off the camera.

On another note, just talked w/ the lobster.. seems like she survived as well... goooodo stuff.. 2 years in a row we survived.. let's keep this tradition alive!!!

tipsy Mson out.